First day of school

Regan started 3rd grade this year.  She got the teacher she wanted, Ms. Toay.  We started year round school this year and we don't know anyone else on our track, so Regan has to make all new friends.  And there are only a handful of girls in her class again, just like last year.  She hasn't seemed to mind, though.  Apparently she plays (watches) soccer with the boys during recess. 

 She got her shirt as a birthday present from Savannah and immediately decided to wear it for the first day.  Regan has always enjoyed school and always done very well.

 Haden started school two days after Regan.  The kindergarten teachers assess each of the kids one on one during the first two days.  Haden's teacher, Mrs. Dougherty, praised Haden and his academic ability.  She labeled him advanced after 10 minutes with him and put him on the advanced reading list.  He is a smart little stinker.  He taught himself to read and loves practicing math problems with Regan.  He's always been curious and is a very capable problem solver. 

 Unfortunately, Haden is also a big mama's boy.  The poor little boy was horribly anxious about starting school and being gone from me that long.  If he had never left me, his argument would be more understandable, but he went to two and half years of preschool and bunches of play dates.  I think he just gets anxious when he is faced with situations that he is not completely sure about.  He asked for countless blessings and Clint always complied.  At his request, we say several prayers every morning.  I am grateful that he knows where to go to find peace and comfort.  Mrs. Dougherty has been fabulous with him and says that he is fine once school starts.  He always has a smile when I pick him up, it is just getting him there that is a lot of work.  Poor little guy!  They had a fire drill the first week of school.  Haden was a nervous wreck!  He hates loud noises.  The principal was at the door when we got to school and asked what was wrong. He patiently explained everything that was going to happen during the fire drill to Haden.  Then, went and checked on him post-fire drill and then called me to let me know he was okay.  Can you get better attention at a public school?  I was impressed!  It might be because Clint has been instrumental in getting lots of improvements for the school, but still.  I am loving the special attention my kiddos are getting!

Lila starts preschool next month and I am looking forward to the 5 hours I will have by myself until the baby comes!  I don't even know what I'll do with myself! 

Regan got baptized!

 

My sweet little Regan got baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 6, 2013.  I am so proud of her and the person she is becoming! 

 Picking her dress to wear post baptism was a top priority for Regan.  Surprise, surprise....  She found several more sparkly, more grown up looking dresses, but settled on this one because it looked more like a baptism dress than the other ones.  I had intended to do invitations, but I was sick with this pregnancy much longer than anticipated and that was one of things that had to go.  We did get pictures done, though.  We went swimming with some friends immediately afterwards and her beautiful curls were promptly ruined, but she didn't care.

 Being the Primary President occasionally has its advantages.  I got to help Regan plan her baptismal program.  She told Dale he had to give a talk on the Holy Ghost and Savannah was to give a prayer.  Both would have much rather been observers in the audience, but neither one could tell Regan no.  Savannah took off work and made the drive from Provo so she could be there with Regan.  It absolutely meant the world to Regan to have her favorite aunt there!  Savannah has yet to miss an event in my family.  She has been there for every baby's birth, blessing, and now, baptism.  We love Savannah!

 I am also very grateful that Clint was able to baptize and confirm little Regan.  He is a wonderful dad and husband!

 Regan had been planning this day for a while.  She insisted that she WAS NOT going to get baptized in those "ugly jumpers" and wanted me to make her a dress.  Clint and I did our best to talk her out of it.  Clint was worried that the dress would float up and I was still recovering from morning sickness and didn't really want to make her one.  In the end, she won.  The dress got finished, and as long as nobody looked too closely, it looked pretty good.  And it was heavy enough fabric that it didn't float up while she was being baptized.  She also insisted on having pearls throughout her braid that ended in a messy bun.  Rather a high maintenance little girl! 

Regan was beaming when she came out of the water and wanted to go back in.  It was just like a hot tub! 

