All I can say is..... WOW!
Katherine's first dance recital was a huge success!! She looked absolutely adorable and danced her little heart out. I was so proud of her!!! We got her a bouquet of flowers, and you would have thought I handed her the world. She was beaming.
Matt watched from the audience, and I spent the night with Katherine -- changing her costumes, touching up her makeup and watching her dance around the room with her friends. When it was time for her class to go backstage and wait for their turn to dance, I waited in the wings with her. She was able to watch two other dances before it was her turn to go out. She got as close to the stage as she could, sat on her hands and knees and watched the "big" girls dance. The curtain was closed right before her dance so that the flower pots could be set on stage. As soon as it was time for her to go out, she turned to me, gave me a big hug, and ran out as fast as she could. As soon as the music came on, she popped out of her pot, a big smile on her face and danced her little heart out.
As I stood there and watched her, tears were rolling down my face. I was so proud of her. She was so confident... strong... secure... She loves to dance, and she enjoyed being on stage in the spotlight. She wasn't afraid of all the people watching her ... it didn't phase her a bit. She was in her element. Once again, I'm reminded that my baby is growing up, and I am so proud of her.
Today, Katherine also had another first... She went to her first "drop off" birthday party. Apparently I'm the only mom who thinks that 4 is too young to be dropped off at someone's house because there were 15 other little girls there.... It was Lynsey's (a little girl from her ballet class) birthday party and if it would have been at a house where I didn't know the parents REALLY well, I wouldn't have allowed her to go, but since Lynsey lives a few blocks away, AND I know both of her parents well, I thought it was probably OK. But please, at 4 is it really the end of the world if a parent accompanies their child??? UUUUUUGH! I've been known to overreact, but there's NO way, I'd drop her off at a house where I didn't know the parents VERY well. Before I dropped her off, we had a long talk about the party and the fact that I wouldn't be staying. At first she didn't want me to leave her, but after we talked about it, she decided that it was a great idea, and that she, too, should have a "no mommies party". WONDERFUL!! LOL!!
Lynsey had a princess theme birthday party and all the little girls wore their "dress up" princess gowns and shoes. Katherine looked adorable!! As I took her up the driveway she met her friends and gave them big hugs. They all told each other how beautiful they were! HA-HA! As I turned to walk back down the driveway, she yelled after me, and started to cry. She wasn't as OK with the idea of a drop off party as I thought she was... Part of me was glad that she still needed me and wanted me there, but the other part of me, wanted her to be happy about this new experience and have a wonderful time. Lynsey came up and put her arm around Katherine and told her that she could sit by her, and Ryanne (another girl from ballet class) told her that she looked too pretty cry and that she wanted her to stay and play. Katherine stayed and had a great time. Thank goodness!!
While Katherine was at the party, Caleb and I went to the park and played outside. He had such a blast!! When it was time to go, he was sweaty and tired. It was so nice to be able to spend some quality time with him, and as soon as Matt's done with the CFA, Katherine and I have a few things we want to do that we can't with Caleb.... She wants me to take her to the movies, so that's first on the list!!
Speaking of the CFA -- only two more weeks until test day! .... not that I'm counting or anything! LOL!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Dance rehearsal
Tonight was the big full dress rehearsal for the recital this weekend. Katherine is in the 3 year old class which is also the youngest class in the studio. All of the older kids take them under their wing and want to show them ropes, while Katherine and her cohorts follow them around with stars in their eyes. It's a match made in heaven!
Katherine's costume is a flower, and in the beginning of the dance the little girls pop out of gigantic flower pots. Everyone in the audience was ooooh'ing and aaaaah'ing over how cute they were. And I've got to agree -- they were absolutely adorable.
The rehearsal started with the finale dance. All of the girls in the studio do a dance together at the very end. The little ones (3 and 4 year old classes) are in front of everyone else across the front of the stage, and guess who is in the dead center of everyone??? My little Katherine! Wow, when she's up there, she's just glowing. She's got "I love dancing" written all over her face. I'm not sure what's wrong with me lately. My emotions are totally out of whack! Just watching her up there brought tears to my eyes. Literally, tears were running down my cheeks the entire time she was on stage. AAAAAHHHH..... Why is it hitting me so much lately?? My little girl is growing up. How'd I'd love to keep her this age forever.... Why can't time stand still???
Caleb put on quite a show of his own tonight. For the first 20 minutes or so, he sat on my dad's lap and cuddled in with him just watching all of the excitement around him. We knew it wouldn't last... it just couldn't! All of a sudden, Caleb decides that this is a great time to invent a little game we now affectionately call "chair diving". There was an empty chair between my dad and I, and Caleb would crawl up in the chair and start diving in our laps. He felt like such a big shot!! Every time he'd body slam either my dad or I in the chair, he'd let out this super loud belly laugh and scream "MOOOOR... MOOOOOR". About 5 minutes into his new favorite contact sport, he cracked his head on the wooden arm rests separating the chairs. WONDERFUL!! He yelled "Mamma, Mamma". I gave him a kiss on the head, he yelled "GAAANK YOU" and resumed chair diving into our laps. I would have cried, but not my little boy -- he was having the time of his life. As soon as Caleb realized that the people around him were watching him, he stood in the chair, and tried to lean over the back to give them a high five. He was wired tonight!! LOL!
