tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222079814144922372024-03-12T18:45:07.572-07:00Repotting the Family TreeAllison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-11006486272254531422012-09-15T11:13:00.002-07:002012-09-15T11:13:31.815-07:00Religious Persecution, or why we should all just suck it up.There has been a very disturbing trend on facebook lately, and I felt the need to respond in kind, but there was not room enough in that forum, so I though I would move my thoughts here.<br />
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At this point everyone knows, or should know, about the attacks on the embassies in Libya and Cairo and various other places in the Middle East. We also know now that these attacks were not prompted by the incredibly rude and insulting video about Mohammad as was originally thought, and were a planned terrorist attack. However, the violence continues, and it continues to be blamed on America's religious insensitivity.<br />
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As deeply saddened as I was to learn of these events, it was not until later when discovering the particular reactions of some family and friends made me physically ill.<br />
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The LDS church has gone through, and currently goes through, some fairly bad persecutions. in the 1800s we were driven out of town after town, state after state, until finally we left the United States of America and fled to the last place anyone would would want to drive them out of, Salt Lake City. And STILL the USA sent the Army after them. The history is brutal-full of massacres, extermination orders, nightmarish stuff. And the vast majority of people in America have no idea that this happened. <br />
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But.<br />
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We live in a country where that kind of behavior doesn't happen now. Yes, people say horrible stuff about the Church on the internet. I'm really sorry about that-DON'T READ IT. Yes, people protest peacefully outside General Conference. I'm really sorry about that-aren't you grateful you have a beautiful building in which to hear conference that blocks out the sound of the protesters outside?<br />
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To you people comparing what the LDS church goes through to what Muslims are going though, do you think what the saints endured is anything compared to the Crusades? Do you think it is anything compared to what has been happening in the Middle East for the last, um, EVER? Do you think that someone in Georgia wondering if you might actually have two wives is anything to being pulled out of your house and beaten to death simply because you are a different sect? <br />
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Now a word about Broadway. I'm not going to bother asking if you've seen the Book of Mormon show, because I know you haven't. I'm going to ask if you've seen a different show. It's about church leaders, many of whom have just died because one of them made a mistake and accidentally poisoned them. The rest of them have to put on a show to raise money. Because they are so naive, they accidentally make several dirty jokes, and then one of the church leaders gets very high on drugs. Then they get all the money they need through gambling. Sounds like a terrible show, right? I bet many of you have seen it, and loved it. It's called Nunsense. Jokes are funny when they're about Catholics, aren't they. It's funny in Spamalot when they make fun of Jews, isn't it. Broadway has been making fun of other religions for YEARS. Why is it an "attack" when it's about Mormons? <br />
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These events are NOT about you. Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-78522319831808402942012-09-14T08:58:00.002-07:002012-09-14T08:58:53.896-07:00Been a whileSo I was looking on my mom's blog, and the link to my blog said my last post was 5 months old. This was a wake up call for a few reasons, obviously I hadn't realized it had been that long since I had written anything, but mainly I hadn't realized it had been that long since I had written about my stupid disease. That post was about trying to come to terms with my Hemiplegic Migraines. I had hoped that 5 months after writing that some more progress would have been made, but I'm not too far ahead. <br />
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Since then (March 31), I have been in the hospital, seen two neurologists, been diagnosed with an extra neurological condition (with similar symptoms and might possibly progress to the point of needing brain surgery but for now is mostly benign so, um, yay?), and put a few different medicines, one of which has helped me to lose 20 pounds (DEFINITELY YAY), and I still struggle to get through the week.<br />
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On the other hand even though I had to stay off the stage myself, I was still able to do some theatrical work this summer, and I designed the set for Evolution Theater Company's production of The Illusion. You can see pictures <a href="http://www.caustinhill.com/the-illusion.html">here</a>. Go look at them, I'm pretty proud of it, and the production was beyond amazing.<br />
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<br />Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-50533531546943845802012-03-30T10:12:00.001-07:002012-03-30T10:12:33.325-07:00Facing Facts<p>Since my diagnosis of SHM in January 2012 I have been looking for the switch to flip to reverse things. Which button do I push, which food do I cut out, which activity do I resign from to make this stop? Growing up I had bouts of migraines that would last for a month or so and then stay away for several months or even a couple of years. This is how I perceive my migraines-an irritation that will eventually go away and leave me in peace until the next time. So obviously even though these are different and scary and intrusive and all-around sucky, they must be on the brink of leaving. <br /></p><p>I just this minute realized that this is not going to happen. From January 2010-January 2012 I had 4-9 migraines a month, and since then I count myself lucky to have only 3 attacks per week. At what point do I have to sit myself down and face the reality that this has been my life for two years already, and it seems to be only getting worse? </p>I need to make a commitment to myself and my family and my mental well-being and say, "this is my life now". Instead of focusing all of my energy on where I wish I was and how things used to be, I need to start focusing on how to make Right Now better, and how things can be in the future. As much as I hate this disease and other people's preconceived notions about it, it's a part of who I am now and the sooner I start planning for it and taking it in to consideration with the rest of my life the happier I will be.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-73814904228539772652012-03-01T12:37:00.002-08:002012-03-01T13:13:07.028-08:00I was just reading some past blogs and realized how little I posted in 2011. There really is a good reason for that. I was working full time, going to school full time, and doing lots and lots of theatre. <br /><br />In the summer I was Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It was an amazing play with an amazing cast and I loved every minute of it. The pictures are on facebook, go look them up. <br /><br />Then right after that our company took over our theatre space that we were sharing with two other companies. It was a lot of work because the terms of our lease demanded visible activity in the space 5 days a week. This isn't a problem when we have a show in the works, but in the meantime it's MUCH harder than it sounds. For several weeks I would go straight from work to the theatre and find something to pretend to do, and it got really old really fast. But thankfully in November we started work on our Christmas show, Laughter and Light: A Celtic Holiday Celebration. It was a compilation of traditional winter rituals, celebrations, songs, dances, etc from England, Wales, Scotland, and of course, Ireland. I wrote it, I directed it, I choreographed it, I costumed it, and the whole family was in it. It was a LOT of fun, but I was exhausted when it was over!! <br /><br />We went to Utah again for Christmas, and because I, as you know, suck at taking pictures I don't have any. But my mom did so I'm sure they're around on facebook as well. (wow I'm lazy). It was a blast, we had an absolutely amazing time!