Heads Up

For those of you coming to my blog for the first time in awhile, note that after a dry spell, I have produced three posts in the last week, and since they are subjects that I particularly enjoy, they are not short posts. Go ahead and scroll through and pick and choose what you want to read. I won't be offended if you want to skip over some. . .or all if you want (unless you're my family, in which case you must read all of it). :) Have a great day!

I Adore Them

I don't remember much about when my brother Jay was born, since I was only 18 months old, but I'm sure that I was as thrilled as any toddler is to have a little sibling to beat on and cuddle to distraction. I was six when Rex was born, and I kind of took charge of him from the time he came home. He and I were pretty attached to each other--he was an amazing little soul. When Cash came along eleven months later, I was old enough to care if I got a brother or sister, and I wanted a sister! The day my parents brought him home from the hospital, I was sitting in a chair holding him trying to convince myself that another brother would be ok, when my dad flew across the room and grabbed a pot out of Rex's hand before it came down on Cash's head. I don't think 11-month-old Rex was ready to give up his place as the family baby. Cash soon won me over, as he does everyone he has met since, and I guess I resigned myself to the fact that I would be the only girl. There are advantages to being the only girl child, after all, especially if you're the oldest. You pretty much get to call the shots with the younger kids, you don't have to share your stuff, you get your own room, and you are the only "daddy's little girl" in the house.

So three years after Cash, my parents went and got my hopes up again for a sister when they conceived a fifth child. By this time I was ten years old and I was absolutely sure a sister was on the way. They'd done it once, surely they could do it again, right? Why else would God be giving our family another child if it wasn't going to be a sister for me to dress up, do her hair, and show her how to survive in our male-dominated home? I could hardly stand the anticipation waiting for the call from the hospital on October 21. Finally, my dad called to tell me that I had another little brother. And he was expecting me to what? Jump for joy? Call my little friends to share the happy news? Nope. I did what any little girl would do in that situation. I cried.

And that's how it started, my life with four little boys. Sadly, I only got seven years with Rex, but I have had the last forty, give or take depending on the brother, with the other boys. The verdict on growing up with all brothers? LOVED IT! Of course there are those who say that I don't know any different, so how can I say growing up with brothers was any better than growing up with sisters. How? I married a wonderful man with seven sisters, and while I envy a lot about their sisterhood, I've noticed things I didn't miss as well. But my main girl experience comes from currently living in a house charged with estrogen. Having studied this sister phenomena in my home for fourteen years now, I have deduced the following advantages of a girl having only brothers (don't get me wrong, though. I love Brent's sisters and my girls very, very much--just some empirical research):

1. Absolutely none of your siblings wants to wear the same outfit you do on the same day.

2. You can always find your make-up because your brothers don't own a make-up bag.

3. The bedroom is yours and yours alone. Most brothers don't want pictures of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, or in my day, Scott Baio, on their walls, nor do they appreciate a great pink and brown or turquoise color scheme.

4. There is no sharing of feminine hygiene products, so they are always ready and waiting where you put them last month.

5. You get way more phone time! My experience with boys, even my son, has shown that while a guy likes a good chat on the phone with girl friends, it's not nearly as often or as long as girls talk to guys on the phone. And guy talks with their guy friends are about 45 seconds, going something like,"Dude, you going golfing tomorrow? What time? K. Meet ya there. Later." Which brings me to #6:

6. You enjoy mostly short conversations and low maintenance. While I realize that not all boys and men are like this, most of the ones I have lived with and met require little conversation and little explanation. They don't care to hear the "long version" of any story, and they don't spend hours worrying about and analyzing things they can't fix. They pretty much take you at face value. Cool.

7. Way fewer emotional roller coasters. In addition to the monthly hormonal fluctuations we girls suffer, there are always tears, laughs, elation, and break-downs close to the surface. It doesn't take much to trigger a random emotion, and girls know how to pull each other's triggers. . .and they do it for fun sometimes.

8. No long-lasting grudges. Girls can remember an offense and hold a grudge f..o..r..e..v..e..r. Guys, on the other hand, if they even realize they should have taken offense, get over it and get on with it. Why waste time on that stuff?

