The Hill's Country

Some Updates and Some Throwbacks

2016-02-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

Clearly, I've left this bog vacant for quite a while... sorry to my two fans! But I've found Instagram to be quicker, more mobile AND I can easily have my photos/captions turned into a book via Chatbooks! So... find me @katie_b_hill for more frequent updates.

There are some things Instagram can't do... so I wanted to share some fun "then and now" photos of the boys!

I'm so glad we are able to have a tradition that our boys' first hair cuts are at Disney World! Can you tell which Hill boy is which as they get their first snips (both around 13-15months of age at the time of the photo):

That's Bradley on the left and Brenham on the right!

Since birth, Brenham has always seemed more cautious than our daredevil, Bradley. Here they are as brothers when Brenham was a few days old... and next to that they have similar personalities a year and a half later!

Speaking of their sweet personalities... here is Bradley (3 years) enjoying the carousel and Brenham (1.5 years) not-so-much:

It's been fun watching Bradley grow up on some of the classic Disney rides. Like Dumbo:

(at 13 months, 3 years and 3.5 years)

the carousel:

(3 years and 3.5 years)

and the teacups:

(13 months, 3 years and 3.5 years)

We look forward to making many more memories with these boys... and baby boy #3 starting this May!

6 AND 7 Months with Brenham

2015-06-17T11:51:00.004-07:00

Brenham turned 6, then 7 months before I could blink!

Here are some 6 month shots:

Still a little timid, but shares many more smiles!

At 7 months we have even MORE smiles!

We also have 2 teeth, 12 hours of sleep (with about one interruption) and 1 big milestone- pulling up!

Brenham is officially on the go with masterful crawling. He can crawl across the kitchen to find me (and usually, then, pulls up using my leg to balance). He is incredibly snugly and loves to be with mama all.the.time.

Still a little more unsure than Big Brother, Danger.

Here are some side-by-sides of the Hill Brothers:

My two peas in a pod!

White House Easter Eggs

2015-04-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Each year since Bradley was born, we have ordered a White House Easter Egg from the National Park Foundation. These are the eggs that are hunted on the White House lawn and the sales benefit our national parks. So far, our collection is small (Bradley has three and Brenham has one) but each year, we look forward to adding on!

Brenham wasn't so sure at first.

But Bradley was super excited for the chance to play with the "special eggs".

He told Brenham all about them:

As usual, Brenham hung on every word:

Also, as usual, Bradley wanted to take them away ("MINE") and Brenham was left in the dust:

But pretty soon, they were sharing again!

For the record, the orange one is Bradley's and the green one is Brenham's... just wanted to record that somewhere to hopefully thwart a sibling tiff in a few years...

This is such a fun tradition. I love that it teaches some history/politics, is a memento from each year, and helps our national parks!

Pi Day

2015-04-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

On March 14th, I thought it would be fun to make some pies! Chris thought the idea was great, too! As long as I included apple pie. I wanted blueberry and we both wanted something savory. That is how we ended up with 5 pies on this Pi Day!

My mom came over to teach Bradley and I the correct way to make a pie crust... five times over!

As expected, there was flour... everywhere! Even on Brenham!

And especially on Bradley:

My friend, Lindsay, came over to help with the fillings (and did an amazing job with the crust topping-- especially the lattice on the apple pie!):

Bradley could hardly wait for his pie dinner... and dessert!

It was a long day in the kitchen, but the results were delicious!

Chicken Pot Pie, Apple Pie, (mini) Crawfish Pie, Blueberry Pie and Shepherd's Pie. Whew!

Houston Rodeo

2015-04-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

This was Brenham's first time, but it was time to take Bradley back to the Houston Rodeo!

Inside there a lots of animals and exhibits to entertain and teach young Texans. What was Bradley's favorite? The escalator! We rode it twice.

It was a beautiful day and Bradley enjoyed going through the farming exhibit outside.

Planting tomatoes:

Plowing the fields:

Feeding the chickens:

Pumping some well water:

And milking a cow:

It doesn't get more "country" than that!

For the second year in a row, Bradley got most excited about the hand sanitizing stations:

And cheered the mutton bustin' kids:

Two more years until it's your turn, buddy!

Brenham was pretty unimpressed with everything, but enjoyed the time to snuggle with me in the Bjorn:

That was taken at the pig races... sad news: Swifty the Diving Pig wasn't there!! In related news... we tried fried bacon at lunch. It wasn't nearly as good as it sounds.

But Bradley enjoyed his lunch of sausage on a stick!

I love this kid.

