Sick Day

Poor Marin woke this morning with a mild case of hives. So sad, but it's been so much worse before. She stayed home with Abram and me while Santi went to school alone. Over a late pancake breakfast (I guess I didn't make it too miserable an experience to discourage skipping school), Marin recited two of her favorite jokes at the moment:

"What's the difference between a piano and a fish?
You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish. Get it? Get it?"

"A person who is trilingual can speak 3 languages.
Someone who speaks 2 languages is bilingual.
And if you only speak one language, you're American."

I cracked up at the last one especially!
"What?" I said, "Where did you hear that?"
She said, "From you guys." For the life of me, I can't remember ever telling Brian that joke or vice versa. I would want credit for sure. I wondered if she knew what she was saying or just repeating something she had heard.

"What do you think that joke is saying about Americans?"
"Oh, you know, kinda how Americans don't really care about the rest of the world around them."

Has this kid been growing up under the dark shadow of the current administration or what? I guess Bri and I have to watch what we say. EVERYTHING we say.

And this is what happens when you do stay home from school. Your little brother pulls your hair and there is seemingly nothing you can do about it but grab your scalp and squeal. She'll probably go back tomorrow.

Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde (Hulse)

Look at this adorable little boy! Sitting at the table, having a good time packing his food in his hair, ears, and nose, and a little in his mouth... and then bam! the metamorphosis.

I know the picture below is blurry, but it's the only evidence I have that this is a most unnatural phenomenon. But he's still a little cute, even as Mr. Hyde. And that's all from his Dad's side, by the way.

I Love this Picture

I should've saved the title of my last post for this one. This was no ordinary love (still is). Well, I'm sure that millions of people far more brilliant can offer a more eloquent farewell. So, I'm not doing that. I just hope Brian and I have a snapshot like this one taken of us where it's evident that through all the challenges of life our love shines out the clearer. That I'll always have the chance to sit beside my best friend and that the wait from this life to the next won't be too long apart. What a sweet reunion that must be. And that's the way I have to think of it because I already miss our dear Gordon B. Hinckley.

No Ordinary Love

I know this may seem weird that I'm putting up a picture of my closet. But there in the center of the picture are Sunday outfits for Brian and me. Marin put them aside and ready for us to jump into before church (note that today is friday. be prepared, i guess.). So you've probably deduced that: #1 our daughter is very sweet and tries to help the family in very creative ways. (I'm guessing the brown sweatshirt paired with my Sunday dress is a result of the cold front we've had); #2 it appears to an eight-year-old that Brian and I need help getting it together on Sundays. We're still working on it. I HAVE to boast that I haven't been late to church once since Brian has been the bishop. It's a big deal for me. (Now, I have changed Abram from his jammies into his church clothes during the opening hymn and announcements, but hey, we're there.); #3 you should notice that I have no wardrobe and if you are my friend you should call Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, What not to Wear, or any extreme makeover show on my behalf (except Carson Kressley's How to Look Good Naked. I won't do it. You'll thank me.); #4 this is proof that Brian Hulse does in fact own a cowboy hat. That's something he'll have to explain.

The point is, I love my little girl. As she's growing older, I'm falling in love with her as my daughter and also as my friend. She isn't perfect, no one is, but just knowing her makes me want to become a little more perfect. And those are the people you want around you, the ones that help refine you, change your life, and make you a better person. "What else but Love?"

Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday Miss Jessie! A day late, but happy anyway. We so totally miss you and it's just not fair that we don't get to see you.

Look at this adorable little girl! Back then, could you have ever imagined that you would marry into such a crazy family? Poor thing.

I hope you have a great birthday and that my brother does something sweet.

GO Bananas!

One of our New Year's resolutions is to redo our backyard. Even though we liked having banana trees (Santi liked them the most), they went rogue and were overgrown. They also attracted wasps and hornets during the summer. I just couldn't relax with all those stingers around and didn't feel comfortable letting the girls out to swim without me. So, they had to go.


Our neighbor's dad came over to help. So I was talking to him and thanking him for coming over to help me and as he was nodding his head, not really listening to me, he whipped out this yard-long machete and started wacking down the bananas. My eyes must have nearly popped out of my head and I must have taken like 3 steps back because my neighbor Paco started laughing. I just thought a tool/weapon of that size would merit some sort of warning to innocent bystanders nearby. Guess not. His dad had the bananas down in like 10 minutes but the roots took like another 4 hours. Crazy.

We also got rid of the palapa. I was actually sad to see it go. It was pretty fun, but every summer we've been here, it's been infested with spiders and stinging insects. So sad. There goes all of our shade. So now we have to haul cheeks to get some palm trees up and growing before summer when we're out there everyday. Here I have these white little kids and no shade from the sun. Hopefully we can get it together soon. At the very least, we can say we started one of our New Year's resolutions.

Best Christmas Gift EVER!

You're probably looking at this picture like, "huh?" Allow me to explain. Brian and I have been married almost ten years and remember very well our early years when we were so poor we couldn't afford to buy each other anything for pretty much any occasion (That actually wasn't too many years ago). So instead we played a game with each other called "If I had money, I would buy you..." I LOVE this game and we still play it. I am really touched by the things he comes up with to buy me. It really is the thought that counts. And it's so fun to show your spouse how creative you can be with all the things you know they like. But this is the first year that either of us actually gave a tangible version of "If I had money..." I reached into my stocking and was surprised to find something I hadn't put in there myself (Moms often do this so no one feels weird that no one put anything in Mom's stocking. Although this year I found lots of little treasures from the kids as well. Loved it!). So I unwraped this small box full of little folded papers. I began to open each paper and it became immediately apparent what Brian gave me for Christmas! I'm so happy! I love it!

