Construction site

Our house is an absolute disaster! Seriously, I'm living in a war zone, and it's going to be this way for a couple of weeks. UUUUUGH!

Remember when our bathroom mirror fell off the wall and shattered all over our bathroom and bedroom??? I thought it would be a quick, easy fix, but sadly, it isn't.... We picked out tile and it was scheduled to be installed sometime the first week of October. Well, Monday morning I was at Dr. Jon's office (more on that later) and my phone rings. Since it was a number I didn't recognize, I answered, much to my *complete shock* the installer was at the house and ready to start working. My first thought, was are you kidding me??? Even if I was at home I wouldn't have let him start.... after all, shouldn't he start with a freshly scrubbed floor??? After we chat for a minute, we decide that he can start the following day. However, I'm still dumbfounded that they didn't call prior to showing up, but really... nothing surprises me anymore...

He arrives on Tuesday and starts the demolition work and what a disaster it turned out to be. Matt and I decided that we'd also put new tile in the kids' bathroom so that it would match ours, so both upstairs bathrooms are out of order and literally torn apart.

After the dust storm (from cutting and installing the tile) that invaded my house on Tuesday settled, I found out that at least one box of tile was broken in shipping. Great! Since the tile we picked out was a special order, the replacement wouldn't arrive for 10 - 14 days. I was promised that they'd put a "rush" on it. Oh, and on top of that, we have to wait for the whirlpool tile, since they didn't order the right size tiles.....

So, as of today, our floor is down and will be ready to be walked on tomorrow, but the kids' bathroom has no floor, and their toilet is literally sitting in the bathtub. Needless to say, that bathroom won't be used for a couple of weeks... Oh, and our whirlpool is out of order, and ready to be demolished....

This is all such great timing as we'll be celebrating Andrew's first birthday next Saturday night. Perfect timing, huh??

You know.... living in this type of mess for a couple of days is bad enough, but 2 plus weeks, will drive me insane!!

*******

So, now back to the Dr. Jon stuff..... Andrew has had a million ear infections over the past 6 months, so Jon sent me to an ENT to discuss tubes. The ENT told me that he'd like to give it a little while before he put in the tubes since Andrew's ears were perfectly clear. He wanted to see how long it was between ear infections. They did hearing tests and the ear infections are not affecting his hearing at all, and he thought that if we could avoid surgery, it'd be best. We agreed with the understanding that I'd call as soon as his ears were infected again. 9 days later, I was back in Jon's office with a screaming baby who was literally pulling out his hair and scratching his face until it was bloody .... yep, the poor little guy had another ear infection. We're heading back to the ENT Tuesday morning, and I'm sure tubes will be in our near future.

I am so ready to put all these ear infections behind us!

*****

On the way home from preschool today, I called Andrea and invited them over for lunch. I picked up Jimmy John's and Caleb and Colin played their little hearts out. I tried to get Andrew to sleep, but it just wasn't working with the chaos going on with the tile guys. They were SO LOUD!!! So, I took Andrew over to Andrea's house and put him down for his nap over there and then Caleb and I went home and spent some good time alone together.

He was starting to get really silly and wanted to play football -- tackle football -- in the house. He was bragging about how good he was, how fast he was, how strong he was, and how he knew he could beat me. Not to leave a challenge like that on the table, we played tackle football in the house. It was nothing short of absolute chaos, and he was screaming so loudly that Andrea (who lives directly behind us) heard the ruckus and called to see what we were doing. He's a quick little squirt, that's for sure!! We had a great time!!

I'm off to bed. It's been an exhausting few days, and I can barely keep my eyes open!

What was I thinking???

I know, it's the million dollar question, and usually there is no answer. But really -- I'm wondering if I've stretched myself too thin this time...

So here's the thing .... I made the decision a long time ago that I would be as involved in my kids' lives as humanly possible. If I can make their school, classes, extracurricular activities and lives better or more fulfilling, there's nothing I wouldn't do.... for as long as they'll let me.