Shortly before we were leaving, Caleb decided that it'd be a great time to throw a fit, so he had a full on tantrum right there. It was terrible. He was inconsolable, there was nothing we could do but watch it happen and laugh about it. Matt took him outside, and let's just say it was a battle of the wills when it was time to get in the car seat. Caleb fought it for all it was worth.... Thankfully Matt won! LOL!
Andrea called right as were were pulling in the driveway, and offered to watch Caleb Friday night during the recital. Given the fact that Matt and I would like to enjoy the recital, and make the night special for Katherine, I'm going to take her up on it... After the tantrum he threw tonight, there's NO WAY, he's coming on Friday night!!
Here's some pictures from Katherine's big night.
Katherine patiently waiting her turn to dance on stage...
All dressed and ready to go!!
These pictures are out of order, but quite frankly I'm too tired and lazy to fix them now!! This is Katherine at home getting her make up done. She got the works -- eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, powder, blush and lipstick! YIIIIKES!
Here she is at the beginning of the dance popping out of the flower pot. It's funny.... Andrea asked me if she had any stage fright, but that thought never crossed my mind. She couldn't wait to get out on stage and dance for everyone. I think she would have danced all night!
Katherine with the little girls in her class.
Katherine's costume is a flower, and in the beginning of the dance the little girls pop out of gigantic flower pots. Everyone in the audience was ooooh'ing and aaaaah'ing over how cute they were. And I've got to agree -- they were absolutely adorable.
The rehearsal started with the finale dance. All of the girls in the studio do a dance together at the very end. The little ones (3 and 4 year old classes) are in front of everyone else across the front of the stage, and guess who is in the dead center of everyone??? My little Katherine! Wow, when she's up there, she's just glowing. She's got "I love dancing" written all over her face. I'm not sure what's wrong with me lately. My emotions are totally out of whack! Just watching her up there brought tears to my eyes. Literally, tears were running down my cheeks the entire time she was on stage. AAAAAHHHH..... Why is it hitting me so much lately?? My little girl is growing up. How'd I'd love to keep her this age forever.... Why can't time stand still???
Caleb put on quite a show of his own tonight. For the first 20 minutes or so, he sat on my dad's lap and cuddled in with him just watching all of the excitement around him. We knew it wouldn't last... it just couldn't! All of a sudden, Caleb decides that this is a great time to invent a little game we now affectionately call "chair diving". There was an empty chair between my dad and I, and Caleb would crawl up in the chair and start diving in our laps. He felt like such a big shot!! Every time he'd body slam either my dad or I in the chair, he'd let out this super loud belly laugh and scream "MOOOOR... MOOOOOR". About 5 minutes into his new favorite contact sport, he cracked his head on the wooden arm rests separating the chairs. WONDERFUL!! He yelled "Mamma, Mamma". I gave him a kiss on the head, he yelled "GAAANK YOU" and resumed chair diving into our laps. I would have cried, but not my little boy -- he was having the time of his life. As soon as Caleb realized that the people around him were watching him, he stood in the chair, and tried to lean over the back to give them a high five. He was wired tonight!! LOL!
Shortly before we were leaving, Caleb decided that it'd be a great time to throw a fit, so he had a full on tantrum right there. It was terrible. He was inconsolable, there was nothing we could do but watch it happen and laugh about it. Matt took him outside, and let's just say it was a battle of the wills when it was time to get in the car seat. Caleb fought it for all it was worth.... Thankfully Matt won! LOL!
Andrea called right as were were pulling in the driveway, and offered to watch Caleb Friday night during the recital. Given the fact that Matt and I would like to enjoy the recital, and make the night special for Katherine, I'm going to take her up on it... After the tantrum he threw tonight, there's NO WAY, he's coming on Friday night!!
Here's some pictures from Katherine's big night.
Katherine patiently waiting her turn to dance on stage...
All dressed and ready to go!!
These pictures are out of order, but quite frankly I'm too tired and lazy to fix them now!! This is Katherine at home getting her make up done. She got the works -- eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, powder, blush and lipstick! YIIIIKES!
Here she is at the beginning of the dance popping out of the flower pot. It's funny.... Andrea asked me if she had any stage fright, but that thought never crossed my mind. She couldn't wait to get out on stage and dance for everyone. I think she would have danced all night!
Katherine with the little girls in her class.
Isn't she adorable????? AAAAHHH...
Katherine and Morgan with the flowers that Grammy got them for their big night.
Picture perfect!
Today was such a success!! I am elated at how wonderful the pictures turned out and am kicking myself for not going to Holly's new studio sooner. Let's just say that I'm beyond thrilled!!
The pictures of Katherine turned out gorgeous. I couldn't have asked for anything better. They are literally the best pictures of her that have ever been taken, and so much better than the rat race of Target and Portrait Innovations that I've been putting them through!
Caleb remains a bit of a challenge.... It's such a tough age for pictures. When we first got there, he wanted nothing to do with the camera, but when he saw Katherine posing he warmed up to the idea quickly. He's at such at hard age right now. He definitely doesn't "get" the sit still and smile at the camera thing yet. He was his typical boyish self -- wanting to climb on the props that were off in a corner, play catch with a ball, and tickle his sister. Let's just say that we got plenty of shots with him wrinkling his nose and making goofy faces!! But we did get a genuine smile out of him, so that's great! We got some great ones of him alone, and a few good ones of the two of them together. What more could I ask for??? Holly was great, so patient with them, and took all the time we needed to get some great shots. She's going to edit them tonight or tomorrow, and then send me the link, so as soon as I get it, I'll post it here.
