Saturday, December 17, 2011

Hamilton Holiday Blog 2011

In case you hadn't seen it...
Our version of the Christmas Card. Merry Christmas from the Hamiltons!

http://hamiltonchristmascard.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Video Gems

I took these videos this morning.

The first one is McKinley showing her "about me" book that she made.

The second one is Kezia singing her cutest rendition of "eensy weensy spider"

The third one is Ireland talking about a picture she drew while she was in time-out this morning. :)

Enjoy!! ;)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Christmas Tree & Shop with a cop

Beware. It's late. Everyone is asleep. And I'm just sitting here thinking that my blog has been kinda lame lately. I guess I'm not sure what to write.

So...

I'll just let my thoughts ramble & see what happens - OK? This may end up being more of a journal entry than an events entry.

Well, I'm sitting here under the glow of our Christmas tree. I love to squint my eyes & see all the fuzzy colors. This year, for the first time, we have colored lights. We've always done the white lights because I always thought they looked classier. Well, I guess that tells you. We're more interested in making our kids happy than being classy. And you know what? It's OK with me right now. We had an adventure today cutting this tree down. We drove up Parowan Canyon. Hiked in the snow with the girls. And my manly man trekked farther into the forest & the deep snow to bring back the Hamilton Family Christmas Tree (we were making Griswald jokes the whole time). We had a good time, but were downright cold by the time we were done.

I'm glad our tree is finally up. I LOVE waking up in the morning for time with my Maker and kneeling under the glow of the tree. I LOVE reading books to my kids in the evening by its light. I LOVE cuddling with my darlin' at night as we are mesmerized by the soft glow. I love the smell. I love the memories it brings.
McKinley asked if she could sleep under the tree tonight & my first impulse was to say no, but I stopped myself. Why not?

It seems life has been too rushed lately. Too many decisions to be made. Too little time for the fun stuff. We still have big decisions ahead about building our home. And insurance. And budgets. And on and on. Maybe that's another reason why I love the Christmas tree. It seems to slow things down a bit. Ahhhhh...

This morning - before 7am - I went to Walmart. Not to shop...though I still have plenty of that to do. It was the shop with the cop program. What's that? Well, I'm sure I couldn't tell you a week or two ago, but after today, I know a little more. Policemen, firefighters, etc - come to Walmart and get to shop for Christmas with a child in need. When I got within a block of Walmart, I saw flashing lights & blaring sirens. It looked like WWIII for sure. There had to be 50 fire trucks, police cars & ambulances in that parking lot & street. It was really amazing to see. Really. Amazing. The Young Men & Young Women in our ward came (along with many other youth groups) to help wrap the gifts forthese children. I can't tell you how neat and fun it was to participate in that. Truly. To see those children's eyes light up as they tell you how excited they are for Christmas & how important they feel with this policemen? Pretty awesome stuff. Really put the Christmas spirit in my heart. Here's a video of the entrance, though it doesn't do it justice:

We've still got lots of white stuff on the ground. It's still pretty downright chilly. But beautiful blue skies. LOVING no smog here, people. Loving it.

Well, there's a rant for you :)

Monday, December 5, 2011

November Newsletter & Slideshow

Here ya go! Happy Holidays!!

