The Hills

Team Aaron's Heart 2012!

2012-02-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm very excited to say that our Team Aaron's Heart shirts are ready for order for 2012! March for Babies will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, at our state capitol.

This year Melessa at Oneway Promo came up with a new design for our shirts and we LOVE it. The back of the shirts will look like this.

The front pocket design will stay the same as our "official" Team Aaron's Heart logo. :)

This year, we're asking for an $18.00 donation for each shirt. We will have adult and youth sizes available and I will be glad to mail shirts to you for an additional $5. EVERY BIT of the proceeds from the sales of the shirts will go to the March of Dimes. We will take orders by paypal (see the "buy now" button at the top, right hand corner of my blog) or by check. If you'd like to mail me a check for your shirt order, shoot me an email at faith.hill.ms@gmail.com and I'll send you my address.

Also, please remember these shirts are A PRE-ORDER. That means I will not have them available for you until I've closed orders and submitted our one big order to the printer. I'll keep everyone posted on that date as the orders come in.

Also, if you would like to sign up to walk with our team on April 28th, we would be honored to have you walk with us in memory of Aaron! Our team page is www.marchforbabies.org/aaronsheart. Feel free to sign up and help the March of Dimes give babies a healthy start!

Hill Family News

2012-02-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Just in case you hadn't heard...

...we are adding to our family!

Well, Well, Well...

2012-01-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Somebody turned two and I forgot to blog about it. Well, for a few days anyhow. Or two weeks. But who's counting?

Here are some of the important things in the world of Shiloh Hill.

She loves to wash her daddy's hair over the side of the bathtub at bathtime. She LUBS her BWUDDER. "Wevi...where are you? Wevi, here's your shoes..." She loves to talk to her bwudder about anything. Oftentimes, he's the first person she calls when she wakes up in the morning.

However, she doesn't always like to share with him.

We've been working on potty training. Some successes...many failures. Recently, while at Nanni's house, Shiloh discovered the joys of filing her feet while sitting on the throne.

She worked at it for quite a long time. :)

Shiloh's favorite foods are "sketti," "chuggets," and "top tarts." And any type of candy or gum she can get her hands on. She loves to play with sand and every day she climbs into our bed and says "wet's watch Dowa."

She's a fun little person to be around. :)

Revisiting Grief

2012-01-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

It's hard to let my mind go back to the days and weeks immediately following the death of my son. While the healing in my heart and life has been nothing short of miraculous over the past few years, revisiting the early days is terrible. As I prayed this morning for a couple walking this same painful road, I had to put myself back in that place to remember their needs. It's difficult to let myself remember the severe physical pain. How there never seemed to be enough air in the room to breathe. How it seemed so wrong that the world kept turning, uninterrupted, when our world had crumbled beneath us. Every morning after a night of fitful sleep and dreams you wake up praying it was all just a nightmare. All the awkward conversations with those who just didn't know what to say. Breasts aching to nurse the son you will never hold again in this world. Why would I want to go there again?

A sweet young couple from Brandon is living this nightmare. Monday morning they held their 4 month-old son and Monday night he was gone. I do not know the Bowens, but I hope to meet them soon. As a new grieving mother in 2008, there was so much comfort in talking with others who had walked the road before me, even those who were just a few steps ahead. I pray the Lord will allow Scott and I to somehow offer comfort to Maren and Brandon as they begin to navigate the pits of despair that follow the loss of a child. If you are a praying person, I would ask you to pray for comfort for this family in the weeks and months that follow. If you know them, tell them you are praying for them. Speak their son's name to them, for the sound of it will always be beautiful to hear.

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

Headed downstairs at 6:30...Levi speculates, "I'll bet nobody else in the country is awake." Me, "I bet you're right, buddy."

We had to wake Shiloh up. Can you tell? :)

But after getting a new baby from Santa and a pink sucker, she was ready to go.

Shiloh got daddy and brother MSU shirts. What was I thinking?

Christmas evening we had all our family over for gumbo and crawfish bisque. It was an awesome fun time for everyone. Playing with new toys and giving and receiving hugs. Exactly the kind of celebration we wanted for Jesus' birthday. :)

We had an awesome birthday cake for Jesus for dessert and sang "Happy Birthday" 3 times at Shiloh's request. Didn't manage to get a photo of the cake before we ate it. Oops!

Cookies and Milk

2011-12-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

Last year we left goldfish and water for Santa. This year Levi said we needed to do better.

Rats.

Apparently someone told him Santa LOVES chocolate chip cookies. Well, we improvised by dipping oreos in white almond bark. We also left chocolate milk for the big guy. He didn't leave any complaints, so I think we did good!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Moo and Pop's to eat and celebrate a day early. All bellies were full and the kids were proud of their new toys.

Shiloh loves to talk to Dora on her new Dora phone.

Although she wasn't convinced by her new Dora doll.

She did enjoy cleaning up everyone's tissue paper. She's a good helper. :)

Levi was super pumped about his Hot Wheels wall tracks...even though he has a strange look on his face...

Addyson loves her Aqua Doodle mat!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T19:47:00.000-08:00

It's really hard to believe Thanksgiving is this week. The fall season has just flown by. I've been trying to exhibit a thankful heart lately--in big and little things--even though I should EVERY day--and it's been nice to enjoy helping Levi learn about thankfulness. He's really in a fun stage of life and I wish I could freeze him right where he is. :)

His Thanksgiving program at PCP was last week. All the kids got to choose their indian name for the event. Levi's indian name is Rainbow. He LOVES rainbows and coloring everything in rainbow colors. The kids sang several songs at their pow wow, my favorite being a little song with motions that talked about being thankful.

Every day is a happy day...

When we say "thank you, God!"

The kids loved doing the sign language and the message of the song was great. :) I think the kids FAVORITE song was the one about 5 fat turkeys. It's REALLY catchy and mommy has been singing it all week long!

