The Hill Family

Grandma & Grandpa Fun!

2010-03-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Here is Grandma and the kids getting ready

to head to Wahooz for the day.

The kids had such a great time riding the go-carts,

playing laser tag and doing a little golf.

Hailey scored hundreds of tickets on a game

to get everyone a few little gifts.

Grandpa and Clay

Jared and Hailey

Grandma and Grant

(Grace was the trade off rider)

Grandpa and Clay got stuck behind after a few laps.

Jared was out for the win!!

Cute Cousins

2010-03-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

CLAIRE & ANDI JANE

Andi Jane came over for the weekend with Grandma

and Grandpa. Claire was so excited to have them come to our house.

These two are the cutest little cousins, loving every minute together.

They enjoyed playing barbies, dress-up, Polly Pockets

and watching movies.

Happy Birthday Grant

2010-03-04T19:52:00.001-08:00

Grant turned 7 today and we want him to know how much we love him.

We're so glad we have him in our family.

He does an amazing job with all these girls surrounding him.

YES!

It's finally my Birthday!

Grant enjoys:

Playing games on the PS2 like, 4-wheeler races, car racing,

band hero, snow maching jumping, Star Wars.

He likes to play basketball outside, riding his bike or scooter.

He comes home starving everyday after school and will eat until I stop him.

He gets up sometimes before 7:00 and wants to play the Play Station.

He walks everyday with his friend Max to school.

He doesn't like studying for his spelling words each week.

In the right mood, he loves to help me clean the house.

He loves to "jam" out to music with his Dad.

Happy Birthday Grant!!

A little bit of this and that...

2010-03-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

What do you say about this picture? This is a great shot of Grant and how much fun he is. He is watching "Penny", Daris and Sara's sweet dog run after a ball he threw her.

Daris and Sara came over for the weekend for some fun. We are always lucky the weather has been great for an evening at the park. We enjoyed PF Changs one night for dinner. Daris was brave and let the Waitress surprise him with his entree. We also rented the "Time Travelers Wife" and Sara and I enjoyed some confusion and tears while the boys fell asleep.

This is my sweetie pie-- (coming up on 14 years). It just keeps getting better and better with so much fun and excitement everyday.

Claire wishing you all A Happy Valentines Day!

So Jared and I have been excited to try a few things. We have made rolls, Cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, monkey bread. Okay, so I should have said that we have been on a "kick" with breads. The pizza crust has become a new family meal, the kids eat it better than take out. And the rolls we still need to master so they are as good as Grandma's. But, loving and learning

Idaho City Sledding

2010-02-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

We picked a Saturday to head up to Idaho City and do some sledding.

The snow wasn't great, but the kids still had fun.

We were lucky to come home without anyone hurt.

Grant and Max

We made a fire and we

cooked Chilli and some Hot Chocolate for lunch.

Grace was found relaxing and enjoying a KitKat after her lunch.

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-31T08:07:00.001-07:00

Tonight we headed to the Church for the Trunk or Treat. Jared decided he needed a little more darkness to his costume. Last weekend at a friends party I dressed up as a Devil and he was an Angel. Tonight however, he was a Vampire. Sophia didn't know what she thought of her Dad all dressed up and scary.

Grace is a Naughty and Nice Fairy

Hailey choose the Army Diva tonight

Grant....what do you say to someone so cute. He was on the dark side that's all we know.

And Claire choose tonight to be Snow White. She kept wandering around following all the other Snow Whites she saw.

We had a Chili cook off and some Corn Bread. Then the kids went around Trick or Treating and filled their bags. I ran out of candy pretty quick, but we where still a "hot spot" with our propane heater to keep us warm.

Happy Halloween!!

Our life currently

2009-10-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

I know I need to catch up a little bit from the summer but Fall has come and life is still moving forward. Grant signed up for Flag Football this fall and is on the Patriots Team. Jared is helping as a Coach. It has been so fun to watch him play. Jared wonders if the boys are even learning anything but I remind him that they are having a blast and that's all that matters.

Labor Day weekend we headed out to the Lake. The kids really enjoyed tubing this summer. This is sweet Hailey and Sophia.

Claire's fun milestone is starting Preschool. She wakes up everyday and wants to know if she goes to Preschool today. She loves packing her Princess backpack with her lunch and fruit snacks. She also begs me for a KitKat, which she calls a "Kittykat" that she can eat after her sandwich is gone. Her best friend is Wes and he is in her class.

Sophia & Corbin

2009-09-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to McCall and had a scrapbook weekend. I was able to put a page together for Sophia and Corbin. I had so many fun pictures of them this past year. They were born only 10 days apart.

April in Review

2009-06-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!

These are our little bunnies after their Easter Egg hunt. The bunny left lots and lots of eggs for them this year and had their very own private hunt in the back yard.

After the morning fun we headed out to a soccer game for Grant and Grace and then topped the evening off with shopping and a movie.

