School Carnival

This week started off fun with a package dropped off by Grandpa Pete that was full of fun clothes that Grandma Tess made for the kids.  Kylie and Hayden loved trying them all on and they wore them all week!

On Monday was the school carnival and on a whim I decided to go.  We went and enjoyed pizza, cotton candy and all the games!

I think the best part was the last activity we did, which was with the Fire Department.  Kylie and Hayden got to get all geared up and try the fire hose!  They loved it.

The rest of the week was normal. We played with friends, went to the library and had our last soccer practice and game!  I think Kylie spent the majority of her soccer games on the side lines bugging her team mates.  Hopefully next year she will have more attention for the game!

Hoppy Easter!

What a fun week we have had!  On Monday we had our friends over and decided to do a little BBQ with hotdogs and watermelon.  All the kids loved it- especially the eating outside part!

Over the next few days Kylie and Hayden got to wear their new outfits from Grandma Tess.  They love their new clothes so much! Especially Kylie - she is all about dresses and necklaces right now!

Wednesday it was hot enough that we decided to go swimming, and both kids actually preferred playing in the pool vs the hot tub this time!  It was a gorgeous day and we had lots of fun. Kinda getting me excited for summer to be here so we can spend every day at the pool!

Friday we played with our friends again, and Hayden loved it because he and Riley were matching! (Also he likes to pose for pictures with the thumbs up right now...)

Kylie started experimenting with doing videos where she narrates.. it's quite funny!

Saturday was a big day!  It started off with the egg hunt in Hurricane.  On the way I talked about the reason for Easter and about Jesus, and by the time we got to the park Hayden was calling the egg hunt 'Jesus' Egg Party'.  Haha he cracks me up!  Thankfully our friends Angela, Sophia and Riley were there (really, they are just our adopted family haha), because Hayden and Kylie were in different age groups.  So Hayden stayed with Sophia and Angela to do their egg hunt and I went with Kylie to hers.  Kylie was funny - she wanted a kite and bunny, and after she got her kite there were no more bunnies, so she kinda nit-picked her way around the field getting the little toys.  She didn't really care for the candy!

Hayden, on the other hand, came out loaded!!  Angela said she didn't help him at all, and his basket was filled to the brim with candy!  He was very proud of himself!

After the egg hunt Brandon took the kids for the day.  They went to Zions and did the Emerald Pools hike.  The kids had tons of fun and came home completely exhausted!

Sunday was Easter morning!  Hayden had NO idea.  He was kinda confused why I was following him downstairs so early in the morning, and when he saw the couch he clearly says "huh?" and is so surprised!  It was so funny! The kids loved their Easter baskets.  They drew on their drawing pads all morning (from Grandma Tess and Grandpa Pete), and we watched our new Trolls movie while playing with Hayden's Playdoh kit and building Kylie's Moana Lego set.

After church we went over to Aunt Chantel and Uncle McKay's house for dinner.  The Easter bunny had visited their house too and the kids had a massive egg hunt to keep them occupied while we made dinner.  Even Aunt Kelsey and soon-to-be-Uncle Morgan were there to visit!  It was so much fun and we really had a good time!  We came home exhausted and full of good food and too much candy!  Such a good Easter!

Dallan and Jessica's Wedding

After a countdown until we go to Grandma's house that lasted the past week, on Wednesday after school we finally made our big trip up north!  The kids are such good travelers now!  Especially when they get to stop at McDonald's to play halfway through.   Since we waited until after school to leave we arrived later than normal, and the kids were so wound up from sitting so long that they just ran around like crazy.

Thursday was the big day!  Hayden and Kylie got to spend the day with Grandma Tess and Grandpa Pete while I went to the Draper Temple for the ceremony.  The kids had tons of fun while I was gone and even got to go to the Trampoline place with Grandma Tess and Grandpa Pete like last time we were here!  When I got back we had to go shopping, because I had managed to leave their dress clothes hanging on a door knob at home... oops!  So we drove around to several places finding some cute dress clothes (thank goodness it was Easter time!) and then spent the rest of the afternoon with Grandma Tess playing.

That evening we went to Dallan and Jessica's reception.  The kids were super excited for pizza, doughnuts and cookies like they had at Kendra and Jake's wedding.  Well, they were sorely disappointed!!  The reception was beautiful and elegant, with Belgian waffles and crepes to snack on.  My kids were practically moved to tears and Hayden kept saying 'something else.'  Luckily they found a friend to play with to help ease the pain of no pizza (even though I know they had pizza for lunch with Grandma Tess earlier!).

We left earlier so Kylie and Hayden wouldn't be underfoot for the rest of the festivities and I picked them up something to eat on the way home to satisfy their picky tummies!

Friday we played hard at the Museum of Ancient Life with Grandma Shari, Aunt Chantel and Uncle McKay!  Kylie and Hayden loved the sand areas the best!

