2010 in Review

I'm sorry I've SO neglecting posting here.  2010 was a great year, but it was pretty much the busiest year we've ever had.  We had so many wonderful family happenings -- and of course a few rough spots -- that I can't even begin to summarize it all.  So I made this video at PummelVision.com that has most the photos I uploaded to FB last year in about 4 1/2 minutes -- it's mesmerizing!




And then I'm going to paste in our family New Year's letter, since I didn't get it out in time for Christmas and now it's not looking good for January either...

January 1, 2011

Dear Family and Loved Ones,

I know I’m really late with these, but I figure the card does say “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” so if I write the letter today and get it mailed this week I’m good, right?  Just go with me here...

2010 has been such a busy year, full of all sorts of trips and projects and happenings and milestones.  Even though things were a little overwhelming at times, we had lots of fun together as a family!  We went to California to visit Grandma and Grandpa Olive and go to Disneyland with Nana and Bapa, we got to be part of two siblings’ weddings, we went to Washington for  a nice long summer visit, we had a great Big Family Outing at Bear Lake, and of course we had lots of fun here at home, too!  We even put our home up for sale to try to move closer to Dan’s office and all of the family, but that ended up going nowhere and so we’re quite happily staying here in Saratoga Springs.

All about Sam, according to himself:

This year, I learned to ride my bike with no Training wheels, I entered 1st grade.  I am a great artist.  Thats why my picture on the left has a Graffiti background.  I made about 6 great drawings!  I have a great teacher, class, family, and friends.  I LOVE to dance.

And now, a few words from Mom:

Sam is such a great kid to be around, and he is a huge help in our family.  He loves school and says his favorite thing is math.  He is so creative with his artwork and stories, too.  He just gives his all to everything he does, and we are really proud of him.

weet, funny Joshy... what can we say about this wonderful boy?  He makes us laugh every day with the funny and original things he says. He is in his second year of preschool, and also played soccer for the first time in the spring.  He has an incredible imagination and tells us such amazing stories.  He also has a very tender heart and just seems to know when people need comfort. My favorite Joshy moment of the year was at Grandma Hill's burial, Josh went to Grandpa and put his arms around him and just loved him for the longest time.  He is starting to learn to read and write, and he gets so excited to show us all the new things he can do.  He can't wait for kindergarten!

Oh, our little Eliza -- so full of personality!  This year she has grown from a baby to a sweet little toddler with a funny mix of girly-girl and tomboy traits. For instance, she loves to dress up and carry a purse, but it's sure to be full of trains and cars.  She also loves animals, especially ones that roar.  With the help of speech therapy, she's also talking more and more, and she really loves being able to communicate better.

According to Dan:  The year of 2010 has been a full one for Dan. At work he has overseen a project as it has grown from nothing to a little more than that. At the gym he's seen his muscle-tone grow from average to a little more than that. He's helped the lawn grow from ‘unpleasant to walk barefoot on’ to a little better than that. His writing projects have gone from nowhere to no better than that. Thankfully, these are all as well or better than expected! The most important things have all grown marvelously. The kids are healthy, happy, and learning – and that is the greatest joy of all.

According to Tomi Ann:  It has been such a busy year for me -- I was called to be the stake drama specialist and directed two big shows for the stake, helped with two siblings' weddings, was a cub scout leader, worked as a graphic designer, carried out some big home improvement projects to get our house ready to put on the market, all while still trying to give our own three awesome kids the attention they need.  Phew!  It was a lot of fun, but I need a nap! 

We are so grateful for the beautiful life God has given us!  There are certainly struggles and trials big and small, but there is so much happiness as well.  Through the gift of His son Jesus Christ we can overcome any obstacle.  I know that 2010 was a tough one for many of our family and friends, and so we pray that 2011 will bring hope and peace to each of you, wherever you may be. 

With much love,

Dan, Tomi Ann, Sam, Josh, and Eliza Hill

School's out!

The biggest news in the Hill household is that school is OUT FOR SUMMER!  Sam and Josh have had all sorts of plans brewing for what they were going to do during summer vacation (thank you, Phineus and Ferb...), so they were counting down the days to the end of school.

