March happenings

This is a potpourri of pictures from last month:

Hung out at the library

Went to dinner at Joe's Farm Grill

Caught a lizzard in the backyard

Made lemonade

Took the cutest cuddling picture of Jake and Ash ever!

Ending with a bang!

I can't help but laugh at these pictures of Ashley at her last soccer game. Can you tell how much she enjoyed it?! I can't say I blame her - she was one of two girls on the team. But we were proud of her for keeping her commitment and sticking through every torturous moment. She is so sweet.

Happy here! It is finally OVER!

Birthday Surprise of a Lifetime!

I turned 30 last Thursday and had THE biggest surprise of a lifetime when I showed up at a restaurant to find that ALL MY SISTERS, SISTER-IN-LAWS, MOM, AND MOTHER-IN-LAW had flown in to celebrate with me!! I wanted to bawl (and kind-of did)!

I'd gone into the week with no big plans for my birthday because it was spring break and most of my friends had left town. The kids were home, Tyler was traveling the beginning part of the week, and I wasn't feeling my hottest.

But the second I saw all of those fabulous, beautiful ladies in my life all sitting together at a table waiting for ME - a bright sunburst popped through the clouds and a rainbow starting dropping skittles from the sky! I was so happy!! :)

We had a wonderful time together. Ate, not when we were hungry, but whenever we had room to spare. And just enjoyed each other's company. Without any notice at all, I found myself hosting 7 ladies and three adorable baby nieces (we missed you Heidi and Julia!). We slept everywhere all over the house. It was delightful.

I have to thank my sweet husband for working out this big suprise with everyone and holding in such a big secret. And all the girls for making it happen - I felt like the luckiest lady to have all of you here.

The afternoon I went to meet my mom and Michelle for lunch and was surprised to find Maddie, Ali and Paige there too!
The two b-day girls - my mom's in green because it was her actual St. Patty's birthday.
Cute Shelly and mom
Guac-a-toni anyone?
The night Shauna, Natalie, Katie, Sammy and Abby surprised me! Nana with three of her darling granddaughters.
The whole gang had come together. I was so taken aback I couldn't even focus on the menu to order anything!
Morning of my b-day pedi's. Love sister chat when we are camped out like this.

Having fun with the babies! Sammy at 14 mths walking and exploring.
Abby at five months, cuddling and smiling.
Paige and nine months sporting her cheesy grin.
Dinner at Red Robin. Great food, great company.
Thought this one was cute of Sammy.
Likewise, this one of Ali.



Group Shot! I'm "3-0"
The final push on calorie intake - Kristy Creme Donuts. Fantastic!

Baby #4 is on it's way!

I am happy to announce that we are expecting another little one! I am now six weeks along and just starting to feel the blessed pangs of nausea and fatigue. I am glad to know that these signs mean things are moving along as they should....

We took the test as a family and were thrilled when we saw two pink lines! My due date is Nov. 12th. So now the kids will have an August, September, October and November birthday! So much for avoiding being big and pregnant during the hot summer months! Oh well. At least my maternity clothes are always in season! :)

Children's Artwork

Most of what comes home in the kids' backpacks ends up in the trash. It has to or we would be sleeping on mattresses stuffed with paper. I take a second to admire the math problems they did or see how their handwriting is improving - then toss it. Once in a while they bring work home that is so worth keeping. Anything about themselves, our family, or with their drawings just gets me. I love it. Here are some recent treasures:
Ashley and Jake, by Ashley 3/2010
by Luke 1/2010

Adrenaline filled Afternoon

I write this in my blog with the purpose of remembering this event so that I can share it with Jacob someday - like when he becomes a father.

On Wednesday he and I took a lovely afternoon nap together. About the time I needed to go pick Luke and Ashley up from school I woke up and stirred jake, telling him we needed to go soon. He was out like a light. So I got up, put on my shoes, grabbed my keys and returned to his bedside stating that he really needed to wake up so we could go. He began to moan and uttered "I'm so tired". So I, knowing that the kids had already begun walking home and that I would only be gone five minutes, asked "do you want to stay in bed or come with mommy?" He didn't respond. So I jumped in the car and left.

Minutes later I pulled into the driveway with the kids, walked into the house and immmediately noticed that the front door was left wide open! Without another thought, I booked it out front with frustration and fear pouring over me. I knew he had gone.

Long story short, I took off toward the school which is about a 1/4 mile from here (picture one lap around a track). I walked with a feverish pace, hoping that I was going in the direction he had gone. Along my way I came across two boys from church who stated that they'd just seen Jake going to the school. I took a razor scooter from one of them and scoootered myself faster than ever before... all the while cursing at myself and the situation.

By the time I reached the school the place had emptied out, the crossing guards were pulling their signes out from the middle of the road and most of the cars had gone. I started to freak even more.

THANKFULLY, within a minute or two from that moment I heard "Sister Hillstead!" It was one of my sweet little cub-scouts who had seen Jake alone and stayed with him!! His sister was IN THE SCHOOL following Jake around while he took her on a wild goose chase looking for me! I was so happy and grateful for those kids to have seen a need and volunteered themselves!

I had a serious talk with Jake (our 100th I think on this topic) and even tried to scare him a bit about the dangers of bad guys taking him home to their house if he walks places without me. He seemed willing to consider it.

He had made it all the way from home to the school (crossed the street!), barefooted, with blankie in hand and was inside the school looking for me! I still can not believe it.

Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico

This was our last port of call so we planned to just do some shopping and find a good place to eat lunch. Once we saw how beautiful the water was, we were wishing we could jump right in. Cozumel would be a great place to do an excursion in the water! Now we know. Parasailing, renting jet skiies, even being at the beach would have been awesome.

We found lots of souveniers for the kids, another t-shirt for Ty and a sundress for me. We had a delicious lunch at a great Mexican Restarant complete with the Live Mariachi Band (one of our requirements). I liked this stop a lot and feel like we could have stayed another day. Something about Mexico felt more like home... if that makes any sense.

Day 5: Belize

We took everyone's advice and went cave-tubing in Belize. It might look cooler than it actually was - but we're glad we did it. The caves looked like the ones on Mt. Timp in Utah. The water wasn't too cold. But the life-jackets smelled like a men's locker room. We did enjoy taking the little hike through the jungle and finding the river among the caves.