our family adventures

Corinne Is Shaving Her Head

2010-09-29T08:20:00.003-04:00

Dear Family & Friends,

You heard it right! I am teaming with St. Baldricks and shaving my head in an effort to raise $3,000 for childhood cancer research by October 9th.

Did you know that every 3 1/2 minutes a child in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer?

Cancer has affected my life in many ways. My first experience with childhood cancer was a few years ago when I cared for a little boy named Cooper in our home. When Cooper was just 8 months old, he was diagnosed with Retinomablastoma (retina cancer). He underwent many treatments and the eventual surgical removal of his left eye. Fortunately the cancer was discovered before spreading to his other eye and brain. Today Cooper is a healthy 1st grader and still the best buddy to my son Carter. I am so grateful to know Cooper and his amazing family.

The experience of caring for Cooper after his first surgery still impacts me today as a mother. The truth is that every day we hold our healthy kids, another parent holds a sick or dying child. As more people I love are being diagnosed with cancer, I have wondered what I can do make an impact. After much thought, I have chosen to do my part by teaming with an amazing organization called St. Baldricks. In short, St. Baldricks raises money to fund essential cancer research. By donating to St. Baldricks, your money is directly used to fund cancer research. In return, well, I am going bald...

In two weeks, after raising as much funds as I can, I will hold my breath as a dear friend shaves my head. Yikes! The thought is a little terrifying and very overwhelming. But I am confident that my emotions are nothing compared to the fear and anxiety young cancer patients feel when they lose their hair. The difference- those children do not have a choice.

Now that's where you come in. My goal is to raise $3,000 in 2 weeks, by October 9th. Will you help me reach my goal and even surpass it? Please, please consider donating to St. Baldricks. ANY size donation is appreciated!

To visit my web page and to make a tax deductible donation, click HERE.

I will also be donating the locks from the top of my head (the hair at least 8 inches long) to Beautiful Lengths. My hair will then be used to a create wig for a cancer patient. Beautiful Lengths is an organization that partners with the American Cancer Society.

Please spread the word by telling your friends, families, and coworkers about my goal and how they can help. Feel free to pass along this letter to anyone who might be interested. My shave date of October 9th is coming quickly!

Thanks!

Corinne Hilton

An Update!

2010-04-01T16:44:00.003-04:00

April fools! Ahhhhhhhh. Haaaaaaaaa!

I know, I am hilarious. :)

Christmas Dresses

2010-01-11T08:23:00.007-05:00

Gifts from Grandma Heidi to the granddaughters included beautiful matching dresses.

Tay, Kaylee, & Ashlee

Squeeky Clean Boys

2010-01-10T21:39:00.009-05:00

Ashton loved crawling around in the shower with his big brother. Carter couldn't stop laughing at him.

He is such a marshmallow baby. I love it.

Carter is truly talented at armpit noise making. No joking.

Chef Tay

2010-01-10T21:22:00.006-05:00

Taylor is at such a fun age. Three year olds are just busy, aren't they?! She loves to be in the kitchen with me. Mostly she plays in the junk drawer and draws all over my receipts but she is becoming more and more interested in cooking. Tay loves squishing home made pizza dough and playing in the flour bin. A new favorite is "washing dishes". The funny part of it is that she gets mad at me for rewashing them or putting them in the dishwasher after she has "washed" them.

Windows

2010-01-10T21:07:00.003-05:00

I have fond memories when Carter was this age, peering out our long windows in our Richmond apartment, together waiting for Daddy to come home from law school. Our house has the same type of floor length windows that Taylor, and now Ashton love too.

I'll never tire of looking into these eyes.

December Visit from Grandma Rhonda

2010-01-10T20:41:00.009-05:00

Grandma Rhonda came to town in December. She came to help me find some sanity before the holidays. My to do list was rather ambitious but we were able to tackle some big projects! You know your mom loves you when she scrubs your nasty refrigerator, does loads and loads of laundry, makes you meals, bakes your kids delicious Christmas cookies while also listening to all of your problems....we love and appreciate you Mom! Here are some pictures from her visit...

Master cookie makers.

Master waffle makers.
A master cheerio eater.
...

Carter demonstrating a "Nephite pose" before our church "Christmas in America's" party. Don't you love the look on Tay's face!

We went to see the Washington D.C. Temple Christmas lights with Grandma & our friends the Holmgrens. It was cold that night but good times were had!

Flash Back: Carter's 6th Birthday

2010-01-10T20:36:00.005-05:00

We rang in the 6th year of Carter's life by bowling with Grandma & Grandpa Hilton and Uncle Jeff. Then it was time for birthday gifts and the orange cake that Carter requested. Yum!

Trying Something New

2010-01-08T20:21:00.005-05:00

Today I did something I have wanted to do for a while....I tried sushi. I think there are only four words to describe my experience.

Never again my friends.

Random Post

2010-01-06T15:08:00.003-05:00

Yep I STILL ask Carter to take naps (I feel like I have been saying this for 3 years longer than most). He seriously needs them a couple of times a week. Well yesterday was a "nap day" so today was quiet time. Carter kept choosing noisy activities...piano playing, truck crashing, etc. as what he wanted to do for quiet time and I said "nope" to each one. I kept suggesting legos or book reading and other equally quiet pursuits until I finally said, "Carter just stay in your room and do some thing that doesn't wake up Tay!" That was 2 hours ago...I haven't heard a peep. Can I get a hallelujah?! My 6 year old chose to take a nap today. Sweet silence!

I have a bezillion pictures to post from our Christmas/Hilton Family Reunion...here is a teaser of my little present climber. We were constantly finding Ashton on top of presents and under the tree.

Let it Snow!

2009-12-19T11:05:00.007-05:00

We are expected to receive up to 20 inches of snow today. Already there are about 10 inches on the ground. Carter has already been out to play and soon Tay and Drew will head out as well to join him. Sledding, shoveling the drive way, throwing snowballs, and drinking hot chocolate are on today's agenda. Carter is so excited...he has been up since 3 a.m. We tried several times to get him to stay in his bed...after a while we gave up. Magic is falling from the sky and he doesn't want to miss any of it. This is suppose to be the biggest storm of the decade. It is beautiful outside and I am crossing my fingers that we have our first white Christmas since living in Virginia.

Post Edit: Carter & Tay played hard in our blizzard.

Carter didn't even complain when the bitter cold & wind did this to his face. The time outside was worth it I suppose.

Ashton and I stayed cozy and warm, perched from our front window.

My Taylor

2009-12-18T08:27:00.003-05:00

I was in an other world reading a few moments ago....Tay needed to tell me something and I wasn't paying attention....I could hear her but I wasn't listening. I was trying to finish the last paragraph of an article and I was slightly distracted by the sound of a certain 10 month old through the baby monitor...he is playing instead of sleeping again. Tay got right up to my ear and started talking quietly, almost whispering to tell me what she had to say. Then she kissed my cheek with a big smack of her lips after wards.....she had my attention.

I should try that technique on Carter.

Taylor finally came to me last night and asked me some thing I have waiting forever to hear...

T: Mom, will you put piggy tales in?
M: Sure Tay. Do you really want them in?
T: Yes. All three piggy tales.

She is again sporting her three piggy tales again this morning. I couldn't be more proud.

Family Pow Wow

2009-12-17T14:24:00.004-05:00

Carter, Tay, and I were talking the other day about family meetings. I was trying to explain that a family council is the same as a family meeting and since Carter learned about Native Americans at school last month, I tried to use an Indian chief circle as an example of a council of people who make decisions together....

M: Carter, remember Indians?
C: Yes
M: You know how you had a pow wow at school and everyone sat in a circle and talked about really important stuff?
C: Yes
M: So, that is an Indian circle right? You had a meeting...
C: (very impatient and frustrated....like he's told me this a hundred times) Mom. I don't know anything about Indians! You have to talk to Smera about that.

Smera lives down the street from us. She's in Carter's kindergartner class...she is Indian....as in...her family is from India.

I couldn't help but giggle at Carter. Then I re explained everything using the words Native American and had we had a lovely pow wow. In our little family meeting we discussed having a media free week before Christmas. I then had to explain that in some family meetings there are no votes....the Chief decides.

Then Carter proceeded to karate chop me with his lightning fast 6 year old arm blades.

And then I had to explain to him that Indians...I mean Native Americans didn't karate chop their enemies.

My kids are going to grow up to be very culturally diverse.

I Never Thought

2009-12-07T17:17:00.002-05:00

Six years ago when I was busy snuggling my newborn... it never crossed my mind that I would eventually be saying things like...

"If you shoot the Christmas tree one more time...." or

"If you shoot your sister one more time..." or

"If you make that noise one more time..." or

"STOP BURPING!"

In other news...Ashton is pulling up on furniture and crawling up the stairs. And Tay is starting to wear clothes again.

Ashton BaDashton

2009-11-25T19:17:00.004-05:00

Ashton's first experience with laughing gas....

just kidding...it was actually a breathing treatment. This virus has really kicked our Hilton bums.

Carter's Birthday Interview

2009-11-20T11:39:00.002-05:00

What is your name? Carter Hilton

How old are you today? 6

What do you want for your birthday? A ds and a long dart gun that shoots really far.

What kind of cake did we make for your special night? An orange candy cake.

What is your favorite food? Spinach raviolis, corn on the cob, and watermelon…..

What is your favorite treat? Ice cream

What is your favorite color? Orange

What do you like to do? Play outside

What is something you are good at? Riding my bike and doing wheelies

What is something you would like to learn how to do? Shoot a tall basketball hoop (I think he means shoot a basket in a tall hoop)

What is your favorite movie? Ice Age

What is your favorite Primary song? Popcorn Popping

What do you want to be when you grow up? An army person

What is your favorite family activity? Movie night

What do you like most about Church? The sacrament (mom’s interpretation…eating the bread and water)

Where do you want to serve your mission? Where my cousins live.

What do you love most about Taylor? She’s really silly.

What do you love most about Ashton: That he can crawl.

What do you love most about Mommy? That she let’s me play out side.

What do you love most about Daddy? He takes me to the bus stop or school.

Carter, what makes you happy? When I get to go to Grandma Heidi’s house.

Happy Birthday Carter

2009-11-20T10:48:00.008-05:00

Carter Andrew is 6 years old today!

Today Carter's kindergarten teacher asked
him what he is grateful for....he said "my dad".

Ashton is 9 months

2009-11-20T10:02:00.006-05:00

Ashton is growing and growing. I wish I had a magic potion that would make him stay a baby forever. This past month has been full of changes....he got his second bottom tooth, he learned to sit and crawl, and he got his first hair cut. Ashton has a very sweet temperament and always has a smile to share.

Carter and Ashton before the cut...

and after wards....he looks just like Carter's baby pictures!!

He can be such a ham!

A long day

2009-11-19T09:56:00.007-05:00

At this moment, six years ago today, I found my self in the shower on my hands and knees working through contractions that would bring my first baby into my arms. Boy that was a long day.....and it didn't end until tomorrow, six years ago.

