Lucky, Lucky Lito

Lito was lucky enough to be Abram's person of choice to accompany him outside as often as his little heart desired. Lito didn't complain of course, but he did take some pretty long afternoon naps. He was just so tuckered out. Here is Lito helping Abram to ride his big red scooter.







As is the custom with Abram, all outside play ends with the hose and a drenched little boy. Lito did his best to dodge Abram's aim, or lack of it.





Nana turned out to be lucky too. She got to wrap up the little burrito after he had stripped out of all his clothes...again, an Abram custom our family is quite used to. He's been known to rip off his socks, shoes and pants at church. I figure if his diaper stays on, it's not a problem. Unless this continues into his teens.

Santi thought Lito and Nana's visit was the perfect opportunity to bring out her "Easy Oven Bake" (known to the rest of the world as Easy Bake Oven). So for FHE, we enjoyed miniature cakes and brownies baked by Santi and her 60 watt light bulb. Since we could only bake one treat at a time, the FHE treat took over an hour.






Lito has a history with Easy Bake Ovens. Like Santi, I too received an Easy Bake Oven when they were first introduced in the 80s. I made little cakes decorated with way too much frosting and sprinkles. One year I made Lito such a cake and put little Easter bunny figurines on it. He thought it was so cute and tiny, he refused to eat it. Instead he put it atop the microwave like a little masterpiece and never let anyone touch it. Over the years (I'm serious... years), it was knocked around here and there until finally the petrified pastry was irreparable. Poor Lito. Well, not anymore! Now there's a new generation of Easy Bake pastry chefs and of course Lito refused to east the cake Santi made for him. He put it in the freezer and then put it in his shirt pocket for the plane ride home. I'm sure it will be on display the next time we visit.

Marin and Lito shared many a moments like this. I bought this little wooden Tetris puzzle (shout out to M2 girls) several months ago and we have YET to find a solution. The instructions tout that there are over a thousand solutions. Well, if that doesn't make me feel less than the most intelligent person on the entire globe. It was pretty entertaining just to watch these two work together, which consisted of Lito building a foundation and Marin sneaking his blocks to build her own. I loved that even though a solution has eluded us, Marin and Lito spent so much time together.

When Lito and Nana left, I realized how much I'd gotten used to their help around the house. Which is to say that Abram is nagging to go outside and the laundry is again backed up. Plus, there are fewer excuses to indulge in sweet bread everyday. So sad.

Open House

Something about the photo above makes me want to cry. 2020 does seem a bit far off, but I've learned that the years with the children at home are all too fleeting. Since the girls are now in full elementary school swing, time goes by too fast. Marin only has two more years before junior high, can you believe it? Santi will be in fifth grade when A-boy starts Kinder in three years. And throughout all these mathematical calculations of time left and time spent, I keep thinking, when did all this happen? Where did all these kids come from? Didn't Brian and I just get married?

Open House was really great for the girls. Each of them had projects to present and both were proud to have received excellent marks. Phew! It's been so fun to see each of them mature in their own ways and explore their own talents and interests. I so love them.

Santi presenting her power point presentation on Gerald Ford. She was so proud that she created her very own power point for the first time. I volunteered in her class one of the days they went to the computer lab to work on their presentations. I couldn't believe how all these little six and seven-year-olds maneuvered through the program. I was impressed. Good job Santi!


Marin's project was to create a Texas Native American dwelling. She was assigned a Tigua dwelling that was pretty much an adobe structure. She did a fabulous job on the dwelling as well as the report to accompany it. She also created a power point slide show. Again, I was impressed that she was able to do the report and slide show on her own at school. But it was really fun for Dad to share in some of the construction of the adobe.

Here's a close up of Marin and Dad's hard work. I thought it looked fantastic. What you don't see are the little figures Marin put inside the dwelling. She made people out of model magic. Of course, the only color of model magic left in the house was the politically incorrect red for this kind of project. Nevertheless, Dad let her proceed and saved the politically correct lesson for another day.

The highlight of the evening was that the girls were able to share all of their accomplishments with Nana and Lito who were still in town. Nana and Lito said they had such a wonderful time, even though it doesn't look so much like it in this photo. My family has a terrible habit of hardly ever smiling in photos (see abram's bday photo, etc...). I can sometimes catch smiles when the pictures are pretty candid. I think it's tragic since we'll all look back on these photos and wonder if they ever really had a good time at anything. So hopefully, me calling them out like this on the blog can help change that habit. Blogs are good like that.

