Maybe not the most stylish child...

But we do what we can to stay warm when needed. 

This is after we went for a run on a Saturday morning! Yes, I actually ran...and nothing was chasing me! 

This was at Aunt Missy's. We forgot his coat so we used some hand-me-downs from Aunt Jen to Aunt Missy for Easton. Thanks for sharing Easton! 

Halloween 2013

I better get these pictures posted before the year ends. :)

We had a fun time dressing up this year. Carson was an army guy and believe it or not, I dressed up too! I haven't dressed up in 10 years. 

Let's check out Carson first. We found him an army outfit and daddy was able to get some army face paint - which Carson loved! He was so excited to wear his costume to school and super pumped to go trick-or-treating!!

Trey and Sophia came over that evening to go on the candy hunt together. The kids had a blast! 

As I mentioned, I also dressed up...as Flo from the Progressive commercials. It was so much fun!! I even tied for 1st place at work - tied with an Asian lumberjack! Haha! 

I think I turned a lot of heads with people thinking I was the real Flo. :)

Hannah didn't dress up this year but she did wear her pumpkin onsie and looked really cute!! 

I can't wait to see what next year brings for costumes...but I may not dress up - it's hard to beat Flo! 

Pumpkins and Fair Time

We had a very busy, but fun filled weekend! We went to the pumpkin patch (and didn't buy any pumpkins) on Saturday and then to the Texas State Fair on Sunday!

Carson rode his first horse at the pumpkin patch and he loved it! He was a pro!

On Sunday we went to the fair w/ our friend Travis and Elizabeth and their kiddos Emery and Owen. We had a great time - lots of eating, rides and a few games too! The weather was absolutely perfect - cool in the morning and low 70s in the afternoon.

Here's Carson and Emery holding hands - these two are so funny together. They just start laughing, hugging and jumping around every time they see each other...so cute!

There was a baby giraffe at the petting zoo - Carson wasn't sure what to think about that. We also saw pigs, cows, a turkey, chickens and goats!

Emery loves her some Carson! Every picture we took, she put her arms around him - so funny!

Sis enjoyed the fair too! She took a couple of naps and even got to walk around for a bit. She sure had a lot to say when she was up and walking!

 

And here is the NEW Big Tex! For those not from Dallas may not know, Big Tex caught on fire last year (really sad news for the city). So, here is the new and improved Big Tex. He talks too - welcoming everyone to the State Fair of Texas! Carson LOVED Big Tex!

 

(See, I told you Emery loves hugging on Carson!)

Here's an action shot of the kids riding one of many rides - and apparently also of Greg taking a picture too!

One more ride - the swings!! This kid loves riding all of the rides - he couldn't get enough.

 

 

It's Sunday night and needless to say, we are all beat! But, it was all well worth it!

Giggles

I just love the new baby giggles. We were recently able to get some of her laughs on video! You can't help but smile after watching this!

 

 

Saturday morning cuddles

Nothing is better than my Saturday morning cuddles with Carson! 

He usually comes into our room before Hannah wakes up so it gives us a few minutes for some cuddles. Sometimes he even falls asleep! Feeling his soft skin and fast beating heart is something I will never forgot. 

Daddy took our picture yesterday - so comfy!

Stay-at-home parents

Notice the title says 'stay-at-home parents' and not 'stay-at-home moms'...this is very important in our household since Greg is a DAD that stays at home w/ the kiddos.

I cannot imagine what it's like to be a man that stays home with the kids versus being the working parent. When we are around new people and they ask what Greg does - he gets one of two responses: 1. awesome, how did you pull that one off?! or 2. oh...interesting. Typically after that response, the person asking slowly turns and awkwardly walks away. Greg has learned to deal with this over the years. I'm so thankful I have an amazing husband who doesn't let the little things (or little people) get to him.

