While we were visiting my mom the week after Christmas Jim and I decided to take the boys for a special treat. We took them to get their hair cut at a barber shop. Not just any barber shop, Lowe’s Barber Shop in Warner Robins, Georgia.

This is the same barber shop that Jim went to when he was a little boy with his granddaddy, Ernie. When we walked in Jim said, “still looks the same. same three guys are here.”

The boys were able to get there number and then wait for it to be called.
It was a fun experience for them. They thought it was really cool to get their hair cut the same place that their Daddy and Uncle Dan got their hair cut when they were little. Lowe’s has now cut hair for four generations of Perdue men.

Yes, Dan, I know that you still get your hair cut there.

As you can tell we didn’t worry about brushing their hair before taking them to get it cut.

Judd was a little nervous so he sat on Jim’s lap. The really cool part was the vacuum that are attached to the clippers. The vacuums suck all the hair as it is being cut.

I totally forgot to take the after wards pictures. Duh!

This morning I wanted to take pictures of all our family before church. Jim helped me get everyone ready a little early so we could snap a few pictures before leaving.One day I am going to learn how to do the self-timer and then we will get a family picture.

Things got a little crazy after taking so many pictures!

Jake started playing basket ball this month. He is enjoying playing but he tells us he likes soccer better. He will probably change his mind before the season ends. It is a lot of fun watching them play.

He does not try to shoot very often but he is always trying to get the ball away from the other team. We are proud of the way he is playing. Although, he is a little to aggressive for the 4-5 yr old team.

We celebrated Judd’s 3rd Birthday on Saturday, December 12. Since he was three this year he was allowed to invite three friends. We had a fun time with boys running around, eating pizza, cake and ice cream. Judd was very appreciative of the gifts he was given. He is still enjoying all of them daily.

I snapped this picture before I went to bed. His last night in his crib.

This morning after breakfast Judd was able to help Jim take his crib apart. He is officially a big boy sharing a room with his brother. He is beyond excited.Once we had the crib in the attic (sniff, sniff) we took Judd outside to see his birthday present. A BIKE! He loved it. He now has his very own bike to ride with Jake.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

When the weather was still nice we tried to savor every wonderful day. We spent several days at the park. These are from two different days. I just love these pictures.





Just a few more…

Do you see the spider crawling up his arm?

!Best Friends Together Forever!

I have been trying to update my 365 project and I found some random pictures that I thought deserved there own post. The first set of pictures were taken at a Sunday School Bonfire a month ago. This is redneck sledding at its best!





Here are a few more from when my dad came to help my mom and benny with the kids.This is the orginal post from 365. This picture makes me want to roll on the floor laughing. It needs no explanation yet it needs some commentary.

By Sunday, Mema and Papa had to call in reinforcements. The Brighton Gang had started breaking them down. They were exhausted. Papa Wayne flies in with his work truck and teaches my kids how to fish with magnets. This kept them happy for over an hour which gave the others a chance to rest. Thanks Papa Wayne.

On the eve of your third birthday, I am beginning to write this letter that I may not finish for two weeks because I have so much I want to tell you. All week I tried to convince you to just remain two, but you would really wanted to be three. Actually, you told me that you would turn three and then be two again later.

You are my second boy, my little boy of joy.

Your imagination is amazing; you are our only child that can play “pretend.” Just this week you had a wooden pig standing on a stool with the other little people looking at the pig. You kept saying that the pig was telling them about Jesus and singing “Hallelujah.” It is great see you making up games with the little people and imaginary stories. This year you told me that you were born in a manger. However, we are finding that we need to teach you the fine line between imagination and lying.

You like being a big boy but you do still love to snuggle. There are some days I wish that I could just snuggle on the couch with you all day. You still have one of the greatest laughs I have ever heard. You love to sleep and still take a great nap EVERYDAY.

Books. You love books. You love to carry them around the house. Have mommy and daddy read them to you. Sleep with at least four every night.

You are really into Play-Doh and anything art. Painting. Gluing. Drawing. Cutting. Cutting and Play-doh are your favorite things.

You are undeniably a Daddy’s boy at this season of your life, which is too precious.

You love music and sing to us every morning at breakfast. At times it is extremely loud but we enjoy the moments because we know they will quickly pass.

Remember that your a brother and sister are your best friends for all of your life. Love others and treat them the way you want to be treated. Judd, I pray that you would to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. I pray that you will never stop radiating joy to all those around you. Your daddy and I pray that you will love the Lord with all of your heart, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior at a young age and live for Him your whole life.