Saturday was rainy, so we went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity  where the kids had a blast.  They especially liked the little animal exhibit where they got to pet an iguana, a hedgehog, a snake, and frog!  So cool!

That evening Kylie and Hayden got to play with Uncle Jake and Grandma Shari while I went out with the girls to see the new Beauty and the Beast.  We came home in a huge snow storm!! It was crazy!  The next morning there was tons of snow everywhere and we had to scrape the cars off to drive to church.  Kylie and Hayden were in heaven, though.  They love snow and wanted to stay outside eating it forever.  After church we headed home after a quick pitstop to say goodbye to Grandma Tess.  They both slept nearly the entire way, so I didn't stop!

Thanks everyone for a fun weekend and we are glad we got to celebrate with Uncle Dallan and our new Aunt Jessica!!

Enjoying Spring

KYLIE

Lost ANOTHER tooth.  (Does she have any left?)

Enjoying soccer - though she seems to favor the sidelines more.

LOVES going to the Daycare at the rec center while I go to exercise class.  She calls it 'goodcare'.

Likes to read me bedtime stories.

Loved seeing all the baby chicks and ducks at Cal Ranch.

Requested 'triangle hair' and this is what she got:

HAYDEN

Is ROCKING it on the potty training front.

Insists on dressing himself now.

Prefers the Aerosmith version of the Spiderman Theme Song vs. the old school one.  Thus has learned to head-bang.

Made a very convincing argument that if we got a baby chick, it could stay in his room.

Finally starting to enjoy coloring.  Also likes Playdoh.

Since potty training, everything has to end with a fart noise.  So lovely.

Spring Break

We kept pretty busy this past week and got outside as much as we could to enjoy the hot sunshine.  Monday we went to the Dinosaur park with our friends Kennedy and Acadia.  The girls loved riding the train together in the back seat.

Tuesday we played with Sophia and Riley all day at our house, and did some walking around the neighborhood.

Wednesday we went swimming with Aunt Chantel and Uncle McKay at the rec center.  Kylie found a friend there from school to play with, and both of the kids loved going down the huge waterslide.

Thursday we went to the Dinosaur park again, this time with Sophia and Riley.  By now I was worn out from being in the heat, but Kylie and Hayden just kept going! We rode the train again, went down all the slides a million times and played in the splash pad.  We spent the entire afternoon there, and then I got them some dinner and dropped them off with their dad, who took them hiking around Pioneer Park.

Friday we spent the day with Sophia and Riley again, this time at their house, where we walked to the park.  There were also some neighborhood kids there to play with - so lots of friends to be made!

Saturday Kylie and Hayden spent the day with their dad.  They went to the Animal Museum and a park.

Sunday we went to church.  Every five minutes Hayden would ask "When can we go home?"  Haha a whole week running around really wore that kid out!

Every time we are home, though, Hayden has been potty training and doing excellently at it.  We have had no accidents, and by the end of the week Hayden was wearing his undies with no problem!  There was one incident where he purposefully put a toy in his potty to pee on it ("it was thirsty"), and I am still terrified to take him outside of the house without a diaper since he goes every 10-15 minutes, but we are getting there!  He also likes to dress himself now, as well as do his hair.  Sunday night he was busy brushing his hair and I come and find him covered in Kylie's hair barrettes, and then he insisted that we wear them to bed.  He was so proud of  himself and thought he was the cutest thing!

Kylie's stutter has gotten really bad this week.  Like, practically every word she is trying to say, bad.  Stuttering is hard because there really isn't a known cause for it, or a treatment for it.  She has had a stutter for the past few months, but it was usually only at the beginning of a sentence and when she was excited or rushed to say something.  Now.... I think it is much more than excitement or nervousness or feeling rushed or even being anxious.  I feel bad, but everything I read says there is no way to tell if it will stay or go.  The only thing I can really do is be patient, give her attention when she is talking, don't interrupt her, and speak slower to her (so she knows she can slow down too.)  Hopefully with time this will go away and that she is just figuring out how to get what is in her brain out her mouth!

Starting Soccer

March has come in beautifully, and we have even broken out the shorts and seriously considered swimming.

Kylie has officially started soccer!  She has been so excited to start and we have been practicing kicking.  We had her first practice March first, and while Kylie was timid with the ball she was not timid about making friends with all the other girls.  Hayden also jumped right in and wanted to practice with them, and since he wasn't really in the way I let him stay.

Kylie's first game was the 4th, and since their team (called the Raven's) had really only practiced kicking, they had no idea about positions, their goal vs their opponents goal and rules.  It was quite amusing to watch.  They managed to stay tied, and only lost at the end with a kick-off between the teams.  Kylie says she really loved it!

Afterwards Brandon took them for the day and they went to go get ice cream and play at the park.

This past week I have been kinda pushing for potty training with Hayden.  He has been very good!  He just goes frequently (like every 15 min) because he still guzzles water like it is air.  It makes me really nervous to  take him anywhere outside of the house with undies on instead of a diaper...  There have been a few instances where he will put his own diaper on (usually backwards) and be utterly defiant, but since we had so few diapers, he really had no choice.

