Caleb Turns Two!

Happy Birthday, Caleb! You are such a joy to us and we love you so much. You are full of loves, snuggles, curiosity and laughter. You were so excited to see all of the balloons today and kept wanting to climb up and see your presents! We had a fun day playing, napping and celebrating on your special day. You even knew how to blow out the candle! You are so special. We are grateful that you are apart of our family.

Memorial Weekend

Each Memorial weekend my husbands side of the family gets together and visits graves of loved ones. It is a time of unity, love and gratitude for those who have gone on before and a time to reflect on the wonderful legacy they have left for each of us. As we visit each grave, we learn about that person, look at pictures, sing one of their favorite songs, read a favorite poem or share one of their favorite treats. I think it is safe to say that we all love visiting Grandma Nonie's grave where we share chocolate covered orange sticks. That lady has good taste! It was a great day.

Lila Quote

This morning Lila was telling me how excited she is to have her "Gradulations party in the bacteria"  ... translation:  Graduation party in the Cafeteria.  So funny.

A Bear Award and Spring Piano Recital

Tonight was a big night for the older Shill boys. To start off, Collin recieved his Bear in Cub Scouts. He has worked hard and I am so proud of him. It was great to be together as a family to show our support for his achievement. Way to go, Collin!
Right after Cub Scouts, Braden and Collin had their Spring Piano Recital. They were both amazing. Their little fingers FLY on the piano. They have put a lot of hours into practicing and it is paying off. Way to go, Boys!

Collin receiving his Bear and some other awards. He was pretty excited!

Collin and Braden before the recital. What great boys!

Braden started out the night with: "Taccata Breve", "Sunshine Jamboree", and
the "Spinning Song"

Collin performed, "Hoe-Down", "Blue Scales", and "Rondo" .... ALL of which were memorized!

Race For The Cure

Last Saturday, May 9, 2009, My family and my Mom and Dad participated in the Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City. It was an amazing experience to be a part of something so huge and so meaningful. I was touched by the sea of people that were there. There were people of all shapes, sizes and ages. It was awesome! Most people wore a paper on their back that either said, "In Memory of ...." or "In Celebration of ...." I even saw a sign that said, "In Memory of My Dad" I couldn't believe it. This is a disease that strikes anybody at anytime. My childhood friend was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at age 34 while 5 months pregnant with her son. She and her son are doing well and I am in awe of her and all who fight this disease. They are so brave. It was a special day to spend together doing something so worthwhile. It is something my family and I will always remember and are already looking forward to participating next year.

Women's Conference and Happy Birthday to Me!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I have missed blogging - especially because I have had some really great experiences. My normal routine of checking out some fun blogs that I follow were replaced with complete OCD looking for a home to buy. I spent many hours on the computer, many hours in the car driving neighborhoods (my poor children), and many hours on my knees! I am happy to say, I think we have found a home.... FINALLY! More to come on that later ....
Anyway... my birthday weekend happened to be the same weekend as Women's Conference at BYU. It was fabulous! I got to spend 2 days with my mom! That in itself was the best gift. Just being able to walk around the beautiful campus, trees in bloom, nice cool breeze, eating BYU fudge and snarfing down Costa Vida salads in-between sessions was something I will always remember. We hooked up with my wonderful Mother-in-law and Sisters-in law. One of my sisters-in-law, Marsali Hancock, was a presenter on Internet Safety for children. I highly recommend checking out her information. It is so important to know what your children are doing and how to keep them safe on the internet, cell phones and video games. You can find her information here.
My birthday was full of gifts of friendship and love. As I walked on campus, nearly every corner I turned, there was somebody special from my past. It was so wonderful to see so many dear friends. My heart was bursting with gratitude. On top of all that, the messages that were given, the Spirit that I felt, overwhelmed me. IT IS WHAT I NEEDED! I left that conference feeling renewed, more committed, grateful to be a woman, grateful to be a mother, and grateful to be a Daughter of God.
Here are some things that stood out to me:
* The theme was, "In The Strength of the Lord"
* "Our season for strength is right now!"
* "You can't force your children to heaven, but you could force them to hell, by harsh words"
* "We empower the faith of our children as we live faithfully"
* "Faith is not only a feeling, it is a decision"
* "Fear and faith can not co-exist"
* "We have to work and strive for love at home"
* Watching about 20,000 talking women go silent as an Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ walks into the Conference Center to address us. Very moving.

After the conference was over, we went back to my mom and dad's house and met up with my family and my brother and his cute family. It was great to see them. We celebrated with some yummy food and lots of hugs and kisses. Talmage helped the kids make gifts for me. They are beautiful and so sweet. Braden made me a watch (I have needed one for 2 years), Collin and Lila made necklaces and Caleb provided plenty of snuggles. It was a wonderful birthday weekend. Thanks to my dear family for making everything so special. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

A Proud Boy And A Flinging Snake

These are the kind of activities that occur when Mom is out of town. I mean really, honey?? You are "proud" that your son picked up a snake? Aren't those the kinds of things we're suppose to warn about rather than encourage?

Caleb ODing on Tomatoes

Caleb LOVES tomatoes. He begs for them, steals them off of other peoples plates, climbs to great heights to get them. It's not that I don't give him any. He has them several times a day, but that is simply not enough in his humble opinion.

"... maybe I can fit one or two more in my mouth...."