The Hill Family

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am WAY behind on posting on our blog, and sadly I have missed blogging about some exciting things. (birthdays, injuries, etc) I will do my best to do some "make-up blogs", but for now I thought I'd post a few pictures from Easter. To be honest, I am up in the middle of the night (and trying to keep myself awake) while we are having terrible weather. Anderson is out of town and I am doing my best to keep up with the tornado warnings and such. So...while I watch the news, I'll post some pictures. Yes...most pictures include squinty eyes, scrunched noses, and someone not looking at the camera...but this is pretty much to be expected in the phase.

Elephants and Snow Days

2011-01-21T13:06:00.001-08:00

Yes, you read correctly...ELEPHANTS! The circus has come to town and every year they unload the elephants off the trains and walk them to the arena. So cool. What's even cooler is that they unload them literally across the street from our showroom, Kenny & Company. This means we get to wait for the elephants in a warm place with snacks, while everyone else is waiting in the cold on the streets. Major bonus! I rushed to the showroom with the kids (after a sweet call from my sister that they were coming) so that we could see this exciting event. It was pretty quick but it did not disappoint. Henry and Lucy loved seeing the elephants. It's not every day you have elephants walking the streets of Nashville.

Our weather has been pretty darn cold lately. Well, we woke up to more snow this morning. (which does not make for a happy mommy....Mother's Day Out was cancelled) We have been in the house all week since it's been so cold and we (mommy) have gone crazy. Henry and I decided to bake some cookies yesterday to help pass the time until daddy came home from work. Baking is fun, but we are ready for SPRING!

I love this picture!

Morning Ritual

2011-01-21T12:57:00.001-08:00

It is Lucy's new morning ritual to get up, have a cup of milk, and go on the hunt for her necklaces! She walks around EVERY morning with her necklaces on and usually a purse on her arm. IT'S ADORABLE! I love having a girl! It's all about dress-up, babydolls, and (in our case) a strong personality! Here are a few pictures of her playing in her pj's with her jewelry on. A girl always has to look her best, right?!

A Whole New World

2011-01-11T20:16:00.001-08:00

I totally have that song in my head now that I just wrote that title...anyways....

It really IS a whole new world now that Lucy is walking. And I mean for the BETTER. I really experienced it for the first time today. You know, once your child passes that infant stage where they relax in the carrier or your arms....and the phase where they just sit up and play without traveling around....it basically gets hard to really play outside until they start walking. Moms....do you know what I mean? Once Lucy started crawling, it was challenging all summer trying to let Henry play outside while I had Lucy with me. We don't have the ideal fenced in yard, and especially with us living on a busy street, I really need to be out there with him any time he's playing. Well, what do you do with the "other" child who is wanting to be on the move but can't walk? Yes....you swing...and that's it! Henry and I would always have to sneak outside to play quickly with the monitor while Lucy took her morning naps. And once she dropped that nap and they only napped at the same time...it really was challenging.

So, all of that rambling to say that it is now a whole new world with Lucy walking. She starting walking over the Christmas holidays and so we have not been playing outside with this freezing cold weather. Well, today we went out in the snow and it was SO NICE that she could just walk around with Henry to play in the snow. Yes, in challenging areas I would help her out, but I got a taste of it today. This spring and summer are going to be great! So much easier to play outside...so much easier at the beach. I'm just really excited about this phase of having both of my children in the "independent walking and full on toddler stage". They play together (and fight together) and it honestly makes me excited that we're not pregnant right now....is that terrible to say? I'm looking forward to enjoying this for a while. It really is a whole new world...and I'm loving it!

War Eagle!

2011-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

National Champions!!!!!! It sure does feel good!!!! War Eagle!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

How exciting to wake up Christmas morning to a white Christmas! So pretty. Just enough to cover the ground but not enough to make traveling a problem. Thank goodness...we had a few stops to make that day.

Santa came!

Lulu played in her car all morning!

Henry was a happy boy. Santa did good!

First stop was to Columbia to the Hills.

This is probably my favorite picture from the day!

Next and final stop...back to Nashville for dinner and presents at the Kennys.

