Moab

Instead of doing something for V-day for each other including going out to dinner, we decided we'd take a mini-vacation and go to Moab. Our National Parks pass expires the end of February and we wanted to get one more thing in. Nate has been to Arches a couple of times when he was younger, but I don't think we've been since Zach was born.
So, we ended up leaving late afternoon on Friday since we had to get FOUR new tires, a 4-wheel alignment, and adjust one of the wheels (OUCH). The boys were pretty good on the drive down and we ended up renting a room for one night. This was a big deal since we've never stayed in a hotel in Moab before. We've always done the camping thing but I didn't want to camp in February in the cold with two little boys.
Jeff, being Jeff, decided he needed to do night pictures even though he was exhausted. He hiked to delicate arch on his own in the middle of the night and hung out there while he did star trails. The boys and I were trying to sleep, which was an interesting adventure. It took them a while to settle down since they had taken a short nap in the car on the way down.
At about 2:00 a.m., right before Jeff got back, I heard Zach crying. I went to get him and find out what was going on. The boys were sharing a queen bed and Nathan is a pretty crazy sleeper and always has been. Apparently, Nathan rolled over and whacked Zach in the head with his arm. Zach was screaming, I was trying to comfort him and find out what was going on, and Nathan was just snoozing away. I laid down with Zach and we were both awake when Jeff walked in a few minutes later. After Zach calmed down, I put him back in bed, with Teddy, and he went right to sleep.
We all woke up pretty early, with the exception of Nate who we had to wake up, had breakfast, and headed out the door.
We went hiking on the west side of Moab for a little bit to find some dinosaur tracks. After that, we headed over to Arches and spent the day there. We did lots of hiking. The boys loved to run, climb, jump, and just be little boys. Nate just about gave me a heart attack a couple of times because he was trying to do everything his daddy was. They had a ball and really enjoyed themselves.
We asked Nate a couple of times if he was all done and he kept telling us that we needed to do more arches. They had a blast! We were all very tired by the end of the day and the boys slept for a good chunk of the way home.
Here are a couple of photos:

Monkey and teddy bear

So, my boys have their favorite stuffed animals that they usually sleep with every night. We got Nate his monkey at build-a-bear when he was six months old through a gift certificate and he has been VERY loved. He's made it through the wash multiple times (because he was filthy) and has survived much better than other stuffed animals that have gone through the wash. Monkey usually just stays on Nate's bed, but he's also been thrown in the air multiple times and lately, Monkey and Zach's monkey he got from Grandma have ridden down the stairs in a cardboard box multiple times. It's been a dear friend who has been VERY loved. He looks a little ragged after five years of love, but he's still a dear friend.
When Zach was a baby, we got him a build-a-bear dog. However, the favorite ended up being a teddy bear that Zach got from his Uncle Jake. Teddy Bear has also been very loved, but hasn't been through quite as much as Monkey has, though we'll have to see how aged his looks when Zach is five.
Zach and I went to run errands the other day while Nate was at preschool and Zach wanted to take Teddy with us. He's been a little more attached to Teddy lately and has given him lots of hugs and kisses. He also always joins Zach for bedtime and nap time, but he usually doesn't leave the house so I was surprised when Zach wanted to take him with. Anyhow, we took Teddy with us. After one stop, I got Zach in the truck and got him buckled. He then asked for Teddy to be buckled as well. I thought it was so cute that I took a picture:



Just another one of those moments I don't want to forget as he gets older

Some of the things I've learned at work

So, I have one little boy that's at a friend's house, the other is taking a nap, and I really should be getting some work done and just have no desire to do it!
Anyhow, the other day I once again realized what an educational job I have. I try not to post anything about work, but I thought I'd list some of the little bits and pieces about a variety of things of the last few years I've worked there. Some of the odd things I've learned include:
1) how to ship a coke machine from here to Texas,
2) about how to drill for oil including how to "prime a pump"
3) how to make a manufactured/mobile home
4) that manufactured homes are supposedly more "airtight" than brick and mortar homes
5) about metallurgy
6) how to measure the relative humidity in a room
7) how to rent a millgauss meter in order to test for electromagnetic fields, and that they are also used by "ghost hunters" (though I never went ghost hunting)
9) about what strippers can and can't do in Utah (YUCK!)
10) that 5 lbs of propane can do a LOT of damage
11) that there's an expert witness for just about anything.
12) that chiropractors don't have to have a bachelors degree. I'm not sure, but I think they don't have to get any kind of college degree. They just need to go to "chiropractic school"

there are a TON of other things that I've learned over the years. Some days are incredibly boring. Others are very interesting. I've learned about electricity, construction, road design, accident reconstruction, photogrammetry, read through TONS of medical records and learned a lot. Then there's the whole law thing too. Anyhow, it's been a very interesting learning experience and I usually don't know just what the day will bring.

