My little gymnast...

Today was definitely an "A letter" day for Katherine. She was in her element at gymnastics this morning, and she literally radiated happiness. It was all over her -- from the smile on her face to the unmistakable spring in her step. Today was her day... and she knew it.



It all started about half way through class when the girls were working on their cartwheels. The gym has mats that they put on the floor for the girls to tumble on which shows proper hand and foot placement. They also have large circular mats that are put right beside the floor mats so that the girls have to kick their legs over the top of them. Evidently, it helps them get their legs up over their heads and helps them land properly... So, in the middle of this practice time, Mr. Terry, their coach, stops the class and has all the girls watch Katherine. He claims that her cartwheels are nearly perfect and her legs are positioned perfectly above her head. Wow... she was beaming.



Then, after Mr. Terry dismissed the girls for the day, he came out to the parent viewing area to ask us if we'd like him to show us how to spot a few tricks, so that the girls could practice at home. He immediately reached down for Katherine and took her back into the gym and used her as his "example". He took her into the middle of the floor and had everyone watch her turn a few tricks --- cartwheel, backward rolls, handstands, etc... and then he showed us how we can spot them at home. Again, pure elation. She was beaming!



She wanted to show me a few other things in the gym (as if I don't watch through the viewing area) and took off. Mr. Terry came over to me, pulled me aside, and told me that he thinks Katherine is really REALLY good for her age, and if she were 5, he'd ask me if I'd be willing to let him put her on the competitive team. I was shocked. He told me that her class has a lot of talent, and out of all of them, she's probably the most competitive one of the bunch.



*** Apparently, US Gymnastics rules state that you have to be 5 to be on a competitive team, and also 5 to perform certain tricks -- like a bridge.



He wants to take her to a meet at the end of this year (after the all important 5th birthday), and believes that Katherine's class will blow away the competition, and that individually, she'll be a standout. (She's the youngest girl in this class by several months, and the only one not yet 5). This summer, he wants her to be on the gymnastics team and start competing. As we got talking, he looked at me and smiled, and said that he couldn't promise me an Olympian, but based on what he sees, I definitely have a full ride college scholarship on my hands. Evidently she's one of the best 4 year olds he's ever seen... However, being on the gymnastics team means practicing at the gym two nights a week. That seems like a lot for a 5 year old...



So, wow... I'm thrilled for her. As a parent, there is no greater joy than finding your child's passion and giving them the opportunity to excel. Not only have we found what she truly loves, but she's good at it, and that definitely puts a smile on my face.



So now I'm a little torn. I was going to move her to Chow's Gymnastics this fall, but now I'm rethinking it.... I want her to have the opportunity to spend as much time practicing gymnastics as she wants, but not be burned with the pressure of being on a competitive team. I want it to be FUN for her. I want her to enjoy it then as much then as she did today. I want her to keep that smile on her face and that spring in her step. So, now I need to do a lot of soul searching, and try to do the right thing for my little girl. If only I knew what that was......

The fog has lifted...

and *thankfully* the grouchy, irritable, intolerable mom my kids had to put up with is gone. Life is back to normal, which is definitely a good thing!

The past two days we spent a good deal outside playing in the snow, having snowball fights and building forts and a snowman. Today, however, the 50 + degree weather is gone and it's freezing. Literally. The actual temp is in single digits and the wind is blowing to the point of taking your breath away. Definitely not the kind of weather to play outside in! So today, the kids and I, along with Michelle and her kids, went to the Playground for Kids.

Katherine really wants a birthday party for her friends only -- and at a fun location of her choice. I had been planning to have it at the Playground for Kids, but after visiting today and talking to the owner, I'm rethinking.... Let me know what you think...

Pros:
1. Super fun for the kids. It has several inflatable jumpy things that the kids adore.
2. It has this super cool tree climbing structure with a clubhouse, tunnels along the ceiling, and slides coming back to the ground.
3. It's immaculate. Not that I'd recommend it, but if the kids ate something off the floor, I wouldn't go into freak out mode.
4. Katherine can invite 22 kids.

Cons:
1. It's located in Ankeny which is a good 15 minute drive from our house. Significantly longer if you live to the west of us, which several kids do.
2. The structure of the party is, well.... almost too structured. There are 3 rooms (smaller room which contains 3 jump things, a larger room that has the tree house and more inflatables, and then the party room where you open gifts and eat cake), and you can only be in ONE room at a time. Which means that the kids can not run around and play as they choose. Even though it would be a "private" party, two other parties would be going on simultaneously, which means that it's not really "private".
3. If we decide to bring in pizza, it must be from Godfather's and it's $17 for a large single topping pizza. OUCH! Especially considering we'll have 20+ kids and their parents.
4. We can only invite 22 kids. Each child after that is $10 and I'm not sure how many kids could realistically play in the small room comfortably. I can already think of several siblings that will be there.....

So I'm thinking of having it somewhere a little closer to home. I don't really like the Chuck E. Cheese idea. There's way too many kids, it's dirty, chaotic, and far too difficult for a handful of adults to watch 20+ kids properly. So I've already eliminated that in my mind.

Katherine and I have thrown around the idea of Backyard Adventures and Rainbow Play systems. Both of these would be private, and the kids could run around as much as they wanted and could be supervised much more easily. Oh, and I can have more than 20 kids -- comfortably.

