Have a great holiday!

The boys and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Virgina. I am going to see a friend whom I haven't seen for probably 8 years. Her name is Mandy and she and I ran cross country together in college. Mandy is the future me with three boys. The older two are the same ages as Bryson and Carter, 6 and 3. Her third son is 7 months. I know we will have a blast and have a great Thanksgiving.

The boys and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. May you eat lots of good food and think about all the things you are thankful for this year.

Chief Warrant Officer Christian P. Humphreys

Christian P. Humphreys
June 4, 1980 - November 15, 2008


Chief Warrant Officer Christian P. Humphreys, 28, of Alamogordo, died Saturday, November 15, 2008, while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq.

Mr. Humphreys was born June 4, 1980 in Bittburg Air Force Base, Germany. After graduating from Alamogordo High School in 1998, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served until 2006 when he joined the U.S. Army to fly helicopters. He was attached to Alpha Troop, 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 49, U.S. Army Alaska, deployed to Iraq.

Survivors include his proud wife Christina, former U.S. Air Force, of the family home; his parents, Daniel, U.S. Air Force retired, and Sylvia Humphreys of Alamogordo; a brother Tobias Humphreys and his wife Jamie of Albuquerque; a sister, Alyxandra Bryars and her husband Justin of Alamogordo; nephews, Gavin and Brodee Humphreys of Albuquerque; a niece Madison Humphreys of Albuquerque; his mother and father-in-law, John, U.S. Coast Guard retired, and Renee Williams of Alamogordo; a brother-in-law, John Williams, an F-15 Crew Chief with the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan; and his grandparents, Rosemarie Opiela of Germany, and Patricia Williams and Irene Goodson of Alamogordo.

Mr. Humphreys was preceded in death by his grandparents, Leonard, U.S. Air Force retired, and Arlene Humphreys, and Stanislaus Opiela; and his wife’s grandfathers, Walter Williams, U.S. Air Force retired, and Ted Goodson, U.S. Air Force retired.

Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 16th St. and Cuba Ave., with the Rev. Dr. Steve Trout officiating.

Interment will follow in Ft. Stanton Cemetery with military honors by the New Mexico National Guard.

An honor guard and escort will be provided by the Patriot Guard.

Services are under the direction of Hamilton-O’Dell Funeral Home.

Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to Operation Wounded Warrior, New Mexico Legion Riders, 34 Stonewood Dr., Alamogordo, NM 88310.

Baby, what are you????

Well, I have been trying to upload this picture for the last hour. I know you all have been waiting very anxiously.

So, here it is without further ado.....A picture of the baby's butt and what's in between HIS legs.

Can you believe it....I am going to be the mother of three BOYS!!

Boy or Girl?

So you all have been waiting for the BIG answer.

And I really want to tell you, but I just tried to upload a picture that will tell all and blogger is being a bit difficult. So, I guess you will just have to wait a bit longer.

Till then I thought I would give you a pregnancy update.

* I have been more sick this time around then the past two.
* I haven't gained any weight yet.
* I have been wearing maternity clothes for about 5 weeks but am finally starting to look a little pregnant.
* I am 17 weeks
* I did the Chinese Calender thing and it says I am having a boy, though with the boys they were both suppose to be girls.
* I have not craved any sort of meat and could give it up really easy.
* I love, love, love fruit.

Anybody want to changed their answers? I will check back later today and try to upload the answer.

Have a great day!!

Some Bad News about Christian Humphreys

I was going to write today about the baby shower I attended yesterday. It was the World's Largest Military Baby Shower, but I woke up this morning to some bad news.

My very good friend Christina received the worst possible news a military wife could ever expect. She found out that her husband, Christian Humphreys died yesterday in a helicopter crash. It happened in a northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

I can't even imagine what she is going through to lose a husband, a lover, a best friend all at once. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I know she will need them.

What a blessing!

Today was a big day here in the Hudson household. I had an ultrasound today and Bryson was able to go with me. He had a blast and loved hearing the babies heartbeat. He even saw the baby pushing on the gas pedal as if s/he was driving.

The baby is 100% healthy. All measured perfectly and everything looked great.



I have put up a poll on the left hand side please go vote. Is it a boy or a girl?