Tonight my parents, sister and Morgan, and my aunt are coming up for pizza and then we're off to dance rehearsal. It's the full dress rehearsal for the recital this weekend. I'm going to take pictures and video tonight, so if it's not too late I'll post a few when we get home.
The pictures of Katherine turned out gorgeous. I couldn't have asked for anything better. They are literally the best pictures of her that have ever been taken, and so much better than the rat race of Target and Portrait Innovations that I've been putting them through!
Caleb remains a bit of a challenge.... It's such a tough age for pictures. When we first got there, he wanted nothing to do with the camera, but when he saw Katherine posing he warmed up to the idea quickly. He's at such at hard age right now. He definitely doesn't "get" the sit still and smile at the camera thing yet. He was his typical boyish self -- wanting to climb on the props that were off in a corner, play catch with a ball, and tickle his sister. Let's just say that we got plenty of shots with him wrinkling his nose and making goofy faces!! But we did get a genuine smile out of him, so that's great! We got some great ones of him alone, and a few good ones of the two of them together. What more could I ask for??? Holly was great, so patient with them, and took all the time we needed to get some great shots. She's going to edit them tonight or tomorrow, and then send me the link, so as soon as I get it, I'll post it here.
Tonight my parents, sister and Morgan, and my aunt are coming up for pizza and then we're off to dance rehearsal. It's the full dress rehearsal for the recital this weekend. I'm going to take pictures and video tonight, so if it's not too late I'll post a few when we get home.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Oh happy day!
I don't like surprises. I despise them actually. I agonize over Christmas and birthdays. Not only do I want to know what is in a package for me, but if I'm giving a gift to someone else, I hate the suspense of them not opening it. It kills me!! If it were up to me, I'd let the kids open all of their presents 5 minutes after I put them under the tree. It's just how I'm wired. I can't help it! LOL!! And, I've been known to worry a time or two about things I can't control... I waste precious moments thinking about things which I can't influence, or try to find ways in which I can control them.... I know, it's a lovely personality flaw!
One of my recent obsessions was Katherine's preschool teacher for NEXT year. Yea, I know I'm early on this one!! LOL! I LOVE her teacher this year. Mrs. Schramm (Penny) is great with the kids. She's my age, scrapbooks, has two kids and wants more, is super upbeat... She's a wonderful teacher, a great influence on the little people she teaches and truly cares about them. She's *everything* I want in a preschool teacher for Katherine. Most importantly, Katherine loves her, and as a result she loves school. What more could I ask???
As it turns out, the teacher who currently teaches the class Katherine will be in next year, is pregnant and due in the middle of November. I wasn't crazy about her (as a teacher) to begin with -- nothing personal, just not the type of teacher I envision for Katherine. She isn't as warm as Penny. She doesn't have the outgoing, bubbly, warm personality that instantly welcomes the kids into the classroom and motivates them to learn. She's a fine teacher, but quiet and withdrawn, and doesn't encourage the children to really explore.... (i.e. they sit and are "taught" to for 2.5 hours, rather than doing art projects, singing songs, interactive play etc... ) Not sure if this makes sense or not, but she's just not who I'd want to teach Katherine. And on top of that, Katherine would have to endure a teaching change in the middle of year. Again, not something that thrilled me. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for her that she's pregnant (for more reasons than the obvious), but just didn't think it was the optimal learning environment for Katherine. So, being the worry wart that I am, I started checking out other preschools and actually enrolled Katherine at a different place in case I decided to move her. I needed a plan B! HA-HA!
*** OK -- I wasn't planning on including this much detail, but to put things in perspective... The teacher that Katherine would have next year, lost a little boy who is the same age as the kids she is teaching... So teaching is difficult for her, the loss of her child is very new, and it's just a tough situation all the way around....
So this afternoon I had to call Penny, and our "quick" conversations always turn into an hour or more. Anyway, Penny and I had discussed next year at parent/teacher conferences a few months ago, so she knew I had concerns... In light of the pregnancy and inevitable teacher change, I brought up the subject again. Big surprise there!! LOL! As it turns out, Penny's son is going to be in the Pre-K class which meets 5 days a week, so in addition to teaching the 3 year class on T/TH, she's also going to teach the 4 year class in the mornings only on M/W/F. Guess what??? That also happens to be the class that Katherine is in!! Oh happy day!! Katherine gets the teacher of our dreams! I am beyond thrilled. This made my day if not the week!
On a different note...
Tomorrow is picture day. We are off to see Holly at her studio in Ankeny, and I know she'll take great pictures. Let's just hope Caleb cooperates. He's been difficult the last few months, so I haven't gotten any great ones recently. I'm hoping to get some of each of the kids alone, and then some of them together. Holly rocks, so I've got high expectations!! She used to take their pictures every month, so the kids know and like her... I haven't been to the new studio, so I'm not sure how it works, but if you all can view them on-line, I'll send the link. Oh -- and guess what... tomorrow is her day off. She's opening the studio for us, so we can take as much time as we want/need. AND -- she's giving me a great deal on the pics. See, I told ya she rocked!! I'll shamelessly plug her studio as soon as she sends me the link. As horrible as this sounds, I can't remember the name -- but it's not about the studio, it's all about the photographer, and Holly is tops! Love you girl!
