Sit in chair, climb the stairs!

Our posting today is a bit of a random
grouping of photos and videos, but we'll
start with some clips of our two boys, each
doing something remarkable for the first
time.

We'll begin with Iron, who recently learned
how to climb the stairs. Although he whined
his way through this ascent, he's now a pro!


Then there's Benton, who's looking quite content
while sitting at the table like a big boy!


And if that wasn't enough, look at B standing
next to an open window!


Daddy later grabbed both boys to make a
"man train" in front of the window.


Iron won't stay still for long though. Here he
is walking Bumble. He doesn't realize yet
that he's actually supposed to ride Bumble, not
take him for a brisk stroll!


He worked up such a sweat that we had to give
him a bath. He recently graduated from the
utility sink to the bathtub, and here he is scrubbing
up in the ducky tub. He loves pouring water!


Benton is brilliant! Iron thinks he's so sly trying
to take Benton's boom box, but B has eyes in the
back of his head! Check out this defensive move...


We thought you all might like to see how quickly
Benton can get into a standing position these days,
and how much he enjoys it!


Whatever's on tap for you today, and whatever
life is throwing your way, here's a great smile to
brighten your day!

Haunted Hills House?

Although Halloween is still more than three weeks away,
we've already spotted a ghost in our house. Eeeeeek!!

Happy Anniversary to Dennis + Tam!

September 14 marked our seven-year wedding
anniversary! We can't believe how quickly time
has flown by, and how much has changed since
the day we walked down the grassy aisle...


What an amazing day that was!!! But back to
present day, here's a shot of us having a celebratory
dinner out on our anniversary. (Thanks, Judy,
for watching the boys!)


Although my hair is much more gray these days,
Dennis still has that heart-warming smile (and
smiley-eyes) he sported the first day I met him.

We are so grateful for the blessings we have and for
the strong support group of family and friends who
help us keep on keepin' on day after day. I couldn't
imagine sharing life's adventures with anyone else.

I love you, honey! Happy 7th Anniversary!

Iron is 1+ years old!

Yes, it's long overdue, but we're finally ready to
share with you some photos of Iron's first birthday
party! While his birthday was actually August 30,
we didn't have a party until mid September. Below
is the invite that Aunt Deeky made. As you'll see,
the birds, bugs, and bumblebees were gracious hosts!


When everyone arrived at the Lake Forest
Park Civic Club, they first spent time playing
on slides...


...building sand castles (Owen and Landon)...


...practicing selling skills (Owen haggling Shauna
with Tiffany's baby Tanner)...


...and hamming it up (Reese)!


Here's Reese again with mom Shauna and
Malia Braaten.


Iron loved reconnecting with friends, but he's
remaining skeptical of "Uncle" Dave.


Soon it was time to eat. Dylan found plenty of
yumminess!


So did Willa, with mom Sara and Owen and
Georgie's mom Carrie.


The ducks were also hungry, so Reese and Dylan
made sure to take care of them...


...while Tanner watched on.


Then it was time for a game! All of the birds,
bugs, and bumblebees who planned the party
decided to attend. Each one wanted to go home
with a guest, so the kids took turns using a net
to catch one of their choosing.


Here's Reese showing others how it's done after
Tanner scored a caterpillar.


And what's a birthday party without cake?!!
Here's Iron eying his prize.


He was cautiously strategic as he made his
first move.


But one of the frosting bees must have stung
him because he was NOT happy!


But the rest of us were when we whipped
out the big sheet cake!


The kiddos especially liked the black frosting!
Here's Reese...


...and Georgie with frosting faces!


Willa still let Iron get a little fresh, even with
cake remnants on his face.


Soon, it was time to open presents. Benton laid
claim on this one!!!


All in all, it was a great party! Thanks so much to
everyone who came to celebrate Iron's big day,
and to those from afar who couldn't be here.
Speaking of which, when Grandpa Larry (from Iowa)
sent a card to Iron, he included a "4" balloon for
Benton, too! As you can see in this clip, Benton
loved it!


We love you all!!! In parting, here's Iron signing
off from his party, offering all of you a great big
round of applause!

A Smattering of Smiles!

This blog posting is dedicated to our drug of choice:
smiles. Sans editorial, here's a bunch of recent Hills
grins to brighten your day! :-)

Benton's Sleep Study

Some of you may have heard Benton recently
underwent another Sleep Study to measure his
breathing and brain activity while sleeping. This
procedure requires Benton to stay the night at a
sleep clinic, hooked to a bunch of wires and
monitored throughout the night. Here he is
just before the lab techs hooked him up to his
bilateral positive airway pressure (BiPAP)
machine that helps him breathe safely every night.


