Slumber party....

Last night was Katherine's big slumber party over at Grammy's house. I dropped her off after her swimming lessons, and Caleb and I joined them for one of my (and the kids) fave desserts -- frozen berries covered with hot white chocolate. TO DIE FOR!! It's sooooo yummy! It's really nothing more that frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries covered in melted white chocolate mixed with a little cream and vanilla. Soooo good!! We all went to bed fat and happy last night!! LOL!

This morning after I picked Katherine up, the kids and I went out to breakfast with my parents and then did "a little" shopping. While I was looking around in TJ Maxx (love that store) I stopped by the picture frames and happened to find a pair of frames that are perfect for a couple of pics of the kids that I've been waiting to get framed. Anyway, in the 30 seconds my attention is not focused on them, both kids disappear. Literally, they left the aisle I was in and took off. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT???

I immediately throw the frames in the cart and take off to find them. A few aisles down, Caleb pokes his little head out from around a rack of clothes, and says, "Hi Mommy. We're over here. Don't worry about us, Katherine is keeping her eye on me". ALLLLLRIGHTY then. My days of worry are OVER! He sounded so grown up, I almost cracked up right in front of him, but man, did either one of them really think I'd be cool with that??? Yea, buddy, as long as your 5 year old, 34 pound, 42 inch tall sister, has her eye on you than please have at it!!! Shop away!! UUUUGH! LOL!

So --- Matt..... There are times the guy just doesn't listen worth anything.....

My parent's invited Katherine to spend the night again tonight after they got home from the Valley Junction Farmer's Market and we got home from swimming lessons. That was more than fine with us, as she'll be starting school soon, and her "sleepover days" will be much fewer and farther between.

So anyway.... Matt and the kids are outside playing while I put a few things together for her in a bag. I hand the bag out the door to Matt and tell him to put Katherine's bag in the car. (He's going to drop her off at their house, but they were going to swing by and give Caleb a goodnight hug, and since I'd need her car seat in the morning to pick her up, she couldn't ride with them). He says OK, and I go back to vacuuming. My parents arrive 5 MINUTES LATER and I ask him to grab the bag, while I hug her goodnight. He looks at me like I'm from another planet. What overnight bag he wonders.... UUUUMMMMM that'd be the one I gave you less than 5 minutes ago! He looks at me like he has NO CLUE what I'm talking about. So I replay the entire scenario for him and he takes off to look in the car, and then the house, and then the car again, all the time bagless. How could one possibly lose a bag full of stuff in less than 5 minutes??? Yea, I'm not sure either....

Anyway, all of a sudden, a light blub goes off in his head and he walks toward the corner of the garage. Oh, I thought you were handing me a bag of garbage, he says... I threw it in the dumpster. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Katherine immediately bursts into tears... Her daddy threw away her clothes and movies and toothbrush. They're dirty and smelly. She's full of 5 year old DRA-MAH, and I'm just dumbfounded... He threw her overnight bag in the garbage.... I thought I was pretty clear as to what was in the bag, and since she was spending the night with my parents, I thought it would have been blatantly obvious. Guess I was wrong.....

Potty training...

I'm so close to giving up the potty training dream.... I had wanted to have Caleb potty trained by September 1st, so that he could go to preschool, but I just don't see that happening... He's not that interested, and I'm not into pushing and forcing the issue. And, really... does any kid need three years of preschool??? NOPE.

We went through all the hoops, but nothing has worked (or motivated him yet). I got out the little potty chair, and it's essentially turned into a dust collector. He'll sit on it occasionally, but nothing consistent. And pooping on it is TOTALLY out of the question. So we tried the kinderegg thing from Kim, and they are still sitting on the mantle -- collecting dust. Oh, and he found a truck that the LOVES, so I told him that we'd buy it for him as soon as he poops on the potty chair, but every time I bring it up, he says that he's "not ready for it yet". UUUUUGH! So last week, I took him to Target and bought $20 in big boy underwear. He's so proud of them, but the ONLY place he'll wear them is on his HEAD. He'll put it on like a hat and dance a jig around the kitchen, but on his little bum -- not a chance. I'll have to take a picture and post it for you. There's just something about a little, almost three year boy, wearing underwear on his head, and doing his trademark two finger dance around the house. It's so hard for me to keep my game face on. I just can't help myself.... I have to walk out of the room because if he sees me crack up once, it's over.

