Christmas Eve

As always we had a wonderful Christmas Eve! We had a fabulous dinner at my parent's house and enjoyed the short program we had that helped put us in the Christmas spirit and remind us what we are truly celebrating! Then we tried to have all the great grandkids pose with my grandparents. They actually did pretty well!Then we had a visit from the "BIG MAN"! This is the first year Brady and Easton aren't terrified of Santa. It is so much more fun this way!Luke on the other hand was completely petrified to the point he was shaking every time Santa came near him. Brady and Easton got to spend some good quality time with their cousins who they love!That night we opened our traditional Christmas Eve Pajamas! Always an exciting time! (Don't mind the left over dessert on Easton's face)All the cousins!The boys!Our family!The guys...and dollsThen my Dad played Santa and gave all the kids their presents! The boys got a Leapster which they LOVE!All the kids got Sing-A-Ma-Jigs which aren't annoying at all :) We had a great night and the kids were spoiled. After the festivities were over we headed home. It was the first time we have ever slept at our own house on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas...

I didn't get Christmas cards out this year so here it is! We have so much to be thankful for, especially all our wonderful friends and family! We are also grateful at this time for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bloggers Give Back

My cousin-n-law and some friends are doing this awesome project called "Bloggers Give Back". Tomorrow, December 15, there will be an auction. There are so many wonderful people who have donated things such as jewlery, photo shoots, etc. Please go check it out and bid if you feel so inclined. If you are not interested in bidding you can also donate. Every little bit helps!

Here is the story of the family you will be helping...
Alan and Donna Gubler live in Ely Nevada and are both school teachers who were hoping to retire soon. This past weekend, after doing all their holiday shopping, they came home to their furnace not working. My uncle Allan attempted to fix it and thought the problem was solved. They were in their living room watching tv when their neighbor came running through their front door and said to get out now because their house was on fire. The fire spread so quickly that they lost everything. They didn't have time to get anything out. All they have now are the clothes they were wearing. The most awful part is that they have no insurance on their home. Their home and everything in it is a total loss. They will have to start from scratch with what little savings they have. They have such a deep hole in their hearts right now and are entirely devastated. I know this holiday season will be a very trying one for them.

Go HERE if you are interested!

Tis The Season

I am loving this holiday season! It has been especially fun this year because Brady and Easton really understand what is going on! I have been very on top of shopping and with that stress behind us we have been able to do some fun stuff together as a family. Sadly my camera is having issues so I have no pictures.

We took the boys to the Festival of Trees last weekend. They loved it! When I was little my dance studio used to dance up there but I have not been back since. It was a lot of fun and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.

We also went to our ward Christmas party which was really fun! My boys have been scared of Santa every year and have cried at the sight of him. This year they have decided he is not scary and we have now seen him 4 times. They walk right up, sit on his lap, tell him they have been good boys, give him their wish list, and ask for a sucker. It is great! I am loving the fact that they are over their fear!

We have also been sick around our house and have spent a lot of time watching Christmas movies. The boys have loved The Santa Clause, Home Alone 2, Rudolph, and pretty much anything on ABC Family. It has been fun to watch them together as a family!

My boys always come up with the strangest requests for Christmas. I am sure you remember from last year the Spider Easton had to have! This year they have not failed me. Brady has asked for a "monster who throws a ball". I am sure most of you have seen the Big Foot in the store. It is actually really funny!
Easton has asked for the "Stinky Garbage Truck". Really? The thing farts and burps...but he does say excuse me. I am pretty sure Santa is granting their wishes much to my dismay!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! I am trying to start some traditions with Brady and Easton this year that we can do as a family, especially ones that will remind them what Christmas is really about. I am open to ideas. What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

SYTYCD!

On November 4 my baby sister Kelsey turned 20! We had a great day! We were able to go to my cousin's wedding in the afternoon and then head to the SYTYCD concert that night.

