Christmas Photos

These are some pictures that didn't end up making it to the Christmas card this year. In fact, I didn't use any of the pictures of them in their Christmas outfits! I thought these were cute though, especially of Harrison. We did them at Ross Bridge and the first part went great and then I changed their outfits (I knew going in it would probably be a bad idea, but I didn't want all the pictures in Christmas outfits), and then a "real" train came by and Hudson checked out. Joel took him back into the woods where he could get an up front look at the train and we took some cute pictures of Harrison on the wooden train. As long as he was playing on this train, he was happy. If I attempted to pull him away from it, it was the end of the world. I'm learning it's his way or no way. :)

 

Gotta love those curls...where my boys got their curly hair, I will never know!

 Always with a stick in hand...

I will save the other pictures until later!

Turkey Day!

We are having a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. It was our year to do Thanksgiving with my family, so we have stayed in Birmingham as opposed to heading up to the lake and it has been very low key and we've gotten some much needed rest and even cleaned out a closet! The toys are getting cleaned out next!

 

Harrison wearing his turkey outfit on Thanksgiving Eve...

 

Hudson and I watched It's a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Wednesday night and he helped me bake a little bit. He is in a stage where he loves to help me do all things and I'm loving having the company (even if it brings on an extra mess or two!). I don't know how long my boys will want to help me cook, so I'm milking it while it lasts!

 

Thursday morning, we had a special delivery from my mom, who brought over monkey bread. Every year growing up, we ate monkey bread and drank hot tea while we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I'm embarassed to say that Mom STILL brings over monkey bread to us each Thanksgiving! It is fabulous. I actually bought the ingredients to make it this year myself, but then she said she was bringing it so I wasn't going to argue with that! It was delicious and while Harrison took a morning nap, Hudson and I watched the parade. Fun times! He especially loved all the balloons and the marching bands.

 

We took a few pictures at our house before heading over to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving lunch. These ended up being the only pictures I took all day!

 

 I love this picture of all my boys! It makes me happy!

The boys did not have turkey day outfits this year. Shame on me. I think I finally figured out that buying an outfit for one day out of the year was just not worth it. I cannot say the same for Christmas, however! Harrison did have one, but it was a hand me down and I didn't have anything to match it (because of course they have to match!).

We headed to Mom and Dad's and ate a delicious lunch. We all stuffed ourselves silly. Of course my granddad mentioned right as we were sitting down that traditional Thanksgiving lunches were about 3,500 calories. Thanks Granddaddy. It did not seem to deter me though--I'm pretty sure I ate every bit of those 3,500 calories! :) The kids were not all that interested in eating lunch. They just wanted to play. Oh well. It was a slim crowd at my parents this year. All of my siblings were elsewhere, so it was just us, my parents, my grandmother, and my other grandparents. Like I said, very low key and a big difference from the 40 plus that are at Joel's Thanksgiving lunch! We all had a great time though and it was nice for once not having all the commotion (not that our wild bunch didn't provide a lot of commotion, but we could close them off in the toy room! Ha!). After lunch, we headed home and we all took 3 hour naps! Glorious! It was a perfect Thanksgiving Day! We have so much to be thankful for this year!

This morning, we all headed to the zoo and then lunch at Mugshots. We did NOT go shopping. You couldn't pay me to get in that mess. The zoo was not crowded at all, so it was a perfect day to go!

I'm not sure what is on tap for the rest of the weekend, but it is going by way too fast! I'm enjoying my time off!

Thankful for These Boys!

Santa, Pictures, and a Wedding

Is it really Christmas time yet??? I can't seem to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but last Friday night was Lights Up at the Summit, meaning that Santa has arrived! Hard to believe! It was a very exciting night for this 3 year old. I think all of his worries and fears over Santa these past 3 years have finally come to a halt. Now, we haven't actually tried to sit in Santa's lap yet, so we'll see how that goes...

 

Waiting on the parade!  

 

  

 Finally, Santa arrived! And, it was even more exciting that he arrived on a firetruck!

 This little guy had a ball too. He sat still and had this mesmerized look the whole time during the fireworks show! I think he may have been half asleep too, but I've never seen him this still!

