Gardendale Splash Pad

The Gardendale splash pad has been something I've been wanting to take Hudson to all summer. We finally got the chance to go this morning with our Sunday school playgroup. Hudson was so excited all morning, although, he kept talking about seeing the elephants and the tiger and riding the train as well as doing the splash pad. I think I told him a thousand times that we weren't going to the splash pad at the zoo, but it never quite registered! He wasn't disappointed when we got there though.

He had a great time for about 30 minutes, and then he was done. So were the rest of the kids. It was funny. We were all laughing that it took more time to drive out there, but I guess that's what you get with little ones!

We hung out with everyone for a little while to make the trip worth it, and had a snack and enjoyed being outside (in the shade!). There was also a really good playground attached to the splash pad, so Hudson had fun playing on that as well.

I kept noticing that the back of Hudson's bathing suit was getting progressively "muddier" throughout the morning. I thought he had just gone and sat in the dirt or something. Well, let's just say it wasn't mud. :) And, swimmy diapers aren't really good for something that isn't mud. So, we had to make a quick exit once I realized that we had a mess on our hands! Ha!

We tried to get a group shot of the kids, and this is how well it went! This is not even all the kids that were there. They were all so busy.

We tried for several minutes before Hudson was done and was telling me to put the "camma" up, and then of course, the younger ones finally decided to stay still at that point, so I thought this one was pretty cute!

Hudson and I hit up Chick Fil A on our way home and he's been napping ever since. It's been a good day! I don't know that we'll go back to the splash pad, but it was something different to do, and I do think Hudson had fun. It was just a long way out there and it got REALLY crowded!

Good Weekend

We had a good weekend in town. Friday, the heat was actually bearable, so Hudson and I went to the zoo. We went ALL over that place and were exhausted by the end of it! I was glad to be doing something outside with Hudson without sweating to death!

First up, the tiger and the lions--Hudson's pick. The tiger put on a show for us. He just kept going back and forth in front of the window. Hudson kept growling at him. Little does he know tht tiger could eat him with one gulp!


We saw the giraffes, which Hudson later told Joel that he was scared of the giraffes. Really?!?!? That tiger was way scarier! And, we heard the lion roar too, and that was pretty scary as well. But, the giraffes??? Who knows!

We saw the elephants on the second go around (they weren't out the first time, which made me mad so it was a good thing they were out the second time!) and headed for a much needed train ride. I have a funny story about the train ride. The conductor had everyone who was for Alabama say "Roll Tide" and it was pretty loud. Then, he said all the Auburn fans say, "War Eagle." Well, I wasn't about to be the only one to yell a War Eagle just in case there weren't any other Auburn folks on the train, so I stayed silent. Well, my 2 year old yelled it and was the only one to do it! It was so funny! We got a lot of looks and Hudson was so proud of himself! He's ready for football season!

We also had a ball in the splash pad! Well, Hudson had a ball. I enjoyed my time in the shade just watching him! I would love one of these things in my back yard!

We did the splash pad first and then he decided he was ready for the carousel. I thought I might get out of there without doing the carousel, but not this time! The tiger was already taken, so he settled for the zebra.

And then we fed the goats (even though there was a sign saying please do not feed the goats!). Oh well.

We finished up just in time to meet Joel and his parents for lunch, and then both took a great nap.

Hudson has a book about Aubie that he LOVES for us to read to him. It is about Aubie's trip around the state of Alabama and he sees ALL of the touristy spots around the state. The book is incredibly long and Hudson sits through the whole thing every time. It is neither of Joel or my's favorite choice to read because it is so long (we have learned to skip some parts!), but what can you do. The kid loves Aubie. One of Aubie's destinations is Vulcan and Joel has been promising to take Hudson there, and believe me, Hudson won't let him forget it! So yesterday, we were out and about doing errands and we were close to Vulcan so we took him there. I didn't really want to pay to go up there because I didn't think Hudson would like it (after a previous experience taking my niece there when she was about 3--she's still talking about that scary statue and she's 8 now!), but Joel insisted so we did it. And, it was FUN! He loved it! I was shocked. He is still talking about going way up high in the statue! I didn't have my good camera since we went on a whim, so these were all taken with my blackberry.

I'm not really a fan of being able to see through the metal grating that you have to stand on, not to mention it's a little shaky!

