Don't Blink

Proud of You, Miss Averi...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:49:00 +0000

Averi was chosen to be Student-of-the-Month in her Kindergarten class for the month of November! Way to go, sweet girl!

First Piano Recital ♪ ♪ ♪

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Last night was Taylor's first piano recital. She started taking lessons in July and has learned a lot in a short amount of time! Her teacher is actually the art teacher at Honey. She is so sweet and only has three piano students. It was a fun evening.

Juilliard, here she comes! She played Jingle Bells and Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

Lillian, Kate, Mrs. Holeman, and Taylor

Pet Peeves...(:

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:17:00 +0000

These make me smile.

http://www.weheartit.com/

Bear Tree...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:15:00 +0000

I love the Bear Tree tradition at Honey :) And I love my two Honey Bears!

Top Ten Things to Do This Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:06:00 +0000

10. Listen to my favorite Christmas album.

9. Relax.

8. Bake cookies.

7. Enjoy tree-lit evenings!

6. Watch the best Christmas movie ever!! "You'll shoot your eye out"!

5. Hop in the car, grab some Starbucks, and look for the best Christmas lights in town (there is a great house on 59th? and Indiana...a light show set to Transiberian Orchestra).

4. Read this to my kids!!

3. Start a new family tradition. Maybe Elf on the Shelf??

2. Give.

1. Slow down and remember the Reason for the Season.

Changed My Mind...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:58:00 +0000

I couldn't stand not to have a Christmas card this year. It just wouldn't be right without one :)

And just a few minutes ago this happened!! Now, literally, all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth! I keep making her say words that begin with "th" :)

And I am proud to announce that Connor has peed on his potty three times today!!! We are so proud of him! We bribe him with candy-canes and suckers, and it works. He is totally ready and loving that he gets to wear big-boy pull-ups. Oh, and he found a pen and decided to draw all over himself. He is covered in circles...his favorite thing to draw.

Hill Happenings...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:06:00 +0000

I had to video Connor playing ball. He lifts his leg when he throws...just like a baseball pitcher. It is so cute. FYI...Chad thinks it's really funny to make tooting noises whenever he sees someone bend over.

Here is a pic of the kiddos while Chad and I were gone last weekend. Besides decorating Granna and Gramp's tree, they saw two movies, played with cousin Sydney, and learned to play UNO. I don't think they missed us much!

I found this paper in Taylor's backpack. Apparently this is what she does at school. I think she has entered the doodling phase...which pretty much means she's growing up!

And this definitely means Averi is growing up! All she wants for Christmas...:)

I am done with this semester! Hallelujah! It still astounds me how fast they come and go! I'm pretty sure I have kept my 4.0!
In the Christmas card department, however, I have failed because we do not have one this year. Oh well. We will just enjoy receiving them!

Weekend of the BUTT...Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Day 2 was GAME DAY! We started it off with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (spicy cashew chicken!!) and some window shopping in Southlake.

We arrived at the stadium around 1:30-ish. The game didn't start til 5. We had fun walking around looking at all the tailgaters and smelling all the yummy food. Tech tailgaters outnumbered Baylor tailgaters, probably ten to one.

Chad and Luke ended up scoring some sweet suite tickets, thanks to Angela's cousin. So at 3:00 we parted ways and Angela, the kids, and I went inside to tour the stadium. It took us a good hour before we finally got to our seats. We climbed, what felt like, a hundred flights of stairs. We decided it was the stairway to heaven.

All that climbing made us hungry, so in our desperation we doled out ungodly amounts of money for snacks. I guess it's all part of the atmosphere.

BUTT Day! I think they did that just for grins :) Maybe not, but we thought it was funny!

Cowboys Stadium and TTU tailgaters.

It's nice having kids that are old enought to operate a camera! I think Evan took this one :)

That T.V. was huge! Hard to tell in pictures, though.

Wreck Em' Tech!

Very cool!

Huddle

All good things must come to an end. After the game it was time to say goodbye to our fun weekend :)

Weekend of the BUTT...Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:56:00 +0000

BUTT as in Baylor Univ. VS Texas Tech! What a FUN weekend! We left early Friday morning with the Long's for a quick roadtrip to see Tech whoop Baylor in the new Cowboys stadium. It was a whirlwind 2 days and an absolute blast!

For starters we had our very own entertainment...Luke Long! If you know Luke, you know that he is a one-man show. He never runs out of energy, and you never know what to expect...except the unexpected. So...for your entertainment here is the one and only Luke Long (you'll want to pause the music)!

