Well, this was an incredibly busy week for us!
The week prior to classes beginning for TAMU is always hectic for me, and my Monday began with an all day New Graduate Student Orientation. Yes, the same day as Kellen's first day of school and Tatum's first day in her new daycare. The rest of the week seemed just as crazy, but it was pretty usual, so we'll just ignore it.
As for Kellen, he's LOVING first grade, enjoying his teacher, and having a good time of things so far. Kids Klub has been great, and he's even asked me why I have picked him up before it was over. Um, I thought getting me getting off of work on time to get you was a good thing?
And Tatum, she seems to be adjusting well except for a slight reverting with her potty issues. She started out the week with quite a few more accidents than normal, did progressively better until Thursday when she had ZERO accidents, then had lots of accidents on Friday. She'll get there! Socially, she's doing great...the teachers and other students with whom I see her interacting really seem to enjoy her, and she enjoys them, so I feel comfortable with the transition. I just have to get used to packing her lunch and preparing extra snacks in case they're serving something she can't eat. But from her end, she feels so independent carrying her backpack and lunchbag into that school! I can tell that it brings her such joy and that she feels like such a big girl with just that little bit of responsibility!
Training is still training, and the end of my borrow month is coming to a close. I have had the pleasure of borrowing a wonderful bike to train on for the month of August and I believe I am now spoiled to this bike. I am so grateful for the opportunity and generosity of the loan! We're really pushing ourselves, and it's nice to be working out with other ladies that will push....this has been a really good experience. We all have our "off" days, but luckily they're never on the same day so we all end up encouraging each other!
I pray that the kids have another wonderful week! We have a lot in store this week for various members of the fam...Texans game, Astros game, first Aggies game (anyone catching a theme here?), and Mommy also gets a Ladies night out this week!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
1st Day of School
Well, I'm glad that the kids are excited about school.
Kellen, at 4:30 AM this morning, excitedly declared, "This is the BEST DAY EVER! The first day of first grade!"
(I told him it was NOT wake up time and to go back to bed. I know, I know. I'm a kill-joy. I figured Daddy would have not been happy if the two kids would have been awake as I was leaving for my workout.)
Not to be outdone in the quest for independence, Tatum simply blew me a kiss and nonchalantly said, "Bye, bye, Mommy!" when I dropped her off in her room at her new daycare. Amazingly enough, she remembered a girl, by name, from visiting the school last week (she was there for 2 hours on Thursday) and Tatum seemed quite a bit more at ease this morning than the girl she tried to befriend!
I guess it's a good thing that they can adjust easily to new surroundings, right? It just kinda takes me aback when I realize that Mommy and Daddy are doing a good job of teaching them to be independent. The other side to that coin is that they are independent - as in - they didn't really need us all that much today.
And THAT, my friends, means that my kiddos are actually growing up. When did THAT happen?
Here are some pictures of Kellen before leaving for school. Pay special attention to the apple. It was a must-have for the first day of school. Why, you ask? Because as everyone knows, you give apples to teachers. "That's what first graders do."
Kellen, at 4:30 AM this morning, excitedly declared, "This is the BEST DAY EVER! The first day of first grade!"
(I told him it was NOT wake up time and to go back to bed. I know, I know. I'm a kill-joy. I figured Daddy would have not been happy if the two kids would have been awake as I was leaving for my workout.)
Not to be outdone in the quest for independence, Tatum simply blew me a kiss and nonchalantly said, "Bye, bye, Mommy!" when I dropped her off in her room at her new daycare. Amazingly enough, she remembered a girl, by name, from visiting the school last week (she was there for 2 hours on Thursday) and Tatum seemed quite a bit more at ease this morning than the girl she tried to befriend!
I guess it's a good thing that they can adjust easily to new surroundings, right? It just kinda takes me aback when I realize that Mommy and Daddy are doing a good job of teaching them to be independent. The other side to that coin is that they are independent - as in - they didn't really need us all that much today.
And THAT, my friends, means that my kiddos are actually growing up. When did THAT happen?
Here are some pictures of Kellen before leaving for school. Pay special attention to the apple. It was a must-have for the first day of school. Why, you ask? Because as everyone knows, you give apples to teachers. "That's what first graders do."
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Officially on vacation....
Yes, you read that correctly. I have taken the week off. The WHOLE week.
Officially, my last day of work before the vacation was a long one...beginning at 6:45 AM and lasting until 6:30 PM...and I only ended the day because my co-worker stayed and helped me, despite me trying to make him leave. It would have been a much longer day without him. We began with graduation breakfast, then lining students up for graduation, then ran to get something to eat ('cause I had more attend the breakfast than had RSVP'ed, and the food was perfect for the students and their guests, it just didn't cover faculty/staff very well), then it was a mad scramble to finish everything on my list that needed to be done before I left and prepared for me for when I get back...back to a full-day new graduate orientation.
I'm so kind to myself, aren't I?
Anywhoo....I finished working, made it home, packed up, and headed back out....to a Ladies Slumber Party!!! The ladies from our Sunday School class have decided to really try and work on some fellowship opportunities lately, and this was just an "extra" thing that was scheduled. It was a lot of fun, and I am so glad to be getting to know so many more ladies around here!
Saturday was pretty relaxing...headed back home, hung out with the kids, tried to keep the laundry going and clean up the house, you know....normal Saturday activities. I think there might have even been a nap in there, too.
Sunday I had a nice combo bike/run workout (~6 miles bike/15 min run) with my ladies at 6AM, then after church and naps, we loaded up all of the swim accessories, headed to a friends house for a cook-out, set up the pool and slip n slide, and let the kids have at it while the adults chatted. After the kids were through playing, we then exposed them (and me!!) to their Wii...and played bowling. I just WISH I could bowl that well in real life! Kellen was doing great, Tatum liked it, but wasn't grasping the letting-go-of-the-button aspect, and Matt, well....watching Kellen and Daddy play was quite entertaining.
Monday morning, my first "official" day of vacation, began quite nicely...4:30 AM to get up and meet some ladies for a long bike ride (~9 miles). It was a good ride, despite having some equipment issues and falling off of the bike when I stopped (not even a cool story!). Honestly, it was good for me to fall off, considering I'm terrified of doing so. I did it and it wasn't that big of a deal. Not to say I want to do it again, but hey... We also learned that we'll have to evaluate our bike routes for our 5 AM rides...it was fairly dark for a ride that early, and many of the street lights weren't actually on.
Anyway, we got ready and headed out to Waco - destination: Cameron Park Zoo. Our plan was to meet up with Jules & her kiddos. We left about 45 minutes later than I had intended, but considering that there was no real schedule anyway, I guess it wasn't that big of a deal (Jules may disagree). The kids were SO well behaved in the car on the way there...there were no random outbursts from Tatum, Kellen played his Leapster with his headphones in, and everyone just chilled out. When we FINALLY got there. The directions on their site are slightly misleading...it's difficult to get there from University Parks Dr unless you know where to turn. I didn't know where to turn. I knew I was close, and was driving around looking for 4th street or an entrance from University Parks, had the kids singing, "Zoo, zoo, where are you?" I finally found an entrance, from neither of the streets the website had indicated...5th Street!! They had a GREAT time at the zoo, and we finished up in there shortly after 1:30 PM, and headed to Cameron Park for our picnic lunch and playing. We were on the road headed back to the motherland by about 2:45, and the kids were O-U-T by the time I got onto Hwy 6, and slept the entire trip back.
Last night we watched Underdog, then ate dinner, and everyone was in bed fairly early, including Mommy!
Today, my second day of vacation, began slightly different than yesterday. Other than the normal Kellen-in-bed and Tatum-crying-at-5:30-and-needs-to-go-back-to-sleep, I was truly awoken this morning by Tatum handing me her pullup (we tried it yesterday and last night...worked great! Stay tuned for how her skin reacts.) with a "present" in it - "present" side up and pullup completely off of her body....It was like she was handing me something on a silver platter, and it's quite a bit different than breakfast in bed. Needless to say, I was up in a flash!
My plans for today are a little more laid back than yesterday...perhaps some playing in the backyard, the pool, a walk to the park to feed the ducks, and throw in the laundry now and then to keep it going. The dishwasher is running, and I might get energized and sweep, mop, vacuum, but who knows? I told Daddy that I was on vacation, meaning that I wasn't going to houseclean, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make good on that one (not that Daddy will mind). They both wanted to play with cars this morning, and then asked to watch Cars, so that's what they're doing right now.
When the software decides to cooperate, I'll upload some pictures from yesterday...