Grace turned 10 this month which means--(her parents are getting older). She has grown up so much and is such a big help to me around the house and with her brother and sisters.

She was on a competitive soccer team this year and really learned some great skills and a love for her team. She learned to play the violin and is still playing piano. Some of her passions are Converse shoes, drawing and her Ripstick.

Jared and I enjoyed a weekend away to Heber with some friends. It was a beautiful weekend with shopping, the boys golfed and lots of games. Some of our highlight were waking up early to the beautiful bird hitting our window and the crazy game around the pool table.

Thanks for the invite Tuellers!!

Elizabeth, Amy, Jen, Kim and Liz

I was reunited with some of the greatest ladies in the world. These sweet "chicks" are the ladies I spent my 2nd year at Ricks College with. We lived in the "Carriage House", #206. We spent time going to the new Rexburg Temple, making vinyl signs (thanks to Jenn) and talking, talking talking. It was so fun to see them, they look the same as they did __years ago.

It was one of those moments when you haven't seen each other for years and you just pick up right where you left off.

Love you like a hog loves slop!!

March Madness

2009-06-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

Mr. "G" turns six!!!

He was excited to get a birthday party and take some friends

to Wahooz (formerly Boondocks) for some Lazer Tag and games.

They loved every minute of it.

Grandma Hathaway passed away and we attended the Funeral

in St. Anthony. She was special to Jared growing up, he spent

time living with her before his mission. He called her "Grams".

This month Hailey had some Clogging Competitions, one in Nampa and one in Pocatello. She did a great job placing 1st and 2nd in her dances which allows her to go to

Nationals at Lagoon in May

Grant and I went to Pocatello with Hailey to her Clogging Competition. Gaige, Grant and Clay were a big support in the stands. Grandma and Grandpa Howard, Daris, Sara, Danial and Lilly came to see her perform.

Grandpa Howard bought a KW for a new job he is pursuing. We couldn't wait to see the stripes he added and the new bunk beds inside. Thanks Grandpa for the tour.

We're still here...

2009-06-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's me Claire, my Mom's sorry she hasn't posted new pictures of us for several months. She has been busy taking care of us and will try this week to update the blog. We have been involved with some fun things and we're all growing up fast.
This was us on Easter, don't we look cute?
Grandma and Grandpa Howard and Uncle Danial, Hannah and Lilly came to stay for the weekend. Grant and Grace had soccer tournaments and they all needed to see how well they play. We had fun coloring eggs, frosting cupcakes and playing with the cousins.

Digital Pages

2009-02-06T22:07:00.001-08:00

So this month I started my next class with Digital Scrapbooking. I am loving it!! I learn so much and it seems to easy to have someone walking you through each step. I'm taking it online at Jessicasprague.com, this is the second class of three called

"Now We're Rockin".

Disneyland

2009-02-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I still honestly beleive that this is the "Happiest Place on Earth." I don't think anyone is ever sad inside here...okay maybe two year olds that want out of the stroller or need a nap. :D

But we sure can have fun and my older kids had great energy that kept going and going

Love our autograph book, they were all so excited to meet the characters
Claire just thought everyone was "so nice".

Claire's dream came true when we were finally able to met --

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

and Belle

She looked at them and then touched Belle's glove and her neck to see if she was real. It was the cutest thing ever. When we left she asked..."Where was Cinderella, Ariel and Jasmine?" I couldn't beleive she would know who she didn't see...so we had to tell her maybe they were at lunch and we'd find them later.

Disneyland Friends

2009-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

Daris and Sara They helped us a lot with the kids :)

Mike and Connie Thornock Family
Mj and Susie Jensen Family
Allan and Karalee Newberry Family

Mom, thanks for the wonderful Worldmark!! Super close and wonderful accomadations. We were very comfortable there.

Disneyland

2009-02-05T13:07:00.001-08:00

Disneyland was fun with the kids. We enjoyed Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Run away Train, (as we call it) and Toon Town. We hit all the big rides first in hopes that Claire and Sophia would be patient with the rest of us. By night time, we realized that we didn't take Claire to see the Princess's at the Princess Fair, nor did we go into Toon Town until dinner.
The Autotopia was the longest wait in the park, but who can resist driving the car?

Hurray!! Tinker bell and her friends are the newest thing in the park. We were shrunk down to Fairy size and then saw Tinkerbell and one of her friends. Claire thought that was pretty cool

The long awaited "Sleeping Beauty's Castle", Claire asked for days when we would be there.

Disneyland

Gotta Love it!

California Adventure

2009-02-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

We spent 2 days at California Adventure. I think I love this park the more I go. It's filled with lots of adventure and high thrills. Grace and Hailey are tall enough to go on about everything and we really enjoyed ourselves. Here is a shot of Jared, Daris, Mike and Ashlyn on the Malliboomer. I was tickled to see Uncle Daris go a few times and Grace begged for more.
The kids bought a autograph book and that encourages them to go and approach the characters and ask for a picture and then sign their book. It was a lot of fun. Claire always walked up and said "hi" to each of them.

