This is how we Roll!
Utah Trip 2009
The Tuesday before we left Caleb had a "Family Fun Night" at his school. Pizza and Bingo Provided! It was lots of fun.

It was fun to see Caleb with all of his friends and it was nice to get out and not have to clean up or pay for dinner!!!

The kids really liked playing Bingo!
*also note that Ainsley is smiling...she does do that on occasion!

After "Family Fun Night" the count down to Utah began! Wednesday was a busy day...full of cleaning, laundry, packing, organizing, list making, dropping/picking the kids up from school, and play group. With everything going on there is bound to be a problem right?!! My washer broke on the last load. LAST LOAD!!! I didn't realize it because I had gone to pick up the kids. Everyone showed up for play group and I went downstairs to turn on the air hockey table only to feel wet carpet!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! My washer had broken, leaking water down into the basement, out of a light from the ceiling, and onto the carpet. Why! I ran upstairs to look in the laundry room and the floor was thick with water! Uhgg! By the time play group was over, the laundry room cleaned up, the basement examined, and everything ready to go I was pretty much tired!By 6 am Wednesday morning we were on the road! The kids were still a bit sleep (Except Caleb). The van was loaded down and I could mentally breath the Mountain air!!!By 6:30am Ainsley and Caleb threw up! Nice. By the time we got to Ogallolla we thought we only had 5 hours left...come to find out we had 10 hours. And I realized that I forgot to pack "Pop 5" (only the best game know to man kind!!!)! The kids asked every 10 minutes...are we there yet?, we almost ran out of gas between Cheyenne and Laramie, and hit major snow from Rawlings to Park City. The kids were good until we got to Rocksprings and then crying began. At 7:50 pm I saw a Taco Time but Andy wouldn't stop...he said "We'll go to one later!"
(so sad because we never did stop at the best fast food place ever!!!) By 11:30pm we reached Taylorsville where we were greeted by Liz, a quiet basement, and hot showers. It was glorious! Thank you so much Hill Family!There was a double bed, a twin bed, and 3 sleeping bags...why did Ainsley, Elmo, and Aubrey all have to sleep with me in the single bed??
Friday morning we woke up excited! We were in Utah! What is Utah?
For Caleb I think Utah is more of a state of mind! He thought the Hill's fish was Utah, the Hill's house was Utah, Snow was Utah...a bit confused!
Friday morning our Van wouldn't start:( The battery had died. After a very late start we heading into SLC so Andy could go look at Garden Terrace (an Alzheimers and Dementia facility). Then we went to Chick-fil-a in Sandy. Awesome! The Chipmans, Nate, Ella with her kids, and Liz with her kids met us there. It was so fun to see the Chipmans and laugh about old times.After lunch we met my parents/sister and Grandpa and Grandma Grayson at the movies. My grandparents had never met Andy or the kids and it was so fun for them to finally meet!!! We went and saw A Christmas Carol in 3D. 3D is pretty Awesome! A Christmas Carol was stupid though! Sorry guys....I would much rather watch the Mickey Mouse one. The kids seems to like the 3D and Tate loved the movie!!! It gave Aubrey nightmares though.After the movie we headed to Chucky Cheese to meet up with my brothers/their wives, Aunt "Bon Bon", and Mike. I would like to add that Tate and Spencer DO look alike (Spencer...you are pretty much the only one who doesn't think so:)Aubrey and "Grandpa Clark" were buddies all weekend and as for Steffaney.....
With Calebs black eye still prominent on his left side Steffaney taught him the correct reply when people ask "What Happened to your eye Caleb?"
He us suppose to reply... "You should have seen the other guy!" Sydney was nice enough to play games with Aubrey/Ainsley and Seth played with Caleb. I think Seth really got into it because Caleb had a hand full of tickets!! After all the hugs, kisses, and different Aunts/Grandparents holding Tate he was tired!Saturday morning we got to go to the Jordan River Temple. It was neat to be there with all of my grandparents and see Steff go through for the first time!!! After the temple we had lunch with everyone and then headed to Syds. After hanging out at Syd's we headed to Uncle Gregs. The kids got to play with their cousin Berkeley (10 months old)! Karalee (Seth's cute pregnant wife) was really good with Tate!My parents took Aubrey/Caleb to run errands... I think chocolate was involved but I have no proof! Saturday night my parents watched Tate, we got a babysitter for Aubrey and Caleb, and headed out for a night on the town!! (We took Ainsley with us because she had had a rough day...she actually did really good) We met up with Shaun, Liz, Mike, Gerrilee, and Nate. It was lots of fun to be able to hang out...The Spaghetti Factory was as yummy as I remember!Sunday Morning we met at Oquirrh Mountain Temple to take family pictures!! I thought they turned out great considering it was freezing cold, Ainsley/Tate were sick the night before, and Caleb was hyper!This is our little family picture. Yah...it went that well!!! 3 Deltons! Great Grandpa Delton Clark, Grandpa Delton Clark, and Tate Delton Clark!!
It was really great to be able to have Tate's blessing in Utah at Steffaneys farewell. Thanks to Grandpa Clark, Grandpa Hyde, Grandpa Grayson, Grandpa Ras, Dad, Nate, Seth, my cousin Chase, and Shaun for being part of the blessing. We wish Andy's parents could have been there! After Steff's farewell (it was awesome to hear my dad and Steffaney speak!!! She is going to be an awesome missionary!!) we headed to Syds for a luncheon! The soups were delicious and it was awesome to be able to have cake in a bowl covered with milk!!! Gotta love Clark traditions! It was great to see my cousin Anna again and spend a little time with my cousin Chad and Clark.

