Merry Christmas!

Good morning and Merry Christmas to everyone! 

We are home, currently at #3 of the 4 places we get to celebrate. Even with the rush to see everyone, and be at all the different family gatherings, we are really, really enjoying our time home. The only problem we have is wondering how in the world we're gonna get all this stuff home. Santa must have really put in a good word for us, because I really think we've gotten WAY more than we deserve. Even Hannah has already had her first surprise party!  

Santa did find us this morning. He came to see Emma and William here at Granny's house. Miss Emma decided 6:30 was the time she needed to be to check things out. Needless to say, an early nap will take place. It was so awesome to have the two cousins together, and to be able to be here for William's first Christmas. I have some great pictures, but they are gonna have to wait.  

So for now,  Merry Christmas from the Hodges! We hope you have a wonderful day!

Oh Boy....

It's  a Girl! 

Hahaha, yes, I'm a little shocked. I was convinced this baby was a boy, but she is very active and healthy little girl! Everything appears to be fine and normal. She's a little bigger than the average, weighing 11 oz. right now. (Normal avg. is 8 oz) The doctor has put me on some medicine to stop the contractions, but he says that there is no indication of preterm labor. The meds are just a precaution to make sure a problem does not come up. 

Oh, we do have a name, and the credit goes to Channing for this one.... Hannah Grace Hodges. He did good didn't he? Emma can say it, and she does seem excited about her new baby sister. But, she always makes sure to tell me that she is a big girl, and this is a baby.

Channing and I are little nervous about the future with two teenage girls. But, I think there is a great age difference between them, and hopefully, the conflict with be minimal. Most of all though, we are just thrilled that she is healthy, and that there are no problems. We can't wait to get home and share the pictures with everyone. We have 3D pictures of her, which is something we didn't get for Emma. To me, she already looks like her sister! They have the exact same nose! And, I must say, it is a very cute nose! I would post the pictures on here if I knew how to scan them. Family, y'all are just gonna have to wait until we get home, but I promise you it will be worth it! 

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and for a good report. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted, and now I can focus all the good things and the preparations for our new addition. We are so excited, and so ready to get home and enjoy our break and the holidays. I'm not sure how often, if at all, that I get to post, so to everyone, Merry Christmas!, and Happy New Year! We hope you all have a wonderful holiday with all your families, and safe travels anywhere you may go!

The Update and a Book Review

I promised an update, so here you go. 

First, everything seems fine. I've gained weight, and I'm noticeably growing. The baby's heartbeat is strong and illusive, because this child is never still. We have a very, very active little one on our hands....

Second, the ultrasound has been moved up to Monday morning. There is a slight cause for concern and she wants to have things checked out before we head home. Here's the deal: I've been experiencing what seem to be contractions for about two weeks. They started out very slight and not painful at all. However, the last two days they have become painful and accompanied by constant back pain. I really haven't thought much of it because I had alot of back trouble with Emma when I started gaining weight, and I feel this baby move all the time. The doctor is referring me to someone else Monday for his opinion, but she said this most likely just a case of me doing too much. I have been instructed not pick up Emma and keep my activity level down. She said going home should be fine, especially since we're gonna to take two days to get there.  She said the trip home may be just what I need, as long as I take it easy and let other people help with Emma as much as possible. I told her I didn't think that would be a problem. 

So, don't worry. If she was really concerned, they would have admitted me today and forced an ultrasound. Just pray that everything is fine, and all we see Monday is a healthy baby. With that said, we should be home sometime Wednesday afternoon. 

Now, for the book you all must read. I'm sure you've seen the commercials for the movie Marley and Me. I've heard about this book off and on for a couple of years, but never got around to getting it. I got it yesterday, and just finished it. This book is wonderful! In case you don't know, it's the story of a young couple and their highly rambunctious, non obedient lab. Even if you aren't a dog lover, you should read this book. I have laughed and cried all at once. So much of it reminds me of my many years with a canine companion.  This is an easy, relaxing read, perfect for the holiday break. I always like to read books before the movie comes out. That way you know how the story is supposed to go, and not how Hollywood thinks it should go. I can't imagine the movie being any better than this, but I would like to see it, just to see what they did with it. If you read it, or have already read it, let me know!

One more quick thing... My friend Nikki and her husband Nate are in the Philippines right now on a vision trip for Mission To the World. She will be updating her blog while there, so check it out, and keep them in your prayers as well. This trip has been in the making for two years, and they feel that this is the place they are called to serve. 

Official countdown...6 days!

The Cure for a Bad Day

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did! Channing forwarded that to me this morning and I had to share it with you! I hope it made you smile!

I have a checkup today, so I'll try to post later and let you know the updates!

Pictures...

