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.