Four (I Mean Five!) Makes Our Family

Christmas Cards!

2010-11-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Hey all. I thought I'd drop in and let you know that a. I'm still here! b. I think I found a new and better way to update this blog so that means better and more frequent posts and c. what we'll be doing for our Christmas cards this year.

Shutterfly has this amazing deal where you can get 50 free cards for blogging about your favorite designs. I hope you'll head on over to their website and check out their super cute products. For those of you that tend to procrastinate (ahem...like me) you'll be inspire by the cute designs in their card gallery here http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery . I love, love, love the Swirling Ornaments Design. The colors are fantastic! Yep! I can just picture two cute little faces right there in the middle. While you're over there, check out the photo mugs. http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs/photo-mug . What grandparent wouldn't want to marvel at their grand kids' faces while they're enjoying their morning coffee? Don't forget that Shutterfly is more than just a place to make your Christmas cards. They also carry cute birthday invitation. Check out the Laughing Sorbet Pink invitation here http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-invitations/girl-birthday-invitations?c=60384. I'm thinking Miss Addi needs those next year when she turns three (yikes!!). I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. Look for your shutterfly card from me, Marty and the Little P's!!

That Wasn't Me!

2010-10-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a total slacker...I know. I promise to start blogging soon. I need to find some motivation. That last post was suppose to go on Marty's blog but he somehow ended up signed in to my google account. Oops! I hope you all got a few HVAC tips :)

Addison's Summer

2010-08-05T11:10:00.001-07:00

Our Addi girl has had a marvelous summer! Of course, when you're a full of life little two year old, everyday is marvelous! Here's what our sassy lady has been up to.

going to the pool with her brother

sport'n her shades

playing dress up and smiling as cheesy as possible

trying to figure out how to get her unruly hair under control

eating strawberry shortcake

flirting with boys :)

riding 4wheelers with her cousin Cameron

eating popsicles after supper

coloring on everything but paper!

Hudson's Summer

2010-07-29T09:54:00.001-07:00

Our Hudson has been one busy boy this summer! We start every morning with his most popular question..."What are we going to do today." Almost every day has been filled with play dates, pool trips, special daddy time and general summer fun. Here is Hudson's summer in pictures.

Hanging out with his best buddy...Daddy!

Hanging out with Mommy.

Getting ready to see some cool fireworks.

Eating popsicles

swimming, swimming and more swimming!!

touring museums

getting Wool E Bull's autograph

taking in his first Durham Bulls game

riding his dirt bike

riding horses in Bahama

Whew!! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all! Stay tuned for Addison's summer!

I'm Back!!

2010-07-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

You can all breath a sigh of relief. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! I took a self declared summer vacation because, you know, writing this blog is some seriously hard work :) Actually there hasn't been much time for blogging because I've been entertaining these two Little P's.

We've had a grand time swimming, spending some much needed time with Daddy and visiting with friends. I'll have to do some back tracking and catch you all up with some super cute pictures but for now...enjoy the new background!

My Husband's A Blogger

2010-06-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, my super talented and ambitious hubby is a part time home inspector. The man knows what he's talking about! He started working in construction when he was a wee lad and who better to know about the structure of a home and all its functions than a firefighter! So..with that being said, Marty has started his very own blog (so proud!). It's a blog dedicated to home improvement/maintenance tips. This month is all about landscaping. So head on over to www.firehousehomeinspections.blogspot.com and show him some love!

Oh...and if you're buying or selling a house in NC, or know someone who is....be sure to give him a call!

SWAGGER WAGON

2010-05-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've seen this on a couple of my friend's blogs and I think it's hilarious!! We've watched it 3 times this afternoon. Addison can say "swagger wagon." I'm so proud :)

Coraline Lea Lunsford

2010-05-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce my new niece, Coraline. Isn't she the cutest?!! She was born Thursday afternoon. Oh...and she belongs to my brother, Grant and his wife, Andrea. You can get updates on their newest addition over at Greener Beginnings. Yesterday, we had the privilege of seeing all this cuteness in person. Congrats Grant and Andrea! She is awesome :)

Happy Belated Birthday!!

2010-05-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

I got so caught up in the excitement of my Argan Oil post that I completely forgot to blog about my Marty! This Wednesday we celebrated 32 years of him. Me and the Little P's love you babe!!! (more than my Argan Oil. I promise!)

Good Hair

2010-05-13T10:40:00.001-07:00

All my life (well, as far as I can remember) I have had a love/hate relationship with my hair. I've always wanted thick, straight hair that can air dry looking just as perfect as it would have been if blow dryed. I have no such luck. I ended up with thin, fine, frizzy Kramer (from Seinfeld) hair. My issues go way back. I can remember trying to get my "crave the wave bangs" to poof and go up and over my forehead in just the right way all the while dousing them with Teen Spirit hair spray. Any of you feel my pain? Oh..I won't even get into the time I accidentally turned my hair orange with Peroxide. Well, maybe I will get into it. You can't make this story up.

In middle school, I read (in my YM magazine that I had snuck upstairs to my room) that peroxide would lighten your hair. So, I found a bottle of leave in conditioner, emptied the bottle and filled it with Peroxide. I then decided I better not try it in fear my mom would ask me why my hair was lighter and have to reveal that I had read it in gasp...YM magazine!!

So fast forward 2 years later. I was digging through the bathroom cabinets and came across a bottle of leave in conditioner. I decided my hair could use a good dose of moisture so for a few weeks I sprayed the "conditioner" in and started to wonder why my hair felt like straw. It all clicked when one day my mom asked me why my hair looked orange. I felt a little sick when it finally dawned on me that I had been spraying Peroxide in my hair for 2 weeks. My poor head of hair was not only orange, but it was dry and brittle. One chunk of hair in the front actually broke off about 2 inches from my scalp and I had to bobby pin it down to keep it from standing straight up.

Like I said, you can't make this stuff up!

Anyways...all that said because after all these years of dying, highlighting, straightening and blow drying, I have finally found the perfect hair product. I'm serious people! Three weeks of good hair days! I'm totally addicted to .....drum roll please.....

Argan Oil!!

Oh Argan Oil. How I love you!!!

Girls, you've got to try this stuff. Just run a dime size amount through your wet hair and BAM, instant shine and softness. No more fly aways! This stuff actually bulks up my thin hair and makes it feel thicker!

Some salons carry a line called Moroccan Oil that sells for $30 per 4 oz bottle. Crazy!!! I went online and found that Sally's Beauty Supply sells the same stuff but bottled as Argan Oil. It's only $8.99 per bottle. On my first trip to Sally's, I asked the sales lady if they carried the stuff. She laughed and said they did but they can't keep it on the shelves! She found me a sample bottle and told me to keep checking back because their supply only lasts a few days. Get on it girls! Go get 'cha some Argan Oil. You'll thank me !!!

FYI...Argan Oil is oil produced from the kernals of argan tree fruit. This type of tree is mostly found in Morocco. Just in case you were wondering :) But really, why are you still reading this. Shouldn't you be on your way to Sally's?

Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mommies out there. You know who you are :)

I'm not sure what it is about Mother's Day at the Pearce house that brings out the ill attitudes of my two "bundles of joy" but......

here's a joyous moment from last year

and again this year.

Come on kids. Crack a smile for me. I went through childbirth for goodness sakes!! Joking...I love 'um to pieces even if they choose to save their crabbiest day for Mother's Day. I'm taking this day to praise God for entrusting me with the task of raising these two kiddos. He couldn't have given me better ones and I pray my life reflects the joy it brings me just to wake up every morning to these two faces (smiling or not!)

My Child's A Genius!!

2010-05-06T12:09:00.001-07:00

I just had to dedicate an entire blog post to the genius that is my child.

This one...

The verdict is still out on this one. I kid, I kid. She is equally as smart although far more sassy.

But back to Hudson. I mentioned in an earlier post that Hudson loves the website starfall.com. He's mastered the sounds of all the letters so I took it a step further to see if he could put some sounds together. Wow!! My child is a reader! He can sound out almost any three letter word you throw at him. After a couple of days of reading random words, I wrote out some sentences while we were playing with sidewalk chalk. There are only so many sentences you can make with two and three letter words, so my child proudly read "Pip is a dog." and "I am a fat pig." Don't judge. I ordered him some beginner books that have only two and three letter words so I'm sure he'll have some more intelligent things to read in the near future. What a smartie!

Hair Cut!

2010-04-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Our little Addison experienced a momentous event this week, her first haircut!! We took Hudson, when he was 10 months, to an over the top, kid friendly, bells and whistles kiddie salon. Twenty five dollars and a few tears later we left that place with a butchered head of hair. I wasn't about to trust my little girl's head to just anyone. I took her to my trusted stylist and friends, Lisa, the manager at Mitchells at Triangle Town Center. Lisa is the shizzle! I have tried many stylist in my time but Lisa is the one I trust to do right by my fine, thin, hard to manage head of hair. She was great with Addison! Addi had to play her "I'm shy and you're not getting near me" act at first but then she let Lisa snip away. There wasn't much to cut. We just had her mullet evened out in the back and then Lisa blew her hair out until it was stick straight. Addi looked precious!

Check out those curls! Lisa gave us some product to use to keep them in tact after her hair dries. I can't wait to try it out!

In the chair.

