New Car Fun

I finally have a few minutes to update the information about our new car.  It's an awesome car and we love it already.  We have driven it out 3 times today for little trips and Matt's going to our friend's house with it in a little while too.  It has voice activated technology that allows us to make phone calls, ask for any song on our ipod to be played and also gives us accident information.  The other feature we have is Sattelite radio, which I really didn't care about before, but it has Disney kids radio and BBC radio which are well worth it.  I have yet to get a really good picture of the car since it was dark last night and it's raining today, but I have some of us driving it and a couple of it in the garage.  The salesman at Jim Click was amazing and all of the other people that work there made it an easy day even though it was so long.  Our sales manager even had a son named Hayden but he's 14 and Hayden looked shocked when he told him.  He must think no one else in the world has his name.  Here's the pictures of the day...and one is Hayden hiding under the sales desk, which he called his "car place fort". 

Bought a Car!

I am writing this on Matt's Blogger Mobile from the car dealership. We are finalizing our paperwork on our new 2010 Ford Focus SE! It's a gorgeous car and it's Electric Blue with black interior. We are exhausted but Hayden has been a trooper all day here! I will post pictures tomorrow!

Little Golfer Ladies Man

This afternoon after we picked up Matt from work, we went to the driving range on the Eastside or as Hayden calls it "The rabbit driving range" due to the fact that there's hundreds of rabbits that hang out next to the range.  Hayden amazes us with his golf skills.  He can get some real air on the ball and knows all about setting up the tees at the right height to hit the ball.  He always draws a crowd of the local elderly golfers and he's happy to oblige them with a few swings of the club and a smile.  We had a great time hitting golf balls and I am reminded once again to cherish this outdoor time before it gets too hot! 

On a side note, I have a really cute story from today.  I'll start by explaning that Hayden always chooses what box of fruit snacks he wants for his lunches when we go to Target.  It's our weekly ritual and we never miss it.  He usually chooses Cars or Scooby Doo or whatever boy thing there is at the time.  Well, today was a little different.  He immediately went over and picked up the Disney Princess box and said he wanted those.  I of course didn't have a problem with Princess fruit snacks, he's a big kid and if that's what he wants, fine with me.  He put them in the cart and then said, "I picked Princess fruit snacks because then the girls will want to sit with me in the cafeteria.  I like when the girls sit with me!"  I had to turn away and not laugh at him since he was so serious about it, but I am still chuckling to myself as I write this.  He's already working out how to get girls to sit with him.  He's smart and we're in serious trouble with him in High School.  Do they make a chastity belt for boys, and if so, where can I pre-order one?    :)
Tomorrow there is a whole flurry of activity.  After we have the soccer game and party, then shop for a car, a friend from when I was in Jr. High school invited us to the Rodeo At The Zoo night, so we plan on going there with a picnic dinner.  Look for lots of pictures from our day tomorrow, hopefully some of them will be of our new car!

Car Shopping!

We have decided to trade in our car, hopefully this weekend.  I took the Yaris this morning and had the seats shampooed and the car cleaned so it looks nice for appraisal.  We are hoping to get into something a little bigger and keep our payment the same, so we will see.  We have been looking around and have decided to buy from Jim Click, where Jane got her Focus.  Matt really likes the Mitsubishi Lancer and I really like the Mazda 3 or Mazda 5.  We plan to go tomorrow afternoon after Hayden's last soccer game and his soccer party.  Hayden thinks car shopping is really cool and we are going to let him pick the color of our new car, within reason of course!  If we can't really find what we like or if they don't make us a deal, we plan to wait 6 months and re-visit it then.

He is also just now at the 30 pound mark, so we are going to get him a "big boy carseat" when we have the new car.  He will still be in a harness with latches of course, but the seat he's getting will be a little wider and last him now until he's 100 pounds.  He's quite excited for this and I will of course take pictures of all the fun.

Just wanted to give that quick little update.  We are going to the driving range this afternoon to hit golf balls, so I'll get some pictures.  Lots of love!

Yee-Haw! It's Rodeo "Acation"!

Rodeo week is upon us and Hayden is really into it. We have been doing rodeo activities at school as well as at home. He is interested in riding horses and the cattle roping and keeps saying, "It's Rodeo Acation and we need to rope a horse!" His favorite new thing to do is gallop around the house saying "Yee-Haw!" 

This morning, we had a pancake breakfast at school and the kids all got to wear badges and hats that we made with them. Hayden had to eat waffles that I made him last night but he didn't mind since he was able to have a cup of juice like the other kids. The food allergy really sucks for me with him in a public school because there are so many cool treats that he can't eat. I just have to stay on top of it and be ready with alternatives.

