Another Monkey joins the bunch! 

A Tropical Luau

The heat continued for the luau. It was sweltering. We had a good turn out. Lots of food, lots of drinks, and lots of standing in the kiddie pool. I even have the garage put back together. I think next year's luau will have to be in October so that we can breathe!

Today was AWESOME!!! All the windows are open to blow the stink outta here. Greg and Kim (Kurt's brother and sister-in-law) brought us some fun stuff from their house (so they can make space for the stuff they're getting from grandpa and grandma's house). They stayed for dinner. Kim even managed to get Fred to participate in a conversation!

I went shopping and out for apps with Rikki. It was a good day!

Hotter than H E double toothpick

Our AC has died. The repair guy is CUTE ;) He had to go to the shop to get the part. A bolt is stripped out in the blower. I almost had to get a hotel room last night. UGH.

It's going to be hot and tropical for the luau on Saturday. We still have some garage sale items we need to clean up. I got a blow up ukelele. I'm excited!

I'm drowning under laundry at the moment. I'm also dismayed at the shameful state of underwear for this family. Weirdly, I only wash undies for 4 of us. May have to have Kurt investigate what the deal is with that. Then again I may not want to know. (and yes, both Kurt and I are fully covered!)

I was supposed To be off at 4 today, but I'll have to make up time because of the AC guy. I think I'm going to attempt Fried Chicken for dinner tonite. The recipe starts out, "Take your bacon grease. If there isn't enough add a stick of butter". Should be yummy!

Potter Mania

We got two books. One for Kurt (that he is willing to share with the children) and one for me (that they have to keep their grubby little paws off). I finished it at work.

It was great!

Chapter 2 was AWESOME as was Chapter 23!!! I'm excited for the next one. I lent the book to rikki already.

OH and here's a piece of news...one of my coworkers friends met this guy online. Yep you guessed it...my ex husband. Apparently he is no longer using our wedding picture to get dates. What an idiot.

It's 80+ degrees in here. The AC is frozen or something. I may have to get hotel room.

Doldrums

We seemed to have hit the summer doldrums here. I'm scared to go outside because the mosquitos have a feeding frenzy around me. You can literally see them swarm anytime I step foot out of the house. Last week one bit me on my eyelid...MY EYELID!!! It swelled and swelled. Lovely.

Yesterday Kurt, Alex, and the PP toured a high school. Kurt said it went pretty well. I looked at the course catalog. Pretty impressive. I would think Alex would be plotting out which classes he could take while at the same time realizing the PP's totally deficient and grammatically incorrect plan is below subpar. Tomorrow, he and Kurt are touring a high school here in town. I may go along, too.

We drove Christy by a new elementary here in town on Sunday. She was pretty excited (not by anything that would actually help her get educated but we will take what we can get). I told her all she has to do is say, "Mom, I want to go to school". If only it were that simple.

Fred continues to be a pain. Kurt actually had a conversation with him though so that is progress too. Hopefully, the two of them are going to a Sci-Fi book club at Barnes and Noble tonite. The PP hadn't made up her mind if that were to be allowed yet. UGH. I pointed out that Fred doesn't need her permission he is after all 18. Kurt agreed it was a good point. I don't know if he has "processed" beyond that or not.

Nicky is going to have to be our next project. I need to figure out which school he would go to here and where it is. I think being on a swim team may be the way to go with him. It requires more thought.

The Aunt is here from CA and her friend Maria is here from LaCrosse and Guatemala. I had a morning of lunch, shopping, and debating the cosmos with them on Tuesday. That's always exhausting.

School starts for me in a month and a week. Hopefully there will be 5 of us attending classes.

Hot Tired Crabby

Pretty much sums up the state of affairs around here. OH! I forgot

• Mosquito bitten
• Headache-y

Happy Birthday America!

A calmer day here. All the children lived through the night (which is remarkable). I worked this morning til 1330. I went in early because I missed most of last week.

We're trying to get ready to go to my parents and the big Aurora celebration. We have kids doing dishes and bathing while Kurt is unloading the car.

Christy came downstairs wearing a purple and white butterfly shirt, green camouflage shorts, and grey wool socks with a red band. She did not see why she needed to change clothes. I would have taken a picture, but I realize that wouldn't have been nice of me.

We got a load of sparklers, smoke bombs, and snaps for tonite. It should be fun!

Ho Ho Ho! 

Update

It's high stress here. The children are causing us grief. Well it's mostly #1 and his crappy a** attitude.

Kurt's dad, Lyle, had heart surgery last week. It went very, very well but now he thinks he's a new man and can do whatever he wants. We spent 3 days in Sioux Falls with them. Kelly, Kurt's youngest brother was there, too.

On the way out Kurt and I stopped and saw the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN. It's 60 feet tall! I've always wanted to go to Blue Earth (just not for that reason). Back in the 1920's 7 members of my maternal family were killed in a train crash there.

We went to the fireworks downtown last night. They were very good. Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow and we can see some in my hometown.
We've had the kids since Friday night so it's been a constant cycle of meals, dishes, and laundry.

