Mosier Moments

Fall Fun with Friends

2011-11-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

We love when our good friends, The Sheets, come for a visit. The kids always enjoy each others company. Somehow we always are able to pick up where we left off no matter how much time has passed since our last visit. Good times!

A Busy 6 Months

2011-11-18T09:45:00.003-05:00

I can't even believe it has been so long since I have recorded what's been going on in our lives. It has been an extremely busy and exciting time to say the least. Here are some highlights of the exciting events that have taken place this year.

We had another fun-filled summer. We took a two week Florida tour visiting several cities, family members and friends. Madison stayed an additional two weeks visiting grandparents and cousins and had a blast!

Brian and I celebrated out 10th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by getting away for a few days at the beach...just the two of us!

After much planning and prayer, God lined up an amazing opportunity for me to open a fully equipped Pilates studio here in Carrollton back in August...a dream come true!

Brian and I took a trip to Philadelphia for a wedding and enjoyed the natural beauty of Ohiopyle State park, while Uncle Keith and Sandi stayed with the kids.

Hudson turned four in September and Madison turned eight in November.

We purchased a house that has quickly become our home!

God has been good to us and we are looking forward to the holiday season ahead!

Madison is Eight!

2011-11-02T10:27:00.000-04:00

Our little girl is growing up....fast! She has really transformed this year and is blossoming into a sweet young girl. To celebrate her special day she had her first sleepover party with 9 girls. They were a sweet bunch and had a great night of dancing, watching movies, and lots of laughter.
Here are her highlights of the year:

She is still excelling in school and enjoying learning.

She still loves to dance, sing and act. She acted in her first full production over the summer at a local acting camp and played the Pea Princess. She really sung her heart out and loved it!

She loves to sing at church with the kids worship team.

Her favorite singer is Taylor Swift.

Her favorite color is blue...all shades, especially turquoise, She was excited to paint her room that color.

Her favorite food is still tacos and loves going out for Mexican whenever we can.

She is part of her first competitive gymnastics team.

Unfortunately, though, she fractured her wrist a few months ago and has not yet been able to compete this year...hopefully after the holidays.

She had her first sleepover party for her birthday and had nine girls stay the night. She felt really special and enjoyed having all those friends over.

She continues to be generous and concerned with others. She has a heart that loves to help. She also loves to be in charge and her favorite play time game is either pretending she is a teacher or a Mommy.

We love this sweet girl and are proud of the young lady she is becoming!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T23:53:00.000-04:00

Halloween in our new neighborhood was lots of fun! We enjoyed dinner with friends and meeting new neighbors. This year the kids enjoyed passing out the candy even more then getting it. The jumped up and yelled every time the door bell rang. Too cute!

Hudson is Four!!

2011-09-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

Our adventurous and fun-loving boy turned four a few months ago. He has grown and changed in so many ways, yet still has his silly, persistent ways about him. We just love him so much and have enjoyed watching him grow this year. We celebrated his big day with a superhero party at the house with a superman bounce house and a superhero relay race. He had a great time!
Here are his highlights from the year:

He learned to write his name.

Can count up to 50.

Recognizes all his letters and knows the sounds.

His gross motor skills continue to amaze us...he is a crazy skipper, a whiz on the monkey bars and loves anything active and physical.

He played on his first T-Ball team and received his first trophy, which he is very proud of!

His favorite color is blue.

His favorite food is his special non-dairy mac and cheese. (still allergic to dairy and nuts...and we now carry an epipen!)

He is nuts about superheroes and loves dressing up. Spiderman is still his favorite, so he decided to decorate his room with that theme.

He has done a great job memorizing bible verses and loves his children's church activities.

He is still our comedian and loves to make people laugh. He is sweet, thoughtful and truly has a good heart. He will still test us, but tends to make better choices when it comes to listening and following directions.

We love our big boy and am so proud of him!

Summer is Here!

2011-05-26T14:54:00.002-04:00

School is out and the kids are home for summer. We kicked off the summer with a trip to Savannah and Tybee Island. We had a wonderful weekend celebrating the kids accomplishments this year! They have both grown tremendously! I have to brag on Madison a bit. The last day of school we received her CRCT scores (Georgia's standardized tests). She scored almost perfect, only missing 2 out of 160 questions! I guess we could always tell she was a smart one! Keep it up, girl!

Six Flags

2011-05-26T14:41:00.003-04:00

As official Georgia residents, we decided to purchase Season tickets to Six Flags for the year. We have been several times already, and have had a blast. There is so much to for all of us. A few highlights of our trips so far are that Madison rode her first upside down roller coaster, The Mindbender. She was really nervous, but very proud of herself for trying it! I don't think I rode upside down at 7 years old! I was too scared for her, that I couldn't ride it with her. Thankfully< one of my best friends, Rachel, was with us and rode with her! Hudson also rode his first roller coaster and is ready for bigger, upside down ones as well, but he is not tall enough yet! You should have seen him ride his first mini coaster, hands high in the air and a big smile on his face. We always new he was a natural born thrill seeker! One of the best parts is the parent swap....If you have small children, you can go through the exit, bypass the lines and get directly on the ride with no wait! I couldn't believe it! Brian and I have gotten to ride almost everything! We will definitely get our money's worth this year!

Happy Easter

2011-05-26T14:21:00.005-04:00

We had a great Easter this year. We started the weekend with our first Easter egg hunt at night. We all enjoyed the experience of using flashlights and searching through fields for eggs. What a fun concept! The next morning we attended the egg hunt at our church, visited the Easter Bunny, and dyed eggs. The kids participated in their first sac race. Brian and I even got a chance to race....He proudly won! On Sunday, we attended Easter service and had an early dinner with some friends at our house. The kids got to enjoy several Easter baskets courtesy of their loving grandparents. They loved them!

Valentine's Day Party

2011-02-17T21:40:00.004-05:00

Hudson got to enjoy a fun day at school, celebrating Valentine's Day. Each of his classmates made mailboxes and got to deliver valentines to all of their friends. They ate sugary treats and enjoyed opening their mail from each other. He really loves his new friends!

Daddy-Daughter Dance

2011-02-17T21:26:00.004-05:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, Madison's school put on a Daddy/Daughter Dance. All the little girls got dressed up in their finest and got to enjoy a night out with their Daddy's. The evening began with a night out to dinner with a classmate and her Dad. Then they enjoyed a night of dancing, dessert, pictures and prizes. It will definitely be a night she, and Brian will remember. Too cute!!

Snow Days

2011-01-10T19:28:00.004-05:00

We were out of school and work today, and will be tomorrow, due to the winter storm we have had here in Georgia. We had a great day of sledding, drinking hot chocolate and spending time with neighbors. The kids are enjoying the snow and we are all appreciating having nowhere to be. The roads are iced over, so we will be hanging out at home for at least one more day.....and we are not complaining one bit!

Shadow and Rosco

2010-12-31T15:46:00.000-05:00

We have two new additions to our family....we adopted wto kittens for Christmas and they finally came home today. Shadow and Rosco are cute brothers who are enjoying their new home. They are already enjoying lots of love, playtime, and cat naps. We already love and adore theses sweet kittens and look forward to making many memories with them!

Snow Mountain

2010-12-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

This week while Renee and Angela were in town we took a trip to Stone Mountain and enjoyed a day in the snow at Snow Mountain. It was a fun day of sledding, tubing, building snowmen, eating smores, and playing in the snow. Thanks MomMom!

A Very Merry Christmas

2010-12-29T22:53:00.006-05:00

What a wonderful holiday we have had so far! Our Christmas spent in North Carolina this year ended up being a great time filled with many fun memories. Santa even had our temporary address while we were away! It had been a while since my brother, mom and grandmother had spent Christmas together, and now that we have family's of our own it was special to have this family gathering. We enjoyed rest and relaxation, movie watching, eating, playing in the snow, reminiscing and some teasing and laughter. Wish we could have more times like these!

Our Christmas continued as soon as we got back in town. MomMom and Angela arrived in Georgia just as we did, and the surprises kept on coming. The kids were pleased with the gifts they had already received, but were even more excited by some of the gifts that were waiting for them from the rest of the family. Madison got the guitar she had been wanting, Hudson got his first bike and thinks he's Buzz Lightyear, our family got a wii, and we are all excited about the new additions to our family....we are adopting two kittens that will be coming home on Friday....we can't wait!

We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season...despite all the gifts. We are all healthy, extremely blessed, full of love and joy, surrounded by family near and far, and we have a savior who loves us! It can't get much better then this.

Take a minute to count your blessings and remember where they came from!

Merry Christmas!

An Unexpected Guest

2010-12-24T13:42:00.006-05:00

We are up in North Carolina spending Christmas with some family. Because this is our first year that we are away from home, Madison wondered if Santa was going to know where we were. Last night before dinner we heard the doorbell ring so we sent Madison to answer the door. To our surprise Santa was at the door with his sack full of presents! I wish you could have seen Madison's face as she yelled out, "Santa....its Santa.....Santa's here!" It was priceless. All the kids (and grown-ups) enjoyed visiting and taking pictures with Santa. Hopefully, he'll come back tonight!
Merry Christmas Eve!

The Nutcracker

2010-12-19T12:50:00.007-05:00

This weekend was Madison's first time performing in the Nutcracker with The Carrollton Academy of Dance. They spent many months preparing for their first full production of the show. Madison performed in the marzipan dance and was chosen from her class to be in a special scene of the presentation of the court. Party Parents were needed to perform in the first act, so I gladly volunteered. It has been a long time since I have been on stage, so it was a lot of fun to be a part of a production again. It was even more fun to share that experience with Madison and be behind the scene with her the entire time. Hudson and Brian got to enjoy the show. He was a little scared of the rat king and wasn't too sure why I was up on stage. I think he liked it though because as soon as he got home he put on his brittish soldier pj's on and pretended to be the nutcracker.

Madison really enjoyed the experience and did a great job. Her favorite part was being in the extra dance and spending time with the older company girls.

Way to go Madison!

Frosty Festival

2010-12-19T12:33:00.004-05:00

This weekend Hudson performed in his first gymnastics exhibition. He demonstrated his skills on the floor, balance beam, trampoline and bars. He had a great time flipping and jumping around and even received his first gold medal!! Good thing he didn't notice that the medal had a girl gymnast on it.....they don't have many boy gymnasts here in Carrollton. Maybe one day!

Great Job Hudson!

Brian put together a little video of his show. Enjoy!

Holiday Parties

2010-12-19T09:06:00.003-05:00

The kids are out of school for the Winter break. To celebrate the season both kids got to enjoy holiday parties at their schools. At Hudson's school they acted out a brief skit of the birth of Jesus. Hudson got to be Joseph. Once they all arrived in the classroom, they put the baby in a manger and all sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. Too cute! Then they had their usual party food and enjoyed a book swap.

At Madison's party they participated in a variety of holiday crafts, had a gift exchange and enjoyed a Mexican themed meal.....yum!

Now the kids are at home until January 4th. We have all already enjoyed sleeping in and staying in our pj's a little bit longer each morning!

Our first snow!!

2010-12-13T22:54:00.007-05:00

Since the day we moved up to Georgia, one of the things the kids were most excited about was the chance to see snow for the first time this year. It has been really cold for us native Floridians, and more mornings then not Hudson asks if it is snowing. Sunday after church, we walked out of the building and unexpectedly into snow. It was amazing! Our friends, The Sheets, were visiting us this weekend, so all the kids got to enjoy the excitement together. We all went home, bundled up and played outside in the little snow that we had, then warmed up by the fire. We were already having a great weekend, and this just topped it off!