I had the younger kids inside Bugs World while Jared was with the girls on Sourin California. Once they joined up with us they all did the rides again.

Oh ya!! We saw Mator and Lightening McQueen, we got to take our pictures with them and then later that evening they were in the Pixar Parade. I loved the joy and excitement I saw on Grants and Claires faces when they finally saw them both. "Cars" has been a favorite thing in our house for the past 2 years.

Gotta have a picture by one of the letters entering the park!

Motherhood

2009-01-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes women get discouraged.
President Bastian from our Stake Presidency encouraged us to toss the guilt and catch the joy. He read a fun poem:

The Girl in a Whirl
By “Dr. Sue” aka Vickie Gunther

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.
I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!
I memorize names of the General Authorities;
I focus on things to be done by priorities.
I play the piano! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance!
Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! Never late!)
I’m taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all.
I track my bad habits ’til each is abolished;
Our t-shirts are ironed! My toenails are polished!
Our family home evenings are always delightful;
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.
I do genealogy faithfully, too. It’s easy to do all the things that I do!
I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of each youth in my stake!
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
It’s the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.)
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I seek each “lost lamb” on my Primary roll.
I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all.
I write in my journal! I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write “thank you’s” to those I admire.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids get straight A’s: And their bedrooms are clean!
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I go to the temple at least once a week;
I change the car’s tires! I fix the sink’s leak!
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
I make sure I rotate our two-years’ supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
These things are not hard;
It’s good if you do them;You can if you try!
Just set goals and pursue them!
It’s easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!
It’s easy!” she said…and then she dropped dead.

President Bastian quoted Mosiah 4:27: “And see that all things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.”
We should not procrastinate our preparation but all things should be done in wisdom and order. He encouraged us to study the scriptures, balance our lives and attend the temple.

My Christmas Dream

2009-01-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I had a dream.....all I wanted for Christmas was going to Island Park and staying in a cabin. I wanted to be over there close enough to celebrate the holidays with family. We were able to find an adorable cabin that was perfect size for our family. Jared and some friends decided to meet up and ride snowmachines while we were there. So we invited the Larsen family to come and join us in Island Park after Christmas. We had a wonderful time with them, the boys machined and we played games and watched movies. We had some great late nights with lots of laughs. The best was a night ride with the boys and taking Aimee for her first ride in the dark. I always like to start my friends out on "the top of the hill to ski down". There's just no sense in starting on the bunny hill. "I think you did great Aimee!".

Fabulouse Christmas, I'm still thinking about it. I think we'll do it again.

Christmas in the woods...

2009-01-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Grant couldn't beleive all the snow that had fallen in Island Park. He started walking through it to make us a path so me and the little girls could get in the cabin. He enjoyed riding with Jared on the snow-machines.
The Larsen's and us met the Hafens to go sledding while up there and Sophia didn't move or complain after I got her dressed to go hang with the kids sledding.

This is the last evening we were in Island Park, my friend had called and told us to get outside and take some pictures because the sun was finally beaming through the clouds. The snow was amazing and so fun to play in.

Kylie and Hailey jamming out to guitar hero.

The kids enjoyed the Larsen girls being up there with us. One morning Grace, Grant and Natassia went outside and found little paths someone had dug in the snow. They created a little village with stores and jobs for everyone. They played in the snow for hours.

Family Christmas Parties

2009-01-11T13:41:00.001-08:00

This is all the Hill cousins with Grandma Hill at our Christmas Party. We had a great time letting the cousins exchange gifts and playing a new version of Bunko.
This is our musical group singing songs around the piano.

Grant, Gaige, Clay, Hailey, Grace and Hannah all got a DS for Christmas this year

Here are the two cute Grandparents that bring this Family all together. We sure love them both and love going to Grandma's and Grandpa's to sled, sit in the hot tub and play games.

Here is our cousins Hannah and Sadie

Christmas Memories

2009-01-11T13:12:00.001-08:00

Sophia unwrapping presents, happy as can be!
Clay, Corbin and Grant with matching sweatshirts.
Sweet Sara and Claire, givin lovins...

Grandma Howard holding Claire while listening to the kids play music on the piano and guitars. We enjoyed Grace on her Violin, Natalie and Sara singing, Danial and Brady on Guitars and a group of all of them singing around the piano. The best part was the beautiful key on Grandma's piano that is out of tune!! It scared Aunt Robin during a song. :)

And how can we forget Uncle Daris....who was super excited that Jared came and brought over 2 snowmachines to go riding with him. These two have so much fun together.

Family Photo's

2008-12-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

These beautiful pictures where taken by my Sister-in-law Tracie.

We finally made it over to Eastern Idaho and made time for

our Family pictures.

Aren't they BEAUTIFUL!!

