On March 6 2011, our sweet little Henley was baptised at Ascension Catholic Church. It was a beautiful day and she did wonderful!
I must say that I had a lot of anxiety leading up to the morning of the Baptism, as I knew that we would have to keep both Henley and Hudsen under control for not 1hour, but 2 hours of church! Yikes!
The mass was a breeze and the Baptism was intimate and perfect! Luckily, the girls behaved like little angels...with the exception of Hudsen refusing to take a family picture...but Justin and I couldn't have been more proud of both of them.
The ceremony was followed by a delicious lunch at Carmie and Popi's house.

Here are some pictures of Henley's special day!

Last pictures before heading in the car...
All packed up and ready to go!

Just after the baptism....as mentioned before, Hudsen wasn't into the family photos

but she can be seen lurking in the background here...

Introducing the Godmother, Jackie!
Henley looks pretty excited about who we choose! :)

And the proud Godfather, Blake!

Ha! Great picture of us with our happy Mom's....yea, we are all looking

at a different camera....there were like maybe 2 people taking pictures, but

it appears as though we were doing a press line or dealing with paparazzi!

Post-Baptism, Jackie stepped right on into her Godmother roll...

And Hudsen ate chips...

Henley posed with her Beautiful Cake that Mimi had brought.

ps. This was Jackie's first day as a Godmother to Henley...so I will give her some slack...but

next time she needs to be on top of the hair accessories...Headband is slipping Jax...recognize it, then rectify it :)

Thank you to our friends and family who celebrated with us!

We are so blessed, and had a wonderful day with this 'Little Sister!'

Hudsen's First Day of PreSchool

WOW! So glad this day is over! The anxiety Justin and I had leading up to today completely exhausted us. We knew SHE would be fine....But I wasn't so sure how WE would do. Just the fact that starting today she would be in school for the next 22+ years (that's including 4 years of college...and who knows after that, law school? and I hear it takes 10years for a PH.D - OMG!

Well, she is off to an amazing start! No first day of school jitters for this little one. She was ready and shared a few thoughts in the car while waiting in the parking lot before heading in to Day 1.

Then a quick photo shoot to document the special day!




Sorry Dad - you're a blinker...and Hudsen hates the camera so this was unfortunately the only shot I got of you and your big girl :)























I on the other hand....had been practicing the perfect proud mom pose for weeks, and knew to go with some shades to omit the possibility of blinkage...or worse...tears :)

I had enrolled Hudsen into school for the upcoming fall...and we found out that someone had moved, so there would be an open spot starting in March if we wanted to take it - so we jumped at the chance. Coincidentally, today was also Parents/Grandparents Day....so after dropping her off at 9, we were asked to come back at 10:30 to watch the school in action. It was perfect! Loved seeing Hudsen mixing in so well with the other kids, and following directions from her teachers. When we walked in, she was wearing a smock and painting with a few others kids. (Loving that the mess witnessed here was not made at our house)

Then she took a few 100 trips down the indoor slide...

and road some of her favorite toys...(all while taking an important call mind you)

























She wasn't afraid to share the spotlight and let her little sis in on the PreSchool action...





And was fairly aggressive with the parachute which was kinda fun to see...

All and all, it was the best possible first day of PreSchool-and it was followed by lunch when we got home and then a quality 3 1/2 hour nap.

I am also happy to report that I kept the tears to a minimum....only shedding a few on the way in the car - but I blame Taylor Swift and whatever girly, cheesy, reminds-me-of-my-daughter, song that was playing at the time :)

Our whole family is looking forward to the rest of the school year and anxious to see how she grows and learns more and more. We are so excited to help her along this journey - as she already appears to be a wonderful student :)

And to Hudsen - someday you will read this, and I just want you to know how PROUD your Dad and I are of you! At 2 1/2 years old, you have already amazed us with all that you know and do each day and we love you so much!

Just a Lazy Sunday

Thoroughly enjoyed this incredibly lazy Sunday! It was so nice to have Justin home ALL day, which doesn't happen often with his crazy work schedule - so I really soaked up all the time I could get with the big guy.


