Mini Vacay

We took a mini vacay to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach for the weekend. Micah had some work to do in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday so Hudson and I decided we would just tag along and make a beach trip out of it. We left Wednesday afternoon and drove south - traveling with a 2 year old is interesting - so it was a good thing we broke the trip up and stayed at some places along the way. I think Buddy had a fun time all in all. He's a pro at staying in hotels now:)

Orange Beach was nice and relaxing, we got our tan on, and the food was pretty good - can't complain! It was nice to get away for a few days and enjoy our time as a family of three before june bug arrives. On that note, I can't believe it's already May, our last day of school is Tuesday, and we are going to have a new baby in a month or less.

C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

swimming in Mobile, AL

can't leave home without the football..."thriller jr" in the making? 

checking out the waves

loves saying "CHEESE"

big belly

Bucket Head

Daddy and his shadow playing in the sand

Mommy and Hudson

Happy Mother's Day to me!

First Putt-Putt experience

Having so much fun

BFF for life

All this traveling wore little buddy out!

~ Baby Things ~

So awhile back my friend Kelley posted on her blog 5 baby things she couldn't live without and also the 5 she definitely didn't need or use. And because the good old due date is quickly approaching and I have yet to do absolutely NOTHING to prepare for this baby's arrival...

I thought I'd post about the same thing and get some opinions from all of you professional mommies out there. Keep in mind this is only our second go-around so I still feel like I'm in that "honeymoon stage" where every baby item naturally seems essential. Because it is right?!? I'm that consumer.

TOP 5 THINGS you couldn't live without? Here are mine - -

1. Video Monitor

It's #1 for a reason. I have really enjoyed having this around. I feel like it's super helpful and gives me an unbelievable peace of mind knowing not only that I can hear Hudson but also see him during nap and night time. The question now is: do we buy another and have one for each child? Get Hudson just a cheap sound monitor and keep the video monitor on new baby? Or just use the additional camera we have with the video monitor and switch back and forth from channel a to b throughout the night? Decisions, decisions...


2. Sound Machine

Oh, how I could not live without this one! Micah and I even have one that we use during the night and I feel weird sleeping without it. This was top on my list mainly b/c in our old house (it was a lot smaller and open concept) we needed something to block out sound in order for Hudson to rest peacefully. Only problem is...I think we've trained him to not be able to sleep without it so I basically take it everywhere I go. Vacation, school, yes even in the car. I'm pyscho I know but this particular sound machine is small and easy to tote around. You can pop some double A batteries in the bottom and take it anywhere or it can be plugged up into an outlet. Genius!

3. SwaddleMe Wrap/Miracle Blanket

This one I was unsure of in the beginning. However, Hudson ended up L-O-V-I-N-G it and he took well to being swaddled tightly and was a great sleeper from the start. In our opinion both brands/styles worked exactly the same. The Miracle Blanket is a lot more expensive and definitely more complicated to use/wrap. Seriously, it's like a straight jacket for babies. You may get quite a few odd looks and comments when using it - I sure did - but whatever works right? I realize every baby is different so who's to say #2 will be a huge fan like Hudson was but it definitely was a success the first time around.

4. Baby Swing

Hudson really enjoyed the swing. Not so much the bouncy seat. Hopefully this new baby will also be a fan. He took A LOT of naps in this thing in the beginning. Sweet memories:) 

5. Baby Walker

So much fun! This thing was a life saver before Buddy learned how to walk. I would take it outside with me and he would go up and down the driveway a million times just laughing and smiling. I have no idea if using this helps children learn to walk or not, but I do know our child started walking right after his first birthday....connection or no connection I still found it very useful and plan on using it again this time around. 

TOP 5 THINGS I didn't really need - -

1. Gas Drops - I could never tell if they worked or not? I did use them but again who knows if they made a difference. 

2. Wipe Warmer - Ended up taking this back. I didn't really see the need and I didn't want to get Hudson used to having warm wipes on his bottom b/c well, I couldn't exactly take it with me on the go. 

3. Moses Basket - I was so thankful to receive a beautiful Moses Basket as a gift; however, Hudson was NOT a fan and would not sleep in the thing no matter how many times I tried! Maybe June Bug baby will like it? 

4. A million different sippy cups - I tried them all. My conclusion. Go with the Playtex cups b/c they DO NOT LEAK!

5. A Bouncy Seat - I love the idea and honestly thought I'd use this more than any other baby item but for whatever reason Hudson just didn't really take to it. He'd last a good 15 minutes or so and was not impressed by the vibration or sounds it made. 

Ok, your turn. Let me know what things you absolutely love and could not do life without and of course those things that you found you really didn't need or use. Go!!!

Fresh Beat Band

Don't know them? Just flip the channel to Nick Jr. and you can check out these crazy kids for yourself. It's Hudson's favorite show (well aside from Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and so we decided for his birthday to take him to a Fresh Beat Band Live Concert.

We made a fun night out of it. Starting with dinner downtown @ Pearl's Oyster House. Then we rode the trolley to the Cannon Center for the concert. Very cool place to see a show. Like I kind of expected, Hudson was a bit unsure about the whole experience. He sat on Daddy's lap for a good 20 minutes and just stared and took it all in...then he finally started letting loose and having a good time. Lots of clapping and dancing:) All in all, it was a super fun night. And a late night! Buddy didn't get in bed until 9:30. Here are some pics from the show.

Not so sure what to think...

Now we're having fun!!!!

