Happy Birthday Ellie!

Three years....wow! Since it felt like it was just a year ago that we welcomed this sweet little girl into our home, I am really having a hard time putting my brain around the idea that Ellie is turning three years old today! I no longer have a baby as my youngest, but a little girl. Although I am pretty sure I'll keep carrying her around like she's a baby, and thinking she needs to be rocked to sleep, etc.....Poor thing, I hope I come to terms with no more babies before she goes to kindergarten! :)

Ellie is such a little sweetheart in our family, although the controlling and in charge personality is emerging....they learn by example you know, and since she is surrounded by strong personalities, she is not going to grow up to be a pushover! Ellie has a very advanced vocabulary, and she pronounces her words well. It is hilarious to hear her say kaleidoscope, "that is wonderful", "oh, it's beautiful", and use them correctly!

Ellie loves ALL THINGS PRINCESS! Which is fitting, because she is one! ;)

Happy Birthday Ellie! We love you, and all that you bring to our home. You have your whole huge wonderful life ahead of you, and we can't wait to sit back and watch you achieve amazing things.

Jared's Christmas Concert

The Kindergarten classes at our school put on a cute Christmas concert tonight. They did a great job! Of course, I am biased, but just a tad. The video is small, and not great quality, but you get the idea. In case you are wondering where Jared is, he's "Dasher" (He was very excited for his part, and jumped up a little bit early!)

I shall return....

As everyone can plainly see, my blog is lacking attention from ME! Life has been crazy busy, what with normal goings on, then add to that moving my mom out of her house, doing a mini-extreme makeover on her new place- which is still in progress- and then the Geography Bee to put on tomorrow. Whew! Something's gotta give! I think what I am most worried about is the fact that I am not ready for Christmas, in the least...so until the ducks get in a row, my blog is going to be very quiet.

So watch your Google readers for me to return, or check back in a couple weeks! Until then, have a great holiday season!

Great weekend.....mostly!

Well, Thanksgiving is over, done, and put away. Here we go with Christmas! Thursday was nice. Family, fun, and okay food.....my rolls didn't work and it sorta ruined it for me....and Ron. I did go get him 2 dozen good rolls the next day though to make up for it. They are now gone! I think next year, a nice idea would be to go to Mimi's cafe or somewhere that serves up dinner for you....no work, no dishes, just good food and then come home for a nap.....but then there's the no leftover issue..... Oh well. I have a year until we do it again, so no worries yet!

Ron and I planned on going out bright and early Friday morning for some shopping, but Jared decided to change our plans by getting very sick beginning around 1:30 AM......poor kid kept nothing down until about 3 in the afternoon. So I went a couple places alone but it was not all too productive. But I got some done, and a little more Saturday, so we are getting there in terms of Christmas gifts. It is so strange, I feel like I just got Christmas put away from last year, so I don't feel like I should be doing this yet!

Saturday we made our little excursion to the tree farm....pictures here...
The quest begins for the perfect tree....anything bigger than the stick Jared has is game....

After considering a few, including a very blue Blue Spruce(maybe next time, I don't know if I'd get sick of a blue Christmas tree after the first couple of days!) we found the perfect tree. Good height, color, straight, and lots of open spaces for our ornament collection.

The cutest picture of Ellie....she is starting to look so much like a big kid, which makes her mommy very sad! I am still in denial that she'll be three in a month! I guess I should get her potty trained and perhaps moved out of her crib. Ellie chose this itty-bitty tree as her favorite.....we told her that maybe when she's about 16 that tree might by bigger than the stick!

When we got home, we discovered that of the three long strands of lights for the tree that we had, only 1 1/2 of them worked. Lowes had mini lights on sale, so we just decided it would be less of a headache to get new ones...while we were at it, we switched from clear mini lights to multi-colored. A little change is always fun. While at the store, the kids found these fun Santa hats and had to pose:


The finished product!


I stole all of these photos from Ron's blog. How sad is it that I didn't pull my camera out once? I let him do all the pictures with his iPhone, and then he blogged them the same day, practically the same hour, on his iPhone. He's doing a better job of documenting things than me, so if you ever wonder what is going on with us because I haven't posted in a while....check out my husbands blog!

