What about 2014??

Well 2014 literally came and went and I didn't write a single post on this blog! It was a crazy, boring, exciting, busy, fun, lame year! So now here I am in January of 2015 trying to catch up on what should have been written in 2014. Oh well....better late than never I suppose. So basically the first part of the year was spent with me being totally sick...morning sickness had kicked in full throttle right after Christmas so I don't remember much except for trying to survive those first few months. We had found out right before we went to Disneyland that we were going to have another baby (and yes, it was planned), but we weren't telling anyone until after the first appointment when we saw/heard the heartbeat. So Matt's 30th birthday was pretty uneventful and thank goodness he doesn't care too much about that kind of stuff! I do remember Matt coming home from work on a regular basis and taking the kids to WalMart to purchase whatever it took to sustain life at that point (and whatever I was craving that day). I also remember my mom coming over every weekend and cleaning my house for me (she was a lifesaver for sure)! So during the first few months of 2014 I don't think I took a single picture.

As the morning sickness wore off and I began to feel more like myself again I started taking more pictures and trying to keep up with the family again. It was about at this point that we found out the gender of our baby. Now remember, I have had an intuition about each baby before we found out what gender they were and I've been right 3 out of 3 times. So with this pregnancy I was certain (almost 100%) that we were having a boy. Well...it was a girl!! I couldn't be more surprised! It was so fun to come home and surprise the whole family with the news. I brought home a big "It's a boy" gift bag filled with all pink stuff. It was hilarious! Matt was very surpised and the girls were just super excited! I don't think Caleb cared either way.

At this point (or pretty close to this time) is when we celebrated Caleb turning 6 years old and Emily turning 4 years old! It has been so fun to see them grow up this last year and all the wonderful things they are learning. Caleb is beginning to read and is doing really well at school. Emily is our little fireball and keeps us laughing all the time. We love these two sweet kiddos and are so grateful to have them in our family.

 Towards the end of the school year Matt and I decided to try to sell our house and purchase something slightly bigger for our growing family. So we put the house up for sale after Memorial Day and had lots and lots of interest and showings. We did receive two offers in the time that it was for sale, but neither one of them worked out. After the baby was born we decided to try again and still didn't receive any offers so we pulled it off and decided this really is where we are supposed to be and will stay here in this house and make it work for us! So let the projects begin again!

In between being pregnant and trying to sell the house we were able to go on a couple of camping trips and the girls were involved in tumbling classes also. Caleb did a few weeks of swimming lessons and we spent some time up in Idaho visiting our family.

By the middle of August one of the biggest events of the year occurred...we had our baby! A little girl named Lydia Jean. She was born at 11:58 am and weighed 7lbs. 2oz. She hardly cried at all when she was born and has been the best little baby! Everyone loves her and we have really enjoyed having her in our family. She is sweet and happy and gets lots of attention!

A few weeks after Lydia was born Alora turned 8 years old. She was baptized a week after her birthday and was so excited for that big day! She is a beautiful girl with a wonderful, sweet, tender spirit. She was able to share her special day with her baby sister who was also given a name/blessing right after Alora was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was such a special day and we are so grateful for these two special girls in our family. We were blessed to have a lot of our family come and support us and we are so grateful for them and the time they took to come and show their love and excitement for Alora and the rest of us.

Towards the end of the year (around Halloween) we were able to meet up with some friends from Price and have a mini-reunion. It was so fun! The day after that I got sick with a stomach bug and we had to miss the Oregon Ducks vs. Utah football game that we had tickets to. Little did we know that that was just the beginning! Over the next 6 weeks we experienced all sorts of sickness...stomach bugs, Lydia had a slight case of pneumonia...strep throat...and of course the common cold. We even had to skip going to Idaho for Thanksgiving because we were all sick. It was awful! About the first week of December we finally got feeling better and have such a greater appreciation for our health.

After we regained our strength and senses we got to celebrate our 9 year anniversary! We didn't do anything great because we were still in recovery mode but we did get to pay off Matt's truck! That felt better than any gift we could've bought for each other for sure! And then right before Christmas we did get new couches for the family room...so I guess that kind of counts as our anniversary/Christmas/Birthday gift, right?

