3 Men and Me

William Emile Garrett

2010-01-07T19:54:00.002-06:00

August 30, 1993 - January 6, 2010

Last night, my sweet, precious, bright, handsome cousin went to Heaven. In his short little life, he touched the hearts and lives of so so many. Tonight, I sit here crushed, devastated beyond belief and my heart literally hurts.

Emile, you have gained your wings...may you fly high among the Heavens with the Angels of the Lord and shine down among us with your precious smiling face...until we see you again....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-01-01T09:23:00.015-06:00

OUR YEAR IN REVIEW

January-Hunting Season

February-Valentine's Day

March-William Zachery came into the world on March 11, 2009

April-Easter Eggs

May-Lucas Rayne turns 4!!

June-Luke and Zach support the Tigers in the College World Series!

July-4th of July

August-Luke's first day of "big" school

September-Soccer

October-Halloween

November-Zach gets tubes in his ears

December-SNOW!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T19:52:00.002-06:00

Christmas was lots of fun, lots of visiting, lots of riding in the car, lots of eating and honestly, I am glad it is OVER!!

We spent Christmas Eve with MeMe at her house in New Roads. We opened presents, attended church and MeMe cooked delicious shrimp pasta, salad, bread and some sweet treats.

Christmas Eve, Santa came...thank goodness he came early, because as you will see in the pictures...THE TIME STAMP IS CORRECT!!!...Luke was awake at 2:00 AM checking things out! After an hour of being awake, we convinced him that he HAD to go back to sleep.

We spent Christmas morning at our house with MeMe, Nannie and Uncle Keith having one of mine and Jeff's FAVORITE Christmas meals! Grits and Grillades. It was sooo good! This is another one of those dishes that I don't understand why we can not have at random times during the year.

For lunch, we went to Jeff's sister, Teresa's house. She, her husband Jim and Ms. Pat made a yummy lunch of ham, dressing and all the other fixin's and opened presents again there!

Dinner came around and we were on Round 3 of Meals! We made a first stop at my Dad's house to open presents then we were off to my Grandparents for dinner. Nana and PawPaw made a delicious dinner of beef tenderlion, potato salad and all the other fixin's again! By this time, I was about to explode!

So I have to say, it was a wonderful two days of family, food and gifts.

I spent Saturday and Sunday trying to find the floors in my house, cleaning, doing laundry and taking down Christmas.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

ALL ZACH WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS IS....

2009-12-09T20:10:00.002-06:00

HIS FIRST TOOTH!!!!!!

Last night I discovered a break in the gums...little ridges poking thru...A TOOTH FINALLY!!!!!!

Snow, Santa and More

2009-12-06T19:32:00.008-06:00

This weekend was slammed with fun things...take a look....

Friday, we got a special (but getting to be annual) treat in South Louisiana, we got SNOW...
`

Saturday morning, MeMe, Aunt Lou, Luke, Zach and I went to St. Francisville to have breakfast with Santa. We had a great time!

Saturday afternoon, Luke and I decorated a gingerbread house...

We also made some treats for his classmates...candy cane reindeer for his friends to hang on the tree in their room and then they can take them home the last day before the holidays.

We also made Luke a special ornament to hang on the tree...we got a green ball, painted his name on it in "hunters orange" and then I made him a little deer (with a red nose, of course). Ms. Smith says that he is always taking about hunting with his Daddy and deer!!

Sunday, we went to Kenidy's birthday party and they had a clown there...I forgot my camera at home, but it was a great party and Luke had a great time!

Hope everyone has an excellent week!!

Happy Birthday Rhodes!!!!

2009-12-04T18:43:00.002-06:00

Today, we wish a very special little guy a very very Happy Birthday!! Happy 5th Birthday Rhodes!!! We hope you had an extra fun day!!! We love you!!!

Santa Baby

2009-11-29T09:34:00.002-06:00

Turkey and Trees

2009-11-27T21:11:00.010-06:00

Yesterday, for Thanksgiving we had a delicious traditional lunch at Uncle Steve and Aunt Cindy's house. We had turkey, dressing, veggies and homemade bread. It was soo yummy! I still can't understand why we don't to eat dressing at random times during the year (maybe I should start requesting that for my birthday dinners)!! After lunch, we went to Nana and PawPaw's for dessert. Nana made homemade lemon layer cake and it was sooo yummy. It was a beautiful day filled with good food and family, just like one of the things I was most thankful for!

My cousin John's baby, Garrett and Zach tried to make friends, but Garrett wasn't soo sure, so when he started crying it was a snowball effect and Zach broke out the tears too...

Luke and Garrett

Zach and Emile

Before we left for the country, I stopped at the Christmas tree farm that our friend Matt has and got first pick on the tree that I wanted. I picked out a beautiful 9 foot Frazier. It looks wayyyy bigger in my house than it did in that field, but 700 lights, ribbon, ting-ting and ornaments later, it is stunning!

We also decorated the mantel with garland, lights and ornaments.

Aunt Lou gave Luke a special nativity scene this year. He loves it and is so very proud of it. We put it out this year in place of the one that we have used in the past. We did use the manager that came with the old set, Luke likes to call it it the "hay house"...I am not sure where he comes up with this stuff!

We also did garland and lights on the front door, but its too cold to go outside and snap that.

And, guess who came to visit last night?????

That's right...Eddie...Eddie the Elf on the Shelf! He is here and in full effect, watching and listening and reporting back to Santa allll that is going on! Wonder where he will land next....

And last but not least and totally unrelated to Turkeys and Trees...but who doesn't want to see this cute little smiling face?????!!!!!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-25T20:09:00.004-06:00

This year, I have much to be thankful for...

I have a beautiful home filled with 3 people that I cherish the most...My 3 Men...

I have food (and lots of baby food) in my pantry to feed my family...

I have running water and electricity to keep my family cool in the heat and warm in the winter and steamy hot baths for when I need to escape...

I have a wonderful Mom, Dad, sister, brother in laws, aunts, uncles, grandparents, sister in laws, and mother in law that loves me and is always there for me when I need them the most...

When you look at this it seems so simple...these are things that one seems to take for granted...these are just everyday things...but to some they are EVERYTHING!

This year has brought me lots of trials and tribulations along with so many blessings and much happiness that out weighs anything else. I have sooo much more to be thankful for!

I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!! May your day be filled with a warm home, good food and wonderful family.

Disney on Ice

2009-11-22T15:57:00.004-06:00

Saturday, MeMe, Nannie, Luke, Zach and I took a road trip to Lafayette to see Disney on Ice. It was excellent and I highly recommend seeing it and definitely would go again! Here are some pictures from our fun day!!

Here Lately....

2009-11-18T21:51:00.006-06:00

Well, busy as always at the Hubbard house!

Saturday, Luke had his soccer party. Ms. Courtney had pizza, cupcakes and ice cream for them and each player got a trophy. Luke was soo excited and very proud of his very first trophy. We found out on Saturday that soccer has a second season. If Luke decides he wants to participate in the Spring season, he will start in February.

Tuesday morning, we got up bright and early (you will see the time stamp of 7:28, but it is actually 6:28!!!) and took Zach to Baton Rouge to have tubes put in his ears. Is this the cutest thing you have ever seen?? Sweet baby...the surgery lasted about 11 minutes. When we got to see him again, he was crying and STARVING!! But a bottle and some love love from Mommy and Daddy and he was happy and ready to go home. He is doing great!

Tonight, for the first time, I let Zach get in the bath tub with Luke. Zach and Luke both thought it was lots of fun!!

This weekend, Mom, Nannie and I are taking Luke and Zach to see Disney on Ice in Lafayette. Luke is sooo excited. Everyday we have to look up the video on the internet so he can see all of the characters that are going to be there. Next week, Luke will have Thanksgiving Holidays and Friday of next week, the boxes come down and the tree goes up and Fa-La-La-La is alive in the Hubbard house (not that I have purchased one single present, but hey, I still have a over a month....).

Brothers

2009-11-11T21:17:00.002-06:00

Lucas Rayne at 8 Months

William Zachery at 8 Months

I have been hearing more and more lately that Zach is starting to look more like Luke...so I pulled a picture of Luke at 8 Months so we could all look side by side and see!

8 Months

2009-11-11T20:53:00.005-06:00

I am 8 Months Old today!!

These days Zach is just growing like a little weed. He is crawling everywhere!! He is also pulling up on anything he can find...the coffee table, the garbage can, his bed! And he is QUICK! So you can't take your eyes off of him for too long!

He is still taking 4 bottles a day. He has a bottle and breakfast, which consists of some type of fruit mixed with oatmeal or cereal. He has a bottle, veggie and a new thing...YoBaby Yogurt...for lunch. Then he has a snack, yogurt melts or a cookie and then 3 jars for dinner, a meat, a veggie and a dessert/fruit! Oh My Goodness, that's a lot of eating!! No wonder he weighs 22 pounds!!

He is starting to babble more, ma ma ma ma, da da da da, by by by by!

He is still sleeping like a little angel all night and taking two naps a day.

He loves for me to sing to him, which is quite strange, considering I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. But he can be fussing and I can start singing to him and he immediately calms down. His favorite song for when I am dressing him is Old McZach had a Farm, favorite for bath time (which is also Luke's favorite) is Splish Splash, I was Takin' a Bath and for bed time, when he and I sit in the chair in silence and I watch my angel drift to sleep, I sing Amazing Grace to him. It is the greatest time of the entire day!

He loves his toys. He can sit on the floor and completely entertain himself with his basket of toys!

He is such a sweet baby. I can't believe he is already 8 months old. Where has the time gone?? Just 4 shorts months before we will be celebrating a 1st Birthday!

I lovey lovey love love you Zach!!!

Happy Birthday Jeff!!

2009-11-02T09:37:00.003-06:00

Today, we wish Jeff (aka Daddy) a very Happy 33rd Birthday! We love you sooo very much and we hope that you have a great day with many many more to come!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T20:05:00.004-06:00

The Fireman and his Fire Dog had a great time Trick or Treating this year. We dressed them up and wheeled them around the neighborhood in the wagon. They both got lots of candy!

