I Love this Kid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!