Anyway, those seemed to be the major life events that occurred for us during the year. So at this point I'm just going to post lots and lots of pictures and recap the year that way. And I promise to be better for 2015...hopefully.

January:

Happy 29 +1 Birthday to this awesome guy!

It's 29+1=30...but don't tell Matt. He has feared turning 30!!

Baby #4 due August 2014!

Documenting this last pregnancy! 2 months along!

Having fun playing in the snow!

More fun in the snow!

February: Nothing (still pretty much sick in bed)

March:

Naptime for my boys!

Girly stuff for the baby! I surpised Matt and the kids with all of this stuff in an "It's a boy" bag to tell them that we were having a girl! I was certain we were having a boy...but we are still excited!

Cute haircut for Emily!

Caleb's poster for his school

Caleb made this mask at school and loved it!

Emily playing in the box

Alora's turn in the box

Bunny Ears!

Caleb's in the box!

Just a random picture of three cute kiddos!

He was excited for his cupcakes!

Happy 6th Birthday to our smart boy!

Make a wish!

Excited to open his presents!

Enjoying a nice Spring bike ride

She is adorable!

All dressed up and ready to go...somewhere!

Looking cute for school

Just enjoying some sister time

April:

4 months along!

Enjoying some snacks

Helping Daddy work in the yard

Smiling for the camera (that really is photo worthy)

Happy Easter!

Sisters

Cute kiddos on a beautiful spring morning

Playing with the bubbles

Poor guy...can't seem to take a nap alone around here

Playing with Legos

Fell asleep on the way home holding the drink...that did fall on the floor of the car

May:

Camping trip to Lava Hot Springs

Two marshmallows are definitely better than one!

Time to build a campfire!

Smores for breakfast. Hey we're camping!

Some Father/Son bonding time

Our campsite

Caleb loved playing with this digger toy. Boys+dirt=fun!

Love to swing even when we're camping!

We finally planted grass in the backyard! Yay!

Date night at The Roof Restaurant overlooking the SLC Temple.

Breakfast in bed for Mother's Day. Love my family!

All three (and 1/2) of my kiddos on Mother's Day

 Feeding the Ducks
 

Huge Goose totally unafraid to come close!

Last day of School!

Caleb's Kindergarten Graduation

So proud of this boy!

So excited to go to 1st grade!

June:

Fireplace Mantle Before

After

Caleb thought it would be funny to try on my glasses. Funny boy!

The "For Sale" sign is up!

Happy 4th Birthday to our funny firecracker, Emily!

Excited to open presents!

Playing dress up with Pickles

Summertime Swimming!

Emily the Fish

This boy loves the water!

Playtime at the Park

About 7 months along!

Playing in the backyard on the newly grown grass! Too bad the car doesn't roll quite as well.

Thought this Daddy/daughters moment was cute.

This kid is hilarious! Where does he find this stuff??

July:

An iPad...and two flavors of chips. What more do you need?

Happy 4th of July! On our way to Idaho!

Can you tell they are excited?

Relaxing in the beautiful outdoors. Now this is a vacation!

Playing with fire

The happy couple on the 4th of July

Thanks Papa for the sparklers! They were so fun!

Spending some fun time at home

8 months along! Only one more month to go!

Painting their nails

We bought this Foosball table at a yard sale and the kids love it!

We had a huge rainstorm! The water just kept coming down! Several of our neighbors homes flooded as well as the parks and streets around us. It was much needed rain, but caused a lot of damage!

Another view of just how much rain was coming down. The patio was flooded!

A beautiful rainbow after such a powerful storm. What a great reminder of the Lord's promise to His children. 

August:

My very last pregnancy photo! This was the morning we went into the hospital!

She is here! Lydia Jean Hill born at 11:58am August 12th

We are now a family of six!

So excited to be a big sister!

Big brother again!

She has been ready to hold her sister for months!

"I know it's nighttime, Mom...but why sleep?"

Time to go home!

I see those eyes!

Wide awake!

