Mommy and Daddy's Weekend of Fun!

 Brian and Sara had quite a fun extended weekend this past weekend!  Don't need to really leave home for a 'babymoon' when you have great weather, friends, and places to go thanks due to a great employer!

On Friday night we used our babysitter Deanna for the second time and ventured out to Talking Stick Casino where our favorite band, Cowboy Mouth was playing.  They are a high energy New Orleans rock band that is just amazing.  Hard to describe but the lead singer is also the drummer and he is just a spazz!  His sole mission is to make sure everyone is having an awesome time.  And their music has a good message that warms the soul!

We met Brian and Cassie for dinner beforehand and then headed to the concert where a great time was had by all.  During one of their songs people in the know throw red spoons on the stage and Brian and Cassie said they felt so cool because we came prepped with red spoons for them to throw!!  We hope Cowboy Mouth comes back to town again soon - what a fun, fun night!!  Sara's surprised she didn't go into labor that evening from laughing so hard!

On Saturday morning we dropped Trevor off at Grandma and Papa Hillins and headed to the Four Seasons Scottsdale to begin another day/evening of fun...this time courtesy of PetSmart and MARS (yes, the candy makers but they also have a pet food division).  During the day we had options of spa treatments or golf at Troon.  No surprise that Brian chose golf and Sara chose spa treatments.  Word on the street was that Brian carried his foursome in the scramble and Sara absolutely loved her luxurious pedicure and maternity massage.  We spent some good time networking by the pool in the late afternoon too. 

The hotel is absolutely amazing - we stayed in a casita room that was large and faced a mountain.  It was so peaceful.  MARS thought of everything - goodie basked filled with yummy treats in the room, chips and salsa, and a Kindle Fire.  Wow!  That evening there was a cocktail hour and dinner on the terrace for the 120 or so PetSmart and MARS attendees.  It was the perfect evening for a dinner outside. No cardigan needed :)

People sure couldn't believe that Sara was there in high heels with 2 weeks to go before giving birth but Sara had a blast!  Best comment of the night: (direct quote) "We decided you are the cutest pregnant person EVER"  Awwwww..... 

After dinner they had a karaoke party.  Apparently Brian's work colleagues love to sing.  Brian even got up for a few songs.  One of which was with another guy and they sang 'Sweet Caroline' - smart choice because once you open it up the crowd usually takes it away and the singers can fade into the background :)

On Sunday morning Trevor came to the resort and we hung out at the pool for a few hours.  Trevor loved it and didn't want to go home but as soon as we got in the car he was out.  Tired camper!  Too much fun with Grandma and Papa as well as swimming!!

On Monday the same group hosted us for the Cardinals/49ers game.  We've never seen a suite so large for such 'few' people!  Two bars, tons of food....and lots and lots of candy which made baby sister very happy!  Back to reality today though....

Those Stinkers!!

Trevor and his BFF Gabriella who is just a few months younger and lives across the street have been able to spend some fun times together.  The two often wait in their respective driveways or courtyards waiting for the other to get home.  It's too cute.  What's even cuter though?  Trevor calls her Cinderella.  Melts our hearts :)

One night the two were sitting in Trevor's police car in our media room where it has been stored since Dada put it together in anticipation of successful potty training.  Trevor never realized it actually could be driven.  He thought it was more a prop that you sat in and could turn on the sirens and use the intercom.  He was perfectly content with that and that worked for Mommy because if he learned it drove she wasn't sure how she'd be able to keep up with him out on the streets.

Well, leave those two alone for a few minutes and they figured out it drove!!  So we took it outside and Trevor and Gabriella had a blast driving around.  Fortunately Gabriella is just fine being a passenger.  They are just too cute together!

Happy Birthday Randle

Happy 8th birthday Randle!  To celebrate we got him some special puppy cookies and Trevor picked out a new stuffed toy for him.  He chose 'the joker' which surprised Mommy because he could have picked Batman or Superman which he has been enthralled with lately.  Randle seemed to enjoy his birthday celebration...too bad we didn't get a picture this year :(  Sorry Randle....given how far we are behind on baby girl prep it's only fitting that we didn't get a pic this year!  Next year we'll do better!

