You know.... before I was a mother, the thought of changing a diaper concerned me. I'd never done it before, and couldn't imagine it... Just now, I held puke in my hands without hesitation... Life just keeps getting more an more rewarding! LOL!

But... my baby girl isn't feeling well. She just threw up and isn't going to school today. I'm hoping it's a once and done kind of thing!!

It never fails...

Just when I thought the boys and I were going to have a nice relaxing day, Katherine comes into the bathroom, 30 minutes before normal, with tears in her eyes and asking for a bucket. UUUUUGH! She's not going to school today, and I just hope this isn't the start of the flu. YUCK! Poor little thing. There's nothing worse that throwing up.

Odds and Ends..

Do you ever have those days in which you felt like you've lived an entire week and then you look at the clock and realize that it's only 10 am??? Fortunately (or unfortunately) I've had one too many days like that this week. Today was one of those days!!

My Thursday mornings are always a rat race. I'm up around 6 to get everyone dressed, fed, and ready for school. I know it doesn't sound that hard, but once I leave the house, I'm gone pretty much all day, and today was no exception. (It's a little tough with Andrew -- he likes to relax in the morning and have a leisurely breakfast, and Thursday mornings it just isn't possible).

So today, I took Katherine to school, took Caleb to school, dropped off Andrew with a neighbor, went to Katherine's class for my weekly volunteering for 1.5 hours, raced back to grab Andrew and then right back to Caleb's school to pick him up. I didn't have a 5 minute breather... Then it was right back home to feed the boys, and get Caleb ready for his little play date.

Every Thursday my dad calls to see if Caleb can go with him for a play date. They both love the time together. They run errands, tinker around in the trailer, or do a project. Today they went out for ice cream sundaes. Needless to day, when I saw Caleb, he still had a little chocolate stuck to his lips! Love that!! Seriously though.... My dad and Caleb have the best relationship. I'm so grateful that my dad makes time to spend with just him.... doing things with him, teaching him stuff only a grandpa can... making memories that will last a lifetime... There is nothing better than watching your father love your son so completely. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Caleb is so blessed to have my dad. We all are....

In other news ... remember ages ago when we had the interior decorator come to our house and we ordered some new furniture? FINALLY the chair has arrived!! Woo-hoo!! I'm so glad to get it, but honestly, I hardly remember what it looks like! LOL!! We're still waiting on the bench. It should be here soon, but since it came from a different manufacturer, who knows when it'll arrive.

Tonight Katherine had gymnastics class at Chow's. She's doing really well. It seems that with each passing week, she is getting visibly stronger, she is gaining new skills and her form is getting better and better. Tonight, as they were working on their back handsprings, she looked like a new girl! Her coach didn't even attempt to spot her, she just let her go, and wouldn't you know... she landed them all! Was her form perfect? No.... Her legs weren't glued together and her knees were slightly bent, but she didn't look like a circus monkey either! She was so thrilled with her progress.... and you know what??? When she's happy, I'm happy!

Since Caleb was at Mom and Dad's house while we went to Chow's, we all met there for dinner. Matt went there after work, and Katherine and I stopped by on our way home from the gym. My mom made one of Katherine's favorite meals -- roast -- and then we all sat down in the living room to watch her meet! She was proud!! Oh and the best part -- no matter how many times you watch it, she won't fall off the bars or beam! BONUS!! LOL!

Tomorrow is going to be a relaxing day -- I have to drive Katherine to school and then the chair is scheduled to be delivered around 9, and then the boys and I are off to story time. Should be fun!!! When we get home, it's over to the Hodapp's house for a play date! Can't wait!

blue or red??

This was a big weekend for Katherine. On Sunday, she had a gymnastics meet at Chow's and Matt's parents came down to watch her. She was so excited to have them come down and spend a few days with us. Just today, she told me that she was happy that they wanted to watch her -- that they knew how important it was to her. She appreciated that everyone knew how how hard she had been working! Oh, and trust me, she's been working very hard these past few months!!

