Today's Menu

We have to so many toys I forget about them. I was digging through the closet and found Somer's Play-Doh sets so we get them out today. I would like to say that I got so much done while they were busy (for 2 hours), but I played too.

Somer is building her monster burger.

Yum!!

Hudson pretends to take a bite. I'm not sure what he was pretending it was???? Something chocolate I hope!

Today for lunch we have Play-Doh hamburgers with chips or sweet potato fries, spaghetti with meatballs or a nice lettuce salad with tomatoes, onions and mandarin oranges.

Hudson Turns Two

Hudson's second birthday was June 11th. The kids and I went with the whole Gill family (minus the men) to Michael's Uncle Tim and Aunt Debbie's house. They had fun playing and seeing the new house.

Hudson and Ella play on the living room floor.


Debbie let the kids make their own pizzas. What a crazy lady!



After lunch, the kids eat ice cream sundaes.




Picking cherries.


Hudson's birthday party was on June 12th at our house. He like the Backyardigans so we had a themed party with Pablo on the cake.

Hudson and Daddy open his presents.

Hudson's favorite card sang the Backyardigans theme song. We had to hide it so he would open the rest of his presents.

Blowing out the candles. They were a little tricky. Somer had to help him get them blown out.

Look!!!

Way Too Long!

Wow, it's been eight long months since I last posted anything. I can't believe how time gets away. The holidays get so busy and basketball season was horrid this year with 3-5 games a week (One week the cheerleaders traveled over 700 miles!). Then spring fever hits and there's no time to be indoors on the computer. Since school got out the end of May we have been camping, went to Clarence Homecoming and the Shelby County Fair, plus numerous visits to the new Shelbina Pool. Our most recent adventure was to take the kids to their first St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. It was pretty fun, very hot, but fun. We went to the Thursday afternoon game then spent the night and visited the zoo on Friday. The kids really had fun and even though it was almost 100 degrees that day, we saw almost all the animals. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend. I will try to get some pictures from the summer posted soon.

Somer, Hudson and Daddy find our seats. We were three rows from shade so we moved up and sat on the back row of our section. There we were shaded and had a nice breeze on our backs.

Somer make her first Build-A-Bear at Busch Stadium. She picked a pink Cardinals cheerleader uniform and named it Stuffty Beary. How original!Posing for a quick picture outside the stadium. We bought Hudson a Fred Bird since he didn't get to Build-A-Bear.Drake, Aunt Mini and Uncle Big were also at the game. Somer and I walked over to see Drake and take a quick picture.

Friday at the Zoo. Hudson did not want to take his picture with us. This orangutan pushed his face right up to the glass and just sat there like he was playing with the kids.

Arts and Crafts

Somer received a few little containers of Play-Doh for Halloween so we've been playing with it after Hudson goes to bed. We usually just flatten it out and cut shapes with cookie cutters, but one night we got really creative and made this snowman. I helped her make the hat and nose, but she did the body and arms. I was actually very impressed.

We also made these Oreo Turkeys for Somer's preschool snacks. C&R was very limited with their candy selection. There was supposed to be a peanut butter cup for the body and a malted ball for a head, but they didn't have either of these things so we made a Hershey's Kiss work instead. I'm sure 3&4 year olds won't care and she was very excited to share them with her friends.

My First Real Buck

My first buck. I killed this small 9 pointer at 6:50am opening day. I am so excited to be done and not have to get up early any more!

We went to the pumpkin farm today with Tara, Joslynn and Jaycee. We picked out big and little pumpkins and gords to bring home and decorate our front steps. We also played in the hay tunnel and watched the deer. This was Hudson and Jaycee's first trip to the pumpkin farm.

1st Day of Preschool

Somer had her first day of preschool September 2nd. Five little girls from her daycare make up 1/4 of the class and they all love it. I have got to take them twice and it's so much fun loading all five little girls in the back seat of my van and to drive four blocks. They even all showed up with matching book bags. Princesses of course. This is a picture of Somer on her first day standing outside Lisa's house and a picture of the first paper she brought home.

New Bathroom

We started to remodel our bathroom this past weekend. We are not quite done as several problems arose throughout the course of demolition so we still have a few things to do...grout the floor tile, hang paneling and build a cabinet to enclose the back of the shower.

Michael is tearing out the old in this picture. Notice the floor where we had a water leak from the old tub.







We planned on leaving this cabinet, but didn't realize it was built around the old bathtub. We also didn't realize the old bathtub was cast iron. Mark and Michael worked very hard getting it out.







Blue paint and old wallpaper stripped


New paint and bath tub in








New shower

New toliet. Somer was the first to use it.

Tile floor

Jaycee Rae

Jaycee Rae Mefford

Saturday, July 18, 2009

9 lbs. 14 oz.

22 inches

3:49 pm

Baby and Mommy are doing great! Congrats to Matt, Tara and Joslynn.

Clarence Homecoming...Past, Presnt and Future

Clarence Homecoming is always one of my favorite times of the year. I can remember as a little girl getting so excited weeks before Homecoming. Jason and I saved up aluminum cans all year long and cashed them in to buy tickets and have spending money. I still get excited when I see the rides start coming to town. As a pre-teen, I can remember my bike riding area was shortened because we were specifically told not to be up town around the "carnies". I also remember sitting up town watching the queen contestants practice their speeches and walks dreaming of the day I got do be up there. I was in the pageant two years and those were probably two of the best Homecomings I remember. I loved walking around all weekend with those sashes I had long dreamed of. I never got the title of Clarence Homecoming Queen and every year when I see the new queen crowned, I have to admit, I still get a little jealous pang in my heart.

Now, Homecoming has brought on a whole new wave of excitement. Now, I get to take my own kids! I get so excited watching Somer ride rides and eat funnel cakes, snow cones and cotton candy. I really enjoy standing with my old Clarence friends, while we watch our kids have all the fun we used to. I look forward to many more years of Clarence Homecoming and hope my kids grow to appreciate this Clarence tradition.

Here are a few pictures from last night. If you want to see more, visit my picasa web album http://picasaweb.google.com/erinlynngill/ClarenceHomecoming2009?feat=directlink.

Joslynn won Little Miss Clarence Homecoming 2009!

Bella, Hudson, Drake and Bree were in the baby show and were very good little ones considering it was around 95 degrees and the stage is in the full sun...It was hot! Bree got second place in her class.

After the Little Mr. and Miss. Pageant, Somer rode all sorts of rides with her friends and even got to ride with Princess Joslynn.

Somer and Lancing


Remy, Somer and Lancing

Kaelyn and Somer

Somer and Joslynn

Somer riding the motorcycles. She really wanted a 4-wheeler, but they didn't have one.