January Happenings

Well it has been an eventful month but I have been a terrible blogger so I am going to try to summarize. During this month Jackson went back to Preschool with Mrs. K and also started with Grandma Cheryl who does 6 classes for preschool kids that her 6th graders put on. He and all the Posse go ( which are his cousins that are the same age) he had such a fun time for his first one, though it was a little stressful for me since it was from 9-11 in town, and then I had to drive right back home to take him to Mrs. K's at 11:45 but it was worth it since I know he loves it. This month we also went to the Zoo, I think this is the first time we have ever gone when it was such cold weather but it was so much nicer than the heat stroke we normallly get. The Zoo trip was quite an adventure, we drove with Jill, luckily, or it would have been a LONG boring ride. I think it took us nearly 2 hrs. from Jill's house which is in Chandler not QC. We got lost a million times and at one point were as far North as Peoria at the Point South Hilton. We eventually got there and stayed longer than usual since we were so slow. Hudson had a blast he loved when he could see the animals and especially the Spider Monkey place where you get to go in a get right next to them, he kept pointing at them and laughing. It was a fun day but hopefully next time it won't be ALL Day. Also for the first time I learned how to make bread and I made some. Jill invited me over for a Bread day to teach me the ways. We started off by grinding the wheat and then she taught me how to do it, I don't know how good I did but they turned out Yummy. I hope I can keep it up. Ever since we got married Stephen has been asking me to make homeade Wheat bread so I guess it is about time. I also got an Amish Bread starter and just made that a couple of days ago, also very good and way easy. I hosted Bunko this month and made Cheese fondue and had a chocolate fountain. Yesterday some of my friends from High School came over and we were able to hang out and talk with the kids running around it was a great day. This month has been great, my goal next month is to blog more.

My Little One Year Old

That is right my baby is One Year Old. He is just the cutest thing and more fun than ever. He is such a person now now and I just love it. He is my little Climber ever time I turn around he is climbing up the steps in the bathroom, or the chair in his room, the stairs at my moms house and on the desk at Cheryl's, or on Jackson's bed. One of his favorite games to do ever since he learned how to climb on and off the couch is to throw something up there then climb up and get it throw it back down and do it all over again. He also still loves Elmos World, putting it on is the only thing that can calm him during a tantrum or make him sit down laugh and dance for 15 min. He also loves music and dancing and is always boping to the music. He has now learned how to open doors and goes into the pantry about 10 times a day gets a box of cereal and brings it to me to get some out for him. Yes he is as obsessed with Cereal as dad and big. brother. Course we just learned that he may be lactose intolerant so he has been taken off milk and is strictly on soy milk and other liquids besides milk. So No more cereal with dad. Which used to be his favorite time of the day. Huddy LOVES his daddy and as soon as he hears his voice when he gets home he is running as fast as his little legs will take him with a HUGE grin on his face to see him and cuddle. He is also now walking which started the same week as his birthday, and he looks so cute while doing it. He is such a happy baby and almost everytime I take him anywhere he is just perfect, he is also so loving towards other people, Jackson was already such a rough houser at this age so the change in pace is quite refreshing. In fact most times he is the one getting pushed around, he hasn't learned to fight back which is such a blessing. Some of his favortie toys are the new Elmo phone which we got him for his birthday, the little pillow to the tiny kids couch at Grandma Cheryl's which he holds onto constantly, his fire truck, his balls which he carries everywhere, his binkies which he can carry around 4 at a time. He loves to talk and will just sit there practically yelling at you like you understand I love it. He hates to be thrown in the air or thrown back , he gets scared so easily. He loves dogs. He is my little man and I can't wit to spend the next year with him.