We are blessed with so much family. While it's exhausting on these special days, we love having both our families so close. Our babies are so loved and they adore their cousins, aunts and uncles, and of course those grandparents and great-grandparents! God is so good.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-05T06:19:00.001-08:00

I thought I would breakdown some of our Christmas festivities into 2 different blogs. Christmas Eve is usually spent doing a little cooking, a little relaxing, and sometimes a little last minute shopping. We go to our Christmas Eve service at church and then my family meets at Mom and Dads for a quick supper, a birthday cake for Jesus, and Dad continuing our tradition of reading us the Cajun Night Before Christmas. (in his cajun accent, of course!)

Christmas Day is usually so busy and such a blur that we usually get our family picture on Christmas Eve.

I'm sad to say that this will be the last time you see sweet Henry in the button-on shorts. Anderson gave me a hard time about it this year and honestly Henry was upset about his outfit too. I guess with 3 being right around the corner, it is time to say good-bye. I'm sad to see them go! I just think he looks precious.

Cousins in their pjs. (without Rees) They are all dressed and ready to head home, head to bed, and wait for Santa!

Cajun Night Before Christmas

Sophie concluded our evening playing Jingle Bells on her violin. She has been taking lessons since the fall and has be doing great!!

Henry says...

2010-12-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

"Lucy, you are walking is good."

Sweet boy.

And yes, we're officially walking! She still crawls to get most places, but she's more than walking from furniture to furniture. When she wonders, she walks. If she's on a mission, she crawls. It's official to me! 14 months....sure beats the 18 months Henry was when he FINALLY took off! ;)

Henry says...

2010-12-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

While talking on Lucy's new Princess cell phone...

"Hey Cinderella. What er you doin?"
"I like pepperoni pizza with Daddy."

Go figure.

Santa Pic 2010

2010-12-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

A moment to remember...

2010-12-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

So...the cutest and most surprising thing happened tonight!

We ran to the mall tonight to pick up a few things. While we were there Henry kept insisting that he go see Santa. We told him that we would get all dressed and go take a picture with Santa this weekend. Well...he had other plans. Henry said he wanted to go see Santa and tell him that he wanted "Legomens". I guess he takes this Santa stuff pretty seriously and wanted to make sure he got his request in. We trucked it to the OTHER SIDE of the mall completely expected Henry to freak out once he actually saw Santa. (You may remember our picture with Santa from last year.)

Well, much to our surprise he was so excited to see him. He waited his turn in line with a huge smile on his face and kept saying, "I want to see him. Henry's turn. I want Legomens." He was absolutely adorable! He had a nice little chat with Santa. Henry told him that he's been a good boy and that he wanted Legomen, a bike, and cars. So cute!

This was surely a moment to remember! (We weren't prepared and had no camera or video, so these 2 cell phone pics are the best thing we've got.)

Henry says...

2010-12-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

As the kids got out of the bath last night, I put Lucy's pj's on and then cut her fingernails. Then, I grabbed Henry and said, "Let's cut your fingernails."

Henry says....

"Ummm....no....I want my fingernails on."

Christmas card pics

2010-11-28T19:23:00.001-08:00

Sarah took some pictures for us last week for our Christmas card. The kids weren't lasting for long, but she still managed to get some great shots. Of course, I'm not posting the pictures we decided to use, but here are some sweet ones from our little shoot. Thanks, Sarah!

Henry says...

2010-11-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a new "segment" I may try to do with my blog. I can't seem to make myself post very regularly, but I feel like Henry is always saying some of the funniest and sweetest things, and this will be an easy way to document and share those sayings.

Here goes...

As I'm washing the dishes with Lucy screaming under my feet and pulling on my pants to hold her, I yell for Henry (who is playing in the front living room) "Henry, let's go...time for your nap!"

I hear Henry, "Ok...night night toys....night night trucks....night night trains....see you tomorrow!"

So stinkin' cute! In the midst of the craziness it made me stop and smile. What a sweet boy!

Happy 1st Birthday, Lucy!

2010-10-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun afternoon celebrating Lucy's 1st birthday. Here is a recap of her party in pictures.

Flower suckers were the favors.

