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!

Aaaahhhh, WARM weather!

Well, it's finally warmer here but this post is about our wonderful trip out West! 3 days after the Steffens left in February, we boarded our own plane to go visit my dad and Marla in California. The weather was pure Heaven after sub zero temps and crazy winds and never-ending snow! We played outside LOTS, went to the beach, ate 'al fresco' in the back yard, walked Knott's Berry Farm with Peyton's CA cousins and grandparents, hit Disneyland for a day and a half....sigh, just wonderful. I have Part One of the pictures to enjoy....

I'm working on Part Two now and will get that up soon...really, I promise this time!

Valentine's Day Special Delivery!

Will and Peyton reunited....finally! February 14th we picked up a pretty special 'package' at the airport - the Steffen family! Will, Nic, Scott and Alex came all the way from warm Charlotte to visit us (in February???) here in Chicago! Peyton hadn't seen them since we moved Feb. 2008; I wasn't sure how Will and Peyton would respond to one another...but they picked up beautifully!

They arrived Sat. about lunch time and flew out Tues. about 4pm - we were busy, busy, busy all weekend. The time went by so quickly, as usual when special friends/family visit, that we (Nic and I) didn't get all our talking in...can you believe it? After they left I thought of things to tell her, show her...both of us thought 'why didn't just us girls go out for a cocktail or ice cream?'.

We tried some great new restaurants (some thanks to Diners, Drive-In's and Dives on The Food Network), visited Legoland Discovery Center, went downtown (braving the cold) to the Children's Museum, showed the family where Peyton takes ballet during her class, and played LOTS and LOTS! Will and Peyton played so well together and picked right back up where they left off, minus some of the tiffs they had!

Taking them back to the airport on Tues. was really hard, especially not knowing when we'll see them again. Not sure who was crying more, me or Peyton (I think it was me; she was really sad though). She talked about Will non-stop for days...thankfully we had the distraction of hopping our own airplane a few days later to visit Grandma and Granddaddy in CA...stay tuned for that next post soon! Thanks again to Will, Nic, Scot and Alex for coming to visit; we had a great time and miss you like crazy!

Princess for a Day!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Peyton was invited to a Princess party by her good friend Kendall, at My Party Palace. What a fun, girly place it was! Pink and purple everywhere with lots of girly touches, even a chair shaped like a shoe! Peyton was in Girly Heaven! First the girls (6 total) picked out a Princess costume to wear, then got their makeup done and nails painted, followed by having their hair done! After modeling the 1st dress in full attire, Peyton and some of the other girls decided it was time to change to another costume. All 6 girls were in a 'fashion show', complete with tidbits about each girl (name, age, favorite color, favorite food, etc.). They danced to Disney Princess and Hannah Montana music and had a tea party, complete with tea (pink lemonade) and crumpets (birthday cake) in their own ceramic tea pot and cup & saucer. All the girls (and Moms!) had a great time...Peyton is already planning her "6 year old birthday" for My Party Palace, as she has plans for her 5 year old birthday at the beach (FL) with Popi and Grammie! Too funny the way she thinks and reasons....for which I'm grateful in this situation! Enjoy the Princess slideshow (if you put mouse over picture, it will show caption)-

Stay tuned for more updates...."Reunited and It Feels So Good" (Will and Peyton together again!) and "We escaped...for a little bit anyway" to California to see Grandma, Granddaddy, cousins, and WARMER WEATHER!!!!

Newsflash***

Newsflash***

Our daughter, Peyton - age 4.5, is growing up! You know your child is growing up when she chooses Zoey 101 (Disney channel) over cartoon Arthur (PBS)! I couldn't believe it! At the same time, she enjoys watching The Cheetah Girls dance and sing ("They're really good, Mommy, with some good moves"...oh my!) and has just recently gotten into Hannah Montana music (thanks to some of her little girlfriends here)....oh dear, what's next?

And to reinforce that she's growing up, just got notice that registration for Kindergarten is March 2...my baby is going to Kindergarten in less 7 mos.??? How did this all happen? She was just a newborn, almost too tiny (at 5 lbs. 8 oz.) to bring home from the hospital in her carseat, walking at 10 mos. and 2 days old, dancing at a Wiggles concert at 18 mos. and playing with her first baby doll, stopping naps altogether at 2.5 years and afraid to pee on the 'magic' toilets, going into her big girl bed at almost 3 and still wanting Mommy to hold her all the time!!!

I've already warned Robert (since Peyton's birth!) that he will need to take that morning off, to send our baby girl off to her very 1st day of Kindergarten...and to console me in the process!

Hotel Hines

Peyton and Robert watching the Michigan State Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2009! ...and my 1st attempt at french braiding...Peyton's hair is long enough to do it!!!!
You could call us 'Hotel Hines', especially after this last 6 rounds of company in 6 weeks! Robert and I have always had lots of company since we moved in with one another some 10 years ago (WOW!). In our crammed, 2 bedroom apartment in Atlanta, we hosted many a visitor - friends from high school, college, his sisters with hubbies, and 3 sets of parents. In Charlotte, we hosted the same with the addition of Atlanta friends. And now, here in Chicago, we are hosting the same individuals, with the addition of our NC friends! Friends and neighbors are always saying, "Company again? - wow!".

