*Knock* *Knock*

So, it's been....um, well over a year since I've written. Nothing like completely dropping the ball, eh? But, it's been an eventful year if that counts for anything!

I haven't written since last March so let's see what's gone on. Since then, Gracie is now 10. She finished third grade, started fourth grade, flew through and now is ready for fifth grade this coming August! She had a great school year with Mrs. Frankl. She competed and won her classroom spelling bee, her school spelling bee and then won her district spelling bee! And even though we went on to the county spelling bee but lost, we are so incredibly proud of her! She studied like crazy, even on holidays/vacations and her hard work truly showed. She made all A's throughout the year and ended by being asked to be a safety patrol the next school year. So, so proud!

Jackson is now 4 years old and every bit as funny as he's always been. We are FINALLY 100% potty trained (woot woot!) and life is good! His latest obsessions are super heroes/ super villians. He can name every one of them and tell you what they do and what they look like. Amazes me....though he does get in a little trouble when he says, "Mommy, don't make me angry...you won't like it when I'm angry!"

We also have a new addition to our sweet family. My niece, Addison Faith McBrayer was born May 13, 2010. She is precious and has the sweetest little laugh. And when she smiles that little squenched up face and shows you her little teeth....sigh. Just turns me to goo.

As of last weekend, my sister, Kelly, her husband, Anthony and my niece and nephew, Erin and Braden....are officially Texans! Anthony accepted a job in Houston and headed out there right after Memorial Day. Mom and Dad headed out last weekend with Kelly and the kids and have been unloading and unpacking all week. I always felt one of us would end up in Texas. I just thought it would be me! But I know that God has a plan and that this isn't for good. It's just a small detour in the bigger journey!

After a lot of prayer and asking God for direction, I finally listened to Him and began to work with our Pastor's wife, Mrs. Margaret, in forming a women's ministry. It's our Proverbs 31 ministry and we meet once a month to come together with food, fun and fellowship. It's a time to get together and take off our "Wife" and "Mom" name tags and just be women talking and sharing together. We have games and prizes and fun things to get to know each other better. We have tons of great food and always have a devotional time to dig into the Word. It has been such a blessing to participate and be with these ladies and I know that God is truly guiding it every step of the way.

I'm now a sorta-kinda working woman too! In February of this year, I joined 31 Gifts as a consultant, and I love it! It's a Bible based company started by a woman in her own home and has grown by leaps and bounds over just a few short years. The company is based on the Proverbs 31 woman and they encourage us as women to live that Proverbs 31 life, be the woman we know God has made us to be and to enjoy life and all of God's blessings. Not to mention that the products are sooo adorable! I promised God that if He would help me be the woman I need to be in leading a woman's group at church, then I would put my consultant job into His hands and let Him guide it in whatever direction He sees fit. And He has done that far and beyond my wildest imagination. I am truly so blessed! Here's my link! https://www.mythirtyone.com/MelissaHillis

This past weekend, we were so blessed first to celebrate another Father's Day and honor my wonderful father and the most amazing father to my two children. We had a great day in the Lord and were finally able to meet our sweet missionaries, the Andrzejewski family! Bro. Michael, Sis. Nina, and their beautiful FIVE children were such a blessing! It was so nice to be able to finally hug them and see them in person. And the message that Bro. Michael brought was God inspired and touched so many hearts.

Yes, our life is busy and some days we don't really know if we're coming or going...but what a wonderful ride it is! God is blessing us left and right both in our home and at church. I love with my Jesus shows off! It's a crazy life as a wife and mom but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I'm still alive..I promise!

So I guess I took a 5 month hiatus from blogging. It wasn't intentional but neither is half the things that happen in our daily lives these days. Let's see what's going on.....

Well, back in February, after 2 years of praying and researching and doctor visits and poking and prodding...I finally had gastric bypass surgery! I know...a major major step and change in my life, but I think it will be so worth it in the long run. A lot of people don't understand my decision and think I either made the wrong choice. And I've actually had a few people feel sorry for me because of it. But in all honesty, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know I'll be healthier because of it and I'll prolong my life with my family. Not to mention it will go a long way in easing up my back pain. I can eat pretty much anything now...just not a lot at a time and certain foods just don't settle well with me. But through it all, 5 weeks later, I'm down 22 lbs so I think I'm well on my way!