After we dropped of Katherine at preschool, Caleb and I hit the mall to find some new duds for the big picture day. I NEVER have any luck finding him clothes in Gymboree, so I started off at Children's Place and got him some cute polo shirts. Pretty plain and classic. They should look nice in the pictures. There wasn't really anything for Katherine at CP, so I did make the trek to Gymboree. They have the cutest things for little girls! Back in the day when I was working and we had two incomes, I wouldn't have been able to get out of there without a couple of big bags. But today.... I walked in and looked around. I couldn't have bought tons of stuff even if I wanted to. Totally cute stuff, but everything I picked up seemed to babyish for my big girl. I couldn't believe it! When did this happen? When did my little baby girl grow up? It hit me today -- hard. It was so sad! I guess every mom has moments when they realize that their babies are growing up. Today was one of mine.
So many random thoughts tonight...
So after dinner the kids and I went over to my parents house so that Matt could study in peace and quiet. The kids had a blast. They adore my parents, and are always giddy to go over there. As soon as I turned into my parent's development, Caleb started yelling, "MAMA, MAMA... GO GO GO GO!!" Does he know the way there already??? Katherine was laughing to the point of crying. She finally said, "That's right Buddy, we get so see Grammy and Pop-pops".
My parents got this toy horse that the kids can ride on, and for Caleb it was love at first sight. He rode that thing practically the whole night -- yelling "HOOOOORSE" and 'patting' it on the head. Pretty cute!
After we got home it was straight into the bath tub. Matt started filling up my whirlpool for the kids (not sure how they keep abandoning their tub and work their way into mine), while Katherine and I were sitting on the floor taking off her old nail polish. Matt brings in Caleb totally naked, and I immediately tell him to put a diaper back on while he fills the tub. I've made this mistake too many times!!! LOL! Matt insists he'll be fine. Right!!! I hate to say "I told you so", but sure enough... as soon as the water starts up, Caleb pees all over -- the floor, the rug and my foot! UUUUUUGH! Maybe he'll listen to me next time...
One of my recent obsessions was Katherine's preschool teacher for NEXT year. Yea, I know I'm early on this one!! LOL! I LOVE her teacher this year. Mrs. Schramm (Penny) is great with the kids. She's my age, scrapbooks, has two kids and wants more, is super upbeat... She's a wonderful teacher, a great influence on the little people she teaches and truly cares about them. She's *everything* I want in a preschool teacher for Katherine. Most importantly, Katherine loves her, and as a result she loves school. What more could I ask???
As it turns out, the teacher who currently teaches the class Katherine will be in next year, is pregnant and due in the middle of November. I wasn't crazy about her (as a teacher) to begin with -- nothing personal, just not the type of teacher I envision for Katherine. She isn't as warm as Penny. She doesn't have the outgoing, bubbly, warm personality that instantly welcomes the kids into the classroom and motivates them to learn. She's a fine teacher, but quiet and withdrawn, and doesn't encourage the children to really explore.... (i.e. they sit and are "taught" to for 2.5 hours, rather than doing art projects, singing songs, interactive play etc... ) Not sure if this makes sense or not, but she's just not who I'd want to teach Katherine. And on top of that, Katherine would have to endure a teaching change in the middle of year. Again, not something that thrilled me. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for her that she's pregnant (for more reasons than the obvious), but just didn't think it was the optimal learning environment for Katherine. So, being the worry wart that I am, I started checking out other preschools and actually enrolled Katherine at a different place in case I decided to move her. I needed a plan B! HA-HA!
*** OK -- I wasn't planning on including this much detail, but to put things in perspective... The teacher that Katherine would have next year, lost a little boy who is the same age as the kids she is teaching... So teaching is difficult for her, the loss of her child is very new, and it's just a tough situation all the way around....
So this afternoon I had to call Penny, and our "quick" conversations always turn into an hour or more. Anyway, Penny and I had discussed next year at parent/teacher conferences a few months ago, so she knew I had concerns... In light of the pregnancy and inevitable teacher change, I brought up the subject again. Big surprise there!! LOL! As it turns out, Penny's son is going to be in the Pre-K class which meets 5 days a week, so in addition to teaching the 3 year class on T/TH, she's also going to teach the 4 year class in the mornings only on M/W/F. Guess what??? That also happens to be the class that Katherine is in!! Oh happy day!! Katherine gets the teacher of our dreams! I am beyond thrilled. This made my day if not the week!
On a different note...
Tomorrow is picture day. We are off to see Holly at her studio in Ankeny, and I know she'll take great pictures. Let's just hope Caleb cooperates. He's been difficult the last few months, so I haven't gotten any great ones recently. I'm hoping to get some of each of the kids alone, and then some of them together. Holly rocks, so I've got high expectations!! She used to take their pictures every month, so the kids know and like her... I haven't been to the new studio, so I'm not sure how it works, but if you all can view them on-line, I'll send the link. Oh -- and guess what... tomorrow is her day off. She's opening the studio for us, so we can take as much time as we want/need. AND -- she's giving me a great deal on the pics. See, I told ya she rocked!! I'll shamelessly plug her studio as soon as she sends me the link. As horrible as this sounds, I can't remember the name -- but it's not about the studio, it's all about the photographer, and Holly is tops! Love you girl!
