Our new home! (take two)

I am SOOO excited! We found a beautiful home in Wisconsin to rent! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a finished basement with another room downstairs. It's located in a peaceful cul-de-sac and it backs up to a wooded lot. And the best news is, we actually have the option to buy it after our home here sells! It's amazing to me how this has all worked out. I was all set on that condo that seemed so great... but would have been a huge mistake. A condo with 4 kids?? What was I thinking?? Thankfully Heavenly Father was doing the thinking for me, and had something better planned for us.

I was getting nervous and discouraged because I just felt we had to secure a home for our family, but nothing was working out. But everything just fell into place with this one. My testimony has grown so much about how Heavenly Father is involved in the details of our lives. This has been a huge reminder to me that when we put our trust in Him, things work out for our good. I just feel so grateful and happy! I think this home is absolutely ideal for our family. What a tremendous blessing.

Here are a few pics of what will soon become the Hudson Haven...

Here is the living room (with a vaulted ceiling yay!) I just love the layout of this place.

Loft upstairs

Love this kitchen... especially the duel fireplace to keep us warm during those COLD Wisconsin winters.

Cozy living room

Master Bedroom with a walk-in closet

Basement- so excited to make this a play/rec room for the kids!

Basement Room.... we'll probably make this what we call the "inspiration room". It's a room in our home that's reserved for special family times, like family home evening, blessings, family meetings, etc. It will be like a spiritual respite in the home where anyone can go for a little solitude and peace. It will have spiritual reminders on the walls, and soft music playing. Jon and I envisioned this room when we first got married... so it's nice that it will soon come to fruition.

And I really love this spacious and fenced backyard (which we wouldn't have had in a condo).

I hope you all know if you ever come up our way... you'll always have a place to stay. We can parade around in our cheese hats together! C'mon you know you want to! ;)

Something to smile about...

Our little Celeste is obviously feeling much better. She lost her first tooth tonight! It's been dangling for over a week, and she has come to us everyday for the "daily wiggle" to see if it was ready. So since it was hanging by a thread, Daddy gave it a little tug before bedtime, and it was finally time for Fantasia the Toothfairy to make her first appearance at the Hudson home!

This is the little note she left behind:

I'm glad it fell out tonight because it gave her a little something to smile about. :)

Brokenhearted Graduate

Today was Celeste's last day of kindergarten. I was able to go to her little graduation celebration. It was adorable. She was so thrilled to perform the songs they learned this year, and I was pleased to see her cheering for everyone and giving high fives to all the kids as they went up to get their diplomas.

But when it was time to say goodbye... she seemed to realize that she probably wouldn't see her friends and her teacher again, and it broke her little heart. She couldn't stop sobbing, no matter how much I tried to comfort her. I think that's one of the hardest things about being a parent is a sometimes there's nothing we can say or do to make it better. :(

So after she said her goodbyes we went out to the car and had a good cry together. We're sure going to miss our wonderful friends here in Ohio.

Celeste and her very best friend

Group hug!

Here she is trying to be brave. Love this sweet tenderhearted girl.

Having the "funzies!"

I haven't had much time lately to post because we're getting ready to move and life has been really CrAzY! But it was a great day to get out of the house so I made sure to snap a few shots of my little summer sweeties at the pool...

Celeste is such a great big sister! She is so sweet and helpful to her baby brother. I just love how nurturing she is by nature.

Here's Baby Jakey who got confused and thought this was a drinking fountain.

What a fun afternoon! Thankfully, I learned my lesson from my last mortifying pool fiasco and didn't repeat the mistake!

The best medicine...

is laughter. That's one thing I haven't been doing enough of lately. I've been pretty stressed out about this move. Although the adventurous side of me is absolutely thrilled about this exciting time in our lives, the side of me that needs order and structure is trying not to lose it.

