Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Toddling Jacob
As promised, here are some of Jacob's first toddling steps. And yes, my girls don't have shirts on. They're getting much better, this just happened to be in the middle of getting ready for bed. But isn't my little guy such a cutie!!
Candycane Cocoa
On a lighter note, have you tried Stephen's Candycane Cocoa? It has real bits of candy canes in it. Sooooo yummy!!!!!!!
Making Room
This morning as I was opening my fast with a prayer, I asked for an added measure of the Spirit, as I so desperately need it right now to be a good mother. The answer came: You know, Hilary, one of the best ways to fill yourself with the Spirit is to share your testimony. My begrudging reply: Ya, I know. So I fought it somewhat rebelliously all day until finally in church I realized I wasn't doing this small thing He asked of me, and yet I still wanted the blessings. If I really wanted an extra dose of the Spirit, I would do what was asked of me. Ugh. I gave in and shared a minute or two of my testimony (for the first time in over 3 years I might add).
Now, after listening to President Monson's message in the Christmas Devotional about the innkeeper that might've found Mary and Joseph some room had he known who they really were, I'm rethinking my attitude earlier today. Pres. Monson urged us all to find time in our lives and room in our hearts for our Savior. And here I was not willing to do that this morning because of petty insecurities and a hard heart. It's so hard for me to stay strong in my discipline with my children and be courteous and kind to them if I'm not in tune with the Spirit. And it's so hard not to get mad at Jeromy for trifle little things and get frustrated really easily when I'm not in tune with the Spirit. (Not to mention how I tend to get really down on myself and think I'm inadequate in everything when I'm not working to have the Spirit with me all the time.) I know these things. So why am I not working harder to have the Spirit in my life? That's the million dollar question.
I was blessed by the Spirit today as we went to our meetings, no doubt because I did do my end of the bargain and shared my testimony. But I can't help but think how different it would've been if I had done it with a glad and willing heart. So here's to my new goals of being willing to soften my heart and make room for the Savior and His Spirit in my life. Here's to reading and studying my scriptures even if I think I'll never be a scholar scriptorian. And here's to having more meaningful and sincere prayers, even if it means my kids are running amok downstairs while I lock myself in my closet. I NEED the Spirit if I want to be a good mother, wife, and person. So I'm promising now to try a lot harder.
Festival of the Trees
We went to the Festival of the Trees last night for the very first time. What fun! Okay, it was really hard to maneuver a stroller and 2 little ones in that crowd, but it was still very festive and fun, and hey we were in a way supporting Crew at Primary's, right?
I apologize in advance for the blurriness of the pictures. We forgot to bring our camera and had to rely on the cameras on our phones. And I'm sorry to say we failed to get a picture of Audrey with eyes glued to the children dancers performing. She was totally enthralled watching them. We have got to get her into some lessons!
Here's a cute pic of Jacob actually cuddling with mamama (how he says my name). It doesn't happen often, so it was nice to get a picture of it! Poor guy, he isn't feeling very well, so one of us had to hold him most of the time. I didn't mind, especially since I got so many cuddles!
He's totally mine, is he not? Ooh, I could just squeeze the packin's out of him (as my Nana would say).
I didn't realize that they had gingerbread houses there too. They had some really cool looking ones, like this GINORMOUS castle, complete with a big W on it. He he he.
And of course I had to take a picture of this gingerbread house. It's Chief Swan's house, complete with mossy trees, a red truck, and a dark figure (hmmm, who could that be?) in the tree outside one of the bedroom windows. What fun! There were also a few Twilight inspired Christmas trees, but I didn't really like any of them enough to stop the crew to take a picture.
There were also a ton of cheap little crafts for the kids to do. They made some little stained glass window drawings, a jingle monster thingy, some other things, and these cute reindeer hats. They had a blast.
