the hodges family

sweet Cash...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:47:00 +0000

Well it's been a whirlwind of emotion this last week as on Thursday evening Cash began excessively throwing up. Brent and I weren't terribly concerned @ first, as he had two days earlier scooped a handful of raw egg into his mouth while helping me make breakfast. (nasty) :) So it was our assumption (and also the doctors concern) that he had developed salmonella poisoning. Many of the symptoms include extreme stomach cramping, vomiting, etc. So as he went through the phases, he began having extreme diarhea for two days, then began vomiting again. When the vomiting started up again we became really worried and new something else had to be going on. At this point we took him to urgent care to have him checked out (where they did check for appendicitis, but he showed no pain when his right side was pressed on firmly.) So we were sent home and being monitored over the phone with our Dr. every few hours.

Come Tuesday Brent and I had booked a resort in Scottsdale for our 3 days this year we were going to be together without our kids. We had already arranged for Brent's parents to keep the kids, and so to get out of the house and still enjoy what we had already paid for, we brought Cash along and were able to really focus on taking care of him that way. Mase and Marli went on to Grams and Pops and LOVED the extra attention they were getting @ their house. We were @ the hotel for an hour and half or so before we decided to take him to the hospital.

We got here, and found after getting a CT scan that his appendix had ruptured. Apparently for young children, it's not safe to operate immediately if the appendix already burst. So what they prefer to do is go in for the first surgery to drain the infection that's formed a large absess around the appendix. THEN treat with antibiotics forever ;) and 6 to 8 weeks later when his little body isn't so compromised, then they go in and remove the appendix remains. I was always under the impression if your appendix burst it needed removed immediately. So as we waited all night in the ER knowing it had burst, our hearts were breaking, and our minds were wandering like crazy. Because this can be deadly. The kept telling us they were monitoring him keeping him comfortable, etc. and in my mind, I'm thinking of course he's comforable, you're pumping morphine into him, all the while this infection is spreading through his body. Needless to say, after several attempts of getting an IV in, all the while Cash screaming, sweating, we were assured that the operation needed to wait. So we waited.

Literally hundreds of times I've heard that heartbreaking "owie" out of Cashes little mouth, but finally @ 3 yesterday they went in to drain the infection. I've never had to see one of my children be put under, but that was disturbing to say the least. They warned us that he'd scream because the medicine burns, so as we were kissing his sweet face he was screeeeaaaming then looked at us and in one second went from screaming to out cold. Crazy to me how fast that works and also alarming. Brent and I came out to the waiting room and held each other crying. You may expect that from me, but when I see my husband who as most of you know, is not your typical crier, breakdown, I have no chance of holding it together.

So...procedure went well, he now has a drain that is continuing to come out of his little body & a port for IV's from home after we leave here that goes up through his arm into his heart. He was resting comfortably and Brent and I noticed his tummy started to grow by what felt like the second. It was rock hard and expanding quickly. THe surgeon came to our room to check on him and began filling us in on the new scenario. His bowels began to shut down. Very common, however if the large intestine were to shut down, they'd need to operate immediately again to revive it. So doctors and nurses were rushing in and out of our room, calling the xray team up, and getting the surgical team on standby in case he had to be rushed in. The nurses came in and quickly put a tube in his nose that went to his tummy and it began draining an excessive amt. of fluid out. His heart rate was through the roof, because he couldn't breath. His stomach swelling was taking up all of this space to breath and the tiny little un-swollen top part of his chest was rapidly raising up and down. As Brent and I sat by the bed and tried to calm him and hold his hands I had moments of being unable to breath myself. I thought there was a chance we might lose him. I glanced @ Brent in our state of feeling helpless and saw tears just streaming down his face. It was the scariest moment by far of our minimal years as parents.

However, the draining of his tummy helped and we got good news that only his small bowels had shut down, therefore no addition operation was necessary. The doctor that was on this evening was sent to me from Jesus, I believe. He sat next to me and as he was explaining Cash's situation I began to cry and he was very reassuring and just such a nice guy. He kept coming into our room after things calmed down just to visit with us and assure us of the progress Cash was making, etc. Don't get me wrong, I've been very pleased with ALL of the doctors and nurses we've had here, however, I did flat out ask one of them if Cash was going to die (before his operation and things were up in the air) and he looked @ me, and said, "well, Jessica I can't say no." then proceeded to explain how in Cash's situation he'd be very surprised if he were to die, etc he's just unable to say for certain, he just phrased it horribly. :)

SO...things are looking up. The plan is to be here for another week on antibiotics, then home for 10 days with antibiotics in the little IV that goes to his heart then back again in 6-8 weeks for another operation. But he's going to be just fine and is the strongest little guy. All the nurses keep telling us that he's handling his pain extremely well.

