Hill-Mulford

Teton Dam Half Marathon

2010-06-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Tammy, Jordan, Seth, Maddy, Cam and I journeyed to Rexburg, ID for a mini-Hill reunion and to run the Teton Dam Half Marathon. My brothers Scott and Ted along with their wives and a few kids were there. We all stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Hill who made us feel like kings and queens. It was so fun!!!!

In the race Jordan was the fastest at 1:41. I took 2nd in my age group in a time of 1:52. Ted took third in his age group at 2:04. Scott ran it in 2:28. Tammy ran a 10k and took third in her age group. Seth, Cam, and Maddy ran the one mile fun-run.

Merry Christmas !

2009-12-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

A Season of Growth

December 12, 2009

Dearest Friends,

Hi! It’s me, Jeff and it’s looking like Christmas. As I peer out my kitchen window in Orem, Utah there are light snow flurries. Everything is white! The Christmas tree is up in the living room and Tammy has filled our home with Christmas decorations. I especially enjoy the mistletoe and try to catch Tammy there! The mailbox fills up daily with Christmas cards and messages from friends and loved ones. We appreciate these. This year it is my turn to share our message with you about this year—a season of growth!

This is our fourth Christmas as a blended family, and has been the best ever. Right now we have five children living at home, five married children, one on a mission, and one at BYU. I must tell you that it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. In fact, it has been very difficult to blend two families with so many children and grandchildren with different backgrounds, different temperaments, and different ways of seeing things. When we get frustrated we remember T.T.T. (Things Take Time). That said, as we have trusted in the Lord and pled for His help, He has blessed us with much growth and much joy. We are grateful to Him.

Speaking of growth and joy, our Emily married her Mr. Right (Benjamin Wright) in the Mt. Timpanogos temple in April. We love him and we love his family. He is very good for Emily. The wedding was amazing! Tammy worked with Emily and had every detail taken care of ahead of time, so we could relax and enjoy. Wow! We also welcomed two new grandchildren into the family. Jeff and Jenny had their fourth boy, Isaac. And Abby and James had their second boy, Peter. We now have ten grandchildren and nine of them are boys! We are so grateful that our children are choosing to have children. Maddy turned eight this year as was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by her brother, Ryan, and confirmed a member of the Church by Jordan. She was gorgeous in her white dress. In all of these experiences we felt the ministering of angels, and at times felt the veil parted and that Juanita and Mark were there with our children. Tammy and I were blessed to travel to the Netherlands where we rented a tandem and rode through countless fields of tulips. We also treasured an Alaskan cruise with the extended Ray Family, a West Coast cruise with the extended Hill Family, a family reunion with the extended Mulford family, and Aspen Grove and Thanksgiving with the extended Snell family. We are blessed to have four major families who all love and support us. That has helped us so much!

May the true Spirit of Christmas fill you lives with joy! We love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! THE HILL-MULFORD FAMILY
Jeff & Tammy, Juanita (in heaven), Mark (in heaven); Sarah (31) Eva (6), Nathan (4); Jeffrey (30) & Jenny, Jeffrey Jr (6), Jonny (5), Benjamin (3), Isaac (0) Aaron (27) & Jenny, Spencer (2), Joshua (1), Abby (25) & James, Andrew (2), Peter (0), Jordan (23), Hannah (22), Heidi (in heaven), Emily (20) & Ben, Amanda (17), Ryan (16), Seth (12), Cam (10), and Maddy (8).
YEARLY UPDATE:

The Jeff and Tammy Hill/Mulford family now numbers 29 mortal souls including: 2 parents, 12 children, 5 sons/daughters in-law, and 10 grandchildren. We are blessed!

Sarah (31), Eva (6), & Nathan (4) Sarah’s highlight is that she got a real job! She is a tenure-track assistant professor in neuroscience at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Sarah has gotten in very good shape, and has run a sub 22 minute 5k. Eva is in First Grade and she and Nathan are incredibly curious about everything. http//plainsenseofthings.blogspot.com srallred@gmail.com

Jeffrey (30), Jenny, Jeffrey Jr. (6), Jonathan (5), Benjamin (3), & Isaac (0). Jeff and Jenny welcomed their fourth boy, Isaac, into their family. Jeff is completing his PhD in mechanical engineering from Penn State, but they are living in Ann Arbor, MI and working at the University of Michigan. Their blog is: http://thehappyhillfamily.blogspot.com/ jeffrayhill@gmail.com

Aaron (27) Jenny, Spencer (2), & Joshua (1) Aaron continues his Ph.D. program at the University of Illinois in Mathematics and has decided to become a high school math teacher. Jenny does an incredible job at home with the kids and as primary president. You should take a peek at their blog. http://hillography.blogspot.com/ aaronthill@gmail.com

Abby (25) James, Andrew (2), & Peter (0) welcomed an adorable boy into their Omaha home in February. James is finishing a doctorate in physical therapy at Creighton University and is on the job market. They spent the Fall in Grangeville, ID for their rotation where they participated in a bear hunt and were warned to keep an eye on their boys because of cougars on their property. Their blog: www.thebooners.blogspot.com abbyh@gmail.com

Jordan (23) is a sophomore at Brigham Young University majoring in athletic training. He has been exercising a LOT and is majorly buff. He is very fun to be around and serves as the activities chairman in his ward. Jordan and his Mom flew to Green Bay this Fall and toured his mission areas in Wisconsin. Many still remember him with fondness there. Big news: he is doing semester abroad at the BYU Jerusalem Center from January through April, 2010. http://www.mulford12.blogspot.com/ / mulford12@gmail.com

