2013

1

Happy Halloween

Posted on Monday, November 4, 2013

I have always loved Halloween.  Fall time, costumes, and of course candy, what's not to love!?  It is fun to enjoy Halloween a little differently with a toddler and watch him enjoy himself, observing so many new things. We went to the trunk or treat in my parents neighborhood to let Hudson do a little trick or treating. 


He was the most adorable little elephant!  I think I might dress him up like that again, just to watch him run around in his costume!



I was impressed with how well he picked out candy!  I was expecting him to try and eat every piece he got, but was so good!  He would take his time and look for just what he wanted from the bowl, grab a hand full, and carefully put it in his bucket.



He did get a bit overwhelmed by all the costumes.  For some reason he would not let me or Jason hold him, only my mom, he cried every time she tried to let him walk, or we tried to hold him.  Maybe it was our cowboy hat "costumes" we had on?  But really, I don't think his Grandma was complaining at all.



The next morning I walked into the living room and realized I forgot to put his candy away, he had climbed onto the couch and was sorting through the candy. It was one of those moments where I felt like I was the mom of a boy and not a baby.



On the way to trick or treat we stopped at a park we took pictures at last week, which Hudson loved, to let him play a little, see him in his spooky pjs...




1

Hudson Goes Camping

Posted on Sunday, June 30, 2013



Jason and I both love to camp.  Maybe I like the type of camping which involved grassy areas and flushing toilets, and Jason likes the dirt everywhere, no one around for miles, type of camping, but we both love to camp.  Last year we were both hesitant to bring a newborn out camping (shocking), so this year we were eager to break out the tent.

We decided to go up to Silver Lake, up American Fork Canyon.  It is close by, and incredibly beautiful.  To get there, 4-wheel drive is necessary and the drive up narrow, winding, dirt roads hanging over the edge of cliffs is pretty nerve wracking, but nothing beats the amazing views of the mountains.  And yes, it is most definately Jason's type of camping.



The first night my Dad and brother came up and joined us for dinner around the campfire.  We had tin foil dinners, and I ate picnic style with Hudson on a blanket.  He loved it!



At dusk we went down to the lake and Jason did a little fishing.  (Thankfully) He didn't catch anything.

Although we left it open to staying two nights, we only one.  We were dirty, and those nights get pretty cold.  We set up the pack and play next to us in the tent, and he slept in multiple layers and he big fleecy snow suit, but I couldn't stop worrying about him being cold, at the first whine in the night I snatched him up (still sleeping) and zipped us up into my heavy sleeping bag.




Morning was early and coooold.  Hudson woke up early and very excited to be in a tent. He slept fairly well, the white noise of the streams by us helped. We heated up breakfast burritos in a skillet and headed down to the lake for a little more fishing, no fish caught.  We packed up camp, ate lunch, and went on a short hike before braving the treacherous roads to scrub the layers of grime and dust off ourselves and everything we brought with us.










After my first camping trip with a baby, I learned a lot. We were very overprepared, which was a good thing.  I feel like I spent as much time packing as we did enjoying our short trip.  Here is my advice...

  • Pack for every type of weather.  I knew the mountains would get cold, but I was not prepared for the extremes of how hot the afternoon sun got and how cold the nights would really be.  I was glad I packed so many different clothing options for Hudson
  • Bring tons of wipes!  They come in handy for so many things while camping.
  • We brought a tarp and put a blanket on top of it for Hudson to play on, it was so dusty where we were and it helped minimize how dirty Hudson got.
  • Don't worry too much about toys.  We only brought a couple small toys and really could have done without.  There was enough to look at and sticks to play with.
  • Bring easy meals.  I pre-cut and seasoned veggies for our tinfoil dinners, and cooked our egg, hashbrown, and bacon, mixture for our breakfast burritos in advance.  It made things go a lot smoother and Hudson still got fairly healthy meals.
  • Don't worry too much about dirt.  This was the dirtiest campsite we ever stayed at.  I tried to keep Hudson clean, but he enjoyed it too much, and a little dirt doesn't hurt anyone.
  • Lastly, be flexible, we wanted to try camping two nights, but decided we got just as much out of one night. We had a lot of fun, but we were not sad to leave early.


So now that we made it camping way up in the mountains with a baby, I feel confident to try it somewhere else, hopefully with a few more amenities.  We always camp in Idaho during the summer and now I know it will be a piece of cake at a campground!

1

Hudson Is One

Posted on Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Yesterday, Hudson turned one.  I can't believe it!  This year has flown by, yet I can barely remember life before we had a baby.


I had all these cute ideas for Hudson's birthday party, but then the night before our printer ran out of ink, and Hudson's handmade cake completely crumbled apart while I was trying to frost it.  So I didn't finish all the decoration's i wanted to, and Hudson ended up with a store bought cake instead of homemade, but I don't think he minded.

We grilled some food, opened presents, and watch Hudson have his first destroy his cake.  Me and Jason tried to think of toys Hudson would love, and wouldn't drive us crazy all day. We decided on a set of toddler instruments (he looooves music!) and a shopping cart he could push around, (he loves to put things in containers!)  We chose right!  When we got home that night he pushed his new little toys around in his cart all over our condo.  The most he has ever walked! Even though he stayed up later than normal, at bedtime he was not having it!  He wanted that shopping cart!

And now so many pictures you will feel like you partied with us...












Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us.  We are so lucky to have such a happy baby boy.  Everyday he makes us laugh and smile with his hilarious personality.  We love you Hudsie!

2

Mother's Day

Posted on Monday, May 13, 2013

Yesterday was my first Mother's day as a mother.  (Although I did count last myself as a mother last year, being nine months pregnant, because being that huge IS a mother!)
I could go on and on and on about how amazing a being a mother is, instead read this post, and let me summarize...it's amazing.

My day was pretty great, besides to part where I didn't get to take a nap, but I guess that is what this day is all about, celebrating who sleep deprived i have been the last year.


 


 I just got a new camera for an early birthday gift, and spent a lot of time playing with it, and a little time playing in photoshop.  Forgive the photo overload!  After church Jason made me chicken empenadas for lunch, and we headed over to my parents for a family dinner.








I cannot get enough of that picture of Hudson and hid Grandma, my amazing mom!  He loooves books.  (Sorry mom I was blinking in all the pictures without  your glasses!)


My grandma is in town!  It is always so fun when she visits from portland.  After a great dinner we spent as much time outside as we could.  The weather was so great and my parent's backyard has the best view.





 
                     



Hudson loved playing with baby Oaklie.  She is so sweet and kept smiling right at the camera, hopefully someday soon Hudson will understand the whole picture taking thing.