Frustration is....

...trying to learn Adobe Photoshop in an hour with 3 kids running around who all want to play with you. Let's just say, it doesn't work well.

Adobe is super cool -- it can do so much, but learning it all is going to take me FOREVER!! The BOOK that comes with the software is over 200 pages. Fun times!! I need a class! LOL!! Holly (she took the kids pictures every month for probably 3 years) was nice enough to come over today and give me the quick overview, and I think she may be coming over Sunday night after the kids go to bed... Maybe then we can really concentrate!

So this afternoon while Katherine and Caleb take their naps, I'm going to start adjusting the lighting on all the pics, and do some other basic stuff -- removing red eye, cropping them etc... I *think* I can remember how to remove shadows too... Then when she comes back on Sunday, I can pick her brain for more tips! ... in the meantime it's me and THE BOOK!!

Adventureland

Two blogs in one day??? Especially after not blogging for three days??? There were just too many pictures to put in one post - so here they are ... the second round of pictures.

My sister called me this morning and wanted to know if we'd join them at Adventureland -- on opening day.. There's a no-brainer! We were all over it!! Since Matt was studying, and Clyde was working, we took the kids for a little fun in the sun. It was the perfect day for it -- small crowds, no lines, a beautiful sunny day...

Caleb was in heaven. The first ride he went on was the carousel and boy did he LOVE the horses. He was laughing and patting the neck of his horse yelling "Horse" and making his little horse sounds the whole time. I wish I had my camera. The look on his face was priceless. It was pure joy!

This year I decided that since Caleb is now 19 months old, I'd let him go on a few rides without me. Katherine would have to be on with him, but he could go on a few "big boy" rides with his girls -- Katherine, Morgan and Hannah. He sat like such a little man. At first I was worried that he'd try to get up or off the ride, but much to my surprise he didn't. He had a wonderful day!!

Here are the kids on the lady bug roller coaster. (Morgan and Hannah are in the back).

Here are the bigger kids on the Frog Hopper. From left to right... Hannah, Morgan, Katherine, girl I don't know, and Ben.

Here's Katherine with the Adventureland Dog that walks around the park. She ran right up and gave it a big hug and kiss!

Here are the girls -- Morgan, Katherine and Hannah on the train.

Last night we had a girls night out at WineStyles in West Des Moines (Val -- this is the place we took you and BK to during your stay). It's a super cute wine shop in a trendy little area, and they have great wine tasting classes after store hours. Andrea, Carolyn, Kristin, Tiffany and I went for a couple of hours and it was put on the Johnston Mom's group. Before Friday night I didn't know such a thing existed, but we had a great time and met so many people.

Tonight Troy and Andrea were doing a practice run for the neighborhood Smokefest in June. (They invite the ENTIRE neighborhood over and smoke/bbq tons of meat etc.... It's a great time; the kids love it because they get to roast smores in the backyard and stay up WAY past their bedtime). So the kids got to run around and play all night, and just crashed at bedtime. They're so worn out that they should sleep until about noon tomorrow. HA-HA-HA!

Tulip Time...

Wow!! It seems like it's been forever since I've blogged... Life was so crazy last week. Caleb was sick with strep throat, and spent several nights wanting to cuddle with his mommy at all hours of the night. His personal favorite was 2 am! That made for one tired Mommy! It was so strange... He was fine one minute, and then burning up the next. He's on the mend now, thank goodness!!

Friday we took our neighborhood playgroup to Pella for the tulip festival, and we had the BEST time!! I've never been there before, but the tulips were gorgeous, and town was charming. They had a huge wooden park (for those familiar with LeMars, think Cleveland, but twice the size), and after seeing it, Katherine insisted that we were in LeMars -- right by her Grandma Fran's house. The tulip festival is actually this coming weekend, so we got all the benefits of the tulips -- without the crowds. We played and the park, brought a picnic lunch, and then walked into the town square to hit the bakery. Again -- think Vandermeer's in LeMars, but with super yummy dutch treats. Caleb gobbled down his sample of the dutch letters -- and asked for "More peaaaase". My picky eater Katherine took a nibble and spit it right out. Let me tell ya -- it was charming right in the middle of the crowded bakery. We ended bring home some dutch letters for my parents -- and they were a huge hit. (Katherine takes after her mom -- I don't like them either)!!

** You can double click on any of these pictures to see them larger **

Here's a picture of Katherine sitting outside the bakery "patiently" waiting to eat her cookie. She picked out the largest sugar cookie she could find. It was a huge flower covered in thick purple frosting and was a hyper child waiting to happen! I let her have one petal, and told her she'd have to eat the rest later in the night when her daddy would be around -- it's all about sharing!!

Here's a few pictures from the playground.

Katherine is a monkey bar aficionado and here she is swinging around! Carolyn was nice enough to spot her so that I could get a picture!


Here's Caleb taking a break on the bridge. He had been jumping his little heart out and needed a breather. This bridge was a rubber material, and rocked when he jumped on it. Let's just say it was a HUGE hit. The only problem is now he thinks he can jump on the beds or furniture at home.... He just doesn't get it -- it's endless fun outside, but at home it's a no-go...

Here's Katherine and Allison on the tire swing.

The girls in front of the tulips....

OK -- I didn't want to take this picture. I had been running around and playing with the kids on the playground for a couple of hours and was windblown and dirty -- really dirty. Carolyn talked me into taking the picture, and I'm so glad I did. So -- here it is -- a picture of me and two of the people I love most in the world, on a wonderful sunny Friday afternoon in April. This Friday was like so many before it -- at playgroup, with friends, laughing so hard our faces hurt. We had a great day. We laughed together. We played together. We made great memories. We'll go back next year. We'll go back every year.

These days seem endless -- as if they'll never end. It makes my heart hurt and my head panic knowing they will. In the blink of an eye my babies will be grown, so I'll take this opportunity and every other one like it to hold them, play with them and make the most wonderful memories we can. If only time could stand still....

I can't belive I forgot...

to mention the best part of the morning with a sick baby!

Since Caleb had finished off his sippy cup during the night, I rushed down to refill as soon as he got up. I have these little 4 ounce juice boxes (100% juice) with Sesame Street characters on the front. For obvious reasons, Caleb LOVES them. He started yelling "Big Bird" as soon as I opened the fridge. So I gave him a juice box. He drank half of it before we left the house, and then the other half of it after we got back in the car (from dropping Katherine off at preschool). So he drank 4 ounces in about 20 minutes...

