Back to Basics

Whew! I finally got some time to post a few things tonight. I've been struggling a little bit lately. After coming home from my trip, which was a nice getaway, I just felt totally overwhelmed and bombarded with it all. Every time I work around the house, it seems to get trashed again within one hour of unleashing the beasts! Like all moms probably feel at times, there is just so much to do, and so much more I feel like I could be doing, I just can't seem to keep up. And there are so many distractions and diversions that continually tempt me away from focusing on what is really most important in this life. But I realized tonight that I need to remember to slow down and SIMPLIFY.

So I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving week for a week long initiative to focus on the family proclamation. This is an inspired and timely document put out by the leaders of our church based on our belief about the eternal family.

Here is the information about the special week from the family proclamation week website:

The Family Proclamation Awareness Week Initiative November 23-29, 2008
Putting Family First & Bringing Families Together

Purpose: A week long initiative to put families first and bring families together to raise our voices in support of the Family Proclamation issued by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (September 23, 1995).

Plan: Invite each family to participate in a week long challenge where the family will dedicate their time, energy, talents, and resources to their family between the hours of 5pm to bedtime with the purpose of building, nurturing, and strengthening their family.

A Plan to 'Turn From': Families would turn away from the myriad of distractions that keep us from building family. They would turn off (unplug) TV, movies, internet, MP3 players, cell phones, outside commitments, play dates, clubs, activities, meeting, classes, sports, work, etc. and dedicate the time to family dinners, family activities, family lessons, family scriptures, family prayer, and family togetherness.

A Plan to 'Turn To': Families initiate a plan to turn to their family and “devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children…” (Dallin H. Oaks, Conference Oct. 2007) by planning 7 nights of strictly family time. Family participants would commit to eat dinner together, participate in a family night of their choice, read scriptures, and kneel in prayer as a family each night of the week.


The website also offers a list of ideas and activities to strengthen our families. What an inspired and edifying initiative. It couldn't come at a better time for me. It's such a great reminder to put first things first.

Our Tony deserves a Tony!

Last week I got to take the kids to Gettysburg to watch my brother perform in a production of The West Side Story. The 8 hour drive was pretty miserable, but it was well worth it, because the show was absolutely phenomenal. And I am not just saying that because he's my little bro and if anyone said otherwise they would have to take it up with me! But his acting and singing really were truly phenomenal. I loved it so much I went to see it three nights in a row! (Thanks again for babysitting dad) and I was just floored by how fantastic he was and the entire production was. Everytime he sang, "Maria" I had tears streaming down my face. Each night the house was packed and the cast got a standing ovation. But yeah- I know I'm a little biased. But I wasn't the only one who was impressed. It turns out, Leonard Bernstein's (the composer of The West Side Story) son and daughter were there! And after the show, his daughter approached Ben and said that in the last 25 years that she had been touring around the world and watching different West Side Story productions, Ben was the best Tony she had ever seen! Seriously amazing. Way to go Uncle Ben- so proud of you!

ABC Tag

A- Attached or Single: Beyond attached.
B-Best Friend: Mr. Wonderful of course!
C- Cake or Pie: Definitely cake... chocolate with buttercream frosting... mmm.
D- Dog or Cat: Cats, except not lately. Ours has been peeing on every towel she can find for some bizarre reason and it's driving me CRAZYYYYYYYY. Seriously, cat pee is the most repulsive smell of ALL time.
E- Essential Items: Scriptures, Dayplanner, and cherry lip gloss. (In order of imporance. ;))
F- Favorite Color: Purple
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears... the white and red ones
H- Hometown: Bothell, WA
I- Indulgences: Sugar!!!
J- January or July: January, I absolutely love cuddling up next to the fireplace on cold winter evenings.
K- Kids: love em... all of them!!! I hope I never get too busy or preoccupied to stop and notice how precious each one of them is.
L- Life is incomplete without: the gospel of Jesus Christ and my loved ones
M- Marriage Date: December 28
N- Number of Siblings: 2 wonderful brothers, and anxiously waiting for a couple sister in-laws. C'mon boys! Get on it! My kids will be baby-sitting their cousins at this rate!
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges... have you ever studied an orange carefully? It is so AMAZING! P- Phobias or Fears: Spiders and roller-coasters
Q- Quote: "We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny." -Desiderius Gerhard Erasmus
R- Reason to Smile: "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give ye rest." Matthew 11:28
S- Something New: Getting certified in Turbo-kick! Woo-hoo!
T- Tag: Anyone who wants to do this. It's a great way to get to know each other better!
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I hate the Chalaze in eggs... you know that nasty white thing hanging from the yolk. When I bake something, I always take it out! Yuck!
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor Of Animal: I don't think I could live without chicken.
W- Worst Habit: Sighing when I'm annoyed or frustrated (it drives my hubby nuts!) Maybe that's why I do it.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds... except when the technician blurts out the sex of the baby when you asked her to keep it a secret as in the case of our first baby!
Y- Your Favorite Food: Fruit! Especially nectarines and berries.
Z- Your Favorite Zoo Animal: Big cats!! They are absolutely mesmerizing.