Also, since the stay-at-home parent is usually the mom, it's hard for him to make friends at Carson's events. Do they look at him as the creepy dad/husband that's overly friendly? Do they think he's hitting on them? Or should he just keep to himself and not talk to or get to know the moms? See the predicament he's in??!! So, to all of you stay-at-home moms, please talk to the stay-at-home dads and find a way to bring them in.  :)

Since I've been on maternity leave with Hannah for the past couple of months, I've gotten a taste of what it's like to be a stay-at-home parent. I didn't really get a feel for it when I was on maternity leave w/ Carson...not sure why. Maybe it's because it was just one baby for a couple of months and those first few months the baby doesn't do much but eat and sleep.

I've always respected the parent that stays home w/ the kids but really had no idea what their days are like. With a 3 yr old that's starting preschool and who wants to constantly be on the go (and I mean constantly) and a new baby that has a strict schedule, I got a taste of it, to say the least. And just let me say.....standing ovation to you folks that stay home w/ your children. This is not an easy gig at all. I won't lie, I've gotten to watch some of my favorite tv shows I don't usually get to watch, like Ellen and The Today Show (love me some Hoda and Kathy Lee (if I could just have their job)), but there is a lot more that goes into it. Here are just a few of my observations:

- There are strict schedules to stick to. For example, Hannah must eat and nap at certain times. Sound easy, right? Well, sometimes she fights the bottle - then what? Just don't feed her? Move onto the next chore? Nope, she has to eat so you have to find a way to make sure she eats. Compared to an office environment, if you are working on a task that is boring or difficult you can just drop it and move onto something else for awhile. Again, not possible with a baby that needs to eat and sleep...unless you want child protective services to pay you a visit. :)

- Have you ever tried reasoning w/ a 3 yr old?? Well, it's like trying to reason with a 3 yr old...you will get nowhere! I absolutely love Carson's energy and curiosity, but after a few hours of him running through the house screaming (just being a typical boy), asking you 500 times if he can go outside (but he can't because it's 105 degrees at the moment), trying to explain to him why he can't eat 5lbs of Goldfish or have 6 suckers, or endless pieces of candy, it can take a toll on you. And yet again, you can't just set Carson to the side while you work on a different task. But man, that sure would be nice from time to time. :)

- Then there's the running from here to there and everywhere in between. We haven't even hit the sports world yet so I cannot imagine what that's going to be like trying to make it to this practice for this kid and that practice for that kid. With Carson starting preschool this month, we've been tied to a set schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have to leave the house by 8:40am and he must be picked up by 2pm, no later. But, that means we have to get him ready in the morning which involves me saying "put on your shoes, let's go brush your teeth (and your hair), eat your breakfast" about 25 times. And, Hannah needs her bottle and inevitably she will poop right after you put her in her car seat (fully buckled of course). And remember, when you get to the school, you can't just leave sweet Miss Hannah is the car....you have to get out the stroller, put her and the car seat in the stroller, go around to the other side of the car, unbuckle Carson, wait 5 years for him to get his back pack and lunch box and get out by himself because he can do it and does not need our help (God bless his independence). All the while, you are sweating your tail off in the Texas heat. I won't go on....I think we all get it. :) And again, we only have 2 kids...I see the moms with 3, 4, 5 kiddos....hats off to you all!

Now for a little confession that I feel I need to get off my chest. I have always, and will probably always have that little piece of me that is insanely jealous of the stay-at-home mom that's in her work out clothes in the middle of the day. My initial thought, every single time..."well, must be nice". It must be nice to be able to work out every day (insert snooty face and eye roll). But then I stop and say to myself, wait, I get to work out everyday too...my workout just happens to be at 5am. So, maybe I'm just jealous that they get to work out when the sun is actually up! To be honest, I think I'm just jealous of any woman that is in better shape than me (which is most these days) so I feel the need to stick my nose up at them. But, I'm working hard to be 'that' woman that other women stick they nose up to! So mature, I know! ;)

So, I guess to summarize this incredibly long rambling.....God bless you stay-at-home parents! And, thank you for what you do! We all work our tails off everyday to contribute to our families. There are many things you cannot quantify or put a dollar amount on and yes, one person brings home a paycheck but the other person sure does a heck of a lot too...unfortunately, they don't get a paycheck at the end of the week even though they are most deserving of one!

