My life as a mommy (O.K. So It's all Everett)

Gone Fishin'

2009-06-06T01:28:00.002-05:00

Everett likes to fish! Donnie has taken him a couple of times and says he'll stand there for the longest time (Lightening McQueen fishing rod in hand) casting, reeling it in, casting, reeling it in. Pretty good for someone with the attention span of a gnat! He had a few bites the last time, but, judging by the look on his face, he wouldn't know what to do if he actually hung one!

Cute cousins...still!

2009-05-24T01:50:00.002-05:00

The first picture is from around this time last year. The second is from Everett and Carlie's class field trip to the zoo. I think they more alike now then they did a year ago...no wonder people ask if they are twins!

Hi!

2009-03-15T01:31:00.002-05:00

Wow...it's March! I can't believe I haven't updated since December. Everett is growing like a weed. Seems he gets taller by the day. Here's a cute pic from GrandNan. Don't you just want to kiss each one of those freckles? I've tried and it causes such a giggle fit that I don't get very far! Good shot of that cool brown streak in his left eye (well, his right eye...the left one in the picture...) We're going camping in the Okefenokee swamp this week. I'll post more pictures then. Hope everyone is well!

The Christmas Tree Caper

2008-12-21T22:42:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from our annual Christmas tree search. We found one pretty easily this year...down the hill from GrandNan and PawPaw's house. We always have fun tramping through the woods looking for the best cedar. Carlie came along for the ride this time and we got an awesome picture of the cute cousins!

The finished product:

Sorry they are in the wrong order...still can't figure out how to do that~

Zonk!

2008-11-26T22:20:00.002-06:00

Fall Fun

2008-11-24T21:07:00.004-06:00

Grandnan and Pawpaw had some old trees cut down in their yard. Donnie and Everett went to help with the clean-up. Everett and Griffin had a good time climbing all over (and through) the big trunks and playing in the leaves. Aren't they cute cousins?

Halloween Fun

2008-10-30T21:07:00.002-05:00

We started Halloween early this year. Everett actually let me put a costume on him which is very different from last year. We went to the Candy Hunt at Lakeside Park and First Baptist's Fall Festival with Aunt Shelby, Griffin and Carlie. We had a BLAST! And seriously...I know he's my kid, but have you ever seen a cuter scarecrow in your whole dang life!! I know I haven't. Seriously.

Camping at Lake Guntersville

2008-10-29T05:15:00.007-05:00

We had a great time camping last week. The campground at Lake Guntersville State Park was beautiful and, as you can see from the pictures, there were deer EVERYWHERE. It was cool to see them so close, though a little disturbing that they were so comfortable around people.

The weather was not great, but we saw Cathedral Caverns which was really cool. Everett had fun picking up leaves and watching the deer. He loves camping and is already asking to go again.

Montgomery Zoo

2008-10-06T10:41:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, Donnie had some unexpected time off from work, so we took Everett to the zoo in Montgomery. We had been before when Everett was a baby...it was nice to see the growth of the little zoo. They have a beautiful open area where the girafffes, elephants, zebras, antelope, big birds, etc are kept. Some of the enclosures are just separated by water, so you can look out and see all of the animals. It's really cool. Plus they have elephants which haven't been in B'ham for a while. Ev was very excited...ok, so I was very excited. The river otter exhibit is really pretty and has a waterfall...gotta love the otters! Anyway, it's a cool little zoo and a great day trip.

I Love this Kid

2008-09-16T09:14:00.003-05:00

This morning, I was going through the blogs I like to read and got to Leah's friend Candace's blog. I almost cried reading "*Sigh, My Baby is in Ballet". Motherhood is joyful and heartbreaking at the same time. Everett was "reading" to me last night. I love when kids do that. I love the imagination that it takes. Just that he knows that many words is astonishing to me. He'd pause while he was thinking of something else to say about that rattlesnake and I could see the gears turning behind those bright blue eyes. I don't know what the iguana was doing with fourteen dollars, but it made complete sense to him. And while I look forward to the new amazing things he does everyday...just to have one more glimpse of that first sweet yawn, that first perfect smile, that first wobbly step...Thanks, Candace, for the perspective. I'll try to cherish more of those long days!

Then and Now

2008-08-20T21:28:00.006-05:00

Last week Everett and I went to see my friend Kandess at her parents' farm in Heflin, AL. We had been up there before in January of 2007. Look how much both Everett and Bucky have grown! Oddly, their hair still matches! We had a wonderful time romping with and feeding the goats. Thanks so much to Kandess and her mom for their hospitality. To see all the goat antics go here. Some of the pictures are pretty cute!

