Pain in the Neck

I hurt my neck getting out of bed this morning....literally.

My alarm went off, and I jerked out of bed so suddenly that I pulled something in my neck. It made for a less than stellar day. It hurts to turn my head. It hurts to lift my head up or down. It hurt while driving. It hurt at school. Hurt, hurt, hurt.

I have other stuff to post, but it hurts to stare at the computer too long. It hurts all the way from my below my ears to the top of my shoulders. My back now hurts from compensating all day long for the sore neck.

The lesson here? I should not have gotten out of bed this morning!

All Aboard!

My friend Laura has two boys who have outgrown their Thomas the Train tracks, trains, and gear. She couldn't stand to just give them away, so she asked if I'd be interested in taking the toys for the boys.

Um...YES!

I knew if anything, Hudson would love them.

Laura dropped off bags and bags of tracks and trains this afternoon. Hudson instantly started playing with the trains, hooking them together, and calling, "All Aboard!"

It wasn't until a train whistle sounded that Evan decided this train thing might actually be pretty fun. The two boys spent about two hours playing trains tonight. And they didn't bicker. Not once! It was a small miracle.

I was reluctant to have them get ready for bed because they were playing so nicely together.

The only downside to all this? Take a look.


My entire front room is covered in train tracks. That wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that my front room is also the walkway to the back of the house.

For tonight, we just pushed the tracks as far out of the walking path as possible. Hey, what's a little mess of tracks compared with hours of happy play?!


Boys and trains. The perfect combination!

Happy Birthday Evan!

Today is Evan's 6th birthday! Wow! That is really strange to say. We are now the parents of a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old.

Evan had his first "friend" birthday party today. Up til now it has always been family parties, but today he had 20-something kids join him at Me N Ed's for pizza, cake, and presents.

The party started at noon, and at one point I figured it must be at least 3 p.m, but a quick look at my phone showed me it was only 1:01! We were hopping the entire time keeping kids busy, fed, and entertained! Who knew kid parties could be so exhausting?!

I don't think Evan has ever received this many presents at one time! His little heart was racing as he ripped open one present after another.

It was a really fun time.

Happy Birthday to the little man who made me a mom. I can remember how I felt 6 years ago tonight. I was in awe, relieved to have given birth, and quite scared that this new life was depending on me. Being a mom is the best thing I have ever done. It is also the most demanding and tiring thing I have ever done! I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Evan,
You are such an amazing little guy! You make us so proud to be your mom and dad. You constantly amaze us with all of your abilities. We love to watch you succeed.

You have some amazing qualities such as your compassion for your friends. I see how you give big hugs to your teammates when they make a soccer goal, or how you console a friend who gets hurt on the playground. Watching you be generous with friends makes us so very proud of you.

You are such a happy guy. You are able to get along with so many different kids. It's fun to watch you hang out and play with kids of any age.

You are competitive and work hard at both school and sports. We hope you always have that drive to improve whether it be at math or making soccer goals.

You are such an important member of our family. You are a son, brother, cousin, nephew and grandson. We all love you very much and are having so much fun watching you grow and learn.

We love you, Peanut!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Hudson-ism for the day

The other night when we were out to dinner, Hudson said he needed "yellow ketchup" for his chicken. He was referring to mustard, but called it yellow ketchup. I love it!

Our Day

Here is a typical schedule. It's not any different from any other typical American family with active kids, but it is taking Eric and me some getting used to.

5:45 Alarm goes off. Hit snooze once.

5:54 Alarm goes off. Stumble to shower. Take shower. Get dressed. Do hair.

6:15 Wake Evan so he has 15 minutes to snuggle in our bed. He gets very cranky when he misses out on snuggle time in the morning. Brush teeth. Do makeup.

6:30 Evan needs to eat. I pack three lunches while he eats. Evan gets ready...most of the time without much help. Some days, however, are rougher than others.

7:00 Wake Hudson. Get him dressed and teeth brushed.

7:15 Goal time to be out the door. Rarely make it. Usually pulling out of driveway at 7:22.

7:30 Drop Hudson at Linda's.

7:40ish Reach school.

7:50 Morning prayer with teachers.

8:00 Bell rings.

8-11:30 Teach.

11:30-12 Lunch.

