Catching up...

What a month it has been....yes...already....craziness with work....qtr end always is nuts...and of course we've been on the go as usual! Skylar attended her first Wolfpack game against William and Mary on September 6th. A little late posting about that.....but anyhow...she loved it. She was very much into the game....clapped at the appropriate times....and let the guys know...to "run that way...and catch the ball!!".....Maybe she should be O'Brien's little helper...lol...they could use it! But of course....mommy would rather see her in Tarheel Blue ;-) Ok....Fast forward.....and new topic....Skylar has show n tell on Fridays. Well she hasn't really been too interested in taking any particular item to share with the class. Everyday she has some sort of stuffed animal with her that she takes for naptime....but nothing other than that. Sooo..the other day I asked her..."What did you show the class on Friday for show n' tell." Without missing a beat...she looks and me and says..." I showed them my shoes!" ....Yes...she is her mother's child...and I'm pretty sure she was wearing flip-flops that day. :-) Another funny...Aunt Kate and baby Lily came over for dinner the other night...Skylar sits down in front of 6 month old Lily and says..."Sooo......What's up Lily?"....I cracked up. That may be one of those "you had to be there" situations, but it was REALLY funny. Later on Lily was fussy and Skylar cocks her head and wrinkles her eyebrows, throws her hands up in the air.... and says, "Lily...WHAT IN DA WORLD??"....YEAH...that had us all laughing at the dinner table. She just makes us laugh all the time...brightens our days...you Never know what's coming out of that little mouth. Lately she's been learning the days of the week...and she's learned that Saturday and Sunday she doesn't have school and "stays with mommy and daddy"....she loves school but I think she looks forward to the weekends just as much we do!

Skylar also recently learned how to ride her bike a bit better....she's known for quite sometime....and would ride periodically....but just didn't quite have the pedal thing down pat....boy has she got it now!! .....But wouldn't you know it,...she only likes going downhill....girl likes the speed...."I go fast Daddy!!! Mommy!! I going fast!".....I'm no fan of pedalling uphill either...but hey..comes with territory!!..Dance is going well. She gets excited on Thursdays b/c she knows that is dance night and she gets to stomp around a huge room in tap shoes ....and twirl around in her little ballet shoes to fun music. I'm pretty sure it's more entertaining for the parents than anything...but she does love it!

We're off to another fun/busy weekend....ECU/NCSU game...then to a double bday party...Noah's 1st bday and Ashley's 30th! church on Sunday.....and at some point cleaning and doing laundry....but that's not included on the "fun" list....it's more on the "required" list....not a fan...just not a fan.....LOL....I'm ready for the weekend to begin now!!!!!!! Have a good one!

Remembering....praying...sharing....

Thought this may be an appropriate day to share.......

Tap tap tap....

Our little ballerina tapped and twirled last night at her first Tap/Ballet class. She started dance last spring, but it was a mommy n' me class, so I was in there with her. Now she goes in the class without me and does tap and ballet. We watch the class through windows where the kids can't see us but we can see them. I thought she may be a little hesitant about it, but since she had the same teacher she had previously, and loves her, she went right in and tapped away!! Then came time to switch shoes, and the moms/dads come in and help then go back out. That was a smooth transition as well suprisingly. Skylar kept saying "Mommy, you watching me through the glass??" She thought that was so cool. There were a few toddlers who were less than thrilled with dancing and had to have their mommies....and that's to be expected....but Skylar just looked at them like..."what's your deal?" ....and kept on trucking! It was rather funny....b/c we all know...those who've met me...and/or my child....she's got some looks....Now let's just hope and pray it stays that way and she continues to enjoy her dancing time. When we got home she ran through the door looking for her Daddy to tell him all about her dancing.........

I'm hoping we get the same excitement out of her when she starts soccer or t-ball ;-)

On a lighter note....

