Spring Break

I realized I haven't officially made the announcement on our blog: We are expecting another baby in September. I will be 15 weeks this week, and I cannot wait to find out if this baby will be a boy or a girl. We find out in April. I have been sick...not a constant sick like with Hudson, but a more powerful kind of sick when it hits. The hardest thing has been the tiredness. This is why I haven't been blogging. I have barely had energy to do anything during Hudson's naps. The good news is my energy is slowly returning!

This past week was Will's spring break. Our main project was Hudson's big boy room. It is almost done! Can't wait to post pics.

We took the little guy to the McWane Center. He loved it!

Easter Tree

We decided to start our Easter tree tradition this year. I am using a blog called "Babe of My Heart" as a resource.

This lady does most of the work for me! She gives the scripture for each day and even tells me what ornament to put on the tree.

I usually try to find the ornament the night before. If I can't find anything, I just ask my talented to husband draw it on paper.

Our tree isn't very attractive to the eye. It is a hodge podge of things we've drawn, made, or found around the house.

Every morning, Hudson and I read the story of the day from the Jesus Storybook Bible. If there isn't a corresponding story, I just summarize it for him. Then, we put the ornament on the tree. He has really been paying attention! At dinner, if Will is home, we read the story from the actual Bible.

I have really enjoyed meditation on God's redemptive story. So far we have looked at faith, creation, the fall, the flood, Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac, Ismael and Jacob, and Jacob's Ladder.

Another idea I read about is from Noel Piper's, "Treasuring Christ in our Traditions" is using white candles at the dinner table during Lent. You need a candle for each Sunday of Lent. During the first week, all the candles are lit during dinner. Each Sunday, you blow a candle out. This signifies the darkness of sin. The night before Easter, every candle is blown out. On Easter Sunday, the candles are once again lit. This represents Jesus being the light of the world. I want to do this, but my son loves candles so much that he wouldn't be able to focus on his dinner while any are lit!

Another Hudson Update

I haven't been great about blogging lately. I think it is time for a Hudson update. It is good for me to think through how he is growing.

He will 22 months old on March 5th. His communication skills have really taken off. He can usually tell me what he wants. A couple of weeks ago, he went to the fridge and said, "Pickle." He is a man after his momma's heart.

He loves cats, Elmo, dirt, cars, (real ones) lamps, lotion bottles, candles, light switches, paint, books, doorbells, and anything electronic.

His perfect morning would include each of the following activities:

playing with a light switch
turning on every lamp in the house
anything related to the car-cranking it, rolling down the windows, turning on the interior lights, adjusting the radio, and operating the garage door opener

We are really working on using our words rather than looking at me and moaning. Please, thank you, all done, more, up, down, hot, cold, help, and uh oh are well integrated into our vocabulary. He suprises us with new words all the time. He can say many words that have to do with our everyday routine.

I've tried, as much as I can, to give his day structure. Our breakfast routine usually includes a story from the Jesus Storybook Bible. We then work through the alphabet using an excellent program called starfall. The website is www.starfall.com. By doing this for 10 minutes every morning, he has learned letters, numbers, animals, and several other words. He asks to do this daily!




Afterwards, I usually give him a little directed play activity to do. This is usually play doh or an activity with puff balls, pipe cleaners, or plastic eggs. I then try to get in a little "room time." Sometimes, I put up his room gate, and other times, I play with him. This is really to teach him "how" to play with his toys, as well as a little independence.



We still do our usual morning outings. Grocery day, storytime, playgroup, and Bible study are all weekly events. I usually try to plan one or two playdates a week as well. The afternoons are flexible. We sometimes venture to parks, run errands, or visit the library. Since the weather is warm, we are able to go to some of Will's soccer games. Most of the time we are home!

I can't believe this little guy is approaching his second birthday.

I have that kid....

So, I usually use this blog to share the sweet moments of life. Those moments that make you smile and marvel at how grand we have it.

Not today.

Hudson and I attended our weekly storytime this morning. Before the last story, the lady gives all of the children a snack. Last week, it was sour gummy worms. Hudson thought they were awesome.

Today, as she passed around the snacks, Hudson sat in my lap saying, "please, please." She finally arrived at him. The snack was Cheez-Its. Immediately, my 21 month old started screaming. He went to her snack pail, grabbed it, and began digging for worms.

I quietly went over and explained to him that the snack was Cheez-Its, and he needed to try one. So, he tried five at once. Then, he proceeded it walk to the middle of the reading circle and spit them on the floor. One baby came over and tried to eat them.

I was mortified. My pride damaged. I didn't want to have that "spoiled" kid. I looked like an awful parent.

I cleaned up the mess, grabbed Hudson, and ran for the door.

