The Hills

Happy New Year!

2010-01-05T06:55:00.035-07:00

I had hoped to send out a Christmas card this year, but it just didn't happen (are you really surprised?) so I thought perhaps I would send out a New Year's letter instead, but that fell through as well. So this is what you get--a glimpse at our year via blog. At first I felt a little bad, but decided this is more fun anyway because this way you get a lot more pictures which is what we all want to see with a Christmas card anyway, right?!

Let's see here...

We had the Hill family vacation in Southern California back in February. Looking at these pictures I can't believe how much Hallie has grown in the last year!

In June, we bought a house--kind of an impulse buy--but are happy with the decision. Below are the pics the previous owners advertised with, so of course it looks a lot different now. The previous owner used the basement apartment as a preschool, but we are actually renting it out...so far, so good!

We ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay for the second year in a row the weekend following closing on our house.

I transferred up at the hospital from the float pool to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) sometime in July and am very happy with the switch.

We took another little vacation in August with the Pincock family. We were a little nervous going into it (because who decides it would be fun to take a two year old camping for nine days), but had a great time! Thanks Anna Karina and Ryan for planning everything and Jeremy for your camp trailor. :)

We celebrated Hallie's second birthday on September 28th. SERIOUSLY can't believe she is two...and SO smart! (I can believe the smart part, after all, I am her mom.)

Went to Denver in November to spend a week with family and see the Broncos get dominated by the Steelers.

And finally there was December. It was busy, but good. We welcomed Jana home from Argentina on the 16th, celebrated Jordan's birthday on the 18th, and enjoyed Christmas and the New Year with family and friends. And somewhere in the middle of all of it found a little time to build a snowman!

Well, there you have it, our year in a nutshell (speaking of which we also discovered Hallie has a severe allergy to walnuts--bad joke, I know). So that just took WAY longer than I would have spent on a crazy letter, oh well, live and learn!

We love you guys! Thank you for a great year!

Thank you Shari!

2009-05-22T08:25:00.014-06:00

So, over Mother's Day weekend Shari was in town and was kind enough to take some pictures of Hallie. I had been meaning to get Hallie's picture taken at 18 months, but being the slacker mom that am it just hadn't happened. And now I don't have to worry about it because I have a very talented sister (Hallie made for a very difficult target that day--and every day), thank you Shari! I actually stole these pictures from Shari's blog, so sorry if you have already seen all of these.

All aboard!

2009-05-18T00:53:00.004-06:00

So just a funny, random little story about Hallie. She is very keen to the sound of passing trains, and of course we hear them all of the time at our house because there are tracks very near by. Every time she hears a train she raises her hand to the side above her head and with a "tooting" motion says, "Choo, choo" in the cutest, highest pitched little voice you have ever heard. Well, when she was just learning her sounds and begining to understand words, I was outside with her one day and pointed out a tree. Well, for her, the word train and tree must have sounded too much alike, because as soon as I said tree she held her hand out to the side above her head and said, "Choo, choo." My best guess is she understood that all of the noise of the trains she hears while in the house are coming from those objects (trees) I pointed out to her outside. So anyway, yesterday, Jordan and I took her downtown to see a real train in motion. She saw the train (didn't get to hear it blow its whistle however), acknowledged with her little "Choo, choo" that she understood the large moving object was a train, and still continues to see trees and say, "Choo, choo!" What can we say? She totally makes us laugh. Funny girl!

Oh to be a kid again...!

2009-02-10T14:31:00.006-07:00

Hallie, like any young child I imagine, does NOT like her teeth brushed, and the drama in performing the task is often times exhausting. I can't wait for the day when I can just REASON with her (Jordan already tries--I think he does it in an attempt to make himself feel better). I know, it might be when she is 20, but someday. So the other day I had this ingenious idea that I should have her brush her baby's "teeth" while I brushed hers. And she went for it...for that ONE time anyway. She brushed that poor baby's face for about 10 minutes, while I gave her teeth the best brush job they have ever had...and she didn't mind a bit. She was so funny, check out the pure concentration on her face.

