California 2012

Last weekend we went from this

to this! Absolutely perfect timing for a trip to Southern California!

While we were loading up the rental car we were sweating. It was such a nice change from the 16+ inches of snow we had gotten at home the day before! We spent the rest of that day at the beach. Lila absolutely loved the ocean. The waves would knock her over and when I pulled her up she was always laughing. She is much better about holding my hand now, though!

We stayed until the kids were too cold to play in the water anymore. Then, they insisted on walking down the pier to get milkshakes. I think Regan was shaking with cold by the time we got to the car. (She also refused to wear a jacket before we headed down the pier insisting that her swimsuit cover up was plenty warm. All in the name of fashion...)

We met Clint's brother, his wife, and their five kids at the hotel. My kids loved seeing their cousins! The next day we headed north to the Los Angeles temple and visitor's center. Temple grounds are always so beautiful and peaceful. We rounded a corner, and there was a guy deep in meditation. He was absolutely still. Haden thought he was a statue and patted his leg. He was astonished when the man opened his eyes and said, "Thank you, young man!" He was a little embarrassed, but then tried to talk his cousins into going over and patting the man's leg.

Haden found the statue of Jesus. He asked about the marks in His hands and feet. I explained why they were there. I was surprised how emotional he got especially since he has heard the story countless times. He has since referred back to it several times since then, asking why people were so mean and why did they kill Jesus? I love my sweet little boy.

Next we headed to Leo Carillo State Beach just west of Malibu. It is supposed to be one of the best places in the area for tide pooling. The older kids liked it, but it was a little too technical for my kids. We got there at low tide, so there was lots to see. There were bunches of starfish!

Once again, little Lila loved playing in the water. Regan liked to pretend she was surfing, just like Merliah from Barbie in a Mermaid Tale.

Haden loved exploring the caves on the beach and building sandcastles.

Disneyland was scheduled for the next day. I like to take each of my kids when they are 3-4 years old. Everything is just more magical for them. Haden is no exception. So, this trip was for him. Even though we were only there for a day, we got to ride nearly every ride. Many, several times. I will never understand why people pay all the money to get into Disney during peak season only to spend the day waiting in lines!

Lila loved riding every ride she was tall enough for. Regan's favorite two rides were Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. Haden liked Astro Blasters and exploring Toon Town.

We got to meet several princesses, Rapunzel, Tinkerbell, and Aladdin with the girls.

I don't think Regan was too thrilled about meeting all the princesses again, but was a good sport about it because her younger cousin wanted to. She did like collecting everyone's autograph, though.

Alivia asked Tinkerbell for some pixie dust so she could fly. Tinkerbell cleverly replied that it would not be safe if she gave that much pixie dust but would give her just enough to make her jump a little higher. In several of the pictures I took of Ariel, she was watching Lila. Very cute.

Haden got to meet Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie. He was in heaven!

Haden said Minnie was his favorite character.

I'm really glad that Clint doesn't have any kind of motion sickness. He rode every ride with the kids and I was perfectly happy being the photographer.

Clint took Haden through Toon Town first. Haden really wanted to go back while the big kids were riding the scarier rides, so he, Lila, and I explored it again. It was nearly deserted the second time through. Lila had just as much fun as Haden did running around, pushing buttons, and climbing on everything she possibly could.

Lila was a little annoyed that she couldn't take a balloon with her.

I love how accommodating all the employees of Disney are. We stayed with Mickey for several minutes while Haden gave him high fives, knuckles, and hugs. No one tried to usher us out and they even offered to take pictures of all of us with my camera.

Regan has become quite the driver! The first time through Autotopia was a little rough, but the second time through she was awesome! Now if only she could steer and push the gas pedal at the same time.

Lila liked the Submarine ride, but kept trying to look out everyone's window to make sure everyone was seeing the same thing.

The next morning, Haden and I went to breakfast with Mickey and his friends. Neither Regan or Clint wanted to come with us, so we left them to entertain Lila.

We've never seen Lilo & Stitch so Haden wasn't quite sure who or what this was, but he kept coming back to our table.

Haden was thrilled Pluto was there because he hadn't seen him at the park the day before.

Daisy told Haden that Donald was still sleeping so he wasn't there.
Haden was a little bummed that Goofy wasn't at breakfast with us. When he discovered this Goofy, he insisted that the bad guys had frozen Goofy and that was why he wasn't there. Very active imagination in that kid.
And then we came home. Back to the now 12+ inches of snow at our house. I think everyone had a wonderful time! I love taking vacations with my little family!

January

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

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

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!

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