light bulbs!?

Friday night.
Date night.
Well, kind of.

As promised, I will now reveal what Mark and I chose to do with his free afternoon.


None other than Skype, of course! What did you think we would do!? Thank God Almighty for allowing Skype to exist. Oh, and there I am at the bottom of the picture with my Canon.








and what the heck - I never get to appear on my own blog! That just didn't seem fair. So, here I was during our date: Happy as a clam.




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Lately, people will be carrying on fun and exciting conversations with whomever is next to me. Then they will turn to me, look serious, and ask, "So, Shannon... how are you?"

...

"Um, fine. Yep."

I'm not really sure what they are expecting me to say. Maybe...

"Ugh, horrible. I'm dead sick of this whole thing! I wish Mark was home with me. I hate that he is gone. I'm sick of having to hear other girls complain about 'missing their husbands' who have been gone a total of one day. Sometimes I want to cry. I hate that if Mark is in his dorm room, I usually can't even call him. Because his room is like a prison cell with no reception. I hate it."

Whoops. I wouldn't want to be honest or anything. So a "fine" will have to do.

And in all reality and honesty, I really DO love being a military wife. I don't feel like defending myself tonight, but I really am SUPER extremely proud of him - to the max. I love that my man is serving our country and I get to stand patriotically right beside him. I intend on writing a post about this soon (if I ever get around to it). But sometimes... ? Sometimes it stinks. And I am totally contradictory - because if no one ever asked how I was doing or how Mark was, I would feel pretty sad. On the other hand, I hate talking about it.

But keep asking me about him.

Contradictory, right? Yep.

And in these moments of self-pity, I really loathe myself and am ashamed that I could be so pathetic. I am really trying to be strong (Army Strong?! :)). I hate to blame my bad attitude on being human - but it's the truth. And, yep, I totally do have the right to be sad about Mark being gone. I've earned that right. But I do not have the right to be bitter about it or mean about it - and I often am.

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Remember the bright idea for the party that I promised I would reveal? Tonight's a fine time to share my plans!

I bring you: Light Bulb Cookies.

What the fudge?!?

Yeah. Mark's an electrician, remember?! What, you act like you've never heard of light bulb cookies. Okay, okay. I made the idea up in my head.

So I googled a light bulb cookie cutter - and, miraculously, I found one. For a measly $1.95!! Unbeatable, right?! I also found an airplane cookie cutter for the same price. So I ordered them in a jiffy - and hopefully they will soon be here!

My plans are to make homemade sugar cookies (with Mark, because he will live with me by the time we make these!) then I will make homemade yellow icing. I will ice the top part yellow and then make a homemade piping bag. I've done this loads of times - make icing and put it into a zip lock bag. Then cut a tiny hole in the corner of one side. Ta da! Then I'll pipe the "screw" part of the bulb - and this part will be a light grey color. THEN, if it wasn't already way awesome, I will put clear glitter sprinkles on it! It will be fabulous.

Later, I found a picture of cookies similar to those which I will make. But all mine will be yellow:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24367079@N04/3115051156/



Welp, that's all for tonight!



*Note: There's something pretty funny in this blog. If you find it, please ignore it.

on this day.

Our favorite Airman hasn't been seen in quite some time. I thought it was necessary for some Prince Mark on our blog!

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Today was the First Annual Blogger Girl's Luncheon. Brittney, Christine, and I met at Linzie's for lunch! It was great! Sadly, we didn't think to take a picture. So there isn't any proof that this meeting occurred. But I promise it did! It was fabulous!

Next time (if there is a next time before I move), a picture will definitely be taken.

We are back to the #10 spot on the housing list. Mark had half a free day today - his first "free time" in 6 months. And how did we spend that time, you might ask? Why, I will tell you later tonight! Along with some bright new ideas for our going away party.

Get excited.

just call him Tiger.

Focus.

Five-Iron

Frizzy hair.

Fake Fairway.

Fore!!!

C has taken up golf. He has been playing for a long time now - but recently he has fallen in love with this sport. He eats, sleeps, and breathes golf. Today, Poppy brought him a new set of tees, and he was on top of the world.