Here we go Fresh Beats

My handsome boys:)

*Hudson's Elmo Extravaganza*

Hudson's 2nd Birthday Party
April 21, 2012

We celebrated Hudson's 2nd birthday party at our house this weekend.

Friday my mom (Mee-Mee) drove up from Knoxville. This is only the 2nd time she's been here so it was a special time that we got to spend with her. She spoiled Hudson like crazy of course so he naturally loved her:)

Then Saturday we had a few of our closest friends over for Hudson's 2nd birthday Party. I call it his Elmo Extravaganza! The kid is obsessed with Elmo so I tried to make his birthday party a special one that he would remember one day....yeah right, he's only 2 but at least we have pictures to show him!

Invite

birthday banner my friend Ashley Conway and I made

the spread

every elmo party needs flowers right?!?

Drinks

Elmo Cake made by the talented Mrs. Miller (Granna, not me!)

Happy to see his friends arriving:)

Jumping in the bounce house

Despite the cooler temperatures, the rain held off and we got to play outside for a bit. Elmo himself made a special appearance. You'd think for a kid *obsessed* with Elmo that he would totally love seeing a live version of this Sesame Street favorite. Hum, not so much. First reaction - sheer terror. He eventually warmed up to Elmo but had zero desire to come remotely close to him. Hudson preferred to stand back a bit and smile and wave at Elmo. So you can imagine what happened when we tried to set him on Elmo's lap for a quick pic.

Ah, memories...

My friend Terry that I teach with came dressed as Elmo to entertain the kids. 

If you know her this pic describes her personality to a tee - fun and funny!

Trying to show Hudson that Elmo isn't so scary...he doesn't seem convinced however

Finally sat for a pic with his buddy Mason

Family photo with Elmo

This pretty much sums it up - run Hudson run!!

Singing Happy Birthday

Enjoying a birthday cupcake

Opening gifts

Help from Lola and Riley:) 

Playing with some of his new favorite toys

We are so thankful for all our family and friends that came to celebrate our little buddy's special day. We feel incredibly blessed to have these people in our life. Thank you again for making the day that much more special and memorable for our birthday boy! We love you Hudson Andrew Miller and can't believe how fast 2 years have flown by. Happy Birthday little man!

Luke 24:6

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?" 

He is not here; he has RISEN! 

 - Luke 24:6

This verse is what Easter is all about to me. It's ingrained into my memory and my prayer is that it becomes ingrained into yours too. It serves as a reminder of the importance of this glorious holiday.

The Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Let us not forget that as we go on about our business throughout the year. To our family, Easter Sunday has become just as important and just as meaningful as Christmas and we are going to strive to make Easter an even BIGGER deal to our kids as they grow up. If you haven't I encourage you to go back and reread, yes reread carefully for comprehension, chapter 24 of Luke. Really read it. It's a miraculous story. I am eternally grateful that he has RISEN!

Here's some pics of how we spent our Easter weekend -

2nd Annual Wingo Wabbit Hunt Extravaganza

More interested in eating the candy than hunting for eggs

Get 'Em!

Addison Marie Wingo:) 

Gammy and Lilly Wingo.

Thanks Wingos for hosting!!! We had so much fun!

Daddy and Hudson swinging in the hammock

Best buds

Which girl should he choose? So many options...

Always a favorite. 

Thanks Dad and Dana! This is what you got Hudson for his birthday:)

Easter Sunday @ The Millers

Our Fam take #1

take #2

More hunting at Granna and Papaw's. 

Granna puts some yummy chocolate in each egg so Hudson was extra happy to hunt for these. 

Germantown Easter Egg Hunt

Last Saturday we took Hudson to the Germantown Easter Egg Hunt at Cameron Brown Park. He was still not feeling 100% from being sick but I thought it would be fun for him. I think he had a good time, especially hunting for eggs. And he got to bust out his Elmo Easter Basket - super cool! They also had a couple moon bounces for the kids, a petting zoo (somewhat), and a real firetruck. Buddy liked getting to sit in the truck. And the best part - - free pictures with the EASTER BUNNY! Unfortunately the line was super long and it was extremely H-O-T!!!!! Needless to say this pregnant lady did not want to wait out in the 85 degree sun for half and hour even if the picture was FREE! Anyway, here are a few pics I took with my phone while we were there.

Getting ready...

Finding eggs is fun!!!

Searching for more

my little bunny

mommy and a sweaty bubba

The Devil

The devil came to visit our house last week...

in the form of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Which is absolutely the worst kind of sick Hudson's ever been. Hands down way worse than the stomach bug in my opinion.

feeling and looking pitiful

Buddy started acting funny late Sunday/early Monday and despite my usual refusal to take him to the doctor I decided Tuesday morning to keep him home from school and just go in to let Dr. Mitchell see what was going on since he was running a pretty high fever and just acting pitiful, crying alot, no appetite, and just being super needy. After checking his ears she looked in his mouth and immediately gave me the HF&M diagnosis.

He had ulcers in the back of his throat but thankfully nothing ever appeared on the bottom of his hands or feet. I felt terrible for him, because I could just imagine how bad he felt. And the saddest part was that there is really nothing you can do to treat this thing. It's a virus so it just has to run it's course...blah!

So we stayed homebound the rest of the week and just took it easy and relaxed. I gave him lots of motrin for the fever and tylenol for the pain and thankfully by Saturday he was feeling much much better. I pray we never have to go through this again! It truly was pitiful:(

Mommy sympathy: breakfast in bed:)