Whoever told me that going from three to four children won't be much of a change is a liar...oh wait, that was me. Life at our house is so sweet, wonderful, chaotic, noisy, funny, satisfying, chaotic, and chaotic. There are now five boys (including myself) in the Hampton house. Poor Andrea is the only estrogen present. Needless to say, since the arrival of sweet little Sutton, life has been quite busy. You may have noticed this is my first blog in a while. There's a reason for that, my friend. It's called FOUR BOYS.
Sutton is starting to adjust but is still having a problem getting settled at night. He seems to think he's a vampire: he sucks to get food, sleeps all day and stays up all night. Sunlight seems to have no adverse affect on him...yet. I know if you're a parent, you're probably laughing to yourself right now. Don't. It's not funny. ;) He's had some trouble with his formula, so we've switched to the "liquid gold" again...Alimentum. Ouch. Wish I had a family and friends discount with Similac.
Carden is a busy little man. He's now 15 months old and is practically running through the house. What a sweet boy he is. He has started to come to the realization that he can exercise his independence. He's started to have "moments" every now and then that let us know that he is NOT so perfect. I knew the constant angelic sweetness wouldn't last forever! :) But, I didn't think his terrible two's would come so early. If this is the worst of it, we've still got it pretty easy, though.
Hudson is such a charmer. He is the most affectionate little guy I have ever seen. But, he's a master of charm. I'm afraid Carden has started an independence apprenticeship with him. Hudson just celebrated his big fourth birthday. Batman was his party theme. He's stuck between Batman and Darth Vader as his two favorite characters...well, AND Iron Man. Ever since the boys got a Wii for Christmas, the Lego Batman game gets played as much as humanly possible. I have to admit, I love playing with them. I've never outgrown my video game phase. I don't think any man ever does.
Barrett is LOVING school and has become such a great reader. I'm amazed at how good he is and am so thankful that he's taken such an interest in it. I wish I was as excited about going to school as he is every morning. He's become quite the Chatty Kathy. It's so funny to pick him up from school. He talks nonstop the whole way home until we hit the garage. Andrea and I catch ourselves glancing at each other at times with the look of, "man, he's REALLY talking, isn't he?" He's still our most laid-back one so far. They don't come any sweeter than him. He turns six the end of this month.
We're back out on the road this weekend. I've been excited to start the spring tour. We're in Biloxi tonight, Tallahassee tomorrow, and Lakeland on Saturday. Then we have a photo shoot for the new record on Monday. Speaking of the new album, we are almost totally done with it. It's really going to be great. If I had to guess, I would say it's going to release sometime this summer. The two new GVB DVD's just released a little while ago and are getting some great responses. Cracker Barrel is exclusively carrying it, which is very exciting. Wish Cracker Barrel would hook us up with free food...I can always dream.
Welcome and Happy Birthday to Sutton Ashford Hampton, our fourth little boy, born yesterday morning at 7:17. I was tired when I posted to Twitter/Facebook, so I think I messed up his stats. He was 7lbs 6oz, 19 1/2 inches long and has lots of black hair. He definitely looks like his big brothers and is sweet as can be. As expected, he sleeps nonstop. Andrea is doing very well and is resting at the moment. Barrett, Hudson, and Carden are fascinated with this little guy. All three big brothers are in school today (well, Barrett is the only one who is actually in "school," but the other two are in a mothers-day-out program). All we know is that it gives the boys some really great interaction with other kids and helps expend some energy, which is never a bad thing. We've had a nice, quiet, peaceful morning. It's been so nice.
Emmy (Andrea's mom) and Cia (my mom) just got here to our room to spend some time with us (well, let's be honest, they're here to see the baby, for which I don't blame them!). It's a beautiful, freezing cold day here and the forecast is calling for some serious snow tomorrow. I think our boys would love to have some snow...I would. I just hope we don't get snowed in at the hospital before we have a chance to leave.
The GVB is in the studio for a few days working on the new project. Obviously I'm not there with them, but I know they will have a great time together, even though it's hard to imagine that happening without me being there. ;)
Okay, I'm going to spend some time with everyone. Thanks to everyone for the prayers! Enjoy some pics of the new family below...
I'm hanging on to 31 years of age for about three more hours. It's crazy; I was married when I was 20...now I'm officially into my 30's. So far, I'm absolutely loving the 30's. According to Mark Lowry, it doesn't get annoying until 51. We'll see...
