Merry Christmas

We celebrated Hayden's 9th birthday on Saturday. We went ice skating and ate pizza! She was spoiled, it helps being the only girl! She is such a great girl. It seems like only yesterday that we had her. She has grown into a smart, talented, athletic little lady that we are so blessed to have in our family. She also danced in the Jr. Drill team and did awesome.






We also celebrated Ledger's 2nd birthday. My baby is not a baby anymore. When we ask him how old his is he says nine! I am so glad I am his mom. He continually makes us laugh by saying things like "you want a piece of me" followed by him putting up his dukes, or singing "we will we will rock you." We love our "litttlest" boy. Watch him grow!




As for the rest of us we are all doing well Ryker and Cole are still wrestling (although they have not figured out that you are suppose to pin the other guy.) Wrestling is just not in their blood. Ryker continues to do well in school. Cole is continuing to grow both outwards and upwards. Ryan and I are busy chasing them and enjoying every minute!







Merry Christmas to all of you and may the real reason for the season bring comfort and joy in the new year!

Celebrating Cole!

5 Reasons we love him!

1. he makes us laugh

2. His big brown eyes

3. He loves to eat

4. He loves to play

5. His big smile

Cole is Five! We celebrated his fifth birthday on October 29! It took me back to Springville Utah, life with only two little ones, and delivery of the biggest baby I had 9 pounds 6 ounces! He is still an big kid and is slowly taking over his big brother in weight. He is a true joy and one that brings us many smiles, a few headaches, but lost of fun. We love him and are so glad he is ours. We celebrated with friends, played lots of games and got a lot of great gifts.

We also celebrated Halloween! Hayden was a peacock, Ryker was a vampire, Cole was a mummy, and Ledger was a scarecrow. We went to the trunk or treat and had plenty of goodies! We came home and put on our new PJ's (thanks grandma julie) and ate clam chowder and watched a movie.

With fall here we decided to take advantage of the leaves, after church we headed out to play! We had a great time and took some great pictures.

The kids have finished soccer! What a relief, but the boys have started wrestling! They are enjoying "fighting" and we hope it will cut down on the fighting done at home. Hayden did a drill team camp and enjoyed dancing. It was really fun to watch her.

Ryan had the chance to attend BYU homecoming, but it was on a sad note, one of his teammates at BYU passed away unexpectedly. Naki Maile was a great man, one that we would should all aspire to be like. Many of our memories are shared with Abby and Naki; halloween at the hotel, the bowl game, senior night with the girls, just a few of those we treasure. We count our selves blessed to know them.

Ryan also recieved a promotion at work and we are excited for the new opprotunity. He is such a hard worker and we are lucky to have him as our dad!

School is going well for me, I am excited to see how I do! It has been a challenge to juggle life and school, but we are getting the hang of it. All is well on the farm!

Autumn days and good bye-

I know that it has been a long time since I have updated, but September has been even busier than August! We started the month by sprucing up the kitchen with paint and new tile. We got the paint done, but before the tile could be laid we had to head to Idaho unexpectedly. My Grandma Belva Hill passed away. Its was an extremely sad day, it felt like and end to many of my most treasured childhood memories. However, I know that she was so happy to go and be with Grandpa again, that I was excited for her. I will miss her, but treasure those memories and am glad my children got to meet and know her.

We came home just in time to can some peaches and veggie soup and get ready for the fair. My Mom, Megan, Sam, Jack, Penny, Ty, Addi, and Cy came to experience the Adams County Fair and all its glory? We had a great time, we just wish we could have had more time in our day. The kids won several blue ribbons (and a few reds), participated in every tractor pull they could (Cole and his Cousin Isaiah pulled the most in their age groups, over 200lbs and 300lbs) Hayden, Sam, Ty, and Addi all held their own. We saw plenty of animals. We ate plenty of greasy food , and rode many nauseating rides (ask Addi). We watched a wild cow school Ryan and Uncle Gordy two nights in a row. We had a great time!

Unfortunately, our week ended much worse. Our little filly Emerson, got hurt and by the time the vet came, it was too late. She died on Sunday. Needless to say we were all shocked and devastated. It has been much more difficult than I ever thought it would be. We had waited so long for her to come, we just could not believe it. Hayden was very upset, Emmie was her horse. We are so glad we still have the others and continue to enjoy riding and spending time with them.

Ryan has been busy working and also started to ref football games. He loves the horses. He also sang at the fair and especially enjoyed that. We were in charge of the Karaoke Contest and he hosted it, he did a great job.
I am staying busy with PTA, preschool, subbing and I just started school again. It has been a long time since I was the student, but I am really enjoying my classes, now if I just had another 2 hours everyday to fit in the reading and homework.

Hayden
What a girl! Last week she was named student of the month! She is a great student and her teacher never has enough to say about her. She is also excelling on the soccer field. She is really and animal. Her team just played a tournament and played in the championship. She is so quick, she amazes me!

