Waldron's Writ

January

2012-02-01T10:48:00.008-07:00

January came and went this year! But we did have a lot of fun! We celebrated Clint's birthday. It was my first attempt making lava cakes from scratch. It's always fun to experiment with new recipes! Clint is a wonderful dad and husband. We are lucky to have him!

Savannah came to visit for a week and we only got one picture of her.

She took the kids to the park while Clint and I went on our FIRST bike ride together without kids since Regan was born. Although I need lots more practice on the hills, it was a lot of fun!

We went shopping nearly every day. Regan loved it! She added several items to her wardrobe and discovered lots more stores that have "cute clothes" that she didn't know about before. I have never seen a 6 year old care so much or get so excited about clothes! We all miss having Savannah here. It's always sad when she leaves.

Lila and Regan have been sharing a bed. They are so sweet and peaceful while they're asleep! Regan is usually sweet and peaceful. Lila, not so much, but she keeps life interesting!

Like father, like daughter. Lila has started mimicking people. She knows she's pretty funny!

Idaho

2012-02-01T10:05:00.013-07:00

We made our regular trip to Idaho the day after Christmas. Haden, as usual, was most excited. It was a pretty low key trip this time around.

Haden used Clint's mom's Christmas tree as target practice. The little rascal is pretty good! Clint gets credit for that gene.

We went bowling with my family.

Bowling with that many kids requires lots of time and patience. They didn't have the ramps to help the kids' balls gain momentum so we used whatever techniques possible to get the ball down the lane!

And there was plenty of time to relax while you were waiting for your ball to make it to the end!

Gemma didn't quite know what to do with Lila.

The girls all had fun bowling, but have plans to go roller skating next time we visit.

Haden helped check the cows several times. He got to see a brand new, hours old, baby calf. He still talks about how the mama cow was giving the baby a bath by licking him. It always interests me to see what sticks in his memory.

There was lots of time to play with cousins.

We celebrated New Year's early with sparklers we had leftover from Independence Day. The kids loved it!

Regan helped grandma wash lots and lots of dishes. Our dishwasher broke a few days after we got home. Regan was thrilled! She insisted that she loved washing dishes by hand and couldn't we wait a while before we got a new one? Yeah, she's crazy. It was promptly replaced!

It was a fun trip. I got to catch up with a couple of friends from high school. I love discovering that they are just the same now as they were then. It was just like when we were in high school, except there are a lot more kids running around!

Signing

2012-01-29T22:11:00.005-07:00

Since Lila isn't talking, we've been doing lots of signing around here. Sometimes, we'll quiz Lila and ask her to show us.....whatever sign. She knows a lot of different signs. Tonight, I overheard Haden say, "Lila, show me your fight!" Lila, without hesitating, swung her arm around just like she was wielding a sword. They don't teach that on Baby Signing Time!

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-22T22:43:00.008-07:00

I love Christmas with kids!! I love making sure that it is a perfect day for each one! This year was no exception. Haden was thrilled with his drums, spiderman toys, and other loot and didn't even comment about the lack of jackhammers, chainsaws, or 4 wheelers.

Regan loved her guitar (just like Taylor Swift), collection of clothes, accessories, and American Girl doll stuff.

Lila's reaction was the absolute best, though. She went Christmas shopping with me when I bought this silly doll for her. She held her through the entire shopping trip and squawked in the car when I wouldn't hand her over. Her face completely lit up and her mouth was the perfect look of surprise when she ripped the wrapping paper back. I loved it!

On a side note, Haden thought we should put out salad instead of cookies for Santa because it was "much healthier". This became all the more amusing when we read one of the books Haden got for Christmas entitled, "I'm a Grumpy Santa Claus". The story was about what an awful day Santa was having, but it was all made better by the plate of cookies someone left. Haden looked a little sheepish!

And in case you missed it, our 2011 Christmas letter...

Merry Christmas!

We’ve had a wonderful year and hope you have too!

Our kids are growing up so quickly! Regan is six going on sixteen! She is excelling in 1^st grade and loves to read and write stories. She loves all things fashion and is quite the trendsetter. Seldom is Regan found without some piece of jewelry to accessorize her carefully planned outfit. She swapped ballet lessons for swimming and music lessons and is doing well at each one. Friends are still a very important part of her life. Regan is a fabulous older sister and takes very good care of her siblings.

Haden is four, and is loving being in preschool. His imagination is outrageous. He is the best firefighter ever. Our house constantly has some fire going that he and his “crew” need to put out. It’s a good thing the hose to my vacuum doubles as a fire hose! Apparently there are also many “bad guys” that Haden fights and chases away so the girls in the family won’t be scared. Such a gentleman! His antics always keep us well entertained. Regan is one of his best friends and they play very well together.

Lila is nearly 18 months. She is a very opinionated, strong willed, little girl! She loves helping me with anything in the kitchen, playing in the sandbox, and keeping up with her siblings. Even without talking, she never has a problem communicating what she wants. When she doesn’t get her way, she throws whatever she’s holding. Her arm is phenomenal. She once launched a chewed up grape across the dinner table and right into Haden’s nose. It was hard not to laugh! She is very generous with her hugs and kisses and loves playing with her siblings. We all adore little Lila!

Clint no longer serves as scoutmaster for our church. I think he sometimes longs to swap his long Sunday meetings for campouts and bike rides! He still manages to find time for running and biking. He’s a wonderful dad and husband!

I stay busy keeping up with the kids. Volunteering in Regan’s classroom has made me miss having my own class full of students. Maybe I will again, someday. In the meantime, I am lucky enough to work with the 14 and 15 year old girls at church. They are such neat girls. Clint introduced me to road biking this summer. It has been a fun change. I didn’t think I would like going so fast on a bike!

We have all been very blessed this year. We are grateful for our Savior and love celebrating His birth and teaching our kids about Him. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Clint, Rachael, Regan, Haden, & Lila Waldron

Christmas Break

2012-01-22T21:19:00.022-07:00

The kids' school let out an entire week before Christmas. I loved it! We had so much fun together! We spent a day at Hammond's candy factory. The kids got to watch old fashioned candy canes being made by hand and helped themselves to the bowl of free broken lollipops.

Lila just does whatever she wants. At least she's in the picture!

We met some friends at Monkey Bizness. It's the best indoor playground! This slide is a huge attraction that the two big kids love going down. Quite frankly, it scares me. I've always been a chicken, though. The kids were completely worn out by the time we made it home. Regan even complained of sore muscles the next day! I can't even guess how many times she climbed up that slide.

We did lots and lots of holiday baking. All three kids like to help make and sample anything sweet! (Regan insists on wearing sundresses year round.)

We made lots of toffee this year. Haden was in charge of slicing all the butter into smaller pieces so it would melt faster. He insisted on using his very own cutting board. He gets after me when he catches me using it without asking. He loves this vest and apparently neither of noticed it was on inside out!

We went tubing again with more friends. We got a perfect snowfall and then a beautiful day! It was almost too warm for jackets! (Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE Colorado?)

Clint and Haden built the perfect run. I don't think Haden went down the hill once. He preferred to dig in the snow with his shovel. At least he was happy!

Regan and Kate only have matching coats by coincidence. But they were quite pleased when they discovered it!

Lila and Lexi had a wonderful time eating snow. I'm pretty sure it was Haden who taught them to do that.

We went to several Christmas parties. We got to meet the Grinch at our Ward Christmas party. Haden LOVES that book. I can't count the number of times that I have had to read it to him. But, he wasn't quite sure what to think of meeting the Grinch. None of the kids did!

I don't think Lila ate anything but the Cheetos for dinner that night.
It was a fun party! The kids loved running around and playing with their friends.

It was a wonderful break. I love hanging out with my kids, even if we stay home and do absolutely nothing!

Bass Pro Shop

2012-01-22T20:24:00.016-07:00

Clint had heard that Bass Pro Shop puts on quite a good show during Christmas. This year they had pictures with Santa, a carousel, target shooting, electric trains, and race cars. Apparently, you have to get passes to see Santa and they go fast. Luckily, we had a connection who was gracious enough to snag a pass for us so we wouldn't have to wait several hours just to see Santa.

Lila didn't really care for Santa. She was in a bad mood because she missed her nap. Haden loves Santa, so the missed nap was worth it for him.

Lila did cheer up on the carousel!

Clearly we need to work on shooting technique with Regan. She didn't hit much, but had fun trying!

The kids had to test drive every 4 wheeler we passed.

This one was Haden's favorite, also the most expensive.

The kids also love playing on the gators.

My kids all love popcorn and begged for some. Haden is very good at ordering whatever it is he wants and paying for it. (I bribe him with churros from Costco if he's well behaved and patient while I'm shopping, but he has to order them by himself. He does great, but the ornery old guys who inevitably get in line behind him and try to cut ahead of him could use some manners!)

It was a fun day, and we even got out of there without buying anything but popcorn!

Happy Birthday Haden!

2012-01-21T21:29:00.023-07:00

My little guy turned 4! He proudly tells people that he is "plain old 4, not 3 1/2 or 4 1/2, just plain old 4!" He requested a firefighter themed birthday party this year. We colored pictures of Fireman Sam until everyone got there, and then we started the obstacle course.

The kids had to dress up as a firefighter,

walk (or crawl) across the bench,

slide down the slide,

climb over the ladder,
drive the "firetruck" to the burning house,

(Sometimes Lila thought they were going too slow.)

and rescue the stuffed bear.

They did their best to pop the balloons we used for the "smoke" in the burning house, but they just didn't weigh enough!

We had a pinata. Even Lila got in on the action. She was rather dangerous!

We sang "Happy Birthday", and each kid got their own firetruck cake,

and their own firetruck. The house was awfully noisy with that many firetrucks blaring their sirens!

After opening presents and an impromptu wrestling match (which always seems to happen if Clint is around when Haden and his friends get together!),

we watched Fireman Sam until parents came. I loved that even though they had the entire couch, they still sat so close to each other! Haden loved his party. It's convenient that all his little friends also love firefighters!

Haden's actual birthday was the following day, Sunday. Since Clint is in meetings all morning and we don't get home from church until 4:30, we didn't really do much except open and assemble his present. Haden even helped!

I love my sweet little boy!

Santa Claus

2012-01-12T22:05:00.006-07:00

We got to see lots of different Santa Claus's this year. Regan was never interested in them and would always refuse to sit on his lap if given the option. Haden told this Santa that he would like a jackhammer and a chainsaw for Christmas. He was thrilled when he got off his lap. Evidently, this Santa doesn't have an issue with making promises he can't keep.

Haden had changed his mind by the time we saw this Santa. He told him that instead of the jackhammer and chainsaw, he would be happy with a 4 wheeler. A real 4 wheeler, like his grandpa has. Haden did comment that he was surprised that the 2nd Santa couldn't remember what he had originally asked for and had to be reminded. I wonder how long he will still believe?

This Santa couldn't hear anything over Lila's howling. Nobody really could. Although I have never brought up the topic with Regan, she secretly whispered to me that she knew Santa was just pretend and it was really me who bought all the presents, but not to worry because she promised not to tell Haden.

Haden's Preschool Birthday Party

2012-01-12T21:28:00.009-07:00

So, I'm finally back to blogging!!! Our computer died a few days before Christmas. Luckily, all the presents had already been ordered! Clint finally found time and the right part to fix it. Now I get to return the replacement computer. If I ever get the time...

Now to catch up...Haden got to celebrate his birthday at preschool the last day before Christmas break. It was also his favorite teacher aide's last day. (She was so wonderful that she was transferred to the special ed preschool.) We both really miss Ms. Christi!

Haden asked if we could buy some flowers for Ms. Christi. He was very sad that she was leaving. He got teary eyed several times that morning. Poor kid! At least she promised to come visit him.

It was also pajama day. Haden never agrees to wear his pajamas out of the house. It doesn't matter if every other kid in the school is wearing pajamas. He wears jeans and a tshirt to school. Period. Parents were invited to attend. I was personally requested to find a babysitter for Lila even though other kids' siblings came. Yeah, she's that big of a stinker. I think it did make it more special for Haden, though. We were lucky enough for this snowman to come home with us. Haden insisted that he be displayed. He disappeared with the Christmas decorations, but it is only a matter of time before Haden asks what happened to his "favorite snowman ever" and then tears will be shed.

