The Ortons

This week in school.....

2012-01-21T19:54:00.001-08:00

Hudson's theme was fire safety. The stories we read were about a family where the dad is a fireman. So for a special snack we made a "fire" snack. Red and orange jello and some blue colored cool whip for the water. Hudson and Parker were really excited to eat it. Hudson ate it VERY quickly and Parker loved the cool whip but wasn't too sure about the jello (not sure that I blame her).

Both kids are really enjoying school and I so am I. Some days are definitely easier than others, but overall I have really enjoyed getting to see how my kids learn and what things work best for them. Hudson and Parker are EXTREMELY different learners.

Snow Flake Craft

2012-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

We had a blast with this snow flake activity!

Materials:
pipe cleaners
string
pencil
mason jar (ours was a large one)
hot water
2/3 cup borax (1/3 for a small mason jar)

Directions:
Take the pipe cleaner and mold in to desired shape. Tie string to pipe cleaner and to the pencil to suspend in the mason jar. Fill mason jar with hot water, add the borax, stir until well blended. Add your pipe cleaner and let it sit over night. In the morning the pipe cleaners will be covered in crystals!

We will definitely be doing this again!

Leading up to Christmas!

2012-01-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

My favorite thing we did this year was our new Advent Book! The kids LOVED it and so did we. Each night we would open a new door and read part of the Christmas Story. With each new door we would read all the doors leading up to it, so by Christmas Hudson had a good portion memorized. We can't wait to do this again next year!

Here are a few pictures of some of the other things we did the Christmas season.

A Must Read for Parents

2012-01-06T11:41:00.001-08:00

Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement!

Read this by Rescued Remnant

Letter Walk

2011-12-30T10:21:00.001-08:00

The weather here has been absolutely PERFECT!!!!! We are trying to get as much time outside as possible.

Yesterday we went on a letter walk to see what we could find in "nature". Here is what we found

our "v"
"o"

Hudson's lower case "L"
lower case "I"

and then we stopped at the park

1 year

2011-12-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

Elijah is now a 1 year old!!!! I can't believe this. We love this little so very much. He is a sweet boy that loves to laugh and cuddle. He is growing up quickly, he has grown a TON in the last 2 weeks. Honestly, this post is intimidating for me. I feel like I should have some amazing eloquent words to write about my little one. All that I can come up with right now is how much we love him and how thankful we are for him. We are praying that the Lord will do mighty things in and through him. We love you little man.

Here are some of Elijah's tricks:
~walking
~waving
~signing "more" and "all done"
~says "ba" for ball and "dada"
~clapping
~kisses
~throwing and rolling balls
~climbing on anything and everything he can find

When did my baby get so big?

2011-12-27T20:40:00.001-08:00

Elijah is now 1 year old (I will do a post on that later)!!!! I don't know where my baby has gone.

Hudson's big race

2011-12-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

Just before he got started
Rounding the final corner
A few steps away from the finish line
Excited about the treats at the end of the race

The Saturday before Thanksgiving Hudson had his big race, the Richardson Gobble Hobble. We did the 5k last year and Hudson saw the 1 mile kid run and has been waiting for this race for an entire year! We signed him up this year and Hudson was THRILLED. The couple weeks leading up to the race we talked about it and I reminded him that more than likely he would not win - I know his competitive side and I needed to do all the potential damage control that I could. Well, he proved me wrong!!!! One adult finished before him and he was the 1st kid. Hudson loved every minute of it and is already asking when he can run another race. I love that this has opened up more conversations about exercise and the different organizations that benefit from races.

Birthday Party

2011-12-07T12:21:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Hudson and Parker's Birthday with friends on Saturday. Since the kids birthdays are pretty close and their friends are pretty much the same we had their party together. It was low key and we had a great time. The kids played, painted and ate cake - a great time for everyone. When we first started talking about a birthday party, Parker wanted ladybug cupcakes. Hudson changed his mind a few times and then settled on a cars cake - I think he just wanted the cars. So that is what we did for them and I thought they turned out pretty good. I'm not sure what is going to happen when they want something outside my "skill" set. Oh well, at least I got away with it for this year.

This year we decided not to do gifts, so instead we asked that people would bring either a can of formula to donate to Into The Streets of Ethiopia or books to be donated to the Children's Hospital. Hudson and Parker were really excited about this and honestly, they did not seem to miss the gifts at all. This is something we are planning on continuing and when they get older they will be able to choose what organizations they would like to help. Thank you to all that came and celebrated with us and for your generous donations.

It's Christmas time!!!

2011-12-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

We are super excited that the Christmas season has arrived. We have put up our tree, started our Advent book, drank hot chocolate and have really enjoyed talking about the birth of Jesus and why He is so important. It is an honor to get to walk through this season with our kiddos and to witness and share in their joy for this season. Here our a few pictures of the tree set-up.

11 months!

