September 29, 2015 By 2 Comments

Seven!

Today he turned the big seven.  And time still keeps passing us on by.  It’s wild and crazy.  Tonight Harper said “You’ll definitely cry when I turn 12.”  I responded with “Of course I will, but you big kids are really fun too.”  Because they are.  I was never much of a baby person.  I don’t find myself longing for their baby days or wishing we had another baby…give me all the big kids of the world…and my big kids aren’t even technically that big yet, but they feel ginormous so I think really the best is yet to come…and probably the hardest as well 😉

I think Hudson will forever and always be our sensitive thinker.  Since the moment he could speak he has been asking deep, intense questions.  Almost every other day he stumps me with a question about God or Jesus or heaven.  His heart is crazy kind.  He loves hard and big and he wears every single emotion on his sleeve.  There is never any wondering as to how Hudson feels about something.  Never.  He’s the kid who asked for a surprise party and is going to actually be totally surprised by the surprise party he requested…and all the party guests can’t wait because they know he is the perfect kid for this.  It makes me break out in a full on ear-to-ear grin every time I think about it.

He builds magnificent lego creations.  He thinks about creating and building almost all day long.  He’s an engineer and thinker.  He is terrified, I mean terrified of spiders, but the kid will ride head on into a mountain biking course and over ramps and obstacles and never flinch.  He marches to the beat of his own drum and it’s a pretty sweet beat.  He’s a complimenter and a good friend.  He asked for black, blue and red Star Wars pancakes and upon seeing them said “Mom, these are just amazing.”  He makes you feel good.

He was born with a furrowed brow and has pretty much kept it his entire life…always contemplating or thinking.  Food and Star Wars and legos are his love languages.  I can’t believe the kid is seven.  Time really does fly when you’re having fun.  And what an honor and privilege it is to be his momma.  We are so thankful to God for his sweet life.

Hudson Kelley, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again & again, you my son are a world changer.  You are simply extraordinary!  Love you tons!

Happy 7th Birthday Hudson!

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June 17, 2014 By 20 Comments

How Big Is Your Brave

We sat at our neighborhood playground, the kids playing as I flipped through a local Nashville parenting magazine.  Hudson came and sat down next to me as I saw an add for a kids triathlon.  I told him about it and the rest is history.  He was in from the beginning.  Solomon wasn’t old enough and Harper wasn’t sure about all that biking.  The swim and run she’d have in the bag, but 3 miles of biking she questioned.  So Hudson was going solo.

Every week, multiple times a week for about 2 months Hudson would say to me, “Mom, did you forget about my marathon?”  I always told me I had not forgotten and it was a triathlon, not a marathon.  He was too excited.  It’s so funny thinking about what type of kid he is…his tendencies and quirks.  He likes to jump off things and mountain bike, but then he has this super cautious side that’s terrified of bugs.  He sensitive and kind.  He errs on the side of cautious, but lives on the edge.  Can these things coexist?!?!

I knew he would be fine on the bike and the run, but Josh and I were both nervous for him in the pool.  He can swim…he’s not going to drown.  He jumps in the deep end and paddles around like a golden retriever, but when it comes to strokes and looking all profesh, well, that’s just not Hudson yet.  And closer to triathlon day he started getting a little nervous.

Parents were not allowed anywhere except on the sidelines.  I couldn’t even walk him into the transition area on set up day.  He was on his own.  He was going to have to do this himself.  Find his spot, dry off, goggles and swim cap off, shirt, shoes and socks on, helmet on, bike out of the gate then drop the bike back off after the bike portion of the race before his run.  This is the sweet child who sometimes wears more than one pairs of underwear by accident.  Would he remember all the details?!?!  I was so nervous for him.

We kept pouring into his little heart how proud we were of him.  How brave and courageous he was for doing this.  How no matter what he was going to do awesome.  And he believed every word.  And we meant every word.

Turns out he was the second youngest kid out of the 700 who participated.  Race day his nerves rose a little: “Mom, I’m really excited and really nervous.”  When we realized how young he was in this big group of kids we got anxious for him.  We also became even more proud of him.  This was no easy task and he was choosing to take it head on with smiles and excitement.  Part of me wanted to scoop him up as I noticed his worried eyes as they were about to begin, but his brave is bigger than mine and I have a lot to learn from Hudson.  Courage and bravery.

And when he finished, he beamed.  This look on his face made me just want to sob.  He did it.  And he was awesome.

On Sunday our preacher said, “Fear and courage are contagious.”  Isn’t that the truth.  I want to build my kids up in courage.  I want them to know things are not always easy, but we have to be brave in the Lord…genuinely trust Him with our lives…they’re not really ours anyways.  I want them to revel in how He works when they choose to let go of fear and move forward with where God is leading them.  I want them to be brave!

Happy Tuesday!

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April 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment

I Spy {Hudson Edition}

FIRST…You guys are crazy.  Crazy, crazy, crazy…in the best way ever.  We’re already over 1K in donations.  And we still have so much time left.  Thank you for all the donating for the tables and chairs for the Ngungwane kiddos.  When I realized we had already met our goal I may have cried.  I’m a total weepy person lately.  God is just so good.  And the world is still full to the brim with kind and generous people.  So let’s keep raising funds.  Let’s give them way more than they ever expected.  Remember, we’re going to send a huge package of over $700 in Noonday goodies to one lucky donator.  Read all the details HERE or scroll down to the post below.

