So much to say, so little time

I'm slacking AGAIN.

We closed on our house a few weeks ago. We are still in the same house we were just renting before. (Cody's mom was our "landlord") It was Cody's mom and dad's casa before we moved in almost 4 years ago and for some reason we just kept putting the house in our name off. The time finally came and we followed all the steps. Appraisal, bank meetings blahhhhhh and in a weeks time, it was ours! It was a little more exciting than I thought it would be. I mean we've been in that house for almost 5 years already so it already seemed like "ours" but now it's for real. We're grown ups. 30 and grown up.Now the fun begins...We are doing a master bedroom/bathroom remodel and tiling the whole house in the cool tile that looks like wood floor.
Speaking of 30, yesterday was Cody's 30th birthday!! We are celebrating by leaving for Brownwood this evening to go to the Murray Ranch! Cody hasn't been hunting in over 2 years and I surprised him with a trip with some friends to the ranch. Plus a snazzy new something or another thingy he wanted for his bow and a set of Wusthof Knives!
I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out last Friday and holy OUCH! It wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be ( I went under and got some pretty good pain meds!) but the recovery has been long. I'm not one to sit and relax long and I basically had to all weekend. It's tough with a rowdy 4 year old who is non stop, luckily I had some great help. I've taken 6 days off from working out/Grit and I am terrified to go back today :-/

I had labs done a few weeks ago to check my thyroid levels and they were all NORMAL! Woo. But with the whole wisdom teeth thing and the pain meds, (I also slacked 2 days not taking my thyroid meds) somehow my heart palpitations came back and of course my diet slacked because all I was allowed was liquids and squishy foods. I'm still having them. So I'm thinking if my Dr. were to tell me to stop taking the medicine to see if I'm in "remission" I would still have a hyper active thyroid.......So I am really thinking hard and asking the Lord for guidance on a complete thyroidectomy. Eeek.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a few days away. As much as I am looking forward to it because it is one of my favorite holidays, it just reminds me that one very special lady will be missing. We usually celebrate by driving to O'Donnell and seeing all of Cody's family, eat entirely too much and hang out for a few hours then make the drive home and eat dinner with my mom and Gram. This year will be different. But I am reassured she will have the best seat in the house and I am thankful that I got to spend 29 Thanksgivings with that special woman<3 p="">

This was on Hud's classroom door the other day when I dropped him off. He's thankful for his trampoline of course ;) his mom dad and grandma. What a sweetie. I toured MCS and filled out the paperwork and put his name on the waiting list for next year. Fingers crossed we'll have a little Mustang in kindergarten next year. Crazy.

5k whoop whoop

Yesterday was one for the books! I completed my very first ever 3 .1 miles (plus some) WITHOUT stopping at all!!!! I have been "running" for a while. I've never really had the ambition to complete a 5k and it's always been a huge mental thing for me. My legs always felt like they were going to fall off, that would trigger my mind to stay STOP, so I would walk for a bit then start back up. Run, walk a little, run a little more, get tired and walk some more and then finish it off with a sprint so I felt good about it ;)
Yesterday Alicia (my running buddy) yay for running buddies! and I started off. We agreed to at least run 1/2 the 3.1 miles and by that half, if we couldn't run anymore, we'd walk for a bit. I have the nike+ app with the chip in my shoes, so I cranked that bad boy on and it alerted me at the half way point. I felt good. My chest wasn't on fire, my breathing was steady and my legs didn't cramp up and I looked at Alicia and she didn't look like she was stopping so I pushed forward. A little later my ankles and calves started burning. Thank goodness a power song came and I totally just started jamming out not thinking about the pain in my legs. I knew if I stopped and walked, I wouldn't be able to start running again. 2.85 miles and the pain had subsided a little and another power song came on, I could see our finish line!!! 3.1 miles, complete!! No walking and our pace was 9:30 the whole time. We finished right under 30 min. What a great feeling. Alicia and I had been talking about doing a 5k last weekend. I just didn't feel ready and was hesitant to sign up. Sadly it got cancelled anyway. There is another one this weekend and I am so signing up! Grit has played such a huge part in all this. It has conditioned my body and I am able to do so much more. I have such a love/hate relationship with it...so much that I signed up again in November.

Hudson-isms

Our little 4 year old is hilarious. He really should have his own show. He's really been cracking us up lately, getting too big for his britches.

*This morning on the way to work, I told him he was going to get to play at his grandma Chita's house while the girls came over to watch our show, The Vampire Diaries. He asked, "what's that about mom?" I told him Vampires! He said, "oh no, I won't be watching that with ya'll." He waited a minute and asked, "is it also about poop?" I laughed and said no, why? "The Vampire Diaries, Diaries mom. Like poop." Bless his heart, diaries does kinda sound like diarrhea. ;)

*My friend Laurel just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Hudson had been around La several times and saw her belly growing larger and larger and we told him she had a baby in her belly. My friend Emily is pregnant with TWINS!! So he asks me almost twice a week WHEN I WAS GOING TO BE PREGNANT. I guess he thought that since my friends were pregnant, I just needed to magically become pregnant too!

*He talks about a brother or sister every now (not so much a sister, mostly brother) I asked him the other day if God were to give him a sister, what would he do? He proceeded to make a list and it was the sweetest ever. Some of the things were: I'd teach her to fight like a ninja turtle, I'd feed her mac n cheese, I'd teach her how to climb a tree, I'd make sure she took her vitamins and I would protect her. -Be still my heart

*He told us his class got a new student yesterday and that he was allergic.... We asked what to? He said peanuts, red juice and cheese. "he's got a necklace that says ALLERGIC" It was really sweet. We asked if he knew what allergic was and he said no, "but I want a necklace that says allergic".

*This past Sunday we went to Home Goods to find a few new decorations for the house. Sometimes he chooses to sit in the basket but the majority of the time he wants to run around and tear everything off the shelves ;)  So he was running around like a mad man and I was trying to stay calm and not yell at him. My phone rang and it was my bff Kristen whom I haven't talked to in a while so I answered and lost track for just a second and poof he was gone. I was talking to her trying to remain calm searching the store. A few seconds later I hear his tiny voice "OPEN!" I saw him by the automatic doors with his hands in the air "opening" the automatic door for people going out. He thought he was magic because every time his hands would go up, the door would open. People were so amused and laughed and said, "well thank you young man!" He was thrilled! Too cute 

He's doing so well in Tae Kwon Do! On Monday, he earned his blue stripe for knowing his stances and his kicking and punching techniques. He also earned his purple stripe for knowledge, reading 5 books. Once all his stripes are earned (we only lack yellow and orange!) He can test for his yellow belt.

