Baby Bites

The last time Chris and I were in Baton Rouge we were shocked at how fast our nieces are growing up!

Here's Maria, chomping down on an apple:

First she found the bowl.

Then she checked to see if anyone was going to stop her.

Delightful!

But difficult to consume with only two bottom teeth!

So dad came in for the rescue:

Avocado? Yes, please!

Later, she was given a baby rice cracker:

 Which she kindly shared with Laura:

Only to realize, that meant there would be no more rice cracker!

Poor Maria!

It won't be long before she's heading up the kid's table at Thanksgiving!

Tech Guy Tom

I've really enjoyed using my new Brother sewing/embroidery machine. In order to create unique items, I've been downloading embroidery designs from the internet, then putting them onto my machine. This means I need to unplug my laptop, bring it over to my (tall) sewing table, plug it into the Brother machine and transfer the files. On Tuesday night I stayed up too late to finish a project and started a transfer. I brought the laptop to the (tall) sewing table...

Can you tell where this is going?

Before I knew it, my laptop was on the floor, the screen was clearly cracked (and showing some bright triangles) and I was in shock. From blogging, to emailing, to running my etsy business... I do everything with this computer!!

The next morning I called my tech-savvy dad in hopes he could point me in the right direction. (How to buy a new computer, how to transfer all of my files to this new computer, how to salvage what I could from the broken one... what to do!)

After researching laptop screens on the web, he found out he could replace the broken screen. He searched for the best deal, found $4 overnight shipping (amazing!) and went to work.

He took my computer and began his surgery:

That's my computer on the left side of the photo, and the screen on the right. Yikes.

Here's my dad working his magic:

Will it work?

YES!!!

Less than 48 hours before I was convinced it was a goner. And, truly, it appeared to be ruined.

But thanks to my dad, I'm back up and running... AND he ran a program that makes it faster than it was before the crash!

Thanks Tech Guy Tom, your skills always impress!

WBW: GI Tom

My dad used to jump out of airplanes. Often.

I don't know all the details (unit, correct army terms... was it even "army"?) but I have these awesome photos of my dad: America's hero:

Getting into the chopper:

Jumping out (view from the ground):

Jumping out (view from the sky):

I think this is my dad, taking a photo of his parachute while he's falling from the sky (always safety first, that one):

And lastly, "Dude, I think I dropped my camera over here, help me find it":

Want to join in the Way Back Whens-day fun and share some photos from your past? It's easy!

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Step Two: fill out this easy form and a link will pop up here to send readers to YOUR WBW story!

Baby Face(s)

First, a little housekeeping:

Baby Hill's arrival is getting to that 2-3 week mark and I've gone crazy with needless projects found many things around the house that just HAVE to get done before he arrives. Important things like reorganizing the freezer (again), using my monogram machine to put his name/initials on every piece of fabric I can get my hands on and putting a sheet in our Home Organization Binder (that's another story) that tells the babysitter how to work our TV. You know... perfectly sane things that HAVE to get done immediatly.

Because of this perfectly sane and necessary "to do" list, I'm cutting down my blogging from five days a week (for the most part) to three-- Monday, Way Back Whens-day and Friday. So mom, when I don't blog on a Tuesday, you don't have to assume I've gone into labor and forgot to call you.

From what I hear a newborn takes the sanity sleep from new moms, so blogs might be a little sparse after his arrival. But after I get through the legendary six week "just survive" time period, I hope to get back to my daily check-ins.

With all this confusion, you're probably happy for the break from my silly stories worried you'll miss a blog post! So make sure you either "follow" me (click on the orange button at the upper left-hand corner that says "subscribe in reader") or  follow by email (put your email in the white box on the left-hand column-- next to where it says "follow by email"). That way you'll get alerts when I am able to get something new up.

In the meantime, let's look at some adorable photos I took last week while we were in Baton Rouge:

Happy Maria:

Really happy Lucy:

Soulful Gordon:

And "don't you mess with  my family" Tootie:

I could look at these faces all day! Which one is your favorite?

WBW: First Cars

My two nieces have showed off their driving skills this week, so I thought it would be fun to include some Way Back Whens-day photos of Chris and I during our early driving days.

Ah, the awkward days of youth. Look at those arms!

Here's another...

Not sure the stories behind these photos, but I'm digging the pained expression. Chris still doesn't enjoy having photos taken.

After scouring skimming through our family albums, here's the only photo I could find of me with my first car:

That's me in the red with one of our foreign exchange students, Chie. Not sure why my mom chose a day that it was raining to snag this photo!

Not looking forward to taking a photo of BH with his first car! I'm already nervous about him driving! Perhaps I should get through the birth before I start to really get concerned...

Want to share some photos from your past? It's easy!

Step One: grab a button and to put on your WBW post (that will send readers here):

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.thehillscountry.blogspot.com" title="The Hill's Country"><img src="http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac296/katiebhill/WBWR32.jpg" alt="The Hill's Country" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Step Two: fill out this easy form and a link will pop up here to send readers to YOUR WBW story!

Driving Ms. Lucy

Maria wasn't the only baby learning to drive on the 4th of July!

Uncle Andrew decided to give Ms. Lucy a lesson of her own:

At first she wasn't too sure about the idea:

Am I getting a sunburn?

But before long, she was getting the hang of it!

BH has been taking swimming lessons for the past nine months, but it won't be long before he'll join his cousins for some driving practice!

Driving Ms. Maria

Chris and I went to Baton Rouge the week of the 4th of July to spend time with his family-- especially his cousin, Alison who came in from Alaska!

While we were there, Maria learned how to drive!

She wasn't too sure at first:

But she was having fun:

 Pretty soon she was cruising all around the pool:

Hey Aunt Katie, need a ride to the deep end?

They grow up so fast...

WBW: Like Father, Like Son

Chris and I were in Baton Rouge recently when I found this photo of PD (Chris' dad):

At first, I thought this was a photo of Chris!

See the resemblance?

 And here's the most recent photo of our little guy:

Hello cheeks!

It won't be too long before we'll see how BH fits into the family resemblance photos!

Want to share some photos from your past? It's easy!

 

Step One: grab a button and to put on your WBW post (that will send readers here):

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.thehillscountry.blogspot.com" title="The Hill's Country"><img src="http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac296/katiebhill/WBWR32.jpg" alt="The Hill's Country" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Step Two: fill out this easy form and a link will pop up here to send readers to YOUR WBW story!

Laid Back Lucy

This week is packed. Appointments for Baby Hill, wrap up appointments from Chris' medical adventure and trying to get the house in order for BH's arrival. There's a lot of schedule and list making going on!

I'd rather take a tip from laid back Lucy...

You stay chill, girl... there will be plenty of time for google calendars and to-do lists later.

Chris in the Kitchen

Chris is a great cook. So it didn't surprise me when I found him slaving over a hot stove:

But what was IN the pot did surprise me:

Those are dress shirts.

At first I thought maybe he was tired of my random, "pregnancy blamed" food choices and decided to one-up me. But he was actually just following an old recipe to clean and brighten dress shirts.

Large pots of boiling dress shirts... just another day at the Hill House!

Week Off

I'm taking another week off from the blog. Just too much to do! But don't worry, I'll be back next Monday with the riveting stories you've come to love.

In the meantime, feel free to peruse some of the "classic" blog posts by clicking on the "Where We've Been" section (on the left column). Or you might want to see my "Disney" page (also on the left column, towards the top).

AND, if you haven't already, make sure to place your bets on Baby Hill's arrival from Friday's post!
See you in a week!