Lucy in her birthday dress that Aunt Megan made her. So cute!

NOT happy about the birthday hat...or the bow...or anything on her head really.

Mommy and Daddy dressed in pink for our little girl!

I made flower pens in pots and tissue pompoms that hung all over the patio. It's been arts and crafts central around here lately.

Sweet girl

Henry was all over Lucy's smash cake. He LOVED the icing.

I love her face in this one. Her new thing is to pucker her lips and scrunch her nose. Cutie!

Sweet girl. We had such a fun day celebrating our baby girl. We go to the doctor tomorrow so I'll report back with our "stats". I'm sure he'll tell us that she's HUGE...and perfect! (both of which we already know) :) We love you, Lucy-Lu! Happy Birthday!

Finally an update - Lucy turning 1

2010-10-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have lots of updating to do, but this post will focus on our sweet little Lucy Lu turning 1.

We are still about 2 weeks away from her birthday, but I asked my sister, Sarah, if she would snap some fun pictures of Lucy this morning. As for "professional' kids pictures, we do the old-fashioned panel at Calverts for her 3, 6, 9 and 12 months (which of course means no digitals for posting) and then we do a formal portrait at 18 months. But I wanted to have a little shoot to mark her turning 1. Sarah was so sweet to take her sweet baby Rees (a post to come) to Moms and snap some pictures of Lulu.

She is such a fun girl and has been such a good baby. Easy going! Of course, as we're turning the corner to 1, we are seeing a little temper as she screams back at Henry now and can kick her feet when she's mad. Whew! I may be in for it! She has been crawling around since 9 months and is starting to stand up now without holding on. It looks like she'll be eager to walk soon, although no steps have happened just yet. She loves to dance and bop around to music and LOVES to play with and get into stuff with her brother. We are so blessed and love our little girl so much! Enjoy these sweet pictures. Thanks again, Sarah!

Glimmer of white

2010-07-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Miss Lucy is finally getting her first tooth...or possibly teeth! She is 8 months old and we can finally see a glimmer of white on her bottom gums. She is such a good baby but has been a little irritable lately, and now we can see why. These are my best attempts of photographing her little gums. It almost looks like both of them coming in together side by side. Can you see it???

4th of July

2010-07-07T08:44:00.001-07:00

My children were all dressed up and we looked so patriotic this 4th of July and I am the terrible mother that never got a picture. Boo! We spent Sunday hanging at the pool with the Hill's after church and spent some pool time with the Kenny's on Monday. We had a great weekend of good food and fun times with our families. The only pictures I managed to get were in the dark of the kids watching fireworks. Lucy was such a trooper to be out and about for the 9:00 show and to sit there through such a loud adventure. Henry was in heaven! He loved the "lights in the sky" and is still talking about the fireworks!

Henry playing with his cousin, Mary Dudley. So Sweet!

Loving the show!

Henry ADORES his cousin, Sophie! She was so sweet to ooo and aww with him!

Miss Lucy played during the excitement.

Oh Poop!!

2010-07-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is a graphic post and you may want to skip this one.

We have NOT mastered pooping in the potty! We have had 2 full days of great peepee's in the potty and no accidents. First thing this morning, Henry goes #2 in his underwear. (sigh) It's so hard to be patient and not get upset during these moments. But, we moved on and actually had our first adventure out of the house this morning. I took Henry to play at Monkey's Treehouse and then we had lunch. He was great! We came home and put him down for a nap. I can hear him just playing in his room for about an hour and then he starts screaming, "Wash Hands!". I finally went in his room to find such a mess. He had pooped in his pull-up and had taken it off. There was a mess all over the sheets, his hands, and legs. YUCK! We went straight to the bath. While bathing I asked him where we peepee, and he replied, "in the potty". Then, I asked him where we poopoo, and he replied, "in the diaper". Oh dear! HELP!

Pictures from June

2010-07-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken around the house from the past few weeks. I cannot believe that June has already come and gone. It's amazing how fast time seems to pass once you have more than 1 child. Enjoy a few pictures of my growing babies!

Lucy is such a little monkey. She is constantly flipping and starting to inch around little by little.

