The Resurrection Changes Everything

My heart overflows today with gratitude to Christ for the Cross. We were blessed this morning to be in a church that truly worshipped Jesus on this day...it was wonderful!! The pastor talked about how the resurrection changes us. Amen!!! I was just talking to Matt on the ride to my mom's about how the resurrection of Jesus is the most glorious part of our faith. Without it, there would be no hope. It was so sweet to worship with other believers and CELEBRATE what Christ has done.

Again, I was so conflicted about how to truly celebrate this with my children. I don't think that I am opposed to "pretending" with them about things, I just think I'm opposed to pretending on the two most glorious days that we celebrate in the Christian faith. I so want my boys to think of Jesus at Christmas and Easter...I want it to be all the more exciting because we have something real to celebrate. Sure, they get baskets and we hunt eggs, but I so badly want them to be able to reflect on how we celebrate one day and know that their mom and dad love Jesus. I pray that they do.

Last year I blogged about a song that I love at Easter, and this year I want to write the words to another that brings joy to my soul.

"Thank you for the CROSS Lord. Thank you for the nail-pierced hands.

Bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came, and gave amazing grace.

Thank you for this love, Lord. Thank you for the price you paid.

Washed me in your cleansing flow, now all I know is your forgiveness and embrace!"

"Worthy is the Lamb!! Seated on the Throne.

Crown Him now with many crowns! He reigns victorious!!

High and lifted up, Jesus Son of God.

The darling of Heaven crucified...Worthy is the Lamb!

Worthy is the Lamb!"

Tonsils Are Gone!

Drinking a milkshake and playing the "Memory Game"
Watching a movie!

Listening and dancing to songs with GaGa and Nonna.

The tonsils are gone! Hudson had his tonsils out yesterday, and the Lord has blessed every aspect of the surgery. It was really something that I was very anxious about...Hudson is an extremely anxious kid when it comes to doctors. I can't imagine where he gets that from : ) He likes to know the plan!

We decided to read him the book about having his tonsils out the night before and I was so afraid that I had made a bad choice because immediately the questions started flowing. The next morning, he was really calm on the way to the surgery center and even watched a movie. The doctor gave him some medicine to keep him calm before they took him back, and I am SO THANFUL! It worked so so well...If I could've had a dose of that we would have been smooth sailing : )

The surgery went great, and Dr. Swain took his tonsils out and put both tubes back in his ears...we are really hoping that it solves his problems. Hudson has done tremendous since the surgery, and I have been so proud of him. He has not complained at all- I really think his issue is more about fear than pain, so I am thankful for the medicine before surgery.

Here are a few specific answers to prayer:

• The medicine calmed him for surgery. He didn't cry when he left us ( and I didn't cry either).
• The surgery went well and Dr. Swain had lots of wisdom about what to do.
• Hudson did not vomit after the anesthesia.
• His pain has been managed very well and he has continued to sleep.

On a funny note, the calming medicine made Hudson act hilarious! At one point the nurse asked him how old he is, and when he held up 4 fingers, it must've looked really funny to him. He then started to swat at the non-existent things floating in the air. We couldn't help but laugh at him...It was good stuff apparently :) So, thank you all for your prayers! Please continue...they saw that he had bronchitis when they were doing the surgery (which they wouldn't have done if they had known before). So, pray that there are no complications with that, and pray that his pain will contnue to be managed during his recovery. The Lord has been so faithful!

Little Micah

Look how artistic he is! Yep...he used his marker ON MY WALL...and I took a picture. Spoiled.

Second time he's fallen asleep in his high chair. This time with a piece of biscuit in his mouth! This is heaven for this little man. Brother loves to eat.

I mean, couldn't you just eat him?

Micah doo is the sweetest, cuddliest little man ever. I have totally spoiled him rotten. I definitely have given it my best shot : ) What will I do when my baby is the LAST baby? Man, they'll be spoiled. Micah has really come into his own personality lately. He loves to be sitting on someone's hip...he definitely is a snuggler. He loves to be on a schedule...he is like clockwork when it comes to nap time and bed time. For this I am thankful. He loves Hudson so much and screams "bubba" all the time. I love it. Here are some of his favorite words/phrases:

M: "Micah, what do you want for breakfast?"

