another random piece of information

I forgot to mention this in my last post, so I'll just make a new one. Yesterday I ran a few errands by myself. Dave loaded up the van with all the garbage from Christmas. I also had to run to the bank and the post office. I counted 11 huge black garbage bags that I tossed into the huge garbage bin at the transfer station, and the receipt slip the garbage man gave me said the weight loss (the van got weighed before and after dumping the garbage because they charge per ton) was 120 pounds. 120 pounds of garbage!!! Wow.

the rest of Christmas and Calvin's first birthday

I can't really remember what I left off with, but I think I wrote about Thurs and Fri. Saturday, we didn't have anything planned. The guys did, though. They decided to borrow a friend's truck and try shop for a refrigerator. So, Dave, Josh and Sean left and took care of some errands and went to Sears. They were gone all day, so the ladies were back at home with the kids. I don't really remember doing anything specific. The boys watched a couple of movies, the some of the kids got bundled up and went outside to play in the snow. I went outside with Violet for a little while. She and Alyssa had fun playing ring around the rosy multiple times and falling over. I don't have any snow pants for Violet, so she got pretty soaked. Alyssa and Emily and I spent awhile at the table working on stringing beads to make a little penguin keychain. That took a couple hours. All through the middle of doing this, we were breaking up little kid spats, cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner, and cleaning. That evening after the kids went to bed, we pulled out the kids' new Christmas presents - the white boards - and played pictionary (boys against girls, which turned out to be a bad idea. The girls pulled ahead at the beginning of the game and the guys got pouty) I pulled out of the game a little early so I could make Calvin a cake. We decided that we had so much leftover ingredients for breakfast burritos that we would serve those again Sunday morning because they were easy and fast, instead of the oven baked french toast. We made that Monday morning instead. Everybody got up on Sunday morning in time to leave for Bethany at 8:55. I was impressed. It was a crazy morning, but we pulled it off. Everyone seemed to enjoy being at the chapel that morning. Bobbie Smith talked about dreams, but I was serving in the nursery watching kids for the month of December, so I missed it. I watched Renee, Austin, Calvin, Evan, Adalynn, and Lynnea with Barb Anderson's help. Sunday evening was spent playing lots of rounds of Boggle. Sean was surprised at how many words Emily came up with that he didn't think about! Sunday was also Calvin's first birthday. We asked my mom, dad and sister to come celebrate with us on Sunday afternoon. He slept through the lasagna, garlic bread and salad lunch but woke up just in time to eat a piece of lasagna and his first bite of cake. I cut him a slice of the 2 layer yellow cake with chocolate frosting. He put his hands on the frosting and licked his fingers, and that was it. He got both hands on the cake and lifted it up to his mouth and started sucking on it like it was a sippy cup. It took him just a few minutes to demolish the whole piece. He kept finding smashed up pieces of cake between his fingers and in his bib pocket. I took him to his 1 yr check up on Monday right in the middle of the time when everybody was packing up and leaving. I said goodbye before I left knowing they'd be done before I got home. His appt was at 1:30. He only had to get one vaccination and a finger prick (to test for anemia and lead levels). He screamed only for a second after the shot and didn't even react when his finger got pricked. The little chunk weighs 23 lbs 6 oz, is 30 1/2 " tall and head is 18 3/4". He's between the 50-75 percentile on all 3 measurements. When I got home, the house was silent. Dave was a little sad. He was working on putting Violet down for a nap. After she went to sleep, we just stood there and were like "whoa! its over!" and "I can't believe how quiet it is in here!" We spent some time cleaning up, collecting laundry and starting that process. We have LOTS of leftover food. Too much bread. We went through all 10 gallons of milk, though. We just have a 1/2 a gallon of whole milk left. The verdict on the fridge was just to not buy one right now. Financially it wouldn't be smart - we have a working fridge in the garage, why not use it. So now we just have to move it into the spot in the kitchen so its more functional. Right now I'm waiting for the last load of laundry to finish in the washer. I have a load to fold right now, so while the kids are napping I'm going to go do that. Nicky and Dorothy Rowe (and their two kids, Darcy and Abigail), Shawn and Kim Thompson, and Rachel are coming to visit for New Year's. I think we'll make them help us finish leftovers, too!

Christmas

I don't have tons of time to write, but I'll try recap what has been going on at our house! My parents, Rachel, Jay and Molly came to our house on Tuesday evening and we all enjoyed Godfather's Pizza and opened presents. Jay and Molly returned to CR and every one else stayed. Violet slept in a pack and play in my closet, Calvin slept in a pack and play in Dave's closet. They both seem to be sleeping just fine in there. Violet doesn't seem to be able to climb in and out of it by herself well enough so she had a #2 accident. :( She said she would try again next time. Another thing to note: Our refrigerator picked a bad day to stop working. It died on Christmas Eve. We put a bunch of things outside on the porch since it was below freezing, and packed the rest of the food into the refrigerator/freezer in the garage. *sigh* Everything is working fine the way we have things set up now, but its still annoying. Dave wanted to go out and buy a fridge, but I said no, not this very moment, lets just make do with what we have right now and deal with it next week. The LaMarche crew all arrived Wednesday evening. Sean and April were the first to arrive around 9 pm (they came from the furthest distance and were the first to arrive - I was impressed!). All the kids were really excited to have a place to run around. Violet was extremely excited to see everybody, but she was a little shy and nervous at first. I had just given her a bath prior to everybody's arrival, so she was in her PJs and her hair was wet. Martha was following them on the road so she was next to come in, and Josh and Carrie were just a 1/2 hour behind everybody else. The kids all didn't get to bed until 10:30-ish. So needless to say, getting them all to bed was a struggle! Austin and Renee are in Calvin's room (Renee in his crib, Austin in a tent). Martha is sleeping in Violet's bed, Josh and Carrie have the guest bedroom, and Sean and April and their kids are all in the basement. I think the two older girls, Emily and Alyssa, and sharing the queen air mattress, and the boys are sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor in the basement area, Lynnea is in a pack and play underneath the basement stairs, and Adalynn is in a pack and play next to S&A's room. S&A are in the basement office bedroom sleeping on a big air mattress. Its nice that everybody seems to be very comfortable. The last 2 nights Violet did whine and cry to sleep in her own bed, but she seems happy to sleep in the crib once she gets all settled in there with her special yellow pillow and pink blankie. Calvin is sleeping A LOT. Last night he went to bed at 6 pm and woke up at 8:30 am. The first morning everybody woke up was Christmas morning. I had cinnamon rolls and an egg casserole to bake which we prepared the night before. All the kids opened their stockings after breakfast. The kids watched a couple movies, some kids took naps, etc...and the rest of the day was spent getting Christmas dinner ready. We were all bustling around the kitchen, making turkeys, a ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli, fresh baked pies...there was wayyyyy too much food! We took the turkeys out too early and didn't realize they were undercooked until we went to cut them so we put them back in the oven, decided to forego the entire turkey idea and just eat ham. It was delicious, though!! So we cut the turkeys after dinner once they finished cooking and are saving all the meat for other things. Oh well. The next morning (Friday) we had breakfast burritos and banana bread. We headed off to Lee's gym by 11 am and it turned out to be a GREAT time!! The kids were well behaved, nobody got hurt, and everybody thorougly enjoyed themselves. I even got a chance to jump around and do a few tricks. Don't worry mom, I didn't do anything dangerous and I didn't hurt myself. A few front and back flips, a rudy, and some baranis. :) :) The kids got really worn out and most of the kids took good naps when we got home around 2pm after a hot dog lunch. This evening, we had spaghetti and played lots of games of boggle. Right now we're about to go start a game of scattergories. I'm tired, but its so fun hanging out with everyone! Will write more later. I will mention that Calvin is still my little barnacle (Carrie's term for a leg-clinging child) and Violet is being GREAT. She is sooo happy to have tons of kids to play with and enjoying every minute. She hasn't really been too much trouble other than when we tell her its time to go to bed. Usually its just way past her bedtime and she's overtired. Today after lunch (and after having a cookie), April found her in her bathroom brushing her teeth so she could get the cookie out of her teeth. haha!! She is playing well with everybody, but very sensitive to when someone else is pushing her stroller. There have been a few moments when she would walk up to me very slowly with sad face and say "Mom, I'm sad for my stroller." So, I had to deal with that a few times, but other than that, she's been great. She's learning great lessons in sharing!! I'm already dreading the moment when everybody leaves and she's alone here with nobody to play with. She is going to miss them!

He didn't wake up until 11 am.

I know! I had to check on him once to make sure he was still breathing. I couldn't believe Calvin slept that late. He broke all "sleeping in" records this morning! He went to bed at 8:30, normal time. I guess he's just a growing little boy. I wonder if his clothes will fit next week??? Its been a good day so far! I haven't showered yet, but that is OK. I didn't go to class again because Calvin slept in so late. I am going to try convince Rachel, my mom and Molly to come with me to step class on Wednesday morning at 9 am and let the guys watch the kiddos for an hour. Mom, if you're reading this, whatddya think? I'm getting really excited for Christmas!! The house seems in order, I feel ready for everyone to come (I still have one last shopping trip to make for milk, bread and salad). I don't really have an air mattress solution yet, but I have a spare so hopefully that will work. Dave is working today and tomorrow, but he said its hard to get focused and be productive cuz he said he's already stuck in holiday mode!

He slept so much last night!

My little boy must be growing like mad right now. He has an appetite the size of an adult, and he slept 15 hours last night. I put him down to bed at 6:15 pm, and he slept in until 9:15 this morning. And then he ate a huge breakfast, and then went back down for a nap at 10:15 and its almost NOON and he's still sleeping. This is crazy! BBC was cancelled this morning due to an across-the-state travel advisory.

