Holiday Festivities

Angela here! (Don't worry - Hudson will be writing the next blog to tell you all about his holiday experience, so stayed tuned!).  We had a happy happy boy this past Saturday.  We went to Lebanon for a train ride to the North Pole to see Santa and Mrs. Claus.  It was a two hour experience and I had no idea how much Huddy loved trains.  The LM&M Express was decorated in holiday decor and we even met elves who made balloon animals.  Cookies and hot cocoa awaited us at the North Pole.  My boy was in heaven!

His expression when the train started moving...can you feel the excitement?

Hudson and Anderson got balloon swords and Hudson quickly and happily destroyed his.  They even got to meet the train conductor....

I don't think my son ever closed his mouth.  Everything was "woah," "wow," or a joyful squeal from his cute little mouth.  I love those happy screams!

 Standard pic of Baby Claire with her Uncle Chris.

And we all got our picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus!!

On Saturday afternoon, my Uncle Steve and cousin Robert flew in from Houston, picked up Memaw and headed to Ohio.  My Aunt Kathy and cousin Patrick Michael had important soccer stuff to attend to, so hopefully we'll get to see them soon.  But we were all able to spend some good quality time and celebrate Christmas.

My brother Brandon and sis-in-law Samantha brought their two kiddos up and we had a house full of happy rambunctious, sugar over-dosed children.

Cousins Hannah and Nate loved the Jump-O-Lene in the playroom.  Best investment I have made so far.  Then we sat down for a nice holiday dinner before we opened presents.

I am giving myself the "Best Aunt Ever" award for Christmas gifts this year.  Yes - I bought Hannah and Nate archery sets (kid-friendly of course).  The kids loved it!  The parents, not so much.  I'm sure pay back will come to my household soon enough.

Hudson and Nate received matching jean jackets from Memaw.  They loved them....

 Good thing Chris was not ashamed of his (lack of) vocal skills.  He came to the rescue and started singing songs to the boys and they surprisingly calmed down.

Bath time is always a fun time...

 And I end with our annual photo of the kids in their jammies.  Love all that blonde hair!  Hud is however, starting to get a tinge of red in his hair.  Chris and I have this ongoing bet on whose genes are stronger.  With blue eyes and blondish-red hair, you can all put your money with me :) 

 I like to do side-by-side pictures to remind me of how fast time flies and how much we all need to appreciate the simple, beautiful moments in life.  Huddy was a mere five months in the picture below.  What happened to my little baby boy?!?!

Christmas 2013 - Nate, Hannah and Hudson.

TWO more days till Santa comes!!  Happy Holidays!!

Many Mini Milestones

Angela here!  We've had a busy couple weeks and Hudson seems to never stop learning or growing.  I call this blog...The Many Mini Milestones of my Little Man....

We start off with a visit to Santa the other weekend.  Hudson discovered that Santa is not the only big scary hairy thing during the holidays.  You might also encounter the Abominable Snowman and The Grinch.  He was not a fan of any of them and I can't quite blame him.

Next, Hudson learned how to open a box.  He got a special present from one of my Chicago friends, Kim, who makes blankets.  It has cars and streets on it, so we "raced" on it all evening...

Friday Family Fun Night (FFF as I have dubbed it) was at our house this weekend and our neighbors and their three kiddos came over to join us.  Hudson learned how to "prep" the house by turning on all the Christmas lights with my handy-dandy remote.  One problem though I failed to foresee; he also mastered how to turn the lights off.  Oops.

The cousins came over and Anderson made sure to teach Hudson and Baby Claire that they must always watch everything big-cousin-Anderson does.  Notice how intrigued the little ones are....

 Hudson said "Yes, sir," and happily accepted the task of mimicking his big cuz.  Thus, I had two boys torturing cute little Emma with their glow sticks.

 The big kids also taught Huddy all about the "big kid" table.  I just bought a table a couple days ago and it was hit.  I am hoping the big kids can show Hudson how to keep his food on a plate next time.  

