I'm bringing PRETTY back...

A friend of mine from college posted this article today on Facebook and I was immediately intrigued. It's called "The Death Of Pretty." It talks about how girls have lost the desire to be pretty and are obsessed with being hot. I love that this article talks about how "pretty" is a special combination of beauty AND innocence.  As I read this article, my mind shifted to my three beautiful little girls. I am constantly concerned about raising them correctly and with the morals I hope they take from Randy and me. But this article really struck a cord with me. It talks about how they are surrounded by "hot" girls in all aspects of the media. Our culture pushes sexy on them so early. And that the main thing that girls today don't want to portray is being the good girl.  I am amazed at how many of these Disney and Nickelodeon shows talk about boyfriends/girlfriends, first kisses, and who is in love with who. I understand that I can monitor what they watch, read, and listen to but if you take away all of it they become the weird kid who has no idea what people at school are talking about. I would love to find the balance. We go to church and I try to reinforce that they are fearfully and wonderfully made...that their bodies are temples and worth protecting but they are constantly surrounded by girls basically trying "sell" their "real estate." My motto for my girls is going to be "modest is hottest." (I hope they think that is as cute as I do...haha) My hope is that I can teach my girls to be pretty not hot. I want them to find husbands that value how pretty they are inside and out. But above all, I want them to realize the value of their virtue and that is not measured by how many boys think they are hot.
Sorry for sort of rambling on a soapbox today.

photo by Nickie's Photography

Best Of 2011

I thought I would start at the beginning...I heard it was a pretty good place to start....haha...I will try to only post one picture for every month that way it's not such a photobomb.


January 2011

My dad turned 50 this year!

February 2011

 

My Heart(s)

March 2011

big as a house

April 2011

Carlie Elizabeth Hill

April 17th 2011

8lbs 3oz  21inches

6:26 pm

complete

and just one more...

presh...

May 2011

sisters

June 2011

Cincinnati Zoo

July 2011

                                           Family Camping Trip

August 2011

June Ann is "oFISHally" 3!

Maddie turned 8 and that ROCKS!!

September 2011

Halloweekend at Lake Rudolph...we love camping!

October 2011

A Hershey Kiss, a Gingerbread Girl, and a Snowman

November 2011

Maddie got Student Of The Week...we ate at Mexico (June Ann's term) to celebrate!

December 2011

The last four pictures were taken by Nickie's Photography.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!!

She captured our family perfectly and my favorite is the feet picture...

It sums each girl up at this moment perfectly!

 I am truly sorry for all the pics at once but it has been a really great year for The Hills and  we can't wait to see what 2012 is holding for us. I will try to post my resolutions in the next couple of days!

                                                                      Happy New Year !!!

I will post tomorrow...promise...

WHERE DID DECEMBER GO???? I have turned around and it is almost completely gone!!! I am shocked. I WILL post some "Best Of 2011" pictures tomorrow and I will try to find some pictures of me because now we are only 2 weeks away from my birthday...blech....but for now I am really busy doing important things like playing Just Dance 3 with June Ann and searching Pintrest for incredible things like this...


                                                                                 




How stinking cute is this!!! I have got to get one for Carlie and I have a couple friends having babies that might need these...I am in love!


Will have a post tomorrow....

30 Days: Day 17

November 17, 2011

Today I am thankful for my sweet baby. She turned seven months old today. I can't believe how fast time flies! It seems like just yesterday that I looked like this

(woah)

and then WE looked like this

                                                                and now she looks like this
                                                                

She is such a little blessing and I am so thankful for her.

Happy 7 month birthday sweet Carlie!!

                                                                              

If you are interested I submitted my birth story on one of my favorite blogs Spearmint Baby and Shari posted it! Click here to read it.

30 Days: Day 8

November 8, 2011

Today I am thankful for my baby's milestones. Today is the day we are going to say she is officially sitting up! She has been practicing but today she sat up unsupported for a while. It makes me very happy and a little sad. She is a happy healthy six month old that sleeps through the night, loves all of her baby foods, has 2 bottom teeth and two top ones almost here, AND now she is sitting up alone!!! It is going by too fast. Maybe I will have to convince Randy we need more babies.....eventually.

So big!

Carlie Elizabeth 6 months old

30 Days: Day 4

November 4, 2011

Today I am thankful for sisters.

These sisters...

and these sisters...

(and my mom....we need to work on a pic of just the three of us...I don't have one...weird)

"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there."

Author: Amy Li

Background

Even though the only person who will probably read this is Rachael, I thought I might need to give a little background on myself and my family. This is me.

(Please excuse the New Year's hat and the cheeseball next to me...this was all I could find on short notice)

I married my high school boyfriend...Although we broke up my senior year of high school and were apart for 6 years, he has always been the only man I could imagine myself marrying. He is very good to me and for me. We have now been married for almost 4 years.

When Randy and I started dating again, I knew I had to make a decision on how serious I was about this relationship because of 

this sweet little girl named Maddie...Although she did not look like this when I met her...I will try to find a older picture of her to post later....she was a sweet bubbly 23 month old. I am so proud of the young lady she is becoming and I am so happy that God chose to put her in my life.
After being married one whole month...yes you read that right we were married a month...I got pregnant. And nine months later...well 41 weeks...this feisty little beauty entered our family
                                                                        June Ann

She didn't come out that big...thank the Lord...and though you can't really tell in this picture...she's really not that big at all. She has just turned 3 and she is still very petite. But her small stature is overshadowed by her large personality. She is full of energy and keeps me on my toes. I can't wait to post all about her cute little quirks.
And most recently after almost 41 weeks, this little bundle of happiness melted my heart at first glance

She wasn't quite this big at birth although it was only 5 short months ago

  Carlie is the sweetest, happiest, most laid back baby I have ever seen. She is so smiley and independent that I almost feel like I am neglecting her. But she honestly loves being in her bed and rolling in the floor and playing in the jumperoo. I feel so blessed to be able to kiss her little cheeks a hundred times a day and I can't wait see what kind of little lady she turns into.
Well there will be lots more to come but I wanted to introduce everyone to you so that you would be able to put a face with a name. I will leave you with this picture of my sweet girls