Lucy's first pair of shoes! Precious!

Check out my kicks!

Henry baking cookies with Mommy! Yumm!

Henry gets his first M&M after going peepee in the potty! Woo Hoo!

Lucy's first time to hold the bottle completely by herself. Such a big girl!

Day 2 = Woo Hoo

2010-06-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

Henry had such a great day today with his potty training. We started the day with 1 accident (#2, of course!) and went the rest of the day with no accidents at all! I couldn't believe how much better he did today. I am so proud of him...and exhausted. It has completely consumed my entire train of thought and daily routine, but it will be so worth it in the end. Let's hope today wasn't just good luck, but the beginning of many good days!

Potty Training Day 1

2010-06-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well, today we jumped into potty training mode. We are staying home for the week and Henry is playing in big boy underwear and t-shirts all week. Today has been...well...exhausting. The constant asking if he needs to go and cleaning up many messes...it requires a lot of patience. We both hung in there pretty well. He had many successes and just as many accidents. I'd say it was a pretty good day...just long. I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow, but I'm just glad we made it through today. Until then...

2nd couponing attempt

2010-06-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

I am still in "couponing mode" and trying to get this whole idea figured out. I was pretty discouraged this week. I don't know why it felt pretty easy our first time out, but this week was not so easy. I was constantly feeling overwhelmed and frustrated about it. Fortunately, I didn't give up. This was a big shopping week and I was stocking up on lots of things. I ended up hitting 2 grocery stores and saved over 50% of each bill, but I also decided not to go so overboard next time. It wore me out! So, I haven't given up yet and we're pushing through this learning time. Wish me luck! I really want to get this down!

Beach Weather and Under-the-weather

2010-06-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Anderson and I just enjoyed 4 nights away to Hilton Head Island without any kiddos! We had planned a family trip to take the kids to the beach, and just a few weeks before we left the grandparents offered to watch the little ones so we could have a getaway. Aren't we the lucky ducks?! We had such a great time...good food, good weather, and much needed relaxation. Sorry, we forgot the camera so we have ZERO pictures. Boo.

Unfortunately, we came home to sick kids. Lucy just has a runny nose and a simple cold. Poor thing just doesn't feel great. Henry has had off and on rashes and off and on fever. I took them to the doc and everything seems just fine. We're just waiting it out.

So...that's our week in a nut shell. Maybe we'll get some cute pics next week when we're back to being out and about.

We did it!

2010-06-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Anderson and I have decided to jump on board this couponing that everyone seems to be benefiting from. I have clipped coupons here and there, but have never really done it right. Well, we did some research on Sunday, gathered our coupons, read up on store specials, and hit the grocery. Last night we had our first trip and were thrilled with our results. We went to Publix to get our food for the week. We spent $42.90 and saved $27.97!!! We are thrilled! We high-fived when we got in the parking lot. This is the beginning of great savings!! Special thanks to Dianne for her help and encouragement! Woo hoo!

Picture Post

2010-06-11T08:54:00.001-07:00

I have FINALLY downloaded pictures from the month of May to the computer. You will see the many looks of Henry Hill. He finds the most random things around the house and wears them all! So funny! Yes, this is picture overload, but I'm making up for lost time.

I personally love the hat backwards. This was all Henry, too!

Eating at the Pancake Pantry on Mother's Day. Lucy was sleeping next to Anderson, so we didn't get our picture together. :(

sweet hugs

Daddy always looks in the mirror with Lucy after bathtime. She loves it!

such concentration!

Busy, Busy

2010-06-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

So, yes we're busy, but I'm tired of making excuses when it comes to the blog. I have no idea how to make up the lost time, so we'll just continue with what's current. Here is an update on each of the kids.

LUCY - She is getting bigger and sweeter each day! She is 7 months old (can you believe it?) and is absolutely perfect in every way. Yes, I might be a little biased. She is so big. At her 6 month check-up, she was barely shy of 20 pounds and in the 95% for both weight and length. She is a growing girl! She is eating baby food now for 3 meals a day and is loving it. She still has no teeth, which is totally bazarre considering Henry had his first tooth at 4 months and a mouth full before he was 1. I guess it's true...each child is completely different and at their own pace. She sits and plays all day! She is a wonderful baby and is starting to say some words now, too. She said Da da as her first word a few weeks ago and shortly followed up with Ma ma, which she typically only says when she's crying. She has said bye bye a few times, but never really on que. Lucy's hair is finally filling in and is looking pretty thick. She is an angel and we love watching her grow and learn each day!