Breakin' in

Bri and I spent our spring break trying to break into and make sense of the mysterious world that is the teenaged-girl psyche. Since my mom was in town, Bri and I both were able to attend Girls Camp 2009! It turned out to be mostly so much fun, as well as a little eye opening to what we may be expecting in a couple short years in our own household. Can you imagine Marin and Santi in Young Womens? This is where Bri freaks out.

Above is a picture of me receiving my First Year certification from Lynda Holbrook. Since I joined the Church after the age limit for YW, I've a lot to learn and make up. Most of my married life, I've served in the Primary. Only recently have I been called to YW for the first time. I could not have asked for a better first year of camp. How lucky I was that Bri came with.

Because our stake is brand new, the stake leadership decided that every other year the wards will be responsible for their own Girls Camp. Our ward paired up with our old ward, Mission 2, which turned out to be the perfect scenario.

In the above picture, Bishop Hulse and Bishop Smith repeatedly tried to show off how to build a fire. We were all so hungry, we're glad these two trusty Eagle Scouts finally got it going.

This is a picture of all our foil dinners cooking at once. That's a LOT of meat and potatoes.

This is Kaylee Edwards, who may look like one of the YW, but is actually a leader from Mission 2. I had such a blast with her. One of my favorite parts was bunking in the same tent with the other three leaders while Bri and Jason stayed up way too late in their tent. But the ladies kicked me out the next night, so I had to share cabin #2 with Bishop Hulse. And of course, this led to us being teased by the chant, "Rendezvous in Cabin 2!" Lovely.

And this is Shanna Wheeler who is probably the most capable outdoors woman you will EVER come across. I'm not kidding. She's guided river rafting and camping along the river for weeks at a time. This is the gal you want around in the last days, let me tell you.

Here is Shanna showing Bri the finer points of dutch oven cooking. Shanna's dutch oven skills and menus are world class. If you don't think "world class" and "dutch oven" belong in the same sentence, it's because you haven't met Shanna. We ate so well, I can't even believe she cooked all that she did in a cast iron pot.

Let's face it. The Bishops were the life of the party. We as leaders were so grateful they were both able to come as our priesthood leaders. The girls had a chance to bond with them unlike any other time imaginable. Shanna said it best that when these girls need to come to their bishop, they'll feel more comfortable after having built a rapport with them at camp. 

And I just love that about my husband. He gave them so much silly and fun attention. He's never afraid to look goofy or a little foolish. During down time, he performed his ridiculously lame magic tricks (see the video) or lead funny games or songs. He and Jason introduced the girls to the ever useful game of Big Booty.It took a while.

Melinda (Jason's wife) made shirts for our guys as a thanks for their help (as pictured above). Jason's had a Superman on it and said, "Super Smith" and Bri's had a Hulk on it and said, "HULK HULSE." Melinda says it's Jason's fav shirt right now.






Below are just a few pics of Golead State Park. It was nice to wake up to fog and nice cool air in the morning. Ahhhh.

I have lots more pictures of the girls but I figured their parents wouldn't appreciate me posting them without their permission.

Oodles of Poodles and Pedal Pushers

It's so nice that Nana was in town for 50's dress up day at school. Santi has dreamed every year to wear a poodle skirt. Well this time Nana pulled out a nostalgic night before sewing project, and without a pattern too. 

Marin opted for the rolled up jeans, which is something I could accommodate. I can handle that much. Santi would really appreciate some saddle shoes for next year. We'll see if I can plan far enough in advance. And we'll see if Nana's available for another custom fitting.

Niner

Hooray for the number nine Hulse grandchild, Andi Renee! What a cute thing. We can't wait to see her in person and catch up on all the cuddling we're currently missing out on. Congrats Michael and Laura!

Andi Renee Davis

March 10th

1:27am

8 lbs. 4 oz.

18 inches

two much

Who has two thumbs and just had a birthday? THIS guy!

