Lew Crew

A Day Out with Thomas!

2011-09-20T09:41:00.004-05:00

One of Hudson's birthday presents from us was tickets to go on a Day Out with Thomas! Last Saturday, we made the trip to Nashville for the big event. What usually takes a little over two hours to get to Nashville ended up taking us over four! There was a bad wreck earlier that morning that left traffic on the interstate at a stand still for hours. We ended up having to take a detour so that made the trip even longer. Hudson was a trooper and was so excited when we got to where we were going. Luckily, we hadn't told him where we were going so when we pulled up and he saw Thomas stuff everywhere he finally figured it out! He loves trains and since our trip to Colorado he has been asking to ride a train again. He was sad to leave Thomas but he got to buy a new train for his train table in the gift shop so that made him happy.

He was so excited to be on the train!

Hudson and mommy in front of Thomas.

It was hard to get him to stop looking at Thomas long enough to get a picture.

He is getting to be such a big boy!

We are enjoying every second with our three year old!

Surprise Party!

2011-09-18T17:54:00.004-05:00

Labor Day weekend we went to St. Louis to visit Todd's family. Todd and I had planned a little birthday party for Hudson while we were there since they didn't get to come for his party here. What Todd didn't know was that we were planning a little surprise for him. His 30th birthday is coming up (September 21 to be exact!) so we decided to surprise him for the Big 3-0! He just thought we were having a party at some friends for Hudson so he was surprised when it turned out to be for him too. We had a great time with lots of family and friends in St. Louis celebrating these boys.

Happy birthday to two of my favorite boys!

I even got him an Alabama cake for the surprise!

I was glad we were able to pull off the surprise. I am sure he will get me back one day. Good thing I have a few years until my 30th:)

Three years!!

2011-08-29T14:52:00.008-05:00

I can't believe our sweet boy is already three years old! It still seems like yesterday we were waiting for him to make his entrance into the world. We can not imagine our life without him in it. He is wild and crazy at times but can be so sweet and loving too. We celebrated his birthday last weekend with my family and then we are planning on celebrating it again next weekend in St. Louis with Todd's family. He has been so excited about his birthday this year. I think he finally realized that it was HIS special day so he ate up every second!

He loved his cake!

Hudson waiting to blow out his candles!

Hudson's big present this year was a train table. It took Todd several hours to get it all put together. He was so ready for him to be done so he could play with it.

He was beyond excited when he saw his new train table!!

He has played with his new trains for hours. He loves it! He didn't want to go to Mother's Day Out this morning because he didn't want to leave his train table. I am so happy he loved his birthday present this year.

Happy Birthday Hudson!

Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know!

Hudson's first day!

2011-08-22T08:38:00.002-05:00

We decided to start Hudson in a Mother's Day Out Program this year. He is at the age where he needs to get out of the house and spend time with other kids. He is such a smart boy so we knew he would love it. I just wasn't ready for him to grow up. I had a few break downs before his first day. Overall, I think we both did pretty good with the transition. He went to an open house the Thursday before he started so that he get acquainted with his new "school." When we dropped him off last Monday he just walked right in like it was no big deal. When Todd started telling him bye, Hudson asked if mommy would be there with him. I lost it. He is used to Todd leaving him but not Mommy so it was so hard for to tell him that I was leaving too. He handled that much better than I did:) He had a great first day at school. He has been a couple more times since then. So far he is loving it! I always look forward to hearing about his day.

Eating breakfast before his big day

He has his lunchbox and he is ready to go!

He was all smiles before school

We were so glad that daddy came for the big drop off:)

It's a......

2011-08-05T08:52:00.006-05:00

We are very excited to announce that we will be welcoming a sweet baby BOY into the family in December!

We are so thankful for our healthy baby boy! I was so nervous going into this ultrasound. I just wanted to know that he was healthy and growing like he should be. Everything looks great! We do have to go for a follow-up ultrasound in 8 weeks to check the position of my placenta. Praying it does what is supposed to between now and then.

I can't wait to love on those sweet little feet!

I ordered these a few weeks ago off of Zulily. I promise not to dress them alike all the time but I thought they needed at least one matching outfit! I still can't believe I am going to be the mom of two sweet little boys. We are so excited for December to be here!

*Sorry for the iPhone pictures. Maybe I can scan the ultrasound pictures later and put them on here. It was just quicker this way for now!

Our Saturday

2011-08-01T08:26:00.011-05:00

This Saturday was a do nothing kind of day. Todd did some work around the house but that was about it. After a hectic week and trying to get back in a routine with more kids and Todd going back to work, I think we all needed some rest! Hudson never sleeps past 6:45 so Todd got up with him so that I could try to get some sleep. I over did it this week so I was physically exhausted. It was nice to get some extra rest. Once I got up, I made some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Breakfast is Hudson's favorite meal of the day so he was excited about getting cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

He was being silly while he was eating his breakfast!

After breakfast, Todd went on a cleaning streak and mopped the floors and vacuumed. Hudson loves to vacuum so he was excited to "help" daddy. He is getting to be such a big boy!

Saturday night, we went to my parents for dinner. My dad made his famous ribs for us. I have been craving them for awhile and he finally decided to make them. I should have taken a picture of them but we were too busy eating them! I took a hashbrown casserole that I had made and I also tried a new dessert recipe. I got the recipe for the Butterfinger Cake I made here. It was delicious!!

Hudson playing his "pinio" at Nana and Papa's.

Just a few prayer request...

2011-07-29T11:14:00.003-05:00

I have had several things on my heart the past few days and I wanted to share them with you hoping that you will remember them in your prayers. I think it is important to share whats on our mind rather than keep in it. For me it is healing to talk about things and it is comforting to know that others are praying for these things.

1. A sweet family lost their sweet baby boy this week. Please pray for them in the days ahead. My heart breaks for them.

2. Please continue to pray for all the expectant mothers and those who long to be mothers. Being a mother is a gift and I think many times we take that for granted. Pray for those who are waiting to bring their babies home through adoption.

3. School starts next week! It is so crazy to me that they are already starting back to school. Pray for the kids as they start this new school year. Todd will also be starting at a new school this year. He is leaving the elementary school and going to the middle school. This will allow him more time to work on the schools website. He is also went from coaching high school football to junior high football this year. This will allow him to be home with us more so we are very thankful for this. Please keep him in your prayers as he adjust to all these changes.

4. Do you have a prayer request? Feel free to share it with us so that we can pray for you too!

Four years!

2011-07-27T15:43:00.003-05:00

On July 21, Todd and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary! It is hard to believe that we have been married for four years. It still seems like yesterday that we were busy wedding planning, moving to St. Louis and starting new jobs.

Now here we are four years later living in Tennessee with our handsome little man

and expecting our second blessing in December.

We couldn't be happier!

We celebrated our anniversary on Friday in Memphis. We went to dinner at this amazing restauraunt. Flight was recommended to us by some friends and we were very pleased with our experience there. We both ate way too much and still stuffed ourselves with dessert. Our server was wonderful and we were told Happy Anniversary probably five times while we were there. We are already planning another trip there. It just may be awhile!

Here is a picture of our dessert Flight.

A Smores cupcake , vanilla cheesecake topped with strawberries and oreo cheesecake.

Ella Kate turns four!!

2011-07-26T21:05:00.005-05:00

I can' t believe our sweet niece is four! I know every birthday I say that but time really is flying by! She is such a blessing in our lives. We miss her living close but we love every second that we get to spend with her. We celebrated her birthday with a pool party at the country club where they are members at. It was so fun seeing her with all of friends at her party. I am so thankful they have made a lot friends in the short time they have lived there. Here are a few pictures from the big bash:

The view of the lake from the country club

Hello Kitty cupcakes

The birthday girl on the slip n slide!

He loved it!

Hudson making the climb up the slide

Todd sliding with Hudson and EK!

I love their faces in this one. It was over cast that day so the water was really cold. I was worried about Hudson getting too cold but he was having so much fun!

Can't believe this sweet girl is four!!

We love you Ella Kate!!

Race car driver!

2011-07-26T09:19:00.006-05:00

A little over a week ago we went to Guntersville to celebrate my sweet nieces fourth birthday. We haven't been to see my Zack and Cherith in awhile so we were excited to get to go see them. We went on Thursday because on Friday the guys headed to Atlanta to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Todd has always wanted to do the Richard Petty Driving Experience so guess what he got for Father's day?! Zack got a really good deal through his work so I knew he had to do it. They had a great time! My brother who has never been into NASCAR says he will now be a fan. They got to do a ride along for three laps around the track with another driver and then they got to DRIVE a race car...yes...just them...in a race car. Scary! They did have a lead driver in front of them that told them when to speed up and slow down. Todd said the hardest part was figuring out how to drive a stick shift! It had been years since he had so he was a little worried about that. I don't have many pictures of their adventure. I had planned on going with them so I could be the photographer but I ended up staying in Guntersville with Hudson. Todd took a few pictures with his phone and he did get a plaque with some pictures of him in the race car. He also got a DVD of his experience. It came in the mail yesterday and we watched it last night. I don't think he stopped smiling the whole time he was there. I am so glad that he had a chance to do this and I know he will remember it forever!

Todd's view from the track

16 1/2 weeks

2011-07-11T21:38:00.005-05:00

I can't believe I am almost 17 weeks pregnant!

I didn't do this when I was pregnant with Hudson but I wanted to try to keep up with my pregnancy journey this time. There is so much that I don't remember about my first pregnancy and this pregnancy has been a little different then the first one so I want to document every detail. I hope I can keep this up and at least do an update every couple weeks. We will see!

Here I am at 15 weeks:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 weeks and 4 days
Size of baby: 5 ounces (about the size of a turnip) 5 inches long
Weight gain: 3 pounds at my last appointment. I forgot to ask today. I'm sure I really don't want to know!

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing some maternity and some regular clothes

Gender: We know but aren't sharing yet:) We are calling the baby "Elf" for now but we are pretty sure we have a name picked out. I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Movement: I feel a few flutters every now and then. It feels like popcorn popping in my belly. I can't wait until I can feel "Elf" all the time!

Sleep: Sleep is still ok! I wake up a few times at night to pee but can usually go right back to sleep. I just wish Hudson would let me sleep a little later in the mornings.

Symptoms: Last week, I had a lot of fatigue but still feeling pretty good. Mornings and most days are good, just uncomfortable at times. I have had lots of heartburn so I have been keeping Tums by the bed just in case. I have had a major headache all day but it is starting to go away.

Cravings/Aversions: For some reason I have not been a huge fan of Mexican this pregnancy. Just the thought of it made me sick! It is getting better but I have to be in the mood for it to even consider eating it. I have craved "southern food" like corn bread, corn on the cob, fried okra and hash brown casserole. I have also ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the last couple weeks.

I can't believe my baby will be three by the time "Elf" gets here!

They grow up so fast. I am trying to soak up every second!

Fun in Denver

2011-07-11T12:26:00.006-05:00

Our last day in Colorado we headed to Denver early to do some sight seeing before we had to go to the airport. We had a late flight so we had plenty of time to spare downtown. Todd wanted to see some of the sports stuff so we headed to Invesco field. We were going to do a tour but they weren't doing them that day. So we took some pictures anyways:

The Mile High Stadium!

Hudson playing in the gift shop!

You should have all the Tim Tebow stuff in this place. I think they have high hopes for his career there. Hope he doesn't disappoint them. There will be some mad Bronco fans!