First thing we did?? EAT...at cozymel's. They had these cool little machines at each table where you could check out the menu, order movie tickets, and even pay for your meal! Man, I didn't realize how behind the times Lubbock is :)

At the hotel.

The beautiful Gaylord. Our rooms were on the very top floor...we had a great view!

The ever-popular self-portrait.

Pretty

Enjoying just walking around.

True love.

The mamas and 1/2 of the kiddos (we left our kiddos in the LBK).

TTU pep rally at Texan Station. The Gaylord was the official hotel for the game, so it was like it's own little community of Tech fans everywhere you looked. We saw several people we knew! FUN!

Me and Raider Red!

Happy Thanksgiving...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:23:00 +0000

I found these papers in the girls' backpacks. Thought they were cute :)

Goodbye Oprah...A Year From Now

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:45:00 +0000

I've been watching Oprah since I was in the 7th grade...if not longer. I don't agree with her politics, but one of my dreams has always been to one day attend a taping of her show. That hasn't happened yet, and probably won't, but I did get the next best thing.

In February of 2004 Chad and I went to Chicago for a weekend. He had an interview for an internship with a sports training facility. We were this close to spending that summer in Chi-town. He took another offer in VA instead.

But while we were there I HAD HAD HAD to visit Harpo Studios. I still get excited thinking about it now! I remember we walked up to the building...I was so close yet so far away to my dream coming true. The doors were locked, but right next to the doors was a plate-glass window and a security officer working inside. My sweet husband knew how badly I wanted in so he asked the guard if they offered any tours of Harpo. No they didn't. I guess the sweet man could see the longing in my face, because he opened the doors and welcomed us in.

OH MY GOSH!! I was inside of Harpo! The first thing I noticed were the staircases on either side of the big, open room. And at the top of the stairs, on the wall that overlooked the whole room, was a large portrait of O...it was a surreal moment for me. I stood there for a minute just taking everthing in, then the guard asked if I wanted to see the studio where the show tapes. UM, YES!!! So he led us to a door on the left side of the big room, openend it, and we were standing backstage of the studio. He led us to the stage...the stage where O stands everyday on national television! The studio was dark, it was just Chad, me and the sweetest security officer on earth:) I could have stayed there a long time just staring at all the empty seats. Crazy but true. I asked if I could take pictures...he said no. Apparently only the official Harpo photographer is allowed to take pics. I was just grateful to be let in at all.

On our way out I thanked the man profusely. He gave me an Oprah mug and we went on our merry way! It was the best day!

Now Oprah is saying goodbye after next season, and I'll admit it makes me a little sad. But at least I have this picture and the memories!

Mommy's Little Helper...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Just another example of his love affair with hats! This is what Connor looked like as we ran errands this morning. We had stopped by Granna and Gramp's so I could print some homework off and Connor found this santa hat, along with a couple of other things he managed to sneak off with. I love that I get to hang out with him everyday!

Also a shout out to Uncle Brant!! Happy Birthday!! Hope you have a great 37th :)

One More...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:07:00 +0000

List of things I am thankful for:

Success. I found out that I passed the EC-6 Generalist test!!! All that's left is student teaching and I will officially be certified to teach in Texas! Thank you, Lord!!
A good book. I am almost finished with Sarah Palin's book, Going Rogue. I think she is a fascinating lady. Next on the list is the classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Believe it or not, I have never read it.
A good movie. Excited to see The Blind Side and New Moon!
A good musical. Last night we went to see Annie Jr.! Three of Taylor's friends were in it, and it was so cute! I think we may have an aspiring actress on our hands now!
A Roadtrip. The Friday after Thanksgiving we are leaving for a quick roadtrip to Dallas with our friends, the Long's! We are going to stay at the fabulous Gaylord, eat a little Cheesecake Factory, and cheer on the Red Raiders in the new Cowboy staduim!
Pants with an elastic waist. Seriously.
A break. A break from school...a break from homework...a break from dance...a break from the craziness!

He Wears Many Hats...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Connor loves...and I mean loooves hats. Big hats, little hats, soft hats, hard hats. Even things that aren't hats, he will turn them into hats. He is always walking around with something on top of his head. Bottle caps and plastic lids seem to be a recurring favorite. The funny part about it is, the "hats" actually stay put. He can go about his normal, day-to-day activities with random crap resting on his head. It's like having my very own Stupid Human Tricks show everyday.

Random Ramblings...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +0000

This is my dream house...I want it! Think I could find one like it in the LBK?

And my dream garden. I love a storybook cottage! Maybe one day.

