Tolbert Family Blog

Thanksgiving 2012

2012-11-25T22:50:00.004-08:00

What a great Thanksgiving week! This was an interesting Thanksgiving to say the least. This year Lori and Rudy decided to have a Thanksgiving breakfast since everyone had other plans for dinner. Our plans were to head up with Rudy and Lori to their cabin in Lava Hot Springs for the weekend. However, Lori had a major disaster happen when her flowers froze for a huge wedding the next day. After breakfast we headed to the cabin with Rudy, and Lori stayed behind to deal the the flower catastrophe. We got to the cabin around dinner time and the kids were hungry. I tried to come up with something that we could throw together that was halfway decent. After all, it was Thanksgiving. Rudy grabbed two boxes of Macaroni and Cheese out of the cupboard, and assured me that we would be just fine to eat that for dinner. He was right. We didn't need anything fancy to eat.

Hailey commented that she was sad we weren't having a Thanksgiving dinner, but she quickly got over it when Poppy had her sit up on the counter to help him make the mac and cheese. It was fun watching them. He let her read him the directions, and had her guide him through what he needed to do. When we sat down to eat Rudy taught Hailey to pour barbeque sauce on her mac and cheese. She thought he was crazy at first, but she really ended up liking it. I think that's a fun memory Haily will always have of her grandpa.

Lori was able to come up Friday to spend the rest of the time with us. Hailey cuddled up with her grandpa the whole time, and spent every second by his side. Hayden spent most of his time shooting the nerf guns that were up there, and Katelyn spent all of her time mauling the dog. The whole weekend we pretty much did nothing but relax and play with the kids. It was great! I made the comment to Lori that it's nice to not be home because when I'm home I always feel like I need to be doing something. At the cabin I leave all of my worries behind, and focus on spending time with the ones I love.

On our way home we stopped at my Grandma Joyce's in Farr West to have a Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's side of the family. It was a nice halfway stop so the drive didn't seem so long, and you can imagine how excited Hailey was to finally get her Thanksgiving dinner. It was nice to see a lot of my family and cousins that I haven't seen for so long. However, the time spent there was short lived. The kids were all running around like a bunch of crazies, and at one point Hayden stabbed Katelyn in the neck with a fork (he didn't break the skin fortunately). I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone without getting interrupted by the sound of one of my children screaming.

Tonight we got all of our Christmas decorations out, and set up the Christmas tree. I let the kids go crazy on decorating it, which is where I have to let my anxiety of having perfection go right out the door. I remember my parents never let us decorate the tree. I understand why too. They wanted the tree to look perfect, but as a kid I always wanted to help so bad. I want my kids to have the experience and memories of helping decorate for Christmas. Who cares if 90% of the ornaments are at the bottom of the tree, right? I did my fair share of rearranging when the kids weren't looking, but mostly I left the ornaments where they put them. We had a really fun time, and even brought the holiday spirit in by singing Christmas carols. I love my family. :)

I took this because this is a rare scene. Hayden and Katie playing nicely together :)

This is a picture I took earlier in the week when I had Skylie all dressed up. My 3 month old little girl.

Better Late Than Never

2012-11-18T21:37:00.001-08:00

Wow! I guess it's pretty pathetic that I haven't blogged for over a year now! Maybe that gives a little insight into how crazy this last year has been. To sum it up I started a business, I went back to school and had another baby. Yes, a lot has happened. I will have to go back and blog about everything that's happened this last year eventually, but tonight I will start by pretending I have a clean slate.

This week was filled with many events. The first event of the week was not so happy. A few weeks ago our beloved cat Daisy, who is only 2 years old, peed on our mattress. I was of course annoyed, but I know sometimes cats get confused. However, this peeing on our mattress episode continued day after day, which means our mattress is completely ruined. Ryan and I discussed getting rid of the cat, but we didn't want to break the kid's hearts. We've been wanting to get a smaller bed set for our room anyway, so I told Ryan we would get a new bed to see if that would solve the problem. On Thursday morning I woke up to cat pee all over Skylie's room. Unfortunately when cats start peeing like that in your house there's no stopping them. Ryan and I made the hard decision that the cat would have to go. When I got Hailey from the bus I told her the sad news. She was devastated, and it was awful! We got home and let Hailey say her goodbyes and Ryan took the cat. I sat with Hailey, Hayden and Katelyn in my arms on the couch and we all cried. That was one of the worse things I've had to do as a mother!

