Tobacco Trail

The weekend of the 24th, Matt and I ran the Tobacco Trail 10-Miler. Matt might tell you differently, but I thought it was STINKIN' hard and I couldn't have gone any further. Matt actually ran faster than he thought he would. Not me.

The girls started about 10 minutes before the guys, and around mile 6, Matt caught up to me and passed me. There were close to 30 people from our YMCA running group, so there was a lot of company to be had and encouragement.

After the race, we booked it, sweaty and stinky over to Karen's parents for a little birthday party for her son Owen. The kids loved riding in the jeep and swinging on the treehouse ladder.

I worked the next day, and couldn't quite kick the tired feeling. It turns out that I was coming down with something, and had a fever and achiness for most of the week after.

Halloween...and Cigarettes

Our Halloween festivities began on the Thursday before with Alden's party at school. I was on point to help plan it, and got to go early for the festivities. One of the mom's brought brownies and apple slices for snack, and we had some fun crafts to do. The highlight of Halloween at GFCC is the parade in the parking lot. All the kids walk around in a circle and the parents come and take pictures. Alden and her class looked so cute!After school, we stopped by Bebe and Pop pop's church to get pumpkins.

Matt and Alden carved our pumpkins on Friday. They went with a nautical theme...a shark, of course, which seems to be Alden's subject of choice when it comes to artistic expression, and a really good pirate. Arrrgh.
Hudson watched and ate cake.
I had to work Friday night, and came home and slept a couple hours on Saturday. We wanted to go to the Cary Band Day parade, but it was a little drizzly and gross, so we just planned on going a little late. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the parade had just ended ( I think they had some cancellations), so we went to the mall.

Alden and Hudson rode the merry-go-round, played with Thomas, and ran around the play place and we ate at Chick-Fil-A...all the typical mall things.

After nap, we headed over to Bebe and Pop pop's for dinner. Matt and Alden carved their pumpkin (a pirate ship). Alden was helping me ice cupcakes, and as soon as she saw Matt get the pumpkin stuff out she says, "Um, I am done helping you, Mommy. I'm gonna help Daddy do the pumpkin." Ouch.

The night was really muggy, but we forged out into the humidity all costumed and ready to go. Alden was Cinderella and Hudson was a cow. Overall, Hudson had a much better time than Alden. He loved going up to the houses and grabbing candy out of the bowls. Alden pooped out after about 8 houses...Amber was carrying her, and Alden says, "I'm tired of trick-or-treating. My bucket's full. Let's go back." And just like that, Halloween was over. We reaped much less candy than we did last year. Probably a good thing, since Matt and I eat most of it anyway.

As an aside, Alden has been a little obsessed with cigarettes lately. She and Bebe walked down the greenway to the park one day, and saw some girls smoking, and later, some cigarettes on the ground. Alden talks about it all the time, and how "they are bad for you...make you cough...make your tummy hurt." Well, the other day, we were going to the park to meet Armen and Lucy and Alden observed that it was starting to get dark..."All the cigarettes are going to go home and eat dinner and go to sleep." What?!?!?!? So we had to have a lesson about how cigarettes aren't alive. "They are just paper with stuff rolled up inside," I told her. Then, she busts out with "Next year, for Halloween, I'm going to be a cigarette." What?!?!?

This past weekend, when we were talking with Amber, Alden was telling her all about the cigarettes on the greenway episode and since she can't say "sm" very well, was saying she and Bebe "pelled the poke." We laughed about that for a while. She then explained to Amber about how they were just rolled up paper. Amber was a little surprised when Alden started talking about rolling papers. And I meant it to be an educational explanation.

Unexpected weekend

This past weekend we were planning a kid-less getaway to the mountains of NC for my friend Whitney's wedding...However, my mom ended up coming down with the flu and Hudson and Alden ended up coming with us. This was ok...my friend Courtney was bringing her kids, who are close the H and A's ages, and Whitney's parents had reserved a huge mountain cabin for the lot of us at Lake Junaluska.




Oh, but there is more...As soon as we got up there, Hudson started with a fever, and was crabby and clingy. We quickly changed clothes and headed to the rehearsal dinner, where neither of the kids ate much, and ended up going back to the cabin with Matt. Alden got to have a sleep-over with Avery in their own room with twin beds, and I don't think they settled down until after 10. Hudson didn't sleep well at all, partly from being sick and partly from the pack-and-play (which I think are intentionally made to be uncomfortable for the poor little kids that have to sleep in them). We woke up wishing we could have slept more than 3 hours, and spent some time visiting and getting ready for the wedding.

