Kids

This week I have had such an intense love for my kids. You always love your kids, but for some reason it has been all consuming to the point that I want to wake up Hank from his naps to play with him or let Whit stay up real late just to spend time with her.

I just finished my 8 hour work shift today and had aching pains because I missed my kids so bad. Every time I get home from work I drill Danny with the 20 questions. How were the kids? Did Hank do anything funny? What time did he go to sleep? Did Whitney eat a good dinner? Tell me everything... You can imagine Danny. He just loves my annoying questions.

My work has a gym that I go to after and as I was on my way I called Danny and cute Whitney answered the phone (she should have been asleep) but she said, "Mommy, I want you to come home." in thee sweetest voice possible! So I rushed home just so I could spend 5 minutes with her before she fell asleep. A work out can wait..

We have finally come up with a good bedtime routine with Whitney (that doesn't take 3 hours long) and I am so excited about it! We have been using some Love and Logic techniques and they have been working beautifully! We will read a couple of chapters from her kid BOM. I do still have to lay with her until she falls asleep, but she likes me to read whatever book I'm reading out loud. She just likes to hear my voice, I guess. But she usually falls asleep within 5 to 1o minutes which is soo much better than the 1 hour +. So I'm grateful for that!

Now Hank.. He is the funniest goofiest kid alive. I'm obsessed with his sweetness. He is constantly making us laugh by the goofy things that he does. Sometimes, Whit and I get laughing so hard at Hank that he starts laughing and it just cycles. He keeps doing whatever goofy thing he is doing.. whether it be dancing, funny faces, glares/squints. He just wants to make us laugh.. He is just like his daddy in that regard.

Kids are so fun. They make life so much more meaningful. I love my 2 little crazies and am so grateful for them!

Look how cute Zoe is. My kids LOVE their new baby cousin!!

Well

I guess there is 1 perk about Danny playing on the Xbox at night.. I have lots of time to blog.

Today, I went to Costco. Big mistake. I think the whole valley was there getting last minute Thanksgiving items. Besides the fact that they didn't even have what I was wanting, I couldn't find my Costco card. So, I waited for 10 minutes to get a temporary card and when I was finally summoned up by one of the workers we had the following conversation:

The Costco worker (didn't even look at me) says: "Your hair looks nice today."

I laughed because I hadn't even touched my hair and had just gotten done working out so I said: "Are you being serious?"

The Costco worker.. actually looks at me this time and says, "Ya, your right. It doesn't look that good."

At least he was honest. It didn't look good. And to tell you the truth, I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet.. so gross, I know. I should've gotten real close to the worker so he could smell my breath.. That might have put him over the edge. ;) I got home and took a picture so the whole wide web could see just what the Costco worker saw:

And he was right. It doesn't really look great, and I probably shouldn't go out in public looking like that, but sometimes I just don't have the time to care.

A Few Things

Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away and I ran out of time..

I am thankful for my family. They are so supportive and helpful. Thanks Jessie, you are the ultimate babysitter while I am working. I really couldn’t do it without ya!

I am thankful for eternal families and temples.

I am thankful for beautiful sunsets.

I am thankful for my job. Really. I love it! They have been so great about my schedule and are super flexible.. It is the perfect part time job for our family and a great outlet for me.

I am thankful for repentance. I fail as a mom 6 days out of the week and I am grateful that I am able to get on my knee’s and ask for forgiveness and help for a better tomorrow.

I am grateful for the power of prayer and the spirit.

I am grateful for a husband who dreams big and then makes it happen.

I am grateful for my calling.. that I am able to learn from the beautiful young women and their great examples every week.

I am grateful for good friends and girl’s nights. I need them.

Last but not least, I am grateful for my Savior, His sacrifice for me and the example He set.

HaPpY TuRkEy DaY EvErYoNe!

Disney on Ice...

... was FANTASTIC!

We loved every second of it.

During the scary parts Whit would pretend to cover her eyes, but she made sure she always had 1 eye poking out to make sure she didn't miss anything.