2011-11-27T17:49:00.001-08:00

Here we are, a little less than one month away from Elijah turning 1! Honestly, I can't believe he is almost a year. In some ways I feel like he has been a member of our family forever and then there are moments where I feel like he is just a little baby. This kid is hilarious, his smirks and little personality keep us all entertained. We are still battling his eczema, which drives me crazy. I get so frustrated about it, but I know it could be so much worse. Elijah is starting to walk. He will take a several steps and then sit down and then other times he refuses to try.....little does he know that walking is so much better than crawling. Our little man is a chunk and mommy really would like for him to walk. Parker loves to call him her "little cutie" and can't seem to keep her hands off of him. Hudson loves to entertain Elijah, he is a great big brother. I am so thankful that our kids *LOVE* to play with one another. Elijah gets right in to play with Hudson and Parker and most times they will let him join in. We continue to pray that they will be the best of friends. Happy 11 months Elijah!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T20:01:00.001-08:00

This year we did a Thanksgiving tree. The kids and I went on a nature hunt and found some sticks/branches that we thought would be good to make our tree out of and then I traced and cut out some leaves for all of us (minus Elijah). Starting on Nov. 1st at dinner (or before bed) we could talk about the different things we were each thankful for and then each one of us would write one down on a leaf and then hang it on the tree. We loved this!!!!! The Thanksgiving Tree is definitely something I want to continue for our family. It helped engage our kids in conversation and served as a great reminder for all the things we are thankful for. There is a wide variety of things written down, some serious some silly and some somewhere in between. Here are just a few of them (you can try and figure out who wrote what): Dora, all the people in the world, pink, jokes, quiet, clean water, books, music, God's grace and mercy, God, Church, orange, babies, the opportunity to travel and the list goes on and on. The kids want to keep going, but tomorrow we start our new Advent book that we got. We are really excited to start this with them!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know we did! And on a side note, this was Elijah's 1st Thanksgiving

Hudson

2011-11-26T12:43:00.001-08:00

Today our oldest turns 5 years old! I can't believe how fast these 5 years have gone. I can vividly remember the day he was born. He is an amazing boy that we are honored to parent. Today at lunch we went around the table and each of us shared some of the things we love about him. Here are some of the things that were said: his enthusiasm for life - the big things and the small things, that he loves God (Parker), that he is a great encourager, how he loves his little sister and brother. As we went around Hudson was embarrassed that we were all saying these things to him, but you could tell that he was full of joy. We are truly blessed by Hudson and can't wait to see what this next year brings.

Some of Hudson's favorite things:
~anything sports related, but loves to play soccer
~Church
~His Bible (he just got a new devotional Bible that he loves to read)
~reading
~playing with Parker and Elijah
~learning - this kid loves to learn about anything and everything
~asking questions
~science experiments
~running - he ran a 1 mile race a couple weeks ago and did great (he keeps asking when he can race again)

I am humbled to see how the Lord has been working in Hudson's life. He loves to pray for other countries and that everyone will love God. He also enjoys teaching Parker about the Bible. I am blown away by how this child loves the things of God. At his new school this year he has memorized the Lord's Prayer and every time he recites it to me I am close to tears. I pray that God will continue to open his heart and mind to Himself and that Hudson will have a desire to bring the Gospel to the nations.

Hudson we love you!!!!!!

Here are few pictures from the last 5 years (in no specific order)

Seaworld

2011-11-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of October our little family went to Seaworld before Christian started his new job. September was an "interesting" month for us. Christian finished his job at Crew Land at the beginning of the month and then spent 2 weeks in College Station working followed by 2 weeks in Colorado. For awhile we were pretty certain we would be moving to one of those places, but the Lord opened up a door for us to stay here and Christian is now working in Fort Worth. All of that to say that we wanted to do a little family getaway after Christian being gone on and off for a month. We packed up the van and headed to San Antonio. The kids had a blast! They loved Seaworld - the shows, the animals and the children's rides. Christian and I had so much fun watching them enjoy the rides and riding with them. We also spent one morning at the San Antonio Children's Museum. I'm so glad we had the opportunity to take a little trip in between all our "transitions". And of course, here are some fun photos of the trip.

Soccer

2011-10-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Yep! It's that time of year again, Hudson is *LOVING* soccer. He is enjoying everything about soccer right now.....practice, games, snacks, friends, everything. He is even playing his own games in the backyard by himself. His team is filled with lots of friends, so we have really enjoyed all the fun times together. It has been so fun to watch him enjoy playing and working hard to develop some new skills. Now for the pictures....
Elijah cheering for Hudson

Parker and Elijah's sweet soccer set up

Plano Balloon Festival

2011-10-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

This year we went to the Plano Balloon Festival. I was really excited about it and thought the kids would love it. However, this picture was the most exciting that it got:( Unfortunately it was too windy for the balloons to launch so we didn't get to see ANY hot air balloons. Oh well, but thank you to the Lambs for bringing this super cool wagon to provide us with some excitement.

