Ski Trip

Looks like these folks are from our neck of the woods.
This hill is a lot steeper than it looks in this picture. 


In January, Jeremy and I took a ski trip to Steamboat Springs, CO.  We love to ski, but haven't been in 5 years, so we were so excited when our friends, David and Jill asked us to go with them. They said it had been awhile since they had been skiing too, so we thought we'd all be skiing at the same level. Not so. David and Jill are actually REALLY good and seriously downplayed that fact when we had this discussion on our way up the mountain. So, we didn't do a whole lot of skiing together, but we still had a great time. It was fun to escape reality for a week, brush up on our ski skills, and get to know some new friends. 

100 Things

Bold whatever you have done. If you play along let me know so I can go see your list!

1. Started your own blog (well, technically Suzanne started my blog for me, but I update it.)

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business - does Pampered Chef count?

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt - started one, but never finished it.

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

Quinn's First Birthday

A darling backpack from Aunt Pam. 
"Let me show you how this works, Quinn"
Incrediblock from Daddy and Mommy. 
Shop and go walking toy from Nana and Pa. 
Most of his presents - I think a few are missing from the picture - Sorry!
"There we go - that's what I'm talking about!"
"Oooohhh, that is good!  Only thing wrong with it is that it's too small.  Give me a real piece - I mean, who's birthday is this?"
Let's try a cupcake first.
"What is this and what do I do with it?"
A Big Bird Birthday Party!

Fall pictures

Quinn never smiled during this photo shoot, but at least he's not crying in this one!  And that's only because he's holding his cheerios!
I think if we had kept at it, we could have gotten a cute picture because it's such a cute scene with the pumpkins.  Unfortunately, this was while we were packing up to go home and we couldn't spend the time necessary to get the perfect shot. 
This was the best picture I got of the boys this fall.  I don't even care that Quinn's not smiling.  I'm just glad he's not crying or crawling away or sucking his paci - I could keep going of all the things he could be doing that would make for a not so cute picture.  I'm choosing to be thankful for the picture I got - you gotta be with three little boys!

I just love fall pictures.  There are so many cute options for taking pictures of children in the fall.  Playing in the leaves, sitting in front of pumpkins, standing in front of a beautiful, colorful fall tree, dressed in cute halloween costumes.  I wasn't greedy this year, because I knew it would be difficult to get all those pictures with my boys.  I just wanted one great picture.  It didn't happen at halloween because I was out of town and Jeremy did fall festival on his own and didn't get around to taking pictures.  It didn't happen with the leaves because we don't have enough trees in Texas to produce enough leaves to play in.  It didn't happen with pumpkins because I waited too long to buy them - did you know that they don't sell pumpkins after halloween?  I didn't, and I think that's really dumb.  I mean, it's still fall - you've still got a whole other month to use fall decor.  Anyway, Thanksgiving at the cabin was my last chance.  There were leaves to play in AND a pumpkin scene.  I posted the best picture from each photo shoot.  It probably would have been funnier to post all the pictures that didn't turn out.  The grumpy, crying, crawling away ones.  The tear-streaked, frowny, are we done yet pictures.  I'll keep those pictures because it makes me cherish this one all the more. 

Thanksgiving at the cabin

The Peru room - mine and Jeremy's room at the cabin - the blanket, art, and pottery all came from Peru. 
Papa with his boys. 
Mimi with the birthday boy. 
Uncle Terry found a huntin' buddy!
Keller and Anna Bekah having some down time. 
For a boy, there's nothing better than going exploring in the woods.
"I can't see any deer! Everything's so little!"
Uncle Terry and Jared carving the smoked turkeys.  They were soooo good! 

We spent Thanksgiving with my Dad's family in Satartia at the cabin he and my uncle share. It's so nice to have a place we can all stay together, so we can spend more time visiting with each other.  The little cousins had a blast playing together.  I didn't get pictures of all of them, but there are 11 of them now.  We ate lots of good food and did lots of things outside, including deer watching, hunting, exploring, playing in the leaves, riding on the golf cart, making smores, playing ball, and catching critters.  We had such a good time and can't wait to go back again. 

New Bunk Beds

Keller "reading" a bedtime story to Creston. 
They take turns sleeping on the top.

