Double Double Toil and TROUBLE!

Yikes it has been yet another month. I am feeling bad because Aunt Dot said she checks this site about twice a week so I thought I better get to it. Well like many of you we have spent most of the last weeks indoors due to snow and cold weather. The girls have taken advantage of this time to well, crawl FAST, practice walking, getting stuck here and there and sneaking up the staircase. To say the least Josh and I are busy trying to stay one step a head of the girls. The girls are also in the midst of colds that have been going on since the week before Christmas, yuck! I think we go through 500 tissues a day. In other news the girls had check ups and the doctor said the girls are advanced beyond their actual age let alone the "corrected" age which would be 7 months. We also had eye tests and passed those with flying colors too! We really do have some strong, healthy amazing girls.

Pictured above is Stella practicing walking, Emma opening Christmas presents and Claire stuck while exploring under the end table. I tell you these girls are TROUBLE! Cute, but TROUBLE!

A Blessed, Crazy 2009

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.(Rom. 11:33)

As we come to the close of 2009 celebrating our Savior's birth and offering our praise and thanksgiving we look back and the wonders of our Savior-God are truly baffling. His amazing grace; His tender mercy; His healing hand; they have all been with us every step of the way, just as He promises. Imagine that. For He says to us in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

We have indeed prospered under His plan. A plan which brought us to a new home and congregation. A plan which took us to UNMC and He provided Jess with strength and endurance and blessed us with three MIRACLES. A plan that continued to watch over His little ones as they grew bigger and stronger. And a plan which finally brought us home to be a family.

We've enjoyed great health and the girls are growing and growing and growing. Each day they have some new surprise for us, God is GOOD! Thank you all for your love and support, for being extensions of our God's loving hand to us. We can't thank Him or you enough. Enjoy the new pics taken on Christmas Eve and God bless you all during this season of our Savior's birth.

Love Josh, Jess, Claire, Emma and Stella

Is it really the end of December already?

Yikes it has been a month since we have gotten around to updating the blog that is sad, where does the time go? It is very hard to believe that next week is Christmas already.

This month has been a busy one for us here at the Hillmann home. Our girls, who are now nearly 10 months old, are all exploring in every which directions. Stella is crawling at full speed with good form. Claire is following right behind with a lightly less perfect form and Emma, well she gets where she wants but she is still working the whole process out. She is often on all fours rocking back and forth, looking at something with all her might. Sometimes she makes it a few feet and falls flat, but eventually she makes it where she wants to go. Unfortunately Emma often finds herself at the bottom of a pile of sisters, she is like a speed bump for the other two really. Anyway, Josh and I spend most of our days rounding up girls and enjoying their humor, smiles and new tricks. Otherwise we have been blessed with good health, none of us have had so much as a cold.

Last week Grandpa and Grandma Hillmann came for a short visit over Grandpa's birthday. It was good to see them and for Ron to get a chance to see how much the girls have grown.

Happy Holidays

Growing, Growing Everyday!

In someways I would say our lives are easier, the girls are for the most part "sleeping through the night", they take naps...most of the time..and the latest and greatest thing the girls are sort of holding their own bottles! Hooray!!!! However there are other things, like Claire busting out of her pajamas over and over and over and over (it is not as funny as she thinks it is) and the fact that they are scooting very well and traveling great distances despite the fact that they are not officially crawling yet. We will however take it for what it is and celebrate the small but great step of holding their own bottle. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Jessica, Josh, Stella, Emma and Claire

Houdini breaking out of her pajamas again! arrrrrrrrrrrrr! Why do they make everything with snaps???????

Emma, Claire and Stella holding their own!

All Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan's granddaughers October 2009

Stella, Stella is that you?

Thank you!

The girls had a big weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan's that included there first multi-outfit photo shoot! Wooowhoooo. Despite the girls being a touch on the cranky and or tired, we now have hundreds of cute new pictures to share with you all, thanks to Uncle Bill and Aunt Diane who acted at the girls personal photogs. We had a lot of fun and ended up with a lot of good pictures to choose from. I was also glad that I wasn't standing in a jcpenny's or Walmart photo studio with 3 slightly cranky, pretty tired girls who would rarely look in the same direction, have a knack for spitting up on a fresh outfit and weren't particularly in the mood to smile when the picture is being taken. Thankfully God blessed us with talented and patient family to help us in yet another area. Thank you, Thank you thank you! Okay now to the good stuff, the pictures...well a few of them.

Claire sleeping.













Stella in her little red wagon.





















Emma watching her foot, Stella sleeping in the middle and Claire in the background sleeping with an apple.

(The story of our lives.. two sleeping and one awake!)






















Claire Marie (apparently picture day is a good time to develop the habit of sticking out your tounge...98 percent of the time.)
























Stella in the leaves.





















Emma in her cheerleader outfit.

Bonus Pictures!

Stella (left) Emma (middle) Claire (right) and Grandma Hillmann (bottom of the pile) on her October trip to Nebraska.










Stella in her highchair.

Claire in the cooler. September 2009

Emma "napping" but really when she gives you that look it is hard to just leave her there...oi vay she is a charmer!

STELLAopolous!

Shame on me for not getting around to this sooner, days are getting away from me way too quickly. How fitting Stella is the third installment, she again finds herself having to be the patient one patiently waiting her turn. Okay so she is not always patient per say but for the most part she is. When it is her time to wait her turn she contently sits and makes motor boat sounds and taps her leg to pass the time. When on the floor she will go off exploring, over to steal a toy, or steal back a toy whichever it maybe or to see what is going on with her sisters. Among her little quirks is her love to lick Claire's head and hold Emma's hand. Smiles are not in short supply with Stella and she is pretty easily amused.

Now officially 8 months and 3 days old all the girls are healthy and in a neck n' neck race to see who can crawl first. Stella has long been the front runner, then Emma out of no where flipped over and wobbles back and forth like a little turtle going no where..but trying so hard and this week Claire has decided to give her tummy a try instead of always scooting on her head. No official crawling yet but the babies ARE officially mobile! One second they are here, the next they are there and then...they scatter!

Super Stella! A cape, a bib... a real super hero will make do with what she got.

Stella inspecting the pink rings to make sure they look, feel and taste right.

Stella looking dashing in her peacock headband, happy as can be.

Stella (left) and Emma (right) having a little chat...or conspiring I suspect!