Mid-Summer Highlights

So I may be jinxing myself by writing this but we are having an awesome, mild, beautiful summer. We have managed to not turn our AC on for over a week and saved a ton of electricity (cue Dave doing a happy dance). We have been swimming, gone to water play parks, birthday parties, concerts, movies, etc.! It's been a great summer and the kids are so happy to be outdoors, splashing in the water and playing in the dirt. I bought an inflatable pool for very cheap on Amazon and it has become the highlight of their day. I give them cups and they pour the water out of the pool...they can do this for hours. (Cups are banned in the bathtub after Archie decided it was way cool to dump out all the bath water as fast as he could.) Carter is embracing the role of big brother to the extreme. If Archie does something naughty (like digging metal forks into our new wooden kitchen table) and we take the toy or whatever away, Carter literally jumps up and starts yelling for us to give Archie his toy back or to make Archie happy. He hates to see Archie cry and tries to protect him all the time. I love his sweet nature. He starts preschool in a month! Where did the time go? As for Archer Anderson.... well, he lives to test our boundaries. His adventurous spirit is hard to keep up with and he definitely keeps me on my toes. He is truly no longer a baby as he has moved into a big boy bed and now shares a room with Carter. The boys picked out some cool space posters for their room and it looks really cute. Lastly, we are taking our first family camping trip in September so stay tuned!

Last night the boys drove their jeep to the park. Dave played a game where he was a zombie trying to attack them. It was hilarious to see Carter scream and speed away and to see the concerned look on Archie's face!

Happy Father's Day

I know I say it every year... but Dave is an awesome father. He is the complete opposite of me which I think makes for a great balance. The boys certainly choose him over me for nearly every thing but I think it may be because I fit the care giver/disciplinarian/teacher role and Dave is the hip, fun, cool, playful parent that is quick to give out kisses and cuddles and spends most of his time making his boys squeal with laughter as he tickles them or throws them up in the air! What I love most is the fantastic example he is setting for my boys. Dave is hardworking, creative, smart, playful, laid-back, sensitive, and sweet and loving towards me. I intend my boys to grow up the same way!

I made cinnamon rolls, eggs, hash browns and bacon for breakfast. Yikes! After all that food, we decided a hike was in order. We walked Oso Creek Trail which was beautiful but pushing the double stroller up the hills was nearly impossible. An awesome workout though! The boys played at the park, then we went swimming. It was a long, fun-filled exhausting day. It was fun to spend a day celebrating Dave. Carter kept thinking it was Daddy's birthday and now keeps asking me when it is his turn for a birthday!

My Kids Are Amazing

Starting to look like a big kid!

Cutest face ever.

The day has arrived--these boys can now share clothes and shoes!

So I find myself comparing my kids a lot... to each other... to other kids....to the milestone e-mails that Babycenter sends me... and today I had a breakthrough. I vow to stop! I can't do anything except teach, love, nurture, and guide them into the awesome little guys that they are destined to be. My kids are amazing for many reasons but let's start with Carter. Born 12 weeks early and at 2lbs, the doctors gave us a lengthy list of the impairments, disabilities, health problems, etc. that he would be faced with in his life. The first few months were rough but he conquered all the scary stuff and we were left with a healthy, normal (but tiny) little guy. I did research on preemie babies born at the same gestation and many of them have continual health problems, development challenges, etc. Carter definitely has some "unique" characteristics that remind me that he is a preemie (sensory and eating issues) and certain milestones are a bit delayed in relation to his peers, BUT he certainly makes up for it in the areas that he excels in--his amazing memory, his sweetness, his love of learning, his Angry Bird skills, and his love of singing. Plus I just learned that John Keats, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Victor Hugo, Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Hardy, and DH Lawrence were all premature babies. I can definitely see Carter growing up to be a scientist, author, or poet!

As for Archie...he is equally a little miracle baby as we were pretty certain I couldn't get pregnant. We are thankful every day for this little munchkin. We found out today that he is only in the 20th percentile size-wise so I guess I just make small kids! Archie is hilarious and his little elf voice makes us smile all the time. I have a feeling he is going to be a jokester....just like his Dad. He has excellent motor skills (which he also gets from his Dad) so I have a feeling he is going to enjoy playing sports. 

1.5 and 3.5

We are at the half-year mark and I have to say, so far this is my favorite age in both boys. They get along well and they are becoming more independent which makes my days so much easier! Their personalities have changed so much lately. Our usually shy, quiet, well-behaved and reserved Carter turned 3 1/2 years old and became opinionated, loud, friendly, rambunctious, and talkative! I feel like he is testing his boundaries daily now but he is so cute and says the sweetest things that most of the time I find myself laughing (emphasis on the word most). He is playing soccer now which is pretty hilarious considering the kids are 3-5 years old and the coaches spend most of the time trying to keep the kids in line and out of the nets. Carter will be starting preschool in the fall which we are all so excited about!
As for Archie... my baby has grown into a fun-loving toddler and we just can't get enough of him. He was definitely a high-needs baby and was grumpy quite a bit for no apparent reason. Now, at 1.5 years old, he is easy-going, fun-loving, loud, wild, and so stinkin' cute! He has us smiling all the time. He is a TALKER. I remember at this age Carter spoke words but Archie is speaking in full sentences and is very easy to understand and communicate with. I am amazed at how fast he learns language. For example, he brought me a plastic shovel the other day and said, "What's this?" I replied, "Shovel." He then says, "Shuh-bull!" and runs off to play with it and now it is instantly part of his vocabulary. Amazing! He has memorized the words to many songs, especially the ones we listen to in the car. I think Dave is quite impressed when he hears his boys belt out punk songs in unison.

