Trevor's 2nd Dentist Visit!

Trevor aced his second dental visit!  Which wasn't always a given after he went to the doctor earlier in the week to get his flu shot and ended up with a 102.5 temperature 3 hours later :(  We had gone to Target to get a few things after soccer(which was after the doctor) and while there he said he was freezing and wanted to go home.  When we got home he didn't even want to see our neighbor friends who were outside...he literally was in his bed under the covers by the time Mommy got Ashley out of the car seat, had a drink of water and headed up stairs.  He just didn't feel good at all!  He got sick once during the night and his fever was still 101 in the morning.  He had two doses of Tylenol but it finally broke on its own the next afternoon.  Mommy isn't so sure about flu shots anymore although we'll still continue to get them but Trevor really isn't so sure.  Neither he nor Ashley cried when getting one but boy did Trevor tell the nurse afterward 'that the plunger thing really hurt.' 

So when it came time to tell him we were going to the dentist he wanted to be sure he wouldn't be getting a shot there.  No problem, this dentist doesn't even do shots of Novocaine!   And he doesn't need to even worry about that because he has great teeth!

 The dentist did notice a little chip out of a bottom middle tooth but it is a tiny chip and she chalked it up to him being a boy!  It apparently didn't hurt him when it happened because he's never said anything about it!  

The dentist's office is in the midst of settling into their new location in City North so all of the spaceship gear isn't up but that didn't seem to bother Trevor all that much.  He still got his tokens at the end of the visit to trade into little prizes for having a great visit and no cavities! Yay!

More fun things!

Things we just don't want to forget this week include big brother insisting on helping give little sister a bottle!

Trevor building his own fort out of pillows and blankets (and proceeding to play in there for a good hour!)

Trevor starting to put together his birthday and Christmas wish list by checking out the Toys R Us website!

Ashley loving peeking over into containers and then proceeding to pull out each and every item in delight...then put them all back in!

Trevor's 2nd week of soccer which went much, much better!  He had his own ball, the coach showed up on time, it wasn't as hot as Hades out there....he had a lot of fun (he's in the red shirt here kicking towards the goal!)

  And little Miss Ashley looking just as cute as can be in an outfit given to her by Aunt Dawn and Uncle Jeff and girls.  Sara laughed because she finally fits in the dress (size 6-12 month) but the headband is now too small!  Cute nonetheless!

Jim, Annie and crew here!

We are getting spoiled by being able to see Jim, Annie and crew so much in AZ since we moved here!  They got here on Thursday afternoon and boy did we have a lot of fun until they left.  Thursday night we headed over to Mike and Nicci's for the most amazing pork loin.  Must get the recipe.  The kids all got along wonderfully and the adults had lots of laughs!  We came back to our house and the kiddos were so tired they all went to bed right away and so did we :)

On Friday Trevor went to school so we did separate things during the day but then regrouped at Brooke and Paul's house for a fabulous spaghetti dinner.  Ashley and Chloe spent most of the evenings competing over who could devour the most food all night.  Seriously, these girls can eat!

Back at our house on Friday evening this was the scene...Brian and Jim snoozing away under the guise of 'watching' TV. 

On Saturday after Kendall's memorial (separate blog post), Uncle Jim took the two boys swimming for a bit.  Trevor enjoyed showing off his swimming skills and Sam enjoyed spraying his Daddy and Trevor!  Both kids enjoyed getting horsey rides on the pool noodle from Jim!

Saturday evening Papa John and Grandma Pauline came over to watch Trevor and Ashley while we joined up with the crew at the Keg for some drinks and fun!  And that's exactly what we all had...lots and lots of fun!  Just what we needed after Kendall's memorial.  Seeing Nicci laugh and smile was priceless.

We had a great, great time!

The boys did too!  Nicci requested that 'Jim and Annie's wedding Brian' come out.  He may have just a little!

And a great picture of J.R and Annie! 

The next day we hosted 16 people and 7 kids at our house for pretty much an all day party.  Our guests came for brunch and the Vikings game at 10am and stayed until after a steak dinner and dessert around 8:30pm.  It might sound like a lot of chaos but it really all worked out perfectly!  Everyone was chill, helped clean-up, prep with food, watch each other's kids, the list goes on and on.  Jim and Annie even purchased and cooked the brunch foods - waffle bar, muffins, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs!  Yum!

With that many kids they could split into groups...like when Sara took Ashley, Trevor, Olivia and Beckett to the playground or when Trevor by himself just went to his room to watch the ipad and take a nap :)

What did the adults do during the games?  This is how Sara found Brian (the one in the Vikes jersey) when she came back from the playground....watching the game with his eyes shut!