On the way home, I called Lisa to tell it wouldn't work out for me to scrap with her Tuesday or Wednesday night. Since Caleb was sick, it just wasn't the best time. Anyway, we're chatting away, and all of a sudden I hear this strange gushing noise in the back. Let's just say Caleb is a silent puker! YUCK! Don't know how I forgot this earlier, especially since his car seat, clothes and the chair in front of him was dripping wet..... 10 years ago I would have never dreamed that I'd be fine with cleaning up puke, today it was more bearable that I thought...

Well tonight, after two doses of antibiotics, Caleb got rush of energy... his adrenaline was pumping!! We were all hanging out in the living room, and he started pushing a button on one of his toys and DANCING around the living room. When the music stopped, he'd start it right up again and get his groove on. Katherine started dancing with him and he was having a grand ol' time. All of a sudden, he climbed up on the couch and started jumping -- looking at me and laughing the whole time. Normally, I'd never let him jump on the furniture, but it was sooooo good to see my bright eyed baby boy again, I couldn't stop him!

My poor sick baby...

Last night was horrible. Caleb got really sick -- really fast. He woke up several time during the night and at one point, his fever (taken under his arm -- so you add a degree) was 103.8. He felt like he was burning up, and shivering at the same time. You could just tell that he ached all over. It was terrible!! So I took him downstairs and got him a sippy cup and he drank about half of it, which was a huge improvement from bedtime when he wouldn't drink at all. We were up cuddling for a couple of hours, and when I put him back down to bed, I let him sleep with his sippy. During the night he had finished off the cup of water so that was a positive!

This morning, I took him to Dr. Jon while Katherine was at school. After the strep test and blood work, we found out it was strep throat. UUUUGH! The poor little guy -- he just looks awful ... is eyes are dull and watery, his face is stained with tears... He's so lethargic, it's horrible. When Dr. Jon swabbed his throat for the culture, he just sat on my lap, staring blankly at the wall. He didn't even fuss about it... I miss my little bright eyed baby boy. I miss his fight and enthusiasm. I miss his playful attitude. Hopefully tomorrow he's back to normal.

Mom picked up Katherine from school today and Katherine spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with her Grammy. I can't tell you how blessed I am that my mom lives close and can help me out with the kids. It's so wonderful knowing that my mom will take her anytime and she's well cared for and happy over there. The truth is... she'd rather be with Grammy than here anyway!!

Caleb has slept on and off for most of the day... He's been sick before, but this time, he's just wiped out. He took three naps before 1:30 and one of those naps was for an hour and a half. He went down for his afternoon around 2:45 and he's still sleeping. Poor baby. I hate it when either one of the kids are sick. I'd trade them places in a second - and with a smile on my face.

Sorry the posts lately have been so "woe is me" lately, but that's life with a sick baby. We aren't doing anything fun or exciting! Hopefully tomorrow things return to normal!

102.4

this was Caleb's temperature, taken under his arm, at 8 pm tonight.... The poor little guy is completely lethargic, and just burning up. It's going to be a long night..... I'm not sure what happened or how he could have gotten sick.

We had the best day. First thing this morning we went over to Andrea's house to play. Carolyn and Allison were also over there and the kids played their little hearts out. They had such a wonderful time. Caleb found the air hockey table and stood there (on a chair) for almost a full hour. The kid's got some rockin' eye/hand coordination!

We went home for lunch, and then went shopping with my mom. I decided to buy new photo editing software and got Adobe Photoshop. I'm soooo excited, and can't wait to start playing.

When we got home, the kids and I played outside and then I took them for a wagon ride. Caleb is having a great time -- you'd NEVER know he wasn't feeling well....

Right before dinner we were back outside playing -- Caleb is still running around like a champ -- playing on the swing set, hitting the baseballs off the T... Oh -- and exposing the entire neighborhood to the mysterious virus he has...

We had my mom up for dinner (my dad had something going on at school) and as soon as we were finishing dinner, he got crabby. Really crabby. Crying uncontrollably. Matt took him outside and as long as he was holding Caleb, he was content.... so my mom and I left to run to the grocery store. When we got home (30 minutes later) Caleb was burning up -- his fever was 102.4 taken under his arm... Guess we'll be going to Dr. Jon while Katherine is at preschool tomorrow. Poor little guy!

It's official!!

Summer is here!! For the first time this season, the kids and I each got a little too much sun. ** Yes I know they should have had sunscreen on, but when we left the house this morning, that was the last thing on my mind! Bad mom!! ** Katherine has rosy cheeks and the freckles on her nose popped out in the sun today. Caleb's arms are pink -- and I'm red all over -- my face, arms and chest, and I can feel the tingle!! What a great feeling!! We've been waiting for summer since -- uh -- last summer! LOL!!

Today (while Matt was at the library studying) we had a play date with Tina, Emma and Sam and we ended up going to Dewey park. It's a great park a few miles from our house, and it's actually two parks in one. There's a toddler park full of preschool equipment and then a bigger park designed for grade schoolers. The ground is covered with the recycled tires, so when Caleb takes a tumble, the ground is soft. He thanks the planning committee! There's also a basketball court, picnic area and a soccer/open field. It's great!!

Here's a couple of pics from today. (Caleb is on the preschool park, and if you look in the background, you can see the grade school park).

When we got home, Monique and her little girl, Waverly, came over to play out in the backyard. We all had lunch on the deck and the kids played until 2:30 -- when we had to drag them in the house for naps. Poor Caleb -- he stood at the fence and yelled "BALLS" into Andrea's backyard all afternoon. Getting him a baseball T and bat is high on my list of "to do" things. This week!

While the kids napped, I met Lisa for some girl time. We went to two different scrapbook stores, and I added nicely to the stash. She's going to come over some night this week to scrap, and I'm so looking forward to that! Scrapbooking is a great time, but when you can do it with an old friend -- it just doesn't get any better than that.

After the kids woke up from their naps, we went out to dinner with Jim and Tina for a little Mexican. YUM!! The kids couldn't get enough -- I almost thought of ordering them another round! I'm not sure what's up with Katherine -- getting her to eat a meal used to be one of my biggest frustrations, but now she eats all the time. It must be a growth spurt!

