Happy Thanksgiving!

If you didn't smile when you saw this turkey, you just might not have a heart!! This was courtesy of her daycare, sent home in her "box" on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It's a classic- something I know we'll pull out of her baby book and smile about. We laughed quite a bit when we got it. She is a turkey! We spent T-day in Phillipsburg with Grandma & Grandpa Gibbs. Madigan did pretty well but having to entertain all those people sure did wear her out! We are heading home this weekend for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in WaKeeney. Maybe if the weather permits, Madigan can meet santa! :) We hope you all had an enjoyable thanksgiving day as well! 

Just checking in...

I'm not sure if I've put this little clip on before or not, but it's just a clip of her sitting in her bumbo seat. Too cute! We're excited to see all our family over Thanksgiving. There is still a few family members that Madigan hasn't met yet that we're excited to introduce her to! Also, Madigan rolled over this week for her daddy! She'll be on the move soon. We have one of her Christmas outfits all together, thanks to Grandma Dana's fashionable taste! :) I say ONE of because I think she'll end up with three Christmas outfits... Hey, a girl can't be seen in the same dress for the whole holiday, can she? Here's one last pic to leave you with... She's enjoying her new exersaucer courtesy of Grandma & Grandpa Gibbs! She really loves her little seat with all the activities on it- especially the mirror so that she can lick that other baby who keeps staring at her!! We hope you're all doing well and have a happy Thanksgiving! Love, The Hilles

Where did Nov go?

Where has November gone? Wow... I can't believe how fast it has gone by already. Soon it will be Christmas! Honestly, I'm excited for the holidays again. Somehow adulthood only causes stress around the holidays, but now that we have a fresh perspective and a new set of eyes to look through, I think that it might actually become a "magical" time again. I have the best memories from my childhood around the holidays- the old felt advent calendar, baking cookies, and caroling with the youth group (yes, I know "oh Christmas tree" in German!!)  So I hope I can help re-create something like that for Madigan. She has her 3 month pictures back. I will post a couple just because she's so cute! 

We have been back to WaKeeney this past weekend so Madigan could play baby Jesus for dad's church Christmas photo program. It was fun to see all the family again! I think the next big family event will be Turkey Day!

Happy Halloween everyone!! Little Madigan got her class picture taken today with her daycare class. They had a good turnout for the picture.. quite the little group! (she is the banana)

She also got some pictures taken on the porch with her pumpkins.

 The bib is from the Hille grandparents; the jack-o-lantern onesie is from the Gibbs grandparents. She loves to sit up with a little bit of support behind her. She would rather be sitting up and looking around than lying down. I can't believe how much she has grown and changed. The next big step for her is solid food. We are going to talk to the pediatrician and see when he suggests cereal. She seems really interested in food, and watches us eat. I can't believe she's old enough to be starting real, solid foods!! We hope everyone has a happy halloween- lots of love!!

The Hilles

our happy camper

This kid is all smiles!! There is nothing more rewarding than a baby smiling at you, it just reassures you that all is right with the world.

Just the other night, Madigan fell asleep on Brett just as she is asleep on him in the picture! She was sitting facing out on his lap, when she got really quiet... and we both looked and she was asleep! Arms back, legs sprawled, plain-old sleeping. She truly is my child, for her ability to sleep whenever she decides she wants to, and in whatever position she happens to be in. 