We enjoyed a big pot of chili and birthday cake and ice cram for Jeff's birthday which is actually tomorrow!

And then something BIG happened! Luke AND Zach both went to spend the night with MeMe!!! It was a huge thing for me! Luke has spent the night away from me plenty of times, but not Zach!! But he did great and had great time with MeMe and Jeff and I got to hang out together and with our friends! Thanks again to MeMe for the night off!

7 Months

2009-10-27T21:09:00.006-05:00

During my blog vacation, I missed doing a post about Zach's 7 Months milestones...

At 7 months, he is weighing in at about 22 pounds

He is still doing his three meals a day and 4 bottles a day and I have also started giving him some snacks, teething cookies and puffs. He loves it! He is also doing really well holding his cup!

He is crawling EVERYWHERE. He is also going from stomach to sitting.

He has some territorial issues with Luke. If Luke tries to take a toy from Zach or get too close to his personal space, he starts kicking his little legs and crying!

He is a wiggle worm when you are changing his diaper or clothes, so I sing Old McZach had a Farm to him and he seems to immediately calm down and listen!

He is soooo much fun and daily is getting his own little personality!

I love you soooo sooo very much Zach!!!

I'M BACK!

2009-10-26T20:46:00.005-05:00

Hi!! Sorry everyone, I took a little blog vacation! Zach has started a new little thing at night...he takes a little cat nap from 8:30 to 9:30 each night...and he takes this nap in my lap...and I love it!! Its the best hour of the entire day. So for the past few weeks, when he is ready to take his nap, I find myself sitting, rocking, staring at him and kissing his little forehead and hands. I am sure that all of you that read my blog have missed seeing pictures of the boys, but I have to say...I have enjoyed my hour of quiet time soo soo much with Zach!

The past few weeks have been busy busy around our house. I will try to recap things as best as I can. I will also (tomorrow) do Zach's 7 month old post.

Our weeks lately have been filled with work, school and soccer practice. Two weeks ago, I took Luke and Zach to see Dr. Pat for flu shots and she determined that Zach needed to go see the ENT about having tubes put in his ears. We should be hearing from the ENT about an appointment sometime next week.

Zach has officaly started crawling! He is everywhere. He is pulling up on things too. He is one busy little guy.

I had my first parent/teacher conference with Luke's teacher and he is doing great in school! He had a good report in all areas. He is learning to write his name and is doing great with that. He is also learning to write other letters and he recognizes by sight numbers 1-10, about 3/4 of his letters, all colors and all shapes. He went on his first school field trip last week and he had a great time.

During my "vacation", I missed wishing my sweet niece Alexis a Happy Birthday on October 13th! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXIS, WE LOVE YOU!!

This week we are getting ready for Halloween! Luke is very excited and gets to do a Trick or Treat at school on Friday with his costume! I sent out the monthly pictures today...so be looking for yours in the mail!

Hope that everyone has been doing great! I have missed blogging and I am definitely going to get back in the routine of doing it! But if Mommy and rocking duty calls again, I am afraid that sweet kisses and the smell of baby lotion will take over blogging again!

Weekend Fun!

2009-10-05T21:39:00.005-05:00

Friday at school, Luke had "Free Dress Day". Once a month, the PTO has a day that the students can pay $2.00 and are able to wear whatever they want to school that day. Luke wore his jeans and his LSU football jersey! He also got a special treat...his Nannie and Uncle Keith picked him up from St. Patrick's on Friday and took him to the Country (aka Centreville) to the Homecoming Football game! He had a great time and got to see Grammy, Poppa, Ms. Katie, Bubba, Sissy, and Aunt SaySay, among many others! He had a great time! Thanks again to Nannie and Uncle Keith for taking him!

Saturday, we had our early morning soccer game! It was adorable, of course. Papa came to this Saturday's game. After soccer, we all had breakfast at McDonald's and then Papa and Luke went to Home Depot. For some reason, my son loves that store and according to Papa, they had to walk down every isle and look at every thing!

Sunday, Nannie called again and Luke, Zach and I went to meet her and made a surprise visit to MeMe! I have to say, I have never seen MeMe sooo excited! We had a great visit and a super delicious lunch at Morel's. Thanks MeMe for the special treat! We also made a visit to Uncle Kenny, but missed seeing Aunt Lou and Weazer! Hopefully next time!

Hope everyone had a great Monday! I am hoping those cooler temps that we had last week make a return VERY soon!

PS: No crawling yet...still just rocking back and forth on his knees...but he is saying "Da, Da, Da, Da" (which TRILLS Jeff to no end) and what appears to be "bye, bye, bye, bye"...

Another Milestone Reached

2009-10-01T20:36:00.003-05:00

Well, no to the complete crawling yet...thankfully, because I can only handle one milestone thing at a time! Today...Zach went from laying on his belly, pushing up onto his hands and knees and then into a sitting position...ALL ALONE!! Tears...

He does it soo quickly, that I couldn't get any pics...but I did get this one...look at my sweet baby. All that moving and sitting and fun toys are just soo tiring on a little fella'!!

Is this the cutest, sweetest, I want to kiss all over those little cheeks face you have ever seen in your entire life!!??

I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Zach Attack!!!

How Much Does Luke love his Nannie???

2009-09-29T22:35:00.004-05:00

It's a long standing joke between me and Luke's Nannie (my sister)! I taught Luke long long ago the following:

Me: Luke, how much do you love Mommy?
(from the pic below, you see that he spreads his arms as wide as he can!!)

Me: Luke, how much do you love you Nannie?
(from the pic below, you will see that I have trained him to pinch his fingers together showing "just a whittle bit")!!

I know that it just ruffles Renee's feathers to NO end! But it is just soo cute! In all seriousness, he LOVES LOVES LOVES his Nannie to death and she is such a good Nannie to him! He is one lucky little guy!

(BTW...has anyone else been noticing that every picture I post of Luke...he has NO clothes on??? What the heck??!! THIS IS DEFINITELY A NANNIE TRAIT!!)

Shout Out to My Favorite Neighba'

2009-09-28T21:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, my sweet neighba' Ms. Shantasha (as Luke calls her) came over with this cute little outfit that someone sent to her for Asher. It's a little tooo big for little Asher so she was sweet enough to bring it over for Zach to get some use of it! Such a good neighba'!

Thank you again, Ms. Shantasha for the cute little outfit and for being such a good neighba' to us! Also, let's all keep Ms. Shantasha in our prayers this week. She is a 1st grade teacher at NWE, where Luke goes to school (hence the inside pictures from Luke's first day of school!!). She will be returning back to work next week from her maternity leave and I can speak for all Mom's of the world and say that it is one of the hardest things to do as a Mom! I wish her the best of luck in this transition.

Let the Games Begin

2009-09-27T21:17:00.009-05:00

Soon....very soon...like any day now...Zach is going to crawl! Oh! My! Goodness!!! Let the Games Begin!! I have been cleaning my floors and trying to get every little piece of anything off of the floor and out of the way for when it happens! He gets on his little knees and rocks back and forth....he hasn't quite figured out yet to move his hands and actually move yet, but its coming and its coming quick!!! He is just growing tooo fast for me!!!'

Friday, Luke, Zach and I had dinner with Nannie and Uncle Keith at one of our favorite places, Que Pasa! It was delicious as always! Saturday morning we had soccer, which is always soo cute! Those little guys and girls are just precious! I love watching it, even if it does mean getting up early on Saturday morning!! After soccer, I recruited my sweet sister to go grocery shopping with me! She and Luke entertained themselves in the Halloween costumes and the toys while I made groceries! Thanks Nannie for being such a trooper and helping me out!

When I was shopping, I found pumpkins! October and November are two of my favorite months! I love Fall and all of the things that Fall brings. So I purchased some mini-pumpkins and busted out the fall leaves and did my mantel! It's about a weekend early, but I love it!!

Sunday, has been a typical lazy day in the Hubbard House! I cooked a big pot of Shrimp and Corn soup, made homemade chocolate chip cookies and took a big ole nap with my "3 Men"!

Leaving everyone with some pics of my babies! I will be sure to make an official announcement when the first move is made by Zach!!!

Whopper Jr.

2009-09-23T13:05:00.005-05:00

Today, I took Zach to see Dr. Pat for his 6 Months immunizations. He weighed in at 19 pounds 9.6 ounces and was 28 inches long.

He is in the 95th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight.

Since he was born, he has gained over 11 pounds and has grown 7 inches.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOONIE!!!

2009-09-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today, we celebrate Noonie's birthday! We hope you have an excellent day! We love you!!!

2009-09-21T19:18:00.003-05:00

Whittney and Zach found out today that they are expecting a GIRL!!! I am sooo excited for them!!! Congratulations to them! I can't wait to go make my first bow purchase for her...only a bow the size of her head will do!!

2009-09-20T16:13:00.007-05:00

Saturday, Luke had his very first soccer game! The "Bombers" did great! They don't keep an official score of the game, but I am sure that the Bombers kicked some booty!! I have to say...that was one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my life.

After the soccer game, MeMe, Nannie, Luke, Zach and I went to eat lunch and Luke had it no other way, but to go home with his MeMe. Word has it he went to Aunt Lou and Uncle Kenny's and saw Weazer and "a whole bunch of other people that he doesn't know their names" and watched the LSU game!

Here at home, we took a nap and then went to the Canning's to watch the game. Zach was soo good and just sat and played and visited with Ms. Mary and Ms. Kassie. He is such a sweetie!

Sunday morning, Zach slept until 9 AM!!!! It was fabulous!!! MeMe brought Luke home and I had lunch all ready...pork roast, potato casserole, lima beans and pan fried okra! Luke's favorite!!! His Papa brought him bags of frozen okra the other day with his name specifically on the bag! I think that Luke has eaten about 7 or 8 spoonfuls of okra today!