Sophia - 8 months
Claire - 2 1/2

Grant - age 5

Hailey - age 8

Grace - age 9

Thanksgiving weekend

2008-12-02T22:05:00.001-08:00

This is our little sweet babies--Sophia and Corbin. They are the sweetest cousins that are 2 weeks apart. They had lots of fun crawling around together and Corbin loved Sophia's hair. Corbin smiled all the time and Sophia just looked around with her big eyes and checked everyone out especially Grandpa.
We spent Thanksgiving Day outside shooting clay pigeons and pumpkins. Grant is getting a lesson on the different bullets from his Dad.

Claire just wondered around eating her cauliflower. Lovin every minute of being at Grandma's and Grandpa's house.

Halloween parties

2008-11-07T15:49:00.000-08:00

The Fire Station joined our party due to way to much smoke from the fog machine. It set off the fire alarm and we had go outside a little early this year.

This is "Little Red Riding hood", she was the hit of the party this year. Her cute little face and red hair fit the costume.

Grace's friend Brook, Grace as a U.S. Diva Girl, Hailey is Elizabeth from Pirates, Grant was the famous Darth Vador and Claire was Little Red Ridinghood.

Jack Sparrow brought his new little girl Sophia, the pirate baby. Isn't she a doll?

We did our trick or treating together with some friends and spent over 2 hours getting candy. Claire walked to whole time and didn't want to put down her pumpkin basket. The weather was great, loved every minute of it.

Harvest and Halloween Fun

2008-11-07T14:55:00.001-08:00

We didn't go pick pumpkins until the last Monday before Halloween. Needless to say, all the pumpkins where gone, we only found little baby ones. The kids still enjoyed picking them and we headed over to Walmart to buy some nice big ones for carving. This year we took the kids to the Maze, which they really enjoyed, they even thought they were ready for the Night Fright at the Maze. I told them maybe next year :)

My little babies...

2008-10-21T21:35:00.001-07:00

These beautiful pictures where taken by my friend Letia. She did such a great job and the girls had so much fun. I am so excited that I could get these moments captured, times goes by so quickly. Sophia is 7 months and Claire is 2 1/2 years. They sure love each other.

Claire's Photo's

2008-10-21T21:21:00.001-07:00

"You are never going to believe - I finally let my Mom take some pictures".

"Oh no, I won't hold still..."
"This is my pretty shot"

"This is my, I'm up to something shot."
"I love the little Sister sitting right behind me."

-Thanks Letia, for these fun memories-

Sophia's Photo's

2008-10-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

My Friend Letia took these adorable photo's of Sophia. She was crawling all over the place but was sure a lot of fun to take some pictures of. She is 7 months old.

Red Fish Layout

2008-10-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is some fun pictures from Red Fish. We went over Labor Day weekend and had a great time. What a beautiful place! This layout was fun and I learned some great tricks to do with Photoshop. Can't wait to see what I can produce on my own without Jessica Sprague talking in my ear telling me what to do. :)

Week 2 layout

2008-10-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

This was super fun to do of Claire, I learned some fun techniques. It was fun to think of things that she does and loves at age 2.

Photoshop is up and running!

2008-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

So, Jared got his laptop cleared off and loaded Photshop for me so that it would actually work at a high speed. I signed up for a class and will be posting my work when I'm done. I actually knew a lot more than I thought but learned so much. What do you think?

Sweet Sophia--six months

2008-09-15T20:54:00.001-07:00

My little Sophia turned six months on Sunday. She is so fun to have around and is growing so fast. The kids act just like they did when Claire was this age. All of them fighting to go get her when she wakes up and wanting to hold her all at the same time. Even Claire can make her laugh and has begun to make her a bottle every time she starts to get fussy.
Her hair has not fallin out--just getting longer and is in her eyes unless I pull it back.
She is sitting up on her own and has a cute little worm crawl.
Some of my favorite things Claire does with her:

1. When Sophia wakes up, Claire will say "Hello Sosia, Hello!"

2. or "Mom, Sosia's awake--Mom!"

3. She will lay down on the floor with her and hold Sophia's hand while sucking her thumb.

And then there's Grant---Yesterday I caught him packing her up the stairs, he takes her out of the bouncer and begins to lay down with her (he's on his back and she is on her back on top of his belly) She doesn't like this very much and takes the abuse for a while and then ask's for help.

Please don't be worried about her, I am always near these little peeps :) She gets lots of love and attention and we never have a dull moment around the house.

Coeur d'Alene

2008-09-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hailey's Baptism July 5, 2008

2008-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hailey turned 8 this summer and was baptized by Jared. We had lots of fun with family in town to celebrate with her.

My Sweet Babies

2008-09-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is sweet Claire sometime in August. I just had to get a picture of her with her cute pigtails and button down shirt. Age 2

Little Sophia---about 5 months old and lovin life with her Sister.

Niagra Falls

2008-09-08T17:33:00.001-07:00

We are standing on the American side looking over to CANADA.
We took a tour in Canada, this was some clock that was made out of plants and flowers.
Looking at the Horse Shoe Falls, in the Maide of the Mist boat.

