The Hodges Crew

A Helping Hand

2009-04-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All. I'm not sure how long I can keep up with posting everyday but right now it seems to be working! This morning I was "facebooked" a message from an old friend that I met at my extended stay at Harding for one whole semester! He is a photographer in Texas now and he is trying to raise money to donate his time and services for a good cause: Here's a little more about what he is doing:

" I am partnering with physicians for human rights, a co-recipiant of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, to document the effect of PEPFAR funds on lives in Rwanda. In 2008 the United States designated nealy 50 billion to combat HIV & AIDS. malaria, turburculosis, and other infectious diseases in Africa. My plan is to spend several weeks in May, working with physicians, public health centers, and several individuals, helping to tell the story of the impact this program is having on this contry."

You can read in much more detail about Greg, his mission, and this program on his website: http://gregkendallball.com/rwanda-2009/. If you are intersted in his mission and want to help out his cause you can donate on his website as well. Also feel free to spread the word on your own blogs.

Precious Little Girl

2009-04-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have had a little free time over the last couple of days so I have been surfing the blog world to get a better handle on what it is I am doing here. Today I came across this site: Cora's Playground. It is heart breaking and inspiring at the same time. I would encourage you to check it out. Her mother now has an etsy shop that is rather cool as well and they are using it as a support for little Cora.

Some stuff that I think is just down right cool...

2009-04-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

I used to have this desk! It was my grandpa's. If I would have been a little creative I could have made it into a really neat piece...

I love this green bench!

Is this not the cutest baby's room ever.... well I seriously doubt that I will be having anymore kids but I might just use this color scheme for Ally's next room redo.

I found the coolest blog yet today. I have spent 2 or 3 hours plus looking through all of her stuff! The blog is called knack you can find it in my blog list. I have no idea how to make it to where you can click on the link (oh I just figured that out!!) and it takes you there but her stuff is amazing! She is doing exactly what I would be doing if I had the time. She takes old furniture and paints it and stains it and distresses it and whala! A beautiful masterpiece! I have some of her pieces here. You really need to check her out! Her stuff is wonderful!!

This bench is from Knack.

Love this idea! Some day maybe I will have time to do some of this for myself!

Taking a Break From Reality at Work...

2009-04-06T11:42:00.001-07:00

I think it has been a month or two since I have posted anything on this blog. Shame on me yes I know. For some reason my professors think that to graduate I have to actually do stuff to pass my classes. I don't like it but it's one of those stinkin facts of life that you just have to deal with. A little update on my status... I should still be graduating in August. My assistantship is up May 15th (HOORAY!!!!) and I will start my internship (at an undisclosed location- for now :)) in June. I have to say it has been a long time coming and I honestly won't know what to do with myself when I can get a semi real pay check each week... BUT I WELCOME IT WITH OPEN ARMS!! It finally seems like we are making progress with all this schools stuff and it feels kinda nice. Jeremy still has a couple of years left, but he gets to start his rotations in a couple of weeks so no more constant cramming for tests!! I think it goes without saying that he is ready for this change in a big way. Next year he will get to start picking locations for his externships which is a big deal because hopefully one of those places he will be able to get in a work when he gets out of school. The kids and I are crossing our fingers for Texas! As far as the kiddos go they are doing great. Brennan turns 8 tomorrow!! I can't believe how fast he has grown. He is turning into a little man. Ally turns 5 in 3 weeks and she already thinks she is a grown up so I'm not sure where we go from here with her! She's a little fire cracker that constantly keeps up on our toes. I have added some photos from the last little bit. Enjoy! I am sure that I will have some photos from Brennan's birthday soon. We aren't celebrating with a party until the 25th (combined with Ally's party) but we are taking him out to eat tomorrow and he gets a couple of presents... it works out pretty well! Ally's hair is short now! Some of these pictures are from before I cut it... sorry for the confussion!
Brennan's using the force

All the little rugrats (Neil & Amy's girls & my two)

Ready for church

They are really excited about Liberity Tax Service

I love this picture!

Ally's sleepover with her two 2nd cousins

These bathing beauties are 3 peas in a pod.... most of the time!! :)

Brennan looks so old in his camo

Chicken on a stick at the International Festival

Brennan loved these things... whatever they were

Me and the kiddos

Brennan and his favorite 2nd cousin Dalton

Brennan and his cousin Trent

The kids

Ally all smiles

Ahh... the Penguin Project

2009-02-01T10:55:00.001-08:00

As I promised here are the penguin project pictures. I have to say that Brennan is a fairly good sewer. I may have to put him to work before long.

2009-01-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

Camping in Mississippi this fall

Fishing sometime this summer!

These are photos that I had drawn for Chrismas prestents

Al and I this summer some time

Shorty needed a lot of help apparelty

Sassy Ally while brushing the pony

SO I had a camera that wouldn't work... and finally went and bought another one. a couple months later Jeremy got the other camera to work again (go figure) and I found some pictures that I hadn't posted that I thought I lost! :( So here are a few. I found the funniest video of Ally (at least I think so) on the camera but I can't get it to download. Apparently I am doing something wrong with that. Maybe later. As for lately. SCHOOL consumes me. I few minor breakdowns help my sanity along this journey and I continue to truck on. Jeremy is doing about the same... study study study. What were we thinking? Well with He-man and wonder woman you wouldn't expect anything less of us right?! The kids are doing great. Brennan had penguin presentation today at school and a penguin project. I have to say Brennan and I made a pretty awesome penguin! I do have pictures and I promise to download them soon. I have to get the pictures of my computer that are slowing this thing down first before I add some more. But never fear you will see the coolest penguin ever thrown together in one night soon.

