We love Aunt Shana

We love Aunt Shana! On Labor Day, Shana came down and took my kids, while Chad and Uncle Trevor went out to look for some wood to cut. Shana told me she was just taking the kids to the park, so I could get all of my preschool stuff finished. By the time I looked up, it was nearly 2 hours, and they hadn't come home. I was impressed that she could stay at the park that long. An hour is usually my max limit. They were gone for 3 1/2 hours! I wasn't worried, because I knew they were having fun with Aunt Shana. Of course, she took them to other places besides the park. They went to the park, McDonalds for lunch, the pet store, and then to Wal-Mart to get a new toy! I don't think they will ever want to hang out with me again! Thanks for a fun time Aunt Shana! Here are some pictures she took of the kids while they were at the park. It sure looks like they were having fun!

Owen's shirt matches the tube
Claire was taking a little break

I can't decide if Owen is having fun, or if he is scared.

Claire is just hanging around.

Relaxing after a long day.

Girl's Weekend

The first weekend in September, all 7 Clayson girls got together for a girls weekend. Chad had the pleasure of watching the kids. I think out of all the men, he was the only one that had to watch the kids all by himself. One of the drawbacks to having my family live so far away. I honestly can't say that I was to sad to have a night and day off. On Friday we left for Utah and stayed at Stacey's house (Chad's sister), then on Saturday we went shopping. We had a lot of fun. We went to IKEA - which I love- and just had fun looking at everything. I found a few things that I might have to get for the preschool. We just had a great time being together, and enjoying our time. It is sure nice to not have to unbuckle a carseat when you want to go into a store. Thanks for the fun time ladies!

Shana was a hot commodity with Stacey's kids. Colton wanted to sleep in the room that Shana slept in. He had the tent already set up. Needless to say, Shana had to go to bed earlier than the rest of us so Colton would go to sleep.

Here we are in all our glory. Above is the salon we went to, to get ready. Just kidding, it is actually in Stacey's house. She helped us all look so beautiful! Missing from this picture, is Stacey, she was our chauffeur for the day, and also our picture taker!

Busy!

I just wanted to catch everyone up with our lives. I have not been a very good blogger this past month, so I must get better. Here are a few things that are going on with us.

1. Yesterday Chad, his brother Brad, and his dad put in my new windows! I am loving them. When you buy an older home, you don't realize how much work it needs until you get into it. We realized we needed new windows when our first power bill came. We are hoping these will help keep the cold air out. Thank you so much for you help guys. We couldn't have done it without you.

2. The preschool is almost full. My 3 year old class has one more spot open. I can hardly believe it. I was getting a little discouraged, but things have really picked up. I am so busy working on my curriculum, and getting things pulled together. I never realized how much I relied on my colleagues, and my aides. I have never cut out so much laminating myself. Chad asked me the other night if I had to do all of this every year. I told him this year would be crazy, but it will get easier.

3. Owen is getting a million teeth. I was getting worried because he hasn't cut any for a long time, but all of a sudden he has molars, and I teeth coming in. He is actually quite happy for the most part. It is just the constant wiping of the nose that drives me crazy.

4. Claire is signed up for dance, and so excited. We just decided to try a tumbling/dance class out at the local community center. They have recitals, and stuff, and the price is definitely right - at least until she decides what she wants to do. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes.

5. I love young womens. I can't tell you how much I love being with those girls. School starts tomorrow and most of Mia Maids are staring high school. They were so cute today. I know they will all do great. Last week we took them to Lava, and there were only 2 leaders (don't worry we don't have that many girls), but we had a blast. We were running up the stairs to the slides, and jumping off the diving boards. We actually lost track of time, and left a little later than planned, but it was a blast!

6. Life is good! We are all doing great, and we hope everyone is as well. We hope to hear from you soon, and I promise I will be better with the blog!

Grandma and Grandpa

Claire decided to pull the chairs outside today. This is what I found. Owen had just had his bath and ran away before I could get him dressed. They were just sitting out on the front porch watching the cars go by. I couldn't help but think of two older people sitting in their porch swing and enjoying the nice weather. We hope that everyone is enjoying these last days of summer as much as we have!

Last Days of Summer

My friend Shanna and I decided to take the kids the the Pocatello pool, to enjoy the last weekday it was open. The weather was perfect, and there weren't very many people at the pool. The kids had a blast - I'm not sure the moms got to relax as much as they wanted to, but it was fun anyways! Claire has decided that she loves swimming now.
Owen had to climb up on the chair with Alex to steal some treats - I'm telling you it is all about food with that boy. Kylan is trying to help.

Owen with Anna Jo. She wasn't so sure about the water.

Owen relaxing after a long day at the pool.

Slip and Slide

The young women came over to our house, to enjoy our homemade slip and slide. We have a nice little hill in our backyard, which makes it the perfect spot. The girls left it out so Claire and some friends could use it. I only got this one picture (I'm not sure why), but the kids loved it.

Welcome Back Uncle Trevor and Aunt Shana

Chad's brother and sister-in-law moved back near us all, and we are so excited. Trevor took a teaching position at Blackfoot High School, and they bought their first home. We are so happy to have them close again. The Saturday after they moved back we all gather at Chad's parent's house for a BBQ. Stacey came from Utah with her kids, and we had a great time. The kids love going to grandma and grandpa's house. They are so tired by the time we leave that it isn't hard to get them to bed.

Morgan, Stacey's girl. She is a month younger than Owen - what a cutie!
Analee - Brad and Jessica's girl, enjoying grandma's beautiful flowers.

The neighbors have a duck, and the kids loved it. They chased it around, but never got close enough to touch it. I guess we should have grabbed some bread.

Owen enjoying the flowers, and traces of a chocolate chip cookie.

All the grandkids. Back, Colton, Claire. Front: Kaitlin, Annie, Morgan and Owen. All four of them will graduate from high school the same year!