We have a very busy week ahead.....Christmas prep, and then my sister and her hubby come up to help with some work on my mom's new house. She closes on Tuesday, and then Wednesday evening we will start ripping out vinyl flooring and carpet, tearing down wallpaper, laying tile, and painting the master bedroom and some shelves....all topped off with moving her out of her old house on Saturday. I'm really wondering how that day and saying goodbye to that house will go. It was home for me from age 10, up until I moved out on my own. Lot's of memories there. I'll make sure to take some pictures.

I Am Grateful

• 30. A Testimony and belief in my savior, Jesus Christ, and His restored Gospel.
• 29. My blog, for giving me a way to quickly chronicle life and it's happeneings
• 28. Saltines and Gatorade....poor J is sick, sick, sick...
• 27. Family, Food, and Fun
• 26. Noggin, to entertain the kids. I'm a busy cooking and cleaning woman!
• 25. Prayer
• 24. Recipes and menu plans that make life much easier
• 23. Peace
• 22. Music
• 21. Kid cuddles
• 20. Creativity
• 19. Clean laundry
• 18. Sunshine and 70 degrees! What a beautiful day.
• 17. No more gray hair ;)
• 16. Cute nursery kids singing songs
• 15. Saturdays....the only time I get my husband home all day!
• 14. Nicole, my now 7 year old! :)
• 13. My almost 3 year old who makes me laugh on a daily basis.
• 12. A full nights sleep
• 11. Choices
• 10. Diet Dr. Pepper
• 9. A sense of humor!
• 8. The sanctity of family and marriage.
• 7. Good friends
• 6. Education
• 5. The snow we woke up to - my kids were SO excited!
• 4. A free country and the opportunity to participate in government
• 3. My husband's secure job
• 2. My husband
• 1. My health

Let's revisit July....

I was looking through my pictures today, and saw these nice toasty visions of some July activities....even the monsoon rainstorm the kids were playing in was pretty warm! These were all taken on the same day.

It was our little city's "Family Festival", so we were awakened early by a hot air balloon hovering just above our house. Close enough we could yell "Hello" to the balloon guys!

Then it was off to the parade. We like to set up camp in the round-about. You get closer to the action that way, meaning the kids get more candy and otter pops thrown at them--it's Halloween in July! See the construction going on behind Ron? I bet you can't guess what big-box retailer is coming in......oh....you did guess. Yep, it's another WalMart taking over the world. Close enough we can walk to it. Sigh. I plan on bringing a cart home with me when I visit the first time, and then I never have to share with anyone else and wonder what kind of germs are on the handle. ;)

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the park, enjoying the blow-up slides, entertainment, and the firetruck's "water cannon".



We then got hit with a very wet and strong monsoon! The kids had a blast running through it! Unfortunately, even though the rain stopped, the wind didn't and our big fireworks show was cancelled! Oh no! It's okay though. The fireworks guys camped out in the field that night and all through Sunday and Monday, so we got a fireworks show that night for Family Home Evening instead. With Walmart being open next summer, no one knows what is to become of the fireworks for our annual Family Festival, so it may have been our last year. So sad if it was....

Just had to share.....

My husband made this today.....I had to giggle!

**for any non-BYU followers, that's Max "Mr. SIX turnovers against the U" Hall sitting over there....the outcast!

Poinsettia Festival

Nicole's dance studio had a performance at the "Poinsettia Festival" yesterday. She was very excited to wear her new costume and get all made up like a ballerina, albeit a fluffy-haired ballerina! She did well, and it was evident she enjoyed herself with her never-ending smile while performing. It made her very excited for next months performance in the "Nutcracker"!

Happy Birthday Nicole!

I can't believe it's been seven years....

Thank you....

Casper Conrad Nicoll

Don Carlos Nicoll Jr.

Guy Alma Nicoll

One mother's sacrifice: three sons sent to serve in WWII.
One army, two navy, later one served with the marines as a medical corpsman.
(And although not pictured, one son-in-law as well: J.T. Hunter)


Kenneth Naegle Nicoll

Later, after his mother's death, another son (my handsome father) served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

The ultimate sacrifice, as her second son was killed in action on Iwo Jima.



Thank you
to all our veterans who have served us and our country.
May the Lord bless you and your families.