Riding off into the sunset. . .

Happy Mother's Day 2013

I am a daughter, sister, wife, aunt, and mama. My life is feeling very full and fulfilled. My boys are wild but I  love every second that I spend with them (although date nights with Dave without the kids are still pretty fantastic!) I spend my day warding off tantrums, encouraging good eating habits (or at times just getting them to eat anything), teaching life lessons, dancing wildly, giggling uncontrollably, playing trains, reading books, attempting to create a schedule, persuading my resistant children to sleep, pushing a huge stroller, carrying an increasingly heavy diaper bag, doing load after load of laundry, cleaning a house that never seems clean enough, being climbed on like a jungle gym anytime I lay on the floor in an attempt to exercise, tickling, cuddling, snuggling, enduring Disney soundtracks playing on repeat in the car, making an extra cup of coffee at 3pm just to get through the day... For those mothers out there, you will agree--there are times I feel like I am losing my mind... but it is truly worth it.
Thanks to Dave who decided to try his best to make my day perfect... and it was.

Spring Is in the Air

Life is busy... blogs are few and far between...but we are healthy and happy and enjoying the warmer weather. Our city put on a Spring Fling where the kids could play carnival games and win plastic eggs full of candy and treats. It was a big hit! For Easter we had a big egg hunt at Dave's brother's house with all the cousins. They sure are cute! We took advantage of their Spring Break and met up with them at Irvine Park for the zoo, a train ride, and some ice cream. Dave is trying to convince me to organize our office today but all I want to do is lay around and be lazy. It's been a really long time since we have had a day with nothing to do and I am loving it. 

Carter is hilarious lately. He says the cutest things. He loves imaginary play (but prefers someone to play with him). He does his best to entice us to play with him--today he went up to Dave and said, "I will be Turtle Soup and you can be Gerbil. You know you love it." Archie does everything he can to keep up with his big brother. Carter's favorite train is Gordon, so of course it's Archie's favorite now too. I put Thomas pajamas on Archie last night and said, "Look Archie! Who's on your pjs? Is it Thomas?" He looked at me and said, "No. It's Gordon." Not even sure he can tell the difference between the two but he was pretty insistent. He was a bit spoiled by Easter and now begs at the pantry door all day long for "Candeeeee? Jellwey beans?" He also is fascinated by being outdoors and every time he walks by the back door he begs, "Side? Side? Side?" (outside). Our boys are going through a really wonderful phase right now...they are healthy and joyful and they play together so well. It took us awhile to reach this point (a lot of tantrums, whining, and sleepless nights). I know it won't last forever but Dave and I are really enjoying this time!

Once Carter realized the eggs had candy in them, he was completely content with the few eggs he found
and wanted to just eat all the candy.

Glad I have boys because I can get away with random mismatched outfits like this one
 and no one seems to care.

Carter adores his cousin Matt. 

BFF

Pretty sure there is nothing cuter than this kid without a shirt on. 

The Ideal Day

I recently read an article about "fakebooking" and how so many people post status updates and photos that make every moment in their lives seem so glamorous and amazing. Yes, we are all guilty of this but it's also nice to share the good moments of my day among all the other poopy diaper, temper tantrum, toy-cluttered house moments. I also recently had a few moms ask me how in the world I manage to work from home and how I get anything done. So here is a look at a day in the Hill household:

6:00am: Both kids are still asleep in their own beds and my husband has not snored all night. I am well-rested and happy. I check my work e-mail, download my projects for the day, and get started on my work.
Then I prepare breakfast. Homemade gluten-free pancakes, healthy smoothies. My kids come downstairs cheerful and excited to eat this breakfast and start their day.
9:00am: Kids are dressed and we play at the park. My boys set good examples for all the other kids and frown upon those children who eat or throw sand.
10am: My kids sit quietly together and watch educational programming and read books and play trains while I manage to have a conference call work meeting.
11:30am: Lunchtime... My kids ask for second helpings of veggies.We then bake some healthy oatmeal cookies together for dessert. They eagerly help clean up.
1:00-3:00: Naptime. My kids cheerfully go to sleep without a peep and sleep soundly for 2 hours, of which I spend working.
3-5pm: Kids and I paint, color, read books, practice mathematics, etc. I am always present and patience with my children.
6pm: Dave comes home and we have a healthy, home-cooked meal together as a family. He then bathes the kids, puts them in pajamas, and sends them off to bed, while I finish working.
8pm: Dave and I get to cuddle on the couch, watch television or a movie, sip tea, and eat cookies. We are relaxed and amazed at how easy and joyful our day was.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Somehow I think people who aren't actually parents read the above schedule and thought, "Hey... having kids is easy! Such fun!"

Our typical day is very similar to the above structure yet it usually begins with me waking to having one, maybe two children in my bed and me having to drag myself out of bed because I didn't get nearly enough sleep. Breakfast for me is strong coffee. Meal times are nearly always a battle where I attempt to shove nutritious food into my beyond picky 3 year old (and yes, we BRIBE. A lot.) My kids are usually the ones at the park eating or throwing sand, my work phone is always on mute during conference calls, Disney movies are used as a babysitter, toys are all over my house, and once these crazy boys are actually in bed for the night, we spend the rest of the time doing laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc. and getting ready to start it all over again. Sometimes I don't finish work until 11pm. It is a very long day.

That being said, I truly love this crazy schedule of mine and I hope my boys read this blog post when they are older and realize how much they owe me!