Throwback Thursday

No, that is not Miles with blonde hair in the front row. Sometimes I think my kids look like me, and then I see a picture like this. All the Hiller cousins maybe around 1982. 

Fridays with Emily

These kids are too cute! Miles and Penelope are hanging out with Carly and Ivy on Fridays, and it looks like they are having a good time. Penelope is headed to tea or the Kentucky Derby in that hat. Her hair just kills me - it's so long! And Ivy always smiles with one eye closed - it is so cute!

Emily watched Claire for me for over a year and she saved my bacon then, and she's doing it again now. Matt's new schedule has some challenges, but we surviving with the help of Betty and our friends. We have a great support system here - it is a delicate balance but it works.

Day at the Park

Miles Man Hiller

Miles is working on his last name - he has it down I think. I love his I's - Claire used to do hers like this too. They look like the Truffala trees in The Lorax.

My Minions at the Library

We went to the library recently to look for books in Claire's assigned reading level - they are doing something called Accelerated Reading (AR) testing where the kids read books based on their level and then take comprehension tests. Claire has to read and pass something like 30 tests/books this quarter. She is reading at a 3.4 level - grade three, fourth month - but the teacher wants her to be reading books at a 3.0-3.9 level. I'm a proud mama -she got all A's on her report card again.

Instagram Catch Up

I have been behind on blogging lately - I have a lot to write about and photos to post but with Matt back in school, coaching basketball, and being in Young Women's again at church, oh, and working... can't forget that... I feel like my free time is shrinking, along with my time asleep.

Anyway, here are some recent Instagram photos to catch up a bit.

Our Soda Addict - at one of our favorite little Mexican places, Super Burrito. 

Recent book haul from Christmas and Barnes and Noble. I am in heaven with new books to read! 

Quite the variety this time. 

A Day at the Park - it was 70 degrees! Short sleeves for everyone! P was having a great time!

Playing hard outside = red face for Claire. She is just like me. 

With 11 am church, we have a little more time to do hair on Sundays. 

School Buddies

Claire and Trey just looked too cute today at school pick up. 

Oh Happy Day! The Day the Coontz Family Moved to St. George

My sister and her family recently relocated from Spokane to St. George - previously they were in Salt Lake City. I see a pattern here - cities that start with "S" :)

 Anyway, Spokane was just too darn far away. By car, it was about a 20 hour drive and we had liked being able to drive the six hours to Salt Lake to get together a few times a year. St. George is sooooo close! We can play day trips, for goodness sake. I am so excited to have them close by and for our kids to be able to play together. Their first weekend in St. George they came down to Vegas to return their U-Haul truck, and then they are coming down again in two weeks for Matt's birthday.

These boys are two peas in a pod - they are so similar, it's crazy. And they are crazy too :) 

McKinley and Claire played so well together - Claire was beside herself waiting for M to get here. The morning before everyone got to Vegas, Claire came downstairs, threw her hands up in the air and said, "One more day!!"

Danny and Becky were driving behind us and the kids were making sure they were still following us. Gabe said, "Don't let my dad catch us, he drives really fast. And he gets tickets ALL the time. When he is done with jail, he comes home." For the record, Dan does drive fast but he doesn't get tickets. :)

Becky is determined to get this lady to like her - it won't take long for her to warm up to everyone. P is just a serious little girl sometimes. But I she got excited when I posted this photo, so that's a good start.

Welcome back to the desert Becky! It's been awhile since she lived with me in Las Vegas (ten years!) but St. George is a pretty similar climate. Hopefully the short sleeves and flip flops in January will be a welcome change for everyone.

Kid Quotes

Claire is loving school. She still likes the uniforms and wants to have everything in her school colors - purple, red and navy blue. The other day we were talking about words that have a similar meaning, and I told her that those words are called synonyms. She said, "Oh like cinnamon bears?" Delicious, but no. They do sound surprisingly like the same word if you say them fast enough. 

Penelope calls Miles "Mon Mon" - she sounds Jamaican and it's really cute. 

Miles calls his sneezes bless yous - which makes sense because every time someone sneezes you don't say - Sneeze! He sneezed twice in a row the other day and he said, "Whoa! TWO bless yous!" 

Sometimes I might tell Miles that I don't want him to grow up so he can stay my little guy forever. But he usually just shrugs off my clingy hug and says that he wants to turn 5, so sorry mom. But lately, he has taken it a bit further and I guess he realized that we all get old, and then we eventually die. So he told Matt that he doesn't want to grow up because he doesn't want to die. Matt blames me.

So I have been trying to fix this situation. I told him that there are so many great things about getting older - going to school, getting baptized, going on a mission, having a family. After hearing that, he said, "But mom, I would have to leave you and move into someone else's house." I said, "It will probably be your own house and I will come to visit you, it won't be a stranger's house." He seemed good with that and said, "Well, first I have to climb mountains and hunt bears and fish." Deal.

Go Eagles! or Basketball Takes Over Our Saturdays

The Eagles have had a few games now and it has been really fun to watch them apply what they learn in practice. It has also been frustrating to watch them NOT apply other things we do in practice. But they are 6 and 7 years old, so I'm learning to just keep my mouth shut and have fun.

Claire has scored a few baskets, and though they don't keep score in this league, they all want to win. I don't blame them. Claire has done very well at finding her spot on the court, listening to the coaches and moving her position if she needs to, and not panicking when she gets the ball and all five of the other team's players surround her (someone needs to teach those kids what a zone defense is). Anyway, it's gonna take a lot of practice and we don't get out with the ball enough at home, but someday when I have a basketball hoop in my backyard that will all change. I have many memories of playing on our hoop attached above the garage.

Look how official I look in this one - arms crossed. Don't mess with coach! :)

Slumber Party

Claire and Genevieve got to have a slumber party at MeMa's on the last Friday of Christmas break, and they were thoroughly spoiled with a great time! Matching pajamas and a trip to McDonalds - what's not to like? I like the "pretending to be asleep" pictures. :) Claire couldn't fake it for long.