Happiness

Dustin and I have had many decisions to make lately. We have been discussing what to do when Dustin graduates from college and what we want for our family. I really feel like we have been making the right decisions. We have gotten closer in our marriage as we have become more aware of the level of communication needed to make things work. I think that we are doing the right things that will make sure David has a good and happy life.

I know that we are poor, but we are happy. We have everything we need and many of the things that we want. We have our goals that we are working toward both individually and together. We are working on the things the Prophet has asked of us. We have our garden, we continue to work on our food storage, we read our scriptures and pray as a family (as a matter of fact David won't go to sleep unless we read scriptures with him), we study scriptures individually and we magnify our callings. I don't know what more anyone could ask of us that could make us more happy than we are now.

This next week David and I will start our own homeschool preschool. He is quite the little learner and picks up on things quickly. Since we will be homeschooling our kids, I decided that I might as well get in the habit now and learn what more I need to do to make sure this is successful.

I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to stay home to care for David. I am glad that I get to teach him and watch grow up into the little boy he is becoming.

Old Man

Yesterday I took David to get shots. He did fine for the first couple of hours and then the pain set in. Last night before bed and today his poor little legs are so sore. David walks around like and old man with unsteady balance and soft slow steps. I feel so bad for him. I know that he needs to use his legs so that he can get over the soreness of the shots. I hope he gets over this soon, it's so sad to see him uncomfortable and cranky.

A Few Thoughts

As you look at this cute little face you might think, 'oh, he is having so much fun at home with his mom'; 'what a cute little boy'; or maybe even 'i wish i could play with david too'. Well keep those nice thoughts in mind as you view the next picture. No one that I have know has ever tried to eat a plastic spoon. While at an ice cream social David decided to try just that. One moment David is eating his ice cream and then I hear a crack and he stops. The next thing I know there is a "shark" bite out of the spoon. Normally people would just throw away the spoon and we did eventually, however not without documenting the evidence of our viscious spoon biting boy. I did try to keep the spoon for David's baby book but he broke it up more so we just have to rely on the picture of the event. Who would have thought you could bite into a plastic spoon?

David and I are having so much fun together. Dustin is doing well in school. This last Friday we went to the art show opening because Dustin had a painting in the show. It really is fun to be able to see Dustin's art work in art shows. One day we will get to see his art in the large gallery, I'm so excited.

Tag, I'm it! (you're next)

I've been tagged. Here are the results. Enjoy.

4 jobs i've had:
nutrition assistant - cheyenne hospital
student staff assistant - csu nutrition dept
cook - assisted living facility
youth worker - city hall in rio rancho

4 movies i can watch anytime:
that thing you do!
50 first dates
fools rush in
batman begins

4 places i have lived:
alamosa, colorado
fort collins, colorado
rio rancho, new mexico
greeeley, colorado

4 t.v. shows i love:
friends
scrubs
lost
csi

4 favorite foods
brownies
pizza
mexican
fruit (especially from farmer's market)

4 places i'd rather be:
new england - any of those states
vancouver, canada
washington
arizona

4 websites i visit daily:
my email
blogger
my bank
paper crafts

4 people to tag:
kelly
cassie
tamie
anyone else who sees this

Are you kidding me?!?

David has known the word "no" for quite a while now, however, he has now started to use it defiantly. He says no to anything we want him to do, getting dressed, coming inside, having his nose wiped, etc. Maybe he will grow out of this real fast!

It's taking over the garden

As some of you may know I have a vegetable garden here. I love taking care of my vegetables everyday. I have learned alot about the vegetables we planted. For instance the green long limbs of my acorn squash plant are taking over the garden! If i were to stretch it out I think my acorn squash plant probably streches to about 15 feet! Amazing! We are also growing Basil, Dill, Chives, Thyme, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Chili, Green, Red & Orange Bell Peppers, Onions, Green Onions, Carrots, Green Beans, Peas, Broccoli, Tomatoes & Celery. I am really proud of my little garden. We have been able to harvest a few things so far, but it looks like we should be getting quite a bit more before the end of the season.

