The Hylton's

One Month Old

2011-07-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

Koston turn One month old on Sunday and Chris and I can't believe how fast this month as gone by. Koston is such a delight in our family and we couldn't imagine life with out him.
Things Koston is doing now...
Rolling from side to side
Grabbing his toys
Staring at us more
Smiling (I cried when he smiled at me the first time, it was so precious)
Still keeping mommy up at night :)
sleeping 4 hours at night (on a good night)
Weights 9.8 lbs
Kicking and moving his arms more
Starting to try and lift his head

Can't Wait to see what else this little guy does :)

Being a new momma

2011-07-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

Koston turns a month old this week. It is crazy to think that a month ago Chris and I were waiting to meet him. We have enjoyed every minute with him. For myself this has been a new experience for me. Some things I excepted like no sleep, late night feeding, being emotional, not taking 2 showers a day( I love to be clean), no time to get ready and etc. But the one thing I didn't see coming is having extreme paranoia. I hate leaving him, fear something will happen to him or that I'm doing this all wrong. My hubs, mom and good friend Sara have been there while I cry about it. My friend Sara did a blog posted about paranoia as a first time mom and used this bible verse.
"When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid."
-Psalm 56:4
Being a new momma is a wonderful gift and I'm loving every minute. I look forward to all the new adventures I get to experience with Koston. He is my little miracle and just can't imagine him not being here.

A Family of Three

2011-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Chris and I are happy to announce our new arrival Koston Gene. He greeted us on June 24th at 9:02pm, weighing in at 8 pounds and 4 oz. (yes I pushed him out) We can't thank God enough for this little guy. We look at him every day and think wow we made him. For people who don't know getting little Koston was not easy for us. We tried for a while until we found out I was having difficulty convincing. The week of Halloween I went for a check up to see if the medicine to get pregnant was working and to my surprise I was pregnant with being on it for one month. I was beyond shocked because they warn you it will not work right away. My doctor was so great with me and was even more excited. It was so fun telling Chris and our families and friends. Koston is an amazing blessing and truly shows us how great God is. My theme song for Koston is the song by Chris Tomlin "Our God" cause the day I found out I was driving to see Dr. Messer and that song came on and it gave me so much peace and when I left the doctor the song was playing again and I just started crying cause I truly was seeing God work in Chris and I. Thank you to everyone during this time and helping us get ready to be parents. We are enjoying every minute with him.

My birthday, Eclipse Sneak Peak, and Sedona

2010-08-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

It's official I'm 26 grrrr. My friends and wonderful hubby took me for sushi and desserts.
Ashley and I

Team Edward!!!
Thanks Sara for my shirt!! I wore it proud!!

Lastly we went with our good friends Zach and Ashley to Sedona for some hiking. We had a blast. We took them to where Chris asked me to marry him. Brought back great memories

Summer 2010

2010-08-14T14:21:00.001-07:00

I'm horrible about blogging. I'm making it my new goal to do it more often.
First up San Clemente with my family and the Loopes (Chris, Gwyn and Vera).

I'm starting Vera young!! Go Team Edward!!!

Thank you mom and dad for the vacation and a great trip!!

LET THE SNOWBOARDING BEGIN

2010-02-07T16:08:00.000-08:00

What a PRICE-LESS weekend we had. We were lucky enough to get away for the weekend and enjoy some snowboarding in this fabulous winter snow we have received. There were some ups and downs but the UPS weigh in more. Our downs was I hit my head the first run down but got up right away and said, "Crap, I'll have a headache tomorrow." But otherwise we had a blast making S turns with all our friends. Here are some highlights of our time...

Sorry for no actually picture of us boarding I was a little busy not hitting all the people that were there.. lol
Thank you to the wonderful couple that gave us their cabin!!!

Ten Years Later!!

2010-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

What a weekend it has been! My best friend Melinda was married to Stephen and what a beautiful bride she was. There was a little surprise waiting for me when I arrived at the wedding. My other best friend Angie drove in from Utah to come celebrate Melinda and Stephen. I felt like a little kid at Christmas when I saw her...

The last time the three of us were ALL together was ten years ago!!

Things never change with Melinda and I!

We are all now married to THREE great guys!!!

Can't Wait to get together the three of us in October! I love these girls! They are the best friends I could ever ask for!

My Little Sis is an ASU graduate

2009-12-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

She graduated last Friday and what a celebration we had with her. I'm very proud of my sister..

HURRAY for Ashley!!

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In a few weeks she leaves for Florida for her inter-ship.. We are so excited for her!!

