High Five for Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!!

I hope your week has treated you well. I am so happy Friday is here. Here are some of my favorites from the week.

1. I got Hudson's Christmas tree up and put it in the playroom this year. Adorable. Now, if I could just keep him away from it! ;-) The big tree and decorations are up too, but I'll post all of that later.

2. A little Christmas shopping with my little elf this week...sporting his first Christmas shirt of the season. He's so cute.

3. Celebrating Daddy's birthday with a little cookie cake. Nom nom nom!

4. & 4.5 I love taking pictures of the beautiful sunsets we get out here. This one reminded me of cotton candy. HA! Also, the other night you could see Jupiter right above the moon, and the moon was just beautiful! I took a picture with my "good" camera and my zoom lens. So cool!

5. A nice cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows while watching the SNL Christmas Special with the hubs. Perfect evening!

As you know, the SEC Championship is tomorrow. The winner will play ND in the BCS Championship Game. I am already SO SO nervous. We have to play the game of our lives tomorrow. UGA is impressive this year. Honestly, I think if we get passed them, ND will be no problem. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't think ND can compete with UA or UGA. The SEC is tough, especially this year. But you never know what'll happen in college football (as we've all seen this year).

I love all my UGA peeps, but I'm really hoping your faces look like they did back in '08 during the "blackout"....

We'll be friends again Monday....or in January. ;-)

ROLL TIDE, y'all!!!

Don't forget to link up to Lauren with your favorite things from the week.

Where'd Ya Get Those Peepers?

Let's talk about eyeliner for a second. I realize some of you don't have to wear eyeliner because your eyes look beautiful without it. Well, color me green with envy! I have to wear eyeliner or otherwise I look sick, tired, unfinished, and any other unflattering adjective you can think of. I'm not beating myself up here, it's just a fact. And I'm OK with that. I just have to line my eyes. No biggie. I've always used those wax-based pencils you turn because I couldn't draw the liquid on straight and didn't really like it anyway.

Through Birchbox, I've been able to sample some nice products, one of which was Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. I have loved it from the second I used it, except for the fact that it's black. I prefer brown or dark green eyeliner, which they do offer, BTW. Black is too harsh, especially since my eyes are already very dark. It also comes in a very small .07 oz pen, for $15. So I was looking in the Birchbox Shop one day and wanted to find an eyeliner to use the $20 worth of points I had accumulated to buy. I ran across stila stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner, for $20, and it's .16oz. Better! It had great reviews (stila has great products in general) and was available in several nice shades so I decided to try it out.

I got the dark brown and it's awesome! It's so easy to get the line straight and it's nice and thin, leaving the perfect defined eye. And it really does stay ALL day, but comes off easily with makeup remover. This is my new favorite liner and I think I'll try another color when I run out of this one. Maybe the moss or indigo.

So if you're in the market for a good new eyeliner, try this out! And check out Birchbox while you're at it. Great way to try new products!!

Happy Thursday!

Celebration!

Well, Joseph had to work late last night (as he does every Tuesday..it's call night at the agencies) so we just had a small celebration when he got home. We wanted to take him out for a birthday lunch or dinner, but that just didn't work out.

Instead, he came home to this.....

 On top of this cookie cake, he also got some Gigi's Cupcakes from his co-workers.

Needless to say, we're good on sweets at this house for a while. 

He got a little "help" blowing out his candles.

 Hudson really just wanted to grab them. Thankfully, he didn't. :)

Of course, for being such a great helper, he got to have a little snack before bath and bed.

 Hudson did too. Haha! ;-)

Yum, yum. Good stuff!

Joseph really wouldn't have wanted his birthday celebrated any other way. He likes the low-key things in life. We spent the evening watching TV on the couch so that was as good a date as any. 

And to round out the birthday-packed month of November....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful father-in-law. Yes, Joseph's dad's b-day is today!!

I can't say enough about him. He's just a wonderful, caring man with a huge heart. He's so generous, giving, and selfless. He loves every person from every walk of life. He's genuine and what you see is what you get. 

He's a great Poppy to Hudson and loves him like he's his own. He's a man of integrity, honesty, and amazing character. He would do anything for anyone. He's so good to us 3 and has always been supportive of his children.

He always has a kind word, a positive attitude, and a big hug for you. I'm thankful for him, and I'm also thankful that his son is a lot like him in many ways.

Happy Birthday, Tommy....Dad....Poppy.....we love you very much and hope your day is as wonderful as you deserve it to be!!

Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, hard-working, loving, funny, smart, good-lookin' husband!!!!

He is 28 today, which means we're the same age again! I'm 5.5 months older than him. 

Cougar, I know.

I'm not gonna get too sappy in this post, because our anniversary is in less than 2 weeks, so I'll save all that for then. ;-)

I will say that I am one very blessed woman to spend my life with this man. Having been together since we were 16, we've celebrated a LOT of birthdays together. He's always been so sweet to make all of mine special, and I've tried to do my best to do the same for him.

Joseph is very selfless, and so often puts others ahead of himself, without expecting or needing anything in return. He has a great heart. He is so incredibly hard-working (just ask him when he last took a day off!) and is a great provider for our family. I know I don't thank him enough for all he does, and sometimes I may complain about the late hours he works occasionally, but I appreciate all he does more than I can ever express. It's very stressful being the only one bringing in income, but he is so happy to provide for us and does it with no complaints. 