So the condo I was gushing about? It's probably going to be sold to someone else. :( We were all set to go, but then an offer from a buyer came in and it looks like they're probably going to take it. I don't blame them. I guess that's what I get for lusting after it anyway. :( But there goes 2 weeks when we could have been looking for another place to rent. And the homes we're currently looking at, just aren't working out for one reason or another. I'm trying to exercise patience, but I'm getting a little nervous now. Jon starts his job in less than 4 weeks, and we have no where to go! And our house is filled with boxes, we have endless projects to undertake, and just as quickly as I get stuff boxed up, the kids get into them. Then since I'm all stressed out, I end up scolding them more than usual, and at the end of the day, I feel like there were more negative interactions with them than positive ones. :( Sorry for the rant, I know I have so much to be grateful for, but I just feel like a complete failure today. I know that "faith and worry cannot exist in the same mind at the same time" so I guess I just need to have more faith.

So in an attempt do something fun with the kids this afternoon, we made some goofy aliens, fish, and ducks for lunch. It was really silly and simple, but it seemed to help keep things more light-hearted around here...



Thankfully, my husband has an amazing outlook on life, and he helps me try to see the positive in every situation. He makes me laugh every day. I read recently that the average adult laughs an average of 15 times a day? That's pretty sad considering that the average child laughs up to 400 times a day!

But seriously, how could I not laugh when I asked the kids to get dressed this morning, and they came in wearing these ensembles...

So my goal for today... be a little more childlike and laugh a little more than I did yesterday.

Congrats Daddy!

He did it! My Master of Mathematics graduated on May 15th. And a week later, he passed that incredibly difficult exam we've been stressing about. So life is good. What a relief! Too bad there's not much time to celebrate... we've got to sell this house, then we're off to Wisconsin for our next adventure!

Love my Actuary!

He had me wear the cap for a picture too, because he said I earned it as much as he did. :) I have to say, that as difficult being a mommy is sometimes I'm glad that's my calling in life, because statistics make me barf. Here's our posterity following in her daddy's footsteps. We told her she was graduating too... (from kindergarten). But I think we confused her because when we started talking about 1st grade, her eyes got all big, and she said, "What? I thought I was all done with school!"

Daddy's biggest fans

Jon's mom came all the way from Washington to support him and watch him graduate. Thanks for the great visit Nana Jodie! We love you!

Congratulations Daddy!

Balancing Act

Crunch Time
"Tumwater High School's Jon Hudson must balance playing three sports with his work in the classroom."


I came across this article while I was packing today. It was from my hubby's senior year (1995!) and it was about how difficult it can be for student athletes to successfully balance sports and academics. It made me chuckle a little however, because although balancing the demands as a high school student may have been tough... he probably had no clue how stressful life would get as he grew up and became a family man! Here are a few things he's currently juggling...

He has 4 finals to get through and then he'll be on track to graduate this Saturday (with a 4.0!) to earn a Masters degree in Actuarial Science, he has ANOTHER exam on top of the finals that he has spent months preparing for, he's trying to get this house fixed up and ready to sell, he's running a business on the side that has allowed us to live comfortably for the last few years, he has leadership responsibilities at church, and he is a devoted father and a patient husband to a wife who has been pretty wacked out lately! (I'm not handling the stress as well as he is.)

The year this article came out, he was the student voted "most likely to succeed". I think he's certainly living up to that expectation because he knows that "no success in life can compensate for failure in the home." His greatest priority in life is his family.

Daddy and Benny '05

Actually, I think one of the reasons he has been so successful is that he realizes that he can't juggle everything, that he can't possibly handle it all on his own, and so he chooses to call on the power of a loving Heavenly Father to bless our family, and he relies on Jesus Christ to compensate for what he lacks. I am truly grateful for his faith that helps me feel secure in life both temporally and spiritually.

So who knows what more life will throw into this balancing act, but I'm confident that with a good man as the leader of our family, we'll get through it all.

Family Home Evening

In our church, we are taught to set aside one night a week for a special family night, we call family home evening. It usually consists of an opening and closing prayer, a musical number, gospel themed lesson, an activity, and a treat (of course). So here's our special rendition of "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." The kids request this as our musical number every family night.