B-day Love

Ok. I know I couldn't be any later, I know excuses are lame but I have been pretty sick which is driving me crazy since I am usually not still sick. So hopefully this too shall pass. Well my BABY turned 1 a couple of weeks ago. On his birthday day we actually didn't do anythings since we were doing a party the next day. Hudson Birthday also falls on the same day as his Grandma Cheryl! So that night we had dinner at her place and Hudson enjoyed the first cupcake of the many to follow. I would also like to give a shout out to my mother in law Cheryl who is such an amazing M.O.L. I truly hit the in law lottery with her. She is such a great grandma and mother and so full of wonderful traditions i.e. Heritage Night, Grandmas Store, Yearly Assignments, Green Dinner, and so many others. I hope to carry on al of them.


Huddy's party was a blast, we had friends and family over for dinner and dessert and then ended with presents.

All the kids blowing out his candle
a taste
waving, he was waving at everyone with his frosting hands
digging in and loving it
Jackson helping him open his presents, he had been asking all day to help
his favorite elmo phone

New Years

for New Year's Eve we decided not to host the annual party at out place since I have been feeling sick and didn't feel like having anyone over. So Kanoe and Parker did the honors this year. It was a fun night night with tons of food. Course I wish I had been feeling better and wasn't so tired. Also Huddy didn't really go to sleep though he did have about a half hour nap around 11 but was up for the midnight festivities. Jackson had a blast riding quads, hanging out by the fire and watching firecrackers. I pretty much did not see him the whole night. In retrospect I probably would have sent Stephen and Jackson to the party while I stayed home with the baby and slept. The next day I woke up earlier than I would have liked to, to have breakfast with some girls from High School ( Katie, Jules, Amber, Amanda and Ali) we went to Paradise Bakery and had a blast, I truly love hanging with the girls and reminiscing. After that Stephen and I took Jackson to see Alvin and The Chipmunks which he has been talking about for months. We never see movies especially not all together and it was so nice to go, he loved it. After that my mom had us over for dinner and hot cocoa outisde by her new fireplace, it was a blast. And I had been CRAVING Pei Wei. ( actually craving eating out of a take out container from Pei Wei.) A couple of days later we finally had our annual holiday party with my girlfriends from school. Hillary hosted it this year and did a great job, Stephen is always trying to get us to do a girls only party but we keep insisting it be a couple party. During the gift exchange Stephen even chose his own gift, Pirates gift card of course. It was a great night I love my friends and hope that we keep doing this.

Happy Belated Birthday Angela Noel Bates Sloan

I am quite behind on my blogging right now so please forgive me. Angie is a Christmas Baby and therefore gets jipped more times than not. Angie is one of the best friends I have and we have been that way since 8th Grade. We got married a week apart and now are going to have babies a week apart as well. . She is one of those girls who makes all the people around her feel special and she is never mean or catty. I am so glad we have continued to be friends to this day.
Here are some things about Ang
1. She is always up for anything, and is constantly trying to think of fun new things to do.
2. She is uber talented, such a great photographer and videographer not to mention a great Dancer.
3. In high school she always carried a toothbrush with her.
4. She always has the best intentions.
5. She is a bargain shopper, thrift stores were her go to store of choice in high school , but Matt has pretty much broken her of that habit, but Ross is still her love.
6. Whenever we go out to eat she ALWAYS gets the cheapest thing on the menu.
7. She loves to take naps.
8. She is always sick.
9. She has the abitlity to make guys go crazy for her and fall madly in love. Not anymore though, she is happily married.
10. She is a true and genuine friend and has always been there for me.
11. And of course she is GORGEOUS!
12. She LOVES MFY
13. She is very thrifty
14. She is a peacemaker and avoids contention at all costs
15. She was in the movie JERRY MAGUIRE
16. She is fantastic with kids and is such a great mom to Maddux.
17. A bit of a vitamin and alternative medicine junkie.
I could list a ton more but I am pretty sure you get the jist and if you know Ang you know what I am talking about, I hope she had a great birthday and she starts feeling better soon.