B&W Challenge

Hope and Believe is having another fun photo challenge I thought I'd participate in. It is to take a photo(new or old) and make it B&W....I can do that! So here you go:


Funny bit of trivia with this shot: it's another self-timer deal!

Goodbye Autumn

This is almost pretty enough to not mind that this is what it looked like around here today...almost.

**photo stolen from my husbands iPhone!**

Check THIS out!

Recognize these kids?!

He, he, he, he! The kids had a blast! Thanks, Nicole, and Rubberball, for letting us come play!

Go to THIS POST on THIS BLOG for more smashy face fun.

And thanks to onehm for the heads up that it was posted! ;)

Month of Gratitude

I was just over at my cousin's blog, and she had a great idea that I'm borrowing, but tweaking a bit so I'll actually do it! She pointed out that November is the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving and remember the things we are grateful for. So this month, I'm adding a list to my side bar where I will list one thing a day for the 30 days of November that I am grateful for. Absolutely feel free to join in if you'd like to, leave me a comment so I can come visit your list too!

Family picture out-take...

Since the leaves are great right now, and this is possibly the last day of warmish weather to get a new family picture with an "Autumn" look, we fit it in! Here is one of many out-takes. It is near (if not totally) impossible to get all six of us looking good in a picture. (This is pretty close, except for J!) It doesn't help that I am doing this with the self-timer!

The rest of Halloween...

Pumpkins all lit and kids ready to go. (Off-topic, what is with the 5 year old and his forced smiles?! Ugh!) Riley and some friends stayed home and handed out candy while Ron and I took the kids around. They were die-hards and went farther than ever! Therefore, they now have so much candy it is sickening. Add into that all our leftovers, and I think we're set for a few months of treats....not kidding...we have a 5 lb. bag we never even opened! We thought we'd have more kids due to the good weather and it being Friday night, but we over calculated...oops! We did have a little bit of rain, as the sunrise predicted, but it was just on and off sprinkles, not enough to stop our little goblins.

Nicole kept trying to take off and leave us behind....she had candy to collect! But Jared was pretty good about being the "helper" big brother that I'd asked him to be and stuck with Ellie. Here he's making sure she doesn't walk in front of the car pulling into the driveway. Ahhhh, sweet!

Here's the "trick" Jared received. One of the homes was giving the kids potatoes as their treat, but then telling them they could trade it for a real treat. Most of the kids traded their spud back in. Not Jared! He thought it was very cool to have a potato. Of course two houses later he decided it was too heavy to haul around in his bag, so I got to carry it the rest of the night. ( I kept trying to let him carry some of his candy but he didn't fall for that!) I asked him what he wants to do with his tater, and he told me he wants to make soup.

Halloween Morning....

We woke up this morning to this:
Wow! What do they say about "red sky in the morning" though.....I hope we aren't in for rain tonight! ;)

Princess Nicole on her way to the royal school:

Officer Jared gave out a few tickets and beat up a few criminals with his billy club....
he's a tough guy!

Pictures of Princess Ellie coming....I've got to fix her hair before we head to the school Halloween parade!


**Edited** Here is princess Ellie.....I tried to get her to be a witch....nope! She HAD to be a princess, and she and Nicole chose the same dress, so we have twinner princesses at our house...and a cop...and a teenager running around in a scarf and neon pink WordPerfect hat and calling that her costume(?)!

For a look at Riley this morning, go here and scroll down about a page...this was before the hat...

Wilson-World

My husband was able to get our name in a domain-name....so he had to do something with it! So.....without further adieu....let me introduce:

To check it out, click on the above picture! As you'll see, it has links for you to our blog's (my husband even has one now, while my link just brings you back here.) A photo page, as well as links we enjoy.....many of my blogger buddies will even find links to themselves. Eventually we will upload videos there as well. It will be fun (at least for us) to watch the evolution of my hubby's work. I now need to figure out how to make a clickable button for my side-bar.....anyone know how?! ;)

***Edited: Got the side button.....thanks to the hubster!***

Soccer

Jared was our only soccer player this season...Nicole has moved on to dance instead. These pics are a little late, being that the Fall season is now over, but oh well...better late than never? :)

Jared once again had fun, and is improving. He still isn't afraid to get in the thick of things and be aggressive.....we actually need to work on him not taking the ball from his teammates. :) So here is a look at his season, and you'll see the "Green Lightning" again in the spring!

