Tis the Season

I love this time of year. I love it all... the music, the decorations, the anticipation, the magic of the season. The best part is seeing the wonder and excitement in the eyes of your children. I remember the joy of it all when I was little and really want to make sure that my own kids have the same wonderful warm memories.

Today, while Matt was at work, the kids and I started pulling out the Christmas decorations, and started getting the house ready for Christmas. The process of it all was so much fun. We turned up the holiday tunes and sang & danced out little hearts out. The garland is up and the lights are on; now we're just waiting for the tree which we plan to cut this weekend. Matt and I took the kids out to Howell Tree Farm the weekend before Thanksgiving to pick out the tree, and it's been waiting for us to bring it home ever since!

Speaking of Christmas -- I'm getting the kids pictures taken at Flash next Tuesday morning. I usually love getting their Christmas pictures taken, but this year it's STRESSING ME OUT! Evidently, I'm totally NOT on the ball this year.

After Katherine and Caleb woke up from their naps, we ran to the mall to get their outfits. We didn't have a ton of time to shop because Katherine had Kindermusic at 6:30, so I decided to hit Children's Place and Gymboree as they are right across the hall from each other. I walked into CP and looked around for dresses. I couldn't find any, so I asked the sales clerk, and guess what she told me??? They were all sold out. That's right, not ONE Christmas dress, IN ANY SIZE, in the entire store. Are you kidding me? And to think... I have to find coordinating clothes. This should be fun!

So I ran over to Gymboree, only to find their Christmas line stuffed into a clearance rack almost out the front door. Luckily, they still had dresses in Katherine's sizes, but I didn't *love* any of them. Here's my main problem... I live in Iowa. It's cold in the winter. There just may be snow on the ground. The weather guys will be using the word "windchill" on the nightly news, and guess what? I can't find a dress with sleeves. What's up with that?

Since I couldn't decide which dress I liked "better", I bought both. Imagine that! I have every intention of returning one of them, and hopefully I'll return the whole sack of stuff if I can find something else I like better. OK, here they are... I bought this red dress and white sweater but honestly think they look kind of silly together. The dress just seems too fancy for the sweater. So I found a black velvet A line dress with a red waist band (it's no longer on-line) which matches this red shirt I bought for Caleb. So the search is still on for the Christmas outfits, but why is it this tough to find a dress before December 1. I guess I'll just have to chalk it up to "lesson learned" and vow not to let it happen next year!

Infuriating....

There are days.... when nothing in my life is more INFURIATING that my husband. Oh. My. Heavens. I could have just killed him last night. I could feel my blood boiling... Seriously!

So here's the deal....

Katherine has dance until 7, so by the time we change her clothes and head home, we usually get home around 7:15 or so. My car needed gas, so I had planned to have Matt go and fill it up while I put the kids in the tub. However, as soon as we walked in the door, he suggested that we go out for ice cream. The kids hear this, and start cheering and jumping up and down. There was no way I could say no, so we all pile in the car, and head out.

We get to DQ and I ordered both of the kids a dish of ice cream, a hot fudge sundae for me, and a cone for Matt. The guy at the window passes out my sundae first, which I promptly sat on the dash, and then CONES for the kids. Wrong answer! I asked for cups, and there is NO WAY I'm handing Caleb a cone in the dark. So I ask for the dishes and spoons, and the guy working hands those out the window. So there I sit...... holding two cones, two dishes and spoons, and trying to assemble the kids' ice cream treat.

All of a sudden, Matt hits the gas and sends my HOT FUDGE SUNDAE flying. That's right. Flying. All. Over. The Car. It misses my Louis Vuitton purse by centimeters (literally). Momma almost got a new purse! There is a pile of hot fudge on the carpet. My jeans and sweatshirt are COVERED. That's right, covered. From slightly above my ankle -- to all the way up my thigh and all down my arm and chest. So needless to say, I'm a sticky mess..... and annoyed with him for being sooo inconsiderate. Inconsiderate you might wonder? Why was he inconsiderate? No need to wonder anymore. Let me tell ya! While I'm trying to juggle my sundae AND assembling the kids' ice cream AND putting away my debit card, there sits Matt -- doing NOTHING! That's right -- NOTHING! He doesn't offer to help out or hold anything, all he's concerned with is which side he should lick is flippin' cone on next -- oh, and obviously stepping on the gas. UUUUUUGH!

To make matters a million times worse, he finds it necessary to laugh at me. Oh, baby... It's like the guy couldn't stop. He carries on and on and on about how of course it's not his fault, I should have sat my sundae in a different location and how it was only a pair a jeans. He's laughing hysterically at my misery. He actually finds JOY in it. To me, that was the most infuriating thing of all. I could have killed him.