We had so much fun, that I think this might become a tradition. Oh, and I forgot to tell you about the fudge! Mmmm. I think my favorite part was listening to the bag pipe parade at the end. There's something about that instrument that gives me chills. Good chills, that is. Anyway, we had fun and hope all the rest of you are enjoying this wonderful time of year!
I apologize in advance for the blurriness of the pictures. We forgot to bring our camera and had to rely on the cameras on our phones. And I'm sorry to say we failed to get a picture of Audrey with eyes glued to the children dancers performing. She was totally enthralled watching them. We have got to get her into some lessons!
Here's a cute pic of Jacob actually cuddling with mamama (how he says my name). It doesn't happen often, so it was nice to get a picture of it! Poor guy, he isn't feeling very well, so one of us had to hold him most of the time. I didn't mind, especially since I got so many cuddles!
He's totally mine, is he not? Ooh, I could just squeeze the packin's out of him (as my Nana would say).
I didn't realize that they had gingerbread houses there too. They had some really cool looking ones, like this GINORMOUS castle, complete with a big W on it. He he he.
And of course I had to take a picture of this gingerbread house. It's Chief Swan's house, complete with mossy trees, a red truck, and a dark figure (hmmm, who could that be?) in the tree outside one of the bedroom windows. What fun! There were also a few Twilight inspired Christmas trees, but I didn't really like any of them enough to stop the crew to take a picture.
There were also a ton of cheap little crafts for the kids to do. They made some little stained glass window drawings, a jingle monster thingy, some other things, and these cute reindeer hats. They had a blast.
We had so much fun, that I think this might become a tradition. Oh, and I forgot to tell you about the fudge! Mmmm. I think my favorite part was listening to the bag pipe parade at the end. There's something about that instrument that gives me chills. Good chills, that is. Anyway, we had fun and hope all the rest of you are enjoying this wonderful time of year!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
First Steps
Jacob took his first steps tonight!! He only took a few, and then got really frustrated that we weren't giving him his toys and putting them farther and farther away from him, so he quit trying. So, I'm off to give him his milk and his bed, I'll keep you posted (hopefully with video). Thanks cousin Parker for showing him how it's done!
Trip
Great. Jeromy just found out (minutes ago) that he has to leave in the morning for a business trip and will be gone for a couple of days. Yuck. Well, at least we had a nice 6 month break from business trips, I just hate it when they're so sudden.
Anyway, all our company is gone now :( so once I tackle the rest of the mountain of laundry (seriously, a mountain- I've done 8 of the 12 loads I need to do- that's what 20 guests for Thanksgiving will do to you- and we loved every minute of it!) and get the house a little more ready for Christmas, I'll be able to really blog. Heck, I might even post our Halloween pictures! I know, I know, don't get ahead of yourself, Hilary. First things first, get Jeromy packed and laundry finished. Oh, and don't forget to feed the kids. Then, maybe, just maybe, I can really blog for the first time in over a month! Ok, kids, coming....
Anyway, all our company is gone now :( so once I tackle the rest of the mountain of laundry (seriously, a mountain- I've done 8 of the 12 loads I need to do- that's what 20 guests for Thanksgiving will do to you- and we loved every minute of it!) and get the house a little more ready for Christmas, I'll be able to really blog. Heck, I might even post our Halloween pictures! I know, I know, don't get ahead of yourself, Hilary. First things first, get Jeromy packed and laundry finished. Oh, and don't forget to feed the kids. Then, maybe, just maybe, I can really blog for the first time in over a month! Ok, kids, coming....
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Jacob's First Birthday
Our rambunctious little boy turned one! (Actually it was 2 weeks ago- on the 7th) The first birthday is always a little bittersweet for me: it's a very exciting time, yet it's so sad to say goodbye to the baby days and look back and see if I paid attention enough to remember 20 years from now what he was like when he was a bouncing baby boy. Thank goodness for blogs!!