Skylar sported her new UNC outfit on Friday....as any devoted football watching toddler would...for some pre-game inspiration. And luckily it worked!...I'm pretty sure Dah loved the outfit.....I know I did, and she certainly did....however, she was a little confused at first....When she put it on, she said "GO COWBOYS!!"....LOL...I had to tell her, YES HONEY, exactly right...we do love our Cowboys...but this outfit is for the tarheels....and the she says...ok.."Go Carolina!!" .....That's my girl! :-) I'm pretty sure Randy is hoping for a better outcome for the Wolfpack this weekend and he'll have Skylar wearing the Pack colors of course!! Yes, I know...poor child....she'll be confused for life in the ACC world....Anyhow...It will be her first Wolfpack game this weekend...if Hanna doesn't come through and mess it all up!....

We had a fabulous Labor Day weekend, complete with family, friends, amazing weather, awesome food, and tons of fun! Celebrating the typically "end of summer" weekend....we had The Crocker Family, The Urban Fam, The White Fam, and of course, Randy, Skylar, myself and Nana Jan...all at the lake house. We also got to spend a little time with some of the Cooper family and that's always a welcomed addition to our boating fun! Even the doggies all had a good time! Gizmo, Caffrey, & Toby....ran all over the place, enjoyed the water, and tried chasing the bocci balls a few times....(mostly Caffrey) We had to discourage that....and encourage more tennis ball chasing instead. We ended the weekend with a fantastic dinner with my folks in H-town and then rolled back to Raleigh to get ready for the short work week.....it's been a busy week too....Skylar starts back with dance class tonight....this time it's not a mommy&me class but a pre-ballet/tap class....I'm sure my floors will never be the same after she gets those shoes....should I be re-thinking this???!! :-) Updates to come......have a happy Thursday.....

McCain / Palin

Now, I'm not usually one to get extremely vocal about politics. But I've about had it with Obama's fluff and call for change, when the changes he wants to make.....well let's see....he's for an increase in taxes.....(yes..he is)including payroll, property, and death taxes,.....(likely to fund more programs for those who choose to sit on their rear ends waiting for government handouts...rather than work...)compromise the security of our nation....keep us dependant on foreign oil/gas....we'll that's just not the change I'm looking for. How about you??? And really...can you be "Comander in Chief" without ever having put on a uniform and fighting for troops that you want to command???? Let me put it in laymen's terms...Do you want a boss at your job, who knows nothing about the job you do?? We'll I for one,....not so much. In fact...I'd be inclined to quit that job quite honestly. I'll tell you, if you're a mother...one thing should tick you off about Obama if nothing else....he's "Undecided on whether life begins at conception. " I don't know about you....but I KNOW life begins at conception....and I'm going to leave it at that for the mere fact the more I think about that statement, the more my blood boils....
Republican or democrat....listen to the speeches....weed out the crap and meaningless fluff....and let's get down to the real issues facing our nation. I've even posted a link here for ya starting with Palin's speech.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/video/3480630/

I'm sick and tired of people who are jumping on the Obama bandwagon without knowing a freaking thing about what he actually stands for.....or what he DOES NOT stand for I should add.....Just don't be one of those people. Do the research, read on the issues and make an informed decision in November. And if you aren't a registered voter, I'll be happy to help you get registered.....as long as you're voting McCain/Palin ;-)
I'll even give you this link.....to help you read up on where the candidates stand on issues....from various sources....... http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm
I encourage you to read it. Understand it. If you need more information, find it....but do the right thing....and be an educated voter. We can all swing the words of candidates in our favor or with our opinions...but lets dig deeper and find out who our future leaders should really be....
I think Palin said it best when she said "For a season a gifted speaker can inspire with his words, but for a lifetime John McCain has inspired with his deeeds." McCain/Palin.....if you really want change.

Where to begin...