Fireside Fall Festival

 This past weekend we hosted our first non-family visitor - our financial advisor was in town for a conference and extended his stay into the weekend.  Brian and Dan enjoyed a round of golf but also had to deal with a flat tire...that didn't stop the fun though.  Even caught the Vikes/Cardinals game on Sunday before he flew out.  Trevor and Mommy decided to check out our community's fall festival instead of watching the game and we're sure glad we did!  We were there for about 3 hours having a blast!  How could you not with such fun activities??

And yummy food!  Of course, Trevor hit up the cookie tray first!

 Don't worry we also had hot dogs and chips just to round out the food categories ;)

 They had pumpkins for the kids and Trevor really enjoyed running around and collecting pumpkins.

 He would carry them two by two:

 And stack them in the stroller:

 Then run back and get more:

 He saw kids coming so he sat down and tried to figure out how he could carry more than two at a time:

 But quickly realized that he was better off carrying two at a time and running quickly back and forth between the stroller and the pumpkins.  Mommy is surprised he didn't think of just moving the stroller closer to the pumpkins :)

 They also had a horsey ride.  Trevor requested a pic with one of the horses!

 While waiting in line Trevor asked if he could run around.  Mommy said sure and some other kids joined in on the fun.  We think Trevor is going to be a leader!

 On the wagon ride:

 And we finished up with some time in the petting zoo!  Trevor really enjoyed brushing the little horsey's hair!  The horse seemed to like it too because he didn't move for 15 minutes!!

Still can't believe we live here - where it is the end of October and we are wearing shorts and t-shirts and we live in a community that has such fun events.  We are very blessed and lucky!

36 weeks!

Had our 36 week appointment this morning.  All looked good....head is still 2 weeks ahead of schedule so she's going to be a smarty :) and first (and only) cervix check showed that she seems to be nice and high so should stay in there until her c-section date.  However the ultrasound showed that she is a big girl - 7lb 3oz already!  But weight by ultrasound is known to be inaccurate so we'll see!  Might not have needed those newborn outfits after all...although Trevor wore newborn clothes for the first 6 weeks of his life and he was born 8lb 12oz and 22 inches in length (well, he did drop to 7lbs due to lack of eating those first few days).  Who knows, she is what she is and we can't meet to wait her on November 12.  (hint, hint baby....stay put until then!)

Double Trouble

Randle continues to be less than thrilled when he knows it's time for him to go in the kennel (dogs have an incredible 6th sense).  It's quite a process to get him in which is simply annoying.  Right away in the morning we have to put his leash on so that we can grab it when it's time for him to go in.  Usually he hides under the dining room table but lately he's been hiding upstairs - maybe in Trevor's closet or under baby sister's crib?  In any case, the only way to get him is to open the front door like we're going out and he comes charging down the stairs and out the door.  Then Sara grabs his leash and drags his hesitant butt up the stairs to the laundry room where his kennel is.  

Well on Thursday Trevor wanted to go in the courtyard after Mommy brought Randle in.  She told him no that we needed to put Randle in the kennel.  He said he didn't want to help so Mommy did it alone and when she was done and came back downstairs, this is what she found:

The stinker brought over the kitchen stool and was trying to unlock the top lock!!  Luckily he can't quite reach but we really might have to consider moving that lock up!!

School pics and moving up!

Trevor had his 'school pics' a few weeks ago and we couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out.  Of course we are very biased, but look at our little cutie and his contagious smile!

He started taking soccer lessons at school so they incorporated a soccer ball in his pics.  That made him super happy!

Our little poser even has this look down:

Can hardly believe how grown-up he looks and he's not even 3!!!  We also learned that since he's potty trained he's moving up to the preschool room at daycare a few months early!  He calls it 'high school' and is learning a lot.  We asked him out of the blue if he knew how to count in Spanish and he knew some of the numbers!  We were impressed!