He is getting his own full set at Christmas and starts lessons in the spring. He is ecstatic and has a freakin awesome swing for a 4-year old. He can send that ball FLYING!


...good thing my dad manages a golf course!


Congrats to Paigey - the only one to correctly guess this sport! He also takes cello lessons, plays in a soccer league, and will start softball soon too. Exciting times in the life of C!

lots and lots of swinging.

Scrumptious small sweetheart suspended in the sky for a split second.






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Big Bro has recently taken up a huge love for a particular sport. A sport that 4-year old boys do not often play. Any guesses as to what our Big C has been playing in the back yard?




*Note: This photo was taken just as a ball came a little too close to hitting the house. Maybe that will help with the guessing! Answer revealed later!

believe it!

I can't believe it.

I can't believe that C is so grown up. Yesterday, this conversation occurred:

Me: Wow, I love your leg hair, C!
C: Thanks!! :D
Mommy: Why do you have leg hair, C?!
C: Because I'm a man.
*laugh laugh laugh*
Mommy: How old do you have to be to become man??
C: 16.
Me: Wow!! 16!? *giggle*
C: ...okay. Fine. 18.
Mommy: What happens when you become a man?
C: Then you're the boss.

True dat.

What the heck happened here? How did he grow up?! Geez.


I can't believe that Mark is currently at his first graduation briefing. Nope. This sure has NOT gone fast or "flown by" or any sort of thing. It has creeped by, and we are sick and tired of him being away. But what on earth will it be like for him to be home? I want to hurl just thinking about it. We will likely be out and about all day everyday. He misses the fine things in life, such as: McDonald's, going to the park, seeing friends, going for a drive in his own car, and lounging around & watching tv. Ahh.

I can't believe that my invitations are finally done. Granted, I'm still missing about 5 people's addresses. And, granted, I've only sent out one invitation. And that was to Brittney. Because I only had one stamp.

I can't believe I'm not going to be here for Thanksgiving. For the first time, I will not be surrounded by my family for my favorite holiday. How on earth will I make: an entire turkey, an entire country ham, hashbrown casserole, broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn, sweet potato casserole, squash casserole, stuffed celery, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie ALL BY MYSELF?! Drat. It looks as if I might have to slim down the menu for just us two. Maybe.

... is it possible to make all of these dishes (except macaroni & cheese and mashed potatoes) days in advance and freeze them and cook them all on Thanksgiving Day? Aunt Tinker? I know you're reading this. Advice?!?!? I can't go without my favorite foods. I just can't.


I can't believe school is about to start. Nope, not for me. But for my sister, the best Kindergarten teacher in the universe, and my big nephew. Blah. What does that mean for me, you ask? It means that my summer is about to take a huge plunge into boringness. BUT, maybe this means that Huds & I will be able to enjoy lots and lots of outings together.


We are now #10 on the housing waiting list. Things are coming along smashingly.

Wordless Wednesday

C at 18 months.

more about dogs...

What the fudge are Basset Hound puppies doing on our blog? I have no idea. I have a slight obsession with dog breed-searching. I can't help it. I'm a planner.

Upon much researching and digging through classified ads around the Hampton area, we've come to a sad conclusion: Westies are expensive. Nevertheless, we are sticking to our $400 budget - and we don't care what you think about it!

Mark made the announcement tonight that, as a child, he had a: German Sheppard, Chow Chow, Doberman Pincher, full hair Chihuahua, Basset Hound, and a Husky. Uh - I had no idea about any of this. Psh. I don't even KNOW my own husband! Who did I marry, anyway!? :]

Westies, in general, range around $800. Basset Hounds range around $200. Bassets are supposed to be awesome pets for families - great temperament, sweet, loving, cuddly, non-aggressive, and great with new babies. Ahem.

So now that breed has entered the category of acceptable breeds. I've emailed 3 breeders of Westies tonight, so hopefully at least one of them will call me back. Breeders are really getting on my nerves! ..No offense to them. But we can't get ANYONE to answer their phone or return an email. Sheesh!!!