Some drills at Kwon Do

Find Wolverine.... He always takes one toy to bed and I always go in after he falls asleep and take it out. (some of them are sharp and I don't want him rolling over on them) It took me a good 5 min to find Wolverine. Precious boy.

Halloween is right around the corner! We're both so excited. Sad Cody will be on shift this year though :(
One guess what the little guy is going to be........yea you guessed it, I'm sure.
Have a safe Halloween!

30th Birthday, Grit update

Day 2 of Grit down! It's probably the hardest I've ever been pushed/pushed myself! The first class I had no idea what to expect. My good friend Alicia signed up last minute and I know two other girls in the T/Th class. The first class was Grit Plyo and it was BRUTAL! My heart rate maxed at 183 and I was seeing stars thinking I couldn't go on or I'd 1. blow chunks or 2. be that girl, who passes out. I pushed through it and finished the class! And even came back for today's class, Strength. This was way better than Plyo but still kicked my butt. Strength targets the big muscle groups. I just ordered a very appropriate shirt, Buck Furpees. This was my first time during burpees, at least more than 2 of them at a time and they suck and I'm terrible at them. I have no upper body strength what so ever! (But I'm working on that!) I get so excited at the end of class because, IT'S OVER and I get to check my Polar heart rate monitor to see how many calories I burned and what my heart rate was. Handy little watch I tell ya.
Holla. Bring on Tuesday's plyo, AGAIN!
My diet has improved as well. Except for yesterday, yesterday was my 30th birthday and I said screw it! Not really, I had a coffee from Starbucks, ate super healthy at Chili's for lunch and pretty healthy at dinner, except that piece of turtle cheesecake my husband forced me to eat at the station. Station 6 is a legit crew, love them all. They all pitched in and bought me THE LITTLE MERMAID!!! and a pretty cool "you know you're 30 when".....card. You can rap the whole Fresh Prince of Bel Air, you rooted for Corey and Topanga, you had a trapper keeper......etc
Speaking of 30, yea I turned 30 yesterday and I'm still able to walk! yay! 30 has never been a big issue for me. Just another year and it's been great so far. I woke up to both my boys in the kitchen with gifts and singing Happy Birthday. I met my mom at lunch where she gave me the most awesome gift I ever could imagine.....

This beautiful diamond was in Gram's wedding ring my papa had given her many moons ago. It turned out just amazing. I had a wonderful day! Thank you all who called, texted and gave me wishes on FB and Insta.
xox.

Hudson is doing so great in Kwon Do. He's listening so well and is really getting the punching and kicking down. At home it's a little different. He's been talking back a lot and telling us "that didn't hurt" when we spank him :-/ stinker. We've had to take a few of his favorite toys away lately and even a Friday night at Chita's house. He straightened up real fast after that.

Whole30 you SUCK! GRIT, we'll see if you suck

Yea that was not for me. I came, I saw, I basically gave up and just started eating a CLEAN diet. I've been doing great so far. No major changes but I feel good. There's an article going around on facebook about how a woman describes her "whole food shopping journey" and OMG can I relate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-maclean/surviving-whole-foods_b_3895583.html

Hilarious!!
I'm staying away from gluten as much as possible. Except the occasional beer and I have only had once since starting this. Yay. And any and all added sugar! That's been kinda tough considering I had once cup of coffee each morning with creamer and sugar. I'm anxiously awaiting my next lab appointment to see how my thyroid levels are and to see if change in diet has helped at all. This last appointment will be a major game changer and will determine if I will be getting my thyroid surgically removed! If my levels are normal, I will continue on my medication. If they have raised or dipped at ALL, out with the ol thyroid. Eeek

I start a class at the Y on October 1st, (what a lovely birthday present I have given myself) GRIT. I'm taking it with a few friends and actually convinced Alicia she needed to do it to, so for now, she said she was going to sign up....we'll see. Wish me luck






The LES MILLS GRIT™ Series is for you if:




Hudson had his 4 year well check today and I made daddy take him :( 4 shots and he called me after his appointment. As much as he tried to act like it was ok, he was so pouty and made me cry even though I wasn't there to see it for myself. Poor baby! 42'' tall and 41 lbs and of course in the 95% for height and weight. Whata champ. Daddy is taking him for ice cream as we speak.                                                                                       

Coffee.

I want coffee. With cream and sugar, not black!
Wahhhhhhh

Whole30 Challenge

Eeek. Just the name alone scares me.

September 28th will be my 1 year anniversary living with Graves' Disease. When I was first diagnosed, I had no idea what Graves' was or the role my thyroid played. I have done so much research in the past year, I should have a degree in research! Graves' is such a weird disease. Before I was diagnosed, I had a few heart palpitations, I was hot alllll the time, I would just bust out sweating for no reason and I had some serious brain fog. When the Dr. told me I had Graves' and explained it, it all made sense but I asked myself, "now what?" I had three options, radioactive iodine, medication, or a total thyroidectomy (surgery) All of those scared me but the meds seemed like the route to go. Taking the iodine would mean total isolation for 3 or 4 days and no guarantee that it would actually "kill" my thyroid. So I started out on 10mg of tapazole twice a day and would meet with my Dr. in three months for labs and to see what my levels were. First visit back was good, my levels were in the normal range and I was feeling pretty good. I have read other people's journey with Graves' and I felt extemley blessed because some of them had experienced "Thyroid Storm" where they had to be rushed to the hospital because their thyroid was going bizerk causing the rest of their body to shut down. I prayed and prayed that didn't happen to me. I got back in the gym and started eating a healthier diet. Of course, I was selfish and indulged more than I should. I love CARBS and SUGAR and couldn't give up my coffee or bread. I've always been a thin person with high metabolism, I'm thankful I've never had to diet or really watch what I eat but as I get older I am more conscious of what I put in my mouth. Especially having an auto immune disease. I added more veggies, more fruit, more protein but still couldn't MAKE myself give up the tablespoon (is that bad?) of sugar in my coffee or my bread! I purchased several books about Graves' and read in one of them that Celiac Disease, an auto immune disease of the small intestine, means eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, can cause intestine damage and cause other auto immune diseases. I don't remember being tested for Celiac.
So...
I found this Whole30 book about completely changing your diet and 1. feeling amazing and 2. a cleaner diet helping with lower blood sugar for diabetics, allergies, AUTO IMMUNE DISEASES and a wide variety of other things. So I was interested and bought it on my Ipad. When I got through the first 3 or 4 pages, I was asking myself, WHY AM I NOT EATING A CLEANER DIET!??! I though about all the food I consumed in a day and realized how much of that was processed and contained so much added sugar. I had posted on Facbook that I needed recipes and had a friend message me. She asked why I was needing recipes, that I was already thin and didn't need to lose weight. I told her I wasn't doing it to lose weight, I wanted to rid my body of added sugar and anything processed. I have been working my booty off in the gym and can tell but changing to a cleaner diet I will be able to see more changes and hopefully make an improvement in my auto immune disease and eventually be off medication and not have to worry about having my thyroid removed.