When we got home, it was back out to play with the neighbors. Caleb got to play ball at Andrea's -- it was a dream come true for him. Then the dads played soccer and catch with them all. Oh -- and get this.... The boys (5.5, 4 and 3.5 years old) were trying to get the ball away from Katherine, and she out ran them all!! And not only that, but after a while they were sweaty and winded -- but not my little Katherine! She could have kept going... She's going to give those boys a run for their money!! LOL! After a while, the kids came to join us girls next door and they found the pool. Tiffany had put it out for Grant earlier in the day, and let's just say ..... at 8:30 we had fully clothed, soaking wet, and exhausted kids. But boy, did they have fun!

Identity

Have you seen this show?? It's a ridiculous game show in which you guess the identity of 12 (I think) people based on the way they look.

I'd rock on this show! Just saying I'd be comin' home with the cash!!

I love my life....

Today was a wonderful day. Nothing extraordinary happened, it was just an ordinary day that made me realize how truly blessed I am....

Matt was home from work today and we all slept in late. Wonderful start to any day!! After we got up and around, the kids and I went to our Friday morning neighborhood playgroup. We chatted and drank Diet Pepsi. Julie showed off probably the largest stamp collection I've ever seen. She's got more stamp sets than most stores!! We talked scrapbooking and looked through pictures. The kids had a blast, but poor Katherine was the only girl there. It was all boys!! And they certainly play differently than little girls!

When we left playgroup, the kids and I headed to the mall and went to the play area until Matt joined us. (He had been at the library studying). After we were all played out, and had lunch with Matt, we headed home and played outside until almost 3. The kids ran barefoot in the grass. They rode their bikes. They played with the sidewalk chalk. They swung and went down the slide. We played catch. It was sooooo wonderful to be outside, barefoot, in the sun.

After naps, we played outside with the neighborhood kids. Andrea and I had planned to get together tonight because both of our hubbies were out for different reasons. (Matt had his spring fling for work...) When we were outside playing, we found out that the other "daddies" were also gone, so we decided to invite others to join us. It was so fun! There were 6 girls and all our kids. We ordered pizza and chatted while the kids played outside. Katherine was even able to bust out her shorts! It was great fun for all.

I am truly blessed. I have amazing kids, a wonderful hubby and the best neighbors. Nothing unusual happened today, but in the small events of life, I am constantly reminded how blessed I am. Today was an ordinary day, but so extraordinary.... I am so thankful to be living my life.

Lil' Slugger

What is it with little boys? How do they come out of the womb just knowing what to do with balls?? The first time Caleb saw a basketball hoop, he ran right up and started dunking balls, laughing and cheering himself on. He's never seen Matt or I do that... We don't own a hoop..... Katherine is completely uninterested.... And, Caleb doesn't watch sports on TV -- yet....

So as a result of his new found love of basketball, I got Caleb a basketball hoop for Easter. I put it in the living room so that he can play while I cook dinner and it keeps him entertained for hours. He will stand and shoot FOREVER. Actually, Matt and Caleb can stand and shoot FOREVER. I've removed all the breakables from the area -- with TWO kids shooting (and one from "downtown") I can't risk it... Katherine and I just go about our business. HA-HA-HA!!

So today, we went over to the Burkle's to play with Ben and Michelle. All the kids were outside playing in the backyard on the swing set and in the sandbox. All of a sudden, Caleb gets out of the sandbox and make a bee-line for the baseball bat. He carefully placed the little baseball on the T and swung for the fences. It was hilarious. I really wish I had the video camera. But, again, my question is... how did he know that the ball belonged on the T and he should hit it??? He didn't see anyone else playing with it... They're born with it, I tell ya!!

I guess next time I make a Target run, a little baseball T and bat are in order. Matt will be thrilled since he's all about baseball! This will DEFINITELY be an outside toy...

Today is the start of the weekend, and I'm sooo excited. Matt is taking Thursday and Friday off work -- it's just to study, but he's still off work!! Tonight we're going over to Rick and Danyel's house for a neighborhood pizza party. I'm so looking forward it!!

FINISHED!!

I am so done with getting the kids' pictures taken at Target!! Today was the last time! I was so frustrated by the time I left there, I was about to kill the chic taking Caleb's pictures. UUUUUGH!

Yesterday I called them to confirm the appointment, and I got bombarded with 50 questions. I got all the usual questions -- what will he be wearing, do I have prop preferences, etc.... but then they started asking me weird questions -- what's his middle name, when is his birthday (I already told them it was his 19 month pics), how much does he weigh... WHAT? Since when is his middle name and weight important in picture taking??? This conversation goes on for 10 minutes and finally I tried to end the conversation by saying, "Great, well, I'll see you at 10 tomorrow morning. Looking forward to it!". We finally get off the phone, and I was already irritated with them...

So today when I get there, a new girl is going to be taking Caleb's pictures. She has me fill out this sheet with my name and address and then starts asking me all the same questions I got the day before. WHAT?? Did you not take notes yesterday, and REALLY is his weight and birthday important??? Come on!! So needless to say, Caleb is about ready to jump out of the cart and I'm starting to get annoyed.

When we finally go into the picture room and prepare to get the pics taken, she barely looks at Caleb. I am doing everything -- trying to get him to smile, placing him in the correct location, making sure the lighting is right -- everything!! I might as well have grabbed the camera and shot it myself. Soooo frustrating! She then decides it'd be a great idea to hand him a soccer ball and a golf club. Now -- for any of you moms with little toddler boys -- I'm sure you can guess what I'm going to say..... This was perhaps the worst idea in the universe. Let's just say that as soon as Caleb was handed a golf club, he went nuts. ABSOLUTELY NUTS!! He went after the soccer ball with all the gusto he had -- swinging that golf club with all of his might. Let's see ... he hit the photographer, knocking the camera out of her hands, tripped over the back drop, and gave himself a fat lip all in about 20 seconds. It was just wonderful. SOOOOO many great photo-opts there! Ay-yi-yi....