These are the promises we've been given if we are faithful to this divinely inspired counsel:

"If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them." President Joseph F. Smith

It's not always easy to make it happen every week, but I feel the love and closeness in our family growing stronger as we set aside time to be together, and I know that being true to this counsel will help strengthen and fortify our families.

Pay It Forward

I thought I'd share a wonderful site dedicated to helping people commit acts of kindness and love. It's a non-profit/anonymous organization that distributes "smile cards" to people who then commit random acts of kindness. What is a "smile card"? It's a game of kindness. You do something nice for someone and leave a card behind inviting them to pay it forward. It's a wonderful (and FUN) way to reach out to others and it might even cause a ripple effect of kindness. The cards are free and the site is full of great ideas and inspirational stories!

Go ahead! Get inspired and put a smile on someone's face today. Doing so will surely bring a smile to your face too. :)

Click here to check it out!

Papa time!!

We went to Nana and Papa's house again this week so Celeste could be in an opera!! I'll save that for another post. But the kids had a blast as always, and they got to spend some quality time with Papa. Here are a few pics from their trip to the park and some quotes about grandparents...

The best baby-sitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents. You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida. ~Dave Barry

An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly. ~Gene Perret A grandparent is a parent who has a second chance.-- Author Unknown

I don't intentionally spoil my grandkids. It's just that correcting them often takes more energy than I have left. ~Gene Perret

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley The Maroon

These kids are so fortunate to have such a brilliant Papa. He was an elementary and jr. high school teacher for over 15 years, he earned a Ph.D in school psychology, and now works as a school psychologist, so needless to say, he has some experience interacting with children. He always comes up with creative ideas to keep them happy, and he always knows how to help me out with discipline tips. It's like having my very own supernanny (or should I say supermanny?) around.

He is a humble, tender-hearted man, and a loving father and grandfather. I am so grateful that he is such an important part of our lives. He is a tremendous blessing to me, and to my children.

We love you Papa! Till next time... (unless you flee to Florida! ;))

Easter Egg-stravaganza!

Here are a few pics from our Easter Saturday festivities. After a few years of trying out different easter egg hunts in the area, we finally found a WONDERFUL one! If you're interested in checking it out next year, let me know and I'd be happy to give you the info. It was AMAZING!

There was a live band, and an adorable puppet show about Jesus Christ and the resurrection.There were 20-30 different stations set up for the kids with games/crafts, and some of them featured spiritual object lessons.

Cookie decorating
A petting zoo... in the church (I thought that was a little weird, but the kids loved it)
An egg hunt of course!

And a train ride (I think I was even more excited than the kids for this!)

Here they are posing. I don't know why they do these funny poses every time we whip out the camera! It cracks me up!

I continued a tradition from my childhood and added scriptures to their eggs which we read during Easter dinner.

The worst part about the day was that Baby Jakey absolutely HATED the Easter Bunny. Every time he would walk by, Jakey would either start screaming, or he would scowl at him. :( We ended up having to completely avoid being in the same room!

Here he is on the way home... completely exhausted from all that screaming and scowling!

Poor little guy.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Happy Easter

This is a beautiful video I thought I'd share in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This song make me cry every time I hear it. Hope you're moved by it as well.




Lyrics:

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head,
for love is passing by

Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so

Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so

Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then

Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then

Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and

Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

So Spoiled

There are many days when I feel that motherhood and homemaking can be a thankless job. All those diapers changed, floors swept, clothes folded, and no one seems to notice or appreciate it. And that's ok. I don't do it to get acknowledged. Plus, it's usually a mess again before anyone has the chance to notice! But it is nice to feel appreciated. Today, I felt cherished by my hubby and loved by my children, and I am happy.

These were from Mr. Wonderful "just because"...

Then I dozed off when the kids were having quiet/naptime, and woke up to this, which had been placed right next to my face...

I mean, is there a sweeter way to wake up?!! It's amazing how kids pick up on things. The other day when Jon was at Bball, I drove by the church and left a little love note on his window. I guess she must have been watching. :)




And I even got to splurge on my first ever cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. (Thanks again Mom!) Um. Yum. I guess there goes my healthy eating goal this week!