I have a feeling there will be many more days like this to come! Looks like its time to invest in real winter clothes!

Happy 7th Birthday Madison

2010-11-07T22:32:00.007-05:00

Madison turned 7 years old last week. She has had a fun-filled week of events that finished up with her birthday party last night. Her actual birthday was celebrated in Savannah, GA. Both Brian and I attended a conference last week and so we brought the kids along. We went out to dinner at Paula Deen's restaurant with a number of the faculty. After dinner, a special dessert was brought out with a candle on it for Madison and everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. Then we took a walk on the river and one of Brian's colleagues and our new friend, Brent, took Madison into an old fashioned candy store with homemade pralines and fudge and told her she could pick out any one thing she wanted for her birthday. She chose a stick of rock candy and loved it! The next morning was her actual birthday, so we all snuggled in bed and sang Happy Birthday to her...even Hudson sang. Then she opened a few small presents and cards that we brought along with us. She was thrilled to get her first pair of hoop earrings, and excited to get some money and gift certificates. She couldn't wait to go shopping, so I took her to the mall in Savannah and we shopped at Claire's. She picked out some make-up, a pair of fake glasses (don't know why she has been dying for a pair of these), and some jewelry. Then she wanted to save the rest of her money for another shopping trip. That night we headed back home where she had more presents waiting for her. She was happy to get an assortment of clothes and dolls. She still enjoys playing with her big American Girl type dolls and was excited to get a few new friends for Eva, her doll from last year. The next day I brought a treat to her class so she could celebrate her birthday at school. The celebration continued into the weekend with her Glamour Party. This year, Madison decided to have a girl's only party where she could do girly stuff with her friends. So that's what we did! We had 9 friends over to the house for an afternoon of pampering. We transformed the playroom into Madison's Salon with a hair and make-up station. The girls also played a game where they polished their nails and got to make beaded bracelets. I made each of the girls a pillow case dress to wear at the party and take home to enjoy as their party favor. Thankfully I had two friends come with their little girls to help me out. Once we got all the hair and make-up done, we took a few pictures of the girls all dressed up. They ate pizza, opened presents, ate cake and ice cream, and then finished the night by playing freeze dance, Simon says and the telephone game. It was an all out fun girly party. All the girls seemed to have a great time...especially Madison.

Its amazing to watch her grow each year. She is still the same special girl she has always been, but is becoming much more mature. She still has the same interests and likes as last year. Her favorite color is still blue, favorite food is tacos, she loves music and wants to learn to play the guitar and the drums. She is still dancing and doing gymnastics. She is excited to participate in her first Nutcracker performance next month. She continues to excel in school and enjoys going each day. She also enjoys the weekends though because she gets to "sleep in". (Sleeping in to her right now is 8am....I know that will change!) The only new interest she really has is in playing basketball. We have signed her up for a spring team, so we'll see!
We couldn't be more proud of our precious big girl!
Happy Birthday Madison!

Halloween

2010-11-07T20:23:00.013-05:00

Our Halloween festivities started on our weekend visit back to Tallahassee. Angela and Aunt Julie joined us for a visit to our favorite Pumpkin Patch. It is the same one that we have been going to since before Madison was even born. The kids jumped in the bounce house, got their face painted and picked out a little pumpkin. Hudson decided on becoming batman and Madison was a princess.

The next event was Hudson's Costume Parade and Halloween Party at his school. He strutted around in his batman costume and enjoyed sharing some yummy treats with his class. Really cute!!

The next fun event was "The Not So Scary Fairy tales". This was a haunted house type play, put on by the arts department of UWG, based on scary characters of common fairy tales. We traveled through the various tales with some new friends and their kids. Their children are more on the shy and reserved side, so our kids seemed extremely outgoing. Both Hudson and Madison really got into the stories and interacted with the actors. Madison could have been one of the actors...she played along perfectly! There were a few scares along the way as well. The scariest and funniest part was at the end of the show. The last room was the Three Little Pigs. The pigs all get away and we are left in the room with the Big Bad Wolf. So to finish the show the wolf says to all the kids, "The three little pigs may have gotten away, but if you don't run away too I am going to EAT YOU ALL UP!"....and he lunges at them. Hudson lost it, let out the most terrifying scream and jumped into my arms. He really thought he was going to get eaten! It was the first time we have truly seen him afraid like that. It was well worth the money!

Most of the counties in our area decided to celebrate Halloween on Saturday instead of Sunday. We prefer it on Halloween, but we didn't have a choice. So we spent Saturday carving our pumpkins. Madison chose Jack the pumpkin head from the movie The Nightmare before Christmas and Hudson chose Batman.....Shocker! The kids scooped out the guts at first and then Hudson decided he didn't like it, so he left it for Madison and Daddy to finish. They did a great job!

That night we decided to leave our neighborhood and go trick-or-treating with some friends in their neighborhood. The only little girl Madison knows in our neighborhood was out of town, so she decided it would be more fun to spend Halloween with friends...and it was! Brent, Joy, Jordan, Jackson and Mia have become good friends of ours. We ate together, went trick-or-treating and then had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. The kids had a blast and of course got too much candy!

Below is a slide show of more Halloween pictures. Enjoy!

Madison's New Trick

2010-10-11T19:12:00.003-04:00

I haven't mentioned this yet, but our nice neighbor has not only given us her kids' old basketball hoop, but she also gave us their old trampoline. We noticed it one day way back toward the end of her backyard. We asked her if she had any plans for it, and she kindly said she would love to for us to take it off her hands. All we had to do was clean off years of pine straw, break it apart and put it back together in our yard. Now the kids have yet another fun thing to do out back! Daddy gets to have fun "coaching" Madison, and she enjoys trying and learning new things. Yesterday she learned how to do a back handspring on the trampoline. She wanted you all to see. Enjoy!

Carrollton Festivals

2010-10-11T12:19:00.005-04:00

So far this Fall we have been to two of Carrollton's local festivals. The first one, "Touch-A-Truck", was right up Hudson's alley. The city filled a large parking lot with various kinds of large trucks and automobiles. The kids were allowed to sit on/in and explore the vehicles. They also had the local electric company take the kids sky high in the bucket they use to work on power lines. The kids loved this!! Now every time Hudson sees one he says, "I go up in that truck too!"

Last weekend we went to the Mecca Festival, which was an art show of local artists. The main reason we went was that one of Madison's pieces of artwork was chosen to represent her school in the festival's children's art gallery. She really enjoyed seeing her work displayed. So did we!Way to go Madison!

It Finally Happened!

2010-09-24T08:08:00.008-04:00

Madison has been waiting for over a year for this milestone day in her life! Ever since she saw a friend lose a tooth for the first time, she has been fascinated by it and anxiously waiting for the day that she would lose her first tooth! Just the other day, her class made a graph about how many teeth have been lost in her class. Only one other girl and herself had not lost any teeth yet. She is excited that she is not the last one! Each night we have been wiggling this one tooth, and last night it was ready to fall out. When she realized what had happened she immediately started yelling, "I lost my first tooth, I lost my first tooth" and started jumping up and down. She made a few phone calls to brag about the news and then wondered if the tooth fairy would come visit her. She did not want to put the tooth under her pillow though. She made it clear that this tooth was special because it was her first and she did not want the tooth fairy to take it away. Well, the tooth fairy honored her wishes and also left her $5! It was a good morning! She is really starting to grow up now!

Snakes

2010-09-22T21:41:00.003-04:00

Last week Madison was assigned her first project and presentation. She had to choose her favorite or most interesting animal, find three facts and then either create a poster, comic strip, or write a report about it. She chose snakes as her animal and decided to create a poster for her presentation. We looked for facts on-line and in books, and there were way to many to only chose three. After narrowing down the facts she wanted to include, she printed out pictures of snakes and categorized them as either poisonous or non-poisonous. She also included a rhyme that she learned from her Kindergarten teacher last year: "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, friend of Jack." During her presentation, she had the class demonstrate how long a green anaconda can grow to be by having six of her friends lie on the ground head to toe. She read that idea on national geographic kids and just had to include it! Her teacher, along with the kids seemed to enjoy it. Her teacher said she did a great job. Madison said she was a little nervous, but once she got up there, it was fun!

Good Job Madison!

Happy 3rd Birthday Hudson

2010-09-07T21:28:00.006-04:00

Hudson turned three today, and these pictures truly show what this 3 year old boy is all about....being outdoors, looking for adventure, and superheros. Hudson's personality traits have certainly remained consistent throughout the last couple of years. He is a a lot more refined in his language and social skills, but he is still an all out boy! He knows all of his colors, shapes, and most of his letters and letter sounds. He can count up to 20, and is very proud that he can write an "H" for Hudson. He has a great sense of direction, which baffles Brian, and has an incredible memory, just like his sister. While he has traded Barney and Thomas for his superhero pals Spiderman, Batman, and Ironman, he still has many of the same likes and interests. He loves playing with trucks and balls, and has become quite coordinated with a bat and ball. He continues to have a love music and enjoys singing songs. He has taken a new liking to action figures and costumes, and is engaging in a lot more dramatic play. When I asked him to name some of his favorite things, this is what he told me: Favorite animal: monkey, Favorite color: blue, Favorite food: macaroni and cheese, Favorite clothes: batman shirt, Favorite show: Backyardigans/Dora, Favorite game: Candyland. Hudson knows what he likes and doesn't like and is not afraid to let it be known. He still has a strong willed personality and likes to test and push his limits with us...we are working on developing those characteristics more positively. On the other hand, he loves to share (when it is his idea), pray, snuggle, and make you laugh. He is known as a sweet boy at his school and with babysitters. He also has a killer cute smile with one dimple...also known as his permanent dent from running into a table leg....that's Hudson though....rough and tough! Not a day goes by that he doesn't make us all smile. We are truly blessed to have him in our family.

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

We Love You!

Here are a few pictures from his birthday celebrations. Our good friends, The Sheets came to spend the weekend with us so we had a little birthday party for Hudson while they were here. We also brought a special treat to his class today and celebrated with his new school friends. He had a fun couple of days and enjoyed all the attention being on him.

Hudson's first day of school

2010-09-05T20:06:00.005-04:00

Last week was Hudson's first day at his new preschool. He was ready and excited to go with his back pack on his back! His teacher's name is Angie, and she said that he was a delight this first week! He seems to be enjoying it and doing well so far.

Good job Hudson!

Our first month in Carrollton

2010-08-18T14:20:00.017-04:00

Well our first month in Carrollton has been a busy one. Once we got settled in to our new house and took care of all the necessary changes that come with a move, we were able to enjoy some down time and enjoy what was left of our summer. We have explored Carrollton, Newnan, Douglasville, and Atlanta and are finding that there is lots to do around this small town!

Madison has already had her orientation for her new elementary school and started first grade on August 5th. She loves her new school, teacher and friends. She told us that the first day of first grade was even better then the first day of Kindergarten.....so that says a lot!!

Right after Madison's first day of school we headed back to Tallahassee for Brian's big day! He graduated with his PhD. in Physical Education and is officially Dr. Mosier! We had a fun-filled weekend celebrating with family and friends.
Way to go Brian!

While in Tallahassee we also celebrated Renee's 60th Birthday! The kids performed an original song while Angela played the guitar. It was a fun night celebrating this milestone in her life!

After graduation, classes started at UWG for Brian and I, and dance and gymnastics picked back up for Madison. Hudson even started a gymastics calss too! Now we are just waiting for Hudson's preschool to start in a few weeks. Then life will be in full swing! So far so good! We already feel at home and have easily adapted into our new community!