http://whole9life.com/2011/06/whole-30-v4/

I'll be trying to keep up with my progress here. I am trying my hardest to follow this as best as I can and not have any cheat days!

Here's what I had for breakfast:
September 16th
Scrambled eggs, with spinach, smoked salmon and bananas. Naked juice instead of coffee!

Wish me luck! If you have any recipes for WHOLE30, please send them my way!!

4 years old!

So Hudson turned 4 on Saturday and woke up that morning saying, "I'm 4, did I grow?" He kept saying "When I was 3 I did this..." We kicked off the celebrations on Friday night when some family came in town. We went to eat at Chito's and told the waiter it was Hud's birthday. They came out shaking spoons and forks in plastic cups singing happy birthday! They attempted to put a huge sombrero on his head but he didn't like that idea, shook his head and hid his face :(
Then turned around and ate ALL the chocolate covered sopapilla!

Cody's cousin Scott, Christie and the boys stayed the weekend with us and the boys got some quality time together. They are the best, most protective older cousins ever. They played, wrestled, went fishing Sunday afternoon and had the best time.

The party was a SUCCESS! It was probably the smoothest a party has ever gone. The Grand Texan was such a great place to have it. We rented a suite and just let the kids swim, play ping pong and putt putt.
it had a massive slide that I thought he would love but half of it was completely covered and dark. Plus it was super high and I think that scared him. He actually went down ONCE and we missed it.

Carlene's Cakes made his cake for the second year in a row and it was absolutely awesome and delicious! Look her up on Facebook if you ever need a cake. We were so blessed with so many family and friends coming to celebrate with us, thanks to all who came. We sure did miss one beautiful smiling face though. Gram was truly missed but we all knew she was smiling down singing Happy Birthday with us.

After the party we all came back to our house and started cooking! We had a full house. Cody made steaks, chicken, corn, poppers, potatoes and rolls and it was all so GREAT! We played games after and let Hud and the boys play with all his new toys.

Thank goodness Monday was a holiday and I had time to clean the house and get his toy room organized. I ended up bagging 4 HUGE trash bags of toys he has outgrown or never plays with. Donated those bad boys to Goodwill. We met my mom for lunch and did a little shopping. Hud had some gift cards to Toys R Us so we let him do a little shopping. Bet ya can't guess what he bought?!?!? Stealth Tech Ninja Turtles, all 4. He had just enough :)
Hudson is already talking about his 5th birthday.....Lord help us.
Back to the grind! Our Odessa Step Out walk is in *19* days!

Cody & I will be leaving to Fredericksburg this Friday to celebrate 6 years of marriage :)))
xox


"When you lead your sons and daughters in the good way, let your words be tender and caressing, in terms of discipline that wins the heart's assent." -Elijah Ben Solomon

Diamonds!!!!!!!

Shine bright like a diamond! So last Friday Cody and I double dated with some of our friends Nate and Tara. Cody and Nate worked at station 8 together for almost 6 months and Nate is a great guy. I've only been around his girlfriend Tara once and that was only for about an hour. She is a doll! So sweet, outgoing and they are so much fun.I was looking forward to getting to know her better, she is just one of those people you know you are going to get along with and we DID. I was also looking forward to spending time with my husband! We were going to meet them at Wall Street, our favorite date night place to eat. My car was low on gas ( I don't know what it is and YES I know it's bad for my car, but I let the gas light come on EVERY time before I fill up) anyway, I had no gas and didn't feel like stopping to put any in so we decided to take Cody's truck even though he was in the process of moving stations. He's been at station 8 for 6 months and really loved it. It's a busy station, Nate is there and he had a pretty great crew. A spot at station 6 (right down the road from our house) became available and Cody's sister James is there ;-) We give them so much crap because they are seriously like sisters. If one gets something cool, the other has to have it and they argue like siblings. They've also been best friends since elementary. The captain at 6 is pretty cool and Cody knows the other 2 guys, so he put in and got it. He had to move everything from his locker and all his bedding so his truck was packed. He unloaded his bedding and a few other things so I could squeeze in the passenger seat. Mary, Cody's mom always keeps Hudson on Fridays. It's been a tradition for almost 3 years. She gets him from daycare and they just have a fun filled Friday afternoon and evening and she brings him home Saturday morning. It's a great little break for mommy too ;) We made a quick stop to say hi to Hud at her house and be on our way. She lives a block away so it's very convenient and I decided not to buckle my seat belt. I know, law breaker. As we are getting back in the truck and heading to dinner, I try to buckle my seat belt and there is something in the way. It caught my attention because it was a pretty gold color, then I noticed it was a bag, then it just went all down hill from there. I consider myself a pretty avid Kay Jewelers shopper. I have the open heart jewelry, I have purchased the pandora bracelet and many charms for my mom for special occasions, I have a watch from there, so I know the bag! I immediately start pulling on the bag and Cody just glances my way and his face drops. He casually asks "What are you doing?" I said "there is something in the way and I can't buckle my seat belt." He said, "Just stop!" Being so hard headed I keep pulling. Finally he opens his bottom console and hands me the bag and says, "you already know, just open it!"
My 30th birthday is coming up in October! I can't believe I just announced that. Just kidding, age ain't nothin but a number and it's never scared me to get "older" I'm totally ok with it and look forward to turning 30. If it's anything close to being as awesome as my 20's. I think I'll be alright. Anywho, I've always wanted diamond studs and what a perfect time to ask for them, 30th birthday!! So he had asked a few months ago, What Do You Want? I have to say, Cody is probably the best gift giver, I always get what I want and MORE. He spoils me. Always has. I mentioned diamond studs and he didn't ask again. A few weeks ago I started looking at all the different options and sending him pictures in case he "forgot" then kinda dropped it.
Back to the bag: I open the little black box and inside are the two most beautiful princess cut diamond stud earrings!!!!!! I start putting them on and he starts telling me the story of him and Nate going one day on shift and staying at Kay for nearly and hour before he decided on them. Then comes the really sad/romantic part. Cody's never really been a romantic, he's sweet and thoughtful just not mushy and romantic and that's ok. He proceeds to tell me he was in the process of finding and B & B in Fredericksburg and we were going to leave next Friday for our anniversary, 6 years on September 8th!! As we were unpacking the car he was going to ask me to get a couple of beers out of the cooler and have the earrings in the cooler :)) What a sweet idea. After the story I told him we could still do that and I would act totally surprised. He said I ruined it. DAMMIT. I didn't even snoop this time. I'm totally a snooper. When I know something is in the works or a surprise is going down, I snoop and bug until I get it out of him or find it. He hates it but I can't help it. I can't stand knowing there is a surprise and not knowing the actual surprise. It's a curse I tell ya.

