Santa Knows My Name!

Payton got the thrill of a life time at Sydney's Choir concert. Santa came to visit at the end of the concert. 'Santa' happened to be our former Bishop, Clint Francis. While making his rounds and waving to kids, he stopped and said, "Hello, Payton." Her jaw dropped and she stood for nearly a minute, speechless. Then, in a very excited little voice, "Santa Claus knows my name!!" Now, what will she do when she watches this?

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gsMlBQRDICsdKbhOTxOf4TA (Payton)
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gd6Dlk--VktsxXjuP9gQeyA (Sydney)

Conferences

We've just finished a week of 'conferences'. We had Parent Teacher Conference with Payton and Sydney's teachers and we had Stake Conference this weekend. With so many different kinds of conferences, no wonder Payton was confused:
While we were getting ready to go meet with her teacher, Payton asked if we were going to watch conference on a big tv. I laughed and explained that church conference is different than school conference. Then, Sunday morning at our Stake Conference, Payton kept looking around for Pres. Monson. She did not understand why he wasn't there!
As a side note, both girls are doing great in school! They are learning and growing. They are helpful and kind. My mom always told me how happy it made her to go to parent teacher conference, and now I understand. I'm so proud of my girls!!

Happy Halloween

This year Sydney and Payton picked their costumes without any help from me. Sydney has been reading "Little House on the Prairie" and "My America"; so, she decided to dress as a pioneer. Payton has been fascinated with witches lately. I'm not sure why, but she decided to dress as a witch. But, she assured us that she is a good witch! Katelyn wore the traditional pumpkin costume that each of our older girls wore their first Halloween.

Kate is growing up so fast!

Kate loves to splash in her little tub.


Her first bite of food. She didn't even make a funny face!


Our baby is not such a baby anymore. She is eating food (and loving it!), she rolls all over and she can sit up on her own (until she gets excited and tips herself over!). She is a happy baby and we love her so much. Sydney and Payton are very helpful with their sister-- sometimes too helpful, but they mean well.

Hillman Cousins

Our three girls!

Everyone!

Just before school started, the girls had their pictures taken with their cousins from Brian's family. It was quite an ordeal, but definitely worth it! The photographer took some amazing photos. These are just 2 of my favorites.

School Days

Sydney is loving third grade and Payton is learning so much in preschool. It's so fun to watch their excitement for learning. It is also a blessing to have well behaved and very smart children!

How to clean practically anything

Sydney: How do you clean a trophy?
Me: Just use a clean cloth and dust it off.
Sydney: Like a kleenex?
Me: Sure. Why?
Sydney: Maybe one of my daily chores should be to clean my trophy.

Sydney played baseball this summer and had a wonderful time. Each of the kids got a trophy. Obviously Sydney loves her trophy! After the above conversation, Brian found Sydney on the couch reading a book titled: How to Clean Practically Anything. She was very annoyed that 'trophy' was not listed!

Bear Lake 2011

Kate's cheeks are so chubby! I just want to squish them!
Our four generation picture: Mom, Me, Kate and Grandma Smart.
The girls! Brian always seems to be taking the pictures instead of being in the pictures!

We always have a wonderful time during our week-long vacation to Bear Lake. This year was no exception! But, unlike the past several years, the water was up to normal levels. Brian and our daughters had not ever seen the lake at its high water level. We had so much fun at the cabin: in the water, playing games, watching movies, eating yummy treats and more. We had a house full-- about 22 people and everyone had a great time. And, Grandma Smart came to spend one night with us. It made me a little teary to see Grandma at the cabin without Grandpa, but it was great to have her there with us. We tried to get her to relax and just sit down for a moment, but of course she had to be up and busy! We had a wonderful vacation!

Splish, Splash, Summer Fun

Summer took a while to get here, but now that we are having some real summer weather, the girls are having a blast! They love to play in the water: slip n' slide, sprinkler, pool, hot tub-- it doesn't matter. They love to get wet!

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

To prepare for Sydney's baptism, we spent quite a few Family Home Evenings talking about why we are baptized, how we are baptized and the importance of making the decision. I was so impressed with Sydney's knowledge of the gospel. She knew so much already about repentance and baptism and the Holy Ghost.

Baby Blessing

Katelyn was blessed on Sunday, June 5. I am just really behind in posting. It was a wonderful day. We are blessed to have a lot of family near enough to attend. And, we have great family and friends that are willing to travel to attend our special events. We appreciate their effort to be here and support us.
On a sad note, it was the first big event in our little family that Grandpa Smart has missed. Grandma Smart came and it was wonderful to see her, but there was a touch of sadness.

Eight Years Old!

We went to Texas Roadhouse for Syd's birthday dinner (her favorite place) and they happened to have a person making things out of balloons. So Sydney requested a mouse and Payton wanted a motorcycle.