All my cousins at the wedding!After that we headed to dinner and then up to the show. It was fabulous and so much fun to be with my sister and my parents. These are 5 of my most favorite people in the whole world! Thanks mom and dad for a great night!

Ragnar Las Vegas...better late than never

I am so behind on posting this but I really want to document it so bear with me!

I am so glad my family convinced me to join them in the Ragnar this year. My cousin and uncle started this race 7 years ago with the Wasatch Back and now it has grown all over the U.S. Every year we say we are going to do a team and we never do. This year we did it and I am so proud!

Kelsey and I headed down on Thursday afternoon with my parents. It was a nice drive until we started driving on the race course and I broke down in tears. Anxiety set in and I was a nervous wreck. We met up with the rest of our team and slept on a house boat that night. I don't think any of us got much sleep.

We woke up at 5 a.m. to drive up to the start line. Kelsey was our first runner and she did awesome! The first time we stopped to give her water she came around the corner with a big smile on her face! After she was done she told us how fun it was and that she "loved it"! It calmed my nerves a little.

Ryan gave me good pep talks on my water breaks! All of our first legs were HARD but we all finished with smiles on our faces!

We had enough time to grab a bite to eat and head to the next exchange. Our first big exchange was at Lake Las Vegas...our old stomping grounds. We hung out there and waited for our other van to come in! My parents are the best and of course were there taking pictures and cheering us on the whole time. Geoff and Aleena brought the kids over to hang out and then Geoff hopped in the van with us for the remainder of the race!The girls!The boys!

Our next legs were my favorite because we ran right through our old neighborhood and they were at night! The Hill girls were a little afraid of running in the night but with the help of Geoff and Abbey we made it through our runs! The end of my run was up a hill that leads up to my old house. It is a tough hill and I always used to avoid it when I ran (or walked) in Vegas. Geoff ran it with me and it was so fun to run it together!

When we were all done with our second legs we headed to Geoff and Aleena's house and crashed for about 2.5 hours and then the call came letting us know it was time to head out again. I wanted to throw in the towel and just sleep but we all got up and headed out. We started our last legs at 5:00 in the morning. We all cheered each other on! Ryan was the best cheerleader! When I finished my last leg I cried tears of joy! I told Ryan I had never been so happy in my life and marrying him was a close second! It was the hardest thing I have ever done but I am so glad to say I did it! It was fun to accomplish it with my family, especially my husband!Our team name was "Run Like Hill"Our family!Our team!Kissing our medals (note Ryan's face)My siblings! With my hubby!Til next time?!?!?

2010 Thanksgiving Interviews

I love Brady and Easton's preschool teacher! She is so sweet and does such great things with the kids. She interviews them on a regular basis and writes their answers exactly how they say them. I love getting these sent home and consider them priceless. I thought these were hilarious, especially Bradys.

Easton
-What store would you buy a turkey? "The shopping one."
-How much do you think a turkey would cost? "Dad has our money."
-How would you cook a turkey Easton? My mom will cook it nicely. She likes cookin turkey."
-What is the best thing your mom cooks for you? "Turkey! She stirs it in a pot for 10 days and it's just really yummy and we all love to eat it. And I can't take baths anymore, just showers because I splash all over the floor and get everything wet!"

Brady
-What store do you buy a turkey? "Target."
-How much do you think a turkey would cost? "$2.00."
-How would you cook a turkey? "Cook it in a bowl with 5 marshmallows and 20 Dr. Peppers and you have to stir it up with a mixer and microwaver it for 4 days and then it's cooked."
-What is the best thing your mommy cooks for you? "Eggs. She stirs them a long long time and pours Dr. Pepper in it and cooks it in the pan and when it's done we can eat the eggs and drink the Dr. Pepper!"

What we learned from this is that Easton has a hard time staying focused and has not forgotten that he has been banned from taking baths! And Brady knows we buy everything at Target and I clearly have a serious addiction to Dr. Pepper! Thanks for making me laugh boys!