We've had a lot of long days in the past week. We were all pretty sick but are mostly better now...except for our little Taylor. Just when we think she is improving, she spikes a temp of 104 F. You know your 3 year old is miserable when she asks for a nap.

My Craftiness

2009-11-15T13:52:00.004-05:00

Ok, so as I have mentioned before I AM NOT CRAFTY. You will likely not find any tutorials on apron making or cake decorating on our family blog.... I think my kiddos are my greatest (and only) contribution to craftiness that I can offer the world. My friend Kelly V has this button over on her fabulous blog....I wanted to share the button and her blog with you all. Good times.

Isn't it awesome? That is SO me!

Self Imposed Quarantine

2009-11-14T19:23:00.002-05:00

I am not quite positive, but I think we have some of these running around our home.

Tay's Not So Deep Question

2009-10-30T09:07:00.005-04:00

Tay: "Why do piggies have flues in kinda-god-en?" (some times Tay sound like she is a New York mobster)

Mom: "Hm. Piggies?"

Tay: "Yah- piggy germs"

Mom: "They just do." (don't you love the motherly wisdom pouring out of my mouth)

Tay: "Wees live like piggies, Mommy." (has she heard that one from me?)

Tay: "I need to find my piggy costume."

Mom: "Tay- you've been up for 3 hours and you're already on your 5th change of clothes!"

Not a word from Tay...she is on her way upstairs to find something to turn into a piggy costume.

Carter's Deep Question

2009-10-27T16:41:00.010-04:00

Ashton is babbling a ton right now. He is a TALKER. When we are in the car and he is jibber jabbering away, I tell Carter and Tay what he is talking about. Every day I make up something new that Ashton is trying to explain or teach us....like how to fix things, what good manners are, how to carve a pumpkin, etc. Well yesterday I told them that Ashton was trying to tell us about heaven, after all his spirit was most recently there compared to ours...and of course, Tay and Carter laughed and giggled about it as much as the time when Ashton shared his top secret chocolate chip cookie recipe...but later Carter was far away in thought...

Carter: "Mom, how old will Ashton be when he is alive after he is dead?"

Me: "Good question, Carter. I am not sure."

This is my answer for most of his tough nearly 6 year old questions...but seriously, what a great question about the resurrection! I am glad the gospel plan is simple. It makes parenting a lot easier even when I don't know all of the answers.

Good Reads

2009-10-23T09:04:00.005-04:00

In the quiet of the night or nap time I like to read. Some times I read a book for fun. Some times I do research on health related topics, a couple of which I am struggling with. Some times I read the news, but not very often because it usually makes me grumpy. Some times I make my self a treat or pour a large glass of cold delicious water and snuggle in with my laptop. I pull up my favorite blogs and enjoy being a part of the lives of others. It is so much better than tv I might add. There are several that I enjoy but I thought I would share just a few....

1. Nei Nei Dialogues. This blog is about strength of character, faith, and true love. Take an hour and read through the archives- you'll be inspired! My favorite is when Stephanie writes about her husband Mr. Nielson. True love does exist people!

2. C Jane Enjoy It. This blog is written by Nei's older sister. It is funny and thoughtful.

3. SouleMama. This mama knits. I don't knit and probably never will. But Soula Mama shares funny stories about her family and beautiful pictures as well. She is a crafty one, that Soula Mama. And by that I mean, she makes crafts. I was never blessed with craftiness but sometimes I like to pretend I was. Maybe one of these days I'll take a picture of what I mean -that will give you a good chuckle!

My Lovies

2009-10-22T18:15:00.007-04:00

I just realized I never posted more pictures that the amazing Heather H. took of the kids this summer! Ashton was 4 months at the time and Tay had just turned 3 years old. It is amazing how they have all grown since then....aren't my kids adorable?!

September Pictures

2009-10-22T09:14:00.004-04:00

I think my kids are amazing. Even on days when they are oh so naughty and driving me CRAZY, they melt my heart, make me laugh till I want to cry, and help me appreciate all of the many little things that Heavenly Father has blessed me with. These pictures do a great job of reflecting their funny, sweet, happy, some times frustrating, and lovable personalities...

This picture was snapped after Carter was found snorkeling in the sink.

Mommy & Tay out for a walk with our babies.

"Mom, take a picture of my bum bum!" (now repeat this 10 times)

Ashton is so squishy and sweet!

Oh my Carter, you are growing up in every way.

Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy needs a hair cut.

Street kids. No yard necessary.

"Mom, look at me!" (now repeat this 50 times)

1st Day of Kindergarten

2009-10-22T08:50:00.008-04:00

My big boy is a kindergartner! September 8th was a bitter sweet day for both of us I think. Carter was a little apprehensive about getting on the correct bus when it was time to come home at 11 am but when he stepped off that bus, the right bus, he was full of confidence and excitement for the next day. He loves his teacher Miss Franklin, and is thrilled when his class get extra minutes to play outside.

All of the kindergartners were so cute with their little classroom signs. They wore their signs for the first full week until they were comfortable finding their classrooms by themselves. At our bus stop were several very excited but NERVOUS little turtles and lions.

A Taste of Summer

2009-10-22T08:20:00.009-04:00

I have had these photos staring at me on my desktop for a couple of months now. My hopes of clever posts and reminiscent stories are long gone. When I find the USB cord to our other camera, I'll have even more to post. Better late than never seems to be my life theme...

Carter at the BMX track.

Tay enjoyed the mogul hills at the track.

Ashton learned how to roll and grab while in Idaho.

My sassy Taylor spent some time up here at Grandma's house...the best naughty/time out spot is one they can't get down from!

Ashton relaxing in the shade.

We spent a lot time playing in water.

Tay thought fireworks were a little loud.

Carter played with a gun of some sort ALL summer.

He also liked to ride his bike in swim trunks and farm boots at 7:00 a.m. on most days.

Tay & Carter loved swim lessons. 92 degree, salt water pool...need I say more?

We played a ton with great friends!

Ashton grew and grew.

Isn't Idaho lovely?

Happy October

2009-10-01T14:06:00.006-04:00

October 1st. Still no summer blog posts. BUT my favorite Virginia season is upon us. The temperature is cooling, the colors are changing, and Halloween decorations have been up for a week now (Carter LOVES pulling out the next holiday's decorations early).

It is nap time at the Hilton home and I am having me time at the computer. Tay is sacked out from feeling yucky (thank you Carter's kindergarten germs!), Carter is asleep because he can't play outside until he too is feeling better, and Ashton is squealing a way in his crib. He isn't napping much this week- teething and a little grumpy...but still squealing in his crib. On Tuesday September 29th, Ashton cut his very first tooth. It was also the day Carter tied his shoe first time by himself. Tuesday was one of those days that I wanted to make time stop so I could enjoy my little ones just a little bit longer. It is going oh so fast.

Three years ago this month we moved from Richmond VA to our lovely little neighborhood in northern Virginia. Come with me as I dive into our family archives...the Hilton family at Cox Farm, fall 03

Follow up on To Do post

2009-09-29T08:14:00.002-04:00

Life kicked me in the stomach this weekend so my to do list will not be completed by tomorrow but if I am lucky, maybe by Halloween. For all of you mamas out there that I love, I leave you with an inspiring read....entitled First the Babies at C Jane Run.

To Do Lists

2009-09-23T09:11:00.002-04:00

Ha! I bet you checking in were thinking you were about to view pictures of my adorable littles....not so, not so.

I have been thinking a lot about to do lists this morning. It is amazing how some days I can accomplish so much....I am close to solving world hunger and the American health care woes and on other days I am absolutely pleased with myself if my kids were fed and clothed (or at least had clothes on for some part of the day....Tay is still a little streaker).

Today is Wednesday and I have exactly one week until October begins. The following is a list of things I want to finish before September runs out...

-paint the inside of the laundry closet
-put up shelves in the laundry closet
-post & and hopefully sell some things on craigslist
-install a hanging shelf in the garage
-figure out a home office area once and for all (this topic deserves its own blog entry)
-make a mei tai so I can carry Ashton around on my back (the hiking backpack just won't due for times like cooking dinner and scrubbing toilets)....or order an Ergo (nice but pricey)
-buy a new lense for my camera (currently watching a couple on ebay)
-update this stinking blog with pictures from the summer!
-attend the temple (planned for Saturday morning)
-make a few very important phone calls and appointments
-finish some research that I have been working on regarding a few health topics (also deserving of a separate blog post)

What do you want to accomplish before October begins?

-

Today Ashton is 7 months old...

2009-09-15T14:38:00.003-04:00

Two months! I can't believe it has been two months since I posted last. Not good my friends. Not good. There is so much to write about that is is overwhelming to begin- the rest of our Boise trip, our adventure home to Virginia, end of summer delights in the neighborhood, how Ashton has grown and changed, Carter's very first day of kindergarten....and how Tay is coping with all of it.

As I write this, Carter is playing outside (which around here outside means the street) with a friend...with out a grown up might I add. Taylor and Ashton are taking their afternoon naps. I just had a bowl of cereal for lunch and I am looking around at my messy house thinking some one really should clean this up. When the littles wake up it will be time for snacks and outside play. Tonight Drew will be at soccer practice- he's coaching Carter's team- with Carter and Tay. Ashton and I will be at back to school night, then it will be bed time for all. I am still getting up with kids between 3 and 6 times a night...I am tired, exhausted, depleted. I am fog that drifts from room to room. Luckily it is mostly Ashton who is up. He likes his mama. I like him too. He is pure delight.

Please keep checking in my friends. I really do want to get this blog updated. I really do.

Ashton is 5 months!

2009-07-15T12:09:00.010-04:00

Today my sweet baby is 5 months old! He is just the happiest and calmest baby. We are so in love with this guy! He is in the grabbing stage and putting everything in his mouth. He is also experimenting with his voice and he does this really funny sigh when he is sleepy. Ashton can now roll from back to front and front to back but doesn't do it very often because is usually content to lay on the floor and play with toys. I love this picture of him- it makes me smile! Heather Humphreys did an awesome job taking pictures of the kids. I'll post them soon!

Tay turns 3!

2009-07-05T17:40:00.006-04:00

On June 22th my baby girl turned 3! We threw a "pink party" for her and her uncle Tom (who also celebrates a June birthday). We had pink cups, plates, balloons, cupcakes, etc. She wore a special crown and pink feather boa while party attendants wore sparkly crowns too. It was a special day for a special girl!
This is a classic picture of Tay....as she spends most days partially naked. One afternoon I found her quietly playing in Grandma Rhonda's kitchen. She was wearing her undies, my skirt, a baby teether for a crown and was pushing a truck around on the tile floor. I love this little girl!

Cherry Festival- Emmet Idaho

2009-07-05T17:23:00.006-04:00

I finally made it to Emmett's Cherry Festival. It only took me 28 years to do it! While there we saw several of my cousins and their children, a couple of fun performances in the park's bandshell, enjoyed other festival delights.....the kids had their very first corn dog and Tay experienced her very first carnival ride!

