Monster In Our Lunchbox

Nik and I took our boys down to Pocatello to swim at the Ross Park Aquatic Center. It must have been a good day for a swim, as we had to stand in line for 20 minutes to get in (turns out there are more good moms than just the two
of us. Who knew?) The boys spent most of their water time in the zero depth kiddie pool. During the hourly pool checks when they make everyone get out of the pool, we'd make our way back to our towels and stuff. Hudson would always head for the lunchbox packed with treats. It was a bit breezy so the boys would freeze when we pulled them out of the water.

French Fries and Missed Church

Last night after Brent finished putting in our railing upstairs and hooking up our air conditioner (he was a busy boy. He said he hopes it will "make me happy." Are pregnant women so unhappy? . . . probably.) he wanted to go and get some ice cream. We decided to visit the newly opened A&W by DAD's truck stop. Although I had already fed Hudson, he managed to inhale a large portion of Brent's fries and milkshake. Once the fries were gone, he tried drinking his ketchup.
Anyway, I woke up to Hudson crying at 6:00 this morning. I went to see what was the matter and found him lying in his bed, surrounded by lots of french fries. They must not have settled well with him because his tummy definitely wanted to give them back. Reminds me of when I was expecting Hudson and Brent and I (okay, so it was mostly me) finished off 2 large orders of curly fries. Same outcome, only difference was that I made it to the toilet. I got him bathed and his bed cleaned up and took him back to bed with us. Brent didn't think it was a good idea to take him to church, so here I sit blogging instead of being in Sunday School. And that my friends is the story that makes my title make sense. I know. . . some of you probably thought I had a craving and decided to miss church. Not true, even if I do find fries to be quite yummy.

Something For Baby

I finally finished a quilt for our baby. It should come as no surprise that it has something to do with John Deere. I couldn't resist the fun, pink fabric. It was fun to machine quilt. I went a little crazy with the flowers- but I had to keep it feminine, right? For some reason Brent hasn't objected to me making two blankets for the baby, although he adamantly opposed me making any for Hudson. Maybe he likes pink better than blue. Enjoy!

Barefoot & Pregnant

Here I sit, hours away from Brent's 10 year class reunion. And this is my condition. Since I didn't graduate with him, or even from Firth, I feel the pressure is off. No one here will ever know what I looked like when I graduated (including Brent) so I have no image to live up to. Besides, there's no quick fix for my weight gain. I've still got 6 more weeks until the baby should come. Until then, I'll still be barefoot and pregnant.

Flooding Fun

After shutting off the water (hooray! Brent finished flooding our wheat) we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's to see Mitchell and Dalton. Ever since the night before, Hudson had been begging to go to Mamma's to see 'Tchell. When we got there, the boys were out playing in the water while Grandpa flood irrigated the lawn. Hudson ran right in, so I went after him so we could take his clothes off. They had so much fun running and splashing around. I was sad I didn't have my camera. Hudson's diaper got pretty soggy, luckily by then he was starting to get cold. I pulled him out and wrapped him up in a towel. Poor guy, he got the worst rash from his bulging diaper rubbing against his legs. I guess next time he might get to run around commando.

I can still remember all of the hours, if not days, of fun I had playing in the water while I was growing up. Miss America photoshoots while someone poured buckets of water over our head or splashed us with water, waterskiing behind Dad's swing, slip and sliding through several inches of water, (it's a wonder we didn't drown) and tracking grass in the house. Oh how I wish that I could flood irrigate my lawn.

How Long Can It Take?

Before I got married, I'd fix myself a wrap for lunch and dinner. (Tortilla, lunch meat, cheese, and any fruit or vegetable I had in my fridge.) From meal prep to clean up, it took about 10 minutes from beginning to end. Then I got married and meals started taking a bit longer, but I became pretty proficient at whipping up something in less than 10 minutes when we were in the middle of farm work. Now that I have a child, mealtime takes F O R E V E R ! As I type this, Hudson has been sitting in his seat playing and eating with his food for over 50 minutes now and insists that he is not quite finished. I finally convinced him that he was finished by telling him he could feed the rest to Makita.

I swear. I do not know how we'll ever manage to get this kid to school on time. He'll have to start eating breakfast the night before.

Summer Fun

Warren Tribute

In honor of Father's Day I decided to give a little shout out to my Dad.

*He's a hard worker who taught me how to work. He also taught me how to make work fun. He can boogie to KBAR or make a game out of any chore.

*His top priority has always been his family. I can't remember a ball game or activity I was involved in where he wasn't there.

*Everyone in Burley knows him. Afterall, he's a legend.

*Whatever he is, he is the best. Whether it's scoutmaster, nursery leader, home teacher, welder, grandpa, dad, blogger, neighbor, or boat driver.

You're awesome Dad. In fact, all of your son-in-laws try to be like you. Can anyone pick out the real Warren? **Hint: The man in the white shoes is not him, even if the white shoes are his.

From all of us here at the Hillman household,
Happy Fathers Day! We love you.

Domestic Bliss

Whew! What a week. It's taken awhile to post, so I've got a lot to cover. In reaction to Nik's post "What does she do all day?" I've decided to recap my leisurely week as a housewife.
Monday- pack for Brent's high adventures, mow lawn, weed the garden, pick strawberries, Relief Society Meeting
Tuesday- baby Dr. appointment, make jam, have Mitch over to play with Hudson, conversation with neighbor about our unruly puppy- requests a new bike seat for his son since Makita chewed the other one, pack and entertain Hudson on our trip to SLC with Mom, Nik, and Bentley
Wednesday- waddle around shopping, try to keep up with Mom and Nik, (Does shopping wear anyone else out?) endure the 3+ hour car ride home, start watering lawn and garden, fix dinner for our unexpected visitors
Thursday - recover. laundry, unpack Brent's things from high adventure
Friday - clean house, spray weeds, pick strawberries, entertain Mitch, get new tires for the hay rake, get new bike seat and deliver it to neighbor, visit NiCole and see their new baby
Saturday - make cookies for ward Father's Day gift, make meal for VT sister that just had a baby, deliver meal and visit, find a babysitter for that night, call sisters in the ward to remind them about bringing cookies, go boating, attend friend's reception in St. Anthony, take Brent out for dinner
** and of course, the usuals like fixing meals, doing dishes, caring for Hudson, etc.
I'm sure many of you had a similar week. Hope you're ready for another Monday.