The next picture I probably shouldn't post because looking at it, one might think no one loves this poor girl and the house is a disaster, but I feel it captures the essence of childhood...not a care in the world!

Yes, we let her play with chemicals, but only under direct supervision.

One of Hallie's most recent favorite activities is singing "Once There Was A Snowman." I sing, she does the actions. And we do it over, and over, and over. And it never gets old. I love that she loves it. She lets me know she would like to sing by putting her hands up over her head like so...

Hallie continues to keep us busy and make us laugh every day! We are so lucky to have her!

Update!

2009-01-29T00:58:00.015-07:00

Okay, so let me try to remember all that has happened since I last posted. First of all, there was Thanksgiving. This year was spent for the most part with the Hill family. All of Jordan's siblings were able to be here which meant lots of cousins around for Hallie to play with (and fight with). She enjoyed about 90% of her time with them, or rather any time that she was able to have things her way--what can we say, she is an only child.

At the beginning of December, Jordan officially graduated with his degree in Business Finance! Yeah! Now all he has to do is find a job...no big deal. If anyone would like to hire him for about $75,000 a year that would be perfect. :) Just give him a call. With two graduates of Idaho State University as parents we saw it fit that Hallie sport some ISU apparel.

Then, on December 18th we celebrated Jordan's birthday. He has become a little self-conscious about his age so I won't announce to the world that he has been around for nearly three decades.

And then there was Christmas. I LOVE Christmas and it passed much too quickly for my liking. I think I could have enjoyed another entire month of Christmas music, lights, family...etc. Hallie was SO fun to watch this year as she found so much delight in all the festivities.

All of my family was able to be here over the Christmas holiday except for Jana of course who is serving a mission in Argentina. We were all able to talk to her on Chirstmas morning which was nice. It was good to hear her voice. Having Nyah around made me appreciate a comparatively mild little girl. I only thought Hallie was busy until I tried keeping up with Nyah for a couple of weeks. I haven't decided if the difference is purely due to their little personalities or if it is just the age gap..only time will tell. This was about the only time I was able to catch them both holding still long enough to take a picture.

So, I think that is about it. Since welcoming in the new year it seems life as we know it continues to fly by. Jordan and I still call Hallie our little Hallie Baby though she is sixteen months old as of yesterday.

These last couple of pictures I just think are funny and so I thought I would share. Hallie is pretty good with on demand kisses these days. While playing at the little kids play center at our mall I suggested to her that she should kiss this frog...and she did. :) As far as I can tell she did not contract any serious diseases.

Or did she...

As you can see, Hallie can now pucker her lips so well she is able to plug her nose. She thinks she is pretty hilarious when she does this as do Jordan and I.

Happy Birthday and Happy Halloween!

2008-11-11T10:11:00.003-07:00

So, sorry this has taken me forever (I know nobody is surprised however), but here are a few pictures of Hallie on her 1st birthday and then on Halloween.

Fall Time!

2008-10-29T20:13:00.012-06:00

In an attempt carry on the quarterly posting, I have decdided to put up a few pictures and even a short video. These pictures have been sitting on our computer for a while, about 3 months, so I thought I could kill two birds with one stone. So here is the background: Around the Hill home, Hallie usually keeps us running around picking up after her and making sure she doesn't pull our unstable plant stand down causing severe damage to herself from the sheer weight of the pot. But on occasion, Lisa and I get to do what we want. While I would like to tell people that the activities we choose are reading, playing Trivial Pursuit, and coming up with new strategies for our amply sized portfolio, it just wouldn't reflect what actually goes on in our home. I think that the following pictures, however, will give you all a glimpse into our lives as they clearly show what we like to do in our spare time.