A little unsure about the whole thing,

A sideways smile and poochy belly. Love it!

All the girls and the finished product!

The Kid's Pictures

2010-04-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had the kids' pictures taken last week. No need for a cardio workout that day! Posing children, trying to keep them in that pose and all the while making foolish sounds and weird facial expression just so they'll crack a smile is an exhausting experience! Hopefully, we'll soon schedule a photo shoot with my super talented friend Rebecca so we can get some awesome candid shots. Here are the best one's from Picture People.

Hudson has a hard time with cheese'n up his smiles so we went for the "pondering" pose. I asked him what he was thinking about. He said "dirtbikes!" Surprise, surprise.

Hey Moms! FYI

2010-04-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey moms! I wanted to tell you all about a little jewel of a website called starfall.com. I love, love, love this website! Hudson started using it about 6 months ago and has learned so much from it. I tried and tried to teach him the sounds of all the letters and he never could get it. My friend Stasha told me about Starfall and I wasn't quite sure if Hudson was old enough to navigate it but, wow, was I wrong! Not only did he figure out how to use a mouse and navigate a web page but he learned the sounds of all the letter in no time at all. Now, he's learning to put letters together to make words. All of the programs are phonics based and best of all...it's free. I just wanted to pass this along to all you moms out there. I hope y'all love it as much as we do!

Moses Did What?

2010-04-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

I love where we live! We're approximately 3 miles from Brier Creek, a shopping center with everything you could ever need (want) and more! And no...I certainly did not drive to Target to check the exact mileage on the day we moved into our house 2 years ago just to see how far it actually was! I mean...that's just a tad obsessive :) Anyways, we drive past Brier Creek almost everyday and of course, we have made many a pit stop in that fabulous shopping center to eat and shop. I may need to reign it in just a bit after last night's conversation with Hudson....

Last night on the way home from my parent's house, my super sweet Hudson asked me...

"Mommy?" "Moses opened?"

I thought to myself. Wow! Here's a great opportunity for a Bible lesson! Now, what did Moses "open?" The Red Sea, Ark of The Covenant, The Ten Commandments....

"Hudson, what did you mean when you said open?"

"Moes Mommy." "Where we eat." "Is it open?" "I'm hungry!"

Oh...never mind.

Question....

2010-04-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

What is the most exhausting thing you will ever do as a mother (besides childbirth)?

Um...that would be....having your children's picture taken! I'm just say'n.....

Boo Boos

2010-04-07T09:59:00.001-07:00

You know warm weather has arrived when your children's legs look like.....

this!!

Easter Eggs and Little P's

2010-04-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

Well...Easter has come and gone! We had a great weekend celebrating our risen Savior and spending time with family. Things were a little different this year due to the fact the Marty had to work on Easter Sunday. Here's a little recap.

On Saturday, we headed out to Bahama to spend time with Marty's family. We had an egg hunt for the kids and Hudson had a chance to ride his dirt bike out in the wide open spaces of the country. Addison got the hang of hunting eggs pretty fast and stopped to shake each one she found to see if there was a treat inside. We went to church that night since our awesome church was expecting a huge crowd on Sunday morning. It was a little odd doing "Easter Sunday" on a Saturday night but the service was great!

Sunday morning, Marty left for work and the Little P's and myself stayed in our jammies most of the morning. I wanted to do something special for the kiddos so we read the Easter story, opened our resurrection eggs and made resurrection rolls. The kids had a blast and before we knew it, it was time to head to my parent's house for more food and more egg hunting. We hope you all had a great Easter weekend!

Here are the resurrection eggs. They are a great interactive way to tell the Easter story. After we finished, Hudson took them up to his room and played with them. I'm still finding egg parts in his sheets. They were a big hit!

The kids playing with the resurrection eggs.

Hudson whipping up a batch of resurrection rolls.

Happy Easter!

I couldn't resist sharing these funny moments from Easter morning.....

While telling the Easter story....
Mommy: "...and then, Judas showed the bad men who Jesus was by giving him a kiss."
Hudson: "Awe!! That was sweet!"

While opening the resurrection eggs...
Mommy: "This egg has rock in it just like the rock that was rolled over the opening to Jesus's tomb."
Hudson: "And then David picked it up and hit Goliath in the head!"

While making resurrection rolls...
Mommy: "...now roll the marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar. That's what we'll call the death." "Hudson, do you remember why Jesus had to die?"
Hudson: "Because he didn't eat all his marshmallows."

Final Four!!

2010-04-03T11:41:00.001-07:00

GO DUKE!!

Hudson's Party

2010-03-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

This posting is a tad late (tad meaning about 4 weeks) but here's a recap of Hudson's birthday party. He invited 5 of his best buddies over to bounce and eat hot dogs and birthday cake. There wasn't a lot of bouncing or hot dog eating or cake eating! The kids had more fun running through the house and playing with Hudson's toys than they did jumping in the moon bounce. Did I miss the memo that said bounces houses were a three year old thing? Despite the fact that 4 out of 6 kids weren't fans of hot dogs or chocolate cake with chocolate icing (really kids? really?) everyone had a blast. We are so grateful that Hudson has a group of fun, well behaved and apparently, healthy eating friends!

Hudson giving Lilly a ride on the dirt bike.

Hudson opening his presents. He didn't crack a smile until they were all open. It's serious business.

The dirt bike cake. In your face Betty Crocker (we have a history)

Some of the party animals. They're mostly chowing down on that plate of strawberries and grapes.

Moon bounces cause crazy thing to happen to one's hair :)

Surgery Day

2010-03-22T12:21:00.001-07:00

This past Friday was Addison's eye and ear surgery. I know I kinda caught some of you by surprise with my facebook posting. I meant to blog about the surgery last week but time got away from me. Y'all know how it goes.....So, back to Friday. Everything went great! We woke Addi up at 4:45 am and checked into the hospital by 5:15. We were back in the surgery prep area around 6:00 and they took her back to the O.R. at 7:00. By 7:20 the ENT doctor came out to tell us the tubes were in and a large amount of mucus had been sucked out of her middle ear (I know...GROSS!!) We knew the eye surgery would take a little longer so Marty and I headed to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast to go. By 8:20 our ophthalmologist came out to tell us her eye surgery was a success! We got to go back to the recovery room around 8:40 and by 9:15 we were headed home! For those of you who lifted us up in prayer, we are so grateful. We felt at peace the entire morning (well...except for about 30 minutes when I thought I was going to pass out when the anesthesiologist started talking about breathing tubes and IVs) and Addison had a quick recovery. She slept most the the day and was outside chasing Hudson around the yard that afternoon. The only evidence of her surgery is her nasty red eye that has, thankfully, lightened a few shades. It was vampire red the day of the surgery. Yikes! I thought about taking her to a New Moon DVD release party....joking :)

Oh, and in case you have no clue what I'm talking about...Addison had tubes to (hopefully) put an end to her chronic ear infections. She had surgery on her eye to loosen the inner corner muscles so her eye will (hopefully) stop rolling inward.

This is a picture 3 days after surgery. It's hard to see how red her eye is unless she rolls it to the outside. This is the best I could get.

Baking Buddies

2010-03-17T09:45:00.001-07:00

Paula Dean cook book: Check!
Enough butter to stop an elephant's heart: Check!
Two of the best beater-lickers a mommy could ask for: Check! Check!

Today....

2010-03-09T11:10:00.001-08:00

We're celebrating 4 years of this sweet boy.

And now for a little walk down memory lane...

Hudson at age 3.

Super cute at 2.

Age 1. If I could go back in time, I'd have to eat him with a spoon!

And our little newborn. Wow! They change fast!!

In honor of my sweet boy turning four, here are the top four things I love about him. Keep in mind there are very many thing I love about Hudson but I had to narrow them down. It was quite a job!

4. He's a great eater! For those moms who have picky eaters, you know what a blessing this is! While he'll gag at the taste of any casserole and he's not a fan of red meat, he'll scarf down any fruit or veggie that I put in front of him. What other four year old do you know that won't bat an eye at a plate of roasted asparagus, squash and broccoli? That's my Hudson : )

3. He's a great conversationalist. I love to just sit and talk to my little chatter box. I can get his opinion on just about anything. He's honest but kind and has a great sense of humor. He's going to make a great husband!

2. He's become a wonderful big brother. His relationship with Addison started out a little rocky but he's fallen right into the role of big brother. He loves to hug her and chase her around our couch. He talks to his teacher about her and if he sees something at the store or on tv that he thinks she'd like he always points it out to me. Today at his school book fair, he grabbed the first book about dogs he could find, ran up to his teacher and told her how much Addison would love that book. Isn't he thoughtful?

1. His personality! There isn't a day that goes by where he doesn't make us laugh, think and love. I love his stories, jokes, facial expression, ideas and hugs. He is the best little boy and a precious gift from God. We couldn't imagine our lives without him!

Honesty

2010-03-06T12:44:00.001-08:00

Oh Hudson, your breath smells like cheese...I mean a bed of roses :)

It's Pretty Cool When....

2010-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Your church graciously lets you borrow their moon bounce for your upcoming birthday party.

It's even cooler when your dad brings it home 3 days before your party.

And it's pretty stink'n cool when he inflates it in your garage so you can bounce 'till your heart's content!

