Happy Boy!

I really love this kid-like a lot. He's too much fun!

Girls' Weekend

Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time with a few of my best friends from college. Vanessa and I drove up to Fayetteville and kept Christen company during the Spring snowstorm.

Me, Christen, and Vanessa.
I realize you can only see half of my face, but it's a cute picture of them.

We were obviously not prepared for the 13+ inches of snow. Vanessa and I decided to venture out for some McDonald's (Christen kept feeding us really healthy food-love you, Christen!), and these were her snow boots! We'll call them southern snow boots-plastic bags over her tennis shoes. Actually, I think Vanessa is wearing Christen's tennis shoes because she only brought heels and flip flops to wear for the weekend. I mean, really, who expects snow in Arkansas in the middle of March?

Here is Vanessa's car on Sunday evening after the snow had melted quite a bit. A funny episode occurred immediately after this picture was taken. Vanessa was working to uncover her car and in a series of unfortunate events managed to get approximately a foot of snow inside her car. You had to be there, but I was laughing so hard I was crying.

I wish I had a picture of what I was wearing. My outfit consisted of the lounge pants and t-shirt I slept in, my long coat zipped snuggly around my big belly, borrowed rubber boots that were too big for my feet and I'm pretty sure I hadn't brushed my hair or teeth all day. Anyway, we decided to dine in at McDonalds. I laughed pretty hard then, too, because Vanessa still had the bags on her shoes. We ate then I ordered 4 apple pies to go (to share with the others ;) and hoped we gave the workers some good stories to tell their buddies. "Today, at work, this pregnant lady and her friend came in dressed all crazy and ordered a ton of pies..."

It was a fun weekend. I can't say enough good things about having girlfriends. I cherish my friends and am so glad to have them in my life.

So Much Happening!

Three weeks from today we will be welcoming Miss Olivia! Oh, my! I have to be honest, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I have many items/projects left on my list and it seems to keep growing. It was the same way before Owen's birth. I was on the brink of panic trying to get everything just the way I wanted it and make sure I had everything we needed. A good friend of mine had some wise words that calmed me down a little. She told me, "There's always Wal Mart. If you don't have something, you can either go get it or send someone else to get it." So true and remarkably comforting. :)

Last night, a few of my best buddies from our life group threw me a "girlie" baby shower. It was the cutest! They went above and beyond and Olivia and I were spoiled rotten. We received a bathtub, bubbles, blankets, bibs, bows and SO MANY cute outfits and shoes. Olivia almost has more shoes than her momma!

Melissa, Me (and Olivia), Laura and Kristin. I love these girls!

See? Spoiled rotten!
Can you see the diaper cake in the middle? Laura made it-so sassy and fun!

Here's a little glimpse of Olivia's room. I have to get a sheet for her bed and the picture needs to be adjusted a little bit, but you get the idea. My mom made the bedskirt and pillow and is working on the quilt for the twin bed. I got a sneak peek of the quilt last night and it's way too cute!

What a Week!

Well, we've been running all over the world it seems. Last Thursday, Owen and I drove to Russellville. He spent the weekend with the grandparents and I headed to Fayetteville for a girls' weekend with some of my best friends from college. My weekend turned into quite the extended vacation because it SNOWED 13+ inches in NW Arkansas on what was supposed to be the first day of Spring! It was beautiful and ridiculous. Fortunately, everyone was on spring break this week, so my one day delay wasn't a problem and allowed me to soak up a little more girlfriend time-something I always appreciate. Anyway, while I was away, Owen, his grandpa Bruce and Gran took a trip to Long Pool. I think he may be the sweetest little boy ever...

Owen and I are still in Russellville. Eventually we'll get back to reality and perhaps I'll post a little more often. I am trying to soak up time with family and friends before Miss Olivia arrives because I feel like travel may be pretty tricky for a while. I may turn into a recluse and you may never see me again when she gets here...we shall soon see. :) I'm pretty excited about our new little adventure as a family. We are less than one month away from D-Day (Delivery Day) as Jacob likes to call it. This week I have received some sweet presents and bought a couple more items for Olivia's room. I'll have to post some pictures soon. Also, little Miss got a new pair of John Deere cowboy boots from her Meme and Papa. They are pink and...OH...SO...CUTE! I can't wait for her to wear them. I'm seeing a boot wearing photo shoot in Owen and Olivia's future.