Both Grandmas came down for the festivities (and Aunt Laurel too!). Boy, did he LOVE all the attention!!! Whenever we were all looking at him (which was a lot as you can imagine) he would bounce up and down and do this little jig, all with his scrunched-up-breathing-out-of-his-nose face he does whenever he's happy, which is quite often, thankfully. So fun. I have GOT to get that on tape!
He's still not walking, but that's totally fine with this mama! He's already getting into everything, I don't need his extra mobility to add to that. But he's such a fast furniture walker (for the past 2 months!), and the other day I caught him crawling onto the top of the couch. And whenever we change his diaper we have to make sure the gate is up otherwise he's all the way upstairs before we're finished taking the diaper out to the garage. That boy is fast.
He had his arms up in the air for awhile. Silly guy.
Jacob LOVED his cake! He went to town! I tried to upload the video cuz it was so cute, but oh well.
Grandpa Wilson gave Jacob his very own football from Jeromy's high school. I think it was Jacob's and Jeromy's favorite gift.
He makes some really funny girgley kind of noises (sounds like "golly-golly-golly-golly" really fast) that nobody can imitate, and we tried to get it on video, but he was enjoying his spoon too much.
Well, little guy, it's been an exciting year. We're starting to see how everyone says boys are rambunctious yet so delightful. We love you! Happy Birthday!!
Both Grandmas came down for the festivities (and Aunt Laurel too!). Boy, did he LOVE all the attention!!! Whenever we were all looking at him (which was a lot as you can imagine) he would bounce up and down and do this little jig, all with his scrunched-up-breathing-out-of-his-nose face he does whenever he's happy, which is quite often, thankfully. So fun. I have GOT to get that on tape!
He's still not walking, but that's totally fine with this mama! He's already getting into everything, I don't need his extra mobility to add to that. But he's such a fast furniture walker (for the past 2 months!), and the other day I caught him crawling onto the top of the couch. And whenever we change his diaper we have to make sure the gate is up otherwise he's all the way upstairs before we're finished taking the diaper out to the garage. That boy is fast.
He had his arms up in the air for awhile. Silly guy.
Jacob LOVED his cake! He went to town! I tried to upload the video cuz it was so cute, but oh well.
Grandpa Wilson gave Jacob his very own football from Jeromy's high school. I think it was Jacob's and Jeromy's favorite gift.
He makes some really funny girgley kind of noises (sounds like "golly-golly-golly-golly" really fast) that nobody can imitate, and we tried to get it on video, but he was enjoying his spoon too much.
Well, little guy, it's been an exciting year. We're starting to see how everyone says boys are rambunctious yet so delightful. We love you! Happy Birthday!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thoughts
I've been trying for the last few days to put into words my thoughts and feelings of the sweet funeral I attended on Saturday. But, alas, I am not good with words, and much of it is too personal to share anways. Suffice it to say, that I am constantly amazed by my dear friend, Megan, who is going through some unexpected trials right now, and yet she has such great perspective. I think we all (myself very much included) could use a little more perspective in our lives, as we go about our daily tasks, to remember that we have a loving Heavenly Father who's looking out for us and our families because he wants us to come back. He places such great special love in the hearts of mothers for a reason, and he won't take that away, but will make it last forever. May God be with you and your family always Megan, and may the Lord continue to bless both your precious twins through their missions, here and there.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A Favor
I really should be cleaning instead of posting this, but I thought it was so funny.
Audrey: Mom, can you do a really important thing that I'd like? A really important favor for me?
Mom: What is it?
Audrey: Um, could you clean the whole house before Grandma gets here? Because I really don't want her stepping on all our stuff.
Mom: Well why can't you help me clean?
Audrey: Oh, cuz I'm very busy.
Uh huh. Coloring is so much more important than cleaning the house to a presentable level for company. Uh huh. Whatever.
Audrey: Mom, can you do a really important thing that I'd like? A really important favor for me?
Mom: What is it?