Our trip home only took 15 hours!!! Sweet! We wanted to leave Sunday after church but because Ainsley/Tate were a little sick we waiting until early Monday morning. It was a nice ride home! We were a full load with the kids and the millions of things that were sent home with us.

Once we got home things started getting back to normal. Kind of...Caleb got a mini hair cut before he went back to school Wednesday! Speaking of back to school...
Caleb is like a mini tape recorder. His first day back to school I got everyone in the van. It was the first time they had ridden in the van since the big trip. All the way to school (out of no where) Caleb would repeat phrases that Andy and I had said while traveling like:
I know where we are Mom...Were in the middle of stinkin' no where!
What the heck!! Gas is $2.79!
We'll get there when we get there!
His memory is very good. I had no idea he was so observant! How much did he end up telling Miss Susan...hum...I guess we will find out at the next parent teacher conference!!!
Tate, Yummy Banana's!! Actually he hated them. I had to trick him into opening his mouth but once the food was inside he managed to eat it. Not happily:(

He ate half of a jar and then 30 minutes later spit it all up. In all honesty the banana baby food is one of the better smelling of all baby foods. I guess he would rather eat pumpkin pie!!

Too Pooped to Poop!

I went to put Tate's pants on him and they were not fitting. He was extremely easy going and content while I tried every which way to squeeze on his jeans.In the end Tate thought it was pretty funny that he is too chubbo to fit into his pants! From one turkey to the next...

Ainsley is finally over Pneumonia. Happy and smiling and wonderful!!! She lost a little bit of weight and is now back down to 20 pounds. 20 pounds is how much the turkey I was preparing weighed!! I got it on sale (the turkey not Ainsley:) for $8 at Walmart and plan to make turkey chili, soups, and hummy dinners with it for the next week or so!! Yum Yum!!
*note that behind Ainsley you can tell that the kitchen still needs caulked BUT I personally took care of the electric...maybe caulking will come soon. Maybe.

**I am not sure what I expected to gain from our Utah trip. I could say I learned that We will never drive in the van with our kids again OR I learned that the streets in Utah are confusing...come on!! Just follow the mountains??? There are mountains on all 4 sides of us!!! But I think what I brought back from this trip was how much I really miss my family. My brothers, sisters, cousins, sister-in-laws, aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents. Being around them all again felt like HOME. With everything that has changed, the distance, and years we have been apart when we come together we're all just family and that never changes. Even if we are all just a bunch of nuts in a yummy piece of fudge!!!!

