playin' hard and all worn out!

Today I caught Grace in the pantry having a great time. And Adam decided it would be fun to Mr. Goldfish Box Man for a while. It must have really tired him out because after dinner when they were finishing a show from earlier, Lily came running upstairs to tell me that Adam had fallen asleep (this made her very nervous for some reason). I ran downstairs and this is what I found - Adam sleeping on the couch sitting upright.

I thought it was pretty funny. I told Lily not to worry about it and to just keep watching her show. Next thing I know she is calling for me again. I run downstairs to find him like this - now asleep across her lap. She said he just kind of laid down on her (understandably this also made her very nervous, as indicated in the picture). He was a tired guy!

tacit voice

Okay, I have avoided it for long enough - that is, I haven't directed anyone to the Tacit Voice blog I have linked below. If you are at all interested in politics or society in any way I think you would enjoy some of the entries. My favorite recent entries are the "Four Horseman of the Apocalypse" and the "Slow Death of Hollywood" (I really do think that decent people ought to start wearing ribbons to show Hollywood that we are tired of the lack of morals that exist there - I suggested tye-dye ribbons, since most of the colors have already been taken by various causes). On top of it all the banter that takes place in the comments is pretty entertaining. If you have any opinionated, outspoken and politically-minded friends refer them to this site. I really love the entertainment (it takes me back to my old Model United Nation days at BYU).

all aboard!!!

The scene from Harry Potter - it was neato!

Mmmmm...ice cream!

On Saturday we took the kids to a model train show. There were way too many people, but it was still fun to see the trains. They had an especially impressive model display of Hogwarts School (I don't know if I spelled it right - I only watch the movies). It was pretty cool. Lily really loved it. Afterward we went to a quaint little ice cream parlor and had a treat. The kids each got a 25 cent cone and Scott and I (and Gracie) shared a banana split - YUM. As you can tell from the picture the ice cream was a big hit!

thank you ikea

I have been going to Ikea now for about six years. We have always lived in places that have them and just after moving here the one in Draper opened. I have to be honest, six years ago we thought Ikea was the greatest. But slowly through the years we have watched the prices go up and the quality (and size) go down a bit. Regardless of this I still love going and visiting the store - it is a lot of fun to go and see all the small European-type furnishings. So the other day my sister Jennifer called and asked if I wanted to meet her there. Of course I said yes and I am so happy that I did. I just seemed to find the greatest deals ever and on things I actually needed. I have been wanting some low-key, dainty, white metal headboards for the girls (when Gracie is old enough she and Lily will share a room). I have had a devil of a time trying to find something at an affordable price and when I meandered over to the As-Is section I found just what I was looking for in the form of the two ends of a day bed. It was perfect and they were only $39 for the set. Because they are the ends of a day bed they have holes in parts of them (to attach them to the back part of the bed), so I have cleverly tied ribbons through the holes. As I acquire more cute ribbons I will just add to it. I think it looks pretty cute and Lily loves it.

The other great find was their fabric that they had on sale. I found these cute strips of fabric for only a $1.50 a yard (very cheap for decorating fabric). I made a very festive Valentines Day table runner out of this. I was thrilled with my little trip that day and in the end I spent less than $50. So I must apologize to Ikea for negative feelings I may have had in past - thank you for always being there for me and pulling through when it really mattered.

hey good-lookin'

Adam got his first tie for Christmas and the other day while playing in his closet he found it. He came wondering out with it attached to his camo sweatshirt (and of course no pants, since apparently pants are very over-rated). He looked so cute, I just couldn't pass up taking a picture.

pictures!

Yipeeeee! We bought a new camera and so now I am finally back in the picture-taking business. Here are the latest (the camera came with a tiny memory card, so only 6 pictures can fit at a time).

Gracie is really teething, thus all the drool. She is still so cute though. She is my little fat pixie!

Lily was about to make a funny face - luckily I caught her just before she did. This is why she looks a little "tense" in the picture.

what's in a name?

My friend Heather had this on her blog and I thought it was very enjoyable to read. So here is my version....

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -Fred Sedona

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) -Neapolitan Macaroon

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) -E-Hil (I am almost tempted to delete this one altogether. Dumb)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) -Pink Giraffe

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) - Blank Portland (I don’t have a middle name)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -Hilem (I think that is actually a real last name)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) -The Green Diet Coke..... "Oh no, what will we do? I hope the Green Diet Coke gets here quickly, or else we are all going to DIE!!!" Um, it doesn't quite work. In fact I tried several drink and none of them really sounded all that superhero-esque.

