Project: Swing Set

Harrison and Hudson got an early present this weekend, early as in probably next year's Christmas early... but in true Amanda fashion, "it was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up!". The men in their lives all came together and built their Fort. In the directions it said it would take "two skilled craftsman 20-24 hours to complete". Well...it took 5 pretty skilled craftsman 18 hours to complete! These guys took time out of their own important weekends to work on a swing set for these two little guys and we will forever be grateful for the love and hard work put into this project, and the many many memories (and broken bones) they will get in return! My dad (Pop), Joel's Dad (Pappy), Joel's Stepdad (Pawpaw), and his Brother Matthew. It is so nice and it looks so good...now I did see a matching dog house at Lowes and that Charlie would really appreciate upon his return from obedience school, hmmm. The boys were so patient and watched through the window today and didn't try to run outside except for at 7:30 this morning when Hudson ran out in his birthday suit and Crocs.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks, Lucy and Aunt Ashley came to stay with us one night and it was so nice to just hang out and not have anything going on! The boys went to Kayla's 1-year birthday party last weekend and we have been playing outside a lot. The guys are putting together the boys new swing set this weekend, I am excited about it, I will post an update when it's done! Have a great weekend!

Hudson riding his scooter, he is getting pretty good, Harrison likes his trike better.

They love to sit on Daddy's mower!

Lucy ("Sucy" to Harrison) and the boys

Playing under the covers and jumping on the bed.....which is a no :)

Harrison has found where I keep my lip gloss and knows how to unscrew and use it, we were in Lowe's the other day and while I was looking at rugs he managed to get in my purse and paint his face and lips....with nothing to wipe it off with he had to wear it until we got back to the car.

Blessed Birthday!

Today is my 28th birthday and it has a different feel to it this year. I have to say it doesn't feel so bad I have a sense of calmness and satisfaction. I am at a great place and I think it will only get better which says a lot. This has been a relatively difficult year for our (Joel's side and my side) families but in that same breath we are all extremely blessed and resilient so I feel good about where we are and we are headed.

Joel and I lost our baby last week at 13 weeks pregnant. We are at peace with it and understand that it was best. We are not empty handed and we know God is good and he takes care of His children, He has a plan. For my birthday I was given an angel. I am thankful for that precious baby and the new outlook that our angel has given me on our lives and our sweet baby boys that are miracles themselves. What a gift they are! I am ready to just " Be Still" and know that we are blessed and enjoy our time together especially through this holiday season. Thank you to our friends and family for your thoughts, prayers and kind words.

Nice in November!

We had a good Halloween, I was surprised at how well the boys caught on and were interested in Trick-or-Treating! Hudson was a little scared, a lot scared, of the big kids and people in masks and dark clothes. He didn't want to go to the door and hand out candy. Harrison was into it and handed out the candy for me and interacted with Trick-or-Treaters. We went to my parents neighborhood and Joel's Mom and Ronnie came with us. It was fun! We went for practicality and comfort on costumes this year, skeleton PJ's.

November is one of my fav months there are a lot of birthdays and family get togethers. November starts the holiday season, time for Christmas shopping and getting the Christmas decorations out early! I know this year will be so fun with the boys, every holiday gets more fun with each year. We have been working on learning everyone's name in our family, first and last, they know our immediate family, cousins and grandparents now we are working on Aunts and Uncles. Harrison calls Liam "Liam Brown". I was going over names yesterday and asked Harrison his name and he responded, "Harrison Brown". He kept Brown as a last name all day yesterday! It is unreal what they pick up on now.

After Pudding Dessert....and a long day!

Halloween 09, my Supercute Skeletons!

It's Been A Long Time!

Hello, it has been a long time since my last post! We have been busy and sick and tired! The boys had the seasonal flu, I have been tired, and the usual busy-ness. By the end of the day I have not wanted to even talk to anyone much less get on the computer! I am 12 weeks today so I'm thinking my energy levels will start to return to normal soon. Kimberly and Brian Moore welcomed their sweet girl Maggie on October 16th, she is a doll and I can't wait to hold her again. Joel's Mom had her last big reconstructive surgery after having breast cancer, what a process that is! It takes a strong women to go through poking and prodding and procedures of having breast cancer a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. We are so glad that the process is just about over for her. Also, our niece Kayla (11 mos) has H1N1 flu and we are praying for her quick recovery! We had our garage sale and I would say it was a success...a lot of work though, that is the last one of those for years maybe ever! These are some picture from the last few weeks, at the Pumpkin Patch and at the South MS Fair.

