Summer and Stuff!!!

I know again it has been a long time but I consider myself as someone who doesn't have the talent to write what is on my mind in a way that can be interesting to other people. I figured that now that summer is over I can post pictures.

I have also been thinking a lot lately, well since the missionaries came and shared a message with us a few weeks ago, about what I am thankful for. There are the standard answers that we immediately think about like, family, job, friends, gospel, food etc. The missionaries challenged us to take a step back and think about what we are really thankful for besides the basic answers and to write them down. I have to admit that I didn't write my answers down but I think I have thought about it every day since they were here. One thing I am really thankful for is Challenges. I think that they make you stronger, and granted it sucks while you are going thru them but I have to keep thinking that maybe in the future, (hopefully the near future and not like 10 years from now) that we will learn from them and that it was necessary to have that challenge in order to be able to deal with another one that we will face. It gives me a new way to think about dealing with them now, I try to see the light at the end of the tunnel no matter how small it is and to keep pressing forward because it will be worth it.

K to get back to life!!! This summer was so much fun!! The kids and I went to Christina Lake right after school was done for the year and while we were down there we went to Silver wood down in Idaho and that was fun to although it was pouring rain, so we got return tickets and went back a few days later when the weather was way nicer!! While I was down there my sister Jenel and her kids came out too and they brought their pregnant dog Bella, whom Joryn absolutely loved and I was lucky enough to help Jenel deliver Bella's puppies!!! It was so neat. I stayed there for 2 weeks then we came back because Jayden had some Drs appointments in Calgary. While we were back we went to Waterton and met up with Justin's brother and his family and had fun spending the day. Later that week Justin surprised me with a trip to Radium, just me and him!! It was AWESOME!!!! (not to mention much needed). The next week was Joryn's 2nd birthday and we had some family over for cake and stuff and it was fun. The next day I packed up the kids and the van and went back to Christina Lake!! I was there for a week then I went to Pentiction and spent a day or two with Jenel and her family and make a quick trip to Kelowna to pick Justin up from the airport so he could spent the next week with us!

It was a busy but fun summer and I am glad that school is back in and we can have some kind of routine and normalcy back!!

Ok Ok I forgot to mention that I turned the big 30 this summer too!!

For pictures go here.

Bahamas!!!!

Ok so its a little late but better late than never right?!!! I always have these good intentions but either I get way too busy or way too lazy!!!

Justin and I went the Bahamas with the local dive shop here in Lethbridge. It was actually a cruise of sorts. We lived on a sail boat for a week and did about 3-4 dives a day, it was a lot of fun. I probably would have enjoyed myself even better if the weather would have cooperated!! It was very windy and because it was so windy you never could get fully dry, because of the splash from the waves, and because you could never get fully dry you could never get warm (at least I didn't). Despite the weather let downs we had a good time and GREAT food!! The cook on the boat was awesome!! What's better than coming onto the boat after a great dive and having a hot bowl of homemade soup? Justin and I had a great time together, and we thank our families for taking care of our kids!!

If you are interested in seeing some picture Justin posts a bunch on his facebook.

Christmas

Well better late than never I suppose!! I have a hard time getting anything done in January, my tanks are on empty, my motivation gone, I guess I just need a Holiday from everything!!! So that is what Justin and I are doing!! We are leaving next week to go to the Bahamas, charter and sail boat for a week and all we are going to do is island hop, beach bum and dive 4-5 times a day!!!! The only hesitation I have is that I get sea sick sometimes so I am taking a whole regimen of things that I have heard work for that and if anyone knows something that works let me know because I want to take lots in case something doesn't work!! I want to have a back up for everything!!!

Any ways...Christmas was fun and stressful but we got through it and the kids had so much fun!! I am horrible to picture taking I always say that I will get a copy from everyone and the seldom happens. We were in Edmonton for Christmas and had fun visiting family while we were there!! Here are a few pictures that I did manage to get!!

This is Jaala and her keyboard she got for Christmas!! She loves it and is now taking Piano lessons!

Jayden with his race track!! (we had to take that one back but it was the only decent picture of him and a gift he got for Christmas!!)
This is Joryn with a gift bigger than her!!!
Joryn with her baby that was in the gift!!(it almost weighs as much as she does)!!

Snowed In

Well we were just that...Snowed In. This past weekend was crazy. On Friday it started to snow and blow and it didn't stop till Sunday!!! We were dumped on and the wind was no help!!! So all we did this weekend was stay inside and try to keep warm. Later on Saturday Justin went out to see if we could find the sidewalk and our drive way, he was out there for a few hours and still hadn't finished everything. On Sunday we found out that their was only and hour of Church so we thought that it wasn't worth the effort of digging us out of our little cul-de-sac to fight with our kids for an hour so we stayed home and continued to dig us, and our neighbors out!!! It took a long time but now we are able to get out and not get stuck!!! Here are some pictures of the snow that we got!!

