Happy Birthday to Walker

Walker Elijah Dudish was born April 4, 2007. He turned 4 years old on Monday. Time is flying by...he should be the size that Sawyer is! We celebrated his birthday with friends and family this past Saturday. He wanted a Toy Story party so I did my best to come up with some fun Toy Story party ideas! I stayed up way too late making his cake, but I am very pleased with how it turned out.

When our guests arrived, they each got a cowboy hat, a bandanna and a sheriff's badge in honor of Woody. Next we played a version of hot potato...I had the "You've got a friend in Me" song from the movie on our ipod and the kids sat in a circle and passed a Mr. Potato Head. I changed the rules a little for our game and when the music stopped and they were holding the potato head, instead of being out, they got to add one of his pieces(I had all the pieces in the middle). They built a pretty silly Mr. Potato Head with a big yellow mustache and long purple eyelashed eyes! We had lime green balloons with one toy story balloon that Tony tied to the mailbox...or at least he thought he tied it to the mailbox. Sometime during the party, the balloons set sail and ended up in a tree at the edge of our neighborhood. The kids walked over the next day and visited them! (We should've taken a picture of that!)

Next, they got to be Buzz Lightyear. Walker got this for Christmas and it worked out perfectly for our party purposes! One kid got to wear the Buzz Lightyear wings, while another got to sit in the spaceship wearing the Buzz Lightyear gloves. The one in the wings tried to shoot the balls into the spaceship, while the one with the gloves tried to block the balls (with their sweet heads down, of course)

Finally, my friend Christa had made this big Mr. Potato Head for our Christmas Show at school and I knew it would be great for the party. We played it kinda like pin the tail on the donkey. The kids were blindfolded and they got to choose a piece to try and velcro onto the potato head!

We had hotdogs for lunch and then had the birthday cake, our second birthday with real cake made with eggs and from a regular cake mix.

After most of the guests had left, Walker opened his gifts from our family members. He was so excited to play with his Toy Story things and wasn't going to share with Hudson. Of course that wore off, or Hudson wore him down and he did share the toys!

Things we love about Walker at 4:

1. He is stinkin' hilarious. He has us laughing all the time. That boy is just plain funny!

2. He just had his hair cut in the last 6 months and it fits his little spunky personality!

3. He has the cutest dimples around and is so precious when he smiles.

4. He will stop everything he's doing to come say an "I Love You!" that will melt your heart!

5. He loves Hudson and wants to keep up with him and he and Finley are becoming great buddies when Hudson is at school.

(I should've done four things we love about Walker at four, but I got carried away, so there's one to grow on!)

The night after his party, this is how he wanted to sleep! with the big Woody, Buzz Lightyear gloves and the cowboy hat...how stinkin' cute is that?

On his actual birthday, Monday, he had his birthday streamers on his door when he woke up that morning, and he got a bike from us. To surprise him, I had the bike hidden in the garage and Tony took the kids to the backyard to play hide and seek. I got the bike ready by tying on a new toy story balloon. When I went to get them, they were all standing at the top of the cross ties looking hesitantly at something. Hudson then points and screams, and I see it, a snake. Tony was kinda freaking out as he said, "Hudson ran right by it, twice!" Apparently, Hudson had run down to get a soccer ball, Tony saw the snake and said come back come back...thus, Hudson ran by it and then back by it, all the while, Tony was freaking out! I threw a few things at it and he didn't budge, so I had to get up closer to see if that thing was alive...all the while, Tony stayed at the top of the cross ties with the kids. I took a few pictures and saw that our little friend was indeed quite alive and sticking that tongue out and in, out and in! After all that excitement, we ran back up the hill and of course, Hudson noticed the bike first. Walker was super excited and wanted to get right on! He drove around for a while and then came in to have the lunch of Walker's request...sandwiches! We sang happy birthday and had the bottom of his cake with the "4" candle on top! I think it was a happy birthday for that sweet boy!

Seriously, I CANNOT believe this boy is FOUR! Time sure needs to slow down! Walker Dudish...we love you up!

Happy Birthday to Finley...

