Christmas in October????

Christmas in October???? NO, but our neighbors next door are putting up their Christmas lights! HELLLOOOOO, it's Oct. 18th! He said, "it's warm (53 degrees), sunny, not windy, no snow yet, and they're going up - they won't go on, but they're going up!"....now, I see his point, but really, Oct. 18th? Last year I was flabbergasted when I saw neighbors putting up lights the day after Halloween! About 5 weeks later, I found out why....Robert did NOT want to go out around Dec. 1st in 30 degree weather with snow flurries and wind to put up decorations/lights (notice I didn't mention myself going out to help!) :O)

So, still after 20 mos. here in Chicagoland (can you believe it?), we are still learning the ropes. Maybe in 2 weeks we'll be out there with the best of them, putting up lights, trying to be proactive with the upcoming cold weather coming! One thing's for sure, we WON'T be grilling out in the garage like so many mid-westerners do in the winter - WEIRD!!

Husband Happy!

Robert & Peyton being silly as usual (at a friend's b-day party)!


Wow, first, as usual, I'm WAY behind on so much! Robert started a new job this summer, we went to our 1st (and probably last) CUBS game, travelled to Orlando with family, celebrated Peyton's actual b-day at Magic Kingdom, Peyton started Kindergarten end of August, she cheered at a JV High school football game, I turned 29 again, etc.! Life has been BUSY to say the least!

Here I want to say something I've been thinking about for over a year now. It started when our neighbor left for his 10 month tour of duty in Afghanistan last fall. Wow, imagine your husband, or wife, being sent overseas, never knowing if you'll see them again, constantly worried about him/her, being a single parent 24-7, day in, day out with little breaks.....Thankfully I can report that he is back and healthy and the family is beside themselves!

All this made me realize how good I have it. Yes, I complain that my husband has a long commute and that he doesn't get home til 7:00pm-7:15pm every night. I complain that we don't get much family time with him, especially in the evenings where Robert and Peyton pass one another for a mere 30 minutes or less before she's getting in bed. I complain that other dads work out of their homes so they are home to play in afternoons, to go to soccer practice at 5pm, to eat dinner with their families. While I wish that happened more often for us, I'm thankful, one, to have a husband, and two, to have the husband/father that we do! He comes home every night right after work (unless I request a milk stop!). He doesn't travel often, he doesn't go to the bars with his buddies (every once in a blue moon and I encourage it; when he does, he comes home pretty early!), he doesn't come home in a grumpy mood and barely speak. He doesn't drop his things and sit down, vegging out with TV. He jumps in with dinner, dishes, puts Peyton to bed, helps clean up. He comes home to his family that he so dearly loves and enjoys to be with. He works hard because of us.

Peyton's 1st day of Kindergarten and riding the bus; Robert came home from work to be here for us at 12:37pm!



1st Cubs game-July 10, 2009...up close and personal!


Daddy-Daughter stroll in Florida-June/July 2009


(I am NOT saying that if a husband travels or goes out, he's not a good a husband! I'm just reminding myself that with Robert coming home every night from work at 7pm, it's really not so bad and I should 'buck-up', as Robert would say!) :o)


So when I'm sad and blue and feeling sorry for myself & Peyton, I just remember some of my other friends/neighbors whose hubbies travel every week, or hubbies that go out all of the time, or even those that don't do anything around the house to help. My husband, Robert John Hines, is amazing and I have to remind myself to remind him of that more often! Not only is he the best husband and father, he's also my very best friend!

Daytona Beach-July 2009

My Baby Girl - 5 going on 13!

Wow, I cannot believe I just bought Peyton size 13 Nike tennis shoes and that we are officially in the 'Girls' department! No more 5T's and cute little shoes - now we are in BIG shoes (and more expensive)! Peyton will start Kindergarten this year - wow, where on earth does the time go? Seems like just the other day she was turning 3; I still think of her as a 3.5 year old! I realize I'm WAY behind on my updates but here's a cute video and some pics of Peyton with her friends at Princess Ballet Camp the end of July...

so much to write, so little time...

I'm not sure where all my friends find the time to write and keep updated all the time. Kudos to all that do! I'm greatly impressed but with living life daily - feeding my child 3 times a day, making dinners (most days!), cleaning up, doing dishes, sorting/starting/changing machines/folding/putting away laundry, walking dog, checking emails, paying bills, keeping up with long distance family/friends, playing outside, now swimming at pool, going to playdates, watering plants/grass/flowers, running errands, making appointments....(what did I miss?)....where do you find the time to update daily or couple times a week? Wow!

So here's a very quick video of Peyton singing...not her usual deep sounding song, but nonetheless, quite entertaining. She was supposed to be cleaning her playroom (story of our lives) but kept singing and playing while in there - secretly very cute!