It leaks..

..anybody know how to fix a leaky air mattress when you can't find the hole?? It lost a lot of air last night. I'm thinking I need to try my other air mattress. I peeled and cubed up 24 potatoes and stuck them in the freezer tonight. One less thing to do to prep Christmas dinner. Dave is working on installing the new vanity/mirror in the downstairs bathroom right now. Violet has woken up from sleeping all night with a dry pull up 4 out of the last 5 nights. She gets so excited to see her 3 little hearts still present at the bottom of her pull up (the hearts disappear if it gets wet). I'm not sure how this started, but she gets a prize every time she wakes up dry, and its a piece of candy. (dad, go ahead and cringe!) She gets a sucker if she wakes up dry. My disclaimer: I brush her teeth immediately afterwards! She probably needs a teeth cleaning soon. All 4 of her 2 year molars are finally all in. She still remembers trying to lay back in the dental chair and crying the last time we attempted getting her teeth cleaned. So I don't know how well it would go over. I think if I wasn't with her, she'd do fine, because she always acts the worst around mom. Of course! I caught on video a really funny moment today. Violet figured out that Calvin laughs every time she drops a toy. So, for about 5 minutes today, Calvin sat and intently watched Violet put a toy on her head and excitedly waited for her to lean her head forward and drop it on the ground, making a big thud noise. He belly-laughed every time one would hit the ground. She then would laugh in return...so it was a funny scene to watch! Another funny: Today while I was in the kitchen talking to Dave about I have no idea what, Violet comes up to me and tips her head to the side and folds her arms. She says "Mom, I was thinking. *long pause* Let's play...hide and seek!"

Its going to be a white Christmas!

We got so much snow last night! Dave opened the up the garage door and we just saw a solid block wall of snow about 2 feet up. No, the snow wasn't 2 feet deep, but the drift was. Cedar Falls schools were cancelled, so fitness class was a no go. I'm not sure I would have gone anyway, the kids woke up at 8:15. I spent an hour shoveling during the kids' naptime, but I only got 1/4 of the whole driveway done. It feels like a never-ending task. I ended up just shoveling little strips for the van's tires down the whole length of the driveway. Little did I realize until we got back outside later, that an anonymous neighbor used their snowblower on our driveway and helped us get about 3/4 of the rest of the snow left on it off for us. We were so thankful for whoever was generous enough to help us. After getting the kids to bed, we shoveled off the last remaining portion. What an effort! Dave tried starting the snow blower, but as soon as he got into the engine and drained the pipes, flood water and oil started pouring out of it. So...that's still a work in progress. We went to a little pre-holiday party at the Smith's house tonight. Everybody contributed to the meal who came. Dave and Dana brought pork loins which "the men" all grilled outside, Brook and Kris brought mashed potatoes, Trisha made a corn and mac and cheese dish, I brought a salad, and there was more food, I just can't remember what else. Pies and brownies galore for dessert. Good thing I did a lot of shoveling to burn off some of those calories, lol. Violet had a BLAST over there. She was running around happily playing the whole time, losing her pink blanket all over the place, then freaking out that she couldn't find it, then finding it, and then losing it again. Calvin was walking (well, aimlessly toddling) all over the place too but there was an open stair well so we all had to keep a close watch on him. Brook gave him his first bites of real dessert food: french silk pie. He was eating it with so much vigor! He would take a bite, and his eyes would light up and he would make repeating "Mmm!! Uhhh! Nahh!!" noises indicating he wanted more. After the rich bites of chocolate he had lots of milk to wash it down. I only nursed him 2 times today...getting down there. I'm not sure I'm ready to give it up yet, but he seems ready. We got the picture from Hobby Lobby back all framed and pretty. Dave hung it up above the fireplace last night. It looks great! We also replaced all the lighting (except for the big chandelier for the foyer, the one we picked out is too expensive for now!) above the kitchen island, dining room, and kitchen table area. They look sooo much better. The bathroom vanity/sink is also in place, but not installed. Everything seems to be coming together nicely! I can't believe everybody will be here on Wednesday!! I got the kids' pack and plays set up in our closets today, and I blew up the air mattress for Dave's brother and his wife and stuck it in the basement bedroom (Dave's office) and put sheets on it. I blew it up early so I would know if it leaked or not, so I could fix it. I don't have a lot of confidence it'll stay blown up.

A week later

And we still only have just lights on the Christmas tree, haha! We got the box of ornaments up near it, but for some reason, its just hard to open it up and start putting ornaments on it. I am sure we'll get around to making it all pretty before everybody arrives for Christmas. Violet and I played hide and seek today for a long time. She just loves that game! She is finally grasping the concept that she needs to cover her eyes when I hide and count to 10 to wait for me. She hid behind the couch, under the dining room table, behind the blue recliner chairs, and inside the coat closet. I went to work out this morning at step class. I went four times last week, and this week I think I'm going to try go at least 3 times. Violet really likes going to see "the two Kathys" there. She's getting more familiar with them and enjoys running into the gym when its all over to come find me and help me put my exercise ball and equipment away. The one time we were all done and had put everything away before the kids got to the room, she started bawling in the hallway because she never got the chance to "come get me" and help me put stuff away. It was pretty sad and sweet at the same time. She really likes it when she sees Katie there. She said today "Oooh! My friend Katie is here!" Calvin does pretty well with them too. He doesn't cry (yet) when I leave. But I just sort of disappear - he doesn't really get a big ol' goodbye because he doesn't get it yet. I think for his birthday, I'll order a birthday cake from Walmart and just let him eat it. Dave's family will all be here for Christmas, so they can help us sing happy birthday to him. Maybe I'll get him something fun, I don't know. He is going to be 1 in less than 2 weeks! Today he woke up from his nap, and he is always sooo excited to see me, he can hardly stand it to wait while I straighten out his messed up blankets over the edge of his crib. He was playing with the ball popper just a few moments ago, and noticed a yellow ball shoot out of the air shooter and fly off the toy landing a few feet away. He said "uh oh!" and walked over to get the ball and put it back in the toy. He's just getting too smart! He can babble "mama, baba, and uh oh". Everything is uh oh though. Just seeing something he wants, he grabs for it and misses, he says uh oh. We sold an old bag of dog food that we had for Abby just yesterday. That bag of dog food has been with us for a long time! It was still sealed, never opened, and not expired yet, so we listed it on craigslist and someone bought it for $10. Violet wondered where Abby was again when she saw the bag of dog food. Last night was the Christmas program at Bethany. It was so cute. Dave was with his Sunday School class, so I was by myself with Calvin and trying to video tape/take pictures at the same time. The moment Violet's class walked up there, he started crying, so Maggie took him out for me. I was so glad she grabbed him. I got most of the part she participated in on video. She was supposed to say "sea" as part of the Creation portion of the Seven C's of History program. She clutched Ivy's hand and her blankie at the same time, leaned into the mike, and said "I". She tried again, said "I" and then "Sea!" She didn't cry and freak out like she did at VBS a few months ago. I guess with that pink blankie, anything is possible to her. We almost forgot to bring it with us yesterday morning. We were pulling into the parking lot, and she started crying for her blankie, so we had to turn around and get it from the house so she could stand to make it at Sunday School. I know she won't drag that thing around with her forever. At least I hope. I still have my yellow baby blankie. Rachel forced me to wash it, and now its folded in my closet. At least I finally stopped sleeping with it! LOL OK, I should get off this website. Dave is up from his lunch break!

We got a Christmas tree

...and its up on its stand in the front room by the front door. It took us 3 days to find the time to string lights on it. I wonder when we'll get around to putting the ornaments and candy canes on it? We found the tree this past Saturday after walking around Kris Kringle's tree farm for about 30 minutes. Dave cut it down and we drove it back on top of our van. I've been rather sporatic about my blog lately...nothing really consistent. Its late, and I should go to bed!

I just need to document this

I'm home all by myself! Dave took the kids with him to the hardware store to get a few things. Today was one of those days that the time just couldn't go fast enough. There's just a lot to prepare for. I went to work out class this morning, then decided to run to Walmart and get some groceries. I heard the weather is going to get nasty, so I got basics, like milk and bread. It was a chore dealing with Violet at the store - she was such a pill. She was walking so incredibly slow that I felt like all I said to her was "Violet, c'mon, Violet, this way...." and on and on. I picked her up and put her in the cart, and this set off a major whine-fest. She cried and cried that I put her in the cart - she wanted to walk. No...that wasn't going to happen, I was moving too fast. I called Dave in the middle of all this so he could read me a recipe I wanted to make, and 1/2 way through the call, my phone battery died. I tried turning it back on for a second to finish the call, but it wouldn't even do that for me. I went back to the customer service area looking for a pay phone, so I spent $1.50 in three calls trying to get a hold of him. He didn't answer. I was sooo mad. So I got half a recipe worth of stuff to make. I guess I'll have to make another run to the store later. *sigh* I got the kids home and fed them lunch. They were just SO tired and hungry (NOT a good combination), it wasn't even worth dealing with behavior. After they fell asleep, I worked in the kitchen for awhile, I chopped 3 peppers and 3 onions for the spaghetti sauce I'm going to make ahead of time for when Dave's family is here. I got the chicken out for dinner and let that thaw (of course it was still frozen when dinner time rolled around), and just ran around the house all afternoon while they slept getting things cleaned up, put piles of papers away, etc. During dinner while Violet was eating, she was watching Calvin munch on some crackers. She said "Calvin has a lot of crappers in his mouth!" and after dinner when I was loading dishes into the dishwasher, she came over and started messing with the dirty dishes in the lower rack. Dave pulled her back and said, "What are you doing?" She said "I'm bothering mommy." Oh great! So what do I do when I have the house to myself? Vacuum the entire upstairs of the house! I feel like I never have an appropriate time to get it done, because it takes about a half hour to do it. While the kids are awake, I can't leave them unattended downstairs alone, and while they are sleeping I don't want to be zooming past their bedroom doors. I'm wanting to sit down, but I feel bad resting because there is just so much to get done. I started Calvin on whole milk today. His first few sips were a little unsure. He seemed to like it better tonight at dinner. So far no allergic reactions. He has eaten yogurt and cheese and done OK with that, so I think he'll be OK with milk. I'm really looking forward to Christmas, even though the preparation is going to be a little hard. I am excited that Violet "gets" Christmas a little more this year, and she knows she has to wait to open presents. She was drawing on a piece of paper today and putting stickers on it. She folded the paper and said to me "I made you a card, but you can't see it until Christmas. You just have to wait!" That made me laugh! "Ok my dear!" I said back to her. "I'll wait til Christmas!"

some goofy pictures

As I sit here and wait for my cinnamon roll dough to rise, I was browsing through my pics and found these too goofy not to share.

