It's been a whirlwind last couple of days....
Each summer, Andrea, Julie and I get *dozens* of ears of corn.... shuck them, cook them, cut the kernels off the cobs, and then freeze them to eat during the long Iowa winters when these lazy carefree days of summer have long passed. It's such a treat, and the kids .... well ... they love it. So yesterday, we spent several hours working on the corn and chatting while the kids played and swam in the backyard. They had a blast, and truthfully so did we!
Now -- one thing about the corn that truly deserves mentioning. (Especially for my friends who don't live in Iowa)... When you live in Iowa you NEVER buy sweet corn in the grocery store. No... you buy it either at a gas station or bank parking lot, from a guy in a pick-up truck, who picked it fresh that morning. And you NEVER buy it a day ahead because that same guy will be there tomorrow with fresh corn. It's soooo much better than anything in the grocery store. Totally yummy!
So while we were working on the corn project, Katherine and Jenna decided that they wanted to have a slumber party later that night. So after we got home from gymnastics, Jenna came down, and within minutes the house was filled with Barbie dolls, dance music and laughter... oh the laughter. How I love it! Proof positive that they were having a wonderful time together.
They finally went to sleep after watching a movie and eating popcorn in the basement. I assumed that they'd (actually Jenna) would sleep in after a full day of swimming, playing with friends and an exciting sleep over. No such luck! When Andrew woke up at 6:15, Jenna was already up and playing Barbies. Katherine was still sound asleep in bed. In Katherine's world, 6:15 am might as well be sometime in the middle of the night. It's WAY to early to be awake and among the living. She'd much rather sleep in! (Yet another reason why she is sooo my daughter! LOL!!). In any event, we were all awake by 6:45 am, and I was showered and ready for the day! Typically, my kiddos don't wake up until sometime after 8, and it could be as late as 8:45!
I made them pancakes for breakfast, and then it was off to spend the day at Adventureland with Matt, Jenna, Nate and the Launderville's. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The kids went on tons of rides, checked out the new addition to the water park, saw lots of their other friends both from school and Chow's and cooled off by eating ice cream at the end of the day. Andrew got to ride on his beloved train, and he was screaming "CHOO --CHOO"! the whole time we were on it! He LOVES trains, and was in Heaven the whole time!
When we got home, I laid Andrew down for his nap and Katherine and Caleb wanted to chill out and watch a movie. A few minutes later, Katherine came upstairs and we read together. After a while I told her that I was going to check on Caleb. She immediately told me that he was sleeping. I still wanted to make sure he was OK..... I found him curled up in his favorite chair sound asleep just as Katherine said. But what I saw absolutely melted my heart. Katherine had put a pillow under his head, covered him with a blanket and tucked him in. It almost brought tears to my eyes. She was so thoughtful, so caring, such a wonderful big sister .... all without being asked. She did it because she loves him with all heart and wants to make sure he's taken care of. It's in these small moments that I realize I've done something right as a parent. And in ordinary moments like this I realize she's an extraordinary girl.
Tomorrow morning, we're off to book club. The moms sit around and discuss the book (and lots of other things) and the kids swim in the backyard. Then, Matt and the kiddos are heading to LeMars and I'm staying here. It's going to be a quiet weekend for me -- scrapbooking, spending time with good friends, and relaxing. I'm looking forward to it!!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Slumber party!!
Today hardly seems like a Friday. I don't dare say it... but it really feels more like a Saturday (which thankfully it is not)!!
Matt had a work dinner last night, and when he's gone on these type of work outings, he usually doesn't get home until 10 or after. Last night he pulled into the driveway at 7:15. He looked horrible, was running a fever and super achy. Needless to say, he went right down to the basement and stayed as far away from the kids and I as possible. The rest of us don't need to get sick! I brought him down some Advil, water, and saltines, but other than that, the kids and I kept our distance.
All day today he's been feeling horrible. Fever, achy, chilled ... the works. If he doesn't feel better by tomorrow, it's off to the doctor!