The funniest part was that Katherine was sticking up for me. She called him "Speed" (which is what Caleb calls Lightening McQueen) because in the beginning of the movie all he thinks about was himself. He doesn't care about other people might need. That's right Sista!!

Caleb was laughing with Matt -- he didn't have a clue what happened, all he knew is that he was feasting on ice cream and was happy. Since he didn't know what to say, he started belting out "Shake your Booty". It was priceless. I honestly have no idea where he learned it, but man... it really is funny!

Animal Kingdom

On Thursday morning, we decided to take off for Animal Kingdom in hopes that the park wouldn't be crazy busy. Since they had their Magic Hours the day before, we thought that most people would have gone on Wednesday. Boy were we wrong! It was insanely crowded. Borderline claustrophobic!

We got there right as the park opened and took off for the safari ride. This has to be one of the coolest rides in all of Disney. The ride is probably around 20 minutes long and you ride in open air passenger jeep type things and see the animals (lions, zebra, elephant, giraffes, buffalo, antelope etc) in their natural habitat. It was amazing! The kids truly loved every moment!

We did have to wait for probably around 45 minutes -- and let me remind you -- we arrived a few minutes BEFORE the park opened. Pretty insane, huh?

While waiting in line, Caleb started to get antsy and decided to boycott the stroller. Thankfully my dad couldn't wait to get his hands on Caleb, and they bonded while eating snacks and admiring the plants. Only my dad could point out some of that stuff and make it interesting to a 2 year old!




I love this photo. This is a sight I saw countless times over the course of the week... The two of them would be hanging out, talking about absolutely nothing and burst into laughter. It wasn't a passing chuckle either.... No, these two would let loose a deep belly laugh. The ever-so-contagious kind of laughter you can't help but to notice, and start laughing yourself.

Caleb and Matt on the safari ride. By the time we finally boarded the jeep, Caleb had about all the waiting in line he could take, and was gearing up for a meltdown. Thankfully, he sat on Matt's lap and sucked on his plug, rather than going into tantrum mode.

Not sure what happened to the color of this photo??? Clearly needs some editing!

The boys checking out the animals.

After the safari, we made our way through Africa and the girls found drums and other musical instruments to play. It was sooo cute. They ended up making up a song and singing their little hearts out.

While Matt, Laurie, Clyde and Morgan went on this, Mom, Dad and I took the three other kids on this dino ride thing. They loved it, but it was nothing more than your standard amusement park ride -- for those familiar with Adventureland, it was a bigger dragon ride. They loved it so much they rode at least 3 times! Who knew???

We made our way to Dinosaur which unfortunately had the magical 40 inch height requirement. Laurie *assured* me that it was a tame ride and that Katherine would love it. Of course KATHERINE would, it was me that I was concerned about. LOL! I've got to tell ya... of all the rides, this one had me the most freaked out. It was probably because I didn't know what was coming, but man.... I was so close to actually believing I'd be eaten by a robotic dinosaur! The worst of it is.... toward the end of ride, a dinosaur comes right at your car, and then the car dips below and takes off. Right at the moment of potential impact, they take your picture and display it at the end of the ride. Upon viewing, I'm leaning into Katherine, ducking and screaming. She's pointing and laughing. GEEEZZZZZ. How sad am I????

Since the big kids wanted to go onExpedition Everest, we took the little ones to see Nemo, which was another Broadway style show. It worked out perfectly as they each had two fast passes and it gave us enough time to take in the show. Katherine loved it, but Caleb was tired and ended up taking a nap. After the show was over, and we met up with the rest of the gang, we decided to leave the park. There were too many people and the lines were horrendous!

More Disney pics...

Hopefully you're not sick to death of my Disney pics yet! Beware... I've got plenty more to share! LOL.

These are from Wednesday -- and I'm hoping to get pictures from the rest of the week posted by tomorrow. Here's to wishful thinking!!

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After we left Epcot on Wednesday we decided to head over to MGM so that Katherine could take Matt on one of her favorite rides -- the Tower of Terror. Needless to say, I was more than content to sit this one out and hang with Caleb. LOL!

While we waited for them to finish the ride, Caleb and I stood in line for the Beauty & the Beast show. It was a Broadway style show -- music, dancing, the works. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but when Katherine returned, she got chatting with one of the ushers and they decided that she'd be the perfect candidate to be pulled up on stage and sung to. Talk about making a little girls day! She was beaming!!

