~Missing...

Today we stayed home from church, again... Last week Hudson had a cold and this week his eye is a little red and swollen. We think it has to do with his allergies but we are not 100% sure.

I really hate that we have missed the past 2 Sundays. When we are not at church I feel like something is missing. I know that you can have church anywhere, but it just feels good to be in the house of the Lord. Plus, I miss the music and the preaching... :)

Yesterday we spent half of the day with my parents. We had a blast and Hudson really enjoyed seeing them. He actually cried for my Dad when we put him in the car... I know it made them feel good but it probably made them sad at the same time. We did get a few cute pics of Hudson with my parents...I will post them as soon as I get them off of my camera. Days like yesterday cause me to really hate the fact that they live so far away. Why is it when I did not have children they lived only 7 mins away? Now that we have Hudson, they are 2 1/2 hrs away... Something just does not seem right with this picture!! I pray constantly that God will move them back...if it is not in the same county, then at least a few counties closer. A girl can wish can't she??

I hope everyone is enjoying the 1st day of spring... The pollen will be here before too long!

~New look...

As you can see, the blog has taken on a new look... I am not happy with the header, so it is still a work in progress.

There is not much new to talk about. Hudson is almost 20 mos old and I am finally able to lay him down at night w/o having to rock him completely to sleep. We still have our little snuggle time so that is nice for the both of us. I am not having such wonderful luck when it comes to nap time. Check back in a week or so... :)

The earthquake in Japan has hit a little close to home for our family. My Mamaw is from Japan and her entire family is still there. From what we heard, our family is located about 3 hours from where the tsunami hit but they still felt the aftershocks from the earthquake. I pray for the ones that have lost their life or their loved ones in this destruction.

With all of the destruction and wars going on around the world really has me thinking a lot about the end times... Growing up in church we always heard about how the Lord was going to come back... I never thought it would be during my life or my child's life time but I am really starting to think differently. I know that the Bible tells us that no one will know the day or the time that the Lord will come back - that is why we should live our life as if he were to come back today... but, it still makes you wonder - doesn't it.

I just pray that everyone of my family members and friends know the Lord in an intimate way and that they are ready for his return.

Are you ready?? Do you know the Lord as your savior??

~A little visit...

Yesterday, Hudson and I went to visit my Mawmaw...she is my Dad's Mom. Hudson knew right where we were when we pulled up to her house, it was too sweet... She was waiting at the door for us, just a waving.

Her health has not been the best the past couple of years. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer just a few months before I became pregnant with Hudson. I remember that Christmas, going to her house to tell her we were pregnant. She sat at the kitchen table and just cried. She had prayed so hard for us to be able to get pregnant a second time. It was an answer to her many prayers.

So, anyway... Lately she has been struggling with her memory. She turned 84 in February and the family had a large celebration for her a few weekends ago. At her birthday party, Matt took pics of her with all four of her grown kids. I had the pics framed for her, so that was the reason for the visit. She loved the pics but she asked me and my Aunt "when did we take these pictures?? I don't remember...". It is so sad to see her this way. There are times when she can remember and other times when she can not.

But, there is one thing that she will never forget. And that is just how much she loves the Lord. I do not know anyone that loves the Lord like she does. See, she was raised Buddhist. And when she accepted Christ as her Savior, she says that it was a feeling like she had never felt before. She knew that the god she worshipped as a child and young adult was a dead god, but the God she serves now is a living and loving God. I love to hear her talk about the Lord... she can not do it without getting teary eyed...

She is such a wonderful example of God's love... Our family is so very fortunate to have her in our life!!

I will leave you with just a few pics of my sweet Mawmaw..

This is my Dad with his Mom

With her 4 kids

~The Love of Christ

I know everyone who was raised in church or has gone to VBS as a child can recite the following verse: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not parish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16.

This past Sunday, our Pastor started a series on the Love of God. I am so excited about this series b/c it is so hard for me to comprehend how much God truly loves me! Even though God knows every single thing about me, the good, the bad and the ugly, He still loves me... How crazy is that??

Pastor Tim asked the congregation "how many of you have a son"? Now, think about this... Would you be willing to give up your child's life so that someone else could live?? I know I could not! I love Hudson so much that I would not let him die so that someone else could live. But, our God, my God loves us/me so much that he gave his only son to die so that we may live forever! How amazing is that??

The song "You are God alone" has been in my mind since Sunday... If you are not familiar with this song, here are the lyrics... Really think about what you are reading...

You are not a God

Created by human hands

You are not a God

Dependent 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

You 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

Unchangeable

Unshakeable

Unstoppable

That's just what you are

I hope you all know just how much God truly loves you!! Even in your good, ugly and bad times, He still loves you!

~It has been way too long...