Shortly after Katherine started preschool at Tiny Treasures, I was asked to be on the advisory board that runs the program. Great. sign me up! I've been on that board for the past several years including last year when we didn't even have a child enrolled. I knew Caleb would eventually attend, so I thought, why not???

Now that Caleb is enrolled, I'm also the homeroom mom/parent contact for his class. On top of that I'm the homeroom mom for Katherine's class. Both of these will involve party planning (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines Day, end of the year, etc...) buying gifts for the teachers (Christmas, birthday, teacher appreciation, and end of the year), and organizing all sorts of miscellaneous stuff.

Oh, and PTO work.... yea, I'm all over that too!

In addition to that stuff, I also go into Katherine's class every Thursday morning, while Caleb is in school, and volunteer. She loves having me there, and it gives me a unique perspective into her daily schedule. I love it!!

Well, Katherine decided that this year she wanted to be in girl scouts. Wonderful! I make a few calls and suddenly realize that I know the leader of Morgan's (my niece) troop. Her daughter has been in Katherine's homeroom class for the past two years... One thing lead to another, and all of a sudden I became a girl scout leader. What??? The only thing I know about girl scouts is that they make some super yummy cookies! So now, I'm going to dive into girl scouts with Katherine. I'm so glad that we get to go on this journey together, but really, do I have the time for one more commitment? I'm not so sure.....

Happy birthday!!

Happy birthday to my little man! We spent the weekend with family and friends celebrating Caleb's birthday, and what a party is was!! In true Hanson style, his party was big, loud and chaotic! We wouldn't have it any other way!

Matt's parents came down on Friday night and spent the weekend with us. Since Caleb's birthday falls on the Iowa/Iowa State football weekend, we always have his party on Sunday afternoon to accommodate the football fans in the family (that'd be Daddy, the grandpas, and uncles).

His party started at noon, and everyone had lunch at our place, and then his neighborhood friends came over to break the pinata, and eat cake and ice cream. He had a blast!!


Here's the important part -- the pictures!!

Licking the frosting off the plate that held the car on the cake. YUM!


Singing and blowing out candles -- with a "little" help. LOL!!

The pinata madness.

Caleb really wanted a pinata, so he picked out this cool race car and got tons of candy to fill it with. Good idea in theory, but horrible in practice. Let's just say, that this "little gem" couldn't hold the weight of all the candy I filled it with, and the top (the part that holds on the string so you can hang it up) broke off. WONDERFUL! Then, we quickly realized that it was impossible to break it open with baseball bats as it was made of some super human indestructible material, so I had to pull the string myself and throw the candy all over the lawn. It didn't exactly go as planned, but all the kids got a nice bag of candy, so that's all the really matters. Right?!?!?!? LOL!

Caleb and my dad. These two are made for eachother. They have a relationship like no other... I feel so blessed to be able to watch my dad love my son so unconditionally, so completely. They are buds, and genuinely love spending time together. I love that.

The birthday boy with his cake, sitting on his favorite spot in the house -- the kitchen island.

Caleb and his big cousin Leo playing in the grass while they waited their turn to hit the baseball. These two are quite the little sluggers!

Andrew and Pop-pops

Caleb and Leo STILL waiting for their turn to bat!

Opening gifts in the house.

Grandma and Grandpa got Caleb this shiny new bike and he LOVES it! He rode it around the kitchen as fast as his little legs would allow. Thankfully this little number has a great turning radius and my cupboards didn't take too much of a beating! LOL!!

Grandpa showing him how to work it.

Still learning....

Caleb had a great birthday, a wonderful weekend, and loads of laughs. He was filled with happiness, and loving every second he was the center of attention. AAAHHHH, there's nothing better than that ..... Watching your child being truly happy, beaming with joy, and enjoying every moment of their big day!

