The Phone Call

I was in my pajamas, ready to head to bed when I got a phone call from Dad. He told me how mom and him went in to watch Tameka perform at half time with the marching band when Mom got violently ill. He rushed her to to ER. They discovered that she had blood on her brain and was life flighted to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake. That was all the information I got. After a phone call to Nik we packed, ripped Hudson out of his crib and were on our way to SLC. After the initial shock and scare of the phone call I didn't spend much time considering all of the possible what ifs. Instead I had a peaceful feeling like everything would be alright.

We rolled into SLC around 2:30 a.m. Mom was still having tests ran, so we went with the Stephens to Crystal Inn for a few hours of sleep. That morning we learned that the bleeding had stopped. Dad, Nik, and I went to visit Mom that morning. She was still in pain and very tired. They had her in the shock and trauma ICU so that they could continue to monitor her. The doctor is being very cautious as complications are still a possibility. The brain will be able to get rid of the blood (since it makes 2 cups of fluid a day that is drained through the ventricles into the spinal cord where it is absorbed into the body.) They are just worried that any clots from the blood could cause a blockage. Mom will have to stay in the ICU for awhile longer while they continue to monitor her but we are all very optimistic. Despite being very tired and her painful headache, she is doing well.

It's amazing how a single phone call can realign all of your priorities in a hurry. All of our family was together for the weekend to support Mom. Of course, we can't all be together without having a little fun. We celebrated Tameka's 18th birthday (a day late) at Hire's Big H. Saturday night we (Dad, Nikkala, Chod, Bentley, Deidra, Chris, Tameka, Brent, Hudson and I) all spent the night in one motel room. You counted right, ten people in a 2 queen room. None of us really knew what the day would bring, so we hung out in Dad and Tameka's room which conveniently turned into OUR room. I was quite impressed with our ingenuity. Chris and Deidra had brought their air mattress. Tameka found the stash of cots and "jacked" 2 for Dad and her. The little boys slept in the pac n' plays provided and the Stephens and Hillmans took the beds. We all slept well. Bentley occassionally reminded us that he was still there but there wasn't even much snoring. I enjoyed the time we were all able to spend together.

I feel very blessed for Mom to be recovering and doing so well. The entire incident reminds me that life is fragile. Tomorrow might be too late to say "I'm sorry" or "I love you." I thank God for life-- my family's lives, my friends' lives, and my life. I hope not to ever take life for granted.

Hudson the Helper

Lately Hudson has been a big fan of Bob the Builder, so much so that I'm making him be Bob for Halloween. As soon as he hears the music, "Can we fix it?" he starts into his hilarious dance moves (thank you Uncle Chris.) He has a little tool belt and some plastic tools. The other night he was down under his crib trying to tighten some bolts and realign the railing with whacks of his hammer. He walks around the house looking for things he can tighten with his screw driver. Most of his toys have been worked over as well.

The other day, Brent was under the header of the chopper making some repairs when Hudson walks up. He squats down so he can peek under to get a better idea of what's going on. Before long he's handing Brent some wrenches (but onl y after he's done his share of tampering with any visible nuts or bolts) and pounding on things with the hammer. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. He's also been obsessed with gloves lately. While we've been cleaning up our garden, he insists on wearing gloves like me. It doesn't matter that they're way too big, he still tries to pick things up while he's wearing them. So of course, the entire time he's helping Brent, he's wearing the gloves he took from Brent- must run in the family because Brent got the gloves from me.

Yesterday before we left to go over to Grandma's to play with the Western kids, Hudson insisted that he have some gloves before we walked out of the door. (He now has a little pair of terry cloth gloves that Grandma gave him.) It's a good thing he had them on because they were all cleaning up leaves and working in the yard. Without hesitation, Hudson runs over and starts pitching in. He handed Dalton branches so he could put them in the burning barrel. Hudson also drug a leaf rake around for a good part of the day.

The highlight of his day was being able to ride with Daddy in the tractor when he went to bale. Hudson had been begging to get in the tractor all day. It's fun to see him be so excited about helping out. He really is Hudson the helper. Can he fix it-- YES he can!