**Let me go ahead and warn you - there will be a good many pics in this post to bring you up to date...

I know... it has been a really long time since I last posted here. I had planned to take a break but I did not intend for it to be 7 mos.

Let's see... a lot has been going on around here. We celebrated Hudson's birthday back in July and we had a blast. He is running all over the place now and talking up a storm. We have registered him for pre-k for the fall. I am not sure if I am ready for that but I know he will really enjoy it.

Here is a little list of things Hudson has been up to lately:
*He is 19 mos old
*Wearing 24 mos & 2t size clothes and size 6 & 7 in shoes
*Running all over the house
*Loves to be outside (even if it is really cold out)
*He would watch Barn*ey all day long if we let him
*Really enjoying his class at church on Sunday mornings
*Talking up a storm - even if you can't understand him all of the time
*He can identify 39 out of 54 flash cards
*Loves music and dancing
*At 18 mos check up his weight was 31 lbs and length was 34 1/2 inches long. So, he is in 95th percentile in both weight and height.

*Back in September we took Hudson to his 1st Braves game and he loved it!!!

I am sure there are a lot more but I can not think of them right now.

Here are pics from the past months so you can see how much he has grown...

~11 mos...

I am not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore but I wanted to update to say that Hudson is now 11 mos old. Where has the time gone?? I have not decided if I will keep this blog going once he turns a year old...but I wanted to keep track of what he has been up to during his first year of life.

Hudson has been a true joy in our life this past year. I never thought I would be a Mom and now I can not believe I am about to be a Mom to a one year old. He grows and learns new things almost daily. He keeps us busy and laughing all the time. He truly has his Daddy's personality. He is quiet and laid back but he knows how to make you laugh with just the little things he does.

Here is what he has been up to this past month:
*You are trying to walk but I think Mommy & Daddy need to work harder with you.
*You are wearing 12 mos size clothes
*You still are not sleeping through the night... You will wake every 3-4 hours. Most of the time we can just rock you back to sleep but other nights you may end up in the bed with us.
*You are a great eater which is no surprise... :)
*You can throw a ball really well
*You love to make a mess
*You crawl all over the house
*You love it when the kitty cats are within eye site
*Grammy came and stayed with you the other night so Mommy & Daddy could go on a date. You did so well for her... You did not even cry once and you went to bed with ease that night. I don't think you even woke up at all until the next morning. I think we need Grammy to put you to bed every night.
*You try to "talk" all the time
*You have just started to see how loud you can get

Here are some updated pics of our little Hudman...

~10 mos old.

Hudson is 10 mos old today... I can not believe his 1st birthday is just 2 short mos away!! It is so bitter sweet. Matt & I had waited so long to be parents and now time just seems to go by so fast...too fast!

We received a graduation announcement this week from our former neighbors. I began to think about R & T and how they are probably reminiscing about their son's earlier years. I want to soak in every moment with Hudson b/c before we know it, we will be sending out his graduation announcements. I know it is a long time from now but it will be here before we know it, just like his 1st birthday.

The past couple of days I have started running ideas through my mind regarding his party. I better get started soon on some of these ideas...but it sure is fun planning his party!

Last week we were on our very first family vacation. We went to Amelia Island and it was wonderful. Hudson saw the beach, ocean, turtle (which he called a kitty cat), palm trees for the first time along with many other things. It will be a vacation that I will always remember. Matt & I had spent many days on that beach talking about what it would be like to bring our child there...and we finally did it! A dream come true. Hudson was a real trooper. He slept great on the ride down, did wonderful at night and had a great time all together. We could not have asked for a better time.

Here is what he has been up to lately...
*At your last dr appt you weighed 22 lbs 12 oz and was 29 1/2 inches long. You are in the 75th percentile for your age.
*You went on your first trip to the beach and you LOVED it!! You had a blast crawling on the sand and splashing in the water. You also played in the swimming pool for the first time.
*You took your very first 2 steps at the beach. Of course we were not ready with a camera so we do not have proof. You caught us off guard for sure.
*You can now stand up by yourself with out holding on to anything.
*You now give affection to us and your stuffed animals.
*You will say Momma and Dad Da to the right person.
*You still eat great.
*You are such a little boy... You like to turn all of your toys over and try to dive head first over me & daddy or any toy or object that gets in your way.
*You are starting to dance now... it is too cute to see you shake it!
*You have 6 teeth now - 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. But I think you may be getting more on the bottom soon.
*You have had 6 hair cuts now... We had your hair cut shorter this last time since it is summer time.
*You still love to take a bath and splash the water everywhere.
*You are wearing 9-12 mos clothes and size 4 diapers.

This is all I can think of right now - I am sure there is more. Hudson, you are such a joy to me and your daddy! We could not be more proud to be your parents! We love you so very much baby boy!!! xoxoxo