Abram was fully prepared to turn two. He has been rehearsing his Happy Birthday song for months and made certain we were all prepared as well. He's also been practicing blowing out candles on Mom's aromatherapy candles on her bathtub. His motto the last few weeks has been, "if it's got a wick, it can be licked" (that goes both literally as well as figuratively. boys.). Of course he had only dry runs until the critical moment when Mom put a piece of cake with flame-throwing candles in front of a two-year-old. Fortunately, he remained professional and did not compromise the moment by blowing them out too soon or burning himself. However, he remained insistent that we go through the whole song and dance three times. Even after the third time, he was still not quite satisfied. But in our attempts to be decent parents and not raise a completely demanding child, we stopped the revelry at thrice. Because three times is not excessive in the least.




The way he "blows" out his candles is such a kill. Thank heaven for big sisters.



The girls made Abram's birthday cake. They made a lemon-jello bundt cake and topped it with whipped cream. Yum. I am so proud of them. I am trying to allow them more responsibility in the kitchen. They are so eager to learn, but they were even more elated to make such a special treat for brother's Big day!



Abram was lucky enough to have Lito and Nana visiting from California. Abram has appreciated having two more people at home to play with. No one is as willing as Lito to go play outside for hours at a time. I, for one, will be sad to see them leave.



The doting sisters, as always, helping brother to read his birthday book from Grandpa Finn.




Abram casually opening one of his favorite gifts... airplane jammies from Aunt Squirts and Unkie Chris.


Aside from the fact that, like Prince, Abram now has his very own purple throne, this gift from Finn and Lainie is perfect because Abram is fully acquainted with the word, "Shhhh..." printed on it. Every night for prayers, Abram kneels down and then puts his head to the floor and periodically utters, "shhh" throughout the prayer. This might be so, since he hears it from all of us at some point, coaxing him to be quiet for the entirety of at least one prayer in his life. Not yet.


Here is a picture of Abram and his other very favorite birthday gift... his basketball. I don't know how he did it, but this sneaky little guy found it like a week before his birthday, and once he did, it was all over. He had eyes for no one else, including the red pressure washer. I know, borderline obsessive. Even more fully illustrated by the fact that he refused to go to sleep without it in his crib for like three days.


And here is the second time we sang. Though no distinction from the first, I figured the grandparents would love it still.

Party Girl

Santi waited until Lito and Nana were in town to have her birthday party. I'm glad she did. Lito and Nana got a little taste of just how crazy it gets around here. I think we all recovered nicely. After much deliberation (and I mean MUCH), Santi chose a High School Musical theme, which means that sometime in the near future, Abram will be having a HSM party. Or somebody is. We recycle.



The picture above illustrates how Brian is only the coolest Dad (and husband) in the world. He always gets involved with the kids parties (and with whatever whim of a party Michelle and I dream up). Here he is running the East High Wildcats vs West High Knights basketball challenge game. Boy is he ever the man at extemporaneous made-up games.

Abram's contribution during the party was to get as naked as possible. A nice touch at a seven-year-old's party. Good thing the girls don't seem the least bit embarrassed by Naked Bro.

Luckily, Abram put at least a shirt on for the outdoor movie. After Marin's movie party, Santi was convinced she wanted a night party so she also could have an outdoor movie. She chose to show the Wallace and Grommit shorts. Good plan. No one stayed too long.

Lito and Nana really enjoyed the outdoor movie too! It was also a nice break from the intense noise throughout the house. 

Thanks to Abram and Lito, all of the basketballs were pumped up and ready to go for the party. Phew! In the video below, you can see that Abram is always a super helper.

Abram couldn't help but get into the party supplies box and give everything a dry run. Or not so dry.

Cleaned up

Abram cleaned up at his imaginary swim meet. We're pretty sure he came in first in all the different races he swam. I'm not certain, but I think the first race was a sprint, and the second was either a 100 Free, or maybe even a relay where he swam all the legs.

Abram picked up this sport of bathtub racing when he became aware that Marin is racing while she's swimming. So now, every time he's at the pool, even just for her practices, he's cheering her on to go faster.

We're all very proud of him and encourage him to swim his heart out. The soggy bathroom floor has become evidence of that. He's even tried on the goggles, though he's yet to figure out he can see underwater. I can't wait to play with him in the pool this summer. I have a feeling there are many a good times up ahead. And probably a few tantrums when it's time to get out. Definitely.





I like in that last video how he sees the camera and says, "Cheese!"

Love is

Say it ain't so. Can this be happening already? Marin received a Valentine's candy gram at school from a "Secret Admirer." The most adorable thing about it (though Dad would say nothing whatsoever is even remotely adorable about it), is that the young man wrote his first and last name and then crossed it out and chose to remain anonymous. Sort of. We can still read his name.