Home is Where the Heart Is!!

2010-07-13T16:13:00.005-04:00

We have officially moved to Carrollton, Georgia and have settled into our new house!

It took a little hard work, but it is starting to feel like home! The kids are doing great....Madison is anxious to meet some new friends, and we are adjusting to our new life! You'll see in the pictures that the kids are sharing a room....and so far, so good. The past two nights Hudson has even ended up in Madison's bed with her! This will be the 3rd house we will have lived in this year, so we have truly come to learn that "home is where the heart is"!

A Weekend Of Celebrations

2010-07-13T16:00:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, we took one last trip in Florida before our move to Georgia. We decided to spend the 4th of July in Melbourne visiting family and spending time at the beach. While we were there we celebrated Brian's Birthday, the 4th of July, and Congratulated Brian on completing his dissertation for his PhD! It was quite a weekend!!

A Father's Day Gift

2010-06-24T22:43:00.006-04:00

When Brian was around Hudson's age, his grandmother, Nana Lucy, made him a cowboy outfit. He then had pictures made, that became one of the signature pictures of his early childhood. Because Hudson looks a lot like Brian did, and does, I thought it would be neat to recreate that picture. So, I searched on-line to find a similar outfit, and had no luck, of course, because Brian's outfit was homemade. So if I really wanted these pictures to be similar, I knew I was going to try to recreate it myself. Even with everything going on, I was thankfully able to make a replica of this cowboy costume and get the pictures back in time for Father's Day. Naturally, Madison now wants a cowgirl costume...so don't be surprised if you see these costumes again on Halloween!

Take a look at Brian and Hudson...my two cowboys!!

Happy Father's Day to a very special Daddy!

Brian

Hudson

Brian

Hudson

Hudson with a little personality!

It's Official

2010-06-22T23:12:00.004-04:00

After many months of job searching, traveling, and praying, a decision has been made! Late last week, Brian accepted a position as a professor at The University Of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia. I also accepted an offer to teach as an adjunct in the department teaching pilates and other group fitness classes. In addition, I will be exploring an offer to work in Atlanta with a pilates studio. We are excited to have a decision made and a direction of where we are headed, yet we are sad to be leaving Tallahassee, which has been our home for about the past 15 years! It is bittersweet as we close one chapter of our lives and move ahead and see what God has in store for us in the future!

The next few weeks, however, will be a whirlwind! We just got back from Carrollton tonight and already found a place to live! Brian defends his dissertation on Friday, and then our plan is to pack up and move to Carrollton around July 8th....a mere two weeks away! We have our work cut out for us as we try to get everything done and say good-bye to our friends! We will get it done, though, and be on our way!

Quick cute story:

We gave the kids the option to share a room for this year and have a playroom, or keep separate rooms, and they have decided to share a room!! Madison was soooo excited; this was our conversation:

Madison: "Yeeaahh!!! Now I can finally see what it will be like to be married and share a room with a husband!"

Us: "Not quite, Madison. You and Hudson will each have your own bed and you are brother and sister."

Madsion: "Well, its sort of the same. I won't be by myself!"

Us: "That's true!"

At least they are excited!!

Is He Smarter?

2010-06-15T23:56:00.000-04:00

Brian has been extremely busy this past month writing and completing his dissertation. Because of this, he has been gone a lot and spending a lot of late nights at the office. When the kids ask where he has been, I continue to explain that Daddy is in school just like them and he is working on a very important paper, so that he can graduate and finally be done with school. So one night recently, this is the conversation that Madison and I had:

Madison: "Why is Daddy still in school?"

Me: "Because he is working hard to become a Dr."

Madison: "A doctor of P.E.?"

Me: "Yes, but not like Medical doctor. A doctor who knows a lot about P.E. and can help other people who want to become P.E. teachers, and to make P.E. better for kids like you."

Madison: "Well, are you still in school?"

Me: "No. I am done going to school."

Madison: "Well, why is Daddy going to school longer then you? He's smarter then you, huh?"

Me: "Yes, Daddy is really smart. We are both smart in different ways."

Madison: "Yeah, you're really smart at pilates and at being a Mommy."

Me: "Yup."

Later I told this story to one of my classes, and a client told me that I should have said that Daddy needed to go to school longer then me so he could catch up to how smart Mommy is!

Now why didn't I think of that?

Just Kidding!

Last Day of School

2010-06-05T16:15:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was the last day of school for Madison and Hudson. It's hard to believe that Madison has competed her Kindergarten year and moving onto First Grade!! She couldn't have had a better year. She has grown and learned leaps and bounds. She ended her year having received all E's and 3's on her report cards and was the only one in her class to receive the Principal's Award. She was very proud of herself about that! Her teacher wrote on her report card that she is now reading and writing at about a 3rd grade level and her math skills are at a 2nd grade level. She also said that Madison will always hold a special place in her heart!!

Way to go Madison!!

Hudson also completed his first year of preschool, and absolutely loved every minute of it! Not a day went by where he didn't want to go. He loved his teacher and has also learned and grown a ton! He was truly a baby when he started school, and now he speaks incredibly well, counts to 20, knows all his colors, sings the ABC's, among many other songs, and even knows most of the letter sounds! He is also well on his way to being potty trained. He is truly going to miss going to school this summer.

Great job Hudson!!

The last week or two of school was busy with many fun events. Just before Memorial Day Hudson had a Patriotic Performance at his school, where each class performed patriotic songs and dances that they had learned. It was adorable.....I will try to get a video up asap! He sung "Three Cheers For The Red, White and Blue" and a Marching Song. He seemed to really enjoy being on stage!!

Madison had a fun-filled student appreciation week, where each day had a theme and finished with an ice cream party on Friday. Then we had her end of the year field trip/party to one of her classmate's houses. The kids had a blast running wild. Her teacher couldn't believe how much energy they all had as compared to how calm they are in the classroom!

This year has been a tremendous blessing to the kids and us! They were able to be a part of two incredible schools that were able to encourage them to reach their fullest potential! It was an emotional last day as we realized that there was a really good chance they would not be returning back there next year! We are truly thankful they were able to have a great start at school, and are confident that they will do even better next year....no matter where we might be!

In the meantime....Hooray for Summer!!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:34:00.005-04:00

As I was running tonight in my Mother's Day present, a new pair of sneakers, I was thinking of Mother's Day and what I enjoy about being a mother. I thought back to when Madison was first born and then tried to imagine what it will be like when both my children are grown. I was able to see that just in just 6 short years, while some things are the same, the things I enjoy about being a Mom have changed. So I cannot even begin to imagine what I will feel 10, 20, 30 years from now!

In order to remember these years a little better, I decided that each year on Mother's Day I would celebrate what I enjoy about being a Mom right now in this moment in life, and write it down. In the hustle and bustle of life its easy to lose your patience, get annoyed and focus on what you might be giving up or missing out on when raising children. Today, however, I chose to focus on all the blessings being a Mother is adding to my life.

So, this year, what I enjoy about being a Mom is:

*When Hudson decides to "Boom Mommy" and knock me to the floor unexpectedly.

*How Madison enjoys dressing up in my clothes, wants to wear my make-up, do pilates, run with me, and pretend to be me and act like Hudson's Mom.

*When Hudson lights up and gets so excited he runs to me when I pick him up from school....that never gets old!! Madison doesn't quite get that excited anymore, unless I catch her by surprise and meet her for lunch unexpectedly.

*Having girl time with Madison.

*When Hudson says "I wuv you Mommy".

*When Madison says she wants to live right next door to us when she grows up.

*Getting to eat dinner altogether and praying as a family.

*Not being embarrassing to my kids yet....I know that day will come!

*Being a young Mom.

*Checking on the kids each night before I go to bed and watching them sleep for a minute.

*Being proud of the sweet young girl Madison is becoming.

*Watching Hudson in awe at his lack of fear and his curiosity.

*Listening to Madison and Hudson play (when it is going well) and watching that relationship develop.

*Having wonderful women in my life (A Mom, a Step Mother, and a Mother-in-law) who each have unique qualities that make them great Moms, that I can learn from and look up to!

*Being supported by my husband and having a partner in parenting, which provides me with encouragement, strength, and allows me to be a better Mom.

*Feeling loved!

Happy Mother's Day

Groovy

2010-05-09T15:52:00.002-04:00

Thursday night Angela had her school performance of "Groovy", a play set in the 60's revolving around "peace, love, and flowers". Angela had one of the main roles, so she was in the majority of the scenes. She did an amazing job, and we all enjoyed watching her! When Hudson would see Angela come on stage he would tell everyone, "Shhhhhhhh". He also started chanting with the cast, "Peace, Love, Flowers". It was pretty funny.
Below is a slide show of her play. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry, we could not use a flash.

Glasses

2010-05-03T20:11:00.003-04:00

I have only been 30 for a few months now, and things have already started changing! After fighting it for some time, I broke down and made an appointment to get my eyes checked. It turns out that I have astigmatism, and so today I came home with my first pair of glasses! I knew my vision appeared a little blurry at times, but I didn't realize how much my vision had actually changed. I can't say that I like wearing glasses yet, or that I will be wearing them all the time, but boy, what a difference they make!

Wonderfully Made

2010-04-25T14:03:00.005-04:00

From the time Madison was born, we knew that she was wonderfully made and a blessing from God! Inside and out she continues to display this to us! However, at the time of her birth we noticed a minor difference between her ears. The top of her left ear was folded over. The doctor said that things like that happen in the womb and it should pop back over time. Of course, we didn't mind this about her, but her ear never popped back. For the past 6 1/2 years she and most others never even noticed, but we knew the day would come when another kid would notice and point out this difference to her. Well, it happened this week! A boy in Madison's class told her that it looked like the top of her ear was cut off by a doctor, and wanted to know what happened. She had no idea what he was talking about, so came home and asked us about it. Madison asked Brian, "Why are one of my ears up happy and the other one droops down sad?" Brian said, "God made you special and each of us different. One of my feet are bigger then the other. We just have to be thankful for how we were made and be thankful that all our parts work." Later when she arrived home, she walked over to me and asked, "Mommy, does this ear look like it droops down." I asked, "What do you think?" She said, "A little." I asked, "Does this bother you?" She said, "No, not really." I said, "Well, good. If it doesn't bother you, then you don't have to worry about it." So that night we discussed looking at what's on the inside of people and how if everyone was exactly the same how boring that would be. Thankfully, Madison already views others in this way, so other then learning something new about herself, this realization didn't seem to bother her too much!

It also helped that her memory verse from church last week was Psalm 139:14:

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. "

Praise God for Madison!

Little Bruiser

2010-04-16T14:45:00.003-04:00

Hudson has always been rough with himself, due to his daredevil ways! But this week he has earned himself a new nickname..."Bruiser"! I don't know if he's growing and a little clumsy or just careless, but I do know that he is one tough kid. Just look at him!

Here is the right side of his face. An old bruise, and a scar from a few weeks ago!

Today he ran into a door frame at school bruising his left side...just below a faded bruise on his head. Can't wait to see what that looks like tomorrow!

Poor Hudson.Maybe he really will be a football player one day!

Family

2010-04-14T20:09:00.005-04:00

One of the fun things about all the traveling we have been doing is that we have been able to visit with family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. In the course of one week, we got to visit with my brother Keith and "sister" Katie. The kids enjoyed spending time with their Uncle Keith and Aunt Katie. Hope to see them again real soon!

Some things never change!

I also had to include this picture of Hudson with his silly smile and Katie's monkey!

We Love the Beach!