<br /><br />January started with yet another play, this time it was Frank McCourt's musical "The Irish...And How They Got That Way". I told Chris I couldn't be in this one too, I needed a bit of a break plus it's tax season and I knew I'd be swamped at work. So I was just the musical director for this one and good thing, too. My migraines had been getting worse and worse, and on the 23rd I had one that sent me to the hospital in an ambulance. <br /><br />The new diagnosis is Hemiplegic Migraines, which are very rare and nasty. Think of every bad symptom you've heard of with a migraine, add in stroke symptoms (but without the actual stroke/death), plus other things like fever, and that's what happens to me. The one on the 23rd was bad enough it triggered a partial seizure as well. I had to get a medic alert bracelet because these leave me unable to move or speak for hours at a time. Medications used to treat migraines (I was on Relpax before), are very dangerous with this type of migraine, and can actually cause a stroke, so I can't take anything for them except for prescription pain medication when they're really bad. But that doesn't help any of the aura and it won't stop it once it starts. The preventative medicine they've got me on lowers my blood pressure so I have to chart that carefully to make sure it doesn't go too low. Essentially, this sucks. I'm on the longest streak of good days since Jan 12th, 4 days in a row without losing mobility. I've had some massively EPICLY bad pain during these days, but since I could still move and talk I take it as a win. Here's hoping things continue to improve!<br /><br />Because of the stupid HM, I had to quit everything I was doing except work. School, theatre, everything. So far this is pretty hard for me, when I'm not hiding in the dark with a migraine I sit on the couch and feel like I'm being really naughty and I need to be working on something. Then I remember that no, I don't, and I relax for a while. Unfortunately I do still have housework to do and I'm usually way too dizzy or light/sound sensitive to do it. The kids are being really helpful and sweet though, both in helping out with housework and sitting very quiet and still with me. I'm hoping to take this as an opportunity to pay more attention to them instead of myself.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-42865863181181977842012-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:002012-01-05T10:52:07.853-08:00New Year's Resolutions<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I have three resolutions for the New Year. They are simple and I hope that combined they will create a calmer atmosphere in my life.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1. SPEND LESS MONEY. We don't spend a lot of money anyway, because we don't have a lot to spend. But we do on occasion spend money on wasteful things that only contribute to the two problems mentioned next. So what we have done is look at our budget and where we are and where we want to be and cut out or down everything we could, and reallocated funds to where we'd really rather they be. We don't go out very often, whenever possible we like to stay home and appreciate our couch and our tv and being together as a family. So even though it is our one monthly bill that is voluntary we're keeping the satellite, but we're going to cut out other things like fast food to make it more comfortable. We also are hopefully planning a move in the next year or two, so we really don't need to be in acquisition mode, if we don't want to pack it in a box, we won't put it in a cart.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2. MAKE HEALTHIER CHOICES. I didn't say "lose weight" this year, because I want this to apply to everyone in the family, and I certainly don't think my children need to lose any weight. The main thing I'm doing is cutting out all soda, and limiting fast food to a very once in a while special occasion (as per #1). I'm also going to try to keep more fresh fruit and veggies in the house, and somehow in our crazy schedules we're going to try to exercise more often. There's a pool going at work, every day we're putting a dollar in a jar and the person who has lost the most weight/inches in 6 months gets the pot. I decided I am going to win this.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">3. GET ORGANIZED. This is vague, but what I mean is that our house is getting very cluttered and messy. So first of all we need to clear a lot of stuff out and find places for the rest of it to live. I don't want a mad dash of sorting while packing for a move like I've done every other time I've moved. Also we need to get chores and responsibilities straightened out. Zoe's only real household chore (other than her room of course) is the dishes, and Jimmy's is the garbage. I think we can all pitch in a little more and if we have a schedule for what day is laundry day, for instance, things will go much smoother.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">So these are my goals, and I'm very serious about them. I have an idea in my head of what kind of person I want to be and what I want to look like and how I want to feel, and I think it's high time I got there.</span>Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-5816365205615684682011-12-13T06:10:00.000-08:002011-12-13T06:20:56.098-08:00Christmas<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I don't actually have time to blog today, making this no different from the preceding weeks and months. However what DOES make today different is that I am very sick. and at work. These two things combine to keep me awake and yet not altogether mentally aware. Thusly I'm taking a break from making large tax payments with other people's money to update my blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Since I last blogged I have done some theatre. So much in fact that at the moment I don't even want to talk about it. I have done some good things at work and made my boss very happy with me, and that makes me very happy. It's nice to have a job I'm good at that I like so much.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">My kids are happy and very old now-Jimmy just turned 8, and Zoe turned 10 in October. I feel old, and then I remember that I'm still only in my first year of being 29, and that makes me feel better.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Chris is done with his exams and will start on his dissertation soon, he's already applying for jobs. I would love to move to Ireland, but I'll settle for any job that pays him in real money instead of tuition wavers.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We're leaving for Utah one week from today because the calendar seems to think that Christmas is coming soon, but I really couldn't be less prepared or less in the right spirit if I tried. I wore my favorite Christmas earrings today, so we'll see if that helps me along. This lack of cheer worries me a little, because Christmas has always been my favorite time of year and I usually annoy everyone around me with my enthusiasm. I imagine it will come eventually, I just hope it comes before 2012.</span>Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-85295862310749765402011-04-24T18:10:00.000-07:002012-09-14T07:43:23.287-07:00Happy EasterThe last few days have been pretty funny, in very different ways.<br />
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On Thursday my boss heralded the end of tax season by taking the whole office out to dinner and drinks. This was really fun because I started there right at new years, so everyone's been really stressed and busy and I haven't had too much chance to get to know them very well. The next day my boss had to leave early so we all got to leave early and I took the opportunity to go to walmart without the kids to get Easter stuff. <br />
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I didn't worry about getting much stuff because of the easter egg hunt we were planning on going to on Saturday at the Shamrock Club. We went to this last year and it was so much fun. They have lots of land around the club and they section off areas for different age groups and hide thousands of eggs filled with candy. So the kids get to absolutely fill their buckets without worrying about being nice to the little kids and its a total blast. Then there's food and music and a raffle and its just really really fun and we started planning this years trip as soon as we left last year. <br />
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So I'm standing in line with my cart and feeling happy that I was getting out of the store in one piece, when I looked at my phone and saw something weird on my calendar widget. I had completely forgotten that that was the day I had scheduled to take my CPR class. It went from 8:00-5:30 and there was no way I could change it. So not only could I not go to the Shamrock Club as we'd had planned for a year, but I couldn't spend the afternoon dying eggs and doing my homework that was due by midnight either. <br />
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So I broke it to the kids that I couldn't take them, and went to my class. It was fine, the teacher was really really good, and I'm glad I learned how to do it. It didn't do anything nice for my costochondritis LET ME TELL YOU. Chris brought the kids over and we had lunch together though, so that was nice. And then when I got home I found that he had had them clean their rooms and the family room so we could get right to egg dying. <br />
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We don't hide the real eggs at our house (I know that if we ever did we would lose one), but we still like to dye them. So we cooked and dyed 27 eggs while we talked about the real meaning of Easter. And I introduced the kids to the little shrink-wrap sleeves. I've never bothered with that before so they've never seen it and they thought it was pretty neat. Then I did my homework which was two chapters and a quiz in Advanced Medical Terminology which had to be done by midnight. You may well ask why I hadn't done it before Saturday, to which I answer, hey man, I don't answer to you!<br />