Officially, my last day of work before the vacation was a long one...beginning at 6:45 AM and lasting until 6:30 PM...and I only ended the day because my co-worker stayed and helped me, despite me trying to make him leave. It would have been a much longer day without him. We began with graduation breakfast, then lining students up for graduation, then ran to get something to eat ('cause I had more attend the breakfast than had RSVP'ed, and the food was perfect for the students and their guests, it just didn't cover faculty/staff very well), then it was a mad scramble to finish everything on my list that needed to be done before I left and prepared for me for when I get back...back to a full-day new graduate orientation.
I'm so kind to myself, aren't I?
Anywhoo....I finished working, made it home, packed up, and headed back out....to a Ladies Slumber Party!!! The ladies from our Sunday School class have decided to really try and work on some fellowship opportunities lately, and this was just an "extra" thing that was scheduled. It was a lot of fun, and I am so glad to be getting to know so many more ladies around here!
Saturday was pretty relaxing...headed back home, hung out with the kids, tried to keep the laundry going and clean up the house, you know....normal Saturday activities. I think there might have even been a nap in there, too.
Sunday I had a nice combo bike/run workout (~6 miles bike/15 min run) with my ladies at 6AM, then after church and naps, we loaded up all of the swim accessories, headed to a friends house for a cook-out, set up the pool and slip n slide, and let the kids have at it while the adults chatted. After the kids were through playing, we then exposed them (and me!!) to their Wii...and played bowling. I just WISH I could bowl that well in real life! Kellen was doing great, Tatum liked it, but wasn't grasping the letting-go-of-the-button aspect, and Matt, well....watching Kellen and Daddy play was quite entertaining.
Monday morning, my first "official" day of vacation, began quite nicely...4:30 AM to get up and meet some ladies for a long bike ride (~9 miles). It was a good ride, despite having some equipment issues and falling off of the bike when I stopped (not even a cool story!). Honestly, it was good for me to fall off, considering I'm terrified of doing so. I did it and it wasn't that big of a deal. Not to say I want to do it again, but hey... We also learned that we'll have to evaluate our bike routes for our 5 AM rides...it was fairly dark for a ride that early, and many of the street lights weren't actually on.
Anyway, we got ready and headed out to Waco - destination: Cameron Park Zoo. Our plan was to meet up with Jules & her kiddos. We left about 45 minutes later than I had intended, but considering that there was no real schedule anyway, I guess it wasn't that big of a deal (Jules may disagree). The kids were SO well behaved in the car on the way there...there were no random outbursts from Tatum, Kellen played his Leapster with his headphones in, and everyone just chilled out. When we FINALLY got there. The directions on their site are slightly misleading...it's difficult to get there from University Parks Dr unless you know where to turn. I didn't know where to turn. I knew I was close, and was driving around looking for 4th street or an entrance from University Parks, had the kids singing, "Zoo, zoo, where are you?" I finally found an entrance, from neither of the streets the website had indicated...5th Street!! They had a GREAT time at the zoo, and we finished up in there shortly after 1:30 PM, and headed to Cameron Park for our picnic lunch and playing. We were on the road headed back to the motherland by about 2:45, and the kids were O-U-T by the time I got onto Hwy 6, and slept the entire trip back.
Last night we watched Underdog, then ate dinner, and everyone was in bed fairly early, including Mommy!
Today, my second day of vacation, began slightly different than yesterday. Other than the normal Kellen-in-bed and Tatum-crying-at-5:30-and-needs-to-go-back-to-sleep, I was truly awoken this morning by Tatum handing me her pullup (we tried it yesterday and last night...worked great! Stay tuned for how her skin reacts.) with a "present" in it - "present" side up and pullup completely off of her body....It was like she was handing me something on a silver platter, and it's quite a bit different than breakfast in bed. Needless to say, I was up in a flash!
My plans for today are a little more laid back than yesterday...perhaps some playing in the backyard, the pool, a walk to the park to feed the ducks, and throw in the laundry now and then to keep it going. The dishwasher is running, and I might get energized and sweep, mop, vacuum, but who knows? I told Daddy that I was on vacation, meaning that I wasn't going to houseclean, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make good on that one (not that Daddy will mind). They both wanted to play with cars this morning, and then asked to watch Cars, so that's what they're doing right now.
When the software decides to cooperate, I'll upload some pictures from yesterday...
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Mental Health Day
Today I took almost a full mental health day for myself.
I slept in, and luckily so did Tatum, then got ready and I took her to school. I decided that I would do a combo training workout this morning, so when I got back to the house, I drove a path for the bike route - a 1 1/2 mile path. I headed out on the bike, did the path twice in 17 minutes (I have NO idea if that's a good time or not, but considering it's the first time I've been on a bike since Crazy Mike's Bike Tour in Munich, Germany in 1996, I'll take it). I then put the bike in the garage and headed out for a jog. My initial goal was 2 miles, but I quickly changed that to a 1 mile jog when a I realized that the two pieces of lead attached to my hips weren't working very well. I think the third day of three consecutive days of working out has finally caught up with me. I'm BEAT!
I made it back home just as Matt and Kellen were pulling into the driveway. Kellen and I changed clothes into our swim gear, and we headed out to our pre-planned, pool play date. We were scheduled to meet his kindergarten teacher and her son at their neighborhood pool today at 10 and just hang out all day, or at least until I had to leave to get ready for the REU poster presentations late in the afternoon. So we made a quick errand stop and got over there around 10:15 and started our lounging and playing.
It was quite the day. Just what I needed. Lounging, basking, playing, and a whole lot of nothing.
We left there mid-afternoon and headed back to the house. On the way, Kellen said, "My eyelids are heavy," and seconds later I look back and he had fallen asleep. When I got to the house, I woke him up, asked him to change his clothes and just lay down until I was ready to go. He did, and then konked out on his bed - under the covers and all. When it was time to leave for the poster presentations, I attempted to wake him up, then had to spend a few minutes calming him down. When he gets REALLY tired, he gets worked up and it takes a while to get him calmed down once he's upset. It's a learned trick that requires patience, and is incredibly frustrating, even if you KNOW he's tired and that his being tired is the root cause of his behavior. This didn't last very long, but long enough for me to be reminded that he's still my little boy that needs his Mommy every once in a while.
Anyway, we got to the poster presentations and he sat down and played his Leapster, ate the snacks I had packed for him, and was on his best behavior. He was GREAT! So great, in fact, that after it was over and we had picked up Tatum, he got a treat of McDonald's for his behavior. Lucky Tatum, she got to benefit from it as well, since they both received Happy Meal's and were able to eat it picnic style while watching Veggie Tales because of the deal! That is such a treat for them....any food, in the living room, picnic style.
He and I snuggled some more before he went to bed, after I rubbed lotion on his sunburned face (it's not too bad, but I do believe it's his first ever sunburn). His face is red and his shoulders are a little pink. As for me, I just underestimated the sunscreen for myself altogether. I'm totally sunburned and you can see the outline of the bathing suit I was wearing. Kellen looked at me tonight before getting ready for bed and asked what the outline was (around my neck).
My response, "That was the color that Mommy started out today. The other color is how sunburned Mommy is now."
Kellen: "Wow, Mommy. It's really RED! I'm not laughing at you because you're sunburned, but it's just really RED!"
Bless his heart! He remembers my REALLY BAD sunburn from last summer (our river float adventure) and brought that back to my attention tonight. As in, 'It will be ok, Mommy. You had a sunburn last year when we were at the rock house and you got better. You will get better this time, too.' And this is nothing like that one. I anticipate that by Thursday or Friday this will have tanned itself out.
At least that's what I'm telling myself. :) I've already peeled once this summer and once is my limit.
I slept in, and luckily so did Tatum, then got ready and I took her to school. I decided that I would do a combo training workout this morning, so when I got back to the house, I drove a path for the bike route - a 1 1/2 mile path. I headed out on the bike, did the path twice in 17 minutes (I have NO idea if that's a good time or not, but considering it's the first time I've been on a bike since Crazy Mike's Bike Tour in Munich, Germany in 1996, I'll take it). I then put the bike in the garage and headed out for a jog. My initial goal was 2 miles, but I quickly changed that to a 1 mile jog when a I realized that the two pieces of lead attached to my hips weren't working very well. I think the third day of three consecutive days of working out has finally caught up with me. I'm BEAT!
I made it back home just as Matt and Kellen were pulling into the driveway. Kellen and I changed clothes into our swim gear, and we headed out to our pre-planned, pool play date. We were scheduled to meet his kindergarten teacher and her son at their neighborhood pool today at 10 and just hang out all day, or at least until I had to leave to get ready for the REU poster presentations late in the afternoon. So we made a quick errand stop and got over there around 10:15 and started our lounging and playing.
It was quite the day. Just what I needed. Lounging, basking, playing, and a whole lot of nothing.