We got to bring the snack. Haden picked sugar cookie gingerbread men. His teacher is a big advocate of encouraging the kids to use their fine motor skills, so we brought the cookies undecorated. Kind of sad for me and Haden. We LOVE decorating cookies!

Haden was so excited to start decorating his little man that he refused to look at the camera. Even though Haden is one of the youngest in the preschool class, he still seems to be the ringleader. I loved watching him interact with all the other kids! He would pretend to be a monster and chase the girls, but then have to switch to a guard and protect the girls from the other "monsters" running around the playground. He does a very good job participating in school and doing what is expected. He's growing up so fast!

Tubing

2011-12-11T21:32:00.012-07:00

Last Saturday we woke up to a new snowfall. The kids were excited to go sledding! We invited Haden's friend, Corbin, to come with us.

This might have been Lila's only smile on the adventure. It's hard for her to walk through snow up to her knees when she's all bundled up. She's isn't a fan of anything that hinders her independence.

Haden and Corbin had the best time piling on the tube and racing down the hill together.

They had a hard time staying on the tube, though!

How many kids can you pile on one tube? Poor Regan! She's barely visible under the boys. At least she emerged smiling!

I don't think this little rascal will ever learn! My aim is way better than his (especially when he can't really see out from under his hat!) and I can throw a lot farther!

Lila and I went down together. It didn't do much to change her attitude.

Haden told me he was all out of "walking up the hill energy" but still full of "tubing down the hill energy". He still didn't get carried up!

Regan was more sympathetic. She is such a good big sister!

Hot chocolate was the perfect end to this adventure!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-12T23:33:00.009-07:00

We had a wonderful Halloween! Regan was a fairy. She assembled her costume all by herself from her dress up trunk. Haden was a fireman, also from his dress up trunk. I love those kind of costumes! And Lila was a pirate. I had a princess dress that was her size too, but the pirate costume just seemed to fit her personality more. The kids loved trick or treating with their friends! We all got way too much candy! It's a good thing Halloween only comes once a year!

Fall Break

2011-11-04T13:05:00.022-06:00

Haden had been asking for some time to go back to Idaho. He loves it there! So, for fall break, we indulged him. The kids rode 4 wheelers, fed the cows, and played with their cousins.

I know, I nearly had a heart attack the first time I saw Regan riding on the front of the 4 wheeler, too! She is only allowed to ride there when Clint is driving and going VERY SLOW!

Clint and I went on a 4 wheeler ride with his parents and some friends. But no kids! That hasn't happened for a long time! (Thank you, Karalee, for watching my little stinkers.) It brought back a lot of memories. Many of the outings while Clint and I were dating involved a 4 wheeler or a horse. Thirteen years and three kids later, I still love hanging out with him!

The colors in the mountains were spectacular!

Lila tormented this little dog every chance she got.

She loved being able to have so much room to roam around!

She was definitely intrigued by the chickens.

My little brother and several sisters met us at Swore Farms. The kids loved running through the hay maze and the corn maze.

At each intersection in the corn maze, there was a question about Idaho or agriculture. The right answer pointed the correct way to go. The questions were all completely random and I have no idea where they got their information from! Needless to say, those of us who actually read the questions went the wrong way many times! Clint and the kids were just running around, hiding, and jumping out trying to scare the rest of us. I was glad Haden was wearing red. It was a lot easier to spot him among the corn stalks!Lila loved playing in the swimming pool full of grain. She yelled and yelled when I finally pulled her out.

We finished up the day at the Blackfoot pool. My kids love swimming!

It was a fun trip. The weather was beautiful and the kids behaved for the car ride. Well, except on the way home. Haden was crying because he didn't want to leave Idaho, he "loves Idaho!"

Golden Gate State Park

2011-10-06T14:08:00.020-06:00

We spent Saturday in the mountains at Golden Gate State Park. Since we have discovered that the kids don't really care for hiking, we have to bring alternative entertainment, like fishing poles. Clint knew of several little ponds perfect for fishing with kids. Clint baited the poles and the kids took over. Regan really is awesome at casting and has probably outgrown her Barbie pole. Haden doesn't focus on fishing long enough to know if he is a decent caster or not. Thankfully, there was a mountainside behind us that he could climb around on as much as he wanted. Next time though, he will have to wear a brighter shirt that doesn't blend in with the trees so well!

When Lila wasn't digging in the mud, she was talking on the "phone". She really prefers talking on the television remote, but she's not too picky.

Flying baby! She was cackling the entire time. Little thrill seeker!

Thankfully, no fish were caught! We really should try fishing before noon. We might have much better luck!

We found a playground with some old barns that had been converted to picnic shelters. They made a perfect background for an impromptu photo shoot!

Regan picked out the matching outfits.

I thought it was funny. Lila had no issue sitting up there (Clint was holding on to her) and Haden was holding on for dear life! He has never been quite as reckless as Lila. I'm not complaining!

I know I am a little biased, but aren't my kids just beautiful?The kids found an old water pump. Clint showed them how it worked. Lila was so excited! She loves water! She was completely drenched in no time at all.

Clint got tired of pumping before Lila got tired of playing so Regan and Haden did their best to help her out.

And then we headed home. There isn't anything quite like the mountains in the fall. They are positively breathtaking!

It seems like we do the same things year after year. I really don't mind, it just makes me nostalgic. I remember when Regan was Lila's age and we visited the same park.

And now look! She is getting so grown up!

I love hanging out with my family!

Tiny Tots & Wildlife Experience

2011-10-06T13:37:00.008-06:00

Haden's first preschool field trip for the year was to the Junior Symphony Guild's concert. Since it was held at the Wildlife Experience Museum, we toured it afterward. Even though Haden's class is full of boys, he hasn't really bonded well with any of them. So, I invited some friends to come with us! It was a lot of fun. This is the third time I have been to the concert. I enjoy it every time. Lila did make this time a little more difficult, though! Everyone sits on the floor and the orchestra is in a circle around us.

This is the second year they have brought the opera singer. He does a fabulous job! He wanders through the crowd of students while he is singing and manages not to step on anything or anyone!

They always bring a kid to perform too. In the past they have had very young piano players perform long pieces from memory and the orchestra accompanies them. This little girl is 5 and has only been playing the violin for a year. Her memorized piece was several minutes long. I was very impressed with both her talent and her lack of stage fright.

The kids loved the museum. Haden insisted that we really need to go back. The animals weren't real, but would still move. The kids loved the alligator/crocodile. He would open his mouth really wide and make some loud noise and the kids would jump back every time. We had to admire it for a long time! I absolutely love Haden's teacher. It has been interesting to notice the difference between having a girl and a boy teacher. Instead of coming home singing cute songs like last year, Haden sang Queen's "We Will Rock You" all the way home from school yesterday. It's a fun change!

We got to watch them feed the fish.

The avalanche machine was Haden's very most favorite part. The styrofoam "snowballs" have to be carried up to the top of the machine. When there are enough, they all come down flattening everything in their path. Haden is awesome at playing with anyone. He quickly befriended this little boy and they played together for a long time.

I think Lila's favorite part was the fossil dig. There was a sandbox full of tiny pieces of rubber. You were supposed to use a paintbrush to brush away the dirt and expose the fossil. Or just use the paintbrush as a utensil to throw the little rubber pieces. I bet the janitors hate that thing!

It was a fun day. Haden insisted that he couldn't walk any farther and dramatically collapsed. Not to be left out, Lila had to go sit down beside him.

It was a fun day! Both kids took long naps that afternoon.

Breckenridge

2011-09-17T23:33:00.043-06:00

I love it when Clint has a conference in Breckenridge! It is one of my very favorite touristy towns. I love all the brightly colored Victorian houses and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. This year's conference was this past week. We left Tuesday night. Both older kids were pretty excited to miss school! After we checked into the condo, I took Lila grocery shopping and Clint took the big kids to find the pool. Regan is very proud of herself for being brave enough to go all the way under the water long enough to have her picture taken!

Apparently they found the sauna, too!

They got back before me and wanted a hot bubble bath. Since I neglected to pack bubble bath, Clint just dumped shampoo in. Shampoo plus jets equals serious bubbles! The kids LOVED it!

The kids had to keep running back and forth between bathrooms to see who had the most bubbles!

The next day we headed down the mountain and into town. I love browsing through all the little shops. That is, when I don't have three kids and one huge stroller with me. So, we skipped all the fun boutiques and went straight to Peek A Boo Toys. On our last trip here, I discovered that the back part of the store was a toy room. The kids loved it, and since it was off season, we were the only ones there.

Regan did not like this horse nearly as much as she likes her own. She still rides her horse daily, even though both feet can touch the floor. She is offended when I mention that she might be outgrowing it.

Poor little Lila was already worn out!

Next we stopped at a playground in the center of town. The kids had fun playing on the toys carved out of big boulders.

I don't know what this thing is supposed to be, but Haden kept hiding under it and Lila loved finding him!We found a beautiful garden along the river that runs through the center of town. The kids posed for a few pictures and then we headed back up the mountain because it was getting too cold!

Regan insisted that I include this picture of her in my blog. She does look beautiful!

That night the kids insisted on going swimming in the new swimming pool they found while exploring with Clint while I made dinner. I was not expecting an outside pool! It looked miserable! It had started to rain and the temperature was dropping quickly. I was very surprised the pool was pleasant! Lila is a little fish. She loves being in the water. Haden preferred to be in hot tub where he could touch. He still is traumatized. He had a death grip on me whenever we were in the big pool.What a beautiful view!

It was freezing when we got out of the pool! Luckily there was a fireplace to warm us up!

The next morning we walked to Ready Paint Fire so the kids could paint their own pottery. We did this last time we were in Breckenridge 3 years ago and the kids have been asking when we could go back. Regan selected a "Chinese bowl" that she is planning on eating rice in?? Haden decided on a cup that was as big as his head.

They both did an exceptional job painting and were rather irate when the clerk said that he was going to have to mail them to us because he wasn't going to have them done before we left. I was a little annoyed with the steep shipping fee, but the kids had already started painting and I couldn't very well leave their masterpieces behind. Now they get to look forward to a package in the mail!

This was the only way Lila would stay out of trouble. She isn't yet sure how to get off chairs so she actually stayed put!

Next we were going to tour the firefighter museum. Haden was so excited! Until we got there and discovered it was closed. At least he got to peek through the windows at the firetrucks.

And then we found this cool train! Haden inspected it thoroughly!

After a break at the condo for lunch and Lila's nap, we went to the elementary school. They have a great playground! It was the perfect place to burn a lot of energy for all three kids!

That night we took Clint for a walk and showed him all of our favorite places. We had more posing in the garden.

Lila really doesn't like to be held down at all.

Have I mentioned how beautiful Breckenridge is?

Haden didn't want to be in the picture with the everyone else. His legs were "so tired!".

Lila got more comments than anyone else, mostly from the hotel staff. One guy said she looked like Pebbles off of Flintstones! Her hair just won't do anything else!

The last day we did a little more shopping in the morning. I intentionally didn't take the stroller so we could go into whatever store we wanted. I think every store clerk was grateful when we left! Lila was ridiculously loud and refused to be held. Haden and Regan liked to play hide and seek with her in the clothes racks. Then we had lunch at a "fancy" restaurant. You should have seen the look Regan gave the waiter when he tried to replace the glass goblets with kid cups!

Lila picked the perfect time to take her nap. She slept the entire way through lunch. It was actually peaceful!

We finished up with a round of miniature golf. My kids seriously need more experience playing! Their technique is horrible! And they get frustrated quickly and resort to cheating!

Haden was cheering after he dropped his ball 2 inches from the hole and putted it in.