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I finished my homework at 11:51 and I still had to do baskets and hide eggs and do all that stuff. I was grumbling and whining about not feeling well and being in pain and being tired and why do we have to hide crap anyway when I went into the living room and found a note very carefully placed where it would be seen immediately upon entering the front door. It was addressed to "Mr Bunny". It very politely asked Mr Bunny if he knew Santa Claus and if so could he pass along a message to him? My son is adorable. <br />
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All in all, we had an okay Easter, and at the end of it of course is the realization of why we celebrate it at all.<br />
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Oh yeah, and to keep you up to date, a week or so ago I had a very very bad headache that wouldn't go away and so early in the morning I cut my hair. off. Very very short like it used to be. I think I did a pretty good job-but it took me a couple days to remember how to style it right! And in case you're wondering, yes my headache did go away, but only for a day. It was worth it.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-25284540812351012332010-12-04T14:45:00.000-08:002010-12-04T15:43:46.595-08:00Season's Greetings<span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Last week we had the audacity to leave the dog alone while we went to two grocery stores in the pouring rain. I know, we're horrible people. Well we got home around 7:30 and she was so excited to see us she actually knocked me down. 7 hours later I got home from the ER with a sprained ankle. I would like to point out that it has been 3 1/2 years since I sprained an ankle, and this one was entirely NOT MY FAULT. In the ankle spraining spectrum it seems worse than others in that its actually quite swollen (which is weird) and turned pretty colors. But it isn't broken, and its my left foot so I can still drive, it won't be long on crutches, blah blah blah. Here's the important bit. For those of you who remember, I'm pretty good on crutches. I've kinda had some practice. But see, when I used to do that all the time I was a)in good strength anyway and b)not fat. Put all this together and you get a seriously tired person with arms that may never move again. I'm typing this with a pencil in between my teeth.<br /><br />Which leads me to my next story, entitled, "A Bad Day. Or, How a Testing Center Employee made me Cry"<br />Today I had my last chemistry lab on campus, and I figured that since getting around was so difficult, I would take my last three tests while I was there. So I got to school, parked in the best spot I could find, and went to Chemistry. I was dreading the long walk over to the testing center but there was no way around it so I put my workout music on my iPod and started off. I made the 5 minute walk in only about 20 minutes, stopping to huff and puff and die every 20 yards. Finally I made it into the building, got down the stairs and stood in line, and when I got to the front of the line the woman said, "Oh, your tests aren't in this building. Your math test is in *** hall which is this way and your psych tests are in *** hall which is the other way." I was still, at this point, gasping for air, and I said, "You've got to be kidding me! I don't even know where those buildings are, are they far? I'm so tired from getting here!" And she rolled her eyes and actually said,<br /><br />"take a deep breath and get over it."<br /><br />So I gathered my things again and crutched up the stairs out of the building where I lost it and cried and called Chris because I was so tired I wasn't sure I could move any further, let alone find buildings I'd never heard of. I looked at the map she gave me and found that the building for the math test was closer than the car so I sucked it up and made my way over, only to find that it was the least handicapped accessible building I've ever been in, so I had to go down two more flights of stairs to the area where the overflow testing was being held. As I was walking down the hallway I was about 30 feet away from the sign in desk when the woman yelled, "Oh My Hell! Who told you to come here?" So, naturally I started crying again, thinking she was going to send me somewhere else. Apparently I could have taken my tests at the testing center and the woman was never supposed to send me anywhere else with the crutches. The people at the overflow place were so super nice and told me they were so sorry and they set me up and brought me the sheets and the proctors came to me to sign me in and they let me do all my tests there so I didn't have to move anymore. While I was working I had at least 3 people come by to tell me they were so sorry, and when I was done the manager of the testing center asked me who had sent me over and what they had said and I told her and her jaw dropped and she said, "I WILL fix that." So I got all the way back to the car, and I finally made it home and I will never leave my couch again. Ever.<br /></span>Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-8963156510855529832010-11-08T18:14:00.000-08:002010-11-08T18:46:25.163-08:00wait, what?<span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">I'm sure it can't be November already, so I'm going to assume that it isn't. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">We're all doing pretty well, Chris is plugging away, being awesome. The kids had some trouble with the charter school they were in, it was a great school last year but this year the atmosphere turned really toxic and not one day went by without one of the kids saying they had been made fun of, and the day Jimmy came home with two black eyes we said enough is enough and moved them back to the neighborhood school. We toured the school the friday before they started and two girls in Zoe's new class recognized her from 2nd grade and there was a little 9 year old squealing party in the hallway. She had more friends in the new school before she started than she ever had at the charter school! Plus they can wear their own clothes now instead of uniforms and let me tell you something, that is such a relief on the wallet! </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">We also are taking care of a puppy (2 years old) for the next couple months, her name is Eliza and she's an American Bulldog-I have pictures on facebook, I'll take more and post them here and there eventually. She's huge, 90 pounds of pure muscle and at first glance very fierce and mean looking, but actually the sweetest little thing ever. She thinks she's a little lap dog and if you're not careful she'll just plop her big hind end in your lap (or face). She's very well trained and has somehow cured Jimmy of his paralyzing fear of dogs. Its pretty amazing actually, he used to be so afraid of dogs that once he ran out in traffic to get away from a little dog on a leash, but since we got Eliza he's warmed up to pretty much every dog he's met. Yesterday a 7 month old beagle jumped up on him and licked his face and he just giggled! It's also kind of weird what she's done for us as a family-I've always told the kids they can't have a pet until they can keep the house clean, but since we have her the house is staying cleaner than ever. Plus we're a little bit more active which is always good.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">And on a side note...my hair is pink. pictures to follow ^_^</span>Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-23752606010260310482010-08-09T15:46:00.000-07:002010-08-09T16:00:14.477-07:00Old picturesHere are a couple pictures I have laying around on the computer. They're very old, but absolutely adorable.<br /><br />This is Zoe, around 2 1/2.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TGCG9RCQLtI/AAAAAAAAANs/4vEw8JNLTBs/s1600/PICT0016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TGCG9RCQLtI/AAAAAAAAANs/4vEw8JNLTBs/s320/PICT0016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503547131749740242" border="0" /></a>This is Jimmy, or as we called him then, The Ferocious Beast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TGCG9NgZK3I/AAAAAAAAANk/BtqfbBMwTS4/s1600/PICT0002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TGCG9NgZK3I/AAAAAAAAANk/BtqfbBMwTS4/s320/PICT0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503547130802416498" border="0" /></a>This is Joel, Zoe, and Jimmy at Yellowstone about 6 years ago, putting them...um...doing math...I guess 8, 2, and 6 months.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TGCG8ejl2_I/AAAAAAAAANc/DeeyEiSsLgw/s1600/PICT0003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TGCG8ejl2_I/AAAAAAAAANc/DeeyEiSsLgw/s320/PICT0003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503547118199364594" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cute no? What's really weird is how much Jimmy looks more and more like Joel every day. Couple of handsome devils.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-40657173178816774712010-07-17T06:54:00.001-07:002010-07-17T07:36:38.898-07:00Hang on, I need to find the camera. And the cord. And figure out how to do this.Would you believe it's been 2 days since I wrote the title of this post?