Who is happier?

 

One day Trevor and Mommy headed to Einstein Bros. Bagels for lunch (can you say Pumpkin bagel time?  YUM!)  but before Trevor could pick his bagel, he HAD TO make sure we were buying Randle a puppy bagel.  He couldn't wait to get home and give it to Randle.  Not sure who is happier here!  Randle eating his puppy bagel or Trevor watching his happy puppy.  How sweet!

Safety first!

We finally got a pool fence installed!  We specifically wanted a mesh fence that is removable because we won't always need a pool fence but with #2 on the way we don't want to take any chances.  We have an extra precaution latch on our sliding door leading to outside but we wanted the extra security of a fence.  We're actually surprised the previous home owners didn't have a fence given they had 2 children under 3 but it allowed us to pick the fence we wanted. 

It's a little bit of a nail-biter when the fence goes in because you don't know exactly what it will look like, but both of us, well and Trevor too, really liked how it turned out.  It somehow makes the backyard look even bigger which we didn't think would happen.

This particular fence advertises that the poles can be hit by a truck and still not break.  So we know kids can't push it down!  It has a self-closing gate with a lock which is great but the best part?  The whole thing can be taken down in 4-5 minutes if we want to have a party with adults or something.  Ah, technology...gotta love it!  Best money spent yet on the house for peace of mind with our kiddos and others.  Although we'll continue to keep an extra eye and ear up just knowing we have a pool in the backyard. 

Our haunted house fun

During one of Sara and Trevor's adventures to Target, Trevor spotted a Haunted House kit that he just had to have.  Doesn't take much convincing for Mommy to agree that cookies, frosting and candy are needed in the house, so Trevor eagerly put it in the cart and reminded Mommy for the rest of the day that we needed to make 'the house' that night when Daddy came home.

The boys really got into it.

Trevor wasn't afraid to do a little tasting, you know to make sure it was edible.

It passes!

Trevor was a great decorator.  He wanted it to look just like the box but we went a little astray and made our own version!

Astray meaning that most of the candy became ornaments on the front lawn :)  (Which is better anyway - much easier to grab and eat!)

We asked Trevor what he wanted on the back of the house and he said 'Mama' so guess what he got?   (He does know that Mommy's boss so it's no surprise that this is Mama's house!  He! He!)

Turned out pretty good if you ask us.  Can't wait to see what our holiday Gingerbread house will look like!

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Where have 8 years gone??  It doesn't seem that long ago that it was a beautiful Fall day in MN and surrounded by friends and family we committed to each other for eternity.  Yet life keeps moving us forward and we've got to share in a lot of great experiences together and we have many more to come!!  

We celebrated with two date nights (thanks Papa John and Grandma Pauline for watching T).  The first date night was at an Italian restaurant - Sassi - in Troon (North Scottsdale) where we could see the sunset behind Pinnacle Peak.  The weather was perfect - somewhat cool for a change - so we sat outside and had a nice conversation and meal.

 

Even though Sassi gave us complimentary cannoli's for a special anniversary dessert we headed down the street to Rare Earth Wine Bar where Brian discovered a new wine that he loves and Sara enjoyed a nice big piece of turtle cheesecake.  Yes, the baby needed two different desserts!

On Friday evening we headed to Modern Steak in Fashion Square.  As everyone knows, Brian and Sara are quite meat and potato people so this meal really hit the spot.  We enjoyed a shrimp appetizer, steak, lobster, fingerling potatoes, mascarpone cream corn and of course a fabulous chocolate dessert with a side of red velvet ice cream.  Or so they said it was....didn't taste exactly like red velvet to the red velvet aficionado but it was still yummy!