Sestra Hannah Hill (22) is serving the Lord in the LDS Czech mission headquartered in Prague. We delight reading her e-mails each week as she shares with us the influence of the Spirit in her life and the excitement of missionary life.Though learning the language was challenging at first, she is much more comfortable with it now. http://www.czechcougar.blogspot.com/ sestrahill@gmail.com

Emily (20) and Ben were married for time and all eternity in the Mt. Timpanogos temple in April. Ben is the perfect mate for Emily and her complement in many ways. Emily will graduate in neuroscience from BYU next year. She is one of the leading scorers on the BYU Lacrosse team. Ben graduated last year and is teaching mathematics at a charter school while he applies to law schools. Check out their blog: bloggingthewrightway.blogspot.com lacrossechic@comcast.net

Amanda (17) started working at Kneaders, a local bakery, and learned to make a sandwich in 20 seconds. Already she has saved more than $3000 for college and perhaps a mission. Last year she played on the girls basketball team, but her real interest is in lacrosse where she started as a freshman. She loves learning and likes school. She is also dating. manarayhill@gmail.com.

Ryan (16) has his drivers’ license, and just went on his first date. Amidst intense competition he made the Timpanogos High School sophomore basketball team and has been a starter for them. Finally, he spearheaded an impressive Eagle service project at Cascade Elementary with more than 100 service hours. He is receiving his Eagle scouting award in Jan. Mulfy800@hotmail.com.

Seth (12) made the switch from football to soccer this year and enjoyed it greatly. He is a true blue Cougar football fan and went to all the BYU home games this year. He often cheered himself hoarse. Seth continues to progress in the piano and recently said he really likes it. He can play several hymns now. He is in Spanish Immersion in 6th grade. sethjoshuahill@yahoo.com.

Cam (10) is a star athlete. He played running back and linebacker on his tackle football team that scratched its way to second place in the league tournament. Though only in 4th grade, he starts on the Timberwolves 5th grade basketball team. Cam has been serving as Dad’s personal trainer and has motivated him to get into really good shape. Finally, Cam has learned that if he is reading the Book of Mormon, Dad doesn’t ask him to go to bed. He has been reading a lot!

Maddy (8) is also reading up a storm. It is not unusual for her to read two, three, even four hours a day. She also loves playing the piano and playing on her soccer team. Her dream is to become a school teacher and so sets up her classroom downstairs and teaches rows of stuffed animals how to read. She is a sweet angel in our home.

Jeff (56) and Tammy. Jeff continues at the BYU School of Family Life and Tammy continues to be a world-class homemaker. But what we love best is being together, especially when we can be alone. We like to ride our tandem up Provo Canyon, go out for a movie, go for walks, work out at the gym, and go to the temple. In 2009 we visited five new temples (The Hague, Draper, Oakland, Seattle, & Las Vegas), now our total is 24. We are in love! hill-mulford.blogspot.com/ jeff_hill@byu.edu tummarooni@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

We've had a great week. It was our best Hill-Mulford Thanksgiving ever. We had Tammy's family here and she had everything planned perfectly (of course). It was fun for everyone! Those who came include Grandma and Grandpa Snell, Grandma and Grandpa Hill, Deb and Blair and family, Matt and Camille and family, Bev and her family (Ryan stayed home with Davis), Chris and Shauna and family, Steph and Reed and family. Altogether we had about 45 people. The menu included turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, green bean casarole, Dixie salad, and Kneaders rolls. Amanda worked on Thanksgiving Eve at Kneaders and about 50 people didn't show up to pick up their pre-paid pies. The management gave them out to the employees so we ended up with 3 Kneaders pies to go with the 5 or 6 others. We had our Church reserved from 11 to 2 and played BB, fat Albert, prison, and flag football. Before eating we sang Thanksgiving hymns and Grandpa Snell read from the scriptures.

We sang enthusiastically while Chris played the piano.

Everyone had name plates made with cookie dough, that was fun. We had five tables set up on the main room, and we even ate in the dining room. Each table went one-by-one for food without a lot of chaos. The meal was the delicious. I sat by Mom and my parents. What joy! The couples played the newlywed game and the single teenagers were the judges. We laughed a lot. Then we ate the pies.

Even Maddy and Jacque ate their fill. A day always to remember.

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey, Ben, Hannah, Heidi

2009-11-22T19:04:00.001-08:00

This has been a big few days for birthdays. Ben and Jeff's birthdays are on November 20 and Hannah and Heidi's birthdays are on November 21. The only one we got to see in person was Ben. He and Emily came over for his birthday dinner of chicken alfredo, spinach artichoke dip on baguettes, salad, squash, and peanut butter brownies with Reese's Pieces ice cream for dessert. We are so blessed Tammy is such a great cook. We are grateful that so many wonderful people were born this week. Jeff celebrated by going to Maryland for Thanksgiving. Hannah has patiently waited to open her birthday package for several weeks in the Czech Republic. And I am sure that Heidi is celebrating with Juanita and Mark and Grandpa Ray in the Spirit world.

Here Ben is struggling to blow out the three candles representing 3 to the 3rd power years of life. He eventually, with Emily's help, got them all out!

Seth has been practicing the Spanish immersion dance and singing program for the past several weeks. Here he is with his partner. He is grateful that the program is over.

Here is Seth's class singing Vive Espana!