HENRY - He is such a mess...a precious, precious mess! Each day is different, as is with most 2 year olds. He is loveable and loves to give his "big hugs", which he counts down before he give them. (so cute) He is really a sweet boy, and surely has a wild side when he gets together with his cousin, Oliver. Whew! Those 2 will keep us on our toes for YEARS! Henry has his days where I find myself counting down the day until naptime and bedtime, but he really is a good boy. He loves school and is missing it this summer. We are trying to fill our days with good playtime, but with this crazy occassional raining days, it's challenging to find good outside time.

We have stayed so busy with hosting our Sunday School class party, spending time at grandparents houses, having playdates with friends, and now planning Anderson's 30th birthday party. It will be (and has been) a busy summer, but we definitely find time for pj days! I'll upload pictures soon and have a picture post, but wanted to give a basic update on the kiddos before too much time is lost.

All Aboard...Henry's 2nd Birthday Party!!

2010-05-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

Henry's 2nd birthday party was a train theme. We had a wonderful time with family and friends and Henry's Tutu took some great pictures for me. Here are a few highlights from the day. (Sorry they are kind of out of order.)

sweet cousins playing on the train

SO excited to blow out the candles!

sweet friends! we never get pictures together!

sweet kiddos eating and hanging out

Long overdue

2010-05-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the problem with blogging...Once I get behind, it's hard to make myself start back up. What is the proper way to enter the blogging world again? Do I go back and play "make-up" and talk about the things I've missed these last few months? Or do I start with what's current? This is the reason why I have taken so long to get back in the swing of things. We were busy with birthday parties and such and I got behind a few weeks, but then I just didnt' know how to start back up. So, this is what I've decided....I'm going to enter a few "mini-blogs" (if you will) and show some pictures of major events that I've missed. Then, I'll try to pick up with what's current. I guess I mainly hate that I missed blogging about Henry's 2nd birthday. But, mini blogs are in the works and will be coming out during naptime. Let me download some pics and you'll see them soon! Glad to be back!

Lucy's Baptism

2010-02-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

I would love to write a lot about this, but we have so much going on right now. At this point, I'm just hoping to document the occassion. Hopefully things will slow down soon and I can really sit down and reflect.
A week ago Lucy Elizabeth Hill was baptised. It was such a special day for our family and I wanted to share a few pictures. Of course there is so much going on that day that we didn't get any pictures of Lucy alone in her gown, so we had a photo shoot at home a few days later.

snow days

2010-02-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

Our house in the snow.
It was so nice having Anderson home for a 3 day weekend. The kiddos loved it, too!
Henry enjoyed his tricycle in the snowy weather!

Henry's crash! :) He was such a trooper. He went sledding on a cookie sheet. HA!

GO Henry!

My favorite picture!

This is Henry's new thing to do. He loves to "help" change Lucy's diaper. He gets the diaper for you, gets a wipe, closes the case, and puts it in the trash. What a helper.

Fresh out of the tub.

Lucy spent the snowy days inside. Yes, she's watching tv. :)

New "Tricks"

2010-01-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

Lucy is getting so big! You can tell she's getting older as she sleeps less during the day and takes naps as opposed to constantly dozing off like a newborn. She is also loving her playmat. She is grabbing the toys and "talking" to them. It's so sweet! She just seems to be growing up so fast...too fast! Another "trick" is her wonderful sleeping! It seems like a magic trick and Mommy loves it!!! She slept in until 10am this morning!! Typically, she wakes up around 8 or 8:30 if she has her last bottle around 10pm. Love it!!
Henry's latest "trick" is funny but less exciting...at least for the mom that has to clean it all up. He is starting to really play with his food. He really "enjoys" anything in a cup. (yogurt, pudding, applesauce) After he eats about half of it, he starts rubbing it in his hands and smearing it all over the tray or table, and of course all over his face and hair. What a little stinker! He keeps me entertained and you just can't help but love him!

