weeds

i looked out into my backyard today and realized that it has completely been taken over by weeds. fortunately for us they are the pretty dandelion weeds. lily loves to go out and pick them so i almost feel guilty when i mow them away. i thought i would take advantage of them and try to take some pictures. i intended on taking pics of all the kids but jackson couldn't break himself away from barney(the kid hates taking pictures.) so here are the ones that i managed to take of ash and lily.

no kids but i thought this shot was cool. i love how just the two flowers stand out and the rest are blurry.

i know her eyes are closed in this picture but i still thought it was cute.

say cheese!

so my friend carrie is an awesome photographer. she called me up a couple of weeks ago and said meet me at the park, i want to take some pictures of your kids. well my children were anything but cooperative as you can tell in the picture of me and the kids. fortunately as you can see from the pictures carrie got some amazing shots in spite of the situation. thank you carrie, you are wonderful!!!!!!!

"a peeper is just a peeper"

well this afternoon i thought i would try jackson in underpants and see what happened. well, nothing really happened but i had the funniest conversation with him while he was sitting on the potty.

jack - mom, why do i have a man peeper?

me - because you are a boy.

jack - why doesn't it talk to me?

me - peepers can't talk.

jack - does my peeper have a mouth?

me - pointing to his big toe, "does your toe have a mouth?"

jack - i know my peeper doesn't have a mouth

me - how come?

jack - my peeper doesn't have a mouth because my peeper is just a peeper!

i know that we aren't using correct terminology in our home but when i tried, it never seemed to stick. 

random & weird

well much to kim's amazement, i have started mowing our lawn. steven has to work so much and it seems like it always rains on saturday so it is hard for him to do. well i finally had enough of looking like the white trash neighboor and got the mower out and mowed. to my surprise, it wasn't very hard to figure out. my mom was over watching the kids so i had time by myself and it was almost peaceful. for those of you out there thinking you couldn't do this, you can.

we received a nephi statue for a wedding present 7 years ago. this was obviously a random gift but we thought it was funny and have kept him this whole time. we have moved 10 times in the last 7 years and he has been in the front window of every home we have lived in. i think it is crazy that he hasn't ever been lost. he always shows up on the top of a box somewhere.

well the other day i went into the downstairs bathroom and this is what i saw in the window. i wasn't surprised to see it there because it is always there but i have never seen it backlit from the sun this way. i just think it is funny, i feel protected from this little guy.

here he is how our visitors see him. thank you nephi!

ok, last story. well steven came home from work early (at 4, not very early for most) sick yesterday. in all of the time that we have been married i don't think he has ever missed a day because he was sick. well he had a fever of 103 and i just took the kids downstairs and let him sleep. well after i gave the kids a bath and put them to bed, he decided to get up and get some food. well i told him that i was going to sleep on the couch because i didn't want to get sick. at like 2 in the morning after tossing and turning i decided to go to my bed anyway. when i got to me bed, he was in my spot. when i came into the room he woke up and moved over for me. i layed down and started to smell the worst smell. i looked over at the side table to find left over salsa and a bag of empty barbeque chips. if you can imagine, it didn't smell so good. well i got up and moved the offending smells and then layed down. in the morning when i got up i found that i had been laying on smashed brownie as well. the moral of the story, don't let your husband eat in your bed and if you do, make sure he stays on his side.

costco

i am so frustrated with costco. i went there yesterday and my costco has stopped carrying most of the things i go there for. all i wanted was some eggs,pace salsa, dyno nuggets and chips. unfortunately the only thing i walked away with was eggs. they even stopped carrying their kirkland brand monster bag of tortilla chips. i even asked about them and they said they had been taken out of their system. needless to say, i was highly annoyed that i dragged three children to costco to buy eggs.

the saving grace of the trip was that they were having some special event and were giving cake to everyone. i got jack and lily (and of course myself and ashy) each a piece and put them in the back of the cart to eat it. immediately jackson spills it into the basket. i quickly picked it up and put it back on the plate but before i could clean the cart, lily sits in it. normally this would add to my frustration but jackson thought it was so funny that i couldn't help but laugh. i love it when children really get why something is funny. sometimes i think kids laugh at things but they don't really understand why. it is so amazing when they actually get it you can almost see it click and the laugh is so much more genuine. well we got a good, long laugh and it made the trip much better.

happening

well, the other day i was at target with my children and we were just wondering around eating popcorn and drinking lemonade. we weren't there to buy anything, it is just something we do sometimes to get out of the house. well we walked down one of the food isles and there was a little asian lady in the isle with us. all of the sudden i hear lily ask "mom why is she so short?" i just ignored her and thought she would let it go but unfortunately jackson heard her and he started in. pretty soon both of them are asking me and there was no hiding what they were saying. then an amazing thing happened, the lady turned to me and said "it's ok honey, i understand." then she turned to my children and said "i am so short because i didn't eat my vegetables when i was a kid." i wish i could say that lily ran home and started eating her vegetables but it did make her think.

