Birthday Parties

Ava and Owen had a joint birthday celebration with Grandma and Grandpa Clayson, and Aunt Jeanna and a few friends who came over for cake.  We had dinner first with the family where we had Owen's request - ribs!  After dinner everyone came over for cake.  Owen requested an Angry Bird cake, and Ava got a Minnie Mouse cake.  Thank you to everyone who came to help these cute kiddos celebrate.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ava!

My baby is 2!!  I can hardly believe how much she has grown up in the past year.  Her birthday was on Sunday so she got to wear her birthday outfit to church.  Here are a few facts about Ava.

-She has a shoe fetish.  I think the only reason she gets dressed is so she can put shoes on, and she is very opinionated about which shoes she wears.

-She loves to have her fingers and toes painted.  Her favorite color to bring me right now his neon pink.

-She loves to be outside, and will play with her brothers and sister outside for a long time.

-She LOVES babies.  Real babies or baby dolls.  You can find her pushing her babies around everywhere.

-She is getting quite bossy . . . we are working on it.

-She loves to talk, and will repeat almost anything you say.  She can get her point across, and will do it by talking your ear off.

-She is a momma's girl.  Usually by now there is another baby in our house, but that isn't happening right now, so this is a new thing for mom too.

-She likes to do things "all by myself," and is getting quite independent.

-She loves Barney and Minnie Mouse, but doesn't sit still long enough to watch a full episode of anything.

-She is such a good sleeper, and will often sleep in until 9 or 10 in the morning.

We love you Miss Ava, and are so glad you came into our family.

All About Owen

I cannot believe how fast my kids are growing up!!  Owen is such a blessing to have on our home, and we are grateful for his helpful attitude every day!  Here are a few facts about Owen

-Owen LOVES video games . . . a little to much, but I think we have come to a mutual understanding.

-He is such a good helper, and usually jumps up to help me out.

- He loves money, and will do almost anything to earn some more (he is saving up for a Batman Lego set).

-He is a great big brother.

-He loves sports, and  is VERY competitive.

-He is becoming a good little reader, and works very hard on all the school tasks that he is given.

-His favorite show is The Power Rangers

-His favorite food are ribs and noodles

-His favorite color is blue

-At school he is called Owen C. because there is another Owen C. in his class.  He will not write his name without the C at the end.  I think it is so cute!!

We love you Owen!!

Can't Stop the Feet

Claire's clogging recital was actually on Owen's birthday.  Chad had taken the day off to come to the recital, but when he found out about Father's and Son's, I sent him off with the boys.  Chad's parents were so kind to come and support Claire.  I think her Grandpa was a little jealous that he didn't have to sit through it!  Claire danced in 2 numbers, and she did a great job.  She loves clogging and can't wait till next year when she gets the real shoes.  Two of Claire's friends Elise and Maddi wanted to come, so Claire had plenty of support.  After the performance we were all treated to ice cream by grandpa.  We are so proud of you Claire!

Happy 6th Birthday Owen!

Owen informed me that this birthday was not a "real" birthday.  I only let them have a birthday party every other year and this was his off year, so he decided that it wasn't a real birthday.  He also knew that we weren't having cake and ice cream for a few days.  He couldn't decide what he wanted, and at this age it just keeps changing.  I am pretty sure he would have loved legos, but that will have to happen another time.  His birthday was on a Friday and Chad and I hadn't been together at all to go and buy his gift.  After breakfast my friend Jodie agreed to watch the kids so Chad and I could go shopping.  We all attended Claire's talent show at school, and then headed home.  I had a few errands to run, and Owen wanted to open his gifts but he had to wait for Claire to get home from school.  He was actually waiting outside for me when I got home from the store.  So we gathered everyone together, and gave him his present a helmet.  He was happy with it, but he looked at us and said "Is that it?"  He was a good sport when I told him yes, and told him to try it on.  Meanwhile Chad ran downstairs and got his new bike.  He was very excited!!  That evening Chad took Owen and Grant to the Father's and Son's camp out, and the boys were thrilled.  Owen loved that it was on his birthday.  The boys had a great time, and enjoyed spending the rest of Owen's birthday with his friends and camping.

Fishing

Chad took the 3 oldest kids fishing at the local fish pond in Pocatello.  They were all very excited to go.  I wanted to go with them, but I just wansn't feeling that well.  Chad was worried that the kids wouldn't be good for them, but they were gone for about 3 hours, and had blast.  This is the fish they caught on the last cast.  The kids were thrilled!!  Grant enjoyed throwing rocks in the water (which might be why they didn't catch that many fish), more than fishing but everyone had a great time.

Law Day 5K

I finally decided that it was time to run again.  My goal was to start at a 5K, and hopefully by the end of the summer at least a 10K.  It is hard getting all my running in with Chad gone all the time, and running on the treadmill is not the same as running outside.  Of course I hadn't been sick all year, until the week of the race.  I got a wonderful head cold.  I still ran, and had to stop twice to blow my nose.  That day it moved to my chest, but I was so grateful that I finished.  My friend Emma also ran, and this was her 5K.  It was a lot of fun.  I finished in 34:54, which isn't great, but I wasn't sad.  There are 4 more races this summer so hopefully I will improve my time.