Big Sigh

We are finished chopping corn!! Well . . . almost. Brent agreed to do 3o acres for this guy but then we should done. What's another 30 acres after 1400 acres? Corn harvest turned into being a full time job that demanded lots of overtime. We worked a lot of 12-14 hour days. In the past I haven't noticed the long hours, but it was really hard for me this year. I think it's because I didn't take Hudson in the truck with me (it would have been torture for both of us.) Many nights I'd pick him up from Nikkala's or Grandma's after he'd already gone to sleep and return him shortly after I'd wake him up in the morning. I don't know how working moms do it. You get home from a long day of work and come home hungry to a filthy house. There were days that my only goal once I got home was to make sure Brent and I both had clean pants for the next day.
It's too bad that farm work is all or nothing. I thought I might get away with working part time this year. . . HA! It's not the truck driving, getting dirty, or even the bathroom break in the corn field that I mind. It the long hours that prevent me from being a mom and a wife. During harvest Brent has added pressure and is always stressed out trying to manage the business from his seat in the chopper. Add to the mix a tired Karisa who doesn't get to be a mom and you've got a recipe for disaster. I've informed Brent that I will be the lunch lady next year. I can't think of a better job. When you're in the truck, any warm food that you haven't packed around in your lunch box all day is a godsend.
Now if we can just finish up this high moisture corn and get all of 4th crop put up and we will be in good shape. Maybe Brent will be able to eat dinner with us one of these days.

Lawnmower Naps

From the time that Hudson was tiny, I'd have him ride with me while I mowed the lawn. I remember bundling him up in his Snugli and zipping my jacket over him. He still likes to ride with me for the hour and a half it takes me to mow the lawn. For the most part he's pretty good about riding the entire time. Once and awhile he wants off to go and play in his sandbox. Today he came running as soon as he heard the mower. I put him on my lap. Pretty soon he was standing in front of me and steering. That only lasted a minute before he wanted back on my lap. Then he wanted to turn around. Before long he started to get heavy and his head started to bobble all over. Sure enough, he had managed to fall asleep. The first time he ever fell asleep on the mower, I tried taking him in to his crib because it's pretty hard to hold on to a sleeping baby and steer at the same time. No use, he just woke up screaming. I tried again another day with the same outcome. So today I just pulled him closer and enjoyed the warmth of the fall sun. All too soon he'll be too big to sit on my lap and won't want anything to do with mowing the lawn.

Oh The Joys

The chopper broke down on Wednesday night, then it's been raining a bunch so we haven't been getting much of our remaining corn chopped. But today was the day for work to resume. The sun was shinging and the gear box was shipped and ready to be picked up from the IF airport at noon. Well, UPS didn't get it on the first flight, so it was delayed a few hours. We sent the chopper out to Pingree so it would be there and we could just install the gear box there and get to chopping. At 4:00 the chopper was ready to go. During my second load, the header sensor went out. Brent tried to get it working but not luck. Since you can chop without it, we continued on. At the end of my load I hear "Crap,I blew my machine up" over the radio. Sure enough the knives had been thrown. Not good for my husband who has already been completely stressed out and on edge. That means they have a long night of putting new knives in the chopper. All of the corn is ready to harvest- high moisture and all. The frosts at night make it that much more critical to get the corn silage chopped. It's frustrating when your machine holds you up once the rain has already set you back.

Oh well. Set backs are just part of the business. I'm just beginning to wonder what the perks of the business are.

New Facial Expression

You may be pleased to learn that Hudson has added a new facial expressions to his collection. He's always been blessed with a charming smile, but lately he's seemed to scowl more than anything. So as a mother, I was happy for him to do something different with his face. When he's excited he will get really big eyes and draw his lips in a tiny circle and suck in air. It is the cutest. Of course, this is most often done when he sees tractors or gets to ride with his dad in the chopper. The excitement doesn't last too long once he's sitting beside Brent on the buddy seat. There must be something mesmerizing about watching the corn feed into the chopper because it puts him to sleep quicker than a double dose of Benadryl.

Like Father Like Son

Hudson is obsessed with equipment. First thing in the morning Brent and Hudson have to look through the Fastline together. It completely captivates Hudson's attention. No other story books can get him to sit still for more than a minute or two. The nursery leader commented how Hudson will only play with tractors or toys that have steering wheels. He will point and say "DA Daa" to any truck or tractor that he sees while we drive down the road. The other day I had to run a truck in to Schwab to get some flats fixed. Since I had to wait, I decided to walk down to Rocky Mountain Equipment and see what kinds of John Deere propaganda they had. When I told the owner that I needed some good bedtime stories for my son he laughed and hooked me up with some good brochures. He also gave me a John Deere hat for Hudson. Hudson has loved looking though them, I knew he would. But I think Brent has enjoyed them even more. Who knew that equipment literature was synomous with male bonding.

Getting Off Early

After a long week in Grace chopping corn, the entire crew was dragging by Saturday. Brent must have sensed a mutiny not far off, so he let us off at 4:30. I was totally surprised because that is very uncharacteristic of Brent. But it was awesome to get a few things done around the house and yard! We had a little down time, Brent snuck in a good nap before venturing out. I made Brent take me to Honks before we met Nik and Chod at the Blackfoot Wingers. It was a comical evening with a very unprofessional Winger's staff. It was enjoyable to spend the evening outside of the truck.