Have you all missed me? Likely not...but I like to think you did anyway!! It's been quite a month for the Hodges family. Where did I leave off last time???......Ummm ok so, begining of August Randy and I celebrated our fifth year of marital bliss ;-) ....complete with a wine tasting, lunch at a fav. Irish pub, a movie, and an awesome dinner at 18 Seaboard. If you've never been....I highly reccomend it. Moving right along...the following weekend was spent visiting both my grandmother's in the hospital. After much prayer and some quality time with them, they are both out of the hospital now but still recovering some....and to a point...will always be in the recovering stages....it's hard to see them in the shape they are in...one is worse off than than other...but I'm thankful I can spend the time with them now that I can spend and give back to them for all the love and support they've given me throughout my life. Many days...I wish I lived closer so that I could see them more.....or help out more.....but we love our home and we've made a wonderful life together here....and until I move east....aka...to the water....I'm not seeing us leaving the Raleigh area. So I'll continue to visit as much as I can, and hope they know how much we love them....Anyhow, while in H-town on Sunday....Randy bought Skylar a new princess fishing rod to keep at Dah and Grand-C's house....(they have a pond right beside them.) We'll Skylar has learned how to cast her own rod and can reel it in too....so Randy, Dah, and I took Skylar to the pond to go catch a fish.....she's was rather excited about the worms they were using for bait...was pretty funny...well there were tons of little fishies just waiting for a tastey worm....and Skylar caught her very first fish on her own!!! However, as she handed the rod to Randy to grab the line ....and get the fish....she fell right into the mud at the edge of the pond....and boy she was less than thrilled about that. She immediately wanted the clothes off and to get in the bath tub....and so ended the fishing trip...but that was about five minutes of fun we can laugh about for some time...not to mention her first catch all on her own! (See tiny fish on hook to the left...and Skylar all muddy!)

Sooo the following week we celebrated Papa Joe's 60th birthday with an awesome dinner and cake at their house. Skylar always enjoys singing the happy birthday song and she of course helped Papa Joe blow out his candles! ......After yummy cake and ice cream....we headed home and straight to bed........For the weekend following...Randy had golf with the guys and Skylar played "golf" with me....in our hallway and living room....because she needed to play since her daddy was playing.....Saturday evening...we all went to a cookout at Tracy's to celebrate Stephanie's completion of her Masters Degree!! Yayyy..MSW...now! Skylar enjoyed playing cornhole for the first time....got the bean bag in the hole on her first try!! It was great visiting with everyone I hadn't seen in quite a while. Had church on Sunday.....and then...Sunday afternoon we spent at the pool with the ...(I think)...unless my days are running together...which quite possibly could be the case....that may have been earlier in the month.....anyhow...we were at the pool at some point this month with people.....lol...Is this what happen's when you turn 30?? The memory is the first to go?? gggeezzz...does that mean I can get away with turning 30 AGAIN this year in October rather than 32?? One can hope.....Anyhow...that brings me to this past weekend. Our 2 1/2 year old attended her first concert...POP GO THE WIGGLES....at the RBC....when the lights went down, and the "pre-show" started...she starts yelling I want to go home!!! they turned off the lights!!" "Turn the lights on!"".....my first thought was...oh great..this should be fun......so Randy took her out to the lobby...which was well-lit...and she was fine...Then she hears "Toot toot chugga chugga big red car" and she was ready to come back in for the show. She LOVED it....she sang and danced....as did all the kids AND parents....the silly things we do for our kids...it's truly amazing to me....she knew most of the songs....and Randy and I sang along too....sad that we knew all those songs....but Skylar had a blast and we are really glad we were able to take her to the concert. She, however, DID NOT care for the big balloon version of Murray on the stage....she keeps saying "Murray balloon needs to go away...." So we explained that the Murray balloon is now in the trash :-) Her favorite Wiggle is actually Jeff...hence the purple attire for the show...and the Wiggle "light" pictured above....wise investment....seriously.... ;-)