New Tricks

2008-08-27T01:54:00.005-06:00

So, we realize this post is a little premature for our quarterly update, however, Hallie is now doing a lot of new fun things so we thought we would share. Besides clapping, giving kisses, and waving hi and bye-bye, Hallie is now becoming quite mobile. She is crawling all over the place (her new favorite is to crawl up the stairs--we are still working on coming down the stairs however) and will stand up every chance she gets. This mobility thing is something we are all having to get used to rather quickly, hopefully before she winds up seriously injured. If you look closely at Hallie in the picture with the Dum-Dum sucker you will notice she has a fat upper lip and a bruise on her forehead--poor babe. The fat lip came in an attempt to pull herself up using a T.V. tray. The bruise happened when she fell into the bath tub while I was cleaning, oops. I am trying to tell myself these are the normal bumps and bruises that come with childhood and not just bad parenting.

Hallie also has a new obsession with the telephone. I can't help but wonder if this is a sign of things to come. :) She loves putting the phone up to her ear regardless of whether or not anyone is on the other end. When she first started doing this she would put the phone to her ear and say "Eh", now she will go on talking for hours on end (okay minutes) if we will let her. She started getting mad when we wouldn't let her have our cell phones, so Jordan found an old cell phone we had around the house which she has now claimed as her own.

The summer has been fun, but passed way too fast. I can't believe it is nearly September and Hallie will soon be 1! Jordan started back to school as of Monday (his last semester--yipee) and work continues for me same as always. I have included a couple of videos below. The first one is of Hallie walking behind her little shopping cart. The second is of her talking on the telephone.

Tagged!

2008-08-22T08:38:00.003-06:00

Rules, copy and paste on to your blog. Answer all the questions. When you are done, tag at least five more people. Have fun!
Place an X in the ones you have done.

(x) Gone on a blind date (That is what Jordan was--a happily ever after blind date)
(x) Skipped school
(x) Watched someone die (I am a nurse)
( ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Florida
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
(x) Gone to Washington , DC (I think I was 8)
(x) Swam in the ocean (Yes, I almost died, but that is another story)
( ) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robber--I think we did Cowboys and Indians. Why was that okay?
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only (Maybe not an entire meal, but definitely dessert!)
( ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( ) Made prank phone calls to a boss
(x) Laughed until you cried
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Written a letter to Santa Clause
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
( ) Been skinny dipping outdoors
(x) Gone to the movies
1. Any nickname? Lisa Pissa
2. Mother's name? Marilyn
3. Favorite drink? Hot chocolate with whipped cream on top
4. Tattoo? No
5. Body Piercing? Ears
6. How much do you love your job? Depends on the night, my patients, and the area in which I am working--and whether or not I have a baby at home I would rather be with--so pretty much I wouldn't say I love my job on a daily basis. Could be worse. I love that I have a job and can support our needs, how is that for optimism?
7. Birthplace? Pocatello, ID
8. Favorite vacation spot? If it is vacation, it doesn't matter where I am, at that moment it is my favorite.
9. Been to Africa? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? About once a week
11. Ever been on TV? No
12. Ever steal a traffic sign? No
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door
15. Favorite salad dressing? Ranch
16. Favorite pie? I'll have to go with banana cream, though I would take ice cream over pie any day--how chubby is that?
17. Favorite number? Don't really have one.
18. Favorite movie? Little Women--I know, Jordan totally thinks I am lame too.
19. Favorite holiday? Christmas
20. Favorite Song: Collin Raye - If You Get There Before I Do
21. Favorite food? I'm going to have to go with pasta in general, maybe potatoes (otherwise see #16 above)
22. Favorite day of the week? Any day I am not working.
23. Favorite brand of body wash? I just bought some Ivory body wash which I am enjoying.
24. Favorite toothpaste? Colgate cinnamon flavor
25. Favorite smell? Hallie after a bath and the smell of a clean house.
26. What do you do to relax? Get in "comfy" clothes and cuddle with Jordan.
27. Favorite gift ever received? The wedding band I wear to work. Jordan gave it to me as a graduation gift and I totally didn't see it coming. Oh, and the slide show he made for me of Hallie--see older post.
28. How do you see yourself in 10 years? So 34 years old...still happily married to Jordan with perhaps a couple of more kids, and a house (we should have a house by then and hopefully a housekeeper), I will be a novice to intermediate marathoner :), working part time with my master's degree because I want to. I wouldn't mind water skiing three times a week during the summers. Does that seem possible?
29. Tagged? Anyone in the mood
30. Who will respond to this the fastest? Anyone who has not yet given up on me ever updating this darn blog. ;)

Have a good day! I have to get some sleep!