Survival

Now I remember why I titled my blog Plain & Simple- because that's how things are. During harvest, it's nothing but survival. Cereal for breakfasts, lunch from the cooler, and freezer burritos for dinner. Pretty plain, boring, and mundane. I try to make sure we have clean clothes for the next day before I go to bed. My lawn has burnt up and looks so white trash. Too bad it doesn't die evenly, no there's still got to be a few green spots to mow. I have a huge box full of tomatoes that I'm going to try to get canned tomorrow (still keeping my fingers crossed I'll only have to work a 1/2 day.) In the meantime, trips to town grocery shopping, scrapping, visiting, and hair fixing have all been put on hold. Wait just one minute. . . hair fixing has long since been abandoned. I don't know what I'm going to do with all my time when I am no longer working 12+ hour days, 6 days a week. Oh yeah, I'll go crazy. That's how farming goes. No constant pace. It's all or nothing, and for another four weeks I hope I can give it my all.

Surprise!!

I know it's been awhile since I've made my blogging presence. Sorry to disappoint any fans. Corn harvest has hit, and hit hard. I wasn't quite prepared to become a full time truck driver but Brent has been in desperate need of my help, so I've been spending my days in the truck. Meanwhile, Hudson has been spending time with Aunt Nik and Grandma Hillman. It has been really hard on me to send him off to daycare. I think I need him more than he needs me. How will I ever manage to send him off to kindergarten? It hasn't helped my blogging to have our computer down. Who knows if it will ever get fixed.

Kids These Days

You might be surprised to see a post from me. I guess my computer isn't as whacked out as I thought, but I still think it's on the brink of crashing. Last night was one of those nights you consider parenting one of the most rewarding jobs. Hudson was hilarious. He had ants in his pants during dinner and wouldn't hold still, so I let him down. He started running around grunting with his sippy cup in hand. He started laughing so hard he could hardly stand up. As soon as he'd fall down, he'd hop right back up to continue. To top it off, I hid behind the couch and jumped out when he ran by. He let out the shrilled little scream that made Brent and I double over on the floor. He continued on running around until he spotted the Fastline. Just as quickly as he had gotten hyper, he calmed right down. He picked it up and crawled up onto the couch to study the pictures. He got very serious and furrowed his brow as he thumbed through it. Pretty soon he was laying down on his back, sprawled out, but still scrutinizing the magazine. He's become quite the little person. You'd think he had seen it all done before. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's seen his Dad do the exact same thing with the Fastline. (Now I know what book I've got to take to church.)

Three Amigos

Dalton and Mitchell have been staying at Grandma's and since Hudson gets to go over when I have to help out on the farm, he's gotten to play with them a lot. They both think they are Hudson's favorite cousin. Dalton is really cute with him. The other day while they were playing with Hudson while I mowed the lawn. Hudson got his head bonked and started crying. As I rode the mower, I witnessed Dalton trying to console Hudson. He bent over and kissed his head. Dalton also performs armpit farts and nose humming to get Hudson to laugh. Now Hudson puts his fingers up in his nose trying to imitate him. Oh the joy of boys! Dalton told Grandma that he "kinda wants Hudson for his little brother."

What a Corn Cob

Hudson loves corn on the cob. He doesn't waste anytime. Once I get it husked he's got it in his mouth. Who needs it cooked? Not him.

In The Thick Of It

Well, we here at the Hillman household have kept some pretty crazy hours lately. Brent has been getting up around 2:00 am to go and bale. The time depends on the weather conditions, so 2:00 has just been a general rule. I wake up some nights to hear him talking on the phone at 1:00, 4:00, and 5:00 in the morning. You've got to have some pretty crazy friends/employees to do that stuff. As a matter of fact, Brent woke me up at 1:00 the other morning to help them shuffle vehicles. I guess he thought I was feeling left out. He accuses me of being grouchy- he should just be glad he still has a head. Needless to say, we will all be much more pleasant people once straw is over. Even though we still have corn harvest, you work much more normal hours. So be patient with my posts, they're as sporadic as my life.

Celebrating Life

So another birthday rolled around and I found myself in the baler, baling straw. There's no way of getting around staw for my birthday, it's just become a part of it. While I was baling away, I was thinking about birthdays. The different ways people celebrate . . . and just exactly what do they celebrate? I remember having Hudson and thinking it's the mom who needs presents for their children's birthdays- after all, they're the ones who went through everything to get us here. So on my birthday, I'd have to say thanks Mom! I'm glad you went through what you did to get me here. And lastly, I hope that my life is something worth celebrating. I hope that I can make this world a better place for my being here. I hope I can be a little kinder, a little more selfless and make a difference in the lives of the people I am around.