Haha - but first, needed his help with some stuff! :)

How wonderful it was to go to the grocery store with just ONE child! Henley and I were able to stroll aisle by aisle and casually shop for our food for the week....unlike most weeks when I drag both girls, and have to be fully prepared to entertain Hudsen the entire time. Luckily, if she is hungry, she will eat a few snacks....but if that snacksize bag of pretzels goes dry - I could be in for a major meltdown!

Justin had dropped Henley and I off at the door to the grocery store - LOVED THAT! Then he took Hudsen to the Bread Co for some coffee and conversation. Hudsen of course just had water, but they enjoyed some quality time together. I texted Justin when I was in the check out line, and within minutes was picked up again at the door, and he loaded up the car while I got warm inside.

Its the little things like, not having to put the carseat back in, then run around to the other side to get Hudsen strapped in, then loading the groceries into the back only to realize that you had left the large stroller in the back so now, groceries need to be stacked on top of each other....OH! but watch out for the eggs....better find a safe place for those....then scramble to put the cart away (and I probably didn't park close to one of the racks), all while keeping an eye on your kids, and making sure no one breaks in and steals them....and then race back to the car and I am now covered in snow....only to start the car, and then hear that Henley's paci has fallen out, which I better get out and go put back in before I pull off the parking lot which will help reduce the risk of hysterical crying on the 5min drive home.


By 10am...our day was now complete! :)


Time to relax, so we watched some football, took naps, and made some videos...(of the kids, of course) :)

Here is Henley talking today!....its a solid 3minutes so you may have to clear your schedule :) hahaha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCUG59SiU8





And Hudsen then wanted in on the action, and earned some camera time by singing (and recalling) some of her favorite songs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7zdV51mnxw



I wish EVERY Sunday was this much fun!

Tiny Dancer

I am literally still laughing out loud about our morning.

It started out normal, Justin's in the shower, I am getting myself ready, and then on cue at 7am, both girls start crying...Luckily, Henley just needed her swaddle a little tighter, and Hudsen was doing her standard hollering from her big girl bed making her routine morning announcement: "I'm up Mommy! Get up and Play!"

Hudsen has always obeyed the strict rule of 'staying in bed' - as we didn't want her wandering around her room at night, so in the morning, she patiently stays in her bed until given further instruction to get off :) I believe that she thinks she is on a boat...she has a select few 'friends' (stuffed animals), and a couple of books that she can take to bed with her, but if something falls off, its gone. There is no getting it back (until the next day). So she is pretty careful not to knock anything off...for fear it will 'float away'.....

I head into her room to get her out of her pj's and into her clothes for the day. At night, I am usually putting some laundry away, so have always made it a habit to lay both girls clothes out the night before (mainly so here is no confusion in the AM and I don't have to stress about tights matching bows, etc) :)

Hudsen loves all of her clothes, and always gets excited to put on anything I pull out. But this morning, I found her to be a bit more demanding. I helped her get into her tights, and then was pulling on a cute, cotton, navy skirt....when suddenly, she shouted:'No skirt Mommy, TUTU! TUTU! I'm a ballerina!'

I laughed, because yes, she does think she is a ballerina sometimes, but I continued on with the navy skirt, thinking she must just want to talk about ballerina's wearing Tutus...but NO, she meant it! She was a ballerina, and was going to dress as ballerina TODAY!

I may do all the bows, tights, girly accessories, etc.....but I haven't really thrown her into the Tutu world just yet. I think because they are just so delicate and cute, and seem so fragile, and just figured it would be destroyed at some point during the day. I always felt that I was saving them for something other than a random Wednesday.

This all changed today...

Justin was having breakfast when I 'presented' his Tutu-clad daughter to him this morning....and he looked so proud! Hudsen twirled, and bowed for him, and then hopped up onto her booster seat for some yogurt and some good conversation.

Justin may have seen a little glimpse into his future with his Tiny Dancer this morning....recitals here we come! :)

ps. Hudsen and Henley are headed to Carmi's for a few hours this morning while I go to the salon....(so Real Housewives of St. Louis of me, I know).....so I don't think the Tutu will get out in the general public today....but don't be surprised if she is wearing one the next time I see you :)

Happy New Year!