We told Hailey she could get a couple of hamsters, which I really am not excited about, but I know we have to sooth the pain somehow. I told her we could go Monday as a family. She's really excited, and keeps saying how bad she wishes it was Monday. The last few days I've been questioning whether or not I did the right thing by getting rid of the cat, but every time I lay down on my bed and can still smell a hint of cat urine I KNOW I DID! Not to mention, Hailey's allergies will finally get better. The poor girl would wake up every morning in misery. On the bright side for me, I get a new bed for Christmas.

Thursday night Ryan left for South Dakota with his Dad and Jeremy to go pheasant hunting. Why anyone would drive 11 to 12 hours to go shoot a bunch of birds is completely beyond me, but they had a blast. Ryan was really excited he got to go this year. He missed out two years ago when they went, and I know he was pretty sad about it. Normally I whine and complain about him leaving me to go hunt, especially now that we have 4 kids, but this time I was very supportive because I knew what a big deal it was to him.

Ryan, Rudy and Jeremy with their pheasants.

Hayden wanted to be like his daddy.

This is his pheasant that he shot (I guess the hammer is his gun?).

To keep ourselves entertained we spent Friday night at Cortney's house. Cortney got a couple of babysitters, and we went with Lori out to dinner and to a boutique. After we went back and attempted to get the kids settled for bed. The next day Cortney watched the kids while I went grocery shopping and to a little boutique that Lori got me a gift card to for Christmas. They had the cutest clothes! I have always been a tee-shirt & jeans kind of a gal, and every time I attempt to dress in style it's a big fashion disaster. Lori meant up with me, and helped me pick out some really cute clothes. I am so grateful for her, and her willingness to spend time with me.

One of my new outfits that Lori helped me pick out.

Today I took all 4 kids to Church by myself. I contemplated skipping Sacrament, but we were all ready in time so we ended up going. It went really good until the last 10 minutes when Katelyn started throwing crayons, and yelling, "Yo mean mommy!" I practically had to drag her into Nursery. I couldn't carry her because I had Skylie in my other arm. She was screaming and hitting me. The nursery leaders weren't there yet so I had to stay. A sweet girl named Ashley offered to take her for me. I was so grateful for her help so I could get the other kids to Primary. I swear Heavenly Father sends angels just when you need them!

Told Katie to come down stairs to get ready for church. She came down in this and said she

didn't want to go to church because she was going swimming. :)

Oh dear... I really don't know what to do with Katie. She has been so hard for me to deal with lately. I know a lot of it is coming from having a new baby around, but the majority of her attitude problem is just her personality. There isn't a night that I don't pray for her to get easier and for me to have patience for her tantrums. Unfortunately, there also isn't a night that I don't go to bed feeling guilty, and like I'm the worst mom. It doesn't matter how hard I try. I end up loosing it on her. When I'm nice she just gets worse. When I flip out she usually shapes up. She's right! I am a mean mommy, and I hate that! Oh please let the terrible twos end soon. Please!

Happy Birthday Week Hailey - 5 Years Old!

2011-08-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Hailey's official birthday. She woke up to a room filled balloons, and her mommy standing at her bed with presents in hand. She was excited to see that she got the movie, "Tangled", which she has been begging for, and a Hello Kitty backpack for school.

Hayden thought it was great to wake up with balloons everywhere

For her day activity I took Hailey Classic Water Slides. We met up with Talitha and Mila. Later that night we had a little birthday party for Hailey. Talitha, Mila, Grandpa Gary, Aunt Heidi, Tia and Austin came to celebrate. Hailey was so excited to blow out the candles on her cake. When she did, we asked her what she wished for. Her reply, "I can't tell you, or it won't come true." Pretty smart little 5-year-old I must say!

All the day of her birthday Hailey kept asking when her "friend" party was going to be. I felt so bad because I hadn't planned a friend party. She said she wanted to have a slumber party, so on Friday night we ended up having ALL of her friends for an hour to have cake and ice cream, and to open presents. The boys left, and the girls stayed to have a sleepover. In a nutshell, it was a little chaotic, but they all had so much fun!

