The Hill Family

T loves his Grandpa...

2012-01-26T13:30:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual!

Only the best dads get promoted to Grandpa! Love you, dad!

Noah's Second Birthday Party

2012-01-24T20:57:00.000-06:00

Flashback to November for Noah's Birthday!! Funny how pics get lost in the cue. My how both of my babies have grown!

Travis's Pretend Birthday Party at School

2012-01-23T14:05:00.000-06:00

Since most of the "bunny" class are summer birthdays, they just assigned all the kids a Thursday from here to the end of school as their pretend birthday. It's a genius ploy at getting the parents to send the snacks/treats on those days! I had to bribe the kid to not wear his crown to nap that day. He quite enjoyed being royalty and having everyone know his name. It was also fun to send my point-and-shoot camera and have the teachers take pictures for the day. Travis still gets "weepy" sometime during the day. I talked to the teachers and basically he finds them both and makes sure they are looking and then makes this pitiful sad face accompanied by this awesomely dramatic whimper. They said "we think he just would rather be at home with you". I responded something to the effect of you are probably right and that is why I want him here. :) He gets "weepy" somedays at home with me when he is missing his dada so I'm not real worried about it! I think school has been a great introduction to structure and social settings.

Here he is crafting:

I think it is awesome how he apparently found the play camera at school too!

His "friends". Travis is the youngest in the class. He really looks miniscule next to these too, but I think the depth is misleading.

I think these are the twins in his class. You think?

This is either "weepy" or "I didn't get my way". They look very similar.

I'm thinking this is maybe saying grace over the snack, but I'm not sure.

M&M Cookies and his very own Travis napkins (leftover from his baby shower!).

His Grace is Enough!

2012-01-21T15:35:00.000-06:00

Man ... I sure do love (and hate sometimes) when God lays something on my heart so heavily that He just lays it and lays it and lays it. I'm guessing I hate it in the same way that I hate it when my stubborn child requires me to say the same thing forty-two times before it sinks it. But, with God, I am that stubborn child. How grateful that I have a Heavenly Father with immeasurable patience that He continues to try to crack this stubborn heart/head/soul of mine.

I think back to the days when I had a newborn - wow, those were hard, right? WRONG! This will get easier when they can start walking and talking and stuff, right? WRONG! Surely it will get easier when I have this second baby because I won't be so exhausted from, you know, growing another human, right? WRONG! I look at my friends that have three kids. Wow, just wow. They amaze me! Here I am, seven months into being a parent of two, and for the most part, I suck! I mean I am terrible - bad mom, bad keeper of the home, bad friend, and worse wife. I live in a state of constant disappointment in what I view as a mediocre at best job. You know what, SIN SIN SIN!

Satan is finding us exhausted and vulnerable and it is time for us to kick it!!!

I really wanted to be napping right now, but God really laid it on my heart to compile all of His attempts to tell me "I AM ENOUGH" so that when days get rough (or rougher) or when I need a link to send to a friend who needs talked off the ledge, I have a handy place to look! So here goes!

Dr. Cindy is Krista's midwife. She made me a midwife believer. I heart her! I saw her love and pray over one of my forever friends like she was her sister and not just a patient. Definitely something to be said about a caregiver that their first advice for treatment is prayer! In the madness that was our super-blessed but uber-busy Christmas season, she posted this blog post. I've probably read it 10 times (at least) and emailed it or posted it twice that many. She says "In the valley, the Lord is really working on me. 'Find your joy in Me! I’m all you need! Let Me define you!' " I read it, I loved it, I even thanked God for the reminder that day, and I almost immediately fell back into my same old rut of thinking about all of my failures. Wow, my kids are still in their pajamas and it is time to give baths in order to put them in different pajamas, my son just ate his third PB&J for the day (like as in one at each meal) and hasn't touched a vegetable in I don't know how many days, my daughter is teething on my Toms I left in the floor, and I can't remember saying 5 nice things to my husband all evening. Wow, I suck.

A new friend (Bre) that we made when we did our Quiet Book page swap (via Laura) posted this link on Wednesday. The author says "Have you heard that quote about our children being mirrors? They reflect back our attitudes and behavior. Big 'uh-oh'!" Travis has a couple specific behavior issues right now that are driving.me.nuts, and I cannot get it under control. Screaming. Sure, two year olds scream, but Travis SCREAMS! I understand the occasional "wow, I'm having so much fun or I'm figuring out the acoustics" scream, but the SCREAMS were killing me. Literally, driving me batty. I really bought into it and think it absolutely makes sense - It's tough being the big brother and having to share - lap time, attention, and now that little sister is mobile, material things too. I needed something catchy to help me remember (mommy brain fog is real, ya'll!) so I came up with Present. Patient. Peaceful. Those are my goals - I want to be fully engaged with him when he wants me to be. I've started putting my phone up on the counter and keeping it on silent so that I check it less frequently. I want to show patience to him so that he hopefully will show it to her. I want to keep my voice calm and "inside voice" appropriate at all times. Three little things, but a constant struggle. Wow, Present. Patient. Peaceful. sounds a lot like our Heavenly Father - the perfect parent. Maybe, I should lean a little more on Him when I struggle with these things. After this post, one would think I'm seeing a pattern here, huh??? Nah ... too easy!