Love, Love, Love 'Um

2010-02-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

Tummy Rules

2010-02-22T10:44:00.001-08:00

This is what Hudson informed me of today...

"Mommy, my tummy has rules, good and bad."
"Candy hearts are good. Jelly beans are bad."
"Duke tastes like candy hearts. Carolina tastes like jelly beans."
"Jelly beans are bad for my tummy."

He and Marty spent a lot of time together last week. Anyone want to guess what they talked about?

Addison

2010-02-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

So... our sweet little Addi girl is growing up right in front of my sappy eyes. She's such a big lady, full of spunk and mischief! Her main goal in life right now is to try and do everything Hudson does. She'll wrestle with daddy, eat with a fork, ride the dirt bike and just about anything else she sees her big brother doing. She has full blown conversations with us, even though I can't understand a word she says. She's such a mommy's girl and follows me around all day. She helps me with laundry and the cooking. I call her my 5th appendage. Here's a little update on the eye situation...

We took her back to the eye doctor after 4 weeks of wearing her glasses. He noticed that her left eye still turned in and prescribed a patch. Ugg...not so fun. Poor Addison cried for hours when we first put that thing on her. And who could blame her? It was big and covered half her face. Thankfully, we found these eye patches made by a sweet family in Tennessee. As you can see in the pictures, they fit her face much better and even came in zebra print! After six weeks with the patch, the doctor determined that her turned in eye was a result of the muscles on the inside corner of her eye being too tight. The only solution is surgery which is scheduled for March 19. It's an out-patient procedure at Rex that lasts for about on hour. Poor girl. I know she'll do fine but I hate the fact that she'll be put under. At least we'll be rid of the patch after the surgery. Keep us in your prayers! Here are some pics of the oh so stylish patch :)

No patch here but you can tell how her left eye turns in further than the right.

HaPpY VaLeNtInEs DaY!!!

2010-02-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day to the three loves of my life....

My Marty (Love you!!! Mwahh)

My Huddy Buddy

My Addi Girl

Marty and I had a great date last night. We ate at Amedio's in Raleigh and then Marty graciously took me to see New Moon at the $1.50 theater. This was our second attempt at seeing this movie. Our first go around resulted in us having to leave half way through because I got sick. What man would take his woman to see a teen/chick flick twice? Thanks Babe!

The kids woke up this morning to some fun gifts (yes, we went overboard.) Here's a picture of their loot.

Me and Marty exchanged some super hot/romantic gifts. I got Marty a subscription to a hunting magazine (North American White Tail) and he gave me some Twilight conversation hearts. Oh yeah! Cupid's got noth'n on us!

I Have A Confession

2010-02-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Ok blogging world. I have something I need to get off my chest. It's something that happened two weeks ago. Here it is...gulp...I neglected my husband, children and housework for a week and devoted most of my attention to.......

Yep. The Twilight series. Sigh....I really didn't think it would suck me in as bad as it did. Sigh.

It all started when Marty and I watched the movie when we had our 2 week free trial from Netflix. The movie was ok. I wasn't jumping out of my seat. Then I told my neighbor that I watched it and she gushed about how great the books were. She had all four books but I only took one not even knowing if I would finish it. Well...I did...in two days and it only took me 5 more to finish the next three. My poor family. I had my nose in a book for a week straight. I'm not a big reader but I couldn't put them down! Holy cold skinned vampires! These books are addicting! Oh and by the way...Team Edward!!!

Evel Knieval, Meet Cutie Patootie

2010-02-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

Just look at our little trickster! No worries.. the engine isn't running. He's ridden it a few times but prefers to do stationary tricks in the front yard. The neighbors enjoy the show :)

Temper Temper

2010-02-03T08:23:00.001-08:00

This

is the face

of a full blown temper tantrum!

Anyone want to guess what this "display of emotion" was over? Ok, you'll never guess it.
A walnut.

I'm Back (Again)

2010-01-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

I will blog today. I will blog today. I will blog today. I will.....

This has been my mantra for the last week. There's so much to catch you all up on. Well, not really but a few new things have been happening around the Pearce house. Nothing too exciting. Just some dirt bike riding, patch wearing, preschool searching, push up doing, moving watching and small group attending. But first, here's the answer to the last question from my previous post.

My testimony: I know some of you are already yawning and maybe even closing out the page. But let me assure you that this post came with a lot of thought and prayer. You see, in order for me to show you all what an amazing God we serve I have to admit things about myself that I would rather not. Embarrassing things. Things that may cause you to think differently about me. Hopefully, these things point you to the greater picture. A picture of a perfect God who graciously gives us perfect redemption through his Son.

I was raised in a Christian home. I attended a Christian school. I went to GA's and Pioneer Girls (anyone know what I'm talking about?) I knew how to be a Christian. I was a champion Bible driller, memory verse reciter and you wouldn't find any other tapes in my boom box other than Amy Grant and DC Talk! I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was in elementary school and life was great until I reached middle school. This time is difficult for any kid but I think I took it really hard. I didn't fit in anywhere. I didn't have a great group of friends and I was desperately looking for acceptance (from anyone!!) Hello high school! I certainly found acceptance at this point, just not from a healthy source. I found it in guys, parties (and everything that goes along with it.) I experimented with just about everything I could get my hands on (use your imaginations here, it's probably accurate). For a while things were fun but in the back of my mind I knew what I was doing was wrong and destructive. Thankfully, God had a plan for my life. He didn't turn his back on me even when I turned my back on him. He graciously put Marty in my life. At the time I don't know what Marty saw in me. I was a young, messed up girl but he saw past that. He helped me get my life back on track. After we were married we started looking for a new church. We happened to visit The Summit one Sunday and that's when things started to change. We got involved in a small group and formed relationships with other young married couples. For the first time we both had a desire to live for Christ, not just a knowledge of what it meant. Along with that desire came life changing forgiveness and acceptance. We are different people from what we were 10 years ago and praise God for that! Of course we still mess up but we can look back on our past and know that God is good. He brings beauty from ashes and I am blessed beyond what I can ever express. There is no question that God can use any circumstance for His glory. A few years back I heard a song by the band Sonic Flood that basically tells my life story. Here's the chorus:

I will exalt the One who lifted me
Out of the miry clay to heights of eagle's wing.
Words cannot express
All I know is this
You changed me.
You changed me.

I can remember how I use to be
I was so bound but now I'm free
I will exalt the One who lifted me.

This is why the verse at the top of the blog is so significant to me. God has indeed done exceedingly and abundantly more that all I could ask or imagine! How great is our God? !!

And The Answer Is....

2010-01-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks girls for your questions! Here we go....

Is Addison our caboose? (aka the last baby) That is the question that is pondered daily around here. I would love to have more kids. I love my babies. They are so fun, sweet, smart, cuddly and I could just sit and smell them all day. Our only concern with having more kids is the question of time. I am a "working widow" about 60% of the time. It can take it's toll on a mommy especially when the kids are old enough to miss their daddy and cry for him at random times of the day. Hudson has taught Addison how to do this (thanks buddy!) and it can get pretty hairy around 5:00 and there's no daddy to be found. We cherish the times when we can all 4 be in the same room together with nothing else demanding our attention and we wonder how much a third child would distract our time away from our first two. Our answer to this question changes daily but we do know one thing for sure. We are praying hard about this issue and we know our God is faithful and good and He will give us wisdom to do what is right for our family.

PS: I already have names picked out if we were to have a third. Can you tell which direction I'm leaning? :)

More answers to come!!

Curious?

2010-01-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

You've probably noticed a lack of post around here. Well....I think I've gone stale. I can't think of anything to write about. Nothing. I haven't posted any new pictures because I don't have access to a camera all the time like I use to. Oh yeah, I could have written about that!

Here's what happened. Thanksgiving day I was loading dirty dished into the dishwasher when I saw our camera...floating in a bowl of dirty water. It was awful! I would have taken a picture of it but..well..you know. I'm thinking a certain 3 year old (not naming names) knocked it off the ledge that sits above our sink into the bowl of dishwater. Needless to say it's ruined and I've been sharing a camera with Marty. He has one that he uses for inspections so I don't have it at home very often. We've been camera shopping and I found exactly what I want (Nikon D3000) but the price is a little high (maybe a lot high) and since we've had some unexpected expenses come up in the past few weeks it looks like we'll be buying a basic camera, which really is all we need.

So back to a lack of topics to write about. Is there anything you'd like to know about us. I know you're out there reading. I have Google Analytics :) Curious about our daily routine? How me and Marty met? How we decided on our kids names? Favorite Cook Out milkshake flavors? Ask away. I'm always curious about the lives of the people whose blogs I stalk :) You can leave your identity anonymous on the comment section or if you're really brave..leave your name and say "hey!"

Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T10:14:00.001-08:00

Here's a recap of Christmas at the Pearce house.....Wednesday night we celebrated in Bahama with Marty's family. We had some good food (I mean good!!) and opened presents.
Thursday night we went to my parent's house. We ate, talked, and listened to my Maw Maw recap her and my Paw Paw's wedding day. It was such a cute (and funny) story! Their 61st anniversary was the day after Christmas.
Marty had to work Christmas Eve but another fireman graciously offered to work for him that night so he could wake up with the kids on Christmas morning. We had a great time that night wrapping presents and getting the room ready for the Little P's.
Then Friday morning was just plain fun! It gets more fun every year watching the kiddos rip into their presents. I love it!! Hudson got a dirt bike. Yes, we lost our minds and bought him one (used on Craigslist). He loved it even though he refuses to ride it before we buy him a helmet. (smart kid!) Addison got a kitchen set, a few stuffed animals and some furniture for her baby dolls. Hudson's already wants to know when Christmas will be here again!

