Erin Akin Carroll

We have had a great time in Dallas, but are getting ready to head home to see TC and the dogs.

Hudson loves to be here with KK and Poppie and all the fun toys at their house. At Thanksgiving, they bought him a Cozy Coupe car to keep at their house so he would have some outdoor toys when we are here for long stays. He loves his Cozy Coupe and loves his Poppie because he plays with him outside!

KK, Hudson, and I drove over to Shreveport and had lunch with my aunts and uncles and then drove on down to Baton Rouge. I know that drive like the back of my hand and it is not the most exciting. But it’s always fun to go back home. I grew up in Baton Rouge and Ruston, Louisiana, so it’s important to me to bring Hudson back to those cities.

We took Hudson to Coffee Call in Baton Rouge for his first beignet experience. We just love Coffee Call!

And it’s safe to say that Hudson loved the beignets!

We got back in the car and drove down to New Orleans to have lunch with my mom’s best friend. She has the most wonderful house in old Metairie. We had a great lunch and KK got to have some good turtle soup.

After lunch, we drove toward the garden district so we could stop into Camellia Grill and take Hudson on his first street car ride down St. Charles Avenue.

So many of my childhood memories are at Camellia Grill sitting at the counter eating delicious food, so I’m excited Hudson got to go there, too.

Hudson loved the street car ride. There were three little girls that got on and he couldn’t take his eyes off of them for a while, but he finally started looking at the window to enjoy the ride. KK and I were enjoying the view of the gorgeous houses. We took the street car all the way to Canal Street and then met up with my cousin for some shopping on Magazine Street.

We had a great little trip and I know Hudson was happy to be done with the road trip. He did a fine job in the car, but he never got any great naps. He did get to eat some great food though– but I think that may have been more important to KK and me!

Yesterday morning, Hudson and I flew to Dallas for a last trip to visit my parents before baby boy #2 arrives. I’m 27 weeks pregnant now and my flying days will soon be over and I’ll be staying close to home. Hudson loves his KK and Poppie and I miss my parents so badly, so trips to see them are always built into our plans.

TC stayed behind to work. When we come to visit my parents, we stay for a week– minimum. This is one of my favorite things about being about to stay at home with Hudson. My family is so far away and those visits are so important to me and I want Hudson to have a great relationship with them. We always miss TC so much while we’re away, but I know that he would be here if he could. It’s just not really feasible for him to take so many weeks away from work during the year.

This morning, my mom, Hudson, and I are driving over to Louisiana to meet up with family in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. We’re very excited to see everyone and always wish we could make it to every stop on the map and see everyone we love. There’s just never enough time!

I will be without a computer, but will have my lovely new iPhone. So I think I’m going to take a few days off from blogging so I can enjoy my trip and come back inspired.

And I’m going to take pictures. When looking for a good picture of Hudson with me, his KK and Poppie, this was the best I found. It’s over a year old. Not good, friends!

Thank you all for your sweet, encouraging words yesterday. We definitely had a rough day, but as soon as I prayed about it and put my thoughts in writing on my blog, I felt so much better. And your sweet comments made me feel even better.

I’m not abandoning “truth-telling Fridays,” but I feel like I kind of spilled my guts already this week and after yesterday’s big brain dump, I wanted to end the week on something super positive and fun.

At SPOTS this week at my church, our Children’s Minister, Mimi Brookshire, spoke to us about family. Our struggles, our triumphs, our good days and bad days. We talked about discipline and she gave us some recommendations for some great parenting books. I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that God puts people and ideas in our lives at the right time to remind us to turn to Him when things are tough. And I know that Mimi’s words came at the right time for me after experiencing the day we had yesterday.

Mimi concluded her talk by encouraging us to do fun family activities together such as…

Have family movie nights.

Play games.

Bake a cake and lick the bowl.

Read books out loud with joy.

Laugh until you cry.

Play dress up.

Camp out in your yard and your living room.

Roast marshmallows.

Make homemade pizza and let everyone touch the dough.

Slide down your stairs on a blanket or a cardboard box.

Have tea parties.

Make superman or super girl costumes.

Wash dishes and babies until the bubbles tumble over from the sink.

Paint.

Play play-dough.

Play in the rain and the mud.

Enjoy your family!

Look at your kiddos each day and thank God for them.

Rejoice in the day that the Lord has made.

Hug Often!

Because here’s the reality (Mimi wrote these to fit her family, but I know we could all think of our own “realities” that make things perfectly imperfect)…

“Family is a little bit of heaven on earth. We are a strange group of characters walking through life sharing colds and hairbrushes, desiring one another’s soda ( we didn’t have soda in our house when my kids were growing up so it was huge), hiding video games( he cannot play it, I bought it with my own money), locking each other out of rooms( no girls are allowed…sisters have cooties!), borrowing stuff ( sometimes without asking…most  of time without asking), causing pain and kissing to heal the pain all in the same moment, laughing, loving, defending to the death, and working hard to figure out what makes us a family. We don’t choose our family.  God chose that for us! Enjoy and cherish your family!”

I know it’s really supposed to be “a case of the Mondays” but it’s Thursday and there’s some wacky stuff going on.

Hudson is going through some stuff. I like to blame teething because I can see those super sharp canine teeth poking through his gums. And his entire hand is always in his mouth. And his nose is dripping like crazy. But maybe teething is just a convenient excuse for the terrible twos?

I know my sweet boy isn’t terrible, but oh my word. I need a break. Or a good cry. Or a pity party.

All of Hudson’s symptoms are amplified because of my pregnancy. My body hurts and my fuse is short. My dogs are getting on my nerves and I need my space.

How much sense does it make that I want to cry because Hudson is constantly having mini-meltdowns? Do I need my own melt-down? (How old am I?)

He is always so happy to be awake in the morning and as soon as there’s a misunderstanding or miscommunication (because even though we try, we can’t understand everything he’s trying to tell us), the day takes a turn for the worse.

Then all of a sudden after sulking in the corner, he’ll come walking back to say, “Mommy, hold you.” And I know he didn’t mean to get upset with me and I don’t mean to lose my patience with him. It’s just part of the family dynamic where we are most hurt by the ones we love the most. I don’t want to see my child act out or disobey me. And the reality that he is not flawless or perfect is hard to take sometimes. But it’s reality and Hudson is learning.

And so am I. Every single day.

I learn my lesson about what battles to pick and what time is appropriate to introduce a new activity. Or what time of day is off-limits for shopping. I know that when Hudson has had a rough day, I need to give him a break and not leave him in the church nursery so I can do what I need to do.

Today I just wanted some help. And some company.

I watched the clock like a hawk until it was finally nap time.

I know this is just a phase and it will pass. I’m irritable and Hudson is irritable and that puts us on a collision course. There are many moments when I just walk away. I walk to the other room to remind myself that he’s only 20 months old and even though I’m irritated, I can’t take it out on him. And holding a grudge against a 20 month old isn’t even a thought in my mind.

These are just little moments and they’re fleeting. But in the midst of a growing belly, stretching stomach muscles, aching backs, teething, cold season, limited vocabulary and life, I’m in need of a good cry. Or a nap.

And so is Hudson.

So I think we’ll both allow ourselves each of those things today.