So anyway... Libby came to clean today. Oh man... it was perfect timing! She cleaned our room first, and then Matt went up there while she cleaned the rest of the house. That way the "germs" can be contained, and the rest of the house can be sterilized.
Since Matt and Andrew would both be napping at the same time, I took Katherine and Caleb to Despicable Me in 3D. We stopped and picked out yummy treats and enjoyed the show. They loved the movie. I'm not sure if it was the actual movie that they liked so much or just going. In any event, it was a huge success!
Olivia, Katherine's best friend, had planned to spend the night tonight, so as soon as we got home I called over to her house and she came running! The girls have had a blast! We ordered pizza, they played American Girl Dolls, we went to the park and there were tons of girly giggling and outright laughter. Love it!!
Oh man... it was so hot and humid out tonight that as soon as we go to the park they were ready to go. They wanted to keep riding their scooters to keep cool. So away we went! (I had Caleb and Andrew along since Matt was sick). They rode and rode... The sky kept getting darker and darker. Finally, I insisted that we head home and as we were pulling in the driveway, I could feel a few drops. I walked in though the garage door, looked out in the backyard and it was down pouring. Literally, it was coming down sideways! Caleb has been laughing all night that we made it home just in the "nick of time"!
The girls are finally in bed ... chatting away, giggling up a storm and making plans for tomorrow. I love that! It's so great to see Katherine developing friendships and really growing into a wonderful girl. I fondly remember those days, and I'm so glad that she's enjoying every minute!
Oh, great news!! I was called for jury duty starting next week, and as much as I want to fulfill my civic duty and understand the importance of it (after all, I was a breath away from going to law school when fate took my life another direction), I wasn't overly thrilled at giving up a week of summer vacation to do it. I am juror number 480. In Polk County, you are instructed to call in Friday after 5 and they will tell you if you have to report. They only got to 285, so for now, I'm safe. I need to call back in on Tuesday night (to possibly report on Wednesday), but my neighbor who is one of the district attorneys, says that several trials, including his, for this week were moved. So maybe, just maybe, I won't be called!
Oh, and as I type this... I still hear chattering and giggles! Katherine and Olivia are having a wonderful time!! I'm just hoping they get a little sleep!
Matt had a work dinner last night, and when he's gone on these type of work outings, he usually doesn't get home until 10 or after. Last night he pulled into the driveway at 7:15. He looked horrible, was running a fever and super achy. Needless to say, he went right down to the basement and stayed as far away from the kids and I as possible. The rest of us don't need to get sick! I brought him down some Advil, water, and saltines, but other than that, the kids and I kept our distance.
All day today he's been feeling horrible. Fever, achy, chilled ... the works. If he doesn't feel better by tomorrow, it's off to the doctor!
So anyway... Libby came to clean today. Oh man... it was perfect timing! She cleaned our room first, and then Matt went up there while she cleaned the rest of the house. That way the "germs" can be contained, and the rest of the house can be sterilized.
Since Matt and Andrew would both be napping at the same time, I took Katherine and Caleb to Despicable Me in 3D. We stopped and picked out yummy treats and enjoyed the show. They loved the movie. I'm not sure if it was the actual movie that they liked so much or just going. In any event, it was a huge success!
Olivia, Katherine's best friend, had planned to spend the night tonight, so as soon as we got home I called over to her house and she came running! The girls have had a blast! We ordered pizza, they played American Girl Dolls, we went to the park and there were tons of girly giggling and outright laughter. Love it!!
Oh man... it was so hot and humid out tonight that as soon as we go to the park they were ready to go. They wanted to keep riding their scooters to keep cool. So away we went! (I had Caleb and Andrew along since Matt was sick). They rode and rode... The sky kept getting darker and darker. Finally, I insisted that we head home and as we were pulling in the driveway, I could feel a few drops. I walked in though the garage door, looked out in the backyard and it was down pouring. Literally, it was coming down sideways! Caleb has been laughing all night that we made it home just in the "nick of time"!
