Jackson's Gallery
4 1/2 years old
Summer 2008

"Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable." ~Plato





Well, have you ever seen a more handsome red-head in your life?!!!

Jackson. What can we say about our Mr. Man? He is certainly one of a kind in every way! He brings to our hearts joy and laughter. For when he laughs, it comes from a place that only a truly innocent child can conjure up-it comes from a the belly and a genuine hearty sense of good humor. And although it is difficult for others to make him laugh, he is quick to make others break into smile with his witty and intelligent sense of how his world works. Over the last four years he has become such a caretaker of me when his Dad is at work.
He is careful to not hurt me and careful to say kind things to make me feel loved. He is so sensitive to the words and tone in which we speak to him, that when being disciplined, it is not the discipline that throws him into despair-but rather the way in which we impart that discipline upon him. From a very soft and sweet heart, he shows me everyday some act of wanting to please me. The simple act of picking a flower for my hair and taking the time to pay attention to detail by saying, "You look so pretty with that flower in your hair mom!" is the exact example of my wonderfully gifted oldest son.

There are no words to describe the way a mothers' heart feels to have her sons near her, and for them to show only love, forgiveness, patience and a desire to protect and please their mother. He brings to my heart a happiness and sense of pride that I could not imagine before I had a son. To see his curious and determined eyes, make me remember why I chose to stay at home and be present in my children's lives.

The list of things
that Jackson can do is enormous and ever growing.
From back flips and bike trips to writing his entire alphabet perfectly,
he continues to amaze us everyday!

Here is a list of things that Jackson likes:

Chicken Noodle Soup
Riding his Spiderman Scooter
Riding his Bike without the training wheels and scaring the entire neighborhood by doing pop-wheelies off of their curbs
Playing Baseball
Playing Wii
Doing flips and handstands at will and everywhere
Writing his letters
Reading books about the ocean
Swimming. diving, doing flips into the pool and generally giving the life guards a real worry while on duty
Building houses with blocks (but houses that have driveways, bushes and doghouses)
Ice Cream
Transformers
Playing Race Cars with Austin (but only if he wins)
Racing, running and generally being in perpetual movement
Science Experiments
Collecting Bugs for our habitat
Giving Hugs (the best tight hugs in the world)
Doing nice things for mommy
Cooking
Cool Shoes (ZStraps are the new favorite)
Hanging out with Oma and Opa
Generally teasing his older sister
Jumping on the trampoline
Last but not least-anything with sugar in it!


Here are some memorable quotes from our Jackman:

When finding out his friend was bleeding from a cut, and entering the room after her mother had cleaned her up, he said,"Oh! I missed all the good blood!"

"Mom-I want to get a new 'Bruela' please!" which is funny to us because he hardly ever mispronounces words.

When given a present from our neighbor while playing outside at 3:30 p.m., he was told he could open it later after he took a shower. About five minutes later, when I realized he wasn't outside with us any more, he appeared-newly showered with pajamas on and said,"I took a shower mom. Can I have my present now?" (he is too quick for me!)

When getting into the goody basket on top of the refrigerator, I walked into the kitchen and promptly told him to get off of the counter, when he interrupted me and said, "But mom-you looked hungry, so I got you a treat". "I said,"Son. I am not hungry right now." He said,"Then it's okay if I have it right?" (is anyone else thinking Bill Cosby in the cookie jar right now?)

When told it is dangerous to do back flips on the bed-he said,"You're right mom. It is dangerous for you, so you shouldn't do it. But I am smaller than you are, so I can fit on the bed."

When told to be careful at our first trip to the pool this year because I didn't think he could swim without a life jacket, he was in the water like a fish, before I could even finish my sentence-and has been swimming ever since!

What I hope for him:

That he grows up to be sensitive and strong
That he takes care of his friends and family
That he utilizes his drive for perfection to accomplish whatever dreams he has
That he discovers who he is early in life and never forgets it
That he uses his wit and charm to astound people in humor and academics
That he know how deeply his parents love him, and how much of a fan his mother is at all of his games
That he knows how amazing a person he is in the eyes of God

These lists are just a few reasons that Jackson is one of a kind! My little personal Opie in my very own, slightly twisted, Mayberry world. He is our Mr. Man!

If a man has been his mother's undisputed darling he retains throughout life the triumphant feeling, the confidence in success, which not seldom brings actual success along with it. ~Sigmund Freud

Briana's Gallery
6 1/2 years old
2nd grade Fall 2008
"A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self. And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships." ~Victoria Secunda

Briana's life as a 6 1/2 year old fills our family with smiles and happiness!
She is developing a character and personality that is so diverse and free.