In a Puff of Smoke 

Frederick #18 

The Fabulous Foursome 

Wet, Wild Weekend

We got 3+ inches of rain since Friday. We needed it, but thunderstorms don't exactly go with waterparks. All the kids were in a mini uproar. "Are we going to the Lost Island?" "Are we going to the Lost Island?" "I think the Lost Island is going to be FUN! Are we going?"

Saturday was nice til mid afternoon. We got everyone home, and got everyone clean. Alex looked a bit Frankensteinish with his staples, but they were much smaller than I expected. Since the wound had scabbed over it was decided he could go to the waterpark as long as he wore a swimcap (of course, we had some miscommunication and I didn't find this out until much later which led to some tension)

We had Fred's 18th birthday party on Saturday. It's the first time we've had a kid on the actual birthday. The usual suspects were here eating the usual menu + Dairy Queen cake. He got the usual presents (rollerblades and a helmet), a Barnes and Noble gift card, jeans (that he doesn't have to roll up), a shirt, and some games and cards. Overall he didn't seem very excited (until the cake appeared). But Fred is an understated kind of child.

We had loud scary thunderstorms Saturday night. One clap of thunder was so powerful it sent Christy scurrying downstairs into her Daddy's lap. There were several more during the night and I expected her to end up with us. In the morning she informed me once she is asleep she stays asleep.

Sunday morning - Waterpark Day - More storms. My Dad was going with us (it was his father's day present). He called. He and Kurt decided to postpone it. I got up to some very disappointed children. I took the day off so I could go. I was disappointed too. By 10:15 (it opens at 10:30) it had cleared off and the radar looked clear. We called Dad and rescheduled. WE'RE GOING TO THE LOST ISLAND!!

I've never seen the kids get ready and in the car so quickly! We got out there around 12:30 and stayed til 6. Dad left half way through. Lucky! Kurt and I were exhausted. The kids had a blast. I've never seen Fred smile so much.

There are 3 body slides, 4 slides that are 1 or 2 people in tubes, and one big yellow one that is 3-5 people in a tube. There is also a lazy river, and 3 medium to little kid play areas and a wave pool.

We all went for the body slides first thing. We got up there. Christy was in position and decided it was too dark and she was scared. She couldn't go down with a partner, so she walked back down. After we all made it through the tube, she, Dad, and I went over to one of the play areas. While the Hansen men continued to slide. There was a smaller slide there which she loved.

A bit later she and I went on the Tangerine Tempest which is a tube that shoots into a big bowl where you swirl around before being sucked back down into another tube. It's like a giant toilet bowl. She did good at first, then got scared. By the time we splashed down she was shaking and starting crying when we got out. I felt bad. She's usually fearless. She declared, "let's go on the lazy river. It will help calm me down." We met up with Kurt and the boys in the river. Pretty much Christy hung out with the adults and we let the boys go on their own as long as they stuck together. Alex was easy to spot with his blue swim cap so that made life much easier. We went out and had a picnic on the lawn half way through the visit, reapplied sunscreen (not that it helped. I'm burned to a crisp. I'm soo upset. I had more sunscreen on than anyone else. I think it was old and the SPF was too low) and headed back in.

Hours later we finally got everyone together in one place. We did one last time in the wave pool then headed for home. We ordered in Chinese and watched some TV. Nick said he can't wait to go back next year and Alex said it was a great weekend! High praise from our kids!

Not Such a Treat

Rice a Roni almost caused my demise today.

I came home for lunch. Made some of the "San Francisco Treat", proceeded to watch the Travel Channel, and almost choke to death.

I apparently coughed and inhaled at the same time or something. A piece of lightly browned vermicelli wedged in my throat. I started to cough, then gasp for air, then get hot and sweaty, then panic, then gasp for please God a breath of air, cough so forcefully I pee some, try to decide if i needed hemliching, stagger to the kitchen and puke repeatedly in the sink all the while gasping for air. I got dizzy. I continued to gasp for air panting, waiting for my heart to slow down. I call Kurt at work and start to cry. I've never choked like that before.

Now I'm starving (I did puke up my lunch after all) and my throat hurts. It was a scary afternoon.

Insomnia Strikes Again

Why is it I always have insomnia on the days that I have to be to work at 7 am? I woke up at 330 this morning. I finally got back to sleep around 5:15. Then Kurt's alarm went off a 530. Great. I had to be up at 615 (and that's pushing it). I came to in a puddle of drool around 6:35. I had knocked my cell on the floor deactivating the alarm. Nice. I staggered downstairs and ask " didn't you notice the time?" ( I realize it's not his responsibility to get me up but.....). He is, of course, happily munching on toast and surfing the net. He wants a kiss. I tell him I don't have time for that sort of thing.

I got showered and made it to work at 701. Not bad. I was impressed. Only a minute late. Later in the day, though, I was starving and had huge snarls in my hair. Thank goodness for scrunchies. My sister tells me growing my bangs out is liberating. So far I don't see it.

