I Dunno,

My goal for this weekend was to clean, clean, clean and organize. I got started right away this morning and took Carter downstairs while Caleb played Wii upstairs and we got the toy room straightened.  I walked into my storage room with the best intentions and quickly made a U-turn!  Just the sight of that room did me in!  So my game plan is to create a plan of attack.  I want to remove everything from that room and organize it.  So I am trying to figure out 1. where to put the stuff when I take it out and 2. how to organize it.  So I am taking a tip from the TLC organizing show and am going to create different piles- Current Work, Old work, Donate, Garbage and Baby.  Hopefully that will help me clean out.  Ugh.  Wish me luck!  I am obviously so gung-ho about this project that I am sitting on the couch blogging about it.  We have all weekend at least.  No visitors, nothing to do but clean and organize.  My next struggle is to figure out if I was to take a nap during Carter's nap time and Caleb's rest time or clean the bathroom???  Hmmmm.  I am thinking a nap sounds awesome!  I have all weekend to clean, right?!

That's A Naughty Word.

No, it isn't.  That is the conversation Caleb and I have been having lately.  Him being the one telling me it is a naughty word.  haha  When we play bowling I like to say Darnit a lot which leads him to say- that's a naughty word.  Well, no it isn't.  Then the next time he bowls he says Dammit.  Well- THAT is a naughty word.  Argh.  I can't say anything anymore.  His "Oh, My goodness"es have turned into "Oh my God's" which are "naughty" words.  So we have banned him from saying any of it, which doesn't work.  When he was saying it a lot the other day I told him to say WooHoo instead (I think he was bowling, so it fit).  So now he will say "Oh My Gooo- Woohoo!"  Haha!

New Year's

We haven't been to Omaha since last January so we decided to go over New Year's.  We left on Wednesday afternoon and got to the Dammen's house mid afternoon.  We ended up going to the Amazing Pizza Machine that night for supper and some play time.  Then Thursday we were planning on going to the Zoo, but we got too late of a start and ended up visiting the Children's Museum instead.  Then we ate at Quaker Steak and Lube which was really good.  Chris and Jason ordered the All You Can Eat wings, so of course I got to try some too!  Then we went home and put the kids to bed.  Mindy and I got to watch (through tears) the movie My Sister's Keeper.  I read the book this summer, but the movie still had me choked up almost the entire time.  I am glad I watched it with a girl so I wouldn't have to hear Chris say "Are you crying?"  haha...  Then Friday we got up and got ready to go to the Zoo!  Yes, the zoo is open in winter and it was awesome!  COLD!, but awesome.  We obviously went through all the inside attractions, but it wasn't crowded at all, so we went through at our own pace letting the babies get out and walk around too.  We brought a picnic lunch and ate in the Aquarium under the big tunnel.  The kids had a blast!  I wish we lived closer, I would definitely buy a membership so we could go more often.  (Unfortunately the Des Moines zoo isn't nearly as impressive and doesn't have much for indoor viewing.)  After the zoo we ended up going home.  It was nice going Wed- Fri because when we got home we still had our entire weekend!  We didn't doo too much over the weekend since Chris had a lot of packing to do. 

Christmas

So I realized I never wrote about Chrismas this year.  Our original plan this Christmas was to be at home Christmas Eve and morning, open our presents then leave for my parents around noon.  Well, the weather forecast wasn't looking the best so we decided that Santa needed to come a day earlier.  When we woke up Christmas Eve morning we decided this at the last minute, so we bathed the kids and dressed them in their Christmas jammies.  We opened presents then started to pack up for home.  We heard from our neighbors that the roads were starting to get pretty bad so we hurried up and took off. 

Our family's Christmas was fun opening presents!  Caleb really got into presents this year, so it was really fun picking stuff out for him and watching him open it.  (Side story- he is SUPER into Cars right now and the night after I wrapped ALL of the presents one of my work parents came over and gave me a roll of Cars wrapping paper, so Chris had to rewrap all of Caleb's gifts!  But, it was worth it because he was VERY excited and he know which presents were his.)  Santa brough Caleb a Geo Trax set and Carter a truck and bus that goes with his Mega Blocks.  We bought Caleb a baseball helmet, Cars puzzle, Chutes and Ladders, Cars "figurines", a Cars tire "fishing" game, and other stuff I can't remember right now.  Carter was tough to buy for.  We bought him tons of Hot Wheels cars, an alphabet rolly ball thing, books, and ... I can't remember. 

