~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

~9 mos old

This past Sunday, Hudson turned 9 mos old. It is hard to believe that in 3 more months we will celebrate his 1st birthday. I have been busy with ideas running through my mind. Hudson has been a true joy and blessing to us.

Here is what he has been up to lately:
*You have your 9 month well baby check up on Friday. We will find out how much you weigh and your length then. Should be interesting to see how much you weigh now... You are breaking my arm... :)
* You love to stand up by yourself now. You would rather stand up than crawl. I don't think it will be much longer before you try to walk.
*You are such a good boy when we go out to eat. You enjoy watching people - just like your mommy.
*You love playing with your Daddy. But, when it is bed time you want Mommy.
*You have had 5 hair cuts now.
*You love your bath time and to splish-splash in the water. You do not mind getting water in your face and eyes. The more the better.
*You love to say Daddy and Kitty Cat. You whisper when you say Kitty Cat and it is so cute.
*You have your two bottom teeth and you are working on your top 4.
*You have been doing great with sleeping at night. But when your teeth bother you, you will wake up at least 2 times during the night.
*You are a great eater. When you see your bottle or food, you start to smack your lips.
*You can clap and raise your hands above your head.
*When we are playing with one of your toys, you will crawl across the room and try so hard to get it from us. Once you have it, you will play with it for a second and then put it down.
*You are a busy body. You will only play with one thing for a short time before moving on to something else.
*You will be going to the beach for the first time in a few weeks.
*You sat in a swing for the first time last week and really enjoyed it.
*You have a sleeping and eating schedule down now. And, it helps me out a lot.
*You are such a wonderful baby and Mommy & Daddy love you so much!!!!

~Adoption updated...

Please check out our Adoption blog for the update...