Hudson wasn't so sure about the Bronco!

Todd in front of the stadium

Coors field

We got to tour the stadium. It is pretty interesting to hear the history of the Rockies and their stadium.

Inside the visitors dug out

Todd taking it all in

We had a great time visiting Chad and Brandy. We were so sad to leave and can't wait to visit them again! I know they missed us but I told him they might enjoy the quiet for a little while. Thanks Chad and Brandy for having us and taking us everywhere! We miss you guys already!

Royal Gorge Railway

2011-07-09T10:47:00.007-05:00

For Father's Day we headed to the Royal Gorge Railroad for a trip through the Royal Gorge. This was probably one of my favorite things we did while we were there. My dad surprised us with seats in the Vista Dome where we were treated like First Class Passengers. We were there in the morning so they had a delicious breakfast menu we could order from. Todd and I shared the huge cinnamon roll and it was yummy! It was so nice getting to do something special with my dad and Todd on Father's Day. We also enjoyed getting be with my brother on this special day. We don't get to spend too many holidays with him so we were thankful to spend the day with him.

The Royal Gorge Bridge

Love my little man!

Todd and Hudson on Father's Day!

Hudson and Uncle Chad

Mom and Dad on the train

Amazing!

Leaving the trains.

Hudson still talks about his train ride. I hope it is something that he will remember forever.

Cog to Pike's Peak

2011-07-08T09:28:00.007-05:00

Our third day in Colorado Springs we rode the Cog Railway up to Pike's Peak. I had done this with my brother and parents a few years ago but we knew it was something Todd and Hudson would enjoy. Hudson was so excited about riding the train up the mountain! I was a little nervous about making the trip up to Pike's Peak. I was a little concerned about being 13 weeks pregnant and going up a mountain that is 14,000+ feet above elevation. I called my doctor and they just told me to drink plenty of water and be extremely cautious. I was thankful we made it to the top without any problems!

Our view on the way up the mountian

We made it to the top!

It was about 30 degrees at the top of Pike's Peak. I forgot to pack "warm" clothes for the trip so we were freezing up there!

The view from a little over 14,000 feet!

Garden of the Gods!

2011-07-07T16:52:00.004-05:00

A must see in Colorado Springs is Garden of the Gods. It is absolutely gorgeous and it is amazing how these rocks formed years and years ago in the way that they did. It was really crowded up there when we went so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked to. We spent some time driving around the park and walking around on the mountain. The weather was perfect while we were there.

The gorgeous view going into the park

Hudson being silly!

He loved climbing around on all the rocks

Family pic:)

Perfection!

Flying W Ranch

2011-07-06T17:12:00.006-05:00

After we toured the Air Force Academy we drove to Castle Rock and did some shopping at the huge outlet mall there. Then we went back to Colorado Springs and picked up Brandy and headed to dinner at the Flying W Ranch. My parents had done this on one of there other trips so my dad wanted us to all go while we were there. It is an old fashioned chuck wagon dinner. They also have a western/bluegrass show after you eat dinner. It was a lot of fun other then it was trying to come a storm while we were eating. So imagine trying to eat a chuck wagon dinner outside with the wind blowing like crazy! They did move us inside for the show so that was much better! We had a great time! The show was great and food was delicious!

Before the dinner we walked around the ranch. They had lots of shops and activities for the kids.They had Native American dancers there that were showing us some of there tribal dances.

Todd and Hudson watching the dancers

Hudson and mommy waiting for them to ring the dinner bell!

Hudson watching the Bluegrass band.

The Flying W Wranglers

I think this is when they were singing Rocky Top:)

Leaving the Flying W!

Colorado Day 1: Air Force Academy

2011-07-06T10:38:00.009-05:00

Our gorgeous view of Pike's Peak from the guest room at my brother's house. No wonder we can't get them to move to Tennessee!

We stayed busy the whole time we were there. We did lots of sight seeing and ate lots of delicious food. A lot of it my parents and I had already seen but since this was Todd and Hudson's first trip there we had to do it all again. One of our first stops was the United States Air Force Academy. It is one of the prettiest campuses I have ever seen. I know it may not be so pretty for the Cadets but at least they have a gorgeous view of the mountains.

One of the many planes we saw at the Air Force Academy. Since the events of September 11 this section is now closed off to the public. Most of the buildings are where the Cadets live and offices.

The front of the Cathedral

Side view of the Cathedral.

Inside the chapel of the Cathedral

Uncle Chad and Hudson

I love the view of the mountains behind us!

First flight!

2011-07-06T10:14:00.006-05:00

A little over two weeks ago we flew out to Colorado to spend a few days with my brother and his wife. My parents joined us for the trip and it was nice to have them with us. We were a little nervous about how Hudson would do on the flight. He did great! We flew out of Nashville and had a lay over in Kansas City. He did great on the first flight and this is what he did to pass the time:

He played on Todd's iTouch the whole flight! He has a ton of educational games just for Hudson so he was pretty content playing with that! Once we were on the next flight we were hoping he might take a nap and could you believe he was out before we ever took off!

He slept all the way to Denver! He didn't wake up until we landed. He was very excited when we told him we were finally in Colorado. We were so proud of how good he was on the plane.

Guess What?!!

2011-06-14T11:23:00.004-05:00

Can you guess what he is so happy about?!

We are so excited to announce that Hudson will be a big brother in December!! We have kept our secret long enough and we are finally ready to share our news! We are so excited and feel extremely blessed to be given the opportunity to welcome a new baby into the family!

On April 11 (a day before my birthday!!) we were very excited to learn that we would be meeting this little person in December!

Our sweet baby "elf" at 6 weeks and 5 days! I have gotten three ultrasounds so far and baby looks perfectly healthy! I am 12 1/2 weeks and we are due December 22! We will find out the gender at our next ultrasound on August 1!

Mexican Chicken Ring

2011-06-09T12:39:00.009-05:00

I got a new recipe for a Mexican Chicken ring off of http://jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com

I have never made a Chicken ring so I was a little nervous about my first attempt. We ended up having my parents over for my mom's birthday so I decided to try out the new recipe! It was delicious! I even managed to make it look like a "ring" instead just a blob! Here is a picture of my masterpiece!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cooked & shredded chicken breasts

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese plus some for sprinkling on top

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

(I just used 2 cups of shredded mexican cheese blend instead of the grated cheese)

¾ can of Rotel & all of the juice

3/4 cup light sour cream

1 package taco seasoning

2 rolls of regular sized crescent rolls

1 lime (juice)

2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips plus some for sprinkling on top

Combine chicken, Rotel, tortilla chips, sour cream, taco mix, cheese and 2T of lime juice.

Unroll and separate crescent dough. Arrange triangles on a baking sheet making a circle with wide ends overlapping in the center and points toward outside. Spread chicken mixture evenly into the center of the ring.

Fold the points of the crescents in and over. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and tortilla strips and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

What is your favorite chicken ring recipe?

Smoky Mountain Rain

2011-06-08T12:33:00.006-05:00

Last year, Todd won a weight loss program at school and his prize was a five night stay in Gatlinburg. I haven't been to Gatlinburg in probably five years or more and Todd has never been. So we were excited to get the chance to get away there for a few days. At the end of May (as soon as school got out!) we headed to the mountains! My parents joined us for the trip and we all had a great time. Hudson loved seeing the mountains and he still talks about Dollywood! Gatlinburg is not my first choice for a vacation destination but I was thrilled to get the chance to go! Thanks Todd for taking us on your free trip:)

Pretty mountains

An old mill at Cade's Cove

Family pic at Cade's Cove

We got to see several bears while driving around Cade's Cove!

Todd posing at Bubba Gump's

Todd and Hudson at Cooter's museum

Todd and Hudson drying off after a water ride at Dollywood

Hudson at the kids playground at Dollywood.

He loved it!

Finally a picture with mommy!

Not the best but at least we got one:)

Hudson loved the aquarium!

Good Bye Gatlinburg!

Trip to St. Louis

2011-06-06T15:51:00.003-05:00

In April, we went to St. Louis for a few days. We enjoyed getting to spend time with Todd's family while we were there. We took Hudson to the St. Louis Zoo and he loved it. The train ride was his favorite! Todd and I also enjoyed getting to go to a Cardinal game while we were there. The weather was perfect and we had a great time! Here are a few pictures from our trip....

It was a gorgeous day at Bush Stadium!

Todd and I at the game

Hudson and his cousin Jackson

Oh the memories...

2011-04-05T10:04:00.007-05:00

Last night I finally decided to upload pictures from my phone onto my computer. I realized how important a lot of these pictures are to me and I wanted to make sure that I saved them in case something ever happened to my phone or if I just happen to get a new one one day.

I love the memories that I was able to capture on my phone camera. I usually have my camera with me but for time I don't my phone comes in pretty handy. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my phone...

Hudson at his one year check-up. Look how little he was! I can't believe he will be three in August!

Hudson saying touchdown!! He looks so different here. I didn't take a lot of pictures of him in his glasses but this was one of my favorites.

First time at the beach! He loved it!

Right before Hudson's eye surgery. Mommy was a mess at this point but he did great! We are so thankful his surgery was successful!

I am so thankful for this picture. Hudson and I went to visit my Grandmother on a Monday afternoon. He loved visiting with her. She pushed him around on her walker. He loved it! I didn't have my camera but I was able to get this picture on my phone. My sweet Grandmother went to Heaven six days later. This was the last time we saw her and the last picture we have of her. I will cherish it always!

Hudson hangin' out with his Uncle Chad. Chad doesn't get to come home much but we enjoy every visit with him. Hudson loved getting to spend time with him.

Look at this big boy! I sure do love every second with him.

I Hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane:)

So fresh and so clean!

2011-03-29T08:42:00.003-05:00

Hudson's favorite time of the day is bath time!

He loves it. He will ask to take a bath all day. I love that the fact that he enjoys bath time because he hated it as a baby. I know that there may come a day when he hates baths again. I am going to enjoy these sweet moments while I can.

Usually, after bath time Hudson will run around the house until he finds his daddy! He loves running around in just his towel. He is such a silly boy!

Even when he is wild and crazy he still melts my heart:)

This is what he looks like the morning after his bath....

Love this crazy haired kid!!

A month in review....

2011-03-11T10:57:00.004-06:00

I just realized that it has been a month since my last post. I hate that I have neglected the blog because I was doing good there for awhile. We have been pretty busy these days. Grad school is keeping me busy and Todd is busy with his new business, TL Productions. We are really excited about the possibilities that this has opened up for him. He is so talented and he is finally getting a chance to use these talents and make a little extra money. I am so proud of him. Hudson is pretty much the same except he is hitting the terrible twos's full force. He keeps me going. There are some days that I am ready to pull my hair out but at the end of the day I am so thankful for this wild boy! Here are a few pictures to show you what all has been going on around here....

Hudson is now sleeping in his toddler bed! Sometimes he sleeps and sometimes he doesn't. He has always slept great at night so I know it will take him a little time to get adjusted. We are eventually going to move him into the guest room and get him a twin bed. We are putting off the big move a little bit longer:)

My little Valentine loves balloons so he was excited to get them along with a new train, water toys and a heart basket.

This is what Todd cooked for Valentines. He grilled some delicious steaks. He also made twice baked potato casserole and bread. It was so nice to relax while someone else did the cooking!

