Little Buggy

Sophie is now 9 months old!
Recently I realized that I haven't posted much about her since she turned 6 months old. She has grown and progressed so much within the last 3 months. Her cute personality is manifesting more and more each day.
It's time for another Sophie update!

At 7 months she started babbling, and has not stopped since! True to form, her first word was "Daddy." She also clearly says "Baby!" while holding Jocee's dolls & "Yay!!" while clapping. She is definitely going to be an early talker.

At 8 months Sophie finally started crawling! And when I went to get her this morning, she was standing in her crib! She has been pulling herself up on things (and trying to climb) all day today.--I love it! She has been doing things about 2 months later than Jocee did, but we are in no rush!

We love that she is so different from her big sister. Here are some of Sophie's cute quirks that we love...

• Sophie LOVES to cuddle.
• She gives hugs all the time!
  
• She likes to be tickled, and will grab people's hands so that they can tickle her.
• She is always trying to keep up with Jocee.
• Sophie wants to do anything that her big sister is doing, and tries to mimic her all the time!
  

• She is such a happy baby & laughs all the time!
• She has the cutest little sense of humor.
  

• Sophie LOVES playing with dolls! (Partially to mimic what Jocee does.)
• She loves playing with Jocee.
  
• Watching the two of them interact is priceless.
  

Of course, I could add so much more to this list. Sophie is such an amazing little girl! We love that she is so different from her big sister. Getting to know her personality is such a joy.

It's so hard to believe that she will be ONE in less than 3 months!
I want to savor each new phase as it comes!

Hill Girls

Last month my mom had some friends from church take pictures of the girls. She babysits their kids sometimes, so Keith offered to do some in-studio photos for free. It was so nice of them to take time out of their busy schedules for us.

I got to look at some of Keith's work while we were there, and he is so talented! Check out his website! I wish he was around 5 years ago so he could have done the photography for our Boston reception...or even 8 years ago, for my senior portraits. haha

He was able to get a lot of cute shots, despite what he had to work with...

Jocee decided to be extra shy and disagreeable that day. She threw a few tantrums and refused any direction. Oh, and just a few days previous she decided to chop 2-3 inches off her hair (in some spots) & skinned both her knees.
Gotta love Little Miss!

I even tried jumping in a few to try and help persuade her.


Sophie was amazingly good, like always! He could have spent the whole time with her...and almost had to!

Seriously So Blessed!

One of my biggest pet peeves lately is braggy blogs. What is the point? I must have missed the memo....

It just seems like there are a lot of people who set up family blogs, just so they can brag. If you judge these people's lives solely by what they chose to post on the internet, everything just seems too perfect. It's as if they try to paint a pretty little picture of what they want their lives to look like.

In the end, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

Anyway, a few nights ago I came across this.

It's a spoof on stereotypical Utah/Mormon girls' blogs.
I have been laughing almost non-stop!



PS...
If I ever come across this way, please feel free to punch me in the face.
Thanks!

I Love Meme!!

It's a commonly known fact that the ONLY pizza I like is from Town Spa in Stoughton, MA. It's amazing! Whenever I visit, I never seem to get my fill of it. Then later on throughout the year, I find myself craving it. But nothing else will do.
Tragic.

I was telling Meme this while we sat at the lake on Monday. I'd heard that she makes pizza similar to "The Spa" and asked her for the recipe. She is so sweet! She offered to have us over on Saturday (yesterday) for pizza. She was more than happy when I asked if I could make it with her.

I was so excited! I love spending time with her, but I've never got to cook with her.

So on one of the hottest, most humid days of the year, I found myself in an even hotter kitchen receiving words of wisdom from my grandmother!
(...and loving every minute of it!)

Bonus:
We were able to cook uninterrupted...

Chris, Maureen, and Lil came up, too! Chris is Italian and loves to cook, so he joined us and gave some of his own pizza tips.



I am just so grateful for my grandmother! She is incredible in so many ways!

Lola B. Giveaway

Once upon a time, (back in March) I posted about a lame TV show.
I was still pretty green on the blogging front.
In retrospect, I shouldn't have.
I only added to the media craze.
But we live & learn, so I moved on...

About a month later I noticed that I had a new comment on that entry.

It was this blogger named, Kasey.
She agreed with me, so I knew she was sane.
And her maiden name is Hill, so I'm sure we're somehow, distantly related...

THEN one night when Ben was away and I had everything done, I read through her blog.
Within maybe 3 entries I decided I was hooked!

She's witty and funny and is never boring.
You should check her out.
lolabboutique.blogspot.com



Anyway...
She has an online boutique with all kinds of cute things.
The link is on her blog. (Check that out, too!)
She's having a giveaway so I decided to blog about it.

Even if I don't win, you all have some new, fun reading material!

The end.

