A weekend wrap-up and NEWS!

This weekend was filled with lots of family time and I loved every minute of it!

Saturday morning we took our boys to the Razzle Dazzle Parade.  Every year our town has a street festival that runs from Friday night to Sunday night.  There are rides, food vendors, street vendors selling items, and bands. Our boys loved the parade.  I am even more convinced that Hudson will do something in music.  Maybe not as a career but definitely as a hobby.  He loved the songs, the bands, the dancers.  He drank it all in.  And I loved how as we recapped on the ride home about what he saw he was naming instruments. "Drums, trumpets.." I swear that year I spend coaching the dance team and he was in utero all that music and counting out the steps became a part of him.  So sweet!

That afternoon while the boys napped Andrew and I were talking about Hudson and how he was coping with everything that had been going on the past few months.  Hudson and Andrew have always had a special bond.  I really think that Hudson has always preferred Andrew.  Now don't get me wrong, I know my boys loves me but his connection to Andrew is so strong and has been since he was an infant.  With Andrew being gone five days a week for the past few months and us moving I think it has been a little confusing for our big boy.  Together, Andrew and I brainstormed what they could do together.  We decided a guys' night to the movies would be a good remedy! Hudson LOVES movies but has never been to the theater.  He is a kid who watches movies, and I use the term "watches" loosely.  Because he usually is asking us a million questions throughout the movie and running and dancing around to the songs in them.  Not really a sit and take it all in kind of kid.  I was slightly bummed that I would be missing this first but knew how special this time would be for Hudson and his daddy.

After Saturday night church, while the big boys headed off, I went back to my parents where we were going to have a special dinner for my dad. My dad has worked for a very long time in a job that requires him to travel, a couple of months at a time often.  This weekend he was preparing to go away for another long stint of travel.  So I decided to give him a little send off dinner.  My dad loves southern food, soul food, spicy food, and sometimes, a little something sweet.

So I prepared him some slow cooker jambalaya and lemon crunch cookie cake!


Oh.mi.word people! I was selfishly elated that Beau was down and Hudson was out because it allowed me to enjoy this wonderful delicious dinner without pausing to pick up a baby or food off the floor, etc! And my sweet Dad loved it too! I linked the websites to these recipes below because everyone should enjoy this party of flavors! Both were so good!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Lemon Cookie Crunch Cake

After dinner, I hung around waiting for the boys to get home to tell me about their night.  I heard their car and waited by the door and I am so glad I did! Because when Hudson walked in he was beaming! I mean grin from ear-to-ear, slap happy excited, beaming!! They had went to see Despicable Me 2.  He had bags under his sweet blue eyes, and an M&M stained mouth, but boy was he happy! He told me all about the movie and popcorn, and M&Ms.  And every time I asked a question, he would jump up and down and stutter out an answer and then giggle as if he was privy to the best secret in the world.  

We got him calmed down enough for bed (my goodness it was a quarter to 10!) and then Andrew filled in all the details.  Hearing Andrew recall the night was almost as sweet as Hudson's recollection.  He was just as excited.  It is amazing how living through experiences with your child ignites a child-like reaction in us as parents.  

On Sunday I went for a run with some friends.  Prepping for this half marathon in October is serious business but I am loving pushing myself to reach that goal! Later in the day we spend some time with Andrew's parents.  We played outside, took walks.  It was such a nice day and our boys were tired last night!

I am so thankful for weekends like that.  I look forward to the day that we are all together in our new home..YES! You read that right! Our offer was accepted on the ranch that we saw when we were moving things a couple of weeks ago and the inspection came back clean!  Hopefully by the end of the month we will be together again!!! 

In the midst of this transition, God continues to teach me different things.  He is teaching me about my marriage and how Andrew and I communicate; ways that we communicated ineffectively before and how to change that.  He is challenging me to focus on Him and His plan which, in turn, helps me take my focus off a lot of petty things that Andrew and I used to bicker about.

The greatest lesson, the lesson that prompted the acceptance of this job, was contentment.  The fact that God is enough.  Nothing else matters.  Take away all earthly possessions and HE is still enough.  Andrew and I talked endlessly about raising our family in a simple way of life.  Not meaning without electricity or running water, but in a spirit of contentment.  Yes, we want our children to be ambitious.  Of course we wish them success.  But we want them to strive to honor God's goals and plans, and find success in that; NOT in what the world deems as success.  

As we have taken one step forward, two steps back in this whole moving ordeal, God continues to remind me of this lesson.  In a sermon, something I read, heck, even a thread on my newsfeed.  

I am so grateful that God is giving our family this opportunity and is speaking to my heart.  But the truth is, God wants to speak to each of us.. He is enough for each of us.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well.