2009 and into 2010 Gymnastics, New Mantle, Goodbye to Dear Friends, Emily Fisher Price, John Ski Day etc.

At long last here I am... Let's see this post should cover the end of 2009 and into the year 2010...

Last year the kids started gymnastics, Lydia absolutely loves it, Jack on the other hand well it is taking a little bit to get him excited about it, but I think he has some raw talent, we will see how long we can keep it up. Although, I think Lydia is in it for the long haul, she has the right personality for it and has some raw talent in it too :) This is Jack on the Bars.

It's crazy to think that Emily wasn't much bigger than a teddy bear back at the end of 2009. Here she is:

Not only was she so cute, but she successfully made it onto another box for Fisher Price, this

time the Activity Center. This was only sold in the UK and when I found out she was on the box, I tried to get it from the UK, which isn't easy to do. But, as luck would have it I had a friend that was visiting the UK and they were sweet enough to pick up a box and fly it home to me!! I was so grateful!

John and I went to Sodus Point, NY for our 9th Anniversary. It was wonderful, we went to a Bed and Breakfast called The Cliffs at Sodus Point on the shores of Lake Ontario that had some stunning views.

There was a tree on the property that had just been hit by lightening the night before and it was split down the middle, they were going to have to take the tree down isn't it so sad.

We spent time in the evening in the small fishing town. John served his mission in Upstate NY and this was one of his areas. On John's mission he would go down to the Sodus Point lighthouse with his mission companions, it was neat to be able to visit some of these places with him.

He still claims to this day that the best hamburger he ever had was on his mission at the Busy Bee in Wolcott, NY which is now the Red Apple and surprisingly he said it tasted the same.? On our way home, we drove along the shore of lake Ontario.

In October 2009, I took a quick trip to North Carolina to see my brother and his family and had the wonderful opportunity of being apart of my niece's sealing to my brother and sister-in-law and their family in the Raleigh, North Carolina temple. Here I am with my brothers family:

At the end of 2009 and into 2010, John finished the mantle above our fireplace, he did a fantastic job. Here are the before and afters.

He put mdf board up to cover the brick wall and then built the mantle onto that, we felt white would be the best fit for the room. After it was all built, John and I worked late into the night painting it and the bookshelves white. At some point, he would like to build cabinets at the base of each of the bookshelves.

The finished product:

We said goodbye to some dear friends in Buffalo, he had finished his nurse anesthesia program and they were headed off to PA to start work. Her family moved in to our ward at the same time we did and she was also one of the first ladies I met here in Buffalo. I miss them dearly.

John went skiing with the other residents at Holimont. He really looks forward to this day. What amazes me is that he can ski as well as he does with only 1 working ACL in his knee. John had previously blown both of his ACL's while skiing a boarder cross track and going off a downhill jump and landed on the back of his skiis, thus blowing both ACL's. He had one fixed and has chosen to fix the other one later, he hasn't had enough time in the past 11+ years to do it though.

Here he is with the other residents after they had finished skiing.

August 2009: Thousand Islands and the First Day of School

In August of last year our family went to Thousand Islands, NY. Thousand Islands, NY region that encompasses communities on both sides of the US and Canada border along the St. Lawrence River and the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. The region takes its name from the more than 1000 islands that dot the lake and river along this international waterway. The region extends from Kingson to Cornwall on the Canadian side, and from Oswego to Massena on the US side, reaching inland to the foothills of the Adirondack mountains to embrace the communities that are west and north of the Adirondack Park.
We stayed at the Edgewood resort and our hotel room was right on the St. Lawrence River. We were able to watch the boats, barges, and even canoes go by, it was amazing!

This is a panorama of our view from our balcony.

The Sunset at night was spectacular.

John spent a lot of the down time studying for his residency program and we all enjoyed the views and peace and quiet of the water on the St. Lawerence river.

One of the most amazing parts of the Thousand Islands region is Boldt Castle on Heart Island. At the turn-of-the-century, George C. Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the world famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, set out to build a full size rhineland castle in Alexandria Bay, on picturesque Heart Island. The grandiose structure was to be a display of his love for his wife, Louise. But, in 1904, tragedy struck. Boldt telegraphed the island and commanded the workers to immediately “stop all construction.” Louise had died suddenly. A broken hearted Boldt could not imagine his dream castle without his beloved. Boldt never returned to the island, leaving behind the structure as a monument of his love. For 73 years, the castle and various stone structures were left vacant until Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property. Since then, several million dollars have been used to restor and rebuild the Castle.

This is our view of the Castle from our room.

Here is Boldt Castle close up.

We took a ferry to see a lot of the different islands, the kids loved the ride and they even let them drive the boat for a bit!
One of the many boat houses we saw.

This is the shortest international bridge. The small island is officially on the US side and the house is on the Canadian side!

There was a house on every island we saw, yes even this tiny one! Boldt Castle's yaught house sits behind it.

We were able to tour the Castle, here is a picture inside and out.

Here we are on the grounds of the Castle. Then on one of our final nights in Thousand Islands we drove up to Clayton, NY and enjoyed an evening there. Clayton was listed in Coastal Living Magazine as the best small town in the Great Lakes. It was gorgeous! Over 18 years ago John served his mission in upstate NY and Watertown, NY up in the Thousand Islands region was one of his areas he stayed in for a few months. It was fun for us to drive around and see where he lived and hear his stories of living there.