Then we met Clint and headed home. It was a wonderful week and we all had a lot of fun. But I did need to go on a bike ride all by myself when I got home so I couldn't hear anyone say, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"

Vail Pass 2011

2011-09-17T20:57:00.013-06:00

Saturday of Labor Day weekend our ward once again hosted the 14 mile bike ride down Vail Pass and into Frisco. We loaded up the bikes and left the house super early because Clint and a buddy wanted to ride up the pass first. I think they are crazy. I forgot to get a picture of them before they took off, though. Then I took the kids shopping for our lunch and snacks before heading up to the trail head. I had the bikes all unloaded and almost assembled (which is no easy task) when Clint showed up, 20 minutes faster than last year.

It is always a beautiful ride. Regan and her friend Kate insisted on riding so they could see each other. It was convenient having friends to play musical seats with. Haden and Lila fell sound asleep in the trailer. I loved seeing his arm around her! Like a protective older brother.

The kids had fun eating a picnic and playing with all their friends at the park.

How did these two girls get so big?

This was from our first trip down Vail Pass in 2007. Where has the time gone?

It was a beautiful day, just perfect for a bike ride in the mountains!

Running Club

2011-09-17T20:30:00.004-06:00

First graders in Regan's school are allowed to participate in Running Club. Tuesdays and Thursdays the kids can come 25 minutes before school and run around the field. Six laps equals one mile. Regan was not really thrilled about going until she found out that her friends were going to be there. Then she couldn't wait! The first day, Regan quickly found her friends. There was way more talking going on than running! Us moms yelled encouragements from the sidelines and they would remember they were supposed to be running. Running club concluded this week and Regan is now able to run an entire mile without stopping to walk (or talk). Since her running shoes didn't match her outfit, she would always pack her "cute shoes" in her backpack and switch before heading into class.

The teachers would mark the kids hands after each lap so they would know how many they had run. Regan was showing off all of her marks as she ran passed. Hopefully, she will always like to run!

Obsessed

2011-08-27T22:41:00.005-06:00

Lila is obsessed, absolutely obsessed with brushing her teeth! She is the first one that comes running when I call the kids to come brush their teeth. And she is laughing the whole way. She has to hold both her toothpaste and her toothbrush. I am not allowed to help. When she has sucked all the toothpaste off her toothbrush, she hands her toothpaste and then toothbrush back to me so I can put more on for her. Still laughing. If I don't give the toothpaste back she will yell and point until she gets her own way. She lets me know that it is not acceptable to simply run her toothbrush under water; it has to have more toothpaste. When she brings me her toothbrush after 5+ times of adding a tiny bit of toothpaste, I tell her she is done. She angrily throws both her toothbrush and her toothpaste. It is rather funny to watch. When she realizes what she has done she quickly retrieves them both and runs off looking for another sucker to put more toothpaste on her toothbrush. Her toothbrush has accompanied us on many car rides, to school, church, and many shopping trips. She is truly ridiculous! I hope her obsession with clean teeth lasts!

Camping

2011-08-22T10:17:00.015-06:00

Despite overcast skies, no reserved campsite, and not being able to leave until 5, I was determined to take the kids camping at least once this year. We weren't really sure where we were going to go, but figured something would work out. Regan said that she wanted to go somewhere she hadn't gone before if she had to go at all. (She had gotten her American Girl doll an hour or so before we headed out and was not happy about having to leave her!) Clint had taken his scouts to Buffalo Creek several times and even though there was a campground, you could also camp wherever you wanted. Which was nice since I was sure all the campgrounds were full. After driving through a rainstorm and wondering if we were crazy for camping, we found a decent place to pitch our tent. We started the fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids slept as well as I expected they would. The next camp out, though, I will take the bigger tent. Five people in a 3 man tent is just too many!

Lila absolutely loved running around! Until it got dark, and she stumbled over a rock she didn't see. Her little face was completely covered in dirt and mud. It took several baby wipes and quite a bit of yelling to get her remotely clean.

You can still see the dirt in her nose. Poor girl! Her nose and cheek now have several scrapes.

Since we were not in a campground, there were no bathrooms. Clint took Haden and Lila with him. Regan came with me. After several attempts to get positioned correctly, she decided that she didn't really have to use the bathroom after all and could wait until tomorrow.

I think she was a little confused about where she was when she woke up.

Regan and Haden couldn't get dressed fast enough. They loved exploring! Regan said that even though she really missed her doll, she had a lot of fun!

It is kind of hard to roll up the tent with Lila sitting on it! She has a knack of knowing exactly what I am trying to do and what she needs to do to stop it from happening!

On the way home, we stopped at Pine Valley Ranch Park. It was beautiful (and had a bathroom). The kids loved exploring the area and throwing rocks into the lake.

I realized that they love exploring the mountains. They just don't like hiking on a trail someone else made. They would much rather blaze their own at their own pace.

I think Lila could play in the dirt all day!

Haden found what he said was a giraffe-shaped log and it had to come home with us.

The kids LOVED camping and cannot wait until we go again!

Haden's 1st day

2011-08-17T14:54:00.007-06:00

I wish Haden's first day of preschool had gone as smoothly as Regan's. He told me when he first woke up this morning that he was not going to go to school. I had him convinced that he was by the time we had to leave. He bravely walked into his classroom and played with the toys until it was time for me to leave. Then he lost it. I hesitantly left anyway. The teachers were very patient with him. There were kids howling in every classroom. All of us parents were hanging out in the hall giving reports on each other's children so our own kids couldn't see us. He calmed down after 30-45 minutes and then played happily for the rest of the day. We brought the snack, so he helped get everything ready, had a great time on the playground (I was across the street in the car spying on him.), and was participating with Mr. JP (his teacher) in group at the end of the day. The teachers said he was great after he calmed down.

Haden was all smiles and had a positive report when I picked him up and didn't even mention the crying to me. He even said he couldn't wait to go to school again tomorrow. I hope so!

Yes, I know his outfit doesn't match at all. He likes to pick his own clothes and I am only willing to fight about it on Sunday. He loves his camouflage shorts, his bright green recycling Tshirt, he insisted on those socks because they are camouflage and match his shorts and those shoes, since they are his new school shoes. He got to pick out new clothes for school, too, but, for some reason, he won't wear them yet.

Regan is a 1st grader!

2011-08-16T16:09:00.006-06:00

Regan started 1st grade yesterday. To say she was excited would be an understatement. She has been counting down the days since before she graduated from kindergarten last year. School clothes shopping with Regan was a lot of fun. I think it is hilarious how excited she gets about clothes and accessories! In the store, she would select a shirt/skirt/necklace/shoes and say, "Mom, don't you think this will look super cute with my....". She so didn't inherit that from me! She insisted on a new backpack because her kindergarten backpack had princesses on it, and she has "outgrown" princesses. She could not wait to select her first week's outfits, necklaces, headbands and all!

Regan was thrilled to have two of her good friends in class with her. Friends always make a school year better. I felt kind of silly, though. In Regan's IEP meeting last spring, the social worker suggested that she be put in a class with at least one of her friends. Regan tends to be shy in unfamiliar situations and friends help off set that. So, when the class assignments came out, and Regan wasn't with her friends, I talked to the administration and had her class rearranged. Her new teacher was told it was because Regan was shy. Well, today, her teacher, Ms. Mramor, told me that she is absolutely not shy. She quickly let her know that her name only had one "a" in it and had no problem participating. I am still unsure what I think about a teacher who misspells a student's name and then just scribbles out the extra letter. So, I am sure the teacher thinks I am one of "those" parents, but oh well. Regan loves having friends in her class. I hope it is a positive experience for her.

I think I was more nervous than she was, thinking of all the "what ifs" that could happen. She has never been away from me for that long, that many times a week! The first day was great. She had so much fun and wasn't confused about anything. Haden, however, was a mess without Regan. He missed her so much! Thankfully, he starts school tomorrow!

I can't believe Regan is in 1st grade! She is growing up so quickly!

Last weekend of summer

2011-08-15T12:54:00.010-06:00

Last weekend I dragged the kids on a hike. They don't really like hiking. Yet, anyway. So I planned this weekend for them. We spent Friday night at a movie in the park. They had fun, but only half way watched Fern Gully. The popcorn kept Lila completely occupied. She insisted on holding the bag and would only occasionally let someone get a handful. It was funny to watch Haden get after her so he could get a handful. Next time I will have to make two bags.

Saturday we spent at Aurora Reservoir. I don't know why we have never been there! The kids loved it! I forgot to bring sand toys, but the kids are very resourceful.

Haden quickly made this friend...

...and then helped himself to all of his toys.

Regan wished she would have brought her goggles although she still went under the water, and practiced her back float. She loves to lay in the sun!

It took Lila a while to get used to walking on sand and in the water, but she was soon capable. She also would help herself to whatever toys she thought looked like fun. She has a thing for balls these days.

It was a fun afternoon. Clint is the only one who came away with a sunburn. We are definitely going to go again!

Swimming Lessons

2011-08-15T12:06:00.008-06:00

Regan finished her 1st summer of swimming lessons! And she puts her face in the water! Willlingly! And jumps off the diving board! Willingly! Kelly was wonderful with her. And some of it might have to do with the American Girl Doll she was bribed with, but still! At the beginning of the summer, Regan would not put her entire face in the water. She would sob (I'm not exaggerating) if I dripped water on her face while I was washing her hair until she got a towel to wipe it off. Now she sticks her entire head under the water and comes up smiling!

Regan is all the way under water!

Kicking with her face under!

And jumping off the diving board. She says she loves jumping off!

I let her take the waterproof camera on the last day. Regan is still getting used to going all the way under for any amount of time, making getting a picture slightly difficult!

Haden, on the other hand, had a little bit of a rough time. He was doing great. And then he got pushed into the deeper part of the hot tub where he is about 4 inches too short. It took me a couple of seconds to pull him out, but the damage was done. My poor little guy is now terrified of the water. He screamed every time it was his turn for swimming lessons and refused to get in the pool. He still tells me that I should have run faster. Gratefully, he is fine, as long as he can touch the bottom. But until he can overcome his fear, swimming lessons are not going to happen. I don't blame him at all, I still have nightmares about it too! I tried bribing him as well, but he said he would rather do something else, like be nice to everyone to earn his prize. Maybe next year will be better.

Doctor Report

2011-08-09T13:58:00.006-06:00

Regan and Lila both got to go to the doctor this summer for their annual check up. I couldn't remember if Regan was due for any shots, so when the nurse told her she was good, Regan jumped up and down, cheering in relief. She is terrified of shots. When it's time for flu shots, I have to take Clint with us to help. Last year, he had to chase her around and around the room. If it wasn't so frustrating, it would be pretty funny! Regan weighed in at 47 lbs (62%) and is 3 ft 10.5 in (67%). She is getting so big!

Regan still loves Taylor Swift. She now likes to stand on the end table and sing her heart out as she strums on her guitar. She says it is her stage. I think it might be because if she stands on the end table, she can watch herself in the mirror on the other side of the room. She might be a little vain! She saw this dress in the mall last fall and begged for it. She calls it her Taylor Swift dress and wears it every time she is "rocking out".

Lila had to get 5 shots, poor little girl. I hate holding her down. Before we had any kids, Clint agreed to take care of all shots. And he was true to his word, until he got a job. He just can't take off every time there is a doctor appointment. So, I held my furious, screaming little girl down while the nurse proceeded to poke her. Why can't they come up with oral vaccinations for everything? Lila weighed 20 lbs 12 oz (33%) and was 29.5 inches tall (46%).

Within a week of Lila learning to walk, she was running! Although she has a collection of bruises and skinned knees, she doesn't slow down. Her hair is always a little out of control. She loves throwing everything and the sandbox is one of her favorite places to play. She likes to let the sand sift through her fingers above her head. It gets in her hair, all down her back, and into her diaper. I hope she outgrows this phase soon! She is one tough little girl!

Hiking Burning Bear Trail

2011-08-01T22:18:00.012-06:00

I realized last week that we had yet to make it to the mountains this summer! So, Friday night, I found a trail that I wanted to check out. Burning Bear is off Guanella Pass. The reviews said it was beautiful, family friendly, and not too far away. The kids were excited. They were finally going to be able to use their Camelbaks. (Although Regan said she was going to carry a water bottle in hers instead of using the reservoir because the water tastes "nasty". She changed her mind when Clint filled it up with fresh ice water.) Saturday morning we headed out. We found the trail head without any problem and set out. My kids are traditionally good hikers, but that day, they were whining and complaining half a mile in. Apparently, we need to go more! We did finally manage to make it three miles. Haden wanted to be carried and Lila wanted to walk. It was a very beautiful trail, and flat too! At least the part that we hiked. There was a campground, as well. Hopefully, we can go back before our summer is over.