i think it is so amazing how uninhibited children are. they see something that is different and ask about it without any thought of being politically correct. they are just purely curious about everything. i love it and am grateful for their innocence.

the way i am

i am crazy about this song. my friend carrie has this song on her photography web site and i have completely fallen in love with it. i am glad that my family takes me the way i am! thank you for loving me.

kimmie comes to visit

i had such an amazing time while kimmie came to visit. it was just like old times only now there were three little children to attack kim while she was here. lily, jack and ash loved here. they thought she was the greatest person ever. lily cried when she realized that kim was leaving on saturday. it has been over three years since we have seen eachother but it seemed like no time at all when she was here. my mom watched my kids one day and we made our way into the city. these are some of the pictures i took. kim has some really good ones in her camera of her and my children so i will have to get them and then add to this post. well we miss you already kimmie and thanks again for coming. i would also like to thank seth for letting kim leave him and the kids for a couple of days to visit us. love you kim!

kimmie on the monorail from the westlake mall to the spaceneedle.

me in kimmie's glasses, also on the monorail.

kimmie and the spaceneedle.

me and the spaceneedle.

steven's grandma cook

(the quote starts with "five of the sisters" and continues till the end.)

well here is an interesting story. steven and i were at our stake center the other day and while steven was talking to one of the stake presidency, i decided to look through the book about temples that was sitting on the table. the book goes through all of the different temples and shows a bunch of pictures and tells stories about them. i decided to of course read about LA first but then i moved on to the seattle temple. i was reading the comments and then at the very end and the quote was from steven's grandma cook. from all the stories i have heard, she was an amazing and inspiring woman. it totally caught me off guard and made me cry. it also reaffirmed my testimony of the temple. his grandma was a temple worker in both the LA and Seattle Temples and had to travel long distances to do to work at each one. i am so grateful to have always lived so close to the temple. i am going to make a conscious effort to take advantage of that and go more often. thank you grandma cook for your example!

ashy walks

well i know that this has already been mentioned on thehellerfamily.org but i wanted to have it in my journal as well. this week asher has started taking 8 or 9 steps. it is so amazing to see the progress he makes each day. it is funny because you would think that it wouldn't be as exciting with each child but it really is. i love seeing the pure joy in their face when they finally realize that they can actually do it. well congratulations my little baby, i love you and i can't wait for the many walks we will take as you get older. 

enchiladas anyone?

asher had his first taste of enchiladas and i guess he likes them, well at least his face, hands, clothes, the table and his chair do.

can i go play in the garage?

so the other morning, jackson got up for the day and while steven was taking a shower asked, "can i go play in the garage?" well, steven finished getting ready for work and before he left he had to get something out of the garage and this was what he saw. it's like he knew steven would eventually have to go out there and he was just waiting for him. this is steven's freebording helmet and jackson has been obsessed with it since i cleared the garage out and have been letting him and lily play out there.

my baby is one

i cannot believe that ashy is one year old. it feels like just yesterday that kim called me from her hospital room and said that she had just had ben. after that i said to myself it is time for this little man to come into this world. the next day, i was having consistant but non painful contrations and said lets just go to the hospital and see what happens. four hours later this happy and sweet little boy came into our lives.there is something about boys that they are automatically mammas boys. they are just so cuddly and squishy. my little ash man fits the part perfectly. from the beginning i couldn't stop kissing on him. of course he's not quite as cuddly any more but i am still forcing my kisses on him. asher is loving, happy, always smiling, funny and also fiercly into EVERYTHING! thank you for joining our family!

weird picture of me but i liked the whole picture anyway.

Ragu alla Bolognese

last night i made the most amazing pasta dish. i thought that i would post the recipe for you all to try. i got the original recipe from marthastewart.com but then combined it with another that i found on some other website. well here it is.......

4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup carrot grated then chopped in processor
1/2 cup zucchini grated then chopped in processor
1 onion chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 lb ground italian sausage
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup cooking wine
1/2 cup milk
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp nutmeg
sea salt & ground pepper
linguini (i used whole wheat)
parmesan cheese

1. heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. stir in carrot, zucchini, onion and garlic.
3. add meat and cook until it is no longer pink (about 5 minutes)
4. turn heat to medium high and add wine, cook until evaporated.
5. add tomatoes.
6. stir in milk, bay leaf, italian seasoning, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper.
7. simmer for 1-2 hours.
8. cook pasta, drain and return to pot.
9. add half of the sauce and toss with pasta.
10. mix in parmesan.

if you decided to make this, let me know what you think. enjoy!