And I was so happy to find that Channel 23 on XM radio is all Christmas music all the time. My poor kids are trapped like rats. From now until Dec. 25 they will hear nothing but Jingle Bell Rock, Most Wonderful Time and all those classic holiday tunes. When Chad is in the car with us he won't have it. According to him, Christmas music is pure torture. I don't understand that kind of thinking :)

Driving home from school on Tuesday nights is always a peaceful time for me. It gives me a chance to reflect and put everything in perspective before becoming "mom" again. It's amazing what a few minutes of quiet will do for you. Tonight it was dark, I had the Christmas music going, and passed several houses that were already aglow with lights. It was a good feeling. Hello holiday season!

What the kids are up to...

Connor:

Is starting to talk really well. Some of the things that come out of his mouth leave me speechless. He is 2 and speaking in complete sentences.

The other day I could hear him rustling around my gazillion piles of "stuff" by the side of the bed, and I quietly watched him. He was trying to be so sneaky. When he realized I was there he got that deer-in-the-headlights, guilty look. He told me "I was looking in your purse and couldn't find gum".

One cute thing I like is when I sneeze and he tells me: "Bless you, mama".

At night, after the girls are in bed, we let him hang out in our bed for awhile. He says "Cuddle me" and snuggles up next to me. I think I am going to be one of those annoying moms that can't let go of her little boy.

He is way into choo-choo trains right now. He pretends everything is a choo-choo train. His grilled-cheese sandwich, a battery...it doesn't matter...it's a train.

He loves the clock tower at Vintage. If you ask him what the clock says he replies "DONNNG...DONNNG" and even slips a little vibrato in with it.

The other day I was doing homework, went to save it on my red USB drive, and realized it was nowhere to be found. It had ALL of my homework on it. I was frantic. I knew the little toot Connor had probably taken it because he has before.

In my frenzy I made the whole family look for it. Everyone except Connor that is. He was chillin' in our bed watching Little Bear. I asked him if he had seen my "red thing"...how else do I describe it? I can't exactly ask him where my USB drive is. I think I scared him in my craziness. He shook his head as if to say "No...get away crazy lady"!

A few minutes later, after no success, Taylor, calmly, asked him if he knew where mommy's "red thing" was and he said. "Boot." Chad picked up Taylor's boot, turned it upside down, and sure enough there was my "red thing".

Averi:

Is a dance school drop-out. She told me she was done with it. I asked her if she was sure, she said "Yep", and hasn't looked back since. I admire her decisiveness.

She makes me laugh with her sarcastic, dry sense of humor.

I love that she still needs lots of TLC. She is still my baby girl. Every night she comes down the stairs and asks: "Can I give you a hug"? Sweet.

Taylor:

Is maturing into a little lady.

She is reading big, thick chapter books. I really hope she develops a love for reading. One of my favorite things is to get lost in a book.

She is becoming so independent. I don't have to baby her about things like homework. She knows what she needs to do, and gets it done.

She had an ortho appt a couple of weeks ago, and was hoping the expander would come out. It has already been 6 weeks since it was put in. It didn't. In fact we have to turn it 6 more weeks and then its braces time. Dec 22 is the big day. Right before Christmas. Should be fun.

☮, ♥, and ☺ ...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:23:00 +0000

After my last post I feel like my blog needs a little pick-me-up! A little... And since this is the month of Thanksgiving I am going to do just that...give thanks.

This week I am thankful for:

Healthy children. We have been so blessed. There has been no serious illness this fall in the Hill household. No pig flu, no strep throat...just a mild cold or two.
Chad. He loves me no matter what. He understands me, and takes care of me.
Family. Without our family I am not sure I would be sane right now. My parents, Chad's parents, and Chad's grandmother are the best support system anyone could ask for. If I need homework time, cleaning time, or just some quiet time, they are right there 100% of the time! BLESSED!
The time that Taylor, Averi, and Connor get with their grandparents is priceless. They are close to all of them. Every living grandparent and great-grandparent they have is literally a 2-5 minute drive from our house. I would have sooo loooved that as a kid.
Music. Music is my passion. It touches the soul. There is nothing like it.
Education. I have the ability and opportunity to better our future by going to graduate school. I have had a lot of fun the past year-and-a-half getting to know new people, and proving to myself that...if you believe in yourself anything is possible.
My bed. Oh how I love sinking into my sweet bed after a long day! 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Beautiful :)

P.C. My Foot...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:04:00 +0000

I cannot believe I am up at this ungodly hour, but I just finished watching my DVR'd Glenn Beck and he's got me all riled up! I am so happy he is back on the air after his bout with appendicitis.