I want to get Hayden to the Rodeo this weekend but we have playdates tomorrow and Friday and it is supposed to rain this weekend, so we will see.  He's also very excited that the Monster Jam truck show is next Sunday so we may just hold out for that.  We have 2 trips to the zoo and our final soccer game and party this weekend, so we will have lots to do on our "Acation".

These are photos from this morning when Hayden got to wear his cowboy hat to school.  The inside one is of the hat he made.  So stinkin cute!

Rain is becoming a bummer

Well, for the 5th time in 3 weeks, rain has dashed our soccer plans. I feel so bad every time I tell Hayden, "Sorry, It's raining so we can't play today." He of course responds with "I will play in the rain, I like the rain." Honestly, if it weren't for the liability and safety, I would throw jackets and boots on those 8 kids and let them practice in the rain. Too bad that's a major no-no in organized league sports. We can't even practice if the fields are wet. It's not that we can't find things to do indoors, today we made Play Doh pizza and played musical chairs instead of practice. It's just that I want to let him enjoy his last week of soccer practice and it's hard to do that with the rain. Yes, I am a desert kid. I complain when we get rain and it ruins our plans. Sorry England, you are lucky to get 2 non-rainy days a month! I guess you should all just move here and you can learn to complain about the rain with me :)

Pics of our rainy day afternoon to come tomorrow...I'm off to check out the Olympics!

Matt went Mountain bike riding again this morning with our friend Scott and he had a blast.  They were gone for 3 1/2 hours and rode really far.  I am so glad he has found a hobby that he really enjoys that other people we know are into as well.  Go Matt!

While Matt was off riding, Jane and I took Hayden to see The Princess and The Frog.  He really loved the movie (and his Icee and Skittles) and is already plotting a trip to the the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie next weekend.  His quote of the day was "I am so big now.  Only big boys get to go to movies and have their own seat!" 

I am off to enjoy the rest of our Sunday family time with my boys and Jane.  Lots of love to you all!

Saturday busy fun!

Yesterday was a really busy day and we had a lot of fun together. We went to Hayden's soccer game on the Northwest side of town in the morning and the kids played very well. Matt is just so proud of his little team and how much they have learned in the past 2 months. I know he will miss coaching after our last game next Saturday. Matt signed up to just assist coaching for T-ball since he doesn't know the sport and he's been working late a lot.

After soccer, it started raining. I don't mean sprinkles and little drops, this was an all-out downpour for several hours. We decided to enjoy being out and about in the rain and went to lunch, then a couple of bike shops. Of course we were on the other side of town and I didn't bring Hayden's jacket, so I ended up running into Target and buying him one. It was better than driving all the way home and I figure since I bought it big, he can wear it next year.

Last night, our friends invited us to go with them to the Roller Derby. I wasn't sure if Hayden would like it or if we would, for that matter, but it was actually a good time. Hayden loved the band that was playing and kept pretending to play the drums, which delighted the other people around us. They eventually were all playing Air Drums along with Hayden and it was very cute!

Well, I suppose that's all of our Saturday details. Today, we are taking Hayden to the theater to see The Princess and the Frog. I'll try to snap a picture of him in the movie theater before it starts. This afternoon, I promised him we would go on a bike ride if it doesn't rain, so hopefully we can do that too!

Get Ready....

For a whole lot of cuteness...

I CRIED when I opened Hayden's photo packet today.  These photos are just adorable!  I am in love with the one of Matt and Hayden together...it's so sweet!  We also got our trophies today and I didn't think to snap a photo of Hayden with his, so I'll get one tomorrow.  We have a game this Saturday and the final game next Saturday, followed by a 2 week break until T-Ball.  The ladies at the NYS office were giddy over the fact that Hayden is going to play T-Ball since he's so little.  Wow, it really is fun to be involved in sports...I can't wait to see what next season brings!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ok, so I'm one day late, but we were super busy all weekend with activities and I didn't want to miss the fun by being on the computer. 

Let's see, first we had a soccer game Saturday which turned out to be against a team of 7 of the largest (not fat, tall) children I have ever seen.  They were twice the size of even our largest kid on the team, so about 3 times Hayden's size.  They were from the south side of town and I don't know what the hell is in the water over there but these kids were gigantic! 

After the game, Matt took me shopping for new clothes for me and for Hayden.  We had an awesome time at the mall as a family and we all got some really cute new things.

Saturday afternoon, we relaxed together with sidewalk chalk, games and Valentine card making which was a lot of fun.  I love that Hayden is begning to write his name on things that he makes and it makes cards and stuff just that much more special!

