The Washington Hills

Christmas 2011

2012-01-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Craziest Christmas ever! Won't give details here, just want to document a few pictures for family. Christmas morning at home, then drove down to Salt Lake for Hill family fun, then to Logan for our sweet Grandma Floy's funeral, then back to Salt Lake, then home. We needed a vacation from our vacation.

Christmas morning, 7:00 a.m. SO EXCITED!

Beth FINALLY got her robe! (Like the decorated-halfway-up tree?)

How Oliver spent Christmas - reorganizing our spice cupboard. Little boy heaven!

Grandma & Grandpa Hill's house - LOVE IT. (I think we're watching a cool documentary on a sea turtle? Maybe?)

Still a little boy, despite his pant size, wink.

Games at the Hill House! This is the best!

Putting on makeup with the girl cousins. Beth lives the year for this!

Dance Party at the cousin's house! Shake it.

COOLEST TRACK EVER. I need to find this for Oliver's birthday so that Connor can play with it, wink.

Salt Lake at Baby Jacob's grave, explaining to kiddos what each part of the gravestone means. Too personal for blog, but very very cool.

Beth & Aunt Hannah picked out the flowers. Gorgeous.

Temple Square with Hill cousins!

Our family picture for the trip, and so us! Dave & me - keeping it together; Connor - being a good sport after killing himself in the rosebush; Beth - working it; Tyler - the wilder the better; Oliver - "It's going to get better, Mom, right?!?!?"

Our temple, big big smile.

Logan - Special moment for me, watching my daughter walk up the same beloved hill behind Grandma's house that I grew up walking/running/rolling down/pretending/wrestling. Sigh, perfect moment.

Grandma's living room - how I'll always picture it. Those couches are so soft.

One of Grandma's dressers with pictures of Grandma Floy & Grandpa Walter. Love it.

So them.

Gorgeous, gorgeous day. The Bishop joked that Grandma had already become the angel in charge of weather - 55 degrees on December 30 in Logan, my word! I think it just reflected how happy she was.

Stu & Grandpa. (Did I mention the gorgeous flowers? Gorgeous!)

Oliver - Why am I wearing a hat when others aren't even wearing coats?

That's better!

The famous Christmas cactus! My original one was trimmed off of this one Grandma got for her anniversary 50? 60? years ago (Gotta get the true story on that, anyone know?!), and now there are four of them in my home. This one bloom was gorgeous on Grandma's day.

Scrubbing feet in the bathroom in Logan!

My sweet cousin-in-law helping and being a good sport. Thank you! It was appropriate, Grandma had the softest skin of anyone we know - Why not soften ours in her bathroom? Perfect.

These boys would rather play chess than do their feet.

Back at Hill House for New Years. Oliver is working it with Aunt Andrea and not going to bed.

I don't know what story I'm telling here, but it is mesmerizing!

Thanks for all the family we got to see! It was crazy, wonderful!

Gingerbread House 2011

2011-12-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

Huge THANK YOU to Aunt Janee & Uncle Jim for the wonderful surprise in the mail! My kids could not have been more thrilled to make a real Gingerbread House! We might have to make the "store bought housing kit" a tradition. It was a much better experience than previous homemade versions we've tried...

OliverBoy thought the box itself was a fabulous toy. Fine with me, because he would have caused chaos at the table.

Connor was in charge of the sides. Awesomely, he even put on candy window flowerboxes.

Um, yes, a fair amount of sampling took place.

GollumTyler thought he could reach more candy if he actually sat on the table. Dave took the picture, then got after him, wink.

OliverBoy figured out that there was candy he couldn't reach on the table by this point. This is his "I am not amused." look.

Beth handled the front and back of the house. Love everything she did, putting a lot of thought/creativity in. Super great.

Final product! Kids are already asking when they can snitch candy off it...I told them after I took a picture, wink. So, by the time you read this, the Gingerbread House will be unrecognizable!

Merry Christmas! (Hey, Janee, can you see the gorgeous nativity you made me in the background? It is so lovely. Love it and you!)

Wonderfully Busy Saturday

2011-12-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

We had a crazy busy Saturday with church errands, Columbia River Temple sessions, dance recital rehearsals followed by the actual recital later that afternoon, and finally a piano recital. Whew, glad it's done, but it was a wonderful day!

Beth before her dance recital....

She looks beautiful. Any chance to wear makeup is always much anticipated. Don't you love the Christmas tree decorated to Oliver's reach level? Gotta love a one year old in the house!

Beth's recital...

After Beth and Dad got home, we got ready immediately for Beth & Tyler's piano recital. It was Tyler's first one ever! He was so excited that he was just about driving us crazy, manic with excitement. But the boy did not disappoint. We thought he did phenomenal.

Our two performers before we left for the recital...

Tyler's FIRST EVER piano recital!...

And Beth, as well, did a stellar job. She changed a few notes at the end because "that's the way the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings it." I agree with her musical interpretation.

Our kids with Miss Connie - Connie, we just love you! Thank you for all the love & care you bring to our family!

Much deserved snack time after the playing - Tyler looks so content with himself. I just love this picture.

Oh, yes, Oliver survived the crazy day! Bless his heart. If you can see his eyes, he's nonverbally asking, "Are we done? Going home now, right?!"

Connor and Beth's School Concert

2011-12-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Connor and Beth did a great job in their concert. Beth got to do a dance with a group of kids during one song, and Connor had two speaking parts and did very well!

Before the Concert

Beth getting ready

Connor poised

Oliver is obviously excited as well. He spent most of the time in the halls.

Tyler being charming as usual

Connor with Mrs. Atterberry

Beth with Mrs. Goberville

Christmas Decor

2011-11-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

Totally silly, but I just wanted to document how cute the Christmas decor turned out on the house this year. Next year I'll be able to get the big thick ribbons, but until then, these work just fine! Here is the front of the house...

...and the back.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

So nice being in Walla Walla for Thanksgiving! It's been too long since we'd been with family...like, at least a month, wink. And, we've never had rotisserie turkey before. It was heavenly!

Kent was a great sport letting Dave document the entire process. And Alyssa was a great sport letting us photograph her laundry room.

Kids got tons of play time in, including a much anticipated Super Mario Galaxy 2 Wii session.

Waiting for the turkey to spin its way to perfection, we took our two families on a walk through Alyssa & Kent's neighborhood. I love where they live, and the weather was perfect. Oliver tried to take the bike out, but he was soon disappointed and landed himself in the stroller.

Saw the horses on the way home. Not sure what Connor is doing with the plastic gun, but the horse is smart not to make eye contact.

How cute are these cousins?!

Um, Touchet the Dog got thirsty...

I cannot even tell you how good the house smelled when we got home with this bird! Delicious!

Again, Kent being a great sport about pictures...

Connor & Kade, both waiting to dive their hands into those olives.

Luke & Beth, so excited! We get to eat!

Tyler, being Tyler, smile.

The group minus the cameraman. Loved Alyssa's new big table, fit all of us so well. What a great set up! Thanks for having us, Ly!

And there's the cameraman!

Isaac was so happy to get to the food! Cute.

Later that evening, tired bodies got to watch a movie.

Starting a puzzle...love how easily these cousins play together. (See OliverBoy trying to steal a puzzle piece from Ty? Good thing you can't hear screaming on pictures.)

The game Trouble was a HUGE hit. Connor got everyone playing it at some point in the trip. He loved that game!...Maybe I should have checked for it during Black Friday shopping, but alas.

Ty & Isaac just about have that puzzle done!

The three Walla Walla boys loved Oliver - especially sweet Luke. And OliverBoy loved every minute of it. He would waddle into the room, looking for Luker, ready to tackle him so they could wrestle around for a while. Love these boys!

More snow fun!

2011-11-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

We had another snow storm and the kids had a blast playing. This was Oliver's first time in the snow.

Role Reversal

2011-11-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

The past few years, I've felt my mind slipping - instances of talking to myself, losing my train of thought, becoming frustrated when I can't find the car keys - and so we're trying to get ahead of this derailing train before it's lost for good. Oliver has volunteered to be my long-term caregiver since Dave's knees are going to hold him back. Tonight, we focused on Feeding Mama.

Obviously, tomorrow night we're going to focus on Feeding Mama Gently.

Snow with Kids

2011-11-16T16:37:00.001-08:00

Beth & Ty were the only kids brave enough to entire the Great White.

They have a big smile now, although they weren't thrilled that I wouldn't let them go straight down the hill, probably to die somewhere beyond the steep drop of the driveway. I tell ya, Moms just hold kids back sometimes.

Ya, Jack the Cat wanted nothing to do with the snow.

On your mark, get set...Go!

Even the shorter version of the intense hill was very fun!

My outdoor girl - Don't let her fool you. She's far away from the house thinking that I can't see her eating the snow.

Early Childhood Education

2011-11-16T15:50:00.001-08:00

We're training OliverBoy young to keep the house clean. Being pretty hardcore about it, he's not even allowed to get out of his pajamas until all the inside house trim is smug-free white. We're moving to toilets next.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

2011-11-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Tyler was just hanging out one day, watching TV upside-down, when low and behold...

He had a birthday!

Happy Birthday, Tyler! 5 Years old!!!

Our First Snow of the New House

2011-11-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you know it? Dave is missing our first snow (and first attempt up/down the driveway), being gone on a business trip for the week. We had better document for him...

Gorgeous view from my favorite chair on the back porch. Sigh, it is just so calm!

Hmmmm, I know I have chickens somewhere. The footprints lead...

...under the porch. Can't say that I blame them.

This is the first snow of six of our seven, too. I am getting the vibe that they aren't too happy. Their clucking is pretty grumpy today, poor girls.

It's even a cute house in the snow. Why no pictures of kids yet, you ask? Because they're up in naptime. If any photo ops present themselves, I'll be sure to let you know.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-16T15:25:00.001-08:00

One of the things I love about my kids is they take great enjoyment out of creating a homemade Halloween costume. Best part? They usually don't want Mom's help - fine with me! Here they are right before the ward party...

Connor's been begging to be a vampire for years. Not the sparkling variety, but the truly dead, blood dripping down the mouth kind. He found this cape at Goodwill for $2.00, and the rest was in his closet, love it! I think he looks great.