Silly Uncle Justin

Justin is Greg's younger brother and quite the funny guy! Carson (and Sophie) have so much fun playing with Uncle Justin - thank goodness he's willing to run around the yard w/ the kiddos (we're too old to keep up w/ them)!

Greg took this video on his last visit....so funny! And so Uncle Justin!! Not sure why he tried stabbing my son at the end... :)

Preschool

I cannot believe it but our baby boy started preschool last week....and he loves it! He is going to Sunshine Kids (at our church) two days a week. And, he's in the Lions class....roar!

We talked quite a bit about going to school this summer and how it's important to listen to our teachers, to share, be nice, etc. So, on his first day, he woke up super excited and ready to go. In fact, he wore his backpack while eating breakfast! haha

Not one tear was shed that morning at drop off, in fact I had to beg for a kiss before he shot off into his classroom to start playing. He sure loves Ms. Kellee and Ms. Susan - he talks about them all the time!

Here are a few pics from his first day. We sure are proud of our little man!!

 On our way to school - look at that BIG grin!

 

Standing in front of his classroom!

 

His cubby w/ his backpack, lunchbox and nap mat.

 

Me and the big boy with another BIG smile!

 

And one last picture with Daddy!

 

Introducing.....Hannah Alice Hodges!

She's here, she's finally here!! Actually, she's been here for 4 weeks but I'm just now getting around to getting this posted to the blog. There's been a little lack of sleep around here recently. :)

Hannah joined us at 10:57am on July 3rd. Weighing in at 8 lbs, 8 ozs and 20 inches long!

Some have asked how we came up w/ her name so here's a little background. We were throwing out options of names since we found out we were having a girl (around 19 weeks). One day at work, Greg texted me about 6 names he liked and Hannah happened to be one of them. We would try it out from time to time when talking about her (usually we called her sissy) and it just seemed to fit! As for Alice, my grandmother's (my mom's mom) middle name was Alice. Mary Alice to be exact...I can still hear my grandpa opening the back door of their house and yelling out, "Mary Alice, where did you put my <insert something grandpa had misplaced>!" Alice is such a feminine name and I couldn't imagine having a daughter w/out Alice in her name.

Ok, back to how Miss Hannah joined us. We decided to get induced on July 3rd (her due date) so our morning started at 4am because we had to be checked in by 5am. Once I got all hooked up, and before the Pitocin started, the nurse said I was already having contractions (which I couldn't feel) and she thought I would have come in anyways on the 3rd in labor...which makes me feel better that we weren't rushing things.

Labor progressed quickly...at least faster than I thought it would. I was certain she would arrive sometime after noon but the nurse came in and checked me around 10:15am and said, "ok, you're already at 9cm, I'm going to get the doctor and we're going to start pushing shortly." What?? We're already there?? Ok, I had to get my head in the game - I was still watching the Today Show and not feeling a thing (gotta love drugs)! So, not long afterwards, I started pushing and shortly there after, Hannah arrived! I must say, this time was much easier. I only pushed through 2 contractions...with Carson, I pushed for well over 2 hours.

She is beautiful! See for yourself!

 

 

Hannah hanging out w/ her daddy in the hospital:

 

 

Here's when Carson first met his little sister. He wasn't too sure what to think but now we are in a good place. He's realized that she's here to stay. :)

 

I love this picture, Hannah sleeping in her bassinet. She doesn't like her arms to be swaddled and she often sleeps w/ her hands up by her ears. Maybe it's to block out here daddy's snoring. :) (sorry Greg, I couldn't resist)

 



 

And here's one more picture. This has been our life lately. Every morning starts in our bedroom w/ feeding Hannah, trying to get Carson to eat something and Greg and I drinking coffee and watching the Today Show. Of course Carson has to be right in the middle of everything!

 

We wouldn't have it any other way!