And that's a wrap on our weekend! Ready for another week of work and school. Tomorrow, we get to find out what the sex of the baby for our niece Whittney and her boyfriend Zach! How exciting is that?? Tuesday, we will be making a call to one of Luke's favorite Aunt's...Aunt Noonie for her birthday!! Wednesday, Zach is going to pay a visit to Dr. Pat for his 6 month old check up and shots! Thursday brings soccer practice and then time for Friday again...how time flies when you are having fun!!

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

My How He Has Grown

2009-09-18T12:30:00.004-05:00

I was looking at Zach this morning, he is sitting up, drinking out of a cup and gaining his own little personality. I created a collage of his monthly pictures so everyone can see side by side how much he is growing and changing.

COME ON MONDAY

2009-09-13T17:24:00.003-05:00

Wait...

Hold on....

Still waiting....

It's coming....

Yeah...I've got nothing...HA! I have nothing to report this weekend, not even a single picture was taken!! :(

This entire week and weekend has been devoted to getting Luke and Zach back healthy! And with the rain, we have done absolutely nothing, but cook, play, take naps and stay inside. I will NEVER be sooo happy to see a Monday come. I am sooo ready for everyone to get back to school, babysitter, work...regular routine HERE WE COME!!! How awful is that? Who looks forward to a Monday????

Friday, I spent the entire day disinfecting my house. I washed and wiped everything that sat still. From blankets and pillowcases to changing the air filters and spraying Lysol on every door knob in the house, I would have to say that you could likely eat off of my floors right now!

Saturday, I did what I always thought would be the impossible...I took BOTH of my children to Wal-Mart grocery shopping!!! It actually proved not to be that bad. So GO ME! HA! A funny for Luke...Saturday night, I made crawfish fettuccine for dinner...Luke told me..."Mom, I can only eat the crawfish out of my fettuccine...". When I asked "why?"...he said..."because I am allergic to the noodles!!" I really wonder sometimes where he comes up with the things that come out of his mouth!

Today, again, we have done absolutely nothing. I cooked a HUGE lunch today of turkey and dressing, homemade mash potatoes and gravy, broccoli and cheese, smothered squash, rolls and chocolate chips cookies. It was very yummy!

I have the school clothes out, the diaper bag packed, the booksack and lunch box ready, the uniforms ironed and ready and MONDAY morning is as of right now about 13 hours away...BRING IT ON!!!

Have a good week everyone!

6 Months

2009-09-11T19:43:00.003-05:00

YAY! I am 6 Months Old!!

At 6 Months Old, Zach is:

Eating 3 meals a day, one jar for breakfast, one jar for lunch and a whopping 3 jars for dinner. He is also taking 4 bottles a day. He is also drinking juice and is doing great with using a cup. He takes it into his little hands and puts it to his mouth, but hasn't quite figured out yet to turn it upwards to get the juice out.

He rolls over and over and over and over. Even in his bouncy seat, he rolls over. Thus, it is essential that we strap him in! He loves sitting in his chair and talking to his toys or playing in his saucer with his toys.

He is sitting up more and more by himself daily. He is still pretty wobbly, but is doing soo good with it. But when he falls over, watch it...the flying "reds" come out!

He is wearing a size 2-3 diaper and size 6-9 months clothes.

His (and mine) favorite thing to do is take his hands and grab your face and give you "kisses". Its more like a big slobbery (a/k/a "angel juice") open mouth zurburt, but its the greatest and I LOVE IT!

He is still totally amazed with Luke and everything he does. He could sit and watch Luke for hours, and I must say Luke is very entertaining! I am just concerned with what he is taking into his little mind...monkey see, monkey do! HA!

Zach, you are such as sweet, precious, loving little man. I love you soo very much! Sooo lucky to be your Mommy!

Monday, we will be going to see Dr. Pat for his 6 Month Old well-baby visit and shots. I will report back on his stats then!

The Hubbard Hospital

2009-09-09T20:11:00.003-05:00

Hello....live from the Hubbard Hospital! Saturday when we were in Texas, Luke started feeling bad. I started giving him Tylenol for his fever and took him to the doctor first thing Tuesday morning. He has the flu, and no it is NOT swine flu or H1N1 or R2D2 (HA!) or whatever...just regular seasonal flu. Zach is also sick, but thankfully just with an upper respiratory infection. Luke is taking an antibiotic for his flu and both are doing breathing treatments. Unfortunately, we infected the Elliott household as well.

On a happier note, last night we had Mom, Renee, Aunt Lou, Uncle Kenny and Aunt Barbara over for Mom's birthday dinner...(hope we didn't infected them too!). We had a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, bread, salad, yummy yummy birthday cake and ice cream.

Here is hoping that this household is back to normal soon. This weekend is my two week grocery shopping adventure, which will include several cans of Lysol!

Lastly, this week please keep in your prayers my former boss, Shep. His mother unexpectedly passed away this past weekend as the result of a car accident. Mr. Shep is such a great man and I am sure that this untimely death of his Mom is very devastating to him. Please remember to keep him and his family in your prayers.

Happy Birthday MeMe!

2009-09-08T07:37:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday today to my Mom! We hope you have a most excellent day! We love you!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T20:44:00.004-05:00

This weekend we went to Texas to visit Ben, Noonie, Benjie, Adie, Rhodes, Maw Maw Pat and the 5 animals of the house! We had a great time visiting, swimming, cooking, napping and playing!!

Thank you again to all of you for having us this weekend. We truly enjoyed ourselves! We can't wait to come for a visit again!

Luke At School

2009-09-03T10:27:00.003-05:00

Luke's teacher has put some pictures of her students on her web site...I thought I would share the one's of Luke with everyone!

This is Luke's friend Kathryn from St. Patricks! Isn't she the cutest??!!

Put Ya Booty in the Air...

2009-09-02T22:24:00.002-05:00

Zach just cracks me up with his sleeping, he tucks his little feet right under his little booty and sticks it straight up in the air...and yes, I know that he is suppose to be on his back...but now that he knows how to roll around, he has found that sleeping on his belly is the greatest (he gets that from his Mommy)!!!

We're Moving On Up

2009-08-31T21:08:00.003-05:00

Today, Zach moved up in the baby food world...Number Two jars now...chicken noodle, turkey and rice, chicken and apples....does that sound yummy or what?? He LOVES it!! So that makes fruit for breakfast, veggie for lunch, and meat, veggie and fruit for dinner...plus 4 bottles and juice...yes, I am growing a Giant!!

Also, tonight...when you close your eyes and lay down to slumber for the night, could you please pray that my sweet angel (that I adore soo very much during normal waking hours) does not keep me up from 3:30 am until 6:30 am tonight as he did last night. If this is teething...bring it, but lets do the damn thing and get back to sleep! I love you Zach!!

2009-08-30T20:56:00.012-05:00

Friday Luke had show and tell at school. He took his autographed LSU football that he got from last year's Meet the Tigers. He was sooo excited. After school, he got a special treat and was picked up by Papa and DeDe and taken on a little road trip to Baton Rouge. They went to a few stores shopping and to eat. He came home with a Bubble Mower, but it was missing some parts...so as soon as he opened his eyes on Saturday morning he was chomping at the bit to go to Wal-Mart to return it! They were completely out of mowers, so we opted for this Rock Bank Guitar!! YAY us!

Saturday morning after the Wal-Mart trip, we came home and made a cake. Luke got all 5 stars in conduct this week, so I made him cake and ice cream! How cool is this cake!!??

Saturday evening, Zach and I were here alone for a bit while Jeff and Luke were visiting with the neighbors. I snapped this right after he finished eating...He is just such a happy little man or is it the full belly??!!

Sunday, MeMe invited Luke, Zach and I to lunch at Magnolia Cafe in St. Francisville. We were even joined by Nannie! We had a delicious lunch and a good visit. Luke even had to show us where he, his Daddy and Mr. Matt planted grass at the hospital. He gave us specific directions to the exact location. It was like having a human GPS riding in the car! That kid doesn't miss a beat!

And Sunday afternoon, Papa, DeDe, Nana and PawPaw came by to visit.

Now, here it is Sunday night...the house is clean, the clothes are washed, folded, ironed, put away, bags are packed, lunches are made and we are ready for another week.

This week (although I am uncertain of the exact dates) marks the anniversaries of Hurricane's Katrina and Gustav that have hit South Louisiana over the past 4 years. This week keep the families that lost a family member or their home during these storms in your prayers and pray that we are spared from having to go thru a time like this again this year.

I leave you with these two sweet faces of my two sweet babies!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

5 Stars!!!

2009-08-28T22:05:00.001-05:00

YAY for Luke!! He made 5 Stars this week for a perfect conduct report!!

Impromptu Family Picture

2009-08-26T21:57:00.002-05:00

Luke's teacher asked that we send a family picture to school for their discussions and some projects. We had our neighbor come over and snap our picture. Looks like a happy family to me!

And...we are on Star number 3!!!!

Thank You!

2009-08-25T21:02:00.005-05:00

Luke and Zach received a special treat in the mail today. Their MeMe's co-worker, Ms. Pam recently made the trip to St. Jude's Hospital with her daughter who had leukemia. MeMe later told me that Ms. Pam's daughter is in her first year of remission and is in her first year at college! How awesome is that??!!

MeMe went on to tell me that Ms. Pam hears "lots and lots about MeMe's babies" and when she was on her trip, she picked up these cute little t-shirts for them with a baseball and bat design drawn by one of the patients at the hospital.

These sweet children there endure more as a child than some adults endure in a lifetime. My request this week is to keep these children and their Mommy's and Daddy's in your prayers.

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16

What's Rolling Around in My Head

2009-08-24T22:17:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen the episodes of Saturday Night Live...Deep Thoughts with Jack Handy...That's me tonight...

I keep a dry eraser calender on my fridge...tonight, I took it down tonight and I always start the new month with about a week left in the current month...September...wow...when I think about September, I immediately start thinking football, which takes me to Halloween (which BTW, I have planned the kids Halloween costumes and they are going to be MOST FABULOUS!!), which takes me to Thanksgiving and then down comes the famous boxes and the Christmas tree goes up and then we celebrate a New Year! My goodness at how time passes.