Great Grandpa Gary and Lydia

Daddy's signature frown

Mommy and Lydia

He loves his baby sister so much!

Ready for school

Ogden Temple Open House

He held onto Lydia's carseat strap the whole tour!

Families Are Forever

Grandma Leslie and Papa got to come visit and go through the Temple with us. It was wonderful!

In front of the fountain

Fun times with the grandparents!

First Day of School! Yay!!

Alora- 2nd grade

Emily- Preschool

Caleb- 1st grade

She is just beautiful!

Emily and Lydia having some sister bonding time

Love those big eyes!

Our first Sunday to church as a family!

September:

Sisterly Love!

She is so ready for school!

He really does love that 'Woody' hat...even with the helmet!

What handsome boys!

Great-Grandma Arloa with Lydia

Just having some fun!

Beautiful baby girl!

Emily saw Daddy stretching after running on the treadmill and decided to join in!

She is such a happy girl!

I love these kiddos!

October:

Happy 8th Birthday Alora Lynn!

Alora and her gifts and shes' ready to open them!

Happy Birthday to you, Alora Lynn!

Make a wish!

For her birthday she got her favorite meal...KFC (or The Red Place). She loves the mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuits. The best part...I didn't have to cook!

2 months old and smiling!

Ready for picture day! So beautiful!

We went to Black Island Farms and picked out our very own pumpkins right from the field! So fun!

We told Alora that before we would move her furniture downstairs to her own room she had to sleep down there for a few nights and so she did! However, she did have Minnie Mouse to keep her company!

She has her Daddy's signature frown pretty much perfected!

And then suddenly happy!

Lydia Jean Hill- 2 months old

Alora and Lydia dressed in white and ready for their special day!

Sisters.

Cute girl! Love this picture of her.

What a beautiful girl! She has made such a wonderful choice and we are so proud of her!

She loved her white dress!

My family...my world

Daddy and the girls of the day!

Mommy and her girls on their special day!

Daddy and Alora on her special day! So proud of her!

Grandparents and Great-Grandparents

Everyone that came to Alora's baptism and Lydia's blessing. Not pictured: Shayla, Lindsey, and Daniel

"What do you want?"

Pickles all tucked in comfy cozy!

Matt surprised me and brought home my dream car for me to drive for the weekend. This is a 2015 Ford Explorer Limited. It was so much fun to drive! Someday I will own one of these!

Alora had to retell a story to her class for school and chose "Room on the Broom." She had props and everything! She did a great job!

Happy Halloween! (Lydia was a baby for Halloween and was napping during this picture)

Emily is Cinderella

Alora the Witch

Caleb the Racecar Driver

November:

Caleb lost his first tooth!

I can't believe it's really mine! We found an incredible deal on this 2011 Ford Explorer Limited and I'm so excited! I have wanted one of these since they were first brought off the assembly line! Happy almost 30th birthday to me and thanks to my hubby for working hard so I can have such a beautiful car!

Me and my gorgeous new ride!

Welcome to a day in the life of motherhood...what funny kids!

The girls thought the bottom of the stairs would be a great place to make a bed. Okay!

Just laying in bed with her hands folded watching TV...so dang cute!

This kid and his prizes...what a goofball!!

Matt and I were able to drive a brand new 2015 F150 before they were even at the dealerships! He was a happy guy!

A fun day out for us!

We had fun making and decorating sugar cookies with our neighbors!

Naptime on the couch!

She looked so cute today I just had to take a picture!

So then I had to get a picture of all my cute girls!

Look who is holding her own bottle! It's baby steps to independence!

December:

I told her that when she turned 8 years old she could get her ears pierced! So excited!

Such a beautiful girl and now with her ears pierced!

Two beautiful princesses on a shopping day with Mommy!

Lydia loves it when Alora reads to her

Lydia Jean- 4 months old

Our little bookworm. Love it!

Emily and Caleb in front of the Grinch at the Christmas display in Ogden

Three of our cute kiddos with Christmas lights in the background

Alora and Emily listening to a book on CD. They were so into it!

Our happy baby!

On our way to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Sesame Street perform! If you look really hard you can see Caleb in the back!

