First Date

Picking up his date

What a gentleman...
Opening her car door to
seat her in the minivan..

right next to his baby brother.
(I was in the driver's seat
and her mother was in the front passenger seat.
Emma and Joshua were in the back.)

So cute!  

Going to Mormon Prom...

in a big....

Mormon van!
Love it!!

Her Easter Dress

2012

Here's a very brief recap:

We moved into a new house in January.  We feel blessed to be here and know that we were led to this home.  We love having a yard for our family!

It's nice to have a roof over our heads... ;)

Slip-n-slidin' with the cousins

The zip line was a favorite

Taiki stayed with us for a month.  He is from Japan.
We had an amazing experience!
Thank you, Taiki!

Los Angeles  Coliseum

Redlands California Temple

Jacob and his Cub Scout Rocket Derby

Jacob and his cardboard creation

The preferred pastime: playing in the mud.

Emma after a mud bath

15 years?!  I can't believe it...

Cousin Kyle turned 15 in August and Brandon in April

Evan is 1!!!!!!

Joshua wanted to wear his Sunday clothes for school pictures.
He's in 1st grade.  

Scarecrow Day!

Emma wasn't too happy to see Hulk

But that didn't stop me from taking pictures....

Blake jumped out of a tree and landed on his arm.  It broke.

The Hulls joined us for Thanksgiving!
David and Maralynne and family and Sam and Olliviah

Jonathan entertaining Evan while we're making dinner

Dan took Brandon driving.....let's quickly move on....

Raking leaves

Blake, Jacob, and Joshua are playing basketball.
Joshua had fun with his shadow while we waited for
Jacob to be done with his practice.  

Our sweet boy, Evan

Emma in her "sparkly dress"

Our attempt at a family picture.
(I should be a ventriloquist because I'm actually saying,
"Don't touch your brother" while this picture was being taken)

We feel truly blessed and we are looking forward to an exciting 2013!

In which your brother knocks you over..

 9-year-old brother + zipline + 3-year-old + sidewalk = scraped nose and forehead

summer vacation

Brandon has been out of school for a week now and the other boys will get out tomorrow.  I am looking forward to having them all home.  It seems like the last week or two of school are always full of final projects and deadlines.  I am eagerly awaiting the lazy days of summer.  (Really, I'm just looking for a reason to justify my desires to be lazy.)

I would like this summer to be a memorable summer.  It makes me sad to think that Brandon has just a few summer vacations at home before he goes to college!!

So, this summer I plan to be Happy Mom, Kind Mom, Reading Mom, Eagle Scout Project Mom, Cub Scouting Mom, and Crafty Mom.  (I may even be Cooking Mom and not just Cereal and Sandwich Mom.)

We are also looking forward to having a foreign exchange student from Japan this summer.  He is a 13 year old boy who enjoys science, trains, and table tennis.  He'll be here for a month and we are looking forward to having him here.

Well, here's to an exciting summer vacation!!

Hello!

We've had so much going on that it's been hard to sit and write. I have tried several times but so much has happened that it's hard to know where to start.

Since I last wrote we:
bought a house
bought a car
attended Dan's brother's wedding
visited with family
packed
prepared school projects
pack some more
celebrated Christmas
took lots of trips to DI
made a food storage inventory list
watched as many people helped us move and unpack and setup a new home
felt humbled as we benefited from people's generosity
attended a niece's baptism in Yuma
tried to potty train Emma
have hosted family and friends
all while trying to savor every moment with our sweet little Evan.

It's been good. I still don't feel "normal" and my brain really isn't working like it used to but I am finally seeing some light.

Oh, and my 5 year old taught me to play chess! It's taken me 37 years but I finally learned.

I look forward to blogging some more...

He's Here....

Evan Grant Hull was born October 5, 2011.

He was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 and 1/2 inches long.

He has been such a sweet little baby. I had forgotten the amazing spirit these little babies bring with them. We are all doing well and we're so thankful for his safe arrival.

For pictures of Evan go here.

(Pictures by the talented Erica Grover)

Nesting....

Nothing says "I'm ready for this baby" better than organizing all your sheet music. Because when this baby is born he will want to know if he's coming to a home that has organized music. I mean, what if the wants to play He's a Pirate and it's not in the "H" folder? If it's not organized he may rethink this entire thing.

If he's not satisfied with the sheet music then I can show him the newly organized toy closet. And the office supply cabinet. And my recipe shelf. Then he'll know he lucked out in coming to our family.