We left there mid-afternoon and headed back to the house. On the way, Kellen said, "My eyelids are heavy," and seconds later I look back and he had fallen asleep. When I got to the house, I woke him up, asked him to change his clothes and just lay down until I was ready to go. He did, and then konked out on his bed - under the covers and all. When it was time to leave for the poster presentations, I attempted to wake him up, then had to spend a few minutes calming him down. When he gets REALLY tired, he gets worked up and it takes a while to get him calmed down once he's upset. It's a learned trick that requires patience, and is incredibly frustrating, even if you KNOW he's tired and that his being tired is the root cause of his behavior. This didn't last very long, but long enough for me to be reminded that he's still my little boy that needs his Mommy every once in a while.
Anyway, we got to the poster presentations and he sat down and played his Leapster, ate the snacks I had packed for him, and was on his best behavior. He was GREAT! So great, in fact, that after it was over and we had picked up Tatum, he got a treat of McDonald's for his behavior. Lucky Tatum, she got to benefit from it as well, since they both received Happy Meal's and were able to eat it picnic style while watching Veggie Tales because of the deal! That is such a treat for them....any food, in the living room, picnic style.
He and I snuggled some more before he went to bed, after I rubbed lotion on his sunburned face (it's not too bad, but I do believe it's his first ever sunburn). His face is red and his shoulders are a little pink. As for me, I just underestimated the sunscreen for myself altogether. I'm totally sunburned and you can see the outline of the bathing suit I was wearing. Kellen looked at me tonight before getting ready for bed and asked what the outline was (around my neck).
My response, "That was the color that Mommy started out today. The other color is how sunburned Mommy is now."
Kellen: "Wow, Mommy. It's really RED! I'm not laughing at you because you're sunburned, but it's just really RED!"
Bless his heart! He remembers my REALLY BAD sunburn from last summer (our river float adventure) and brought that back to my attention tonight. As in, 'It will be ok, Mommy. You had a sunburn last year when we were at the rock house and you got better. You will get better this time, too.' And this is nothing like that one. I anticipate that by Thursday or Friday this will have tanned itself out.
At least that's what I'm telling myself. :) I've already peeled once this summer and once is my limit.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Kellen's Birthday - My little boy isn't so little!
In preparation for Kellen's birthday party, I asked him where he wanted to have it and who he wanted to invite. He thought about it, and told me he wanted to have the party at McDonald's, then proceeded to dictate the guest list.
Since it's a summer birthday, and I didn't have the foresight to get the class list and contact information while he was still IN school, I contacted his teacher for the contact information for the kids he wanted to invite.
We went with a superhero theme (surprise, surprise) and I worked up the evites and went with it...I commissioned a Spiderman cake as the "surprise" cake for the party, and we were pretty well set (I love not having to stress about party's when the location does all of the work for you!).
After church and naps, Kellen was SUPER-excited, put on his special 'birthday boy' shirt and was counting down the minutes until it was time to GO! He just had such a good time with his friends!
I look at him and honestly wonder where the time has gone...how has it been six years since he was born? He is growing into an amazing young man...so caring and compassionate, attune to other people's feelings and hilariously funny. Don't get me wrong...he's ALL BOY as well, as his many scars and my many phone calls from counselors can attest to, but he's certainly my sweetie and I love him so much!
Since it's a summer birthday, and I didn't have the foresight to get the class list and contact information while he was still IN school, I contacted his teacher for the contact information for the kids he wanted to invite.
We went with a superhero theme (surprise, surprise) and I worked up the evites and went with it...I commissioned a Spiderman cake as the "surprise" cake for the party, and we were pretty well set (I love not having to stress about party's when the location does all of the work for you!).
After church and naps, Kellen was SUPER-excited, put on his special 'birthday boy' shirt and was counting down the minutes until it was time to GO! He just had such a good time with his friends!
I look at him and honestly wonder where the time has gone...how has it been six years since he was born? He is growing into an amazing young man...so caring and compassionate, attune to other people's feelings and hilariously funny. Don't get me wrong...he's ALL BOY as well, as his many scars and my many phone calls from counselors can attest to, but he's certainly my sweetie and I love him so much!
Hmph...and it continues
2 Miles this morning (speed drills, what a thrill), and my body doesn't like me today. I picked up the bike I'll be borrowing from a friend for the month of August to practice on, so we'll see how that goes.
I'm taking almost a full day off from work tomorrow and Kellen and I will be lounging by the pool, having a pool party play date. I'm going to try and be a good girl and work out before hand (we're supposed to be there at 10, so theoretically that gives me plenty of time to get an initial bike ride in while Matt is here to watch the kids in the morning, right?) We'll see how that goes.
Whoo hoo!!
I'm taking almost a full day off from work tomorrow and Kellen and I will be lounging by the pool, having a pool party play date. I'm going to try and be a good girl and work out before hand (we're supposed to be there at 10, so theoretically that gives me plenty of time to get an initial bike ride in while Matt is here to watch the kids in the morning, right?) We'll see how that goes.
Whoo hoo!!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Here we go...
I am now participating with a group of gals from my Sunday School class who are training...originally for a 10K, now for a tri. Not a full tri, but a tri sprint. And tonight was my first night to train with them and they kicked my tail! It doesn't help that my longest run lately has been 2 miles and they were planning to run 4-5 (or for about an hour) tonight, or that it was a night run (I typically run in the morning), and it was after dinner (I typically run on an empty stomach). So, I was destined to have a rough time of it.
But it was a great workout! We did a 1.2 mile run, drills, another 1.2 mile run, another set of drills, then ended with another 1.2 mile run. It felt great, even though it was horrid! If you work out at all, you completely understand what I mean.
I have my alarm set for 5 am and am planning on a short run for the morning.
Now, can I learn to swim and bike in less than 3 months?
But it was a great workout! We did a 1.2 mile run, drills, another 1.2 mile run, another set of drills, then ended with another 1.2 mile run. It felt great, even though it was horrid! If you work out at all, you completely understand what I mean.
I have my alarm set for 5 am and am planning on a short run for the morning.
Now, can I learn to swim and bike in less than 3 months?
Friday, July 31, 2009
We're well...
We're well, and it takes 7 viewings of 5 movies to make 1 princess well. And that many to make her mommy ill. Yup. Tatum is really good at sharing! Isn't that sweet?
So let me recap quickly the last few weeks for those of you who might be interested....
The Tuesday after Tatum was ill she went back to school and I went back to work. I started feeling poorly that afternoon and decided to call it a day. I took her to school the next day and I stayed home that day as well....and slept virtually all day long! I never ran a fever, but my stomach was upset and I basically didn't eat for a day and a half, save for a few pieces of toast and a hot cup of tea Matt made for me. That Thursday, Matt took Tatum to Conroe since it had been a while since she had visited her MawMaw and PawPaw, and since Kellen was already there attending Bible School, I was able to fully regain my strength.
I went there on Friday after work, as I was planning to attend a baby shower for a friend that Saturday with MawMaw, and Matt was going to take Kellen to a birthday party here in town. Those plans changed somewhat when, on that Saturday morning as Matt called to get directions, we learned that our friend was in the hospital with kidney stones! So, I brought the kids back to town and took them both to the birthday party.
The next day was Kellen's birthday party, and I'll devote another post specifically to that event. Suffice it to say, he had a BLAST! I cannot believe that my baby boy is 6 years old. We gained our friends daughter (the one who was in the hospital) after the party that night for a slumber party.
Kellen's birthday was Monday the 20th, and at breakfast we all sang another round of Happy birthday to him before we headed out for the day.
Later that week we had a pool play date with his kindergarten teacher and her kids, and it was a surprise to Kellen. He was so excited about it and both the kids had a blast at that pool!!
And on that Friday (the 24th) I was supposed to take a group of students to Schlitterbahn, but we ended up having a Seinfeld car rental experience. You know, the "I know you can TAKE a reservation, but do you know what to DO with a reservation?" one? Well, we had THAT experience. We had reserved a van 2 weeks earlier and the day we were supposed to pick it up, they didn't have one for us. So I had to make a 'go no go for launch' decision about the trip...and we had to postpone.
That weekend (last weekend) we had another party to attend at a splashpad hosted by one of Tatum's friends at daycare. They just LOVE the water!
On Sunday, I realized that over the last week, Tatum has cut a molar all the way through and is starting on another one (top left all the way through, bottom left partially).
Tuesday, MawMaw and I attended Chalk Talk again. They adjusted the way they organized it this year, and I'm still processing it...I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I learned a whole lot. Wednesday, we had dinner with our dinner group from Sunday school at Chick-fil-A and had a great time there as well.
