Field Day

My children's favorite day of the school year is Field Day.  And the best part of having Field Day in Las Vegas is that they include water with almost all games and relays.  Luckily the weather was gorgeous for the kids.  Spring brings really high winds every year and it had been blowing like crazy for about three days prior to Friday.  When I dropped the kids off at school, the sun was shining, there was blue skies, and no wind.  Perfect! 

Katelyn and Sara getting ready for the three-legged race

Carlee and I enjoyed running around the fields of the school trying to catch the kids in their competitions.  Because the three of them were all over the school grounds, we spent a lot of time walking back and forth searching for each class and not enough time actually watching the kids participate in the game.  Next year, I will have to spend 30-45 minutes per kid before moving on. 

Best pals--Cole and Jake

Beanbag Bucket Toss (Carlee is giving moral support and helping Jake line it up)

Field Day officially ended around 11:30 a.m. and the Family Picnic Lunch began.  Each month, we all get to have a huge picnic lunch on the playground.  The grades are divided up to eat at different times and parents bring picnic blankets and baskets full of yummy food and everyone eats together on the school grounds.  It is so much fun and the kids look forward to taking turns picking what we eat for lunch--sometimes it is a home lunch and sometimes I pick something up at a local restaurant. 

Best buds and classmates--Mitchell and Clark

After eating and cooling off inside for a couple of hours, the students filed back outside to watch the first annual Fifth Graders vs. the Faculty Kickball Game.  It was sunny and warm so Clark was grateful that his clothes were still wet from the morning's games.  Students and teachers played hard and well and it was a happy day! 

Mom, will you look in my ear?

I was sitting at the computer checking my email and Carlee walks into the office to climb up onto my lap to see what I'm doing.  She is just talking to me and asking what my emails are about.  She reaches up to her ear and says, "Mom, I can't hear very well." 

I ask her if it's just clogged and if we need to get some earwax out.  She says, "I don't think it's earwax.  I think something is in my ear." 

I look and sure enough, I can see something whitish in color sticking out.  I am staring at it and tugging her ear back a little so I can get a better look.  I am thinking it is some big glob of wax but in a really strange color.  I poke it a little with my finger and it is hard. 

I ask her, "Carlee, did you put something in your ear?" 

She looks at me innocently and says slowly, "No."

I ask her again and explain that it doesn't look like earwax.  Her eyes fill with tears and she confesses, "Maybe." 

I ask her what it is and she said that she didn't know.  I explain that I need to get it out so she needs to be really brave and hold still so I can pull it out or we will have to go to the hospital to have Daddy take it out.  She promises that she will hold still like a statue, be brave, and not talk so I do what I've seen Joe do a million times--bend a paperclip to make a tiny loop, burn the loop with a flame to sterilize it and gently maneuver the object to the front of her ear hole and push it out slowly so I can grab it.   

I pull it out.  She gives me a big hug and says, "Thanks, Mom!  I can hear now and it didn't even hurt!"

We have the little talk about not putting things in our noses or ears so they don't hurt us or get stuck in our bodies where we have to get cut open to get them out.  (Yes, I believe in scaring our children a bit with the worst case scenario)  She gives me a kiss, professes her love for me, and runs off to play with her Barbies.  This child sure keeps me busy--putting make-up all over her face, cutting her own hair, and putting random things in her ear.  What a gal!

Still no clue what that is or where it came from!

Easter Egg Hunt

We attended our ward's Easter Egg Hunt in the park.  Jacob had an early soccer game so as soon as it was over, we rushed to the park and our kids jumped out of the car with their baskets as soon as the whistle blew to let all of the kids loose to pick up the eggs.  Whew!  We made it!  The weather started out nice and a little breezy but within minutes, the temp had dropped and the wind had picked up.  Every year since we have lived here, the weather acts up on the Saturday of our ward's Easter Egg Hunt.  Crazy, but it doesn't stop the kids from gathering up as many eggs as they could.

 Carter and Clark were too mature and cool to hunt for Easter eggs but they did get their fill of donuts!

Mom!  How many do I get to have?

Counting the stash

Kate and Hanna

General Conference

For General Conference this spring, I put together some buckets with semi-annual coloring/writing packets and some favorite snacks for the kids.  We also played a different version of Conference Bingo in which they would get a little something every time they heard a particular word that we had chosen.  It was something different and it helped the kids pay a little more attention to the speakers. 

The Conference Buckets full of fun and food!

 Special words to listen for:   

SCRIPTURE STUDY (Cheez-its), SERVICE (Cinnamon Life), TITHING (Tootsie Rolls), PRAYER (Pretzels), JESUS CHRIST (Gummy Life Savers), and PREPAREDNESS (Grapes)

Sometimes it's hard for me to listen because I'm helping them spell words, answer questions, or keep from talking but I love that they enjoy listening and try really hard to pay attention.  We look forward to spending the day in our pajamas, not doing our hair, eating yummy finger foods, and listening to the teachings of the Lord.  I also love reading the talks later to better understand the details of what we need to know.  I know that President Monson and his apostles speak for the Lord and I love feeling the spirit of their testimonies.

