Hudson's Most Waited for Gift

THE CONCRETE MIXER from Momee & Pappy

(probably not terribly interesting for viewing by the general public, except to see how "big" Hudson has gotten :).

"I have been wanting one of these for FOUR years."

-Hudson Michael Bazemore

The first video is long... skip to the last for the prize.

disney "new orleans"

more pool pics

Christmas 1977

guess who?

update

a HUGE thanks to Matt, Deb, & Emma for taking some awesome family pics of us during our visit!

to catch you up, we moved into a townhouse about a mile from work in july, Hudson turned 1 on August 26th, walked about 2 weeks before that & got his first tooth about 2 weeks later...

we're back to work with the JESUS film, but we've been assigned to full-time support-raising due to our low monthly income... we had the chance to reconnect with a supporting church & lots of current supporters in the Ohio area, but we're looking for more! we're trying to make up a lot of lost support & to raise additional to cover increases in health care, cost of living, ministry expenses & various other increases related to having a baby :). we are praying we'll be back on the field by early next year!

mike primarily works from home, but is going into the office once or twice a week -- mostly to work on support -- but also to keep abreast of what's happening in his new position -- he'll be taking over the production of new JESUS film translations & recordings for Europe (including Eastern Europe & Russia), the Americas (north, south & central), and an area called "Oceania", which includes Australia & New Zealand... so we're anxious to get back to work! A big push right now in JESUS film is the translation & recording of a new tool targeting women called "Magdalena"... to learn more about this film, which focuses on Jesus' interaction with women during his time on earth, go to http://www.magdalenamovie.com/.
caryn is also looking into ways she can be involved with the ministry... she's been helping a bit with an event at headquarters & is doing research for a writing project related to Magdalena when she's not chasing Hudson around or going to the free Jazzercise classes at headquarters - the doc says she's got osteopenia in her hips, so she's committed to weight-bearing exercise!
in mike's free time, he's gotten back into his kempo classes, volunteering doing handyman stuff at church, and is currently helping a friend get a roof on his house.

father & son

True Story.

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'. They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes'.For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together. Here's video footage of the duo...



for more of the story:http://www.snopes.com/glurge/teamhoyt.asp

to you....

new blanket from grandma

first camping trip

moss park... orlando, florida while dad sets up camp... we slept snugly in mike's 3 man backpacker tent (translation: small)
love to hike with dad...
... and chill with mom
around the campfire
happy campers

for mom

this is from an email forward i recently received ... author unknown.

I'm Invisible

It all began to make sense,the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm onthe phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it? 'I'm a satellite guide to answer,'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, and she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package,and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on theinside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by there of? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees. I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make everyday, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. 'At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

laughing with pappy

first visit from aunt & uncle

thanksgiving

very thankful for friends...

big weekend

Hudson was introduced to the world of large machines last weekend...


Most of the time, he sat with Mom, which was fine because it was a gorgeous day...

...watching Dad do some work clearing land for a volleyball court at headquarters...



...then he finally got to experience the driver's seat of a Kubota.

Dad thinks it's good to start him early on the important things.

2 months

...mom's a bit late, but i'm 2 months old now!see how big i am getting? up to 11 lbs 14 oz at my 2 month check up :) (i was born at 7lb10oz, but went down to 6lb13oz by the 2nd day, so i've gained a lot since then!)
my first 2 girlfriends, juliet & olivia... with their dad, paul

my first pair of shades

my room... see the sweet blanket grandma made me?

here's where i sleep

thanks for the visit!

enjoyed having you grandma & grandpa!

firsts....

first halloween

first bath... ok, first bath without major screaming

probably because his momee was bathing him

the shower

some lovely friends (pictured left) threw me a lovely shower before hudson's arrival...








lovely food...















lovely gifts...






lovely Mommee (french grandmother title) came into town.

almost baby

my mom came into town a week ago last wednesday for a little visit....
since she was going to be around, mike & i decided it would be a great time for him to get away for a few days for one last pre-fatherhood camping trip... being the responsible fellow he is, he set up camp at Moss Park, a campground just about 20 minutes away from home... i still had a month to go, after all, but who knows what can happen?

thursday morning, my mom came with me to my baby appointment & after a routine exam, i felt a little "trickle"... the midwife turned around & asked matter-of-factly, "did you feel that?"
"yes," i replied.
after doing some sort of litmus test on the fluid, she looked a little flustered & said she was going to talk with jennie, the head midwife.

after a few long minutes, jennie returned & explained that my water very probably broke... & that she would need to admit me to the hospital. immediately. to induce labor.
i was going to have a baby last thursday.

you see, current medical policy requires that once your water breaks, they want you to deliver within 24 hours... and because i was only 36 1/2 weeks pregnant (37 weeks is "officially" full-term), i had to do it at the hospital, instead of at my beloved birthing center, bc at that moment i was considered "high risk".

meanwhile at the campground, mike was peaking out at a family of turkeys outside his tent when he got a phone call from me. i can't remember all the details, but i remember being accused several times of joking, & mike reminds me i was a bit too calm about the whole situation for him to take me seriously.

about 45 minutes later, we all met at home (he actually beat us there, despite having to disassemble his tent & pack up camp -- wish i could have been one of those turkeys to watch it all) to get the "baby bag" together & go meet our firstborn...

so to make a long story a bit shorter, after about 6 hours in the hospital, lots of pokes & prods, tests, an ultrasound, & my very first IV, the doctor concluded that if my water had broken, it had somehow "sealed back up" & that i could just go home & wait for things to happen normally.

so far so good. whew.


come back later for more excitement about our recent move into our new apartment & the unwanted guests we met there.