The "before" picture.

As soon as he sat on it he tried to do tricks like he sees on tv. Oh my!!

Addison with her "baybeeee."

Organizing her kitchen.

The most played with toys that morning were the .25 super balls they got in their stockings!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

Our greatest wish for all of you is that you have a fun filled day celebrating the birth of our precious Savior.
Love to all,
Marty, Laure, Hudson, Addison

"Unto you therefore who believe, He is precious."
1 Peter 2:7

*I would like to point out that Addison's toy of choice on Christmas morning was an empty paper towel roll :)

Santa vs No Santa

2009-12-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

As I peruse my friend's blogs and other blogs that I stalk, I've noticed a common post this month is the Santa vs No Santa debate. I thought I'd give my 2 cents to my 5 readers who frequent this blog :)

I grew up in a "no Santa" house. I never really felt bitter about it. I knew there would be presents under the tree for me come Christmas morning. However, my brothers and I were the obnoxious kids in the neighborhood who told everyone else there was no Santa. Shame on us!!

Marty grew up in a "Santa" house. He knew how to play the game but he really didn't have strong feelings one way or the other when it came to our kids.

So...we decided we would be a "no Santa" house. To some people this is a terrible form of child abuse and we get many weird looks when we share this with others but, well, we just don't care :) The biggest reason for our decision was that we just didn't want to keep up the lie. There's the initial lie (Santa comes down the chimney....) then you have to follow up that lie with more lies when questions start being asked. And believe me, Hudson has plenty of questions!

Then the argument is raised, "It's not a lie. It's just make believe. Kids love to pretend! It's just part of childhood." Our kids do like to pretend. Hudson pretends everyday that he's a dirt bike rider. Addison is already pretending she's a mommy/princess/ruler of the house. At the end of the day, Hudson realizes he's not a dirt bike rider. It's a clear cut line between reality and fantasy. With Santa, parents go out of their way to make their kids believe he's real. Kid's can't destinguish between reality and fantasy when there is no clear cut evidence of the reality.

The next question that is asked is. "Do your kids still get presents?" Of course they do!! And, might I add, more than they need. Our kids know that Mommy and Daddy buy their presents but they also know why we buy them. If you ask Hudson why we give presents on Christmas, he'll tell you it's because it's Jesus's birthday and he was the best present of all. We want our kids to know that gift giving has nothing to with whether they've been naughty or nice. Jesus didn't come to earth just to save the nice. He came in spite of our naughtiness (is that a word?) and we should in turn extend that same grace to others.

Oh and FYI, we do not judge others when it comes to the Santa vs no Santa debate. I know how fun it is for kids believe in Santa and it's just as fun for parents to play along with them. I'm sure there are plenty of things we do in our family that others find odd. We don't want to be juded because of our convictions and in turn we choose not to judge others for theirs. We are going to teach our kids to respect other's beliefs and not ruin the fun for them. Hudson actually asked me the other day if Santa brought him presents too (we've been watching a lot of Christmas specials this week). I told him that Santa was a fun story about a man who brings presents but that Mommy and Daddy were the ones who bought him presents. I also told him that some boys and girls believe that Santa does bring them gifts and we need to let them believe that because it's fun. Then he asked me if he was going to get a dirt bike so he got over that topic pretty quick!

Which ever side of the debate you fall on I hope that the center of your Christmas doesn't revolve around gifts. Come February, all those nice new presents will be old news to your kids but the real meaning of Christmas goes far beyond what you can buy them. Instilling the truth that Christ came to earth to reconcile the worst of sinners to himself and to give us undeserved grace and love is a far more precious gift than anything you can find at Toys R Us. Our biggest challenge this year is convincing Hudson that the gift of Christ is more precious than dirt bikes!

Preparedness

2009-12-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

Undies: Check
Snow Boots: Check
A weather forecast cast calling for snow: Check!

Look Who Got Her Glasses Today!

2009-12-09T10:18:00.000-08:00

So far so good. She's kept them on her face and I think she's a little awe struck by what she can see. We walked in the house and she took her time looking around the room. She was so happy to pick up her baby doll that she started dancing in place and singing to it! Poor girl. She must have been blind as a bat. I put them up to my eyes and wow! Those are some thick lenses! I think she looks adorable and very studious :)

Hudson, The Library and A Funny Looking Man

2009-12-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

I took the Little P's to the library today for a change of scenery and to scope out some dirt bike books. Everything was going well. Hudson wasn't running around like wild man. Addison managed to pull only half of the books off the shelves and we even found a great book about dirt bikes. We were headed to the check out counter when all of a sudden Hudson let out the loudest ear piercing scream I had ever heard. I stopped in horror thinking his skin was melting off his body when I looked over and saw a group of disabled adults. "Oh no," I thought to myself. "Please tell me he's not going to...."
"A funny looking man!!" "I'm scared of the funny looking man!!"
That's what my 3 year old yelled out for the entire library to hear. He was screaming so loud, it scared poor Addison and she stared wailing right along with him. Not only was Hudson screaming, he was so scared of that poor man that he was trembling from head to toe. So...I proceeded to do what any other rational mother with 2 screaming children in a quiet library would do. I dropped my books and ran!! As soon as we got to the door, Hudson got himself together and asked to go back in and get his dirt bike book. I put aside my embarrassment and calmly walked back in like nothing had happened. As we got to the end of the lobby, Hudson saw the entire group of disabled adults walking towards us. Yep. You guessed it! More terror filled screams, tears and pointing. I pulled him into the bathroom which, thankfully, was only 3 steps away from where we were standing. I thought we could hide in there until the group made it out to the parking lot. I also took the opportunity to explain that God made everybody different and that just because somebody looks different doesn't make them scary. As I was handing out my words of wisdom, a blind lady from the group walked into the bathroom with one of her caretakers. All my wise words must have fallen on deaf ears because Hudson let out a blood curling scream along with the words "A funny looking lady!! Oh, how I wanted to curl up and die. If looks could kill, the blind lady's caretaker put me 6 feet under. I mouthed a heart felt, "I'm so sorry" and ran for the door. Of course as soon as we opened it, we were standing right in the middle of the group of people I was so desperately trying to avoid. I told Hudson to close his eyes and we ran for the checkout counter. I thought that if they were out of sight, I could distract Hudson with his dirt bike book long enough for the group of adults to make it out the door. Not the case. We picked up our books where I had dropped them, sat Hudson (who by the way was still bawling) on the counter, and tried not to notice everyone in the library staring at me. From the way Hudson was acting I was so sure they all thought I told my children that disabled people ate small children. The sweet librarian told me I could take the kids out the back, through the employee entrance. As soon as we got the parking lot, guess who we saw? Yep! The same group. For their sakes, I hope they were all deaf or at least out of their minds enough to not notice that my child was screaming and pointing at them. As we drove away, Hudson told me that he never wanted to go back to the library again. I happily agreed. I don't want to show my face there anytime soon!

By the way: I'm laughing to myself as I'm reading this. Oh the joys of having a 3 year old :)

Happy Birthday Cameron!

2009-12-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday to my cutie pie niece, Cameron! Cameron was born a year ago today (obviously) but she came in her own special way. Can you believe this big girl was a premie? You'd never know it! She's a perfectly healthy little girl full of personality! We love you sweet girl!

Oh...and did you know I'm going to be an aunt again? That's right. Grant and Andrea will be welcoming their first baby in June! Yay! We love you too Baby L and we can't wait to meet you :)

Addi's Eyes

2009-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

I took Addison to the ophthalmologist yesterday to have her eyes checked. This was a very new experience for me since neither me or Marty wear glasses or have any type of vision problems. The doctor dilated Addison's eyes and by using a special light and some lenses determined that she accommodative esotropia. Oh my goodness! Is it contagious? No, it is not :) Please take out your pen and paper and take notes on my optometry lesson for the day... Basically, Addison can see things far away and close up. Her eyes work like a camera lens. She can focus her eyes but it takes her a little extra effort to do so. That extra effort is what is making her eyes cross. The solution? Glasses. She may grow out of this but for now and through most of her childhood, she'll have to wear them. I was a little bummed when I heard this but I decided to put on a happy face and find her the cutest pair of square frames I could find. Then I saw the choices of frames for an infant. Bummer!! I guess no one takes into account that a 15 month old may want to look fashionable. Sigh. We went with the oval, mocha colored wired frames. I tried to put my happy face back on when they told me her prescription was so strong that it would probably magnify her eyes and make them look huge (hello coke bottle eyes) and I really had to work for that happy face when I saw the bill for glasses. I hope she was wanting to pair of glasses for Christmas this year! Her glasses will be in next week so the next challenge is getting her to wear them. The lady who helped us fill her prescription said that once young children realize that they can see better with glasses they'll want to wear them. We'll see. Stay tuned.