Yet she is grounded and strong in spirit, seemingly able to fight off the forces of an imaginary evil stepmother or witch, with a friendship spell from her pretend potion pots, that magically morphs evil into love! I often wonder if spend enough time with her-do I know her like I should? Do I know what her favorite color is this week, or what she thinks about when she is alone? Do I know her facial expressions in the capacity that a mother should be able to read her daughter's face? Does she know that she can come crying to me, without judgement, for any hard decision she is faced with, and any consequence of a decision she has already made? Do I pay enough attention to the little things that make up the minutes of her life with me? Do I give her enough credit when credit is due? Do I listen to what she does not say? Do I love her enough, that everyday she leaves our home without any doubt that she is safe here?

These questions will only be answered in the years to come, when we sit down after she has her own children and talk frankly about how she remembers me! Wow! I have so much work to do in order for her to have the memory I want her to!!!!

Over the last year she has come into her own as a young citizen in this world, and as I look at her, I see the world as it should be-simple and innocent and filled with uncomplicated answers to problems that seem so difficult to the adult world that she lives in.

Below, I have listed some of the things that make her so unique to us and qualities that remind me of what I need to work for in this world, to make the world of opportunity everything it can be for her future.

Briana's Developing list of amazing characteristics:

-She loves reading science and cooking books
-She loves doing science projects (volcanoes are her favorite!)
-She loves history (George Washington at Mt. Vernon and Abraham Lincoln are her favorite so far)
-She is a talented artist (pictures of me, flowers, fairies and self portraits are her niche so far)
-She is a good example of sportsmanship, even stopping mid-soccer game to help a fallen player up
-She is a good friend to those around her
-She is is thoughtful and aware of the importance of service
-She is aware of the world around her and is a forward and analytical thinker (i.e. after reading an article in the National Geographic together about child labor in India said,"Mom, children should not have to work all day without food and with their fingers bleeding! If we stop buying things than maybe we could give our money to help them so they won't have to work.")

-She is a continuous fashion statement for the Briana School of Design (pink and brown checked skirts with a pink and turquoise flowered shirt, and her Great Grandmothers clip-on earrings and pearl necklace!

-She has a great imagination as demonstrated by her most recent book "The Crab and the Magic Hat"!
-She loves her daddy
-She loves writing songs and singing melodies
-She loves Sushi and going out to eat with me and any friend of mine
-Last but not least, she is an amazing attribute to the world and believes that she will be an astronaut, an author, an illustrator, a teacher, a vet. and a photographer-and I believe she will be all of those too!

There is a light to her eyes that reminds me everyday of her inherent goodness and desire to make the choices that will bring her happiness. I am truly blessed to have her sweet spirit in my life, and I hope I can retain her respect and friendship as we grow as mother and daughter on our path together. I love her so much my heart hurts!


Two hours after these pictures were taken by our good friend Cherie Napoleon, Briana's two front teeth fell out! The tooth fairy had hoped they would hang on until the pictures were over-some wishes do come true!!!

Carrie Brings Project Moby to the News

I had a chance to meet with moms who are living in residential facilities undergoing drug and alcohol treatment with their babies in tow in May. This event took place at the Haven House in Denver, CO and was a wonderful experience for me and the women involved! Click on the title above the photo to see the news story.

Go to Moby Wrap.com to enter your moby story for a chance to win the greatest Summer Gift Basket ever! (I put it together as the Public Relations Coordinator for the company-so I know what's in it!).

It's pretty amazing to see that all moms want to be good mothers-even if they don't know how to be. It was really special to see how much one piece of cloth can do for a mother who has yet to connect with their baby.

May we keep all mothers in our prayers as we all try to figure out how to mother with the skills we have-and let's all help one another raise our world's special spirits, who come so innocently into our lives and rely on the strength of our hearts to help grow into spectacular individuals with courage and confidence!

Thanks to all my friends who are doing the best you can do to raise your babies in a home that edifies and lifts them to be better than we are (or at least as cool!).

On the Road Again . . .

"Mountain Mama-Take Me Home"-John Denver

Welcome on our road trip to the Smokey Mountains! definitely one of the most beautiful places in the USA. These pictures were taken at the Appalachian Trail crossing at one of it's highest elevations. It sure was beautiful to look out at one of the most famous places in our country's history. We almost broke out our banjo and harmonica to play a little bluegrass with the local folks down in the valley!

There was something very touching about being in a place that has seen so much history in such a short amount of time. There was a feeling of peace and wonderment at knowing that the Smokey Mountains have seen such diverse people come through her trails. To some extent the mountains still hold mysteries about the people that settled there; who were they, how were they able to know what to do to survive the seasons, what did they know about the outside world as they were secluded for many years at a time? What is not a mystery is why they chose to settle in the Blue Ridge range-the scenes are breathtaking and serene. It is little wonder they chose to shut out the world beyond the mountain valleys they had discovered for themselves.