Life is wonderful,

Dad

California Dreamin

2009-11-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

Tammy and I had a "dreamy" weekend getaway at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, California. I had to go to NCFR and so afterwards we headed down to Monterey Bay and my old home town.

The day was absolutely beautiful, 65 degrees and sunny. We walked the whole length of the beach and had lots of good talks and pure joy!

After seeing this memorial bench we decided not to take surfing lessons!

We even got to attend Church at the old Santa Cruz ward where I went as a boy.

We really enjoyed doing a session in the Oakland, California temple. It is our fifth new temple of the year and our 24 temple since we got married.

Fall Break

2009-11-01T18:32:00.001-08:00

For Fall Break (aka UEA) we decided to get out of the house and do something. We piled in the mini-van and drove to Salt Lake where Seth did baptisms for the dead for the first time. Amanda, Ryan, and Mom went with him. Dad had to stay with Cam and Maddy because he lost his temple recommend. After the baptisms we all went to a Tabernacle organ concert and then to the Gateway to do mostly window shopping. We finished out the day watching the Joseph Smith movie and then went to dinner at the Olde Spaghetti Factory. Delicious!

The colors were beautiful so we went for a good Fall hike on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Everyone enjoyed themselves, especially Cam!

Here is handsome Dad with the family!

October 2009

2009-11-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

The Hill-Mulford family is back! We took a little moratorium on blogging for a few months because we believed that we had lost our camera. However, the camera was preserved and we began taking pictures again. We'll bring you up to date ever so gently ...

Amanda went on her first big dance at Timpanogos High School with Sean.

Ryan completed his Eagle Scout project. He master-minded a brilliant community service endeavor where in 181 volunteer hours contributed by more than 40 people spruced up Cascade Elementary school. The parking lot was re-striped, the lines were re-painted on the basketball hoops, the curbs were re-painted, and the basketball standards got a fresh coat.

Cam was the star artist at the project. He single-handedly repainted the handicap parking stalls. Amazing!

Omaha

2009-07-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

Our summer travels continued with a trip to Omaha last week to visit Abby and James and Andrew and Peter. Ryan is just getting his license and so needed the driving hours. He drove about 14 hours during the trip. Amanda, Ryan, Seth, Cam and I made the trip. Tammy and Maddy had a fun (and quiet) time at home and also visited in Kaysville. This picture is of Amanda, Ryan, and I after we went with James to do baptisms in the Winter Quarters temple.

We had a real fun time ice blocking for family home evening down the hill across from Abby and James house. This is an ice train with James, Ryan, Seth, and Cam, right before it fell apart. Abby won the contest for the longest ride.

We visited the children's museum and had loads of fun. Here Cam is making up Abby with fancy costume make up. He is very creative!

Peter REALLY enjoyed being in the museum with his grandpa, ME!

Believe it or not, this is Amanda posing as Hans Solo and promoting BYU!

A highlight of the trip was visiting the Henry Dorley zoo. We got a family membership so we went three times. The zoo is fantastic and sometimes its hard to tell whether the people are observing the animals or perhaps the animals are observing the people. Here Cam, Seth, Amanda, and Ryan traverse the rope bridge teeming with monkeys and other jungle animals.

We went to an all-you-can-eat pizza place for dinner and managed to down 107 pieces of pizze among all of us. Here Andrew is proud of his contribution! Actually he only ate three pieces. James was the champion with 22 pieces and everyone else managed to eat at least 10.

Since we were only 500 miles away from them, we figured out a way to see Aaron, Jenny, Spencer and Joshua. We each drove halfway and met in Iowa City, Iowa. We met at the Olive Garden and had a delicious lunch. Then we spent the afternoon together in a beautiful park.

Joshua and his beautiful blue eyes seemed happy to see grandpa.

Spencer was excited to pilot the space shuttle to a very wet landing in the park.

Maddy didn't go to Omaha, but she had a great time at home learning to sew with grandma and going to the Wizard of Oz with Tammy and Jackie. Here she is, all made up and beautiful. Check out those eye lashes!

I couldn't resist putting in this picture of Moroni (Jordan). Tammy had sharing time about the scriptures and he was very impressive as he enlightened the primary children. He is one handsome Nephite! Live is wonderful, Jeff

Backpacking and a Birthday

2009-06-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

Ryan celebrated the BIG birthday! He turned 16 which means that he can date and get his license. He is currently taking drivers' ed and could have his license in just a few weeks. There are MANY girls hoping that he will ask them out!

Seth, Cam, Maddy, and I backpacked to a camping spot about a mile from our house, overlooking Orem. It was beautiful! On the way up a thunderstorm was blowing in and nearly blew us off the mountain. However, it calmed down enough for Cam and Seth to track down and catch exotic insects (like grasshoppers).

Maddy set up some sticks to hold her pot over the fire. We decided, however, to use the camp stove to make our macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, and hot chocolate.

Cam brought his football on the trip and we played catch.

A highlight of the trip was being able to build a fire, which we enjoyed late into the night, before the big rains came.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset (sailor's delight) right before a torrential thunderstorm pelted us through several hours during the night.

Birthdays Galore, Scout Camp

2009-06-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

June is the month of Birthdays in the Hill-Mulford Family! It gives us pause to be grateful for every single one. Our first birthday was Emily's on June 7. We really celebrated that she is no longer a teenager! She and Ben are very VERY happy as a married couple. She is attending summer term at BYU and he is studying for the LSAT.

Cam got his favorite breakfast in bed for his 10th birthday on June 10. He enjoyed his turnovers immensely. Cam enjoying life and has decided to take brake dancing lessons. He is amazing!

