Sweet ride -- take two...

As promised, here are a few of the pictures I took of Katherine learning how to ride a two wheel bike for the first time.

One night when we were outside playing, she decided that she wanted to learn how to ride a two wheel bike, and that was it. She grabbed Walker's bike and gave it her best shot. Sure she fell down countless times at first, but her determination won out, and by the end of the night, she was riding like an old pro. I love that about her. When she sets her mind on something and decides that she's going to do it, NOTHING will stop her.

Sweet ride!

About two weeks ago, Katherine decided that she wanted to learn how to ride a bike -- two wheel style, no training wheels allowed. So, while I was taking a few pics, Danyel pulled out her video camera and just sent me this little video of her first attempt. I'll post the pics later today, but in the meantime, here's the video.

Thanks so much Danyel! By the way.... was that me or you yelling rock star in the background? I'm assuming it wasn't Katherine!!

Katherine's first ride

Sponge Bob....

Katherine is such a rule follower. She always tries to do the right thing and be a good girl. Not to say that she wouldn't snitch an extra piece of candy if given the chance, but if she knows that something isn't good for her, is morally wrong, or would disappoint someone around her, she won't cross the line.

Case in point today.... We went over to Ben's (Michelle and Tessa) house for a pizza party and there were a bunch of kids playing. About 30 minutes before the party was to be over it got quiet --REALLY quiet. Michelle went downstairs to check on the kids and came up laughing and said to me, "OOOOH, Ann... I know why they're so quiet and you're not going to like it....". I instantly fear that Caleb is into something he shouldn't be and ran downstairs fearing the worst.

Instead, I find both Katherine and Caleb sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Katherine's eyes are shut as tightly as possible and one of the little boys is saying, "Wake up Katherine! You can't sleep while Sponge Bob is on!!!". She says, "I can't open my eyes... I'm not allowed to watch this show!!". I just stood there laughing, but inside I was beaming with pride. She knows that she's not allowed to watch that show, and exactly WHY I refuse to have it on in our house. She was doing her absolute best to follow the rules while still being in the same room with all the other kids.

When she heard me laughing, she opened her eyes, and looked right at me. When I told her that she could watch the show with all other 10 kids, her eyes lit up and she started cheering. How can you possibly resist her? She's incredible!!

But yes... I'm a Sponge Bob hater. The show is NOTHING but garbage, and an absolute waste of time. Not only that, but it teaches kids TERRIBLE lessons -- calling names, throwing fits, pretty much the epitome of exactly what I DON'T want my kids to emulate. So, we don't watch it, or buy any products that advertise it. In fact, last time I went to the store, I needed to pick up yogurt sticks and the only ones I could find were Sponge Bob ones. So I didn't what any OCD mom would do -- I bought the Dora yogurt cups! LOL!!

Happy Memorial Day!

We had a wonderful, but busy Memorial Day weekend. Matt took last week off work, and we spent a lot of time working on projects around the house (landscaping, painting, changing out bathroom fixtures, etc), taking trips to Adventureland, parks, and hanging out with friends. It went by way too quickly!

We ended up painting our bathroom downstairs a cool chocolate brown color, so now I'm on the hunt for perfect accessories -- towels, rugs, pictures, etc... We are also going to have someone come in and paint our two story entry. Matt's not big into heights, especially when they're unsecured like a ladder, so it's just easier to have someone else do it.

This afternoon we went over to my parent's house for a BBQ, and I ate way to much! It was gorgeous -- the weather was nice, the kids (and the guys) played in the backyard, and I took some great pics ( which I'll edit soon and post). The highlight of the night was fingernail painting. My aunt painted Katherine, Morgan, and Hannah's nails while Caleb looked on -- TOTALLY jealous. He was standing on the chair watching every move, and finally I gave in and told him yes, he could have ONE NAIL painted (hot pink) like the girls. I turn around, and he's running outside showing off ALL OF HIS NAILS painted the best shade of hot pink he'd ever seen. He was so proud! His little eyes lit up like a stinkin' Christmas Tree. LOL!! Poor Matt was absolutely mortified! Let's just say -- when bath time rolled around, I got out the remover!! He begged to have them painted again -- only next time he wants green! LOL!!