Yesterday a dear friend posted about her struggles on our Sunday School girls' facebook page .... She wrote "I don't know why I feel like saying this, and I know lots of other moms may be feeling the same way, although I can't be sure, but I feel like I need to say I am sorry for not being more involved with all my girlfriends in fellowship as of late... I feel like such a failure recently as a mother, friend, and wife. Just feel pulled into too many directions and I guess it finally hit me literally (once I fell off the toilet and got stitches in my head) that I cannot be such a perfectionist and think that I can do it all. So forgive me for missing showers, get togethers, church, bible studies, and I am sure much more. I am praying that my kids stops getting sick because I have been such a flakey friend due to all that comes along with sickies. I def want to say thank you to my mommy friends like Krista and Gara, who have two kiddos and are still there for everyone. I look up to all of those women in our church who I did not name, like those two, who have been able to keep planning fellowships for us, encourage, and support all of us. I hope to be there for everyone very soon. Meanwhile, if anyone wants prayer, I am there for you." Oh sweet friend, bless you, for thinking that I have my act together. Needless to say, our facebook page blew up. I love those ladies!!! Some nuggets worth sharing from our discussion:

My hasty and poorly composed, but straight from the heart response:

DO NOT beat yourself up at all!! We all have those days, weeks, months. I am pretty sure I have worn the same pj pants all week. I have a note on my calendar: present.patient.peaceful. It is my daily reminder to try to be those things that Travis needs to see! I found him scatter brained and crabby only to realize that is what he sees me be everyday. I pray for patience daily more like hourly. Sometimes I brush my teeth sometimes I cook dinner sometimes I dont pee until both kids are napping. Everyday is a different journey. Some are more successful than others! Both kids were snotty a couple weeks ago. I literally thought I was not going to make it, but in a blink, everybody survived and we didnt drown in neglected laundry or chores. In my darkest times, I have leaned on my sisters in Christ and they have rescued me with prayer, friendship, humor. Sometimes wine and chocolate too! Lean on God and on us. I'm always here for sarcastic banter!

Remember this:

Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4 NIV)

We can do this! Our goal is to teach our kids to love our Lord. We do this by serving them our spouses and our sisters!!! Love you, Brooke! Keep your head up. These days shall pass and we will all be watching these babies graduate. Lean on Him!!

My mommy friends all chimed in:

Don't sweat it! You're just adjusting to being a mom and especially a mom of more than 1. And don't you work outside the home, too? I would like to say it gets "easier" but it just gets different. ;-) Let yourself let go of things to keep your sanity. For example, I haven't written a single thank you note since my oldest was born. That would drive some people absolutely bonkers (and may tick off the gift givers), but some things had to go, and that was one of them for me! For you, it could be anything - like making 1 night "pizza night" and just ordering in.

Friend, you are not alone. Life can get overwhelming for this gal too. That is the beauty of the Body of Christ...when one member needs a break, there is another who is strong enough to pull the weight. Lean into your sisters and especially to our God. This season will one day be behind you...and your perfectionism used again to glorify God and not just drive you bonkers! :)

Sister, you are not alone! Pretty sure I started an eBay listing for my kid earlier this week... No reserve. I called my on-call "talk me off this cliff" friend , and she reminded me that child trafficking is illegal. That's what good friends are for. :-)
In all seriousness, most days it aint pretty over here. I'm positive I'm not half as loving/affectionate/caring towards my husband as a should be, not nearly as patient, fun, and teaching as I should be with my kids, nor do I remember 80% of the things I've promised my friends I will do. Luckily our God gives us this free, wonderful, no strings attached gift called Grace. He loves me despite all the things I am not, even when I've forgotten to (or, I'll be honest, chosen not to) give Him the time of day. I encourage you to have that one friend who can talk you off your cliff, put a little pep in your step, and remind you that you are doing an exceptional job.
And, I feel like I should confess.... A few weeks ago at church you and I were both in the hallway behind the nursery. You had both kids, and your three year old was very excited. Rather than snap at her, scold her, or ignore her, you were unbelievably patient, loving, and kind. Your words were that of a mother who had Jesus in her heart, trying to display through her actions His love for us. I remember thinking, "wow, she's got this down. Lucky kids to have a mom like her." Wish I would have stopped and told you that in the moment.

Oh I love your honesty!! Trust me, I feel the same way and I only have one kid! You are amazing and your vulnerability is so refreshing. I think we all feel like this at different times.

I agree whole heartedly with all the previous posts! I am inspired by your openness to bring something that is giving you heartache to the light - keeping it in the dark only allows Satan to keep hold over it - and now you have some pretty amazing ladies that can all relate and also know your heart so we can pray!

I will be praying that God gives us patience and strength day by day (or minute to minute when necessary!) to navigate the waters of motherhood. It's nice to know we're all in the same boat!

Hang in there everyone. If I could count and confess all of my parenting 'failures' y'all would probably defriend me out of principle. This is a learning process, and I'm convinced it's God's way of teaching me everything I needed to know that I didn't learn in kindergarten. I think you all seem like great moms to me.

Praising the Lord for the support we offer one another. Thank you guys for offering one another the gift of honesty. He's designed us to be intimately connected to each other in relationship but transparency is the only way that can happen.

Romans 3:22 –Romans 3:24 (TMSG)
The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

“Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.” ― Jerry Bridges

Oh man, did I mention that I love these ladies? Seriously, isn't it amazing how He can work in a body when one of His struggling children has the guts to speak up?

Krista texted me this yesterday afternoon (just more proof that He wanted us all to hear this message today and always)! "Little magnify moment: Woke up for the first time all week before the kids to do my quiet time. Sat down, and as I was praying, felt like the Lord was telling me to wait until this afternoon to do it. Seriously? So I closed my bible and moved on to some chores. Then our friend's facebook message came through. Struggled to find a verse for her. Then sat down to do my study and found this: 2 Corinthians 12:9 New International Version (NIV) ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. Wow - Love that Jesus. "

In the middle of yesterday's discourse, this link got circulated. She says "Dear mother, don’t worry about enjoying your life. Your life is hard; your life will be hard. That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it means you’re doing it right."

Although I think He has been trying to tell me something personally, I think He is trying to tell us as moms something much bigger! After all, He loves our kiddos more than we do or can or can compreshend and He entrusted them to us! If that isn't a vote of confidence, I don't know what is. He has given Brandon and I our most precious gifts to take care of - if He believes in my parenting skills, then who am I to second-guess him? He is ENOUGH!

