Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving Day started out with a special delivery from my Mom. One of our Whitt family Thanksgiving traditions is to have monkey bread and hot tea while watching the Macy's parade. Even though we've all moved out, Mom still makes the monkey bread and the hot tea and this year, brought it to us! Thank you Mom!!! It was SO good! I watched just about every bit of the parade and as always, my favorite part was the Rockettes.

We headed to my parents' house for Thanksgiving lunch. It was a small crowd this year (just us, my parents and the grandparents), but we still had a lot of fun and the food was delicious! I can't get enough of Thanksgiving food and yes, I had two plates AND dessert!

Here are my sweet grandparents....still going strong at 93! Believe it or not, they drove to my parents' house!

We had to get a picture with Mama Jean ("mean" as Hudson calls her!). She's doing great too!

After lunch, we headed up to the lake to spend the rest of the day and night with Joel's family. We tried to get a family picture, but when Joel's parents are around, Hudson wants nothing to do with us!

So, we kicked Hudson out of the picture!

Hudson met his second cousin, Mallory, for the first time. She was born in July and is so cute. She was so tiny too...Hudson was never that small! I held her for a short while and I was almost nervous. Is it sad that I forgot how to hold a baby??? I did ok though! She was very content!

I think Hudson liked the "baby" ok. He did steal her rattle and kept tempting her with it, but wouldn't give it to her. It was mean.

We had dinner #2 at the lake and were pretty much stuffed! It was all so good and we had a good time hanging out with everyone. Hudson was one tired little boy. We stayed up there for the night and then came back to Birmingham in time for the Iron Bowl.

We have had the best long weekend and are sad that tomorrow means back to work. But, just a few weeks and we'll be off for a while at Christmas so we're looking forward to that. Speaking of that, we spent most of yesterday putting up Christmas! I love our house all decorated for Christmas. It's so warm and cozy! We also got Hudson's Christmas card picture taken care of yesterday. Luckily, we were able to do it ourselves and I think it's going to be really cute.

Here's just a couple of pictures of Hudson torturing Chloe. He has been really mean to her lately! We're trying to teach him to be sweet!

War Eagle!!!

Our day started with a little anxiety, a little bit of nerves, and one cute pair of overalls courtesy of uncle Jordan!


We were so excited about the big game against rival Alabama, but soon found out we had good reason to be nervous! A 24-0 start and things were not looking so good for our undefeated Auburn Tigers! I saw a weekend of depression looming for my poor husband. After the first quarter, Joel and I had to separate and watch the game in different rooms. He is so negative, but I never lost faith in our come from behind team!

Meanwhile, Hudson woke up a happy camper from a 3 hour afternoon nap just in time to see the second half (good thing he was happy because no one else was!).....

There was a lot of yelling at the tv, jumping up and down, high fives all around, even some cussing (and yes, Hudson got in on that action too--oh well, it slips sometimes and I won't mention who the culprit was...she knows who she is!). In the end, we came out on TOP!!! 28-27!!! Our undefeated season continues...

This guy is pumped and so are we!!!
Good thing because Joel and I have our hats ready for the SEC championship in Atlanta next weekend!

WAR EAGLE!!! What a comeback!

Catching Up

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I think it must be the calm before the storm with all the holidays coming up--I'm giving everyone a break because it's about to be blog overload over the next month! Things are good around here. We haven't done much the past couple of weekends, so I guess that's why I haven't updated much. I haven't even taken many pictures lately either! Shocker there! This post might be a little random, so I'm sorry!

Let's see, this little guy has been really testing us lately. The time outs are getting more frequent unfortunately, and I'm not sure they are doing much good. He just won't listen! Whether it's climbing up on our bar stools, or standing in his high chair (or, climbing in his high chair from the ground like he did the other day!), UNLOCKING the back door and going outside by himself, or feeding the dogs his food, it's just exhausting. I feel like I say "no" 8,000 times a day and I feel really bad about that. He is REALLY sweet though most of the time, and whenever we put him in time out, he always cries and then says he's sorry (more like "saw-wee"), so I feel like he knows what it is, but 5 minutes later, he's back to doing what put him in time-out to begin with.

