Huddy's Baptism!

Pastor showing the quilt that was made for Hudson by a member of our church :)

Brixon being a goofball....with Hudson's Godmother, Stephanie (Godfather Rusty got snowed in in Michigan and Godfather Corbin is in the Air Force, serving in Afghanistan)

The Change-Up

So you may have noticed that I changed the name of this blog. Maybe it is motherhood. Maybe it is the proverbial bullet train speeding toward 30. Whatever it is, I have spent very much of my very little free time reflecting on things I have accomplished (or at least attempted to accomplish in the past), and what I still need to do. You see, I have always said that I don't want to be 90, sitting in the nursing home my children sock me away in, thinking back on all of the things I wish I would have tried. So ever since I can remember, I have put myself out there; sometimes with the fear of failure, but never the fear of regret. I have gone skydiving, I have tried out to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, I am a published poet. I have sung, danced, acted, spoken up, and spoken out. I can't say that I have always been successful, or have always performed to the best of my ability, but I will always be able to say 'yeah, I've tried that!' I am fortunate enough to already have accomplished the two most incredible goals in my life by having Nick as my husband and Brixon and Hudson as my sons. If I didn't see tomorrow, I would honestly be able to say that I had lived a remarkable life. But I'm pretty confident that you're all stuck with me for a while, and what fun is life if you don't constantly set new goals? So here's what I'm going to do (and you aren't going to get anything like 'be the best mother and wife in the world.' Those are gimmes...I'm always going to be striving for things like that): 1. I want to be in a movie. Yes, a movie. A substantial role (and by 'substantial' I mean more than the bouffanted yellow blur that I appeared as in 'Dreamgirls') in a credible motion picture. Perhaps it is ridiculous and far-sighted, but it is my blog, and my goal list :). 2.  I want to record a song in an actual recording studio. Just because I think it would be fun. 3. I would like to learn to play an instrument. I've attempted many in my day, but I would like to find one that I actually want to practice. 4. I would like to travel to Europe. I threw this one in here because I knew it would be an easy one to cross off; I'm going to Italy in May :) (again, my blog, my list. And I need to feel like I've actually accomplished some of these goals within a reasonable time period!) 5. I would like to read the Bible in its entirety. I've tried this one a few times, but have yet to succeed.

There you have it; this is an evolving list. Things will be crossed off, things will be added. So keep reading...I'm sure I'll at least have some good stories along the way...

Another Party?!?!

Remember when I said that after a weekend at Disney, we were going to have a low-key family dinner on Brixon's actual birthday? Scratch that. By the time we went to bed that night, the car was again loaded with presents, Brixon was hopped up on more sugar then he should have in a year, and my kitchen looked like Betty Crocker herself had exploded in it. A guest list of 5 grew rapidly into 19 within a matter of hours, and thankfully, I didn't even have time to break out the Cricut. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse garb from the Walmart party aisle made do :). Happy 3rd Birthday, Brix! You are spunky, clever, stubborn, tenderhearted, affectionate, wise, and we love you more than life itself.

Homemade cupcakes...I even made the chocolate '3's' :)

My Buddies

 I'm pretty far behind in posting these, but my computer crashed and I had to salvage the photos and load them onto a new computer...

Celebrating with my Friends!

Just one of the million reasons I love Brixon's school...

THREE is the magic number!

Instead of a big birthday bash, we decided to celebrate Brixon's 3rd by heading to Disney World for the weekend (his actual birthday is the 12th)! We knew we would have a great time, and with some surprises planned, we knew Brixon would love it, too! We started out at Magic Kingdom on Saturday. He was so excited to ride the bus, that I wasn't sure if anything actually inside the park would live up to that! The first ride we did was 'It's a Small World,' and Brixon was in awe. So was Hudson! His eyes were like saucers! We did 'Peter Pan,' and 'Haunted Mansion' after that...he didn't like how dark they were while he was riding, but then said "That was awesome!" after he got off. Hehe! He loved 'Jungle Cruise,' the carousel, and meeting all of the characters! He was wearing his birthday pin, and everyone made him feel so special! Everywhere we went, people were wishing him a happy birthday (even the characters in the parade were shouting 'Happy Birthday!' from their floats!). He especially loved when the band playing outside of 'Country Bear Jamboree' all sang 'Happy Birthday Brixon' to him! By 3, he was beat! After a short nap, we headed over to Disney Marketplace for a birthday dinner at T-Rex! On Sunday, we surprised him with a character breakfast at Hollywood Studios. But it wasn't just ANY character breakfast; this one had all of his favorites from Disney Junior! When he walked in and saw 'Handy Manny,' I thought he was going to lose it! He had an absolute blast singing and dancing with Jake, June, Manny and Special Agent Oso! After eating a birthday cupcake and ice cream for breakfast, we spent the rest of the day watching the stunt show, meeting McQueen and Mater, and even performing live in 'The American Idol Experience!' All I wanted to do was ride the Aerosmith rollercoaster, but somehow I let everyone talk me into auditioning for the show. I made it through the first two rounds of auditions, and was selected to compete against two others for the live show. Hair, makeup, vocal coaching...you name it! They take it pretty seriously! In the end, I lost to a girl with a master's degree in vocal performance, so I wasn't too disappointed! It was actually a lot of fun. We wandered the park for a little longer, then headed back to the hotel with two exhausted kids! After a short day in Winter Park on Monday, it was back to reality. Disclaimer: Be prepared for a rough morning trying to get your child ready for school after three days at Disney ;)

The Disney Marathon

Brixon loooved June!