Last weeks...Boo HA HA!!!Last Tuesday Caleb got to dress up for his school Halloween party. He was very exciting to watch. I wanted him to be Batman so Tate could be Robin but no go! He had to be a skeleton! It took forever to squeeze his costume on! It said "age 4". Ya right..it should have said "for a very very skinny, no bummed, short, age 4!"

All ready to go! I am not sure what Miss Susan expected but pure laughter exploded from her proper face when she opened the van door!! The last 30 minutes of class was a party for family to come and observe/celebrate. Ainsley dressed up as Elmo (I wanted her to be Dorthy...we already had the costume but no go). She cried and cried and wanted Elmo to dress up as Tinkerbell. So here we go...a Tinkerbell Elmo holding a naked Bleeker!
**It was very interesting to see Caleb in his school environment. I expected him to be hyper with wondering eyes but it was just the opposite. He thrives in a learning environment!!! He follows directions, listens quietly, and beams when he answers a questions correctly!! He also manages the correct amount of joke telling while still following directions. He is awesome!

Tate! He was a mini skeleton underneath his bear sleeper! Aubrey all dressed up as snow white. No this isn't last years picture....Andy let her be Snow White again this year! He even caved and let her get a new Snow White dress. Daddy's girl...to say the least! She got to wear her costume to school last Wednesday where she was in a kindergarten Halloween play (her part was "OH MY!!! ITS GETTING LATE")and in a little parade! That night she went to her first Birthday Party!
Between school parties, plays, parades, a birthday party, no school, parent teacher conference, a play group, trunk or treat, and trick or treating...it was a crazy crazy week! I am so grateful that Marlene came up on Friday. It was nice to have the company and its amazing how much smoother my day goes when "Grandma" is around!We started trick or treating at 6 and were done by 7:30...Ainsley could have gone all night. "More nanny (candy). More nanny!" It was heaven for the kids!! Things that were very cool...a lot of our neighbors handed out scary plastic bugs, rings, and old maid/crazy eight/go fish cards!
We let the kids watch Labyrinth for Halloween! Not the best idea. They loved it but goblins, a goblin king, and weird 80's music might not have been age appropriate. Also, there were a couple of choice words and David Bowies pants were WAY WAY too tight!!! They spent the next 2 nights having bad dreams that goblins were in their dresser and the goblin king was going to get them! On a silly note they have been pretending to be "Sara" "Hoggle","Ludo",and "The Goblin King!" In the picture above: Ainsley on top of the counter with an entire brand new box of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cereal dumped everywhere! (pretty much the best cereal ever made)
Not in the above picture: A very upset mom! I had just cleaned the kitchen floors the night before.
I have decided that the age of 2 is probably the worst. I was thrilled that Caleb (at age 4) grew out of the "terrible two" stage. With Ainsley being so quiet and wonderful I thought it would be rather peaceful. I was very very wrong! Caleb has passed on all of his "terrible two skills" to Ainsley along with Aiding and Abetting. She climbed on the counter tops, breaks child locks, is constantly throwing things, and always getting hurt. Add that to plugging Tate's nose, breaking Aubrey's table, and always crying....ahg!!! She has found a way to get undressed even with a onesie on. Because she cannot undo the tight buttons she squeezes out of the top! She is always spilling something, always wanting something, and has been having bad dreams at night. On a happy note she is talking a lot more!!! 2 words at a time!!! Very cool!!

"It's my turn to hold Tate!"
"But Tater love's for me to squeeze his cheeks!"
"She isn't sharing Tater Tot!"
"But I am Tate's older brother!"
"Tate smiled at me!"
"Tate always laughs with me!"

The problem...carrying Tate. NOT OKAY. Swinging Tate around in circles...NOT OKAY. Carrying Tate up the stairs....NOT OKAY!! Why cant the kids just love Tate from a distance?!