I really believe it's the small and simple acts of kindness and love that make the difference in family life. 1Nephi 16:29- "By small means the Lord can bring about great things."

Smiley!

Jakey has a new trick! He did it for the first time at dinner tonight and we just laughed ourselves sick! We just LOVE our happy, smiley boy!!

(Celeste was especially amused by her baby brother) :) So here is a short clip of our little guy hamming it up!!

Fooled once again!

There were a few fun surprises today at the Hudson Haven...

Jon and the kids had a few pranks set up for me... they put soap on the door knobs, and they set up this bag full of packing peanuts that fell on my head when I opened the door!

Then there was this... I'll admit I wasn't too thrilled about this one. The rule for April Fools, is as long as it's not harmful, or hurtful, it's fair game... but I would call this one borderline because I seriously just about had a heart attack!

And then a mystery friend did this to the Burbage... I have no idea who it was, but it cracked us up!!! What a funny idea! The only clue they left was a marshmallow peep on the ground. Does anyone know who it could be??!

I had a few tricks up my sleeve too! ;)

The kids were absolutely thrilled to get chicken nuggets (toasted coconut donuts), mashed potatoes and gravy (ice cream with caramel sauce), and peas (chewy jolly ranchers) for dinner!! But the biggest hit was the juice that wouldn't come out of the straw because it was strawberry jello, (which worked out nicely when Charity accidently knocked it over!)

Here are a couple pictures of them trying to drink their special "juice"!

Hope you had a fun day too! :)

"Deer" Diary...

Celeste got her very first Diary this week. She is soooo "insiydid" about it! She takes it everywhere she goes, she stops in the middle of her daily activities to record her thoughts and feelings, and then she'll read it to whomever will listen. I'm sure it won't be long before she'll want a lock and a key on it, but for now, I'm enjoying getting a peek at how she expresses herself!


Translation:
"Dear Diary, I love my diary. My diary is very special. I can take it to Nana and Papa's house. We will go in a couple weeks. I'm so excited. And I will miss my Daddy."


We had a sweet moment tonight. After she read her first entry to me, I got out my childhood diary and read my first entry to her. I remember saving up money to buy this diary (on the left... obviously) from the book fair at my school when I was 7. She loved the thought that I had a diary as a child too, and it was really special for me to reminisce back to the time I was her age. Wow. Life was so simple and carefree then! (A peek into my current diary would reveal a few more complexities.) ;)

Celeste- Age 5

Me- Age 6

This experience got me thinking about the need for solitude in life. This world we live in is SO NOISY. I was shopping at Meijer the other day, and noticed they have now installed televisions in the checkout lanes. So after we finish shopping, we get in our cars to our radios blaring, then home to our televisions blasting, and cell phones ringing and interrupting us at any time of the day. Not to mention that the internet has opened up another world of distraction. I mean, what better way for the adversary to keep us from focusing on what's most important in this life? So I've committed to make more time this week for meditation, and for quiet communion with Heavenly Father in prayer. That's a little difficult to manage with 4 young and noisy kiddos. But it seems to work the best when I wake up earlier than they do (that's the hard part!)

I know that He will reveal spiritual things to our hearts and minds during those moments of quiet reflection. I also believe that when we record the promptings we receive and the sacred impressions we have, we are better able to act on them, and that by so doing, we can share our most precious thoughts and feelings with future generations. I'm grateful for the power of prayer and the inner peace that comes from keeping a journal.

I hope Celeste's newfound love for quiet reflection will become a lifelong habit, because I know it will be a tremendous blessing to her as it has been to me.

Lemonade baby!

I was given this blog award by a kind friend. I don't always succeed at making lemonade out of lemons (ask my hubby)... but I'm trying! The best part about getting this award is being able to pass it on, and gush about people I care about. Unfortunately I can only select 5, but there are so many others who are so deserving... anyway, here goes...

1. Jill- is a dear friend. She is one of those extremely loyal people who show up at your doorstep with cough drops, and herbal tea within five minutes of learning that you're sick. She is also the kind of friend who drops off homemade banana bread when she senses that you're a little depressed. She is the kind of friend who is genuinely happy for other people's successes. Her blog is full of great ideas for family fun... and scrumptious recipes.

