Please Go Away!

A nasty, lingering stomach virus has entered my sweet boy's little body! We are now on Day #8 of diarrhea and vomiting in the middle of the night. Ugh! I finally took him to see the doctor yesterday, and he said that we might have another 6 days of this yucky stuff! J has never had a stomach virus before, so the doctor said the first one is usually the worst in terms of duration. I think I have washed 10+ loads of laundry just for J over the past 8 days! Thankfully, Dave and I have not caught it, and we are just praying that we don't get it. :(

Does Someone Know Something that I Don't Know???

I received this box in the mail today! Maybe it is a hint that J needs a brother or sister. I'll tell Dave.

Who Needs Toys???

Coffee for Anyone???

Last night, I was busily getting dinner prepared while Dave was at the gym and trying to get ready for a Mom's Night Out. J was running around and playing with little things in the kitchen. I saw him at the pantry with our Dunkin' Donuts bag of coffee in his hand, and I let him hold it since the bag was still sealed. I continued cutting up his chicken until I realized he had placed several items on the counter in front of the coffee pot: coffee filters, the bag of coffee, and a tablespoon. Meanwhile, he was sliding a chair across the kitchen floor to the counter. You guessed it...our toddler knows how to make coffee. At first, I was very impressed that he knew how to do this since he has only helped me make coffee a handful of times (maybe 5 or 6), but I was also a little embarrassed that he somewhat knows how to make coffee at TWO! ;)


What, Mommy???


Where are the directions?

Weekend Recap

We spent Saturday morning touring Dave's new office building. His company is moving to a different location in the city at the end of the year. Dave is excited about this new location as it will be closer to home, more restaurants nearby, etc. It is also an even nicer building than he is in now with a really good view.








Then on Saturday night we went to a concert in the park which was part of a neighborhood Spring Fling. I could only get one pic...I guess we were talking too much. J loved listening to the band.



On Sunday, Dave and I served in the two year old room (toddlers who are a year older than J) at church. It was such a neat experience, and all of the children were so sweet. A few of the little boys really liked Dave. We have decided to help out in this area once every month. At this church, there are multiple worship services and two Sunday School hours, so every hour in the nursery is Sunday School. This means that there is a lesson, story, songs,craft, snack, and playtime every hour; otherwise, some children would miss out on those opportunities since some parents are at worship while others are in Sunday School. At one point, all of the 2-5 year olds meet together for a few praise songs, short story, and lots of repetition for the little ones. I was impressed with how organized it all was and that even the very youngest children repeated, "God loves EVERYONE"! I can't wait for J to be a part of this, but even now he participates in a lesson and craft. I love it that this church recognizes that very young children can learn about God's love & creation.

We're Ready for a Saturday Morning Swim

Uh-Oh Froggy

Anyone who knows J well knows his beloved Froggy and also notices something terribly wrong with the picture above. That's right, Froggy should be attached to the blanket! Sweet Froggy was a gift to J when he was a tiny baby from his Uncle Eddie and Aunt Lyn; he became really attached to him around 8 months. I have to admit that Froggy has been a little loose for awhile, but I didn't realize he was THAT loose! Poor Froggy has actually already been tightened up once in his lifetime by my mom months ago; I guess you could say he gets handled a lot! Last night, somewhere between J going from Daddy's arms to Mommy's arms with Froggy, he became detached from the blanket. I heard Dave say "uh-oh", but somehow he hid the detached Froggy from J. We quickly put it away, and J had the blanket curled up in a way that he didn't even notice. It helped that he was super tired and went right to sleep. Now I am on a mission to find someone to attach Froggy to the blanket! I don't even own a needle and thread so the search is on...

Gorgeous Day

Wow, we can't believe how beautiful it is outside today! I wonder if it is too early to put up the winter clothes! :) We spent the morning at the park with a couple of friends from MOPS, and then we had lunch together. The park was full of kids! I think school is out today, so there were a few extras. There were some other mommy groups meeting at the park today, and they let us know about some more ways that we can get involved with other moms/tots in the area. I am so excited that God has brought us to an area that is very family-oriented with tons of other stay-at-home moms.

I hope to have some fun pics from the weekend...there are some spring festivals going on that we hope to get to since the weather is going to be gorgeous!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yes, people, EVERYTHING was green at the Hilton house today! Our day started with J and me making a special recipe...Leprechaun style.


I need a lot of milk!



Have you guessed what it is, yet??? We actually made GREEN pudding for school tomorrow...a recipe Mommy used on St. Patrick's Day when she was teaching to help students use their measurement skills! Now, J is learning the skill of pouring and stirring! I chuckled at one point, because he sat down to finish stirring; he didn't want to stop, but needed to rest! :)




The Finished Product-Green Pudding

Now, I made a special drink for J! (Hint: Daddy had some in a cup with a few Oreo cookies after dinner.)