In October we bought the boys bunkbeds so they could start sharing a room.  Quinn finally moved into the nursery and is sleeping in a crib - he loves it!  We got a great deal on the bunkbeds and got the bedding at Target.  One set of sheets has different colored stars and the other has different colored cars, trucks, boats, planes, trains, etc.  They just love their new big boy beds.  We shouldn't be surprised, but we have to go in their room almost every night to tell them to stop talking and playing and go to sleep.  I guess that comes with the territory!

Girls Getaway Weekend

Me and Lindsey
Me and my new friend Audra.
Game night - we had 16 people playing Cranium.  It was a blast!
Lindsey and I went kayaking. 
I rode a horse named Schadoosh. What a name, huh?  I loved it - riding is so relaxing!
Rachelle and I getting ready to go down the zip-line. 

Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX sponsored a girls getaway weekend called Flavour Roadtrip.  It took place Halloween weekend, so I hesitated to go because I knew I would be missing Fall Festival with my boys, but I'm so glad I decided to go. I think there were close to 300 women there of all ages gathered together to get away, reconnect with God, and have some fun.  I had an absolute blast, as you can probably tell from the pictures.  I did things I haven't done in years like the outdoor activities shown, read more than 1 chapter of a book at a time, have an entire weekend to myself, and spend so much quality time with my sister.  I can't wait for the next one!

Pumpkin Patch

Playin' in a pile of hay. 
Quinn was being uncooperative, so I got the big boys by themselves. 
No smile, but no tears either!
Creston had a ball playing on the rope swing!
Riding the go-carts was Keller's favorite activity. 

We went to the Mainstay Farms pumpkin patch at the end of October with our Lifegroup.  The boys had so much fun and were very sad when it was time to go home.  We will visit this same farm in December to go cut down our own Christmas tree.  We love it there!

Fall 2008

What a boy - asleep with his favorite ballcap on!
Quinn is already an avid reader. 
Creston's getting the hang of riding his tricycle. 
Quinn playing in a baby bounce house at a birthday party. 
Keller, Creston, and our new friend Landri at a pumpkin party!

These are just random pictures taken throughout the fall. 

Simple pleasures

There's nothing like eating blackberries right off the bush. 
Keller loved taking a ride in Papa's canoe. 
Fun's over........it stopped raining. 
Two happy soaked little boys. 
Gettin' a drink. 
Look how wet I am........my bellybutton is filling up with water!
Stopping a minute to catch his breath. 

The boys love spending time at Papa's cabin.  It's a boys' heaven!  These pictures were taken in June 2008 - very spur of the moment.  We were sitting on the deck when it started raining and the boys ran out to splash in puddles and catch raindrops on their tongues. We also went for a canoe ride and went blackberry picking.  Oh, the simple pleasures of being a child!

Summer 2008

My favorite picture of Quinn from last summer. 
Keller loves the water!
So does Creston!
Love brother moments!

It was really hot this summer, so we spent a lot of time playing in water.  We went the the Saginaw Aquatic Center, neighborhood pools, drug out our backyard pool, and played in the sprinklers.  The boys had a lot of fun!

This is our house!
The living room. 
My sanctuary - this is where I create.........scrapbooks and blogs. 
Our bedroom. 
The guest room.......and where Quinn slept for 7 months. 
Keller's room.   Update: his racecar has been moved out and there are bunkbeds in its place.  I'll post those later. 
Creston's room at the time of this picture, but now it's finally  Quinn's room!

The front entryway.  Notice the barrel ceilings with rope lighting - I just love that design feature!

The dining area. 
Love this kitchen!

I thought you all might like to see pictures of our house, since most of you have not made it out here.  We took these pictures May 2008, when we put our house on the market.  Some changes have been made - I'll post updated pictures later, when I get this blog current!

Mother's Day

My boys brought me breakfast in bed - on a Sunday!  I love Keller's hair and Creston's expression - "I wonder if she'd miss one of those strawberries!"

I post this awful picture of myself so you can get a laugh, as I did, as these elements of this picture. 
Precious baby!
An hour later, we're cleaned up, with combed hair, and are ready for church.

I have the sweetest husband, truly I do.  He and the boys made me a yummy breakfast and woke me up with it.  I got to eat it slowly, savor it, in bed, and then get dressed, by myself.  Then, after church, they surprised me something I've been wanting for years.  Something every chef needs - a Kitchen Aid mixer!  I think I screamed and made Quinn cry.  Anyway, it was a great Mother's Day. 