Palmyra, NY and Kirkland, Ohio

2008-09-08T17:03:00.001-07:00

Standing on top of The Hill Cumorah, looking out on the field that holds the audience for the play.
On top where the monument sits.
The Palmyra Temple
Once again - taking a picture of ourselves together in front of the Temple
The Sacred Grove

Jared and I spent a few days this summer in Ohio and decided to drive to Kirkland and up to Palmyra, NY. Our first day we took off and drove up to Palmyra, NY and spent two days there enjoying the Ssacred Grove. WOW, what an experience that was to be there where Joseph Smith had seen the Father and the Son.
This is the Joseph Smith farm and Jared is standing in front of the house of Joseph Smith Sr. and Family.
This is downtown Palmyra, where we went to the Printing Press, saw the corner of the four churches and enjoyed a slice of pizza.
This was the Peter Witmer Farm, out in Fayette, NY., about 35 minutes from Palmyra. As we drove we enjoyed the beautiful land in upper NY. We listened to "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, it became our theme song for the trip.
We are trying to take a picture of ourselves together for history sake. We are at Hilcumorah enjoying the quietness of the hill. We missed the pageant by one week, so everywhere we went we where almost the only people touring. Very nice and pleasant.

Island Park at the Hafen Cabin

2008-09-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our "cutie pie" Sophia
We entered the Park when we went to the Hafen Cabin in July. On Saturday we entered the Park and only waited a few minutes to see the faithful "Old Faithful".
This is the group of kids that we were able to spend the weekend with. We had lots of fun floating the river, playing games, watching a movie on the big screen and letting off fire works.
This is a picture taken inside the Park by the Upper Falls.
Grace - age 9
Hailey - age 8
Grant - age 5
Claire - age 2

Sweet Summer Memories

2008-09-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so some of you have been giving me a bad time about not posting for awhile. May I just say that summer came and went before my eyes. This picture is of the 4th of July spent here in Boise with Grandma and Grandpa, Daris, Sara and Penny. They came over for Haiely's Baptism.
Most of our summer was spent in the water, either up at the Lake or on the pool. Good thing the kids love to swim and enjoy the sun
Here is my sweet boating girl, eating some apples that her favorite friend "Aimee" gave her.
The sweet end to the summer came when we went boating with the Larsen's and Jared was able to get all the kids up to surf. Grant had to be influenced a little by a quick brib from his Mom. Earning toys works with Grant, but this one only took the idea that she would video tape him surfing.
This one is dedicated to my Friend Tonya. She loves photos and whenever you see her she enjoys a hug. Love ya Tonya!!!

Hailey's Birthday

2008-06-25T23:09:00.001-07:00

Hailey celebrated her 8th Birthday in McCall this year. Her birthday lands the day after our Anniversary so we always seem to be somewhere celebrating. She also was able the share the day with her Dad who was also celebrating Father's Day.

This is Haiely at age 2. She was lots of fun and always making people laugh. She has always been fun to be around.

Hailey's 8th birthday party was with friends and family about 6 days after her birthday. We were in McCall camping and both her and Jared didn't get much that day. We planned a fun swimming party and had the girls stay for a late night. They had a lot of fun swimming, eating and playing up stairs.

Hailey is loving, talented and full of personality.

Swimming Lessons

2008-06-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, how the kids love summer and swimming. We started the summer off with swimm lessons the Monday after school got out. We will be doing two sessions this summer to make sure they know their strokes. They are doing so great! Hailey joined Grace in the advanced class and Grant is right after them in the advanced beginner. He has really taken off in swimming across the pool on his own.

Art Fair

2008-06-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

Grace and Hailey have been involved with so many wonderful things at school this year. One of them being the Art Fair, they both played the piano and gave demonstrations with Clay and stamping. Hailey also was involved with another school play, and clogging.

Hailey's Art work

Grace's Art work

Grandma Howard's Graduation

2008-06-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

Mom graduated with her Master's Degree May 10, 2008. We all attended her ceremony but skinned out early to go eat at Red Lobster. We are so proud of her accomplishments and the example she sets for us. Here is a picture of all five of her beautiful children. Danial, Derek, Kimberly, Mom, Courtney and Daris.

Grandma and Grant (he was the lucky one to go with Jared, Sophia and I).

Grandma with Sophia and Corbin

Grandma Hill's visit

2008-06-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

Grandma Hill came the first weekend in May with
Aunt Autumn and Uncle Ryan. She came to meet Sophia and spend time with Jared and the kids. Here are some fun pictures of Grandma, Claire and Taylor. Taylor turned one in February and Claire turned two May 11, 2008.

Sweet Cousins

2008-06-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sophia and Corbin finally met Memorial Weekend. They are so cute and we were excited to get them together. They are only 10 days apart. The funnest thing is they remind me of Grace and Gaige, it's almost scary how much they do. We had fun taking pictures of them together

Here is Courtney, Tyler and Corbin. What a sweet little family.