M: "Hut moo" (Oatmeal)

M: "Moooooooommmmmmeeeeeeeee!"

M: "What, Micah?"

M: "Ball."

Not kidding. This is the way the conversation goes atleast ten times a day.

M: "Aaaaaaaah.....Go!" Then he begins running through the house. Daily.

M: "Weeed. Booo." (Read book.)

M: "Soooh, mommy. Pea." (Juice, mommy. Please.)

M: "Mar mar". He says this when he wants to sing the song, "I may never march in the infantry...etc." Sweet.

Hudson Quotes

Here are the boys with their cousins, Hunter and Reagan. Hudson is obsessed with them...he thinks they are the absolute greatest.

A little time with mommy.

This is at Hudson's school. They had a firetruck come by and that was awesome.

Hudson is such a fun kid. He talks ALL THE TIME...seriously. His mind is always turning, so we are never lacking for conversation. Here are a few new quotes:

M: "Hudson, what do you want for lunch?"

H: "It matters to you."

I think this is so funny. Instead of saying, "Whatever you want.", or "You choose.", he says, "It matters to you.". It's cute.

H: "Why you tee tee like that?"

M: "Cause that's the way girls tee tee."

H: "I tee tee standing up."

H: "Where does water go when you take a bath?"

This was a loooong conversation. He is not easily appeased when he doesn't understand something.

H: (Holding his toy gun.) "Who wants to get shoot?"

M: "Hudson, we don't pretend to shoot people."

H: "I know, mommy. But, it's my job."

H: "Gracie didn't feel good at school."

M: "Really? What was wrong?"

H: "Wuuul, her didn't feel good and her heart was beepin'."

H: "Mommy, this is spicy."

M: "You don't have to eat it."

H: "Yeah, cause it's got hot burn in it."

Bahahah! He's heard Matt say one too many times that something has given him "heart burn".

H: "Micah. Is that good manners?"

H: "Dadddy!!!!! My big boys (underwear) have a hole in them!"

He was soooo excited about this! The fact that he found a NEW way to go tee tee without pulling the big boys down was like the most exciting thing that's ever happened. Several times I saw him in the bathroom squirming because he needed to go so bad, but he REFUSED to pull the big boys down. Hilarious.

My BABY is FOUR

What?? How in the world am I old enough to have a 4 yr old? I really can't believe it. I feel like 4 is so much older than 3. Here are a few pics from Hudson's birthday party. He requested a party at "Pete's Party Castle", and so that is where we partied. It was really a lot of fun and I appreciate all of you coming and celebrating with us...even though it was in the middle of the SEC Championship game :-) My bad.

Here's the Birthday boy hugging "Pete". This blows my mind. He's usually scared out of his mind, but not on this day. Maybe it's because he's 4 now.

I LOVE this picture. He was so "assited" (aka excited) about his party.

Hudson and Annalee riding the train...his favorite part at Pete's.

Isn't this the cutest little table set up? I loved it.

And here's Hudson's train table that he got for his birthday. It's perfect. It fits underneath the bed...a huge plus for storage!

Hudson is such a joy. He changed our lives forever four years ago and I can not imagine life without him. Matt and I can't remember what we did before kids : ). Some of Hudson's strengths are: he's a thinker...sometimes this drives me totally insane. He needs to know the plan and asks a million questions a day, but really I think it will be a strength. He will definitely think for his family and make decisions based on details...his future wife will probably have a love/hate relationship with that characteristic. He's also very artistic. He loves to write and draw...I hope he got his daddy's gift. And here are a few recent Hudson convos:

Setting: It was raining this morning and we hear thunder.

Micah: (Boohoo crying because he's scared)

Hudson: "It's ok, Micah. It's just 'tunther' (thunder). Nothing to be scared of." (then pauses to think)

"But if it's real loud...then I will be scared."

Setting: On our way home after traveling for Christmas to see our families. We were literally 10 minutes from home after 2 hrs and 15 minutes in the van.

Hudson: "I'm hotttttttttt!!" (in the whiniest voice you've ever heard)

M: "Ok. We'll roll your window down for a minute." We roll down the window and he loses his mind for a few minutes telling us he's still hot etc. etc. etc.

