Weekend with Mom... as in Me

As much as I would have loved to have a weekend with my mom or mother in law - it was just me! Shawn took off to Texas this past weekend to help out with new resident interviews, so that left me and the three kiddos solo for four glorious days. Honestly I was kind of dreading it, because the kids and I rely so much on the break in the day when Shawn swoops in and makes us laughs, wrestles, and allows me to have adult conversation. But to my pleasant and happy surprise we had a great weekend. We stayed up late every night, watched movies, played games, ate kid friendly and mom friendly food, and I got to sleep by the two most handsome boys in the world. I loved waking up with the two of them and chatting a little before we rolled out of bed in search of breakfast and morning cartoons. Church wasn't even the usual circus that it normally is, and I was so thankful to Samantha for having us over for dinner Sunday night.

Because it was Martin Luther King Day - Sam had the day off, and we headed up to Albany to the New York State Museum. It was packed full of interesting exhibits including a very impressive display of September 11th. I was again awe struck at the horrific nature of that day and how it forever changed us all. Even the kids seemed to notice a difference in the atmosphere in that part of the museum. We topped it off with a ride on an 112 year old carousel. Lyv loved this so much she was crying hysterically as I attempted to pry her little fingers from the bar.

I forgot my camera - so this is best I got on Jack's little camera from Christmas. Speaking of forgetful....We (my friend Samantha and her girls came with us) also hit up the mall there, which offers a little more variety than the mall here in Kingston. My sole purpose in going to the mall was to exchange something, but of course I forgot it at home! Seriously I'm losing my mind - I made a trip today to get an ink cartridge and bought the wrong one! I do this ALL of the TIME! It's so frustrating.... This morning we woke up to snow, our first official snowfall of the winter - which I'm okay with it being our last. Jack did enjoy a little romp outside. Notice the newest of scars on Jack's head - this from falling off his scooter and magically landing on his head directly on the bar. But he's still smiling:) Lyv is more of a fair weather gal, and this is about as "outside" as she was willing to get! Don't you just love those yellow boots (wrong feet) - thanks Grandma Julie, they are to die for. Lyv also got a special little package in the mail from Grandma Great - Lyv's name sake, my Grandma Jeanne. She sent Lyv a super cute cupcake necklace, just because. Lyv opened it and squeeled "Pretty!" She loves it.

Kindergarten is Kool

I've been pretty pathetic in my postings of Sam's kindergarten experience! He has been loving school, and his teacher has been wonderful. Sam is a great student, which is no surprise since he loves learning. He is the ideal - soak up all the knowledge sponge-like student....probably because he likes to know more than everyone else around him (this may or maynot be a Hill family genetic trait!) I've been able to go into his class a few times to see him in action, and it has been a delight. His classmates are such cute kids, and it is fun to see the face that goes with the names I hear about at home. Sam got to bring home Corduroy today and he was so excited to have him here! Each day he comes home with new things to tell, and new projects completed and I'm amazed at all the fun things he gets to do. Say what you will about public education, but it is such a gift to live in a nation that believes EVERYONE should be educated. I am a HUGE advocate of anything that will benefit the improvement and enhancement of public education - and I am grateful for the teachers who give so much of their time, talents, and money to provide exceptional educational experiences to their students.

No Joke, the never ending hysterics of Jack

Jack came running out of the bathroom the other night with this little piece of wonderful trailing behind him!

Seriously doesn't this only happen in the movies? Not in our house, this is something that could only be Jacked!

Girl Girl Girl

Our little lady is such a girl! I mean aside from the obvious female attributes, she dances, sings, prances, twirls, hugs, kisses, and bustles around the house cleaning up, bossing the boys, and sassy in the same moment smiling at me! Lyv has been talking so much lately and literally speaks in full sentences, especially when she is talking to the boys. She yells, "Jack, it's ready!" at every meal; and she asks me "How come?" mimicking Jack. One of my favorite expressions is her "Yeah!" She usually says it through hiccuping tears, and manages to say it with so much gusto its hard not to giggle at her. A few weeks ago I came downstairs after getting ready and had earrings in (a little bling!) and she said "Mommy pretty!" She adds so much to our house - sometime too much..... One minute she is happy and giggling and in the same heartbeat she'll break down into tears. It is no mistakes that a little girl wraps everyone around them around their little puggy fingers.