We found this hat for Beth at Goodwill, too. She put the rest together. Never a green witch for her, she enjoys the excuse to put on makeup WAY too much! I think she's the prettiest witch I've ever seen. Grandma Hill will be proud!

Tyler wanted to be Superman with normal clothes - Again, fine with me! (That's red Superman symbol on his cheek. We talked him into it. Oh, AND his hair is greased over. That was important to him.)

Oliver is a BYU fan. There is something so comforting in seeing my kids with a big Y on their face...makes me feel all warm inside...

Pumpkins! We also let them draw whatever face they want, and then we try are darnedest to pull it off! Dave did the magic this year.

How we spent two Sundays...

2011-09-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

So how do you kill time for seven hours on a Sunday while your home is being toured? Hmmm...well, for us, we go to the mountains!

Last Sunday was warm & sunny for throwing rocks at the river...

And today was cold & raining for our umbrella walk at Chinook Pass with the wild flowers! (Dad Scott, thank you SO MUCH for giving us huge umbrellas each time your company has them! Um, could we have three more?!)

To paraphrase Pride & Prejudice - What is a Sunday nap to rocks and mountains? We need to come here more often. And we're SO HAPPY that the Tour of Homes is done!

So, what did you to on your Sabbath?

First Day of School 2011

2011-09-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

In a hurry - Title of post is self-explanatory!

Pictures by Annie

2011-08-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous family reunion at the beginning of the month in Utah with the Hill side of things. Did I take pictures? Um, not really. Hoping to catch smarter people and their pictures on their blogs? Maybe?

Lucky us, we FINALLY got a recent family picture. The last one? We had two kids & Beth was Oliver's age. Oh, yeah. Thank you so much, Annie, for taking pictures of my family! Would love to get even more next time we see you, especially one of ConnorMan...

The Washington Hills

Beth - Great eyes, girl!

Ty - When did he grow up?!

OliverBoy - Love the blue eye/red hair contrast with green grass. Perfect!

The Paul Hill family - ALL of us in our glory!

Although this picture is probably more accurate!

We had so much fun being with everyone. THANK YOU!!!!

Blueberries in July

2011-07-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

We got a neat opportunity to pick MORE free blueberries yesterday. Grandma Hill was in town, Dave took the day off, and we worked! Love it. The berries were delicious!

Our little farmer LOVES them.

Can you see that view? Amazing. And I love that Grandma Hill took pictures, because I sure didn't. I like this one. It has an amazing view (as I stated already), and all four of the Hill Boys. Look hard, it's like a hidden pictures, wink.

We stopped by my new favorite place - Cowiche Creek Nursery. Aren't these flowers incredible?!

Bonus - They had kittens! My kids were suddenly not complaining about being there once the mewing started. Funny how that works.

Dave on our porch. Sigh, it really is just a great porch!

Thanks for coming, Grandma Hill! Um, next time I'll get a picture of you? Maybe?!

Moved In

2011-07-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are officially moved in. This is what the front door looks like, so you'll recognize it when you see it. Don't bother knocking, just walk right in. We're always hungry to see family/friends!

The builder's weren't sure when I told them how much of the front door I wanted painted red. I think it turned out awesome. We LOVE LOVE LOVE the house. The more we're in it, the more it's home. Don't know if anyone else would agree, but for our family, it's perfection.

We got to see family over the Fourth of July. Good friends even pointed out a great "small town feel" fireworks show. We're believers in smaller public functions with so many little ones to keep track of. It was so fun. Here are Beth & Amelia, goofy-lovely girls.

Dave got a game of Greed going with our group. (BTW, thanks Kellie for taking pictures. I am so bad at that!)

And when someone else takes pictures, it usually means that I might be in a few. Here is a rare picture of me and my OliverBoy. Yes, his head is almost as big as mine. He is AWESOME.

Last Saturday, my Dave took the three older kids fishing. They were so excited. Had a great time getting downpoured on, poor things. But I think they'd go again in a heartbeat.

OliverBoy & I went and picked a few cherries during that time, far enough away that we didn't get rained on at all. But it still had that lovely rain smell in the air, it rocked. Oliver was perfectly happy for two hours eating away my profits, good thing he's cute.

So, we're hanging in there. Just got to get the home phone number working again, and we're set!

Interior of Farmhouse

2011-06-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

The inside of the new house is done, so this is simply to document it. Just remember that the house is a big square. Bottom floor, in a big circle - front door opens to music room, into living room, into kitchen, into dining room, into master bedroom, into master bath. Top floor - stairs open up into family room at back of the house with two bedrooms & a bath in-between on each side, laundry room at the front of the house. Then on the main level, a mudroom hallway of sorts leads to the garage with a powder room off to the side.

Ready? We'll start in the master bathroom and work our way through as quickly as possible.

Master Bath Vanity

Master Bath Shower

Master Bath Soaking Tub & "toywet" (Tyler, wink)

Master Bedroom looking into Master Bath

Dining Room storage closets - LOVE IT.

Built in computer desk in-between Kitchen & Dining Room

Kitchen Island over looking Living Room to left, Dining Room to right (Master Bedroom door further to right, off picture). Front door can be seen beyond stairs.

Kitchen overlooking Dining Room - LOVE the view out the french doors, just can't see it here.

Kitchen overlooking Living Room

Kitchen - You can see the pantry & Mudroom Hallway leading to the Garage.

Mudroom Hallway leading to Garage with six open-faced lockers - one for each member of the family. This is possibly my favorite part of the house.

Close up of the lockers

Close up of the pantry

Powder Room at the end of Mudroom, just to the left of the garage door

Kitchen/Dining Room from the Living Room

Living Room/Pantry/Mudroom from the Front Door

Music Room, Front Door, Stairs

Halfway up stairs, looking down

Upstairs Family Room, heading down stairs

Family Room at back of house, Storage Closet on right, Connor's Bedroom on far left, the Bathroom Con & Beth share in the middle, hallway leading to Beth's Room, Linen Closet & Laundry Room

Family Room looking the other way, same Storage Closet, Stairs, little hallway with Tyler's Bedroom behind the wall on the right, Ty & Oliver's Bathroom straight ahead, Oliver's Bedroom down short hallway to the left

Each of the two Bathrooms upstairs look the same

Linen Closet at the end of west hallway, Beth's Room on left, Laundry Room on the right

Laundry Room, complete with window overlooking front of house, DEEP sink, towel rack, & washer/dryer pedestal Dave just finished for me (Washing & Dryer go on top, three laundry baskets go underneath. I'll let you know if it works to help kids sort their own laundry!)

Anyway, that's the inside of the house. It really is rather simple, nothing over the top, but we're thrilled! It's exactly what we need, charming, and we can deep clean it in under two hours - LOVE IT. The outside gets finished in the next few days, and we'll document that when it's done.

So...anyone coming to visit? You can have your own bathroom! Any takers?!

Happy Birthday, OliverBoy!

2011-06-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

It must show how busy life is when my sweet boy can have a birthday and I'm this behind to post it. Even with that said, this is gonna be quick!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy! You can smile...honestly, don't be shy...

Thank you, cousin Luke! Without you, he would have just kept staring at us.

Cake was a huge hit - Grandpa Scott's famous homemade chocolate cake with sprinkles on the chocolate frosting. I'll be the first to admit that my cakes might not look like something out of a magazine, but they taste INCREDIBLE. Oliver had no problem with it - shocker.

Our cute one year old killing time at the mall, munching on a dried mango. Yes, he really is this cute in real life. Wish you all could give him just one hug - you'd be addicted for life.

Forgot to post this WEEKS ago, too. We were lucky enough to have one of the Medford Hills stop by for 12 hours, and we made the most of it. We hope you know how much we love you for stopping!!!

Tyler & Dawson know what I'm talking about.

Laundry room

2011-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Dave! Our homemade front-loading washer/dryer pedestal. Picture three laundry baskets underneath and a completed room. Love it! (Thank you, ward friend, for helping me cut out the vinyl lettering! You're the best!) (And thank you, ana-white.com!)

Justification? Check.

2011-05-22T13:02:00.001-07:00

And THIS is why I'm excited about wicker chairs on the back porch. AWESOME.

Second Chances Furniture

2011-05-21T17:07:00.001-07:00

So, I'm thinking about starting a "store" of old furniture that I've created to look fantastic again and call it "Second Chances." We'll see. Maybe someday. In the meantime, my favorite babysitter/yard-sale-genius found a gem for me this morning for $8.00.

And afternoon of mending and two cans of spray paint later...

I have sister chairs! Cannot wait to find a few more (Dare I dream of finding a loveseat?!) for our back porch on a warm summer evening. Sigh, love it!

Go with the Flo

2011-05-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

This wonderful website I've been lucky enough to stumble across is having a great giveaway. If you're interested in learning to be more healthy/active from a stay-at-home mom/personal trainer/degrees in health & fitness...this is the place!

http://csperriton.blogspot.com/2011/05/30-followers-giveaway.html

Green Farmhouse

2011-05-07T08:43:00.003-07:00

The exterior paint has started! No white trim yet, but the weather vane is rockin' up there.

Spraying Old Furniture New

2011-05-05T22:24:00.001-07:00

(Should have taken a before picture!) My kids' "new" furniture for their new rooms in the new house. All of it received free, the only cost being a few $3.99 cans of spray paint & one days worth of work. LOVE IT. The armoire & bookcases used to be an entertainment center, but I'm splitting them up to go into three different bedrooms. (The pictures leave a bit to be desired, but whatcha gonna do in the middle of the night in your garage with an iphone?!)

Sigh, not bad for a day's work.

Beth's "new" bookcase, matching her current white dresser.

Oliver's "new" armoire, such a sweet baby color!

Connor's "new" bookcase - BYU blue, thank you!

Connor's "new" dresser, used to be a changing table to a family in our ward before they moved and wanted to get rid of it. AWESOME.

So grateful for free furniture and inexpensive, wonderful ways to get them looking nice again! Between Dave learning to build in wood & spray painting old furniture, I may never buy genuinely new stuff again! Sigh, feeling spoiled rotten.

My Boys

2011-03-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Dave took this little gem tonight with his cell phone...