After dinner the kids got to enjoy Trevor's Elmo cake....yes, he got to get another Elmo cake.  This time he got to eat it :)  He's already talking that he wants this exact cake on his birthday too!

So how did the boys get along this time around?  It really couldn't have been much better.  The taunting and fighting was kept to a minimum and sometimes they acted like best buds.  Having an ipad can help that situation but really they did great playing, sharing and listening!

It's so neat to see Sam be such a good big brother to Elena just like Trevor is to Ashley.  He picks her up though and carries (that would be a stretch) around and gotta be honest, Sara's glad that Trevor doesn't do that with Ashley.  Not with all of our tile floors.  That could lead to a bad super boomers but Sam is strong and handles her just fine.

Elena and Ashley are fun to watch too.  Elena is really good at taking Ashley's nuk out of her mouth and throwing it to the ground, taking Ashley's pink cow lovey and pulling on her clothes and hair...as you can see from this picture.

At least Elena never bit Ashley (that we know of - ha!) like she did some other people.  We are buying her the book 'Teeth are Not for Biting' for her 1st birthday so hopefully she stops that behavior because boy does she have some sharp teeth!  But she is as cute as can be and we can hardly believe she is going to turn one in just two weeks!!  Wish we could be there to celebrate it but FaceTime will have to do.  The hardest part of saying goodbye this time was not knowing when we'll see their cute faces again in person.  We don't have a date to go to MN again and they don't have a date to come down here again.  So sad.  We'll figure it out though.  Maybe we'll need a snow fix and head to MN this winter.  Maybe. 

Kendall's Memorial

Jim, Annie and family came into town on Thursday afternoon for Kendall's memorial that was held at Mike and Nicci's home on Saturday morning.  Before heading over there we all got ready...including the cutie Elena that borrowed one of Ashley's many headbands to complete her look!  She's cutting her 7th tooth as you can see. 

Anyhoo, we digress.  Kendall's memorial was just as beautiful as can be.  She is loved beyond words can express and we all miss her dearly. 

Upon entering their house you were asked to write a note to Kendall on an index card attached to a balloon. 

Annie, Sara and kids had their picture taken quick before the festivities really started and we only wish that Nicci and Kendall were in the picture too!

Ashley borrowed a dress from her friend Remy for the occasion.  We wanted something with a little black in it and she had just the perfect outfit.

So here's where it's hard.  Chloe is the daughter of Brooke (Nicci and Annie's cousin that lives in Phoenix) who was born early September, Elena born October 7th and Ashley born November 12.  Missing terribly is Kendall born September 24.  :(  It has to be so hard for Mike and Nicci to have these girls around as a constant reminder of their own daughter who is up in Heaven now but they handle it so graciously.

Nicci had a cake made special for Kendall's Memorial.  We think it turned out great even if it didn't turn out like the picture she had in her mind.

The memorial itself was filled with music, readings and a children's story lead by Shar (Nicci and Annie's Mom).  Their pastor from their church spoke for a while too.  It was beautiful.

We went outside and released our balloons...

...and watched them float away....

...to Heaven!

We also had a butterfly release which was pretty neat to watch.

They fluttered around, rested a bit then went on their merry way!

Before having lunch, Monica (Mike's Mom) presented the family with the donations that the memorial attendees gave to their foundation.

Please visit www.kendallscourage.org to learn how Kendall will continue to live on through others.  If you are able to donate your time or resources, we all appreciate it.

And a big thank you to Brian for capturing these photos for us to remember this special day.

We thought of you with love today,
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday.
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence.
We often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories.
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake.
With which we’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping.
We have you in our heart.

La Casa Open House

In the Fall, Trevor's preschool has an open house in the evening.  They have a bunch of activities including a cake walk so we volunteered to bring a cake.  Trevor was so excited to show his teachers and his friends the cake he chose - an Elmo cake - that morning!  It was a hit with everyone!

We think Trevor was slightly confused that it was his birthday because so many of his friends are having birthdays at school (because they all turn 4 by 12/31) and here we bought a cake.  Well he wasn't slightly confused he was very confused....when we pulled in the parking lot of school that night he announced proudly 'look at all the people here for my party!'  LOL

We got our tickets for the cake walk and went around once and Trevor was the last one in that group to win a cake (they pick 3-5 letters each round and if you are standing on one of the lucky ones you get to pick a cake from the cart).  Elmo wasn't on the cart that time so he picked a small cupcake instead.  We went around a few more times hoping for the Elmo cake but the cake was never on the cart.  Finally we asked and yep it was still there.  They offered to switch cakes with Trevor (give him Elmo for the one he won but Mommy said no, if it was meant to be Trevor would win it fair and square). 