On the way out, Hudson asked if he could get on Santa's sleigh and have me take a picture. So funny! Hudson insisted on wearing that stupid toboggan all night despite it not even being that cold! Oh well, not worth fighting that battle!

Batman and Robin were in the parade (kind of random, but Hudson loved it!) and afterwards, we had the opportunity to take his picture with them, and he just clung to my leg! So, while he's all excited about Santa, and has been asking when we can go see him, I'm not holding my breath that this year we will get a smile out of him! I'm positive I'll get a classic picture out of Harrison. :) He will be terrified. It was a fun night out and a great start to the holiday season!

Saturday started bright and early with family pictures. We had to be out at Ross Bridge by 8:10! We actually made it! I can't wait to see how they turn out. If we can't get some smiles out of Harrison at 8 in the morning, it's not going to happen. This was the best time of day for him and while he spent the last half of the session crying, the first half was pretty good!

That afternoon, I went to my sister in law's wedding. It was something that I have dreaded ever since she told us she was engaged. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that she got re-married. She deserves this second chance more than anyone in the world. And, so does Blaine. He needs that father figure in his life. I wanted to show her that we support her too by going to the wedding, but, it's hard. I knew it was going to be a difficult day, but I underestimated just how difficult it was going to be on me. It was one of the hardest days I've had to endure other than the night I held his hand while Vann passed away. I was trying to be happy for her (and I really am!), but I was just dying inside. I just kept thinking how we should not even be sitting there! They should have 2 kids by now, we should be celebrating holidays and spend vacations with them, and life should be great! But, I know that was not God's plan. Joel stayed home with the boys while they napped, and I met my parents there. I was ok until I saw Blaine walking Ashley down the aisle--it was like a dagger to my heart! I teared up then, but held it together. Then, there was the talk about joining two families (talking about Blaine and he has a daughter). Finally, there was the vows (in sickness and in health, etc.).  It was tough--even with me trying to plan my grocery list while it went on because I knew I would get upset if I really listened! :) My mom and I held it in though until we were walking out of the church and she said something about how she had a lump in her throat and once she said that, I just lost it (and so did she). We quickly went off into a hallway where no one would see us and had our little moment. The last thing we wanted to do was to ruin Ashley's day (who was right in front of us!)! We had a short drive to the reception and I was able to get it together, but I could only make it through just a little bit of the reception before I had to get out of there and when I finally got to my car, I just sobbed and sobbed. It just isn't fair. And, it never gets any easier to deal with. I know that Ashley is happy again though and that is really all that matters. I really do genuinely wish her all the best though and her new husband seems really great so I know she'll be fine! I'm glad that day is over though! And very thankful for 3 sweet boys to come home and cheer me up!

On a lighter note, I can't believe Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow! Joel and I are both off the rest of the week. We are going to enjoy some good family time!!! Can't wait to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, eat monkey bread and drink hot tea, and then lunch at Mom and Dad's! Yay!

Thanksgiving Feast at School

It was Thanksgiving feast day at school this morning. Hudson doesn't normally go on Fridays, but I didn't want him to miss this. How cute are these little Indians?!?!

 

Hudson's Indian name was Laughing Bear. It was VERY appropriate for him. In fact, all the names were appropriate for each child and it was so funny!

They started by singing several songs they have learned and then they had a feast. It was a fun time!

And here is a little video of the songs...



The little boy next to Hudson dropped his necklace and it went into a million pieces and Hudson could not concentrate on anything else but that! Ha! It was sweet that he helped him pick it up. :)

Harrison's class didn't do anything for Thanksgiving. They are just all too little. I look forward to when he can participate too!

Quiet Weekend

We have had a quiet weekend. Kind of like the "calm before the storm" that is the holiday season! Things start to get crazy next weekend, so it was nice to not have an agenda this weekend. Joel and I even got a date night that included a short Christmas shopping trip and dinner out. It's never too early to knock some things off the list! Harrison has been so fussy lately that it was a much needed "night off" so to speak--I'm going to blame the darn time change and teeth for this! We had way too many early mornings and painful witching hours last week! We were also celebrating a bit--I got a promotion at work and Joel is changing jobs in his company as well so it is an exciting time for us! Thank you to Migi and Pops for keeping them! 