Coming Along

2011-03-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just so darn excited - The wrap around porch has begun! It rained today, and a few times I dreamed about reading out on the porch snuggled in a blanket with the raindrops dripping off the roof...cannot wait!

Spokane - Enakops

2011-03-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

In case you're wondering, "Enakops" is Spokane spelled backward, because that's how these pictures are posted. We got to be with family a few weekends ago for Baby Louisa's blessing in Spokane, but these first pictures are AFTER that fact, and they are almost all from Grandma Scott's camera. Thank goodness we got pictures, because I am terrible at taking them...

The farmhouse is underway! It already looks different with the wrap around porch happening, but at least it's documented, right?!

Dave & I rarely pose for pictures together, so enjoy this one! Dave looks great. And how can you not love this sweet OliverBoy? This is technically his room that we're standing in. He'll appreciate it later...

Beth & Connor at the foot of the stairs. I think I can already hear their minds plotting to do something dangerous down them. Oh, yeah, I know my kids.

Tyler doing his favorite thing lately - YOGA. This is his modified butterfly stretch. Wish I had a picture of the reverse butterfly, he just nails that one!

Beth & Connor posing for Grandma Scott before school. Yes, those are matching jackets. Yes, I got them on sale. And yes, I love that they are the same. Gives me only one kind of jacket to remember to look for on the playground.

See? Surprise, we're in Spokane prior to those other pictures! I'm posting this one without permission, but it's just so cute!

Posterity take note - Dave & I posed for a picture! We just never seem to take the time. And, yes, OliverBoy's head is almost as big as mine. He is so awesome! (Dave, you look really nice in this pic, by the way. Handsome man!)

Ryan, I just love your family. So sweet! Love it, love it. And how cute is Little Claire with her skirt almost to the floor?! Baby Lu is a lucky girl.

Grandpa Scott with his boys, minus Bradley & Jacob. We didn't mean to dress them all alike, but it was perfect! Some good looking men...

And we also didn't mean to dress Grandma Scott and her girls alike, but look at us go! This picture is only missing Baby Emily. So great!!! (I actually took this one. I know, shocking.)

Connor got some quality time in with Rowan the Dog. She is actually very sweet (and patient!) with kiddos. Bless her!

Grandma Scott with Baby Lu (Is it alright if I call her that?) Sweet pic.

Ryan & Kellie, thank you so much for letting us come crash the party! It was so fun! My kids are already asking when we're coming back. Um...soon? Sure, that's an answer. Soon.

(Oh, and I forgot to post a pic of Brent & Hannah. Brent & Hannah were there too! It was great to see/be with them!)

Two for the Show

2011-03-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Rose & Daisy have no idea what's waiting for them in the garage. Meet Daisyboots & Iris! (I really tried to get Tyler to name his Lily, but he loves Daisyboots and will not be deterred!) Iris is another Rhode Island Red (We're hoping she will be more orange in color, to be a bit different from Rose's dark brown red color.), and Daisyboots is a Barred Plymouth Rock, growing up to have the black/white speckled feathers. So, between our Rhode Islands, Americana & Plymouth Rock, we're representing our fair country in name, if nothing else. Aren't they sweet? Sure love our chickens! Now, if we can just get our farmhouse built...

Random Kids

2011-03-02T20:48:00.001-08:00

Quick pictures of each of the kids for my storage purposes...

My Oliver - He is such a cute thumb sucker...and as we have discovered just last night, the blanket matters! This blue fuzzy one is the best!

My Oliver, again - Yes, he is just as sweet tempered as that smile would have you believe!

My Tyler - These are the best toys ever for him! We call them Magnetic Triangles, and they rock. Each week he discovers a new pattern to put them in. So glad he has them!

My Beth - She even faster on eight wheels than on two. Holy smoke.

My Connor - We went for artistic flare for our first Pinewood Derby rather than speed. This is our Underwater King car, with our Lego Stingray driving a seaweed decorated wave. It was a fun night...and I'm kinda glad it's just once a year...

Whirlwind Trip To Utah

2011-02-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

Just took a crazy fast trip down to Utah by way of Walla Walla & Boise to pick up sisters. (I took Tyler & Oliver with me, Dad stayed home with Connor & Beth.) Grandma Scott wasn't feeling well, so we got to see/talk to/serve her in little ways. Loved every second of it. I'll write details of that somewhere more private, but thought I'd share pictures. I understand this is a long post, so feel free to ignore it, if you want. But for my family journaling purposes, I must include all I can! My descriptions of photos will be brief, but family may feel free to copy/save whatever!

Wanted to document Grandma's bedroom. We got to stay here! How lucky is my little family? The bed was so comfortable, the room smelled just like Grandma, and the air was crazy cold! I think Grandma's habit of keeping the window open, even in the wintertime, has permanently affected the air temperature.

We got to see Moroni & Michelle's new place! Was I smart enough to take a big picture of their home? Nope, but I did get this picture of OliverBoy & Shelly. Please ignore that he is chewing on Clorox wipes...

Had to document and rub in to my husband that I got a "Julie Meal" at the Hill house. Oh. My. Word. It was delicious! Pork chops, red potatoes & split peas. After eating out way too much, it was divine. Julie - Recipe, please?!?!?

Our beautiful Lauren. LOVE IT. Where are the pictures of the other girl cousins? Um, yeah, I guess I was eating that above-mentioned dinner for too long.

Grandpa Paul & Julie. Do you guys have any idea how much we miss you when we're not visiting? Sure hope so.

Tyler could only talk about visiting Grandpa Paul's house the entire trip down when he wasn't with Grandpa Scott. He is definitely a Grandpa-kind-of-boy. Oliver approved. Thanks for having us for that crazy two hour visit!

For what it's worth, Andrea, I really like your bangs...said the tired mama who hasn't really done her hair for over a year now.

Before leaving Salt Lake area, I had to get Oliver over to meet his triplet cousins who are only three days younger than he is. Three days and about ten pounds each smaller...all's good. Sweet, sweet babies!

Upon driving back up to Logan, we were surprised to learn that my Papa & Grandma Alexander were visiting Aunt Sandy in Clinton! So, at 9:30 at night with tired, tired boys, we stopped in for a fun visit and a few quick pictures. LOVE IT!

Tyler, Papa, me & the OliverBoy. Please ignore my boys' lack of smiles and please understand that we were going on fumes at this point.

We hardly ever get to see Papa & Grandma, so it was such a treat! Definitely a tender mercy of the Lord on this trip!

Um, do you think Oliver looks a bit like my side of the family? Grandpa Scott and "Olvider." (And since Dad has lost so much weight, I'm thinking Oliver's head is officially wider.) Oliver definitely loves this Grandpa Guy. From only four days old, my dad would walk into the room, and Oliver would smile in recognition. Not super surprised that he loved to be held by my dad.

Oliver can't help but smile when he sees the camera. I don't know how he got programmed to do this, but I hope it lasts.

Our very patient boys! Tyler, Luke & Isaac were such troopers!

This is what happens when you ask too much of an 8 month old baby - pure exhaustion.

Me and a few cousins at Grandma's new digs. She was patient enough to pose for a picture, bless her. Even not feeling well, the softness of her face and fingers were soothing balm for our high emotions. We each couldn't stop holding her hands. (She really does have the most wonderful skin. I'm truly envious.)

Grandma & Oliver, again with a big smile! Love this picture.

What would we do without Hannah? Oliver's sleeping schedule was thrown out the window, but lucky for us, Hannah knew exactly how to snuggle that bug. Her back had to have been sore! That's 25 pounds of dead weight she is lugging around...

...Good thing she thought to sit down, smile. Dad, Hannah & Sleeping OliverBoy

Documenting the view from Grandma's balcony at night. That's the Logan Temple - gorgeous.

And during the day. Can't even tell you how many growing-up memories this brings to mind. Gorgeous, peaceful view. Can you smell the crisp, winter air with the mountain behind you? Gotta love Cache Valley.

Grandma, it is always so good being in your home! LOVE LOVE LOVE you!

Families Are Forever

2011-01-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

I have always been proud to be related to my Grandma Floy. I know part of the reason I want a hobby farm is because of her. She rode her horse to school each day, would rather be out with the cattle than in the kitchen, and always makes me feel like I'm the most important person in the room. I wish I was in Utah by her bedside today. Maybe tomorrow... (Grandpa is pretty great, too, wink.)

Dominant Genes

2011-01-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

I had some fun this morning chuckling about how much all our babies look alike. But, let's start with the parents, shall we?

This is Baby Dave on the lap of Grandpa Hill (flanked on either side by Short Jared and shockingly shorter Bryan). Isn't he cute?!

This is me, Krista...possibly the only time you will see me with lots of ruffles...
So, the parents! Apparently, as you will see below, Dave & I have only one "magical baby combination" in our merging gene pool. Except for Beth with simply more hair, all of our little ones could switch baby photos, and future genealogists will never be the wiser!

Let's go in backwards order (since Oliver is the most fresh in our minds):

Oliver Paul - darling!

Tyler William - Yes, this is a different baby. Check the eye color. Oliver = blue, Tyler = brown

Bethany Alexander - Oliver with more hair (If we're doing the eye test, they both have blue. And, coincidentally, each have a brown spot in just one eye. Again, this helps with my "limited baby combinations" point.)

Connor Scott - not Tyler, his head is SLIGHTLY longer.

What is the point of this post? They are mostly Hill. Does that imply that being a Hill makes you pushy and dominant? I'll let you know when the kids grow up. (Wink.)

Sleeping Beauty

2011-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

Now THIS is some efficient sleeping - dream & chiropractic therapy rolled into one!

Whoever wished for a White Christmas needs to GO AWAY!

2010-12-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Yakima has been "blessed" with more snow than we know what to do with. And the weather forecast for the next seven days? SNOW. Good, we were running low. But the kids are loving it!
Here's Connor reminding us again that it's not cold enough to zip up his jacket.

Only Beth...I asked her, and she said she's posing like this "just to be funny." Gotcha.

Not sure what Tyler is doing. Dave tells me he found a dip in the snow and wanted to lay down in it. Makes sense, right?

This is the first official time that Tyler has gone sledding.

This is a major wipeout right at Dad's feet.