Will You Marry Me?

He asked me and I said yes. Actually I said, "Are you serious?" And then I started laughing. I asked him,"Are you sure?" And he said, "Yes." Then I said yes.

Then three months later, on June 28, 1996, we entered the San Diego Temple to be married for time and all eternity. That was 15 years ago and I still can't believe that I got to marry the man of my dreams.

It all started in Provo. I first saw Dan in December 1995. I remember thinking that he was really cute. His oldest brother was in my ward and Dan had just gotten off his mission and was there with another brother who would be entering the MTC that week. I wasn't sure which brother was the 19-year-old.

Then on the first day of Winter semester I headed over to an apartment in my ward to meet my new FHE co-chair and guess who was just coming home from playing basketball. I introduced myself and told him I was looking for his roommate. He wasn't home but Dan and I started talking. He told me he had just gotten home from his mission. I thought,"Oh good, he's not 19" and then I asked him where he had served and he said Barcelona, Spain and then I thought, "Oh good, he speaks Spanish!!"


We talked for a little bit longer and it turned out that he was companions with a guy I knew from Yuma. When I got back to my apartment I told my roommates, "Today I met the boy I'm going to marry. I'm going to marry Dan Hull."


We went ice skating for our first date and it was perfect. We had to hold hands. We had to stay close to each other. And when he turned around and noticed that I had fallen, he came back and sat on the ice with me until I was ready to get up. I knew he was the one for me.


Looking back now, I know we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We just had faith that if we kept the commandments and our covenants we would be able to face whatever came our way. And now moving forward, we really have no idea what lies ahead. We just know that if we have faith and keep our covenants we will be able to face whatever may come.

(I know the quality of this picture is terrible but it was the only way I could get it on here. My new camera isn't loading up onto this laptop and our scanner is broken. So I took a picture of my picture using my camera then I took a picture of the playback screen using my cheap phone camera because I couldn't get a clear picture otherwise then I emailed that picture of a picture of a picture and uploaded it here on this humble blog....did you follow that? I didn't.....)

It's a.....

BOY!!!!!!



(so much for my strong feelings of this being a girl.....)

Confession

I just bought reading glasses at the 99 Cent store.

Eventful

A few notable milestones our family has/will experience:

Blake turned 12 and received the Aaronic Priesthood. Like his older brother, he completed reading the Standard Works before he turned 12.

Jacob will turn 8 and be baptized.

Brandon will turn 14. Fourteen!!! He will now be able to attend Youth Conferences and Youth Dances!! He will also be attending high school and early-morning seminary this fall. High School!!! Seminary!!!!!

Joshua will be turning 5 and will attend kindergarten this fall. This means I will be alone with Emma. After having Brandon home for two years, our home will seem too quiet. But not for long....

If all goes well, we will welcome our 6th baby this fall. We are excited and look forward to this new addition. I feel blessed to not be as nauseated with this pregnancy as I have been with the others. The fact that I can actually keep food down is huge (and so is this waistline of mine..but that's OK..).

We are excited for the blessings of this year!

Found

I found one phone today!

Don't ask me where it was.

OK...I'll tell you.

But please don't judge.
.
It was at the foot of Jacob's bed.

Hiding in a pile of blankets and toys and a sleeping bag.

I guess it's been a while since I've made his bed.

One more to go........

Reward

There is a $100 dollar reward

for the safe return of 2 handsets.

The batteries are no longer charged so we can't page them

Birthday Celebration

Thirty-six. 36. That's a 3 and then a 6. That's how young I am. Because from now on I will always have been younger at 36.

So what did I do yesterday to celebrate?

I gave myself the gift of a clean kitchen. I scrubbed the kitchen. I mean really scrubbed it. While everyone else was doing something they had to do, I was doing something I wanted to do. (Yes, I need therapy) I scrubbed the kitchen table and chairs. I even got underneath them and scrubbed the underside. The table legs are once again White and no longer Dingy-White With Remains of Dinners Gone By. (The tabletop gets wiped daily but somehow the legs get neglected) I pulled out the toothbrush and green scour pad and scrubbed all baseboards and floor. I vacuumed under the fridge and stove. I smiled the entire time.

While I was scrubbing away, Dan and the boys made a yummy dinner: Trader Joes' BBQ Chicken Teriyaki and Tempura Chicken with rice and veggies. During dinner the Dan and the boys went around the table and came up with 36 things they like about me. They were very kind. They even said I was patient.