We enjoyed some time outside before it decided to turn cold again.

My skinny boy sportin' his new underwear. He is no where near potty trained but we test out the underwear every now and then. He will pee in the potty pretty much all the time but pooping is what he refuses to do. I am just letting him do it on his own timing. When he is ready I will be too!!

New recipes

2011-02-11T11:00:00.007-06:00

One of my new year's resolutions was to cook more this year. Along with that my goal was to cook one new meal a week. I have always enjoyed cooking but with our crazy schedules it was sometimes hard to plan meals. It is especially hard to cook during football season. I never knew what time Todd would be home from practice and I would usually just end up going to my parents for dinner and he would eat when he could. Now that football season is over and Todd is home much earlier, I can plan a menu for the week. I decided to cook one new recipe a week was because my husband is somewhat of a picky eater. I was getting real tired of chicken, potatoes, green beans and rolls. He will eat other meats besides chicken but the only vegetable he will eat is green beans. So I was having a hard time coming up with a variety of meals. We still usually eat out once during the week and on Sundays. We love the local Mexican place and we can usually eat there for under $20! We will still eat at my parents on occasion or we have them over for dinner. It is much easier to cook for four than it is to cook for two. They love having an "excuse" to see Hudson!

So I am proud to say I have kept up to my resolution! I know it is only February but I tried this last year and didn't even make it this far. I have enjoyed cooking some of our old favorites and trying out some new ones. I think Todd has enjoyed all my cooking too! Hudson has tried some of the new recipes but he is starting to be a picky eater like his daddy:)

Here are a few things I have made in the last few weeks:

Chicken and Rice Casserole - One of Todd's favorites!

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can of milk

stick of butter

1 cup of rice

boneless chicken breast tenders

Mix cans (soup and milk) and butter so it is all liquid (low heat)

Spray 9x13 glass pan and butter bottom of dish

Dish the rice in the pan

Pour half of the soup mixture in pan on top of rice

Place chicken on top (I fit as much as I can in the pan)

Pour remaining soup mixture on top

Sprinkle on parmesan cheese

Bake at 275 for 2 1/2 hours

Cheesy Pinwheels with Italian Dip

I got this recipe of Pillsbury.com

Chicken Pot Pie

I got this recipe off Kelly's Korner

Ingredients:

2 pie crust (I got the pillsbury roll out kind in a pack of two)

1 egg for egg wash

1/2 bag of frozen mixed vegtables

1/2-1 cup of southern style hash browns

1-2 chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

salt/pepper to taste

Cook the chicken with garlic powder and pepper

Dump sour cream and soup in bowl and stir

Add frozen veggies, hash browns, chicken

Stir until all combined. Should be thick

Place bottom crust in pan. Brush with egg wash on one side

Place egg wash side up

Dump veggie mixture on pie crust

Roll out the second pie crust, brush with egg wash and place egg wash side down on pot pie

Seal around the pot pie, cut off excess and place a foil ring around the edges to keep from getting too done

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Potato Soup

I made this one up on my own. It was delicious!

1 can cream of potato soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

I threw in a cup of frozen hashbrowns

Two spoon fulls of sour cream

Bring to a boil stirring occasionally

Top with bacon bits and shredded chesse

So easy!!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

I got this recipe from kraftfoods.com

Do you have a favorite recipe? I would love for you to share it with me.

I am always looking for some new ones to try!

What do I feed my kid?

2011-02-05T08:23:00.008-06:00

Today I thought I would join Kelly over at Kelly's Korner for Show Us Your Life Friday which is "What Do You Feed Your Kids?" this week. I LOVE her blog and I love when she does this every week. So I thought I would join in on the fun this week!

The real question is "What Will My Child Eat?"

He is a very picky eater and I really struggle with trying to find new things for him to eat. He refuses to eat vegetables...doesn't even want them on his plate! Here are some of the foods he will eat:

Breakfast foods:

Biscuits (with jelly or gravy)

Pancakes

Sausage Balls

Cereal Bars

Pop Tarts

Lunch/Dinner:

Bologna

Cheese

Pizza

Quesadilla's

Meatballs

Chicken

Fruits:

He LOVES fruits!

Blueberries!

Grapes

Bananas

Applesauce...does that count?!

Kiwi...Thank you Mimi for introducing this at Christmas:)

Strawberries

Snacks:

Goldfish

Teddy Grahams..I buy the bunnies too..they are whole grain

Raisins

Fruit Snacks

Yougart

He does love drinking milk and juice so I try to buy the "healthy" juice so that he is getting some fruits and veggies that way.

He also loves anything sweet!

He loves to get an ice cream sandwich when we go to Nana and Papa's!

I am hoping we will grow out of our picky stage but I don't want to force him to eat things he doesn't want because I know he will just end up not liking them even more.

I am open to suggestions on what you feed your picky eaters.

All things boy!

2011-02-01T20:42:00.005-06:00

I love having a little boy! I never thought that I would love all the things that little boys do but I can not imagine my life without my son. I love football (Todd got pretty lucky when he married me!) and pretty much every other sport! We have already been talking to Hudson about sports...especially football and what position he is going to play. Todd has decided it is time to start working on passing and catching. We are pretty sure he is going to be lefty so that could make things a little more interesting! Hudson loves playing ball with his daddy. He will say "sit daddy sit" and he could throw the ball with him for hours!

I wouldn't trade my life with these two boys for anything!

Another one Hudson's favorite things to do is build with his blocks. He got some new blocks for Christmas and he loves them. He will say "build it, mommy, build it"! He loves to just dump all the blocks out too. He is still trying to learn how to get his blocks to stay up but he takes this job very seriously!

Building his "tastle!"

He was having so much fun!

New Friends

2011-01-30T15:55:00.006-06:00

Most of you know that in June Todd and I left the church that I grew up in and started attending a new church in Jackson. We were sad to leave our friends and family there and it will always be "home" to me. My parents still attend there so I know that we will still visit from time to time. We just felt that we weren't growing spiritually at our current church and felt that God was calling us to make a change. We have been so blessed by our new church family. I know I talk about it all the time but it really has been a huge blessing for us. I am so thankful for the people we have met and the friendships we have made. We were already blessed to have some pretty great friends but now we are overwhelmed with them!

These are just some of my new favorite girls!

This was taking at Brooke's (the cute blonde in the leopard top) baby gender revealing party a couple weeks ago. Her and her husband are expecting their first baby in June! We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet their sweet baby GIRL!

I am so thankful for these girls and I don't think they really know how much their friendships already mean to me. Thank you God for putting these girls in my life!

Growing every day!

2011-01-28T09:00:00.006-06:00

Well nothing has really been going around our house except for snow, snow and more snow! I don't ever remember getting this much snow in one winter and they are calling for more snow next week. Luckily, they have "snow days" built into the school year so hopefully Todd won't have to make any up later in the year. So he has enjoyed the much needed breaks. I know we are all ready for some warmer weather and some time outdoors. I think Hudson is starting to get a little bored spending so much time at home!

Hudson is getting be such a funny boy. He is talking and singing all the time. He loves to dance too! Some of his favorite songs are: ABCD's, Building Up the Temple and pretty much any song that comes on the radio. He just might be the next American Idol:) He loves playing with his friends. He will play with anything.....even babies. Yes, I admit it, I let my son play with baby dolls. Since the majority of the kids I keep are girls he has played with a few babies. He is so sweet with them. He also loves playing with his trains, building with his blocks and reading books. He loves to read! He is growing up everyday. I just want to enjoy every second because it is going by way too fast. I still can't believe he is already 2 1/2 years old! I am so thankful that I get be home with him everyday. He is such a blessing in our lives!

Look at this handsome boy!

Snow!!

2011-01-14T09:02:00.004-06:00

The forecast got it right this time! They were calling for a big snow storm to cover parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee earlier this week. So on Sunday night the snow started coming down. Todd and I were like little kids! We would race to the back door to watch the snow. He was excited because they had already called school off for Monday. I was hoping we would would get enough snow to cancel my grad class on Monday night. We ended up getting about four inches by Monday morning! We both got a much needed break. My grad class got cancelled for several nights....which means we are having to meet all day on Saturday...Not fun! School ended getting out on Monday and Tuesday. So we took advantage of our snow days and got some stuff done around the house and I worked on projects I have due this weekend. We of course took some time out to play in the snow. Hudson was really excited when he saw the snow on Monday morning. He remembered it from our trip to St. Louis so he was ready to play!

Getting ready to make a snow ball!

Eating his snow ball! Yum!

Loving the snow!

A new year, a new start!

2011-01-03T10:18:00.006-06:00

I have to admit...I was kind of glad to see 2010 come to an end. It was a pretty tough year for us. I know that we are stronger because of the things that we experienced and our faith in God is stronger then ever before. Even though it was the hardest year of our lives, I realize that we also received many blessings in 2010. We continue to remind ourselves of these things and thank God daily for them. We hope and pray that 2011 will be a good year for us. We are excited to see what God has in store for our family. We hope that 2011 brings much happiness to you too!

This little boy continues to bless us everyday!

Last picture of 2010!!

2011 please be good to us:)

White Christmas!

2011-01-03T09:07:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve morning this year. Santa came to our house and then we drove (a long mile!) to my parents house to celebrate with them. We opened presents and then enjoyed a yummy breakfast. We had a great Christmas Eve morning. We then loaded up and hit the road to visit Todd's family in St. Charles. We were a little concerned about the weather...they were calling for 3-5 inches of snow in the area. We were starting to wonder where all this snow was and then finally we ran into it just outside of St. Louis. It was gorgeous! It was so exciting to have snow on Christmas. I don't remember ever having a white Christmas. We had a great Christmas this year!!

Hudson checking out what Santa brought!

He loved opening presents!

He even helped mommy open hers...

and helping daddy!

Ella Kate loved her new guitar from Hudson!

Christmas in St. Charles

Sweet Jackson

The boys loved playing in the snow!

Todd pulling the boys around on the sled.

They loved it!

Our first white Christmas!

Santa's little reindeer

2010-12-27T22:03:00.003-06:00

My sister-in-law starting monograming and has been making cute clothes for my niece. She decided to be make Hudson and Ella Kate matching reindeer shirts to wear this year. They turned out really cute. This was our attempt to get a picture of them in their matching shirts. Ella Kate was perfect (notice "Elfie" in the tree making sure she was on her best behavior!) and Hudson was not having anything to do with a photo shoot! So we took lots of pictures. Not sure we ever got "the one" but we still had a good laugh during our attempt. Hope this puts a little smile on your face too!

Take 1:

Hudson was a little upset about taking pictures...

Take 2:

Hudson still not excited about pictures...

Take 100!

As good as it's going to get.

I love seeing these two together! I thought they were pretty cute in their matching shirts.

Ella Kate was loving posing for all the cameras!

That's our sweet boy:)

Finally, I got a sweet smile out of him!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T23:27:00.005-06:00

From our family to yours....

We have had a wonderful Christmas so far! We hope you are enjoying your celebrations as much as we are! We are in St. Charles for a few days with the Lewis family. We are having a great time! Lots of updates coming soon!

Garth Brooks!!!