Why I will be taking my own "school pictures" from now on

Needless to say, I wasn't too pleased with the school pictures this year!

But on a brighter note, I was thrilled to find out that there were some awards handed out at the school assembly last week and she was given an award in the Character/Moral Focus category. Of all the achievements my kids will make in this life, it is most important to me that they develop kindness, respect, and compassion for other people. Too bad this picture hardly reflects her loving and friendly nature!

My New Do

I know there are a few of you who have mentioned doing this too, so I thought I'd pass along a great article (the link below) about options for donating hair and the requirements involved. It was a little hard to say good-bye, but this picture makes it soooo worth it!! What a little sweetie! Although it was a bit of a sacrifice at first, I'm loving my new do now. It feels great to mix things up a little bit sometimes.

How many kids do I have???

I have noticed that much of this blog is dedicated to the antics of my crazy and ever-entertaining hubby who keeps me laughing. We did our pumpkin this year and while we were carving it, Jon got a little hungry, so he dug in... unfortunately, he couldn't stomach it! ;) What a nut job!

Halloween Memories

Halloween at the Hudsons is quite an ordeal! We have a fun tradition of getting dressed up to a family theme every year. We especially enjoy going to the trunk-r-treat at our church... just one of the many fun and edifying events our church offers for families. So here's a look at some of the special halloween memories from the last couple years.

2006

2007

and...

2008!

Believe it or not, these costumes cost just over $60 total! We try to plan ahead and buy most of them on clearance a year in advance, and the rest of the items we just piece together. Who said you have to spend a ton of money to have fun?!

Ha ha ha!!! This picture cracks me up!! I can't believe I could make my studly hubby look so incredibly hideous!
Here we are at the Taco Bell drive-thru. Needless to say the poor girl was pretty shocked to see us pull up to the window. After we got our order, Jon said, "I'll get you my pretty!!" and gave her a hearty cackle as we sped off and laughed ourselves sick!! This was reminiscint of last year's adventure (More Random Funnnies post). Oh man... seriously- why not?? Good times!!!

Oh my word... what a goofball.

Here's me and my sweet little munchkin. Love this kid!

The kiddos were pretty much wiped out by the end of the night. And Baby Jakey was sooo done with being a munchkin!

So I guess it's already time to start planning our family theme for next year.

Any suggestions?!

Big Ben

My little man turned 4 yesterday! I can hardly believe it. Words can't even express how much I love this kid! He is such a sweet and tender-hearted boy and he's just growing up way too fast. We had a fun mini-party for him yesterday, but next week I'm taking the kids to Gettysburg for a week to visit my family (My little bro is playing Tony in West Side Story!!) and we'll have a fire engine birthday party then. So I'll post more pics of the festivities when I get back, but I was just reminiscing tonight about these last 4 years with my sweet Benny. The following is from a scrapbook page I made last year entitled "My little man"...

I saw something in this picture I don't see very often... a glimpse of my little boy growing up. Your growth seems to be so gradual that sometimes I hardly realize it's happening. It isn't until I look back at pictures of you that I wonder where the time has gone. That's why I cherish every moment of your childhood, because someday, you'll go off on your own... independent and capable. Someday you will become a man with a family of your own. Someday you too will look back on your years as a boy and wonder where the time has gone. Benjamin, I know that Heavenly Father has sent you to this earth for an important purpose and that you are destined for greatness, but no matter how old you grow, or what you accomplish in this life, you will always be MY LITTLE MAN.

What's wrong with this picture?

Ahh, the joys of parenthood.

Backyard Campout

I had promised the kids we'd go camping last weekend, but after talking it over with Mr. Wonderful ;) we decided that we probably shouldn't since we had too much going on. So since the kids hearts were set on it, and they had been looking forward to it all week, we decided to have a backyard campout instead. Why not? It was tons of fun... we roasted hot dogs, marshmallows, and sang campfire songs. The kids absolutely LOVED it! Then we all got in our jammies and crashed in our new pop-up camper. In my opinion, it's the best way to camp! We got to be outdoors together, but the shower/microwave/computer/etc. were all still accesible. :)

The kids making "snores".

Baby Jakey is finally old enough to indulge (he takes it very seriously)! Check out those chubby fingers... Ahh! I just wanna eat 'em!


Singing and cuddling around the campfire.

I always thought campers were for prissy girls. Jon had to convince me to get one because I've always loved camping in a tent, but now I am so converted! We even got to plug in a heater, and watch a movie after the kiddos went to bed. And the best part... NO bugs.

An Unforgettable Date

Ok girls... here's an idea for a fun and very memorable date. One evening tell your hubby you'd like to take him out for a fun challenge... (that will pique his interest ;)) Suprise him by taking him to the goodwill or another thrift store nearby and then present the challenge: You both have 20 minutes and $20 or less to spend to select a hideous outfit for each other. Purchase the outfits and then go out at a fancy restaurant without disclosing that you don't normally dress that way. Take tons of pictures and laugh about it for years! :)

Outfits... less than $40
Dinner... $35
Look on server's face... priceless!