On a different note…My kids are drawers.  Big time.  We can fly through a ream of copy paper like nobody’s business.  The boys especially.  They will draw and draw and draw.  All of their drawings are so interesting, but Hudson’s take the cake.  I took a few moments the other day to look through a pile of  their drawings.  And I cracked up.  Hudson seriously has the craziest, most fun imagination.  I picked out a few of my favorites and asked him about them and for your pure enjoyment I would like to present…I Spy…the Hudson Edition.

Hudson spies with his little eyes:  A man with snake arms, a guy spitting, but it looks more like he’s smoking a bubbly pipe (insert wild little boy laughter here) and an intense battle with lasers & a magic genie.

Hudson spies with his little eyes:  Jaba the Hutt, a battle between Obi Wan & Darth Maul and a guy shooting a canon.  Please note at this point the majority of his people look more, how should I say, phallicy.

Hudson spies with his little eyes:  An octopus man, a guy with a firework gun, two swords in a box and a tiny man who’s sword is too heavy for him to carry.  I may have died with laughter when I figured out who that last guy was.

Hudson spies with his little eyes:  A guy swinging on a rope, two guys trying to blast away on one jet pack and three guards protecting gold.  I would like to note at this point all of Hudson’s people feel the need to always have in their stick arms either a gun, knife, sword or canon.  Every last little person.

Hudson spies with his little eyes:  A fire breathing & fire throwing lizard man and a guy with a smelly magic wand battling a bad guy with his own magic wand…his does not smell though.

What an imagination.  I love it.  Hope you found everything and thanks for playing.

Enjoy the weekend.

Happy Friday.

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March 6, 2013 By 17 Comments

It’s A Heart With A Handle On It

Parenting is hard.  I really believe no matter how many chats you have with other parents or how much research you do on the Internet or how many parenting books you read, you’re never really prepared.  Last weekend Courtney & Patrick did some parenting classes.  Some texts were exchanged between our small group Bible study about the class and other little things and I mentioned how Josh and I never took a class…that we just wing it…and have been winging it ever since Harper arrived.  It’s true.  We’re figuring this whole parent thing out as we go and it’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

After Mom died, I never could have imagined how drastically life would change.  And even more, it never even crossed my mind that 15 months later we would still be helping our kids walk through their own little grief.  I must have skipped that part in the parenting books.  Today was one of those days when you want to load everyone into your bed and just stay there all day…just cuddle and sleep the day away.  The wee Kelleys still struggle with the loss of their Grammy and it’s pretty dang hard to know what to do for them.  Heck, I’m still figuring out my own grief and how to handle it.  So far my go-to coping mechanisms are A) Cry and B) Eat.  Yep.  B sounds like a really healthy way to cope 🙂

Today was a really weepy day for Huddy and all I could do was just hug him tight and cry right along with him.  It literally made me cryish the entire day.  I know Huddy makes lots paper knives and axes and guns and swords, but this kid is the sweetest most tenderhearted kid ever.  We call him our “spirit lifter” because he does just that, he lifts your spirits.  He’s funny and kind and sweet and all little boy and he loved his Grammy madly.

When I noticed his little eyes filling with tears multiple times during the day at the most random moments and each time he just let it out and had a good cry and just explained, “I just miss Grammy.” all I could do was just smother him in love and pray over his heart.  I’m thankful God is bigger than this mess and that He heals and redeems and makes whole.

Huddy then proceeded to draw and cut out lots of anchors for me throughout the day, each time saying, “Will you keep this one for forever?”  Why yes I will.

And definitely my favorite picture from the day he drew me was this heart with a handle on it.  He explained the anchor was for Grammy and the cross was for Jesus and the small heart was for our love.  Then added, “It’s a heart with a handle, so you can carry it with you.”  Needless to say, I do not hide my tears from the wee Kelleys at this point. Full blown big ugly cry.

So we pressed on and I did my best to be what he needed me to be today.  We watched their TMNT movie.  Ninja moves speak to their hearts.

We made Snickerdoodles.  Snickerdoodles speak to their hearts too.

We ran a few errands.

Harper was bummed that Huddy got to be in the middle.  He needed the middle spot today.  And yes, the middle spot for pictures is highly sought after.

I restocked our treat drawer.  Josh and I may have eaten the first round of Skittles and Starbursts.  We are so weak.

We read a boat load of Star Wars books.  And tonight I made a dinner I knew they would all love and that would result in zero complaining.  I knew they all needed a dinner win and a snickerdoodle dessert.  Plus, snickerdoodles are one of Huddy’s favorites.

I have no idea if I did exactly the right parenting things I was suppose to do today, but I gave it my best shot.  Now I’m sitting on our couch, beyond ready for bed, and counting on tomorrow being a day filled with encouragement for Huddy.  That he would feel loved and uplifted and encouraged.  That his heart would be a little lighter tomorrow.  And I’m thanking God for tender moments with my kids and that they remember Mom…and so much.  Thanking God for a Mom and Grammy who made such a big impact on our hearts.  We are incredibly blessed.

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