Classic Hilton's

What a yucky way to spend the holiday!  Mom was hit first, early Thanksgiving morning, followed quickly by Brooklyn and Grayson. I fell later that evening following what should have been a delicious slice of apple pie. Ray succumbed to the illness early Saturday morning. And finally, on this gray Sunday morn, our last brave, healthy warrior...the caregiver...the fetcher of drinks...the watcher of wide awake kids...Dad...fell victim to the bug.  Thankfully by now Mom and I are feeling marginally better and we are slowly starting to put life back together. It really is wonderful that even though we all got sick, someone was always well enough to take care of the kids and the others. Small blessings.  Again, what a yucky way to spend the holiday! 

Mom and I worked hard this week putting together a meticulous plan. We planned the meal, did our shopping, and organized the day to account for all the preparations and family activities.  This morning dawned gray and chilly, and our carefully crafted plans were quickly flushed down the toilet.  Literally . First Brooklyn threw up. Then Mom came downstairs with tales of how she threw up all night and wasn't feeling good. Then Grayson thew up. And I don't mean a little spit up, I mean projectile-lost-his-whole-breakfast-throw-up! Needless to say, we changed our plans. Being extremely nauseated myself due to first trimester pregnancy, my part of the plan was supposed to be pretty minimal.  But knowing that this is Ray's only real day off for awhile, I pulled it together and started cooking! First I evaluated our menu and selected a few, simplified dishes that I knew everyone (everyone being Ray, Dad, and me) would enjoy. I got the turkey prepped and in the the oven (w...

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! We are having another baby!! Let's see... sporadic cramping and back pain...check! rampant emotions ranging from anger to joy to flat out weepiness at a moments notice...check! Fatigue...check! mild nausea lasting all day regardless of what I eat or don't eat...check! missed... ...check! plus sign on the home pregnancy test...check, check!

Aren't raspberries just the sweetest little fruits? So tiny and delicate, but the certainly come with their own brand of sassy!  But I digress... Grayson you are 8 months old! While you do not yet crawl forward, you sure know how to get around! It's so much fun watching you move. Most recently you have started getting yourself from laying down to sitting up and it's made bed time much more entertaining! I watch you on the monitor, rolling and sitting, and playing in your crib, and then before I know it you are fast asleep!  About a month ago we started struggling with breastfeeding. I worried that you were not getting enough and you were consistently waking up 2 or 3 times per night, very hungry. I gave in and started supplementing with formula. And then the day came when you rejected me completely! It's been a smooth transition to the bottle/solids full time and I am happy to report that you are sleeping much better at night!  In our eight months together I ha...

Blueberries are a delightful little fruit. So very small, but they really pack a punch of flavor! You can add a blueberry to just about anything and it makes it better.  Pancakes...muffins...ice cream...yogurt...smoothie... They are good fresh, frozen, dried, canned, and I'm sure just about any other way you can cook them! At this moment, I adore blueberries and I am thankful for the extra little sweetness they bring to my life.