Our family of four boys is now complete. We are currently entering a new phase of life... we just returned to the USA after a full and exciting seven years in Mexico City. We are using this year to rest, renew, and re-envision our next steps. I have a funny feeling, though, that there won't be a whole lot of resting in this busy household of boys. Enjoy an insider view of our daily adventures with plenty of pictures of the most handsome men I have ever met!
I am posting a long series of pictures of my four handsome boys because it is a rare occasion to see them in something other than sweatpants, sports uniforms or shorts. We got 'em all dressed up for church one Sunday (pics for the church directory) and I snapped a few pics.
Hudson was not the most co-operative about sitting still and smiling - he would force a strong 'cheeessseeee' and then run off of the bench (see photo below!) He also refused to wear the tie for very long.
Pierce was likely the most natural - flinging his sport coat over his shoulder. What a cutie! One of our friends told us they had not realized we sent Pierce to British boarding school :)
Chase was the most enthusiastic. He loved it! He was insistent on wearing, as he initially called it - a "scarf" around his neck. I told you, we don't dress up much - he confused "tie" with "scarf" but loved looking like his Daddy.
And Reece looks waaayyyy older than we can even believe! I promise, these are NOT his senior pictures.
In the end, they all endured and I have some great pictures as a result. Every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man...
We enjoyed a wonderful day together as a family on Easter Sunday. We went to church in the morning and then headed out to Cave City, KY to visit the Mammoth Caverns. What a wonderful experience - very much a "boy family" kind of trip. Hiking, throwing rocks, caves, darkness, bats. We waited until we got home from our trip to hunt for Easter eggs - it was dark already - (we had intentionally planned it that way) - so we could have a "flashlight egg hunt" under the stars.
It is the simple things that bring big smiles to their faces.
I took a truck load of pictures to capture the day. The pictures will keep bringing a smile to my face for years!
Hiking in the beautiful forest. Checking out the trees and the birds singing.
The entrance to the massive cave (the largest in the world, they say)
Down in the cave.
Hudson!
Pierce.
Chase.
Reece.
My favorite crew of men.
Us.
Hudson, like his big brothers, loved throwing rocks into the valley. We
could have stayed there doing that activity all afternoon.
These 2 trailed way behind on the hike home. Good buddies.
A strong kid!!
Now back at home for the egg hunt. I will say, for the fun they had, it did require some photographic sacrifice on my part. You aren't going to capture great pictures in the dark.
See what I mean? :)
Baskets full. And the great thing was the next morning they dashed outside to find what their flashlights didn't spot...and they collected 17 more! The gift that keeps on giving!
Happy Easter! Thankful for this special day to be together as a family, and
So our new home has a lot of yard to it. A lot of grass. And we have had rain and spring and that grass is growing.
We got the mower going and Benjy set out to tackle the job. It did not take long for me to notice that the grass had grown so long it was leaving a swath behind. So I did what any farm girl would do and got the farmhands out there to do some old-fashioned farm work.
We started with a rake and then realized there was a lot to do - a lot more than one little rake could handle alone. So we got creative and pulled out the snow shovel, and the hockey sticks and we began gathering all of the loose grass into piles. Every one played a part and worked hard for hours as we loaded up our piles into boxes and hauled them off to the neighboring fence to feed the cows. I have great childhood memories of doing that as a kid so it made me smile extra big when Reece said, "wow, this is a lot of work but it actually feels good to work like this."
I captured a few pictures of these hard working boys! What a fun afternoon.
This is the scene I stumbled upon a few days ago. I could not believe my eyes. The Costco bulk package of Benjy's favorite gum - Blue Trident, was.....no more. A certain somebody whose name begins with an H was caught red handed. At first, he thought he was sweet to offer to share...
And then he seemed a little hurt at my not so equally happy response.
There were hundreds of pieces of gum disassembled from the box, the package and some even from the wrapper and then ripped into small pieces. I wonder if his Daddy will notice...
Well, this is a big weekend in basketball for the state of Kentucky. U of L Cardinals and the UK Wildcats in the final four.
Everything and everyone is buzzing - either in blue or in red.
We are new on the scene and actually didn't go to either school :) so last year, as we were settling into our new life we asked the kids who we should root for . In a simple answer Reece said, "well, we do live in Louisville now" and so Louisville it has become. That was enough logical reason for us and also that my husband, by nature, likes to go for the underdog - he is caring and sensitive that way.
The boys are into it. It has been fun to watch their interest in basketball grow over these past weeks. Helps too that we finally assembled the basketball goal that they received for...ummm... Christmas (whatever that the self assembly takes only 2 hours!) Anyway - they are loving it. Huds asks for his shoes the second he wakes up because he wants to "pay baketball". I think the height factor has made him one of the best dribblers in the family so far :)
The other night as I was tucking in the boys we were talking about prayer. I asked them if they talk to God throughout the day and what do they talk to Him about. Chase was quick to answer that he does. When I asked if he would like to share an example, this is what came out of his mouth:
"well, for example, the other day when the game was on...I went out to the swing and asked God to let Baylor beat UK" :)
I am pretty sure that tomorrow he, and many others, will be praying for the Cards!
