The Hill Family: 2011

Friday, September 9, 2011

Life with Three.

I may not have to even write anything here because obviously life with 3 children means time to blog is non-existent. But here I am 5 months into Kendall's life and I actually have a free moment. That is pretty much the story around here these days. Having 3 kids totally ROCKS, so don't get me wrong. It just keeps me on my toes. And I am almost certain that the kids have a little powwow at times to plan a 3 way attack where everyone melts down or goes to the bathroom at the same time (remember I still have two in diapers)! So far I have survived these conspiracies though...these munchkins have met their match!

So this summer has been extremely busy for B at work, meaning that he did not take a vacation with us. Kendall and I went to Colorado for a week with my fam while the other two kids stayed with Grandmommie in Midland. Everyone had a blast, but I did feel bad getting a break from the heat while B was back here in SA. Let's see what else...Vacation Bible School (pandamania was pretty sweet), short visit to camp, a few days with Rita and little Max, and a couple trips to Austin. That about sums it up. Of course there was a lot of swimming mixed into all of that.

Jackson turned 4 last month and we had a "Cars" party for him. He is getting so big it is scary sometimes. He is doing preschool with me as well as going to a 2 day program at a church here. Brandon is teaching him to write his letters at the moment, and all I can say is that I had no idea my husband was such a good teacher.
Charlotte is going 1 day a week to the same program and tagging along with her brother everywhere else. She has transformed from a baby to a little lady seemingly overnight. Nobody laughs quite like Char. Or makes other people laugh for that matter...she is quite hilarious and witty like her Daddy.
Kendall Wynn is amazing. She sleeps well, eats well, puts up with her brother and sister with the utmost patience, and pretty much never cries. I did not in any way deserve a baby like her, but I am loving her! This trio makes mothering enjoyable as well as an adventure.

B turned 30 a few weeks ago and I turned 29. Hard to believe how quick the years are ticking by. I am trying to soak up each day now because these kids are growing fast and I don't want to miss a thing.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Newborn Chronicles

Well, they say that the third time is a charm. And I have to admit that so far that seems true. Don't get me wrong, we are still facing the typical newborn dose of sleep deprivation, erratic schedule, and general lack of routine, but somehow I have been much calmer this go around. It helps to be in a house that has plenty of room for all 5 of us, and I think I am generally less anxious about things. Between Jackson and Charlotte, I have seen/experienced much of what babies can throw at their parents.

And little Kendall is already 2 weeks old. A little snap shot into our world since March 26th...

Jackson has been acting up quite a bit. Little man just had his routine, mommy time, and world in general turned upside down. But slowly he is returning to his normal self...thank goodness.

Charlotte adjusted within 2 days. I think she has been so excited to have visitors and most of all more time with Daddy, that she is seeing this older sibling gig to be advantageous after all. :)

B is crazy busy with work but has graciously stayed home several mornings so that I can snag a couple more hours of sleep before tackling all 3 kiddos. Life saver.

Kendall is growing and being adorable. Poor thing has been congested and therefore had some rough nights, but she is so calm overall that I can forgive her for those. :)

And me... I am really soaking up Kendall being tiny while I can, so those quiet early mornings I have with her are precious. Of course unless Jackson hears her crying and comes out to chat it up and ask for candy...crazy boy. I definitly have had a bit of a foggy brain lately though: pouring juice for J and giving it to C, buying seeded grapes when I could have sworn the sign said seedless, and walking into rooms quite a lot only to forget what I was doing. Alas. How is having 3 kids you ask? Well, so far so good, but it is a little harder for me to get the basics done, i.e. eat, sleep, stay hydrated. Praise the Lord for all the sweet families that have brought us meals because I am pretty sure we would all be starved if it weren't for them. Either that or living on smoothies, eggs, and PB and J. These munchkins sure keep life interesting, and I sure love them for it.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Kendall Wynn

Kendall Wynn was born March 26th at 1:02am, weighing 8 pounds. So glad she is finally here!

Our biggest baby...8 pounds!

Love at first sight

The Crew

3 generations of ladies

Daddy's girl from day 1

Uncle Stephen, our first visitor

"Mommy, your belly is smaller" :)

First meeting

Cannot wait to get her hands on baby sister

Big brother, you can tell he has done this before

Charlotte watched for a while

Our new family of 5!

