Funny Name Game. Made me laugh.

1. YOUR REAL NAME1. FULL NAME
Valerie Michelle Hill
2. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (mother and fathers middle names)
jeannine clinton
3. NASCAR NAME (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
billy bob (seriously, i'm not kidding. their names are bill and robert.)
4. STAR WARS NAME (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
hilva
5. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
pink lizard
6. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, town where you were born)
michelle st. joseph (ok, st. joseph is the name of the hospital in kansas city, but it sounded better)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
the blue water
8. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
vall
9. STREET NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fave way to get from A to B)
strawberry drive
10. GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)
black casper (i had a white cat named casper)
11. SWANKY LADY NAME: (name of your favorite perfume/cologne, fav candy)
heavenly sour straw
12: GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
v-shizzle (i changed it up a little, one of my patients actually calls me this)
13. ROCK STAR or BAND NAME: (current pet name, current street name)
lizzy newport (i used my first pet, a lizard, and my first street)

Life is Good

Who looks forward to cooking after working all day? And then cleaning up the kitchen? Right. No one. I solved my problem.

I have a patient (Kathy) who brings us food EVERY TIME she comes in to the office. And I'm not talking bagels and cookies. I'm talking homemade cinnamon rolls, breads, soups, pork chops, salads... I salivate when I see her name on the schedule. Most of the time she intends for Doc to eat the food, since technically he is the one who gives her a discount, but I do my best to intercept the food at the front desk and sneak a few bites before he sees it. I am telling you, this woman is THE BEST COOK EVER. And she LOVES doing it!!!
When Kathy was in last week for her cleaning, I had an idea. I would pay her to cook for me. Not only to cook, but to acquire the groceries as well. Another thing I hate doing. I asked her how much. She said $150 for food for 7 days + 2 desserts. I thought that sounded like a bargain. Now, I know there are those little stores in strip malls where you can go and make meals to freeze, but I've had them, and they were gross. Not worth the money. I'd rather eat cereal 7 nites a week.

Today, Brax and I went and picked up the spread. Oh....my....goodness. I really think I heard angels singing as I loaded the floor boards with food.

Our menu for the week:
Chicken in some kind of fancy sauce with fancy rice
and a delicious cabbage side dish
Chili
Chicken noodle soup
Vegetable Stew
Tuna melts
Banana cake with chocolate icing
Strawberry bread

I froze the stews and the bread for later... I'm going to savor this! If you live in the KC area and want some REAL home cookin' like your grandma made, then contact me for Kathy's info. You will SO not regret it.

Tonite's meal.

Lunch this weekend.

Brax testing out the chicken noodle soup before I froze the rest.

"So this is what it tastes like when it's made FOR REAL?"

Brax's Valentine

Sweet Aunt Lulu got Brax his very own little play camera for Valentine's Day.

He holds it to his face (backwards, usually) and says something that sounds like "cheese!"

Where did he learn THAT???

I Forgot I Took These!

Here are some fun pics from our visit to the park last weekend.

I don't think we'll be making a repeat visit this wkend, it's supposed to be cold!

Brax was not so sure about the giant slide!

Randoms From Last Wkend

Mike and I going on our anniversary date last Saturday nite.

We pulled a Jen and Keven-we match :-)

Why do ALL kids LOVE walking around in shoes that are too big for them???!!

I Do Not Think This is Weird

If you read any entertainment websites, you have probably heard about Salma Hayek's mission trip to Sierra Leone, an under developed country in Africa. Among other humanitarian efforts, she breastfed a sick, malnourished woman's starving baby. Apparently there has been some criticism of her actions, but I have to say that I commend her for it. Would it be a little weird if my neighbor came over when I had the flu to nurse my baby for me? Uh, yeah. I can buy formula at Walgreen's like 100 yards from my house. But these people in Africa have nothing. Babies there die from lack of food-can you imagine not being able to feed your child at all, whether it be breastmilk OR formula? I will go out on a limb here and assume that the mother, who was starving as well, cried tears of joy to see her baby suckling contently, it's eyelids heavy with a full belly. We are so lucky here. That's all I have to say.

click HERE to watch the video

One More Random

Oh yeah... this is weird--I've NEVER in my life had a bloody nose. Just thought you'd like to know.