Kurt's education meeting with the PP went as expected. She thinks everything is fine. Memorable quotes include: "I have Alex teaching Nicky grammar so Alex will learn grammar" and regarding Fred not knowing Algerbra, Trig, and Geometry, "Well he has the book. He must not have cracked it". Also, she can't meet again because she is fully booked until September (with what we don't know. Child rearing and education don't appear to be two of the scheduled activities).

Fred's 18th is this weekend. We're having the party Saturday night and then going to the Waterpark on Sunday (weather and Alex's noggin permitting.) My dad is going, too. The kids are excited. Check it out at www.thelostisland.com

ER visit

I get a text message this afternoon that says, "Alex gashed head with post pounder. On way to meet them at st lukes". He is ok. Apparently he lifted the pounder too high, missed the post and cracked himself in the head. Of course it was 90 degrees today and the PP wasn't at home at the time of the incident. Nice. She got home soon after. She called Kurt to see what to do. They met at the ER. Alex ended up with 12 staples to close the wound. I called to see how he was. The PP kept asking if Kurt had to go back to work. He replied, "No, it was Heather checking on Alex". The PP replied, "wow sounds like she's more concerned about him than I was." NICE. I can't continue to express my opinion on this matter, because this is a family blog. The main thing is that Alex didn't die which is of course always a possibility when he is there.

Herd 'Em Out

I know why I stay in bed on Monday mornings. It's a lot of work to get 4 kids and 1 domestic partner out the door! (Funny story btw....) Kurt refers to me as his companion, his domestic partner, or his spousal equivalent. I KNEW it was a bad idea. There isn't a label for what I am. (plus he's not ready for the label I'm wanting :) Anyway, some woman at work...He had said something about his domestic partner. She asked Teresa (our friend with whom Kurt works) if he was gay! (Not that there's anything wrong with that). I said, "SEE! I told you!"

Back to this morning. I woke up at 3:30 to pee. Then my mind started working. I've been up ever since. I made pancakes for everyone as they straggled out of bed. Kurt spends a leisurely morning usually. Drinking coffee, checking email, getting behind schedule etc. At 6:15 he notices he has an 8:15 conference call. Two children are still in bed at this point. He goes into crisis mode which is pretty funny since he isn't all the way awake.

We start sending kids through the shower and waking the rest up. Fred takes over loading the car which usually takes at least half an hour. The dog is in the middle of everything trying to snag a pancake. Nick devours 4 or 5 pancakes and goes back downstairs. I figure he is done and clear and rinse his plate. He comes back upstairs, looks around, and asks what happened. He was just waiting for the next round of food!

I keep telling everyone to hurry up; they need to leave by 7:15. I had them way ahead of schedule. I was feeling great. Then Nick disappeared again. I heard the bathroom door slam shut. This was not good. Any time gained was about to be lost. I found out this weekend that Nicky was overdue (late) by two weeks. A clear indication of personality if there ever was one. Being slow, late, and last defines Nick, which is unusual because he is totally hyper active. Finally got everyone out the door at 7:11am. Impressive. It's all in Kurt's hands now. I did what I could. I'm having a nap.

Flash!

Yesterday was a good day. Kurt and I got up and went to the farmers market where I got some snap peas. The are so sweet and yummy. We then hit a couple of garage sales ending up at Fareway. We decided to call our friends, Kevin and Teresa, to see if they were busy. Amazingly, they were free. Yes! It usually takes months of planning to get together with them. We planned a cook out. I got a dozen brats, and 3.5# of burger as well as some baked beans, grapes, and ice cream sandwiches.

We spent the afternoon cleaning out the garage. We are down to the last little bit of sorting. Alex has boxes that he needs to go thru. I am astounded! I may end up with free space yet.

We moved the patio furniture and a card table out onto the lawn. I got everything as ready to go as possible. Kevin and Teresa brought chips, a pasta salad, and these dangerous brownies topped with m and m cookie dough. I must certainly DO NOT need the recipe for that. Their kids, Ella 7 and Austin 5 were a little shy when they first arrived. Once everyone had some food in them things got better. The kids were playing soccer, using the sidewalk chalk, skating, dragging toys out of the garage sale boxes, and playing basketball.

Once it got dark the fireflies came out in force. Everyone was trying to catch them. Christy kept saying, "flash firefly flash" and then in a really little voice Ella would repeat her. It was sweet.

It was great visit. I didn't burn any of the food, and the citronella took care of most of the skeeters. Plus we have enough leftovers for lunch!

Z pack and a Coma

The cough continues. Kurt decided to look at my throat. He said my tonsils were the size of grapes and I needed to go back to the doctor. So yesterday I went back to urgent care. I was the only patient. I thought "well this is nice". I definitely spoke too soon. Both the intake nurse and the doctor had ice running thru their veins. I believe they were both at the top of their class, Unfriendly 101. I had to explain to them, yes, I had been in before (i could see that info on the chart from my seat on the paper covered table) the reason of my visit (could see that too), and that I had a cough (which they could tell if they were listening to me at all). I convinced them the bacteria was still around. I walked out with a Z pack and cough syrup with codeine. Needless to say, most of the rest of the day was spent passed out on the couch.

My Golden Showers yellow climbing rose. Guess someone created their own 2 pk!