<br /><br />I won't bore you with the details of my life the last few weeks, I went to Utah (which is another post) and left my kids with my wonderful parents and Chris and I have been left to our own devices for 18 days. Let me just say that we are very different people without children.<br /><br />So lets get on to the main attraction, shall we?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG66MzZU4I/AAAAAAAAANE/w9WKV63tXa0/s1600/DSCN1740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG66MzZU4I/AAAAAAAAANE/w9WKV63tXa0/s320/DSCN1740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494878529400689538" border="0" /></a>This is Christmas morning at Grandma's house, from left to right we have my sister-in-law Erin holding Max, Zoe, Holly, Jimmy, and Sam. They're waiting by the door to the livingroom while Grandpa checks to see if Santa really did come.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG65rxQqsI/AAAAAAAAAM8/H8C_S_Lee68/s1600/DSCN1741.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG65rxQqsI/AAAAAAAAAM8/H8C_S_Lee68/s320/DSCN1741.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494878520533363394" border="0" /></a>Apparently he DID! Those are all ELEVEN stockings, all hand-knitted by my mother and stuffed full of candy and peanuts and fruit and cereal and presents.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG65C178UI/AAAAAAAAAM0/u2lOXXBISNs/s1600/DSCN1743.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG65C178UI/AAAAAAAAAM0/u2lOXXBISNs/s320/DSCN1743.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494878509547123010" border="0" /></a>This is back in Ohio, the day after we got back in January. Jimmy is wearing his new coat and doing some sort of awesome dance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG64tTGcFI/AAAAAAAAAMs/Mx2fNkFa_CY/s1600/DSCN1744.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG64tTGcFI/AAAAAAAAAMs/Mx2fNkFa_CY/s320/DSCN1744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494878503763865682" border="0" /></a><br />Close up on the awesome dance.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5v97IhhI/AAAAAAAAAMk/UNXvruqSs4s/s1600/DSCN1750.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5v97IhhI/AAAAAAAAAMk/UNXvruqSs4s/s320/DSCN1750.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494877254096291346" border="0" /></a>He's very good at shoveling unstepped on snow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5vWS1OxI/AAAAAAAAAMc/s-DNckIheK8/s1600/DSCN1752.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5vWS1OxI/AAAAAAAAAMc/s-DNckIheK8/s320/DSCN1752.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494877243458272018" border="0" /></a>Helping Daddy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5u7hnk-I/AAAAAAAAAMU/98jRYXbjjDQ/s1600/DSCN1757.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5u7hnk-I/AAAAAAAAAMU/98jRYXbjjDQ/s320/DSCN1757.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494877236272534498" border="0" /></a>I had to put this in-this is a bad picture of my nutcracker collection. I have many different kinds, but my favorite is the one just to the left of center -a Mountie that my parents brought me from Canada.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5uU0sANI/AAAAAAAAAMM/qz3CE4CZ8fA/s1600/DSCN1761.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5uU0sANI/AAAAAAAAAMM/qz3CE4CZ8fA/s320/DSCN1761.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494877225883533522" border="0" /></a>This is a Zoe's 3rd grade class performing Thriller at the end of the year. I was about to tell you which one she is, but she's the only white girl in the picture ^_^. She's also wearing the best costume...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5t_M2v4I/AAAAAAAAAME/LfYHZlr_WnY/s1600/DSCN1764.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/TEG5t_M2v4I/AAAAAAAAAME/LfYHZlr_WnY/s320/DSCN1764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494877220079320962" border="0" /></a><br />And has the least rhythm. Notice how everyone else in the picture (especially the girl in the front) is in the middle of some great move and my beautiful daughter is just kind of standing there? Yeah. Funny thing is, she worked really really hard on this dance and practiced all the time so she had everything memorized. I guess you either have it or you don't. It's cute though because Jimmy somehow ended up with it.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-56503320828151756922010-05-20T17:44:00.000-07:002010-05-20T17:59:09.602-07:00PicturesI've been told I don't post enough (read:any) pictures. Well I'm sorry. If I knew how to use the camera, I would. If you're wondering why I would buy a camera I can't figure out, ask the person who picked it. Which, in case you were wondering, isn't me.<br /><br />The other part of the problem is, simply, that I am not a picture taking person. I love to take pictures, don't get me wrong. It's just that I never remember to. When I was growing up it was always my dad with the camera. Then my mom got frustrated that there were too many pictures of trees and not enough with people, so he started taking pictures only of people which was better but where was the beautiful scenery we drove so far to see? So she got her own camera and started taking pictures as if the fate of the free world depended on it (which it might, you don't know). They both have taken classes and know wonderful things about picture taking that I will never know, like moving your finger away from the flash and taking the lens cap off. <br /><br />But now that I am far away from both of these photogs, I really should make more of an effort to remember that when my son is walking like an egyptian in front of the whole school, posterity should know about it.<br /><br />Plus, if I'm the one taking the pictures, I'm only in them if I want to be, so its better for everyone.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-66423495499332350802010-04-12T19:12:00.000-07:002010-04-12T19:44:40.764-07:00Spring in Ohio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/S8PV2ZSN3qI/AAAAAAAAALs/Ugqj0e3mN74/s1600/blossom-on-the-trees-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/S8PV2ZSN3qI/AAAAAAAAALs/Ugqj0e3mN74/s320/blossom-on-the-trees-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459442303780118178" border="0" /></a>I wanted to blog, because I'm happy today, but now that I've started I don't have much to say. My job is going well, things are seeming to pick up a bit which is nice. I'm still having massive migraines and they're starting to branch out into new symptoms that are not very fun and last week resulted in my coworkers calling 911. ugh. But I still love my job and I LOVE spring here. Everything is so green and there are citywide gardening motifs that all include daffodils which is awesome. <br /><br />The kids have new schedules at school, Zoe spends half the day in 3rd grade and half the day in 5th, and Jimmy splits his time between kindergarten and 1st. Since this started she's been happier and he's stopped acting up so I think it's a really good thing. They're just too smart for their own good.<br /><br />Chris is finishing his thesis and getting ready for his defense date in May, and we're all very very excited for him to be done with it and get his Masters. I'm hoping we'll be able to afford graduation announcements before its too late, but if we don't then keep an eye out on facebook.<br /><br />We (the kids and I at least) are coming to Utah at the end of June, I'll stay about a week and then head home and leave the kids for a while to be spoiled rotten by any and all. I can't stay longer because I'll be starting rehearsals for "Dancing at Lughnasa" with Solstice, and especially if Chris can't come then I don't want to stay too long. But its also my 10 year reunion, and that's going to be awesome (and freaky-that makes me old).<br /><br />I'm also anxiously awaiting news from my nearest relatives-my cousin Ben and his wife Amanda are at the hospital (having an excellent time I'm sure) having their first baby boy and I'm very excited for them!Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-44731755028506436032010-03-18T18:03:00.000-07:002010-03-18T18:20:44.809-07:00WhingeingSlice of my life at the moment.<br /><br />I do NOT feel<br />*optimistic<br />*creative<br />*encouraged<br />*energetic<br />*hungry<br />*comfortable<br />*cold<br />*patriotic<br />*argumentative<br />*sexy<br />*like chicken tonight<br /><br />I DO feel<br />*irritated<br />*grateful<br />*grouchy<br />*nervous<br />*a breeze<br />*sentimental<br />*thirsty<br />*frustrated<br />*tired<br />*blank<br />*dissatisfied<br />*mortified<br />*proud<br /><br />I see<br />*clutter<br />*homework<br />*laundry<br />*pictures<br />*cards<br />*books<br /><br />I hear<br />*a breeze<br />*motorcycles<br />*teenagers<br />*ducks<br /><br />I smell<br />*a breeze<br />*water<br />*downyAllison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-75404845406948865482010-02-15T12:50:00.000-08:002010-02-15T12:54:53.553-08:00PSAI would like to take this opportunity to say that I have had a migraine nearly everyday for the past 5 weeks. It's getting really old, and I would appreciate it if it would knock it the heck off. I need my brains at the moment, and having them leak out my ears while I throw up is not my favorite activity.<br /><br />thank you, that is all.