Life with the Gates

2010-09-17T10:46:00.004-04:00

I'm Back!!!

I am going to try and start blogging again...since it has been like 10 months since my last post!

Many of you know our story lately...but I'll share it on the blog for those who may not know. My mom was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gerhigs) on July 2 after a long several months of doctors trying to decipher what was going on. As a family unit, we are devastated with the news and are faithfully praying for God's healing hand to touch her. Juston and I began praying about what this meant for our little family, being that we were 804 miles away from Little Rock. God began to open doors for us to come home. Juston's company had a position opening in LR they let us know about...what a joy that he was going to get to stay with the same company that he has grown to love! God also protected us these past 2 years in MI from buying a home...and we tried 3 different times to purchase property and every time it fell through...to which we were getting so frustrated. Now looking back, we know it was God's protection over us. So...now we are buying a home in Little Rock, Juston started his new job role here in LR on September 1, and we are starting to get settled. We are so thankful that in the midst of this absolute nightmare of a diagnosis with mom...God has shown His faithfulness to me, Juston, and our boys and for that we PRAISE HIM!

Mom has started a blog herself to journal this journey....check it out!

www.nchandler.blogspot.com

2009-12-01T14:57:00.002-05:00

The Month of November...

Thanksgiving 2009

Juston and I and our friends, Bethany and Adam, went to the Michigan vs. Ohio State game 2 weeks ago- it was our first trip to the "Big House" and we had a blast!

The first "Gates" family photo with new addition Cooper James Gates! He is precious and I am excited to have my first nephew!

Brotherly love at Thanksgiving!

Nan and Papa J bought Hamilton his first pair of drumsticks! He was excited!

2009-11-01T15:19:00.002-05:00

Halloween

Well, the first picture is not...its of Hamilton on his "bike!" He loves that thing!

Family photo at our neighborhood parade- it was freeeezzzziiinnnngggg last night, but we still were festive and joined the parade!

Of course, the little frog had to take his drum along to the parade!

This picture explains most of the night for Hamilton. Once the night was over and I was putting him to bed, I realized he was warm- took his temp and he had a 102.4 fever, so that totally explained the little cranky pumpkin!

So cute!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

2009-10-26T14:47:00.003-04:00

Fall 2009

Hamilton's new "scoot-about"!

Mommy and Hamilton at the Apple Orchard

The boys loved to pet the animals!

My sweet boys!

I love this picture! I took it this morning while they were brushing their teeth. I think it is so sweet how Hamilton wants to be right near big brother all the time! I know it may not last long as they get older, but for now it makes my heart so full!

2009-10-06T20:08:00.003-04:00

Just a few more pics from the end of our summer...

Hamilton driving the boat- he loved to do that!

Juston getting ready to help Hudson "ski board"- which was kind of an ordeal, but he did it!

Here he is actually ski-boarding! And yes, he is crying, but he did it and was proud of himself after it was all over!

We took the boys to the circus a few Saturdays ago- they had a great time!

Hamilton was pretty amazed! If you look in the top right corner, you can see the elephants laying down during their act and Hamilton really liked them!

Hudson with one of his many guitars!

The boys and I are headed to Little Rock tomorrow to spend 10 days with friends and family! We are super excited! I'll post some pictures from our trip when we return!

2009-09-15T14:01:00.008-04:00

Life with the Gates over the last month...

Me, Hamilton, and Hudson tubing!

Juston and Hudson tubing!

Me and the boys- everyone wants to drive the boat!

Playing outside!

Daddy caught a frog for Hudson and he loved it!

Reeds Lake Triathlon- it was early, early in the morning, but we still got a family picture!

Hudson's new backpack for preschool! It has an alligator on it!

Sorry its been so long since I updated! I will try and do better this fall! Hope everyone is doing well!! :)

2009-08-06T13:11:00.008-04:00

Hamilton Turns 1!!!

We had a big birthday bash last Sunday while we were in LR! It was great to have friends and family be a part of this milestone for Hamilton! Thanks to all who came and made this a special time for us!

Hamilton on his real birthday, Tuesday, eating his own TCBY Superman ice cream!

Hudson and Ron- playing the drums at the Edge!

Hamilton's Birthday Cake

Opening presents

He loved the cake!

Family picture!

Abbra, Hamilton, and me

Me and Jennifer!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful end of the summer!

2009-07-28T10:45:00.004-04:00

Nan and Papa J come to GR....

Papa J brought his violin, or "biolin" as Hudson calls it, for Hudson to try and play. Needless to say, he loved it!

Nan, Hamilton, and Papa J at church Sunday morning at the park.

Sunday was "Bless the children/kids appreciation day" at the park, and Hudson had a great time! He got a spider painted on his face.

My friend Laura and her daughter Lily. I couldn't have survived here in GR without meeting this family! Thank you Lord for the Gravelles!

My sweet Hamilton! He will turn 1 next week! I can't believe this time last year I was big fat pregnant! The year has completely flown by! This little boy is absolutely precious! He is full of life and is such a joy. He and Hudson absolutely love each other and I thoroughly enjoy sitting back and watching their friendship grow! This kiddo LOVES to eat! He will eat anything which is a nice change from Hudson! He LOVES bath time or swimming, anything with water! He is so ready to be able to walk so he can keep up with his brother! We are so glad that Hamilton is a part of our family!

This picture sums up Hamilton!

2009-07-18T19:17:00.002-04:00

Tri Del Sol Triathlon and Duathlon

2009

Juston and I did another race today! He did a sprint triathlon (0.5 mile swim/18 mile bike/4.5 mile run) and I did the duathlon race (2 mile run/18 mile bike/4.5 mile run). Although it was a pretty hilly course, we both had a great time! We are loving getting to do these together!

Hudson's new bike!

How cute is this little 3 1/2 year old?! We got him a new bike and he loves it! He was precious last night as he told his bike "good night" in the garage and as he prayed for his new bike!

2009-07-14T13:42:00.003-04:00

New pics...

Heading to the "beach" aka Lake Michigan for the day!

Juston's triathlon last weekend!

The boys new "toy"!

Yes, I was actually driving it!

My first duathlon (3 mile run/12 mile bike/3mile run) and Juston's first Olympic triathlon (1.2 mile swim/24 mile bike/6 mile run)! It was awesome and I LOVED it!!!

P-pops and Grammy came to visit us this weekend and we had a great time!

Grammy, P-pops, and the boys!

2009-06-27T15:17:00.004-04:00

Hi! The Gates family has been busy the month of June! Here is a little look at what has been going on!

Loved this picture because Hamilton already loves drumsticks! He is following after his brother, but seriously- he loves drumsticks!

Playing outside one afternoon!

Our first swimming outing of the year. The boys loved it!