I love my little Rainbow indian boy!

The Men in My Life

2011-11-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

These are my two favorites. :) Aren't they sweet?

This little guy just warms my heart most every day.

I love him SO much. He told us the other night he had 100 girlfriends. I told him we needed to ease up on the girlfriends for a while.

Special thanks to Alana Donovan for these wonderful photos of my boys...

The Dynamic Duo

2011-11-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

My little people love each other. A lot. I really am thankful that 95% of the time, they adore each other. Being with each other, playing with each other, showing each other the food inside their mouths. Those kinds of things.

I'm also glad they both love the new park. And love to slide together. That makes zone coverage at the new park a possibility. :) Especially when mommy is flying solo at said park.

The bumpy slide is a favorite. :) Can you tell? They like the way their booties jump up and down as they navigate the bumps...I hope they choose to stick together on life's bumpy roads as well. It's always good to have a friend by your side when that happens. :)

5

2011-10-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

On this day 5 years ago, Scott and I were getting ready to check in River Oaks to meet this little guy.

He's been with us on many adventures. And through many trials. We're thankful each day we get to see this smiling face. :) Happy 5th birthday, Levi Hill!

But You Love Me Anyway...

2011-10-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

How incredible is that truth?

Fall Frenzy

2011-10-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've fallen off the blogging wagon a bit lately, but I'm so thankful for the reasons why!

First, I had the opportunity to take a trip to the dotmom conference in Birmingham with my mom the last weekend of September. It was such a fabulous time of fellowship with other moms and there was some great bible and life teaching to be had! I came home renewed and refreshed...ready to be a great wife and mom! Not sure if I've applied all I learned very well, but I'm trying. :)

We've also been busy with fall soccer at the YMCA. Levi moved up to U6 soccer and Scott has been coaching his team. I've been too busy keeping up with Shiloh to take many photos of the games, but hopefully I'll get some before the season is over. :)

In addition to all of the above, we've also been busy doing topless reading...or, at least Shiloh has.

...and superhero training.
Care to come join the fun? :)

Distractions and a Trip to Yogi Bear

2011-09-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. I've been a blogging slacker lately. We've suffered through tax deadlines and soccer practices and all kinds of busyness (and I don't say "suffer" lightly). However, one of the main reasons blogging has taken a back burner is I've developed a new romance over the past couple of weeks. With Pinterest.

Now if you're not on Pinterest, then you can't possibly understand the addiction. I didn't either. There are just SO MANY wonderful recipes and crafts and fun holiday activities and sewing projects and...well, you get the picture. Scott is already tired of seeing me spray paint pine cones and cabinet pulls and I only got started over the weekend. :)

Anyway, we made a weekend trip to Pelahatchie last weekend and spent a couple of days at Jellystone Resort. I didn't take my real camera, so a few cell phone photos were all I got!

Here's one of our favorite places at the resort. The waterpark.

Levi spent a large amount of time doing this. He even talked his mommy and daddy into sliding a few times. Shiloh went twice, but she was NOT a fan.

The boys brushed up on their miniature golfing skills.

And even little Shiloh took a break from the fabulous playground to swing a club a few times. Thankfully, she didn't hit herself or anyone else.

You Can't Stage These Things

2011-09-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Really, you can't.

First K4 Field Trip=

2011-08-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Tons of fun!

Especially when you get to go INSIDE a real fire truck!

And pretend to DRIVE a real fire truck!

And post for a class picture. Okay, that was mainly fun for mommy. Still.

Of Mice and Men

2011-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Remember that book? And the quote: "The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew..."

Well.

That happened over the weekend. My best laid plans of taking the kids to a fundraising character breakfast for the American Cancer Society, thinking we could support a great charity and enjoy some fun time with Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Buzz and Woody, princesses galore, etc...

...it didn't really work out as planned.

We drove into the parking lot and Levi spied a "giant" Donald Duck. He was worried.

This pic is of him eyeballing some of the princesses who had gathered outside for photo shoots with excited, joyful children. Other people's excited, joyful children.

Not ours.

Shiloh was also unimpressed and distrustful of everyone in dress-up attire. Even the other children!

Needless to say, this was the only picture we got of either of the kids with any of the precious children's characters. I snapped this shot right before Shiloh started screaming and crying.

Levi was under the table about half the time.

So much for best laid plans.

Precious Moments

2011-08-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of them lately.

This one is of Levi starting "big school" on the first day. He doesn't really understand that he's still in preschool. He just knows that it's "school" and not "daycare." There IS a difference, mom. GEEZ. Can you see how proud and excited he is in this picture? :)

This is after we got into Ms. Allison's classroom. Belle was there, so that was exciting and cut the nerves a bit. He's still a little too shy with everyone looking while his crazy mother was snapping pics. He tried to cover himself up with his nametag, but it didn't work.

We've now settled into a daily routine at our new school and things are going well.

Some more precious moments are brother/sister lovefests that occur on a fairly regular basis. Most of the time they're initiated by Levi who LOVES his sister. Here's a picture from last May (2010) at the beach when Levi first decided he could hold "his baby" himself.

This picture was taken this past Sunday morning. The kids were in the playroom having some train table fun and watching a Cedarmont Kids sing-a-long video. I walked back in and caught them in the middle of another cuddlefest. Too cute for words. :)

Shiloh is of the opinion that the best place to watch tv is in a lap. I hate to break it to Levi, but I don't think she really cared if it was my lap or his. I just let him enjoy the moment. :)

The Aftermath

2011-08-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

The aftermath of going to work with mommy for two days.

Here's what it looks like after day one.

Here's what it looks like after day two.