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-30636139057127578432010-01-07T20:17:00.000-08:002010-01-12T11:45:52.910-08:00NewsSo many things to say!!!!!<br /><br />Okay, so obviously I didn't post in Utah. But that's only because my fingers were frozen. No really, we were so busy and there were so VERY many people I didn't get to see because we barely had time to see the people we did. If I didn't call you, it's not because I don't love you, its just that other people called me first.<br /><br />So we had a great flight there, the kids were well behaved and we even landed several minutes early. And our really great friends lent us a car so we were a little more independant. The first few days were filled with a crazed frenzy of shopping and baking and enchiladas, the result of which was me losing my mind and curling up in my mom's room and crying/sleeping for several hours. But then came Christmas, and it was great! It was so fun to have Christmas morning back in that house with my parents and my brother and his wife and their kids-there was so much to do and all the kids were so excited about EVERYTHING! With all the people there were so many presents under that tree Santa couldn't even fit them all in and piled some on nearby chairs.<br /><br />After a few more days of Christmassing and partying and singing about Christmas Monkeys, we had Zoe's baptism on Tuesday. It was absolutely lovely. I cried. And our friends came back early from Idaho just to be there (the ones who lent us their car), and some people from our old ward, and the whole family was there. It was just really nice and a very special day for Zoe.<br /><br />The next day I went to lunch with my mom and sister in law to the Garden restaurant at the top of the JSMB. It was a snowy day so the view wasn't very far, but the temple was covered in snow and that is my favorite view of it. The food was wonderful of course, but I was just starting to be very extremely sick with some sort of absolutely terrible cold. Once we got back, Chris and I left to go to the Sheraton downtown and a night at P.F. Changs to celebrate our 9th anniversary. We got to the hotel and then decided while we were parking that we should drive the two blocks to the restaurant and see if they had parking because I was so sick Chris didn't want to make me walk in the cold and snow. On the way back to the hotel from our reconnaissance trip we turned a corner and when Chris put on the brake to slow for the light a block away, nothing happened. It was snowing and very icy and no matter what method he tried (and we were so far away he had time to try EVERYTHING), we slid and got into a car accident. Not just any car accident mind you, he ran into the back of a port-o-potty truck. With a port-o-potty on it. It was just great. Remember this is our friends' car. So we had to get out and call the police and fill out tons of forms and exchange all the information-all this while standing in the snow, on December 30th, downtown. This means that there were lots of people walking past on their way to the big parties. With cameras. Yeah. It was awesome!<br /><br />But eventually it was all done and we had a great time at dinner-my aunt and uncle were at the same restaurant for their anniversary too! And can I just say, after several days in a 61 degree house on an air mattress on top of a futon mattress on the bottom bunk of bunk beds, a king size bed with egyptian cotton sheets and a huge duvet and a 52 inch flat screen TV was HEAVEN for my head cold! I shouldn't complain, because of all the extra people in the house nearly all the kids were sleeping on the floor and everyone was very very very squished. I'm sure they don't miss us-we took a lot of room and probably made a big mess, but I miss them very much. I really like Ohio and I LOVE my house, but I wish we weren't so far apart!!!<br /><br />But our friends didn't disown us for killing their car, and I got to spend time with both my brothers' families and my parents, and we ate MANY of ENCHILADAS!!! ha ha ha. And I only gained 2 pounds, which is fairly good for me I think. (I managed to hit my goal of 30 lbs lost the day we left for SLC so I'm fairly happy with that)<br /><br />Then came January 1st and our flight home. The plane left at 8, and with holiday traffic and heightened security we got there just after 6. I was a little worried, because it was so early the kids didn't want to eat anything and I knew they would be starving on the plane, but snacks would have to do. We boarded the flight to Cincinnati and got all settled in, with the kids and I on the right side of the aisle and Chris just across on the left. We took off and the plane was really swervy and turny which really turns my stomach and after about 20 minutes I had just decided to take a motion sickness pill when the pilot came on the intercom<br /><br />"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some bad news"<br /><br />Well if I didn't need to throw up before, I certainly needed to NOW.<br /><br />"It looks like we've lost our left engine, and we're going to have to turn around and make an emergency landing back in Salt Lake. Now a plane can fly with just one engine, I've done it HUNDREDS of times. In a simulator"<br /><br />He was actually pretty funny and forthcoming which helped a lot to calm everyone down. We landed amidst tons of emergency vehicles which the pilot assured us quite emphatically that these were "just in case! ...and because the engine started smoking as we landed. But its FINE!" they were able to get us back to the terminal, which, I have to admit, disappointed me a little bit. Since we were on the ground and safe, I kinda wanted to have to exit by the emergency slidey things. I mean, come on. it's the least they could do. But anyway we got off and ran to find other arrangements-we only had an hour in cinci to make our first connection, there was no way we'd make it now-and we ended up with a new flight there, a new connection, and $84 in airport food vouchers. I know! Then the next flight was delayed, so we missed the new connection anyway, and they gave us $56 more in vouchers at the cinci airport. So it was a very exciting day, and we were all safe and together and EXTREMELY well fed, so I didn't particularly mind. We had nowhere we had to be (except watching football, darn it), so we had an adventure instead.<br /><br />So then...(I know, really long posting, sorry)...I was replaced at my job. :( It's a bummer, because I was counting on that income, but really its okay, because I already had a much much better job. I've been hired by a well known life insurance and financial company. Its really exciting-its all about helping people make the most of what they have and helping them prepare for the future, and its also going to really help us. Its going to be a lot of work, but the hours are whatever I set (so like if someone's sick I can stay home with them), and the pay and benefits are amazing. It's a real big girl grown up job and I'm really really excited. I have a lot of training to get through before I launch full time (and make any money, unfortunately), but I'm doing really well at it and it's going fast.<br /><br />And lastly, Chris and Zoe are very sick right now with Strep throat. I don't know if that's what I've got, but I don't think so. Jimmy has resisted it so far but I'm hoping if he gets it that he gets it tomorrow when I can still take him to his doctor and get him medicated over the weekend. But knowing him he'll get terribly sick sunday afternoon. ^_^ Chris is funny when he gets Strep-and he gets it a lot-but his whole throat swells up. Tonsils (yes he still has them. Silly boy), glands, and his uvula gets so big he either has to swallow it or rest it on his tongue just to breathe. He can't talk very well, and really can't eat much of anything either. It makes me sad when he gets so sick because I don't have magical mommy healing properties with him like I do with the kids. Zoe's really sick too-they think she might actually have scarlet fever, and when they asked if she wanted the yummy bubblegum medicine for a week or a huge shot of penicillin in her rear end, she actually chose the shot! lol poor kid. But at least she's done with that now and can just get better.<br /><br />And lets all hope and pray that it keeps snowing all night and the schools are closed tomorrow, because then no one has to leave the house (except when I have to make the obligatory popsicle and soup run).Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-91178778710197435702009-12-21T20:59:00.001-08:002009-12-21T21:01:01.260-08:00Christmas!!!!!!!I'm not blogging now, because my best friend is over and I'm leaving tomorrow and then she's leaving and I'LL CRY and CRY and CRY and CRY and then in 6 months I'll be happier.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'll blog from Utah. Maybe.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-81177852766308947982009-10-28T18:11:00.000-07:002009-10-28T19:23:11.040-07:00I...I...I...