Brotherly love

2011-10-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hudson's 1st day of Pre-school

2011-10-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Back in Sept, Hudson had his first day of Pre-school. When I was working he went to school, but this is a little more "focused." So far, he loves it. He is going 9am-noon on tuesdays and thursdays. There have a been a few moments where he has told me that he doesn't want to go because he wants to hang out with us but he ALWAYS has a great time. He is enjoying all the different crafts they do and the bible stories that they talk about. Here is a picture from his first day and a picture of Parker (she just didn't want to be left out)

10 months

2011-10-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Once again another month has passed and our littlest one is now 10 months. I can't believe we are only 2 months away from being a 1 year old. It has been an absolute joy to watch him interact with the world around him. He adores Hudson and Parker and often tries to play their games with them. Recently, he has started waving, giving high fives, clap, stand on his own (balance) and say "dada". He is eating all sorts of squash, quinoa, avocado, beets and sweet potatoes. I love his toothy grin, hopefully the other front tooth will debut soon. We love you little man! Happy 10 months

Way back in September........

2011-10-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

For labor day we packed up and went to stay at my (Erin's) Uncle Pete and Aunt Sue's house. It was a perfect getaway for us before Christian headed off on what would be a month of figuring out where his next job would bring us. Our weekend was fantastic!!! We swam, played air hockey, watched some football, enjoyed a cousins birthday party and had some great conversations with family. This weekend was an amazing blessing to us before the month of craziness. Thank you Uncle Pete and Auntie Sue for opening your home to us and allowing us to invade your space.

I love this sweet boy!

2011-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics

2011-09-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Parker has officially started gymnastics! It was actually really hard for me to put her in it. I'm torn, I loved gymnastics but I also know how extremely hard it was on my body and how difficult it becomes once you become an upper level gymnast (really, any upper level athlete) and I'm just not sure that is something I want our family to get into. I know it's weird to think of these things when my daughter is 2, but this was exactly how I started out. After fighting it for awhile, we finally put her in a mommy and me class and she LOVES it! We go once a week for 45 min and this past week she threw a massive fit when it was time to leave. For now I am just enjoying the ride and enjoying spending time with her and watching her become excited about something that is her own. The rest will come later. Here is her "I'm ready" face

So far she has loved everything, except the stretching at the beginning - so much like her mom it's a little scary. She love to hang on the bars, run across the balance beam, jump (and fall down) all over the trampoline and play in the pit. So, this is where you will find us tuesday mornings while Hudson is at school

9 months!

2011-09-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

Our littlest is now 9 months old! Honestly, I feel like this month has been such a blur with all that we have going on (more on that soon). Elijah is such a joy to have around. We are still working hard on getting rid of his eczema, he is a fantastic crawler, likes to cruise around, still loves to be held - by mom, thinks his brother and sister are GREAT and loves to eat. I'm sure I am leaving out a bunch. Elijah, we love you!!!!

more pictures

2011-09-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile....

2011-09-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

So much has gone on and there is so VERY much to share. It will take me awhile to "catch up", so for now I will just post some pictures from our summer.

Sweet Friends!

2011-08-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you Greg and Jen for letting your sweet boys hang out with us for the evening. We love you guys and are so thankful for you.

8 months!!!

2011-08-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our littlest one is 8 months old!!!! His first year is flying by. Elijah is such a sweet boy and LOVES his brother and sister.

Where he is now:
started crawling
teeth #'s 5 and 6 are coming in
eczema is starting to get better
has pulled up a few times
eats avocado, beets and working on sweet potatoes (not his favorite)
enjoys swimming
plays spitting games with Hudson and Parker
loves to "talk" and be outside
still can't make it all the way thru church (but we are getting REALLY close)

I'm sure there is more that I am blanking on for now. Elijah, we love you and we are so blessed to have you in this family

Summertime at the Arboretum

2011-08-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

WAS HOT!!!!!! Yesterday we to the arboretum with some friends. I *LOVE* this place, but man, it was steamy - so glad they have the water toads for the kids to play in. Here is the usual arboretum picture overload

Volcanoes

2011-08-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

In the last couple weeks Hudson has been asking a lot of questions about volcanoes. Now that I am not "working" I decided to it would be fun to do a short home school type lesson on volcanoes. Thanks to National Geographic for Kids, we watched a short video. We got out our supplies and set out to build our own volcano

The kids LOVED it (and so did I)! I'm so glad that I now have the time to do these types of things with the kids.....who knows what our next project will be?

Last week

2011-08-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

siblings playing the piano
swinging and sliding
Rock Climbing

Sprayground with friends
holding his own bottle (sometimes). It doesn't help that he only has a bottle maybe once a day

movie night with friends

Beets

2011-08-18T11:49:00.001-07:00

LOVE THEM!!!!

ps: don't mind the snot running down his face

embracing the heat...