BMX Race

2009-07-05T17:15:00.003-04:00

I have a budding BMX er. As most of you know, Carter loves to ride his bike and he is REALLY good at it. A couple of weeks ago, we went to a local race track to watch a BMX race. Carter LOVED it. Hopefully before we head back to Virginia, Carter will have the opportunity to participate in a couple of races himself.

A New Tradition

2009-07-05T17:03:00.004-04:00

After Ashton was born, I finally decided to let Carter stop taking naps (for the most part). Instead of sleeping, he has quiet time with me. I read a chapter book out loud while he draws, plays quietly, or just snuggles in to me. So far we have read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Peter Pan, The Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe, Charlotte's Web, and Babe the Gallant Pig. Our new tradition has temporarily gone on hiatus while we are in Idaho but I look forward to starting it up again when we get home.

Roomy Reunion

2009-07-05T16:51:00.005-04:00

A few of my dearest friends and I met up for a roommate reunion in Salt Lake City Utah. These beautiful women are an integral part of who I am today. I am so grateful to call them friends!

The original Casa Dea 17 ladies...(Corinne, Lisa, Cambrea, & Kim)

Our circle expands....Kim, Sunny, Corinne, Lisa, Emily, & Jessica!

I had a great time visiting with these girls! We shopped, ate yummy food, and stayed up late reminiscing. I can't wait to see them all again!

Our Great American Adventure Part I

2009-07-05T13:47:00.005-04:00

Yes, I did the unthinkable. I drove from northern Virginia to Boise Idaho (roughly 2500 miles) with a 5 year old, 3 year old, and 3 month old….by myself. Here we are ready to leave...

So how did the trip go? It went exactly how I thought it would go…the first day went pretty smoothly. It was the first day so every one was excited for the big trip. The second day went fairly well too. The third day was the longest leg of the trip- from Des Moines Iowa to Cheyenne Wyoming. It was the day we wanted to turn around and go home. I knew it would happen. Treats, new movies, and even my best stories couldn’t keep them occupied. We were all bored and tired of being in the car. We were tired of EACH OTHER. The fourth day was from Cheyenne to Salt Lake City. The first hour from Cheyenne to Laramie was beautiful. We saw tons of antelope that day but the truck drivers were pretty aggressive. Once we arrived in SLC we drove around Temple Square and then to our hotel. We stayed two nights and met up with some friends. It was a really fun and much needed reunion. We also stopped for a couple of hours to see cousins in Farr West on our way to Idaho.

How did I do it? I planned in advance and packed very well. Drew took the day before my trip off and watched the kids while I got organized and packed. My friend Shellie made these cool organizer things so the kids had crayons, books, toys, etc. within reach. Each day Carter & Tay got to open wrapped gifts (thank you to all that contributed to my stash). The gifts included books, toys, treats, new movies, and coloring activities. When kids were fighting or crying or whining, I would throw things like gum or lollipops or licorice or junk snacks…er’ fruit snacks at them. We also stopped A LOT. Between my claustrophobic and newly potty-trained toddler and my nursed on demand 3 month old, many breaks were needed through the day. At rest stops we would pull out our activity bag that included a soccer ball, frisbees, and bubbles. We stayed at hotels with continental breakfasts and ate out of our cooler for lunch and snacks. We also stopped for happy meals a couple times for dinner.
Am I crazy? Well, if I wasn’t when I left, I am now! LOL! Taylor did cry for a good part of each day because of her car seat issues but other than that the trip really went well. And I really couldn’t have done it with out Carter. Carter was VERY helpful with Ashton and Tay. Had he been any younger I am not sure I could have done it because I really did rely on him, every day, all day.

So now that I am here, am I glad I did it? Absolutely! Am I ready to do it again? Nope!

Carter watching trains pass in Cheyenne Wyoming.

We made it....in one piece!

Preschool Graduation

2009-07-05T13:01:00.006-04:00

Carter graduated from preschool on May 19th. He and his little buddies were adorable during the ceremony. They did the pledge of allegiance, sang a few songs, and received their diplomas up on stage. I am so proud of Carter. Between last years preschool in our home and this year, he has become such a big boy.

Carter & Miss Laurette

Easter 2009

2009-07-05T12:53:00.001-04:00

Our little Easter Bunnies!

Going on the Potty Train

2009-04-18T21:17:00.009-04:00

A few days after I got back from Idaho I decided it was time to potty train my little firecracker. Ashton was almost 8 weeks old and still napping very frequently through out the day which would allow me to give Tay the positive attention she needed for the work at hand. She did a great job and we had a lot of fun together! We are so proud of our big girl!

*Before Carter was potty trained, he over heard Drew and I talking about potty TRAINing and decided that it must be a real train! The perfect incentive for him to go potty in the toilet was to take a ride on a kids train in Richmond. Needless to say, he loved going on the potty train after he was potty trained! Anyway, Tay also looked forward to taking her ride on the potty train!

Carter was very patient those first couple of days, especially considering it was his spring break from preschool. Luckily we found a few inside activities for him to enjoy.

Cherry Blossom in D.C.

2009-04-18T21:16:00.010-04:00

In April we spent a few hours walking around our nation's capital for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees were beautiful! I hope we can go again next year.

Baby Ashton

2009-04-18T21:16:00.007-04:00

Ashton's hair is awesome isn't it! It totally fits his personality. Ashton is such a sweet baby. He is VERY smiley. He loves to be held and sung to. And Ashton completely lights up when he has your attention. He especially loves his big brother Carter. In fact, Carter was the first person to get Ashton to laugh. Here is Ashton at 7 weeks old...

Just like Carter, Ashton smiled his first true baby smile the day after he turned 4 weeks old. It melted my heart. I wasn't able to capture it with the camera though until the beginning of April!

Baby Blessing

2009-04-18T21:15:00.013-04:00

On March 17th, Ashton Mckay Hilton received his baby blessing. We were happy to have family and our wonderful Bishop in our home for the special occasion. The experience in our home was tender and sweet. Luckily all of the kiddos cooperated during the prayer.

Here is Grandpa Steve holding Ashton.

Farewell Grandpa Holloway

2009-04-18T21:15:00.005-04:00

My dear Grandpa Holloway passed away in March. We will miss him! But in the mean time, we can celebrate his great sense of humor (and hilarious stories), his faith in God, dedication to family, and the love he had for his sweet wife Nola. I was so happy that I was able to be home for his funeral. It was wonderful to see long lost cousins and visit with aunts and uncles. The speakers and music at the service were wonderful. Overall it was a wonderful celebration of Roland Holloway.

My Grandpa was a master at tooling leather. Some of his best work was displayed at the funeral. When Grandpa was a young man and in the TB hospital, he sold his leather work to help provide for his parents and younger siblings. This Indian Chief is the cover of a photo album he made for his young bride.

Grandma Rhonda, Great Grandma Holloway, and six week oldAshton Mckay- at Grandpa's viewing.

Visit from Grandma Rhonda

2009-04-18T21:14:00.010-04:00

We are so grateful for all of the help we received when Ashton was born- friends, neighbors, my mother in law Heidi, and my mom also known around here as Grandma Rhonda. My mom came when Ashton was a month old so she was able to see first smiles and hear his first sweet coos. We are so grateful for all of the meals, playtime, laundry, house cleaning, visiting, shopping, snuggle time, and support that she gave all of us.

Thank you Grandma Rhonda!

Adjusting to Baby "Brudder"

2009-04-18T21:13:00.002-04:00

Many of you know I was a little (ok, A LOT) worried about how Tay would do after Ashton was born. Well, these pictures are a great illustration of how Tay handled the first few months after Ashton's arrival...
On this particular day, Tay and Ashton and I had just come home from dropping Carter off at preschool. Tay was mad (like screaming mad) that I wouldn't carry her up the stairs. So while she was screaming bloody murder down stairs, I carried Ashton to the third floor, nursed him, changed him, and put him to bed. When I finally came down to make Tay a snack and giver her some snuggle time, I found her sleeping on the kitchen floor. She had managed to kick her shoes off but was still wearing her coat and was clutching her baby doll. My poor little Tay had cried herself to sleep. It is hard not being the baby any more.

Sleepy Ashton

2009-04-18T21:12:00.004-04:00

Little newborns are just so sweet. They sleep and sleep and just want their mama to snuggle them. Of all of our "sleepy" pictures, this is my favorite of Ashton's first weeks.

Happy Birthday Corinne!

2009-03-30T20:36:00.003-04:00

So for those who don't know, today is Corinne's birthday. She's out in Boise for her grandfather's funeral, which also is today, and so probably hasn't spent much of the day celebrating. But Carter & Taylor & I wanted to reach out and say happy birthday. We love you and hope you have a great day!

A good quote

2009-03-20T16:04:00.002-04:00

The following is a quote that a friend gave me in college...

"Too often we make decisions based on what will bring us the least pain instead of what has the greatest possibility for happiness!" (yes, the explanation point is part of the quote)

I have appreciated these wise words time and time again and just wanted to share them.

Strep, Stripping, & Spitting Up

2009-03-06T16:29:00.004-05:00

Strep: I am sick again! Drew stayed home yet again yesterday to take care of me and today Grandma Heidi came over to take care of the kids so I could rest. Thank you Heidi! I have strep throat- fever, chills, headache, earache, and sore throat. Thank goodness for antibiotics and probiotics! Unfortunately my house looks like a tornado came through and the kids are pretty much watching tv every waking minute. I am so ready to feel like myself again and to get back to a routine of some sort.

Stripping: Tay has been taking all of her clothes off for naps and bedtime. We don't even fight with her over it any more. If we hear her in her room struggling to take her shirt off (those tricky shirts), we just help her and then tuck her blanket around her and say good night. What will this crazy girl do next?

Spitting Up: Our sweet Ashton hasn't been able to escape the Hilton baby digestive woes. He isn't spitting up a ton but he has lots of tummy aches each day. Carter had severe digestive issues, including GERD so we have been on high alert with Ashton. I have ordered some gripe water which really helped Taylor's tummy issues and it will arrive early next week. Ashton will also have a spine adjustment on Monday to see if that helps (it helped Taylor). We already have some liquid Zantac for him just in case as well. Poor baby! I have started eliminating different foods from my diet and increasing other foods to help him. We hope he gets some relief soon.

2 Week Birthday

2009-03-01T14:14:00.010-05:00

Happy birthday Ashton Mckay Hilton! The last two weeks escaped us all too quickly. We are all in love with you. Your big brother and sister can't seem to smooch you enough and always need to know where I have stashed you. We love the little faces you make, your soft hair that sticks straight up, and how you will only sleep in our arms or on our chest. You are the sweetest baby and we are so thankful Heavenly Father sent you to us.

Look at that wild hair & those squishy cheeks! He weighed 9 lbs 7 ounces yesterday!

Ashton's first bath in Mommy's arms.

Only a few days old...your mommy really needs some sleep!

Babymoon or Week from Hell?

