Classic Hilton's

I find myself in a strange place where time is both flying by faster than I can handle yet also moving tremendously slow.  It has everything to do with the anticipation of Madi.  One part of me (probably the part that is nine  months pregnant and physically tired of being - literally - heavy with child) is absolutely ready for her to come right this minute. This part of me is ready to meet her, to see her face, and to start working out the life of three kids. For this me, June 22nd seems so far away! The other, more practical, less emotional side of me is excited about June 22nd and does not want dear Miss Madi to come one second earlier than we have planned because there is still so much going on and things to do before her grand arrival! For example, next week (the first week of June) Brooklyn has CYT camp, which I do not want to miss, and Grayson is going to Gymboree class. Then Mom and Dad take Grandma's stuff up to Indiana. We have doctor's appointments and play ...

Cake Pops: a true testament of a mother's love for her child. These took me three days (and an unsuccessful though still tasty practice batch a few weeks prior!). My conclusion: cake pops are not exactly difficult, they just require a very delicate hand. But they were for a very good cause -- Brooklyn Marie Hilton's SIXTH birthday!!  We woke her up early with breakfast in bed. She ADORED it! I've never seen her wake up so ready for the day. I'm almost tempted to wake her with breakfast in bed every day!!  At school, they had Field Day - a special day that was all outdoor games. Nana and Grayson and I showed up at lunch time with the cake pops and the class sang to her. Brooklyn displayed a beautiful servant's heart at her class party. She made sure everyone was served before her! Cousin Justin and Aunt Judith sent a butterfly garden a few weeks earlier so we could raise them as caterpillars. What a treat, the butterflies came out...

I just finished reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker (literally, I finished about 10 minutes ago).  What a great read!  I laughed out loud and cried and highlighted my little fingers off!  But best of all, I thought  through the whole book. I wouldn't say this book changed my life or way of thinking. I already have opinions on most of the topics covered. But reading about her experience and the vast research she did to back it all up helped give shape to my prayers and identify some solutions for some of the unnamed tension I have been feeling in my spirit.  My own 7 journey is beginning to take shape in my mind.  I won't share the details here (yet!) because I feel very strongly that this needs to be a family project which means Ray needs to start reading immediately!  I have said before (at least in my own mind if not actually on the blog) that we are in a period of transition. God is making some major rev...

Truth be told, I am frustrated. There is a great deal of tension in my spirit right now.  A huge gap between what I want my life to look like and what it actually looks like.  At this moment, I do not feel like a woman capable of raising three children, let alone homeschooling one of them! I am overwhelmed to the point that nearly every conversation with my husband (who is going through his own set of growing pains) ends in tears.  Grow - ing - Pains!! I want some Tylenol.  I know we (the Hilton clan) are on the brink of some major life changes. I know, from the emotional upheaval caused by our Titanic experience, that God has some wonderful plans to use us for His glory. I know that when we come out the other side of all this we will look more like Jesus and love more like Jesus and be useful to Him in building the kingdom.  But right now...big sigh.

Confession: I was dreading Friday a little bit, especially when I woke up that morning with a massive head cold.  Everything we had planned would be fun and good, but tight schedules always make me tense. But everything went off without a hitch and we had a great evening! Win-Win-Win! So first, I took Brooklyn to Catch Air for her classmate Ellen's birthday party. Ray kept Grayson home for the first hour (HUGE BLESSING!) so I actually got to sit and talk with some of the other moms and grandmas, and even found a carpool partner for the zoo field trip on Monday!  Brooklyn & friends with Hello Kitty at Catch Air We did have to leave the party early, but Brooklyn was quite understanding about it. She was soaked in sweat from all her running around. Good thing Fabrefaction is a casual theater venue! We dropped Grayson off with the Hathcock's, and I know he had a great time playing with Nash and Olivia.  Then Brooklyn and I were on our way! We stopped at We...

Brooklyn, I remember taking you to your very first movie -- just the two of us.  We saw The Tale of Despereaux  at the dollar theater. You were about 2 1/2. We got popcorn and I brought in your sippy cup with some diluted juice, and of course, your "faci" (your very special nickname for your pacifier).  You sat in my lap and pretty much watched the whole thing. Then you peed through your diaper, and we went home.  So much has changed in the last three years! Tonight we had an impromptu date night, courtesy of Nana and Bob Bob agreeing to watch Grayson. We saw Dr. Seuss' The Lorax .  We got popcorn and candy and an icee. No pacifier required!  The best part (and the biggest change) was our conversation on the way home. We talked about the movie, our favorite parts, good characters, bad characters, songs, and everything. We even delved into the spiritual, discussing how the "bad guy" wasn't following Jesus' way and how watching his story is a ...

The year was 1997.  I was 15 years old.  I saw Titanic at least 5 times in the theater that year.  Tonight, in what can loosely be classified as a date, I saw it again in Imax 3D. I was completely taken back to that time in my life fourteen years ago.  I love that movie, cheesy as some of it may be, because it represents something of a milestone in my life. I specifically remember seeing the movie with friends rather than parents. I was waking up to the bigger world around me, and I remember acknowledging that the people on screen were actors, and remembering their real names and following their careers. There is a scene in the movie where one of the characters uses "the s word" in reference to the freezing water.  I remember having conversations with my dad about how sometimes cussing is gratuitous and sometimes it is important to the integrity of the story being told. I remember seeing it once with a male friend of mine, and (as a favor to his mother) telling ...