Daddy and his babies

And the feet obsession begins

Charlotte's turn to hold her

Protective older brother

sweet face

Love those feet

Hello Kendall Wynn

So precious

Our sweet Kendall Wynn is finally here!
Here is the labor/delivery story if you are interested...I had contractions for most of the week, and was wondering when things were going to really kick into gear as we passed my due date on the 23rd. Jackson and Charlotte were both 3 days early, so this was a new experience for me. Uncle Stephen drove in from College Station on Friday and about an hour after he arrived to watch the kids, I started legit contractions. We went into the hospital about 2 hours later and were checked into my room by 8pm. I was 4cm when we got there and 2 1/2 hours later, I was 5cm. The midwife broke my water at 10:45pm and Kendall was born 2 hours later! It was a very intense two hours, but just like with Charlotte, I recovered quickly. As soon as she was born, I started crying and all I could say was "I love you" over and over. And I do. She is a sweet baby girl...very calm and yet alert. We just think she is perfect. :)

So, life at home so far...We got home on Sunday evening, and the kids were beyond excited. Charlotte initially was wanting me to hold her and seemed upset about this major change in her world. But within a couple days, she and Jackson settled in (as much as they can) and have realized that they will not be slighted in the love department with the arrival of Kendall. Brandon has stepped up big time with Jacks and Chars, as well as with cleaning, cooking, and grocery shopping. He has this place running like a well-oiled machine and has continued to work on top of that. Such a stud. I am trying to ease back into mothering all three kiddos, although sleep deprivation is the name of my game at the moment. My cup of coffee gets me through the morning, a short nap gets me through the afternoon, and a lot of prayer gets me through the nights. :) But I know Kendall will only be tiny for a short time, so I am soaking it up. It is amazing how relaxed I feel with her. I think after having done this a couple times and being in a relatively peaceful stage of life helps though.
As for the other kiddos...Jackson has been kinda crazy since his routine is way off and we have visitors in and out a lot. He has been begging me to go to school, so I am going today to sign him up for next year. I think we will start with 2 days a week for him and 1 day a week for Charlotte and see how that goes. The two of them just need some activity and they will be very happy. Charlotte has turned a corner in the last few weeks and is asking lots of questions and in general becoming quite inquisitive. She speaks very well, but doesn't just constantly talk like Jackson did. It is always funny to hear her pronounce something perfectly out of the blue. I think she will take after Brandon in that way...slow to speak and extremely inquisitive/observant. Well, better wrap this up. Having 3 kids will be an adventure, but so far I love it.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Charlotte's 2nd birthday and random pics

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Birthday Girl on her new bike

Playing with her balloons

Reading with Emmy

Getting ready for the party!

Chowing down

Cooper eating his favorite...blueberries!

Looking for Easter Eggs...a little practice round.

Found one!

Down the slide

Birthday girl with rosy cheeks.

The cake...tres leches! Yummy.

Happy Birthday to Charlotte!

Enjoying her cake

Mom is always taking pictures

Jackson recreated the cake so he could blow out candles. :)

presents

Charlotte and Mommy...cannot believe she is 2!

Random pictures I just found...

he falls asleep everywhere

pumpkin patch from the fall

hilarious face from Jacks

reading with grandmommie

Well, we celebrated Charlotte's 2nd birthday a week early so we wouldn't be trying to party while I am having her baby sister! It was so fun to have family here and she enjoyed all the company. This will be the last year that she has a party all to herself most likely! :) We sure love our little lady with all of her independence and yet sweet demeanor. Cannot imagine our family without her...our little angel. Happy Birthday Char Char!!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Waiting.

I am 39 weeks as of yesterday, and now we are just waiting for our baby girl to arrive. It is always difficult at this point in pregnancy to imagine how much our life will change as soon as she comes. I have once again found a rhythm in our little life with Jackson and Charlotte, and I know we will find a new one with baby #3, but who knows what that will look like. I do feel peaceful this week, knowing that so many things have changed since I had Charlotte. We get to bring a baby home to a house for the first time (that is reason to celebrate)! And Jackson and Charlotte are best friends, so they entertain each other and are very helpful to me. So hopefully this will be a pleasant transition for me.

We had Charlotte's birthday party last weekend (one week early) and she will be 2 on Monday. It has been a quick two years, but I have enjoyed every minute of Chars as a baby. She just seems to have turned into a little girl overnight, talking up a storm and having definite opinions about things. :) We moved her into a toddler bed on Sunday, so for the first time in 3 years, our little travel bed is not being used...at least for 5 months that is. I think once she potty trains, I will not be able to deny how much my little ones are growing up.