I'm making cinnamon rolls at 10 pm!

I know, I feel kind of crazy. But the house is so calm now that the kids are sleeping, and Dave is out in the garage working on something...there's always something to do out there. So, I decided to fire up my new kitchen aid and make a big batch of cinnamon roll dough. I'm halfway experimenting, though. I am going to try making the dough, letting it rise, rolling it out and putting on the sugar and cinnamon and everything else, forming the rolls, and then freezing them. I want to try make ahead tons of fluffy gooey cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, so if I can pull this off and make them ahead of time, things will go much better. After I freeze them tonight, I'll pull one out and thaw it overnight so it does its second rise, and see how it bakes up. I've addressed about 45 of the 50 Christmas cards that we're planning on sending out. I got the address labels in the mail last week so those are stuck on the envelopes, and now I'm just waiting for us to finish the letter we plan to write in it and stick in the picture we took. I'm still waiting for that to come in the mail too. Dave told me something cute that Violet said this morning when she and the rest of her Sunday School class were up on stage at Bethany practicing for the kids' Christmas program this morning. Dave had to bribe her to stand up there with a piece of candy. She was so scared. He told her she could hold Ivy's hand, so she held on tight to her hand and then looked at Ivy, and said "You have stripes, and I have hearts!" with a big smile on her face. He said it was really sweet. She was wearing a black/pink dress with hearts, and Ivy was wearing a striped shirt, so what she said was right. ha!

I think we're going to attempt Christmas cards this year

And its going to be a feat! Dave and I are usually too lazy to send out Christmas cards and pictures and all that for the holidays. But I'm forcing myself to do it this year. Mainly because a lot of happened this year, I'm sure some people will be wondering what ever happened to us, and also to update people of our new address. I'm thinkin' we'll be in this house for a long, long time...so hopefully it is the last move for awhile, and we stop the track record of moving every year.

I made today the day to take our Christmas picture. I got everybody dressed in red and called up Dave from work to take his lunch break - and he set up the tripod and the camera in the front yard facing the house. As soon as he got the camera placed in the right spot, we dashed outside quick (its only 20 degrees out!), sat on the front steps, took 2 pictures, and ran back inside. BRRRRR!!!!! The pic turned out pretty cute. I uploaded the pic to Clarkcolor.com and ordered some copies to put inside the Christmas cards we got. So I'm commited. All you who are reading, you should get one!

We're getting things planned for the holidays. I found out I can rent a bunch of things from the chapel for the time that Dave's family is all here. An extra table, some chairs, a couple high chairs, and some kitchen items. I'd like to get a big stock pot because I plan to make a huge batch of creamy chicken and wild rice soup on Christmas Eve - that should take care of everybody as they come to our house at different times.

We've done some painting in the house. I think I like it. Not sure yet, though. Its hard to look at bare painted walls with nothing on them. The details will make it look much, much better.

Calvin's favorite word is "uh oh" - still. I can not believe he's gonna be one in one month!! Today for lunch he was a garbage disposal, eating everything else that Violet didn't want. She gave him pieces of banana from her plate and the crusts off her sandwich. He also finished nearly half a can of straight pumpkin. That should do it for his vitamin A intake. :)

Thanksgiving 2008

The last couple days were spent at my mom and dad's house in Mason City. We got there Thanksgiving day around noon and my mom had the meal ready by 1:30. She served a big ol' juicy and delicious turkey, a sweet potato dish, a rice stuffing, dinner rolls, and frozen slice of fruit salad, and a pecan pie with sweetened whipped topping. I'm hungry just thinking about it! That evening we spent just hanging around, sang a few songs on the piano with Rachel and I attempting horribly to sight read on the piano. Jay and Molly joined us late in the evening. We played a game of Apples to Apples and got to bed late. Violet really enjoyed seeing everybody. She was running all over the place like a crazy monkey with all the attention. She slept on a cot in the same room with Rachel. I guess she woke up really early. The next day mom had a yummy cheesy egg casserole with toasted bagels and clementine oranges. We walked around the mall to pass time while we waited for the museum at the Meredith Wilson Square to open up at 1 pm. The mall was crazy busy - and Violet was a tired mess. At one point, she was rubbing her eyes so hard. Dave picked her up and said "Aw, Violet, your eyes are so red!" She said through tears "No, my eyes are blue!" We got back home and were all really hungry - we had yummy pear and walnut salads and southwestern turkey soup for a late lunch. We left Mason City around 5 pm. Jay and Molly came over to our house to hang out a little longer, so we picked up a couple of Papa Murphy's pizzas. On our car ride home, Violet kept asking where we were going. When we pulled up to our house and opened the garage, she started crying because she realized we weren't at Grandma's house anymore. She cried and cried, asking for grandma and grandpa and then her pink blanket. She eventually got over that when she realized we were going to have pizza for supper. She really lights up and just loves having family around. I know she gets bored with "just mom" all the time. She conned Jay into playing hide and seek over and over and over - and asked him to help her stack blocks. They made a tower taller than she was! I am really tired just sitting here. Rachel just left for Lincoln, NE. She should have about a 6 hour drive. We had pumpkin muffins for breakfast and grilled cheese and apple slices for lunch. I could easily lay down and take a nap. The kids are supposed to be sleeping right now. I think Violet is sleeping, but Calvin keeps letting out occasional yells and coos. *sigh* He just said "nah nah!!" as I typed that last sentence. I wish he would sleep because I don't have the energy to deal with him right now. Dave has been outside all morning, sucking up leaves with the leaf destroyer, he sprayed off the front porch because the pumpkins that went bad leaked pumpkin juice everywhere (yuck), he put out the Christmas wreath that everybody else on Briarwood Drive puts out after Thanksgiving. The street is very pretty at night with each house's wreath lit up.

going to "see the rabbits"

We're taking a trip to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City today. The first stop we're meeting Molly at David's Bridal to get Violet's flower girl dress fitted for the wedding, and afterwards, we're turning in the Audi to the dealership where we leased it. I shouldn't be sitting here anyway, because I plan to leave in about 10-15 minutes. Dave is going to drive down later with the Audi and I'll meet him there after we get what we need to do at David's Bridal for Violet. We got some painting done last night and today. I put the first coat of red paint over the fireplace last night, and I got up early before the kids woke up to finish the 2nd coat. I prepped one wall to paint the tan color during Dave's lunchbreak, and we completed most of what I taped. There is lots more to do though! The good thing about the tan color is it is one-coat coverage and its excellent, so there is no need to do a 2nd coat. The colors are beautiful. It looks warmer, richer, and really nice. I can't wait to frame the painting we picked out and put it above the fireplace! Ok, I need to get stuff packed up for the trip....leaving soon.

house for sale!

We have decided to put the damaged house on the market for sale. The previous owner of that house is practically begging us to. He doesn't want to see it torn down if the city buys it out. So....we'll see what becomes of that. Whoever buys it won't be allowed to purchase flood insurance or be eligible for flood relief from FEMA or the SBA though. They have already washed their hands of the property.

Calvin and his blankie

Didn't I just do laundry the other day? Well, I did lots more today. 3 loads. Anyway, that is besides the point. I remembered laundry because I washed Calvin's special blankie today. I think he's forming an attachment to one. It has two sides, one super slippery like satin, one side is really soft with raised bumps. His name is even embroidered on it. I've discovered him in the morning when he wakes up clutching this special blanket. When I put him to bed for a nap or bedtime, he always looks for it, and lays on it and rubs it between his hands and his face as he sucks on his paci and falls asleep. Its just way too cute. I had to wash it because one of the first things he did this morning was throw up all over it. :( I guess his tummy was a little too full and when I hold him upright too quick, it all just comes right up. Blech. I'm just getting around to washing the sheets and making the guest bed up from when Carrie was here. I could have done it earlier, as with most things, but I was waiting for another load of laundry to wash with it so I didn't wash just one load of sheets. Time to vacuum, too. Violet hit a new low today with her almost-nightly vegetable battle. She walked over to the garbage and threw a handful in the garbage! I was so mad. I put her back in her chair, strapped her in, and went over to the garbage and fished out the veggies she threw away. I could only find a green bean and a couple peas, so I rinsed them off and put them back on her plate. The look on Violet's face was priceless. She was shocked I did that. But the girl needs to LEARN! She knows she's supposed to sit and finish those veggies. Its really up to her how long the torture continues. She finallllly finished them all. I hate food battles, I really do. But I can't just let her eat crap. Her reward was a brownie, but she only ate 1 bite of it. Guess she was full! Dave is over at the flooded house right now trying to get the tires off the old pick up truck that got completely submerged by the flood water. He is going to give the tires to his brother Sean who has a van on the same Ford chassis that will fit his van. The rubber tires on that pick up truck are brand spankin' new, so it would be a waste for them to go to the junkyard. I'm glad Sean can use them. We just need to ship them to him - which I think Sean is going to pay for. This is going to make the trip for Sean and April to come out to our house for Christmas!!! Dave is so excited to salvage something good from that thing. He just called me to tell me the tools he brought over there to get the bolts unscrewed are too small, so he is making a run to Farm and Fleet. He feels sick, tired, and dizzy...poor guy. There is so much to do between now and Christmas. So, it has been worked out for Dave's entire family to come to our house for Christmas. All his siblings are committed to coming! That means....*drumroll*....9 adults, and 14 children in my house for 5 days!!! AGH!!!! We're going to prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them, so the work will be done before they all get here. That is the work we need to do. Mostly food. Planning, organization, and delegation. This entertaining/hosting thing is fun and exciting, but its like a full time job!! Not to mention a little pricey. I need to get Violet off to bed!

ok, one thing made me laugh today

I was driving in the van today going to the post office and Violet noticed a guy running on the sidewalk. He was obviously exercising, in his running gear and holding a music player. She says "Mommy! What is that man doing?" I said "He's running." She says "What he forgot?" LOL!

hello, new readers!