Sophia's Blessing

2008-06-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the Hill cabin after the blessing. This is one of our first pictures as a whole family, can you believe I have five children?
This is a four generation picture. My Grandmother Ruth, Mother Kathy, me and Sophia
Aunt Courtney made the blanket for Sophia and I always like getting their blessing pictures taken with it. Thanks Aunt Courtney, we love it!

We Blessed Sophia Memorial weekend while home with the family. Here is a picture taken by Aunt Tracie capturing the sweet moment of that day. Sophia was about 2 1/2 months old.

Tagged

2008-05-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

So my friend Letia tagged me awhile back and Aimee tagged me in the last few days. I'm finally sitting down at the computer, so here it goes.

Things about me

Four Movies I could watch over and over:
1. Pride and Prejustice (A&E version)
2. Where the heart is
3. How to loose a guy in 10 days
4. Any Chick flick with a love story

Four Jobs I've had:
1. Subway (sandwich artist)
2. Nail Technician
3. Office Manager at a CPA Firm
4. Substitute Teacher

Four Places I've lived:
1. Rexburg, Idaho
2. Logan, Utah
3. Phoenix, Arizona
4. Meridian, Idaho

Four of my Favorite dishes:
1. Chicken Fetticinni
2. Honey Glazed Chicken and Lettuce Wraps (PF Changs)
3. Baked Potatoe
4. Oreo Blizzard at DQ

Four TV show I love:
1. ER
2. Law & Order SVU
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Friends

Four sites I visit daily:
1. Family and Friends blogs
2. Oprah
3. KTVB
4. Craigs list

Four places I have Vacationed:
1. Mexico
2. Carribean
3. Florida
4. California

Four places I'd rather be right know:
1. On a Cruise tasting all the foods
2. At Disneyland with my kids
3. On the boat in Lake Powell or Surfing with our "Boat Buddies"
4. On a date with Jared

Four Friends I Tag:
1. Courtney
2. Tracie
3. Mom
4. Sara

Our pet "Froggy"

2008-05-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and we have found some frogs out in the common area's. Grace and Hailey caught some frogs last week and now they are living in the back yard. Hailey's frog died and so we only have Grace's left. Everyone enjoys holding him even Claire. We'll see how long the Frog can live in the tupperwear bowl. :D
This is Claire saying to me that she wants to "hold de frog Mom", "hold de frog Mom". She's not scared at all.

Look who turned two...

2008-05-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Claire turned two today May 11, 2008. She was able to share this birthday with me this Mother's Day. She has grown up so much in the last 4 months. Maybe it's because there is another baby in the house that she seems so much older. We truely love her and enjoy each moment with her. She is always full of love for her brother and sisters. She loves to ask her Daddy for her "ba ba". I can be in the room and she will find Jared and ask him for her bottle, it's hilarious. She loves shoes, she loves to put different ones on all day long. She loves to suck her thumb and twist her hair. And each morning she wants up in my bed and wants the T.V. on to watch cartoons. She is a fun one our sweet "Claire..e"This is Claire at about 6 weeks old, she was super cute. The first year went by so fast, I remember loving each moment with her.

Free Mother's Day print

2008-05-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Grace's Birthday

2008-04-30T13:03:00.001-07:00

Grace 2004 - 5 years old

Grace turned 9 on April 28th. We celebrated her birthday this year at Boondocks on Saturday. She invited her friend Taylor to come with us and they enjoyed riding the bumper boats and playing Laser Tag. We went to DQ and had lots of ice cream afterwards. Monday after school we took her to the mall and she picked out some new Heelies, the American Girl books for her doll Kit, but her favorite was a new Webkinz dog. Her first wish for her birthday was to get a dog but I had to remind her we have a new baby and it will be a few years before we get a real dog.

Some things about Grace:

1. She is a very aggressive soccer player

2. She still enjoys drawing and being creative

3. She is a wonderful piano player

4. She has beautiful cursive handwriting

5. She enjoys reading books.

Five of her favorite things:

1. She loves ice cream (Chocolate and Mint Chocolate Chip)

2. She loves her pink blanket

3. She loves swimming

4. She loves to play on the computer

5. She loves Spaghetti and Lasagna

"Hold der Mommy"

2008-04-23T12:49:00.001-07:00

EVERYTIME I go to change a diaper Claire gets the diaper for me and wants up on the bed. She gives Sophia kisses and lays down right by her. She then wants to "hold der Mommy". So I finally gave in and let her hold Sophia. Maybe I felt like Sophia is getting a little stronger with her head and can handle the torment that she gets with her adorable big sister.