Ok- all you Harding friends- no I did not buy this shirt, Harding sent it to me when Hamilton was born, and it was the only t-shirt I could find the day we went swimming! :)

Fathers day weekend, we loaded up and drove down to Nashville to hang out with Beth and Kyle and their new addition Adley, and Ryan and Sarah! Talk about a blast! We had such a great time getting to spend some time with these folks!

Fathers Day picture!

Family picture on Fathers Day

So mommy decided to buy the boys some little swimming pools! They have been such a blast already! I must admit to you that today we had to add some hot water from the bathtub to them so that the boys could enjoy them, otherwise the water would've been too cold! Crazy, huh?

Hamilton splashing!

Gotta love that "Hudson smile!"

The boys splashing together!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer!

2009-06-03T12:56:00.002-04:00

Our 8 Year Anniversary!!!

On our way to eat a fabulous dinner!

Juston and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary yesterday! Crazy to think that it has already been 8 years since we said "I do!" These last 8 years have been a blast, and I am so thankful to not only be married to the love of my life but to be married to my best friend! We have such a great time together, and I am so glad that I am on this life journey with him!

2009-06-02T14:18:00.003-04:00

What's new with the Gates?!

The boys in their only matching outfits! This was the best picture I could capture- they weren't being too cooperative!

Our new family summer activity! Juston and I got bikes and also the "cart" as Hudson likes to call it so we can go on family bike rides this summer! We did our first ride on Saturday and the boys loved it!

The set-up!

They both wear helmets, and here is Hamilton with his on!

At the LR Zoo! We spent an afternoon at the zoo with Papa J, Nan, Anna Grace, Joseph, and Bethany while we were in LR. It was such a fun time!

One of the boys traditions when we stay with Papa J and Nan- get in their bed first thing in the morning and watch Little Einsteins!

Me and Gracie at Graduation!

Abby and me

The siblings at graduation! We are so proud of Anna Grace and her accomplishments! She is going to go Harding in the fall where she will be playing soccer and studying to be a substance abuse counselor!

2009-05-10T19:27:00.003-04:00

New pictures from the last few weeks...

This was an attempt to get a picture of the boys together!

Hamilton and Mommy

Hudson with his new toy- the "bugs!"

Hamilton's cute smile!

One of Hudson's many musical moments! Our days are filled with many to say the least! Notice the headphones- we make him wear these when he plays the drums, but I think he has grown to like them so he usually wears them all the time when he is doing any kind of musical thing!

Mothers Day 2009

The boys painted me a flower pot with their sweet handprints!

Hamilton's first time in a swing!

Daddy and Hudson

2009-04-13T13:32:00.006-04:00

Easter!

Dying Easter eggs for the first time!

Hudson, Chandler, and Hamilton all had their own egg!

Hamilton really liked playing with Chandler's piano!

Waiting patiently for the egg dying to begin!

Family Easter Picture

Hamilton's sweet Easter outfit my mom made! Thanks mom!

We took Jeff and Jennifer to Lake Michigan yesterday afternoon! It was sunny and beautiful!

All the boys!

Hamilton eating Cheerios for the first time!

We had such a great time with Jeff, Jennifer, and Chandler these last 3 days! It is so refreshing to get to hang out with best friends! We are so glad you guys came to visit us this weekend- it meant alot! :)

2009-04-11T15:19:00.007-04:00

Its been too long......

I haven't posted in so long! Sorry! Here are a few pictures from our life the last few weeks!

Jeff, Jennifer, and Chandler are here in Michigan right now spending a long weekend with us! This is the boys being crazy at lunch!

Hamilton! Just had to throw in several new pictures of him! He is growing like a weed! We truly love him being part of our family!

Hudson, Chandler, Hamilton- the best picture I could get with all 3!

We went to an Easter Egg hunt today! Well actually, it was called an Easter Egg Drop- one of our friends here in GR works at the Regional Airport and they did this cool thing where they dropped Easter eggs from 100 feet up and then all the kids ran to the field to get them! The boys loved it!

And yes- it was cold! Hamilton is pretty bundled and Hudson has on several layers, but it was a beautiful sunny day!

My boys! Don't you love Hamilton's orange nose in this picture?! I got a new camera and it picks up the orange nose a lot!

Abby, Anna Grace, and me! Gracie's prom!

Abbra and me! And yes, I went blonde for a change and love it, so no negative comments! :)

2009-03-13T15:05:00.005-04:00

This and that in the Gates household.....

This is for Mom and Erin- my new kitchen table and sassy chairs! Love it!

Hudson's first basketball game! Juston took them to a Michigan State basketball game and he loved it! Actually, when I asked him what he loved about it he said "the girls!" (meaning the cheerleaders!) And for several days afterwards, he would ask me if "the girls" could come over!

Our first trip of the year to the park! Still bundled up- but we had to play outside for a little bit!

Hudson found some mud in our backyard. This was the first time he has really shown any interest in the tractor and playing in mud! He stayed outside as long as he could stand the cold to dig in the mud!

This was the scene after breakfast this morning that melted my heart- both boys playing side by side- Hudson playing his drums as Hamilton watched so intently offering an occasional smile or giggle! It was absolutely a moment for me as a mom!

And lastly, here is a picture of me for all you people who say I am not in the pictures enough! :)

2009-02-23T20:47:00.003-05:00

Sunday afternoon family fun....

Mommy and Hudson going down the big hill!

It was pretty cold on Sunday, so Hamilton and I had to watch from the car most of the time!

Daddy and Hudson climbing back up the hill!

Ready to go back down again! And again, and again, and again......!

We had a fun time sledding! It was Hudson's first time to sled and he loved it!

2009-02-18T20:14:00.003-05:00

Some new pics of the boys....

Hamilton holding his first sippy cup!

Daddy and the boys!

Hudson picked out this scooter thing the other day at the store and I must say it is pretty cool! Even Juston and I can ride it!

Pictures with the boys today!

Hope everyone is having a good week! Life is good here in Michigan!

2009-02-16T19:38:00.003-05:00

Juston and Rebekah go to Miami!!!

Juston and I just got to spend a long weekend in Miami just the 2 of us and we had a wonderful time! It was really refreshing to be with eachother without kiddos! We had such a relaxing time! We slept in until 8:45 every morning, ate brunch, shopped, got a massage, sat by the pool, drank margaritas, ate some fabulous food, and just enjoyed each other's company! These 2 pictures are taken from our balcony. We stayed at the Hilton Bentley on Ocean Drive in South Beach. It was such a nice place!

Headed to the hot tub! I didn't realize how much I enjoy wearing a robe! I wore mine every chance I could get that weekend!

Thanks to mom and dad and Hal and Sonya for keeping the boys so we could enjoy a getaway weekend!

2009-01-29T15:07:00.006-05:00

Life with the Gates the last several days......

Hamilton's first bath in the big bathtub!