Anyway, there are others I haven't listed, but I wanted to get to the point of this whole post, and that is that I love and adore my brothers. They were fun, active, smart little boys who have grown into fun, busy, accomplished men. No one can make me laugh like Jay, Cash, and Jared, and just being with them feels like coming home. I learned from growing up with them what I wanted in a husband, and I found a great one. My brothers truly care about each other and my family, and they have set examples of perseverance, fatherhood, spirituality, compassion, and work for my children. They let me practice my mothering skills on them when they were young (albeit not always willingly or patiently :) ), and they have let me make all kinds of mistakes over the years. All they seem to expect from me is to love them and their families, and I do.
Jay has taught me to do what I love. He was drum major when drum major wasn't cool because he loved it. He has let his passion for drawing and art lead him since he was a child, and even though he's not a millionaire, he is doing what he loves and is gifted at. Jay taught me to express love to others. He is always ready with a hug or a kiss whenever needed. We weren't best friends growing up, but I consider him a bosom friend now. Jay has an eye for beauty and has taught me to look in unexpected places for uniquely beautiful things. Not only that, he brought my first sister into my life, and I realized when I met and got to know Lauralee that I had the sister I always wanted--and just the good parts of having a sister!

My brother Cash is really a god-send to the Hill family. He was kind of a middle child growing up and took a back seat to a lot of our activities, but he is awesome anyway! Mom and I tend to overanalyze and try to fix everything. We're a little too serious. Cash isn't. He can tell us to chill out and get a grip without making us cry, and he makes me laugh so hard my face hurts. From Cash I have learned to embrace life harder, enjoy it, and even swear at it if that's what it takes. Cash is a very practical, git-er-done kind of guy. If it needs done, he'll do it. Fortunately for us all, he is a problem solver and he married an organizer, so Cash and Marisa are the ones the whole family looks to for advice on the things that we can't wrap our heads around. Cash and Marisa are the brains behind the beauty. . .er. . .the rest of the family. :)

Jared is kind of my baby. When my dad died, Jared was two, and Mom was called as Relief Society President six months later, so much of Jared's care fell to me at 13 years old. He's still alive and healthy, so I guess I did ok. When Jared was playing football, I would get so nervous before his games that I would be sick to my stomach and looking for the nearest restroom. I was so concerned about who he would marry that I picked Maren for him while he was on his mission. Jared has taught me to never quit. He has suffered so many injuries and setbacks, but he perseveres and comes back stronger. I learned from watching him that it's ok to lose sometimes (but it's infinitely better to win!). Jared has a joy about him that is contagious. He teaches me to relax and enjoy. He is quick to laugh, and he attracts success. My Dalin has decided to become a dentist because he admires Jared so much, and you'll notice that Dalin's hair is much the same as Jared's.

So I could go on and on, but wait. . .I already have. Let's just say that I consider myself truly blessed to have been born into the family I have. I realize that there are lots of things that I missed by not having a sister, but it's ok. I think I've survived, even thrived. I am eternally grateful to my parents both earthly and heavenly for my brothers, and now for the sisters-in-law and beautiful nephews and nieces they have brought into my life. I adore them.

A Mountain Paradise

We just got back from a weekend in Cascade, ID, with all of my brothers and families, my mom, and my cousin Kathy with her hubby and girls. Anyone going to a family reunion for more than a couple of hours knows that it's always a risky proposition. Will everyone get along? Will we all survive the games and water fun? Will anyone be offended? Will we lose a child to mosquitoes? It's a spit in the wind, really. But fortunately, our weekend was spectacular. Jared and Maren arranged for a huge cabin literally two minutes from Cascade Lake that slept 18 people in beds and had plenty of living and mingling space as well as a nice, modern kitchen. It was surrounded by tall pine trees and other foliage, and it was a minute from a small, quiet beach which was perfect for the children. We had 26 people there, and we didn't feel cramped at all. Really, it was the most incredible place for a "camping" trip. Now, I love being out in nature and I especially love the mountains, but I love them most when I have access to running water, a nice toilet, and a microwave and dishwasher. I love to sit in a soft, comfy chair and either look out the picture windows at the beauty of God's creations or gaze at the big screen TV. That's why this place was the best!

(That is Cash's finger on Cassie's face, by the way. Let's make that clear. :) )We spent Friday and Saturday on the beach and in the boat. There was a little breeze most of the weekend which made the lake a little choppy--too choppy for fancy slolom skiing--so Cash, Jared, Shaina, and Cassie did a lot of wakeboarding and almost everyone tubed. The younger kids tried skiing on two skis, and Dalin found that he loves to wakeboard. My favorite part was just relaxing in a chair on the beach enjoying watching the kids and occasionally taking a dip in the nice, clean water. (We're used to Lake Lowell, which by now has enough sludge in it to practically hold us up without a life vest.) I love watching Brent and my brothers drive the boat and help the kids ski. They just come alive out there. I wish we had just taken the plunge, so to speak, and bought the boat when our kids were younger.