I've always been a bit of a perfectionist. It has served me well. I have always done well in school. I excelled in Law School and landed a great job at a great firm with a GREAT salary. I took pretty good pictures so I turned it into a profitable business. But, perfection in parenting is useless and exhausting and did I mention useless ... He is enough! His grace is enough for us. On a good day, I get the laundry done, a semi-healthy, semi-homemade dinner on the table, a few sweet snuggles for my husband when he walks in the door, and two babies who are happy, fed, alive, and loved. On a bad day, survival - food, water, and love. When you think about it, that's not so bad!

After all, tomorrow is another day and another journey!

Misc. Christmas ... The End!

2012-01-19T13:40:00.000-06:00

Aunt MoMo! She took many of the pics so glad we finally caught her in a couple on Monday after Christmas. The girls heading to do a bit of shopping. Miss Priss all dressed and ready to go!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls Round 2! Yep, this was our second batch during the holidays. The first batch was a learning experiment so we were too busy trying to keep the melted butter on the counter to take pics. It was mayhem. Tasty, tasty mayhem. :) They turned out great, and we consumed them all over the course of the long weekend so we decided to make another batch to share and freeze. We are still learning so these turned out a touch thin, but still delicious!!

Travis taking it all in. He seriously loves it in the kitchen - would be very happy for him to be the next Food Network star!

A family affair!!

Different day ... different sweet!

So proud!!

Pepper's awesome gift!! Lots of fun will be had here!

Maryn's 6 Month Pics

2012-01-17T17:30:00.002-06:00

My dear friend Melanie took these AMAZING shots of Miss Maryn just after her 6 month birthday! I'm so thrilled with them! She did a great job as usual and I think her subject matter is sweet as pie!!

Happy 7 Month Birthday, Sweet Pea!!

2012-01-16T16:00:00.002-06:00

Sweet Maryn - you are such a good-natured little girl! You have glimpses of a little temper, but for now, it is just precious! We are so grateful that you are so laid back and that you find your brother so amusing! It sure is nice to have such built-in entertainment. You love your squishy tea pot set and the plastic petit fours you got for Christmas. You also love the iPhones, but you are head over heels for the tv remote. We took the batteries out of an old one for you to play with, but you know the difference already. You will hopefully be just as smart as your big brother! He is finding you more and more tolerable and loves to try to get underneath you when you are on all fours - you both find this impossible feat quite hilarious.

A little impromptu (thus, the blue background and carpet) photoshoot with my 7 month old! All of these are straight out of camera, but so sweet that some may be print-worthy!

Um, can you say planking? And I just love her popeye face!

Dear Maryn,

What a blessing you are!

When your Mom asked me to write a letter commemorating your 7th month birthday I was excited.

I thought and thought about all the wonderful things I could say about you. I then figured that by the time you read this (I believe that will be pretty soon!) that lots of it would be common knowledge.

The one thing that kept coming to mind were those that came before you. Your ancestry. There are some really great and wonderful people that came before you that God used to bring you into our lives. What a line-up!

I can already see the sweetness from many, but particularly of Margaret, Mary and Uncle Mickey.

Your determination I see in Lovey and your Mom. You are smart too. (Wish I could get the credit for that!) That comes from many, but have to put your Dad at the top of the list in that!

You have Lovey and Pepper to teach you to cook. Lovey got her knowledge and skills from your great great great Nannie and I'm sure Pepper got her love of cooking from her mother, Mary, your great grand Granny. I see sense of humor in your laughter. My dad, Henry, had a wonderful wit and dry sense of humor, and I hope that you get some of that!

Remember that someday your big brother, Travis, will be your best friend and protector. He really will! It's a work in progress!

Love and obey God. Be compassionate and develop your common sense. Learn something good and useful every day that you can. Always think things through.

I guess, Maryn, what I hope for you, is that, with God as your Teacher, you grow into a combination of all the wonderful women and men that have come down through the ages of your heritage. There will be nothing you can't accomplish.

I love you and am already so proud of you. I know you will always continue to be a blessing to all of us and will truly be a strong link in the chain that began in God's Heaven.

YOU GO GIRL!!

With lots of love;

Grana

Christmas Day - Part 3

2012-01-15T20:46:00.000-06:00

We had 27 of our blended families at our house for Christmas! We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonder family members!! Travis was never want for a playmate and Maryn always had willing arms to tote her around. Such fun times!!

Cousin love!!

Loving living life on a cul-de-sac! And how awesome was Aunt Momo to run the camera and capture this great shot of the cars!?!?

A nice change from the traditional fare - brisket, ham, pasta salad, baked potato casserole,

beans, mac n cheese, cornbread, etc. :)

Smocked dress for M and new digital camera for T. These two gifts were big winners!!

Love Aunt Momo's vantage point on this one!

And Travis checking out his new red cord Toms!!

Christmas Day - Part 2

2012-01-13T14:48:00.000-06:00

Baby Sister enjoying the wrapping paper!

M has been enjoying all of T's hand-me-down toys just fine, but she did get a few uber-girly toys. Travis was quick to claim them too. "My's tea set, baby sister."

Aunt Momo even attempted a few sibling shots!

Lovey made the precious outfits, too!!

Christmas Day!

2012-01-11T16:44:00.001-06:00

My little budding photog!

Keepin' it real. Looking happy as can be despite fixed hair or make-up!

Sweet family!

Little man's karaoke machine

Coaxed T into a little photo session during M's morning nap. He was totally into it!

This awesome platter was given to by our realtor. We absolutely love her like she was family. Patty, Travis, and I looked at about 50 houses so he saw her as much as some of his real family over those few months! She wrote us the sweetest card and mentioned how they always baked a birthday cake for Jesus with 3 candles. One for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Ghost. We will totally continue that in our family too! I know she reads the blog so I'm glad to give her a shout-out and a special thank you from the bottom of my heart! Love you, Patty! AND IF YOU ARE IN THE MARKET FOR AN AWESOME REALTOR - HIT HER UP! We've referred a couple friends and they all love her as much as we do!