FAMILY: This November, we have much to be grateful for. It was a wonderful month. The 3rd was when we headed down to St. George to go to the temple. We are always so grateful to the Hamiltons for watching our girls so we can go. Jeff also spent some time looking over our plans with us. On the 4th we got a decent storm & had fun playing in the snow! On the 5th, we went to Del Taco so the girls could get out their energy in their play place On the 7th for FHE, we put together a care package for Uncle Joseph in Afghanistan. The girls had a lot of fun coloring pictures & we all put in some treats for him to enjoy. On the 10th, the library had a special story time – a Princess Story Time! Ireland was at preschool, but McKinley & Kezia got in their princess dresses & headed over. McKinley was SO excited that her princess (Belle) was there & Kezia had fun talking to them as well. They read stories & sang sons & the girls had fun. The 11th was Veteran’s Day & Jason had it off, so we went to the CC Aquatic Center & had some family fun, then we headed to St. George for some shopping (Best Buy & Kid-to-Kid) and then ended with a trip to McDonald’s. On the 12th, the kids were dropped off at the Bealers with Hannah & Tiarra to babysit while Heidi & Jason & the Bealers went to adult Stake Conference. Then out to Dairy Queen. It was very enriching & fun. The girls also did a GREAT job on the 13th during stake (regional) conference. On the 18th, for Friday Fun Day, we headed to Discovery Park & had a great time in the sandbox & playing on the slides & swings. We had the whole park to ourselves! Saturday the 19th, we went to the Tree Jubilee at the Hospital & the girls got to walk right up to Santa & sit on lap & tell him what they wanted for Christmas! Then we got to see some beautifully decorated trees. Afterwards, we headed to the Talons Craft Fair at Canyon View High School. The booths were fun to see and we also enjoyed the live entertainment. We got to see Grandma Tew twice this month! She stopped by in Enoch to see our lots on her way to St. George – and she stopped by on her way back. It was so great to see her! The 21st was our 5th annual Gerald the Grateful Turkey FHE night. We had a lesson, made our turkey, ate treats, and recorded what we’re thankful for. It was great. We headed to Richfield on Thanksgiving morning & enjoyed helping grandma with preparations – peeling potatoes (McKinley was a big help!), setting the table, etc. Grandma even got out her nice china & silver! It was a wonderful, yummy meal & great to be with family. The rest of the weekend in Richfield was spent watching movies & football, doing puzzles, playing farkol & Yahtzee, going to crazy Black THURSDAY shopping at Walmart at 10pm (crazy is an understatement), looking at plans, hanging out at the Reed’s new home, going on walks, going to the park, playing in the backyard, doing crafts (gingerbread men and coloring), reading, playing video games, and of course – EATING and visiting with loved ones. It was a wonderful weekend. We took the long way home through Marysvale & it was a beautiful Sunday drive. In other news, our fish have all pretty much died. We have a sucker fish and LOTS of snails (we think they’ve multiplied) but no other fish. On the home-building front, we’ve been finalizing our plans and meeting with 4 different builders, so hopefully soon we’ll be able to decide who we’re going with (or if we’re subbing it out ourselves!). The girls are in a good routine with school & play. Mondays are play group & FHE, Tuesdays are school for both girls and mom has Young Women’s at night, Wednesday is short day with McKinley’s school, Thursday is lunch with daddy, and Friday is fun-day. Grocery shopping day is also fun because mom stands by the fridge & pantry & the girls get to throw the groceries to her to put away. Fun teamwork!!

From December 2, 2011

JASON: Jason enjoyed having 2 days off this month & spending them with family. He’s spent a lot of time going over plans and reviewing what we want in a home. He has really been consistent with working out this month & stops by the Aquatic Center gym every night before he comes home. He likes to do the bike & the elliptical. He’s also enjoyed watching Netflix movies at night with his wife

From December 2, 2011

HEIDI: It’s been a nice month for Heidi. She got to read 2 books – Ella Enchanted & The Cross Gardner. She liked them both – in different ways. She’s staying busy with the Young Women’s & had some fun activities this month, including a trip to the cannery and YW Night of Excellence. She really enjoys spending 1-on-1 time with the girls while the other one is at school. Heidi’s unintentional Black “Thursday” trip to Walmart at 10pm with her nieces & Payson & Keeley was quite an interesting experience. It was incredibly crowded & we were in line for about an hour and a half!! Not sure she’ll be doing that again next year! Heidi has enjoyed getting out for more walks with the girls this month. She loves going on the new pathway.

From December 2, 2011

McKINLEY:

-McKinley continues to excel in her schooling and her handwriting is really getting great!

-McKinley still LOVES to write notes. After she goes to bed, she will slip notes under her door for mom & dad & they LOVE getting these sweet pictures & notes. Also one day, she surprised the family with a necklace. It was made of yarn and she had punched a hole in a little piece of paper & attached it to the yard. Each piece of paper (there were about 5) had something that she liked about that person & she made one for the whole family. She is so so very thoughtful.

-We were listening to a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song one day & McKinley asked “Did you have that in the olden days when you were a kid?”

-Another one of our fish bit the dust and Mom told McKinley that the little fish was dead. McKinley said “No it’s not! It’s eyes are still open!”

-After going to the store one day, mom said that all they needed now was Mapeline. McKinley asked from the back seat “Why do we need Make-Believe?”

-One day, McKinley didn’t get off the bus. Mom talked to the bus driver & then called the school. She was in tears in the office L She was with Addison & somehow missed the bus, so mom had to come pick her up.

-Mom peeked in Kezia’s room one day to find McKinley & Kezia in the rocking chair, McKinley reading to her in the cutest way. It was SO sweet.

-One night, McKinley was in an experimental mood & daddy was good enough to work with her & make their own cookies. McKinley called them her “creative cookies.” They weren’t bad!

-McKinley had fun when Addison came over for a while – they played picnic & grocery store for quite a while.

-McKinley also has fun with our new next-door neighbors, Ella & Anna. She talks about them a lot.

-She is truly mommy’s helper at the grocery store. She can push a full-sized cart all by herself and she helps me do math on mom’s calculator. She’s also great with putting things on the conveyor belt & bringing in the groceries. THANKS McKINLEY!

-McKinley colored such a cute picture for Uncle Joseph – she drew & colored him in his camo – shooting a gun – with a flag, too.

-MckInley was SO excited to see Belle at princess story time and did such a good job listening to the stories and doing the songs.

-Whenever we go swimming at the Aquatic Center, we’re always impressed at how well McKinley is learning to swim. Before long, she’ll be able to go the whole pool length by herself!