Ryker
Last week he also got an award for being the best Math student in the Dual Language first grade. He has not been loving the dual language, because he doesn't know what they are saying, but every once in a while he will say mom do you know what this is in Spanish, and then proceed to tell me. He understands more than he lets on and his teachers say he is doing well. He is also playing soccer and is so much fun to watch. Ryan's dad often calls him Ryan, I think that Ryker reminds him of his dad!

Cole
Cole has actually started playing soccer! We are so excited that it is not so much work to get him in the game. He has scored several goals and is so excited to play. If he has a game that day he will were his uniform, cleats, and shin guards all day even though the game is not until 5pm. He is also enjoying preschool. Some days the teacher will say "Cole had a rough day" but over all she tells me what an exceptional student he is this year (after last year that means a lot). He also loves to eat, for me that is great because I love to cook. His dad said "I am afraid he is going to go through a heavy phase" he already weighs as much as Ryker. I just don't know how I will be able to keep all of my boys feed!

Ledger
What a fun boy he is. He is starting to grow in to a little boy, talking like crazy, copying anyone, and trying to do what the big kids do. He loves Cole! (scary). He loves nursery. He really likes to help me, sometimes it is not that helpful. He loves the animals. He calls the horses by name and loves to ride with his dad. We are working on potty training because he will not keep his diaper on, it is definately a work in progress

We love this time of year! The harvest season reminds us of what we are most thankful for. We love our family and friends. We hope our next post will not be so far away, but until then!

See ya!

What a Week!

This week has been so busy! Ryan worked five 12 hour shifts in a row! The kids started school. The PTA had a back to school BBQ. I cleaned thousands of toys at Cole's preschool. I taught a lesson, went to two soccer games, rode the horses every day this week. I am sure there is more, I just cannot remember. Sometimes it feels like I am drowning, but then the kids do something to make me realize the sweeter things in life and that they are the reason that I stay so busy.

Hayden
Started 3rd grade! She is so excited to be in Mr. Halls class. She also started soccer. She really is an amazing athlete. She plays defender, but some how scores more points than the rest of the team. She is so beautiful and helpful. She helps me so much, especially when Dad is working!

Ryker
He was so excited to start 1st grade. He is in the Dual Language program. He is excited to learn Spanish. He is also playing soccer. He is now on an older team that travels to play games. He is the youngest on the team, but holds his own and makes his dad so proud.

Cole
Is so BOARD! He is stuck at home with me and Ledger. He starts preschool next week and can not wait. He and I have spent a lot of time with the horses and he really has a love for them and they for him. He makes me a little worried because he thinks he is so big. I forget that he is only four. He eats enough for two and weighs a few pounds less than Ryker. I do not know how I will ever feed all of these boys?

Ledger
He is acting more like Cole, which makes us all scared. He is a happy boy who copies everything that anyone does or says. It is so fun to watch him pick up on things and become such a little boy. It is also sad to say he is no longer a baby. He hates to keep his diaper on, so we are going to try and potty train him slowly. He has started to use the potty and we are all so proud! (The kids get so excited.)

The most exciting thing is that I am going to go back to school! I start in a few weeks. I will be getting my teaching certificate from Central Washington University. I don't know how long it will take but I am hoping in the next 2-3 years. Here goes nothing!

Time Marches On

Where does time go? It seems that we just got out of school, and now we are school shopping. We will start school in two weeks. Hayden will be in 3rd grade and Ryker will be in the dual language program in 1st grade. He is so excited to start, but Hayden is already whinning about it. Cole will spend another year in preschool, he is very excited to start in September.

This year we planted a huge garden. We planted all of the regular stuff and tried a few new things like broccoli (which is really good) and sunflowers that are now over 12 feet high. I have been canning as a result of the good harvest. This year I have been making fruit leather. The kids seem to really like it. I am also starting to dry things. I am learning alot and building my food storage!

I have also opened a facebook account. I don't know what I am doing, but I have found several people that I have lost touch with through the years and that is very exciting. We have also gotten in touch with family. We are enjoying hearing and seeing what everyone is up to.

Cash and Emi are growing like crazy. We spend several hours a day out with them. Ryan is riding the horses to get them ready to try and take to the fair. I have decided to enter a few things as well. We are in charge/ helping with the Kareokee Contest and the Photograph booth at the fair. I told my mom I feel like I am Grandma Jeanne (there is no one that I would rather be like!)

As summer comes to a close, we like our lives are settling down. A year ago we moved to Othello, and now we are in so deep (Preschool Pres. PTA VP, church, soccer) that who know if we will ever get out? Until next time.

Two miracles on the farm!

