care pages is a website that connects you with loved ones that are coping with illness. i frequently check care pages of patients that UJE supports. i've also been following kate mcrae's carepage. as i was reading tonight, i was reminded of the horrific events that happen within the walls of a hospital. not that everything is horrific inside, but as i read the carepages of parents that are watching their children cling to life, it breaks my heart. suffering is something i do not understand. i mean, we all suffer at some times in our lives. does it ever seem that some end up suffering more than others though? kate was diagnosed with a brain tumor 6 months ago. they've performed surgery, given her treatments, sent her home, re-admitted her, and the story continues to unfold. her mom holly wrote today that this is day 6 of transplant. she mentions in the care page that the next round of chemo will begin today for kate. this round is excreted through the skin. kate will have to shower every 6 hours for 3 days straight. even during the night. they change her clothes, linens and dressings every 6 hours. kate's mom mentions that she will begin to wear gloves whenever she wants to touch her daughter. she said she'll miss rubbing her newly growing hair, and kissing the top of her head. my heart sunk upon reading her words when she said this... "the thought that we are giving her body something so strong that i shouldn't even touch her bare skin while she gets it, is well, unbelievable."

i've never been through something like this. i cannot even begin to imagine for one moment what it would be like to be in their shoes. i experienced the loneliness of a hospital for a mere 6 days. i cannot imagine the strength that it would take to be there for the length that they have been there. God's plans are larger than we will ever know and His strength is certainly ours. we just need to tap into it and receive it.

my heart goes out to this family. watching their faith, strength, and trust has strengthened me. please join me in praying for this family.

being a mom is a "fun" job. i was reading through a parenting magazine the other day and found a great idea for mom's. it's a photo storage box, but instead of filling it with photos, you fill it with index cards from time to time, showcasing the funny things your child says or does. maybe these struck me as a fabulous idea because payton and hudson have been hilarious lately... allow me to explain. it had been a long day. the weather had been rainy for two days straight, the kids were finally in bed, and i decided to turn on the tv, rest my feet, and enjoy a cup of tea. i don't watch much tv. there just doesn't seem to be time for it. so, for me, this was going to be nice. i went to fill my teapot with some water for a cup of sleepy time tea for the evening. as i was filling the spout with water, i realized the water wasn't going into the teapot. the water began spilling out. just then, i looked through the spout to see the problem. right away, i realized what the issue was. as i reached my finger down the spout, i immediately pulled out several pieces of king vitaman cereal. (the current favorite quaker cereal in the fam right now). this was definitely hudson's doing. i find things in odd places quite frequently. i know i will miss these kind of events in my life as they begin to dissipate over the next few years. another silly thing happened today. i had just picked the boys up from school and payton informed me he had sprinkles in his pants. hmmm, i thought, sprinkles? i quietly changed the subject and continued on with getting them in the car. once again, he told me he had sprinkles in his pants and they were beginning to itch! ahhh! i immediately realized that the helper in school hadn't wiped him. i loved his description of them being sprinkles. just another memory for me to add to the box. i'm sure their future wives will have fun with all of these childhood happenings!

reflecting...

ahh, it's fun thinking back to the great time we had in michigan. i thought it was funny this past christmas that i actually "went home" for christmas. everyone always talks about how much fun it is to go back home and see family and friends they haven't seen in awhile. this was my first christmas that i was actually able to experience this. i've lived in one state my entire life. i've been most fortunate to be able to travel but i've never actually experienced living in a new state. this past year allowed me to do this. while missing family and friends has been the most difficult challenge, exploring a new place and living in a new town has been rather exciting.  here's a photo of my "oldest" friend ashley. she's been sweet to become the boys "aunt ashee".  i didn't know it at the time, but when i was quite sick while being pregnant with hudson, brandon would call ashley and ask her to come over and help out with me and payton. she totally came through and helped me on several occasions. payton still remembers his play dates with ashley. she would take him to the mall and go shopping. payton would always come home with something new. he certainly had a blast. 

reflecting on life brings up memories and stories. i'm certain next christmas i'll be reflecting again just as i have done now. our lives are full of great moments, times that we can remember forever. it's fun thinking there are many more of these to come.

merry, merry merry,

it's a great time of year to be merry. the year has been full of great blessings and for that we are thankful. these two smiles provide happiness and joy to our entire family. we've been looking back and remembering the many changes and happenings of 2009. back in january, i would have never imagined that 6 months later we'd be packing up and moving to another state. each moment of this year has taught us a new lesson, given us great joy, and reminded us of how blessed our lives are. we've met new people, been separated from ones we love, reunited with family, and have become content and happy with our new journey and path that was known before we ever joined this earth. the excitement has been fun and we're excited to see what 2010 has in store!!! happy new year to one and all.

gone... yes, gone. i really didn't think i would ever have to say this, EVER. but i am saying it. i really am saying it. it's gone.