After about 25 minutes of complete chaos, I tell her that I think he's done. He was at his limit and was ready to get the heck out of there. And, I don't blame him!! I was done too! LOL. She tells me that I can't leave yet, she needs to get more pictures and starts rattling off certain poses that she needs to shoot. HUH??? I'm the paying customer, my 19 month old has had it, he's doing everything BUT standing still for pictures, and you want to keep shooting??? It ended with her taking some pictures of me putting coins back into my billfold. *I think I'll get a 16X20 of that and hang it on the wall......

On the way out I called Holly. She used to manage the Target and took the kids pictures for 3+ years. She now runs a private studio in Ankeny. I don't care about the drive. I just want good pictures!! So next month, we're going to Holly's!! And poor Katherine, she was just distraught because she wasn't getting her pictures taken this month.

Goin' to the chapel...

... and she's gonna get maaaarried....

My baby sister got married on Sunday!! I am so happy for her -- and them. She married her long time love, Clyde. They both have little girls born less than a year apart, so it's one big happy family. Katherine is thrilled to have a new cousin and uncle. Morgan is thrilled to have a new sister. And Clyde??? Well he's just a lucky man!! HA-HA.

Here is a picture of Laurie and Morgan right before the ceremony.

The happy new family!! Hannah is Clyde's daughter and about 8 months older than Morgan.

Here's the happy couple!!

The day was absolutely beautiful and the ceremony was gorgeous. I am so happy for them. I know they have a long and happy life ahead of them. Cheers!!

Since the ceremony was outside, Caleb could run free in the park. He looked adorable in his little khakis and light blue shirt. And yes, of course, he was wearing the squeaky shoes. Laurie had a big decision to make -- hear Caleb fussing to get down during the ceremony so that he could run free or listen to the constant squeaking. She chose the later! Smart girl! And thank goodness that my sister is not a bridezilla!!

After the ceremony we all had dinner close to Laurie and Clyde's place. The food was yummy, and Katherine was in heaven -- she got to eat cake two days in a row. Caleb was once again the life of the party. He kept running around with his kids' cup in hand and yelling "CHHHEEEEEERRRS" to anyone holding a glass. It was starting to get out of hand when he and Morgan found each other. They where clinking their glasses together so hard, that I was sure they'd break!!

This morning the poor kids were so exhausted that they both slept until 9!! Wow! I couldn't believe it. At 9:15 this morning Andrea brought Max and Isaac over and I watched them for her while she took Collin to the doctor for his one year shots. When she got back, Katherine and Caleb went over to her house to play outside with the boys while I ran a couple of errands. When I got home, Carolyn, Andrea and Tiffany were all outside in the backyard with the kids. There were 9 kids and 4 moms. Such fun! We sat out in the sun while the kids played on the swing set and dug in the sand box.

Which reminds me....

In one of my parenting magazines this month there's a cartoon on the last page. It's a funny comparing moms from 20 years ago and today. I can't remember them all but the comparisons are: Cars (station wagon vs huge SUV); drinks (cup of coffee vs latte with whipped cream aka Starbucks); clothes (a huge preggo shirt vs a tummy bearing crop shirt).

The final one was how moms connect. 20 years ago it showed two moms talking at the back fence. Today it showed a mom surfing the net. So glad I have a neighborhood that's sooooo 20 years ago. I can't imagine life any other way. I am truly blessed.

Birthday party...

Saturday afternoon we went to Emma's birthday party at The Playground for Kids. We had such fun!! The place is amazing!! It's a little kid wonderland, full of inflatables that you jump in, air hockey, a big tree house and slides galore. Caleb went nuts shooting balls into different hoops and running around after the big kids. He doesn't realize he's only 19 months, and refuses to be left out!! Thank goodness Katherine is such a good sport! She loves showing off her little brother, and always keeps a watchful eye on him.

I've got to tell ya -- I was so proud of Katherine. Emma goes to daycare and she invited all the kids from her class. Katherine was the only non-daycare kid there, and I wondered how she'd fit in (and if they'd leave her out)... especially since all of the other kids knew each other and played together every day. She was amazing!! She jumped right in and made tons of new friends. Both kids played so hard that they crashed in the car on the way home.

Here's a picture of Katherine waiting for her piece of cake. You can't tell from the picture, but she's sitting by some newly made friends and was giggling away. Birthday cake happens to be her all time favorite food, so she was in heaven!!



Here's Caleb in the toddler area. He lasted here all of 30 seconds before he decided to join the big kids.



Caleb in the ball pit shooting hoops. Matt had to lift him up, but holy cow did he have a blast!! What is it about little boys and shooting balls anyway?

This is the big slide that comes down out of the tree house. It's pretty big -- even Matt had fun!!

Here's Katherine at the base of the tree house. She's on her way up!!

In the past I've always had the kid's birthday parties at our house, but I'm thinking that next year we'll probably have a destination party. It'll be so much easier and cheaper. And most importantly, the kids had a blast!!!!

HOLY TRAP....

AHHH yes, out of the mouth of babes... My babe that is! As dreadful as it is, Katherine repeats everything that she hears...

Yesterday I was re-telling the pharmacy story for probably the 100th time, and "holy crap" slipped out of my mouth in front of her. I couldn't believe it, and I didn't think she heard, but ol' eagle ears definitely did.... I didn't say anything about it, I just pretended that it didn't happen.... NOT a good move!

Today after our Friday morning neighborhood playgroup, Katherine and Caleb were upstairs playing while I finished picking up the lunch dishes. All of a sudden, both kids started screaming and crying and Katherine yells, "HOLY TRAP, Mommy come quick". (At least she used it in context)! She tried to shut Caleb's bedroom door, but his little hand was in the door jam (between the door hinges and wall) and it got absolutely crushed. He was screaming out of pain, and she was screaming because she hurt her little brother. His poor little hand had a deep red line on the top. She got him pretty good. Needless to say, we now have a strict "no shutting bedroom door rule". I couldn't believe she said "Holy trap". UUUUUUGH. No more swearing or slang for me. Never again!!

OH , I have an update on the pharmacy debacle.... I called the woman who manages all of the Dahl's pharmacies. Needless to say, she was appalled at the scenario and is going to dig pretty deep. She even hinted that if what I told her was true, Mike would lose his job. Evidently this is not the first time something like this has happened... OK -- I don't want him to lose his job. I really don't.... I just want him to fill my prescription correctly and not treat me like a fool! That shouldn't be too much to ask, right???? She is going to have them fax her the original prescription, and do some digging and then call me back later tonight. I got thinking.... if he's shorting me on pills, what is he doing to some 80 year old Medicare patient??? It's just not ethical.

