A Hiester Christmas...

Things have finally slowed down enough that I am able to post some pictures from our whirlwind Christmas. We were fortunate to have Brandon's mom fly us up to Seattle so that we would not have to drive... It was a good thing too since the weather was such that we wouldn't have been able to drive. So, with only a few delays and one mad dash to catch our connection home we survived our first airplane experience with the kids in tow. (thanks for the tips Jordan) The weather was less than ideal for driving as they were having a lot of snow, but our friend Josh pulled some strings and was able to rent us an SUV. It was a huge blessing as it allowed us a way to get around safely and it helped me to feel more comfortable in the snow! (Thank you Josh!!!!!) We enjoyed our time with Brandon's family and the boys enjoyed getting spoiled by all the family. Here are some pictures in no particular order.

Boxes are better than toys right?

How does this thing work?

Uncle Cam showing Caleb how to ride his new bike!

Story time with Grammy B

Grammy B showing Z the cold snow

Cabe and Daddy playing in the snow

Cabe and me building a Schill size snowman

Pop Pop teaching Cabe how to drive his new remote control car

reading stories with Uncle Cam

From our Family to Yours...

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Yesterday Brandon said goodbye to his 20's and welcomed in a new decade! We had a lot of fun as Brandon is very easy to celebrate!

Cabe and Zach's card to daddy

Caleb's thinking... "If I just sit through this picture I am pretty sure they will give me some birthday cake!"

Yippee, almost time for cake!

Big birthday hugs!

We Love you Brandon!

Heres to you Grandma Schill!

Caleb enjoying his first ice cream cone. He LOVES ice cream! I think we know who he gets that from right grandma?

Playing with Daddy's Bandage

I love how this picture captures a bit of Caleb's personality

Healing with Pleasure

After a day or two of cautious creeping around, Caleb decided to make his daddy's recovery a little bit more fun. He kept tickling Brandon's foot as he had discovered that Brandon couldn't move it! Smart boy! Zach did what he does best... and supervised with a look of gleeful satisfaction.

Encouraging Words

A couple of days ago I was running errands. The boys were in the stroller and I was attempting to push it while carrying several large storage bins to the checkout counter. After a near collision with an older woman and one collision with a store display (good thing Caleb is tough) I made it to the counter, paid and struggled my way out to the car. As I was loading the kids and bins into the car the woman who had been behind me in line ran over to me and gave me a big hug. "You are doing such a good job!" she smiled. " I watched you wheel your way around in there while talking to your little ones... I know how hard it can be and I can tell you are a hard worker... your boys are beautiful..." I stayed quiet, basking in this unexpected gift of encouragement, as she said a few more things that gave me a much needed lift. I was so blessed by this kind stranger's words. I hope the next time I notice someone out and about I will have the courage and take the time to go up to them and give them a hug, a smile, or some encouraging words!

Moving on up!

We finally broke down and decided to get Caleb a "big boy" bed. I have been fighting it as I knew it would make things more difficult for awhile. I won't bore you with the details... We found a bed at a garage sale over the weekend and Cabe helped put it together when we got home. He loved helping daddy and is doing great in his new bed! What a big boy!

Grandma!

This is us... sending you flowers via blog. Wish I could be there to give you a hug in person.
We love you!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Last night we celebrated Caleb's 2nd Birthday. He had such a good time and soaked up all of the attention. He finally got to enjoy some birthday cake, as he has been talking about it since Zachary's birthday. I am so thankful for this little man, he is such a joy to us. It is nearly impossible to capture a picture of him lately, as he has strong feelings towards the camera, but here he is displaying some of his excitement and his contagious laugh.

Winter Garden

I am very excited about my first winter garden... Well it is more like a big pot really... (thanks mom) but it is mine nonetheless and I haven't killed anything off yet which is a major feat in itself. We enjoyed our first salad from the bounty.

hmmm...

I hate to make fun of these dear people... but... what can I say? I hope you all get a good laugh... I am still laughing. It has quickly become Brandon's favorite song!

Zach's Birthday Party

The Cake

Trying to decide if he likes it...

Very excited to open his new book!

Our Gift of God

Happy Birthday Zachary Shae! I can't believe that a year has gone by already since we welcomed our little Z! Zach has brought so many smiles and so much joy to our little family. I am exceedingly blessed and honored that God chose me to be his mom. Here is to many more years...