Katherine was able to sit in the reserved seating -- as in --- it was a GREAT spot to watch the show -- basically the front seat. Right before the show was to begin, 4 guys came on stage and started singing. When they were done, they called her up on stage and asked her what her favorite song was. She went absolutely blank and muttered something about Beauty and the Beast. Convenient, huh??? They ended up singing "When You Wish Upon A Star" to a glowing 4 year old little girl. I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture, but she's holding one of their CD's which they gave her for coming on stage with them. It was one of her favorite moments of the week, and that CD remains a prized possession!

This picture was taken when they were asking her what her favorite song was. Looks like a lot of pressure for a little girl, huh??? LOL!

Here's a picture of my sister and niece waiting patiently for the guys to get fast passes for the Rockin' Rollercoaster. Again, another ride I'm not *really* interested in, but Katherine.... the only reason she didn't like the ride is because they wouldn't let her on! My little adrenaline junkie has no fear!!

Matt and Katherine outside of the Tower of Terror.

Every night one park is open late for only the guests staying at the Disney on-site hotels. On Wednesday night it happened to be Epcot, so we made the trek back over there for some nighttime fun. We grabbed a bite to eat, rode on Soarin' and some other faves, and hung out in the International Showcase before heading back to the room.

Here's a picture of the girls in front of Spaceship Earth with the monorail going through in the background. I know I mentioned this before, but next time we'll be staying at a hotel that connects to the monorail!

It was a great, but exhausting day. Katherine fell asleep on the way back to the room, and the rest of us (with the exception of Caleb) couldn't wait to crawl into bed. We didn't get a crib, so Caleb slept in bed with me every night. He never had a problem laying down and going to sleep.... until tonight. All of a sudden, he got out of bed and disappeared. We didn't hear a peep out of him, so I got up to check on him. Guess where I found him??? Sitting in his stroller. He looked at me and said in a very matter of fact voice, "I ready to go home Momma". Alllllrighty then. Let me get right on that! LOL. Since he insisted in staying in his stroller, we pulled it in between the beds and he fell asleep there. Matt finally moved him back into bed when he had fallen asleep. Poor little guy. He was all out of sorts!

Happy Holidays!!

Now that the turkey coma has worn off, I've shopped my little heart out, and returned from LeMars (we were visiting Matt's parents) I finally have a few minutes to sit down and catch up on the blog. So, even though I've missed you by a few days, Happy Thanksgiving, and let the Christmas season begin! WOO-HOO!!

I love everything about this time of year... spending quality time with family and friends, having school and work closed, eating yummy food and SHOPPING! And... if there's something I love more than shopping, it's getting great deals WHILE shopping. Needless to say, I was one happy girl all weekend long!

Our Thanksgiving this year was very different from years past. Typically my Mom pulls out the China (OK, she does this often, but wouldn't dream of NOT dressing up the table this time of year), spends days getting ready, and HOURS cooking. Not this year. This year, my mom cooked what she could ahead of time, and then Thursday morning we had "lunch" up at Hospice with my Grandma. We ate at a banquet table with strangers who were going through the same sad situation facing our family, and reminisced about the holidays of the past. It was good to see my Grandma smile and hear her voice -- if only for a brief moment. When the meal was over and my Grandma was tired from all the commotion and company, we raced home to make our own Thanksgiving spread. My mom made the stuffing (which is my all time favorite food) and creamed onions (if you've never had these, they're to die for. Trust me!) on Wednesday and then Thursday we threw everything else together. It was like Iron Chef in the Clair and Hanson kitchens! It was some fast and furious cooking!

We had a great Thanksgiving... the food was yummy, the kids were angels, and we were surrounded by loved ones. We have a lot to be thankful for, and that's really what the day was about. And, I must confess.... eating off dishes that can go into the dishwasher was WONDERFUL!!

The day before (Wednesday) was a Katherine and Grammy day. Oh, how Katherine (and Grammy) loves these. I dropped her off around 10 when I went out to run my pre-Thanksgiving errands. So while Caleb and I ran to the grocery store and Michael's, Katherine and Grammy started working on the desserts. What started out as a girl's day, quickly turned into "Katherine needs to have a sleepover at Grammy's" kind of night. Fine by me!

OK, I know how random this is turning into but.... Black Friday ROCKS! Seriously, it's the best invention EVER, and I can't believe that I've never taken part -- until this year. It all started earlier in the week, when I was checking out the ads and found some great stuff on sale. So I asked some of the girls if they wanted to join me for some pre-dawn fun, and what fun it was! Carolyn picked me up at 4:30 and our first stop was at Wal-Mart. I was shocked at how many people were as crazy as we were!