And how precious is this little guy?!?! AMEN!

Christmas Morning!

2012-01-09T13:21:00.000-06:00

Santa brings his goodies for Christmas Morning! We thought Travis might actually be into it this year, and he did not disappoint. He was excited to see what Santa brought, but asked his dad repeatedly to confirm that Santa was in fact gone, i.e., "back to North Pole?", "not in play room?".

He brought this for me??

And pie?!?!? What kid doesn't like pie for 7am snack?

Trying out his new toys!

Reading his Santa letter.

Showing baby sister the ropes.

I would highly encourage people to have June babies so you get this little delicious pumpkin for their "first Christmas". :)

What a sweet and special time for our little family!

What a way to enjoy our first of many Christmases in our new home!!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T10:29:00.000-06:00

Sophie time with Grana!

Spatula time with Great Aunts Hollie and Terry. Perhaps someone is working on some teeth?

Travis sitting in the middle of the snacks is so "my kid".

In a moment of mommy brain lapse, the term "spreader" escaped me when Travis asked what that was so I called it an "applicator". Travis now calls it that! He really is a sponge. Definitely encouragement to try to find the right word for things from the beginning!

Travis being the best little "elf."

My sweet boys!

Christmas Eve Photo Session

2012-01-04T13:50:00.000-06:00

I upgraded my camera body (with my VBAC hospital savings!) and have enjoyed playing around with it this Christmas season. I love shooting without a flash even in low light situations. They aren't always portrait quality, but perfect for memories and the blog! I tried to do some silhouette shots in front of the tree, but they didn't turn out great. I didn't have the most patient subjects so I didn't have a ton of time to troubleshoot them. :)

Here is what we came up with (both silhouette and pics with flash). I love them all!

And in case you aren't sure if Travis is getting the hang of being a "photographer's kid" ...

He makes noises to get your attention and says "more smile". Talk about a little sponge!!

Pre-Christmas Christmas

2012-01-02T19:33:00.000-06:00

Since the kiddos are blessed with loads of family far and wide and since Lovey brought the whole back of her car full of gifts from Lubbock, we started opening gifts on Christmas Eve Eve. We opened one every few hours. It was actually kinda brilliant! Each present got a little "one-on-one" time and the kids weren't totally overloaded at once. This was some of our Lubbock loot! Definitely anxious to make another trip out there for everyone to meet Maryn.

He actually enjoyed his monkey sleeping bag much more than this picture of terror depicts. :)

Mr. Potato Head a.k.a "Country Tater" per Brandon who insisted on making all of Mr. Potato Head's voices be super hick. I loved it!

Kitty cat blankie complete with tail. M got a bunny!

BFFS!

2012-01-01T20:51:00.000-06:00

The first annual Maryn & Ruthie Grayce matching outfit photo shoot!

We are hoping we can talk them into this for many many years to come!!

RG is almost exactly 3 months younger than M (6/12 and 9/10).

Christmas 2011 - Part 1

2011-12-31T14:16:00.000-06:00

There were so many awesome festivities and blessings this Christmas season that it is going to take several (read: probably 10) to get them all properly blogged! So much so that I got the dreaded "Card Full" message on my camera yesterday! Wow!! Lots to download!

We started things off with Nana, Papaw, Uncle Blake, Aunt Kim, and Brandon's step-sisters (Nana's girls) the weekend before! Travis enjoyed decorating cookies, and the kiddos got a nativity set and a Christmas bear. We are all looking forward to a Spring Break trip to Sea World on Nana and Papaw's dime! I love giving and receiving experiences for Christmas!!

I'm not sure about ya'll, but I think he looks like a pro! Lovey got him a cake making and breakfast making app on the iPad. He loves them both! He is very big on cooking now and loves talking about the "(in)gredients" and adding "mo' vanilla" and salt.

I believe he approves!

Aww sharing with Uncle Blake!

Hope your Christmas was Merry and BRIGHT!!

2011-12-29T17:33:00.000-06:00

Here was my inspiration: Unskinny Boppy

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-24T16:00:00.000-06:00

Loved having so many seasons of life (and awesome photographers) displayed on our card this year!

Many thanks and much love to Laughlin House Photography (front), Melanie M Timmons Photography (February 2011), Stacv Reeves (May 2011), Keri Duckett Birth Photography (June 2011), APM Design Photography (September 2011), and JRN Photography (October 2011).

#1 Elf

2011-12-24T09:21:00.000-06:00

Grana (and her two pint-sized supervisors) did an awesome job getting the house ready for the Christmas festivities! Loved spending time with her and watching Grana in action! She is a sight!!

M-I-C .... K-E-Y

2011-12-19T14:20:00.001-06:00

Sweet vantage point for some snuggles with Uncle Mickey.

He's already wrapped around her little finger.

Santa - Behind the Scenes

2011-12-18T14:28:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics I snapped at Melanie's house when we had our Santa visit. It definitely took a while for T to warm up. M was napping so we literally just stuck her in her carseat in the corner (gotta love a second child!).

Um, dad, no talking, must concentrate on his every move!

Getting closer.

The hand-off

Wait, is that a "tandy tane"? Perhaps you aren't so evil after all?

Hold on buddy, let's remove the wrapper, mmm kay?

This is where Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas and where Travis responded "Pie".

Sleeping beauty....

Happy 6 Months Special Girl!

2011-12-16T17:33:00.000-06:00

I'm really starting to see them favor each other now!

6 Months - 17 lbs. 15 oz. and 28 inches long!

Dear Maryn,

I remember the day that I found out you were on your way! Nana and I were visiting Travis at the house on Monarch Street. It was the house where Travis came home from the hospital and spent the first year or so of his life. It was the special home where your Mommy told us that you were on the way. I was so surprised and happy!