After we dropped of Katherine at preschool, Caleb and I hit the mall to find some new duds for the big picture day. I NEVER have any luck finding him clothes in Gymboree, so I started off at Children's Place and got him some cute polo shirts. Pretty plain and classic. They should look nice in the pictures. There wasn't really anything for Katherine at CP, so I did make the trek to Gymboree. They have the cutest things for little girls! Back in the day when I was working and we had two incomes, I wouldn't have been able to get out of there without a couple of big bags. But today.... I walked in and looked around. I couldn't have bought tons of stuff even if I wanted to. Totally cute stuff, but everything I picked up seemed to babyish for my big girl. I couldn't believe it! When did this happen? When did my little baby girl grow up? It hit me today -- hard. It was so sad! I guess every mom has moments when they realize that their babies are growing up. Today was one of mine.
So many random thoughts tonight...
So after dinner the kids and I went over to my parents house so that Matt could study in peace and quiet. The kids had a blast. They adore my parents, and are always giddy to go over there. As soon as I turned into my parent's development, Caleb started yelling, "MAMA, MAMA... GO GO GO GO!!" Does he know the way there already??? Katherine was laughing to the point of crying. She finally said, "That's right Buddy, we get so see Grammy and Pop-pops".
My parents got this toy horse that the kids can ride on, and for Caleb it was love at first sight. He rode that thing practically the whole night -- yelling "HOOOOORSE" and 'patting' it on the head. Pretty cute!
After we got home it was straight into the bath tub. Matt started filling up my whirlpool for the kids (not sure how they keep abandoning their tub and work their way into mine), while Katherine and I were sitting on the floor taking off her old nail polish. Matt brings in Caleb totally naked, and I immediately tell him to put a diaper back on while he fills the tub. I've made this mistake too many times!!! LOL! Matt insists he'll be fine. Right!!! I hate to say "I told you so", but sure enough... as soon as the water starts up, Caleb pees all over -- the floor, the rug and my foot! UUUUUUGH! Maybe he'll listen to me next time...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mothers Day! I hope that you spent a wonderful day celebrating the great women in your life. I know I certainly did!
AAAAhh-- it's been a busy weekend. So much to blog about and really no time to sit still and actually write. That's a good thing though!
My brother came into town late last Thursday night, so Friday afternoon we all decided to go to Fuddruckers for lunch. My brother had a hankering for a shake, and since the kids are always willing to join him, we went out to lunch with my mom, brother, and sister. The big surprise of the day was that since the kids slept until 9:24 am (no that's NOT a typo) we had a late lunch, which was perfect because Matt could "show up" at the restaurant and surprise the kids on his way home from the airport -- and boy did he ever! We had sat down and started eating and he showed up with gifts in hand for them. They were beside themselves with excitement! Matt always brings them home a gift when he's traveling, but since he didn't have a rental car and wasn't in a shopping area (or frame of mind) I picked up stuffed Grover and Ernie dolls which were perfect because we were going to Sesame Street Live that night.
Sesame Street Live was the the biggest hit of the year. I'm still not sure how it happened, but I scored rock star tickets!! WOO-HOO!! Caleb sat absolutely still for the first 20 minutes yelling out the names of every character he saw. He was absolutely mesmerized and completely overwhelmed. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. The look on face alone was priceless! He had a great time!! And Katherine...... she was in heaven! We were sitting 4 rows back and our seats were directly next to the stairs that all the characters went up and down throughout the show. She high 5'ed almost every character, hugged many, and got a kiss on the nose by Bert. Oh, happy day!!
During the intermission we ran into Nicholas (one of Katherine's friends from preschool) and his family. So after the show was over, we all headed over to Cold Stone for a little treat before bed time. It was so cute. Katherine and Nicholas sat down at the table and started to discuss the show in great detail. They sounded like little adults! They just couldn't figure out why Super Grover lost his "superness". The funniest part -- it was never explained in the show, and two preschoolers were wondering why! LOL!!
Saturday, Matt resumed his normal study schedule so we went with Michelle, Ben and Tessa to Adventureland. Caleb had a blast going on all the rides. I swear he had a smile plastered on his face for 3 straight hours.... and yet again, the carousel was his favorite. He kept yelling "horse go-go-go Horse!!!!"
My sister called this morning and they were all going out to Adventureland again today -- so guess who joined them??? You guessed it! We went out there two days in a row! When we arrived, the park was basically empty -- there couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred people there. The kids could ride whatever ride they wanted and had NO wait. Many times they just asked us if we wanted to stay on and ride again! It was wonderful! Such a gorgeous day, no crowds, and happy kids. It was a wonderful Mother's Day! Oh -- and since Uncle Isaac was with us, the Katherine and Morgan got to go on all the "fun" rides that their lame mommies won't take them on. Sorry! I just don't have the stomach! LOL!
After we got home and cleaned up, we went over to my parent's house for dinner, and had a cookout in the backyard. Katherine, Caleb and Morgan played outside for most of the night. They blew bubbles, rode bikes, rolled around in the grass with the dogs, and laughed more than I thought possible. They had a great time, and since none of them had naps today, by the end of the night they were exhausted! Thank goodness!! After today, I'm tired too! LOL!!
