Welcome to the World, Baby Brother...

We anxiously awaited his arrival.  Hoping that Tueday, Sept 6th would be the day!

The last 'in-belly' picture of Coleman - 2 days before his birthday

And now he's here!

Coleman James arrived into this world at 4:34 on September 6.  He was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches long.  He looks a LOT like Carter did as a newborn.  Long arms and legs, and long fingers and toes.  His hair varies between blonde and a 'dirty penny' color - Almost a golden/coppery brown.  Again, much like Carter's.  He has super long eye lashes, but they are so light that they are sometimes hard to see!

Just 9 minutes old in this picture.

Coleman was also induced like his brother and sister.  The first part of the labor took longer than I was hoping.  I was having contractions every 3 minutes when I checked in, but nothing intense enough to do much.  Once the doctor came in and broke my water, it was a different story.  I guess Laney's delivery was a good indication of how this one was going to go, and I am VERY glad I didn't go into labor on my own.  It would have been a mad dash to wait for someone to come stay with C&L and make it to the hospital in time.

Aside from a hiccup with the epidural, it was a VERY easy delivery.  Thank you, sweet Coleman!

We had lots of family at the hospital waiting for his arrival:  GranJan (GeeGee), Great Amy, Daddy Dave, Sheryl, and Karalea.  Grandma picked Carter and Laney up from school and brought them up to meet brother as soon as she got word of his arrival.  Justin and Lauren came up later that night as well.  (I am hoping to get pictures from others in the room.  I know people got some on their cameras as I have seen them on facebook!!!!!!!!!  yikes!)

I totally wish I could have frozen that moment.  Even now, just a few weeks later, I feel like that day was an eternity ago.  Knowing this is the last Lil' Hill makes everything so bittersweet.  I can't wait for him to be big enough to run and play and do fun things with us, but I cherish every single moment I have with him now.  I loved our time together in the hospital:  Just Mommy and Button.  We sang, we talked, we snuggled, and we just hung out.  He is such a sweet, sweet baby.  Very alert and wiggly at times, but he also loves to cuddle.  I have LOVED each stage we have been through with Carter and Laney, but wow... how I have missed the stretches and the squeaks and the funny faces and oh... the snuggle time!

We enjoyed having visitors in the hospital!  GeeGee brought Pappa and some beautiful flowers.  Aunt Aimee and Carsyn and Reagan came to visit and to take Laney to dance class.  Ms. Karen came to visit (and brought me waaaaay too much stuff)!  We had a delicious fruit arrangement sent from Daddy Dave, Sheryl, Karalea, and Mimi.  Ms. Jenny even came to visit too!



Carter and Laney and Grandma had some beautiful flowers and a cookie cake waiting for us at home.  Breezy wasn't sure what to think.  I am not sure that poor Scooter is even aware there is another baby here.  He is pretty much blind and deaf, though he has run into the bouncy seat a few times.  Maybe he notices something is different!

We are so happy to have him home. The kids just think he is the best thing ever. I think Laney was a little anxious being at the hospital, but Carter didn't seem to mind at all. Just like when he visited Laney as a newborn, he loved playing with my bed! So many buttons and controls!!! They are so proud of their little brother and tell everyone about him. They love to kiss his head, and Carter makes sure that Coleman always has a lovey. I'm sure this 'honeymoon' phase will pass, but it is so sweet to seem them all together. Laney talks about how much she loves her baby, and though she doesn't really like to hold him (he "squishes" her), so loves to love on him!

This certainly isn't the 'prettiest' picture, but I love that they were all together.  The kids wanted to play next to Baby Coleman so he could see them.  And yes they do wear clothes, sometimes.  This was just right after naps.

More to come real soon...promise!

WAIT! Random Early Summer Pictures That Never Got Posted!

Carter finished up swim lessons with Ms. Cindy.  He is doing GREAT!  He started last summer with some of our neighborhood friends, and he and Luke kept going.  We took the summer off to - swim! - and will hopefully start up again (with Laney this time) after Christmas.  He was a little fish this summer, and it was nice to not have to worry AS much with him in the water.  Made it much easier to take both kiddos by myself.  (Note:  of course my video camera was dead as a doornail when I took it the last day.  The other pictures I got were horrible, but I wanted to include at least one.  This is actually Eli in the picture.  I think Luke was sick that day.)

Carter's first dentist appointment!  He did great!!  The doc had to put a sealant or something on one of the teeth - something from when he was little.  He was a champ and sat still the whole time.  Laney was a tad wiggly but managed to stay entertained with Pac Man and "Dora Goes to the Dentist."

SEA WORLD!

So excited that I was finally getting to take the kids to Sea World.  I had it all planned out.  We would go somewhere early that morning and get the kiddos all worn out so they would sleep in the car.

Perfect play date - the zoo with Sara and Gen! 

It. was. hot.  I mean ZERO air circulation and really felt as if it could have been quadruple digit temps.  But despite the weather, the kids had fun.  No baby book of Carter and Laney's would be complete without a few pictures of Gen!

