Mikayla & Josh in the same chair

For some reason, Mikayla has had the urge lately to sit in the same chair as Josh whenever they're watching TV. The problem is that they are not sitting in large chairs, they're sitting in little camp chairs that are just big enough for one of them.

Mikayla and Joshua in the Kitchen

We can't quite remember exactly what they were doing at the time, but Mikayla and Josh seem to be having a nice time together on the kitchen floor.

Dad's Birthday Party

Hanging out with dad on the computer

A few more pictures of the yard

We spent a couple of days over spring break hauling in wood chips to throw in the bed areas of the yard.

Mikayla's Birthday Party

Hoorah! Mikayla is 4.

Hoops for all

As a requirement of the state of North Carolina, we must teach our children how to play basketball before they enter kindergarten. So, we figure we'd better start learnin' them kids some ball.

Christmas in Arizona

We had a great time in Arizona, surrounded by a lot of family.

They're both glued to the TV.

Of course, since we're such good parents, we never let this happen except in December. Right?!?

Joshua opening his birthday package

Joshua enjoyed opening his Birthday box.

Playing with Puppies...

Yes, these are the only kinds of dogs we have around here. In case you're interested, the light colored one with spots is 'Aunt Rita.'

Walking & Playing Football, Two Essential Life Skills

And sonlicious has got them down...kind of.

Joshua's Birthday Cake

As advertised, Josh had a great time eating his birthday Cake.

The Binky Game

Here are some pictures of one of Joshua's favorite games. You take the binky and then he takes it back. Great Fun.

Mikayla Hanging Out on the Sofa

Rocks & Acorns...Acorns are More Favorite

Josh demonstrates his serious rock and acorn eating skills in a few videos. Part IV is the best one, but also the longest.

Reading on the Old Park Bench

Mikayla and Lucy looked so cute reading on the bench out back.

Back Yard Photos

The back yard is starting to come together. Hopefully we'll be able to get some plants in the flower beds come spring.

More Shots for the Silver Screen

Here lies a collection of some of the great videos recorded over the last few days. We've got Joshua talking on the phone and darting from his mom as she tries to dress him. Enjoy.

Another Camping Trip to Stone Mountain

We went to Stone Mountain State Park again this weekend. This time we took some friends and showed them the way of the Stone Mountain Zen Master.

Believe it or not, a few people thought it was warm enough to swim in one of the creeks in the park. It was plenty warm outside, but that water was darn cold.

A big surprise for the trip was that Jose was able to climb to the top of Stone Mountain and back down without us having to carry her (1.5 miles roundtrip). We were pretty pleased with her. She's growing so fast, as is son-a-licious.

Some Bigtime Footage

Happy Halloween!

Strawberry Puzzle-Cake

Mikayla has a 60+ piece puzzle of Strawberry Shortcake. She loves to put it together and calls it her "Strawberry Puzzle-Cake."

Clapping and Having a Good Time

Farmer John

Bedroom Change

Camping at Stone Mountain State Park

Yesterday, we went on a camping trip to Stone Mountain State Park in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was only a two hour drive and a place we will definitely return. We've got several pictures of Dad & Mikayla 'reeling that sucker', Joshua eating rocks, and Mikayla being a big sister to Joshua. The Dad & Mikayla fishing team managed to bring in a couple of 10-12" rainbow trout on Merrill's fly rod. Josh managed to spit out all of the rocks he tried to swallow, thank goodness. The reasons we will definitely go there again have nothing to do with the fishing, of course.

We also threw in a few pictures of the namesake of the State Park.

Joshua pushing around a stroller

As promised, here are the pictures of Joshua pushing a stroller around the house all by himself. He did this for the first time last week.

Mikayla and Josh Playing Around the House

Mikayla has really got into creating paintings lately. She's been trying to duplicate some work she's seen on the home and garden network. Josh still likes eating things, including Mikayla's paintings on some balloons.

Now, even I'll admit that these pictures of Josh in a Sundevils get-up look just like a little Eddie (or a Big Eddie, depending on how you look at it).