The three of us ventured out to try the new Pita Stop restaurant in Cahaba Heights Friday night. I thought it was going to be more of a casual place since they took over a Hardee's and the one downtown is not that nice, but the new restaurant had a great feel to it and was a lot nicer than we anticipated. We loved the atmosphere and thought the food was good as well. Hudson was his usual wild self and stressed us out the whole time (why do we keep taking him with us?!?!). Fortunately, we had two grandmothers sitting in the booth behind us that endured goldfish being dropped on them and Hudson overlooking their entire meal, and they just loved him. I don't know why, but Hudson was loving their attention and even tried to go get in their booth with them. I think we yelled for the check at that point! Anyway, I'm thankful for nice people at restaurants that don't mind rowdy kids and pay them special attention. It makes the experience a lot better! During one of the many times that I apologized to the ladies, one of them said that we were the only ones that were bothered by Hudson and not to worry at all. I know that's the case most times, but you still feel like you are ruining other people's dining experiences!

I've had a couple of dinners out with friends lately and it's been great! I'm thankful that Joel lets me do that every now and then! :) Of course, he was out of town for a few nights last week so I don't feel too bad letting him do daddy duty for a night or two! We had a girl's night out with some girls from our Sunday school class at the Melting Pot last week and it was so much fun. I had never been there and the fondue thing was really fun! Next time I go, I think I'll just stick with dessert though because that was, by far, the best part! Last night, I got to spend some time with some current and former co-workers that I just love. We usually get together to celebrate a birthday and we had a fun time at Pablo's last night catching up. Joel and I also got to have a dinner out with three other couples from our Sunday school class on Sunday night at La Paz. We are really enjoying our new class and it is definitely one of the things that I'm thankful for this holiday season! It has been really fun meeting new people and making new friends with couples who are all in our same situation with small children.

Hudson got a much needed haircut last weekend. We had been getting one too many "she" comments so I knew it was time! I don't see how people get confused, but the craziest one was this man at the zoo that said he thought Hudson was a girl because of all the curls. Boys can't have curls??? News to me!

Before shot above...after shot below. He always looks so much older after a haircut! He did so well getting it cut this time. He just sat there the whole time and didn't move.

Last weekend, I went and checked out the new outlet mall in Leeds, the Shops of Grand River. I was able to knock out a good bit of Christmas shopping and bought a couple of things for myself. It was really nice and I'll definitely go back!

Mom and I have also been doing some wedding planning for my sister! It is so fun to get to do this all over again. I only wish that Carrie could be here with us though. It's hard when the bride lives in LA! All I can say is that I'm glad I have a boy! Gosh, weddings are expensive! I keep reminding Dad that this is the last one, his baby, and he's totally free after this is over! Well, I guess you never know with Carrie, but hopefully he'll be done after this! Ha!

I hate that this picture below is blurry because he's making such a sweet face. How can you get mad at that face???

Today, Hudson's school had their Thanksgiving feast. I think Hudson was really confused as to why I was there and we weren't leaving. He kept saying "go, go" and clung to me the entire time. He thought I was going to leave without him. I did witness several parents that left without their kids and it was heartbreaking! Anyway, Hudson wouldn't eat a bit of his Thanksgiving feast and wouldn't let me put him down for a second so it was a bit of a disaster. I was looking forward to watching him play with his buddies and see how he interacted, but all he wanted was Mama. Oh well, maybe next year! I wasn't able to get any pictures of him with his friends, but a sweet mom took a picture of the two of us so at least I have that! Side note...I thought that today was school colors day, but apparently that was yesterday so while all the other kids were wearing their cute turkey outfits, Hudson was decked out in Auburn. I'm awful--he did have a fun time pointing out Aubie to everyone who would listen!