We just had another amazing photo session with Julie. It was a mini-session at the Botanical Gardens and such a beautiful day to go with it too! Gracie looks so grown up these days and Jackson is stuck in this face of making a "scrunchy" face in all his pictures. At first, I kept trying to get him to stop doing it but then I thought...you know...that's just him. And when we look back at the pictures and see that little button nose all wrinkled up, we'll know..yep, he was 2 there and we'll remember it like it was yesterday.

The kids were so excited to see Miss Julie, too! They love hanging out with her and just being natural in pictures instead of being closed up in a studio. I loveeeee me some Julie pictures! Can't wait to see them all!

Potty training is coming along, slowly but surely. At first, we were having problems getting him to poop in the potty but the peeing was fine. And now it's just the opposite. Boys sure are different!! He has a funny routine though. He will go potty and come back and tell me, "Hey Mommy, I pooped! Come and see it and bring your phone!" I then have to take a picture with my phone and send it to Daddy so he can see it too. We then sit there and wait for Daddy to write back, the whole time Jackson saying, "Did he send you a message yet? Is he so proud? Did he see my poop?" But nothing compares to that grin when I tell him that Daddy said "Way to go!" Hey, if it works, it works!

Gracie is amazing. She gets all A's left and right. She's enjoying her RLC class at school where her teacher loves for them to "think outside the box". She's reading about a book a week now and racking up her Accelerated Reading points. She's just a little mini-Lawrence. On top of all that, she's growing up so fast. I see changes in her every day and it just warms my heart and breaks it all at the same time. It won't be long before hormones hit (they're already knocking on the door), boys start calling and we're picking out the right shade of lipstick. Sigh...where is my slow motion button when I need it??

We were just blessed with the birth of a new little niece. From the pictures we've seen, she's absolutely beautiful! We can't wait to see her hopefully on our next trip out to Texas. Chloe Marie Hillis, we love you!

We're also getting ready for the arrival of yet another new little niece, sometime in May. Counting down the weeks now until Addison Faith makes her grand entrance into the world, melts her Momma's heart and wraps her Daddy around that little bitty finger. Can't wait!

Birthdays are around the corner too. I can't believe Gracie will soon be 9 and Jackson will be 3. They're going to have another joined birthday party at the Splash Pad again like last year. They loved it. We just can't agree on the theme so it very well may be a two-themed party. We shall see!

Gracie started up softball again and her first game is this Saturday, April 3rd. Her team is called the Hot Shots and Lawrence is an assistant coach. I'm glad that they are getting to share this together. She also plays her cousin, Erin, twice this season so that should be interesting!

Everything else seems to be going good. I'm excited about all the changes God is making at church. There are lots of visitors and new members and we've baptized so many these last few weeks. It's truly a blessing. I love leading the women's Esther class each Sunday night. I will truly miss that when it's finished. God has been dealing with my heart lately and I know I am supposed to lead/direct some kind of women's ministry. I just don't know what kind or when yet. But I know God knows and He'll clue me in when it's time. Until then, I'll keep praying about it. I'm really excited about what God is going to do!

I guess that's it for now. I'll try to stay on top of things and blog more regularly. Hope everyone is doing well!

Long Time, No Blog...

So it's been almost two months since I've blogged. It's not that there wasn't anything to blog about. It's just that there's SO much going on and no time to blog.

What is it about the change of weather that brings on every germ and virus known to man? Top that off with it being still early in school, fresh germs to share and Voila! You have the crud every other week that your two children feel is the ONLY thing they're willing to share. Yay!

I feel like I'm in a fog lately for so many reasons. I've tried to go over them and reason them out but blah is just all I come up with. It's officially fall and twice in my life, I was pregnant during the fall. I think that makes me a little sad and happy at the same time. I'm not even sure if that makes sense. Just so many memories of those two times during this time of year that made fall/winter bearable. I hate that it gets darker sooner now and we haven't even hit the time change yet. And all this rain lately just tops it all off. But once we get these immune systems built up, this weather straightened out and my biological clock under control...maybe, just maybe things will not feel so topsy turvy.