I don't think that we could have had a more perfect day. The weather was lovely and the stone chapel on the lake was beautiful. Whitney looked stunning and she and Chad were SO happy. After the ceremony, we hung out by the lake and Alden found a old shoe that was washing up by the rocks and was poking it with a stick. (This was her favorite part of the weekend, according to what she told Amber when we got home). Hudson loved seeing the ducks and playing with the gravel.

Matt and Hudon pose with Tom and Cole Bogan.

The reception was amazing, overlooking a golf course and the mountains. Alden cheered up drastically after having a giant poop, and danced and chased with Avery and the other kids.

We decided not to press our luck, and drove home Saturday night. As it would figure, Hudson woke up Sunday without any fever. But, it was nice to sleep a little on Sunday morning in our own beds. We took the kids to the park for a picnic, and went to the Tobacco Trail with Amber and the dogs after naps. What a great day to be outside!
So, although it did not turn out like we thought, it was still a great weekend, and we were so excited to celebrate Chad and Whitney...Matt and I will just have to plan another weekend away...

July Lake Trip

Hey...I posted from our trip to Ohio last night, and am just realizing that it showed up in the July part of the blog since I wrote the text 2 months ago, and finally added the pictures to post.

Just scroll down the page, or click on July on the side to find the new entry...sorry!

Back to work - Mid July

We got back from Ohio on Sunday, July 12th, and I started orientation on July 13th. That week was a lot of HR/computer/basic skill kind of orientation with all the new employees. There were probably 60 in my group. I met a lot of great people, although it seems most of them were headed to work in the ED, and we haven't had a chance to cross paths yet.That week was difficult. It was hard on all of us for me to be gone all day, and I think it really through the kids for a loop. I mean, I was there every morning when they woke up until then, and all of a sudden, I am MIA for a week. If anything, working has made me so thankful that I am able to stay with them most of the time. It would break my heart for them to be in daycare...there are just times during the day when they need a hug, or need mommy, and I would hate to not be there to do that.The following weekend, we were busy, busy. In the morning on Saturday, we . That afternoon, I took Alden to her friend Caroline's birthday party. Caroline is Alden's friend from preschool, and is luckily in her class again this year. There were all kinds of blow-up spray slides and things and a great playset in their backyard and we enjoyed pizza and cake with Jake, Ethan and Rowan from school, too. That night, after Alden fell asleep in the car, we skedaddled over to Brant and Wendy Mitchell's for dinner. They are in my parent's Sunday school class, and just had their first baby. Wendy and I were possibly going to swap off watching each other's kids, but it ended up not being a great fit when I really thought about our kids and nap schedules, etc. I still ended up keeping Trey a couple days a week through August, which ended up being special time with Alden, my co-babysitter.

We taught Sunday School on Sunday, and I was back at work the next few days. Monday was an orientation day again, and then Tuesday and Wednesday were my first days in the unit. It was very overwhelming the first day, hearing all the abbreviations, and lingo that I wasn't familiar with, and trying to figure out the computer programs. Apparently, those were two crazy days, too, and as I learned, most of the time, they aren't so wild. As luck would have it, the first thing I did on my first day was to prepare a body for the morgue...and that was the first thing we did on the second day, too. Luckily, that doesn't happen very often.

I know that I am in a great place to work. All the staff have been patient and kind, and willing to answer questions and offer explanations. My preceptor, Christina, is fabulous, and one of the most caring people I have ever met. I am thankful that God has provided this opportunity...

On the homefront, Hudson has recently learned how to eat with a spoon and fork and he LOVES it...and he does a really good job...maybe better than Alden does, actually. Here was his first attempt at a bowl of applesauce. Notice that one spoon was not enough.Lily is just the best dog ever...well, besides those couple rock-eating episodes a while back. This is her usual post during meal time.She is SO patient with the kids. Hudson loves her.
And, finally, one of Alden to wrap things up. We were going to bed the other night and glanced in her room. This was how she was sleeping. REALLY?!?!?

September, So Far

A million apologies. It has been so hard to sit down to do the blog knowing how much I have to fill in. I am going to start with September, and work my way backwards...hopefully covering August, July, and May, since I never got to that.