Audrey: Um, could you clean the whole house before Grandma gets here? Because I really don't want her stepping on all our stuff.
Mom: Well why can't you help me clean?
Audrey: Oh, cuz I'm very busy.
Uh huh. Coloring is so much more important than cleaning the house to a presentable level for company. Uh huh. Whatever.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Eternal Beauty Makeup
My sister came across this while shopping for makeup:
http://www.beautifulgirlminerals.com/item_195/Eternal-Beauty-Kit.htm
So cool!
http://www.beautifulgirlminerals.com/item_195/Eternal-Beauty-Kit.htm
So cool!
Our Beautiful Basement
Ah, the spoils of my labors with coupons!
This is how our food storage side of our basement looks. I tried to get everything in these shots, left to right. It's just so nice to have everything organized and waiting for use!!
This is how our food storage side of our basement looks. I tried to get everything in these shots, left to right. It's just so nice to have everything organized and waiting for use!!
This Coupon Gal Is Back!
I took a break from couponing when we moved, and it was really hard for me to get back into it. I know, shocker!! I'm not totally back up and running (i.e. cutting coupons monthly if I'm lucky instead of weekly), but I have done some coupon shopping lately. I forgot what a high it can be!!
My favorite shopping trip was Rite Aid's freebie deals last month: they had a bunch of cold medicines, etc. for free after rebate. So I got about $70 worth of medicine for free, I just paid $5 in tax. Awe-some! Even more awesome that we had to use some of this the following week when we all got colds, and I didn't have to venture out and get medicine. Yipee!
Of course, all the case lot sales were way fun. We were down to our last dozen boxes of cereal (wow for us), so it was nice to be able to stock up (80 boxes) on our favorite healthy cereals for .50 to 1.20 a box. I'll post pictures soon. (I know, you can't wait;)
And Walgreens last month had some fun stuff too. I got:
Loreal facial cleanser
Nivea body wash for men
Halloween stickers and puzzles and pencils to keep kids busy
3 things of Pepto (including for kids)
3 name brand toothbrushes
2 Puffs tissues
2 boxes of envelopes
4 small notebooks
4 things of Trident gum
3 Children's Tylenol
3 Infusium shampoos
Huggies big refill wipes
2 small Huggies diapers
5 Softsoap bodywashes
3 Tylenol cold medicines
3 Herbal Essences shampoos
All for $60 (after $95 in coupons and $35 in rebates)!!! It should have been about $190 normally (or about $150 if bought at Wal-Mart), so I figure I saved about 60-70%!!
Woohoo! I'm back in the game! And loving it!!!
My favorite shopping trip was Rite Aid's freebie deals last month: they had a bunch of cold medicines, etc. for free after rebate. So I got about $70 worth of medicine for free, I just paid $5 in tax. Awe-some! Even more awesome that we had to use some of this the following week when we all got colds, and I didn't have to venture out and get medicine. Yipee!
Of course, all the case lot sales were way fun. We were down to our last dozen boxes of cereal (wow for us), so it was nice to be able to stock up (80 boxes) on our favorite healthy cereals for .50 to 1.20 a box. I'll post pictures soon. (I know, you can't wait;)
And Walgreens last month had some fun stuff too. I got:
Loreal facial cleanser
Nivea body wash for men
Halloween stickers and puzzles and pencils to keep kids busy
3 things of Pepto (including for kids)
3 name brand toothbrushes
2 Puffs tissues
2 boxes of envelopes
4 small notebooks
4 things of Trident gum
3 Children's Tylenol
3 Infusium shampoos
Huggies big refill wipes
2 small Huggies diapers
5 Softsoap bodywashes
3 Tylenol cold medicines
3 Herbal Essences shampoos
All for $60 (after $95 in coupons and $35 in rebates)!!! It should have been about $190 normally (or about $150 if bought at Wal-Mart), so I figure I saved about 60-70%!!
