Happy Halloween!!

The last few days have been Halloween packed! On Saturday, we had our Trunk of Treats at church. We enjoyed the bounce houses, booths, and a hayride. On Tuesday, Hudson had his class party at school and was able to wear his costume there too. Then tonight, we made the rounds in our neighborhood. We have more candy then we know what to do with.

I had a difficult time deciding what Hudson would be this year. Whenever I would ask him he would say "I want to be Hudson." He's never been a big dress-up kind of kid so I knew the decision was up to me. He also doesn't like things over his face or even on his head so I knew I needed to find something that didn't require a hat or mask. Most costumes these days have those and many don't look right if you leave that part out. So, I began my search and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this Cars costume. When asked, Hudson will say he's "Light-meen McQueen" It's a full mouth and hard for him to pronounce correctly.

Taking a pit stop

Taking a hay ride with dad

I knew the minute I saw this shark costume that I HAD to have it. It comes really close in rank as my favorite, next to the Humpty Dumpty costume that both boys wore their first Halloween. He looked adorable.
Can't you just hear the Jaws theme song now?

Trick-o-Treating with Colton and McKenzie. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!!

Carving Pumpkins

It's a tradition in our house to carve a pumpkin each year. Hudson really looks forward to it now.

As Jason was scooping out the seeds and guts, Hudson was guessing how many seeds were inside. He said "I bet there are like 20 seeds in there!" He quickly realized that there were way more that.

Playing with the insides

This year we decided to change things up a bit and do a picture of something instead of just a random face. I think it turned out pretty neat!

At the very end, Jason cut the tip of his pinky. I thought it was only appropriate to fetch a Spider Man band-aid for him.

Seriously, will I ever have a picture at this stage where both boys are looking and smiling?

Charlotte's Web and Ants in our Pants

Last night, I had the privilege of taking my son on a date to see Charlotte's Web. We had a great time! Our neighbors, Judy and Wyatt, had never been so we invited them along. Hudson and Wyatt fight like brothers but I know deep down inside, Hudson loves him.

************************************************************************************
We have Ants in Our Pants!!

Okay, not really but we do have some new ants at our house. A couple of months ago, we bought Hudson one of those ant gel colonies. It took forever to arrive but it finally showed up last week. I'm not sure who loves this more- Hudson or me? They are fascinating to watch. It's been so neat to watch them tunnel and to see how organized they are. What fun!!

***********************************************************************************

......speaking of pants, Cooper had a hard time this week. On Thursday, Hudson had orange day at school. I decided to dress them in their matching "I love my mummy" shirts. I pulled out a pair of jeans for Cooper (used to be Hudson's) and after walking around the living room for a few minutes, he began to walk out of them. I got so tickled watching him. I eventually had to change him into another pair.

5 years ago

October 25, 2002 was my original due date. Jason and I had been trying to get pregnant for a while and it wasn't happening. My OB/Gyn recommended that we see an infertility specialist. We did and thus began the roller coaster of emotions. We were both tested and nothing came back giving a reason why we couldn't conceive. We fell into that 15% of unknown infertility. Part of me wished we had a reason so that I could associate my frustrations with the cause. We continued trying, each month feeling like a year gone by. It's funny but when you decide to have a family, you are ready. At first it was casual trying and then the longer we tried it became a priority, until it then almost became an obsession. For me at least. Jason wanted children just like I did but it was so much harder for me. I felt consumed by the emptiness and scared of the unknown. Finally, after much testing and monitoring we became pregnant. We were thrilled! I visited the specialist once a week and a sonogram was performed each time. It was amazing to see this little being grow inside of me. Around 12 weeks the doctor felt it was time to hand me back over to my ob/gyn because everything looked good. I had been really sick for several weeks- throwing up daily. I scheduled a sonogram with my ob for the following week. Luckily, Jason went with me that day. I'm not really sure why since we had already had several sonos (we were beginning to get quite spoiled!) but God's hand was definitely in that decision. I can remember like it was yesterday, laying on the table as my doctor began the procedure. We were all 3 talking and so excited about my pregnancy. I noticed that my doctor got very quiet and it quickly became obvious that something wasn't right. I asked what was wrong. He said that he couldn't see a heartbeat. He tried several other things on me but still no heartbeat. He sent me to a radiologist for a second opinion but I knew the answer. I knew deep down in my heart that my baby was gone. Why had everything been so strong and healthy the week before and now he was having a hard time detecting a heartbeat? That didn't make sense. Unfortunately, they confirmed our worst fears. Our child was still there but for some reason it had died. I was still feeling the pregnancy sickness so I was completely shocked by all of this. I had no signs, no way for my body to warn me. The next couple of days were a blur for me. I felt so empty and sad, frustrated and mad. Why? Why me? I had my procedure two days later and once again I was left with the question, "can I ever have a child?" The next two months, my body began to heal and I was anxious to try again. With the help of artificial insemination, we became pregnant with Hudson. Looking back, there are still so many emotions involved. Had that pregnancy worked, I would not have Hudson. But I still can't help but wonder what gender (I didn't want to know), who would it have looked like, all those normal thoughts and questions that enter your mind. So, as I look at the calendar today I am reminded that today I would have possibly celebrated a 5th birthday with a child I will never know. Like I said, it's bittersweet because I can't imagine not having my punk. Although that was such a hard time in my life, I do know that God was with us the entire time. That in itself gives me peace. I am writing this post because I know that one day my boys will look back on this blog and I hope that this can give them an idea of how we felt during this time and how truly blessed we feel to be their parents.