He's totally over the whole F'Burg idea now :( so we are looking at staying at the Lajitas Resort and Spa in Lajitas, TX. I had also looked at the Gage Hotel in Marathon. It's on my bucket list of places to visit but they are completely booked next weekend.  What a sweetheart I have.
Lots going on in these next few months. Hudson will be turning 4, our 6 year anniversary and this ol geezer turns 30. By the way, Save the Date for October 12th, 80's inspired 30th birthday bash going down at my house. The girls and Cody are throwing me a totally rad 80's themed party.

http://www.lajitasgolfresort.com/

Life lately

These past few weeks have really been an eye opener on how big our LITTLE boy is getting. He moved up a class at school and is now on the PreK learning level. We thought it was a good idea to sign him up for Tae Kwon Do because he loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, owns almost every sword/nunchucks/scarf that the turtles have and he is constantly doing TMNT "moves" all over the place. What a perfect way for him to burn off some energy, learn discipline, and self defense right? We sat through a class so he could get a feel of what he'd be doing before we committed to the intro class and bought a uniform. Of course, he was hooked and couldn't wait to start. So, I signed him up last Friday and his first intro class was Monday. Let me just tell you, as his mom, I have seen him look pretty cute in a NB hippo Halloween costume, teeny tiny little wranglers with cowboy boots, a mini tux with a tiny bow tie but this Tae Kwon Do outfit topped them all!! He was adorable and you could tell he felt so cool once we put it on. The instructor tied his belt and wrote his name in Korean on the side and he was off to his spot and class started. I thought he might be a little shy at first, not knowing anyone or the routine just yet but he got out there and ROCKED it. He did exactly what the instructor told them to do, said yes sir and tried his hardest at jumping jacks ;-) We have to work on those...but it was the cutest thing EVER! Glad Cody was off so he could watch. We laughed the whole time.

Young Lee's Tae Kwon Do! 8-19-2013

We've also been planning a 4 year birthday!!! I love birthdays and admit to going a little overboard but hey they only have 1 birthday a year right?!? I say this alllllllll the time but seriously, I can't believe our baby is turning 4. This will be a VERY bittersweet party knowing our Gram won't be there. I know she will be watching the whole thing from the best seat in the house though, smiling down, singing happy birthday to her boy! She was always such a huge help at his parties, asking if she could do anything and always finding him the BEST gifts. Sure do miss that woman.

We've also been looking in to some schools for kindergarten. So many decisions being a parent..... I think we've decided on Midland Christian school but not certain. Hud would be going to Henderson next year if we put him in public school. With the boom and all the extra people in Midland, I've talked to teacher friends and they have classes as big as 35 students. That doesn't make me feel like he would be getting the best education. With a private school, a teacher has maybe 15 students and more one on one time is available and they have Chapel once a day :) We have a campus tour set up in September. I'm not even sure if he'll be able to start K next year with his birthday falling on August 31st. EEk

We had our friend Laurel's baby shower this past weekend and we showered little Temple with great food, company and lotsa PINK! It was a great time and little T is due on my birthday!!!

SoCal, So BEA-UTIFUL!

We are back from California! Although, it was great to be back in our own bed, we missed waking up to the sound of waves and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We were literally 10ft. from the beach and it was a wonderful, relaxing trip for all of us. We bunked in a room separate from the house but connected to the garage. We had a sliding glass door and a bunk bed with a twin at the top and queen at the bottom and Hudson LOVED having his own bed "way up top" This was him the 2nd day on the beach. He took a 2 hour nap after playing in the sand and running from the waves for almost 5 hours!

My dad "won" this beach house in a golf tourney! He got closest to the pin and paid a whopping $500 for 13 of us to stay a week at the beach! An 80 something year old Dr. has owned this house for about 40 years and rents it out. Talk about a prime location for real estate.

This is where almost everyone spent their time. We had 3 wonderful dinners prepared by Daddio, Cody and a few extra helpers at this table. I would wake up in the morning, fix my coffee and enjoy this magical view and breathe in the ocean air. We even did some dancing on this porch! The guys golfed the first morning we were there while we enjoyed the beach! I even got a few runs in through the neighborhood. Cody was busy, he golfed and went deep sea fishing and was always helping my dad cook. (He didn't get to relax as much as we did, sorry babe!)

This is my favorite photo from the trip

Just the 3 of us!!!!!

