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!!!

Snowfall, Family and Friends

Angela here!  We've had a busy couple weeks here at the Kemp household.  Chris has been on major dad-duty, as I had to study for boards and re-certify my Physician Assistant license last week.  So glad I'm finished and can focus on mom duties again (the fun mom duties, not the actual "duties").  I did get to spend a little time watching Hudson "play" in the first snowfall the other week.  And by play, I mean stand there and look at me saying: "Hey lady, I can't move.  Pick me up!"  Poor guy couldn't lift his feet up high enough to walk through it.  

And then he decided to try and pick up the snow, only to realize how cold it was.  I told him to keep his gloves on, but sometimes boys just don't want to listen to their mama :)

The one good thing about the snow was that Hud's slide got to come inside.  Once he realized his outdoor toy was now inside, he could not have been happier.

On Saturday,  Aunt Shannon had a celebratory dinner for me finishing my boards.  We had a delicious meal and the kiddos played for hours.  And Hudson finally got to sit at the "big kid" table.  No more high chairs for this guy!  I was surprised that he actually sat there and ate.  But he had a good role model watching cousin Anderson.

Baby Claire was so nice to let Huddy borrow her bib.

My girlfriend Bonnie, along with her hubby and her baby girl, also came to celebrate!  Baby Charlotte is 4 1/2 months old and could not have been more in awe of all the "big kids" around her.  Chaos was everywhere, and she handled it very well.  However, she was not of big fan of Hudson and his vacuum.  No one is allowed to touch Huddy's vacuum....ever.  He takes his cleaning very seriously these days.

The kids also got early Christmas presents from Aunt Missy and Uncle Charlie (Chris and Shannon's aunt and uncle in Florida).  There was a box full of books, clothes, light-up snowmen and Goofy's to play with.  Again, chaos and fun exploded everywhere.

And again, baby Charlotte was star-struck (or maybe just judging our crazy children).  But either way...too cute! 

 This is Hud sporting his new zip-up (thanks Aunt Missy!) while stealing Chris' phone.  He likes to talk on the phone these days.  I have conditioned him to NEVER touch mommies phone.  And I think it actually worked.  I will tell him "no" and then he will go to Chris' night stand and grab his phone.  Genius baby!  I could not be more proud.

Below is Hud replicating how daddy leans back in his chair and talks to his clients on the phone.  He is so observant these days; just makes me smile!

Hope everyone has a great week and wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Devils and Trains

Angela here!  I needed a week to recover from Halloween before I could write another blog.  Children are way too exhausting.  And when you dress them up in costumes, make them run around the neighborhood in cold-rainy weather and then extend their bedtime, a mama needs time to recover.  But we had a good Halloween.  A little dramatic, but that seems to be the norm these days.  Hudson and cousin Anderson were devils and baby Claire was an angel.  The boys did justice as they took their pitchforks and gladly poked everyone...

The best family photo I could get.  Notice how every baby is doing something odd with their mouth....very strange.

We tried ever so hard to make Hudson wear his devil-horns but he was just not having it.  He screamed, he kicked, he rolled around on the ground, and then he pulled them right off.  But as soon as the hat came off, he was happy Hudson again.  

 After pizza and pictures, we packed up the boys and headed out.  It started to rain so Hud got to wear his firefighter raincoat.  Two costumes for the price of one!

On Saturday, we went to EnterTRAINment Junction.  It's the world's largest indoor model-train display. And on top of that awesomeness, there is a jungle gym, a fun-house maze and trains to ride on.  Hudson and Anderson had some good quality cousin-bonding time.

They rode trains together....

They watched model trains with their daddies...

They trick-or-treated together...

 

They climbed through tunnels and up rock walls together.  It's bittersweet to watch these two.  I love how adventurous they are and how Hudson is always on a mission to keep up with his big cousin.  But I feel like he is growing up at an exponential speed.  What happened to my baby boy?  STOP growing up!! 

   

And my favorite picture of them all!

 Happy Friday!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!