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This morning I woke up to thunder and what I thought was a thunderstorm. When I went downstairs I couldn't believe my eyes.... our deck was covered in snow. Are you kidding me? It's almost April!! When I left the house, I realized it was actually freezing rain, and immediately worried that Matt's plane wouldn't be able to land. After all, that'd just be my luck!

Thankfully, around dinner time, Matt arrived home, and the kids were elated to see him. It was a long week with him gone. Especially since they hadn't seen him since Sunday night. After he got home, we got some dinner and hung out for a while before it was bed time. Nothing super fun, but it was good to be a family again!

This morning Katherine had gymnastics class, and did really well. She finally did the elusive "backward roll" that pretty much every other kid BUT her could do, so she was glowing. When Mr. Tarry saw her do it, he stood up and cheered. It's pretty funny. She can do some of the harder skills, but the backward roll -- she just didn't get it! Then, later in the class, Tarry had different skill stations set up, one of which was the rings (that you see in men's gymnastics). The girls were to pull themselves up, and flip over so that they were perpendicular to the floor with their heads down. Obviously, Tarry was kneeling beside them so that he could help them get their legs around and into position, and make sure they didn't land on their heads. When it Katherine's turn, he just knelt beside her and told her to go -- no helping her bring her legs up, no hand on her back to make sure she didn't fall, and guess what???? She actually got around, and was able to hold herself up there, straight as an arrow, without any help. None of the moms watching could believe it. And, yes, I was beaming!! I was so proud of her!!

Tarry came out to talk to me and he kept going on and on and on about her backward roll. He was laughing about the fact that he'd knew she'd get it someday, she just had to figure it out on her own, and he's glad that she finally crossed the hurdle. Then we talked about the rings and I made a comment about how I was surprised that she could get up there by herself and hold the position. He gave me this strange look and said, "That didn't impress me that much. She's a strong little girl. I had no doubt that she could do it ... now the backward roll???? That impressed me". Allrighty then! LOL.

After we left the gym, we headed down to the Science Center for a little lunch and to play with a couple of Katherine's friends from preschool. We ended staying until 3, and both kids crashed in the car on the way home. They were exhausted!

Tomorrow Katherine has her private gymnastics lesson at 3:30 and evidently they are going to work on one armed cartwheels, and back hand springs.... both of which make me a little nervous. I'm not sure she's ready, and once she figures out how to do them, that's all I'll see in the living room. Forget her mat, I'm going to need padded walls and stunt mats at this rate! LOL.

Our new little nephew, Gus, is being baptized this Sunday, so Matt's parents are coming to stay the weekend with us. The kids are so excited to see them! I think we're going to hit the mall after they arrive for a little dinner and shopping. Can't wait!

Single Mom

I must confess ..... being a single mom is tough..... and being a pregnant single mom is even harder!

With Matt gone all week, I've been playing every roll possible -- mom, dad, chauffeur, owie kisser, bath giver, cook, maid, everything! It's so funny -- (yea, this is going to be totally random) I got 4 emails last week entitled "Your Dream Is Calling". Each was forwarded from a friend of mine, and it originated from Archivers (which is a scrapbook store) and they are looking to add to staff here in town. To each one, I replied.... "Thanks, but don't you know... I'm already working my dream job". And I really am. There's nothing more I love than to wake up every morning to two smiling faces ready to throw their heavy arms around my neck, and spend each and every day watching them grow. With that being said.... a 10 minute break would be nice. I must confess... I'm exhausted. Really. Truly. Tired. Around 5 pm today I was fantasizing about bedtime. Literally. Pretty sad, huh???

Matt left yesterday morning and won't be back until Thursday night. He's in Phoenix on a work conference and when I talked to him earlier today, he was telling me about the gorgeous hotel he was staying in. Amazing rooms, a balcony that overlooked the pool, great pools, lush gardens and weather in the high 80's. Oh, yea.... and all of that was followed by, "You and the kids should really be here. You'd love it. You all will have to come next year". Great! I'll plan on it, but really why didn't we think of that a couple of weeks ago???? UUUUUGH! Evidently, tons of families are there, but no... we're stuck in Iowa!