2011-08-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that the heat has just been insane this week. I had seen this art project a several different times and was super excited to try it out. I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint. I think this is one of my favorite creations we have made (and it was EASY)

the beginning

and now we wait
almost done

and the finished product!

Swimming

2011-08-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

We have had a blast swimming this summer! Hudson and Parker are much more comfortable in the water now. I'm hoping that by the end of next summer they will be swimming by themselves. Today we went to hang out with our friends the Mckays. The pool was perfect, the deep pool was 3 and 4 feet and then they also had a kids pool. I'm so glad that I finally got to take some pictures of them in the water.

7 Months!

2011-07-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

So here we are again, at Elijah's monthly photo. He is such a sweet boy and LOVES his brother and sister. While on his stomach he spins in circles. He still loves his jumperoo and now jumps sideways and sways from side to side. He is a grabber and a biter. Loves avocado. Is getting his top 2 "i" teeth (but still doesn't have the top middle teeth). He will be my little vampire:) Still battling eczema. Went on his first plane ride and did really well. Can sit up by himself and play. Has the sweetest little smile. We love you E

This past week

2011-07-09T17:43:00.002-07:00

Elijah is doing great sitting up. I think he wants to crawl so badly but he is still is not a huge fan of tummy time
Elijah LOVES to play with his big brother and Hudson loves playing with him. They had such a great time with morning (Parker was still sleeping)

These 2 pictures are from the 4th of July parade in Arlington. The parade was great and we had a fantastic time....my only complaint was that it was SUPER hot and we were sitting in the sun:( For part of the parade we cozy-ed ourselves up in the shade. Next time we will have to get there earlier so we snag a piece of the shade
Elijah enjoying some tummy time and sucking on his bottom lip. He also likes to blow raspberries and spit everywhere.

The rest of the week included signing Hudson up for a VBS (he is calling it Bible camp), going to the exercise gym, swimming and helping our friend the McKays move back to Texas!

6 months!

2011-06-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Elijah is now 6 months! I can't believe half a year has gone by since he joined our little family. It seems as if he has always been here. He in one BIG boy, I can't say just how big because we have not gone for his 6 month check up yet - the price you pay for being the 3rd child. He is:

~rolling over more and more
~starting to scoot backwards
~in an attachment to mom phase (flattering, but can be a little frustrating)
~eating rice cereal
~LOVING being entertained by Hudson and Parker (when he is not worried about where mom is)
~sitting up by himself for short periods of time
~eating 4 times a day (sometimes 5) and sleeping about 11-12 hrs at night - sometimes he wakes up for random reasons
~teething; he has 2 already but I think another one will be here in the near future
~jumping up a storm in his jumperoo....sometimes I think he might just jump out of it
~melting our hearts with his smile

Our lives lately....

2011-06-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of what we have been up to

Zoo

2011-06-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

Monday we went to the Dallas Zoo with Kim, Landen and Brooks. We had such a great time and we are looking forward to many trips with them....yay for zoo memberships. It has been so HOT here so we left after lunch.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend full of all sorts of things including a party at Rachel's parents and a potluck style dinner with the Dallas Symphony followed by fireworks at Flagpole Hill

Parker's 1st haircut

2011-06-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Parker got her 1st real hair cut in early May (better late than never). I love it! It definitely fits her personality. after
after
During...she did fantastic, as long as she had her sucker
before

5 months

2011-05-23T18:17:00.001-07:00

Our sweet littlest one is 5 months old. I can't believe how quick it has gone by. He is one sweet kiddo with lots of love to give. I am still amazed at just how much Hudson and Parker love him.....I'm praying that this relationship between the 3 of them will continue and even grow deeper.

Stats:
~size - big
~teeth - one has popped through and another is very close
~He loves to roll from back to front - front to back, not so much:( which can make nights a little interesting

Yummy toes

2011-05-17T19:41:00.001-07:00

Soccer season #2 is over

2011-04-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

The FirePower had another successful season. In their 2 seasons, they have only lost 1 game and really, they shouldn't have lost it. Hudson loves soccer and playing for the FirePower. We had an end of season celebration at Fuzzy's Taco, one of our favorite places. We can't wait for next season to start, but we will have to since it doesn't start until September.

Easter

2011-04-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken saturday night before church and Sunday morning at the arboretum. I love that Hudson knows the "real" reason for Easter. I pray constantly that the Lord will show mercy on our children and that they will truly understand what was accomplished through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
this one really makes me laugh, all 3 are so serious-so not their personalities

4 months, really?!?!?!

2011-04-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Monkey #3 is now 4 months old! He is such a joy to be around. Always full of smiles and giggles and LOVES his brother and sister. Monkeys #1 and #2 adore him as well and often argue over who gets to hold him first. He now weighs 17lbs 2oz (90%) and is 27 1/2 inches (off the chart). The pediatrician said he is not showing any signs of teething anytime soon (smiley face from mommy) and that he is one strong boy. We are so blessed to have him as a part of our family. We love you little Buddy (This is what P likes to call him). I am also posting pics of H and P at 4 months....do you think there are any similarities?