Great Falls National Forrest (like going hiking in a valley out West-but still nice!)

Look at my kids-Could they be any Cuter?! (Of course, I am totally unbiased)

We spent one Saturday at Great Falls! We hiked a little, stopped a lot and ate in between. We had a lovely day and it was great to get out and see a little corner of our neck of the woods. The kids had a great time looking at the waterfalls and pretending to be on a Mountain Adventure, jeff and I enjoyed the time outside of our house and Austin enjoyed the scene from the Moby Wrap on Mom's back! The biggest excitement was the Helicopter that buzzed around the falls for about 20 minutes trying to help some stranded Kayakers! That was the real highlight of the boys trip of course! Allin all we had a great afternoon just hanging out together.

Uncle Lawton Comes to Town

Lawton: "What are you doing tonight Sis?"
Carrie: "Oh, I don't know, just probably hang out and catch up on some T.V."
Lawton: "Well, do you want to pick me up at the Airport at 10:00 tonight instead?"
Carrie: Silence
Lawton: "Sis, are you there"
Carrie: "Well, that depends on if you are actually going to be at the airport tonight at 10:00. Are you serious?"
Lawton: Is your natural hair color something other than brunette?-Yes I'm going to be there. Can you come get me?"
Carrie: Screams of happiness and joy. "Yes! I am so excited!!! See you at 10:00-Rock on!"

This is how Lawton's surprise visit to VA started out sounding-it pretty much continued in that format until he left! The kids and I had such a good time hanging out with Uncle Lawton (even if it was only for a day and 1/2).

Here's to spontaneous family visits!

The Hills Celebrate their 3rd Annual Walk in A Rainstorm

In April 2004, mom and Briana spent some bonding time, spontaneously playing in the driveway during an unexpected rainstorm, while newborn Jackson slept soundly in his room.

It is a memory that Briana still talks about, and for the last 3 years I have managed to accidentally get all of us Hills, caught in a spontaneous rain shower. This particular shower was extremely drenching (especially because we walked about 1/2 mile in it before we got home)! We had so much fun splashing and soaking each other, that I have decided to make playing in the rain a Hill family tradition! I remember what a great time I had playing in the rain when I was little and how my mom would just look out the window and think we were crazy-but she never made us come inside. It could have been that she didn't want water all over her house, but I prefer to think it was because she too was a kid at heart and knew how much fun we were having.

So for any of you that want to join us in our tradition, in the spirit of innocence and childhood, just go outside in a spontaneous rainstorm and treasure the raindrops, while you enjoy the laughter you'll hear from your kids! If you don't have kids, do it anyway-you will enjoy feeling uninhibited for a little while and you will already be in practice to do it when your children come!

Make sure you write us and tell us all about it too! Happy 3rd Annual Walk in a Rain Shower Everyone!

Friends, Family-It's all the Same

Fun, Laugh, Cry, Smile, Share, Trust, Love- FRIENDS

EST 1997

Every year since 2005, the Napoleon Family and the Hill Family have spent at least three weekends together every summer. This past summer took us down to Hampton for two very special reasons: The blessing of little Kai Kani, and Briana and Kaulani's 6th birthdays! All the kids had a great time playing together, while the adults were able to get in some visiting-and then some!!! It is so wonderful to have such great friends that will be part of our extended family forever.

We always have such a great time together-it is hard to find reasons to leave (or sometimes reasons to stay depending on how are our children are behaving)! Whatever comes our way-we are there for eachother-and that is a blessing that is irreplaceable. Cheers to all the good friends we have throughout the world!

The Hills go to Fredericksburg

We decided to have a family tour of Fredericksburg to begin our summer vacation in July. What better way to start off a trip than by having doughnuts? We decided that the best way to show our kids how important a college degree is, was by taking them to Krispy Kreme, putting a hat on them and letting them know that if they didn't get good grades and go to college-that is where they could end up-working the glazing machine in the bakery. Unfortunately, they responded with,"That looks like a fun job Mom!" Jackson said,"Can I do it right now?" Kids-what are you gonna do?

Next we decided to take a tour of the Colonial city on a trolley! The kids loved it! We had a great time seeing all the cannon balls still stuck in the walls of so many original colonial buildings, and the cannon balls that were removed from old walls, and put into the walls of the new structure built-to keep some of the history of the Civil War alive. It is a great city and we really enjoyed learning about the birthplace and much loved city of our country's First President-George Washington! We live in the most awesome country ever!

We ended our tour with a great lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise-where we fit right in with all of the other Parrot Heads.

"It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"