I'm telling you, he was NOT afraid in the least! Our own Michael Jackson routine...ha! We sent the below picture to my mom because I knew it would freak her out, and it did! Don't worry, Joel has a VERY firm grip on him, but he was all about sticking his head over the railing--scary!!!

After a yummy lunch at La Paz, it was nap time and then I headed to not one, but TWO parties Saturday night. All of our babysitters were out of town, so Joel stayed home with Hudson while I made the rounds. The first party was an Around the House shower for my cousin who is getting married in August, and then I headed to a baby shower for some dear friends of ours. Both parties were so much fun and I hated that Joel had to miss them, but I was glad I got to go! It was a busy night for sure though and I was exhausted by the end of it! I took no pictures unfortunately!

Today, we headed to church, then tried to conquer some things off the mile long "honey-do" list (I'm obviously starting to nest!), and then took dinner to our neighbor whose husband just had major heart surgery and almost didn't survive...but he did and they are doing great! It was a good day and I felt like we got a lot done, even though we've only crossed through 2 things on the list of things that keeps growing and growing! Hudson was so well behaved and good this weekend (believe me, this is definitely not always the case--phew, last weekend was a doozy!!). It was just a very enjoyable weekend for everyone and I hate to see it end. But, I'm excited about a couple of short and fun weeks and weekends ahead so we have a lot to look forward to!

27 Month Update

I've been feeling the need to do a Hudson update for a while now. He's just saying and doing new things everyday and I want to have it on the blog. Oh and by the way, Joel got onto me for not posting any pictures of the finished swing set, so I included them in this post--Hudson is loving it!

Hudson LOVES to sing. His current obsession is Mawy Had a Wittle Wamb, and he says it just like that. It is SO funny! Joel has tried so many times to get him to say the "L" syllable and it makes me mad when he tries because it is just too darn cute to correct (and I don't like anyone making fun of my child, even if it is his daddy!). He sings the whole song over and over and over again. Other favorites are the ABC song (which I have on video--I just need to find a time to upload it), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Rock a Bye Baby. He is also a pro at the Hokey Pokey (the Hokey Dokey as he calls it), and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. I love hearing his little voice sing!

After books every night, we say the "Now I lay me down to sleep..." prayer. Hudson knows the whole thing and it is so sweet. There are some nights when he reminds ME that we need to say it.

He loves to count how many things there are, or at least try. He has a hard time stopping at the number (like if there are 2 of them, he will keep going all the way to 10), but he is learning every day! He's just very interested in it and always asks us how many of something there are. We're even working on counting to 20!

The other day, we were in a store waiting to check out and Hudson got the attention of these two older ladies. We went over that his name was Hudson and that he was 2. He was pretty shy about it all, but all of a sudden, Hudson says, "Mommy, I want a quesadilla." You should have seen the look on their faces. They were in shock at what a big word that was for his age! If they only knew that he also knows what a skid steer is (do you know what one is???) and points out excavators on a daily basis! He's got quite the vocabulary!

He has finally learned how to actually give kisses. He used to just put his forehead down to your mouth when he wanted a kiss, but now, he's giving the good wet ones! He will even give my belly a kiss! He's so sweet! He also calls the baby by his name (which we'll tell soon!).

He loves to "change diapers" on his stuffed animals. I hope this comes in handy in a few months! Ha! He will say, "Ooooh stinky diaper, yucky" when he "changes them."

Hudson loves to watch movies right now. His favorite is Toy Story, followed closely by Bambi (which is really sad by the way!). Good thing he doesn't really understand why the Mommy goes away! I also got him a fire truck video and a garbage truck video, which he's obsessed with. He loves to snuggle with us and it's just a fun thing that we do before bedtime a lot of nights to wind down.

He's pretty smart for a 2 year old. One night, we were trying desparately to get him to eat something at dinner, and all he kept asking for was a cookie. So, we said if he ate some chicken, he could have a cookie. He quickly ate one bite and said, "Now can I have a cookie?" It was so cute, but I was so mad at the same time! He should not be understanding these things yet, even though we set ourselves up for him to do that!

On another food note, we started giving Hudson a Flintstone vitamin a few months ago. He loves them, calls them his "pill" and makes sure that we give him one every morning with breakfast! He makes sure I'm taking my pill too! It's good to have someone hold me accountable, even if it is a 2 year old!