We really whooped it up at his birthday party. All of the Utah County siblings were there along with two of his best friends, Joseph and Max. We celebrated by going to UP as a first run feature. We took the whole row in the movie theater!

I am now deacons quorum advisor. As a perk I got to take Seth to Scout camp this week at Scofield Resevoir.

We loved our experience but the weater was raining and cold a lot of the time. Our tent, however, kept us dry and as long as we wore three layers of clothing it kept us warm too.

The sun finally came out on Friday and were happy about it. Seth is also smiling because he earned six merit badges and one partial. He now has 12 merit badges and doesn't turn 12 for another three months.

Here is a group shot with all the boys, excited

Our farewell dinnner was of dutch oven ribs, and Seth loved every bite.

Alaska: Some Like it Hot

2009-06-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

Tammy and I just returned from an unforgettable cruise with the Ray family. We sailed from Seattle and spent the week in the Inside Passage exploring Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Prince Rupert CA. We appreciate Grandma Ray who provided the resources for us all to make many memories, especially with Mike and Ruth Ann Petramalo. Ruth Ann has recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska. The normal weather for this time of year is about 55 degrees and raining. Our day was 75 degrees and sunshine. We met Craig and Juaneta Cannon, a friend from high school who joined the church and married Juaneta, who was a year younger than me. They were gracious and exciting hosts and took us out on their boat for fishing and crabbing.

Tammy got a goot bite but the hundred pound halibut just got away. We did have good fun setting a crab cage, catching a nice sized crab, and then cooking it on a deserted beach. Thanks again to Craig and Juaneta for their hospitality.

Tammy really enjoyed getting to know the Rays much better. Here she is visiting with Marlene Hinton as we wait for the bus to take us to Mildenhaul Glacier in Juneau in the crisp morning. The temperature was more than 80 degrees later in the afternoon. We had the best fish and chips on the planet for lunch.

Here are Mike and Ruth Ann Petramalo posing in front of the Mildenhaul Glacier. This is a river of ice that flows 12 miles from the eternal snowfields above.

The scenery in Alaska took my breath away over and over again. This is a typical scene. So much beauty! God knew what he was doing when he created Alaska!

We sailed right into a bay full of ice bergs and were able to get quite close to a large glacier. Enroute we were tickled to see one ice berg with 5-6 seals sunning themselves. There were also bald eagles galore, everywhere. Alaska is a very patriotic state.

In Skagway our excursion cancelled out and we we rented a tandem in town and rode about 20 miles along the most beautiful scenery. In truth we enjoyed being together, alone, better than any of the excursions (and it was much less expensive).

In Prince Rupert we found a nearly empty golf course and played a round. Actually Jeff played a round and Tammy played around, drive the golf cart. It was so fun!

On the last day we posed on the grand staircase on the cruise ship. What a fun group! These are all of Juanita's siblings, their spouses, Grandma Ray, and Gretchen Petramalo, Mike's Mom.

After a week in heaven (Alaska) we returned home renewed, ready to move forward. Thanks, again, to Grandma Ray for putting this together. We all bring with us many memories that we will always treasure.

The Merry Month of May

2009-05-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

Lots of action in the Hill-Mulford connection this month. Tammy and I flew to Las Vegas for Ben and Emily's open house at the home of some of the Wright's dear friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit! We attended an endowment session in the Las Vegas temple and here is Tammy beaming before we entered that sacred place. This is the 21st temple in which we have performed an ordinance since we were married. We love the temple! By the way, Tammy was just called as couselor in the Primary Presidency.

Cam was a star in the Northridge Elementary art show. His teacher (pictured above) is Mrs. DeWitt and she speaks very highly of Cam's talent. Though he is only in third grade, she put his artwork in with the 4th-6th graders.

Maddy also was excited to display her rather abstract artwork as well. I believe it was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art for 4.3 milliion dollars (just kidding!)

Seth has really gotten excited about scouting, though this picture doesn't do a good job of portraying his enthusiasm. He already has eight merit badges and plans to get 10 more at Scout Camp next month, and he is not yet 12. I (Jeff) have been called to be Assistant Scoutmaster and Deacon's Quorum advisor so I will be with them! (I thought I was through with Scout Camp :)

Amanda's team wrapped up their lacrosse season by placing third in the state. As a sophomore she was named the defensive player of the year. She loves lacrosse!

Maddy's dance group performed at BYU and she was so coordinated and rhythmic. They had a fun group.

Jordan and Ryan are shown here demonstrating their talents in front of the temple. This summer Jordan is working 40 hours a week keeping up the Orem City Park on 8th West and 16th North and then in his spare time he is waiting tables at the Pizza Factory. He was also recently called to be the activities chairman for his student ward.

Ryan has been playing in lots of summer basketball leagues. He is so excited to take drivers ed, turn sixteen, get his license, and then go out on dates. He is great!

I wanted to show the rest of the Hills. Here are Jeff, Aaron, Sarah, and Abby on top of the "Y" in Provo when everyone was in town for the wedding.

Here I am smiling!

Cam participated in the Cub Scout Olympics and blew out everyone in push ups. On the average kids his age can do 14. He did 60! Watch the action!

Emily and Ben's Wedding (April 23, 2009)

2009-05-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that Emily Ray Hill married Benjamin David Wright for time and all eternity in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple on April 23, 2009. This picture captures the feelings of that day, which were clearly out of this world!