Knowing that Trevor was waiting for it they brought it out on the next cart.  We went around and around...holding hands of course.  Trevor was a bit shy that night. 

When the first letter called wasn't the one he was standing on and the winning girl chose the Elmo cake, Trevor did his very best to hold in the tears.  When he didn't win a cake that round he said 'let's get outta here' but first he wanted to tell Mrs. Mac about his cake walk experience.  He found her first and by the time Mommy got there she was holding him and he was telling her that we were going to get another Elmo cake since he didn't win it.  We didn't stop at the store on the way home but there is a good chance he is going to get his Elmo cake yet.  He loved that cake, and who's to blame him?  It is pretty cute!

Happenings

More random things happening around the Hillins household...take Ashley's hair for example.  Usually it lays down so nice and has a little curl in the back.  Not this day.  The sides and back were sticking straight up.  Maybe she is going to get Trevor's hair after all!

Trevor started soccer lessons at the clubhouse and what a mess the first session was.  It was over 105 degrees, the coach was late so the kids were already exhausted from running around the playground in the heat, they didn't tell us to bring our own balls so the kids had to share the few balls people ran home to get.  Just a disaster.  Trevor checked out after 15 minutes which was fine because we had to go up to the pool for swimming lessons anyway.

On the way home from swimming lessons Trevor was playing hi-ya with a cactus and got poked a bunch on his thumb and palm somehow.  He didn't cry when we pulled them out one by one with a tweezer.  Such a tough kid!

After being so brave Mommy, Trevor and Ashley went to Mojo, our favorite frozen yogurt with toppings bar place near our house that just reopened.  They have 50% off on Tuesdays so you'll find us there most Tuesdays!  Plus they always have a dairy free option so Mommy can partake too.  Well this night Daddy was at a business dinner down the street at Ocean Prime so we waved to him before our fro-yo!

No fro-yo for Ashley but she sure did enjoy her rice cracker!  Someday Ashley!  Someday!

Trevor's choice was chocolate fro-yo with sixlets, reese's pieces, and sprinkles on it.

After getting home Mommy was putting Ashley to bed when Trevor came in to give her a kiss and close her door a bit.  Well when Ashley was down, Mommy went out to find all the lights in the house off.  She panicked a bit when Trevor wasn't in his usual places.  Last but not least she checked his bedroom and there he was asleep.  He put himself to bed before 8pm!  Mommy felt a little bad though that she didn't get to read him his bedtime stories or sing songs.  (Side note...he's done this on quite a few occasions since too!)

Ashley has started doing a 'down dog' on the floor in the beginning stages of standing by herself but found the perfect place to play and practice at the same time.  Our dishwasher!

She liked the little puddle of water on the door and splashed away for quite a long time.  Look Mom!  Wet!

Trevor got to take the Nicholas bag home from school and he was so so excited about this.  How could you not be?  The bear is pretty cute and comes with a blanket to wrap around himself.  Trevor carried him everywhere!  Nicholas got to be held while T watched a show on the ipad....

...and read the two books that were in the Nicholas bag.  Trevor is a good brother not only to Ashley but also to his foster brother Nicholas!

Ashley Weight Check

Sara took Ashley in for her weight check and yippee she weighs 17lbs 2oz so she's no longer losing weight which the doctor was very happy about!  Look at her...the girls got rolls in her mid-section and chunky thighs.  She's doing just fine.  But we are going to continue to feed her lots and lots as well as get more protein in her.  Doctor doesn't need to see her again until her 12 month well check so keep your fingers crossed that she continues to put on weight.  

Sara did get scolded a bit though for trying dairy on Friday night (butter on the bread, the steak, cream and cheese in the potatoes, who knows what yumminess in the dessert) because by Monday's appointment she was all congested, not so rashy though.  The pediatrician said Ashley's prescription was for Mommy to not have any more dairy because she's clearly allergic :(  Mommy felt really bad.  2 more months, we can do this!  We'll bring yogurt with us to her 12 month appointment and see how she does after a few bites.  Let's pray she's one of the 80-85% of kids that outgrow a dairy allergy by 12 months!  Or 90-95% of kids that outgrow it by 15 months!!!!