On A Lighter Note

2009-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, I refuse to write about anymore sickness. Enough is enough! So on a lighter note.... Last Friday we attended a surprise birthday party for Marty's grandpa, Daddy Riggs. Marty and Daddy Riggs have a very special relationship, almost like father and son. Marty's mom put together a great party complete with catered barbeque. Yum!! Daddy Riggs was totally surprised. I know it meant so much to him to spend time with all his friends, kids, grand kids and great grand kids.

All the P's.

As soon as we got to the party, Addison spotted the nearest balloon and yelled "boon" until we gave her one. She carried it around all night.

Cheesy smile. Love him!!

Daddy Riggs with all his grand kids and great grand kids. Do you see Charlie? He's the second from the left. Hudson looks most like him out of anyone in our families. Their baby pictures look almost the same!

Addison was telling Marty, "please take me home!"

Two

2009-11-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Two kids. Two ear infections. Two more trips to the doctor. Two more rounds of antibiotics. Sigh, Sigh.

Stromboli Eyes

2009-11-20T17:12:00.001-08:00

Some of you have asked about Addison's vision problems that I mentioned in my last post. We don't have many answers yet but we do know that she has a condition called strabismus. I was trying to remember the word a few weeks ago when I was talking with Marty about it but the only word that came to mind was stromboli so we've nick-named Addison "stromboli eyes." Anyways, strabismus is basically when the muscles in the eyes are weak and the eyes can't track in the same direction. Sometimes Addison's eyes will cross when she's trying to focus on something and other times only one eye will turn in. The solution is either minor surgery or a patch. We'll find out more when we see a pediatric ophthalmologist on December 1st. Here are a few pictures of what it looks like.

Dear Funk...

2009-11-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

Get the heck out of my house!!!

I don't really like to dwell on the woes of our family but it seems like we've been a bit woeful this past month (maybe two.) Here's a little recap of the past 6 weeks.

Marty: strep, chest cold and stomach bug
Lauren: wisdom teeth out, strep, chest cold, weird episodes possibly related to hypoglycemia, extremely tired (mentally and physically) from dealing with sick people
Hudson: stomach bug, strep, fingers slammed in the car door, strep again and mild pneumonia
Addison: she's stayed healthy (thank you God!!) but she has cut 4 teeth in the past month and we're dealing with possible vision issues. I'll post about that one soon.

The tally stands at:

9 doctors visits
3 urgent care visits
1 ER visit
6 new prescription

We have officially filled our sick quoto for the next 10 years.

Girls

2009-11-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

I just love having a little girl that looks so stink'n cute in pig tails and bows.
I mean...I just love having a little girl that looks so stink'n cute.
I mean...I just love having a little girl!!

Better Late Than Never

2009-11-10T11:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween!!

Hudson vs The Car

2009-11-09T11:00:00.001-08:00

It may not look like it but Hudson won! Poor little guy. After a fun lunch at Panera with my Little P's, I decided the next thing on the day's agenda was to shut my child's fingers in the car door. If that wasn't bad enough, when I opened the door to get his fingers out, I did it in such a rush that the door slammed on them...again! I calmly sat him in his seat to exam his fingers and saw that his finger nail had come clean out of the nail bed. There was blood, there were tears and there was one frantic mommy who was trying to keep it under control. There was an urgent care right around the corner so I took my screaming child in and a PA immediately came out to access the situation. She told me that they could fix his finger but it would be extremely painful and traumatic for him and that I should take him to the ER where they could put him to sleep to fix it. I called my mom so she could stay with Addi while I took Hudson to the ER. Meanwhile, I was trying to get in touch with Marty, who was at the fire station, and trying to figure out what to do about the bridal shower that was taking place at our house in three hours! Long story short, the bridal shower was canceled and I finally got in touch with Marty after 2 hours in the ER. There were no broken bones but poor Hudson had to endure the doctor numbing his finger and putting the nail back in the nail bed where it belonged. If that wasn't bad enough, she then tried to stitch the nail to his finger to hold it in place. When that didn't work she resorted to steri strips and a huge bandage. After 5 hours at the hospital, I took Hudson to Target to pick out a toy and then home to bed. We went to the pediatrician this morning where I was informed that what we went through at the ER was "a little over-kill" and that it should have just been cleaned and bandage. That made me hot!! If I ever see PA Dossenbach (the ER doctor) in a dark alley, she better watch out!!

Addison Update

2009-11-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Oh, our little Addison. She just gets cuter everyday. She's 14 months old (14 months going on 3 years) and has quite the personality. Here are a few things she's been up to.

She points at everything. If she wants something, she'll whine to be held and then point and say "da" at whatever it is she needs.
She can say mama, dada, bye, baybay (her word for baby), ni ni (her word for goodnight), wow, ah-oh, ba ba (bottle) and nana (Granna). Her favorite word is "hey" and says it to everyone. She can sorta say "yes mam" (yeah mum). She can tell us what a monkey and cow say. She shakes her head "no" when she want to tell us..well..."no."
She loves dogs and cats. When she sees them she lets out a high pitch scream.
She's pooped in the potty...twice!! I'm not trying to potty train a 14 month old but I'll dangle her bare bootie over the toilet before I put her in the bathtub and she strains and laughs. She thinks she's hilarious.
She likes to chase Hudson around the couch. This is the only game he'll play with her so she's happy to do it.
She loves her Granna (my mom.) As soon as she sees her she holds her arms up and whines to be held and has an absolute fit when she leaves.

That's about all I can think of. Here are a few pictures.

Pointing at the camera. Check out that morning hair!

She smiles on command. It's too cute!

Riding a horse at the Fall Festival. She squealed the whole time.

This picture pretty much sums up my kid's personalities. Too bad Addison's head is chopped off!

Playing with her friend Micah at Hudson's preschool Halloween party. She thought she was big stuff!

Did He Really Just Say That?

2009-11-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

For those of you who we see on a regular basis, you've experienced first hand what a chatter box Hudson is. He can talk your ears off, mostly about dirt bikes, but you really never know what's going to come out of his sweet little mouth. Here are just a few things we've heard this week......

In Walmart to the cashier: Bye! Love you!
Watching me fold laundry: Mommy? Is that the bra Daddy use to wear when he was a lady?
Reading a Bible lesson from his AWANA book:
Mommy: Hudson, why did God give us eyes?
Hudson: To see things.
Mommy: Why did God give us a mouth?
Hudson: To eat things.
Mommy: Why did God give us a nose?
Hudson: To pick things!

Fair Time!

2009-10-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last week me, Marty, Hudson and Marty's mom (Ma) headed out to the fair. Ahh....can't you just smell it now? The hot dogs, roasted corn, cow manure...mmm. We didn't do much cow gazing this year. Hudson was more interested in the rides. He's an adventurous little things. The kiddie rides bored him this year and he tried to get in line for much wilder rides like the zipper. He actually asked the ride attendant to get him off the bumper boats because they weren't fast enough. Next year he'll be tall enough to ride the "big kid" rides with an adult. Oh my, I better prepare myself!

Me and Marty in front of Hudson's all time favorite...the bounce house!

You can't tell in the picture but he has his arm arould Elmo. He ran up to all the wooden characters and put his arm around them for a picture. Marty said he would make a great politician!

Family shot in front of the monster truck.

Hudson looking bored on one of the kiddie rides :)

He was a little more enthusiastic about the roller coaster!

Pumpkin Patch: Round Two

2009-10-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

So...I'm a bad blogger. I think this is my second post this month and the month is almost over! I have a lot to cover...fall festivals, pumpkin patches, the fair, Halloween. I better get on the ball. Here we go...

Last week Hudson's preschool class took a little trip to Belinda's Pumpkin Patch. Even though it was a 50 minute drive from our house, it was well worth it. Ms. Belinda is one of the sweetest ladies I've met and she genuinely loves little kids. She only charges $5 per family and that includes a hay ride, a pumpkin for each member of your family, pumpkin painting and a snack. She only does this for preschool classes and members of her church and I would highly recommend her if you're planning an outing with your preschooler. Hudson had a great time and found a friend for Moley Solstice (see last post). His name is Mootsie. Mootsie has been painted blue and is now sitting on our porch along with Moley, Addison's baby pumpkin and a huge gourd that Ms. Belinda's husband gave me.

*This has nothing to do with this post but I cracked myself up when I was doing spell check. It didn't recognize the word "Addison's" and I accidentally changed it to addictions. He,he,he....

Little P's on a hay ride.

Hudson's class minus 4 kids.

These pumpkins were actually picked right off the vine. Ahh...are we in touch with nature or what?

Family shot!

Me, my best friend Anna and our wild bunch. I can't figure out why they're all looking to the left.

Little P's In The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to get out of our germ infested house, we took the Little P's to our local pumpkin patch, a.k.a the festive pumpkin set-up on the side of Leesville Rd. Addison had a blast trying to pick up the pumpkins that were bigger than she was. When she got tired of doing that, she just sat on them. Hudson wanted to find one that was just right so he could paint a strawberry on it. Don't ask. We found a beauty! Hudson decided to name it Moley Solstice. Don't ask.

This was not our official "Pearce family pumpkin patch trip" because the kids didn't have matching outfits that coordinated with the backdrop of the pumpkins. I didn't have the energy to tackle that project so there will be more pictures of Little P's picking pumpkins. Get excited!!!

Believe or not, this was the best picture of the 2 of them.