Dad grew some facial hair

After four days without shaving in Mississippi, I decided to go for another few days with my lovely facial hair. Cami said she liked how it looked, but not how it felt. I think she's just jealous she can't grow a beard.

Mikayla, the Piano Teacher

Mikayla is no dummy. She picked-up on Cami teaching piano lessons very quickly. Here we have a picture of her teaching a friend how to play. She also gave daddy a lesson and kept telling him to put his hands on middle-C and play like this (as she would demonstrate).

Son-licious on the Move

Josh is really starting to get around. He loves pushing things across the floor, but gets really mad when he hits a wall. We'll get some more pictures of him actually walking behind a stroller soon.

Oh yeah, and he still likes to eat.

Workin' in the Yard...Again

Here's a part-way done set of photos of some work we're doing in the back yard. We're trying to get some flower beds and trails laid out.

Trip to Hattiesburg

Merrill went to Hattiesburg, Mississippi with 17 other Elders and High Priests from our ward. We helped people in the community cut down and clear out trees that had fallen in their yards as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The trip was short, but definitely worthwhile. There should be additional photos posted as we get them from others who took more pictures.

Joshua found the flour...

and Mikayla was quick to join in on the fun. Cami found this so amusing that she just watched them for a while. How could you resist?

Surprise, I'm Eating Again

Use your best National Geographic narrator reading voice as you read the following sentences:

In these pictures, we find Joshua thoroughly enjoying an otter pop while his mother watches attentively. She appears to be full of glee as she watches her young enjoy a special treat.

At the Hill's Home in Virginia

Since we obviously hadn't received our fill of DC with our trips in July and August, we went again last week while Merrill was at a research conference in Bethesda. Cami, Mikayla, and Joshua stayed with Bridget, Benson, and their family while Merrill was at his conference. Here are a couple of pictures with Mikayla and Hayli.

Arlington National Cemetary

While we were in DC, we went to Arlinton National Cemetary to watch the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

The National Zoo, Part II

We went to DC again over the 3rd weekend in August to see Ashley, one of Cami's roomates from college. Ashley is married to Lee Phillips and they have a 2 yr. old, Morgan. Here are some photos we took while we were at the zoo with them.

A Morning Ritual

Cami usually wakes up with the kids early while Merrill sleeps in for a bit longer. Josh is getting to the point where he'll join Mikayla in watching a cartoon while Cami steals a few extra minutes of precious sleep.

Mikayla Goofing Around

Here are some cute pictures of Mikayla playing around the house.

Introducing the Bullrider...AND...

THE FACE! Josh was making the funniest face while he was eating yesterday afternoon. We shot off several shots on the camera trying to capture THE FACE and finally succeeded. We'll let you decide for yourself which photo contains THE FACE.

We should also note that Mikayla is rubbing off on Joshua a little bit. We even got a couple of pictures of his serious concentration face...as he drags something along the table (see next post for details on his dragging habit).

Joshua and a stick

Josh has loved to play with anything that he can drag back-and-forth across the floor in front of him. He's still not crawling, so he'll just sit up and drag whatever he's holding along the floor. In these pictures, he's dragging a stick across the floor in the hallway and trying to hit a piece of paper with the stick. If he wasn't successful for a while, then he'd just pick up the paper and throw it, then try again.

Mikayla's Photo Shoot

Joshua's First Haircut

Dad cut Joshua's hair with clippers on Saturday evening. We don't have much practice cutting hair on someone squirming all over the place, so the cut was marginal at best. However, the clippers really caught his attention (as you can see in the pictures) and it seems that he liked the final result. Then again, he smiles all of the time anyway, so who knows.

Time for a Nap

A few cute pictures of Mikayla & Josh sleeping.

Cami's brother Dellma came to visit

Dellma came for the first few days in August. Soon after his visit he had to travel back to Afghanistan for work.

Hansen Family Reunion - July 2005

Cami's family had a reunion on the Mogollon Rim in Arizona around the beginning of July.

Hansen Family trip to Havasupai

Cami's parents, Dellma, Anne & Carlos hiked down to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon at the end of July. It looks like they had a really great time.

Some additional photos from Cami's Family

Here are some other miscallaneous photos we've received from Cami's family from this summer.