So what do you think??? Even though I really like the idea of the place in Ankeny (Playground for Kids) it seems a little far for everyone to drive and could get super pricey if we decide to do pizza..... I don't want to "cheap out" on her birthday party, but I want it to be fun for all.

Oh, in other Hanson news.... Matt has been thinking of getting a new car for AGES. He's been emailing/calling the Infinity dealership in Minneapolis for a few weeks now and finally decided to take the plunge. He just put down the deposit on an Infinity G35x, and is planning to head up there on Friday to see it in person and test drive it. I'm thinking the kids and I won't go. Katherine has school that morning, and it'd be a REALLY long day for the kids in the car. Anyway, it looks like the days of the Camry are over!

Monday morning ROCKS!

AAAHHH, Monday morning.... I'm so glad you're here!! Actually, I haven't looked this forward to a Monday morning in ages. Strike that -- I can't remember EVER looking this forward to a Monday morning.

Typically, Monday morning means the end of a great weekend. It means taking the kids to school and getting up early. It means laundry and running errands. It means that Matt will be gone to work all day. It means reality.

Well today -- I sooo welcome that reality. I'm glad the weekend is over! It *should* have been a great weekend. My in-laws came down to spend the weekend with us. Todd and Caroline had their new baby boy that is beyond precious. He has a wonderfully thick head of dark hair, blue eyes and fair features. He's gorgeous! (Oh, and I do have pictures, but haven't had a chance to upload and edit them yet). On Friday night we ate at the Cheesecake Factory and went shopping for the little guy. His name is Augustus (Gus) Daniel. After we went to the hospital on Saturday, Katherine had a birthday party for a little friend of hers from preschool and then we went home and ordered in pizza. Should have been a fabulous weekend, right???? WRONG!

Nope. I totally ruined it. I single handedly made the weekend miserable for everyone involved. I was irrational, cranky, rude, and intolerable. Oh, man... I was something....

So here's the deal....

Saturday morning, Todd (Matt's brother) called and said that we could come down to the hospital as soon as we were ready. Matt and his dad were out "getting coffee and picking up a newspaper" and an hour after they left the house I tried to call their cell phones. No answer. You know why????? They FAILED bring their phones with them!!! So I got myself and the kids dressed and we were ready and waiting to walk out the door, but Matt and his dad were no where to be found. Instantly I could feel myself getting irritated. I was pacing around the house and could feel my blood pressure rise. UUUUGH!

They finally get home and we take off for Target. We had to get a baby card for Gus and I had to pick up a birthday present the party Katherine was going to later in the afternoon. While Fran and I ran inside, Matt and his dad hop in my Lexus so that they could sit with the kids so we didn't have to bring them in. When we get back out to the car, my steering wheel was in the upright position, and Fran and I couldn't figure out how to move it back down. We fiddled around with it for a few minutes and then realized that Matt and Wendell didn't wait for us. They just took off. Again, I'm fuming. Actually, I'm ticked. I can't remember exactly, but I'm sure I fired off some "not so kind" words...

Since I didn't know what way they were taking downtown, I took the way I knew. (Since I don't work downtown anymore I'm not sure what exits are open with all the construction). Matt beats us down there by a few minutes and makes some "smart" comment about how to "remind him that if he's ever dying, not to let me drive him to the hospital." OMG. I wanted to jump down his throat. Instead I fire off a mature comment about the steering wheel, which (let me assure you) was well received.

So at this point, I'm complaining to Matt's mom about her son. I tell ya..... I couldn't help myself. I'm fully aware how irrational and quite frankly bitchy I was, but I just couldn't help it. It was like Oscar the Grouch had overtaken my body, and I felt totally justified to be WAY upset with Matt.

Without going into more details of the day, let me assure you -- I wasn't pleasant to be around. I know it.... But it was like there was nothing I could do about it. If Matt so much as breathed wrong, I was all over him.

I had planned to stay at the birthday with Katherine, but knew that I needed a little time alone, so I stayed for about the first 20 minutes or so and then I left. I sooo needed a little time to myself.

I must confess.... my behavior on Sunday morning/afternoon was even worse than Saturday -- if that's possible. I don't really ever yell at the kids, but Sunday -- yea you guessed it. Not only did I yell at them, but it was right in front of Matt and his parents. Oh, it was classic trashy behavior. Here's what happened....

I bought the kids a game for Christmas. They call it the Treasure Game, but it's made by Cranium -- I think it's Cadoo or something. Anyway it has 6 bouncy rubber balls and the kids decided to remove the balls from the game and bounce them as high and hard as they could off the walls and wood floors. I asked them to stop it 3 times nicely and then since they didn't listen to me, I took the game away and put it on top of the refrigerator. So Caleb starts crying and I cave. I give them the game back and it's the same song and dance -- bouncing the balls off everything. (All the while, Matt is lauging and making some comment about how they can't help themselves, they're just having too much fun). When one of them hits some Waterford in the living room, I snap. "IF YOU DON'T START LISTENING TO ME DAMMIT.....". As soon as the words came out I wish I could take them back, but it was too late. So there you have it.... My in-laws are there to witness the first time I swear at my kids. It was horrible. Totally shameful...

Oh, and in the middle of all this, Katherine and Caleb are blowing these high-pitched recorder whistle type things that are grating on my last nerve. Noisy toys never bother me, but today they made me want to scream, yell, stomp my foot, and act like an immature baby.

It was a horrible weekend. I was a mess! I'm not sure what got into me, but man.... I HATED every second.