The girls are finally in bed ... chatting away, giggling up a storm and making plans for tomorrow. I love that! It's so great to see Katherine developing friendships and really growing into a wonderful girl. I fondly remember those days, and I'm so glad that she's enjoying every minute!
Oh, great news!! I was called for jury duty starting next week, and as much as I want to fulfill my civic duty and understand the importance of it (after all, I was a breath away from going to law school when fate took my life another direction), I wasn't overly thrilled at giving up a week of summer vacation to do it. I am juror number 480. In Polk County, you are instructed to call in Friday after 5 and they will tell you if you have to report. They only got to 285, so for now, I'm safe. I need to call back in on Tuesday night (to possibly report on Wednesday), but my neighbor who is one of the district attorneys, says that several trials, including his, for this week were moved. So maybe, just maybe, I won't be called!
Oh, and as I type this... I still hear chattering and giggles! Katherine and Olivia are having a wonderful time!! I'm just hoping they get a little sleep!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Going .... going .... gone!
Last night, an unexpected, and huge thunderstorm rolled in and rocked our little corner of the world. The winds were howling and it was it was raining ....errr... down pouring. It was blowing so hard, I could hear it howling around the house and when I looked out the window the rain was coming down sideways. UUUUUGH....
When I woke up in the morning, the news channel was reporting 70 mph winds and 1.5 inches of rain. Holy cow! I walked downstairs and Matt shot me a look. "Look out in the back yard" he tells me.
There I see Katherine's most beloved trampoline. It has been transformed into a heap of mangled metal bars. The protective netting has been ripped away and the rods holding it up are now bent beyond repair and touching the ground. Oh... it wasn't a pretty sight!
Immediately, and without discussion, we decided to buy a new one. After all, Katherine is on that thing every day ... literally, and practicing her gymnastics. I feel so badly for her. When she walked downstairs this morning, she came and cuddled on my lap. I told her to look out in the back yard. The poor girl ... immediate tears. We assured her we'd buy a new one, but it just broke her heart...
We (read Matt) spent the better part of the day taking it down and trying to decide how to dispose of it. Oh, but get this.... Matt had it anchored into the ground with huge steaks and a metal chains around the legs. The clasps on the chain held, but the winds were so strong that it literally pulled the links apart. Holy winds!!
So now we are on the lookout for a new trampoline. Matt found one he liked on the Internet, and he's going to get a new system to secure it into the ground. Hopefully this one lasts a little while longer than a couple of months!!
In other storm news... Our neighbors in the back lost a huge tree. It came crashing down right through our next door neighbor's fence and took over a good chunk of their back yard. Two other huge trees also came down on the street causing quite a bit of damage. It was crazy around here this morning!!
Andrew has been under the weather lately. He's had a stuffy nose, breathing problems and a low grade fever, so Matt took Katherine and Caleb to church while I stayed home with him. It was a perfect excuse to spend a little time snuggling with just him and them we took off to survey the damage. Let's just say, that given the damage I saw around here, we got lucky!
When I woke up in the morning, the news channel was reporting 70 mph winds and 1.5 inches of rain. Holy cow! I walked downstairs and Matt shot me a look. "Look out in the back yard" he tells me.
There I see Katherine's most beloved trampoline. It has been transformed into a heap of mangled metal bars. The protective netting has been ripped away and the rods holding it up are now bent beyond repair and touching the ground. Oh... it wasn't a pretty sight!
Immediately, and without discussion, we decided to buy a new one. After all, Katherine is on that thing every day ... literally, and practicing her gymnastics. I feel so badly for her. When she walked downstairs this morning, she came and cuddled on my lap. I told her to look out in the back yard. The poor girl ... immediate tears. We assured her we'd buy a new one, but it just broke her heart...
We (read Matt) spent the better part of the day taking it down and trying to decide how to dispose of it. Oh, but get this.... Matt had it anchored into the ground with huge steaks and a metal chains around the legs. The clasps on the chain held, but the winds were so strong that it literally pulled the links apart. Holy winds!!