3 months!

2011-03-21T17:33:00.001-07:00

Spring time at the Arboretum

2011-03-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

WARNING!!!!! Photo overload....this is what happens when we go the arboretum

Elijah and Parker

2011-02-21T19:04:00.001-08:00

I can't believe Elijah is already 2 months! He is such a little sweetie and a complete joy to be around. He is a major blessing to our family. Christian and I are constantly talking about how much we love our little family. Here is some Elijah info:

~Height: 24 3/4 in (95%)
~Weight: 14lbs 10oz (off the chart....hee hee)
~head: 15 7/8
~smiles and talks often
~loves his older brother and sister. He puts up with a lot of "lovin" from the older 2.
~is now going 7 hours between feedings at night (YAY!!!!!)
~is super sweet and chilled baby
~has rolled over from tummy to back a couple times
~loves his pacifier
~great eater (obviously)
~LOVED MUCH!!!!

Parker also had her 2 year check up today (a little late, but easier to get them both done at the same time). Parker info:

~full of personality!
~a little mommy in training - loves to take care of any one younger than her. She is actually really good at it
~her smile lights up the room
~extremely independent
~can count to 10 (when she wants to)
~working on her letters - pretends she doesn't know them, then will randomly surprise you. So different than Hudson, he loves to show off what he knows
~loves art, dancing and anything dangerous
~enjoys arguing - we will often hear her yelling "no" at just about anything, tells Hudson that I'm "her mommy" and she loves to push Hudson's buttons and knows exactly how.
~absolutely ADORES both of her brothers. Parker loves to copy Hudson. Hudson also loves his sister
~height: 34 3/4in (65%)
~weight: 26lbs (40%)
~head: 17 7/8 (off the chart small)
~LOVED MUCH!!!!!

3 little monkeys

2011-02-19T18:44:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago the kids had pajama day at school. Hudson and Parker wanted to wear their monkey jammies, so I thought I might as well put Elijah in monkeys too. So, here are my three little monkeys.....

Icy and Snowy Days

2011-02-05T12:24:00.000-08:00

Redefining Normal

2011-01-30T20:09:00.001-08:00

This phrase just keeps echoing in my mind. This is the week I go back to work. Our life with 3 kids will look drastically different then what it has for the past 6 weeks. My thoughts and emotions are going crazy. There is a lot of fear and anxiety. I know that I need to trust in the Lord and pursue Him passionately, unfortunately right now there are moments where the fear takes over and I can't see past the circumstances. I am fearful of:

~not pursuing the Lord and thinking that I can get by on my own "strength"
~not loving my husband the way I desire to (and the way I should)
~not being a good mom
~losing friendships because I don't feel like I have a lot of extra time to spend with others
~letting my students down (as well as co-workers)
~running my body into the ground

I feel like the list could go on and on. Even with the anxiety I have about what this week might bring, there is absolutely no question that I love our little family and wouldn't change anything about our family. All three kiddos have brought so much joy to our lives. They have taught me about myself and more about God than I ever would have thought at their young ages. I am so thankful for the "extra" moments I have been able to spend with them lately. My prayer is this....that I will press in to the Lord, love Christian well, cherish my moments I have with the kids and that I will find my joy in the Lord only. So now it begins

Elijah is 1 month old!

2011-01-24T20:08:00.001-08:00

We are absolutely loving our littlest one! He is complete joy to be around, just look at that smirk. Hudson and Parker love being around him and loving on him. Elijah is one big boy. He is a great eater and we are working on the sleeping (it's not horrible, but who wouldn't want more sleep).

so far...
~he is very laid back
~smiles
~is very strong, however I don't think he is quite as anxious to move around as his brother and sister were
~he gets kissed by Hudson and Parker all day long

Newborn Pictures

2011-01-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

Taken by Allison Duckworth - eleventhirtysix images. We are so thankful for the way she captured our little one.

3 kids and a Christmas tree

2011-01-17T18:40:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas was a little different this year since Elijah made his debut a few days before. We had a great time with the kids.....talked about the birth of Jesus and opened gifts - Hudson was so excited about every gift, including his underwear! Later in the day we went over to Christian's parents and spent some time with his family. It was a low key but great way to celebrate

Kid comparison

2011-01-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here they are around 3 weeks!
Hudson

Parker

Elijah

Elijah is HERE!!!!!

2010-12-29T17:18:00.000-08:00

Elijah arrived Tuesday Dec 21st at 1:24 am. We headed to the hospital Monday night around 9p and then spent an hour walking around the hospital to see if I was really in labor - as frustrating as this was, I am very thankful that I got to spend that hour walking instead of just staying in a bed. My friend Allison joined us at the hospital to photograph the birth. I am so thankful for her support and encouragement during the delivery and I can't wait to see more of her pics (the pics posted are not hers, but you can check out her work here )

After walking for an hour (around 10:45p), I had progressed enough for them the admit me to the hospital. My doctor had just returned from NY, so she was able to be there. She is an unbelievable dr and I am so thankful for her and her support for me to have an unmedicated VBAC. The nurse I had was also phenomenal and extremely supportive. I'll leave out the details...but at 1:24 am after 10 min or so of pushing Elijah arrived! He was a whopping 8lbs 5 oz (a full pound more than Hudson) and as healthy as can. We are so glad he is finally here.

The last few weeks (pre Elijah)

2010-12-29T17:10:00.001-08:00

The first few weeks of December was a great mix of having lots of things going on as well as having some great down time. While we were anxiously awaiting Elijah's arrival...... We painted Christmas ornaments
danced and played silly games
and took lots of trips to the park.

37 ish weeks

2010-12-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

This was taken last weekend. I am now just over 38 weeks along and this baby is getting big. I'm measuring "large" but he is measuring relatively normal. So please join us in prayer that this little man will make his arrival soon. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. Hudson and Parker couldn't be more thrilled about their little brother. I'm not sure if Parker realizes that he will be living with us, but she will figure it out quickly.

Our Big Soccer Stud

2010-10-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hudson had his 2nd soccer game on Saturday. We had a little bit of a rough morning before the game, Hudson was not too excited about playing. He played a little of the first quarter and he even scored a goal. After his goal he said that he was done. His team only has 6 players and we had several that were having "rough" days....I'm assuming that is to be expected when you have 3 and 4 year olds on a team. Hud sat out the 2nd quarter and through half time he was still planning on just sitting out. We had some Gatorade and we told him that he could have some if he would go back in and help out his team. He finally agreed to play. Well once he went back in he was all business and ended up scoring a total of 8 goals! He was so excited about his goals and that he is "faster" than a lot of the other kids. So, overall I guess game 2 was a success. Thanks Aunt Kristin for coming to cheer him on....he loves having people come and watch.

Fall at the Arboretum

2010-10-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we went to the arboretum to enjoy all the fun pumpkins. The kids were not in the mood to have their pictures taken but here are a few that turned out decent.

Our Silly Little Girl

2010-10-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

She loves to take her clothes off and show off her belly
She also loves to sit in the basket of the stroller
and well, who doesn't like to strike a little pose every now and then

u4 Soccer

2010-10-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hudson had his first soccer game on Saturday. This boy loves soccer and so we thought we would sign him up. His team is the Firepower and he has a couple friends on the team that we are super excited about. Thank you GrandKen and GranMommy and Chris and Holly for coming out to cheer Hud on.

Photos by Sherah Witt

2010-10-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Sherah took some family photographs for us. They are great! Thank you so much Sherah for spending your morning with us. You can check out more of her work here

Summer Fun

2010-08-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

WARNING......this will probably be a photo overload. So many things to catch up on, so here we go.
First up, Celelbrations Park in Allen. This park is *amazing*, we love it. We spent the morning at the park with Rachel and Dealey (and a ton of other kids). The kids had a blast playing on the equipment and finally decided that the water would be fun too.

Snack time in the tent....they love their tent and tunnels

Zoo day with our Home Group. It was super hot, but we had a blast. I wish I would have taken more pictures.

Best Friends!

baby #3 is a ......

2010-08-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the video from last night. Thank you to everyone that came to celebrate with us. We are so blessed to be surrounded by people we love. Enjoy!!!!

A long overdue post....

2010-07-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

I am overwhelmed by all that I can recap, so for now I will just leave a couple pics. Hopefully I will feel up to writing soon:) They *LOVE* each other
Our little poser

Too cute not to share

2010-04-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

bluebonnets

2010-04-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

In Texas, bluebonnet pictures are a must:) They have been so pretty lately and we had a great time playing in them. Although I think Hudson was more excited about getting to ride his bike after we took pictures.

China Hat

2010-04-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

While we were in China, DaYu bought this hat for Hudson. When it comes to hats (or just about anything for that matter) Hudson likes to decide when he will start wearing them. With that in mind I have shown it to him a few times and asked him if he wanted to wear it. Of course the answer was "no". Well a few days ago Hudson was having some room time and when he came out this is what he looked like and honestly, the lack of hair covering his forhead kind of creeps me out.
Thank you DaYu for once again bringing me much laughter:)

15 months!!!

2010-04-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well, Parker is now 15 months! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. She is such a wonderful addition to our family. Hudson loves taking care of his sister and "guiding" her. She is a sassy girl that knows what she wants. She loves to cuddle with her momma and if I (erin) is sitting on the floor she will sit in my lap very quickly. Her ear infections have improved since we got the tubes put in. She is starting to talk more and more. She loves animals - barks, meows and sometimes will baaa. She is FULL of energy!

China Trip

2010-04-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue...to be honest, I have been a little overwhelmed thinking about this post. So many pictures to go through, so many thoughts and great experiences to share. With all of that said, I am going to keep this pretty short. We had a amazing time, the kids did fantastic on the flights and the whole trip, and we were truly blessed to spend time with the Vaughns. You can check out some more of our time there on their blog

here are a few of our pictures and you can check out some more on my (erin's) facebook.
Our last night...we had dinner with some other foreigners in the city. With all of us together we had 12 adults and 16 kids (8 and under). It was AWESOME!!!! Thank you Vaughns for allowing us to invade your world for a week.
Hudson feeding pigeons. We went to this fantastic park and we were able to buy corn to feed the pigeons. I wasn't sure what Hudson would think, but he loved it!

A german church in their city.....beautiful! Such a different site to see in China
Hudson and Charis watching Selah and Malachi at Taekwando Class
Our family photo in the airport before the first plan ride

We love the zoo

2010-03-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

We love going to the zoo....what a fantastic way to learn about some of the animals that God has created. I must admit that I would much rather see them in their natural homes, but unfortunately for us this is as close as we can get for now.

Parker was super excited about the penguins and Hudson, well he loved going from one animal to another. He didn't have much of an attention span, but he loved running around outside and going for a ride on the carousel.

Baby and Milk....what more do you need!?!

2010-03-07T18:32:00.001-08:00

SNOW!!!! and lots of it

2010-02-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

Enjoying the weather

2010-01-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

We have had some great (decent) weather recently so we took advantage of it and had some outside fun

Parker's 1 year stats

2010-01-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Weight: 20lbs 7oz (40%)
Height: 28 1/2in (40%)
Head: 17" (5%)

I could write about this girl all day long...but I won't. She is in to EVERYTHING! Parker loves to walk (close to a run now) all around the house. She loves her big brother and even chases him and tackles him every now and then - of course this is only when Hudson hasn't already pushed her down. She loves to talk and scream. Unfortunately she has picked up on her brother's fits. She is a fantastic climber and a major daredevil. She loves playing with cars, her tea set and anything that makes noise. She is not the best eater. Don't get me wrong, she loves food - just not vegetables, and she is great at feeding herself. We are working hard at getting her to eat her veggies. She is a true joy to be around; her smiles and laughs light up the room. She is still very sensitive and does not like it when other people are crying. She also seems to like getting back at other people - there is a kid that can sometimes be a bully and she decided to push him down; also, she will push Hudson away when he is invading her space. She is a strong-willed little one. We love her dearly! I can't believe she is already 1. Parker, we love you and are praying great things for you.

Ft. Worth Museum of Nature and Science

2010-01-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the Ft. Worth Museum of Nature and Science with Christian's parents. We all had a blast! They have recently updated the children's part and it was great. Hudson and Parker had so much fun going through everything. One of Hudson's favorites was generating electricity with a crank and watching things "fly" in a wind tunnel type things. We will definitely have to go back. By the way, I am LOVING that Parker is now old enough to enjoy things like this - I'm already looking forward to all the fun things we can do this summer

A Crafty Week

2010-01-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

I do not consider myself (Erin) to be very crafty. However, I have several friends that are not only incredibly crafty but they are extreme talented. I am so thankful for them because they have inspired me to try new things and to be more creative. I have always struggled with creativity. I have always wanted to be a creative and "artsy" person, but that just isn't me....I want the exact steps that I need to take to make it look perfect. For some odd reason this week has been a breakthrough week for me and I have had a blast trying new things and honestly I have been able to worship the Lord through this (usually I am just paranoid that I am doing something wrong). So here are my crafts that were completed this week - a clip/bow holder for Parker and some dish towels for our kitchen

Love this!

2010-01-15T20:02:00.001-08:00

This picture says it all! Thank you Nicole for capturing our family

hmmmmm cake

2010-01-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Parker's 1st Birthday Party!

2010-01-02T18:10:00.001-08:00

The cake and pictures from her 1st year

PARTY GIRL!!!!!

Cake time! Notice Hudson's hand on the bottom of the picture. He was so VERY excited to help her eat her cake.

clean up time

All tuckered out, time for bed.....don't you love the hair

SNOW!!!

2010-01-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

We missed the Christmas snow this year in Dallas:( But, lucky for us it snowed again a few days ago. Hudson didn't want to go outside and play, but Parker was ALL about it. I can't believe how cold it has been this year.

When did our little sweet P get so big?

