when daddy's away, we must play

Brandon had a wonderful opportunity to travel to London for 8 days for a small groups conference.  While he was gone, Lucas, Lexi, and I took a stretch of 5 days and headed to the mountains!  

The first part of our adventure started in the car...a solo drive for almost 4 hours.  It was a less than pleasant start to the trip since both the human child and the fur child were extremely restless until literally the last 30 minutes of our trip.  I expected Lucas to fall asleep shortly after hitting the road after lunch and was banking on a good 2 hours of quiet.  Well, I was very wrong, and he was busy throwing his toys and telling little lies the entire time!  Lies, yes, lies.  He would say "mommy I have a bug on my head! "Mommy I have a bug on my leg!"  Really buddy, not a funny joke to say when we are driving alone down the interstate.  

 Once we made it to our glorious mountains, the fun began!  Nana ran her tail off with Lucas, putting me to shame with her energy level.  We watered her garden and played around in big boy undies (those pictures are saved for a potty training post...hopefully coming up in the near future).

We went to a toddler gymnastics class at Asheville Gymnastics, and Lucas had a blast!

Oliver was there too, and Lucas has a pretty intense love for the little pup. [excuse the post nap hair...yikes]

We went to the creek...twice.  We splashed in the water and chased butterflies and collected rocks and picked flowers.

And a trip to Asheville isn't complete without a little Friday night drum circle action.  We went prepared with two wooden spoons and a metal flower pot, because you can't go to the drum circle without a drum.

Lucas was pretty fascinated by the crazy people and loud drums.

He took his placed in the section "reserved for drummers" and went to town!

I spy...Lucas and Nana in the bottom left corner!  He was totally into it until the beat got pretty loud and the eclectic group started chanting and howling (for lack of a better way to describe it.)  After that started, Lucas stopped with his spoons in mid air, looked at us and said "ALL DONE."

An older lady ended up giving Lucas $2 for his adorable entertainment.  We tried to give it back to her, insisting that a tip was completely unnecessary and he is just this cute all the time, but she insisted.  So after a few jokes about my dad becoming his agent, Lucas decided to use his tip money on what any good toddler would...ice cream!  We headed to Antler Village at Biltmore Estate for a late evening ice cream run.  They had live music on the lawn and turkey running wild everywhere.  It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful evening. I'm not sure why I didn't take any pictures there except for driving through the estate!  Next time.

We missed Brandon while he was gone but were thankful to have some time away to pass the time quickly.  There is nothing quite like summertime in the mountains!

a completely excused absence.

Well friends, I totally get a pass on my over 2 month silence from the blog. Why you might ask?

We are expecting baby Hudson #2 this November! Which means I took an excused absence during my first trimester as I, well, just tried to survive. Being pregnant with a crazy toddler running me ragged has been a challenge to say the least. Thankfully I haven't been as pukey sick this time around as I was with Lucas. After the morning wave passes I'm usually good to go throughout the day as long as I snack. But the exhaustion? Ha. Unmatched. On my days off of work it takes every ounce of energy in me to get Lucas down for his nap after lunch, after which I basically run to my bed and collapse into a REM cycle sleep. We aren't talking about couch naps, we are talking under the covers in the bed naps. Therefore all else around the house goes ignored, including blogging.

We told our family of the news in a subtle and adorable way by letting Lucas's new tee shirt do all the talking:

So here we are in the second trimester and I am waiting and praying for my energy to come back! I mopped my kitchen a few days ago for the first time in, well, it doesn't really matter...so, baby steps! Brandon and I are thrilled to be on this journey again. I am a nervous wreck at times, which comes both from my personality and the sometimes messed up job I work in where we see some really scary stuff. But we have relied on the Lord's grace and peace in a beautiful way, and we are doing just fine.

I have enjoyed seeing differences in this pregnancy already, a lot of which have taken me completely by surprise. For example, on Easter Sunday my pants wouldn't zip. I was only 9 weeks pregnant, and already my pants wouldn't zip! Thanks second pregnancy, my abdominal muscles have nothing left to give. There have also been the typical food cravings and aversions, some of the same I had with Lucas. Anything salty, give it to me! Sweets? No thanks, unless it's fruit. Coffee has been a turn off which is a good thing I guess, and water had been less than appealing which is not a good thing.

Our due date is November 25, 2014. So we may be getting a little Thanksgiving turkey this year!  Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this new blessing. 

chugga chugga two two

Lucas had a train themed 2nd birthday party this weekend.  It was a weekend filled with so many sweet people and beautiful weather.  It was the most perfect day and I know that I will always remember how full my heart felt this day.  Here is a sneak peek of the food for the party:

Brandon made the food train out of pallet wood.  We did hamburgers and hot dogs: hamburgers were in the coal car, hot dogs in the logger car. Then we had veggies in the produce car, and fruit in the hopper car.

Cupcakes had toppers that were trains and 2's.  

You can't see the sign very well, but this was our "fueling station" with tea and water.

I made favor bags with bandanas, red rock candy, and a train whistle for the little ones that came to the party!