In July, Katherine was invited to join the TOPS class and it was a huge adjustment for her. The strength and conditioning that she has to do in this class is intense. Gone are the days of fun and games... no, that's for another class, a different set of kids .... she wants more, she wants to be better, she wants to learn the tough skills and perform them flawlessly. She wants all of this! Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and roses. The skills are difficult and they don't come without practice and discipline. There's been many days that one of the girls has broken down in tears, and I'm sure several of them have wanted to just walk out of the gym at one time or another.

When she started the class she was smaller, weaker and younger than all the other girls. She was the newbie. She was the one who had to "earn it".... and earn it she did! Over the past 4 months, she's gotten much stronger, her form has improved immensely, and she's learned so many new skills. Her confidence has grown with each passing week, and she truly has a "can do" attitude ... which brings us to the meet this weekend....

Each of the girls had the choice between the easy or hard bars and beam routine. The "hard" bars routine included a front hip circle, which Katherine just landed for the first time two weeks ago. The "hard" beam routine included a cartwheel, which is tough for a little girl as your form has to be perfect or you won't land squarely on a 4 inch wide piece of wood.... In true Katherine style, she chose to do *both* the hard beam and bars routine. When we were talking about it, she looked at me and said, "Why wouldn't I do the hard routines, Mommy? I can do all those skills! I'm better than the easy routines...." Great, I told her, but that regardless of what she decided to do when the time came, I'd be proud of her. It didn't matter to me, and truly it didn't. But... that's my little girl! Seriously, she has no fear. She doesn't take the easy way out. She believes that she's the best and that she can do anything. She has big dreams and an even bigger heart. I love that about her! She said that she'd rather fall on the hard routines and get a red ribbon, than breeze through the easy routines and get a blue. To her, it wouldn't have meant as much... And for those of you that know her, you know how true that is!

So the meet ..... Katherine and I got down to the gym about 30 minutes before it was to start so that she could warm up, and Matt, the boys and his parents came down separately. After she got checked in and stretched out, she wanted to go over to the beam and practice her routine. She hopped right up and started practicing the hard routine. When it came time for the cartwheel, she missed and fell off sideways with one leg still on the other side of the beam. OUCH! Her little leg jerked and her whole body slammed into the mat. I just cringed. It's in those moments, that being a mother is the hardest. I wanted to rush over, pick her up, and give her a great big hug. I didn't. Instead, she picked herself up, got right back on the beam and attempted another cartwheel. For the first time in her life, she missed so badly that she landed, straddling the beam. DOUBLE OUCH. All I could do was watch as my baby girl closed her eyes in pain, and got off the beam. At this point I was sure, she'd do the easy routine, and really, who could have blamed her? Certainly not me. I was in pain just watching her. I wanted to cry for her. It was horrible.

After beam, she went over to bars and warmed up. She didn't practice her routine -- just her front hip circle, which was her newest skill in the routine. She landed it 5 or 6 times and got off. She looked really good, but her trademark smile wasn't back yet.

Her first rotation of the meet was vault. Danyel -- she's doing the handstand to flat back. (I'm not sure the correct name). Is that the Level 4 vault???? In any event, her handstand didn't stop perfectly perpendicular to the mat and she had a slight curve to her back. Katherine isn't known for her vaulting skills so I didn't think much of it. LOL!!

Next up was bars. Not only did she do the hard routine, but she nailed the front hip circle and the rest of her routine was flawless. Literally, textbook. I was so happy for her! I heard the judge say "blue plus" which meant that she did the hard routine and it was perfect. Her smile was instantly back. Oh, and not only that, but she was the ONLY one in the class to hit the hard routine!

On to beam. I wondered if she'd attempt the cartwheel. Since I didn't have the opportunity to talk to her, I had no idea what was going in her head. There were 4 girls in her TOPS class competing at the meet and the first two chose to do the easy routine. Then it was Katherine's turn. A few seconds into her routine, I realized that she was doing the hard routine. She stood up there, got in perfect form and landed a cartwheel as good as any I've ever seen her do. She landed squarely on the beam, didn't wobble in the slightest, and had the biggest smile on her face. I was fighting back tears. I was so proud of her.... not because she did the cartwheel, but because she didn't let warm-ups scare her. She had the ability to put the falls out of her mind, forget the past and focus on the here and now. She never fails to amaze me! I am so happy for her!!

Floor was last. I remember sitting directly across the gym from her. She was smiling and waving at her brothers and Leo, chatting with her friends, and relaxed. She was happy and confident. Her floor routine was easy for her. She could hit all the skills in her sleep. It was fun to watch her knowing what she had mentally overcome earlier in the day.

She had a great meet. She got 3 blue ribbons and 1 red ribbon (vault). She chose to do the hard routines, when she had every reason to do the easy ones, and didn't let a little stumble ruin her day. At Chow's, she was a champion on Sunday. To me, she's a champion everyday!

The tale of two quarters....

This morning while Caleb was at preschool, I took Andrew in for his 12 month shots. He was such a little trooper and did fairly well, but as the day wore on, he became cranky and was tired much earlier than usual. I laid him down for an early nap, and took the opportunity to spend some good one on one time with Caleb. We had a blast, and just hung out together ... we played soccer, Trouble, and race cars and then went into the kitchen so that I could grab him a quick snack.

As I pulled out his snack, he climbed up to his usual place on the island, and saw two quarters on one of the other countertops. (I'm sure these came out of Daddy's pockets!) He asked me what they were there for, and asked if he could have them. I told him that yes, he could have them and asked him if he wanted to go upstairs and put them in his bank. Nope, he wanted to put them in his pocket and save them there.... Since I knew they'd get lost, and most likely end up in Andrew's mouth, I told him that if he wanted to keep them he needed to put them up in his room.

He gave me a disappointed look and we had this conversations:

Caleb: I can't Mommy. I'm gonna spend them soon.

Me: Oh, REEEEAAAALLLLY.... What exactly are you going to buy??

Caleb: It's a surprise!

Me: OK, will you let me know when you want to spend them?


Caleb: I sure will! You'll have to take me there. I'm going to buy you a Mocha (from Starbucks) with them.

AAAAHHH, how sweet is he? Definitely a keeper! Just when I think he's going to ask for a matchbox car or candy, he pulls something like this and totally melts my heart.

Happy fall!

Last weekend, Matt and I took the kids to this amazing park I found a while back to have a little fun in the leaves. Since we live in a new neighborhood without huge, full grown trees this is quite a treat for Katherine and Caleb. Here's a few of the pictures I got that day....

For those of you on our Christmas card list, I'm intentionally withholding the best pictures. I'm tossing around the idea of making my own Christmas cards this year and don't want to spoil the surprise! LOL! If you're not on our list, let me know!

falling leaves...

Today was a gorgeous day... bright, sunny and warm. It was an absolutely perfect day for raking up a huge pile of leaves and watching the kids have the time of their lives. It's amazing... the littlest things bring about the biggest joys...

What started out as some family time in the backyard quickly expanded to include 5 families and 13 kids. All of these pictures were taken before the entire neighborhood realized that we were outside, and convened in our yard, but trust me... it didn't take long before they arrived! The kids played outside for almost 5 hours today!

The big hit of the afternoon was the pile of leaves at the end of the slide. Oh man ... the stunts those kiddos can come up with!! LOVE IT!

My little Andrew ... taking a break from the chaos and hanging out in his swing. He was still the center of attention though!!

My little poser!

Isn't this little monkey "body" coat thing adorable??

Caleb is still in his "I don't know how to/don't want to/can't remember how" to smile for the camera. Man ... this is getting old!

My little monkey.

This is Caleb's "best effort" smiling for the camera. See how he can't even look at the thing??? What's a mommy to do???