After all three kids helped Daddy shovel the driveway AGAIN (Might as well keep the shovels handy. I mentioned the forecast, right?), they had some fun. Our family has grown to seven. Please meet our wayward brother who only shows up once a year for a photo-op. This is Frosty. He's grown out his hair this year. Must be the crowd he's running with.

And we're three days away - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Christmas Gift from the Sister Missionaries

2010-12-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

The sister missionaries stopped by to spend some time with our family. In their attempt to maneuver their car through the snow, they left us this little gift on the road. See? Without even meaning to, they left us their love, wink.

Beth's Christmas Dance Recital 2010

2010-12-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for every Christmas concert/recital/program that man, woman and child can dream up! Here is Beth's Christmas Dance Recital. It was wonderful, she loves what she does, and we're very happy that she has this outlet for her energies. You go, girl! (Beth is the second girl on the right in the front with the big smile on her face, wink.)

If we were to have a Christmas card...

2010-12-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

No Christmas cards this year. Simple reason - Simplifying life. But if we were...this would be the picture. (Tyler is winking and says "It's okay, Mama. I look very handsome!") So to all dear friends and family, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Funny Boy Tyler

2010-12-11T22:50:00.000-08:00

Tyler has been loving the novelty of being a big brother and having everything you do be cool. Or, in other words, Tyler can really crack Oliver up. We dare you not to smile.

Beth's Christmas Piano Recital 2010

2010-12-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Already our little family is running from one Christmas recital to another Christmas concert to another Christmas party - If this is what happens when our oldest is only 8, does it really get worse?

Each student of "Miss Connie" was asked to draw a Christmas picture (Oh, yes, that was the only direction given. Please bare that in mind when I tell you about Beth's marker creation.) and the winner would be given a prize. Well, you're looking at a prize winner! The drawing? A colorful interpretation of her mom and dad kissing under the mistletoe, with the above caption in 1st grader scratch "OK, it's time to kiss!" Um, I really have nothing else to add.

We will obviously be working on showing less PDA at home...or anywhere else for that matter.

Beth & Miss Connie, the best piano teacher in the world! (Thinking of getting Tyler started with her.)

Miss Connie and the group. Beth is in the back, the only girl in blue.

Our girl - ready to play.

And below is the masterpiece. We are happy to report that she played it straight during the recital. At home she experimented with playing with one hand while jingling a bell to the beat with the other, along with other various forms of creativity. Perhaps someday we'll turn our piano recitals into a Las Vegas-styled performance, but not this year. She did great!

Christmas on Temple Square & Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Relief Society dinner tonight - Christmas on Temple Square! It was great to see the room decorated with lighted trees, nativities and all the little things that make Temple Square wonderful this time of year. The night also included a program, with Connor & I taking part. We played in a trio with Hannah of our ward on the cello. Super fun. And, yes, I am out of tune at the end. But to defend myself, I had started crying and couldn't see my music, wink.

While Connor, Oliver & I were at the church, Dave took Beth & Tyler to the elementary school for the annual gingerbread houses. It was a full night of fun for the Hill family! Pictures of that coming soon...

Messy & Clean

2010-11-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

OliverBoy has officially become a solid food eater. Hey, who are we kidding? Anyone out there really thought he wouldn't take to it quickly? The boy was born to eat!

Rice Cereal with Applesauce - Yummo

Oh, yes. We're happy. Messy, but very happy.

This is just a shot to prove that the hair is beginning to grow in, slow but sure. We're not sure what color it will end up being. We see a bit of brown, a bit of orange, a bit of red, and a bit of gunky cereal - thus...

...bath time. We LOVE bath time, but definitely looking forward to when Oliver can sit up on his own so his bum isn't quite so slippery in the bubbles!

Oh, and this is our favorite thing to do in the tub - chew on our feet. I have to pry his legs down with all my strength just to make sure all the nooks and crannies get cleaned. As soon as the bubbles do their job, zip!, up goes the foot in the mouth again. It must feel good on the gums, that's all we can figure.

"Naptime" for Big Kids

2010-11-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

While Tyler & OliverBoy took their rest time, Connor & Beth got to go have some fun with Daddy...

Beth was so excited with how big the sled actually was - It could fit TWO people!

Here we go!

Rosy cheeks, big smiles & hair everywhere = BEST REST TIME EVER.

Daddy made it up to Tyler by helping create the coolest marble creation our family has seen in a long time. Tyler thinks it is wonderful and keeps saying, "It is mine!"

And OliverBoy was just jazzed to be part of the show when he woke up. See that smile - That was totally worth staying home for rest time. And, yes, his hair is starting to grow in. It's a bit slow, but it's there, wink.

First Orchestra experience

2010-11-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Connor had his first orchestra concert last night in Terrace Heights. It's a wonderful community orchestra with parent "teachers." We go each Wednesday morning at 6:45 and make it back to our side of Yakima just in time for school to start. I thought Connor might be bothered by the time, but he loves it. It's basically organized chaos, but our conductor is FABULOUS!

Connor is 2nd Seat in his group. (He actually just got moved up to the highest class, very proud of him. He better keep it up!) It's so fun to see him truly comfortable with that wooden thing on his shoulder. I'm happy for him.

Fun perk, I get to be one of the "teachers." Last night I learned that we're supposed to play with ALL the groups in the back to help support the learning. I had no idea. Most of the music was very easy (These kiddos above have only been playing for a little over a year.). Still, would've been good to know ahead of time! All's good.

The teachers all got to play a piece together. It was very fast! I just had to laugh about it, because I think I've been the longest without playing, and we got the music the day before, and I don't own my own viola. So...I practiced a complicated piece on the Alto clef for two hours at home transposing it onto my son's half-size violin...yeah...But, thankfully, the two instruments share three strings. It sounded pretty good! WHEW.

Beth's First Tooth!

2010-11-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

We've been waiting about two weeks for one dangling tooth to lose the will to live...

...and it finally happened! Beth did it herself. I think it was good for her confidence, because she's so lacking in that area.

True to our family tradition that we never meant to do - Beth got her Tooth Party at Red Robin. She was one happy camper. And Mom was thrilled to not have to cook that night.

Tyler was feeling a bit sleepy by the end of the party. We were just a tad later than bedtime.

And Connor just got goofier the later it got. Good to know. Helps us predict behavior for teenage ConMan.

Tyler, the Four Year Old

2010-11-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it. Our little one is 4. And on one of the craziest days of the year. He was a trooper about it. Woke up groggy-eyed and beamed that the house was decorated for him.

Tyler spent the day BEFORE his birthday asking questions like, "What will it feel like to be older?" After he got over that, he asked, "Can I do anything I want for my birthday?" And he did. The day included a "party" with his musictime friends, Mac & Cheese for dinner, playing at the Burger King indoor playground with his family (We bought $1 drinks to justify...), and coming home late for cake and presents. It was the simplest, most perfect birthday! And we only took these pictures (Poor Kid #3):

Opening up a present from Grandma & Grandpa. Tyler said, in an amazing high-pitched squeal, "Toy Story Number 3?!?!?!"

Tyler with his loot. Legos and Toy Story. His perfect day could not have ended better! You light up our home, buddy. We just love you!

Happy Birthday, T!

Halloween Day at School

2010-10-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

It has been fun to remember how important it is on the school's Halloween Day to feel like you've become someone completely different. My kids were so excited to get to school!

Beth, the Fairy Witch - wings will be applied later. Too complicated to go through the school day when you can't fit in your chair.

Connor, the Phantom of the Opera - following the rules of "no masks" with some well applied face paint.

Connor felt it was too hard to smile normally with the face paint on. Beth was thrilled with her chance to wear lipstick!

Love this picture because of Tyler. He was so excited with Connor's costume (mostly, that it worked!) that he could not stop smiling and staring at him. LOVE IT.

My kids - Beth is smiling and posing. Connor is calm & dignified. Tyler is just jazzed to be part of the show.

(And can I just say? I really like that my kids like to make costumes out of modge-podge that we find at the house or from a friend. I like that they use their creativity rather than spending money on a pre-made something-or-other from the store. Nothing personal against those, just like that we make up our own. It's how I remember doing Halloween as a kid.)

Happy Halloween everybody!

Fall Clean Up

2010-10-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

So what tired out this little boy at nap time a few weeks ago, you might ask? Three words - Fall Yard Cleaning.

(This is after an hour of his screaming that he's not tired. Oh yeah, he slept for two hours.)

Not sure why I can't flip this picture the right way, but it's still cute! Oliver wore his BYU Quarterback outfit as a way to support the Cougs from a distance...must have been too far for the magic to work, but the love was there! (Must be a building year for our beloved Y.)

Fall in Yakima is gorgeous. View from our backyard.

Love this hat we're borrowing from my sister. Love that it has built-in entertainment.

Connor's pumpkin that he grew this year.

While cleaning up the garden, the kids & Dave discovered an unknown pumpkin growing underneath the house.

Coolest thing we have ever grown!

This is what I love about my family. We love to be outside, and we're happiest when working. Love this picture.

Bye, Bye, Pacifier

2010-10-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

It has been a very, very long day.

Leavenworth

2010-10-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our family went to Leavenworth for the weekend and stayed in this very sweet cabin. The picture does not do justice how cute it was. For some reason it didn't occur to me to make sure the memory card was in the camera. This picture was taken off the website, thus the absence of fall colors. Luckily Dave took a few pictures with his cell phone, seen below.

View from the cabin. The dots in the center are Connor & Tyler running in mountainous euphoria.

Beth running to catch up! This was our view as we watched General Conference. (Bless Direct TV in a rented cabin!)

On the way to the half-marathon. Superman is being carried by Spencer, a good friend, with Beth, Connor & Stroller-Bound Oliver all heading toward the Fish Hatchery.

Tyler is still talking about flying through the air!

Me and Oliver getting our wits about us. Can you see that view in the back? Oh, man! What a way to start the fall! I could really get addicted to this. (I felt good about myself pushing a stroller until a mom pushing a double-jogger with twin boys past me going 100 miles an hour. Holy cow!)

Connor posing by the fish.

Waiting for Mom to finish the race so killing time in Leavenworth. Love this town! Here, enjoying cotton candy for Tyler's first time! (Tyler says, "To make cotton candy, you take sugar, a lot of sugar, and you whip it like a cloud.")

Flying down the slide - $1 for two rides! Here's ride #1...