Hmmmmmm.......what to do with an 2 month old, and a 2 year old on New Years Eve..... it's slim pickin's but we think we found a fun way to ring in 2011.

New Years Eve Day: Justin is OFF work!! So the day starts with breakfast and then we grab some coffee, and run some errands with the girls. I have to take advantage of having Justin's help, as shopping has been tricky alone, since we are still waiting for our back ordered double stroller to arrive. Miss Henley is tiny, but she gets pretty heavy lugging her around in her car seat, meanwhile, chasing after Hudsen who has become wishy-washy on whether she will cooperate and ride in the cart....however, if I remember to bring pretzels, I can usually keep her strapped in and distracted long enough to get what I need.

We exit Wildwood, listening to the radio talking about the tornado that may be rolling in our way. We continue on...knowing that it would be unlikely for a tornado to really come into our neck of the woods. Sky gets a bit darker, rain a little harder, and we hear more sirens and alarms going off so we end up turning around, and head home. Didn't get much done on that family outing, but at least we are all safe and sound and made it home!

The house was very calm this afternoon...literally, the whole family napped (except me)....at one point, I heard Henley starting to stir, but I knew I had to press on with the blog entry :)

Tonight we went out to dinner with the kids, and then back home for some quality TV time. We tried to find something to rent at Blockbuster, but there wasn't much to choose from. So we decided to stick with 24 (for after the kids go to bed of course), as we are trying to finish up the last season...and are anxious to find out how Jack Bauer will save the world this time.

As 2010 comes to an end, I can't help but reflect on what an amazing year it has been for myself and our family. I could go into a detailed, photographed, chronological list of every enjoyable moment, but I wont...for 2 reasons:

1. Emotionally, I don't think, rather, I KNOW I wouldn't be able to get through it, and would be crying my way into the New Year
AND
2. My devoted 9 followers would be bored to tears (again, don't want myself or anyone crying their way into 2011) :)

But I do want to mention of few things about the year.Watching Hudsen grow from an infant into the busiest, funniest, cutest, sweetest, smartest and most caring toddler has been incredibly fun. She surprises Justin and I everyday, and is always making us so proud.

This year I was also so lucky to have enjoyed another wonderful pregnancy that lead to birth of our daughter, Henley. We are so blessed to have her in our lives, and it was very exciting to have 2 little girls during the Holidays. Hudsen was what we thought, a perfect baby....good eater, great sleeper, and really only cried when she was hungry or tired....Henley, if possible, has been just as perfect. She smiles at us all the time, and one little smile from her keeps me smiling all day long :)

I am lucky to have had this year dedicated to raising Hudsen, enjoying a healthy pregnancy, and now taking time to be with both girls. Everyday is different, and I am always learning something new. Our oldest sees the world in an unique way and I love seeing her look at it with such amazement. I look at the world in a different way, everyday, because of her.

I have high hopes for 2011. It will be tough to beat this past year, but since meeting and marrying my best friend 5 years ago, somehow he continues to bring on a better year....every year. I wonder what he has in store for our family this year? :)

Unfortunately, I did not make it till midnight...Justin did wake me and the girls up for a New Years kiss though :) Next year I will make it to Midnight...that is my New Years Resolution! :)

The Backsmeyers wish you a Very Happy New Year!

The Arrival of Baby Henley

Our newest addition arrived just 3 weeks ago on October 26, 2010!

Henley Pierce is the sweetest little girl in the whole world and we are truly enjoying every single moment with her! And just so I don't forget, I feel I need to get my labor and delivery experience down on paper so I will have Henley's beautiful story to share with her in a few years. My experience with Hudsen was such a blur, that I really wanted to do my best to remember each moment this time.