2008-07-02T17:01:00.003-06:00

Summer Time!

2008-07-02T16:12:00.004-06:00

We chose "Summer Time" as the title of this post because we thought our inability to post frequently would be overlooked if we were only expected to post quarterly. So, starting now, we will be posting once during a season.

The slideshow we put together has quite a few photos, let me tell you about them so they make more sense:

Pincock Family Pictures: We recently had our pictures taken with Lisa's whole family. Of course I chose to display mostly those containing Lisa, myself, and Hallie!

California Trip: Lisa's cousin was recently wed in Sacramento. We suckered Aaron into coming with us to help us pay for gas (fool). Most of these pictures were taken a couple days after the wedding in San Francisco. Mariah joined us as she was also there for the wedding.

Ragnar Relay: There are one or two photos of our 12 person relay team. We ran from Logan to Park City. Our time is an unnecessary detail. Just know that we made it to Park City (181 miles)with all 12 runners and only vague signs of exhaustion and dehydration. Good times! Most of us plan on doing it again SOMETIME.

Boating: Hallie is experiencing the good times that can be had out at the lake with a ski boat. We had some down time on our last trip (thanks to Aaron and his lost wallet (fool)) so Hallie got to play on the beach for a while. She had so much fun playing in the water and being burried in the sand by her mom! So much fun, that when we started skiing she fell quickly asleep.

See ya'll in the Fall!

Quality Time!

2008-04-24T18:36:00.015-06:00

Lisa, Hallie and I decided to take a trip to Denver for Spring Break. We had a great time spending the first half of the week with Abby, Jason, David, Emma, and Alli. The latter part of the week we spent with Anna, Ryan, Nyah, Jana and Aaron.
Here are of the few of the pictures from our trip. This is Hallie's Easter dress. She has some cute shoes to go with it but she doesn't really like anything on her feet.

This is at Abby's house. Hence, all of her kids.

Abby took this picture. We went to the park across the street from her house to play on the toys. After reconnecting with my inner child on the monkey bars, I decided to sit down with my family. We had a great time at the park. I have a couple of videos to depict our fun, maybe we will post them 3 months from now.

When we were at Anna's house we all decided to go to Royal Gorge. There, we found the world's highest suspension bridge over, you guessed it, a gorge. We rode across the canyon on a gondola and it was pretty windy so there was some good movement. Most of us were pretty excited but there were two who were worried out of their minds (like Marilyn watching "Vertical Limit"). I won't name them because I don't like to "poke fun" or give anyone a "hard time". We'll just say they were both girls, and it wasn't Lisa (it was Jana and Anna). While we were there, Ryan, Aaron and myself went on one of those sky coaster things like they have at Lagoon. It sits right on the edge of the gorge so when you swing out you are looking down nearly 8 hundred thousansd feet into the canyon below.
While there, Anna and Ryan let us use their BOB stroller. We fell in love with it so we got one of our own. It just came in the mail earlier this week. I never thought the day would come that I would show so much excitement over a stroller. I think it says a lot about my maturity level.

As you can see, Hallie is getting so big (14 lbs 13.5 oz, 26 and 1/4 inches as of her last appointment). She is rolling all over the place and her hair is getting really long (on top at least) so we have been doing a lot of pig-tails--pretty dang cute if I do say so myself. This picture is while we were in Denver. We were able to celebrate Nyah's first birthday while we were there which was a lot of fun. :) We were happy the timing worked out so perfectly.