 

Afterwards we were going to eat lunch at Cheesecake Factory (Regan's favorite restaurant), but she changed her mind and wanted to go to Golden Corral at the last minute.  She had never been there and decided to give it a try.  We had both Dale and Savannah with us--they ALWAYS get my money's worth at a buffet!  It was fun.  The kids loved the chocolate fountain and dipped way more than they ate.  They've all been asking when we can go back. 

 

I'm proud of Regan and the choices she has made.  She is a good example to her younger siblings.  I love having her as my little girl!

Pocahontas or Toby-Wan Kenobi?

 

We're adding another one to our crew this Thanksgiving!  The kids are over the moon excited! In usual Waldron tradition, we chose not to find out the sex of the baby.  So, now we have to come up with both boy and girl names.  Lila insists we name her Pocahontas if it is a little girl and Haden thinks Toby-Wan Kenobi would be perfect for a little boy.  (Bonus points goes to whoever knows where he got that name from!)  Regan likes Scarlett Rosella if she's a girl, but is thinking it is probably going to be a boy.  We can't wait to meet this new little person!  I'm sure that, regardless of gender, they will be the perfect addition to our family!

Lila

My feisty little Lila turned three!  We had company staying with us for a few days around her birthday, so she got a big party!  Her presents all had a princess theme.  She is the most enthusiastic present opener I have.  She ripped open each present as fast as she possibly could, and then did a deep bow when her performance was done.  Total show off!

 She wanted a heart shaped chocolate cake and picked out "Sofia the First" figurines for the top.

 

Lila is always very entertaining.  Her imagination is awesome!  Depending on the day, we get to be characters from her favorite shows.  And we have to act the part or get reprimanded.  For instance, no one gets to call Clint dad.  They have to refer to him as "your majesty" or they get yelled at. Unless he has reprimanded her lately, then he has to be the Peculiar Purple Pie Man from Strawberry Shortcake.  When she is Doc McStuffins, she sings the song, "Time for your check up" before she checks you out, decides on a diagnosis which she writes in her book, and then will caress your cheek telling you "don't be scared, sweetheart" in her very most tender voice.  She loves to play Star Wars with Haden, too.  Haden uses the force to choke her.  Both her hands go to her neck and she pretends to gag and then passes out dead.  It's very entertaining!  She is incredibly opinionated and just as head strong.  I pick my battles with her, and even those are tough to win!  She gives fabulous dirty looks, you can't help but to laugh!  Her new favorite song is, "My Boyfriend's Back" which I love!  She even sings along!  We listen to it every time and all the time we are in the car.  She loves wearing dresses, but only ones she thinks are pretty.  She cannot get enough princess lip gloss and asks to wear sparkles (eyeshadow) and perfume every day. (I promise those genes did not come from me even though they seem pretty dominant with my girls!)  However, she can hold her own in every light saber fight anyone has ever attempted with her and is as tough as they come.  We were at the park a few weeks back and another little girl asked to play with Lila.  Lila tried to sword fight her.  The poor girl ran off crying.  Because she only has one speed, fast, she regularly wipes out.  She shakes it off and says, "I meant to do that".  All that being said, she has the most tender heart.  She comes running to comfort anyone hurt and loves to snuggle.  Her laugh is contagious and she loves to be the center of attention.  She is a wonderful helper and is always busy.  When she knows she's in the wrong, she says, "I'm super, super sorry.  I promise I won't do it again" and then hugs you.  She cannot wait to take ballet lessons and start preschool.  She adores her Uncle Dale and even calls him her Daley.  We all love little Lila.  Our family would be almost boring without her!