Don't you want a pair?

My Little Runaway

Owen and I were running around the yard last week. Well, actually, I was chasing him around the yard. Here's a picture of him trying to escape by climbing the fence. I thought it was too funny and stopped my pursuit long enough to snap a photo.

Future Dentist

We're thinking we may have an aspiring dentist in the family. Apparently he's willing to suffer for his craft. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any teeth that need to be pulled, but I'm not going to stand in his way if he feels he needs the practice.

"Hmmm, didn't work."

34 Weeks and Counting...

I've seen this on a couple blogs and thought it would be fun.
Plus, it will help me remember since motherhood seems to zap my long-term memory.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 34 weeks
Total Weight Gain: At my last check-up 2 weeks ago 17 pounds, but I'm pretty sure the 4 pieces of chocolate cake I've eaten today will raise that number. :)
Maternity Clothes: Absolutely! I'm a fan.
Gender: Girl, Olivia Tonette Hill
Movement: Oh, so much! This girl kicks, wiggles, flips, twists and gets the hiccups regularly.
Food Cravings: Did I mention chocolate cake? A lot of fruit, orange juice and ANYTHING sweet.
What I Miss: Hmm, being able to put my shoes on with ease.
Sleep: Still okay- just wake up a couple times for bathroom breaks. I'm tossing and turning a little more these days.
Symptoms: Fatigue.
Best Moment This Week: Olivia was apparently trying to kick her way out through my belly button. It was pretty entertaining watching my stomach wiggle and stretch as she attempted her escape.
What I am Looking Forward To: Finally meeting this little girl! I can't wait for Owen to meet her. He talks about her a lot, so hopefully it won't be too much of a shock for him when she finally arrives.

We only have 5 more weeks until we meet our little girl! We're pretty excited!

A Little Perspective

I love how God uses Owen to teach me so many lessons. Yesterday, He had Owen give me a little perspective on complaining. Here's the story.

It's just beginning to look a little like springtime around here. The sun has been shining and warming us up a little, the birds are chirping and we've had our first round of severe weather (tornadoes). On a side note, apparently we moved to tornado alley-lovely. Anyway, back to the point. All the wonderful changes have affected our yard. The grass that's been sleeping through winter is starting to turn green and all the WEEDS are growing like, well, weeds. I hate weeds. For the first few years we lived in our house we paid to have a lawn service spray and fertilize our yard to eradicate those pesky little buggers and it was wonderful. It made mowing easier and our yard looked so nice. BUT, when we got serious about our budget a couple years ago, keeping the lawn beautiful quickly dropped to the bottom of the budget sheet...and then fell off completely. I endured a yard sprinkled with weeds last year and survived, but this year they are back with a vengeance, mocking me daily with their ugliness. I've complained to Jacob-a lot. Our budget is different now and we could put the weed prevention back into action, but it's still really low on the list, especially with a new baby arriving soon. So, there's the background necessary to make Owen's lesson so pointed. Yesterday, he was wondering around the backyard exploring as he does so often and he came running to me. He excitedly exclaimed, "Momma, pretty flowers!" He had found a patch of (ahem) weeds with purple little flowers, thought they were beautiful and could not wait to show me. Well, if that wasn't a sweet slap in my cranky face. Those weeds that I view as yucky and obnoxious were beautiful to my baby boy. He loved them and wanted to show them to me as if they were some treasure to be shared. Okay, God. I get it. I'll stop complaining about the weeds (or I'll try really hard to stop) and I'll work on the grumbling and complaining in general. Thanks for the lesson.

Here's a picture of Owen standing in his "flowers".

Happy Spring! Enjoy the flowers and weeds!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Our Everyday

Today has been one of those quiet, lazy days at home. One advantage of being a stay-at-home-mom is, well, getting to stay home! I'm not a big believer in filling every spare moment with activity. We usually have an excursion or two a week, but nothing too thrilling. We like it this way. Here's a few pictures to let you know what our 'everydays' look like.

My sweet boy playing late in the morning still wearing his pajamas.
He's comfy and content.

The couch is Owen's "road" and it is typically filled with trucks, tractors and trailers. Don't even think about sitting on it because he will promptly (and not very nicely) tell you to "Get off road!" He hauls around batteries (hay bales), crayons (logs/trees), blocks, socks (animal food) and pretty much anything else that will fit in his trailers. He will play on the couch all morning-not kidding.