Live Bohemian music! Kids still talking about it.

Licking fingers and bouncing toes.

Here comes mom, only four hours later!

Beth is cheering from the side while Superman jumped the ropes to help me push that last little bit. We were then headed back to the cabin for a shower, nap, General Conference and over-all communing with nature. It was divine!

Connor's Baptism Weekend

2010-10-05T18:33:00.001-07:00

We're still recovering from Connor's baptism weekend. But it was SO MUCH FUN. It started on Friday where G'ma & G'pa Scott got to attend Beth's Grandparents Day for first grade.

Entering the school.

Don't know how G'ma avoided this picture, but love that we have one of Beth & G'pa!

Couldn't help showing off a bit after lunch on the playground.

Presenting Monkey Beth!

Oliver loved the sunshine at Cottonwood Elementary during his "baby swing ride."

Superman attended as well. In fact, Tyler pretty much disappeared for the weekend, and Superman was everywhere to be seen.

Back at home, Superman became airborn.

Aunt Hannah came! Aunt Hannah came! Aunt Hannah came! LOVE IT!

Already Oliver has to keep up with his brothers.

Bryan & Summer came! Bryan & Summer came! Bryan & Summer came! (Mason & Sophia are somewhere, I swear!)

Kent & Alyssa came! Kent & Alyssa came! Kent & Alyssa came! (Please note the trailer. There was another one in the driveway. How else do you fit an extra 15 people?!?!)

Grandpa Hill came! Grandpa Hill came! Grandpa Hill came! (Watching the latest Wallace & Gromit with Superman.)

We were outside a lot in the beautiful weather. Here, Dad & Oliver are supervising our pumpkin picking in the patch out back.

Superman could not be stopped! He lives for gardening. Love it.

Use those super powers!

He did two of them. I was very impressed.

Beth & Connor put on an early morning concert for the family in town. I missed most of it, but the costuming was flawless.

Connor disappeared the morning of his baptism. We finally found him sitting in the trailer reading Harry Potter. The boy really has grown up, hasn't he? Sigh.

Beth joined all the sisters of the baptism boys to sing a lovely song. It was so sweet. Loved, loved it.

My boys...nothing else to say. They're perfect.

Can't believe it. My oldest is eight.

G'pa Hill, Dad, Con, G'pa Scott. Love this picture.

So grateful for everyone who came. It was hard to see them go. My folks and Hannah before they pulled out of town. They were the last to go, next to G'pa Hill. We felt tired, happy and blessed by the end.

Thank you everyone for coming! We're sure proud of our ConnorMan. Love you all.

ANOTHER one...

2010-10-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

Another boring upgrade to report. Found this gorgeous piano stool on Craigslist in Spokane. My awesome SIL picked it up for me, my parents drove it down while on vacation, I painted it, and....

Ta-Da!
It looks cute with the piano, too. Beth LOVES it!

Another Upgrade...

2010-09-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

I bought this chair at a yard sale with my mom when I was a junior in high school. Oh, yes, we're talking roughly 15 years ago, give or take a decade. I just loved the shape of it! I have since dragged this poor chair across the world at every move, saying something for me since I'm one to throw something out if I don't use it after six months...Well, for my birthday this year, Dave & my parents pitched in to help me do this...
Ta-Da! This picture does not do it justice. The color is much more green than this, but it still gives the idea. I love it!!! Thanks for my birthday present!!! (And I'm noticing that the seat cousin is a little lop-sided in this picture from me sitting on it. Oh, well.)

Connor the Wolf

2010-09-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Just FYIing our family journal - Connor's in Cub Scouts! Assessment so far? FABULOUS. We've already created a worm farm and are looking forward to many years of lighting fires and carving wood ahead. (And Connor is VERY much aware that his dad and the Priests of the ward are preparing for a weekend camping/rock climbing adventure. Gotta love it!)

August/September Pics

2010-09-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

The last four weeks have left us with more questions than answers. Like...

Are we having fun yet?

*toot* What was that?

And you're going to move me into a bigger crib when?!?!

How did I get so lucky?

Beth, will you please entertain the baby for just five minutes while I get dressed?

How long will Meg put up with the kids and Jack before she spits nails?

And why can't I look this good first thing in the morning?!?!

Does Batman seem a little distant to you? (Do you think he knows it's the first day of school and he's not going?)

Black Piano

2010-09-10T21:45:00.001-07:00

I'm getting to be a familiar face in the paint department at ACE Hardware.

Our FREE piano back in 2007. The sound is amazing, and we're super blessed to have gotten it. But I've never liked the streaky stain-job...

Introducing our "new" country black piano! I LOVE it. (The stool will be replaced, so I didn't bother painting it.) Isn't this fun? What else can I spray?!

Double Yoker!

2010-09-10T21:30:00.001-07:00

Our Rose laid an ENORMOUS egg recently. See normal size to compare...

I don't even want to know how long this one took her. We cracked it open and...

Double yoker, baby! She has since laid another one. We feel like we won the lottery. Wonder how Rose feels about the whole thing...

The Perfect Red

2010-08-19T13:37:00.001-07:00

Feeling rather creative around here. I recently found this solid desk at a neighborhood yard sale with the thought that I could paint it red for the new TV and not have to buy a new entertainment center. I found the perfect shade of colonial red and...

Done! LOVE IT. I've always wanted a red piece of furniture. Very fun.

Coeur D'Alene Lake

2010-08-13T09:30:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we made a fabulous trip up to Spokane to visit my brother's family. Here are a few choice pics from our day trip to Coeur D'Alene Lake. (Did I spell that right?!)

Millie and Beth were more than happy to manipulate any situation to be together, including any and all car rides.

The lake was beautiful! Ty was a little wary at first, but quickly remembered how much he loves sitting with his bum in the water and playing with sand.

Yeah, Oliver LOVED it.

He felt much better after a nap.

This is Claire. Isn't she the sweetest?!

Oh, yeah, baby. See that red glow at my hair line? You guessed it. I'm being systematically fried alive. My own fault - didn't get the sunscreen quite that high.

Super Dave! Love this picture because it's how I view my husband - strong, happy, handsome with our family at his feet (usually tripping over them. Did I mention that we're dripping in children lately? Geez.), and me slightly above him. Wait...did I just type that? Bad wife! Bad!

The kids were inspired by a few of the crazy teenagers that we saw. Here is Beth cliffdiving with Uncle Ryan waiting to catch her. Uncle Ryan rocks!

And Millie!

And Stuart! Kids got a workout while we watched in awe at their bravery.

Thanks for a great time, Ry & Kellie! We loved it and want to come back very soon.

Oliver's Blessing Day

2010-08-02T21:16:00.001-07:00

Oliver Paul Hill
2 months old
15 lbs 10 oz 25 inches

And here he is in his beautiful, gargantuan beauty...I think we've begun to outgrow the kitchen sink. Oliver is getting his bath the night before his blessing in church. He is going to love this picture when he's older!

The morning of the blessing - We were so lucky to have Aunt Shelly come visit! Along with Ryan's family (Stuart in the background), Alyssa's fam and Grandma & Grandpa Hill. It was a crowded/happy house!

Beth & Amelia got matching hairdos for the event. Here is the front...

...and back. Love these girls!

Aunt Alyssa got her face time with the boy. (Yes, he really is two months old.)

Just had to show how lovely our flower pot turned out, Mom! (My mom helped me get this ready when Oliver was still just a lovely gargantuan tummy.) Love the randomness.

Dave & his boy. Love them both.

Our second family picture with all six of us. You might remember the first one where Dave was sleep deprived, Connor was heading to a ball game, Beth was newly casted, Mom was exhausted, Tyler was split-lipped, and Oliver was 14 hours old? Oh, yes, this one is much better. (Even with Mom's chubby legs showing, wink.)

All my babies are beautiful...

Trying to cheer up Tyler...not working. But he got happier when I pulled out a small bag of Legos during Sacrament Meeting. Oh, yeah, I know how to buy the love.

My family! SO SO SO SO SO nice to be with them! I should have a baby more often... ...nah.

Grandpa & Grandma Hill with grand-baby #16 (until four days after Oliver arrived and the triplets were born! Go Evan & Marci!) Love that I have this picture. Dad looks great and Mom looks fabulous, as always.

Me & my special guy - We then went to church where Dave blessed Oliver with discernment, among other things. My favorite part of the blessing was blessing him to always know that he is an integral and important part of our family, that we love him, that we love each other. It's the way families should be.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come. We loved seeing you! Thank you to everyone who supported us through the different pregnancy. We appreciated it! And thank you Oliver for coming to our family. We adore you!

Oliver the Talker

2010-07-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why it should surprise me or Dave any more that a child of ours is a big talker. Seems that this is Oliver's favorite occupation...

He talks to the stars...

...and the moon...

...while no one even needs be in the room.

And this was taken this afternoon. Can't believe how much of the blanket his body takes up! For eight weeks old, this guy is getting bigger and bigger. Between Grandpa Scott, 6 foot 2, and the gigantic (in a lovely way) Uncle Bryan, 6 foot 7, perhaps some genetics on both sides of the family will help this kid REALLY touch the stars in a few years! (If that happens, we'll blog it.)

SO COOL!

2010-07-15T15:07:00.001-07:00

I walked into Beth's room to find Connor reading The Hobbit for the first time. He read it for two solid hours and then asked me, "So, Mom? Why do all the dwarfs start showing up at Bilbo's house? I don't think Bilbo knows why they are there." I said, "Why do you think they are there?" He answered, "I don't know. You should ask Gandalf."

Ha! This is so cool! I can talk about The Lord of the Rings with my kids!

Happy Morning

2010-07-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how good we feel when we sleep for chunks of time at night!

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?

2010-07-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

What do we do on the morning of the Fourth before church?

Apparently we set up a living space in the driveway...

...and have ourselves a patriotic tea party...

...hold a conversation with a five week old...

...hold a different conversation with a chicken...

...and finally introduce the newest member of our animal menagerie, Jack the cat, to the rest of the farm family.

Happy Fourth of July! On this day of celebration we found ourselves in reverence of America and the safe situation of our country, while simultaneously missing our family who for some reason felt very far away today. Love you all.