I need to shut my brain down from thinking and wondering and pondering soo much and just take it one day at a time...but I am afraid if I do...I will run out of days! HA!

By the way....

Star Number One for Luke this week...4 more to go...and he gets a BIG surprise!!

2009-08-23T19:27:00.012-05:00

Luke was wore slap out from school this week. He is having a great time though, so we are soo very happy about that! As you can see, he was not interested in me taking his picture on Friday night while his favorite show Wow Wow Wubbzy was on!!

So instead I took Zach is in his room for some pics...I tried really hard to get the before, during and after of a roll-over, but he is just toooo quick for me!

Saturday morning, Jeff and Luke went for some male bonding time at the Canning's pond while Zach and I slept in and then cleaned house. I told Zach..."lets go in Luke's room and play...thats where all of the fun stuff is..." HA!
Zach chillaxin' in Luke's chair...shhhh, don't tell Luke!

Sunday morning Luke got up and got dressed...apparently he is ready for hunting season. It took me and Jeff to convince him that it was August...but that hunting time was just a short time away!

Zach moved up in the car seat world this weekend. We retired the infant carrying car seat...well, first because he was at the weight limit, second he was at the length limit and third...I just couldn't tote it anymore!!

Zach figured out this weekend how to put his foot in his mouth. I soo well remember the first time that Luke did that! Soo cute!
Luke

Zach

Zach is also doing really well on sitting up on his own.
Luke

Zach

In other exciting news, we Congratulate our friends Josh and Tracey on their 3rd child, a little girl, Annabelle born on Thursday of this week. Both Mom and baby are doing great and welcomed home by big brother Blake and big sister, Grace. Also, we Congratulate our friends Dean and Michelle on the birth of their 3rd child, a little girl, Lexy born on Saturday. Again, Mom and baby are great and are welcomed home by two big sisters, Alex and Emily.

We are looking forward this week to hearing from Luke's new soccer coach and when he will get to start practices and all of that fun stuff. As soon as I have a schedule, I will post it or email it out, so if you would like to attend a game you can!

Also, this weekend, I worked on my monthly picture of the kids. I have decided that I am going to try to send a new collage picture out of the kids at least once a month to everyone. Last month, I sent out the black and white picture and this month...well...its going to be a surprise and trust me...its a GOOD one! Be looking for that in your mail box next week!

Happy "Week" to everyone!

What does......

2009-08-21T19:22:00.004-05:00

4 Stars, 1 Smiley Face and your first war wound on the playground from a fellow classmate at the end of your 2nd week of Big School get you???

Luke brought his first official conduct report home today from school. I actually see it daily and have to initial each night, but he came home today and was sooo excited that he got 4 stars (probably would have made that 5 stars if he had not gotten those "2 or 5 checks" earlier in the week HA!). So tonight, his choice and of course it is none other than a cheeseburger happy meal from the Golden Arches!

He is determined next week to get 5 stars, because then "you get a special treat from Ms. Smith" and I would be willing to bet...a special one from Mom and Dad too!

Happy Birthday Keith!

2009-08-20T19:47:00.001-05:00

Today, we wish Uncle Keith a very Happy Birthday! We hope that you had an excellent day!

Conversations with Luke

2009-08-18T19:21:00.002-05:00

This morning on the way to Ms. Mable's:

As we pass Matt's nursery...
Luke: Mom, was Mr. Matt at his nursery?
Me: I don't think so Luke, I didn't see him...
Luke: Well, where is he?
3 seconds of silence...we are now passing the Christmas tree farm...
Luke: Mom, can we get 3 Christmas trees? One for me, one for you and one for Zach? Zach gets a whittle one...
Me: Sure, Luke
Luke: Mom, when is my Dad going get to get an 18-wheeler?

I lost composure at that one, burst out laughing and said, well, Luke, do you really think that he needs one...of course, he says "Yes!"

This afternoon when I picked him up from St. Pat's:
Luke: Mom, I get a check today...
Me: For what?
Luke: I was talking in the hallway...
Me: You got in trouble?
Luke: Welll, I only got 2 or 5 checks, that's all...

Poor baby, he gets talking soooo honestly from his Daddy and he just has soo much to say that I know that he can't help it!

I know that he had to have been telling them about this...
Luke: Mom, I told my class today that I can ride my bike without training wheels...
Me: You did? What did they say?
Luke: They said, cool, wow and awesome!

If you ever need a pick-me-up...feel free to call...Luke always has something interesting to say, I guarantee you a smile! :)

2009-08-16T20:21:00.005-05:00

Well, another weekend has come and gone!

About a month ago, I scheduled a day off for Friday. Jeff and I were going to have a "date day". We seem to never get to spend time alone, so we thought that since he was off on Fridays, I would take the day too and we could hang out. We originally planned to see a movie and have lunch. But Thursday came and he was having mucho pain from a tooth ache. Finally after convincing him he was "a big boy", he went to the dentist and got it checked out. Friday he was still feeling bad, so we didn't get to have our date, but I did get to get my house all cleaned, groceries bought, errands ran! It was soo nice...what I would give to have 3 days every weekend!

Saturday and Sunday were both completely uneventful. I DID get to take naps BOTH days! YAY! Kenidy came to play with Luke for a bit on Saturday. And on Sunday, Luke went to swim with Nannie and Keith! He just loves hanging out with them!

So thats a wrap on that! Tomorrow is back to the grind, school, work, school, work....its a never ending vicious cycle! But its life, my life, and I love it!

Hope everyone has a super week!

On the G-O

2009-08-13T22:31:00.002-05:00

All week long, we have been on the G-O! The first week of school as gone great! Luke loves loves loves school. He asks me every afternoon if he can go back again tomorrow! He hops out of the car in the morning, gives me a big "Bye!" and off he goes! I have emailed his teacher a couple of times and she assures me that he is doing well, behaving well and is super smart! The riding the bus thing is going well too! So far, he has made it safely and soundly to St. Patrick's each day! But I truly think that Luke is soo outspoken, that he would not allow anyone to forget him, leave him behind or take him to the wrong location!

Monday and Tuesday came and went soo fast this week. Wednesday night, Luke, Zach and I went to have dinner at Nannie and Uncle Keith's apartment. Nannie made us a delicious meal of baked chicken with green beans and new potatoes (a recipe she got from Kelly's Korner) and salad. I am sooo impressed with her trying so hard to be domesticated! Luke insisted on taking a dip in the pool, thank goodness Nannie keeps a swim suit at her house for him!

We got good news this week, little Izabell got to come home from the hospital! YAY! She is under orders not to have outside company right now nor can she make any shopping trips to the grocery or Wal-Mart for a while, but she is home and healthy and we are all so very happy for that.

So thats a wrap for our week. This weekend I am going to sign Luke up for soccer. He is very excited and I am too! The grocery store is calling my name and hopefully I will be lucky enough to squeeze a nap in (on BOTH days!!).

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

5 Months

2009-08-13T22:21:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, Zach turned 5 months old!! What has he been up to?

He is eating 3 meals a day...fruit for breakfast, a veggie for lunch and a fruit and veggie for dinner. His favorites are bananas, sweet potatoes and applesauce. He is taking 4 bottles a day.

He is rolling over! Almost immediately after laying him down on his back, he is sure to flip over! He goes from back to belly only right now.

He is trying to sit up on his own. He is still quite wobblely, but is trying really hard!

He loves loves loves to "watch" Luke. I think that he thinks that his big brother is just sooo cool!

He is super attached to his Lovey.

He loves playing in his Excersaucer. He also is sitting like a big man in his highchair to eat!

And lastly, about one more pound...and I am going to have to retire the infant car seat!

He is such a sweet, happy, loving baby! We are soo very blessed! We love you Zach Attack!

First Day of School Part II

2009-08-10T14:31:00.010-05:00

Sunday night, we had a special cake for Luke for his first day of school.

And he got a special book about Tucker's First Day of School

This morning, he got up and "shaved"...

And brushed his teeth (and yelled at me to stop taking his picture!!!)...

And then he got all dressed for Big School...

Our sweet neighbor is a teacher at his school and went to check on him today, she said that he waas doing great and having an excellent day. She snapped a picture of him for me with her cell. Here he is having lunch!

First Day of School Part I

2009-08-09T11:36:00.016-05:00

Ok, I thought that I would spare everyone with a post that would take 30 minutes to read, so I decided that I would break it up into two.

Part I will highlight his school items and meeting his teacher. Part II, tomorrow, will highlight his special evening that I have planned for him and the actual first day tomorrow morning!
Uniform: Navy polo shirt with the school emblem, khaki shorts and brown belt

Towel: For naptime, they asked to have a towel to cover up with. I ordered this cute cute towel from Lacy Hill at www.adorablestitches.com. Check her out!

New tennis shoes

Booksack

Lunch Box

In his new classroom

Classroom

Luke and his new teacher, Ms. Smith

Playground and Swings

2009-08-09T11:09:00.005-05:00

I have to start out by apologizing, this is normally the weekend events rap up, but things have been crazy, so I am having to rewind a day and start with Thursday!

Thursday, Luke was ready to go back to school after having a two day stomach bug. It started off as a normal morning...get up, get dressed, out the door. We arrived at Ms. Mable's house and I opened Luke's door to get out of the truck and walked around the back to go to Zach's door. Somewhere in between there Luke tripped over something in the truck or his own feet and fell out of truck, head first into the concrete and rock driveway. There was blood everywhere and we made our very first trip to the emergency room. They took a look at it and determined that it didn't need stitches, thank goodness! Jeff came home from work and spoiled him the rest of the day while I went to work.

Thursday evening, Jeff and I went to orientation at Luke's new school. We filled out tons of papers, met his teacher and saw his new classroom. We also found out that he is in the same class as his good little friend, Kathryn! He is sooo excited! While at orientation, I was told that I would not be able to walk Luke to his class for "safety and routine" purposes and the tears started flowing. I know that it is time for him to be a big boy, but he will ALWAYS be my baby! After, Jeff and I went to Chili's for margaritas and dinner and Luke and Zach had dinner at Sammy's with Papa and Nannie. You can head over to Renee's blog to check those pics!