Their wedding day was absolutely perfect! Tammy had everything planned so we didn't have a worry in the world. The weather cooperated as well, with light clouds and temperatures in the low 70s. They are both so photogenic.

Emily and Ben held their reception in the Provo Library on the night before the wedding, Wednesday, April 22. Again, Tammy had everything organized so that the night of the reception was low stress. The Library was very beautifully decorated with bright Spring colors everywhere. The photographer captured the starry-eyed couple in this photo worthy of the cover of Brides magazine.

Here is the whole Hill-Mulford clan at the reception. Everyone was there except for Hannah, James and Joel. We numbered 25 souls in this photograph. The photographer did a great job getting us together. Amazing!

With the photographer right there, Tammy took the opportunity to get a picture with the Mulford children. They are all good looking, like their Mom!

Emily posed with all of her sisters, all of whom have different last names. Abigail Boone, Amanda Hill, Sarah Allred, Becky Wright, and Maddy Mulford!

These are all the brothers, sporting their festive ties: Cam Mulford, Seth Hill, Walker Wright, Alex Wright, Ryan Mulford, Jordan Mulford, Jeff Hill, Daniel Wright, and Aaron Hill.

I insisted on one group photo of everyone at the temple. And here we all are! We were blessed to have Dave and Kari Wright with their family, along with five of Ben and Emily's grandparents, along with Hills, Snells, Arnells, Hitchcocks, Flakes, Rays, Curtis, Boones, Allreds, Mulfords, and probably some others I don't see in the picture!

To conclude this post on a spiritual note, I wanted to share what the sealer, Brother Lloyd Packard, counselled the couple in the temple:
1. Return to the temple frequently and remember the sacred covenants made therein. These are the foundation stones of eternal joy.
2. Always look for the good in each other. Good marriages don’t just happen, they are made through conscious effort. Look for similarities not differences. If you look for the good, you will find it. “Seek and ye shall find.” If you look for the bad, you will also find that and there is a danger that you will only start seeing the bad and then your marriage may not last.
3. Treat each other as kings and queens. The temple teaches us that we will be kings and queens in the house of Israel forever. We should start treating each other that way. Even though Emily is strong enough to open her own door, she should let Ben open it for her. He told of seeing President McKay wait outside the car until his wife Emma Ray came so he could open the door for her. They should remember those little things.
4. Make a plan for your family. He asked them what they wanted for their family. Emily said a place of love. Ben said a place of peace. Brother Packard added a place of the Spirit. He challenged them to make a plan for how they would make of their home a place of love, of peace, and of the spirit.

We are blessed! These are very happy days!

Netherlands Adventure

2009-04-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

Tammy and I just returned from Utrecht, the Netherlands, on a combination work and pleasure trip. I presented at the bi-annual Community, Work, and Family Conference which is held Internationally. Tammy got everything done for Emily's wedding next Wednesday, so she decided to come too. We had a great time! This picture is of the tower "Dom" which stands 350 feet above the city of Utrecht. It has great bells that ring every 15 minutes. Unfortunately our hotel was just 100 meters down the road and so we heard those bells day and night. Tammy and I also climbed the 458 steps to the top for a breathtaking view of Utrecht.

On Wednesday, April 15, 2009, Tammy and I rented a tandem bicycle and rode through the flower fields. Holland is very bicycle friendly and we rode for two hours (probably 20 miles) through these colorful fields. They were amazing!

Also on Wednesday we visited Koeukenhof, which consists of 750 acres of flowers and gardens. I am not particularly a flower man, but I have to admit this garden was so beautiful it took my breath away. I am so glad I have Tammy to help me appreciate the aesthetic side of life! Here we are sitting on a traditional well with some of the gardens in the background.

Flowers were in every configuration, color, and scent imagineable. Here is a "river" of flowers meandering through the gardens.

There were probably ten zillion tulips in this garden. Here I am standing amidst a few thousands of them!

Tammy and I went to the temple at the Hague on Thrusday, April 16, 2009. Tammy had brought 20 names to do baptisms for. We got to the temple at 5:20 pm and asked if we could do some work before the 7:30 baptism session. However, there was nothing to do ... no sealings, endowment session, or initiatories. So we walked the town and had a nice cozy dinner at a tastefully decorated (and quiet) restauraunt. Tammy ordered a sandwich which she was assured was like "roast beef". However, it was not. We suspect it was pickled tongue. She only ate one third of the sandwich ... I finished the rest!

Here we are standing on a bridge leading to the temple. Tammy and I love bridges (we always kiss on them) and the temple, so what could be better than this?!

Utrecht is laced with canals. Tammy and I rented a paddle boat and had the time of our lives exploring the town through the canals. We managed to avoid the bigger boats, though sometimes it was a tight squeeze. Afterwards we had pizza at a sidewalk cafe located on the canal. How romantic!

Of course, the purpose of the trip was for me to present at the International Community, Work, and Family Conference. It was held in this elegant building right next to the cathedral. This is where the University of Utrecht was founded in the 16th century.

This was one of the halls where we presented.

This was a great renewing trip for Tammy and me. We are ready to take on the wedding now!

April Joys

2009-04-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Amanda, Seth, the Zundels, Melody, and I had a really fun time watching Uncle Scott in the Music Man. He was so animated and fun and "distinguished." River City will never be the same after Scott's performance.

On April 10, Emily went through the temple for the first time. Tammy was her escort and they had a wonderful experience visiting with Sister Bateman (the temple matron) for 45 minutes alone. Ben and I, along with his brother and Dad, and Jordan Mulford were able to go through the session along with Tammy and Emily. What a blessing we have to make those special covenants in the temple.