M: "Hudson! You are fine. Not another word until we get home. We are almost there."

H: Silent for a couple of minutes. "I love ya'll."

M: "Aw, that's sweet buddy. We love you too."

H: "Yeah, cause we trust God."

M: "We do. What made you think of that? Is that what you talked about in church this morning?

H: "No. When you trust God, you obey."

M: Sensing a seriously teachable moment here : ) "That's right. And who does God tell you to obey?"

H: "Mommy and daddy."

M: "Yes. And what did your mommy and daddy tell you to do?"

H: "And He's willie (really) powerful!!!!!!"

M: "He is."

H: "Yeah, and He can do ANYTHING!"

M: "Sure."

H: "And when I'm hot....I can tell Him. And he can fix it."

M: "Well, that's true. He can fix it. And He wants you to tell Him whatever you want to tell Him." Totally laughing on the inside now because I see where he was going with this.

H: "Yeah and He telled (told) me you shouldn't tell me to be quiet."

M: "Oh really? I didn't hear Him say that."

H: "I did. I 'heeyurd' (heard) Him. He said that."

Bahahah! I guess all the while, he was trying to teach ME. Though I don't necessarily love the way this convo ended up, I DO love the fact that his need was to cool off and he thought God could meet that need. Amen and Amen! He CAN meet that need...and I believe He is totally interested in that need. We really struggled to make Christmas all about Jesus...and I'll post more on this later, but we decided not to emphasize Santa in hopes that Jesus would be emphasized more. So, though I don't totally love the ending of this conversation, I LOVE the fact that Hudson thought about talking to God about His need and not Santa. I counted it as sweet fruit from the Lord and hope we have many more similar conversations.

More posts to come soon...included Christmas, Micah's update, and some resolutions for 2011. Man, I have a lot of catching up to do.

Thankful

Here are a few things I am thankful for this season:

• I am thankful that the LORD of the Universe decided to make me His child. I am overcome all the more with the magnitude of what He did for me. I am praying that it will become more and more real in my heart over this Holiday Season, and that it won't be all about gifts and decorations (though I love gifts and decorations), but that it will be about a long anticipated Savior. Oh how I pray that my children will see JESUS by the way we celebrate His birth.


• I am thankful that God's Word is living and pierces my soul.


• I am thankful for my family. Especially for those three sweet men in my life: Matt, Hudson, and Micah. Matt is an amazing, selfless husband and dad, and I do not say enough about how thankful I am for him. He has been one of the Lord's sweetest gifts to me. Hudson is hilarious and quirky and very loving. I can't wait to see the man that he becomes. Micah is snuggly and sweet. I am so in love with all of them!

It is so great to step back from the day-to-day of life and be thankful. I love to be around genuine, thankful people. It is contagious. I want to be one of those people.

With each year, I find it more and more difficult to point my children toward Christ during the holidays. I guess it's just that before I had children, I didn't have anyone to be responsible for other than myself. I want to get it right, you know? So, I'd welcome any comments about holiday traditions that you use in your home to point your children to the Saviour. I'm all ears : )

We've Been...

Very busy...and having lots of fun in the month of October : ) Here is a rundown of what we've been up to:

Growing our muscles.

This takes hard work. It's keeping us very busy.

Carving pumpkins.

And making pumpkin bread, and pumpkin soup...and eating all the pumpkin bread and soup.

Going to the pumpkin patch.

The boys wanted to "take daddy" to the pumpkin patch.

Attempting a "Fall Family Photo"...or should I say, Fall Family Foto.

This is as good as it gets.

Going on a school field trip.

This is a typical Hudson look...and I NEVER capture it. I love this face!

I will post the actual Halloween pics soon. Basketball season has started, so life has gotten a bit crazy for us lately. It is so good to look back through these pics and remind myself of what a blessing it is to be able to be home with these two little men. I love, love, love being with them. They are so different and fun and definitely keep me busy daily. It's easy to just "survive" during these long days, but it is great today to be reminded to not just "survive", but to enjoy. I really wouldn't have it any other way. We are blessed.