A Hillis Christmas!

So the Hillis crew is going to the carribbean for a two week cruise and us Raleigh's are off to San Diego to spend Christmas with Bryce's family so we had an early Christmas! Here are some pictures!

Opening gifts! So fun!

I made my mom a quilt for Christmas! Here it is!

I made my sister a Nappy bag for her cruise along with yet ANOTHER apron! :)

Winter Wonderland

So Winter has been very very good to us, cross our fingers, this year:) We have had pretty nice weather, no real horrible winds and lots of snow. Today was the most beautiful day imaginable. It was truly a winter wonderland. Huge fat snowflakes were falling all day long covering everything in a white blanket. Needless to say it was one of the prettiest sights ever! Tomorrow we are celebrating Christmas with the Hillis side so we played Christmas music all day long and finished up some last minute projects, and man can I say it feels good to be done. I put away the sewing machine and don't know if I will get it out until next year:) Well hope everyone is enjoying December as much as we are, we are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place!

So here is my little model, posing with her adorable dress Laura made her!

Grandma Joy in California sent elle this hat and gloves set, I think she thinks it might be cold in ALASKA:):)


First "real" time playing in the snow, man was it fun!

Oh Lola do you always have to love on me?

Santa brought elle a chalkboard early this year:) She is really into coloring right now and the chalkboard and dry erase board is her newest thing? Mom doesn't let her play unsupervised with that marker though!

One of Bryce's co-workers and friends hired me to make 8 aprons! Here they are! They were so much fun!!!

December

Where to even start.... Well we have been very busy at the Raleigh household like normal! We spent Thanksgiving Skiing in Alyeska which was so fun. I finally got back on a board since my tramatic experience in Park City. Long story short I was pregnant didn't know it and cried the entire way down the mountain. Still boggles me how Danielle and Bill are our friends after that trip!
Elle has been running everywhere and LOVES to dance. It is pretty cute! A couple more months and I am going to put her in gymnastics to get some of that energy out. Energy or ADD whatever you want to call it:)

I have been super busy sewing and crafting away! A lady that works with Bryce hired me to make 8 aprons! I got to pick out the fabric so needless to say I had the time of my life:) Yes I am such a DORK! Also made Elle her Christmas gift and two quilts for Christmas so besides playing with elle that has taken up most of my spare time. I got the flu yesterday and have been so sick until now. So my weekend was shot which is absolutely miserable. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who takes care of my every second! Poor guy:)

Well I will post pictures of our adventures and crafts as soon as I make it out of bed!

Tied around her little finger!

So Bryce had a huge project due today so he was at work until 11 pm last night. Yes crazy I know but he doesn't even complain. After he got home he had to have his elle time, it was hillarious. He got her out of bed and brought her into our bed and played and laughed with her until around 1. I know not very good for a little girl to be up that late but how could I tell him no, he wanted to hang out with her so very badly:) At around one he finally went and rocked her to sleep and came back to bed. He was up and at it again at 7am. How he does it I have NO idea. Elle and I slept in of course.. nothing new, and I was still tired. Don't know how I landed this guy but man oh man I am one lucky girl! He is the most amazing father and hardest worker I have ever known. Elle and I are so blessed, I count my lucky stars every night that I met you! Thanks for blessing us with such an amazing, wonderful, full of fun life honey you are the best!!!!

Sweet November

November is off to a fun start! We have had so much fun we can't even believe it is already the tenth! Pretty soon Thanksgiving will be here! Time sure files when you have a little one! We just got snow yesterday and it is BEAUTIFUL outside! Absolutely gorgeous! Definitely Winter now!

All these babies! One of my girlfriends had a little boy that they named Jaydon. Made him and her some fun goodies! Hope she likes them!
When the snow came so did my craftiness and just had to make another apron! So fun!

So this is my little girl all ready for church Sunday! She is just my little doll! I am in love with her hat found it at etsy.com best buy yet! Loved it so much had to buy myself one. So warm!

Two of Elle's teeth broke through so she is back to her happy smiley self. YAHOOO!!!!!