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SujzzZKHFPI/AAAAAAAAAKo/RSSgJjyvFQw/s1600-h/epic+fail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SujzzZKHFPI/AAAAAAAAAKo/RSSgJjyvFQw/s320/epic+fail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397832217655710962" border="0" /></a>Okay. I'm going to try to get through this. Today I was cooking and baking all sorts of things. I had a burner hot because I made hard boiled eggs and I had just taken a tray of chicken out of the oven and put it on the stove to cool. Then I remembered its my friend Erin's birthday tomorrow so I decided to make a cake for her. I made a double batch of chocolate chocolate cake and got out my favorite cake pan-an 8 inch springform-and greased it. I put in on the stove in front of the pan of chicken and poured the batter into it. When I put the mixing bowl in the sink and went to pick up the pan and put it in the oven I heard a strange sound. <br /><br />It was a soft sound, but it gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the sound of the spring on the springform pan breaking. <br /><br />The sides of the pan came up with my hands and the bottom stayed on the stove. So did the double batch of cake batter. Which proceeded to ooze to the right and burn to the still very hot burner. And to the rear to mingle with my baked chicken. And to the front. <br /><br />All. The. Way. Down. To. The. Floor. <br /><br />Now, maybe you have some experience with this, but I'm not really sure the best way to scoop up a double batch of cake batter from the hot stove and the floor. I'm still not sure how I did it but I know my washing machine is full of chocolately towels. And after I got it all cleaned up and I was putting the next pan full of cake successfully in the oven I noticed it. The insult to the injury. A lone drip down the inside of the oven window. Deep in the middle where it can never ever be cleaned. Mocking me.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-147675621939098192009-10-22T18:08:00.000-07:002009-10-22T18:50:02.917-07:00Children<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SuECQ2pj_-I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/6LsPuUfevMI/s1600-h/lolcatsdotcompuzzles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SuECQ2pj_-I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/6LsPuUfevMI/s320/lolcatsdotcompuzzles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395596317137567714" border="0" /></a>Okay. First of all the official story about Jimmy's hospital visit. Then the funny stuff.<br /><br />Last thursday he woke up with a headache, but that was all so we gave him some ibuprofen and sent him to school. When Chris picked him up he said that his throat hurt and he was so tired he laid down in art club and even fell asleep. He had a fever so we snuggled him up on the couch and gave him more ibuprofen. this is around 5:30. So Chris left for his rehearsal and I was just sitting in the family room with the kids watching Arthur, when Jimmy got up to go to the bathroom. Immediately I heard him cough a lot and then start to wail-usually a telltale sign that he's thrown up-so I ran in to help but he said it was just his throat hurt so bad and he couldn't stop coughing (or crying). I went into the kitchen to find some cough medicine and before I could even find any he started choking and the strider started. If you've ever heard a child with croup you will know that sound. It is the worst sound I've ever heard and i will never ever forget or mistake it. If you haven't heard it, it's the sound a child makes when his windpipe has swollen nearly closed and he is trying desperately not to die from suffocation. Their mouths are open like fish out of water and the skin around their nose, mouth and throat sucks in with every almost-breath and they have a look in their eyes of fear and pain and confusion. I ran to find a steroid pill that we have for just these occasions, but it was too late for that so then I grabbed his albuterol inhaler thinking that might get more time to get to the ER, but he couldn't even take a breath of that either.<br /><br />I called my friend Amy during all of this and kind of yelled/cried that I was taking him to the hospital and could her Dad meet me there to give Jim a blessing and take Zoe, and luckily she made me talk to him (he's an RN) and he heard Jimmy and said to call 911. I realized that he was right-Jimmy was too far gone and I was not in a state to drive him, especially since I didn't exactly know where I was going. So I called 911 and the dispatcher heard Jimmy over the phone and I immediately heard the sirens going. I put him at the front door to try to get the cold air in him (that helps croup) and had Zoe sit with him while I grabbed things I needed and when I got back she was saying a prayer for him-it was very sweet. The ambulance pulled up and they didn't even start working on him in the house, they immediately got him inside and in an oxygen mask. Amy came right after and I gave her Zoe-Zoe was VERY upset that she couldn't come help me, but I'm so grateful that she didn't experience the ambulance ride. It was incredibly traumatic for me, I can't imagine what it would have done to her. Jimmy kept throwing up through the mask and drooling because he couldn't swallow and the blood vessels in his face and eyes were bursting from the effort to get a breath. We were lights and sirens the whole way to the childrens hospital and I was thinking it was a shame that Jimmy wasn't in a state to appreciate that-he would have thought it was really cool. (I guess, if he was able to appreciate it, he wouldn't have needed it. oh well.) <br /><br />So we got to the hospital and Chris was waiting for us. Jimmy actually responded to Daddy where he hadn't responded to any of us. Chris gave him a hug and Jimmy pulled him closer and booped his nose. it made me cry. They put us in a trauma room and there were never less than 10 people in there trying to figure out what was going on. It was obviously croup-that sound is unmistakable. But croup doesn't come on that fast, from 0-60 in nothing flat. And it certainly doesn't get that bad that fast. Also, he had the burst blood vessels, which they said could be hiding a rash, and he kept falling asleep and not responding-which could have been him exhausted from fighting to breath and relaxed from having oxygen, or something worse. So they brought an x-ray machine to make sure he didn't swallow anything and then decided to save his airway by intubating him. They took him to the OR so they could have everything around them they needed in case of-whatever-and they sedated him and looked around and took samples of everything and eventually decided they didn't need to intubate (thank goodness) but they were going to keep him sedated and in the ICU. He stayed in the ICU until late on Friday when they moved him to a regular room, and let me tell you-everyone was so much nicer and more attentive in the regular room! I was so glad to be there and out of the ICU. The final decision from all their tests was that he had something bacterial going on that he was fighting off, and then he got the croup on top of that, and all of a sudden his little body said that was too much and gave up to both at once. They sent us home on saturday, and he kept up the near constant sleeping until Sunday, and then Monday (except for the cough) you could hardly tell there had ever been anything wrong with him. He lost weight though-and that freaks me out a little. He feels a little too skinny now, and he has nasty bruises in several places from various IVs, but I'll take it. He's been in the hospital for croup before, but never this bad. I've never been so scared and worried.<br /><br />Anyway, like I said, he's pretty much fine now, so on to the funny stuff.<br /><br />When I went to tuck her in tonight, Zoe handed me a list of Laws she would like entered into the family constitution. I will reproduce it here for you in as true a manner as I can-including spelling.<br /><br />Law$<br />1. no obgecting!<br />2. writing from 4:00 Am to 9:00 Pm<br />3. Bed-time 8:00 on week-days, and 8:30 on weekends!<br />4. no letter enspecting/snooping/spying!<br />5. 2 deserts after dinner!<br />6. More books!<br />7. More snuggling!<br />8. toy/pen/wand/pointer thing privlages at all times!<br />9. no Thomas/cars/incredables/meet the robinsens at any times!<br />10. no exepsions!<br />plese consiter these laws quickly.<br /><br />nice doing buisness with you,<br />Miss. Hill<br /><br />she actually wrote Zoe Hill at the bottom, but crossed out Zoe and wrote Miss. <br /><br />I have the video from their Paragon Night (kind of a 'look what we've learned in social studies') and once we figure out how to upload it I'll post it. It's very very cute, and don't worry, I didn't film the 8th graders being appallingly horrifically illiterate.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-15670897159154188142009-10-08T18:17:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:08:48.052-07:00kids and work and all that jazz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Ss6Rki_we6I/AAAAAAAAAKI/1YO6Yh_3XPc/s1600-h/lolcats-funny-pictures-hey-dad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Ss6Rki_we6I/AAAAAAAAAKI/1YO6Yh_3XPc/s320/lolcats-funny-pictures-hey-dad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390405861064604578" border="0" /></a>So very much to say, and absolutely no energy or mental strength to do so. 3 weeks ago my boss said he didn't want to run my cafe anymore so there were two options. The first option was to close it down and i'd need a new job, and the second option was for ME to take over. So basically I was handed a business on a silver platter. Its a very good situation, but its a whole heck of a lot of work that I'm not used to or experienced in. Plus, as good as any situation is, it's all on me to do something with it. I have the weather on my side (no one wants to walk anywhere for lunch when it's raining and cold), and everyone's being really supportive, but I'm still scared silly.