2nd Annual Hot Springs Weekend

This weekend was our 2nd annual weekend to Hot Springs, Arkansas with our good friends the Wasson's. Kevin and I count down the days for this annual event. My in-laws watched Z on Friday and then he stayed at my parents (Grams & Poppy) from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. Zachary loves this weekend as much as we do, because it gives him lots of time with his grandparents. Thanks Karen, Marv, Mom, & Dad for watching him. Also a shout out to Aunt Rachel, Uncle Matt, & Elliott for playing with Z on Saturday night.

I am going to share photos from our trip. Most of these photos need some explanation because we witnessed some events that you could not even make up. Friday we drove all morning to be at Oak Lawn Race Track by 12:30. We raced all day and then had dinner reservations at a German Restaurant called Hot Springs Brau Haus. No one knew what to expect from dinner, however, we never expected what we saw. The dinner was great. Good food, good company. During dinner a husband and wife duo got up an played the tuba and the accordion. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen. Check out the photos. You can also see more at www.polkayoureyeout.com Seriously, I can't believe what we saw.


Saturday was a wonderful day, despite the rain. Mel and I went to a wax museum in the morning. Again, this was a strange place. We felt so weird going through this dark, wax museum. Very eerie!! Then we hit some local shops and boutiques. We hit the race track around 11:30 to get filled up on hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, fried oysters, French fries. Definitely, not a Weight Watchers day!!







To fill you in on Kevin and my philosophy on betting at the races...Kevin and I go to the horse races knowing that we are going to lose. We are there strictly for the entertainment similar to going to a movie and dropping money for a non-tangible item. It is purely for fun. Therefore we do not bet big. Kevin spends most of his time "studying" all the previous stats and times. I usually pick my horse by its name, color, or its attitude. Check out this photo of Kev studying by himself in a private corner.
On Kevin's behalf, he won a little bit each race. He did it the proper way and was very methodical about his picks. GO KEV!
By the 9th race I was down. I only had $4 left of my budgeted money. I spent it on a horse called "Funny Girl Rachel" (after my sister, Rachel). I knew after this race I would be out of my money. But, to my surprise and everyone around me I won....$48.00. It was SO exciting. Then I decided to bet on the 11th race. I won again...$68.80. I redeemed myself and came out ahead.

After the races we hit a Japanese hibachi grill. It was so nice to have a good dinner out with friends. Since Zachary's birth, it is hard to enjoy dinner out because he eats in 2 minutes or less. When Z is done, he is done. Let's just say we have not been to a hibachi grill since his birth. So it was nice to eat somewhere like this. After dinner we went to listen to live music. Again, we ran into interesting people and had a great night. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend to relax, unwind, and hang out with Mel & Wasson.

Cowboy Zachary + Tantrum

This post is of Z and his pony. Kevin's parents gave this stuffed rocking horse to Zachary for Christmas. For the past 3 months he only likes to pet it. He pushes it's ears to make it make horse sounds but then he quickly backs away from it. Last week he realized how much fun it is to actually ride the horse. These photos are of Z enjoying his pony. Papa Marv taught Z how to click his cheeks to make the horse gitty up. He spent the afternoon on this horse. When I made him get off of it so that we could run errands he through a tantrum. This was honestly Z's first terrible two fit. Yes, Z has gotten upset before but this was the first one to show his very "determined, stubborn" attitude. Every time I look at these photos I laugh because it was a riot to watch him pout, ignore, and whine to get his way. For all of those who are thinking....mommy won and we left to run errands.

Easter weekend....what a joy!

Well, this weekend we had a lot of Easter activities to keep us busy. First, we went to my parents on Saturday night for pizza and dying Easter eggs. It was fun! A great surprise was that Kelli, Kelley, Jason, & Jacinda stopped in for a visit. It was great catching up with them. They gave Z the cutest police raincoat and boots. He loves them and was caught wearing the boots this morning with his p.j.s.