As our family and friends know, we had a scheduled date that our 2nd baby would be born...mainly to avoid going into labor before hand and messing with the planned c-section. So knowing the date ahead of time was great....sort of...and in a previous blog, I noted it was also not so great :) My anxiety leading up to this BIG day was out of control! But somehow now, just 3 weeks later and looking back, it doesn't seem that it was all that bad...my husband may recall things a bit differently though :)



The night before, I kissed my big girl goodnight....for the last time....as the next night, I knew I would always have 2 girls to kiss goodnight....and I knew these thoughts would continue and keep me up so I popped an Ambien and hit the sheets in order to avoid any more tears.



The morning of the 26th....I woke up refreshed, and ready to do this. We got ready, and took Hudsen to my parents around 7am, and then headed to the hospital. I had much been dreading the 'good-bye' to Hudsen as I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I would see her for the last time as our only child....and it was just as hard as I had imagined it would be. But we got the goodbyes over quickly to avoid any major meltdowns on my part.

*Making Hudsen take 1 more picture with Mommy before heading to hospital)

Walking into the hospital, holding Justin's hand, knowing that we would be walking out in a few days as a family of 4 was such an incredible feeling...hard to describe, but it felt fake to me....like it really wouldn't happen....or maybe that it wasn't happening to me. Sometimes, when I think about my life, and our family, and how everything is going great, I have this bad habit of suddenly picturing horrible things happening. I think it is because I feel like I am entirely too lucky to have everything that I have, and something bad is bound to happen to me at any given time. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, the best parents in the world, and had just experienced another wonderful pregnancy...seems too good to be true to me and so I automatically started thinking...oh my gosh, what if the delivery doesn't go well, what if the baby has problems, what if, what if what if?!

*Although, gotta admit, I don't look too nervous here :)*

The anesthesiologist, Austin, we had met the day before to discuss the procedure was there waiting for us, and no time was put to waste getting the epidural going. Austin was amazing, and really helped me get through this as my nerves were out of control. I have been told and like to think I have a fairly high pain tolerance, which is great...but I had zero control over my nerves...and got through it by crying randomly. It took awhile to completely numb my lower body...as Austin checked on it often with the prickly needle....'can you feel this?' 'can you feel that?' etc. I think my whole right side went numb, but I could still feel my left side for awhile, so he kept the meds pumping until I had no feeling at all. When I would say 'yes, I can feel that' - I was always worried, like 'oh my gosh! don't wheel me into surgery yet! I can still feel it!' - and he just kept calm and kept repeating 'we wont do anything until you don't feel a thing!' God bless you Austin! I owe him a thank you note! (as I know I also owe some of you who may be reading this one! - sorry, I am so behind! :) )

My OB was now there, Dr. Cindy Mueller, the best OB ever! Finally numb and ready to roll...it was time and I was 'medically' ready!

The roll down the long hallway to the operating room was emotional...shocking, I know! But we entered the double doors, and into the bright room. I remember getting situated on the table and having my arms spread out on side tables next to me, and someone asked how I felt, and I was looking straight at the ceiling, and into the florescent lights, and I said 'I feel like I am in a movie, is this really happening?' - they all laughed....nothing like a good chuckle before having your stomach sliced into. But it really did feel exactly like a movie to me.

As they got started, I had Justin at my right side and Austin at my left. Justin did great talking me through everything-trying to keep my mind off of what was happening behind the curtain...I remember him talking ALOT, and right now, and considering the circumstances, I am having a hard time figuring out just what we may have been chatting about...(I'll have to ask him when he gets home from work) :)

A few minutes in I started to feel lots of pressure (not uncomfortable), but could tell they were really working on things...and after the fact, Justin revealed to me that there were at least 4 people using all of their might pushing our baby girl out of me. A few minutes later I heard Dr. Mueller say, 'Here She Comes!' - and immediately I started to cry...I couldn't believe the time had come and she was HERE! She told Justin it was safe to look, and he peeked over the curtain and said 'Oh My God!' then looked at me and told me that she looked just like Hudsen! He was right! A slightly smaller version, but there were so many immediate similarities it was crazy!

I was rolled into the operating room at 9:20am...and at 9:35am, Henley made her grand entrance! We were immediately in love! I remember saying that she had such a 'cute cry'...here we are at week 3, I can definitely say its not so cute anymore :)

Getting 'sewn back together' this time around was definitely more intense than I remember the first time. Justin was taking pictures of Henley as they took care of getting her cleaned up, weighed, etc...and I chatted with Austin. I asked him if he thought everything went good, and he kept reassuring how it had went perfectly. I asked him, if they were almost done....and I will never forget what he said....he peeked over the curtain, and then looked back at me and said 'yep, they are just getting ready to put your uterus back in, and then you'll be outta here.' I had no words. I have always refused to read about or watch a video on a c-section. I didn't and don't want to know how it all goes exactly...but WAIT...'put my uterus back in?!' Where was it?! On a side table? On the floor? Was someone just holding it? Too much information.

Justin came back to my side with Henley for me to hold and all thoughts about the whereabouts of my uterus were thrown out the window! I was finally holding our little girl and that was all that mattered.

A few other special pictures from the hospital..

*Being wheeled by the nursery on our way to our room...so crazy to see your baby through the glass window!*




*Probably the proudest father ever!*

*The next day, Hudsen was introduced to her Little Sister, she immediately started in on her Big Sister role...*

*And one minute later was WAY more interested in a graham cracker*

*I was left alone while Justin ran home to take a shower, and I was stuck in bed so Henley and I had a staring contest :)*

*Last morning in the hospital...so ready to take this little cutie home!*

I want to say a Big Thank You to Justin. Without him I don't think I would have gotten through this. He talked me through so many emotional breakdowns leading up to this important day. The last month my mind was taking me to crazy places, and he always brought me back to Earth...Wildwood, Mo that is :) I am so lucky to have such a great supporter, and I love him more today than I did when I married him 5 years ago.

We are the proud parents of another precious girl, how lucky are we!?

Henley Pierce Backsmeyer
October 26, 2010

9:35am

6lbs 12oz, 19in

This is the LAST time...

So as I sit here, days away from welcoming our 2nd daughter into the world, I cannot help but think about all the changes that are going to take place. Obviously, I have had the last 9months to think about all of the major changes that will occur....but over the last few weeks, its all the little things that have been hitting me hard. I am pretty sure I start most sentences with 'This is the last time...." and it typically followed by a ridiculous moment or mini-event and then maybe a tear or two. Examples are "This is the last time we will go to the Pumpkin Patch with just one child"....

"This is the last time we will go to this park with just one child"....

"This is the last time Hudsen will eat a turkey dog before her sister arrives"...."This is the last time I will take a picture with Hudsen wearing this shirt before baby girl #2 is here..." So as you can see, this has gotten out of hand. Hmmm....this could also explain why Justin is out playing 36holes of golf 3 days before we have the new baby. "This is the last time Justin will play golf before the baby is born..." Can't say I blame him for needing a little break from my hormonal and emotional breakdowns.

But in all honesty, Justin does understand where I am coming from. We talk about how Hudsen's life will change along with ours, and it is a little heart-wrenching to think that for even one moment she wont feel like the most important person in the world to us. We are both terrified that she would at some point feel left out, or jealous of the new baby and the attention she will obviously get. At only 2 years old, we realize that later down the road she will not even remember life without her little sister...which is sad enough to me....as these 2 years have been the most amazing and without a doubt, most memorable, years of our lives.

We are lucky that Hudsen is as anxious to be a big sister as we are to add another little girl to our family. She has already helped us so much in preparation for the big day. I was worried about switching her into her new Big Girl room, that houses her BIG girl bed! But she rolled with the punches, and has officially been sleeping in a FULLsize bed for a month now. She is still our awesome little sleeper too...the room and bed change had no effect on her, and we are amazed that she is still getting 11 hours of sleep each night, and a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. So because of her cooperation, the crib is all ready for baby girl #2! And when walk by the nursery in the hallway, Hudsen often points in and says 'There's ____ room' - (blank to be filled in with baby girl #2s name....that oddly we have managed to keep a secret!).

