A little piece of heaven

My little sister had a baby boy! She has a little girl who is 3, so now they have one of each. They named the new baby Collin and he is a little piece of heaven. He was not quite 6 pounds. My Mother never missed helping out with a new grand baby. Since my mother's passing Collin is the second baby that has been born. I have been able to go and do as my Mom would have done.
This week I flew to Utah and my sister from Pocatello picked me up from the airport and we spent 3 days helping out the new Mom. It was really great and I LOVE holding little collin. My Dad and other sister from SE Idaho drove over for the day to see the new addition. It was a very special time.

E a S t e R

Our Easter was a nice warm day. We colored eggs and ate candy. Our favorite candy is Jolly Rancher jelly beans, hard shell cadbury eggs, and anything Reece's!
We went to our park in the neighborhood for an egg hunt and got a picture with the Easter Bunny.
On Sunday, the kids always get new Sunday clothes, (if they need them.) We went to Joel's brother's house in Nampa after church for a nice easter dinner and a fun easter egg hunt that taught the kids about the Resurrection.

C O E L T O N

Coelton is our oldest. Our experiment child. (poor thing). He came rather unexpectadly 17 years ago. Joel and I hadn't even celebrated our one year anniversary! Although it wasn't the path we would have chosen, someone who knew better gave us the greatest gift.


Joel and I were both enrolled at ISU in Pocatello. However, finding out about our pregnancy in July, by the time school started I was EXTREMEMLY sick and would often joke that there was no way a baby could be inside me...I had thrown up everything inside of me! We realized that I could not go to school and decided that I would work to put Joel through school. I taught clogging lessons and worked at Huntsman's grocery store in Shelley were we lived. I was a checker, and found myself running very fast to the bathroom each time someone bought that awful chicken from the deli.

Coelton was born March 18, 1992 at 4am, during a snow storm. He cried a lot as a baby. He had colic, and would start crying about 8pm and didn't stop until about 10pm. We tried everything and finally realized that turning on the vaccum did the trick. He hated the pacifier and did not breast feed well. He soon became a "bottle baby" and we were all much happier.

Coelton was a very inquisitive little boy. He talked non stop and had a million questions. He also has a tender heart and cares deeply for animals and all creepy crawly things.
He LOVES sports and at age 4 did Tae Kwon Do. He broke a wooden board with his heel and advanced a belt. He also played baseball starting at age 5. Seven years later his team won the championship in triple A.I remember him at age 5 coming to the plate to hit he ball on the T. He would beat the bat on the plate several times before he would hit the ball. His coach called him "The Beast". He played basketball and this sport became a quick favorite. He also played 4 years of optimist football and 2 years of school football. He loves BYU football and places his bets each year for the NCAA BB tournaments. One year he won over $100 because his bracket was the most correct. Coelton has been able to attend 2 NCAA tournaments.
After his Freshman year he discovered Cross Country and has been hooked ever since, in fact today he and his Dad ran 10 miles along the green belt. He runs track too, and this year he runs the mile and last night he did his all time best at 4:55. I get emotional each time I watch him cross the finish line. He puts everything he has into it.
He has learned to snowboard with his Dad and little brother. Togther they go to Bogus Basin several times during the winter months.

Coelton cracks me up, he is very superstitious. He always wears the same lucky, socks, or shorts, or shirt because he did particularly well at something he was doing while wearing them. He tries to re-trace his steps of what he did before winning, so he will win again.
When he was in the 2nd grade we told him that if he got 100% on every spelling test the entire school year we would buy him a new game for his gameboy. He did it...100%on EVERY test!
He has read each New Era magazine cover to cover, and is often found laying in his bed reading his scriptures or For Strength of Youth pamphlet.
He achieved his Eagle scout rank at age 14, and has set a good example for his friends and little brother to follow in scouting.

Coelton is a good student and will be successful with whatever he chooses to do. He also is a good friend and is very loyal and fun to be around. He has a great sense of humor and a contagious laugh. He has been a great teenager! He always wants to do what is right and is a good example to everyone. He will be a hard working missionary.