Regan

My sweet not so little girl turned 8 this year.  I love this girl so much!  She was the one who made me a mom.  I cannot imagine life without her.  She is a very good friend to everyone, not the least bit interested in boys, and still spends considerable time dressing and accessorizing.  Her favorite part of every vacation is planning and packing her outfits.  Peer pressure doesn't seem to phase her, but everything her Aunt Savannah tells her is law.  She is becoming quite the accomplished pianist and dreams of going to Hawaii.  She has expensive taste in just about everything, but loves finding fabulous deals on the jewelry clearance racks.  She regularly tells people that when she turns 16, she wants a Lexus IS 350.  She and I went to look at model homes one afternoon.  When the salesman asked what we thought, she told him, very politely, that none of the houses were for us because there was no where to put her grand piano or do cartwheels.  (She doesn't yet have a grand piano, but is very good at planning ahead.) We left the salesman speechless.  She loves going to Disneyland and will ride Splash Mountain as many times as she can get someone to go with her.  She loves eating at Cheesecake Factory and getting bouquets of flowers from her dad.  I hope my girl know how much our family loves her!

 Since a trip to Hawaii is not imminent, we got her a shaved ice machine.  All three kiddos love it.  We were having shaved ice daily for a very long time!

I love you, Regan!

Custer State Park

The last day, we packed up camp early.  Dale kept all the kids entertained with Haden's bow.  One of the arrows found its way to the very top of a tree.  I thought Haden was going to lose it!  Dale saved the day by throwing rock after rock until he knocked it down.  He had gotten quite an audience from the other campers and he got a good applause when the arrow finally came down.  Dale's arm was sore for a couple of days from it, but it made Haden's day!  We were talking about this incident this morning.  Haden commented that Dale had a really good arm.  Lila immediately piped up with, "And a big nose!" before she dissolved in laughter.  I don't know where she got that from, but she is always teasing him. And for the record, his nose is just normal sized!

 At Custer State Park's visitor's center, we unintentionally stumbled on a gold panning activity.  The kids loved it.  Most of them found several chunks of "gold".

 

 

 We found the wild donkeys.  Those poor donkeys eat anything and everything they are offered.  They have to have iron stomachs!

 Last time we went Regan yelled if we even rolled her window down a little bit.  She was much braver this time!

 

 I wish this one wasn't quite so fearless.  Those donkeys tolerated an awful lot of loving from Lila.

 

 We saw buffalo, antelope, turkeys, and bunches of prairie dogs. 

After the park, we headed towards Cheyenne at full speed so we could hit Sierra Trading Post's outlet before they closed.  We made it with 20 minutes to spare!  Luke and Shayna were going on Trek the following week and needed to get some things.  We spent the night in a hotel--I was done camping at that point, and we drove the last two hours home the next morning.  It was a fun trip!

Mt. Rushmore

The next day we spent at Mt. Rushmore.  We had planned on going for the lighting ceremony the night before, but everyone was just too tired!  We took pictures with every combination we could come up with.

 

 

 

 

 We hiked around and then spent some time in the artist's studio.  I loved that building!  Clint and I both brought it up later wondering if we could recreate a smaller version of it.

 

That night after I had cleaned Lila up (the girl likes to play in the dirt and gets filthy), I banned her to the tent.  She was perfectly happy as long as she could read her book with her headlamp.

 

 

 

South Dakota--Badlands

On Regan's last day of school, we planned to meet Clint's brother, his wife, and their five kids in South Dakota for a few days.  We found our campsite and set up camp just before a rainstorm came through.  It was great having Dale with us.  He's fabulous entertainment, plus he helps keep track of my hooligans.  The next day we had planned to go hiking in Badlands National Park.  The night before, one of Clint's nephews asked why it was called Badlands.  Clint told him all about how there are little cannibals that live there and they try and shoot you with their poison tipped blow darts.  My kids and most of Clint's nieces and nephews know Clint well enough to know not to believe a darn thing he says that seems the slightest bit ridiculous. They all loved playing along, though!

 

Lila refused to wear her "sturdy" shoes and instead insisted on her sandals.  I pick my battle with that one.  I do love that she did just fine hiking, sparkly sandals and all!

 

 

 We hiked the Notch Trail.  It has a spectacular view at the top and it is super short!