Baby Sarah

2008-08-20T17:07:00.004-05:00

Here is my sweet new neice Sarah Emeline Hudgins. She was born August 6, she weighed 7 #13oz and was 19 inches long. Isn't she sooo pretty? Everett didn't think too much about her at first, but when he saw her today he was a bit more interested. He went to her when she cried and kissed her (once). When she made those cute cooing sounds, he said "Aww, Mama, she's laughing". Very Sweet.

It took me so long to post because our motherboard bit the dust 2 weeks ago in a storm (I guess it actually bit a big ol' bolt of lightening!) We lost our favorite internet links and e-mail address book. Please resend e-mail addresses and links to your blogs and other points of interest. Thanks!!

Everett's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-07-30T20:03:00.004-05:00

We had Everett's 3rd birthday party on July 6th. I'm pretty proud of my Willy's Butte cake, so I included that photo and a few others...I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who came and took part in our special day.

Beach Bum

2008-07-29T09:14:00.003-05:00

Hi everybody!

Time flies when you're having fun! We've been very busy this summer, so it's been a while since I posted anything. This picture is from a camping trip we took around my birthday. Mom came with us and we had a blast playing in the surf and sand. Everett LOVES the beach. We're hoping to make it back there before the end of the summer!

Found Photos

2008-06-30T10:16:00.002-05:00

I came across these photos in an album and didn't remember seeing them before. Aren't they sooo sweet? Shelby and I took the kids to the zoo in late April. I had to go to a class, so Shelby took these pictures with my camera and I guess I just never saw them. Thought I'd share! Ev's birthday party is this weekend, so I'll more pictures to put up soon!

Swimming Lessons

2008-06-15T21:09:00.002-05:00

Everett had his first swimming lessons last week. You can see from the first picture he was a little apprehensive in the beginning. He asked me, "You comin' right back to get me, mama?" But, then the water baby in him took over and he jumped right in. Even for a kid with no fear, going down the slide head first is quite a feat! He actually swam a little, too. By the end of the week, Ms. Carol was able to let go of him for a few seconds and he kicked his little legs and swam. I'm so proud!

Painting Fun

2008-05-29T14:58:00.004-05:00

Everett likes to paint. He's good at it...just look at the use of color, the bold brush strokes. He uses the brush, cleans it between colors, uses a paper towel to blot the brush...for a while. The pictures show what inevitably happens next. He mixes everything together, squishes the paint through his hands and then eats it. That stuff is non-toxic right?

Fun Family Project

2008-05-28T15:37:00.003-05:00

Everett got a new "big giant" sand box this weekend. Donnie and I built it ourselves out of just about $30 worth of lumber and screws! I won't mention how much the sand was...why is that stuff so expensive? Anywho...still much less expensive than the store-bought kind and big enough to make sand angels!

Donnie's Big 4-0

2008-05-19T09:19:00.004-05:00

Fun photo's from Donnie's party at Mom's. Everett put all the candies and all 40 candles on the cake all by himself. The lighting and blowing out of said candles was quite an adventure (as you can see)! But the huge smile and excitement from Everett (and Donnie!) made it worth the time, wax and burnt icing.

FYI--you can click on any photo and see it full screen...maybe I'm the only one who didn't know that before yesterday?

Lawn Boys

2008-05-14T21:31:00.002-05:00

When I saw Everett "mowing" behind his daddy, I ran inside to get the camera. These are so cute that I'm speechless...life is good! Donnie used to follow behind his daddy with his plastic lawn mower (I bet they didn't have plastic Weed Eaters then!) Okay...so not completely speechless!

Fresh Blackberries

2008-05-10T09:36:00.002-05:00

Cute shot of Everett eating some very fresh blackberries out behind my mom's house. He's getting so tall! We love summer around here. Looking forward to boating, camping and just spending a lot of time outside this summer!

Cave City, Kentucky

2008-04-30T00:47:00.001-05:00

We went camping over the weekend in Cave City, KY. We saw some of Mammoth Cave (which was really cool), Abraham Lincoln's birthplace and boyhood home, and two different train museums. We also got to ride a real train which Everett thought was really cool. The first picture is outside of Sand Cave (aren't we cute?). Everett is showing us his caboose in the second. The third is Ev having a snack on the train. The last one is him throwing rocks in the creek beside Abe Lincoln's boyhood home near New Haven, KY. Just think...Honest Abe could have thrown those very rocks as a boy! To see all the pictures, go to http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=246353525040_713613430603&collid=942895162103.326389330603.1209565991484&page=1&sort_order=0&navfolderid=2008&folderid=0&ownerid=0

"Ionna see da fish"

2008-04-22T07:19:00.001-05:00

When I called Mom to check on Everett on Saturday, I heard him in the background saying "Ionna see da fish!" I guess he got to go! Thanks to Mom for watching the stink when Donnie and I have to work Saturdays.