In the beginning, I thought you would be a boy because I only had boys, but I was surprised and tickled pink to find out that a sweet little girl was on the way. I was very pleased that your name was going to be Maryn, because you are named after family. It is a special name for a very “Special Girl”.

Getting ready for your arrival was a really busy time for your family. While you were growing in Mommy’s “spacious accommodations”, your Mommy and Daddy were busy making everything perfect for you and your brother. A marvelous house was built for you and Travis to grow up in with a perfect playroom and a nursery decorated for a princess. It was hard for Mommy not to get the nursery all decorated before you were born, but it was worth the wait. It is the perfect room for perfect you!!

Travis spent time growing and getting ready to be an awesome big brother. He learned his letters, numbers, and colors as well as how to run and jump. All these special things he will be able to help teach you one of these days. He also learned to say your name, and he could tell me that anything pink in the apartment was baby sisser's. Sometimes Travis would point to his own tummy and say “baby sisser”. Everyone thought that was so silly and cute. Travis had lots of kisses for Mommy’s belly while you were growing inside. Travis loves you so much.

It seemed like time went so very fast. Nana and I would visit almost every week. We would play with Travis and imagine what it was going to be like when you arrived. The apartment you lived in while the house was built was very small and Mommy joked about places to put your baby bed. As the time got closer, we all were expecting a call, but it seemed you were in no hurry. We finally decided you were going to have to be evicted, but you surprised us and decided to make your entrance on your own after all. It was one of the happiest days in my life (Nana’s too). Your Mommy was amazing at taking care of you and making sure your arrived safe and sound. Daddy was amazing at taking care of Mommy.

It doesn’t seem possible that you are already six months old. You have grown so much. You have blonde hair and blue eyes just like Nana hoped you would. You are the prettiest baby girl Papaw has ever seen. I haven’t figured out how you get prettier every week. It doesn’t seem possible, but you do. You are so happy and content! You are starting to sit unsupported and play with toys like a big girl. My deep voice scares you a little like it did Travis when he was your age. However, today on your six month Birthday, I came and held you and you were a happy girl. We are going to be best buddies.

Papaw can’t wait for you to visit the farm. I bought you a pink gun like Travis’ blue one. I will teach you to shoot at targets and tin cans, to drive a tractor, and feed cows just like I taught your Daddy. We will go on nature walks on the same land that your daddy did when he was little. Papaw will make you a little cowgirl. You can go fishing whenever you want, and Papaw will even put the worm on the hook just for you.

I promise Nana and I will do everything we can to make your life happy. We will watch you grow and support all your dreams. You have parents that adore you and a ton of extended family that love you very much. You will grow up to be a great success in all that you do. We love you to the moon and back!

Papaw

Daddy's Girl

2011-12-13T15:41:00.000-06:00

Santa Baby!

2011-12-11T18:39:00.001-06:00

Love that Santa makes a pre-Christmas stop at a dear friends house. Travis DID SO GOOD this year! They even did a little red raider bonding! He's a big fan of the candy cane! Brandon told me the chambray unbuttoned overshirt was very 1995, but what does he know?!?

Awesome professional pics courtesy of Melanie Timmons!

Our First Decorations

2011-12-08T17:00:00.000-06:00

Saw this on Pinterest and thought it might be a good way for Travis to have his own tree (and in turn leave the other one alone). So far so good!!

When he first started, he placed one "ornament" (felt flowers I purchased in a bag at Hobby Lobby) and exclaimed that "it was plenty" and "I all done". Uh oh, I thought we might have a minimalist on our hands. He warmed up to it and now he fits it right in with our theme of decorating which is the more the merrier!! He's so proud of his tree!

Wild claps of approval!

Showing Grandpa his handiwork.

Good cheap family fun! I'm a fan!!

Our Baby "Durl"

2011-12-07T14:18:00.000-06:00

Crepes with Santa

2011-12-06T13:41:00.000-06:00

We kicked off the Christmas season in early November with the Junior League of Arlington's Crepes with Santa event. Super cute! Even though Travis was not real keen on Santa, he enjoyed everything else a ton and it was a nice introduction to the festivities!

Rocking a precious cordorouy longall that I scored for T after Christmas last year!! Figured this would be the last year Brandon might let me get away with it. :)

Writing his letter to Santa.

Pepper came along - so much better with 3:2 ratio of adults to kids. 4:2 or 6:2 would probably even been better.

Look at those thigh rolls!

Crepes!

Sister was cool with the big bear - brother, not so much!

He liked the crepes though!

Took this myself. :)

He is so brilliant. :)

This face is saying "a little chocolate never hurt anyone".

Sending off his letter to the North Pole.

She seriously may be the poster child for precious pictures with Santa. You should have heard everyone oohing and aahing.

Snagging his build a bear!

Travis named him Snoopy which I find hysterical given that my mom brought him my old snoopy and he hates him.

Nothing like a pic with Santa to remind you of your awesome place in life.

We love Christmastime at our house. We've really been working hard to try to find the balance of this kind of Christmas fun with the true reason for the season. At this age, Travis "knows" birthdays so we've been trying to emphasize that we will be celebrating Jesus's special birthday at Christmas. He has already inquired about the presence of cupcakes so I'm guessing Jesus will be getting some cupcakes! A birthday party for Jesus will be a new fun family tradition! I want Brandon to read the Christmas Story from the bible to us, and Travis has a felt nativity set that he is learning about. Grana's grandma used a neat saying to explain the two parts of Christmas which was something along the lines of God gave us the ultimate gift so that we may also give gifts to celebrate Jesus.

Thanksgiving - Post 2

2011-12-05T13:39:00.001-06:00

No turkey for Miss Priss just yet so she is happy to nom nom nom on her fingers.

Uncle Blake is the carver extraordinaire.

My men folk enjoying some pre-lunch Mac n Cheese!