Yesterday was the rescheduled Schlitterbahn trip. Boy oh boy. What a trip that was! We had SO MANY ADVENTURES! I can now recognize how a certain girl in our group looks before she passes out, because she did so. Twice. And I know how the lifeguards and medics react when you HAVE to get them quickly. Because we had to. Twice. And I now know how they clear the rides when there is inclement weather and they have to clear the park. Because they did that just as we were finishing up our third ride of the day. Yup, our third. And we packed it up and made our way out to the van in the torrential downpour that ensued. And got about as wet by the rain as we did in the rides.
Oh, and then there were the Code Maroons that I was dealing with as well. Did I mention that virtually all of Bryan was being evauated because of a chemical fire at this same time, and that they were closing the very routes we were planning to take to get back into town? And that the private dorm where the students were housed had been evacuated? Nice, huh? Especially considering that I was the one in charge of them making all of the decisions.
So we made our way from New Braunfels to Sam Marcus, stopped at Cracker Barrel to get something to eat, and I spent virtually all of the time on the phone with a variety of individuals trying to get the latest and greatest information on road closures, evauation information, etc to make the remainder of our trip plans. Whew! Luckily, we had ZERO time constraints, so by the time we had finished with our relaxing dinner, stopped by Best Buy to get me a car charger (because by this point in time, my phone was rapidly dying) and got back on the road, the route we had originally taken had opened back up, so we headed back the way came. Unfortunately for the students, their dorm was still closed, so we still had to drop them off at Reed Arena, which is where many people who were evacuating were taken. However, they were released a short time later, around 9 PM, to go back to their dorm.
Needless to say, it was QUITE the adventure. And I was quite done today. I went to work in shorts and flip flops and virtually refused to make any decisions beyond what I absolutely had to make.
Then I left early. Matt and I needed to run some vehicle errands, so I left, and Kellen and I played at The Childrens Museum while Matt took care of the errands. Just what I needed after THAT kind of day!
And today is also PawPaw's birthday, so Happy birthday PawPaw!!
So let me recap quickly the last few weeks for those of you who might be interested....
The Tuesday after Tatum was ill she went back to school and I went back to work. I started feeling poorly that afternoon and decided to call it a day. I took her to school the next day and I stayed home that day as well....and slept virtually all day long! I never ran a fever, but my stomach was upset and I basically didn't eat for a day and a half, save for a few pieces of toast and a hot cup of tea Matt made for me. That Thursday, Matt took Tatum to Conroe since it had been a while since she had visited her MawMaw and PawPaw, and since Kellen was already there attending Bible School, I was able to fully regain my strength.
I went there on Friday after work, as I was planning to attend a baby shower for a friend that Saturday with MawMaw, and Matt was going to take Kellen to a birthday party here in town. Those plans changed somewhat when, on that Saturday morning as Matt called to get directions, we learned that our friend was in the hospital with kidney stones! So, I brought the kids back to town and took them both to the birthday party.
The next day was Kellen's birthday party, and I'll devote another post specifically to that event. Suffice it to say, he had a BLAST! I cannot believe that my baby boy is 6 years old. We gained our friends daughter (the one who was in the hospital) after the party that night for a slumber party.
Kellen's birthday was Monday the 20th, and at breakfast we all sang another round of Happy birthday to him before we headed out for the day.
Later that week we had a pool play date with his kindergarten teacher and her kids, and it was a surprise to Kellen. He was so excited about it and both the kids had a blast at that pool!!
And on that Friday (the 24th) I was supposed to take a group of students to Schlitterbahn, but we ended up having a Seinfeld car rental experience. You know, the "I know you can TAKE a reservation, but do you know what to DO with a reservation?" one? Well, we had THAT experience. We had reserved a van 2 weeks earlier and the day we were supposed to pick it up, they didn't have one for us. So I had to make a 'go no go for launch' decision about the trip...and we had to postpone.
That weekend (last weekend) we had another party to attend at a splashpad hosted by one of Tatum's friends at daycare. They just LOVE the water!
On Sunday, I realized that over the last week, Tatum has cut a molar all the way through and is starting on another one (top left all the way through, bottom left partially).
Tuesday, MawMaw and I attended Chalk Talk again. They adjusted the way they organized it this year, and I'm still processing it...I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I learned a whole lot. Wednesday, we had dinner with our dinner group from Sunday school at Chick-fil-A and had a great time there as well.
Yesterday was the rescheduled Schlitterbahn trip. Boy oh boy. What a trip that was! We had SO MANY ADVENTURES! I can now recognize how a certain girl in our group looks before she passes out, because she did so. Twice. And I know how the lifeguards and medics react when you HAVE to get them quickly. Because we had to. Twice. And I now know how they clear the rides when there is inclement weather and they have to clear the park. Because they did that just as we were finishing up our third ride of the day. Yup, our third. And we packed it up and made our way out to the van in the torrential downpour that ensued. And got about as wet by the rain as we did in the rides.
Oh, and then there were the Code Maroons that I was dealing with as well. Did I mention that virtually all of Bryan was being evauated because of a chemical fire at this same time, and that they were closing the very routes we were planning to take to get back into town? And that the private dorm where the students were housed had been evacuated? Nice, huh? Especially considering that I was the one in charge of them making all of the decisions.
So we made our way from New Braunfels to Sam Marcus, stopped at Cracker Barrel to get something to eat, and I spent virtually all of the time on the phone with a variety of individuals trying to get the latest and greatest information on road closures, evauation information, etc to make the remainder of our trip plans. Whew! Luckily, we had ZERO time constraints, so by the time we had finished with our relaxing dinner, stopped by Best Buy to get me a car charger (because by this point in time, my phone was rapidly dying) and got back on the road, the route we had originally taken had opened back up, so we headed back the way came. Unfortunately for the students, their dorm was still closed, so we still had to drop them off at Reed Arena, which is where many people who were evacuating were taken. However, they were released a short time later, around 9 PM, to go back to their dorm.
Needless to say, it was QUITE the adventure. And I was quite done today. I went to work in shorts and flip flops and virtually refused to make any decisions beyond what I absolutely had to make.
Then I left early. Matt and I needed to run some vehicle errands, so I left, and Kellen and I played at The Childrens Museum while Matt took care of the errands. Just what I needed after THAT kind of day!
And today is also PawPaw's birthday, so Happy birthday PawPaw!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Productivity...a different perspective
Today was a different type of productive from what my "normal" work day is like. By 8:30 AM, I had consoled a sick little girl - once at 10:30 PM, and then again at 5 AM (which was fewer times than I actually expected), snuggled and gotten her back to sleep, rejoiced that she wanted water after a day of coaxing her to drink water or 'pink juice' with no luck, eagerly got her the requested water (twice, but just a little both times), only to go from happiness to utterly helpless when less than ten minutes later she was getting down off of the bed telling me, 'My tummy hurts, Mommy' and trying to make it to the toilet to throw up. She barely made it with my assistance.
I then cleaned up (bless her heart, she actually did a great job, so there wasn't much to clean up), and we snuggled some more, made some phone calls to Maw Maw and Daddy, then I tried to figure out WHAT I could give her to appease her....'cause she was STILL begging for water. There is a fine line you must walk between hydration and not giving a child something you know is going to come right back up. So we started watching Yo Gabba Gabba and I distracted her for a while with that, and after some time had passed, got her started on some ice chips and cheerios. By the third Yo Gabba Gabba (thank GOODNESS for DVR's), we were still keeping down ice chips and cheerios, and we had a moderately happy Tater-tot.
And it wasn't even 8 AM yet.
While she was watching one of her episodes, I asked permission (yes, you read that correctly...she's sick and I'm no dummy!) to go and take a shower. At a few minutes after 8, I asked if she wanted to go for a ride, and boy-oh-boy, she was ready! We went to McDonalds, and before you burn me at the stake, we simply paid the deposit for Kellen's birthday party and got me an vanilla iced coffee (oh-so delicious!!!). I then asked her if she wanted to be my helper and go with me to the store or go home - her choice. She wanted to go to the store.
So, we had a very quick trip to the grocery store...her vitamins and more Tylenol were high on the list since with one more dose of Tylenol, we would be out...Let me tell you what, this little girl is a charmer! She charmed the socks off of both the lady checking us out and the lady sacking our groceries. Since we had gotten her medicine and her vitamins, she wanted to hold them, and then she gave them to the lady at the checkout and asked for them back. Bless the lady's heart, she rang them up, sacked them, and immediately gave them back to Tatum to hold! Oh my, Tatum was in heaven! She was telling them ALL ABOUT her medicine and her vitamins and everything else that we had picked up....her crackers and her graham crackers and....well, you get the point.