Joe will not know probably until Monday so you all are going to have to wait until then.

From the mouth of Carter

The other day while driving in the car I gave Carter a piece of gum. I was watching him in the review mirror and he was going to town on that piece of gum. He was chewing his gum with his mouth open and he was swishing it back and forth with his tongue.

Then all the sudden he says "Mom, its like playing soccer in my mouth!"

I just laughed for a few seconds and then I started chewing my gum with my mouth wide open swishing it with my tongue back and forth and you know what.....it is a lot like soccer.

So the next time you are chewing gum think of Carter and play a game of soccer in your mouth.

Bryson and Barack Obama

November Fourth: Election Day

The boys and I were headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. The school was having a family night there and part of the proceeds went back to the school. (Joe and I are both McCain supports just to make that clear. Though we are not really vocal about it and I haven't really talked much about the election with the boys.) So, we are driving on the way there when on the radio another commercial came on about Barack Obama.

Bryson: Did they just say Obama?
Mom: Yes
Bryson: Turn it up, I voted for him today.
Mom: What, you voted for him today?
Bryson: Yeah we had a vote in our class and I voted for Barack instead of McCain.
Carter: I like McCain.
Bryson: Well, I like Barack Obama.
Carter: I changed my mind I like Obama.
Carter and Bryson: Obama, Obama, Obama
Mom: Bryson you need to call your dad and tell him who you voted for.
Bryson" Talking to Joe on the phone telling him everything
Dad: I get on the phone with him and he tells me "That's to funny!"

November 5: The Oprah Winfrey Show

I have the tv going while picking up and Oprah is talking about the new President Elect.

Bryson comes running in and says "Are they talking about Barack Obama? Come on Carter we have to watch this."

I can finally breath....

My last appointment was on September 30th and they couldn't hear the heartbeat. The doctors didn't seemed concerned as my dates could have been off. I on the other hand have been going crazy since then. I have been so paranoid and consumed with not hearing the heartbeat that I called Joe and finally told him what I was feeling. I didn't tell him for a few weeks because I didn't want him to worry. I am being seen on the Army base and Joe has no pull there so he called up the Pope clinic and asked if they had a Doppler machine. They did and said that I could come in to ease my fears. It was around the middle of October when I went to the clinic. The very nice lady brought me back to a room, laid me back and put the cold gel on my belly and began the search. She looked and looked and looked. Nothing.....she told me I could go to the E.R. but that they would not find it an emergency and that I would not be seen for a long time. I could also go to Fort Bragg and talk to my doctor there. I headed on over to Fort Bragg and nobody seemed concerned. They told me the same thing, go to the E.R. or sit and wait.

With all the miscarriages that I have witnessed in the past year I really began to worry. After having two healthy pregnancies how could I be so lucky to have a third. I then began to think that sometimes ignorance is bliss, there are so many things that can go wrong in a pregnancy. I have been following a few blogs that are about children with Trisomy 18. Here is just one of them. Click on her name and you can read a letter Audrey's mom wrote to her. When I was pregnant with Bryson I didn't think anything could go wrong. When I was 20 weeks along I went in for my ultrasound, but the only thing Joe and I were thinking about was if we were going to be buying pink or blue.

Buy the time Carter came around I knew about a few more things that could go wrong. When I found out that the clinic I was going to did not do ultrasounds I was upset. I can't remember now if it was for a lack of manning or funding but I was outraged. How would they know if my baby's kidneys and bladder were functioning right? How would they know if my baby need surgery in utero due to spina bifida.
Did you know that in some cases they can do surgery for an unborn baby if they find out in time. That sometimes this surgery can make all the difference. Our neighbor at the time was a radiology tech and I asked him if he could please talk to his buddy who did ultrasounds to see if he could squeeze me in. He was able to and luckily all was fine.

Now I know so much more, I wish I could go back to thinking that ultrasounds were just for finding out the sex of your child.

Back to my appointment today. The doctor comes in and asks how everything is...it took all I had to not start crying. She told me to lay back and once again the gel was poured on and the prodding began. I listened and waited and waited and waited, after about 2 minutes of her searching she says "We might need to order an ultrasound." She then pushes the button to make the bed lie completely flat and the search continues. She searches and searches and pushes harder on my belly. She is now pushing so hard its hurting, but I don't say a thing all I want to hear is my baby's heart. And then just like that I hear it....Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. She let me listen to it for about a minute and then she asks "Do you feel better?" I tear up and tell her absolutely. I ask how fast he/she is beating and it's a healthy 160. Then she says "You have a very active and stubborn baby." All I can do is smile.

