Of princesses, superheroes, and cowboys...

As most of you know, Halloween is a big-hit holiday in the Hill household. We had a great time this year. We have a couple's Halloween party -- this year's theme was Superheroes and Villains. Cash and I decided to go old-school this year and go as Skeletor and She-Ra. Cash's costume and make-up turned out fantastic, if I must say so myself... :) As for me...let's just say it was my first foray into sewing with vinyl. I went through a lot of vinyl and gold spray paint! It was a fun party. We had a root-beer tasting contest. We learned a couple of things: 1) I could not identify any root beer in a blind taste test and 2) if you have to buy generic, Albertson's wins hands-down! You can see lots more pictures at our Picasa album.

I think She-Ra always wins this battle right?

Crazy!!! I also learned that I should never become a blonde.Cash's Sis and BIL -- Beetlejuice and Elphaba from Wicked.Cash's Bro and SIL as Kung Foo Panda and Tigress (a big jump from KISS and Darth Maul! :)Audrey as Belle (thanks Grandma for the beautiful dress!) Emmett as Woody the Sheriff -- complete with pull-string!
"There's a snake in my boot!"
Spencer as Ben 10

Ok, I'm better...

and completely over my pity party (see previous post). Please forgive my indulgence. :)

A while back, Cash and I watched The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman (well, actually I fell asleep...but got the gist of the movie). Cash loved it. So, I hear people talking about their "bucket lists" now (if you haven't seen the movie...it's things you want to do before you die). Well, a little while ago there was this neat article in the paper about things you should do as a couple...a Couple's Bucket List! Anyway, it's on our fridge which means that it will totally happen (it's right next to my little Noah's Ark magnet with the list of food storage items.......)

Anyhoo, here's what it says:

"10 Extreme Bonding Experiences for Couples"

1. Playing Guitar Hero (check. and, yes it was fun. thanks Jared and Maren!)
2. Paintball (and I want to add here lasertag...I've always wanted to go and it sounds so fun!)
3. Marathon Training (ok, let's be realistic...maybe triathlon training.)
4. Rock Climbing (I love it at the YMCA...it would be scary in real life)
5. Bowling (hum...I broke 100 once and it was a big deal)
6. Tandem Skydiving (one of my friends did this for her birthday. crazy...but I'm game)
7. Camping (the article says: "by 'camping' we mean the two of you alone in a tent, not 'criusing through the great outdoors in an RV bigger and nicer than your first apartment' (cough, cough...JeNeale!)...it's your chance to get away from it all and just savor nature and each other.")
8. Rafting (Ok, we live in Idaho and we've got amazing rapids just up the street!)
9. Test Driving a Sports Car (where's the marathon shoe shopping activity??)
10. Visit an Amusement Park (Cash can go on all the scary rides and I can eat all the cotton candy I want! Better not do both...)
Anyone want to join the challenge?

Ok, what's on your BUCKET LIST?

Do you ever have days that feel like this?

Yikes, right now I feel like one of those towers -- I'm ok as long as no one put another block on top!!!

Makes my heart go pitter-patter...

For some people it's chocolate and unicorns and rainbows that get their soft spot. Me? Well, it's cleaning supplies and organizational stuff. I love going into Don Aslett's Cleaning Center as much as I love going into Sephora! I know -- a little strange, but I thought I'd share with you a few of my new favorite things!

I bought these fun things from an etsy shop, the ModMobile, by Allyson Hill (no relation, unfortunately).

At first I may have balked at the price of the bag, but really, not having to fight with a Winco bag in the front seat and having my kids know where the sucker sticks and fruit snack wrappers go? Priceless!

This fantastic little beauty hangs on the back of my seat and has little bags that you stick in between the liner and the outside. They're biodegradable and I keep a stash in the glove box.







This little tissue holder attaches to your visor and no more searching for tissues in the car!








This is the fun fabric I got for our van!
Anyway, I just wanted to share some of my favorite things!






Oh, and check out our fun new fall fabrics at YaYa Baby Slings! Cozy and soft!

We love visitors!

Our good friend from Texas, Alisa (who is now at Oklahoma University), came to Idaho! She was teaching in Mountain Home at the Air Force Base, but she got to escape the "excitement" of Mountain Home to come and visit! We had a great time! Thanks for coming Alisa...come again soon!

A few pictures...

