Feels like a Family Day

Alex was off work today becasue he has been gone so much lately. Abi had Parent/Teacher Conferences and Alex wanted to go to it because he isn't around much for anything. The meeting went well. Abi's teacher said she is learning quickly and is very bright. She is also well behaved. She has a little bit of an issue keeping her hands to herself, as in, she likes to hug everyone that she sees whether they want it or not. ;o) Reminds me a little bit of my Pepaw. So, I don't consider that a bad trait.
Alex then took Abi to PetCo and let her buy anything she wanted with some money that we gave her for making good choices. She picked out a beta fish and decided to name it Miss Merriweather. Alex then informed her that the fish was a boy. And Abi began to cry and say that she thought the fish was a girl. She had really struggled to come up with the perfect name for it and now daddy had ruined it. I told Alex that he had better tell Abi that he read the box wrong and that the fish, in fact, was a girl. So he did. He lied to our child to make her happy. Lol. We have a long road of hormones in our future with three girls. She has been hollering down the hallway every little bit asking "Hey Momma, How is Miss Merriweather doing?"
So, while Alex and Abi did their thing, I took KayKay and Livi to Babies-R-Us to pick up a baby shower gift and a birthday present for a party the girls were invited to. We had a great time. It was a really nice, laid back day.
I just have to say again, that God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. Family is the most important thing in the world.

Weekend Work, Yuck

Alex got home from Lake Charles last night. The girls and I got dolled up and went to his office to pick up him. We all went out to OutBack for supper. The girls were very excited about that. Abi always sings "Let's go OutBack tonight, we will see you tomorrooooowwww." Lol.


We have spent most of our afternoon in the yard today.
Daddy mowed and used the weed eater.
I spent a little bit of time in the flower bed but mostly just watched the kiddos play.
Abi and KayKay drew a spot for daddy to park his car (Maxine, the Maxima) in with sidewalk chalk.



They painted, played with Teddy, played ball and frisbee, and tried to catch bugs in their bug catcher.

And then later Daddy busted out the popsicles. After the girls were finished painting, they thought Daddy needed to wash off the paint brushes with the water hose.


And Livi just goofed off. She's so silly sometimes.

So, I guess yard work wasn't so yuck this weekend after all. We all got to be together and play. We are alive and well. We are blessed.

Wonderful Friends

Last night my good friend Karen came up from Arkadelphia and brought her 2 nieces, Leslie and Khennedy. I met Karen at the Pediatric Specialty Care (now Ascent Children's Health Services) in Arkadelphia when she began working there a couple of years ago. I quickly got to know her family and began keeping her niece Leslie a lot. I took her on lots of trips to go see Alex when he was traveling. We took her to Memphis, New Orleans, and Oklahoma to name a few. She was with us every other weekend and some holidays too.

So, Karen brought them up to go to a Halloween Bash at the Wonder Place. We got all 5 girls dressed up in their Halloween costumes and headed out. Abigail was a ghost, Makayla was a cow, Olivia was Raggedy Anne, Khennedy was a cat, and Leslie was a witch




They did art projects, played EVERYWHERE, and enjoyed splashing in the water. They also had several contests going on. The categories were:Scariest, Cutest, and Most Original. Olivia won Cutest along with a little boy dressed up as Curious George. The Most Original category was neat. There was a little family dressed up The Incredibles that was super cute and another little girl was dressed up as Goldilocks and she had three siblings as the three bears. There was also a little girl as a princess and her baby brother as a frog prince. We all had a great time. It was wild at the house with 7 women running around!


And an update on the flu shots: The nurse asked the girls who wanted to go first for their shot and Makayla said, "Abi!" So, Abi hopped up on the table and asked me to hold her hand. I told her that if she would let her arm be limp, it wouldn't hurt as bad. So she did, and was smiling as soon as it was over. She never flinched. Then it was Makayla's turn. She hopped on the table and when the needle went in, her face was full of pain and concern, but as soon as she saw my face, hers melted back into a smile because she knew it was over and she had made it without crying. Then, it was Olivia's turn. She got her shot in her thigh. She was smiling and laughing until the shot went in. She cried for about 30 seconds and as soon as I stood her back up she was smiling and content. So, they were troopers and did awesome! I am so proud of my little ladies!

Pondering our Future....

