New Years Resolutions!

Preston set up this tea party for he and his bear a few months ago :) Even though he destroyed a whole loaf of bread, I had to smile and take a picture of it. This boy loves to eat :)
So for FHE last night Burke talked about goal setting and asked Preston what goals he thought we should set this year. He thought a few moments and said . . . "we should eat treats . . BIG ones!" Most people set goals to eat better, our son sets a goal to eat worse . . .

I'll be Home for Christmas . . . If only in my Dreams . . .

I am sad today. Changes in Burke's job have made our plan to go home to Idaho for Christmas impossible. Up to today I have been still holding out hope that we could find a way to do it, but the reality of the situation is finally sinking in and I am realizing that as the Mother in the home, my attitude will make a marked difference in how my family remembers this particular holiday. So even though I have a heavy heart, I want to create an atmosphere of joy and peace and love and family fun--but I'm not sure how to do it--so please share with me your ideas of what fun traditions you have that make your holiday memorable and fun! Here's hoping you all have a wonderful holiday!!

Michelle

Did Leonardo Da Vinci's Mother have days like this?

Look at this boy . . . take a good hard look. I know I am his mother, so I cannot look at him objectively, but I think he is SO stinking cute--a trait that has saved him more than once!! The following instance was one of those times . . . It is probably the story that will get told to all of his dates and his children someday, I will probably remind him of it when he calls me at some future day wailing about something his own precious child has ruined, and I will hear the echo of my deceased Grandma Andrus saying, "People before things . . ." in her sweet patient way every time I think of this instance. Burke's mother tells a story about a big jar of honey dumped lovingly into the carpet at her home by Burke, Brit, and Mel. Maybe the following story will make her feel like Burke is getting some payback!

It started innocently enough I believe-- Sunday morning dawned and I had to put the finishing touches on my primary lesson (Yes I might have procrastinated a little). Out came a Big Black Magic Marker I made the sign I needed, and hastily put the Big Black Magic Marker in the top drawer of the file cabinet. I don't remember specifically where Preston was, but he was around. He (wisely) didn't make it obvious that he was watching every move I made, and I (unwisely) didn't notice that he was watching every move I made. We went to church and Sunday played out as usual.

Monday morning came early. Rebekah had been up several times in the night getting teeth, and I was tired. Preston was a little sick, and had also been up a few times in the night with fever so I was really tired. By 8:30 I was ready for an afternoon nap, but knowing the impossibility of such a luxury, I decided to settle for 20 minutes of Turbo Jam and a quick shower to get me awake. Rebekah went down for a morning nap so I set about getting my workout and then announced to sleepy Preston that I was going to get a shower. He asked for a movie and a pillow and settled himself on the couch. He looked comfy and completely innocent and adorable and I hurried to get cleaned up. Now as a side note I should say that like all of you other stay at home moms with small children, a shower longer than 2 minutes is reserved for mornings I get up before 6 or on a weekend when my husband is home to keep an eye on the kiddos--this day was no exception-- I hurried very quickly. When I came to check on Preston seriously 5 or 6 minutes later, he had already created this amazing work of art. Behold the results of The Big Black Magic Marker (hereafter referred to as a Weapon of Mass Destruction) and a few precious minutes without Mom . . .

Thanksgiving Visitors!!

Hello Blogging Friends,
It has been way too long I admit, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to sit down and do this. November was a fun and very quick month, and I can hardly believe how quickly Christmas is coming. Aaaack! I am not nearly ready yet! Thanksgiving was fun here in Fruita-- my Mom and Dad drove down from Idaho to see us for a few days. Also my sister Rachel and her family came from Utah. We really had a great time visiting and playing with all of them. Preston has asked everyday since they left if we can go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We are looking forward to Christmas in Idaho for sure!

Burke, Rebekah, Preston, Grandpa Andrus making Gingerbread train!!

Grandpa & Grandma and the little kiddos!

Above: Cousin Belen and Preston playing in shaving cream !
Below: Preston and Belen playing the piano-- one thing they actually liked sharing!