The novelty of Lila's new pack quickly wore off. Maybe Clint should pack earplugs next time! This girl has a fabulous set of lungs and a very loud voice!

Regan insisted on being in the lead. Luckily, Haden had no problem being in the rear. He quickly surrendered his Camelbak to me saying that it was just too heavy for him and then filled his pockets to the brim with rocks.

Lila loved being out of her pack, but was a little unsteady on her feet. She isn't used to uneven ground yet.

We took a break for snacks. Regan is always so good to take care of Lila.

I love how Lila is peeking over Clint's shoulder. Somehow she kept managing to lean to the side of the pack making hiking with her difficult.

I know picking wildflowers in frowned upon, but it kept Regan hiking. She loved finding different flowers for her bouquet!

Lila finally fell asleep.

The kids were waiting for us as we examined the map at the trail head. There were an awful lot of people taking another trail and we wanted to see where it went.

On the way home, we stopped at one of our favorite parks. Lila was perfectly content to play in the dirt. Most particularly, to dump it on her head and her shoulders. I thought that was a boy thing? She was a horrible mess when we left the park and got to ride home in her diaper.

I definitely need to get my kids to the mountains more!

Belleview Park

2011-07-29T13:26:00.010-06:00

We spent most of yesterday at Belleview Park with friends. Clint had a work party there years ago and I had always wanted to go back. We just never got around to it until now. The kids had so much fun playing in the little river. It was very hot, so the cold water was perfect!

Haden found a stick. He insisted on adding it to his "stick collection" that he keeps in the back of my car.

There was a little train that you could catch a ride around the park on for $1.50. The kids were very excited. The girls wanted to sit in the very back, but someone beat them to it. I think they felt grown up sitting in seats without any parents.I think Lila was thrilled that there was finally an activity that she could participate in! She was too little for the river and too little for the playground. She loved riding the train!

She really likes showing off her mouthful of teeth!

There was also a petting zoo, but we didn't go see it. It was hot and the kids were ready to go home. Maybe next time!

Changes

2011-07-25T17:52:00.004-06:00

A couple of months after we moved into our house, Clint was called to be the ward Scoutmaster. That was nearly 5 years ago. He has taken lots of boys on countless camp outs, bike rides, and more Wednesday activities than I can count. My kids LOVED all of Clint's scouts. They called them daddy's boys. They couldn't wait for all the boys to come to our house for one reason or another. They graciously shared their cookies and popsicles with them before unloading the contents of their water guns on them. The scouts were always so wonderful with my kids. As of last Sunday, Clint is no longer Scoutmaster. I think he is almost as sad about it as the boys. Nothing like "having" to go on a bike ride or camp out! He will do great with his next calling, but I am sure he will still find his way to the scout camp outs!

On the move!

2011-07-25T17:39:00.003-06:00

Lila started walking last Saturday (7/16) and is now fast! She was very proud of herself and would frequently fall because she was clapping for herself. I know she looks rather like an orphan without her hair done, but it is pointless. She rips anything and everything out of her hair immediately. The same thing goes for shoes. She loves shoes, but can take every pair off in record time. So for now, Lila runs around barefoot with her hair in her face. I think she's still pretty cute!

Bedtime

2011-07-13T11:46:00.004-06:00

Last night I went out with friends leaving Clint to put the kids to bed. While he was taking care of Lila, Regan read Haden a bedtime story. It was one of Haden's favorite books that he has memorized. When Haden told her that she was reading it wrong she told him that she knew, but she was doing the best she could. He was understanding and I think happy just to have her try to read to him. When it was time for bed, Haden decided that he was scared of the dark. (He has slept in a dark room all by himself for quite a while now, but he is very good at taking advantage of situations!) Regan offered to sleep on the floor with him. The camping mats and sleeping bags came out. When I got home, this is what I found. Both kids asleep with their arms intertwined. I hope they are always each other's best friends. I love my kids so much!

Puddle Jumping!

2011-07-13T11:06:00.007-06:00

Every afternoon we have been having a rainstorm complete with thunder and lightening. I love it! The kids love all the puddles the torrential downpour creates. The storms have been letting up about the time Clint gets home from work, so he takes the kids to get the mail and they jump in every puddle along the way. Haden has no reservations and will run and jump in every puddle for all he is worth. His rain boots are usually full of water by the time I drag him in. Regan is a little more timid. She prefers flip flops to her rain boots and doesn't really like to get wet. I think she sees how much Haden loves it and doesn't want to be left out.

Lila loves to be outside and is always irritated that I won't let her scoot around by herself when the ground is so wet. She's always good for a smile, though!

Idaho

2011-07-12T13:34:00.024-06:00

We made our annual summer trip to Idaho last week. Haden has been begging to go for a long time now. The 2 older kids are very good travelers. They are even to the point where they can turn their own movies on. Lila is a different story. She likes to yell and has excellent lungs. Thankfully, she tired herself out the first 4 hours so she slept for most of the rest of the way!

When we pulled up to Clint's parents' house, Haden climbed out of the car and made a bee line for the 4 wheeler. That boy has his priorities!

It was a pretty laid back trip. We had several plans that didn't happen because Clint wasn't feeling well. He began complaining of a sore throat the day we left. Six days later he wasn't feeling any better and was diagnosed with strep. Not a very good way to spend a vacation!

He still managed to help lay concrete for his dad's shed. The kids got to make hand prints. Do you like Regan's outfit? Isn't that how you're supposed to dress if you are on vacation in the country? I love it!

Haden had the best time playing with all of Grandpa's "masks". He wore them every opportunity he got.

We spent Saturday at a waterpark with my family. It was fun to see everyone and very nice to have so much help with the kids! Regan LOVED the lazy river. Luckily, so did Savannah. I think those two spent the majority of the day floating around and around.

Haden claimed the "fire hoses" and apparently got physical when a little girl tried to take one. She was reduced to tears, but Clint said she was seriously overreacting considering how hard Haden hit her. He was so mad when Clint marched him out of the pool, muttering something about that "dumb girl!" Not that I condone violence, but it was hard not to laugh!

Lila loved playing in the water. She intentionally drank more than her share, but the more I got after her, the more she thought it was a game!

Regan & Hazel

Poor Clint was feeling lousy, so he took a nap with Lila.

On the 4th of July, we watched the Malad parade. Clint's dad marches with the American Legion. The kids loved having candy thrown at them. Since it was mostly taffy and my kids are chocolate lovers, they didn't eat much of it.

Lila just preferred to eat mulch.

Regan has loved dressing the same as Lila. She picked out these matching 4th of July dresses last year and could not wait to wear them together. Unfortunately, none of the pictures of the 2 of them together turned out.

Haden got to play firefighter, both with fire extinguishers and a 4 wheeler with a sprayer on back turned firetruck.

And ride the 4 wheeler a lot. Haden made sure that Grandpa never left the keys in the ignition of the 4 wheelers because, "That's not safe, someone could take the 4 wheeler!" The kid has lived in the city for too long! Regan preferred riding on the front so she could have the wind in her hair!

Lila got to play in the dirt.

Regan got to play with her cousins.

And I got to see friends from high school that I haven't seen for a long time. Despite Clint feeling bad, I think we all had a good time!

Happy Birthday Lila!

2011-07-12T11:32:00.015-06:00

My sweet little girl turned one! Where has all the time gone? I think time goes faster and faster with each baby. Lila is getting so big! She has a mouthful of teeth (10, I think, on her birthday), already likes to tease, and can hold her own against pretty much anybody. She loves playing in water and dancing to music. Her favorite song is Madonna's "Into the Groove." She hates her car seat and screams until I turn on Madonna. Then, the screaming stops and her hips and arms start moving to the music. When the song ends and the next one begins, she will yell until I turn it back to her song. One year olds are not supposed to be that opinionated! Lila loves shoes, although not so much if they are on her feet. She is an absolute mama's girl. She doesn't crawl, but scoots around on her bottom. My sisters say that she moves like a gorilla. She loves to feed herself and is insanely messy. She likes to lick her food before committing to an entire bite. If she doesn't like it, it is quickly thrown overboard. She always rubs her food covered hands through her hair. When she is done eating, she's rather disgusting! She is beginning to play well with her siblings. I love my beautiful, little stinker!

Regan and Haden wrapped up some of their old toys for Lila to unwrap. She had a lot of help unwrapping her presents!

We had strawberries and macaroni and cheese for dinner. I think she ate her weight in strawberries!

She had a fabulous time tearing apart her birthday cake!

I love watching her personality develop! She is definitely her own little girl!
I love you Lila!

Gone Fishing

2011-07-12T10:38:00.014-06:00

One Saturday morning we took the kids fishing. They have had their own fishing poles for a while, but never used them. The night before, Clint taught them to cast in the living room. Even though plenty of things were knocked over, thankfully, nothing was broken! We didn't get an early start and still had to stop at Walmart for supplies so we didn't really expect to catch anything. Regan turned out to be quite the expert caster. She was much better than me, not that that is saying anything! I am much better at fly fishing. Haden caught a lot of weeds, sticks, etc. and quickly lost interest. At one point, after calling, "Come here, little fishy fishy" over and over he announced that there were no fish in the lake and we should go home.

I love that Clint knows how to do this kind of stuff AND is willing to do it! He is truly a wonderful dad! I hate touching fish. I think they are gross, slimy, and stinky. But, I really like fly fishing. Clint has never complained when I catch a fish and refuse to touch it. He is always more than willing to unhook it and let it go. (I don't eat the kind of fish I can catch, either.)

I love this picture of Haden.

Lila only lasted a few minutes in her stroller. I think she ripped her hat off immediately following the picture. She just doesn't care for accessories the way Regan did/does.

This is Lila's new trick. She loves wrapping both arms tightly around my neck and holding on, frequently pressing her cheek next to mine. She usually does it in response to someone (Clint) trying to take her from me. I loved it, at first. Since it has been going to on for a few weeks now I wish that she would be cooperative when someone else is willing to hold her. My left arm is getting pretty strong, though!

Regan could cast just about as far as Clint did with the kid poles, and she loved doing it. She might outgrow her Barbie fishing pole sooner rather than later! Much to the kids' dismay, no one caught a thing. Hopefully, next time we will get an earlier start!

Regan is 6!

2011-06-18T16:57:00.001-06:00

Little Regan turned 6 this week! I guess that means she's not quite so little anymore. Clint had to leave for work before the kids were up, so Regan had to wait until he got home to open her presents. I think Haden was having the hardest time waiting. We always get him a present on Regan's birthday, too. Regan loved her earrings, both sticker and clip-on, (I wanted her to just get her ears pierced, but she is too chicken.) jewelry box, posters of Taylor Swift, make-up, piano books, and Camelbak. Haden LOVED his Camelbak. I think he is now the most hydrated 3 year old ever! Regan kept saying that it was "the best day ever!"

Regan is definitely a teenager in a 6 year old body. She thoroughly enjoys clothes and accessorizing. She does a good job, too! Her friends are very important to her. She loves all things Taylor Swift. She likes to watch her music videos and tell me which of Taylor's dresses she wants as a prom dress. I keep reminding her that she still has 10 years! Regan enjoys ballet and is still unaffected by peer pressure. She is a wonderful helper around the house and a devoted babysitter for Lila. She is Haden's favorite playmate. Regan thoroughly enjoys school and loves reading. I have yet to talk her out of her absolute fear of the wind, but she does her best to be brave if there is no alternative. I always have fun shopping with her. She will do just about anything to stay up late and hang out with me. She will sneak down the stairs, observe what I am doing, usually folding laundry, and say, "Mom, if you let me help and we work together, we'll get the job done faster." I love her so much! I am so lucky to be her mom! I hope I am up to the challenge her teenage years are going to bring!