So, since I've been running around to dance lessons, story time, kindermusik, preschool, gymnastics, the doctor, etc... something has to give. Guess what I've chosen NOT to do - cook and clean!! That's right, the kids and I ate out twice today and cleaning -- I just haven't done it. My house literally looks like a tornado blew through... With Caleb running around it doesn't take long, but man.... it's sad! So in my mess of a house today, I've decided that I need to redecorate. As in... total overhaul. I've decided to start with living room furniture and go from there.... So between now and when the baby is born, I've decided to re-do our house. Our couches are hideous. I can't believe I ever picked them out, and it's time they GO!

So -- tomorrow I'm going to try to clean and do laundry... It's good to have a goal, but just because you aim to do something, doesn't mean that it's necessarily going to happen!

Sorry for the rambling post .... I'm sure it doesn't make a bit of sense. I'm off to bed!

Easter Festivities!

Let the celebration begin! We've spent the day gearing up for our Easter celebration tomorrow, and the kids are so excited!

This afternoon we made a Target run to get some last minute supplies including eggs and a dye kit. We got home, made a little lunch and started boiling eggs for decorating. After naps, we took off for the mall (Matt's gone all next week for work and needed a few things) and then came home and decorated our eggs. The kids had a blast! Then we got out our baskets and Katherine and Caleb chose the perfect hiding place for them.

Here's Katherine's basket -- the black thing hanging out is a new gymnastics leotard and the top box sticking out of her basket is "sticker earrings" which she totally LOVES!




Caleb adores the little Einsteins, so I got him the rocket play set and a bath toy. I threw out the majority of their bath toys when we all had the flu, so this is a replacement of sorts.... It's pretty funny. Caleb's favorite Little Einstein's character is Big Jet -- the villian in the show. He has decided that he wants a "Big Jet" birthday party. June is a close second. I'm not sure if it's possible for a 2 year old to have a crush on a cartoon character, but my little man certainly is fond of her!! LOL.

I've also hidden about 30 Easter Eggs around the living room. About half are filled with quarters, and since my kids love money as much as their dad, tomorrow morning will be filled with smiles! LOL. You can only have so much candy, right????

Tomorrow after church (and the kids dig into their baskets) we're headed over to my sister's house for dinner. She's making prime rib and a ham, and I'm in charge of appetizers. I made a super yummy homemade french onion dip (at Laurie's request) and tomorrow morning I'm making bruchetta and Caleb's favorite food -- black bean salsa.

Oh, and church should be fun.... I'm not quite into maternity clothes yet, but my regular clothes are getting a bit snug. So I've been living in my velour sweatsuits. Not exactly church attire, so I have NO IDEA what I'm wearing tomorrow. Now... don't get me wrong -- if I was still working, I'd totally be wearing maternity clothes by now. There's no way I'd be sitting at a desk all day stuffed into tight pants!

Kit arrives!

This week was a rockin' mail week for Katherine. On Tuesday she got her much longed for gymnastics mat. It would have been here by her birthday, but she really wanted a rainbow colored mat, which I had to special order. Let's just say it was worth the wait! She's been on that thing non-stop all week.

Then -- yesterday after she woke up from her nap, there was another package at the door from her Aunt Crissy. As soon as she opened the box and realized what was inside the squeals didn't stop! She was giddy!

Here's the box --

Katherine opening her new American Girl doll. She's had her eye on these dolls for quite some time, and Aunt Crissy indulged her. She picked out Kit which has blonde shoulder length hair, blue eyes and freckles. Katherine is elated -- not only do they look alike, but their names are also similar -- KIT and KAT(herine). Life can not be any better!

Here they are! Katherine is actually in between screams at this point. Gotta love the face!

Crissy also got her the book set which she loves. We've already started reading the first book, which is her first chapter book. She's hooked!

Her first look at the gymnastics outfit set that Crissy also sent. Katherine keeps telling me how alike they are!



Katherine has been dressing and undressing Kit non-stop for the past day. They've had gymnastics practice together in the living room, and I'm pretty sure we haven't left the house without Kit coming along! Oh -- and she alreadyhas her first "American Girl" play date with one of our neighbor girls on the calendar.

This is a girl in HEAVEN!! Thanks Aunt Crissy! We love you!!

Gong! Gong! Gong!

AAAAHHHH -- Where do I even start??? I'm not even sure where to begin....

The past couple of weeks Caleb has been giving me a run for my money, and we're experiencing a few growing pains in the process. I'm trying to balance him being a boy versus turning into a total gong show and seriously hurting himself in the process. It's so hard... I don't want to kill his spirit and take away some of his "boyness", but on the other hand, he's got to meet me half way....

I won't bore you with all the details, so here's the cliff notes version....

Probably about two months ago, Katherine thought it was a great idea to show Caleb how to get into his crib with the rail all the way up. So, my little man stands on the floor, puts his foot on the mattress and scales the bars of his crib and then flops head first into his bed. He LOVES this move, but man... I swear it looks like he's going to break his neck in the process. He and I have had LONG talks about how it's OK to do this going into his bed, but NEVER out -- as he'd fall on the floor. I thought he understood.....

Also, at the same time... Caleb loves to turn on his light after he's in bed for the night and play with his posse of stuffed animals (who are required to sleep with him) or grab onto his rail and see how high he can jump in the bed.... So, Matt moved his crib down the wall about 8 inches so that he couldn't reach the light switch. Or so we thought.....

About two weeks ago, we had just put him to bed, and I was in Katherine's room tucking her in. All of a sudden, I heard a loud thud and ran into his room, only to find him standing in front of the door sobbing. He tried to reach the light switch and fell out of his crib, HEAD FIRST, onto the floor. After some cuddling and consoling, and realizing that it wasn't a good idea to get out his crib, he went back to bed. I seriously thought we had a meeting of the minds. WRONG!

Late last week, he decided that he didn't need a nap, so he threw everything in his bed (stuffed animals, blankets, even his pants) into his hamper which sits on the opposite end of his crib. He said, "I don't need my animals and blankets anymore. I'm not sleeping. I put them in my hamper to wait for me". After I got him dressed and put his bed back together, he laid down for what I *thought* was a nap. About an hour later, Danyel stopped by to pick something up. When he heard the doorbell ring, he started yelling for me. When I went into his room, he wasn't in his bed... He was standing, NAKED from the waist down and with his arm caught straight up through the collar of his shirt, IN HIS HAMPER. That's right. He was in his flipping hamper. I have NO idea how he got in there as it wasn't tipped over and it comes up to at least his shoulders. I'm assuming, he scaled his crib, climbed onto his changing table and hoisted himself down into the hamper. But come on! You've got to be kidding me. Talk about dangerous!

When I went in and asked what he was doing, he looked at me and said, "I no need a nap Mommy.... so I wait for you in my hamper". Allrighty then! We had a long talk about he is to stay in his bed until I come and get him, and under NO circumstances is it a good idea to get into his hamper.

I'm thinking it's time to move him into a big boy bed, but selfishly I had been putting it off because I like the containment element of his crib. Clearly, that's not an advantage anymore!

He's also going through this stage where he loves to be naked. Sunday I took him to the mall to buy a shirt for yesterday's pictures, and he decides to whip off his pants in Gymboree, take off running through the mall, yelling "LOOK AT ME"!!

So yesterday -- it was a mess from start to finish.... Since it was raining, I decided to get the kids dressed at Flash. Holly was a gem and helped me out. She dressed Katherine while I wrestled little man. At one point, Holly had to ask me a question about Katherine's dress, so I turned to look and Caleb took off running -- in his diaper. I took after him, walking quickly, never guessing he was running for the hills. I really thought he'd run for a bit to see if I'd follow him, but nooooo, this kid rounded the corner and was heading for the front door, with NO sign of stopping. It was insane. When I caught up to him, he had a fit and insisted that he'd walk back on his own. UUUUUGH.

He's also going through this very independent stage. He wants to do ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING by himself, and refuses help from anyone. Long story short (mainly because I'm tired of typing!)..... After pictures, I took the kids out for lunch and then to the play area. When it was time to leave the play area, I asked Caleb to sit down so I could put on his shoes and socks. He was having NONE of it, so I grabbed him, sat him down, and tried to muscle him into his shoes, which wasn't working. He got away from me and stood up on the bench. I pointed to the bench and told him to sit down. He pointed right back at me (with an angry finger I might add) and said, "don't point at me Mommy"!!

Fuming, I put his shoes and socks into my purse, grab him and take off. He's screaming, crying, kicking, trying anything he can to get away from me.... It was quite the spectacle, let me assure you. The worst part was that I had to walk the ENTIRE LENGTH of the mall with a tantrum throwing toddler in my arms. At one point, I had to put him down and readjust, and the little turkey took off running back to the play area. It was pure madness! I just wanted to sit and cry! What I'm really wondering is.... Why didn't anyone stop me and ask me if everything was OK????? Seriously, I was expecting a cop to come up to me at any moment wondering if I was trying to steal this little boy who CLEARLY didn't want to be anywhere near me. But no, I could have easily stolen a kid yesterday! AAAHHH... I hope these wrinkles are worked out soon! I'm not sure how much more of this I can handle!

Pictures!!

A full week later and the birthday "stuff" is officially over! This morning the kids and I took off for the mall to get their 5 year and 2.5 year pictures taken.

Here's the link to the pictures. Obviously, it's under Ann Hanson, and the password is "kids". For the record, I didn't pick it, I'm assuming it's the password everyone gets unless you specifically change it, which I didn't feel compelled to do.

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?search?m0=5&s0=01wa&m=13&s=hanson&a=0

As a side note -- today was a disaster. The kids weren't exactly "well behaved" and I was about in tears leaving the mall. For THE FIRST TIME EVER, I called Matt, told him to be home on time and I was leaving the house. It was literally that bad -- probably worse. I'll probably blog about it later once I've had a chance to cool down. Let's just say that I'm SHOCKED someone didn't call the cops on me -- the way I had to haul Caleb out of the mall, you never would have guessed he was actually my child and I wasn't stealing him. I digress....

Birthday party!

Katherine had a GREAT birthday party! I counted 34 kids in total, and then one of our neighbors stopped by (which was a family of 5 kids) so the total was actually more like 39 kids (granted they have 15 month old twins, but still). LOL!! We had her party at an indoor playground -- they have swing sets, a basketball court and air hockey. It was such a great place for the kids to play and run off a little energy with friends.

I'm not just saying this, I HONESTLY mean it... The party couldn't have gone better. The kids were amazing -- there were no fights, no disagreements, no pushing, no crying, no outbursts of any kind. They patiently waited to take turns going down slides, and when it came to cake, ice cream and juice boxes, they sat at the tables and chatted away. The room that we ate cake in and opened gifts in, was really cramped and hot too. There were no complaints! No fighting over who got more ice cream or the first piece of cake. Literally, they were angels!

I actually had several parents stop me on the way out of the door commenting how fun it was, how great the kids were, and how brave I was for inviting so many kids.

Katherine was in her element. She had so much fun playing with her friends and being the center of attention!

The one drawback to this kind of party -- I don't have a single picture of the four of us. Actually, I don't have a picture of either Matt or I and not a single one of the kids together. In fact, I was too busy talking with the other parents and trying to make sure that the kids were OK, that I didn't even think of pulling out my camera until I saw Danyel with hers -- and at that point the party was half over!