He works after school 2-3 days a week at Chem Dry and cleans the office and vans and washes pads and towels. He has worked there for over a year now and has proven to be reliable hard worker.

We are very grateful for Coelton and the fine young man he has become. He is a huge strenghth to our family and we love him very much.

C a D e N

Making a snow cave


My sister does this on her blog so I thought I would use her idea. Thanks Heather!

I am going to spotlight each of my kids through out the year. This spotlight is on our second son, Caden.

Caden was born in Medford Oregon on March 9, 1995. When he was born he didn't cry, and his skin was grey. He was having a hard time breathing, and his body temp was very low. There were a bunch of doctors and nurses working on him. It was scary, and I didn't like seeing my little baby like that. One of the nurses said, "He needs his momma, give him to her." The doctors just ignored her, and continued working. After what seemed like forever, they scratched their heads and said they couldn't figure out why he was like that. So they finally handed him to me and instructed me to put him in my hospital gown and wrap up with blankets. After just a few minutes, his skin turned a beautiful pink, and his breathing became normal.

I have often looked back on that experience and as I think about Caden, it is just how he would react with a situation like that. Nervous and timid, not knowing anyone, definitely not talking, shy, and just wanting to be somewhere familiar.
Caden is shy at first, but once he gets to know you, he is a very loyal friend and is a lot of FUN to be around. He has a very funny sense of humor.

When Caden was a little boy he would always wear his superman cape and his rubber rain boots EVERYDAY. He was often found outside speeding off on his tricycle with the cape flapping in the wind.
He didn't talk until he was about 4-5 years old. He just grunted and pointed a lot. He used some hand gestures. When we had no idea what he wanted we would ask Coelton and he always knew what he was saying.

Caden had a very round head with blond, blond hair and sky blue eyes. He was a beautiful baby and very cute little boy. He was my snuggler and loved to snuggle and be lovey dovey.

Caden would suck his tongue and rub his "silkie" between his fingers. We would always be looking for the dang "silkie". It would instantly calm him down like a pacifier. We were always loosing his little pieces of silk fabric. We cut up everything in the house that was silk. I had a long silk night gown that I wore in the mornings and Caden would crawl under it and walk around inside my night gown.
He has since let the silkie go, but continues with the tongue sucking.

When he went to 1st grade he would cry everyday. We didn't know why, he just said he was afraid of the weather. He didn't make friends and would just cry, or tell his teacher he was sick so his mom would come and pick him up. Finally we figured out that he was worried about leaving his mom all day and wanted to be with her. (remember the story when he was born)

I miss the "little boy" things that he loved so much. Horses, trucks, motorcycles, guns and swords. Now it's ipods, books, movies, basketball, football, friends and food.

Caden is a good student and loves to read. He also loves sports and plays baseball, basketball and football. He was on the cross country team and ran track at his school. Caden's new love is snowboarding. He is very good and is learning to jump. He learned to slalom ski behind our boat last year. He also can wake board and is pretty good at that. He has played the trumpet in the school band for 3 years. He loves to camp, and has just about earned all 21 merit badges as a scout. He is planning to do his Eagle project this summer.

Caden has a desire to always do what is right. He is a peacemaker and has a tender heart. He is a hard worker (except when it comes to doing the dishes). He will be a wonderful missionary, and will be very successful in life. He wants to be a dentist, and I know he will be a good one!

He has a pet sitting business that he started 2 years ago. It keeps him busy and money in his wallet. I love watching him take his responsibilities seriously and the love and care he gives to the animals he takes care of.

Caden will be 14 on the 9th of March. He just so happens to be old enough to dance with the youth in the big dance festival in April. Joel and I are the dance directors for our ward. We are teaching the youth the hustle. Last night was our first practice. I was concerned about Caden, and how he would handle dancing with a girl. (he never has before) He just so happened to jump right in and danced his heart out. When we got home he even danced with me, to show me how well he knew all the steps.