Yesterday was an awesome day all around.  We got up and exchanged gifts...A movie and chocolates for MeeMaw, a video game for Daddy, Chocolates for Mommy and the best of all, 3 squirt guns for Hayden.  Let me tell you, I am absolutely 100% against guns in my house, but Hayden really wanted to have a squirt gun fight, so I found some very kid friendly looking ones that did not in any way resemble guns and he absoutely loved them.  We had a huge water fight in the yard with lots of screaming, running and hiding.  We are already planning to get more so we can use them in the summer when it's a billion degrees outside.  You should have seen Hayden...he was the happiest kid in the world when he got to squirt us with water and run away to hide.  I can't wait to play with them again tomorrow!

After we had breakfast, we finished up on our usual grocery shopping and then headed to a birthday party for Juliette, our friends' adorable daughter.  They had a Princess jumping castle, a snowball fight, and best of all, cake from Nadines that was dairy free.  When Hayden found out the cake was safe for him to eat, he was really excited and he ended up eating a huge piece of it.  The party was awesome and the weather couldn't have been better.  Plus, I got some beautiful pictures of Hayden.

Last night, Matt and I got to go out on a special date just the two of us.  We went to the mall and I bought new shoes, then we ate dinner at the Bamboo club and saw the movie Valentine's Day.  It was an absolutely amazing evening and I am so glad we were able to go out and have couple time.  Hayden got spoiled by MeeMaw for the evening so he had just as much fun as we did! 

I suppose that's about all the main stuff that happened this weekend.  Today we had firefighters visit our class and I got a super cute picture of Hayden with a fire hat on.  My co-teacher Debby is supposed to be emailing it to me so if I get it tomorrow I'll post it.  For now, here's some beautiful pictures from this weekend!!

Baby Zebra and Cookies!!

Whew...I am so sorry I have been a slacker on updates this week.  It has been so busy at work and with activities every day after school, I have been completely off the computer.  Hayden is still doing well at school with me and he seems to really enjoy it.  We have been doing Valentine's crafts all week and they have come out very cute.  Today was puffy paint flowers and he came home totally covered in pink paint!  Tomorrow is our Valentine's Day party at school and we are having pizza and treats, plus handing out Valentine's in a big circle. It's sure to be total craziness, but hey, you have to love anarchy to teach preschool!! 

On Tuesday, Hayden and I went to the zoo to look for the new baby zebra.  He wasn't out on display but we did see him behind the fence with his mother.  I promised Hayden a return trip very soon to look for him again.  We did see some of the anmals very closely this time.  The giraffe was literally within arms reach of me while he was minching on grass and the polar bear was putting on his usual show in front of the glass...I think he likes the attention! 

Soccer has been rained out all week and that's probably a good thing because it is VERY cold this week.  We do have a game Saturday morning so that will be a lot of fun...Hayden has been asking all week to play soccer.

We went to T-Ball sign-ups last night at Safeway and Hayden is now an official T-Ball player.  It starts March 6th, a week after soccer ends and it runs through May so it will definitely keep him busy.  He is very excited to go shopping for a bat, glove, and "those pants that the baseball guys wear". 

I know I've said it before recently but I am really enjoying Hayden being a 3 year-old.  He is so full of ideas and has an awesome sense of humor.  I could talk to him for hours on end (oh wait, I do because he never stops talking!) and I can't get over how smart he is.  Just this week he learned how to spell his name and how to count to 20 in Spanish.  We can teach him anything!  I am also eternally grateful that he is so well behaved.  I honestly believe this is because we talk to him about everything.  There's no time outs, no idle threats, no empty "No Thank You's" while chasing him around.  We explain things to him, what the good choices and not-so-good choices are and he listens almost every time.  When he doesn't, we make the choice for him and he learns from it, most of the time to never repeat the not-so-good choice again. There's no tantrums, screaming, crying...just a few minutes of whining and we move on.  I know people that have terrible trouble with their bratty 3 year-olds and I am so glad we have chosen to teach our son the right things from the start.  Life is so much easier for us now that we spent so much time talking to him as a toddler.  He's a real preschooler now which makes me proud that he has come so far since he was just a little 4 pound tiny thing.  He's amazing!

I suppose that's all I really have to report for now (sorry for the endless bragging about Hayden but this is also for him to read later on and I wanted all of that stuff written down.  I know you grandparents sure don't mind!) I will try to sneak in a few photos of Hayden at our party tomorrow and definitely some at the soccer game Saturday but for now here's some zoo and cookie-making ones to hold you over!  Love and hugs!!