On April 1 Tammy made a wonderful "backwards" breakfast for April Fools. The kids had to eat their colors (M&Ms) before they could have their pizza and Gatorade. What a breakfast! Tammy is so fun!

I celebrated my birthday on April 7. One problem, whoever made the cake can't count. She put an "80" on the top of the cake. I may be old, but I'm not that old! The truth is that I'm 56 and proud of it!

Ryan engaged in an International Project at school and presented food, data, and stories from Malaysia. Here he is in his native dress!

Ryan has been so amazing in track. He places in four events every week, usually taking first in the 4x100 relay (video above) and then placing second in the 100, 200, and long jump. He is faster than a speeding bullet and it's fun to see him run with reckless abandon! (He is in lane 2)

Bridal Shower and More (March 15, 2009)

2009-03-15T09:29:00.001-07:00

Emily had her bridal shower on Saturday. Tammy did a great job putting it all together, and there were at least 50 in attendance. Tammy's Mom did a quilt that everyone joined in to tie during the shower. It was beautiful! Holding this prize possession are Bev Smith (Tammy's Sister), Tammy, Emily, Deb Arnell (Tammy's Sister), and Clara Snell (Tammy's Mom)

Emily was so animated, vivacious, and excited to greet all of her friends at the shower.

Cam finished his basketball season by scoring 21 points in each of his last two games. He is an amazing basketball player.

This is a typical dinnertime scene in the Hill-Mulford connection.

Jordan has been such a great brother. Here he is relaxing on Sunday afternoon with Maddy.

The Hill-Mulford connection visited the Draper Temple Open House and enjoyed the great Spirit there.

Seth did very well at the piano festival. Here is an excerpt.

Peter Jeffrey Boone (DOB 2/25/09)

2009-02-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

Peter Jeffrey Boone was born at 6:59 a.m., on February 25, 2009, to Abby and James Boone. He is a rock and weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces, was 21 inches long, had an APGAR score of 9/9. Peter is our ninth grandchild, and their second child (both boys). Abby and James went to the hospital about 2:30 a.m., and left Andrew sleeping with Grandpa Hill.

Father James Boone telepathically communicates with his new son and asks him to open his mouth. Peter has peach fuzz brown head hair and no teeth nor chest hairs.

This is the first official family portrait of the newly expanded James Boone family. From left to right Peter, James, Abby, and Andrew.

Grandpa Hill holds Peter for the first time. He is very happy because Peter's middle name is "Jeffrey". Peter is the 27th living member of the Jeff and Tammy Hill and Mulford family.

Andrew is being instructed on how to touch the new baby VERY softly. He is exhuberant!

Abby spends some one-on-one quality time with Andrew in the hospital to ease the effects of his recent "dethronement".

This picture was taken just 12 hours before Peter was born. Abby was washing the dishes with Andrew.

Grandpa Hill took Andrew to the Henry Doorley Zoo the day that Peter was born. We had a blast. I got 22,000 steps that day.

February Joy(e)s

2009-02-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

Madelyne Joye Mulford created a festive spirit for Valentines Day. She created more Valentines, by far, than anyone else in the family. We enjoyed a Family Home Evening where we used our artistic talents (Mulfords certainly excel in this area) to make creative valentines for all of the grandparents, married children, college kids, and in home family members.\

Tammy celebrated Valentines Day by making us a delicious heart-shaped meatloaf. Ymmmm! We enjoyed exchanging gifts on the day. She gave me wonderful sweater and shirt (red of course) and I have her the eight seasons of the Cosby show. We have been enjoying watching an episode each night before bed. And we seem to be sleeping much better!

Amanda's basketball season wound up with a thrilling Timpanogos 46-45 win over Lone Peak. It was a miracle. Amanda played sophomore, JV, and varsity this year. She is amazing ... but we are glad to get a little break in game-going until lacrosse starts.

I coached Cam's rec league team this year, in my spare time. He is definitely years ahead in his basketball skills. He has discovered a "lucky penny" that he kisses before the game. It has worked! In the last two games he has scored 42 points (21 points each game). He could score a lot more but he isn't a ball hog. He passes a lot and encourages the rest of the team enthusiastically.

Ryan's team also wrapped up their season. He improved every game, and ended up playing almost all the time. This is an action shot right before he stole the ball. The coach said that if everyone on the team hustled and had Mulford's attitude, they would have won more games.

Here is Ryan walking to the locker room for the last time this season. I think he's found his sport that he wants to focus on. He has lots of talent and determination. He'll go far!

Seth and his friend did a great science fair project this week. They got three different kinds of soda and then determined which had the greatest chemical reaction with Mentos and why. It was an exciting experiment!

Diet Coke was the winner!

Emily and Ben are still in love and still engaged. Tammy has been organizing the wedding and has most of the details already done! We are so blessed to have her in our family!

Emily and Ben are still happy!

Tammy and I had a great Valentines Day. I took her on a "get lost road" but we ended up at the Gateway where I got her a new diamond ring to replace the one that was lost 18 months ago. Then we went scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef (via 3-d Imax) and had dinner at the Thaiphoon Restaurant. We are sooooo happy! The weather has warmed up and we are riding our tandem again up the canyon.

Here is Tammy's new ring! The picture doesn't do it justice. It is beautiful, especially on her finger!

Emily is Engaged ! !

