Classic Hilton's

Well folks, Madi is now eight months old and quite frankly, ready for her own room. She is certainly beyond needing night time feedings, but she still likes to wake up periodically for snuggles. But then again, so does Grayson. Regardless, she needs her own space, so let the juggling begin.  We have three bedrooms allocated to us. Brooklyn was in one. Grayson in the other, and we kept Madi's corner crib in our bedroom. We shuffled around different ideas of who could room together and how to best fit cribs and beds and whatnot and ultimately have decided to think of the two bedrooms as more of a complete nursery area. So now Madi's crib shares space with Brooklyn's toys and clothes. We call it the dressing room. Brooklyn's bed is in Grayson's room (which you would think is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him!). Grayson's room is also home to his toys, and his dresser and closet that he shares with Madi. The vacant corner in our room (where Mad...

I got so caught up in our weekend and winter break plans (aka a whole lotta nothin'!!) that I completely forgot to post about Brooklyn's spelling bee!!!  So.... MUCH to our surprise, Brooklyn came in second place for her class spelling bee!  I was shocked. The spelling lists came out of Christmas break and we barely looked at it once. Once back at school I encouraged Brooklyn to participate, but also made sure her expectations were realistic, focusing on things like, "just do your best", and "It's not about winning, it's about participating", and "it's just something new and fun to try". But she placed!  This meant that she was eligible to attend the district bee with three other girls from Cornerstone's first grade. Friday morning, she dressed in her uniform and we headed to Kennesaw Christian School for the bee. Brooklyn immediately found her friends and started having fun. Parents were not allowed to watch, so I kept Grayso...

It's not really a secret: I'm cynical. And really nothing gets me going like the commercialization of celebrations. Christmas, Easter...don't get me started! What is Valentine's Day even about? Let's be honest for a moment. Valentine's Day means whatever you want it to mean. It's an excuse to eat chocolate, be romantic, and out cute the other mom's in the class with your pinteresty crafts.   I griped and was grumpy all week in preparation for this day. I thought through ideas and second guessed myself until finally what was bought was bought and what was done was done. Things went off without a hitch. We celebrated with sweets, hearts, and all things pink and red. Everyone felt loved.  And here's where my cynicism takes a pause and I reveal what I truly love about this ridiculous (and increasingly stressful!) holiday: my mom.  This day could have been invented by my mom. She is Valentine's Day personified. What I mean is, she is all about s...

Okay folks, I'm officially frustrated with Valentine's Day. Now I'm not so cynical as to say we shouldn't have Valentine's Day, and I'm not even bothered by the greeting card industry and commercialism. I like cards and chocolates and flowers as much as the next girl and I'll take any opportunity, real or manufactured, to celebrate my sweet children with pink pancakes and sappy cards. My problem is with the school. The ritual of valentines in the classroom. Grayson is not even two yet. He has no understanding of cards and sentiment! Yet we were instructed to send in eight cards, addressed to "My Friend", "From Grayson".  He doesn't even sign his name yet!  Candy he understands. Cookies make sense to him as a gift and as something to enjoy and be shared. So in protest of this insanity, Brooklyn (and Madi) and I are going in to his classroom tomorrow to help the kids decorate sugar cookies. That's how I stick it to the man! ;0) ...

Praise The Lord - tech week is over!! Yesterday was opening night for Ray's show, Laughter On The 23rd Floor, at The Next Stage Theater. Thanks to Nana and Bob Bob, babysitters extraordinaire, and Jenna and Brett, my dates for the evening, I was able to enjoy the play and the cast party that followed. I love spending time with my children, and don't seem to need a whole lot "grown up" time, but this was nice. In other news, Brooklyn attended her first slumber party last night. Excuse me, her first slumber party, with friends! She has repeatedly reminded me that she has spent the night at Aunt Jenna's before. I'm not sure I can explain what my heart did when I received the evite for the party. The idea of a sleepover came up at the end of kindergarten and I have been pushing it off as long as I can. So when the invitation came, my heart sank a little bit. I guess it was an example, yet another in an ever growing mountain of evidence, that my baby is growing...

Grayson was doing something he wasn't supposed to do for the hundredth time that day. I was trying to get the kids out the door, running around as usual, so when I saw him, I barked a warning in my scariest, "I mean business", mom voice. He got the message and his feelings hurt. He put his little hands to his face, started crying, and made a beeline for the open arms of his big sister.  If that weren't enough to melt my heart, what happened next certainly did.  Brooklyn hugged her little brother and spoke to him sweetly, saying, "Mommy just doesn't want you to get hurt. That was dangerous and you have to be careful."  Yep, I melted. She comforted him, while respectfully validating my authority. She acknowledge that he had made a mistake and loved him through it. I am so proud of her. I wish with all my heart that I could rewind time and do that for my brother. All too often I took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner rather than friend,   ...

Time really does fly when you're having fun, but even so, January has been a long month!  We are on the cusp of birthday season which means that over the next few months the Hilton's will be comprised of a two year old, a 31 year old, a (gulp!) 30 year old, a 7 year old, and a 1 year old. Hard to imagine! So here is a snapshot of now, before everything changes.  Madi is mobile! She can roll easily from back to front or front to back, and does so constantly. Bedtime has become of bit of an issue since a) she has trouble staying still long enough to fall asleep, and b) the bumper that should be in place to protect her rolling head from hitting the bars is constantly being pulled down. We've had to take out everything but her bedtime lovey, which makes the crib look very lonely and cold, but gives her lots of room to wiggle.  She has two little teeth peeking through her bottom gums and started eating solids earlier this month. Her diet now consists of apples, oatmeal...