Thanksgiving was really great. I overate as usual (who doesn't at Thanksgiving?) but still thoroughly enjoyed myself. How I love this time of year.
This past weekend was a wonderful first week for the Christmas tour. All three were great concerts. Got to see lots of family and friends at the Nashville concert. I had a received a really sweet birthday envelope filled with birthday wishes along with a gift from some wonderful fans. Unfortunately with it being Nashville, I was swamped with family/friends afterward and was unable to go to the table after the concert. So, to everyone involved in that gift, thank you so very, very much. It was so thoughtful and is very much appreciated!
Today was filled with errand-running but was very enjoyable. All three boys were in school, so Annie and I got plenty done. Tonight we went over to Andrea's parents' house for my birthday dinner (pre-birthday, technically). Her mom fixed roast...it was delicious. Instead of cake, I opted for Blizzards. Excellent choice I must say. I had the cookie dough...you just can't go wrong with that one.
Tomorrow is more of a "free" day since we got so much accomplished today, even though we'll have the youngest two with us. Wednesday I'll be recording...working on the new GVB album releasing in 2010 at some point. Then, I'm off to Ft. Wayne, IN, for the first of three Christmas Homecoming concerts this weekend. I told Andrea today how quickly December is passing us by. I can't believe it! I'm really trying to enjoy every day, but each day seems to slip by so quickly. We have finished Barrett's and Hudson's Christmas shopping so I'm feeling quite relieved. Andrea really has to put a limit on me or I will go berserk. After the Christmas concert in Baltimore on Saturday night, Charlotte Ritchie and I will be putting on a concert together that Sunday night in the Baltimore area. For more information, check out the Solo Dates page. If you're close by, come and see us!
We have FINALLY found a printing source for my cookbook! So, I am pleased to announce that "Hampton Family Recipes" is now back in stock and is shipping out sometime next week. All domestic orders placed in the next week will arrive by Christmas. Sorry for the inconvenience of not having the cookbook available until now! Thanks so much for your patience with us.
In closing, I want to share some pictures of my sweet boys with you. Later!
I'm sitting here at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tyler, TX, with Michael English...I can't believe I just typed that. I never thought I would share a room with Michael English one day...crazy how things can work out. We usually hang out at the arenas during the day, but this particular arena is...well, let's just say you wouldn't want to walk barefoot in the dressing rooms. So, we are at a hotel instead. The GVB had a great night last night in Baton Rouge. What an awesome crowd. I hear we have a packed house tonight. I'm so amazed how people still come out to the concerts with the economy the way it is. We are so appreciative of our supporters and love our time together during the concerts.
Many of you have emailed the website asking about the availability of my cookbook. We have temporarily taken it off the site because we don't have any more! We are in the process of finding a new place to print the cookbooks for us at a good price. That way, we can hopefully charge less for them. As soon as more cookbooks are available, I will be sure to post it on this website, along with Twitter and Facebook. I'm hoping we will have an answer in the next couple of weeks before Christmas gets here. Thanks so much for your patience.
I recently watched the first of two GVB DVD's that are releasing January 2010. It's called "Reunited" and it is fantastic. I think every GVB fan will love this DVD. They are currently still working on the second DVD, titled "Better Day." I've seen some of this one but it's hard to gauge it with it not being finished yet.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. This time of year is always so special to me. I LOVE being at home with my family. My mom is coming down from Nashville and will spend the holiday with us. I'm very excited to spend time with her and to have some of her cooking. I'm sure I'll be eating myself sick this next week, so I've already resigned to the fact that I won't be eating healthfully. Forget about moderation because there will be none.
Enjoy your weekend, friends. Hope to see some of you tonight AFTER the concert. I'm always at the GVB booth next to Kevin Williams' table. Later.
The GVB has had two weeks off since the European tour, and I have to say it's been quite nice. I've gotten a ton of stuff done around the house since I've been home. It feels great to be productive. The boys are all feeling better now (finally) and I've got my fingers crossed that we're over all the crud for the rest of the year. Sutton's due date is fast approaching. It's hard to believe he's only about seven weeks away from being here. It's sweet how excited the boys are about his arrival.