After Matt's parents left, Matt and I bundled up the kids and took them outside to build a snowman. The fresh air did me a world of good.... it did us all good. We spent an hour and half building Frosty, throwing snowballs and making snow angels. It was sooo much fun! (Yes, I also have pictures of this, but again, I haven't uploaded them. Actually I need to sweet talk Danyel into coming down and helping me out with my new external hard drive. I'm pretty sure that if she's reading this, she's going to want to stay away from me). I would put "LOL" here, but unfortunately there's nothing funny about it!

So today was a new day. It's a new week. Hopefully this horrible weekend where I was momzilla and wifezilla (oh and I can't forget daughter-in-law-zilla) will soon be forgotten.

Music to my ears....

The bedtime routine is always the same, and takes no less than 45 minutes. Cuddling in my bed, watching a show, having a snack, taking vitamins, brushing teeth, reading books and finally singing a song... THE song. It's the same song every night. It's the song my mom used to sing to me when I was little. It goes:

Have I told you today your Mommy loves you...
Have I told you how important you are to me...
Have I told you that I need you and I care about you....
Have I told you what a blessing you are to me.

Typically when I sing this, the kids are laying down and I'm rubbing their backs. Tonight, Caleb rolled over, got this wonderful little twinkle in his eyes and SANG IT BACK TO ME.

Aaaaahh, music. Sweet music.

Good night to all. I'm off for a late girls night out. We're seeing 27 Dresses, and I'm leaving with a smile on my face and a full heart. Aaaaahhh, sweet music...

Science Center Mayhem....

A good friend of mine recently "retired" from her job as an attorney and decided to start a new career -- that of a stay at home mom! I couldn't be happier about it. Our girls are a month apart and her son is 9 months older than Caleb. She's due at the end of May with their third child... We haven't been able to get together since she joined the ranks of the unemployed, so we decided that today was the day. Since we both were due to renew our Science Center memberships, we decided to meet down there after Katherine's gymnastics class.

As soon as we got there, I took off the kids' coats and hung them up, and then went over to update our membership. While I was doing this, the kids (as usual) went to take a stroll through the gift shop. They have a rotating inventory of super cool stuff depending on what type of special exhibits are there, and the kids are always taken by unique things they have. OK, I must confess.... they're not the only ones who love checking it out!! LOL!

Anyway, all of a sudden, Katherine comes running up to me screaming and crying. She's terrified and has what appears to be blood ALL OVER her. I'm not talking a drop or two either.... It's literally dripping down her face and all over her shirt. It looks like she'd been hit with a paintball. She's covered and scared to death... She's sobbing uncontrollably, so I immediately try to find out what happened, and determine where the blood is coming from.

She leads me to the gift shop and can barely get the words out. All she can do is point to the floor and sob. FINALLY I figure out that THANKFULLY it's not blood at all. She was having too much fun with the horrorball, and it blew up on her -- literally. It's this squishy ball thing with fake blood and bugs on the inside. Not something I would have chosen to play with, but hey ...... Somehow, Katherine popped it... Oh, my goodness.... I think I've had my scare for the week!

Tonight I have the all important parent-teacher conferences at preschool. I know I'll get a glowing report, but for some odd reason I'm still a little nervous. After I get home, it's a late girls night out at the movies. We're seeing 27 dresses, and I'm ready for a good laugh with great friends!

Cold.....

OK -- I'm officially sick and tired of winter! The constant cold, being couped up in the house, and almost freezing to death every time we step outside, is starting to wear me -- and the kids. And because I'm a safety freak, I insist that the kids take off their coats when they're in the car seats. I feel like I can get the buckles around them tighter... (Oh yea... Katherine is still in the traditional 5 point harness seat, but weighing in at 33 pounds, I didn't see the need to move her to a booster seat yet...) Anyway, standing out in the cold putting on and removing their coats every time we go somewhere, is getting OLD! Trust me!! LOL.

Quick recap of the week since I've been a blogging slacker....

I've been a little under the weather lately. I'm tired beyond belief, and super achy. My energy is gone and for the past few days I've been napping when the kids do. Oh, and last night I was in bed at 8:30. How insane is that? Totally not my MO!! Thankfully today I can keep my eyes open! I'm on the mend!

Since Monday was MLK day, Katherine didn't have school. We decided to head down to the Science Center and invite the Laundervilles (Nicholas and Caden) with us. The kids had blast and played so well together. We had lunch, played in the bubbles, ran into the Lee's (Aaron, Katie and Blake) and had an over all great time. So it was great!

Oh -- you'll love this story...

There's this one girl in Katherine's ballet class who shouldn't be in there. She's disruptive, doesn't pay attention, leaves the room for drinks of water no less that 10 times in the hour, distracts the other kids, and talks back to the teacher. SURPRISINGLY, her mom drops her off and leaves to do other things. I feel sorry for this little girl... She's getting shuffled around and no one really pays attention to her. Anyway, her dad came Monday night and actually stayed. I was shocked. He just sat in the corner. He didn't watch her dance, but he was still there. Anyway, all the girls are in ballet and tap class back-to-back.... which means that half way though they have to change shoes. Their tap shoes have tiny little buckles that are hard for the girls to maneuver on their own, so I (and all the other moms who stay) help the girls out.

