Monday, August 30, 2010

Playing In My Room & Playing with Daddy

A Post From Hill:
I love to play in my room there is so much stuff to get into.
My laundry basket is my favorite toy
I crawl over to the basket
And flip it over
Then I tell Mama that it wasn't me!
I don't know who did that?
I hang out in my room
Mama has a yoga ball and it is never used so I play with it.
It won't hold air, probably from lack of use.
Daddy invents toys.
This is the hose from the air compressor used to
try and inflate the afore mentioned yoga ball
Daddy was blowing air through it
Then we talked through it
I love my Daddy - we even dressed alike this day!

Playing With My Cousins

After the birthday party on the 22nd we went over to Nana and Papa's house to visit Hill's cousins that were in town from Gulfport, Madison and Addie.  If you remember Addie and Hill are two weeks apart - it is so fun to watch them grow up and play together. 
I apologize in advance for the blurry pictures, there was icecream or something from the birthday party on my lens at the time and I didn't know it.
Hey sweet smiley Addie!
Hill & Addie
7 months old
Sweet hugs from Madison
They haven't seen each other in like a month so they had a lot to catch up on
Crawler
Sitting in the Elmo chair like a big boy!

Before & After Surgery

Every week it seems as though someone tells me how much his lip has healed since his surgery.  We see him everyday and sometimes when you see someone everyday you don't always notice changes.  Once a month Chip and I will comment on how from different angles his lip looks like it is healing really well and coming together nicely.  I thought I'd show you a birth picture then a before surgery picture and compare it to what it looks like today.
1-12-10
Birth Picture

April 12, 2010
Being Silly With Katie's Tail
(Before Surgery)


4-22-10
Day After Surgery
Swollen
8-9-12
First Day of 6-12 month daycare room
(the pink portion of his lip is coming together)

Of course I can't help but wonder how much smoother and together it would have healed by now had he not had the stroller accident.  I think I will probably always beat myself up about that.  I know it wasn't my fault, but anyway.  He's healing fabulously and I am so proud of my bugga boo. 


Saturday, August 28, 2010

Jack Sprat

Our buddy Jack Vance turned 1 this week and had his birthday party Sunday, August 22nd at the golf course.  It was a sock monkey theme awesomely coordinated by his super talented mom, Kayla.  
Notice that ALL the kids have on sock monkey t-shirts that Kayla and her mom made.  They were delivered the week before the party so everyone could wear their fun shirt to the event!  Thanks for inviting us, we love hanging out with all of our friends and having parties!
Here are a bunch of pictures in no particular order.... 
Tanner
Sweet Hill
Eli
Hill & Britlon
Harvey crawling to check out the gifts!
Hill's first bite of birthday cake!
YUM-o!
Hill's first bite of ice cream!
He now wants everything to taste this great!
Garrison and his cute little self!
Jack, the birthday boy and his balloon.
The Grantham Family
Britlon, Tasha & Branson
The Party Coordinator / Mama of the birthday boy!
Kayla
Harvey & his party trick.
I can stick my whole fist in my mouth!
Me, Hill, Jennifer & Garrison
Price & Megan
Megan & Price with Whitney & Tanner
JJ & Harvey
Silly Sweet Baylie!
The Birthday Boy, Jack!

 Night, Night Sweet Hill.  What an eventful day you've had!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

A time to remember...a time to reflect.

I wanted to post yesterday, but I didn’t. August is a really hard month and yesterday was rough for me. Maybe today has been a little harder and I’m unsure what the emotion for tomorrow brings. Yesterday, August 18th, marked one year since my mother in law passed away. During that time my blog readers supported me, prayed for us and were there every step of the way. That feeling of love and friendship will never be forgotten. For those of you that are newer to my blog reading you can look back through my August 2009 archive and reflect.


Reflecting is what I have done these past few days. I have laughed to myself a few times and laughed with others, retelling hilarious Adrienne stories. She was a one of a kind woman and loved by every single person she met. She was truly an angel here on earth. I don’t want people to forget her or how she shined through every situation, good or bad. Her Christian heart healed many and her love for the Lord lead many. She used funny words like ear bobs and step ins that drove her kids crazy but made the older generations burst into laughter. She raised the two funniest kids I know and how she survived it I will never know. She was well read and loved to share her daily devotions through her caringbridge site until she could no longer write. The local 2009 Woman of the Year was my mother in law. Like most deserved awards, they come after death. Not that it’s too late to recognize all the good in people, it merely lets them live on. We were so proud of her, but she knew that. She was a phenomenal woman.

Ole Miss football was missing its’ biggest cheerleader last year and I have no doubt that she led the New Orleans Saints to victory. Little did they know that their MVP that day was Adrienne Wamble, not Drew Brees. Christmas wasn’t the same without getting some funny gag gift like her dads’ old dentures or his back brace or an old meat cleaver or QVC item he ordered 15 years ago. “What in the world are we going to do with this crap?” we would say. But I get it now, and it’s funny. You never knew what to expect….ever. She was the best friend to everyone and has memories with all of them. I love to hear her friends’ stories because they can’t ever be told without the person having to stop to catch their breath from laughter. It can’t help but make you smile.