Hi Rachel, mom and dad! I just opened up my blog so family can read too. Feel free to leave comments if you want. I'm kind of numb right now. I'm so tired of the whining and the screaming. Violet has been extra sensitive today, and Dave and I picked a BAD night to pick a food battle with her. She is strapped into her booster chair trying to finish her food. Its only one piece of broccoli and about 4 bites of chicken. But still. We told her we weren't going to talk to her until she was done eating her food, and she's been sitting in that booster chair crying for the last hour. And during that last hour, Calvin was sitting in his chair, crying because he didn't want any of the food we were serving. So he went to bed at 6:45 and she's still screaming. Dave just went over to the damaged house to look at the tires on the truck. He thinks the tires on the truck that was ruined in the flood will fit his brother Sean's van. Sean said he needs new tires on his vehicle which would be one more hurdle to jump over in order to make it here for Christmas. Dave is missing his family so much, and he really wants them to come. So this is his way of trying to make that happen. She just dropped her fork on the floor. *sigh* I think I'm going to lose it! Do I talk to her? Because I said I wasn't going to. I took both kids with me to the post office this afternoon. Before we got in there, I set her expectations and told her she was to stay right next to me and not run off. Well, the first thing she did once I got up to the counter to speak with the lady helping me was to run away from me. I said excuse me to the person helping me, and I walked over to her and calmly gave her a nice big pinch on the rear end. She gave me a very shocked expression. I told her "You disobeyed mommy. I told you to stay next to me." She immediately stuck to my leg and didn't move far from me the whole time I was speaking to the person at the post office. She even cheered up on the walk back to the van. I was holding Calvin the whole time so it was a tough trip. Tomorrow Jeanette (the designer helping us) is coming over to talk paint colors. We got the painting but still need to have it framed. I hope we can pick some colors tomorrow. Since the mirror fell off the wall in the bathroom, we need to redo all that too. Maybe tomorrow will be more cheerful! Gah!

I feel better!

It must have just been one of those famous 24 hour stomach bugs. I took some immodium, a probiotic, some vitamins, and got a lot of sleep last night. My head feels a little foggy, but my body is refreshed and I am not throwing up nor do I feel like it today. I've even eaten a little today...a bowl of cereal, and a carrot. Dave was a big helper last night. He got home, and put both kids to bed while I laid on the floor covered up with a big blanket next to the fire place. He was absolutely exhausted when he got home after driving a whole day, 10 or 11 hours in the car. Calvin went down around 7:30, and Violet finally got to bed by 9 pm. She was just a ball of energy, SO excited to see her dad. So she was harder to get to sleep. I should have set up the video camera for the moment he walked in the door, because it was so sweet. I was laying on the couch and I heard the garage door open so I knew he'd be walking in the door any minute. I said "Violet! I think daddy is home!" She got the most excited look on her face, and then the garage door shut and the door to the house opened. He walked in, and she just tore across the house yelling "Daddy is home!" and gave him a huge hug!! He was grinning so big. Calvin even got in on the excitement and toddled over there screeching. He picked them both up and enjoyed that moment. Aww. Its laundry day around here. I am working on my 3rd load. All of Dave's hunting stuff needed to be washed, including his sleeping bag, lots of warm clothes which are huge and bulky, and sheets and towels. Its one kid down, one kid up today. Calvin took a nap, then Violet went down for a nap, then he woke up, then he went down for another nap, then she woke up...I wonder when he's going to wake up? He's been very sensitive lately. Anything seems to set him off screaming, especially if I walk away from a room that he is in. That makes it hard to get anything done.

Yuck, I'm sick.

I hate being sick. Who doesn't? Carrie called me this afternoon asking if I was nauseous (sp?) and I said no, but I've been throwing up and having to sit in the bathroom a lot today. She said she felt the same way, but no throwing up. I tried eating 1/2 a banana but it made me feel worse and that came up too. Calvin has had really loose poops the last 2 days and I thought it was from the grapes I fed him on Sunday, but it seems like that has passed and he's still got loose stools. Poor little guy screams from a bad diaper rash every time I change him. :( I have the chills, then 15 minutes will pass, and I'm flaming hot. Sitting is uncomfortable, my back just aches. I am so glad the kids are taking good naps today. Calvin took almost a 3 hour nap today from 10 to 1, and Violet asked me for a nap by 2 pm and fell asleep without a hint of argument or whining. I laid her in bed, she stayed still, I put the blankets over her, and she was out. It seems that hasn't happened for a year!! Bedtime is usually a huge struggle. God must have known to let the mirror break last night when I wasn't sick so I'd have the mental and physical strength to pick all the glass pieces up, because if that had happened today, I would have gated off the upstairs and not let the kids downtairs and I'd be sleeping in bed. Man...I hate, hate, hate being sick. I won't be able to play volleyball tonight either. Dave is driving home from Chicago right now for his 2nd leg of the trip home from the UP. He should be home by 7 pm, and I hope not a minute later. I can't wait for him to get here.

Craziest thing happened

I was just upstairs about 6 pm changing Calvin's diaper. I left Violet downstairs like I always do. She was playing with something in the living room, no biggie. All of a sudden, I hear the LOUDEST crash and a very shrill and terrified scream. I grabbed Calvin and RAN down the stairs to see Violet at the bottom of the stairs just sobbing. I scooped her up and she just clutched me screaming. I still had no idea what made the noise. She wasn't hurt, wasn't bleeding, was perfectly fine, just terrified. I held the kids and walked around the corner and looked to my left. The bathroom mirror had fallen off the wall!!!!!! It shattered onto the sink and broke into a million pieces on the tile floor. Thankfully the bathroom door was closed (all but an inch open) so most of the glass stayed contained, but WOW. What in the world? How does a mirror just fall off the wall? The glue just isn't sticky any more or what? I really do not think Violet did anything to make it fall down. It was just a freak accident, and she was the only one in the vicinity to notice. It was soooo loud!!!! My initial thought was something came crashing through a window and she was pinned. The bathroom door was almost shut and I couldn't open it because a big piece of broken mirror had it wedged closed. I took a deep breath, put the kids in their chairs at the table and strapped them in. I stopped to just look around for a minute to process what had just happened, and got them both something to eat and put on a baby einstein video so they would be happy and distracted while I attempted to clean up the mess. Violet had a big bowl of oatmeal, Calvin had cheerios but threw most of them on the floor. :-/ I put shoes and gloves on, took an empty plastic tub from the garage inside, and put the large glass pieces in it, and swept the small pieces, then went over the whole area with the shop vac. Violet watched me intently and kept telling me the mirror broke. It took me so long to clean up that Violet was whining that she had to go potty and Calvin was an absolute mess and annoyed at everything. I was beginning to reach my breaking point of frustration....so I put Calvin to bed because it was obvious he was just tired. Violet got to stay up a little later. She kept looking at the walls, patting them with both hands, and saying "See? These are OK. They aren't going to fall down. They're OK." I'm so glad this didn't happen when Austin and Renee were here! God has some crazy timing. They just left a couple hours ago. Who knows for how many years or months this mirror's strength on the wall was compromised.

Cousins everywhere!

