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Friday, July 31, 2009

penny wishes & class clown

This morning we had about 10 minutes to kill before Grace's new L6 class at Gymboree so we headed over to the fountains to find our pennies a new home. Did you see that, mama!?!!?!!!?! Want to get our pennies back and do it again? Don't you just love how excited little ones get over the smallest things??? Can you imagine if we never lost that magical feeling?

Later at the end of class was one of those moments you wish you could have captured on film...If you're familiar with Gymboree classes you know that at the end of each class in most all levels, there is a signature activity involving the parachute. This happens to be Grace's favorite part of class (and most kids' I suspect). Well right as her teacher was about to unroll the parachute, Grace jumped on top of a dome shaped mat and with a perfect announcer sing-song voice yelled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Come one and come all!" Needless to say, she had the entire class laughing. Guess we need to cut back on that one Curious George movie, huh? She's quite the entertainer I tell ya!

For all the trying moments age 2 brings, it sure does bring a lot of laughs too!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

it's okay, little bruder

Grace is so sweet with her little brother. She is definitely mama's little helper. Whenever he starts to fuss, she'll go right next to him and tell him, "It's okay, little bruder. You're alright little fella." Cracks me up and melts my heart all at the same time! P.S. Look at his pudgy belly!!! He's growing by leaps and bounds. At his last unofficial weigh in (on our scale) he weighed over 10 lbs!

P.P.S. Cori~ thank you for the cute embroidered onesies - they're so cute!

P.P.P.S. Darn that bar on his bouncy seat! I only had a second to abandon the dishes in the sink and grab the camera...oh, well - you get the picture.

Monday, July 27, 2009

THE perfect baby book

THANK YOU Courtney for the great link!!!!!! Chasing after two little ones it's been hard to carve out time to work on a baby book for Hudson. And I still have a drawer full of milestones jotted down on little bits and pieces of scrap paper waiting to be neatly copied into Grace's baby book.

So to rescue me from the mama guilt, enter Baby Update Cards from Jack and Izzy! I love the idea of these little cards. I've seen some others, but these are by far the cutest! They take the stress out of keeping up with the baby book in exchange for some sweet and very modern looking baby cards that can be completed monthly. And with Hudson being just 5 weeks old I don't feel I'm too behind :) I love the keepsake box too which they personalize with baby's name! This may just become my go-to baby shower gift!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

splishin' and a splashin' away!

We've been talking about going for a while, so this afternoon after naptime we packed up and headed to the downtown fountains for some fun under the sun.

Hurry up mama, I'm ready to go for it! Not a care in the world! And yes, even Mama and Daddy had their turns running through the fountains - clothes and all! Joy. Pure joy. Catch me if you can! ha, ha, ha Hey?!?! Where did it go???? The sun made Hudson sleepy. He just snoozed away...can't wait to see him in action next summer! Afterward we went for catfish & hush puppies - doesn't get any more southern than that! Fun times indeed!!!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

under the big top

my current weakness...

vintage circus + smocked + no clowns + red + aqua + matching brother sister sets I feel a party theme taking shape :)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

one month old

Already a month old...it's gone by so fast!

Such a short span of time, but long enough to wrap himself around our hearts.

A change in family dynamics...a son, a brother, a nephew, a grandson, a namesake...a child of God.

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Hudson!
We couldn't imagine our life without you!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

childhood memories

I love these two pictures of the little pumpkin! She's enjoying a snowcone while swinging in the backyard after having played in the kiddie pool. Fun times! We are definitely taking advantage of longer daylight hours and lazy summer days. This past weekend, at just days shy of his 1 month birthday, look who got to dip his tippy toes in the pool for the first time! Not too sure about that, so let's try it again - this time with Daddy. I'm too cool for the kiddie pool. Yawn, Yawn Apparently dipping his toes in the pool puts the little guy right to sleep...maybe I should try this in the wee hours when Hudson refuses to sleep??? And finally, just Brother and Sister hanging out. Life's good! Hope you're having fun in the sun and making lots of memories to treasure along the way!

Monday, July 20, 2009

busy, busy, busy...fun, fun, fun

Hudson is for sure a night owl. He likes to sleep all day and then party every night from 1a-5a :) I had a feeling this might be the case since nighttime was when he was most active while he was still in my belly. But even the undereye circles haven't stopped us from squeezing in lots of fun summertime activities.