Overheard....

Caleb says the funniest things, and lately he's been REALLY concerned about how he looks, which makes for some interesting conversations! He's still TOTALLY obsessed with the color green, and today he came up to me and said...

Caleb: Mommy, you have on a green shirt.

Me: That's right sweetie.

Caleb: We both have on green shirts.

Me: Yes we do.

Caleb: We are LOOOOOKING good!

How can you help not to chuckle, especially when he's soooo serious about it?? LOL. A few minutes later, he insisted that I take off his brown sandals, because they "didn't look so good". I did, and he ran to get his fave Lightening McQueen crocs. As soon as they were on his feet, he took off running to show Matt and said, "Now I really looooookin' good"!

The final day....

Friday was Katherine's last day of preschool, and I must admit... it was a tough day. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted from crying and the thought of sending my baby off to all day Kindergarten was almost more than I could bear.

I kept thinking back to the day when I held a 5 pound 12 ounce baby in my arms. She was so helpless, so innocent, so pure. She needed me for EVERYTHING, and now, she's about to enter the world of "real school".... not just preschool where she'll go a few days a week for 2.5 hours, but Kindergarten where she'll go all day every day. Back 5 years ago, Kindergarten seemed like a lifetime away. Now, it's staring me in the face..... UUUUUGH! I'm so not ready....

We were supposed to have a picnic at a nearby park, feed the ducks, and let the kids play on the playground, but the weather didn't cooperate, so we had to "picnic" in the gym. Since Matt had the entire week off work, he was able to come along as well, which was nice.

When we first got to the gym, the kids played games with the parachute. Caleb was all over it. He was having so much fun, and jumped right in with all the big kids! He wasn't to be left out!!




After the kids were done with the parachute, the teachers brought out tons of toys for the kids to play with....

Katherine loves these "horse heads on a stick" things, and carried it around with her the entire time.

She even held it while taking her turn on hopscotch...

Caleb LOOOOOVES these car things, and pretty much hogged this blue one the entire time! We just may have to get him one. It was quite the hit!!

Here are the kids back in the classroom gathering their things before the picnic. Caleb grabbed a seat right next to Jacob -- he's so ready to go to preschool! He loves every moment!!

Back in the gym, Katherine is playing on the beam with Kinsey and Jessie.

Here she is with her teachers, Mrs. Schramm (on the left) and Mrs. Hoffman. She had Mrs. Schramm last year, and to be honest, I couldn't ask for a better teacher. She's exactly what you'd dream a preschool teacher should be, and we'll definitely miss her next year.

Back on the horse thing!!


This was a HARD time.... Saying final goodbyes to Mrs. Hoffman and Mrs. Schramm. Yes, the tears were flowing!

Final pics with Kinsey and Nicholas...




AAAAHHHH, where did the time go? Didn't she just start preschool yesterday? When did she go from a shy and timid toddler, and turn into a spunky and fun loving young lady? Didn't I just blink and the time passed? In some ways, I'm glad this "final" day is over, and I can put all of the emotion behind me, but in others, I know that the day I have to send my baby girl off to Kindergarten will be a million times worse than Friday. I'm already dreading that day -- three short months from now... So until then, I will cherish every day I have with her, holding onto the last bit of her smallness that I can, and trying to make new memories each day. I know this time will pass quickly as well, and I don't want to look back and wish that I had done more....

An his middle name is....

LEE!!!!

That's right, Katherine finally learned Mr. Tarry's middle name, and it was definitely worth the wait. (For anyone who doesn't remember, Katherine desperately wanted to know Tarry's middle name, and he told her that he wouldn't tell her until she did her pullover on the bars. She couldn't have ANY help -- none from him, no mats underneath her, nothing for her to push off on.... She had to stand on the ground and do it all by herself).