Kylie's second soccer game last Saturday was as entertaining as the first.  There was a point where Kylie literally lay on the grass and said "I'm tired of running" so she got to go for a break.  It was hilarious.  They lost, but really they have no concept of winning at the game - just kicking the ball - so it's all good!  Afterwards Brandon took them again (since Saturday is his day) and they went to the park, arcade, and Snow Canyon to play in the sand.  Wear them out in that sun!

Disneyland!! Day Two

Friday the kids were up at 6.30 - despite the late night and tiring day before.  But, according to the time change, they did sleep in by 30 minutes so I guess that is something!

Friday was another beautiful day at Disneyland!  This time Uncle Dallan and soon-to-be-Aunt Jessica joined us!

We split up for most of the day with the older kids doing their own thing and me and Grandma Shari going around with Kylie and Hayden.  First we went to Ariel's ride in California Adventure, where the wait was non-existent, and then off to Tomorrowland where we saw some Storm Troopers and rode the rocket ships.

Then we went to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blast and shot a bunch of Emperor Zurg's minions.

Then we decided to head over to Adventureland where we ran into everyone else.  So we joined them for some Dole Whip and the Tiki Room.  Kylie really got into the Tiki Room and by the end was dancing and clapping along!

Yesterday I had promised the kids a balloon, but upon finding out they were $15 a piece I had them choose something else.  So first thing this morning we bought them what they wanted:  a bubble machine.  The kids loved them and always had them going while in the strollers.  Kylie's ran out of bubbles that morning because she kept it on almost constantly, but that didn't stop her from playing with it!  The rest of the day it was her microphone and she sang her little heart out.  That is what she did when I went on Thunder Mountain with the older people and she and Hayden waited.

Before lunch we decided to fit in one more ride.  Grandma and I took Kylie on Splash Mountain while Grandpa Gary and Aunt Kelsey took Hayden on Winnie the Pooh.

After lunch we went on Kylie's favorite ride: Cars Racetrack!

Then Grandma Shari and I took the kids back over to Disneyland. By now they were feeling pretty tired, and Kylie wasn't feeling too well, so she took a little nap.  While she was sleeping Hayden got to meet Cinderella, who was so sweet with him!  

Then we got to meet Pluto who was so silly that Hayden didn't know what to do.

By now the park was super crowded and any ride we chose would have an hour wait.  We decided to do King Arthur's Merry-Go-Round, and after that Grandma Shari took them to an open area where Kylie could get some more rest and they could both play around.  I decided to browse the shops for a bit and found some awesome glitter bouncy-balls for the kids that had their favorite characters inside: Rapunzel and Buzz Lightyear.  After receiving these the kids immediately started bouncing them everywhere and got all kinds of people playing a game of catch with them.  

After some dinner we went to ride Autotopia, and Grandpa Gary joined us.  Grandma Shari let Hayden drive and she said they were hitting everything almost constantly so she had to take over halfway through! Now we know why 3-year-olds are not allowed to drive!

Then we bounced over to the Jungle Cruise, which was pretty intimidating in the nighttime!  Then another long walk over to Luigi's ride in Cars Land, because Grandma and Grandpa hadn't tried it yet, and it was one of Hayden's favorites.  By then me and the kids were tuckered out, and so we went home to bed and Grandpa Gary had to go back and get the others because the park was opened until midnight that day and they all wanted to stay.

Saturday the kids were up early (they never sleep in!) and we all clambered into the car to go pick up Aunt Kendra and Uncle Jake from their cruise.  While we waited for them to get off the ship we got to wander around the seaside and see how huge the Queen Mary was, as well as seeing the Russian Submarine- The Scorpion.  

Once we got Aunt Kendra and Uncle Jake we decided to hit up Newport Beach.  Although I was freezing, the kids had a super time playing in the sand and waves as well as seashell hunting.  Hayden managed to fall down in the water, so he was running around in just his diaper from the waist down.  He was also shoveling more sand than shells into his jacket pocket.  That was fun to clean!

After the beach was lots of driving to drop off Aunt Kendra and Uncle Jake, and then back to our rental.  Aunt Kendra and Uncle Jake's California reception was that night, but we decided to have me and the kids stay behind at the house because they were really worn out from the past few days and Kylie was developing a cough.  So we had a little pajama party and watched Disney Jr to our hearts content and were all asleep by the time everyone else got home!

Sunday morning was early and busy. We had to pack up everything and head back home!  It was a long drive, but the kids did fairly well.  There were plenty of people packed into the van to keep them company.  Now we are home and I am glad to get the kids to bed on time!  And also have my own bed, haha.  (I shared with Kylie and she is too much of a cuddle bug for me...)

I want to thank the Knudsen's for inviting us along and for an awesome time at Disneyland!  It was the best!