Beth's One-Armed Band

2010-06-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Beth had her spring recital a few weeks after Oliver was born. I'm just a bit late getting it in the digital journal. We love her teacher, Connie, who is kind, patient and a joy to have in our home each week.

Beth & Connie, the black & white girls. We didn't plan it, but it worked! They even match the piano, smile.

And below is a quick video of her song. Not bad considering one arm was broken. It goes right along with what Dave & I have thought about Beth all along - You don't tell Beth Hill that she can't do something. She won't know what you're talking about, wink. (And, oh yes, that's a little artistic flare at the end that you hear. Beth just loves taking liberties...)

The week The Dad was gone...

2010-06-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

Dave was gone all week at a big Boy Scout hullabaloo up in the mountains, so this post is a few pictures that Daddy missed during that time. And after hearing a few of his stories, I think a tired mom with four kids home alone was an easier time of it! Thank goodness, though, for good men who want to be good men - our Young Men need them!

Above, I walked into my room to see Beth & Connor playing with Oliver. Very sweet.

Connor took this picture. Crazy how much Beth & OliverBoy's coloring is the same.

Even when he cries, this kid is cute!

We traveled down to Walla Walla to hang out with the Christensens for a few days. I have used and abused my sister during the last part of this pregnancy up until recently. Hopefully I can start paying back some of that help soon! This is documentation of Tyler's first slip-and-slide experience. He has been wanting to try this for FOREVER.

It was successful, wink.

Just wanted to get all the cousins in a picture. This is my sister's amazing backyard, absolutely heaven-sent to my kids who love to be outside. So fun, guys!

Back home on Wednesday. Oliver is trying to decide whether to cry, poop or sleep during this moment.

Good choice, buddy! See how happy that made you?

After a long evening of AngryBaby, I had to take a picture of the peaceful moment afterward. Granted, this is at midnight when I'm quite frazzled, but hey!, that's why I'm not in the picture. Thank goodness for the peaceful moments in life - whew.

Connor's golf lesson on Friday. LOVE LOVE LOVE this program. These wonderful businessmen wanted to do something of quality with their free time, so they teach youth golf lessons during the summer. They are wonderful. Connor is learning golf, golf etiquette and lessons of integrity and honesty in life (so says the website). We love it. Here, ConMan (blue hat, blue & yellow shirt) is making a six-foot putt, while we...

...are taking a nap and...

...playing Dog & Owner. Beth & Ty made this game up. Beth is the dog, and Tyler spends his time trying to teach her tricks. Here he is calling her to "come," and BethDog will have none of it.

Oliver woke up to be mesmerized for ten minutes on his polka dot cover (Made for him by his Grandma Hill - Isn't it so amazing? LOVE IT). It puts him into a lovely 1960's styled zone. To everything turn, baby, turn.

After a few days, the Christensen's came up to visit us! (See what I mean that I owe my sister a lot? Holy cow, I know.) This is the only picture I got from the experience. Beth & Luke had their own slumber party consisting of laughing, reading and synchronized sleeping, wink.

And now Dave is home! So glad he could go help for the week, and so glad he's home!

We need you around here, Dad!

Pink Cast Follow Up

2010-06-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

The pink cast is off! Beth has been such a trooper about the entire experience, if a bit too "rough and tumble" for her jumpy mother. (Just let the bone heal, Beth, before you wrestle your brothers to the ground!)

Feeling the tickle of the drill...

Cutting away the fluff...

And breaking away the excess! We now have a half-cast wrapped with Ace bandages for a few more weeks. Not a big deal because now we can bathe! Beth has a huge smile about that one.

Just had to throw in a picture of OliverBoy. I think he's put on an entire pound in one week. Such a great guy.

Below is a quick video of Beth's dance recital last Saturday for all the grandparents out there. I love how everything is perfectly white with her pink cast in for accent coloring. As for the dance itself, it is very sweet. We still haven't figured out if Beth is a bit fast in her movements or if her class is a bit slow, wink. No matter, we love the entire event! Go Beth!

OliverBoy

2010-06-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Just a quick documentation on our little Oliver Paul for our family journal.

Two weeks old:
Eyes still blue
Hair still pretty darn red
Good eater
Good sleeper
Starting to actually stay awake for chunks of time

Picture proof that the head is red. Don't know how long this will last - our kiddos tend to change their hair color a bit. But I think the namesakes will be proud. Great-great Grandpa Melvin Oliver on the red, and Grandpa Paul on those beautiful Hill features. Gotta love this beautiful boy!

Fishin' with the Kiddos

2010-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

I took the kids fishing this morning over at a small lake on the other side of town. This gave us something to do for a good chunk of the day and allowed Mama and baby a little quiet time at home. We didn't catch anything, but we had a good time trying. To our defense, the fish weren't biting for anyone at the lake today. Connor and Beth got good practice at casting (Beth needs to see an Occupational Therapist to show her how to cast with a cast!) and Ty was just jazzed to be part of the show. Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day!

Feel the Burn

2010-05-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Our Beth had her kindergarten music concert yesterday with lots of hand motions - not the easiest thing for a girl to do while wearing a cast that weighs more than her arm! This quick video was taken near the end of the concert. So sit back, relax, and enjoy watching our baby girl get the biggest workout of her life hauling that pink arm to the beat of the music! It's pretty hilarious...

More Oliver Pics

2010-05-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

More pics of Oliver, plus Beth's surprise broken arm on Oliver's Birthday:

Oliver Paul Hill

2010-05-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

9 lbs 3.5 oz, 22 inches long, born on May 25th at 4:09 AM. Here are some pics, with more to come later:

My Day Today

2010-05-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

I need to write this down before it all becomes a bigger blur than it already is. My day began yesterday at 6:00 AM when I got up for work for a typical Monday morning. During lunch time I went with Krista to her baby doctor appointment where we were informed that we were going to be induced and have our baby that night. We called a bunch of people to get things rolling so our kids could be taken care of that night and over night. We drove over to Red Robin for Krista's "Final Meal", but when we pulled up in the parking lot we received a call from the kid's elementary school to let us know that Beth had fallen off the Monkey Bars and hurt her arm. So, we went over and picked her up and took her home. Her arm didn't improve so I made an appointment with our Family Physician for early afternoon to have her arm looked at, and then promptly went out and picked up Red Robin to go so Krista could still enjoy a good lunch. We ate and prepared the house for the next couple of hours, and in the meantime Beth improved greatly so we canceled her appointment with her doctor, filled our babysitter in on the situation until Grandma got in town and headed for the hospital. Upon arriving, we found out that the nurse had actually scheduled us to come in on Tuesday night and we were told to go home. This prompted a call to our doctor who clarified everything and by 8:00 PM Krista was all hooked up in bed ready to start the induction. Now generally, once Krista is induced she has a baby within the hour. This one, however, did not go as planned and I spent all night and into the wee hours of the morning watching the monitor as the baby's heart rate fluctuated from normal to too low throughout the night. Finally, at around 3:30 AM Krista's water broke and at 4:09 AM little Oliver Paul chose to join us in the real world. He is a beautiful boy - 9 lbs 3.5 ounces, and 22 inches long (I will be adding pictures before the end of the night). There was the weighing, washing, testing, etc. that we did until around 7:00 AM, where I believe I was able to lay down for an hour after being up for 24 hours. At 8:00 I went down and grabbed some breakfast and we spoke with Grandma to find out that Beth's arm was still really sore, so I set up a Dr. appointment for 10:00 AM and headed home at around 9:00 AM to get Beth ready. I took Beth and Tyler (since he is so easy to take care of anyway) so Grandma could go meet Oliver, and at the Dr. appointment they examined Beth and recommended an X-Ray. So, at 11:00 AM we headed back over to the hospital where Beth was a trooper with her sore arm to allow them to get a few x-rays. Another 20 minute wait and I received a call from our physician to let me know that the x-ray showed that Beth had broken her right arm right above the elbow joint. We set up a 1:45 appointment with and Ortho Doctor in yet another building to get a cast on and headed over to Burger King for a quick lunch with Grandma and the kids. At the Ortho doctor we actually ended up waiting for quite a while, and finally at around 3:30 Beth was able to get a hot pink cast for her arm (a VERY painful experience for the poor little girl, as they had to get her arm to the proper angle for the cast). As with Krista during her labor, I felt completely helpless to be useful to Beth as she went through this miserable experience. However, we got it done and by the time we got home from the Dr. and shoved some Motrin IB down here she was all smiles. Now, its time to get the kids some dinner and drag them over to the Hospital so they could meet Oliver. After helping clean up a spill in the hall in the hospital we ended up in Krista's room and had a wonderful experience with the kids meeting their new brother. During that visit, Tyler was playing with a doctors stool and spinning it round-and-round as fast as he could until the little lever under the seat (which was just a metal rod with no handle on the end) came around and cracked him across the face. After much screaming and some bleeding we determined that we probably didn't need stitches (I was doubting myself after my wrong decision in canceling Beth's first doctor appointment for her arm!). Now Tyler just looks like he got in a bar fight. I was very tempted at that point to put Connor in a straight jacked and throw him in a padded room for the day just in case destiny wanted to continue on the trend that we had started that day. At the end of this very long day, Mom and baby are doing wonderful, Beth is passed out in her bed with her new pink arm, Connor is at a baseball game, and Tyler is in his room telling himself bedtime stories in the dark; all-in-all a very successful day, just a unique way to get to those successes.
There. This is probably too long for anyone to really read through but it needed to be documented. So, Good Night and Good Luck!

Is there anything better?

2010-05-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Life has taken on a calmness at our house near the end of this pregnancy, for which we are all grateful! Took these pictures of the kids yesterday. Does it get any better than...

...chicken friends in the sunshine?

...or reading with your brother in bed?

I seriously doubt it does!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-13T18:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you good women out there! Just needed to post my present...I'm just so gosh darn happy about it! Dave got me (and the new baby) this COMFORTABLE wicker rocker for the backyard so I can nurse the baby out in the fresh air.

LOVE IT. LOVE IT. LOVE IT. Thanks, Dave! (I'll be your kids' mom any day of the week.)

Beth's 6th Birthday

2010-05-07T17:39:00.001-07:00

Our Beth has turned 6! Tyler spent the morning helping me create "Frogs in Muddy Grass" treats for Beth's class...