Christmas Morning/Day

We had to get up pretty early on Christmas since we had to be to my moms at 8:30. I would have gotten up early anyway but I know everyone else would have slept in, so we woke up Jack and Hudson to start with the presents. First Jackson saw that Santa had eaten the cookies and left a Thank You note for him.


Then we headed over to the stockings and presents. Jackson got lots of CARS stuff in his stocking, an Orange and of course Candy.

Silly String from Daddy

Here is Hudson throwing a tantrum waiting for his bottle ( this is our morning ritual, he has no patience) After he finished his bottle Jackson showed him the presents in his stocking. Debating whether the maracas or the bottle was better he decided the maracas which ended up being his favorite thing that day taking them everywhere with him.

Enjoying his Ba Ba






After that we packed up for the day and headed to my moms for breakfast and more presents. On the way there Jackson said he wasn't feeling well. When we got to my moms we started making breakfast Sausage biscuts and Gravy, German Pancakes, Homeade Buttermilk Syrup and Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice it was so Yummy I do love Christmas breakfast. After that we opened more presents, Jackson also threw up the poor guy being sick on Christmas day though you wouldn't know it since he was just so excited the whole day. My mom got me the Deceptively Delicous cookbook ( I was so excited I have been wanting it forever) she also gave us silver engraved napkin rings. We got lots of great stuff. After we had hung there for awhile we went back to Stephens moms house to open the rest of our presents ( Jackson thinks presents are never ending, I wonder why. He continues to ask for them well after they are done.) Then back to my moms for dinner, and then on to Stehens parents again for the Traditional Chili dinner with all the extended family. It was a great day and we were able to spend it with tons of family. Nothing is better that that. Next year I will not be sick on Christmas that is for sure. At least not Morning Sickness.

Jackson and all his goodies
Jackson seems to have the big brother thing down

Christmas Eve 2007

Well Christmas Eve is a long night for us. We always start off at the Cummards and end up at my dads. This year was my dads year so we had to leave the Cummard night a little early. Before we went over to the my in-laws we went to my moms house where I gave her the first card of the night since I knew she would be sad if she was the last to find out. For Christmas I decided to tell our families that we are PREGNANT!!!! I made a card for each grandparent with a number on the front ( the number grandchild it will be) and and Ultrasound picture inside with the due date July 30th. My mom was so excited and had no idea which I thought she might since I have been ultra sick and ducking out of everything. It is so hard to hide being pregnant when all you do is throw up and you can't eat anything or go anywhere, so I have been a real party pooper in December. Holidays are no fun when you are sick for me or my poor kids. Next we headed to the Cummards for a great dinner followed by the Nativity program put on by the Children- Jackson got Joseph this year and he was so adorable. I love getting to do this tradition every year with the kids it really adds a lot to Christmas. After that we started on presents we do it one by one so it took quite along time and we had to leave. But right before we left we gave Cheryl her card, she was so excited and for a minute had no idea who was pregnant. After that we headed to my dads where everyone was there even my aunt and uncle and grandma from Pennsylvania and my cousins who got to school out of state. We visited and opened presents. lots of great stuff. Then I gave my dad his card and he was super excited he couldn't believe it for a second he thought Colin and Heather were giving him a card about their baby since the are having one about 5 wks. before me. At last we headed home around 10:30 and no Jackson did not fall asleep in the car if you can believe it. So we left some cookies out for Santa and headed off to bed.

Jon,Lee and Parker-nerds
Grandkids with the Great Grandparents
Mary and Joseph played by Ellie and Jackson

Stephen bought himself an Ah-So shirt and Pirates gift card wrapped it and then opened it in front of everyone.
Jackson sitting on the special chair opening his soccer ball.
Hudson loving every minute of it
My bro Colin
Hudson and one of his favorite presents a Ball of course
His first video game
My sis. Hayley and the boys
Jackson with my cousins Matthew and Emma
My Grandma and the boys
My dad and the boys
My cute card