And his first bath with Hudson! They had a blast! Hudson got a "shaving" kit from Santa, and so of course he had to let Hamilton shave too!

Saturday we drove over to see FROZEN Lake Michigan, and I must say it was a pretty cool sight to see! Those black specs are people walking out on the frozen waves!

More people walking out onto the waves.

If you look closely you can see the ridge of the waves! Crazy, but so cool!

Me standing in front of a frozen wave!

Hamilton ate his first baby food today! Green beans! And he seemed to like it!

Sweet Hamilton!

We are heading to LR this Sunday! Juston is flying to Miami for a business trip, so I am driving to LR to stay a few days, then I am leaving the kiddos there and flying to Miami to meet Juston and stay for a long weekend! Yea for some "Rebekah/Juston" time!

2009-01-21T20:37:00.004-05:00

HUDSON'S 3 YRS. OLD!!!

Hudson got a drum set for his birthday! He was so excited to say the least!

Juston showing him how to use the pedal for the bass drum.

This picture is one of the first ones I snapped after he saw them and sat down to play! I love the smile- that says it all!

Opening presents

Blowing out the candles of his drum cake made by me! He has been so excited about that drum cake for weeks! And on Sunday I went to the grocery store to get all the ingredients and he knew I was going for that purpose. As soon as I pull into the garage and got out of the car, he opens the door and says "thanks mom for making my drum cake!" It is moments like that that melt my heart as a mom!

The cool drum cake- thanks to my mom who found the design from an old 1993 Betty Crocker coupon clipping that she had stuck in one of her recipe books. How cool is that!?

Thank you Lord for Hudson!

2009-01-21T10:23:00.002-05:00

Here is a few pics to tide you over......

Hudson's 3 year old Birthday!

I promise I will work on a post today to add more pictures! :)

2009-01-01T18:56:00.005-05:00

Christmas 2008

Pictures we took of the boys.

Jennifer, Chandler, Hamilton, me, and Hudson

When we went back to LR over Christmas, we were able to spend one evening with our dear friends Jeff and Jennifer and their son Chandler!

Hamilton, Chandler, and Hudson

Hamilton and Chandler- buds already!

Christmas with the Gates- Uncle Jesse and Aunt Ali gave Hudson this huge remote control spider and he put it on Hamiltons back!

Juston and his new grill set!

Uncle Jason and the boys.

Christmas morning family picture.

Me shoveling the deck off. There were 19 inches of snow that had accumulated over a 2 week period. It wore me out let me tell you!

19 inches-we measured!

The snow on the deck was up to my knees!

Hope everyone had a great holiday season!

2008-12-23T14:43:00.009-05:00

Ski Trip 2008

Keystone, CO

A family picture

Juston and I on the slopes one afternoon.

Hudson and I got to see Santa and his reindeer that were in the village square of our condo!

Nan, Papa J, and the boys

Me, mom, and Hamilton

Hamilton all bundled up in his warm winter bodysuit!

Mommy and Hamilton

Nan, Papa J, and the boys all in their PJ's after a long day on the slopes!

Hudson and Juston

Uncle Luke and Hudson

Hudson and Aunt Gracie playing with Play-dough. Gracie got Hudson some play-dough for christmas, and he sured loved to play with it all week!

Uncle Joseph and Hamilton

Me and Abbra- Abbra came up to the slopes with us one day! Me, Abbra, and Juston had a blast getting to ski/snowboard together! Wish you had been there Cameron! :)

Hudson and Juston going down their first ski slope- in this picture they had just sat down to take a rest!

Here is a picture of Hudson skiing down to Juston.

Aunt Abby and Hudson

Hudson with his skis on in the condo!

Hudson getting his boots fit for the skis.

Papa J and Hudson at the ski shop.

The boys chillin in their pajamas.

Hamilton loves Abbra!

For 2 days of our trip, we got to spend some time with Cameron and Abbra who live in Denver right now. On Saturday night, we went to the Denver Zoo Light show and had a blast! Hudson and I were posing as tigers!

The Gates family with Cameron and Abbra

Still at the zoo!

Eating breakfast at this wonderful place called Snooze!

Hudson with Cam and Abbra

The boys on the plane ride out to Denver- which was soooo hot! Can you tell their cheeks are flushed?

We had such a great vacation! We enjoyed so much getting to spend time with Cameron and Abbra and my family! And we had a GREAT time getting to ski! I hope this is a family tradition we can carry out for many more years!

Thanks mom and dad for a wonderful Christmas present!

2008-12-22T19:09:00.000-05:00

Pictures with Santa...

2008-12-16T15:56:00.002-05:00

Ski Trip 2008

Just wanted to post that we just took Hudson down his first ski run! He did really well for about 3/4 of it and then he got a little cranky on us. Juston did a great job skiing with Hudson in between his legs (Hudson had his own skis on as well). Hudson has been talking for weeks about "getting to ski" and I think overall he loved it. He is taking a nap right now, but has asked several times to go ski again after his nap. So as long as he seems to enjoy it, I think we will take him once or twice a day while we are here in Colorado!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

I'll post pictures when we get back to Michigan!

2008-12-05T10:42:00.004-05:00

A week of many "firsts"......

This week the snow has seriously arrived! Monday it snowed a ton, and Juston and Hudson built their first snowman, Juston shoveled his first driveway, our car has read in the 20's for the first time, and we saw a "snow-blower" in full action (which is pretty cool!) for the first time. I shoveled my first driveway yesterday, and today when I came out of the gym- I had to use my snow brush to brush off the snow from my car and yes it had snowed that much in the 1 1/2 hrs I was in the gym! And over the last 16 hrs. we have experienced our first "lake effect snow" which has been a MAJOR downpour of snow. Juston has shoveled the driveway twice since we got up this morning to stay ahead of the game! Here are a few pictures from this week so maybe you all can get an idea of what we are experiencing for the first time. I have to say though, the pictures don't quite due justus to the magnitude of how much snow is falling or how pretty it really is!

Our house- and if you look in the middle of the picture you should see a yellow flag- that is the marker for the snow-plowing service to use to be able to plow our driveway in the middle of the night if we have more than 2 inches of snow. You can see the outline of the driveway and sideway using that flag as a reference! CRAZY!!!
Our sidewalk walking up to our front door!

You can kinda see the ridge of the driveway and the yard- it is getting bigger each time we shovel the driveway because that is where we throw all the snow from the driveway.

I am standing in the street taking this picture. If you look closely at the top left- you can see our neighbor (he is pretty tiny in the picture) using his snow-plow and the snow blowing out from the plow!

This is what I see when I look out the front door!

Justons car is in the street- look at the snow piled up beside it!

Our mailbox post is half covered!

Our deck!

All of these pictures above are from the last 16 hrs. when the snow has been the heaviest!

