The Hills

More Pictures of Tommy

2011-02-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

These are more fun pictures of Tommy. We are having a good time with our "Chunky Monkey"

Hills Up By One

2011-02-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

It hasn't quite been 6 months since the last post - there is alot that can happen in 6 months. We got our Boy here. Thomas has been a Wonderfully, good, fun baby. These are a few pictures of the fun we are having with our BOY!

Busy Summer

2010-08-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over when school starts. It went by too darn fast, but we did some fun things as a family. We swam alot, went camping a few times, and enjoyed going to the summer movies each week. Lucy, Gracie, Annie, and Eliza all had their birthdays. We did some fun things to celebrate the wonderful, cute girls in our family.

Lucy's birthday was fun and she chose to go swimming and then to Chuck-a-rama.

Gracie's birthday was a hard day, but we made it fun as we spent some good times miniature golfing and time with family. We started and ended the day down at the cemetery. We wish she could have been here to celebrate her 2nd birthday.
Annie had an eventful birthday. She turned 10 and was able to get her ears pierced. She also got a new bike, very fun.
Eliza chose to take us all to Jungle Jims and then to McD's. We all had fun. We sure love our cute girls.
The Boy is due in about 4 weeks. We are very excited around here.

Gracie's Garden

2010-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

We planted a little garden in our backyard for Gracie. As I was reading a book my Mom gave me for Mother's Day I came across this quote by President Brigham Young and I thought of Gracie's Garden, "...render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations." I hope that Grace will delight to visit her beautiful garden. We love you Gracie!

Valley of the Goblins

2010-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were able to go camping at Goblin Valley. It was really a lot of fun for our little family. We arrived around noon on Friday and came home the next day. Our campsite was Awesome! We were surrounded by rocks and cliffs and slot canyons to explore. The girls loved exploring and climbing. We went to the valley of the Goblins a couple of times and played tag with the football. It's so fun to play in the Goblins. The campfire was nice, but the favorite thing was the tent. The girls loved playing in the tent and sleeping in it. We really had a great time as a family and look forward to doing it again. We sure love our girls.

St George and the Figgins

2010-04-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

This past week we were able to go down to St. George and be with Gary while he was going to a couple of conferences. It was fun to swim at the Hotel and play in the warm sun. I am so excited for warm weather here at home.
On Friday we went to Zions National Park. We stopped at a "Ghost Town" on the way. The girls were a little nervous about that, but soon realized that there were no ghosts. It was pretty cool.
We took the Shuttle in Zions and hiked to Weeping Rock. The girls loved it. Water drips from the side of the rock cliff and it feels like you are being rained on. Pretty cool. Livie wanted to pretend she was "weeping" at Weeping rock.

After our adventures at Zions we went to Orderville, Utah to meet Merlin and Stacy Figgins, the wonderful people who made and donated the casket for Gracie. It was the highlight of the whole trip. They made us dinner and showed us around their home and made us feel very comfortable. The girls loved playing with their dogs and enjoyed the animal cookies that Stacy bought just for the girls. They are some of the kindest people we have ever met. We felt as if we had known them forever.
They have been donating caskets for about 5 years now. They told us that they donate about 30 caskets a year. It takes them a day to build it and another day to finish it and then they meet the people half way to deliver it. That is about 2 full months of services a year that they do out of the goodness of their hearts. They said they will always donate because they recieve so many blessings from it. They truly lifted our burden when Gracie died. We will always have a special place in our hearts for these wonderful people we now call our friends. May the Lord always bless them.

Easter

2010-04-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

I loved that Easter landed on the same weekend as General Conference. How wonderful to have a weekend to reflect on the words of the Prophets and be full of gratitude for all that our Savior has done for us. It was sweet to think that we will be with our sweet little Grace again because of our Savior's sacrifice. I am truly grateful for my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Girls had a great time coloring eggs, finding hidden Easter Eggs, and eating their Easter Candy. It was a good and tender weekend for our family. (I love Easter Candy)!!!!

Easter Dresses

2010-03-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

I let the girls wear their Easter Dresses to Church today since next week is General Conference. They all got new dresses, new shoes, and new tights. They felt Beautiful. They looked Beautiful. As we sat in Church I looked over at my girls sitting on the bench, feeling pretty and being reverent, I couldn't help but think of how cute Gracie would have looked sitting with her sisters with her Easter Dress and shoes on. She would have felt so pretty, twirling around in her dress and admiring her shoes. Its times like these that make my eyes fill with tears as I ponder on how much I miss my little girl. I realize how grateful I am for our 4 wonderful girls here with us on earth and our sweet Angel in Heaven. Gary said that Gracie would have felt very pretty today with her sisters. She would have looked Beautiful, and felt special. She's a Beautiful Angel now.
And, Yes, Eliza wore pink and was very excited about it.