Yea, I'm pretty sure September 1st is out of the question..... I really do think going to preschool two days a week would be good for him though. He knows the vowels, can put together the state puzzle and has been talking like a 5 year old for almost a year now. He started talking in complete sentences shortly before his second birthday, and it's as clear as can be.... no getting letters mixed up, slurring words together, etc... On top of that, he's such a Mommy's boy.... to the point it's really hard at times. And with the baby on the way, I thought the social aspect of preschool would be GREAT for him. Obviously, he has other plans, and that's fine... Really, why do I need to push him to grow up faster than he's ready to? There's nothing wrong with a schedule full of story time, kindermusik, gymnastics, and play dates. There's no reason to push him into school and potty training before he's ready, right???

Quick Update...

I have a ton of pictures to upload and edit from our week with Madison, but just haven't had the time. It's been a whirlwind of a week, and we've been keeping busy -- really busy!

It's been incredibly hot and humid this week, so yesterday we went to the Science Center with Nicholas, Caden and Michelle. Today we went to Jordan Creek with the neighborhood crew and it was a blast. We found out that the theater at Jordan Creek shows a kids movie at 10:00 and it's only $1.00. How great is that? Unfortunately, today was the first time we made it, but it hopefully won't be our last. The kids LOVED it, and felt sooo grown up. Caleb got a bit antsy, but for the most part, he did great (thank heavens!!). They showed a Clifford movie, so it was much better than the Wall-E fiasco!

AAAAHHH-- I'm off to bed. For the first time this pregnancy, my feet are super swollen and tingly, so I'm going to put them up and relax!

Rain, rain and more rain....

Just a quick update.... I'm not intentionally taking a hiatus from blogging, but right now we have my niece, Madison, staying with us. She is Chris's daughter (Matt's brother who lives in Texas), and she's been with us since Friday night. Chris is on Ragbrai and Madison is hanging with us for the week. We're having a great time and making some wonderful memories in the process. I've got so much to blog about, but really don't have the time during the day. I'll update soon, but for now, I've got three kiddos to keep up with and little to no downtime, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

A little highlight for you....

Being from Texas, Madison isn't used to the Iowa weather -- as in huge thunderstorms...

With that being said, the second night she was with us, Matt and I decided to take the kids to TCBY for a little treat before bed. When we were leaving it started to rain -- really rain... So Matt and Madison ran to the car with Katherine, and then he started it up and came back for Caleb. As soon as Matt turned the engine on, Caleb started yelling, "Don't turn on the car yet! I'm not in yet, you MANIC Daddy". He was sooo serious, I just couldn't help myself..... I was laughing right along with all the people standing outside waiting for the rain to die down.

Since it was raining so hard, and Madison was about ready to pass out with fear, Matt took a quick route home, and came into the development on the East side. As luck would have it, we got 2.8 inches in about 20 minutes and the road was COMPLETELY flooded. Thankfully, we were driving my Sequoia so Matt decided to "go for it". Oh, I was sure we were going to get stuck.... Matt said the water came up at least 2.5 FEET, but probably more like 3 feet up the side of the of the car and the current was freakishly strong. Oh, and the best part.... there was a party in one of the houses along this road, and their entire front porch was crowded with (drunk) people cheering on the fools who dared to tried to cross! It was hilarious! They were yelling, cheering, fist pumping, and laughing their bums off at us!

Needless to say, Madison slept on our floor that night and has stayed since! LOL.