Hudson helping Juston shovel the driveway on Monday!

Daddy and Hudson

Hudson and the neighbors- who have fallen in love with him! He played outside with the neighbors for almost 3.5 hrs! He had a blast!

And just a new sweet picture of Hamilton! He won't have many snow pictures so I had to add him in here for the post! :)

Hope you enjoyed a taste of our adventure at the moment!

2008-11-30T12:44:00.006-05:00

It's been too long.....

Life has been crazy here at the Gates household! Since I last updated, we have traveled back to Little Rock for 9 days, got things ready for Christmas, and just had the normal daily adventures with a toddler and 4 month old! And as I am typing, the snow is heavily falling, which will be another adventure in itself! I think they said we are supposed to get 6-8 inches over the next 24 hrs! Juston and Hudson are pumped because they are hoping to build a big snowman, so if that happens I will definately post some pictures. I posted a ton of pictures from our life over the last 3 weeks, so enjoy!

Me and Juston after a long day of Christmas decorating!

Our Christmas tree! Hudson had so much fun picking it out! He keeps calling it "our BIG christmas tree!"
For Julie- here are some pictures of my stuff from this year. Let me know if you need any help!

For Mom- here is what we finally came up with! I love it!

Sweet Hamilton in front of the christmas tree!

Hamilton and Mommy decorating the tree.

Daddy and Hamilton decorating the tree.

Mommy and Hudson

Daddy and Hudson

Me and the boys at the christmas tree lot.

Juston and the boys.

Daddy and the boys Thanksgiving morning.

Hamilton's first Thanksgiving.

This is the best picture I could get of the boys on Thanksgiving. Sometimes pictures just don't turn out the way you want them too with kiddos!

For those of you who know me- you know I am not a great cook mainly because I don't like to. But this year we were here in Michigan for Thanksgiving, and so I was left to cook us the Thanksgiving meal. I just had to take a picture and show you my Thanksgiving spread so you could see that I really did cook a good meal and my boys loved it! We had turkey and ham (but i cheated and got that from Honey Baked Ham), potato casserole, green beans, pretzel jello salad (my all time Thanksgiving favorite!), rolls, and spice cake!

The boys in their Christmas PJ's!

Hudson at Papa J's drum store!

Nan, Hudson, Hamilton, and Grammy

This is one of my favorite things- the boys getting in bed with us in the mornings to watch cartoons!

Gracie and Hudson

Hamilton and Uncle Joseph

2008-11-10T11:02:00.002-05:00

Hudson playing in our first Michigan snow....

Daddy and Hudson built a tiny snowman- many more to come I am sure!

Trying to get his gloves on- what a chore!

Snow that fell last night.

Our house last night.

Super excited little face!!

2008-11-09T14:29:00.002-05:00

A snowy Sunday!!!

Yes, you read that correctly- it is snowing here and has been since yesterday! However, this past week it has been in the 60's, so it is not sticking. Of course the high the last two days has been 40- so it is cold again! Hudson was so excited to wake up yesterday and see that it was snowing; and the first thing he asked us this morning when he ran into our bedroom was "is it still snowing?" It will be a pretty crazy winter getting kids in and out of cars while the snow swirls all around, but we are up for the challenge! I am sure the winter will lend itself to some funny stories I will have to share on the blog!

Here are a few pictures we took today after church. We were trying to capture some outside pictures of it snowing, but you can't quite see the snow. Oh well, I am sure we will get plenty of those later! Enjoy....

2008-10-31T19:47:00.003-04:00

The Spider and the Duck.....

Hamilton helping me pass out candy while Hudson and Juston walked around the neighborhood!

Hudson trick-or-treating at his favorite neighbors house!

Becca- his favorite neighbor and babysitter!

My spider and duck

Okay, so I have to brag on myself a minute! I made Hudson's spider costume!!! He really wanted to be a spider, and of course I waited till the last minute and wasn't able to find one in the stores. So we settled for a spiderman costume. Well, Wednesday afternoon, I got this idea to google "how to make a spider costume" to see if it would be easy and I found this idea and went after it! And the best part of all was this: Wednesday night I was working on the costume in the dining room and Hudson was watching a Little Einstein video in the den. I hear his little feet running to the room I was in, and he stuck his head around the corner and said "Thank you. Thank you mommy for making my spider!" And then he turned around and ran back to his video. Talk about melting my heart! That moment was worth making 40 spider costumes for!

He was soooo excited to wear the costume this evening, and I think he told 400 people that he was a spider! To see his little face light up with excitement was so precious!

2008-10-27T20:34:00.002-04:00

More pictures from the past few weeks....

Karen, Tanya, and Patti at breakfast Sunday morning.

GIRLS TRIP TO CHICAGO!!!!

This past weekend, I went on a girls trip to Chicago! We had such a great time shopping, eating, more shopping, and more eating! I have meet these 5 girls through church and they have pulled me in and made me feel so welcome in their group! We had a wonderful time!

Me, Kim, and Sarah at breakfast Sunday morning.

Hamilton doing tummy time last week.

Isn't he so sweet!

Me and Juston before his 10 year high school reunion last weekend, which was so fun!

2008-10-22T20:50:00.004-04:00

Father/Son camping trip...

Most of you know that my grandfather passed away 2 1/2 weeks ago, and Hamilton and I flew down to Arkansas for the funeral. Juston so graciously volunteered to leave Hudson with him while I was gone for 8 days! Yes, 8 days because we already had a trip scheduled for Juston's 10 yr high school reunion the next week, so instead of me flying to and from MI twice, I just changed my original ticket to leave 8 days earlier! So while I was gone, the boys went camping and apparently had a great time. Just thought I would share a few pics with you of their camping trip.

2008-10-05T15:49:00.005-04:00

Kyle and Beth come to Michigan....

Some our dear college friends came to MI this weekend to see us! We had such a great time! Juston and Kyle were roommates in college, and thru them Beth and I became good friends! It is so cool how even though we haven't seen them in almost a year, we still pick back up where we left off! They are expecting their first child in April '09 and we can't wait to meet baby Watson!
Of course we had to take them to the drum store!
On Saturday, we went to a place called Craig's Cruisers where we road go-carts and played games for a few hours! It was Hudson's first time to ride a go-cart and he loved it!
Beth helping me get the kiddos ready for bed! I must say, it is really cool when your friends help you with your kids as if they were their own! I feel so blessed that all of our friends love our kids!

Family picture.

We ate lunch at this really good place called Mancinos. Kyle documented everything about the trip with taking pictures of every activity! :)
Beth loving on the kiddos Saturday morning!
Daddy and Hudson before his first go-cart ride.
Mommy got to drive him around the track too.
Hudson also had his first amusement park ride. He LOVED it!

On Friday, we went to the Klackle Apple Farm and it was the coolest place!
The boys raced eachother on these tractor things.