So this is what happened... Katherine came running out of ballet class and took off her ballet shoes. I was sitting on the ground so that I could buckle her tap shoes once she got them on. As she was putting on the first one, I took her second shoe out of the bag, smiled and said, "If the shoe fits...". We were both laughing, and she replied, "it sure does, Mommy"! The little girl (in the preceding paragraph) asked her Daddy to help her out, and he said (very loudly so everyone in the room could hear) "Nope, you do it yourself. You don't live in the fairly tale world that that little girl (meaning Katherine) does". Oh, let me tell ya... those are fighting words... I literally had to bite my tongue or I would have fired off some not so nice words in front of Katherine. But let me assure you... maybe if that little girl had someone who paid attention to her more, she wouldn't be acting out in class so much... UUUUUGH... It infuriates me.

Since it was bitterly cold yesterday, we decided to hang out at home and play games -- just the three of us. Oh man... We played countless rounds of Hi-Ho-Cherry-Oh, Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Chutes and Ladders didn't really hold Caleb's attention, but he LOVES the other two games and can actually grasp the rules. It was a blast! After we were done with board games, we went straight for the puzzles, and completed every one in the house a million times! My mom called around 2 and asked if Katherine could spend the day with her. SURE!! Caleb and I went in as well to visit for a while, and 3 hours later decided that we, too, should eat dinner with them. Matt stopped by after work, and joined us for dinner. It worked out really well... Since the kids didn't nap, they were begging to go to bed at 8:30! Woo-Hoo!!

Tomorrow my mom is watching Caleb in the morning during Katherine's gymnastics class. Mr. Terry, her teacher, asked if I'd be willing to come to class so that he could teach me how to spot her so that she could do more "tricks" at home, and practice a little bit every night. She's soooo excited. She loves gymnastics and would literally practice hours every day if I had the time to devote to solely her... The problem is that as soon as Caleb sees her, he instantly drops to the floor and tries to do handstands and somersaults. It's hilarious! He's perfected the "put your head on the floor, and your feet up the wall and see how long you can stay there without falling over" move. Love it. I need to take a video. It's priceless!!

Lazy, lazy, lazy....

Today was a super lazy day... We spent most of the day in our jammies, watching movies, taking a nap, and eating take-out. How great is that???? I LOVE these days! We don't do them often enough, and that NEEDS to change! LOL!! I did get the cleaning bug so Matt and I spent a couple of hours scrubbing floors, reorganizing toys, doing laundry, and vacuuming. But over all, it was a great family day. Not to mention that it'sFAR too cold outside to spend more than 30 seconds outside. So, the Hanson family spent the day hanging out -- together of course.

I can't remember why I started it, but for some reason a while back, I thought it was a great idea to put the kids in my whirlpool and let them "swim" in my huge soaker tub. Well... now they practically insist on taking a bath in there every time (with my bubble bath of course). Yea.. guess where they are right now??? It's such chaos... when they're done it looks like a monsoon hit my bathroom -- water all over the walls, the floor, everywhere within a 4 foot radius. It's such a mess!! Anyway, after they go to bed tonight, I plan on getting in and relaxing for a while. The problem.... in order for me to get in, I have to spend the better part of 10 minutes transferring all of their toys and miscellaneous "stuff" to their own bathroom. Glad I started this!

Tomorrow we're off to church, and it should be interesting. This will be one of the first times Caleb has been left alone in the two year old room and he HATES it. Literally, he cries the entire time. So I'd been holding him out and not pushing it. Thankfully, a girl I used to work with at Principal works in the two year old room, and insists that I keep trying it. So keep your fingers crossed that it goes OK. After church we are heading over to my sister's house for Hannah's birthday party. The kids can't wait to eat birthday cake!

Which reminds me.... The countdown is on for Katherine's all important 5th birthday party... She really wants a "friend" party with all of the kids from her preschool class, so I need to book it this week. I'm probably going to have it at the Playground for Kids.... We'll also have the neighborhood crew over for a party -- I haven't picked the date yet, but I'm thinking it'll be a pizza party thing for lunch. So then... Matt asks if we're going to have a "family" party. Well I guess so, but man... once they turn 5 and start making their own friends it's nothing short of chaos!!! Oh... and it wouldn't be nearly as difficult to schedule, but we have to go back to LeMars the weekend of her birthday to get our taxes done. Ay-yi-yi!!

Preschool...

Don't you wish that your kids came with user manuals so you'd just know what to do??? I'm so torn about whether or not to send Caleb to preschool next year. I just don't know what to do...

As a side note, I registered him today so that I'd have a spot if I wanted it. If I decide not to send him, we'll consider it a donation to the school...

On one hand, sending him to three years of preschool, seems really excessive... If I decide to send him this fall, he'd go two days next year, three days the following year, and then five days the year prior to starting Kindergarten. And to be completely selfish, I'd like to have him at home with me for a while longer. I'd like us to have some more one on one time before he NEEDS to start school. I'd like to be able to take him on little trips any time I choose, read books whenever we wanted, color and paint and play with Play-doh to our hearts content... I want him to stay my baby boy for a little while longer...

On the other hand, I think it'd be really good for him. He's very smart, incredibly funny, and loves the idea of going school like his big sister. He's always asking when he can go with Katherine.... Since Kindergarten is now an all day affair, I think that going every day would be a smooth transition for him. Oh, and the socialization aspect wouldn't hurt either. He hasn't been left alone with strangers for any length of time -- EVER. Yea, it'd be good for him... Plus Caden would be there with him. A built in buddy. You can't beat that.

