Toronto Trip

On the same day I unpacked our last box from the move, I started re-packing clothes and things for a little whirlwind vacation. Clayton had a medical conference in Toronto, and we decided to make a family trip of it. Another guy in his program that we're good friends with brought his wife and three kids along, too, and we all stayed in the same hotel downtown. But first, we stopped at Niagara Falls along the way.

I thought it was neat how close you actually get to the falls right as the water goes over the edge.


I pretty much looked awful the entire trip, but I put my pride aside and included a few pictures of myself as well. Luckily, I didn't get a fresh black eye from throwing up until the drive home.





We stayed at the Westin Harbour Castle hotel, which is a 4-star right on the water in downtown Toronto. It was quite a nice hotel (a definite upgrade from our usual Super-8's), but it's amazing how those nice hotels nickel and dime you. (Yes, I know I sound cheap. I am.) Fancy hotels in the downtown areas of large cities aren't exactly the ideal places to bring little kids, but we tried to have some fun on our small budget. We played in the pool every day, which the kids loved, and we introduced the Hillstead's to lots of our favorite Canadian junk food. Clayton fit some conference time in between playtimes with us, and we even hit up the Hockey Hall of Fame. Luke and Audrey loved pretending they were players in the interactive exhibits.







Trying on some goalie pads


Inside the vault where they keep the original Stanley Cup


Luke and I beside the Stanley Cup


It was fun to see the sights while we live so close. We definitely miss living in Canada, but the sting wasn't quite as sharp when we saw on the news that it was snowing in Saskatoon during our trip!

Getting Bigger - Part 3

We moved. So very much work went into those two little words. We have been talking about it for the past 3 years, and we finally did it. Yes, it is just one year before residency is over, but we kind of felt like it was time. With one child, our last place was great. With two, it was a little crazy but okay. With number three on the way, we decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to three bedrooms. Could we have made do? Yes. But we didn't want to.

I think the number one reason why we didn't move sooner was that moving is awful. If you've moved lately, you know what I mean. Luckily it was a good move as far as moves go, and we hired a moving company, which was AWESOME! Clayton almost giggled with delight every time they carried something heavy down stairs or through a narrow doorway. He told me that he considered that his early birthday present, and he loved it.

We are definitely sad to leave behind our little haven of Grosse Pointe, our tight little church branch, friends, and parks, but there just wasn't what we were looking for in Grosse Pointe. If I was going to pack up all of our junk, it had better be to move to a definite upgrade! I would have to say that it was worth the wait. We not only added a third bedroom, but we more than doubled our square footage, quadrupled our bathroom space, and got a rockin' deck and back yard. We have been loving owning a barbecue and patio furniture for the first time, and I LOVE having a completely fenced-in backyard for the kids. Life is good. Even our new ward (which is pretty much completely different from the branch) has been incredibly friendly and welcoming. Luke and Audrey love their new classes, and we're excited to make new friends. Plus, we are only a half hour away from old friends, so we can still see them too!

Some great friends I will miss.


I won't put too many pictures up since it is really only a temporary thing, but hooray for our new place!

Getting Bigger - Part 2

If you haven't heard or haven't seen me in a while, we're expecting baby number 3! We are pretty sure it is a boy based on two factors: (1) a very clear ultrasound shot and (2) I've been sick pretty much the whole pregnancy. My body seems to have a harder time handling the boys, but we are so very, very excited.

I have to admit that it wasn't all excitement for me at first. With the constant sickness and crushing fatigue, I often felt in the beginning like maybe this wasn't the best idea. But, sweet Clayton, my mom, and even my doctors have been really supportive and positive about how wonderful it is. After about week 12, a switch inside of me flipped, and now I am nothing but optimistic about a new little spirit coming into our family. In fact, I'm a bit ashamed that I was down at all at first. I have so much joy in my family now, and adding another little person will only make the love grow.

At our branch Easter brunch this past Saturday, I was in the kitchen washing dishes. A normally very nice woman came in to help. When I turned around, she said, "Oh, are you expecting?" "Yes!" I exclaimed, beaming with pride. "How many kids do you have?" she asked. "We have two. This will be number 3" "I'm so, so sorry," she told me. I was kind of taken aback, and then I felt sorry for her. I replied, "Actually, we are very excited to be having another baby." "Oh, well... congratulations I guess," she said as she escaped out the door. I'm so glad I had turned the corner before that episode, or I might have been reduced to tears in my current emotional state. However, it barely phased me, and I can say more than ever that this baby will be loved to pieces in our house.