2009-02-24T12:32:00.006-05:00

Well, our little guy is over a week old. I can't believe it! The first few days after he was born were great (if you take a way the constant crying and tantrums from a certain Miss Tay). We were all enjoying the new little life that joined our family. Sometimes things are to good to be true. Tuesday night Carter starting getting sick...the flu (the mild version thankfully). Not good- especially when he passes it to his Mommy a couple of days later. Having the flu right after having a baby is a nightmare! Luckily, we have been taken care of with delicious meals from friends, church members, and the neighborhood moms group. Drew has only only had to make a meal a few times. The left overs have been particularly helpful to me. On days when I feel like I can drag my sickly body downstairs, all I have to do is pop something in the microwave and then slink back upstairs to eat it. My fever has stayed constant around 103 F. but peaked yesterday at 104.5 F. Thankfully today I feel much better but I am still hanging out in bed. Drew has been run ragged trying to care for all of us and keep our home in order. I am praying that Taylor, Drew, and our little guy stay healthy. Drew had planned to go back to work yesterday but I was in no shape to care for myself, a newborn, crazy girl, and sickly brother. He stayed home again today but has to go back tomorrow. Hopefully I can will my body back to normal by tomorrow at 8 a.m. when he needs to leave. Carter is feeling much better- he just has the sniffles and his appetite is coming back.

I already feel mothers guilt over the loss of our "babymoon". With the exception of the first few days, I feel like we have totally missed out on our newborns most precious time on earth. Nothing can replace the first week. We haven't taken many pictures, he hasn't had his foot prints done, he hasn't had his first bath, and oh ya...he still doesn't have a name! I think we have decided on a first name but I'll leave you all in suspense for a little bit longer...

So in addition to having the flu, Carter woke up last Thursday with leg cramps. They were very painful and probably very scary, and by the morning he decided that he couldn't use his legs. So Drew has been carrying him up and down the stairs, helping him go to the bathroom, etc. for the past several days. Yesterday he started crawling on his hands and knees to get around. Since he already missed preschool last week, we didn't want him to miss it again today but he was still refusing to walk as of last night.

So we did what any good parent does (no not really). We told him that he either needed to start walking or he had to go to the doctor to have his legs "checked". After a lot of tears and a phone call to Kaiser, Carter had an appointment for this morning. Our plan worked! The doctor actually was sick and the office called and canceled the appointment before we had to. Miraculously, Carter started walking again this morning. He is still afraid to put weight on his flat feet so he is walking on his tippy toes but at least he is walking! Poor guy- I am sure his "charlie horses" really did hurt him but oh the drama of an already stressful week.

Introducing "Tummy Baby"

2009-02-15T15:23:00.008-05:00

"Tummy Baby" Hilton was born at home (our second planned home birth) this morning at 3:26 a.m. He weighs 8 pounds 11 ounces, is 21 inches long, and has one big noggin! No wonder I was huge this time around!!! The birth was a lot of hard work but we are all doing great. Our Chunky Monkey is a very sleepy baby but nursing well. Carter and Tay were excited to meet their new brother when they woke up this morning. We are grateful to have 3 happy and healthy kids!

p.s. No name yet.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T12:58:00.004-05:00

We hope your day of love is wonderful! I've had enough of planning and decided not to do any thing special for my family today- lame, I know. I did bring home Wendy's though! I think that made Carter and Tay happy. :)

Happy Due Date Day

2009-02-12T21:45:00.004-05:00

This post is for my mom who has been asking me constantly to take a picture of my belly. I wish I had a bunch of "belly" shots from the past few months but today was the first day I've taken a picture. Technically, Carter took it. I set the camera up on the counter and showed him what to do. Not bad for a 5 year old! At least you can sort of see my belly! Mom, this is me at 40 weeks.

This shot is better evidence of my hugeness. I am already discouraged about losing my baby weight and I haven't even had the baby. I am seriously 20 pounds heavier now than when Tay was born. Yikes! Trust me, the top picture is fooling you. I pretty much wear Drew's pajama pants all day unless I have to go somewhere. His pants and a big ol' t-shirt are the only things that are comfortable at this point. Today we went to the library and a woman said "woa, you must be due any day". Um, yep I am!

My pregnancy ticker now says I have a 1 day old. As nice as that sounds, Tay woke up this morning with a runny nose and cough. She seemed fine all day but since putting her to bed tonight, I've been called into her room at least 10 times. She is miserable and her skin is hot to the touch. Drew's been complaining of a sore throat too. Here we go again!

Snow Day

2009-02-12T21:08:00.009-05:00

We finally had a snow day a couple of weeks ago. The snow only lasted a day and unfortunately there wasn't enough to go sledding. We did have a good time eating snow, making snow prints with our boots, shoveling snow, and making snow angels..

Tay's favorite snow day activity was definitely eating snow. She wouldn't stop and it wasn't long before she had both mittens being stuffed into her mouth.

Carter of course was just thrilled to be outside. He was my helper shoveling the driveway. He also made several impressive pathways through the neighbors driveways as well.

His current favorite color is orange. Good thing I hung onto this fleece hat from my college days. He loves it!

All about Carter

2009-02-12T14:09:00.006-05:00

I can't believe how fast this kiddo is growing up. It is strange to think that he is actually 5 years old! I am thankful he is such a happy guy. He has an awesome personality that I hope he never outgrows. Carter loves preschool and recently has become quite interested in numbers. His favorite part of preschool is playing outside or gym class with Ms. Carol (he loves dodge ball!). His teachers tell me he is pretty popular and a good listener. Carter is also a good helper at home. I have enjoyed preparing for the upcoming birth with him. Last week he helped me make a bunch of freezer meals as my "master mixer" and "master spoon licker". He is also a very helpful brother to Taylor (most of the time). We just love this guy!

Taylor the Midwife

2009-02-12T14:08:00.006-05:00

Taylor has become quite proficient in checking heart tones with my fetoscope. Here is my little midwife in training...

Pregancy Ticker & Other Randomness

2009-02-10T12:04:00.008-05:00

Does anyone know what happens to the pregnancy ticker when you go past your estimated due date? I am asking because I have no clue. In this awful day and age where woman literally sign up to have their babies (I am sorry- that is such a backwards and wrong concept to me but that is for another blog), I am not sure I've ever seen a blog ticker go past a due date! I guess we shall see in a few days...I am 99.9% confident that this baby isn't budging any time soon. I must have created an exceptional hide out in there this time around! Way to go me!

Carter wants the baby to come soon so he can start eating all of the "treat" waffles that are in the freezer. Last week he and I made some chocolate chip waffles for when I don't feel like making meals and he's been checking the freezer at least once a day to make sure they are still there. I sure hope he gets to start eating them soon!

Taylor has been really exhausting these days. She is waking up at night and throwing the worst temper tantrums during the day. Here is a good story for you all...the other day we were at a favorite thrift store and she demanded I carry her through the store. Well, if I had more energy and didn't have a massive 5th appendage being carried on the front of me, sure I would have loved to carry her through the store. But since she had already declined riding in the stroller and the store doesn't have shopping carts, she was stuck walking....after 5 minutes of whining to be held, she ran off (the store is pretty small so I knew right where she was-no worries), laid down on her back like she was making snow angels and proceeded to yell at the top of her lungs "go way" over and over again. Lovely.

Another Tay story....on Saturday we had beautiful weather and the kids played out side for a few hours but alas it was finally time to come in to eat. I was finishing up dinner when I hear hysterical screaming coming up the stairs. It was Taylor. Drew was carrying her and I thought she must have cracked her head open or something equally painful- it was THAT type of crying. But no blood was to be found, she was just mad that she had to come inside. Carter affectionately calls her "sassy girl" and I would have to agree with him. But with each toddler tantrum comes at least five moments of sweetness from her. And like with Carter, I actually really like the 2 year old phase. 2 year olds are just hilarious! I should probably start writing up some of the funny things she does :).

My Lunch Time Surprise

2009-02-06T16:42:00.003-05:00

A few days ago my visiting teaching companion (who is a SAINT) called and asked if I could be at one of our teachees houses at 12:00 today. I told her no problem. I figured we were going for a visiting teaching appointment. Well I arrived to find friends from church and a yummy lunch prepared. Not only that but at another friend's house around the corner were two husbands who were watched all of our kids....on a work day! Talk about awesome husbands! After a delicious lunch, I received a pedicure (thank you Erica!) and got to open up wonderful baby gifts! Some of them were even handmade!! I just about bawled my eyes out while the food was being blessed and not because I am a very due hormonal pregnant mama but because I was so touched by their thoughtfulness. It just felt so nice to have this little baby and my new motherhood responsibilities celebrated like when Carter and Tay were soon to arrive. I am so grateful for the ladies who put my little luncheon together. My spirits were boosted, my tummy fed, and my toes polished...now I can have this baby!

"Mom, You Have a Rash"

2009-02-01T14:27:00.006-05:00

This is what Carter said to me when my midwife was checking the baby's heart beat this week....nope it turns out that I am no longer a manatee sized mama but infact a much larger marine animal. My "rash" is really just a bunch of new stretch marks under my belly that I can't see. Thank you baby #3 and all of the glorious weight gain you have brought to my body. We are seriously going to have a talk after you are born.

At least Carter let the cat out of the bag and I won't be standing in horror front of my mirror after the baby is born looking at the parts of my tummy that I can't see now. Well, that is not true....I'll still probably stand there in horror, but probably not as long now that I have a heads up. Thanks Carter! What would I do without you!

Stake Conference

2009-02-01T07:20:00.005-05:00

Our Stake (area congregation) held Stake Conference this weekend. It was awesome! All of the speakers did such a great job, especially my favorite...Elder Dallin H. Oaks! Yep, we had an apostle of the Lord visit us. During the adult Saturday night session, he was really funny and laid back and didn't really speak on one topic- he made lots of comments and shared stories based on what the other speakers had spoken about. It was the first time in years that I got to go to the adult session. Drew always gets invited to play the organ and so I have to stay home with the kids. Well, this time his mom agreed to watch the kids so we could both go. (Thanks Heidi!) Drew in the end stayed home though and he really missed out! It felt so good to be there, even with my big ol' pregnant bum falling as sleep on a hard gym chair and with an elderly lady in front of me with very BIG hair that I could barely see around.

Taylor and I went to the Sunday morning session together. We got there super early but still didn't manage to get a soft seat. You have to understand that we live in an area with tons of church members. Our ward alone has almost 700 people in it (probably 400 of which attend regularly)- so even with two Sunday sessions of Conference, it was packed! Taylor behaved pretty well considering it was a 2 hour session but by the time Elder Oaks got up to talk, she was done. It was still a great session though- the temple president spoke as well as several other area authorities. The choir was awesome too- powerful and moving. Drew's cousin's husband (did you follow that?) was the director- he did a great job. Anyway, just a great spiritual boost that I needed before baby #3 comes along.