-McKinley had a lot of fun playing with her cousins and doing crafts with grandma. She also learned how to play Yahtzee!

-McKinley lost her 5th tooth this month! Her daddy pulled it out & she got a dollar! Her class also sang to her the missing tooth song!

From December 2, 2011

IRELAND:

-Ireland says the funniest things. Mom is only able to capture a tiny part of all the funny things she says. After drinking hot cocoa one day, she said “My tongue is getting warmed up!”

-Ireland is so funny when she gets mad. She scowls a horrible scowl, folds her arms across her chest & stomps off to her room. And she locks the door. But – the thing is – the lock is on the other side of the door, so when she’s done being mad & wants to come out, she has to wait till mom unlocks the door.

-One day while going on a walk with mom, Ireland said she was cold. Mom told her to put her hands in her coat pockets. She said “But mom – I don’t have a pocket for my whole body!”

-Whenever there is an event coming up and we tell Ireland something like “You get to go play at Eliza’s tomorrow!”, she will say “Is it tomorrow?” or “Is tomorrow right now?”

-One day in the car, Ireland told mom that she had died. Mom asked her more about it & she insisted that she had died & seen lots of people, including great-grandpa.

-Mom was talking about Cinderella one day & her fairy godmother. Ireland said “what’s a modguther?”

-Ireland is just such a creative little girl. Her drawings and colorings usually involve lots of shapes and a full rainbow of colors. They usually have elaborate explanations as well – animals, machines, people. So – mom had to laugh one day when Ireland showed off a drawing of hers. Mom asked what it was & Ireland just looked at her & said “Uhhh – it’s a paper that has lines & dots.” And walked off. Oh.

-Ireland moved into Kezia’s room this month. There’s been some rough nights where Kezia hasn’t gone to sleep well or cried, but Ireland has been patient for the most part and they’ve done well together.

-Mom & Ireland have been having lots of fun Mommy & Ireland times this month. We usually work on her reading or writing her name (she’s getting pretty good at the I R E L)! Sometimes we do a puzzle. Sometimes we’ll play a game. Lots of times she will have me print out a paper to color. One time, the printer was making noises & Ireland said “the printer burped”

-Ireland LOVES to get tickled. She’s especially ticklish under her arms. Daddy’s really good at hitting the ticklish spot & she will just squeal and scream and giggle. One time she said “Dad – you made me pee a little bit!!!”

-Ireland got invited to her first birthday party this month – for Eliza Rasmussen – a girl in her Sunbeam class. It was a princess party & she got to dress up as Snow White. Ireland was so excited to talk about it afterwards. There was a piniata & cupcakes & crafts. So much fun!

-Ireland is still loving her preschool class. She loves to pick things to take for show & tell. She had a fun Thanksgiving meal at preschool one day – and another day she had a pajama party. She does such fun crafts & she loves going with her friend Shaylee & seeing her other friends, including Adele and Cabree.

-Lots of people tell Ireland’s mom how funny she is. Shaylee Johnson’s mom says she loves to take her to preschool & hear her talk about things. Another teacher said in Primary, they asked what they eat in Thanksgiving & Adele said turkey & Ireland shouted “Candy Canes!!” and then Adele & Ireland got into an argument about when your’e supposed to eat candy canes.

-It’s also been fun to hear her answers at night as we’ve read the words at the back of our scripture book. It’s so funny when we ask something like “Ireland – what is sin?” and she will say “It’s a place where it’s dark and there are these tigers that will jump on you and eat you up!!”

From December 2, 2011

KEZIA:

-Kezia is still working on saying she’s 2 instead of 1, but she’s doing a great job. One day, mom asked “What’s your name?” and she said “I’m TWO!!”

-When Kezia sees a McDonald’s, she points & says “chicken nuggets!” (we think she thinks that’s the actual name.)

-Kezia is done having milk in a sippy as she goes to bed. Yay!

-When mom changes Kezia’s diaper, she says “ewww! That’s gross!”

-Mealtimes are always fun with Kezia. She really enjoys entertaining her sisters & will do almost anything to get a laugh out of them – including making strange noises or saying funny words (who’s got de butta butta butta?) or pretending to burp.

-When mom called her Kezi-boo one day, she said “No! Just Kez, kez, kezia!” (like her good-night song)

-She also says strawba-ba-ba-ba-berry (like strawberry shortcake)

-McKinley had something Kezia wanted & Kezia ran over & said “Give it to me!! 1…2…”

-A couple other things Kezia has been saying lately “I just kidding!” and “I know!!”

-McKinley has been reading to Kezia in the rocking chair & it’s so sweet.

-For some reason, Kezia LOVES the Disney book we have that has a page for each character. She has almost the whole book memorized & can tell you almost all the characters – most of the movies she’s never seen.

-One day, Kezia came to mom & said OW! & held up her wrist. She had probably 20 small elastic bands on her wrist & her hand was turning purple!

-Kezia has been loving her leap jr. Reader. She can put it on her 2 books & it will read to her.