I've totally been slacking in the picture department these days. Because I have so many new ones, I put them all in albums on my Facebook page. Here are the links:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2142636&id=26501265&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2142634&id=26501265

One album is from our trip to the zoo the night after Thanksgiving, and the other is from Louisville. I hope you enjoy them!

Our Holiday Weekend

We had a great, long, Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you did too!  Channing had Wednesday off, so it was nice to spend the day together, just the three of us. Daddy and C.J. got here early that evening, and the fun began.  This was the first time they got to be here longer than one day.  Channing cooked dinner that night, because I was tired of cooking after prepping all the stuff for Thursday. Emma was so excited to have visitors that she never got quiet or still until we sent her to bed. 

We got up Thursday to get ready for dinner that afternoon. Earlier in the week we had decided to have dinner with one of the families of a guy Channing works with. They had no company, and had decided not to travel for this holiday either. Daddy and I did most of the cooking, and took everything over there. Their kitchen could easily swallow mine. We had a really good time, and the food was great. Daddy was highly impressed with my greatly improved cooking skills. I didn't mess up one single thing!  I was kinda proud of me too! Daddy did the turkeys. He fried two of them, and they were amazing. It's my favorite way to have a turkey, and the other family also seemed to enjoy it. 

Friday was spent mostly laying around the house. We did get out and all go to the Columbus Zoo Friday to see their Wildlights exhibit. I think every other family in Ohio was there too. I really enjoyed it. I think it was a little overwhelming for Emma, and difficult because of the crowds, but it was totally worth it to see her on the carousel again. We have a ton of pictures, but I haven't gone through them yet. It was pretty cold. but Emma and I were very bundled up. The boys didn't think they were gonna need the extra layers. I'm glad I had mine on.

Yesterday was a lazy day. The guys cooked again last night from the care package the Ray's sent us. It was a very large cooler full of all kinds of good stuff. Things we could never get here. I literally jumped up and down when we opened it.  Daddy and C.J. left early this morning.  We already miss them. But, now I've started my countdown... 19 days until we get to come home!  We can't wait!

Snow Day!

Look at what we woke up to this morning!

Sadly, it didn't last long. It was all melted by 9 am. But, the noon weather report said we would get some more.  The snow started back about 1 pm. I stood in the window for a long time, just watching. I took these next pictures over the span of about an hour. 

Here's what it looks like now, after it has quit. 

 Watching it was pretty amazing. I don't know that I've ever seen snow fall like that. I opened our sliding door to take the pictures. It was so quiet. No loud noise like rain or sleet. Complete silence.  For those of you wondering, no, we will not be playing in the snow today, or for a few days. Emma came back from Louisville with a really bad cold, and I'm not letting her out of the house for a while. I'll try to post pictures from the weekend later tonight, or in the morning. We had a blast. I just wanted to share our first snow with you!

Six Things Continued...

4.  I would like to tell you more about my Emily. When I stated that we were nerds, I want to be sure you understand how true this statement is. Before either of us became social creatures with the outside worlds, our weekends consisted of one thing: private pajama parties. Private, only because I don't think there was anyone else we could have invited. They began every Friday immediately after school, and usually at my house because we were closer to town. Keep in mind, I was driving, so it's not like we were 10, I was at least 15. The first thing we did was  put on pjs. The next major event involved riding to town to find dinner. And no, one fast food place would not do. We went to Wendy's for burgers, Burger King for fries, and Sonic for drinks.  It's no wonder my mother was so worried about my social well being. We would end things at Blockbuster where we would pick two movies, and then head back to my house for an evening of food and tv. Here's a small fact that I believe redeems us slightly: We both showed 4-H animals. For us, that month of shows was the highlight of our year. When we were away from our schools, and around these people all gathered with similar purposes, we were quite the social butterflies. I lived for those three weeks every year. We were cool people there, but no one else in our everyday lives knew that. Again, I say my best times always involved sheep; and Emily.

5. I have colored my hair once in my life: last night. And this morning there was an emergency trip to a salon to get it fixed. I'll never do it again, ever. I must say though, the end result is not half bad...

6. I most likely would not have even given the post a second thought if it hadn't come from Nikki. But because I know her, she would have bothered me until I did it, or at least acknowledged it. So, Nikki, this is for you. We miss you, and don't tag me again for another year! See you at Christmas!

Six Things

So Nikki gave me a stupid blog award. I think she did it just to aggravate me.  Anyway, the people that get "tagged" have to write six random things about themselves. That's a fabulous idea for interesting people, but not so much for me. The problem is, there isn't much people don't know about me. I'm pretty much an open book. If you get to know me just a little bit, I'll tell you my life story. So sorry for those of you that have had to sit through it...

I can't help it; I like to talk. I'll pretty much talk to anyone who will listen. I think that's why I have a hard time doing a regular blog update. Blank screens are not all that engaging...

Anyway, I'm gonna give this "six things" a try; sorry if you've already heard some of them before...