2. Julie is an amazingly positive person that I so admire. We both had each of our 4 kids at around the same time, and I just feel a special bond with her because she knows how crazy life can be with kids at these ages. I just love her, and sooo wish we lived closer! But I'm grateful to feel closer to her through blogging. Her sweetness shines through every one of her posts, as does her love for her family and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. Saquel24 cracks me up. Her posts are totally down to earth and real. Great writing, great pictures, and adorable kids, make for one fabulous blog! They moved a few months ago, and I miss them a ton! Thank goodness we can still keep updated on all the Asp family antics! ;)

4. MommyBee- my former college roommate. She has had some major lemons thown at her (in the form of multiple miscarriages and other trials) but she is using her life experiences to bless others. She often writes about controversial matters and she truly has the courage of her convictions. In other words, she has the confidence to say and do what she thinks is right even when other people disagree. I'm grateful we met years ago, and that we've reconnected through the blogging world because she inspires me and she makes me think.

5. M&M's- This is a new bloggy friend of mine. She's witty, she's a talented writer, and she continually makes me laugh out loud. She seems to have some really bizarre things happen to her, but she has a good attitude and finds the humor through it all.

Well, shoot. There are so many other blogs I love. Who says I have to limit it to 5 anyway??

Over the river and through the woods...

...to Grandmother's (and Grandfather's) house we go! The kids and I went to Gettysburg, PA (an 8 hour drive) last week to visit my family. No, the drive was not fun. Thankfully however, daddy set up a dvd player for us to make it bearable. I could write a whole post about our adventures... but I'll spare you. I'll just share that the worst part of the trip was when the highway got bumpy, and baby Jacob threw up all over the place... twice. Ugh. Poor little guy. (I still can't get that smell out of the burbage!) Anyway, my mood drastically improved even before we stepped into Nana and Papa's house, because of this sweet welcome!

Then as soon as we walked in, they took the kids on a scavenger hunt all around the house! They were absolutely thrilled!!

I mean seriously, how thoughtful are they??!! Thanks again mom and dad, for your love and generosity. I'm sure the kids will be talking about the Sasnett Scavenger hunt for years to come!

A Noble Ambition

Celeste came home from school today with some special school work that we put on display immediately. She brings home drawings and school work every day, but only her very best work is reserved for the bulletin board. Today, I think she brought home her best work of all!



Here is her picture: It says, "It's fun to think about what you will do when you grow up. Will you be a pilot? A teacher? A movie actor? Where will you go? To Europe? To the moon? In the hot-air balloon, draw a picture about what you want to be or where you want to go when you grow up."

And here is the description on the back.

Let's just say I couldn't be more pleased! :)

Inspirational Girls' Night Out!

In celebration of international women's day on March 5th, 450 theatres across the country will be featuring a special documentary film about three women from developing countries who are reaching out to help others in their communities. The film will be followed by a live town hall meeting of selected panelists. The live discussion will help empower women and girls to fight global poverty. For more info check out apowerfulnoise.org.

So, who wants to join me for some inspirational girl time? What a unique opportunity to connect with women all over the world in a meaningful and purposeful way. Let me know if you want to come and I'll give you the info!

Whew! Another tough day at the office. Love this kid!

The Sweetest Thing

Benny and Charity were eating breakfast this morning, and they started arguing about something trivial. (Charity was incensed that Benny got the big bowl with stripes again.) Anyway, their argument was escalating, so I was about to interfere. But before I could and without any prompting from me, Benny stopped and quietly said, "We need to say a prayer Charity cause' Jesus is sad when we fight with each other." So they both folded their little arms and he proceeded, "Dear Heavenly Father, pwease help us to not be mad at ouchother. Please help Jesus to not be sad. And pwease help Jesus to come down from the sky." After the prayer he said, "Charity, you need to say sorry to Jesus" She humbly said, "Sowwy Jesus." And they went right back to eating their cream of wheat.