Through all of this Brent and I both have been dealing with extreme guilt. That darn mom-guilt that nothing we do is ever good enough all though we're trying our best. I keep picturing him hobbling around our house holding his tummy telling myself, I should've known it was something more. I have TWICE the guilt because dag-gum...MY APPENDIX has ruptured. When I was in High school. I am crying right now just playing through the "what-ifs" of the situation, but God is giving me very special moments of peace that have outweighed all the anxieties. The surgeon also assured me that over 50% of kids Cash's age who come in with appendicitis, it's already ruptured. Because they can't vocalize specifically the right side of their tummy hurts, etc. AND HE has never operated on a child Cash's age who's hadn't already ruptured. SO he made me feel better for a few minutes :) I think if anything we've learned not to get so 'tunnel' focused thinking it's only salmonella, etc. Who knows if he even had salmonella! But if this raw egg incident wouldn't have happened we probably would've thought to bring him in sooner, although, day 3 of all of it was when they checked his appendix @ urgent care and by then they said it may have already ruptured because it didn't bother him when they pushed on the right side that day. So...even if we would've brought him in sooner we could still be where we are right now. God has had his hand in all of this and that has been extremely evident.

He has drawn so near to us, and I've just been overwhelmed with thankfulness for His healing power and the love and support from friends and family makes me cry every time I even mention it. We have so much to be grateful for and things could be much much worse than they are. So we're so happy that things God-willing will get easier for little Cash Isaiah from here! But take it from me, if your child starts puking, no matter WHAT has happened the day before, make sure the right side of his little belly isn't causing excruciating pain... :(

Sweet Cash,
You have been through so much this last week, it's been heartbreaking to see you in so much pain and going through so many procedures @ this hospital...I'm lifting you up again right now to our heavenly father who's already holding you in his arms. I pray that His healing touch will continue to come over your little body and fully heal this infection. Mommy is so sorry we didn't catch this sooner, I have so many feelings of things I wish looking back, I would've thought about. I am so proud of you and how strong you have been through all of this, and I'm sooo excited to get to see you smiling & laughing again with that sweet, feisty little personality of yours shining through. I'm missing that, but am so thankful that you are on the road to getting better. You hold our hearts in your tiny little hands. We love you so much.

Marli Grace

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:48:00 +0000

Well, we're feeling overwhelmingly blessed as we've welcomed our third child into the world. Marli Grace was born on February 19th @ 6:06am weighing in @ 8lbs and 14 ounces...larger than both of her brothers, AND 9 days early due to an induction :). BIG healthy baby! Our doctor had been 'suggesting' that we possibly consider inducing because of her size, she was afraid Marli would be extremely large, so we decided to go ahead and schedule her delivery. The night we were to get called into the hospital came and went, because they were so busy. SO the following night Brent and I had taken the boys to the park and we were playing when all of the sudden, my phone rang and it was the nurse saying to come in!!! Emotions were high!! :) We were sooo excited we all ran home and got our things together and headed in right away. They started inducing me @ 8pm and she made her arrival @ 6 am the next morning. I survived the delivery without an epidural which was my goal...and it took me a few days to be able to say this, but I preferred not having one, as opposed to having one with both boys. I felt much better and Marli was much healthier as well! So the delivery went great. God has blessed us with the most content, sweet little girl. Marli hardly ever cries, unless there's something wrong, and even then her cry is so quiet. She will willingly coast off to sleep on her own several times a day...and even @ night sometimes. She is SO sweet.

Life as a family of 5 is going so great! Marli has two doting big brothers ;) whom literally give her kisses all day long and love her to pieces. They always are wanting to fill her in on what they're doing, or share their toys, or hold her. She is loved by so so many. Daddy has been super busy this month, just between work, teaching a class, flag football, and softball umpiring...so the time we have all together we do our best to maximize. He's the hardest working husband, father, and employee that I know, and I am so proud of him and all he's doing. On the flip side of that, we're ALL very excited that things are going to slow way down here soon!

Marli has brightened our world up even more, and we feel so lucky to have her in our lives. She's got the sweetest little smiles, and is starting to respond now to familiar voices, and sounds. It's so cute...her little smile melts our hearts. It's hard to believe she's already over one month old...I wish @ times we could freeze these moments because they go entirely too fast, but we're doing our best to cling to each minute of everyday by enjoying it to the fullest...precious times these are with our three little children.