What else has gone on.....Gracie loves third grade and her teacher, Mrs. Christmas, is wonderful. I am now officially a room mother...no big deal to some, I guess, but I never saw myself doing that. But I jumped in with both feet and I'm glad I did. I'm really enjoying it. We just got through our first big thing, the Fall Festival for the Elementary School and our booth, The Haunted Forest Apple Toss, won 2nd place out of every class in the school! Our head room mother and her family did an amazing job with the booth and decorations, setting it up to look like a scene from the Wizard of Oz. I ended up spending most of the night there working the booth and it was constantly busy with a line waiting, so that was a great turnout. And most importantly, the kids really enjoyed themselves and that's what it's all about.

Jackson is still potty training and that gets more interesting every single day. He can, completely on his own, come up with some things that just floor me.

For example....

Mommy: Let's go try to poop, ok?

Jackson: Otay. I try. It's coming! It's coming! Do you want big ones or little ones?

Mommy: How about a big one and some little ones. We'll try both.

Jackson: Otay, it's coming! And the little ones go plop, plop, plop.

Mommy: Wow...yes they do. How about we just do that and not discuss it so much in detail?

Another example of my child's very honest outlook in the world of potty training....

Daddy: Do you need to go try and poop?

Jackson: I already pooped.

Daddy: Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Let's go clean you up.

Jackson: I made a hamburger! ( I will refrain from details here but you get the picture)

...my child makes a poop in his diaper and then decides that it does infact resemble a hamburger...and when I think it can't possibly get any more detailed by a two year old, he tells us the other night that he pooped a hamburger steak. I'm telling you....you just can't make this stuff up....the kid is a creative genius and for some reason obsesses about food and pottying at the same time..but that's another therapy session altogether. So.......enough of that subject!

We just had another amazing photo session with Julie Cottrell (check my followers to see her blog and go to her website! You won't be disappointed!) We started out at the Peanut Depot in downtown Birmingham and walked the cobblestone streets and just let Julie's gears turn and click that camera. She has absolutely spoiled me and I'll never go to another photographer again. I've said it before, but she is an absolute dream to work with and I LOVE that she loves onsite photography and doesn't cram you in a small room with cheesy backdrops. She truly photographs people's lives as they're living them and captures their true personalities. I am sooooo excited to see how the pictures turned out! I've only seen just one proof and already I was crying because she is that good! It's amazing the people God puts into your life and how much richer your life is because of it....and any photographer that will actually lay down on the ground....in downtown Birmingham.... just to get the right angle .....I'm telling you...no one else will ever compare or have my attention for photos!

The kids are excited about Halloween coming up. This is the first year that Jack sorta kinda understands the concept of the whole thing. We are also going to pass out flyers in the neighborhood behind our church before Halloween, and then go back that night and "Trick or Treat so others may eat". This is where people can leave out can food for us to pick up on Halloween night as they Trick or Treat, and we collect them for our church to put together Thanksgiving baskets to families who might not be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner. I'm glad we're doing this because it shows the kids that there is more to life than going out and just getting from people....there's also giving back to others. I'm sure they'll come home with tons of candy on top of it all too, so it's a win/win situation. Now I just have to get their costumes all together....

Jack is a Nick Jr (formerly Noggin) fanatic and is hooked on the cartoon, Max and Ruby (a big sister/little brother rabbit sibling show)....so...through Grace's creativity, they have decided to work together this Halloween and become Max and Ruby. I still have a few pieces to come together, but I'm sure it'll be fun for them and of course, I'll post pictures after Halloween!

I've been going consignment shop crazy lately. Every fall and spring, you always have a list of them going on and I've hit just about every one the last few weeks. It tires you out, especially spending weeks getting things together as a seller and tagging, pinning, hanging, etc...but the payoff is you get to make money to turn and spend it at another consignment, rack up closets full of seasonal clothes needed at that time, skip the Galleria/mall traffic and save a ton of money. What's not to love about all that?

Other than all that, we're just taking life day by day and watching our babies grow more and more. It's times like this you just want to slow things down and enjoy them more, because you know they aren't going to be little like this forever. But life is amazing and going well and we're so blessed and amazed by everything God does for us.

Happy Fall to Everyone!

Jacksonisms...Take Two

Things to remember if/when you should ever have a two year old:

1. Everything you say will be remembered and they will pick the weirdest times to repeat it out loud.

2. They will notice at some point that your husband has hair in both his ears and his nose. Your husband will then be told that it's "dose" (gross). Try to keep a straight face. You can do it.

