Andy's Blog

Here Comes The Flower Girl

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Cora is getting very excited for Uncle Rob and Aunt Ashley's wedding!

A Few Randoms

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:25:00 +0000

Rockin' the pelican at the park. And when I say rockin', I mean the "Mom made her get off so we wouldn't see the return of her breakfast" kind of rockin'.

I spy something cute.

Jelly bread face!

Cora Hearts Ollie

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:18:00 +0000

Cora might be Ollie's biggest fan. For example, Micah took Ollie to work with him the other day and when Cora woke up and found Ollie gone, she was devastated. I think her exact words were, "Is Daddy going to bring Ollie back sooooon?! I neeeeed a Keeeeenex!" And, of course, much sobbing ensued. Here are some ways she shows her undying love for our pup...

She makes sure pillows are always at the ready in case he needs one while he's sleeping.

She reads him lots of interesting stories.

And she even buys him toys with her own money (notice she has a pink bear to match his green one).

Can't say I blame her - he is a charmer!

Tea For Two

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:45:00 +0000

Aunt Lorra, Cousin Amanda and Cousin Naomi came over to hang out with Cora on Saturday night while Micah and I went out. Cora and Naomi put on their princess dresses and had a tea party together. Aunt Lorra even made petit fours for them to eat! Thanks to Amanda for taking these supercute pictures!

Perfect princess manners (don't mind the tiny bit of apple juice tea on the table).

Dress check. Always need to look your best when you're a princess.

Kate Middleton has nothing on these girls!

Our Weekend

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:28:00 +0000

A couple of stink-faced hooligans looking for trouble.

Ollie had a rough Saturday morning because it involved a bath/shower which turned into a crazy situation for the whole family. You see, Cora wanted to watch from the open shower door, so Ollie took the opportunity to jump out mid-shower and shake water all over the bathroom. This included two pages Cora had torn out and saved from the Pottery Barn Kids magazine (she's obsessed with a pink, flower-shaped cold pack and a bento box like the one Olivia has - see previous post for more on this) that happened to be on the bathroom floor. When Cora realized her beloved pages were wet, she went into mourning. Micah then pulled out my hair dryer to fix the pages, which sent both Cora and Ollie running for the hills. We all emerged from the situation emotionally spent and slightly wetter for the wear.

Opening a package from Bee and Bob. As always, Ollie had to be all up in the mix.

Checking out her Anne of Green Gables paper doll. She loves her new moose t-shirt so much that she wore it to bed last night and is currently wearing it again today. Thanks Bee and Bob!

Who's this handsome fella Cora got a picture of?

Cuddling at Starbucks after church and a tiramisu cake pop.

Catching Up With Cora

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:02:00 +0000

Sorry for the long blogging break! Things have been kind of crazy around here since I started working part-time a few weeks ago. Here are some recent pictures...

Enjoying a cake pop from Starbucks.

Hanging out in my wedding shoes that we found in a storage box. Little did I know my three-year-old would be the next one to wear them twelve years later!

Attacking a chocolate covered pretzel.

Taking her bunny ball for a walk in the park.

Time for a rest. It's hot out there, people!

This is a pic Cora took of her fave new obsession -- Olivia and her family. It's been everything Olivia around here for the past month. Yesterday, she was Uncle Garrett in the morning and Ian in the afternoon (two characters from the Olivia TV show). She would only answer to those names and I gotta admit it felt a little weird asking "Uncle Garrett" what she wanted for breakfast.

Ollie's Birthday Weekend

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:39:00 +0000

Saturday started out with a visit to the vet since Ollie's been under the weather recently. We blew in there like a hurricane -- Ollie was running crazy and Cora wanted to play 20 million questions (Why is that cat crying? What are staples? Is Dr. Kapke a girl or a man?). Both Ollie and Cora wanted to squeeze on the bench with me in the check-up room which resulted in the picture above. I think they were glad to see us leave.

Sunday was Ollie's ninth birthday and we got him a big stuffed beaver.

Off he goes to take it on a tour of the house.

Having some cuddle time...

And a good nap.