Josh finished up first and got to have a super fun luau with his little preschool class.  He really loved his teacher, Miss Emily, and we were amazed at how much he learned this year!  He is a great counter and is even doing some simple addition and such, and he now knows the sounds of nearly all the letters and is starting to sound things out.  He learned lots of fun songs (his favorite is "A Tisket, a Tasket, a Green and Yellow Basket") and got to do lots of art projects.  I know he had lots of stubborn days -- this is Josh we're talking about, after all -- but he really loved it and we're so thankful to Emily for making it so fun for him!

The next day was Sam's kindergarten graduation -- I can't believe he's no longer a kindergartner!  Nana joined us at the school for their cute little graduation program.  The kids sang a bunch of songs and everyone got to say what their favorite thing about kindergarten was (Sam's was the Polar Express party).  Then each kid got to walk in from the hallway and get their diploma and a fun little treat from Miss Palmer.  Here's a 2-minute version of the highlights!



Sammy did a great job singing all the songs and we could tell he really enjoyed his kindergarten experience and all his friends there.  He brought home a report card with straight 4's for the whole year, which I understand is the top mark but no one ever really explained it, so who knows?  :)  He also brought home his writing journal, which totally cracks us up.  He has a very creative and slightly devious little mind -- tomorrow I'll scan in some of those journal entries so you can see what I mean!.

The graduate with his self-portrait:

Sammy and his teacher Miss Palmer:

Sammy and his neighborhood buddies:

Upside Down Eliza

A few months ago Eliza and Josh were supposed to be taking a nap at Nana's house, when Nana discovered the strangest phenomenon -- Eliza standing on her head in the crib, with her feet hooked over the railing!  Over the weeks that followed, we found her doing it quite frequently, but never (of course) when we snuck into her room with the camera.  I was starting to feel like some kind of a wildlife photographer, hunting the last of some endangered species.  But at last, at the beginning of this month, success!  (What a surprise that she finally cooperated for Daddy...)

Why does she do it?  Is she trying to escape?  Does she just like the feeling of the blood rushing to her head?  It's a mystery!  She's awfully adorable, though!

A couple of fun little videos...

Ah, good times!  May has been another crazy month, and while I work on a post with all the fun things we did, here are a couple of fun videos for your viewing pleasure.

This one is actually from the end of April, just a typical little conversation we had with the kids while driving to Nana's house:


Here's one of Sammy scoring a goal in soccer! 

Everday Life

Life is fun, you know? These three kids keep us so entertained as their little personalities and talents develop. We've been having fun times over the past few weeks. We've taken a couple of trips to the childrens' museum, which is SO fun. The boys love all the different outlets for creativity there. They've done some really cool classes, like exercise, learning about eyes, and "action painting." (Thanks again for the membership, Grandma and Grandpa! Best present ever!) Eliza loves to watch all the big running around and occasionally gets to get out and play, too. Last time we went with Aunt Carrie and Taya and Noah, which was a blast.





I snapped this one a few Sundays ago -- my daddy is such a great Bapa! The kids love piling on for story time.



The weather around here has not been very spring-like -- the other day we woke up to 2" of snow, and even when it's been sunny it's been chilly and windy. We made the most of it the other day, though, and got out the kites Grandma Hill sent for the boys. They were SO excited. It took some doing, but we got both kites up! We couldn't get Joshy's to stay up for very long, but he had a great time watch it swoop around and crash and go up again close to the ground. We were trying to do it in the front yard, and I think the air currents were too swirly in the cul-de-sac.




Oh, I have to share a funny, sweet story. Last Monday, when we were getting ready for "You're My Favorite" Day, Sammy wanted to make cards for my mom and dad. This is the card he made for my mom:



I thought it was very sweet. On our way to my parents' house that morning, Sam was holding the card in his lap and Josh said, "Jesus's hair looks funny!" Sam fixed him with a stern eye and said, "Josh, how do you think Jesus would feel if He heard you say that about him?" Glad to know the lessons are getting in there somewhere...