Usually she prefers if her feet are above her bum!

A dinner out -- Spencer's absolute favorite...Wingers

Heeheehee...I eem coloring on dee paper but soon I vill be coloring on your counters vith dee markers!!

Alisa, Spencer, and Audrey. Um, who's not afraid of the camera? YaYa "CheezeIt" Baby?Emmett is completely obsessed with birds; this just about put him over the edge. Literally.

I wish I were this clever...

So my blog-friend has a knack for finding amazing things on-line and posts them on her blog. I usually go there and 1) make a wish list and 2) realize that some people have been given a ridiculously large "creativity gene." Recently, she posted about this fun site: line-upon-line cards -- these are the cutest cards with a little bit of Mormon humor. Check out some of my favorites. Too clever...




So, what's your favorite "Mormon-ism?"

Lemonade stands are *so* last year...

So, the kids have been trying to help out in the garden this year and they have a lot of fun watching things grow. However, all the stuff I read about how if your kids help you cook and grow food they're more likely to eat it. Total lie. Unless you deep fat fry the zucchini and let them dip it in ketchup....

Anyhow, last Saturday the kids thought they'd like to set up a vegetable stand. Unfortunately it was 9 a.m. and there wasn't a lot of traffic. Our neighbor Roger was their only customer. They sure looked cute selling their stuff though! :)

Why I love the end of summer...

• watching college football...Whoop!
• enjoying the unbelievable weather -- evenings on the deck are my favorite time of day
  
• the kids are back in school
• wearing hoodies (which are great at hiding any muffin-top that may or may not be the result of a lazy-dazy summer and too much chips and salsa)
• planning Halloween costumes
  
• sleeping with the windows open
  
• picking perfect apples and peaches at the orchard
  
• Finally, I love the end of summer because of this:
  

This is what I picked just this afternoon! It is so fun to enjoy the fruits of all our gardening labors! It's been such a fun summer; the tomato plants were huge, the squash took over the lawn, the cucumbers outgrew their trellises! Each year I learn so much! I'm excited to try again next spring. Actually I'm going to try some swiss chard this fall.

Lame-O Mom

Ok, so I'm feeling very sheepish and lame because all of you fantastic moms put up very nice posts about the first day of school and how sad you were to see your kids growing up and going to school.

Well, do I lose my mom-of-the-year trophy if I say I was actually a bit excited? But, not in the "I'm excited you're out of my hair" excited (Ok, ok...there might have been a flicker of that somewhere) but the "I'm so excited for you to experience Kindergarten and 3rd grade" excited. Let me explain: every year I would get this nervous/excited/can't sleep tummy ache for the first day of school. It was like Christmas eve, but better since I didn't know what was in store! (As most of you know, I don't really enjoy surprises so I usually knew most of my presents.) Every school year was like a blank slate. I still get excited before every semester that I teach because I look forward to meeting new students, having brand new Expo markers, and trying new things.

So, I guess I don't really get sad about school starting; I just get that nervous excitement. I think about Audrey's excitement about riding the bus for the first time, or Spencer's excitement about the new kid at school who's in his group and I'm excited for them.

Every year Cash's mom took a picture by the mailbox, so we have started that tradition with Spencer -- and now we've added Audrey.

Audrey is 5!!!

Audrey had a birthday in July and boy howdy was she excited. It was a long time coming because she knew that her birthday was in the summer and she knew that we wear shorts in the summer. So, she was pretty sure her birthday was going to be sometime in April. That's some great deductive reasoning! :) After much persuasion, I finally convinced her she could wear shorts before her birthday.

In honor of Audrey, here's 5 things I love about my YaYa Baby...
5. She wants nothing more than to eat mashed potatoes and taco beans (refried beans) every day.
4. She can't really say her "r" or "g" or "k" so she talks about things like "Hello Titty" and "Dood One" (reserved for when Spencer does something wrong).
3. She loves to listen to my "i-pad" and to hear her sing "Hollaback Girl" is a mother's pride and joy.
2. She can play by herself for hours: lining up rocks in the driveway, singing songs on the swing set, arranging all the Little People things into a town...she's just a good girl.
1. She is sweet, funny, and has a Jedi-like power over her dad...