2010-04-14T19:52:00.006-04:00

These pictures from St. George Island say it all!

Happy Easter

2010-04-07T22:25:00.006-04:00

We had our annual visit to see the Easter Bunny. Later that night Madison asked us how it gets to every one's house to hide the eggs. So, we asked her what she thought. She began to ponder that and then said, "Its not like that man can hop from house to house in one night". So Brian said, "Yeah, he doesn't have a sled like Santa". So Madison quickly said, "I know, Santa and the Easter Bunny are friends, and I think Santa drives the Easter Bunny around on Easter!" Brian said, "Hmmm, I guess Santa's not real busy this time of year." Madison just said, "Yeah." So we left it at that!

The kids enjoyed getting their baskets and finding eggs!

Then we enjoyed an encouraging Easter message on hope at church. As soon as church ended Hudson ripped off his tie, so this is the only picture I got with him wearing it!

Earlier in the week the kids both had Easter parties and egg hunts at their schools. Below is a slide show of those pictures.

Field Trip to Panacea

2010-03-09T20:55:00.003-05:00

Last week Madison's class took a field trip to Panacea to the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab. Madison really wanted me to join her class, so I was able to chaperone and spend the day with her. Despite the cold weather, it was a lot of fun! She has become pretty brave and adventurous, and loves learning about animals. One of her favorite things was opening and holding a clam. She was hoping there was a pearl inside, but no such luck! Below is a slideshow of the day.

We are sick of the Cold!

2010-02-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

The kids are officially sick of the cold weather here in Tallahassee and are ready for summertime. All they wanted to do this weekend was go swimming. They kept talking about the pool, the beach and playing in the sprinklers. Hudson even went into his drawers and pulled out his bathing suit and brought it to me to put on. Since the pool, beach and sprinklers were out, we decided to turn our bath tub into an indoor swimming pool! The kids loved the idea and dove right in...bathing suits and all! We can't wait for Spring!

A Busy Year So Far

2010-02-19T21:41:00.007-05:00

These first two months in the new year have sure been busy ones! In the past 5 weeks, we have traveled to 5 different cities for various reasons...a birthday celebration, a few workshops that Brian lead, a job interview, visits to potential cities we may move to, and a few quick stops along the way to visit some family. Below are a few of our pictures, along with a long slide show of these past few weeks! Enjoy!

Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola

Out to dinner for my birthday in Orlando

Gracie, Hudson and Madison

At the Barnum & Bailey Circus

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

Sending Hugs and Kisses Your Way!
We Love You!

Welcome 30's!!

2010-01-16T21:55:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, January 13th, I turned 30!

I have always said that I didn't mind getting older, and as a child I could not wait to grow up and do many of the things I am doing in life...having a family, a job, freedom (which is ironically limited when you have two small children). However, as my birthday approached I found myself feeling like I should be doing something major to celebrate this milestone birthday. I started feeling down and slightly anxious for my big day with no major plans....that I knew of anyways! I first found out that my Dad and Denise were coming into town to take us out to dinner and celebrate with us. I was also given gifts from each of the kids, chosen by them. Hudson told Brian that he wanted to get me "yammies" (as he says) because he loves pajamas. Madison gave me a gift bag full of my favorite candy and a gift card to the movies. She wanted to take me to the movies and pay with the gift card herself. Today we went to see the Princess and the Frog, and had a great afternoon just spent with the two of us. It was perfect! Then Brian gave me a poem to read out loud at dinner. In the poem it first stated that he, my Dad and Denise and Renee and Stu, and our Dentist friend Jimmy, were all going to help chip in to whiten/fix a front tooth that was damaged and discolored by a childhood accident and root canal. Brian not only arranged a trip to Orlando to fix my tooth next weekend, but he coordinated with a group of my closest friends to meet there as well to have a birthday celebration/girls weekend with them!! It was a truly wonderful and needed surprise. All week I was saying that I wished my friends could be here to celebrate with me, and now we will all be gathering in Orlando to do so! They even thought I was on to the surprise, but I honestly had no clue all of that was planned.
After dinner we all came back to the house and ate cake. I put on my new "yammies" and was happy to be celebrating my birthday with family. It ended up being a special day full of unexpected surprises!
Looking forward to next weekend!

Below are pictures from our evening.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T23:24:00.002-05:00

We wish you all a happy and healthy new year filled with many blessings from above!

We look forward to seeing what the new year brings!
Happy 2010!!

Go Dolphins

2009-12-29T23:17:00.000-05:00

Every year we get the kids dressed in their Miami Dolphins gear and take pictures in order to make Stu a calendar for his office. This year the photos turned out especially cute, so I thought I'd share them all!

Our Christmas Holiday

2009-12-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve the kids pretend to sleep under the tree and wait for Santa!
Our tree
A few extra surprises await out back for the kids!

Another Christmas has quickly come and gone.

Early on this holiday season, I pretty much knew what the kids wanted and what we wanted to get them. So the majority of our Christmas shopping was done by Thanksgiving. While that was nice, it made for a long month of anticipation on my part because I was so excited for them this year. They are both at fun ages and would be getting some big gifts so I could not wait to watch them on Christmas morning.

The day before Christmas Eve MomMom came in town to spend the week with us. We spent Christmas Eve with Aunt Julie and Angela and exchanged gifts with them. Then we did our traditional story telling time of the birth of Jesus, along with The Night Before Christmas. We finished by tracking Santa online and then put the kids to bed. We spent the next couple of hours putting toys together and wrapping presents.

Christmas morning, Madison woke up and was amazed to see that Santa had come and eaten the cookie that she had left for him. We all went together to Hudson's room so that she could wake him up and tell him to come see what Santa had left. They quickly saw a few unwrapped gifts to play with and then brought down every one's stockings. The kids were adorable opening their gifts. Hudson would open one and then want to stop and just play with that item, not wanting to open another. Madison tried to pace herself so that she would have the last couple to open. Hudson's favorite gift were his "choo choo shoes", and all his Thomas trains from Santa, and Madison's was her Lulu cuddle kitten from Uncle Bobby and Aunt Kimmy. Once all the presents were open under the tree, the kids played and we ate our traditional cinnamon buns. Then after a while, we gave Madison a card to read to us. It said how proud we were of both of them and how much we loved them and hoped they had a great Christmas. Then at the end it said, "Now go look outside". Madison looked confused, but quickly jumped to her feet and grabbed Hudson's hand. They opened the back door and were stunned to see their new ride on toys and playhouse.
They quickly became the new favorite toys of the year, and have been ridden everyday since!

We all had a fun Christmas and have been enjoying having the kids out of school. Spending time together and having nowhere to rush around to has been the greatest!
Below is a sideshow of all our holiday pics. Enjoy...we sure did!
Merry Christmas!

A Few December Updates

2009-12-22T20:53:00.010-05:00

We've had a busy week leading up to Christmas with some fun holiday events and celebrations.

Last week we started off by visiting Santa at the mall. Madison of course had her list memorized, and Hudson had only one thing on his mind, "Choo Choos" (trains). While he seemed anxious to see him while in line, when it finally came time to actually sit on his lap, he wanted nothing to do with it. Madison did a good job trying to get him to go visit Santa, but Hudson was not happy about it. When he finally got enough courage to go tell Santa what he wanted, he was confused and disappointed at what happened next. He apparently thought that when he asked Santa for what he wanted that Santa was going to immediately give it to him. So, when we told Hudson to say good-bye to Santa, he didn't move and just kept saying, "choo, choo, choo ,choo!" He was quite upset that Santa was not giving him a train, so we tried to explain that Santa brings presents to the house another day. He quickly got over it. I'm sure he'll be excited if Santa decides to bring him some trains!

Here are a few Santa pictures:
Later in the week we had a visit from Grandpa and Grandma and celebrated Christmas with them. We all had a blast going out to eat and opening gifts by the fire. We all got more then enough fun stuff, and are very grateful. Wait until you see Madison's face when she opened her MP3 player....she was so excited and surprised!
Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

As school wrapped up for the winter break, both kids had holiday parties at their schools. Brian and I split up, he went to Madison's party and I planned on going to Hudson's, but then Brian surprised us and showed up too. Hudson performed a little Christmas show singing songs and shaking his bell. He did a great job! Madison got to play games, make crafts, and eat snacks at her party. Both kids had a blast and truly love their teachers and enjoy going to school!

We also went to the Winter Parade on Saturday night. It was freezing, but the kids enjoyed the parade and getting candy and beads!

Now we are all just anxiously waiting for Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas from The Mosier Family

2009-12-17T13:04:00.002-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

My Trip to Baltimore

2009-12-10T22:29:00.009-05:00

Last week I was able to take a trip to meet our new niece, Lily. What an angel she is! She'll stare at you at just melt your heart. There's no doubt that she already has her Daddy wrapped around her finger. I also think she looks like him too. I am so glad I was able to go visit her along with my brother (Bobby) and sister-in-law (Kim). I got in lots of snuggle and play time with this sweet baby, and was able to just hang out with Bobby and Kim over the long weekend. While this trip's purpose was to spend time with Lily, Kim did take me out to Lululemon (my favorite athletic clothing store! Brian generously told me to treat myself to something for Christmas...and I did! (It's a good thing there is not a store near me because I would be in trouble!!)

On Saturday, I got a special gift of seeing the first snowfall of the season. And although I have been skiing and have seen snow on the ground, it was actually the first time this born Floridian had seen snow fall....I know its hard to believe! My brother and I even built a little snowman so I could show Madison, and of course we threw a couple of snowballs at each other! It was a lot of fun, and beautiful to watch!The trip went by too quickly as it always does. It was hard to leave knowing that I would not get to see Lily as much as I'd like to. Hopefully all the kids will be playing together real soon though! Who knows, maybe Brian and I will find jobs up there! Can Floridians get used to snow?

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-29T23:17:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Although we did not travel and get to see family this year, we spent our week with our close friends The Sheets Family. Our holiday started with a sleepover at our house with Gideon. All the kids played together, and then helped make and eat rice krispie treats. After Daisha andNaomi went home, Madison and Gideon watched The Cat In The Hat. We read books, sang songs and said our prayers. It took a little while, but they both fell asleep and stayed asleep all night. In the morning they tiptoed hand in hand into our room to wake us up with their sweet voices. It was a fun night!
After work on Wednesday, Brian surprised me with getting out all of our Christmas decorations, so we decorated our tree real early this year. The kids had a blast decorating it, and Hudson was amazed by it. It was hard for him to get the ornaments to hang on the branches, so when he finally got it, he yelled, "yeah...I did it" and gave me a giant hug.
Thanksgiving day was an eating fest. Brian cooked us all a Grandma Jean style big breakfast. Then we feasted at Debbie's (JR's Mom) house with the Sheets family. It was a laid back day filled with eating, playing games, watching movies, and good conversation.
Friday and Saturday consisted of Brian and I both taking turns going into work, doing a little shopping, and getting in some relaxation as well! I was also able to make Madison's Christmas dress (pictures to come later).
We are definitely enjoying the holiday season so far!
We truly have a lot to be thankful for!

A Little Fall Fun

2009-11-21T21:42:00.013-05:00

Today was a beautiful Fall day in Tallahassee filled with football, friends, and Fall leaves. We had some good friends over to watch the FSU game and then spent the afternoon outdoors enjoying our backyard and playing in the leaves. While we were outside we heard the sounds of an ice cream truck driving by. Brian and I were amazed to hear the music coming down our street and quickly grabbed the kids and some money and went to track the truck down. We hadn't had treats from an ice cream truck in years and the kids had never seen one before. They loved it! Now we know that they come through the neighborhood every Thursday and Sunday, so I think there will be many more ice cream truck treats in the future!
Check out the slide show below!

