The beach!

Our trip to Litchfield was a wonderful time. We loved spending time with all the

Hudgens at the beach! Everyone was so excited to see Happy and Nana.

We are very thankful they were able to be there and what a sweet time it was

with all the family. It's like Christmas everytime Nana and Happy come to visit.

I really love spending all day on the beach doing nothing! It's so much fun when

the little ones can actually play on the beach rather than just sitting there.

But there is a price to pay for that change, no more sitting on the beach

reading a book! It's a price that I am more than willing to pay! I loved playing with

her on the beach and watching her explore the water and sand.

Here are a few pictures from the beach. Happy and Reese reading together!

Nana and Walker

Reese, Nana and McCrary

Walker

Walker, Nana and Reese.....McCrary playing in the water!

Reese eating sand.
Little Reese

Playing with her beach ball

Reese and McCrary washing off the sand

Praying for Happy.....

Thank you Lord for watching over Happy today during his surgery.....

For being with the doctors as they operated so closely to such

important "real estate" in the body.......

For sending people to the hospital to be/pray with Nana and the family......

For providing such a great place and great doctors to take care of him....

For your providence........

For allowing family to be with Nana.....

For the peace you give all of us during difficult and uncertain times.......

For continuing to watch over him and help him through the recovery.......

Lord, you never promise things will be easy but you ALWAYS promise to hold us in your hands!

Thank you for that promise!

The last season

This past soccer season (2009) was the last season for me as head coach.
It was a great team to end with and a good year to end on.

I am so thankful for the many lessons I learned over these past 7 years

and will never forget ALL the memories. Here

are a few pictures of Reese with some of the girls at the swim party

they had at the end of the season!

Reese with a few of the girls!

Reese with Meredith (who graduate a few years back)...

trying a sip of lemonade and pizza.

Just tall enough to see over the table.

Reese and Meredith after swimming.

Reese with Meredith while Claire (meredith's sister)

swims up to them!

This is what the girl's learned to do this year thanks to

Carlyn. And this is what they taught Reese!

Reese trying to make the "Carlyn" face!! After just a

few attempts Reese is successful!

Strawberry Pickin'

I was trying to show Reese how to hold the strawberry to eat it!

Jenny, Abby, Reese and me at the Strawberry Farm

YUMMY!!!

Abby and Reese talking about how to pick strawberries!

Still working on the strawberry

Her basket of Strawberries!

Abby eating her strawberry!

Quite isn't always good!

On Sunday Reese was taking a nap. She had been asleep for about

2 1/2 hours and then she started to stir. We waited for a second

and no noise came from her room. We thought she had just fallen back

asleep. A few minutes later I went to check on her. I got close to her

room but didn't hear anything. I peeped in the door and

saw she was sitting in the corner of her bed with her back to me.

She was just sitting there not really doing anything. I slowly opened

the door to a stinch that I am quite familiar with, but she still didn't move.

As I got closer to her bed I noticed her diaper had been removed

THEN I noticed there was a little surprise missing from the diaper!

Yes, she had taken off her diaper and her little "stink" had fallen out

onto the bed. She was just sitting there in amazement looking at it!

Lauren: "Oh NO!!"

Greg: (running down the hall) "What, What, What is she ok?"

Lauren: "She's fine....we just have a mess!"

Quite, then straight to the bath tub!

Nothing a little washing machine and soap can't clean!

Does anyone else have a chipmunk?

Reese now has four teeth with four more breaking through.

Once her teeth came in she started using her crib

as a chew toy! A lesson for me....keep things

in perspective and keep a little toy

for her to use rather than her bed!

" Is this lead free paint?"

Easter - what a wonderful day!

As I look back, I am so thankful for our Easter Sunday. I know it was a while ago but I'm just

now able to write. Christ is Risen....He is Risen indeed! We had a great time at church where

a wonderful sermon was preached. We also were able to fellowship with friends and family

after the service. Then we went over to Mary Beth's house with the rest of my family.
Dad was living with Mary Beth so it was easier for all of us to just go over there. The weather

was wonderful - a beautiful day actually! The guys (Will, Rhett, Greg and Brett -

a friend of the family) played a little basketball. It started out as HORSE but then

turned into a 2v2 match. Allison, Mary Beth and I got the food together in the

house with dad. Nanny was playing with the little ones, as usual. And Dad just

took everything in! The little ones would walk in and out of the house,

stopping by his chair to "talk". At least they thought they were talking to him

and he would just listen to their babble :)

Everything was just as it should be, all of us together!
Dad was getting a little hungry and requested some food.
Dad: "I'm hungry"
Mary Beth: gives him some ham then says "Dad, EAT YOUR HAM"
(those of you familiar with Napolean Dynamite it's a familiar quote)
Allison and I thought it was pretty funny!
After his second helping of food, we decided to give dad his Easter basket so he could

finish the meal off with some fine candy and chocolate! Everybody else got their Easter

baskets too. We've continued the tradition of being together on holidays trying to be

together at most of them, knowing that mom LOVED holidays. I think it's something we

do without saying it. It's just a way to remember mom. I was surprised by how fast the

time flew. We stayed there almost all afternoon. All of us were having fun playing

around and laughing with/AT each other! Dad enjoyed just watching everything go on

and eating a good ole' meal with all of us! I do have to say Dad had to endure Greg's

story of his male massage therapist! I think Dad got a good laugh at Greg's expense!

For this day I am so thankful and it will be with me forever!
Christ is Risen.....He is Risen indeed!