In addition to boating, we played a lot of games, watched some movies, talked a lot, and did a humanitarian project together. We put together 25 hygiene kits, and it was fun watching the kids get involved in doing them. The kids also got to go fishing, and most of them caught at least one fish. Jensen has told us for days since that she caught two! By far the best part of the trip, though, was having my entire family there together. I love that my kids have gotten to know and love their aunts and uncles. I feel particularly blessed in the sister-in-law category. Lauralee, Marisa, Maren, and I all have different strengths and ways of doing things, but we all get along swimmingly and love each other very much. I couldn't have hand-picked better wives for my brothers. Good times!

(check out the post on Dalin's Eagle Court of Honor after this)

Trying Something New

These are some of the pictures I took at the reunion. I guess that family will enjoy these the most since I haven't figured out how to put a caption on the pictures yet. I'm still learning!

My Eagle Scout

You would think that having set the Eagle Scout goal for Dalin when he was born, I would have figured out sometime in the last eighteen years what to do at his Eagle Scout court of honor. Really, I figured we would have a short talk, a musical number, and present the award. But for the ten days leading up to the actual court of honor I started thinking about the courts of honor my mom and grandad did for my brothers, which were BIG deals. They had a nice program with the trail to Eagle and all the rank advancement badges blown up and in full color on easels across the stage, lit by spotlights at the appropriate times. I started feeling a little guilty, so I got on the world wide web and started investigating the court of honor options. Wow. There were a lot of options. So, I finally settled in one evening and started piecing together a script. At 12:30 a.m., Cassie and her friend Ashley told me that their friends had sprayed the truck with shaving cream, so we were outside until 1:00 washing it. (No one had told these kids the evils of shaving cream, especially when the vehicle belongs to the parents???) I finally finished the script for the court of honor at 3:45 a.m.

Sunday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. we held the event at the church. It was a ton of work, but it was worth it. There were several young boys there who commented afterwards that they now want to get their Eagle. Awesome. We had a lot of good friends there from our old ward and our new ward; Dalin had some friends there, one sang the National Anthem, in fact; and the best thing was that all three of my brothers and my grandad were there. It was awesome. Everything went very well, and the ceremony was only about 50 minutes long, which was perfect. We missed Brent's parents and family, so here are some pictures.

Jensen's Summer Look

About three weeks ago Jensen asked me, out of the blue, to cut her hair. Notice that she didn't ask for "a haircut," because I might have assumed she wanted me to take her somewhere to have someone who knows what the heck they're doing cut her hair--no, she wanted me to cut it. Jensen doesn't do hair salon cuts. . .or doctor's visits. . .or dental cleanings. . .or anything else involving a professional someone messing with her. Even her Uncle Jared, her dentist, has to strap her to a medieval torture device to work on her teeth (granted, we tried everything else anyone could think of first, and she did settle right down once she was in the papoose board). It was that or let her teeth rot out of her mouth or spend close to $3,000 to have her worked on in the hospital. She seems to have come through it mentally unscathed. But again I digress. When Jensen was three and she took it upon herself to cut her own hair--and her cousin Audrey's hair--there was nothing I could do to fix it since it was cut above her ear on one side with bangs cut about two centimeters from her scalp. She looked like she had lost a fight with Johnny Depp (as Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, or Captain Jack--take your pick--each wielded something mighty sharp). I had to take her to my friend Sarah to make her look decent, and I knew, even though I did my best mom-talk for a whole 24 hours leading up to it, that she wasn't going to take the hair-fixing thing sitting down--so to speak. She didn't. She screamed bloody murder and did her best to be impaled by the scissors as she squirmed and writhed around in the chair. In the end, Sarah and I had to settle for a lop-sided bob with a few stray hairs that I had to try to trim off while she slept over the next few days. Unfortunately, we were headed to Arizona a week later. Oh well. That's Jensen.