Loving our 3 car garage/dining room for 20!

T and his great-granddaddy!

Not shy of the crowd at all!

Her loyal subjects.

A silhouette tutorial for the little sister. All about the crazy contortionist acts for the sake of a picture!

Stupid me waiting til after naps to do our "photos". My biggest baby is much happier in the mornings!!

Such a big girl sitting up on her own.... Although she is still a little wobbly.

And here is our best sibling shot. Hilarious!

She loves the camera. :)

I so want our family to play football every year!! Love that tradition!

Pics with Papaw and Nana!

And Aunt Terry!

The first holiday in our new home went off beautifully! So blessed and so thankful!!

Turkey Day - Post 1

2011-12-04T16:22:00.000-06:00

I've got a bunch of fun Christmas posts coming, but before I get them up, I need to celebrate Turkey Day on the blog!! I love this time of year. It's full of family, fun, and FOOD!

No holiday is happening at our house without licking the beaters! And, you'll be glad to know I changed out of my "housecoat" before the guests arrived.

I think more men would be game for the wraps once they realized how much easier it is! Even my studly Uncle Mickey complained of sore arms after toting Miss Priss around while we were working in the kitchen. He asked if he could wear the wrap since he saw me sport it for about 45 minutes in costco the day before! He (and she) loved it!

Travis was a big help this year.

The men ... nuff said.

Auntie Krista made her awesome bow!

Rolls, rolls, and more rolls.

Happy girl with cousin Britney!

Pumpkins and Pancakes at the Zoo

2011-11-27T11:22:00.000-06:00

I love the Members Only events at the FW Zoo. Well worth the membership price just to take advantage of these! They usually open at 8:30 and we can be done in time for lunch and nap. Lovey was in town for this one, and the weather was beautiful!

Everybody was excited for this trip!

There was another zookeeper holding a possum to our right. Brandon and I were looking at it and the lady behind us kept asking if it was a crocodile or an alligator. Brandon and I were looking at each other and wondering what in the heck the lady was talking about. The crowd moved and then we got a look at "Cupcake". I was so glad that my filter was working that day and I didn't turn around and say ... "um, lady, that's a possum!"

Yummy for pancakes with "thur-up". It sounds a lot like throw up.

Sister vs. Mama in the battle of the morning nap.

She was all so.much.to.see.will.not.sleep!

Watching the "Texas" movie. He did great.

Giving me .5 seconds to take his picture.

Travis loves to feed the birds!

Love love love the FW Zoo.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.004-06:00

Today I am thankful for ...

Chubby babies

Bed head

Firsts (This was T's first "picture day" at school!)

Washing machines

The imagination of a child

Contentment

Sweet slobbery baby tongue kisses

Quick reflexes

20 healthy baby toes on my babies

So thankful today (and everyday) for amazing family, friends, community, and church.

We are so blessed!

Emotions by Travis

2011-11-23T11:37:00.003-06:00

These are "on command." Just one of our many party tricks. :)

Happy

Sad

Mad

Surprised

Bewildered (actually I can't really remember what I asked for here!)

Really happy

Not amused

Thanksgiving Prep

2011-11-22T16:15:00.013-06:00

Since Lovey wasn't going to be able to get here til late Wednesday, she came in last weekend so we could do as much prep as we could before we have about 20 folks here on Thursday!

Travis is her #1 helper!

Break for blowout and mid-morning sink bath.

Just so you know, the Boba isn't for frontward facing, but we gave it a try anyway. She liked eating the material.

We've moved on from cooking to sewing. The kiddos needed awesome turkey day outfits! We were having some work done in the playroom so there were some yucky stain fumes upstairs. Travis napped in our room and Maryn napped in Grandpa's bathroom.

Parenting at its finest!

Bet these are the best sweet potatoes ever!

Lubbock - Post 2

2011-11-21T14:33:00.000-06:00

No trip to Lubbock is complete without some of Grana's yummy spaghetti and corresponding mess!!

Aunt Hollie was my "helper" while Lovey worked. Praise Jesus for her help when the weather was too yucky for us to get out! It is one thing managing the two by myself at our house, but it is much, much harder doing it in different surroundings!

All dolled up in some homemade red raider gear! I'd like to mention that they have lost every game since we visited. Perhaps we jinxed them. Oops!

Lovey's little red raiders!

She seriously loves her big bro!

Special visit from Aunt Freda and Uncle Gil!

Lubbock - Post 1

2011-11-14T21:33:00.000-06:00

We hit up Lubbock a couple of weeks ago in what I have deemed "I'm never taking a road trip again with a 4 month old" EVER. Travis was so great (he keeps busy talking, reading, and playing on the iPad), but Maryn really needed Lovey to live about 45 minutes closer. B-R-U-T-A-L! I remember T doing the same thing when he was that age. I just don't think their butts are designed for 6 hours in a car at that age. We had big plans for lots of fun stuff to do when we got there, but in true Texas weather fashion, it turned wet and cold so we pretty much stayed in. Thankfully, Lovey and Pop's house is not short on entertainment!! We did venture to town on Friday to visit with Coach and to let Lovey show off her grandbabies at the office.

My little grumpy old man. So funny.

A little detour to the airport to watch some air-panes.

"Self-portrait"

Lots of "oohing and aahing"

This nice lady brought cookies. Travis's new BFF.

We'd been practicing "Guns Up" for a few weeks. He was great. He says "huns up". Once he had his cookie, Travis was super personable. Coach asked him how old he was and without missing a beat, he threw up his hand and said 5. Brandon and I looked at each other and died laughing. We have no idea where it came from. At least he was showing the right number of fingers. We have a little running joke with Travis. Whenever we say why is dada at work ... he says "to pay the man." It really started off explaining why we have to checkout at Target and we give him our card. Thus, we pay the man at target, but it has kind of transformed into just a funny way of describing dada working so that we can "pay the man". Ain't that the truth?!?

