On the fast track

A couple weeks ago when I accompanied Mel to her Chemotherapy treatment I looked out the window of the hotel and realized we were right next door to the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (STCOLP). STCOLP was my dad's alma mater. So as a little surprise for my dad I purchased 2 kid t-shirts that said "On the fast track to St. Louis College of Pharmacy" for Zachary and Elliott. After I gave my sister Elliott's we could not wait to surprise my dad with the shirts.

Last week we met my parents, Rachel, & Elliott for dinner to show my dad the boys shirts. Elliott & Zachary were just as excited as we were to surprise their pops. Elliott ran right into the restaurant and said "Pops I got your shirt on". Dad loved the shirts and the boys love wearing them!

Our Fashion Designer

Zachary is really into picking out his own clothes. Daily he joins me at his closet trying to pick out what he is going to wear. I usually have to do a lot of negotiation to pursuade him to wear what I want him too. Today we did not have any place that we had to go so I let him pick out his stuff. I did not even accompany him to the closet. He walked into the living room while I was getting breakfast ready. This is what I saw. I must say I was so impressed because he got his ELMO swim trucks all by himself (with the back of the shorts caught on his diaper bubble). He thought his CAR crocs would look great with his CAR jammies. I let him run around in his outfit for about an hour before we had to leave to get the car serviced. He cried when we took the swim suit off but quickly got over it. AHHHH! The joys of a toddler. I love it...this is definitely my favorite stage to date.


He is so proud of himself! Mom, "Don't you love my outfit?"

This is Z after Mommy dressed him....Much Better!

Annual girls weekend and the boys!

***Sorry for the delay. This actually took place a couple weeks ago. I have been slow to get these photos downloaded.
Disclaimer: for all of our friends that live in the city that we visited. I don't want you to think that we ignored you...we planned this trip last minute and wanted to cram as much stuff as possible into our weekend trip.


Every year since I was a small child my mom has taken my sister and I for a girls shopping trip to a city near by. We would leave dad at home for the weekend, book a couple nights in a hotel, and just do girls things. We hit all our favorite restaurants, special local stores, the malls, and the hot tub in the hotel. Ever since the boys have arrived we have included them in the trip. We have a lot of fun together and the boys seem to enjoy it too. This year we went up on Friday and returned on a Sunday. The boys loved using their sleeping bags in the hotel, loved spending time with each other, and enjoyed all the extra activities we did with them. This is an annual tradition that I do not want to miss.

CLICK ON THE ALBUM TO VIEW THE PHOTOS!

Girls shopping weekend

On our way home we stopped at Ruey & Freddy's to celebrate Freddy, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kelli, Uncle Matt, and Zachary's birthdays. Ruey pulled out a wooden toy train from around 1980 for the boys to play with. They loved it and it occupied them for hours. As you can see from our photos...we had a great weekend.

Extended Family Shopping Trip

This weekend Zachary and I celebrated fall with my aunts & cousins (Kim this is you too!) on the Peacock side. We have been planning on a girls day full of shopping, chatting, and eating since Mid-August. It was a fun-filled day.

The group photo is of all of us at the Fall Festival.
Back Row: Zachary, Me, Aunt Sharon, Mom, Aunt Mary, Kathy
Front Row: Rachel, Elliott, Lisa, Kim, & Natalie
Kim was super sweet to give Z a ride when he wanted a break from the stroller. He loved it!

I'll have to explain a couple of photos. First my Aunt Sharon was telling us all about a clip she wanted to see on The Today Show...it was about middle-aged women that take care of "reborn" baby dolls. To read more about this obsession with baby dolls click here. I found a website that tells more about it. We were all saying how crazy that was when low and behold a women pushing a stroller of 3 babies walks by. We all stopped to look at what we thought were "triplets" when we discovered they were reborn baby dolls. Crack me up! Fortunately, the lady pushing the stroller was trying to sell them. It was hilarious. Aunt Mary, my mom, and Aunt Sharon all had to hold these fake babies. Of course, I had to pull out my camera and snap a shot.