Its been a very busy few days! I am up late, I don't really feel like typing anything out, but I know I'll regret it if I don't, so I'm going to be brief and try remember what I can, because it all feels like a blur. Dave and Josh left to go hunting with their dad, Ted, in the UP on Thursday. They will be gone until Wednesday. Carrie decided to come out here and spend the time with me because we knew we'd both be really bored and the time would go really slowly if we didn't get together (especially over a weekend!). She drove out here on Friday by herself with Austin and Renee. She said the trip was a little crazy. My mom also came to spend Friday with us so all of us had dinner together (I made chicken enchiladas) and then my mom left. Saturday was an ambitious day! We took all 4 kids to Old Navy to get a little shopping done to use a 30% off coupon Carrie brought along. She had Austin and Renee in the double stroller. I had Violet in a small umbrella stroller, and Calvin in the Baby Bjorn carrier. I ended up getting Violet a pair of 3T comfy pajamas for winter because she only had 1 pair. We let the kids run around the play place at the mall for a half hour and go on the "horsies!" (the carousel). We got pretzel bites to munch on in the car and then drove back. The kids all took naps at home after lunch, and later that evening, we gave the kids baths and got them all warm in their jammies and then we got in the car and drove over to the flooded river house. Carrie just wanted to see it....so the kids just stayed in the car and we walked around the house with a flashlight (the power has been cut). She said it looked very scarey and very sad in the dark loomy state it was in. Sunday was a great day too! We got up early enough to get the kids all ready for church and we made it through the morning. The kids were all mostly behaved during remembrance meeting (Calvin screamed through most of it, he didn't nap at all), but other than that, they colored and played quietly. Renee sat in the little seat strapped to the chair. Austin attempted to be in Violet's SS class, but I ended up staying with him while he cried for his mom for 15 minutes. He ended up calming down and playing nicely until it was over. I guess Renee did well in the nursery - just a pinched finger. We decided to get McDonalds for lunch, so we drove to the nearest one on University and Main. The kids were excited to get Madagascar toys in their happy meals. Austin and Violet didn't eat much because they were too busy walking up and down the benches. Why do kids get so wound up before nap time!? Carrie mentioned after we got done eating that she had some Culver's kids' custard coupons for free ice cream - so we decided to make a Sunday drive out of it and get ice cream at the drive-thru in Waterloo. We indulged pumpkin shakes on the way home. Yum! They tasted like creamy pumpkin pies in a straw. We were fortunate to get all the kids sleeping right after we got home rather quickly. In fact, all thru the weekend, they all napped well, and for at least 2 hours during the days so we got some breaks. We just realized that we have kids ages 0, 1, 2, and 3. (Calvin is 10 months, Renee 20 months old, Violet is about 2 1/2, and Austin is 3 1/2). Sunday afternoon we relaxed, and then Sunday evening we got the kids fed, let them play a lot. Their favorite game to play with us is hide and seek. They always pick the same hiding spots, and don't really get the concept of the game. Closing their eyes to "not" find out where the other is hiding is just not clicking with them. They'll count but look, and then hide and scream "i'm over here!" not realizing that someone else is supposed to find them. LOL! Violet and Austin crack us up - they laugh a lot together, and always start the little word game "That's MY baby Calvin. No, that is MY baby Calvin!" and so on and so forth. The game ends whenever someone just gives up...but it always seems to start over again. ha! They also loved running from one end of the house to the other....saying "ready, set, GO!" and taking off. Renee even jumped in and was running back and forth with V and A. I told them to take their socks off so they wouldn't be slipping all over the place...and that concept seemed to make sense to Violet. Now if I try to get her to wear socks, she whines about them being too slippery. Austin is very gentle with Calvin. He likes to play with him and help him figure out toys. There were times he would get frustrated and scream, but that is just Austin and part of his personality. Violet is really affected when other kids get in trouble. For example, if Carrie tells one of her kids to not do something, and they go ahead and do it anyway, Violet will freak out AS they are in the act of disobeying. She cries and tries to prevent them from doing what they're doing because she knows they'll get disciplined for it. Such a little sensitive. We had all four kids in the big hot tub tonight...it was so cute. They were all playing independently until Austin pushed the button that turned on the jets. Violet then FREAKED out and wanted to get out right away. That was fine though...we got her PJs on and she just observed the rest of bath time. So now we're up late...Carrie took a bath in the hot tub and I tried journaling what we all did...so we could tell them how cute they used to be and how well they played together when they were just little squirts.

I want to remember

my little nursing boy. This morning while I nursed him when he woke up we started playing the copy cat game. He would go "Mmm. Mmm." and I would repeat it. He noticed I copied him, so he let out a little gruntled laugh while trying to suck, and repeated "Mmm. Mmm." I can only assume to try get me to do it again. So I repeated it back to him, and he gruntled laughed even harder. He is so funny. We did that back and forth for awhile. The whole time his both arms are pressing SO hard against me, like he's done since birth, almost as if he's ready to fight the whole time. One arm under my armpit and one arm over my chest. Sometimes he rolls my skin between his fingers, and that hurts so bad. I have to unlatch his pinch so he can let go. He's so ticklish in the morning too. One little gentle rub on his belly and he's cackling. Its so stinkin' cute. He stood up unassisted yesterday. I think he forgot that he did it though, because he's never done it again. Old habits die hard even when you're just 10 months old, I guess. He always crawls to the wall, pulls up to start walking again, then falls down, and crawls back to a wall to pull up again. He even ate a huge piece of lasagna today for lunch. He almost polished off a serving size I might serve up for myself. Man...this kid is going to eat me out of house and home before I get to the store next. Its too easy (but probably unfair of me) to compare my kids' at the same age. When Violet was 10 months, she could stand alone, but just take 2 steps. She also didn't ever figure out how to use a sippy cup and properly tip it up enough to get a drink. She went straight to straw cups and always used those. Calvin can grab a sippy and hold it up to take a drink perfectly as if he has known how to do that his whole life. Weird how different two kids can be.

weird bedtime

Calvin was sleeping by 7:15 pm. I got Violet in bed by 7:30 tonight. She was a ball of energy too, jumping on her bed like a monkey with springs. She got up 4 different times with in the hour between 7:30 and 8:30. Each time she "HAD to go pee". 2 of those times, she pooped, and 2 of those times, she peed. I guess she really DID have to go, but why split it all up between 4 potty breaks?? Ugh! I'm going to start putting her to bed earlier because she lately has a habit of getting out of bed to take care of business for a long time. She is motivated to stay dry at night by a piece "of white gum" she says - which means the minty Orbit I keep in my purse. She is never dry in the morning though. *sigh* I wonder what it'll take. I let her go to sleep in undies a couple nights last week, but woke up wet both mornings and it doesn't seem to phase her that she's soaking wet. I got sick of the laundry, and went back to pull ups. I guess I'm sending her mixed signals, but right now I'm just leaving the issue alone.

Sold some stuff

I listed a bunch of stuff on craigslist and Ebay yesterday. I've gotten a lot of responses on some things, and 2 things have sold. Someone wanted that white bathroom vanity mirror that used to be in the bathroom at the river house. She took it for $20. Then another lady bought our dog care items from when Abby was alive. A few brushes, shedding undercoat rake, spike collar, leash, leftover Heartgard medicine, and a dog bowl. They bought all of it for $30. I'm putting the money into our 2nd checking account that we used to use for renting out our houses, but since we sold the townhouse, I've just used it to verify my paypal account. I'm saving up for Christmas, I guess. We haven't really factored that all into our budget yet, and if we're going to end up hosting all of Dave's family, we'll need the money. I also listed the old maroon recliner, hammock frame, a lamp, etc...just "stuff" we don't want but is still of value. We'll see how much momentum I keep up with trying to sell stuff. I might hold off until spring time for garage sale season. I'm a little surprised that none of our new neighbors (with the exception of one) have come to say hi. The two girls next door are ages 11 and 8. I had to laugh when the 8 yr old pulled me aside to ask me in a whispered and hushed tone "Can I tutor Violet when she is older?" I guess she's super enthusiastic about tutoring in school right now, LOL. The 11 yr old just rolled her eyes. They seem like nice people. Supposedly the other neighbor on the other side is the athletic director for UNI. We met some people while we were trick or treating 2 weeks ago, but nobody really knew who we were, so it was just a "hi and bye" type of thing.

She's been a difficult one lately

I can't count on Violet actually taking a nap these days. She always gets up to do something she considers very important. "I was just washing my hands, mom!" or "I needed to go pee, mom!" The other day after her nap, she emerged from her room wearing a completely different pair of clothes (pajamas, actually), and when I got to her room later, there were books covering every surface of her bed. *eye roll* So who knows. At least she's quiet and not bothering me. She'll either take a short messed up nap, or a long one for 4 hours. Its so weird. She's also been uncharacteristically defiant lately. I guess every "almost 3" yr old goes through it...but since I'm just parting the waters of this new stage of toddlerhood, I have nothing to compare her to. She pushed one of her friends over last week at Puggles and threw a toy at another. Dave made her say "i'm sorry" to each friend....and she talks about saying sorry to those two friends all the time, especially during prayer time before nap and before bedtime. She always prays and says thank you for her saying sorry to her friends and she prays that she will be a nicer friend. Today Dave told her not to touch a bowl on the table. He got up and walked away, and what does she do? Looks at him (I was looking at her and she didn't know it) and puts her hand on the bowl while his back is turned. I alerted him to what she did and he immediately turned around, said "I know you touched that bowl. You need to listen to me and obey EVEN IF I'M NOT LOOKING" in a very serious tone. She got a spanking for being disobedient, cried on the couch for a couple minutes, then he talked to her. He said "Why did I spank you?" She said "because I disobeyed daddy and I lied." I don't know what the lying thing is about, but she directly said that she disobeyed daddy. This discipline thing is so hard. The beginning of the morning is always her first lie. We ask her if her pull up is wet, and she says "no, I'm dry" but its wet. I feel like we've been all over her and on her case all the time, but I guess if this is what it takes, we'll do it. She got so many spankings today. And she cried hard for each one, then we hugged and talk about it each time as to why she got each spank. On a completely different subject, we're feeling a little more settled into this house. We moved some furniture that we want to keep for later on to the basement from the garage. That cleared up a lot of space in the garage while we still have both vehicles in there together for a couple more weeks. I took a ton of pictures of things I want to sell and put them on Craiglist and Ebay today. Probably...15 different things, from lamps to dog clippers, to the hammock frame...just "stuff" that is good, but not useful to us any more. I've already got lots of emails from people asking if things are still available. Dave is going to be in California tomorrow through Tuesday night. He's going out to what they call the User Group Conference. I think that just means its a big conference that lots of their customers go to, and he's going to be a part of it. I was supposed to go out there with him for this weekend, but financially it didn't happen to bring me and the kids along. Maybe next time. I'd rather take a family trip without involving Dave's work anyway. Then he's going to be home for a day and a half, leaving again on Thursday to go to Chicago first to stay at Josh's house, then Josh and him are going up to the UP to hunt for a couple days with their dad. Its always been a "life long dream" for their dad to take his sons hunting, so I'm sure he'll overjoyed and happy to find out that Dave is joining Josh on this hunting adventure. (he doesn't know Dave is going yet, he thinks Josh is just bringing a friend)