She's Smart!

My sweet Rebekah started signing back to me this week! I have only been working on 3 signs consistently ( milk, eat, and more) and last night she started signing "more" this morning she was crying and when I looked at her to see what wanted and she started signing "more". So I fed her some cereal and she was SO happy. She kept doing the sign over and over and over. So fun and so cute to see her little brain working!!

It's Autumn Time!!

Fall is my very favorite season. I love the crisp cool air, the smells of fall, the harvest, the anticipation of the holidays, I love where the sun sits in the sky, I could go on and on!! Growing up I never had to rake leaves --we didn't have many big trees, and the Idaho wind always blew so this was one job I never had to do. I confess, I love doing yard work and I think I always had a secret longing to rake the leaves-- don't get me wrong, I was never dumb enough to say this out loud to my parents, and I never wanted to bad enough to go find a place to do it. Well we have a large yard with a lot of big old trees and this weekend the leaves fell. What a mess-- what a wonderful mess!! So I had thought ahead enough to purchase leaf rakes a few weeks ago ( I told you I have been looking forward to this!) and I took the kids out yesterday afternoon and we raked leaves. We only did about 1/4 of the backyard when I had the most overwhelming urge to run and jump in the leaves. So I did. Preston followed suit. Rebekah laughed and laughed. We threw leaves at each other, we rolled in the piles, we tossed leaves into the wind, and enjoyed every minute of it. Before the sun was up this morning, Preston asked Burke if he wanted to go and play in the leaves :) I guess I now have one more reason to love fall!

Happy Halloween!!

We participated in our wards trunk or treat-- It was so fun-- Burke took Preston around to trick or treat while Rebekah and I passed out candy. Preston now thinks everyday should be Halloween!

My Cute little Monkey all ready to go! Rebekah was asleep so no solo picture of her!

All funned out! We were ready to go home when it was over!

Michelle's 27th!

Wow when this birthday rolled around, I really had to think about how old I was turning. I think that makes me officially old. However, I still blew every last candle out in one breath so I felt okay about that! Burke and Preston made me a cake (no pictures-- sorry!) and gave me a beautiful necklace and earrings. I will post a picture of them when I take one :) WOW I felt loved! For my birthday date we cast our mail in ballots. PS-- I have to say I LOVED that method of voting-- it spawned some very interesting discussion between hubby and I and since it was an exceedingly l-o-n-g ballot it made it fun to have someone to joke around with while we were deciphering all of legal jargon. I also got lots of phone calls and cards in the mail too so it was a fun fun birthday! Thanks everybody!

Scavenger Hunt for Rebekah

Cute little socks without an owner . . . Hmmm let's see where this leads!

Next I see a little pair of pants, all alone, the little pockets staring up at the ceiling right where their owner wriggled out of them.

And there she is! One half dressed baby!

She pulls her socks off, and scoots on her belly until she can wriggle out of her pants. She is getting pretty fast at it!
So truthfully they weren't all that far apart, but I had to laugh because this is how I find this kid often. She really hates clothes-- I don't know what I am going to do . . .

Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

Every fall I get the urge to make cinnamon rolls-- the kind that take all day to make --not the kind in a can-- don't get me wrong, I like the ones in the can, but I don't crave them. There is just something so fun to me about mixing the dough and letting it rise and punching it down and rolling it out, filling it with ooey-gooey fillings, rolling it up and cutting it with a string. I have memories of making cinnamon rolls with my mother-- and sprinkling them full of butter, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, chopped apples, and nuts. I admit I don't put all of those things in-- I stop at butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, but I love the whole process. I did it last year with Preston, and this year he was much more involved and loved it. I didn't think to take pictures until we were finished, so you only get those! Just for the record, we kept a small pan of 6 and took the rest to Burke's office. Thankfully, the pan came home empty!!

Oh Calgon . . . Take me Away!!!