It's been a long 5 weeks, but today, today was a good day.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Buzz Lightyear and Capt. Rex.




I carved out three pumpkins this year. My typical Air Force, Buzz Lightyear and a Darth Vador pumpkin. I will post pictures of them tomorrow, no time tonight.

I hope everyone had a great time trick or treating this evening.

Is there a difference?

I have been carving pumpkins all afternoon so I knew dinner would be fast. I asked the boys if they wanted to go to Burger King and they screamed with Joy. We get there and I ask them what they want and of course Carter wants chicken and french fries, Bryson on the other hand wanted a hamburger. Now he usually orders chicken tenders, he probably orders a hamburger about 2 or 3 times a year.

So, I ask him what he wants on it and he says mayo and ketchup. On our way home he asks "will they put the mayo and ketchup together or separate?' I tell him most likely it will be together but that if he doesn't like it we can wipe it off. We get home and he starts eating it and I ask him if it tastes good. He says "hold on mom I haven't gotten to it yet." I walk into the kitchen and he walks in after me and says "I just ate it and it isn't good, will you wipe it off?" I tell him yes and then this is what he says to me.

"Will you put mayo on the bottom bread, then put the meat on top and then put ketchup on top of the meat and put the top bread on."

Therefore I ask you does it taste different with ketchup and mayo separated by meat or together on top?

Isn't he just too funny!!!

Two October Birthdays.

My niece Sarah turned 7 on October 16th. She had her birthday party today. I can't believe she is getting so old. I can remember the day she was born, so tiny and precious. She is still precious but not so tiny anymore.

Here she is with Bryson and Carter being Superheros. I hear she is also a huge Hannah Montana fan.

Happy Birthday Sarah, I hope you had a great birthday and party.

My grandmother Gigi, turned 84 today. How old do you have to be when saying your age is cool again. You start out telling everyone just how old you are and then you hit the 30's and 40's when no one dare speak your age and then all the sudden you pass that point where you are lucky to be alive so you tell anyone that will listen.

Boy am I lucky my Gigi is still alive!! She is a wonderful woman and I love her dearly. I have so many memories with her and am thankful for the many more to come.

I love you Gigi, Happy Birthday.

A day at the FAIR!!

On Wednesday we along with my friend Sarah and her two kids drove up to Raleigh for the state fair. It was huge, and very expensive.

The kids had a blast....at least I think so. We did a lot of free stuff, and then the kids rode three rides. I was only going to let them ride one because the tickets were so expensive but the ride attendant forgot to take all 15 of our tickets for the big roller coaster ride so that left more tickets for other rides. I think he was a little distracted to make sure Carter was tall enough for the ride. By the way the ride height was 42 inches so that means our dear Carter has grown 2 inches since Christmas.

This is a picture of the roller coaster we went on.

We had to take a picture of the spaceship. Carter says it's from Buzz Lightyear.

There was a BMX and a motocross show at the fair. Bryson and Carter thought it was awesome. Carter said that he could do the tricks they were doing. Bryson had to buy a poster and have them sign it. The boys then took a picture with the guys. Bryson was very protective over the poster, making sure it wasn't bent or ruined.

Sarah and I had the kids silhouettes done and they turned out great. I should have scanned it in for you but it was faster just to take a picture so sorry they didn't come out to clear.

Can you tell who is who?

The kids looked at cows, lambs, chickens, rabbits and I am sure there are a few other animals they saw. I would like to think they had a blast because I know that my debit card didn't!!

Week 2 in review, there was not much to do.

We really didn't do a whole lot this week.

Monday: Bryson was off of school so I took the kids to Cracker Barrel for breakfast/lunch. It takes a good 30 minutes to get there so I figured that would take up a little bit of our day. Afterwards we came home and the boys rode there bikes.

Tuesday: We were suppose to have soccer pictures but our photographer was an hour late and I rescheduled.