Tonight after Matt gets home from work, we're off for a little shopping. We have a birthday party to go to tomorrow for Jim and Tina's little girl. Matt and Jim have worked together at two different places (Principal and IMG) and we just found out that Jim got an offer from Aviva to work (yet again) with Matt. Katherine and Emma were born one month apart and have known each other most of their young lives. The party is at The Playground for Kids. It's in Ankeny and Jim and Tina rented the whole place out from 3-5. Should be a blast! They have a super cool tree house thing that is 3 stories high (a-la Swiss Family Robinson, with ropes, slides tunnels etc...) and tons of inflatable jumping things. I hope the kids can stay awake long enough to enjoy it, since it's right during nap time.

And then, the real event of the weekend..... My baby sister is getting married on Sunday. The wedding is at 4:30 and *hopefully* it warms up for them. I'll post pics of the happy couple!!

Fun times!!

Finally -- we're back on track and life has returned to normal!! Thank goodness!!

The kids have now been on antibiotics for three days and are on the mend. They've returned to the happy, fun loving, well behaved and wonderful kids we know, and I couldn't be happier about it.... especially after the fiasco this weekend.

Today we went to Backyard Adventures with a friend of Katherine's from preschool, and they had a blast. Backyard Adventures has set up several new swing sets and the kids had the best time exploring all the new play things! As always, Caleb headed straight for the basketball court and I lifted him up so that he could shoot baskets. He was in heaven!

Oh -- Caleb is soooo much like his Daddy. When we got home today, Caleb found a dime on the table. He started cheering -- lifting it in his little hand high above his head --- and RUNNING for the stairs. He couldn't get to his bank fast enough! Some parents worry that their little ones will swallow coins. Not me! Caleb loves putting money in the bank -- almost as much as his daddy! LOL!

My heart is breaking...

Background.....

My Grandma had cancer removed from the inside of her mouth and tongue several years ago. Sunday night Isaac (my brother who is in dental school) took a look in her mouth and suspected her cancer was back. He took pictures and emailed them to his professor, who happens to be the head of oral oncology at the University of Iowa. His professor confirmed Isaac's fear, and suggested that a biopsy be done ASAP.

Update....

My Grandma went in for the biopsy yesterday and the doctor removed a chunk of her tongue larger than a nickel. He finally had to stop because the cancer was so wide spread. At her last dentist appointment 6 months ago, no cancer existed. Now, 6 months later, it has "spread like wildfire" and has gone all over the inside of her mouth and into her jaw bone. The doctor here in town is at a loss.... My Grandma weighs less than 100 pounds and if he decided to operate, he'd have to remove most of her tongue, jaw bone and possibly start removing cells in her throat. He won't do that extensive of a surgery because he doesn't think that my Grandma would make it through.... She's just not strong enough.... The other option is radiation and chemo. Again, she is too weak to go through that... So, he said that there's nothing he can really do for her.

My mom and I are going to take her to Iowa City next week. Evidently there is a great ENT doctor, and we're going to see what he has to say...

It just breaks my heart. She is my last living grandparent and Katherine and Caleb's only living great-grandparent.

So last night after the biopsy, we all took her to the Cracker Barrel for pancakes. She had to eat immediately after the biopsy because her mouth would still be numb and he wanted her to eat something really soft so that she wouldn't disrupt the stitches...

The ironic thing in all this.... About 2 or 3 weeks ago Katherine started asking about death and why people have to die and go to Heaven. She wonders why people have to get old and is asking a million questions. She wonders if I'm going to die.... UUUGH. I'm sure all these questions are due to Easter and the death and resurrection of Jesus. I wish I could shield her from all of this... I wish she could remain innocent forever. I wish life was fair. I wish cancer didn't exist. I wish our hearts didn't have to break.....

Incompetence

Dahl's pharmacy has to be about the most incompetent bunch of highly educated people I've met in a long LONG time...

I was talking to my friend Kelly (from Principal) today and giving her the play-by-play of yesterday's events. She told me that I should contact the manager and let him/her know how dissatisfied I was, what a hassle they made it to fill an easy prescription, etc... Great idea! I call around and finally figure out who I need to contact, but they are out of the office until later this afternoon.

So I go back to Dahl's today to get the remainder of the prescription that the pharmacy manager didn't want to fill yesterday as he didn't make enough money on my sick baby... Classy, huh??? When I arrive, good ol' Mike is out to lunch, and Erin (super nice) is there. I explain who I am, and she has the Xopenex sitting on the counter for me. We discuss what happened yesterday and I asked her how she would have filled the prescription. She also would have given me the full 30 days right away... OK -- who wouldn't???

Poor Erin. She could tell I was pretty ticked off about the amount of hassle I had to go though to get the prescription, but she started shaking like a leaf when I told her I'd be calling Mike's boss and telling her how unhappy I was. Her hands were literally trembling - I felt awful, but I'm not that scary -- all 5'3'' of me! UUUUUGH! And really -- it's NOT about the hassle. It's NOT about an innocent mistake. It's being intentionally lied to and cheated out of what my sick baby needs. It's about trying to charge me and the insurance company for drugs I didn't get. It's about being disingenuous to make an extra dime. They clearly crossed the line!

Anyway, she's explaining to me how she has to split a box because I'm only supposed to have 90 vials not 96, and that she's going to have to throw away the remainder. Fine... Yadda... yadda... yadda... Caleb is crying, and all I want to do is get out of there and get my sick kids home... She bags it up for me and I once again sign for it...

I get home and the prescription is WRONG... YES WRONG again. Holy cow! How can this be?? Now they've given me 5 full boxes -- 24 vials in each (minus the 6 vials she removed) instead of 4 boxes. I called and left a message on the voice mail -- if they want to come to my house and get the extra box, they are more than welcome to it, but there is NO WAY I'm hauling two sick kids back there for the THIRD time for the same prescription. I've yet to get a call back from them.

How hard can it be???

I'm HOT....

Furious really. Actually, my Irish blood is boiling, and that's not a good thing! I can handle a lot of things -- intentionally being lied to, mislead, or cheated is not among them. Being taken advantage of is not something I'll tolerate, and I've been known to fly off the handle a time or two and go to great lengths to correct the problem... Guess what???? Someone tried to pull one over on me today. The real issue is that it didn't affect just me -- Caleb was involved so it was all out war.