I checked the mail today. We have one of those community mail receptacles at the end of the block farthest from my house (not that I am complaining because I like having the mail on my street versus 15 minutes away at the post office!) Usually I stop by while I am driving, but occassionally I will take a little walk with the kids to check out the mailbox.
I peered into my mailbox today to find a large yellow bubble-wrapped envelope with my name on it. I was trying to figure out what I had ordered, or who it was from as the printed labels rendered me clueless as to the sender or contents . . . Well after pushing the stroller with one hand, juggling a stack of mail in the other and feeling my blood pressure rise trying to convince my two year old that he should walk by me on the sidewalk instead of running up and down the street without me, I was most pleasantly surprised when I finally got around to opening the package. Inside I found a cute card from my old roommate Camille and a box of Calgon bath beads. She reminded me that I had introduced her to the wonderful stuff several years ago when we were roommates. One of the great things about Calgon is that when you take a bath you seriously just feel so much better about your life. Problems seem minimized and you can face the world again. Somehow Camille must have known that I had forgotten the magic of Calgon, that I haven't treated myself to this blissful escape in years. So tonight Burke was gone , I put the kiddos to bed and I treated myself to a nice long soak . . . well 10 minutes and then the baby started crying . . . but I could face the world again. So thanks to my sweet friend Camille for thinking of me and reminding me to take care of myself. Ahhhhhh. I feel like a girl again!

Pictures

I took a few pictures of my kids the last few days. They need some more editing, but here are a few of my favorites.

Rebekah . . .

This girl cracks me up! So adorable :)

Rebekah is starting to push up a bit on her hands a bit-- she really loves to roll and scoot. She is sitting unassited for short periods too. She is starting to be a little mischief maker-- this week as luck would have it she fell in love with Preston's favorite teddybear--and she doesn't get distracted easily so the old trade thing isn't as effective as I was hoping (It probably doesn't help that Preston prances around and says, " NO Rebekah-- this is MY bear!" while waving it just beyond her reach . . .I guess that is what older brothers are for!)

I think I would cuddle and hold this little girl all day if I could. She is so enjoyable to be with . . .

Mud

It doesn't matter how little or how much mud is around, little boys will be boys.

Yes the pants and shirt are on backwards and he is wearing a hat that is about a million times too big for him! It was only later that I learned that the mud where he was playing (which came from the sprinklers running out into our driveway) was by a pipe that was experiencing sewage overflow-- I am SO sick every time I think about it. Oh well. He seems to be fine even a few weeks later.

This is the back yard jungle. We love having a yard with grass, but it needs so much work! At least the sprinklers are in and work well :)

eggplant must be an aquired taste . . .

Last night I attempted to make Eggplant Parmesan. I think it turned out right . . . there were not problems as far as overcooked or undercooked . . . except that I can officially say I don't like eggplant so it wasn't a hit. At the risk of boring you here is the story:


So one of our neighbors grows a humongous garden and is a chef. He gave me the eggplant and told me how to prepare it. I told him that we had tried eggplant a few times, but I had never been pleased with the texture or flavor. So here goes nothing I decided. But I was wrong. 4:30 pm I start--Burke is usually home by 6. I peeled and sliced the eggplant and set it out on a cooling rack to "sweat"-- a process that removes the bitterness of the plant by sprinkling coarse sea salt on the surface. Rebekah started crying and I was washing dishes. I finished the dishes and sat down to feed the baby. Hmmm. Where is Preston? He has snuck a bag of Sunday's rolls into his bedroom and is having a tea party. Bread and crumbs everywhere. Some rolls can be salvaged. I didn't yell. Back to the eggplant. Rinse and dry the eggplant. Rebekah is shrieking again. Put Rebekah in the front pack. Head back to the Kitchen. Pull out the blender to make breadcrumbs. Make the breadcrumbs out of stale loaf ends. Beat a few eggs in a square pan. Dip the eggplant slices and bread. Rebekah wants to touch everything so it takes longer than it should. Finish the first pan. Where is Preston? After some hunting I find him (because it is strangely quiet and he is not answering my calls) Found . . . in my closet spraying all of my clothes (& let's face it Burke's too) with purfume. There is also a bottle of hairspray on the floor and his hair is very sticky. I yell this time. 5:36pm Where is Burke?! He has been off work only 6 minutes-- and that is if he left on time-- can't count on him for help just yet! Clean up Preston (somewhat) and redirect. Return to the kitchen. Dip and bread the second pan of eggplant. Bake 10 minutes per side. Burke gets home and takes Rebekah at this point. I tell him if he doesn't like this dinner we are going out to eat. It has just been that kind of day. I start cleaning again (I do miss all of the counter space I had in my last kitchen. I keep telling myself we are going to have a nice evening and enjoy each other. I am feeling less stressed. By 6:30 I am assembling the casserole-- layering eggplant, red sauce, and cheeses. End with cheese and sprinkle with basil. Bake 20 minutes more. Then I remember that I am supposed to serve with pasta. No water boiling. I decide I can still land on my feet. Put the water on high heat. Find some pasta. Somehow it is now after 7. Why is everything taking so long?! 7:30 we finally sit down to eat. Whew! I am feeling relieved and ready to be done. I am the only one eating. Burke and Preston are picking at this afraid it might jump out and bite them. It is an unusal taste, but not terribly gross. I decide I probably won't make it again. Preston declares he is finished. Burke asks where I want to go to dinner. I almost start to cry. He is nice and appreciative but I still feel bad. Three hours of work. We still need dinner. How is Burger King better than what I just made? I find myself not hungry. I order a milkshake. While I drink it I decide eggplant must be an aquired taste. I think we are having ramen noodles tonight!

Husband Tag

1. What is his name? Burke Benjamin Hill
2.Who eats more? Me. This has been true as long as I can remember.
3. Who said, "I love you" first? Him.
4. Who is taller? Him.
5. Who is smarter? Him.
6. Who is more sensitive? Me.
7. Who does the laundry? Probably 50/50
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me--Burke is pretty funny about this one. It really bugs him when I change things up on his/hers stuff-- Case in point I got in trouble for using "his" sink in our bathroom . . .
9. Who pays the bills? Burke, sometimes me but usually Burke
10. Who cooks more? lol* ME*
11. Who is more stubborn? That is a draw-- both of us can be very stubborn.
12. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Me.
13. Who has more siblings? Me-- I have 8 Burke has 7.
14. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Burke * ahem at least our relationship works best when that is what I let him think! ;) *
15. What do you like to do together? Sometimes we read together . . . but truthfully he works 50-60 hours and we have 2 kiddos so we are rarely together just he and I. Board games are a favorite standby.
16. Who eats more sweets? Burke
17. Guilty Pleasures? Fortune magazine
18. How did you meet? 1st Grade-- Mrs. Stuart's class. Seriously, I can't remember meeting him, I have always known him!
19. Who asked whom out first? Burke asked me.
20. Who kissed whom first? Burke kissed me.
21. Who proposed? Burke asked me-- he is pretty traditional so I am not sure he would have said yes if I had asked . . .
22. His best features and qualities? Burke is patient and a lot of fun to be around. He is handsome and funny :) One of his best qualities is his love for me and our beautiful children.

I tag Brittney, Anne, Mindy, Mel Reynolds, anyone else who wants to do this!!

Goodbye Wyoming Dirt . . .

While there are things I miss about Pinedale, the dirt is not one of them! We lived a few miles down a dirt road (that was sometimes very rough to drive on!) and the cars were always filthy. I don't know how much $ I spent on car washes because it was so constantly being done (and nobody could ever tell) but it probably should have had it's own line item in the budget ledger! This was our first Saturday morning in Fruita--Burke couldn't wait to blast the tar and dirt off of his truck and then he wanted me to help him clean mine-- so focus on the mud you can see under the vehicles on the driveway pavement--it is all good old Wyoming dirt washed away . . .The pics don't really do it justice there was SO much dirt!

Mr. Independent

Warning: This is not to be construed as cool fashion tips!




I have said many times to myself that if we are not about to have family pictures and it is not church this child can wear what he wants how he wants. I do have to say I am getting some strange looks about what my little Preston decides to wear these days!