Wednesday: My neighbor Terra had a Southern Living party at her home so that was the highlight of that day.

Thursday: The boys had soccer practice and then we went to the book fair at Bryson's school. They each got a book and then I picked one out for them. Afterwards we ate dinner there, they had hot dogs and Frito pie. After dinner the boys did a book walk and each won a book.

Friday: Yeah, Sarah came through again and fed us dinner. She made homemade pizza. A pepperoni one for the kids and the she made one with spinach leaves, tomatoes, and feta cheese. I was a little nervous about this pizza but ended up liking it more. Bryson called Joe once we got back home and told him it was the goodest pizza ever. Thanks Sarah for feeding us again. You are my life saver.

Saturday morning I woke up to a phone call at 7am from one of the mothers on our soccer team asking me if the game at 10 was going to be cancelled because of all the rain. I told her that once I woke up I would find out and call her back. I then went outside to get the soccer roster out of the car and realized that Bryson left his door to the car open the whole night while it rained.

The games were cancelled so we went to walmart. I had gone to walmart Friday morning and later that afternoon realized that I didn't have the milk that was in my cart. I found the receipt and saw that I had indeed bought it, I just didn't have it. I went to the car to make sure I hadn't left it in there and nope it wasn't there. I also realized I didn't have the juice I bought either. Thankfully walmart gave me another gallon of milk and another bottle of juice. I also took the boys to eat at Olive Garden. It was a special treat for Bryson cleaning his room. It was a chore I thought would never get done.

Once we got home Sarah came over and told us about an event that was being thrown for Spousal Abuse. We walked over there and had been there for a few minutes with Carter and Bryson start punching each other. I didn't think anything of it until Sarah pointed out that this was an event for abuse and here are Bryson and Carter beating each other up. I couldn't stop laughing.

And that leaves me with today. It's a cleaning day and I haven't started yet. Like I said this week was pretty boring. We are going to the fair next week and to Disney on Ice next Sunday so hopefully I will have more to write about.

Week 1 in review, a festival and a pumpkin patch.

We tried to stay really busy this week. I told you about taking pictures of my friend and her family and then on Sunday we went to the Heritage Festival. The kids had a blast. They got to go on a carriage ride,

and had a blast on the pony and horse.

They shuck corn

went on an egg hunt, made corn husk dolls

and ate hot dogs, chips, ice cream, and popcorn. We all had a blast.

The rest of the week was pretty typical. The friend that I took pictures of, Sarah, had me over for dinner one night and that was nice. She cooked stuffed chicken and acorn squash. I told her if I had a food blog I would have posted it. Her husband just left for a deployment on Friday. They are not sure if his will be 2 months or 4, but it's looking really good for the 2 month one.

I made boo bags for the neighborhood this week. It hadn't been started this year and since I started last year I thought I had better do it again. There are three streets that we involve, therefore I made 10 bags to pass out randomly. If you have never heard of being booed, here is the poem.

"The air is cool, the season fall
Soon Halloween will come to all;
The neighbors are after things to do
In fact, a neighbor brought this to you;
"Boo" is a sign of friendship power
Just hang it up and watch it double by hour;
On your front door is where it works
It wards off solicitors and scary jerks;
The treat that came with friendly note
Are yours to keep; enjoy them both;
The power comes when friends like you
Copy this and make it two;
Then others here among our friends
Will give warm fuzzies that will not end;
We'll all have smiles upon our face
No one will know who "boo'ed" whose place;
Just one short day to share your Boo
You must be quick so they don't know who;
And don't forget a nifty treat
Like something cute or something sweet;
Please join the fun, let's really hear it
And spread some "Boos" and neighborhood spirit!

Carter helped me pick out some fall decorations from walmart. He was so proud of what he picked out, the scarecrow, flowers and of course the pumpkins, because six just isn't enough. He thinks that every time we go to walmart he needs to pick out another one.

Yesterday was a very busy day. Both boys had a soccer game at the same time. I was hoping the other soccer coach of Bryson's team would be there so that I could at least watch part of Carter's game but she was not. There for poor Carter was on his own. Isn't that sad my poor three year old little boy was at his game all by himself. Hopefully next week, I can be there with him.