She's been close before.... There have been times that I really thought she could do it, but just couldn't. She'd be almost on the bar, but her little arms would give out and her hips couldn't make it around. So, in addition to her regular gymnastics workout, Tarry had been having her do additional arm strengthening exercises. Tarry kept telling me that one day, she'd realize that she could do it and it'd just come. Well today it did!

I was in the gym for her lesson so I could get some more pictures, and he and I were talking about her joining team. All of sudden, she chalked up her hands, stood below the bar, and did the dang pullover. I about fell over!!! After she realized that she could actually do one, she did 6 in a row! Woo-Hoo for my little princess!! I was so proud of her!! And, she was on top of the world!! ... and her arms were about to fall off!! LOL!!

So Tarry called Miss Rachel (one of the other team coaches) into the gym so that Katherine could show off! Oh, how she loved that!! After the pullovers, he then had her doing back handsprings, and said she's really REALLY close. She's whipping her body around really quickly and he's only lightly spotting her. She doesn't always land perfectly, it's not always pretty, but she's close, and in her 5 year old world, that's all I can ask for!

He then put her on the beam and had her doing cartwheels on both sides (right side first then left side first). They started off with panel mats touching the beam so that if she fell, she wouldn't get hurt, but then quickly removed them. Evidently landing cartwheels on the beam is a level 5 skill (she's starting at level 1), and that's the immediate goal... When she gets to level 5 again, Tarry will be her coach. He thinks she'll be there by the end of the school year (so in like a year).

But for now, we've got a lot to celebrate.... My little 5 year 2 month baby girl can do a pullover, and she's the only one that young in the gym that can! So she's on top of the world.

We're off to Chuck E Cheese with a friend of mine and her two little girls. Matt and her hubby are golfing this afternoon (weather permitting), so we're taking off now for some lunch and to let to the kiddos play!! Gotta wear off some steam -- especially in this weather!

Onward and upward....

Today was the end of an era. Katherine had been looking forward to today for weeks -- actually months. Today was her last gymnastics class in the "little" gym. It's a super cute gym with all kid size equipment, and the kids are in this gym until they start kindergarten. However, when Katherine gets her private lesson each week, Mr. Tarry takes her into the big gym, and she's become VERY aware of the differences between the competitive and recreational side of the big gym. Let's just say she wants NOTHING to do with the recreational side! Imagine that!! LOL.

Anyway, with today being her last class in the "little" gym, and her last class with Mr. Tarry as her coach, I thought I'd feel incredibly sad. I thought I'd be fighting back tears and hoping for another few weeks in the status quo. Boy, was I wrong...

How can I possibly be sad about something she wants so desperately? Something she's wanted to do since she set foot in the big gym.... Something she's been dreaming about for as long as she's taken gymnastics..... Something she was born to do.... So instead of fighting back tears today, we stood talking to Mr. Tarry about her private lesson tomorrow and dreaming about the future -- when he'd be her coach again ..... when she made team.

He also gave each of the kids a progress report that listed all of the skills they'd been working on throughout the year. Katherine's was glowing (of course) and he wrote the nicest note to her -- how talented she was, how much promise as a gymnast she had, how he was looking forward to coaching her again once she made team, and how enjoyable she made his job.

So today there were no tears, just laughter.... It's not even that I forgot to cry.... It's that I didn't have a reason to. Katherine has found her passion in life, and she pursues it with absolute single mindedness. She's more determined to succeed than any five year old I've ever seen, and I have no doubt that's what will take her far in life. And as a parent, that brings nothing but smiles to my face and joy to my heart.

Oh, here's a classic Katherine story....

We were talking about end of the year teacher appreciation gifts, and she decided that she wanted to buy her preschool teachers earrings and Mr. Tarry underwear. No clue where that came from, but I told her absolutely not. We'd be buying him a gift card instead.

So today, she handed Mr. Tarry his thank you card, and felt compelled to say, "Mr. Tarry, I really wanted to guy you underwear, but my mommy said no. So I had to give you this card instead". OK, Katherine... Does he really need to know that???? I swear, this girl has no secrets!! LOL!

How great is this????

I just got an email from one of my neighbors/friends. According to a recent study, Des Moines is the 6th best city in the country to raise a family in. Pretty cool, huh???