I seriously burst into tears. I've been in a bit of a spiritual rut over the past week... I was sick last week, and I started getting behind on things, and my personal prayers, and scripture study became pretty sporatic as a result. But hearing my sweet kids pray like that instantly brought me to tears and reminded me that I needed to stop worrying, and just be happy. I am so blessed to have these special spirits in my home for this time that is going by way too quickly... and all too soon moments like these will be gone. It was especially meaningful because of all the kids, I often wonder if Benny is picking up what we're trying to teach him. When we have scripture time as a family, Celeste is right with us and answers every question, but often we'll ask Benny a question to test his understanding, and he'll reply with something totally random... like, "Ummm, in the Veggie Tales movie, Larryboy said, I want a cheeseburger." So it was really precious to hear him pray like that on his own. These kids just might be learning more than we think they are!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The kids were THRILLED to get a surprise package from Nana and Grandpa-pa today that included some treats, valentines, and a little beanie baby for each one of them. My parents are incredibly thoughtful.

Do these kids take after their Daddy, or what? ;)

Thank you Nana and Grandpa-pa!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you all have someone (or something) to cuddle. xoxo

Another Birthday!

The kids presented their Daddy (the birthday boy) with breakfast in bed, and with this enormous mug for his office supplies. The kids loved making their handprints, and it will be fun to remember how little their hands were someday when they're grown.

What in the world??!! Here's hubby making the kids laugh and being amusing as usual! He certainly keeps things interesting around here, that's for sure!

This time it was Charity who cracked us up, when we went around the table for the birthday tradition. I said, "So Charity, what do you love about Daddy?" She thought for a minute, and then replied, "I yuv Daddy's burfday cake." :)

The kids and I snuck into the church during basketball practice, and dropped these off for him and his basketball buddies. We had fun trying to keep quiet while we decorated so it would be a surprise! Happy Birthday Mr. Wonderful! You really are the man of my dreams, and my very best friend.

(I NEVER thought I'd say this... but with all these birthdays lately, I'm cupcaked out! Bleh!)

My Testimony

I found this video on a friend's blog, and I thought I'd post it here to help clear up any misconceptions out there.

I am so grateful to be a member of this church that has brought so much JOY into my life! I know the doctrine is TRUE, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We believe that the book is another testament of Jesus Christ. We also believe the Bible to be the word of God. I am grateful beyond expression to be a part of this church that has been such a blessing to me and my family! I invite any and all to read the Book and find out for themselves.

I testify that if you read the Book of Mormon, and sincerely ask in prayer if it is true, that God will manifest the truthfulness of it to you by the power of the Holy Ghost, and it will bless your life as it has mine.

For more info, go to http://www.mormon.org/.

Snowed In B-day!

Things have been pretty crazy around here with sick kids and such, so blogging has been put on the backburner lately. But I'm hoping to get caught up over the next few days. Just a warning. :)

So last week I turned 28 on the 28th. Naturally, Mr. Wonderful had all sorts of special plans... he was going to secretly replace my turbo kick cd with a cd he made with him announcing to my students that it was my birthday, followed by the Beetle's b-day song, and then he was going to drop off flowers at the church so they would be waiting for me when I got to my Young Womens activity. But... we got 12 inches of snow overnight, so EVERYTHING was cancelled! (I told Mr. Wonderful he still earned brownie points for all his thoughtful plans. :)) But instead of the usual hectic craziness, we simply enjoyed a cozy day at home as a family... and then went sledding and made a snowman. And I'd have to say, it was the best birthday yet!

The snow wouldn't roll very well, so Mr. Wonderful got creative and packed the snow with shovels into different sized bins. It's kind of a funky looking snowman, but it works!

Charity decided to share her coveted pacifier with the snowman.

I think the kids went down the hill on their sleds a total of 3 times... if that! It's so ridiculous! We spend over a half an hour to get them all bundled up for about 2 minutes of fun! Ha ha! Oh well...

When it comes to gifts, my wish list doesn't usually include fancy jewelry, expensive clothing, or the latest "must-haves", but meaningful and thoughtful gifts touch me the most. So I was really moved when I received this sweet gift from my hubby. I just LOVE this for all that it symbolizes, because I am so deeply grateful for the privelege it is to be a mother. Thanks again, sweetie!

