Our Latest Adventures...

Dave and I have stayed so busy since we moved into our new home (which we are loving)! Last weekend was filled with a much needed trip to Lowe's, yard work, a couple's shower for my friend, Holly, and her fiancee, Cody, church, a dinner with friends, and a date night to celebrate our anniversary. My sister, Steph, offered to keep J for us on Friday night, and to make things even better, she gave us her gift card to use at this amazing restaurant that we have been really wanting to try. Just as we imagined, the meal was FANTASTIC, and J was quite happy having a break from Mommy and Daddy. Steph said they had a lot of fun playing, dancing, going on a wagon ride, etc.

Check out J mowing the lawn with Daddy. It didn't take long for J to see his Daddy out of the window and the rest is in the pics...




J had a gift card from Toys R Us that we had been holding onto since Christmas! Take a look at what he got with it...thanks Grandpa and Grammie! :)

Happy Anniversary

Well, it was this day 5 years ago that Dave and I got married! We look back on that day with such sweet memories for many reasons. It has been the only time in our life when we have had our entire family and all of our friends at the same place at the same time!! We are so grateful for what the Lord has blessed us with as a couple and for the way that he has used each of us to meet the other's needs. Both of us believe that being married is a gift and a gift that we prayed to have for many years. ;) We try not to ever take our relationship for granted as we know that are a lot of things in society that try to challenge that sacred relationship. We constantly pray for another and know that God joined us together & created this love between us. Happy Anniversary!

Our Rehearsal Dinner-June 24, 2005

Our First Dance-June 25, 2005

A Somewhat Late Father's Day Post :)

I am really behind in my Father's Day post! We were able to spend time with Dave's dad at Disney a couple of weeks ago and then with my dad last weekend. Now that Dave is a daddy, he constantly tries to think of how his dad or my dad would handle certain situations. One day, I thought to myself what an honor it is to have your child, son or daughter, respect your opinion & choices so much that he or she desires to be like you!




In our family of three, we are especially thankful for the daddy in our house. Dave, you are truly an awesome daddy to J! We appreciate the way you work so hard and still find the energy to take care of us at home. You have allowed God to provide for us through you and always remember to give Him the praise. I am most thankful for your sincere heart and that you are true to all those around you!

Joys of Having a Monkey...I Mean a Boy!

Our Boy

So happy



So silly


So stinkin' cute :)

Disney

Dave and I are very blessed that we are able to take two vacations this summer at very little cost to us....notice I say BLESSED. We went to Disney last week with the Hilton side of the family and will go to the beach in August with the Huston side of the family.

This was J's third trip to Disney...the first one was at 6 mos, then at 18 mos., and this year at 30 mos. Each year has been totally different since this is a time in his life when he is changing so much! We weren't sure what to expect from him since I had talked to four other moms who took their 2 year old to Disney, and they didn't quite describe it as the happiest place on earth...lol! Well, we are happy to report that J did great...much better than we expected. Our biggest battle was transitioning in and out of the stroller. He took in every detail, was adaptable, waited in lines (no more than 20 min.)like a champ, wasn't scared of the rides or characters, traveled REALLY well (only one DVD but lots of books,a Leap Frog Letter Factory, Magnadoodle, etc.)and could appreciate even the small things like...an elevator! Ha! We are pretty sure his favorite ride was Peter Pan as he felt like he was flying and the classic carousel was a hit. He also experienced Dumbo, It's a Small World, The Barnstormer (his very first roller coaster), Playhouse Disney Show, Finding Nemo, Winnie the Pooh...just to name a few! He loved getting to check out Mickey's house and stopping by to meet him! As always, he loved the pools at the Polynesian Resort and Typhoon Lagoon. I didn't get a pic, but J went on his first water slide!

The trip was a lot about our little guy, but Dave and I did get to spend one dinner away for a date night. We ate at California Grill, a restaurant at the top of the Contemporary Resort. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a delicious meal and talk without any interruptions. ;)



Here a few pics from our trip!














Here is one (or a couple) from each year before.


6 mos. old


18 mos. old

Our Little TV Junkie

He really isn't a tv junkie, but I found the picture blogworthy! He is such a big boy! :)

Our Big Move

This time last year, our little family made a move to a new city. We decided to rent a house to give us an opportunity to become familiar with the area. We weren't sure if renting was truly the best idea, but we felt like it was best. After all, it took us 8 mos. to sell our old home, and we didn't want to go through that again. It turned out that we fell in love with the neighborhood that we were renting in, and a house became available that fit us perfectly in all areas. We look back on it and know that once again God's perfect plan wasn't on our timing but His. This house wasn't available last year nor was any other house that we just LOVED. We plan on staying in this house for many years!

We are settled in for the most part. My parents took J to their house last weekend, and my middle sister came to help us move/unpack. We worked hard to get things done! Let me say that getting closed on the house was not so easy...three different dates were set, and we finally closed on Wednesday. We were almost left homeless as our old house was being rented beginning Tuesday. Thankfully, we had our agent fighting for us a place to live and a final closing date. Not to mention, Dave and I were having to get pretty assertive with the bank, too, as they seemed to have some internal problems going on within the bank. On a truly brighter note, we were able to move in on Saturday as planned, but the bank had to pay the rent for the five days until closing. The sellers left the house in excellent condition and definitely well-maintained the home.

All three of us are very happy here! Most of all, we are so thankful that God has once again provided for us.


J watching the garbage collectors take away all of our boxes

Our happy helper

2.5 Well-Check

We took J in for his 2.5 well check last Monday, and here are his current stats:

weight: 35 pounds (94th percentile)
height: 37.5 inches (80th percentile)
head width: 20 (80th percentile)

So, basically we have a big boy who is very proportional. At age 2, his stats were:

weight: 31.6 pounds (80th percentile)
height: 35 in. (85th percentile)

His pediatrician was pleased with his growth especially since he lost a little weight in April when he was diagnosed with acid reflux. Some of J's favorite foods at this point are:
yogurt, applesauce, pb sandwiches, chicken, cheese, seafood, eggs, oatmeal, and grits. Of course, he loves snacks like: goldfish, yogurt melts, etc.

We just transitioned him to a toddler bed, so I think our last transition is to get him out of diapers. I think he will officially be a big boy at that point. :(

Our First "School" Year

Our last two weeks have been CRAZY!! J finished up his last days of MMO with Miss Catherine and Miss Dawn. The good news is that Miss Dawn will be his teacher again next year, AND he is going to MMO during June and July...different teachers, though. We had a wonderful year at MMO! J learned so much and was truly loved by the people there. Miss Catherine is going to be missed greatly by the Hiltons! I don't think I have ever met a teacher who is more kind, patient, and loving than her. Miss Catherine has such a sweet spirit about her. She has left us with such precious memories of J's first year of "school". Dave and I have come to realize the priceless gift that we are given as a parent when someone invests their time, energy, and love into our child. We are praying for many more great years of "school"!! :)