Thursday, July 31, 2008

Pain in the neck!

Not thrilled to have her picture taken!
Her attempt to smile




Good riddance!! I took Emilee in this morning at about 8:00 for her tonsillectomy. Sounds fun, right? Here I am reassuring her that all will go well, while other children who are coming out of the anesthesia , are screaming and throwing up! At this point Emilee turns to me and says,"Mom, all of this is starting to make me nervous." I once again tell her everything will be fine...and sure enough, 2 hrs later she is done and doing very well. She had no pain and no nausea. I must say, this is going just as I had hoped, although I must give credit where credit is due. Delon gave her a blessing the night before, I am always grateful to have the priesthood in our home...what a privilege. So we are almost in the clear and I am sure she will handle things just fine. (She's a tough one!)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Long time, no run...

Okay, so I went out for my first "real"(not on a treadmill) run the other night and it felt amazing! I only ran two and a half miles, but it was nice to turn the music up and get out there again. I usually stay pretty active, but I haven't found the time to do one of the things I love the most lately...run. Being as it was a small success, satisfaction-wise, I now remember why I love it so much. The only downside is the soreness in my hips. You'd think I just had a baby or something! Anyway, I must press on if I'm ever going to keep up with my boys...and stay young.

Run Amy, run!!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

TAGGED

I have read several posts where people have been tagged and I was hoping to maybe escape it. I think I'm afraid to be stumped by these questions. Also, there is a lot of thought that has to be put into these things...so here goes!

JOYS-
- My family, definitely
- The gospel
- Music, could not live w/out it
- The fall season
- The smell of rain
- Design/Architecture
- A good book
- Movies, all kinds
- Dark Chocolate
- Running...early in the morning when the world is still
- Thunder and lightning storms
- Good friends
- Traveling
- Being by the ocean and the smell of sea water
- Last, but not least, singing


FEARS-
- Disappointing my children
- Losing a loved one
- Not living a productive life
- Wasps, I know, sounds trivial compared to the others, but yet a fear
- Never getting the opportunity to see other places
- Never discovering other things that I may be good at and actually enjoy
- Disappointing my parents
- Forgetting to enjoy the simple things
- Not having the courage to just push myself a little and putting faith in my abilities
- Drowning...even though I love the water and am a decent swimmer

GOALS-
- Finish school, get my BA in Sociology
- Soak up as much knowledge as I can before my brain starts to rot
- Get into shape...I need my endurance back with these boys!
- Serve a mission with Delon
- To have my children be proud that I am their mother
- Learn to properly ride a horse...not just in circles at the fair :)
- Pick up the French Horn again
- Be a member of the Tabernacle Choir, traveling and singing, two of my favorite things!
- Learn the anatomy of the automobile...just in case I'm stuck somewhere on the side of the road :)
- This is a long shot, but I've always loved journalism and love to write. Maybe I'll write a children's book, or become a broadcast journalist...I can just see it now!

CURRENT OBSESSIONS-
- Red and yellow peppers dipped in Poppy Seed dressing
- Watching home improvement shows
- Blogging, obviously
- Organizing...I swear I have symptoms of O.C.D.

There you are Becky, now you know all the strange things rolling around in my head. I tag CARRIE N. , MELISSA W. , and KIM S. I'm waiting ladies!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Sharing a birthday with America


Sparklers...traditional celebration.

My little poser...she loves the camera.

35 in human yrs...7 in mature yrs. :)

Blowing out the candles with the help of Gracie.

Still love your smile Delon!



Well, we have two things to celebrate in this house on the 4th of July. Happy 35th Birthday Delon!!
Delon has always thought that the fireworks were for him. I think he was really disappointed when he learned the truth...poor Delon. :(
Anyway, thought I would take a moment to tell Delon how much we love him. For those of you who know him, I'm sure there are many stories to share and memories that may not be so fond, but at the end of the day Delon is a good friend and a great father and husband. He loves his family and works hard to give them everything they need. Most importantly, he has always had a love for life that can be very contagious, and shares that with his children.
Hope this year is a good one Delon. WE LOVE YOU!!!

