Football Season Is Here!

It's finally here, FOOTBALL SEASON!! I am always sad to see summer go, but I love, love, LOVE football! It's sort of a comfort for the inevitable end of summer. Fall is my second favorite time of the year. I love the smell of fall, the colors, school starting again (haha), Halloween, pumpkins, spice scented everything, homecoming parades and football! Just to name a few. ;)


So, with all that said, I am super excited that this year Austyn started playing football too!! One more reason to be stoked for the football season. I have always loved watching football, but I think watching your own child play makes it so much better. It's so exciting and gives me such a proud and overwhelming feeling watching him play.


It's crazy how times flies, and I remember thinking, "I can't wait till Austyn is out there on a football field."


He's is doing good, too. He plays on the offensive and defensive line, as well as kick off's and kick off returns. He knows football is about hitting, and he's a hard hittin' kid. I think he is going to do really well with this sport, and I love to watch him play. I was kind of shocked to find myself yelling on the sidelines at his last game. I was really getting into it! haha. I didn't think I was one of "those moms", but I guess I am. Nothing crazy, of course, but I was a little worked up.


This is Austyn, on the ground, after knocking down a kick off ball, and laying on it, to give his team really good field position. So far, they have played 2 of their 6 games, and are 1-1. The last game was a little rough for them. But, hey, you win some, you lose some. It happens. They are all having fun and learning how the game is played, so that's what matters.


And this was him in uniform before his first game. I think he was a little nervous, but he did so good!! His team had the first game of the season, and Austyn got the first tackle of the season. It was so cool hearing them say his name over the speaker. It's things like that, first days of school, games days, dances, hearing your kids name announced during a sporting event or spelling bee or whatever it is that they do and love, that make you feel so overwhelmed with love, happiness and pride. I couldn't be more proud of Austyn, and it makes me feel so good seeing him out on the football field, playing a sport that I love, but more importantly, that HE loves. :) That's my boy!!

Busy little summer...

It's been quite a busy summer for us this year, which is probably why I haven't blogged in a while. We have been trying to make the most of the summer... nice weather, fresh air and sunshine. I love it. So many things have been going on, I don't know where to start. I am sure I will leave stuff out, of course, but just a little update to touch on a few things going on. Oh, and I got the camera working, so there are pictures in this one. :)



Andrew and I had the opportunity to go to Mackinac Island last weekend. Very exciting! :) Kind of last minute, but I was stoked. I had only been there once, when I was in 9th grade, so I was really excited to go again. It was just one night, but it was fun. We are already thinking of making it a family trip for next summer, for at least a long weekend. It rained while we were there, so it kind of put a damper on things, we cut our trip short and it was hard to get good pictures, but we still had a wonderful time. So, the top picture is the lighthouse, obviously. Very cool. And the bottom one is Andrew on the boat on the way over. I am not a fan of large boats or being on one in a huge body of water, so I stayed put in my seat. He was lucky to even get me to sit on the top section!



We were also able to take a trip to my mom's house for a long weekend. That was nice too. We hadn't been down in a while and I was missing everyone, A LOT! The weather couldn't have been more perfect the entire time. My mom has a garden, and it.is.huge!! She has everything imaginable in it, just tons of deliciousness and beautiful flowers. Hudson was a fan of the garden. She also made some awesome jam while we were there to take home. LOVE IT! Thanks mom. Hudson also enjoyed a little sunbathing on my mom's deck, drinking from the hose, as you can see below. I was pretty surprised at how quick he learned to drink from the hose, as in, almost immediately! Such a smart little guy. ;)




Ahhh, the piano. Andrew has been wanting a piano for quite some time now. I found one on craigslist for $50, but it was in Calumet. Well, we didn't think we would find a better deal than that, so we made arrangements to borrow a truck and have a few helpers to go get it. The day we were supposed to go get it, we were informed that a family from the church had one that they were giving away!!! And they lived in the same town as us! SO, a FREE piano AND we didn't have to drive 2 hours to get it!! Can't beat that. :) So, this is the latest addition to our home, Andrew has been playing away already and really enjoying it. It's nice. Thank you very much to the Shearer family for the piano and to all who helped move it. We couldn't appreciate it more.



