New Year Cheer

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!! It's been a while since I updated, but, like last time I think, not much really going on. But, I wanted to get up a few holiday pics for, well, whoever reads this. :)

For Christmas, we didn't do much. No traveling for us this year. 2 years in a row now. It was kind of nice that way. Next year is definitely our turn to make some road trips. It was kind of sad though, since I didn't get to see my mom.:( I have a feeling we will be making a trip down there soon. Speaking of my mom.... the picture below is of the boys in their Christmas robes from Grandma Amy Hoxie. My mom is so crafty, I love it. And they loved their robes. So cute. Thanks Grandma Amy!! And Hud's is big enough that it should fit him for a while. Nice work!



Now, it's not to say that we didn't have a BUSY holiday season, it just didn't involve significant road time. Which, again, I like. Traveling is bad enough (to me) add winter weather and a toddler, NO.FUN! In any case, we had a busy couple of weeks, but fun, and family, friends and food filled. All of my favorites.




This is our Christmas tree, courtesy of Grandma Susan. I was not going to put one up this year, for obvious reasons. I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to keep Hudson AND the cat out of the tree and presents. So, I just said, no tree, and no presents(well, no presents sitting OUT). I didn't think I would mind, but it ended up being kind of sad, and not really feeling like Christmas. I don't think the lack of snow outside was helping!! In any case, imagine my surprise, and joy, when I came home from work one day and Susan had brought the little guy pictured above and had it set up all nice and pretty and festive on top of the piano. It was perfection. I loved it.




My boys, Christmas morning. They were both looking at the camera and smiling when I started to snap this picture. How fast they move!! haha. Still cute. Love them both, SO MUCH!!



This picture above is Austyn and Hud starting the gift opening festivities at my dad's house. That was our first stop of the holiday celebrations this year, on December 18th. Since my dad works odd (and LOTS) hours at the mine, we had to take advantage of his time off to celebrate. It was a nice time, great dinner and great gifts. Hud got a little excited and stir crazy towards the end, so we had to cut the night shorter than anticipated, but, that's ok. We still had fun.

The next stop was Dewey and Susan's on the 23rd of December for what is becoming our traditional Christmas Eve Eve family get together. A delicious dinner, and great company again. I was so excited to give out my homemade gifts this year. I hope they all liked them. :)

After that was Christmas at our house. We were lucky to have SOME of my family here for that. Nick and Chicory were able to come up to celebrate with us, and my sister Richelle lives with us too. She had to work on Christmas, but she was able to be here for the early morning festivities. We decided we were all turkey and ham-ed out, so we went with a steak dinner with baked potatoes for Christmas dinner. Best.Idea.Ever! It was delicious!! Other than that, we just opened MORE great presents and enjoyed our time together, relaxing. It was a great Christmas season, the only way it could have been better is if I got to spend it with my mom, too.



And, for New Year's Eve.... we didn't do much at all, and it was nice. Austyn was at his dad's, so it was kind of a bummer that he wasn't around to celebrate with us, but he was happy to see his dad. We went to Dewey and Susan's for a bountiful snack buffet, and some games. Above, Hudson was "celebrating" his own way, dancing on the table. I think that's his favorite thing to do at their house. We went home about 8, and just watched t.v., until the ball drop. I was shocked I made it to midnight, because I did not think I was going to. :) Must be getting old.
2011 was a great year for our little family. It went by fast, maybe too fast. We had some definite tough times, but I'm positive that they made us stronger. I feel that our marriage is at it's best right now, and only getting better. Our kids are healthy and happy and a point of happiness and reason for a smile on my face everyday. I love them so much. I love Andrew so much. We have so much to be grateful for, and so many things to look forward to. I know that we will become stronger and closer in 2012, and I really look forward to all the new and wonderful things this new year will bring. :) Happy New Year everyone!!!

Just a quick note about the Jones...

I figured I haven't given an update in a while (since Hud's birthday!!)so, it's time. We have been busy, but nothing major to really speak of, so I just kind of let our blog fall to the wayside. But, winter is just about here, it's snowed a few times already, and I am sure we will have some "fun in the snow" blogs soon. Especially since it's Hudson's first winter. (Well, that he will notice the snow anyway.) Should be fun. So anyway, until then I added just a few little pics that are recent, and that I love. :)


My boys, before church and the primary program. They are so handsome when they are all spiffed up. I love Hudson's little outfit. So.Cute. Austyn wants one too, so we are on the lookout for a bigger version for him. He likes to dress up like that, and I love it. Such handsome little men. I wish we would have gotten a family picture that day. Maybe next time.



