The Hiester Family in a nutshell - a big one, like a coconut or something

We are a family of a whole bunch of random people, thrown together in one small house, who all happen to look alike. Each member of our family was hand-picked by God... that's the only explanation for the saga that is our family. Here's the story from the beginning... My husband, Todd, was married before me. His wife's name was Carrie, and together they had 3 kids: Tyler, Kurstin & Elissa. Todd's parents were divorced and his mother remarried. Her new husband, Don, had 2 small children: Ally & Wesley. Their natural mother was killed in a car accident when they were 8 & 11. One year later, they lost their dad and Todd and Carrie took them into their home. 6 months after Ally & Wesley were added to the household, Carrie died of cancer at age 26. Her own children were 3, 6 & 9 and Ally & Wesley were 10 & 13. And Todd was alone with them. Think Lord of the Flies. So when I fell in love with Todd, I got these 5 kids as a bonus. We married about a year and a half into our relationship, with the kids as our wedding party. We made it all official with an adoption lawyer and lots of money, ensuring that we are LEGALLY their parents. They even had to take oaths saying they would perform the duties of sons and daughters, which I think means I have someone to change my diapers when the time comes! After 2 years of marriage we added Robben Carey to the mix. And now we've welcomed Livi Claire...the seventh, and final, Hiester kid (unless, of course, God has other plans). Todd and I are 37 and 35, respectively, and our kids range in age from 1 to 21. It's great because we're cool and always the youngest in a crowd of high school parents.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Foiled Again!

It is quite common for places to be closed when I attempt to visit them. Places that normally don't close close when they see me coming. I know you probably think I'm exaggerating, but no. I was once asked to pick my candy and leave a 7-11 because they were closing! Have you ever known a 7-11 to close?

A couple years ago we tried to take the kids to the zoo... closed.

The first time I tried to take the girls and Robben to the museum... closed.

This week it has happened twice! Both times it led to a more involved alternative:

On Monday I told the girls we could go to the museum. Knowing how it usually works for me, I checked the website before driving all the way down there. Of course, they were closed. Well I had already told them we were going, so we had to do something. I ended up taking them to see Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, which required a babysitter for the boo (thanks Amy) and funds wasted at the concession stand. The museum would have been free (we are members. don't be jealous).

Today was even worse. Elissa just finished learning about the state of Washington, and therefore apples, so naturally we planned an excursion to an apple farm for some pickin'. And naturally they were closed! Luckily I learned this with a simple phone call (I do learn from my mistakes!), so we didn't waste our time driving out to Exeter. The people who own the place are out of town and I talked to their house-sitter. She said we can go next week. But when the kids have been looking forward to apple-pickin all week, I had to come up with something great, and hopefully school-related,to do. So I did what any rational adult would do: I called for backup. Tara is my first choice, and true to form, she had some great ideas. But again, much more involved than pickin' fruit off trees! I mentioned that Elissa had also just learned about Joseph and the multicolored coat (bible story). So guess what we are doing? Each of the girls got to pick out 5 funky fabrics and we are making Robben a colorful "coat"!

Anyone have a simple pattern for a robe, cloak or the like?
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1 comment:

  1. Tara Lyn HiesterOctober 6, 2009 at 6:03 PM

    I just emailed you directions that sounded pretty straight forward! Let me know how it comes out :)

    ReplyDelete

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