The Swing that Than (and his dad) Built

Than's parents have been in Louisiana for the past few weeks doing hurricane clean-up and repair. Lucky for us, they were right near by, and they have gotten to visit us. Mike kindly asked if there were any projects around the house that we needed done, so we found one. Than needed a little help getting a swing built for the boys. We all ended up missing some of conference, unfortunately, but Xander and Hylan now have a great swing that Daddy and Grandpa built, and we all spent a great day outside in the cooler weather. My dad even did some yard work. It's been a good day. Oh yeah, the talks I did hear were wonderful, and I heard some things I needed to hear. Buckle down tomorrow.

This is how it started.

This was the end result. I love how it turned out. The swingset isn't crooked, just my picture taking and the yard are. We have also lowered Xander's swing. Hylan was asleep at this time and tried it out a little later in the day.

These are just some pretty flowers that are blooming in our yard right now. Yay for October in Mississippi!

Ole Brook Festival

Today was the Ole Brook Festival. It's mostly a flea market with lots of carnival type food and live music, but it's so much fun to go. The weather was perfect. This was our town's 150th anniversary. We ate greasy food together. Even Hylan got some. We looked at all the booths, but nothing was that appealing this year, except for some dachsund puppies, but Than told me no. :( We did bring home the best kettle corn ever though. Last night, was the Outdoor/Wildilfe Expo. Xander got to pet a baby alligator and a snake. Hylan petted a turtle. Xander also got a free t-shirt supporting a local politician. It's cute. All in all, we had a great weekend.

Updates

So, updates...

Than and I are once again seriously considering him going back to school. I still don't know if it's the right thing to do, but it almost seems like our only option. We've given ourselves to the end of the year to make a decision.

My mom has completed three of eight chemo treatments. She's doing really well, and the doctors expect her to be totally fine when she's done.

My little brother is getting married in the Columbia River Temple in November, so our entire family is flying out. Somehow, we have come up with the money to go. I have no idea how, but we're excited...except for the 5 hour flight with Xander and Hylan.

Xander knows his colors, shapes, and most numbers (0-10). We didn't know he could recognize numbers until we jokingly told him to turn to a certain channel with the tv remote, and he did it. We have since learned how much he knows. I'm pretty sure he can recognize a couple letters too.

He also said his first prayer a couple weeks ago. "Pray, eat, pray, eat, Amen". He currently enjoys calling me Valerie and Hon because Than does, wrestling with Hylan, and being read to while he turns the pages.

Hylan started scooting today. He's been trying to crawl, and he's been able to get around pretty well, but today he learned a more efficient method. He looked pretty happy. We were excited. His current favorite activities include: laughing hysterically at Xander, tearing up paper, and eating baby snack puffs. He is also now fitting into 12 month clothes. He'll be seven months old tomorrow.

We survived Gustav!

Well, it wasn't as bad as they thought, but our little town ended up being one of the hardest hit in the state. Lucky for us, we were without electicity for less than a day. Alot of other people probably won't get power for several days. Baton Rouge has been a very hard hit area. I'm hoping that the temple didn't flood again, but it's possible. We actually had a friend get married there last Thursday...good thing they didn't wait until Saturday. They wouldn't have been able to get to the temple bc all southbound roads were closed. It's been a very interesting experience. Brookhaven has been trashed in a sense. Louisiana folk don't seem to care too much about littering, so they do it everywhere. Wal-Mart was actually closed today.
It was a bit of an adventure also. We got out a propane lantern, played a couple board games, and got out in the weather a few times because were were stir-crazy. Xander and Hylan loved the wind and rain. Hylan was very interested in it falling on the windows. Xander enjoyed finding out what was battery-operated and what was connected to the wall while the power was out. All the canals and ditches are full or over-flowing. This area hasn't seen this kind of rain in a long time, not even with Katrina. It's actually been kind of neat. Than couldn't work, so I had him home for a four-day weekend... I loved it. Oh yeah, and we got a date in some how. My brother and his fiance babysat for us while we went out. All in all, not a bad weekend.

I let go a little

My big boy is camping right now. I can't believe I let Than take him, WITHOUT ME!!! I am a nervous wreck right now, but I'm sure Xander is having fun. Than asks me before every scout campout if he can take Xander, and I always tell him no. I figured that 2 years old is old enough now. I also just couldn't take Xander's hurt feelings today. He has been glued to Than since the day he was born. I am not exaggerating. Of course, I gave Than a long list of instructions and made him promise over and over again to watch him every second. I still can't believe I did it.

I just felt like writing a little today

First of all, let me apologize for never posting pictures on here. If you'd like to see pictures, just check facebook.
Well, lately, amazingly, my life has felt a little less stressed. I don't know how...between my mother's chemo, Xander's new tantrums, and Hylan not sleeping. My mom has been handling it well so far...one treatment down, seven to go. I seem to be doing a little better with more responsibility around the house...it's more like my own house. My grandmother is (surprisingly)loaning my parents money to make it through while my mom can't work. I'm almost glad she can't right now. No more daycare for a few months. I'm getting to spend more time with my children. I get to take Xander outside more and read to him. I'm not completely exhausted by 3 p.m. anymore. It's fantastic.
Also, my boys are so dang adorable. Xander has started talking alot more. Today, he called me Valerie because he heard Than do it. He also told me, "I want a book" while we were at the store. He calls Hylan Hybaby. Hylan just laughs at him all day. I love watching them together.

Ludlow family reunion

I would love to give all the details of everything we did and everwhere we went, but I won't. It's probably only entertaining to me anyway. I will mention a few of my favorite moments and why I love my life...Xander blowing bubbles with his cousins, Than's crawfish boil, Hylan finally rolling over consistently, getting to hang out with Rachel and Matt, going to Matt's [suprise] wedding, Xander's unquenchable thirst for otter pops, Hylan's discovery of his screaming happy voice, and my favorite part of the reunion was my four-wheeler ride with Than through the mountains of central Utah. Yes, it's true; my favorite moment was with only Than, not with his whole family or even with our children, just me and my honeybun. I really love him.