Our Ohio Folk

Angela here!  We've had a fun few days in good ole Ohio.  We try to get the Springboro cousins together at least once a week for a play date.  This past Friday we met at the park for dinner.  Hudson and Anderson got to run around and exert energy while baby Claire got to be a pretty princess in the grass.  Huddy was not digging the family photo, but he loves his cousins, promise.

 

We went to Cleveland over the weekend (Avon Lake to be exact...beautiful suburb outside the city)  to celebrate cousin Nate's baptism.  There was a full house of family and a pack of kiddos running around.  Cousin Nate is only six months older than Hudson so they play well together, kinda.  They're both still trying to master the sharing technique, but bubbles seemed to bring them together.  Nate would happily swat Huddy with his wand.  Hudson would accept the beating and then try to eat the bubbles.  I let him get in a few good licks before I took his wand away.  He was not happy about that.

    

Pop Wilson teaching his boys how to fish.  It's never too early to learn!

Sunday morning we all woke up and had breakfast together.  The kids happily entertained each other and wore each other out for an early afternoon nap.

Then we got dressed and ready for church.  Huddy was sporting his favorite (my favorite) blue pants.  What a stud! 

Nate was wearing the cutest christening outfit ever.  His name and a cross were monogrammed and he was looking as dapper as ever....

.....but then he lost it.  Poor guy just couldn't handle all the faith and excitement going on.  His lungs were definitely filled with the Holy Spirit :)

And to be fair, Hudson had his moment too.  I blame the church's timing on this one because both boys had be woken up from their naps.  Just not fair for these little tikes.

But everyone survived the ceremony and we retreated back to the house (rather quickly).  Nate was welcomed with a huge cake which definitely took those tears away.  It was a good weekend with lots to celebrate and to be thankful for.  I know I say it too much, but it has been a blessing to be closer to family and friends.

Now below are my bragging-right pics.  I FINALLY have Hudson's bedroom and playroom complete.  Two months to finish and it was driving me crazy everyday.  His bedroom now has window treatments and the final touches have been made.  No more changes till he upgrades to a big-boy bed!

And the playroom finally got a book holder and his chair finally got a rug (yes, I thought it was important for his chair to have a rug.  What's your quirk?).  Books are Hudson's favorite.  We read in the morning when he wakes up, we read when he comes home from school and we read before bed.  Books are starting to trump every car and truck we have.  And I'm excited to a bookworm on my hands!

Hope everyone has a good week and weekend!!

Pools, Planes and Pony Rides

Angela here!  Hope everyone had a good weekend.  The Kemps had a busy week that started off with a play date of six kiddos ranging from one month to almost five years old.  My UK girlfriends came up and we spent the day at the pool.  Hudson still LOVES the water!  He'll splash, he'll dunk himself, he'll try and drink all the water.  And he very much enjoys having other kids around to play with.

The kid crew - Hudson, Greyson, Henry, Marshall and girlfriend Stella.

Baby Charlotte made her debut at the pool as well.  At a mere 4 weeks old, this little cutie slept the entire time.  She was perfect.

Hudson could not get enough of Henry and Marshall.  The older boys quickly taught him how to play with water guns.  It won't be long before Huddy knows how to spray someone in the face....

As always, my child eats his way through any activity.  At least it's usually fruit.

Hudson had a tough time at daycare this past week.  He is starting to play too rough with the other kids.  He's still one of the youngest in his class, so I think the other kids are just pansies.  But he had to be 'separated' because he kept body-slamming his friends.  The teachers say he is all giggles when he does it, so they think he just doesn't realize his own strength.  I managed to snap the below pic before he head-butted me in the nose.  Yup, my nose was swollen and I had to put ice on it.  No blood shed though, thank goodness.

And I've started to notice that Huddy has a lot of expressions.  I can almost just look at him and know what he's thinking...

This is the "why-are-all-the-veggie-straws-gone-mom?" look.  

And this is the "I-just-heard-a-dog-bark...you-think-he's-going-to-eat-my-veggie-straws?" look.

The Run Way Fest was this weekend as well.  It was right next to our house, which was nice and convenient.  The weather was great and there were lots of planes, inflatables, pony rides and fun for the kids.  Lolly, Pop, Aunt Shannon and the cousins met up with us.

That's a rubber airplane in his hand.  Hudson enjoyed wiping it on the plane wheels before sticking it in his mouth.  Typical boy, gross.

           

The free pony rides were the best!  Of course, Chris put Huddy on the biggest horse possible.  But my boy was fearless.  His face might not show it, but he was having a blast.  Promise.