Aunt Sharon with baby girl Addison, Aunt Mary with little boy, and mom with baby girl Lucy

Aunt Mary with baby boy
Mom with a premie

Overall we had a great time together. We are already planning to make this an annual trip. Of course next time we hope that Aunt Lou can make the trip down and that some of my cousins that could not make it would be able to.

Happy Fall Y'All

Well it is my favorite time of year...pumpkins, colorful sweaters and jeans, changing leaves, and wonderful weather. I love it! I wanted to share my fall decorations around our house with you. Hope it gets you in the spirit for lots of fall festivities with your friends and families.


This is my entry way table. The pumpkin topiary is our craft project from our monthly MOPS meeting. I think it turned out pretty cute!




The scarecrows and decorations on my mantle bring back a lot of memories for me each year when I pull them out. One of my best friends Julie was going to Dental School in Nebraska when I first got married. I took a road trip to visit her and we decided we needed to purchase matching fall decorations. I was on a tight budget but managed to find all this "stuff" for a good buy. It is 5 years old but I can't seem to replace it because it reminds me of my weekend in Nebraska.

One of my Sunday School kiddos gave me this special pumpkin. I love it! I will always display it.
Hanging Leaves above our basement steps

Happy Fall Y'all!

*I would love to see your fall decorations too. If you want post a comment to your decorations.

Road trip to Chemo therapy!

I have been gone for a while but I am back. Get ready for a blog update daily because I have a lot to post. I have several events I want to blog about but this one today has first priority.

I am up in St. Louis at Siteman Cancer Center with my best friend Melody and a new friend Doreen. First let me tell you about how I got here...it goes back 2 years ago. The week after I had Zachary I had several doctors visits. Because I could not drive I had to have help getting Z to the pediatrician. Of course Kevin took me to some of them and my in-laws took me to one. But I can clearly remember a week after Z was born I needed a driver to get me to a check up for Z. I called Mel. To recap she was at home with a 12 week old but she insisted that she drive out to our house, pick Z and I up and take us to the doctor. It does not seem like a big deal but it was a HUGE deal to me. She dropped everything to get us to where we needed to be. I never knew how I was going to repay her. Today I finally got too. About 6 weeks ago she asked me if I would accompany her to her 5th chemo treatment in St. Louis. I said of course. My in-laws & Kevin realized the importance of this trip and took care of everything for Z.

We headed up the highway yesterday to get settled in the hospital hotel to be ready for a full day of doctors visits & chemo therapy. Above I mentioned a new friend Doreen. She is a breast cancer survivor that Mel met at her church. Doreen is also a nurse so it was perfect for her to come along on the trip too. I met Doreen for the first time yesterday but feel like I have known her forever. Talk about an inspiration. Doreen knows exactly how Mel feels and what she needs. She also is an inspiration to me. A mommy of 3, a wife, a Christian women, a Cancer survivor...Doreen is all of that. What a trooper! The three of us were out on a road trip to Chemo. Once we arrived in St. Louis, we hit a few stores at the Galleria, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and then we enjoyed one another's company at a wonderful restaurant Asia for dinner. It was great. The best part of being with these inspiration women was that we celebrated life, our faiths, and our motherhood.

Lunch at the Galleria Cheesecake Factory ....Doreen, Melody, and me Getting ready for a good night of friends, food, and fun!
Look at the hottie with the blond hair!
Mel and Hil
Hil and Doreen

Two CANCER surviors! What an inspiration!

Today we got up early to have a healthy breakfast and to mentally prepare Mel for her treatment. We were fortunate enough to meet her amazing oncologist, Dr. Ellis and his team. Mel wanted Doreen and I in the exam room to hear all the information he was giving her. While I was sitting in this room I got overwhelmed by emotion. I realized that I was sitting in a room with TWO breast cancer survivors and that God healed these remarkable women. Dr. Ellis also overwhelmed me because he was the epitome of what an excellent physician is. He acted like Mel was the only patient in his practice. He listened to her, he answered all of our questions, he offered HOPE, and he was highly educated.

