Easter 2012

After the fiasco that was the egg hunt the day before, we were ready for a more chill Easter morning.  We decided that the Easter Bunny wouldn't vist our house during the night, but rather the next morning when Hayley wasn't looking.  This turned out to be a great plan, and one that allowed us to sleep in, and for the kids to be dressed while looking for eggs and baskets, instead of in their jammies.

Hayley thought it was great to be the only one searching for eggs, since Jackson could have cared less.  He was pretty mad at Jeremy for forcing him to look for an egg.  But you know, sometimes there's nothing quite like some forced fun.

Hayley was even more excited when she realized that some of the eggs had coins in them instead of candy. (This was entirely intentional, since the girl had FIVE cavities last month when we went to the dentist.)  Jeremy said to that, "Wow, I wish the Easter Bunny would have come to my room and left me some money eggs."  To which I replied, "Really?  You want a whole dollar and 57 cents in change?  Because that can be arranged." :)

Later in the day, we headed to Grandma Heidi's and Grandpa Bob's, where both kids got another basket of loot from Grandma, and were able to search for more eggs out in the yard.

And good news!  No one got knocked over, Mom got some pictures, and everyone was happy.

Hayley was especially happy that Jackson liked the plastic eggs better than anything elst that was inside of them.

And this mom realized that really what do my kids need another egg hunt for anyway?

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

The Hunt and the Bunny

For the last few years, we've been attending the outdoor Easter Egg Hunt at the Fintess Center by our house.  It's free, and Hayley seems to like it, and it seemed to work out well.  This year, it was mostly just frustrating.  First off, they separate the kids by age, which is fine, but meant we had to split up.  I went to the younger field with Jackson, and Jer went with Hayley.  As people kept arriving, I realized that there were a lot more people at the hunt than there has been in previous years. " No problem," I thought, "this little kid field will still be pretty chill."  Yeah, not so much.  Despite multiple announcements for parents not to gather candy, but let the little kids do it, it was like a mob scene on the field.  I was actually following the rules, having my kid pick up the candy for himself.  He ended up with about four eggs.  Other kids had an entire basket of eggs and candy.  Honestly, that's not what makes me mad.  I mean, of course some kids will get more than others.  What makes me mad is that I know that most of those baskets were filled by parents.  So, #1 What exactly are you trying to teach your kid by ignoring the rules, and #2 Really, what 1-3 year old needs that much candy??

This kid was happy as can be with his four eggs.   

 Realizing Jackson's hunt was over, after, oh, two minutes, we headed over to look for Hayley and Jer.  Apparently it was even worse on their field, leading to a few more eggs and some candy for Hayley, but her being knocked to the ground by other kids in the process.  When I asked Jeremy if he took any pictures, he told me he was busy enough just trying to get her out of there alive.  I'm not sure exactly how much of that was actually an exageration.  I did take a picture and her loot when we got home.

At least I had the Bunny Breakfast to cheer me up.  Including this little boy who went right over to the bunny, and held his hands up like, "Okay, lift me up.  Let's do this!"  And even a smile for the camera!  I know, it's like a miracle, right?

Maybe Santa has a chance after all this coming Christmas. :)

The Last Snowstorm

With planning one last winter cabin trip during the first week of April, we knew we might be cutting it close on having any snow, so we were excited when we got there and still found a few inches on the roads and a good foot still on many of the snowmobile trails.  We made the most of it for the first two days and snowmobiled up a storm while hoping for another storm, but it didn't happen.  We even ended up having to hike out to get back down to the car. (Only 6/10 of a mile, no biggie.)

Hayley was bound and determined to have a fire and roast marshmallows, since we hadn't done either all winter.  She set out with her little spade shovel, digging out the fire pit and all the log seats around it.  It didn't take long before she solicited some help in her endeavor.  She and grandma dug, dug, dug for about two hours.

 

That night we all headed out to the fire.

It was really fun, and the perfect transition from winter at the cabin to spring.

 

The kids were in heaven having Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, and Dad there.

Such a perfect little fun family trip.

Made even better by hearing this from Jeremy a few days later:

"So Heather, what do you think about us buying a snowmobile?"

Looks like next winter may be just as fun. :)

The Lion and the Mouse

Kindergarten has been a big eye opener for Hayley. At the beginning of the year, she was convinced that she could not read, not at all, not even one word. To the point where her teacher would tell them part of their homework would be to read a small paper book, and she would get that "deer in the headlights" look. As the year went on, her confidence increased, and her reading level took off. I thought that her teacher was just being nice when she told me that Hayley was doing really well, but then when we came back on track in January, Hayley was selected as one of four kids in her class that were invited to be in a little Reader's Theater play, The Lion and the Mouse, at the Jordan District Reader's Faire. We practiced long and hard, and she took the stage with her other little friends from class. She did really well. I only wish she wouldn't have covered her face with the script. Actually, she didn't even really need it, as she had her lines memorized. With all the practicing, so did I. If you want to listen for her lines, here they are. She's Hunter #2.

Hunter #1: That lion is really sleeping soundly.
Hunter #2: Listen to the heavy snores.
Hunter #1: Do we dare risk trapping him?
Hunter #2: I don't know! I don't know!
Hunter#1: Let's move closer and see how fast asleep the lion really is.
Hunter #2: Move very quietly.
Hunter #1: Listen to those snores!
Hunter #2: That lion is snoring so loudly that it almost shakes the trees. I think we should take a chance and capture this lion. What do you think?
Hunter #1: Let's try it!
Hunter #2: Get the net ready!
Hunter #1: No sense struggling lion! You can't get out of our strong net.
Hunter #2: Let's go back to the village to get some friends to help us carry the lion.