Brrrr......it's cold outside

I am loving this chilly weather! There is something about the first few times I bundle my boys up in cold weather clothes that just makes me want to eat them up! They looks so cuddly and snuggly. I didn't take any pictures of Hudson before school this morning but I did get a few of Cooper when we got back. "Show me your nose" ........I should have waited another second because his finger did land on the tip of his nose
He loves to push buttons on our DVR playerHandsome boy turned 19 months last week

Cooper is really into his new Lightning McQueen car. He pushes it all over the house.

Then he runs over to me so that I'll pull the cord and make it go fast. I see this view many times a day because he loves for me to play cars with him.

Saving Our Family

Wow, it's been a busy week or so and I'm behind on my blogging. I have some pictures to post and things to write about but I'm playing catch-up from being gone this past weekend. For now, I want to share a new blog with you. I am starting a new blog, Saving Our Family (you can find it under Blogs I Read) I decided to start a new blog instead of hijacking this one. I look forward to sharing some wonderful Earth friendly tips with you along the way! I will continue to update this blog about my boys and day to day life around our house.

I've Been Tagged by Laura- My Man

1. Who is your man? Jason
2. How long have you been married? 7 years
3. How long did you date? dated 9 months and engaged for 5
4. How old is your man? 36
5. Who eats more? Jason but I can give him a run for his money at times.
6. Who said "I love you" first? Jason
7. Who is taller? Jason
8. Who sings better? Well, since I used to sing backup (huge joke between us!).....really, neither of us are rock stars in this category.
9. Who is smarter? I'd say me but then it depends on what you are talking about. Home improvement and he's smarter for sure!
10. Whose temper is worse? Mine. It takes a lot to tick him off.
11. Who does the laundry? I do.
12. Who takes out the trash? Jason will take the trash outside before pickup but I usually empty the one from the kitchen since I'm home more.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If looking at the bed, I'm on the right side.
14. Who pays the bills? We both do.
15. Who is better on the computer? He is.
16. Who mows the lawn? Jason
17. Who cooks dinner? That would be me.
18. Who drives when you are together? Jason
19. Who pays when you go out? Jason
20. Who is more stubborn? Absolutely him. He gets his mind set and there is no changing it.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? it's a tie and will depend on the situation.
22. Whose families do you see most? Both of ours.
23. Who kissed who first? Jason kissed me first while we were on a huge road trip to Montana.
24. Who asked who out first? He did............finally, after like 7 years (another post for another time)
25. Who proposed? Jason did. It was the Millennium Year and very exciting!
26. Who is more sensitive? I am.
27. Who has more friends? I do. He's not as good about keeping up.
28. Who has more siblings? He does- he has 3 sisters and I have one.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Jason
30. Who is the biggest pushover with the kids? Probably me.

Now, I tag Tammie, Laurie, and Heather

Need Video Help

I need some help. For all you computer literate, technical savvy people- I need some help. How do you record and post videos on your blog? What are you using- your phone, a video camera, a digital camera? Then, how are you transferring it onto your computer? Let me tell you- we have a video camera that is about 5 years old (so ancient in techno years), a Canon Rebel XT EOS digital camera, and a fairly new Motorola Razor cell phone. Can I use any of these to record and post on my blog? If so, how? Thanks for any help you can give me!

The Pumpkin Patch

Today we headed out to the pumpkin patch with my sister, her kids, and my mom. Jason went hunting with my brother-in-law so the three of us loaded up the kids and headed to our favorite pumpkin patch. We love this pumpkin patch because they have a real train that you can ride.

Waiting for the train with Grammy..........and the cousins

All Aboard!Such a pretty view

Cooper set his sights on this large blowup T*gger

Having fun with Colton and McKenzie
Playing in the balls

THE END

Friends and Fall

On Monday, my college friends came over with their kiddos. It's always so fun to get together to catch up and let the kids play. Our number keeps growing (Laura and Robyn are both expecting in January) so it was hard to get a good picture of all of them. Here's my best attempt. Robyn's little boy, JaceLaura's little boy, Ty

Laura's little girl, Halle (she's 2.......going on 12!!)Fischer's little boy, Nolan. Watching all these big kids makes me sleepy.
Fischer's little girl, KayleeMy monkey, Cooper

HudsonThe gang

****************************************************************************

This week, Hudson had fall break from preschool and nature school. We have had a lot of fun doing different fall/pumpkin activities at home. We made some "scrumptious" pumpkin cookies. Those were Hudson's exact words after we finished!