After Mel's appointment, we had coffee while waiting for her Chemo treatment to begin. Currently, Mel is back in the chemo area. Doreen and I are taking turns to be with her. Due to the toxicity of the chemo drug Mel could have a reaction so I wanted Doreen with her the first hour or so since she is a nurse and would know what to do if Mel started to experience any side effects. Please pray for Mel that she will not have any side effects. The oncologist said this drug usually causes severe bone pain.

Mel is doing AWESOME! She is on the downward slope of chemo treatments. This is #5 or 8 treatments. Only 3 more to go. She continues to be a beacon of HOPE for me and for everyone around her. I never imagined I would have to go down this road with Mel but it has taught both of us A LOT of things. She reminds me daily that I need to live life to the fullest, that I need to rely on God for everything, and that no matter what I have to stay positive. You GO MEL!

I wanted to send a shout out to Kevin, Karen, and Marv for taking care of my baby boy so that I could come up here. This entire trip has been inspirational and good for me. Thank you !

Zachary's Birthday Party

For all of you who know me, know that I love to host parties and get togethers. Kevin can't believe how much I enjoy doing this so I started asking Z about his party theme a couple months ago. Whenever I asked him what he wanted he said, "Choo Choo Trains & Par-tee Cake". So that is exactly what I planned.

Kevin & I hosted Zachary's 2nd Birthday party on Saturday night. Zachary had the best time and so did his parents. Surrounded by our family and best friends we shared dinner, cake & cookies, gifts, and fun memories. Zachary wanted to have a Choo Choo party so that is what Kevin and I did. We served Pizza at his request because it is his favorite food.

Last year, a very special friend of mine made Zachary's birthday cake. It was awesome. I did not know how I was going to find a cake as cute & special as Julie's monkey cake. So I asked around to several of my friends to see if they knew of anyone that made yummy & cute cakes. My dear friend Julie H. from church gave me the name of a super "sweet" lady named Stacey. I wanted to give a little shout out to Stacy the Cake Lady because we LOVED Zachary's cake & cookies. If you ever need a special order cake or cookies this is the lady to call. I am going to post a link to her blog...just in case you want to contact her. Thanks Julie H. for the recommendation and a big thank you to Stacey for the Choo Choo cake & cookies.

Here are the photos from the big birthday party. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us. We had a wonderful time. So did Zachary. Also an extra thanks to Mel who came 2 days after Chemo therapy. I know it was a lot for you to come. It would not have been the same without you. Lastly, thank you to everyone near and far for all the birthday cards, gifts, well wishes, and phone calls. Zachary felt extra special because of all the love he received. We love you guys!

Click on the album to view pictures from the party!

Zachary's 2nd birthday

Two years ago today.....

On the way to the hospital...9 easy hours later....
Zachary Kevin after his birth

This is Zachary less than a day old. He looked so much like Kevin.
Going home from the hospital
Fresh from Heaven with his NINA
3 days old


Happy Birthday Zachary! We love you, Mommy & Daddy

Zachary Kevin at 2 years!

Zachary listening to my iPOD.
This is a post to share 10 facts about our little 2 year old, Zachary Kevin.

Zacharys Favorite things....

10. Food. Zachary eats almost anything. He loves whole tomatoes, raw onions, PIZZA, Chinese noodles, "Donalds" Burger & Fries with Apple Dippers minus the caramel. He loves to eat. He does not turn his nose up to almost anything...except Sloppy Joes and Stuffed Peppers ( which is okay because I am not a huge fan of those two items either). Zachary has always been a good eater except for his dislike of breast milk. Once we got him on to formula we could not stop him.

9. Pre-school. Zachary absolutely loves his teachers Miss Nikki and Mrs. Jen. He talks about both of them all day long. He thanks God for them every night before he goes to bed. Z also enjoys his friends or as he would say the "kids" at school.

8. Zachary loves DIRT. He like to pretend that his snacks are dirt, that his toys are dirt, and that his bath water is dirt. He loves to scoop, pour, and pile anything like Bob the Builder does.

7. Zachary's favorite items are Choo Choo trains, Bob the Builder DVD's, & Curious George.

6. Zachary loves to get the mail. He is just like me. Daily we got to the mailbox right before nap time. He thinks it is extra cool when we get the mail directly from our mail carrier and her mini mail truck. He carries the mail back to the house all by himself and sorts it for me. It is a "red letter" day when he gets something for himself.