We are back out on the "regular" tour now. We have this weekend, next weekend, then the Christmas tour starts up. The crowds have been great. We all went out to IHOP this morning and had breakfast together. I sure love the guys I work with. "Work" shouldn't be this much fun, that's for sure.
My solo concert at Rock Springs Church went really well. This is an awesome church. These folks are really excited about what God is doing in the life of their church...so refreshing to see that. I'm enjoying doing solo concerts more and more. I think it has a lot to do with me getting more comfortable being out on my own. As much as I enjoy it, it still doesn't beat singing with the GVB, though!
Carden's birthday was this past Wednesday. The little guy turned one. I can't believe that...time passes by more quickly every year. Trying to hold on to as many memories as I can. We are celebrating tomorrow when I get home, so I'm looking forward to it.
I don't feel like I have much to say now, so I'll leave you alone now! :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Halloween was a blast. As many of you know from my Twitter and Facebook posts, Barrett was a Transformer, Hudson was Batman, and Carden was a garden gnome. It was fairly cold here, so we didn't trick or treat very long, plus Hudson was dragging at that point. I guess the sugar coma was already starting for him. It surely came for me soon after that.
We have two sick little ones in the Hampton house right now. Little Carden has a double ear infection and Hudson has a mild fever with a nasty cough. Hudson is on an inhaler for a few days and it really seems to be working wonders for him. We're really hoping he doesn't have asthma. If he does, it's obviously not close to the worst thing that could happen to him. Barrett has somehow escaped the sickness (for now) and actually just boarded the bus almost an hour ago.
Our two oldest boys have made the move downstairs now. They each have their own rooms...what big boys they are. Hudson has really done great for the two nights he's been down there. Barrett, however, struggled a little last night. He came running into our room around 1:00 this morning scared to death. He about scared ME to death, actually. Carden was up several times through the night...poor little guy. We're hoping he's through the worst of it now. He's actually still asleep as I type.
I've been a busy bee around the house since I've gotten home from Europe. I actually slept on the plane so I wasn't tired when I landed in Birmingham. Wow, it feels good to be back home. I've been hanging things, spackling, sanding, painting...well, you get the idea...all sorts of really manly things. We've had unbelievable weather here this week. The high has ranged from the lower 60's to the lower 70's, and it's been bright and sunny every day. It just doesn't get any better than this. This time of year excites me so much. I look forward to it the entire year. The next couple of months are my favorite...the weather, decorations, food, time with family.
I leave for Griffin, GA, tomorrow afternoon, for a solo concert at Rock Springs Church. I sing in Sunday morning worship and have a full concert that night at 6:30. If you're anywhere nearby, stop by...I'd love to see you. I love doing solo dates but especially those that are this close to home.
Carden just got up and he's a happy little boy. It's crazy, even when he's sick he's still sweet as pie. I'm going to go get rolling for the day. I'll post another European video in the next day or so. Later!
Last night’s concert in Glasgow, as well as the night before in Belfast, went extremely well. I really do love the U.K. Everyone here is so kind. I received so many hugs from total strangers last night at the concert. It was awesome! Not that I don’t like Eastern Europe…it’s just that I prefer Western Europe. It could have a lot to do with that whole language barrier “thing” we encounter when going east. It’s our fault for only knowing English. Plus, they have Starbucks and Splenda here!
We arrived at the hotel in London at 1:45 today. Once I took my stuff to the room, I immediately set out by myself to see some of the city. I’ve been a loner today and it’s been quite nice. I ate lunch at a cool pub and had fish and chips. It was great. We have one more concert tonight and are looking forward to it. This is my first concert in London and the people here seem to be very excited. It should be another great concert!
I’m so terribly excited about going home tomorrow. It seems pretty surreal that we are actually going home. I feel like I’ve been away for over a month now. I can’t wait to hold my boys! Enjoy some pics below that I’ve taken along the way. The next time I blog, it will be from…HOME…
Wow, what an amazing crowd last night in Hungary. Both Hungarians and Romanians came together last night for the 8th (or 9th, not sure) concert on our European tour. They were an unbelievable crowd. The energy was nonstop. I almost died a few times afterward when I was meeting folks and signing shirts, CD's, DVD's, ticket stubs...and hands (hands are NOT easy to sign with a Sharpie). I didn't mind it, though, because everyone was so sweet and excited to be there. So, I guess if I were to be crushed under the weight of human bodies, this would be the best case scenario.