I have to say that I am very aware and passionate about the upcoming election. I don't recall ever caring so much. I know, that sounds terrible. That I am just now, at 24, giving a rip about who our country's leader is.
But I just have so many feeling flying through me when I read or hear a conversation about the candidates. And, I have a new reason for being interested, 3 new reasons actually. Whoever wins this will play a vital role in making or breaking us. We are in a critical time now within the U.S.
I hope that everyone is on their knees praying about what is going to happen to our nation. With that being said, I am going to stop with the politics. I'm consumed enough with it without dragging it into my blog!
The girls are doing great. Abi got her hair trimmed yesterday after school. She absolutely LOVES getting her hair done. She told the lady that cuts her hair,Beth, that she wants to be a cosmetologist when she grows up. Beth was shocked that Abi knew such a big word!
We are also going to get flu shots tomorrow. I am hoping that it goes well. I have been bracing Abi and KayKay all week that this was coming. I have bribed them frequently as well. I remember the first time that I had to take all three girls to the doctor, alone mind you. Abi and KayKay screamed like someone was killing them when they even thought a needle was going to be headed their way. If one sister was crying, the other two screamed. KayKay even kicked and hit at the nurse one time. I was mortified. But, I consoled myself by reminding myself that I had not been the one raising them up until that point. And later on, I proved it to myself. One of the last times that KayKay needed shots, she had to get four in the same day. An extra nurse came in the room for back up for "when" Makayla was going to flip out. The nurse sat KayKay in her lap and wrapped both legs around KayKay's legs and held her arms at her side. KayKay took two shots in each arm without shedding a tear. And I thought to myself, "Yes! I can do this whole parent-thing."
So, I think that tomorrow is going to go fine. My girls have grown so much. I know they can do it.
OH, by the way, when we were at the salon yesterday, Livi was a live wire. She ran around the shop jabbering and I picked her up and put her in my lap. She began to cry and I know that the women in there getting their hair done were trying to relax and didn't appreciate a screaming 20 month old (yes, she is 20 months old. Just turned on Monday. Can't believe it.). So I told her to hush and that the ladies in there didn't come there to hear her scream. She looked up into my eyes with tears in hers , pointed her little finger at me, and said, "Butt Butt." Yup, the phrase that I thought was so funny when she called her Papa Rock that, was being used appropriately towards me. That's what I get.

Cherish the Moments

Oh, children grow up so fast. I can not believe that Abi is 6 and KayKay is 5. The girls have almost been with us for a year. Olivia turned 20 months yesterday too. It is just hard to believe how fast time flies.
Kay Kay has been very affectionate this week. She comes up to me at random times and pats me on the back while saying,"I just love you so much, Momma" And the next thing I know, she has stolen Abi's lip gloss and is hiding behind the bedroom door smearing it all over her face. Wears me out!

The girls had gymnastics tonight and they did wonderful! Abi is doing so well and KayKay has improved a ton! They worked on round offs and cartwheels. They also did tumbles. I am so proud of them and how far they have come.



Abi and KayKay had a birthday party this weekend at Oogles and Googles. They loved it! They had the "Once Upon A Time" party. All of the girls dressed up as princesses and the boys as princes. They got to put on make up and had a great time.




And, Nana came up last Thursday and stayed with us until she had to go back to work on Monday. She came up to help out with the kiddos so that I could get some stuff taken care of and it was wonderful!! She helped out more than she will ever know and I wish she could move in. It was sad to see her go. We were able to visit like old times. We used to get to do a lot together and talk all the time. Life has taken over though and we grabbed a few mintutes to chat when we can, usually at night when the girls are asleep. I'm sure I yack her ear off most of the time because I enjoy her company, even if it is through a cell phone and not in person. The girls are crazy about her too. Olivia was pretty upset when she left.
Olivia is still exploring her "Terrible Two" side. She arches her back and twists around when she doesn't want to go to someone. She screams and cries most of the time when she doesn't get what she wants. She is mood city! I read in Parents Magazine that typically the 1/2 ages are the worst, so if my calculation is correct, she will be nicer when she is 2. lol, I am counting down the months.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 4 year anniversary! It is very exciting to get another year under our belt. And this is how I spent my day as a mom: Got up at 6:00 am, showered and got ready in between getting Abi and KayKay up and dressed for school, fed Abi breakfast, made sure the diaper bag was packed, got Livi up and dressed, made sure to let the dog out and to grab Abi's lunch box, loaded everyone up in the car, took Abi to school, took KayKay to the dentist, waited in the waiting room of the dentist office watching the SpongeBob Movie (which I really didn't mind at all)for 1 1/2 hours for her sedation medicine to kick in, all the while trying to feed Livi breakfast and keep her entertained, then waited another hour for her to get 3 filling and a cap (which could have been avoided if her biological mother hadn't decided to smoke weed while she was pregnant), and then it was off to Target to reward KayKay for not flipping out on the dentist and to get her prescription filled, stopped by Chick-Fil-E because the poor child hadn't eaten all day, and then it was home to feed Livi and KayKay and put them both down for a nap. While they rested I argued on the phone with AT&T for another hour and a half and by the time that was done, it was time to get everyone up and go pick Abi up from school. Now the kiddos are eating supper and we are preparing for church.
*Whew*, so, it has not been a typical anniversary to say the least. And Alex is out of town in Mississppi working this week. I'm sure all of the other CTEH wives can totally relate to being alone for lots of holidays.
But, I am not alone. I have my girls, and thank God for them. Alex did write me the sweetest message on facebook ever. Lol, how sad it that? We don't even get eachother cards anymore. It's all electronic.
I just have to say that I am the most blessed woman in the world. I married a man that lovingly welcomed in three children that he had never even met before and loves them with all of his heart. He has allowed me to be able to stay at home and be a mom to them, which is all that I have ever wanted to be. And on top of all of that, he puts up with me and my rantings on a daily basis. He works hard and provides for us. He loves God. He is handsome, intelligent, and kind. God made him for me, and me for him.
I'm glad he didn't give up on me. :o)
Happy Anniversary Boo.