Here is his "I'm going to hide behind the pile of leaves so that Mommy won't notice me and try to take my picture" trick. Works well, don't ya think?? LOL!

It was a great fall day -- the kids playing in the leaves with their friends, eating tons of Halloween candy and enjoying a relaxing afternoon. Why can't every day be like today??

I'm back.....

Yes, I blog. I haven't in ages, and I don't really have a good excuse for not blogging other than, life has gotten in the way. So much has gone on in the last month, that I'll never get caught up, so I probably won't even try. After not sitting down and making time to blog, it got easier not to keep it up. As I write this, I'm downloading several hundred pictures, which I will edit and upload soon.... Hopefully in the next couple of days....

A couple of things.... Since November is National Blogging Month, I promise to update at least daily! I'm sure you'll get bored to death of me, but hey... since I haven't blogged in over a month, it's all good! ;-)

One little Katherine story that she'll always remember and I never want to forget....

Chow's has a different theory of coaching gymnastics than every other gym that I know of. Instead of teaching only skills, the strength and conditioning that the girls are required to do is mind blowing. Seriously Katherine has arms and abs that most people would pay big bucks for. Seriously, she has little muscular arms and 4 pack abs that would blow you away. There isn't an ounce of fat on her, yet she's not scrawny ... the girl is super strong!

In her new class, the girls have been learning how to do a front hip circle, but most of them had been having a lot of trouble. From what I understand, it takes quite a bit of strength and a "feel" for the skill. At Chow's the girls don't practice this, or any other skill, for hours. Rather, they do a mix of skills and conditioning. The theory is that when they are strong enough, the skills will come..... and if they are strong they won't get hurt.... The focus at Chow's is definitely strength and flexibility -- not "landing a trick".

Last Thursday, October 22 was a big day for my little princess. She's been trying to do a front hip circle for a month or so, and getting very close, but just not quite "there" yet. Her coach put her on the bar and spotted her 3 or 4 times and then sent her off to practice it on her own. About this time, Chow comes walking over, stops, and watches Katherine. (In case you're wondering, NO... Chow does not coach the little girls. He only coaches level 7 and above which Katherine is A LONG way from). It's a huge deal when Chow notices you. Seriously, HUGE. It's like being anointed by the master of all gymnastics.

So at this point, Katherine is on the bar and misses her front hip circle. She can get around to about her chest, but just not all the way back around the bar. I was sitting next to my friend Danielle (who also has a daughter in the same class) and said, "UUUUGH, if Katherine could just land it once on her own and got the feel, I know she'd never miss". She was soooo close, but just not landing it....

So anyway, Chow comes walking over and stands off to the side of the bars and watches Katherine, and Katherine only.... For some reason, she chose this moment to dig deep and do what she'd never done before.... she landed her front hip circle and it was *beautiful*.... legs glued together, toes pointed, arms strong and straight. I think there was a small part of her that was shocked too! She immediately yelled at her coach, "Karen!! I did it!! I landed my front hip circle"!!

Through all this, there was Chow -- screaming, cheering, jumping, clapping, and beaming with pride. Katherine said he yelled something, but she couldn't understand him LOL!! But it was a moment. It was her moment. It was her moment to shine with her coach cheering, all her team mates clapping, and Chow watching. It was one of those fairytale moments in her gymnastics career that she'll always remember. It was sweet!!

To celebrate her accomplishment, we had a girls day -- lunch, shopping and a manicure. It was so wonderful to just spend the day with her -- no dad, no brothers. We had a great conversation and loved hanging out together. It was in those hours that I truly realized what having a daughter is ... and how my life would not be complete without her. She is amazing and I'm so blessed that she's mine.

On the way home, she asked if we could do the same thing when she landed her kip -- another really hard bars skill, and of course, I told her yes. Heck, if she'd only ask, I'd take her for landing her cartwheel! LOL. (Oh, she landed 8 cartwheels in a row on the high beam yesterday)! Woot-Woot!!