Today we went to the zoo with the Hodapp's and then Caleb went over and had a play date with my dad. They tinkered around the house this afternoon, and then got the fishing poles ready for their big debut ... that's right, tonight after dinner Matt and my dad took Caleb fishing -- Oh and Caleb actually caught two fish! Woo-Hoo!! He's walking a little taller and smiling a little brighter tonight!

Tomorrow he's celebrating his birthday at preschool, so I got some cupcakes and apple juice for him to share with the class. He can't wait!!

Overheard...

Last night the kids were cuddled up in our bed eating their night time snack and watching a little tv before brushing their teeth and heading off to their rooms for stories, songs and a talk about the day.

Caleb got to pick the show and the this conversation followed --

Katherine: AAAHHH, darn it! He got to pick the show last night! It's my turn!

Me: Katherine, we don't say "darn it" in this house. It sounds horrible and it's not acceptable.

Katherine pops a handful of Cheerios into her mouth, continues to stare at the tv, and says very matter of factly, "Well yea Mom, but you say 'shit' sometimes".

Good grief. Really?!?!?!?!? Matt looks at me and we both burst out laughing. How horrible is that??

The call....

This morning I got "the call". It's the call we all hope and pray we never get, and today, unfortunately, I got it...

A lady from the local granite/marble dealer was here to measure our bathroom counter tops so that we could get the ball rolling on new sinks. While she was here, my phone rang three times. Assuming it was my mom (if you know her you get this!) I never looked at it, and just sent it to voice mail. After we were done measuring, I walked the girl out and got another phone call. It was Matt so I took it. He was wondering if Beaver Creek Elementary school got ahold me. Nope, they hadn't.... I let all the calls go to voice mail. He told me that Katherine puked at school, and they were trying to get in touch with me so I could come and pick her up. UUUUUGH!

I threw the kids in the car and called my mom. I ran over to pick her up so she could wait out in the car with the boys. When I arrived, poor Katherine was sitting on the nurses bench, in borrowed clothes, and looked dazed and confused. As soon as she saw me, she burst into tears. I guess there's just something about your mommy! Evidently the poor thing puked in her classroom, all over her desk and herself. I can't even imagine! I'm sure she'll never forget today....

So now, instead of taking the boys to the zoo today, Katherine is in the basement watching a movie and sipping Gingerale with a bucket beside her head, and I'm trying to keep Caleb and Andrew as far away from her as humanly possible. It's going to be a day!

Preschool begins!

Today was Caleb's first day of preschool and he was so excited to start! He's been counting down the days ever since Katherine began last month. Finally, today was the day! He was so ready to start big boy school!!



We had a slight "problem" with the pictures today. For some reason, he's decided that he hates getting his picture taken, so getting him to smile and look at the camera is nearly impossible. Seriously, you should see the outtakes. Maybe I'll post them tomorrow (unedited of course) for your comic relief.



Here is in his classroom, sitting on the rug right as I was leaving.

Caleb at his table playing with some colored shapes as the other kids arrived.

Walking into the front door.

Outside our house...

Caleb and Katherine right before she got on the bus.

He was all smiles when I picked up up today. When I arrived at his door and it was his turn to go, he ran from his chair and gave me the biggest hug and kiss! He said, "I had a great day Mommy"! Oh, how I love to hear that!! It's so much easier to send him to school when he's ready and wants to be there. He's going to have a great year!

Oh, and one other funny...

Michelle (Ben and Tessa's mom) stopped me on the way out the door. Tessa is in his class and was a little reluctant to be left alone at school. She told Michelle that "Caleb took care of her". After they hugged goodbye, he turned to me said, "Yea, Mommy. I had to babysit her. She needed some extra love so I took care of her and babysat her". Love that! Love that my little man is so mature and thinks of what other kids need. I'm so glad that he's aware that life is bigger than his world and his needs. Definitely a great way to start of the year!