Ev with his "cool" snake

2008-04-09T01:28:00.000-05:00

It's nice to have a husband with a camera hobby. Isn't this a cool picture? I don't know if it's the perspective or the light or just the look in Ev's eyes. Something else that's nice...when your kid is thrilled with a toy that was $1. He loves this snake, he got it for being a very good boy at church last weekend. He told Donnie that it was a cool snake. When did he learn what "cool" is and how to use it in the proper context?

Makin' Cornbread

2008-04-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Ev (no...that day he was Superman...see the cape?) helping me make dinner. He said in one big word "Ionnahewp" (I wanna help). Notice the underwear...they were wet very shortly thereafter. The potty training is not going very well...Ah well, he'll get it eventually. He will, right? Be potty trained? Eventually? It will happen? Right?

Puddle Jumper

2008-03-29T21:03:00.000-05:00

I guess I downloaded these in the wrong order. Anyway...in the first picture (which is supposed to be the last picture) Everett is saying "Oh no, I got we-et". Not sure how "wet" gets two syllables, but he does it!

Cute Cousins

2008-03-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

Everett and Carlie spent a lot of time together last week. He spent one night and the better part of two days at Aunt Shelby's house while I was at work and Donnie's truck was in the shop. Everett loves staying with Aunt Shelby...no tearful goodbyes, just a "see you later" when I leave him there. Even better was that Griffin was home one of those days because school was out! They had a blast!

I went over for lunch the second day so I could see my little man before work. He said a brief "hi" when I came in and ran off to play again. He and Carlie were looking for a second Power Rangers outfit so they could both dress up. He was happy with just the red cape and they took off on an adventure. Kids' imaginations are wonderful things. It's so neat to watch how they get absorbed into the little worlds they create. They came back later (with the sunglasses on) and Shelby snapped this picture on her cell phone. Technology...cool, huh? I'm so impressed with myself that I figured out how to get the picture off the phone onto the computer!

Speaking of kids' imaginations...I met this guy last week who was the recipient of a kidney and pancreas transplant (I didn't even know they did pancreas transplants). Around the time of the transplant, his 5 year old daughter started playing with an imaginary friend...I can't remember the name...let's say it's "Henry". Her parents thought it was cute that she had this friend...yada yada. Anyway a year after the transplant, apparently you can ask to meet the donor's family. The family agreed and made contact. They were so pleased that their son, Henry (this is where you want to say "shut up") was able to save the lives of so many people. Crazy, right?

Day with Daddy

2008-02-23T21:40:00.000-06:00

Donnie noticed things were a little quiet today while I was at work. This is where he found the stink-pot. Funny how kids will fall asleep anywhere!! When Everett woke up, Donnie took him to see trains (their favorite activity together) and went sight-seeing at the Logan Martin dam. Everett was very excited to tell me about the boat he saw. I sure love my boys! I'm glad they are such good buddies.

Sing Along

2008-02-18T11:38:00.000-06:00

Seeing my husband interact with our son this way really warms my heart. Maybe I'm crazy, but in my opinion this is as good as it gets.

Serious Hat Head

2008-02-06T08:52:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken on a recent camping trip to the Smokies. Everett had been sleeping in the car in a fleece hat and when he woke up, this was the result. It's a great shot of his big. blue eyes. We had a great time camping and Ev enjoyed seeing the deer and elk.

Thank you all for leaving comments and visiting my blog!!

Slideshow

2008-02-01T17:39:00.000-06:00

After MUCH toiling, I got the slideshow to work! If you click on it, you can see bigger pics and the captions that go with them. Woo hoo!

Sweet Baby Everett

2008-02-01T14:06:00.000-06:00

OK, so I'm not the most computer literate person. I'm trying to upload some old pictures of Everett. So here's one. I'll get it worked out.

My journey into blogging....

2008-02-01T13:43:00.000-06:00

So...

Since staying in touch can be so impossible these days. I'm taking a cue from some friends and starting a blog. Easy to access, easy to maintain...please let me know what you think. If this is totally lame, I'll just ditch it. I'll put lots of cute pictures of Everett up so maybe you'll come back just for that. Here we go....