New Robert's Shirt

2009-11-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

Last week Annaliese came over to play with Madison since they don't get to see each other as often anymore. She also brought Madison a birthday present that was created by her Mom and my friend, Janay. It was a one of a kind Robert's Elementary shirt that I know Madison will be able to get a lot of use out of. Above is a picture of the big girls showing their school pride wearing their shirts. Thanks Janay for another fabulous creation!

Kindergarten Program

2009-11-19T21:17:00.000-05:00

Today at Madison's school all the Kindergarten classes put on a Thanksgiving Program. Each class sang one song and two or three kids from each class said one line. Madison's class was first up and she was the very first speaker of the show. She did a great job saying her line, "After crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard the ship Mayflower..." and performing on stage. My Dad and Denise were in town, so Grandpa got to be in the audience as well. After the show I stayed for lunch with Madison at her school's Thanksgiving feast. You could tell she enjoyed having us all there!

Pillow Case Dresses

2009-11-15T23:53:00.005-05:00

Well, I have said for years that I would love to be able to make dresses for Madison. I have had a sewing machine now for almost two years, and I finally did it! I made a pillow case dress. I also made a dress for Madison's doll, Eva, that she got for her birthday. That made it even more exciting for her! She put it on first thing when she woke up...can't you tell by her hair! Hopefully now that I know I am capable of sewing things, there will be more dresses and stuff to come!

Lily is Home!

2009-11-03T13:05:00.002-05:00

After a long month in the hospital, Lily finally arrived home on Sunday night. She is completely healed from her surgery and doing great! Like all new babies the first night at home, she kept Bobby and Kim up all night. I'm sure they don't mind though!! We are so excited that she is home and can't wait to make a visit to see her.

Thanks for all your prayers!

Madison is 6!

2009-11-02T21:24:00.002-05:00

Another year has flown by and our big girl turned six years old today. Wow, that doesn't even seem possible! She had a fun filled weekend celebrating her birthday along with Halloween. (Pictures are in a previous post) We celebrated today by singing to her as soon as she woke up. Then she happily got ready and we were off to school. She told me that her teacher gives the birthday child a little prize and that she gets to go up to the office as well. I told her that the day would probably be full of surprises. So, I surprised her by bringing her a smoothie and a cookie and joining her for lunch in the cafeteria. I could tell she really felt special having me there. Then after school she got to open all her cards that came in the mail, and counted all the money she was given. She was excited about this!! Then she got to watch a movie. For dinner she requested the same birthday meal as last year...tacos. After tacos she had two sugar cookies with sprinkles and milk. By the time it was bed time, the poor girl had a stomach ache. So, both Brian and I snuggled her in bed until she fell asleep.
Other then the stomach ache, I think she had a great 6th Birthday!
Below is a list of some of her accomplishments during the past year:
*She learned to fully read independently
*She can count pretty much as high as you let her go. She can also count by 5's and 10's.
*She learned to tie her shoes, and enjoys helping her friends tie theirs.
*She rode her first roller coaster, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and loved it! She also rode some big water slides at Blizzard Beach...a few against her will!!
*She most recently learned to ride her bike without training wheels. She's still working on turning though.
*Her favorite singer is Taylor Swift. She was hoping for an I-Pod to listen to her on, but she got a cd instead!
*Her favorite color is currently blue, however this changes constantly.
*Her favorite food is still tacos.
*She loves being in Kindergarten. She is knownby her teacher as a special child who is kind, smart and sincere, with a truly good heart. Wow! You can't ask for much more then that!
*She pretty much has the same interests: dance, gymnastics, art, music and movies.
*In many ways she is so grown up, but in some ways she is still my sweet little girl too! I am holding onto these moments because I know they are fading away.

Happy 6th Birthday Madison!
As always, we are so proud of you.
You are truly one in a million!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:11:00.008-04:00

Since Madison's birthday is on Monday, she decided that she wanted to have a Halloween Birthday Party this year. So Halloween morning we got dressed up and ready for the party. Fortunately we had the space and were able to have it at the house this year. Kids started arriving all dressed up and ready to celebrate Madison's birthday. We had a fun Halloween theme filled party. Kids decorated their own pumpkins, played games, ate spooky snacks, got a few tricks played on them, sang Happy Birthday and watched Madison open her presents. It was fun to see Madison enjoying being the center of attention and acting silly and embarrassed at times. All the kids seemed to have a great time...especially Madison! After her party she got to open gifts from the family. She was so grateful and overwhelmed by all the presents. She looked around and said, "Wow, it looks like Christmas in here!" And it truly did. Her friends and family were really generous, giving gifts that will keep her busy for many months to come! She was truly appreciative for the party, and she showed it. She gave us big hugs and said that it was the best party ever! Later when she saw me cleaning something up, she told me, "Stop Mommy, you've done enough today for me. I'll get it." What a sweet heart! She deserved everyone of those presents she got!!

After we rested and played for a while we recovered ourselves and got ready for the night. We went to a friend's house, The Montgomery's, this year for dinner and trick-or-treating. I could not believe that Madison wore her wig all night. She loved dressing up, as usual. Her favorite part was when someone didn't recognize her at first. It cracked her up! Hudson had a blast too! When he was being strolled around he just waved to everyone saying, "I am choo-choo" and blew his whistle just a like a train. It was too cute! It also didn't take him long to figure out the process either. He would run up the the door and yell, "Trick-Treat" and "Thank you", and then take off running back to his stroller for the next house. Finally he got a little delirious and started pushing his own stroller and making train noises and sound effects. They both had an extremely fun Halloween....and so did we!

Here is a slide show of the day and night.

Fall Parties, Pumpkin Patch, and Carving Pumpkins

2009-10-30T23:58:00.003-04:00

It was a busy, yet fun week filled with lots of Fall fun! Earlier in the week we visited a new pumpkin patch this year. Since we waited until a few days before Halloween to actually go, it was slim picking for pumpkins. We still had a great time and managed to find one to take home. At the end of the week both Madison and Hudson had parties at their schools on the same day, at the same time. So we had to split up...Brian went with Hudson and I went with Madison. The each got to dress up and parade around their schools, followed with a fun party with lots of yummy treats and some activities. They had a great time...pictures below! Now we will stay in party mode as we prepare not only for Halloween, but also Madison's Halloween Birthday Party in the morning!

A Sad Day

2009-10-24T21:38:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was a sad day for all of us as we said good-bye to our feline family member, Gabi. Gabi became my cat 15 years ago, but grew into our family pet over the years. He was always a wonderful cat, very loving and sweet, and extremely vocal....especially when someone was in the kitchen. We never had to worry about him biting or scratching anyone, even when the kids weren't always gentle with him. He was smart too! In his younger days I taught him how to sit and beg on command. Most people thought he was grumpy or mean because he looked like Oscar the Grouch, but he was exactly the opposite. As he started aging, he loved snuggling in laps and sleeping up at my head each night. We could tell this week that he was not doing well so we called our vet. The night before his final check up, we all took turns holding and petting him in our laps. He was not able to jump up on the bed anymore, so I picked him up and let him sleep up at my head one final night. Our vet, and friend, explained to us that it was just his time to move on and there was nothing we could do. So, Gabi lived a long, leisure life until his body just shut down this week. It's hard to imagine a better cat!

We will miss you Gabi!

After an emotional few days, Madison was already asking when we would be getting a new pet. We told her that we needed to take some time to get over Gabi and live without a pet for a while. She said, "Oh, ok. How long? Like 8 days?"

You've got to love the way kids think!

A Full Weekend

2009-10-18T20:55:00.006-04:00

Friday afternoon was the Fall Festival at Madison's school. It was a fun event filled with face painting, bounce houses, carnival style games, prizes, food, and tons of candy!! Madison was not the only one who had a blast. Hudson enjoyed following Madison around and acting like one of the big kids! We even got to enjoy a nice chill in the air. It's really feeling like Fall now!

The next morning her school put on a Relay for Life 5k run and 1 mile Fun Run. We all went and participated. I ran the 5k, and the entire family ran in the fun run. Hudson rode most of the time, although he really wanted to run himself. Madison did great. We let her set the pace and we followed. She ran a little, walked a little, and finished the race!
It was fun to participate as a family!

This weekend also involved transitioning Hudson into his new bed. After about a month and a half long project with a friend, I completed his new toddler bed. Let me share a short story about this bed! When we found out we would be moving last month, we wanted to do something for the kids' rooms to make them seem new and special. We thought this would be a good time to make the change for Hudson into a big boy bed. He had developed a liking of pirates, so I thought we would get him a pirate bed set. After looking on-line at ideas, I came across a picture of a toddler pirate ship bed that I would have loved to have gotten him, had it not been $450 plus shipping. Although I had never built anything before, I didn't think it looked too difficult to put together, so I decided I was going to make this bed myself! I enlisted the advise and help from Mr. Morgan, the gentlemen from our church who helped Brian build our backyard swing set. He explained the basic frame of the bed was easy, the decorating would be the time consuming part, but if I was up for the challenge, he would be happy to help me with it. He agreed to cut the four pieces of the frame for me, along with a few other pieces, if I could handle the decorative elements. So after gathering materials, sanding wood, priming and painting a few times over the course of several weeks, we were finally ready to put it together. I explained to him that I truly wanted to do as much of the work as I could myself, so Thursday he guided me for 4 hours as I put this bed together. I used real tools, glue, a power drill, a little elbow grease and a lot of patience. It was a lot of fun to finally get this project complete and surprise Hudson with his new pirate themed room. He absolutely loved it. He kept saying, "Boat, please, boat, please, night-night!" The first day, I was worried that he would be trying to get in and out of it rather then sleeping, so I patted him to sleep for his nap. At bed time the first night, Brian and I just explained that once he climbed in bed for the night that he was not allowed out, and to our surprise that is all it took! All we have to do at nap or bedtime is ask him if he's ready to get in his boat. He says yes, climbs in and he goes to sleep. It's amazing!

I guess a captain stays with his ship!

Lily Update

2009-10-11T21:02:00.005-04:00

This sweet little niece of ours is a trooper! She has endured intestinal surgery, feeding tubes, a respirator, a topical staff infection, and much more. Late last week, they removed all of her tubes and attempted to feed her. The attempts weren't too successful. She is still learning to swallow, and the doctors think they may have done too much too soon, so they will try again this week at a much slower pace. Hopefully things will go better this time! She looks great though. Its nice to see her eyes open in the picture above...looking right at her Daddy! Got to love the matching Ravens outfits!!
Thank you for all the continued prayers!

The Light Bulb Moment!

2009-10-10T23:10:00.002-04:00

It's official...Madison is a reader!! In just a month and a half of Kindergarten she has gone from an emergent reader, reading simple phrases and easy reader books, to a full fledged reader, reading more fluently and reading books in their entirety. It has been amazing to see things "click" and to watch her develop a greater love of reading. You can see the pride and joy she feels now that she can read "real" books to us, rather then us reading to her. She told me the other day that instead of playing with her dolls in bed at night, now she is going to use her flashlight to read books to herself before she goes to bed. I can't argue with that!
She has a lot to be proud of, and so do we.
Way to go Madison!