Here's the pics I do have (and I'll put a link to the slide show Danyel made soon) --


I know I've said it a million times before, but Caleb is his Pop-pop's boy. He just adores my dad and they have the best time together. My dad was teaching him how to go down the slides faster -- which I'm sure I'll thank him for later! LOL. Here are the boys!



Katherine with Madeline and Jenna -- both neighbor girls.

Katherine and Jenna.

With Lindsay -- a girl from dance who lives close (about 2 blocks) to us who will also be in Katherine's kindergarten class in the fall.

This is Nicholas -- one of Katherine's best friends, and Caden's older brother. They are in preschool together.
This is the view in the attached party room. We were in the process of trying to set up another table because all the kids wouldn't fit around this one.
Katherine and Madeline.
Opening gifts -

My brother, Isaac, bought Caleb a gift so that he'd have something to open as well. How thoughtful is that??? He bought him some Lightening McQueen magnets that Caleb LOVES and carries everywhere. It totally made his day!

The cake -
The birthday girl blowing out her candles --



More presents --

It was a great party -- surrounded by wonderful friends and family. It's times like these that constantly remind me how blessed we are.

5 year doc appointment.

Turning 5 isn't all it's cracked up to be. If you don't believe me, just ask Katherine. The BIG 5th birthday isn't just about parties, cake and presents, it's also about the infamous 5 year well child check up at the doctor's office. Yesterday was the big day.

Oh, man.... this was *by far* the worst doctor appoint she's ever had. It was all about the DRA-MAH.... and what drama is was!

The highlight (if there was one) was Caleb out in the hallway. He put on quite a show for the nurses. Everyone in earshot was totally cracking up. Katherine had to get her eyesight checked, and they had this shape chart thing at the end of the hallway. Katherine (and Caleb -- as I didn't want to leave him alone in the exam room) stood in front of the chart and she was asked all sorts of shapes -- everything from a boat, to a star, heart, moon, circle, etc... Before she could even speak, Caleb blurted out the answers and started cheering for himself. He then started jumping up and down saying, "I know that shape"!! When one of the nurses came to distract him, he said, "I go with you if I get stickers. I get stickers, right???" After getting a few, he bolted back to Katherine's side. She was being asked her last shape, and Caleb immediately started yelling, "Dat a coffee cup! Dat a coffee cup!! My Pop-pops drinks outta dat"!

When we got back to the room, the nurse handed me a cup with Katherine's name written on it, and told her that she had to pee in it. She was horrified and had a billion questions -- would she stand up or sit down, what if she dropped it in the toilet, maybe we should just fill it up with water and see if they'd notice.... Pretty good idea, huh??? LOL! So in to the bathroom we go, and I hold the cup for her. At this point, she had two main concerns -- what if she pee'd on me, and who held the cup for me when I went for the "baby checks". That girl! Always thinking!

Next up was blood work. Fun times let me assure you! Lisa, Jon's regular nurse, had the day off and a loud talking, curt woman was her replacement. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but somehow blood ended up EVERYWHERE. Literally, all over her hand, between her fingers, on her shirt and on the bench she was sitting on. As you guessed, this led to FREAK OUT CENTRAL. She was absolutely beside herself, and cried her little eyes out. But this PALED in comparison to the shots.....

AAAAHHH the shots. Caleb was so sweet. Before the nurses came back in, he hopped up on the exam table and said, "Katherine, I take the shots for you. I share with you. Don't worry. I do it for you". She didn't give it a second thought. She was all over it! If he was willing to take her shots, she'd let him -- that's for sure!

The nurses came in and asked me if I'd like all four today, or if I only wanted her to get two now, and two right before school starts. Are you kidding me??? If we have to do it, do it all now! The anticipation is worse than the shots themselves.