Marli Grace,
You, our sweet little girl, light up our world!!! Your mommy and daddy, and two big brothers love you more than you can imagine. But even above our love, is your heavenly father's love for you, and that is beyond even our understanding because of how limitless and astounding it is. Your daddy and I are already praying everyday that one day, you'll come to know Jesus as your own and that He'll be your best friend and guide. We are also praying that we do all we can to get you to that place and raise you in a home that shows you his love daily. We are so far from perfect, but through His help we pray that you will see Him in us and through us in our home. How blessed we are to be your mommy and daddy and have the joy of watching you grow into the woman God has created you to be. You are beautiful, Marli Grace and we love you so so much. As your brothers would say "we love you to the moon and the sun, the moon and the sun, the moon and the sun, and back ;)"
Love,
Daddy, Mommy, Mason and Cash
Here are lots of pictures from Marli's arrival :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!! :)

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Haha, I think that was my blog title last Christmas, but it's so true. We LOVE this time of year...how can you contain your joy when celebrating our Savior and His birth...and how great that we really can celebrate that all year long! This year, we decorated way early (beginning of November!) so we had lots of time to enjoy all the festivities! Our Christmas was spent this year with my side of the family. We woke up Christmas morning, had Christmas the four of us, then 17 of our family who were here from out of town, etc...all came over for the afternoon/evening.

The excitement @ Christmas takes on a whole new meaning with little ones in the house, who believe in Santa :) it's soooo much fun, and just as exciting for us :) to see them so anxious and excited. We had a very very special day...here are some pictures!

Polar Express

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:29:00 +0000

We decided this year, with the boys being a bit more 'understanding' of Christmas that we'd take them to the Polar Express! We had heard great things about it, and boy did all those expectations get met and even exceeded! It was SO much fun...the boys were BEYOND excited, and seeing them with so much anticipation of meeting Santa, riding the polar express, singing Christmas songs, etc...was so so sweet. (I almost cried a couple times! surprise surprise ;)) We made a couple days out of it and stayed @ a hotel for a few nights, which is always such a nice treat! Daddy arranged all of that as a bit of a surprise to us, which was super fun! It was also fun to be in some cooooold wintery weather, although we were hoping for some snow, there wasn't any of that to play in.

A few hi-lights...Mase LOVES the lights, and there were TONS of Christmas lights everywhere, so that just lit up his world...and of course, meeting Santa was super exciting, too!!!! And Cash's favorite part was singing all the Christmas songs on the way home...with his little songbook he was LOVING that part!!!

These are memories I want to remember forever!!! ;) such a special weekend...loved every minute of it.
waiting in excitement to get to the north pole...

Random one of Cash, he for some reason wanted to take his clothes off and play in the sink @ the hotel :)

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:17:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is one of the best holiday's...right up there with Christmas. A great reminder of how much we do truly have to be thankful for all year round, and not just on that one day, but every minute of every SINGLE day. I feel so unworthy of the blessings in my life, but try to make an effort to not take for granted any of them. This year, we celebrated with the Hodges @ Grams and Pops new beautiful home in Goodyear.

Our dear dear family, and of course lots of yummy food...a very special day it was. Here are a couple pictures of the kids...Mommy was throwing up most of the day, therefore didn't take as many pictures as normal! But that's alright, it was a great day!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Halloween Night...2010

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:51:00 +0000

As I previously mentioned, for Cash's second birthday we celebrated on Halloween by having a family halloween/costume/birthday party! Our family were all good sports and we had some fun dressing up with the kids. Our evening was spent celebrating Cash with a birthday dinner, cake, then gifts and we topped the evening off with trick-or-treating around the neighborhood for LOTS of candy! It was SUCH a fun Halloween...one to remember :) Daddy was the "candy-burglar", Mommy was a leopard, Mase was a studly Batman, and Cash was an adorable Buzz...the kids were too cute!
here are some pictures from the night...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CASH!

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:26:00 +0000

Oh my goodness...it's hard to believe Cash's two year birthday has already passed us by!! What a blessed two years we've had with this precious little boy. You've brought us SO much joy, Cash....and we love you so so much!

Cash has the sweetest little personality, gives kisses away so freely, uses his eyes to do most of his talking :), and has his daddy's funny sense of humor, and dance moves! We celebrated Cash's birthday on Halloween this year and had a costume party with all of the family! It was sure fun...Cash picked out his costume, Buzz :) and loved looking @ himself in the mirror when he had it on, he turned into a different little boy!