New Moon Maddness

2009-11-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

I'm crazy about The Twilight Saga not because of the movies more because of the books. But of course I go and see the movies too.. I went Thursday night to catch the lastest movie. A few of my sparkling buddies join me in for the fun.
Our night started of with a three course meal at True Foods and then we walk over to the movie. We were lucky to get to catch the movie at 8:30.. It was exciting being able to see it first before the public.
Here a few pictures of our night...

Ashley and I with the New Moon Cup!!

Ashley and I waiting for the movie to start

My Bro (Chaz) and I pretending to be Vampires!!

My Buddy Jason and I pretending to be Tough Werewolves!!!

Happy 3rd Year Anniversay!!!

2009-11-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

Chris and I celebrate our third Anniversary yesterday!!
I have the greatest hubby ever. He gave me a card and inside the card was a little book about the last three years of our marriage...

It was very sweet :)
After that we went and saw Christmas Carol 3D. Don't you love our pictures.. We got crazy with the glasses...
Happy Anniversary Chris!! Love you forever!!

IT'S NEW MOON TIME

2009-11-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

COUNT DOWN TILL NEW MOON is 12 DAYS...

On November 20th, the next chapter in the Twilight Saga is New Moon. I'm completely thrilled for it to come out.....
New Moon the book was amazing so I'm excited to see what the movie will be all about....

OCTOBER-FEST

2009-11-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so bad at blogging but I decided that I need to get on top of it cause we have a lot of exciting things happening in our life....

So here is an overall of October for you all...
First, with the help of my mom and Lorinda I threw my first baby shower.
Happy Baby Shower Day to Gwyn!!

Lastly, this summer Chris's good friend Chris Loope took family photos of us and we are so excited to hang them up. They turn out AMAZING. Here is a preview of just a few...

Mommy's Diva Girls
Daddy's Little Girls

LOVE BIRDS BEING GOOFY

Good Friends playing around

More To Come .......Stay Tune we have a big announcement to make!!!

Melinda's 24th Birthday

2009-04-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Melinda celebrated her 24th birthday on April 9th. Her two sister-laws planned a night out on the town. We first took her to a fabulous restaurant called Grand Lux Cafe. Next we took her to the movies and saw Bride Wars. What a great chick flick. We had a blast getting out and celebrating this lady's birthday! great planning Kristen and Shelley!!!

It's Spring Time for the Dog

2009-04-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

I love dressing up our dog Bailey. Chris dislikes it. But until we have children poor Bailey will be playing dress up with me. Here is her newest outfit! I love my dog!!!

Snowboarding Season Came to an End

2009-04-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

When it hits winter time I know it's time for a season of non-stop snowboarding. Chris tries to get up to the mountain every weekend but this season we only got to a few times. But each time we had a blast together. Our friends Zach and Ashley join us which is always a fun time.... Here are some pictures of our last day!

GOD IS GOOD

2009-02-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite sayings is from my cousin Dean. He would say "God is good" (we respond) "All the time" (together) God is good.

Well I have been saying this since Valentine's Day night. Chris and I decided to get out of Mesa for a few hours and take a drive to Globe and just get some fresh air and enjoy our Valentine's Day. When we got back into town we were getting ready to go have a Valentine's dinner when Chris got 2 wonderful calls. They were from 2 jobs he interviewed for. The first was an okay job it wasn't the one we really wanted. But I told him to tell them to give us time to think about it before taking the job. I told him let's wait this out and see if you hear from your first choice the next thing I noticed is him running down the stairs saying they called and offer me the job. We were so happy. He is now a graphic designer for a church called Cornerstone. We feel so blessed to be apart of there church. We see this whole experience as a plan God had for us. Chris comes home everyday loving his work! Thank you to everyone that kept us in your prayers. A huge thank you to our parents who gave us all their love and support during this difficult time!!!
A specially thanks to Shelley who would listen to me and give me advice, and Ryan and Sara who reminded us that we can do this together and get through it.
Thank yo everyone!!
Love,
Andrea and Chris