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) -Samuel Joseph (Uh, that is my brother’s name)

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite scent/perfume/cologne, favorite candy) – Sweet Pea Snickers

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) – Ines Smart

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) - Weinberg Winnipeg (by far my favorite name so far)

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) - Summer Daffodil

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) – Peachie Slippers (OK, so I didn’t follow the instructions, but Peach Slippersy sounds dumb)

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) - Oatmeal Crunch Aspen

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) - The Cooking Snow Tour

hello rexburg, nice to meet you!

The other day my cousin Erika invited me to go with her to the Rexburg Temple open house. I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to go because it would be a lot of driving in one day. But I have always loved spending time with Erika and I have never been to the famed Rexburg. so I decided it would be worthwhile. Luckliy I was able to leave Adam and Lily with my sister-in-law Melissa and she was able to leave her twins with her sister-in-law (who live across the street from eachother). It was such a fun day. The temple was so beautiful and I fianally got to see what all the hullaballo is about in regards to Rexburg and BYU-I. It is always nice to have a diversion from everyday life - and it was especially fun to spend the day with Erika and Gracie (without a doubt two of my favorite people).

P.S. If you want to see pictures of us at the temple you can refer to Erika's blog to the right.

i hit the jackpot!

I found the greatest blog today - it is www.designmom.com/index.html. This is the neatest site for anyone who is need of a little beauty and creativity (two things I LOVE) . There were so many wonderful ideas - most of which I intend to copy. Go and explore - and you will probably find joy!

oh, and by the way

Just so you all know; I have not actually tried the whole vinegar thing. I don't really think I will try it. I just thought it was interesting and for anyone out there who may be desperate I figured I would put the info on. If by chance I do decide to try it, I will let you all know how it goes.

i'm a recruiter

Last night we were at my sister Michelle's house for dinner and Family Night. It was a lot of fun. During the course of the evening my brother's blog got brought up (Tacit Voice) and then mine. I convinced Michelle that she ought to create one of her own. Her link on my sidebar. It is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Enjoy.

PS The only pictures I have of Michelle are some old random ones. The top one was taken in about 2003 at a family reunion and the bottom one was obviously at my BYU graduation in 2002 (Jen was very pregnant with Joey).

who knew?!

In the mail we just received some information from our insurance company. It shared a little tidbit that I thought may be useful to all of us trying to shed any extra pounds. Apparently vinegar curbs hunger. There was a study done at Arizona State University East that suggests if you take 2 tablespoons of vinegar twice a day you will lose weight. In their study the participants lost an average of 2 pounds in a 4 week period of time. To try it, stir 2 tablespoons of vinegar into 4 cups of fruit juice or a glass of water (personally that sounds like a lot fruit juice to me). Who knew.

fragile

Yesterday a friend of mine was brutally murdered by her husband. I didn't find out until last night when a mutual friend called to let me know what had happened. I can't tell you the shock and horror of the news. Her mother is a dear friend of mine from Washington and I think one of the hardest things for me to cope with right now is knowing the pain she must be feeling. It breaks my heart.

The reason I am writing this today is because I can't seem to get the thought out of my mind that our lives are so fragile. No one wakes up one day and says, "hey I think someone might gun me down today so I had better start living right." Although Scott has assured me that I don't need to worry about this particular scenario, it is no assurance that something else won't happen. A few months ago another friend lost her 16 year-old sister in a tragic car accident. These events have led me believe that I need to live each day as perfectly as I can. All I could think about last night was whether or not I would be ready to die. I had resolved that this year I would try to better myself and my life and this has just encouraged me to take my resolve so much more seriously.

Hopefully out of this huge and senseless tragedy something good will come - even if it is just a few people trying harder to become better.

2008!!!!!

Happy New Year! I know I am couple days late, but seeing as I don't have a camera and no fun pictures to post I haven't felt as motivated to get on and blog. But I thought I should tell you about our New Year since we had a lot of fun.

My sister and her husband came over and we ate sushi, pot-stickers and drank some good soda-type beverage that Scott bought. We played Rummicub and ate chocolate-caramel brownies with ice cream. As you can tell, it was all about the food. It all tasted so good. Every year on new years Scott and I get all the yummy ingredients for sushi, put the kids to bed, and enjoy it together. This year it was nice to have someone join us. After the rest of my family found out what we did they decided to invite themselves for next year. What used to be a cozy new years tradition is turning into a great party. The more the merrier!

So we went to bed at about 11:30 (if you know Scott well, this won't surprise you at all. He hates to stay up late and then be groggy the next day. I couldn't convice him to just stay up the extra 30 minutes). Just as we were settling into a nice sleep every fire truck and police car siren in town went off; people started honking their horns, and a bunch of the neighbors came out banging pots and pans. All this was in addition to the fire crackers going off in various spots in the area. I have never heard such commotion - it was so much fun and it forced Scott to be awake at midnight to give me a kiss and wish me a Happy New Year. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for next year.

Happy 2008!