It's ugly. :)

Books

2011-08-09T18:50:00.001-07:00

Much like Levi at this age, Shiloh loves to "read." Sometimes I'll lose her for about 90 seconds and I'll find her in her room with 40 books strewn on the floor. The Tortoise and the Hare is on of her current favorites. In this video, she's reading it to herself. :)

Camping ***

2011-07-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

We went camping for the first time a couple weeks ago. **Camping = pitching a tent down the hill from Nanny and Papaw's house, making smores by the house, waiting till dark then heading down the hill to spend 20 minutes in the hot tent before heading back up the hill to the house to sleep in our cozy beds underneath the lovely air conditioning because it was "scary." :) Ahhhhhhhhhh.

At any event, we made smores for the first time. That was fun. :)

Shiloh preferred to munch on the ingredients. Yummy marshmallows...

...and graham crackers. :)

The crackers were a big stale, but they were still yummy!

Fun times and great memories! Even on a 20 minute camping trip. :)

Dancin' With the Angels

2011-07-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Not surprisingly, there are many days when I really miss Aaron. I often think about how much fun he would have with Levi and Shiloh. I imagine what he would look like (probably just like his brother and sister!) and have a big pity party about not having him here with us.

The other day I was right in the middle of one of these pity parties when I heard this song. I'd never heard it before and the group is no longer together, but somehow it was sent to remind me of how my little guy is "dancin' with the angels" and "walkin' in new life." Definitely a sweet reminder and a great song by Monk and Neagle. :)

How much fun...

2011-07-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

can two kids have at the splash pad?

Well...this much. Looks like a lot, doesn't it? :)

Shiloh seems to think it's really fun!

What does Levi think? Well...we'd ask him...if we could catch him.

But we can't. :)

18 Months & 4 2/3

2011-07-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

These little ones are growing up SO FAST. Seriously.

Shiloh turned 18 months old earlier this week. She is a fun little thing. She is very independent, talks a mile a minute, prefers to go to bed at 7:30 and LOVES her paci and puppy lovey. Recently, she and her brother have discovered the game of chase. The giggles and gasping laughter that ensue during one of these events is something I wish I could bottle and listen to again and again.

Levi is 4 2/3. :) Portions of years are very important to recount when you're a preschooler. He can't wait until August when he'll start his new school at PCS. His favorite television show is Team Umizoomi and I can already tell he may be a numbers guy like his daddy.

Take 463

2011-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ever try to place your children in fun surroundings to get a really cute picture of them together? Like, maybe with the Easter bunny. Or on Santa's lap? Or on a lovely white dune at the beach?

No?

What about on your parents' lovely rustic porch for an Independence Day shot?

No?

Well, I have.

Take 1.

Take 98.

Take 463.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. There we go. :)

We've Been Busy Lately

2011-06-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Levi has been swimming a lot. A LOT. Like, pretty much every day for the past 4 weeks we've had swim lessons. Does he look ready to be finished? If not, do I? ;)

Shiloh has been learning to accessorize. And smiling more. And talking. A LOT.

So, we've been busy.

Swimmin'

2011-06-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Love

2011-06-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

I never knew how big my heart could get until I had children.

My sweet first-born. He is so smart and funny. Kind and compassionate. His looks are a bonus. :)

He picked a flower for his mama here. Melts my heart.

My little bundle of fire. She's a ham for the camera, too.

So thankful to have these two here with me and one more precious boy waiting on me in Heaven.

17 Months Old

2011-05-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

It boggles my mind how this little tidbit can possibly be 17 months old. It seems like yesterday she was tucked away in my tummy. Now she's a running, romping, talking and fit-throwing toddler!

Her vocabulary never ceases to amaze me. She can pick Dora and "pak pak" off the front of a shelf at Walmart in a split second. She tells me every time she "poo poos," but refuses to let me put her on the potty. She is very independent, saying "igotit" or "igetit" a zillion times a day. She loves to find her "bwudder," ie"wevi" every morning when she polishes off her cup of milk. Every time she sees a cup, water bottle or running faucet, she smiles and says "wah-doo" reaching up expectantly. She you open the freezer, she runs for a "kisicle"(popsicle). She's entered the phase of wanting to feed herself (imagine how clean that must be), brush her own teeth and walking around patting her baby on the back is second nature. Despite her fiery personality, she is very loving and is the best hugger and kisser there is.

She also looks smashing in a bathing suit. :)

She really enjoyed water play time in the backyard on Memorial Day, but the hose was more fun than the pool or the slide. :)

And what's more fun that a popsicle? Why, sucking on a water hose of course!

Shiloh's Opinion of the Beach

2011-05-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last year she was only 5 months old. This year, as a 16 month old, she had way more fun.

There were flowers to pick and smell.

There was sand to tromp in and throw in the air.

There were people to flirt with at the pool.

There was plenty of time to look cute, all the while refusing to pose happily for family photos.

All in all, she thought the trip was a success. In fact, she said she'll do it again next year. :)

Levi's Favorite Beach Pasttime

2011-05-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

The pirate ship slide. :)

Fun, hunh?

Popsicles and 16 Month-Olds

2011-05-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

We've recently started the annual popsicle craze at our house. For Daddy it's strawberry fruit bars. For the little Hills, it's Flav-O-Ice by the dozen! Shiloh is now a professional popsicle eater at 16 months of age! In fact, here's a demonstration of her talent:

BEFORE.

DURING.

And AFTER!

Popsicles put a smile on nearly ever face! And for only 25 calories!

March for Babies 2011

2011-05-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

There are really just too many things to say about Saturday in just one post. Too many pictures to share of too many precious old and new friends. The one thing I regret is not taking a team picture before the walk...so I guess I'll have to share as many photos as I have of Team Aaron's Heart until my blog crashes. :)

We started out the day with a few hitches...a forgotten diaper bag. No top on our tent. But so many pitched in to blow up balloons, hang banners, crepe globes, etc. The weather was so beautiful and shade so perfect that no tent canopy was needed.