Things You Might Not Know About Me

I was tagged by Tammy to post some things you might not know about me. Since most of you are pretty familiar with me, these might not come as much of a surprise.

1. I got chicken pox the day before my 3rd grade track meet. It was a huge disappointment since my class had been running a mile everyday and I was pshyched for the "marathon." (Rumor had it I was the fastest girl in the school. Too funny considering my current pregnant state. I don't think I'd make it too far.)

2. I was I was selected to represent our school and community in an exchange program to Germany (known as the Daimler-Benz Award of Excellence.) I received an all expense paid trip to Germany for 2 1/2 weeks. It was luxurious since Daimler-Benz was picking up the tab.

3. My first kiss was after my freshman year of college. Hussy, I know.

4. I played rugby at USU until I suffered head trauma and got some sense knocked into me.

5. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket since high school (knock on wood.)

6. I really want a laminating machine.

7. I can drive an 18 wheeler (forward and backward), weld, grind, run a cutting torch, vaccinate and castrate calves. Why?!? Because my dad always said "It's better to make a tom-boy out of a girl than a sissy out of a boy."

Now that you all know me inside and out, I challenge you to come up with your own interesting list about yourself.

Gardening Adventures

I remember those quiet mornings out hoeing my garden, listening to the birds sing before there was Hudson. Now that I'm a mom, my garden weeding sounds more like this, "Hudson! Quit stepping on the peas!" "Hudson, don't hoe the carrots!" "Be careful when you swing your hoe." Today was no different. I had to tell him to not hoe my zinnias or marigolds. It will be a miracle if we are able to harvest anything from our garden.
For now, the safest place for him in the garden is in the corn. Brent has gone to great lengths to teach him about corn and it has paid off, since he can tell the difference between weeds and corn. He managed to hoe meticulously around the corn plants without causing any damage. I was quite impressed and almost forgot that he was only two. But then, he finished his weeding and proceeded to trample the corn on the way out of the patch. "Hudson! You're walking on the corn!" To which he turned around, walked back to the corn, laid down on his tummy, and kissed the corn he had stepped on.
So when the freezing temperatures come this fall and put and end to our garden, I suppose I won't remember all of the stepped on plants or how many bushels my garden yields, but I will remember Hudson's desire to help and the time we spent working together.
The addition of our puppy, Makita, has added another dimension to gardening. She runs over more plants than Hudson and me put together, often rolling on top of them. Some people have to worry about birds getting their strawberries, not me. Makita sniffs them out and eats them out of the patch.

Fancy Wheels

Our trip to Burley for Grandpa's funeral was good. It was fun to see family again, but I must say- all the Parish aunts are crazy. Never before have I had anyone touch my pregnant belly, until the viewing and I think they all had to get their hand on it. The funeral service was nice and appropriate. It was a beautiful day.

When we got home, I was looking through my pictures and found a few from when Grandpa snuck out in his Caddy to visit. He wasn't supposed to be driving, but who could resist with wheels like these?

Where's Hudson?

That's not much of a question anymore because I always find him in the same place- OUTSIDE. As soon as he's eaten enough breakfast, he has to take the rest out to Makita. Once he's dressed, he brings me his boots so I can help him put them on and then it's "bye." He likes his sandbox, playing with Makita, or digging in the dirt pile with his shovel and neighbor friends. All of his sock are now brown from spending a lot of time in his sweaty boots, in the company of all the dirt and sand he manages to get in them. I am having the go out and physically drag him inside for meals and bedtime. It's going to be a long summer.

Fun Site

Here's a fun site for all sorts of gospel related things. http://sugardoodle.net/ I've been working on some FHE lessons, but there's help for all sorts of things. Go check it out.

Grandpa Ole'

Saturday night Mom called to tell us that Grandpa wasn't doing well. On Sunday we got the news that he had passed away. Upon hearing the news I just sat there for awhile. Death has a way of evoking all sorts of emotions and memories. When Hudson and I were home last (for Tameka's graduation) we went in and visited him. It was 10:30 in the morning and he was still in bed. We talked, all the while he stayed lying down. (I guess I didn't realize that his health had detiorated so much. I was actually a little bothered that he never sat up.) He said he was excited for us to get a new baby girl and that Hudson was a good looking young man. Before we left, I gave him a hug and a kiss, not knowing that it would be my last visit with him.

Looking back, I'm glad that I went in and visited him. I imagine that Grandpa will give our baby a big love before she comes to us. I hope I can teach our children about their Grandparents who have passed away and continue to make them a part of our lives since their lives have influenced who we are today.

Simple Reminder

Yesterday I was reminded of why I ever wanted to have another baby and wade through another nine months of pregnancy. It went something like this. I was lying on Hudson's floor, trying to take a rest while he played. I asked him to get me his pillow off of his bed. He quickly handed it to me. Before I knew it, he was unfolding his blanket and covering me up. He got another blanket for himself and laid down next to me. A minute later, he looked at me, wiped the hair out of my eyes, and proceeded to give me three kisses on my forehead. As soon as he had done that, he was up and playing again.