2010-12-25T14:54:00.004-06:00

To say that I have waited my whole life to for this moment is a little exaggeration but I was really, really excited when I found out Garth Brooks was going to be doing a benefit concert in Nashville. We were hoping we would be able to get tickets to his show. We were a little bummed when we didn't get tickets....but then he opened up eight more shows! So we were really excited when we got tickets to the Sunday night show. I could not wait to finally see him in concert. I'm pretty sure I cried (really I did!) when he finally took the stage. He puts on a great show and he loves entertaining the crowd. He raised over $5 million for the flood relief, not to mention all the hotels and restaurants in the downtown area that benefited from the nine sold out shows in the one week period. Thank you Garth for an awesome show!

Thank you, Garth!

The greatest country singer of all time!

Hello, Garth!!

Taking one last bow after multiple encores!

Leaving Garth....

Family Fun!

2010-12-25T14:26:00.005-06:00

Every year the my moms side of the family gets together a week or two before Christmas for a get together. This year was a little bittersweet since Grandmother Miller wasn't with us to celebrate. She always loved having us all together. When we were younger she would have lots of fun (and silly!) activities planned. Sometimes it would be a skit for all the grandkids (there were nine of us!) to do, a game to play or just a fun way for us to get our gifts. We still laugh at some of the things she made us do but we are so thankful for all the memories we shared. The holidays just aren't the same without her and we miss her so much. I really wish she could be with us to celebrate during times like these.

My dad and my sister in law chatting away

My wonderful cousins:)

Chad and Brandy came in from Colorado to be with us for the weekend. We loved having them home during the holidays. We don't get to see them enough and we miss them when they aren't here. Hudson loved getting to spend time with them. They always spoil him when they are here. This time was no different!

The same day we also had a tea for my cousin Josh and his new wife Katie. They got married in Vegas in October so his parents threw wanted to have a celebration to honor their new marriage. We are so happy to have Katie in our family and we are really excited that Josh finally made her his wife!

Josh and his new wife Katie!

A Bunko Christmas

2010-12-15T20:01:00.006-06:00

Every year, my Bunko group gets together for a Christmas party. We all bring tons of food and a gift. Sometime we draw names but we usually just play dirty santa. It's much more fun that way! We love stealing each others gifts. I think this year we were all pretty happy with the gift we ended up with. I admit I was a little sad when my original gift got stolen but I was very happy with the ThirtyOne bag I took home! I really just enjoy spending time with these girls. We always have so much fun and enjoy our night together with just us girls. We missed some of our regular girls but we enjoyed having our subs join us for the fun. I am so thankful for these girls! One I have known since we were five, another one has been with me through everything since sixth grade and some are friends from high school and college. No matter how long I have known them, we each share memories that will last a lifetime!

The table of food....after we started eating. Everything was so yummy! I might even have to share a few of the recipes with you. My friend Amy made a delicious hot bacon dip. I will be making in soon!

No holiday gathering is complete without Oreo balls! Oops...Looks like one is missing!

All this gifts!

I forgot to take a picture of us with our gifts but thanks to the self timer on my camera I was able to get a group shot:

Take 1:

Where's Monica?

Take 2:

Where's Allison?

Take 3:

Much better!

I can not tell you how much I love these girls!!!

Prayer request....

2010-12-15T08:33:00.010-06:00

Please Pray for this family. They lost one of their twin daughters, Evie. I do not know them personally but I heard of them through my friend Desiree's blog. From what I understand she passed away in her sleep. She was only 20 months old. I can not even begin to imagine what this family is going through. Please keep them in your prayers.

http://www.threedoodles.blogspot.com/

Please pray for Summer, she is a family member of a friend of mine from high school. She had cancer and was in remission and recently found out it has returned. The prognosis is not good. She had surgery today and the cancer has spread. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. They need peace and strength in the days ahead.

Gray Skies are Going to Clear Up: Update From Summer's Sister, Lynley

A Christmas Program

2010-12-14T08:38:00.005-06:00

Sunday night was our Christmas program at church. It was so cute seeing all the kids in their cute Christmas outfits. We have a mentoring program at church so a lot of these kids participate in the program. The kids took turns singing songs, reading poems and telling jokes about Christmas. They were all so proud of the part they played and took pride in it. The Skykidz (the children's church that Hudson takes part in) also sang a few songs for us. Hudson went right up on stage for the first song. He was perfect. Then, it was time for the second song and he cried and he was not about to go on stage! It was really funny! They kids were singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and so the whole way back to his seat he cried "Twinkle Twinkle!" He loves to sing but I guess he didn't want to sing in front of an audience.

All the kids singing Away in a Manger.

Look at our little man!!

At the end of the program all the kids sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

We had to take some pictures of our handsome boy once we got home!

Most of you know we love trains on our boy...so he had to have this sweater. I had my eyes on it for awhile and as soon as it went on sale I ordered it. It is actually a little big on him this year so I am hoping he can wear it next year too.

Love this boy!

The boys

Let the Christmas fun begin!

2010-12-11T14:09:00.002-06:00

We were so excited to put up the Christmas tree this year. Hudson is fascinated with lights so we knew he would love the lights on the tree. We decided to put our tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving this year. The first year we were married we put it up on Halloween. We thought about doing that again this year- but with all the kids I have in and out of the house we decided to wait a little bit. Hudson was a little confused as to to why there was a tree in our living room but after a few minutes he was very excited. We waited to do the ornaments so that he could help us. He loved getting to help decorate the tree. He has only taken a few ornaments off since then! He has even opened a present. Wonder how many times that will happen before Santa comes?!

Just give him a box and a tree and he is one happy boy!

I took this with my phone so the quality isn't great but then I went and got my camera and we had a little photo shoot. He sat in his box by the tree and would go and get books and toys and just sit. He was very content with his box.

The best Christmas present of all!

Here is what we are thankful for....

2010-12-10T09:30:00.008-06:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year! We have a happy, healthy two year old little boy. Everyday he does something new and he brightens our day with his precious smile. Todd has a job that he loves and keeps him very busy. I am blessed to be able to stay home with Hudson and have been given the opportunity to keep other precious kids in the process! God has provided so many opportunities for us and we are so thankful! We have become part of a new church family that we love. They have helped us grow closer to God and comforted us tremendously in the last few weeks. We are so blessed to be a part of the Skyline family. We also have awesome friends. Some we have known a long time and some we have only known a little while. We are so thankful for each and every one of you! Our families....I could write for days about our families. We are both blessed with wonderful parents. They would do anything for us and Hudson. We are both very close to our siblings and their spouses. We both got lucky and inherited some pretty great in laws! Not to mention our precious niece and nephew!

We can not thank God enough for all that he has blessed us with!

Hudson is thankful for:

Mommy and Daddy

Yummy Turkey

and

Football!!

You Are God Alone

2010-12-09T09:31:00.008-06:00

The past few weeks have been some of the hardest days we have ever faced. I know that our faith in God has grown stronger. Our marriage has grown in a way that I never thought was possible. We have realized that everything comes from God. We would have nothing if it weren't for Him. The Sunday that Grandmother passed away...and we had just found out we were pregnant. We sang this song in church...

You are not a God
Created by human hands
You are not a god
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a god
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is

CHORUS
You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You’re the only God
Whose power none can contend
You’re the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You’re the only God
Who’s worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And that’s just the way it is

I cried all the way through it. The words are so powerful. This song really hit home to me that day. We have sang this at church in the weeks since her death and our miscarriage (a word I am still not comfortable with using) and it still gets to me.

God is with us...in the good times and the bad times. He will continue to provide for us. He will get us through this.

Babbling Brooke: Christmas Memories

2010-12-08T21:09:00.003-06:00

My friend Brooke wrote this awesome post on her blog. I just had to share it with you.

Babbling Brooke: Christmas Memories: " Last night we had our small group Christmas party. It was hosted by our leaders Danny and Susie Walker ..."

Ups and Downs.....

2010-12-08T12:20:00.007-06:00

The months of October and November were full of ups and downs for us. On October 21, Todd and I were excited to find out that we were expecting another baby. We had planned this pregnancy perfect. I was due July 1st. Todd would be out of school and it was during the summer which means not during high school football season. We knew we had to get pregnant by a certain time or we would take a chance of having a football season baby. We were thrilled when things went according to plan.

Then three days later my precious Grandmother Miller passed away. We were heartbroken. She lived an amazing 90 years and she passed peacefully in her sleep. Just the way she would have wanted to go be with the Lord. It is still never easy to loose someone that means so much to you and you love dearly.

Fast forward to the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I was eight weeks and four days pregnant. We were so excited for our first check-up. We went in for our ultrasound and were amazed to see our precious little baby on the monitor. I remember thinking something just didn't seem right but I just played it off to me being paranoid....as usual. Then the ultrasound tech tells us that she isn't seeing a heartbeat. My heart literally fell into my stomach. I asked her if she should see one at this point and she proceeded to explain that from the looks of things it had just happened. The baby measured 8 weeks and 4 days. Exactly where it should have. She said that we may not be able to hear the heartbeat but at this point we should be able to see it.

We were devastated. I don't know that my heart has ever hurt so much.

I had just dealt with the loss of Grandmother but this loss was much different. GiGi(what her great-grandchildren called her!) lead a long, amazing life and our little baby never had a chance. We spent a long time with our doctor discussing our options and he continued to reassure us that it was not our fault, nothing we did caused this to happen and so on. At the time I couldn't see it that way. I went over the last few days in my head trying to figure out what I had done wrong.

We went on to Arkansas to celebrate Thanksgiving with my dads family. It was nice to get away and try not to think about things. We enjoyed our time together. It was also nice to be reminded what all we have to be thankful for. We tried really hard to focus on these things. We spent lots of time praying and thanking God for the many blessings in our lives. We continue to realize that God does have a plan for us and His timing is perfect. We have been overwhelmed with the thoughts and prayers on our behalf. We have an amazing new church family that has showered us with prayers, love and hugs. We are so thankful for these wonderful people that God has placed in our lives. We realize we are blessed with amazing family and friends that love us.

We also have this precious little guy.....

Our little scare crow at Trunk or Treat at church

Our precious family at the Pumpkin Patch. I am so thankful for these two boys!

Hudson Junction!

2010-11-01T08:50:00.007-05:00

Hudson is officially TWO! I can not believe it!

We celebrated his birthday with Nana and Poppa on his official birthday. We also had a party Labor Day weekend with family and friends. He had a train party and it was perfect. We are so blessed with so many people that love our sweet boy!

He is becoming such a big boy. He is a very active two year old. He keeps mommy and daddy very busy! He loves trains, cars or pretty much anything that has wheels! He loves animals, especially horses. He LOVES to sing! And he can carry a tune much better than his mommy! His favorite songs to sing are the ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider and any song from Bible class. He loves going to Bible class and singing in church. We pray every night before bed and he prays for the sweetest things. We enjoy every second with our sweet boy! We love watching you grow and we know God has amazing things in store for you!

Hudson's delicious cake from Dumplin's

Hudson with Aunt Cece!

Hudson opening his presents

Wow! More presents!

Mommy and Daddy helping Hudson blow out his candles.

Jackson pushing Hudson on his new train.

Anniversary Weekend!

2010-10-22T09:19:00.003-05:00

Todd and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on July 21! The following weekend we left Hudson with my parents and went to Nashville for the night. It was so nice just to get away. We enjoyed dinner at Cheesecake Factory in Greenhills. It is one of our favorite places to go and we try going there to celebrate everything. The closest one is in Nashville but it is so worth the drive for us to go there. Then on Sunday, we attended church in Brentwood at the church I attended when I was living in Nashville. It was nice seeing old faces but it was so weird not having Hudson with us. Then we headed back home. We had to make one stop along the way....

