Happy Halloween!

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

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


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

Like father, like son

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

Run for the Watershed 2010

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

Kim running her first leg.

Jared taking his turn running.

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

Clint handing the scrunchi baton off to Kim.

Kim to Michael.

And finally, our team.

Keystone

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

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

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

Sisters

After church today, Regan insisted on a photo shoot with Lila. Regan is impossibly difficult to photograph. Very rarely does she make normal faces when the camera is pointed at her. She will regret it when she's older! Lila is becoming very animated. She has started laughing at her siblings' antics and is somewhat tolerant of the mauling she takes every time one of them wants to give her a kiss. Why do they think they have to hold her head still?
The last one is my favorite. I somehow managed to catch Regan in between ridiculous faces!

PBS Kids Fair

We once again attended the PBS Kids Fair. It was pretty much the same as last year, except the line for the bounce house was twice as long and my kids actually agreed to forgo it this year! The highlights were: Haden getting to sit in a REAL garbage truck and then both kids answered a question about garbage and got their own 6 inch tall garbage can. (Clint tore up a magazine to create "garbage" for them and they have spent hours dumping the garbage on the floor, loading it into their garbage cans, dumping the cans into Haden's dump truck which returns it to the box they keep the garbage in.)

Story time and a visit from Curious George. The story was the Emperor's New Clothes. I don't think either kid really comprehended the story because of the way the story was told, but the story teller was very animated and kept their attention. Haden was very excited to see Curious George and it was all he could do to wait his turn in line. Haden is a lot like Curious George. He doesn't mean to get into trouble, he's just curious. No wonder he likes him so much! Haden ran up and gave him a big hug; Regan hid behind me and refused to go near him claiming that he was not that big on TV. Sometimes she is too smart!
The tricycle course was fun. This year both kids were more than capable at pedaling the tricycles around the cones. Clint has a collection of cones at home and we have made several tricycle courses in our living room. The kids love it!
And finally the fossil dig. Regan would very carefully hammer away at the fossil. Haden wasn't quite as careful, but still had lots of fun!

Lila is 2 months!

Lila turned 2 months old! She fits into our family perfectly! She is very laid back and doesn't mind being squished by her affectionate older siblings. She doesn't cry much, but she will yell once or twice, wait to see if she gets what she wants, then yell again until she gets her way. Her carseat is not her favorite spot, but she is very good to put up with it while we shuttle Regan to and from kindergarten. Regan and Haden love to do things to get her to smile at them. At her 2 month visit she was 23 inches long (70%) and 11 lbs and 2 oz (53%). We all love her so much!

Rocky Mountain National Park

We took advantage of the free weekend for any national park at Rocky Mountain National Park. We have lived here nearly 5 years and this was the first time we made it there. We left early in the morning. Even though we fed them breakfast and had plenty of snacks in the car, both kids insisted on going to McDonald's in Estes Park. They were a little disappointed that it was too early for kid's meals, but settled on the ridiculously messy cinnamon rolls.
We were surprised that the park was not very crowded, considering it was a free day. (We have spent hours in bumper to bumper traffic in both Yellowstone and Smoky Mountain National Parks.) We were lucky enough to find a parking spot at Bear Lake. This was the perfect "hike" for my kids. Minimum elevation changes and plenty of rocks to throw into the water. The trail was very busy, but the scenery was spectacular!
Haden found an ant bed that he wanted to torment. We had to pull him away as the ants were climbing up his feet and ankles.
Next, we rode the shuttle bus to the Alberta Falls trail head, just down the road. Haden loved the bus and immediately ran to the back. The rest of us were sitting in the middle of the bus and Haden insisted on staying in the back even though the bus filled up and he was surrounded by strangers.
There was more complaining on the hike to the waterfall. Regan & Haden just wanted to throw rocks into the river, preferably causing a big enough splash that Clint got wet. Lila was perfectly content to sleep through everything in her sling. She is such a good baby!
We had the choice of crossing the river on rocks or using the bridge. Lila and I used the bridge while Regan insisted that everyone else take the rocks. She was so proud of herself for crossing with no help and not falling in!
The waterfall was impressive, considering it was late summer. I was nervous the kids were going to fall off the rocks, but they both seemed to have inherited Clint's sure-footedness.
On the way back home, we stopped at Estes Lake. Regan and I had seen these bikes online and she really wanted to ride one. Despite the wind picking up and dark clouds rolling in, we all loaded on the bike and headed off down the trail. These bikes are definitely not made for going up any kind of a hill! It was quite a workout for Clint and me! We pedaled past the golf course where a herd of elk was grazing. I don't think I will ever get used to seeing those huge animals roaming all over town, but both kids seemed unimpressed. I guess we have gone to the zoo too much!
Haden kept reaching around and grabbing the brake. Next time we need to find a bike where the kids can pedal too!

Vail Pass

Our ward has an annual activity the Saturday of Labor Day weekend riding bikes from the top of Vail Pass approximately 15 miles mostly downhill into Frisco. This was the third time our family participated. A few of Clint's scouts always tag along with us. Haden loves Drew and Colin.
Lila was too little to ride in the trailer and Haden was being too big of a stinker, Clint and Regan rode down and we met them 5 miles down the trail in Copper. Since we had been out late the night before, we hadn't packed all the parts for Regan's bike's attachment so it wasn't as sturdy as it could have been. It was making both Regan and Clint a little nervous, so they swapped the bike for the trailer. Haden decided he was tired of being left out and wanted to finish the ride with them. They played musical bikes with some friends down the mountain-the kids kept switching places. I met them at the park for a picnic lunch and the kids had fun playing on the toys and throwing rocks into the lake.

These were totally candid!

It was a fun trip and once again, all three kids were sound asleep on the way home!