I felt really mad at my almost two year old and overwhelmed at the task of teaching him obedience.

This is a hard job. I hope I never look at another mom and judge her for her parenting skills. We are all learning. My task it to help shape this little guy into the man he will become. The process is messy.

He played them well.

Funny story:

We recently went to a family funeral. That isn't the funny part. That was sad. At the graveside, Hudson began to wander off, and I tagged along. He found chimes on a grave several yards away. I couldn't hear the ceremony, so I figured they couldn't hear us. So, I let Hudson play away.

Later, we heard a few ladies mention how beautiful the chimes sounded during the service. No one was sure where they were coming from....

I guess I can tell Hudson that he played the chimes at his great great uncle's funeral. He played them well.

Lately

We are back in our normal "soccer" routine around here! We are so spoiled by having Will home tons in the summer, and then, every afternoon in the fall. We even get him for two whole weeks during Christmas break. By the time soccer season arrives in January, I am unprepared for the long days.

I love being a stay at home mom. I know that conversations can get really heated on this subject, and I in no way believe that this is what every family should do. I am grateful for these days. I love the flexibility it give us. I cherish being Hudson's teacher.

Of course, I deal with insecurities with my "occupation." I sometimes don't want to answer the "what do you do?" question. I wonder if I should have a talent or trade that helps my family. I get insecure when I realize how much money I spend and worry that we will be really poor because of me. I am pretty sure all this is normal.

Being a stay at home mom sometimes gets rough this time of year. It is usually to cold or rainy to go outside. We are often stuck indoors, and Will doesn't get home til Hudson's bedtime. We both crave interaction with people.

So, we go out lots! I know this will change when more kiddos come in the picture, but as for know, it works great for both of us. In addition to Hudson helping me grocery shop and run errands, we attend playgroup, Bible Study, (Hud's goes to nursery) and story time every week. We also try to set up play dates every week either at our house or someone else's house. We usually have a weekly Chick-fil-a date on Friday. As the weather permits, we will start visiting Will and his soccer guys some too.

He learns when he is out. He meets people. He gets energy out. I love being the one introducing this little guy to the world.

He is a big guy too. 20 months old! He is talking more. He isn't stringing words together, but he is getting there! He knows how to climb the Chick-fil-a tunnel. He loves to play at the park, and he has become an expert of taking the stairs to the slide. Which he will do over and over and over. He is interacting with his peers more. I love to watch him play and interact. I think it has hit me that he is a real person. He has a personality. He needs friends. So weird.

As for the rest of us, Will and I are joining a church plant in Helena this Sunday. We are excited to be involved in our community through a local church. We have loved attending and are thrilled to become members!

Will has been snapping pictures on his phone lately. I wanted to share a few:

2012 Goals

Last year we made a few resolutions. As a family, we wanted to pray together everyday and memorize scripture. My personal goal was to read the Bible in a year, do a little gardening, and invite people over more often. Will's goals included limiting his complaining and reading two books. Hudson by far had the most goals this time last year. He planned to walk, talk, run, dance, and be off the bottle by the year 2012.

I'm happy to say we did great on our goals. As a family, we failed to pray together each day, but having it as a goal helped us to pray more. We ended up memorizing two chunks of scripture together. Will read a couple books...including all 3 of the Hunger Games. He also learned lots of self-control with trying not to complain, and in the process, he has encouraged me to watch my complaining spirit. I read the Bible, planted tomatoes, and tried to invite people over more. Of course, Hudson beat us all. He mastered all of his goals way before the end of the year.

As for this next year, I think our main goal as a family is to have family time every night at dinner. This will include a little scripture and prayer. We may throw in some songs or scripture memory. Some nights we may only get in one of these, and we know that sometimes it won't be possible at all. Nevertheless, we know it is important. We want to intentionally seek God together as a family. I don't want Hudson to remember a time that we didn't read, pray, and sing with him.

Personally, we want to be diligent in reading God's Word, praying, and being with God's people. We decided that we would limit our "goals" this year, and rather, we could keep our focus on this! As for Hudson, I really just want to be more intentional with him. There are so many opportunities to teach him. I just want to maximize our time.

As I write this, I really want to check my heart and discover why I am sharing this. I don't want to attempt to appear that we have it all figured out. We are simply trying to raise a family on the foundation of Jesus. I blog for several reasons. Mainly, I want this to be a journal for my family. Secondly, I want this be an avenue to encourage others. This being said, lots goes on in between blog posts. I have days that I simply fail as a wife and mother. We argue. We spend an entire week without having one intentional conversation with each other, let alone praying together. Yet, by the grace of Jesus, we continue pressing forward. We walk in the truth that we are dearly loved the by one that created us.