We got back to the house close to 9 AM, and put in Cinderella to watch. Tatum decided that she wanted to call her Grandpa, so we made a phone call to talk to him. While they were on the phone, he prayed over her to feel better.
Fast forward to lunchtime, and it was obvious that Tatum was beginning to feel better. So I decided to get some video....She has been absolutely precious today.
After lunch and naps, we snuggled for a while. When we finally got up, we played and played...we played in her room and weeded out many of the 'baby' toys. They are now in a bin outside her doorway. She played dress-up, complete with headgear and every purse she owns. We read books. Lots of books. Over and over. We played with her dolls. I dressed her dolls. She undressed her dolls, then brought them to me to dress. Then she undressed them again. Repeat.
And throughout the day, I did manage to get a few loads of laundry done, with a wonderful assistant to 'help' me fold and put away what we had done. And the kitchen has some semblence of clean to it - at least the dishwasher is running and the counters are somewhat clean. But the most productive things I did today were WHATEVER TATUM NEEDED FROM ME, regardless of what that meant for the rest of the world.
And I still haven't figured out how many movies it takes to make my princess well...our total count is up to 7 viewings of 5 moviews (2 viewings each of Kung-Fu Panda and Cinderella; 1 viewing of Bolt, Pinnochio, and Finding Nemo). I'll let you know tomorrow if that's the number.
I then cleaned up (bless her heart, she actually did a great job, so there wasn't much to clean up), and we snuggled some more, made some phone calls to Maw Maw and Daddy, then I tried to figure out WHAT I could give her to appease her....'cause she was STILL begging for water. There is a fine line you must walk between hydration and not giving a child something you know is going to come right back up. So we started watching Yo Gabba Gabba and I distracted her for a while with that, and after some time had passed, got her started on some ice chips and cheerios. By the third Yo Gabba Gabba (thank GOODNESS for DVR's), we were still keeping down ice chips and cheerios, and we had a moderately happy Tater-tot.
And it wasn't even 8 AM yet.
While she was watching one of her episodes, I asked permission (yes, you read that correctly...she's sick and I'm no dummy!) to go and take a shower. At a few minutes after 8, I asked if she wanted to go for a ride, and boy-oh-boy, she was ready! We went to McDonalds, and before you burn me at the stake, we simply paid the deposit for Kellen's birthday party and got me an vanilla iced coffee (oh-so delicious!!!). I then asked her if she wanted to be my helper and go with me to the store or go home - her choice. She wanted to go to the store.
So, we had a very quick trip to the grocery store...her vitamins and more Tylenol were high on the list since with one more dose of Tylenol, we would be out...Let me tell you what, this little girl is a charmer! She charmed the socks off of both the lady checking us out and the lady sacking our groceries. Since we had gotten her medicine and her vitamins, she wanted to hold them, and then she gave them to the lady at the checkout and asked for them back. Bless the lady's heart, she rang them up, sacked them, and immediately gave them back to Tatum to hold! Oh my, Tatum was in heaven! She was telling them ALL ABOUT her medicine and her vitamins and everything else that we had picked up....her crackers and her graham crackers and....well, you get the point.
We got back to the house close to 9 AM, and put in Cinderella to watch. Tatum decided that she wanted to call her Grandpa, so we made a phone call to talk to him. While they were on the phone, he prayed over her to feel better.
Fast forward to lunchtime, and it was obvious that Tatum was beginning to feel better. So I decided to get some video....She has been absolutely precious today.
After lunch and naps, we snuggled for a while. When we finally got up, we played and played...we played in her room and weeded out many of the 'baby' toys. They are now in a bin outside her doorway. She played dress-up, complete with headgear and every purse she owns. We read books. Lots of books. Over and over. We played with her dolls. I dressed her dolls. She undressed her dolls, then brought them to me to dress. Then she undressed them again. Repeat.
And throughout the day, I did manage to get a few loads of laundry done, with a wonderful assistant to 'help' me fold and put away what we had done. And the kitchen has some semblence of clean to it - at least the dishwasher is running and the counters are somewhat clean. But the most productive things I did today were WHATEVER TATUM NEEDED FROM ME, regardless of what that meant for the rest of the world.
And I still haven't figured out how many movies it takes to make my princess well...our total count is up to 7 viewings of 5 moviews (2 viewings each of Kung-Fu Panda and Cinderella; 1 viewing of Bolt, Pinnochio, and Finding Nemo). I'll let you know tomorrow if that's the number.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
How many?
How many movies does it take to make one princess feel better? I'm not worried about how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. I want to know what I can do to make my Tater-tot feel better!
She had a rough night, and then wanted to crawl into bed and snuggle with me at 6 am this morning (her normal wake-up time). We snuggled until almost 7:30, then finally crawled out of bed. I took her to the potty, then as I was getting her to wash her hands, she and I got into a little battle of wills over washing her hands.
Totally unlike her! To clarify, the unlike her part was the problem with washing hands, not necessarily the battle of wills part....
As I was 'helping' her wash her hands, she commented that she didn't feel well, and I realized just how warm she really felt. So we called to our resident expert to get the thermometer and 'take my temperature'. Sure enough, she was running a verifiable low grade fever.
And wouldn't you know it, this was our Sunday to work in the nursery during second service. Ug. A phone call later, that was worked out and rescheduled.
So, we tried to get some fluids in her...water didn't work, 'pink juice' didn't work, even though we tried to tell her it was just like kool-aid (she wasn't buying what we were trying to sell), nada. She decided she wanted to watch Kung-fu Panda on mommy and daddy's TV. We obliged. Sometime during the movie, I went in to snuggle with her and there must have been superglue on me somewhere, because I was no longer allowed to leave her side. Even after she fell asleep nestled into me, as I unfortunately found out when I tried to get up after she had been asleep for a while.
Bad move on Mommy's part, in case you were wondering.
For our movie count...we're at two viewings of Kung-fu Panda, one viewing of Bolt (paused due to the urgent but albeit shortlived need to go play in the pool - and yes, we thought the cool water would feel good to her!), and are currently viewing Pinocchio.
Hopefully I'll have an answer to my question soon, but as the movie count rises, so does her temp. *Insert my sad face here*
She had a rough night, and then wanted to crawl into bed and snuggle with me at 6 am this morning (her normal wake-up time). We snuggled until almost 7:30, then finally crawled out of bed. I took her to the potty, then as I was getting her to wash her hands, she and I got into a little battle of wills over washing her hands.
Totally unlike her! To clarify, the unlike her part was the problem with washing hands, not necessarily the battle of wills part....
As I was 'helping' her wash her hands, she commented that she didn't feel well, and I realized just how warm she really felt. So we called to our resident expert to get the thermometer and 'take my temperature'. Sure enough, she was running a verifiable low grade fever.
And wouldn't you know it, this was our Sunday to work in the nursery during second service. Ug. A phone call later, that was worked out and rescheduled.
So, we tried to get some fluids in her...water didn't work, 'pink juice' didn't work, even though we tried to tell her it was just like kool-aid (she wasn't buying what we were trying to sell), nada. She decided she wanted to watch Kung-fu Panda on mommy and daddy's TV. We obliged. Sometime during the movie, I went in to snuggle with her and there must have been superglue on me somewhere, because I was no longer allowed to leave her side. Even after she fell asleep nestled into me, as I unfortunately found out when I tried to get up after she had been asleep for a while.
Bad move on Mommy's part, in case you were wondering.
For our movie count...we're at two viewings of Kung-fu Panda, one viewing of Bolt (paused due to the urgent but albeit shortlived need to go play in the pool - and yes, we thought the cool water would feel good to her!), and are currently viewing Pinocchio.
Hopefully I'll have an answer to my question soon, but as the movie count rises, so does her temp. *Insert my sad face here*
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Family fun day
Today has been quite the family fun day, and it isn't over yet. However, in the spirit of trying to remember the funny events, I'm posting...
As we were playing in the backyard, Matt was spraying water in various directions...up in the air to splash us, straight at us, etc...now, before you think this classifies as some sort of abuse, our sprayer is COOL! It has various types of spray strengths and streams...all the way from a straight on stream to an umbrella looking sprinkle. So it was quite nice in the extreme temperature today to play like this outside, even while we were in the pool.
Well, Kellen was in a little trouble (not going into that, but to give you the backstory) and sitting on the bench while the rest of us were in the pool playing. Matt was splashing Kellen with the hose, and after a short while, Kellen exclaimed, "Make-up!"
[If you need further explanation, Kellen gave Matt a Bugs Bunny DVD for Fathers Day, and they've been watching that together lately]
As we were playing in the backyard, Matt was spraying water in various directions...up in the air to splash us, straight at us, etc...now, before you think this classifies as some sort of abuse, our sprayer is COOL! It has various types of spray strengths and streams...all the way from a straight on stream to an umbrella looking sprinkle. So it was quite nice in the extreme temperature today to play like this outside, even while we were in the pool.