Here's a pic of some Hills and Arnolds and one Clark as we wound our way from State Street back around to the Capitol. A good-looking crew!
Sweet new friend Jamie and her precious twin boys. Preemies themselves, I was honored to have these handsome boys walking with us. :) And their lovely mama.

Small group friends Dana and Sean with big Saier. Adding a little humor to the photography process. :)

More to follow...

Flash

2011-04-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

There's not a whole lot that creates a stir in our oldest. He's pretty level-headed most of the time and doesn't get in a hurry unless there's a cupcake or popsicle involved. However, we did learn over the weekend that the prospect of finding lots of Easter eggs lights a fire under his rear.

He and Shiloh managed to cooperate for one quick pose after returning from our egg hunting festivities on Saturday. They don't look very happy about their loot, but really they are. :)

Here's a picture documenting fast-moving Levi Hill. He scored 26 eggs at St. Marks' annual egg hunt. It was super fun. :)

After the hunt was completed, he couldn't wait to dump his basket and count his eggs. He loves to count things. I think he takes after his daddy. ;)

Shiloh's First Egg Hunt

2011-04-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Last year Shiloh was a bit too young for egg hunting. This year she decided to give it a go. She even posed for a pic with the Easter bunny...brother didn't even do that!

When it was time for hunting, Shiloh quickly embraced the concept with a little coaching from daddy.

She's a natural!

She even stepped up and snagged an egg before another little girl could get it. Cutthroat, maybe? I think so...

Psalm 34:18

2011-04-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Three years ago today, we said goodbye to our sweet Aaron. It was not what we wanted, nor what we had prayed for so fervently along with so many others. It was a blow so terrible to us as a family...so horribly unimaginable, that we will continue to grieve the loss of our son until we are taken Home to meet him once again. However, knowing what we know about life after death...life with a Heavenly Father is unfathomably more wonderful than any earthly healing Aaron could have known.

Even the loving hand of a mother, grandmother or brother cannot compare to the joy and perfection Aaron knows now.

Though being held by his earthly father was comforting and peaceful, being held and healed by his Heavenly Father was far more wonderful than any earthly comfort he knew here.

For these reasons, though we grieve the loss of our son for ourselves, we rejoice in knowing Aaron was welcomed into Heaven to begin his eternal life three years ago today.

Family Twister

2011-03-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

It's a little crazy...

...but really fun. Wanna play? :)

The Cutest Pocket Design in the Universe

2011-03-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

So, I know it's kinda small (I never said I was a photo uploading genius), but is this not the cutest pocket design ever? Special thanks to Alison Martin (www.amdesigns.biz) for designing our tshirt last year and coming up with this precious baby image for Team Aaron's Heart. :)

I've been thinking about bumper stickers of the pocket design, but my printer doesn't make them. I think they'd be cute on some bumpers around down. ;) Anybody got any tips on a printer for such items?

The Most Awesome 4 Year Old I Know

2011-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is him. And even with occasional rottenness(is that even a word?), he is awesome. He's kind, witty, really REALLY smart, amazingly loving to his sister...the list goes on and on.

Just yesterday, we went for a walk after dinner. He was eating a popsicle and Shiloh an oreo. Or the cream from the oreo, but anywhoo. About halfway into the walk, he asked to get out of the stroller and walk beside me. And he asked to hold my hand. My heart just MELTS about it all. I am so thankful for his big heart and pray he keeps it forever.

Priorities

2011-03-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. Everybody has a set. Yours may be different than those of your neighbor. He may like fast cars and big TVs while you like driving a paid-for car and watching free TV on hulu. You may mow your grass once a week, meticulously weed-eating and edging to make your yard look nice while your neighbor barely manages to chug down the grass with his tired pushmower twice a month. What makes your priorities "right?" I firmly believe that our priorities in life reflect the God we serve.

Right now, we are working to raise money for the March of Dimes by taking part in March for Babies. This event is a priority for us at this time, since it's important to us to honor the memory of our son, Aaron. However, it would be wrong for us to assume everyone's priority should be to donate to Team Aaron's Heart. Right now in our world, there is devastation in Japan. There are orphans awaiting homes all over our nation and in other countries. There are homeless men, women and children needing a place to sleep and food to eat in our very city. Does your God call you to make others in need a priority? If so, please give of your time, talents and resources to those in need today. Making the needs of others a priority honors and pleases our God.

And if you'd still like to join us in March for Babies on April 30th, we'd love to have you. No donation required. :)

Aaron's Heart 2011!

2011-03-09T07:48:00.001-08:00

Let's raise some money for the March of Dimes! Tshirts will be $16 this year for those of you who will help by using local pickup. Add $5 if you would like your shirt shipped to you. :) Designs will be printed on Gildan 1000 shirts and should be high quality shirts just like last year!

Here's how tshirt purchases will work. I've added a paypal button to the top of my blog. It's reads "Donate Now." If you would like to purchase a shirt this year, simply use paypal to pay for the shirt(s) and send me sizing or shipping instructions through paypal. It should be easier than sending me checks! We had to raise the price of the shirts by $1 to cover paypal fees, but we will still be able to donate a ton of money to the March of Dimes!

Thanks so much for helping us honor the memory of Aaron through this important fundraiser for the March of Dimes! We hope you will walk with us on April 30th!

Some Weeks...

2011-03-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

just make me want to cry. Shiloh, too.

So glad it's Friday! :)

March of Dimes 2011

2011-02-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last year was our first year to participate in March for Babies in memory of Aaron. We worked HARD to sell our team t-shirt and get ready for the big event (thank you so much, Christi!). And then it happened.

The rain. Never before had a March for Babies event been rained out in the Tri-County event's history! But it happened in 2010. Needless to say, we were a little let down.

HOWEVER. 2011 is a new year! We are working on our new tshirt and preparing for this year's walk on April 30th. Will you join us?