I thought I'd share my all-time favorite recipe for German Chocolate Frosting. I got this from my Aunt Linda (the ultimate homemaker!) I didn't include a cake recipe because I usually just use a cake mix (duncan hines moist deluxe... the best!) because I just don't have all day to spend in the kitchen! But anyway, here it is...

German Chocolate Frosting:
1 cube butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned milk.
3 egg yolks
1 cup pecans
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter or magarine in medium saucepan. Stir in sugar and canned milk. Then add egg yolks.

Cook, letting it boil on medium high stirring for several minutes. Add nuts and coconut. Then add vanilla and cool. Enjoy!!

It was soo good I ate nearly half of it! Ouch! How does that happen?! I just snitch a little here and there, and then all of a sudden it's half-gone! Oh well, it's my party I can pig out (and then cry) if I want to! :)

Check out our little poser grinning in the background!

We have a tradition on birthdays when we're enjoying the cake. We go around the table and have everyone share one thing they love or appreciate about the birthday girl/or boy. So when it was Benny's turn, he thought for a minute, and then with his little raspy voice he said, "You're the sweetest mommy I ever had!" Ha ha! It made my day. Moments like that remind me that it really is all about the little things in life. :)

5 years down, 35 to go!

We asked (ahem, I mean bribed with a brownie) the girls to sing "Families Can Be Together Forever" tonight for Family Home Evening. (This is a special night once a week in our church designated for families to spend time together and learn about gospel principles.) Here are the Hudson-style lyrics to this song:


I have a family here on earth,
they are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

Chorus:
Families can be together forever,
through Heavenly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family
and the Lord has shown me how I can,
the Lord has shown me how I can.

While I am in my early years,
I'll prepare most carefully
So I can marry in God's temple
WHEN I TURN 40. (should be "for all eternity")
Chorus

We were satisfied to hear that Charity has picked up the Hudson modification. :) Celeste is so convinced that it's supposed to be sung this way, that she corrected her primary teacher last year! Hmmm, I wonder how long we'll be able to keep this up!

(The end of the video is the funniest!)

Birthday Boy!

Our little baby boy turned 1! The following pictures are from his family birthday party:

Here's Baby Jakey admiring his first birthday cake!

Here's Baby Jakey after he swiftly put out the candle with his fist before we could stop him.
:( Poor Baby Jakey!



Here's Baby Jakey, who quickly recovered by cooling off his hand with a glob of ice cream.



Here's Baby Jakey wondering, "Is mommy seriously just going to let me just dig in like this?!!"



Here's Baby Jakey... lovin' it!




Here's Baby Jakey who was so exhausted from all his gluttonous partying that he fell asleep... standing up!

We LOVE you, our Jakey Buddy! You have brought so much joy and love to our family.

Happy 1st Birthday sweet boy!

The Gift of Life

http://womendoingmore.blogspot.com/

Snowbabies

This morning was a little hectic. Our surburan broke down on my way to teach my kickboxing class. I was very blessed that I was able to steer it to the gas station before it went kaput, and that I have a wonderful friend who came to rescue us, and that I even made it to my class. I'm also very blessed that Mr. Wonderful is taking care of it as I'm writing this... but it was hectic nonetheless. So this afternoon, to get my mind off the stress of everything, I was thrilled to escape into a winter wonderland with my little snowbabies. Ahh, snow! It's amazing how it brings out the kid in us!

The kids (and I) enjoyed...

The snowflakes falling on our noses and eyelashes,

Sledding,

Making snow angels,

Appreciating the wonder of it (yes, that's my baby boy in a pink snow suit),

and... eating it.
But after a while, they were so done! (I'm not sure if Baby Jakey was crying cause his mommy dressed him in pink, or cause he was freezing cold ;))

So inside we went, to warm our hands by the fireplace...

And drink some hot cocoa (in sippy cups)

And life was good again!

I love my sweet snowbabies!