This next picture is just really sweet of Jordan and Hallie. She loves her daddy!

The picture of Hallie in her Malibu onesie is dedicated to Aaron. Perhaps it could even be considered as a sort of public apology. After all, this onesie was truly Hallie's first outfit. Hallie insisted on puting it on in anticipation of the the upcoming summer...good times.

Here is Hallie being her cute little self! What is not to love about a baby this adorable even at 1:30 a.m. They say babies thrive on routine...somehow she seems to be doing very well despite the lack thereof. This poor child of ours has anything but a routine these days. What to do?

We have now begun introducing Hallie to solids. This last picture is a pretty great description of how she feels about it. "Really, Mom and Dad? Really?" Anyway, life is great. Posting this blog has been such a pain, that I don't plan on doing it again for three more months...just kidding. I imagine if I would sit down to do it a little more frequently it would be a little easier. I guess we'll see. Nobody hold their breath.

Cute Babies!

2008-02-27T19:43:00.001-07:00

With a recent visit from Anna and Nyah, Hallie got to play with one of her cousins from Denver. Nyah did most of the playing while Hallie did a lot of watching and slobbering! While Anna was here, she, Lisa, and Marilyn took a quick trip to Boise to see Shari. While they were there, Lisa went a bit overboard at Babies 'R Us. She came home to seek my approval but immediately felt better when she realized that she was the primary breadwinner and that I had no room to complain! Lucky for me, there is not a Babies 'R Us within 200 miles! The two pictures below are of Hallie in one of her new cute outfits. With the adorable smiles AND the cute outfit, it was easy to pick out those two pictures to share. Also, take notice of her hair in those pictures. It has a CURL! Sad to say, that doesn't happen very often.
Hallie is doing a lot of new and fun things lately. She recently rolled over from her back to her stomach, and she found a love for sucking on her toes. She puts them in her mouth every chance she gets, giving her poor little chappy hands a break.
Lisa and I are in training for the Ragnar Relay in June. We swore off soda as of yesterday (Feb. 26th) and we are running at least 3 times a week. After a killer run with Josh, I am on the DL, with what feels like a broken foot. So now I am working out on a bike. No worries Baker's Dozen, I will be up and running again in no time. Lisa runs in the mornings with a friend from the ward. She timed herself this morning on a 3 mile jog. 31 minutes...not too shabby.
The video is Hallie performing her famous, and trademarked, Straight-Legs. She is a bit wobbly lately, not her normal statue like stance, but she still loves it and so do we.

Growing So Fast!

2008-01-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

So...it has been a while since we have up-dated--again! What can we say? Life has been good, but very busy. Hallie is getting so big, so fast. It is amazing how time flies. We are thinking about looking on-line for a way to stunt her growth. :) In the beginning of January Hallie had her first big adventure (if you don't consider the birth experience a big adventure of course). We went as a family to see Aaron in Phoenix. That was Hallie's first plane ride--thank you Hanna--and third state! We had a good time, I have included a few pictures of our hike up Picacho Peak, which was also a first for Hallie. She was a little trooper. It was her first real chance to get to be outside and I think she enjoyed it. With our recent below zero temperatures here in Idaho we are seriously thinking AZ sounds pretty good once Jord graduates! While we were there, Jordan and I bought running shoes so we can begin training for the Ragnar Relay--I mean continue training. We should be good to go come June.

Hallie has also become quite the jumper, though she has a ways to go to catch up to Nyah. The other day while she was jumping I started swinging her a little bit and got her first real laugh. It was so fun! I must have done it twelve times and she just kept on laughing, so I decided to catch it on camera so everyone could see.

Just as we have been at the computer attempting to update out blog Hallie rolled over from her stomach to her back for the first time. So exciting. After she did it, I decided to put her on her stomach again and pull out the camera to see if she would roll again, but she rolled so quickly I barely caught it, so it's a short video.

With life so crazy being in school and working, we are already ready for another vacation--so here we come--viva la Denver!