This was a "normal" procedure in that they like
to study Benton's sleep about once yearly to ensure
his BiPAP machine settings are appropriate for
his changing developmental needs. If they're off, the
docs write an order to titrate the settings so the
machine can help Benton achieve a sleep that's as
deep and rejuvenating as possible.

We don't yet have the results of this study, but we
hope to soon!

A Time of Firsts...

Life is full of first-time experiences, and we've had
no shortage of them recently in the Hills household!
This posting is dedicated to a few of our first-time faves.

We have to start with Benton, who's made us so proud
lately with his ability to stand! He can't stand for long
periods of time, and he needs some assistance, but we
work at it every day. Here are two photos of him
standing with light assistance from Nurse Deb.




And here's an action video of B standing to peek
out the back window. Look at how tall he is! He
loves his view of the world at this vantage point!


Sometimes Benton gets tired though, and needs
to rest a bit on little bro Iron.


Speaking of Iron, he learned to ride a bike...


Well, not really...but he did learn to motor!
Here's video of his first crawl!


Taking his new crawl to the next level, Iron
added onto it another first: flirting. The target?
Willa Joy Woods (who else?!!). Are they both
playing hard to get?


Iron also learned to play the piano...


Also proving he inherited the music gene, Benton
showed his skill at playing the squeaky mushroom
while Iron kept beat with raspberries.


Iron also learned he has a friend who is very, very
much like him: his reflection. It's amazing--this new
friend laughs and makes funny faces at the exact
same time! :-)


Mommy, Daddy and Iron shared a first-time
experience just the other day--they went to a
high school football game! At our own "Friday
Night Lights" outing, we watched Mountlake
Terrace pulverize Oak Harbor under a beautiful
late summer sky.


It was fun, even though some of us just
couldn't make it to the fourth quarter!


In a twisted display of flirting (again), Iron and
Willa confiscated one of Benton's therapy "vehicles"
for the first time. Willa had a blast pushing Iron
around. Iron had a blast until he became all too
intimate with the couch!


Iron is progressing well with eating. Although he
still enjoys a bottle, his ability to eat solids
improves with each new tooth (five and counting!)
In this video, we demonstrate his new ability to be
a discerning diner.


And most recently, on Labor Day, Iron ran his first
road race, the Super Jock 'n' Jill 1/2 Marathon
and 4+ Mile Fun Run. We ran the 4+ Mile course,
which started and finished at Redhook Brewery.
Redhook is located next to Chateau St. Michelle
and Columbia wineries in Woodinville, Wash.


Now that we're veterans at all of these
activities, we look forward to trying new
ones and sharing them with you soon!

Summertime Fun!

It's summertime! Or at least it WAS. Yep, the
days we all Pacific NWers live for seem to have
already come and gone. But we tried to squeeze
the best out of the good days this year, and here are
a few photos to prove it.

We'll start with a shot taken at the Lake Forest
Park Civic Club, a private beach club on Lake
Washington, just down the hill from our house.
We finally joined this year. Look how much Benton
loves it!


Iron also spent some good times in the sun at the
LFPCC. This picture proves he's Tam's offspring--
soakin' up those rays like a pro! (By the way, Seattle
summers aren't complete without the popular Seafair
hydroplane races. Aunt Deeky sent the boys their
own inflatable hydroplane!)


Here, Benton and Daddy cool off in the water.


We also spent some time with friends at Gene
Coulon Park on the south end of Lake Washington.
Here's Benton enjoying his own private pool
experience...


...while Reese DeSmet plays an expert game of
Peek-a-boo with Iron.


Check out this video of Benton having a super fun
time swinging at Coulon Park!


Here's a shot of Mama with Iron at the Newcastle
Beach Park in Bellevue, Wash. The water was a
bit chilly, hence Iron's death grip on Mom!


And here's Dada with Iron, who's just
discovered this weird thing called sand.
This was taken during our wait for the ferry
in Southworth, Wash.


Not every summertime outing was fit for
swimsuits and sun block! Here's Benton
cheering on Mom and Dad at the annual
Bocce Ball tourney hosted by friends Ted
and Carrie Schneider (our Beach Haven
buddies).


Even Iron's daycare grabbed sun rays
when they could. Here's Iron swinging at
daycare. Looks like he inherited Daddy's
big toes!


And on the way home from daycare, sometimes
Daddy would stop at Lake Ballinger so Iron
could frolic in the grass and feed the ducks.


But summertime wouldn't be complete without
a few refreshing beverages. Some bellies are
made to hold formula...and some are not. Aaaahh.