 

 Lila loved hiking with her Camelbak.  It will never happen again, though!  She drank so much water that it just went right through her.  She had 4 accidents all within an hour of each other and she used the potty (or the closest, most comfortable rock) in between each one.  I have never been so grateful to find extra jeans and  panties in the car for her!  She always apologized profusely, so it was hard to get mad.

 

Regan and Andrew with their injuries.  They both insisted that a cannibal grabbed their foot and made them trip and they only barely escaped!

 Clint confiscated Lila's Camelbak, but the damage was already done!  I can't imagine hiking in wet pants, poor little girl!

 I love my little family!  They are always so much fun to be with!

 Seriously, she really is the most adorable almost 3 year old!

 But, she found a cactus and fell on it.  Clint was awesome about getting each needle out of her little leg.  It's a good thing she's so tough!

We stopped at Wall Drug for milkshakes on the way home.  Haden found all sorts of things (junk) to spend money on, but Clint talked him into waiting.  We had to stop at Walmart because I forgot several crucial things.  Haden found an awesome bow and arrows that Clint agreed to buy.  Haden loved it, and it kept all the kids busy and out of trouble at the campsite!

 

High Flyer Awards

Every quarter at Regan's elementary school, a few kiddos from each class are recognized for their good behavior.  Regan has received an award every year and I try to make it a special day for her.  Clint takes the afternoon off and we find somewhere else for Haden to go.  Assemblies are not his favorite thing!  Lila is usually fairly well behaved.

 Regan earned two high flyer awards.  The first, from Miss Berwecky, I knew about.  The second one, from her movement teacher, was a surprise!

 Regan always carefully picks her outfits and accessories for these assemblies.  She insists on dressing up and loves wearing her heels to school.  She got her ears pierced a few months back, but will only let Clint change her earrings for her.  Clint waited around to go to work so he could put her earrings in for her that morning.  He really is a pretty amazing dad!  I was rather offended, though, when Regan said she didn't think I knew how to put earrings in.  I'm pretty sure I have put more earrings in than Clint!  She will forever be her daddy's girl!

Afterwards, we picked up Haden and had a picnic at a park while Clint played hooky for the rest of the day.  I love hanging out with my little family!  I am proud of my very well behaved little Regan! 

Memorial Day 2013

Memorial Day started out just the way it has for the past 7 years.  We headed up to Boulder for Clint to run in the Bolder Boulder 10k.  The kids always have a good time!  I was trying to watch for Clint, but it's hard to distinguish between hundreds of guys running when you also have to watch the antics of your children. Luckily, Dale spotted him.

 After he raced we wandered around and collected our stash of free stuff.  Lila was in absolute heaven.  People kept handing her chapsticks!  She had three in her fist and wouldn't let me put them in her bag. 

 

 After the race, we took the kids fishing.  It was already late morning so we weren't expecting many, if any, fish to bite. 

 My kids don't have the patience for fishing.  After a few minutes with no action, they started throwing rocks in the lake.  It's a good thing I really didn't want to catch any fish anyway!

 Then we headed further up into the mountains to check out a campground.  Lila had refused to relinquish her chapsticks and was liberally applying them to her entire face.  She likes to smear chapstick on her eyebrows.  But, she was a very quiet, well behaved traveler!

 The kids climbed trees,

 took turns with the camera,

 and shot my bow.  Clint gave me the bow for Christmas.  The weather had been crummy for so long that I hadn't had a chance to shoot it, yet.  Everyone loved it!

 Dale's not a bad shot!

 Regan is a super cute archer!

 

 The more Lila played, the filthier her face got!  This was after she "cleaned" herself up.  I was not allowed to help her.  Chapstick makes fabulous glue!

 

 Haden was very good with the bow, as long as he had help holding it.  He was also the very most animated when he hit the target!

 And then it got cold and we headed home.  The kids got to ride in the sunroof while we were on the off-roading trails.  I have had several requests from Regan and Haden for their own bows.  It may be a good Christmas present!