The Loveless Cafe. Amazing!!

We are already planning our next trip to this famous Nashville cafe!

Ella Kate turns 3!

2010-10-21T08:27:00.003-05:00

In July, we celebrated our sweet nieces third birthday! I can not believe this sweet girl is already three. It seems like yesterday we were all at the hospital waiting for her early arrival. We all prayed over her as she spend the first thirteen days of her precious life in the NICU! It was such a scary time for all of us, especially my brother and his wife. We thanked God that both Ella Kate and her mommy were finally able to go home. Thank you God for blessing us with the beautiful girl!

Ella Kate turns 3!

Riding her new four wheeler from her mommy and daddy!

Wish I knew what these two were up to....

Aunt B loves her Ella Kate!

Dallas!

2010-10-20T12:02:00.008-05:00

In July, we went to Dallas to celebrate our sweet nephews first birthday. We enjoyed getting to spend time with Todd's brother and his family. Todd's parents also flew in from St. Louis for the big bash! We had a great time. Here are lots of pictures from our trip:

No trip to Dallas is complete without a trip to Southfork! Byron and Jennifer live just a few miles from this famous ranch. So while they were both at work on Thursday we did a little sight seeing.

Hudson and I at Southfork Ranch

Hudson showing off his fire hat from Firehouse subs. If you have ever been to Firehouse you know the subs are amazing!

Hudson and Jackson loved taking turns pushing each other. It was so fun to see the boys playing and interacting with one another. They also enjoyed getting baths together every night! We got very spoiled having them together for almost a whole week. We made lots of memories!

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Another fun thing that we did was Downtown Dallas. We went to the Dallas Children's Hospital to see the train exhibit. It was very neat. Hudson loved looking at the trains going all around the track. It is a free exhibit inside the hospital for the kids to go look at and get their mind off of their illness.

Hudson's first trip to the Grassy Knoll. Todd and I both took turns running and getting our pictures made standing on the "X" where President Kennedy was shot.

Last stop was the Dallas Children's Museum. We had a lot of fun. Hudson loved getting to run around all over the place!

One of our many attempts to get a picture of PePaw and Mimi with the boys. This is the closest thing we got! We had a great time in Dallas and are so glad we got to spend so much time with all of the family. We are looking forward to our next trip!

Trip to St. Louis

2010-09-30T10:06:00.006-05:00

In June, we went to St. Louis to visit Todd's family for a few days. We don't get to go there as much as we would like. We always enjoy our visits there. This trip was no different.

Hudson was so excited about going to see Mimi and Pepaw!

No trip to St. Louis is complete without a stop at Lambert's. Hudson loved watching Todd catch the rolls and he LOVED getting to eat them.

We also attended the retirement party of the teacher that I worked with when we lived in St. Louis. I loved getting to see my old co-workers. I miss them all so much!

We took Hudson to ride the carousel at Faust park. He wasn't so sure about it at first but once he did it he had so much fun! I think we will be visiting the carousel a lot in the future!

Hudson doing a sticker book with his MiMi! He loves getting to spend time with them!

Busy Busy!

2010-09-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

I realize I have neglected the blog a lot lately. We had a very busy summer. Lots of short trips to visit family and friends. I started back to school last spring and took lots of classes over the summer. High school football season is officially underway and that keeps us busy busy! I am staying very occupied with all my kids that I keep during the day. God has blessed me with so many opportunites and I am so so thankful! I am hoping I can find the time to update a little more reguarly. Hudson is growing every day and is always saying and doing something hilarious! So I feel like I need to share all these new things with you.

So lets back up to Father's Day!

Hudson helping Daddy open his presents.

I made Todd a picture frame with a poem and Hudson's hand prints.

We Love you daddy!

Weekend at Lake Guntersvile

2010-06-30T15:48:00.007-05:00

Every summer we take a trip to Lake Guntersville for the weekend. It is a gorgeous lake in Alabama and we can always have lots of fun when we are there. We spend all day on the lake and then enjoy dinner at one of the yummy restaurants in town. We had great weather and got lots of sun while we were there. Hudson loves the water and jumping off the boat. He is starting to become a little fish!

One of the gorgeous houses on Lake Guntersville

Ella Kate

Zack getting ready to jump at goat island

Zack jumping the little cliff. Todd jumped the bigger one. (By bigger, I mean the 70 foot one!) Cherith and I decided we needed to be the responsible ones and stayed in the boat with the kids!

Love my family!

Tennessee Line

2010-06-30T15:33:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago Todd and I went to Nashville to see Daughtry with my brother and his wife. We had awesome seats on the floor that were just a few rows back from the stage. We had a great time!

Todd and I ar Rippy's before the concert.

Cherith and I trying not to melt in the rain

Daughtry singing one of my Favorites:

Tennessee Line

Hudson's surgery

2010-06-17T21:25:00.012-05:00

In March, we went for Hudson's eye check-up in Memphis. You may remember my post about his new glasses that we were hoping would correct the crossing in his right eye. When we went for his check-up, Dr. H had not seen any improvements and felt that the glasses were actually causing him more problems. He decided that surgery was our best option . We spent about an hour discussing all the possibilities with him and we went ahead and scheduled Hudson's surgery for May 5th.

I actually took this all pretty well. I knew that at some point I was going to "loose it". I just wasn't sure when that might be. I was doing great until the morning of his surgery arrived. Todd, my mom and I got to LeBonheur East in Memphis around 7:30 that morning. We waited and then they called us into one room only to move us into another room. Just when I would think it was time, then it wasn't. When surgery time finally came, Hudson was a champ. He picked out a toy in the bunny room. He chose a cute little monkey. He went with the nurse without any problems. I on the other hand....lost it. I couldn't help but worry about my baby. I just wanted everything to go ok. I got myself together and made my way back to the waiting room. The surgery lasted about an hour. Dr. H came and told us everything went great and we would be called back to see Hudson any minute. I was so thankful when I finally got to see my sweet boy. He was resting in the arms of a sweet nurse. She was wonderful with him and I felt so much better when I finally saw him.

We went back for Hudson's follow-up a week later and the doctor was very impressed with the results from surgery. He made me feel so much better and was very confident the surgery was successful. We will go back for another check-up in August.

Playing before surgery. He had no clue what was about to happen.

Hudson getting some pre-op work done.

Holding my sweet boy after surgery. He was so pitiful.

One of the first things he said after surgery was "yum" when he got his Popsicle! He loved it!

Holding his monkey and paci's. He was so ready to go home!

Sand and Sun!

2010-06-08T10:05:00.005-05:00

For Spring Break we decided to take Hudson to the beach. We had wanted to take him sometime while he was still little but big enough to enjoy it. He loved it!! He loved the "ah wa" as he called it! We could not keep him away from the water. He would run up and down the beach for ever! He has no fear, he would just run into the water and we would run after him. He loved playing in the sand. He loved filling up his bucket with water and playing with all his toys. We are so glad that he enjoyed his first trip to the beach!

My parents tagged along for the trip! We were very excited about them joining us for a little vacation until my dad hurt his back (before the trip). He decided to go on and make the trip with us. He thought he could rest on the way and would feel better once he got there. That didn't happen! He ended up needing emergency back surgery as soon as we got back. He was miserable the whole time we were there. Did not even make it to the beach. We felt so bad for him. So now we just say that we have to go back so that my dad can actually enjoy it this time!

Here are a few pictures from Hudson's first trip to the beach!

Love this!!

He loved playing in the water!

Walking on the beach with mommy

Our family:)

Birthday dinner at McGuires

Hanging out on the balcony

After dinner at The Crab Trap

It's official!!

2010-06-06T22:12:00.005-05:00

We have always wondered just who Hudson looks like. Now we know!!

I got this idea from my friend Brooke's blog and thought it would be fun to try. You should try yours too!

Here is the website:

http://www.myheritage.com

GiGi's 90th Birthday!

2010-04-21T15:53:00.010-05:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated my Grandmother's 90th birthday! It was a great day. We enjoyed getting together as a family and she enjoyed getting to see old friends that she hadn't seen in awhile. We are so thankful for the long life that my Grandmother has lived. She loves her family more than words can say and she reminds us all of that everyday. She loves every second that she gets to spend with her three children, nine grand-children and now her thirteen great-grand children. We are so blessed to have such and amazing women in our lives. My cousin Katie posted this in her blog a few weeks ago about our Grandmother Miller. I think she said it best! http://katiebethandpatmac.tumblr.com/post/498866545/april-7th-1920

The Miller girls

Grandmother with seven of her nine grandchildren.

Grandmother with her grandkids and great-grandkids. You can tell how proud she is of all her grand babies:)

March Madness....

2010-03-21T21:21:00.011-05:00

I am not talking about basketball! Although, we have been busy keeping up with the tournament this year, this time of year is very busy for us. I wouldn't have it any other way. Expect lots of post over the next few weeks. Lots of fun and exciting things going on in Lewis household! Here is just a little bit of what we have been up to the past week.

Hudson waking up from a very long nap!! He has recently decided that he does need a nap. We are so thankful!! Last Sunday he slept for over three hours. It was great! I think the time change threw him off like it did the rest of us.

Showing his muscles!

St. Patrick's Day!!
My little man looks good in his green:)

Hudson helping his daddy do his picks for the tournament. Would you believe Hudson is in the lead?!

We also enjoyed a whole week with KB and the boys! Hudson loved having his cousins over to play!

Sweet sweet boy!

I am pretty sure they love each other:) I can't wait to watch them grow and play together. We are so blessed!

Ready for Spring!

2010-03-15T13:05:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago we had some gorgeous weather. We took advantage of this amazing day and took Hudson to the park. He had been a few times before but this was the first time he was able to get down and run and play. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time here this summer. He LOVED it!

Ready to play!

Swinging with mommy!

Sliding with daddy!

Happy boy!

Hudson's new look!

2010-02-20T10:46:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago we went for Hudson's routine eye check-up. We go every six months to a specialist in Memphis for Hudson's current eye condition. We have known since he was six months old that he was slightly far-sided. The doctor said it may or may not be a problem in the future. Since then we had noticed that his eyes were starting to cross a little. We were expecting the doctor to do something about it this time. I was a little surprised when he recommended glasses. I will admit...I was NOT prepared for that!! He wants us to try these first and see if they can correct the crossing. Surgery is an option but he said that Hudson would be a VERY difficult surgery because of his other eye condition. So we are praying the glasses work and correct the problem without having to have the surgery. We got his glasses about a week later and he was doing great with them....until they broke! We had only had them a week! Well, we got them back yesterday and he is starting to get used to them again. Hopefully, we will go a little longer without breaking them!

Snowed in!

2010-01-30T09:26:00.005-06:00

The weather channel got it right this time! They had been saying a winter storm was heading this way and that is what we got. Thankfully, it was mostly snow with a little sleet in between. We spent most of the day in yesterday and then headed to Nana's so Hudson could play in the snow. He liked it but he just couldn't figure out how to get around in it. He would just fall down and then just crawl around in it! We thought it was pretty cute!

All bundled up!

Hudson crawling in the snow

Me and my snow baby!

Where I left off....

2010-01-30T08:38:00.006-06:00

So back to Christmas! We had a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas with my family in Henderson and New Years in St. Louis. We enjoyed getting to spend lots of time with family and friends.