 

 

39 Weeks

I really don't like taking these types of pictures of myself - always so awkward. But...I wanted to document what I'm looking like 1 week out from having a baby. So, here I am....in all of my glory! :)

We can't wait to meet her...and hopefully it'll be soon!!

Some recent photos of Carson

Here are a few fun pictures of Carson we took recently. I can't believe how fast he's growing up. 

A big thumbs up while hanging out with daddy! 

Little ones are so precious when they are sleeping. I seriously could watch his sweet face all night long. 

Although we had to go to the doctor, he enjoys getting a sucker when we leave. And he loves the blue ones - I think because it turns his tongue blue. :)

We got a fun little pool for the backyard today. I think he's a fan!

A typical night w/ the boys

Just another night at the Hodges house w/ the boys. You never know when a great sword fight will break out!

Just checking on the back yard

Two peas in a pod...

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day (look at me, actually posting about something on the day of...don't get used to it)!! The day we celebrate the men in our lives, and our children's lives, and thank them for doing what they do - every day....be a dad!

I was lucky enough to have two dads in my life growing up! Both taught me very valuable lessons - even though I'm pretty sure I made them both want to tear their hair out at times (but I think that's the job of a teenage girl). :)

Here's a sampling of a few things I learned along the way from each of them...

Dad:
- taught me about God and what it means to be a Christian
- how to ride a bike, be adventurous and hunt for mushrooms in the middle of nowhere (and actually appreciate it)
- how to be a kid at heart and laugh at myself (even though he still embarrasses me at times, it's not nearly to level it was when I was younger)

Chet:
- he taught me all about football
- he also worked on teaching me how to drive a stick shift - apparently I needed multiple people to help me w/ this one (although we almost strangled each other a few times)
- taught me how to work hard for what you want

Another Father I want to celebrate today is my husband, Greg! He is such an amazing father to Carson, I can't even begin to put it into words. So often I hear from other women that they can't get their husband's to help w/ the kids, change diapers, feed the baby, pick up around the house....the list goes on and on. It's hard to understand where they're coming from because my husband does all of this, and much more.

Often times, we get a strange look from people when we tell them that I work and he stays him w/ the kiddo (soon to be kiddos). But you know what, it works for us! And, the amazing bond that I see between Carson and Greg - I can't put it into words. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely days I come home from work and they are minutes away from knocking each other out but that's part of it - one of the joys of having children...one minute they're the cutest things you've ever seen and the next minute you want to give them away! haha

Greg is always sending me pictures throughout the day of Carson or telling me the fun things they are doing. I can't lie and say there's not a small piece of me that is jealous of the days they get to spend together but then I think about the special time they need together and that Carson and I get our special time (which is different than what he does w/ daddy) and I feel great about it! Here are just a few of the fun pics I get throughout the day!!

This one absolutely cracks me up! I believe the text said, "this is the kind of respect I get". So darn funny!!

 

 This is the, "hi mommy, we miss you!"

Look at that amazing smile! Greg makes sure I don't miss these moments throughout the day!

 



Got the 'thumbs up' from the sick patient...he was feeling much better when he woke up!

 



Just enjoying my lunch w/ daddy....and my cool shades!

Here are a few more pictures of the two together.

So, in honor of being an awesome, amazing, loving, funny father....here's to you daddy!!!!

2.5 weeks to go

I cannot believe we only have 2.5 weeks until baby girl is set to join our family. It's crazy to think that....well, there's so many way to say it:
- we will be a family of 4
- a new baby will be in this house
- Carson will have a sister
- Carson won't be the only child in this house
- we will have to learn to juggle 2 kids
- the fact that we will have children...not just a child
- a little girl will be in this house (aka, lots of pink versus all blue and trucks)

I am so very excited to meet sissy (that's what we call her around here). I wonder what she's going to look like. I have to remind myself she won't come out as a talking 3 yr old that looks/acts just like Carson (that would be really weird if she did). She will be her own self, with her own personality, her own likes and dislikes, her own everything!