Big Boy, Big Bed

2010-01-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, this weekend we decided to try Henry out in his twin bed instead of the crib. He is always wanting to sit on the bed and read books on the bed, so we thought we'd see how he did with sleeping there. I tried it out at naptime first, and was checking on him every 5 minutes. I was so scared he'd dive over the bed rails while trying to stand up. To my surprise, he did great! So far, he has not even tried to climb out on his own. Anderson later decided that he'd rather him go back to the crib since the twin beds are so high up and he was scared he'd fall off. Well, that's not going to happen. Now that Henry had a few naps and nighttimes in the "big bed" he doesn't want to sleep in the crib anymore. I guess that's a good thing. Here's a picture of him waking up from naptime. He's getting so big!

Lately...

2010-01-19T14:07:00.001-08:00

My sweet PINK girl!
Gotta love bathtime!

All bundled up..running nose and all...in the snow!

Little lesson in brushing with our firetruck electric toothbrush

Helping Daddy gut the powder room! We are constantly living in projects!

All bundled up for the cold weather!

Lucy's first time in the bumbo! (Henry wanted to sit in front of her.)

Christmas 2009 - Picture Overload

2010-01-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful (and busy) Christmas. We had 3 rounds of opening Christmas presents and spending time with families. We are so blessed!

Round 1: Our first Christmas morning at our own house. Look what good ole Santa brought!I LOVE Henry's face in this picture!

Sweet Lucy

Terrible picture of me, but I love Henry's face. He was thrilled about a firetruck electric toothbrush.

Our family tradition of red and green waffles Christmas morning.

Round 2: The Kenny's - Here are all of the boys!

The Girls minus Lucy
Henry had a John Deere Christmas

Henry and Oliver sat in the Gator all morning. (You can tell it was naptime.)

Our one and only family picture.
Round 3: Christmas at the Hills - Henry got a tricycle!

Henry playing with Mary Dudley

November and December

2009-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I am FINALLY sitting down to do a blog entry. You know, when you let so much time go by it's hard to get motivated and to remember what's even gone on to blog about. So, I'll just give a little recap of the last 2 months and hopefully I will get in the swing of things in the new year. November and December have been a lot of "firsts" for the Hill kiddos.

Lucy has given us her first smiles, her first attempts to coo and talk, her first diaper EXPLOSIONS, her first Thanksgiving and Christmas, first time to see Santa, her first trip to Columbia, first time to sleep in a crib somewhere else (she did great by the way), first time to sleep through the night (we are now consistantly sleeping from 10pm to 8am...thank you, Jesus!), and I'm sure many more "firsts" that are slipping my mind.

Henry has also grown up so much in just the last few months. He can count to 10 (always skipping 7 for some reason), he is able to say the alphabet (skipping a few random letters along the way), and is doing great at learning his colors. I am such a proud mom and love the fact that he loves to learn! It must be a first-born thing! It doesn't feel like work or class to teach him something new because he really just loves to learn. He is still obsessed with any form of transportation...trucks, trains, airplanes, buses, cars. He also has a love for coloring, which sounds sweet but is not one of my favorites. We are finding random "drawings" on walls, furniture, etc. He loves to find the moon in the sky at night. He remembers certain funny things that he does with different people. For example, he always has Laura and Megan smell his feet and wants them to say "shoo wee" and he has Sarah and Grant dance with him, he tells Papa about his truck, wants John to draw on his hand (which his Mama doesn't love) and so on. He has also had a few "firsts" of his own with his first time to have Christmas morning at our own house, his first poop in the tub (good ole Daddy got that one out!), his first time to play and interact with his little sister, his first time to eat real peanut butter (seems to be just fine), and many others I'm sure.

We love our kiddos and they continue to keep us entertained and on our toes. We are so thankful for our beautiful family and look forward to 2010. Our New Year's resolution...No more babies this year! (Seems like a joke, but it is for real!) :) So, there's my little brag letter about my family. Happy New Year!!