So now we are on the lookout for a new trampoline. Matt found one he liked on the Internet, and he's going to get a new system to secure it into the ground. Hopefully this one lasts a little while longer than a couple of months!!
In other storm news... Our neighbors in the back lost a huge tree. It came crashing down right through our next door neighbor's fence and took over a good chunk of their back yard. Two other huge trees also came down on the street causing quite a bit of damage. It was crazy around here this morning!!
Andrew has been under the weather lately. He's had a stuffy nose, breathing problems and a low grade fever, so Matt took Katherine and Caleb to church while I stayed home with him. It was a perfect excuse to spend a little time snuggling with just him and them we took off to survey the damage. Let's just say, that given the damage I saw around here, we got lucky!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Slide arrived...
One of the kids' favorite things of summer is their big Banzai water slide. I decided to buy it for them last summer when Andrew was a baby because I didn't feel comfortable taking a 9 month old baby and Caleb who was 3.5 at the time to a public pool by myself. There was too much risk for something to go wrong.... Anyway, welcome water slide! My kids LOVE you! Actually the neighborhood loves you! LOL.
If you've been reading the blog for very long you know we have a neighborhood FULL of little kids. Literally, somewhere over 50 of them, and let's just say.... when the water slide is out, our backyard is the "hot" spot for sure.
Last night I took Katherine to try on dresses for my sister's wedding. We found some really cute dresses that will work perfectly for both Morgan and Katherine as the dresses come in several different sizes, but still cut the same. So the girls are super excited about that! There's nothing better than getting a brand new super fancy dress! Katherine was equally excited about the shoes. She's "hoping" for something with a little heel!
Anyway, while we were gone, Matt put up the water slide for a party Katherine organized. She invited all the little girls from her gymnastics class over, and had planned activities, treats and trampoline time. However, when the neighborhood kids saw it come up they instantly asked if they could come over too. Katherine wasn't "thrilled" with the idea, since she wanted it to be just her gymnastics friends (and one little boy she invited for Caleb to play with -- how great is she??? I mean really? The thought of not including him didn't even cross her mind. She wanted him there, wanted him to have fun and made an effort to make sure that happened. Love that girl. Love her big heart. Love how thoughtful she is).
Everyone arrives at 1 and the slide goes up. Water is everywhere. Little girl laughter and screaming literally fills the backyard. The show they are putting on in the trampoline resembles circus monkeys! 7 girls arrive, plus Jenna and Olivia her friends from the neighborhood, plus the two older sisters of the friend she invited for Caleb and she has a rockin' party in no time -- music and all!
At this point, several of our neighbors start coming over and before you know it, we've got 23 kids in the backyard. Julie, my friend from gymnastics, couldn't believe it. They live on an acreage and don't have any neighbors. When kids come to their house they have to go and pick them up. No one just shows up. Her kids don't have instant play dates, and her house isn't filled with commotion.... I love it. I love knowing what my kids are doing and who their friends are. I don't mind feeding an army or having my backyard flooded. I know the kids my kids call their friends, their friends know me, they are comfortable at our house and want to hang out here. I love that now and in 10 years it will be invaluable.
If you've been reading the blog for very long you know we have a neighborhood FULL of little kids. Literally, somewhere over 50 of them, and let's just say.... when the water slide is out, our backyard is the "hot" spot for sure.
Last night I took Katherine to try on dresses for my sister's wedding. We found some really cute dresses that will work perfectly for both Morgan and Katherine as the dresses come in several different sizes, but still cut the same. So the girls are super excited about that! There's nothing better than getting a brand new super fancy dress! Katherine was equally excited about the shoes. She's "hoping" for something with a little heel!
