New Look!!!

Time for a new look, since I haven't written anything forever...sorry about that:-(.  I always want to write things and have ideas but I'm not anywhere near a computer, so my ideas fly out the window as fast as I get them.

We are now at the end of this school year, Patrick has graduated from pre-school and is ready for kindergarten RIGHT NOW!!!!!  We keep counting down the days until he gets to go to Hillside with his sisters, they can't seem to get here soon enough!!  Abbie is almost done with 1st grade, and has flied through with flying colors!!  She is so excited to be an almost 2nd grader and I can't believe she's still only 6, trust me, I asked her the other day whether she was still 6, and she laughed and said, "Of course Mommy, my birthday's not until August!!"  She seems so grown up for a little 6 yr old!  And speaking of size, Patrick is now just a few inches shorter than Abbie and they wear the same size shoes and could share clothes if Abbie wouldn't mind super heros and Power Rangers:-)!!  Austyn is a huge growing weed!!!!  She is now 8, getting ready for 3rd grade, and is now one of the tallest girls in her class and is beginning to show the early signs of puberty rearing it's somewhat ugly head, can you say hormonal mood swings in an 8 year old???!!!  She is always going and has TONS of friends that she now roams the neighborhood with.  She has powered through her 2nd grade year, and her teacher has almost survived her first year of teaching with a very rambunctious class too:-)!

The girls are deciding to part ways this next year in activities, as Abbie is going to pursue gymnastics, Austyn is going to continue with dance.  I was hoping that they would at least choose the same activity, but I also want them to be happy with what they are doing, and that they thrive in their chosen sports.  So here we go on the roller coaster next fall, but we will be getting a small break for a few short weeks, then back at the grind!!  Patrick is wanting to do flag football this fall, which should be lots of fun for him to learn an organized sport and the basics of football!!  It will be cute to watch him run around too:-)!

Mommy and Daddy are keeping busy with all the little things, oh and Daddy has been training for his upcoming 200 mile gravel race this weekend!!!  I'm soooo looking forward to a vacation, even if it is just for 3 days!!  We get to travel to a new state, and see another small town, which I love to do!!  I keep trying to figure out how I'm gonna cram everything into the weekend to get the maximum enjoyment out of the weekend.  I'm sure it will all come together!!  Well, here's hoping for a lot less time between now and the next posting!!  Good night all!!!

So much has happened around here!!

So, I know it's been what seems like forever since I've last posted, and that would be true, 6 weeks to be exact, but lots of weird crazy busy things have been happening in Hilton Land!! Where to begin???? Well, lets start back in April, when we found out that we are going to be getting a new cousin in our house!!! My sister, Auntie Katie, as she's affectionately called around here, is expecting her first baby, due November 5! She told the world on her 25th birthday on April 15th, and we couldn't be happier!! We told the kiddos about a week ago while she was overseas for a college class, and now that she's back home, the kids think it's weird still that there is a baby growing in her tummy, but I'm sure they will figure it out soon enough!! The next week after Katie's birthday and grand announcement, she graduated from Grandview College after a mere 7 years in the collegiate world and is going to be furthering her education through the University of Chicago, I hope I'm right on this:-), getting her masters in Child and Adolescent Psychology hopefully in the next 2 years, while becoming a Mommy!!! Right on the tail of this wonderful landmark came the death of my Grandpa Larsen, my last living "official" grandparent(I have a step grandma, hence the official thing). He had battled lots of things in the last 6 months, with a partial leg amputation and the possibility of another, when he peacefully past away in his sleep in early May. I was unable to get to the funeral in Milbank, South Dakota, but have been able to grieve the best way you can long distance. A few days later, my little baby, Patrick, turned 4!! Oh my word, how is this possible?? I am now a Mom of a 4, 5 and 7 year old, ahh!! We celebrated his birthday on Mother's Day, which was a big Transformer's bash! I have to be completely honest, I really never thought I'd ever know so much about one subject that I care so little about!! But, he's my world daily and if I'm gonna survive, I'm for sure gonna need to know every Autobot and Decepticon's name and what they transform into and what their powers are:-). Too fun!!! Mother's Day was wonderful home with the family and dinner out on the eve of another big event around here(I know, it never ends lately)! Last Monday morning, my father in law has hip surgery to get a new one! We spent many hours this last week traveling back and forth downtown to Mercy and many trips to Mimi and Umpa's house to let out the dog! He threw us w/ a little scare when his little ticker decided to not cooperate post surgery and he was taken to the cardiology floor for a day, being released on some meds to help control things for the next couple months during recovery. He is now home and impatiently waiting to back to "normal" again real soon:-)! In the midst of all this, we had a member of our family become famous, well, to the Des Moines community anyways and of course w/ family!! Courtney had been interviewed by a friend who blogs for KCCI Channel 8 news, a while back about being Car Free in DM. He is officially car free and we are a "Car Light" family, according to all parties who determine stuff like this:-). His article was published to the KCCI blog now 2 weeks ago and then was approached by the actual anchors of the 10pm news for KCCI, for an on air interview which happened 4 days later!! Our famous Daddy!!! He then received a call on Thursday night saying that he had been picked as "The Commuter of the Year" by the Bike to Work Week staff and will be doing a ride tomorrow, Monday morning, which is the first "official" day of Bike to Work Week, with Leonard Boswell and other elected officials and then will be given his award by the Mayor of Des Moines! WOW, is about all I can say about that!! He's very deserving of such an award and any and all of this "fame" he has received in the last couple weeks, we're SOOOO PROUD of our Daddy!! He's accomplished so much for himself, his family and his community and we're so happy someone else also sees how wonderful he is!

Well, I think that brings us up to speed, with the exception of Patrick learning to ride his bike w/o training wheels a few days before his 4th birthday, Momma getting her own "commuter" bike for Mother's Day/Birthday(not til next month, but hey, who won't take an early present especially w/ the deal we got on it!!) We've now got the end of the school year trips, picnics, dance recitals and the beginning of what we hope to be a laid back summer, with some swimming lessons, Vacation Bible School, and maybe some camping/biking adventures scattered in there too!! So here's to the craziness that will now ensue here at the Hilton household for a wonderful, relaxing, busy summer!! Hope everyone has a wonderful May!!