2009-02-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

It is official. Benjamin Wright proposed to Emily Ray Hill on Friday evening, January 30, 2009. Ben surprised Emily. He arranged with Tammy to get everyone out of the house at 10:00 pm so he could watch a movie with Emily. Tammy made a bowl of popcorn and hid the ring box at the bottom. And now they are engaged. They will be married on April 23, 2009 in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple at 11:00 am. The reception will be the night before, on April 22, 2009 at the Provo Library. We are all very happy. Ben is very popular with all of us.

This the VERY beautiful ring that Ben gave Emily. This photograph does not do justice to how much the ring sparkles.

The day before the engagement Ben took me out to lunch to ask for her hand. In keeping with tradition we played golf. We went to the driving range and had a contest. Ben won on the last drive, by only about ten yards.

Ben is beaming after having won the hand of Emily in marriage.

Still Winter

2009-01-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

Emily and her "good friend" Ben are enjoying each other, and us, frequently. Ben has been teaching Math at Walden school after graduating from BYU in August. Emily is starting conditioning in Lacrosse. We love BOTH of them.

Too cold to play outside, so Cam, Seth, and Maddy have built an incredible fort!

Cam spent this morning being nice to Maddy, making her a creative wallet out of paper and tap. It contained original illustrations.

Seth has gone organic and is busily putting together Dad's weekly anti-oxidant supplements.

Amanda is playing lots of basketball. Next week I'll get a better picture of her and of Ryan.

Snow Galore

2009-01-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

Snow blanketed our home in depths of up to 24 inches. It meant lots of shoveling (bonding time with the boys) and lots of fun (sledding down Skyline Drive)

Our drifts by the driveway rose to about six feet in its highest point, much taller than Cam.

Our big van was almost covered completely by the white stuff.

Cam played his first ballgame for the Junior Jazz. He, Seth, and Ryan have been working with Jordan and really improving their skills. I am coaching Cam's team. Cam has been a real team player, passing the ball frequently. Even with that he made 7 of 10 shots and scored 14 points in our last game.

Ryan and Amanda have also been playing many games but I have forgotten to bring the camera. Maybe next week.

Seth had a game scheduled, but the other team was disbanded. They played a scrimmage and he had six points and five rebounds.

Weddings Galore

2009-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

We have enjoyed a houseful of family during the Christmas holidays. Last Sunday we took advantage of us being in our Sunday clothes to take a picture. Sarah, Joel, Eva, Nathan, Abby, James, Andrew, Emily, and Ben are all welcomed visitors.

Tammy and I went to Jason Zundel's wedding and we were joined by Abby and James for the breakfast, and then were represented by the whole family at the reception.

Tammy and I snuck off after the Zundel wedding breakfast to the Providence Inn Bed and Breakfast. It was the best! We then went to the Logan temple for the Shawn Curtis wedding.

Shawn Curtis and his new bride seemed very happy. In fact, I have never seen Shawn so handsome before in my life!

Here is a picture of Thom and Susan along with Shawn and the MacDonald family.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T04:56:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was delightful. The children stayed up very late but slept in until 7:00 am. That was amazing! This Christmas we had Sarah, Joel, Eva, and Nathan; Abby, James, and Andrew; Jordan, Emily, Amanda, Ryan, Seth, Cam, and Maddy; and Tammy and Jeff. Jeff is the one taking this picture.

We not only dreamed of but experienced a White Christmas. Here Sarah, Eva, and Nathan are enjoying the fresh snow. They built a wonderful snowman that leaned and eventually fell.

All Maddy wants for Christmas is her two front teeth! She sang that song so sweetly for our annual Family Talent Show on Christmas Eve. We thoroughly enjoyed eveyone's talents, especially Jordan and Ryan's antics as "Sea World" seal trainers. They had their seal (Nathan Allred) do numerous exciting tricks.

Joseph (Andrew Boone) and Mary (Maddy Mulford) took special care of baby Jesus during our annual Nativity program on Christmas Eve.

Hannah at the MTC

2008-12-08T04:49:00.001-08:00

This was a wonderful week for us and our daughter Hannah, who entered to Missionary Training Center to learn the Czech language. She will be serving for 18 months as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are soooooo happy for her! Though we are missing her terribly!

The day before she entered the Mission Training Center in Provo Jeff hiked with her past the "Y" to his special spot where they talked, wrote, and shared a nice prayer.

Hannah was set apart by her stake president on Tuesday, December 2, at about 9:00 pm. He gave a beautiful blessing and promised her the gift of tongues to be able to quickly learn the Czech language. We are grateful for that! On Wednesday, Jeff also gave her a blessing which brought tears to our eyes. We are going to miss her, but the overwhelming feeling is that she is doing exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.

Here are family members who came to the MTC to see Hannah off. If you can't tell, Hannah is very happy and is very stunning with her new hair cut!

Hannah posed with her sisters, who are all photogenic.

Both Hannah and Tammy were very happy for this joyous day. Hannah was blessed to have Tammy to help her with all the shopping. She got lots of beautiful outfits and will look the part of a dedicated (but stylish) sister missionary.

Here is Hannah with two of our future missionaries, Cam and Seth.

Lastly, here is Hannah with Jeff. He doesn't know what he'll do without his SPSS girl. We love Hannah so much. Please write her:

Sister Hannah Ray Hill

Czech Prague Mission

Provo Missionary Training Center

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Her blog is:

http://czechcougar.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-01T03:49:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving feast with my Mom and Dad, Scott and Ted and their families, as well as the Hills and Mullfords.