We love princesses!

All About Hank

@14 months.

Picture taken by Jenny.

Hank is still my sweetest little man. He is getting more personality in the form of sassy-ness but I can't help but just laugh at him.

I have enjoyed very much our quiet mornings when Whitney is at preschool. Just me and my little buddy. His favorite thing to do is read books. We will sometimes read them for up to 45 minutes. He will grab a book from the book box and bring it to me. He loves to kiss the cute babies in the books (picture below) and his favorite book is Goodnight Moon. We read this book multiple times a day. He points to the moon in every page and thinks he is the smartest kid alive because he always gets so excited and laughs.

Giving kisses to the cute girls in his book.

Being a little stinker.. He knows he isn't suppose to stand in his high chair but likes to push his limits.

He is the best little helper..

..And absolutely loves the dogs

In the morning he has a special routine:

Couch, Mickey Mouse, holding a football and a baba

He is a little grumpy in this pic, because mama hasn't fulfilled all of his requests.. He did get a bottle and Mickey Mouse shortly after this pic was taken. All is well.

After nap time Hank often sports some awesome hair and lots of jack o lantern smiles.

And his favorite person in the world is his big sis, Whit. When she is being nice and lets him play with her, he is the happiest little guy around.

Books

I am grateful for good books. I soo enjoy reading for pleasure and for educational purposes.

I am currently reading, Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood and it is FAN- FREAKIN TASTIC!!!!!! I strongly think that EVERY PARENT WHO HAS A TODDLER NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK!

Parenting is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done and I need as much help as possible. This book is exactly how I want to raise my children... it's loving, very logical and easy to do. And, as a learning love and logic parent, I can say, hands down, Whitney's behavior has improved 10 fold by following what they say. THANK YOU, LOVE AND LOGIC!!! (I seriously might write them a thank you letter because I am that grateful for this book!;) )

If any one needs a good book to read over the busy holiday season, here is a list of my other favorite books that I am grateful for:

• Pride and Prejudice
• These is my Words
• The Kingdom and Crown Series
• Maniac Magee
• President Monson's Biography
• As a Man Thinketh
• The Harry Potter series.

Halloween

Halloween 2011

Whit choose to be her favorite princess, Ariel.

In memory of the chickens, Hank was a rooster.

Today I am grateful for my 2 beautiful kids. They are my whole world.

Today

Grateful???? Does anyone have days that are just a little bit off? Danny made it very clear to me tonight that I haven't been very nice today.. and I really haven't.

Having said that, thinking about writing a post on something I am grateful was/is the last thing that I wanted to do today soo that is exactly why I am forcing myself to do just that. Because I really do have a lot to be grateful for. Even if I am grouchy.

Today I am grateful for that extra hour daylight savings gave us. It really helped me get the kids ready for church.

I am grateful for the opportunity to go to church. AND that we didn't have to leave sacrament once because the kids were soo good. That is definitely something to be grateful for!

And even though I am kinda mad at Danny ;), I am extremely grateful for him. For his patience and his help with the kids. He is really great.

Soo there you have it. Writing this post did actually make me feel a little less grouchy so I'm glad I forced it! Happy Sunday everyone!

New Life

Today I am grateful for the miracle of birth.

My awesome sister had her baby today on 11/5/11 @ 11:05 AM

A beautiful baby girl

Zoe Suzanne Hilton

6 lb 10 oz 19 1/2 inches

She has lots of dark brown hair

and is soooo perfect in every way!

Megan was amazing during the delivery and her and Aaron are just elated on how beautiful she is.

I love her!!!!

On a side note, the husband is back into playing Halo online. I thought that fad was over.. darn. ;) but look who he is dragging into it.. his sidekick Whitney. Lovely.