my camera is gone. it's gone from me, but it is somewhere. man, i sure do wish i knew where that somewhere was. we looked high and low, up and down, and in and under. it took 4 hours to look through our little apartment. i asked hudson if he knew where it was an he took me to the cereal cupboard... i think he was hungry at the time. he wasn't much of a help.  we re-traced each step. we've gone through where we were and where we've been. it's now been 4 days and we still haven't found it. luckily, we still have the 4 lenses that go with many different digital cameras. 

we are headed to florida in 3 days. it's my hope that the camera just shows up miraculously before our departure. if it chooses not to, we'll be borrowing a camera from a student. i can't imagine not having a camera at disney world. i'm sure people have done it before. i'd just rather not try that scenario out! it doesn't really appeal to me. so, let's hope for some good news. maybe a post saying "i found it" would be a good title for the next post...

we've been attending quite a few on campus games. this particular night we were at a volleyball game. hudson doesn't do well in a setting that he has to sit in a stroller or seat. when we're at sporting events, he does just this, he roams the stands, tries to "play" with the players, and hangs with the guys. i'd say he's enjoying himself down here! 

sweet pic with the donkey, right? i wouldn't call him sweet. read on for details! entering the corn maze!  an amazing rainbow joined our evening at the maze. what a site! it was halloween day and we were trying to decide on a fun activity for the family. the rankin's called and invited us to the mayfield corn maze. what a great idea they had!!! this place was nothing short of fantastic. the weather was dreary and the rain began to sprinkle on us. this sure didn't stand in our way for having fun! when we arrived after a 25 minute ride, we found one other car in the parking lot. things looked grim, maybe this wasn't a good idea...  NO ONE WAS THERE! as we entered the chilly barn to pay the $8 per person charge we really were sketchy about the "fun" that was out in that corn maze! well, i judged too quickly. this place was incredible. a butterfly greeted us at the beginning of the maze. she handed all of us bags to trick-or treat through the maze with. she had a scavenger hunt planned for us as we found our way through the maze. there were several spots along the maze where halloween themed employees filled our bags with treats. after the maze, everyone headed over to the hay. they had mattresses covered in hay for the kids to jump on. about 50 feet over was  a large tent that housed a halloween themed band playing country tunes. a blazing camp fire also lit the sky for all the corn mazer's to enjoy. next, it was time for a hayride through the farm. did i mention NO ONE was here? it was our group and a few extras on the hay ride. the kids thought it was great! after the ride we enjoyed kettle corn and games. this place was a complete hit! we'll be back next year for certain!

ok, so i saved the donkey story for the last portion of this post. this little donkey was adorable. so cute and small. the boys were feeding the donkey grass and we all thought it was cute. it was cute for about 5 minutes until that cute little donkey bit hudson's finger. luckily, he didn't break the skin. hudson's finger was extremely red and you could see the bite mark for quite some time. next time, the little ones will keep their hands inside the fence.

halloween 2009 didn't start out so great. it's not halloween yet, but today was payton's school's day to dress up and show their little halloween spirit. last night, we thought we'd have a test run with the costumes. to say the least, it didn't go so hot. we were extremely excited to see hudson in his little dalmatian costume. as soon as the costume was on, hudson made a run for it. we went to look for him and found him crying underneath our bed. he was terrified. he hated the hat and wanted nothing to do with being a dog. my first thought was to put the costume back on craigslist. this is where i found it. i was optimistic though and figured we'd give it another go in the morning. as you can see, we were successful. i bribed him with skittles and promised him there was more candy to come. we left the puppy head off of him for most of the trick-or-treating experience. payton's little friends were super cute and well behaved. we were able to visit all of the campus offices while trick-or-treating. the staff were all friendly and had lots of special treats for all of the kids. nana was also in town to see payton's class and trick-or-treat along with them. what a fun start to a halloween weekend!

oktoberfest is in the air. it's the second celebration we've attended for oktoberfest this year. today, we ventured to chattanooga to join in their festivities. we brought along nana this time! she's visiting this week from michigan. it's her first visit to our new home, so we're showing her around this beautiful state! it was a windy and chilly 62 degrees. ok, you northerners think that would be a heat wave! for those of us that are used to 89% humidity and 95 degrees, 62 degrees and windy feels like an arctic blast! maybe not an arctic blast, but it certainly calls for bringing out the socks, shoes, sweatshirts, and coats! the leaves are changing bright orange and yellow and the cool air brings thoughts of pumpkins and warm apple cider. i love this time of year. i always have. we enjoyed the walking bridge and the vendors today in chattanooga. lupi's pizza was a favorite of the day as well. who doesn't like eating a fresh baked loaf of bread before eating a pizza? oh, and i can't forget the cup of melted butter and fresh garlic they bring out to dip the bread in. pure yummy is all i can say. i'll be back again. and until the next time, i will continue to think about that delicious fattening treat. mmmm. 

the boys just love having visitors. it's so nice to see them love on their nana. tomorrow we're headed to alabama to meet family i've never met! brandon's aunt and uncle live in alabama, so we're paying them a visit in the south.