Check it out --

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24713234/

My little ballerina...

Wow... This past week (and weekend) was a total whirlwind! We've been so busy that I haven't had a spare minute to update the blog! That's a good thing though!!

Wednesday night we got a wonderful surprise. After we arrived home from the dance rehearsal (pictures to follow), we found out that my brother in law, Jay and his wife, Debbie were coming through town and going to spend the night with us. The kids were elated, and went to bed WAY past bedtime. Thursday morning, Caleb decided that he didn't want to go to gymnastics with Katherine and I, so he played trains and ran around the backyard with Jay. By all accounts they had a WONDERFUL time!!

Here are some pictures from Wednesday night at the full dance rehearsal. Katherine LOVED getting all dressed up -- complete with hair and make-up and getting her little groove on.

On the way out the door, we took a few pictures outside.

Katherine and Morgan all ready for the big night!!

We started the dress rehearsal with the finale so that when your dance was done, you could head home. Here is my little princess waiting to go on stage.

And the chaos of the finale dance! I kid you not... I honestly don't think that any two girls were doing the same "moves" at the same time. LOL! As a parent you really don't care though... all you really care about is seeing your little girl on stage dancing her heart out!

Katherine and Morgan in their tap costumes. (For anyone who doesn't remember, Morgan is Katherine's cousin who is 5 months older and in her same class).

Katherine watching the big girls on stage while she waits for her turn to "go on the big stage".

************************************************************************

Friday morning we had a "Mom's tea party" at preschool. The kids had made tons of yummy snacks -- a veggie cup, cucumber sandwiches, fruit kabobs and brownie cupcakes, and they acted so grown up when they served us. It was wonderful to watch them take charge and let the mommies relax! Katherine was so proud she was beaming all morning. After we had our tea party, we all went to chapel together, and then headed home. It was a WONDERFUL morning!!



Oh, and the best part -- in preparation for the big day, all of the kids made hats for their moms to wear. Unfortunately, you can't tell in these pictures, but Katherine made a huge paper flower for the brim. I, of course, LOVED mine! I looked like quite the Southern Belle! Isn't that hat GREAT! LOL!!


And not to be left out, Miss Katherine wanted to wear it for a while during chapel.

Friday night Katherine had first dance recital (they also had one on Saturday afternoon), and the girls were just beaming. They practiced their routines backstage, colored, played games and then Katherine tried to teach a gymnastics camp to anyone willing to take her instruction (imagine that! LOL!!). Poor Morgan... Katherine had her lying on the ground so that she could do cartwheels over the top of her.... Thankfully, Morgan is a GREAT sport! LOL!



Here is Katherine, Morgan and Hannah coloring before going out on stage...







Doesn't she look all grown up??? My heavens, where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday that she was all dressed up as a purple flower, and now an entire year has passed and I find myself staring at her with tears in my eyes. I'm so proud of her.... So amazed at the little person she's becoming... so taken with her wonderful sense of humor and trademark spunky side.... so in awe of how comfortable she is in her own skin at such a young age.... So in love with her. All of her. Every last bit of her sweet and sassy ways.... AAAHHH, she's amazing....





Katherine and Hannah dancing around right before going on stage. I swear, she didn't stop dancing all weekend. This girl has it in her bones. She's constantly movin' and groovin'!!








Katherine and Morgan hangin' out together...

Just us girls.

The girls all lined up before they went on stage. You know what really amazed me??? Katherine had NO FEAR of being on stage. Absolutely none. In fact, it was just the opposite. She loved every moment of it. She loved being the center of attention. She loved everyone watching her dance. She loved being in the center of the action. And I loved watching her... every moment of it. She's strong, confident and secure. What more could I ask for? She's definitely a little girl who knows exactly who she is and isn't afraid of showing it.

After the recital, my mom came back stage to give the girls a bouquet of flowers. They were so proud after the recital, and didn't stop beaming all night. They were definitely little prima ballerinas for the night!!

With Grammy...