After our 6 rounds of company and a great trip out West, March was spent relishing in some much needed quiet time doing family things. Robert ran the Shamrock Shuffle, an 8K race along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago with lots of our neighbors. There were about 24 of them that all rode down in a Hummer Limo (hey, when you drive and park in Chicago, you HAVE to consolidate!). Now, days before, it was an unusually warm and beautiful 65/70 degrees. That Sunday morning, race day, we awoke to pouring down SNOW and frigid temps! Poor Robert looked blue in his race picture (I don't have or I'd post) and his socks and shoes were absolutely soaked - good thing he had worn 2 pairs of socks, as he thinks that saved his feet from near frost bite!

My little Shamrock! She made this at a Mom's Group playdate for St. Patty's day-



In April we hosted Easter here at our house, our 1st official holiday in our new home, almost a year after we moved in. Robert's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and the 4 cousins came for a great, action-packed weekend! I'll get those pictures on soon...stay tuned for more pictures and more winter/spring updates. I know, I'm WAY behind. I figure when Peyton's in school every day this fall (albeit 2.5 hours
for 'half-day' kindergarten), I'll have more time to really get up-to-date...heck, I still to finish Peyton's baby book!!! :o)

Dr. Peyton had Willow all snuggled up, as she wasn't feeling well-


Playing 'hair salon' on a slow, relaxing (and from the looks of our attire, warm!)weekend day...think we were watching basketball games, too!

*****NEWS FLASH*******

WE INTERRUPT OUR ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED POST - CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' FINALE - TO BRING YOU THIS MOST RECENT BLOG REPORT......




"Singing in the rain", and the car, the house, the tub, EVERYWHERE! Peyton is a singing fool these days! At school, they have been preparing for the year-end program (last night and soooooooooo cute; more to follow soon) with lots of singing. Here's the problem (and as a mother I feel TERRIBLE saying this out loud - okay, I'm writing it but still...), Peyton cannot sing! Oh, it's awful, people, really. Sometimes I just have to laugh out loud because she uses a deep husky voice and stretches all the words out. Other times I just want to scream 'Stop, please, make it stop' because it reminds me of nails on a chalk-board! Am I horrible? Most of the time I do laugh, but I do have to ask her politely to stop sometimes. You KNOW it's bad when the dog's ears go back and Willow looks at me as though saying, "Mom, please, make it stop."

But then, looking at this face, how can one get irritated, right? It sure doesn't last long...





Maybe I can sneek a video of her singing and get it on here sometime! Now, back to our originally scheduled post 'California Dreamin' Part III'.......coming SOON!

Happy One Year!

Well, now it's been more than a year, but we 'celebrated' our One Year Anniversary in our new house on March 23, 2009! Wow, where does the time go? It's been a very long, emotional, exciting, nerve-racking, and busy year. The day we closed on our house in Charlotte (Feb. 25th, I believe), we drove out of town headed to the mid-west for good. Peyton and I went back and forth between her grandparents in Battle Creek, MI and Robert's hotel in Chicago for about 5 weeks (a very LONG 5 weeks), before settling in our new home on March 23, 2008.

Our house in Charlotte before moving (guess the snow was preparing me for Chicago!)-


Stopping half-way to spend the night en route to the Mid-west (snow and all!):



We closed on the new house March 20th, movers came on March 21st, then we jetted, yet again, to MI for the Easter weekend with Robert's parents in tow. That Sunday evening we came 'home' and spent our 1st night as a family in our new house here in IL.

What a whirlwind! Some pictures of the new house and settling in-



Peyton checking out gift from realtor on closing day-







We have a basement!!! Last year we biked, scooted, and even roller skated down there to get exercise and stay warm! One year, we'll finish it, but I'm not in any hurry...


Peyton (and Mommy) loves her new big island!


The Hines Family - 1st official picture with new house - March 20, 2008


Wow, writing about this, I was fine but when I went to look for pictures, I got all emotional all over again. Charlotte and the Carolinas are very near and dear to our hearts. Many fond memories were made there, as well as great friendships, our extended family. Robert and I were engaged on the beach in Hilton Head, SC, Robert's first GM position was in Charlotte, we bought our very first house there, our 1st (and only) child was born in Pineville (CLT), over the years (living in Atlanta prior to CLT), we vacationed in Myrtle Beach and HHI, SC with many different friends....just a very special place for us. Not a day goes by that I don't think of someone or something in the Carolinas. We look forward to our next visit!

Part Two of our CA Adventure!

Wow, I took a lot of pictures while in CA! But then again, I always do on vacation or for any special occasion...or just because! Below are more pictures of our mini-vacation to Disneyland, just the 3 of us. We had so much fun staying at a hotel about 4-5 (city) blocks from Disneyland. We walked (a lot!) and got lots of fresh air - sooo nice to be outside again in sunny, warm Southern CA!

Now, I do have MORE pictures but this will do for now. A few more from Disneyland/CA Adventure, then we move on to Knott's Berry Farm with my dad, Marla and Peyton's cousins, Christian and Chloe, for our last full day there. Stay tuned for Part Three!