25 Randoms--From Facebook

I like reading other people's "25 Random Things" so here is mine.

1. I have to have a fresh clean washcloth and dish towel for the kitchen sink every day.
2. I hate wearing fingernail polish, but I love a good pedicure.
3. I loved being in the hospital when I had Brax, it was fun. Except for the 2 liters of blood I lost--but the tranfusion took care of that.
4. I have eaten the same thing for breakfast, every morning, for like 7 years--a peanut butter toast sandwich, plain yogurt with Kashi crunch cereal, a banana, and berries in it, and a glass of skim milk.
5. I'm a picture nazi. I take my camera EVERYWHERE.
6. I make my bed before I get in it. Not completely, but enough to straighten out the sheets and blankets and fluff the pillows. I hate getting in a messy bed.
7. I have more BFF's now than I ever did in high school. (I really only had like 3 close friends in HS, now I have lots of "sisters!" Click HERE)
8. At any given time, you will find about 8 different skin creams/ointments/medicaments/treatments in my bathroom drawer that I use depending on the status of my skin at that precise moment. I visit my dermatologist more than my family physician. In fact, I don't have a family physician, come to think of it.
9. I put potato chips on my sandwiches and smoosh it down. I like a little crunch in each bite.
10. My inseam is 34". My mom used to have to buy me little boy's jeans because I was so tall and skinny. That was before I had a butt.
11. I could have skipped 4th grade (but didn't). That was before I sucked at math.
12. I have had blonde, red, brown, long, short, bangs, no bangs, perm, no perm....
13. I ran a marathon in 2005--26.2 miles in 4 hours 31 minutes. Now I don't think I could even run 3 miles.
14. I have a retainer glued on to my bottom teeth from when I had braces at 14.
15. I had my wisdom teeth removed when I was 21 by the dentist I was working for. It took him 4 1/2 hours to get them out. The bottom ones were in the bone, and laying on their sides. He had to drill thru the bone, cut the teeth into 4 smaller pieces, and chisel them out. He used 12 carpules of anesthetic. And I was awake. Drugged, but awake. Later he told me I probably should have gone to an oral surgeon. YA THINK???
16. My husband brought it to my attention that I do this weird thing with my mouth when I write.
17. I've never really liked baseball, but I LOVE a guy in uniform. (Mike, specifically!)
18. I love love love having my forehead rubbed and my hair played with (but I can't remember the last time that's been done. hint hint husband.)
19. I have freckles in weird places--on on my thumb, one on my palm, and one on my ear.
20. I firmly believe that the Braun Oral-B Triumph is the greatest electric toothbrush EVER. Even better that I got it for free from our rep.
21. If I had to choose another career, I would have been an actress or a lawyer. (Not necessarily saying I would be great at either, but I think I'd have liked it.)
22. I was fortunate to learn at 20 years old that no amount of money can serve as a substitute for honesty and trust in a relationship. I was young and stupid enough to get engaged at 19 to someone who looked good on paper, but smart enough to know when to get out before it was too late. Although I regret wasting time trying to convince myself that I could change that person, I count my blessings that were an indirect result of the relationship: finding my career path, moving to Tulsa, and meeting Mike and many of my best friends there.
23. I was craving radishes dipped in salt today.
24. If we have a girl, her name will be Harper. Boy--Carter.
25. It was really hard for me to think of 25 random things that I thought would be even remotely interesting to someone else.