I planted a "garden" of my own this summer. Just a little test one to see how well I would do. So, I planted 2 rows of sunflowers (my favorite), a tomato plant, a pumpkin plant and a few creeping phlox. So far, so good. The tomato plant has tomatoes on it, the pumpkin plant is alive and flowering although actual pumpkins are questionable at this point, the flowers did pretty well, and my sunflowers are blooming!! The picture below is the first one to bloom. I was soooo excited. It's so pretty. Love it!

Lets see, what else... OH YEAH! Hudson is walking!! He has been scooting around the furniture or making his way around via overturned laundry basket for a few months, but over the past 2 weeks, he has managed to go from that and the occassional few steps from mom to dad to full blown walking. He can make it from the living room all the way into the kitchen. He is still a little tipsy and crashes quite a bit, but he's pretty much got it down. Our little guy is getting so big! So exciting, yet so sad at the same time. Austyn started tackle football this week. Crazy! He is doing really good though, and I plan to get some pictures and do a seperate blog on that soon. So watch for it. ;)
So, that was my "quick" little update. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. We sure are. Au revoir.

July Fourth Festivities

We had a wonderful weekend. It was busy, but it was a fun busy. Unfortunately, we had a camera that wasn't working, and Austyn took a trip downstate, so we didn't have him with us until the fireworks on Monday night. But, he had fun down there, visiting with family, so it wasn't all that bad of a thing for him to go. The camera not working was a real downer, especially with it being Hudson's first 4th of July experience and he also had his first camping experience. But we made the best of it, and will always have the "mental" pictures for our own memories. haha.
We went camping at Van Riper State Park on Saturday with my Dad and Connie. It.was.packed!! There wasn't a single open campsite, so I'm glad I thought ahead and reserved a site. It's a really nice campground, with a TON of camping spots, but I don't think we will go again on a holiday weekend. I like my camping to be a little more low key than that. They have a really nice beach there, with a park, so we took Hudson down to the lake to check it out. We have a short video of it on here (if it works), and as you will see, he wasn't a fan of the water. Yet. We are working on it though, and I'm sure he will be a little fish by the end of summer. :) He likes his baths, but I think the fact of it being the biggest bathtub ever, along with waves, was a little overwhelming. He did thoroughly enjoy the sand though, and was quite intrigued when I buried his legs. He's so cute. He also did very well sleeping on an air mattress in a tent for the first time. I wasn't sure how he would handle it, but he slept better than I did. He is just such a good and easy going baby. Perfection.

For the fourth, we headed down to the parade in the afternoon. The weather was beautiful. A little toasty to be sitting in the sun for a parade that lasted an hour and a half, but I'm not complaining. I am sooo glad summer in finally here. Hudson wasn't overly excited about the parade, just very interested. He was checking everything and everyone out very intently. We made it through most of the parade without any mishaps, until the end. The fire trucks came by, honking horns and blaring sirens, and that was it for him. His eyes got huge, his lip went out and then came the tears. I felt so bad for him. He wrapped his little arms around my necks and held on for dear life. Poor little guy. It was a little traumatic for him, but he made it through like a little champ. :) After that incident, we headed out to Beth and Stuart's for a family get together. It was good conversation and good food with great people. By the end of that, Hudson, and his sweaty little red cheeks, were whipped! He was asleep before we got home. And I think it's safe to say, he didn't attend the fireworks this year. I was impressed, however, that he didn't even wake up when all the fireworks were going off, considering we only live about 6 blocks from where they shoot them off. Good little sleeper!! Austyn, Andrew and I enjoyed them from the courthouse steps. They had some really cool ones, and an impressive "grand finale". Again, no camera, BOO, so no cool pics. Very disappointing for me. Guess it's time for a family gift to ourselves pretty soon. With kids (especially as cute as ours! hehe), sports, family functions and events, you really can't be without a camera these days. We will work on it.

Well, I hope the video works. And I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday, and took a moment to reflect on why we celebrate the Fourth of July. Remember to thank our troops (past, present and future) who make our freedom possible. I am grateful everyday for the sacrafices they have made and continue to make for our country, and a proud sister of a soldier, hoping for a safe return home for my brother.