So we are soaking up that last few days as a family of four and getting as much sleep as possible! She will be here any day now!!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Solo-parenting

Well as of 7am this morning, B is on reserve duty and I am taking on the kiddos alone. Jackson assured me several times that he will take care of me while daddy is gone. And I am starting to think that simply means he wants to sleep on Brandon's side of the bed at night. Little stinker is always ahead of the game. Honestly, it is not a big change for me to be with the kids all day and take care of the household tasks, but I am telling you that from 5pm on it gets pretty rough. Baths, bedtime, and simply keeping two munchkins with crazy energy under control at the end of the day is INTENSE...especially when I am quite prego and limited in things I can do (like bending down or picking them up). Oh well, they will have to hold out until B comes home to play chase and just deal with what I can offer for now. I think we can manage. It did help that we went to a birthday party at inflatable wonderland today. Talk about wearing everyone out so we can go to bed early. Speaking of which...I am heading that way now. Monday morning here we come!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Gearing up.

Can you believe I am 34 weeks prego? I thought my pregnancy with Charlotte was short because I thought I was 13 weeks and was really 20 weeks at my first appointment, but this one seems to have gone by just as fast. I guess with two little ones running around and life happening, the weeks just move by and all the details of pregnancy become a blur. Alas, here we are with 6 weeks (or less) to go, and once again I am feeling a bit nervous. I was sad just before Charlotte was born because I was so used to my little world where Jackson took regular naps and we spent all our time together. It seemed like a tornado was bearing down on our peaceful existence. And now (as usual) Charlotte is a precious part of that peaceful little world and given her personality, she really never caused much disturbance. But of course I feel some of the same anxiety with number 3 entering the scene so soon because once again we have reached a somewhat (very relative) peaceful routine where both kids sleep, eat what we eat, and play together well. I don't think I will ever rid myself of the desire to have my life be predictable and manageable, but God sure likes to shake things up for our little family to remind me that He is faithful and will provide what I need (energy, patience, sanity...you name it). This brings me to another topic that has been on my mind lately: planning.

If I am honest with myself, I have to admit that I am a planner at heart. But ever since my dad died, I just don't have the same desire to plan things out that I once did. That feeling of the rug being pulled out from under your world does something to you...changes you really. Suddenly it is exhausting to try to think through and plan everything which in my case has been a good thing because I would be a very frustrated individual if I depended too much on my plans for my life, family, etc. When people ask me what our plan is for kids, vacations, or really anything, I find myself sincerely saying that I don't have one because I don't. I am sure with the way our first 4 years of marriage have gone, you would never guess that this is the case. :)

Ok, now onto the rest of this crazy crew. Brandon has a two week reserve duty coming up and although it will be hard to take on the munchkins by myself, I am grateful that he can go before I have the baby rather than after. At least I can still contain the kids with my two hands instead of being completely outnumbered. The kids will miss him though, of that I can be sure. Their favorite game at the moment is tag with Daddy (where he is perpetually "it" of course). I just like to watch from the couch because quite frankly nothing makes me laugh more than Charlotte running at full speed...adorable. She is no longer the quiet little lady that she once was. She plays by herself really well, but she lets her opinion be known and can defend herself from Jackson as if she was his age. He of course is 100% in older brother mode...very protective, trying to teach her about everything, and teasing her when he can. But it warms my heart to see how much they love each other...I will soak that up while it lasts because it is oh so sweet.

I may start blogging what Jackson says to me more regularly as well because a) he is a talker and b) he has the most hilarious take on life and things around him. Sometimes I think I am talking to a teenager in a 3 year old body. Our latest discussion was about where the baby will sleep when she is born. Jackson goes to sleep in his room every night but Brandon has a little pallet set up in our room "just in case J gets scared" and he ends up there every morning around 5 or 6am. Now I told him that he will have to stay in his room when the baby arrives because I will be up and down with her and cannot be having the whole family sleeping in our room. His suggestion? Well, he thinks the baby should sleep on the pallet with him and that I can simply take her into the other room to feed her during the night and promptly return her to his pallet when I am done. Right, Jackson...that is going to happen. His next option was for her to sleep in the closet. Nice. Anything to ensure he doesn't lose his pallet privileges. When I have these discussions with him, all I can think about is how much he is like Brandon. Charlotte just wants to cuddle and read books...much more like me. Wonder what #3 will be like??