My Attempt at Hailey's Hello Kitty Cake for her Friend Party

All the cute kids (notice Katelyn screaming in the background)

Hailey, Addie, Mila and Elena

Abi and Abby
All the crazy kids

Hailey opening presents

Slumber Party Time!

Neighborhood Birthday Party 2011

2011-08-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

Since there are so many kids in our neighborhood we celebrate everyone's birthday on the same day. Hailey had been look forward to this party, and was so excited. The morning of the party our internet was down so I couldn't see my email to double check on the time. I was about to text one of my neighbors, but I thought, "No, it's got to be at 11am...All the other activities are". Well...we showed up at the park right at 11am, but the party was already going on! Oh great! It was at 10am! I sent Hailey and Hayden down to join the other kids. Unfortunately, they were on their last activity. Hailey came up to me and said, "Mom, I thought this party was going to be longer". I've never felt like such a failure as a mother. I secretly broke down in tears to one of my neighbors. Luckily Hailey's real birthday is this coming Tuesday. Hopefully I will be able to make it up to her.

Back To School Night

2011-08-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

This week Hailey got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Telford, and to see her classroom. I have to admit, I got teary-eyed watching my little girl sit at the table with all her little classmates.

She is so excited for this new adventure in her life. She asks me every day when she will get to go to school. I can't believe that day will be so soon!

Mila and Hailey (with a bunch of candy in her mouth)

Hailey was excited to see there was an apple with her name on it

The Ni-night Game

2011-08-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

Katie has been playing this silly game we call the "ni-night game". We say, "ni-night", and she closes her eyes like she's asleep. She's such little goofball.

Here's Hailey and Hayden getting in on the action...

Lately Katelyn has also loved pointing at the light fixtures. Here she is showing me the light over our kitchen table...

Herriman Lake

2011-08-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

After hearing for some time now about what a great lake they have in Herriman we finally were able to go check it out. We love it! We love it so much that we've gone there 3 times in the last 2 weeks. It has the perfect sand. The kids could seriously spend hours there, and not get bored. The best part is that it's only about 20 minutes away! It's a great place to go on a hot day.

Getting Ready For Kindergarten!!!

2011-08-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

This week I went and did Hailey's final registration for Kindergarten. She is so excited to start school in a few weeks. As so many mother's say when this time comes, I can't believe my baby is going to be starting school!

I could have held Hailey back if I wanted because her birthday is on the border, but we felt right about her starting now. She is definitely ready, and it will be good for her to be in the same grade as a lot of her friends.

To get ready for the big event we had a special mommy/daughter outing with her friends Abi Daniels and Abi Newman up in Park City, and bought a few clothes for school. It made this upcoming event more real, especially when we bought her backpack. I'm really excited and a little nervous at the same time, but we are ready for this new adventure in her life to begin!

Pirate Party

2011-08-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

In Primary this year the kids were able to earn a "Pirate Party" by being reverent on Sundays. Hailey has been looking forward to this for a long time. She had a blast! They had games, they taught them a dance, they had a treasure hunt and made their own eye patch. I'm sure Hailey would tell you her favorite part was when she got a ring pop. :)

Getting ready to learn the pirate dance

Learning the dance, or just standing there staring?
Making eye patches
Rrrrrrr.......

My little shadow

Silver Lake

2011-08-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

For our weekly neighborhood outing we took a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Silver Lake. I was so grateful I went! It was so beautiful up there, and the kids had a blast! We fed ducks, walked around the lake and had a picnic.

The ladies (Melodie, Valerie and Heather)

Helping Katelyn feed the ducks. She absolutely loved them!

Crazy group of kids :)

Feeding the ducks

Cute kids having fun

So Much For Pictures

2011-08-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating getting the kids pictures done. I have the outfits, but finding the time has been really tricky with our busy summer. So this week I was excited that Wednesday we finally had an open day.

Tuesday night we went to Kenny and Melodie Newman's house (our neighbors) to finish up some left over fireworks. Not 5 minutes after getting there I see Hayden running down the driveway, tripping and then face-planting.

