Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Gingerbread

Creative juices were flowing for our annual gingerbread house decorating! So festive and fun.

We were not lacking for supplies, and with my parents visiting, it made the party much more special. Here are the results...


This house wins for best yard


Riley fancied up this ginerbread train, complete with hard-core gangsta graffiti.


As usual, Dustin reigned supreme with a balcony and hedges.


This house looks like it has a face, right?!




Hinder telling Santa his Christmas wishes.

("Dinosaurs that roar and a truck that moves by itself")


Only one final week of our countdown to Christmas!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tis The Season

Christmas is rapidly approaching. How is it already the 13th of December?! In between nursing, diapering, and burping, we're tried to have a little holiday fun around here.

We started with decorating a giant sugar cookie man.


I didn't want to tackle gingerbread, so I went with my old standby Danish sugar cookie recipe. It was perfect...until I accidentally decapitated the cookie. Hinder wasn't too heart broken.


With my sister Devon's help, our Christmas cookie turned into an Elvis cookie.


Hinder had no problem piling on the marshmallows and gummy bears.


The next weekend, we spent a few hours with Aunt Natalie and cousin Archer at a local Christmas festival. The horse drawn sleigh rides were the highlight for Hinder. The gourmet hot cocoa bar was the highlight for Riley. Personally, I enjoyed watching every toddler burst into frantic hysterics when placed on Santa's lap.

They even had a photo booth.


What cute little boys!

Monday, December 5, 2011

One Week Later


Vyla Leigh is already a week old!


A week has already flown by since this little butter bean made her appearance. She's as cute as a button. Her agenda each day includes eating, sleeping a lot, and defending herself against her over-eager brother.


Newborns are the sweetest thing. I love her little frog legs and the funny faces she makes

all day and night.


Hinder adores Vyla and is excited to share everything with her. For the most part, he does an excellent job controlling his self and just touching her toes or hands.


Our first photo as a family. In all the rush and craziness at the hospital, we neglected to ever take a photo of us four together.

The new and improved Hurst family!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

She's Here!

Vyla Leigh has joined our family! We're so thrilled.


She was born Sunday, November 27th, at 7:40 in the morning.

She was 7 pounds and 14 ounces.


Madison Memorial Hospital is where she was born.

Dr. Harling delivered her.



Hinder loves Vyla and is a very careful big brother.




I love seeing Riley with a little girl. It's a totally different dynamic.


She has blond hair and Killian ears. Her hands and fingers and long and slender. She has the same nose and mouth that Hinder had as an infant, but her eye shape reminds me more of Riley's.


Vyla has already brought us so much joy.

We just cherish her.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Three More Months!

My little sis is due home from Bulgaria in less than three months. I'm so thrilled!

She's been an awesome missionary and glows in all her photos. It makes it easier to have her gone, knowing that she's so happy there!












So proud of her and her service!

Hearing about all her Bulgarian adventures is going to be awesome!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Eleven Thoughts

Eleven random thoughts to brighten your day!

1. Today's special. Eleven has been my lucky number for ages. It was my number in school sports and always my go-to number for "pick a number between..." There was 11 people in my family growing up. And if it wasn't so gosh-darn-many, I would have 11 kids. I'm happy to be alive today to experience an 11-11-11.



2. Just a word of advice- It's a BAD idea to look through old high school pictures when you're 9 months pregnant. Not only do I miss being agile and able to play this sport, I miss being able to fit into a normal t-shirt. And I miss having a proportional figure. And I miss having fingers that didn't resemble hot dogs. I should have looked up People of Walmart instead.



3. Speaking of being pregnant, I had a doc appointment yesterday. I'm so done with this pregnancy thing. Let it end. I decided I should write a book called "What NOT to say to a Pregnant Woman". It would include phrases like, "my, you are a puffy one!", "You STILL have 4 weeks left?!", "Wow, you're HUGE!"

4. It's Veteran's Day. We don't have any stellar Veteran's Day traditions. I'll have to work on that. Regardless of our lack of festivities, I'm grateful to Veterans. I admire them and their families. What a selfless service they perform!

5. Mr. H has been way into imaginative play lately. One favorite game is to pretend to be a tiger. I abhor this game. It involves a lot of pouncing and growling and clawing. If he's not a tiger, then it's some sort of sharp-toothed dino. Equally rough. Boys will be boys.


6. My sweet Great Aunt Geneva passed away about a week ago, and we've been celebrating her life this week with the funeral services. She was the most beautiful woman, as was evident by the huge numbers of people who swarmed her viewing and funeral. Even though we only saw her on occasion, she was the type of person who made an impact on you in the few seconds you had with her.


7. It also was my grandma's birthday, and because of the funeral services we were able to spend her special day with her! I love this woman. She makes all the difference in our family.
8. Today is the last day we can jump on our trampoline for the season. When Riley gets home from work, he's determined to take it down. Sad, sad day. We depended on that tramp as a quick way to get H's energy out. Any ideas?


9. My dad came down to Eastern Idaho for the funeral and we spent most of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with him. Hinder loves his Papa, and so do I. Daddy's always up for a good time, and we took advantage of his stay with lots of yummy food, cards games, laughing, and good conversation. It's always sad to see him go.



10. We had our first big dump of snow last weekend. Luckily, most of this week was temperate and a lot of the snow melted, but I think we're going to get round two starting tomorrow. And I bet this time it's here to stay. Welcome again, winter!



11. Along with winter, tomorrow brings much needed girl time at my open-house baby shower. So excited to hang with adults, and so grateful for a few good friends who threw this together. I'm excited!

One step closer to welcoming Baby #2.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween 2011

Halloween Overkill would have to be the title of this years festivities. We started Thursday evening with a local carnival and didn't stop the parties until Trick-or-Treating Halloween night.


Hinder couldn't decide between a pirate (which was actually Riley's costume) or a clown, so he was both!


With cousin Archer waiting for a hayride


Excited little clown!



Peg-legged pirate and a clown. I dressed as an 8 ball to compliment my round shape.


My brother, sis-in-law and sweet nephew white-trashin' it up! I can't get over Archer's adorable mullet. (how's that for an oxymoron?!)


Ready for trick-or-treating. Arrr!!


The neighborhood kids itching to get started.


In no time at all, H had this trick-or-treat business figured out.


Happy Halloween!