Here's what happened..... I went to Dr. Jon today with two sick kids. He wrote me a prescription for Xopenex -- 3 times a day for 30 days. (I am supposed to get 90 tubes). This medication is a liquid you put into a nebulizer and it opens the airways in the lungs. Jon always writes the prescription for as much as insurance allows so that I always have it on hand. This way, as soon as the kids start to wheeze I can pull out the nebulizer.... Anyway, I go and get the Xopenex and two other antibiotics filled for them at Dahl's and then head over to the customer service area to get my Sesame Street Live tickets. When I come back, my prescriptions are filled, sacked and ready to go. All I have to do is sign and pay for them. Great! The total bill was pretty high, but the pharmacist told me that the Xopenex was $68'ish... Fine. It's 90 vials, so that will last quite a while.

*** On a side note, for anyone who doesn't know.... I LOVE Dr. Jon. I think he's the best pediatrician in town and he's gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Matt and I out over the years. He's been known to call on Sunday to check in on the kids when they're sick, and even personally treat Matt and I... He spends tons of time with us, and I never leave his office with unanswered questions. We have a great relationship. When I leave his office I NEVER leave questioning the treatment or prescription. So there is NO WAY I misunderstood the Xopenex prescription -- oh, and he's written the script for me several times in the past.

When I got home and opened the sack, I noticed that there was only one box (24 vials) of Xopenex. Surely a mistake has been made. I look at the receipt and it shows that I have two refills left. Odd, since Jon didn't write it for any refills.... I take a closer look and start doing the math. The pharmacist only filled 1/3 of the prescription and put the other 2/3 as a "refill" so that he could collect additional co-pays -- which would be a total of around $220 to get the whole prescription filled. I call him to ask why the total prescription wasn't filled, and he told me that he didn't want to fill the whole script because he wouldn't make enough money... WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT????? I've got a sick baby with breathing problems and this fool is concerned with making a dime? I about had a heart attack right on the phone with him. After ranting and raving for a few minutes he told me that he'd fill the remainder of the prescription... i.e. all 30 days -- after all insurance DID cover it. He said that he'd have to charge me an extra $15 or something... He had to order the remainder of the Xopenex and it would be in by 10:30 tomorrow morning.

So while the kids were napping, I called the insurance company to find out what the deal was. As we were talking they told me that the pharmacist backed out the initial charge and re-submitted it for 24 days. Again --- WHAT IS THAT???? 24 days? I'm positive that Jon wrote it for 30 days.... So after I confirm for the 50th time that insurance covers Xopenex for 30 days (3 times per day), I call back to Dahl's....

Oh -- and yes, it gets better....

Mike (the pharmacist who had been helping me all along who coincidentally manages the pharmacy) answers the phone and after hearing it was me AGAIN, he says, "I'm surprised you called back. How much confusion could anyone have over a prescription". Well -- let me tell ya!!! PLENTY! When I asked why he only resubmitted the claim for 24 days instead of the 30 -- you know what he told me????? Xopenex packages the vials in boxes of 24 so if he filled the whole script he'd have to throw away 6 vials, and he didn't want to do that. HEEELLLO!!! I totally lost it. I was soooo furious. When the phone call ended he agreed to fill the 30 day prescription, but holy crap ...... it just shouldn't be that hard.

So then tonight at Bunco, I'm talking to my neighbor, Julie, who happens to also be a pharmacist at Hy-Vee. (Her store is way out of my way, so I don't go there). Anyway, I give her the scenario and ask her how she'd fill it. Guess what???? She'd fill it with 4 boxes (96 vials) and not give it another thought... UUUUUUGH! If only it was that easy today. What a needless fight. What a waste of time. But if it's something that affects my baby boy, it's worth going off the deep end for.

Oh, and it gets better -- right in the middle of the whole fight, I call my mom to tell her all about it. Mike (Siefert sp???) did the same thing to her. Tonight at Bunco, two other people overheard my conversation with Julie and the same thing happened to them. Are you kidding me??? I smell something fishy!

Can't wait until tomorrow when I get to pick up the rest of the prescription....

Weekend....

Holy cow... Can I just tell you that I'm glad it's over and I'm glad we're home. To put it mildly, this weekend was a disaster. Caleb was sick (really sick as I found out today at the doctor's office) and super clingy all weekend. He cried -- more like sobbed and screamed if either Matt or I put him down. By the end of the weekend, both of our arms and backs were aching, and our nerves were shot... And Katherine, I'm not sure what got into her.... She was naughty all weekend. I'm talking super naughty. It was insane!! It was like I borrowed someone else's kid for the weekend; she was acting sooo out of character. Trust me on this. For her sake, I'm not going into details.

We left LeMars around 2 on Sunday and immediately stopped by my parent's house to have Easter dinner with them. As soon as we got the kids out of the car, they were immediately transformed into the happy, lovable kids we know... Caleb disappeared and started playing on his own - barking at my parents dogs and riding on a little toddler car. He brought a ball to my dad and they played catch and built stuff with Leggo's. Katherine played with Morgan and Hannah. It was a little girl giggle fest. Matt started laughing... The transformation was amazing! He thinks that it's because they were out of their usual surroundings -- new house, new beds, lots of people, etc... I'm not sure, but whatever the reason, I'm so glad to have them back!

My Grandma was over for dinner last night too. My aunt had taken her to the dentist last week because her dentures were causing some problems, so he told her not to wear them and come back in 2 weeks. Isaac took a quick look and told my mom to get him some cotton swabs and a flashlight. He didn't think it was a problem with her dentures... He was messing around in there for about 5 minutes asking her if "this and that" hurt, and finally he asks my mom to get her camera. He thinks her cancer is back...... UUUUUUGH! Just the sound of that makes my heart skip a beat. He took pictures of her mouth and emailed them to his professor who also happens to be the head of oral oncology at Iowa. First thing this morning he got a response from his professor -- who unfortunately agrees with Isaac. They won't know anything for sure until a biopsy is done, but it looks and acts like cancer.... OMG.... This is my last grandparent, and the kids ONLY great grandparent. Just the thought of this makes my heart hurt. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers in the upcoming days.