37 Weeks & Going Strong

2009-01-22T18:54:00.007-05:00

I am 37 weeks today and just enjoyed a prenatal massage. It was lovely. Tomorrow I have another chiro appointment that I am thrilled about because the stinker inside of me decided to turn to my right side. I am confident that weekly visits will keep my pelvis open and lined up correctly so that this baby has room to turn. At my midwife appointment today, he/she was ROA which means his/her's back and bum were snuggled in on my right side. I am pretty sure it happened last night because while I was up with Tay I felt lots of little kicks and jabs on my left. Most people think that "as long as the head is down" you're good- well that is a big fat lie that OB's like to tell their mamas. For a straight forward birth you really want your baby's back on the left side of your tummy. Carter was posterior up until a few hours before he was born- and it was a very long process to get him to move so that I could move past 7 cm (that is why I had a doula and why I am a doula!). Tay liked to tease me and she flipped flopped every week from ROA to LOA until she was born. Luckily she was in a great position for labor and birth. For this baby, I have tons of time and know many ways to help this little baby to flip back over. I am still feeling great physically so I am sure I will have this baby in a few weeks rather than sooner. I am to the point though that I really need my space mentally. I have already told a couple of people that I do not want any contact with them until after the birth. Of course they were anything but mature about it but hey- I am the one growing and having this baby! I have to do what is best for me and my pregnancy. I love being a grown up!

Trouble is Already Brewing

2009-01-21T20:12:00.003-05:00

I just came upstairs to help put the kids to bed and found Drew and the kids lying on the floor watching old home videos from when Tay was a baby. I snuggled up to Tay so that I could watch too but she pushed on my tummy and said "Go way, Tummy Baby" (translation: go away, baby).

Oh dear.

36 Week Update

2009-01-13T16:02:00.005-05:00

Well, I am nearly 36 weeks pregnant. I am doing pretty well considering I am the size of a mammoth. Ok, maybe more like the size of a manatee (and less graceful for sure!).

Let’s just say I am 10 + pounds heavier now than I was at 39 weeks when Tay was born… and I am still growing! I don’t really mind how I look because frankly I don’t have to look at myself all day long but I do feel very squishy. Grrr. I am measuring right on for how far a long I am but since my tummy never grew more than 34 inches with Tay… I feel like my tummy is going to explode at any second. This is pretty much how I felt when I was pregnant with Carter….so I am 99% sure we’re having another boy (or a REALLY chunky baby girl). Luckily, I am not super uncomfortable at this point, which is a blessing…but I do have a few more weeks to go hopefully (yes, you did read it correctly... I did say hopefully).

Although I am big and and will soon be uncomfortable, I have to count my blessings…I don’t have to deal with most of the complaints many other women do. For example, I’ve never had heart burn with my pregnancies. I’ve never had swollen fingers or feet (just a swollen tummy and chubbier cheeks and thighs). I don’t really get stretch marks either. The ones I do get mostly fade away after the baby is born. And so on and so on.

So right now, I am mostly tired and grumpy and feeling big. This pregnancy has mostly been challenging emotionally (in addition to throwing up 30 times a day for months) but I am looking forward to the birth and seeing how the kids respond to having “Tummy Baby” here. Carter will no doubt be awesome and adjust easily to the baby like he did when Tay was born. I am not so sure about Tay though. Lately she is has been extra clingy, whiney, and rather demanding. Maybe is is just her age but the closer we get to the birth, the more she pretends to be a baby (i.e. demanding we spoon feed her, carry her, etc.). Hopefully, she’ll love “Tummy Baby” and be sweet and kind and cute…herself again.

So for now I am trying really hard to keep the house in order as well as finish up little projects that I know I won’t touch for a couple of months after the baby is born. I am really happy with myself though- I got the garage reorganized and swept last week and freecycled a bunch of stuff we aren’t using. I love when I am in purge mode! Hopefully my need to “nest” will rub off on Drew and he’ll clean the carpets for me!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T16:05:00.003-05:00

The kids were very excited this morning and enjoyed all of their gifts. Thank you to all of our family who gave us such wonderful and thoughtful presents. Here are a couple of pictures from this morning...

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T14:17:00.010-05:00

We spent Christmas Eve at the Hilton's house. Grandma Heidi made her traditional Christmas dinner which was delicious. Grandpa Steve led us in a Christmas devotional- we all took turns reading the Christmas story from the scriptures and sang Christmas hymns while he played the guitar. The kids were very excited to have uncle Dave and Rob home from school. While we were there a special visitor paid the Hilton's a visit...

Carter was thrilled to see Santa. When asked if he had been a good boy this year, he quickly sold out his little sister, telling Santa that she is sometimes naughty.

Taylor was terrified of Santa and went screaming into Drew's arms when she saw him. She warmed up a little after he gave her a candy cane but was very leery of him and wouldn't Drew put her down. Taylor still insisted however that "hanta" (Santa) was going to spend the night at our house- "downhairs" (downstairs). And that he was bringing his own "blankie" and "moo" (stuffed animal) to sleep with.

When we got home we all got our jammies on and headed downstairs to the Christmas tree. This year we started a new tradition. We turned off all of the lights except for the tree lights, turned on the fire place, and read Christmas stories while munching on cookies and egg nog. Before heading off to bed, we left the traditional plate of treats and cup of egg nog for Santa, as well as a bowl of carrots for Rudolph. Surprisingly- both Tay and Carter went right to bed this year!

Our month of December

2008-12-25T12:55:00.006-05:00

This month has been a fun one for our family. We decided to keep Christmas simple this year- I didn't even write Christmas letters! Hopefully, I'll be up to that again next year. Here is a list of the fun things we did:

Christmas lights- the all time favorite of our family! We spent many nights this months driving around looking at Christmas lights. We found some pretty awesome houses too!

Santa on a Fire Truck- one night Santa came through our little planned community on a float, pulled by a fire truck. Not only did he come to the neighborhood, but he was escorted by several other fire trucks and ambulances with sirens blaring and lights flashing. It was quite the site! Santa and his helpers were collecting gifts and food for families in need which we were happy to support.

Giving and Receiving- our neighborhood mom's group held several events to help the kids understand that the season isn't just about getting things from Santa. Most of the activities were on Sunday so we weren't able to join in but we were able to help with one fundraiser. Carter and Tay helped me go through their toys and we donated several that they no longer play with. We also were able to donate several baby items that we won't need or had duplicate of. Hopefully it taught them something on some level.

Dinners Out- Drew got a nice gift card from work this year as a Christmas gift and we quickly put it to good use! Grandma Heidi watched the kids and we were able to go to dinner with Drew's brother Rob and his honey, Christie. We also went out a few times as a family. What a treat!

Christmas in Bethlehem- This year our ward (congregation) did something different for the Christmas party. We had a Christmas in Bethlehem party. Everyone dressed up in biblical clothes and brought "taxes" (canned food) to give to the Bishop's Storehouse. In the church gym, twinkling white Christmas lights hung from the ceiling and the gym was completely decorated like a market place from Christ's day. The activities committee did such a good job. We ate middle eastern food on blankets on the floor and the kids got little pouches of coins to buy food with. And of course there was a Christmas program about Christ's birth with music and narration. They even had someone taking family pictures up on the stage where the stable was. I'll post that as soon as it is emailed to me.

Other fun stuff: Handel's Messiah sing-a-long, a yummy dinner at our neighbors house, a work party for Drew, and Carter had a preschool party that Tay and I attended.

Not so fun stuff: Drew sick. Tay sick. Carter sick. I guess I can't really complain since my kids are the healthiest kids I know but I hope this month we've paid our winterly sickness dues. I just don't think I can handle sick kids, a sick husband, and a newborn in February.

Trip to Rochester NY

2008-12-25T12:51:00.006-05:00

Coming soon! I couldn't post about my trip to New York until Drew & our families had opened their gifts from us...pictures of the kids. My dear friend Lisa took them and they turned out awesome! Anyway, now I can post them and will do that in the next couple of days as well as tell you all about our fun trip.

Middleburg Christmas Parade

2008-12-25T12:39:00.005-05:00

Middleburg is a cute (and very affluent) little village about 25 minutes from us. The main street is decorated very festively and the town hosts a day of Christmas activities. It was freezing cold this year but we decided to head out for the last event...the much anticipated Christmas parade!

Our first adventure of the afternoon happened upon getting out of the car in Middleburg. Drew accidentally dropped the car keys. No big deal right? Well, the keys fell right down a storm drain! Drew was able to lift off the man hole lid and look inside. The man hole was at least 15 feet deep, and at the very bottom was our keys. The hole was dark, dirty, and very creepy. Luckily though, Drew spotted a metal ladder bolted to the wall and down he went- like Santa down a chimney. Our keys were saved! Way to go Drew.

As I mentioned before, it was a cold day. I was pretty sure we were going to come home with icicles for fingers and toes. We had put the kids in several layers and crossed our fingers that they would enjoy the parade despite the temperature. We quickly found a spot along the parade route and set up camp. Carter brought his camping chair and Tay sat snugly in her stroller. Actually, Tay was miserable and refused to wear her mittens.

Carter & Tay patiently waiting for the parade to start. Carter told me his face was too cold to smile. I couldn't blame him.

Snug as a bug!

Carter immediately stood up to run when he heard the piper band coming through- we forgot his ear muffs! He has sensitive ears but luckily it wasn't a very noisy parade- the fire engines never turned their sirens on so it was all good.

I sat next to Carter during the parade and he was definitely more entertaining to watch the the parade. He was so excited about everything and waived to everyone that passed by. He particularly loved the candy throwers! He was very sweet and always grabbed candy for Tay who was either glued to Drew's hip or wrapped up in her stroller.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-15T15:12:00.003-05:00

This year we made a cute thanksgiving turkey out of Carter's hand prints to display on our wall. For family home evening in November, we learned about the history of thanksgiving, read lots of thanksgiving stories, and shared with one another what we are thankful for.

On Thanksgiving morning we put up our Christmas tree and decorations and headed over to Drew's parents house for a quiet dinner after naps. Overall it was good and very uneventful. This year I made rolls, brought veggies, stuffing, and potatoes. Drew's family provided the rest. Later in the evening we all headed over to Drew's cousin's house for yummy pie.

Overall Thanksgiving was good and very uneventful. However, we really need to come up with a few thanksgiving traditions. Maybe it is just me, but holidays in Virginia have become quite lame. The only thing we do is eat together and call it a holiday. Don't get me wrong, I love eating (especially since the baby inside of me also likes eating) but it seems like we could do more than that! Any ideas, people?

Carter turns 5!

2008-11-20T10:53:00.009-05:00

Happy Birthday Carter! I can't believe my baby is 5 years old today. Carter started off the special day with a trip to a local donut shop for a special breakfast treat with Daddy. After which, he was off to preschool with birthday treats to share with his friends. Since you can only bring store bought treats on birthdays (school allergy policy) we went shopping the day before and Carter perused the grocery store's bakery. We looked at cupcakes, cookies, banana bread, etc. But Carter finally decided on batman fruit snacks! We don't regularly buy junk snacks (that's what we call them) so taking them to share with his friends was a big deal. Carter's class sang happy birthday to him and he was presented with a birthday crown. His teacher was very proud of his very original birthday treat idea and I have to agree- what a funny kid!

After preschool Carter gave me a birthday gift...my 5 year old took a nap! Ok, so that is a normal occurrence at our house but it made me stop and reflect a little. Oh how I appreciate my Carter! There are so many reasons he was meant to be our first child!