We are so lucky that all of our family (aside from great grandparents, and lots of great aunts/uncles, etc) are close by, being together often, and ESPECIALLY times like these is truly priceless. We feel so blessed.

Precious Cash Isaiah,
We can't believe you're already two years old. Your mommy and daddy (and Mason!) are so so proud of you and the little boy you've become...we look forward to many many many more memories with you and your sweet sweet little personality! (although one which holds his own as well!!! hehe) Happy Birthday, little man, you are such an incredible blessing to us. We love you, Cash Isaiah! Love, Mommy, Daddy, and Mase

summer 'stay-cation'

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:59:00 +0000

This past August, Brent, the boys and I had a week off all together and spend 7 nights @ the wigwam resort here in Litchfield Park! It was super cheap because it's seriously hot here but we made the best of the weather, by doing lots of things indoors around AZ we typically don't do often...children's museum, trip to the aquarium, indoor putt-putting, swimming every night @ the hotel...we had a VERY relaxing week...one that was much needed. Here are some pictures from this little 'getaway'! :)

DISNEYLAND!

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:15:00 +0000

I am a bit out of order...because it almost slipped my mind, to put in the best vacation EVER! :) In May we took the boys to Disneyland for a week and had the most FUN time you could imagine. I have never seen the kids so SO excited, wound up, crazy happy, on cloud nine, than @ the most magical place on earth! :) I cried a couple times, I was so happy, seeing them have so much fun. We really enjoyed ourselves...and stayed from open to close, three days in a row @ the park...and they still wanted more! They were little energizer bunnies...and we LOVED it. There were so many pictures from this oh so memorable vacation!!!! We all talk about how we can't wait to go back!

Hodges Baby #3...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:58:00 +0000

So a fairly quick two months after our miscarriage, God blessed us with another pregnancy...we were (and still are) elated in expectation of this little one's arrival! The first trimester is always one of lots and lots of throwing up for me, however, we survived it, and are soaring through our second trimester and nearing the third already! As I'm writing this right now, feeling this life inside of me moving around is nothing shy of miraculous. I feel so thankful and so honored and blessed to be carrying this child inside of me!

We found out not long ago, that this time around, it's a little GIRL!!! I had completely convinced myself it was going to be another boy, so it took some mental adjusting, GIRL REALLY?? we're SO excited, though...and are SURE excited to meet our little one. We're 90% sure we're going to name her Marli (Mar-lee) Grace, but not 100% ;) Mase and Cash are SOOOO excited to meet her, as are her Daddy and I. She'll be gracing us with arrival around the end of February.

Mase insisted it was a girl from the very beginning, so when we found out it was for sure, he was sure to remind us that he had known all along! :) He and Cash will be such caring big brothers. We can't wait to meet you, Baby girl Hodges! :) We love you already!!!

(promise to get a cuter preggo picture next time...this was the only one I could find @ the moment! :) heheh) bummy day picture!

Fourth of July 2010

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Fireworks are another one of my favorite things. Something about them is so romantic to me...the closer you're sitting the better! :) SO much fun. We celebrated this year @ Grams and Pops' house all day swimming with family and enjoying time together then later that night went to catch some fireworks with our friends, the Bowman's. Very fun day of celebrating! Here are some pictures from the fireworks outing...

Mason's THREE!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:34:00 +0000

WHAT? Three years old?? Mason Isaac....YOU have filled our home with so much joy. Your contagious giggles, hysterical sayings, caring personality, loving heart, endless energy, excitable personality...we could go ON and ON. These have been the greatest three years of our lives...and we're so excited to celebrate YOU and your third birthday!

This year for Mase's bday we had it outside @ a park (one of his favorite places to go!) so him and his friends could run around crazy and have all kinds of fun. He got to pick out a lot of his decor, so we ended up with a Nemo pinata, Cars cake, and Dora cupcakes. :) We were surrounded by dear family and loved friends for such a fun afternoon of playing and celebrating.

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY, Mason Isaac!!! WE LOVE YOU!
Love, Mommy, Daddy, and Cash

March 2010

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:22:00 +0000

One of the valley's this month...We were thrilled to find out we were expecting our third little Hodges baby around March this year, only to a couple months later discover this wasn't God's plan after-all...and we experienced our first miscarriage. This was much harder emotionally than I ever realized it was for women. It's so common, but so heartbreaking. Through the grieving, I wrote our little baby a note...

"Dear precious little baby,
You were about seven weeks old in mommy's tummy when God decided He wanted to bring you home to Him. Although you were still very small, we already felt such a connection and bond with you. Your birthday here on earth, would've been somewhere around November 7th, but Jesus had even better plans for you and that was being in His hands and wrapped in His arms from the very beginning.