A stop back inside to check out the hatching chickens:

And back home on the tram!

Another fun day at the rodeo!

Chris and I went back a few nights later with friends:

We enjoyed the Wine Garden:

And the concert.

And, just like Bradley, we all enjoyed the escalator:

Yeehaw!

Baptizing Brenham

2015-04-08T08:19:00.003-07:00

On February 15th we had Brenham baptized. It was such a special day!

(Notice Bradley's shoes... poor guy did NOT like them. Thankfully he only had to wear them for a short time.)

We even got a shot from the choir loft:

This (and some great video) was taken by the mom of one of our babysitters (and my former youth choir teacher). I love knowing that our boys have this community!

The Baton Rouge family and all of the Beards were able to attend:

Brenham did a great job. I love knowing that our church family is committed to partnering with Chris and I as we raise our boys and this was a day that celebrates that.

Afterwards, we headed back to the house to let the kids run around!

There was bouncy house chaos:

And a few cousins photos:

The "round one" Hill cousins:

The "round two" Hill cousins:

The Beard cousins:

The oldest and the youngest:

Yep. Try any combination and you're bound to get at least one kid either crying or with his/her fingers in the way or not looking at the camera or looking like they are NOT enjoying the activity. Better get used to it, kids... we won't stop!

We love you, Brenham! We are so thankful for our church and the opportunities it gives us to share God's love for you.

Wrapping up February 2015

2015-04-06T11:44:00.001-07:00

A few photos that are great, but don't warrant a whole post by themselves:

Brenham questioning his footwear for the day.

He's a deep thinker, this Brenham.

An awesome book from Usborne books (let me know if you need the hook-up, I know of a great mom who sells them!). It's awesome for a few reasons. It's a book, it helps with fine motor skills and (let's be honest, this is the best part) it keeps Bradley occupied for a whole 15 minutes!!

Bradley plays "elevator" in our kitchen. He opens the chairs like doors and gets in with his stroller. Then he comes out and says, "we're at Mimi's house!" Wouldn't that be nice?

I acquired a used kids' sized picnic table. Bradley and Chris cleaned it up for me and I painted the top with chalkboard paint. FINALLY a Pinterest win!

Bradley really enjoyed cleaning with the soapy water.

Brenham? Not so much.

Lastly, a father/son combo:

Bradley passed out in the car... so we decided to sit in the parking lot to let him sleep. Next thing I know? Chris has passed out too! We Hills are a wild and crazy bunch!

Brenham's TV Time

2015-04-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

Part two in a series I like to call, "Like brother, like brother!"

Remember when Bradley would watch the washing machine?

Brenham is also a fan!

But, in typical Brenham fashion, he's a little less enthusiastic with his enjoyment:

"Hey mom! Can you bring me some Fanta?"

Bradley loves to join Brenham during tummy time... and even shares some tips:

You're a great teacher, Bradley!

Now please stop poking Brenham in the eye...

Brenham at the Bank

2015-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Following in his brother's footsteps, it was time for Brenham to visit the bank!

He was not nearly as excited as Bradley was when he first visited (I think he was just taking the responsibility more seriously):

But Bradley was happy to be back at the "important building" and I was so proud how well-behaved he was!

After Brenham made his important financial decisions, we took a photo of the two fiscally responsible brothers:

Bradley is wiggling away and Brenham is concerned and uncomfortable. Par for the course in the Hill House!

Zoo Days

2015-03-30T08:28:00.004-07:00

Bradley and Chris love the zoo. When Brenham was born, they went up there almost every day for a month! Here are some pics from two recent trips where Brenham and I tagged along.

The zoo has stations set up all over where kids can press buttons and hear animal noises. Bradley loves these stations!

Except the one that has a bobcat roaring:

That's him running away after pressing it!

Bradley also enjoys crawling through the clear tunnel underneath the fish!

Here's a shot from the inside:

The sea otter exhibit is especially neat. The otter plays with the kids as they come up to the glass!

Bradley gets so excited when the otter "plays" with him!

Lastly, there is an opportunity for the kids to pop up into the mongoose habitat:

The Houston zoo is so well done-- these are just a few of the many exhibits that hold Bradley's attention-- and I'm thankful that we are close enough to pop in anytime to enjoy learning about the animals!

Mardi Gras 2015

2015-03-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

It was a fast, but packed, Mardi Gras trip this year.

But before we get going, we did take a quick family pic. Guess how many pictures it took to get all dozen of us to look at the camera??

Then the kids stayed up late for the parade!