Quinn's first Rangers game

AND HE'S OUT!!!
Loving the excitement.
Go Rangers!

We took Quinn to his first Rangers game in May 2008.  Before you go thinking we're mean parents for only taking one of our children, Jeremy was give 2 free tickets by a patient.  We looked at it as a night out, got a babysitter for the big boys, and took Quinn with us, since I was still breastfeeding.  Plus, he had the perfect outfit to wear!

Little buckaroos

Lil' Cowboy
Creston's John Wayne impression. 
Ready for ropin'.
The Sheriff and his Deputy.
Three little buckaroos.

My boys have transitioned well to being Texans.  They not only have all the western wear, but they parade around the house in it, riding their invisible horses, Jet and Slinky.  They have truly embraced the culture and have now demanded that their baby brother be a part of this new culture, too. 

Fabulous Las Vegas

Kate and I having coffee on the patio in the morning. 
Keller and Creston loving playing with Uncle Josh.  He is younger and more gullible than their Daddy and will run around like this for hours with them.  Note: he and Kate are having their first baby in the spring, so we'll see if this changes. 
Smile for the family picture!
One more time!

You can probably tell by looking, but this is Red Rock Canyon. 
It feels so nice to be up here all alone.  Do you think they'd notice if we slipped off the back and took a hike around the canyon?

Nana and Pa in Grandparent bliss.
The Strip!
The Bellagio water show.
Inside the Bellagio.  Those birds are done in flowers!
Flower snail - amazing!

We took a trip to Las Vegas in April to visit Jeremy's parents.  They moved out there in the summer of 2006 and love it.  They have a beautiful home and Martha has done a great job decorating it.  Josh and Kate also met us over there (Jeremy's brother and wife) and we all stayed for a long weekend.  We saw a show while we were there - Cirque de Soleil.  It was phenomenal!  The strip was just like in the movies and on CSI - loud, flashy, and sights you wouldn't see anywhere else.  We also went to Red Rock Canyon, which was really beautiful to see - it is a smaller version of the Grand Canyon.  The Bellagio was also really cool to see - we loved the water show and there was so much to see inside as you can see from the pictures.  We did not gamble, but we watched a bunch of other suckers lose a bunch of money!  We can't wait to go back!

The faith of a child

We're so excited it snowed!  You can tell by Creston's outerwear that we don't have much opportunity to play in snow.  The only waterproof jacket we could find was a raincoat!
Our friend, the snowman. 
The big boys had a snowball fight. 
Introducing Quinn to the snow. 

Keller starting asking around October when it was going to snow.  After a couple of days, I suggested he talk to God about sending some snow to Texas.  It is against the laws of nature for Texas to have snow, so God is the only one who could make it happen.  I heard him praying about it one day, and when he was finished, he said, "God said yes Mommy.  He's going to make it snow."  I thought to myself, "Great, my plan to have him talk to God has backfired.  Now, because he asked God for it to snow, he is expecting it to happen.  How am I supposed explain it to him when God doesn't send snow to Texas?"  Fast forward 5 months to March.  Winter is over, we have started to see the early signs of spring, and I'm putting off having that talk with Keller. When all of a sudden, in mid-March, it starts snowing.  I was in complete disbelief.  I picked up Keller from school an hour later and it was still snowing.  He was beside himself with excitement. He said, "Mommy, did you see it snowing?"  I said, "Yes, Keller I see the snow!  Can you believe it?"  He said, "Yes I can, Mommy.  I told you God was going to send us some snow."  He knocked the breath out of me with those words.  I had a lesson in faith that day.  Keller never doubted that God would answer his prayer.  I did because God had taken so long to answer.  But maybe that's why God waited until spring to send the snow - to remind me to have faith like a child.  Like my child.  We had an absolute blast playing in the snow.  We made a snowmen, snowangels, and had a snowball fight.  We pushed loads of it around in dump trucks. We made bootprints in it, we ate it, and finally watched it melt.  Thank you God for such a fun day in the snow and for using Keller to give me a lesson in faith. 

Visiting Grandparents

Nana loves little boys!
Very relaxed in Pa's arms. 
Quinn smiling at Pa. 

Nana and Pa came for a visit in February, when Quinn was 2 months old.  They had so much fun playing with the big boys and getting to know the little one. 