When yearning for comfort through this devastating loss, God gave us these verses to cling to. Psalm 22:10, 'From birth I was cast upon you, from my mother's womb you have been my God.' Reminding us that God plans our life before we are even born or created and His plan is what is perfect and true.

The second verse, Psalm 24:3-4, 'Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.' This verse especially stood out to your mommy- I couldn't help but sob knowing this fits you completely...your little hands are spotless and your heart pure. God spared you from going through the icky things we face in this world but that doesn't mean we won't miss knowing you,seeing you grow, watching you with your older brothers, and going through life with us.

Our prayer is that our hands be clean and our hearts pure, so that we will see you one day in that glorious place, Heaven. What an amazing and undeniably special day that will be. Until then...we miss and love you deeply. "

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Mason and Cash

New Year...2010

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:58:00 +0000

Another year...I can vividly remember entering 2010 full of anticipation of what the year had in store. It has fulfilled and exceeded my every expectation (and it's not even over yet!) So many fun-filled memories even some unexpected trials, through which God incredibly restores what's been broken. I feel as if it's been one of the most happy years I've ever known. That doesn't mean there hasn't been some heartache along the way, but God's hand upholding me has been the strength and joy that shines through any gloomy situation. AAAH 2010...you have come and almost gone!! Here are some pictures from New Years :)

Christmas 2009

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:57:00 +0000

OH YAH!!! The BESSSSSTT time of year. Not because it's my birthday, but because it's Jesus' :) HaHa! I simply l.o.v.e. Christmas, but who doesn't? Well I'm sure some people don't, they're missing out. I can't ever get enough of Christmas and ESPECIALLY now with our precious little boys, the wonder and excitement has quadrupled again! It's so much fun to celebrate with the boys, and the imagination that goes along with having young ones, it's just incredible. I am so excited it's almost here again this year! :) Last year we celebrated with the Hodges side of the family, and enjoyed so much our precious family time together. We all went up to a cabin up north where there was tons of snow...it was SO fun to be in the cold, snowy weather with a fireplace, etc. It really felt like Christmas! Family, in my eyes, makes everything even THAT much more special too. I feel so blessed we have the relationships we do with all of our extended family. They mean the WORLD to us. Here are some precious memories from Christmas 2009!!! Almost on to 2010...go mommy go!

(this last one cracked me up...Mase staring in awe @ our little Christmas village, in his undies :)) MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thanksgiving 2009

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:40:00 +0000

I LOVE this time of year, every year. The holiday's are just so much fun, and I can't get enough of them! I wish they lasted longer. They always go so fast! This year, I think we're going to decorate for Christmas while Brent's gone (we've got 10 days, that is PLENTY of time to get our house all decked out!) He promised he didn't mind missing out on the fun, although when he gets home he did tell the boys he'd put our outside lights up this year. ;)

We celebrated Thanksgiving @ Mara and Zach's last year and it was so much fun going to their condo for our first big family gathering there. :) The company was superb hehe and the food was quite tasty as well!!

We have been incredibly blessed, and have SO much to be thankful for. I never want to take for granted the overwhelming grace of our Savior Jesus and his unending love. I pray I am in the center of his will for me, always. Right in his hand is where I want to be, and all that goes along with is pure joy...even through the good and the ugly. :) Thank you, Jesus, for our family, health, relationships, and your guidance and love. I can't imagine our lives without you.

Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving 2009...

Halloween 2009

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:22:00 +0000

So Halloween last year was loads of fun as Mase dressed like a pirate, Cash stomped around like a dinosaur...mommy made herself into a kitty, and daddy, well he tattooed himself up and went as a pirate type figure as well :) We had a ton of fun trick-or-treating around Kerry and Tracy's neighborhood with our sweet niece and nephew and enjoyed it so much!!! Here are some Halloween 2009 pictures...just think, we just had Halloween 2010... I'm not TOO far behind....ready go!

(big bird pumpkin :)) We love carving our pumpkins every year as a family...and baking the seeds...making family traditions, so very special!!! Happy Halloween!

time to do some serious updating!

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:00:00 +0000

SO...as I looked @ the last time I blogged, it was APRIL 10, 2010. WOAH. That's a long time ago. I have some good 'ol catching up to do, but am excited to do it. Let's start about a year back... I still haven't blogged on Cash's ONE year birthday! SO...Oct. 29, 2009, our little baby turned ONE. Time just goes SO incredibly fast, and these boys are growing up so quickly right in front of our eyes! Cash's first year brought so much joy to our family. Watching him grow and develop is one of the best things. Seeing him come into his own little personality is adorable. He's has the sweetest demeanor and loves being snuggly, dancing all the time, singing, clapping, playing. He lights up our life! Here are some pictures from ONE year ago...his one year party!

