The Gift

I have been missing Momo and Dandy big time this week. Everything is reminding me of them lately (which is a good thing) and I want to see and talk to them so bad I can hardly stand it. I think they must somehow know that, because this week I believe they sent me a little gift, a reminder of them maybe. This vine was given to me by them a few years ago. It was taken from the vine in their backyard. We planted it when we moved into the house a couple years ago. It has always been pretty, but never has it bloomed this much, or been this beautiful. I feel like this is a reminder from God that Momo and Dandy are happy and that they are with Him...I'm thankful for these "breadcrumbs," the little things left behind that bring comfort when I'm missing them.

Today's Blog is brought to you by the letter "E"

Had to post this one. Hud and Hunter were having lunch when Hudson started laughing and said, "Look mom, an "L"! I looked at his legs under the table, and sure enough he had made an "L". So I asked him to make another letter, and he chose "E". Please excuse the Handy Manny underwear. :)You never know what to expect with this kiddo...one of my favorite things about him.

Oh, and if any of you want to hear about his new "superpower", give me a call. I just can't bring myself to blog about it, but it's pretty funny. :)

2nd Grader

This morning was Harrison's first day of school. He loves school, and was very excited~ got up early, dressed, and ate breakfast, all with no nagging on my part. :)

I really can't believe he's a second grader. I know I said this last year, but it really seems like just yesterday he was bravely walking into kindergarten, and I was a total wreck. It's easier to leave him now and trust that he will be okay, but harder in other ways. He's growing up way to fast. What's even weirder is thinking that this time next year I will be bringing him to 3rd grade, and Hudson to kindergarten. Wow...I can't really think about that right now.

Anyway...the middle picture of him under the school sign I take every year. In kindergarten his punkin head barely reached the top of the "o". Look at him now. :)

The last picture is of him with his teacher, Mrs. Reid. She is super sweet, and I we all liked her instantly. Several of his friends are in his class this year. I think it will be a great year.

Check him out!

Aunt Becky, this one is just for you! I know how much you love his cheesy, hammed-up grin. :) This morning Hunter got to try out his new big boy booster seat at the table, and he loves it! Normally I try to slow down each new first for him, in effort to keep him my baby for as long as possible, but I was so ready to get rid of his high chair. It takes up too much room, is really hard to clean~ yuck. So we are all thrilled to have him at the table with us, one big happy family. :)

More Baby Ella

I mentioned yesterday that my friend Amanda had her third baby girl last week. What I didn't really talk about was the scary entrance that baby Ella made. At the risk of sounding too dramatic, my dear friend Amanda almost died last week. I think we all take for granted that childbirth is a relatively low-risk thing these days, but that isn't always the case. There is a reason that women give birth in hospitals (or at least, that they SHOULD do so~ I'm a big believer in that). But anyway, I'm getting on my soap box...Amanda's placenta tore away from her uterus last Tuesday morning, and she nearly bled to death. I won't share any more of the details, because this is her story to share, not mine. All I know is that we are all incredibly thankful that she is okay, that Ella is okay, and there was a wonderful staff at her hospital that knew exactly what to do when things went bad last week.

Given all that happened to them, I really wanted to get up there and see for myself that they were okay. So on Sunday Harrison and I left for their house for a quick day trip. Her husband, Ryan had to go back to work on Monday, and there was no way Amanda could be home alone with her girls, so I was happy to come and help. It was so great to be up there and get to love on that new baby girl, and of course, her big sisters too. I'm a big fan of those girls, they are all so beautiful, so much fun, and incredibly sweet. I love being Aunt Jac to them. And Harrison is a big fan of Annalise as well. :) Hopefully it won't be too long until we get to see them again.

The Return of The Spikey 'Do

School starts on Monday, and today we went to get back-to-school haircuts. I assumed that Harrison would just want his new surfer/skater boy look to just get trimmed up, but I was wrong. When I asked him, he said he wanted his hair short for the school year. You wouldn't believe how much hair was on that floor when the lady was done. He looks like a totally different kid. He called his Mimi afterwards, and she was thrilled (she wasn't a big fan of the long hair). Hud Man got a shorter version of his normal hair, and looks very handsome as well. :)

Ella Claire

Last Tuesday, August 12, my friend Amanda gave birth to a brand new sweet baby girl. She made a scary, dramatic entrance, but both her and her mommy are doing well. Here is a link to some pictures of her first days. She is so very cute! All three of those girls are so stinkin' cute~ when I need a good "girl fix" I know just where to go! :) And now that there are three sweet little girls for my three sweet little boys, I'm thinking maybe arranged marriages aren't such a bad idea after all...:)

5:45 a.m.

Brian was heading out the door to work this morning, and found Hudson asleep on one of the ottomans in the family room. He said he looked pretty comfortable, and was afraid that he if moved him he would wake up, so he let him be. I think it's pitiful that he slept like that, but it is a really comfortable couch... : ) Anyways~ at about 6:15 he came in and got in bed with me and slept for another hour after that. Musical beds (and ottomans).

Everything Happens in 3's

At least it does at our house. You might remember in May that Hudson had to go to the hospital with cellulitis. And then in June we had to have some tests run on Hunter's spleen~ it gave us a big scare but turned out to be a slight case of mono. And I remember saying then that I was just waiting for Harrison to do something...and here we are.

Yesterday he cut his head open while playing in the warehouse at church (he was up there with Brian). He crawled under some metal shelving to grab a ball and came up a bit too early. Apparently there was LOTS of blood and LOTS of screaming (can't say I blame him on the screaming part). And I think it freaked Brian out more than it did Harrison. Off to the ER they went, and 4 staples (ouch) later, he's home safe and sound with a big smile on his face. : ) Brian said he was super tough and handled everything like a champ.

Maybe we can take a break from the world of medicine for awhile. Knock on wood...