Divide and Conquer

Oh sweet success how I love thee!...Okay if you are wondering I went with two of my sisters, Kristen and Ashley, and we took on the overly populated stores at 4:30 this morning to get just a few items on our Christmas list. Now I have never in my life participated in such a quest but I do have to say that it was much more enjoyable than I imagined. Last year I thought because I have a little girls I should do this to try and get a couple of sale items but 4:00 am came and went and I found myself getting up around 7:00am and then went to the stores they were still crazy but not too crazy. But this year I really did it we were at Shopko by 4:35 and found ourselves in the back of the line...we didn't know how it would turn out but by around 5:35 we were leaving the store with everything on our lists. This was also thanks to a boy who gave me an ipod docking station that was gone in about 30 seconds of the doors opening. I walked past him and said to Ashley, "Oh he got those!" I was two steps past him and and he said, "Hey I have an extra one I don't really need!" So he gave it to me and said happy birthday...Ashley said that's what I get for reading my scriptures...ha ha ha!
But after Shopko we went to Smith's Marketplace because they have socks for half off...I know that sounds silly but I really only get socks this time of year so it is a pretty great deal! Kmart was next and again we got everything on our lists. We only had one stop left and that was Toys R Us and we didn't stay there long. Not only was the line wrapped around the store the things I wanted were gone but perfectly so because they were a great deal and I just didn't want to go there first!
Anyway, with triumph we walked away..well to McDonald's first for a little bite to eat...with a full trunk and feeling the sweet success of our labors.

Oh yeah thanks to Jana and Melissa who also got me a couple of things at other stores...Melissa you better not have used the credit card for your stuff too! Just teasing! But thanks! I think I am basically done with Christmas and it feels awesome!

Shalece's Birthday Pictures!

Happy Birthday Shalece!

Well it seems like just yesterday I was holding this new little baby girl in my arms and now here it is two years later and she is getting so big. She is no longer my baby because everyday she is looking older and older.
On Wednesday the 5th of November Shalece turned two years old. Travis is so cute for the last two years he has taken Shalece's Birthday off of work so he and her get to spend the whole day together and have daddy daughter time! I truely think that he is the cutest dad in the whole world. He loves Shalece so much and gives her everything...the most important being love and the ultimate playmate!
When we first found out we were pregnant with Shalece we were completely surprised. It was not planned and we never thought that we would have a baby as soon as we did. But it is funny how life turns out. Sometimes the least expected is exactly what you need. I can't imagine my life without this little toddler in it. She brings so much love, noise, and happiness into our lives. She is very strongwilled and very spirited and I know that she will have a true purpose in this life...I just hope I do a good enough job at teaching her what she needs to know.
We had a really fun time both of our families came over and cramed into our little house and the party began! I made an Elmo cake and I have to say I don't know if the hours you put in is really worth it...I think it was gone in a matter of ten minutes. Good thing I took a lot of pictures...I am going to save the pictures and then when Shalece is in her forbiden teen years and thinks I don't give her anything I am going to pull out all of her cake pictures and remind her of the hours I spent decorating them all of these past years and remind her of how much I have given her! Just teasing! (But really thanks mom for all the cakes you decorated for me and my siblings...I understand now why it took so long!)
Anyway it was Elmo themed because just as of late Shalece has grown attached to Elmo. Well every present she opened was some kind of elmo toy, movie, coloring book, or stuffed elmo. We are just a few items short of opening our own Elmo museum. (I will let you know when it opens!) But it was really fun and she loved every minute. All week she had been so excited and she would say, "Happy to you, me!" She loves birthdays.
Well I just have to say I am thankful for her and Travis they are my life and I am grateful to have such wonderful family! Thanks Travis and Shalece I love more than you could ever know!

Happy Fall!

Okay so it has been a long time and I am sure that no one even looks at my blog anymore but what the who, here I am! These last few months have been very full...from school starting, going to Chicago, my grandpa Startup's passing away, Halloween, Fall break...and so much more I have just given up blogging. I made a slide show of a lot of pictures so if you want to take the time to watch it you can. So lets start from the beginning and we will see if we can get through everything!