AAAAhh-- it's been a busy weekend. So much to blog about and really no time to sit still and actually write. That's a good thing though!
My brother came into town late last Thursday night, so Friday afternoon we all decided to go to Fuddruckers for lunch. My brother had a hankering for a shake, and since the kids are always willing to join him, we went out to lunch with my mom, brother, and sister. The big surprise of the day was that since the kids slept until 9:24 am (no that's NOT a typo) we had a late lunch, which was perfect because Matt could "show up" at the restaurant and surprise the kids on his way home from the airport -- and boy did he ever! We had sat down and started eating and he showed up with gifts in hand for them. They were beside themselves with excitement! Matt always brings them home a gift when he's traveling, but since he didn't have a rental car and wasn't in a shopping area (or frame of mind) I picked up stuffed Grover and Ernie dolls which were perfect because we were going to Sesame Street Live that night.
Sesame Street Live was the the biggest hit of the year. I'm still not sure how it happened, but I scored rock star tickets!! WOO-HOO!! Caleb sat absolutely still for the first 20 minutes yelling out the names of every character he saw. He was absolutely mesmerized and completely overwhelmed. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. The look on face alone was priceless! He had a great time!! And Katherine...... she was in heaven! We were sitting 4 rows back and our seats were directly next to the stairs that all the characters went up and down throughout the show. She high 5'ed almost every character, hugged many, and got a kiss on the nose by Bert. Oh, happy day!!
During the intermission we ran into Nicholas (one of Katherine's friends from preschool) and his family. So after the show was over, we all headed over to Cold Stone for a little treat before bed time. It was so cute. Katherine and Nicholas sat down at the table and started to discuss the show in great detail. They sounded like little adults! They just couldn't figure out why Super Grover lost his "superness". The funniest part -- it was never explained in the show, and two preschoolers were wondering why! LOL!!
Saturday, Matt resumed his normal study schedule so we went with Michelle, Ben and Tessa to Adventureland. Caleb had a blast going on all the rides. I swear he had a smile plastered on his face for 3 straight hours.... and yet again, the carousel was his favorite. He kept yelling "horse go-go-go Horse!!!!"
My sister called this morning and they were all going out to Adventureland again today -- so guess who joined them??? You guessed it! We went out there two days in a row! When we arrived, the park was basically empty -- there couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred people there. The kids could ride whatever ride they wanted and had NO wait. Many times they just asked us if we wanted to stay on and ride again! It was wonderful! Such a gorgeous day, no crowds, and happy kids. It was a wonderful Mother's Day! Oh -- and since Uncle Isaac was with us, the Katherine and Morgan got to go on all the "fun" rides that their lame mommies won't take them on. Sorry! I just don't have the stomach! LOL!
After we got home and cleaned up, we went over to my parent's house for dinner, and had a cookout in the backyard. Katherine, Caleb and Morgan played outside for most of the night. They blew bubbles, rode bikes, rolled around in the grass with the dogs, and laughed more than I thought possible. They had a great time, and since none of them had naps today, by the end of the night they were exhausted! Thank goodness!! After today, I'm tired too! LOL!!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
what a day!!
How can chaos erupt in 2 minutes flat? How can we go from having a great day playing outside with friends to complete and utter chaos in the blink of an eye?? I'm not sure, but at the Hanson house anything, and I mean anything is possible.
We were over at Carolyn's house and Katherine and Caleb were playing with Allison on her new swing set. They had a great time. It was super hot out, so as soon as we got home, I pulled a couple of bottles of Propel out of the fridge and we headed inside. The kids wanted to go into the living room and play with the basket ball hoop and new baseball T (clearly I need to rethink that location!!) so we went in and I sat down on the couch and proceeded to open the bottles. Katherine took the first sip and handed the bottle to Caleb. Evidently she didn't think that he was drinking fast enough, so she tipped up (shoved would be more accurate) the bottle (think beer bong) with her hands so that Propel went everywhere -- up Caleb's nose, all over his clothes, on the sofa, ALL over the carpet. It was such a mess! Needless to say, Katherine got a time-out.... So while she was sitting on the steps, I gave Caleb a sippy cup (which I should have done in the first place) and sat him on the sofa while I cleaned the carpet. All of a sudden, he pukes all over everything -- including the sofa. I cleaned it up as much as possible, but Matt will have to take out the Bissel when he gets home -- both the carpet and the sofa need it! Welcome home honey! LOL!!
So after that, I decide that Starbucks is in my immediate future and I pack up the kids and give myself a little caffeine break. Well deserved don'tcha think??? Things are back to normal for about 30 seconds and as I'm making dinner Katherine starts inventing strange noises. She's pushing her arms together as hard as she can and starts making this grunting/straining/groaning noise. Really attractive I tell ya! Of course, Caleb decides that he has to give it a try and while grunting/straining/groaning he pukes again!! OK -- this is getting ridiculous! Pure insanity, I tell ya!! He's not sick, but twice in the span of 30 minutes, Katherine brings him to the point of puking! Ay-yi-yi!!
On a different note, Katherine had her ballet class tonight....