Well, Kellen was in a little trouble (not going into that, but to give you the backstory) and sitting on the bench while the rest of us were in the pool playing. Matt was splashing Kellen with the hose, and after a short while, Kellen exclaimed, "Make-up!"
[If you need further explanation, Kellen gave Matt a Bugs Bunny DVD for Fathers Day, and they've been watching that together lately]
Kid funnies
I should try and do a better job of writing these types of things down as they happen...but that's mommy guilt that I'm trying not to let myself shoulder...
Here are some that I can recall from recent times...in no certain order...
*Tatum LOVES the story of 'Pocono'. I bought her a short board book of the Disney favorite (there's your big clue) for Easter, I believe (perhaps even last year??) and over the last week or two, it's been a huge hit. We must read about Geppetto, Jiminy cricket, etc. And I will probably cry when she begins to pronounce this word correctly, because she's incredibly verbal and rarely mispronounces things.
*Tatum is a girly girl (as if that hadn't already been established time and time again on this blog) and as of last night, her toenails were plain. She declared to me, as she was eating dinner, that she wanted pretty toes, AND FINGERS. So last night, after dinner, I painted her toenails and fingernails as she sat in her pink princess chair. As a sidenote, she's doing much better with sitting still during this process. I should have gotten a picture of her sitting there, with the wet nails, perfectly still, watching Yo Gabba Gabba as they dried. A little while later, she looked at me and asked, "Are they ready now, Mommy? Can I move?"
This morning, daddy asked to see her pretty fingers, and she showed him, then exclaimed, "And my thumbs, too!"
*Tatum has mastered her vocal range. And she tries to use this to her advantage when throwing a fit. Unfortunately, she hasn't learned quite yet that this works against her in these times.
I'll post more as I think of them...'cause these kiddo's regularly keep me in stitches over here!
Here are some that I can recall from recent times...in no certain order...
*Tatum LOVES the story of 'Pocono'. I bought her a short board book of the Disney favorite (there's your big clue) for Easter, I believe (perhaps even last year??) and over the last week or two, it's been a huge hit. We must read about Geppetto, Jiminy cricket, etc. And I will probably cry when she begins to pronounce this word correctly, because she's incredibly verbal and rarely mispronounces things.
*Tatum is a girly girl (as if that hadn't already been established time and time again on this blog) and as of last night, her toenails were plain. She declared to me, as she was eating dinner, that she wanted pretty toes, AND FINGERS. So last night, after dinner, I painted her toenails and fingernails as she sat in her pink princess chair. As a sidenote, she's doing much better with sitting still during this process. I should have gotten a picture of her sitting there, with the wet nails, perfectly still, watching Yo Gabba Gabba as they dried. A little while later, she looked at me and asked, "Are they ready now, Mommy? Can I move?"
This morning, daddy asked to see her pretty fingers, and she showed him, then exclaimed, "And my thumbs, too!"
*Tatum has mastered her vocal range. And she tries to use this to her advantage when throwing a fit. Unfortunately, she hasn't learned quite yet that this works against her in these times.
I'll post more as I think of them...'cause these kiddo's regularly keep me in stitches over here!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Shall we bring back the nickname?
At one point in time, Kellen's nickname was Crash. Given his adventures the last few weeks, I believe it might be time to bring back the nickname.
We've already gone over the incident at the bowling alley that resulted in the split chin the Friday prior to the 4th of July weekend. So we're clear on that one, right?
Well, I received a phone call on Monday from daycamp, and when they use the words, 'front flip cannonball' when describing the incident, you just HAVE to know it isn't a good thing!
Apparently, Kellen decided to do a front flip cannonball off the side of the pool INTO the water. He made it (for those of you adventure freaks wondering), but managed to hit his head in the process. HE says he hit his head on the bottom of the pool, but no one is sure if that is actually what happened (since he was wearing a life vest at the time).
I'm really glad I don't overly freak out when I get these phone calls...Really!
So I got the call, asked if it actually knocked him out, asked how bad the bleeding was, about the head injury, etc, etc. He was, at the time of the call, eating lunch, and the counselors had treated and bandaged it up and were simply calling to let me know. Once I reiterated the facts as I understood them - that he had basically scraped his head on the side of the pool and was, for all intents and purposes, fine, I let them know that I would just look at it when I picked him up after work.
He does; however, have a slight bald spot where the abrasion is...it basically scraped the hair off! Now don't get me wrong, I watched him closely all night and continued to ask if he was dizzy, if he had a headache, etc...
But he was fine, really....and played with Tatum and a friend that we had over for dinner Monday night like nothing had happened.
And speaking of his 'friend'.....oye. I had a friend and her daughter (Kellen's age) over on Monday night. By the end of the night, Kellen was telling her dad that he was her 'boyfriend boyfriend' and she was his 'girlfriend girlfriend'. Did you know that if you only say the word once that it means you're just friends? If you say the word twice, it means that you want to marry the other person.
Um. Hello!! They're 6 years old! (And I'm giving Kellen a few weeks by making that comment here...)
And here I was thinking Kellen still thought that girls were yucky and gross.
We've already gone over the incident at the bowling alley that resulted in the split chin the Friday prior to the 4th of July weekend. So we're clear on that one, right?
Well, I received a phone call on Monday from daycamp, and when they use the words, 'front flip cannonball' when describing the incident, you just HAVE to know it isn't a good thing!
Apparently, Kellen decided to do a front flip cannonball off the side of the pool INTO the water. He made it (for those of you adventure freaks wondering), but managed to hit his head in the process. HE says he hit his head on the bottom of the pool, but no one is sure if that is actually what happened (since he was wearing a life vest at the time).
I'm really glad I don't overly freak out when I get these phone calls...Really!
So I got the call, asked if it actually knocked him out, asked how bad the bleeding was, about the head injury, etc, etc. He was, at the time of the call, eating lunch, and the counselors had treated and bandaged it up and were simply calling to let me know. Once I reiterated the facts as I understood them - that he had basically scraped his head on the side of the pool and was, for all intents and purposes, fine, I let them know that I would just look at it when I picked him up after work.
He does; however, have a slight bald spot where the abrasion is...it basically scraped the hair off! Now don't get me wrong, I watched him closely all night and continued to ask if he was dizzy, if he had a headache, etc...
But he was fine, really....and played with Tatum and a friend that we had over for dinner Monday night like nothing had happened.
And speaking of his 'friend'.....oye. I had a friend and her daughter (Kellen's age) over on Monday night. By the end of the night, Kellen was telling her dad that he was her 'boyfriend boyfriend' and she was his 'girlfriend girlfriend'. Did you know that if you only say the word once that it means you're just friends? If you say the word twice, it means that you want to marry the other person.
Um. Hello!! They're 6 years old! (And I'm giving Kellen a few weeks by making that comment here...)
And here I was thinking Kellen still thought that girls were yucky and gross.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
4th of July fun
Ok...so it was really the 3rd of July...but it was in CELEBRATION of the 4th....and it was the holiday weekend....so enjoy the photo story with some explanations thrown in for good measure.
Both Tatum and Kellen were amazed at the juggler...Tatum even helped when he 'dropped' his pins. I'm not quite sure that Kellen could figure out how he was that tall....
Both Tatum and Kellen were amazed at the juggler...Tatum even helped when he 'dropped' his pins. I'm not quite sure that Kellen could figure out how he was that tall....
Then Tatum thoroughly enjoyed the musical entertainment...you may not be able to tell from the picture, but she's dancing to the drum and fife - and did so EVERY time she heard this. She was so sweet to clap for them every time their numbers were over...She has music in her future somewhere.
We were handed flags upon entering, and Tatum had great fun in waving her flag to the beat - either heard or in her own little mind!
Kellen, on the other hand, had woken up from an unplanned nap (in his defense, we HAD just finished with 2-3 hours at the pool) and seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the nap mat...or carseat...unlike his sister, he took a little while to get warmed up to the festivities.
Here is our Hapes clan during one of the songs.....
Kellen was quite entertained with the fans handed out at entry as well...there is a small see-through area that enthralled him...apparently, when you look through it, the world becomes rainbow-like. No wonder he was entranced!
And well past Tatum-tot's bedtime, she was fighting for all she was worth to stay awake...
In case you're wondering why you're going blind with this next photo, it's actually the canon going off...They used live canons for the 1812 Overture.
And here is Tatum NOT LIKING the canons, and Kellen trying desperately to console his sister. He later turned to where the canons were located and remarked, "I don't like you! You scared my baby sister!"