I can't lie, I am nervous...having 2 kiddos to care for and look after is a scary thing, at least for me. What if they both need us at the same time?? (I say this w/ a bit of sarcasm because yes, I do realize this will happen) I know it can be done...millions of people have multiple children but for 3 years everything has been about Carson. If he needs something, Greg and I are both there, immediately for him.

And, I hate to admit this, but I feel myself feeling kind of sad too. I love that I can give all of my attention to Carson right now. It's going to be different - he's going to have to share his time w/ mommy and daddy w/ this new little thing that will be here soon. How is he going to react? I pray that he feels just as loved once she arrives as he does now. I pray that I can figure out how to split my time between the two and make sure they both feel so extremely special and so loved...all the time.

I know in my heart it will all come together, and we'll wonder how we even made it without her, but until she gets here, these are my fears. I guess it's the fear of the unknown...which I remember feeling before Carson was born. How in the world are we going to manage life with a child, it had always been about us. But now looking back, I wonder what the heck we even did before Carson...we must have been really boring people! :)

Lastly, this is our last (planned) baby. It makes me so sad to know I will never have that feeling again of a baby moving around inside of me. Every time she moves, I do my best to soak up that moment...remember what it feels like to feel a foot push out or her little bottom pushing up. It's the most amazing thing to feel - that's a human being inside of you, growing and developing to soon join you family. So, keep on moving baby girl so I can continue to create these memories with you and then once you get here, we'll be able to create so many more memories together!

A boy and his John Deere

Look what Papa G and Kiki got Carson for his birthday! He's really good at driving in circles!

Attack of the blanket monster...

Be afraid, be very afraid! He growls and everything!

Carson is 3!

I can't believe it...my baby boy is 3! And a very independent 3 yr old he is! :)

He actually turned 3 a month ago (May 8th) but we all know that I am extremely slow at getting on here to post....well, just about anything.

The beginning of his 3rd year started out a little rough, to say the least. About 4 days before his birthday, he started to get sick...in fact, he and I both were sick. We laid in bed all day together (the plus side of this is I got lots of cuddles that day). I was fine the next day but turns out he had hand, foot, mouth disease. For those that do not know about this illness, let me sum it up for you in two words....It's Horrible!

His throat was so sore (and bumps everywhere in his mouth) he couldn't eat or drink. A sip of water made him scream and cry. Which, if we aren't drinking, we become dehydrated.

His birthday party was scheduled for that weekend but we ended up postponing it due to this - I could not let him be around other kids and possibly spread this horrible thing. All in all, he was down and out for about 4-5 days. Long days for me (worrying about him while I was at work) but really long days for Greg as he was home w/ him...all day.

Good news is, he recovered nicely and we were able to reschedule his birthday party a couple of weeks later!

He wanted a pirate theme party so that's what we did - - complete w/ eye patches and pirate cupcakes!

 

 

We had his party at a local gymnastics place. He's been before on rainy days w/ daddy and he loves it! It's full of trampolines, bounce houses, etc. If it's fun and bouncy, they have it!

 

Here's a few pictures of Carson having fun and a final picture w/ all of his buddies that made it!

 

 

After the party, we came home for a quick nap and then back to playing! We had a cookout w/ family, including my mom, step-dad, sister and nephew who were all able to make it down for the big celebration!

We recently expanded our patio (as in the day before his party) so we had some dirt (aka, mud) left over. Carson and Sophie couldn't resist...they just had to get in it! We all remember what fun that was as a kid to play in the mud! Daddy even put out a couple of pans for them to rinse off their feet before heading back in!

Carson got so many fun birthday presents from his friends, aunts/uncles, cousins, grandparents - he doesn't know what to do w/ all of them! We only got him one present....but I think he's happy w/ it!



The greatest thing about this new swing set, is that Greg put it together...all by himself! So proud of him! And as he would say...it's still standing!! :)

We found out very quickly that the slide is very, very fast! Now, he just mostly climbs up the slide versus going down it!

Although the birthday started out rough, it ended great! So far, 3 has been a success!