(That's pretty much the only shot where they are all in focus and kind of smiling... whew!)

Chris has many fond memories of parades while he was growing up and he loves sharing them with Bradley. Like the tradition of buying overpriced light-up swords from the street vendor:

And, of course, watching the parade from his dad's shoulders:

Bradley was so excited when the parade started:

And when the Maid's and Queen's floats came down, he exclaimed, "Look!! Angels!!"

It didn't take long for Bradley to collect lots of goodies:

Thanks, in no small part, to Chris' techniques (and Bradley's obvious cuteness):

These cousins have amazing fathers/uncles... I'm so thankful for the good influences that they are:

It's safe to say that Bradley loved it!

I couldn't get a good shot of him because he only wanted to look at the parade!

And you might be wondering where Brenham was?

That's him in the Bjorn... sleeping on mama the whole time!

The next morning Bradley woke up and saw his bag of beads in the corner of the hotel room. He exclaimed, "Look!! Treasures!!" and happily played with them for quite some time. He still refers to any Mardi Gras beads as his "treasures".

The next morning we took Bradley to do something every child should:

Roll down the hill!

The problem was, he didn't know how!

A quick lesson from Chris and Bradley was giggling and rolling and climbing for the next half hour!

(Listening to those giggles will turn around even the worst of days!

After some breakfast, a day parade and a looooooong bath in the large hotel room bathtub (he was doing laps, it was hilarious), I left the boys with a sitter and enjoyed watching Chris in his parade. Then we both enjoyed the ball.

It's always good to get out every once in a while, right??

Would you believe this is Bradley's THIRD Mardi Gras? Let's take a stroll down memory lane:
Year one (he was 6 months old).
Year two (he was 18 months old).

Excited to see Bradley and Brenham continue to enjoy this family tradition!

Five Months with Brenham

2015-03-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

Brenham is 5 months old!

Despite the occasion giggle (or belly laugh), he's still pretty serious:

And downright moody at times!

He's rolling over (and over and over... that seems to be his preferred method of traveling across the kitchen floor) and will sit with assistance.

As you can see, Big Brother still loves to be with Brenham, but sometimes his play is just a little rough.

Here's a shot of Brenham:

Immediately after this shot, I turned the camera toward Bradley:

Which I think sums up both of their personalities pretty well!

Brenham also "talks" a ton! Lots of coos and babbles from this guy!

He's not sleeping well at all. But I'm hoping by the next monthly report we'll have that all worked out.

Brenham we love you and every little smile we can get!

I especially love our snuggles... even though at times it feels like you won't ever let me go!

I know it won't be long until you're wiggling out of my arms like your Big Brother!

Here are the two Hill Boys at 5 mo:

You can see our gentle giant, Brenham, is definitely gaining on Bradley at that age!

Brothers Playing

2015-03-23T08:43:00.002-07:00

Bradley loves to play with his little brother!!

And Brenham loves it too.

So far Bradley's *pretty* good about "sharing" his old toys with Brenham. He loves to show them how they work!

I hope these boys grow up to always be great friends!

January Randoms

2015-03-02T09:38:00.001-08:00

Here are some highlights from January-- there are many... but none were worthy of their own blog post!

Brenham is a smiler!! Lots of sweet photos of this guy looking happy and oh-so-adorable!

Lots.

Builder Bradley. He likes to build towers, houses and ice cream cones. Sometimes he creates them entirely, other times he's the architect telling Daddy what to build!

We're becoming somewhat regulars at BB's. Here Chris and Bradley are coloring (Bradley asks Chris to draw him owls.)

Brenham watches on as Big Brother dances around in a backwards cap, sweater and no pants. Just a typical afternoon!

Rocking the goggles at a science-themed playdate.

A "selfie" attempt on a warm January afternoon in the backyard playing on the...

Bouncy house! Pretty much if its not raining, we're playing on the bouncy house!

Cheering on the Houston Marathon runners.

Chris keeping him off of the course!

How Brenham chills most of the time we're not at home!

The "box toy" is a hit!

Bradley sharing all of his stuffed animals with a "not impressed" Brenham.

Soccer lessons with Bradley's BFF are tooootally paying off (this is in the middle of practice).

More fun with cones at our house (notice the bouncy house).

Celebrating a dear friend's wedding on the last day of January. This was the first time in over a year that I was not pregnant and baby free! I might have danced so much my shoes fell apart. It was a grand time!!

That wraps up January with at the Hill's Country!

Brenham- 4 months!

2015-02-20T09:33:00.001-08:00

Brenham is 4 months old!

