And the Winner is....

This was the winner for the Christmas card!

And here it is on the card. This is just a picture of the picture. I wish I had a scanner because the lighting wasn't very good, but we thought it turned out adorable! I made sure to match the outfit to the card! Ha!

And below are a few of the runner up pictures. We went out to the botanical gardens after Thanksgiving and snapped a few. We got a ton of great ones to choose from!

This one and the next one were a very close second place!

Sweet picture of my boys!

He loved this little gate!

Joel said "no" to the yellow flowers. It was a little girly, and not so much Christmasy, but I still thought it was cute!

ON THE MOVE!!!

Well, it finally clicked. Hudson is up on all fours and is going strong! And, he's SO HAPPY ABOUT IT!!! Can you tell?!?!?


We were starting to wonder if the army crawl was going to be his "crawl", but he figured out that getting up on all fours was a bit easier, and it makes pulling up on things SO much easier too!


He's all smiles about it!


His favorite thing to do is to crawl over to the dog bowls and splash in the water bowls. It doesn't make a mess at all. Ha! I'm exhausted tonight. You can't just put him somewhere where he'll stay put. He has to go get into something. I feel like we are constantly "redirecting" him! He doesn't quite understand the word "no" yet, so that's why we redirect! It's funny how short their attention spans are and how they forget things so easily. We will put him facing a different direction and he has already forgotten about what we just took him away from. I'm sure that won't last for long!

It is so cute to watch him crawl though and it is definitely one of my favorite milestones so far!

We went to my friend Cameron's Christmas party last night. She and her twin sister have a party every year and it is always so much fun. The food is about the best stuff ever. I crave it all year long. They make a bunch of dips and they are all so yummy. We took Hudson this year so we weren't able to stay as long as we would have liked, but he made it to almost 9 so we felt that was pretty good for someone that normally goes straight to bed at 7!

Here is our work crowd. I just love all these girls, and we have all become very close in the past few years. I was so glad to get to hang out with them last night!

I think the reason Hudson made it so long last night is because he had a lot of attention from these folks below! He loves other kids, and they loved him back! I had to keep reminding them that he was just a baby and to not play rough with him...and to get out of his face...and to quit filling his mouth with puffs because he might choke...and to not pick him up...the list goes on and on, but overall they were very sweet and did great with him! Hudson tolerated them really well though and didn't fuss a bit!

This picture below just makes me smile! I know Cooper is not too happy, but she just looks so darn cute!!!

We've got a busy week and weekend coming up. Joel and I have almost finished our Christmas shopping. I'll be glad when all of that is done! Hope everyone has a great week!

9 Month Stats (at 9 1/2 Months!)

We went to the doctor yesterday for Hudson's 9 month appointment and here are his stats:

Weight: 21 lbs, 14 oz. (75th percentile)
Height: 30 1/4 inches (90th percentile)
Head: 18 inches

He is still a big boy! Dr. Cortopassi said he is looking great and couldn't believe all his red hair! He said we can start doing some table foods and start using a sippy cup, both of which we have been starting already. He also loaded us up with formula, which was MUCH appreciated! Hudson got the second half of the flu and H1N1 shots and another shot. Poor buddy. He definitely screamed, but was fine afterwards. We were just glad to get the second dose of those shots because we couldn't find them anywhere. Greenvale had just gotten them in about an hour before we got there yesterday. Thank goodness!

After the doctor's appointment, Joel and I tried to get a little shopping in before my niece Morgan came to hang out with us last night. We had so much fun with Morgan! She is 6 years old and is just a delight to be around. She was such a big helper too and was SO nurturing! It made me seriously contemplate having our second 6 years from now! Haha, not really, but she helped me bathe him (and the dogs, too...at the same time!) and played with him the entire time. He just loved her too and couldn't stop smiling at her! When she would leave the room, he would start crying. At 8 pm, we finally had to make Hudson go to bed. He did not want to go, but we knew today would be terrible if he stayed up any later. Once Hudson went to bed, it was time for some girl fun! I painted Morgan's toes and then I let her paint mine! Let's just say it's a good thing for nail polish remover and winter shoes because I'm not sure I could leave the house with my toes looking the way they do! It was really fun though. Then we snuggled on the couch together and fell asleep! Oh how I hope I have a girl someday! I know I won't get all of that with Hudson!

Of course I had to get a picture of the two of them. This was the first time all night that Hudson wasn't smiling! He's pretty sleepy at this point, but it is still cute though!

This was from earlier in the night when Morgan first got there. He was REALLY excited!

We have an afternoon full of shopping today and then a Christmas party tonight. Can't wait!!!

Exhausted!

This was in Hudson's bag yesterday when Joel picked him up from daycare.

Too funny! He must have played hard!

The Finished Product!

I just love how getting all the Christmas decorations up makes our house feel so cozy. It just makes me so happy! We spent all day yesterday getting the tree up, getting the wreaths on the windows outside, putting lights up, etc. We are worn out, but I love Christmas! Now, if I could just get all of that shopping done I would feel a lot better!

We're still working on building our ornament collection, but the tree is so pretty!


When Joel and I got married, I ordered two monogrammed stockings from Pottery Barn. That same year, we decided that if and when we did have kids, we wanted them to have the same stockings to match, so I ordered 3 additional ones, unmonogrammed! Yes, three! They have never been taken out of the package, but I knew we would need them someday! Four years later I finally got to put one to use! Who knows if we'll have two more kids, but we'll be prepared if we do!

