Lagoon

Kallie's clogging team made it to Nationals in Lagoon again this year.  My kids really look forward to this each year.  We took all four kids and made it a family day.  We went down the night before (I have to take pictures of Wes while he drives because its the only time he will let me;) We staying at a hotel with a really fun pool and waterside.  The kids wore themselves and us right out swimming and after a great nights sleep we woke up to a pretty cold, windy, rainy day.  I was bummed! We had the babies with us and I was worried we wouldn't get to play at all because it would be too cold for them.  

We huddled in the shelter, wrapped in blankets while we watched Kallie's team perform.  They did a great job on the second dance.  On the first dance they lined up wrong and so everyone was in the wrong place up on stage and it screwed them all up.  

Luckily it began to warm up and after lunch we rode a few rides before Kallie's freestyle dance.  Kallie is a little timid to try new things, but for the whole year her friends Aysiah and Tyleigh had been telling her that she was going on all the big rides with them this year.  Kallie was very polite about telling us she didn't want to ride with us! She agreed to take Cole on the rides with her though and let us tag along and watch. I can't believe it has come to this already.  Our kids think they are getting too big for us! 

Kallie loved her coach Megan this year.  She was patient and great with Kallie who was the youngest on her team! 

I was planning on being the photographer and babysitter for the day.  However, the kids had an odd number and Weston was more than happy to sit out of the rides (they make him sick), so I was the lucky winner.  I actually had a blast and get a total kick out of hanging with Cole.  All day he had been begging to go on Wicked! Straight up and straight down with some ugly barrel rolls in there.  I tried to talk him out of it, but no doing.  These kids did everything!

Weston and Hagen managed to have their own fun with Chad and Cy Hill.  They played some mini golf and hoop shoot and both boys came home with a ridiculously large ball.  

For starting out chilly and dreary, our day turned out perfect! As sad as it makes me to have these kids growing up, they are sure a lot of fun at this stage!  (Hagen had zonked out in the stroller by the time we were finished and took a picture!)

A Really Big Deal

For the fourth year in a row, I MADE Kallie play softball.  We have a rule in our home (thanks to my mom and dad) that the kids have to try things for a few years until they are good enough to know whether they like it or not.  Well this has been the case with Kallie with many things in the past few years including softball.  In Kallie's league they play fast pitch and the kids pitch but no walking is allowed.  In fact if a kid gets pitched four balls then the coach will pitch however many strikes they have left.  This makes the games go much faster but also means that in order to get on base you have to either hit the ball or be hit by the ball.  Last year Kallie only hit the ball one time, the very last game and the very last time she was at bat.  Too bad she got thrown out at first! Running the bases is the funnest part of softball.  After a long season of many, many strikeouts last year she really didn't want to play again.  I made her though and our theory seems to have some merit now.  

The first couple games this year went by with strikeouts.  We practiced a lot at home and I tried hard to help Kallie gain some confidence. (She hit every ball i threw at her at home, but got stage fright in games) Well not too far into the season, Kallie got her first hit! She was so surprised that she forgot to run! Her whole team was yelling "RUN"!! I wish i could've got a better picture of the HUGE grin on her face.  That one hit was all it took.  She had only a few strikeouts the rest of the season and had a blast! I was so proud of her and by the end of the season she was practicing on her own a lot and getting really excited for games.  (As apposed to crying and faking sick!)  I am proud of Kallie for working hard and doing her best at something that wasn't easy for her.  

End of Year Review

Kallie finished up her clogging season with a trip to Lagoon (coming soon) and her end of year review.  She did a great job and had so much fun this year! This was the first year she really started to enjoy clogging and really excelled.  She was in a class with girls a few years older than her but kept up pretty well and had a lot of fun.  

Kallie is a pretty loved girl and had lots of support at her recital.  She has no idea how lucky she is to have grandparents that care about her so much.  

Kallie's little friend also named Kallie came with us to the recital.  She is contemplating doing clogging next year and we sure hope she does.  She is just the kind of girl I want Kallie hanging around! 

In other news; Jalyssa still comes around once in awhile and is determined to make Hayes adore her.  He is pretty easy to win over and the bike ride may have done the trick!

Girls Trip

We took a girls trip.  We NEVER do that! It was fun, and must happen more often! My niece Brooklyn had a dance competition in Draper and so my mom, younger sister and I tagged along.  Also Bentley,  Kallie and of course Hayes came with us.  It was a quick down and back but we had a good time goofing around in the car.  

I was a terrible photographer for the trip, we were just having too much fun.  Before we left I asked Misti if she wanted me to find a hotel.  She said she would just priceline one.  I may be a bit of a hotel snob.  I get grossed out by hotels really easy, so I was pretty nervous about this whole priceline thing.   She assured me that she does it all the time and always gets a nice hotel.  Well we ended up staying the the Peery Hotel, which according to google, is haunted.  I believe it too! I was simply the nastiest place I have ever stayed! I will be in charge of finding a room next time for sure!

Boys

I feel so blessed to have these three boys living in my home.  Even though they are crazy wild, messy and sometimes pretty smelly they bring so much joy to my life.  I left Hagen and Cole in the bathtub while I was feeding the baby the other day and when I came into the bathroom I had to turn right around and go out, count to ten and then re-enter.  It still didn't help my level of anger.  They had splashed nearly all the water out of the tub.  The floor was covered in an inch of water, the blinds and windows drenched.  I yelled and screamed profanities at them, they have been told countless times not to splash.  

Afterwards I felt bad.  Yes they made a huge mess, but that is just what boys do! I really will miss these messes when the boys are gone.  Hopefully they will bring their own rotten little mess makers to my house when they are all grown up.

I just can't resist these adorable faces!

Easter 2014

Easter 2014 was a success!