Dana Point, Ca. We stayed in the Monarch Beach neighborhood and this was our view (from the deck)for 4 days! The weather was wonderful the whole time we were there. Warm and sunny at the beach, cool and comfortable in the evening. Sure do miss those temps...103 is not ideal. We were so sad to leave that we seriously thought about staying one more day. But there was only 1 seat left on the flight home for the following day and Cody had someone work 1/2 a shift already. Boo

Now it's back to the real world, buckling down on our two Step Out walks we have :-/ From here on out is BUSY BUSY!

Before we left on our trip I had a lovely Dr's appointment to reveal that my levels are actually ALL normal! yay! My TSH, T3 and T4 were all in the normal range..that's a big deal because I have been struggling with keeping them in the normal range and we've been changing dosage. FINALLY! For now.. I had met with an ENT to see what my surgical options were just to get my thyroid removed. If my levels hadn't of been normal, I would have already scheduled a thyroidectomy! But since they came back normal, my Dr. suggested, give it another 3 months on the same dosage, come back and get blood drawn, then see what they are. If they have changed any, look at getting it removed. So, fingers crossed, it all stays the same. The good ol eye is still the same. Which is good in a way because I have to be in a "stable" phase for 5 months and then we can talk about decompression surgery to get it back to normal! Normal, yay, what does that even mean??? Crazy ol thyroid!

In the midst of all this, I am planning a 4th birthday for our baby! BABY, he should still be a baby :(
He's so BIG! So SMART and so HANDSOME! I'm so proud of the little man he has become.

                                                                       XOXO

Vacation Madness

Holy vacation mode batman! We just returned home last night from Sea World San Antonio! What a great, exciting, (exhausting) trip. We are home safe and sound and all a little worn out. Tuesday afternoon Cody and I headed out to San Antonio. Hudson, his grandma Chita, Liz, Joseph, Scott, Christie and Aaron and Ryan had left early Tuesday morning from Tahoka and drove in to Midland to pick up Hud and Chita. It was nice to have 4 hours on the road with Cody because the prior weekend I had been at the lake for 4 days without him :-( So we got to catch up a little with quietness ;-)
We arrived in SA right at rush hour traffic and let's just say, Cody is not a patient person driving in 4 lane crazy traffic and got a little angry....... Anywho, got to the hotel and everyone had already checked in and were having appetizers and drinks on the River Walk. We stayed at La Quinta 2 min from the River Walk so we started walking over for a BEER! We all purchased tickets for the river boat. Of all the times I have been to the RW., I have yet to ride the boat. So that was interesting, and HOT! Like miserable hot because there was no breeze and Hud was cranky because he had been up since 6am with no nap. No more boat trips in our future. After the boat tour the grandparents took the kiddos back to the hotel to swim and relax while Scott, Christie, Cody and I went to Ritas to grab some food and MARGARITAS! The wait was crazy, on a Tuesday, we waited almost 45 for 4 people. It was almost 11 by the time we got done eating so we stopped in Coyote Ugly Saloon to have a beer and watch the crazy girls dance on the bar. Scott had never been to CU and was in AWE. We called it an early night because we had Sea World the next day.

Woke up early Wednesday, ate breakfast and headed out. The things we do for our kids!! It was 99 degrees by the time we got there at 11. We had planned on doing Wednesday just at Sea World, looking at shows, riding rides and just hanging out and the water park, Aquatica on Thursday. Well, 2 hours into walking around with BOOB sweat and feeling miserable, we all decided to do the water park. Thank goodness we all brought our swim suits with us. We changed and headed over and we were immediately in Heaven. Hud, Cody and I waited in a tube line for maybe 10 min and rode a really fun ride and got soaked which made us all feel better. After that we went to the wave pool, watched the sting rays, swam in the kiddie pool, did another tube ride, watched Scott and the boys get in the sting ray pool and feed them and hung out some more in the water.
This was Hud's favorite part! he must have slid about 20 times :))

Sea World 7-10-2013

When we took Hudson to Sea World San Diego when he was two, he called Shamu, Shampoo! it was the cutest thing. I'm kind of sad he says his name right.

Cody had heard from a friend about an awesome restaurant called Fogo De Chao. (Isn't that fun to say?!) We thought it was further downtown but when we did the boat tour, saw that it was right across from our hotel! We had planned to do a double date with Scott & Christie but they stayed a little longer at Sea World. Mary watched Hudson for us and we got some much needed alone time. This restaurant was amazing. I recommend it at least once. They start you off with a massive salad bar with endless possibilities. My favorite was the smoked salmon and fresh, handmade mozzarella cheese balls, oh and their mini bread rolls, oh and their huge asparagus! Let's just say, I loved it ALL. They swoop in like ninjas as soon as you're done with your salad plate and bring you caramelized banana's (to clear your pallet) and fried cheese. You have a little card with red and green and as soon as you are ready for meat you flip over to green. All of a sudden you have 3 or 4 waiters walking by offering you, filet minon, rack of lamb, bacon wrapped chicken, and tons of other meats I had never even heard of. It was delicious!!!!!!! And all you can eat. For the price, you better eat all you can ;) After filling up to the brim, our waiter conned us in to getting the papaya dessert (it's supposed to break down all the proteins from the meat. And of course a cup of coffee, I was freezing. I felt extremely old for some reason. I guess it was because the whole cup of coffee after a meal but it was delish!!!!!! Hands down ONE of the best meals and restaurant experiences I've ever had.

After that Cody and I headed to Mad Dogs, a British pub style bar and MY FAVORITE  place to have a good time on the River Walk. Comedy Karaoke started at 10 and was so hilarious! Two woman, one white girl and one black girl, best friends for 20 years and they rocked it. Cody had never been and had a great time. Scott and Christie met up with us around 11. I don't know how they did it, I would have been exhausted!!! But they laughed so hard and had a great time as well. We left Mad Dogs a little after 1 and headed to Coyote Ugly AGAIN. The River Walk had kinda died down and no one was really walking or in the bars. It was kinda nice because normally everything is so packed. We ended the night at 2am and walked back to the hotel. It never fails that we always get approached by bums asking for money...it's just not a SA trip without it. Sure enough, one approached us Tuesday and Wednesday night.
We took a little pit stop in Fredericksburg on the way home. We found a super awesome winery that we both love and just happen to be out of our favorite wine. Fiesta Winery, try it out if you are ever in the 'Burg! Texas Well Water is our favorite. We only spent about an hour there but it was nice to walk main street without a ton of people! We got home around 9:30 and everyone was so exhausted we went straight to bed!!!!!!!! What a great trip with family though. We have 2 short weeks to recovery because we leave for Newport Beach on the 27th! Woooooo