Caden bought a pair of crocs. He left them out on the back porch and noticed the sun had shrunk them. He came in and said "my crocs shrunk in the sun!" Joel said "what?" Caden said, "my crocs shrunk!" Joel's eyes were realy big and he looked shocked! He said "how did that happen?" Caden said "I don't know I just left them outside and they shrunk." Joel started laughing and said "I thought you said your CROCH shrunk!" We still think about that when we need a good laugh.

Caden is a delight and we are so proud to have him as a son and a member of our family.

We love you Caden!!

Winter Adventures

The fam at Bogus

The boys going up again for another jump.

Snowbird in Utah



Growing up in Eastern Idaho, there was always plenty of snow in the winter. I remember being snowed in so badly we had to ride snowmobiles into town to buy bread. Joel and I both learned to ski at Kelly's Canyon when we were Jr. High age. I skied with my older brother and all of his crazy friends during high school on the ski club. Each week we would climb on a bus and go to Targhee, Teton Village or Sun Valley. At Ricks college my brother and I again skied together on the ski club. I have many fun memories of skiing.
However, living in Boise, we don't get the snow like SE Idaho, and I didn't think there would be any good skiing close by. Then we discovered Bogus. It's only a 45 minute drive and has good snow. (not like the resorts I mentioned above) but decent.
And they make skiing affordable for families.
Joel and I wanted to provide our kids with the same experiences we had. Last Christmas Joel and the boys got snowboard lessons for Christmas and a lease package for all their equipment. We wanted to make sure they liked it before sinking too much money into it.
Needless to say, they were hooked...and went boarding together every chance they got. I would tag along occasionally and ski with them, I took Hailey once and spent the day with her teaching her how to ski.
This year for Christmas Santa brought them all a season pass so they could enjoy another great year of boarding.
We hope to get Chloe going soon, possibly next year. It will be so fun to get all of us on the mountain. Sure beats being cooped up all winter.

Happy Birthday Chloe!

I can't believe my baby is 5 years old. Makes me sad. After nearly dying having Hailey I was so done having kids. Boy am I glad we had one more. I can' imagine life without her. She has been a blessing!

Chloe was born January 22, 2004 in Boise, Idaho. She was the biggest baby we had weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces.

She makes us all laugh and say the funniest things. Some recent ones are:

Dad: "Chloe, you need to wipe better, you have poop marks in your underwear."
Chloe: "Well, mom just doesn't wash them very good."

Hailey took something of Chloe's and it made Chloe mad she looked at Haily and yelled, "you're a damn fool!!"

What will I do when she isn't with me to run errands and we pull into a shopping center parking lot and she asks, "Mom, are we at retarget?"

When Chloe was a toddler she would twist her hair with her fingers while sucking on her binky. She would then stick her hair in her ear and touch things with the end of her hair...like food or your face, just about anything.

Ahhh...the innocence of a child. I love it.

She is my buddy, and we have so much fun together during the day. I will be lost without her when she goes to kindergarten.

I love you baby. Happy Birthday!

Hammer Family Top 10 in 2008

10. Joel, Coelton and Caden got the "passport" to Bogus for Christmas. Equipment lease for the year, 5 lessons and a season pass. They all learned to snowboard and LOVED it. I was able to tag along with my trusted skis a couple of times and even took Hailey for her first time. All in all, it was a great season with LOTS of snow and fun. I think the guys went up about a dozen times.

9. In February Hailey and I were able to fly to SLC and catch a ride with my sister to Logan, where we stayed at the "scrapbook house". All of my sisters and sister-in-laws and nieces ages 9 and up came. We brought all our scrap booking stuff and spent 3 days and 2 nights working on scrapbooks, laughing, eating and a little shopping and movie watching. The girls went sledding at a nearby sledding hill. It was so much fun.
In September my sisters and I ran in the women's fitness celebration 5k in Boise. It was really inspirational and we had a great time spending time together for a couple of days.