Why can't my kids stay 2 and 4 forever? I love this time. I love having them with me every day. I wish I could always hold on to this moment and time would stand still.

UUUUUGH! I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

Maybe by the time August rolls around he won't be potty trained and I won't have to worry about it!

You know you're a daddy when....

You wake up before the sun rises to make it to work on time.

You stumble around in the darkness as quietly as possible so that you don't wake your sleeping family.

You notice a pile of quarters on the dresser and think JACKPOT! I now have soda money so that I can get my caffeine fix before I start the day.

You anxiously get to work, head straight for the soda machines, pop in your quarters and realize they don't work.

You pull the remainder of the "quarters" out of your pocket, and realize they aren't quarters at all... They are CHUCK E CHEESE TOKENS! LOL.

All in a day's work for your average daddy named Matt!

Cooking ...

I'm sorry, but I swear it's all I did yesterday. I literally felt like I stood in the kitchen all day long, and man .... did I have the dishes to show for it. My kitchen looked like a tornado blew threw!

Last night was Bunco and it's been a while since I've gone, so I decided that last night I'd rush home from Katherine's dance lessons and show up 45 minutes late and just chat. Carolyn was hosting, so I offered to help her out and make some food and bring it over before dance.

For some TERRIBLE reason, I thought that it'd be a good (no GREAT) night to try out a new recipe. What was I thinking? I mean really....

I decided to make a chocolate ganache cake, but upon fully reading the recipe, I discovered that it was only for an 8 inch cake, and of couse I had already started baking. Definitely not big enough... No problem, I'll double it. Oh that was a stroke of genus! What size pan do you use when you double an 8 inch round? Not a clue! UUUUGH... So I call ALL my friends who can remotely cook, and no one knew for sure. So, being the innovative girl I am, I decide that cupcakes are in the way to go! Great idea... NOT! After all... how long do you cook them, at what temp, and will they rise?

After some thought, I decided that no, they shouldn't rise much as they didn't have any baking powder and I didn't use cake flour. WRONG! All but about 4 of the 24 ran over in the oven...

Let's just say that they weren't pretty. Down right ugly would be more honest..... Actually, they were so bad, that I took off the cupcake wrappers and dipped them in chocolate ganache. Still ugly.... Oh, and I'm pretty sure that there weren't two in the batch that were the same size...

Thankfully, I have some nice neighbors who actually ate the things!

Turkey!!

This morning as we were getting ready to leave the house, Caleb went into the kitchen and started yelling, "Chicken. I need chicken"!!

Since he just got done with breakfast, I thought it was an unusual request, so I asked if he wanted chicken noodle soup or chicken nuggets. Apparently neither... He went into the pantry and started laughing. "I sorry Momma. I no want chicken. I want turkey!!!" What?!?!?! Turkey???

When he saw my confusion, he started scaling the shelves and pulled out down a package, and said, "Dis Momma. I want beef turkey"!! Oh, Caleb, you want BEEF JERKY?

Yea! I want beef turkey! LOL. Gotta love that!

Take Two...

This morning on the way out the door for church, Caleb disappears into my scrapbooking room, and starts yelling, "OH, MY GOODNESS! OH, MY GOODNESS" in this sweet, yet incredibly surprised voice. He had found the Target loot and was amazed to see this truck peeking out of a package which he went absolutely NUTS for. (This was one of the great deals I found; it was only $5.00). He wanted it in the WORST way, so I put my thinking cap on....

Little background .... Matt and I had tried to ditch the plug (pacifier) quite some time ago, but it never took. He was without it for a day and a half, but one day on the way to take Katherine to school, he freaked out. I couldn't muscle him into the car and I was running late, so I did what I had to.... I gave him the plug back. It hasn't been pretty since. He loves that thing... Anyway, Matt and I decided that after the New Year we'd get rid of it once and for all.

So I told him that he could have that truck, but on ONE condition.... he had to get rid of his plug. We had a long discussion about how this truck was for big boys, and he was much too old for his plug, and agreed that he should throw it in the garbage. He was all for it... until nap time.... Matt and I decided that taking it away cold turkey is cruel, so we "slightly" revised the new "big boy" rules. He can have it at bed time. So far, so good. Hopefully this time it sticks! At the end of the day, I really don't care if he has that thing at not, but I don't want it to hurt his teeth, so it's time to phase it out....

On a totally different note ... I NEVER get heartburn, but man I've got it tonight! It totally sucks! Matt and I got Cool Basil take-out and for some reason it just isn't sitting right. Must be the fact that I'm now 33....

Trip down memory lane...

Last night was Matt's annual Christmas party, and it was held downtown at the Convention Center. It was a pretty big deal -- around 900 people and really nice.... free drinks, decent food, great entertainment, and the prizes they give away are amazing (cameras, computers, video game systems, camcorders, navigation systems, and a 50 inch flat screen tv to name a few). We had a great time hanging out with Matt's co-workers!

We decided to park in Matt's work parking garage and make the several block walk to the party though the sky walk system. I was taking it all in. It has been nearly 2.5 years since I stopped working and returning to my old stomping ground left me speechless at times. It was so strange to be back there. As odd as this sounds, all the sights, sounds and smells seemed so familiar, yet I didn't feel like I belonged there anymore... and I don't really... It was such a foreign feeling being there again.... nothing has changed, yet EVERYTHING has changed.