After the game we headed up to the pumpkin patch. The boys had so much fun. We went through the corn maze, hayride and they played on the really cool playground. Let me tell you that pumpkin patch cost me a small fortune. 43 dollars for the three of us and that didn't even include a pumpkin. It was a lot of fun and we stayed up there for about three hours.

Once we got back home and rested for a couple of hours we had a promotion dinner to attend. It was just down the street and they cooked some great food. We stayed until 6 and I had the kids bathed and in bed by 6:30. It was a long day and I was so tired.

Today is Sunday and it's a cleaning day. I did get a babysitter for 2 hours and I went to watch Mamma Mia, it was playing at the base theater. A two dollar movie cost me 20 bucks but well worth it.

Bryson is off of school tomorrow and I know it's going to be a long day. Wish me luck.

and he is gone....

No pictures to share but he got off alright. He said that when he was buying his lunch at the Atlanta airport an older gentleman asked if he could pay for his lunch and Joe said he had already paid so the man handed him a 10 and told him thanks for everything he does. Joe had to fly in his uniform so I think that's why he was given so much attention.

When we got back home the boys played outside for awhile and then my friend Sarah asked me to take some photos of her and her family by the lake. So, I packed the kids in the car and took them to the shoppette to pick out a drink and some candy. I then put a movie on in the car and they were set for quite awhile, then they played at the park while I finished up the photo shoot.

The photos didn't turn out as great as I would have liked, but for my first photo shoot outside of my family I think they turned out great. I have already thought of a few new poses for next time.

Tonight starts the hard part. Joe usually gave the kids their baths, put their pjs on, and read them their books. It was usually a whole hour that was just their time, and my relaxing time.

Nights are what I will miss most.

Bryson's actual Birthday Pictures.

I thought about letting Bryson skip school the day of his birthday but then I remembered how much fun it was to go to school on my birthday because all day everyone says HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you.

I made Bryson chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles to take to his class. His birthday fell on a Wednesday which so happens to be an early release day so he was home by 2. He played with his friends until daddy got home and then we went to the peanut restaurant(Texas Roadhouse) for dinner. Bryson loves that place and even chose to eat their last year. The staff brought out a chocolate brownie with a scoop of ice cream that Bryson shared with us. He is so sweet.
After dinner we went to Walmart to pick out his bike. When we got home he was dying to ride it so we let him because even though it was late it was his birthday and you get to do whatever you want on your birthday and you don't even get in trouble. I know I will probably get in TROUBLE later in life for this one but I do not get mad or yell at them on their special day.

The boys came inside and took their baths and then Bryson blew out a few candles on some cupcakes.
Bryson said he had a wonderful day and a wonderful Pirate Party. I wonder where he will want to eat next year *grin*

My boys never cease to amaze me.....

So...Bryson got a new bike for his birthday on Wednesday. It's a special Tony Hawk bike with pegs on all the tires. Bryson has already taught himself some new tricks.


Carter on the other hand is a little stud muffin. He rides his bike so fast and hard that he broke his training wheel Friday night. I told Joe that I wasn't going to buy new ones that Carter would just have to learn how to ride it with no training wheels. Do you remember this post that I wrote June 30th about Carter just finally learning how to ride his bike. Today I took off the broken training wheels and told Carter to jump on and that I would hold the bike. He was a little hesitant at first and then he was off. He is still a little shaky but he is only 3. Joe took over so I could get some video of my special boys.

A party fit for a PIRATE!!!

I will add some pictures a little later. This post is not allowing me to add anymore. We had Bryson's birthday on August 16th, 2008. Bryson loves to rent the pool out for his party so we have to have it early. He had an awesome time and so did all the kids. The one good thing about renting out the pool is that the kids he invites can bring their whole family. We decided this year that he wouldn't get his presents from us until his actual birthday so I will post about what we did yesterday later. Bryson loves all the gifts that he recived form his friends.



Bryson helped me make his cake, well....he helped with the mixer until he picked it up out of the batter with the mixers still spinning and then I told him that was enough help.
The cake turned out really well and even better than I had imagined. It took me just under three hours to decorate it. This is the first decorative cake I have ever made and I might just do it again.





I had the kids do a competition of walking the plank. I had a separate gift for the kid that walked the plank the best/funniest. Joe was a great sport.