We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet

Our dear prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away last night. He's been such a force for good and he will be missed. Our sweet Spencer cried when we told him. My first thought was how happy he must be now that he's reunited with his sweet wife, Marjorie. I know that he was a prophet of the Lord and that when he spoke, it was to testify of Jesus Christ. He was a marvelous man. We love you, President Hinckley.

Big Day

Well, I should have posted this long ago, but in December we had a really special day. Spencer was baptized a member of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a really special day and he was so excited. Cash baptized and confirmed him. He looked so grown up that day and when he wore his first little suit I almost cried. I can't believe that I have a son who is old enough to be baptized!! He is such a great boy and he really tries to do the right things. He's a great reader and fantastic little mathematician (he does fractions better than I do!). He loves to play tetherball, one of his Christmas presents. And he's really good at the universal big brother job -- teasing little sister. He's a great boy and I'm so lucky to be his mom.

I need one more distraction...

so, I decided to venture into my favorite baby necessity: the sling. My sister Jenn got me hooked on babywearing -- and so I bought a peanut shell sling which I loved, loved, loved. I wore it almost every day and even though Emmett is 10 months I still use it. I had two and found them to be so handy and so I wanted to get them as baby gifts for my friends and family. But, they were just so darn expensive! Plus, the sizing was really hard to get right and I got tired of mailing back slings.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and have started making my own slings and YaYa Baby Slings has begun!! Come visit the website at http://yayababyslings.blogspot.com. I'm so excited -- I have enlisted the help of my friend Jenny and we've got some really fun fabrics. The pictures on the website are a bit retarded and don't really show the true colors but you can get an idea! I'll try to get more up soon.

Anyway, if you would like to buy one for friends or family let me know! They're fantastic gifts and a must-have baby item!!

Here's some pictures of one of my favorites:

I can't believe they put that *smut* on the radio!

I was driving home today and laughed out loud at a memory.

Remember the pre-American Idol Paula Abdul song "Rush, Rush?" Well, it came on the radio today and I remembered one time driving with my mom in the car when that song came on and my mom hurried and turned the song off and said something like, "I can't believe they put that smut on the radio" -- anyway she thought Miss Paula was saying "push, push" :)

A couple of my other favorite misunderstood lyrics:

"Secret Asian Man" -- I always thought that was so cool that there was a song about an Asian man. Maybe the Agent was Asian...

"Big old Carolina" -- poor Carolina... I only learned this was "jet air liner" a couple years ago.

What are your best lyrical interpretations?

Oh! Those are knees!!!!!

Audrey is a great little artist. My friend Cindy England once explained to me how all kids go through the same stick figure "evolution" as they learn to draw people. They usually start out with big heads, big eyes, and no torso. So here's a typical picture of Audrey's -- blue sky, yellow sun, pink clouds, little girl with black hair, stick arms, and what you may ask?!? Yes, those are knees -- just in case you're tempted to think they might not be -- Cash also gets knees when she draws pictures of him. :) How very important that everyone has knees. No hands or feet or ears, but at least we can kneel down.

And I thought I wore brown and black because I have three kids...

My friend Trish posted this on her site, and I too was curious. I have to admit, it seems pretty accurate to me... What do you think? Come on friends, what color are you?!?

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

Take this test >

Captain Awesome

Wow, it has been so fun to hear from so many friends and family. We are so blessed to have made such true and lasting relationships over the years. When I think back to the places we love (Pocatello, College Station, Las Vegas to name a few) those places have such a hold on me because of the memories we have with each of you!!!!

So, the other day my phone rings; it's Cash. Instead of "Cash's cell" which usually comes up, it says "Captain Awesome." Are you kidding? The guy who claims he can't program the remote or pay the bills online can change the name on my phone?!? (I had to input the numbers into his cell!) It does make me smile, though. His hubris1 is amazing.

In addition to Captain Awesome, Cash keeps calling himself a "movie star." teeheehee. He was interviewed for a documentary that should air sometime this spring. You know when they interview those guys, sitting in an office surrounded by books, wearing brown jackets and often scruffy beards, with "Johnathan Bruce, Ph.D." at the bottom? Insert Cash, no jacket and nicely trimmed beard (he'll thank me later for both)! So, that's kind of fun. He's also going to be doing something with the governor's staff about budgeting. So, he's keeping pretty busy.

p.s. Ok, and I admit it; this RS stuff is kicking my butt!!!

1Hubris or hybris (Greek ὕβρις), according to its modern usage, is exaggerated self pride or self-confidence, often resulting in fatal (!) retribution. (Source: Wikipedia...don't tell that to that mean COMM 101 teacher...she doesn't let you use Wikipedia as a source!)

"So what" if they're taking over the world...

Welcome to Google world, my friends! I figured I've changed my e-mail to gmail, my pictures to picasa, and I "google" daily (mostly to verify/disprove some preposterous statement of Cash's)... so I figured why not take the plunge and switch over to google's blogspot?!?! More of my friends are using blogspot (sorry Alisa!) and I like that you can add music and pictures easily. I've loved my livejournal and it's still available at mhilltamu.livejournal.com. But, I think I'll give this a try.

I had no idea that anyone was reading my blog (just my sister and Cash) so it was so fun to hear from everyone at Christmas and know that you've been checking in on us!!! It was great to hear from so many of you. I just never got around to doing a Christmas letter, but I may do a Christmas e-mail update...maybe...

So, in a bit of irony, my first picture is the reason that I so rarely post...

I love this little boy. He has an infectious laugh and he is adored by his big brother and sister.

I guess I'll see how this works and post more later.