So the shots..... it took two nurses and me to hold her down. She was kicking and screaming and crying like I've never heard. Everyone in the office had to hear her. She cried so hard that she broke out in hives. I was literally afraid that she'd hyperventilate. It was brutal! I started crying with her and Caleb just looked on -- completely horrified.

On the way out of the door I gave them both a ring pop -- a sucker that you can wear on your finger and it looks like a pacifier. Caleb was in heaven, but poor Katherine, she was still gasping for air and couldn't eat it... Thankfully, no more shots for seven years.

On to the stats -- Katherine weighed 34.4 pounds and was 40 1/4 inches. This puts her at in the 20th percentile for both height and weight. It's such a relief to know that she's putting on some of the weight she lost a few weeks ago.

It's official!!!

Matt and I, along with Katherine and Caleb have BIG news!!

Check out the new blog!!

Nine Month Miracle

Happy Birthday!!

Happy 5th birthday to my little princess!! Where has the time gone???

5 short years ago, at 4:35 pm, I held a 5 pound 12 ounce baby girl for the first time in my life. I knew nothing about babies, nothing about motherhood, and in retrospect, pretty much nothing about life at all! LOL. I remember looking down at this tiny baby and thanking God that my own mom lived a couple of miles away so that she could help me out and guide me through this new and uncharted world of motherhood. I was both thrilled and terrified at the same time.....not to mention shocked that the hospital actually sent me home and trusted me to care for this little girl.

Katherine opened whole new world to me. The love I felt for her was instant and unconditional, and it was more powerful than anything I'd ever felt in my entire life. She has taught me more lessons in these five short years that in all my other years combined. As I look at her, I am constantly reminded how truly blessed I am, and thank God every day for bringing her into my life.

In the blink of an eye, a 5 year old has replaced the baby that was. In what seems like a brief moment, my baby girl who depended on me for everything, has turned into an incredibly funny, independent, sweet, preschooler who is on the verge of starting kindergarten. She went from being in the 3rd and 5th percentile (height and weight) to an incredibly athletic gymnast. She dances and sings her way though life, and brings a smile to all those whose life she touches. She may look like her Daddy, but her personality is all mine. She is my mini-me. When she speaks, I hear myself. When she laughs, I laugh too. We are truly connected at the heart, and I am so thankful of the bond we share.

So far, today has been jam packed with birthday celebrations. We brought push-ups and juice boxes to preschool and she was the uncontested star of the day. She got to wear the birthday crown and pass out treats. She was sung to and everyone in the class made her a picture which they put into a birthday book. When I picked her up, he face was still pink from the ice cream, and she was glowing. She had a permanent smile on her face -- which put a smile on my face.

When we got to the car, she burst out in song... "You say I'm a princess.... My mommy's the queen... and together we reign supreme"! Oh, that girl.... how can you just NOT fall head over heels in love with her?

After school, we were invited over to the Launderville's house for a little birthday celebration. I was amazed when we walked in their house. They had baked her an amazing cake -- chocolate which is her favorite, and the house was decorated with hot pink and lime green party ware, and helium balloons. I was shocked! It was so incredibly sweet of them. We are so blessed to have amazing friends.

Tonight Katherine is bringing treats to ballet and tap lessons and she's thrilled. When you're 5, there's nothing better than your birthday, and celebrating all day long (and in her case all WEEK long) really takes the cake. She's just walking a little taller and smiling a little brighter today. I love that!!

Speaking of all week celebrations -- we are having small celebrations all week with family and friends. Tomorrow night we are going out to dinner at the place of her choosing. She hasn't decided for sure yet where she wants to go, but one thing is definite -- they must have shakes! The celebrations will end on Saturday afternoon when we have her big party. I was expecting quite a few "regrets" since it's the week of spring break (I assumed people would be going out of town etc...), but the way things stand now, we're expecting somewhere around 30 kids. Yea -- should be chaos. But what fun would a 5 year birthday party be without chaos???? Bring it on!! After all -- you only turn 5 once!