Birthday Balloons

2011-02-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

Friday was a beautiful day for a birthday celebration. Don't you think? :)

Levi was a little disappointed that Mommy forgot birthday hats, but party horns and cupcakes from Gigi's made up for that little transgression. We let Levi send the balloons up to heaven for his brother, and the kids thought that was WAY cool. It was a beautiful celebration and I'm hopeful we can make it a yearly event.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Aaron...

2011-02-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

What do we do when we miss you so much?

Tomorrow is such a hard day in our lives. There is so much remembering and longing for you. I would love to have you here to tousle your blond head. To see what you look like as a three year-old boy. To take you to Gigi's for a cupcake, or maybe to your party at Pump It Up. I dream of you sleeping on bunks with your brother and whispering and giggling at bedtime each night. Of hanging three stockings at Christmastime.

I know you're in Heaven and don't miss us at all. There is no sadness or longing there. And I know the pain from your surgeries is a distant memory. It helps to remember that, but my grief is still there.

Just this week while riding to school, Levi blurted out, “Mommy…Aaron can run really fast.” Startled, I turned down the radio and asked, “Who?” “Aaron,” he replied, and kept munching on his pop-tart. Who knows where that came from? Was it from a dream? Was it divinely inspired? Who cares. It was such a wonderful nugget of truth, especially this week.

So, what can we do to ease the grief? We will celebrate with cake and candles. We will visit your grave and take you new flowers and lights. Most importantly, we will speak your name and remember the gift of the short time we had you. We will smile when someone remembers your birthday and speaks your precious name to us. Why? Because our greatest fear is that you will be forgotten. Simply remembering you is such a precious gift that we long for as the years pass. May you never be forgotten, sweet birthday boy…

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Every try to dress your kids up really cute to get a great holiday pic?

Yeah, me neither. :)

Okay, really I did. They didn't wind up being what I had in mind, but they were still cute. :)

Time Flies

2011-02-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

When I first became a mother, people would tell me frequently, "Cherish these moments...it will fly by." Or, "you will blink and he'll be starting kindergarten." Well, it's not quite time for 5K, but it's really hard to believe this little fellow is almost four and a half.

This picture was taken at the Ronald McDonald House in New Jersey, about this time three years ago. Levi decided he would sit on the floor and "read" the Bible. He only knew a few words back then, but BOY, has that changed today!

Some interesting conversations have transpired lately. For example, last night I was putting some lotion on Levi after his bath while he brushed his teeth. He stopped brushing and asked in disgust, "MOMMY...IS THAT GIRL LOTION?" I laughed and told him NO, it wasn't. The other night, Scott was explaining to him how he has to work later this time of year b/c he's helping people with their taxes. Levi listened intently and asked, "You're helping people drive their TAXIS?" Hilarious. I look forward to years and years of fun chats with this guy!

Three Years Ago

2011-02-03T07:04:00.001-08:00

Three years ago today, our family boarded an airplane headed for Pennsylvania. We had no idea the incredibly painful journey we had in store for us. I carried a baby boy in my belly that we never brought home.

I long for him every day.

Inside the Lines

2011-02-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Levi used to scribble everywhere. He wanted to use every color in the box on his artwork. Now he's learned to follow instructions and color inside the lines. He does a great job...most of the time. :)

I guess I'm kind of like him. Most of the time I try to stay inside the lines, but every now and then I disregard instruction and scribble, use the wrong colors and generally am disobedient. Isn't it great that God forgives us when we do that? :)

What?

2011-01-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

Doesn't everyone sort through their diapers in the buff?

Goldilocks

2011-01-27T08:08:00.001-08:00

After two years of the buzz cut, I thought it would be fun to let Levi's hair grow out. After all, he has lovely blonde hair, so it would look great, right? Well, as you can see in the pic below, it gets wide when it gets long.... When he was sick with the stomach virus a couple of weeks ago and lay around all day, it STILL got crazy wide...

He had been begging to go back to the "boy haircut place" for a long time, so after a weekend at Nanni and Papaw's we headed for Sport Clips and got the buzz back in place. :) He likes it!

Weebles Wobble

2011-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

but they don't fall down. At least not much. :)

Levi was SO PLEASED about his sister's weeble wobble birthday gift. It's funny how four year olds can decide baby toys are the coolest things EVER.

My First Birthday

2011-01-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

At first I was shy about all my guests...then I wasn't sure about that giant cake. But I tried it...

...and I liked it!

The Bacon Inspector**

2011-01-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Humor the mother, but this is funny. I guess she doesn't like bacon. Or doesn't like eating it. :)

**Pause playlist prior to playing video.

It's January 11th...

2011-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

...so why not share some Christmas pics? :)

I love this photo of Shiloh in Scott's lap, opening presents. It pretty much sums up her entire thought of Christmas morning. "WHAT IS GOING ON?" The pic below is Levi playing with one of his favorite gifts and eating another. Santa can't go wrong with Ring Pops, right?

This last photo cracks me up b/c Scott was trying to figure out how to use his new tablet pc. And Levi was clearly frowning after being caught pilfering for more loot.

What's More Fun...

2011-01-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

than turning one?

We've no idea. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHILOH!

A Post in Which I Embrace my Blogging Slacker-Hood (A.K.A. Christmas Eve)

2011-01-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, we really do celebrate Christmas at the Hill house. But one would never know it from our blog since we've been oh-so-busy-we-haven't-had-time-to-breathe-or-get-decent-sleep (GASP)! But we're okay. :)

Before I head into discussions of holiday fun and fare, don't you just LOVE my new blog header? Kara was kind enough to create one for me and cure me of my deep-seeded blog header envy. I just love it. :)

Nanni and Papaw spent the night with us Christmas Eve. We had full-fledged turkey and dressing (dressing courtesy of Nanni), roasted sweet potatoes and peas, followed be an array of pies and Jesus' b'day cake. Then we had a few lap-sits, opened some gifts and petted our kitty. Shiloh LOVES her kitty. And her Papaw. I swear, she says "Papaw" more than she's ever tried to say my name. But I'm not offended.