Andrew has decided to eat healthy this holiday season.

Hannah and Seth are making all kinds of Christmas goodies.

Perhaps the highlight of the season was when we went to do baptisms in the Provo temple.

My Mom and Dad are looking good for being in their eighties!

Jordan finally coralled Cameran. Fun!

Tammy and her sisters revealed a wonderful birthday present for her Mom ... some really classy clothes and a ticket to Wicked.

Andrew is happy!

The Week Before Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

Dad took Maddy to McDonalds for a belated birthday feast. We talked about the year coming up in quiet surroundings. Maddy's dining choice was the Happy Meal with McNuggets, Fries, and Sprite. Of course what she liked the most, other than the conversation, was the penguin which came with the meal. She is a sweetheart!

Dad went with Hannah to the Salt Lake Temple on her birthday, Friday, November 21, along with Jenise Zundel. It was the first time she had experienced a live session, and she loved it. She is getting so excited about leaving for her mission.

Mom fixed Hannah a delicious brithday breakfast, including muffin, eggs, bacon, and juice. We all thoroughly loved the meal!

Jordon is selling his Sonata for $2000. Low blue book is $3000 so he figures the difference will enable someone to fix the hood and the radiator. Do you know of anyone interested?

First Snow (2008)

2008-11-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

We had our first snow in Orem this year in mid-October. Seth made an impressive fort and Amanda and Maddy sculpted a snowman. Life is a wonderland! Love, Jeff (the wiser)

Fall Family Outing (September 28, 2008)

2008-10-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

We took a gorgeous Fall family outing on Sunday, September 28, 2008 up to South Fork in Provo Canyon. The foilage was absolutely gorgeous. We had a carefree afternoon exploring, napping, frisbee playing, baachi ball playing, and flag footballing.

The foilage was breathtaking.

The whole family (plus Ben) was there. Ben took this picture (Front: Maddy, Cam, Seth; Back: Emily, Amanda, Jeff, Tammy, Jordan, and Cam). He took several pictures and this was the only one without a major practical joke going on.

This is Emily and her Ben. They have been dating for a couple of months and are really good friends. He is fun to have around.

We celebrated Maddy's birthday on this outing, even though her birthday is really October 3. She enjoyed her presents and exploring everywhere.

Tammy is so beautiful ... and she even matches the foilage. We love bridges too! ...

...because we always kiss on them.

Crazy Horse Half-Marathon (October 4, 2008)

2008-10-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

October 3-5, 2008, the Mulford-Hill clan traveled to Hill City, S.D., to run in the Crazy Horse Half Marathon. Jeff, Tammy, Jordan, Hannah, Emily, Amanda and Ryan journeyed from Orem, UT. We met Abby and James Boone (and Andrew) who came from Omaha, NE and Sarah Allred who came from Philadelphia, PA. Altogether we had two parents, seven children, one son-in-law, and one grandchild who made the 13.1 race.

This photo was taken 20 minutes before race time (6:40 am) in the Crazy Horse visitors center. Everyone was really excited!

Here are the girls: Abby, Amanda, Emily, Tammy, Sarah, and Hannah.

Here are the guys: Ryan, James, Jordan, and Jeff.

Emily and Sarah with Crazy Horse in the background.

Abby, James, and Andrew nearing the finish line. James was amazing pushing the stroller through gravel for at least 10 miles!

Jordan was the first to finish although he was not the fastest. Ryan was in first place until 100 yards from the finish he took a left with the marathoners and didn't notice for about 1.5 miles. He ended up running 16 miles. Jordan finished in about 1:50, a great time.

This was Hannah's first race. She trained diligently and improved from being able to run about .5 miles to the half marathon in just a little more than three months. Here she is finishing with Sarah giving moral support.

Here we are on the bus after the half-marathon, sporting our new medals. We devoured three family-sized pizzas afterwards.

Jordan strikes a contemplative pose during our visit to Mt. Rushmore.

Hannah Mission Call (Czech Republic) Goes to Temple (Mt. Timpanogos)

2008-10-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Hannah received her mission call to the Czech Republic on September 4, 2008. She will be entering the MTC on December 3. She was exultant!

She went through the Mt. TimpanogosTemple on September 13, 2008. Tammy was her escort and Jenny came all the way from Michigan to share this special day with us.

Family Campout to Mt. Timapnogos

2008-10-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

In late August Dad, Mom, Emily, Amanda, Ryan, Seth, Cam, and Maddy took an adventurous camping trip to the base of Mt. Timpanogos. We camped in a wonderful site by a stream in our folding trailer. We hiked several miles toward Mt. Timpanogos. It was a wonderful trip. We want to do more camping in the future.

Trip to Boston

2008-08-25T04:09:00.001-07:00

We visited Boston August 10-16 while Jeff presented at APA. We walked the Freedom Trail, visited Plimouth Plantation and the Mayflower, rode bikes along the shore at Cape Cod, jogged on the Charles River past MIT and Harvard, and visited Fenway park. It was pure joy!

Taipei to Taichung Bullet Train

2008-07-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

We took the bullet train from Taipei to Taichung R.O.C. a total of 120 miles in 49 minutes. Top speed is 300 kilometers per hour. Wow!

The Hill-Mulford Family Are Now Bloggers!

2008-07-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

We have realized the blogging is the way of the future, and so as not to be stuck in the past we will begin blogging. Here are the 14 basic Hill-Mulfords. We have eleven others including two wonderful son-in-laws, two wonderful daughter-in-laws, and seven amazing grandchildren.