Its been a week

and I feel like I have nothing to write about. Sure, there were funny things that the kids did, but I can't remember anything right now. Dave and Violet just left to go to Awana/Puggles and its just me and Calvin. I got him distracted by a few toys in the other room so I could sit down. We got a van yesterday. The lease on our current vehicle expires in 3 weeks, so we knew we had to act fast. As the time got closer and closer, I was starting to feel more and more claustrophic in that litte car - the car seats are so huge and bulky, nearly touching together in the middle even though they were both installed one each outboard seat. In our searching and reading consumer reports' reviews, we knew we wanted a Toyota or a Honda van, but they are really hard to come by in a decent price range. On Friday, Dave was searching through autotrader.com and found a new listing for a 2000 Honda Odyssey listed for $4900 in Cedar Rapids. Supposedly it was listed for 2 months at $7900, but it didn't sell, so they dropped the price to $5900, and just recently lowered the price to $4900. We knew it wouldn't last long at that price, so we made plans to go look at it yesterday. We were able to negotiate the price down to $4700 out the door, which means that includes tax, title, and license registration fees. That brought the price of the van down to $4300 plus all that extra stuff. Dave Ramsey would be proud that we got a deal and paid cash! No car payment any more!!! I'm so happy about that! I'm so glad Jay lives in Cedar Rapids. We left right after breakfast and Calvin took a nap in the car. We dropped our kids off at Jay's apartment and he watched them for 2 hours while we took the van for a test drive and decided whether or not to buy it. We were extremely impressed by the condition it is in considering how many miles it has on it. It has a lot of features we didn't expect a van that old to have, a CD player, auto climate control, remote-control operating doors, fold down and stow away rear seat, and spots for ALL five rear seating positions to have top tether attachments for car seats. I was particular about this, since I'm a little picky about how my kids' car seats are installed. The two captain's chairs in the 2nd row have attachment hooks underneath the seats, and the back 3rd row has 3 screw-in anchor bolt holes, and the bolt parts can be ordered and they hook onto the back of the cargo area. If we have any more kids, a car seat would have to go back there and I'd need that attachment point. Go Honda! We are both glad to have it. The finish feels nice, the doors open and shut nicely, they don't feel sluggish, and it smells clean - no smoking, yay! Dave went to the hardware store today to buy a power washer. So many things need to be cleaned. I swear, this crap from the flooding is haunting us. There is dirty flooded machinery all in the work shop area of the garage which Dave plans to get cleaned up, fixed up, working again, and try to sell. *sigh* I wish he would just scrap it all. There is also a huuuuge pile of cardboard boxes that I want to get rid of. I'm going to put them on the swap sheet or craigslist or something for free and see if we get any bites. If not, they're all going down the recycling tube at the recycling center. Speaking of recycling, we need to start recycling again. We had a whole system of bins at the river house - now we don't have that all set up. It would cut down big time on the garbage we are producing. Someday, I guess. Priorities. There is still so much to do. My tendency is just to plow through it and get it done but Dave wants to take it slower and do it right. I guess we balance each other out in that way. A totally separate topic, but it just came to my mind. It seems to have finally clicked with Violet to hold her pee at night and go in the toilet if she has to go. She's always woken up with a wet pull up every single morning for the last 5 months. Last night we put her to bed around 8 pm, and she was up clunking around the bathroom at 9:30. We are NOT used to her getting up after we put her to bed. Usually that is the end of seeing her until morning. But she had gotten up and went to the bathroom on her own, and was very proud to announce that she held her pee and went to the potty. She even woke up dry this morning - and went on the toilet as soon as she got up. I am so proud of her! Who knows if it'll stay this way, but I'm going to keep praising her and encouraging her to keep it up. She was immediately rewarded with gum...her favorite prize of choice. Calvin my little man is all over the place. He can't stand up in the middle of the room on his own yet, but he eagerly crawls over to anything to help him stand up, and he's a walking toddler. He can walk the entire length of the house, and even turn corners without help. Last night in the bathtub (I had both kids in there at the same time), I can only explain how he was with one word: a torpedo. He was splashing all over the place, nonstop crawling from one end of the tub to the other, tossing toys out of the tub, standing up and looking at them, so I'd throw them back in and he'd do it all over again. I just can't believe how active and secure he is in the tub. Violet was so annoyed with him. She is so sensitive and cautious - she HATES water in her eyes. She always screams "Eyes! Eyes! Towel! I need a towel!!" if she gets even a drop on her eyelashes. It is so hard to wash her hair and rinse it out without a screaming 2 yr old on my hands. She is in the habit of crying like mad after getting because she's cold, too. I dry her off as fast as I can and wrap her up in her bathrobe quickly, but she still loves to cry and complain. Not much else I can do to help that situation. Calvin is now sleeping comfortably in a crib. A friend of mine, Amy Knox, who I know from MOPS, said to me last week that her kids' crib was in their basement (her kids are 3 and 5) and I could use it if I wanted. She wants it back since her husband built it, but she said I was more than welcome to borrow it for as long as I wanted. I was like "yes! thank you!" so she came over last week and set it up for me. We got a mattress that very night so he could sleep in it. I am so happy for him!! He has been sleeping in a hard pack and play for the last 5 months and now I feel better that he is more comfortable. We put a soft flannel sheet on the mattress, and the first night he got in it, he was so happy. I don't know if he was happy about the mattress, but he was giggling and bouncing all over the place, and lately, he always happily goes to sleep. One slight view of that bed if he's tired, and he's reaching down to get in for a paci so he can konk out. Awww. I just got up to do something. And the whole time I've been typing this, he's been happily playing with random toys. I just walked past him and he caught one glance of me, and immediately started crying and hysterically crawling over to me. Nobody can comfort him but me! He is up against the glass on the french door screaming. Ughhhh. I think he's tired though. Its 6:30 right now, but 7:30 prior to the time change last night, and he sometime goes to bed at 7:30. I'll keep him up for another 1/2 hour or so. I hope he latches on to his daddy one of these days so I can get a little break. If I hadn't gotten up and interrupted his concentrated play time, I'm sure he wouldn't have started crying. I am working with him and some sign language. I've only concentrated on "more" which is hands together, but he responds with putting his hands together when I say "do you want more?" when I'm feeding him. He proudly claps! I need to try other ones.

cleaning day

What a crazy day. Dave got up and early to meet with Dennis for coffee. When he got back, I had both kids in bed with me because they woke up while he was gone. Violet always gets to me before I wake up, and when Calvin wakes up, all he wants to do is lay in bed with me and nurse. Sooo...it was a typical morning in that way. Dave got home, decided to take the kids downstairs for me so I could shower, and he made eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. Yum! He used the grilling thing on our stove to make the bacon. It tasted alright - a little weird to have grilled bacon. Anyway...then after we cleaned up breakfast, he got out the cleaning stuff and said "I think I'll clean the toilets in the house." So...he went to town cleaning stuff. He did all 4 toilets, then he got himself on some crazy cleaning spree, and decided to tackle all the bathrooms, every surface. I helped him some. But the tubs, showers, toilets, walls, mirrors, counter tops, even light bulbs all got a scrubbing. He took down the ugly gold light fixtures in the kitchen and eating area and cleaned them, and even late tonight, he went outside and is cleaning the house sconce lights by the garage. Earlier he got the riding lawn mower out to try it and mowed a couple strips of the lawn, then noticed me and the kids were outside in the gazebo watching him. He turned off the mower to greet us, and then somehow couldn't get it started again...which made him frustrated. He determined it needed a new battery, so he and Violet went to Walmart to get a new battery for it. Its too dark now to work on it, but that threw a little wrench in his lawn mowing plans. I got some great pics of the kids outside today in the leaves Dave raked.

sad moment

Dave and I were just working on the couch together. Well, not really working together, but sort of. I was folding laundry, and he was sitting on the couch wrapped up with something with work on his computer playing 80s music. We have been casually talking off and on, nothing really continuous or connected. I mentioned to him "I'd like to put a little bench for the kids to sit on and put their shoes on over there by the laundry room door." He said "Yeah, that would be nice to have." and then my thoughts wandered and I said "yeah, because Violet used to have that little folding chair in the entry way of our old house...whatever happened to that, by the way? Did it get flooded?" He stopped for a moment and thought. "Yeah, it did." And then there was silence. I just nodded, and kept folding. My thoughts wandered off about the flood, thinking about the house, what it used to be like to trudge up the basement stairs, and the routine of Violet being excited to sit in her little folding chair to take off her coat and shoes before entering the house. I can replay it in my mind like reality. Dave's words then interrupted my thoughts and said "I just had a sad moment. I just keep having reoccuring moments like this about the flooded house. Like that mention of Violet's chair. I can just think about it and get very, very sad." I said "Yes, I know, I was just thinking that. I had a sad moment too. I mean, it was Violet's little chair! She loved that squeaky little thing." *sigh*

silly V

I have been unpacking and organizing all morning. Violet even said to me "Mama, I drive you nuts." and then I responded by saying "Well, yeah, but I love you too!" so that's been our exchange all morning. I'll say, "Violet, you drive me nuts!" and she'll say back "But you love me too!" and another: I was explaining to Violet earlier tonight that the water had to bubble before we put in the noodles (I was making her some mac and cheese), and after I told her the water was bubbling, she excitedly ran over to me because I told her she could pour the noodles in. She poured the noodles in, took another look at the boiling pot of soon-to-be-cooked noodles, and said "Mama, don't bubble me. Its too hot."

my little escape artist

Calvin is my little escape artist. He somehow got past the 2 baby gates we have in this house and got to the top of the stairs yesterday w/o me even realizing it. When I discovered he was missing, I ran to the stairs as soon as I could, and found him at the top step, excited as can be! He was smiling and flapping his arms - obviously very proud of himself! I was so glad he didn't fall though. He can walk now! He's just 9 1/2 months, and can take 15-20 steps. Usually his attempts get him 5 or 6 steps but his longest was 15 or something like that. Violet fell down on the tile floor off the kitchen table chair the 2nd day we lived in this house. We winces in pain every time we pick her up from under the arms, we we have to avoid doing that. I even took her to the doctor because she seemed like it was bothering her so much, but it doesn't seem like anything is broken - he suspects a muscle spasm or a strain. Its a week later and it still hurts her.