Levi decided this year Santa needed frosted animal cookies and milk. I think Santa felt slighted last year by a mere snack of goldfish and water, but who's counting?

Looks like we had fun, huh? Stay tuned...maybe I'll get pics of Christmas morning posted in say...February. ;)

Guess Who...

2010-12-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

decided to WALK this past weekend? Yep! Shiloh Hill! Of course, she's not walking in this photo, nor do we have any footage of her walking. But we will soon. :) It's just that with all the walking and festivities of the Risher Christmas weekend, we're a little tired.

She wore us all out, including her brother. See? Incidentally, he got a pillow pet over the weekend and LOVES IT!

Something Big at Deeper Still

2010-12-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been two weeks now since Deeper Still in Birmingham. And I have yet to report how awesome it was. I guess I've been processing all that we heard from the speakers since then and it was a LOT to process. Overall, it was just an awesome time of fellowship with some lovely women and an awesome word from Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore.

I'm not sure what's going on with blogger, but my photo uploading is all wonky, so I can't separate my comments to the pics below. The first picture is our ladies group from Pinelake in front of our bus right before the trip home. Below the group photo is a shot of the speakers...the best I could really get given the lighting in the arena and the distance from the stage. :)

This last pic is VERY special and awesome to me, as it represents me meeting Angie Smith, author of the book "I Will Carry You!" For those of you who have no idea who this is, the really REALLY short version of the story is that Angie is married to Todd Smith, lead singer of Selah. Angie and Todd had a daughter, Audrey Caroline, who was born and died on April 7, 2008, one day before Aaron went Home to be with Jesus. Angie has a lovely blog (www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com) wherein she shared her walk through grief after Audrey's death. As I walked along beside Angie in loss, it was encouraging to me to see her dealing with the same issues and struggles as me on a day to day basis. Angie has been able to use her loss in a BIG way, writing the book I mentioned above and speaking at events about her walk through grief and the Lord's plan for Audrey's life and death. It was great to see how God has used her loss to encourage and impact others...I only hope the Lord will use Aaron's short life in a big way, too!

Trying to Get a Cute Family Photo?

2010-12-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Too bad. ;) Little people don't always cooperate.

11 Months? Say What?

2010-12-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's true. Shiloh turned 11 months old over the weekend. It hardly seems fathomable that she's almost a year old!

She's such a fun little thing. Loves sucking a wet rag and playing with her brother. They play "chase" and she screams at him. When she's had enough, however, she fusses at him or says "no-no," her favorite word these days.

Her vocabulary started with jabbering "mama," "dada" and "nana," although she doesn't really associate them with anyone. "Bye-bye" was the first real word (accompanied by a sweet wave of the left hand), with "uh-oh" starting soon after. She uses "no-no" if you do something she doesn't like or if she sees something she wants to play with, but knows is a prohibited item. She also recently started saying "thank you," although it sound more like "tah-too." My favorite new word is "bow," which she sings sweetly any time she sees Riley or Mama Kitty. :)

Along with sucking a rag, she loves to crawl around and investigate her world, pulling up on anything remotely stationary. Our prediction is she will be walking before she turns one...we'll see if that happens! Her favorite foods are yogurt, carrots, zipper peas and dumplings. Oh, and she loves cookies and suckers, just like her biggest brother!

I'm Pretty Sure...

2010-12-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

this is the most adoring big brother ever created.

Shiloh is certainly lucky to have him. And we are, too. :)

Some Keystone Pics

2010-12-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Levi and I took a little field trip to the summit on our last day. We had oreos on our way up the gondola. Can you tell?

One of the prettiest views. But literally, there wasn't a bad view in any direction. Everywhere you turn, there are gorgeous mountains. This is by far the most beautiful place we've ever skied.

One of my favorite easy greens. :)

Tired, sore and cold. But smiling. :)

I managed to sneak a few pics of Levi on his way to ride the gondola up the mountain with his ski school class. It wasn't hard to go unnoticed...since I was covered in clothing and goggles from head to toe. Isn't he a cute little ski bum?

So...what do the younger Hills think of Santa?

2010-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

They're not fans.

No, really. They're not.

Some of My Favorite Pictures EVER

2010-11-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

This morning was full of photo sessions. First, we visited Santa Claus at Candy's Confections. Truth be told, neither Levi or Shiloh enjoyed that event. Santa did not get to hear anything from either of them except wailing and gnashing of teeth.

So, we moved on.

We had a little photo fun off Spillway Road on the new walking trail. There are some beautiful bridges and leaves as the trail nears Highway 471, so we took advantage of the opportunity and snapped about a thousand pics of the kids.

Here are four of my favorites of Shiloh. Many more to share later, but it's late and there's football to watch. :) Enjoy.

Ain't she cute? :)

Five, Six...Nine and Ten

2010-11-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

Guess who just turned TEN months old? This little sweet pea!

Guess who had the evil, wretched fever virus for NINE days? The same little sweet pea...but she wasn't feeling so sweet. But with the help of this big brother, she got better. Wouldn't you? If you had these hugs all the time? :)

Right in the middle of the evil fever virus...she got tooth number FIVE. And over the weekend, tooth number SIX! One on top and one on bottom. But she's still smiling...see?

Some Thoughts on Halloween

2010-11-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2010. Levi's first experience trick or treating. First time he has ever really expressed an interest in "dressing up." He's getting so OLD (sob...).

Anywhoo, he was a fan of Halloween. After a couple of shaky visits to someone's door, a few firm words about saying "thank you" from his daddy and after seeing bigger kids handling it like a pro, he wholly embraced the trick or treating concept.

Shiloh, on the other hand, was not so much a fan.