This is the snow blown on the side of our house.

This is the pile of snow started while shoveling our driveway.

This is our backyard area...there is a BBQ and bikes back there!!

This is how high the snow was at our back door!!

This is what Jaala did while we were snowed-in

He Train of Littlest Pet shop toys!!

New Post!!! (for a lack of creativity)

Things in the Hill house are pretty good!! Jaala's surgery went very well and is now back to her old self which is nice!! School is trudging a long and I think the kids are still liking it for the most part. Justin is busy with teaching SCUBA lessons and doing SCUBA experiences as well, and loving every minute of it!!! We are looking forward to Christmas when we can see family and friends. We are going up to Edmonton to spend some of the holidays there. I am going to try and make more of an effort to post more often but I find it challenging to write about my mundane day to day experiences but I am sure if I think hard enough I could come up with at least one thing to talk about!!! I mean we are the Hills aren't we?!!!!

This weekend was fun for our family!!! Grandma and Grandpa Hill came down for a visit and the girls got to go to the Craft show here in Lethbridge!! It is something that we do every year. It is so neat to see all the crafty people selling their stuff and it makes me think that I should be doing something more creative myself. I was able to go with Justin to one of his SCUBA experiences to get under the water again and it was really fun!! Later that weekend I went to see New Moon with the girls and that was fun. I don't know what the hype is about the Twilight series...don't get me wrong they are decent books but you won't see me drooling over Edward or Jacob!!! The kids had fun spending time with their grandparents, they love it when they come to visit!!!

Here is a picture of the hat I bought for Joryn at the craft show!!!(sorry about the runny nose!)


We weren't going to put up a Christmas tree this year as we were going to Edmonton but the kids insisted and when it comes right down to it what is Christmas with out the tree?? So we put it up on Sunday and it is now Joryn's goal to take every ordainment off of the tree just to pester Jayden...should be an interesting month!!!

Update

Well school has been off to a good start and so has everything else that we signed up to do!! Jaala and Jayden are in swimming lessons and loving it, I taking a running course to get her somewhat back in shape and doing something for myself and I am enjoying that, I am also taking my SCUBA certification class which Justin is teaching and I am enjoying that. I never realized how bad of shape I was really in until I got into the pool and had to swim all those lenghts!!

Well after fighting with Jaala for years on her bad sleeping habits or lack there of we finally have a solution. I took her to see the ENT yesterday because I was worried that her Adnoids were too big and guess what...they are!! So sometime within the next two months she will be getting her tonsils and adnoids out and hopfully that will be the solution to her sleeping issue. I also found out that the medication that we were giving her was making her sleeping worse. I will be glad when that trial is over and we all get some sleep!!!

Summer 2009

Well it was a busy and fun summer!! First the kids and I went to Edmonton to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Hill while Justin was in Montreal for work. We came home for a little while and then when Justin got home we went back to Edmonton to see Javan and Sarah's baby Hailey to do some more visiting. After we got home from Edmonton again we left two days later to go to Christina Lake BC, there we hung out with family at the family reunion and celebrated Joryn's 1st birthday. After the reunion Justin and I took the kids on to Vancouver to go to the Aquarium, Capilano Suspension Bridge, and to see the Ocean. We took the Ferry to Victoria and went the the Wax Museum and the Glass bottom boat and stayed the night and went back to Christina Lake for a few more days. While at the lake it is hard to keep my kids out of the water, they love to go boating and swimming. My sister asked me if I wanted to go back to her place in Penticton and stay for a little while. So Justin headed home to get some work done and the kids and I went to Penticton for almost two weeks and it is beautiful there and the kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousins! Justin was supposed to head out there for work and then pick us up along the way but that didn't work out so the kids and I were lucky enough to find a seat sale and fly home from Kelowna to Calgary, and let me tell you, I would do the 50 minute flight over the 9 hour drive any day!!! All and all I think the kids had a great summer and now they are back in school and loving that too!!

Here is a bunch of pictures from the summer, I will try to explain them all but if I don't I am sorry!!

Jaala at Christina LakeJayden at Christina LakeJoryn in her own personal pool!! She loved it she would stay in there all day, climb in and climb out!! Whatever kept her happy and cool!!!Joryn's birthday cupcake!!At Kitz beach standing in the ocean!!Capilano Suspension Bridge!Justin and Joryn enjoying the suspension bridge.We stopped at a place called Porteau Cove to look at the ocean the this big anchor was there. And it turned out that this wasn't exactly the place we were looking for but it was really cool.Joryn sitting in the ocean at the real Porteau Cove. That water was freezing but she insisted on sitting in it than by it!!!Justin and Jaala being brave and walking into the freezing water. Justin actually went all the way under.On the Ferry to Victoria.