It was a great lesson for all of us. We as parents realized that Marin is getting older and there isn't much we can do about that. But it was a great lesson for Marin to decline someone's affection in a respectful and (hopefully) classy way. She agreed that the best response is to tell everyone who's been asking about this boy's crush that he is a very nice boy and that she's happy to have him as a good friend. Dad was quick to make sure she told everyone she will not be dating ANYONE until she's sixteen. GROUP DATE. And between you and me, he's not promising that he'll make good on that deal when the day comes.

Brian and I woke up to a very delectable Valentine's breakfast thanks to the dynamic duo. Who wouldn't fall in love with Peach Oatmeal, Cocoa Crispies, Bananas, and OJ? It also would've been nice to have eaten the food prepared in our honor. It's still funny to Bri and me how the girls linger until we ask them if they would like to share with us. To which they respond by instantaneously jumping up on the bed and taking over our forks.

I heart these girls.

The girls and I made these yummy suckers. Choco-covered Red Velvet cakey truffles. And on a stick? Matchless.

On a side note...

I went out to meet the girls on the corner as they walked home from school. As they got closer, I could see that they were holding hands. Just swinging along between them as they walked together. But it can't always be like that I suppose. We definitely, definitely need a little drama. Like fighting over the bathroom and homework space at the table. It's nice to know that there are quiet moments between them where they feel each other's love. It makes my heart swell to think those moments happen beyond my sight and hopefully, more often than I imagine.

7th Heaven

It was all sevens for Santi's seventh. She had such a great day...I don't remember her enjoying a birthday more than this one.
We woke up and got ready early so Santi could call Nana on their birthday. She happened to call at 7am (5am California time. That Nana is such a sport).

At school, Marin ran ahead of Santi so she could tell Santi's class that she was coming. So when Santi opened the door, her whole class jumped up and yelled "Happy Birthday!" It sure pays to have a big sister.

Even though Santi had a math test on her birthday, she scored a 97. She was pretty pleased that it ended in 7 and considered it an extension of her birthday.

The cupcakes she took to class each had little heart shaped rings on top. Six of the boys in her class didn't want them and gave the rings to Santi. So six extra rings plus Santi's equaled...you guessed it...7 rings.

We did end up eating cake that night around 7pm, although I stopped at the idea of her eating seven pieces. Even I have standards when it comes to sweets.

She got lots of phone calls from family and friends. What a happy girl she was to know how much she is loved and cherished.



Dad and Mom gave Santi puppets for her birthday. These Melissa and Doug puppets were on crazy clearance, so we got a few. It's certainly a gift we can all enjoy. I'm curious to see what else will come out of the mouths of these puppets.

Lost it

Santi is a proud loser of her first tooth. You just have to love that first lost tooth. She was too excited to contain it and I was loving every minute of it. She immediately cleaned it up and put it in the special Tooth Fairy box. She kept checking on it and she even lost it for a while. Luckily Big Sister Marin helped find the twice-lost tooth just in time. We almost sent Santi to bed without it since we had warned her not to keep taking it out of the box. Thank goodness for big sisters who are used to searching for small things lost in the chaotic playroom. Phew!



The Tooth Fairy does not go unrecognized in our house. The girls usually leave her a little note explaining how they lost their teeth and they even leave her a miniature snack of some kind. Santi chose to leave her the corner of a graham cracker and the corner of a napkin just in case she's a messy eater. Such sweetness.

I'm trying to take advantage of this little losing tooth stage. It's such a small window until it's closed off forever and thoughts like that just make me want to cry. Usually because they lead to the inevitable idea that I will one day be an empty nester and my children will no longer come home from school everyday with ridiculous stories to tell. I know I'm too sentimental, it's a lost tooth for goodness sake. I'm trying my best not to lose it.

...sting like a BEE

Marin participated in her first District Spelling Bee. She did a great job and somehow stood tall among all those big kids. It turns out that the District Spelling Bee includes grades 3-8. I thought it was crazy that these little third graders were asked to spell words that were challenging enough for the junior high 8th graders. (Many of them words I had never heard of before.)

I was so nervous for Marin, uneccessarily though. Even though she didn't make it to the top three (barely, she was in the top five), she saw the sunny side. She pointed out that she was the last elementary student on stage. And her initial goal was to get through round one and maybe even be the last fourth grader standing. Kudos to Marin for seeing her accomplishment despite the accolades eluding her. I'm so stoked for her that she looks for the good. I could do with a little more of that.