"Mommy, my nose"

2008-04-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

Claire went to a friends house today while I was at Kindergarten registration and when I picked her up she said "nose mommy". I responded "Yes, Claire that's your nose". As we got home she said it again and I once again responded "Yes, that's your nose". So when I finally put her down for a nap she said it one more time and I decided to look up her nose and found a green "thing" up her nose.
It looked like a pea, green and round, she had never put anything up her nose before so I was a little nervous to know how to get the pea out. So I tried pushing on her nose to hopefully smash it and then pull it out with tweezers. She started to cry so I tried to have her blow her nose, (Which she has never done before).
Long story short...she fell asleep on my bed so I decided to let her sleep awhile and try later. When she woke up I pulled her nose as open as I could and stuck the tweezers up there and pulled it out. It was NOT a "pea"...It was a bead, yes a green bead for a necklace. The funniest part was that about 30 minutes later a purple bead fell out of her nose. Crazy girl!

Weekend Fun

2008-04-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

Let the fun begin by putting up the tramp with Dad. The kids have really enjoyed jumping and having Jared jump with them. Even Claire wants to get on and the other kids have to sit down and let her have a turn.
This last Sunday was Sophia's first time going to church. She was all smiles and was pretty good the whole time. Don't the girls look great? Who's missing...

CLAIRE...she was still napping and then joined the girls for the "girl" picture.

Simple things

2008-04-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

My friend helped me remember that we need to stop and appreciate the simple things. She also helped me realize how important it is to scrapbook and journal our experiences.

Conference talk "Daughters of God" from Elder Ballard.

"The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make....I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. Thee is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set of a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."
Anna Quindlen, Loud and Clear [2004], 10-11).

Soccer Tryouts

2008-04-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Grace had tryouts last night for the Boise Captial Soccer Club. She has reached the level and experience to move up to the U11 girls Select Team. She was asked to play a game and showing her skills while of course having FUN!! This is part of her Team Taylor and Hannah.
Grace will be turning 9 on April 28th. She has played soccer for 4 years and has been able to have the same coach (Coach Ellen) the whole time. Most of the same girls have been on her team and they have formed a great relationship with each other.

Uncle Daris and Aunt Sara

2008-04-10T16:17:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Uncle Daris and Aunt Sara came to Boise to visit. It was a lot of fun having them come over. We went to Grace's soccer game and enjoyed a relaxing dinner at Goodwood and PF Changs during the weekend.

And of course the greatest gift to the Children was bringing PENNY!! The kids have been wanting a dog and I have told them not until the baby is four years old. So they enjoyed Penny all weekend. They took her for walks, gave her cheerios after she did tricks and chased her around the yard with a ball.
Saturday evening we went to our park just down from our house and let the kids run around.

Thanks Daris and Sara for a fun weekend.

Growing Big

2008-04-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Sophia - three weeks

Sophia 2 weeks old

2008-03-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Sophia was two weeks last Friday, time seems to be going quickly even though it seems a little crazy right now. The kids are back in school today and the house seems quiet. Sophia had a hard weekend with a lot of crying but has been much calmer today with some good naps.

Spring Break 2008

2008-03-30T20:19:00.001-07:00

We planned an afternoon this week to take the kids riding. Grant helped Jared change the oil in all the machines and get them ready.
Hailey is quit the rider - she is building up a lot of confidence.
Grace has grown so much that Jared had to lift up her handle bars on her bike. Soon she will be to big for the "Little 50".

Grant dreams of one day taking over one of the dirt bikes, but for now he likes starting the 4-wheeler and helping Jared drive.
And then there is Sweet Claire - she wants to go with Jared until he puts her on and then wants off. So she went on a few rides and then hung out with Sophia and I.

We enjoyed cleaning the house a little each day and finding a few activities that kept the kids sane and their Mom... We saw "Horton hears a Who", we took the kids swimming at the YMCA, which was super fun!! And the rest of the time was spent patiently waiting for Dad to return home from work so he could help us. The week went by fast, some afternoons where hard with all the kids home but they helped me out with Sophia. Looking forward to school starting in the morning. :)))))

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T10:40:00.001-07:00

This is our group shot, we had trouble with Grant wanting to participate. So we did the best we could and this was the best picture I got of all five. The girls where very excited about their new Easter dresses all matching, and Grant with his Green tie to pull it all together.

This is the moment we lost Grant and decided to take one without him. So here's one of just the four girls
This is our precious girl, having her own photo shoot
Sophia Hill - 9 days old

My Little Helpers

2008-03-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Grandma came and helped for the weekend with the kids. Thanks Grandma, you're always a big help to us when we need you. I know that the kids enjoyed having you and Grandpa here for the weekend. We wish you were closer.
Grant and Claire have been my big helpers this first week.
We borrowed a swing and Claire loves to put herself in it and swing. She also helps Sophia swing when I put her in it. I always have my eye on her.
I am using my bed for a changing table for Sophia. When I need to change her diaper, Claire wants "up" to help. She leans in and gives her kisses and pokes her face and helps until I've had enough of her sweet helping.
I was taking some pictures of Sophia and Claire wanted her picture taken with her new sister.
Our Sweet Sophia, week one.