I should also mention some of the not-so-fun things that Hudson is doing these days. He's been a handful lately. I apparently have a child that is picky about what HE wears. Isn't this a girl thing?!?!? Anyway, he has totally gotten over all the cutesy outfits that I have bought for him, and it's killing me. All he wants to wear is a shirt "with a horse on it," i.e. a Polo brand shirt (yes, he's a brand name snob!). He battles me just about every day about it. I just hate for him to wear Polo's every day because I know that is what he's going to wear for the next 50 years! I love the jon jon's and the cute applique shirts, and all the smocked outfits, and he wants nothing to do with them! I think Joel is secretly turning him to the dark side and I don't know it! Good thing I've got another baby coming that I can dress up! Until then, I'm still fighting the battle. I'm not giving up just yet!

Also, I have to mention one fit he threw a couple of weeks ago at school. From time to time, he thinks that his Migi is picking him up from school. She does pick him up a good bit, but no more than once a week, if that. He LOVES when she picks him up, and there are a lot of days when he is upset that it is me and not her (I'm ok with that--I'm thankful that he loves his grandmothers!). On one particular day, he apparently had all of his teachers fooled that Migi was coming to get him that day and they talked and talked about it all afternoon. You can imagine the reaction I got when I showed up at his room, ready to take him home for the day! It was terrible! He just threw himself down and said, "I want MY Migi" over and over again. I could not get him to leave. Finally, I just told him that we would call her in the car and stop by her house on the way home, and he was more than willing to leave at that point. Thankfully, she was home and we got a good visit in with her. It was really bad though!

He's very into saying "my" everything. I know that's just the age, but he's possessive about everything, especially when things are not clearly his! He's also started saying "I" instead of talking in third person all the time. For some reason, the talking in third person was a whole lot less demanding than the "I" form of communication!

He still has no interest in the potty. I'm not worried about it. I know it will come when he's ready. We don't push it, but we try to talk about it a lot. He tells me about all the kids at school that go on the potty, but when I ask him if he wants to, he always says no. He will sit in a wet or dirty diaper for HOURS and he doesn't care!

I will end this with one funny from last week. We went to Target after school and I told Hudson that he could get a toy (which, by the way, big mistake--we can't go anywhere now without Hudson thinking he can get a toy). Anyway, so like I said before, one of his favorite movies right now is Toy Story. We walked down an aisle and there was a stuffed Woody toy. I, not thinking one bit about what I was saying, said, "Look Hudson, there's a BIG Woody!" Which, he proceeded in yelling in his excited voice, "BIG WOODY" in the aisle. There were some people nearby that were cracking up, and only then did I realize what I had just said. Not only do kids say funny things, they make us say funny things too!

Quick Trip to Gulfport and Happy Father's Day

On Friday, Joel and I took a trip down to Gulfport, MS for my good friend Meggan's surprise 30th birthday. I'm SO glad we went (even if we were driving for longer than we were actually there!)! She was shocked that we were there and it was so good to see her. Meggan and I met freshman year in college. We lived a few doors down from each other in the dorm and then pledged the same sorority. We are total opposites--she being the artsy one with an AMAZING voice (she sang the most beautiful duet at our wedding with one of Joel's friends, and we joke that they got a louder ovation when they walked out than we did!), and I being the more athletic--but, I think that's what makes us such good friends! We have a lot to talk about! She lives in Gulfport and is the morning TV anchor there (she has to be at work at 3:30 am every morning!) so we usually only get to see each other a couple of times a year, but it is SO fun when we do! Her little boy Austin was born just a month after Hudson and she is expecting a little girl in about 5 weeks.

Meggan is such a great friend. I will never forget her driving to Birmingham when my brother died to see me for 5 minutes at his visitation. She is just one of those selfless friends that I'm so lucky to have, and I was thrilled to be a part of her birthday surprise! Her husband, John, who she met freshman year, planned a fabulous dinner at the nicest seafood place in Gulfport. It was just such a nice night, complete with a Twilight cake, her obsession! We met them for breakfast on Saturday morning before making the trek back to Birmingham, so we got a great visit in with them while we were there. I didn't want to leave, but hopefully I can go back down there and see her when baby girl arrives!