On Easter Sunday, we had the Austin's over for our "traditional" Easter breakfast . We have been doing this for 4 years. They come to our house for a yummy breakfast before we head to church. It's a great way to spend time with each other and take some pictures before church. After breakfast, we went to church to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord & Savior. It really did not seem like Easter because I taught Sunday School and then Kevin and I had nursery duty for the 3 year olds during church service. The kids were wound up, but very cute in their Easter outfits.

We celebrated Easter lunch at my parents with my in-laws, my sister & brother-in-law, and nephew. Lunch was VERY GOOD and the time with family was even better. After lunch most of the guys took naps before the Easter egg hunt. Zachary & Elliott were super cute during the egg hunt. Zachary was very satisfied with the one egg he found . He did not understand that you had to put it in the basket and find more. He just wanted to hold the one he had. It was cute. To sum it up, we had a wonderful Easter celebration with the ones we love. We hope that you did too. Love HIL

P.S. Kevin is still sick with a very SORE THROAT. Please say a prayer for him. He is miserable!

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter everyone! I am planning on posting all of our Easter photos later this week. But I wanted to send our love and blessing to everyone before. I hope you all remember the real reason we celebrate this wonderful holiday. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Check back soon for Zachary's Easter photos. Love, HIL

Our very own Florence Nightingale... from one house to the other

Well, I am happy to report that I am "almost" back to my healthy self. Yesterday (Tuesday) my mom came over in the morning to help with the household chores and to watch Z. I came down with the WORST sore throat in my life and was unable to keep any of my medicines down. Thankfully, my doctor called in some liquid antibiotics and pain medicines. My mom was awesome. She did the laundry, got us lunch, played with Z, and took care of me.

In the afternoon, my sister called saying that she had the chills and was miserable. I dismissed my mom from her duties as my personal nurse & care giver so that she could head to my sisters to care for her. I knew that my sister was getting ready to be hit with the same thing I had. I knew what was coming her way. Boy, did I feel sorry for her. This flu-stuff is terrible.

The funny part of this story is that my mom is a nurse and was currently on spring break. So much for her spring break. She is still caring for sick kids....this time it just happens to be her own. Her 29 and 30 year old daughters. When Kevin arrived home from a long day of work, he informed me that he was chilling and not feeling well. I knew it! I knew that Kevin was going to get this flu junk. Immediately, he started taking anti-fever & anti-pain meds. I called my mom who was at my sisters and told her, "that we needed Florence Nightingale back at our house." So much for my mom's Spring Break. I am hoping by the end of the week I can take my mom out for a nice lunch and maybe some shopping. She deserves it. In honor of my mom I am going to post some super cute pictures of her and her grandsons, Elliott & Zachary.
Thanks Mom, we love you and appreciate all you do to keep us going.

Baby Elliott and Grams


Baby Zachary and Grams

Lucky & Charming...Our little Z

Happy St. Pat's Day! I was so looking forward to waking my guys up with green pancakes however due to my "deathly illness" and Zachary spending the night at Grams & Pops; there was no green pancakes. I guess I could do it another day, but I don't think it would be as exciting.

I woke up with some symptoms but feeling a lot better than the day before. To be honest, I seriously thought I was checking out and on my death bed. I can't remember the last time I had a 102.4 temp. IT WAS TERRIBLE!!! I got an appointment with the PA at my physician's office for 3:15 and headed to my parents house to see my mom and Z.

Z had a great visit with his Grams & Pops. He even got to see his Aunt Rachel, Uncle Barnum, & Cousin Elliott. Which is always a highlight for Z! Today, we spent the morning lounging on the couch watching...you guessed it ELMO'S WORLD. Mom got us lunch and then Z & I crashed out for naps. My mom drove me to the doctor. Isn't she the best? Yes, I am 29 and still need my mom to take me to the doctor. She waited patiently with Zachary while I was diagnosed with the FLU, a SINUS INFECTION, and FLUID BEHIND THE EARDRUM. Praise the Lord, I was given a prescription for an antibiotic. My fever is down thanks to the Advil I have been diligently taking. Currently my biggest complaint is my sore throat and head pressure. I will be back to myself soon. Thanks to my parents, Kevin, and Z for putting up with me. Kevin is at Wal-mart right now grocery shopping with Z so I can have a break.