Friday night when we got home we just crashed! We were all so exhausted from the busy day (Mom's tea party, gymnastics lesson and getting ready for the recital) that as soon as we got home we crawled in bed..... oh wait... to be fair, on the way home, we stopped at McDonald's and scarfed down way too much food,but man.... we were starving!!

Saturday morning, everyone slept until 9 or so! It was heaven!! We got up, had breakfast, the kiddos played for a while and then I threw Katherine in my whirlpool while I took a shower, and we did the whole thing all over again. We ended up getting to the school around 12, and the recital started at 1.

Here's a few shots from Saturday....

Isaac and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, came back from Iowa City for the recital, and the girls were thrilled that they made such an effort to come. They stopped and picked up the girls another bouquet, which, let me assure you... was a HUGE HIT!!

Well Elizabeth... you know you've officially arrived when you've made it to the blog! LOL!

Saturday night we ordered some yummy takeout from PF Chang's with the Hodapps, and then had some neighbors over and christened the fire pit -- smores and all. Isaac and Elizabeth also stopped by and by the time midnight rolled around, we smelled like a big ol' campfire. The kids had a great time, and it was sooo nice to relax after the hectic weekend we had!

Oh, one more random update....

Remember the Chinese house in the backyard that I was all about buying in the past??? Well they are moving to Houston in either August or September, and I was elated about the possibility of getting a bigger house in the same neighborhood (aka -- the right neighborhood). We took a look at it last night, and I must confess.... there is NO way I'd move in there. The carpet is trashed, some of the space is ... awkward (for lack of a better term), and the kitchen is MUCH smaller. When Matt and I got back in the car, we both looked at each other and said, nope... this wasn't the house for us. I'm glad we agree. I'm relieved that one of us doesn't want to move, while the other one wants to stay. So for the time being, we're going to stay in our house and see how long we can make it work. I want to stay in this neighborhood, but at some point, we're going to need a bigger house. And for anyone who is wondering.... no, I'm not about to move Katherine to the basement. 2 floors away at 5 years old, is WAY too far!

baptism....

Quick background... Matt and I (along with the church we attend) do not believe in baptizing an infant. Instead of baptism, we, as parents, "dedicate" our children to God, promise to bring them up in a home that believes in God, teach them the correct way to live their lives, and what asking Jesus into your heart truly means. When they are older and can truly grasp what that means, and therefore believe it in their hearts, we baptize children. With that being said, I don't think that baptizing an infant is wrong, but it's just not what we do.

With that being said, Katherine attends a Lutheran preschool -- which I LOVE. Lutherans do believe in baptizing infants, and they've been discussing it in chapel lately. Katherine has a million questions, so we've been talking about it, and I've explained to her in as much depth as she can grasp what that truly means, and exactly what the differences are between dedication and baptism.

I thought she understood.... Actually, I still do, but....

Bath time in the Hanson household is total chaos. It involves super loud singing, uncontrollable laughter, bubble wars, and splashing contests. They love bath time, and are usually in the tub for an hour or so. While they were playing in there tonight, I decided to sit in the hallway (ourside the bathroom) and fold clothes. I got up for 10 seconds to put Katherine's clean clothes on her bed, and walked back into the bathroom only to find her pouring bottles of water over poor Caleb's head. He was drenched and rubbing his eyes... I immediately told her to stop and asked what she was doing. She looked up at me sweetly, and said, "Mommy, I'm baptizing Caleb. He said a naughty word (stinky) and I tried to get the sin out of him". Caleb rubbed his eyes again and said, "Dat's right Mommy!" LOL!

AAAAH, it's so hard to keep my game face on sometimes. As hard as I tried to conceal my laughter, and discuss the dangers of dousing your brother with water, they saw right through me -- and the water fights continued. These are the good times!!

Happy Mother's Day!

This is, by far, my favorite Mother's Day of all time. Since I've been a mom, this is the first Mother's Day that I've actually spent with the entire family. Up until this year, Matt has been studying for the CFA so typically we had gone to church and then he took off to study. One year, he met us for brunch, helped me get their plates situated and then left to study. He wasn't even able to eat with us.... Thankfully, my parents were there!