New church home and Father's Day 2013

With the fire department schedule, sometimes Cody is off certain holidays and sometimes he is on shift. This Father's Day he was on shift but that doesn't stop us from celebrating :) We've been lucky these last two years he's been on with MFD because he's been off Christmas and Thanksgiving.
The day started off with Hud and I joining some friends at church. I have to admit that we have been awful at attending church. Our church home of 2 years has just gotten "too big" and we just really slacked off on attending. I hated that feeling, sometimes making excuses for not going that Sunday over & over. When Gram was still here she urged us to get back in church and let Hudson learn about Jesus. I would tell her, "I know, I know." I would pray that God lead us to a church he wanted us in, I would just never follow through on my end. Our close friends were in the same boat and decided that they wanted to "try out" different churches. Every few Sundays or so, she would tell us the church they attended and the pros and cons. She finally had found a wonderful church after seriously, going to 5 different ones. She has a newborn and childcare was a priority on her list. We had a BBQ one night and she told us all about this new church. Since Cody has been on shift every Sunday since the last week in May and most of June we weren't able to go together. I finally decided that I'd take Hudson one Sunday and check it out. It's small and intimate and everyone knows everyone. It felt very welcoming. I walked Hudson to the children's area and he immediately wanted to go play. There were about 5 kids in his class as opposed to 10 or 15 at the other church. They were working on Father's Day crafts. I filled out a form with all his and my information and gave him a kiss and told him to behave and see ya later. When the band began to sing, I had an immediate presence of Gram. I was just overcome with all these emotions. I fought back tears!! They have a mission trip planned soon to Africa and the pastor asked that all of those going, come to the front so that the church can pray over them. We said a quick prayer and as they stood there, I cried for them for being so selfless. I did not know these people at all but I commended them for being so selfless and doing the work God has called them to do. This church is where I am supposed to be. I felt that as soon as I walked in the door. That whole, ask and you shall receive...I believe it's Pray and God will work wonders! Cody actually is off this Sunday and gets to attend. We are going to start the married Sunday school class as well. I know Gram is smiling down, so proud that we found a church home.

I didn't take a picture on Father's Day :( but this was the weekend before at the Rockhounds game. Rescue 4 from NYFD was one of the first responders on 9/11. Cody's Dad, Hudson and Cody. 3 generations <3 br="">

After church we stopped at HEB and picked up Cody's favorite, turtle pie! We gave him his presents on Saturday. When we were in Luckenbach he really wanted a white and blue Luckenbach sign for his shop "man cave" but didn't want to spend the money on it. So I ordered it online and got him his favorite cologne from Chanel :) We hung out for a little while at the station. When we got home I got a wild hair to take Hud to the water park in Big Spring. We had been once before and I knew he wanted to be outside. So what better way to spend our Sunday??? We had a such a great time........until someone POOPED in the water! Luckily we had been there a couple hours already and we were ready to leave after they had cleared everyone from the pool. Whew.

Fun at the water park! What a handsome little guy. I think this is where we'll be having his 4th birthday party :)

VACATION!!!

I looove going out of town. I have been traveling since I was 5 months old. I was one of those kids that racked up frequent flyer miles on Southwest with those huge buttons with all my information on it in case I got lost. Perks of divorced parents I guess. I was constantly on the go visiting my dad. He lived in Houston for a while, Austin next and then California. I am so glad he ended up somewhere warm and with beaches and fun things to do, I LOVE CALIFORNIA!! Having my dad in Cali has been so wonderful. I remember visiting and going to the beach, the zoo, seeing places I had seen on tv, and just being in awe of all the palm trees. When I was about 11 or 12 I remember renting a house on the beach and staying for a few days. Living 24/7 on the sandy white beach, playing in the Pacific, never wanting to go inside and sleep! We get to experience that with Hudson soon too! My dad has rented a beach house in Newport Beach, CA and we are all going in July. Usually when we visit in the summer, we get a day or two at the beach because my dad lives in the dessert of Cali and it's a 45 min drive. This time, we will be falling asleep on the beach and waking up on the beach. Have I mentioned, I LOVE THE BEACH.

Newport Beach

July is a busy month. I am taking Hudson to my friends lake house on LBJ for the July 4th holiday. I get a super long weekend so we are going to celebrate at the lake. Poor Cody has to work 2 of the 4 days we'll be there :( So it's just me a little man and we may be camping under the stars :)

The following week, Cody's Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, his wife, their two kids, Cody, myself, my MIL and Hud will all be going to Sea World and the river walk. It's a mid week trip and we'll only be there for 2 days but I think we'll all have a great time. When Cody was younger, he and his cousin Scottie would go on fun trips (they are 2 years a part, so they were very close growing up) and his aunt and uncle wanted to do the same for Hudson and his cousins. Aaron is 11 and Ryan is 9 and they are seriously Huds favorite people!! They are so great with him too.

Then it's our Cali trip!! Can't wait. What fun things are you doing this summer??? While planning these fun getaways, I am also trying to plan a 4 year birthday party for Hud!!!!!!! I can't believe it. Where has time gone?

Dr.

I think I've been to the dr. more times in the last year than I have been my whole life. Whew. I have a consult with Dr. Traxel today. He's an ENT (ear nose and throat) Dr. Hopefully he can give me some answers and we can see if my thyroid is going to be removed. I've been on Methiamolze for almost 9 months and just recently had to change my dosage two times in 6 weeks. My thyroid is just not cooperating. I have talked to so many people who have had theirs removed, some have had a struggle getting their synthyroid meds just right, some have had no issue and they've said it's the best thing they have done. So.......prayers would be greatly appreciated :))

I follow a group on FB called Graves Disease & Thyroid Foundation and they post so many great articles and information. https://www.facebook.com/GDATF?fref=ts
Yesterday, not even 10 min after I scheduled my appointment with Traxel, they posted "Thyroidectomy and vocal cords" I read the article and really shouldn't have but need to know what ALL that can happen during and after surgery. Basically, if the Dr. isn't careful, I could lose my vocal cords and VOICE! He's the best in town and has done 2 surgeries of people I know and everything has been just fine. Eeeeeeeeeekkkk
I am so a "what if" person! 