Hamilton bundled up because it was cold at the apple farm!

It was pretty chilly on Friday! We were all wearing coats!

We had such a great visit with Beth and Kyle! What a treat that they got to come and see us in Michigan! We are so thankful that God blessed us with great friends from our college experience! And what fun times we had in college still continue on even 6 years later!

2008-10-02T11:07:00.002-04:00

It's official....Winter is on its way here in Michigan!

We woke up this morning to a cold, cold house. In fact, when we went downstairs, the thermastat said it was 60 degrees in the house. Needless to say, we turned on our heat! Crazy that today is only October 2 and we have the heat running! Juston even had to wear a fleece to the store yesterday afternoon (yes, he so graceously went the grocery store with me and the boys yesterday afternoon- not quite ready to tackle that by myself with the boys!). I think the next few days it is supposed to be low 50's for the high, but next week it will be back to low 60's which has been really nice the past week or so. The leaves are changing here already and it is beautiful! I know it won't be long till it is REALLY cold, so we are enjoying the nice chilly fall weather as much as possible!

2008-09-30T14:26:00.002-04:00

My sweet boys....

2008-09-27T15:48:00.002-04:00

Juston's Duathlon

Juston raced in a duathlon this morning in Saugatuck, MI. He ran 5 miles and then biked 18 miles. It was such a beautiful morning to be outside! Here are a few pics from our morning.

Hudson running beside Juston while he was warming up!
Mommy and Hudson waiting on the race to start!

Juston at the finish!
Hudson riding Juston's bike on the way back to the car!

2008-09-24T16:30:00.006-04:00

Our wonderful trip to Little Rock!!!!....

Well, this actually was before we left for LR. Hudson loves to help Juston blow off the driveway after Juston mows the grass.
Hamilton meets Aunt Gracie!
Hamilton meets P-pops!
Hamilton meets Aunt Kim!
Hudson and his spider that he loves so much at Grammy's house!
Hamilton meets Uncle Jason!

Papa J, Hamilton, and Hudson play guitars together!
Hudson, Hamilton, and G-mommy!
Anna Grace and me- Hudson and I went to Gracie's school to help her sell t-shirts for the JDRF walk! It has been a little tradition of ours to help her!
Hudson and Aunt Gracie!
Hamilton meets Chandler Wood!

Thanks to mom and dad for watching Hudson, Hamilton, and Chandler so Jeff, Jennifer, Juston, and I could all go have a double date! We had a wonderful dinner at Cheers and ice cream to top it off!

The Chandler family at the JDRF walk! This was our 9th year to do the walk!
Hamilton meets Whitney and Nathan! These are some great friends of ours who we miss so much, and it was so nice to get to spend some time with them at the walk! We can't wait to meet Baby Winham in April!
Nathan and Whitney and all of us!
Joseph riding in the backseat with the boys!
Uncle Joseph meet Hamilton!

Hudson with Aunt Abby and his friend Avery in bible class on Sunday!
Avery and Hudson playing the drums after worship!
Hudson playing Papa J's drums at church!

Aunt Abby and Uncle Luke meet Hamilton!

Mommy and Hamilton at the park. We meet Jennifer and Natalie and all the kiddos to play and have a picnic!

Nan and Hamilton.
Hamilton at craddle roll class on Sunday at Little Rock Church! Mrs. Kathy was his teacher!

Mommy and Hamilton.
Hamilton today (Wednesday)- I just hadn't taken a close up picture of him lately.

Hudson taking a bath in Nan's tub!
All the kids at the park (and Natalie!:).

We had a great time in LR for the week! Lots of good quality time with family and friends!

2008-09-13T18:10:00.003-04:00

Pictures from our week....

Playing outside- and yes, it was cold enough already for Hudson to wear a sweatshirt!

Hamilton all bundled up watching me and Hudson play!

I just love it when your baby is still small enough to want to curl up in the "fetal ball," as I like to call it! And yes, I do let him nap sometimes on his tummy!

Saturday playtime at Gymboree! This is Hudson with Gymbo!

We are so excited to be heading to Little Rock this coming Tuesday! We can't wait to see everyone and to show off baby Hamilton! You can all pray for me as I tackle 2 kids on the plane- that ought to be interesting! I will post pictures from our week in LR after we get back!

2008-09-07T17:25:00.003-04:00

The boys before worship this morning.....

Hudson told me this morning he wanted to read Hamilton a book, and he chose the book "Thank You God!"

Hudson is doing really good with Hamilton! I have been very proud of how he has handled the new addition. Hudson is a great help to me, and really seems to like Hamilton ( I know that will change in the years to come, but for now I love it!). He loves to kiss his head and bring me clean diapers when it is time to change a dirty one. Hudson even told me the other day- "Mommy, I am a good helper!" You can tell he is proud of himself! I am really thankful for my boys, and sure love being their mommy!

FYI... be sure and check out the post below about Juston's first triathlon if you haven't already! We are pretty proud of him!

2008-09-06T16:00:00.005-04:00

Juston's 1st Triathlon...

Grand Rapids, MI

Reeds Lake Sprint Triathlon

September 6, 2008

This was Juston's first ever triathlon and he loved it! It consisted of a 1/2 mile swim, 18.1 mile bike ride, and a 5 mile run! Hudson, Hamilton, and I were so proud of him- his ending time was 2:02:46. The boys and I loaded up at 6 am (yes, call me crazy!) this morning, and with the help of our friend Joy, we ventured to the race site to cheer Juston on!

Family pic before the race- Hamilton was asleep in the stroller and I couldn't bare to wake him up!

Juston headed to start the swim! He was in the first heat.
Juston with all his gear before the race started.

Father and son! Hudson was so excited when I woke him up this morning! I said "Hudson, its time to get ready to go see daddy race!" (Mind you it is 5:45 am) and Hudson opened his eyes and yelled "LET'S DO IT!!!!!"

The countdown to the start of swimming- Juston is the one with his hands on his hips.
Coming out of the water- this would have been an awesome picture of him except for the sun, but I had to add it anyway!
Juston transitioning from the swim to the bike.

Family picture post race- this one included Hamilton! :)
Finish line- Juston is in the middle wearing all black.
Hamilton chilling in our new double stroller while daddy was biking!
Juston at the end of the bike section.
Our new double stroller! Thank you Babies-R-Us!

We had a great time this morning supporting Juston! We can't wait till he does another one!

Oh, and sorry the pictures are out of order!

2008-09-01T08:36:00.012-04:00

Abbra came to Michigan!!!!

(This is for you Cameron- we missed you!)

Cameron and Abbra at our house in LR before we all moved! Cam- just didn't want you to feel too left out of the weekend and blog post- so I added this picture because we soooo wished you could've come too!

