Dirt Bikes & my Diva!

There's just so much I want to say or write, to remember years down the road.  It's quite overwhelming actually, but something is better than nothing right? 

I'll begin with my little man Hudson, Mr. Dirt Bike Dude.

This was his old dirt bike...the smaller one with training wheels.  He's a pro now...more pics to come of the newer, cooler ones ha! 

 

Hudson came along pretty quickly after we were married.  In fact, I was big preggo on our 1st anniversary.  What an amazing little man he is turning into.  He tends to be a litte follower and this gets him in trouble at times, but we are really working on how to choose the right people to follow.  He has thrown us for a loop this past weekend with his fabulous manners he has picked up at school.  His amazing teacher Ms. Almeda at Sheperd's Fold has started the warm fuzzy jar in her class.  They earn warm fuzzies for things like good manners and listening.  Well Hudson is catching onto this and I am just loving it.  He came home from school Friday and I told him to do something...his reply was automatically "Yes ma'am," and he did it!  WOW!  You talk about blowing me away.  He is really wanting that pajama party at school when that jar gets full.  I hope it's making the same impact on the other kiddos.  I am blessed to know my kids are in such a great atmosphere each day!

 

So I'm sure most of you moms are thinking "you're really ok with your baby boy riding a dangerous dirt bike?!?!  What's wrong with you?"  Trust me I haven't always been ok with it!  It totally freaked me out at first, and I tried and tried to talk him into liking something else, but the kid LOVES IT!!!  He got real into it after he started riding without training wheels.  Justin tried to get him to go race with him at actual MX races and Hud just wasn't quite ready for that.  So at this point we are getting really good riding in the back yard on our make shift track.  It's quite nice if you ask me :)  If there's one thing this boy is good and passionte about, it is a bike.  He started riding his bicycle without training wheels right after his 4th birthday and loves to show off any chance he can.  I have to admit it melts my heart to see how happy he is riding it...plus he always has his head to toe gear on while riding, so praying he will not have any major accidents. 

 

Hudson's in 4 year old pre-k at Jolly Time this year and attends the Sheperd's Fold program as well at FUMC (which is such an amazing place to have your kiddos)!  He has a sweet new friend this year, Miss Emma Hays who he absolutely adores.  I'm telling you from day one, he has just been crazy about this girl.  I teach with Emma's mom but since Emma had attended a different preschool before this year, they had not met.  She has been great for Hudson because "Emma never gets in trouble.  She always does the right thing."  A few weeks ago Hudson came home telling us "I'm gonna go pic Emma up and buy her a dirt bike!"  We about died laughing...so sweet I tell ya.  He's dead serious too...he really wants to get her one, I'm guessing for her birthday.  Addie says we need to get her brother Sam one as well...man this could get super expensive!  I love the giving hearts though :)

I have lots more to say about this first angel of mine but I'll save for another post.  Now on to my little Diva!

Holy cow this is such an old picture, but I absolutely love it!  This is so her...

 

Addie...oh how you have kept us on our toes these last few years.  This is my WILD CHILD!!!  She is a typical girl...moody!!!  My mother tells me all the time "Staci, she is you made over!"  Oh I just don't even believe that I acted like this child of mine.  She will go from laughing to crying or vise versa within seconds literally.  We have discoverd at this point in her life, reverse psychology works like a charm.  Yes I know developmentally we do want her to move out of this stage soon but for now hey, it works!  I can't imagine life without this sweet thing.  She was not planned by her daddy and I, but God sure knew what He was doing.  Life would not be complete without our "Addie-tude." 

 

While she is quite the sassy britches with painting fingernails, wearing pretty dresses and having a big bow in her hair at all times, she can fit right in with the boys as well!  She loves to get her dirt bike attire on and with daddy and bubba (for approximately 5 minutes at a time).  She can also get pretty stinkin dirty playing in the dirt; it doesn't bother her a bit!  We call her the "queen of randomness."  If you have spent any time with Addie at all, you know she always has something in her hand.  It will not be the same thing for very long, but she will be attached to whatever that random thing is at the time.  This DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!  I have tried and tried to get her to just get stuck on one thing ya know like a normal kid...a blankie or stuffed animal.  Oh no...we will have a rock or an acorn (today), or a bead, maybe even a tag off of a shirt we just bought.  I'm not real sure if this is a sign of something, but I'm hoping she's just random :)  That's just Addie! We may get frustrated but we know that it's just her and tomorrow it's guaranteed to be something new. 

 

Addie absolutely loves and adores her teacher Ms. Caroline at Sheperd's Fold!  Ms. Caroline sings a lot evidently and Addie LOVES to sing!  She will sing anything literally.  If I tell her she's about to get a spaking, she will make it into a song.  I'm guessing she gets this from her Gigi and Aunt Sesame (just like the curly hair), because Mommy can't sing!  However, she thinks I can and asks me to every single night.  This is our usual layout of songs each night:  the water song (I've got a River of Life), Old McDonald, Mary Had a Little Lamb.  I treasure these times, knowing one day she will not want me to sing with her before bed.  I am guilty of trying to rush through times like these knowing I need to get laundry done, clothes laid out, lunches packed, etc. But I have really tried to just chill out and enjoy it. 

These are things that matter in life...spending quality time with our kids, lettng them know we care and they are loved more than anything!  So many kids don't have that love every night...and that my friends, breaks my heart to pieces.  Being the 1st grade teacher that I am...I see a lot of unloved, attention-starved kiddos who just need 5 minutes a night of undevoted time and attention. 

Life's too short and precious...remember what matters and keep things in the right perspective (like my daddy told me just tonight!).