Merry Christmas

Well, its been a great couple days leading up to Christmas. Starting on Sunday we had a great Church service to remind us what we are really celebrating, we had a fun filled Christmas Eve party with some family and close friends, and of course Santa visited our house and brought us more then we all need! Madison truly had a blast this year. She was a pro at opening presents and was eager to help Hudson open his....while she still can. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and are spending it with those you love. While I think about the perfect presents I have been given having a daughter and a son, I reflect on the birth of Jesus and the perfect present that God has given to all of us. Let us remember the true meaning of this holiday, and appreciate how tremendously blessed we all are. "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you:he is Christ the Lord."Luke 2:10-11

Madison the Photographer...or Rockstar....or?

Last weekend we celebrated an early Christmas with Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and some cousins. These were just a few of the gifts that Madison received to spur her imagination on. As of today, she has 9 things that she wants to become. In her words she wants to be a picture taker, a rockstar like Hannah Montana, an animal doctor, a child doctor and a nurse, a fire woman, a cheerleader, a teacher, and a Mommy of 3 daughters. As you can see in the pictures, she was role playing several of those already. A typical woman already getting good at multi-tasking!! Below are pictures that she captured with her camera. She's still learning how to hold the camera steady, but she's exploring many different settings.

Whatever she decides she wants to become, I have no doubt she will be successful!!

Holiday Concert

Last week was Angela's 5th grade chorus concert. We all enjoyed the holiday songs and funky dance moves she performed with her best friend Gabby...just look at those cool girls!!

Madison was so excited to see Angela walk onto the stage that she almost ran right up there with her. She loves her cousin and wants to do everything she does. What a great role model she is! It seems like yesterday that she was Madison's age and here she is finishing elementary school and heading into middle school next year.....Oh Boy!

We Got Elfed!!!

For a little holiday cheer, just click the title to view our family's elf moves....Enjoy!

Pilates (click here to view article)

An article I wrote about pilates was published in the Tallahassee Democrat today. It says that it is written by the owner of Fit and Functional, but it is actually written by me. For anyone who is interested in my thoughts on what I do check out the link to the article....and go out and try pilates!!

*This is one of my clients and I during a private session using the Reformer.

All I want for Christmas...

Madison and Hudson visited Santa over the weekend. Madison delivered her Christmas list pretty confidently, and with good manners, of course! Here is what she has asked for this year:

A yellow Belle dress from Beauty and the Beast

(she saw Roberta get one at her party and has wanted one since)

A Tinker Bell yo-yo

(she saw it in a store, and since she was Tinker Bell for Halloween, she thinks she needs it)

A picture of a pink unicorn

(we are not sure where this one came from, but after some searching around, Brian was able to track down a little elf that is hard at work for Madison.....but please don't tell her!)

Hudson still doesn't know what all the hype is about just yet, so I think it's safe to say that all he really wants is:

milk, milk, and more milk

It's amazing to me the power that saying, "Santa is watching" has had this month!!

We'll have to wait and see what Santa brings these two nice children.

We have already recieved our gifts this year!!

Hudson is 3 Months!

Another month has come and gone already, and I have to say that Hudson just keeps getting cuter and cuter!! He has such a sweet personality and a smile that melts your heart. His growing cheeks and chubby little body lend themselves to many kisses and snuggles...and he doesn't seem to mind. He has grown into a great conversationalist and loves to interact. He still loves to be sung to and will sometimes try to sing along. One of his new favorite toys is a singing Baby Tad with lights that blink along with the song. He has enjoyed exploring his rag tag blanket that Janay made him and sticks his fingers in the tag loops, then pulls it to his mouth. Lately, everything makes it to his mouth...except his pacifier. He has decided to refuse a pacifier at all times now, and prefers his or our fingers and knuckles instead. A game that really gets him laughing is to pull his fist out of his mouth and then pretend to put it in your mouth instead. Seems simple, but we can go back and forth for quite a while and he finds it hysterical. He is also extremely ticklish. So, Madison loves to give him tickles. Hudson and Madison continue to build a great relationship as brother and sister. You can see the love they have for one another in the way they look at each other. It's very sweet!

As far as sleep goes, he is still hit or miss. He sleeps anywhere from 4to 8 hours at night, then goes for another 2 to 3 each time after that. I guess the big boy likes his belly full!! He is still taking 3 naps a day, but the length of each nap differ from day to day. His happiest time of day is first thing in the morning. His bright blue eyes and big morning smiles make you forget how many times you had to wake up the night before. They also make it hard to leave him. This month I have begun working part time again, but he has transitioned remarkably. Although I would love to be at home exclusively, I am thankful that Brian is able to be home with him when I am working. So far, everything is working out well for us all. We still have a mix of chaotic days and calm days, but I guess that is the life of a family of four. We are looking forward to seeing what the month ahead brings!!

Chicks Dig Me!

Hudson's looking handsome in his Chicks Dig Me shirt. I know Grandpa and Grandma have been waiting to see him in this! He's also enjoying the new view as he sits up in his Bumbo seat from Uncle Bobby and Aunt Kimmy.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

Tonight, for the first time, our family participated in Tallahassee's 3K Jingle Bell Run. Every participant gets bells for thier shoes, santa hats, shirts and glowing necklaces. A few of the families from Madison's school invited us to run together with them. We only have one jogging stroller for Hudson to ride in, so we were worried how Madison was going to do actually running in this race. We decided we would let the kids run and see how far they get. Boy, did Madison surprise us all. The competitive spirit and determination came out in her, and she ran and ran and ran....with a few short walking breaks. The crowd of runners were amused at her desire to finish this race, along with her cute comments. She kept yelling to her friend Sam(the boy in the picture) and us, "Keep running guys" and when we were going up a hill she would say"I think I can, I think I can." After we left her friends in the dust, she asked "Am I going to win the race?" As we crossed the finish line, Madison was very proud of herself as our crowd of friends cheered her on from the side lines. I think we will make this an annual event for our family, and I see a future running buddy for me!