@ Cash's Dr. appt. for his one-year well-check up...he weighed in @ a hefty 25 lbs (90%) his length was 29" (50%) and his head size was large :) 19" (97%) BIG BOY!!! We're so proud of you, Cash Isaiah...HAPPY ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY! here's to many more!

dear Cash....

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:36:00 +0000

My sweet little Cash Isaiah,
Mommy wants to take a minute to let you know how much you mean to me. It may appear as if you're less thought of, since there are many more frequent posts from Mason's first year of his life, but I want you to be re-assured, my heart is full of JUST as much love for you as I have for your older brother, Mommy is just a lot busier, now that we have two of you little ones running around, and Daddy is much busier with work, traveling more...all that to say, I think about updating our blog about you SO much, I just don't get around to it very often, because I typically choose sleep or getting our house somewhat together, or a shower, etc. but there really are no excuses, I'm going to make an attempt to start doing better. Although you are almost 18 months, I'm going to catch all up on YOU. You are sure a joy to our lives, Cash Isaiah, your loving personality, your big blue eyes, your frequent kisses...you lighten our family up in a way I hope you someday can understand. You hold such a special place in our hearts and I wanted you to know, I love you very very much. I thank God that He put you in our lives, every single day. You melt my heart, Cash and I can't wait to get all caught up on you, on our blog!

I love you, my sweet little boy!
Love, your mommy

what a sweet husband I have...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:56:00 +0000

So...I've been organizing things around our house like CRAZY...in case of us moving...and for an upcoming garage sale to get rid of stuff...and as we were going through our master closet...I stumbled across all of brent and I's notes, pictures, etc. from our dating years and it was SO fun to look all through! I came across this poem written to me from my hilarious (boyfriend at the time) on the back of a church bulliten none the less. Enjoy. I laughed hard then and I laughed hard now! ;)

The poet states...

Jessica Renee
O What a Beautiful Name
It means "God's Grace" and she was blessed with an angelic face.

It was love at first sight, partially because her tush is so tight!
A love like ours has no end...
well except her sweet rear-end!

Her eyes can hold my gaze for years...
but that back end brings me to tears!
I never was a "butt" man...
Until I saw Jess' can.

Jessica Renee
O What a beautiful name.
It means "God's Grace" and she was blessed with an amazing ace. ;)

oh. my. word. I love my husband for making me laugh oh so hard. SEE THIS is why I save everything!!!!! it's SO fun to look back on!!! :)

awwh...time to CATCH UP!

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:37:00 +0000

Well, I say this everytime I blog these days, but I do apologize to anyone who may still check this for how horrible I've been at updating. MAN...two kids is definitely busier than one. :) but well worth it! So...time to do some catching up...So get ready...a couple blogs in one.

Back in July when we got back from our amazing trip to IN, we decided to start potty training our big boy Mase. I made him a little potty chart (got that great idea from you, hillary!) and went at it and he did GREAT! it only took him a few days to get it down pretty good, then a few weeks and he was nearly done have accidents at all! I almost feel as it it was a bit too easy, but I'm sure not complaining! Sometimes when I pick him up, I still can't believe he has on big boy underwear...so big. So Mase at 26 months had it down. He still is in pull-ups for naps and at night...we have yet to start working on breaking him of that but will soon! Here are a couple pictures of the process.

well on the 14th of May...Mason Isaac turned TWO!!! In honor of our big boy...we took him to see his favorite 'monster' ever (elmo) in person (as he would say) Sesame Street LIVE was Mason's bday present from mommy and daddy...we all had so much fun. However, Mase may have enjoyed the popcorn even more than he did all the sesame street characters, but a fun birthday it was!!! It's so hard to believe two years have gone by since he made our world a whole lot brighter!!! We love you, very much Mase. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!!! Here are some pictures from the 2 year appt. and from Sesame Street live :)
and @ 2 years Mase was weighing in @ 31 lbs (90%)

In September my beautiful sister, Mara got married to the perfect guy for her, Zach!! It was a whirlwind of emotion a couple of weeks before as our dad experienced a heart attack, then complication after complication from surgeries, etc. We would just cry and cry on the phone worrying about dad's health and also realizing Dad wasn't going to be able to make it to the wedding. It was heartbreaking, but we kept trying to keep things in perspective and be thankful that dad was getting better and that he was okay! Once the wedding events got going, it was easier to relax and not "think" so much about everything. So, needless to say...Mara was the prettiest bride. Her wedding day was so memorable and an absolute blast. We felt so honored to be a part of it...and are soo happy for Mara and Zach. Here are a few pictures from this incredible day!!!! Happy wedding!!!!!
a few rehearsal pictures first...