Changes and more Changes

2009-01-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I wanted to give you all an update on Chris and I. The past week has been crazy for us and also laid out new changes that will be in our life. Last week, Chris was informed that he was being let go of his job! We were not excepting this at all. We were in complete shock. Well I was.. Chris is taking it great. He says its a blessing from God. He believes God has bigger plans for him. So I was all ready for God's bigger plan for Chris until I got news of my own.
As we all know I have been struggling to finish the second portion of the AEPA that allows you to teach in Arizona. I have taken it nine times and very time I have missed it by a point or more and I always get back up and try again.
Well the night I found out about Chris's changes I was hit with mine telling me that once again I did not pass the test. I was shocked and mad at the world because I spent months studying and learning the material from two fabulous teacher and my lovely dad. I thought I passed it this time. I walk into that test with the feeling that "Yes, Andrea you can do it." I felt my dear friend Ashley's prayer she said for us before we went in asking for the holy spirit to just be with us during this time. I really thought I did it. So I was pretty shocked to see that I didn't.
Well, now that time has passed and I am trying to move forward. (It was harder for me to get back up this time.) I have a lot of decisions to be made and I have been asking God to just guide me in what to do. But then my friend Kelly reminded me that I need to decide what I want and ask God if this is the path HE wants me to take. Is this is purpose for me. WOW that was the hardest thing hearing! We all know I love to be in control and I'm not a patient person. But I sat there thinking she is totally right I gotta take her advice.
So please keep Chris and I in your prayers. We have a lot of decisions to make and we just hope we take this opportunity to let God really work in us right now and led us in the direction he see our life going.
Love you all!
Andrea and Chris

2009-01-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

How Did I Get So Lucky!!!

2008-11-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

Today Chris and I have been married for two years. We had a lot of fun the last two years and look forward to many more.

I'm one lucky lady!!

Still Having Fun

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday. She sure does not age. We love her dearly and we hope you has a fabulous birthday with us!!!!

Girls Night out!!

2008-07-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

My hubby didn't feel good and I got to ask my dear friend Melinda to go with me to the D-Back game. We laughed, people watched, and discovered our new favorite D-Back player. Love ya girl!

My kindergarten Classroom

2008-07-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my kids that I dearly miss! But I will be back in the classroom hopefully sooner then later.
This is a letter I wrote to the state to get their help with my test.
To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Andriana Hylton and I am currently trying to obtain my teaching certificate. Becoming a teacher has been my dream since high school. I had to overcome many obstacles throughout my academic career, but I worked hard and one of my greatest accomplishments was graduating from college with honors. My dream came true when I walked into my first classroom of second graders as a long-term substitute at Pinnacle Peak Elementary School. My dream continued this past school year when I was hired at Keller Elementary on a provisional contract to teach kindergarten.

I took and passed the Professional Knowledge section of the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) while at Pinnacle Peak Elementary. Since then, I have taken the Subject Knowledge portion of the AEPA numerous times, which to this day I have yet to pass. Even though this is disappointing, I continue to persevere. I work hard preparing myself for the test using tutors, teachers, a test prep book, and the study guides provided on the AEPA web site.

The bottom line is I do not have a teaching position next year because of my inability to pass one portion of the AEPA test due to my learning disability, not because of my talents as a teacher. My kindergarteners this year outperformed another class taught by a “highly qualified” teacher. I am meant to be a teacher. I have never let my disability define me and I refuse to let it now. My IEP needs to be honored so I can receive the accommodations needed for my disability. I am not fighting only for myself, I am fighting for those 26 little hearts to whom I had to say goodbye. I want to continue making a difference in these children’s lives and show them all the things the world can offer us.

I want to become a certified teacher. I am doing everything possible on my end to pass the subject knowledge test. Now I need help. I have researched my rights as a person with a disability, contacted the testing company regarding accommodations, spoken to different people within the Department of Education, and contacted the American Disabilities Act office.

I am asking for my IEP to be honored. I have been given two great opportunities to show my talents and I came shining through both times. Some people are able to take tests and pass, others struggle, and many give up. I have not. A test should not define who is right for the job, it should be how a person performs on the job. I did not go through all these challenges in my life to stop here.

Thank you for your time.

My tunes

2008-07-12T11:53:00.001-07:00

Low lyrics at dizzler.com

Our Trip to Rockypoint!!

2008-07-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

Our trip to California!!!

2008-05-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Our Wedding Day!!

2008-05-06T20:18:00.001-07:00

Our Trip To British Columbia

2008-05-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

2007-05-01T20:55:00.001-07:00

Chris and I at our wedding on November 11, 2006

2007-05-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Our new baby! Miss Bailey Hylton

2007-05-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

My family and now a new son in law!!!

2007-05-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ashley (my beautiful sister) and I at my Bridal Dinner. She was my maid of honor for Chris and I's wedding!

2007-05-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is Chris and I at my grandma's birthday party!!! The Newlyweds!!!