Mom's 60th Birthday Party

The birthday girl in her beautiful new apron. 

Friends who helped us celebrate. 
Mom's irish twin brother, Wayne and Creston 

"So, the important thing to remember is that we have only begun to scratch the surface in the field of nanotechnology. 
Mom's baby sister, Cheryl reading to the boys. 
The birthday girl is 60 years young!

Christmas 2007

Papa reading the Christmas story to his boys. 
   All the Cress cousins. 
Christmas Day.
Lindsey and I with our cousins. 
Making Great-Grandma's famous Christmas cookies. 

We traveled home to Jackson for Christmas that year.  Quinn was 3 weeks old.  We loved showing him off to our family and friends. 

Here he is!

28 weeks
38 weeks
The moment I fell in love. 

One of my favorite first pictures of Quinn and a couple of pregnancy pics. 

Jackson Quinn Rudd

Moments after birth. 
My birth team - Jean, my midwife and Lynn, my birth assistant. 
The room at the birthing center where I delivered Quinn. 
Sweet moment of Daddy with his new little boy. 
I'm the mommy of 3 little boys - am I blessed or what?
I'm a big brother!
Another little brother!
Quinn with Aunt Lindsey, or Sissy as he will probably call her. 
What a precious moment!
Mimi with her third little boy. 

Jackson Quinn entered the world on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 10:34 a.m.  He weighed in at 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long.  I was in labor for about 5 hours and pushed him out in 19 minutes - my fastest labor and delivery ever.  We are so grateful to the Lord for being so gracious to me and for giving us another healthy baby boy. 

Josh's Wedding

Keller and me cuttin' a rug at the reception
Jeremy delivering a heartfelt toast. 
Jeremy and Andy Michel, another groomsman.
All the groomsmen - what a group!

In October of 2007 Jeremy's only brother, Josh got married.  The boys loved Aunt Kate right away. Keller served as the ring bearer - we were so proud!  The year before he was supposed to be the ring bearer in Jeremy's cousin's wedding and he was so freaked out that I had to carry him down the aisle.  Needless to say, I was thrilled that we didn't have a repeat of that, especially with me 34 weeks pregnant!  

I can't find the pictures from the wedding at the moment.  The reception will have to do. 

Summer 2007

This is about as girly as any of my kids are gonna get!
Creston went through a phase where he asked, "But why, Mommy?" like 100 times every day.  One day I happen to have my camera as he asked and did the adorable head cock and hand gesture that always accompanied this question.  
Creston showing off his muscles.  How cute is that face?
Soakin' up the sun.
Keller turns 4 - cake compliments of the very talented.....Suzanne Barnette!

What a great smile that kid has!
Sweet brothers in their new jammies.
I suppose this picture is not unique.  I mean, what mother of boys doesn't have a picture like this?  You can't really tell from this picture, but there is mud dripping from his eyelashes.  Now, that's the heart of a boy - playing so hard that there's no time to wipe the mud from your eyelashes.  Just let it drip dry, I guess.  There's never a dull moment as you can tell.

Here's a few pictures I just had to post.  They're some of my favorites from that summer.  Keller was almost 4 and Creston was 20 months old. 

Palm Springs

  Romantic picnic on the bluff at La Jolla Beach
Eating awesome sushi in Palm Springs
Picture stop on our way to San Diego
Our incredible room at the Miramonte Resort and Spa

Jeremy and I took a trip to Palm Springs  in July 07.  It was meant to be a babymoom of sorts, but Lindsey was also living there at the time, so we visited with her while we were there, too. California is just beautiful, but if you want to visit DO NOT go in the summer.  It is so hot you can't breathe the air.  Unless you're on a budget like we were, in which case DO GO in the summer - it is so cheap!  But, plan to rent a car and take day trips to the coast.  We visited Laguna Beach and San Diego and it was about 30 degrees cooler there.  Do you see mention of the spa?  Yes, we did indulge, and let me tell you there were no discounts given there.  But since we got such a deal on the room, we splurged on activities.  It was a great trip.  We highly recommend going.  I've been scolded for posting too many pictures with each post because this is meant to briefly catch you all up, not give you a 2 hour presentation on each vacation and trip to the pool.  Just know that I really had to restrain myself because I have some really great pictures of this vacation.  Gotta move on, though.