Friday, Luke got to go to his new school and meet his teacher. You can read and see more of that in the next post...First Day of School Part I. He also got to visit with his cousins, Benjie, Adie and Rhodes, Aunt Noonie and MawMaw Pat. They came in for what seems to be a whirlwind trip...we didn't even get to visit or have them over for dinner. Hopefully next time!

Saturday morning, Jeff took the ol' training wheels off of Luke's bike and away he went! Yes, thats correct, riding his bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS!! I went out to take pictures and you would know that the battery went dead just after I snapped the first one! But I promise to make up for that!

And finally, today, its Sunday morning and I am still in my pj's. Tomorrow, is a HUGE day. I am trying to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for it! I have a very special evening planned for Luke. You will be able to see more of it in First Day of School Part II.

Hope you had an excellent weekend!

Under the Weather

2009-08-05T13:56:00.010-05:00

Well...things at this house have been quite interesting and chaotic. I noticed over the weekend that Zach had this green yucky stuff in his eyes. Being the paranoid Mom that I am, I made him an appointment to see the doctor Monday afternoon. On my way there, I was called by St. Patrick's. Luke was in the office and was sick with a "bug". I called my sweet niece Alexis and she was nice enough to go get Luke for me and keep him until Jeff or I got to town.

Zach turned out to have conjunctivitis in his eyes and was given some ointment for it. Poor little Luke spent the rest of evening feeling under the weather. He was just soo pitiful and sad. Tuesday morning, he stayed home from school and went to work with me for a little bit. Now, you know that Luke is sick when he doesn't talk, doesn't want to play and voluntarily lays down on the floor and goes to sleep. Sweet baby! He stayed pretty puny and slept most of the day yesterday, but by last night was feeling a little better. He stayed home again today and can I just say that Luke is back to Luke! He has just about talked my ears OFF today!

Yesterday, while Luke was napping, I made Chicken Parmesan for our neighbors, The Carter's, that brought home their new baby on Monday. He is just soo little and sweet. I am going to snap a picture of him soon so everyone can see. Sweet little Luke is dying to "go see that new baby", but I keep telling him that we have to be 100% sure that he is germ free!

This morning, I decided that since I would be home all day that I would make a big pot of Beef Stew. My house is smelling sooo good right now! Luke requested some fried okra. And since he hasn't been eating too much in the past couple of days, I am happy to oblige that for him!

Zach stayed home with us today too! Here he is this morning having his breakfast....prunes!!

Also today, Luke decided that we were going to have a pretend "birthday party". He insisted that I get him some party plates, napkins, cups, forks and knives. Then he and I went into the pantry and he decided on fudge swirls and cheese balls for our food and applejuice for our "punch". He even made us invitations. While I fed Zach, he set the table and put the food out all by himself. He then told me that I need to give him a present and gave me some of his toys to "wrap" for him. After bottle, Zach and I attended his birthday party. He was soo proud of himself. What an imagination!

So as you can see, for two days, I have done nothing but cook food, clean my house and take care of my babies and as much as I LOVE it and them, work is looking reallllly good tomorrow!
Leaving you with pictures of my two sweet babies!

2009-08-02T18:48:00.011-05:00

This weekend we....

Friday, we spent the evening at home...well, except for me...I went to Wal-Mart for our bi-weekly grocery adventure. Two hours into it, Jeff (who was kind enough to keep both kids) called in search and rescue! HA! But we now have a pantry full of groceries and entire shelf in the pantry dedicated to Zach alone!

Saturday morning, we cleaned and played. We also made some special homemade chocolate chip cookies for my friend/co-worker Wendy's son who has Mono. Bless his little heart. He is such a sweet little guy and called me himself to thank me for the cookies! His momma has taught him soo well!
Luke and Zach, playing, in their matching Louisiana Sportsmans T-shirts

Cookies for Tyler

Saturday evening, we loaded into the truck and headed to Baton Rouge to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Earlier in the week, the library came to visit Luke at school and gave the children a bag of coupons, including one to Joe's and Luke was insistant on going. It was delicious and we had a great time. After, we went to the mall to take the kids to ride the carousel, but it was already closed down for the night! But we enjoyed walking around and looking around for a bit.

Sunday we went to the Country (aka Gloster) and had lunch at Nana and Paw Paw's house. It was a delicious "country" style lunch of roast and lots of veggies! We also had chocolate pie (one of my personal favorites) and homemade peach ice cream. We had a very nice time visiting with everyone!

After lunch, Daddy, Luke and Jeff went to the Country Club to "play" golf! I am not sure how much "playing" that got to do with Luke in tow, but nonetheless, they had a great time male bonding!

In exciting weekend news...

Friday evening, our neighbors The Carter's delivered their baby boy, Asher Gabe Carter. He weighed at 7 lbs 11 oz, 20.25 inches long! Mom and baby are both doing well.

AND....ZACH ROLLED OVER!!! He did it a few times awake on Sunday morning while he was playing in his bed and I was putting away clothes in his room. He grunts and makes all kinds of silly noises, but eventually rolls on over. When he took his nap, he rolled over during his sleep and woke up LIVID!! Just another milestone accomplished!

We hope that everyone had a great weekend! This week will be a very busy week for us. Thursday evening, Jeff and I go to Luke's orientation at school and Friday afternoon, we get to take Luke to meet his new teacher!

Have a great week!

Babies, Babies, Babies

2009-07-30T20:46:00.007-05:00

Doesn't everyone just love a baby? Their sweet, cute, pudgy, have wrinkles and fat rolls and no one cares, they have that "baby smell" and that first smile will melt your heart to pieces.

Last week, my cousin Haynes and his wife Paige delivered Izabell Grace Garrett. Today, I got to see her in a picture for the first time. Sweet little girl...

Also, tonight at 10 pm our neighbors, The Carter's, are going to be induced for the delivery of their first baby boy. They are sooo sweet and such good neighbors and I know they are going to be great parents! Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers tonight and tomorrow. We certainly wish them a great, smooth delivery and a happy, healthy baby boy! I will be sure to post a picture of him, as soon as I can get my hands on him in a few days!

And what would my baby post be without a picture of MY babies!

Dreaming of the Angels

2009-07-29T08:54:00.003-05:00

If there is one thing I love, its watching my babies sleep. Ms. Mable says that when babies sleep, they are dreaming of the angels! I think she might be right...

"Always kiss your children goodnight, even if they are already sleeping." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Name this Baby

2009-07-28T13:30:00.002-05:00

IF YOU VOTED LUKE...YOU ARE CORRECT!!

VOTE ON THE RIGHT!

2009-07-27T13:48:00.009-05:00

This weekend was jammed packed yet again. We always have too much going on and not nearly enough days to do it in. Friday, Luke, Zach and I made a trip to Wal-Mart to get Cade (our neighbor Chad's little boy) a birthday gift, naturally this means that Luke "neeeeded" something too! Cade got some cute lego car thingys and Luke got a wheel barrel (like he really neeeded that!!). Poor Zach always get the brunt of the shopping trips, only getting more baby food!

Saturday, we all went to Chad and Amanda's for Cade's 9th birthday party. Chad rented a huge water slide for the kids, had water ballons and water guns. It was awesome and even some of the adults got on it! Luke must have gone up and down that slide a thousand times! I tried sooo hard to get a picture of him coming down it, but his little light weight self slid down it sooo fast (which he LOVED!!). We had delicious hamburgers, hot dogs and Baum's birthday cake. It had a hunting sence on it and was really cute. Luke says that is what he wants next year, but I am sure he will change his mind 100 more times between now and then.
Luke munching on chips at the birthday party

The Blue Monster

Luke climbing up the ladder to slide down

Bren, Kenidy, Sammy, Birthday Boy Cade and Luke

Saturday evening, Luke, Zach and I went to have dinner at Que Pasa with MeMe, Nannie and Keith. We are all such a huge fan of Que Pasa. Thanks to Nannie and Keith for treating us to dinner!

Zach and MeMe (do you also notice the WTH look on Luke's face about MeMe kissing on Zach??!!)

Luke went home with MeMe, Nannie and Keith. He spent half of Sunday on the river with them, fishing, tubing and eating at Aunt Lou and Uncle Kenny's. I bet if you try really really hard, you could smell the spoiled rotten-ness from here!! He loves going there! You can check the pictures of them having fun on Renee's blog!

Sunday morning, I told Jeff that Zach needed a diaper change and that he just haddd to do it! Well, needlesstosay, Zach had dropped the bomb of all bombs and I couldn't wait to see Jeff's reaction to this! Jeff discovered the bomb and told me to watch Zach, he would be right back. He came back into Zach's room, all suited up! It was the funniest thing ever!
Jeff suited up with his protective diaper changing gear and Zach

After picking Luke up on Sunday, he, Zach and I went shoe shopping. This was quite possibly one of the worst shopping trips I have ever been on in my life (and that includes the shopping for homecoming outfits and wedding dresses with Queen)! With two weeks until school starts, apparently everyone in Baton Rouge is shopping. We had trouble finding shoes, so finally after at least a dozen stores, the purchase of Zach a new umbrella stroller, snacks of Reese Cups and Kit Kats, diet coke, an orange drink that was spilled all over the seat of my truck, getting soaking wet in the rain, a potty break in a yucky convenience store, a bottle break in the parking lot, a mile of backed-up traffic on the interstate and 5 hours later...finally we made it home with the perfect pair!!! I am not including the picture of them now, but will very soon have a complete post dedicated to Luke's big first day of school!

Lastly this morning, I took Zach to see Dr. Pat for his 4 month old shots. Bless his little heart. Those nurses talk to him and laugh and he just flashes huge smiles at them! Little does he know that they are about to poke him with a needle!!! He is such a little trooper though, he cries a little but after some love-love from his Mommy he is all good again! This morning, he weighed in at 17.8 pounds and was 27 inches long!