Hudson hasn't even noticed the tree yet. This was his first interaction with it, and of course he had to grab an ornament! We were trying to take some pictures of him in front of the tree, but it wasn't working out...he wouldn't stay put! Oh well, at least we already have the Christmas cards done so I don't have to worry about that! I can't wait to post them here, but I at least wanted to get them in the mail first!

We had a fun-filled day today with the children's program at church this morning, lunch at Joel's parent's house, and then my niece Morgan's children's program tonight at her church! Oh how I love this time of year! There is nothing like hearing a little child's voice singing Christmas songs!

We are all depressed that we have to go back to work in the morning. I told Joel today that I had already "checked out" for Christmas. Only two weeks of work though and then it's two weeks off! Can't wait!

The Hunt for the Perfect Christmas Tree

Since Joel and I started dating, we have gotten a real tree every year. I was so accustomed to having artificial trees all my life, so this has been a new experience for me! Joel is an Eagle scout and one of their annual duties was to work the Christmas tree lot in Vestavia, so that's where we have to get the tree...you know, it's a sentimental thing for him! Ha!

I have been begging Joel every year to let us get an artificial tree. You can put it up so much earlier, it makes NO mess, and the shape is absolutely perfect, and each year at take down/clean up I almost have him convinced, but somehow he forgets it by the next Christmas. I will say, however, there is nothing like the smell of a real tree, and the picking out of the tree is always so much fun! I really can't wait for Hudson to know what is going on...I know it is going to be a blast picking out the perfect tree in a few years!

Hudson is all ready to go!


Here we are at the tree lot! It was a bit chilly so the picking went pretty fast! Hudson loved looking at everyone and loved getting everyone's attention!

One of the sweet workers at the tree lot noticed that this was Hudson's first Christmas and said we just HAD to get a picture in front of our tree! I was so glad that she offered to take it (even though she cut Joel's head off!).

After walking up and down the row of trees, we found the "perfect" tree. Well, it is perfect in Joel's eyes. I think it has a little work to do, but oh well! We needed a thinner tree, so this one works, and the bottom will still fall out, so it will be really pretty in about a week or so!

Tonight, the decorating of the tree begins! I can't wait to see the finished product!

9 Months Old!

Little buddy is 9 months old today! He's very excited about his 9 month birthday...or maybe that Santa Claus is coming!

The picture taking started out really well...

Then he started to get a little restless...

Then it was time to stand up and knock the lamp off the table...

Then I just gave up.

That's about how it goes these days. Hudson is no longer staying put. He is into everything. He doesn't like playing with his toys. He would rather play with the electronics, outlets, doors, cabinets, etc. All things that he really doesn't need to be playing with! We are really looking forward to Christmas so that he will get some new toys to play with. Maybe he is just bored with what we have!

Besides being into everything, below is what Hudson is up to these days:

• Hudson is still army crawling. He is starting to take a few steps up on all fours, but for the most part, he stays on his tummy. He is really fast and gets where he wants to go in no time.
• He is pulling up on everything! I thought the crawling would last a little bit longer, especially since he is not really crawling yet, but he loves standing up. It is getting easier and easier for him to pull up on his own. He is a pro at doing it in his crib! He gets mad when you set him back down on his bottom. I still worry that he will take a tumble when he's standing up (he hasn't figured out how to get back down yet!), so if I need to leave the room, I will set him back down and he is quick to let us know that he hates that!
• He especially loves walking around with us holding his arms. We do laps around the kitchen island and he gets so excited at himself! Speaking of getting excited at himself, he has really started doing this lately. He will get this big smile and make this noise to show us that he has done something he is really proud of! It is so cute! I always heard that their personalities really start coming out at 9 months and his is definitely showing! He is just the happiest baby!
• He can now get to a sitting up position from laying down. This has been such a good thing!
• He is fascinated by how things work, especially doors. He could play with a door all day long. I think he may have gotten this trait from his Daddy, the engineer!
• He is still saying Mama, but I think maybe he is not meaning me...I said in an earlier post that he was saying it, and he definitely is, but I don't think that he's made the connection that it is me. Oh well...at least he is saying it and I will always be able to tell Joel that he said Mama before Dada! Ha!
• He laughs at everything! We can just look at him and he laughs. I love that he thinks we are funny...he's probably about the only one that thinks that! He also loves laughing at the dogs. Jack is still his favorite dog. Chloe doesn't want to have anything to do with him, except for when he takes her toy...she doesn't like that very much. He has only gotten into the dog food once so far and it was so gross!!!
• He loves to bounce while you are holding him, and loves being thrown up in the air by his Daddy. It makes everyone nervous, but Hudson loves it! He also likes being upside down.
• He loves being in shopping carts. He loves to bounce up and down, and has even tried jumping out on several occasions! Yes, I use the strap now. He likes to get everyone's attention when we are out in public, and he usually succeeds!
• He is not much of a fan of his jumperoo anymore. I never thought I would say that, but being stationary is not a good thing for Hudson anymore! It was great while it lasted!
• He is eating 3 meals a day now and I have just started giving him some real food. He has had cheese, bread, and a little taste of carrots so far (and a little bit of chocolate pie over Thanksgiving!), and I'm going to start bananas or something like that next week. He is still taking 3-4 bottles of day as well.
• He is in 12 month clothes, but I'm going to start buying 18 month because it won't be long before he is in that size!

We have Hudson's 9 month appointment in a couple of weeks so I will have to update on where he stands on the chart at a later date. I'm guessing around 22 pounds though! He is still my big boy! We have finally moved out of the infant carseat and Hudson is a lot happier about that. I think we kept him in it just a little bit longer than he needed to be! It will be even better when we can turn him around to face forward!

Happy 9 months to my little man!