Coach Tuberville and the Hill babies!

Hut, Hut, Hut with Lovey

Getting some practice downs in on the practice field

Sweet cheeks!

I, too, have been known to stick out my tongue while concentrating. Every time I see this, I'm so glad that we got her tongue tie when we did!!

Happy 5 Month Birthday!!

2011-11-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

She's close to sitting up on her own and definitely must be

strapped in to the bouncer or swing or whatever or else!!

Still working out the kinks!

Our kids have huge heads! She's all "is this hat as ridiculous looking as it feels"?

Maryn Rochelle Hill,

When I learned what it was like to be a grandparent from your brother,I couldn’t imagine that it could be any better. And then you came along and I realized how wrong that I was.

When I first learned that you were on the way I started talking to God about you. He answers prayers in many different ways. He answered my prayer just as I had asked. He sent many angels to be with your mom leading up to and including when it was time for you to arrive. When I was told that you were here, and that you and your mom were fine, I thanked God for your safe arrival, and for those that helped you and your mom so much.

I was very happy to learn that your mom and dad had decided to use the name Mary in your name. Mary Margaret was my mother and your mother’s grandma. She was a very special lady. She knew the bible like the back of her hand and spent a huge portion of her life teaching in the church so that others could learn about Jesus. She was an amazing cook and never met a stranger. Furr’s and Arby’s were her favorite dining spots. Your mother gets her love for these two spots from her. She is looking down on you, and is telling her Sunday School buddies all about you. I know that she is so happy for you, and so proud of your mother and father.

As you get older, you will come to understand how blessed you are to have the mom, dad, and brother that you have. They will love you, keep you safe, and teach you about life. You will learn right and wrong, your numbers and the alphabet, and the love of Jesus. I will do my part to make sure you learn about cars and baseball, too.

I love you so much, and will always do anything that I can to help you with whatever that you need. When you turn 2 and start to school, I will put my phone number in your pocket too if you need any help.

Your mama, dada, and big brother are very special people that I love very much. The 4 of you make a very special family.

May God bless you and your family.

Love you,
Grandpa

Pantry Raider

2011-11-04T13:28:00.000-05:00

Travis is seriously growing up in a hurry! He's learning and using new words every day. He has opinions (and, I mean OPINIONS) about everything! He loves to sort and move things around and his new favorite spot to explore is the pantry. It's actually kinda genius. He keeps busy in a "generally" safe spot and I can feed sister on the couch not too far away. Plus he usually burns energy making 42 trips back and forth to ask "what's this?" Today he brought me pancake mix, I told him what it was, and he responds "pancakes sound dood (good)". Next, he brought me frosted mini-wheats, I told him it was frosted mini-wheat cereal, he asks "can I have later?" I say sure and to sit it on the table. Done. Next he brings me some chocolate striped cookies, I hesitate, but say, those are chocolate cookies, and he says "those for mama". I died laughing. Kid is too smart!

Trick or Treating Adventures

2011-11-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Apparently toddlers trick or treat earlier than most people are ready... We pulled out of the drive-way at 6:05 with Pepper and the Grants in tow. It was super fun doing it in a group with our "extended family". The boys hit up the first three houses with NO success. Not so much as an answered door. Poor babies were getting a little discouraged and frustrated. We decided to head the other direction.

The first house we came to we met an older lady who was on her way out. She said she didn't have anything for trick-or-treaters but offered up some candy corn from her candy bowl. She told Brandon (who was the parent at the door with the boys - the rest of us were on baby and camera duty!) that she was sure that he didn't want any of this unbagged germ-covered candy corn (Ok-so I added the germ-covered part). Brandon said "actually... that sounds pretty good". Definitely one of those 10 things I thought I'd never say before I had kids - gladly accepting a stranger's unwrapped candy in an effort to boost morale among the 2 year old troops! They had hit the gold mine!! They loved the candy corn more than life itself!!! Apparently they were so cute that the lady then started doling out her Halloween decor - I am now the proud owner of two little dangly-leg creatures! She was so sweet, and our boys were so appreciative!

Finally our luck started to change....

Next year we will probably need more reinforcements since there will be 4 toddlers trick-or-treating!!!

Happy Halloween from the Hill Zoo!

2011-10-31T20:49:00.000-05:00

So this is what they mean by...

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

SLEEPING LIKE A BABY!

From princess to punk rocker...

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Formal dress for Ryder's baby shower

Casual rock and roll style!

Go Rangers Go!

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dada got to go with Uncle Trent to the ALCS Game 6. We celebrated at home in our baseball gear!

Cutest Pumpkins in the Patch!

2011-10-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Dallas Arboretum takes pumpkin patch to a whole new level! It is CRAZY! I booked a photo session there so we hauled our crew along too. Thank goodness Nana was able to go!

This dude is seriously the cutest little boy!

Not a big fan of dirt or water on his hands!

Not so sure about Noah crashing his pumpkin pics.

Quite possibly my favorite T picture ever!

He's bringing back the Zoolander!

Love his "cheese!" A photographer's worst nightmare, but a mommy's happy face!

Nana was the hero of the day!!

Willis?

Never caught a picture mid-sneeze. Dis-gust-ing!!!

Not loving this patch!

Much better!

Lovey whipped this outfit up one weekend. I seriously had 5 or 6 people comment on her cuteness! I could put ruffles on EVERYTHING!

Sweet brother/sister pumpkin pics! She was reaching for him and he was getting "tickled" by sister which he thought was awesome!

Floating heads!

Here is my big boy. He said "mama, snack please". I handed him some pretzels and off he went to sit on the bench.

Picnic!

Pumpkin hat!

Hands Full, Hearts Fuller

2011-10-24T19:09:00.000-05:00

Let me be honest. The thought of having two kiddos this close together completly freaked me the heck out. I really was nervous! I thought it was going to be harder than anything I've ever done before. I thought it was going to be constantly challenging and exhausting and that I was going to have to lean on all sorts of people to help me.