Giddy Up Mom!

David loves it when i wear my apron. He likes to untie the ties and then pull me around by them. This time he was using them like reigns on a horse. Wonderful, I always wanted to be a horse when I grew up!

Funny Faces

Today Dustin went back to school which left David and me to entertain eachother and start to get back on a schedule. While we were reading stories this morning David would lean over to look at me and each time had a very different silly face. I don't know where he learns these things. I was laughing so hard at him, which would just egg him on and he would make more silly faces. What will this kid think of next? I wish I could have gotten a picture of it.

Laundry Day

Laundry day in the Hinton house looks at little something like this. David loves to help with the laundry by sorting, loading into the washing machine and sometimes hanging clothes on the line or taking them down. Today he is helping by making sure the clothes don't fall out of the basket unexpectedly. David thought it would be the perfect place to sit while watching his most favorite movie in the world, "Cars".

A Dolphin at Pueblo Zoo????

Did you know there is a dolphin at the Pueblo Zoo? Today we went to the zoo with two other families we know. It was lots of fun. There are a few sculptures there that David loved to climb up, on and in. We were able to get a good family picture on the dolphin, as you can see.David had lots of fun "riding" the large rabbit named "Lola". He would ask to be put up on the rabbit and then he would grab the ears and hook his legs around the neck. Then he would slide back down and ask to be put back up again. In the farm animal area is the large egg the kids can crawl into. This is a picture of Angeline, Ben and David; aren't they cute! I think this was the most fun David has had at the zoo because we have been learning about the sounds animals make and so David would make those sounds at the animals he knew.

We have had a zoo pass for a few months now and go whenever we need to leave the valley or have a trip planned to Pueblo. Of all the times we have gone this was the most fun for everyone. We have always gone in the afternoon, but this time we went in the morning. The animals are much more active and voal in the morning than in the afternoon. For this trip we also bought food to feed the water fowl, sheep, and goats. David seemed to enjoy feeding the animals, he seemed to like feeding the waterfowl the best. For some reason David really wanted the ugly one to have food and kept throwing handful after handful to him. It was enjoyable to watch the penguins being fed because it wasn't so hot and crowded like in the afternoon. We had a great time today. If you ever need something fun to do just take a trip to your local zoo.

Driving the Car

Whenever David hears us grab the car keys and open the door he thinks it's time to get in the car. He wants so much to get in that sometimes it doesn't matter which door is open just as long as he can clim into the car. This time David climbed into the driver's seat and was playing with the steering wheel. He still has a few more years before he is old enough to drive.

Another Year, Another Site

As another school year is upon us and Dustin starts school again we have decided to renew our habit of updating our family website. We decided to change the site in hopes that we would be more accessable to family members and friends.

Summer 2007

Dustin took three summer school classes. We were able to make a few family trips, two in particular. Our first big trip was in June to Oklahoma for Dustin's grandma's family reunion. This was the first time everyone met David and the first time most people met me. Although it was fast and involved a lot of driving we had a good time and were able to see some cool little towns along the way. In late July we were able to go up to Fort Collins for my cousin's wedding (we didn't really spend much time there due to a little boy that was super cranky and tired). We spent time with friends and family and just hung out around the town that we call home. We were blessed by a visit of Dustin's mom and cousin (Morgan) at the beginning of July. All of us took a mini vacation up to Creede, Colorado. We were able to go up to Lake City and look around, we visited some waterfalls and took a little scenic drive through the mountains.
We also saw the peak where the Rio Grande river begins (or at least water comes from). It's called Rio Grande Pyramid Peak. If you look very close at the picture, it's right in the center with snow on it. It was just beautiful to see the resevoir and the windy beginnings of the river. The land surrounding it is lush green and very picturesque.

It's been a busy and fun summer for all of us. We are ready to get back into a schedule and a little more structure.