Payton is getting Big

Payton is now 2 months old. She is growing like a weed and it seems that we cannot keep up on keeping the pictures updated.

Payton is just learning to smile a lot and sometimes it seems that she is going to start laughing, especially when her big sister Sydney is trying to get her to smile.


Payton is also a very good sleeper. She is sleeping almost through
the night and has been very good about taking naps during the day.

Is it really fall?

Here are some pictures of our most recent adventure from living in Idaho. We were in Utah for a mission reunion and when we came back we found a few inches of snow. The snow was so heavy that many trees were broken.















Sydney also was having a lot of fun playing in the snow while we went out and checked out the damage that was done by the snow. These are also some pictures of around or new home, this is in our backyard.















Here are some pictures of Sydney playing in the front of the house!

Payton's First Bath

Here is Payton's first bath at home. She does not like to be naked so she was not very happy! Here are some more pictures.

Payton's Arrival

Payton is finally here!! She came yesterday morning and both Mom and Payton are very healthy! Here are some pictures that everyone may enjoy, I know that we did!

Ladybug Cake

When Syd turned three I promised to make a ladybug cake. Well, it got stuck in the pan and I was so frustrated that I threw the whole thing away and bought a cake. Sydney does NOT forget. So she asked again this year for a ladybug cake. I tried again and this time it turned out (well, it made Sydney happy at least). Unfortunately, I used too much black food coloring when I made the ladybug's spots; so, everyone who ate the cake had black teeth and a black tongue-- Syd thought it was great.

Birthday party with friends!

Sydney had a blast at her party even though the weather did not allow us to have the outdoor pool party we had planned. Instead, I cleared the table and chairs out of our dining room and we played games and had treats in the house. We have the cutest kids in our neighborhood!

Cinderella wanna be

From some of our other posts, it is pretty obvious that Sydney has an active imagination. A few days after the pretend swimming incident, Sydney asked if she could clean like Cinderella. She specifically wanted to look like Cinderella and clean like Cinderella in the bubble scene-- you know, where the cat makes footprints with the dust. Anyway, Sydney put her swimming suit on (no idea why) and we put her hair in a ponytail and then put a handkerchief over her head. I was fine with her little scheme until she said, "Mom, I'll be Cinderella and you can be the stepmother." Exasperated, I said, "Sydney, I'm a nice Mommy!" To which Syd replied, "I know, but we're pretending." Obviously, I don't understand pretending well enough!

Sydney and her imagination... Swimming anyone?

This past week a cold front has come through town. Normally in May, that is not a big deal. But, considering the 80 degree weather we've had this month, Sydney did not know what to do with herself. Yesterday (May 25) the weather finally started to get
a little better. Syd put on her swimming suit, scuba gear and water shoes. To make sure she was not expecting anything, I explained that we were not going swimming. Exasperated, she replied, "I know. I'm pretending." Then she got down on her stomach (a hard thing to do considering her swimsuit has built in flotation pads around the middle) and started "swimming" on the kitchen floor!
P.S. She wore her swim gear most of the day :)

Mini Vacation Slide Show

Our mini-vacation

As a surprise for Mommy and Syd, Brian planned a little trip. On May 17, we (along with Chelsey) drove to SLC. On Thursday we went to Temple Square. It is so beautiful in the spring/summer. The weather was perfect and we have a lot of really good pictures of the temple.
We spent the night in SLC-- which was an adventure itself. The last time Sydney slept in a hotel she was about 14 months old. Needless to say, she had a hard time going to sleep and an even harder time staying asleep. Poor Chelsey didn't sleep well because she was sharing a bed with Syd (not that any of us could sleep well with a 3 year old crying at 4am :)
However, bright and early the next morning Syd pulled opened the curtains and announced, "It's morning time!" She was ready for the next adventure on our trip: Hogle Zoo! She loves the little Idaho Falls Zoo, and so a big zoo like Hogle Zoo was amazing! She loved all of the animals, but her favorites were the elephants and the giraffes-- two animals that are not at Tauphaus Park. It was a great day for the zoo-- about 90 degrees, but there is a lot of shade and resting places, so we didn't mind the heat.
On our way back, we went to the Hill Air Force Base Air Museum. Sydney inherited her love of planes from Brian who inherited it from his dad. It was amazing to see how far airplanes have advanced in the past century.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted, but we had a lot of fun. Brian is so good about planning surprises for our little family.

A new baby!

We are expecting a baby girl! Hopefully by the end of August our little Payton Elisabet Hillman will be here. I will scan my ultra sound pictures later, but I don't have access to a scanner at the moment. Sydney is very excited to be a big sister. Almost every day she thinks of something that she will teach the baby-- crawling, walking, bike riding, etc. It is really cute. Sometimes she'll come ask, "Mommy, is the baby kickin'?" or she'll kiss my quickly growing tummy and say, "I love you, baby." or "Good night, Payton." When we see cute baby clothes at the store, Syd will ask if we can get them for our new baby. It's tempting-- especially with a willing shopper like Syd, but I can't buy every cute outfit!

Family Night

We had family home evening with our friends the Kelseys. We talked about prayer. The girls (Sydney & Alivea) painted prayer rocks. It was fun to see our two little girls get so excited learning about the gospel.

Daddy's Little Girl

Sydney has daddy wrapped around her little finger. Just look at what he endures to ensure Syd has fun-- even at his expense!

- Get Your Own


- Get Your Own

Cute hair-do, Brian!

Messy Face

When we are baking, Syd's favorite part of "helping" is licking the spoon! Sometimes I wonder how much actually gets in her mouth.

- Get Your Own

3 going on 16?

One of Sydney's favorite things to do is play makeup. She sets up her little table and chair either on our deck or on the tile in the kitchen. Then she dumps all her makeup out, spreads out a paper towel, adjusts her mirror and gets started! Syd loves to paint her fingernails-- she is actually getting pretty good at it. The only struggle we have is explaining that little girls do not wear gobs of play makeup to stores or to bed. Sometimes we have tears when it is time to take the makeup off!

Growing up WAY too fast

I don't think Syd is ready for this bra yet, but she definitely has an idea of how it works!

Snug as a bug in a rug

Rolling Around

Syd thinks this rug doubles as a blanket. She loves to wrap up like a hot dog

The big sister

Sydney and baby Ellie

Our friends had a little baby in September. After maternity leave was up, we were asked to babysit until the end of the school year. (Ellie's mom teaches 4th grade and her dad is finishing his BA.) Sydney has taken on the role of big sister with a flourish. She loves to help-- she does not even mind putting stinky diapers in the garbage. It is good practice for our only child. Dayna has tried to explain that Ellie and Sydney have to "take turns" with Mommy. Sydney has taken the phrase to heart. When Sydney needs my help and Ellie is whining, Sydney is quick to say, "Ellie, it's my turn with my Mommy." But, she is also very patient when it is Ellie's turn!

Family Pictures