I had to include this last picture to show how hot and red Sara's face is!  It was THAT hot - as anyone who was around this summer could confirm!

We headed out to lunch with Gen and Sara and filled bellies to ensure good naps in the car.  Actually, we made a stop at home on the way out of town to change clothes.  Mine were wet with sweat.  It was gross, and I didn't want to ride in the car for several hours smelling like zoo and sweat.  We were about 20 minutes out of town when Carter fell asleep and about 25 minutes out of town when Laney told me she had to go potty.  Luckily, we had the singing princess potty in the back.  Unluckily, Carter woke up when the door open and closed.

Ugh... the rest of the trip was spent with me threatening everything in my arsenal to get them to sleep.  Laney would sing at the top of her lungs announcing that she no longer took naps in the car seat.  Hmmm... really.  And poor Carter would squint and close his eyes so tightly, but nothing.  At least he was trying!  Anyway... I think they both feel asleep about 20 minutes from Dad's house!  Typical. 

They had a great time at SW, and Dad and Sheryl were troopers!  We managed to beat the summer rush; there was NO one there.  It was warm but definitely not as bad as it could have been. 

Needless to say, everyone slept good that night!

Waiting for the seal show.  Not sure why they are displaying sideways!  Sorry...

The kids were SO excited to see the SS characters.  Until they came out.  Well, Carter was still excited.  Laney didn't want to have anything to do with them.  Much like Santa.  And the Easter Bunny.  And the cow at Chic-fil-a.  And Chuck E. Cheese.  The list goes on...

Daddy Dave and Carter on the 'roller coaster.'

The new Sesame Street water park is GREAT.  The kids loved it.

Getting their new penguins in the Penguin House.  I loved watching those little guys swim.  Bonus that it was chilly in there! :)

Aren't we a motley crew?  This was before the Sesame Street 4-D movie.

Feeding the dolphins right before we left.

Heading home - every one's ready for some AC!

From Then Until Now...

The second half of the summer brought lots of fun activities... none of which made it to the blog until now.  Oops. 

Right before VBS started, Carter woke up one night sounding awful.  He tends to sound really croupy very easily - even without actually having croup.  Anyway, I eneded up taking him to the emergency care clinic in the middle of the night.  He was so good and so cooperative with the nurse and doctor.  They got him started on the breathing treatment, and he was asking me questions about why he had to wear it and what the medicine was doing.  I basically told him the meds would help him to breathe and keep him from getting really sick.  Mommy and Daddy and Laney and even little brother want him to feel better, etc...  He sat there for a second with a really worried look on his face and then asked me, " Is baby brother ok?  I don't want him to get sick?"  My sweet boy.  Sitting on an exam table at 3:30 in the morning with a mask on his face concerned that his little brother might get sick.  That's the Carter I know and love. 

Vacation Bible School was the last part of July.  I worked again this year, so the kids were able to attend.  My mom helped out in Carter's room, which of course he LOVED.  Laney was a little sad that GeeGee wasn't in her room, but maybe next year.  Except for the day Laney was sick, the kids had a GREAT time.  They always enjoy this special week, and I love hearing them tell about what they learned.

This year's lessons were all about the Fruits of the Spirit.  I found it SO funny when one of them would tell me I need to have patience!  REALLY?  ME???  Especially when they tell me this after asking me for milk literally a hundred times.  Anyway, love how God reminds me of these things - out of the mouths of babes!

We had lots of fun play dates, movie with Claire and Baby Weston,  MANY trips to the library, fun Chic-fil-a events with Cooper/Jenna and Oliver (and usually Lauren and Megan, too!).    Carter and Laney had fun with Miss Erin while I got to get out a couple of mornings a week (though it was usually to my OB appointment and other random errands). 

We even made it to the beach and actually enjoyed a pleasant day despite it being H O T.  There was a random rain cloud which really made it nice out until the last 30 minutes or so we were there. I was 37 weeks pregnant.  In a bathing suit.  No pictures of me :)

The Wrap-Up...

We had a great time in Idaho, as usual.  The weather was a wonderful break from the heat here, and we love getting to spend time with family.  So fun to think that next time little brother will be making the trip - in his own seat! 

The kids were such troopers once again on the way home.  Joel got a good dose of Laney's in-car (and out-of-car) musical performances.  She got a tad loud once, and we told her she needed to use her inside voice.  Her sad little response was, 'oh, I'm sorry guys... I'm sorry for singing too loud.'  And then she went right back to her solo. 

We managed to keep everyone fairly entertained, and I swear Joel even got to take nap on the way home.  I sat with the kids and watched him as he got all cozy with his free beer (thanks, SWA) and his little cat nap.  Very jealous, but we'll switch places next time :)

We even managed to stay cool during the descent (which I swear lasted about 45 minutes) on each leg of our trip when the conversations went like this.