I can't believe she is going to kindergarten! For her birthday, she got a special ABC book. The book is adorable -- made by my ultra-talented friend Tricia! The book has a place for each letter and you can put in pictures of things they know. i.e. "B is for Brothers...O is for Ouch" (picture of Audrey with her broken arm)... you get the idea. Audrey loves it and loves looking at pictures of her and her family, but mostly of her.

"B is for Brothers" and "C is for Cousins"
Evidently you should take them out of the sleeve and turn off the flash...

"X is for x-traordinary kids" and "Y is for YaYa Baby"

Aren't those cute?!? And, for any of you ladies in Utah (or who might be going to down to Utah) --- check this out: ABC's of Me. Tricia is doing her ABC books at the Scrapbook Expo in Utah. This year Trish is making another book to go along with the ABC book: "Expressions of Me." They are mighty cute and make me feel like I'm almost creative! So, if any of you are down there make sure to sign up for the Expo!

Oh, and I've got two more trips to post about! Someday...

Top 10 reasons why Cash is a Professor...

Reason #1. Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFvnkeqmusk
(Cash, his brother Jared, and his brother-in-law Brent -- they look pretty awesome if I can brag a bit. And I guess since it's my blog, I can.)

Reason #2. Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFscu9OZwI (That's Spencer in the first part of the video -- his nickname is "Zeus" -- Cash was SO proud!).

Reason #3. Cash coaching Spencer's baseball team this summer.


Reason #4. Conference in Chicago every April that happens to coincide with opening weekend for the Chicago Cubs. Hum...

Reason #5. He get to read books for work.

Reason #6. See previous posts about Family Reunions. (I'm not sure that's what he really wanted to do this summer. I think it had more to do with #1 and #2, but he's a good sport).

Reason #7. Baseball starts in April and ends in October. If the Cubs make the playoffs he's really in a pickle during fall semester.

Reason #8. He thinks "running numbers" is fun.

Reason #9. "I'm a teacher. All I need are minds for molding." (movie anyone? one of Cash's all time favorites...)

Reason #10. After 12 years of school he finally decided he better get a "real job."

Viva Las Vegas!

The Rockwell Family reunion (my mom's side) was in Las Vegas over 4th of July weekend. It was a blast and great to see everyone. But, WOW -- July in Las Vegas is hot, hot, hot! We weren't certain that the read out in our van went to triple digits, but evidently it goes up to 113 degrees! But, it was certainly a fun trip.

One day we went to a huge indoor (whew!) Bounce house place with slides, webbed obstacle towers, and boxing rings. Everyone had a blast -- even the adults got in on the fun.

Audrey racing down the huge slide (Emmett even did this one with me!)

Don't be fooled -- these gloves look soft but I could barely lift them! Which means 1) they're really heavy or 2) I'm really wimpy. Please don't actually answer.

Cash and Emmett enjoying the tall slide. I think Emmett is enjoying it...

Audrey cheesing it up in the mountains
One day we went to Mount Charleston (it was about 15 degrees cooler) and had a picnic and just enjoyed the beautiful mountains. I love the mountains. At the talent show, Spencer and his cousin Tanner showed off their athletic prowess with their own spectacular version of plastic jai a'lai. We had to clap them off the stage. It was cute.

Audrey and Grandma went up to learn how to hula dance from some hula dancers that came. Not sure what's going on with my camera...

Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids. Travis is MIA because he got struck by "Typhoid Rockwell" -- some nasty little virus that spread like wildfire and had about 14 casualties by the time it was all said and done. Not the best picture of my kids: Spencer is looking at Emmett, I have no idea where Audrey is, and Emmett is screaming.

Well, it was a great reunion and although it made me miss my mom terribly, she comes from a fantastic family who really step in as our "moms" when we need them.

We're leaving tomorrow for Cash's family reunion in Cascade, ID. It should be lots of fun, lots of food, and lots of skiing.

The "Show Me" State

Two family reunions down, one to go! Actually, that makes them sound like a bad thing, but they're certainly "good things" and they have made this a summer to remember!!!

To start off with we went back to visit my dad (for the first time since we moved to Boise) and got to tag along to the Shedd Family Reunion in Branson, MO. Now, understand that Cash had been (half-jokingly) telling everyone that he was going to go see the Osmonds. Unfortunately, they have packed up and left Branson... However, we did manage to find other things to do and see. :) First, we spent a few days in Texarkana with Grandma and Grandpa and got to see my sister Kim and her husband Joey. It was great to see them.