On a different medical note....

Saturday night, Katherine and I were cuddling on Fran and Wendell's couch and she was crying until almost midnight. During this time she told me that her ear hurt. Sunday afternoon on the way home, I asked her about it again, and it still hurt. So, since I suspected Caleb was sick anyway, we all went to the doctor this morning. Caleb has a very red throat (the initial strep test came back negative), infected ears, and a lung infection. Great -- more Xopenex and the nebulizer... Katherine has an infected ear as well. So both kiddos are on antibiotics.

I decided to get the prescriptions filled at Dahl's because last night I saw an advertisement for Sesame Street Live -- and I can buy the tickets there. I can't remember the exact name of the show, but it's Super Grover something... The kids would love it. Caleb will go nuts! I'm soooo looking forward to taking them! We are going May 11 at 7 pm. I got rock star tickets -- 4th row. It's going to be such a fun night. Matt is leaving on the 4th for that CFA prep class in Canada, and he flies home the afternoon of the 11th. So we're planning a wonderful family night -- dinner out and then off to see the lovable creatures of Sesame Street. Can't wait!!

Tonight is our monthly Bunco night. So I'm off to spend a little time with the girls, and Matt is going to bond with the kids. I tired, so it won't be a late night!

One of those days...

Bedtime couldn't come fast enough tonight. That'd be my bedtime -- not the kids. I've had one of those days..... NOTHING went right. Literally NOTHING. It all started yesterday when I got a package returned to me in the mail. I sent it out forever ago, and was really expecting it to have been delivered. The package was mutilated, and the card was missing. Thankfully the contents were in tact. So, no big deal -- I'll just whip out a new card and put it back in the mail. So there I am, sitting in the scrapbook room, making a new card and surfing the net. I'm not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden, my exacto knife slices my thumb wide open. Blood everywhere.... It got all over everything -- my cricut mat, the card stock (yes Kim -- this is your card I'm referring to, which is why you'll notice that the CS is a little short on the front of the card....), my laptop. I didn't know my little thumb had that much blood in it!! UUUUUGH! And you know what the kicker was???? I wasn't even using my exacto knife, and I have NO idea how it got on the table....

Without boring you to death with two days full of "typical Ann bloopers", it all ended tonight. I was making dinner while the kids were napping. I decided to make chicken quesadillas with black bean salsa. Right after I've started, I discovered that I'm out of red wine vinegar. Flustered, I call Danyel. Of course she'll have red wine vinegar... No such luck. I'm chatting away with her, and decide that white wine vinegar should be an acceptable substitute. Again -- no such luck! The acidity levels are MUCH different, but if I add a little sugar it should balance out. Danyel and I decide that Matt won't realize the difference (and he didn't), and as we are chatting, I continue to cook. Not a good idea. I am NOT a multi-tasker. So here I stand at the island cutting and chopping away and I pull out the colander and set it next to me, open the can of black beans and dump them into the colander. Can anyone who knows their way around my kitchen, tell me what the problem is??? Anyone??? The colander was on the island and the sink is NOT on the island. Needless to say, I hang up with Danyel, cussing under my breath and proceed to clean up black bean "juice" that had run everywhere -- down the cupboards, onto the floor, in the drawers... YUCK. I sooo need to go to bed!

Caleb, bless his heart. When he wakes up from his nap, I'm slicing the chicken breast and put him up on the island so that he can "help" me cook. He can really spice up the chicken!!! Anyway he sees the bowl of salsa and FREAKS OUT. He starts yelling "DIIIII DIIIII DIIII"!! (Caleb speak for dip). I gave him a chip full of salsa, and he pops it in his mouth, licks all the drips off his fingers and hands me back the chip and says "MOOOOR PEEEAS" He's the only kid I know who happily turns down chips and would rather eat a mixture of corn, black beans, tomatoes, and raw onions! He was one happy camper. For dinner, I cut up bite size pieces of chicken and mixed it with the salsa. He sat in his high chair for almost an hour eating the black bean salsa. He had cilantro all over his lips and was smiling from ear to ear. Happy boys make happy mommies!! Now if only Matt was home tomorrow to change these diapers!!

We are leaving for LeMars tomorrow afternoon. We are going to try and be back in town by 6 or 6:30 so we can join everyone for dinner. There's a new restaurant in town -- which is a big deal in a town of 10,000. It's Brothers or something. Looking forward to it. Actually, I'm looking forward to getting out of Des Moines for a couple of days and just hanging out.

I'll post Easter pics on Sunday when we return.

Happy Easter to all!

Budding Artist...

Katherine loves art!! Painting is her favorite, and she always makes wonderful creations to hang on the wall. Here's some pics from today. Isn't it just the best!! LOL.

When she was finished, she gave me a big hug and kiss and said, "Everyone has jobs in the house. It's my job to paint you pretty pictures. That's what makes you happy". Oh -- how I love her!

Sleepover...

When you're a four year old, there is nothing better than feeling like a big girl and getting to have a sleepover at Grammy's house. Katherine has been looking forward to tonight for a LONG time!! My mom had planned a wonderful night for her -- dinner out, popcorn and movies (Peter Pan is her new fave), her beloved pink snowman jammies, and staying up late. Oh, the simple joys of life!! She was simply giddy all day!!

Katherine is a HUGE fan of Texas Roadhouse, so originally they were going to get a steak. However, when my mom called after naps, Katherine decided that she wanted to meet my parents at Target and get a cheese pizza. She's a cheap date!! LOL! So while Matt studied, I drove her (and Caleb) over there, and they ate with Grammy and Pop-pops while I did a little shopping. And the best part..... I did the unthinkable -- and got away with it!! What an exhilarating feeling!! LOL!! I decided that since my parents were there, I could get a little Easter shopping taken care of. It would have been the tragedy of the year if Katherine would have caught me in the act, since she's still a big believer in "The Bunny", so the steaks were high ----- really high. I bought Caleb a Little Tikes basketball hoop and Katherine a new pool. I'm going to get the rest of the loot while Katherine is in preschool on Thursday, but I feel good that at least it's started. Yes, I've procrastinated... Especially we're leaving on Friday for LeMars to spend the weekend with my in-laws. I haven't exactly decided how I'm going to do the whole Easter Bunny thing yet... Since the boxes are huge, hauling them to LeMars is out of the question... I guess I'm going to have the kids hide their baskets before we leave, and have either my parents or one of my neighbors put out the stuff for the kids so that it's there when we get home.

