Hide and Seek

I thought I was loosing my mind. For almost a week I couldn't find my camera! For those who know me, that's almost as bad as loosing a purse or chocolate :)

So sit back, relax, grab a root beer and some ding-dongs...I'm making up for lost time, baby!

Entry #1...Summer Magic

The Hill's attend Church a far piece away from our homestead. We try to find something each Sunday afternoon to do as a family. One of the Church members has a nice pond that we can use when weather permits. Here are some great pics of our adventure there:

Entry #2...Rites of Passage

The boys decided they were old enough to shave with Brian one Sunday morning. Talk about a glimpse into the future:

Entry #3...Getting Ready

My extended family is taking a trip to the mountains for a family holiday get-together. My dear, sweet husband has his heart set on snow boarding while there and is now in a rigorous training program. Location~check, the front of our house. Equipment~check, Matt's skateboard and bicycle helmet. Insurance~check, luckily Brian works for Shelter Insurance. Blackmail~check, Keli found her camera just in time:

Entry #4...Making Memories

Brian and the kids bought a tent today while I was getting a long-awaited book signed by Terri Blackstock (Kara, I can't believe I didn't get a picture with her!). As you've probably come to know about the Hill's, we can make an adventure out of almost anything! Give us a backyard and we can transform it into the ultimate camping experience complete with tent, campfire, make-shift table, food cooked over the fire, mosquitoes; you name it, we had it:

Summer anyone?

I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone is planning on enjoying their summer. Here's my list (so far) ...

Five things I want to do:

1. Read an insane amount of books

2. Learn more spanish

3. Build a bookshelf for my insane amount of books

4. Organize our family pictures

5. Watch Kolton

Five things I have to do:

1. Move

2. Enroll at school

3. Head up our Vacation Bible School at Church

4. Finish writing and teaching our children's summer choir program at Church

5. Get Kolton

Five things I am not going to do:

1. Stress

2. Have more than one coke a week

3. Stay tanless

4. Regret anything I do/don't do

5. Keep Kolton

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all of you lovely ladies had a wonderful day yesterday. As for myself, I claimed the WHOLE weekend as MY day. In fact, at the conclusion of Church yesterday morning we sang "This is the Day" but for some reason Meg didn't care for my version..."This is my day, this is my day, that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice, and be glad in it, and be glad in it. This is my day, it is Mother's Day, I am happy 'cause I'm K-e-l-i. This is my day, this is my day, this is Mother's Day." Yea me!

Mom, Meg is DEFINITELY my girl; she asked me how many Mother's Day's I've had. No lie! Straight faced as she could she asked how many times I've celebrated Mother's Day. When I finally set Meg straight on how her birth and the number of years I've enjoyed Mother's Day are connected, Meg was speechless. Her reply? "I can usually talk my way out of stupid talk, but I feel really dumb with this one. I just thought you added all of our ages together." And guess who jumped on that one...Matt. His response? "Um, Meg, if you add all our ages together you get 27 and Mom's only 35. That means she would have had to have us when she was 8!" Have I mentioned that Matt LOVES to do math in his head? Much to his sister's dismay, I might add!

Get with it, Mom

My baby girl took me to the woodshed tonight due to my lack of blogging. Apparently, she can't read my mind any better than I can read hers and the only way she can get into my head and know my true thoughts is to read the blog. Hello, ever heard of listening when I'm giving you all those pearls of wisdom? OMG, Meg! You so crazy :) So, Meg, this one's for you...

I was a little sneaky today, sweetie. Sometimes Moms do think of themselves first. Want to know why I didn't care for your first choice of shoes? I was buying YOU shoes that I would wear, literally. If the shoes weren't going to grace my feet, I wasn't putting the money down. Care to know something else? I've got my eyes on a certain pair of earrings in your room. Still think you want a sister?

Seriously...
When my children were younger, there were days when I was majorly reconsidering my sanity. In my opinion, God had a huge sense of humor and I was His target. Through the years, many sage women would tell me to enjoy this time because it would soon pass, leaving me with memories, gray hair, and stress lines. They were right.
The other night the kids gave me a glimpse into the past, but in a way that might just surprise you. Meg decided to clean the kitchen after supper , Matt took out the trash, and Drew swept the kitchen floor. I sat there watching those little Hills and took a mental picture. That used to be me doing all those things for the three for them. My, how rolls reverse.