This was the end result...

Poor boy! Everyone told me I should still get his pictures done, but after seeing how he looked in the morning I decided it would be best to wait...
It even ended up looking worse once a full-on scab appeared. Now we are just worried about it scaring. Especially because he keeps picking at it. Oh well! I should just get over it. I'm sure this won't be the last facial injury Hayden has.

Big Girl in a Little Body

2011-08-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

Katelyn has been loving the fact that she can walk...almost a little too much. She has been trying all sorts of new things that her big brother and big sister can do. The other night she even climbed onto this big rocking horse all by herself, and was rocking like crazy on it. It's the most hilarious looking thing because she's so small. I have a feeling she will have her training wheels on her future bike off before Hayden and Hailey. She's our little dare devil!

Swimming Lessons for Hailey!

2011-08-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hailey started swim lessons this week. These lessons are long over due, but I'm happy we finally signed her up. She loves the water, but she's always been afraid of getting water in her eyes and jumping into water. Thanks to these lessons, she's finally overcome her fears!!! She learned how to hold her breath under water without plugging her nose, she hasn't been panicking about getting water in her eyes, and she even jumps right into the water! I'm so proud of her! She has been loving the lessons, and can't wait to go every night.I've had to bring Hayden and Katelyn with me to her lessons because Ryan's been working late. I was dreading having to take them, but luckily the lifeguards haven't minded me letting them play in the shallow end during the lesson. It definitely keeps them entertained.

Splash Park

2011-08-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday during the summers we have a play date with all the moms and kids in our neighborhood. Last year when we went to the splash park it was a complete nightmare for me. Katelyn was still a newborn and cried the entire time, Hailey didn't want to get wet and I was stressed the whole time about Hayden getting trampled by all the kids running around. So when I found out we were going again this year I was a little hesitant. It ended up being one of the funnest activities we've done this summer. Hailey actually got wet, Hayden was loving waiting for the water to spray him in the face, and Katelyn had a blast just wandering around.

Hailey and Sydney Bell

All the neighborhood friends

Play Dates with Hudson and Stryder

2011-08-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

We have been so lucky to have Hudson and Stryder as neighbors. We love having these cute boys over every week to play. Hailey and Hayden always look forward to having them, and Katelyn is in love with them! They really are some of the sweetest little boys I've ever meant.

Katelyn giving Hudson a hug...She really, really loves them!

Mila joined Hailey, Hudson and Stryder to build a nest for a caterpillar on the porch.

A Muddy Mess!

2011-08-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

This week it rained like crazy, which meant Hailey made a mud casserole, which also meant Katie got into the mud casserole. She was having so much fun I just couldn't take her away from it. I'm assuming she did some taste testing from the evidence on her mouth.

Walking, Walking, Walking!!!

2011-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Little Katie has been taking 3 to 5 steps for weeks now. This week she finally got the hang of it, and it cruising everywhere now!

Fun with Taylor

2011-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had Hailey's little friend Taylor from our old neighborhood come play this week. These two girls have played since they were 18 months old. It's been fun to watch them grow up together.

Our Body Is A Temple

2011-07-25T00:06:00.001-07:00

When we got home from Church today Hailey was excited to do a maze with me that she saw in the Friend magazine. The point of the maze was to teach that we need to treat our bodies the same way we would the Temple. I talked to Hailey about a few things we shouldn't do to our bodies. One was to not draw on our body because we wouldn't draw on the Temple.

When my little lesson was through we started to laugh at Daddy snoring on the couch. I couldn't help myself! His knee was right in my face. I took the pen in my hand, and this is what the end result was...Ryan woke up to the kids laughing hysterically! I know, I know.... I'm a bad example, a hypocrite and that totally defeated the whole point I was trying to get across to Hailey, but sometimes a family needs to throw in a little silliness. Plus it was well worth the 5 minutes of laughter we all shared. :P

Silly Girl

2011-07-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

The last few days we've been moving Hayden and Hailey to one of our upstairs bedrooms. Katelyn has had a blast with all the action. In the process of moving the dresser I pulled out all the drawers. Katelyn had found some chalk and created some beautiful artwork in the bottom. She is pretty proud as you can see.