A little video....

Just trying out the posting video skills. A quick little clip of Hudson's first attempt to walk. Enjoy. :)

School is out!!

As of Friday, school is out for the year. Yay!! Austyn was happy to be done for the year. Also, this was his last year in elementary school. Next year, it's off to middle school already. That's crazy to me. I can't believe how old he is getting, or how old I am getting!! :) Either way, we are proud of him. He is growing into quite the young man,(even if it is too soon!). Once again, for the 2nd time this year, Austyn got all A's on his report card. So, for 2 of the 3 semesters, he got all A's, and the first semester he got the same except one little B. But that's ok, can't complain about that!.



On Wednesday, Austyn had his last cubscouts meeting. They got their Arrow of Light award. The highest award in cub scouting. Very cool! Another reason to be proud of him. I love this kid!! Next year it's on to boy scouts! YAY!! He really likes it, and looks forward to it every week. I really think it's a great program and really hope he sticks with it.


A picture of the "family" part of the group, sans Andrew.


And here is one with Andrew and Austyn.

We spent the weekend doing more stuff to the house. My sister and I tore off the wallpaper in the office area and painted it green. It used to be this really dark brown color with a wolf wallpaper along the top. Way too dark for that room, and not really my style. So, since she is moving in with us for a while and we needed to clean it out anyway, it was the perfect excuse to paint it while it was empty. It was a little more work than I expected for such a small room, but it turned out awesome and looks sooooo much better now. I am glad we did it. I think the next project will be to get rid of the wallpaper in the breakfast nook and paint that too. Maybe next weekend, or.... :)

And finally, the last bit of "news" for this weekend update... I got Andrew a flip for a Father's Day/birthday gift. We have been wanting a video camera for a while, so what better excuse than a gift, and killing 2 birds with one stone at that!! (Even though I hate it when people combine my birthday gifts with Christmas gifts. hehe) It's small, quick and convenient. We love it. I tried to upload a video, but it didn't work. There is one of Hudson on each of our facebook pages that you can see (if you're on our friends list). If not, keep checking back, I will keep trying to figure it all out. Until then, thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Yard Beautification...

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL! So, we spent the weekend cleaning up the yard, again, and adding to it. I decided that I didn't like our lame excuse for a front yard, and, with the help of my sister, ripped out the "grass". That was A LOT of work. Then we put in bricks around the edge, stone pavers to walk on, some hostas and other pretty little flowers. And, to top it off, covered it all up with some red mulch. It looks amazing! Like I said, it was a lot of work, I have the bruises, sunburn and sore muscles to prove it, but it was worth it. I am really glad we did it, and glad my sister was here to help. :)



This is a picture of our hard work in the front of the house. The picture doesn't really do it justice, I couldn't get a good picture. So, if you want to see how awesome it really is, you are just gonna have to come see for yourself. :)


Huddy came out to "help" in the yard for a bit. He just loves to be outside, but he doesn't like his knees to touch the grass, as you can see by this picture. Before we did all the yard work, my sister and I took Hudson for a nice, long walk downtown. I like to go check out the little shops downtown, and he likes to just chill in his stroller, or sleep, which is what he did most of the time.


This picture really has nothing to do with the weekend, it wasn't even taken this weekend, but I love it! Hudson looks like he is jammin' out, it's hilarious!

So, anyway, that was our weekend. It was pretty perfect I must say. Could not have asked for better weather or better results from all of our hard work. I hope everyone else has as great of a weekend as our little family did. Till next time...

50 Random Facts About Me...

I rarely, if ever, do a blog about just me. I don't even know who reads this, or what they want to read about when they do, but I figured I would mix it up a bit from the normal "family life" blog. Don't get me wrong, I love my family more than anything, and like writing about us, but I thought something different would be a fun, nice change. So, I decided to post some random facts about me (as the title states) that whoever reads this may or may not have known. So, here they are....