Overall it was a great night. Matt and I had a chance to spend some time together without the kiddos, and they got to spend the night with my parents. I think Katherine and Caleb were glad we left for the night too! When we got home, I found my mom and Katherine asleep in her bed, and when I woke up my mom Katherine burst into tears. She insisted that Grammy have a sleepover with her. Then, when I went to get Caleb out of bed this morning, the first thing he said to me was, "Where my Grandma?? Want to play with Pop-pops!". Sounds like Matt and I need to go out more often!!

Tonight I had a girls night out with Kelly and Melissa. We went out to dinner and then did a little shopping. Remember when I mentioned that I was trying to find Katherine some new dresses? Well I found one tonight at the Gap. It was super cute -- a light weight brown corduroy jumper with hot pink trim and a hot pink shirt to go underneath. Oh, and it was on sale!! WOO-HOO! I also got her a super cute pink sweatshirt that will be perfect for playing outside at preschool.

Jackpot!

Oh, man... Did I hit the jackpot today!

While we were at Katherine's gymnastics class this morning, the calls started flooding in. Literally, I probably got 7 or 8 calls. All of the Christmas or special edition toys still left at Target were on sale -- 75% off! It was a shopping bonanza! I just went nuts. I had two carts LITERALLY overflowing with great toys. It was insane!! The best part was that I only spent $77.00 What a deal! Now don't panic -- most of the toys are not for Katherine and Caleb. A good chunk of the toys are for birthday parties that Katherine will be invited to this year. She's at that age where every kid in her preschool has a big party, so today I stocked up. They're getting good gifts and a GREAT price.

I was thinking of getting Caleb a tool bench for Christmas, but decided that Santa had brought enough and that I'd save that gift for his birthday. Well... I found it today on sale for $24. This is it. Originally $100!! I was just giddy! How nice is it that I already have one MAJOR thing for his birthday and it's 9 months away!

Michelle (Ben and Tessa's mom) was one of the people who called me, and she still happened to be there when we arrived. We decided to take the kids to the mall for lunch and then hit the play area before naps.

OH -- Today Momma bear came out in the play area. It was horrible, and I was more than slightly annoyed. Caleb was running around, playing, and minding his own business when this little boy, who was about Katherine's size, came up and pushed him down. I didn't say anything, I wanted to see how he'd handle it. Like a pro, he got up, brushed himself off, and kept on playing. A few minutes later, Caleb was walking over to me, and this kid came up and tackled him again. I know some moms say this, but believe me, it was totally unprovoked. Caleb wasn't even playing. This kid just came up and tackled him. I instantly got up and scolded him and told him that he needed to leave Caleb alone. In less than 5 minutes, this kid was all over Caleb again. He grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him to the ground, and then tried to push his face into the carpet. Again, I go over there, comfort Caleb, and tell this kid to leave him alone. WHERE ON EARTH IS HIS MOM? UUUUUGH! Anyway, I go over to Michelle and tell her how mean this kid is, and make some comment wondering why is mother doesn't step in and discipline him... Little did I know that his mom was right there and watching the whole thing.... Fun times. Thankfully, she was cool about it and put him in time-out for pushing yet another kid, but HEEELLLLLOOO.... Why take your child to the play area if you're not going to watch them???? I just don't get it!

I had planned on blogging yesterday -- I felt like I had so much to say, but then by the end of the day I was exhausted and just went to bed. For some reason, I was awake most of the night unable to sleep, and then during nap time I watched Andrea's youngest son. He loved Caleb's train table, so that kept us occupied for a while. Then he took off running and I soon found out that the poor kid had a bad case of diarrhea. About 15 minutes later, he threw up all over my hard wood floors. All I can say is thank goodness it wasn't on the carpet. It was horrible. Cleaning up your own kid's puke is bad enough, but another kid's??? YUCK!

One funny from yesterday... Caleb is in Kindermusic every Wednesday morning, and it runs in a semester format. So they have the same set of music all semester. Anyway, one of the faves this semester is the "Wishy Washy" song. The kids love the hand movements, instruments and music for this song. Anyway, Mrs. C (their teacher) started playing a 15 second soundbite of water filling up the tub. She asked the kids what sound they heard. Caleb instantly blurted out, "Dat potty. Dat potty!!" I was red faced and everyone was laughing. Mrs. C then said, no, it wasn't potty, it was the sound of something being filled up (the answer was the bathtub) and then she asked what was being filled up. Caleb started jumping and yelling, "Dat potty chair. Da potty chair is filled up!!" Oh, my goodness. It was so funny! Then, Mrs. C told Caleb, that no it was much too long to be potty, it had to be something else. Caleb started laughing really loudly and said, "Nope, dat how my daddy does it!" LOL!! I had tears rolling down my face!

The big 58!

Happy birthday to my Daddy! I can't believe he's 58 already!

Today we went to The Playground For Kids for Ankeny. It's such a great place for the little ones to run around and burn off some steam. Michelle, Ben and Tessa came with us, and the kids played together amazingly well. By the time we were ready to leave, they were red faced, sweaty and out of breath. They were tuckered out! Perfect conditions for an early nap! LOL.

