Wrapping up November

Some random photos from November:

Bradley proudly showing off his building:

Bradley and his pal, Joey, enjoying snack time:

Brenham, doing his "cousin Conrad" impression (I know, only about 10 people will get this... but for the others- he just looks looks cute!)

Speaking of cute:

And we almost have a smile!

Park Pictures

We have some great parks around us (many thanks to www.westuparks.org and their fundraising efforts)! Here are some shots of Bradley enjoying them!

Houston in the summer is tough... but it sure is nice to grab the stroller and head outside with my kiddos in the middle of December!

Brenham: two months

Brenham is two months old!

He's still a pretty serious fellow:

And he still wears a signature look of "a little concerned and uncomfortable":

And I still attribute that to the fact that Big Brother is always close by, ready to attack... hug him and show him his eyes.

In fact, he couldn't help but get into the action of Brenham's photo shoot... if only for a moment in the chair...

They say you shouldn't compare your kids... but I couldn't help it... are these two peas in a pod, or what??

Brenham seems to be growing much faster, though.

Even though he's not a big smiler (we can get a few grins out of him from time to time) he's a super low-maintenance baby-- eats, sleeps, coos...

Bradley loves when we let him "play" with Brenham and I've loved watching their sibling relationship begin! We love having Brenahm in our family!

Despite this photo, I'm sure he loves it too. Really.

Thanksgiving 2014

For the first time since Chris and I were dating, the Hill family stayed in Houston for Thanksgiving. It was a much slower pace than usual, but we all enjoyed spending some laid-back time together.

We have much to be thankful for!

Bradley's school hosted a Thanksgiving feast... it was adorable!

 

On Thanksgiving day we enjoyed a feast hosted by my parents. Bradley was uninterested in much of the food:

 But he sure looked cute in his outfit!

Speaking of cute outfits, Brenham wore a special one. 

This was not only worn by Bradley, but also by CHRIS when he was a baby!

Brenham, rocking his signature look, "concerned and uncomfortable":

I meant to get a good family photo, but by the end of the day, I was so tired, I just sat on a cooler and had the boys gather around me.

I'm thankful for our little crew- we're busy, tired and happy!

Braving the Public with Two

Even though I gave birth to a second child two months ago, I feel like I've only recently become a "true" mom of two. Chris was home for a month on paternity leave (what a blessing from his company!!) and I've only just recently stopped receiving meals from so many sweet friends.

But the true test of my "mom-hood"? Taking them both on an adventure!

It was a beautiful day in Houston so I loaded up the Hill boys and we headed over to the train. I bribed encouraged Bradley to be good with the promise of ice cream after our train ride (if he met my expectations- to hold my hand and walk like a big boy).

I got nervous when I saw the train pull away as we walked up. This meant about a half hour until it came back and we could board. But with the constant reminder of our post-train ice cream, Bradley was a model citizen.

Still, I was happy when we finally got on the train!

Bradley was pretty happy too:

And I'm pretty sure that if Brenham had been awake, he also would have enjoyed the train!

And did he earn his ice cream?

He did!

However...

After the ice cream we had to walk back to the car. Bradley thought it would be more fun to walk a few steps into the parking lot, then sit on the ground. Each time he did this (all THREE times), I would pick him up and take him back to the sidewalk where we had a time out before trying it again. Naturally, Bradley screamed loudly in protest. Which woke up Brenham... who then also screamed loudly in protest. On the sidewalk... where all of the happy families were traipsing to and from the train station. I got a few strange looks... as well as some nods of solidarity from fellow moms. And on his fourth try, Bradley held my hand and walked like a big boy all the way back to the car. Whew!

I survived my first of many adventures with the Hill Boys!

Brenham: One Month

On November 14th, Brenham turned one month!

He was super excited.

Brenham has been a wonderful baby. Likes to eat and sleep... and that's about it. He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces at his two week appointment-- 10 ounces over his birth weight-- I'm a proud mama!

He's also a pretty serious baby.

He spends a lot of time looking concerned.

But that's probably because Big Brother Bradley is often nearby!

Bradley LOVES baby Brenham! But despite my instructions to touch him only on the top of the head and the bottom of the feet... he still prefers to show him his eyes and give him big hugs! Chris and I spend a fair amount of time playing interference.

We love this little boy and are excited to see how this serious, "Mr. Grumpers" personality grows!