1. My birthdate is December 15, 1978.
2. I am the oldest of 5 children. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister.
3. I lived in the Grand Rapids area until the 8th grade, when we moved to Benzie County (near Traverse City).
4. I moved to Marqette in 2007.
5. My favorite color is green. Followed closely by pink and orange.
6. My favorite flowers are sunflowers and carnations. Daisies are a close second.
7. I have only been to 2 concerts in my life, both of them were Gary Allan concerts, and I would go again anytime. He is amazing!
8. I can't decide if I like summer or fall better. I love the heat in the summer, but fall is beautiful and I like the smell outside during the fall. :)
9. I make lists for almost everything I do. Which, some may say is more work than what the list is for, but I like to do it, and I actually need to do it.
10. Even with my lists, I forget stuff.
11. I was a cheerleader in high school for basketball and football for the entire 4 years. Captain most of the time.
11. I ran track in high school for one year and fastpitch softball for one year.
12. I only weighed 97 lbs. when I graduated high school!! Kinda weird!
13. I can't decide on just 1 favorite food, I like so many things.
14. I LOVE cheesecake. So much that when I was a little girl, I didn't have birthday cakes, but cheesecakes instead, courtesy of my awesome mother.
15. I am allergic to latex, demoral, walnuts and random fruits, like bananas, kiwis, papaya..
16. I can pop my hip in and out, it's pretty gross actually.
17. I have had 5 surgeries on my left knee.
18. I love to go fishing, out on the lake, rain or shine, warm or cold.
19. I can swim, and love to,but have a fear of jumping off of boats, docks or anything else floating in the water that I will have to swim back up to. I will only enter and exit the water on foot, from and to the shore. PERIOD!
20. I have never been to college, but wish I would have gone.
21. When I was a little girl, I wanted to go to school to be a vet. Of course.
22. If I could go to college now, I would probably choose forensic science. I would love to be a forensic scientist or crime scene investigator.
23. I love scary books and movies, but have found out the hard way it's dumb to watch them alone, day or night! haha
24. I had my first child at 21 years old, and waited 10 years to have another one!
25. My mom and my sister are my best friends.



26. My non-relative best friend lives in South Carolina. We have been best friends since high school, talk almost daily, and we are proof that distant doesn't matter for TRUE best friends.
27. I have never been any further west than Iowa. Lame, I know.
28. IF I EVER get to go on a real vacation, I want it to be Hawaii.
29. I hate to have my picture taken.
30. There are rarely any pictures of me without my tongue sticking out.
31. My best subject in school was English, although you probably couldn't tell from my writing skills now. :)
32. I HATE clutter.
33. I'm one of those people that usually tells it like it is. Some people love that about me, some hate it. I have learned over the years though, that there are ways to say what needs to be said without being hurtful, usually.
34. I bit my tongue off when I was a little girl, jumping from the couch to the coffee table. Gross!
35. I hate shopping, all kinds, unless its for my kids or my husband. I can always find a million ways to spend money on them, but never myself.
36. I have never wanted to be a stay at home mom, until recently. And even now, I just wish I could be home at least part time. Not sure I would want to be a full time stay at home mom.
37. I have recently discovered that it's harder than you think to come up with 50 random facts about yourself. hehe
38. My hair is naturally curly (more like wavy actually), I just straighten it every day, and I hate it!
39. I do not like politics AT ALL!
40. The only sport I really like to watch on T.V. is football, and I LOVE IT!
41. I have never been on an airplane.
42. I think a cruise would be cool but I am terrified of huge ships, I don't know why.
43. I am more afraid of june bugs than any other bug, except maybe spiders. It's close.
44. I have had 5 cars in my life. They were all either white or red. strange.
45. I have 3 tattoos.
46. I love the smell of gasoline. So weird.
47. I am still afraid of the dark, or maybe what's in it. Not sure, it's just creepy.
48. I love the 4 seasons, but not a huge fan of winter time. After the first snow, I'm over it!
49. I get excited over stupid things, talk too fast and laugh at inappropriate times, but that's what makes me ME!
50. I probably could have come up with more things about myself, maybe more interesting, maybe not, but I always have a million things running through my head at once, so this is what you get! HA

So, there's a little about me, hope you enjoyed it. Maybe I can get Andrew to do one next, although I doubt it. :) We'll see.