Nicknames

Forgive me for bragging, but I have to share my feelings about my dear hubby so after I'm gone, my children will know how much their mommy loved their daddy. His nickname is Mr. Wonderful, and I'll be referring to him by his nickname on this blog from now on. Here is how the nickname came about... one day I was upset with him about something trivial. We had gotten in a little tiff while shopping so I stormed off in a huff, (not one of my most mature moments) and while browsing the aisles at the store, I came across this doll. I picked it up and noticed on the back there was a list of 16 phrases he said to make you feel like the most special woman on earth including...

"You've been on my mind all day. That's why I bought you these flowers."
"Why don't we go to the mall. Didn't you want some shoes?"
"The ball game is not that important. I'd rather spend time with you."
"You know, I think it's really important that we talk about our relationship."
"Can your mother stay with us for another week?"
"Let’s just cuddle tonight."
"Mmm…you look so beautiful in the morning."

I was immediately humbled. It hit me at that moment that I was married to the personification of that doll! I swear, he says all those things! (Well, except for the shopping one- I'm not really a big fan of malls). Anyway, my heart was immediately softened and I forgot about our petty issue. I recognized how lucky I was and I threw my arms around my very own tall, dark, and handsome Mr. Wonderful. I am so grateful to be married to such a devoted, sensitive, thoughtful and loving husband. He is not perfect, but he is perfect for me. We've been through so much together, and our love has grown stronger through it all.

I made a cheesy calendar for him once full of our pictures from when we were dating, and this is the page from February that includes my favorite picture of us from those days. The picture was taken at such a perfect night in Seattle. We were so carefree and happy with such few responsibilities then. I thought it couldn't get any better than that. But now, 4 kids, a mortgage, and huge full-time responsibilities later... we're happier than ever even though it's really hard sometimes. I am grateful beyond expression for this wonderful man who is such a great balance of sensitivity and strength. He is my very best friend and my one and only true love. I'm so grateful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and that I could be sealed in the holy temple to this man. Because of this blessing, our union is not "till death do us part" but it will continue on after this life.

Oh... I have a nickname too. It's Tigerlily. My parents used to call me that as a kid actually, but Mr. Wonderful adopted it because he thinks it suits me perfectly. He says I'm 95% lily, 5% tiger! (I think he's being a little... ok, maybe a LOT- generous on the lily part!)

Chunky Apple Cake

A few weeks ago, our friends Kelly and Michele invited us to go apple-picking for the first time. It was such a fun family activity... I highly recommend it. (Thanks guys!) So over the last few weeks, I've gotten to utilize almost all my apple recipes. I thought I'd share my very favorite apple recipe that I got from Taste of Home Magazine. It is DELICIOUS!!!! It even won the grand prize award:

Chunky Apple Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups chopped peeled tart apples

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be stiff). Stir in apples until well combined. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 30 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Gradually add cream. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Serve with cake. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Yum... enjoy!!

Date night gone wrong...

On friday night there was an activity at church that I was really excited about. There was an instructor that was going to teach us latin dancing. I LOVE dancing, and I was really looking forward to it, but I got sick, so we couldn't go. :( I was really bummed, so my sweet romantic hubby decided to take me dancing the following night. So we found a ballroom dancing group in town, and we were thrilled about it! But when we got there, it wasn't exactly what we had expected. The dancing group turned out to be a group from an old folks home! We couldn't help but feel a little out of place! We thought since we were at least 30 years younger, we'd be able to show them a couple of our moves, and keep up with them on the dance floor. But we were wrong! They were AMAZING dancers!! They danced circles around us and we had to sit down because we were practically getting mowed over by them. It was really inspiring! We stayed and watched in awe for a little while, but then we fox-trotted on outta there and went bowling instead!

Ha ha!! Check out that form! He really takes his game seriously!

Here's my awkward attempt to imitate him... but mine went in the gutter. :(

So after being extremely humbled by some oldies (but goodies) we decided to go home and practice so that next time maybe we just might be able to keep up.

A Sweet Serenade

Saturday afternoon was a perfect day for a picnic, so I took the kids to the park for lunch. While the kids were playing on the slides, I laid out a blanket and began to read. After a little while, Benny sat down on the blanket and asked, "Mommy, can I sing you something?" He proceeded to sing the primary song, "Mother I love you." It was the sweetest thing ever! I didn't even know he knew that song!! We've been playing the children's primary songs at bedtime, so that's probably how he learned it. I asked him to sing it again because I had to capture it on video. I have a feeling he'll make all the girls swoon someday with his sweet serenades. :)

Mother I Love You

Mother I love you, mother I do.

Father in Heaven has sent me to you.

When I am near you, I love to hear you

singing so softly that you love me too.

Mother I love you, mother I do.

I want to help you because I love you.

I want to mind you I want to find you,

happy and smiling because I love you.

Mother I love you, I love you, I do.