Well, let me just tell you, I was sooooo right! It's hard and tiring and I'm constantly leaning on Brandon, family, and GOD! Two kids has sort of sucked away my "quiet time" and instead replaced it with one continuous "non-quiet" time of prayer. God, grant me patience and endurance and wisdom and patience and some more patience.... are constant prayers, but along with those requests, I'm constantly praising Him for the abundant blessings that surround me. I seriously would crack my face if I smiled any more. I have two healthy, beautiful children, an amazing and supportive husband who works his tail off lawyering all day only to come home to help me fold the clothes or unload the dishwasher, real friends to laugh and commiserate with, and a great and helpful family.

Travis is such a fun little guy. I love how he is so verbal and expressive, and it is awesome carrying on conversations with him. He is such a little human and not a baby anymore. The other day he said "not these shoes, those shoes." To me that use of pronouns is sort of like rocket science. He is getting more interested in Maryn and loves that she smiles back at him now. He is hitting her less and less and now wants to get kisses from her! Praise the Lord that the hitting phase is ending!! When Maryn is crying, he will say "baby sister sad, make happy." He is very concerned with her well-being obviously. :) He has figured out that " 's " signals possessive so he has gotten into the habit of saying "My's" when he is not in the mood for sharing. Although it isn't exactly grammatically correct, it's still pretty darn cute.

Maryn is so alert. She is able to control her arms and loves grabbing on to anything and everything. We set up the exersaucer and she loves it. Travis has been great playing at showing her how it all works. :) Little stinker WILL NOT take a bottle so mama doesn't get to stray far from home. She has also started really giggling. Literally nothing more precious in the world.

So, yes, our hands are full.

Brandon and I are overworked and under-rested. We've always got dishes to do and laundry to fold.

Am I looking forward to the first adult-only meal we get to have at a restaurant? Yes.

Am I looking forward to an uninterrupted night where I sleep til 9? Sure, in like 18 years.

Are we so ridiculously happy that we just can barely stand it? You betcha!

Wouldn't trade it for the world!

Our sweet heartbeats!

(no one was injured in the making of these photographs - praise sweet Jesus!)

We are taking the clan to Lubbock this weekend so Maryn can meet the rest of the family.

Writing all these sentences made my head hurt so be looking for some picture-only posts this week. :)

Sweet Potato Friends!

2011-10-20T16:14:00.000-05:00

Our sunday school class is called YAMS (Young Adult Married). Fittingly, the girls have our own "girls-only" club called Sweet Potatoes. Krista posted an invite for those who wanted to meet us at a tea room to help us celebrate my 31st birthday! I am so stinking blessed by these women. So fun to be living life and raising babies with them "shoulder to shoulder" as strong Christian women.

"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD

and serve him shoulder to shoulder."

Zephaniah 33:9

4 babies 4 months and younger in just this group alone. Our class has been "busy." :)

Sweet M and her aggie buddy. Leah is great with these babies. She will never have to look for a babysitting job in the next few years guaranteed. We are already calling dibs on her!

All Sorts of Fun at Uncle Mick-mey's

2011-10-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

Uncle Mick-mey's House - Post about "B"s

2011-10-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

Bling

Baby Planking

Boy TV - Monster Trucks

Bathtime

Baseball

Happy 4 Months!

2011-10-14T16:15:00.000-05:00

I'm such a happy little thing! Although, I'm stingier with my giggles than my big brother was, I'm always happy. I'm wearing size 2 diapers now and 6 month clothes. I am 26.57 inches long (>95th %) and weigh 15 lbs. 6.7 oz. (90th %). I'm rolling front to back and back to front. Dada found me on my tummy just this morning in my bed (first time to roll in my crib). I'm also scooting around in my crib and ending up 180 degrees from where I started. I also drag my baby and my puppy dog with me. I love all of Travis's hand me down toys and appear to be a bigger drooler than he was.

Look at all my new hair!

Mama's photography assistant. :)

Precious Maryn,

What a wonderful addition you are to our family. As you will learn, your Pepper is the mother of boys, and your beloved big brother, Travis, is my first grandchild. But you are the first baby girl in my life. And what a sweet, precious baby girl you are. You melt my heart. This is going to be a whole new, wonderful experience for me. It is going to be very exciting to watch you grow. I will be especially fascinated to see your little girl personality develop. Will you be coy and shy? Will you be a rough and tumble little girl? Will you be playful, dainty, studious, athletic or an interesting combination of qualities? Whatever we get, we are going to love you to pieces. Everyone can already see you are very generous with your smiles. Your Mother has already commented in her family blog about what an easy going and laid back little girl you are.

Just between you and me, if you play your cards right, I bet you can wrap whichever family member you want around your pretty little finger. If I were you, I would concentrate on your Daddy. Give him lots of hugs and kisses, and I bet he will give you the world. Of course, there are lots of other family members that will be more than happy to make their selves available to fulfill your every beck and call.

You will learn you have a very special name. It was built from the names of your great grandmothers. My Mother’s name was Mary, and I am very proud her name is part of your name. She was a special lady, and I wish she could see you now. But I know she is looking down and smiling at the beautiful addition to our family.

After your brother was born, I wrote a letter to him also. My message for you is very similar as my message was to Travis. You are surrounded by an extended family that loves you very much, and my wish for you is to always be surrounded by this love.

You also have a wonderful Mother and Daddy who love you with all their heart. They make very special efforts to spend lots of quality time with you, enjoy you, and treasure you. They are also very well equipped in their love, education, personal strengths, and wisdom to care for and guide you successfully through life.

Maryn, my closing wish for you is a lifetime of happiness, much laughter, days full of sunshine, the warmth of family and friends, and a world of faith, hope and joy everlasting.

I love you so much,
Pepper