Hudson trying to find the perfect one. Me in the background instructing him on what the perfect one should look like :)

Addison with the biggest cheesy smile she could muster up. I think her cheeks are going to explode!

I'm Back!

2009-10-08T16:56:00.001-07:00

You can all breath a sigh of relief because I"m back in the blogging world! I know you've all missed me and are just about to jump out of your seats with anticipation over what has been going on with us. Well...not much, just a bunch of sickness! Thankfully, the Little P's are well (and we pray they stay that way) but me and Marty are hurt'n. We both have strep and have been pretty pitiful this week. Where did we pick up strep and how do you take care of 2 wild kids while you're both sick? Great questions. First, we have now clue where we got it from but we decided to be generous and share it with each other. Second, our parents have been helping us out. Poor Addison is having a hard time because I can't love on her like I usually do. Thankfully we shouldn't be contagious after tomorrow and maybe life can get back to normal. I had a rough few weeks before the strep showed up. Two weeks ago I had, what I thought, was a panic attack. It threw me because I had no clue what would cause me to feel like this. I'm not an anxious, high stress person so I just blew it off as a "weird experience" but it happened again a week later! This time I went to urgent care where they told me I was just having an anxiety attack and prescribed me anti-anxiety medication. This really bothered me, not because I don't believe that people can have anxiety issues but because I didn't want to be one of those people. I couldn't figure out what was making me anxious other than the fact that I was afraid I was going to have another "episode" at any minute. Well, I discussed all this with my doctor today and he thinks I may be hypoglycemic which basically means I have low blood sugar. I go back in 2 weeks for a more thorough blood test and until then I've been instructed to eat very little sugar, lots of protein, and 4-5 small meals a day. We'll see what happens??!! I'll try and play catch up with some pictures soon.

I Just Wanna....

2009-09-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

squeeze 'um until their little eyeballs pop out!!

PS: I tried. They didn't like it.

Lately....

2009-09-20T06:15:00.001-07:00

So...what have the Pearces been up to? Well, I know you're on the edge of your seat. Our lives are just that exciting!! Well, here's a run down...

Marty: What can I say? He's a hard working man. Marty's been busy with the fire department and inspections. These past few days have been filled with "mommy duties." I had my wisdom teeth taken out on Friday and my sweet husband has taken over as care giver and home maker. He's done a great job! The kids are happy, the pantry is well stocked, the house is in order and I'm still in one piece :)

Lauren: As I mentioned, my wisdom teeth came out on Friday. This was very last minute and not at all planned. I was suppose to have had them removed 6 years ago but....I'm a huge chicken and put it off until it was absolutely necessary. Wednesday night, when half of my tooth decayed right into my hand, I figured it was absolutely necessary! Thankfully, the oral surgeon had one spot open Friday morning and graciously scheduled me at the last minute. I have to say that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated and I even enjoyed getting to spend the day all doped up in the bed :)

Hudson: Little man has spent his days dreaming of....you guessed it....dirt bikes!! We're beginning to wonder if this "phase" is really a phase at all. We're thinking he truly loves dirt bikes! Every now and then we'll take him to the Kawasaki dealership on Highway 70 and let him drool over the bikes. He's made the salesman, Dwayne, into his new best buddy. Dwayne always lets him sit on the "little dirt bike" and even gave him a catalog that he insists we read to him every night before bed. Yes, we read him a motocross catalog as his bed time story. Here's a picture of him on this beloved "DR Z70." He's informed us that he wants this for Christmas. Not too much to ask for right?

Miss Addi girl spends her days playing Mommy. She is loving her baby dolls. She picks them up, slings them into her stroller, drags them around by their arms and just loves on them. I made her a little sling and she thought she was hot stuff. She is beginning to exert her independance more and more and has a little "Addi-tude" when things don't go her way. She went for her 1 year check up and weighed in at 20 1/2 lbs and measured 28". That puts her in the 45 percentile for height and 50th for length. Hudson was always in the upper percentils (no less than 65th) so our little girl is quite the peanut compared to her brother. Here she is with her baby.

Birthday Pictures

2009-09-12T05:28:00.001-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting pics from Addison's birthday party last week. We had a great, low key time with our families. Addison stole the show in her birthday tutu. She was adorable! I had to stop myself from squeezing her!! It was a fabulous first birthday :)

The birthday girl showing off.

So sweet!

A little too much birthday.

Four generations of fabulous females :)

Sitting in her pile of presents.

How cute is that cake? Lowes Food people!

The best shot I have of her whole outfit.

Love this!

How could you not want to squeeze that sweet girl?

We have a hard time getting family pics :)

Hudson's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

My little boy turned into a preschooler yesterday, right before my sappy, sentimental eyes! He had a great first day and walked right in like he owned the place. I didn't get much out of him about his first day other than he ate a cupcake with Diego on it. Here are a few pics....

Walking in with Daddy.

Hanging up his book bag in his cubby.

Posing with his best buddy, Lilly.

A quick family shot then off he went!

That's Not Good!

2009-09-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

This morning, I was cleaning out our family junk drawer. You know, the one drawer in the kitchen that's kinda like Mary Poppin's bag. Anything imaginable can be found inside one of these. Anyways, Hudson was digging through with me and I thought he would be excited to find "kid stuff" like stickers, cars, birthday candles, a Lightning McQueen picture frames. But oh no...Hudson was beyond thrilled to find "monies." Actually it was just a bunch of loose change, mostly pennies. He would spot one, shout "monies," and then his little money loving hands would grad them up faster than I could say "greed." What was worse, is what I overheard him saying as he was studying the nice little pile he created for himself. It went something like this...."Look at all my monies! I have lots of monies! I love monies! Where is some more monies?!?! " Oh my! Now what is that verse in the Bible? Something about loving money.....root of all evil....Hmm, not good.

Addison: One Year

2009-09-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Happy first birthday Addison! Wow! Has it been a year? Time flies when you spend your days playing with and loving on the sweetest little lady in the world. Our little girl is one spunky toddler (did I just say toddler). She is a full out walker, climber and brother imitator. She can say mama, dada, ah- oh, and her all time favorite "hay" and "hi." She love to throw up her hand and say "hay" to whoever walks into the room. It's so cute. She weigh in at 21 lbs and is just fitting into size 12 month clothes. Her favorite foods are peas and blueberries and her favorite toy is anything Hudson is playing with :) Her sleeping habits change on a daily basis but she is sleeping through the night but waking up early (6:00'ish) and she is done nursing (yay!!) Oh how I love this little girl. What a fun year it's been. And now for a walk down memory lane....

coming home from the hospital

one month old at the pumpkin patch

two months: on her way to church

three months: sitting in her bumbo

four months: sport'n her hairbow

five months: starting sitting up by herself this month

six months: digg'n into her 1/2 birthday cake

seven months: looking snazzy in her Easter dress

eight months: playing with Daddy

nine months: started crawling this month

ten months: walking at the end of this month!

eleven months: wild lady!

one year: birthday breakfast of waffles.

We love you precious girl! We can't wait to see all the things you'll do in this next year.
All our hugs and kisses,
Daddy, Mommy and Hudson

Mystery Solved!

2009-08-28T09:47:00.001-07:00

Hudson is into dinosaurs! He likes to read about them, talk about them and put his play figures on his dirt bikes and roll them across the floor. We've watched a couple of dvd's where he was introduced to the concept of dinosaurs eating other dinosaurs (yikes!) Well, at breakfast the other morning we had a conversation that went a little something like this....

Hudson: Mommy?
Mommy: Yes buddy?
Hudson: Where are the dinosaurs?
Mommy: They're all dead buddy.
Hudson: Hmmm (he says this alot, like he's deep in thought) How did they die?
Mommy: Well, no one knows for sure. We'll have to ask God one day when we get to heaven.
Hudson: I know how they died!
Mommy: Oh really! How?
Hudson: It was the apple.
Mommy: The apple? What apple?
Hudson: The apple on the tree. It fell and they died.

Asteroids? Nope. The flood? I don't think so. It was the apple. Definitely the apple :)

Back In The Saddle Again

2009-08-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

Ah, the smell of horses! There's nothing like it. I forgot how much I loved the smell of it mixed with the scent of leather. "What on earth is she talking about?" I know some of you may think I've lost my mind but, oh no, I'm just taking a walk down memory lane. This past weekend Hudson finally decided he was brave enough to ride the horses at Marty's parent's house. It's only taken him 3 years to muster up the courage but he decided he was finally ready. Not to be outdone by her brother, Addison took a spin too! This was especially thrilling to me because I grew up riding and showing horse, as did Marty.

Random Pearce Family Trivia Time!!

Did you know that me and Marty use to show horses on the same show circuit back when we were in middle and high school? We didn't know each other back then but I'm sure we crossed paths many times. I like to imagine that he noticed me one day from across the show ring and thought to himself..."I don't know that girl but one day I'm going to marry her and we're going to make beautiful babies...." Ok, maybe not. Oh, and did you know that Marty was fourth in the world in his division and I was undefeated for 3 years in mine? Not that I'm bragging or anything... :)

Now back to last Friday...Here are a few pictures and one oldie, just for the fun of it :)

Back then....

.....and now. It's not quite as easy as it use to be!

Me and my little boy.

There's nothing like it!