Tatum still recovering from the canons....
Houston Sympony at The Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion in The Woodlands....
We were handed flags upon entering, and Tatum had great fun in waving her flag to the beat - either heard or in her own little mind!Kellen, on the other hand, had woken up from an unplanned nap (in his defense, we HAD just finished with 2-3 hours at the pool) and seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the nap mat...or carseat...unlike his sister, he took a little while to get warmed up to the festivities.
Here is our Hapes clan during one of the songs.....Kellen was quite entertained with the fans handed out at entry as well...there is a small see-through area that enthralled him...apparently, when you look through it, the world becomes rainbow-like. No wonder he was entranced!And well past Tatum-tot's bedtime, she was fighting for all she was worth to stay awake...In case you're wondering why you're going blind with this next photo, it's actually the canon going off...They used live canons for the 1812 Overture.
And here is Tatum NOT LIKING the canons, and Kellen trying desperately to console his sister. He later turned to where the canons were located and remarked, "I don't like you! You scared my baby sister!"
Tatum still recovering from the canons....
Houston Sympony at The Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion in The Woodlands....
And then they ended the night with a fireworks show....Kellen loved it, and Tatum....well, let's just say that she was really tired and hadn't gotten over being scared of the canons. So fireworks weren't really high on her likable list. But the rest of the gang enjoyed them!
And for the ACTUAL 4th of July, we spent another several hours at the pool, which is pretty much Kellen and Tatum's favorite past time....then had hotdogs and they C-R-A-S-H-E-D after the late night from Friday, and an early morning Saturday morning. Sooooo, that meant no fireworks display on the actual 4th for us...but we had a fabulous weekend, full of family fun, which is really what was important!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Banged up...
After our memory making Thursday night, Kellen went off to daycamp on Friday, ready to round out the week full of good behavior. So I was a little nervous when I received a phone call, then a voicemail, from the number I recognized as the daycamp cell phone. Only when I listened to the message, it had nothing to do with his behavior. It was one of those, 'Ms. Hapes, Kellen had an accident at the bowling alley. He's ok, but you may want to come and get him a little early today.'
When I returned the phone call to find out what happened, I was told that, 'We've stopped the bleeding, but some of the counselors think he might need stitches.'
On my way out of the office, I put in a phone call to the pedi's office, checking to see if I could bring him in after I picked him up from camp. I left a message with the nurse and she was slated to call me back.
I walked in to the bowling alley, went over the Kellen, and checked out the cut. It was a pretty good one, but not stitch-worthy. As I'm making this determination, Tatum decides she wants to call and talk to me ('cause she's spending a few days with Maw Maw and Paw Paw), so I have to break her heart and tell Maw Maw that I just couldn't talk right then. Then I get the return call from the pedi's office telling me that I could bring him in for the stitches that I had decided he didn't really need. So I let them know that it wasn't necessary. Then Matt calls to tell me to take a picture of said wound and send it to him.
One at a time people. One at a time. I'm in the middle of trying to actually handle this perceived crisis here...Because of course, my phone is ringing while the poor counselors are trying to talk to me about what actually happened with Kellen, and he's trying to tell me what happened, and they're trying to get me to sign paperwork.
It was quite the chaotic sight, I'm sure!
I told the head counselor that I had been expecting a phone call of this nature, and then gave Kellen the option to either stay or come home with me (by this time, it was shortly after 3 PM). Needless to say, he wanted to come home with me!
So after a quick stop by Whataburger to pick up a consolatory milkshake, we headed home. Milkshakes make almost anything better, don't they?
When I returned the phone call to find out what happened, I was told that, 'We've stopped the bleeding, but some of the counselors think he might need stitches.'
On my way out of the office, I put in a phone call to the pedi's office, checking to see if I could bring him in after I picked him up from camp. I left a message with the nurse and she was slated to call me back.
I walked in to the bowling alley, went over the Kellen, and checked out the cut. It was a pretty good one, but not stitch-worthy. As I'm making this determination, Tatum decides she wants to call and talk to me ('cause she's spending a few days with Maw Maw and Paw Paw), so I have to break her heart and tell Maw Maw that I just couldn't talk right then. Then I get the return call from the pedi's office telling me that I could bring him in for the stitches that I had decided he didn't really need. So I let them know that it wasn't necessary. Then Matt calls to tell me to take a picture of said wound and send it to him.
One at a time people. One at a time. I'm in the middle of trying to actually handle this perceived crisis here...Because of course, my phone is ringing while the poor counselors are trying to talk to me about what actually happened with Kellen, and he's trying to tell me what happened, and they're trying to get me to sign paperwork.
It was quite the chaotic sight, I'm sure!
I told the head counselor that I had been expecting a phone call of this nature, and then gave Kellen the option to either stay or come home with me (by this time, it was shortly after 3 PM). Needless to say, he wanted to come home with me!
So after a quick stop by Whataburger to pick up a consolatory milkshake, we headed home. Milkshakes make almost anything better, don't they?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Sorry you missed it...
If a house is clean and no one is there to see it, was it ever really clean?
I'm beginning to wonder. Because you can't really tell I did all that much work last week. *sigh*
Such is life with kids and a crazy, full schedule. At least one when you don't work your fingers to the bone and are trying not to put too much pressure on yourself, huh?
I got up this morning, looked around, and lamented that my hard work and effort hadn't stayed visible for longer than it did. Then you know what I did about it tonight when Kellen and I got home?
Nothing.
We ate cereal (his dinner request), changed clothes, and went to the pool. We had a BLAST, came home, played a game of Investigate (AKA Go Fish), read a book, then I tucked him in bed.
So, if you happen to stop by my house, it was clean last week - sorry you missed it!
I'm beginning to wonder. Because you can't really tell I did all that much work last week. *sigh*
Such is life with kids and a crazy, full schedule. At least one when you don't work your fingers to the bone and are trying not to put too much pressure on yourself, huh?
I got up this morning, looked around, and lamented that my hard work and effort hadn't stayed visible for longer than it did. Then you know what I did about it tonight when Kellen and I got home?
Nothing.
We ate cereal (his dinner request), changed clothes, and went to the pool. We had a BLAST, came home, played a game of Investigate (AKA Go Fish), read a book, then I tucked him in bed.
So, if you happen to stop by my house, it was clean last week - sorry you missed it!
Monday, June 22, 2009
The verdict...
Yes, Matt was COMPLETELY shocked, amazed, thrilled, and wondered HOW and WHEN I managed to get the project done.
Oh, and he also wondered WHAT POSESSED me to get ORANGE rugs and towels for the bathroom. (How well do I know my husband??)
I actually beat him home on Friday, so had a chance to do a few of those things that I had run out of time on (take out the kitchen trash, tidy up a bit more with some of the toys that inevitably had managed to spill out of their 'homes', you know...just some general stuff). No, in case you're wondering, I still didn't get the bedrooms done.
He walked in as I was putting Tatum to bed with a sleeping Kellen on his shoulders and the first words out of his mouth were, "The house looks GREAT!"
My response, "I'm SO GLAD that's the first thing you said to me!"
After we got the kids down, I asked him to tell me all of the things that he noticed that I did. With a deer-in-the-headlights look, he pointed out a few things, then just begged me to tell him the rest. As I rambled through the litany of things I had managed to get done throughout the week, his mouth continued to drop in amazement.
'WHEN did you get all of that done?'
I then had him then close his eyes and walked him to the bathroom. He reacted just as I thought he would....'Orange? Why did you get orange? Orange? Really?' And the rest of his comment was something along the lines of, 'You HAD to know I wasn't going to like that, didn't you?'
Instead of getting upset, I just laughed, and told him it was the KIDS bathroom. I reminded him that he had wanted a FUN bathroom for the KIDS, and that the orange was the PERFECT accent.
Then I told him about the project, WHY I had done it, and had him read the blog. And then laughed when he got to the part where I knew he was going to flip over the orange.
All-in-all, it was a perfect reaction and he LOVED it!!
Oh, and he also wondered WHAT POSESSED me to get ORANGE rugs and towels for the bathroom. (How well do I know my husband??)
I actually beat him home on Friday, so had a chance to do a few of those things that I had run out of time on (take out the kitchen trash, tidy up a bit more with some of the toys that inevitably had managed to spill out of their 'homes', you know...just some general stuff). No, in case you're wondering, I still didn't get the bedrooms done.
He walked in as I was putting Tatum to bed with a sleeping Kellen on his shoulders and the first words out of his mouth were, "The house looks GREAT!"
My response, "I'm SO GLAD that's the first thing you said to me!"