The coward at Ft. Hood who took 13 lives and injured 42 is nothing more than a scum-sucking, muslim-extremist, American-hating, PIECE! How's that for being politically correct?

And yes, I realize he is a child of God...and somehow in God's infinite goodness and grace he can be forgiven. I, however, am human, and fall short.

If I have to bear witness to one more "news" organization skirt around the truth about this creep, I am going to throw up in my mouth. Call it like it is. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it must be...a duck. Right? If it walks like a terrorist, screams "allah akbar" before opening fire on fellow soldiers, it must be...a man suffering PTSD??? No. A victim of religious discrimination? No!! How about a terrorist?? I think so! But the White House would have you believe differently.

When Pres. Obama interrupted scheduled programming to address the nation, he spoke for 2 minutes about the rights of Native Americans before discussing the tragedy at Ft. Hood. And even then it was almost like an afterthought. As Glenn would say..."Listen to your gut". Something with that just ain't right.

It's time to wake up!

On a much lighter note...:) The CMA's rocked it tonight! Good stuff!

The rest of the week/weekend doesn't show signs of slowing down.

Tomorrow we are having Thanksgiving lunch with Averi...cafeteria turkey and dressing. MmmmmMmmm...she said sarcastically. And tomorrow evening is Taylor's PTA program. She is so excited because she has a speaking part. She's so cute!

Friday is Grandparents Day (a.k.a. Grandparents come buy books at our book fair day). J/K! Even at my age I still get all giddy when it's book fair time. And I am glad that Honey is such a family-oriented school! They are great!

Friday night Taylor has a slumber party, and first thing Saturday morning she is going to "Second Saturday" at the Dance Gallery. Whew...I need a nap already.

O.K. I am done. I feel better. I am debating whether or not I should even go to bed at this point. Is it worth it with only 4 hours of sleep-time left? Arghh...why do I do this to myself??

Little Moments I Love...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:37:00 +0000

This week has been filled with little moments that I treasure. I don't know if it's because Thanksgiving is just around the corner and holiday spirit is in the air, or because I can feel the end of the semester nearing, or a combination of the two. But I know that my heart is full!

Watching Taylor do ballet to How He Loves in dance class last night
Crawling in bed with Connor to wake him up this morning
Driving down the road singing Party in the USA with Taylor and Averi...as loud as we can!
Browsing the new Barnes and Noble and pretending I'm in Dallas...it has that big city feel to it. I don't care if that's weird:)
Spending time with family we haven't seen in a long time
Celebrating my mom's birthday tonight...I won't give away her age :)
Getting an email saying that I am cleared for student teaching in the spring...can't believe it's actually happening!
Listening to Averi read!!
Sipping on a chai and driving around town
Target time...the Christmas decorations are out...Connor said "That's pretty" about every tree he passed
Getting a free Chic-Fil-A sandwich
Preparing for Taylor's Christmas dance recital...yes, it's already that time!
Walking around Tech in the crisp fall air
Watching Taylor and Averi play with friends
Believing that I CAN and I WILL!

There is something so magical about this time of year! I LOVE IT! It never gets old.

Smell My Feet...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Our Halloween was a blast this year! It was a long, fabulous, exhausting day :) For me it started at 5:30 a.m. I was at Tech bright and early to take the EC-6 Generalist...I hope I passed :)

So the REAL fun began when we trick-or-treated at Mema's. Granna, Gramps, and Granna's brother, Mark, were there. Mema moved here Friday from Shamrock and is settling in at Raider Ranch.

After we chatted with them we headed over to Vintage where we saw Dondi and Poppi and met up with the Long's, the Watt's, and the Fortner's! The neighborhood was alive with people and costumes and decorations everywhere you looked.

The big kids wanted to trick-or-treat first...since the parents were just along for the ride we followed their lead. They ran from house to house as fast as they could go. They used to be shy about ringing people's doorbells...no more, my friend! After they hit all the houses, they played games and got their faces painted. Can you say HYPER?? They were on a serious sugar high!

Connor was scared of all the costumes so he stayed at Dondi and Pop's and helped pass out candy.

What a great weekend we had! I love this time of year!

Batgirl Averi and Vampiress Taylor

Fly Batgirl Fly!

It was a little difficult getting a pic with the 3 of them this year.

Dondi and Pop's house

All the kiddos! What a bunch of cuties :)

Train ride. Connor loves choo choo trains, but for some reason was not diggin' this! He wouldn't get on.

Off they go!

The cousins

And the Winner is...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:57:00 +0000

TAYLOR!!