Breaking News

2009-07-25T10:53:00.006-05:00

Good Saturday Morning...This just in from the Hubbard House! Look who is trying to sit up on his own!!!!

I am just not soo sure about this sitting up business...next it will crawling, talking, walking, kindergarten, highschool, college and then some little girl (whom I will try to love, but will secretly hate) trying to steal my baby!!! I can't take this!! I have to go now...going to Google to see if I can locate something to keep babies babies FOREVA!

Have a Happy Weekend!

We're Going to the Chapel and We're Gonna Get Married

2009-07-24T13:20:00.006-05:00

Today, on Kelly's Korner Blog Hop, she is doing "Show Us Your Wedding Dress".

My dress was made by Alfred Angelo, it was all white satin, a-line cut with a large band of pearls at the top. I picked it out of a magazine, found a store that carried it, tried it on and that was a wrap on that! 11 months later, on our 6 year dating anniversary..."We Went to Chapel and Got Married"!!

My wedding dress is now stored in the top of my closet...I find myself taking it down and looking at it every once in a while...reminds me of one of the most wonderful days of my life (that and the birth of my two babies). I can remember soo well...being at the historic Catholic church in Woodville, them telling me it was time to walk down the isle, they closed the doors to the church and Mr. Don (a life long family friend that came to play my wedding especially for me!) began to play the wedding march on the very old organ and they opened the doors to the church for me. There I stood, my white dress, my flowers, my Daddy, a church full of people looking at me and my husband to be waiting on me at the end of the isle...time stood still and everything in my world was completely right.

A New Look

2009-07-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

Our blog got a new look today...tell me what you think!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T21:12:00.001-05:00

Blog Hop Recipe - Crawfish Pasta

2009-07-21T09:01:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all! Today, I am participating in Kelly's Korner recipe blog hop.

Crawfish Pasta
1 stick of butter
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bellpepper
5-6 stalks of green onions, chopped
fresh parsley chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of cream cheese
small (pint size) of 1/2 and 1/2
crawfish tails (bagged with fat)
pasta (you can use any kind, I usually use bowtie or shells)

Saute' your holy trinity (here in South Louisiana, that would be your veggies!) in butter. Add crawfish tails, allow to simmer for 10-15 mins. Add soup, cream cheese and 1/2 and 1/2. Mix well, again allowing to simmer for 10-15 minutes. You can add salt, pepper, Tonys, tabasco to taste. In a separate pot, have your pasta boiling, cook until tender and drain. Mix pasta with sauce. I usually also sprinkle with a little parmasen cheese before serving. Serve with a big loaf of french bread and a sensation salad! Enjoy!

Prayer Requests

2009-07-20T15:07:00.002-05:00

I have been slacking on my prayer requests. I try hard to include one at least every week.

For Baby Izabella
Last night, my cousin Haynes and his wife Paige, delivered their new baby girl, Izabella Grace wayyy tooo early. She weighs a mere 3 pounds! (I think just one of Zach's legs weighs 3 pounds!) She is in NICU at Womans and I know for a fact that she is great hands there! BTW, new Mom Paige is doing great!

For Baby Graham
This morning on Facebook, my highschool friend, Toby asked that we pray for her friend, Melanie who lost a child this weekend. According to Toby, the baby was 7 months old, went down for a nap and did not wake again. They are conducting test to determine the exact cause. I can't even imagine (and hope that I never have to) what his Mother must be going through.

And lastly, just one special intention for someone in need. No details, just pray that God will help them thru the tough times they are facing.

Mr. Fix It, Two Good Recipes and Good Friends

2009-07-19T21:45:00.010-05:00

As a parent, I think that we aspire for our children to do great things in life. Most parents wish for their children to be doctors, lawyers or even President of the United States on day. Well, I still think that Luke is going to do great things in life...as long as it involves taking things apart! He is OBSESSED with taking things apart! Saturday morning, he took at least 6 Thomas the Trains apart and put them back together, CORRECTLY! (BTW, Jeff said that he gets this trait from him, he said that each toy he had got taken apart at some point and time!) So lets just pray that eventually he will move from trains to maybe humans and be a surgeon one day, I mean, they do "take things apart, fix them and put them back together" HAHA!

Earlier this week, I called my Nana and requested a recipe and two fresh veggies from my Dad's garden. Saturday evening, I whipped up the most delicious Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant. I didn't get a picture of the final product, because Jeff and I were too busy devouring it! I will share the recipe with you, BUT you will have to come up with your own measurements, because I just did a lot of "dumping" in!

2 Eggplants
Shrimp (I just got the frozen ones in the bag from WM)
1 Egg
Bread Crumbs
Chopped onion, bellpepper, green onions, parsley
Parmesan cheese
shredded cheese

Cut eggplants in half and boil till soft. Saute' your Holy Trinity! Add shrimp, egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese. Hollow your eggplants, leaving only the shell and put the "guts" of the eggplant in the bread crumb mixture. Mix well. Stuff back into eggplant shells and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese and put back in oven to melt.

I also made a wonderful dessert that I was testing for a lunch that I have to attend next weekend. It was super and super EASY.

1 package chocolate chip cookies
1 tub cool whip
1 package cream cheese
1/2 sugar
frozen strawberry juice
fresh strawberries

Put your cookies in the bottom of a spring form pan in a single layer. Mix sugar and cream cheese. Add juice, mix. Add cool whip, mix. Add strawberries (cut in pieces), mix. Pour over the top of the cookies. Place in freezer for 6 hours or until set. Remove from freezer, top with remaining fresh strawberries and ENJOY! SOOO YUMMY!! (Just be sure to eat it quickly or put it back in the freezer, or it will melt!)

Sunday evening, we went to Chad and Amanda's for a fish fry. They are the best neighbors and we really enjoy their company. Jeff always makes the best fried fish, complete with fries, coleslaw and the above strawberry dessert. It was a great evening!
The Guys Cooking

Luke and Kenidy

Zach and Miss Amanda

In other news this weekend, Friday, we spent the evening at home, nothing exciting. Saturday, Luke went on a road trip with Daddy and Ms. Debra. They went to Gonzales to the Swamp Pop Fest and Luke's favorite store, Cabelas. Luke spent the night with Papa Saturday night and Sunday morning, he got a special treat. Papa took him fishing at Nana and PawPaw and then to the Country Club to play golf and swim. If you talk to Luke soon, be sure to ask him alllll about golfing! He will proudly tell you that he played 13 holes of golf and did sooo good and got in the hole and rode in the golf cart!

Zach and Jeff got to do special some bonding time on Saturday evening while Luke was away. And Zach actually got to play with some of his toys, without Big Brother stealing things away from him!

Whewww, what a weekend. Somewhere in there, I managed to make groceries, get a manicure, clean my house and wash a thousand (HA!) loads of laundry. I am looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, just so I can rest a little! HAHA!

Hope everyone has a great week. I have a special picture treat that I worked on this weekend too! So be looking for it in the mail soon!

Guest Book

2009-07-18T10:56:00.002-05:00

Hello, Good Saturday Morning to Everyone! I am sitting here playing on Blogger instead of doing laundry! I added a Guest Book to the bottom of the page...please visit it and sign it! We would love to hear from everyone who enjoys reading about our family!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T20:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Addison Kate

2009-07-13T20:32:00.001-05:00

Happy 9th Birthday to Addison Kate today! We love you and hope you had a wonderful day!

Something New

2009-07-13T16:40:00.003-05:00

Been hard at work today (can't you tell??) and I put together this little collage of Zach's monthly pictures. Isn't he the cutest thing EVER???!!

Do You Know One of the Best Things About Summer?

2009-07-12T19:18:00.006-05:00

GREEN BEANS AND NEW POTATOES,

FRIED EGGPLANT,

& SMOTHERED SQUASH

...All picked fresh from my Daddy's garden! YUM!

Weekend In Pictures

2009-07-12T10:26:00.005-05:00

We got the highchair out for Zach this weekend, Luke decided that he needed to take a seat in it too!

We also got the Exersaucer out for Zach, he is still a little too small for it, but he did enjoy sitting in it and looking at the new toys he has to play with!

Luke and Zach watching Oswald together on Sunday morning

Nothing else exciting happened at the Hubbard House this weekend, very low key and I have to say, that is just fine with me!! Luke did have a special outing with his Nannie and Uncle Keith yesterday and got a very special treat of seeing Bubba, Sissy, Grammy and Papa! Go to Renee's blog (on the right "Renee' Sullivan") to see pictures of the 3 Amigos!

4 Months

2009-07-12T10:14:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, Zach turned 4 months old!

At 4 months, he is weighing in at 17 pounds. He is now taking 6 ounces of milk with 2 1/2 tablespoons of cereal. He has also started eating some food, his favorites are applesauce and bananas. I have also given him a little pear juice which he loved too! He is interested in sitting up, always trying to raise himself up, but is still not stable enough to sit up on his own. He "talks" and laughs with us all of the time and he has really taken to his Lovie. He is also on a more consistent nap schedule, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He will be going to see Dr. Pat next week for his 4 month old checkup and shots.

Finally Friday!

2009-07-10T19:19:00.004-05:00

Another week has come and gone! I didn't have time to blog last night, sleep was calling my name, so I will have to catch up today.

Yesterday, Luke and Zach went to see Dr. Pat. They are both suffering from sinus infections but had clear ears and throats. Thank Goodness! 2 prescriptions later (and some strawberry flavoring) we are on the way to recovery. By the way, Zach weighed in at 17 pounds today! After their appointment, we went to one of my favorite places to eat...Que Pasa. And yes, here comes one of those "earth please swallow me now moments"...I ordered Luke a taco (meat and cheese only)...the nice guy brought our food out to us, Luke looked it over and said (quite loudly)..."Mom, what the hell is wrong with my freakin' taco??" YES, I almost died!

After our eventful lunch, I took Luke to visit with MawMaw Pat for the afternoon and Zach got to come with me to work! It was sooo fun! I loved having him there with me (and I just don't understand why he can't go with me everyday!).