Woohoo! I'm back in the game! And loving it!!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Mom Tricks
Thank you, Bethany, for giving me something to blog about:) My friend put some great tips and tricks for Moms on her blog, and I highly recommend checking it out! Awesome!!!
Nothing
Maybe it's just me. But do you ever feel like there's nothing really to blog about? Nothing going on that's blog-worthy? The longer I go between posting something, the higher my standards get about bloggable stuff in my life. I guess I could post old pictures that I never got around to posting, or (shoot) Halloween pictures. I just hate uploading photos. Maybe it's good that nothing's going on right now, no drama. I'll come up with something. Jeromy's gone all week, so some drama is bound to happen.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Which Twilight Character Would You Be?
I happened upon this on someone's blog. So fun!
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
And if I were a guy, I'd be an Edward. Awkward...
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
So speaking of Twilight, anyone have plans for opening night???
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
And if I were a guy, I'd be an Edward. Awkward...
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
So speaking of Twilight, anyone have plans for opening night???
Monday, October 13, 2008
Surprise Family Adventure
On Saturday, in an effort to get the kids to help out with the chores, we said we were going to do something really fun together once the house was all clean. Boy, did it work! But then we had to come up with a fun idea. Urg.
With only 5 minutes to go before we all got into the car, Jeromy came up with a Surprise Adventure! Nobody knew (except Daddy) what we were doing until we got there. So exciting!!
Surprise #1: A ride on Uta Trax! The kids went nuts. They absolutely loved it! And best of all, the kids rode free! (It probably cost us the same amount in gas and parking fees: $9. Awesome!)
Surprise #2: The Clark Planetarium in downtown SLC!! It was so much fun! They have all these cool exhibits to look at and the best part was it was all free!
They have one section where you can pretend to be the weatherman/woman. Notice the TVs on the sides:)
Surprise #3: After getting some dinner and cookies (Ben's Cookies: INCREDIBLE!) across the street at The Gateway, we went to get tickets for a star show (Psych fans, imagine the Planetarium episode: hee hee hee!). To our surprise, the cashier lady handed us a coupon for free tickets! Woohoo! Oh, and the show was cool too.
Alas, all great adventures must come to an end. Here are the girls waiting in the cold for the bus to come.
With only 5 minutes to go before we all got into the car, Jeromy came up with a Surprise Adventure! Nobody knew (except Daddy) what we were doing until we got there. So exciting!!
Surprise #1: A ride on Uta Trax! The kids went nuts. They absolutely loved it! And best of all, the kids rode free! (It probably cost us the same amount in gas and parking fees: $9. Awesome!)
Surprise #2: The Clark Planetarium in downtown SLC!! It was so much fun! They have all these cool exhibits to look at and the best part was it was all free!
They have one section where you can pretend to be the weatherman/woman. Notice the TVs on the sides:)
Surprise #3: After getting some dinner and cookies (Ben's Cookies: INCREDIBLE!) across the street at The Gateway, we went to get tickets for a star show (Psych fans, imagine the Planetarium episode: hee hee hee!). To our surprise, the cashier lady handed us a coupon for free tickets! Woohoo! Oh, and the show was cool too.
Alas, all great adventures must come to an end. Here are the girls waiting in the cold for the bus to come.
Pumpkinland
We visited the Wilson's last week at Pumpkinland. Thanks, Wendy, we had so much fun! Audrey kept asking on the way home, very sadly, "When are we going to see the boys again?"
First Snow in New House
Did anyone else wake up to snow yesterday? We sure did. I can't believe how EXCITED the kids were to see it out their windows as soon as they woke up, and then how DISAPPOINTED they were to have it melt by the time we got home from church:( Still, it's exciting to start a new season in our new home!
More Preschool Pix
I forgot my camera on the first day of preschool {gasp!} so another mom in the class was kind enough to email us pictures she took with her camera. Here they are:
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