I have these things written on a piece of scrap paper

and I want to keep them recorded here so I don't lose it. Violet was eating breakfast the other day and she said this: "Mommy, when I'm done with my oatmeal I will lay down on the couch and rest for awhile, OK?" and as she noticed I was writing on this scrap of paper, she said "Mom? What you do? Are you coloring? Or writing? For Uncle Jay or for Molly? or for Daddy or Mommy or Violet or Calvin?" Me: "Violet, you're silly." Violet: "No, I'm a cowboy. I'm a cowGIRL. I will show daddy - I will tell daddy i'm a cowboy, OK?" "I got my last bite!" "Mommy, my tummy is full" Her speech is amazing. I can't believe how much she's changed in the last 4 months. Just 4 months ago she was annoyingly repeating everything I would say to her, but now she's easily conversing with me, coming up with her own ideas and thoughts, and clearly communicating them.

just because we're finally here

Doesn't mean the pain goes away. I was looking at old photos today and really missing the water. I love the water. The beautiful sparkley river that was constantly changing. This house is amazing, don't get me wrong, or think I'm not thankful or that God isn't taking care of me and my family, but gosh, this is still incredibly hard. The flood is going to be our life story for the REST of our lives. We just want it to be over. But it won't ever be. People will always ask us ... so how did you end up in this house? And that will be the forever story. The flood. It will never go away! We are going through cruddy flooded crap every moment we get once the kids go to bed at night. We have thrown so much stuff away, and lots of clean things we have set aside for a garage sale in the spring. I can't wait to get organized!!!!! I'm afraid to put anything away, for fear that it won't be organized or I'll never get to it again. I have a desire to do everything right this time, after living in 5 different houses in the last 5 years (whoa), to ONLY KEEP THINGS that we use on a regular basis, and continually sift out junk we don't want or need.

We're finally at "home"

We moved on Saturday. What a day it was. I can't really explain it other than absolute craziness! I couldn't help move much because I was chasing after Violet to keep her out of people's way and holding Calvin on my hip the whole day. He weighs almost 21 lbs now so he was a big lug to haul around. We had tons of people come help. It was a BIG effort too. First we loaded up a 26" truck at the rental house and unloaded at the Briarwood house, then the crew ate lunch so graciously provided by Barb Anderson, then loaded up the river house and unloaded it at the Briarwood house in the garage. The garage was so full, that we didn't even have space to park our car in it! 4 stalls, and its chock full of stuff!! I feel a huge burden to get rid of stuff, big time. I just feel like we have way too much stuff. Dave feels the same way, so I'm glad we're on the same page. We have a different philosophy of getting rid of stuff, though. He prefers to keep stuff that may be useful or of value, and I'm like "just throw it out" or "put it in the garage sale pile already!" I want to do things right this time - now that we feel a great sense of permanency. I want to organize well, store things well, and just keep what we need and want, not extra stuff we don't use or don't like. Teresa Smith helped me set up the kitchen for a few hours the day we moved. That was a big help! I have slowly spent the next few days putting things away and organizing. I spent 4 hours working on our upstairs bathroom - I think I threw away a whole garbage bag of stuff that we had collected over time. Expired meds, hair things I never use, hair products I haven't touched in ages, etc. It felt SO good to get rid of it. When Dave and I were putting clothes away, we both got rid of a big box full of clothes we don't like anymore or don't fit. (sad to say that was the case for many of my things!) My mom was here Sunday helping put the kids' stuff in their rooms. So....I feel the basics are covered. We do have a lot of unpacking and organizing to do in the garage yet, but that will come with time as we have spare time. I'm just ecstatic to finally be here. I can't wait to be all done and organized. The river house is still our property and we are waiting for a possible city buy-out in the spring.

A sweet morning

I had a precious moment this morning. Violet walked silently into my room at 7 am loaded up with Elmo and 3 of her favorite blankets and her special yellow pillow, snuck into the side of the bed where daddy was missing (he's on a work trip right now), and whispered to me "Mama, I will go to feep in your bed, otay?" I mumbled "Ok baby" and she laid her head down and fell asleep for another 1/2 an hour with me. Awww....The sweet quiet moment came to an abrupt halt when she sprung up and said "mama! I'm hungy!!" Calvin even slept in til 8 am, and when I went down to his room in the basement, he was smiling and started jumping up and down when he saw me. What fun! I am so glad he wasn't screaming like usual.

Mama Ruth is 111 yrs old - our trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas

The timing of the trip was a little poor, considering we were just in Chicago 2 weekends ago, then Minnesota 1 weekend ago. We just can't seem to stay home long enough to get packed!! We made the yearly trip to Little Rock, AR to celebrate (what I think will be) Mama Ruth's last birthday. I could be 100% wrong....but she really said she is weaker and thinks this is her last year. The trip taking both kids on the airplanes was actually better than I expected. We bought a ticket for each child, so we could take them both on the airplane and use their car seats. That was the best decision ever. Its so nice to have them buckled in (and safer too!) on the airplane so they could sleep. Our first flight was Thursday (Oct 2nd) from Waterloo to Minneapolis. It was loud and quick. Calvin was pretty fussy. He did NOT like me putting earplugs in his ears. He seemed to be calmed by the paci most of the first flight. The 2nd flight was from Minneapolis to Oklahoma City, where we made a point to stop overnight at Rachel's apartment and see whats going on with her. The 2nd flight went EXTREMELY well. Both kids fell asleep for the entirety of the 2 hours we were up in the air. That was SO nice. Rachel met us at baggage claim in her blue scrubs fresh from school. We got settled into the rental car (Chevy Tahoe w/ 3rd row seat) and Rachel guided us back to the school, gave us a tour, and then we went back to her apartment for a chicken parmesan dinner she cooked. Yum! Her friend (well, boyfriend, I guess) Paul hung out with us too. The kids slept in Rachel's room (Calvin in a pack and play borrowed from Justin, one of Rachel's ortho friends) and Violet in a sleeping bag (which she ended up sleeping ON TOP of the whole night, lol). They slept alright. That night Calvin decided to wake up at 5:15 am like a crazy happy man, and I managed to stay awake and let him crawl around to burn off some energy. He eventually got tired and fell asleep from 6:30-7:30 am so I could get a little more sleep. Rachel, Dave and I all camped out on Rachel's living room couch, air mattres, and used her mattress from her bed on the floor. So funny! Good thing nobody snores. We drove to Little Rock together on Friday the 3rd. We had plans to make it by 4 pm to watch Mama Ruth go up in a helicopter ride. We BARELY made it. We pulled into the parking lot at Parkway Village almost at the same time the chopper blades started spinning and lifted off the ground. Everybody was there, and we all enjoyed ice cream cones and ice cream cookie sandwiches. Violet loved seeing everybody and easily went to other people she was familiar with - Great Grandma Rowena and Great Grandpa Loren, for example. We ate ice cream and waited for the helicopter to land. We settled into our guest room at Parkway for the night and quickly changed clothes to get ready for dinner that night at some asian restaurant...dinsome thensome or whatever. I was SO tired from all the travel and the long drive. The kids were also tired, whiney and melting down. I barely remember the conversations I had that night ~ my eyes felt glazed over. We were so anxious to get the kids to bed, so we left as soon as we could. The next day (Saturday, Oct 4th) was the regular luncheon at the country club. We sat at a table with Ruth and Michael, Sara Lincoln, Rachel, Jay and Molly. Grandma Rowena tried to get Violet to sit over at the kids' table with all the other kids, but Violet was too scared and nervous, so she sat with us. She ate lots of chicken and fries ~ in fact, I think she lived off fried chicken that weekend. Every kid menu we ordered from ~ that was the only thing she would have eaten. Calvin was OK - he was happy with little bits of food here and there sitting in his high chair playing with a floating balloon tied to his high chair. The country club had a nice cake, but it wasn't the traditional carrot/spice cake as in previous years. I found that disappointing, lol! I was lookin' forward to that cake! We took the kids back to Patty and Jim's house so we could put them down for naps. Dave volunteered to stay at their house while I joined the rest of the family on a walk across the bridge over the Arkansas River. I drove the big Tahoe with Grandpa Loren, Rachel, Jay and Molly in it successfully downtown with almost no wrong turns (I screwed up in the parking lot, but oh well). Dinner that night was a continuation of just conversation, talking, and socializing at Patty and Jim's. Danny Deislinger had a big catfish fry organized, so we enjoyed eating lots of food that night too. Sunday morning was a little crazy, but it went pretty well. Great Grandma Ruth was SO excited that almost everyone joined her at church. The kids did alright. Calvin was happy being passed from person to person and didn't make too much of a fuss. Violet was happy sitting with daddy most of the time, eating random snacks from whatever she could find in the diaper bag. People were generally impressed with our kids' behavior and said they enjoyed her presence. That was nice to hear! I specifically remember being at the dinsome thensome restaurant on Friday night ~ I asked Violet to go get her flip flops and put them on her feet. She said "ok!" and ran off. Ashley Abraham said "oh wow! She'll actually go do it!?" as though she didn't expect Violet to obey as well as she did. Violet got a big kick out of going on the airplane. I know she didn't really "get it" that the airplane was going really fast and really high ~ but she liked knowing she was going on an airplane and that she got to ride in her car seat. She especially loves to do EVERYTHING herself...including climbing up into her seat by herself, and doing the buckles. Sometimes she can get the whole thing, sometimes the straps are a little too tight and she can't quite get it done. She was a bit of a challenge to get her to stay close to us as we walked through the airport going from place to place, but I usually could steer her to stay close to me by asking if she could help me push Calvin's stroller. She absolutely loves to help with that kind of stuff. Also, she would get VERY excited at the moving sidewalks in the airport terminals, being able to get on and off them by herself, and anticipating another moving sidewalk, one right after another. She squealed in delight when she would notice another one coming up! She always "helped" us by pushing the elevator buttons and the buttons for handicapped people so the doors would open automatically, almost everywhere we went. She was pretty social, randomly waving to people and saying "hi!" She is so cute, growing up so fast, and I am just amazed by her!