They let us in the door before 5, but the entire store was roped off, so you couldn't get to any of the "good stuff" before 5 bells. As soon as they cut the yellow caution tape, I left Carolyn with the cart and went running. Literally. I ran straight to the toy department to get my hands on the much coveted laptop computer that Katherine "had" to have. It was originally in the $65 range, on sale for $25, so there was NO WAY I was leaving without one. I ended up buying 3... I can't pass up a good bargain! Katherine will have her laptop, and then I bought one for my niece Morgan and Katherine's friend, Ben. What a great start to the morning!!

I walked out of the aisle and started to look for Carolyn who was no where to be found. So there I am standing out in the aisle carrying these awkward boxes. All of a sudden, some lady tries to grab one of them out of my arms. Yea, that's not happening! I tell her to keep her paws off my stuff and she studders something about me not needing 3.... Right, sista! I got up at 3:45 so I could hand these out to you. I don't think so!!

Carolyn is still MIA, so I grab a few other must haves that would fit in my arms and notice a riot breaking out in electronics. Two women were fighting over the digital picture frames, and neither one was letting go of the box. I got a good chuckle out of that -- me and all three of my laptops! LOL!

When I finally caught up with Carolyn, I noticed that she abandoned the cart and was walking virtually empty handed. She handed me the ONE thing in her hand. It was the Ratatouille movie I mentioned that I wanted to get at Target later that morning as they had it on sale for $14. Evidently Wal-Mart had it on sale for $12 and that included an additional cooking DVD. BONUS!!

I ended up leaving Wal-Mart with 4 bags of stuff and a smile on my face!

We ended up racing over to Toys R Us, and spending about 10 minutes in the store, before we realized that we wouldn't be making a purchase there. As I later found out, the line to get in the store was over a half mile long, and trying to check out was an absolute nightmare. So, we abandoned ship and raced to Target. Again, the line to get in was super long.... literally as far as the eye could see, but as luck would have it, we got in right away and ended up with bags full of bargains. OH, happy day!

On a side note, I ran into TONS of people I knew -- literally, probably 20+. Everyone from my ex-coworkers... to neighbors... to Matt's current co-workers. It was great to see sooo many people I knew in my unshowered glory! LOL.

This was the start of a tradition! I will be shopping on Black Friday every year from now on. It was fantastic! LOVED it!

I got home before the kids woke up, and raced to hide the evidence of my mornings activities and shower so that we could leave for LeMars. We were all packed the night before, so we were on the road good and early -- like 9 am.

We had such a great weekend with Matt's parents. We had another Thanksgiving meal for lunch on Friday with Matt's brother, Jay, and family and Fran's brother, Roger and his son. Jay brought over his deep fat fryer and cooked the turkey. It was super yummy! Katherine was in heaven! She ate more than most of the adults!

After the kids went to bed, I ventured out to Wal-Mart to buy a pair of shoes for Caleb. I'm not sure what happened, but there was some miscommunication between Matt and I and his shoes got left at home. So... since I was there, I had to take a good look around to see if I missed anything earlier that morning. Remember the digital photo frames that people were fighting over in Des Moines? There was a stack in LeMars. Oh, and the computer that I almost had ripped from my arms??? There were several. Oh, and for all you scrapbookers -- Wal-Mart had the Cricut on sale for $119. They were gone in a matter of two minutes in Des Moines. LeMars had 3 sitting on the shelf at 10 pm. Evidently LeMars does not celebrate Black Friday in the same fashion as Des Moines!

Saturday morning, Fran and I decided to go shopping in Sioux City to see what other good deals we could find. JC Penny had air hockey tables that were still advertised as the "Black Friday" price, so we couldn't pass those up. Andrea got one for her boys last year for Christmas and the kids always fight over it at playgroup. So, I'm sure they'll love it! By the time we were ready to go home, her car was loaded down with bags and boxes from the day! Thankfully she got a lot of people knocked off the list!

Saturday night Fran and I watched The Holiday and then after Matt went to bed (what a party pooper) Wendell joined us for The Breakup. I couldn't handle it anymore.... I fell asleep during the last half hour and was out cold!

What a great weekend!

Elfyourself...

Has everyone seen this website already??? It's really cute and just the laugh I needed this afternoon. My neighbor, Julie, sent this around to 4 of us today and I couldn't stop laughing.

It's me, Tiffany, Andrea, and Carolyn. Too cute. Have fun playing and making one of your friends!

