Super Bowl commercials

We watched the game last night at Greg's parents house. We don't follow football as much since we moved here to Utah, but we were happy the Giants won. (We tend to root for the underdog.) As soon as we walked in the door last night, Hailey announced to everyone, "I'm only here for the commercials!", which of course had all of the adults laughing. Here are our favorites:

We've gotten LOST

After months of nervous anticipation, LOST finally premiered last night! To say Greg was giddy all day would be an understatement. He was counting down the minutes. But who can blame him? It was a very satisfying and sad episode. Satisfying, because we got a little glimpse of the future and it left us with many questions. Sad, because everyone found out Charlie died; and yes, I shed a tear. (He was my favorite character and I literally bawled during the season finale last year. But I had just given birth to Rachel, so it might have been the hormones.) We've found ourselves walking around calling each other 'Brother' all day.

So...what are your theories? Who are the other three of the Oceanic 6 that we don't know? Who is Kate with? Who are these so called Rescuers?

I think that the episode that aired last night took place before the season finale "Through the Looking Glass". When Jack went to see Hurley, he said he was thinking of growing a beard, he was doing consults, and he was happy to be home. Does that sound like the Jack we saw at the end of last season? Nope.

I'm not good at figuring out the big picture. But I have been good at guessing what will happen next with certain characters. Here is what I think is going to happen: Unfortunately, I think Hurley is going to kill himself. I really hope I am wrong. But I think that might be a catalyst for Jack loosing it. I don't think Kate is with Sawyer. I think that would be far too obvious. I think it might be someone we haven't met yet. That's all I've got so far. I vasilate on who I think the other three suvivors are. Part of me hopes it's Claire with little Aaron. And did you notice that the man visiting Hurley asked "Are they were still alive?" And Hurley was sorry he went with Locke. So many questions!!!! Let's hear what you have to say.

The story behind the Desmond picture. Greg's best friend Jim and his family were vacationing in Hawaii last spring. While walking out of a restaurant, Desmond walked in! They asked if they could get a photo and he bent down by the kids. They said he was very nice and yes, he has that awesome accent in real life!

President Hinckley

I was sad to hear of the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley last night, at the age of 97. (For those of you not of our faith, he was our Prophet. I don't like making comparisons to other religions, but we revered him as the Catholics revere the Pope.) He was an amazing man, to say the least. He was so loving and kind. And what a wit he possessed! I don't think I've ever heard him speak without laughing at some point. I had the privilege of meeting him while I was attending BYU-Hawaii in 1993.
My friends Tim and Josh came walking into the cafeteria one night, so excited. They had been coming to dinner and noticed an older couple in front of them. As they went to pass them, the man turned to Josh and noticed his Atlanta Falcons hat. He said "The Falcons aren't having a good season, are they?" He and Tim looked down and it was President Hinckley! They were so surprised, not only to see him, but that he knew about the Falcons dismal season! :)
My roommate Amy and I and some other friends decided to wait outside the private dining room he and his wife were in, thinking we might get a glimpse of him. After about an hour they came out. He took the time to shake our hands and speak to us for a moment. I will never forget how soft his hands were and his gentle smile. It truly was an awe-inspiring moment for me. I knew I had shaken the hand of a man of God and I have cherished that memory ever since.

I am sad because I will miss hearing his inspired words, but that is a selfish reason. His wife of 67 years, Marjorie, passed away in 2004, and he often spoke of how much he missed her. I know they are so happy to be together again. He was beloved by millions and I am proud to say that I am one of them.

What can I say?

I have been so neglectful of the blog. I wish I had a good reason, like I was exploring Europe, but nothing that exciting. Life has been speeding by faster than I can believe.

Last Monday, Hailey had her first Science Fair. She compared the difference between powder and liquid detergents on removing stains. She received an Einstein Award, which is like receiving 5 stars. She was so excited! (I think it goes without saying that Mom really deserved the award, too. It was she that was up until 2 am....) We are so proud of how much she is learning and growing. She has a great group of friends and I hope in the coming years they stay the tight "posse" they are now. (They call themselves that!)