Hudson reading his Christmas book.

Family pic

GiGi with eleven of her thirteen great-grandbabies. Number fourteen will arrive sometime this summer:)

Me and sweet Keenan!

Cousins and matching PJ's from Nana

Hudson and his new rocking horse

More presents

More presents at Gran and Grandaddy's in St. Louis.

Christmas Surprise!!

2010-01-04T14:59:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago we all got a nice little surprise. It was a Friday afternoon. Todd was already out of school for Christmas break. We had made dinner/movie plans with Zack, Cherith and EK and were looking forward to a fun night with them. I had talked to Zack earlier that morning to make definate plans and I could tell he was in the car. I was asking him what they were doing and he said they were about an hour or so away and they finishing up some stuff for Christmas. Then he proceeded to tell me they were on their way home from Nashville. I thought all this was strange. I thought about why they would be in Nasville and even mentioned to Todd how strange it was. Well, an hour or so later I get a text from my other brother Chad asking if we want to go to dinner later that night. Side note: My brother Chad lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado!! We had not planned on seeing him anytime soon. SO we were very excited that he had made a surprise trip to Tennessee. We enjoyed dinner that night with him and lots of family time that weekend. He enjoyed getting to see Hudson and Ella Kate and they loved spending some time with their Uncle Chad. We were very sad to see him go on Sunday but we are looking forward to him coming again in April. We told him next time he has to bring Brandy with him though:)

Uncle Chad is so much fun!!

Saying "Bye-bye"

Kisses from Ella Kate

Thanksgiving

2010-01-04T10:21:00.003-06:00

I am just now getting around to the Thanksgiving post. Some of you may remember my Thanksgiving post from last year. This year we had planned on spending Thanksgiving with Todd's family in St. Louis. We were planning on leaving Monday of that week and staying through Sunday. Byron, Jennifer and Jackson were flying in from Dallas on Wednesday. On Monday, just before we had planned on leaving, we got the unexpected news that Todd's grandmother Austin had passed away in Montgomery, Alabama. We were all heartbroken. She had been in assisted living there for almost a year. We decided to go on to St. Louis and would just come back early on Friday since funeral arrangements had been planned for Saturday in Florence, Alabama. We had a nice visit in St. Louis with family and friends and also enjoyed getting to see all of the Austin family in Florence. We wish the circumstances could have been different but we were thankful we got to spend some time with them and they all enjoyed talking about all the good times they had with their Grandma. They gave her a wonderful memorial service. I know that her legacy lives on through each of her grandchildren and now her five great-grandchildren.

It's Mickey!

2009-11-11T08:53:00.006-06:00

Remember last year how I was certain that Hudson was going to be a puppy dog for Halloween?! He ended up being a sweet baby cow! Then, I was determined to make sure that I got him that puppy dog costume this year. Well, that didn't happen!! He was something even better than a puppy dog. He was Mickey Mouse!! My sister-in-law was in Memphis shopping a while back and called and told me all about the Mickey and Minnie costumes at the Disney Store. She was getting EK the Minnie one and thought that Hudson needed the Mickey one. I thought he needed it too!! So that was when I forgot all about the hunt for the puppy dog costume and was proud of my sweet, little Mickey Mouse!

Us with our sweet Mickey Boy at Trick-or Trunk.

Mommy and Mickey

Todd with Minne and Mickey!

Thank you Starla!

2009-10-29T09:12:00.009-05:00

The week of Hudson's first birthday I was also going to get his one year pictures made. I was so excited! I bought a precious new outfit and we even got his first haircut. I was very exciting about these VERY important pictures! I was not so excited when I got the proofs. They were horrible!!! I was literally in tears when I saw them. The photographer only spent about thirty minutes with us and didn't seem to care how important these pictures were to me. I learned my lesson about trying a new photographer. A day or two later, I got an email from our wedding photographer about doing some family pics for Christmas cards. It was a sign and a slap in the face for trying someone new. I said YES!! I was so glad she was able to fit us into her schedule. She made this mommy very happy! She spent over two hours with us and was very patient with us and Hudson. I am so thankful for her and her amazing talent. She is sure to {capture} that perfect shot!

Look at that sweet red headed boy!

We were very blessed to use my Aunt and Uncle's farm for our pictures. They are very special to us and it meant a lot for us to be able to use their home for these special pictures. Starla also took our engagement pictures here. It was neat getting to take new pictures here now that our family has grown.

Hudson loves to clap! This was one of the only ways we could get a good picture of him...without the paci! He was pretty happy considering the next day was when I took him to the doctor with the flu!

Thanks again Starla for sharing your amazing talent with us! We are so thankful to have you to take all our special pictures.

House Divided!

2009-10-28T09:30:00.004-05:00

Everyone knows that Todd is an Alabama fan while and I am a Tennessee fan. This leads to some interesting Saturdays at our house. One that we always look forward to is the Third Saturday in October....which for some reason has turned into the Fourth Saturday in October. Our plan is to make it a tradition to go to the game but haven't been able to make it since Hudson was born. We usually try to get together with friends for the big game. This year we watched it with some other friends who are also a house divided. It is always nice to have some other Tennessee fans to cheer with. We were all on pins and needles the last few seconds of the game. It turned out to be an exciting game and I was really hoping the Vols could have pulled off the upset. Todd was pretty happy with the outcome of the game but he did say it wasn't pretty! I don't think anyone expected it to be that close or that exciting! Until next year........

Homecoming 2009!

2009-10-27T21:32:00.004-05:00

A WHITE OUT was declared at Eagle Stadium for Homecoming 2009 as the Eagles took on the Lexington Tigers. It was a great game but the Eagles were defeated in the last few minutes of the game with a final score of 28-21. It was nice to see lots of old friends from High School and the new ones we have made along the way. The Eagles have their last game Thursday night in Jackson against Liberty! It is a huge game and determines where they stand in the play offs. Good Luck Eagles!!

Hudson loved his pom pom.

Presentation of the Homecoming Court

The Homecoming banner!

You can see more information about the Eagles by visiting their website!http://www.ironeaglefootball.net/

Welcome baby Keenan!

2009-10-26T08:39:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago we had a surprise shower for my cousin KB. Her and her husband were in the process of adopting a newborn baby boy. You can read her awesome blog here http://katiebethandpatmac.tumblr.com/. With their first two adoptions the boys were around the ages of two and three so they didn't have a whole lot of newborn things. I also have to mention that this adoption happened really fast and wasn't expected to happen this soon. SO you can imagine the craziness in her world as she was preparing to bring home her newborn baby. She was coming home one weekend so it was the perfect time to shower her with lots of things for her and her sweet baby!

Opening presents

All babies need Butt Paste

KB with her biggies! They were so excited about getting a baby brother. I also think they were ready to dig into that cake!

Meet Keenan Jakobe McCarthy born on October 3, 2009 at 11:45 p.m. He was 6lbs and 12 ounces. He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! He is an answer to so many prayers! Please continue to pray for him and his new family as they adjust to their new life together. We love you Keenan and we are so happy God blessed all of our lives with you!!

It will happen soon enough!

2009-10-20T09:28:00.007-05:00

I just knew since Hudson started crawling so early that he was going to be walking by now. We have several walking toys and he pushes them and walks all over the place. He is just not ready to let go and take off just yet. He has taken four or five steps between the couch and coffee table and to his cousin Miller but that's all. I am honestly ok with that. I have said before that I am fine with the fact that he isn't walking yet. That means I don't have to chase him any more than I already am! There have only been a couple situations when I have "wished he was walking" and I usually take it back after a few minutes. I would love to see him run to his daddy on the football game after a big win or run around with other kids at a birthday party. I know it will happen soon enough and then I won't be able to keep up with him.

Hudson checking out his new toy from Nana and Poppa

I think I will push it....

This is so fun!!

Flu, flu and more flu...

2009-10-20T08:45:00.008-05:00

The flu has officially invaded our house! Todd came down with it a few weeks ago and then last Saturday my mom came down with it. Hudson has had a cough for a couple weeks and is also getting four new teeth. Then, on Wednesday he had a low grade fever so I broke down and took him to the pediatrician. Guess what? He had the flu! By Thursday, my sis-in-law Cherith and my niece Ella Kate both tested positive for it. So you can imagine how crazy things have been. Then, I had an awful headache that lasted over a week. I finally had to go to the doctor for my headaches. They did some test and everything seems to be ok...just a headache that is probably caused by stress. So three co-pays, two prescriptions of Tamiflu and some muscle relaxers later......we are all feeling much, much better!!

Friday Night Lights!

2009-09-27T15:40:00.009-05:00

Being married to an assistant football coach means lots of Friday nights at the football field! We are loving watching the guys play and see the progress they make from week to week. It's also nice to see that all the hard work and time away from Todd is paying off. I said at the first game, "if they don't win, I am going to be so mad since I never see my husband anymore!!" I am pretty sure they lost that game:) But they are now 2-3 which doesn't sound great but they are 2-0 in the district which is GREAT! That means we are tied for first in the district and still have a really good chance at going to the playoffs! They have already accomplished so much this season, including beating McNairy Central, one of their rivals and a team they haven't beaten since the early 1990's! I was so excited! This Friday is our homecoming game (I am allowed to say "our" since Todd is coaching at my Alma Mater) and they are playing Lexington. It should be a great game and hopefully another moral victory for Todd since he taught in Lexington last year!

Ready for the game!

Here they come!

Ella Kate came for a game. She loved it! She loved seeing Uncle Todd on the field and she really loved the frozen pickle juice....eww!

Hudson watching the game!

A whole new world!

2009-09-09T09:52:00.006-05:00

One of Hudson's big presents he got for his birthday was his new front facing car seat. He barely fit the weight mark, especially since he has had two stomach bugs in the last three months. So we were very excited when we were finally able to get rid of the baby seat and put him in his big boy seat. I will admit it was kind of bittersweet. I am happy that he is a healthy, growing boy and big enough for his new seat, but sad that my baby is turning into a toddler! He looked so big sitting up and looking out the window. It really was like a whole new world for him. He was a very happy boy!! We know that this may not last long and eventually he will hate riding in the car period, but for now we are all enjoying the new seat.

My big boy in his new seat

He loved looking out the window! Now...if we could just get rid of that paci!!

First Birthday Bash!!

2009-09-05T18:49:00.014-05:00

We celebrated Hudson's birthday last Saturday! It was a great day! Hudson was surrounded by so many of our friends and family that love him to pieces. He loved his party, as much as a one year old can. He liked opening his presents and he LOVED his cake. He wasn't real sure what to do at first but eventually he dug into it. He got so many toys, books and clothes, which mommy and daddy were very thankful for. One of his favorites was from Kealeigh, a dump truck filled with blocks. He loves pushing it all over the place and he is actually playing with it now! He also loves to get in it and be pulled around. He is a mess!! Here are lots of pictures from his party....

Hudson opening his presents....with the help of Kealeigh and Ella Kate!

More presents.......

Hudson's star cake! The big cake was similar but square...it was delicious! We of course had to get a Dumplin's cake since that is mommies favorite and we got Chocolate Chip for daddy:)

Singing Happy Birthday!! I will admit...this was the moment I cried. I could not believe that my sweet baby boy was turing one. I am blessed by this child every day!!

Yummy cake:)

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!!