After that we headed to a nearby casino to check it out and listen to the dueling pianos.  And good thing we did because we learned that our favorite band 'Cowboy Mouth' is playing in a few weeks.  So we'll be headed out to see them with our friends Brian and Cassie soon!  Yay!  It's only fair since Trevor heard them in 'utero' that baby sister would too :)  

One funny comment from Trevor while with his Grandparents at dinner...a couple dining nearby asked Trevor where his parents were and he said 'they went to get married'!  Where does he get this stuff?  He's just too cute!  

Baby Elena is here!!! (No, not ours either!)

Baby Elena was not going to let her Mommy Annie get induced as planned on a Wednesday...instead she came on her own just 2 days late!  We got a text at 3:00am on Sunday introducing Elena Clare Roslansky.  6lbs 11 oz. and 20.5 inches long born at 3:07am on 10/7. 

When her big brother Sam was born we literally got to meet him 2 hours after he was born.  Boy was that neat.  However being 2000+ miles away, we have to get our niece baby fix through pics.

Mommy Annie and Elena left the hospital just 36 hours after being born and you can see that Grandma and Grandpa Roslansky are proud grandparents!

Annie's parents were in AZ helping with baby Kendall (as planned) when Elena was born so they too lived vicariously through pics.  From what we hear baby Elena has her days and nights mixed up but is still a great baby who is just too cute!

Sam is a doting big brother who loves his baby sister!  This picture makes us happy :)

Baby Elena is so sleepy that she doesn't appreciate being woken up to even eat.  Here she is pouting because they are trying to wake her up!  

While we wish were there to love and cuddle her, we will get to see her for quite a few days over Christmas when they venture to Phoenix.  Yipppeeeee!!!!  Until then, we hope the pictures continue coming.  They change so much every day when they are so little.  And who can believe we'll have our own little girl in just a few weeks?!?!  Double yipppppeeeeeeee!!!

Road Trip!

To escape the ongoing heat of Phoenix (well, and to pick up a new printer at the only place Best Buy offered it in store) we took a road trip to Prescott, AZ.  Trevor was super excited to take another road trip, although we're pretty sure he thought when we said road trip we'd magically appear at Mickey's house!

Prescott is about 90 minutes from our house and what a different vibe....it's nestled in the mountains so there was greenery everywhere and leaves and cool temps.  It was wonderful!

After getting the printer we walked around the cute town square where a band/beer tent was set-up to raise money for the wildfires.  We enjoyed a piece of pumpkin pie from a deli that Sara's parents had been to and recommended as well as sat and listened to the band.  Okay, and people watched....all day beer fest tends to make people a bit crazy :)

We also took a few pics of baby sister, although Brian says Sara doesn't even look pregnant.  If only one could feel not pregnant when it feels like you are going to tip over face first!

Definitely pregnant from the side :)

Before we got back in the car we stopped at a local park to watch the skateboarders and have T burn off some energy on playground equipment.  Mommy and Daddy got in on the fun too and Trevor captured the silly moment!

Mommy's little purple people eaters!

Blog Disclaimer

People sometimes ask why we do this blog and while we'd like to say it was for our friends' and family viewing pleasure, it really is for us.  Although it is an added bonus that our friends and family get to know us and Trevor much better :)  At least that's what we've been told!

We try to document our lives so that we can print out our memories so that we can reflect back at what we've done and how fortunate we've been.  Knock on wood.....

Sara has always been a scrapbooker.  It started when she was required to make one for her sorority her freshman year and just kept building.  She has over 20 scrapbooks documenting undergrad, her time in Memphis and St. Louis, grad school, her and Brian's engagement, wedding, first house...the list goes on and on.  There are ticket stubs, maps, pictures just about everything in those books documenting all aspects of her and then Brian's life.  We kid that if our house is ever on fire that Brian first grab all the scrapbooks.  That's how important they are to us.  

When we found out we were having a baby we decided to switch to a digital medium to save time and well, to keep up with the 21st century.  Not sure it saves time but it does work well to have all of our memories in an online space that can also be printed out into hardcover books.  