 

Saturday was full of football and playing outside in this beautiful fall weather, although we only got through about half of the Auburn game Saturday night because it was so awful. We did try the new burger place, Mooyah, for lunch Saturday and it was pretty good. It was a little expensive for burgers and fries in my opinion, but I think it does rival 5 Guys and we love that place so this is definitely a closer option for us.

 

This was this morning before church. Who took my little 3 year old and replaced him with a big boy??? He looks so grown up!

 

 This one only looks sweet and innocent...

 Who knew that he would scream all the way to church this morning, only to act like a perfect angel in the nursery???

He's been a handful lately, but oh, he's sweet when he's happy. And so fun and giggly. He gives the best hugs in the world too!

Hudson has really started to take on the big brother role. He has been acting like the parent lately, telling him not to get into things and always guiding him to where he needs to go. So sweet. I hope he always takes care of his little brother!

Oh yeah, did I mention that Harrison was trying to climb out of his crib today??? 13 months...standing on his bumper, hiking his leg up. We are in trouble with this one!

 Harrison had fallen and Hudson was trying to pick him up...

Busy week this week at work and busy weekend next week. I can't believe we are a week and a half away from Thanksgiving! Time is flying by.

Auburn Weekend

Friday after lunch, we headed down to Auburn. Joel's parents had been wanting to take Hudson to to see a show that the Auburn Raptor Center puts on and we thought this would be the perfect weekend to go since we wanted to take the kids to a game this year too. The weather could not have been more perfect for an outdoor show!

 

Joel and I really enjoyed the show! The kids...well...the kids were kids and didn't exactly behave. Hudson usually does great at these kinds of things, but he only had about an hour nap in the car and he was just tired and a bit cranky. He didn't get into it like I thought he would. Harrison just wanted to be on the go. He was happy though, so I couldn't complain about that. We were luckily not the only ones who were up and down with their kids. It was a very casual thing thank goodness!

We saw several species of raptors and watched them fly, which is so amazing to me how they can train them to do that. Then, of course, we got to see the main raptor, Spirit! It was neat to be so close. It was interesting to hear what they had to say about when Spirit and Nova fly at the football games. Basically, they really have no idea if they are going to stay in the stadium or not. They do have a tracking device on them so if they were to fly out, they would be able to find them. But, they said they are nervous about it before every game! After the show, you could go see all the raptors up close and get your picture made with them, but the kids were DONE so we will have to go back and do that another time!

We had a great Mexican dinner after the show in Auburn and then went back to Stuart's condo for the night. I don't know how I ever managed to get any sleep in Auburn. The college kids were up at all hours of the night. Unfortunately, Harrison was up for several hours as well. We finally ended up moving the pack and play into the closet and shut the door and he was good to go the rest of the night! I think the outside noise was really bothering him too. I think the last noise we heard was at 4 am. We made sure to make lots of noise when the kids got up at 7 am! Ha--revenge! Hudson slept with Migi in Stuart's bed (Stuart got kicked the couch!) and they luckily slept great.

We didn't have tickets, but were able to find 4 for $30, so it was not a big deal. There wasn't a whole lot of people at the game!

 Not a good picture, but I wanted to document that I was at least there!

It was SO hot at the game. Our tickets were in the direct sunlight and we were all the way up at the top of the lower level and there was a huge wall behind us, so there was no breeze either. We didn't make it very long in those seats before moving to where Joel's parents were in our old seats. They are always in the shade and since hardly anyone was at the game, it was not a problem moving!

This little guy did about as expected with no nap and being so hot. I smuggled in some Chick Fil A nuggets and he ate those and just about everything else I brought. The bottomless pit! He was happy though for the most part. He just didn't love being confined. He wanted to walk around and explore.

Joel's dad took him to the concourse for most of the second quarter so we did get to see some of the game. I thought maybe he would decide to give in and take a nap, but he refused, so after the band played at halftime (Hudson's favorite part!), we skipped out. He was asleep in the stroller by the time we got out of the stadium--that turkey! Oh well. Hudson was exhausted too, but he did great. We can take him anywhere now and he does great. I think that makes 4 or 5 games for Hudson now. I'm not sure that Harrison will get that many by the time he's 3--in fact, I'm not sure we will take him again until then! He is just a bit more of a handful than Hudson was.

At least he's cute!!!