Here she is sobbing because Shawn was leaving to go to Scouts! She doesn't like to be left behind.

West Point & Boston Aquarium

Here are some highlights of our West Point trip. They had so many artifacts there - it was so interesting to see.

Flag hung over Ground Zero: Sitting Bull's Death Mask:

Hitler's pistol:

Gen. Yoshimoto's sword - the blade was made in the 1600's, given at the surrender of WWII:

While Christine, Nate and I explored the Freedom Trail and Fenway Park in Boston, Shawn took the kids to the Boston Aquarium. We thought it wouldn't be very busy, but boy were we wrong. Shawn said they waited in line for nearly 2 hours just to enter, and then once in Jack wasn't able to make it to the bathroom and pooped his pants. So after dealing with too many people and too much poop, they called it quits! It was perfectly timed, because we had finished the Freedom Trail about the same time.

Nate and Christine

My oldest neice and nephew, Christine and Nate, came out to stay the week with us Christmas Day night. We had a week of fun visiting, site seeing, and me realizing that I'm REALLY no longer young. The course of the week highlighted my "oldness" in comparison to their youth. For example, I found myself commenting on the lyrics of the music they listened too, how unnecessary cellphones really are, noting that none of my clothes would qualify as "trendy or cool", and feeling the aches and pains of my body being putting to the test after hiking up the Bunker Hill monument in Boston, staying up way too late to ice skate in Central Park, and being towered over by Nate and Christine who were once like my own babies!

We had a great week - and we explored the in's and out's of some of the greatest places in the East. I did a few firsts of my own too:
Visited West Point Museum,
I went to the top of the Empire State Blding at night and saw the city lit up in its glory,
Ice skated in Central Park
Visited Ellis Island
Listened to Drake, Lil' Wayne, and the like.... (thanks Nate)
Saw the Rockefeller tree all aglow!

It was a super fun week, and I think that I will spend the next week recovering from the FUNNNNN! Thanks Nate and Tine for coming out, we had a great time.

Christmas 2011

We had a really nice Christmas this year. I can't believe how quickly time flies, it seems like Christmas comes and goes before we know it. Christmas Eve was spent preparing food, going to see "We Bought a Zoo" (super good I would recommend seeing it, and having a yummy dinner. After dinner we got the kids bathed and cozied up in new Christmas pjs. We laid out our cookies for Santa, our reindeer food, and sent the kids to bed. They were too excited to stay for long and kept coming out promising that they saw Santa's sleigh. Finally about 10:30 they fell asleep. Sam woke up about 6:45, and excitedly declared that Santa had eaten all of the cookies, and completely overlooking the brand new bike and race track there for him! Jack and Sam both tore through their presents, and were so happy with what Santa, grandparents, and cousins had given them. Here are the kids' list this year:

Sam - bike, race track, beyblades, and angry birds toy

Jack - candy, gum, candy canes filled with candy, a bike helmet, angry birds game, and a Big Dipper Machine (to dry up all the water in the world)

Lyv - stroller, necklace, dress-ups.

Except for the Big Dipper machine (Santa really did try to find a way to make this happen) all was delivered. Santa is one popular guy here at our house because last but not least, he delivered a trip to Orlando in Februar with the entire Summers' Family! We are soooo excited for that.

We headed out to church after a yummy omlete breakfast, and enjoyed a really nice sacrament program. We came home and had a seafood fest with shrimp and crablegs with our friends the Thuns. After the kids went to bed happily exhausted, Shawn went to NYC to pick up Nate and Christine and I cleaned up the mess!) We had a great Christmas this year. This first Christmas without Ryan was difficult for everyone in our family. I thought about why this was - because if he hadn't died I probably still wouldn't have seen him during Christmas anyways. But there is something about Christmas that draws our thoughts to family, home, and happiness. Some of my best memories are of Christmas' spent with my family, and one in particular included Ryan specifically. I wish that I could have had him open our family Christmas card, and known that he was attending a family party or two. Christmas was felt a bit more deeply this year, with a stronger focus and appreciation for for the "Gift" that was given.