Ansel and Adams

Jeff has loved photography for a long time and he has a small collection of cameras. Last Christmas we saw an add for a "kid-proof" camera and thought Nathan would really enjoy it. Jeff also wanted to help instill a love of photography in the kid at an early age. We found an good deal on it and that was one of his Christmas presents last year. He has loved it and taken a ton of photos with it. It's not the best quality camera, but it works great for a kid and has been dropped numerous times and has been just fine.
Zach tried to use Nathan's camera whenever he could so we decided we'd try to get another camera for Zach this year for Christmas. I ended up finding an awesome deal on the same brand and he was absolutely thrilled with it. Thankfully, it's a different color than Nate's so we have no arguments about which camera belongs to whom.
Anywho, the Tuesday after Christmas I was at work and Jeff stayed home to watch the boys. He asked them what they wanted to do that day and Nathan said he wanted to go hiking in the mountains. As they got all dressed and ready to go, Zach ran into his room and grabbed his camera. Mind you, this was all on his own with no prompting. Nathan ran into his room to grab his camera and they headed up to the canyon to go hiking.
There following are some pictures Jeff took of the boys on their hike:

Valentine's Day 2009

So, for Valentine's Day this year we decided to be a little different. Jeff had mentioned that he wanted to go to Arches before his Parks pass expired at the end of February. I made a deal with him that instead of doing anything for Valentine's day, we could get a hotel in Moab for one night and go to Arches. Jeff had a side job on Valentine's day (which I'm TOTALLY ok with), and so we couldn't do it that weekend and decided to do it on February 20-21st. I thought that would be great and was ok with taking the boys with. We did that this weekend and the boys had an awesome time, but I'll save that post for later.
In the day's before V-day, both Nathan and Zach got to have some parties. On Wednesday, Zach had a party with his playgroup and he loved it. We addressed Valentine's the Monday night before and he was so excited to be ready for his party. He would randomly come up to Jeff and I and tell us he was all ready for his party. He had a fabulous time, thanks to Erica and Julane, and talked about his party for the next couple of days. He got a couple of Valentine's from friends that he kept in his room. There was at least one time that he wanted to go to bed with a couple of his Valentine's.
I had playgroup the Thursday before Valentine's so we also got to go a party at our house and the boys had a great time, even though a couple of their friends didn't get to come because they were sick. I got the boys some glow sticks and it's amazing how entertained 4-5 year olds can be with glow sticks! Anyhow, they had fun with that as well.
Finally, Nathan had a V-day party at Miss Melva's for preschool on Friday and had a great time. Erica picked him up from preschool and when he walked through the door, he was so excited and told me "Mom, I got tons of candy!". We sat on the bed and looked at his valentine's and candy and it thought it was awesome.
On Saturday, V-day, we went to Macey's (grocery store) for their kids club that day and the boys had a ton of fun. They got to make candy airplanes, make a present for dad, decorate a cookie, and get a box with magazines, a balloon, treats and a pencil, and a toy. They thought it was one of the funnest things ever. I love Macey's, and I love that it was free! An
Finally, that night we had Grandma and Grandpa Hillhouse over for dinner. We had crab as a special treat (since it was on sale) and I really did try to share with my boys. Of course I gave them a bunch of other stuff to eat so I didn't have to share as much, but I did share, I promise! Anyhow, for a low-key week, the boys had a ton of fun. Jeff loves crab and he enjoyed the night as well. He's a sweetie. I'm glad I have him! I'll post about Moab soon.

