Happy Halloween!

We got a lot of mileage out of Halloween this year! We started by painting pumpkins that we grew in our garden. We got 6 big pumpkins and at least 12 little pumpkins this year!
Haden's 0utfit was unfortunately sacrificed for the activity. Acrylic paint and 2 year olds just don't go together very well! Luckily, it is the end of the season and time to get out his winter clothes.
We went trick or treating with some friends at the Medical Plaza just up the road. The kids were thrilled to be able to wear their costumes. (Alright, Regan was thrilled. Haden has been wearing his costume everywhere we go for sometime now!) Lila was an adorable butterfly, Regan was a beautiful mermaid, and Haden was Bob the Builder.
We got to explore an emergency helicopter. Haden was not interested in the helicopter at all and refused to cooperate for a picture. He was too interested in the firetruck.
By the way, Haden is wearing Regan's very most favorite cowgirl turned cowboy boots that she wore nearly every day for almost 2 years until it was just too painful for her to walk in them. They were in very good shape when she retired them. Haden has had them for less than a month and they already are beginning to look well worn. What is it about boys??
Regan had no interest in either the helicopter or the firetruck. She wanted to ride the train and go get more candy!
It was windy and the kids were sure their hat/flower were going to blow away!

Next was Regan's ballet party. Ms. Sue, Regan's teacher, told us the week before that the girls could dress up and they would perform a Halloween dance, unless their costume was something like a mermaid that would not be conducive to dancing. I was so glad that of all costumes she could have named, she picked a mermaid. I didn't even have to argue with Regan when it came time to get dressed for ballet because Ms. Sue had already said that she couldn't wear her mermaid costume. Luckily, last year's outfit still fit Regan! (Thanks to Emily for taking the pictures! Lila was not cooperating!)


Clint was in charge of carving pumpkins. Again, more from our garden. The kids drew the faces on and Clint cut them out. Regan's had eyes all the way around it, and Haden's just had random holes in it, but they loved them!
And finally, was the ward's trunk or treat. Once again a butterfly, mermaid, and Bob accompanied us. They got tons of candy and had fun seeing all their friends!
Happy Halloween!

Like father, like son

We were trying to organize our basement. It seems like a never ending task. The kids can undo hours of work in 15 minutes of play down there! We were sorting things and making a get rid of pile. Haden would immediately take everything out of our get rid of pile insisting that he "loved it". So, Clint got out his drill. That's the logical course of action, right? Haden has become quite obsessed with "Bob the Builder" and is dressing up as him on Halloween. He wears his hard hat and carries his box of tools with him everywhere we go, kindergarten, ballet, the grocery store, etc. You never know when you might need to build something! So, you can imagine his excitement when Clint handed over his drill. Haden drilled holes into the 2 x 4 for a good ten minutes before his little hand got tired from holding the heavy drill. When he was done he told Clint that he needed a drill like that too, but a different one, because that one wouldn't fit in his tool box!

Run for the Watershed 2010

This is the second year that Clint has put together a team for the Watershed Relay. It's a 50 mile race with running, walking, and biking legs. Last year, his team creamed everyone. This year we came in second, but only by a few minutes, which Clint insists that he could have made up if the winning team had not taken a short cut through a neighborhood. Apparently the rules were sketchy on alternate routes. It was still a lot of fun! Our last runner was late for his leg so Kim and Michael each ran an extra couple of miles with little notice. They were both awesome! Regan and Haden had fun playing with their friends and Lila didn't complain once about being passed around. The scenery was beautiful and the BBQ lunch following the race was delicious. We will definitely be doing it again next year!

Kim running her first leg.

Jared taking his turn running.

Me handing off to Clint. I was a little nervous about being on Clint's team. He is rather competitive, and I am not. Thankfully, no one passed me!

Clint handing the scrunchi baton off to Kim.

Kim to Michael.

And finally, our team.

Keystone

Clint's annual conference was held at Keystone Resort again this year. I was debating about whether or not to go with him. First of all, a resort on the off season is rather boring. EVERYTHING is closed. And, second of all, the conference is always held during the week thus requiring me to pull Regan out of kindergarten. Since Clint started taking classes at night, the kids don't see him as much, and during the conference I knew he would be back to the condo by 5:00 each night. So, at the last minute, I decided to meet him up there. The kids were excited. They have fond memories of swimming and building fires from last year's conference and were looking forward to doing it again.

While Clint was learning all about special districts, I took the kids shopping at the outlets that were thankfully still open. Regan was looking for a pair of leggings. Apparently a girl in her class had worn them to school and Regan thought it was very cute. I love that she has her own sense of style! We scored at Osh Kosh. She was thrilled with her purchases which she quickly changed into once getting back to the condo. I got more comments than I could count about "having my hands full" when really, it was no big deal. Lila slept in her sling and Haden held my hand anytime we were crossing a road and was otherwise making such a loud siren sound that I could hear him no matter where he went in the store! The sales clerk at Pearl Izumi was clearly relieved when we left-Haden had rearranged several of her shelves. On a side note, one clerk asked if Regan and Haden were twins??? Really??? Apparently she didn't notice that Regan was a good head taller?

That night we walked around the lake, fed the ducks, went swimming and built several fires. We would unintentionally let them die, and then Haden would insist on building a new one. He's already a little pyro!
The kids had the best time rearranging all the couch cushions. They are getting very experienced at building their own "forts" when Clint isn't around to help them.
I was eavesdropping on Regan and Haden's conversation while they were dividing the pillows. Haden said something about needing a brother. I asked him what he would do with a brother and he said, "I would throw him in the garbage can!" I still am not quite sure if that was meant as a compliment. Haden LOVES his toy garbage can and frequently says he wants to be a garbageman when he grows up. Who knows what goes through that kid's head!