It was incredible to think about two groups of people coming together under the same roof for the same purpose, despite their differences. Our promoter for this concert told us that tension between Romanians and Hungarians has been very strong for quite some time. I guess we could relate it to all the racial tension in America that's existed for years. Not really sure why it exists, but it does...pretty stupid/ridiculous/petty (take your pick) when you think about it, huh?
This entire tour has been great. The crowd in Oslo was great, the crowd in Holland was great...they ALL have been great. We just arrived in Belfast, Ireland, at the Holiday Inn. I feel pretty zapped, so I hope to get a little nap shortly before getting ready for the concert tonight. Once we're done with the concert tonight, we have an off day here tomorrow. I hope to go see the Giant's Causeway with a couple of the guys. David said it's incredible, so I've got to see it for my self. Will be sure to take plenty of pictures and will post some once I get the time. After that we have a concert in Glasgow and London...then we're HOME.
My poor babies have had the stomach bug the last couple of days. It just breaks my heart to think about it. From what Andrea says, they all seem to be on the mend now. I'm just glad it was a bug and not the flu. I can't wait to hold them.
Many of you have approached me at the concerts over here asking about my toothache. That is so sweet of you. Thank you for your prayers, really. I am feeling much better now. I think that z-pack really did the trick. Thank God for antibiotics.
Enjoy Part II of the European video below, or go on over to the "Backstage Page" if you'd like. There is more video to come after this. Later.
Wow, I am tired. Just got back from a wonderful concert tonight at one of the best venues I've ever seen. It was in the round and sat a little over 2000. Great crowd. Great evening. Now my body is starting to crash. As you may know, I've posted on Twitter and Facebook about this horrible toothache/pounding headache I've been having for the past couple of days. I had some dental work done around three months ago, and a couple of teeth that were worked on are giving me some pretty bad problems. Thank goodness Lynda Randle gave me some "super-ibuprofen," as I call it. This stuff is serious. Just one little pill is 500mg. I'm not sure if it's the medicine or the prayers, or both, but I do feel better at this moment. I started a z-pack a couple days ago and I'm thinking that could also be helping, if there is infection. Wow, that sure was a lot about my teeth...sorry. Thank you all for praying for me. I know it sounds pretty small in the scheme of life, but if you've ever had a toothache before, you can understand the kind of pain it causes. The only pain I've experienced worse than this is kidney stones. Those are just...well...wrong, purely wrong.
We leave tomorrow morning at 11:00 for Nyhemshallen, Mullsjo. Yeah, I just typed that. And don't ask me to pronounce it either. We have a five hour bus ride and are off (thankfully) tomorrow evening. We are all still getting along and enjoying each other's company, for the most part. :) I have to say that, as much as we all love this, we are all missing home pretty badly. Three weeks is just a little too long to be gone from home. I start talking about how much I miss my babies...then, I think of all our military men and women who are gone serving for months (or longer) at a time and am extremely thankful. Sometimes all we need is a little perspective on things.
I hear something...I think it's my bed calling me. I don't want to disappoint it, so I better go spend some quality time together. I will try to post some more pics in the next couple of days. Nighty-night, y'all.
Today was a beautiful, fun, exhausting, and relaxing day all in one. The GVB crew (sans Mark and Bill...they went on a guided tour with everyone else) rented a van and went to Corinth. We visited a lot of the places where Paul walked, which was pretty amazing to think about. To be honest, without a tour guide, we were pretty clueless when it came to identifying what anything was! We just enjoyed each other's company and the beauty of the ruins and the surrounding scenery. It was just gorgeous. We all had lunch at a restaurant that sat right next to the Mediterranean Sea. Even though the food was not the best we have eaten, it was a fantastic lunch. We've laughed quite a bit and have had such a wonderful time with each other. I'm pretty sad that the wives are leaving us in just a day and a half.
We've already packed up tonight. We meet in the lobby tomorrow morning at 10:00 to travel back to Munich, then on to Berlin for a concert Friday evening at 7:00. About to go to sleep but I wanted to share a few more pics with you from today. Hopefully I'll be able to blog again in the next day or two, depending on internet costs here. In one place it was $45 for 24 hours of internet...ouch...
Thanks for all your prayers and support as we are away. They are so appreciated.
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