I sure am thankful to be this boy's Mama (even when he acts up!)!!!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I know that we are really looking forward to being with our families. We have so much to be thankful for! Thanksgiving is one of my FAVORITE holidays of the year and I can't wait!!!

Got the Even Numbers Down!

Still working on those odd numbers!

Veteran's Day at the Zoo

Daycare was closed today to observe Veteran's Day (thank you to all you troops out there!), so I stayed home with Hudson and had a great day with my little guy. After getting to sleep in until 8 (such a good surprise!), we headed to the zoo.

We rode the train...

Saw the 'rillas...

Played with the 'roos (kangaroos)...

After all that running around, it was high time for a snack on the bench! Why not get comfortable?!?!

We saw much, much, more, but keeping up with a 20 month old AND trying to take pictures was next to impossible. I purposely did not take a stroller so that I would wear the boy out, so he walked all over that zoo. Hudson LOVED seeing all the animals and even pitched a little fit when I told him it was time to go home. I would call that a successful trip!

It was a fun day off with my little buddy!

Mentone, AU Football, Birthday Parties

We headed to Mentone Saturday morning to spend the day and night with my parents. We arrived just in time to play a little putt putt on the putting green...

It was a shame our balls never got to the hole because the dogs kept stealing them. It was a game to them! Hudson had fun holding the putter and pulling out the pins. I would be ok with him being a professional caddy someday! He sure did get in some good practice this weekend! Ha!


Joel tried to get a picture with Hudson, but it wasn't happening. Too much to do and see!


We had a delicious bowl of chili while we watched the Auburn game. It was perfect for a cold November day! Actually, the whole day was spent watching football and we wouldn't have had it any other way! We enjoyed ourselves so much! Oh and we didn't mind a bit that Hudson's whole focus was on his Big Momma and Big Daddy! It's so nice to have some help and Hudson just adores all of his grandparents. Joel and I are nothing compared to all of them!

This picture must have been taken right after Alabama lost to LSU! Just kidding to all my Bammer fans. It's no fun to lose so I know how they feel! I just hope we don't have to experience that this year! Hudson loved to tell us that "Aubie" was on his shirt. Talk about cute! I hope he gets to see the real Aubie sometime soon!


We had steak for dinner and then attempted to get Hudson to bed, which was a no go. We rarely have trouble getting him to go to bed. I have to back up for a minute and tell this one story. So, Hudson has been showing a little bit of an attitude the past few days, ironically, right after I did the 20 month post when I said he has been doing so well lately. I should never have written that! Well, I finally tried "time-out" last week because he was kicking the dogs and hitting me in the face. I put him in a chair and was going to make him sit for a minute (I've heard to make them sit in time-out a minute for each year he is and since he's one, that's why I did one minute). He obviously understood what it was because he got SO mad, crying and screaming, that he barfed. Timeout obviously didn't go as planned! So, back to the bedtime story. For whatever reason, he didn't want to be in the crib at the cabin. You probably know where this is going. Yes, he got so mad again that he barfed. I had only brought one set of pj's and the barf was everywhere. The crib was not happening. I've learned my lesson--if he gets too mad he WILL throw up--YUCK! What do I do??? I see a lot of barf in my future at this rate. Disciplining is NOT easy!

Anyway, we put him in the bed with us, dressed in his dirty clothes from the day, but with two dogs and three people in a double size bed, it was not comfortable to say the least! I finally was able to get him back into the crib once he fell asleep, but he woke up at 4 or 5 am screaming again. I ended up taking him to another room on the other side of the house so we wouldn't bother anyone, and luckily, he did go back to sleep for a few hours, but we were in a twin bed this time and it was awful for me! Oh well!

Sunday morning, we relaxed for a while before heading to Weiss Lake to celebrate Joel's granddad's 93rd birthday.

We tried to take some pictures before we left Mentone, but again, Hudson was not having it!

Here he is kissing the bear. So cute!