I'm not sure if it was going outside at dusk, prickly pine straw, being left abandoned on the cold ground, the hat... So many options.

Perhaps 2011 will be another story. :)

Something to Smile About

2010-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's been two and a half years since Aaron left us for Heaven. Not every day is a happy one when we miss our little boy, but we know he's in a better place. On top of that(as if Heaven could be topped!), some things (and people) give us a reason to smile. One of those people is my friend Jennifer Scharfenstein. She and her husband Jody lost their daughter Savannah in 2006. They put their grief into action by starting Savannah Smiles, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded to help families with final expenses of their children, as well as emotional support for grieving families like ours. Even though we've never met, to say Jennifer is close to my heart would be an understatement.

This past Friday was the annual Savannah Smiles golf tournement in Slidell, the biggest fundraiser of the year for my friends and their organization. At every hole, there is a photo and information on the children and families helped and blessed by Savannah Smiles. My sweet friend Ginger sent me a photo of our precious Aaron's photo at one of the holes.

The Scharfensteins are wonderful people and have suffered much. Yet, they are using their loss, grief and knowledge gained through tragedy to bless others in a BIG WAY! Please check out their website at www.savannah-smiles.org or their Facebook page. There you can see pictures of Savannah and the rest of their beautiful family and learn more about how to help families in grief.

Did Someone Say...4?

2010-10-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Are you seriously telling me that this guy is FOUR YEARS OLD? Why, yes. Yes, he is. :)

The Hills have been so busy with parties and sickness that I haven't had time to blog about the fact that THIS LITTLE GUY...

(at about two months old--who is incidentally the same guy as this BIGGER little guy)

just turned FOUR! After this party, he asked "mommy, am I a big boy now?" to which I reluctantly replied, "yes...yes you are." And he promptly jumped up and down and cheered. :)

It's Indescribable...

2010-10-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

...how much love I have for these little people.

And how blessed I feel...

that they are so happy (though silly).

Each day I marvel at their cuteness...how much they are learning and growing...

and am thankful at the depth of their love. :)

I Won't Share...

2010-10-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

...my grilled cheese sammich wif anyone.

Nine Months

2010-10-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe this little girl is nine months old already. She's such a busy, happy little person. She has much more of an agenda than Levi did at her age and I fear that she'll be walking all over (or maybe running) before her first birthday... She's already figured out how to roll her brother's bus across the floor. It's a good thing he shares...at least sometimes.

We went to visit Nanny and Papaw over the weekend. Nanny's birthday is this week, so we celebrated with candles and cupcakes. Levi found some time to help his Papaw bury a gutter pipe, too.

Soccer Can Be a Slow Game

2010-10-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

It just can. I mean, who knew we'd have to sit around and wait for the other team to arrive.

Or wait for our turn to take the field.

Sometimes we have to wait on the other team to line up, find enough players or tie a shoe.

And Sister has to wait, too.

But when we SCORE...it's well worth the wait. :)

Turning 40 is Dreadful

2010-09-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Especially when your wife flocks you in public. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCOTT!

Soccer Starts

2010-09-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

We recently had our first soccer game. It was quite an adventure, especially Daddy was the head coach this week! But he took it all in stride.

Here are the boys discussing their strategy.

Where are we going with the ball? They all yelled "THE GOAL!"

This was a shot of Levi's best drive of the game. The "Fire" got the ball close to their goal and Levi passed it to E...

who sunk one of several goals of the game!

Even though the game was at 8:30 in the morning, it was SUPER HOT. Moo, Pop and Shiloh watched the action from the sidelines and tried to stay cool!

Guess Who...

2010-09-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

is 8 months old?? It's hard to believe!

My How Things Change

2010-09-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

It's funny sometimes to reflect on how uptight I was during my pregnancy with Levi and after he was born. I was so regimented in my pregnancy...little to no caffeine intake, no sugar-free gum, sleeping only on my left side...I laugh now as I think about how I changed with each child.

After Levi was born, we did everything by the book. Sleep training, cloth-diapering, keeping him at home until after immunizations and by all means, we never gave him solid food or anything other than breast milk until he was 5-6 months old.

Ahem. Let's just say we are a bit more relaxed now.

Last night, since Levi ate tolerably well (read that to mean he ate 1/2 his chicken frank, applesauce, noodles and a slice of cheese) he was rewarded with two double stuf golden oreos, a crowd pleaser at my house.

Well, Shiloh was intrigued. She'd already consumed her baby food/cereal, a mum mum cracker and some juice. She watched me like a hawk as I enjoyed my alloted two oreos (thank you, Levi). So, being a bit more relaxed in my parenting skills than I once was, I decided my little "almost eight month old" could have an oreo. Just the cookie part, not the icing.

First she examined it carefully. I'm sure she was looking for sharp edges, don't you think?

Then she gave it a nibble or two.

Let's just say she was quite a fan of the golden oreo, so much so that I was afraid she would choke on the mushy sliver that remained in her hand after she wolfed it down. I had to trick her and snatch it away, then distract her with the teether toys.

But she was okay with that. See? :)

River

2010-08-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to Enterprise this weekend for my family reunion. The weather was beautiful and we took some time to play in the dry river bed, throw rocks and generally have fun. :) There were rapids to see...

water to wade in...

footprints to examine...

like these...these were from a raccoon!

I think Scott's favorite part of our adventure was getting to hold Levi's hand for a long time.

It doesn't happen very often. ;) But Levi seemed to like it, too...

Don't Let This Sweet Face Fool You

2010-08-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

There's a lot going on in there. Some sweetness. Some rot. Some purity. Some deviance. And it changes so much every day. He's growing up way too fast. I'm just glad I'm along for the ride.

Some recent conversations:

"Hey, Mommy. When I was a wittle boy at Nanny's house, I just went to the garden and there was a dinosaur and he smushed me all up."

(Talking about a dream) "Yesterday, I was just screaming because that bunny rabbit was chasing me."