As soon as they woke up from their naps, we went to the Texas Roadhouse with my parents, Laurie and Morgan so that we could all celebrate my dad's birthday. Katherine's all time favorite food is steak, so this girl was in HEAVEN! She ate over half of mine. I was shocked! I couldn't believe how much she put away. After we got done eating it was time for the waiter to pull out the ridiculous saddle for the birthday boy to sit on while they yell and scream happy birthday to him. Caleb just watched in amazement. His little eyes were as wide as saucers, and then he burst out in this hilarious fake laugh! Sooo cute!

After dinner I ran the kids home and took off for my MAT meeting at the preschool. We are in the process of making plans for next year, and it just hit me.... Katherine won't be there. She'll be in Kindergarten... Oh, it hasn't sunk in yet. The thought of her being gone all day is enough to make me instantly weepy. It's going to kill me.... If you haven't already guessed, I'm so not ready!

Andrea's oldest son is in Kindergarten this year, and he brought home a sheet for kindergarten round-up for next year's prospective students. She had been trying to give it to me for over a week, but for some reason the timing never worked out. You know... there was too much snow in the backyard, the lawn was too muddy, I didn't have time after errands to run by her house, I was just on the way out the door, I had to put the kids down for nap. Pretty much any excuse I could find not to get the sheet. Did I really think that not picking up the sheet would mean she wouldn't have to go? Yep... Maybe I'm just that delusional. LOL. Seriously though... I've got a bad case of denial. Next year is going to be a tough one.

Happy Sunday!

Where did the weekend go?? I can't believe that it's Sunday night already.... Time flies!

We had a really great weekend.... nothing super exciting, just a lot of family time and hanging out with old friends. It doesn't get any better than that!

Michelle (Nicholas' mom) and I had planned to go shopping for scrapbook stuff on Saturday afternoon while the kids napped. She got a gift certificate to Archiver's for Christmas and just had a baby girl less than a month ago, so she had a huge "must have" list. Don't we all! LOL. Anyway, Caden (their little guy that's Caleb's age) came down with the flu, so she was housebound. Since I had planned on going, I decided to head out on my own and hit a store I love in Ankeny. Got tons of good stuff including this new Christmas line, which I love. I bought a bunch with the intention of making identical pages for Katherine and Caleb.

On the way home I decided to swing my Hobby Lobby as their paper and stickers were on sale 50% off. Another one of my addictions are these. Even though they're chipboard, technically Hobby Lobby sells them as stickers so they were also 50% off. Can't beat that! So I decided to stock up. Anyway, while I'm there, I hear people start screaming and quickly realize that the store is on lock down. I'm not exactly sure what happened as I was in the back of the store, but evidently there was a shooting directly outside the store. As far as I can tell, no one was injured (I didn't see evidence) but nonetheless, it was scary! What started out as a quick trip, ended up taking FOREVER! Literally, I was in there more than an hour!

So after they let us out of the store, I raced home. We had planned to have dinner at PF Changs with some old friends of ours from high school (Aaron and Katie (Faber) Lee), and due to the pandemonium at Hobby Lobby I was running late. We finally got there around 6 and had such a great time. We got a huge round booth in the back, and the kids were angels. I was shocked at how good they were -- especially considering we didn't end up leaving until 8:25. 2.5 hours in a restaurant is an eternity when your 4!

After church today, Matt and I took the kids to the mall for a little shopping. I was trying to find Katherine some new dresses for church, but had NO luck. I went everywhere -- TJ Maxx, Younkers, the mall and NOTHING. Pretty much all I could find were clearance Christmas dresses and sleeveless stuff. Oh, well..... I guess I'll have to keep shopping.... BUMMER! LOL.

While we were out, Michelle called and wanted to make an Archivers run... So yea... twist my arm, I guess I'll go. I ended up finding this which I think will be great for the kids. It fits right into my new "do two pages at once" scheme. Plus, the coordinating embellies are adorable. So I ended up leaving with a nice loot! Gotta love that!

Speaking of leaving... When Michelle and I get up to the counter, I realize that my purse is missing. Not sure what happened, or where I dropped it, but it's gone... Not on my shoulder and quite honestly I can't remember the last time I had it. FREAK OUT CITY! The sales girl looks at me oddly, and asks me what it looks like. I start to describe it (if you're interested this is it) and she tells me that she has it in the back locked in the safe. Evidently someone found it 45 minutes earlier and turned it in. What on earth was I thinking??? For Heaven's sake I have no idea! How could I not miss it??? Anyway, as soon as they found it, Archivers called Matt and my parents and told them that they had it. My poor mom... this about sent her over the edge... She freaked! Actually, she freaked so much that Matt didn't have to. I guess his theory was that there was no way I was leaving Archivers without spending money, and I'd realize it was lost sooner or later. How right was he?? LOL! The funniest part was that Michelle and I heard them call a customer "Elizabeth Hanson" over the intercom a couple of times. (Elizabeth is my middle name). They were actually calling me about the purse but didn't pull my driver's license out of my billfold to see my first name. Michelle and I couldn't help but to snicker -- we thought it was a sign of things to come. AAAAHHH, the irony of it all!

Good intentions...

Sometimes even the best of intentions don't end up the way you planned. So after all the calls I've endured over the past two months, all the junk mail I've thrown away, all the "visitors" at the front door trying to persuade me to vote for their candidate, all the plans I made to go to the caucus tonight, I didn't make it... That's right folks, I didn't vote. I didn't participate in my civic duty.