Sydney and Grandma Vanderbeek made the birthday cake this year.

I really can't believe how quickly Sydney is growing up. It's so exciting to watch her learn and grow and mature. She is a wonderful daughter! She helps so much with her sisters, she is a cleaning fanatic and she has such a sweet spirit. Happy Birthday Sydney, We love you!!

Compassion

Payton has a stuffed puppy that she carries everywhere. The name of the puppy varies between Roxi, Charlie and Zoe (names of our friends' real dogs). This poor puppy has been through a lot in the short 6 months that Payton has owned it. The seam on the back finally gave out. For the past couple weeks I've found little bits of fluff all over the house that have fallen out. I finally made time this morning to sew the ripped seam. Payton was very concerned when I got a needle and thread out of my sewing box. "Why do you need a needle?" was her worried question. I explained that I had to sew up the puppy's back. The whole time I was sewing, Payton kept reassuring her puppy it would be ok. "I know needles are scary. It will be okay." She kept saying. Payton is so compassionate. She is quick to remember her sisters when she gets a special treat or when they are upset or hurt. She is a good example to all of us!

Bad Dreams

Payton had a bad dream last night. She woke up screaming about spiders in her bed. It was so real to her that I couldn't get her to go back to bed. She ended up on the couch with a blanket. As soon as she went to sleep, she woke up with the same dream. I finally convinced her that her bed did not have spiders. She agreed to go back to bed (in her own bed) if I put the fly swatter on the floor next to her bed. It must have worked, because she didn't complain about spider dreams after that. However, she was so wide awake that she didn't go back to sleep almost 3 hours. She finally went to sleep at 5am. As frustrating as it was to be up most of the night, I feel so bad for little Payt. I wish I could take my children's bad dreams away. It makes me feel helpless when they get so scared and worked up about something that isn't even real.

Squid

Sydney is playing Coach Pitch Softball this year and loving it. I must admit, she's pretty good. She can hit, she can throw and she has so much fun. Her team is a bunch of 3rd and 4th grade boys-- and only 1 other girl. At the last practice Sydney was the only girl. Her coach called her 'Syd' and asked if that was ok. She said, "That's my nickname!" Then she said, "Sometimes my dad calls me 'Syd the Squid'." Her coach laughed and asked if it was ok if he called her 'Squid'. She thought that was pretty cool. So now her whole team calls her "Squid".

Sydney's got Talent!

For the past two years, Sydney has performed in her school's talent show. I have never pushed her to sign up, she does it all on her own. She is getting really good at the piano-- Thanks Aunt Val for the lessons! This year she played When the Saints Go Marching In.

Here comes the bride

Payton goes through spurts when she loves to play dress up. She has a play wedding gown that Grandma Hillman made. It even came with a veil, flowers and a poofy slip. Payton parades around in the whole getup all day for days at a time. She has a pair of purple dress up shoes that she loves. She wears them everywhere-- around the house that is. I won't let her wear them anywhere else. So, if you happen to stop by in the middle of the day, don't be surprised if a child-bride answers the door! I'll post a picture of the little bride, next time I take one.

Baby Kate

Our new little girl was born April 18. At first I didn't think Katelyn looked like Sydney and Payton, but every day she looks more and more like her sisters. She is a happy and content baby. She smiles at everyone and rarely cries. I love my Kate!
Sydney calls her self 'the biggest sister' to differentiate between herself and Payton as big sisters. She really is a wonderful 'biggest' sister. She helps all the time. She will run and get diapers or wipes or burp clothes or pacifiers. She helps around the house. She entertains Payton. I do not know what I would do without her help. She is such a sweet girl. I love to watch her with Kate. She is like a little mother. She sits and talks to Kate and holds Kate. I love my Sydney!
Payton loves to be a big sister. She helps a lot- sometimes too much. But, I know she is trying to show her little sister how much she loves her. Payton does not like to hear Kate cry. She covers her ears and sometimes even starts to cry or panic a little if I am not immediately available to help Kate. Until Kate was born I thought of Payton as my little girl, almost like a baby. But, she seems to have grown up over night. She is a sweetheart. I love my Payton!

Rise and shout the Cougars are out

We are Cougar fans. Our friends are Cougar fans. Our kids are Cougar fans. I wouldn't say extreme, (until I see the amount of BYU stuff we have and realize even Sydney knows who Jimmer is) but we are loyal! In November Brian and I went with some friends to a football game in Provo, in February we went with friends to a basketball game at the Marriott Center and in April Brian took Syd to the Blue and White Spring Game. Sydney was so excited to go with Brian. I know they had a good time, but I feel bad the weather was so awful.