Saturday began with a breakfast out at Pam's farmhouse...then shopping at the NCSU bookstore for Skylar's attire for her first Wolfpack game in September...All her father's doings....Not mine...but I suppose I started it with my purchase of some UNC attire for my blue-eyed baby girl...;-) Blue IS her color afterall...lol...she'll be cute nontheless...of course. (Notice her shirt says..."It's the SMILE that keeps me out of trouble." )....Look at her expression...I couldn't resist this pic.....anyhow..After naptime we celebrated our neighbor's bday with friends and some other kids. Skylar had a ball playing with the older kids there....and of course spent some couch time with baby Lily...she does love Lily....We had a fantastic dinner and lots of fun. Sunday morning we went to church, then lunch with Randy's parents, uncle and Granny and then came home for nap-time. After nap, we loaded up and went to the Riffle's awesome new house. We enjoyed some pool time and a wonderful dinner and the girls (Katelyn and Skylar) had a fantastic time playing together, dancing, and singing. They were just too cute. As Skylar said her prayers last night....as she often does...she says..."Thank you for God....my family..."...(rather than thank you God for my family)....so she continues..."Thank for God...all my friends...... "Thank you for God...Katelyn...and Jesus Loves Me...AMEN!" that last sentence...all in one breath...it was really sweet. It was a perfect ending to a spectacular Sunday........have a happy week and thank Jesus for loving you too!! :-)

The weekend......

We celebrated Nana's birthday with her on Friday at Kaze' Japanese restaurant! It was our first time going and Skylar's first time at that sort of restaurant. She was azmazed by the cook....for about 10 minutes....but she's 2, ok well almost 2 1/2....can't expect her to watch a cook too much longer than that. She enjoyed using chop sticks.....for about 2 minutes...then it was back to the fork. I don't like wooden utensils either...can't blame her there! (I really think she was more excited about her dress than watching the chef. The kid loves being all dressed up. She even wanted to wear her dress to school on Monday....but that's another story....I'm pretty sure the dresses and bows deal came from her grandmothers....but hey....she's got an arm you wouldn't believe...can throw a ball with toughest of 2 year olds!) lol....Anyhow....Skylar Loved the soup and salad....ate her hibatchi dinner quite well. After our chef was done, she wanted to see more "fire mommy" "I want more fire"....I'm not sure if that's a good thing...lol...but she thought that part was so neat! However,....when she was full...and ready to go...it was time to go....she was ready to head to the house for some cake and ice cream! But first she had to check out Uncle Stewart's bike....she calls him "silly Uncle Stewart" when she sees him on his motorcycle.... but she thinks it's pretty cool. NOT cool enough for her to ever ride on it though....or any other motorcycle....untils she's 50! ;-) ...says me!! Anyhow, we had a little cake and ice cream at the house and Skylar coaxed Uncle Stewart out of some quarters for her piggie bank. It was quite a nice evening and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Skylar even sang Happy Birthday to Nana...ummm...4 or 5 times I do believe!! Was a good time!

On Saturday, Katelyn came over to play. Skylar was soooo excited to see her. She was looking out the window until Katelyn arrived...and then she ran around the living room yelling "KATELYN'S HERE!!!" Needless to say...she was VERY happy to see Katelyn. The girls had such a great time and got along so well. They played on the swingset and ran around outside, had a dance party in the living room, did some finger painting,....color wonder of course! :-) Then Randy enjoyed making block-bead necklaces with them. That was rather cute. We had such a great time! The rest of the weekend was rather low key....little shopping for Skylar...out dinner at our fav. mexican restuarant on Sunday....where Skylar of course enjoyed the music and danced her little heart out in the aisle.....she's so ready to get back to dance class....told me so the other day....sort of surprised me....but I guess it shouldn't....the child breaks out the dance moves at the very thought of music!!.....anyhow that's about it...brings us to Monday...another fun start to the work week :-) Have a happy Day.....