School: Well it has been going for quite sometime now...we just finished the first quarter. I really like my classes even though I had a hard time bonding with a couple of them in the beginning. I didn't have as many students fail...I don't know how you fail health but it happens...but I don't know if not as many failed because I am getting easier or they are working harder...it's a mystery. I am excited I have a student teacher starting this week and she will be with me until the middle of march. She is really cute and I think she will do a great job.

Chicago: So I had the opportunity to go to Chicago, again, for school and the best part is that is was paid for a second time...yeah call me lucky. I attended the Keep the Drive conference put on by The Allstate Foundation. They chose two of KHS student body officers to be on their national committee so I was their "chaperon" or advisor. It was a lot of fun. I love Chicago if you have never been there you need to go there some time!

October: Shalece has a love/hate relationship with October...well actually Halloween. In the beginning she didn't really know if she liked the decorations or not but by the end of yesterday I think she will be sad to see Halloween go bye, bye. We took her Trick-or-treating with a group of kids her age in the ward. She was galloping from house to house saying, "Cani, Cani, Cani"! Yes she is addicted to candy and I think we need to get her into rehab. She was cute and it was a lot of fun this Halloween.

Grandpa Startup: Well most already know but my grandpa passed away the end of September. He was diagnosed with cancer about a month earlier and he just couldn't shake this off! He was one month shy of 90 years young! He was an amazing man and I miss him very much. Thankfully I know that with the gospel I can live with him again...and I am grateful for that. My Grandma is doing well considering. She comes up usually during the week and stays with my parents. I love going over and seeing her she is so funny and such a wonderful woman. She and my Grandpa had such an amazing life and were extraordinary examples for everyone around them!

Okay so now I am pretty caught up! I love fall but it has been such a weird fall with the weather. This morning I had a basketball clinic I went to and I was really excited to get in the car and turn the radio to 106.5 FM because now that it is November 1st I get to listen Christmas music 24/7...yes I am one of those people, but I usually only listen to it in the car while I am driving places! I am really excited for Christmas this year with Shalece. She is getting so big and she does some really funny stuff! Well enjoy the update because it won't happen for another two months:)! ha ha ha! I will try to be better!

The Crockett's New House

I can't believe this summer is almost over...I don't even want to start thinking about school and it is only one week away! I am just going to tell all my students sorry I didn't want to work this summer so we are just going to watch movies all semester long! Do you think that would work?

Well anywho...so this summer has been full of adventures and activites and everything else you could think of. Kristen, my sister, and her family (Robe, Carly, and Brandon...I had to put their names in here) moved down from Boise to North Ogden this summer. Robert is now working at ATK or Thyocol (Is that how you spell it?). So while they were looking for houses she was staying at my parent and it was so fun because we were able to do so many things together with the kids. I will need to blog those things another time...but they found a house like I said in North Ogden so Melissa, Jasper (her little puppy), Kendra (Todd and Mel's), Colby (Todd and Mel's), Shalece and I went up to help her unpack. But I think we just talked and watched the kids more than unpack! The kids started to play with the boxes they called them their houses who knew that here we are paying for all of these expensive toys and all kids really need is a little cardboard and markers to make them happy! Here take a look...

Shalece trying to "sleep" in her house!

Kendra in Her house she put a couple different boxes together so she could fit! She is getting way too big!

Carly making her house pretty!

Then I told Shalece to go and tag up the walls in their house I just didn't want them to forget about us...good thing they were crayola and waterproof.

School's Out for Summer...

I am done with school and have been now for one week! It is wonderful I love being able to stay home and play with Shalece everyday...also get some stuff done around the house that I have put off for way too long!

Summer has just begun but we have already had a full schedule. Yesterday Travis' work had their work party at Lagoon, "it's what fun is"! Travis got four tickets so we took Chad, Travis' little bro, and Melissa, my older sis, and then us. Shalece she is still too little to really go on many of the rides so she just had fun going on the merry-go-round and watching all of the lights and rides and walking around when she could I think the highlight of her night was when we went to eat dinner and she got to chase the seagulls it was pretty funny to watch her! My brother Todd works for the same company so his family was there as well and they took Ashley, my little sis, it was a family affair besides the work party. I will have to post pictures when I get them I took them with Ashley's camera.