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day. Thanks to everyone who has sent messages about praying for me (Kelli, B Monroe, Kim, Mary S., and my old-friend Dr. Russell! ) The prayers are working. Also thanks to my parents, my sister & brother-in-law, Elliott, and Kevin for taking care of Zachary. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best. Love HIL

Prayers for Mommy

For all of you mommies out there, you know that when you are sick your family suffers. I have been sick (fever 102.4, chills, headache, body pain, throwing up, etc.) for 2.5 days now. This is the first time I have even opened my laptop in 3 days. Anyways, my mom came by after her church service to pick Z up. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU mom. He is going to spend the night with Grams & Pops so that I can sleep and Kevin can treatment plan. Please pray that I can get this virus/bug out of my body soon so that I can get back to "normal". I'll be back soon for better blog updates. Pray for me and my boys. HIL

The card that brought a lot of joy to a little boy!

Today Z received a card in the mail from my mom (aka Grammy). Z loves mail as much as I do, but he really loved this piece of mail. First mom sent a card with a fish on it. Z loved it because of his new fish. Then he opened the card and photos fell out. One of the photos was ELMO from Sesame Street Live. Zachary thought that Elmo was in our house. He looked and looked at this picture. I eventually had to take the photo away because I was afraid he would tear it up. I am going to put it in a frame to protect it. Grams thanks for making his day. He loved it.

Let me introduce....Reverend Zachary

Please give it up for.....Reverend Zachary. Every time I fold the laundry. Zachary will dig in the pile to find a pair of my pajama pants or work-out pants. He throws them over his shoulder and then walks around the room babbling to himself. He looks like just like a minister. He gets very upset if you try to remove them. Maybe this is his "calling"? We'll see. God Bless Z.

One of those days.....

We continue to have weird winter weather here. Last Sunday it was around 60 degrees. Then on Monday and Tuesday we were hit with more snow. Currently (Thursday) we are supposed to get more winter weather this weekend. Spring where are you? Zachary and I are ready to be outside.

On Tuesday, Zachary and I were inside all day. He spent most of his time spinning pots & pans. Yep, if you have not heard of it. It's a new game. Take all of mom's pots and pans out of the drawer. Stack them, put their lids on them, and then spin. It's hours and hours of fun. If you get super creative you can put "secret" items in the pans (ie: pacifiers, chip clips, toys) and put the lid on them. No one will even know what is in which pan. Zachary loved his new game and I loved having him in one spot for longer than 60 seconds.





Later that afternoon, Z discovered how much fun a Kleenex box is.


Lastly, Z learned how to "DIP" his nuggets and fries into ketchup.




Yep...it was a very busy day. Gosh, I love this little guy!

Another recommendation by HIL

About a month ago I was really craving a movie. I went to the local movie store and picked out this movie. I had never heard of it, but it looked good. After watching it I have to say it was the best movie I have watched in over a year. Keep in mind, I don't get to watch many movies, but this one is GOOD. It is called "The Ultimate Gift".

This story is amazing. It just keeps on giving. Anyway, th story is about Jason Stevens. His VERY wealthy grandfather dies and Jason anticipates a big inheritance. Instead his grandfather has devised a plan to help Jason understand twelve important gifts that will lead up to the ultimate gift. He goes on a journey of self-discovery finding what is most important in life.

I, absolutely, loved this movie. It brought a lot of tears, but it was worth it. So, if you want to watch a movie that will impact you and family and will teach them about life lessons and the importance of character, this is the film to see. If you watch this one and know my "grandfather", Freddy, see if you think he reminds you of the attorney in this movie.

*** If you do watch this or have already watched it let me know what you thought. Send me a comment. I am anxious to see what you think.

"love is a treasure for which
we can never pay.
the only way we keep it
is to give it away."
--THE GIFT OF LOVE

Rent this one today!