Josh is feeling very conflicted about whether he wants to be a baby or a big boy. He sees Eliza and Sam and kind of wants the best of both worlds. He is hilarious, too – always looking for ways to make people laugh. He’s gotten very friendly, too. He’ll walk right up to people and start a conversation, almost always starting with “Do you know my name?!” I’m trying to teach him that it’s only okay to talk to strangers if Mommy is with you. He’s pretty independent and likes to do things his own way.

Eliza is getting SO big! She’s almost 8 months old. Her big thing right now is pulling herself up to standing, which she’ll do using anything she can get her hands on. She hasn’t figured out how to move her feet yet, though, so we’re in no immediate danger of walking. She’s also trying very, very hard to crawl. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks and rocks and then pushes up on to her toes and fingertips, but (just like with walking) she can’t figure out how to move her feet, so she mostly pushes herself backwards if she goes anywhere at all. It’s very frustrating for her to be trying to get a toy but only getting further and further away! Between rolling and just generally squirming around, she can cover a lot of ground, and I think she’s pretty proud of herself. Here's a cute video of her trying to make her move:



Eliza has her boys wrapped around her little finger -- this is just a small sample of the lengths to which they'll go to entertain her. It may not always be successful on her, but I sure found it entertaining...

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from all of us Hills. I am so thankful for this day and for the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. We would have nothing without him, but through His grace we are blessed beyond measure. My heart is really full today as I think about all that we have because of Him, especially since tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Carissa's death. We're so blessed that, through His atonement and resurrection, we KNOW that we can be with Carissa, and with all our loved ones, forever. I'll have lots of cute pictures to post (hopefully tomorrow, but you know how THAT goes), but for now Sammy really wanted to share a song with you:



(If it doesn't work, check back in a little while -- it may still be processing.)

Sammy gives a talk...

Saturday afternoon the Primary secretary called and said, "I just wanted to double-check with you about Sammy's talk tomorrow..." And I said, "Sammy's supposed to give a talk tomorrow?!" Apparently his teacher was supposed to bring over the little assignment slip -- oops. But no worries, Sammy was totally excited for it. The topic he was given was "Mothers nurture the family," so he got a pen and paper and started brainstorming. We looked up the meaning of "nurture" (to take care of and to teach), and then he made a list of how his mom does those things:



I have to admit, the ones about being like Jesus and reading the Book of Mormon required a little coaching from Dad. It would have been extremely gratifying had he said, "My mom teaches me to believe in Heavenly Father and to have faith and love others and..." (insert all the other things I really am trying to teach him), but I guess not picking your nose is important, too. I just keep telling myself that he is learning all those things, even if he can't quite put his finger on it. Of course, I had to wonder when I asked, "What about the plan of salvation?" And he replied, "Never heard of it." Sigh.

But I digress. Sammy did an amazing job with his talk. I took the ideas from his brainstorm and put it into talk form, mostly because we ran out of time for him to finish it up himself. He was so excited to sit in the "TALK" chair at the front of the Primary room, and jumped right up to the mike when it was his turn. We had him give his talk for the family at Sunday dinner so I could record it for the benefit of all y'all. This is pretty much exactly how he delivered his talk in Primary, to the great amusement of the teachers, especially.



Here's the text of the talk, just in case there are any parts that are hard to understand:

Heavenly Father gave mothers a special job. That job is to nurture the family. To nurture means to take care of and to teach. My mom takes care of us by feeding us and making us take a nap after lunch. She teaches us important things, too, like how to eat, how to draw, to share, and to not pick our noses. She also teaches us about Heavenly Father, and to try to be like Jesus, and to say our prayers.

In the Book of Mormon there is a great story about how mothers nurture the family. The Lamanites were attacking the Nephites, and 2,000 young men from the people of Ammon made an army to protect their families. The prophet Helaman was their leader. Their mother’s had taught them that if they trusted in the Lord, he would protect them. After the battle, none of them had been killed. It was a miracle! The young warriors had been very brave, and they said it was because they believed the words of their mothers.

It is important for us to believe the words of our mothers, too. They teach us important things that help us be happy and healthy and stay close to Heavenly Father.

(Bear your testimony)

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Big happenings for the Hills!