dancin' in the street! hey, why not dance by a big paint spill in the middle of the parking lot? i just love kid's. they find fun in the "boring" things that most people would think would be ridiculous! lately i've been noticing that hudson wants to be just like payton. he tries to do things that he does. with 21 months between each of them in age, it always becomes a bit of a challenge for hudson to be "just like his brother." i've had a few laughs this week. with all the sporting events we are able to attend here, both boys want to be more athletic and rough with each other. a popular activity around the dorm is for the guys to "pile" on top of one guy. this usually consists of 8-10 guys total. if you can imagine, it's quite the thrill for a 2 and 3.5 year old boy to watch this. we're trying to learn the meaning of the word "gentle." i've used it quite a bit in the last month around here. i hope it's sinking in!

a follow up on my little sleepy sleeper from the last post...

on certain days that a nap doesn't seem necessary, this is what typically happens. whether it be at home or outside in a heavily populated place on campus, someone just doesn't seem too happy. cheer up my little man!

ok, so we've all had kid's that fall asleep in odd places but i think the top photo takes the cake! as i was washing dishes, hudson managed to find my purse. as you can see, he emptied it completely and found a few treats inside. please pay close attention to the dum-dum suckers. i see three of them and every single sucker is missing it's wrapper. it appears that he finished off the red one that he's holding in his hand as he dozed off and fell into a deep sleep.

the second picture happened one day after the "sucker" nap. it wasn't necessarily time for a nap. i came walking through the room and there he was, sound asleep on the couch. oh my little darling, you may refuse to have naps, but mom knows best that you NEED your rest!

makeover project revealed!

my sister bought this super "gorgeous" dresser at a resale shop. i know what you're thinking. you're thinking "i hope it was free because that thing is ridiculously ugly!" well, she had a little vision. she wanted the new baby's room to be a little "shabby chic." she said the people looked at her a little crazy when she said she was going to put it in her newborn baby's room. well, i think i saw what she saw. it looked a little beat up and the color was a little "dated." after several trips to the spray paint section of wal-mart, hobby lobby, and home depot, this is what we came up with. a turquoise treasure that fits elisia's nursery perfectly!

makeover project revealed!!

happy second birthday hudson thomas! hudson turned 2 on monday. we're in a new place and new home but it didn't stop us from having a party to celebrate our little 730 day old boy! caleb, damien, callie, emma, and malachai joined in on the fun. they are sweet little ones who live on campus with us. their parents are RD's and work on staff with brandon. we also had many other staffers join us. they were so thoughtful to come on over. our door received many knocks too :) the guys stopped to wish hudson a happy birthday. 2 guys stopped over around 10pm. ooops, hudson was already nestled in his big boy bed. his crib is now officially gone. brandon and i LOVE when he tucks himself under all the covers for a long nights slumber. he falls asleep much faster in a big boy bed. must be the comfy blankets and pillow. we're looking forward to the next year with our little big guy. he's still not talking much, so we're looking forward to hearing his words!

                                                                                                                  

let me tell you, these photos may LOOK like fun, but behind the stroller are two crabby boys actually FIGHTING over the stroller. these photos were taken last weekend while at our stay at stone mountain in georgia. surrounding stone mountain is a beautiful park. it's lush and green surroundings provide the perfect spot to enjoy the QUIET outdoors and take in the serene landscape. ok, so QUIET it was not. hudson began by gripping the handles of the stroller. gripping may be an understatement. he had a death grip on the handles and would not be letting go anytime soon. after a few minutes of the new found fun, payton decided he wanted a turn. hudson wasn't giving up his grip. payton was already showing signs of a nap on the way over to the mountain. he wasn't thrilled upon realizing that hudson would not be sharing the stroller with him. payton began crying and hudson began screaming as payton was trying to "share" the stroller with hudson. eventually we were able to find other attention grabbing activities to do in the park. the stroller was conveniently hidden (underneath a bench) until our stay at the park was over. some how, the boys never realized it was missing. phew!

payton has always loved his cars and trucks. small ones, big ones, real ones, make believe ones. it doesn't appear he'll grow out of this anytime soon, so for now, we'll continue playing with them! since payton first started talking, he was always pointing out cars and trucks on the road. he has an amazing sense of comparing them too. he'll quite frequently see a beige toyota sienna driving by and will say "mom, it's aunt elizabeth's car". or he'll see a darling little gray volkswagen and say "mom, look, it's aunt ashee's car". he's always dead on. right down to the color, make, and model. i was realizing this just the other day and began thinking of my own childhood. scary to think and say, but i did the same thing when i was younger. i knew the make of a car by seeing the front bumper of a car. i knew the exact sound of a honda and ford as it was starting. i know you're thinking "what a weirdo." it is weird but i'm just realizing that somehow, payton has this same trait as i do. this is quite interesting to me. car business runs in my family. we choose our occupations, right? we don't choose our makeup and genetics though and the thoughts and tendencies of our children. how fun that payton and i have this in common. i can't wait until he is older and i can tell him about our silly similarities.

i just had to share a few more shots,

of a sweet little babe,

who's as sweet as a lolypop, to a beautiful couple,

whom i call family.

while in dayton, i was honored to be able to take some family photo's of the seaquist's. they have given our little lola a perfect home!