Look at my handsome boys!

Addi had to try it out.

My Girl's Got Style!

2009-08-20T13:42:00.001-07:00

The Lazy Days of Summer

2009-08-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

What have the Little P's been up to this summer? Well, I'm so glad you asked! Nothing much, just some swimming, bike riding, toddling, blueberry eating, dinosaur learning, napping, sweating summer fun. Oh, and did I mention some....

couch potatoeing,

meaning of life pondering,

good book reading,

WWF training,

and monkey kissing?

Those silly Little P's :)

Super Hudson

2009-08-10T11:26:00.001-07:00

I'm feeling super pitiful today. I'm realizing how my super sweet boy is growing up super fast. It all started when I gave my friend some of his old winter clothes this morning and realized how super big he is compared to this time last year. Then we found out he was accepted into a 2 day a week preschool which means I won't get to see him 2 mornings a week starting next month. Sigh. I miss him already. I told him he was going to be going to preschool soon (which he is super excited about) and that I was going to miss him. He told me, "cry mommy." "Just cry." Wow, how super insightful. I mean, how could you not miss a super adorable face like this?

Super Cheesy

Super Flexible

Super Poser

Super Fit

Super Playful

Super Smiley

Super Friendly

Superly Adored By His Mommy

Ok, superly isn't a word but you get the point.

Addison: 11 Months

2009-08-02T12:16:00.001-07:00

Miss Addi girl is 11 months today. This past month she has mastered walking, which has pretty much been her favorite thing to do. She's done with crawling! She likes to find something interesting to hold and toddles around with it in her hand. She gives kisses on demand and sings to herself when we rock her on the rocking horse. She is quite the character and is always making us laugh. She doesn't like baby food anymore and eats mostly finger foods. Her favorites are blueberries and peas. She weighs about 21 lbs and is walking off most of her sweet baby fat. Check out these pics of our sweetie :)

Flying Little P's

2009-07-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: No Little P's were scared or injured during this photo shoot. In fact, there was quite a lot of giggling going on!

Aaannd.....She's Off!!

2009-07-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

Look who's walking!! Addison has really taken off this week. She figured out how to stand herself up from a sitting position and ever since, she's been on the go. And she is fast! She doesn't just toddle around. If she sees something she wants, look out! Here are a few shots of her in action.

Walking, I mean running, after the camera.

Stopping to say, "hey."

She's off again. Probably to go get herself into trouble :)

Fireman Hudson

2009-07-14T16:25:00.001-07:00

Hudson is one lucky little boy. He gets to do what most little boys his age only dream of. He gets to play in a firetruck whenever he wants! Believe it or not, he hasn't wanted to get near the thing until just this past month. He's a cautious little guy. Needless to say, Marty is thrilled! Here are a few pictures from this past weekend.

Look really close. Do you see Marty and Hudson?

Little miss wanted to get in on the action.

Drive buddy! Drive!

My favorite shot :)

Ok, Really?

2009-07-12T09:51:00.002-07:00

Well, it's been a bummer of a few weeks her at the Pearce house. Here's a little recap...

Week one: Addison wakes up burning hot, fever 103. Call the doctor. "It's just a virus." Battles high fever and diarrhea for 4 days.

Week two: Addison has been healthy for 4 days. She wakes up on day 5 burning hot. Fever 104. Take her to the doctor. "It's just a virus." One day later, can't break her out of a 103 degree fever. Take her back to the doctor. "It's just a virus and, oh yeah, she has ulcers on the back of her throat."

Week three: Addison's virus lands us at urgent care. She has an ear infection. Really, what else could go wrong with my children? I speak too soon. One day later, Hudson wakes up burning hot. He has a fever of 102. Battle high fever and sleepless nights for 4 days. Addison catches a 24 hour stomach flu. She poops so much that she gets the worst diaper rash either of my children has ever had. Oh yeah, and I catch it too, only mine lasts for 3 days.

Yesterday: Hurray!! Both kids are well. I brag to everyone I see that my kids are healthy for the first time in 3 weeks. Once again, I speak to soon. Addison and I are playing in the playroom. I walk into Hudson's room to get him up from his nap. I hear the worst sound I have ever heard, my 10 months old falling down the stairs. I find her face down at the bottom of our 15 step staircase. Praise God she was crying. After Marty and I check her over we decide to take her to the ER for an exam. She is perfect except for a knot on her head which is barely noticeable today.

Today: I am still praising God that my baby is ok. It could have been much worse considering how steep our stairs are and how little her body is. I am reminded that no matter what our circumstances, I can still praise God that he is in control and loves my kids more than Marty or I ever could. He is their Comfort, Healer, and Protector. I am also reminded of the fact that this world is not our home and the situations we are faced with are no surprise to God. He is good and stands as our rock in the middle of all this.

I am very much looking forward to an uneventful week.

A Poem: For Hudson

2009-07-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

"I see your hiney, so white and shiny. It makes me giggle to see it wiggle."

My Firecrackers

2009-07-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th everyone!! Whoo-hoo!! Put on some bug spray, grill some burgers and light some sparklers. I hope everyone has a fantastic day! Here are some pics from our day. We didn't do much, just some hotdogs in Bahama with Marty's family. Hudson, Marty and Marty's mom are off watching fireworks and I'm here with my sweet sleeping baby. I'm looking forward to next year when we can all see them together. Have a great weekend :)

Daddy and the little P's on the 4 wheeler.

It took all the courage Hudson could muster up to get on this thing.

My sweet little sparkler. I could just eat her up with that bow :)

Addison: 10 Months

2009-07-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy month for our little girl. She had her first trip to the beach, her first steps, and oh yeah, two rounds of a yucky virus!! Last week she had a high fever for 4 days. It finally broke last Thursday but then she woke up with a fever this past Tuesday. She gave us a little scare when it got up to 104 but the doctors assured us that it was just a virus. She slept the day away yesterday and woke up fever free. Yay!!
She now weighs in at just below 20 lbs. Her favorite activity is cruising the furniture. She's decided to put walking on hold for now but is into everythings!! Last night I had to pull her out of the kitchen cabinets and she loves to torture Hudson by taking his toys or trying to grad hold of his hair. She's a spunky little thing! She is eating lots of finger foods (peas, bananas, bread, puffs, squash) but still could just live on oatmeal if she had the choice. She can say "mama," "dada," and "nana." Her routine has been off ever since she got sick but is still waking up a night to eat. (Sigh) Maybe this will be the month she starts to sleep through the night. Fingers crossed people!!

A Typical Monday

2009-06-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today, the Little P's did what every 3 year old and almost 10 month old do on a Monday. They...

rendezvoused in the bathroom to discuss the day's agenda,

sat around with their booty's hang'n out,

sported a new hair do

played dress up in mommy's closet

and scrubbed the bathroom floor on their hands and knees (well...that's just wishful thinking on mommy's part.)

Whew!! What a day. Now, on to Tuesday....

A Few Thoughts From Hudson

2009-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Hudson: Mommy. I need a gift card.
Mommy: You do? To what store?
Hudson: The stroganoff store.

Hudson: Daddy. What's your favorite stairs?
Daddy: Uhh?? I'm not sure. What's your favorite stairs?
Hudson: The stairs in heaven.

Hudson: (rubbing Daddy's scruffy face at the end of the day) Daddy, your face is skinny!
Daddy: Oh, you mean scratchy.
Hudson: Yeah, it's skinny.

Hudson: Daddy. What's your favorite heiny?
Daddy: What?!! (I'll omit his answer for privacy's sake :) What's your favorite heiny?
Hudson: Ma and Pa's. (Marty's parents)
I'm not sure where he learned the word heiny. We don't use it in our house. We prefer more anatomically correct terms such as booty.

2 In 1

2009-06-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Not only is today Father's Day but it is also me and Marty's 6 year anniversary. That gives me 2 times the reason to love on him today and let him know just how special he is to me. I think I can sum up in one word what makes him such a great husband and father. Selfless. He is the most selfless man I have ever met. He will do anything for me and the kids without a second thought or complaint. He wakes up every morning with the attitude of "what can I do for my family today?" He shows us how much he loves us everyday with not only his words but his actions. I am the luckiest woman around to be able to spend day in and day out with him. I love you Marty. Thank you for your unending devotion to me and the kids!

Oh, and listen to what he did for me this morning.....We decided not to get each other a gift for our anniversary since we did plenty of shopping and going out to eat while on vacation. Well, this morning I woke up to find a dozen roses and a bag of my favorite Starbucks coffee on the kitchen table. Come to find out, Marty woke up at the crack of dawn, put the car in neutral and pushed it out of the garage so he wouldn't wake anyone up this morning to go get the flowers. He told me the car got going a little too fast and almost rolled away from him. Too bad I wasn't up to see that :)

Myrtle Beach '09

2009-06-18T06:42:00.001-07:00

Ahh!! I’m writing this from the balcony of our condo, overlooking the ocean. Hudson is on the beach with his grandparents (Ma and Pa) Addison is napping and Marty is relaxing in the hot tub. Ahh!! We’re enjoying a fun week with Marty’s family in Myrtle Beach. It’s our yearly get away and we’re soaking in every minute. We’ve been here since Monday and have already enjoyed some fun mornings on the beach, great food, a rousing game of put put, and did I mention a few sleepless nights. Apparently, babies prefer their own beds. Poor Addison is having a hard time adjusting to beach life. Hudson, on the other hand, is a beach boy just like his Granna (except for the boy part.) He’s spent every morning on the beach digging in the sand and riding the waves on his boogey board. Not to be out done by her brother, Addison has made her appearance on the sand a few times. She prefers to float around in the lazy river with her mommy. Here are a few pics of our week with many more to follow!