On our way home, we drove along the Lake Ontario shoreline and stopped to let the kids play by the water. Here are some shots from us on the shore of lake Ontario.

Lydia loves the water!

Shortly after returning from our vacation the kids started school and one of the highlights for our family this year was Lydia starting all day Kindergarten. She gets to start Kindergarten one year early than she would in any other state because New York’s cut off is December 1st rather than September 1st and with Lydia being a November birthday she barely makes the cut and she is officially the youngest in her class. But she has been able to keep up with her pears remarkably well and we are so proud of her; she is reading and doing math.

Here are their first days of school pictures!

Update on Carter!

Just a quick update on my little cousin. It has been 2 weeks since the accident and 2 weeks that she has been in a coma; Carters breathing tube was taken out yesterday. Carter's Dad said

"I cant stop crying tears of joy, she did it, she is on her own. Not a single problem. Now she can really rest comfortably. I can't wait for her to wake up. She may not be able to talk or smile but just to sqeeze my hand will be enough"

and not but 2 hours later he said

"she opened her eyes , I said "hey poo bear"... I got the biggest smile, only for a second but it was there. She knows who we are."

Thank you again to all who prayed for Carter and don't know her. It was a Bright Day for my cousins. That same day some of her first words were uttered. Carters dad said

"Wow, a nurse that became very fond of Carter just came in to see her, she said I am the nurse that took care of you while you were asleep, Carter said "Thank you", we all cried again"

May we all be more grateful for the"little things"in life, first words, a smile, a touch, or even a first step.

The latest and most wonderful news is that she is moving out of ICU and into Rehab today! Her dad writes:

"Moving to rehab. Room 361 our new address for the next month. My cheeks hurt from smiling"

At rehab her dad elaberated a little on her condition he said:

"Carter is doing ok, she still tries to talk but can't tell what she is saying"

They still have a long road a head of them, who knows how long, but we know they will be strong. Carter has an awesome family standing behind her.

Carters Aunt created a new website for her on Caringbridge.org. Please go check it out and leave a note of encouragement in her guestbook! She is just starting to wake up and would love to hear from people! We've created it to keep friends and family updated about our sweet Carter Poo. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carterhudson1

Also, a bank account for Carter has been established at ~United Community Bank~ This is to assist the Hudson's with the financial needs as theybegin their recovery journey back home w/ their sweet little Carter. Donations may be made directly at the bank OR they can... be mailed directly to the branch at the address below:

United Community Bank*

c/o Carter Elizabeth Hudson

2168 Scenic Highway

Snellville, GA 30078PS

*No account # needed on checks; bank president and ALL bank staff will beable to process your donations w/out it. Not sure about being able to do direct on-line contributions just yet.

Thank you to all!

Pray for Carter my Cousin...

This is Carter my 12-year-old cousin who was in a terrible car accident and she hasn't awakened since the accident. The Dr.'s induced a coma to keep swelling down in her brain and keep pressure down to minimize brain damage. They may wake her up in the next few days and they don't know the damage until she wakes up. She needs all the prayers she can get.

Throughout this trial her father has said some very profound things that have touched me so deeply that I wanted to share.

"Hug your children, be patient with them. I am learning life is truly a blessing"

From my Cousin Jeff Hudson (Father of Carter Hudson)

And this is his prayer for Carter:

"I know she is your child, I am Honored that I was given the opportunity to bring her into this world, we have tried our best to instill in her the values that a good person should have. We have taught her that love is unconditional, that forgiving is easier than hating, that giving is really receiving. She has done well. She is passing all the lessons we teach, but I'm not done yet, you see, because its really her thats teaching me.

I pray humbly, you will see fit to continue my lessons."

Carter is the one in the one dressed in white; Jack was just a baby. Another picture from that day is below of her and the cousins. And some of her balerina pictures.

Pray for her that she will make a full recovery!

Jack's Dream for our Country

Today we had parent teacher conferences and I felt this writing from my son was so profound especially given our current government situation. My son who is 7-years-old and in second grade wrote this.

"I have a dream that we didn't have to pay taxes and if democrats were republicans, so we wouldn't be paying higher taxes, so my dad would get the money that he earns so we can buy things. I wish there were more Republicans in the Government too.

I would really like it if killing and kidnapping really did not exist.

I wish our country had peace and other countries without fighting for it. I hope when people have surgery doctors would be much gentler and hurting would stop. I wish kids got what they want and grown ups got what they want.

I don't dream about me, I want life to be good for me and others (even the people I don't know)"

It just goes to show you that children understand what is going on in our country too!

Blueberry Picking, Jack on The News

Every year around August it is tradition to go Blueberry picking at one of the many farms around Buffalo, the blueberries are delicious, especially when we pick them ourselves. We went with the residents wives group on this particular trip and here are some of the pictures from that day, I especially love this one with the frog, it’s there look closely.

Back in July the Channel 7 news was at the Mall while we were there for a playgroup. They were compairing the law makers in Albany to children and Jack was interviewed amongst some other children. If you look closely you can see Lydia playing there with some other girls. Here he is in his small moment of fame.