A Little Catching Up to Do!

2009-01-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well I thought that I was going to keep up with this blog better than this! Last time I was on was last summer... that's a little sad. Well let's see... there has been Thanksgiving, Christmas, 10th Anniversary, and school starting back (once again). Oh and did I mention that I am addicted to House now? Oh yes. Instead of reading and typing papers I watch back to back episodes of House. Anyway... Christmas was good. The kids got way too much stuff as they do every year. Our house is an official war zone (star wars style). I painted the office and let the kids take it over as a play room over break. I do like the color so if I ever find a painter that will call me back I think I may use it for the living room too. The kids are great. Ally has had some issues with lying to her teacher because "she has better snacks" but we hopefully have that issue lined out. Our Anniversary was nice. Jeremy too me to The Cedar Creek Lodge in Branson Missouri for the weekend. It was extremely cold but our cabin was right by the resturant so that was great!

So if you are like be you would rather look at the pictures that read my ramblings! So I will stop now and post some pictures!! Oh and I did figure out how to change my background thankgoodness! :)

DA BEACH II

2008-09-11T19:19:00.001-07:00

DA BEACH

2008-09-11T18:58:00.001-07:00

2008-09-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

So I am about as busy as I have ever been but loving it (most of the time) if that makes since. Since classes have started back I now am going to classes as usual but I have a GA position at the Student Counseling Office here on campus as well. I really am enjoying this and I am hoping it turns into something else in the future. I still have till next December before I graduate and then I have to sit for the LPC (licensure exam :( yuck ) but I feel like I am finally getting somewhere with all this school stuff. I sit around and think how great it will be to have a real pay check sometimes! Anyway I am liking what I am doing finally.

The kiddos are growing like little weeds these days. We changed schools this year and it has shown to be a good decission. They get to see each other sometimes during the day but also it has just been a better fit for Brennan. It's a small christian school that actually teaches the Bible like it's supposed to (that was a big plus). I do know that there will be things that I won't necessarily agree with along the way (that will happen anywhere) but I feel much more comfortable with the fact that my kids are there and not at the Academy where Brennan went last year. Brennan has found his twin he says. They both love Star Wars and they both hate vegetables! So, he is loving it! Ally thinks she is IT now that she is in big girl school. I can already tell that she has learned a lot and she is so proud to show me what she has done everyday when she gets home from school.

As for Jeremy he is stuck at school most of the time. I can tell that this year is going to be a lot harder for him than last year. He has really been doing well with all the pressure that is on him, but I still feel bad for him having to spend so much time in the books.

I know I promised pictures from the beach and Disney World. I will put them on here! But right now I am at work and I better get back to it.

I am having a time with this!!

2008-07-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have tried to post things today that have been translated into Hindi or something like that. I think that I finally have that taken care of but I still feel like have no idea how to work this blogger stuff and to think that I am a wiz at Facebook!

So this summer has been a big blur. I had class for the first of the summer and the rest has flown by. I realized this week that it is almost over. I really am not looking forward to going back into full force but yet it has to be done. Yesterday Jeremy and I decided that the kids will be changing to a different school. It was a long thought out decision but I think it was the right one. Brennan never seemed truly happy at Starkville Academy and the children as well as the parents all seemed fairly cliquish. Apparently we weren't in the clicks! No hard done though we are happy with the school we have chosen and they are too. We all went out and visited yesterday. Ally got to meet her teacher and has been asking when she gets to start ever since. Brennan told us to ask him what he liked about his new school and he thought for a minute and said everything! I think it will be a good move for them and I am happy that we found Hebron Christian.

Next Wednesday we leave Starkville for the Magical world of Disney! The kids are ecstatic and Ally has been asking pretty much anyone who will listen to come with us! We will be there for 3 days and then off to the beach for 7 days. It will be one crazy trip but I know we all will enjoy it and it will make some great memories! When I get back I will be sure to put some pictures on!

सम न्यू पिक्टुरेस थे किड्स.

2008-07-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have yet to figure this thing out!

2008-07-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

वही इस थिस थिंग टाइपिंग इन जपनेसे!! इ ऍम सोऊ इल्लेतेराते!!

Am I special??

2008-06-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ok maybe that is not the politically correct term for it but... I am not getting this!! How do I look up my friends blogs? How do I add them to my friend list? AND how do I search for other people's that I might know!!!!??? I feel sooo confused!

I am sooo not a Blogger

2008-06-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

So I am usually pretty computer friendly not to toot my own horn or anything! But if I piddle with things long enough I can usually figure them out... but I am not getting this blog thing figured out very fast. Maybe it's because I get on here around once a month (which I am going to try to get better about!) or maybe it's because I usually have at least one child (usually Ally) crawling all over me at any given moment of the day if I'm not in class. I'm not sure.... but I am getting a little frustrated with this whole mess!! Never fear though I will press on and persevere... what else can I do!? But if there are any wonderful folks out there that want to help this poor Arkansas/Mississippi girl out I will welcome the suggestions!!

I am off to work on this crazy blog and find some fellow blogger friends! Farwell for now!

The Begining of My Second Attempt

2008-06-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well I have tried this blog stuff before and failed miserably, but after talking to my sister in law... aka "the Queen of blogging" I decided to give it another try this summer. No I probably won't be able to keep it quite so up to date as Amy :) ... BUT you might be able to see something every once in a while! Here it goes...