December 14

The day finally arrived. Your third birthday. I wanted to be the one to get you out of your bed for the last time. Today, you are a big boy and you start sharing a room with Jake. I walked into your room this morning and said “Happy Birthday! Did you really turn three?” you replied, “Yes, but you can still hold me.” This is a priceless statement coming from you. You always want someone to hold you so it just melted my heart to know that you had not out grown being held.

I took this picture as he was waking up. This was right before he told me that I could still hold him.

This year we said good bye to “I am freezing told,” I am told (cold) told told,” and “I am a smart tookie.” I will miss seeing you hold up two fingers when asked your age. I will miss seeing you sleep with 4 stuffed animals, 6 motorcycles, 12 books, two pillows, and two blankets in your crib. I will miss TWO! However, I look forward to seeing you ride you bike, share a room with your brother, play soccer in the Spring, and grow in so many different areas this year. I love you Judson Hunter.

The name “Jesse Tree” comes from Isaiah 11:1-2: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

“The Jesse Tree idea centers around Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy being the “stump of Jesse”. Each ornament represents a different story, starting at the beginning of Creation and working all the way to the coming of Christ Jesus. Each reading shows how all the Old Testament points towards the coming of Christ as the Messiah. The Jesse Tree gives such a beautiful picture into seeing how each story of the Bible speaks about God. Each story is a little whisper of His name and a glimpse into character, plan and purpose. The Jesse Tree is a form of Advent, in which you read one story each day from November 30-December 25. It is a fun and purposeful opportunity to sit down as a family and read more about His coming, but also have a visual representation through each ornament.”

We started this tradition this year with the boys. We would read a devotion and they would take turns hanging an ornament on the tree. They loved having the Jesse Tree in there room. It was such a sweet time every night before bedtime, so much so that I was very sad to pack it up on Christmas Day. Here is a picture of our Jesse Tree.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

I can not believe that I did it. I ran the St. Jude Half-Marathon race. I finished the course. I did it! It was the most mentally and physically challenging thing I have ever done.

To be completely honest, I didn’t even know if I was going to run the race until 10 pm on Friday night. I kept going back and forth. I just did not want to go. I lost all motivation about 3 weeks ago. I was sick and then Jim was out of town so my training just stopped. I didn’t enjoy running in the cold and I didn’t enjoy getting up early and running. I hit a wall. It wasn’t until the Monday before the race that I even got my running shoes out of the closet. I ran 3 miles on Monday and then 3 on Wednesday just in case I decided to run on Saturday.

Well, I got up Saturday morning and decided to go downtown Memphis. I knew that I would regret it if I did not go and at least attempt to run the race. My only goal was to run 9 miles without stopping since 8.6 was the farthest I ever ran during my training.

When I parked and walked to the start line the weather was 27 degrees and I was FREEZING. I was questioning why I was even out there. By the time the race started, my toes and fingers were completely frozen and I didn’t know if they would thaw out during the race. The first two miles were intense because I was running with frozen feet. (not something I would advise anyone to ever try). Once I reached the third mile I started to warm up and defrost but I was still not happy about running this race. (I told you I have been in a funky mood lately)

It wasn’t until the 4-5 miles that it all clicked. The course ran through the St. Jude Hospital grounds and a few of the kids and their families were outside. My eyes filled with tears and I almost stopped because I was so overwhelmed. I remembered that I could very easily be the parents to one of those children.

As I reached the ninth mile my knees started giving out on me. I could believe it. I began to pray asking God to help me make it to the 9 mile marker. I stopped for just a second to stretch my legs again and then I kept on running. I MADE IT! I crossed over the 9 mile marker then I decided I want to go to 10. “Can I make it to 10?”

I made it to 10, then 11. I must admit 11-13 were long, hard and painful. My knees, calves, ankles and feet started shutting down. They hurt so badly that they didn’t hurt anymore. The pain was numbing. As I was getting closer I realized that every time I started thinking, “I can do this,” my body would shut down but when I prayed and asked God to get me through one more mile I would make it. It was a journey!

“Just down the hill…you can see AutoZone Park!” This what I remember all of the fans saying as I approached the last half mile. I couldn’t see it but I just believed what they were saying. They were cheering us on and I just kept on going. I knew I was so close. I just prayed that God would let me finish.

I entered AutoZone Park and turned the corner and I saw the FINISH line. I kept thinking “I am almost there.” I crossed over it. I DID IT! I MADE IT! I RAN THE WHOLE WAY!I finished in 2 hours and 38 minutes.

God was so good to me to let me finish the race. He was with me the whole time and I know that I would not have made it without Him. It was an amazing experience, one that I am not eager to try again anytime soon.

This is the only picture that I have from the race. It was taken right after the race. Once I crossed the finish line they gave me the cover so that I would stay warm. I must say that it was still FREEZING cold after I finished. I was frozen again as I slowly walked back to the truck.