lily gets a haircut

yesterday i had a random moment to cut off lily's hair. we decided to grow her bangs out and i saw a picture of a little girl with short hair and i thought to myself, "it would be a lot easier to grow her bangs out if her hair was shorter." well...10 minutes later we were in the kitchen and i was cutting off her ponytail. for those of you hair stylists reading this (ruth) i know it is shorter on one side but i didn't want to try to even it and end up making the other side shorter than the first. i am going to take her to a hair place this weekend and get it cleaned up but...i think it looks pretty cute on her. i kept her ponytail and am mailing it to locks of love. her hair isn't long enough to use for making a wig but they sell the shorter hair to make up for manufacturing costs. i hope they will be able to do that with hers.

early birthday party

we went over to spokane this weekend to celebrate steven's & asher's birthdays with steven's family. because of the long memorial day weekend, we decided to celebrate early. we were able to relax and hang out with family and just have a good time. we miss being so close to his family because it is always a good time being with them. hellers and bowers, we love you! thanks for a good weekend.

auntie lisa and katie made these amazing panda bear cupcakes.

excited-

partaking-

enjoying!

everyone enjoyed the panda bears, especially the kids.

gardening & scoopers

well we went to spokane this weekend and for lily and jackson it was filled with gardening (playing in the dirt) and uncle dave's scooper as jackson likes to call the caterpillar. the whole trip over to spokane jackson talked about driving in the scooper but sitting in it was the best he would do. he loves the scooper but he is scared of the scooper. unfortunately he is not scared of the dirt as you can see in this first picture.

jackson insisted on having a hat and when his grandma asked what he needed a hat for, he got very serious and said "for my head!"

lily was very excited about playing in the dirt with her shovel.

getting older

well now that asher is almost one he is looking so much older. you can't tell but lily was feeding him yogurt in these pictures. he thought it was the greatest thing ever that his big sister was feeding him with a spoon. i love seeing asher interact with his big sister and brother. he loves them so much and i am truly grateful that they get along the way that they do.

ashy gets a haircut & steven goes black

well my baby's hair was getting so fluffy and crazy so we decided to buzz it. he looks so much older to me. i took pictures before and after but...the memory card was not in the camera and thus they were not saved. i was really bummed because there were some really cute before pics.

ashy in lily's princess chair. he thought it was so cool to be sitting in it.

ashy loving his daddy's hair. steven decided he needed a change and came home with black hair dye after work one night.

asher thinks his dad is really cool. the other night he was having a hard time sleeping and i brought him in bed with us. unfortunately for steven, asher insisted on sleeping on steven's pillow and squeezing steven's ear. also, every 5 or 10 minutes he would pick his head up and just stare at him. finally i could tell that steven had enough and took him back to his own bed.

rocking out

jackson and asher enjoy playing the piano together. they will just sit and hit the keys and asher will bounce up and down which is his way of dancing. they are pretty cute together! sometimes it doesn't sound all that bad.

ashy with his rocker hairdo.

to my daughter (hopefully not for another 20 years)

i know that one day you are going to ask me, how do i know if “he’s the one?” this is a question that we have all asked, or will ask at some point in our lives. for some reason, i have been thinking about this lately. maybe because i have read the twilight books recently or i have been pondering my children growing up but, it has been on my mind. this is probably going to take me a long time to write but here it goes.............

when i was in high school and college i was a crazy romantic. i really think i was looking for something that wasn’t there. a mythical figure that would bring me kissing in the rain, surprise letters on my car and of course the star crossed romance that would never work out unless....i could work my magic. but when it came to reality, i don’t have any magic to wield. there have been times in my life that i kissed someone just because at the time, i knew that if i didn’t, i would regret it for the rest of my life. i wanted the feeling that i felt when i watched pride & prejudice or sleepless in seattle but as i get older, no matter how much i want bella to be with edward, i realize that edward is not who i would choose in real life (twilight reference.)

i have had edwards in my life but in the end, it just wasn’t enough! i think the older you get the more you will realize that all of that stuff is important (and fun) but it doesn’t make up for the lack of a testimony of the savior. it is ok to desire those things but more importantly you should be looking for someone who honors his priesthood, someone who has served a mission and most of all, someone who loves the gospel. if he loves the gospel, most likely, everything else will be there.

when i met your father, we were friends for a long time. i had never dated someone that i was friends with first. i just didn’t think that i could do something like that. it didn’t seem romantic enough for me (silly as that might sound.) he was a great guy that i enjoyed spending time with but how can you be romantic with a friend. well it turns out you can and it was something i had never felt before. it was like coming home. i had never been so comfortable with anyone else. there was no pretense behind anything he did. he was my best friend and we could do anything together and i wasn’t to shy to be myself. he saw who i was and i saw who he was. that is not to say that there wasn’t any, as i like to call it, movie romance, but that wasn’t the most exciting part. he loved the savior, served a mission and was a faithful priesthood holder. HE LOVED THE GOSPEL.

you are a beautiful girl who loves her heavenly father and even though you are only four right now i can see that you are going to always feel this way. i hope that this will be helpful to you when you are old enough to have this question. i love you and HOPE that you will choose someone that is worthy of all that you have to give. thank you for being my daughter baby belle.

love mommy