Ready to go exploring at the science discovery center Exploring the "underground" cave to learn about ant colonies Checking out the "genius" pig (that's guinea pig in Grace talk :) he, he, he - so cute! Checking out the piano at Noonie & Papa AJ's house Fun times at Chuck E. Cheese's Hanging out with Clifford Giddy up, Giddy up Even Hudson got in on the action although he wasn't sure what to think of it all :) Visiting Daddy at his office (and having lots of fun spinning around and around his chair :) And enjoying lots of moments like this at home Little Brother is pretty enamored with his Big Sis (insert puffy hearts here :) Hope you are all having a wonderful Summer thus far!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

a little gobble gobble preview

I was in Hobby Lobby the other day and couldn't believe that they already have Christmas stuff out. Not just Fall stuff, but CHRISTMAS?!?! In July, no less. What are they thinking?????? But then I was shopping at a local children's boutique when I spotted the sweetest thanksgiving smocked outfits - he, he, he. And all of a sudden shopping for the cool, crisp months in the middle of a 100+ degree wave was A-OK. So thank you Aelania, Crystal, Debbie & Bonnie for the generous gift certificate - you just outfitted the little pumpkin and baby Hudson for Fall pictures!! Can't wait for pumpkins and mums and caramel apples and pumpkin patches...I love Fall!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

at last

So excited to be back wearing this I love my aprons!!!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

seeking...

Cottage Road Designs

A couple of weeks ago my mom gave me a copy of The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. A while back I read another one of her books (praying wife for short) but I had forgotten about the parent one. She couldn't have given it to me a better time! Thanks mom!!

Two areas have been on my mind a lot in the past few months: 1) being a mama to a son and 2) finding the right way to discipline the little pumpkin.

When I was pregnant with Hudson (wow - I can't believe that's in the past tense now!) I thought and thought of what it would be like to parent a son as opposed to a daughter. I worried about doing it right. I think mothers of sons have a unique opportunity AND responsibility to raise their sons in a way that teaches them those very important "love languages" if you will that they will one day need to become the kinds of loving husbands and fathers the world needs more of. So I've been praying about this one...for guidance and instruction on how to be the best mama to Hudson.

The little pumpkin is truly smart beyond her years. She is so sweet and full of love and zest for life! It amazes me the things she says and comes up with. She's indeed a little sponge and picks up on things quickly. She's also strongwilled and has a temper...wonder where that came from??? Yup, no excuses - she got it from both Lance and I :) I do it all by myself is her favorite phrase (can you tell she's 2? ha, ha, ha)

I know discipline choices are very personal decisions each with pros and cons. I don't believe in spanking for a ton of reasons I won't get into here. We've been using time out but it doesn't always seem to do the trick. There have been times when she's cried (LOUDLY I may add) because she doesn't want to get OUT of time out???!!! And before you start thinking that our time out spot must be a fun place, let me say it's in the corner of a wall right off our kitchen with no distractions or fun things. We've also started the "if you do X, you will lose X" (like reading books or watching Curious George) and yes, we lather on the positive reinforcement too whenever possible. Open to new suggestions - any ideas??? So as you can tell I've been praying (a lot) about this one...about how to discipline her in a way that helps her to learn and grow.

A while back I read something along the lines of "you love your children unconditionally, but if you want others to love them like you do, you have to teach them right from wrong and not make excuses for their behaviors; you have to teach them manners and respect and self-control". I wish I remembered where I read this 'cause I'd like to re-read the whole thing, but I can't remember. Manners are so important, truth is I can't stand seeing rude children. I really think parents have done them a disfavor when they let them get away with being rude and just excuse their behavior. So we're trying our hardest to raise Grace (and Hudson too) to be polite and considerate and mindful. The first two she's really good about, the last one is a work in progress because being two and being mindful somehow go like oil and water.

So back to the book...one particular paragraph in the chapter about releasing your children into God's hands really struck a chord with me. It reads, "We can't be everywhere. But God can. We can't see everything. But God can. We can't know everything. But God can. No matter what age our children are, releasing them into God's hands is a sign of our faith and trust in Him and is the first step toward making a difference in their lives. Prayer for our children begins there." Lately, everytime I feel like my patience meter is running close to empty I think back to that passage and it helps me put things in perspective. And although we may still be struggling with the same behaviors, it gives me more patience and fuel to keep going. It helps me remember that I'd rather put in the hard work now when they're still little and reap the rewards later. It makes me feel better. Which is a good thing...a really good thing for a sleep deprived mama of two sweet munchkins.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Rub-a-Dub-Dub & Happy Hour

For all the family peeps who have been asking for more pics...here's some of Hudson's first real bath. Definitely not a happy camper!

I . DON'T . LIKE . THIS . AT . ALL!!! Maybe if I just force myself to snooze I'll wake up and realize this was just a bad dream??? NOOOOO, it's not working!!! That's better, mama. All snuggled up, but I'm still keeping my eye on that bathtub - I don't like that thing! Off to dreamland!

And some in his funny "happy hour" onesie. Indeed this little boy is ONE HUNGRY KIDDO!

BEFORE I'm not in the mood to play... AFTER = MUCH HAPPIER! Sometimes while I'm nursing Hudson, Grace likes to decorate me with stickers :) It makes her giggle in the sweetest little voice :) Oh, how I love those two!