Today is my birthday I am the big 25! Let me tell you now that I am a quarter of a century old I think it is all catching up to me. I can't eat as much as I want without it changing my body some how and I can't run as fast as I used to and I can't lift as much as I used to and the list could go on and on but I won't bore you with the changes of my life as time catches up to me!!!! Just teasing, kind of, about all this time talk and me being old! Sure I am a quarter of a century but life is good and I am doing great!

My sisters and my mom took me to Good Things Utah today. It was a lot of fun to go and see how it is taped and what they do during live TV. I do have to admit that I laughed a little and wanted to make some pretty sarcastic remarks during the show because it was and always is a little cheesy but I loved it and it was cool because yep that's right I was a star today...they announced my birthday and showed me on the camera!

No but it was really fun to go and be with my sisters and mom. After we went to lunch if anyone has never heard of Paradise Bakery you have to try it out! It was delicious!

So when I got home Travis had decorated the house and wrapped some presents for me he is very thoughtful and does so much for me I am so lucky to have a husband like him! (I just want everyone to take a look at the wrapping paper though I thought it was hilarious because this was the only paper he could find today! I wonder how hard he looked for the other!)

Tonight we went and got ice cream at the best place of all......Leatherby's.....and when we got home some of my basketball girls had come to decorate as well. They put the signs up and left some cards on the door it was so cute and very thoughtful!

I might not get paid much for coaching but things like this make it all worth it!

Don't hate just because I don't blog everyday.....

Okay sorry it has been a while since my last blog! I have been getting crap from my family like, "told you!" and "Hum...it's been awhile since you last blogged!" Well I have been a little busy. I am so excited though life is slowing down a little bit and I soon get a long needed break from work. The official summer count down is at 8 days and I am only going to be at school for 7 of those days! Yahooooooo! I am lucky to have this job who else gets 3 months out of the year off? Travis always tells me to not complain because I do get those three months off but you know after nine months it is nice to not have to deal with all of the "extra details" that come with being a teacher. A lot of people think that you just go at 7:30 every day teach a lesson and then get to go home as soon as the bell rings but there is so much more than just giving an assignment telling them to read this or watch that. Don't get me wrong I love teaching and I love the students but sometimes I just don't want to be there I would rather be with my little girl!!! At least I have my little sister and little brother-in-law there at Kearns with me. My brother-in-law, chad, he is so cute but he is so shy he never talks to me at school but I have two more years to get him to the point where he will not be shy and just talk to me. Ashley, my little sister, she is a senior so I only have a couple more days with her...I really don't know what I am going to do without her there. I am going to go off for a minute because I am so proud of her. Can I just say that she is an amazing person and she is going to do so much with her life. She is beautiful, smart and talented in so many different things. Here is a little list of what she can do: she sings in the choir, she is a student body officer, she is on the dance company and she is an officer in dance company, she played soccer for four years, ran track two years, basketball for four years, she plays the piano and violin, she has an amazing sense of humor, she took AP, honors, and con-current classes as well. She just amazes me and I love her so much.

Okay last part to embarrass her I was the senior class advisor this year and last Saturday it was senior ball. I want to tell you I am so glad that it all worked out I was a little nervous...they decided to do a dinner/dance and just a couple days before we had only sold about 15 tickets but by the day before we had sold enough to at least break even and it all worked out well. But anyway Ashley looked so beautiful here take a look!

she went with her friend Bryce Parkinson and she had a lot of fun. But I just have to comment that I was so glad that not only was she beautiful but her dress was nice and modest...oh man Travis and I were amazed with some of the girls dresses to say the least some of them almost should have been standing somewhere else...yes I mean the street corner.... instead of at a high school dance. But there were many girls who were dressed in beautiful dresses and they were all very modest. It was fun and we had a blast making fun of some of the kids dancing with the other faculty and staff at the dance.

I scream, you scream...

We all scream for Ice Cream.

Shalece hadn't been feeling well and therefore had not been eating or sleeping very well either. We all know what that means that mom and dad...oh wait just mom doesn't sleep either. So we took her to the doctor and he said get anything in her ice cream, fruit, cookies, vegetable, alcohol, oh wait I mean uh.... Tylenol lots of Tylenol because then she would sleep better! Anyway just teasing about the alcohol part...he said to try ice cream so we followed doctors orders and Shalece being the very independent 17 month old loved the idea that she got to eat ice cream she just thought though that the doctor meant she could do it herself. She is going through this phase where she has to do it and she will not let you help her or she will throw herself on the ground and let out the wild beast inside. (She isn't even two and we are already dealing with the terrible's! Oh joy let me tell you, I can't wait to see what two will bring and we won't even start talking about the dreaded teenage years!)