Hudson got to stay with Migi and Pops for the night and was spoiled to death! We appreciate them keeping him for the night so that we could do this. I think they were exhausted when we picked Hudson up yesterday, but I know they had fun. Hudson woke up this morning asking to go to their house again, so he's just a little obsessed with them! :)

Today is Joel's 3rd Father's Day, and he chose to stay home from church and mow grass. Lucky him! :) Hudson and I let him sleep in this morning and then gave him a homemade card that Hudson colored (I forgot to take a picture), and a gift. We let him be and went to church and then the Reed's came over with lunch to celebrate Father's Day and help us move some furniture. Hudson is now working on a 4 hour nap in his big boy bed. I think the transition is going well!

Joel did have time to give Hudson some golf lessons this morning. Golf may be his calling! He sure has the "slam the golf club into the ground" routine down pat for those times when golf gets a little frustrating! Ha!



Happy Father's Day to Joel, the best dad that Hudson could ever have! And, also a Happy Father's Day to my dad, and to Joel's dad, and also a Happy 35th Anniversary to both of our parents as well--can you believe that they both got married on the same day 35 years ago?!?!? We hope this day has been great for you and we love you all!

Big Boy Bed

The big boy beds arrived yesterday, or as Hudson calls it, his "boo bee bed." :) It was an exciting day! Hudson has been pretty excited about his firetruck room. After all, we've been talking about it forever! He was probably starting to wonder if it was really ever going to happen. For the occasion, we dressed like a fireman...

First climb on the bed...no biggie!

Check out this cute little stool. I found it on Etsy and I just think it's adorable!

We kept the crib in his room as well. I wasn't quite ready for him to move yet, BUT, I also had a feeling that once he saw the new bed, he would want to sleep in it, and I was so right. He wants nothing to do with the crib. Last night was the first night in the new bed. Joel and I watched the video monitor for about an hour to see what he would do (thank goodness for video monitors!!!). He only climbed out 3 times before finally falling asleep at the end of the bed, where the bed rails weren't there to keep him on the bed. Luckily, Joel was able to move him once he got in a deep sleep and he slept all night! He was so funny though when he climbed out each time. He knew he wasn't supposed to do it, and the minute he heard Joel coming up the stairs, he raced back into the bed and acted like he was asleep! That little stinker is already trying to outsmart us! This morning, he came downstairs at 6:15. We've got to work on that a bit! That is not going to work! He was very proud of himself though, and we were proud of him too. Night one was a success. It was a little bittersweet. He really is ready for the big boy bed (even though this Mama is NOT ready for it!).

Tonight, I grabbed the camera before we went upstairs because I wanted to get some pictures of him in his bed alone. He said, "Mommy, put the camera up" before we could even go upstairs. So, I decided not to fight that battle and put the camera up. Joel grabbed it though and snuck some pictures while we were reading books.

He took a little longer to go to sleep tonight, and actually, we had to put him in the crib for a bit, which he did not like at all! That is our new threat...if he climbs out of bed, he goes to the crib! He never listens the first time to ANYTHING, so of course, he climbed right out. He's back in his big boy bed now though and sleeping like a champ! Woo hoo!

I'll post more pictures of his room once it comes all together. My dad is doing some really fun paintings and we've got more stuff to hang and accessorize, and I need to get a new lamp, so it's very much still a work in progress. I think it's going to be really cute though!

Cabin Weekend

Hudson and I headed up to the cabin on Thursday night. We had gotten Hudson's big boy room and the baby's room painted, and, Joel needed some uninterrupted time to finish the swing set, so the two of us headed out of town for a couple of days. While we missed Joel, we had so much fun with my parents and then Carrie and Andres came up Friday night and brought sweet little Kobe, so it really was a good time.

Friday, we headed to Chattanooga to the zoo. They were having a big dinosaur exhibit that we thought Hudson would love since he's really into dinosaurs these days. Unfortunately, the dinosaur exhibit was a bit scary for Hudson and he refused to go in, but we did have a great time going through the rest of the zoo.

After the zoo, we had a great lunch in downtown Chattanooga and then headed back to the cabin for naps and waited on Carrie and Andres to get there. Once they arrived, we headed to the Cam court for some fun!