Bless your beautiful hide

During the day, when Payton doesn't have Sydney to play with or torment, she is left to her own imagination. More often than not, she can be found playing Barbies or Polly Pockets behind the closed door of her bedroom. (She closes the door so I cannot peek in and embarrass her.) Her Polly Pockets know the words to all of Payton's favorite musicals: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, State Fair, My Fair Lady, and many others. The song I hear most often is "Bless your beautiful hide" from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Coming from a three-year-old, the song makes me giggle!

Grandpa Smart

I want to take just a moment to post a little bit about my Grandpa Smart. He passed away in March and I want to write a few special memories about him.
Every year we get spend a week at the cabin near Bear Lake that he and my grandmother built. While there, Grandma and Grandpa would always come and spend an evening with us. They usually brought corn on the cob and other produce from their garden. When I was young, it was my job to help husk corn. But, in recent years it has become my children's job. I have so many memories of spending time with my grandparents at the Lake. We hiked, walked to the water, attended church, but mostly we worked! We weeded, mowed, watered, vacuumed, dusted, swept, etc. But, I never remember not wanting to do the jobs I was assigned. I worked willingly because my grandparents were right there working, too.
Grandpa and Grandma worked in the Logan Temple. As a Sealer, Grandpa received permission to come to Idaho Falls and perform my marriage. While I don't remember a lot of what was said at the ceremony, I will never forget how happy I was to have that sacred ordinance performed by my Grandfather.
Now that I have children of my own, they have memories of Grandpa Smart, too. Sydney learned flag etiquette from Grandpa. She also learned to relax and enjoy the beauty of Bear Lake from a lawn chair. Payton loved Grandpa's voice. He would read Goldilocks and the Three Bears to her over and over. Her favorite was his Papa Bear voice. He could make the deep, low growl of that bear and you almost felt bad for poor Goldilocks!
I could list numerous other fond memories of time spent and lessons learned, as could my siblings, but I want to end with what I will remember most: Singing in Sacrament Meeting with Grandpa. He loved hymns. He was always singing, humming or whistling a hymn. I never grew too old to enjoy sitting next to him on a church pew and hearing him sing from his heart those hymns. Every time he sang, I felt he was bearing his testimony of the truths he was singing. Along with everyone who knew him, I look forward to seeing him again.

My girls + Barbies = Hours of Entertainment (for me)

My girls take after me in a very important way- They love to play Barbies. Sydney plays the same way I did; gives them pretend names, does pretend things with them, etc.
Payton, however, is unique. Her Barbies take on the lives of people she knows. For example, she has a girl and a boy that have become Dayna and Brian. In fact, we all refer to those two barbies as Brian and Dayna. If Payton cannot find these two particular dolls, she asks, "Where's Brian and Dayna." And, sadly, I know exactly what she wants-- and it is not me or her dad! On a more comical note, 'Dayna' is always wearing the wedding dress and 'Brian' has dark curly hair (actually he is a Black man).

Dancing Queen... with stage fright

Payton has always been a pretty outgoing child. She has never been very shy around people-- until lately.
In September Payton started taking dance. She is in a class made up of about eight 3-year-old girls. They have learned basic motor skills like jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, etc. I must admit, it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen to watch eight little girls trying to skip! They concentrate so hard and get so frustrated, but they just can't seem to get it. And then, one day, it just clicks!
Payton has enjoyed dance so much that I think we'll keep her involved next year, too. There's just one catch: Our poor little Payt has stage fright! She had a recital in December and one in May. Both times, our sweetheart just stood in the middle of the stage with the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. She works so hard on her dances and knows every move and every word of each song. But, once she gets on that stage she is frozen! Keep trying, sweetie, you'll conquer your fear!

We're Idahoan!

Brian changed jobs in December of 2010. He worked at Melaleuca for almost 10 years, and had some great opportunities-- including a three week business trip to Singapore and Malaysia. But, it was time for a change. Now we are true Idahoans! Brian works for a company called Idahoan. The company makes instant mashed potatoes. My brother thinks it's hilarious that we live in Idaho, work for a company named Idahoan and deal with the thing Idaho is famous for-- potatoes! We're a walking advertisement for living in Idaho!

Molly Lou Melon

Like most children, Payton has a favorite book. The book is called Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon. It's by Patty Lovell. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. Payton has this story memorized. She does voices and everything. I want to record her 'reading' the book. When I do, I will add to this post.

I've slacked... but I'm back!

I look at my blog every day when I turn the computer on-- it's my home page. Every day I feel guilty for letting it sit for almost TWO YEARS. But, yesterday my mom called and told me how much she loves my blog and my sisters' blogs. She also reminded me that my blog is not just a fun hobby, but a journal for my kids. That's what got me going! I can't backtrack the past two years, but I can give a little prelude to what's going on right now.