Vacation

I just wanted to tell everyone that we are off and on vacation. I finished preschool on Thursday, and we left Friday afternoon for our vacation. Chad will be coming home on Monday, but the rest of us are staying until Thursday. It has been so much fun to see everyone, and I will post pictures when we get back.

Claire's Preschool Graduation

I can hardly believe that Claire will be going into Kindergarten in the fall - they sure grow up so fast!! Since I have had most of the kids in my preschool for two years, we decided it was time for a graduation. The kids practiced a few songs and a little poem, and were so excited. They made the poster behind them, and all looked so great on that day. It was a little emotional for me because I am going to miss them. We had so much fun together. They invited their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, basically anyone they could think of, and we crammed into the preschool. It was a short presentation, but the kids had a lot of fun. I am looking forward to Kindergarten for Claire because she will have someone else teaching her besides me. She keeps telling me she doesn't want to go (we drive by the school every day, so it is a constant reminder), but after the first day, she will be just fine.

Owen's Third Birthday Party

Owen's third birthday party was small, but so much fun. He is so easy to shop for. He loves trains, does not like to get clothes (we could tell by the way he would open those and throw them to the side!), and loves anything that he can just say "cool" about. He got a soccer ball from his Grandma and Grandpa Clayson, and new bat and ball from Claire and Grant, some clothes, and a new lumber mill for his Thomas Trains. He was so happy, and couldn't wait to play with is new toys (literally!). We are lucky we made it through all of the presents. I used some of his Thomas tracks for his cake (and he didn't think that was to great, he tried to rip them off a couple of times before I hid the cake!), and bought him a few new trains. That kid knows the names to all of them. At his little birthday party we had at my parents, my brother J.R. got him a couple new trains. When I went to open them he told me their names right off, everyone swore that they hadn't told him, so I guess he is a genius!! We hope you had a happy birthday Owen - we love you!!

Owen

My Owen turned 3 on Monday. It is so hard to believe!! He is such a fun guy to have around, we don't know what we would do without him. Here are some fun facts about Owen on his 3rd birthday.
1. He loves, loves, loves trains and he tells everyone he sees that he "has Geotrax," even though they all know because he has had them since Christmas.
2. He has a great imagination.
3. He refuses to wear the Prince costumes I have, but won't hesitate to put on a princess dress with Claire and dance around.
4. He is very particular about which shirt he is wearing each day - he could care less about his pants.
5. He weighs 35 pounds and is 37 inches tall.
6. He is all boy, and is always running around and making airplane noises.
7. He loves Thomas the Train and Spiderman.
8. He is so hard to get to sleep, and will wait until Claire is asleep and then come out of the room tell us that he is all done "sleeping!".
9. He loves Claire and Grant, and misses them when they are away.
10. Finally, he is a wonderful boy, and we love him very much!

8 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that Grant is 8 months old already. Although it seems like he has been with us for forever. Here are a few facts:
1. He is still not sitting, or rolling over, although he is learning to do this leg lift thing where he can really scoot his bum.
2. He hates, hates, hates wind - we can barely take him outside.
3. He doesn't like to eat anything except for yogurt and bananas.
4. He is sleeping all night.
5. He loves his saucer.
6. He giggles any time you touch his tummy.
7. He loves his daddy.
8. His hair keeps getting curlier every day!

Look Mom!! No training wheels!

Chad and I decided that it was time to teach Claire how to ride her bike without the training wheels, so on Sunday we walked down to the school by our house, to give it a try. I told her that now that she was 5, she would get to learn how to ride her bike with only two wheels. She totally bought it and was so excited to give it a try. She helped Chad take of the training wheels, and got on. Well, that only lasted a few minutes. Chad kinda let go a little bit, and she wobbled a tiny bit, and yes in Claire style freaked out. We just left her alone until she could calm down, and then we tried it again. She wouldn't pedal the second time around, and was eager for Chad to put back on her training wheels. I guess we'll have to try it again another day - if we can ever get her to agree!!

Fishing

For Easter Claire and Owen got fishing polls. Owen calls them the Dobby Doo ones (Scooby Doo). They were so excited on Saturday when Chad told them he was going to take them fishing. They came back with red faces, bug bites, and sadly no fish. Chad told me that Owen would just reel in one poll, and then have Chad cast the other one. He was sure every time that he had a fish. Owen and Claire told me that someone took all the fish out, but they will put them back later. I'm glad they had so much fun!