So the next night at 3:15'ish am, Matt runs into the bedroom and wakes everyone up. The tornado sirens are going off, and the wind is so strong that it's shaking the house and rattling the windows. We ended up having 85 MPH winds and when we woke up it literally looked like a war zone in our backyard. Trees were down, pools, lawn furniture and garbage was blown all over the neighborhood (Monday was garbage day so lots of people had their cans out the night before). It was crazy...... Poor Madison, she was ready to start sleeping down the basement every night during her stay!

Thankfully today was a rain free day!

I have a ton of pictures from today -- which I still need to upload and edit. We ended up going swimming and I think all the kids had a great time. It's so hard trying to find activities that both a 12 year old and almost 3 year old will enjoy! I'm pretty sure today was a success though!!

I'm off to bed! I'm one tired Momma!

Thursday....

OK, I must confess, the constant heat and humidity is starting to wear on me... I'm fine in the morning, but by the time dinner time rolls around, I've expired.... Tonight we went out to eat at one of my fave Mexican places, and I couldn't eat. I just sat there helping the kids and sipping on my beverage. I've totally lost my appetite.... Literally, I was a two or three bite girl tonight. The mere thought of eating made me ill. Oh, and by the time 9 pm rolls around, I'm done. Totally cranky and ready for bed.

Oh, and on top of that, I've totally turned into one of those wives who's ready to throw their husband's blackberry in the garbage disposal and let the thing run constantly for a good 30 minutes. I hate that thing.... If I could flush it down the toilet I would! Can someone who's more understanding (and rational than me right now) please tell me why in the world it's necessary to email a coworker at 9:30 pm when you'll see them before 7 am? I just don't get.... but let's be honest -- I was NEVER that into my work..... Quite frankly, I could have cared less. For me if the call or email wasn't for social reasons, it just wasn't happening!

Alright, enough ranting.... but please, if Matt's blackberry ever goes missing, don't implicate me. Yea, I'll be the one who "lost" it, but as long as he doesn't suspect me, it'll be good! LOL!!

So this morning in order to beat the heat, we left the house around 9 and went to this new "natural playscape" thing. It's such a great idea in theory, but not nearly as big as I'd hoped it would be. It had a neat waterfall, fountain, and pond which the kids loved playing in, but no picnic tables or place to have lunch at, so we had to drive to one of the shelters.

Here's a few pictures for you... Since Katherine was off playing with a few of the neighbor girls, I wasn't able to get too many pictures of her, but Caleb was totally hamming it up for the camera!!

I'm going to take the kiddos back to this natural playscape thing when it's slightly cooler. There's so many great places for pictures, and today, with the heat and humidity, I wasn't picture happy. Next time!! I'm off to bed. Clearly I need some rest before I lose it! LOL.

Rockin' mail day!

Today was a rockin' mail day, thanks to Kim. The kids were delighted to open the box and find a mammoth supply of kinder eggs. Seriously, these things ROCK! They are chocolate covered plastic eggs with toys on the inside. What makes them even special, is that you can't by them in the US, so they're a treat!!

I gave both kids the egg of their choice and then proceeded to decorate the mantle with the rest. Caleb needs a little "motivation" in the potty training department, so I'm hoping these do the trick.

Here's the deal... He can't go to preschool until he's potty trained. That's fine and good, but he has NO desire to be potty trained. We've gone through all the hoops -- he refuses to wear big boy undies, won't have a thing to do with Pull-ups even though they have CARS on them, and could absolutely CARE LESS that all of his little friends are potty trained. He likes his diapers with TABS. Are you freaking kidding me? TABS? What's up with that? Seriously though... for a while he didn't want to wear swim diapers because they didn't have TABS. Yea, I've got an uphill battle ahead of me!

Now... to be honest, I wouldn't really care if he's potty trained or not, but if he's not, he can't go to preschool, and with the new baby on the way, I really think it'd be good for him. Besides, when you have a kid who knows the difference between vowels and consonants, they're ready for preschool two mornings a week. I must confess... I'm also to blame on this potty training thing... If I'd stay home for a week and really focus on it, I'm sure he'd be good to go, but we just aren't the staying home crowd, especially with Katherine going to school in a few weeks. I'm really trying to make every day count and make wonderful memories with the kids... Potty training just doesn't seem important.... Yep, I'm to blame....

A first....

Today was a big first for my little man -- and for the time being -- his last! Since it's been hot and humid lately, and this preggo girl isn't up for a trip to the zoo or Adventureland this week, we've opted for indoor activities (the Olympic send off yesterday and the Science Center tomorrow).

We had been talking up today's activity for quite some time... My dad, brother, the kids and I were off to see the movie Wall-E, and Caleb was thrilled. He was sooo excited to see "Wall-E the Robot" and couldn't wait to get into the theater. On the way there, we picked up Nicholas, Katherine's friend from preschool, grabbed a truckload of snacks, and then met up with Pop-pops and Uncle Isaac.

Caleb was such a good boy for the first half of the movie. He sat in his chair, ate popcorn, "shared" some candy with my dad, and watched the movie intently. After that, not so much.... He chair jumped between my dad, me and his own empty chair. Then he crawled up between Katherine and Nicholas.... then he discovered that the arm rests went up and down, and started slamming them down as hard as he could. Oh.... he was something. Then he went out into the aisle and started jumping the stairs. Fun times, I tell ya! I brought him close to me, and "tried" to have a chat with him, but oh... no! He couldn't hear me. He looks at me intently and says, "What Mommy? I can't hear you. Talk louder Mommy! What'd you say???" Clearly he didn't get the idea of being quiet in the theater. LOL!

This was all followed by him making faces at the kids behind us and then "shhhhh'ing" them. Priceless. He looked at me, laughed and said, "I'm on fire Mommy"!! So glad he clarified that for me as I didn't have a clue!

Finally, he curled up in my dad's lap and sat for the rest of the movie. So glad he loves my dad as much as he does. It certainly makes my life much easier.

So -- I'm not condoning his behavior, but seriously.... have you seen this movie? It was DREADFUL! I swear, there was NO talking whatsoever for the 30 minutes... Yea, really great for holding the attention of a little kid. I must tell you... I was prepared to LOVE it, but it was sooo boring! It was a science fiction meets tree huggers movie with tons of fat humans who were unable to walk -- literally. It was horrible! I could barely stand to watch it, so I can't imagine being under 3 and sitting there for 2+ hours....

Anyway, I'm going to hold off taking him to the movies again for a few months, and wait for something that will really hold his attention.... This movie certainly didn't do the trick -- for him or me!

Monday morning drama....

Since Isaac has a week off school for summer vacation (he's now officially a 4th year dental student and set to graduate next June - Woo-Hoo!!) he and I took the kiddos up to Ankeny for their summer celebration and fireworks last night. Since Matt had to be at work at 6 am, he stayed home and went to bed. While we were waiting for the fireworks to start, Katherine found a nice little grassy area and "practiced" gymnastics for well over an hour, and as you might have guessed, she had an audience, which just made her perform like a circus monkey even more! LOL. She's been working on her walkovers, so that was the trick of the night! It was great fun, the fireworks were fabulous, and of course, the kettle corn was out of this world! Anyway, we finally rolled in the house close to midnight and crashed. We were all exhausted and looking forward to this morning.

The plan this morning was to attend the Olympic send off for Shawn Johnson and Lolo Jones. It was a packed house -- standing room only, and let's be honest, people where there to see Shawn. They could have cared less about Lolo.... Most people didn't even know who she was....

Anyway, the plan was to go with several of the neighborhood crew and meet in our driveway at 11. As soon as Caleb was loaded, I went to start the car since it was hot outside today. Nothing. Not even a gurgle from the engine. What???? I go to open Katherine's door and suddenly realize the problem... she didn't get it shut the night before. The dome light had been left on the battery was completely DEAD... Luckily, Julie drives a SUV as well, and had room for us. So by the time we loaded the kids and the car seats, we got a later start than planned, but thankfully were still able to go.

Julie, being the worldly girl she is, offered to jump me. What???? I'm pretty sure, but I honestly don't think we own jumper cables. Pretty sad, huh??? But after confirming with Matt, I was correct. We don't own jumper cables.... I call my dad, and he's ready and willing to run over and jump the car, but since we're on the way out the door to see the Olympic send off he just tells me to call him when we get back. I call Matt and fill him in, and he instantly tells me just to call AAA (as that's what we have it for) and not to make my dad push the Sequoia out of the driveway and jump the thing.... Well... my dad did come over and had it fixed in a matter of minutes. The kids LOVED that their Pop-pops could fix Mommy's car, and got quite the kick out of watching it!

Here's a few pictures from today. I've got to warn you.... since we got there later than planned with my car fiasco, and I was trying to wrestle Caleb, the pictures are pretty blurry.... But, at least we got pictures!




Shawn with Lolo Jones.... both Olympians from Des Moines...

Shawn being interviewed by a local sports reporter.

With her coach Chow...

Katherine loved every second. She watched intently, hung on to Shawn's every word, and gave her the double handed wave. She was memorized, and totally in her element. When we got home, she told me that that she had a dream too.... She was going to be the best gymnast she could be. She was going to work hard and practice and listen to what to her coaches could teach her... She'll be going to Chow's eventually, probably within the next year or so, so it was great for her to watch and be a part of this..... She one motivated and determined little girl!

12 weeks and counting....

OK -- this really belongs on the baby blog, but for some reason, I'm just going to post it here.....



This morning, I brought the kids over to my parent's house, and was downtown before 9 for my glucose test and accompanying blood work. From all reports, they had a blast. My dad had them outside helping him do random stuff around the yard, which they LOVED. When I got home, Caleb informed me that he is "a good worker". If only he'd pick up his toys with the same gusto! LOL.



So my appointment.... When I got to lab, I drank the glucose junk and man... it was hard to swallow. I didn't think I'd be able to get all 10 ounces down.



Everything about my appointment was fine. Technically I'm 28 weeks, but I'm measuring somewhere between 26.5 and 27 weeks. Nothing to be alarmed about, but just something they're going to keep their eye on, especially considering my amniotic fluid was really low with Katherine and I had to be induced. The little guy's heartbeat was 144 today, so pretty typical for a boy! I've gained a total of 9 pounds so far, and overall feel pretty well. The heat and humidity is starting to wear on me, but other than that, everything is perfect! Oh, and even though I haven't gained a ton of weight, I'm getting huge -- as in REALLY big. Caleb thinks the baby, who he calls "Baby Duncan", is playing basketball in there, since my belly is so big and round... and my chest.... UUUUUUGH! Can I just tell you how disgusting they are? I've always been big chested, but things are getting out of control. I've always joked around about a reduction, but it's NO LONGER a laughing matter!



After my appointment I went back to the lab for the blood work, and immediately felt nervous. When I was sitting in the chair and the lab tech was trying to find a vein, I could feel my heart race and started sweating. She said she had a good vein and wouldn't have a problem drawing the blood, but for good measure I asked for a pediatric needle! She was super chatty and for some reason I couldn't talk to her all. I wanted to, but the words just wouldn't come out.... Anyway, a few seconds later, I hear, "Honey, you have to breathe. Stay with me. Honey, can you hear me??? You need to breathe honey or I'm going to lose you....". Yea, I was close to passing out.... Apparetly I stopped breathing and got really light headed, and was almost slumped over in the chair. I told you.... I'm so NOT a needle person!



So -- the name game is on.... 12 weeks and counting and this poor little guy has NOTHING in the name department. I really need your help and believe me, ANY AND ALL suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. Here's the deal --



1. I don't want the name to start with a "K" or a "C". I just think it's corny when all the kids in a family start with the same letter, and when we named Katherine and Caleb, it definitely wasn't what we were going for. It just sorta happened that way...



2. The middle name will most likely be Patrick after my grandfather (my dad's dad). Matt really wanted Caleb's middle name to be Patrick, but for some reason I just wasn't feeling it. So, since he brought it up again (and it's a good Irish name) Patrick it most likely is... So it'd definitely be a bonus if the first name went well with Patrick.