No pictures yet, but trust me - I'm pretty big.

My Buddy Dan and the 500 Other People We Saw in Utah

Okay, it wasn't quite 500 people, but it sometimes felt like it! For Clayton's week off in March, we went to Utah as a kind of mid-way point for both sides of the family. We stayed at my Aunt Marsha's house with my parents and brothers, but we also got to see Clayton's parents and most of his siblings. Here are a few highlights:

- meeting "my buddy Dan" and all the rest of the infamous roommates that live with my brothers, Chris and Steven, and Clayton's brother, Brock, in their apartment. It was also fun to see the crowds of girls hanging around such a good-looking group of guys.

- seeing aunts, uncles, and cousins that I hadn't seen in years - some 6 years, some over 12! We even managed to be there for one of Clayton's cousins' mission farewells.

- Clayton snow-skiing with Brock, my brothers, and a few other relatives

- seeing our shy little Luke warming-up to the crowds amazingly well and even playing with Marsha's neighbor kids like they were all old friends

- Clayton and I sneaking away to see a few of the old haunts from our BYU days. It is fun to reminisce, but it's even more fun to see how much better things have gotten and how great our lives have turned out so far since those early days of dreaming.

- The Conference Center and a bit of Temple Square with our kids. My favorite part was when my sweet grandma (who has Alzheimer's) was so taken with everything about the Conference Center (even though she'd been there many times). Then, we walked across the street to Temple Square and right to the old Tabernacle. Within a minute or two she said, "Didn't they build a new one of these?" We are sad that her mind isn't what it used to be, but she is sometimes a great source of a good chuckle.

- Finally meeting my new brother-in-law, Jeff, and the kids' first cousin, Sadie. Luke and Audrey were quite enamored with both.

- Taking the kids to Jumpin' Jacks bounce house with my brothers, Mitch and Alex, and Kayla and Jeff. Luke has asked me several times when we're going back, but Utah is a little bit far away.

- A fun little date for Clayton and I involving driving a BMW convertible up the mountain to see the valley and Draper Temple lit up for the night, and lots of Cold Stone ice-cream.

- Eating (and throwing-up) a whole lot of Mexican food. I was sure that I wouldn't want any more for weeks, but I made enchiladas our first day back home. Call me crazy.

I don't know if we'll be rushing back to Utah any time soon for a vacation, but we look back on this one fondly. It was just a little bit stressful trying to coordinate spending time with so many people in a very short week. I had no idea we knew and are related to so many people in Utah! We really appreciate Marsha and Paul's incredible hospitality and everyone who travelled there to see us. It was so nice to be together, if only for a short time.

Touring the Conference Center and Temple Square




Clayton and his brother, Brock


Mitch (very recently returned from doing awesome at a National swim-meet) livin' it up for his 17th birthday! I guess I should point out that that's our cousin, Kaydee, and not some random hot girl.


Pregnant me working a little bit on my vacation.

Getting Bigger - Part 1

Nearly everything is rapidly growing around here, and I thought I would start with the most obvious: the kiddos.

Today, Clayton said to me, "Luke is fabulous. Kids like that don't come around every day." We say something like that about Luke pretty much every day, and he is always amazing us with his smart, funny ways. Here is a recent line:

Luke to a friend while playing ping-pong: My dad is dang good at ping-pong, and I am dang, dang, DANG, good at it.





Audrey, although quite a bit different than Luke, is such a sweet little sister. She always misses Luke when he's away at school and loves playing with him when he's home. Just when I think I'm at my wit's end with her mood swings, she will flash me a huge, adorable smile, and I just can't stay upset. Here are a couple of her latest funnies:

Me to Audrey: Are you our little princess?
Audrey: You can be a princess, but I am Sleeping Beauty. (singing) I know you; I've walked with you once upon a dream...

Audrey on the toilet after letting out a little bit of gas: Ooooohh, a little spice!




This week, I feel like I just want to have time stop so that I can enjoy all the little things with the kids that I miss when I'm busy doing everything I have to do.