Happy Birthday Hudson! 3.27.2021

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Hudson Frederick- named so appropriately after Hudson Taylor  & my sweet outgoing Grampy, has been blowing our minds at his innocent outreach ways! He is the 1st to ask to pray for anything, the 1st to want to watch "God shows" & the one we hear recounting those stories to anyone that will listen. He will hug anyone close enough to get a squeeze, with his big hear hugs. He is aware of the simple things that we overlook. His imagination is bubbling over with ideas and creations. We all know the days can be challenging raising our Hudbud and seeing him grow and explore Bible messages & understand God's love for him has been our biggest joy so far. We have been blessed beyond measure by a special needs ministry that is just 2 miles away! They offer all sorts of athletics as well as amazing play time and Bible stories weekly. He looks forward to CCV every single Saturday. When we saw his birthday was on a Saturday, we knew he had to celebrate there and he did, with his small group and the amazing Special Needs coaches. We know 8 will be great, buddy! Keep doing YOU! You are incredible in every way, and in Veggie Tale form " God made you special & He loves you very much". 

The latest craze for Hudson has been a game called Among Us. Although it looks cute and colorful I think it's actually kinda gruesome?! I found this out when the kids at the party were talking about death, dead bodies and murder. Oh boy. Mom Fail!? Butttt... we nailed the theme & we hope the game choice improves from here . It can only get better right? 😂

Hannah created this amazing Impostor Pinata. 

My assistant in IL, Miss Jordan, who Hudson calls Grandma, sent him moola for Legos! My mom did as well, and Hudson was oh so excited to shop and get YES as an answer for his wishes! That kid life always window shopping haha! But today, Wednesday before his Bday, was his YES day! 

Then we got brave and went to Peter Piper for lunch. And we were the only guests, because I love going when places 1st open. And the ticket man who was testing all the games gave us the tickets! SO sweet & they had SO much fun! I did too. That basketball shoot out & skee ball have my heart! 

Lulu was freed from her stroller too, and loved the ride ons! 

 

Saturday finally arrived! And it was a fun filled all about Hudson with a side of deep cleaning & Crossfit. Hannah made him a scavenger hunt to find his gifts.  

We ended the day with a little bash, pinata...silly string... games... parts of a  movie & lots of sugar!  

Multitude Monday 3.22.2021

Happy Monday, friends!

Thankful this week for Hudson and all his random awesomeness. It's his birthday week! Yesterday as I was bringing in groceries, ya know all the bags in 1 trip kinda thing, he asked when I trained to be a mom. I told him I hadn't trained. He was like wow, how can you carry all that.  #thanksbud 

Thankful for Matt's dad. The loss of my dad is felt ever so keenly especially during milestones, like Big H driving. Thankful that Harrison has a kind, patient and ever so trusting Pepere to practice driving with. And treats him to a yummy breakfast too!

Thankful for Blue Rooster Produce and the sweet Birt Family. We were inspired by their bunnies and their cool bunny home. Super eclectic. Think bathtub watering hole. And they so kindly gave us 2 of their bunnies. Like gave gave. Who gives away freebies anymore? So kind. Hannah of course is the main momma, but we all do love these fur balls! Puff is the black and white bunny and Pearl is the little one. They are adorable and oh so gentle. 

And hey! We re-purposed Lulu's playyard! 

You will find Hannah outside in the chilly morning air, sitting and watching, feeding and trying to hold the buns. 

Thankful that my mom's week 3 of chemo went well. The hair loss is not happening yet, but she's getting ready. The wigs mentioned in an earlier post, arrived, but were dated and not the best. She is getting crafty with her favorite hobby of sewing! Lots of new head coverings coming right up! 

Thankful for our seeds! Most of the kid's seeds have sprouted. We had a transplant day this week, and moved them to bigger planters. We have big dreams- watermelon pumpkin radishes basil etc! 

Thankful for weekly dates with Matt's brother and his girlfriend Jess and our niece Grace. We meet for the Saturday church service, and then we have a dinner date after. It's a highlight & we are very thankful. 

Thankful for the Saturday service of the Prodigal Father. Interesting spin!

Thankful for another virtual art class with my aunt in Boston! Check out the blending technique and the facial features! Thanks Auntie Jack! We love you! 

Thankful for upclose bunny shots. Puff. 

Pearl.

Thankful for brunch dates. Love our tribe. SO. MUCH.

Have a wonderful week!! Hudson's Birthday is Saturday! The festive week is in full swing!
XO

1 year.

365 days ago we packed up our van, and set sail for Spring Break- AZ style! If only we knew what the  week, then the month, then the year would hold. Probably a good thing we didn't know? But here we are... still in AZ... without any IL closure... with rooms still full of our belongings back on Whispering Lake Drive... classrooms still full of March 2020 stuff. Yet with a home and life full here in AZ too. We are thankful. We feel many blessings, yet it always feels good to look back & reflect. 

Every week it felt like "hmm I wonder when we will get back to IL". I wonder what tomorrow will look like. And guys it has been 365 days of wonder. 

Finally we learned to live IN THE MOMENT and wonder as we wandered to borrow John Jacob Niles' words. Forgetting the long term planning that the world so often wants us to fall into. The hype of whats going to happen next - the next best thing. Muting the Google classrooms has helped me understand the value of muting life. The noise. The static. The unnecessary background chatter. 

My constant reminder to my students "Mute your mic, please." And.. "stay muted" applies in life... Stay muted- background noise and senseless talk. Only let the good and the true filter through. 

Today is a big day. Today we look back and reflect. Today we look forward with great expectation and excitement. Today we pause in the here and now and eat all the green things & taste the rainbow! Our pot of Gold is better than Gold! Far better. "Oh yes my friend there's something more something more than gold, to know your sins are all forgiven is better far than gold" 

We are thankful how the Lord has kept us. The Irish blessing rings truer than ever! 

Thankful for our Crossfit Community. 

Thankful for the local produce stand and farm. 

These body scrubs tho!

Thankful for this freshly showered babe!

Thankful for hiking views!

Thankful for Sunday church time! Lulu sat and "read" for 30 minutes! Get it girl! 

Thankful for Home Goods and Hannah's organization style! She loves learning from home & loves making her little nest just the cutest! 

Thankful for this program. Some recent events have triggered some grief pain & the local church has an amazing 13 week grief class. It is heavy. It is raw. It is real. It is safe. 10/10 rec this if you have suffered any loss in your family. Even if it's been years since that loss. 

Thankful for the Lucky Charm door decor- the cute font person in me initially cringed at the crazy handwriting on each!? But cmon get over it momma right!? The messages were sweet. Yes it was was somewhat forced. The hopes of organic thoughts emerging from all the kids was pretty dreamy- you already know who was obsessed with this. And who wasn't ;)

And then there's little lucky Lulu. We have the sweetest penpal in Iowa, who shares the love of every single holiday. Sweet Bridger spoiled her again this holiday! 

And my obsessed with all things holiday Hannah. #nailedit When she found the purple teethers tho! 💜😍

And she is also a savage. That unicorn donut stood no chance. And this photo is taken and shared with 100% permission. 😅

Lucky me, we have the cutest "play along with all mom's crazy antics and set leprechaun traps", kiddos! 

No, don't worry I didn't make Harrison set a trap 😂 He just got the good stuff 💚

And as corned beef simmers in the slow cooker, and City Alight's new song plays may we all enjoy the present. Love you all.  Happy St Patrick's Day  XO💚

Take a listen! 

https://www.cityalight.com/it-was-finished-upon-that-cross/