After we got the kids down, I asked him to tell me all of the things that he noticed that I did. With a deer-in-the-headlights look, he pointed out a few things, then just begged me to tell him the rest. As I rambled through the litany of things I had managed to get done throughout the week, his mouth continued to drop in amazement.
'WHEN did you get all of that done?'
I then had him then close his eyes and walked him to the bathroom. He reacted just as I thought he would....'Orange? Why did you get orange? Orange? Really?' And the rest of his comment was something along the lines of, 'You HAD to know I wasn't going to like that, didn't you?'
Instead of getting upset, I just laughed, and told him it was the KIDS bathroom. I reminded him that he had wanted a FUN bathroom for the KIDS, and that the orange was the PERFECT accent.
Then I told him about the project, WHY I had done it, and had him read the blog. And then laughed when he got to the part where I knew he was going to flip over the orange.
All-in-all, it was a perfect reaction and he LOVED it!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
And it's confirmed...
I have been wondering about Kellen's insane ability to hoarde large quantities of food and eat nonstop for large periods of time - hours, really. I was going through various options in my head...tapeworm, hollow leg, growth spurt, you know...all of the "normal" things, right?
Well, it's been officially diagnosed and confirmed. Growth spurt it is!
Matt had measured him on the 3rd of June and then again this week and he's grown a 1/4 inch in that amount of time. Yes, a quarter inch in a span of barely two weeks.
Goodness gracious!
He and I just went through all of his t-shirts and weeded out the ones that are too small for him. Luckily, I hit a sale not too long ago and stocked up on shirts in what is currently his size (who knows how long that will last). If you are a mom, you know the sale drill, right? One shirt of each color in the appropriate size. I bought 10 shirts. So perhaps we'll be set through the summer at least.
Well, it's been officially diagnosed and confirmed. Growth spurt it is!
Matt had measured him on the 3rd of June and then again this week and he's grown a 1/4 inch in that amount of time. Yes, a quarter inch in a span of barely two weeks.
Goodness gracious!
He and I just went through all of his t-shirts and weeded out the ones that are too small for him. Luckily, I hit a sale not too long ago and stocked up on shirts in what is currently his size (who knows how long that will last). If you are a mom, you know the sale drill, right? One shirt of each color in the appropriate size. I bought 10 shirts. So perhaps we'll be set through the summer at least.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Final project status
Just in case you're wondering...the bedrooms didn't get finished. But, everything else on the list was completed.
WHEW!
I did a little "sprucing" before I left the house this morning, ran the dishwasher, and since Matt will most likely beat me home, he should be pleasantly surprised.
Might have been nice if I would have remembered to take out the trash, but hey...it's good enough, right?
My project reflections:
What really struck me throughout this project though, is how much pressure I put on myself. Yes, I gave myself a large project (for what I think is good reason - a nice gift for a reasonably small pocket-book price...a labor of love, a gift that cost time and effort, not $$$). But even as I reached completion of parts of the project, instead of feeling satisfied, I continually found things that I thought would be good to add to the list. WHAT's THAT ABOUT???
Instead of looking around and enjoying what I had done and accomplished, I looked around and thought, 'Well, the next to-do list I make should include the top of the TV, and I should really tackle cleaning out the closets, and....'
How did the perfectionism get so ingrained? And how long will it take for me to un-train and re-train myself to finish something and then REST, while waiting on direction from the Lord for HIS next project for me?
I might be overthinking things here, but hey...these are just my musings anyway...
WHEW!
I did a little "sprucing" before I left the house this morning, ran the dishwasher, and since Matt will most likely beat me home, he should be pleasantly surprised.
Might have been nice if I would have remembered to take out the trash, but hey...it's good enough, right?
My project reflections:
What really struck me throughout this project though, is how much pressure I put on myself. Yes, I gave myself a large project (for what I think is good reason - a nice gift for a reasonably small pocket-book price...a labor of love, a gift that cost time and effort, not $$$). But even as I reached completion of parts of the project, instead of feeling satisfied, I continually found things that I thought would be good to add to the list. WHAT's THAT ABOUT???
Instead of looking around and enjoying what I had done and accomplished, I looked around and thought, 'Well, the next to-do list I make should include the top of the TV, and I should really tackle cleaning out the closets, and....'
How did the perfectionism get so ingrained? And how long will it take for me to un-train and re-train myself to finish something and then REST, while waiting on direction from the Lord for HIS next project for me?
I might be overthinking things here, but hey...these are just my musings anyway...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day 3 project update
Well, I'm officially running out of steam. It was bound to happen, considering the magnitude of the project goals.
This morning I managed to get the baseboards, trim, walls and vents done in the master bathroom and unload/load/run the dishwasher (yeah, no real big feat there).
I added a "side" project to the list, and while dinner was cooking tonight, Tatum "helped" me clean the kids bathroom (she cleans REALLY well with a wipee, let me tell you, and did a GREAT job on the decorative wooden fish that sometimes serves as a doorstop in the bathroom), in preparation for the new decorations that are now in place in there. She did that while I attacked the baseboards, walls, trim, swept and mopped, and cleaned the mirrors (how is it that I always look at them, but rarely think about cleaning them? anyone else?) then she then opened the new shower curtain hooks and helped me string the new shower curtain (BRIGHT fish theme) onto the hooks. I then hung it up while she named all of the various marine creatures on the shower curtain.
It was great!
After the floor dried, I layed out the new, bright orange floor mats down. Yes, orange. Pick yourself up off of the floor. They aren't in any way, shape or form burnt orange. They are BRIGHT orange and match the bottom of the shower curtain, therefore staying with the theme. They also match the set of towels that I got for the room.
Matt is gonna flip that I got orange and the kids are gonna LOVE it. Tatum was already laying down on the new mats saying they were "hers" and feeling of them.
It's amazing the difference in new versus old mats...even cheap ones, 'cause hey...it IS the kids bath, and we know what's going to happen to those rugs, right? And lets face it, the old ones were O-L-D...they were from my college days and predated Matt. You do the math.
So now that I've established that anything having to do with Tatum's room is off the list, basically, I still need to do the baseboards/trim/walls in the master bedroom and Kellen's room, mop the kitchen/entry and master bathroom and then vacuum the master bedroom and Kellen's room. Oh, and put away all of the clean laundry that is now piled on the couch, loveseat and the green chair. Have I mentioned my tendency for piling clean laundry?
I've just Febreezed the curtains that can't be laundered and "spritzed" them up, and now that I've written out the remaining "to-do" list, it doesn't actually seem that bad. I think I can do it, but if it doesn't get done, the house is in better shape than in was on Sunday. And that's pretty much what I was going for. Matt should still be surprised and I think he'll appreciate the effort.
This morning I managed to get the baseboards, trim, walls and vents done in the master bathroom and unload/load/run the dishwasher (yeah, no real big feat there).
I added a "side" project to the list, and while dinner was cooking tonight, Tatum "helped" me clean the kids bathroom (she cleans REALLY well with a wipee, let me tell you, and did a GREAT job on the decorative wooden fish that sometimes serves as a doorstop in the bathroom), in preparation for the new decorations that are now in place in there. She did that while I attacked the baseboards, walls, trim, swept and mopped, and cleaned the mirrors (how is it that I always look at them, but rarely think about cleaning them? anyone else?) then she then opened the new shower curtain hooks and helped me string the new shower curtain (BRIGHT fish theme) onto the hooks. I then hung it up while she named all of the various marine creatures on the shower curtain.
It was great!
After the floor dried, I layed out the new, bright orange floor mats down. Yes, orange. Pick yourself up off of the floor. They aren't in any way, shape or form burnt orange. They are BRIGHT orange and match the bottom of the shower curtain, therefore staying with the theme. They also match the set of towels that I got for the room.
Matt is gonna flip that I got orange and the kids are gonna LOVE it. Tatum was already laying down on the new mats saying they were "hers" and feeling of them.
It's amazing the difference in new versus old mats...even cheap ones, 'cause hey...it IS the kids bath, and we know what's going to happen to those rugs, right? And lets face it, the old ones were O-L-D...they were from my college days and predated Matt. You do the math.
So now that I've established that anything having to do with Tatum's room is off the list, basically, I still need to do the baseboards/trim/walls in the master bedroom and Kellen's room, mop the kitchen/entry and master bathroom and then vacuum the master bedroom and Kellen's room. Oh, and put away all of the clean laundry that is now piled on the couch, loveseat and the green chair. Have I mentioned my tendency for piling clean laundry?
I've just Febreezed the curtains that can't be laundered and "spritzed" them up, and now that I've written out the remaining "to-do" list, it doesn't actually seem that bad. I think I can do it, but if it doesn't get done, the house is in better shape than in was on Sunday. And that's pretty much what I was going for. Matt should still be surprised and I think he'll appreciate the effort.
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