Welcome to the World, Anna!

Brooke and Jim were blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Anna on December 17. My jim and I were finally able to visit them on Wednesday, and let me tell you... Anna is one precious baby. She is so tiny! Jim reminded me that Oliver was once that little, but I honestly cannot recall him ever being that small. That first year of life is now all a blur to me.

We had a great time holding Anna and catching up with Brooke and Jim. My Jim took a few pictures of Anna before we left. Here are a few of them.

Holly Jolly Christmas

Getting ready for bed so Santa can come!

Christmas Eve- opening presents with Daddy

Santa was here!

Christmas morning!

Santa left some goodies

Getting dressed Christmas Day

Passing out presents

Oliver got a Zhu Zhu pet!

Enjoying family

My what a wonderful Christmas we had this year. Everyone came to our house, and it was so much fun watching Oliver interact with his extended family. Hosting was a lot of work, but Mom, Dad, and Jim helped make it a success.

Even with all the unpacking of boxes, Santa still managed to make a stop at our house. Oliver received a retro kitchen with pots, pans and food. Needless to say, he's been busy "washing" and "cooking" food for both Jim and I. I so hope this is a sign of things to come. I've always wanted a full time cook, and since I don't see myself winning the lottery or becoming famous, Oliver getting this kitchen set may just be the push he needs to go to culinary school.

We've Moved!

Say it ain't so... Boxes are spread across the room, and it looks like a tornado hit. It is honestly driving me crazy, but what's really important here is we are FINALLY living in our new home. It feels so good to say that.. about as good as it feels to sit on this couch right now and not do anything. *Ahhhh*

On a side note, we've met so many wonderful people in this neighborhood.. Apparently they too were watching the house progress and just as excited as we were to move in. Oliver is really loving the openness of the house and runs like a wild man from one room to the next. The boys aren't quite sure what to think, but they are happy to have their blue couch to sleep on during the day. Jim and I keep pinching ourselves, we're actually here! Whoopeeee!

"'Cause It Only Takes One Night"

"It only takes one night to make a balloon your friend. When you first get them, they only want to fly away... But in the morning, they're always happy to stay." ~ Lunch Money

Oh the excitement a little latex can have!

Fun Filled Night

Last night was busy and packed with fun. We met Jim at the house after work to decorate our Christmas tree. We got about half way done and decided to finish later so we could check out the party at the local fire station. I'm so glad we did, it was so much fun. They went all out for the kids. There was food galore, Santa, and every child got to pick out a toy. All the firemen were so friendly. We had such a good time, I think I thanked them at least 5 times while walking out the door. Thanks again firemen!

So Much To Write..

So little time. We have officially started moving. The furniture is being moved this weekend. Please keep your fingers crossed I don't lose my mind in the process. Thanks so much. Here's an updated picture of the stairs. One word, rad!

Happy 35th!

Today is Jim's (gasp) 35th birthday! We had to wait all day to see him because he was in Boston on a business trip. Jim was pretty tired when he got home, so it was a laid back evening. Happy Birthday, babe. WE LOVE YOU!!

"We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it." ~Author Unknown

Thanksgiving '09

We started this Thanksgiving with a new tradition.. Doughnuts! Mmmm doughnuts!

"Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving'. . ." - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Move Over Molly Maid

Introducing, Ollie Maid- A professional home cleaning service with a reputation for quality and reliability. (Not to mention incredibly cute)

A New Favorite

For the past 8 days Oliver has been on a yogurt kick. After lunch or dinner I'll put a bowl in front of him with some fruit and he immediately says, "mmmmm" and digs in. It's so cute to watch him use his spoon. If I ask him how it tastes he tries to offer me some. Here are a few shots of him enjoying yogurt and blackberries today. Yum!

Making Progress

We've come a long way folks.. No we aren't quite there, but we're getting close. The stairs are finally starting to come together, and the kitchen table was put in today. We are so close it hurts!!! I just hope we get in before 2009 comes to a close.

The old and ugly kitchen

The new kitchen table

The Old hall where the stairs now are

The stairs now have railings!

Where There Is A Sea There Are Pirates

Since Oliver was a pirate for Halloween, I thought it would be fun to have his picture taken on the beach in his costume. Our friend Dustin Couch took the photos. Judge for yourself, but he looks pretty authentic to me!

“Bring me one noggin of rum, now, won’t you, matey.”

Let's Play That By Ear

There never seems to be a dull moment here at the Hickman house. Oliver has now had 3 ear infections in 2 weeks. He's had 6 since March. We can thank allergies for most. His latest ordeal includes getting an ear infection in his left ear 13 days ago, then getting another in his right ear 5 days later while on antibiotics. Since he's had so many, he had to get 2 shots of Suprax in his leg last week along with 2 oral antibiotics. Within 12 hours of finishing his antibiotics both infections are now back and we were left to treat them with more shots. He got 2 more today, and he has to go back for 2 more on Wednesday. Once we get the infections gone we are going to meet a specialist to determine if tubes would be the best thing for him. The operation is done at the hospital and under anesthesia. I know this is done countless times, but it really stresses me out. My little guy has been through enough already.

A Halloween of Sorts

Halloween has always been one of my favorite days of the year. In general the whole month of October is so much fun- pumpkins, hay rides, cool weather, and of course trick-or-treating. When I was in middle school I remember loving the month of October because when I wrote the date on the top of my papers I'd make the "O" in October a pumpkin- I was so clever. ;)

This year Oliver was a pirate, and what a precious little pirate he was. Seriously, has there ever been such a cute pirate? I think not.

Our Halloween plans changed somewhat because Oliver got sick at the end of the week and was dealing with a yucky ear infection. Luckily he was feeling well enough to go trick-or-treating that night, but we didn't get to do the Halloween festivities we had planned that morning. Luckily Oliver is still young enough that he didn't really know he was missing out.

Jim and I went to a Halloween party as Olive Oyl and Popeye, it was a lot of fun- but the fun didn't last for long. We were back at the house on Sunday painting trim. And no, we haven't moved in yet.