Swimming Lessons

2011-06-17T21:23:00.009-06:00

Everyone knows that Regan is terrified of water. When I give her a bath and water accidentally drips anywhere on her face, she freaks out until it gets wiped off. It is getting rather ridiculous. Especially now that since she takes baths with Haden, he copies her exactly. Clint has tried bribing her to take swimming lessons for some time now. It hasn't worked. She simply tells him that she is a ballerina, not a swimmer. For some reason, this year was different. It might have been her new "super cute swimsuit" and cover up. Her friend's mom teaches lessons and both Regan and Haden agreed to take lessons and do whatever Kelly tells them to. This way, they also have friends in their classes.

Regan was awesome! She did her very best to put her face in the water and blow bubbles. She really did try to relax so she could float on her back.

Haden also did well, even though he had to jump out of the pool to go wipe his face off with his towel several times.

Hopefully, they will both be much more comfortable in the water by the end of the summer!

West Metro's Fire Muster

2011-06-17T16:41:00.013-06:00

I saw an ad in the newspaper about a fire muster one weekend. Haden is all about firemen these days and I knew he would love it! He insisted on wearing his fireman rain boots and his firefighter jacket, which we persuaded to leave in the stroller because it was too hot to wear it. They had a lot of fire trucks lined up for kids to explore. Haden loved it!

Regan climbed aboard a few of the trucks, but wasn't feeling great. Firefighters really don't interest her much anyway. Don't you love her outfit, though? Isn't that how you would dress if you were going to a fire muster?

They had a tent full of firefighter clothes that kids could dress up in. Haden LOVED this mask and hasn't stopped asking for one yet. Every store we go into he asks if we can buy a mask that "goes like this" as he covers his nose and mouth with both of his hands. At his insistence, we even looked online, but without much luck (in my price range, anyway). Where do you buy a reasonably priced old firefighter mask?

They also had a "house" full of smoke. A firefighter taught the kids about how to escape a burning house and then they crawled into the smoke filled house and rolled out the other side. Regan was interested in it, but Haden refused to participate. He said that he was the firefighter, not the person that needed to be rescued.

Haden could actually hula hoop, rain boots, fire coat and all!

There was a giant cell phone wandering around teaching kids about dialing 911 in an emergency. Haden just wanted to push all the buttons.

The cutest firefighter around! She likes to wrap both of her little arms around my neck, press her little cheek next to mine and dance. It usually draws quite a bit of attention. It's a little hard to do in a firefighter hat, though!

There was an firefighter obstacle course for the kids. They had to climb the ladder, go down the slide, grab a hose and run with it, army crawl through a tunnel, drag a pretend person, carry a fan, and then unwind a hose. Each kid had a real firefighter that helped them through it and kept their time. Even though Regan wasn't feeling well, when she found out it was a race, she whispered in my ear that she was going to cream Haden. Totally her father's child! Haden's firefighter was awesome! He lugged Haden's rain boots around and was very patient with Haden and his jacket. Both kids loved it and Regan's time was much faster than Haden's.

The kids all had fun and were completely worn out when we finally left with our stack of new firefighter hats. (That's Regan in the stroller.)

Regan Finishes Kindergarten!

2011-06-17T14:49:00.013-06:00

The end of school is always filled with fun activities. Kindergarten is no exception. Regan got to go on her first field trip, without me, to the zoo. I was horribly nervous for her. I imagined all sorts of things that could go wrong. So, I talked to her teacher and arranged for Regan to be in the same group as one of her best friends whose mom was going as a chaperon. Regan was thrilled, but I was relieved, knowing she would be well taken care of! I sent a camera with her with instructions to have her friend's mom take pictures of her around the zoo. I explained that pictures are so much better when there are people in them. Regan had the best time ever! She loved the bus ride, even though she fell asleep, and said that she just might be willing to ride the bus home from school now. I laughed when I downloaded her pictures; she was just too excited to pay attention to any of my advice.

There were a lot of pictures of this lady, but this was the most flattering view.

She really liked the monkeys.

The flamingos were also well documented. There was not one single picture of Regan or any of her friends! So glad she listened to my advice! At least she had a wonderful time!

The teacher who set up Field Day did a fabulous job! There was a lot of variety and fun activities for the kids.

I love this picture! Regan(in the white shirt and blue skirt) looks like she is running for all she is worth.

The parachute was also fun. There was also an obstacle course, a minute to win it type of game, and a drench the 5th grader by throwing the ball at the target game. Regan actually drenched him! I was very proud of her!

Two hot and sweaty girls after all their running around.

Since Regan has a summer birthday, we brought treats in to celebrate early. Rather than the typical cupcakes, Regan wanted "Worms in Dirt" (chocolate pudding with ground up Oreos sprinkled on top and a couple of gummy worms).

Her class sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

And then we went outside to eat. I think Haden liked hanging out with all the older kids!

Regan was sick and missed the second and third to last days of school. She insisted that she still wasn't up for going to school on the last day, but it was graduation. We spent the morning in the doctor's office, where she was diagnosed with a double ear infection, and made it to the park down the road from the school just in time for graduation.

Naomi and Brooklyn made this year absolutely wonderful for Regan!

Each kindergartner had to tell everyone what they were going to be when they grow up. I honestly had no idea what Regan was going to say, but not at all surprised when I heard, "I am going to be a singer, just like Taylor Swift".

Regan loved her teacher, Mrs. Appel.

Her speech therapist, Ms. Amy, worked absolute wonders with Regan. Regan improved leaps and bounds in her speech. I will always be grateful to Ms. Amy for her dedication to her job and to my little girl!

All in all, Regan loved kindergarten. She learned to read, her handwriting and coloring skills improved dramatically, and she became more confident with herself. For example, a few weeks ago we were at McDonald's with some friends. Regan and her friend were playing basketball. For these two girly girls it was a big deal when one of them made a basket. A couple of older boys came over and apparently called them losers. Regan, with hand on hip, let them have it. She told them, in a matter of fact voice, that it was not nice to call people losers and it was only because they were older that they were better at playing basketball! I was so proud of her! A year ago, I was still bribing her to stand up for herself. My little girl is growing up! I cannot believe that she is first grader now!

Regan's birthday party

2011-06-16T14:56:00.012-06:00

This year Regan wanted her birthday party to have a fashion theme. Fashion is a big deal in Regan's world! So, we started off by having each girl design their own fashion porfolio. I was amazed at how quiet and focused they all were!

Then we ate pizza and watched "Barbie in a Fashion Fairy Tale". Surprisingly enough, no one but Regan had seen it. Notice where Haden is sitting. He REALLY likes all of Regan's friends and they are all very good sports to put up with him.

Lila also wanted to be included in the party.

Then we decorated individual cakes with pearls, glitter, and other fancy sprinkles. Once again, the girls were very quiet and focused. It was fun to watch them create their own masterpieces. They did a very good job! I apologize to all the parents who might have a bunch of sprinkles in their cars now! Some of the girls really liked a lot of sprinkles on their cakes!

Then we ate cake and ice cream, opened presents, and the parents showed up to take the girls home. Regan insisted that the parents all came early because there was no time to dance to Taylor Swift!

Haden entertained everyone with his fabulous table manners.

Frosting goatee? Definitely fashionable!

Lila was thrilled to play with everyone's shoes. I think it is an inherited trait. Apparently my grandmother was once shoe shopping and found a pair she loved. The salesman knew her well and insisted that she already had that pair. She was positive she didn't. He told her to go home and look. If she didn't already own that pair, then he would bring them by after work. She sheepishly called him back to admit that she did already own that pair of shoes. When my grandparents moved a few years back, my granddad limited my grandmother to 150 pairs of shoes. She couldn't part with 200 pairs and still threw out at least that many. Too bad we don't have the same size foot!

Regan is very lucky to have such a spectacular group of friends!

Haden's last day of school

2011-06-06T14:10:00.013-06:00

1st day of school (January 5, 2011)

Last day of school (June 2, 2011)

Haden finished his first 1/2 year of preschool. I think overall it was a positive experience for him. There were a couple of days where he either refused to go (and there is just no changing that kid's mind, regardless of bribes or threats!) or refused to stay without me. His teachers were the best I could have ever asked for! Haden liked all of them, but insisted that Ms. Deb, the speech therapist, was his favorite. Ellen was his favorite friend. Haden will frequently call Ellen on his pretend phone and plan camping trips with her. It is really cute!

Haden and Ellen

The parents were invited to attend the the last half of the last day of school. The kids had popsicles and sang songs to us. Haden willingly ate the popsicle, but refused to sing any of the songs. The teachers told me that he was singing the loudest and was the most animated during practice, but he refused to do it again. He tends to shut down during emotional events, like good-byes.

Lila had a wonderful time playing with the puppets.

Haden didn't cooperate when it was time to take any pictures either. Poor little guy was moping around for the rest of the day.

Ms. Deb (speech therapist) She had a southern drawl and now several of the words Haden says sound a little southern! I love it!

Ms. Kari (occupational therapist)

Ms. Valerie (teacher's aide)

Ms. Lynn (teacher's aide) Haden had a hard time remembering her name at first so he called her the teacher that talked funny. (She has an English accent.)

In the last six months, both his imagination and vocabulary have taken off. He is constantly role playing with Regan. Fireman Sam is currently his favorite hero. Haden insisted on wearing his fireman rainboots to school on beautiful sunshiny days. He said he needed them in case there was a fire. His teachers willingly helped him change into running shoes when it was time to go out on the playground and then back into his boots when they came in. Pretty awesome!

I hope his next two years of preschool will be as wonderful as the first! The standard was set very high!

Bolder Boulder 2011

2011-06-01T16:37:00.013-06:00

This was the 5th year Clint has run the Bolder Boulder. I had planned on running it as well, but decided it wasn't worth the hassle. The kids would have to have waited for Clint to run it and then for me to ride the bus to the start line and then run it. They just don't cooperate that long. Clint offered to sit it out this year, but he gets more out of it than I ever would. Maybe when the kids are older we can all do it together.

We dropped Clint off and made it to the stadium with 25 minutes to spare. The kids got free cowbells from Dick's Sporting Goods. They loved ringing them! They drank their hot chocolate while we waited. Lila got to try it for the first time. She was in heaven! The front of her jacket is now completely covered in hot chocolate drips. Thank goodness for Shout!

The kids climbed around on the bleachers while we waited. Not many people are there quite as early as we are.

I missed Clint crossing the finish line last year because everyone wears the same boring white tshirt. This year, he wore his yellow and black tie dyed demon deacon tshirt. I had no problem spotting him as soon as he ran into the stadium.

After we wandered around and collected all the free stuff, we headed north. Clint is always looking for good places to take his scouts and we had been wanting to explore the mountains west of Fort Collins for some time. We had planned on hiking around Chambers Lake, until we got there and discovered it was still covered in ice. The drifts along the road were higher than our car. Apparently, August is really the best time to hike that area, but at least we know what it looks like!

Haden had fallen asleep soon after we left Boulder and missed the snowstorm and the lake. He was not happy when he woke up several hours later and we were still in the car. Regan was also annoyed that she had to spend the entire day in the car. Thank goodness for McDonald's! Regan was carefully squeezing a drop of ketchup onto each french fry. Happy meals really do make everything better!

Castlewood Canyon again

2011-06-01T16:08:00.009-06:00

Castlewood Canyon is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to hike. It doesn't take long to get there, there are several different hikes, and it is very kid friendly. This time we explored the west side of the park. Haden found several caves that might have pirate treasure in them. (Thank you Jake and the Neverland Pirates.) There is always an abundance of rocks and sticks to carry around or throw in the river.

Lila loved not having to be in her backpack. This hike was fairly short and we figured it was easier just to carry her than to listen to her complain in her backpack.

They love hiking with sticks. We have hiking poles, but for some reason, they just aren't the same.

It was a beautiful day, just perfect for hiking!

Lila's 1st Race

2011-05-23T12:36:00.012-06:00

The Gift of Life and Breath 5K race was this past weekend. I think this is the 4th time that we've done it. (And by we, I mean that Clint runs and pushes one kid in the stroller while I watch the others and cheer him on.) Lila accompanied Clint this year. She was completely happy munching on her pop-tart and smearing it all over her face before she fell asleep. The weather was absolutely beautiful.