<br /><br />My children are crazy. Every day I pick them up from school and they say something else that suprises me. It's ridiculous how smart they are, and everyday I have some member of the staff or faculty telling me so. And yet when we get home, all of a sudden they're selfish lazy bratty kids who only use their brains to try to outwit the other or worse, us. That's not entirely true, but it sure feels like it sometimes! I'm perversely grateful for the times when Jimmy is hurt or legitimately sad and Zoe rushes to comfort him. Its makes me so happy to see that they actually DO care about each other. Saturdays are my favorite because we all cuddle together and do nothing. An outside observer might think that our couch is too big for our family room, or that we need more seating, but our favorite family activity is everyone piled on each other on the couch watching movies or tv or football or pretending to while we're actually asleep.<br /><br />I think I started rambling back there so I'm going to bed before I lose it completely. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday-here's hoping its a really busy day!Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-36022289868639554742009-09-17T15:54:00.000-07:002009-09-17T17:32:50.401-07:00isn't it always the way<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SrLNnc7pb4I/AAAAAAAAAKA/YTSZDzZAcN8/s1600-h/funny-pictures-cat-is-sick-and-cannot-go-to-school.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SrLNnc7pb4I/AAAAAAAAAKA/YTSZDzZAcN8/s320/funny-pictures-cat-is-sick-and-cannot-go-to-school.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382590582326128514" border="0" /></a>So wednesday this week there was a promotion in the building where I work and everyone got free lunch. This is great for them, not so great for the deli trying to stay afloat. Long story short I had the day off so we didn't waste labor. I got to thinking, and I realized it had been a really really long time since I'd had a day off with no children. Don't get me wrong-I love being with my kids and wish I was with them more. But a whole 8 hours of grown up Allison time was enough to make me drool. I had big plans. BIG! I was going to sleep in, do some dishes with MY music blasting, go to the grocery store and have a leisurely stroll down EACH AND EVERY aisle, watch some crappy daytime tv reruns or maybe a movie or two with lots of gunshots and screaming and loud adventuresome music. (you totally thought I was going to say chic flick. ha ha! I can watch those at night when people are sleeping). <br /><br />My plan went well-I studiously ignored all the goings on and rushing to get the kids out the door, rising only to give Chris a couple dollars so he could bring me a toasted bagel from Tim Hortons in bed. It was absolutely lovely. Until about 10:30, when the school nurse called and said Zoe was sick. Poor thing. She could hardly talk her throat hurt so bad. I went and got her and put her to bed and she was out like a light. She slept for more than two hours-so I was still able to pretend like she wasn't there, though that did cramp my plans for going places. <br /><br />Also this week we got some Interim report cards. I didn't realize they'd been in school that long already! Zoe's was fairly normal and as expected, disgustingly gifted in reading, advanced in math, above average in social studies and science, and all of that was balanced with her nice note that she has absolutely atrocious handwriting. But Jimmy's was very interesting. It's his very first report card ever, so we had no standard of what to expect. His 'areas of strength' include 'follows directions independently' 'attentively listens to teacher and classmates' and completes all work with quality'. Math, social studies and science are labeled 'meeting expectations' (which is the highest), and his handwriting is listed as 'legible' (also the highest). But the most interesting of all is reading, which is above 'meeting expectations' at 'reading independently.' THAT LITTLE STINKER!!!!!! there's a note on it saying he's admitted to his teacher that he can read and is advancing rapidly. He's been telling us for months that he can't read at all and no matter how we try nothing was sinking in to help him read. Every once in a while we'd think we'd catch him reading but he'd just say he recognized the picture or logo or something. What's amazing to me is not so much that he CAN read, but that he's BEEN reading and HIDING IT!! I'm really happy about it, now that he's showing me a little bit he's been really good at church lately because he reads the programs and the hymn book. I'm just still a little bit bowled over by the whole thing.<br /><br />What impresses me more actually, than his reading of words, is his comprehension. I read him a story at night, and a while ago I decided that I was bored with all his little story books and I wanted to read him a real big boy book. I started reading harry potter to Zoe when she was about 4 so I figured I was even a little over due with Jimmy. He didn't want Harry Potter, so I decided on Peter and the Starcatchers. If you haven't read it the angels weep for you. Its (actually a trilogy), written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and it's kind of the background story of Peter Pan; how he came to Never Land, how he and Captain Hook met, how he and Tinkerbell met, his connection with the Darling Family, etc. So I read a chapter or two every night to Jimmy, and a couple of weeks in I was worried that he was just hearing it and not really listening so I started asking questions. He could remember everything that happened in nearly perfect detail-even the words that he didn't understand! Pretty awesome. It looks to me like he's following in his sister's footsteps. I wish we could take credit for it, but I don't think it's anything we've done at all. <br /><br />As a small side note, there may be some interesting news in the near future, but in the interest of discretion I will wait to disclose it-suffice to say I'm getting pretty excited for January.Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-27132713878188931082009-09-09T17:44:00.000-07:002009-09-09T17:58:42.956-07:00Jimmy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SqhNVOuhv8I/AAAAAAAAAJY/EmgPTX20q7k/s1600-h/madecookie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SqhNVOuhv8I/AAAAAAAAAJY/EmgPTX20q7k/s320/madecookie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379634782019895234" border="0" /></a>I did actually, just make cookies, and I thought about sending some to you. But I didn't. sorry.<br /><br />I have some quotes from Jimmy to brighten your day. The first two were said to me around 2 am last night and the night before, as he shook me awake.<br />"Mom" crying "I want everything I see on TV"<br />"wha? Like what honey"<br />"an extra life in table tennis" <br /><br />"Mom, I need our home address"<br />"why? go back to bed"<br />"I can't. I need our home address"<br /><br />After which he immediately went back to his bed and slept.<br /><br />But the best one is the other day when we were driving home and there were kids in the road. We don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood, so I know they have nowhere else to walk, but you'd think they'd at least move a little for the cars. Anyway, there were three teenagers walking in the road (two boys and one girl in very short shorts), and as Chris started to complain that they shouldn't walk in the middle of the road Jimmy looks out the window and says, "But, wow, that girl's a really great walker!"Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-43037259596602650062009-06-22T16:29:00.000-07:002009-06-22T17:06:52.380-07:00please?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SkAT88EjhWI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/EmHH2OzaeaQ/s1600-h/lolcatshugs"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/SkAT88EjhWI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/EmHH2OzaeaQ/s320/lolcatshugs" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350298294954460514" border="0" /></a><br />I know I know I know. It's been a really long time and you've all written me letters and cards wondering if I'm okay and when oh when will I update my blog!?!<br /><br />Well the problem is that I don't have a bunch to say on one thing. I do have some cool pictures, but as i have no idea how to get them off my phone and onto anywhere other than facebook, you'll have to see them there. So for this blog I will not try for consistency of theme or any kind of linear timeline, and feel free to make of it what you will.<br /><br />My laptop is dead. It's still technically alive--I think the light is still blinking, but it's sitting in a corner of the family room and we don't dare to touch it, let alone open it. It got a virus that got in and turned off my firewall and and my task manager, so I now have no control over anything and every link takes me to an internet porn site. and then when we tried to fix it we got the blue screen of death and it shut off. I didn't realize how much i relied on my laptop until it was dead and chris is too busy actually using his so all I'm left with is the one in the office. I know, whine whine. I'm glad I have one, but it's so FAR AWAY. If you don't know the layout of my house you don't realize quite how FAR AWAY the office is from EVERYTHING ELSE.