California or Bust!! (Hillesheim Family Reunion)

Karaoke night with Bryan Adams

Nothin' like a little "Billie Jean"to get you movin'
The infamous Sunset Beach football team.
The cousins with G&G
Two peas in a pod.
Singing the Beatles with my sisters.
The Haka...very entertaining!
Gracie and Lily
Crab corpse, courtesy of Brooke.
Mr. August :)
Diggin' for sand crabs.
Me and Gramps
Chasing bubbles on the beach.
Delon out for a run on the beach...yeah right!
Windblown and wet...
Beach Buddies!
Beach Bum!
Making butterflies out of coffee filters, very cute and cheap activity.
The couple of the hour. :)
Ross, Wendy and Diana
Being around family wears Haydn out!
Diana and Ramsi
Gracie and her artillery
The monstrous water slide...I think I may invest in one of these.
Robin...one of the family.
All us girls...don't we look ravishing?
Serious conversation at the poker table.
Hittin' the road.
Jake's favorite way to travel.



Okay, so I dreaded the drive to California... was not looking forward to the millions of times the kids would ask,"How much longer?!" But the night of the 25th, we were on our way. Our first stop was in Elko. (This was so we could give the kids a break). Then the morning of the 26th we were able to take our time and stop when we needed. This leg of our trip was only about 7-8 hrs. That evening we spent in Brentwood, Ca, where I lived from about the age of 2 to 14. We stopped to spend time with our good friend, Robin (we, meaning my entire family and all the kids), who also use to be our babysitter. Robin and her husband, who farm and own several fruit tree farms, had recently built a home in the middle of a cherry orchard, talk about privacy. We all hung out for a couple of hours and let the kids play on this monstrous water slide. It was equipped with water guns too, so you could shoot everyone coming down the slide. It's always fun to visit someone you grew up with and talk to all of the time, but never see. Robin's twin daughters, Kenzee and Kaylee, were so sweet to share everything with the kids, whom they've never seen before. I think they were glad to have visitors their own size!
The next morning we took off to Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world. As soon as you're 3-4 miles away, you can smell the garlic...mmm, I love garlic. I wouldn't mind smelling that everyday. This is where my G&G Hillesheim live, my dad's parents. And thanks to them, we had a nice room in the Forest Park Hotel, close to where they live and with a swimming pool for all the kiddies. (Thanks again!)
The reunion was so much fun. We were able to spend a lot of time together. The first day we hung out and had dinner , played games and let the kids swim. On Saturday, which was also my birthday, we went to Sunset Beach for the afternoon, had lunch there and enjoyed the cooler weather. I'm not a fan of hot weather, so being on the coast suits me just fine! The water was of course freezing, but some of the guys still stripped down and swam out, apparently far enough to find a sea lion. The rest of us hung out on the beach, played football, dug for hermit crabs and built sand castles. My Grandpa was there and was so sweet to hang out and play with the kids. He still has so much energy...he is like the energizer bunny!
Later that night we had dinner and a show. Several of the cousins prepared little skits or songs to do for a talent show. I sang "All My Loving" by the Beatles, with my sisters. And Delon, well those of you who know Delon, would have loved to see him do the Haka, a Maori war dance. This was something he learned on his mission in Australia. It has been close to nine years since I have seen him do it...so this time was a whole new experience. Let's just say that it's funny watching a "white" boy do the Haka! (We're very proud of you Delon, way to do your angry face)! To close the evening, we all sang Karaoke together, Phantom of the Opera karaoke. I know, sounds strange, but very fun. Of course there was the occasional Michael Jackson and Bryan Adams. Wow, memories come flooding back when I hear those songs.
I think after it was all said and done, my fondest memory will not be the beach, or the singing, especially not the drive...but the pride I felt in knowing that I have such a great family and most importantly that I love to be with them. We are so lucky that we all get a long and can really have a good time together, no matter what we are doing.
And to my G&G Hillesheim...wow, what can I say? These two are the epitome of love. What a great example they are. One thing that always comes to mind when I think of them, is music and a good time. I have many wonderful memories growing up of the time we spent at their home for family reunions. All of the games, gathering around the piano, or in some cases, the banjo, and of course, sittin' with Grandpa and shelling roasted peanuts. We love you guys and wanted you to know that we are grateful that you started this whole mess! :)