I'm Bringing Home. . .

A hive of honey bees. Won't my husband laugh when one stings me. I'm bringing home a hive of honey bees.

The day finally arrived! It has been a highly anticipated event ever since I started reading up on the little insects. The kids and I assembled and painted the bee boxes and have loved learning all about bees. It's been such a great activity to do together and I guess you could say that we've all been bitten by the 'bug.'Brent's been a bit reluctant, but I've assured him over and over that they're not aggressive. So you can imagine the good laugh he had when I got stung 2 minutes into being at the bee yard to pick ours up. Apparently an occasional sting is good for a person, assuming that you're not allergic, since they prompt your body to up the cortizone production. So here it is, the old ratty bee box housing our colony. They got right to work and kept busy foraging on dandelions and fruit trees all day long.

Down By The Bay

Hudson surprised us with a solo at his kindergarten program. He was just happy he 'didn't even get stage fright.'

Hello Beautiful!

It felt a bit indulgent this weekend, calm and in the 70's. We enjoyed every minute outside. Here my cowboy sits at his favorite watering hole.He kindly volunteers to chauffeur us around, anything to get to drive.Ruby would get mad when we didn't get her jacket before heading outside. Something is terribly wrong when you don't have to bundle up to go outside. Rain boots=best kid footwear. All season and all purpose.
Brent was lucky enough for a rapid fire Q&A session with Dalanie. Questions won. She feels so cool getting to ride with Dad.

John Rowe Moyle Temple Walk

Last November our Branch President challenged the young women to prepare for a walk to the Idaho Falls temple from our building in Firth. It was in memory of John Rowe Moyle and a symbol of faith and our commitment to attending the temple.

Yesterday was finally the day after practicing and preparing. We met at 3:15 am to begin the 20 mile journey. The rain had stopped and it was very mild at 49 F. A lot of other people had joined the efforts of our little branch and there were close to 40 participants.
But it wasn't just for the young women. Our family watched Only a Stonecutter before going to temple square and seeing the inscription 'Holiness to the Lord'. For months Hudson has talked about John Rowe Moyle and has recently started walking more since he can't seem to get ready in time for the bus. The kids were so excited for the event and seemed to catch the spirit of the walk. The best part of the entire day was having Brent and the kids meet up for the last 2 miles of the journey.

My heart swelled with joy and gratitude as our family arrived at the temple together. As part of our family motto states: "We never quit trying. We are trying to be, together, forever, our family."
For me, temples represent sacrifice and commitment, love and families, unparalleled blessing and eternal happiness.

Bear World

Miss Croft invited some of the mothers that had helped in the class throughout the year to accompany the kindergartners to Bear World. It was the first time for both of us. Hudson was very cute and totally smitten by my presence. He liked to hold my hand, be close to me, and whisper that he loved me. It really melted my heart. (I just hope he isn't that touchie-feelie with future girlfriends.)

Here is the little group of kids that I got to hang out with for the day.

On The Road Again

Waving goodbye this morning.

It's rare for a farmer to travel for business. A trip to town for parts or fertilizer sponsored lunch is usually the extent of their travels. That all changed for us when Brent became a dealer for Precision Planting. This spring he's spent an average of 3 days on the road. (He really wasn't looking for something to fill his time as he rarely sits idle, but the opportunity fell into his lap. After using the products himself, he discovered a passion for planting perfection.) So he's been 'on tour' introducing area farmers to the product line up. Because of all of his hard work, the Precision Planting mobile classroom is making some stops in our state!

We'll be glad when farming is in full swing so he stays closer to home.

Young Artist

The Art Museum featured area students. Our very own Hudson Ren Hillman's work was on display. We went to check it out. Turns out his St. Patricks day rainbow and leprechaun were lucky enough to win him this honor. And then at the make n' takes, he wanted to paint more rainbows and leprechauns. (I guess that kind of a birthday will do it to a kid.) Maybe the exposure taught him that there's more to art than prisms and lads.

Way to go!

A More Christ-Centered Easter

After Dalanie prayed for the Easter Bunny, I decided it was a good time to revamp our traditions to make things more Christ-centered. The Easter Bunny actually came Friday night and left a note:

There seems to be confusion why we have Easter every year.

People see baskets and bunnies and think that Easter time is near.

But you cannot find the reason in the toy and candy store.

It comes from thinking about our Savior, Jesus Christ, a little more.

My early visit might have come as a big surprise to some.

I just don’t want to distract from the real meaning when I come.

We’ll find the eggs and look in our baskets, get that all out of the way.

So tomorrow we can focus on the real meaning of the resurrection day.

-The Easter Bunny

Saturday morning we enjoyed some egg hunts and spent most of the day outside working in the beautiful sunshine. Before bed the kids helped me make these Easter cookies. They provided a great opportunity for discussion.
Besides church and the usual Easter dinner, Grandma Hillman put a twist to her famous egg hunt. She hid one final egg and the 'finder' got to give us all one last prize. Hudson was pretty excited to find the special egg. Once Grandma explained that he got to share the story of Easter, he turned more somber. He considered it an honor to share about Christ's death and resurrection. He ended with his own testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was grateful for the little changes that we made in our traditions and felt like the kids were able to understand why we celebrate Easter.

You might notice a trend in Ruby's pictures.

In Home Check-Ups

The kids noticed these fancy dental kits at the [dollar] store and begged to bring them home. We've been enjoying free, in-home checkups nightly. I'm no hygienists, but the brushing seems to be improving.
Some may have good dental coverage but for those of us not so fortunate, you can enjoy the comforts of your bed while mom looks over your pearly whites.

I'm looking at dremel tools in a whole new light. ;)

Bubbles

At our house, bubbles can only be blown outside or in the bathtub.

Wet hands are great for catching bubbles.

Artistas

The kids and I hung out in Logan this past weekend. Nik and I employed our most clever mothering strategies [read: fed our children plenty of goldfish and popcorn in front of the tv] to keep the kids at bay so we could pretend to be artists.

It was a therapeutic weekend of mixed media art. And totally worth the mess.

Art Class

We've been trying to brighten things up indoors and keep the kids stimulated. Here are a few of our latest projects.

Jelly Bean Rainbows

Crepe paper daffodils

Bean & Noodle Art

artwork here

Lessons Learned

It's hard to believe we've lived in our house for four years now. After a recent game of hide and seek, I realized that we're still learning things about this house.

Like that for some reason there was fishing line and a hook that found me while I was trying to hide in our master closet.

And this same enormous closet held a 1917 Remington bayonet. The kids thought we had found the treasure and begged to keep it. But we returned it to the rightful owner who reminisced about the gifted WWI treasure.

Or that there's good reason why the wood stove in the basement was abandoned long ago. At least we know a few issues need to be addressed before we try lighting another fire and smoking ourselves out.

And that the hole in the wall was not the first and possibly not the last. I'm crossing my fingers though because I finally got it patched.

Quirks and all, I love the feeling of being home. Within it's walls there is safety and security, love and forgiveness.

Symbiotic Relationship

via

Hudson is really caught up in animal trivia. His days revolve around 4:00 and Wild Kratts, well and reading and planets. He loves to report his findings for the days. The other day he came bouncing down the stairs blurting out his favorite question.

"Guess-a what Mom!?"

"Rhinos have a bird that eats bugs off of them, the Oxpecker. It's a SYMBIOTIC relationship." Feeling very mature with the use of his new word.

Acting very impressed but a bit threatened by his knowledge, I added "they help each other. Just like you help me. . . I help you. We have a symbiotic relationship."