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.

Confessions of a Mom

Saturday night Hudson woke up screaming at 10:30 pm followed by a lot of throwing up intermittently during the night. It was a long night of bathing, doing laundry, and consoling my sick baby. Brent offered to stay home with him while I went to church. I was glad to hear the report that they both just slept the entire time while I was gone. I felt a little cheated that I missed out on it. While we were eating Sunday dinner, we got a phone call from Chris and Deidra (who were on their way home from Havre, MT) who wanted to make reservations to sleep at our house that night. No problem. We don't have much room, but love to have company. Stephen's also came over to visit and for the fruit pizza I had concocted. Hudson only woke up a few times that night screaming. Luckily no convulsions accompanied the screaming. We had the world famous raspberry lemon pancakes for breakfast. Deidra helped me make some apricot jam before lunch, and then headed on their journey home. When I ran errands later that day, Hudson still had a sour tummy but it came out the other end this time. Oh the fun of having it run down your child's legs in the middle of a store! Motherhood- always entertaining. Hudson is finally feeling better. I don't know what I've been doing, but he always seems to be sick. I feel like a bad, unsanitary mom.

When The Cat Is Away

. . . the mice will play. And since Brent has been gone on the high adventure with his teachers, Hudson and I have been playing. We invited Nik and Bentley to go to Ross Park Aquatic Center yesterday to cool off and beat the heat. The boys loved the water and had a lot of fun. The ride home was quite with the two sleeping boys. We stayed and had pizza with Nik before heading for home. I decided to go out garage saling since I've taken a little break from it. I didn't find any incredible deals but did get an ice cream maker, an old window with a mirror in it, some antique jars, a wet suit for Hudson, and rear bags for a 4-wheeler (hoping that we will some day get one.)

Sand in Our Sandbox- Finally

I finally decided that it's time I put some sand in Hudson little sandbox. It wasn't very hard since we live on a sand hill. I borrowed the Rhino, drove around back, shoveled in the sand, and in minutes Hudson was enjoying his sandbox. He played for an hour before I made him come in for dinner. I had a nice surprise when I changed his diaper. Needless to say, a bath was mandatory to get rid of all of the sand. Don't worry, it has a lid so we keep it covered and prevent the neighborhood cats from taking it over as their litter box.

B&B Nomination

This morning I decided to get a little creative in the kitchen. I made raspberry lemon pancakes and lemon curd to use as a syrup. Brent isn't too adventurous when it comes to eating, but he took a bite and then exclaimed, "these are bed and breakfast worthy." I'll take it as a compliment. I might have to make them more often, it's a nice twist on pancakes. I just added lemon zest, a little lemon oil, and whole raspberries to my regular batter. The lemon curd is 2 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 c. lemon juice, and 2 T lemon zest. So if you're breakfasts have gotten to be cold cereal the bulk of the week, try these.

Ward Shin Dig

Tonight we had a ward party in honor of it being Pioneer Day. Hudson and I helped transform Tracy and NiCole's golf cart into the Deuel Cabin as featured on temple square since we're related to them somehow. Just as they were driving it to the church, the gusty wind came up-- nothing that duct tape couldn't fix. Hudson was pretty cute in his bibs and bandana that matched the girls. Yes, he's tough enough to wear pink. He didn't get into the greased pig, so we will get up early and start training for next year. What a disappointment, must take after Brent. Even though there were pinatas, a dunk tank, and cow riding Hudson most enjoyed the sand boxes with buried treasure. He stayed and played all by himself while I walked off to watch the cow riding. I've decided I need to take all of the trucks and tractors that occupy the sandbox and put the real deal in it. I think it would keep him entertained for hours. Hope you all had a happy 24th.

Business as Usual

Now that we've played for the last few days, there's some catching up to do around the house and yard. Brent is trying to get things in order and brace himself for the next three months. We'll probably start straw next week and then the madness will begin. Staw and 3rd crop at the same time, 4th shortly after, and then corn harvest the beginning of September. It was nice to be able to enjoy the summer a bit before all the work hits and it's over. I had a lot of fun picking Hudson up from Grandma at American Falls. We had a boating party and the weather couldn't have been nicer, well. . . it could have been a little cooler. Thanks to all of you who came- hope you enjoyed laughing at Chris and Chod as much as I did. Hudson found a new toy at Grandma and Grandpa Hillmans yesterday. (We got together for a going away party for Tristan.) He loved riding around on the Gator with Sydney. They get along well and are good buddies.

While We Were Trippin'

Brent and I had a good time in Jackson. We camped at Lizzard Creek in Teton National Park, took the shuttle boat across Jenny's Lake, hiked to Cascade Waterfalls, ate at the Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse, and went rafting. Rafting was by far my favorite thing. Check us out. http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=284904
We're the first 2 on the right. It felt good getting wet since it was even 96 up there. I was ready to get back to my Hudson. The sad thing is, he didn't even seem to have missed me. :(

Why Do I Bother To Dress Him?

Since Hudson will be going to Aunt Nikkala's today, I dressed him in a cute outfit. What was I thinking? It was only 8:00 a.m. By 8:05 he had found mud outside. I don't know why I bother to dress him. He can have outfits dirty in a matter of minutes. If it were up to me I'd let Hudson run around naked. That would mean much less laundry. Now that he's down for a nap, I've washed the overalls and they're hanging on the line. I'll make sure not to put them back on until we're loading him into the car. We had a slight change in plans, instead of doing a complete backpacking trip I've opted for an overnight backpacking trip and then a vacation with more ammenities. I must be getting used to all of the luxuries of life. A few years ago, I can't think of anything I'd rather do than strap on a backpack and head out for a week but now it sounds a little too primitive.

Multi Tasking Child

Today Hudson combined exercising with snack time (quite an odd couple.) He would come and get a goldfish cracker from me, run and pull himself up into the rocking chair, sit down, and then run back to get another cracker and repeat the process. Maybe he's seen me do too many things at once, that he's suffering from my same illness. I really think there's something wrong with me. I cannot hold still and relax. Yesterday was no exception. I weeded my garden and flowerbeds, sprayed more weeds, (anyone else have a weed problem?) pulled out my expired pea patch, did laundry, put up Hudson's swimming pool, had Tristan over to play, sewed her a skirt, fixed lunch, went to Gem Lake (wakeboarded, tubed, skied) completed 2 scrapbook pages for Tristan, mowed my lawn, put out my pipe on the lawn, and fixed dinner at 10:30 pm. I need to learn to pace myself. But since Brent and I are hoping to go on a backpacking trip tomorrow, I have a lot to get ready.

Stinkin' Hot

So while Brent is out baling, I decided to kill some time while our bedroom cools down. . . Hudson and I got home from Burley only to find a sweltering house. We plugged the swamp cooler in immediately and it's been running ever since. Since the house was messy, I tried doing some house work in the heat. Now what kind of a stupid idea was that? Housework puts me in a bad mood and so does the heat, so put the two together and it wasn't pretty. We got a babysitter for Hudson so Brent and I could go to the temple. By time we got out of the session, it was beginning to cool down. I love summer nights! I wish they lasted longer. I guess Hudson cried an hour and a half for the babysitter. She was one of my beehives and it was her first time watching him. Who knows if she'll ever want to tend him again with the way he acted. But she was so sweet, she wouldn't let me pay her since we went to the temple. I owe her big time.