Reminiscing about V-day

So, Valentine's Day this year had me reminiscing of years past. It's the day that Jeff proposed to me nine years ago. I'm still amazed that much time has gone by. I thought I'd share the unique way we met and how he proposed, just because.
SO, post high school I had a bunch of good friends that left on missions and I was bummed. Letters are nice, but not the same. Anyhow, I complained to my mom about how a bunch of close friends were gone. She was working at Deseret Book at the time and apparently she and a lady she worked with, Shirley, were talking. They were plotting how I needed to meet Shirley's son, Jeff. She told me that I needed to meet him and my thoughts were, "yea right, I don't really want to be set up with someone my mom wants me to meet. I bet he's a "sweet spirit". Apparently Shirley had been working on Jeff with the same tactics and his thoughts were the same. That summer, they plotted a couple of times to have us at the same event and it never really happened.
I moved home in the fall of that year from the apartments I had been in so I could pay for college instead of paying rent. I'd been back home for a few days and got home from work at about 6:00 p.m.. My mom told me that Shirley's son had been trying to get a hold of me and my thought was something like, that's nice. Anyhow, I had been home for just a minute when he called again. Turns out that Jeff and his friend had both won tickets to the Blondie concert(this was when they came back for a short stint) and had decided to go on a double date. Jeff won tickets to the concert at 11:00 p.m. the night before and had been trying all day to get a hold of the girl he was trying to date at the time. He hadn't been able to get a date and was, to be blunt, desperate for a date. We had never met and didn't have a clue as to what each other looked like. Out of desperation, he called me and asked if I was free that evening. I told him I was and he asked me how long it would take for me to get ready. I told him I could be ready in 10-15 minutes and he said good, I'll be over in 15 minutes. Anyhow, we had a great time.
Long story short, we dated for a few months. In February, we hiked up the "G" and had talked about looking for rings. We looked for rings and found one we liked. I thought maybe he'd propose on Valentine's Day since we had looked for rings, but he told me he had to work that night. It was a Monday and since I didn't want to be stuck at home alone, I told my boss I could work that night. At the time I was working at Payless at the Provo Towne Center Mall. Not the best job, but I adored my boss which made up for it. Anyhow, Jeff got off early from work and decided he was going to propose that night. He dressed up as a modest cupid, and had a toga (with shorts and a shirt underneath- come on, he was a returned missionary!), wings, a bow, and a wreath on his head. The store closed at 9:00 p.m. and we were closing up shop in the back so the gate was locked. He plotted with the girl I worked with to get in and she told me I needed to come up front. I came up front and there was Jeff, dressed as cupid down on one knee with a ring and flowers. I was in shock. On top of that, most of his family where there in the background, videotaping the whole thing, and my parents and my two little brothers were there was well! Jeff's mom knew what he was plotting and asked to be there, and then my mom got wind of it and wanted to be there, and then everyone decided to show up! Anyhow, it was very sweet, I was in shock (partly that he dressed up as cupid), and I did say yes.
Anyhow, so not only was how we met very unique, but so is how he proposed. We set the date, got married, had a couple of kids, etc. etc. and that brings us to today. Not the met at BYU story that most people have, but we're unique! Anyhow, I've been reminiscing a bit this year and thought I'd share.

And the ultrasound says.....

Ok, so I unintentionally faked my sister-in-law BreAnn out with my last post with the title of the post. Sorry! We had the ultrasound last night and everything looks good. Nice and healthy and right on track. I'm uber paranoid about heart issues because Jeff's brother had heart issues and ended up having a heart transplant (way to go Daren!) but everything looks healthy and good. So, the news at least some of you have been waiting for....
Nathan, on his own, has been taking about a baby sister for over a year now. Well, Nathan was right and it is a baby girl!!!!!!!!!! I guess I'm going to have to start buying pink....

ANYHOW, there is a slight chance it could be a boy. With what was seen on the ultrasound, it's like a 99.9% chance it's a girl, however he's had once instance in the last 20 years where it ended up being a boy instead. So there is always a chance that it could be a boy but I think the consensus is that it's a girl.
Just wanted to pass on the news!

The Doctor Says...

So, just another quick note. I had a doctor's appointment this morning and, at bedtime last night, I asked Zach if he wanted to go to the doctor's with me. He said yes, and then said "Doctor says no more monkey's jumping on the bed". I thought it was cute, especially since it's been quite a while since we've sung that song. Apparently it's stuck though. We did sing the song a bit last night. Nathan was actually bummed because he didn't get to go to the doctor's with us since he was at preschool. Silly Goose! We're actually going to do the "kindergarten fair" at the doctor's office tomorrow. Nathan is excited because they have punch, cookies and prizes. Apparently cookies are worth the chance of getting a shot. We'll see how it goes.

25 things

So, I did this on facebook, and decided I might as well post it here too. The crazy thing is, I'm a pretty private person, so what am I thinking?? Anyhow, here goes...