Regan was singing along to the music on her pretend microphone while we were waiting for the race to start.

I let Lila scoot around until the last minute so she would last longer in her stroller. She doesn't always cooperate when it comes to riding in her stroller.

This picture made me laugh, everyone looking down, starting the timer on their watches.

And they are off!

Scoop had to come with us. He is our latest garage sale find and Haden has yet to leave home without him.

The race this year had a different route than in years past. I loved having the big, open, grassy field right next to the start/finish line. Regan danced and gathered dandelions for the bouquet she gave to Clint for finishing the race. Haden filled up Scoop's buckets with grass for Clint.

The official results haven't been posted yet, but I think Clint's time was 21:45. Historically, he is the first one with a stroller to cross the finish line. This year, he was second. First place went to a fresh out of BYU kid who ran the whole thing while pushing a stroller in under 18 minutes. Clint found him after the race and recruited him to run on his team for the relay race he does every fall.

We stopped at Bass Pro Shops on the way home for the first time since we have had kids. They were in heaven! They loved playing on all the display boats and 4 wheelers.

How do you open a pistachio?

2011-05-23T10:27:00.006-06:00

Haden loves pistachios. He got a bag as a reward for being well behaved on a long, boring shopping trip. He insisted on cracking them open himself with his tools. The pliers just sent the nuts flying across the kitchen and almost into the pan of boiling pasta on the stove. He loved it! It kept him busy and quiet for quite a while. My favorite kind of rewards!

Regan's Ensembles

2011-05-17T14:47:00.008-06:00

Regan and I typically argue every morning about what she is going to wear to school that day. I have a few rules which she thinks are ridiculous like no digging through the hamper for her favorite shirt, no hiding dirty shirts so she won't have to dig them out of the hamper, and no wearing the same piece of clothing 2 times a week. (The last one is only because she has bunches of clothes that she picked out at the store, swore she would wear, and doesn't.) After 3+ outfit changes in one morning we were running late, and both a little irritated with the other. In an effort to make peace, I suggested that we should pick her outfits for the entire week on Sunday night so we wouldn't be late and we would both be in a good mood in the mornings. Regan LOVED that idea. So last Sunday, Regan and I selected 5 outfits. Alright, she picked them out and I approved them. Her fashion sense is all her own. She had them layed out on her bed and floor-I wish I would have gotten a picture. I assumed that task was done, so I asked her to fold them up, put them on her shelf so they would be ready to go and then come tell me so I could tuck her into bed. She was taking FOREVER. Regan frequently needs to be refocused to the task at hand, so I called to her telling her to hurry so she could go to bed. She came out of her room, with one hand on her hip, clearly exasperated with me and said, "But mom, I am accessorizing my outfits!" Sure enough, each outfit now included flowers for her hair, necklaces, bracelets, scarves, etc. She is only 5. I don't think I want to know what her teenage years will bring!

This was today's "accessorized" outfits. Regan doesn't like to look at the camera and Haden doesn't like to miss an opportunity to have his picture taken.

Lila comes scooting (She doesn't crawl, but scoots across the floor. I have never seen anything like it!) anytime she sees the camera. Regan picks out Lila's outfits, too. At least she has good taste!

Haden's field trip to the Zoo

2011-05-15T20:55:00.011-06:00

Monday was beautiful weather. Tuesday was beautiful weather. Wednesday, however, when we were to go on a field trip to the zoo was miserable! The high was in the 40s and it rained all day long, oh, except when it was hailing!! I considered bailing on the field trip, but Haden was excited to go, so we bundled up and headed off. I think Haden was actually more excited to wear his new raincoat and fireman rainboots than to see the animals, though. The first animals that we saw up close were the zebras. Haden was excited and pointing, "Look, Mom! There's a wheelbarrow!" He's ridiculously obsessed with wheelbarrows these days. We spent a lot of time looking at the animals who had buildings that we could go into. Haden would hold his nose and tell me that it smelled "nasty"!

The leopard just sat there and watched us watching him.

Haden liked the tigers.

He barely took his eyes off the giraffe long enough for me to take his picture. I'm not sure if he was enthralled or intimidated!

Lila did well enough as long as I kept handing her crackers.

Haden really liked the snakes!

That tank was full of turtles!

Haden waved good bye to the turtle.

Puddle Jumping! Haden never missed an opportunity to run and jump!

Both kids were done with the miserable weather and began complaining, wanting to go home an hour or so into the trip. However, after a visit to the gift shop where Haden picked out a tiger striped truck pulling a trailer with a 4 wheeler on it and a stuffed giraffe for Lila, he decided that he really did like the zoo!

Castlewood Canyon

2011-05-15T20:18:00.010-06:00

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we met some friends to go hiking through Castlewood Canyon. The kids were so excited. They love hiking with friends.
We discovered a cave. The kids refused to go inside and possibly disturb the sleeping bear, but when it was suggested that a pirate might have stashed his treasure there, they didn't hesitate to rush in! Unfortunately, all they found were rocks.

What is it about boys with sticks and dirt?

Rest stop and snacks.

I love this picture. It looks like Ailee is telling Haden something funny.

Lila did really well considering it was her first time in the backpack and she has issues with any kind of restraint. It was the perfect hike for kids! A stop at Pizza Hut on the way back home was a great way to end the day.

Regan's Recital

2011-05-08T23:58:00.004-06:00

Regan had her third ballet recital this past weekend. The theme was Cinderella. Regan's class danced to "So This is Love" and had costumes that looked similar to Cinderella's ball gown. Regan did a wonderful job. I am not sure if her favorite part is the dancing, wearing make up, or getting flowers from Clint!

Glenwood Springs

2011-05-08T22:40:00.019-06:00

We spent Easter weekend in Glenwood Springs, CO. We had planned on going over Spring Break, but Haden caught the stomach flu so we dealt with that instead. I picked our hotel based on the swimming pool. It was a zero entry and had a couple of slides. The kids LOVED it!! We spent the first night swimming. Regan and Haden both liked sliding down the kiddie slide into a foot of water by themselves and going down the big slide on our laps. Even Lila got to go down. (I loved not having any lifeguards there enforcing rules!)
The next day we planned on spending at Glenwood Canyon Adventure Park. The adventure park is on top of the mountain accessible to the public only by tram. The tram, however, had been struck by lightening the night before and was inoperable so we were loaded up into 4x4 vans and taken up the mountain. This is where I learned my first lesson on planning vacations for my family. Spring means wind. The top of a mountain means wind. Regan is TERRIFIED of the wind. She immediately abandons whatever activity and begs to go home when there is even the slightest breeze. Luckily, there was no wind during the cave tour. It was an interesting cave. Haden was disappointed that he couldn't find any pirate treasure, but had fun searching for quite a while. Lila loved the cave, until she fell sound asleep. Regan was just grateful she was out of the wind.

The view of Glenwood Springs from the Adventure Park.

Inspiration Point, accessible only through the cave.

Lesson number two came when we tried to watch the 4D movie. It wasn't working the first time we went, or the second. Thankfully, by the third time, they had it figured out. Hitting the touristy places off season is not always a good idea-many things are either closed or broken. Anyway, there were 3 movies. 2 were 5 minutes and the third was 14 minutes. You wear 3D glasses and sit in chairs that move, spray water at you, etc. Regan and Clint loved it. Haden began yelling within the first 30 seconds and I got motion sickness. Thankfully, it went away when I closed my eyes. The line to the Alpine Slide was outside and both kids refused to go into the wind to stand in it.

Fortunately, we found their Speleo Box. It's a maze in a box. The kids apprehensively climbed in, but had so much fun, they did it over and over. The sign recommended that you have less than a 39 inch waist and are shorter than 6 feet to enter. So, I tried it. There is absolutely no way that anyone much bigger than Regan can navigate that thing. I quickly gave up and backed out.

Haden found the big sandbox full of sand toys and dump trucks and was in heaven.

By the time we were ready to go the tram was working again, although much slower than usual.
We headed back to the hotel where the kids could not wait to get back in the pool. Regan even went down the big slide by herself and timidly put her face under the water!!!
Lila was happy playing with the ipod. She was so excited to watch the music video for "Queen of the Waves" from Barbie in a Mermaid Tale. She loves that song! It was the first time she watched it on the ipod instead of the computer. She kept looking at me in amazement! The next day I had planned on hiking Hanging Lake, but the mountains were supposed to get 10-20 inches of snow, so we came home instead.

Rock Band!

2011-04-27T14:36:00.008-06:00

We got Rock Band and a Playstation around Christmas time. We tried playing Rock Band with the kids. Regan insisted on singing and Haden would not let anyone else touch the drums. Needless to say, we quickly got booed off the stage every time! The kids always blamed Clint's guitar playing skills! Regan preferred just to turn on her Taylor Swift CD and sing along to that while Haden rocked out on the drums. (He usually does have a clean face...) Haden sometimes insists on wearing his "Rock Star" sunglasses as he rocks out on the drums.
Clint also brought home a new, big, flat screen television to go with his playstation. After watching Haden swing his "Let's get down to business" stick (He likes to mimic Shang on Mulan as he sings "I'll Make a Man Out of You", but instead of a staff, he uses a broomstick.) near his expensive television, it was promptly returned. I think we will wait until the kids are all grown before investing much money in something that easily destroyed!
I am sure it is only a matter of time before Lila joins the band. I hope she likes playing the guitar because I doubt either of the other kids will give up their instruments!

Happy Birthday Savannah!

2011-04-27T14:24:00.005-06:00

My sister, Savannah, came to see us for her birthday. Okay, she was actually in search of warmer weather than what Provo had to offer, but the timing was right, and we got to celebrate with her! The kids LOVE their Aunt Savannah. She is a good sport. She lets Regan teach her ballet dances, spends hours playing Barbies, fixes Regan's hair in fancy grown up hairstyles, takes her clothes shopping and still sword fights and wrestles with Haden. Because she had a break from work and the weather here stayed nice, she stayed with us for nearly a month. Both kids were devastated when she finally left.
Clint had just gotten back from a camp out with his scouts and the kids talked him into setting the tent up in the living room. And then they insisted that Savannah was only allowed to open her presents in the tent.

Tubing!

2011-04-27T13:57:00.008-06:00

This weather this year has not been typical. Finally, when we did get snow, we took the kids tubing at a park close by. It was probably 50 degrees. The kids were rather skeptical. Regan is not very adventurous and Haden just copies whatever Regan does. After the first run, they were hooked! They loved going down with Clint, more weight=tube going farther and faster! After a long time, they got tired of walking up the hill, but weren't quite finished going down the hill. They talked Clint into pushing them in the tube up the hill so they could tube back down. (He's kind of a sucker when it comes to his kids!) Even Lila had fun going down!

My first race

2011-04-27T13:29:00.008-06:00

In preparation for the Bolder Boulder, which I will hopefully be running this year, I ran in the "Love 'Em or Leave 'Em" 5K Race on Valentine's Day weekend. It was the first race I have ever run. I think it was killing Clint to be on the sidelines with the kids watching me instead of running himself! I had been having issues with low-iron so I was struggling at the end of the race and immediately after, but we still all had fun. There was a pancake breakfast and a fun run afterward. The kids had a lot of fun running with their friends!

Regan running. She was talking smack to her friend about how she was going to run faster, but then didn't. Regan said she just ran out of energy and Brooklyn was just too fast! I'm afraid she inherited her father's competitiveness!

Haden running.

At the finish line.

The kids had so much fun earning their medals and water bottles!

Tiny Tots Symphony

2011-04-27T13:07:00.006-06:00

On a very cold and snowy day in February, Haden, Lila, and I went on a preschool field trip to the Tiny Tots Symphony. The Colorado Symphony presents a concert appropriate for preschool aged kids every year. This is the second time we have gone. The orchestra is arranged in a large circle and the kids & parents get to sit in the middle. The conductor is wonderful and very entertaining for the kids. He does an excellent job of narrating the music. This year an opera singer came. Haden was not too impressed until he saw the drums. He was rather disappointed that he was not able to play them. After all, thanks to Rock Band, he is a very experienced drummer! Lila loved the music. It is always neat to expose the kids to different experiences.