Halloween, obviously. hehe. One of my favorites. It's so fun. Especially when your kids are still young enough that you get to pick their costume out. ;) Austyn is at the age where he likes to me "scary" things, so he was "jigsaw" from the Saw movies. Yuck. The mask did not scare Hudson a bit, I was actually a little surprised. I have a feeling next Halloween will be a different story. Hudson was a giraffe. I was originally going to have him be either a monkey (to go along with my whole monkey theme I have for him, because I love monkeys :)) or a skunk, because, well, it would have been ADORABLE! But, I found that giraffe costume at a garage sale this summer for $1, so a giraffe it was! I love a good deal, and really?? ONE DOLLAR for a Halloween costume?!?! Can't beat it, I had to buy it. The skunk may happen next year. After I saw all the monkeys this year, I have kind of given up on that idea. Unless I find a monkey costume at a garage sale next summer. haha


And lastly, Austyn's football season ended about a month ago. I think their record was 2-6. :( BUT, that's ok, they had fun, and that's what matters. He loved playing, loved his teammates and loved his coach. I think Austyn's was the only coach out of all the teams that you couldn't hear screaming. haha. He had one mishap during the season, that resulted in a trip to the E.R. in an ambulance. It was probably the scariest moment I have had as a parent thus far, and hopefully forever. It was terrible. He tackled someone, and hit them wrong or something, and hurt his neck. They made sure he could move his fingers and toes, and were pretty certain that his neck wasn't broken, but they wanted to take every precaution (better to be safe than sorry)so they called an ambulance, strapped him to a backboard and took him in for a c.t. scan. All was ok, he had a sprained neck, fixed with some ibuprofen and a neck brace. That happened in the second to last game of the season, and luckily, he was still able to play in the last game, in the dome. He had to wear a different jersey for the last game, since his was cut off in the E.R. He kept it for a souvenir. :) And, it didn't scare him out of playing football. So, I was sad to see the football season end (I love watching my kids play sports!!!) but have something to look forward to next year.
So, there is my quick little update. Sorry, no super exciting news this time, but, it's better than bad news. All is going great with our family, better than ever probably, and just keeps getting better. :) We are looking forward to the holidays, and will be posting updates as they come. Thanks for stopping by. :)

HUDSON IS ONE YEAR OLD!!!

1 year ago, on October 1, 2010 at 7:58 a.m., Hudson Tyler Jones made his appearance into our lives, and changed them forever. :) He wasn't due until the 9th, but decided he was ready to be seen beginning on September 30th. I think he might have then changed his mind because he just would.not.come.out!!! So, after many LONG and PAINFUL hours of labor, an emergency c-section was required to get his stubborn behind to finally join us. He was worth every single miserable second of labor. So, here are a few pictures of his birthday party, and I will give little tid bits of info on him along the way. I hope you enjoy...


When he was born, he was 7 lbs 2 oz and 19 3/4" tall (haha, that's not really "tall" but you get it). That was the 25/50th percentile for both height and weight. I year later, he weighed in at 23 lbs 3 oz and 31" tall, which is the 50-75th percentile for weight and 75-90th for height. So, it appears, so far, we are going to have a tall and slender boy on our hands. We will see. He was bald when he was born, and for the most part, still is. :) He has a few little curls in the back, that are absolutely adorable, but that's about it. He is still the cutest baby ever, hair or not. Although, my opinion is probably considered biased. hehe. But seriously, he is a CUTIE!!


Hudson is, and always has been, a very happy and healthy baby. He has a very calm demeanor, RARELY crying or "mad". He usually has some sort of thoughtful or concerned look on his face, which I think means he is a thinker. He is very attentive of what is going on around him, and loves new things, places and people. I swear he is in a good mood, smiling and laughing about 80% of the time. He is, and always has been, a good eater, good sleeper and well behaved little guy. He just has an awesome disposition. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful baby. This first year could definitely been harder, but we have been lucky. I can't explain how excited we were to find out we were finally gonna have a baby, then to finally meet him after a long 9 months, then, the icing on the cake, he is practically perfect! :)


Hudson rolled over for the first time at 1 month old, no joke. I think it was a fluke, because he didn't do it again until he was 6 weeks old, and even then it was still sporatic. He was laughing at just under 4 months old, and I still love that sound! He crawled by 6 months and was walking by 10 months old and was waving bye bye at around 8 months old. Now he has discovered that he can climb onto things, and he loves it. He is out little monkey boy. He loves to be outdoors, at the park or on walks or even just playing in the sidewalk in the front of our house. He is a very curious little man. Always learning, quicker than we can keep up.


For his first birthday, we had some family and friends over for a little party. My stepmom made 2 birthday cakes, both pictured in this post, that were awesome!! One was for all of the guests, and one was all for Hudson. We just put it in front of him and let him go at it. He has a good time, as you can see from the pictures. The party was perfect, good food, good people, good times. We are grateful for everyone that came to share the special day with us, for all the help from everyone and for all the great gifts. Hudson had no interest in the gifts during the party, so we opened them later (Austyn helped with that). Everyone gave wonderful gifts that will be put to good use. :) THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!!!


So, this first year has been fun. As I said, it could have been harder, and we are so grateful to have such a healthy and happy baby. He keeps us on our toes, that's for sure, but it's all fun and exciting. He has hit some pretty huge milestones already, and has so much more, we are just enjoying all the new things everyday. Still waiting on some hair, and a few more teeth, but we're getting there. haha. :) We love, love, LOVE this little man. Both of our boys are amazing, in their own little ways. I am one lucky momma!! Looking forward to many more special years with my kiddos. :)

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. :)