Wild Weekend

So, Alex left on Friday to go to Mississippi for the week for work. I took Abi and KayKay to school and then took Alex by the rental car place. We then went to Gymboree in Little Rock to let Olivia check it out. She played and climbed on everything! She really seemed to enjoy it, but she is not really into the whole socializing thing yet. She likes to play with her sisters and give hugs. That's about it for now.
Alex had to leave as soon as she was done with her Gymboree class.

Saturday I took the girls to the corn maze and pumpkin patch in Mayflower. They loved it! I had to drag them to the car to leave. They rode on the tractor ride and went through the corn maze. They jumped in the moon bouncer and walked around to pet all of the animals that they had. I had to promise them that I would bring them back sometime. (Maybe next year)
And today, we went to the Discovery Museum after church. They had a ball there too. Everyone was very ready for a nap after that.
The girls miss their daddy though. There are lots of things that remind them of him throughout the day. When Teddy barks, KayKay says "Ahhhh, Daddy must be home". Lord willing, he will be home on Friday.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning.....

Well, I have seen a lot of neat blogging going on. So I thought I would give it a try as well. It seems to be a good way of getting to know people that you don't know very well or keeping up with those that you care about the most.
I am married to Alex Hill. We have been married almost 4 years (on Wednesday 10/15 to be exact). We grew up together in Newhope and were in the same graduating class at Dierks. We were married in 2004 and lived in Arkadelphia. We both went to college at Henderson and I graduated in December of 2005 with a Human Services degree. I took a job working for Pediatric Specialty Care in Arkadelphia as a Mental Health Specialist.
Alex graduated in May of 2006 with a Physics degree. He then accepted a job working at the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health in Little Rock (at the time).
So, in July of 2006 we moved to Bryant. We got an apartment at Hurricane Creek and lived there until January of 2007. We bought our home in Bauxite in January and have been here ever since.
We have always wanted a family and we began to research the possibilities of making that happen. We have also always known that we wanted to adopt children some day. We began to take the neccessary requirements to be foster/adoptive parents through DHS.
I found out in April of 2007 that I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and that it will take some extra work on our part in order to get pregnant. We underwent fertility treatments until December of 2007 and then decided to give it a rest.


In October of 2007, our world changed drastically. I had began to work with a family at the clinic that needed a lot of assistance. There were three little girls being raised by their grandparents. The grandmother was the main caregiver and was in bad health. She had to be admitted to the hospital after falling and breaking her shoulder. The girls needed immediate placement due to none of their other family members being acceptable as caregivers. So, we opened our home and hearts to these children.
Alex was out of town for the first three weeks that we had the girls. Abigail Diann was 5, Makayla Rose was 4, and Olivia Grace was 8 months old when they came to us. It was a wild ride to say the least! The girls still had weekly visits with their biolgical parents up until April of 2008. It was every Thursday from 9:00-10:00 at the DHS office. The girls called us "Alex" and "Bethany" for a long time. We had initially taken the girls in 1. because they needed us and 2. because I had a friend that wanted to possibly adopt them. So, we went into the situation with "temporary" on our minds.
As time went on, we fell totally in love with our girls. We didn't try to get them to call us anything but Alex and Bethany due to conflicts that would arise at their weekly visits. Once the visits were over, we gradually transitioned to being called "Mama B" and "Daddio". We explained to the girls that they had two Mommas and two Daddy's. So, we had a different version of a parent name to establish the difference. And slowly, the title of "B" and "O" fell off. Now, we are Momma and Daddy.
So, now, here it is, a year later. KayKay received Occupational, Speech, Physical,and Mental Health Therapies when she first came to stay with us. And now, all she gets is Mental Health due to her hyperactivity. They are awesome kids! And we went from a family of 2, to a family of 5 instantly.
We are so proud of our family. I quit my job at the end of May to stay at home with Olivia and be more available for the constant activities that Abi and KayKay have going on.