Any thoughts on Basset Hounds? Any experience? Mark says his was cuddly and lazy and amazing. That's the kind of dog we want!

some news. and a schpeel on reading.

hey y'all! No real news here - but we did move up to number 11 today on the housing list! Now it says we're 11 out of 21. Yesterday we were 19 out of 29. Odd. But I ain't complaining! No word yet from Housing Lady, but I'm checking my email 5million times a day, so I will tell y'all the instant I hear from her!

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Sadly, both shelters at our favorite park have been reserved by some fun, cute family that has planned a family reunion. Shucks! This means that our party has been moved from August 29th to Sunday, August 30th. It will be from 3-5pm! If you know me & regularly read my blog, keep an eye out for an invitation heading your way! I just need more postage stamps!

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C has now learned to pluck Mary Had a Little Lamb on his cello from memory. He sings his notes out loud as he plucks them. It's extremely sweet. I took pictures of him yesterday as he was practicing - but the pictures are on my sister's camera. So good luck on ever seeing those...

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I have a new fascination with Flintstones Vitamins.

These dudes are as good as candy. I'm serious. I eat them for FUN. Just because I want to. I even sometimes go over the recommended daily amount for a human over the age of 4. They give me what I need to grow and stay healthy. They're $6.50 at Target and 1 jar lasts a month! Yum yum. The normal gummies are also tasty! C loves them too and will even eat them off the floor if he drops one. Haha....

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My sister goes back to work next week. Sigh. This is tragic news for me. What in the WORLD am I supposed to do for a month while waiting for Mark to come home?! And C will be off to real preschool too! Today we found workbooks in the dollar section at Target. They are AWESOME books with great quality. Our 4-year old can already read sight words and basic short stories. He has a new-found interest in the states of our country and loves finding which state "Mark lives in." If you have a preschooler, there are fabulous resources in the current dollar section of Target. Kids LOVE learning - especially when they are being taught by their parents (or super cool aunt) for fun. And if you have a little one at home, there are also great books in the $1 section as well!

And, don't forget - the number of books in a child's home is the most important indicator of future literary success in school!

And no, I don't normally give a huge schpeel on my educational opinions. But I deemed this to be important! Read to your children as SOON as they're born!


Here's a link explaining the importance of reading to your child starting at birth!

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Mark got some kind "outstanding" score on some retreat thing. I don't know what the fudge that means, but anything "outstanding" for Mark's squadron is INCREDIBLE news!




Today's Tuesday - that means it's Duggar night! Have a fabulous night!

this just in:

Our newly-turned one-year-old got three different riding toys yesterday. Two different trains and Mark and I got him a Fisher Price pony that you scootch with. It turns out that he really likes to push and ride on toys.

Oh - and he's extremely proud of his two teeth.





Today our big baby boy pooped blue icing twice. I heard that it looked just like actual icing. It held its consistency and everything! Now THAT is impressive.



Seems like yesterday! How did a year pass by already?!

guess what?

I got a phone call from Mark at lunch (what a THRILLING experience. I never ever get calls during the day! We never communicate until after 5pm - except for the text I get each morning at 5:50! So early...). Anyhow, back to the story - I got a call from him today announcing that he got his official dates of his RAP duty.

errrrp.

What the fudge is RAP duty, you ask? Why, that's Recruiter Assistance Program, of course! That's where he does some kind of work with his recruiter in our hometown (but really it's extra free time to spend with family before we sail off into the sunset of Virginia). He will arrive home on August 27th, like I said, and will report for RAP duty from August 31 - September 11th. He got the full 12 days! Yippie skippie! That means we will probably move away on September 12th and arrive there on September 13th.

Hallelujah! We finally have dates!

Then I got an email from the housing lady at Langley. Turns out - she has homes for us to pick from! She is going to email me some different floor plans, and we'll look at them and pick which one we want. However, if we get there and absolutely hate the house, we can always say no and wait for another one to be available. So we won't be signing with our blood or anything.