So, in order from left to right, the things my husband would buy me "if he had money:"

#1 The Office on DVD - self explanatory.

#2 A Chipwich - when Bri couldn't find a job just after graduation, he would interview and job hunt all day (and work part time at Franklin Covey) and then at night we would use our Disney passes (Grandma Nay's Christmas present that year). Like 3 nights a week, we were at Disney. Hilarious that the only place we could afford to go was Disney because we had free passes (including parking). We packed lunches and could never buy a $2 churro or a $4 chipwich. Bri and I were sitting on the curb waiting for a parade to start and I told him, "One day I want to come here and finally be able to buy a chipwich." I still haven't gotten one. Sad.

#3 Diamond Anniversary Band - the big ten is this year and I'm pleased with the ring Brian would buy for me. I even told him throughout the day, "I really love my ring." And the funny thing is, you can make it as big as you want with no price increase.

#4 A massage - again, self explanatory. I need one. Everday!

#5 Bombay House in Provo - believe it or not, but it's the best Indian food I've had. Specifically their Chicken Tikka Masala and Coconut Chicken Korma. No, there is no good Indian food here at our one Indian restaurant.

#6 Air Supply concert tickets - I HAVE to explain. Bri and I play another game we think is fun. We're in pur bed and one of us starts singing some cheesey 80s song to see if the other one knows it and then we both start singing it with all the furvor and drama of the original rendition. It is usually some glam rock ballad. Sadly, we knew WAY too much Air Supply. I think it's because my parents had the cassette tape. A little embarrassing.

#7 A new Expedition - thoughtful, yes, but I'm not willing to give up ours yet. I never thought I would love an SUV, it's just a car. But it fits everyone and their friends and all the gear and groceries, etc... in our lives. LOVE it.

#8 Room Service - a luxury not usually available in the hotels we stay in. But when we do, ahhh, it's a mom's dream.

#9 An Easy-Bake Oven - I had one as a kid. Good times. Ouch!

#10 Adobe Photoshop - a fun hobby.

#11 Mountain Bike - I really do need one. Or at least I need more exercise.

#12 A big bag of money - why not? Who couldn't use a big bag of money? Who would say, "A big bag of money? No thanks, I'm stuffed. I'd rather not."

#13 Bon Jovi album - Refer back to #6. Also, when we were first married we took one of many road trips to cali. We stopped to get gas at some obscure gas station at an even more obscure small southern Utah town. While Bri pumped gas, I picked up the Bon Jovi "Slippery When Wet" cassette for like 2 bucks. We got back in the car and I told him I bought him a present. We cracked up when it started playing. Where is that tape?

#14 American Airlines - because I harass my poor husband that I hate flying ghetto jet (aka Southwest) and vow to never fly it again. I hate lining up like cattle in boarding pass lines. yuck!

#15 Rubio's - because I miss splitting grilled chicken nachos with Brian or Marin, whoever is willing to go with me. When we lived in La Jolla, there was one right down the street (for better or worse). We're used to Baja Fresh Mexican cuisine, not...whatever this is they have here. But that's another story for another post.

#16 Froze Toes - another one of Brian's retro favorites. He orders it anytime we see an ice cream man. Not because it's good, probably for the gumball in the big pink toe.

And that's my Best Christmas Gift. It probably seems geeky. We are geeks. What can I say? I love you Brian Hulse! Thanks for making it fun.

Christmas Pictures...finally!

Sorry (especially to the grandparents) for taking sooooo long to post pictures. We had a great Christmas and loved every minute we were able to spend as a family. It seemed all too quickly Brian was back at the grind stone between work and church. Most church activities were on hiatus for a couple weeks while people were traveling and such so that was a nice break. This year was smooth, probably because the girls didn't ask for anything (even after we asked many times). So they seemed very pleased with what they did get and we couldn't have asked for a more stress-free shopping experience. Actually, Marin did ask for office supplies to open a free school/daycare for children of single moms. She has the sweetest intentions in the world. I'm not really sure where she got this latest idea. But of course we bought her some supplies. We might have to make a compromise and just have a craft class for preschoolers we know. I don't think her poor dad can finance some of these lofty goals she has. Maybe we should have bought her a book on how to fundraise instead.

Anyway, back to Christmas. The kids of course loved all of the thoughtful things they received from their grandparents. I can't even list all the wonderful gifts but I think some of their favorites were the lovely tea sets from Lito and Lita and the trampoline from Big Finn. Just as long as they don't put those two together. Purple presents from Nana were, of course, on the top of the list. Grandpa Anson sent all sorts of little things the girls enjoyed. And Abram loved all the boy things that are new to our house. Cars, trucks, balls...and everything at some point or other becomes a tool which he uses to pound other things. So, this is how boys play. OK. But the highlight for him was wrapping paper and what he could do with it. His favorite was of course a corner of some long piece of paper clenched in his jaw while scurrying away on all fours, the wrapping paper trailing behind him. When he first started unwrapping he gave us a look like, "Are you OK with this? 'Cause all month you've been grabbing this stuff out of my hands." I love my kids' first Christmases.

And can I just take a moment to say that I love South Texas winters. LOVE. I know this place is quirky to say the least, in fact, down right scary sometimes, but the winter weather is hard to beat. It even rivals San Diego. (gasp! Did I actually admit that?) But the fact that we could hang outside all day with the kids was excellent. I will miss these winters.