We our so very blessed and lucky to have so many friends (and our dear parents in TX, MI, and CA) that take time out of their busy schedules, spend their money, and make the effort to come see us - thank you to all. And please, Hotel Hines is always open; we LOVE the company...just call a day before to make sure we have "rooms available" (and that the house is clean!)! :o)

I have also included some pics with the start of the new year - Peyton with her teacher Mrs. Anweiler, her classmates Marissa and Sarah, Peyton sporting her new CA Hello Kitty outfit (quite sassy!), and last but not least, a silent video of one of our snow falls in early January (view from our deck off backyard). Enjoy!

Old Friends, Good Times, New Memories

Aunt Jenn reading to Vincent, Alex and Peyton before rest/nap time



Vincent, Sarah Kate and Peyton being silly!

Some of our oldest and dearest friends, the Andersons, came to see us in between Christmas and New Year's. Jenn and I go WAY back to the Disney college-program days (internship at Disney World). We met through one of my Disney roomies (thanks Dana!) back in Jan. 1994 and have been the best of friends since, even living together for a few years in Atlanta. We both started dating Robert and Glenn about the same time back in late '97/early '98 - the rest is history for both of us. Four kids later (3 for them and 1 for us), we all have a great time together - even our firsts, Vincent & Peyton, were born just 4 days apart!

They were here the 28th through the 1st and we were BUSY! The kids played wildly non-stop. We were hoping to go sledding but the rains a few days prior had other plans - NO snow! Monday Peyton and I took them to Gymquest, an open gym with big foam pits, swings, ropes, giant blow-up slides and climbing apparatuses, trampolines and such. Jenn and I were also able to sneak off to Party City this day while kids napped/rested. We stocked up on party favors for the upcomign New Year's party we were having on Wed.

Tuesday Robert was off and we headed into the city. We originally planned to go to Shedd Aquarium but quickly found out that the whales, penguins, and dolphins were 'on vacation' due to renovations....what? that's the whole reason to go to an aquarium - whales, dolphins, and penguins, OH MY! So we thought fast in the COLD and walked over to the Field Museum, where I was pleasantly pleased!

Four's a Crowd - Alex, Sarah Kate, Vincent & Peyton trying to stay warm!


The Hines take a photo with Sue, the T-REX...Peyton wasn't so sure!



There we found a great hands-on interactive lab for preschoolers. We met Mr. McFeely from Mister Roger's Neighborhood, who was there to read stories (great timing for us!) and pass out (FREE) signed books and tapes! We also got to see Sue, the infamous T-Rex, giant elephants, walk the world, visit the Caribbean (SIGH....), and see beautiful expensive gemstones from all over the world (Robert was digging this, you know!). With 4 kids age 4.5 to 14 mos., we didn't even see half of the place, but we all had a great time! From there, we headed to the Rainforest Cafe for a late lunch - always entertaining with great food!


Alex, Peyton and Vincent listening to Mr. McFeely reading; Below: Peyton with Mr. McFeely - quite the character!



Peyton in the Caribbean and Glenn 'walking around the world with the kids!



Alex and Peyton visiting the elephants at Rainforest Cafe~

Sarah Kate happy that she's finally eating - her favorite hobby!



Wed. the kids played most of the day while Glenn and Robert (when he got home about 1pm from work) worked on a major project in the master bedroom (thanks, Glenn; it looks GREAT!). Jenn helped me tidy up and prepare for the party, with another couple, the Campises, and their 2 kids. We know Chris and Tammy from Atlanta and have always remained close. Nice that we now live just an hour away and get to see them monthly. They, too, have a son Peyton's age, Connor; they play really well together (other son is Carter and he is 19 mos.).

The kids played and played from 5pm til about 9pm. The kids made their own pizzas for dinner, had their own countdown New Year's party, ate personalized cookies made by Peyton, had a PJ party and all read bedtime stories together. Finally, by 9:30pm, we had all 6 kids down and out (Connor even slept in Peyton's room for a sleepover!)! Then the 6 adults got to eat their dinner (scrumptius tenderloin, Robert!) and play, too! Nothing too crazy but very fun. 3 of the fuddy-duddies only made it to 12:10 am, while 3 of us (me, Chris & Tammy) made it to 1:30pm, complete with the giggles....that was me of course!

Kids playing Vincent's game of Hullabaloo~New Year's Eve

Eating their pizzas they made:

Making pizzas!


Celebrating the New Year (about 7:30pm)!

The finale PJ Party - 2 little ones already in bed asleep!


The Andersons were out of the house and on their way back to KY by 9:30am (before heading back to NC) and the Campises gone about 10:45am - what a great way to ring in the New Year - with dear old friends making new, fond memories!

Chris, Tammy, Robert, Jennifer with Glenn and Jenn in front seated