Anyway, while we were gone, Matt put up the water slide for a party Katherine organized. She invited all the little girls from her gymnastics class over, and had planned activities, treats and trampoline time. However, when the neighborhood kids saw it come up they instantly asked if they could come over too. Katherine wasn't "thrilled" with the idea, since she wanted it to be just her gymnastics friends (and one little boy she invited for Caleb to play with -- how great is she??? I mean really? The thought of not including him didn't even cross her mind. She wanted him there, wanted him to have fun and made an effort to make sure that happened. Love that girl. Love her big heart. Love how thoughtful she is).
Everyone arrives at 1 and the slide goes up. Water is everywhere. Little girl laughter and screaming literally fills the backyard. The show they are putting on in the trampoline resembles circus monkeys! 7 girls arrive, plus Jenna and Olivia her friends from the neighborhood, plus the two older sisters of the friend she invited for Caleb and she has a rockin' party in no time -- music and all!
At this point, several of our neighbors start coming over and before you know it, we've got 23 kids in the backyard. Julie, my friend from gymnastics, couldn't believe it. They live on an acreage and don't have any neighbors. When kids come to their house they have to go and pick them up. No one just shows up. Her kids don't have instant play dates, and her house isn't filled with commotion.... I love it. I love knowing what my kids are doing and who their friends are. I don't mind feeding an army or having my backyard flooded. I know the kids my kids call their friends, their friends know me, they are comfortable at our house and want to hang out here. I love that now and in 10 years it will be invaluable.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
duck attack
This has been a really great and super busy weekend! Last night we had Todd, Caroline and the boys over for a little Cool Basil take-out and we broke out the giant water slide for the first time. It has been far too rainy this summer to purposefully drench the yard, so this was a big treat for the kids. They played on the slide for no less than 3 hours, ate outside and then got cleaned up and went to the fireworks in West Des Moines. It was a late, exhausting night with lots of laughter and great memories.
This morning we got up early and went to gymnastics. When class was over, we headed straight home, changed Katherine's clothes and took off for my nephew Leo's birthday party. His party got over at three and Katherine had another birthday party tonight at 4. The second party is a sleep over at Jenna's house.... Her first sleep over birthday party to be exact. 8 other little girls were invited, and I have to say this.... there is NO WAY I'd let her go if Jenna's mom was not one of my good friends, and I didn't know the ENTIRE family VERY WELL. Oh my goodness... it's all I can do to stop my fingers from dialing the phone right now and telling her good night! It's so strange not having her here!
So while she was gone, Matt and I took the boys out for dinner and then we went to feed the ducks -- which was Caleb's pick of activities. They had so much fun!
The highlight from the duck adventure was Andrew's little run in with a Canadian goose. He was perfectly content to watch the geese and eat the bread himself. Clearly the pizza at dinner didn't fill him up! LOL. Anyway, one of these aggressive geese ran up to him and snatched the bread out of his hand. Oh my goodness! I wish I had it on video! He squealed with laughter and couldn't stop throwing bread at them from that point on. He loved it!
Here's a few pictures -
This morning we got up early and went to gymnastics. When class was over, we headed straight home, changed Katherine's clothes and took off for my nephew Leo's birthday party. His party got over at three and Katherine had another birthday party tonight at 4. The second party is a sleep over at Jenna's house.... Her first sleep over birthday party to be exact. 8 other little girls were invited, and I have to say this.... there is NO WAY I'd let her go if Jenna's mom was not one of my good friends, and I didn't know the ENTIRE family VERY WELL. Oh my goodness... it's all I can do to stop my fingers from dialing the phone right now and telling her good night! It's so strange not having her here!
So while she was gone, Matt and I took the boys out for dinner and then we went to feed the ducks -- which was Caleb's pick of activities. They had so much fun!
The highlight from the duck adventure was Andrew's little run in with a Canadian goose. He was perfectly content to watch the geese and eat the bread himself. Clearly the pizza at dinner didn't fill him up! LOL. Anyway, one of these aggressive geese ran up to him and snatched the bread out of his hand. Oh my goodness! I wish I had it on video! He squealed with laughter and couldn't stop throwing bread at them from that point on. He loved it!
Here's a few pictures -
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