I have many things to say about our precious Cash but will wait a few days and give him his own blog about his ONE YEAR birthday! Ahhh...it feels good to blog again! ;)

Cael William...the newest Hodges addition...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Well it's been an exciting week!! Kerry and Tracy had their precious baby boy Wednesday Sept. 19th...Cael William weighing in at a healthy 6lbs 7oz. and 21 inches long! He's the sweetest little baby...and we're all beyond THRILLED to have him in our lives. There are so many who love this little guy so much already..even at only a few days old!!! Mason and Cash are pumped to have a new cousin and Mase is old enough to understand and is super excited to have a new cousin...he sees him and says, "he's SOO CUTE" and Cash will understand soon enough...Cash and Cael will be really close in age which will be awesome...and what studly names they have :) and Ry Ry is an adorable doting big sis...it's such an amazing time...and we feel so blessed to be able so share in this time with Kerry and Tracy. We can't wait to have many many memories with this new sweet Cael!! Enough rambling now...I'll get to the pictures (why everyone checks this anyway :) hahah) Love you all!!! Enjoy...
we're all anxiously waiting...

Cael William...

sweet little boy!!!

and he's here!! :) ry ry with her new little brother!

Trac is a beautiful proud new mommy of two!

and a proud uncle...and excited DaddY!

Cash loves him already, too!!!
Mason LOVED meeting Cael...kept checking on him all morning he was sleeping!

we're not excited or anything!

group photo...;) thanks nurse Mary :) haha

what a beautiful family of now FOUR!

and one more sister photo...I love you, Trac and we're SO happy for you guys!!!!

WELCOME BABY CAEL!!!!!!!

So much to catch up on!

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:41:00 +0000

oh my word...I've been absolutely HORRIBLE lately at blogging...I'm disappointed with myself because this is something I do want to try to stay on top of, but needless to say...life's just BUSY and so much fun but with two kids just BUSY! So...we'll play some catching up!

First of all...this past week we went back to Indiana for our vacation this summer and it was SO much fun. It was Cash's first time on an airplane and he did GREAT! Mason did so good too, thanks to some "Meet the Robinsons" his very favorite Disney movie right now. The boys traveled very well, it's just amazing all of the stuff you have to take...carseats...stroller...luckily we had a pack-n-play there waiting...but you feel like you're carting your whole house! but it was very worth it. The weather was SO nice there, in the 70-80's and not very humid at all. we LOVED being outside alot, and the kids loved the green grass everywhere, the thunderstorms, lots of walks! We stayed at Granny and Grandpa's house which was nice, because we don't get to see them much anymore. It was so sweet of them to have us and we loved being able to stay with them...but I'm pretty sure we wore them out completely. They were taking long naps every day and may have slept for a few days in a row after we left :) but it was great to be together. Cash also started crawling everywhere when we were there!! that was exciting...hard to believe he's already that big. He beat his brother by a good few months in that category. Go Cash!! our lives just got a whole lot busier however, he's fast! :)

Brent was in Travis' wedding which was so much fun...a bit like a little reunion and Cristin came up and went with me which was great! We also got to spend time with my dearest Hillary...and her beautiful family and also Nat, Adam, Rene and Simon and all of their sweet kiddos. It was pretty funny when the 8 of us got together there were 8 kids. (and I didn't take ONE picture any of the times we saw each other! BUMMER)Mase is still asking to go to hillary and joel's house more to play in Cam's basement! but a lot had changed in the last couple of years as far as reproduction goes :)and we loved spending an evening with Jason and Melinda and sweet Ty, too! it was just the best week! We loved it so much!!!!!!!

Here are some pictures from our fun time...
little Cash...loving the grass...

play time...

CHEESE!

surprised faces :)

at the airport on our way to Indiana...YAH!