2009-08-28T18:17:00.004-05:00

I can not believe that my sweet baby boy is already ONE year old. It seems likes yesterday we were at the hospital waiting on his arrival and were blessed with this beautiful strawberry-blonde baby boy. Our lives were forever changed that day! I knew I would love being a mommy and it gets better every day. Hudson does something new every day and is growing every second. He is waving "bye bye" and has said it a time or two. He also waves hello. He loves giving high fives and climbing on and off the couch! He all over the place! He is in 12 month clothes and size 4 shoes. He loves to eat....anything we give him. He loves anything from the Mexican place...we go there like twice a week so he better like it:) He loves chicken, mashed potatoes, bananas...and the list goes on!! He is crawling all over the place and cruising around the furniture but really doesn't seem to care about walking just yet. That is fine with me!! We are having the big 1st birthday party tomorrow so for now here are a few of my favorite pictures from Hudson's "birth"day!!

On a side note: Hudson woke up on his special day with a stomach bug.....awful!!! He was pretty pitiful this morning but seems to be doing much better this afternoon. We are hoping he is all better by tomorrow so he can eat some cake!!

Look at that hair!!!

2009-08-25T15:20:00.006-05:00

I love this picture! We had been to the lake and Hudson was getting a much needed bath. It was at this point I realized it was time for him to get a haircut. I was kind of sad and I hated to cut it before he turned one. It was starting to get way to long in the front ant that "whirl wind" as his daddy calls it was getting a little long in the back. I had also scheduled his one year pictures for the week before his birthday so I decided it was time to suck it up and get it cut. He did great!! He was not real sure what was going on and Mrs. Cathy gave him a clip to hold and he was happy as could be. We were thrilled he made it all the way through without shedding a tear. I love his new haircut but I don't like how big it makes him look. Our baby boy is growing up WAY too fast!!

First snips

Showing off his new hair cut!

Two years already?!

2009-08-25T13:27:00.006-05:00

Todd and I celebrated our two year anniversary on July 21. I can not believe we have already been married for two years. It has gone by so fast and we have been blessed with so much during the last two years. Todd was offered a teaching position that allowed us to move back to Tennessee and I was given the opportunity to stay home and baby-sit. We bought our first house and we were blessed with a sweet baby boy! Wow!! God is amazing and proves it everyday! I can't wait to see what he has planned for us next!!

July 21, 2007

July 21, 2008

July 2009

A picture of us with little man before we celebrated our anniversary! I am so so blessed!!

Road trip!!

2009-08-14T14:51:00.004-05:00

Remember how I posted awhile back about our new precious nephew Jackson?! And how we were trying to plan a trip to see him?! We had thought this wouldn't be possible with Todd starting a new school and a new job as an assistant high school football coach. Well, luck was in our favor when the head coach decided to cancel football practice on a Friday. Todd calls me on Thursday from practice and asks me what I think about driving to Dallas all night? I respond "I will be ready when you get here"! So I started packing and we were ready when Todd walked in the door. Todd drove ALL night and Hudson slept most of the way and we arrived in Dallas early Friday morning. We enjoyed our visit with Byron and Jennifer and baby Jackson! I loved seeing Hudson with him....he would look at him and giggle and then try to hit him with a toy. Hopefully, he will be sweeter next time! It will be so sweet watching them play together and grow together.

Loving on Jackson....and a jealous Hudson!

Sweet boy!

Kisses from Hudson

Todd and Hudson telling Jackson bye before we headed back to Tennessee. We were so sad to go because we know how much he will change before we see him again. We are looking forward to our next trip to Dallas...just hoping we have a little more notice and can spend a little more time there. Thanks Byron and Jennifer for letting us invade you for a few days!

Top O' the River!

2009-08-13T14:27:00.004-05:00

We took a mini-vacation in July along with my parents and Zack, Cherith and EK. We wanted to go somewhere fun, not too expensive but still have choices of things to do. We decided to head out on the lake for a few days in Lake Guntersville, Alabama. We had a blast. It was nice to get away for a few days and spend lots of time on the water. Todd and Zack enjoyed jumping off the cliffs and Cherith even joined them for a jump....I on the other hand was not that brave! We even rented a jet ski for the day and we all enjoyed that. We of course had to throw in a shopping day while we were there and ended the weekend by celebrating EK's 2nd birthday! She was so cute and all day would dance and say "It's my birthday"!! We had a great mini-vacation but we are of course always looking forward to the next one! Here are a few....well lots of pictures from our trip!

Todd and I at Lake Guntersville State Park. Hudson was asleep in the car so he missed out on this picture. It is rare to get a pic of just the two of us! If you are ever in the Guntersville area you will want to take a trip to the park. There are tons of deer that roam around and you are sure to spot a few. Some even will come up to your car for you to feed them.

Gorgeous view from one of the restaurants, Top O' the River! The food was yummy and you got lots of it! The babies even enjoyed looking at the menu!

Sweet Cousins!

Ella Kate was being so sweet! She loves "Hudsy Boy"! I hope Hudson realizes that is not his name because we all seem to call him that since EK does! She loves playing with him and sometimes she even shares her toys with him.

Our family:)

A month and a few days later.....

2009-08-07T08:38:00.006-05:00

A month and a few days later I am finally getting around to the 4th of July post. Our family usually gets together at the cabin for the fourth. We usually enjoy a yummy meal together and then head out on the river for a little wake boarding, tubing or anything else you can do on the water!! I love watching the kids play together. Hudson is finally to the age where he can play with his cousins and crawl around after them. He has so much fun and they seem to enjoy it too. Hudson loved his first fourth of July...at least I think he did! He did like the fireworks on tv and danced to the music. Very cute!

Hudson and Miller spending some time together. This is very rare because for the longest Miller would have nothing to do with Hudson. He is finally starting to warm up to him so of course I take pictures of these sweet moments every chance I get!

My little firecracker!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Jackson Parker is here!!

2009-07-05T13:52:00.004-05:00

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our sweet nephew. Jackson Parker Lewis made his appearance into the world Sunday morning around 8:49 weighing 5 pounds and 15 ounces. Mommy and baby are doing great. We are already trying to plan a trip to Dallas to meet the little guy. I will post pictures as soon as I get them! Congrats Byron and Jennifer on a precious baby boy!

We can not wait to meet this precious boy!

Father's Day Fun!

2009-07-05T13:16:00.005-05:00

Todd got an early Fathers Day present the first weekend of June. He and his friend Chad flew to Dallas for a long weekend to visit Byron. While they were there they had the opportunity to see George Strait in Concert at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. They had a lot of fun visiting Byron and his wife Jennifer...who was a trooper and went to the concert EIGHT months pregnant. Yay for her! I know she will love telling Jackson that when he is older. While in Dallas, Todd enjoyed some Texas bar-b-que, Whataburger and some authentic Mexican food. He has not stopped playing George Strait since he got home! Here is a picture of Chad, Byron and Todd in front of the new stadium.

For Father's Day weekend we went to St. Louis to visit Todd's parents. Chad's daughter Carissa's also had her sixth birthday party while we were there. We always have fun at Chad's parties and this one was no different. They had a bouncy house for the kids that even the adults enjoyed jumping in. They had lots of pizza and a cute, yummy cake. On Saturday we went to the pool with Chad and his family for the afternoon. Here is a picture of Hudson in the pool for the first time. He loved it!!

Sunday we enjoyed lunch at Hatfield and McCoys with all the family and Todd also got a sweet card from me and Hudson and book called "My Daddy and Me".

Happy Father's Day Todd! We love you!!!

Hudson meets the lake...

2009-07-01T16:34:00.009-05:00

We have waiting to take Hudson to the lake for the first time and we finaly got the chance to a few weeks ago. We weren't sure how he would do since he wouldn't be able to crawl around and would either have to be in his car seat or have his life jacket on while he was in the boat. Well...he hated the life jacket. He was a little happier in his seat. The first time we put him in the water he was not to crazy about it but he eventually got used to it.

As you can see by the second picture he was not happy at first but I had to share it with you because it was so cute. The next time we went he had turned into our own little surfer dude. He loved it!

So I am a little behind!

2009-07-01T16:06:00.005-05:00

We have had a very busy summer and I have been a horrible blogger. I have gotten way behind on updating you on what has been going on in our crazy busy life. The month of May was very fun and filled with lots of family time and a trip to St. Louis. I also got to celebrate my first Mother's Day. We celebrated last year but Hudson was still in my belly so it was very nice to celebrate with him in my arms this year. We enjoyed lunch with My Grandmother which his Hudson's GiGi. Todd got me some perfume and some make-up...I of course had to help with that. Here is a pic of me with my two favorite boys on my very special day!

We spent Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis visiting Todd's family. We also got to visit with some of our friends while we were there. I also got to spend a little time with some of the Castlio crew which always makes me happy. We always enjoy going back to "the Lou" for a few days and seeing everyone while we were there. I think Todd's parents enjoyed seeing their grand baby too. He kept them on their feet most of the weekend and they realized real quick how active the little guy is. They loved watching him crawl all over the place and laughed at him getting into everything!

Hug a little tighter!

2009-05-13T10:49:00.008-05:00

Some of you may have noticed my link to "Pray for Kayleigh" or you may have heard her story. Baby Kayleigh and the Freeman family have been on my mind for months and I would check on her everyday. Kayleigh was born three months early weighing just a little over a pound. She had over 200 medical procedures including open heart surgery, which made her the smallest baby to ever have open heart surgery. She is a true miracle. The Freeman's lost their sweet Kayleigh after a short eleven months with her. I have cried and kissed and loved on my baby boy more and more since I have learned of this amazing family. They are dealing with something I could not even imagine. If you want to learn more about them and their story you can click on the link to "Pray for Kayleigh" and they are also going to be on an episode of The Doctor's today.

Another family that has been on my mind the past few weeks is the Dodd family. You may remember my post about them and their son who was delivered very premature due to complications. Daniel is growing and seems to be taking to his feeds. Their have been some concerns with his heart and they are remaining optimistic that everything will heal on its own and he will not need surgery. I have thought about them and their family every since I heard of his delivery. I thought of Kimberly who was spending her first Mother's Day watching her baby boy fight for his life. You can get updates on baby Daniel here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/danieldodd.

All of this has made me think how precious life is and how blessed I am. Hudson had a couple health scares at two months and again at four months but neither even compares to what these two families went through and are going through. I was blessed to have a healthy pregnancy and labor and delivery...other than the fact that is lasted WAY too long!! I am so thankful for that. I remember being so thankful when the doctor told me I had made it full term. I was so nervous about having Hudson too early because of everything my sister-in-law had went through the summer before having my niece six weeks early. I just have thought a lot about all of this the past few days and I feel so blessed. I know I get frustrated when I don't get sleep or I can't get anything done without having to stop a gazillion times to get Hudson from getting into something he shouldn't! I wouldn't trade any of it for anything! I have kissed on him more the past few days and held him just a little longer before laying him down for a nap or bed time and I have just looked at that precious face and cried! I am so blessed and so thankful for my sweet baby boy!!! Hudson Miller, I love you more than you will ever know and I could not imagine my life without you!!!

Wordless Wednesday!!

2009-05-06T11:48:00.004-05:00

This is the day of the week where I get to post a picture with out explaining it. I got the idea from some of my other blogger friends and I am not sure where it got started. I love the idea because I am always trying to think of some cute caption for my pictures. I think this one explains itself!!!