1.  I have a scar at the top of my nose, next to my left eye. It's a war wound from one of the many battles with my "little" brother. Now you're gonna get the story... I was in the 8th grade. I think I was 13, he was 11.  Growing up, we always had 4-H livestock animals, sheep in particular. One chilly Saturday morning, we were out feeding and fighting, as usual, over who had to do what. I was still the bigger of us at that point, and I frequently used that advantage.  Somewhere in the process of pouring feed into troughs I kicked him. I have no idea why. He left the pen and proceeded to throw the feed can at me. Now, the feed can was an old, rusty Folgers coffee can. One of the smaller ones I think. My brother played baseball, so he had a decent aim. Not that day. Because of the height of the fence, he had to throw the can up and over. I naturally ducked to miss it, but I heard the can hit the top of the fence. Feeling sure that I was safe, I looked up. And it hit me right between the eyes. If there had been witnesses, I'm sure they would have been laughing. It had to look like some kind of cartoon. When I finally got back on my feet and moved my hands from my face, he went to screaming like a little girl. Apparently I had blood everywhere. He ran back to the house so fast he left a trail of dust. I was in no such hurry. I knew what fate awaited us when Mama saw what happened. 8 am on a Saturday morning was not the best time to inform that a trip to the emergency room was necessary. The rest is history. Only four stitches and an embarrassing story because I started it all.

2.  I am ridiculously naive when it comes to the fate of my animals.  There are an immense amount of stories that were told to me instead of the truth. For example; I believed the first horse we had ran away to the circus. She was a very old gray mare that my Daddy had for some time. I don't really remember much about her except that one day she wasn't there. Of course the only logical thing to tell a small child is that she ran away. I believed it for years. My favorite, however, occurred when I was eight. I had just completed my first year in the 4-H livestock program. (my best stories always revolve around sheep)  For those of you that don't know, a majority of these project animals are raised for market purposes and are sold at the end of the last show. I didn't know that then. My sweet, sweet Pawpaw got me out of the barn before the animals were loaded on trucks. I was completely distraught over having to leave my first lambs, but he reassured me that they would be fine. My sweet little lambs were going to be with a man in Arkansas who needed sheep to eat the weeds out of cotton fields. I've since learned that I am not the only granddaugther to fall for this...

3.  I ran over my best friend's brand new car.  This is Emily's favorite story to tell about me. Contrary to popular belief, Emily and I were major nerds back in the day. I had just finally started attending weekend social events about the time she started driving. She just had to come out and show off the car, and I just had to take her to one of the "get-togethers" and show her what we were missing. In all the excitement that is a girl's first night to "go out", I forgot where she was parked. As I was backing out the driveway and asking her which perfume was better, I backed into her car. I thought her dad would never forgive me. But, not to be outdone, Emily decided she had to put her own mark on it the next night. She managed to go up an embankment, take out a barbed wire fence, and let out some cows. That car never stood a chance. By the time we got done with it, the rear view mirror was literally strung up with neon green yarn. I wish I had a picture. 

Ok, there's three... I'll think about another three for tomorrow. Please don't laugh at me too much...

November?!?!?!?!

Is it really November? How did we get here so quick? I feel like we just had Christmas.... 

I swear I don't know where the days go anymore...  

We had a decently active weekend. Friday night was Halloween; but you already knew that. Since we went trick or treating last weekend, we didn't go Friday night. She did get dressed up to help me with candy though. I think she would have slept in that dress if we had let her.  Saturday, Channing took me shopping for maternity clothes. Yeah, only 13 weeks, and I already need clothes. Channing finds this very amusing; me, not so much. While I am very glad that losing weight has not been an issue this time, I did not expect this kind of gain either. 

Next week will be busy as well. Channing leaves Sunday afternoon for a week in Michigan. Monday through Wednesday are three consecutive days of doctor visits for me and Emma. Fun stuff. Thursday Emma and I will head to Louisville for the NAILE.  I cannot even tell you how excited I am.  I've been trying to get them to take this trip for two years. It's finally happening! Channing will fly in Friday night from Michigan, so he'll get to see this for the first time.  

So that's all for now... Just enjoying our last week of decent weather before the bottom falls out next week. I'll let you know if I survive...

Happy Halloween!

I believe that this is the first time in my life that I've ever enjoyed/been excited about Halloween. Here's why...

 This is the first year she's dressed up and gone trick or treating.  Needless to say, she's loved every bit of it.  Family, let me know if you want me to email these to you.  

Oh, and on the first picture, please notice the purple shoes that don't match... She wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy Halloween!

Baseball...

I'm bored... I'm trying to act like I'm not though... 