Thursday randoms...

Just a couple of funnies from my kiddos from the past day or so.....

When Katherine and I are in the car, it's constant chatter. We're always talking about something, and Caleb loves to chime in with his two cents worth. Today, totally out of the blue, we have this conversation --

Katherine: Mommy, when you first saw Daddy did you run away?

Me: UUUUUHHH, what?

Katherine: You know, did you run as fast as you could when you first saw him?

Me: No -- why would you ask that?

Katherine: Well I thought you were supposed ta run as fast as you could when you saw your prince.

Me: ** OK at this point I can hardly contain my laughter. *** Katherine where did you hear such a thing?

Katherine: Well that's what Snow White did.

Me: AAAAHHH that explains a lot!

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With Katherine's birthday right around the corner, we've been talking a ton lately about her party next weekend and how fun it'll be. Caleb insists that "my birphday is coming up soon". I just agree with him -- there's no point in arguing with a two year old when his birthday is, even though he knows it's in September.... Anyway, guess what he wants? GREEN HAIR COLOR. That's right, my two year old thinks he needs green hair. Unfortunately this isn't just a passing thing either. It's all he's been talking about for two weeks now -- green hair color! Where does he come up with this stuff?

The funniest part of the green hair color obsession is that he made my mom write it down so that'd she remember to buy it for him. Now if only I can find a green wig or something.... After all -- how can I not indulge this phase?

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I had some serious Olive Garden needs the other night, so Matt and I took the kids there for dinner. It was getting pretty cold out, so Matt took Katherine to the car and was going to drive up for Caleb and I. It just so happened that the state basketball tourney was in town, and evidently, lots of small town folks, LOOOOVE the OG. Anyway, the lobby was PACKED!

While we were waiting for Matt and Katherine to pick us up, Caleb decided to put on a show for the crowd, and started performing a stirring rendition of "Shake your Booty". Yea, not sure where he learned this from either, but it's become a beloved part of his repertoire whenever a crowd gathers and he's the center of attention. As you can imagine, he got tons of laughs, which only made him want to perform more...

One of the women asked me how old he was, and before I could say anything, he turned around and said, "I seven!" (Again, not sure where he picked seven from, but ANY TIME he's asked his age, he says he's seven). Knowing they didn't believe him I said, "Actually, he's almost two and a half". He looks at me, laughs at me and says, "You're silly momma, I seven!" Allrighty then!

The women then asked if he went to preschool, and I said something to the effect that "Nope! preschool can't handle him!". Caleb wasn't satisfied with my answer, and felt it necessary to clarify. He said, "I can't go to preschool, 'cause I still wear diapers. I'm waiting for my big boy Thomas (the train) undies and then I can go to preschool and gymnastics". Thankfully Matt pulled up in the car as I'm sure they didn't want to hear about his potty training escapades...

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Poor Matt...

Strep throat and the flu. The poor guy is in BAD shape! So, needless to say, the kiddos and I stayed out until nap time and then I came home and put them to bed. Tonight will be another "no daddy" kind of night, and he's already decided to stay at home again tomorrow. This will be the first time since I've known him that he's been home sick for 2.5 days for himself.

Hopefully he's better (and the kids don't catch it) so that we can head back to LeMars this weekend.

Will it ever end????

Matt is still sick -- really sick. He's been banished to the basement and the kids didn't see him at all yesterday -- not even to say goodnight. I can't chance either one of them getting sick again ... especially since we are heading to LeMars this weekend.

So for dinner, I made up a plate for him and brought it down. When I went to check on him, he had already decided that going to work today wasn't an option. Soooo not like him. Typically, if he's breathing, he's at work. He takes a sick day for me or the kids, but for himself -- NEVER!