Last week we had the great pleasure of a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Hill! They came to Utah for baby Cody's blessing, but they stayed with us for a few days first, which was delightful. We went to the Draper Temple Open House, and Sammy was so excited to get to go inside a temple for the first time. Joshy was mostly excited about the cookies in the stake center at the end, and getting to ride the bus from the parking lot up to the temple.









The next day we went up to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum, which was a blast. I think Sammy and Joshy would happily move in if they could. (See Sammy's post about it below.) It was a great place, and thanks very much to Grandpa and Grandma, we got a year-long membership, so we'll be spending many happy hours there in the future. Sammy loved the story factory, where he made a comic strip story about his 90th birthday. He also discovered some really cool magnetic blocks and spent all the rest of his birthday and christmas money to buy himself a set in the gift shop. Money well spent, since he's been playing with them non-stop ever since and has designed some really cool stuff. So if anyone is ever wondering what to get Sammy for a present, I'm sure he'd love to add to his Magformer collection. :) Joshy's favorite part was the cool water play area, which had all sorts of contraptions that could be manipulated to move water around. They also both really loved the helicopter. Eliza was just an angel the whole time, just enjoying watching all the big kids run around.








It was also Eliza's 6-month birthday! She is getting so big. During the few days that Grandpa and Grandma Hill were here she made some serious developmental leaps -- she finally starting rolling over and sitting unsupported! Now that she can do those things I think she feels so big. She wants to be sitting up in the middle of the action all the time now, and she loves giving everyone big slobbery kisses.




On Sunday we headed up to Chad and Esther's house for Cody's baby blessing. The blessing was beautiful, of course, and I was very proud of Sammy for bearing his testimony in Sacrament Meeting and then going to primary even though he was scared of all the people he didn't know. Joshy was having a hard time sitting still. During the Sacrament, he was wiggly and I whispered, "Joshy, it's time for us to be quiet and think about Jesus," and then I started singing very quietly, "I'm trying to be like Jesus..." And Joshy said in growing volume, "But I don't want to, because I hate bad guys and I PUT SPIT ON THEM!!!" Joshy's very big into being a superhero and fighting bad guys right now, so I guess it didn't go over very well when we talked about how Jesus wants us to love everyone...







This past Friday was the big day we've all been waiting for -- Dan and Carrie's wedding! We started out the day with a fun family breakfast at Kneaders (yum-o!), then spent the better part of the day getting things all set up. Poor Mom tore something in her knee while hopping on one foot with Sammy at Kneaders, but she was a trooper! It was fun to hang out and work together with my family and Carrie's family. The ceremony was so funny and sweet -- Noah refused to let go of Dan or even be put down next to him, so Dan held him the whole way through, even for the "You may kiss the bride" part. Good memories! I am SO happy for Dan and Carrie both. They are just wonderful, and wonderful together!





After the ceremony we had a kickin' dance party. Dan and Carrie did an awesome first dance -- it started out with a lovely foxtrot, then they busted out some serious moves. Here's a video of the second part (when they encored it for us later in the evening):



Joshy really didn't like the loud music and lights -- we could barely get him to stay in the cultural hall -- until he saw Uncle Eric breakdancing. Then he couldn't wait to get out on the floor! Here are some of his moves:



Dad also got in on the action, sacrificing his bad back to get out on the dance floor. You can check out the video here.


Dan and I had a blast with what few cha-cha, foxtrot, and swing steps we remember. Once again I wish I was a better dancer for Dan's sake, but we had a great time anyway. It definitely renewed my desire for us to take some classes together. I didn't get any pictures of us, but I know Eric did so I'm hoping to have some to post once he gets settled back in in England. It was so very nice to have him here for the wedding!

Phew! What a crazy couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to a little break in the big activities, though in this family, you never know what fun is in store...

Joshy's got the moves

Joshy has recently become a VERY big boy by getting all potty trained (even at night!), and he frequently celebrates by showing off his dance moves. Check out just a few of his stylings here:



The first one, he says, is his "winner" dance. At the end you don't get to see his "I stayed dry all night" dance because he says it's broken. :)

Just a little glimpse of our life!