Then it was time for cake. My request? The All American Chocolate Cake from Costco. Seven layers of sugar and calories. And at 900 calories a slice, I ate two. That's right. Two. It has been more than a year since I've had a bite of that cake. And after last night, I am more than OK if it's at least 2 more years until I have another.

The grand finale consisted of a Wii Just Dance 2 dance-off. I am happy to report that I still hold the record. Never mind that my competitors are all under the age of 13, it still makes me happy. (We won't talk about Mario Kart...)

It was a great day!

The Kind of Mom I'd Like to Be

In October 2002, I was reading The Friend and came across this poem written by a 7-year-old girl.

The Kind of Mom I'd Like to Be

I'd like to be a Mary Poppins mom.

And I'd like to be a mom of animals.

To take care of them and draw them.

I'd like to be a mom who does everything with her kids--

A mom who dances,

A mom of excitement,

A mom who loves everybody,

A mom who forgives,

A mom who joins her kids in any game,

A sewing mom,

A children's mom.

The words of this sweet little girl have inspired me throughout the years. I hope I am becoming the kind of mom my children want me to be. I hope I am becoming the kind of mom my children need me to be. I hope I am becoming the kind of mom I covenanted to be.

Photo by Megan Holdsworth

Paper, Pictures, and Sunday Shoes

I am starting this year with three very specific goals. It is the third day and I am still trying to figure out how I will best accomplish this. I know there will be adjustments along the way but I am determined to implement a system that will allow me to accomplish this year's goals. Your suggestions are welcomed.

1. Paper
Bills. Ads. Junk mail. Regular Mail. Receipts. I don't like it. I have a desk where most papers get placed. I have every intention of getting to it but then something almost always happens.....Life. It then takes about a month until the final paper has been shredded, filed, or thrown away. By then another month's worth of papers have already piled on. I will develop a system to deal with all the paper that comes into our home.

2. Pictures
Delete. Upload. Print. This is the year I will place our family pictures in a photo album. I'm not even talking about scrapbooking. I am talking about just a plain leather Costco-special photo album. Maybe upload a photobook. Something. Anything. I just want them out so that our children will enjoy them.

And last but not least,

3. Sunday Shoes

I want all Sunday shoes, socks, suits, white shirts, ties, dresses, hair bows, diaper bag, nursery bag, Branch President mail, etc. in its place on SATURDAY!!!!!! I will not spend another Sunday looking for one missing sock or shoe or tie or anything.

Here is a small glimpse into our peaceful Sabbath morning (soft Sunday music playing in the background):
Dan has already ironed white shirts on Saturday. For this I am thankful. He helps as much as he can before he has to leave for his meetings.

Then all chaos breaks loose. Where is the missing sock? Has anybody seen Jacob's tie? It was right here a minute ago. Joshua, where are your pants? Why are they not on? Where is Emma's other shoe? Why isn't anything where it should be? Who is your mother and does she know your room looks like this?

I'm done. I'm almost 36. I should have this all figured out by now, right? This is the year when habits will be created. Habits that will help create a little less stress. I want to more fully enjoy the blessings of an orderly home and I want my children to enjoy the blessing of a less crazy mother.

This is the year...Why not?

Merry Christmas

Little House on the Prairie. Perhaps no other television show brings back such fond childhood memories. (Except for Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas :)

We just finished watching Christmas at Plum Creek from season 1 and was reminded why I love this series.
I love the sacrifice each family member made to give a gift from the heart.
I love the simplicity of Charles' explanation to Carrie of what Christmas is.
I cried when Caroline opened the box and saw the stove.

So, here's wishing you your own Plum Creek Christmas.
Merry Christmas!!

Yay!

After running for 2 hours and 23 minutes, we crossed the finish line.

"2010-Why Not" Revisited

Why not? It seemed like a simple enough question, until I tried to answer it. And so it began...

I started the year with three very specific goals:
1. Continue with a healthy eating and exercise plan and not become frustrated if the scale didn't budge
2. Regardless of what I looked like, we would take family pictures with the talented Megan Holdsworth
3. Run a half-marathon (13.1 miles seemed much better than 26.2 miles)


Update:
1. I will always be working on this one
2. We took family pictures with Megan. (Thank you, Megan!!)
3. I have paid the registration fee to run a half-marathon in my hometown on Nov. 13. I have been following a training schedule and I intend on crossing that finish line.

I'll let you know how it ends.....