The Little Artists

2009-10-04T20:45:00.004-04:00

Below is a slide show of Madison and Hudson's recent art and school work. Madison loves to draw and has really been taking her time adding details to her drawings. She has also taken off with her reading and writing skills. She is already writing sentences on her own, using the letter sounds that she hears when sounding out words. It's so exciting to see her take off with these skills. I can't imagine where she will be by the end of kindergarten. Hudson has enjoyed bringing his art work home from preschool too. He tries to explain to us what is in each picture...most of the time he mentions "babies" and has chosen two favorite colors to use: blue and yellow. Enjoy the show! And if anyone wants to purchase one of these original masterpieces, let me know!!

Sweet Baby Lily

2009-09-29T13:05:00.004-04:00

On Saturday September 26th, after a wild unexpected early labor, our sweet niece Lily was born. This past weekend has been a whirlwind for my brother and sister-in-law. To make a long, heart wrenching story short, this sweet little angel has already undergone intestinal surgery at just two days old! She made it through with no major complications, but will be staying at the children's hospital in D.C. for at least two weeks for recovery. Please keep Lily and our entire family in your prayers. She is a miracle and special blessing to us all!

Our New House

2009-09-22T20:38:00.004-04:00

Today we officially closed on the sale of our house! After a long week/weekend of packing, moving, and unpacking we are finally settled into our new home. God has been so good to us. I can't imagine a sale and move being any smoother, so we are thankful for how quickly and smoothly things have worked out. We amazingly already feel at home! Today at closing we got to meet the new home owner. She is a young, single girl in her 20's. Her father recently passed away and her mother gave her an $80,000 inheritance to help her purchase her own home. She was as sweet as could be. She told us how she loved all the wall colors and wallpaper and wouldn't be changing anything. We both agreed that this sale was meant to be. She also told us that Madison was welcome to visit her old room anytime she wanted. So, we left with a very warm hearted feeling knowing that a nice person bought and already loves the house.

We took the kids through the empty old house on Sunday night, and Madison hugged every single wall in her room as she said her goodbyes. A few little tears from her and we closed the door one last time.
Below are pictures of our new house.
Looking forward to many new memories!

Happy 2nd Birthday Hudson

2009-09-07T22:59:00.000-04:00

Our little man has turned 2! To celebrate his special day, we had a small gathering of family to the house. While he was napping we set up his birthday present, a jump-o-lene, and got ready for the party. When he woke up we all went into his room and told him we had a birthday surprise waiting for him. He immediately stood up and started jumping in his crib, hence one of the reasons for getting the jumper. He walked out of his room, stopped for a minute and then took off running to it in the living room. After a few minutes of laughing and jumping, he invited his sister to join him. Together they have lots of fun so far. Then after eating, he had his first piece of cake since his last birthday, because of his allergies, and loved it!! Thankfully no hives emerged...so hopefully he is already outgrowing some of his allergies. After cake he started tearing through his presents. After opening each one, he didn't want to let go of his new toy in order to open another, but we managed to get them all opened. It's hard to say what his favorite is. He has definitely been playing with all of them, so they were all great gifts. Thanks everyone!!
The cutest thing of the day was probably that whenever he was asked how old he was, he would say "twooooo", but hold up all his fingers instead of just two. Very cute! At the end of the night, Spider-man 2 happened to be on TV, and since it was his birthday we let both kids watch part of it. It was the first movie either of them had watched with much action, explosions, and violence. While Madison was closing her eyes already worrying about nightmares, Hudson was yelling, "wheeee, wow, and yeah" whenever Spider-man was flying and rescuing everyone from flying cars and octopod men. Once again, I am not surprised! The first thing he did the next morning was ask for Spider-man again!!

Hudson's new likes include pirates, The Wiggles, Spider-man, and school. He still has his tried and true staples such as Barney, cars, trucks, trains, music, playing with anything Madison is playing with, and of course, being outside, running, climbing, and jumping. He is still a dare devil and is not afraid of much. He is learning things exponentially. He knows all the primary colors and is starting to learn new words everyday! He still speaks in what we call "Hudsonese", but we usually can figure out what he wants!
Quick cute story: I was getting out a piece of cheese for Madison and even though Hudson has never had a piece before, he kept asking for it, "cheese, cheese, cheese." I told him that he couldn't have one until we went to the doctor again and got his allergies checked out. He then started speaking his "Hudsonese" and pulled Brian to Madison's closet to open it. He got out the doctor kit, brought it to me and then said, "cheese, please." Poor kid thought that would work! There is no doubt he is smart and knows what he wants!
Back to the update: In the course of a day he usually makes us laugh, gasp at something he is doing, send him to his room, and fall more and more in love with him! Although I may get frustrated sometimes by his clingyness and adventurous ways, I love this little man of mine!
Happy Birthday Hudson

We Sold It!

2009-08-30T20:00:00.010-04:00

After almost exactly seven years in this house (our first house together), we have sold it! Being that Brian will be finishing his PhD early next summer, and we don't yet know if there will be a job for him in Tallahassee, we decided that we would put our house on the market. We thought it might take a while to sell it for the price we wanted, and figured if and when it did sell we would rent until we knew if we would be staying in or leaving Tallahassee. Well surprisingly, but thankfully, after only about 3 weeks on the market the first person to view the house made us an offer. Since it was only the first offer, we decided to counter offer for pretty close to the listing price. To our shock again, they accepted! So we will be packing up all of our stuff, our memories and moving into our temporary home in just 3 weeks!! Thankfully it worked out to be renting a friend's house only a few minutes away from where we currently live.

Before we started dismantling even more of our stuff, I decided to take some pictures so we can remember where we started our family and made so many wonderful memories. When we told Madison we were moving, she got very emotional about it and didn't want to leave. So, we had a good lesson about houses and "things", and explained that what makes a home special is all of us living in it. So as we continue to box our lives up I will be trying hard to remember that lesson myself!

One door opens to another door closed!

Kitchen Dining Room

Living Room

Bathroom

Hudson's Room

Madison's Room

Our Bedroom

Our Bathroom

First Day of School

2009-08-25T20:38:00.009-04:00

The Mosier kids were both ready and excited for their first days of school yesterday. Although Madison was a little nervous she ended up really enjoying her first day. Sunday night we put Hudson to bed pretty early, and then both took turns reading a few books to Madison, one of them being The Night Before Kindergarten. As the night time routine progressed Madison expressed that she was a little nervous. She told Brian, "Daddy, I'm feeling a little nervous. I feel like i have two butterflies in my stomach...but their fiction."(We got a kick out of her choice of vocabulary!) We went on to explain that it was normal to feel nervous and excited, and then talked a little about when we started school and how we felt, along with telling her all the fun things she'll get to do in Kindergarten. So after a little while she says, "I'm staring to feel even more nervous....I think my two butterflies turned into three!" Thankfully all the fiction butterflies went away. When i picked her up today I asked her what she did and what her favorite part was. She told me, "All of it. Kindergarten is more fun then I could have ever imagined it, and Ms. Jarrett is the best teacher ever!" So it's safe to say, she is transitioning just fine!

Madison enters her room and shows off her new backpack.

She works on a pattern. This is her new friend, Brooke.

Hudson's first day at Timberlane Preschool was a huge success as well! After we dropped Madison off to her classroom, he went with me to the "Boo Hoo Breakfast" they had set up for the Kindergarten parents. He had his second breakfast of the morning, and then we were off to his school. He recognized the building as soon as we drove up and was eager to run inside. As soon as we walked in, he ran up to the school's director, Miss Elaine, and gave her a huge hug! The he walked right in, said hello to his teacher, Miss Jill, and immediately asked to hold the big Barney doll that was on the shelf. Anyone who knows Hudson knows that he was right at home knowing that Barney was close by! He carried him around for a few minutes, explored different areas of the room, and then happily said good bye to me. When I picked him up, I asked him about his day, but the information I could gather from him was very limited. He sounded happy and excited though as he explained his day in "Hudsonese" (Hudson's little babble talk). One thing I know for sure is that he was definitely stimulated. So much so, that he did not take a nap on Monday. Nothing got this kid to sleep, which is totally uncharacteristic of his typical 2 1/2 hour daily nap! He slept good last night though! We'll see how he does tomorrow.

Hudson loves the class Barney Doll.

He enjoyed naming the colors and cooking in the kitchen.

So, we all survived the first day experience with no tears from children or parents! I know it will be a great year!

Goodbye Summer

2009-08-20T21:11:00.013-04:00

With only a few days left in our summer break, I thought I would give a little review of what's been going on in our lives during the past few weeks. With school starting in just a few days, I know that if I didn't post these pictures now, I probably never would. Early on in the month we took a short trip down to South Florida. While we were down there we spent a little time playing in "The Bubble", the Miami Dolphin's indoor practice field, and the kids loved running around with all that empty space! Here are some pictures:

We then took our annual visit to Mexico Beach to visit some family and crash in their beach house. As always, we all enjoyed the beach and had fun spending time with family. Madison and Hudson were both able to ride some waves on the boogie board. I was able to catch some bait fish with a net, and then Brian caught a trout and Madison reeled in a lady fish.

Hudson turned 23 months old this month, and is only weeks away from turning 2...the terrible two's!!! He has had fun playing at home. He has been into building blocks (with help), he has taken a liking to pirates and even sings his own version of "yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirates life for me". We are slowly working on potty training, but think we have a long rode ahead of us with that one! Below are some pretty cute pictures of him in his big boy underwear. Madison helped him put them on!

This past week has been a whirlwind of parent orientations, student orientations, getting school supplies, and getting ready physically as well as emotionally for both kids starting school on Monday. Hudson will be starting Timberlane Church Preschool three mornings a week, and Madison will be starting Kindergarten at Robert's Elementary. The entire family visited both schools today so that they could meet their teachers, see their rooms and meet some of their classmates. They both seem eager and ready to begin on Monday, so hopefully all goes smoothly! I'll post more details of their classes once I have taken their first day of school pictures and actually drop them both off for the day!! Here are a few shots of them today.

Wish us luck or say a little prayer that we survive this first week as we are all transitioning into our new schedules!

Camp Rock

2009-07-25T16:26:00.006-04:00

This week Angela and Madison spent the week at the Young Actor's Theater summer camp. Yesterday they each had their own performance of "Camp Rock". We had a nice big crowd to cheer them on. MomMom, Aunt Julie, Susan (one of Brian's coworkers), Daisha, Gideon and Naomi all came to watch. They sang, danced, acted and put on a fabulous show! They learned a lot and had fun in just one short week. Way to go girls!

The Inevitable Happened!

2009-07-23T13:22:00.002-04:00

I knew it was only a matter of time before the inevitable would happened, and today it did! Somehow Hudson got himself out of his crib, opened his door, and walked out during nap time. I'm not exactly sure if he climbed, jumped or fell out, but once he was out he realized what he did he did not want to get back in. After a lot of calming and soothing, he finally went to sleep. I guess we'll see what he tries to do later tonight. We might be transitioning out of crib sooner then later.

Our 8th Anniversary

2009-07-21T21:41:00.006-04:00

Then

Now

Today we celebrate 8 years of marriage! This weekend we were able to get away to Destin for a weekend by ourselves, and it was wonderful! Not only is Destin one of our favorite places, it is where Brian proposed to me 9 1/2 years ago. We enjoyed quite meals, sleeping in past 7 o'clock, walks on the beach, and a wave runner excursion where we saw several pods of dolphin swimming alongside us....amazing! It was a much needed weekend away and we soaked up every minute of it! Tonight we celebrated with an ice-cream cake and an evening at home with family.

I could not ask for more!

Looking forward to many more years ahead!