One cute Katherine story for you.... I went to high school in the era of big bangs with enough hairspray to personally deplete part of the ozone layer over a small country. What in the world was I thinking?!?!?!? LOL!! My parents have our senior pictures hanging in their TV room and Katherine happened to look at them tonight. She asked if the one in the middle was me. My mom told her it was and lifted her up so that she could have a closer look. She said, "Boy that sure doesn't look like my mom". My mom told her that the picture was taken a long time ago and I was only 17 years old in that picture. My mom told her that I was 31 now... Katherine thought for a minute and said, "No Grammy. My mom is NOT 31, she's 32!!!". Holy cow! If I ever decided to start lying about my age, my 4 year old would set everyone straight. She doesn't miss a thing!

Caleb and I had such a wonderful night. I don't get to spend the same amount of one-on-one time with him that I did with Katherine, so it was such a treat!! We spent the night coloring, reading books, playing ball and running around the living room. Such a blast!!

Delirious...

After this weekend, that's the best way to describe me... Deliriously tired and deliriously happy. I spent a wonderful weekend filled with girl time, shopping, eating, spending time with loved ones, and scrapbooking. Soooo wonderful! I really needed a weekend like this!

Friday night Chrissy arrived about 5 and as soon as Matt walked through the front door, we took off for PF Changs and had some super yummy food and a wonderful martini. When we got home, I snuggled with the kids for a while and then my friend Lisa came over to scrap. Equipped with gigantic fountain sodas and candy, we were ready to spend the night scrapping. We listened to music, ate stuff that WASN'T on my diet (general theme of the weekend), and had some good quality adult conversation. Oh the simple joys! LOL. Our little party got crashed by my neighbors Andrea and Julie. Matt and Katherine were over at Andrea's house (Caleb was in bed) so they came over to see what we were up to. Holy cow were they loud!! I was praying the whole time that they wouldn't wake up Caleb! Lisa left around midnight or so, and Chrissy and I stayed up until about 2. I didn't get as much done as I hoped, but that's OK, we were having too much fun chatting! I will say this... I'm happy with how my pages turned out so that's half of the battle!

Saturday morning, we woke up to a downpour! It had rained all night and most of the morning. The all important and much anticipated Easter egg hunt was Saturday morning at 10. I called and found out that they were still holding it -- despite the rain. Matt turns to me and says, "Who gets to draw the short straw and stand out in the rain with Katherine"? I will, I tell him. I'd love to really... Before I knew it, he had returned from the basement, poncho in hand. He was going out with her to play in the rain. LOL!! Reverse pshchology didn't work! So I guess I got the short straw!! Sitting in the car and watching the two of them have a blast. The Easter egg hunt was fantastic. The rain kept 3/4 of the people away, so Katherine came home with about as many eggs as she could carry. JACKPOT!! LOL!!

Matt studied for the rest of the day on Saturday, and the kids, Chrissy and I went shopping. We bought some more scrapbooking supplies for later that night, and Katherine got to spend some good quality time with my parents and the kettle corn while we visited the scrapbooking store in Valley Junction. That night we stayed up scrapbooking until 3 am. Let's just say that 7 am came awfully early on Sunday morning.

Later that morning Katherine got her photo taken for the dance recital. They have a photographer come in and take pictures of all the girls individually and then as a class. Holy cow -- they are soooo adorable!! I can't wait for recital time. Oh -- and by the way, the all important recital is the weekend of May 18th and 19th. Friday night the concert is at 7, and then again on Saturday the 19th at 1 pm. She's really looking forward to it!! Can't wait!

After pictures were taken Matt left to go and study and we got some take-out from the Cheesecake Factory and then stopped my Best Buy. Chrissy had to pick up something for my new computer printer. After we got home and ate lunch, we started reorganizing my scrap room. Now I'm re-energized to scrap some more! She left around 5 and then we headed over to Todd and Caroline's house for pizza. Katherine got to play with Leo and we got to see all the changes to their basement. They are in the process of finishing it, and it's going to be soooo nice!

I was soooo tired by 9 pm on Saturday night that crashed. And I got a wonderful gift from the kids -- Katherine slept until 8:30 and Caleb until 9:45. Holy cow!! They NEVER sleep that late, but they couldn't have picked a better day to do it!!

What would you do?????

Let's say that I'm driving the car and you're in the passenger seat. The kids are in the back seat happily chatting away and looking out the window. Their tunes are on the radio and the temperature is set so that everyone is comfortable. I've just run through the Starbucks drive-thru and you're happily sipping on a mocha frappuccino -- no whipped cream. I need to run into the gas station for a quick second, which is just across the street. There happens to be a parking spot directly in front of the door, and I can see the car the whole time from where I am. I hop out of the car, leave the key in the ignition and you stay in the car with the kids.

What would you do??? Turn the kids tunes off and pick a station or CD that you liked?? Maybe.... Turn the temperature up or down??? Possibly... Roll down the window or open the sunroof?? Potentially??? Look to see what kind of secrets are hidden in my glove box? Sure..... Talk to the kids??? Good idea....

Not if you're my cousin! You lock the car because you're afraid of being car jacked!!!! LOL!!! What is that?!?!?! I came out to the car and was locked out... Obviously I had a question or two! To set the stage even further -- I live in a good area, and there was virtually NO ONE in the parking lot!

After I had a good laugh, AND another good laugh I could finally talk about it rationally... Evidently the fear is that if the car is running, someone would hop in and steal the car, with you in it... Fine. I'll appease her next time I think of doing something soooo foolish --- and maybe buy a baseball bat to put under the passenger seat just in case....

Later that night, we decided to get some take-out from the Texas Roadhouse. I make sure that I take the keys out of the ignition, and hand them to her. I ran in and got our dinner. When I came out, once again I'm locked out! Still not sure what the fear is -- especially since the car isn't running, but once again, car jacking comes up! The funniest thing of all this??? Little Katherine... She starts crowing in the back seat about how "Aunt Christine needs to go in time-out for pushing my Mommy's buttons". HA-HA-HA. Pushing them in more way than one my little girl!!