I'm was very impressed that performing in front of probably 200 people didn't even faze her, or any of the other kids for that matter. When I asked her if she was nervous when she was up there, she said, "No, I was just really excited!" That's probably really true. She is an excitable child.

At the end of the Reader's Faire, all of the participants were awarded a certificate and a ribbon. Each group that participated was announced as a winner.

Thanks to those of you who came out to support Hayley and watch her play. She loved having you there.



So proud of our little reader-performer girl!

The New Toy

After a successful winter trip to the cabin this year, we decided to head up more often to enjoy the snow. We kept saying how it would be easier to shuttle people, gear, and groceries in if we had some kind of a sled to pull behind the snowmobiles. Next thing you know, Jeremy comes home from work one night with this:



And while it does make getting people and stuff to the cabin easier, the kids (and some of the adults) like the fun and games aspect of it even better! Hayley would ride in that thing all day if we let her. :) That's her in the video yelling, "Go again!"



I love that cabin. So many great memories with family, friends, games, food, fun, and lots of laughs. Add some quieter, sweeter moments, like a walk in the snow, wanting to hold Sister's hand instead of Mom's, and you have a near perfect cabin trip!

Party It Up!

As Hayley's birthday approached, Jeremy and I did the debate that it seems we do every year: Do we do a party? How big? Where at? How much? This year, we splurged and went to Kangaroo Zoo. Hayley had so much fun with her friends. It's fun to get all of them together, since she knows so many kids from lots of different places. We had kids come from her class at school, our neighborhood, my mom's neighborhood, the fitness center daycare. It was quite the crowd!

Even the fam that didn't have any Kangaroo Zoo aged kids were good sports and came out to celebrate with us.



Some of the friends:



The song:



And a surprise visit from the kangaroo, complete with a gift for Hayley in his pouch.



This was as close to a group shot as I was able to get. Sorry if you are reading that and your kid is not pictured anywhere. There was too much to do at the Zoo to waste time sitting still for long!



The aftermath:



Hayley was a little bit bummed when we didn't have any huge plans on her actual birthday last Wednesday. I think her party sure made up for it though. I know her sweet "Thank you for having me a party, Mom and Dad!" on the way home sure made it worth the stress and preparation for me. :)

Happy Birthday Sweet Hayleykins Bachman!

Hayley Bug

Hayley's birthday is next week. I can't believe I'll have a six year old! Really, where did the time go? With her getting so big on us, I've been reflecting lately on some of the things going on in her life lately.

Back in October, Hayley finally convinced us to buy her a pet. We decided on a goldfish, and she was super excited about it. Until it died. And the replacement died. And the replacement's replacement died. Fish #4 was going to be the last chance. We got some fish advice from my sister Stacey, who won a fish at Westfest four years ago and has also kept it alive for that long. (It's kind of creepy how big a four-year-old goldfish is...) The verdict? We weren't feeding the fish enough. They were starving with only having the few flakes that the fish food bottle recommended. Sure enough, as soon as we started being a little more generous with the fish flakes, Ta da! No more dead fish. However, since Hayley was now in the habit of going to pick out a new fish pretty much weekly, we still headed over to the pet store every now and then to check out the fish tanks. (And give Jackson his weekly exposure to dogs, but that's a different story...) One day we were there and there were some goldfish in the tank that were tiny! Hayley convinced me into buying her one of the mini-fishes to be a friend to the one we already had. (No names for the fish either. Hayley stopped naming the fish after about Fish #2.) The best part of this story is that when Daddy saw that there were now two fishes in the bowl the next morning, Hayley said to him, with a totally straight face, "Wow, I guess my fish had a baby!" She was so convincing, that Jeremy believed her! Until common sense got the best of him, and he came to me for an explanation of goldfish reproduction. Don't worry, I got him all straightened out. While Hayley listened from upstairs and laughed, until we heard, "I tricked you Daddy!"

Today I was reminding Hayley that this Friday is Spirit Day and they will be selling popcorn at school, so we needed to remember to bring a quarter. She asked if she could bring two quarters, and I told her, "Remember? It's only one bag of popcorn per kid, so you only need one quarter." To which she replied, "Mom, the extra quarter isn't for me. It's in case someone in my class forgets to bring their quarter, then I will have one to give them." Really? So sweet, and even better that it was unprompted. I think we just may send her with two quarters on Friday.

Lastly, the Little Girl lost her first tooth tonight. It's been loose for a while, but today it was to the point that Jeremy and I were both afraid she may accidentally swallow it in the night if it didn't come out. I came home to Hayley in front of the mirror with the pliers, and Jeremy recording her with his phone. Except then she started to get nervous, and Jeremy kept pushing her anyway, and pretty soon she was in tears. We took a break and Jeremy left for a while to go run some errands. I knew the tooth was barely hanging on, and had a calm chat with Hayley and told her that she could pull it, or I could pull it, but if it was still in her mouth when Daddy got home, he would probably pull it. Finally she said, "Okay fine. I want you to pull it." So without wasting any time, I plunked her up on the counter, grabbed the tooth with the dishtowel, and gave it a good pull. Sure enough it popped right out. After the initial shock was over, and she inspected her tooth and the new hole in her mouth, she announced that this was the "best day ever!" We send Jeremy a picture and he hurried home to share the excitement with us, and we headed to Grandma Heidi's to show her too. Grandma told Hayley to write the Tooth Fairy a note to not take her tooth because she needed to put it under her pillow at Grandma's too. Spoiled much Hayley? Guess I'll let it slide. Spoiling is what you're supposed to do with almost-six-year-olds, right?