The Crib is FINISHED!

Well, this happened about 3 weeks ago, but with everything that's been going on, I haven't had the chance to share the fun news.

For those of you that are just chiming in, Brad refinished my dad's old crib that both me and my brother slept in, so that Caedmon and all the Hodgson babies can sleep in it. Here are the "Before" pictures:









As you can see, the crib used to be a light oak color with cute little bunnies and fawn on the headboard and footboard. This worked for me and my brother (ha, ha), but we thought that we'd do something a little different for Caedmon. Now after many hours of love labor in the ARS warehouse, here's Caedmon's new crib:









Brad added beadboard to the headboard and footboard to modernize the crib and stained it a nice espresso to match our changing table. I'm a big fan of the color and love the bedding as well. Caedmon would agree and thoroughly enjoys starring at the dots on his bumper pad.

Great work Brad, furniture-restaining extraordinaire!

Ohio Trip

We drove up to Ohio 2 weeks ago for my Grandpa's funeral and it turned out to be a pretty good trip despite the circumstance. It's usually about an 8+ hour drive and with the stops we needed to make for Caedmon, it took us about 10 hours. Luckily though, he was a great traveler: He ate, played and slept at all his scheduled times and was a great baby! Praise the Lord!

We got up to Ohio late Wednesday night and had a great time catching up with all my aunts. David and Jon didn't arrive until Friday evening. This was the first time, with the exception of my cousin Andrew, that everyone had met Caedmon, so that was a lot of fun and he definitely brought a lot of joy to the house -- especially for Grandma Courtney!

The service for my Grandpa that Saturday was really special. It was tough because it was an open-casket service -- the first one I've been too -- but it was good to see him one last time and I think it brought about good closure. And he looked really good! He was dressed in the tweed blazer that he wore so often and then we put the matching tweed hat that he wore just as much on his chest.

There was a portion of the service that was dedicated for reflection and it was really nice to hear all the great stories about Grandpa -- stories about his childhood as he raised the best and biggest potato crop in Medina county, stories about how he taught his daughters positive work ethic as they plowed the fields and occasionally ran over the little pine trees and tried to tape them back together, stories about how he danced with his grand-daughter (me), stories about how he dearly loved his wife (the Queen of Manor Care), stories of the legacy that he has left behind in OB/GYN practices and care, and the list goes on. We laughed, cried and grinned ear to ear as we heard about the life Grandpa had lived and that memory will live on with me forever, as will the stories and special memories that I had with him! I love you Grandpa!

Here are some other fun pictures from the trip:

Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Charlotte with Brad's family and my mom. Here are some fun pictures from the weekend.

In Memory of Donald C. Snyder, My Grandpa

We got a call last Sunday morning from my mom and she said that my Grandpa had passed away earlier that morning. At 98, he had been suffering from congestive heart failure for the majority of the year and had rough boughts of pneumonia along with it. But even in that, his mind remained sharp as ever, his humor was even more super-charged, and he continued his morning exercises and economy-following to the T. The funeral is set for Saturday, December 6 and as I prepare for this day of closure, I thought that I would compile a set of memories of his long and giving life. We love you Grandpa!

An Account From Akron University:
"Dr. Snyder was always inspired and motivated by his mother Jennie Lynn Smedley Snyder. Dr. Snyder became one of the Akron area’s most well respected physician-surgeons, recognized by colleagues for his many years of professional service and contributions in the field of medicine, published in scientific journals and listed in Who’s Who in the Midwest. Originally from Medina and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Snyder did his four-year residency at University Hospitals in Cleveland, coming to Akron in 1940. He became the catalyst for developing the first training program for young doctors in obstetrics/gynecology in Akron, preparing hundreds of doctors who became Board-certified in that specialty. With the over-crowded hospitals of the early 1950’s, Dr. Snyder was the first doctor to perform same-day surgery.

Dr. and Mrs. Snyder’s lifetime objective was the value of higher education and helping others."

Boys Will Be Boys:

Grandpa & His Hats:

Let's Dance!:












71 Years Together!:

Go State!

If you haven't heard, NC State beat UNC yesterday. Here's a picture of State's newest fans:
Fan #1 is obviously Caedmon and Fan #2 is his little buddy Mason Lizotte. Mason's grandma was so sweet to make the boys matching State onesies to help root on the pack during football and basketball season this year. How cute! And not only do they enjoy watching the game, but Caedmon thought it would be fun to fix Mason's hair.

Who Follows This Blog?

If you follow this blog, do me a favor and leave a comment on this post so that I have an idea who reads our posts.

Thanks!

We Have Internet!!!

Hooray for Internet!! You'd never think I was so dependent on it until it's not there. Thankfully, we have it again and I can resume to my blogging, searching, Facebooking, emailing and the like.

Here are a few updates:

Work: As of late October, Brad and I have decided that I will not be going back to work. This was a tough decision for me, but with much prayer and counsel, we decided that this was the best decision for us and one that God has affirmed in many ways. I have been at home now since Caedmon was born and I can say that I'm starting to get into a nice routine. It definitely helps that Caed is napping better these days, and I now have time to cook again, do routine laundry, read (who would have thought), and have some time for myself. When Caed is awake though, he is really such a joy. He's "talking" these days, cuing of course, giving big, bright smiles, waving his arms and legs (we would like to argue that he knows how to wave, but we know deep down that he's not quite there), and generally being a very happy baby! So, even though I don't get to give Vintage21 40+ hours a week any more, God is showing me so much more about himself and this little boy that Brad and I have the joy of raising each day at home in my new office.

Beach Weekend: This past weekend, we went to the Ocean Isle Beach with our community group and we had a great time. This of course was Caedmon's first trip to the beach and although it wasn't warm enough and Caed's not old enough yet to really "enjoy" the beach, it was pretty fun. The folks in our group took turns holding and feeding Caed and were all very amused by all the many faces he has to give. (Brad says that he gets that from me.) Brad and I took Caed down to the beach Saturday, but since it was so windy, we didn't stay down there long because Caedmon couldn't handle it. He did however do his "dog licking" reflex and that was quite amusing. So, instead of the beach, we walked down the Intercoastal and hung out on the dock for a bit. Brad and I enjoyed the view and the much calmer breeze, and Caed used this as an opportunity to catch a few winks in the Baby Boujorn. Later on that evening, we found a baby swing around the corner from the house we were staying in and swang Caed for a bit. I think he enjoyed it pretty well and even liked swinging with me in the Boujorn better. Hopefully this will begin his love for swings. In the past, he hasn't been too fond of them.The Crib: As you may know, Brad has been working very hard on Caed's crib since well before he was born, and I am happy to announce that it's almost done. (It's not like we have had a whole lot of time in the past few months to make any progress.) Brad put it together in Caedmon's room to see how it all fits together and to get it ready for the finishing touches, and it looks great! In my excitement, I went ahead and put the bumper and sheets on it to see what it will all look like and ... yay, it looks soo neat. And while we wait for Brad to finish it up, Caedmon, and unfortunately Aslan, have been catching a few winks in it. The squirt bottle is now stationed right next to the crib so that we can stop Aslan from taking over the crib ... Caedmon likes it too much to share it with his cat.

Caedmon's Hats:

Thanks to Pepsa for matching hats and the one below!

Thanks Hannah Wickline for this great hat!