So a couple of weeks ago American State Bank partnered with Honey and some of the other elementaries in town to put on a poster competetion for all the 3rd graders. The purpose was to create a poster highlighting 5 qualities of the Lubbock community.

I really REALLY didn't want anything to do with it. We got the letter on Friday and the poster was due the following Tuesday. Taylor kept on until we finally said OK! So we helped her get everything together and ended up with a pretty darn cute end product. Whether she won or not we were glad we gave it a go.

Well, they announced the winner on Wednesday, and sure enough Taylor won! Crazy! I didn't think to get a picture of the thing, and now we don't know where the poster is. It is somewhere at Honey we think :)

The winners were recognized at last night's MHS game.

The winners got jerseys with their names on them

They got to do the coin toss before the game

Poppi and Tay on the field

I could not get the camera to work...it would only take a pic. when she started to walk away!

Africa Pics...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:04:00 +0000

I just love these pictures! These are from my parent's trip a couple of weeks ago. Someday we want to take the kids!

Pretty

My sweet dad

Impressive

Cute kids

My sweet mom

Funny

Dancing

They helped the group fix a flat tire

Love this

Punkin Fun...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:10:00 +0000

This past Saturday was a busy day. It started off with Punkin' Days in Floydada and ended with the TTU football game.

Kristi, Sydney, Dondi, Averi, Taylor and I have made Punkin Days a yearly tradition. We love to go, check out all the booths, and eat a yummy lunch.

We were glad we decided to leave the boys with Nana because it was freezing this time around.

The girls ended up with bottle cap necklaces, hairbows, and plastic bears filled with different colored sand...the dreaded colored sand...they get one every time!

Cute!

They are getting so big

Taylor and Sydney being silly

Sweet

Fall is here

It was cold!

Chad and I used to get season tickets to the footballs games, but haven't since Connor came along. I miss the atmosphere and all the crazy fans! We had a lot of fun, but were frozen by half time so we left.

What Language is That...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:46:00 +0000

So, as everyone does, I've really been questioning my purpose lately. I know that being a mom is part of my purpose. And hopefully teaching will be a part of it too. But I just have this feeling that there is something more.

I am in the middle of reading Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan. It is five fictional stories about some of the horrific experiences African children are forced to endure. We hear about these stories, we see these stories on t.v. but how often does it really sink in? I realized that I have allowed myself to become way too complacent. Thankfully, but unfortunately, because of our freedoms it is easy to slip into unconsciousness while going about our day-to-day lives.

Yesterday my parents (two of the koolest kats I know) arrived home from Africa. They (mainly my dad) travel all over the world simply to love on people and to tell them about God's love for them. Since I don't get to go I live vicariously through their experiences :) They told us how precious the people were there. And how grateful many of them were just to know someone cared. One thing I've learned is that no matter where you are in the world, everyone wants to feel needed. Everyone speaks the universal language of love.

I want my eyes and my childrens' eyes to be opened inside of, and beyond these four "walls" of Lubbock, TX. My prayer is that our hearts would break for the things that break His.

Let us see through Your eyes and love the way You love!

Hopefully pics of their trip to come.

My Superhero...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:06:00 +0000

I LOVE HIM!

Shamr♣ck...

noreply@blogger.com (mandal) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:42:00 +0000

I love small towns for the same reason I can't stay in one for more than a couple of days. Minutes can feel like hours, and days like weeks. But Shamrock holds a special place in my heart. And everytime I go, it's like going back in time. NOTHING ever changes. It's comforting yet a little disturbing at the same time. Even the can of Lysol in Mema's bathroom is...oh...10 plus years. It has become a permament fixture. Oh my!

Shamrock is where my mom's side of the family celebrated Christmas every year. It's where I spent a week almost every summer growing up. It's where my grandparents raised their family. Now when I go, there is a sad emptiness about it. A lot of the old shops I used to love are long gone. So many of Mema and Jack's friends are gone. Jack is gone too.

We were hoping to make it to a high school football game, but they had the week off. I would love to see life there from a young person's perspective. I wonder if they still hang out in the DQ parking lot or race the drag! Everyone knows everything about everybody...that's for sure!

So we wanted to make one last trip before Mema moved to Lubbock. Connor had never been, and the girls were just babies the last time we were there. It was a nice, short trip. We got to visit the old farms and just hang out with Mema. The drive was even fun. We took the back roads...it was much prettier that way.

Jack's farm out west

Land at Kelton

Jack's grave in Kelton

In front of Mema's house

Playing

Spinning in Jack's old chair