Although it was very messy I have to say we were laughing the entire time just watching her mouth open to new heights to allow the ice cream to slide in her mouth, down her face, all over the high chair, on the ground, ....the list keeps going so for a matter of your time sake I will just stop at that point.

Shalece is so funny Travis and I are entertained every night just to see what she will try next. She is already a master climber, master mess maker and also a master bath taker. She loves taking baths, until she has to wash her hair then again that wild beast from before comes out and she gets mad that you would even think about making her get her hair wet and stop playing with her cool foam letters.

If we are down stairs and we ask her if she wants to take a bath she gets this look of delight on her face and she runs as fast as her little legs can carry her, with a few falls might I add, traveling up the stairs at a pace I wish I could travel them, then ending up in the bathroom yelling at the tub because she just cannot wait until the water is in, the diaper comes off and she gets to pee in the water and then blow bubbles in it later. Yes, thinking about your child drinking their own urine is disgusting but she loves it more than anything and these are all the joys of being a mother. But, what a wonderful blessing it is! I love every minute and I wouldn't trade my family for anything in the world. Even though it may be hard trying to raise a strong willed, independent, stubborn, feisty little creature I sure am glad she is mine and I love her with everything I have!

I hate snow!

I thought it was March...am I wrong? I just want spring to come I can't stand the snow anymore! I just looked out the window and it is snowing again. Just the other day I was getting excited because our snow on the grass was getting lower from melting. I think at one point this past winter it was about 5 feet high in some piles , no joke! I have been jealous because I think we are the only family that still has snow in our yard, we live on the wrong side of the street so the sun doesn't hit our yard in front. So now we are getting more oh joy it is. At least it isn't cold enough to really stick.

Here Shalece wants to write a little:

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She loves the computer, she will climb up on the chair and start to pretend to type. She is such a big girl in her head! I do have to say she has been so funny lately. The past couple of weeks she will walk around the house singing and dancing. She opens her mouth, gets her tongue ready then she moves it from the roof of her mouth down and she goes, "La, La, La" with her hands in the air, shaking her head and wigles her little bum it is really funny I need to take a video of it and put it on here!

Well not really exciting but I will write more later!

I will prove them all wrong!!!

Okay so I am writing my second blog and I am a little offended by some of my critics. I have already been told that I will not keep doing this blog. Well here I am, Emily Williams, whoa I almost typed Hillam, I am here to stay and WILL keep blogging because I feel this is my mission in life!

Alright I am done with the soap box and if you couldn't read sarcasm I am just teasing about the whole mission in life being a blogger I know that I am going to be a little sporadic at this but I do think it is fun and a great way to keep in touch with some of my friends and family that live farther away.

My life has slowed down a little since basketball is over. This was my second year as head coach of the Kearns High School Girls Basketball team. I do have to say it is so much work and stressful but I love it. I Love my job and the chance to get to work with wonderful kids. I am still helping with track but it is nice because I usually have Shalece with me and she gets to play outside the whole time, she hates when we have to go inside! I love her and Travis so much I will have to write about all the silly things she does. It is so wonderful to be able to be a mother. I love her personality and everything she is starting to do. She is 16 months and changing so fast. She has started giving really good hugs. She wraps her arms around your neck and hold really tight I love getting them from her! She is so funny and loves her dad more than I could ever say. Travis is still in school but he is getting closer to the end. He is still working for a company called Nelson Labs and really enjoys what he does. For some of you that didn't know we bought a house last August, it is a town home and we live just a few streets over from Missy, my sister. It is so nice to have a place of our own. We love the area and have a good ward. It is nice because we live really close to so many different things, it is just two minutes away from Jordan Landing! Well sorry this is so long. We will write more later!

First Time Bloggers

Well my sisters decided we had to get up to speed with all this technology stuff! So here we are Travis, Shalece, and Myself. I know that because Shalece isn't old enough to post she won't be typing and I know that Travis probably won't be typing so it looks like it is up to me! I guess time will tell to see how well I do at this!