Alden started school on September 1st. She is in the Purple Bears class and her teachers are Mrs. Rudd and Mrs. Johnson. The Thursday before, we were invited for a "meet the teachers" day, and she got to see her classroom and find her cubbie. She was really excited about the dress-up stuff. When I dropped her off on the first day, she was a little hesitant to go in, but warmed up really quick and had a great time. Last year, I had thought about changing her school, but after seeing familiar faces in the hallway, and for her to be familiar with the school, and to see old friends, it made me happy she is where she is. Greenwood Forest is outstanding. I had just wanted something with a more biblical curriculum.

Hudson was sick the first week of the month with some fever, congestion, cough crud that he had gotten from Alden. It was exacerbated by the 2 bottom molars, and one of his lower front teeth that were coming in, too. He stayed home from the Y all week and laid low.

Labor Day weekend, we ate over at my parent's Saturday night. Hudson got his second haircut to try to trim up the mullety mudflap kind of thing he had going on in the back. The kids both enjoyed a special treat of cupcakes. Alden, true to form, only ate the icing. Matt took the kids over to my parents' on Monday, since I was working. It was kind of rainy and blah, so we didn't end up getting to go to the pool again. Hudson did learn how to drink out of a straw, and is crazy now about straws. He loves juice boxes, and has even figured out how to drink out of our camelback bottles.Last week, we went over to Kristen and Michael Nahkla' s house on Wednesday morning for the kids to play. Kristen is one of Matt's sister Leigh Anne's friends from Ohio and they recently oved to Holly Springs. It was great to visit with them and their son Luke, who is close to Hudson's age. We went to their house on Saturday night, too, for dinner and the Ohio State game. Matt is glad to have some OSU fans to watch games with...especially since we don't have cable!Last Friday after naps, we had Alden's friend Armen, his mom and his little sister over to play. Armen and Alden had a great time playing and we took a walk down to the park, and walked back on the trail. That ended up being a little long for the kids and we all ended up with a lot of mosquito bites, so maybe I didn't use the best judgement in choosing that route. I really like Armen's mom, Rachel, and we were able to repeat our playdate today at their house. Unfortunately, Alden and Armen hadn't napped, and were both a little bossy/not sharing/pushing/etc. However, Hudson and Lucy were perfect and I had a great time visiting with Rachel.

Last Saturday, we went to the Train Expo at the fairgrounds with my parents. Mostly, there were a lot of model trains set up and things for collectors and train enthusiasts, but they did have some Thomas stuff set up for the kids, and a cool hand-crank ride-on train that Alden loved. She got to sit in the front car both times, and would go by us and yell, "I'm the engine, Bebe!" We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A at the mall and of course, had to visit Black Beauty and play with the Thomas stuff at the mall. I don't think Alden could have asked for a better morning. Hudson rode the merry-go-round all by himself, and really liked it. He had gone on it earlier that week with Matt, and had a death grip on Matt's shirt the whole time.This week, we have been getting a little bit more into the routine of school, Y, etc. I was off all week, but ended up working 7 hours on Wednesday since someone had called out. It was really nice to just work part of the day, and to come home and have the afternoon and evening together.

Amber came over and had dinner with me and the kids on Wednesday night since Matt was working. She stayed and watched a movie with us.

Alden has started calling Hudson "Husson" now instead of "Ha-ha" which we kind of miss. Also, since last week, she is calling me "Mama" instead of "Mommy". She busted out the word "green" yesterday with perfect pronunciation, (usually "gr" sounds are "b"). She loves singing and running, and is always talking about the boys that she chases with on the playground at school and at the Y. She has decided, after much consideration, not to be a shark, jabberwocky, or raptor for Halloween, and has since decided on being Cinderella. Matt and I have been directed to be the mean step-sisters. Hmm.
Hudson is just SO sweet.The ladies at the Y say he is always comforting the babies that are crying and giving hugs to everyone. Yesterday, they had a picture of him leaning over another little boy and giving him a hug. He stopped doing the sign for "all-done", which was his best one, and now just does "more". He still points and "uhs?" to everything, and really watches when I tell him the name and the sign. He can kind of do "boat"...or a least his version of it. He moved out of the Infant 2 room at church last weekend, and is now in the toddler room.He loves reading books, and will grab one to hand to you, and turn around and flop down in your lap. His favorites are probably his two books about Baby Animals and Cowboy Small. He is learning most of his animals and can point them out when you ask where one is in his books. He knows his eyes, nose, mouth and ears, and can actually follow directions...sometimes better than Alden.

Thank you, Joe Wilson!