Kobe is SO cute!!!

We rode riding toys...

Hudson "drove" the tractor. He actually let us take him on several rides this time and he loved it! After one ride with Big Daddy, Hudson stayed on the tractor while Big Daddy walked away, and Hudson said, "Big Daddy, I NEED the key!" It was so funny. He was ready to take off on his own!

We all played some basketball...

And Hudson just LOVED being with Aunt Carrie!

Hudson even did some cleaning on the Cam court! We had so much fun watching him play while enjoying our beverages and listening to music while the sun set. It was a great night. The weather was fabulous up there. We were outside the entire time, day and night, and didn't sweat a bit. It was a nice break from the weather here!

Of course, on Friday when Joel was supposed to be finishing the swing set, it rained. It had not rained in weeks here and the one day we needed it not to rain, it did. Oh well, we needed it desparately! Joel was able to finish the bulk of the swingset Saturday morning and we got home around lunchtime.

Saturday night, we had dinner and ice cream with the Kincaids in Homewood. It was so fun getting the boys together. They are starting to play so well together. Unfortunately, as soon as we got home, I got a call from my mom telling me that my grandmother had fallen and I needed to go to the ER to sit with her until they could drive back from the cabin. I headed over there around 9 and sat with her. Poor thing was all out of sorts so I was glad I was there. She ended up breaking two bones in her pelvis and also a bone in her wrist, but the good news is that they don't think she'll need surgery. She's 92, so surgery would be a huge deal for her.

Despite late Saturday night, the weekend was wonderful and I hate that it is already over! By the way, the swing set is officially done and Hudson has had a blast on it so far! It only took 2 months to get it done, but that's what you get when you don't have a level yard (and a husband that has had to work really hard these past couple of months at work and hasn't had much time for anything else!). I know Hudson is glad to have it done! Now, if the heat would just cool down just a little bit, it would be even better!

Silly Cow

This little boy likes to run around naked like a wild man after bath time every night. I guess he likes feeling "free"! :) He is just SO silly.



And just for comparison's sake, here is my silly cow at just 4 months old...

He sure has grown up!

Lake Weekend

We came back from the beach on Friday to quickly unpack, do laundry, and repack for the lake. We left for the lake Saturday morning. Hudson couldn't wait to get on the boat. However, when he rode on it the first time with Uncle Jordan, he got scared out of his mind because in his words, "Jordan too fast." We shouldn't have let crazy Uncle Jordan take us out for the first time! Ha!

Pops coaxed him into riding on it with him, and Pops went extra slow and Hudson started to love the boat again! He also loved playing with all the buttons on the boat and sticking the key in and out. Oh the fun!

By Sunday, we were back to being able to go fast on the boat! Hudson was no longer scared and asked to get on the boat numerous times. We took several long rides, watched the boys (and girls) tube and ski, and had a blast! Joel even got in some shooting practice. I think there were some watermelons and cantelopes involved. Boys just always have to blow up things, no matter how old they are! :)

Hudson made "Uncken Stuart" get in the lake with him. He told him to take his shirt off and get in. It was so funny! Hudson LOVED Stuart this weekend. In fact, he was "My Uncken Stuart" all weekend to Hudson. I wish I had gotten a picture of the two of them. It was so cute.

My sweet boy!

Hudson liked jumping in the lake, but that was about all. He didn't like staying in the lake. I'm kind of with him on that one--I had something nibble on my leg and that was it for me and swimming. I have a hard time not being able to see what is nibbling me! I think I am a snake magnet. Growing up, I had many encounters with snakes, and to say that I'm terrified of them would be a huge understatement. So, they are always on my mind at the lake and while I know it was probably just a fish nibbling on me, I still didn't like it!

We had a great BBQ dinner on Saturday night with Joel's family and extended family. We spent the night there and played all day on Sunday as well. We came home after dinner Sunday night. It was SO good to be home. Joel laughs at me because I'm always wanting to go somewhere and not stay at home all the time, but this time, I was glad to be back in my own bed and I know Hudson was glad to be back in his bed. I'm always glad to get back to our routine as well!

We had a very low key Memorial Day, filled with lots of laundry and grocery store shopping. We also picked out paint colors for Hudson's new room and the new baby's room. I can't wait for it to all come together!