18 Month Photo Shoot!!!!!!!!

Brax IS a handsome little fella', but I have to give some credit to our photographer-Jen Frechin with Moments and Memories. She is absolutely incredible. So worth the hour drive to her studio!!!!!!!
Check out Brax's 18 month pics-
Click HERE
Then click on "photo cart" at the bottom of the page
Then click on "portraits"
Then click on Brax's picture, which says "Valerie" at the top
Enter the password--hill

Field Trip-Ernie Miller Nature Park

It was an unusual 55 degrees today, so Brax and I ventured outside. (Laura is still recovering from the stomach flu, and Brax is feeling better after getting some amoxicillin in him for his ears.) We headed over to Ernie Miller Nature Park for a little exploration. All we really found was a lot of dormant vegetation, but Brax enjoyed himself nonetheless.

The view from the parking lot, overlooking the property.

Inside the nature center

Brax's favorite part-the fish tank.

Outside in the "courtyard."

I never could really get him to look at the camera-he was too busy!

Here are a couple good ones--showing me his treasure!

We also walked the trail on the property.

Brax kept signing "please" when we were at this frozen, mucky, disgusting pond-

I guess he wanted to get in.

The pretty view thru the trees.

So True...

I found this on another mom's blog...

click on it to enlarge it and read it.

Talking To Grammy

Here is a clip of Brax talking to Grammy on the phone the other morning.

Double Ear Infections and Other Fun

Aunt Lulu said yesterday that Brax just wasn't himself, but we thought it was probably just the top molars coming in. Then he woke up at 5:30 this morning (15 minutes later Laura called telling me SHE was sick, too! So I stayed home), he didn't want to eat, threw up his breakfast, and wouldn't go down for a nap till noon and only slept for 40 minutes. I had that gut feeling that it was more than just teeth--I was thinking ear infection. He's only had one other ear infection, and that was when he was 3 months old. He doesn't run a fever or pull at his ears-the only indication is the change in eating and sleeping, and the vomiting. So I took him to the doctor, and sure enough-DOUBLE ear infections. Poor little guy :-( I was happy that I followed my instincts tho, and at least now he has some antibiotics in him. Hopefully he'll feel good enough to enjoy the warm weather we're supposed to have the next few days!

He had some good times thruout the day, tho...

Talking to Grammy on the phone this morning

(I'll post video of this later-his conversation skills are amusing.)

Eating his first bowl of Cheerios WITH milk!

For like 5 minutes he was walking around pretending that this plastic hot dog bun was a phone.

This is his "surprised" face. He does this anytime he hears a random noise-like an airplane outside, or the dishwasher switching cycles, or the phone ringing. I laugh every time. I couldn't get a good pic of it, because it's so spontaneous--

usually it's more animated-eyebrows raised and all!

I'm Number ONE! I'm Number ONE!

Yes, there is a story behind this.

This is me, holding my #1 place in line at preschool enrollment,

with a very sarcastic smile on my face.

There are a number of things no one warns you about before you become a mom. Like the madness involved in signing your TODDLER up for preschool. Now I know....

I like to plan ahead, so I had done some research on the local mother's day out programs. The one that stood out is at a church near our house. Last fall, I got on their mailing list. In December, I got a pamphlet outlining the preschool programs for fall of '09. I learned that there were to be 3 phases of enrollment-the first, for church members, the second-for existing students' families, and the third-for "outsiders" like myself. I also learned that the doors were to open at 3pm on Tuesday in order for crazy moms to "take a number" and get in line. We were then supposed to remain in the building, twiddling our thumbs, until 7pm when sign-ups actually took place. I had heard thru the preschool grapevine that I should arrive early if I wanted to get the class I wanted. Meaning earlier than 3pm. Now let it be known--I HATE HATE HATE wasting time. There is nothing more infuriating to me than idle time. But dangit, there was only one spot left in the class I wanted, and I WAS GOING TO GET IT. So I took off work early, arrived at 2pm, and stood outside in sub-zero temperatures in scrub pants (because they refused to let me in the door a minute before the designated time of 3pm). There were already other moms in the parking lot waiting in their cars--I didn't want to be forced to clip someone from behind while racing to the door. Within minutes of my move, there were 8 other moms in line behind me. All I could think was how absolutely reeeeeeeeeee-diculous this was. IT'S PRESCHOOL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

Long story short--Brax starts "preschool" in September in the one-half-day-a-week program I wanted. I'm sure he'll thank me later.