First miracle occured on July 25th at around 11:30pm. Jewel finally had her baby. We had gone to Idaho and anticipated that we would miss it and we did. She had a filly and both mom and baby are doing well. We named her Emerson Drive (all of the horses names are related to music.) We will call her Emi. She will most likely be a bay or a buckskin like her mom. She has very long legs. She runs like a giraffee. We are very excited to have her here. We cut our vacation short because we are so excited (sorry Eddie and Jennie we will see you house someday. Also, here is a current pic of Cash our other foal.)

The second miracle happened on July 27th, after two months, we got our puppy Charlie back. We had some friends tell us that they had a puppy that they thought could be ours, so we went out to see; without a doubt he was our dog. We did not tell the kids so they would not be disappointed if it was not him, when Ryan brought him home, they were so excited. We are glad to have him home!

Hayden
While we were on vacation Hayden had a great time. She played with her cousins in the playhouse at grandma Julies and did not want to leave. She also ran in her second 5K. She was the first girl over the finish line 0-12. She is amazing. Thanks to Aunt Penny for running with her.
On our way home she got a very big cut on her foot. We had white boards to entertain the kids, and some how she sliced her big toe on it. I thought with all on the blood that we would have to get stiches in Missoula MT, but we finally got the bleeding stopped. We have it all wrapped and she hops from one place to the other.

Ryker and Cole
They love going to Idaho. They play till they literally fall over. They were lucky enough to be able to ride little cows at the rodeo. It was so cute. They also got to chase a few to try and get some prizes. (Thanks eddie and jennie for driving all the way from utah to see the boys be cowboys.) Ryker and Cole are both excited to get back to school, I am also excited to send them!

Ledger
Everyone in my family wants to keep him as there own! He is such a fun, happy, beautiful boy. He is talking like an old pro. He wants to do what the big boys do and follows them as much as I will let him. He loves Cole and is picking up some of his habits, scary! He loves the some Five little ducks went out to play. I am so sick of singing it, but you do what you have to do to make him happy.

Ryan and Stephanie
While we were in Idaho Ryan celebrated his 30th birthday! He was not to excited that he was turning the big 3-0. We went to dinner with all the adults in my family and had a great time. Hopefully he will enjoy the next 30 years!

I was so excited to go home and to see all of my family. On the 24th of July the Grant Hill family gets together to celebrate the Pioneer Days. This year will mark the last time we do that at my grandparents home. It was great to see all of my cousins, but I was very sad at the same time, some of my best childhood memories are during those times.

As we get older we realize we are very lucky to have such great family and friends. We also know that miracles do happen!

Time flies...when you have four kids!

Life has been so busy! I think that there is less to do when the kids are in school, than during summer vacation. We have all been enjoying our new baby colt Cash. He is so much fun to watch. Ryan has been spending a lot of time with him and it is amazing how fast he is learning. He lets the kids and I walk up to him and pet him. Now we are just waiting on the next one to join the herd!

Hayden
Last week she partacipated in the state wide Hershey Track meet. She did amazing. She was the youngest participant in the state of Washington. She ran in the 400 meter (she was first in her heat, but did not place) and the 100 meter (she finished 8th overall). She and her dad will be running the mile on the 4th of July! She is also doing swimming lessons, she is learning all of the diffrent strokes. I wish I could talk her into joining swim team, mabey next year. She has also been doing art classes that the city offers and enjoys doing the fun projects they offer.

Ryker
He graduated from Kindergarten and talked his dad into letting him have a mohawk. I told him that he could only have it for a few days, but here we are three weeks later. I told him tonight it was coming off, we will see who wins that battle. He is also taking swimming lessons. He loves to read and is participating in summer reading at the library.

Cole
He is growing so fast. He wears the same size of clothes as Ryker. He eats twice as much. I am going to have to get a job just to keep him feed! He is a lot of fun. He loves the animals, they are not as fond of him. He tries to ride the cows daily. The colt loves him, it is so fun to watch them together. He is doing swimming lessons. I have to keep my eye on him, he is fearless.

Ledger
Much to our dismay, Cole is his favorite person! He is starting to take on a little of his attitude, which terrifies me. He likes to climb into the corral without me and pet the horses. (Scary!!!) He is doing a mom and tot swim class, but he only last about 15 minutes. He would rather chase the birds. He is starting to say names and calling Hayden, Hay- Hay. He likes nursery and stays as long as there is snack and bubbles.

We are excited for the 4th of July and hope that you all have a great one. We are going to Idaho at the end of the month and look forward to seeing our family for an extended vacation! Have a great summer!

Finally Here!!!

We are so excited one of the colts is here! Of course it is from Jett, the mare who we thought would deliver last. Ryan is so excited. On Father's Day at around 10:30 pm we watched the little sorrel male take his first breath. Both mother and baby are doing well. Needless to say we stayed up most of the night just watching. We are naming him Johnny Cash Oleana (Oleana is a bloodline name). We will call him Cash. We will bring you more pictures of the colt and the kids when we have a little more time, summer is buzzing by and we have only been out of school for a week.