Grateful

November is the perfect month to express gratitude. After the hiatus of October and the craziness it brings November has a calming effect on me. I have much to be grateful for this year and I would like to try and express it daily on my blog. I will likely miss a day or two or three… but I will try. :)

Today, I am grateful for the wonderful fall weather we had. I have a feeling that good weather is coming to an end, but we had a nice long fall and it was amazing. I was talking to my family and I can’t believe how extremely beautiful it is this year. The leaves everywhere are incredible. Really. Incredible. I can’t ever remember a more beautiful fall.

I am no photographer nor do I have a nice camera, but everywhere I went I couldn’t help but try and capture the beauty of everything:

With the awesome weather, we have also enjoyed many nice walks to Bear Park... with lots of swing rides. Hank's very favorite!

Danny's 30th Birthday

Pure Imagination presents:

Danny's 30th Birthday Bash.

Hosted by himself

located at Wheeler Farm

Catered with his favorite foods: Chick Fila & chocolate chip cookies

With a full blown program with special numbers from the special people in Danny's life.

Some of the guests:

First on the program:

A live performance with Danny and friends.

Danny sang to "Pure Imagination" featured on the show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Second:

Danny and Mark sang a duet, "Tonight I Celebrate my Love for You."

Danny created his own program for everyone and this is what he had to say about the infamous Mark Stallings:

"A best friend of Daniel's for over 17 years. Mark and Daniel have performed on several occasions together. Watch for the long charismatic history to spark tonight."

Third:

A special dance routine with Jared Davis. They danced to Party Rock Anthem.

Jared Davis's (program entry): "A best friend of Daniel's for close to 18 years. Daniel recalls the first time he met Jared in the lunch room at Crescent View Middle School, where Jared started eating Daniel's fries without permission. Watch these two light the stage on fire as 'Masters of Movement.'"

Fourth:

Scott performing his Phantom of the Opera, Music of the Night accompanied by my mom.

Here is what Danny had to say about them:

Scott Hart: "Uncle of Mindi. Scott took Daniel under his wing and taught him everything he knows about selling merchant services and singing.

Suzy Wettstein: "Daniel's favorite mother in law. Suzy is a master pianist with a capital "p". The family often recounts the joyful time learning to play the piano with this wonderfully talented lady. Do not be blinded by her beauty, rather, observe and let her fingers teach you a lesson that will not soon be forgotten."

Fifth:

Danny did a power point presentation with pictures/ comedy routine of himself recounting his 30 years. It was very funny.

Here is what Danny had to say about himself:

Daniel Westenskow: "In a conference, while serving a mission for his church, Daniel heard one of the leaders offer a secret to success to become a productive missionary. "It's not skill, it's instensity." From that day, Daniel has attempted to make that statement his life's mission, knowing that he may not always have the skill, but he can always bring the intensity. Tonight Daniel offers you his venerable intensity as a token of gratitude."

Sixth:

A performance by John Anderson. It was awesome! Before the program began he went around and recorded birthday wishes from everyone and incorporated it into his performance on the piano, flute and guitar.

John Anderson: " A best friend of Daniel's for almost 16 years. Daniel has fully authorized John to take as much time as needed with no repercussions for his actions. You will be amazed to know that the majority of John's talent has been self taught."

Last but not least:

Yes, I did perform. I will let you know that I was taken off of the program 3-4 times for my lack of enthusiasm, but at the last minute he put me back on and we performed the final number on the program. It was completely out of my comfort zone to sing and dance on stage in front of people but the things we do for our husbands. We sang to Starship's, If this World Runs out of Lovers.

After the program there was a little bit of Karoake:

It was a great night. Thank you to everyone that helped!!

Happy 30th to my handsome husband.

I love him lots and appreciate everything that he does for the family.

Just the other day, Hank woke up in the middle of the night. I didn't even hear him, but Danny got up and went into his room and just held and rocked him on his shoulders until he went back to sleep. I asked Danny why he didn't wake me up and he said that he loves being a dad so much that he is excited to wake up even in the middle of the night to hold them.

It's the little things that Danny does, day in and day out, that makes him the wonderful person that he is.