We were so thankful for the beautiful blue skies today that allowed everyone to hang out in the back yard.  A couple in our small group graciously loaned us their bounce house for the party, so the kids loved playing on there.

Oh, you see that thing in the background behind the bounce house?  The giant tree house in the making?  That is Lucas's birthday present from the grandparents.  Poppy wanted to build Lucas a tree house, so he and Brandon started on it a few days before the party.  MiMi and PaPa bought the slide to go with it.  They got enough of it done for the kids to safely slide, but it's still a work in progress.  It's going to be amazing, deserving a post to itself.  So be on the lookout!

I was blown away at the people who came to the party.  Besides Nana, Poppy, MiMi, and PaPa, we had so many other guests who traveled from way far away to be with our little guy on his birthday.  I am kicking myself for not getting pictures of him with everyone.  Forgive me :)  Both my grandparents and Brandon's grandparents came from Louisiana and Florida for the party.  It is such a blessing for Lucas to have 2 sets of great-grandparents, all of whom are healthy and active to drive all of that way for us!  We are so so thankful.  

Also, Brandon's younger sister, Stephanie, came from Florida for the party.  It was so fun to see her cute little pregnant belly!  Lucas can't wait to meet his baby cousin this summer!  Also on the guest list were Farrin and Hershey, Jon and Kelsey, neighbors, friends from work, and friends from church.  I'm telling y'all, my heart was full. 

Lucas was so good during the party, even though we pushed his naptime waaaaay back.

 

 

A fun time was had by all!  Thank you everyone for coming and for loving our boy so well.  We love you!

two!

Lucas,

We did it!  We made it to 2!  I feel as though you have been acting 2 for a while now...so maybe it's a good thing you actually have the age now to justify your two-ness.  You are wide open all the time.  You never walk, you run.  Everyone that meets you absolutely falls in love with you, can you blame them?  You're awfully handsome and quite the charmer. 

You are athletic for sure, running everywhere and climbing everything, but thankfully rarely falling.  When you do fall down, you rarely cry...and a kiss from mommy usually heals it right up.  That makes me happy little guy, you are a beautiful mix of tough and sensitive.  Stay that way, okay?  You're still big, weighing in at 29 pounds and 34.5 inches long.  You are smart, knowing the difference between all different kinds of work equipment (back hoes, front end loaders, skid steers, bull dozers, etc.) which I think is so funny.  You love trains and trucks and anything with big wheels.  You have learned your colors in the last few days.  You do something new every single day and it's so fun to watch.

If you could be outside all day every day, you would.  You love playing in the dirt and finding bugs.  We have the funniest conversations outside.  You excitedly say, "It's a bug!" and "play with lawnmower" and "play with tractor" often.  Your vocabulary has exploded in the last month.  It's so fun to talk to you.  I can ask you questions and you answer them in an understandable way now.  You also ask me questions and genuinely want to know the answers. When you ask a question, the little inflection you put in your voice is so sweet.  Keep learning, keep asking, and I promise to keep answering as best as I can.  

 

You love playing with your friends, going to church, and being around family.  You love to dance and have recently started singing, which is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.  Your favorite song to sing right now is "Hey Brother" by Avicii.  The song says "heeeeeeey brother" and you sing it like "heeeeeeeey da brudda!" with all of your might.  We have videos, don't worry.  They will be shown in your high school years.  

Our snuggle time still is pretty limited since you're always on the go, but I treasure those quiet nights when you request multiple books before bedtime.  The picture below was taken on the night before your 2nd birthday, our last moments with you as a 1 year old.  I was blown away at how big you've gotten all of a sudden, your legs almost hanging over the side of the chair and your knowledge of the books that we were reading.

On your actual birthday, we had a special day with just me, you, and Daddy.  We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, your fave.  We pulled up into the parking lot and you started chanting "chicky-aye!"  You're a smart one, I tell you.  After naptime, we took you to Monkey Joe's.  You had a ball, running around and jumping on all of the inflatables.  And your daddy, bless his heart.  He was right in there with you.  You weren't quite tall enough to make it up the ladders of the big bounce houses, but you didn't want that to stop you.  So your daddy climbed up there with you every time, carrying you up the ladder and following you down the slides.  You both were red faced and sweaty when it was time to leave.  We couldn't really get any pictures of you since you were a giant blur of motion the whole time.  That's how you are always, little boy.  A blur of motion!

So now you're 2.  So big!  We love you Lucas and pray for you every night.  We pray for wisdom and discernment as we raise you, we pray for your health and your growth, and most of all we pray that you will grow up to love Jesus.  

happy happy birthday!

takes on cancer

I've mulled over this post for a few weeks now.  I pray that I can do it some justice.

My sweet sweet friend Taylor {pictured below with her face squished up against mine} got the unexpected and world rocking news a few weeks ago that she has a rare form of primary peritoneal cancer.

Aside from this form of cancer being rare, the fact that it shows up out of nowhere in a healthy 28 year old is something that blows my mind.