We had planned to leave the house at 6:15, but Caleb didn't wake up from his nap until 5:55... He was SUPER crabby, and not exactly ready to start eating his dinner. And then there's Katherine... She was on her way to the kitchen island and she tripped and slammed her head against the bar stool. So there I am, 15 minutes from walking out the door, two kids screaming, and neither one of them had eaten dinner. Yea... I'm not going to the caucus... It just wasn't going to happen tonight!

So Matt went to the caucus with one of our neighbors (Shawn and Carolyn) and they dropped off Allison so she could play with Katherine and not be stuck at the caucus. So in the end it worked out. The kids had a blast playing, and Matt voted.

So like all of you, I'm sitting in front of the TV watching the election returns and candidate speeches. I'm addicted! In November, I'll take Katherine with me to vote....

On a totally different note.... Remember how badly Katherine wanted Butterscotch for Christmas and I just couldn't bring myself to spend $250 on a fuzzy animal that would take up a ton of room in my house and I didn't think she'd like for more than a month? Well, as luck would have it, my sister bought one last year for Morgan, and Morgan insisted (literally) that Katherine could borrow it for a few months. Let me just say... I am soooo glad that I didn't spend a dime on that thing! I don't even want it in my house and am counting the days until Laurie takes it back! I have it sitting in the living room right now, and it NEVER stops moving, breathing, neighing, eating, you name it... It must have censors because every time someone walks within 20 feet of it, it starts making noise. Oh, and it's a LOVELY constant robotic noise. UUUUUUGH! Noisy toys don't bother me, but this thing is on my last nerve!

Caucus...

For those not in Iowa and don't ever read the newspaper or watch TV (i.e. you're living under a rock) the all important first caucus is tonight and every politician, Hollywood A-lister, musician, and big name television reporter has descended in our state, and since I live in the capital city, Des Moines specifically. We've been bombarded! There are TV cameras everywhere and "celebs" on every corner and in every "nice" restaurant and coffee shop. It's chaos here right now!

Can the madness stop??? I mean really.... Why is it necessary to call each house at least a dozen times a day with prerecorded messages bashing the other candidates and touting your own??? And in case they're all too stupid to realize this.... pretty much the only people home at 2 pm are stay at home moms, and ringing the doorbell and waking up napping kids is enough to send these moms over the edge!! Oh, I can't wait until this is over! Not that I'm wishing away time, but man.... tomorrow can't come soon enough!! UUUUUUGH! I'm so wishing I lived under that rock right now! LOL!

So tonight I've decided to take the kids with me. A caucus is very different from a primary in that you don't just show up, stand in line and vote. Not even close. Actually the democrats and republicans do it differently and it'll take probably 2 hours or so. If you're interested, here's an elementary description of how it works. For the educational aspects, I've decided to take Katherine. She's been asking tons of questions, and since this opportunity only comes around every couple of years, I thought... why not??? So tonight we're all going. I'm going to bring a bag of tricks for Caleb, so hopefully it'll keep him occupied! I'll report back!

It's nap time and I'm off to do a little scrapping!

Bah Humbug!

Call me a scrooge, but.......

As much as I love decorating for Christmas, listening to Christmas music, looking at the lights and baking up a storm, when it's over, baby it's over! On December 26th, I'm ready to take down the tree, and toss it to the curb! I'm ready to rid my house of stray needles, and have my house back to normal... And -- anything that's left up after New Years is well..... enough to drive me crazy! Imagine how insane I was when the tree was still up today! LOL.

We *finally* got around to taking down the tree tonight, and it was the most tedious, painful project... The tree was incredibly dry, and with each ornament we removed, about a million needles came with it. The trail from the tree stand to the front door was amazing --- and crunchy! LOL!

So the tree is down, the lights are put away, the remainder of the decorations are removed and my house is back to normal. (Almost)! Even though my house looks BARE, I'm glad it's all put away for next year..... If only my freezer still wasn't overflowing with cookies!

Let's try this again....

Here's our New Year's Eve pictures

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! Here's to a great 2008! I've finally returned from my blogging hiatus and am back!! It's been a crazy busy last couple of weeks, and spending time on the computer has fallen off the radar.... but I'm back baby! LOL!

Matt, I and the kids celebrated in style last night over at the Hodapp's house and had a wonderful time! There is nothing better than being able to ring in the new year with neighbors (and not having to drive anywhere) and having your kids there as well.

The kids had a blast and stayed up much later than I would have guessed. They all wore their jammies with the intention of having a slumber party in the basement, but *shockingly* they lasted the entire night... Actually, they outlasted their mom!!!

Andrea took a few pictures last night. (Fran/Wendell -- click on the word "pictures" and you can view them). I love the one of Caleb and Collin, those two are the best of buddies! And yes, if you're wondering, my eyes are "a little" glassy. Troy made FAB martinis and I indulged... a few too many!

Because I wasn't able (feel free to read between the lines here) Matt got up and spent the day with the kids. I did a lot of sleeping! In my defense, I RARELY drink, so I felt totally justified! LOL.

In the past, I've made resolutions, only to break them, so this year I'm not making any. Resolutions only set you up to fail, and make you feel guilty when you do. So, instead of New Year Resolutions this year, I'm setting goals, and ironically enough, they aren't as specific as resolutions I've made in the past. This year, I'm going to aim to be the best wife, mother and friend I can be. That's it. Overall, I want to strive to be the best I can be... I will falter from time to time, and that's fine, but overall I want to be the best I can be for everyone in my life.

Here's to a wonderful new year!