"I wanna go to the boy haircut pwace" after being forced to get a haircut with Mommy. Afterwards, crying and begging not to have his "eye-bwows waxed" like Mommy. :)

We are constantly learning the distinction between "big boy" toys and "baby" toys. If it's a toy Levi wants, it's a "big boy" toy and Shiloh can't have it. If it's a "baby" toy being played with by Shiloh, it clearly needs to move back into the realm of "big boy" toy. Characterizations are fluid, right?

I can hardly believe he'll be four years old in two shorts months. Where did all the time go?

Sweet Big Brother

2010-08-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to donate some time to praising my first-born for being such a great big brother to his little sister. I took this picture of him reading one of his favorite Barney books to Shiloh over the weekend. Was she listening? Who knows. But maybe she'll remember the little things Levi did for her when she was young.

Of course, Levi has had some experience at being a big brother before. Although he probably doesn't remember much about the short, sweet time we had with his brother Aaron a couple of years ago, he was an excellent big brother to him, too.

Giving kisses...

And sweet pats...

And MORE sweet (restrained) pats. ;)

We're so thankful for his sweet spirit with his siblings. And his pride at being a big brother to Aaron and Shiloh. He DOES know that we have "Baby Shiloh" here and "Baby Aaron" in heaven. For that, we are so very glad. :)

Learning to Shop

2010-07-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Aunt Christi and I decided it was time to take Shiloh on her first girls' shopping trip a couple of weeks ago. She handled it pretty well and especially liked seeing herself in the mirror.

But who could blame her? She's pretty cute, after all. :)

Who's a Pretty Girl? (a slightly biased post)

2010-07-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

ME!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Big Swimmer

2010-07-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Four weeks of swim lessons this year culminated in one final event...SHOW DAY.

Here's what we saw...

And then there was some swimming. Face in the water, eyes open, kicking and everything. It was awesome! A little bit of assisted back swimming, too.

This was the proud swimmer after it was all finished!

And this was the proud little sister who watched the whole time. :)

Before and After

2010-07-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

Before...

...and AFTER! See the difference a power nap makes? :)

4th Fun

2010-07-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Hills had some fun on the 4th of July. We went to (Aunt) Yaya's house to swim and eat. The pool was awesome and so was the food (particularly the deviled eggs and guacamole dip...:)).

Shiloh liked splashing the the pool and watching her brother show off his swimming tricks.

Levi had a big time posing with his sister...

and his cousin, Addison. :) He really thinks he's a big guy when we let him hold the babies.

I'm not sure who had the most fun in the pool...

...Levi or his Daddy. They took turns jumping and making "big spwashes!"

If Hands Aren't Yummy Enough...

2010-06-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

TRY TOES!!!

Gettin' the Hang...

2010-06-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

...of my sippy cup. :)

Just Like Daddy

2010-06-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Everybody says Levi looks just like his daddy. Well, he looks even MORE like him when he puts daddy's glasses on!

Shiloh's First Pizza

2010-06-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

I think she likes it.

Dear Mr. Gloworm

2010-06-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Please rescue me from this crib.

I really want to come play, but I can't get over there. Can you come over here so I can turn your light on? No? Well, okay then. Plllllllllttttttttt!

So Tired

2010-06-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so tired that you just fall asleep standing up? Or sitting up? Well, Shiloh has. Her Aunt Christi just wears her out. And when Daddy strokes her head just right (see large hand at the top of this photo)...she just zonks out. Tough life, huh?

Embracing the Bumbo

2010-06-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

At age five months, we have finally cultivated an appreciation for sitting upright. And the bumbo seat isn't too bad. At least for five or ten minutes at a stretch...

Particularly if one has something to hold and chew on.

Oops, I dropped it. Where did that star go?

I got it again. Yea!

Now back to work drooling, smiling, squealing, eating, drinking, sleeping and being cute!

5 Months

2010-06-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

My name is Shiloh. I like milk. I love my brother, chewing on toys, sucking my thumbs and playing in my jumperoo.

I like milk, baby food, cereal, looking at myself in the mirror, squealing, playing with my daddy, splashing in the bathtub and...MILK. I also enjoying lying on my back and examining my feet, rolling around in my bed and setting off the movement sensor alarm and talking to my daddy. And MILK.

Has Anyone Seen My Hat?

2010-05-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

I know it's around here somewhere...

Have you seen it?

Tball: A Chronology

2010-05-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Warm-ups went well.

Playing pitcher was really fun, too.

Then came time for a pep talk from Daddy about batting.

I got really close to the plate with my bat...

But then I decided to flee the scene. Maybe next time...

Shiloh's Dedication

2010-05-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

For this child we prayed, and the Lord granted the petition that we asked of Him. 1 Samuel 1:27.

Shiloh seemed to enjoy the event, and we enjoyed making the vow to raise her in a God-honoring way.

Levi really enjoyed the reception afterward...particularly the crackers. :)

Fun With Sand

2010-05-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Taking family pics at the beach is quite challenging. Here are a couple of shots of our first impromptu session.

There's just so much love, it's hard to contain it sometimes. :)

So, we called it a night and went out for round two the next night, white shirts and all. :)

Levi was a pretty good sport, and thankfully...so was Shiloh. :) Of course, we had to bring a race car to the beach...one can't leave home without them.

Levi picked a flower for his sister. We thought that was pretty sweet.

Too bad our vacation is over. No more photos on the sand. At least for a little while. :)

Sunset 5.14.10

2010-05-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Fort Walton Beach.

Some of My Favorite Beach Pics (Untouched by Photoshop)

2010-05-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the lighting on the beach at dusk is so beautiful that you just don't need to mess with it. Ya know?

Shiloh getting to experience the first touch of the ocean on her feet...

A Summary of our First Day of Vacation...

2010-05-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much what we've been doing.

That's about it. :)