Later I was folding laundry. She pulled some sheets off the bed, and kept me entertained while she rolled around in them.

Another Reason My Husband Is Cool...

2011-07-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

We were desperately in need of another cement pad in our backyard so we could have a place to put our shed. Ryan got to work this weekend, and made our cement pad dream a reality. He never ceases to amaze me. It turned out great! Thankful for our awesome new neighbor Eric who stood ankle deep in cement to help Ryan.

Of course you need to do the hand prints. :)

Sad Little Foot and Float Preview

2011-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Where to start? Well, we began our wonderful week thinking Hayden had broken his foot. Katie was playing with his truck, which he did NOT like. He went to stand up to get it from her, but his big toe caught the carpet, and he face-planted. I thought he was crying just because he fell, but he wouldn't calm down. Then he started grabbing his foot. When I finally got him settled he went to stand up, and collapsed. The crying started all over again! After 3 hours of this I finally decided it would be worth it to take him to the doctor just to make sure he hadn't broken anything. On our way there we saw 2 floats driving down the road. Hayden was so excited to see them because they had all sorts of animals on them (more on that later).

At the doctor after an examination, a wheel chair ride and an x-ray it was determined that Hayden didn't break his foot. Phew! He tore something in his foot. That wasn't good enough for me. I wanted them to fix the, "Hayden not walking" problem. What on earth was this hyper, always on the go little boy going to do for the next few days while this heals? Poor kid kept forgetting he was injured. Every time he would stand up to walk...down he'd go in tears. :(

The next day he was still in a ton of pain, and not walking. He just crawled everywhere. I knew we had to get out of the house and do something. By coincidence the girls in our neighborhood planned for us to go to the Days of 47 float preview for our weekly activity. The kids loved every minute of it, and so did I! It was amazing to see the detail and all the work that went into making these floats. Hayden even recognized the 2 floats we saw driving down the road, and was so excited!!!

This really is a BYU float, but Audrey thought it would
be funny to have Sydney and Hailey pose next to the U.

Hailey loved this penguin float

Hayden had a hard time sitting in the stroller. He got out a
few times, and limped around as much as he could.

Hayden checking out one of the floats
that we saw on the way to the doctor.

Katie enjoying her first sucker!
These two girls have been glued at the hip!

Checking out the flowers

Happy Easter!!!

2011-04-24T18:58:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful Easter this year! Of course, every Easter is wonderful, but this one was especially fun. It was Hayden's first Easter he really grasped the concept. The look on his face was hilarious when we told him that the Easter Bunny would be coming to fill up his basket. You always wonder what really goes through their mind.

Saturday morning, getting ready to head down to the park for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt chaos.

Waiting for the festivities to begin...

And...They're Off!!!

Easter Egg Hunt Success!!! There was a great turnout, and there were 36 dozen eggs to be found. The kids had a blast. I seriously love our neighborhood!!!

SUNDAY, EASTER MORNING...

I was up at 6am getting ready for the day, but I was really tempted to go wake the kids up. After much patients Hayden finally came waddling into our room about 7am. We headed in to wake Hailey up, but she must have heard mention of the Easter Bunny because she was already headed down the ladder of her bunk bed.

Getting Ready for Church, and showing off the treats

Hailey found her Easter basket in the pantry, and Hayden found his in the bathtub. The Easter Bunny had hidden eggs in the family room, so they enjoyed a little egg hunt before they dug into their baskets.

Smiley boy finishing up breakfast

Grandpa Green joined us for a wonderful Easter breakfast. He knows that I deprive my kids of sugar-filled cereal, so he surprised them with mini boxes of kid's cereal. I think that was the highlight of what they got for Easter.

Katie's highlight of the day was playing in all the Easter grass

We had a wonderful time at Church, had fun cooking dinner with the kids, and finished off the night with a movie sprawled out on the family room floor. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Little sleepy head

Over the last few weeks I've really taken the time to share with Hailey the true reason why we celebrate Easter. I want her to know how much I love our Savior, and how grateful I am that because of his sacrifice for us we can be whole again.

I love this day and all that it represents! Happy Easter everyone!