Abbra flew in from Denver late Friday night to spend the weekend with us! Cameron (in his first year of residency in Denver) couldn't come because he was working, and we missed getting to see him! But, we had a wonderful time and I sure didn't want the weekend to come to an end! We have missed Cameron and Abbra so much since we all moved from LR, so it was so refreshing to get to spend some quality time with her! Abbra and Cameron are those type of friends that no matter how many miles apart we are, as soon as we talk on the phone or see each- we pick up right where we left off! Juston and I are so glad that God brought these 2 in our lives over a year and a half ago!

We can't thank you enough Lord for Cameron and Abbra!

Hudson and Abbra at the zoo!

Cameron and Abbra bought Hudson and Hamilton Patagonia vests for the winter! They are so cute! Good pick Cameron!

Hudson getting to pet some of the animals at the zoo!

Just had to document that Hamilton was at the zoo too and slept the whole time. This is my only picture of him there, but Hudson and Juston are in the background trying to see the tigers!

Doesn't she look so natural?! Abbra will make a great mother one day! She is wonderful with kids, and my Hudson LOVES her and Cameron!

Family picture before worship- take number 2! Last week we tried to do it ourself, but the picture wasn't great, but this week we had an extra hand!

Dinner and great converstion on the deck!

And Hamilton snoozing on the deck while we ate and visited!

2008-08-29T15:51:00.003-04:00

Some Friday Fun....

Too funny- Hudson put the yogart container on Hamilton's head because he was making everyone wear "hats!"
Hudson loving on his brother!
Is there anything better than holding your baby while he sleeps?!

Hudson asked to see daddy's drill and here he is making it go "round and round!"

Hamilton's hat again!

2008-08-28T10:57:00.002-04:00

My big boy thinks sometimes he needs to be in the swing!

I caught one of Hamilton's first big smiles with my camera! I just snapped away and got this progression of 3 pictures!

Sweet Hamilton in his outfit that my mom (Nan) made him to come home from the hosptial in! I dressed him up today because I am trying to get a good picture for his birth announcements!

We have had a really good week! This is my first full week without any help/company and so far we have managed pretty well, plus- Juston has been out of town the past 2 nights (he is coming home today-Yea!), so I have REALLY been flying solo! We have had two outings to play while our daddy was gone and that has helped! Hope everyone else is having a good week!

2008-08-24T16:06:00.002-04:00

More pictures.....

Mommy and Hamilton

Hamilton before his nap!

The family on our first day to all go to worship! Hamilton did great-sleep through the whole thing!

Uncle Jesse and Hamilton

Hudson at the drum store!

Hamilton's first time in the drum store!! Again, slept through the whole thing!

Uncle Jesse, Aunt Ali, and Hudson at Lake Michigan.

Uncle Jesse and Aunt Ali came to Michigan to see us over the last 3 days! We had a great visit with them and we were so glad they came to see us!

2008-08-20T08:20:00.003-04:00

Our First Outing....

Our first outing was yesterday- we went to Hudson's Gymboree class. It actually went pretty good, but it was a pretty easy outing- nothing like tackling the grocery store with the 2 of them yet! I am saving my grocery store needs for when Juston can go with us! :) The picture above is right before we walked out the door to head to class.
Hamilton and Hudson before our outing. Hamilton is wearing Hudson's blue booties that Hudson wore home from the hospital! I tell you what- I love baby clothes! Hamilton looked like an angel in his little outfit and booties yesterday! Only- it was short lived- he peed through the outfit about 3 hours after I had dressed him! In fact, he has a tendency to go through 2-3 outfits a day! That sometimes drives me nuts! :)

Daddy and the boys

Hamilton had his first bath this morning. His cord fell off 2 days ago, and of course, he had peed through his outfit this morning when I got him up to feed him, so he had his first bath shortly thereafter. I was shocked because he didn't cry at all- I thought he would be cold or just uncomfortable, but he sat there and stared at me the whole time!

All dressed after bath time! I know I take a lot of pictures in this outfit, but it is one of my favorites at the moment!

Have I said yet how much I am in love with my boys!? I am having a wonderful time already being the mom to 2 boys!

Thank you Lord for Hudson and Hamilton!

2008-08-18T17:03:00.002-04:00

First day by myself with the boys and I survived!!!!

I love this picture because as you can tell, Hudson has Hamilton in his line-up with the drums! I actually had Hamilton laying there to look outside and the next thing I knew, Hudson had set up his "drum set" all around Hamilton and was playing away! I know you are asking- "did it bother Hamilton?"- and the answer is he slept through the whole thing!

We have had a great first day by ourselves! Both boys were dressed and ready for the day, we all got an afternoon nap, and supper is in the oven! I feel pretty good about our first day together without our daddy or any other help! See, I can do this!!! :)

2008-08-16T13:16:00.001-04:00

Hudson and Grammy

Hamilton

Hamilton's Birthday plate that I had made at The Firefly Studio in LR.

Hudson wearing his "coolest big brother" shirt!

2008-08-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

A few pictures from today.......

2008-08-14T19:14:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post a few new pictures from today. We are doing really well! We have been so thankful to have help again this week with Sonya (my mother-in-law) here! And just for the record- I have already lost 16 pounds! YEA!!!!

2008-08-12T12:19:00.002-04:00

Hudson and Hamilton...

Hamilton was making noises this morning and Hudson ran over there to check on him. It was really sweet.

Hudson has been real into holding Hamilton.

Just call me Mrs. Photographer with the picture above!

Grammy, Hamilton, and Hudson!

2008-08-11T13:23:00.001-04:00

Hamilton ....

2008-08-10T15:58:00.002-04:00

Still more family photos....

Hamilton

Hudson found a dragonfly and had to bring it inside to show me and Hamilton!

Hamilton resting in his crib yesterday all dolled up!

Mommy and Hamilton- and yes, those are my cute pajamas I told you I had bought for myself!

Daddy laying on the couch with his boys!

Nan and the boys!

Hudson was listening to the ipod this morning, and he decided Hamilton needed to hear a song. So he put the headphones on Hamilton all by himself!

We have had a wonderful first week with Hamilton! We truly enjoyed having my parents here, and couldn't have managed without them! Hamilton is doing great- he is nursing well and at this point is a great baby! I am feeling a lot better too. Wednesday was the hardest day for me- I was really sore and having some pain at my incision site, but each day seems to get better and better. Thanks for all your prayers for our family this past week! We feel truly blessed to have Hamilton as part of our family! We are in love with him already!!!!!

2008-08-08T19:07:00.002-04:00

More family pictures...

Hamilton got Hudson a present and this is Hamilton giving it to Hudson yesterday evening!

Hudson saying "thank-you" with a sweet brotherly kiss!

Hudson and Hamilton cuddling on the couch!