Game 1 of the World Series just came on. If you know Channing, you know that he has an unhealthy obsession with all things baseball. He's trying to pass it on to the rest of the family.  I indulge him most of the time. It's fun to cheer for the team he's not, and to ask all kinds of pointless questions throughout the game. As it stands, I'm the Red Sox fan around here, and he's die hard Yankees. It has been a very interesting season. First, a major win in my column when the Yanks didn't even make the post season. First time in 13 years. (this fact according to my husband) Because of this, the duration of Division playoffs was spent with Channing taunting me and the Sox, and him cheering for the Rays.  They won, but not after an impressive comeback attempt by the Sox. I think I watch too much baseball....

So for now, and possible the next week, we'll be watching the World Series. Channing is cheering for the Rays, and I'm still on the fence. I'll probably lean that way too, but I'm afraid it would give him too much satisfaction. Let's keep that between us, ok?

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Ever since we first started discussing a move to the North, my one, constant fear has been of the winter.  Well, the fall is not much fun here either.... Guess what the high temp for today was.... 54! 54 degrees, with a wind that was brutal! We have our first freeze warning in effect for tonight. Those of you that know me are very familiar with my hatred of cold weather. This place is not helping! Even Emma isn't very fond of it at the moment. But, Channing loves it. I don't understand why... 

In other news, my neighbors, and Emma's best friend, are leaving us at the end of the week and migrating South for the winter. They won't be back until May. I almost asked if they would take me with them, but I have to have a baby around that time. Emma is going to be devastated when she realizes that her best buddy isn't around.  

That's all for now. I hope y'all are enjoying your weather. 

I Know, I Know...

It's been a long time...

We've been home for a week now, and I have to admit, while we were home, I got used to not checking a computer for days at a time. I've let that new habit take over this week.

Our trip was wonderful! It was so good to see everyone and not feel rushed about getting home; but, three weeks is a long time to be away. It might not have been so long if Channing had been with us, so we'll test that theory out in December. We'll be there for three weeks, but this time we'll all be together. Emma is still not adjusted to the time change again, but she's getting there.
Channing doesn't have to travel anymore for a while, so that will her help her get back in a groove.

The next thing we have coming up is a trip to Louisville, KY for the N.A.I.L.E, aka the North American International Livestock Exposition. (I prefer NAILE) This is one of the largest livestock shows, rodeo, and trade shows in the world. I've been once before, when I was younger and had the opportunity to show there. It is still one of my favorite memories. The Who's Who of the livestock world will be there. I'm particularly excited about the opportunity to meet some of the top sheep breeders in the nation. Lucky for me, I have some really good connections. I'm very excited about Channing getting to see this. He's heard all our stories from our first trip, so now he'll get to see it with me, from a spectators perspective. We'll be doing this the second weekend in November. We'll be meeting up with Mama and Chad, and one of my favorite showman!

A little bit of a baby update...
We had our check up this past Wednesday. The doctor pushed my due date back to May 10. She said she had expected this because of the low hormone levels in the beginning. We heard a heartbeat for the first time. Emma was super excited about that. Overall, things look good. I've already gained a little bit of weight. That's always a plus with me!

One last thing before I go...
I've been trying to customize my blog with layouts from a different site. If you know me, you probably know this is beyond my cp skills. If anyone has any suggestions or tips, I would appreciate it!

FYI....

In case you're new to our blog and want to do some catching up, the old blog will be up for a little while longer... michelleandchanning.wordpress.com

Welcome to Our New Blog!

I hope I haven't confused everyone with the move. So many of the blogs I read every day are on blogspot, so I decided to switch over. I haven't done everything I want to it yet, but I'm sure it's gonna take me a while to figure everything out.

As for now, Emma and I are still in Mississippi. We've been at the Mimi's house this week, where preparations for the State Fair are in full swing. We move the lambs to the fairgrounds on Friday and show Saturday afternoon. The Fair was the original reason for our trip, but Channing's trip to Mexico got us here early. Speaking of Channing, he's currently on his way to Michigan to spend several days there, so the timing for this trip home was perfect.

Our trip so far has been wonderful! We spent our first week in Greenwood at the Papa's house. While we were there, we took in some high school football, and I must say, I think I see some cheer leading in my future! I wish I had pictures! Emma loved every bit of the game. She clapped, yelled, danced, cheered, and entertained the entire section we were sitting in. On top of all that, it was a very exciting game, won at the buzzer by Pillow with an amazing field goal. I hated to see the night end, especially since this is the last game we'll get to see this year. Our trip is now half over. We'll be leaving next Friday, but there is still lots for us to do!

A bit of a pregnancy update: Since the doctor's visit, I've already gained six pounds! This is a big change from last time, since I only lost weight the first three months. I haven't been as sick this time, but it's not been easy either. I have to eat every couple of hours to keep from being sick, which probably explains the weight gain. I'll go back to the doctor a few days after we get home. Other than that, I guess things are pretty normal!