<br /><br />My daughter is gone-it's been just over two weeks now, with 5 left to go, and I'm handling it much better than I thought I would (and much better than chris), but again I didn't realize what I had until it was gone. As in, I didn't realize how much she actually does play with Jimmy (especially on saturday mornings) until no one's there to play with him but me. Jimmy and I have now beat the Incredibles Underminer game 3 times and now we're working on Finding Nemo. I'm very very good at the incredibles, and I don't think ANYONE is good at Finding Nemo. That's seriously the worst game I've ever seen. I'm trying to get him to like tetris.<br /><br />My job is going great-business is slowing down, which while sucky is not unexpected, but my tips are going way way up. I take this to mean that everything is fine with the business, the customers must be happy or they wouldn't be tipping as much as they are, and it's just the nice weather that makes them go out.<br /><br />Creepy Fruit Cup Guy (you remember him from the earlier post), who by the way CALLED me on my birthday to say Happy Birthday (how did he get my number?), came by today and asked me why I had so many pimples on my face. Apparently he used up all his tact last time. Jerk. It's not my fault my skin still thinks its 15. Seriously-who does that?<br /><br />I'm designing the set for Doubt, and while I'm happy to be doing it, I was the director's THIRD choice, and he keeps telling me what to do. And both of my children, upon hearing what I was doing, became very upset that someone would stoop to asking ME to draw anything when they could have simply asked THEM. Also, I have never seen a full production at this theatre, and I have no idea what materials are available to me (which would be really useful information as I have a budget of exactly $3.72)<br /><br />I have the day off on July 3rd, and there's a big fireworks show downtown and we're going to go see it. I'm really really excited because I've never seen the 4th here in columbus and I bet it's going to be really cool.<br /><br />Also, we're going to go back to Old Man's Cave and hopefully Ash Cave sometime soon because it was totally awesome and we'll be better prepared and take a real camera with us. And a walking stick. But we'll stick with the red vines, they were a good choice.<br /><br />My gazebo blew over the other day in a very quick and violent storm that may, or may not, have been rotating at some point somewhere in the vicinity. it's quite broken too, but I think we'll be able to fix it with some duct tape and rope. okay a lot of duct tape. But I LOVE having the table and chairs out there-we're in the midst of firefly season and it's the most magical thing I've ever seen. They even look like fairies up close!<br /><br />And lastly, I'm trying to plan all sorts of things for when my Dad comes out in July-I know he's not going to be here for very long and I know Jimmy's making very elaborate plans for the things they're going to build together, but there's so many things I want to do with him and see with him. Doubt opens that weekend, and I really want him to see Old Man's Cave. And the tadpoles at the park which won't be tadpoles by then because some of the ones we saw on saturday had legs already. and he needs a thurman burger. definitely. <br /><br />mmm...thurman burger...Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-67675615079096189242009-05-15T17:14:00.000-07:002009-05-15T17:43:29.811-07:0027, a time for reflection.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sg4GshD9vvI/AAAAAAAAAJI/ohaMRTlxNoI/s1600-h/BirthdayCat.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sg4GshD9vvI/AAAAAAAAAJI/ohaMRTlxNoI/s320/BirthdayCat.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336209970339626738" border="0" /></a>So, I just turned 27. No, I didn't eat my whole cake myself. Didn't even have a cake actually. I figured since I'm the one that makes the cakes, I wasn't going to bother. This didn't go over very well with Jimmy though, because a birthday with no party, no cake, and no pinata was just a regular day with presents-not a proper birthday at all. We did go out to dinner though, with our friend John, and Chris was very mean and subjected me to cruel tortures that were bad enough at the time, but then he took pictures and posted them on facebook. Jerk. Anyway...so that same day another picture was posted of me on facebook at Candie's wedding. Now, I had a great time at the party, and I know that while I was the ONLY one dancing for about an hour, eventually everyone was dancing and having a great time and I started that and that's awesome. BUT. this particular picture is of a really really fat chick dancing all by herself (chris was next to me but not really dancing). I learned several things from this picture:<br /><br />1. A-Line haircuts are great for other people.<br />2. My awesome purple shoes truly are as awesome as I thought they were.<br />3. That particular top has a certain potential but...<br />4. I really should tan more<br />and<br />5. I really don't care how much weight I've lost since then, it's not NEARLY as much as I thought it was, and what were all you people thinking letting me look like that?<br /><br />(did you like how I blame others for my own problems?) Feel free to look up this picture, I'm tagged so it's easy to find. Just remember when you see it that YOU PEOPLE saw this often, and NEVER brought it to my attention. Now that I know, steps will be taken! Oh yes, you heard me, STEPS! (not literally though, 'cause, you know, my back, and I'm so busy, yeah, excersize is just like really not an option right now).Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22207981414492237.post-74238977796641030192009-05-02T19:17:00.000-07:002009-05-02T19:48:40.811-07:00So...come here often?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sfz_fPB2J9I/AAAAAAAAAJA/ug3g4bUOPek/s1600-h/pick+up+line.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sfz_fPB2J9I/AAAAAAAAAJA/ug3g4bUOPek/s320/pick+up+line.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331416970975127506" border="0" /></a><br />I was at work the other day, minding my own business, and one of my new regulars comes in and starts chatting about this and that, the weather (which is a completely different subject), his day, blah blah blah, and then all of a sudden he asks if he can buy me a fruit cup. I know! Like it's some kind of dimly lit night club. I seriously had no idea what to say so i quickly changed the subject to how I'm actually deathly allergic to the melons in the fruit cup. Awkward... even more so when he tried to announce a boycott of the fruit cups so i wouldn't have to subject myself to the dangers of making them anymore. I just couldn't win!<br /><br />But good news--I'm getting a blackberry for my work! My boss is paying for it and he's going to set up an email address for me so that people can email orders and questions and things like that and i don't have to give out my phone number to (slightly) creepy people who try to hit on me. I really don't get it but it seems to be quite popular to make innuendos to the deli manager. Most of them are my friends so I know it's just joking, but some of them... Anyway, I'm really happy about the blackberry (even though I'll miss my purple phone ^_^).<br /><br /><br />Okay, so the other day I went into the office to print something out for work and I saw that a very important financial form (that was sitting on the desk waiting for some info before I mailed it out) had been signed Zoe Hill over and over in red ink. I asked who did it, and was told quite emphatically that no one did, and if someone did it must have been Jimmy. Yup.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sfz_fCu6XmI/AAAAAAAAAI4/MqiFXfCyDo4/s1600-h/paint-floor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sfz_fCu6XmI/AAAAAAAAAI4/MqiFXfCyDo4/s320/paint-floor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331416967674486370" border="0" /></a><br />I'm sorry--I think LOL cats are so cute. So here's another one for your viewing pleasure<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sfz_ezfEmZI/AAAAAAAAAIw/ABuVu1cb1v0/s1600-h/funny-pictures-cat-discovers-that-the-cheeseburger-is-not-yet-ripe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uAPiViMVu38/Sfz_ezfEmZI/AAAAAAAAAIw/ABuVu1cb1v0/s320/funny-pictures-cat-discovers-that-the-cheeseburger-is-not-yet-ripe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331416963581516178" border="0" /></a><br />And, in closing, a Jimmy story. He and Zoe were in the living room playing and i overheard the end of a conversation about who was going to play what part in the game.<br /><br />Jimmy: I don't want to be a girl, I want to be a boy.<br />Zoe: It's so easy to be a girl, all you have to do is wear makeup and kiss all the cute boys.<br />(at this point I was about to have a talk with her about what it actually means to be a girl, but then Jimmy spoke)<br />Jimmy: Oh! I can do that!Allison Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12877764866397322961noreply@blogger.com3