From the earliest years of being a Mom I would comfort my little ones after a scrape on his knee or a scratch with the explanation that God would put a band-aid on it to help it heal and feel better. So they have grown up referring to scabs as God's band-aids.
Yesterday Chase took a dive on the street with his scooter, sliding with his chest and elbows (just minutes, of course, after I told him to be careful and he said he never ever falls). He was tough and didn't cry, however, he did cover his scrapes with neon bandages. These war wounds apparently initiated a discussion at school today between Chase and his good friend Christian.
Chase was telling me about it this afternoon and it made me smile.
Chase: Mom, explain to me what God's band-aid actually is. (as he is sticking more neon band-aids on his chest)
Me: well, it is a covering He places there to cover up the cut or scrape so it can heal from inside. It protects the opening. It is also called a scab.
Chase: well, Christian says its just skin growing over top of it and I told him it is God's band-aid.
Me: well, Christian is right and so are you.
Chase: ya. (pause). Christian is kind of right and I am totally right. (big smile and confident self assured nod)
The following video will surely convince you why I feel terribly sorry for any of you out there who do not have one of these little creatures in your home to brighten your days. This one melts my heart a hundred times a day with his spontaneous and sweet "I lubb youuu Mommy" 's. As he grows and changes, I know he will start to say it more clearly so I needed to capture it and freeze forever how he sounds right now. Hudson is sweet and silly and absolutely precious. He is growing up fast, but this is a seriously fun stage of life! I'll let you see the video and then, below, you can read the detailed "Hudson in a 2 year old nutshell" bio :)
He wakes up running and full of energy. He has learned to open doors (help!) so when his eyes pop open in the morning, he hops out of his toddler bed and heads for the door. I used to hear him call or bang from the inside, or I would see his tiny fingers reaching under the door, so I would meet him there and slowly open it up and maneuver it around his body - his fingers would grip the edge and he would dodge past me with a smile and squinty eyes from the light and begin running through the house with giggles. But now, as in the past 2 or 3 days, he has learned to open it on his own so I just hear the pitter patter of little feet and the calling of my name. I scoop him up and try to snuggle but he usually is full of determination to get food!
He is beginning to recognize humor and he is quick to point out "that's funny" to anyone in the grocery store or around the dinner table. He shows no preference :) and usually covers his mouth with both hands and sometimes slaps his knee. Ha! He knows how to ham it up and make all of us laugh and when he gets started he is not quick to stop - he will carry on with silly faces and dancing and all of that. Very fun!
He adores his brothers - asking often throughout the day where each of them is...one by one...by name. "where's Reecer", "where's Chaser", "where's Piewsen", and "where's Daddy". Now he is beginning to answer his own question with a confident little head nod as he replies to himself "at wowk" or "at coool" He also needs to pray at every meal and with thanks lists each of us by name. It is so sweet.
One of my favorite phrases that he uses is "I'nnn okay Mommy, I'nn ok" with an assuring head nod and a sort of sweetly sensitive head half tilt and eye squint. He does this when he gets hurt or in reference to him needing to go poop. He has struggled with constipation these past weeks so it is all a little traumatic for him.
He is quick quick to say "sorry" and pat the one he hurt and give hugs. Overall, this guy is a snuggle bug and I can't get enough of it. He still remains a Mommy's boy without doubt.
He still twirls his hair when he is really sleepy. He takes an afternoon nap - sleeps longer if he goes down earlier, and definitely has a hard, hard time going down if it is closer to the boys coming home from school. One of the best ways to get him to go down happily - is to remind him that when he wakes up, he can play with Reece and Chase. He usually says "ok with a giggle" and dives into his pillow. He has this special routine for me to stack the blankets on his little bed, laughing and saying "now dat one, now dat one" He sleeps great at night - usually goes down at 8 and wakes up around 7 - 7:15 (sometimes he wakes at 5:45 but when I open the blinds and show him it is still dark and that everyone (again, listing the family one by one) is still asleep, he goes back into bed happily.
Hudson loves going to class (or "kass") - when I drop Pierce at preschool he wants to go in and stay. He loves to state his desire over and over again to go to kass as soon as we pull up to the church building. He is beginning to take a big interest in coloring or scribbling on my table :)
He responds well to reason and explanation of things and doesn't usually resist too strongly...yet. He knows certain things well and fills in the blank - like: "first we put on your... BUCKLE" he yells. Or, "no toys at the TABLE". Or: "be careful because you are gonna fall and bump your HEAD"
He love love loves songs when we are driving. He is beginning to form an opinion about which ones he likes and which ones he doesn't. For awhile there we were listening to "wave your flag" 32 times a day. Enough is enough!
The boys loves hockey. He always asks to play - grabs his little mini stick and hangs with the big boys. He takes the wooden tinker toy wheels and forms his own little pucks and whacks them around the house. He has a better back-hand than forehand so his NHL future may be on track - ha! As soccer season approaches I am sure he will follow suit and wanna be like the big boys again.
He loves to be outside - always wants his shoes on so he can be ready to go.
Still a picky eater. Loves candy but is learning to accept the many "no's" he gets with a little more grace.
There is so much to say about my favorite 2 year old. He is simply awesome! A day doesn't go by that I don't think of what a blessing he has been and a true true gift of grace to our family. We love you Hudson!