 After the festivities Friday evening, we spent Saturday chillin' and cleanin.'  As I was straightening up the bedroom, I looked over and noticed Hud "ironing" the rug.  Don't worry, it wasn't plugged in.  But he had the back-and-forth motion down solid.  

Then we straightened up the kitchen.  The Swiffer is his favorite.  His moose shirt is my favorite.

After all that hard work, we had to retreat to the playroom.  The one room that is never picked up...and I have zero issue with that.  But then my little man learned how to go down the slide face-first.  It was a tad scary (for me); he is just so fearless and picks up on things so easily. 

 And thus he learned how AWESOME going down the slide face-first can be!  Still hoping Santa brings him a helmet for Christmas :)

 Huddy also discovered that he's tall enough to stand on the baby-gate....

....and thus, he became acquainted with time-out.  No irony involved, but he's pretty good at time-out.  And by "good," I am referring to the fact that he'll actually stay in a corner for two minutes, give me a whimper (let's be honest, he can't be happy in time-out), and then give hugs and kisses afterwards.  So far, he's been in time out for hitting, biting and playing with Chris' work computer.  I have seen substantial improvement with our parenting technique.  He doesn't hit me anymore...only Chris :)

I like this picture because he literally stopped crying two seconds after I snapped the photo.  Such a faker.

Lastly, Hudson learned all about the game "I spy."   He tries ever so hard to make the peep holes with his hands, which makes us laugh.  But we will "spy" something and he will run to it and usually give the toy/object a good body-slam along with a bunch of giggles.  Good times.

 Hope everyone has wonderful week!  Only 11 more days till Santa comes!!

Holidays and Sweater Vests

Angela here!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday!  We spent Turkey Day in Ohio at Lolly and Pops house.  It was a house full of love, laughter and screaming children.  But Hudson and cousin Anderson were so sweet and so thankful for their Baby Claire.  They just loved on her all day...

And I feel like I say it in every blog, but we tried once again to get a good cousin family photo.  Below is the best I could get.  I wouldn't call this a failure, but I can't really brag about any of the babies and the wonderful expressions they gave me.  But I still love them all!

Hudson enjoyed all the fixin's on Thanksgiving.  He ate turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing, green beans, and washed it all down with two cups of milk.  One growing boy!  He even had room for Aunt Shannon's awesome Snickers Cake that she made from scratch.

After eating, the boys got to play with their new foam swords and shields.  All from the $1 section at Target, we stocked up in case they broke or ripped.  Two swords were broken during the fight....all because of Pop, not the two toddlers.

We tried for one more good photo with Lolly and her grand babies.  Success?  Maybe.  I was just impressed with Lolly's firm grip on keeping two squirmy children in her lap.

On Saturday, Huddy put on another sweater vest and we headed to Louisville to see the Wilson clan.  I'm probably biased, but I think my son looks fabulous in a sweater vest!

But before we headed out, we had to play peak-a-boo.  It's still his favorite game, even though he cheats and will look through his fingers sometimes :)

Memaw is the matriarch of the family and was the first to notice Hudson's new haircut.  She's 80 years old and still sharp as a tack!  She got to see all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren for the holiday.  So much to be thankful for!!

Good family photos in the backyard...

Cousin Hannah was a pro at picture taking.  She gave Hudson and brother Nate a huge bear hug and wouldn't let them out of her sight till I was done snapping some photos.  

Huddy loved watching Hannah and everything she did.  They played hide-a-seek all afternoon.  Hannah would run around the yard and let the boys chase her.  And by boys, I mean the two toddlers and Chris.

Hannah and her Uncle Chris are inseparable.  I mean literally, best friends!  I don't know if it's because Hannah is so smart or Chris can tap into his childhood mindset so well.  Either way, it was sweet to watch.

Until next time!  Hope everyone has a great week!!!