Elise and Seth had checkups at the doctor last week. They are both healthy and growing just as they should. They both had shots, which I hate as much as them, and they were so brave. Especially Elise, considering she had four to get her ready for Kindergarten next year. They were rewarded for their bravery with a rare visit into McDonald's Playland after lunch.

It has been snowing like crazy here the last few weeks. I can't count how many storms we've had. I've forgotten what grass looks like, since it's been covered by snow since Thanksgiving. Trent has had so much fun. We have a slight incline in the front yard, so he can be found there every afternoon sledding off the jump he's made. I'm surprised we haven't had to visit the ER yet. (Knock on wood.)

Watching Rachel react to the world around her has been so much fun. From the moment she is out of her crib, she is constantly looking around, afraid she'll miss something. We've dubbed her "Kicky" for now. She is like one of those puppets with the string attached to their heads; when you pull it, the legs and arms go up and down. Do you know what I'm talking about? That is exactly what she looks like when she is excited! It is too cute. But then again, we think everything she does is pretty cute.

Greg and I have been lamenting the trials of being adults. We hate dealing with the necessities of acting like grown-ups. But then we look at the kids and know we wouldn't trade where we are in our lives for anything.

Seth, the Sunbeam

Yesterday was Seth's first day of Primary. (The children's organization at our church.) I was surprised at how sad I was. He just turned 3, so he is the youngest in his class, and he was a little nervous at first, but once he recognized a few kids, he was fine. Mommy, however, was not. My little man is growing up.

Check out my Slide Show!

Busy, busy Poulton's

We hope you have all had a marvelous holiday season. We have! It has been more crazy than usual around here, and Greg and I are ready for school to start on Thursday.

Our Christmas was wonderful. Christmas Eve day was spent baking and tracking Santa on the computer. Then that evening we celebrated with Greg's family in Orem. After a great meal, each family shared a favorite holiday story. After that, Grandpa read from the Bible. With the kids totally hyped-up, we came home and they unwrapped one gift before putting the cookies out for Santa and some carrots for Rudolf.

Christmas morning began at 6:30 am. Well, that's when Elise came into our room. We made her get in bed with us until we heard the snow plow at 6:55. I knew right then that it would be a matter of moments until they were all screaming in our room, and I was right. Dang that plow! Who knows how long they would have slept. Anyway, we went downstairs to find the stockings full and Santa's big presents to the kids in a row on the couch. Lots of screaming and yelling ensued, and everyone was very happy. Then the chaos went upstairs and they ripped open their presents from Mom and Dad. Much more yelling and then they were off to play with everything, while we tried to salvage the living room.

Greg's folks came up for breakfast at 9:30 (our traditional french toast casserole was a hit!) and the kids had fun showing them everything. I got a nap around 1 pm; Greg could see I was about to lose it by then. (Did I mention that the baby had been up 3 times that night?) We had a very quiet afternoon and the kids played and played.

Kevin and Shawn came into town on the 27th. It was so great to see Shawn pregnant, she looks even more beautiful, if that's possible! They stayed with us for two nights. The kids loved having them here. It was fun to go through baby clothes and name books as they get ready for their first little guy.

My cousin Alicia and her husband Joel were also visiting for the holidays. We saw them on the 28th at my dad and Adrienne's. After an initial bit of shyness, Elise and their daughter Olivia had a blast playing together.

The 29th was our 13th anniversary! Can you believe it's been that long? We can't. We went out to eat in Sandy at our favorite secret, Tiburon. It's a great little restaurant, with only about 15 tables, and a great menu. Check it out if you're over that way.

Then for New Year's Eve we spent the evening with some friends in the neighborhood. The kids had so much fun running around with the other 8 kids there. (It was extremely loud.) We came home at 10:30, Rachel had had it by then. Hailey and I were the only ones to stay up until midnight. We drank our apple cider while watching Ryan Seacrest talk to Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers.

So, today we are recovering from the insanity that has been our home the last little bit. We've been cleaning and preparing to take down the holiday decor tomorrow. I will post a slide show of the holidays later tonight. I apologize for the lack of photos. I was so busy enjoying myself, that the camera was neglected most of the holiday.