Our sweet baby girl is 2! Her birthday was Thursday, March 10, 2011. Oh how we love this sweet girl. She has been saying happy new year all day as we would say happy birthday to her...it was too cute! She loved running through her birthday streamers today and sang along as we sang happy birthday tonight with our rice krispie treats. She has started kissing and hugging us when she thinks that she's in trouble or has done something wrong...it's hard not to be charmed by her...seriously! She LOVES to give hugs and kisses and gives them out freely all day! We had her birthday party last Saturday! I love birthday parties...especially having a theme and planning fun things around that theme. I could not think of one thing for this sweet girl that would be fun for her brother's too. The only thing she's really into right now is baby dolls and I did not think a baby doll party would be fun for the brothers. I waited too late to make an invitation, so I went on to evite to send one last minute and hoping for some kind of inspiration there. I found it! There was a "card" that had paint splattered on it, so I went with that! The party was so fun! I set up different "stations" in the garage...finger paint and a big roll of craft paper, watercolor paint and paper at a table, our easel with paper attached a poster paint and a table with coloring books and crayons. I had some face paint and I painted little things on their hands. I also had an activity that the boys found in their highlights magazine and have been asking me daily when we could do it. You sort froot loops by color and then crush them, then you layer them in baby food jars...it's like sand art but with froot loops. Tony was a champ and sorted most of our off brand froot loops so that each kid already had all the colors they needed to make the rainbow. If I was doing this with just my kids, I would have had them sort the froot loops themselves! The directions said to roll the loops with a rolling pin, but when the kids started doing it, one bag was dropped and I got the idea that they could crush them with their feet, so that's what they did and it ended up being more fun than the rolling pins! Miss Finley LOVED the painting! She stayed at the easel the entire time! Before the kids came out to paint, they had to put on their "smocks" (old t-shirts that we didn't mind getting messed up). The birthday cake was my favorite. It was a rainbow inside! Super easy...two cake mixes split into thirds and then colored with each color in the rainbow! This was also the first cake we ever got to use a cake regular Duncan Hines cake mix...I just had to search for one that didn't have milk in it! We even got to have our cake made with real eggs! Needless to say, this was the most cake ever eaten at a Dudish birthday party! It was super yummy! The knife and serving piece were gifts I received from my teacher friends after she was born. The serving piece is engraved with her name and her birthdate. They are to be used at each birthday to cut her cake...then when she gets married, they are to be used at her reception to cut her wedding cake...talk about sentimental! Tony said he couldn't dare think about that! Me either! I didn't use them at her first birthday because I cupcakes! But, I want to use those each year and save a picture from each birthday in the case in which they came!

The night before the party, I decided I needed to make Finley something to wear, so I started that little pillowcase dress she wore at about 11:00 p.m. She looked way too big with her hair in pigtails and I seriously cannot believe that my baby girl is already 2! Time seriously flies...super fast!

The party was super fun and our Uncle Justin took these pictures!

Happy birthday baby girl! We love you up!

Sawyer is 2 months and a few catch up pics

Sawyer was 2 months old on January 16. So, he will soon be 3 months already! His stats at his 2 month check up...he weighs 14 lbs 13 oz and is 24 1/4 inches long. He's in the 95th percentile for both his height and weight. At 2 months, Sawyer is sleeping well. At night, we feed him sometime between 7 and 8:30 and then we just wrap him up in his swaddle blanket, give him his paci, and lay him in his Moses basket while we put the other kids down for bed. Usually when we come back, he is sound asleep. So simple. There's no rocking, bouncing, patting...he just falls asleep. It makes me a little sad, since he's my last baby that he goes to sleep on his own. But, it is so helpful that our sweet baby puts himself to sleep. He wakes up generally between 1 and 2:30 a.m. to eat, then goes right back into his Moses basket to sleep. And then wakes up around 6:30 or seven to eat again. He eats every three hours during the day and takes naps between each feeding. He is smiling at us all and cooing like crazy and we are all so in love! We especially love when he talks to us and smiles our way! He hardly cries, seems to be super easy going and has got the chubbiest sweet cheeks! I know I could just eat him up! This is the January group picture...Sawyer at 2 months.

I am going to try a monthly picture of all four...idea from my friend from college, Heather. This one is actually okay! This is the November group picture when Sawyer was just a wee one! This is the December group picture...Sawyer at 1 month.

Snow...