And as always, Baby Claire out-shined everyone.  I snapped this pick as Pop was playing peekaboo with her.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Trucks, Cars and Big City Weekends

        

     

Angela here!  We've had a busy couple weeks lately.  Hudson has been enjoying cruising the neighborhood lately in his new cars and trucks.  The blue car seems to be a family favorite!  Huddy has two cup holders, one for veggie straws and one for water.  Then there is a cup holder up top by the handle for the parent.  Genius!  It's the simple things in life that count :)

The yellow Hummer was actually junked and in the trash.  So Chris pulled out his big-city-Chicago-style-dumpster-diving skills and scooped it right up for his son.  Usually I'm appalled when he does this, but all the car needed was a new battery.  And it doesn't go in reverse, but that didn't stop the kiddos from enjoying it.  Cousin Anderson attempted to drive Hudson around, but his steering was a little off and he would just floor the gas pedal.  So I jumped on back took them for a spin....

Hudson also got a new chair from Lolly and Pop.  But instead of sitting in it, he runs full force and plows right into it.  Then he belly laughs because he thinks he is just so funny.  Then he'll run around to the back of the chair and knock it over.  Hilarious stuff people.

 

Below is Hudson's new favorite spot to hang when I'm getting ready in the morning.  Yes, he has his own chair in almost every room, but that is not good enough for my son.  He likes to take over everyone's stuff, even the pets.  He grabbed a toy and just plopped down in the dog bed.  He was so content, I just left him there while I finished getting ready.  Poor Penny Lane had to lay on the floor next to him.

    

 

Chris and I were in Chicago last weekend for a wedding.  Which meant Huddy was in the care of LollyPops.  Which meant Hudson got lots of play dates with Anderson.  We got to see friends and also celebrate a fabulous couple and their wedding day.  Hudson and Anderson and becoming forever best buds.  They now get excited to see one another and always have a smile on their face when they're together.  It's really cute to watch these two boys!

Now the pictures below are not of Huddy but I still had to share.  After the wedding and festivities in Chicago, Chris was a mission to find a particular picture he found on Etsy (yes, Chris knows all about Etsy).  It was a train stop pic, but it was ridiculously expensive and he knew exactly where the stairs were.  So on Sunday, we ran up and down Wabash Avenue snapping shots and I think I got a good one.

We're decorating the dining room in tribute to our old stomping grounds, so I snapped this one too.  For an amateur photographer, I thought these two would look nice as big canvases.

Now this is what happens when you let Chris drive in the big city.  Remember, he always took the train when we lived there, so he was not familiar with big city driving.  While I was out taking photos, Chris drove over some cones and managed to get one stuck in his car.  And somehow, he managed to twist the story to make it my fault...even though I wasn't even in the car!  As he was pulling the cone out,  I snapped some pictures as evidence and proof that he is a terrible driver.

Notice how the cones are on the OTHER side of the street.  I will definitely be teaching my son how to drive when he turns 16.

And that is how we ended our adult-weekend in Chicago!

Drive safe everyone...Chris is out on the road today :)

Hudson is ONE!

Angela here! It was another exciting week at the Kemp household.  Hudson is officially ONE!  We started off the weekend with the Dorothy Lane Market Diaper Dash.  Chris took Hudson to "compete" while Shannon and I got ready for the superhero party.  Kiddos had to race and crawl to the finish line; first one there got a gift card, diapers, a goody bag and bragging rights.  Standing equaled disqualification and Chris was on a mission to make his son crawl to victory.  And according to Chris, LOLLY was the reason Huddy came in second (so close).  Apparently, LOLLY did not pick him up quick enough at the end.  Nothing is ever Hudson's fault.  But we still got a $20 gift card, a goody bag and a cute DLM bib with a bow tie on it.

After nap time Saturday, I had two Superman heroes running around the house before guests arrived.  Cousin Anderson knew his cape was the coolest thing ever, thus Hudson thought it was the coolest thing ever as well.

We had a great turnout of guests and kids.  We grilled out hot dogs, brats and burgers.  We had a roller coaster, a jump-o-lene, a motorized train and a pool of balls...the kids were in heaven!  When it came time to smash the cake, Hudson was not amused at the dinky (ie. ginormous) cupcake in front of him.  He actually looked appalled.  But once he remembered this was his THIRD cake, he dove in like a pro. 

Cake was everywhere...he smeared it all over his outfit, he flung it across the grass and smashed it on the highchair and rubbed it in ever crevasse he could find on his face.  It was really cute to watch! 

After a bath and outfit change from Aunt Shannon, Huddy opened gifts with the help of girlfriend Stella, neighbor Emma and cousin Anderson.  Such good teamwork.

He would examine every gift in a very serious and thoughtful manner before he deemed the gift a successful one.  Each and every gift was a success.

Girlfriend Stella loved Huddy's new blue car! It was a good time for everyone.

Auntie Lauren was the only lap Hudson would sit on to finish his milk.  She's got a good lap; the milk was gone in no time!

Hudson had his one year check up this week too.  And that meant shots and a fussy, sleepless night, but he seemed to bounce back today.  He's 75th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height.  One growing boy!

                    

  

I got a little emotional looking back on all his "stat" pictures.  Crazy how much can change in a year.  We quit our jobs, relocated to Ohio, lived in a basement WAY too long and now are finally settling in to a new home and a new routine.  Our boy is happy and healthy; we can't complain.

                  

Love that last picture...just makes me laugh!

Have a good week everyone!