We had Christmas with my family Christmas day- after a fun experience for the big boys in a snow drift!  My dad and Chris attempted to go to town to pick up Michelle and got stuck in a snow drift!  Haha!  They ended up coming home and waiting for our neighbor with a tractor to come through so they could drive to town.  Finally the whole family was together and we ate lunch and opened presents.  Oba was able to be with us the whole weekend.  Caleb got a Smart Cycle from my parents, Carter got a wooden train and a shape "market" toy from Discovery Toys.  And Chris and I got a Wii!  Woo hoo!  I think Caleb was about 100 times more excited than Chris and I together.  He LOVES playing "bowing", gold, baseball and now "tentist", too.  We have purchased a football game (of course), Super Mario and Biggest Loser game so far.  I played the Biggest Loser and felt it for like 3 days!  Wow.  (Now I am sitting on the couch blogging while watching the Biggest Loser on TV. haha)

Saturday we had Christmas with Chris' mom at Kelly's house.  Caleb got the Uno Moo game, a cowboy outfit that G-ma Cake made him, and a shirt.  Carter got Fridge Phonics, Mega Blocks, and some jammies. 

Sunday was Christmas with Chris' dad at Kelly's house. Caleb got I dont' remember... Carter got some jammies.  I got a couple candle holders and a bubble bath set.  Chris and I both got a Quarter of a Cow!  This sounds really weird, but the funniest part of it is the night before I mentioned to Chris that we should get that to stock our freezer! 

The weekend went really well and was lots of fun. 

Hawaii

Well, I am a single mother once again.  Chris left yesterday morning for Hawaii.  He will be back in 3 weeks.  He was supposed to fly out of Des Moines to Phoenix at 8am Monday, but his flught was cancelled because of mechanical problems.  They ended up flying to Denver last night at 7pm!  Then this morning left early to LA, had a 5 hour layover then left for Hawaii about 3:30 our time.  So he is running about 26 hours behind schedule.  Thankfully this doesn't effect his return date.  (I hope.)

I feel this trip will go pretty fast.  It is only 2 weekends he is gone, so there isn't much down time between work and kids.  This month is pretty hectic as it is between trainings, extra meetings, etc. 

As of right now he is going to miss at least one big snow storm.  We are expected to have another 4-6 inches of snow after we have already had 2 big snow storms already!  Ugh.  Someone told me that they read in the almanac that this Winter was supposed to be a mild one.  Ummm, NOT!  I don't think so!  It has been inthe negative degrees for the past several days with no end in sight right now.  BRrrrrrr.

Carter Updates

Carter has been "eating" a bottle before bed every night and then again in the morning about, well anywhere from 4:30-6:30 am.  I had been gradually been taking away the bottle, but tonight it is official.  He still had his milk, but he drank it from a sippy.  What a milestone.  He also has a whopping 6 teeth or so.  He is such a slow teether, his 4 bottom teeth that have been coming in forever now are just finally big enough to see when he smiles.  He also has his 2 right top teeth, and the one is starting to show more so it really looks like he has a snaggle tooth.  Pretty funny.

He moved to the big boy room today. :(  sniff.  I went to drop him off in his regular room today and all they did was point me to the other room.  He did really well dropping off and everything.  He seemed excited to be back at day care.  We have had the boys home with us over the holidays so they haven't been to daycare for just about 2 weeks.  When I got there to pick up Carter I watched him through his door for awhile before I walked in and it was so sweet to just watch him play.  He went up to one of the workers and kinda gave her a hug and sat on her lap playing for quite a while. 

Funnies

I have to write this before I forget! 

As we were driving in Ames last night I was pointing out buildings to Caleb.  We passed the doctors office and the hospital and he brought up that we got Carter there.  I told him that is where I got him, too.  He said "I didn't see you."  Well, you were in my tummy at first then they took you out of my tummy and I got to see you.  The monsters took me out?  Ummm, no the doctors.  Oh.  Should we have another baby?  A sister?  Yeah!  Tell daddy.  Daddy, we should have a baby sister.  Daddy said (of course)- well we can get a baby at Wal-Mart for $5.  Ummm, no.  Not what we were talking about.  We kept talking about Sisters on the way to Wal-Mart and just as we were pulling in Caleb says, "I don't want a sister, I want a kangaroo."  LOL!  I couldn't quit laughing!  You really have to hear how he says sister, too.  It is more like SiSSer.  Too funny!