Corby's Project

I will posting updates of Corby's new project -- Playgroundutopia a la Benton.

He has purchased (or rather, yahoo for one year's interest free financing!) a behemoth that will be delivered in early May to your backyard where upon Corby and his Dad will put it together.

In typical Amanda and Corby fashion what started out as looking into something small and cheap to entertain Q in the back yard -- something we could even build ourselves to save money -- has turned into a full blown, wallet blowing project involving giant fancy play sets and landscaping, the rental of bob-cat like diggers, retaining walls, sod and plants... we can't do anything low key over here.

We figured we would be in our little house at least another year -- depending on the economy and the play set can go with us when we move -- and the yard improvements will only help to sell when that time comes -- because before last week -- NOTHING had been done to the yard!

I fully expect this Saturday to be a day full of entertainment with the spectacle that will be Corby Hilley driving a little excavator -- I hope he does not take out Martha and/or Janet's fences. I am thinking of selling concessions and have invited all of our neighbors and friends to come bring a lawn chair and enjoy the sights!

Will keep you posted.

Here is the Playgroundutopia a la Benton:

Corby, Dad and I and the afternoon nap

We all took a little nappy-pooh after Easter lunch and the first annual Douglas/Hilley Easter egg hunt. Q was down in his room at his Mimi's -- Corby was passed out on the sofa, Dad was nodding off in the lazy boy and I had my large self crammed onto a love seat (note the low vantage point from the picture of Corby and Dad). Mom said she came in from getting Q down and it looked like a massacre had taken place in her den -- people had fallen out everywhere.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my sweet husband. HE HATES IT and will probably give me hell for putting it up here. I just think he is soooo cute here. This was his comment on facebook where I have it posted:

Corby Hilley at 10:00pm April 12
I'm just glad a bunch of hippies didn't show up with buckets of water to keep me hydrated until they could push me back in the water.

I love my husband so much.

What do you do with a free rubber glove?

Quentin LOVES rubber surgical gloves --like they use at the Dr.'s office. They also use them at his daycare when they change diapers so he is very familiar with them. Last week I had to go to the Dr. first thing in the morning and then take Q to his Dr.'s appointment. I was proud of Quen as he sat on my lap and behaved while I went to the dermatologist and received 5 shots of cortisone in my face (I had to be strong for my little boo only slightly cringing with each needle insertion). He only asked Dr. Jaffe once "What are you doing to my momma's face?" He was also able to get a rubber glove off of Dr. Jaffe who gave him one for entertainment purposes and to probably shut him up because he kept asking for one.

The rubber glove went with us to his Dr.'s appointment where while in the room waiting for Dr. Rickenmann he used it for many things -- as a glove, as a "pocket" to put random stuff he pulled out of my purse in, and as something to plug up the doorstop with (see below). He was very proud of himself for that feat -- he tucked and tucked and tucked until it was all in there.

1.

2.

3. VOILA!

The glove then went home with us where it was dragged around all day, taken to the sandbox where it was filled with sand, clutched while eating Cheetos so it had a nice orange stain to it, pulled on to one of his feet so he could have a "duck foot" and even taken to the bath with us. He fell asleep with the raggedy and by now punctured many times over glove -- which had to be pried from his hand. The "glub" was then thrown away.

When he woke up in the morning -- I could hear him on the monitor talking about and asking about his "glub".

I may need to invest in a box.

CORBY EGG

For several Easters now -- I have drawn a "Corby egg"...

Here he is this year.

Easter and the used car salesman

We had a great Easter. Easter morning we went out in the yard and took pictures. My very pregnant neighbor was nice enough to come outside and take the family shot.

My other neighbor later said that Quen looked like the most "trustworthy used car salesman she had ever seen".

Quen is pulling up his pant leg so you can see that his socks match his tie -- they have dinosaurs on them.

Corby and I laughed at how much each holiday has become like Christmas for Quen. When Corby and I were little, we got one Easter basket with candy and maybe a little something else. In the end, Quen had 3 NEW Easter baskets (still had 3 from last year), 15 lbs of candy, 4 new cars, new clothes, an octopus sprinkler, 15 pages of stickers, 4672 new plastic eggs, 3 things of bubbles, 4 things of sidewalk chalk, 5 things of play-dough, 2 books, 2 new stuffed animals and 2 wind up toys... I kid you not.

The same thing happens at Halloween as well -- for which I am truly grateful. I am not poking fun, just remarking on how things have changed.

We think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he lives so close to his grandparents on both sides -- and we have very generous friends and neighbors who remember him at certain times of the year like his sweet Great Aunt Cheryl, neighbors Ms. Jen, Ms. Janet and Ms. Michelle and friends like Ms. Katie. I lived hundreds of miles away from my grandparents -- only getting to see them once a year usually and with the exception of his infant and early childhood years, Corby did not live near his grandparents either.

How times have changed.

I can't wait to see what the tooth fairy brings -- a new car?

It's tiring being so cute (and selling so many used cars).

The FPDG Easter Egg Hunt 2009

Last summer I started a play date group that met late on Friday afternoons which I offhandedly called the Friday Play Date Group -- the FPDG (real original, I know). It is a group of old friends and new ones -- working moms and stay at home moms. We occasionally even have a dad or two join us which is always nice. It is a very laid back play date group -- if you can make it come -- if not we will see you next week. I look forward to seeing my friends each week and the interaction with other children is good for all of them.

This Easter I decided to have a Easter egg hunt at our usual time. I went a little overboard and what started out in my mind as a little Easter egg hunt innocently involving a couple of baskets and a couple dozen eggs ended up with me assigning people food items to bring and the buying of table cloths, flatware, and golden eggs -- I even wore bunny ears along with Milk Duds and my Mom who looked like a mountain goat rather than a bunny -- but I loved every minute of it.

WE HAD A BLAST as I feverishly wished away the threatening thunder storms. With the help of my mother, Milk Duds, and Corby as well as a few other dads it went rather smoothly. Almost the whole group was able to make it -- even some grandparents and the kids had a great time and best of all the weather held out. By the end we had only a few meltdowns, almost every one's clothes had chocolate on them somewhere and plenty of tired babies.

I painted a big plastic yellow egg with the words "Friday Play Date Group Easter Egg Hunt" and it acted as a centerpiece. I just packed it away with the rest of the Easter crap and I fully plan on using it again next year if I am still kicking

.

Hef

The other morning Corby brought Quentin downstairs and he was soaking wet.  Corby peeled off the clothes and a naked little Quen crawled up and laid out on the bed next to me with only his socks on and his arms resting behind his head -- the picture of relaxation.  After Corby had located a fresh diaper he said "Come here Hef" (referring to Hugh).  Quentin looked up  at him and said "no call me Hef, my name is Quentin Douglas Hilley, no call me Hef".  The next day at the FPDG  Easter Egg Hunt Quentin announced that he was "Quentin Douglas Hef" -- tell me about it little man.