Carter:  I HAVE TO GO PEE PEE
me:  SHHHHHH!  stop yelling.  no one else needs to know that.  you can't get out of your seat now.  we are trying to land.
Carter:  BUT I'LL GO IN MY PANTS IF I CAN'T GET OUT.
me.  SHHHHHHHHHH!  stop yelling.  no one else needs to know that.  you can't get out of your seat now.  we are trying to land.
Carter.  I HAVE TO GO PEE PEE...

you get the idea.  Joel finally took him.  We asked the flight attendant if he could go, and she said, "I can't MAKE you stay in your seat if he has to pee.  Just be fast."

Crisis averted.

After and 3+ hour car ride and 3 legs of our flight later, we made it home.  Safe and sound.  Except for Carter's car seat (long story).  But I'm happy to report that he now has a new one.  :)

Fishin' (part 10)

Fishing with the kids lasted about as long as this post...

Happy Birthday, America! (part 9)

****Again, sorry about just including the links at this point.  The pictures were taking so long to upload.  I just want to get the posts in for now before it gets any later!****

July 4th was a big celebration!  And quite an eventful day.  We started the morning at Grandma Great's house to watch the parade.  Fortunately, we have "connections" that got us some good seats :)  Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa and G-Great!  The kids loved watching the different floats and trucks and bands and everything in between go by.  And of course they loved the candy! 

After the parade, we walked back to Great's house for lunch.  We had burgers and hot dogs and all of the fixings.  Uncle Chuck and Aunt Ann joined us as well as Morgan, Colby, and cousin Cade.  Grandpa taught Carter and Laney how to spit watermelon seeds.  Well, Laney would "spit," but no seeds came out.  It was pretty entertaining though, and she liked the watermelon.  Carter wasn't a big fan though.

The "Grumps" were there for a bit (as sleep was not always a given on this trip for Carter and Laney), so we headed home soon after for some ZZZZZzzzzs.

http://libbiehill.zenfolio.com/p476453511

While Joel and I were at the cabin, we bought some fireworks for the night of the 4th.  We made sure to get the "S&S" kind as the package said.  "Safe and Sane."  That meant that the package was kid-friendly.  Yes, kid-friendly fireworks.  I know, I know.  Anyway... we headed BACK to Grandma Great's to set off fireworks.  The kids LOVED this.  And my little Chicken Little - who is scared of the most random things - couldn't get enough of the sparklers.  She's afraid of her cousin's cat, but not the bears or sparklers.  Go figure.  Anyway, the kids had so much fun with these.  There was really maybe one or two that was an actual firework in the package.  The rest were sparklers or smokey things or poppers.  Regardless, they thought they were fantastic.  As you can see from the pictures, they also thought Great's red fruit juice was fantastic, too!

Grand Tetons/ Jenny Lake (part 8)

Joel and I were able to escape to Grand Tetons/Jenny Lake and Yellowstone for a couple of days.  It was a SUPER fast trip, but we had a great time.

We left on a Friday afternoon and headed up to the cabin to spend the night.  It was really nice to get away.  REALLY nice to get away.  Not from the kids.  I mean from the cell phone and the computer and the work and cleaning house, etc... 

The next morning we headed to the Grand Tetons and Jenny Lake.  It was a beautiful day, and the scenery couldn't have been better.  Clearly unable to hike to my fullest potential, we didn't stay at JL TOO long, but we took the boat over and walked around for a while.  We decided we would definitely like to go back when we can spend more time there. 

Here is the link for the Jenny Lake pictures:  http://libbiehill.zenfolio.com/p476290397

Daddy arrives! (part 7)

I told myself I would have this finished before little brother arrives, and here we are (hopefully) hours before that happens.  That being said, please excuse the brevity of some of these posts!  I really want to get caught up TONIGHT!

Anyway, I digress....  so Daddy and Grandpa finally arrived in Idaho Falls.  Needless to say the kids (and Grandma and I!) were super excited to see them both.  They were both in need of a work break.  They arrived long after the kids were asleep, so we just took it easy the next day as Joel and I were headed out on our little vacation for a few days so we could be back in time to celebrate the 4th with everyone.

We headed out that morning to the river to feed the geese and ducks and to show Daddy our 'special treat' place (even though Daddy had been there long before either child came into this world!).  Daddy is a super goose chase and tried to teach L and C the art of scaring birds - but not the babies.  That's mean.

These birds however, didn't scare easily.  In fact, I've never been hissed at by a goose - much less MANY of them.  Little creepy.
-----
Change of plans... these pictures are taking WAAAAAY too long to upload to Blogger for some reason right now.  So, I'll include the link and update another time.  No really, I will.

http://libbiehill.zenfolio.com/p363435121

Yellowstone or Bust (part 9)

Leaving Jenny Lake, we headed to Yellowstone Saturday afternoon.  It was really a quick trip, all things considering, and you just couldn't complain about the scenery.

 I have so much to write about Yellowstone, but I would like to do so when I can figure out (for certain!) the names of some of our stops!   I swapped memory cards midway through, and I need to match up pictures with location names first.  Plus, I just have too much to write and not enough time tonight to do so.

Until then, the link: http://libbiehill.zenfolio.com/p1883184