I think the hardest part, the thing that breaks my heart the most and the reason for my tears is that my sweet Hill will never know her, never hear her silly stories of ol’ uncle what’s his name with the hairy arms, never be spoiled by her or know how much she yearned for him to be in this world. One year ago yesterday, it was a Tuesday she passed away, both Jane Claire and I were 5 months pregnant. I was 20 weeks and Jane Claire a couple weeks ahead of me – we felt our babies move like never before. At the time we didn’t know if Hill was going to be a boy or girl; we were to find out in 2 days. We just knew Snooks was in there tickling their toes and spreading apart Hill’s legs so she could be the first to know if it was a boy or girl. She touched lives, even those that were unborn. I hope her legacy lives on through Hill, Madison and Addie and then through the children of their children. What a blessing to this world that would be.

Adrienne, Snooks, friend, mother, wife, Apostle; however you knew her…..remember to tell about her. It will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face. It does mine. I can always hear her very southern drawn dialect ring through my ears when someone tells me of something she’d said to them. I know my family in Texas loved to hear her talk. Her laugh was infectious and towards the end when she lost all of her hair due to chemo she would call it the color of bird poop because it didn’t really have a defined color. She had a shrine to Eli Manning in her bedroom and always gave gifts in the cutest tote bags. She could move a house, plow a garden or pull home a big rig with just the tools in the trunk of her car. Why she had so many tools back there I will never know. She had a nick name for everyone and had a collection of stuffed frogs. She loved shiny shimmery things and flamingos. She’d say something funny and usually after all the laughter subsided, she’d nonchalantly say “but anyway” as if to move on. She was a giver and teacher, whether it be in Latin or poker, she was a master. She adored her friends and it was obvious the feeling was mutual. When they got together it was just like a group of giggly teeny boppers. These same ladies have taken me in, treated me as if I was their own and love my son just as much as his Snooks does. We are so blessed. So humbled by the over flow of love and prayers that still continue for us to date. Even though it will be a year tomorrow we laid her to rest, she’s still alive in all of us and for that I am grateful.

Friday, August 13, 2010

A Caged Animal

Ok, so he's not rabid or anything!  Even though Hill officially crawled yesterdy the 12th he is not crawling everywhere...yet.  He wants to be on the floor and roll to what he wants or reach for things like he has bionic Inspector Gadget arms. Meanwhile he's doing all this while dodging the rock fireplace, tile floors throughout the house, the piano, miniblinds, ovens, stools, dog food bowls, dog hair as well as the three dogs; one of which weighs 116 lbs and would love to sit and play with Hill....or our fear...sit on Hill.
Sooooowwww....(she says long and drawn out waiting for your reaction)  We got him a cage. Not the dogs, but Hill.  Ok, so not like a bad boy, live in the basement, 'Leland get back in your cell' type of cage. Chip calls it his Ultimate Fighting Ring.  To me it is more like a haven; a here is your area for everyone’s safety type of haven.
I even made it homey with his great great grandmothers quilt

They sell these 'cages' at Babies R Us so I don't think the Department of Human Services is going to lock me up. He likes it. I love it. I even get in it and play and watch Mickey Mouse...with him in there...of course, of course.

See!  I like it in here, it's fun!
We will have to get him a tin cup to clank along the sides of the cage.

He likes to lay down and watch Mickey Mouse with Ford the Frog
while Mommy cleans the kitchen.

All this in the safety of his own fenced in area.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Happy 7 Month Birthday!


Today is Hill's 7 month birthday!
Where in the world does the time go?
He wore his horsey outfit today for the special occassion. This will be the last time he gets to wear that cutie patootie outfit because it's a wee bit snug for such a big growing boy!


Happy Birthday to ME!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Happy Birthday Dear Meeeee!
(I will show you how I wave.... REAL FAST!)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

We love you,
Mama, Dada, Katie Lou,
Foster & Foxy Mama

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Summer Time With The Family

Here are a bunch of pictures that were taken over the summer with Hill's cousins.
The weekend of May 28th we went down to the coast so daddy could fish and Hill and I could hang out with Aunt Jane Claire, Madison & Addie. We had a blast. We swam, played and took tons of pictures!  Addie and Hill are 15 days apart and it's so fun to watch them play together.
Hey, Addie.  Let me tell you a secret.
The heck you say!


Your secret is safe with me, buddy!
(Addie bottom, Hill top)
Silly Addie with her hand on Hill's head

Addie needed to then tell Hill a secret
(Hill belly up, Addie on stomach)

Your secret is safe with me!
(Addie left, Hill right)

Then Madison wanted to know the secrets!
Such a sweet pretty girl!

So they told her!

Those three silly stinkers!
Madison (4),  Addie (5 months),  Hill (4 months)

So, then we lounged by the pool
Our three favorite girls!
Addie fell asleep in the life jacket.  Life is good.

Then we went out to dinner.
We secretly told the waiter that it was not Al's birthday
He followed our cue.
That Al, he's such a trooper.
Mommy won’t let Hill ride with Daddy on the fishing boat on the coast because himz to little this year. So, the following weekend, June 5th we headed out to the Country Club for Hill’s first boat outing.

What a cool dude

Family photo on the water.

Eating (sucking) his banana through the mesh feeder.
This picture was actually from July 5th, on another boating day


Madison & Addie were able to come and visit one afternoon in Kosciusko.

This is the first official picture of all the Hawkins grandkids.

Shane Preston (2), Hill (5 months), Madison (4), Addie (6 months)

What a fun summer with our cousins!