He is absolutely brilliant, and I'm not just saying that. He's borderline genius. Don't tell him I said that, though, OK? We all know I'm right all the time. ;-)

He is a fantastic father. My favorite time of the day is when Joseph comes home from work and I see not only the look on Hudson's face, but also Joseph's. They both get so excited when Daddy comes home! Joseph does bath time every night and it's so special to him to do that. It's their fun time together every day. They have a blast together. Hudson adores him and I can't wait to see their relationship develop over the years. I know they'll be best buds.

I hope that, even though he's at work today, he's been able to take a little break to just have time to himself, and he's able to let others do for him for once on this special day of his. 

I could not ask for a better best friend, husband, partner in life, and father for my son. Hudson and I are immensely blessed and I hope he knows just how much he's loved.

Happy Birthday to my lobster. (Friends reference...anyone? ah, I tried.)

The Little Quirks

I love being able to document all of the silly things Hudson does during the day. These are the little things I want to remember forever. 

Recently, he's taken a liking to the recliner, AKA: Daddy's chair. I love the grin on his face here. Like he knows what he's doing. ;)

I was decorating his tree Saturday and he found the singing sock monkey from last year. (the one that made him scream every time it sang!) Well, he loves it this year. He got out the Christmas dog and had them both playing their songs. Usher and a Christmas version of "Shout". Great combo!

He was such a good little boy sitting in the bathroom playing with Daddy's phone while we got ready to go out for lunch Saturday.

The other day, he insisted he needed his boots on....with his pajamas. Rocked it, if you ask me!

He's been into this box for a while now. It holds all his legos, but it's a pretty cool toy all on its own.

Is this normal? ;)

Seriously.....

And today...as if the couch isn't a good enough seat by itself......

Yeah...

He's also obsessed with our shoes. I usually wear flip-flops around the house, and I'll catch him trying to walk in them from time to time. Last night he tested out daddy's shoes. 

I don't think they'll be able to share shoes for a few more years, but Hudson tried.

I love these little moments. I know they will quickly pass so I try to document and cherish them while I can. 

What silly little things do your children do?

Happy Monday!! I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving/weekend. 

I'm excited/nervous for Saturday. ROLL TIDE, y'all!!! ;-)

Gobble Gobble

Do y'all remember this little turkey??

Well, this year he's a little more done!

I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. We sure did!!

Here are some pictures that highlight our day.

We ate lunch with my family at my parents' house. Even though their house is in disarray because they're renovating their bathrooms (one is done, the other is currently gutted), they hosted Thanksgiving for the fam. They're the best.

Nana had a little surprise for Hudson. A singing/dancing snowman.

My little turkey is growing too fast.

We had more food than you could shake a stick at (I've always wanted to use that expression) and it was all delicious!!

Thankful for him. He's the best ever.

I couldn't even think about dessert, but it all looked scrumptious.

Hudson and his G-Nana being silly with the sippy cup.

Yum yum. Actually, he didn't eat well at all. A little mac & cheese and some strawberries. Oh well.

Rearranging the pumpkins.

This would've been so good if he had looked and smiled.

Kisses.

Running to give Mommy a hug.

Best hugs ever.

My 2 biggest blessings.

Aren't they cute?

Hudson would stay outside all day.

Now let's check out the backyard.

My friend (& childhood neighbor) Julie was across the street at her parents' house with sweet Gage. Her hubby was working. 

Handsome boys.

They were hilarious.

I think they'll be buds.

Could he be any cuter??

We headed over to my in-laws' house after lunch. Unfortunately, my brother/sister-in-law had to leave early to see her family so we weren't able to see them. We did get to spend time with his parents and grandparents and their friend. Joseph's sister, Melissa, and her hubby split the holidays between here and his family in PA. They'll be with us for Christmas this year. :)

My in-laws' new puppy taking a snooze on my lap.

Snack time!

Gotta love those puppy bites.

I shall torture you, little "goggin".

Wear this hat!

Time for a hug.

My sweet mother/father-in-law. 

Hugs for Poppy.

Silly folks.

Holidays are always rough on Hudson, especially since we have to drive from out of town. He handles it pretty well, but doesn't usually get a real nap on days like this. He napped just about the whole way home last night, but that was pretty much it. 

Today is my Nana's birthday!! She's 29! ;-)

I'm glad her birthday always falls around Thanksgiving, 'cause that means I get to see her on or near her special day. Sometimes it's not easy to get down to see everybody on their birthdays so this way I always get to spend time with her for hers. I spent a lot of time with this lady when I was younger and I have a lot of great memories with her, most of which involve cooking. She taught me to cook at a young age. She also taught me to drive in their backyard and street. Shhh, don't tell anyone. I was like 14. She's always been a fun woman, and you know how they say it's the grandparents who get to spoil the kids? Yeah, that's her. She always let me get away with things my parents didn't, but never anything that would get me hurt or something like that. She could also definitely discipline if needed to. Thankfully, she didn't need to much. ;) I'm thankful for her and all the things she's taught me, done for me, memories she's made with me, and how much she loves Hudson. She's a very special lady to me, and I am blessed to call her my Nana.

Happy Birthday, Nana. I hope your day has been everything you deserve it to be. I love you more than you know!

Happy Friday, everyone. If you braved the Black Friday sales, I hope you got what you wanted and avoided any craziness. ;)

Have a great weekend!