Most people told me that I am lucky to know the actual date and time of the baby's arrival this time around. With a scheduled C-Section, it does help with the planning...but I must say, actually knowing what time everything will take place has given me all kinds of anxiety. I am not necessarily worried about the procedure, but more so worried about dropping Hudsen off at my parents that morning, knowing that that will be 'The last time I see Hudsen before we have the new baby" - and picturing saying goodbye to her as Justin and I drive off to the hospital for a life changing event has literally got me crying even as I type this. Hudsen loves going to Carmie and Popi's, so there will be no tears on her end...which I am very grateful for, but still...I can't stop thinking about how hard it will be to wave goodbye. Hudsen will come meet the new baby girl the following day, as I didn't want her to see me immediately after since with Hudsen's birth it took a few hours for the medicine and the shakes to wear off...I just didn't want her to see her mom in such a weird state :)

Wednesday will be the big meet and greet day for Hudsen and her little sister. I cannot even imagine how crazy emotional that will be for us. I think that in order for me to get through these last few days I need to stop thinking about all of the 'Lasts' that are occurring, and start focusing on all of the many many 'Firsts' that are to come...

Some that are already running through my head:

-The first time Hudsen sees the new baby

-The first time the FOUR of us are in the car together (driving home from hospital)

-The first family snuggle session on a Sunday morning

-The first Thanksgiving and Christmas with Hudsen and baby girl #2

-The first trip with Mommy to target (wow...that sounds like it will be challenging...may have to cut back on my shopping!)

-The first fight over a toy

-The first time the girls hold hands crossing the street

(I better stop with my list, as its getting a little emotional over here)

There are so many wonderful new memories to be made and Justin and I cannot wait to continue/start this amazing journey with our two girls. Our biggest wish is that they love each other more than anything and grow up as best friends. We know that there will be the typical girl fights and arguments, but we can't help but hope that some day our daughters will one day get married, and we will listen to each of them toast to the other as their Maid of Honor. Wow, so far down the road, I know...but please, remember, I am 9months pregnant, and having a baby in approximately 60hours :)

NESTING

So I remember it like it was yesterday....when I was about 8 months pregnant with Hudsen, a lady at work was asking me about my pregnancy, and all of the fun things that we were doing to prepare for our first child's arrival. I wasn't stressed, or nervous, or concerned....and she said, "Well, have you started 'nesting' yet?" I told her I didn't know, and she laughed, and said 'oh you will!" and she literally walked away laughing.
I kind of forgot about the conversation....until recently!

Now, to be clear... Webster's Dictionary defines nesting as 'to form compactly together'......pregnant people apparently define nesting as 'the uncontrollable urge to clean your house, and generally go crazy doing all sorts of things that will prepare the 'nest' for the new member of the family.'
I don't know why this didn't happen to me during my 1st pregnancy...but I think it has hit me double this time.
Once I feel I have completed the never ending, handwritten, To-Do List that sits on our kitchen counter....I manage to find a why to add 25 more things that I insist must get done BEFORE the new baby gets here. Many of these items are 'honey-do' chores intended for Justin....so you can imagine his excitement each night when he arrives home from a 10hour work day and I present these fun activities and alert him to the importance of the upcoming weekend to get them ALL done! I can't lie, many times he has come home to me either crying because I am overwhelmed with what I have decided needs to get done, or simply whining and bothered by the fact that he would go to work all day and leave me at home with this never ending list. He can settle me down awfully fast in most cases, and usually after dinner I am too tired to even think about the list and go to bed without a care in the world. But like clockwork, when Hudsen goes down for her nap after lunch, I begin to panic....thinking about all of the things I 'should' be doing with the 3hours I have free.
My latest and possibly, most ridiculous, nesting project went a little like this.
Hudsen and I were at target....shocker - as you can find us there pretty much everyday. I don't know how we end up there, but literally, I cannot pass a target without going in. As soon as I see the Red Bulls eye I immediately think of something I need right then and there and pull over. So, there Hudsen and I were, strolling through the store....aisle by aisle, aimlessly searching for something that I was sure I could not live without, when I came across the most beautiful, non-adhesive, contact paper I had ever seen! It was kelly green, rubberized, and just looked great on the shelf it was displayed on. I had found my next naptime project! Did our kitchen cabinets, shelves, pantry...and okay, bathroom vanities necessarily NEED new contact paper??? ABSOLUTELY! There is a baby coming, and if it doesn't get done now, it NEVER will....and this is exactly how I rationalized it to myself, and later to Justin when he was confused about the randomness of my latest home assignment. So I stocked up and pretty much bought out the stores supply of the exquisite contact paper that I felt so lucky to have found.
We headed home for lunch and I quickly shuffled Hudsen up to her room for naptime. It was as if I couldn't get to this new project fast enough. I wanted to clean, organize, and then later that evening literally present the kitchen to my husband when he came home. So I got to work as soon as Hudsen's head hit the sheets. Again, I cannot lie...this activity was a bit more challenging than I had envisioned. Taking everything out of of every shelf as I went along was quite time consuming. Especially when I was on the floor maneuvering around the pots and pans and larger pieces that at 8+ months pregnant felt like bricks. Measuring every space, and then cutting the liner to fit, and I was always off by a little, so then more time was taken up to trim it to fit perfectly. I had been wearing a long, cotton, green, maxi-dress this day, and I must admit, it was probably one of the few things in my closet that still fit. About 1/2 way through I was sitting, Indian - style, in the kitchen, cutting the paper, maybe a little too quickly, to fit under the sink, I felt something weird. I stopped cutting, and lifted up the contact paper, only to find that I had cut directly into my dress....a straight line about 8inches long. Classic. Now what was I going to wear?! Perhaps I can patch it up with my matching green contact paper?! :)
I did finish this project before Justin came home. I wouldn't say that his excitement level went through the roof when he saw that I had lined every drawer, cabinet, and shelf possible in our house but I do think that he appreciated the effort. An organized house is a happy house.