More to come...

Hill Country getaway for Memorial Weekend

Nothing like booking a great vacation two weeks before a big holiday! Cody and I decided on a whim to go somewhere for the holiday weekend because he was actually on his 4 day. I thought of Fredericksburg right off the bat. He had never been and we could make the 10 minute trip to Luckenbach, (one of my most favorite places in Texas) he had never been there either. So the search was on for a great place. After two days of searching, I found the perfect ranch. Tonkawaya Ranch. Reserved is, put down the deposit and thought all was good. Two days before we left I got a phone call from Becky, the owner. "Ashley, I am so sorry!" Well that's never good. "I double booked the cabin you were supposed to stay in the weekend." Panic set it. SERIOUSLY?! She explained what had happened and promised me she had a solution. So I listened. Her & her husband build these cabins and they just happened to have finished the Wrangler cabin (the one we were supposed to stay in) on her friends property. She had already spoke to her and told her the situation and said she'd be glad to help out. I was a little bummed we wouldn't be staying on the ranch and was a little hesitant about our new location. When we pulled in to town the boys were already impressed! We took our road to Bill and Ida's house (the new place where we were staying) Pulled up to the cabin that sits about 50 yards back from their house, unloaded and took a tour around. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!! Everything was green, there were flowers everywhere, there were chickens and goats for Hudson to feed and the cabin was breathtaking.

Ida has been featured on a local cooking show in Fredericksburg and that's one of the first things Becky had mentioned so already we were looking forward to her cooking. The first morning she brought breakfast back around 9 and it was AH_MAZING!

Home made pancakes, fresh strawberries and bacon. We ate almost all of those pancakes.

The second morning she made a french toast bake with crumbled cinnamon sugar bread with sausage and cream cheese underneath. MELT IN YOUR MOUTH AMAZING! The porch had two rocking chairs so each morning after breakfast, Cody and I would drink our coffee, rocking in the chairs, watching Hud play and watching deer all around the property.

Sunday morning we headed off to Wildseed Farms. They have the best flowers and garden needs. Cody was looking forward to the endless selections of hot sauce, spices and sauces he could cook with :)

Then we headed in to town to shop and have lunch.

Hud found these glasses and wore them around the whole store!

We enjoyed the Crawfish festival when we got in town on Saturday. They had some cute merch booths and tons of stuff for kids to do. Hud's favorite was the jumper

Monday we slept in a little later, which was nice because we had been on the go since we left on Saturday. Packed up and said bye to Bill and Ida and headed for Luckenbach. The weather was overcast and drizzly the whole time we were there but we didn't mind one bit. It sprinkled the whole time we were in Luckenbach. It's nice to see and smell rain :)

What a great relaxing trip! Normally, I am excited to get home and sleep in my own bed but this bed in the cabin was so comfortable and we had such a wonderful time, no one was ready to head home. We definitely found our new spot in Fredericksburg when we go again.

Bittersweet

I just got a phone call from mom.
Gram's house was listed this morning and within 4 hours, she got an offer..........and accepted. It sold.

Although I am very happy for my mom, this has been a burden from the beginning. She's been so stressed getting everything out of the house, getting it cleaned and going through realtors and what not. She's also had to deal with stress from her brother, my uncle. Being the administrator of Gram's estate, she took on a lot more than she imagined but none the less, handled it like a champ! I could hear the relief and happiness in her voice when she called. I on the other hand, was filled with mixed emotions. So very bittersweet that her house will no longer be "our" house. I haven't been to her house since a few weeks after her memorial service, it's just too much. Knowing that the house will be gone soon leaves a very BIG hole in my heart. (As if it weren't already big enough without Gram)

Here are a few of my favorite pictures in my FAVORITE backyard

 They always talked about life and had the sweetest conversations....

 She would push him in the swing EVERYDAY when she kept him...

 A little fun with the waterhose...

 Easter 2011. Hunting eggs in Gram's backyard

Playing in the mud! She never cared how big of a mess he made.

Funnies and 20 questions

 Here lately Hudson has been asking sooooooooooo many questions. I try to answer them as best as I can. Some are off the wall, some are legit and some are repetitive!! I'll tell him it's almost bedtime, "how many minutes is that?"
I'll tell him we have to leave in a little bit for daycare, he'll ask how long is that?
I'll tell him 5 more minutes in the bath tub, well how long is that?
He always asks what color everything is. He knows his colors very well but always asks me to see if I know.

:)

This was our conversation this morning on the way to daycare:

Hudson- Well, what color is daddy?
Me- (Uh, thinking in my head. Cody is full Hispanic but the whitest Hispanic I have ever met.) He's Hispanic.
Hudson- That's not a color.
Me- He's brown. ?
Hudson- What color are you?
Me- White, causcasion
Hudson- Well, what color am I?
Me- You are half brown and white. The confusion on his little face...
Hudson- So I'm a little bit black?

Oh. My......dying in the car laughing.

This past weekend Hud was struck with a nasty stomach bug. I'm almost positive he got something from swallowing the water at swim lessons. Seriously. Two kids have already been out because of a bug and they were all in his swim class. CLEAN THE POOL. Anywho, we had planned Saturday to make a day trip to Cisco to visit with some of Cody's family, especially his grandmother who's health is failing and no one knows how much longer she has. With Hudson being sick Friday night, I wanted to see how he was the next morning before we decided. He woke up twice that night with fever and complaining of his stomach hurting. Cisco was a no go but Cody and his dad went ahead . It takes a LOT for my child to be knocked down. Even when he has 102 temp and coughing up a lung, he's running around like a maniac. He had his spurts this time. One minute he was playing and the next his head was in my lap because he felt so miserable. Come Sunday he was a new child! I hate that he was sick but I'm glad it was this past weekend and not the weekend we have a Memorial weekend trip planned. So ready to get out of town for a little while!!!

Memorial Weekend!