Drew came home from work early and we celebrated his birthday with a few neighborhood friends and his pal Zoe from church. We played a few games, played with toys, bashed a pinata, and ate birthday cake. Carter requested a motorcycle cake so this is what Tay and I came up with- it is supposed to be motorcycles driving up boulders and dirt. I didn't have chocolate frosting so it didn't turn out like I was hoping it would. Oh well! The crushed oreos were well worth it!

We opened gifts in the evening and Carter was in heaven! He was very enthusiastic about all of his gifts. Tay, on the other hand, was not. She didn't quite understand that it wasn't her birthday too. Here is Carter trying out his new "soldier gun". As you can see, Tay has already shed some tears at this point. We finally got out her squirt gun from the summer so she could have a "soldier gun" too.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-20T10:52:00.009-05:00

Halloween was super fun! Carter and Tay were both Spiderman and just adorable. I just love that Tay wanted to be what Carter was! We headed out with my dear friend Kelly and her three cuties. We pushed the kids in the stroller over to the single family houses and from there they ran from house to house.

Tay wasn't sure what to think of it all until after the third house or so. Then she was running as fast as she could to keep up with Carter. Tay would get so excited at each door that she would mix up all the words we had practiced. Instead of saying "trick or treat" and "thank you", she would say "thank you, icky eat". She also insisted going up and down all the house steps herself, even after she was tired and had two little wobbly legs. Carter was just so happy to be out and about. He is such a people person. I don't think he stopped smiling until it was bed time.

After their treat bags were full, we headed back to our house for yummy apple-raspberry pie with vanilla ice cream. Between the candy, pie, and ice cream, our sweet tooths were very sore! Luckily during the night, we had a Halloween spirit (the Switch Witch) visit out house and exchange all the candy for yummy cinnamon rolls. The kids were happy for the cinnamon rolls and I was happy the candy battle ended before it started.

Big Girl Bed & Baby Yuck

2008-11-20T10:51:00.003-05:00

Tay's becoming such a big girl. In October we moved her into a big girl bed and the transition went beautifully. I was a little surprised because for weeks Drew and I would talk about it and she would get really upset...she just loved her bed (the crib). Since the new baby will be in our room anyway for a while, we weren't in a hurry to move her out, especially if it meant ruining a good thing...a happily sleeping toddler. Anyway, I thought we should at least start rehearsing for when the change would be made. Well one day I was curious how she would react if I took one of the horizontal crib sides off, making her little IKEA crib like a toddler bed. She thought it was great! So after a week or so I took the entire crib down and put it away. And again, she did great! Over the course of two weeks (including the week in her "toddler bed") she only woke up a few times during the night and never got out of her bed during nap times. In fact now she sleeps even better in her twin bed at night because she has more room to wiggle around and stretch out.

We also got rid of her pacifier which she called her "baby yuck" (there is a really good story behind that name by the way). This was a little trickier! Like Carter, when Tay turned 2 (way back in June) we clipped the tip off her pacifier so that she couldn't suck on it as well. Over a few days, little by little, we clipped a little more until it was no longer usable. After that she would hold it in her cute little hand when it was time to sleep. Back in the middle of September, Carter was helping me clean out a closet when he found one of Tay's pacifiers that had been misplaced before the ceremonial pacifier clipping month of June. Carter immediately took it to his little sister as if he had found a lost diamond. She was ecstatic and he was very proud of himself. She immediately put in her mouth and was on cloud nine. We decided to let her have it for a couple of weeks for naps and bedtime again. It just wasn't a battle that I wanted to fight- not yet at least. Finally in October, after the transition into her big girl bed was complete, we again clipped the "baby yuck". Fhew! It actually went pretty smoothly and instead of holding a broken pacifier, Tay now sleeps with several of her babies, stuffed animals and a favorite blankie. I really need to take a picture- it is hilarious.

The only thing left is potty training and she will officially be a big girl!

Update on Fetal Echo

2008-10-29T15:04:00.003-04:00

Our update is pretty simple...the baby's heart is perfect. Although the heart didn't skip beats or beat prematurely while we were having the exam, the cardiologist evaluated it in every possible way and said that even if it continues to skip that we can continue on with our pregnancy without worry. We feel very blessed and know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. I am particularly grateful for the blessings of the temple and the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. While the last couple of weeks brought worry and stress, it also brought an opportunity for faith and reflection.

Ward Trunk or Treat Party

2008-10-26T12:17:00.008-04:00

This year for Halloween, Carter has decided to again be Spiderman. Well, when we pulled out the dress up box to find Tay a costume...of course she wanted to be whatever Carter was! Good thing Carter was Spiderman when he was 11 months old and that the costume fits Tay! The trunk or treat party was fun and the kids were excited to see their friends and primary teachers all dressed up, too. We actually left before the trick or treating part of the party. One night of candy is enough for us this year. They will have to wait until Halloween to fill their bags with goodies! Of course they got to eat a couple of treats on the way home, though- we're not that mean!

Carter the Fire Firghter

2008-10-26T12:09:00.004-04:00

Carter has finally started engaging in pretend play on his own. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it really makes me laugh. One morning he was pretending to be a fire fighter with his stuffed dog and of course they both needed gas masks. He was pretty frustrated for a while and couldn't find something that would work until he saw me unloading the dishwasher and then a light bulb when off in his little head. Notice in the picture how his dog also has a glass up to his snout and is sporting a red fireman's hat too.

Saying Goodbye

2008-10-26T11:46:00.006-04:00

We finally had to say goodbye to a couple of favorite toys at our house. Carter has had his firetruck since he was 20 months or so and Tay got her "Tay mobile" last year for Christmas from Santa. These little cars have been tons of fun for our kids, especially since we have an entire level of hardwood floors. They were the only solution to making dinner without someone whining or standing at my feet. But in the past few months they both broke down and were no longer safe. So a couple of weeks ago we ALL said our goodbyes and when the kids weren't looking, I snuck them down to the trash can. The kids have gotten over them but I don't think I have. Making dinner will never be the same again!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-26T10:55:00.009-04:00

Last Saturday, we headed out to Hollins Farm- a real working farm out in the beautiful countryside of Virginia. They have pick-your-own pumpkins, tomatoes, peaches, apples, wild flowers, berries, and also sell organic beef and pork. Of course we couldn't leave the farm without a full peck of yummy organic apples!

It wasn't long after we arrived that Tay found her pumpkin...a tiny baby pumpkin. She carried it all through the patch while we hunted for the others. She is very proud of it and keeps it in her bedroom. I love hearing her say the word pumpkin...she says "punkin" and it sounds sooo sweet.

The kids were excited to take a ride on the pumpkin cart back to the weighing station.
The patch was a little hilly and their little legs got pretty tired.... so Daddy to the rescue!

Here is Carter, just taking in the crisp autumn air. He was really funny this year trying to find "his" pumpkin. He inspected MANY pumpkins, trapezed all over the patch, and changed his mind several times before finding the right one.

I think this is the first picture of all four of us in FOREVER.

Heart Ache

2008-10-24T08:07:00.010-04:00

Well the little turkey inside of me is already giving his/her mom and dad a headache...or maybe I should say heart ache! Last week when our midwife was checking the baby's heart beat, the heart beat was skipping all over the place. The beats per minute was normal but the rhythm was not even close to normal. Not good! So this week we had an appointment with an OB who confirmed that the baby had a heart arrhythmia. She only told us what we already knew but did do a very quick (like two minute) sono of the heart that could show us that it did have 4 chambers. She gave us a referral (which is why we were there) to see a pediatric cardiologist for a fetal echocardiogram (an indepth ultrasound study of the heart). As far as we know at this point is that the heart is only skipping beats and most babies in utero grow out of it by the end of the pregnancy or soon after birth. Good news! Certainly there is a percentage of babies where it doesn't correct itself. We are praying that what the baby is experiencing is really that simple and hoping for the best. I think we are both realistic about the potential of a more dangerous situation though. We really don't know anything more than that at this point but will keep you all updated after our appointment next week.

P.S. We are not finding out the sex of the baby but my suspicion is that it is a boy. Drew & Carter want a girl and Tay has no comment. Also, for those who have asked, our due date is in February.

Land of the Living

2008-10-15T22:23:00.002-04:00

Yes, we are alive for all of you who thought our family dropped off the face of the earth. I have finally updated our blog with some posts and pictures about our last few months. It may make more sense to scroll down all the way to July and read from there. Anyway, blogging just hasn’t been a priority for me. Sorry to keep you all in suspense (not that our lives are that exciting anyway)! We hope you are enjoying the fall! October is our favorite month here in Virginia so we are loving the cool weather and beautiful scenery.

*Just a disclaimer on all of the pictures...we are having battery issues with our good camera so most of the pictures posted from this summer and fall are from our back up camera. I guess what matters is that we have pictures, not necessarily the quality of them. ☺

Random Pictures

2008-10-15T21:55:00.005-04:00

Carter at the county fair on his first ride and Tay sucking down a giant slushy!

Tay loved riding the merrry-go-round!

Carter and his hamster, Hammy.

Tay loves to draw. Here she is at IHOP in Virginia Beach.

Here are two pictures of Tay after naps. She is slow to wake up and can be
rather grumpy on some days. It usually takes some mommy magic,
a baby or two, and food for her to come around.

Carter and our neighbor, Neil. Don't you love his "motorcyle" gloves and sunglasses?!

I am so glad these two play as much as they do.

Columbus Day Dates

2008-10-15T21:54:00.003-04:00

Drew took a floating holiday on Monday, which was much needed for everyone. We got a couple of things done around the house and went on special dates our kids. Drew took Tay with him to run errands while Carter and I went to lunch. I was craving a fat cheeseburger and a conversation with my big boy, so off we went to Red Robin (Carter’s pick, of course!). Carter was thrilled to get his very own freckle lemonade with his lunch. The thrilling part was that he didn’t have to share! As we drove away, I told Carter that my favorite part of lunch was having time with just him. He replied, “My favorite part of lunch was getting a orange balloon”. Oh the honesty of a 4 year old! After lunch we headed to our favorite thrift store where Carter found a brand new lunch box for preschool. Good find, Carter!