Sooooo, I have trimmed the ends of her hair once since then, and it was touch and go even for me doing it. She wiggled and got teary-eyed and cussed a little (just teasing--she does speak like a teenager, but a teenager with clean language :) ). I never expected last month to hear her ask to have me cut her hair, but ask she did. Now, you can ask my older girls about this and they will verify, but I really drag my feet when it comes to having my girls' hair cut. I don't know if it's because I look back at pictures of my perm-damaged, curly, shoulder length, 80's hair and am living vicariously through them with their gorgeous straight, long, shiny hair, or what, but I don't want them to get their hair cut . . .ever. I managed to put Jensen off by telling her I wanted her cousin Lacey to be able to see her long, pretty hair before I cut it, but Lacey got to town on June 30, and Jensen has been pestering me to cut it ever since. So, I broke down and trimmed it. Sadly, between my inexperience, her unending twisting and moving, and me using kitchen shears, the cut was a little ragged. I finally broke down and bought haircutting scissors the next day (figured I may as well make the investment) and fixed it as best I could. It's not great, but she likes it, although she tells people that I was only supposed to cut two inches and I cut "way too much more." You get what you pay for, I tell her.

Here she is, before and after. . .sniff, sniff. And by the way, there is another catch-up post after this one if you're interested in reading on.

Jensen and Shaina with their long, gorgeous locks.

The deed is done. . .

Lazy Days of Summer

I'd try to make a good excuse for not posting for awhile, but I got nothin'. It's summer, my creativity is being sapped by a bunch of wonderfully busy kids around the house all day, and we are just enjoying life this summer. So, what has been happening here?

Shaina with her friend Andy

Cassie and Shaina both went to EFY (Especially for Youth) last month. Shaina just went down the road a piece to College of Idaho in Caldwell where she stayed on campus in the dorms with a friend. She went to some great religion classes, played a lot of volleyball, met some really "hot" guys (one in particular), danced all the dances, and came home really tired. She had a great time, though, and can't wait until next year to do it again. Cassie's EFY was in Sandy, Utah, but it wasn't a stay-on-campus event, meaning she had to be transported to and from every day. She went to some great classes, played outside a little, met one "hot" guy, danced all the dances, and didn't get as tired as Shaina because she was sleeping with me at night. We traveled down with my friend Laurie and her son Ben and stayed at Laur's brother's home (Mark and Andi, you rock!). Jensen went along, so my days were spent mostly trying to keep her entertained. We went to see Kung Fu Panda (loved it), went to BYU, and wandered through the Hogle Zoo. I read a lot, and Laur and I worked on a bunch of projects for girls camp. It was a super fun week.

Cassie and her friend Tucker

We have spent any free weekends we have had dragging the boat and our white Idaho bodies to the lake. Unfortunately, we are still pretty white. When I was a teenager, we had hardly even heard of sunscreen. Remember the days of baby oil and tin foil?? Now, if we don't slather ourselves and our children with 50 or higher SPF when we even see the sun, we beat ourselves with the guilty stick and spend the whole time checking for skin cancer. We have had a great summer on the boat so far, and now measure every day by whether or not the skiing would be good. It has been terrific spending time with family and friends, so maybe we'll see you on the lake this summer!


If you want to see the Hill's and Gunnell's in skiing action, check out our two youtube videos (courtesy of my brother Jared who is sooooo cool)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFvnkeqmusk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFscu9OZwI


Speaking of the lake, all of the kids have gotten up on skis this summer, and the girls have managed to stay up for awhile on two. Since we don't have two skis big enough for Dalin, he has had to try to learn to ski on a slolom, which is tough, but he got up. Now it's just practice. Cassie got up on the wakeboard and claims she likes it better than the skis. Garumph! The Hill Family skis, not wakeboards! Oh well, I guess we'll add something new to the water repertoire. Once Dalin's injured shoulder is better, he is planning on mastering the wakeboard. Jensen has been out on the tubes a couple of times, but she really loved riding the Nelson's wave runner. I really wish I were a good mom and took more pictures. I'll try to do it next time and get some pics up on a post.

I was able to go up to my old stake's girls camp last month and direct a presentation about Joseph Smith that I wrote three years ago. My Joseph, Hyrum, Lucy Mack, and Emma actors were great, and I think the girls really felt the spirit of the presentation. What an awesome experience. Thanks, Joel, Jared, Susan, and Megan!


Jay and Lauralee and family are here now, and we are loving life! Jensen is in heaven having Lacey here, and the rest of us are just plain giddy. We miss them so much, and it is such a blast having them visit. We took the boat out last week, and I actually have pictures! Wahoo!