Should have taken a picture of the 20+ scrapbooks but instead here is a pic we already had showing the scrapbooks Trevor has to date:

 Bottom left to right:

1) First year of the blog

2) Second year of the blog

3) Trevor's baby book

4) Any and all cards Trevor has received

5) Professional pics of Trevor (just need a pic in the front cover)

6) Sara's pregnancy pics and ultrasound pics of T

Why do we share all this?  We just wanted to make sure you know that we don't have this blog to brag or boast or complain or anything of the sorts.  We just want to document our life as it is so that we can always reflect back on our memories, hard work, family, friends and time together :)  And we're glad that you are along for the ride of the 'Life and Times of the Hillins family'!

Flying High

With Brian's new position he'll have the opportunity (do you call it that?) to travel a bit more.  Lucky for him, his first trip in this new role involved taking one of PetSmart's corporate jets!  They went to Austin, TX on Monday morning then flew to San Francisco, CA later that afternoon.  Back home an hour early (!) Tuesday afternoon.

He was the 2nd most senior person on the flight and said it was neat to see how in awe and appreciative the team was to fly in such style.  Can you imagine?  No security line?  No waiting at the airport.  Nice!!

 

Trevor and Mommy went to the hangar to see them land (about 15 minutes from our house) but they missed it because no one was answering the speaker at the gate but that's okay.  The pilots stuck around so that Mommy and Trevor could see the plane.  Looked pretty comfy and cozy!  It may be hard for Brian to fly commercial again after this :)

Baby Belly

 Gosh we were so good at taking belly shots with Trevor, this kid not so much so Sara whipped out her iphone to capture a 33.5 week picture :)  So for all you baby belly fans, here you go!

 

And a side shot - love how Trevor is looking up at his baby sister :)  He loves her!!

 How does this compare to when Sara was pregnant with Trevor?  Pretty close!  Here's 33 weeks last go around....

 

Weight gain to date is 24.5 pounds...exactly where she was with Trevor.  She's on track to gain a little over 30, again, just like Trevor but it really doesn't matter to Sara how much she gains.  Every pound is worth it for the baby growing inside!

How is baby girl doing?  Fabulous!  We are so blessed to have an OB that likes ultrasounds as much as Mommy and Daddy (and as much as her MN OB did!).  Baby girl has had ultrasounds at:

-  4 weeks (in ER after fainting episode)
- 6 weeks

- 8 weeks

- 12 weeks

- 13 weeks

- 16 weeks

- 20 weeks

- 21 weeks

- 23 weeks

- 24 weeks

- 26 weeks

- 28 weeks

- 31 weeks

- 33 weeks

and she'll have one again at 35, 36, and 37 weeks for sure to see if the little stinker is still breech.  Not that it really matters since she'll be c-section!  Why so many ultrasounds?  Well, it helps switching OBs due to the move, having a Daddy with a bi-cuspid aortic valve, a Mommy that's adopted and in AZ the 12, 20 and 24 week ultrasounds are done at a Fetal Women's Center so then when we go back to our normal OB he wants to do one himself too! 

It's fun being able to track her progress each time and hear her heartbeat.  Oh and of course confirm she's still a girl :)  Stats so far: 4.1 pounds, 18.5 inches, and a head that is still measuring over a week ahead of the rest of her body.  Sometimes a c-section is just fine :)

Baby Kendall is here! (No, not ours!)

Nicci (Annie's sister) and Mike welcomed their baby girl Kendall Ruth.  She is a little cutie who is stronger than stronger.  She proved everyone wrong by being able to come home after just a week without any feeding tube, breathing apparatuses, or anything!  She sure is a cutie! 

We love having them so close by (they moved just 6 minutes from our house) because it means we can help each other out!  For example, when Kendall was still in the hospital the boys came over to play so that Nicci's parents could both see Kendall at the same time.  It works great because the boys get along wonderfully!  

We're still waiting on Sara's brother Jim and his wife Annie to give birth to their baby girl (aka 'fruit snack' as big brother Sam calls her).  She's due Friday, October 5 but we'll see if she's late like Sam!