GOOOOOOOOOAL!

GOOOOOOOOOAL!

Not sure if the frown is because he's sad about soccer season ending, or because he missed a goal!

Thanks again Coach Thomas! You're the best!

Simplify....

Time for a new look, after all, it is almost Halloween. (I suppose I should get the rest of my decorations out...cough, cough....my poor kids!) I was feeling the love for a fun new topper, and simple for the rest. What do you think? Yes, I know Riley is missing....she didn't get a picture taken last year...wasn't feeling the love for Halloween I guess...but I'll put a new topper up in a week and we'll all be there!

I know what you are thinking....why don't you just blog more?! I have lots of intentions to, it just hasn't come to fruition yet.

Fun day Thursday. I got a call at almost the end of school that Nicole got hurt. Apparently some kid wasn't paying attention to where he was going and knocked her into the outside wall of the school, cutting her head open....nice....we all know how head injuries bleed like there is no tomorrow, and Nicole did just that. The little itsy-bitsy cut on her head, that was too small to even think of needing medical attention, bled and oozed for about 4 hours. Then I, smart mother that I am, gave her a shower. I had to wash the blood out of her hair before school tomorrow....so the bleeding began again, but stopped much quicker this time!

I am SO excited for tonight....it's Nicole (a little sussy's) wedding day! Hooray! I am so excited to go spend the evening with one of my favorite families ever and celebrate with my divine Hill girls! I can't wait to see what Nicole has come up with for her day....I'm certain it will be incredible.

a little vay-cay.....

Not that I've been all that great about staying up to date, or posting regularly....but we're off to Wyoming for a little "fall break 4wheeling and fun" (say that 5 times fast...) adventure with some friends. Four families: 8 adults, and 16 children... :)

Speechless...

July Recap....BMX

Our neighbors had been telling us for a while about a BMX track up in South Jordan. It is actually a "park" owned by Salt Lake County, but run by a group of BMX enthusiasts. There is one evening a week you can go do practice runs, and then another evening to go and do the races. The outdoor track is open from late spring until the end of September, and then the winter season moves to a couple of larger nearby events/equestrian centers....I guess they just share it with the horses(?!). At the beginning of the race evening, they do a little thing called the "Big Wheel". It's a short race at just the end of the track for the younger kids to give them something to do and basically to build up their enthusiasm and "start 'em young"! They separate the kids into age groups, give them a countdown and push, and then at the end, they ALL get a trophy! The best part is the "big wheel" is FREE!

So in July, right before Jared's 5th BDay, we decided to go for it. We got to the track in hopes of Jared doing a couple of practice runs....well, in order to do a real practice run, you have to sign up for a race and pay. Since we weren't doing that, Ron asked if he could push Jared out on the last turn and bumps on the track a couple times between practice groups, and they were okay with that. Jared LOVED it! The concentration on his face was awesome, and he did really well....especially considering he has a regular heavy Huffy BMX bike from Toys R Us and not a "race" BMX bike. When it came time for his "race" he lined up, they said go, Ron gave him a push, and he left all the other kids in the dust! He. was. thrilled!



They gave him the trophy and he just stood there facing the bleachers holding it up so the crowd could see as if there was a ceremony or something. I still tear up thinking about how absolutely fantastic it was that he was so proud of what he had done! Oh, how I love this kid!


Jared really wanted to go back up and do it for real....but the start ramp really freaked me out....about a 2 1/2 story drop, and pretty steep for a five year old! You do get a one-time free "try it out" race before you pay the $45 yearlong membership fee to the American Biking Association-BMX, so maybe this winter we'll hit the indoor track....

For anyone in Utah that wants to check it out, here's their site. For everyone else, here's the national site where you can look and find a BMX track near you!

Ellie's Double Take

On the "Picture Rock" in Yankee Boy Basin, San Juan Mountains of Colorado
Taken in August of 2006 and 2008

What a cute little stinker. Check out those rolls and dimples on her legs at 6 months! But her smile is still a winner, as always. I think we'll just keep taking pictures at this rock of her and eventually we'll have six Ellie's all photoshopped together!