A stop in American Fork, UT to take flowers to Grandma Carolyn's grave

We saw the Amazing Chinese Acrobats -- they were amazing!

Spencer liked the karate guys

These girls had incredible balance - and though they weigh 42 pounds they are strong!

We spent a day at Silver Dollar City -- it was a blast. Emmett rode these kiddy rides in a seat all by himself!

We went to the Titanic Museum; it was so interesting and the kids really enjoyed it. They had an iceberg to touch, a deck the temperature of that night, a barrel of water the temperature of the water that you could see how long you could leave your hand in there (some of us made it almost a minute), and you went in as a passenger from the trip that you followed through the museum and found out at the end if you survived.We finished up at my Uncle Joe's farm in Missouri. The kids ran around, they fished in the pond, jumped on hay bales, and above they're showing off Uncle Joe's quail eggs -- around the corner there are probably a hundred little baby quail. oooh, cute.

There was so much to do in Branson, and it was a really fun place to visit.

Milestones

Milestone #1: Walking!

Well, Emmett finally decided that he would like to try walking. He's very slow but oh so proud of himself. He's grown up too fast -- soon he'll be in nursery! If I knew how to make those fancy video clips -- I'd put one on.

Emmett walking at the park

But, speaking of video clips -- you should check out this youtube video of Cash and his brothers skiing (Cash's brother put it together...it's fantastic!). It's awesome and those boys couldn't be happier. Cash's mom is right -- a boat does have a way of bringing the family together. Thanks Mom Hill! We've had such a great time at the lake and our kids already look like Oreos without their bathing suits on! And speaking of skiing...

Milestone #2: Skiing
Spencer learned how to ski! He got up on two skis and really seemed to like it. He rode around for a while and then tried to do some fancy footwork like he saw in the youtube video...he promptly fell. But, he's ready to keep working on it.

I'll post a picture of him skiing soon!

Milestone #3: Baseball
Spencer has had another great baseball season. Cash was his coach again and I don't know who has more fun, Cash or Spencer. Spencer has gotten to be great at the plate, he's a fantastic 1st baseman, he likes to play catcher, and at the last game he got a double play.

Cash couldn't be more pleased that (for now) Spencer likes skiing and baseball and they have a blast spending time together doing both!

Spencer getting ready to take off from first base

Milestone #4: Strawberries
Audrey has been in charge of her strawberry plants since last summer. We planted one plant and we now have about 25 plants. After lots of watering and lots of patience, she finally got to eat her first strawberry. She has decided there are plenty to share and checks on them every day.

Happy Father's Day:

Or Charles and Cash on Fashion

Yes, a little late, but on Father's Day we were in the DFW airport. So in honor of two of the greatest fathers I know, here's a little glimpse into one of the best Father and Son-in-law relationships out there.

Setting: A minor [very minor] league baseball stadium for the Texarkana Gunslingers. My dad is noticing that some of the people don't wear very "practical" shoes to the ball park. My dad is very practical.

Charles: Cash, why in the world would someone wear high heels to a baseball game?

Cash: Well, Charles, it's because it makes your butt look hot.

Charles: [long pause]...Do you think it would work for me?

Cash: [straight-faced] I don't see why not.

Cash and Charles on Father's Day

Sugar and Spice...

Audrey is a girly-girl. She loves pink, princess stuff, and Fancy Nancy (if you haven't read this book and you have a young girl, you should so add it to your library list...along with another one of our favorites, Pinkalicious.) To be fair though, she is one tough cookie -- she runs with excitement when I find an earthworm so that she can add it to her "collection" of other poor garden critters, and she can pummel her eight year old brother with no problem.

One of my favorite things about being the mom of a little girl is fixing her hair, all fancy-nancy-like. Usually I have to fix her hair in a "princess-do" which means something like Pocahontas braids, Belle twists, Cinderella buns, or Aurora curls...hey, it works! We have a lot of fun.

Recently we have discovered this fantastic site: Hair Today on my friend Calise's blog. I had gotten in a rut with her hair (a bit like the rut I am in with my hair...my ponytail hair...but that's another post...) but now we have so much fun picking out hairstyles on the blog. (There's a link to Girly Do's by Jen which is great too).

Anyway, here's a few of our latest. This one's a variation on "Heidi of the Alps:":This one is just two little braids into a "messy bun."