5. Zachary can count to 10. If Kevin or I start him on one he says all the numbers and yells the number 10. Not sure if that is something he does at school but he thinks it is hilarious.

4. Zachary loves going to church. The entire way there he says, "Jesus". When we pick him up from Sunday School he does not want to come with us. If we drive by church he cries because we are not stopping.

3. Zachary loves sport "games". I think this is because of High School Musical, but he loves to play "hoops" and he loves to toss a football. He also likes to attend football games or watch them on t.v.

2. Zachary does not let you forget prayers. Before nap, before bed, or before we eat he always reminds Kevin and I that we need to pray. It melts my heart to see him talk to Jesus.

1. Zachary loves his Paw Paw Marv, Maw Maw Karen, Grammy, and Poppy SO much. He often asks to call them on the phone or drive by Walgreens to visit Pops. He can't wait to see them or have them take them home with them. What a blessing. He also loves his aunts and uncles. His best friends are Elliott and Charley.

As I think about the past two years with Zachary I am so amazed. I am totally enjoying this stage because he is our little buddy. He loves to help us, he loves to be praised, and he loves to go to new places. I love watching the wonder in his eyes when he learns a new word or sees something new. It is amazing to be the mommy of a wonderful, active two year old. Thank you God for this opportunity.

Mommy's little helper

This morning Zachary has earned the title of "Mommy's Little Helper". I decided it was time to re-pot some mums for our front porch. Zachary was so excited to help. He loves DIRT and he loves to SCOOP. So I set him up to help. I really thought he was going to be more of a hindrance but to my surprise he really helped me a lot. While I watered our newly planted mums in the window boxes, Zachary put dirt all around our mums. The ironic thing is that Zachary picked out his shirt today way before I decided to do this project. It was perfect for the occasion...GOT DIRT?


Zachary working on a project
Got Dirt??
M ommy's little helper
Notice how hard he is concentrating on keeping the water flowing. Look at his mouth.
Cleaning up our mess.
My fall flower boxesWindow #2

Fun Family Date Night

So I know you guys are all wondering about our family date night on Friday...okay maybe you are not wondering but I am going to share anyways. First we met Mel, Ryan, and Charley at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. We had a mini-birthday party for Mel since we did not get to celebrate with her on her big day. The kids were FANTASTIC! For some reason they do really well at this restaurant. It might be the loud TVs or the wonderful Mac-N-Cheese but they always are very good when we eat here. After dinner we headed downtown to enjoy High School Musical. Zachary could not wait to see the "show" and watch the "game". For those of you who are not familiar with HSM you won't understand those comments. Zachary is truly a HUGE fan of HSM. Anyways his eyes were glued on the stage throughout the entire show. Charley liked it too. After the "Get'ca Head in the Game" scene Zachary yelled out "more". Then in the second act he loved Winner the Wildcat. When the mascot was on stage he clapped and clapped. When the Wildcat was not on the stage he yelled "cat, cat, meow". Kevin almost had to take him out because he wanted the cat. As soon as Kevin told Zachary he was going to leave he immediately stopped because he did not want to miss a thing.
***SORRY THE PHOTOS ARE SO SMALL. I HAD TO TAKE THEM OFF SHUTTERFLY.

Zachary at dinner
Charley at dinner.

Charley & Zachary in the parking lot. Aren't they adorable?
Waiting for HSM!
Kev, Hil, and Zachary on the front row of the balcony. We can't wait to see the musical!

Mel, Ryan, and Charley getting excited to see the show. Charley was brave enough to get a picture with Winner the Wildcat. Z was too scared.


We had a wonderful time at the show. Zachary loved his birthday present from Aunt Rachel, Uncle Matt, and Elliott. Thanks! We really enjoyed our time with Mel, Ryan, and Charley. Since Mel is having chemo treatment we don't get to see her as much so we jump at the chance when we can all get together. Please say a prayer for her as she has her fourth chemo treatment this Wednesday. Then only 4 more to go.