MawMaw Pat made us a huge pot of one of my favorites, chicken spaghetti! It was delicious. Whittney and Zach came over for dinner too. And a congratulations is due to them, as they are expecting a little baby!! Below, you can see a picture of the two Zach's of the family!

Today, its a typical Friday evening in the Hubbard House. We had pizza for supper and are just chillixan' for the rest of the evening. Hope everyone has an excellent weekend!

One more thing, picture C won the most votes for the picture to be submitted to Baton Rouge Baby magazine. I am going to email it to them tonight. I will be sure to let you know if he gets published! Thanks for reading and voting!

Feed Me Seymour

2009-07-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

Saturday, I started testing baby food with Zach. So far, he has had applesauce, bananas and peaches. He LOVES eating! He makes the silliest faces when I put something new in his mouth. At first, he is like...I am not sooo sure about this...after two or three bites...he is loving it. From the looks of the above picture, it doesn't look like much actually makes it into his mouth, but I promise it does!

Cast Your Vote

2009-07-07T20:40:00.004-05:00

I am wanting to submit a picture of Zach to Baton Rouge Baby magazine and I need you to help me pick out the perfect picture to send in! Below, I am listing pictures. On the right side bar, there will be a place where you can cast your vote. I will leave it up until Friday and then I will submit the picture with the most votes! Thanks for participating!

A.

B.

C.

A Tale of Two Lovies

2009-07-07T20:23:00.003-05:00

Introducing Lovie and Lovie...

Before Luke was born, his MeMe bought him his first Lovie. He immediately took to it and carried it around with him every where he went. You could always tell when Luke was tired, because he would take Lovie's arm and rub it on his nose. It got to the point that Lovie's arm was totally disgusting! So off MeMe goes to purchase a new Lovie. Well, Luke noticed the difference right away. So now, he calls it his old Lovie and new Lovie. He doesn't carry them around anymore, but when he feels bad or needs a little extra love-love, he asks for them.

When I was pregnant with Zach, I told MeMe that Zach was going to need his own Lovie. Being the great MeMe that she is, she called the store in Natchez, MS and had one just like Luke's shipped in for Zach. I have started giving Zach his Lovie mostly when I am able to watch him, because I am still concerned about him putting it over his face. However, when Zach is getting sleepy, he is just like his brother. I can put Lovie next to him and he immediately calms.

I think that it is sooo sweet that my two babies love their Lovie's so much! I hope that it brings comfort to them when I can't be there for them. I am sure that one day a long long time from now...Lovie and Lovie will be attending college with Luke and Zach!

Weekend Events

2009-07-05T10:15:00.012-05:00

This weekend, we packed TONS of things into 3 days! Thursday night, Jeff and I went to Cadillac Cafe in Baton Rouge to hear our neighbor/friend Chad's band play (check them out at www.truespin.com). They were awesome! We had "adult beverages", danced, laughed until 2 in the morning. WOAH! I haven't seen that time since middle of the night feedings! I am definitely sure that I am too old to be doing that again for a long long time!

Friday morning, Zach and I made groceries and ran some errands while Jeff and Luke did yard work. Then it was baths and in the truck and off to Chuck E Cheese. Luke found some coupons in the newspaper last week. So he promised all happy notes at school and we promised to take him. Let me just say, it was an experience that I am also good for another year on. Luke had a great time!

Friday night, Zach got his first taste of food (well, other than the ice cream his Daddy sneaks to him!) He had some applesauce and thought it was most delicious. I definitely think that he likes some groceries!

Saturday, we all got a treat and the boys slept until 9 AM. Now, I know that this doesn't sound like a big deal, but to me it was blissful! We spent the rest of the day outside playing and bar-b-quing. Jeff made us a delicious meal of ribs, chicken and sausage along with potato salad, baked beans and grilled corn on the cob. YUM!

Its Sunday morning now and I am still in my pj's and hope to stay that way all day! I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Summer is almost over now. Its only about a month before it will be time for Luke to go to his first day of Pre-K!

Neighborhood Pals

2009-07-01T20:06:00.006-05:00

Kenedi (our neighbors little girl and the ONLY little girl in an 8 house count) and Luke riding in her Barbi Jeep

The battery was dying, so Kenedi decided it needed "gas"

To the rescue, Mr. Fix-It, Luke "workin'" on it

And off they go again...

Two Days Just Isn't Enough

2009-06-29T19:14:00.007-05:00

Weekends are just not long enough for me. I really need three days...one for cleaning, one for my errands and one to rest and play! But, since I only have two, I cram it all in the best way I can.

Saturday morning, Luke and Zach were up with the roosters. I don't know why it is that during the week, I have to promise an entire toy isle in Wal-Mart to Luke, but come Saturday morning, I hear "Momma, I am ready to get up"...seriously?? But alas, we start our day and stay at it all day.

Saturday, Luke was insistent that he go outside and play in the water. So, on goes the swimming trunks and sunscreen. Out comes the water hose, octopus water sprinkler, and the thingy that we use to water the grass. This lasts a total of 10 seconds.

And he comes back inside. Towel, change of clothes and we are onto the next thing...art...when Luke had his 2nd birthday, his Nannie gave him this huge art set thing with markers, colors, etc in it. So out it comes, paper and we are painting and coloring. 10 more seconds

Jeff comes in...and he is on to the next thing...riding in his jeep...but it is just sooo hot that his Daddy rigged him up some shade to keep cool.

Zach and I spent time cleaning up the messes that Luke created all day coming in and out and changing his mind about what he was going to do next.

Sunday, Jeff and Luke went for a short ride on the creek on the 4-wheeler, while Zach and I folded at least 20 (haha) loads of clothes and watched some tv. Later, Jeff and I had to go to visitation at the funeral home for our friend Kyle grandmother. So we had Daddy and Ms. Debra come and sit with the kids while we went. Being that it was Daddy's birthday yesterday, I did a little impromptu birthday for him, making him (and Jeff) apple cobbler. Luke was insistent again on putting candles in it and signing Happy Birthday!

Finally, the weekend ends with making bottles, packing diaper bags and book sacks and getting ready for another Monday. Thankfully, this week will be a short week with the upcoming July 4th Holiday. Luke already has big plans for going to Chucky Cheese on Friday...he has promised to get "happy" notes at school all week for this special outing.

Hope everyone has an excellent week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2009-06-28T09:59:00.001-05:00

Battle Marks

2009-06-25T19:33:00.007-05:00

Today, St. Patricks called...there had been an accident on the playground during "swim time"...Luke and "a little girl with pigtails made with large colorful balls on the holders" bumped heads! No battle marks were on the little girl, but my baby suffered a HUGE black eye!!

But, being the tough little guy that he is, some ice and some love-love from Ms. Deanna and he was good to go again! According to Ms. Deanna, not even a tear was shed!

Nothing else exciting is going on at the Hubbard House this week and honestly, we are quite thankful for that. Last weekend was so busy with events that this weekend, we hope to just take it easy. I am planning to clean, cook and play with my babies!

Here is the rolly polly of the family. He is just sooo cute and getting soo big! He is sooo much fun, talking to us and laughing out loud at our silliness. I can't believe that he is going to be 4 months old in just 2 more weeks. Time is just passing right on by me.

I try each week to include a prayer request. This week, I want to request that you pray for the people that work outside in the heat and people that are not fortunate enough to have air conditioning in their homes. It is already record setting temperatures outside and there is no relief in sight. Also, for rain. We did get a small shower yesterday, but not nearly enough.

Hope everyone has an excellent weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T21:10:00.000-05:00

I forgot....

2009-06-22T09:59:00.002-05:00

....to mention in my post last night, that Daddy and Queen made the front page of the people section of the Sunday Advocate yesterday morning. Renee submitted a "Dadism" to the newspaper, quoting one of Dad's favorite sayings...."its like what the monkey said when he got his tail cut off...it won't be long now...". One of my personal favorites is when I would tell him that something on me hurt, he would always tell me "well, your butt if fixin' to hurt!"...although, I never ever remember getting a spanking!!! I am not sure where he came up with these silly sayings, but he is certainly full of "Dadism's"!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:42:00.008-05:00

"Any man can be a Father, but it takes a special man to be a Daddy" Unknown

When I was a little girl, this cross-stitched quote hung next to my Daddy's side of the bed. I have no clue where it is now, but I believe that it could not be more true. Any man can carry the title of a Father, but a Daddy...now that is a whole different class of men.

I am very fortunate to have two great Daddy's in my life, my Daddy and my kids Daddy. Two wonderful men!

Today, we spent the day at Nannie's house grilling hamburgers and swimming. It was a great day. Luke is a little water bug and even Zach took a dip in the pool and loved it. Thanks to Renee for having us over for a great afternoon.

Anniversary Party

2009-06-20T22:23:00.007-05:00

Today, we celebrated my Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary. WOW!! How awesome is that???

60 years divided by:
3 children, Chuck, Melissa and Dee
6 Grandchildren, Liz, Ray, Renee, Brandon, Darby, Hailey
2 Great-Grandchildren, Luke and Zach
8 total high school graduations
11 marriages
3 college graduations
and many many birthdays and other special events
=21,900 days of marriage

My Grandfather said it very well today when asked how you make it 60 years of marriage...he said, "you have to be true to your vows..." I couldn't agree more.

...for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death due you part...

60 Years

2009-06-18T15:22:00.002-05:00

Today, I wish my Grandparents, respectfully known as Hilda and Buddy, affectionately known as Nana and PawPaw, a very very Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary. On Saturday, we will all gather to celebrate this marriage and I will have lots of pictures to share.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T07:10:00.001-05:00

Random Tuesday...

2009-06-16T21:02:00.008-05:00

Like Father...

Like Son...

Cousin Benjie (you can read sista-n-laws blog at the button on the right "Elliott Family") just got a new "do", so tonight in the tub, Luke did his version of Benjie's faux hawk...