Funny Taylor Story

2008-10-15T21:53:00.005-04:00

Drew’s grandma passed away in August (see below) and a memorial service was held for her in Virginia although she was buried in Arizona. I decided to wear nice slacks to the service instead of Sunday dress since after all- it was a memorial service, not sacrament meeting (you should have seen the disapproving looks I got!). So there I was, probably looking a little green from feeling sick, wearing pants, with my extremely tired kids (it was way past their bed time) when Tay leaked through her diaper…her jumper dress and onesie were wet and I didn’t have a change of clothes for her. Tay doesn’t like being wet and I knew it wouldn’t be too long before she would be pulling at her clothes and whining (or kicking and screaming). Drew was busy playing the organ for the meeting and the piano for the special musical numbers. With help from Grandma Heidi, I was doing my best to keep the kids happy and quiet. With the exception of a 4 year old second cousin to Drew, who spent the entire meeting in the hall, my children were the only little kids present. Ok- just setting the scene for you all! So what is a mom to do? I quickly laid her down on the bench, changed her diaper at warp speed and with only the skill a mother knows, slipped off her onesie without even taking her jumper off. Fhew! I am good! But not good enough because Tay then decides that if she can’t wear the onesie, she can’t wear ANYTHING. A tantrum ensued…. and I decided to pick my battle. So there I was, in a front pew of the chapel, many spectators behind us, with the only kids in a very quiet grown up setting and my very blond little, wild haired (her unhappiness for barrettes or anything hair related deserves its own post), naked 2 year old is squealing with delight because she had “won”. Even after taking her to the foyer, no amount of convincing would get an article of clothing back onto her little 22 pound body. Luckily I found the experience funnier than I did stressful. It reminded me of the time at church when Carter was literally doing summersaults across the bench we were sitting on while I had my hands full with a fussy newborn. It was definitely one of those times when I wished I had more arms. Why does Drew always seem to be playing the organ when things like this tend to occur? ☺

Primary Program 2008

2008-10-15T21:53:00.003-04:00

This year’s primary program was awesome! My visiting teaching companion is the primary president and she and her presidency did a wonderful job of putting it together. The theme of the program was “I am a Child of God”. This year Carter is in the CTR-5 class (Choose the Right & 5 for five year olds). Their part in the program was to stand up to the microphone with a picture they drew of something they are grateful and say “I am grateful for __________”. Some of the kids in his class did great, others were too shy and the teacher spoke for them. Carter stood up at the pulpit with a huge smile on his face, picture in hand, and froze. Because he had a giant grin plastered across his face, his teacher thought he was going start talking. After whispering in his ear what he needed to say for the third time and Carter still standing there smiling and holding his picture, Sister Neaufer finally said into the microphone “I am grateful for my motorcycle”. Maybe you had to be there but it was hilarious. Everyone in the audience was smiling back at him and I had several people come up to me afterwards and say that his happy face was the highlight of the program. All week long we reminded him not to talk too loud, too soft, or too silly into the microphone. I never thought he would freeze!

So, How Are You Feeling?

2008-10-15T21:52:00.001-04:00

I get this question all the time and if you don’t know what I am referring to…please scroll down. Sometimes I appreciate being asked and but other times it gets annoying, especially when it comes from people who are only trying to make conversation.

Well, anyway…how am I feeling? Well, I don’t throw up all day everyday anymore and luckily haven’t for a few weeks. By half way through, I don’t consider myself having hyperemesis any more but regular morning sickness, which is very manageable. I have actually gained back the weight I lost, plus some, which is good. It took me a lot longer to do that when prego with Tay. I can do what I want, eat what I want, etc. I do struggle with hypoglycemia like I did with my other babies but as long as I keep that in check, I am fine. I am even doing prenatal yoga a few times a week. Other than being absolutely exhausted (I am seriously useless after 8 pm every night) and needing all the help I can get from Drew, this is as good as it gets for me and my pregnancies. So I guess I am actually feeling pretty good!

I am already 23 weeks along but honestly I look and feel about 30. Ugh. Drew has been able to feel the baby moving for a couple of weeks now, which is really fun. I have been feeling the baby for about 10 weeks so I am glad I am no longer the only one. I love when my pregnancies become more than just me with a big belly to those I love the most. Carter is pretty anxious to feel the baby as well but can’t seem to sit still long enough despite our baby’s constant karate kicks. My belly button must look like a bulls eye from in utero. Tay however looks at us like we have two heads when we suggest that my growing belly is really a baby. I think she is coming around though. She seems more convinced when Carter shows interest.

An Update on Taylor Tot

2008-10-15T21:51:00.007-04:00

Oh my, where do I even begin with this little girl? She is definitely 2! Talk about sugar and spice- fire and ice! She has become the most stubborn little toddler there ever was. I can’t even describe to you all the fireworks that can come out of her little frame. Her favorite thing to do is yell at or try to boss around Carter which as you can imagine doesn’t go over well with a soon to be 5 year old! There is no amount of redirecting, distracting, song singing, positive momminess, etc. that can help her out of a full-blown tantrum- NOTHING but waiting it out works. No that is not true- having Daddy around is usually helpful- so if my little whistling Pete goes off any time after 6:30 or on the weekend, its all good. Serenity now!

But the other part of being two years old is being absolutely adorable and a lot of fun, and Tay is both. While the first two weeks of Carter being at preschool were rather tough (I couldn’t wait for him to come home each day because Tay was a complete mess without him), we are now enjoying our time alone together. I try really hard to balance running errands and picking up the house with pure Mommy and Tay time. It is easy to forget what your kids are like until they are by themselves. Tay is such a funny and clever little girl. I am really grateful for this special time we have together each week. I am discovering new things about her all the time. The funniest is how she wants to play with Carter’s special toys since he is not home to get mad at her or take them away. So instead of playing with her babies she can usually be found playing with motorcycles and race cars.

She always wears her backpack when we drop Carter off at preschool.

Silliness with Carter

September: First Day of School Preschool

2008-10-15T21:51:00.006-04:00

This year Carter is attending our community preschool two mornings a week. When we attended the open house to meet his teachers and classmates, he was surprisingly shy. Carter shy? Yes, I know it is hard to imagine. But on the first day of preschool Carter was excited and got up extra early to get ready. But right before it was time to get in the car, he decided it would be more fun to stay home and ride his bike. That’s the Carter I know! He doesn’t talk a lot about his mornings at preschool but I am confident that he is having a good time in Ms. Laurette’s class. I have noticed some great changes in Carter since school started and really happy that we made the decision to sign him up for the lottery at Arcola…. all of the preschools are on a lottery system here…you pay the deposit and cross your fingers that your child gets a spot.

September: A Trip to the Big Apple

2008-10-15T21:50:00.003-04:00

For my birthday in March, Drew surprised me with tickets to the women’s finals of the U.S. Open! We have both been really excited for our little weekend getaway ever since it was planned. Finding out I was pregnant did put a damper on our plans, making us worried that I wouldn’t be up to the trip but only time would tell. We took a bus up to New York on a Friday afternoon and returned Sunday afternoon- another very fast trip. Thankfully Drew’s mom agreed to watch the kids for us. The weekend actually didn’t go very well for me in terms of the pregnancy and we ended up needing to stay fairly close to our hotel. The worst of it was that we never were able to make it to the tennis match! The remnants of Hurricane Hannah blew up the east coast, postponing the match until Sunday at 9 pm- hours after our bus returned to D.C.’s Chinatown. There was no way we could pay for another night in Manhattan, get new bus tickets, and have Drew miss another day of work. But since we were staying in a sweet hotel, we were able to watch lots of tennis on a big screen plasma from our snuggly king size bed while it rained cats and dogs outside our window. We also rented a couple of movies, which was fun and got to sleep in while Grandma Heidi got up with our early risers at the crack of dawn. So, we didn’t get to do much touristy stuff due to me being sick and the torrential down pour. But we did go to the Broadway musical Wicked, which was just awesome! We loved it! We also walked around with our umbrellas as much as I was able to, and took in the atmosphere of Manhattan. I think in my single or childless days, I could live there and enjoy it but add three kids to the mix and even thinking about moving there makes my head spin. When we first arrived Friday afternoon, I soon had a headache from all of the noise. Everyone seemed like they were in a hurry, which I find rather stressful. Oh and top of that, what a stinky and dirty city! But by the end of our very quick two days, New York wasn’t so noisy and stressful. It was exciting and interesting (and dirty and stinky). I think Drew and I would could have had a lot of fun adventures had our trip been longer and I was feeling like myself. Hopefully there will be a next time.

Playing Outside, Our Carter Dilemma

2008-10-15T21:49:00.002-04:00

We feel very blessed to live on a street with lots of little kids that Carter has fun with. They ride bikes together, play with balls, run around, and make lots of noise. Let’s just say our street is hopping around 4:00 p.m. when school is out. The only problem is that most of the neighbor kids are all allowed to play outside by themselves and I am usually the only mom who comes out to supervise. I have on many occasions been the peacemaker for childhood arguments, or the mom who carries someone home who has an ouchie. Sometimes I am the referee when kids are not playing fair or the one who tells the kids to get out of the street when a car is coming through really fast. Normally I sit in a camping chair with a book to read or play with Tay. Sometimes I’ll sweep out our garage or vacuum the car. I try to blend into the background so to speak so Carter can be himself and just play without me hovering. So on days when I am feeling like garbage or trying to keep the house clean, Carter has to stay inside. Needless to say, it makes us both miserable. I could probably get a lot more done or get some rest if he was outside. But I am just not comfortable with him outside without a grown up around. Kids need to be outside just like they need water and food but we don’t really have a yard he spread his wings in. We live in a townhouse so we have two-car garage/driveway instead! Our backyard is tiny- the size of my kitchen. Carter is so much happier and obedient when he has had enough “outside time” as we call it. How does that quote go? Some thing like “Put a kid in the wild, and you take the wild out of the kid”. Very true I tell you. Needless to say, we are very frustrated with what to do. Any thoughts?

August: Virginia Beach

2008-10-15T21:47:00.018-04:00

Our little family headed down to Virginia Beach at the end of August. The trip was literally 48 hours from the time we left our house to the time we pulled back into the driveway. We stayed at a hotel that was right on the beach- actually every room there was ocean side. Carter and Tay loved waking up and watching boats pass by in the morning. At night they would go out on the balcony in their pj’s and watch the nightlife on the boardwalk until bedtime. We also went to an aquarium where we saw sharks, sea turtles and even pet stingrays. On one rainy afternoon we toured the deck of the USS Wisconsin, a retired battle ship from WWII and walked through a historic naval museum (which Carter calls the pirate ship museum).

As for the actual beach…the kids just loved it! Tay was a little apprehensive of walking in the sand at first but it didn’t take long before she was chasing “ducks” (seagulls) and throwing sand. Carter brought a front-end loader and big dump truck and when he wasn’t running around in the surf, he stayed pretty busy playing in the sand. It ended up being rather stormy on the days we were there…the waves were choppy and it was overcast most of the time. On the bright side though, we never needed our beach umbrella, the temperature was just perfect, and the sand was never hot! Another plus that we couldn’t have planned better, was the huge playground in the sand right next to our hotel and the boardwalk. Since Tay couldn’t get enough of the “wee” (slide), Drew would watch her play while Carter and I were just a few hundred feet down the beach playing in the water. Overall, everyone had a great time and the kids were really well behaved (except the time when Carter chucked a dirty diaper off of our 6th floor balcony- boys!).

My favorite things about going to the beach are the expressions on my kids’ faces each year when they see the water for the first time. Or when Carter starts to giggle when he feels sand between his toes and the first wave hits is legs. Although our trip was quick, we made many wonderful memories this year. We can’t wait for next year!

Why do little boys like to roll in sand?

Carter and the gunners. He was a little nervous until we explained they were broken.

Making armpit noises on the boardwalk for all to enjoy.