Tate always laughs when we sing "If your happy and you know it" and "Do as I am doing."
Not just once or twice but EVERY time. He always smiles when I ask him to, he always smiles when I change him, and he always smiles when I pick him up. He loves me!
Lately my life seems to go around in circles.
I always do the laundry but it always needs done.
I clean Ainsley/Aubreys room 3 times a day and every time I clean it the toys always end up on the floor in the same spots.
I always make Calebs bed but it never stays made.
I do the dishes every morning but the sink is always full.
I constantly change Tate/Ainsley diapers but I still smell poop.
I do go to the store but we are always running low on milk.
I vacuum the family room but it never seems clean.
Why??
News: I bought a new shirt 2 weeks ago while Andy was out of town. I was feeling kind of guilty about it because I never do that and I know with our Utah trip/Christmas coming up extra money should be set aside or be used to buy Andy a new suite. I hadn't bought a new "hip" shirt since...well it has been a long time. I tried it on and Caleb/Aubrey came in the room "I love that shirt mom. You are pretty. I really like you mom!" Clearly I was keeping the shirt! So, I am announcing that I bought a really pretty new purple shirt.
***Parent Teacher Conferences are over! Thank goodness. Calebs went wonderfully!! His report card was fun to read and Andy met with Miss Susan who thinks "Caleb is a joy to have in class!" Marlene was kind enough to come up and watch the kids while both Me/Andy went to Aubreys. Aubrey's teacher is wonderful and has been with the school for 30 years, we really like the principal, and the new speech therapist is really good. We are NOT a big fan of the reading therapist and I was surprise at how defensive/protective we both were. Overall we were really proud with how much Aubrey has progressed since the beginning of the school year. She plays well with others and loves to go to school!!!
To Aubrey: We love you through and through. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow too!

***Caleb's Playdate was very interesting this past week. Caleb's friend Alec came over. Caleb is usually surrounded by girls and girl things so I was excited to have another little boy over to play with Caleb and extra excited to meet a new mom. I had met Alec's dad the day before but never his mom. I had no idea that Alec spoke Russian along with his mom until they showed up! They just moved here from Ukraine! It was so fun to see Alec and Caleb play together. Boy's will be boy's...loud, crazy, and hyper! It was really windy outside so they spent most of the morning down in the basement playing air hockey. It was lots of fun!! Who knows...with Caleb speaking English and now Spanish maybe he will end up speaking some Russian too!!!
***Aubrey had a dream that a boy kissed her. I wasn't sure what to say but before I could come up with an appropriate reaction she said "I told dad that a boy kissed me. Dad said that's gross!"
*** My coversation last Saturday with Caleb:
Caleb can you go clean your room?
"But mom. I am only 4!"
Oh! You are only 4?! I guess you cant go trick or treating if you are ONLY 4.
"But mom. I am big. I am 4!"
You are big? You are 4??
"Yes mom! I am big! I am 4! I love you!"
Oh, well. If you are big and you are 4 AND you love me....you should go and clean your room so you can go trick or treating!!

**Ainsleys new favorite word is: Why?
She insists on having an answer. Not just any answer....the right answer. By "right" answer I mean, the answer that Ainsley wants.

**On an embarrassing note. I find myself singing Sid the Science guy songs to the kids all day. When the kids get mad at me I sing:
I love my mom...My mom is cool. But now its time for having fun in school.
When I pick the kids up from school I sing:
I learned something cool. Something cool today.
When it is time for me to do homework with Aubrey I sing:
It's rug time. It's rug time grab a seat...its rug time!
When the kids need a good laugh I sing:
I'm looking for a friend. I'm looking for you. Hey, there's Caleb lets see what he can do... (then he dances and wiggles and laughs...and we continue on through each child)
I don't even think I have seen an entire episode before but my morning cleanings depend on the kids watching Sid the Science Guy and Sesame Street.
Question: Sesame Street has been on tv since FOREVER. Why do they show the same 4 episodes over and over again. I swear I know every word to the "No one is sharing today in Sesame Street" episode!!!

To end the crazy week...I was hoping for a week where (with the kids back in school and Halloween done) life could get back to normal. Wrong! Day Light Saving Time. Seriously!!! Everyone morning this week the kids have woke up at 5:00am!!! 5:00!!! There really is no need to change time....I never really gain an hour of sleep in the fall. I mean, seriously?!! Seriously, Uhg!!




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