Tribute to Grandpa

Clark Marcel Hillam

November 6, 1916 - March 15, 2011

Grandpa Hillam lived 94 years of a wonderful life full of experiences.  He was born on 1916, attended Utah State for two years and then due to the Depression, went to work for the Western Pacific Railroad in California.  He served a mission in Germany but had to finish the last 6 months of it in Detroit, Michigan due to Hitler and the onset of World War II.  He married his sweetheart in 1941 and they lived in California for a short time finishing work on the railroad.  In 1945, he returned to Brigham City, UT where he worked in the Abstract and Title Business until the 1980's when he sold it and retired.  His wife, Margaret, passed away in 2003 and on March 15, 2011, Grandma and Grandpa Hillam were reunited.  Grandpa has 2 children, 10 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.

Most of the great-grandchildren

Sarah and Katelyn sharing memories of Grandma and Grandpa with Owen and Carlee

Grandpa Hillam was a very special man.  He was generous and loving.  He was always willing to help anyone and give all he had without expecting anything in return.  Grandpa was charming and chivalrous.  He always acted as a gentleman and treated women with respect and admiration, by opening their doors, complimenting them, and making them feel special.  He made everyone feel loved, and like a close friend.  He loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren so much.  He was thrilled to visit them all over the country and loved having them visit him in Brigham.  Even as old as he was, he was full of life, energy, wisdom, and strength.  He had a strong testimony of the gospel and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and was an example of this throughout his life.  

 Grandpa Stuart drove the horse-drawn buggy holding Grandpa's casket.  He led the funeral procession from the Stake Center to the Brigham City Cemetary.  The skies were overcast and gloomy so we were praying that the weather would last through the burial.  It started to rain lightly after the ceremony at the cemetary.

Joe loved him very much and was very proud to be "Grandpa's boy".  When he was in Kindergarten, he took Grandpa into his class for show and tell.  When Joe and I got married, he was very adamant that our first-born son would be named Clark, in tribute to Grandpa.  Because both Joe and Grandpa served an LDS mission to Germany, they had many stories to share and Grandpa loved to tell them.  The most exciting tales were of his escape to Poland during World War II.  He had a wonderful memory and when his life experiences were told, his eyes twinkled and his lips smiled. 

The pall-bearers, grandsons and 1 great-grandson

Even though I am just an "in-law" and the only family member not from Brigham City or its surrounding towns ;), Grandpa accepted me and treated me just like his grand-daughter and was very loving and kind.  He would check in on me and made sure that Joe treated me right.  Some of my very first and fondest memories of him were learning to play Rummikub against Grandma and taking me out for my first meal at Maddox.  He even flew out to Maryland for a week to take care of Clark and Joe while I was on bedrest and in the hospital during my pregnancy with Katelyn.  

 Clark and Katelyn in the summer of 2002 (Clark age 3, Kate age 11 months)

 Jacob riding with Grandpa in the Summer of 2005 and our family in the buggy

Four-wheelers:  Grandpa, Kate, and Jake

Six-month-old Carlee talking with Grandpa

Our kids and Owen with Grandpa in June 2007

Some of my children's favorite memories of Grandpa were horseback and buggy riding with him, playing in the irrigation water while he squirted them with the hose, listening to stories, and running away from his teasing threats of taking off his belt to them when they were being overly loud and obnoxious.  Grandpa loved to snuggle with them, tickling their backs and singing songs while rocking in his favorite chair.  Grandpa Hillam is greatly loved, thought and talked about, and sorely missed.  

We're So Lucky!

For St. Patrick's Day this year, we were lucky enough to have Steph and her kids come to Vegas and spend the week with us since it was her Spring Break.  We were unlucky in that we were both single moms for the week since Jim is deployed and Joe was out of town doing deployment training.  However, being lucky again, she lives less than 2 hours away, we get along great, our kids have fun playing together, and we love to hang out--talking, shopping, going through clothes, and putting our creative ideas to good use.

During the day, Carlee's preschool class went on a field trip to the fire station so the kids had a great time learning about fire trucks, the uniform, and the typical daily schedule of a firefighter.  The kids toured the trucks, shook the firefighters' hands, and announced their phone numbers and addresses in case of emergency.

That evening, we prepared our traditional Green Dinner--green beans, bowtie pasta with green pesto sauce and grilled chicken, rainbow jello salad, garlic bread with green seasonings, green cucumber limeade,  green apple rings, and rainbow cupcakes!

 

The LUCKY Boys!

The LUCKY Girls!

All the LUCKY Leprechauns!

 Sisters rockin' some LUCKY green hair - good thing this isn't permanent!

After dinner we had a shamrock hunt for the kids. Each cousin had to find hidden shamrocks numbered 1-5 so they could trade them in for fun prizes.

Bag #1 had green glow sticks
Bag #2 had green Juicy Juice
Bag #3 had green bubbles
Bag #4 had different green objects like a ball, airplane, sunglasses, harmonica, etc...
Bag #5 had their "treasure" (rolo chocolates and a dollar bill) in a cute green container

We had a wonderful GREEN St. Patrick's Day!  Hope that you all are LUCKY too!