3. Any name that starts with an "H" is out. A name like Henry Hanson is just too much alliteration for me.



4. Any name that ends in "N" (such as Jason, Caden, Landon, Calvin) is definitely out of the question. Since Hanson is two syllables, and BOTH end in a "N" it sounds like pure stuttering. My mother-in-law and I have had this conversation numerous times. Fran Hanson and Ann Hanson are just hard names -- they certainly don't flow, and at times I often find myself tripping over my own name. Not what I'm looking for in a name for my little guy.



5. I like classic names -- nothing goofy, super trendy or made up. I'm not really looking for inventive here, or a quirky spelling of a traditional name. I don't want this little guy to be saddled with a name that he's embarrassed of in 20 years. I don't want people to wonder what Matt and I were thinking in the years to come.



6. I don't want the name to end in a "ie" or "y". Names like Charlie, Henry, and Johnny are cute when the kid is 5, not so much when they turn 40, and it seems like they don't transition into the business world as well.... And.... let's face it, given this baby's genes, he's not destined to the NFL or NBA!



So there you have it... my list of criteria for a name, and I NEED ANY HELP/SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS you can give me/us. Let's be honest about this.... I'm the picky and quirky one with all the hang ups over names. Matt is easy going, and could live with several different names. Me, on the other hand, not so much. So any name that jumps out at you?

Sunday night....

This weekend came and went WAY too quickly. We were so busy running around and enjoying the long Fourth of July weekend that Sunday night crept up on us in an instant!

Let's see..... Here's a quick rundown .....

Thursday the kids and I went to Adventureland with the Launderville's. I took a million pictures, but have yet to upload and edit them. We had a great day, and the weather was gorgeous! I'll post the pictures as soon as I have a second to peek at them!

Thursday night Matt was able to leave work a little early and join the kids and I for the festivities in Valley Junction. They had tons of cool stuff going on -- a parade that lasted for 1.5 hours, bounce houses, music, a street dance and the best kettle corn imaginable! LOL. We stayed until 9:30 or so and then headed home.

One quick thing on parades.... I remember growing up the parades my parents took us to were full of great entries (high school bands, hand made floats, clowns, etc...), but now it seems like all they are is one big rolling advertisement. I swear if I saw one more insurance salesman or radio station promo I was going to throw up! Pretty sad!

Friday we filled up the pool and the kids swam all afternoon, and then Matt decided to wash his car in the driveway. Now -- we are SOOOOO not a wash your car in the driveway type of family. It took forever to find the right bucket, towels, etc... but man... the kids LOVED it. In fact, Katherine decided that "going to the car wash was too expensive and we should start saving money and washing the cars at home"! LOL!! After naps (yes, all four of us took a snooze!) we went out to Firecreek Grill for dinner. It's a super nice place, really quiet and kinda swanky on the inside. Thankfully the kids were great all during dinner and sat like angels! I knew they'd be good, but I was shocked at how wonderful they were! We ended up ordering spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer and I'm sure it didn't hurt that Caleb gobbled that up as if it was chocolate cake!!

Saturday night we went to a happy hour type thing at Matt's boss' house. Super fun!! They invited several co-workers, college friends and neighbors, so it was a mixed crowd. About half way though the night, I was talking to a guy that I'd never met before (he must have been a college friend) and he starts laughing and says to me, "Is your daughter the gymnast?" Evidently Katherine had put on an expedition in the backyard and cornered this guy for about 30 minutes telling him all about her gymnastics team and was showing off doing cartwheels, handstands and round offs in the backyard. He was amazed at how much she loved it, especially considering how young she is! Yea, I'm not shocked! LOL.

One thing about Katherine ... she either takes to you RIGHT away, or it takes an eternity for her to warm up. And if she doesn't warm up to you initially, there's always that possibility that she never will. With that being said, both her and Caleb fell in love with this guy Matt works with and his wife. They were playing a beanbag toss game and the ladder game with them for a good chunk of the night. Then it turned into being chased around and playing tag! Then.... Katherine decided that Matt's boss would be a good one to harass errrr..... flirt with. She stole his hat, they played tag, she gave him a taste of gymnastics, etc... I told Matt that he could put a stop to her antics, but he insisted that Joe could handle it. One of the new employees and his wife got quite a kick out of it!