Disney 2009

2009-07-21T20:27:00.006-04:00

Last week we took our annual Disney trip with MomMom and Stu. This year we decided to switch things up a bit and try some different theme parks, and I think we all enjoyed trying new things. Our theme park visits included Blizzard Beach water park, Magic Kingdom, Disney Quest, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure. It was a big year for Angela and Madison because they were both brave enough to try new things. Angela braved and enjoyed a few big roller coasters and rides at Islands of Adventure and Universal such as Dueling Dragons, The Adventures of Spiderman, and the Slusher Gusher at Blizzard Beach. Another highlight for her was seeing Johnny Depp in the Pirates ride. Madison was finally tall enough to ride most of the rides and water slides as well. For the most part she enjoyed all of them, and said that Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom was her favorite. Although most of the rides were fun and exciting, there were a few crying incidents that took place too. One ride, Poseidon's Fury, was a little too intense for her...Hudson too for that matter. At one point Brian was holding Madison crying, I was holding Hudson crying, and all Madison would say is, "Where's Pooh Bear? Get me out of here...I just want Pooh...he'll make me feel better!" It was priceless! At Blizzard Beach we all enjoyed the slides...even Hudson. When we got off every ride at The Magic Kingdom Hudson said, "Again, again!" This kid has no fear when it comes to height, fast speeds and water. I think Hudson enjoyed the water park and our afternoons at the pool the best, along with seeing Barney and Spiderman live. He spent a good amount of time jumping off the edge of the pool (with swimmies on) and then popping up out of the water. He was entertainment for all those around us at the pool. It was pretty funny! On our last morning when we were all pooped out from walking around, we ate a wonderful breakfast buffet, accompanied by Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. It was a great way to end a fun week at Disney.

Thanks MomMom and Stu for the many magical memories!

Brian's Birthday, A trip to Melbourne, 4th of July Festivities

2009-07-08T14:40:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy month around here, but I thought I would catch you up with a quick note and an array of pictures from various events in the past month. Just before Brian's birthday, which was on the 2nd, he defended his prelims for his dissertation. Thankfully, after much preparation he passed with high remarks and was given the go to proceed with his dissertation. If all goes according to planned, he should graduate his doctoral program in the Spring of 2010...Yeah! Now we are all enjoying having him home more this month as he takes a beak and gears up for the Fall semester. We are leaving this weekend for our annual Disney trip and then Brian and I will be heading out for a weekend getaway to Destin to celebrate our 8th anniversary. Did i mention that this trip would be without the kids? It will be our first trip together since before i was pregnant with Hudson...so, we are long overdue for an adult weekend.

Enjoy the long slide show if you wish. I'll be posting tons of Disney pictures when we return.

Hudson is 22 Months Old

2009-07-07T15:18:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist posting these pictures of Hudson. He may not like them later on, but we love them! He is doing great. Not much has changed since my last Hudson update, but I wanted to acknowledge that he is only 2 months away from turning 2, which I cannot believe! His language continues to emerge slowly, but his Independence is growing rapidly. He loves to do things by himself lately, and will strongly oppose you when you try to give him help without him asking for it. He also has become very upset when he is disciplined. Not just in a mad way, but in a way that lets us believe that he is building a conscious and understanding right from wrong more. He is still tough as ever though, full of bumps, scrapes and bruises to prove it.

Girl's Weekend

2009-07-01T22:11:00.002-04:00

Recently one of my best friends, Rachel, turned 30! In honor of this special day four of us girls got together and escaped for a weekend of relaxation, fun, food and laughter. We enjoyed laying out by the pool, eating tons of delicious food, fun nights out, and mainly just being together. You know you have a special friendship when you can come together after months apart, and pick back up right where you left off, like you were never apart in the first place. I love you girls and hope we can do it again real soon!

Madison Goes to Camp

2009-06-30T13:33:00.001-04:00

Last week Madison spent a week away at MomMom and Stu's house in South Florida. While she was there she attended her very first summer camp....The Miami Dolphin Cheerleading Camp! I wasn't sure how she was going to do, but she loved it. She made lots of new friends, learned a few dances and cheers, won an atiquette award, and had a big performance. All the campers are also invited to perform again at a Dolphin pre-season game later in the summer, but I'm not sure if we will make it back for that. When asked what her favorite part was she said that she loved it all and couldn't pick one thing! While she was staying at MomMom's she enjoyed lots of swimming, playing with and taking care of some pets, and eating dinner in bed. She really enjoyed being the center of attention and didn't seem to miss us much at all. Below is a slideshow of her week. Thanks MomMom and Stu for a great visit!

Hudson's New Hobbies

2009-06-24T08:53:00.003-04:00

Watch and Enjoy!

Summer - Week 1

2009-06-07T21:38:00.003-04:00

First week of summer has come and gone. Below is a slide show of our week. I think it is going to be a fun summer with both kids at home...once they get used to spending so much time together! Brother and sister are learning to deal with sharing space, toys, and time with Mommy now that they are both home everyday. I'm sure they will work it out as brothers and sisters do...if they don't, they might drive me crazy!!

Hudson's 21 Months Old

2009-06-07T21:07:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted a Hudson update in a while, and it dawned on me today that he is officially 21 months old...so here it goes.

Hudson is all boy! He is rough, tough, wild, funny, and absolutely a mama's boy. He continues to love playing with balls, cars, and anything in Madison's room. He loves and wants to do whatever his sister does...including tap dancing. I have recently found my old tap shoes, so we all tap together on Madison's stage and have a ball. He has his own dance that we have named "The Hudson". He knows it by name now and will usually do it on command. (I'll try to get it on video and upload it soon.) He loves music and tries to hum or sing along, but his language is still trying to emerge. He wants to talk so badly, and this is a cause of major frustration. He will repeat a bunch of words when we tell him. His newest words are "eyeball, blue, bubble, Melmo (Elmo), Aga (Angela), chee" (cheese when we take his picture), and many things are called "a-goo"...we are still trying to figure this one out.

Hudson continues to have no fear and is becoming even more adventurous. He swam under water today in the pool. He can also be found climbing on anything. I finally got him to stop standing on the dining room table. But his favorite thing to do that he knows is not allowed is to climb onto the top of the couch and then slide or bounce down...and sometimes off. He thinks it is hilarious. It doesn't help that he is a tough little guy and doesn't seem to be too shaken by a little pain. We just have to find productive ways to channel this energy. In a few months he will be old enough to start gymnastics, and I think it will suit him perfectly.

All in all, he is a bright, adorable, loving little boy who makes us laugh everyday. We are so lucky to have him in our family!

From the First Day to the Last Day

2009-05-30T15:04:00.007-04:00

Friday was a milestone day in Madison's life...well, I guess in all of our lives. She graduated from preschool, and I can't even believe it! Since Fall 2005, Madison has been attending SYC (School For Young Children) in Tallahassee, Florida. Here is a look back at how she looked in her first days of preschool.

Driving to school

Wearing her SYC shirt

Graduation Day

This was not the original school Madison started at, but we are extremely thankful it is where she ended up! After the first few days at another school, we new we had to find a better place. Brian called up the owner of SYC, whom we had prior connections to, and explained about the horrific experience we were having at her first school. Even though there is a waiting list to attend SYC, Jamileh graciously accepted us immediately. From that point on Madison was welcomed and loved with open arms from everyone there. It is truly an amazing blessing to feel confident that your child is safe, loved and is learning each day when you drop them off at school....especially when you do not want to be leaving them in the first place! But the days, weeks, and months started getting easier as Madison fell in love with being there. It went from her running to me with open arms when I would pick her up, to eventually a disappointed look that I was there to get her already! I knew that was a good thing, even though I couldn't believe there were days that she would rather be at school then be with me. I knew without a doubt that SYC was doing a great job! And now here we are 3 1/2 years later with an intelligent, beautiful girl on her way to Kindergarten!! There is no doubt in my mind that Madison will be successful as she enters elementary school. She has already accomplished so much. Although I am saddened by this chapter in her life closing, I am thrilled to see what lies ahead for this amazing child!

We are so proud of you Madison!

Thank You Great-Grandma Bordeaux

2009-05-26T13:01:00.004-04:00

While we were visiting in Baltimore a few weeks ago, Madison showed extreme interest in every one's jewelry. Well, to Madison's surprise a package arrived shortly after our trip from Great-Grandma. She was amazed to see a tiny jewelry box filled with some goodies.

Thanks Great-Grandma Bordeaux....she loved it!!

Our trip to Baltimore

2009-05-13T14:31:00.003-04:00

Last week, while Brian had some time in between semesters, we took a trip to Baltimore to visit my brother and sister-in-law. Since flights were cheaper out of Orlando, we started our trip there and spent some time with Grandpa and Grandma. Thankfully they were able to take us to and from the airport, which helped a lot. Flying with two small children went better then expected. They each received certificates for flying, southwest wings to wear, and a bunch of goodies from the stewardess. After a few short movies and some snacks, we were there! Wednesday night Brian and my brother Bobby got to go to an Oriel's game and enjoy the luxury of my brother's office suite! Kim, the kids and I just hung out and got to catch up. The next day it was off the Washington, DC where we went to the National Zoo. We took the metro into the city, and that was by far the highlight of the trip for Hudson. He had a blast listening for the train, watching the lights light up the tunnel, and then feeling the gust of wind as the train flew by. He just laughed and kept signing for more and saying, "again, again". The kids enjoyed zoo too! Madison especially liked seeing the giant panda bears. Unfortunately the weather did not allow for us to do much more in the city that day, so we headed back after the zoo. The next day was beautiful, so we spent the afternoon walking around Annapolis, shopping and checking out the water. Later that night my Mom and Grandma came into town. We all had dinner together and then spent the night having Wii tournaments, and playing guitar hero! You should have seen us all! Maybe later I'll upload some video footage Brian snuck of us...it was quite a show! Saturday we relaxed a bit, shopped again, and took the kids to the park....they really needed to run around by this point. Then Sunday, we had a wonderful Mother's Day picnic at a beautiful park on a river. It was very special to spend that day with so many members of my family. I couldn't have had a better Mother's Day weekend!

It was a wonderful trip, but as always went by too quickly.

Below is a slide show if you would like to see some of our trip.

Four Generations Together on Mother's Day

2009-05-13T14:03:00.002-04:00

During our trip to Baltimore last week (more pictures to come), my Mother and Grandmother came up from North Carolina to spend Mother's Day weekend with us all. We had a great time having four generations of women (and girls) together to celebrate this wonderful day. It's been a long time since we have all been together, so it was special!

Kindergarten Orientation

2009-04-29T12:55:00.006-04:00

From o

This morning was Kindergarten Orientation for Madison at her future Elementary School...Robert's Elementary. The morning consisted of an assembly in the cafeteria, a tour of the Kindergarten classrooms and school, and ended with a snack and playtime on the Kindergarten playground. Many thoughts ran through all of our heads this morning as we considered how life would be different for us in just a few months. Madison's main concern for the morning was if she would make any friends. So, the first child she was introduced to became her new best friend...for the morning anyways. Brooke is the daughter of the school's P.E. teacher, so since their Daddy's already knew each other, there was an instant connection. People thought they had been best friends forever they way they were constantly together exploring each new area of the school. Now that Madison is at ease about making new friends, she is excited to start at her new school. Having been a Kindergarten teacher, I am extremely excited for the year ahead, but look forward to living it as a parent this time! There's nothing like Kindergarten!!