Mamma was a Trucker

Today I decided to take Hudson along while I hauled straw. He loved being in the truck again. He could see all sorts of things sitting up so high. The entire way to the field, he got excited and pointed at all of the farm equipment out and about. I was glad that I packed him a lunch. He loved eating his pb sandwich and apple slices in his carseat. Who knew that lunch on the run could be so entertaining. When we pulled into the stack, Hudson was delighted to see Brent in the loader. "Da! Da!" I took Hudson to ride with Brent . I think it was the highlight of their day.

Church Chaos

Since Brent and I both had to teach, I decided I would try to send Hudson to nursery. I talked to the leaders and they said it would be okay to sneak him in a few weeks early. I dropped him off, and he took off for the toys. I thought this nursery thing was the way to go. Well, 5 minutes later, I was sitting in Sunday School and could hear Hudson screaming. I went out to find him and the poor leader walking outside to try and get him to settle down. As soon as Hudson saw me, he quit screaming and started in on his "uh!" business with outstretched arms. I decided to relieve the poor guy of my child. When I saw that it was snack time, I decided to try to take him back in nursery. He did fine until his last goldfish cracker was eaten, and then the screaming started all over. I decided Grandma might just have to watch him during my lesson. As soon as I handed him off, the screaming started all over. She quickly took him out. Part way through my lesson, Grandma comes back into the class with a sleeping Hudson in her arms. As soon as I started talking, he was screaming again. Grandma exited not to be seen again. Needless to say, I had to go to Grandma's house to pick up my Hudson.

There Is No Such Thing As A Free Toy

Nope people, that little toy that comes in your kiddie meal is not free. Those are not the only "free toys" out there. On Saturday, Hudson and I went to one garage sale. Only one- can you believe it? Immediately Hudson found this little Elmo toy. (Elmo sits atop a tractor that pulls a wagon. It is supposed to have some animals to go in the cart, but none to be found.) Within seconds he had little Elmo talking. "Can you find the pink pig and put it in the wagon?" "I love to sing, put an animal in my cart and sing along with me." I made my purchases, making sure not to pay for that annoying toy--because it was staying there. I told the nice lady, "I did not pay for that toy." To which she replies, "Oh, he likes it so much, you can just have it." Well that was the mistake!!! After listening to it all the way home, I know why she gave it to me for free. Not to mention, it has no on or off switch. I think the batteries are on the decline, so we'll see how much longer they hold out. If they happen to be Energizers that keep going and going, I might have to put poor Elmo out of his misery. Let me remind you: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE TOY!

War Bonnet Rodeo

Last night we went to the rodeo with our friends, Jamie and Leslie. I was most excited to dress Hudson up in his cowboy duds. His new belt completed the outfit and he was the cutest little buckaroo there. (I might be a little biased, but what's cuter than a diaper Wrangler bum, little boots, and a shiny belt buckle?) Only trouble is, he was more interested in the girls sitting behind us than he was about watching the cowboys and roughstock perform. It didn't help that the girls had a big bag of those sugared almonds. Hudson watched intently as they continued eating them. Out of desperation, he stuck his arm out and started begging for one. Unfortunately for Hudson, they never noticed his attempts, lucky for me- how embarassing. He stayed awake for the entire event, including the fireworks at the end. On the way out, Brent bought some of those almonds. Hudson sure would have appreciated it if he'd done that on the way in.

Clueless

Right after I got home from spending 4 hours having dental work done (I had my 2 crowns finished and they didn't find any new work that needs done!!! HOORAY!), Brent called to see if I'd like to go with him to pick up the 8640 John Deere tractor that we bought. I was hurting and had a headache, but finally decided to go since we don't get many invitations to hang out with him. We turned to go to Shelley and I said, "so it's [the tractor] is in Blackfoot?" Brent laughed and said, "No it's in Ashton." It still makes me laugh that I had no clue what I was in for. I wasn't really prepared, so we had to stop for some "wide load" signs (I know - pretty sad when you have to have those on the semi YOU'RE riding in) so I decided to get some snacks for Hudson . . . well, and me of course! It ended up being a fun outing. It should be a good tractor for us. We plan on using it as a pull tractor during corn, and a pack tractor for silage, and doing some of our heavier ground work with it. It just had a new engine and radiator put in it 50 hours ago ($17,000 job) so it should be good to go for awhile.