And We'll Call Her...

  Here are a few glamour shots of our girl. 

She's growing, healthy and will be joining us in 7 short weeks! 

We debated about what to name her. We have an "O" naming trend, but just couldn't come up with another "O" name we liked. When we were trying to choose a name for Olivia, we had two main contenders: Olivia and Eloise. We even have video of Owen saying both names in this blog post. Obviously we went with Olivia the first time around, so this time we decided to use the other name we loved back then, Eloise. Owen can pronounce it correctly now, but we think it's pretty sweet to have a record of him saying his sister's name before she was even a thought in our minds! Olivia affectionately refers to her as "my baby sister"-we'll have to see if we can get that on video sometime. She and Owen both seem genuinely excited about the arrival of their sister. 
  
Her full name will be...

Eloise Kathryn Hill

Thanksgiving 2012

Olivia's "CHEESE" face

We started our Thanksgiving with the Hill family in Fort Smith. It's the one time of year Papa's family all gathers and we always look forward to seeing everyone. There were so many cousins there which was great fun for Owen and Olivia!

Every year we take a big family picture. This year Jacob set his camera to take a bunch of pictures in a row, so we were able to get 18 pictures in about 2 minutes! That was a pretty handy since we had so many little bodies to photograph. Aunt Barbara had some of the past Thanksgiving family pictures displayed around her house, so it was fun for the kids to search for themselves in them.

Uncle Jerry had a hayride set up for the kids. They loved it! He pulled them around in the subdivision and they had the best time.

Owen and Elsy Kate are so silly together! We ended the day at my mom's house where we ate dinner with Grandpa David, Uncle Cade,  Cha Cha Joe, Auntie Ams, Elsy Kate and Grandpa Bruce. We were missing Gran who managed to catch a stomach virus on the worst day of the year (not that there is a good day for that)! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Sneak Peek

 

Our countertops arrived today which means we now have a kitchen sink and working dishwasher again! We are still working on the finishing touches, but we should be completely moved back into our kitchen in the next couple days. The rest of my house is a DISASTER, so hopefully all will be back to normal soon. I'm so pleased with the way everything has turned out so far!!

We're looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with our families tomorrow! 

Kitchen Redo: Part 1

My husband loves me. I have never doubted his devotion. I have never doubted it more than when he finally took seriously my desire for a kitchen makeover-ha! And on Saturday when he started tearing out our existing cabinets to prepare for the new ones coming next week, I said, "God, bless this man-he is a good one!" Because, in all honesty, there was nothing wrong with our kitchen. It functioned and served us well, it just wasn't ME-you know? I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. I really enjoy cooking (less cleaning up after cooking) and I have wanted a fresh space since we moved into this house over 2 years ago. We had a plan to build a home on some of Jacob's family's land so I was going to try to leave it alone, but when we found out baby #3 was on the way, we put a hold on the building plans for a little while. Once we decided we were going to hang in this house-which works well for our family-I renewed my campaign for a kitchen redo. Jacob and I talked budget and agreed on a price before contacting a local cabinet maker to give us an estimate. We're a cash only operation here at the Hill house, so if we can't pay for it, we don't get it. I'm pretty sure Jacob was hoping and wishing the estimate would squelch my requests, but fortunately for me, it was within our agreed upon range.

Here are the before pictures. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with the current kitchen. It's about 10 years old with builders' grade oak cabinets, laminate counters and a pretty good flow and plenty of storage space for this minimalist mama. We bought all new appliances when we bought the house, so they will all stay. I am so anxious to see what this space will look like over the next few weeks as we work to freshen up this room! 

 We removed all but the base cabinets with the sink, dishwasher and refrigerator so we can still sort of function this week. Those will be coming out this weekend. Below is a picture of what the other half (side with the bar) looks like now.

Olivia and Owen were helping Dee-da prepare for next week's cabinet installation. Can you see the plugs in Owen's ears? He got them when his grandpa Bruce took him to visit a lumber mill this summer and has treasured them. He apparently decided demolition work called for ear protection. He makes us laugh!

When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Fireman

We took Owen and Olivia to the park on Sunday afternoon. Owen wanted to try the fireman's pole on the playground, but was a little apprehensive about the drop. He requested I show him how to do it. Of course, I obliged-big belly and all. Seeing me brave it worked and with a little coaxing he carefully made his way down the pole. Then he decided it was too scary to try again, so Jacob and I were attempting to convince him to take the plunge once more. I said, "You can't be a firefighter unless you are brave enough to slide down the pole." (He's claimed that's what he would like to be one day). Owen quickly retorted. "I want to be a policeman." Jacob and I got tickled at his quick thinking and cautious demeanor. He did eventually make it down the fireman pole a few more times, so perhaps his future of fighting fires and saving lives can live on, but it's good to know he's got a Plan B just in case!

 

State Park Fun

There are days Owen and Olivia fight ALL DAY LONG. Olivia is excellent at pushing the right buttons to make her brother furious and frustrated. And Owen is rarely able to ignore Olivia's efforts-he is quick to react to her pestering which only encourages her. I know it's all part of the brother/sister relationship and also exacerbated because they are around each other 24/7. However, those days can wear on a mama. I've discovered fresh air works wonders to cure the bickering, so when the arguing won't stop we head outdoors. There's nothing a beautiful fall evening at the park won't cure!

I packed a little picnic (consisting of rolls and Chili Cheese Fritos-dinner of champions, I know) and we ate by the lake at the State Park. Owen is taking advantage of every opportunity for a bike ride, so we followed him as he rode along the boardwalk. The kids had fun exploring and I enjoyed my relief from the fighting!

Halloween Fun!

I took my little ladybug and Superman to the Fall Festival at Dover FBC to see Papa and Meme for Halloween. Deeda had to teach his Financial Peace University class at our church, so he didn't get to join us, but we did get to stop by and see him before we headed to Dover. The kids had a blast playing all the little games and picking out candy. Nana and Grandpa and Gran had all been by earlier this afternoon with treats for the kids, so they were all sugared up before we even made it to the Fall Festival. Oh my...we are in "treat" overload here at the Hill house! I think Mama and Deeda are going to have to eat some of the candy just to relieve the kids a little!

Olivia the Ladybug (courtesy of Nana)

Super Owen!

...flying over a city near you!