Our Mr. Serious smiles! We even get an occasional giggle!!

But he's still pretty choosey with them. More often than not he's observing... everything...

And he's also found his thumb.

He's been called our Zen baby- and that's a great way to describe him!

A constant thinker...

Brenham was 14lbs at his 4 month appointment. He usually sleeps from 7pm-2am, then again from 2:30am-6:30am. So I can't complain! However... that's only if he sleeps in his swing. Little guy does NOT like his bassinet and will only give me about 45mins if I force it.

He can roll over and likes to sit in the Bumbo. Big Brother likes that too. Bradley will bring Brenham his toys when he's in the Bumbo and also sings to him.

Brenham braces himself for Bradley's "hugs".

Brenham calms down almost immediately when I sing... wait for it... New Kid's On the Block's "The Right Stuff". I don't even know why that song came to me one morning, but it instantly stops his crying, so now it's making a comeback at the Hill House!

This is the first month where I see the two brothers looking different:

Brenham's little personality is starting to show and he has brought such joy to our house!

Goodnight Moon, Continued

2015-02-13T08:13:00.002-08:00

Continuing our week of "directed play" featuring the book, Goodnight Moon:

I made a wheel that shows various items that are circles. Bradley was able to pick out the items and place them on the wheel (I printed on sticky paper). He couldn't really turn the wheel very successfully, though, so all in all it was a lot of prep work for about 5 minutes of activity.

I printed off some coloring pages of the nursery rhyme that features "the cow jumped over the moon":

(We also read some nursery rhyme books as well as the creation story of God making the sun and the moon in our Jesus Story Book Bible.)

I cut out a bunch of "mittens" in three different colors and let Bradley play with them:

Then I helped him sort them into color groups:

Bradley really enjoyed using the dot stamper to fill in the "M is for Moon" page:

And matching the different sized circles:

On the last day I thought I'd see if he would be interested in tracing the shapes:

It held his attention for a short while, but he quickly wanted to trace his hand several times!

All in all it was a fun week! It didn't take a lot of prep and it made our afternoons much more smooth. I think our next book will be We're Going on a Bear Hunt or Jesse Bear, what will you wear? Post and ideas you have in the comments!

Mini Mommy School

2015-02-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

In an effort to stave off afternoon boredom, I planned a week of fun activities for Bradley and I. A got the idea from a book called, Before Five in a Row which suggests that you read a book five days in a row- adding on various activities each day.

This week we did Goodnight Moon. Here's part of our first day.

We made "Red Balloons". Here's Bradley, mixing the flour and water:

I added in red coloring and we dipped cotton balls into the mixture:

(You'll also notice I got smart and took off his shirt!)

We started dipping with the clothes pins, then moved to just using hands:

Then we washed hands while the covered cotton balls baked in the oven.

This might have been Bradley favorite part!

The result was about two dozen hard "red balloons" that crunched when stepped on!

I thought Bradley would love stomping on them, but instead he wanted to dissect them:

Taste them:

And listen to the crunch:

All in all, I think he really liked it!

And I learned that the process is MUCH more fun for toddlers than the "goal". AND I learned to be flexible and let him decide what to change/how long to spend on each thing. (We spent 15 minutes making the "red balloons" and 25 minutes "washing hands"!) All in all a good first afternoon!

Bouncy Houses and Hibachi Grills

2015-02-02T08:31:00.002-08:00

We ended our Christmas week in Baton Rouge with a trip to an indoor bouncy house park and a meal at the hibachi grill!

Lucy and Bradley LOVED the bouncy houses. Lucy was a little timid at first, but she warmed up after a few slides with mama!

Bradley, on the other hand, ran to the first slide he could find!

Then he ran to the BIGGEST slide he could find:

He climbed up that two story ladder with ease and fearlessly slid down:

That kid.

Later that evening we took the whole clan to a hibachi grill. Best.Idea.Ever.

The kids LOVED the show!

And did great with the chopsticks!

Yes. This was a "win" with the toddlers and adults alike!

And a great way to end a wonderful, family-filled week!

*After naps, Bradley came out and asked to wear the red bow tie. He proudly wore it the rest of the day and night! What a dapper fellow.

Italian Dinner

2015-01-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Our Hill Family Christmas Festivities continued with theme dinner night! This year was Italian and it was delicious! Bradley and Brenham dressed as two famous Italian brothers:

Mario and Luigi!

Bradley didn't want to take off his mustache... even at the table!

And he helped Brenham adjust his hat just right:

Buon Natale!