Here's a photo of what my living room would look like if you rang my doorbell unexpectedly. There's a half-eaten muffin and juice on the coffee table, toys and blocks everywhere, blankets from Owen's bed on the floor and laundry and shoes in the hallway. I love this picture because it's real-it's what our real life looks like every single day.

A leader in a women's Bible study once told all of us mom's with young children to remember that we were raising a family, not a house. She said there would be plenty of time to have a spotless home when our kids were grown and gone. Now, let me tell you, I am not a neat freak-a little mess has NEVER bothered me. I do prefer things clean, but it hasn't been too difficult to let those wise words sink in and create a new attitude concerning the state of my house. I'm thankful I have a little boy who makes messes for me to clean up. So, so thankful...

Springtime!

The weather was GORGEOUS this weekend, so Jacob, Owen and I went to the zoo.
We had fun looking at all the animals, but the sunshine was the best part!
Here are a few pictures from our day.

Jacob and Owen looking at the giraffes and rhinos.

Owen and his buddy, Gabriel, looking at the bald eagle.

Here's our little cowboy ready to feed the animals.

I hope this spring weather decides to stick around. I love wintertime, but Owen and I are both ready to play outside in the warm sun. Spring also means the arrival of Miss Olivia-only 43 more days!

Happy Birthday, Meme!

We love you bunches and bunches!

Put Your Finger On Your Eye

We have been busy, busy here at the Hill house. We are inching closer to meeting our little pink bundle and my 'Honey Do List' is constantly growing. Owen spent this past weekend on the farm with his Meme and Papa so we (Jacob) were able to get a few more things checked off our (my) list. Owen had a few days filled with grandparents last week. He got to play with his Nana last Thursday night. She had meetings in Little Rock, so she came over for dinner and to pick up the fabric for Olivia's room. On Friday, Owen's Gran picked him up and hauled him to Russellville where he got to spend some time running around with his Grandpa Bruce before heading to the farm. Getting to see so many grandparents in such a short time was so fun for Owen! He loves, loves, loves them all and has activities he looks forward to doing with each set. It's a blessing to have parents who are so helpful and so crazy about their grandchild. Usually when it's time for him to come home, he says, "No, I want to go to (insert another set of grandparents) house." He would hop from house to house forever, but we miss him when he's gone and are always anxious to have him home.

Anyway, here's a video of Owen listening to one of his CD's. I caught him doing some motions and had to get it on camera. You'll hear him say, "I already 'do-ed' that" because I started the song over. He was anxiously awaiting the "Twinkle Song," so he wasn't too happy I'd messed with his playlist. :)

I also thought I better update on my nesting goals for February. It was really helpful to write them down and have a deadline for getting them finished. I am, however, an EXPERT procrastinator and managed to leave a couple things until the last minute. For example, I wanted to finish Owen's baby book and waited until Friday night to start searching through pictures on our computer to print. Needless to say, this one is still a work in progress, but I did get 90% of the pages filled out and the pictures to print have been chosen. So, not too bad. The second thing on my list was to get all my files sorted and put away. DONE! I went through every file we had and sorted and shredded and filed...it was quite the process, but I now have all the important papers where they should be and all the other stuff is gone. Third on my list was to make a 3-week menu and grocery list, so when Miss Olivia gets here I can pull out a list and go to the store, or, better yet, hand my list to someone else and send them to the store! I really like to cook, but menu planning and shopping aren't my favorite things. I am so excited because taking the time to do this project was great! I used one of my lists this week and was able to save a lot of money and cooking each night has been a breeze. I may try to expand my list to a couple more weeks. I printed a menu from here and filled it out for each week. I then typed my grocery list on the computer and printed it on a 4.5x6.5 index card, so it's easy to take to the store. I've always made weekly menus and lists, but this was much more thorough and systematic-I like it! So, of my three goals, I was able to knock off two-not bad. I am now re-organizing pretty much every closet and cabinet in my house. This nesting instinct is serious business!

Here's a picture of my menu and list and there's the menu on my fridge.

Well, I think that's enough for today. Goodness, I'm long-winded which is amazing because a lot of times its hard for me to breath with this girl kicking and tumbling so much! She is a wiggly little thing!