Violet's first hair cut was today!

We went to Jiva SalonSpa this morning at 9:30 am. She did so good! Well, after a 2 second bout of crying when I tried to put her in the chair at first. She screamed, then calmed down when the ladies gave her a sucker and I sat with her in the chair at first. She seemed perfectly content with her sucker, so I got to set her down on the chair with a big booster seat on it. She lady's name was Diana, and Violet pronounced it "Dee-anna". She got a short bob just like my hair, with her hair slightly shorter in the back. I was sad to see her little curls go, but they were just looking so scraggly and weird - so Dave and I knew it was time for a new look. By the end when she was done, she was proudly announcing "I got a hair cut!" to everyone she saw! So cute!!

poop

I just was in the kitchen mixing up a bowl of batter to make chocolate chunk bars ~ and Violet ways "I wanna see whats in that bowl." I say "Ok, here it is" lowering the bowl so she can see. She says "momma? Is that pooop?" what a disgusted look on her face. haha!

funny

I had a funny moment today after I put Violet down for a nap. We're still living in this little rental house on Robin Rd in Waterloo. The bathroom door is at the end of the hallway, so is our bedroom door and Violet's bedroom door with in 2 feet of each other. Well..I finally took a nap when both kids were sleeping. 15 minutes after I put her to bed, I had already taken a shower, changed into my clothes for the day, and started to blow-dry my hair. I thought she was well asleep by now, but she wasn't! The blow-dryer always puts me into kind of a trance...falsely making me think everything else going on around me is A-OK. Well...the door was cracked open as I was using the hair dryer, and I see a brightly colored thing go flying past the door. I was like HUH? I shut off the dryer and open the door to see Violet running back into her room and slamming the door shut as fast as she could. I went into her room and she had tried to hop back into bed without me knowing was was going on, apparently. I asked her "what are you doing?" She said "I don't want that toy in my room. I was just putting it outside. That toy. I don't like it." while shaking her head and flopping her arms. It was that ride-on toy that converts to a little infant push-walker. I guess it freaked her out! I just laughed and told her to go to sleep. She flopped her head back on the pillow and turned over without a single word or protest. My little girl is turning into such a little GIRL already!! Also, I can't remember if I recorded this or not, but I'll do it again just in case. A few weeks ago Dave was in California, and Violet knew that he flew away to California to work, so mid-week, I hear her start singing this song in the morning right after she woke up (to the tune of "where is thumpkin"): "Where is Mommy? Where is Mommy? She's right here, she's right here Where is mommy? where is mommy? She's right here, she's right here. Where is daddy? Where is daddy? He flew away, he flew away! Where is daddy? where is daddy? He flew away, he flew away!"

crunch time

Things with us are going super fast and crazy. We are closing on the Briarwood house on October 10th. And we're leaving for every single weekend until then! We're nuts! Just last weekend we went to see Josh and Carrie for his 30th birthday. Then next weekend we're going to Gary Pace's wedding, and the weekend after that is the celebration in Arkansas for my great grandma Ruth's 111th birthday. I just can't believe how old she is!!!!! Violet did SO much better at Josh and Carrie's house this time than 5 months ago. She was a mess last time, freaking out and crying and whining if I wasn't with her. This time she was comfortable, played around as much as she wanted with Austin and would be in different rooms with out me, it was so nice to have that freedom. Calvin didn't sleep all that great. All of us were sleeping in the basement together (each kid in a pack n play and us on the futon) and Calvin woke up each night screaming a couple times, both of which I nursed him back to sleep. I'm just glad he didn't wake up V in the middle of the night. He doesn't get that special treatment at home. In fact, I thought he was sleeping through the night, but I learned that he isn't. We just don't hear him because of the loud fan in our room...but whatever...he always gets himself back to sleep anyway. He's used to it. Today I went downstairs to the basement bedroom to put C down for a nap, and the door was locked. I was SO frustrated. He was so tired, was already suckin' on his paci and I couldn't open the door. V had already gone down for a nap and Dave was hopping on an important conference call, so he couldn't help me. I snuck into V's room, grabbed C's swing, and temporarily set it up in our bedroom so he could swing in it and hopefully fall asleep. I hung up blankets, towels, and jeans up against the window so it would be darker. I noticed him falling asleep after a few minutes, so I asked Dave if I could run some errands while they slept. He said OK, so I left, and he ended up taking the pins of the door so he could get in that room. V has been into locking doors lately, so I'm 100% sure it was her turning the knob on that door and locking it. Dave put some duct tape over it for now so that won't happen again. I went running this morning. It was the hardest run ever. It was horrible. I ached. I got a stabbing side cramp early on that just intensified as I ran, so I stopped and walked a lot. I am really sore now, and have a tight muscle in my back. I hope it isn't always this hard. I might go once again this week. We'll see. We spent the evening over at the river house packing. Barb A came over to help us for an hour. She's such a servant. We got right to it and just filled boxes. We are very close to being almost done w/ that house. I'm trying to think about what Violet has been saying lately. She's speaking in full 100% sentences and is conversing perfectly like she's an almost 3 yr old. In some respects, its sooo nice that she can speak so well. She communicates things that she couldn't just a few months ago. But in some ways, she talks SO much it annoys me!! Agh! Her funny thing lately is to force a belly laugh. HA HA HA in a deep voice...its so hysterical. Calvin is just as goofy as ever. He loves 1 on 1 attention and craves to be with me 100% of the time. He'll be so happy in my lap, and if I put him on the floor to play, he will scream and cry. If Dave is holding him or playing with him and he catches a view of me, he screams and cries. Mama's boy. *eye roll* I love it though! He's still nursing 4 or 5 times a day and eating a lot of food. He would park himself in the high chair all day and just eat 24/7 if he could, I swear! I run out of ideas of what to feed him. He can't really do food chunks that well yet, he chokes.

funny conversation

Violet noticed I was in the bathroom takin' care of business, and she said "mama? whatchyou doin'?" I told her "Mama had to go pee." She said "Mama have to go poopie?" I said "Maybe." She said, "Mama, want a book?" I said "sure!" *she comes back running with a book* I say "thank you!!" She comes up to me, pushes on my back to make me lean over, and says "Mama, I need to wipe your butt."

nothing special really, just rambling

I made a fruit pizza for the Hemmers yesterday. Little Evan busted his tooth on a brick wall and he had to go to the doctor and get it removed. I felt so bad for him and Selena. She was a pregnant nervous emotional wreck! She took him in today to get it removed and she said she felt wrapped in prayer and got through the day. I took him a fruit pizza because I know how much that little guy likes fruit. He's so crazy and silly. Violet listens to every single word I say. I don't even realize it! I called Trisha this morning to see how things were going with her and she said she was having trouble with her breast pump working. I remember saying "oh no! Do you have those little white flaps on the valve inside the bottle?" or something like that. About an hour later after that conversation was long over, Violet picks up her little toy phone, puts it up to her ear, and says "oh no! Have white little faps?" and then went on to say something like "Whats wrong? yeah...otay...no...k....yeah....I will take your ban-naid off. Tank you. Otay." I was shocked she remembered! Good grief! Today was a hard day. We didn't leave the house. I think that was the problem. Dave is in California all week and I have the kids alone all week. I was majorly dreading this week because I am very prone to being short and snappy with Violet when I'm stressed. She knows how to push my buttons, too. I hate leaving the house with both kids because its so much work getting them both in and out of the car and going somewhere in that very short little window of time where neither of them are tired or hungry, so its just easier not to go anywhere. But when we get stuck in this little rental house all day we drive each other NUTS. The kids don't have anywhere to go but be around me 24/7. Violet is constantly demanding that I play with her, color with her, read with her. I do those things but get insanely bored and impatient. Horrible of me, I know...but I just need me time, me space to just relax. No such thing when you're a single parent for a week. She misses her daddy something fierce. She keeps asking about him, wondering when he's coming back. We were on the phone with Dave when she was going to bed. She was talking to him on the phone, and said to him "Daddy, can you hold on for a minute. I want to look at mommy's owie on her foot." LOL!! So she gave the phone to me and wanted to see how my foot was healing from the wart that was removed last month. Yes, its still healing. So then she got the phone back. She remembers that he flew away on a red airplane and that Dave is in California. She said "Californyyyyah"? She always points out the obvious to whoever she's on the phone with. "There's mommy, and here is Violet, and there is Calvin."