I've known Taylor since the 7th grade.  We became friends once we both made the Valley Springs Middle School cheerleading team (go Rams!) and remained friends through our pre teen years and high school, then both made the very wise decision to further our education at the best institution in the world, UNC Chapel Hill.  Taylor and I lived together in college with 4 other girls, and we held down the downstairs in our 6 bedroom duplex.  She was in my wedding and I was in hers.  She knows my secrets and I know hers. She knew me before puberty and I knew her when she towered in height over the rest of us.  

We went on countless trips together, from cheerleading competitions to college spring break trips.  She literally has saved my life, countless times.  Taylor has always been a strong rock in my life, both physically and emotionally.  Back in high school, she was the main base in my stunt group.  She caught me after I would fly through the air, and I trusted her (and still do) with every ounce of energy in me.  When you ask for a Taylor story, my parents will without hesitation tell you of a time in middle school when we were cheering at a football game at Owen Middle School.  We went out for our little halftime gig, like all good middle school cheerleaders do, and we did a stunt.  A basket toss.  Taylor was one of my bases, like usual.  The other girl who was responsible for the other half of tossing me in the air got a little adrenaline rush and launched her side much harder than anticipated, sending me soaring through the air over Taylor's head.  Taylor ran over without hesitation and was basically the only person who caught me, as we both fell to the ground.  Taylor, I know I've thanked you a hundred times for that, but again...thanks :)  She always had my back.  In high school, our stunt group was trying something new and difficult, and we were having a hard time mastering it.  The other base in my group, who will remain unnamed (girls, y'all remember who she was!) threatened to drop me if I didn't get it right.  Taylor stepped right in front of her and said with a tone of voice that would put anyone in their place, "Ashley, don't worry.  I will catch you."  And I knew she meant it.  

Now it's my time and our time to catch Taylor.  It's time for us to hold her up.  She is going through this ridiculous experience of cancer and it just doesn't make sense.  

But if anyone, and I mean anyone, can knock this out of the park, it's Taylor.  When we told my brother of her diagnosis, Jon said "Taylor?  Taylor Summey?  Nah, she'll be fine.  She's got this.  It's Taylor!"  And I couldn't think of a better way to say it.

The past few weeks, Taylor's character, strength, and outright determination has shown to everyone she has come in contact with.  She has the most positive attitude that you can imagine, and her bravery blows me away.

On Wednesday, Taylor had a big surgery, her first step to being in remission.  In typical Taylor fashion, she had the surgery in the midst of one of the south's biggest snow storms, and she blew everyone away with her quick recovery and positive spirit.  Of course she did!  This is Taylor.  

Taylor and Jesse (her husband) have started a blog called Takes on Cancer that I would encourage you to follow.  They will use it to update everyone on their progress and to also raise awareness for this battle that Taylor and others are fighting.  In their introduction, Taylor writes "all my husband and I wanted was a chance to fight. And we’re living that wish...Taylor Takes on Cancer is about my story, my battle and my eventual victory over cancer. A way to keep friends and family updated. But it’s also about being part of an ongoing fight that’s bigger than myself and understanding that I’m not the only one taking on this terrible disease. It’s about being part of a community that refuses to let cancer define who they are."

Friends, please join me in praying for Taylor.  I have no doubt that she's going to fight and beat this thing.  I was able to spend some time with Taylor the weekend before her surgery, and she's ready.  When Brandon and my mom and others were asking how our weekend was, that's the only thing I could think of to say.  She's ready.  Ready to fight. Ready to reach out to others who are fighting too.  Ready to WIN.  

Please pray with me that:

*she will heal quickly from her surgery

*she will handle chemo like a champ

*she will go into full remission forever and ever

*she will be able to encourage others in similar situations

*Taylor and Jesse's marriage will be strengthened during this time

and lastly, please pray with me that God will be glorified in the midst of situations we may not understand.  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

If you were to peruse through the tons of photo albums at my parents house, you'd see pictures of Taylor and I growing up.  I think it's a good thing that I don't have digital copies of most of those pictures, because let's be honest, no one looks cute in middle school. 

However, this was too good to pass up:

that's me on the top in the middle, and Taylor is my base on the right.
gotta love middle schoolers!

senior year high school, I'm 3rd from the left on the front row, Taylor is second from the left on the back row

Ok that's enough from that era...here are a few of my favorites that I have available from after our hormones leveled off!

Junior year of college

spring break cruise, junior year

college grads!

2008- my wedding

2012- Taylor's wedding

2012- my baby shower

this past weekend- high school girls reunion before Taylor's surgery!

celebrating Taylor with a girl's weekend

the night before Taylor's surgery, we did a google hangout with the college roommates!  Here are the 6 crazy girls, scattered across the country.
Left to Right:  Jamie (Florida), Karin (DC), Meredith (Arkansas), Rebecca (Colorado), Taylor's big face! (Charlotte) and me (Raleigh)
Such a special time to be together even when we physically can't be close.  I love these girls.

Tay, let's do this!  We love you!