We made it to the lake in time to eat a yummy lunch and have some cake! Here we are singing to Papa John. Can you believe he's 93?!?! Wow!!! He's listening to us sing through a microphone--he's hard of hearing, but what do you expect at 93! He's still smart as a whip! He'll tell you that he can't remember anything, but he asked me about my grandfather, remembered his name (Fred), and told me that Fred had just turned 93 too. And, yes, he turned 93 a month ago. I hope I can remember that much at 93...wait, I hope I live to 93!

We had a great time visiting with Joel's family at the lake and celebrating Papa John. We wouldn't have missed it for the world! After the party, we headed back to Birmingham. We had another birthday party at 4 on Sunday afternoon! It was a crazy day.

My friend Jennifer's little girl Cooper turned 2 and she had a "bubble" themed birthday party for her. Let me tell you, it was SO cute! Jennifer is so creative and the decorations were awesome. I only wish I had a portion of that talent!

Here is Hudson and Cooper (aka "Pooper" as Hudson calls her!) riding in the wagon. Cooper's outfit matched all of the colors and the theme of the party and she had on the cutest little Ugg shoes to go with it. She is just precious!

The party was near a pool and unfortunately, Hudson didn't understand that he couldn't get in the pool. Why was MY child the only one who felt this way?!?!?! No one else's child made mad dashes towards the pool! It was a disaster trying to keep him away from it. Hudson had a long day, so he was not in the best mood and whenever we blocked him from running to the pool, he started to throw a fit. Needless to say, we weren't able to stay too long! But, besides the pool issues, Hudson had a BLAST playing with the bubbles. It was such a great idea. There was a bubble machine and a baby pool with bubble stuff in it. Hudson loved it. I love seeing him have fun. Oh and the cake. The cake was some of the best cake I've ever had! And yes, we had cake and ice cream twice yesterday. And, Hudson had ice cream two times on Saturday too. Yikes!

Lucky for us, since we had the sleep issues Saturday night, Hudson slept in a little later Sunday morning, and with all the activity yesterday, he was so tired last night that the time change didn't really affect him too badly. I'm sure everyone who has kids dreads the time change (as do I!), but thankfully, it was ok this year. He actually slept until after 7 this morning!

The weekend was so much fun. We absolutely love going to Mentone and hanging out at the cabin. There's something about it that just makes you relax and this time of year, it is beautiful with all the leaves changing colors. I'm thankful that the lake is only 20-30 minutes away from the cabin and we are able to see both families in one weekend. We are truly blessed! It sure does make going back to work on Mondays hard! :(

20 Months

Hudson turned 20 months old yesterday. I can't believe we're just 4 short months away from his 2nd birthday! Time is flying by (and yes, I know I always say that!).

Hudson is really just a pure joy to be around these days. It seems like the fits have subsided (for now and I should probably knock on wood for saying that!) and he's an overall happy toddler for the most part. I think it helps that we are able to communicate a little better with him now than before. Of course, we have our moments, but that's mostly when he's sleepy and obviously when he doesn't get something that he wants. :) Boy, that doesn't happen much...ha!

Hudson is starting to string words together. He is getting really good at saying two or three words at a time. He repeats EVERYTHING that we say. Everything.

He is Mr. Independent right now. He has to do everything by himself. This includes eating, brushing teeth (although we have to take charge on this one), stairs, and much much more. He won't let me hold him much anymore--it's always "walk walk" and wrestling out of my arms when I try. He loves to tell you no. Hudson, do you want to take a bath? No. Hudson, do you want to brush your teeth? No. Hudson, eat your food. No.

Hudson is still in the identifying everything stage. He points out everything to us, and he is always telling us who we are, and who he is as well. He can identify most of our family members in photographs. He also knows what Joel's car looks like and every time we pass one of them on the road, he will point to it and say Daddy. When I am dressing him, he will say, diaper, pants, shirt, socks, and shoes at the appropriates times.