To better explain, we have a frog that lives in our strawberry patch who the kids play with daily. They named him Hopper. Beth asked that each of the boys & girls in her class get their own Hopper Frog. Thanks goodness for the dollar store!

Ty & I then went to Beth's classroom where Mrs. Schneider and the gang had prepared a project for the birthday girl. (That's her in the cake hat.) Each child drew what they would get Beth for her birthday if they could give her anything in the world. It was darling. What a great tradition! Beth's favorites were a soccer ball, purple lipstick and her very own sun in the sky wearing sunglasses, smile.

Mrs. Schneider asked Tyler to help pass out spoons for the class. He was so proud! Then he snuggled up to his sister to share in the treat. Frogs in Muddy Grass was a huge hit, growing even more popular when the kids realized that the frogs were NOT real. Huge relief on that one!

Getting ready to open presents as a family - very exciting!

Grandpa & Grandma Scott gave the neatest Tupperware full of anything you could possibly want to be creative! Perfect present for one my kids. Notice that Connor is somewhere else? Then he looks up and sees what's in the box, and...

...he's pilfering through it all right along side the birthday girl. He asked me later if it is polite to ask Grandpa & Grandma for the exact same thing for his birthday. I just winked at him, smile. See Beth's face? She's holding her own package of googly eyes. Don't know what she'll do with them, but it'll be good!

Love this one! It's a check from Grandpa & Grandma Hill. Here she is saying, "Mom, what is this?" Then we tell her, and she just beams! She said, "I can't wait to see what Grandma & Grandpa have for me to buy at the store!" Thanks, Grandparents! We're incredibly excited!

Sigh, that's my girl. See the book on the counter? My dear friend, Beckie, found a book actually called "Bethany the Ballet Fairy." How cool is that?!?!?

Her very own scooter. While making this face, Beth is saying, "I have wanted one of these for my entire life!" Once again, Connor asked if it's polite to ask for the same thing in September...

Oh, yes, just once, we allowed a scooter ride inside the house!

Happy Birthday, BethyGirl! We sure love you like crazy!

Catching Up

2010-05-07T10:25:00.001-07:00

Getting caught up on some random pictures this morning, mostly for my own "family journal." Enjoy!

Last Saturday, the kids dressed up in their superhero finest and battled each other for almost two hours outside. They were kind enough to pose for me...

Connor is a homemade Clone Trooper, Beth is...I'm still not sure..., and Tyler is Batman, but obviously the bad guy because he LOVES being the bad guy & Connor was more than happy to oblige him.

Another battle scene....

Here, Connor just threw a cell phone bomb, and he & Beth are pretending to run away. I'm thinking that Batman didn't quite grasp the whole "this thing is gonna blow" concept.

Batman is contemplating life after the explosion.

Connor & Beth are lucky enough to be on their first baseball team. Here is their first practice. The kids are over the moon about it! Connor, up to bat!

We're also lucky in that most of the kids are from our ward's primary. It's AWESOME. Here is Beth with her two good friends, Brooke & Oakley. Any way we can build friendships in our ward, we're all over it!

Beth recently had a party at her dance studio. Con & Beth chose to watch a movie in the huge theater, while Tyler preferred to jump his heart out in the "colorful jumper thingy."

Easter time - Tyler checking out his loot at a friend's egg hunt in between General Conference.

Connor was equally excited about his. I still don't know who filled all these eggs, but they were incredible!

Dying eggs with daddy on our kitchen counter while Mom slept in the other room...Just had to document, proving that we actually did it. (I've said it before, but to repeat - Dad ROCKS.)

Flowerbed Chickens & Gardening

2010-04-26T15:36:00.001-07:00

The chickens are officially out of the garage! Dave finished the DARLING coop this past week, the weather is warm enough, and we are proud members in the Urban Chicken Club. We are currently renting, so anything we do with our yard has got to fit within the boundaries of our rock flowerbed. (Why would anyone put rocks in their flowerbed?!?!)

Here is Ty checking in on the girls.

Inside the coop, Rose & Daisy enjoying a spring day.

Isn't that vinyl lettering great (Bless This Nest And All Who Lay Here)? Gotta be honest, don't know how long it will last with weather conditions, but we're hopeful.

Chickens finally ventured outside...the big babies, smile.

Remember the earlier comment about everything needing to fit in the flowerbed? Gardens are included in that statement. Behind Tyler you can see tiny versions of tomatoes, zucchini & squash. (Thanks to my mom who planted them for me! So nice having you here this week!!!)

And on the other side of the patio, my little experiment of strawberries in an old dresser (Don't worry, we're going to make it cuter...next project...not today...), cherry tomatoes in a trellis, and a raspberry bush in a black pot. Here's to crossing fingers!

Easter Pictures Attempt

2010-03-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

We had a sad attempt at Easter pictures this morning, since next Sunday Easter falls on General Conference Sunday and THIS family will be in pajamas, wink. I knew a long time ago that I don't have much skill in this area, but we tried our best with: One, a seven year old who will smile but doesn't want to be touched; Two, a five year old who loves to pose and hang on her brothers; and Three, a three year old who refuses to smile or even look at the camera. This is the best one we got...

We thought we'd try holding signs to remind the three year old of why we're doing this. That, and great-grandmas will love it!

Trying to loosen Ty up. They were told to ask silly...

I told them to snuggle together and act like they love each other. They each laughed and did this. I thought it was pretty funny.

We were sick of Ty's serious face, so we all acted serious. Did Tyler notice?

Oh, yes! Best smile of the morning! It was not the most successful photo shoot, but at least the event is documented! Happy Easter, everybody!

Soaking Up the Sun & Checking Out Some Chicks

2010-03-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

The weather has been gorgeous, and we've LOVED remembering what it feels like to be outside. It's like we live in a house with another room - the backyard. Whew, hallelujah and then some.

Rose & Daisy get bigger by the day. They squawk like crazy when you try to pick them up, then they're in heaven outside. Most of the time, they refuse to walk on the grass, only wanting to roost on the arms of the kids...Yeah, the kids don't mind...

I looked out the window wondering where the kids were, and I found them out in the field behind our property line. What are they doing, you ask?

Digging a hole.

A really big hole.

I asked Beth, "What kind of hole are you digging?" She looked at me like I was nuts and said, "A hole."

Obviously.

Dave went to check on the kids last night and found Ty fast asleep like this. He either loves to cuddle or was terrified of something. I really hope he just felt snugly! Poor guy!

Chicken Coop Update

2010-03-13T17:53:00.001-08:00

Amazing progress has been made on our chicken coop. I have to give our Dave a huge shout-out. The guy is amazing! For this being his first building project, I'm amazingly impressed. If he's not careful, I'm going to have a long to-do list for him before the summer starts, wink.

Dave putting up the walls. If you look carefully, you can see Connor's little hands holding things steady for his dad. Connor's brute strength has definitely been put to work in this project, as it should be.

If you raise up one side of the roof, you'll find two nesting boxes, along with a wind-around staircase for the chickens to get up to the second level. I think Dave's built a nicer place than our first apartment in Billings, wink. Lucky chicks.

Another look from over the top of the roof. The height is perfect for Connor & Beth to be able to lift the roof themselves and reach in to gather eggs. Super handy. Isn't that staircase cool? Soon it will be covered in poop, I'm sure, but still super cool!

Daisy proved today that it was time to move the chicks into their new home. They have definitely outgrown the drawer we were keeping them in. Thank goodness Dave finished the inside of the coop as quickly as he did!

Daisy & Rose through their new window. They didn't know what to do with all the space.

Dave took this through the window as well. I don't know if that thing in the middle is for roosting or practicing for the summer games of 2012.

I had fun painting today. This is the side of the coop that will open up into the chicken run - yet to be built. Poor Dave. The job just doesn't end, does it?

The other side with the window and then the side "cleaning" door. I like how the paint turned out. The only thing missing is a big dark red rectangle above the door with the saying "Bless this nest and all who lay here" above the side door. Chuckle over the coop, if you wish, but with these being urban chickens, we have felt we need to make the coop as clean, organized and cute as possible so as to not bother any neighbors. I think we're on our way.

We'll document with more pictures when the coop gets outside with the run completed. Until then, thanks for humoring us. And once again - Go Dave! This coop is so AWESOME.

Meet Rose & Daisy

2010-03-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard, we have two new additions to our family, much to the kids' delight. (I hope they are this excited when the baby comes!) Rose (a Rhode Island Red chick - brown eggs) and Daisy (an Americana chick - blue/green eggs) came to our family on Wednesday morning, and they are already an integral part of things. I've been pleasantly surprised how easy they are, and Dave really is doing a great job planning/building the coop. I keep asking myself why we didn't do this last year.

Beth with her Rose.

Connor with his Daisy. (Daisy was at first named Firefly, then Buttercup, and finally Daisy. I like Daisy the best, so I'm very pleased with how her name turned out...I might have manipulated this one just a bit...)

Tyler is just a bit young to hold them just yet, but he's been really nice about it. He LOVES petting them and giving me the play-by-play of how they're doing. Right now their little box is beside our back door in our garage, and each time he walks by, I love hearing his little voice say, "Why, hello, chicks."

Dave is going to have plenty of "help" building the coop, I think.

Here is a quick video from this morning. Please forgive my voice in it. As much as I love (Can you hear the sarcasm?) my voice on camera anyway, out-of-breath pregnancy and a throat cold are doing nothing for me here. But it is fun to see the kids enjoy their urban farm life. My favorite part is Tyler chastizing me for calling them full-grown chickens when obviously they are still chicks.

Beth's Primary Talk

2010-02-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

Beth just wrote/read her very first talk in Primary on Sunday. She told me what to type into the computer, and then she stood (beaming!) and read the entire thing all by herself. We are very proud of her! Here is her text, just for documentation's sake. The topic was Jesus Christ Is My Savior and Redeemer...........

The First Article of Faith says: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

Jesus Christ is a member of the Godhead. Jesus began as a spirit with us in Heaven. He said that He will go to Earth and help everybody. He was born in Bethlehem. His parents laid Him in a manger.

When Jesus Christ was older, He taught people the Gospel. He went into churches and taught people. He did miracles, like bringing Lazarus back to life after he was dead.