Table Manners

"Brax, get your feet off the table."

"What? These feet? You mean MY feet, right here?
Oh, right, my feet... on the table... oops."

Belly Pic

8 Weeks-Sucking it in.

I asked the sono tech more than once if she was SURE there was only one in there.

This baby apparently wants to make her presence known more than Brax did.

(Yes, I said "her," but whatever...)

"It wasn't me! HE did it!"

This is Brax, playing quietly with Albert.

This is Brax, waiting for just the right moment
to throw Albert under the bus when no one is looking.
(Ok, actually these pictures were staged, AFTER the fact,
but I thought it would make a cute blog post....)
Let me explain...
Yesterday our sweet, usually obedient son was fixated on pushing the buttons on the space heater you see in the above pictures. He would climb up on the fireplace, give us that "What are ya gonna do about it?" look, and go to town on the buttons until we pulled him off. After we repeatedly said "no" and redirected his attention, Brax came up with a BRILLIANT idea. He went to his toy box and retrieved his buddy Albert. Once again, he climbed onto the fireplace, but this time he proceeded to use ALBERT'S hand to push the buttons on the heater! After all, we told BRAX not to push buttons--we never said ALBERT couldn't! Sneaky little boy!
I have a feeling we are in for it.

8 Weeks

I had a sono today--

"You mean I was in there, too???? EEEEEWWW!"

I found this on babycenter.com--what the baby looks like right now in 3D.

Here is a short clip from the sono where you can see the little heart fluttering away. The baby is only the size of a kidney bean right now, and it's heart is already working. Amazing.

And Burbank, don't worry--I will get an 8 week belly shot posted as promised--

but not right now. I just ate an entire Freschetta pizza myself, and I only want a picture of the real baby, not the food baby.

My Next Project

Yes, it will probably be at least a couple of months before we give Brax his eviction notice, but I wanted to share a picture of what his "big boy bed" will look like! This is the stock photo from the Target website--Brax's bed is twin size (extra long, of course!!!). The bed itself was Mike's in college-it is seriously the most comfy bed EVER. I had no idea how hard it is to find XL twin sheets! I ordered the jersey knit sheets from Bed Bath and Beyond in navy (and got to use a 20% off coupon!) So his new room is in the works.... I would like to find an oversized bean bag chair to replace our glider, since that will go in the new recruit's room as well.

With Love, From Burbank

So I get this comment on my blog last nite,in response to the post showing my 6 week baby gut a couple of weeks ago (of course, it was anonymous):

"are you seriously puttin on a swimsuit to post a pic of ur "baby belly"?

come on, you're an adult. give us a break."

I did a little research on my blog traffic monitor thingy, and found that my new reader is from Burbank, California. Hmmmm, for some reason, my feelings weren't quite so hurt after finding out they were from California. This supports my theory that people are just NICER here in the midwest! Yeah, yeah I know that's not ALWAYS true--I have immediate family and a lifelong friend in Cali whom I love, of course, but I think even my dad (who moved from the mid-west to CA like 25 years ago) would generally agree with my theory.

To my #1 fan in Burbank--I have an ultrasound appointment tomorrow morning and I will be sure to post a picture, just for you! I'll even throw on my swimsuit and take a pic of the 8 week "baby belly" for your enjoyment. It must be terrible, being FORCED against your will to look at cheesey blogs about happy families. Oh... wait... you don't HAVE TO LOOK.

Now there's a thought.