She is moved up to a big girl car seat and here she is conked out. The best way for a baby to be:)

So we have decided that Elle has taken some of her Daddy's qualities and is the biggest pack rat EVER! She empites out this basket that is under her changing table full of goodies. Then she brings it into the living room and puts all her favorite toys in it and will sit in it. It is hillarious. At the end of the day I pack it up and put everything back in it and away and by the next afternoon she has it out again. She is my silly little girl for sure!! Makes me laugh everyday!

The Good, Bad and Ugly...

So with all the fun and good posts also come the bad. I have decided to print this off as a journal every year, so I decided I should post the crabby times too:)!!

The first year of life for Elle was a breeze, she has always been a great sleeper, happy and so QUIET.We knew the end was near of this wonderful stage. Well she turned one and the terrible twos crept in. Yes the terrible twos. She has this new high scream pitch that she does all day long. Trying to get my attention, or just for fun. She doesn't want me to ever let her go and she scratches/ pinches at my face all the time. She has decided that I am not her favorite person anymore and definitely loves dad more:) Oh all that work let's hope she will come around. Well had to vent and hopefully since she started the stage early she will end it early right? Thank goodness she has the most amazing auntie that will come take her through the good, bad and ugly times and loves her the same. Thanks Adi for being the most amazing sister/ auntie anyone could ever ask for. You keep me sane on days like these! Sure love you!!!

Part I The Characters!

So here are some pictures from our Halloween/Elle's birthday party. Yes four parties you say... we just couldn't stop celebrating!

All the kiddos opening elle's gifts.

Our adorable minnie mouse and buzz lightyear.

All the cute kiddos helping her open her gifts!
Elle and her Daddy... not exactly sure what he is we called him Black Magic?
The one and only Tiger Woods.. get it?
Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse
Elle and her best girlfriend Daisy. They seriously hugged all night long!
Elle in her birthday outfit mom and Laura made her!
Some fun decor
Octomom! Hillarious! Won best costume!

Happy Haloweenie! Part II the decor

Our evil drinks!
The yummy food

The big bash!

So my sister and I have been busy little bees this last week. who would have know so much work and time would go into a 1st birthday/ halloween party. Good thing I love crafts, most of the food is bought, for those of you know me know I don't LOVe to cook:):) Well hopefully it is all worth it and on Saturday I will be posting the hillarious costumes we will be sporting....

So I just wanted to write a little blurb about one of my dearest friends. She is my inspiration on a daily basis. I just don't understand why she has to be going through this trial, I read her blog and she gives me inspiration once again. She is my hero in so many ways and I hope to grow up to be just like her. I love you Lisa Jo. So very much xoxoxoxo

So hopefully I will have some funny costume pictures and laughs to write about on Saturday... wish us luck:):)

Hawaii, and our baby turns ONE!!!

Our little family... at the beach.

So we went to Hawaii for a few weeks and were able to celebrate elle's first birthday! It was so fun to spend her first birthday with our best friends! We had so much fun!
Couldn't get a better view!


Danielle and I found a wonderful little bakery and they made us a cake for her! It was yummy!!!



The girls!

Elle's little birthday outfit that mom made her! She was quite the little adorable girl!

So proud of her walking skills!

We went to the Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Yummy!!!

We took family pictures these were some of our favorites!

The first three days we spent over in Kauai with Bryce's family. It was the first time Aunt Linnae got to meet Elle! So much fun! We tried to get some family pictures there also, but it was so hot and rainy the night we picked! of course! A few turned out pretty cute! We sure had fun with you guys!

All of the girls!

The oh so handsome boys!

What an adorable family! After the three days in Kauai we flew over to the north shore and had so much fun with our best friends. Elle and London sure had fun too! Elle has started walking everywhere so she sure kept us all busy!

The boys at pipeline! We had to go watch all the surfers. Bryce really wanted to go surfing with them, we talked him out of him:)

Look at that cute smile!!!!

What a beautiful Mommy!

Playing at the beach.

Again in Kauai with Grandma

Well after we had two parties in Hawaii to another one at home. We have a Halloween/ birthday party for her this Friday... can we say spoiled. So after four parties elle will officially be one! Does this mean I get to skip the next four years of parties:) jk!

We had so much fun in Hawaii, mainly playing on the beach, playing dominoes, and eating lots of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Oh and can I say ICE CREAM! We definitely have some gym time ahead of us:) We came home to 50 degrees and are missing the beach already.