Elf yourself

Indian summer

Is it possible to have an Indian summer toward the end of November? I'm not sure, but if such a thing exists, we certainly had it today. It was absolutely GORGEOUS.... 70 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky...

Since it's supposed to get MUCH colder and snow in a couple of days (literally) we decided to take advantage of the last nice day and head outside. Originally we had planned to go to the zoo, so I invited Michelle, Ben and Tessa to go with us. We made the trek down to the south side (about a 30 minute drive from our house) only to discover that they aren't open on Mondays anymore due to "winter hours". Bummer!

So after talking to Michelle, we decide to take the kids to a park closer to home. Oh my goodness.... They had such a blast. They loved playing outside in the sun and ran around for the first hour or so non-stop. It was heaven!

Here's some pictures from today.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this first picture of Caleb. I get this look from him all the time, but had never captured it on film. It is soooo him... sweet and spunky with a little fire in his eyes. It's his mischievous, I'm gonna get ya look! AAAHHH I could just squeeze him!!



Here's my little princess. She was sitting on top of the much coveted ring ladder thing (not sure what the exact name is, but hopefully you know what I mean). Being the determined spunky gal she is, she wasn't about to relinquish it over to Ben. Needless to say, Michelle and I had to step in and resolve it!

Katherine and Ben taking a quiet moment out of their play to pose for a quick picture. Yes, this one is posed! There's NO way those two would sit back to back willingly! LOL!!

My little slide climber! I didn't realize it until now, but this slide looks oddly similar to Rocket (the spaceship thing from Little Einsteins)!

Caleb taking his turn on a slide...

Here's Katherine, once again, laying claim to the ring ladder thing. This girl doesn't give up. EVER.




Since it was sooo nice, we stayed much longer than I normally would have. We were outside playing until almost 3 which gets pretty late for Caleb's nap. Oh, well.... they can sleep anytime. They can only enjoy this beautiful day for a few hours.

Big girl bed...

After church this morning, Matt and I decided to take Katherine shopping for a new big girl bed. We've been planning to upgrade her to a full size mattress for some time, and today seemed like the perfect time.

We went over to American and Katherine had a great time trying out all of the mattresses. She'd crawl up on each bed, roll around, lie with her head on the pillow and stare on the ceiling. She felt like such a princess!! And of course, Caleb had to copy everything his big sister did!

While we were waiting for someone to help us (it was "friends and family" weekend so they were SUPER busy), we walked into an adjoining room that was filled with kids' furniture. The kids couldn't resist climbing up on the bunk beds. Oh, what Katherine wouldn't give for one!! Unfortunately a bunk bed is NOT in her immediate future!!

So while Katherine continued lusting after bunk beds and trying them all out, Caleb ran around the room checking out all of the little do-dads sitting around. There was a sales clerk sitting at one of the children's desks checking out an order for a customer. All a sudden she burps rather loudly. Caleb hears this, runs over to her, taps her on the arm and yells, "ESSSCUSE YOU"! I could have died, and I'm sure the poor sales clerk wanted to drink a bottle of invisible potion! LOL. Mr. Manners doesn't let anything slide!

After we got the mattress home, I put Caleb down for his nap while Matt and Katherine put the bed together. She was so excited that she was literally jumping up and down. I took off to get a new mattress pad and pick her out a new set of sheets. I was hoping she'd come with me, but there was NO WAY she was leaving her new bed!! I asked her what color she wanted, and she said, "Oh, Mommy.... you pick out the BEEEEEST stuff. I want whatever you pick out for me". All righty then! When I got home and showed her the new sheets, she threw her arms around me and said, "Thanks so much Mommy. I love them. They are the exact color I wanted. How'd you know that? Oh, thanks Mommy. I appreciate you". How can you not LOVE her???

Oh, word to the wise..... I decided to get a water proof mattress pad. Katherine has never wet the bed, but I was thinking that when she inevitably gets the flu at some point and pukes, it'd be nice to have. So I get home and throw the mattress pad and sheets in the washer. When I went to move them to the dryer, I'm in a hurry and just yank them out as fast as I can. All of a sudden water starts flying everywhere.... all over me, the walls the floor.... It was such mess! Let me assure you.... those "water proof" pads certainly hold the water! UUUUUUGH!

Random...

If there is anything more frustrating, more nerve-wracking, more annoying that watching an Iowa Hawkeye football game with my husband, I'd LOVE to know what it is.

Oh my goodness -- it's worse than fingernails on the chalkboard.

Meeting a Princess

First things first.... To answer Crissy's question about where Katherine went or what happened to her when she was lost in the Magic Kingdom. To be honest, I'm not sure... At that moment in time, where she was was completely irrelevant to me. I was soooo glad to have her back, that it was all I could think about... From what I remember, I think that as Matt looked down to call me, she veered off and went into a store and he continued to walk a few feet ahead. By the time he looked up from his phone, she was gone. Completely out of sight. I'm not even sure if she realized she was lost.... Thankfully, Clyde's dad (my sister's father in law) saw her walking out of a store/building/attraction (I'm not sure) and brought her to me. So that's it.... sketchy details. Sorry I don't have more, but really at the time, as long as she was unharmed, nothing else mattered to me and I didn't think to ask. I really didn't care. I will say this.... I think it really freaked her out that I was that shaken up about her being lost. Talk about driving home a point!

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On Wednesday, we decided to head back to Epcot so that Matt could go on some of the "good" rides now that his conference was over. It was soooo good to have him back!! We all missed him!!

We got up and had a relaxing morning and then made our way to the park. We had planned to eat lunch at Rose's Crown and Pub in the English part of the World Showcase. It's become a tradition... we go there at least one time every trip and I certainly didn't want Matt to be left out. I have to confess -- it's not my fave. I don't ANYTHING that swims, and at Rose's, it's all about the fish and chips. YUCK! LOL.

After we had lunch we took a stroll around the different countries in the world showcase.

Here's a group shot..... I think these were was taken in Morocco, but I'll have to go back and confirm.


Katherine and Morgan.
My little princess...

These next pictures were taken in the English section of the world showcase. We had just got done eating lunch and the girls were in a shop when Caleb ran in and started wreaking havoc on the store. Oh, how he loves throwing balls, and this particular store had a million soccer balls right at his level! He was instantly banned! LOL.


Caleb and Daddy....
This boy's got fire in his eyes! He was running back and forth between Matt and Pop-pops.

Another random group shot --

In the world of a 4 year old little girl, there's nothing better than meeting a real life princess. As luck would have it, we spotted Princess Jasmine and Aladdin as we were walking, and Katherine immediately squealed in delight! Caleb could have cared less, but Katherine... she was giddy! This was definitely one of the highlights of the day!

Caleb and Hannah waiting in line to see Jasmine.

Katherine practicing her princess moves before meeting Jasmine...

Later that day we made the trip to MGM so that Matt could take Katherine back on the Tower of Terror... More pictures to come, including the ones with Katherine being sung to onstage before the Beauty and the Beast show.

Questions, questions, questions...

You'd think that with a curious 4.5 year old, I'd be prepared for some of the tough questions, but nooooo, she got me TWICE today...

#1 --

We were driving over to the Burkle's house for lunch after preschool, and Katherine and I were chatting away. We were talking about the usual stuff -- who was the snack helper, what they had for snack, how her show & tell went, what craft they did, who she sat by and played with, pretty much everything about her day... All of a sudden she says, "Mommy, I was wondering... how do babies actually get in a Mommy's tummy". Talk about catching me off guard and totally random! I about swallowed my teeth! LOL. I pulled a Clinton and talked around the issue, and she said to me, "Mommy, we've talked about how a baby comes out of the tummy, but you still haven't told me how it gets in there". Oh. My. Heavens. So I tried to explain it to her in terms she'd understand, but wow..... it was a toughie!!

#2 --

I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but Katherine LOVES to help me cook, and cooking in general. One of her favorite shows is Barefoot Contessa. She LOVES Ina! When she woke up from her nap today, she asked me to put it on for her while I changed Caleb's diaper and got him milk. When I came back into the room, I noticed Ina was making a turkey (must have been a Thanksgiving episode). Anyway, we have the following conversation:

Katherine: Mommy, Ina said that the turkey is covered in skin.

Me: That's right honey.

K: She thinks for a good minute.... Whose skin is it?

Me: It's the turkey's skin.

K: ....and it covers the whole turkey????

Me: yes.

K: Mommy, did that turkey have a head?

Me: Instantly sweating... It sure did honey....

K: Did someone cut it off?

Me: (Do we really have to go there???) UUUHHH.... yes, someone did.

K: Who?

Me: I'm not sure....

K: So that turkey was alive and someone cut it's head off, but left the skin on so that Ina could cook it?

Me: Yes....

OK... Katherine is the ultimate picky eater. The last thing I need her to do is draw the connection between the bird she sees running around the field and the dinner on her plate Thanksgiving Day. YIIIKES!

My little fish...

We woke up Tuesday morning to perfectly clear blue skies and mid eighty degree weather. It was a gorgeous day!! Katherine had been wanting to head to the pool since the second we arrived, so Laurie, Clyde and I decided to take the kids for a morning dip. (Matt was still at the conference). Oh, and check out the pictures -- they pretty much had the pool to themselves. Yet another reason to go in November!

I just LOVE this picture of Caleb. He had just gone down the water slide and was taking a breather -- splashing in the water by the side.

Here's Katherine coming down the water slide. She LOVED this thing! I swear, she must have gone down it 50 times!

The pool provided life jackets for anyone who wanted them, which was great! The kids splashed and swam around on their own which they loved. They were all *GREAT* swimmers!! LOL!!

Here's Clyde with the three girls. Katherine is the one in the bottom of the picture -- leading the crew! ... as if she'd be anywhere else! LOL. Oh, and did you really think I'd post pictures of myself in a suit??? NOT A CHANCE! LOL!!

Later that day we went over to Magic Kingdom, and Matt met up with us right before dinner. It was SOOOOOO good to have him back! Definitely makes life MUCH easier with Daddy around!

We ran into these characters from Lion King. Embarrassingly enough, I have no clue what their names are! More pictures to follow....

Flu shots...

After Katherine's gymnastics class this morning, we went over to Dr. Jon's office for flu vaccinations. Jon told the kids last time we were in, that the vaccine was no big deal, not a shot, just a nasal spray. Absolutely painless! Thank Heavens! I had reminded Katherine of that several times over the past few days.....

We arrived at the office and were called back to the room by a nurse. This wasn't Lisa, Jon's nurse, or a "regular" I recognized from the office. From what I later found out, they have a random nurse come into the office a few days a week to administer the flu vaccines and update the charts....

Anyway, she looks over the paperwork I filled out when I checked in. Just random stuff -- allergic to egg products, recently sick, etc... Katherine and Caleb decided that she'd be first and she hops up on the exam table. The nurse pulls out a needle and Katherine is stunned. "But Mommy you promised....." comes out of her mouth. So the nurse and I have the following conversation, which lasts several minutes....

Me: I'm a little surprised that it's a shot. Dr. Jon assured me it would be a nasal spray.

Nurse: We're saving those vaccines for other people.

Me: WHAT??? Dr. Jon told us that the vaccine would be a nasal spray, not a shot.

Nurse: Well, unfortunately, you'll be getting shots today. We need to save the spray for other people.

Me: Uh, no we won't. Jon told us it'd be a nasal spray.... and if you have nasal spray on hand, I want my kids to have it.

Nurse: Did you call in and specifically request the nasal spray?

Me: No. Again, Jon told me the vaccine would be a nasal spray. How was I to know that I needed to request it? I just called and made the appointment.

Nurse: Well, let me look at your paperwork.

Me: Silence......

Nurse: You filled out the paperwork for the injection.

Me: No, I filled out the paperwork the receptionist gave me.

Nurse: I'll be right back. I need to check how many nasal spray vaccines we have on hand.

** OK, the quantity of nasal sprays they have on hand is completely IRRELEVANT to me. Jon told me that Katherine and Caleb wouldn't have to have a shot. I then promised them they wouldn't get a shot. There is NO way, my kids AREN'T getting the nasal spray.... On a side note, Jon doesn't work on Thursdays or this would have been resolved ages ago.

The nurse comes back to the room with ONE nasal spray, and tells me that one of my kids can have the spray and the other will have to get the shot. Yea, I don't think so... That's not how I operate.

I then politely tell her in no uncertain terms that BOTH of my kids will be having the spray and she should go and get another one.

Nurse: We typically don't give the spray to two year olds. We've found that they don't sit still very well and it's easier for me to just give them the shot.

Me: Again... Jon assured me that they'd get the spray. I want the spray. Caleb will sit still, I assure you of that. Now, please go and get the spray so we don't have to waste anymore of either of our time discussing this.

Oh. My. Word. Why does it have to be this hard??? We ended up getting the nasal spray (did you really think we wouldn't??) and of course Caleb sat still and took the vaccine like a champ! On the way out, we ran into Lisa, Jon's nurse, and I gave her an earful. She said she's heard that all week! UUUUUUGH!

Sheer Terror

Of all the things I've forgotten to add to the blog, I can't believe this was one of them. Goes to show you I'm leaving a ton of stuff out!

Have you ever felt sheer terror in your life? The kind of terror that paralyzes you, stops the words you want to say from coming out, and makes you gasp for breath? I thought I've felt sheer terror in my life, but it was a walk in the park compared to what happened Sunday at the Magic Kingdom.