Lucy Elizabeth Hill

2009-10-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 23 at 7:51 am we welcomed our newest angel, Lucy Elizabeth Hill. She was 8 pounds 10.6 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long. She has been a joy every minute since her birth. As hard and challenging as it is, I still cannot imagine life without her. We are concluding our first week, and we have all been adjusting pretty well. We (actually, my mom) had a hard first few nights with Lucy while she was awake every hour wanting to eat. We worked through it during the last few days and last night had a pretty successful night and Lucy only woke up in time for feedings. Not bad for just a week old! Mom heads home on Friday, so this weekend Anderson and I are finding out what "real life" is going to be like. On one hand I know it will be challenging and exhausting, but it's still exciting. So, here are a few pictures of our sweet little Lucy. (I put a huge album on Facebook if you want to see more.)

Henry's last time to see Lucy in the belly.Welcome Lucy Elizabeth Hill

Our new family of 4!

Sleeping Beauty

Getting ready to go home in her dress that Ouida (Lucy's Granna) made for her.

Welcome Home!

Big brother, Henry, loves his new sister...most of the time!

Henry's Toddler Room

2009-10-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from Henry's new toddler room. Fortunately, it's a big room so we had plenty of room to add a crib until we're ready to transfer him into a big boy bed. We decided to do sort of a cowboy themed room and I think it's turned out really cute, and not too "theme-oriented". We were so fortunate to have Anderson's mom and Memom help us out with making the valences, pillows, and bed skirts. There are a few things that we still need to complete in his room, but it's pretty much done.

His letters were my arts and crafts project one day. I'm still not sure how I feel about making them plaid, but I guess they'll work for now.

I was so excited to find this changing station at a consignment sale. It was mint green, brand new and just $30. A little spray paint and it's good to go!This is a cute sign that Henry's Aunt Kim had given him as a baby. It's hangs over his door to his bathroom.

Lucy's Nursery

2009-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took of Lucy's new nursery. There are a few detail things that aren't completed, but for the most part it's done! We are happy with how it turned out and can't wait to see her enjoy it. We jokingly call it the "Steel Magnolias room" since her colors are pink and pink! What can I say?? I'm tickled pink!!

Her daddy worked very hard to hang the chandelier.

Sarah, Lucy's Tutu, painted the tree in her room. She is so talented!! That is one of my dresses from when I was a baby hanging on her closet door. I love that Mom still had that.

This is a door that I got at the antique flea market in Atlanta. I love it and it gives us a splash of another color.

Amusing

2009-10-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Again, this is from a few weeks ago and it's completely random, but I find it amusing. Henry has always been my little "cheeser". He is great at taking pictures and hamming it up for the camera...until lately. Now he just gets mad because he wants to hold the camera and not pose for it. Mom tried to take a family picture of us on gameday and as you can see Henry was not thrilled about it. She decided to give him something to hold and the closest thing was a loaf of french bread. That's all it took! Check out the grin!! Hilarious! What can I say? We love carbs!?!

Picture attempt #1.

Picture attempt #2! Here's to french bread!!

Gentry Farm

2009-10-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago we went to the Gentry Farm in Franklin. I have always known about it, but have never been. We had such a great time! There was so much to do and we were amazed at the organization of it all. Henry had such a great time trying out all the different activity areas. And let me just say how thankful I am for a helpful husband! Anderson is such a good daddy, and it makes things so much easier as I get bigger and more uncomfortable. Yes, there are tons of pictures but I just couldn't decide which ones to post. We highly recommend the Gentry Farm is any of you have never been.

Henry playing in the log cabin. He loved playing with all the dishes and pretending to feed himself.

Henry and Daddy playing with the corn. Who knew this could be so much fun?

Checking out the goats and all the other animals.

Henry loved riding the tractors!

The tire swing was maybe not the best thing to try at this age, but Henry wanted to do it once he saw the other kids doing it.

We highly recommend taking a wagon verses a stroller. SO much easier and nice to carry your pumpkins away!

Family pic on the truck. Yes, my stomach is huge!