A Day at Turtle Bay

Last weekend we took advantage of a get in free day at Turtle Bay. We got there early and thankfully the crowds weren't unbearable yet. We enjoyed seeing all the animals, but spent most of our time watching Cabe play in the water. I pretended not to notice all the evil eyes other mother's were giving me as he proceeded to soak himself. You are only young once right? Zach watching all the people

Did I mention that Caleb really likes water?

Our attempt at a family photo

Tired and wet... time to go home

In Honor of Fall...

Last week I excitedly welcomed fall as it is my favorite time of year and planned our weekly menu accordingly. We enjoyed chili (my mother-in-laws yummy recipe), cornbread, apples, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin bread. We topped it all off with pumpkin pancakes, courtesy of Caleb and Daddy. Oh so good! Here is our little chef making and eating his masterpiece. How I love fall! Now, if we could just get the weather to cooperate!

Things I have been praying for this week

• an extra set of arms (preferably "go go gadget arms")
  
• patience
  
• friendship
• Kleenex... lots and lots of Kleenex
  
• strength
  
• endurance
• a personal masseuse
• a patient husband (which I have)
  
• patience
• patience
• did I mention patience

I have been practicing taking deep breaths this week. At one point my darling Caleb must have seen my distress because he said, "ma ma... deep breath...." and he sucked in as much air as he could. I don't know what I would do without my little "helper," except maybe be taking fewer deep breaths. Oh how I love my sons!

Prayers

A couple of months ago Caleb started to notice the noises produced by our neighbor, especially the sound of the water turning on when he would take a shower. Caleb is a very sensitive little boy who has a lot of emotions running through his little head. In my great wisdom I told him that the noises were just our neighbor Tom. At first he was fine with it, but for the last month he has been terrified by any bump, thump or whir that his little ears pick up on. His green eyes widen to the size of small saucers while his lower lip gets lower and he cries out in terror "TOM...TOM..TOM"! Again, in my wisdom I try to explain to my almost 2 year old that Tom is a nice man who lives on the other side of the wall. At this point Caleb thinks that Tom is a monster who lives in the walls and on the roof and pretty much anywhere else he hears a noise. I have tried making a game out of it, I have tried taking it back and telling him that Tom is "all gone", and several weeks ago I finally took him over to meet Tom, thinking maybe that would help. Lets just say that didn't go too well. With all of my ideas falling short and Cabe finding it harder to take naps, I had the novel idea to pray. Immediately Caleb calmed down. Now when he gets scared of something we are making it a habit to pray. He puts his chubby little hands together in prayer and says Gee, which I know means Jesus. Just like me, he is learning to find comfort in prayer. When I find myself overwhelmed or fearful, it's power over me is diminished when I take it to the Lord in prayer. It is wonderful to watch my precious son discover this truth. He still mentions Tom a lot, but Tom is no longer a monster who lives in the wall. According to Caleb, Tom is the man who mows the lawn, always seems to be at work and drives a big car that goes VROOM.

Labor Day Weekend

Enjoying some father/son time















Sitting still for a moment...




















Caleb's first time in the lake!












I am not a big boat person... but I wouldn't mind having one of these!

Blessed

There is no time like the present to say...
I am so thankful for these guys!

Our Artists Debut

With all of the smoke hanging around this summer we have been doing a lot of playing inside. This often means I must find creative things for the boys to do. Caleb loves to play with play dough and is getting much better at making things. Zach tried to eat it the first time, but to my delight he didn't find it enjoyable and has started playing with it instead. The boys have also been having fun playing the piano. Today they delighted me with a duet.


Caleb has completed his first painting, (non pudding) which we now proudly display in our kitchen. He doesn't get his creativity from me!


One of the play dough gifts Cabe made me

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Trip to Seattle

Last weekend Brandon and I left our little men with my parents and drove up to Seattle for my childhood friends wedding! It was a blessing to be able to go just the two of us and enjoy the wedding festivities. We also got to spend some time with Jake and his girlfriend Alia. Here are a few pictures of our trip.



The beautiful bride... Yes she is wearing an apron... Thats my Mikki!


The four of us enjoying a nice dinner WITHOUT KIDS!


The birthday boy