Mommy and Hamilton today before we went to the pediatrician for a check-up. Hamilton weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz., so almost back to birth weight!

Juston's region sent our family a huge basket of goodies, and this was right before we opened it. It was all we could do to take one picture without Hudson tearing into the package!

2008-08-06T14:47:00.005-04:00

Our first family photo! (August 4, 2008)

Hamilton Franklin Gates

Born August 4, 2008 at 10:02 am

Weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz!

This was Monday morning right before we left to go to the hospital.

Juston and I waiting to be taken back to the OR. He kept me entertained to help the time pass quickly!

Might be too graphic for some, but thought this was so cool that I could see Hamilton being worked on while I was being sewed up! I got to watch them clean Hamilton off, do his footprints, get his vaccination, Juston cut the cord- all of that was so cool to see and once again I was occupied to help pass the time while they were working on me! Oh and how cool is this- we got to video the whole birth! I didn't think they let people do that anymore, but here in Michigan they do, so we have it all on tape!

Juston and Hamilton- we are in recovery at this point.

The is the first time Hudson held Hamilton. It might have been the sweetest thing ever. His first words to Hamilton were: " hey hamilton! want to go to the drum store?"

Papa J and Hamilton

Nan and Hamilton

Mommy and Hamilton

Hudson thought this was a microphone, so needless to say we had some entertainment when he would come to my room!

Daddy and Hamiton today- 8/6/08

This family picture was taken yesterday, Tuesday afternoon, when Hudson came to visit us.

Hamilton in his carseat all loaded up in the car.

Family picture before we left the hospital today.

Me and my boys!

Isn't he so sweet! We are so glad to have him in our family!

Thank you Lord for Hamilton!

2008-08-03T18:00:00.002-04:00

Just a matter of hours and Hamilton will be born! We are so excited to meet him tomorrow! My parents made it safely to Grand Rapids, and we have had a fun 2 days of hanging out before we are consumed with baby-land!

If all goes well, we should be home Wednesday afternoon, so I will post pictures as soon as I can!

2008-08-01T09:47:00.001-04:00

My parent are flying into Grand Rapids tomorrow morning to stay the whole week to help us with the new baby! YEA!!!!!

2008-07-30T15:41:00.002-04:00

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!

We got an offer on our LR house today!

We had a couple make an offer and we counter-offered and they accepted it this afternoon! They want to close on the house next Friday, August 8th! That is quick, but great that the process will be completed by next week! They are having the house inspected tomorrow morning at 8:30am, so pray everything goes smoothly and that it checks out okay!

We feel so blessed that once again God has been faithful to our family on His own timing! Thanks for being prayer warriors for our family!

And if anyone needs a good realtor- Gina Harmon with Keller Williams is WONDERFUL!!!

2008-07-28T13:53:00.003-04:00

A week from today....

Lord willing, a week from today we will be holding our new baby boy! We are so excited to meet him and for him to be a part of our family! I am dying to see what he is going to look like, and I can't wait to see how Hudson responds to Hamilton's arrival! Please be praying for a safe repeat C-section and that Hamilton will be healthy with no unexpected complications (like we had with Hudson!)!

We will go to the hospital at 7:30am and are scheduled to go to the OR at 9:30 am. They also told us that we would be in the hospital until Wednesday, so hopefully when we get home that afternoon I will be able to post a few pictures so you can see our new baby!

2008-07-24T13:30:00.002-04:00

Hudson's New "Big Boy" Room....

We finally got his crib converted into a full bed, which took longer than we thought, but he seems to be loving his new bed. I think he enjoys having the space because he was getting pretty big in his crib. Although, from my side of things- I have lost my 3-4 naptime/playtime he would have that would let me have several hours to myself. He used to nap anywhere from 2-3 hours and then would always play in his crib for 30 min-1 hour which was sooooooo nice. Now his naps seem to only be 2 hours on a good day and there isn't much playing. He is opening that door as soon as he wakes up. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted! The Hudson guitar is his painting that my friend Whitney did for him! I just love her work!

2008-07-23T15:13:00.007-04:00

OPEN HOUSE

52 Chatel Drive, Little Rock, AR 72223,
Live in Aberdeen and experience the advantages of a great location in West Little Rock! This is an awesome home with lots of space, hardwoods throughout the downstairs with tile in the wet areas; laundry room with sink, cabinets, and folding counter, granite countertops with under cabinet lighting, many updates throughout; open floor plan makes it great for entertaining; deck and privacy fence; covered front porch with swing. Neighborhood pool and park area. Friendly neighbors and near tons of shopping and restaurants! Come on out to our open house this

Sunday 7-27-08 from 2-4! You'll love this house!

Click here to see flyer.

(Gina Harmon is having an open house this coming Sunday and so if you know anyone who is looking for a house in LR, send them our way! Above is her advertising!)

2008-07-16T13:10:00.002-04:00

Hamilton's Room...

Anna Grace had this cross made for Hamilton. One of her teachers from school hand-made it!

The sweet lamb was a gift from Jeff and Jennifer, and of course he has to have a "feely!" You can't tell as good in the picture, but his feely is green so that Hudson won't get confused since he is so attached to his own feelies! In fact, sometimes he asks if he can just go look at Hamilton's feely and hold it. It is really pretty sweet.

For those of you who have been to my house, you know I have my own "artist" friend, Whitney, who has painted several things for my house as well as for my sister/sisters-in-law/mother-in-law/cousin. She is so talented, and if anyone is interested in her painting a canvas for them, just email me and I would be glad to give you her contact information! I love the painting that she did for Hamilton- I think it is such a cool heirloom! Tomorrow Hudson's room should be done and I will blog about it, so you can see his painting she did for him then!

I am just curious- did you guys see the ticker on the left side that says "19" days till Hamilton is born! Isn't that so exciting! I am ready to see his little face and see who he is going to favor! I am looking forward to how Hudson will respond to Hamilton- hopefully he will be excited right off the bat! Actually, with all the grandparents/friends coming in town (my parents coming the first week, Sonya coming the second week, Jesse and Ali after Sonya leaves, Abbra coming Labor Day weekend, and Jennifer sometime in September) he probably won't notice much of Hamilton because he will be excited to see all of them, but once they leave and reality sets in, he may react negatively?! Who knows?!

I got the cutest pajamas for the hospital! I am really excited about them, I think mainly because I haven't bought myself much these last 2 months (and I am sooooooo tired of my maternity clothes) and so it was the first purchase for post-baby and they are really pretty darn cute! Don't worry, you will all see them because I will probably live in the for the first few weeks! And I am just going to throw this out there- I am on a mad search for a good nursing bra and can't find one that I really like and is comfortable. Anybody have any suggestions or recommendations as to their favorite brands?

2008-07-14T19:19:00.002-04:00

Random Pictures.....