12:00-2:00 Work. Today's project was getting ITBS (standardized testing) materials passed out to teachers.

2:00-2:50 Cooking class. Today we made chicken fajitas.

3:00 Bell rings for end of the day.

3:05 Get Evan so he can do homework in my classroom. No time to do it at home with Scouts and soccer practice. Much quieter in my room without Hudson to distract us.

3:45 Evan heads back to daycare so I can do a bit more work.

4:30 Get Evan. Get Hudson.

4:50 Pull in driveway. Make a super fast dinner of ready-made pasta and meatballs.

5:05 Eat.

5:15 Rinse dishes.

5:30 Leave for soccer practice.

5:50 Arrive at soccer practice. Eric met us there. I took Hudson and went to run errands.

7:00 Get home. Get Hudson bathed. Empty dishwasher. Clean kitchen.

7:40 Evan and Eric get home. Get Evan bathed. Listen to Evan read.

8:00 Kids in bed 1/2 hour late.

8:01 Crash.

Like I said, there isn't anything unusual about our schedule. It's just taking me some time to adjust to two nights of soccer practice, an every other week meeting of scouts, homework and general craziness. Last year we got Evan's homework packet on Friday. I learned very quickly to do as much as we could over the weekend. That isn't the case this year, so it is tricky fitting it all in.

I can't even begin to imagine what life will be like when Hudson is in school and participating in all these activities as well.

In all of this craziness, the one thing that bothers me the most is when we don't eat dinner as a family. The one thing I like the most is knowing we are giving the kids opportunities to learn and grow.

Happy Birthday Hudson!

Happy Birthday Hudson!

It's hard to believe that three years ago this little man came into our lives. It seems like yesterday, and it seems like forever ago.

It's hard to remember life without him in our family.

Hudson,
You are quite the charmer! You look just like your Daddy with your impish little grin and big brown eyes. And while you look and act like your Dad, your heart belongs to Mommy! You've been my little man since the day you were born.

My little shadow. My constant companion.

You sure can be a little stinker, but boy do you make us laugh! You are curious, stubbornly independent, not afraid of much (except the squirrel who lives in our backyard), and very sure about your opinions of the world.

You tend to be our shy boy. It takes you a few minutes to warm up to new situations, but once you are comfortable...watch out! You are the life of the party!

You look up to your brother, but you sure don't let him boss you around. Anywhere Evan is, that is where you want to be as well. Sometimes it's hard for you to stand on the sidelines watching Evan do all the things his age allows him to do. In just a few short years, you too will be going to school, playing soccer and baseball, going to play with friends, and heading to Scout meetings. Very soon, my little chicken.

You started out with the nickname of Chicken. That one will always be your special nickname. However, in the last few months, we have started calling you Allejandro. I'm sure you don't remember, but I was singing the song and you kept telling me to stop. Being the kind-hearted mom that I am, I instead started calling you by the name Allejandro, and it just sort of stuck. Now whenever you hear that song, you stop and listen!

You are my Allejandro Lovebug. You are always willing to give lots of kisses and hugs. Sometimes you are like a little man going in for those smooches! Where did you pick that up?!

I hope you had a great day! You seemed pretty happy to get two of your very own Zhu Zhu pets. You also had fun with the balloon that you and I picked out at the store. Could I get you to go with Scooby Doo or Handy Manny? Nooooo. You chose a balloon with a picture of the world on it! Maybe that means that someday you are going to be a traveling spirit.

We are so proud of you!

We love you with all our heart, Hudson. You complete our family.

Love,
Mommy

Three Years Ago...

Three years ago today I was the mom of one little boy named Evan.

Three years ago today I was anxious to become the mom to a yet unknown little one the next morning.

Three years ago today our life was very different with one child who was our world.

Three years ago today I didn't know that our love was going to multiply and our world was going to be complete because Hudson would soon be in it.

Three years ago today I was crabby, excited, nervous, and wanting to meet our second child.

Three years ago today I wasn't able to go to sleep.

Three years ago today Hudson spent his last night curled up inside me.

Three years ago today we were on the verge of a very happy day.

Happy birthday tomorrow to my little Hudson. AKA Chicken. AKA Allejandro.

And hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and actually take pictures and load them here on Hudson's actual birthday!