After I gave the kiddos a bath last night and put them to bed, I went back down to check on him, and I literally had to shake him awake. He was burning up and chilled at the same time. Poor guy. And yes ... he slept downstairs. A whole two floors away from the kids and I!

This morning after I dropped Katherine off at school, Caleb and I came home to check on him again. I put Caleb upstairs in front of the TV, so he wouldn't get too close. When I asked Matt how he was feeling, he told me that he needed to go to the doctor. Great! It takes a lot for Matt to go to the doctor, and going willingly -- out of the question. He must be really sick. He thinks that he has either a (i) strep throat; or (ii) sinus infection. Both of which are wonderfully contagious! Guess who will be spending another day in the basement???

Back to normal...

I love, love, LOVE Tuesdays. It's the one day of the week that we have absolutely NOTHING planned. No preschool, no dance, no gymnastics, no story time, no kindermusic, no obligations of any kind. It's our cherished day together, and we always spend it playing HARD!

Today the kids wanted to ride the Easter train, so we took off for the mall. They had such a good time, playing in the play pit, riding the train, talking to the Easter bunny, and having lunch. I can't tell you how great it was to have everyone healthy and energetic again. It was such a nice return to "normal", and let me tell you -- I LOVE NORMAL!

I should have known it wouldn't last.....

While I was sitting in the play pit, my phone rang. It was Matt calling from his blackberry wondering where I was and about when we'd be home. When I told him, he sounded relieved.... He was on his way home from work -- running a fever, his sinuses plugged beyond voice recognition, and feeling "really rough". Oh. My. Goodness. You have got to be kidding me. I should have guessed something was up. When I woke up this morning he had extra blankets piled on his side of the bed. He must have gotten chilled in the middle of the night. I swear.... How long can someone in this family be sick????

Sooooo, tomorrow after preschool and kindermusic, I'm opening up the house and using an entire bottle of Lysol and giving this house one massive scrub down. I can't handle anymore of this!

Update...

In a nutshell, all is well -- or at least it will be. I've never felt such relief and been so thankful to find out that there was nothing seriously wrong with my little girl. It made me truly appreciate the blessing of having a healthy child.

Our time at the hospital on Saturday seemed to drag on forever. Katherine was poked, prodded, forced to drink Barium (which would make *anyone* gag), and have countless x-rays. I must say... she such a trooper through out it all. She was scared to death at times and shed more than a couple of tears, but all in all, she was amazing.

She had an upper GI test to rule out a blockage in her small intestine, which thankfully she didn't have. The radiologist did find some reflux that will need to be treated, but that's minor considering the alternative... I guess what she has "is not normal, but not totally uncommon in small kids" and we're all hopeful that she'll out grow it in time.

The exam room that she was in, was divided in two parts -- Katherine and the x-ray tech on one side, and the radiologist and I on the other side. The x-ray tech that we had was amazing. She was so great with kids and really helped Katherine to stay relaxed. She was asking her all sorts of questions to keep her mind occupied -- all about her favorite foods, our Disney trip, and her little brother. Katherine perked up when she started talking about Caleb and all the stuff they do together. The x--ray tech then said, "Wow. You really like your little brother, huh???" Katherine replied, "Oh yea... I love him. He and my mommy are my two best friends". Tears started flowing down my face. It was such a humbling and poignant moment. Here is this little girl being put through the ringer and forced to drink tons of this thick chalky stuff that's making her gag and she talks about her love for others. How did I get so blessed?

We ended up spending the entire morning at the hospital. They had to take x-rays every 15 minutes so that they could see how quickly the barium was moving through her stomach and intestines. Thankfully, they didn't find a blockage.

As insane as this sounds, we think the problem was constipation. Evidently, she was so backed up that nothing could empty out of her little tummy and she'd throw it all up. So, she's been on heavy laxatives and since then, we haven't had any problems --THANK GOODNESS!!

We're off to LeMars this weekend to get our taxes done, and I'm so relieved that this is all behind us and she won't be sick while we're there!