The whole crew went on Splash Mountain while Caleb and I waited for them to return. This was another one of those "magical 40 inch rides".... When we saw them come down the main drop we made our way to the ride exit, so that we could meet up with them and head off to the next ride.

As I rounded the corner, I immediately saw Matt who looked "slightly" concerned. I asked him where Katherine was, and his response was, "I looked down for a second to call you and she disappeared". I'm sure I gave him this "How stupid are you kind of look" and immediately start calling for her. About this time my mom and sister round the corner frantically yelling her name at the top of their lungs. Matt takes off running. So there I stand... Caleb in his stroller and yelling "KATHERINE" more loudly than I've ever yelled anything in my life.

It was a scene straight from a bad horror movie. I was spinning around in circles, screaming her name, unsure where to even start looking. There were so many people walking around us. Everything was an absolute blur. Katherine was no where to be found. Literally. I burst into tears, unable to speak.

As insane as this sounds, I don't remember much about the MINUTES that followed. My sister came to my side, and put her arm around me. A crowd started to gather. Everyone was asking me if I lost my child. DUH! What'd be your first guess??? I felt so helpless... I was asked by several people how old she was and what she looked like. My mouth was literally frozen shut, and tears were streaming down my face. It was like I couldn't remember.... Laurie had to answer all the questions.

About 5 or 6 minutes later, the crowd parts and I see Katherine crying and running toward me. I bent down and threw my arms around her, bursting into tears.... I was literally crying uncontrollably. I'm not sure how long we were there, but when I got up, a large crowd had gathered. I've got to tell ya.... that was as terrified as I've ever been. EVER. I was frozen in fear. I couldn't think. I couldn't talk. All I could do is cry. The thought of losing my child was enough to send me straight into a mental institution. It was HORRIBLE!

Epcot

***** WARNING if you don't like TONS of pictures, skip this post ******** LOL. I've gotta warn ya, I'm posting tons this time, and since it's getting late, the verbiage will be minimal!

Since Matt had to work all day on Monday, we went back to Epcot. He really wanted to go with us the first time we took the kids to MGM and Animal Kingdom, so we made the trek back to Epcot and I've gotta tell ya, we had a blast. It was a GREAT day!!

Katherine and Caleb woke up before everyone else, so I was going to take them for a walk on the Boardwalk and then make our way to Epcot. I figured we'd catch up with everyone else eventually, but we ran into my dad who wanted to come along with us. It was a great relaxing morning.... just the 4 of us.


Katherine walking along the Boardwalk. There was some construction toward the Epcot end which you can see in the background.

There was a Jewish wedding going on in the little chapel in the background and OF COURSE Katherine wanted to check it out. That's my dad pushing Caleb in the stroller ahead of Katherine.


I'm not sure why, but I LOVE this picture of Katherine and I holding hands as we walked along the water.

Katherine and my dad....

When we got to Epcot, dad and I took the kids on a couple of rides and then waited for everyone else to catch up with us. Here are the three of them sharing a quiet moment before chaos erupts!

We love to eat at Nine Dragons, the Chinese restaurant in the World Showcase. We stopped there for lunch and Caleb turned into an absolute PILL. Once again, my dad came to the rescue and ate with little man on his lap. I swear, it was the only way Caleb would NOT run all over the place and throw himself on the floor. I'm not sure if you can tell, but Caleb decided to feast on lemons!




Laurie, Clyde and the girls went on Spaceship Earth (which Katherine and Caleb are not tall enough for) so I took them to the character spot while we waited. Katherine and Caleb loved the characters, but since Caleb was into running around and jumping up and down in their faces, I didn't get any great pictures of the kids with Mickey, Minnie, etc... Anyway, here's what I got! It'll have to do until we go back! Maybe then Caleb will stand still for 2 seconds. LOL!

Katherine, Morgan and Hannah were inseparable and held hands everywhere they went -- all day long. Yea -- my mom bought those matching shirts too! LOL.

Waiting for the boat to pick us up.....

Walking into the hotel....

Caleb insisted that he sit on Hannah's lap while she read a truck book. This kid is OBSESSED with trucks AND books. It's a match made in heaven!

Grammy and Pop-pops were nice enough to watch Caleb while Laurie, Clyde, the three girls and I went back to the Magic Kingdom for some "big kid rides".

Here's Grammy in action...



When we got home around midnight, guess who was still awake? That'd be Caleb!! I couldn't believe it!!