I've been thinking of changing dance studios for a while now. No particular reason; I'm very happy with everything... At the end of the day, I want this to be a positive experience for Katherine. I want her to love it. I want her to have fun. I want her to have opportunity to succeed. And, her current studio definitely has the right environment -- perfect for girls learning to dance, super fun, and not high stress. I really like the owner of studio, all the teachers, the kids in her classes, and thankfully they dress ALL the girls (up through high school) appropriately for recital, which is important to me. I don't want my 10 year old daughter dancing half-dressed in the recital to some provocative song... Anyway, something just didn't feel right. I haven't been able to put my finger on it, but something was missing.... I finally decided that maybe this studio wasn't right for her because she really wants to be in gymnastics, and this studio has a tumbling class but not really a gymnastics (bar, beam, vault) class. So because of that, I was going to take her to a different studio for gymnastics, and felt it would be easier on me if she also took dance classes at the same place. I will say this -- she is already doing flips, cartwheels and handstands in the living room, and she could do it for hours. I think she needs something more than only tumbling, so that's the initial reason for the change... However tonight I learned that one of the recitals will be cancelled. What? The recital is a week away (next Friday and Saturday) and they tell us TONIGHT that one of them will be cancelled. Thanks for the notice!! Apparently, the reason is that the location of the recital is $600/hour including decorating time and they didn't sell enough tickets. HEEELOOO! Have it in a cheaper place! It would have been nice to know this a little more than a week in advance.... I feel badly for her. She's worked all year for this, and is so excited for it. Now, it's partly cancelled.....
Tonight after dance, we had our usual neighborhood play-a-thon. Here are some pictures:
Caleb couldn't get enough of Walker's little motorized ATV. He LOVED it!!
Katherine and one of the neighbor girls were cruising around the back yards with Walker holding on for dear life!! The poor kid had grass stains all over his front side!!
Katherine and Emma.
We were over at Carolyn's house and Katherine and Caleb were playing with Allison on her new swing set. They had a great time. It was super hot out, so as soon as we got home, I pulled a couple of bottles of Propel out of the fridge and we headed inside. The kids wanted to go into the living room and play with the basket ball hoop and new baseball T (clearly I need to rethink that location!!) so we went in and I sat down on the couch and proceeded to open the bottles. Katherine took the first sip and handed the bottle to Caleb. Evidently she didn't think that he was drinking fast enough, so she tipped up (shoved would be more accurate) the bottle (think beer bong) with her hands so that Propel went everywhere -- up Caleb's nose, all over his clothes, on the sofa, ALL over the carpet. It was such a mess! Needless to say, Katherine got a time-out.... So while she was sitting on the steps, I gave Caleb a sippy cup (which I should have done in the first place) and sat him on the sofa while I cleaned the carpet. All of a sudden, he pukes all over everything -- including the sofa. I cleaned it up as much as possible, but Matt will have to take out the Bissel when he gets home -- both the carpet and the sofa need it! Welcome home honey! LOL!!
So after that, I decide that Starbucks is in my immediate future and I pack up the kids and give myself a little caffeine break. Well deserved don'tcha think??? Things are back to normal for about 30 seconds and as I'm making dinner Katherine starts inventing strange noises. She's pushing her arms together as hard as she can and starts making this grunting/straining/groaning noise. Really attractive I tell ya! Of course, Caleb decides that he has to give it a try and while grunting/straining/groaning he pukes again!! OK -- this is getting ridiculous! Pure insanity, I tell ya!! He's not sick, but twice in the span of 30 minutes, Katherine brings him to the point of puking! Ay-yi-yi!!
On a different note, Katherine had her ballet class tonight....
I've been thinking of changing dance studios for a while now. No particular reason; I'm very happy with everything... At the end of the day, I want this to be a positive experience for Katherine. I want her to love it. I want her to have fun. I want her to have opportunity to succeed. And, her current studio definitely has the right environment -- perfect for girls learning to dance, super fun, and not high stress. I really like the owner of studio, all the teachers, the kids in her classes, and thankfully they dress ALL the girls (up through high school) appropriately for recital, which is important to me. I don't want my 10 year old daughter dancing half-dressed in the recital to some provocative song... Anyway, something just didn't feel right. I haven't been able to put my finger on it, but something was missing.... I finally decided that maybe this studio wasn't right for her because she really wants to be in gymnastics, and this studio has a tumbling class but not really a gymnastics (bar, beam, vault) class. So because of that, I was going to take her to a different studio for gymnastics, and felt it would be easier on me if she also took dance classes at the same place. I will say this -- she is already doing flips, cartwheels and handstands in the living room, and she could do it for hours. I think she needs something more than only tumbling, so that's the initial reason for the change... However tonight I learned that one of the recitals will be cancelled. What? The recital is a week away (next Friday and Saturday) and they tell us TONIGHT that one of them will be cancelled. Thanks for the notice!! Apparently, the reason is that the location of the recital is $600/hour including decorating time and they didn't sell enough tickets. HEEELOOO! Have it in a cheaper place! It would have been nice to know this a little more than a week in advance.... I feel badly for her. She's worked all year for this, and is so excited for it. Now, it's partly cancelled.....
Tonight after dance, we had our usual neighborhood play-a-thon. Here are some pictures:
Caleb couldn't get enough of Walker's little motorized ATV. He LOVED it!!
Katherine and one of the neighbor girls were cruising around the back yards with Walker holding on for dear life!! The poor kid had grass stains all over his front side!!
Katherine and Emma.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Wonderful!