The boys are just so funny right now, Harrison has decided to give his pacifier to baby Maggie so we are planning on doing that this weekend....I am crossing my fingers it works we might have a few rough days but it will be good for all of us! Happy hump day have a great rest of the week !

This is the boys with the big pig, the "mommy piggy" Harrison called it.

Going into the fair, I guess navy was the color of the day!

This is Harrison pouting next to a pole at the pumpkin patch :(

Pumpkin Patch was so fun!

Hudson on the stairs, I told him I wanted to take his picture so he ran and laid out on the middle stair, good choice Huddy!

The Birthday Party

The boys party turned out really nice and I have a ton of pictures....it has been a long week trying to get ready for a garage sale! We had a small party for the boys at the Sportsplex in Laurel near our house, the weather could not have been nicer and the kids played hard and had a great time. They had a "2" pinata at the party and all the little kids caught right on and dove for the candy after Uncle Matthew had to do the busting. They got a lot of great things for their birthday from their family and friends. When we got home from the party Pappy and Nana Pierce gave them this big Delta Airplane, it's like nothing I have ever seen, very cool! We gave them classic Radio Flyer trikes and they picked up on them pretty fast, they still don't run to get on them but if you ask they will get on and peddle for a little while. They got to eat some cake after lunch and blow out a candle. I also took them to Wal-Mart to pick out a prize and they each got a Tonka Rescue truck. It was a great weekend minus the snake that was came to visit while we were at the party, I came in on it as we got home. Everyone was outside looking at the new plane and I thought for millisecond it was a toy snake and I quickly remembered we don't allow those for good reason anymore! It was a King Snake but who REALLY cares!? Like Heather says " a good snake is a dead snake" and no snake is a friend of mine regardless how great they are! Matthew caught it and released it by the wood pile/pond at the end of our yard. So now my extreme snake phobia is back in full action and I am constantly looking everywhere for them. You see the same thing happened at this time last year (something about the weather changing I guess) and Joel had to come home from work and kill it in the Kitchen. The jury is still out to whether that one was a Copper Head or a Water snake....eeeek!! Good weekend all in all. Stay tuned for next post it is sure to be a page-turner, we are going to try to have a garage sale this weekend! Just kidding!

Happy Birthday sweet boys!!

My precious babies are turning two years old today. I can remember thinking how far away 2 was and here we are! We are having more fun and more special moments everyday. They have really grown into their own personalities, habits, tastes and strengths and they are VERY clear about their preferences! Here are some of their traits and strengths now, although these have been seen to change weekly...

Harrison: He can say anything you ask him to or he will learn what it is he wants to say, very articulate. He says "a" or "got" before most nouns such as right now he just said "got bread, got bread" and "a balloon". He LOVES sports, all of them. He puts all of his equipment on and kicks, throws, and bats balls all day long and has a great arm. He still has a pacifier and a blankie, he calls them Pass and Blank. He sleeps so well and will go to sleep just about anytime anywhere (aka Joel!) He wants everyone to have their shoes and put them on. He is laid back, strong, and calm.

Hudson: He is very agile and fast, he has long legs and can use them! He really runs fast and could probably keep running all day long if there were no walls or fences. He likes his trains and knows their names. Hudson is so loving and will give hugs and kisses and cuddles all day. Another of his favorite toys are his tools. He has a blanket that he calls "night night". He has raisin bread EVERY morning for breakfast. He likes to play rough and wrestle. Sleep is not something that Huddy needs a lot of. He will go without a nap and do fine during the day. He is a lover, full of energy and humorous!

I tried to sing Happy Birthday to them this morning but they both were yelling "STOP!" so maybe it was my singing that was bad. We are having a small party for them tomorrow afternoon but we will celebrate until the party is over! They have brought more joy, happiness and laughter to our lives than we could have imagined, we know how blessed we are and are so thankful. We love you Hudson and Harrison and you will always be our "babies"!!