2007-12-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

This is the day that dad blessed Hallie in church. For those of you who can't tell just by looking, this is the same dress that Lisa wore when she was blessed 24 years ago! We were so excited that it was still around. It was a fun day, however dad was pretty much an emotional wreck the entire time at church. He hogged Hallie the whole time and didn't let anyone else hold her until Sacrament meeting was over. He just loves his baby girl.

Hallie has had a pretty busy holiday season. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both spent running back and forth from one Grandma's house to the other. Plus Hallie got to meet Mark and Brenda and cousin Ryker. Although she still lacks the ability to show much enthusiasm, we are certain that she loved them and was glad to meet them. Also Hallie met another special person. She just happened to be awake when Santa came to town! Lisa was awake as well and we were able to get a couple of pictures before Santa had to go creep out other people... 'er ... I mean, uh, visit other boys and girls.

Dad gave mom a DVD for Christmas that was a video of Hallie's picuters. It is posted below. It has music with it so make sure your speakers are on. Also, thanks so much for the Hallie's gifts this Christmas! She will enjoy all of it. Everyone was so generous. Thanks again. Happy Hollidays.

Busy, busy, busy!

2007-11-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Hallie has had a lot going on lately. She is growing up so fast (9 lbs. 13 oz. as of a few days ago) and doing new things every day. I have had the last few days off of work and school so we have all been hanging out as a family. It's been nice to have some quality time spending the entire day with my two girls.

Abby gave Hallie this full body pink coat thingy majigger which we bundled her up in to take for a walk one day when it was pretty cold. She enjoyed the great outdoors for the first few minutes and then enjoyed her nap for the next hour til we got home.

Before, when she was sitting up at about 5 weeks (see previous post) we were pretty sure that she was GT. Now she is pretty much standing on her own and has removed all doubt. The Girl is definitely Gifted and Talented. At this rate we are pretty sure that she will be walking by Christmas, Valentine's Day at the latest. We can't wait. You'll notice that her shoes in this picture don't have any laces. Her motor skills don't yet allow her fingers to work so intricately.

We have also just recently pulled out the Bumbo (for those of you unfamiliar with the Bumbo, it is the bright green chair). We are introducing it to her slowly, just a few minutes at a time. As you can see, Hallie has also started flashing smiles at everyone. Mostly at Mom and Dad but occassionally the grandparents get one too. Thanks to a little coaxing by Mom and stellar camera work from Dad, you can all see how cute she is when she flashes her pink gums.

You can imagine that after days jam packed with such activities, that a little girl would really need to get some sleep. Lucky for Mom and Dad, Hallie is really getting the hang of this too. She will generally sleep between 4-6 hours at a time at night. Here she is, worn out and fast asleep on her play mat.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

We know, we know. It's about time!

2007-11-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

After receiving no requests for scantily clad photos of myself, Lisa posted a fully dressed version along with a bunch of other cute pictures and little video at the end. Hope you enjoy!

Hallie with her daddy teaching her to sit up--she is pretty advanced. (We think she is GT) She was very excited about the experience as you can see.

David and Hallie

Hallie waving hello to all of you "out-of-towners". Her rash is looking much better in this picture than it does in the one below.

Hallie's favorite thing to do at this point in time is to hang out on the changing table. We believe she is centering herself and finding her "Chi". Here she is practicing holding her head up--she is getting pretty good these days. She will be ready for the Bumbo and Jumper in no time.

Hallie resting peacefully on her daddy's chest. As you can see, her rash was looking pretty harsh here, though it got worse--poor babe. (In an unrelated story, dad is now unable to stop scratching his chest)

Just a really sweet picture! Don't you think?

Hallie working the camera.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY LISA !

2007-10-12T15:17:00.000-06:00

24 Years old and 1 child... right on schedule!

We are getting the hang of this.

2007-10-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is able to post to the site now or at least make comments. If not let me know. Also, if there are any special requests for pictures just let me know. (for example: Jordan flexing, or Jordan with his shirt off, or even a combination of the two)