The stage was beautiful!

Me and one of my beautiful daughters!

Couple selfie!

Caleb really was having a good time! Only kids 5 years old and older could go to the show and we were only allotted 4 tickets so Emily and Lydia stayed home with Grandma April. Thanks Grandma!

Daddy and 2 cute kiddos!

Daddy/daughter picture time!

The performances were amazing! Here is Big Bird directing the choir. Loved it!

Our best attempt at a group selfie!

Alora Lynn- Christmas 2014

Caleb Matthew- Christmas 2014

Emily Kay- Christmas 2014

Lydia Jean- First Christmas 2014

My favorite kiddos! This picture melts my heart!

This is our family in real life!

Christmas Card worthy...

And we are done!

Matthew making sugar cookies for our Christmas plates. Notice the shortcut we used this year (a mix). And they were good!

All three kids in timeout. Kind of funny!

In sad news, we no longer have Lucky. Due to lack of time to spend with him we thought it was best to find him a home that could take better care of him. We love that dog and will really miss him!

Lydia's first selfie!

A laughing picture. She's adorable!

Cliff and Leslie came down for a Christmas visit. All the kids were so excited!

Is somebody missing?

There she is! Caleb trying to make sure Lydia was looking at the camera. Thanks, Caleb!

Maybe Caleb had it right! Hey Lydia...over here!

He loves his beanbag!

Papa and Lydia

Alora is ready to make gingerbread houses. Cute apron!

Thanks to Grandma Leslie for this fun activity

Papa, Grandma Leslie, Alora, Emily, and Caleb and their gingebread houses. So much fun!

Grandpa Gary and his "ugly" Ducks sweater. Good gift, Dad!

Grandpa Gary and Grandma Arloa rockin' their ugly sweaters!

Brian and Suzanne came to Utah for a visit during Christmas. Enjoyed visiting with them!

Showing off their Christmas Eve ornaments! Love this tradition! Alora got a little girl being baptized, Emily got Elsa (from Frozen), Caleb got a Lego truck, and Lydia got her Baby's First Christmas.

Santa just left!

Christmas Tree 2014

Santa knew what kind of year I had! This candy bar was huge...and delicious!

And Matt got two giant Reeses cups! Yummy!

Ready to open presents!

Well...Christmas is done! Now it's just time to find a place for everything (if you're mommy)...or play with all the fun new stuff (if you're everyone else).

We got our first big snowstorm on Christmas Day! It was a white Christmas after all!

He has wanted a Lego tow truck for months and finally got one! So excited!

And thanks to Grandpa Doug for the piano! So fun! Now time for lessons!

Ready for a fun day out!

Caleb couldn't stop smiling when we visited the Lego store. He got a full bucket of Legos and couldn't wait to go home and build stuff!

We visited the Aquarium! It was awesome!

Caleb got to touch a starfish. So cool!

Lydia was there, too!

Most of us in front of the big shark tank!

Love this picture! The kids really loved the giant fish tank!

She loves her Daddy!

Who are these people?!

We even got to see Shamu!

And out of nowhere we run into our cousin Ryan and his wife Janalyn and their little boy Brody visiting from Washington. Such a small world!

Matt loves building with Legos, too!

Daddy and Caleb going crazy with the Legos! They had so much fun!

This is what popcorn looks like when it has been in the microwave for about 7 minutes (I'm guessing). I was upstairs cleaning and Caleb wanted popcorn...so he put some in the microwave, pushed some buttons for the time and when I finally smelled something burning and came downstairs the whole main floor was filled with smoke and it smelled so bad! Needless to say the microwave still smells like burnt popcorn (it's the end of January as I'm writing this). We have now taught Caleb how long to microwave his popcorn so this doesn't happen again!

Happy 30th birthday to me! We just stayed home and relaxed and it was wonderful!

This is so my life...and I love it!

That's better! Love my kiddos!

She drew that horse inside the barn. She is so talented! Love it!

Well, that about takes care of our year! It was a good year for us and we feel so blessed! I am so grateful for all the experiences that we have had this year and am looking forward to another year filled with our crazy family adventures!