California

2010-03-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to get on a plane and head to California. It was a great trip, and we are sad it's over. We had a great time staying at the Beach House, thanks to the Bakaleys. Disneyland was alot of fun. It was great to have Mom and Dad, Russ and Laura, and Brad and Jayme families there with us. The Ocean was Cold but alot of great fun.

Fun in the Rental Van.

Disneyland that first night was rainy. It was great because there were no lines
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Sunday we had fun at the Beach House and on the Beach. Windy and cold, but fun.

Monday and Tuesday were spent at DL
Mom and I got a kick out of watching Dad puttering along with Livie Driving
Gary got to go on all the "Throw-uppy" rides, Thanks Hun.

We went to Goofy's Kitchen for Breakfast on Wednesday. And then we spent the rest of the day at the Beach

This is one of my favorite pictures. Dad and Baloo!.

Beach time. Gary, Russ, and Brad rented bodysuits and went boarding. Cameron, Carter, Abby, Annie, and Livie also got bodysuits and had a great time in the water.

Thursday and Friday we went to DL for a bit. On Friday evening we spent some time at the Beach and then we busted open the Hot Tub. This was one of the girls favorite things to do.

It was a great trip. We took this picture of Gracie with us. We know she would have had a great time. We figure she would have liked "Small World" and "Winnie the Pooh", and other fun rides with her sisters.

Annie loved all the rides, her favorite was "Screamin'". I love that ride too. Livie loved the rides that were flat and safe. "Winnie the Pooh" was her favorite ride. Lucy loved every rollercoaster she could go on. Her favorites were "Space Mountain", "Thunder Mountain Railroad" and "Star Tour" ranked #1. Eliza's favorite ride was "The Haunted Mansion". We had a wonderful time with our girls. Gary and I feel very blessed to have such a great family. I feel so blessed to have Gary to share it with.

Eliza was getting sick on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday she didn't feel real good. We gave her some medicine to keep her fever down so she could try and enjoy Disneyland. When we got home on Saturday from our trip, we took her to the doctors. She had pnamonia. We had Oxygen brought to our house for her to be on for a few days. Poor little girl. She is doing a lot better, but it was scary there for a minute. Thank goodness prayers are heard and answered. Our Little Darth Vader!!!

Out of the Mouth of a 7 Year Old

2010-03-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

So, the other night I was saying goodnight to Annie and Livie. Livie was looking at my stomach and asked me, "Mom, are you working out?" I said, "well, yeah, when I can." She then said, "Well, you probably should, a lot."
I'm 10 weeks along and already showing, a lot! She will find out soon enough that my stomach looking the way it does is for a good reason. I love my girls!!!

We Will Miss Her Forever!!!

2009-12-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

It is hard to write for the first time on our blog since Gracie passed away, but there have been alot of "firsts" and there will continue to be alot of "firsts". We have a Big whole in our home and hearts with Gracie being gone, but there is Not a big whole in our family. Thank goodness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches (and I believe it with all my heart), that we will be together forever. Grace is alive and happy in the presence of our Heavenly Father. She was too sweet and beautiful to be here on earth.
For Christmas this year we are writing down memories we have of Grace and putting them in her stocking. We look forward to reading them on Christmas Morning. The Girls miss their baby sister. They understand where she is and that she is watching over us. Gary and I feel so blessed to have these great, strong souls in our family. We have been grately overwhelmed (in a good way) with the love and support and comfort we have recieved from our family and friends. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! We have such wonderful families, and our burdens have been lighter because of them.

Halloween

2009-11-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

Halloween was kind of a Love/Hate thing this year. I am glad the girls had fun, but I am so glad it's OVER! We had 5 occasions to get into our costumes this year and I am done. The girls were cute and Gary and I were able to get into the action. Annie was a Fifty's Girl and a Vampiress, Livie was Cinderella, Lucy was a fairy, Eliza was a pumpkin, and Grace was a fish. Gary and I were invited to an adult Halloween Party so we needed to find a costume. We ended up being Publishers Clearing House. It was a lot of fun, and we won 1st prize for our costume(and Gary looked awesome in his wig). I always love the Candy. My favorite thing is dumping out the candy and sorting them into piles and seeing how much loot you got. Grace loved crawling from pile to pile and grabbing what she could. Lucy put her candy bag on her bed and said that it was great because whenever she wakes up she can get a piece of candy. I quickly put an end to that. My girls love candy - go fig.
Happy Halloween!!!

This is my hair after the curlers.

Livie

2009-10-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

We love our cute Livie. She is now 7 going on 17. It's a good thing that her birthday falls around Halloween, She loves to dress up!!! The stores are full of any dress up you can imagine. I love being a mom of children who are so grateful and excited for what they get. Livie was full of excitement when she was opening up her presents and she was so grateful for the things she got. Livie has been through a lot in her little life and we are so grateful she is well and out of pain at this time. We love our Livie and we are so glad she is part of our family.