 My new job at the cath lab started last Monday, and I really enjoy it. I think I will learn a lot, and I really enjoy my co-workers. I also enjoy getting off work at 2 to 4 pm every day, and actually seeing my daughter when she's awake! Brett is still doing good in school and enjoys working at the bank with all the "women" (half of whom are pregnant! Poor guy has been surrounded by emotional women for too long!) He gets to enroll for classes this week for his LAST semester. Graduation will be in May. Don't worry, Dana and I are already planning the party... :)  Brett and I have joined a Co-Ed Badminton league at the YMCA that we are members at. We joked around that we would go in and be really competitive, but honestly, everyone there IS!! They were so happy to have a "local" league because most of them had been driving to Grand Island for the last year to compete!! WHAT?! We played 4 matches, and only won ONE game- and we don't stand a chance against the asian couples that are in the league. It's going to be a 6 week session in getting our butts kicked, but we have enjoyed having the time together. Madigan stayed with her first "babysitter" (besides her daycare girls) that night- a co-worker of mine named Trisha. (I guess a RN with ACLS training is a pretty good pick for babysitter) Trisha is actually the daughter of Madigan's daycare class head teacher Ms. Chris! So I guess her child-care is all in the family. I did get chewed out by another co-worker Jan (aka "Nana Jan")  for not asking her to babysit-so next time I guess Madigan is headed to Nana Jan's so she doesn't have to watch her parents get their butt's whooped by asians at badminton!! :) 

Just a quick update...

Nothing cuter than a slippery kid in a tub, no? She really does enjoy her bath time, but the bright flash distracts her and always makes her look so serious. She is quickly outgrowing the tub she has. I guess we'll have to invest in a bigger one soon....

And we can't talk about being cute without a picture of this super-cute outfit that we got from "aunt" Mandy! We got lots of comments that day about her cute polka-dots and the ruffles on the butt (you can't see them in this pic, but they were incredibly cute!) Unfortunately she does have "Gibbs Head Syndrome" and the headband had to come off... it left a dent in her forehead.

 Madigan is growing so fast and doing new things every day. On Tuesday she rolled over but I think it was kind of a fluke. She pushed up really high, and flopped down with her arm across her chest- then she pushed and rolled from front to back. I got all excited and rolled her back onto her stomach, and sure enough a few minutes later she did it again! I ran and got the video camera, and then all she would do was cry! :( Of course, she wouldn't do it for Brett, and hasn't done it since. I think it was basically luck of positioning of her arm, but it was still fun to watch and I'm "counting it" as her first roll. Don't try to convince me otherwise, it's already in ink in her baby book! She is still enjoying her "girls" at daycare, and has already made legend of herself as the "baby with the blowouts"!! She likes to save up and "get her diapers' worth" as we're told. We have been asked to bring more pants to keep on hand for the wardrobe changes. Ah, the things our children do that make us proud parents.  Also, we're looking forward to coming home the weekend of Nov 8th to do some wedding pictures, and Madigan gets to play "Baby Jesus" in BLC's picture production of the Christmas Story! Otherwise nothing is too new. I start my new job at the outpatient cath lab on Monday. I'm looking forward to the shorter, less-stress hours and no weekends or holidays! I will leave you with a little video of bath time. Nothing too exciting, but fun to see the munchkin in action none the less. Enjoy!

More Weekend Fun!

Lots more weekend fun at the Hille House! The whole Hille family came up to Kearney, and Madigan got to see her cousins Will and Max, and all her aunts and uncles. We went on Saturday to the Harvest Moon Farms pumpkin patch and picked a pumpkins and took a hay rack ride. That afternoon we went out to Geo. Spencer Vineyards for a little wine tasting. That night we bowled at the Big Apple! Poor Madigan was sacked out- she slept for 11 hours that night. I can add a couple pictures we took together at the park on Sunday afternoon, but somehow I managed to forget my camera for the pumpkin patch (maybe Suz or Ashley can e-mail me pics to put up!)

Madigan is getting big- over 14 pounds and 24 inches long. She is laughing so much and smiling all the time. She really likes MEN- deep voices and beards especially. She laughed at her uncle Willy this weekend when he would growl at her, and she thought grandpa Randy using his deep voice is sooo funny! (Her favorite line is, "MOSES- climb the mountain!" in his deep voice). Brett is enjoying his 3 days a week home with her, and I will start my new job soon so we're looking forward to that. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall!