Tuesday, March 31, 2009
NOTE:
For some reason, my latest post which I put up today has ended up before the last two. Please read it and imagine that it is under March 31st, instead of the 29th.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Trip to Aiken
One of the great things about being unemployed is that we don't have any constraints on our travel time! We were so thankful to tack on 3 extra days to our Aiken trip to visit Matt's parents! We had a great time and enjoyed Matt's mom's delicious cooking and time with Grandma and Grandpa.
On the way down there, we debated about the pull-up/panty situation, and decided that pull-ups would be better for the drive, especially if Alden fell asleep. Here she is trying her potty at one of our stops.
One of the pluses about going down early, was that I was hoping to catch some of the US Equestrian Team's training sessions. They were supposed to be in Aiken Wed-Fri, but when I showed up at the farm on Thursday, they had moved to Southern Pines since there was a big horse trials at the Carolina Horse Park that weekend. Definitely a bummer, since Southern Pines is only 1 1/2 from Cary, but we love coming to Aiken, so it was still a win-win!
Thursday we went to the library for Alden and Grandma to get some books, and then to the park for a while. 
Alden enjoyed reading her "Animal Books" with Grandpa.
Friday, we went to the Odell Weeks park for a while, and that night, we ate at a great Italian Restaurant. The kids were great...it is always a gamble taking them out. It definitely helped that we were outside.
Saturday, we all went to the Steeplechase. When we moved three years ago (wow, 3 years!), it was right around this time of year, and the steeplechase was one of the first things we went to. We started the day with Matt's parents and their Sunday school class, who hosted a great tailgate. They had a spot right on the inside rail, so we got to see the horses really close as they sped by. We also got to visit with the Bagby's, who were the YL staff in Aiken when we lived there. They have since moved to Tennessee, but were back for the weekend, so it was a treat to see them.
Alden and Hudson both got new hats for the occasion.
Family pic minus Alden, who was not interested in having her picture made. Shocker.
Hudson getting some time with Grandma and meeting some new friends.
Alden and her baby watching the horses getting ready to race.
Potty break at the steeplechase.
We also went to feed carrots to the horses near the house. Alden ate most of the horses' carrot in the car on the way there. The brown horse was pretty bossy, and you could tell they both had gotten a lot of treats before!
Our pleasant, camera-loving daughter.
And Hudson, who is just the opposite. He smiles as soon as he sees you take the camera out.
On the way down there, we debated about the pull-up/panty situation, and decided that pull-ups would be better for the drive, especially if Alden fell asleep. Here she is trying her potty at one of our stops.
One of the pluses about going down early, was that I was hoping to catch some of the US Equestrian Team's training sessions. They were supposed to be in Aiken Wed-Fri, but when I showed up at the farm on Thursday, they had moved to Southern Pines since there was a big horse trials at the Carolina Horse Park that weekend. Definitely a bummer, since Southern Pines is only 1 1/2 from Cary, but we love coming to Aiken, so it was still a win-win!
Thursday we went to the library for Alden and Grandma to get some books, and then to the park for a while. 
Alden enjoyed reading her "Animal Books" with Grandpa.
Friday, we went to the Odell Weeks park for a while, and that night, we ate at a great Italian Restaurant. The kids were great...it is always a gamble taking them out. It definitely helped that we were outside.Saturday, we all went to the Steeplechase. When we moved three years ago (wow, 3 years!), it was right around this time of year, and the steeplechase was one of the first things we went to. We started the day with Matt's parents and their Sunday school class, who hosted a great tailgate. They had a spot right on the inside rail, so we got to see the horses really close as they sped by. We also got to visit with the Bagby's, who were the YL staff in Aiken when we lived there. They have since moved to Tennessee, but were back for the weekend, so it was a treat to see them.
Alden and Hudson both got new hats for the occasion.
Family pic minus Alden, who was not interested in having her picture made. Shocker.
Hudson getting some time with Grandma and meeting some new friends.
Alden and her baby watching the horses getting ready to race.
Potty break at the steeplechase.
We also went to feed carrots to the horses near the house. Alden ate most of the horses' carrot in the car on the way there. The brown horse was pretty bossy, and you could tell they both had gotten a lot of treats before!
Our pleasant, camera-loving daughter.
And Hudson, who is just the opposite. He smiles as soon as he sees you take the camera out.
March Catch Up*
Well, I spent my March posts so far covering February, so here is my attempt to get caught up before April, when I am going to be more consistent. My excuse is that Matt and I have been using the computer for job-search-type activities, and haven't had much screen time for blogging.
The first week of March, I had the opportunity to work a few days at Country Sunshine, our family friends daycare/preschool while their college helpers were on spring break. I got to help in the 4's and transition rooms, and it was a lot of fun. The kids were great and it was fun to have some grown-ups to talk to! It did make me thankful that Alden and Hudson are not in daycare, but also made me realize that the folks at Jan's really genuinely love the kids they take care of, and that it is a great place, which may not be the case everywhere.
The first weekend of March, Alden stayed with Auntie Amber for the afternoon and Matt, Hudson and I went to the wedding of Jarred and Shelley Jung. It was one of the most beautiful, spirit-filled ceremonies. The Jungs were in East Asia with Campus Crusade for 2 years and are getting ready to re-up for at least 3 more. Just yesterday, we had the opportunity to hear more about what they are doing to spread God's word. They are still trying to raise support, so if you read this, and would be interested in partnering with them in ministry, let me know, and I will be happy to get you their information. They would love to share their experiences!
After church the next day, we took advantage of the lovely weather and went hiking at Hemlock Bluffs. It was Hudson's first time in the backpack, and he loved it!
One of the highlights of this month was the Open House at Alden's school. Matt and I got to go with her in the evening, and go through a mini school day with her. We had circle time, art, music, snack and got to play outside (since it was 70 something degrees out that night!). Alden has such a great class and we love Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Stay-ha (Stapleton). Alden showed us the toys she plays with and we enjoyed hearing her songs at music time.
Matt started a new part-time job this month at On the Border. He started mid-month, and is getting all his training sessions out of the way. Soon, he will be a full-fledged server! We are grateful for this opportunity that God has provided for Matt to be doing something while he is job-searching.
What else...
Eating breakfast on the potty; most likely "tiger cereal" or "tiger-shark cereal" if it is the Aldi brand of Frosted Flakes
Drinking lemonade on the potty.
Family time with Lily. Hudson loves her and Lily enjoys all the extra attention.
Hudson loves playing with his musical table...
...or playing in the dishwasher...only when it is clean, though!
Trying lots of new food...Yogurt...
...A biter biscuit...
...drinking out of a big boy cup...
...and avocado. This was mostly mushed around. I don't know if much made it into his mouth.
Watching the clothes in the washer.
Fascinating.
* There are not very many pictures of Alden. She has been very anti-camera lately.
The first week of March, I had the opportunity to work a few days at Country Sunshine, our family friends daycare/preschool while their college helpers were on spring break. I got to help in the 4's and transition rooms, and it was a lot of fun. The kids were great and it was fun to have some grown-ups to talk to! It did make me thankful that Alden and Hudson are not in daycare, but also made me realize that the folks at Jan's really genuinely love the kids they take care of, and that it is a great place, which may not be the case everywhere.
The first weekend of March, Alden stayed with Auntie Amber for the afternoon and Matt, Hudson and I went to the wedding of Jarred and Shelley Jung. It was one of the most beautiful, spirit-filled ceremonies. The Jungs were in East Asia with Campus Crusade for 2 years and are getting ready to re-up for at least 3 more. Just yesterday, we had the opportunity to hear more about what they are doing to spread God's word. They are still trying to raise support, so if you read this, and would be interested in partnering with them in ministry, let me know, and I will be happy to get you their information. They would love to share their experiences!
After church the next day, we took advantage of the lovely weather and went hiking at Hemlock Bluffs. It was Hudson's first time in the backpack, and he loved it!
One of the highlights of this month was the Open House at Alden's school. Matt and I got to go with her in the evening, and go through a mini school day with her. We had circle time, art, music, snack and got to play outside (since it was 70 something degrees out that night!). Alden has such a great class and we love Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Stay-ha (Stapleton). Alden showed us the toys she plays with and we enjoyed hearing her songs at music time.Matt started a new part-time job this month at On the Border. He started mid-month, and is getting all his training sessions out of the way. Soon, he will be a full-fledged server! We are grateful for this opportunity that God has provided for Matt to be doing something while he is job-searching.
What else...
Eating breakfast on the potty; most likely "tiger cereal" or "tiger-shark cereal" if it is the Aldi brand of Frosted Flakes
Drinking lemonade on the potty.
Family time with Lily. Hudson loves her and Lily enjoys all the extra attention.
Hudson loves playing with his musical table...
...or playing in the dishwasher...only when it is clean, though!
Trying lots of new food...Yogurt...
...A biter biscuit...
...drinking out of a big boy cup...
...and avocado. This was mostly mushed around. I don't know if much made it into his mouth.
Watching the clothes in the washer.
Fascinating.
* There are not very many pictures of Alden. She has been very anti-camera lately.
And most recently
Some of the memories of the past couple weeks...
Alden has been repeating our names when she talks to us lately...like "Mommy-mommy, can we read a book?" or "Here you go, Daddy-daddy." The funniest is when she refers to Hudson as "Ha-ha-Ha-ha".
We had given Alden a nightlight that was left in the new house when we moved in. It stopped working the other day, so she has been going to sleep with her door open. Last night, she had a giant poop around the time we were ready for bed, so she was up, changed, and back in bed, and I was turning out the lights. I turned off the hall light, no problem, I turned out our room light, nothing, then when we turned off Matt's bedside table lamp, a couple seconds later we hear this little voice, "It's dark. I can't see." I told her we were all going to sleep even Mom and Dad and she just goes, "Oh-KAY."
Hudson was 8 months old on Sunday! Unbelievable! One of the biggest things for him now (and for Mom and Dad) is that he can now stay up to 2 hours at the Y instead of just 1. He is still crawling and pulling up and getting into everything. He can walk behind his little push toys, and just tried his first graham crackers, Cheerios, and bread at Bebe and Pop pop's Sunday night. We decided we would try to be more consistent with his bedtimes, too, because our whole house was thrown off from daylight savings time. Last night, he slept from 8:30 until 5:45! Then, he ate and was back down until 8:00. AWESOME. If we can keep this up, Matt and I may start to feel more like real people instead of shells of our former selves.
Last night, Alden had on a nightgown for bed, but had asked to wear pants, too. I put some on her, and a few minutes after we turn off the light, we hear, "Doesn't match. Doesn't match." I didn't realize she was so concerned about fashion already...and in the dark, nonetheless.
Alden and I making cookies the other day.
Hudson wanted to get in on the action, too.
Park pics.
Alden having a tea party with Hudson.
I think he felt a little tricked that there wasn't real food on the spoon.
Alden has taken to hanging her clean panties on the knobs of her dresser where they wait their turn to be worn. She says it looks like a rainbow.
Alden has been repeating our names when she talks to us lately...like "Mommy-mommy, can we read a book?" or "Here you go, Daddy-daddy." The funniest is when she refers to Hudson as "Ha-ha-Ha-ha".
We had given Alden a nightlight that was left in the new house when we moved in. It stopped working the other day, so she has been going to sleep with her door open. Last night, she had a giant poop around the time we were ready for bed, so she was up, changed, and back in bed, and I was turning out the lights. I turned off the hall light, no problem, I turned out our room light, nothing, then when we turned off Matt's bedside table lamp, a couple seconds later we hear this little voice, "It's dark. I can't see." I told her we were all going to sleep even Mom and Dad and she just goes, "Oh-KAY."
Hudson was 8 months old on Sunday! Unbelievable! One of the biggest things for him now (and for Mom and Dad) is that he can now stay up to 2 hours at the Y instead of just 1. He is still crawling and pulling up and getting into everything. He can walk behind his little push toys, and just tried his first graham crackers, Cheerios, and bread at Bebe and Pop pop's Sunday night. We decided we would try to be more consistent with his bedtimes, too, because our whole house was thrown off from daylight savings time. Last night, he slept from 8:30 until 5:45! Then, he ate and was back down until 8:00. AWESOME. If we can keep this up, Matt and I may start to feel more like real people instead of shells of our former selves.
Last night, Alden had on a nightgown for bed, but had asked to wear pants, too. I put some on her, and a few minutes after we turn off the light, we hear, "Doesn't match. Doesn't match." I didn't realize she was so concerned about fashion already...and in the dark, nonetheless.Alden and I making cookies the other day.
Hudson wanted to get in on the action, too.
Park pics.
Alden having a tea party with Hudson.
I think he felt a little tricked that there wasn't real food on the spoon.
Alden has taken to hanging her clean panties on the knobs of her dresser where they wait their turn to be worn. She says it looks like a rainbow.
Friday, March 13, 2009
That is not what I created you for
The end of last month, we were shocked when Matt lost his job. It was totally out-of-the-blue. Wasn't it just 11 months ago that we were going through this? At least this time we aren't pregnant:)
We have had an enormous amount of peace, knowing how faithful God has been in the past, and realizing that He will not forsake us, and that He will provide for us. It is an opportunity to pursue Him even more, and to grow in our relationships with Him.
I am doing the Beth Moore Esther study right now. It is a funny group, mostly women in their 50's and early 60's and me. One of the ladies I am in an exercise class with at the Y invited me. She is on Crusade staff and we had started talking one day and got to know each other. Anyways, a couple weeks ago, Beth used an example about her bird dog that loves to point squirrels. That dog will freeze in his point when he sees one, and her husband will literally have to pick him up, turn him, and set him back down in another direction. A bird dog is not created to point squirrels, after all!
That has been such a good analogy for me to remember in the midst of this. Obviously, what Matt was doing is not what God has created him for right now. He has stopped us and is redirecting us. We are committing our family to Him, and are confident that His plans and purpose for our lives is perfect.
I look forward to sharing how Christ is moving in our lives and growing us through this latest transition. Thanks for your prayers!
We have had an enormous amount of peace, knowing how faithful God has been in the past, and realizing that He will not forsake us, and that He will provide for us. It is an opportunity to pursue Him even more, and to grow in our relationships with Him.
I am doing the Beth Moore Esther study right now. It is a funny group, mostly women in their 50's and early 60's and me. One of the ladies I am in an exercise class with at the Y invited me. She is on Crusade staff and we had started talking one day and got to know each other. Anyways, a couple weeks ago, Beth used an example about her bird dog that loves to point squirrels. That dog will freeze in his point when he sees one, and her husband will literally have to pick him up, turn him, and set him back down in another direction. A bird dog is not created to point squirrels, after all!
That has been such a good analogy for me to remember in the midst of this. Obviously, what Matt was doing is not what God has created him for right now. He has stopped us and is redirecting us. We are committing our family to Him, and are confident that His plans and purpose for our lives is perfect.
I look forward to sharing how Christ is moving in our lives and growing us through this latest transition. Thanks for your prayers!
February - What a Month
February was a very eventful month for the Wyatts as we got settled into the new house.
Some highlights:
*Alden was wandering around in the office room, which was our staging area for boxes, and comes running out one day saying, "Mommy, Mommy! I found a whole box of horsies!" She had discovered my old Breyer horses, and really enjoys playing with them. She has one for Mommy, Daddy, Hudson and Alden, and the others are pretty much all named "Alex" if you ask her.
*Around Valentine's Day, Hudson was doing a lot of plank kind of positions where he would push up on his toes while supporting himself on his hands. On the 15th, he made his first couple crawl steps. On the 17th, we had been out running errands all day, and when I let him out at my mom's house, he was full-out crawling. By the 19th, he was pulling up on things, and we had to lower his crib mattress. Now nothing is safe.
*Alden has some interesting leanings. Her favorite color to paint with is black. Her favorite animals on the Jungle Book (which we watched about 1000 times before we got our TV hooked up at the end of the month) are the vultures. Hmmm.
*The 21st Hudson and I went to Charlotte for the day for my friend Katie's baby shower. It was SO good to see my old friends, and to visit with Nana, Ashley and the Peters.
*We have been letting Hudson try some water out of the sippy cup, and by the end of the month, he is very good at drinking by himself...and very good at playing drop-the-cup-from-the-highchair.
* On the 26th, Hudson let go of the couch and stood for a couple seconds by himself. He moves himself along the furniture and fireplace pretty well.
* We rented "Mamma Mia" one night, and the next day were watching some of the scenes while Alden was up. She LOVED it and was very sad that we had just "borrowed" the movie and had to take it back. She wants to listen to the Abba CD a lot, which isn't bad at all!
* We have gotten to spend a lot of time at the park right down the street. Alden calls it the "octopus park" because a couple times there has been this plastic octopus there that she put on the swings and down the slide.
*Hudson got to swing for the first time. Overall, he liked it, although he was a little skeptical at first. Mostly, he likes watching Alden.
*We had a playdate with Karen and Miles while they were in town, and dinner with the whole Hancock family before they flew back to Florida.
*The circus was in town, and although we didn't go to see the show, we went to see the animals walk from the train to the RBC center. It wasn't as big a deal as we thought...only 6 elephants and 10 or 12 horses, but hey, when do you get to see elephants?
*Alden had a UTI, which meant a couple trips to the doctor and a couple catheters. The second time we went, they gave her a chance to pee in a little bag, but a hour later, she couldn't do it. Of course, right when the nurse went to insert the catheter, Alden peed all over the place. I think the nurse was able to collect a mL of urine in her little vial-thingy. One of the positives is that Alden was now willing to try to pee on the potty.
*Hudson has enjoyed rocking on the horse, and "riding"the scooter.
*He has tried all of the Gerber baby foods and likes them all. It is such a difference from Alden who wouldn't and still doesn't eat much. 
*Hudson found the tube to my pump one day and was chewing on it. We thought it looked like he was smoking a hookah.
Some highlights:
*Alden was wandering around in the office room, which was our staging area for boxes, and comes running out one day saying, "Mommy, Mommy! I found a whole box of horsies!" She had discovered my old Breyer horses, and really enjoys playing with them. She has one for Mommy, Daddy, Hudson and Alden, and the others are pretty much all named "Alex" if you ask her.
*Around Valentine's Day, Hudson was doing a lot of plank kind of positions where he would push up on his toes while supporting himself on his hands. On the 15th, he made his first couple crawl steps. On the 17th, we had been out running errands all day, and when I let him out at my mom's house, he was full-out crawling. By the 19th, he was pulling up on things, and we had to lower his crib mattress. Now nothing is safe.
*Alden has some interesting leanings. Her favorite color to paint with is black. Her favorite animals on the Jungle Book (which we watched about 1000 times before we got our TV hooked up at the end of the month) are the vultures. Hmmm.
*The 21st Hudson and I went to Charlotte for the day for my friend Katie's baby shower. It was SO good to see my old friends, and to visit with Nana, Ashley and the Peters.
*We have been letting Hudson try some water out of the sippy cup, and by the end of the month, he is very good at drinking by himself...and very good at playing drop-the-cup-from-the-highchair.* On the 26th, Hudson let go of the couch and stood for a couple seconds by himself. He moves himself along the furniture and fireplace pretty well.
* We rented "Mamma Mia" one night, and the next day were watching some of the scenes while Alden was up. She LOVED it and was very sad that we had just "borrowed" the movie and had to take it back. She wants to listen to the Abba CD a lot, which isn't bad at all!
* We have gotten to spend a lot of time at the park right down the street. Alden calls it the "octopus park" because a couple times there has been this plastic octopus there that she put on the swings and down the slide.
*Hudson got to swing for the first time. Overall, he liked it, although he was a little skeptical at first. Mostly, he likes watching Alden.
*We had a playdate with Karen and Miles while they were in town, and dinner with the whole Hancock family before they flew back to Florida.*The circus was in town, and although we didn't go to see the show, we went to see the animals walk from the train to the RBC center. It wasn't as big a deal as we thought...only 6 elephants and 10 or 12 horses, but hey, when do you get to see elephants?
*Alden had a UTI, which meant a couple trips to the doctor and a couple catheters. The second time we went, they gave her a chance to pee in a little bag, but a hour later, she couldn't do it. Of course, right when the nurse went to insert the catheter, Alden peed all over the place. I think the nurse was able to collect a mL of urine in her little vial-thingy. One of the positives is that Alden was now willing to try to pee on the potty.
*Hudson has enjoyed rocking on the horse, and "riding"the scooter.
*He has tried all of the Gerber baby foods and likes them all. It is such a difference from Alden who wouldn't and still doesn't eat much. 
*Hudson found the tube to my pump one day and was chewing on it. We thought it looked like he was smoking a hookah.
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