Claire's Last Soccer Game

Well we successfully completed this year of Spring Soccer. We only had to bribe her twice to got to a game without crying, and have decided that she is not a competitive person. She would literally have the ball coming towards her, and she would turn around and run behind all the other kids. We were just happy towards the end that there wasn't any crying involved with a game. She did great overall, and received a little trophy. My camera died just as I was taking a picture of that - she called it her treasure. We asked her if she would rather play soccer or dance, and she practically screamed dance at us, so I think next year we will stick with that. We are proud that she kept her commitment, and hopefully she learned something from this experience.


Grant actually sat for the first time at Claire's soccer game. Hopefully he will keep it up!

Grant's Jumper

When people come to our house, they are usually greeted by this:

Lets just say that they think it is hysterical. Grant absolutely loves this 1970's contraption that used to belong to his dad when he was a baby. The kids can get some air, and when you add music, he jumps to the beat. It is fun to watch.

Claire's Life Flight Field Trip

Last week Claire's preschool class went on a field trip to see the Life Flight at the hospital. All the way there we talked about how she wanted to sit in it, and it was going to be so "cool." No such luck! When we got there she would barely go close to the thing. It's a miracle that we even got her in this picture. It was a great field trip regardless, and hopefully she learned something about keeping her seat belt on.

Isn't it Ironic

This is my new air conditioner - isn't it pretty. I have been waiting 3 years to put this in my house - do you notice anything funny about it - oh yes, it's not hooked up. My brother-in-law got us a great deal, and delivered it, but couldn't put it in because he didn't know what he needed. I can't wait for him to come back, but with all of our busy schedules it won't be for a few more weeks - did I mention that it is hot!!! I just think it is funny that we now have one, but it is still going to be awhile before it is ready to use.

This is my front yard - pretty huh! It actually would be very nice except we have been waiting for 2 weeks for the gas company to come and run the line for our new furnace. They don't seem to be in a hurry, and we don't want to finish our brand new sprinklers until they make their mess. So, I will just wait, and hope that eventually my house will be cool, and my front yard will have plush green lawn - isn't it ironic!

My New Florist

Claire has been in awe of all the flowers growing, and how it is springtime. She loves to tell me about all the things that are growing outside. It is actually very funny. Since we are in the middle of landscaping the front yard, I have just let her pick any random flower that has come up. The back yard on the other hand is our project for next year, so there is all kinds of beautiful dandelions and rare flowers that just pop up. Her new favorite thing is to fill her old watering can with flowers and then she will take them all out and rearrange them. It is actually very cute. She was very proud of this creation. It gave me lots of please to have it around the house.

My New Kitchen

OK, so I didn't get a new kitchen (unfortunately), but I decided it was time for a change. I couldn't find the before picture that I took, so you just get the after. I had so much fun redecorating, and painting, and it was fun to listen to the kids. I only have to paint the door to the outside still, but I'm waiting for a nice, non windy day to do that. I think it turned out really nice, now if I could just get that new table and chairs I've been looking at, it would complete the look.

Ode to Debra

This is my good friend Debra. She decided that she needed to move to Boise (not sure why, but oh well!). I am actually jealous because I would love to move back there, but now I have another person to go and visit. Here is a little tribute to her:

Debra, Oh Debra how I will miss you! Who will go walking with me now that you've left? I know that you're happy in your house on the hill (sorry lame, but it went with it), but just a fair warning when you have your own washer and dryer the laundry won't end! I will miss our long talks, and our lunches at the park, and your cute kids who will be missed by all. Don't worry you can't get rid of me yet - I will come to visit every chance that I get. Thanks for all the times you listened to me complain, and for the great meals because cooking is your game! I hope you enjoy your new house and your yard, but just remember when you are stuck in traffic each day, that you could be in a town not far away, where there is no traffic morning noon and night, and lots of people who would love to have you back in their lives.

No really, thanks for everything Debra, and I can't wait to come and visit you soon!

Brotherly Love

Today after church Owen was adamant that he got to hold Grant. He doesn't usually ask, so I was more than happy to let him have a try. He is still a little rough with him, but soon those two will be out in the sandbox having a great time. I'm a little worried for the day that Grant discovers all of Owen's trains, and tries to play with them, there might not be as much brotherly love on that day.

Claire's Masterpiece!

Claire loves to draw! Her favorite thing to draw right now is her family. She cracks me up because she draws Mom, Dad, Claire, Owen, and then Grant who is always tiny and has a sad face, even though he laughs at her all the time. It is funny the way kids see things. She loves to cover the whole page, and my fridge with her masterpieces!

My Laundry Helper!

Grant is always awake, therefore I have to do things with him all the time. He has a special chair downstairs in the laundry room that he sits in while I sort clothes, or change a load. Then, he gets put right in with the clothes and comes upstairs. He thinks it is very funny, and laughs as I carry him upstairs. I guess all our kids help in their own ways.