So, do you think it's weird if I think that all this snow was just for me? I have been so sad leaving my newest little guy, and really just long to be with him. I've only left him twice (the two days I worked last week). I was dreading this week because I was going to be away from him for three days, and what do you know...all this snow! We're snowed in and school has been cancelled all three of those days! God gave us rest in the form of snow. Today as Hudson, Walker and I built a snowman, I was thinking about how much I truly love snow. They had run to the kitchen to get the snowman accessories, the kids who had been sledding down the hill by our house had all gone home, and it was just me, sitting in the middle of the snow. It was silent. There is a peaceful silence about the snow that really speaks to my soul! It's simply beautiful! I really do love the snow! I love the silence of watching falling snow, I love how snow covers everything in a blanket of white. I love how snow is a reminder that God has covered my sins...that they are as white as snow(Isaiah 18)! And I love this verse I found in Job today..."He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power....The clouds churn about at His direction. They do whatever He commands throughout the earth. He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love." Job 37:6-13 The snow is for me...to remind me of God's unfailing love! What does the snow make you think about?Finley wanted NOTHING to do with the snow Monday. I had her loaded down with clothes and I think she didn't like that she couldn't really move because of all the layers. Before we went out, she fell in the den and poor thing couldn't get up. She looked like she was doing the downward dog yoga move trying to get up. She wouldn't let us put her down in the snow...so I have no good picture of her in the snow. Today, however, after we built our snowman, she marched right out. (Of course, she was only dressed in her jammies, rain boots, coat and hat...since we were just going out to take pictures with our snowman). Hudson has loved the snow the most...he wants to keep playing and playing and playing. Tony and I both got to go out with him and spend a little extra time with our oldest. Walker said his favorite thing about playing in the snow was putting the mouth and buttons on our snowman. We had the idea to use skittles, but man alive, those things wouldn't stay on that icy snow. So, being the quick thinker that I am(ha) we decided to "dye" the snow using the skittles. So, we just rubbed those little candies where we wanted a mouth and buttons. I have to say, it was one of my favorite things too. Let me add for the sake of this being like my scrapbook for our family that Hudson absolutely LOVED getting the ice off the top of the snow and throwing it down the hill. It would shatter on the other ice and roll down the hill. We did this for quite a while both Monday and Tuesday! I tried over and over to slide down the hill with NO luck. I'm sure it was quite funny to watch though. Oh, I forgot that I put Hudson in this big bucket that we have and slid him around on the road. He didn't think it was so much fun. So, I got in...bottom first...feet hanging out...can you picture it? It was just the boy and me outside, so I told him to push me...nothing happened. Next, I decided he could probably use the handles to spin me, so that's what he did. I started chanting the old merry-go-round chant...faster faster need another master as my sweet guy ran around spinning me! Loved it...then it was time to get out. I was stuck! How was I getting out of this thing? I had Hudson push while I tried to sort of rock forward. It worked and I kinda rolled myself out. I LOVE the snow! (I kept the baby inside the whole time...we had his snow picture on his first Christmas!)

Our new sweet addition

This post is long overdue and I think I started working on it about a month ago. It's quite long, so if you make it to the end...let me know! :) Here's a current picture of little man:
We are thrilled that our new little guy arrived safely and is healthy! We are all quite smitten with him and adjusting to life with him in our house!