What we do when it's not raining!!

2009-05-05T10:54:00.006-05:00

It feels like it has rained for weeks and I am so ready to see some sun. We love when we have nice, pretty days so we can play outside and go for a stroll around the neighborhood. We usually get together with Cherith and Ella Kate so that her and "Kea" can play. Here are a few pics from one of our recent play-dates. We look forward to lots of days like this in the future!

EK and Kea playing with the flowers. They loved being outside!

She is all Farris....tongue out and all!

Hudson enjoyed watching the girls play but he was not happy about having to wear his hat:)

Birthday and Easter! All in the same day!!

2009-05-01T10:12:00.005-05:00

My last family update was Makin' Music weekend and I don't think we have stopped since then. Things are hopefully going to slow down after this weekend. We celebrated Hudson's first Easter and my birthday all in the same day....My birthday falls on Easter every so many years so that is kind of fun:) Hudson loved his Easter basket filled with toys, a giant book and some clothes. We all had lunch together at one of my favorite places, Outback!!! It was a fun day and I was glad to get to spend it with my family.

Hudson looking at his new book! He is going to be so smart:)

Celebrating mommies birthday at Nana and Poppa's!

Prayers for Daniel

2009-04-15T10:31:00.003-05:00

Just a quick prayer request: Some friends of ours from Missouri Nick and Kimberly(Crews) Dodd gave birth to a son, Nixon Daniel Dodd, yesterday. Kimberly was visiting her brother and his family in Connecticut and developed some complications and had an emergency c-section. Daniel was almost sixteen weeks early and weighed one pound and fourteen ounces and was transferred to Yale University Hospital. Please, please pray for them. I thought this would be the best way to get a prayer chain going on their behalf. I know God hears ALL our prayers and I know that the Crews/Dodd family will appreciate them all.

This and that.....

2009-04-11T09:30:00.010-05:00

We have been very busy and I have so much to update about. I will start with last weekend and Makin' Music fun. We always enjoy MM and getting to see old friends. Hudson also seemed to enjoy the show too. He loved looking at all the lights and surprisingly he slept a little during the show.

Hudson is growing everyday and he has started pulling up and standing. As I type he is standing by the couch trying to get his daddy's computer!! He is all over the place with his little "army crawl". I think he could do the "all out crawl" if he wanted too but I think this is much quicker so he chooses it instead. I have a feeling it won't be long and he will be walking all over the place. I am not ready for him to grow up...can we please slow it down just a little?!

He looks so big standing up by the couch!

Waiting for me to get him out of his crib. We loweered the crib that afternoon! Just another one of the many changes taking place in our house. Another very exciting change in our family is that my brother and his family moved back to Tennessee. We are loving having them home and are enjoying spending lots of time with them. I am so happy that Hudson and Ella Kate will be able to play together. She loves her "Hudsy" and loves taking care of him. They are already starting to play together and I know they are going to be the best of friends!

Sweet Cousins:)

Thankful Thursdays!

2009-04-02T20:30:00.003-05:00

1. I am very excited to announce that my brother Zack and his wife Cherith and sweet baby Ella Kate are officially back in Tennessee!! We are so excited they are home and are enjoying getting to spend more time with them.

2. I have also been given a business opportunity that I am very excited about. I am now a Tastefully Simple Consultant. I am very excited about this opportunity and can not wait to see what it has in store for me. (If you are interested in learning more about the company and it's products I would love to tell you about it!!!)

3. Double strollers- I borrowed one from a friend and I have loved getting to use it this week.

4. Clinique bonus time-I am not a huge make-up person but I love waiting until this bonus comes around to get my make-up and then a cute bag for FREE!!!

5. Friends- I am very excited about seeing lots of friends from college this weekend.

6. I am thankful I didn't have to cook tonight. Todd has class on Thursdays so Hudson and I usually go eat at my parents. Tonight was no different!!

7. Gymboree sales- I love that store and love when they have good sales.

8. I am so thankful to God for making all these things possible in my life(> He is so good!!

Thanks Julie!!

2009-03-31T14:19:00.005-05:00

Also, while we were in Montgomery Todd's cousin Julie took some really cute pictures of our little man. She was so good to do this for me. I loved them all but here is one of my favorite!

Can you believe he is already seven months old?! He is still doing the "army" crawl and is getting up on all fours so I know it won't be long before he takes off. He also started waving while we were in Montgomery. He has only done it a few times but it is so cute when he does. He is jabbering like crazy and his favorite words are "baba" and "Dada" but I don't like to say that he is saying "da da" yet. I am still holding out for "Momma"

Visit to Mongomery

2009-03-31T13:56:00.009-05:00

We have been busy, busy, busy!!! It seems like we have something going on every day! I have been loving every minute of it though!! Two weekends ago, we took a little trip to Montgomery, Alabama to visit some of Todd's family. His Grandma Austin had not met Hudson yet and neither had his cousin Allen's family. They were all so anxious to see Hudson, especially his cousin Shelby. We were able to spend a few days with them and even made some new friends while we were there. They were so good to us while we were there and we enjoyed our visit with everyone. Thanks for a great weekend!!

Hudson and Shelby. She was great with him and he loved playing with her too!

Hudson meeting his Great-Grandma Austin.

All the cousins on the Austin side of the family. There are four now but this summer there will be five!! We are all anxiously waiting on the arrival of Jackson Parker Lewis!!

Day at the Zoo!

2009-03-25T14:18:00.004-05:00

Last week was the start of Todd's spring break. He gets two weeks with the first being an optional work week. The kids have a chance to come to school for various activities or make-up work. Two days they went on field trips and one of them just happened to be the Memphis zoo! So Hudson and I decided to go too. I knew he really wouldn't know we were there but I just thought it would be a fun way for us to spend the day together. We were only there for a few hours but we enjoyed our time there. I will say that I hope the next time we make the trip that we are not going with a school full of kids....crazy!

Fun times at the zoo!

We got to see lots of animals. I was very excited about the panda..it was so cute and even sat and ate for us. I was really hoping to see the monkeys and chimpanzees...they are my favorite. We did get Hudson a cute shirt with monkeys and we will definitely be making some more trips in the future.

It's my turn!

2009-03-24T10:10:00.004-05:00

Some of you may remember that back in the fall Hudson wore his Alabama outfit for the SEC Championship game. Well, I finally got my turn to see him in some Tennessee orange! My mom had gotten him this little tee awhile back when she went to Chattanooga for a business trip. I could not wait for him to finally get to wear it. I think he looks pretty good in orange, his daddy proabably thinks differently though. One thing we can agree on is that we will ALL be cheering for the Memphis Tigers in the NCAA Tournament when they take on Mizzou in a few days!

My little Lepricon

2009-03-24T09:05:00.006-05:00

Hudson got to celebrate his first St. Patrick's Day. Hudson and I went shopping with my mom and had lots of fun. While we were out we had so many people comment on Hudson and his red hair. I have to agree he was pretty cute in all his green.

Waiting for Nana to go shopping!

" Kiss Me, I'm Irish"

Cabin Fun

2009-03-18T07:24:00.012-05:00

My aunt has been wanting to get all the girls of the family together for a night at their cabin on the Tennessee River. With Spring Break being this week we had a chance to get away on Sunday night. So my mom and I loaded up with Hudson and my aunt and GiGi (my grandmother) loaded up with Miller and Andre (Katie had to work....sad) and we all headed to the cabin on Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed our night together talking, cooking and even had a chance to watch a movie while Miller and Dre played and played and played. Hudson just played around in the floor and watched as those two big boys ran all over the place. We laughed and said it won't be long and he will be running around with them. On Monday, the Nashville cousins came for the day. We always love getting to see them and see their kids and my grandmother always enjoys us all being together.

Hudson spending some time with GiGi. She loves him to pieces and can't wait to get her hands on him every time she sees him.

Hudson napping on his Nana. He was so tired and he finally gave up.

Singing "Hudson's song" aka "It's a Small World". My mom started singing it to him a while back and he loves it so we sing it a whole lot. Well, Andre wanted to join us. Every few minutes Andre would stop by and want to sing to him. Andre would say let sing to "El Kate" and I would say that's Hudson and he would say "no its El Kate" and we would do this several times and then finally he said, "Don't tell Hudson". Precious. He continued to call Hudson "El Kate" several times but I would just pretend he didn't...he was so confused. He has loved Ella Kate since she was born so he thinks ALL babies are her.

All the cousins getting together for a picture. This is only half of the great- grand kids. GiGi has twelve and she is so proud of each of them. Maybe one day we can get them ALL together...but who knows if we would ever be able to get them still for a picture!

Something New

2009-03-14T10:25:00.003-05:00

It seems like there is something new with Hudson everyday and I don't want to miss any of it. I keep the camera on me at all times and I feel like the paparazzi at times. Every time he eats something new, plays with a new toy or wears a new outfit I have the camera ready for that perfect shot. Here are a some of the pictures I have taken of these "first" for Hudson.

Hudson tried using a sippy cup for the first time. I have tried giving it to him a few times when he is eating and sometimes he drinks from it and sometimes he just chews on it. Whatever he wants to do with it is fine with me. I had just wanted to see how he would do with it. I thought he did good and I know when he is ready he will do great.

We finally started putting him in his high chair. We had been using his bouncy seat to feed him and that was working out great. Since he is so active and is growing so much we thought it was time for the high chair. I think he is pretty cute!

Thankful Thursdays!

2009-03-12T20:50:00.009-05:00

I have SOOO much to be thankful for this week!

1. I am thankful that Hudson and I are OK....our garage isn't but we are...Long story!

2. Thankful for Christmas money that allowed me to buy a new camera so I can take pictures of our precious precious boy!

3. Hudson is feeling lots better after his ear infection a couple weeks ago.

4. My parents...I am so thankful that they live "close enough we can walk" to their house. My dad runs errands for me and comes over when I need something fixed. We also get to eat dinner with them a lot which I am very thankful for. I don't know what I would do without them here.

5. I am loving teaching the two year old class at church with my cousin Katie...well helping her. I am thankful for the opportunity.

6. Todd is on break the next two weeks!!! He will work intercession the first few days but then we hope to go visit his family in Alabama.

7. Todd's job...he loves it and he works so hard to support us. I am so thankful for that.

8. My amazing friends. We get together once a month and play Bunco. We have a blast!

9. All my pregnant friends have had healthy pregnancies so far and I am so happy for each of them.

10. My friend Heather. We don't get to see each other as much as we would like but I sure do love her!

So I splurged...

2009-03-10T13:01:00.002-05:00

I have been wanting a new digital camera or camcorder for a while now. I have searched and thought and searched and thought and just decided to wait until I could find the one I really wanted. Well, Todd and I had a "date night" Saturday and after dinner we decided to go browse at Best Buy.....BAD idea! I was looking at all the different ones and talking to the sales associate about what I was wanting and my dilemma....that I need a good camera and a video camera but obviously could not afford to get both right now. She was so nice to listen to me babble for awhile:) I found one I liked and then she proceeded to tell me about this ten percent off promo they were having....SOLD!!! I was excited to finally get my new camera although nothing was wrong with my other one, I just felt like I needed an upgrade:) I love it AND it has a video camera so I got a memory card that will hold two hours of video footage...problem solved!! Here are some of the first pictures I took with the new camera.

So if you know anyone needing a Canon Power Shot A560 please let me know. I would love to sell it!!!