After Party

2015-01-23T12:26:00.002-08:00

After Lucy's party (and naps!) we had an after-party! We planned our trip to the beach for this summer (which is why you see Bradley changed in his Hawaiian shirt) and opened packages.

The kids LOVED the box! Uncle Drew and Uncle Bobby helped them transform that box into a boat that ran away from snakes, took in water and a whole bunch of other things!

The kids LOVED it- all I heard were giggles and squeals from the other room!

Later that evening, the dads put up a tent in the living room and had a "camp out". They watched the movie Brave and Bradley has been asking to watch it again ever since!

Once the movie was over they turned off all the lights and went to bed.

Just kidding! They stayed up protesting the "bedtime rule" until 10pm. THEN they passed out. (And by "they" I mostly mean Bradley... the girls were much more compliant.) Here's hoping the next cousin's campout goes a little more smoothly!

Lucy's 3rd Birthday

2015-01-22T07:39:00.001-08:00

While we were in Baton Rouge over Christmas break, our niece Lucy turned three!!

Her birthday theme was "Tutus and Ties" and all of the cousins dressed for the occasion:

The Hill Brothers rocked their bowties:

And here's a shot of Laura and Maria in their glasses and tutus!

The birthday girl with her dad:

And Laura with Bradley:

And Little Lucy (can we still call her little?!) with her THREE year old birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Brenham: 3 months

2015-01-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Brenham is three months old!

And, yes, he's still our more serious baby!

However... once in a while he'll think about smiling...

And then, if you're lucky... he'll share a smile!

He still rocks his signature look, "concerned and a little uncomfortable":

But we see glimpses of a laid-back attitude, too:

Brenham still eats well, sleeps fairly well (wakes up once to eat and about 5 times to "ask" for a pacifier). He naps during the day, but when he's awake he much prefers to be held. Much prefers. (And doesn't mind demanding that it happen!)

Big Brother Bradley is still enamored with his Little Brother Brenham... but I'm not too sure how Brenham feels about his brother at this point:

I'm sure they will be the very best of friends... once Bradley stops poking Brenham in the eye. Every.Single.Day.

We love having Brenham in our family and love watching him grow each week!

And now a pop quiz:

Which Hill boy is which?

Papa P's New Car

2015-01-19T10:05:00.001-08:00

Alternative title: a very expensive play pen.

Papa P got a new car:

And if you look close... who is in the driver's seat?

Bradley! And Lucy is riding shotgun!

If you look close, you can see a happy Papa P watching two of his grandchildren push every.single.button in his new car:

Yep- Bradley turned on (then up)(then waaay up) the radio- Born to Ride was the song (you can't make this up), then he tried to chat with the onstar people (oops) and honked the horn quite a few times.

The kids were occupied for almost an hour!

So sure, you could buy a pack-n-play... but a blue corvette is a whole lot more fun!

Christmas Dinner

2015-01-16T10:46:00.001-08:00

We spent Christmas dinner at the Hunsuckers in Baton Rouge. I've been enjoying their Christmas hospitality for seven years! Things sure have changed... especially in the last three years! Mainly because of these cuties:

Our first photo shoot with all five Hill cousins!

It was pretty hilarious.

Brenham fell over...

Both ways:

Ms. Julia prepared her delicious Christmas Feast. And the kids enjoyed eating with their cousins:

After they cleared their plates, we let them pop their Christmas crackers- always a hit!

Then they all snuggled up for A Charlie Brown's Christmas. Lucy placed each cousin where she wanted them to sit and instructed Bradley to go to sleep. If only it were that easy!

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

A wonderful, full Christmas!

Christmas Morning

2015-01-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

What a magical morning! This was the first Christmas where Bradley had any clue about Christmas morning and boy did we have fun!

I guess I should start with the night before when we let Bradley hold Brenham for some "matching Christmas PJ" photos. Bradley gets such a kick out of them matching and repeats, "Look! Bradley! Look! Brenham!" while pointing to the names on their shirts! He also LOVES to hold Brenham and asks often for the privilege.

And that pretty well sums out how it goes-- Bradley is elated... and Brenham in concerned and uncomfortable.

Bradley loves his brother! And loves giving him (unprompted) kisses:

So back to Christmas morning.

Bradley loved getting all of the gifts and passing them to the recipient:

Of course he also enjoyed opening his own presents:

And playing with them!

We do a lot of talking about Jesus' birth and the reason we celebrate Christmas. With that in mind we try to keep the gifts pretty minimal. But this little guy didn't seem to mind and he proclaimed over and over, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!"

Merry Christmas indeed.