Mardi Gras 2014

Mardi Gras sure is changing for the Hill family! Last year Bradley was a baby, but this year he was able to enjoy some night parades as a toddler!

Here are the Hill Cousins and Papa P before his ride on Jupiter:

And later the cousins eating cookies while waiting on the parade:

Bradley enjoyed hanging out with Chris and I before the parade began:

It wasn't long before Papa P's float rolled down the street!

And PD passed some beads especially for his grandson:

Uncle Dewey and Deb, too!

We got a shot of all the kids in our group (about a dozen), but I don't want to post it without asking all of the parents. Even more funny, though, is a shot of us moms trying to take the photo!

The morning of Jupiter Laura, her teacher-friend and I run the Mardi Gras Mambo 10K... and I (kind of) made the paper!

(This was Baby Hill #2s second race as I ran the Louisiana Half Marathon without knowing I was pregnant!)

More night parades for Bradley the next weekend, this time with Papa P in the crowd with us:

And a very sleepy Bradley up WAY past his bedtime!

But not so sleepy to miss the parade from the hotel window!

For Orion, the lady-folk took the babies down to meet up with the men:

Then we all cut loose at the ball (with a babysitter back at the hotel):

This was a tricky Mardi Gras season for me as I knew I was pregnant, but wasn't telling anyone yet. Just for the record, if you saw me drinking "Vodka and Cranberry" it was actually "Sprite and Cranberry". ;)

Baby Hill: Boy or Girl?

We had a big doctor's appointment on Friday and found out that Baby Hill is doing well! All of the measurements are right where they should be and he/she is looking pretty darn cute!

Speaking of... we found out "he" or "she"!

Baby Hill: Waddle it be?

Duck,

Duck,

BOY!!

We are so excited for this new family member and for Bradley to have a baby brother! 

In the Garden

Bradley helped Chris plant our Spring garden.

They planted broccoli, mint, peppers and a bunch of other things:

Then there was the face PLANT (see what I did there?):

That didn't stop Bradley though! He got right back in there:

I think we have a budding (ha ha) gardener on our hands!

Louisiana Half Marathon

Back in early November, I thought it would be fun to sign up for the Louisiana Half Marathon. Still not sure why!

After a total of TWO training runs, I was ready for the big day!

Ok, not really at all... but I was determined to see my commitment through. So I suited up and got ready to run.

Here's a shot of the pre-race:

There were a lot of people who looked really prepared. I made sure to get behind them... waaaay behind them.

As the race started, I noticed a girl (in front of me) wearing a shirt that said on the back, "If you're wearing this, you trained even less than me." Yep... I was in the right spot.

Chris came out to cheer me on and take my jacket at the 3 mile mark. Laura, Lucy and Bradley were cheering for me just a half mile later. Then the long trek around the LSU lakes. Thankfully, our friends, the Marschall's, live on the lakes and they were outside cheering me on, too.

At the end of the lakes Chris, Bradley, Laura and Lucy were there again ready to give me a boost for the last three miles. Chris thought that if he put Bradley on the ground, he would run towards me... instead he ran right across the race path:

(If you click on it to enlarge you can see me in blue coming from the left of the road.)

That was a great boost and I was able to finish the race! Considering I was vastly ill-prepared, I was pretty excited.

After a post-race photo, I took a nap:

And woke up feeling like I might not ever walk again!

I still don't have the running "bug"... but I do find races fun. Next time, though, I think I'll add in a few more training runs...

On the Go

Bradley and I can often be found at the Children's Museum. And before it gets ridiculously hot, I've been taking him out on the upper deck where they have all sorts of trucks to push and ride in.

He loves it!

Watch out, this baby has places to go!

He also enjoyed the tractor:

We'll sure miss this in the summer (when it's too crazy hot)!

Bradley's Second Haircut

Since flying to Walt Disney World every time Bradley needs a hair cut isn't realistic, we found a closer alternative.

The fun thing? It's the same place (though they've moved locations) I went to when I was a kid!

Here Bradley and I are with the "towel-a-gator" (kids can throw their towels into the mouth after their haircut). The same one that was around when I was a kid!

Christmas Cuteness

Some photos of Bradley and friends celebrating Christmas this year (well, 2013...)

Bradley helps dad with the Christmas tree:

Bradley's not too sure about the Bering's Santa this year:

Christmas in Texas:

(It's a penguin. Wearing camo. Carrying a riffle. God Bless Texas!)

Bradley is happy to point out his pal, Kate in her Christmas card:

Bradley is REALLY unsure about the Santa at the party hosted by our old playgroup:

Sleepy Bradley ready for his Christmas rest:

Three little monkey cousins refusing to sit still for a Christmas photo:

We'll get some better shots next year, right??

Finish Line!

On a Friday back in September (yes, I'm still catching up) Chris came home after a particularly grueling week. Wanting to help him get ready for the weekend, I put up some streamers/finish line tape on our front door. Around 3pm.

Then I forgot about it.

Around 6:30pm I heard tapping at our side window and nearly jumped out of my skin! It was a very confused Chris who had come around the side of the house to see if everything was ok...

Ah Pinterest, you got me again!

Yes, I'm wearing pajamas at 6:30pm... and yes they appear to be designed more for a teenager than a 30-something mom... and yes my child is wearing just a diaper... That's just how we roll.

Batter Up!

Around our neighborhood, Little League baseball is kind of a big deal. The kids... er... parents tend to get a little competitive. So I thought it was a good idea to get Bradley started early.

We're still working on the appropriate form:

But he's already learned the most important lesson:

Have fun!

A Quick Disney Trip in December

Bradley, Chris and I headed back to Disney World in December. This time we decided to stay for just a few days and only visit one park- Epcot (since just a few months earlier we had visited just Magic Kingdom).

A few weeks before we left, we received our Magic Bands in the mail:

We wore these the entire time we stayed on property. It opens your hotel door, acts as a charge card and a Fast Pass ticket (among other things).

Bradley was very excited:

On our day in Epcot, we took it slow and tried to focus on enjoying things from the eyes of a toddler. This meant a lot of time in the amazing (and HUGE) aquarium (at The Seas with Nemo and Friends):

Bradley LOVED looking at all of the fish!

Later, I left Chris and Bradley to enjoy Innoventions (a large indoor area with exhibits/activities that are sponsored by various companies and change through the years) while I grabbed a coffee (at the NEW Starbucks). Any guesses where I found them?

Playing a game about saving money, of course!

There's Bradley holding a piggy bank. He and Chris were doing various activities that teach kids about saving money for a pre-chosen goal (Chris er... Bradley chose "saving for college").

Bradley took the game very seriously:

And was very excited when he met his goal!

Later we visited Mickey Mouse (Bradley was still shy, but much better than the last visit):

and got Bradley a Viking Hat (that matches his dad's!)

He also enjoyed the activities in the Imagination Pavilion:

And our little trooper stayed up late enough to watch the fireworks!

(Though I'm not sure he enjoyed them):

On our "non park" days, we ate brunch at 1900 Park Fare, which is located at the Grand Floridian. We enjoyed seeing our favorite door greeter,

took some photos by the tree,

and met Alice!

(who Bradley adored).

We stayed at the Boardwalk Villas and loved our room-- it was right off of the quiet pool and kids "rec room" area. At night we simply walked out of our patio door and were able to roast marshmallows:

and Bradley LOVED swimming during the day:

Of course the "loud" pool wasn't far and although the clown slide is CREEPY in photos:

It's really not so bad in person. Here I am coming out of the clown slide:

Bradley loved his pool time!

Later we enjoyed walking around the boardwalk:

And shopping:

It was a wonderful quick trip!!