His arrival: Tuesday, November 16, was a regular work day. I had switched days that week so that I could be off on my actual due date to attend a Thanksgiving feast at Hudson's school. I worked all day, with people at school of course making comments about when the baby was coming, etc. I had a few contractions during the day, one I can remember when I was sitting in another teacher's room working on goals that we had to change a little. But, nothing that made me think that baby would soon be on his way. I sat on the floor during math time while I was teaching. Then, I changed into some bedroom slippers I had taken to school that day because my feet were starting to hurt. And, wouldn't you know, the very next minute, the principal walked in to observe me! I was in the middle of explaining a sheet the kids were going to do about Pilgrim kids (after we had read a book about Pilgrims) and all I could think was that I had on bedroom shoes. Seriously...I could think of nothing else...I was speaking words to the class, but my mind was repeating "you are wearing bedroom shoes, you are wearing bedroom shoes"...HA! Tuesdays are late school days, so I stayed until about 4:30 p.m. When I got out of the car, I had a contraction, but nothing to get excited about. We ate dinner about 5:30, and I was super tired, so I took a shower and then laid down to rest before our bedtime routine. At 6:39 p.m., I had a contraction that took my breath away and I had to really breathe through it. I called Tony in immediately and told him that I wasn't positive, but I thought I was in labor. (Having had 3 kids before, I really thought this was probably it...but I didn't want to jump the gun and go ahead to the hospital and have them say...go back home) He asked if he could take a shower...sure...so he did. I have another contraction. I try to call my mama and don't get an answer. I call my daddy and tell him that I am not sure, but I might be in labor. At this point, I've only had two of these contractions, but they were so powerful, I thought they were it. I tell my daddy I'll all back if I have two more, b/c at that point, we are going to the hospital! We then realized that we didn't have diapers for the kids for bed, so he left to go get some. I had a few more contractions...breathing like a crazy person, kids running around me, Finley pushing on me...it was something! Tony returns with the diapers. I tell him we need to go as soon as possible, because I want an epidural at 6:39 (heehee), so he calls Justin to come and stay with the kids until my parents arrive. We decide to lay Finley down...and let the boys stay up until my parents get there...not sure if this was a good idea or bad. I go to lay her down and I always sing to her. I know that the contractions have become so close that I am going to have one while we are in her room, but I am hoping that maybe I won't. Not so...in the middle of Jesus Loves Me...that contraction came and I gritted through the line "yes Jesus Loves Me, yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus Loves me, for the Bible tells me so". Probably not my finest singing moment. I laid her down, came out and Justin was already here, so we let the boys stay up to wait on Grandmamma and Grandaddy and we were off to the hospital about 8:20 p.m. The rest is kind of a blur. Contractions on the way...contractions while checking in and signing papers(this is by far the most ridiculous thing that you have to sign all that junk while you are having CONTRACTIONS...they need a better system to check you in!)...contractions while in the triage room(just to be sure I was in labor...really...fourth baby...THIS IS LABOR!) So...I was not a happy camper, I just wanted an epidural and I really wanted it at like 6:30 p.m.! Tony was saying thank you to everyone b/c I think I was being rude...I just wanted them to hurry and get me checked in and they don't seem to get in a hurry! One thing I do remember clearly is that the charge nurse came in to put in my IV and she got it on the first try. Every other baby they have had to stick me at least 2 times, usually 3...so I for sure told her she rocked! I loved my 2 labor and delivery nurses...and after Sawyer was born I found out the one who helped deliver has a son in first grade at my school...talk about a small world! So....I finally got the epidural and was just waiting for the midwife to break my water(that's what they've always done to get the baby there). She checked me and said she didn't want to break my water...b/c the baby wasn't down far enough and she didn't want the cord to wrap around baby's neck. So, we just had to wait and wait. They say to rest, but when I'm having a baby...I'm so stinkin' excited to meet them, I can't sleep or rest! So...I think I talk a lot! About 11:20 p.m....I buzzed the nurse and said I felt like it might be time...she checked and said I was a 10...midwife comes in and says no...not 10, but decides to break my water...and then she was going to leave. BUT, she with a little persuasion from the nurse decides to let me try pushing...good thing, b/c a few pushes later and Mr. Sawyer Ezekiel made his appearance!



He weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. He had a little hair(well a little compared to Hudson and Finley) and big blue eyes. He was and is absolutely precious! Now, that he is 6 weeks old, I'll add his 1 month stats...he was 22 inches long and 12 lbs 5 and 1/2 oz. He's a great eater and super sweet baby! He loves to look around and check everything out. I think he may have smiled at me this past Sunday!

Finley is a little mother and wants to hold her baby and touch him and wakes up saying "Sawyer" just about each morning and nap time. Hudson and Walker are also smitten with their newest sibling and are great big helpers for me! Picture evidence of Finley's great love for her "baby". She is now saying "big boy", "big boy"...totally sweet!
As you can see, Finley was fine when she got the little guy and then melting down when we took him to let Walker hold him. I have since learned to give Finley the last turn b/c she doesn't like you taking the baby!

The saddest thing is that I have to go back to work this coming Monday! Talk about devastating...I am totally dreading it! He is 6 weeks old today and here are his 1 month stats...

Weight: 12 lbs. 5 1/2 oz (95 percentile)

Height:22 inches (75 percentile)

He's a great eater and a super sweet baby. He likes to look around and take everything in...so far, he doesn't seem to like baths, but I think I'm just not doing them when he's happiest...like usually trying to fit it in our schedule, so he's been awakened from sleep or is hungry. He's NOT cried for 1 bath...I should try to always do it like I did that night!