Our Last Trip To The Condo :(

2010-08-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Since Katleyn's baby blessing chaos is over, and Ryan has been working like crazy we decided it was time to take a little family vacation. We knew we wanted to go camping, but since we don't have a trailer, and we have 3 kids 3 years-old and under we thought it would probably be a good idea that we just go to Ryan's parent's condo in Beaver.

The condo is actually up the canyon at a ski resort called Elk Meadows. The first time Ryan took me up there we were still dating. How is this picture for an awesome blast from the past...Yes...Both of our eyes were closed for this picture. I remember it was so bright! That was my first and last time snowboarding. I can't believe that was almost 9 years ago. Little did I know I would be bringing my 3 little bears up to that very place. :) This was unfortunately the last year the ski resort was up and running. It went into bankruptcy.

Ryan's parents have been trying to sell the condo for the last couple years now. They were finally able to put it under contract. Lucky for us it doesn't close until the end of this month, so we were able to go up one last time.

We invited our new friends and neighbors Brandon and Ali Olsen. They have 2 cute kids. Valerie is almost 3, and Graham is about 5 months.

Wednesday (Day 1)

Left at 3pm. What should have been a 3 hourish drive ended up being 5. We had to make quite a few stops between Hayden and Katelyn crying for what seemed like the entire time. Got to the condo, and went to bed.

Thursday (Day 2)

The highlight of our day was our little fishing trip to Puffer Lake. Hailey was SOOOOOO excited to catch a fish.

Hailey sat patiently waiting, but nothing. Luckily, Ryan got a bite and had the kids help him reel it in. When Hayden saw the fish he was terrified!!! He cried and hid between Ryan's legs. It was hilarious!

Hailey was really sad that we had to throw the fish back since it was just too small to keep.

Thursday night at about 10pm the Olsen's arrived. Hailey tried and tried to stay awake for her friend Valerie, but crashed on the couch.

Friday (Day 3)

Took the Olsen's fishing at Kent's Lake since we didn't have much luck at Puffer Lake. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but had a blast. Well, Brandon did anyway. He caught one fish after another with Valerie's princes pole. Hailey was really sad that she didn't catch anything, but we promised her there would be more opportunities.

When we got back we noticed the fire hydrant by the lodge was turned on and spraying water everywhere. There had been men there working on the lodge so we didn't think too much of it. Well, long story short they were testing the water pressure on the fire hydrant and broke the water main by doing so. We were without water the rest of the day. Ryan and Brandon drove a half hour down the canyon to get water bottles. We made due with what we had. We still had a fun night, and even stayed up a little later to play a game with Brandon and Ali.

Saturday (Day 4)

We were without water the entire day, but were grateful to have the water bottles. Saturday was more of just a lazy day. We ended up going back to Puffer Lake after nap time. Hailey really wanted to catch just one more fish. Luckily she did (off Ryan's pole anyway). She was so excited to bring it back to the condo with her. On our way back Ryan said that he hoped the water was back on. Trying to look on the bright side, I told Ryan I was just grateful we had power. When we got back to the Condo we discovered that we still didn't have water, and you guessed it, no power now too. We had some great neighbors that let us prepare our dinner on their barbecue. We fed the kids, and put them to bed. Soon after the water, and then the power both turned back on. Yay! We were so grateful. We stayed up and played games our last night.

Sunday (Day 5)

Ahhhhh... We were all able to take nice warm showers, and give the kids a bath, which they very much enjoyed.

We cleaned up the condo for our last time. Said goodbye, and headed home. Did I mention that Hayden and Katelyn both screamed the last 40 minutes of the ride? That was fun.

Considering the circumstances we really had a fun and memorable time for our last trip to the condo. I'm really going to miss that place. We've made many fun memories there.

Aquarium Adventures

2010-08-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

After a long week of remodeling, cleaning and blessing Katie, I decided this week would be focused on my poor neglected children. I told Hailey we could do whatever she wanted. Her first choice would have been Disney Land, but since that's not a possibility we went to her favorite place. The Living Planet Aquarium.

This was the first time I was able to let Hayden roam free. Normally he's strapped into his stroller, but this time he actually stayed with his sister instead of wondering off. They had a blast!