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So there's an elementary school in our new subdivision. They don't start school until 8:45 and go until 3:11pm. Does that seem crazy to anyone else!? 8:45 seems extremely late to start school. They also don't start until September 2nd. Errr... they start on August 2nd here! And they go until June 10th. CRAZY.

So that's all. Exciting news! I'm somewhat dreading seeing our new house for the first time, because it's going to be bad. But hopefully we can spruce it up. Maybe.

present revealed:

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

Here are some pictures. There were over 400 taken. I chose to post 10. I'll post more later!

big bro eating a hot dog!

swimming at the end of the party!

looking absolutely adorable in his new wagon.

nom nom nom

digging into his smash cake!

woohoo new wagon!

his awesome ducky cake!

birthday outfit before the party

Today my baby nephew turned one year old. Sigh. He had a fabulous birthday full of yummy cookout foods, a huge ducky cake, lots and lots of presents, and fun in the pool! I'll post pictures sometime soon - but for now I'll reveal the special present I made for my love. I love writing poems, and I like making things. So the idea of a poetry scrapbook came to me! I took an 8x8 scrapbook and wrote a stanza on each page - and then I found a picture that was associated with the corresponding words. It was beautiful, but I obviously forgot to take pictures of it.

The scrapbook went from the day he was born until he turned 1 year old. I still have 7 empty pages, so I will scrapbook his birthday party in the back of the book! Here's the poem I wrote for him:


On July 26th

a year ago today,

God sent us a baby boy

on a hot summer's day!

He was such a tiny baby

with dark hair upon his head.

He never made a peep or cry

as he lay in his baby bed.

Clayton was so excited

He finally became a big brother!

Aunt Shannie had a nephew...

but then she got another!

We put him in a hat...

and wrapped him warm and tight.

He was healthy and content,

this baby was just right!!

He grew up so fast -

right before our eyes...

Before we even new it,

Shannie was feeding him french fries!

His eyes changed from blue to brown

and he lost all of his hair.

And when he learned how to crawl,

he followed Clayton everywhere!

He fin ally got two bottom teeth;

he chewed on all his toys.

And mommy realized her hands were full

raising two sweet, wonderful boys.

Then July rolled around again,

and this baby boy turned one.

He had a ducky pool party

outside in the sun!

Just last year I met him,

so tiny, wrapped in blue.

I loved him when I saw him

...that baby boy was YOU!!!

Happy first birthday,

my favorite baby in the world!

I've loved watching you grow up

and how your hair has curled!

You're the luckiest 1-year old

on this planet Earth.

You've got the best parents and big bro

and they loved you before your birth!

So have a happy birthday,

and next year you'll be two.

You're the greatest Hudson on this earth,

and I will always love you!



Happy 1st Birthday, my dear sweet baby!!!

5 videos you MUST see!

I love creating Must-see/do/read/buy/eat lists. Tonight I've compiled 5 videos that you must see. Take 15 minutes out of your day. Or pick and choose a couple. I definitely recommend viewing them ALL - since, well, I compiled the list. They're all awesome. They all touched my heart (well, except for the last one... that one just made me laugh HARD). You'll thank me after you've seen the videos. Enjoy!


Lifehouse Everything Drama: Probably the most "popular" video of a church skit ever. My church re-enacted this a few months ago. This skit is awesome. It will give you goosebumps. I promise.






Set Me Free: I LOVE Casting Crowns. This is another church skit that's absolutely AWESOME. Really, words can't describe.

Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains
I hold the key
All power on Heav'n and Earth belong to me

Love Letter From God: a compilation of verses taken from Genesis to Revelation of promises that God makes to His children. LOVE it. When we start thinking of the Almighty God as daddy, our perspective changes. He loves you and is waiting for you to come to Him.







Do You Believe In Me? This is the reason I want to work with children. This little fella speaks to all teachers/faculty and asks "I believe in me - do YOU believe in me?" This video will leave you speechless and realizing that all children deserve a chance. Christine - this one's for YOU since you're becoming a teacher.







And a special one for Brittney:

Delilah - the Samson Version: this video is HILARIOUS!!!! I was dying laughing. It's Samson's song to Delilah after she cut his hair. Genius. I love it. So will you!