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Our Trip to Canada and New York

2009-09-29T15:20:00.001-07:00

Gary had his annual ICMA conference in Montreal, Canada. I was fortunate to be able to go with him this year. It was wonderful. We stayed at the Marriot on the 24th floor. The view from our room was amazing especially at night. A few of our City Manager friends were there with their wives, it was fun to be with them. We saw the sights, did some shopping, and (my favorite) ate out. It was wonderful to be with Gary, hang out with friends and eat good food.
The conference was good and lasted until Wednesday. On Wednesday, a bit after noon, Gary and I rented a car and made the 5 1/2 hour drive down to Palmyra, New York, where his parents are serving on their mission.
We were in Awe at the beauty of the land in that part of the country. Upstate New York is beautiful!!! We drove into Palmyra and arrived at the Hill Cumorah right at sunset. We were able to climb the hill and look over the green, lush valley. There is a wonderful, powerful spirit there. It was great to be with Stick and Melba. They took us to see the Church sites and did an awesome job on the tours they gave us. We are so proud of them.
On Friday, Dan and Staci hooked up with us (so exciting). Stick and Melba took us all on a dinner cruise on the Erie Canal. Then we all stayed at Stick and Melba's wonderful apartment, which was across the street from the Sacred Grove.
Gary and I were able to go into the Sacred Grove a few times. Saturday morning before we left for home we spent a brief moment in the Grove. The peace and spirit is so beautiful, it makes you not want to leave.
Gary and I were so grateful for all those who made this trip possible for us. We missed our girls but we were so grateful to know they were in good hands. Thanks to Mom and Dad Elggren, Laura and Russ, April and Matt, Kirsten and Matt, and Joe and Tiff for spoiling our kids and taking good care of them. We love you all!!!

Long Legs, No Body

2009-09-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is hillarious. Gary is all legs, and to prove this he and his sisters stood together and then sat together. You've got to love the difference. What fun it was to have his sisters here. I love his long legs.

Go, Fight, Win!!!!!!

2009-09-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 29, 2009 I ran a half marathon with April, Kirsten and Laura. My Summer long training paid off. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and when Ruth challenged us to get ready and run it with her, I took on the challenge. Ruth ended up not being able to run, but she was the one who got the ball rolling. Thanks Reese!!!! I loved the run. We ran down a beautiful canyon and through some beautiful countryside. Being with my sisters and sister-in-law was really fun. It was great to know we had our own cheering section at the end of the race. I loved seeing my sweet girls and cute husband waiting for me to cross the finishline. Mom took time out of her busy day to support and cheer.
Conquring our goal of running a half marathon was amazing. I look forward to doing it again. April, Laura, and Kirsten did Awesome and I am so proud of them. What a great feeling!!!!

California

2009-08-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Jayme and I were able to go to California for a couple of days. Our main purpose in going was to see Wicked in San Diego. We arrived a day before the show and so to burn the time we decided to go to Disneyland. We had a great time. The Show was wonderful and DL was so fun. Gary and Brad and the kids all got together and played while we were gone. I am grateful for my wonderful Husband. When I got home the house was cleaner then it's been in a long time. I need to go away more often. It's always fun to get away, but it's great to be home. Jayme and I hope we can get all the sisters to go next time.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

2009-08-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

With Mom and Dad Hill on their Mission, we have had the great oppertunity to use their wonderful garden. The Hills are famous for the many, many, many tomatoes they plant. These are some of the tomatoes that we were able to can this summer. Kirsten and Ruth and their boys came to help me can that day, and we just happened to get Big Ben into a little girls swimming suit. Ruth's boys always seem to end up in girly things at our house. Go figure!!!!

Summer Birthdays

2009-08-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Our Summer is always full of birthdays. Lucy, Gracie, Annie, and Eliza all turned a year older in the past 3 months. We loved celebrating with family. We let the girls choose a fun thing to do with the family for their birthday. Lucy chose to go to McDonalds to play and eat. Annie chose to go swimming and then to El Matador(which was alright by Mom and Dad). Eliza had her birthday while we were at the cabin, so we played and celebrated in the mountains. It's fun to have cute, sweet little girls.

New Background

2009-08-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Gary saw our blog and decided it was "too girly". So we changed the background in hopes of a more "boyish" look. Annie and I really like it. Hopefully this will be the backgroud we keep for awhile. We will wait for Gary's feedback. We sure love our one and only boy, and we will try to stay clear of the pinks and purples.

2009-07-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

Livie loves to do "make-overs". Here are some of her beautiful creations. Enjoy!!!

Our Summer

2009-07-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is half way over and it has flown by. It's been filled with water(all in the wrong places), mud, movies, swimming, hiking, baking, and birthdays. The water we have received this year has been unbelievable. We put a sump-pump in our basement in early spring to take care of the water under our house. It's been going pretty consistently since we put it in. Now we are in the middle of putting a French drain in our back yard. What a mess, and yet, very satisfying. Gary has been working like a dog this whole summer. What a great man.

2009-07-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we have finally entered the world of the Blog. Now I just need to figure out how to Blog.