Ollie, The Fox Hunter

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 01:12:00 +0000

Dying to get to the two baby foxes playing in our backyard. He may look intense but he's a lover not a fighter. :o)

Flint River Ranch

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:02:00 +0000

This is a little off topic, but I wanted to let everyone know that I'm now a distributor for Flint River Ranch Pet Food. We've been feeding Ollie the fish and chips (trout and sweet potato) version of this food since he was a pup. It's oven-baked and all natural which means it's easily digestible and provides Ollie with healthy benefits more quickly and completely so we feed him less and get better nutritional value than other dog foods. Plus, it's delivered right to our door so I don't have to worry about lugging it home from the grocery store. If you're interested or know someone who would be, you can click here to visit my distributor website for more info and to order. Also, I'm happy to send samples for pets who are pickier than the furry pig that lives at our house.

Can you tell how much Ollie loves his food? (Although his palate may not be all that discerning seeing as he ate and enjoyed the lettuce off of Cora's hot dog eraser the other day.)

And now back to regularly scheduled programming!

Our Girl

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Life is never boring with this three-year-old...

Went in to get Cora from her nap the other day and she wasn't in her bed. Found her dead asleep on her bedside table. Looks comfy, no?

You might be a redneck if you let your child curl up on a dog bed and watch the fish at Meijer for entertainment.

Documenting yet another shining parenting moment -- Cora getting double-fisted with Cocoa Puffs and potato chips on the way home from Meijer.

Cora as Erik Estrada circa 1977.

Had to include this one because it was just too cute. Love these peeps!

Fun Times and Cuteness

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Took a trip with Deedee to the Children's Museum on Friday...

Had to ride the relaxing chair under the stained glass sculpture again. Thought we'd never get Deedee off of that thing!

Cora posing with her own sculpture.

Deeds rockin' the bulldozer. Cora was a bit unsure about Deedee's bulldozing skills.

Today was washing day for the pandas and Spot (Cora's new fave sleeping buddy). As always, Cora was devastated at being parted from her peeps. So, I let her eat breakfast in front of the washer and dryer to keep an eye on them. She's the only kid I know who would rather watch the washing machine than the TV.

Sweet girl...

And there's the silly girl I know and love!

Misc!

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:58:00 +0000

Having some chocolate at Deedee and Ba's while wearing a high-tech chocolate drool protector.

Helping Daddy with some yard work.

Doing what she does best -- being cute!

Ollie enjoying a new toy from Poppy.

Kind of defeating the purpose of a sprinkler.

Finally enjoying the chocolate Easter bunny from Aunt Lorra since it took Mom awhile to find the courage to face the inevitable sugar craziness.

Singing her new fave song -- "Hafty Birfday" -- to her fave panda.

A Fish In Water

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Cora's pool came out for the first time this season on Sunday. We put her slide in, too, and she spent the whole afternoon launching herself down it in different ways to achieve maximum splash and speed (and, of course, danger). Since then, water sliding has been a daily activity and I've even been convinced to put my suit on and join in the fun.

This face says it all.

So fast I could only get her feet!

Pretty pleased with herself.

Posing with a water gun, a stick and her new Hello Kitty suit. Don't think I've seen a cuter pot-bellied swimmer.

Precious Ollie, as always, suspicious of any wild activity around our house.

School's Out

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:27:00 +0000

Today was Cora's last day of school. I can't believe how fast it went and how much she's grown. Here are some videos from the closing program.

In case you can't tell, she's the short one in the middle. :o) She got a little emotional when she saw Micah and me in the crowd but did a great job.

This is a long one so it's only for those of you who can't get enough of Cora. Her BFF, Brody, is the cute blond on the right.

The Zoo!

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:38:00 +0000

We finally took our first trip to the zoo this season on Friday (along with just about every school in the Indy area). Cora had been asking to go for a long time so she was very excited. The weather was beautiful and we even sat outside and had lunch by the flamingos and lemurs.

Elephant peeing in the background? Check! Cora picking her nose in the foreground? Check! At least Deedee looks good!

We had to make a trip to the carousel and ride both the tigers like last year. Cora also discovered the roller coaster and is counting the days until she grows two inches and is tall enough to ride it.

Having a lick of the delicious polar bear cookie.

Recent Pics

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:31:00 +0000

What Cora's been up to...

Having a conversation with Pooh.

Reading to her buddies.

I told Cora to put her books on the bench and this is how I found them. Think she might have gotten some of my organizational genius (as I choose to call it).

This she definitely got from Micah.

A good shot of her black bean mustache and beard after eating a whole cup of them at Qdoba.

Graduation Day

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:38:00 +0000

So proud of my cousin, Sarge, who graduated from Michigan State over the weekend!

Camera Thief

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Looks like someone made off with my camera...