On Kelly's Korner, she has a great recipe blog. The past two weeks, I have been trying out some of the recipes...so far I have tried the Chicken Supreme, Mexican Chicken, Poppy Seed Chicken and the hash brown casserole...ALL WERE EXCELLENT! So if you are looking for some new things to cook, check it out...the link to her blog is on the right as well "Kelly Stamps" and the link to her recipes is on the left sidebar of her blog, marked "My Recipe Blog".

Lastly, two requests:
Please continue to pray for little Noah.

Also, please pray for Carly Elizabeth Sawyer. She is the granddaughter of a family here in Zachary and more so, she is related to Marlin and Katie Kimery (who was Luke's babysitter and our family friends). She died last week at the little age of 5 due to blunt force trauma and other contributing abuse inflicted by her own Father and Step-Mother. Please pray for the Kimery family during the terrible time.

Gettin' On My Soap Box

2009-06-14T21:20:00.003-05:00

So, I try not to use my blog to complain, rather share the happy things in our lives, but just for this moment, I am Gettin' On My Soap Box....

This morning, we went to church. So far, I found the Priest at our church to give very meaningful homily's. I have found myself enjoying each one and getting something out of it that carried with me all week. Today, however, he said something that rubbed me the wrong way, if you will. During his homily today, he made some comments about how people dress to come to church. Noting that it is wrong to wear jeans, shorts, etc to church, going on to say that you would not wear such items to pay your last respects to someone at a funeral, so why would you wear such clothing to pay your respects to God. Being that I was sitting next to my husband, who for the first time EVER, wore jeans to church today (and only because I told him it would be ok), I felt rather uncomfortable as did Jeff. I totally feel that the Priest was way out of line in saying such a thing. I feel that it doesn't matter what you wear, as long as you are there to thank God for the many blessing He has given unto you, ask for forgiveness for your sins and pray for His mercy and guidance in your life.

Of course, this comment is not going to keep me from going to church or liking the Priest that is there. I am going to call it a bad day on his behalf (and maybe he needed to get on his soapbox too!!) But as I climb off of my soapbox...I personally give everyone permission to wear whatever you like to my funeral...and to church!!!

"Little" Boys Do Cry

2009-06-14T21:11:00.003-05:00

Isn't this the saddest face you have ever seen??

Happy Birthday Hannah

2009-06-13T13:45:00.006-05:00

Today, Luke, Zach and I went to Luke's best little friend from school, Hannah, 4th birthday party. I am sure you have heard Luke talk about Hannah and I have even posted her picture a few times in my blog. She is such a sweet little girl! This was our first time to be invited to a birthday party with "school" friends and I think that Luke and I both enjoyed it. Luke played and played with the other kids and I got to visit with some the Mom's. I am sure this is only the beginning of many many more birthday parties to come.
Luke and Hannah in the sharks mouth

Luke's present to Hannah was a pink and black bow with an "H' in the middle

Best Buddies

The Birthday Crew

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2009-06-12T07:03:00.006-05:00

Luke and Zach wish the LSU Tigers the best of luck at the College World Series beginning this weekend in Omaha. GEAUXXXXX TIGERSSSSSS!!!!!

3 Months Old

2009-06-11T07:14:00.006-05:00

Today, Zach turns 3 months old!

June 11, 2009

He is still eating 5 ounces of milk with rice cereal. Amazingly enough, he is still just like clockwork, eating his last bottle around 9:30 pm and sleeping until 6:30 the next morning! He is discovering his hands and feet too. He lays on his back and holds his little legs straight up in the air, espcially when he is excited! He loves to sit in his little chair and look at his toys. He gets so excited when he sees me putting them in front of him and sometimes, you will catch him "talking" to them (sooo cute!). He is also reaching for some of them and putting them straight into his mouth. He is in love with his "Lovey". Its cute when you see him and Luke both with their Loveys. When laying on his stomach, Zach is able to completely lift his head up, looking around and can raise up on his arms too! I posted earlier that he is taking his baths now in the big tub and he absolutely loves it! He is growing way too fast for me! Happy 3 Months Old Zach! I love you!!

Good Morning Sunshine...

2009-06-10T07:06:00.004-05:00

Can You Tell the Difference?

2009-06-08T21:04:00.005-05:00

Ok, so this is an after thought, because clearly if you keep up with my blog, you saw the picture of Zach last night in the bath tub, so you will clearly be able to tell which is which...but pretending you didn't see that...Could You Tell the Difference??

If you know me, you know that I don't like comparisons of my children. I like to think of them as their own little person, each having different features, likes, dislikes and personalities. There is definitely no denying that they are brothers from looks, but they are different in many ways and I have to admit, I like it that way! I love you both so very much!

Chillaxin'

2009-06-07T19:25:00.008-05:00

The definition of Chillaxin is: A combination of "chillin'" and "relaxin'" and that's exactly what we at the Hubbard household did this weekend.

Friday, we spent the typical Friday night at home, dining on McDonald's for dinner, watching LSU baseball (GEAUX TIGERS!!) and hitting the bed early! Saturday, I did the dreaded Wal-Mart grocery shopping thing...its an every two week ordeal and I was thankful that this Saturday I got to do it kid-less thanks to Jeff!! Also, Saturday, Luke got to spend the afternoon with his MeMe. MeMe took him to Nannie's new apartment complex in Baton Rouge to swim. The complex was having a pool party that evening, so MeMe and Luke ended up partying right along with them! According to MeMe, Luke had a great time, singing with the DJ, eating boiled shrimp and swimming in the pool! Afterwards, MeMe took Luke to Wal-Mart to get him a weedeater. He has been telling her forever that he "needed" one! They also came home with a pop-up music box for Zach that he loves.

Saturday evening, Zach got his first bath in the big bath tub. Up until now, I had still been bathing him on the little mat on the counter, waiting until he was a bit bigger! Well, the time has come and can I just say that he LOVED LOVED LOVED it!

Today, we have not left our house all day and it has been so nice. Below, you can see Jeff, Luke and Zach "chillaxin" in the bed this morning watching the famous, on every TV in our house, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, NOGGIN channel!!!

Hope everyone else had a good and "chillaxin" weekend too! If you didn't, you should try it, it does a body and mind good! Have a great week!!

This is what happens...

2009-06-03T19:56:00.003-05:00

...when we allow Luke to dress himself!! Let me just describe the outfit for you: sunglasses, his cell-phone (which by the way, he will tell you "doesn't have a sim card, but his Dad is gonna get him one""), a blue and white gingham shirt, olive green shorts and navy blue rubber boots...and yes...he was outside of the house like this! He is truly a one-of-a-kind kid!

In other Hubbard house news, not much is going on this week. Jeff has started his new job and so far is doing well. Luke and Zach both got healthy reports from Dr. Pat on Monday. Luke had his 4 year old shots and did great. He did shed tears but was easily comforted with a sucker and stickers. Zach is growing like a little weed, weighing in at 14.6 pounds (11 weeks old)!! Soon, I think its going to be survival of the fittest around our house!

Hope everyone is having an excellent week. Oh, please still pray for little man Noah (noahsroad.com), he had a big eye surgery this week at John Hopkins. I am sure he and his family are very thankful for each and every prayer they get.

Brotherly Love...

2009-06-02T20:15:00.001-05:00

I Can Remember a Time When......

2009-05-29T20:31:00.002-05:00

....Friday nights meant being anywhere but HOME...it meant a movie date in Baton Rouge, a football game or a party in a field with a bottle of Strawberry Hill (sorry Mom and Dad!!). Now, as I look around my house, laundry all over my couch, toys all over my living room floor and the sweet faces of my two babies...I find that there is no where in this world I would rather be!

Looking Up

2009-05-29T07:24:00.003-05:00

Last week, I mentioned in one of my blogs that our family was going thru some tough times and to please keep us in your prayers. Well, prayers answered! Things started looking up for our family yesterday, with not only ONE but TWO GREAT THINGS!!! I told my friend Michelle yesterday that sometimes I don't understand why God challenges us the way that He does...her response was something very powerful and I will always remember...she said, "I believe God challenges us to keep us grounded, close to Him. Other wise we may never call on Him". Well said Michelle!

Hoping everyone has a great weekend! As for me and my family, we definitely will!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-27T20:39:00.009-05:00

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday, we all went to New Orleans to the Aquarium. Luke absolutely loved it!
Luke and Jeff with the McCall birds in the Amazon at the Aquarium

We had ice cream sundaes on the outside deck overlooking the Mississippi River

Luke and the Giant Frog

Sunday and Monday, we spent the day in New Roads on the river at Uncle Kenny and Aunt Lou's house. Luke loves to go to their house...as Renee' says, its like his own personal amusement park! And lets not forget Zach, he got held soo much, he is still suffering from arm-itis and Ms. Mable wanted to know who to blame for spoiling him this weekend....(MeMe, Nannie, Aunt Lou and Aunt Cindy, I gave her your phone numbers!! HAHA).

Luke's First Ride in the tube behind the boat (going realllllly slow at first) in False River (and its safe to say....he is now HOOKED!!!!)

Coolest little man on the river!

Jeff and Luke chillin' in the river

Of course, I can't put every picture taken from this weekend on here, so copy and paste the link below into your browser bar and it will take you to my photo album from my facebook page and you can see the others!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=254567&id=831130206&l=e583dad965

Ice Cream Sundaes

2009-05-22T22:27:00.005-05:00

Today, Luke had his end of the "school" year party. He will now be moving to a new classroom with Ms. Deanna, but just for the summer. He will be starting Pre-K in August at "big school" and he is sooooo excited!! I think that he and I both are going to miss Ms. Karen. She was such a great teacher, very kind hearted and super to those kids. Today, she had each kid bring a ingredient for Ice Cream Sundaes and each kid got to pick out what they wanted on their sundaes. They had it all, gummies, oreos, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, whipped cream, bananas (supplied by yours truly), sprinkles and cherries and of course the famous Capri Suns to drink. She also had a special gift for each child. They each got a sand bucket with their names on it, bubbles, a coloring book, colors and I am not sure what the girls got, but the boys got a monster truck!