1) I've been married almost 9 years now to an amazing guy and it's crazy to think I'm getting so old. Where has the time gone?

2) 1) I have 2 1/2 wonderful kids. Crazy boys who make me smile on a daily basis. I'm constantly reminded of how lucky I am every moment I spend with them.

3) There are a lot of things I didn't do until I got married. I had never been out of the country until my honeymoon to Cozumel, Mexico (PARADISE!!!). It was also my first time scuba diving other than certification and it was amazing.

4) I had also never been skiing until I met my hubby. Granted, I haven't gone this year, but last year I was even doing some black diamonds. Not too shabby for someone that hadn't been until in their 20's, doesn't go that often, and never had a formal lesson. I also love fresh powder off the trails and I'm slowly working my way into jumps

5) I'm getting old. I specifically remember being in the car with my father-in-law before I got married and he had talk radio on. I thought, "that's such an old person thing to do". Now, I've been known to listen to talk radio for the last couple of years by my own free will and choice. We've also spent a lot of time talking about finances with my sister-in-law and her husband lately. Yup, I'm getting old.

6) I used to "cook from a box" (i.e. hamburger helper) and I slowly becoming a better cook. I'm now making bread instead of buying it and it's actually really good. I've come a long way baby!

7) I cry at movies. I even cried at "Babe".

8) I never had really had grandparents growing up. The last one died when I was 2. Because of that, it's extremely important to me that my kids have grandparents which is one of the reasons es we still live close to both sets. I've threatened all of them that, if something happens and they die, I'll jump on their graves. My kids need to have their grandparents!!!!

9) I'm not creative, I'm logical. Try as I might, that's just the way I am.

10) One of my dreams as a kid was to go to law school. I know, I'm crazy. I went to school and got a degree as a paralegal, with the intention of going to law school if I liked it. I got married and it put law school on hold, but I've been encouraged by a lot of people to go to law school. I'm trying to decide if it's right for my family, but I refuse to go until at least all of my kids are in school.

11) I have a strong work ethic and because of that, I have an unusual situation at work where they let me set my own schedule and pretty much do whatever I want as long as meet the deadlines that need to be done.

12) I deeply love my family and think that being at home with my kids is very important. However, I still need to work. Because of that I'll only go into the office one day a week, which is frequently a 14-17 hour day, so I can be home with my family the rest of the time. It's an unusual situation, but I think it works for my family. My boys are only at their best friend's house for about 7 hours until Jeff picks them up, and I think they actually really enjoy it. Unusual and a bit challenging, but works for us.

13) I've become a food storage junkie. I really like knowing I have food storage "just in case". I was thrilled I got Christmas presents related to food storage.

14) I'm "frugal". My hubby calls it cheap, but I think it's just being smart. I hate to pay full price and frequently try to get the best bar gin possible. I don't haggle, at least yet!

15) Ever since I took an art history class in high school, my dream has been to go to Florence, Italy. Of course, I've been to "frugal" to make that happen, but we'll make it there one day

16) I was really shy as a little girl, to the point where I had to have my brother introduce me to the girl next door. Now I can strike up conversations with complete strangers in the elevator, but can still be shy and quiet around people I'll see on a regular basis, like people in the neighborhood. I don't understand it myself, but that's just how I am

17) The only bone I've ever broken to date is my coccyx (tailbone) when my second child was born.

18) I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, but that probably came in part from being the only girl with four brothers. I still like to camp and hike and stuff, but will also do some girly stuff too.

19) In high school, I took a psychology class only because I had to for an elective. I ended up loving it. My teacher asked me if I wanted to take the AP test, though I hadn't taken the AP class. I ended up studying for two weeks and got a 4 out of 5. Two weeks of studying ended up giving me 4 college credit hours.

20) I'm independent and always have been.

21) I have very vivid dreams almost every night. Some days I wake up and just giggle about them

22) In high school and after high school up until I got married I think I had more guy friends than girl friends. Some of my best friends were guys. Of course when I met Jeff he became my best friend.

23)I feel much better when my house is clean. I need order (though I don't always get it with my boys)

24) I'm still a kid at heart with a lot of things and will go down slides with my kids or order a kids meal for me. I may be old, but I'm not ready to be totally grown up

25) it may not be perfect, but I'm so grateful for my life and the opportunities I've had. I'm constantly reminded of how lucky I am when I get to spend time with my wonderful hubby and cute little boys