Madison's First T-Ball Game

2009-04-12T16:04:00.002-04:00

Madison is finally old enough to play T-Ball, so this year Brian and a friend of ours, Anthony, are coaching a T-Ball team through the YMCA. Yesterday was Madison's first game, and she did great! Although Brian compared the team to the Bad News Bears after their first practice, he ended up being pleasantly surprised. When Madison was up to bat, it took her a few tries, but she finally hit the ball and made it to first before getting out! She was a fast runner around the bases and was able to make it home twice throughout the game. During T-Ball games, the score is not kept, but our team did end up getting more runs, so we declared ourselves the winners!! Below are a few clips. First is Madison up to bat, then her run home, and the end of the game.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T15:17:00.003-04:00

Below is a slide show of our Easter celebrations this season. The kids were able to enjoy all the typical traditions such as visiting the Easter Bunny, dyeing eggs, hunting eggs, and going to church to celebrate the real reason for this holiday. Hudson was so excited to see the bunny while we were waiting in line, we could barely hold him back, but once he finally got close he wasn't so sure anymore. He was happy just giving him a High-5 and keeping a safe distance.

Luck was with our children this year during our church egg hunt. Certain areas were designated for each age group, and prizes were given to a winner in each of those groups. For Madison's age, the first child to find 12 eggs received a prize....and she did it...she won her first egg hunt! She was very excited about this and for the stuffed bunny she picked out as her prize. In Hudson's age group, the child to find the egg containing a gold coin was the winner...and sure enough...he found it! So naturally, he chose the balls as his prize. The Mosier kids made out this year!!

Enjoy the slide show. Thanks again for all the cards and gifts for the kids. They have enjoyed them!

Spring Break in Tampa

2009-04-07T22:17:00.002-04:00

Last week was Leon County's Spring Break. Coincidentally, Brian had a conference in Tampa for the week. With Madison's school closed and many of my clients out of town, we decided to tag along. We were able to enjoy a beautiful hotel, where we were able to swim everyday, and walk to various places. We also enjoyed some local area attractions like the The Florida Aquarium and The Lowry Park ZOO. Below is a slide show of the week. It was a lot of fun to get out of town, but as we were driving to Madison's school on Monday she said, "Oh, it's good to be back in my neighborhood again." So, I guess there is no place like home for her.

Spring Fever

2009-03-25T13:34:00.003-04:00

Recently here in Tallahassee, the weather has been beautiful. Despite all the pollen in the air, it has been cool in the mornings and evenings and warm during the afternoons....perfect! One day as we were playing out back, it felt so warm that Madison asked if we could put up the pool. We told her that it wasn't warm enough for that yet, so we decided to turn the sprinklers on and let the kids have at it....and that they did...they loved it! We enjoyed watching them as well. What a wonderful family afternoon. Looking forward to many more to come this summer! Here's a slideshow of our fun time!

18 Month Check-up & The Dreaded Vaccines

2009-03-12T15:39:00.003-04:00

Monday morning was Hudson's 18 month check-up. Here are his latest stats:

height: 32 inches (35th %)

weight: 23 pounds 5 ounces (15th %)

Although he hasn't grown leaps and bounds as he was in the early months, he is growing and still on his growth curve. He's just so busy and active he burns everything off that he eats!! Sounds like his Daddy!

During his visit he also received the DTaP vaccine. My pediatrician understands that I have slight anxiety over all the vaccinations, so we have been spacing them out throughout the months, so that we don't overload Hudson's system with multiple vaccines at once. However this one vaccine is really a combination of three. He took the shot like a champ. I think he was more mad about being held down, then about the actual shot. Once we let him up he stopped crying. However, Tuesday night after his bath, we noticed that his leg (where they gave the vaccine) was red, blotchy and completely swollen. I should have taken a picture, but I was too worried to think about it! After another visit to Urgent Care at 8:30 in the evening, we were told he must have gotten an infection from the injection. So my anxiety was validated!! My poor son is the 1 in 4 kids this can happen to as a result of the vaccine, and has this huge elephant leg on his little body. They marked and measured the swelling, prescribed an antibiotic, and told us to keep an eye on it. The swelling has finally started to go down today. So, I'm confident the antibiotics are working. I'm not so confident though about him receiving the other doses he is supposed to have, and concerned about how he got an infection!! The doctors and nurses who work with my children from this point are going to have to get used to a minor interrogation before the poke my kids again!!

Thankfully he seems to be doing fine, but we just have to laugh at all this poor kid has had to deal with in just 18 little months. He's such a trooper! The thought of what the future brings is a little scary!Fortunately, I can find relief knowing God is in control...there's no telling what else this kid will get into!

January and February Slideshow

2009-03-08T20:07:00.007-04:00

As you can see by the one entry I was able to post, February was a busy and hectic month. (If you read Hudson's post, you'll have an idea why!) However, we did have lots of fun too and I wanted to share our pictures and a few video clips.
Madison has hit a few milestones this month. Her greatest accomplishment is that she learned to tie her shoes!! Yes, and she's not even in Kindergarten yet! As a former Kindergarten teacher, I can say that this is huge and I am so proud of her, and know her teacher in the Fall will be thankful too! She is also soaring on her reading ability. She is still reading level 1 books, but we think she'll be moving onto level 2 pretty soon. Now that VPK is over at her school she has gone back to her part time schedule of 3 days a week, and then home the other days. And I enjoyed having her home this week. I have forgotten how nice it was just to hang out, play and have time to do fun crafts together.
Hudson has enjoyed having her home too. They have formed a new bond and routine with each other. Hudson will bring out books from his room, bring them to Madison, have her pick him up onto the couch and then climb in her lap so she can read to him. It is sooooooo sweet to see! If he's not in the mood though, he lets her know!
Below are a few random video clips of them playing, and of Madison tying her shoes!

Hudson is 1 1/2 Years Old

2009-03-07T20:19:00.002-05:00

I picked out a few of my favorite Hudson pics from the last month. I feel that these few photos really sum up his personality. He's definitely become an adventurous, determined, fun, sweet, strong and tough little guy. He can take a swing at a ball like you wouldn't believe. His love of balls has grown exponentially. I always keep a few in the diaper bag and in the car...you never know when you'll need them! I'm still thinking this kid will grow to be some sort of ball player...he seems to have been born with it in him!

His language continues to blossom as well. It's fun to see how much he understands even though he can't verbally communicate it. He enjoys taking orders....that is when it is fun. He loves to go get things for us, throw stuff away, take his cups/plates to the sink...sometimes putting them in the trash by mistake, and making us all laugh. Madison's usually right there behind him to correct his mistakes, though.

His favorites continue to be playing outside, climbing and hanging on things, listening and dancing to music...mainly with Madison, chasing or being chased, wrestling...which we have had to work with him on appropriate times and people to do this with, Gabi, our cat around the house, curious george and Barney!

This month, although filled with many fun times, has been one of the most challenging. As you may have read in the allergy update Hudson is allergic to a few key ingredients that seem to be in most foods. Milk, soy, rice, and nuts. If you take a look at the majority of your food labels and think about the ingredients in your family's recipes, you'll see the challenges we have been dealing with. Meal times have become a struggle, usually ending up with tears and thrown food, because he is bored of the same boring things. We have had to strip most of the things he was accustomed to eating out of his diet, and need to get creative and educated on his food options. He eats a lot of fruit these days and has slimmed down a bit...we go to his well baby check-up on Monday to get the official measurements and see how he's doing with his growth. I'm not too worried because he is one strong kid and remains really active. To add to the challenges of the month, about a week after his allergy test he developed a cold, then a cough, then started wheezing and had a fever spike up to 103.5 degrees. After a trip to urgent care, a chest x-ray, a breathing treatment, and a couple of prescriptions later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. Poor Baby and Poor Mommy and Daddy!! Thankfully he is completely recovered from his sickness, and we are prayerful and confident that the struggles with his allergies will just be temporary.

We are so thankful he is a part of our family. Not a day goes by that he doesn't make us laugh, or make me gasp out of fright from something he is doing or getting into.

But that's our boy and we love him!

Allergy Update

2009-02-10T20:54:00.003-05:00

After months of wondering about Hudson's allergies we took him to an allergist today. After 3 1/2 hours...yes, that's right 3 1/2 horrible hours... at the doctor's office we had our results. We were correct in our assumptions that he is allergic to milk, rice and nuts, but we were shocked to find out that what he is most allergic to is soy!! So, all the soy milk, yogurt, and cheese we have been feeding him everyday was the wrong thing to do. So, what do we do from here? Other then avoiding all of the things he is allergic to, I don't know. Our next step is to contact either another allergist and/or a nutritionist to figure out what to do now. On an up note, we received a few new prescriptions for his eczema. By avoiding high allergen foods and using the new creams, his skin should be back to normal in no time. For the mean time we will be careful with what Hudson eats, and pray that he outgrows everything!!

FSU Golden Girls Reunion

2009-01-18T21:37:00.004-05:00

Many of you know that when I was in college I danced on the FSU dance team..."The Golden Girls". It was an amazing experience to have made this team my Freshman year, and provided me the opportunity to continue dancing, be involved with a unique aspect of Florida State, and build some lifelong friendships. After over 25 years of different Golden Girl Teams we gathered for the first reunion weekend to celebrate our traditions. About 22 Alumni came from across the country to gather for a fun weekend of reminiscing, dancing, dining and basketball. We actually performed at the FSU/Duke basketball game during half-time with the current dance team. Although we did not do an actual dance routine, we did performed the FSU Fight Song (a pom routine to one of the band songs). It was an easy routine to put together for our first reunion. Since it was a success, I hear that there is talk of us actually learning a dance or two for next year's reunion...we'll see! It was such a wonderful weekend. Being with my girls again, going to "practice", and performing on the court, took us all back to the good old days of college. It sure was fun!!

Hudson is 16 Months Old

2009-01-07T21:41:00.001-05:00

I didn't post an update last month on Hudson with all the holiday stuff going on, but boy has he grown in the last month. Here are some of his favorites and accomplishments:

His language is getting ready to explode. He currently says, "Ma Ma, Da Da, Amama (Madison), Gapa, Gama (Grandpa, Grandma), Mumum (MomMom), ball, all done, again, bye-bye, hi, yes, no, Ba-nee (Barney), Mumuman (Muffin Man), lelow (yellow)"...and other gibberish. He also siad his first sentence this week, "Mama again".
He loves music! His favorite songs are The Itsy Bitsy Spider, 3 Blind Mice, Muffin Man, the I Love You song from Barney. He also loves his veggie tales CD where the songs say his name in them...from Mi'ma. He actually sings three songs that we recognize...very cute...I will try to get some videos up soon of it.
Physically, he is all boy!! He is constantly moving, climbing, trying to jump, run, and wrestle. We have lowered his crib to the lowest level because he is trying to climb out! I don't know how much longer he will be in it. He loves to be outside playing. His favorite toy is by far balls!! Whenever we are out and about whether in the car or stroller, anything he sees that is round he immediately starts yelling and pointing, "ball, ball, ball". He loves to go to Target to see the big red balls outside.
He still gets excited when his big sister gets home from school. They are playing together real well, and we think Hudson might even like being in Madison's room better then in his...at least when she is home.
He still has his dairy allergy. Recently, he has begun reacting to some soy products as well. We will be taking him to an allergist in the next month to determine what is going on. It is getting a little more challenging to feed him a variety of foods. Keep praying that he will outgrow whatever it is.

He is still such a joy to have in our family. He is a sweet, fun, smart, loving, and entertaining boy. We love him to pieces!

Miami Dolphins #1

2008-12-31T22:32:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to the Miami Dolphins on becoming the AFC Division Champions!!

When you say Miami...

We're talking super bowl...

We are the Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins,

Miami Dolphins #1