The Conductor

The opera singer

It is kind of hard to take pictures when you are all squished together on the floor!

Red Rocks

2011-04-27T10:54:00.008-06:00

Wow! I am really behind on blogging. So before I forget everything that happened this winter, I better get started!
One beautiful Saturday at the end of January, we headed to Red Rocks. Even after living here 4 years, we hadn't yet been there. The kids had fun climbing on the rocks, posing for pictures, and dancing on the stage while Clint ran the stairs. There was a guy playing the guitar and Regan had fun dancing to his music.

Clint is the white dot in the middle.

Haden's 1st Crush

2011-04-27T10:06:00.003-06:00

Haden has been in preschool for a few months now. Every time I drop him off or pick him up a cute little girl named Ellen runs over to play with Lila while I talk to the teacher, sign Haden out, etc. Last week the class was walking back to their classroom after watching a movie when I came to pick Haden up. Haden and Ellen were holding hands. It was super cute! I'm not sure who's idea it was. Haden has been talking about Ellen a lot at home. She is his favorite friend at school. He really wants her to come over for a playdate and will say that he misses her when there is no preschool. He didn't want to go to school when he was sick, though because he didn't want to get Ellen sick. Very considerate! Yesterday when we got to school, Ellen exclaimed, "Haden, you're here!" and ran over to give him a hug. When I ask him why he misses her, he says, "Because I love her, mom!"

I really do love him

2011-03-17T22:35:00.002-06:00

I really do love my 3 year old. Haden is ridiculously imaginative, and full of energy. On the way to school yesterday he asked me if Grandpa's cows wore good climbing shoes. I told him that cows didn't wear shoes. "But they need to wear good climbing shoes, so they don't fall down and break their legs, because that would be soooo sad!" How do you respond to that? He regularly uses markers all over his body for war paint. He even knows which ones wash off easiest and refuses to use those. After watching Mulan, he started coloring his lips black, but only in the middle, just like Mulan. And you should hear him sing, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" at the top of his lungs as he chases Regan around the house with his broomstick (just like Mulan's). He was "so sad" on another day because he doesn't have a brother to sit beside him in the car. He told his teachers at preschool that he got thrown into the dungeon and loudly asks me, when we pass someone, if that person is a stranger and if they are going to take him. (He ran off in public a couple of times and I had the stranger danger talk with him, but he has taken it a few steps further!)

So last night when I was making dinner, I was standing at the sink in the kitchen when I felt a water drop on my foot. Our kitchen sink has leaked occasionally, so I turned off the water to investigate. The water wasn't coming from the sink, but from my recessed light in the ceiling. The drip quickly turned into a steady stream of water dripping from the light. The puddle on the floor was growing quickly. It took me a second to realize what had happened. An hour or so earlier, I was feeding Lila when I realized it had been very quiet. Regan was playing on the Playstation and Haden was nowhere to be seen. I thought I should go look for him, but by the time I put Lila down Haden came downstairs drenched in some of Regan's perfume. I dismissed any concerns of what he might have gotten into (other than Regan's perfume, that is). And then I realized what had happened. Clint had just gotten home and we both raced upstairs. The faucet in the kids' bathroom sink was on full blast and the drain was plugged. The water was pouring over the counter and onto the floor. The carpet within 5 feet of the bathroom door was dripping wet. Apparently those little holes that come in the top of the sinks to prevent this very problem don't work so well! I turned off the water and got out the vacuums. We sucked up water until we realized it was pointless. Haden was sentenced to the couch so he wouldn't be in the way, and maybe so I wouldn't kill him. By the time we gave up and went downstairs, the little stinker was sound asleep. The water had soaked through the sheetrock and we now have a huge wet spot which will turn into a water stain when it finally all dries out. In the mean time, the fans are going full blast and my kitchen just smells like wet dry wall-yuck! When Haden woke up and we had our talk, he said, "That's okay mom, we can fix our house, just like Handy Manny does!" I don't think my house is going to survive him!

Happy Birthday Clint!

2011-01-19T22:54:00.007-07:00

Clint turned another year older this month. We never really do anything exciting for his birthday since it is so close to Christmas. This was the first year that the kids really got into it. We made the cake. (Clint does not like frosting so he just had a boring cake.) Haden loves to help cook!

We painted pictures for his office.

And we assembled a fairy garden, also for his office. The people at Tagawa are awesome! The lady was so good and patient with my kids as they made their decisions about which plants they wanted where, what color rocks would look best, etc. Clint took it to work before I got a good picture of it, but the kids did a good job on it. Clint is lucky that Regan didn't see the display of little fairies by the plants or he would have wound up with several in his garden!
He also got new running clothes, but the kids both thought that was rather boring. Clint is the best dad and husband! Not everyone can sword fight Haden while dancing with Regan! Happy Birthday Clint!

Lila also loves chocolate cake!

Pajama day

2011-01-19T22:32:00.007-07:00

Haden's preschool had a pajama day where Lila and I got to go to school with him. That morning he absolutely refused to wear his pajamas. He told me that you were not supposed to go anywhere if you were wearing your pajamas. None of my cajoling worked. He was adamant. So, I packed his really cute pirate pajamas in his backpack just in case he changed his mind when he saw that he was the only one in jeans. He didn't.
We had Teddy Grahams and hot chocolate, sang songs (Haden still sings about the penguins who "waddle, waddle, side to side") read a book that the kids made, and created a bird feeder out of pine cones, frosting, and bird seed. It was fun to watch Haden interact in a new environment. His teachers still praise his behavior and tell me that he is "a pleasant, young man." He is growing up so quickly!

Growth Stats

2011-01-19T21:48:00.006-07:00

This past month Haden turned 3 and Lila turned 6 months, both of which warranted a visit to the doctor.
Haden weighs 31.5 lbs (46%) and is 3 ft 2.5 inches (69%). He is very entertaining to say the least. His imagination is always working overtime. In the car the other day, in all seriousness, he told me that monsters had taken Santa's toy sack and he had to get it back! He even mimicked the chant he claimed the monsters used, "We stole Santa's sack!" in a deep voice over and over. He and Regan use the double jogging stroller as Santa's sleigh. They load it up with toys, climb in, and sit quietly until Haden yells, "we're here!". Then they unload, run around for a couple of minutes before loading back up and repeating the scenario. This can go on for awhile. One of my favorite things to do is eavesdrop on the two of them playing! He loves dressing up as different characters and is fascinated with tools. His last request was for a jackhammer. He loves both his sisters so much!

Lila weighs 15 lbs 5.5 ounces (27%) and is 2 feet 2.25 inches (58%). She loves to eat anything, but baby food. The little stinker clamps her mouth down tight and refuses to open it for anything mashed up. When she does want another bite, she opens her mouth wide and makes noises until she gets what she wants. She frequently hums while she's eating. She smiles at everyone, but is still a mama's girl. Lila sits up very well by herself and loves dancing to music. I am always nervous Haden's roughhousing is going to hurt her, but she just laughs. Regan takes pride in selecting Lila's outfit, which frequently coordinates with her own. She is getting more hair, but it is still too early to tell if it is going to be curly. Lila is well loved by her siblings. She is the perfect addition to our family!

Fashion

2011-01-19T21:00:00.004-07:00

Regan has her own sense of style. She doesn't care what others think and dresses and accessorizes to please herself. She generally has pretty good taste. (Black is her new favorite color to wear.) I have had countless strangers complement me on her ensembles. I have nothing to do with it. It is all her. Last week, on the way to school Regan asked me if I thought everyone was going to be looking at her? Confused, I asked why. Her matter of fact response, "Because I am so fashionable today!"

Haden's in Preschool!

2011-01-06T22:19:00.009-07:00

I can't believe that Haden is old enough for preschool! He has been so excited and has told many people that he is starting preschool in January. He's at Trailswest, the same preschool that Regan went to, although he has a different teacher. The day before he started, we went to the school to meet his teachers and see the classroom. He has 4 teachers in the classroom every day and only 10 kids in class. They were wonderful with him! I was a little apprehensive that he wouldn't willingly stay, but when I kissed him goodbye he was already playing trucks with another little boy and complained that the little boy was not sharing all the lego men! His teachers gave him a wonderful report, saying that he did well during group time, transitioned well, played well with others, and participated appropriately. They were also impressed with his imaginative play skills. I know he is going to have a wonderful experience, and I have to admit, I really enjoy my hour and a half with only Lila!Haden insisted on wearing his Santa hat to keep his head warm. He was annoyed that my sister still had Christmas decorations up on New Year's Eve, but apparently it is okay to wear a Santa hat in January!Regan has been just as excited for Haden to start preschool. Her kindergarten teacher told me how Regan has told her all about how Haden is in preschool at the same time she is in kindergarten and she wonders what he is doing! I love that my kids love each other so much!

Walking from the car to the school.

Washing his hands with his teacher.

Playing with the trucks. There was too much going on for him to look at the camera!

And my handsome little guy, still smiling, after his first day!

Idaho, Round 2

2011-01-06T20:51:00.011-07:00

We left for Idaho, again, 2 days after Christmas. The roads were fine and the kids were good. Haden kept asking to move to Idaho so he could ride the 4 wheeler "all the long day!" We spent a day in Pocatello so Regan could deliver presents to her cousins and my siblings. She has so much fun picking out gifts for everyone!

We went snowshoeing with Clint's dad and sister. Clint got snowshoes for Christmas this year and he gave me a pair last year. (I was barely surviving last year-there was no way I was up for snowshoeing, and by the time I had recovered, the snow was gone.) We took the kids with us. I had Lila in my sling and Clint pulled Regan and sleeping Haden in a sled. My kids never get enough sleep while we are on vacation and will usually fall asleep after a few minutes in the car. Haden was out within the first 5 minutes of the 10 minute ride. Clint moved him into the sled where he stayed, snoring, until we got back to the car. He woke up, asked where we were and what we were doing. Clint told him that we had been snowshoeing. Haden smiled and said that he really like snowshoeing, it was super fun!
The wind picked up on the way back down and it was all I could do to keep Lila warm! She eventually fell asleep snuggled inside my coat.
New Year's Eve, Clint's family had a party where the grown ups played Hokey 6. It's a variation of Nertz that his family plays at every gathering. Clint and I won! Thanks to Clint's dad for taking care of Lila for us!Then we headed south to Salt Lake City so we could show the kids the lights at Temple Square. Regan surprisingly remembered temple square from our last visit, nearly 2 years ago. The beautiful springtime flowers are hard to forget! My sister, Savannah, and her friend drove up from Provo to meet us. It was snowing and very cold so we didn't wander around outside for very long, but it was still fun.
Regan thinks Savannah should marry this boy because then she could be the flower girl. (Junie B. Jones taught her about flower girls.) She already has the dress picked out and has been begging us to buy it for her. I have explained several times that, although we really liked this boy, Savannah may not marry him and even if she does, Savannah gets to pick Regan's flower girl dress. Regan does not at all like that idea!

We were grateful to arrive home safely and swear we are not making that trip again, even to ride the 4 wheeler, for a very long time!

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-06T20:00:00.009-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! I keep all the presents hidden until after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. No, not because Santa is supposed to bring them, but because my kids have zero self control when it comes to presents. The packages that arrived in the mail and got put under the tree all had rips in them that no one would ever admit to doing.

Regan got a lot of crafty stuff and a label maker that came with 14 feet of labels. Clint and I were sure that much would last for a long time. We were very wrong, but at least now everything is labeled!
Haden got a workbench and dress up clothes. He was thrilled! He loves dressing up as a police officer and handing out tickets or putting out fires with his fire extinguisher.
Lila was just happy to play with the ribbons and wrapping paper!
Clint made a "fancy" breakfast of crepes. Regan regularly begs for us to have a fancy meal. I think this needs to be a new tradition for us-I haven't been very good at implementing traditions yet.
Haden dressed up in what he calls his Nutcracker outfit and told Clint he was the Mouse King. It was fun to watch them attack each other. Haden loves sword fighting!
We had friends over for Christmas dinner and then the adults played games and the kids entertained themselves. Haden and his little friend were playing in the basement. When we went down the next day, we discovered that the mats covering the floor had all been ripped up. We asked Haden what happened. He said that he ripped them all up because his friend (who was a girl) was watching him! He's already trying to impress the girls and he is barely 3!!