The winner of the District Bee was our friend Jason (who is the 8th grader in a blue sweatshirt behind Marin in the picture above). He is a sweet kid from a great family. We were in their ward before the stake/ward split. I was his Primary president during that time and can't believe he'll be in high school next year! It was such a delightful surprise that he also remembered good ol' Sister Hulse. He was really sweet to Marin during the Bee, they were sitting only a seat apart. So nice.


Above is a picture of Marin's Bee mates from her school. They were a fun group of kids. I wanted all of them to win. I cringed every time one of them got out. It was funny to hear them over lunch, repeating the words that got them out and trying to use them in sentences and laughing about them like an inside joke. I was so happy that their coach, Mrs. Phillips, provided an easy going and fun experience for them.

And the word that Marin misspelled was "pasteurize." She omitted the "e" and will never forget it. She also made the connection between "pasteurize" and Louis Pasteur, whom she's learned about in class. It was one of those lightbulb moments and she came home and looked at all the containers in the fridge to see what has been pasteurized. Methinks I see some investigative research skills forming. It was so cute.

The final buzz about our house is that there's a Bee to catch next year. We'll let you know.

HULSE Legs

So the term has gotten around and is currently being used from California to the Great Lakes (Ann Arbor to be exact, thanks to BIG Abram). Well, here is a beautiful example that HULSE Legs are not only a power source forced to be reckoned with in the swimming pool (see posts on Marin's swimming including videos of my embarrassing commentating), they are also quite delicate and artistic.

I am continually amazed that our little Santi (who some of you remember as The Bruiser, though that title should be passed on to little brother) is so controlled and graceful in the ballet studio. I am also amazed that this grace and control drops away once she crosses the threshold of the dance academy. If a little girl falls out of a chair while no one is watching, did it really happen? Santi says, "YES." Poor thing trips over her own feet constantly and has quickly adopted the phrase (before we can ask), "I'm alright. I'm OK."


If it's possible for a child to be born with a passion for music and a natural rhythm, it is evident in Santi. The girl can NOT hold still. She just feels it. I recently took her clothes shopping and was convinced that this is fact. So there we are in the dressing room at Limited Too (which should give you an indication of the boppy music blaring through the speakers) and I can hardly tell which clothes fit since her body is constantly in flux as she's performing for herself in the mirror. Man did I wish I could have a video of it. For improvisation, it looked quite the choreographed routine to me. Although it wasn't easy to check waistbands and cuff lengths on a whirling dervish, I got better at estimating out of necessity. It is futile to ask Santi to be anything less than she is: in motion.


As talented a performer as she is, there is also a timidity about it we sometimes see. She'll easily dance in a theater of nearly a thousand, but a handful of spectators triggers anxiety. So it took a little coaxing during our Christmas photo session with Garmendias to get these shots. And I'm so glad we did. She so loves these photos of herself and I can't help but watch her face when she sees them. I love watching her see herself just a tiny bit like we see her. That's priceless.

Back in the Saddle

So long as we live in Texas, you will all have to suffer such ridiculous sayings.

I'm just putting it out there that with everything that's been going on lately, I've neglected the blog in a terrible way. I love how the hiatus came right when I sent out our Christmas Cards which read, "Keep in touch with us by visiting our blog: teamhulse.blogspot.com." Nice. Ah well.

Now that things are slowing down, we're back into our routine of school, activities, and now working through computer issues. So I'll be posting again soon as well as filling in back dated posts. Just know that while I'm posting for you, things are being flushed down the toilet. Things that shouldn't be flushed down the toilet. (Whatever did happen to that Lego Explorer Man? Two words: toilet and Abram.) It's a sacrifice I suppose I am willing to make. Especially since Brian has invested in a snake from the local Home Depot. He's already had plenty of practice and has become pretty adept at using it. I'm sure there will be plenty of updates on that. Stay tuned.

Baby Eight

We are so happy to hear that our kids now have a new cousin, Lyla Grace. That makes eight wonderful grandbabies on the Hulse side. It will also make for really fun family reunions with all these sweet kiddos running around. Lucky us! 

Congratulations Alli, Cory, and Autumn!

Lyla Grace Wilkin

January 14, 2008

7 lbs. 10 oz.

21 inches