Bad people were angry with Jesus. They put a spiky crown on His head and hooked Him on a cross with nails right in the middle of his hands. Jesus forgave the bad men, and He died.

Three days later, He came back to life. Mary felt happy when she saw Him!

Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, I will be too. I like that! If I choose the right, I can live with Jesus in heaven again. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Making the most of a day off

2010-02-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

We had the BEST day today with Dave home from work! I just got to hang out and watch the fun, while the kids & Dad made it a fabulous day. First, Dave had the great idea of driving up to the mountains. We saw about 50 head of elk in their herd, and then two bald eagles flew right over us and perched in a tree not 100 yards from where we stood. So great! Then, in the kids' minds, the fun began. We found Rimrock Lake and threw a rock or two...

This is me & Ty trying to catch up with Connor & Beth down to the lake. I'm definitely walking at Ty's pace. You can barely see Con, and Beth is already out of scope distance.

My boys. Love it.

T's gotten quite silly anytime you ask him to smile for the camera. Could be worse, at least he doesn't try to hide.

Oh, yes, anything can be turned into a lightsaber!

I swallowed my chubby pride and took a picture with my Dave. Connor took this for us. Sigh, the roundness will go away...I'm actually rather proud of my maturity. (I REALLY need to do a better job of putting myself in pictures! Dang petty ego.)

After our mountain fun, I rested inside while the kids helped Dave pull four foot high weeds in the back. They worked so hard! So proud of my kids. Love that we work together.

Con & Beth dragging one of the big ones to our "beaver's dam" in the back field.

But where did Tyler & Beth go? Oh, by the cow fence. They moseyed over with the albino donkey to say hello. (The black cow was so talkative! He and Beth mooed a conversation for about six minutes. The white donkey just wanted his head scratched.)

Ty loved every minute of it. And THIS is why I want some land for our kids.

I've written it before, and I'll write it again - There was possibly a mix-up in heaven. I think my kids should have been born to farmers.

Oh yes, ConMan & Dad kept working during the pickalittle-talkalittle over the fence to their south. Pure dedication, right there.

Now time for more fun! Beth & Connor got their very first motorcycle ride today! (Our current family rule, much to T's chagrin, is that you must be in kindergarten to ride. Poor kid.) Here is Beth, preride...

...and Beth rolling in. Of the experience, she says, "I liked it! The turns were SO fun."

And Connor preride...

...and coming home. Connor related, "Oh, um, it was excellent. That's all."

My personal opinion? Daddy ROCKED it today!

Our Little World

2010-02-15T16:48:00.001-08:00

Another quick glimpse into our world....

A few days back, I checked on Ty before going to bed myself, and this is what I found. Prince Tyler fell asleep with his loyal cat, Shadow, keeping watch. I don't think it's a coincidence that his drool spot is in the shape of a smile...

And the next two I found on my camera after Connor set up some creative battle scenes on his dresser.

I'm guessing that the yellow and orange pipe cleaners are fire? Just my guess.

Bless the dollar store and all the army men that they sell!

Connor's New Look

2010-02-02T19:40:00.001-08:00

Thank goodness for the tender mercies of the Spirit! This morning, my mom and I were puttering around Yakima, and I kept thinking, "We should go see the kids at school around lunchtime." Well, we were a little late (because of my vanity - I was getting a haircut!), so we made it in time for lunch recess. As we were walking out to the playground to find the kiddos, a hoard of kids comes running up to us - Connor in the middle with a bloody mouth! The boy had smacked his face on the monkey bars and just about knocked out his already loose baby teeth! So glad we were right there at the moment after impact!

Here is a picture at the house on the way to the dentist...

Not the prettiest picture, I grant you. But it shows the snaggled wreckage of a once lovely set of teeth. Everything turned out fine at the dentist, and he even finished the job for us!

We've been trying to get those teeth out for two weeks, and we couldn't be happier with this new and improved grin! Connor took the day like a champ and now whistles a bit when he talks, smile.

This picture is just funny. Connor was working on a box of "Stuf I'm ganah finish," or "Stuff I'm gonna finish," for those who need translation. I guess Ty is on the list.

And he seems happy about it, wink.

A Pleasant Surprise on a Rainy Saturday

2010-01-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

We had a fun surprise on our door this morning. The rest of Dave's Christmas present to me arrived! We've teased each other for ten years that we play paper/rock/scissors to see who has to turn off the light at night when we read in bed (which is all a facade, because Dave ALWAYS gets up to do it, bless him). For Christmas this year, I got night tables and lamps! The lamps arrived today! I am SO EXCITED to read in bed tonight. So laugh all you want, but here is a picture of our kid-marker-stained quilt and night tables. Sigh, what an unexpected, luxurious present. Thank you, Dave!

A close up, just for fun...I even have a place for our junkie cordless phone! So cool!

And what do you do with lots of empty lamp boxes on a rainy Saturday? Read on...

Well, if you're one of our kids, you create something. Beth is working on a BYU Airplane, Tyler on a computer (He's idealizing his older brother again. Read on...).

Connor with his Star Wars Computer. Notice the front teeth? Two weeks ago, they had a big space, but now they are overlapped and hanging out of his mouth. Just pull them out already!!!

Okay, warning when scrolling down - All innocents, shield your eyes!!!

Yes, we are desperately trying to potty-train Ty. How's it going, you ask? Well, not at all...ask again in a month...but until then, it's a good rainy Saturday. Thank goodness for surprises out of nowhere!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas vacation started off rather cozy in the car. Here is Ty kicking back - don't my kids have it hard?

Once we met up with family in Boise, the cousins ran to meet each other and we didn't hear from them for hours. It was wonderful, sigh. Ty found one of his favorites, cousin Luke, and contentedly listened to Luke read stories for a while. So sweet.

Our make-shift nativity story. Beth was Mary, complete with striped tights. Kade was Joseph. Bradley, the angel. Ty, Luke & Isaac, shepherds, I think...Me & Connor? Disgruntled wise men - it was a long night for one of us. I have been feeling so sick that this never would have occurred to me to create, but I'm so glad my sister, Alyssa, put the effort in. Well worth it.

How sweet is this baby boy? The perfect angel. Love him!

The cousins on Christmas Eve in their traditional new pjs. Connor was thrilled to discover a small skull on the picture of his shirt. Oh yes, his mother is accepting hard reality with a growing boy and gave in a little...but don't expect more, Con! This was a big step for me. (Notice Beth as the lone girl? That will change once we get to Utah! Coming up...)

Tinkerbell was very big this year. Bless Disney for rediscovering Pixie Hollow recently! Perfect things for our young girls! We're huge fans in this house.

I was so excited for this present for Connor, and his reaction did not disappoint! What better gift for a seven year old boy than a tupperware full of Star Wars action figures? I submit that there is nothing better! Connor second's the opinion! (Shout out to me again - Go Mom!)

This is what Ty did with his face when Dad said, "Show me what you got, T!" This kid is going to be something amazing when he grows up, we can just tell, like a stoic congressman or neurosurgeon - you know, someone really calm.

Here is the only picture I took while in Utah after Christmas but before New Years. Isn't that ridiculous? I must have been tired and in a walking coma. But Beth, to her absolute delight, arrived to MANY girl cousins and a world of makeup, dressup and cuddleup. It was hard for her to leave. Aren't these ladies the coolest? Dressed up for a night of movies, snuggled in Grandma Hill's bed. AWESOME.

For New Years we headed back up to Boise where a winter storm greeted us. After an afternoon of cabin fever, Dave went out in the blizzard to stretch his legs. It took all of two seconds for the cousins to notice and bundle themselves up. Five minutes more, and they had created the tallest, most creative snowman I've seen in a long time. Oh yes, that snow is flying sideways. And oh yes, I'm taking the picture from inside the house at the window. (So an equally important shout out to my Dave - Go Dad!)

New Year's Eve we had a makeshift barn dance in the livingroom. Mindy & Jon "hosted," despite her every excuse to sit down being prego with #2, and taught us how to hoot-n-nanny to the beat. Adults had a great time, and little ones were terrified. But I had to show this pic of Bradley "getting over it" with his mom and dad. Good times.

Thanks to everyone who let us crash at their house or play with their toys or steal away their children to play with our own! Our energy level has been better, but the trip was so worth seeing FAMILY!!! For the record, I've done a terrible job of documenting all the good times and good family seen on the trip. I'm sorry! I keep thinking, get through this particular pregnancy, and we'll figure the rest out. Thanks for your patience if I missed you, which I totally did!

Love you all and Happy New Year!

Beth's Christmas Dance Recital

2009-12-19T21:03:00.001-08:00

Wrapping up our whirlwind day, Beth had her dance recital at Yakima's historic Capital Theater. She was thrilled to FINALLY be allowed to wear her costume...

Here I said, "Smile pretty, Beth."

Here I said, "Do something ballet-ish."

And here I said, "Now do what you really want to do." Smile. That's my girl.

Her teacher asked all the girls to wear a little mascara. Beth did not let me forget. Here's proof that we followed directions.

Tyler was trying not to smile but couldn't help himself. This picture is so my kids. Love that I have it!

Here is the video of the event for all the grandma's out there! The color quality could be better, for which we apologize, but we're still glad to have it! (We're sorry you can't see her face better in the video, because the girl just beams on stage! So great to watch!) Beth starts in the front row, second from right. Once you spot her, she's easy to keep track of. Her class struggles a bit with some things, but we're really proud of Beth for being the enthusiastic encourager of the group. Her happiness is addictive! And after all...they're only five, wink.

Justification for No Christmas Cards This Year

2009-12-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to announce that there will be no Christmas cards from us BEFORE Christmas. Still crossing fingers for after...maybe...but we'll have to get a better family picture than this...

Or this...

Or this....

...sigh...

A Little Boogie, A Little Bowing

2009-11-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

Two videos we wanted to never forget from our fun Thanksgiving in Boise. First, and sorry for the sideways picture (The photographer didn't know that videos can't do that! But it is still so worth it!). This is how Tyler dances. The boy has no inhibitions! Just love it.

And here is something pretty special, in our opinion. Grandma Scott & Connor playing a duet together. I really don't know what more to say about it, other than I'm so happy to have it! Oh, and I love how the little cousins go about their business in the background. Awesome.