He loves stacking his alphabet blocks and telling us where all the animals are on each block. He is also really interested in his alphabet train now and can tell you what is on each block for the most part. He has also really gotten into building blocks! This has been really fun to see how high Hudson can stack them before he gets frustrated and knocks them all down! Joel and I also play a game to see who can make the highest tower before Hudson knocks it down. We don't usually get very far! He is all boy for sure.

We've been working on colors, numbers, and ABC's lately. Right now, if you ask him what color something is, he will always say blue, so that's a work in progress. He knows, red, green, yellow, and purple as well, but right now, if you ask him, he's going to say it is blue. At least it's not pink! Ha! He will always say two after you say one (and sometimes will say "free" for three as well), and the other day he was playing with a toy that was counting numbers and I swear he said, six, seven, eight, but maybe that was just a coincidence. He hasn't done it again! He loves the ABC song and his mouth is always moving when we sing it, like he's memorizing it. Hopefully, he'll be singing along with me soon! We all know I need the help singing!

Hudson is in a squealing phase at 20 months. We were in the car a couple of weeks ago and Hudson let out this huge squeal out of the blue. I just about jumped out of my seat and lost control of the car, and Hudson starts laughing uncontrollably. He really got me that time! His squeals are totally ear piecing, but such a good noise at the same time if you know what I mean (Joel hates it, but I think it's kind of cute when I'm not about to wreck the car). He's just plain silly a lot of the time and that's what makes it so fun right now!

Eating has gotten a lot better! He is trying more things now instead of just turning up his nose if it doesn't look appealing. I would get so mad when he wouldn't even try it, but now, if he tries it and then decides he doesn't like it, I'm ok with that. Still no veggies, but we're trying to sneak them in some things if we can. Oh and he tried dirt last week and by the looks of it, I think he really liked it! :)

Happy 20 months little man! We love you!!!

My Little Puppy!

After wearing the puppy costume OUT this year, I thought for sure that Hudson would be ok with wearing the hat by Halloween night.

What do you think?

He wanted it OFF!!! Joel and I tortured him for a little while so we could snap some pictures. But, doesn't he just look so cute?!?!? I will say that the red tongue on the hat was cute, but not designed very well as it covered his eye. I would be mad too!

Pops was able to make him happy though. Thank goodness for Pops and Migi! They make everything all better! He's the cutest puppy I've ever seen!

He loves Pops, and especially, Pops' truck! We talk about that truck ALL the time!

Unfortunately, when Mommy and Daddy want a picture on the beloved truck, without Pops, things aren't so great anymore! Go figure!

The plan was to go trick or treating at a few of the neighbors houses and then go back and man our house. We didn't think Hudson would get into it this year and since we have SO many people come by, it is sometimes more fun to be at home! Boy, were we wrong in that Hudson wouldn't be into it! That boy figured it out fast! This is House #1...

Hudson is thinking maybe this isn't so bad after all after checking out his loot!

House #2 brought a FUN, yet "scawwy" surprise! A witch!!! Notice we lost the hat...

We went to a couple other houses and then told Hudson we were heading home. Well, if that didn't create the biggest fit you've ever seen! He wanted MORE! So, I told Joel that I would take him to some more houses and Hudson had a ball. I finally got him to say "twick-tweet" at each house and he wanted to eat each piece of candy after every house. Oh and I made him wear the hat and he didn't mind it at all! He knew he looked cute and he loved getting candy. When we got home, Hudson had to show Joel EACH piece he got. It was so cute! He was proud. We let him indulge just a little bit last night...can we say sugar high?!?!?

Hudson LOVED answering the door for trick or treaters. Every time the doorbell would ring, he ran as fast as he could to the door. He really wanted to be outside in the action, but we had to draw the line somewhere and made him go to bed at 8, which was way past his normal bedtime! Sadly, we had to turn out our lights, and unfortunately, by 9 pm, our pumpkins were already smashed. Gotta love teenagers!

I would say that Halloween was a great success this year! I loved that Hudson had so much fun! Now, if we could just get rid of all this candy that we have...