2010-01-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2009-12-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas in The Woodlands. We had a fantastic time hanging out with my (Erin) family. On Christmas Eve we had appetizers at the Randolph's then we headed to church followed by dinner at the Allen's. What a sweet time hanging out with family. As the kids were going crazy it brought back so many memories and made me think that this had to be similar to when we were all young and running around........wow, how different holidays are when you have little ones running around. I have to say, that all the kids did an OUTSTANDING job! Hudson had so much fun playing with his cousins and keeps asking about when he gets to play with them again. Hopefully, it won't be too long before he sees them again. What a fantastic way to celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Days off before Christmas

2009-12-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

The week of Christmas it was absolutely beautiful in Dallas. The kids and I spent a good amount of time outside - this time of year you have to take advantage of the good weather whenever you can. We, along with the Westers, went on a train ride in a guy's backyard in Richardson. The boys had a blast, Parker was not a big fan. This guy has built a train track in his backyard with TONS of lights and during the Christmas season he gives free rides every night. What an incredible way to minister to the community. I'm hoping this will become a yearly thing that our family will do.

Gaylord Texan and ICE!!

2009-12-27T17:49:00.001-08:00

A little over a week ago I surprised Christian with a night away at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. I arranged for Christian's parents to watch the kids friday night and then we would all meet up saturday afternoon to go see the ICE! exhibit. We had a fantastic time. Christian and I walked through downtown Grapevine - which if you have never been through there around Christmas time, you must go next year. It was awesome and very kid friendly (although it wasn't a concern for us this night!!!!) The hotel was absolutely beautiful, the Christmas decorations were absolutely amazing. Thank you to Christian's parents - we really enjoyed our night out, we even got to sleep in a bit.

Saturday afternoon we met the rest of the gang and headed to ICE! This year's theme was How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This is another "must do" activity for the holiday season. They fly people in from Harbin, China to carve the ice sculptures.....AMAZING doesn't even describe how neat this is. They even have a slide made out of ice for you go down, so fun! Here are a few of the pics from our weekend. The nativity scene at the end of ICE! was beautiful; my picture doesn't do it justice.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T20:31:00.001-08:00

Hudson

2009-12-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

in between turns while bowling at his friend Andrew's birthday party

Parker's 1st pigtails

2009-12-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

Yard work and Christmas Tree

2009-12-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we did some yard work (it had to be done before we were able to put up the Christmas lights) and we decided to make it a family affair. So here is what the kids did:

Actually, when Hudson wasn't playing with Parker he wanted to help out. He helped pull ivy and stuffed the trash bags and he even wanted to use the hedge trimmers (don't worry, we didn't let him....yet)

After naps we got down the Christmas decorations and began with the tree. Hudson was so excited to start putting up "Christmas". Parker on the other hand had no clue what was going on. This is as far as we got (the tree put together) before Parker threw up everywhere. So we decided the ornament part would just have to wait. Here is a picture that I took right before Parker got sick - I will spare you the after, and yes I do have a picture (how could you not, when the camera is already out)

Thanksgiving Week

2009-11-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

I love them!!!!

2009-11-21T18:21:00.001-08:00

Hudson's 3rd birthday party!!!

2009-11-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we had Hudson's 3rd birthday party. We could not have asked for better weather. What a fantastic time celebrating with friends and family. The kids painted, decorated some train cakes and just played outside. Hudson was so excited and is still talking about his party. Thank you everyone that celebrated with us, we love you and we feel blessed to have you in our lives (those that couldn't make it...we love you too:)

Friday night

2009-11-08T17:42:00.001-08:00

High Heels?!?!?

2009-11-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

Today I went to baby shower....for some reason I felt like wearing some shoes with heels. This was my conversation with Hudson:

Hudson: "Mommy, what are those?" (pointing to my shoes)
Me: "My shoes"
Hudson: "You walking on tip toes?" (then he proceeds to demonstrate how to walk on tip toes)

I guess you can tell how often I wear high heels;)

Fall at the Dallas Arboretum

2009-11-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

We absolutely LOVE the Arboretum! There are so many reasons why we love to hang out there, but one of our favorites is the pumpkin patch that they have each Oct. Here are a few of the pics took this year.

9 month stats

2009-10-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Weight = 18lbs 9 oz (50%)
Length = 28 in (65%)
Head = 16 3/4 cm (15%)

Hudson's stats at 9 months
weight = 20lbs 6 oz
length = 29 in

Plano International Festival

2009-10-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Plano's International Festival. It was a little chilly, but we had a great time. We desire to teach our kid's about other cultures and pray that they will have a heart for the nations....so we were super excited to be able to go on Saturday. We got there early enough to watch them march in all the different flags, it was so neat to see all the countries that were represented and the people take pride in their countries. There were tons of different booths set up, a food court (with many types of foods) and a fantastic childrens section with all sorts of crafts representing different nations. Hudson was not super excited about all the crafts, he just wanted to watch other people.....Maybe next year, but I was finally able to get him to go inside the fire truck:)

The many faces of Parker (and 1 of Hud)

2009-10-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

from most recent to oldest

Hudson enjoying LAST year's halloween costume

2009-10-11T18:29:00.000-07:00