PS..
My mom had some friends take professional pictures of the girls today. I've seen the photographer's work, so I'm excited to see how they came out. I'll post them when we get them!

Happy Birthday, Lillian!!

Today is this cute girl's first birthday!!

Yesterday we went to the beach, yet again, to celebrate with friends and family! It was definitely the funnest First Birthday party Jocee has ever been to.

These girls love each other!

My mom and I spent the time switching off between the two girls. Sophie was definitely the easier one! Here is the one & only picture I took to prove that she was there...

Jocee spent the majority of the time playing in the water with all the other little kids there. When she saw them wearing swimming goggles, she insisted on wearing her sunglasses. One of the only things that got her out of the water was the cake!

Jocee is so funny! She actually sang "Happy Birthday" to herself before she took a bite.

Chris and Maureen did such an awesome job planning and hosting the party! I have never seen Jocee run around and play so much. She was busy from start to finish. When we got home she actually asked to go to bed at 7:30!

Happy Birthday Lillian!

Sunny Days

I have been so lazy with taking pictures and blogging during our visit. I don't even know where to start! I'm going to make a goal to take more pictures from here on out.

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better, so we've been spending every sunny day this week at my grandmother's beach in Sharon. Jocee loves going to the lake! Every morning she asks if we can go to "Meme's Lake!"

My cousin Maureen has had the week off, so they've been there a lot, too! I wish Maureen could have more time off. Jocee loves playing with little Lilly. She affectionately refers to her as, "Cousin." It's adorable! I love how excited they get when they all see each other!

I love this girl!

Today, 10 little ducks stopped by. Jocee had so much fun chasing them! She kept telling the ducks to come closer so that she could hug them. Serious! She also tried quacking at them so that maybe they'd think she was one of them. They really didn't seem to mind her. Maybe it worked...



Oh, and Sophie LOVES the lake, too!! I really need to do a separate post all about her. She is growing too darn fast, and is a total joy!

She is honestly the easiest, most laid-back, happy baby I have ever met. All we have to do is give her, her favorite blanket and maybe a toy and she is content as can be! If I could get a guarantee that every baby I had would be like her, I'd gladly have 10!



In other news...
Jocee has recently decided that she is done with baby bottles! Yes, she is almost 2 1/2... It's the only way she'll drink milk. She drinks everything else with a sippy cup or a regular cup, so I haven't worried about it. I wanted her to give it up when she is ready.

Over the last few days she has refused a bottle outright. Apparently Disney Princess sippy cups are much more sophisticated. This is the last time you'll see her cuddled up with a bottle, people!

July 3rd

The 4th of July is my most favorite holiday. There's warm weather, good food, family, and I always see fireworks in the end (weather permitting)!

The holiday is not complete without celebrating the 3rd of July first, at my grandmother's house in Sharon. My dad's family has a private beach, ideal for cookouts and watching the town's firework display. It's perfect! All of my fondest childhood memories are there on that lake.

The town of Sharon always has the fireworks on the 3rd, which also happens to be my dad's birthday. He was born just 10 minutes shy of being an Independence Day baby. Anyway, it's always so much fun being able to see his side of the family at this time of the year.

Ben loves it, too. He fits in seamlessly with the rest of the family. Plus, he has even said that the fireworks he saw in Sharon were the best he's ever seen. We have missed him so much! I'm so grateful for web cams and Skype! Both of the girls LOVE being able to see and talk to Daddy everyday. Hopefully we can all come out as a family next year. But, I digress...

Yesterday was perfect!! There was just one light passing rain shower. It lasted all of 20 minutes and left this behind.

I completely forgot my camera, so I had to borrow some pictures from my cousin, Sam.

Anyway, Jocee loved everything. She played with her cousin, Lillian.

Even though the water was cold, she had so much fun playing in it with Sam and Megan. She was being such a little show-off! She loved all the attention she got!

(Note: Jocee got a hold of some scissors last week and cut 3+ inches off her hair!! Now it's constantly in her face--even worse than before! If only she'd keep hair elastics & bows in her hair...)

And of course she had to play with the "puppies!!"

Watching Jocee watch the fireworks was definitely the best part. She was fine as long as someone was holding her. She kept saying, "Oh, pretty!" and pointing out all the different colors. It was so cute, I wanted to cry!

It was such a perfect day! After constant rain (every single day that we have been here), it was sunny and not too humid. Sophie was so good. We actually forgot to get pictures of her. (Oops!!) I loved being able to see family & show Jocee new things.

We are excited to see everyone again for Lilly's first birthday next week. And this time I won't forget my camera!

Happy 4th of July!!

We Survived!

We're in Boston!!

I can't believe I'm still alive! JK It honesty wasn't as bad as I had been anticipating.