Today, we had Hunt's 4th birthday party and it was a football theme. Hudson was so happy to get to wear his jersey again. He's a bit obsessed. He was also a bit obsessed with Hunt's birthday presents and blowing out Hunt's birthday candles. I had to explain to him over and over again that it was not his party. :) Sorry Megan!

They had the best balloon man I have ever seen at the party too. He is an engineer by day, so he was all into the details. I tried to get a picture of Hudson and his really neat T-Rex, and this is what I got (And yes, we are at the grocery store! I wasn't sure how long T-Rex would last at the house!).

It was a fun Auburn weekend, but man, I'm tired! The time change doesn't help that much either!

13 Months

Harrison is 13 months old today! I wasn't planning on doing the monthly posts after a year, but this has been a big month for Harrison, so I guess I will continue! I'm not even going to attempt taking his picture on the chair though!

He started walking a few days after his birthday and hasn't stopped since. He's everywhere and into everything. He is still pretty clumsy though. He gets to going too fast and then will plop (like when he plopped right into the concrete on Halloween!). He got his first pair of shoes this month too!

He's also getting his first tooth! It has just started to break through the gum and boy, it's a doozy. But, hey, I'm just glad he's getting a tooth. 13 months is late for a first tooth! Maybe the rest of them will all come in fast.

He is now pointing to things, not yet with one finger, but with his whole arm/hand. I can at least decipher what he wants, so that is good! Also today, he has started waving bye bye! He waved goodbye to his teachers this afternoon and was so proud of himself!

He's really starting to copy what we say. I would probably say his only words are still Dada, Mama, bye bye, and uh-oh, but he's trying to piece other things together. He "talks" a lot and I feel like he is trying to say the dogs names and also Hudson, but I'm not sure. He is definitely becoming more vocal though!

He is still loving balls. That continues to be his thing. He's got an arm too! He loves putting the ball on the tee for us. My parents say that this was me growing up. They said I would not put a ball down for anything. I'm loving it. There is nothing better than playing catch with him!

He still LOVES his new swing. You can't even mention the word "outside" unless you are going to take him and put him in the swing. He's a bit obsessed. He likes being outside in general though and has no fear of the grass at all.

He also loves our singing and dancing Elmo, and dancing Mickey. He bounces up and down while they play music. He also loves playing with the Alphabet Train. He loves to stick the letters in the top. Hudson never really got into this toy. It's really interesting to me to see how different they are just by what toys they choose to play with.

His eating is getting a lot better. He has finally started to eat strawberries. This is the first fruit, besides applesauce if you call that a fruit, that he will eat. I thought this was strange because fruit was pretty much ALL Hudson would ever eat at this stage. I have not had any luck with fruit with Harrison until now. Harrison will eat veggies though, so that is good. He especially loves green beans and carrots.

He continues to HATE being changed. It is a total mood killer and I dread it every day. It really is awful. I lose all patience in the mornings. It's hard enough getting both boys fed, dressed, pottied, and out the door (by myself!), and the flailing and screaming that is involved with changing Harrison just about puts me over the edge. I don't know what it is, but he just hates it. No other words for it. This too shall pass, right?!?!?

He has started getting jealous with Hudson, and Hudson, in turn, gets jealous of Harrison. They will just fight over who gets to sit in my lap and who has my attention. He is also really getting into messing with Hudson and his "stuff." I have even seen Harrison pushing Hudson out of the way to get to something. I can tell he is going to be the bruiser of the two of them. Poor Hudson is going to have to toughen up!

Harrison is doing better with the one nap a day thing at school. We no longer have to let him cat nap between 4-5:30 pm. He can make it, but he's in bed by 6:30 and sleeps until 7:30. I'm still letting him take two naps on my off days, and the difference in his mood is very noticeable. He's so much more fun when he's had two naps! Oh well, we're getting through it. His teachers tell me that he plays hard at school all day long so it is no surprise to them that he's so exhausted!

I think next month, it will be time to get this boy's first haircut. I've gotten so many "she's so cute!" comments lately it's not even funny! It's really curling up in the back now and is precious, so I do hate to cut it. I just don't know if they will come back! Hudson's hair is still curly, so maybe it will.

Happy 13 months little big guy! I can't wait to see what is in store next month! Time for the holidays to begin!