Happy Birthday Hilary

For Hilary's birthday I've decided to write what we wrote when she was born:

Mom's Story
I was thrilled to give birth to such a beautiful daughter.  She cried a little when she was born, but then opened her eyes wide and looked around.  She was very calm and her daddy held her.  We were both very happy.  I cried and cried, I was so happy.  It is a joy to be here in the hospital with her, hold her, feed her and just look at her.  Tyler thinks she's "pretty neat" and thinks the faces she pulls are quite funny.  We all love her a lot and it seems, although she's only 3 days old, that she's always been a member of our family.

Dad's Story:
I was excited to have a little girl.  She is such a cute baby and I love her.  It is hard to believe that now we have a boy and a girl.  Marci decided on the name Hilary and I like it also.  The labor and everything well well, however, I didn't think that I was really that much help.  I believe every father should watch the birth of his children if he has the opportunity to do so.  I was blessed to see both Hilary and Tyler born.  What's happening in 1985 - Ronald Regan is the President of the United States and the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is Spencer W. Kimball.  The weather this week and last has been the coldest I can remember with the temperature as low as -14 degrees F.  Looking out the window there appears to be about a foot of snow and it has been a cold winter here in Utah.

 When she was two we wrote, Hilary:

• is silly
• likes to giggle
• is curious
• active
• likes Campbell's soup
• likes a pink bear
• likes her blanket
• is persistent
• pretty
• loves her brother
• likes to be outside
  
  At three:

Hilary changes her clothes at least three times a day.  She loves "little girl things" - dolls, combs, brushes, dressing up, etc.  She loves to swim.  She started lessons about a month before she turned three.  She can actually swim across a corner of the pool.  She knows no fear and is constantly on the move in the water.  People stop and watch her because she does so well for a little kid her age.  She can now float on her stomach, turn to her back and float.  She can also swim forward on her front.

Her poem - "My Wish"

I wish I could fly
Above the sky,
In a plane or in a jet
That would be fun you bet.
But most of all I'd like to fly,
Not in a plane or in a jet,
But just above the blue blue sky.

Things you may not know about her:

• speaks a little Spanish
• plays piano
• plays guitar
• climbed highest on greased pole
• fooled the eye doctor into glasses
• was in 4-H
• tailored a wool coat
• took a fencing class
• had cousin reunion every summer
• helps with Special Olympics
• still plays soccer
• had an awesome bug collection

WE LOVE YOU HILARY :)

Vera

The tendency is to get impatient while waiting at a medical facility, a time to observe one's surroundings, and a time to eavesdrop (just a tad) on conversations.

The group of three that came in after me was speaking a foreign language, so I tried to guess the language.  I concluded German.

Then I tried to figure their relationship - an older couple and maybe a friend or daughter.  The gentleman hobbled to the receptionist's desk.  He stated date of birth as 1951.  Sheesh, one of these geezers is close to my age.  No, not the old lady with the walker, sunglasses, who is resting her head on the frame of the walker....She had to be much older than that....

I deduced that the patient was Vera, after the guy hollered , "Hey Vera, what was the name of that brain tumor you had?"  Vera (in English) hollers back some long term that I am unable to note here or ever pronounce.  The patient is the one with the walker, eek, born in 1951.

The second question shouted by the guy, who now looks very tired, was, "And Vera, they wanna know when is was that you had breast cancer."  Now all three look tired and I deduced that Vera is wearing sunglasses because the light is probably a pain inducer.  The resting on the walker from countless treatments.

The final comment I overheard, "Oh yeah, and she has a fake hip."

I left counting my blessings and feeling sad for a group of three German-speaking survivors.

Today's Excuse

Okay, I'll stop after this.
40 minutes late to class, here is the excuse of the day:
"Sister Smith, I'm late because my mother just got a brand new calling as Relief Society President."

WHa - - aat  ?!

Testing Sister Smith

Here is the rule:  If your recipe doesn't turn out, you don't get full points.  

With smoke billowing from the oven and fellow students gasping for breath, kitchen #4 informs me, "We burned up our garlic bread."  My response, "Why yes, it appears you have."  

Their inquiry, "We're not going to lose points are we!?  It was an accident. "

Hmmm....as opposed to intentionally incinerating food for a grade....?

I'm Trying

My mom always has said, "You need to learn to like all foods,"  and "You can learn to like anything."  I'm a believer and I try.  New adventures this week included kale, mustard greens, and once again, brussel sprouts.  The mustard greens are still in the frig, hidden behind the tortillas and leftover soup.  The kale was surprisingly good, kinda like Swiss chard, but with more texture.

Having studied the chemical attributes of cruciferous vegetables, I have learned that leaving the lid off as you cook these delicacies will result in a more subtle flavor at serve time.  However, your house will smell like a wad of used baby diapers.

Undaunted, I embarked upon the mission to cook up a batch of brussel sprouts that would prove my mother right.  I followed all the instructions, didn't over or under cook them, left the lid off, and found a new recipe that included Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese - YUM.

I was successful in eating 3 of the 6 little sprouts before getting the dry heaves.  I'm still learning....

The Earth Moved

Yikes! A post at this site?  I know you felt the earth move under your feet.

Blogging is a good thing - It keeps us connected - A person can add more detail than in texting and more depth than in Facebook.

I dedicate this post to my sweetheart, Garth.  Today I let him ski first.  I usually make the tracks, he follows and I get particularly feisty if he, "loses visual contact."  As I watched his near-perfect form, I realized what a lucky gal I am to have him by my side (or in this case, leading the way).  We have lots of fun together and share many laughs.  The hard times have been easier as we have leaned on each other.  Our children are doing great things and we enjoy watching them journey down life's pathways, figuring out choices and adapting to change.  They are strong.

Today's observations while visiting our beautiful mountains:

• A 50-ish lady, giddy with excitement and exhaustion, exclaimed to me as we were using the restroom that she and her husband had just finished their first-ever ski lesson.  CONGRATULATIONS!
• A young girl in front of us on the lift was wearing a ski outfit from the 80's, complete with fanny pack.  Made us smile.
• We noted the signs and posters celebrating Alta's 75th year.  Please, don't change this resort....
• The drinking fountains are not designed for helmet wearers.  I wear a helmet purely for fashion.  I've never once in 43 YEARS of skiing bonked my head.
• We noted that the "cat" tree had acquired a mouse.  This is a tree stump at the top of Supreme Lift that looks just like a cat crouching on its back feet, playing with its paws up.  Someone had hiked all the way up and strung a computer mouse over one paw.
• A liftee that rode up with us said that he'd worked for four years at Alta, both summer and winter.  He paused and then commented that he didn't know if that was lucky or stupid.
• New mountain fashion shows up, but equal quantities from past decades dot the mountainside.
• Little kids squeal with delight, but so do grownups.  Where else can you hear adults shout with the sheer joy of movement, breath, exhilaration, and being?
• Al's has the best hot cocoa, with refills.
• We are not Utah locals, but Utah natives, as told to us by a New Yorker that lives here 5 months of the year just to ski.

Tribute To The Parents

Any parent who has tried to get their child to smile for a photo is met with challenges.  Here are the goofy grins that Hilary and Dennen have captured when they coached, "SMILE!":