9 months!

I've had him as long as I was pregnant with him! WOW! These past nine months sure have gone by MUCH faster than the nine months I was preggo with him. This past month Hudson grew almost an inch in height, is talking ALL the time and saying new words and sounds daily, pulls up like a champ and "cruises" while holding on. He's fast! He's eating "real" food, and loves green beans, and strawberries. I try to let him eat what we are having for dinner each night but I'm still using baby food to supplement with the real food. He loves drinking his water from his sippy cup, and does it all by himself. He helps me with the spoon when I am feeding him. He loves Claire and it's adorable to see them interact. She even pushes him in the swing. She's walking all over the place. They are so precious, and I am so thankful that they get to grow up together.

School's finally out and I'm done with post-planning. I am in a class at ASU the remainder of this week and next. Today was the first day and surprisingly I enjoyed it. I will be glad when it's over and I get to spend all day everyday with Hudson. We go for his nine month well visit in a few weeks, so I will post his 9 months stats after the appointment. My prediction on weight is 22 lbs. We shall see.

Congrats Grads!

Congratulations to all of the 2010 graduates. Hudson enjoyed his first graduation party on Friday night. He had such a good time watching people dance, and hanging out on the river. Here he is with Anna. We love her family, and they have been close to our hearts ever since Dave and I started dating. We are so proud of Anna and excited to see where the future takes her. Hudson was too busy looking around to look at the camera, but it's a good picture of Anna.



Hudson also enjoyed meeting Mark. He's one of Anna's brothers.





The rest of the weekend has been pretty relaxing. It's been nice to not have a weekend full of plans. We had pictures with Haley Lamb on Saturday evening and I CAN'T WAIT to see them.

Hudson's been a little under the weather. He has a runny nose and is pretty congested at times. I think it's just a cold, but wonder if it's due to teething. It hasn't slowed him down. He spent Sunday afternoon outside in the pool. It was HOT outside so we greased him down in sunscreen and headed out. As you can see, he loved it. He slept so good after playing in the pool.

Bittersweet-ness

Tomorrow is the last day of school. At 3:15 I will wrap up my 7th year of teaching. HOLY COW! Has that much time really gone by since college? I'm getting old. Of course I am ecstatic about the fact that I will get to stay home with Hudson everyday for 10 weeks, but it's also going to be a very bittersweet day. I have looked forward to this day, counted down the days to this day, talked and dreamed about this day. Now it's here and deep down there is a part of me that is sad. I'll miss my kids. We've spent day in and day out learning, growing, laughing, crying, and bonding. They have outgrown me and are ready for first grade. It's cool to see how far they have come over the past 10 months. I'm excited about their futures and the places they will go.

I don't want tomorrow to end because that means that my grade level will no longer be together. Last week I blogged about my girls that are being moved to other grades. I really don't want to see them leave.

That brings us to the sweet part: At least we have the summer time!

Here's my sweetness riding his fire truck..

My How Times Change

When you have a baby, isn't it funny how you are ready for bed at 9:00? Back in the good ole college days we could stay up all night without a second thought. Everything was done on a whim and spur of the moment with not much thought. It was easy to just "run to the store", or go shopping for hours. My friends and I even jumped into the car one winter and headed to New York for New Years Eve. Now our days are thoughtfully planned around naps, bottles, and meals. It's not as easy to just hop in the car and "run" somewhere. You have to make sure that you have everything packed. Bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, burp cloths, extra clothes, extra pacifier, a toy or two, a snack, and a sippy cup. That's just if you are planning on being gone for a few hours. You get used to it, but it's still funny to think back to those days when you just had to take care of yourself.

We went over to Erin and Jarvis' house last night to grill out and let the babies play. It was fun hanging out, but by 10:00 we were all about to pass out. How funny! Here are some pictures of Ila and Hudson playing. Erin and I can't believe how big our babies are getting.

Happy Birthday Harrison!

Harrison is 3! It seems like he was just born. Time flies! We had such a good time celebrating with him at his party this weekend. It was a wonderful day for a party in the park!

The birthday boy and his Sponge Bob cake. It was so cute.

My little man in the swings of course. He loves to swing.

Ava and her friend Catherine. Ava's such a great big sister to Harrison. She's finishing up first grade...SO hard to believe.

The birthday boy in the fountain.

The Terrific Trio

For the past five years, I have worked with a great team. Kathryn and Michelle are not just my co-workers but are two of my dearest friends. We've been there for each other through pregnancies, our kids' births, family deaths, lots of good times, and many sad times. We have been through GKAP, GKIDS, DIBELS, MCLASS, progress monitoring, field trips, end of year programs (I must say that we have put on THE BEST EOY programs!), maternity leaves, lesson plans, "report cards", and SO much more. We know each other so well, and can read each other's minds without even saying a word. We know what to say at the right time, and what not to say.

It's hard to believe that we won't be working on the same grade level next year. I am going to miss these two SO much. It makes me so sad not just because I will miss my friends, but because I know where their hearts are, and where they really want to be. We won't be on the same grade level, but that won't stop our friendship. Our friendship is true and this is just a little bump in the road. I wish both of you the best of luck. This isn't the end. We'll be back together again soon. Thanks for being such great friends.

Happy to be a Mother

Dear Hudson,

There are no words to describe how much I love you but I am going to try anyways. You were wanted for so long. I loved you before I even met you and before I even knew that you were on your way. Thank you for making my life so much better. You are such a joy. The best part of my morning is going to your bed and seeing that beautiful amazing smile spread across your face. That makes my heat melt every time. I love how you talk with your eyes and they always give a pretty good indication of what you are feeling or thinking and let us know what kind of mood you are in. You are always happy, smiling and laughing. It's so sweet how strangers always comment on how happy you are and say that you are such a good baby. The way that you crunch your nose up when you think something is really funny makes me smile and I love your laugh. That little voice is too sweet and your new sounds and words are music to my ears. When you say "ma" or "ma ma" I just want to grab you and give you a big hug. I like doing that a lot anyway. I love how you grab my face and pull it close to yours. Your kisses are the best even though they are a little wet sometimes. I couldn't imagine that I could ever love someone the way that I love you.
Thank you, Hudson for making me a mom. This Mother's Day is so special. It's one that I will never forget. Thank you for showing me what life is really about. I can't imagine life without you. I'm looking forward to so many more wonderful memories with you. You are a wonderful son and I love you so much.

Love,

Mom

It'll Make You Smile

I was shaking a cup of ice and Hudson started cracking up laughing. Sorry for the obnoxious sound in the background. Hudson will make you smile though.

Tubby Time!

In our house, you can't walk into the bathroom without Hudson flying in right behind you. He LOVES his bath time and so he thinks that you are preparing his tub when you go in the bathroom. When he hears the water running he gets super excited. I'm so glad that my baby loves water. I can't wait to get him in the swimming pool. It looks like that will be very soon based on our temperatures this weekend. It's 8:00pm right now, and it's 86 degrees outside. WHEW! If this is any indication...it's going to be a long, hot summer. I'm ready though. I can't wait to get out of school and spend almost every day at the pool with Hudson. Only 3 more weeks! That's only 15 days! CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After bath time, we brush those pearly whites. It's still so strange seeing teeth in his mouth. They are getting big too. Of course Dave or I brush his teeth then we let him have his hand at it. He just likes to chew on the toothbrush, but the dentist said that's good for him because it cleans his teeth and gums.