First Weekend of Fall

2009-10-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Steve and Ouida hosted a fun fall family day this past weekend. The Hill side of the family got together to enjoy beautiful weather, good food, a fun hayride and good conversation. Here are some pictures from our fun weekend. Yes, there are quite a few and mainly of Henry, of course.

Big Dolores...hehe

2009-09-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we officially have a huge baby in my belly. I went to the doctor today for a scheduled ultrasound since Lucy has been measuring so big. Well...rightfully so. (First of all, we discovered that she is also a breech baby. We make beautiful babies, just upside-down.) So, Miss Lucy is already weighing in at approximately 5+ pounds and I'm just about 35 weeks. They estimate at the end of pregnancy that the baby will gain about a pound a week. Due the math! They are estimating that Lucy will be a 9+ pound baby!!! GOODNESS GRACIOUS! This is one of those moments where I'm thankful for a known c-section delivery. She is going to look so big up against those 6 pounders in the nursery. I just wanted to pass along our new baby news.

The Date is Set!!

2009-09-14T12:14:00.001-07:00

Well, we officially have our date set for the arrival of Miss Lucy. Since we ended up with a c-section with Henry, we have one scheduled for Lucy as well. It's strange how official and planned it is this time around. Of course, all plans are out the window if we go into labor before the scheduled date...which I gladly welcome. So mark your calendars...Friday, October 23 we are admitted at 7:30am and surgery begins at 9:30am. Crazy, huh? So...there you have it!

1st day of school

2009-09-13T19:24:00.001-07:00

Well...we did it! We survived the first day of school...both of us. Henry cried and was not very happy when we walked in the classroom. (This is a new phase we're in though: separation issues) I sat down to play with him and show him all of the exciting toys, and he would walk to them with interest and then get upset again when he'd see me start to stand up. So...I decided to go ahead and leave the room to turn in forms and checks and come back to check on him. Thankfully, when I returned the teacher smiled and said "He's just fine. Go on. " So, off I went. I didn't think it was possible to go so many places in just a few hours. It was strange not having him with me, but I was pleasantly surprised with how productive I was. He was sound asleep when I arrived to pick him up and they said he had a great day. I loved having his daily report in his bag to see what all he played with and enjoyed at school that day. I really think this is going to be a great thing...for both of us. Day 1: success!

Growing Up...

2009-09-09T11:32:00.001-07:00

This has been a big week (or few weeks) for us at the Hill house. Henry has officially started walking...FINALLY! :) I guess it's better late than never. He will still crawl when he sees something he wants badly and wants to get there fast, but he mainly just wanders around the house (usually carrying something like a box of raisins or the Wii remote) testing out his new skill and smiling. We have also transfered him to his toddler room this week. We are still finishing up the decor in the room (I'll post pictures when it's finished) but his new bed is made and he has transitioned beautifully. What a blessing! I wanted him to have a few weeks in the new room before Lucy arrives and takes over the nursery. Yes, he is still in a crib for a few more months, so that has helped with the transition I'm sure. And finally to top off our week, Henry will be starting Mother's Day Out this week. He is going to go just 1 day a week this first year, and he starts Friday. Please pray for little tears and no melt downs...on either side. It's so bitter sweet for me. It's wonderful to see how much he's grown and what a sweet boy he's becoming, but hard to feel like our baby is gradually changing into a boy. So, all in all it's been a pretty eventful week. Here are a few pictures from the last week or so...

Here are Henry and Anderson on the first Game Day of the new season.Bye bye baby boy nursery. Playing in the back of the truck with Daddy. We have a new found love for trucks!

Welcome to Blogging - General Update

2009-07-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the Hill family has joined the world of blogging! This is pretty new to us, so we'll do our best to keep it updated.

Life is pretty busy right now. Henry is growing and turning 17 months old this week! He is blossoming into such a sweet boy and has such an expressive personality. We're in the process of setting up a toddler room for him as we prepare the nursery for our new little addition. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the deadline ahead and with all of the little decisions that have to be made. Anderson is busy traveling with work, while also trying to help me out at home as I get bigger and more uncomfortable.

We'll do our best to get some current pictures posted soon. We look forward to sharing our lives with you and learning more about this blogging process.