Hudson and Mommy

Hudson saying "not another picture mommy!"

Saturday morning it was rainy, so we took Hudson to the GR Children's Museum.

Hudson digging with the tractor.

Hudson and daddy spinning wheels on the table.

Hudson and his tupperware drums!

This is the ultimate "Hudson face!"

3 weeks from today and our new addition will be here! It won't be long and Hamilton will be a part of our family! We are getting so excited to see what he is going to look like. Hudson seems to be talking about him more and more, so hopefully he is starting to understand a little bit. Hudson got to go to the doctor with me today and he was able to hear Hamilton's heartbeat, and he thought that was pretty cool.

Hudson learned his first bible verse this last week! He has been on this kick of saying "I can't," so being the clever mom that I am :), everytime he says "I can't," he has to quote the scripture "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!"

2008-07-11T17:33:00.002-04:00

From This....

To This....

Our little musician got to add a new drum set to his tiny collection today (one drum and a few straws :)! He has the Fisher Price drum, and today we got a new drum from Toys-R-Us that is electronic and can play music beats to play along with!

2008-07-06T20:49:00.003-04:00

Fourth of July Pictures.....

I thought this was so cute- Hudson talking to Cameron and Abbra on the phone.

2008-07-03T16:33:00.002-04:00

Okay, today is a long post, but I have one more thing to share. I wanted to ask all of you to be in prayer for our LR house to sell. I know that most of you know that we have a couple that is waiting to buy our house, Greg and Lori Graham, and they received an offer on their house last week, but it is a contingent offer. So...that couple has to sell their house before the offer will go through on the Graham's house. Lori Graham sent Mrs. Gina Harmon (our realtor) an email today saying "please send everyone you know over to the North Hughes house (the house of the couple that has the contingent offer in on the Grahams house) so that I can buy MY house on Chatel (which is our house)!" And those were the exact words from Mrs. Grahams email. So anyway, I tell this confusing story to ask specifically that you pray that the house on North Hughes will sell quickly and that the domino affect of the other house offer/our house and potential offer could all go through!

Thanks for being prayer warriors for our family!

2008-07-03T16:28:00.002-04:00

Gymboree- Play and Music

This is Hudson at his weekly Gymboree class. I signed him up the first week we got to MI so that we could have something to do, and he really loves it! Each week they do different activities that involve playing, imagination, socialization....you get the picture.

2008-07-03T16:03:00.002-04:00

A Day at the Beach.....

Last Saturday, Hudson, Juston, and I drove to Holland, MI (which is about 40 minutes from our house) and spend the afternoon at the beach! The weather was fabulous (around 80 degrees) and we had a great time!

Juston and Hudson running up the sand dune to get to the beach. Don't worry, I did not run up the sand dune, I took the stairs! :)

The lake water was about 65 degrees, but Hudson found this big "puddle" where the water had been warmed by the sun, so he played in it all day.

Hudson on the tire swing.

All tuckered out from playing hard with his daddy! I on the otherhand was able to rest and soak up some sun while the boys played!

2008-06-28T08:44:00.002-04:00

Potty Training Bribe/Reward....

Hudson wearing his "big boy underwear!"

Hudson has been tee-teeing in the potty now for quite a while, but he hadn't taken it to the next level. Well this week he did! Yeah! And we had started telling him that if he would poop in the potty, then he could get a fish! He has done it everyday since last Sunday, so when we got back from LR, Friday morning we went to the store to get his prize (or bribe- which ever way you want to look at it! :) He was SOOOOO excited when he saw the fish and we were really sad we didn't have the video camera rolling because it might have been the cutest reaction he has ever given us about getting something! He named the fish "Nemo," but sometimes he says "Me-mo" and it is the sweetest thing!

And yesterday, we ventured out to run errands and he wore "big boy underwear" all day without an accident! I was really impressed and relieved that we didn't have to clean up a mess while at Hobby Lobby and such!

2008-06-27T13:10:00.008-04:00

Little Rock Trip 6/08

This was too cute! Hudson was using the potty at Papa J and Nan's house, and he picked up the Guitar magazine that was beside the toilet and started looking through it! Typical man already, huh?

Chandler Dale Wood! He is 2 weeks old here, and we were having a photo shoot on Wednesday at lunch!

Hudson discovered a new instrument on our trip: the banjo! He loved it! He thought at first it was a drum, but then learned you could play it like a guitar! I can't tell you how excited I am that he loves music and instruments the way he does already at such a young age! Are we looking at the next Lincoln Brewster or Chris Tomlin?! :)

Me and Hudson on the plane to LR!

Hudson holding Chandler for the first time.

Here is a great Hudson story for you: On Tuesday, Hudson went with me to Jennifer's house. He took a nap, and then spent the rest of the afternoon with us. So after his nap, he got up and soon after it was time for Jennifer to feed Chandler (she is breastfeeding). So Hudson and I were sitting on one couch and Jennifer was on the other couch. Hudson looked at me puzzled and said "is Chandler sleeping?" (He could tell something different was going on.) And told him that Chandler was eating. So he played for a bit and then looked at me puzzled again and said "chandler biting Jennifer?" And so I thought I guess I better explain because it won't be long and Hamilton will be here doing the same thing. So I told him that that is how some babies eat- they get their food from their mommy's. So he played again and then came back for a third time puzzled and finally said to me "chandler eating her boobies?!?!?" It was the cutest thing, and of course Jennifer and I burst into laughter! It was such a cute process to see him putting it all together over about a 10 minute span.

We had such a great trip to LR! It went too fast, but we were so glad we got to go! I got to spend some good time with Jennifer and Chandler, as well as hang out with both families. Next time we head to LR, we will have a new addition to our family! Crazy!!! :)

2008-06-23T10:09:00.002-04:00

We are heading to LR today...

Hudson and I are flying to LR today to meet Baby Chandler Wood and spend some time with Jeff and Jennifer! I am so excited to get to see Chandler and to spend a few days helping Jennifer! This will be Hudson's first time to fly, so this should be interesting. Our trip is pretty quick- we leave tonight from Chicago around 5 and get to LR at 8, then we fly back home on Thursday morning. Even though it is a quick trip, it will be nice to get to have some friend and family time! I'll post pictures when we get back!

2008-06-21T19:55:00.002-04:00

Saturday Night Fun at the Park....

The weather was sooooo nice tonight that we had a family picnic at the park! Hudson enjoyed playing on the playground afterwards!

New Blog Site

2008-06-21T14:42:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! Don't hate me, but I have changed blog sites from xanga to blogspot. I think blogspot will be a little bit easier to manage and for people to check. Plus I thought since we are starting a new chapter in our lives, why not create a new blog. (Especially because I seem to have a little extra down time since I don't know a soul here in Grand Rapids! :) Anyway, stay tuned for new posts of our family throughout the summer!