Today was a great day. We didn't do anything over the top, but it was one of those days where everything is perfect.... the weather, the kids, our friends. We had a perfect day!
This morning, we had a play date scheduled at a super cute park in Clive. It's cut back into the woods and has nature trails, a small stream, and huge trees all around. It's great! We went on a walk, played in the sand, threw sticks, rocks and various other random stuff into the stream, ran across the bridge no less than 50 times and had a great little picnic. We finally packed up around 1:30 and came home to play for a while before naps.
After naps, the kids and I ordered in pizza and then went over to a birthday party for a little neighbor boy. The kids ran around and played in the backyard all night. And the best part -- Katherine got to eat her all time favorite food .... birthday cake! So it was a really great night for her! LOL!
A few of us moms were standing around talking about what a wonderful neighborhood we live in. All of the kids had a blast playing together. They got along so well. There weren't any fights or disagreements among them. We don't have the "one bratty kid" that everyone dreads. There isn't the constant need to referee and discipline them. It's fun for all. It's perfect!! LOL.
After we left the party, I threw both kids in my whirlpool tub and gave them a good scrubbing. They were full of sunscreen, dirt, sand and sweat! They played like champs today. Oh, and poor Caleb... his legs look awful. From his knees to his ankles, he's one big bruise, scrape, and scab. They just look awful! Poor thing. And the worst part is that he won't leave them alone. He keeps picking his scabs. UUUUGH! And if he doesn't leave them alone, I'm going to have to put him in jeans until they heal. I'm probably going to take a picture and scrapbook it. His legs are all boy!
Tomorrow is a BIG day at preschool. They are focusing on their manners this week, and tomorrow they are bringing in their teddy bears, so that they can "teach" them manners. Katherine can't wait! She's really looking forward to teaching her teddy bear everything that she learned on Tuesday. Also, last Thursday they had a family fun night for all of the parents and siblings. The school hosted a carnival, complete with a jump house and clowns. Anyway, the clowns are coming back to their class tomorrow and "learning" manners too. Katherine adores Cookie and Yo-Yo.
In scrapbooking news..... Do you remember this? (last paragraph)... Anyway, originally I had no intention of making a scrapbook for her, and was trying to get Kim to do it with me and split up the work. Anyway, Carlene told me that she wants the scrapbook to be 50 pages per YEAR her of her daughter's life, and her daughter is graduating from high school next May. So, roughly, it would be 50 pages times 18 years times $20/page. It would take me FOREVER to do this, and I'd probably have to put my own kid's books on hold, but at those prices it would come out to about $18k. Holy cow, that's a ton of money to do something I love. So, I may try to take it on..... It would mean that my original goal of being totally caught up by October 2008 would be shot, but the money is tempting... Thoughts?
This morning, we had a play date scheduled at a super cute park in Clive. It's cut back into the woods and has nature trails, a small stream, and huge trees all around. It's great! We went on a walk, played in the sand, threw sticks, rocks and various other random stuff into the stream, ran across the bridge no less than 50 times and had a great little picnic. We finally packed up around 1:30 and came home to play for a while before naps.
After naps, the kids and I ordered in pizza and then went over to a birthday party for a little neighbor boy. The kids ran around and played in the backyard all night. And the best part -- Katherine got to eat her all time favorite food .... birthday cake! So it was a really great night for her! LOL!
A few of us moms were standing around talking about what a wonderful neighborhood we live in. All of the kids had a blast playing together. They got along so well. There weren't any fights or disagreements among them. We don't have the "one bratty kid" that everyone dreads. There isn't the constant need to referee and discipline them. It's fun for all. It's perfect!! LOL.
After we left the party, I threw both kids in my whirlpool tub and gave them a good scrubbing. They were full of sunscreen, dirt, sand and sweat! They played like champs today. Oh, and poor Caleb... his legs look awful. From his knees to his ankles, he's one big bruise, scrape, and scab. They just look awful! Poor thing. And the worst part is that he won't leave them alone. He keeps picking his scabs. UUUUGH! And if he doesn't leave them alone, I'm going to have to put him in jeans until they heal. I'm probably going to take a picture and scrapbook it. His legs are all boy!
Tomorrow is a BIG day at preschool. They are focusing on their manners this week, and tomorrow they are bringing in their teddy bears, so that they can "teach" them manners. Katherine can't wait! She's really looking forward to teaching her teddy bear everything that she learned on Tuesday. Also, last Thursday they had a family fun night for all of the parents and siblings. The school hosted a carnival, complete with a jump house and clowns. Anyway, the clowns are coming back to their class tomorrow and "learning" manners too. Katherine adores Cookie and Yo-Yo.
In scrapbooking news..... Do you remember this? (last paragraph)... Anyway, originally I had no intention of making a scrapbook for her, and was trying to get Kim to do it with me and split up the work. Anyway, Carlene told me that she wants the scrapbook to be 50 pages per YEAR her of her daughter's life, and her daughter is graduating from high school next May. So, roughly, it would be 50 pages times 18 years times $20/page. It would take me FOREVER to do this, and I'd probably have to put my own kid's books on hold, but at those prices it would come out to about $18k. Holy cow, that's a ton of money to do something I love. So, I may try to take it on..... It would mean that my original goal of being totally caught up by October 2008 would be shot, but the money is tempting... Thoughts?
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