This year is different. This year is infinitely better. Last night we went out to dinner with my parents, sister and her family (Clyde, Morgan and Hannah), and my brother and his girlfriend, Elizabeth. We went to this yummy steakhouse and then went over to Laurie's for dessert. We sat and chatted until well past bedtime!

Today, Matt, Katherine, Caleb and I are going to this super yummy brunch at the Hilton. It's going to be just the four of us, and thankfully Matt doesn't have to make an early exit. It's going to be a wonderfully relaxing day spent with the family. I can't wait!!

Exhaustion...

I'm exhausted. Totally all tuckered out. Why you ask??? Oh please let me tell you --

Matt's alarm didn't go off this morning so he was running late for work. OK, to be fair, he wasn't late, but much later than he normally goes in.... which is still considered WAY early compared to the rest of the world.. Anyway, Caleb heard him running up and down the stairs and woke up an hour and a half before normal.

Oh, and my little man woke up in fine mood. He was groggy and cranky from the get go. He definitely got up on the proverbial wrong side of the bed. Then, shortly after he woke up, he pooped his pants and then INSISTED on sitting on the potty chair -- poop all over butt and all. So it took us a while to resolve that "issue". Let's just say, it didn't end pretty.

From there, here was the rest of the day....

9:00 -- I took Katherine to preschool

9:15 - 11:30 -- Caleb and I ran errands. I had to sign him up and pay for Kindermusik for next fall and make a Sam's Club run. Caleb and I ran home with the loot from Sam's and then headed to my mom's to pick her up and then made a run through the bank on the way to pick up Katherine.

11:30 -- We got Katherine and headed straight to Target. I had to get a few groceries and a birthday present for a party Katherine went to tonight. Since we were there over lunch, we just ate there to save time.

By the time we left Target and dropped off my mom, it was a little after 1.

From 1:30 - 2:45 I tried to clean the house and throw in a couple of loads of laundry all while playing with the kids outside. It was quite interesting, let me assure you!

2:45 -- the kids came in the house and I got Katherine ready for her gymnastics lesson.

3:30 - 4:30 -- gymnastics lesson. By the time I finished talking to Mr. Tarry it was 4:45 and we were literally running out the door.

4:55 -- We got home, I laid out Katherine's clothes to change into and wrapped the present for the birthday party tonight.

5:30 6:30-- dance practice for the recital next weekend.

6:30 - 8 -- birthday party for a little girl in Katherine's dance class.

Oh, and in between all of this running around, Caleb had meltdown after meltdown. It was maddening. At one point, I wanted to cry myself. He was totally out of control, and unreasonable -- even for a 2.5 year old. So yea... I'm ready for bed!

DUCKS!!

Since it was such a gorgeous day today, after gymnastics we met the Launderville's for a picnic in the park and to feed the ducks in the neighboring pond. The kids went through over two loaves of bread!!

Katherine and Caleb were so sweet today. They spent the first half hour picking me countless bouquets of dandelions and were just giddy at the gift they'd found. Caleb kept coming up to me and saying, "Close your eyes Mommy. I have surprises for you! One... two... three... four... five ... SURPRISE!!!" and he'd hand me a fist full of dandelions -- leaves and all. Oh, man... talk about melting my heart!

Here's one of the many bouquets of "flowers" I got today! LOL.

Here are my two babies picking the dandelions.

After feeding the ducks, we went to a nearby park. Here's Katherine and Nicholas on the tire swing...

And the little boys -- Caleb and Caden.

The kids on the walking trail on the way to the park. Michelle and I couldn't help but to chuckle at them. How sweet is it that they all grabbed hands and took off??? This isn't a posed picture -- just four kids playing together out in the sun. We are so fortunate that they all get along sooo well!
Feeding the ducks.

On the way home we drove by a couple of houses and their lawns were literally covered in dandelions. Katherine was totally impressed and is going to ask her Daddy to put that many flowers in our lawn so that she can pick me flowers anytime I run out. How cute is that??? I'm sure Matt will get right on that suggestion! LOL.