3. If you ever either on purpose or by accident, pass gas in front of, beside, behind or anywhere in the vicinity near them, they will announce it to the world, try to pick up your shirt/night gown and proceed to tell you loudly that he's "looking for dat toot".

4. If you have a little boy, and his little body parts are given names, expect him to refer to these body parts...and often. He loves watching Dora and Go, Diego, Go! so much that he no longer has a turtle in his diaper...he has a baby tortuga in there. He also sings a song about it. Loudly.

5. Expect that same little boy to be very bold when it comes to him and "dat toot" as well. It will go off at random times and it will be announced with a giggle that "haha I tooted" but at least it's followed up (most of the time) with an "cuse me".

6. Don't ever try to be funny about asking him what that noise was....he will tell you exactly what it was, that it came out of his diaper, and that his hiney is like a vent that blows the air out. (He found out what vents were a few weeks ago while playing on my bed and looking up at the ceiling and asking.."What's dose?" I told you...they remember EVERYTHING.)

7. Be prepared to laugh outloud at any given moment. When I told him today that I went to the doctor, he patted me on the hand. I told him I had to get a shot in my arm and that it hurt but I didn't cry. I was then told "I so proud of you. Dat's awdum!" (awesome) The greeter ladies at Walmart must have thought I lost my mind for laughing so hard right then and there.

8. Although they will have times where they can't sleep, wake up after bad dreams or just need another hug. You will drag yourself out of bed. You will walk with one eye open down the hall, bump into a wall or two and take a second to figure out how to open their door. But when those little hands reach out to you out of that bed and you hear the words, "Just hold me Mommy", you won't remember anything that came before that.

9. I think every child at this age goes through a dancing phase. Jackson's has hit big time. His favorite pasttime is to sneak into our bedroom, mess around with the alarm clock until the music comes on....turn the dial until something crazy comes on (tonight's selection was some kind of slow R & B song) and then proceed to get down and get funky. When you walk in and catch him, he looks up at you like YOU'RE the one interrupting him and he's doing just what he's supposed to be doing, then proceeds to continuing dancing.

10. They will talk your ears off. They will ask you 50 times where you're going and when will you be there. They will drive you nuts with the "I gotta potty" and then sitting there 15 minutes and doing everything else but pottying. They will make mess after mess while experimenting with their dinner and seeing exactly which foods can also be used as finger paint.

But when they're half awake/half asleep and headed to bed and they reach over and kiss you and tell you "I love you to the moon and back"...it's all worth it. You go to bed. You wake up, and you start all over again....just to get back to that point again the next night.

They drive you crazy. They make you laugh. They make you cry. But no one can ever capture your heart faster than they can. And it's all so unbelievably worth it.

My Hubby

I blog a lot about my kids. Anyone that knows me personally or just from my blogs, knows that they are my world. I love every chance I have to write about something funny, exciting, interesting...good or bad...about my kids. But I just wanted to write a different one today.

You have the Sticky Hands...and that's my Jackson. You have the Glitter....and that's my Gracie. And you have the What's for Dinner....and that's my Lawrence. I feel like I never say enough about him and the husband he is, so this blog is for him.

My husband is the most amazing man in this world. Not only is he the smartest guy I've ever met, he's the most loving and compassionate man as well. After 11 years of marriage and 2 kids, there is not a day that goes by that he doesn't tell me that he loves me. And more than that, there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't show me.

A lot of people that know us, know how we met. To this day I'm amazed at how many things had to go completely perfect in order for us to even meet, much less get together, fall in love and end up where we are now. I prayed two years with my pastor, for the man that God wanted me to have in my life. I talked to God one-on-one, pretty much like I type in my blog...just straight forward and to the point. I told him exactly what I was looking for in a man, and I often listed the qualities that I was looking for.....I prayed and I prayed and I waited....two whole years. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.

I am so thankful for such a Godly husband. And not only that, but he is the most amazing and loving father. Our kids look up to him in such a way that I just have no words to express how it makes me feel. And there is such a bond between them that I know some fathers and children only wish they could have.

Thank you, Honey for not only being such a wonderful husband, but for being the most amazing father to our children. I love you with all my heart and I know that I always have you in my corner. And I hope you know that I'm always in yours. I know I'm not always the easiest person to live with, but you have always loved me unconditionally, at my worst and at my best, and you've never once made me feel less than wonderful. Thank you for all that you are...and all that you think you're not.

I love you,

Melissa