Although the weather was in the 50's and there was no snow to be seen, it was still a wonderful Christmas!

Santa Claus

2011-01-06T19:17:00.007-07:00

While in Idaho for Thanksgiving, the kids and I went to the mall in Pocatello. The mall Santa had no kids waiting to see him, so he came to the toy area to recruit kids. I am not a fan of Santa Claus and have not taught my kids about how he brings toys to good girls and boys. I treated him like Frosty the Snowman, just another character of Christmas. I just don't know how to explain why Santa brought their friends more toys than they got or the other way around. The same thing goes for the Easter bunny. My kids still learned about him from somewhere and are die hard believers. Afterall, Brandon in Regan's kindergarten class said that he saw him one Christmas Eve and apparently everything Brandon says is undisputed fact. So, when Haden saw Santa he took off running. He really is shy around strangers, I am not sure why Santa is an exception. Haden eagerly climbed on his lap and they had a very serious conversation, judging by the expression on Haden's face. He had a huge smile on his face when he jumped off and insisted that we needed to go home to Colorado immediately because Santa said he was coming to our house! Thankfully, Regan explained that Santa wouldn't be coming until Christmas Eve which was still a little ways away. I wonder how long they are going to be believers?

Bathtime

2011-01-06T19:12:00.003-07:00

This is why Haden is never allowed to take a bath unattended. He was left alone for only a couple of minutes and he has been told over and over that bubbles and water are supposed to stay in the bathtub. It is a good thing he is pretty darn cute!

Happy Birthday Haden!

2010-12-20T16:18:00.009-07:00

My little boy is 3!! Where does the time go? Haden has been counting down to his birthday for some time now. He occasionally would ask me, "Mommy, can you believe that it is almost my birthday?" He woke up that morning and bounded into our room. His pile of presents that I had stayed up late wrapping were on the floor. Haden persuaded Clint to let him open "just one" before breakfast and the rest were quickly ripped open immediately after breakfast. We went with a Bob the Builder theme for his presents. Craigslist is the best!
Haden and Regan played fabulously well together all day long. Haden would dress up in his knight costume from Halloween last year and pretend to be the "Nutcracker" while Regan was a fairy. They ran around, Haden fighting the Mouse King with his sword and Regan was frantically waving her magic wand at the invisible enemy. Clint set up the tent as their refuge.

They were pretending to take a nap before their next fighting round.

The crib mattress came out, I am pretty sure Clint was the instigator, and the kids had fun sliding down the stairs on it.

We still had plenty of birthday cake leftover from his party, but he needed to be sang to, so I used the same truck mold and he got a Rice Crispy Treat cake. Haden insisted that we add chocolate chips for the garbage.
And then, of course, he had to roast marshmallows on his candle flame. It didn't work, but he was happy. After shoving a piece of treat in his mouth he and Regan ran off so they could keep fighting. That night, Haden said that his favorite part of the whole day was opening all of his presents! Surprise, surprise. Happy birthday little guy!

Haden's Birthday Party

2010-12-19T17:51:00.008-07:00

Haden has been asking for a friend birthday party since Regan had hers in June. Since Stinky the Garbage Truck is one of his favorite toys to play with while wandering around the toy section of the store, we settled on a garbage truck theme. We invited a few of his close friends and planned some games. We read "I Stink!" (a book about a garbage truck), colored some pictures of garbage trucks, picked up some "garbage" and ate cake.

The boys were pretty loud and crazy until they were picking up candy. It was almost silent as they filled their buckets! The noise level returned once the candy was all picked up.

Regan's Nutcracker

2010-12-19T17:27:00.008-07:00

Regan's ballet class performed 3 dances from the Nutcracker for their end of semester performance. The first dance was the fight scene between the mice and the soldiers. Regan was a mouse and got to fight her friend, McKenna. (It is very hard to get good pictures of dancing girls when they are in the back and you are confined to your seat!)

The soldiers won, killing all the mice!

The girls were very graceful as they danced around with their scarves during the Snowfairy dance.

And the Russian dance.

Overall, the girls did a wonderful job. Their teacher, Ms. Sue is fabulous! Regan cannot wait for ballet to begin again in January!

The Nutcracker

2010-12-19T16:58:00.003-07:00

Regan's ballet class was performing several dances from the Nutcracker for this year's performance. Regan had only ever seen Barbie's version of the Nutcracker which is quite a bit different from the original. A group of us took our girls to see the Colorado Ballet perform. It was wonderful! Regan loved the first half, where there was an actual story to follow, but lost interest during the second half asking several times when it would be over. She said her favorite part was when the sugar plum fairy was dancing and asked if we could go see it again next year!

Styrafoam, tools, and an almost 3 year old

2010-12-05T18:24:00.004-07:00

They don't mix. I am going to be cleaning up little balls of styrafoam for years to come!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-05T17:17:00.019-07:00

We started our pilgrimage to Idaho on Saturday before Thanksgiving. There was a big storm coming in and we didn't want to drive in it. The kids are very good travelers, as long as there are plenty of snacks and lots of movies to watch. The storm hit Sunday. Sunday afternoon, Clint's nephews and niece came over asking for Clint's dad to send Clint out. It was just like he was a kid their age instead of their 30 something year old uncle. They were all waiting to ambush him. Clint sneaked out the back door and surprised them. After several attacks, most of which ended in retreat, (Clint would pile them on top of each other as they attacked), they gave up and came inside for hot chocolate.

Regan & Haden helped Grandpa and Clint feed and move the cows. Apparently, a few calves were going the wrong way and Clint had to go pretty fast on the four wheeler to catch them. He drove through a mud puddle and covered both kids in mud. Neither one of them appreciated it and still occasionally complain that dad is a bad driver.

Clint got to help pull a breach calf. Thankfully, they brought the kids home first. I am not ready for that conversation! The kids earned their trip to the Blue Goose candy store by collecting the bailing twine in the field.

Haden is always very excited to go the Blue Goose. He's usually a pretty shy kid when it comes to talking to people he doesn't know very well. Clarence, the store keeper, for some reason, is an exception. Haden ran up to the door, enthusiastically waving to Clarence as he went before bolting inside and back to the penny candy.
Haden was upset that we left all of his tools at home. Luckily, Grandpa had some he let Haden borrow. A week or so before we left for Idaho, Haden noticed that one of his figurines of Bob the Builder had a pipe wrench on his toolbelt. Haden decided that he needed a pipe wrench. We didn't have one, so Haden called Grandpa to see if he had one. Clint's dad told him that he would get him a pipe wrench when we came to visit. Since we surprised everyone by showing up earlier than expected, Grandpa didn't have the pipe wrench yet and couldn't get it until Monday. Haden asked regularly if it was Monday yet, so he could get his pipe wrench. Finally, Monday morning, Haden groggily walked into the kitchen and asked if he could now have his pipe wrench? That kid has the memory of an elephant! Haden is now the proud owner of a real pipe wrench and a few pipes.
Thanksgiving, 4 of my siblings and 3 nieces came for dinner. It was fun to see everyone! My kids love their aunts and uncle.

Gemma and Lila (Lila is 5 weeks older and about 3 inches shorter.)
Veta, Regan, and Hazel

Suzanne and Dale, my 2 youngest siblings. Dale has never been able to have his picture taken without making a doofy face.
Savannah and Dale. We were teasing Dale that we were going to post this picture on Facebook and all his friends would wonder who the hot, older girl was!

Lila is 4 months!

2010-12-05T16:56:00.004-07:00

Okay, she's really 5 months, but I am a little slow about getting this post done. At 4 months she weighed 13 lbs 10 oz (34%) and was 24 3/4 inches long (52%). The stats make her seem like a light weight, but the rolls on her thighs and arms speak differently! Lila is still a dream child. She is always smiling and laughing. She still tolerates Haden's affection, although this morning Haden stormed into my room to tell me that Lila wasn't being gentle! According to him, Lila pushed him and pulled his hair. Apparently she is finally getting old enough to retaliate! Haden always omits his previous actions that elicit such responses from his sisters. Lila loves eating just about anything we put in her mouth. (She yells if we eat and she doesn't get to.) It is so much fun watching her personality develop! Even though Haden told me he wished she was a brother, we all love her very much!
One night, I read a bedtime story to all three kids in Regan's bed. I left Lila there while I took Haden to his bed. I came back to both girls sound asleep. So sweet!

First Snowfall

2010-11-09T19:26:00.006-07:00

We finally got snow!! And it, of course, coincided with my procrastinated shopping trip. Four stores later, we were all very wet but the kids couldn't wait to get home! They had the best time throwing snowballs, and wrestling each other and then coming inside and drinking hot chocolate. The turkeys thought they were going to get me with their snowballs while I was taking their picture, thus the big smiles. They missed, and I retaliated!

Power tools!

2010-11-07T22:15:00.004-07:00

So a while back, Clint let Haden use his power drill. I knew we were going to regret it! Haden has been begging to use it again and again and again! The problem is that he can't use it unsupervised and the last thing I want to do is spend my day watching Haden drill hole after hole after hole. For some reason, his attention span is considerably longer if the activity involves power tools! Clint compromised and handed over the electric screwdriver. Haden keeps it in his toolbox and spends long stretches of time multiple times a day "working". Haden insists on wearing his hard hat, tool belt, and his workglasses that he stole from Clint's toolbox this afternoon as he works. (Apparently stealing tools is genetic-I have found several tools with Clint's dad's name engraved on them in Clint's tool box!)

Haden likes to have an audience as he works. Luckily, he only has a small piece of 2x4 that can follow me around the house, although he discovered the pumpkins today. Our collection of baby pumpkins harvested from our garden is now riddled with little holes! Fortunately, the drill bit kept getting stuck and was getting covered in pumpkin. Haden is rather a neat freak and did not appreciate a dirty drill. He washed the bit, and returned to his 2x4.

Haden has even let me use his "drill". He insisted that I wear the hard hat to be safe. I once had the nerve to ask Haden to do something while he was drilling. He looked up with complete indignation and said, "But mom, I am working!" I had to wait until the hole was adequately drilled before he would complete my request.

Leaves!

2010-11-07T21:34:00.009-07:00

The kids LOVE leaves. They spend hours helping Clint rake them into a big pile so they can jump in them and rake them up again. We leave the pile in the front yard for a few days until all the fun has been had and then we haul them to the garden. This year I caught several teenage boys eyeing it as they walked by. I know they were really wanting to jump in! One man from down the road even came to the door and asked if he could have my leaves! (Just to clarify, this is Colorado, not North Carolina. We don't have nearly as many leaves and they are apparently a hot commodity!)
Clint and Haden must have decided that we didn't have enough leaves. They were stealing the neighbor's! I doubt they'll mind, they sweep their leaves to the sidewalk and leave them. Even on windy days. Needless to say, they spend a lot of time sweeping leaves!
At the store a few weeks ago, Haden and I were wandering through toy section. It doesn't seem like I can get out of a store these days without spending a substantial amount of time in the toy section! They had a kid-sized leaf blower. Haden knew exactly what it was and did his best to talk me into buying it for him. It didn't even blow leaves. I knew he would lose interest in it when Clint got out his leaf blower. So after the novelty of raking and jumping and ended, we started raking and then blowing all the leaves! Haden LOVED the leaf blower and refused to share with Regan who really only wanted it because Haden had it. Anytime she tried to come near him to take it, he aimed it at her blowing leaves all over her. It was pretty comical to watch! She did get a couple of turns, though. Haden insisted on wearing his hard hat and tool belt because he was "working".
Lila was entertained just watching her siblings play in the leaves. Next year, she and Regan can team up against Haden for the leaf blower!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T22:15:00.017-06:00

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

2010-10-06T10:23:00.004-06:00

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

2010-10-04T00:01:00.008-06:00

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.