Mommy has lost her mind...everything in my world is green today!?!? I wonder why she put my drink in this clear cup I used when I was a baby.


YUMMY...I guess she really likes green! :)

A Masterpiece

J's painting from school...a budding artist already

Monday Morning Fun

Singing in the Rain

We have known for awhile now that our boy loves the water, but he loves something else...music! I think this is pretty common for toddlers, but a few of my friends from storytime and now his teachers have suggested that I find a little music program for him since they can see how much he loves it. His teachers say he wants to have music time even before it is time to start music! ;) He absolutely loves it when they do have their circle time with music; he especially loves to do the motions to songs! Even his Sunday night baby-sitter at church says J wants the music playing the whole time he is playing! I am thankful that all of his caregivers appreciate & notice J's interests!

I took him to Kindermusik when he was around 9 mos., and we loved it. I just haven't found the time for it here. So, I am really trying to decide if I can make time or just try to sing and dance more with him at home. Here are a few pics of him playing and dancing in the rain...water and movement...two of his favorite things!

Long time, No Post

I have been wanting to post something since Friday, and we have just been too busy (and mostly tired) for me to sit down at the computer to type! So, let's recap last week...starting with the little guy.

J had a little cold, so I kept him home from school on Tuesday. When we returned, he was so happy to see his friends and teachers. One of his teachers gave him a huge hug to welcome him back! I have to share this precious conversation that I heard between two of J's buddies from school and their teacher. Little Boy 1: "J was sick. We prayed for him!" J's Teacher: "You're right! We did pray for J during circle time!" Little Boy #2: Now J is all better!" J's Teacher: "I think they missed you, J!"

Speaking of our toddler...he is throwing a few new punches (not literally) at us lately! Maybe I should say, he is becoming a little bolder! For one (and I will just name one for now), he has decided that running from us is a funny thing to do (i.e. when my hands are full at Chic-fil-A and the whole restaurant is watching). Oh, let me give him credit-he doesn't do this in parking lots; however, he all of a sudden doesn't prefer holding our hand...not a choice we give him. Really, until now, he has always been good about sticking close by without us telling him. It seems like over the past week we have really had to address this issue with him quite a bit. It is not only disobedient, but also a real safety issue. Not sure that this issue is blogworthy, but maybe you can relate to it if you're a mommy! They make those leashes for a reason, but I refuse to use one. Don't get me wrong, we believe J is a pretty good boy as we notice he's very smart, super sweet, happy, a fantastic eater & sleeper, etc., but he definitely has a hint of strong-will and independence that shows its face at times. We know that in the future, these characteristics could really pay off in hopes that he will one day stand up for what he believes and will ultimately be somewhat independent of us. For now, we just try to remember that all of these lessons are just part of him learning and growing.

Our weekend was filled with shopping at the outlet mall yesterday (where we ran into our friends, the Burtons), dinner at a Japanese steakhouse with the Lee family (marked with J running his fingers over the specials written on the chalkboard), church this morning, Bible Study tonight, grocery shopping this afternoon, and bowling for Dave and our friend, Jeff, last night. Our weekends are so much fun that it is always hard to let Dave go back to work on Monday morning. :(


A new silly pose

A Little Vitamin D

The weather is so beautiful today! We had a busy weekend so I had lots of things planned to do in the house today; however, when I realized how warm it was this morning, I had to take J outside to play. He finally got to play with some of his outside toys here at home, took a wagon ride, and ended up at the playground in our neighborhood. It's days like today that make me so happy that I am at home with him! As he is getting older (and somewhat when he was younger), we are making so many memories together. When I was teaching, I can remember on the first warm days as spring was approaching, I would look over my lesson plans to find at least one lesson (or even a book to read) that could be taught outside, because the children and I were so eager to enjoy the weather. I felt that today with J after such a cold winter!







We also want to give a huge Happy Birthday to our nephew and cousin who is celebrating his 14th birthday today! It seems like just yesterday I was taking him to the library and the fire station or hurrying home from college to be able to take him to feed the ducks before dark! Wow, I cannot believe he is 14!! Here are a couple of pics from our house this weekend as we celebrated his birthday.

TGIF

Our Friday has been GREAT with a playdate this morning, lunch with our best buddy, and dinner together as a family tonight! :)



We couldn't decide which picture to post. So, there you have it...BOTH!

Buddies

These two little guys had a lot of fun together today! I had both of them for a few hours this afternoon, and they were really good for me. It is hilarious to see them laugh with each other.


Right before the truck knocked over the tower....BOOM...Yay (clap, clap)...again, again


Ok, things are getting a little chaotic now, but only long enough for me to get a pic :)


Aww, they're getting tired. Awesome.

More Snow!

He liked the snow for about....5 seconds!
J decided that helping me was way more fun! He is actually a really good helper!!

Monday Morning Fun

I tried playing a little t-ball with J this morning. Take a look at his swing. Outstanding. I think we may need some help before he's three and can play on a team. :)