Now that I have nestled into nesting, I find myself nested...my only worry now is how quickly I can get my hands on a Nestle Crunch!

Friday Night Lights

Written By: Justin Backsmeyer


I have always been a football fan. More NFL than college in large part because I did not attend college. I suppose if I would have, I would spend my Saturdays in front of the TV or making weekend trips to the ‘ole’ alma mater for a little tailgating and debauchery. Over the last couple years, 7 to be exact I have been working on Saturdays and Sundays during football season. So suffice it to say I have not followed football as much as I would like.

Go back to my high School days, it was all about Friday Nights! My love for Friday Nights began when my brother played football for Parkway South as attending games would be the highlight of my week. It of course continued as I would attend Friday night games at my high school, DeSmet however, at the time…. DeSmet football was a lack luster team. A friend of mine would refer to it as a Mickey Mouse operation! I wouldn’t go that far, but it was still exciting to go to the game watch your boys play hoping for a school victory as you socialize with friends and make plans for post game activities. Good times!!

Now as I am a husband a father of one almost two, I still love Friday Nights…Friday Night Lights that is!!!! The NBC show that follows a small town Texas football team, the Dillon Panthers!

I have known many people from Texas and the one constant is they all have their passion for high school football. This is evident in the show as they depict a small town that follows their team through thick and thin. Brittani and I have become obsessed with the show. Every week we order a couple of dvds as we are renting them since we haven’t followed the show while it has been airing. Our nights usually consist of feeding Hudsen, playing with Hudsen, and finally putting her down around 8pm. We both know what time it is….2 episodes, exactly 80 minutes of great television. We have never been big into following television dramas, which is why it's so surprising how fast we got addicted to this show. Between the hard nosed head coach, Coach Taylor and their all star team that consist of Jason Street, All-American quarterback and All-State running back Brian ‘Smash’ Williams it is easy to get excited about what is going on in Dillon! They also take you on the journey of a number of relationships that transpire through-out the show….Tim Riggins (my personal favorite character) and Tyra Collette….Jason Street and Lila Garrity and finally the best story line back up quarterback, soon to be QB-1 Matt Saracen who ends up dating Coach Taylor’s daughter. This show covers everything from being a wholesome family to using steroids and your usual teenage temptations.