Yay! Yay! I just booked the cutest little cabin in F'Burg for the 3 of us for Memorial Weekend. It was last minute and I spent almost 2 full days trying to find a cute B&B that was available. We were invited by some friends to float the Frio. It was going to be us and 3 other couples in a bomb rental house pretty close to the river. Cody is actually on his 4 day off that weekend and we really considered it. Then.... I thought, Hud would love a weekend getaway somewhere fun. He's at that age where he's just so fun and for the most part "easy" on road trips and vacations. We haven't been anywhere in a while, just the three of us so I sat down with Cody and asked if he'd rather go somewhere just us 3. That was easy! Although, the weekend away at the Frio kid free sounded amazing, making memories with our little guy sounded even better.
After searching for what seemed like eternity, I came across this little gem.....http://www.tonkawayaranch.com/

We'll be staying in the Wrangler Cabin. Plenty of room for Hud to run around. We have our own fire pit in the back to make s'mores :)) We can fish, canoe and they have stories around the campfire at night under the stars. I think I'm more excited to show Cody around Luckenbach! He has NEVER been. I was fortunate enough to experience L'Bauch when I was about 12 my first go 'round. My mom and step dad were huge travelers and I was so blessed to travel the world at such a young age. Luckenbach is such a fun special place for me. I went back when I was 16. My drivers license is still on the wall today. (My very first drivers license!) My mom and I took a girls trip in 2008 for Memorial day and of course we had to make a stop in Luckenbach. We had such a great time and met some really awesome people. The atmosphere there is just so relaxing and the people are so friendly.

                                           Mom and I in 2008 & some of our new friends.

Ready for our family getaway!!!!!! What are you doing for Memorial Weekend??

May Flowers

So much for that April showers business! West Texas hasn't seen rain in, I think I heard 107 days! Some parts of town got some showers yesterday. Our side of town, DID NOT :(

We've been working on the yard a lot lately, trying to get our beautiful green grass back we once had before the drought. (We have a water well so please don't turn us in to the city) It's always great to turn the sprinkler on and watch Hud run and play. I've always wanted pretty pots, flowers and a garden but somehow the Green Thumb thing skipped me. Gram of course, could grow anything and keep everything alive. As well as my mom. Me, not so much! And it's not like I don't try. Our board members sent a beautiful peace lilly plant for Gram's service and I took it home. I kid you not, maybe 5 days later the dadgum plant had some black leaves. So I took it to my mom and she has nursed it back to health. She did say, she had never seen leaves do that and tried to assure me it wasn't my fault, HA. Anyway, I am pleased to say I have had a beautiful hanging pot (that Hud and I created ourselves) for almost 2 weeks with the most gorgeous colorful flowers and they are all alive. Hooray me. Time to move on to the fun potted stuff!

Still missing my Gram everyday. It's hard to drive by her street and know that her house will be for sale soon. It's hard to have nothing to do on the weekends and know that we could be visiting her and playing in the backyard. It's hard not picking up the phone to call her and tell her the funny things Hud said that day or asking for a recipe. It's really hard not hearing her voice. I do know that she has the best seat in the house and knows exactly what is going on in our lives and isn't missing a beat. I LOVE YOU!

                                                           Easter 2011! 4 generations

So much has been going! Baby showers and parties. Hud starts swim lessons on May 7th. He'll be going to the Y Tuesday's and Thursday's. He's really excited because he gets to wear really cool goggles. We've been practicing "coach pitch" (throwing him the baseball and having him hit it instead of starting with a tee) He's really good. We go super early in the morning to have a cavity crowned. I'm nervous about the anesthesia he'll receive but other than that, I feel pretty comfortable. Please say a little prayer for him in the morning. He is getting so big! And his mouth is growing much faster than he is ;-) He's been talking back lately and has been getting in trouble and toys taken away. Then the little stink will come up and be the sweetest little thing with his big brown eyes and say, "I'm sorry I didn't listen." He knows how to work it. He's been doing so great at daycare. We got a progress report and he knows so much. We need to work on spelling his last name and writing his first name. He's pretty much got it down, his s and n are a little funny but it's so fun to watch him concentrate on the letters.
This was our conversation in the car this morning:

Hudson- "mom do you want another baby?"
Me- "I do!"
Hud- "why do you want to replace me?"
Me- "I don't want to replace you at all, you are my first baby and I will always love you. I just want another baby and I want you to have a brother or sister to play with."
Hudson- "Well, if I have a brother he can jump on the trampoline with me."
silly goose

We went out to the MFD drill field yesterday and fished. There is a pond where all the run off water goes when it rains (which is NEVER) somehow it still has water and it's a pretty decent size. Hud had the first catch and it was a pretty big catfish. I don't know who was more excited, Cody or Hud. Cody was so proud that Hud reeled in the fish by himself. It was fun to watch both of them :)) We each caught a fish each and it was such a beautiful day.

The Color Run, 2013!

This was my 2nd ever 5k and probably the funnest and most "colorful!" I found out about the color run sometime last year. I follow a blogger/runner (Skinnyrunner.com) who had an advertisement on her page for the Color Run. So I talked with the girls and got them to register! It just so happens that one of our other friends was turning 30 that weekend so we decided to do the run and celebrate MaryBeth turning the big 3-0!

What a great time! Dallas is one of my most favorite places to visit, not only does it have amazing food, shopping and the Texas Rangers, it's just a great city and the atmosphere is wonderful. We actually stayed in Ft. Worth because pretty much everything we wanted to do was downtown except for the run itself.
We had an early wake up call Saturday morning because the race start time had changed from 9am to 8am and we had about a 30 min drive ahead of us and wanted to be early. Getting 5 girls up and ready at 5am and out the door by at least 6:15am wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I think we all were a little excited to put on our "outfits" and get to the race. Thank goodness for having a Starbucks in the lobby of our hotel and the sweet barista who made us free coffee :)
There were so many people in white when we showed up, we definitely stood out :) We had on our neon for sure!

                                                                           So clean!

                                                                Pre-color! At the start line

                                                               Right after yellow and orange

                                                         Almost to the finish! Found a fun wall

                                            Finished!!!! Opened our individual color packets ;-)

                                         My favorite picture of the day!!! We had so much fun

                                                        After the race, Dirty 30 color crew

What a great weekend with friends! I say you all should experience a CR once in your life, even if you aren't a runner :) Happiest 5k on the planet!