After we left Joe's house, we took off for the fireworks and finally made it home after 11. The display we saw was incredible. It lasted about 45 minutes and the finale was spectacular!!

Today after church, I went out for lunch with Lisa, a friend of mine from college, and then met up with Matt and the kids at the mall. Katherine is going through a phase where all she wants to wear are dresses, so we had to buy a few more today. I'm not sure what happened, but all of a sudden, she refuses to wear shorts -- it's either a leotard or a dress.... nothing in between.

So -- all in all -- it was a nice and relaxing weekend. Too bad it had to pass so quickly!!


OOOHHHH, one odd thing about this weekend.... we live in a very lively active neighborhood. There are always kids running around, an open pool, or an impromptu play date. It's great! This weekend.... not so much. Pretty much everyone that lives around us has Okoboji connections and took off for the lake this weekend, so we were living in a ghost town. It was eerie! I can't wait for life to return our little corner of the universe!

OK, enough of that....

Can I just tell you that Caleb is quite the handful tonight???? Actually, nap time was quite unpleasant too.... He's refusing to go to bed, and pulling out all the stops.... turning his light on and off, taking off his pants, throwing everything in his bed in to the hamper.... really frustrating me. The nap time battle drug on for an hour, and we've been struggling over bedtime for an hour and 20 minutes at this point. UUUUUUGH! I just want to scream!

Tomorrow they are going over to my parent's house early. I have to be downtown for a doctor appointment at 9:15 and it's the ever fun glucose test -- drink the sugar syrup stuff and then get the blood work done an hour later. If there's one thing I HATE it's needles, so I'm really dreading tomorrow!

Neighborhood BBQ

This past weekend we had our annual neighborhood BBQ, and as always it was a blast! The kids played games, had relay races in the backyard, ate more desserts than I thought humanly possible. Katherine was bragging that she had "three desserts and chips" for dinner. How great is that? She ate NOTHING I put on her plate and made her way to the sweets right under the watchful eye of a house full of adults -- and NO ONE stopped her! Thankfully she wasn't the only one who ate nothing but junk all night!

As soon as it got dark, I busted out glow in the dark bracelets and light up floral leis. They were a HUGE hit, and led to tons of dancing and chaos among the kids!! The majority of the little ones (including Katherine and Caleb) made it until midnight, and played their little hearts out all night long. It was great fun!!

The weather was slightly chilly -- notice the long pants and sweatshirts -- and windy, but thankfully for the few minutes while the kiddos ate, the wind let up and their plates didn't blow away! In typical Katherine fashion, she gave a gymnastics clinic in the backyard and even had some of the dads participating. Watching grown men trying out out cartwheel and out roundoff Katherine is something for the eyes! LOL!! It was hilarious!!

Here's some pictures for ya!!

Some of the kids sitting down to eat. Quite honestly I'm not sure why Katherine is at the table since she didn't eat, but I'm glad to see she made an appearance! LOL.

The start of the sack races. Caleb and two of his little friends waiting to start jumping...

My little man didn't make it very far...

And the noodle races.... The kids had a blast with these things -- these are actually from our pool, and while a good idea in theory, let me assure you that giving a bunch of boys the opportunity to play with sword type weapon thingys is a BAD idea!! (That's Katherine in the purple shirt in the front).

Some of the little ones waiting their turn to go --

Trying to corral a bunch of kids, in one spot, for more than 10 seconds, is nearly impossible. Here is a group shot of the kids we could gather, and it didn't last long! You'll notice the big hole in the middle next to Caleb -- yea -- they fell off the back of the kiddie picnic table! LOL. Anyway, around 45 or 50 kids "should have been" in this picture, but this is the best we could do!
We're already looking forward to next year! Good food and great neighbors.... what could be better?