If you watch the show, it is easy to know why we love our Friday Night Lights, so much that it has inspired me to take the family to our nearby high school Lafayette to experience Friday Night lights Wildwood style. This of course would also be Hudsen’s first time taking part in one of America’s great traditions! As a family we enjoyed watching the team walk out to the field arms interlocked proud to play and represent their school, something very inspiring about that.

Knowing these young men are making memories of a lifetime and that many of them will hang onto those memories for the rest of their lives, eventually, one day watching another group of young men take the field with their children as I did with my daughter that night. As I never played a down of football it did remind me of time of my life that I was so proud of. I suppose that is why the tradition of high school football is still around.

We are now reaching the end of Season 4 waiting for Season 5. The anticipation is killing us! Until then, I suppose it is our equivalent to the off-season waiting for the the town of Dillon to come alive!!

Hudsen's 2nd Birthday(s)

Hudsen's 2nd Birthday was a HUGE success! She had the most fun and I really hope she will always remember it! It was a 2 night celebration....First celebration on her actual birthday, and the 2nd celebration that weekend.

On her birthday she and I hit the park for a little while during the day and later our families got together at my parents house for some presents, dinner and cake. Hudsen had blast opening a few gifts and showing off everything she can do in front of both sets of grandparents, and my brother. It was pretty funny to see how she thrived on all of the attention!

Here are a few pics from the day!

Fun at Anniversary Park...

Opening Presents at Carmi and Popi's

2 Proud Grandmothers

(Carmi and Mimi)

Checking out her Birthday Cake (she may look excited, but she actually would not be eating any due to her pickyness....and her egg allergy) :)

PARTY DAY!

We decided early on that we wanted to have her Party at MyGym....for a few reasons.
1. We knew we were either going to have just moved into a new house, our house would still be on the market, or we would have just taken it off the market and would be getting it ready for Baby #2. Well, it ended up not selling, and was in such chaos that it was a good choice booking it at the gym.

2. Hudsen LOVES MyGym. It is such a fun place for kids, especially at her age! Usually we go once a week to a fairly structured class...this would be structured event...but it would be all about the Birthday Girl, and the sweet MyGym instructors would follow her lead. (which was usually following her into the balls, on the swings, or from one rocking toy to another :) )

3. We knew we would have quite a few kids there, and what a great way to keep everyone entertained!

We arrived about 10 minutes early to help with any set up, and there was no set-up....even better! Just a come-on-in and play situation....loved that! If it would have been at our house, I would have had so many things to worry about....probably would have spent a day wrapping utensils in napkins and tying them with a bow...and another day working on centerpieces...and another day blowing up bounce houses for our non-existent back yard. MyGym took all of that work out of my hands. And instead, all I had to do was:

1. Send out the invitations to our family and Hudsen's 10 best friends (Thank you Courtney Winet for the cute custom invites!)

2. Bring the Cupcakes and Cookies (made by Erin Civey of Lizzie Jean Cookies) - Loved how she kept with the gymnastics themed party with the leotards on the cupcakes and cookies :)

3. Bring some party favors (the one thing I did do myself) :)

4. Bring our camera - to obviously take TONS of pictures! Of course, our battery died about 30minutes in but luckily all of the other parents took so many pictures and were able to share many with us! THANK YOU - especially Lindsay, Sarah and Kim! :)

Here are some pictures of the birthday girl and all of the cute kids.

Sweet Abigail stayed VERY busy!

Harper sees something

fun ahead!

Pretty sure Millie was

smiling the whole time!

Harper, Grant, Hudsen, Bo, Jackson, and little Millie

all enjoying the ball pit!

Cute Caden and Mike

Ashley and little Mack

DOLPHIN SWING!
(this is her FAVORITE!)

Daddy lending a helping
hand to his little princess.

1/2 way through the party, Hudsen was snuck back into the secret storage area and dressed up in a boa and and birthday hat, and then made a GRAND re-entrance back to her Party. They put her on a sled, and swung her around the circle for what felt like days....as she had the most terrified and uncomfortable look on her face the entire time. It was so funny and we captured it on video too. Luckily, this was the only traumatic experience of the day :)

All of the cuties participating in circle time :)

**Amazing birthday celebrating an Amazing 2 years!**