We left the house at 8:00 am and got to Salt Lake around 9:00. Ben was able to get an escort pass so that he could help me through airport security and see us off at the gate (a good start!).

But then...
Jocee had a total meltdown when Ben left. She was terrified of getting on the plane and threw a fit in the aisle. The people we sat in front of definitely didn't help her demeanor. They were bribing their little girl with chocolate if she'd sit in her car seat. Jocee then cried harder when she realized that she wouldn't be getting any of this chocolate. How weak is that?? They weren't even outnumbered and they had to use chocolate! Amateurs. (Although...secretly...I was jealous for not thinking of that idea myself...)

The rest of that flight seemed even worse. Both girls were extra hyper and just difficult to entertain. I've since decided that if I had to have some sort of freakish deformity, an extra set of arms would be ideal. I'm sure I'd be the envy of all other moms...

The layover in St. Louis was 2 hours long. Then the flight to Philadelphia was delayed another hour...soo...I broke down and got Jocee fries from Burger King while Sophie napped. Horrible, I know! But so worth it! She was so happy and content after she ate.

She boarded the plane to PA like a pro and sat quietly until the plane was in the air. One would think that she's been traveling all her life. We were so lucky to sit next to the kindest lady for the flights to PA and RI. She was an angel! She offered to hold Sophie whenever I needed and even helped me with getting off the plane in Providence. Everyone thought she was the girls' grandmother. That woman may never know how much she really helped me or how grateful I am that she did.

After a very long day, we finally got to my parents house around midnight. Once we got there Sophie had a breakdown. She was inconsolable for almost an hour. I think the craziness of the day finally overwhelmed her. I finally got to bed at 2:00 am. Yikes.

Now that's it's over, I can say that it really wasn't that bad. It's definitely not something that I'd want to do often. But it was worth it!



Oh, and I totally love Combi strollers!! We have this one...

...in red.



I also want to thank Crystal and Elizabeth!!
Crystal mentioned bringing crayons and coloring books.
Elizabeth recommended bringing a magnedoodle (sp?).
Two simple things that helped so much!!

I Love When This Happens...

Hand-me-downs!!

(Jocee, 7 months old)


(Sophie, 7 months old)

Since our girls were born during completely different seasons (April & November), Sophie can't always take advantage of all the cute clothes that Jocee got to wear. Ben picked this one shirt out while I was pregnant with Jocelyn.
(He actually had picked out an entire outfit with coordinating pea coat. But alas, pea coats aren't necessary in the month of June!)

Side note: Ironically Ben is also wearing the same t-shirt in both photos! It's probably not the exact same shirt... He just really likes Hanes! haha)

Glutton for Punishment

At some point, in the near future, I will be taking a very long flight to Boston, Massachusetts with these two lovely ladies in tow...


Actually, it will be two flights (including that inevitable connecting flight). Originally I was going to be flying out with my sister once she gets done with school at the end of July. BUT..I changed my mind for a variety of reasons.

• 4th of July is my most favorite holiday-ever. (It seemed silly to miss it.)
  
• We only visit my side of the family once a year, so why not say just a little bit longer this time?
• My parents are the best grandparents ever! I so wish that they had been my grandparents! They always miss the girls.
  
• We really want to move to a cheaper condo or house. (It's a total "renter's market" right now.) So it'll be easier for Ben to get things done with us girls being gone.
• Oh and how many parents have traveled with kids before? Other parents do it all the time! My aunt, Lori traveled with 3 kids--2 of which are 18 months apart...and she was fine! So, I can totally handle this, too!

I've been starting to plan the trip. I've been compiling a list of things to bring, while also trying to think through every possible situation. Maybe that's wasn't a good idea? I'm just making myself nervous! What was I thinking?? Well...I know what I was thinking (see above). But still...do I really have an idea of what I'm in for?

Both girls can get pretty scary without their scheduled naps. They thrive on their schedules. Then there's keeping them entertained for such a long time. Oh, and I'm sure temper tantrums will occur. And when these fits of rage take place, the dirty looks and potential rude comments from childless travelers.

I keep on thinking of that woman that was thrown off an airplane because her son wouldn't stop saying. "Bye-bye airplane!" And how a stewardess had said, "That's what Baby Benadryl is for!" Yikes. I know there was more to that story...
(Oh, but that biatch should know--You can't give Benadryl to babies! Sheesh!)

Luckily, we are flying Southwest! I've never had a bad experience with them. Everyone is always so nice and helpful. For now I'm just trying to plan for anything. I really don't want to be that parent that people look at, wondering why I can't handle my kids. Any ideas from experienced parents would be wonderful!!

I know I can do this. I'm sure I'll find out what I'm really made of! And just think of what an entertaining post that will make!

Anyway, that's all that has been on my mind lately.

(And Ben will be flying back with me, when we go home! Yays for that!)