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!!!