Little P's on the beach

Addison reading the menu at Hamburger Joes

Hudson on the put put course. He was a pretty good little golfer!

Wave jumping

Family shot.

We Have A Walker!!

2009-06-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Addison started taking steps on her own last week. Last night she walked about 5 steps towards Marty. I was just in the kitchen and looked into the living room in time to catch her toddling towards Hudson. Oh my! Slow down little girl!!

You Know You've Had A Good Nap When You Wake Up Looking LIke....

2009-06-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

This!!

Whew....and what a morning we've had! Today was Marty's first day back to work after a 3 week vacation. Hudson is in mourning. He asked for his daddy as soon I opened his door this morning. When I told him that Marty was at the fire station he melted down. The meltdown continued while I was trying to fix breakfast. Finally I had to send him to his room so I could call the doctor. Addison has been constipated for 3 days and no amount of milk of mag. was helping. During my conversation with the nurse, Hudson started screaming like a wild man. I rushed upstairs and found that he had peed all over the floor. Apparently he had been yelling for me to help him use the potty. So....after a quick clean up, we jumped in the car (kids still in their pjs) and went to 2 different drug stores looking for pediatric suppositories (fun). They did the trick because Addison finally passed the huge poo she'd been brewing for days. Oh my, I need a nap and it's only 10 am.

This and That

2009-06-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger. There really hasn't been much going on around here. Just the same 'ol stuff, different day. Marty's been on vacation for the last 3 weeks and for some reason, I'm not very productive when he's at home. It's not his fault. I'm just easily distracted :) Here are a few things worth mentioning....

Addison has another double ear infection :( I took her for her 9 month check up yesterday. She weighed in at 19 1/2 lbs and measured 27". That puts her in the 65th percentile
Overnight she has turned into a crawling/pulling up machine. She's into everything!!
Hudson got a bell for his bicycle. He's been working for it for a few weeks now. Marty told him that he could earn stickers with good behavior and he finally accumulated enough stickers to buy the coveted bell yesterday. He was one happy little boy.
Hudson's new favorite phrase is "I do all my byer self." That pretty much means let me do everything on my own even though I'm making a mess or could potentially hurt myself. Oh the joys of a 3 year old!
Marty is staying busy with inspections, praise God!! If you know anyone buying or selling real estate these days, give us a call!
We leave for the beach next Monday for a week.

Ok, not exciting stuff but that's how we roll around here. Well, Hudson is yelling "help" from his bed. I'm feeling a long afternoon coming on!

Addison: 9 months

2009-06-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today, Addison is....yep, you guessed it, 9 months. She is a busy little girl these days. Not only is she crawling everywhere, she is also cruising the furniture and sometimes feels brave enough to let go. She likes to crawl to the nearest object, or person and try to pull up. She is into everything! Marty and I decided that we're going to have to mount our tv on the wall because she is already trying to pull up on the tv cabinet (we were looking for a good excuse to mount it :). She still isn't sleeping through the night and her meal schedule pretty much matches ours. She is eating lots of finger foods and her new favorites are cantaloupe and blueberries. She can clap her hands and wave bye-bye. She says "mama" and many other things that I can't translate :) She took her first swim in her baby pool this afternoon. What a cutie!!

We Have A Crawler!

2009-05-27T06:36:00.001-07:00

That's right! My baby is mobile! She took her first "crawling steps" last night. She's been working on it for weeks and finally did it on her own after watching Hudson crawl across the room. She also pulled herself up on her toy box 3 times yesterday! On today's "to do" list.....lower the crib mattress!!

Hudson's New 'Do

2009-05-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hello!! Cute boy in the house!!

"A Rhyme" By Hudson

2009-05-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is what I overheard Hudson singing to himself the other week......

"Cin-der-el-um, dressed in yell-um, went upstairs to kiss a fella. Oh! He's cute!1-2-3-4-5."

Daddy was so proud.

Berry Sweet

2009-05-15T11:34:00.001-07:00

The Pearces went berry pick'n this week for Marty's birthday. We drive by Page Farm's strawberry patch almost everyday and almost everyday, Hudson has reminded me, "Mommy!" "Look!" "The strawberry patch, it's open!" Hudson picked a few berries but he was more interested in mooing at the cows on the other end of the farm. When it was all said and done we ended up with some very yummy strawberries that both Hudson and Addison enjoyed eating!

I love this picture! So sweet.....

That My Girl!

2009-05-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Addison said "mama" yesterday! Whoo-hoo. Hudson didn't say it until he was well over a year old. He had more important things to talk about like balls and dada. Score one for team mommy!!

A Message For Daddy

2009-05-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Addison! Guess what today is.

I know, I know! I've been waiting for this for weeks! On the count of three, ready? One...two....three.....

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Mother's Day....Ha Ha!!

2009-05-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Having A Bad Day?

2009-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Then just be thankful your knees don't look like this!

Oh Happy Day!

2009-05-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Addison now has enough hair that I can put two bows in it instead of just one!

"Anything You Can Do.....

2009-05-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

I can do better."

"I can do anything better than you!"

Addison: 8 Months

2009-05-02T16:12:00.001-07:00

Happy eight months Addi girl!

Addison has done a lot of changing this past month. She wants to be in on all the action instead of just sitting around and drooling :) She desperately wants to be mobile and is really close to crawling. Every time I sit her down she lunges forward and puts herself in the crawling position or just does her impersonation of a turtle (you know...rocking on her belly with her arms and legs flailing.) She can hold onto your hands and walk, which is now her favorite thing to do. She claps her hands and when she gets really worked up she sucks in her bottom lip and strains. Sometimes the sound "ma" comes out. I like to think she's asking for me (ok, not really). She is still only sleeping in 7 hour stretches at night. My friend Stasha suggested I wake her up and feed her before I go to bed to see if she still wakes up at her normal time. I've fed her at 10 and she sleeps until almost 6 which confirms that she's waking up out of hunger and not habit. I've thought about giving her a bottle of formula before bed to see if that would hold her longer but I'm still too chicken to try.

Oh, and she hasn't had the best week. Monday I took her to the doctor for a double ear infection. Yuck! The antibiotics she's taking has given her diarrhea and the diarrhea is giving her a diaper rash. If that wasn't enough, she finally cut her first tooth. She has been incredibly sweet despite her week of yuckiness.

Oh Hudson

2009-04-29T10:35:00.001-07:00

Hudson has been begging for the box of Coco Puffs that I had stashed away as my special treat for quite awhile now. As a reward for going to bed without fussing last night, Marty put a few pieces in with Hudson's Cheerios for breakfast this morning. Here's what happened next...

Daddy: "Here you go buddy. I fixed you a special breakfast."

Hudson eagerly anticipates his wonderful treat.
Hudson peers into his cereal bowl.
Hudson raises head head, a look of disgust on his face.

Hudson: "Daddy, there's rabbit poop in my cereal!"

I guess he won't be begging for my Coco Puffs anymore :)

Dear Addison

2009-04-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Sweet Addison,
It has been brought to our attention that you are in violation of a few Pearce family household rules. Please be advised that immediate action is needed on your part and full cooperation would be most appreciated. The following is a list of said violations (in no particular order.)

1. Sleeping is very much enjoyed by all members of the Pearce family. We prefer to sleep at least 8 hours straight at night and find daytime naps helpful as well. Please adjust your sleeping routine accordingly.

2. Constant whining is a nuisance. While we understand that you cannot communicate with words, squeals and coos would be much more appealing than your persistent honking and crying. Please change your sounds accordingly.

3. Pearce babies should be able to roll over and crawl before proceeding to walk. Yes, your big brother can walk but you are still a baby. Please be advised that your need to walk is only escalated by the fact that you are not mobile but choose to be because you have no interest in learning to crawl. Please change your activities accordingly.

4. We are not a violent family. Yes, you are sweet but at times you feel the need to express yourself with your flailing hands. Your mother has battle wounds from your constant slapping and scratching. Please change your hand movements accordingly.

Oh, and one more thing. Because you are so cute, we are in fact, willing to overlook the violation of rules 1-4. Thank you for your immediate cooperation.

Your Loving Family

Miss Thang!

2009-04-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

Look at Miss Thang standing all by herself! Or as Hudson says "bir-self."

Addi Poo

2009-04-21T11:00:00.001-07:00

Her sweet little Easter dress (a week late)

Rearranging Daddy's face

Talking about this and that.

Poor Addison. She is finally cutting her two bottom teeth. She's had a runny nose for 2 weeks now and I thought she was sick but I'm starting to think it's because of those yucky teeth. She's not letting it get her down though. She's starting to stand by herself for a few seconds and likes to hold onto the outside of her exersaucer. Hmmm....I'm seeing a walking woman in the next few months!

You've Got To Watch This!!

2009-04-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

If you're an American Idol fan, you'll love this video. So maybe it's a little cheesy but it gave me goosebumps.