Man...it felt good to blog just now! Soon to come...potty training...haircuts...crawling...etc!!!!

dominican & haiti pics...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:45:00 +0000

so, i realized i was supposed to post these pictures 3 months ago...time just seems to be moving oftly fast lately. i was able to go down with a group from our church for 8 days...4 in the d.r. & 4 in haiti. the group i went with was a medical team that was able to provide some simple medical care for people in villages who couldn't afford it and even get to it. it was such a blessing to be Jesus' hands & feet to people in another part of the world! there are so many stories that i could share and i hope to be able to the next time i see you...in the meantime, here are some pics...

downtown santo domingo

christopher columbus' house...this is where he landed in the New World

one of the mountain churches we visited had an unbelievable hand-painted door

at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new water treatment facility...these two gals were watching as the first bottle was filled :)

one of the schools we visited to provide medical care

our arrival in port au prince, haiti...our bags were promptly taken hostage...these guys literally will fight over the bags...not quite like arriving at sky harbor :)

i had the opportunity to share with some seminary students about my role at palm valley church and the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere...cultural differences made for a stimulating q&a at the end, but they were definitely excited about what could be...

our arrival at a mountain village, joulien. this village is so far up in the mountain that we had to hike the last mile because of how dangerous the roads became...when i say roads, i mean dirt paths in the mountainside. in the background you can see people waiting in a concrete housing structure...this is the only building in joulien besides the church that is currently under construction just next to it. we provided medical treatment to the people in this village for 4 hours. the number one cause of most symptoms was unclean drinking water...palm valley church is partnering with a local missions group to drill a well in this town to help curb this problem...the well should be done by the end of the month.

kids from the village as we were preparing to leave

this kid and a couple others ran about two miles down the mountain following our trucks...barefoot...and he was still able to smile!

later that same day, we spent about 6 hours helping out medically in a village named value...afterwards, we were able to be a part of an amazing time of worship...these guys were my buddies by the end of the day...

mountainside housing in port au prince

i'll close with a cute picture...this is the daughter of the missionaries at a ministry called Haiti Arise...very cool place...seeing all the kiddos made me miss my boys

what an amazing experience! i would love to show you all the pictures that were taken while we were there...and hopefully i will be able to some day. i can't wait to have the opportunity to return to the island...you really do develop a special place in your heart for the people when you get the chance to do overseas missionary work. until then, i plan on continuing to develop the relationships God has placed in my life in my current mission field...phoenix, az.

if you would like to hear more about the trip or find out how you could be a part of missions opportunities in the dominican republic or haiti, please let me know.

God bless,
brent

sweet day with the boys...

noreply@blogger.com (brent, jess, mason & cash) — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:51:00 +0000

We haven't done anything out of the norm today, but my perspective on the day has sure been an appreciative one. I had a couple hours to spend with Mase while Cash slept this morning, and Mason has just been so sweet today. We played with boats outside in his new table from grams and pops, as he talked with me the whole time, I LOVE having conversations with Mase now...he kept saying "thank you, mommy" when I'd play with the boats, too. Then he wanted to put the boats down for a nap, so they could sleep like brother was sleeping. So we 'hushed' the boats to sleep and while they slept we drank some juice, played in the sand, and came back to wake the boats up a few minutes later.

Then we got our grocery list together and when Cash woke up we took a trip to the grocery...

Cash, being so well rested, squealed and talked all through the grocery store. Smiling at everyone who payed any attention to him. What a little flirt we have on our hands, and with those eyes...lady killer! I love taking these boys out, I'm just so proud of them! Mason wanted his blankie with him in the store since he had started to fall asleep on the way there...and as we were checking out he proceeded to tell the cashier he wanted to take a nap. Referring to himself in the third person as he does so well these days :) "Mason take a nap, please..." over and over. The cashier said she's never seen a two year old sit so still in the cart...let's just say that's not ALWAYS the case.

Then after we all had lunch together, Mase went down for his nap and Mommy and Cash had about an hour and a half together before he was ready for his second nap. He jumped and squealed in his jump-a-roo and helped me make meatloaf for tonight, then we sat and snuggled, just looking out the window as he was mesmerized by the wind blowing all the bushes and trees. He had his cheek rested against mine and played with my hair the whole time as I told him stories. My heart is so thankful for these boys God has blessed us with.

Thank you, Jesus for the amazing gift of children and the joy they bring to everyday, ordinary things. I pray we do all we can to help them know you one day...and enjoy every moment with them along the way, as it all goes far too fast. We love you.

more bath pictures...as Mason thinks "mom, really? can't you see I'm busy taking a bath here!"

family picture at Mason's party...TWO big years old...such a fun 2 years it's been!

When Mase saw the elmo cake in progress and half-decorated he said, "OOOOOHHHH!! Elmo in there...Mason wants some!!!"

Just out of the bath...sweet boy!