8. Coelton turned "sweet 16". His friends came over while he was at work and filled his room with balloons, candy and streamers. Then the girls drove a car down the street and parked while the boys hid in my garage and waited for Coelton to come home. When he drove in and got out of the truck, his friends jumped on him and blind folded him and tied his hands behind his back and carried him to the "get away car" down the street. They all drove off to JB's and had all you can eat ice cream bar:) Coelton went on his first date in May.

7. In April we celebrated 17 years of marriage! We went to NYC and spent a few days touring and taking in the big apple. We saw a couple of Broadway shows; lion king and Wicked. We also were audience members at the David Letterman show! And I got to pose with the Naked Cowboy:) Joel's parents came and stayed with the kids. They are so kind to help us out.
In October Joel and I ran a half marathon together.

6. We had lots of visitors in 2008. We love to see friends and family. My Dad came and stayed with us for Easter, and again just before Christmas. That was fun to have him here. Although it was strange and sad to not have Mom with him. We miss her so much.
In March our niece in Nampa was baptized. So we housed the Hammer family with Joel's parents, 2 sisters, one brother-in-law, 1 brother and 5 nieces and nephews. It makes for a crowd and a little stress for my type A personality, but it's all good:)
My sisters came to Boise in Sept. we stayed at my house one night and had a blast.
My brother and his family came and stayed for a couple of days in October while they were in the area for a family reunion. It is always nice to be with family on a one on one basis. Coming from large families we don't get those opportunities very often.

5. Family reunions are always a highlight in our year. Once again big families make for big reunions. This year we went to Joel's Mom's side reunion. The Oler reunion is held every 3 years. This year it was at the May Family Ranch near Red fish lake. When we have the big Oler reunions we don't have a Hammer reunion.
In July we went to my family reunion. The Judy reunion. We went to Mountain River Ranch and camped and went on a 4-wheeler ride and Joel and Caden decided to fall off the mountain. We also went swimming to Heise. After a couple of days of that we went to Clifford's mountain to the BIG Judy reunion. My Dad was in charge and we made an amazing race game that we did. It was fun to see all the cousins and my Grandma who is 90 years old.
All in all we spent 7-8 nights sleeping in our trailer.

4. The kids' activities are alway a big part of our year. We are very proud of our children and their accomplishments. Hailey started clogging in 2007 and it has become the love of her life, she took 1st place in her competitions in her solo and team divisions. She also takes piano lessons and art class twice a month. Activity Days for Girls twice a month keeps her busy learning how to set goals and achieve them.
Caden plays the tumpet in his middle school band. He plays Joel's old trumpet. He also ran track and cross country in 2008. He did well and ran a mile and a half in 10 minutes 20 seconds. He also placed 3rd in the 100. Caden only has 3 merit badges left to earn before he can do his Eagle project.
Coelton has worked really hard with his cross country. He runs on one of the best teams in the NW. His best time for a 5k was 18:15. He also ran track and did well in the 800. He played church ball and he has a job with Chem Dry where he goes in 3 days a week and cleans the office and vans etc. Mutual is fun for him to be with his Dad and other boys his age in our ward. He enjoys the activities they do together each week.

3. I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to teach preschool, so I did. I filled up with 4 boys and 4 girls age 3 turning 4! We had preschool in my home on tuesdays and thursdays from 9:30-11:30. Chloe was the biggest reason why I did it, and it was a joy to be with her and her sweet friends. I grew to LOVE these kids and looked forward to seeing them each week. I taught Sept.-June and must say it was a good experience and I had a blast. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.

2. We saw 2 temples! Before the Rexburg and Twin falls temples were dedicated,we went to the open houses and walked through the temples. What a wonderful experience for our children to see these beautiful temples and to know that we are sealed together forever as a family.

1. Boating! Buying our boat has been one of the best things we have done for our family. It creates such great family time. We have owned it for 8 years now and each year it is so fun to see what the kids will do. This year Coelton began jumping with the wake board. Caden learned to slolom and Hailey crossed the wake on skis, Chloe loves the tube and likes to go fast. 2009 is the year she gets to learn to ski. When all the kids turn 5 they have to give it a try. They cry and cry and scream in protest, but once they get up, they are hooked.