Tay is shivering like crazy and Carter wants me to leave him alone so he can play.

August: Our Anniversary & Grandma’s Electa’s Death

2008-10-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

We had our 7th anniversary on August 17th. Crazy huh! It makes me feel really old actually. Drew’s brother Kirk and his bride Stephanie were in town for their Virginia wedding celebrations so we counted their open house as our anniversary celebration since as it was the night before our special day. Drew’s wonderful grandma Electa passed away in the early morning hours of the 17th. She was to turn 94 this month and was living in a nursing home near by. A nurse went to check on her in the middle of the night and found her kneeling at her bedside as if praying. She had passed away. I can only imagine what she was praying about before she crossed over the veil of mortality. While we are sad that she is gone, we are so happy that she has been reunited with loved ones. Grandma Electa was a sassy little lady and I always enjoyed visiting with her. She always kissed my cheeks and asked me if I was a good cook for her grandson. Electa laughed easily and loved seeing her grandchildren. I very much felt like she was my grandma too!

Flashback: What's on My Floor?

2008-10-15T21:33:00.007-04:00

I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture of this but this is an example of what your living room floor will look like if you have hyperemesis… just use your imagination and picture our small rec room, otherwise known as the our basement, with the following contents strewn about. This is actually what was on my floor!

dirty Tay clothes	2 pairs of Carter’s dirty socks
Carter’s church clothes from the day before	2 pairs head phones
case for the dvd player	3 baby dolls
2 piles of newspapers	various straws from previous days beverages
a big bowl with crackers and cookies in it	blocks (all over)
puzzles and puzzle pieces (all over)	a bag with library books in it
coupon holder	Tay’s church
shoes	an empty swimming bag
2 swimming safety vests	3 towels
a reusable grocery bag	Drew’s back pack
random pieces of paper and mail	a tie
2 containers of wipes	2 kids camping chairs
camping chair bag	the bathroom stool that Carter uses to reach our dvd player
a bag of movies that someone brought me on loan	dirty dishes
toy tool box	torpedo pool toys
water guns	Carter’s bright orange goggles
empty plastic grocery bag	play dishes
play aprons	toy forklift
toy cars	toy helicopter
builder hat	2 fire trucks
misc. parts to toys	2 tv blankets
a lunch box	my rolling suit case I use when I teach private classes
children’s books	mommy’s books
remote control to tv	remote control to dvd player
an apple	wrappers to snacks
2 of Taylor’s blankies	laptop
speakers for our computer	Tay’s purse
an alarm clock	several pot holders
at least fifty of Tay’s pony tail holders (all over the place)	2 couch pillows
a Tupperware lid	mom’s throw up bowl
empty water bottle	dry but clean wipes that Tay took out of the wipes container (all over the place)
2 dvd’s out of their holder	crumbs of food all over our decorative
rug (at least they kept the food on the rug!)	and ants!

July Flashback: A Family Announcement

2008-10-15T21:32:00.005-04:00

Well, I am pregnant with baby #3. Am I excited? Are we excited? Not really, not yet. It will grow on us though. And yes, we purposefully don’t share the news of our pregnancies for a while, even with family. Get over it people! (I can say that, this is a blog folks). Sorry if I seem a little snarky but it is hard to be excited and talk about something when you are miserable and simply trying to get through each day.

Any who, many of you know that I get sick when I am pregnant. You may think it is morning sickness but it is actually something else…hypermesis gravidarum which is much worse. These are not all of the symptoms but the ones I’ve dealt with my pregnancies: anemia, confusion, severe dehydration (and all of the loveliness that comes with that), excessive salivation (yes, very gross), extreme fatigue, dizziness, motion sickness, headaches, increased sense of smell, intolerance to motion/noise/light, ketosis, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, rapid weight loss of 5% or more, anxiety and depression, vitamin/electrolyte deficiency, vomiting of mucus and bile.

I am usually freezing cold all the time and am extremely sensitive to changes in temperature. So, something as simple as taking a hot shower could start me on a vomiting cycle, which lasts all day. The only time I don’t feel miserable is when I am sleeping, literally. Because of my motion sickness, I usually end up lying on the couch for weeks on end. My poor kids pretty much watched tv all day when I wasn’t receiving help. At my worst Drew had to bathe and dress me because I was so weak. At 8 weeks prego I went in for IV hydration and started oral medication. In the past, oral mediations never worked because I couldn’t keep them down which is why IV’s are AWESOME! With two kids to care for, I felt even more desperate for relief. I forced myself to take them and would reswallow them if necessary. They worked a little but the side affects were horrendous so I eventually quit. Time is my only cure.

We are grateful for all of the help and meals we received. For several weeks, someone from church would pick Carter and Tay up, bring them to their house for the morning, feed them lunch, and then return them for afternoon naps. I think this happened three times a week while it lasted. Drew was able to come home early many days to take care of them as well. Thankfully my mom flew out for two weeks and took care of me. She got our house in order and gave Carter and Tay a little bit of their summer back. I can’t really talk about my hyperemesis experience without getting upset. In fact the first two weeks of attending church again after being gone for 3 ½ months, I literally broke down in tears when some one asked how I was doing. It is far more than feeling like you have food poisoning for days and weeks on end; it is an isolating, lonely, and a depressing experience to go through. For more info go to www.helpher.org.

Upgrading Bikes

2008-10-15T20:27:00.009-04:00

I've had a lot of people ask ... so yes, I did upgrade bikes some time ago. Not that I didn't like the old bike -- it was great. But the sports bikes were definitely calling my name. The ironic thing is, I feel much safer on the sports bike than on the cruiser. I know, I know... but hear me out on this one. Compared with the cruiser I had, it's much heavier ... so the wind (think speeds over 50 mph) and passing trucks don't blow me back & forth in my lane like would happen to me on the other bike. Both brakes are hydrolics-operated, so I can stop much quicker (the cruiser had a drum brake on the back wheel). The acceleration, obviously, is much better ... so I can get out of the way of people easier. It's also a lot louder, so more people are aware I'm in front of / behind / next to them. And the turning ability is simply incredible ... I lean, and I'm there. Took Jeff on a ride last weekend around the neighborhood ... ya, he gives it two thumbs up ... and if Jeff gives it two thumbs up, you know it's good to go (Jeff's my 14-year old brother, for those who don't know).

Anyway, so I LOVE this bike. It's a Yamaha R6, for those of you who know your sports bikes. Thankfully the weather here has been absolutely phenomenal (80's today in mid October), so I've been able to ride quite a bit. So here are a few pics for the curious. Sorry the lighting isn't great, but thank you Photoshop for adding a little help in that department.

Rollin' Thunder

2008-07-13T20:14:00.007-04:00

I just couldn't hold Corinne back any more. She's been BEGGING me for MONTHS to go buy a motorcycle (I think she digs guys in do-rags & leather), so to get her off my back, I finally went & got one. Oh, all right, I guess since we have it, I might as well ride it.

Fourth of July

2008-07-09T21:38:00.009-04:00

Our plans for the fourth changed sort of last minute but luckily we were able to regroup and plan something for the kids. We brought some ice cream cones, watermelon and fireworks over to the Hilton’s house for the 4th. We were glad that at least uncle Dave was home to share the night with us! Carter wasn’t as impressed this year with the fireworks we bought but he did love the sparklers, as did Tay. She did really well with them but would get frustrated with the one she was holding burned out. Sugar, fire, staying up late- what more can kids ask for!

Sparklers time! Of course, Tay insisted that she hold her ice cream cone in one
hand and the sparkler in the other. That's my girl!

After remembering how loud fireworks were last year, Carter asked for ear muffs again.
Well, the Hilton's don't have guns but they do have a chainsaw, so Carter wore their chainsaw helmet- the ear muff's were built in. Carter didn't seem to mind.

More ice cream for Tay. She was quite a sticky girl by the end of the night. Between her treats and taking bites from the rest of us, I am surprised she didn't get a massive tummy ache.

Old Ouchies & New

2008-07-09T21:01:00.008-04:00

As Drew was gathering the kids up to come inside for bed, Carter decided to take one last lap or “turn” as he calls it, on his bike. But the "turn" turned into a tumble. Since no one saw the fall, we aren’t exactly sure what happened but he had a nice gash on his chin and a big raspberry on his arm. Drew scooped him up and brought him inside. He immediately asked for his blanky (it was bedtime after all) and I held him on my lap. The Kaiser advice nurse wanted us to bring him in but of course the urgent care center is 45 minutes a way in Falls Church. I got Carter buckled in his car seat while Drew finished up on the phone when we realized Taylor was missing! In all of the craziness, she had disappeared. I ran in the house to look for her and then back out into the driveway to look down the street. Carter was still crying in his car seat but I heard another little one crying…Taylor. She was upset that she couldn’t go bye bye too! While I was in the house looking for her, she had climbed in the open car door and into her car seat all by her self. She kept saying “owie” over and over again. I think she was upset for Carter. I put her to bed and Drew took Carter to have his chin glued back together. When Carter got home he told me about his night, “I almost cried my head off and I got an ice cream cone!” So at 4 1⁄2 Carter already has the traditional Hilton chin scar like all of his uncles.

These pictures were taken a few days after he was fixed up.

It looked pretty yucky the first night. Poor guy!

Next I would like to go back in time to a warm morning in May to a day we call Tooth Day. This was the day that Tay had her broken tooth pulled. Because Taylor had to be totally out (IV sedation) she had to fast for 12 hours before hand. This was going to be tricky because I was still nursing her when she woke up at night and in the morning. Luckily she actually slept in and we had to wake her up...she had no idea what was coming. We told her that she got to go bye bye with Daddy and she was ecstatic! She immediately found her pacifier, two of her babies, and her shoes. She was ready! We decided it would be best if Drew took her to her appointment. I didn't think I could handle it emotionally and it was my last day of preschool anyway. I didn't have the heart to cancel our last field trip. Carter wouldn't have forgiven me which would have made the day that much harder for everyone.

Here she is talking on Daddy's cell phone in the waiting room at the dentist's office. She was the youngest of all the kids who were going to be knocked out so she got to go first. I'll spare you the details of how it all went down but Drew said it was a very upsetting experience for him and Tay. Both the knocking out and the waking up were very traumatic for all involved. The rest of the day wasn't very fun either. Not only was it hard to look at her little mouth with her front tooth missing, she was totally out of it for many hours. The sedation for her was more on the extreme side of the bell curve I think. I am also pretty sure she wasn't a fan of having a bloody mouth for a couple of days. She said "uck" (yuck) a lot. It is totally bazaar to me that people do this to their kids on a regular basis for their normal dental work. I suppose with older kids it probably isn't so bad but sheesh!

Here is Tay trying to eat her first meal post sedation (8 hours later, mind you). She was starving but still totally out of it and very wobbly. I had to stand right next to her so she wouldn't fall off her booster. She didn't think strawberry jello was very yummy after all.

So Tay is officially our little pumpkin...especially now that she has a pumpkin smile. Her little gums were pretty sensitive for a while but now she is a happy girl- no more tooth aches!