Birth Announcement

2008-03-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Grace, Hailey, Grant and Claire are

pleased to announce the birth of their new sister

Sophia Hill

born March 14, 2008 at 2:31 p.m.

She weighed 7.1 oz. and is 20 inches long

Sophia's Birth

2008-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Sophia getting dressed to go home
Didn't enjoy the changing of clothes
All bundled up to go home to see the family
Enjoying her first morning
Meeting her Brother and Sisters
Grace pleased to see dark hair
Hailey pleased to hold the baby
After her first bath
Mom admiring the good work she has done!

Sophie and I are both happy and healthy. The kids are having a great time holding her and she has brought a great spirit in the home.

THE BIG DAY

2008-03-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's Thursday afternoon and I'm just getting those last minute items checked off my list before the big day tomorrow. I'm so excited to finally meet this new little one. Our biggest excitement will be the color of hair she will have. We have some votes for blonde and a few for red hair.

My Mom arrives tonight to help us with the kids for the weekend and also to keep the house from falling down while Jared and I are away. I really can't beleive I'm going to have another baby, and that it's number 5. I went Yesterday with a friend to get a Pedicure and the lady doing my feet asked if this was my first baby and of course I smiled and said "No, it's number five." And today I went into Gap to pick up some little socks and a sleeper and the lady asked if this was my first....."No, this is my 5th" I said, "Oh, you just look so young and so good for this to be your fifth." I don't know why I feel so embaressed when people ask me, maybe it's because it's not the norm these days. My sweet teacher from the Parenting class I go to told me - "Kim, God will give you the power to be able to handle these children." I truely beleive that. So - let the good times begin.

Kids Photo Shoot

2008-03-09T21:27:00.001-07:00

Grant and Claire
Hailey

Grace and Claire

All the kids

This weekend was our last weekend with 4 kids, I can hardly beleive that by next Saturday we will have another sweet baby with us. On Friday I took the kids and we all went and got hair cuts so I wouldn't have to worry about that for awhile. I wanted to keep the girls hair long but they insisted on cutting it short. I think they all look really cute. Hailey's hair is always so tangled up and takes us awhile to comb through, and Grace pulls hers back everyday into a pony tail because she doesn't like it on her neck. So, we all left really happy.

Grant's 5th Birthday

2008-03-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

I have never seen a kid so excited about his birthday. Grant woke up at 7:00 a.m. and asked if it was morning time. He also asked throughout the day if he was "5" the whole day. He was tickled to have it be his birthday. We met some friends at Chucky Cheese and celebrated for lunch and then when the girls got home he was able to take his new remote control boat over to the pond and test it out. He requested Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for his desert and Fetticinni for dinner.

Howard Family Winter 2003

2008-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

This is dedicated to all the Howard's out there. Think of how we've grown over 5 yrs.

Looking back to 2003

2008-03-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

This coming Tuesday Grant will turn 5 years old. I started looking at some old photo's and forgot how cute he was as a baby. Grant has always been a happy guy, always smiling. He was sure an easier baby than the girls. That or we just became better parents :)

Mom and the kids - Idaho City

2008-02-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

Sledding in Idaho City

2008-02-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

We took the kids up with some families to Idaho City and enjoyed the snow. They absolutely love sledding. Our kids were the last ones off the hill and probably the craziest ones on it. Grant flies down the hill and goes until he is almost to the cars and Hailey spins around as she comes down. Grace is just plain crazy and loves to try the jumps. Jared was up there with them the entire time, I wonder where they learn to be so crazy :) And Claire and I, we just hung out at the bottom and took pictures.

Yummy Chocolate Cupcakes

2008-02-21T20:31:00.000-08:00

We were without a car this afternoon and decided to surprise Grace and Hailey with some cupcakes. I found the recipe on a friends website http://www.alittleofthisandsomeofthat.blogspot.com/ . It is the Robinson family from Salem, their family recipe site. It has some great things on there, check it out.

tasting the goods

2008-02-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

My favorite thing in the whole world is the have a few licks of the batter. Claire has taken on the tradition and joins the crowd.

"Out with the old..."

2008-02-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

We found out a few months ago that "Bertha" had cancer. We tried to hold on to her as long as we could but decided to let her go. She has been with our family for four years and has taken us on many long roads, we will miss her.

"...in with the new"

2008-02-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

We were able to find "beauty". She is beautiful and I love to just look at her. I know that sounds crazy but I've always had a dream of a white Yukon XL. Jared did some hard searching high and low and found her two weeks ago. So far she has been super fun!

Grace leaves Lake Hazel Elementary

2008-02-20T17:56:00.000-08:00

Grace was accepted this last week into Christine Donnell School of the Arts. We have been on a waiting list for 2 years. She was very excited to transfer and looks forward to her new adventure. Now both her and Hailey are at the same school.

Claire's photo shoot

2008-02-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

Claire got already for me one morning and we had a photo shoot. She does the cutest things lately. She loves to smile, suck her thumb and say prayers. She has been a blessing in our home.