When my future holds days of busyness and tension; when one task slips by only to quickly be replaced by another; when I feel as if I'm sewing Jell-O to pudding, my precious babies, now quite grown up, have made me a very blessed woman. I may joke with them, about them, and to them, but I love them. I am proud of who they are and what they are and what I know they will be. I love you more than you love me and no take backs!

How do you really feel?

I was thumbing through all my fav. blogs and ran across some interesting info.

My fellow worker-girl, Kristen Wells, and I were married on the same day.

No kidding. June 4th must be a lucky day.

But get this, I was married 11 years, YEARS, before Kristen!

If I wasn't so in love with my age, I would feel pretty old right now.

It's kinda cool to tell people you're 35 and see their reaction.

As long as I've got chocolate and Clairol, I'm gonna kick it until I'm 100.

Show me 5

Has it really been that many weeks since I've last blogged? I promise I'm not that neglectful of my family, well, not all of the time. At least the kids are old enough to take care of themselves! Have I mentioned that Meg is a great cook on the grill, Drew is getting the hang of laundry, and Matt, well, he does good just keeping his clothes on :)

I was getting familiar with all my friends and their blogs when I realized that I had been tagged. Just in case you were needing some great information on Keli, here are a few basic facts about me:

5 things that WERE on my to-do-list today:
1. Exercise this morning - I did walk to my chocolate bucket twice, but I don't think that really counts
2. Begin printing over 500 invitations, 85 diplomas, and about a bagillion programs for our 5th Grade Graduation
3. Mop my floors at school - I realize we have very capable janitors to do this, I'm just very particular about who bumps around the Computer Lab
4. Bathe my 4th child - Big Tex Ranger Hill
5. Mop my floors at home

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate covered cashews
2. Hot, buttered popcorn with peanut M&M's mixed in
3. Cheesecake bites from Sonic
4. Little Debbie brownies
5. Awesome French Fries with Ranch from Oby's (chased with a Root Beer)

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Tithe
2. Erase all our debt
3. Set aside money for my kids' car
4. Set aside money for my kids' college
5. Build a sound-proof library filled with my favorite books, comfy chairs, lots of chocolate, and Cherry Dr. Peppers and/or Barq's Root Beer in a cute pink fridge

5 bad habits (I suppose I'm to fill this with mine and not my husbands):
1. I forget about life when I have a book in my hands, for real. When I begin a book I will literally stay up all night and read it from cover to cover
2. I'm a hopeless planner (thanks parental figures!)
3. I think I have a named disease where I start one project but then am easily side-tracked with another one
4. Sometimes I sleep with my glasses on - explanation time. I'm like scary blind and get a little freaked out at night when I can't see what's going on. My husband HATES it, but it makes be feel safe, so there :)
5. Placing others ahead of me, almost to the point of neglecting areas of my life that I need to concentrate on

5 places I have lived (although it might be easier to list those places I haven't lived):
1. Dallas, Texas
2. New Orleans, Louisiana
3. Pelahatchie, Mississippi
4. Jenks, Oklahoma
5. Florence, Mississippi

5 jobs I have had:
1. Day Care worker at FBC Brandon, Mississippi
2. Secretary at Cable in the Country in Clinton, Mississippi
3. Mothers' Day Out Worker in New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Assistant Librarian in Flowood, Mississippi
5. Assistant Computer Lab Person in Flowood, Mississippi

5 people I want to know more about (I apologize if you've already been tagged. As I've stated earlier, I'm a little behind on the blog world):
1. Sarah Smitherman
2. Emily Witcher
3. Monique McGonagill
4. Emily Tate
5. Anne Elisabeth Peacock

Another wild hair

Crazy me came up with another zany idea, only this time I brought back up!

I convinced Sharon Ryan (got to give her credit for hanging with me on this) to join me at the US 96.3 radio station at 7:30 Tuesday morning.

I had it in my mind that we would invite hosts Karen Lowe and Scott Steele to do a live show during NWRE's Family Walk Night on the 28th of this month.

Picture this now, Sharon dressed up in our school's Cougar outfit, me holding 4 dozen HOT Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and 6 kids all bombarded the station. When Meg passed out the fliers for Family Walk Night and Marshall Madness, Marshall Madness got the most attention. We were even asked to speak about Marshall Madness on the radio (Sharon did a fabulous job with that) and the kids gave their best impersonation of a cougar growl.

In my most humblest opinion, US 96.3 - and Scott & Karen - have got it going on! They didn't have to speak to us, didn't even have to take the donuts we brought. But they did...and they brought us back to their "room" like we were old friends! Way to go, guys!