(The beautiful pics in this post were taken by Justin at http://www.375photography.com/)

Holiday Cards...

My Sawyer will get his own post here soon...as soon as I get pictures onto the computer. But in the mean time, I am thinking about Christmas cards, as I am sure you are too! We are having our Christmas pictures made on Sunday by our brother in law, Justin www.375photography.com. If you need any kind of pictures, you should definitely call him...he's awesome! I am thinking that I might try to have Sawyer's birth announcement with our Christmas picture...this is the card I'm thinking...it's my favorite for this year http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/joy-love-story-holiday-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&fa=8&storeNode=93496. I'm thinking that we'll have one family picture and then some pictures of Sawyer around it.
One of my favorite things to get from Shutterfly is the photo books http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books. They are so easy to make and a great way to get save all your digital photos.
Check back soon for all the details about baby Sawyer and to see some great pictures by our Uncle Justin.

And if our God is with us, then what can stand against...

Back at the end of the summer, I took Hudson to have blood drawn to check his allergies. There is something called a RAST test. They take blood and then test the blood against the allergens. Hudson and I have had quite a few bad experiences with having blood drawn, so needless to say, I was dreading this test! Thankfully, my mama came with me, so I had some moral support. I didn't tell Hudson exactly what was going to happen, because I didn't want to scare him. We walked into LabCorp and they took us right back to a room. I was glad my mama was with me, because he needed to sit in someone's lap to have his blood drawn, and my midsection has been bulging a bit lately and a bit unavailable. As the lady left the room to go get something, I realized the song that was playing is that great Chris Tomlin song that has the lines...and if our God if for us, then what could ever stop us and if our God is with us, then what can stand against. I pointed it out to Hudson and we sang along for a few minutes. The lady came back in to draw the blood and explained everything she was doing. I had made Hudson drink tons and tons of water that day because I wanted to make sure they could find a good vein. Hudson watched everything she did and as the song played that our God is for us, I watched my boy sit like a champ in his grandmama's lap and have his blood drawn like it was no big deal. There wasn't even any crying, well except for me! I was so proud of that boy! Tony and I have been praying for him to outgrow these food allergies, grandparents have been praying for him to outgrow them, and we just knew he had. A few weeks later, we got the results in the mail. It didn't look so good. All of his numbers had gone up since his last RAST test, some more than others. The allergist suggested that we could try a wheat challenge where you go to the allergists office and they give the child the food that they have previously been allergic to...in small doses...building up to a bigger dose and they watch for any allergic reactions. It takes about 2 hours and it was quite boring. Hudson and I didn't know what to expect, so it seemed like we were there forever! They begin by doing a skin test. Then, he got to eat the tiniest piece of a Wheat Thin I have ever seen! Every 10 minutes, they came back, checked him and gave him a little more cracker. These pictures are of the skin test and then his first time trying the Wheat Thin.

Our 2 hours were well spent, b/c my boy had no reaction and he can now eat wheat! Praise our Lord! I really can't say how life changing this has been for our family! We have had sandwiches as a family meal...BIG deal for us! Hudson got to eat his first hamburger in a BUN! This boy is a hamburger fanatic, but has always just eaten the meat, with no bread, and he got to have a bun! I discovered that Oreos don't have milk, and that was one of the first wheat things we all ate together. They(all the kiddies) LOVED them! A month later, we tried an egg challenge and he was pretty allergic to the raw egg on the skin test, but he had no reaction to it baked in the muffins we took. So, my boy can now eat wheat and eggs cooked in things. Wheat has to be the biggest deal because it is in EVERYTHING! My next big prayer is that he will outgrow the milk allergy...that's in a lot of things too! However, we have had a serious life change over here at the Dudish house! We are thrilled beyond words and thankful to our God for allowing our boy to eat wheat! (The night after the test, when we were having macaroni, I think, Hudson came in the kitchen and very seriously said to me..."Mommy, are you sure Finley and Walker can eat the wheat?" and I said of course they can, why..."Because, Mommy, they didn't go to the doctor and have the wheat challenge!" Such a sweet boy, thinking about his brother and sister, and I love that they all just think they have the same allergies!)