Busted!

Busy Being Cute

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Joe Cool

Cora Spider

Having a panda picnic. I think we're being overtaken by pandas around here.

Enjoying the only lush, dandelion-free patch of grass in our front yard.

Rockin' it at Starbucks.

Easter

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Cora had a great Easter and was flying high on sugar all day. Here are some pics...

First Easter basket of the day. Her fave candy was Cadbury eggs -- a girl after my own heart.

Learning US geography with the new magnetic board from Bee and Bob. I discovered I need to practice my US geography, too.

Taking a spin on her new roller blades from Mom and Dad...

And in her tricked-out wagon from Deedee and Ba.

Sharing secrets with Beijing the Panda...

Laughing at Pooh's jokes...

And watching a video. Can you tell she likes to hang out in the wagon?

Having Easter lunch with Cousin Naomi at Aunt Lorra's house.

Nothing like a little after lunch run-dancing to burn off some of the Easter sugar.

Crazy for Cake Pops!

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:36:00 +0000

As a special after-school treat today, we picked up a cake pop from Starbucks...

I think it's love!

Nothing better than a cake pop and a cuddle.

Sugar-crazed Cora.

I have no excuse other than being a mother of a three-year-old.

This is how Ollie feels about the whole cake pop business.

And now for the quote of the day. Poor Cora had the hiccups at breakfast this morning. She looked at me in all seriousness and said, "I have the hick-ups. Can you help me get them down?" Been laughing about that one all day.

Conversations With Cora (Extra Stubborn Version)

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:11:00 +0000

Cora: I want to play outside.

Me: You can't play outside right now because I have to make lunch and you need to stay inside with me.

Cora: But I NEED to play OUTSIDE. (Her life was obviously in the balance at this point.)

Me: You can play inside while I make lunch.

Cora: I don't want to play inside.

Me: Well then you can sit and be bored. (Can you tell this wasn't the first extra-stubborn conversation I've had today?!)

Cora: I need to stand and be bored.

I forget, is she three or sixteen?

Three Cheers For Spring

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Everything's turning green (finally!) here in Indiana and I think I can say it's officially spring. I got a little plastic table for Cora yesterday so we could eat our meals outside. It's her favorite new activity and as soon as we finish one meal, she's already planning for the next one. After dinner last night, she said, "I will take a nap and then we will eat breakfast outside next days." Needless to say, since I'm not a fan of eating breakfast in 40 degree weather, we stayed inside this morning. We did manage to fit in an outdoor lunch before the rain came, though, so Cora was somewhat appeased.

Enjoying a record two-hour lunch.

Ollie trying to look remorseful after stealing an animal cracker right out of Cora's hand as he strolled by her. For being a big oaf, he certainly is stealthy. He was relegated to the other side of the table after that little trick.

Egg-citement

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Sorry about the title of this post. I tried to avoid using an egg pun but, of course, that's all I could think of so I just went with it. Anyways, the Great Lous sent Cora a wonderful spill-proof egg coloring kit to use for her first experience dyeing eggs. Due to the complicated directions, I waited until our ever-patient Deedee was over so she could manage the project. Cora had lots of fun (except for the waiting part) and said, "When they are dry, I will play with them." Hmm, not so much.

Deedee trying to figure it all out under Cora's watchful eye.

Showing me the "egg vitamins."

The finished product. Thanks, Great Lous, for the fun gift!

Save the Pandas

andreahill4@hotmail.com (Andy) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:59:00 +0000

There are things about Cora's personality that make me wish I got more hours of sleep at night. But there are just as many things that make me laugh and remind me of what a beautiful sense of humor God has. For example...

Cora has a big love for pandas -- three of the seven (!) stuffed animals she sleeps with are pandas, if that tells you anything. Well, yesterday was washing day for the pandas and you might have thought Cora's life was over. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth while the pandas were in the washer. Once they moved to the dryer, Cora decided to sit vigil until they emerged safely.

Having a little snack to keep her strength up during this difficult time.

Trying to comfort one of the pandas after she saw it tumble by.

Still waiting...

And waiting. (She sat there for almost an hour -- now that's love!)

She got cold and decided to change into one of my sweaters she found hanging in the laundry room. Good thing because it definitely looks warmer with that deep v-neck and all.

I even brought out the dreaded scissors to keep her mind off the trauma.

Reunited and it feels so good! (And reading a panda book, of course!)