a trip to Mizzou

A few days into our stay with my sister and her family, we decided to take a little outing to the University of Missouri campus. Tons of Chica's relatives attended Mizzou. In fact, I learned a while back that out of state tuition is waived for alumni's kids. So it seemed appropriate for her to take a trip around campus and get acquainted with all the Tiger surroundings. She'll need to know where she's going come fall of 2026. After touring the recently renovated commons area and bookstore, we headed across campus to the Quad, where the historical parts of campus are.
This was the face Chica made when she first saw the columns in the middle of the Quad. I love age 2 and a half because if you talk something up enough she'll react like this every time. :) We settled down for a picnic lunch on a bench and watched college students hustle to their classes. Our crew attracted quite a bit of attention.

She's enthusiastic when she's in black and gold.


What we didn't realize when we sat down was that we picked a bench next to Thomas Jefferson's original headstone. Three college tour groups came by, each stopping directly in front of us. The toddlers distracted some of the groups. I'm just thankful none of the backward walking guides tripped over them as they went on their way!

After lunch, we took a closer look at the columns.

Our view of Jesse Auditorium from the columns.
I hoisted her up on one of the bases. On nice days students hang out, study and nap on the columns. I don't think anyone was napping while we were there.


This is half of the quad and where the Hintons are guessing the ESPN College Game Day desk is going to be this Saturday. (Woohoo!)
After a quick restroom break, we looped back around the quad. The Thomas Jefferson statue was quite the attraction. Chica loved his shoes and his quill pen.

On the way back to the car, my sister snapped this picture of us as proof that I was there too. Because when we move Chica into the freshman dorms, they'll probably have to leave me at home. On the other hand, that might be the perfect time for me to go back for a master's degree. :)

trio of toddlers part II

They're back. Ushering in fall weather. Giggling. And getting side-tracked by the occasional firetruck.

I would blog...

but I'm too busy loving on this precious boy:

He was born a few days ago joining the ranks of my sister, brother-in-law, niece and other nephew. I would blog (his birth story is script material for a Hollywood movie!) but there's no time for blogging when Chica and I are busy doing lots of this:

our entire nap-less week

It's been a full week in the Hinton Home. As it so often happens in parenthood, Chica also picked this week to re-evaluate the necessity of her afternoon nap. After a week's worth of objection and a monster battle of wills, we have decided that nap time, for the sake of every member of our family's sanity, is not negotiable at this point. We did not vote on this decision. Hopefully we will not have to reconsider this for the next three years. Soooo, I am now going to cram seven days worth of blogging into one, ginormous post. I have hope that just like the Great Nap Stand-Off of 2010 we shall persevere and overcome. Heaven help us all.

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of hosting a bridal shower for my long-time friend Jenna. She drove from Nashville to be there and I'm so grateful we got to spend the weekend with her just two weeks before her big day. We hosted her shower in the fellowship area of our old church. It's the same place we celebrated Chica's first birthday.

Here we are finishing up last minute details. It took two days of set-up and I'm so glad we did it that way, because we would not have finished everything the morning of.

Here comes the bride-to-be!

Here's the guest of honor with her shower hostesses. I joked that you could have figured out who was hosting by who sweat the most. I promised my hair looked better before I left the house but after all the running around, it was done for the day. Tammye was the mastermind behind it all. Sarah P. and I just got to be awesome hostesses by association. :)

Soon the (non-sweaty) guests started to arrive.

The gift table and prayer tree were in the middle of the room. We hung a pair of tags on each branch and each card had a prayer request for the couple. We asked the guests to write their name on one card and take the other one home, committing to pray for the new couple.

This little sign says the first part of Ephesians 3:14.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father..."

After eating, it was time to open gifts!

I loved this picture that will hang in their new home.

And the best part about the whole thing? Getting to spend the weekend with Jen! She has a ton of aunt expertise under her belt, so Chica had a fabulous time.
We all did. I am so grateful for our friendship Jen. You are a living testimony of a girl who could have married Mr. Not-Much-Else-Around a long time ago, but instead decided to wait for God's Best. I am so glad you found him. And he's so blessed to have you.
The Monday after shower weekend, Chica and I went to the zoo. The weather was absolutely splendid and if I didn't know any better I think the animals were just as relieved for a cold front as we were. They paraded back and forth in their exhibits coming closer to us than I have ever seen. I left my camera at home after Chica promised she wouldn't do anything too cute while it was gone.

Well. The interactive bird exhibit was in its final days before closing for the winter. For a dollar you could buy a feeding stick. Chica was in heaven. Out came the cell phone.

On Wednesday we had a play date at a friend's house. I left the camera at home then too. Sometimes it's a load off (literally and mentally) to leave it behind. I was able to enjoy visiting with friends and watching the kids play.

Thursday a friend came home with us after school. My camera boycott was over. :)

Friday Chica had a Daddy/Daughter date. In the afternoon they washed the cars. At some point Chica convinced her father to drive. She strapped herself in and was ready to go.
This is what she looked like the whole time she was "driving."

She "drove" so fast the wind whipped through her hair.

Friday night we went to a local high school football game. Of course, we had to meet the mascot. Life-sized animals aren't about to escape the likes of us. It was a fun night, and we left a little after half time.

This morning we went to church and I dressed Chica in something I thought she'd never wear again- long sleeves! :) I wrestled her hair into pigtails but that one little piece in the front refused to cooperate. That's ok because a girl at church gave me a tip on how to fix it so my hair aspirations are quite high.

After surviving a week long nap boycott, I'm feeling optimistic. :)