Florida 2009 with Pa and Dana

We just got back from a wonderful family vacation to Blue Mountain Beach, Florida which is 20 miles East of Destin. We had a fabulous condo on the beach and it was so fun to spend the week with Pa and Aunt Dana. The white sand and aqua water was beautful and we had great weather in the 80s with only one day of rain. Hudson had so much fun in the pool and ocean and was also a big fan of the airplane, boat and bike rides with Daddy and Pa.

It was hard to keep this kid out of the ocean whether he had swim gear on or not!

Hudson had so much fun with Pa who played with him nonstop that week. He fired me and John and Aunt Dana from us helping him with anything that week and would say "No, Mommy, No, Daddy, PA do it...."

Hudson spent hours just dumping sand and water in the bucket and dumping it...over and over again. I so wish this was in our backyard!

Sleeping on the boat after a morning of jumping in the ocean off the boat, dancing in the water after each jump, and feeding cheeze-its to the seagulls. He was worn out!

Now we know who Hudson gets his curly hair from:)

He got some extra special treats from Aunt Dana like Oreos and Cheese dip and doritos! He loved to sit with Dana and meal time and steal food off her plate or help her make "raw oysters" for everyone. Hudson tried a lot of new seafoods that week but that was not one of them!

We had two major meltdowns that week which isn't too bad considering his schedule was a bit off. The first one occured at the airport (after waking him at 5am) when his beloved Woody doll had to go on the security belt alone. Everyone around us seemed to think it was funny as John and I tried to move the heavy, screaming, kicking toddler through the belt. Luckily they got Woody through quickly and all was good after he made it. Woody traveled everywhere with us and even got a little sun on the beach.

The second meltdown occured while at an ice cream shop. We asked for a kid's size "orange" ice cream cone and that is Hudson's favorite color although the guy made it HUGE which didn't go so well in the hot Florida weather. After it became a melting mess, we tried to get him to set it in a cup but apparently the mess was more fun. He went from the happiest guy on the block to a consolable toddler....he was pretty funny. All in all Hudson did really well despite shorter naps on boats, planes and cars and flight delays and everything else that comes with traveling.

Hudson loved "all you can eat crab night"...mainly for playing with the "tools" that come along with eating crab and also for the butter dipping sauce:)

32 weeks pregnant....

Snapping fingers dancing in the water off the boat.....yes it really was this shallow and we did not get the rental boat stuck in the sand!

Getting spoiled all week long by Aunt Dana

We had a great time and Hudson keeps asking to go back to "Pa's house" as he thinks Pa lives there!

butterflies, birthdays and spaghetti...

Last week we visited the Butterfly exhibit at Powell Gardens. The butterflies (aka "futterfies")were pretty facinating and would land on your shoulder.

It was a very hot day so after the butterflies and a picnic, the kids cooled off in the fountain.....BIG hit!

Making some cool butterfly wings and antenna. Hudson is obsessed with the color "orange" right now so he used orange markers, crayons, construction paper and pipe cleaners for his!

Eating spaghetti with daddy. Hudson often requests "hudson sit dada" for dinner. Notice which fork Hudson is using and which fork daddy is using. Dad's dinner always tastes better for some reason! You can't see under the table but Hudson snagged two of John's mismatched socks and wore them all night. Of course they looked a bit more like knee highs than socks on him. He loves his daddy.....

At Logan's 3rd birthday party eating pizza and cake with Ainsley! We also got to meet Logan's two week old brother, William. He was born at 6 lbs and looked so tiny!

Hard at work fixing up things in his playroom. He LOVES tools and uses them pretty appropriately.

Playing with play dough with Gage. I never thought a plastic knife and some play dough would provide an hour of entertainment!

This week we are getting ready for our big trip to Destin, Florida this weekend. Hudson is very excited about going to the beach and pool. He is getting better at swimming solo with his wings on and still loves jumping off the side. We are still in the process of potty training. The kid loves to pee and poo outside....not kidding. If we don't see him for a few minutes out there he is most likely stripped down working on his business. He always lets us know right after which bush he peed in or where the "ucky's" are so I guess that is helpful. Although it sure beats changing dirty diapers, I am pretty sure our neighbors think we are nuts! He does ok inside the house but we still have some accidents. Maybe after our Florida trip we will work on it some more!

summer trip to St Louis

We just got back from a fun family trip to St Louis. Hudson enjoyed being able to watch Toy Story a few times in Dada's new car while sitting with a Woody and Buzz doll in his car seat. We barely heard a peep out of him the while way!

Hudson spent the night alone at Nana's house while John and I headed downtown St Louis to celebrate my 30th birthday. We got very spoiled by the Four Seasons hotel and had a fabulous dinner at Sidney Street Cafe followed by dessert with John and Dana at Bailey's Chocolate Bar. We can't wait to go back!
We took Hudson to the Museum of Transportation where there were trains galore and even one to ride! Hudson is obsessed with the color orange was was happy to find a train in this color!

Eating at one of my favorite eating establishments in St Louis - Lion's Choice!

Hudson with two of his favorite furry friends and one of his favorite aunties. Last night Hudson grabbed my purse, Dada's car keys and headed out the door as he told us he was going to Nana's house to see "Rocky and Rogan and Tanner(our dog) and Chloe and Nana and Sam and Dana and Pa".

Hudson had a blast in the pool with all of his "swim teachers". He went from holding on to you pretty tightly in the deep water to jumping off the diving board in just a few short days. By the time we left he was doing it without his many "spotters". Hudson loves to watch people jump in the pool. It just cracks him so he was thrilled to be able to jump himself!

28 weeks pregnant.....does this baby really have to grow another 6 lbs in the next 2 1/2 to 3 months?

Then Nana and Sam came back to KC with us and started helping put together Hudson's Big Boy room and his little brother's nursery. Pics to follow soon! The painters accidentally swapped the room colors so it is taking a little longer than we expected but will be worth the wait!

to the zoo with Gage and Mason

We took advantage of a "cool" July day to go the zoo with Gage and Mason. The boys all had a blast together on the train and carousel.

some more 4th pictures

I had to add a few more pictures from Nana's camera from our Colorado visit. Here is the cat Hudson was obsessed with. I am not so sure that the cat had similar feelings towards him:). What a good cat though...he never even scratched him.

Another picture of the kids on the farm taking in their backyard. What different scenery that our backyard here! Is a great place to visit and I know Hudson will have a ball there in the years to come.

Hudson just finished his last Mother's Day Out day today and had a great report of his teachers along with a collection of his artwork. We are seeing more and more personality come out of him each day. He is a very caring and sensitive little guy who loves to cuddle and rock again. Good thing we purchased a large glider for the new babies room because I think it will need to hold both of them! He has a huge interest in babies and loves playing and kissing them. His favorite thing in the world right now is our dog Tanner who he just giggles when he plays with(or hides the ball from). He is also talking better and better each day which has been great to see. He loves to sing along to songs now and has many of his favorite books memorized so he can now read them to us (or his Fozzie Bear).

We have also had some successful trips to the potty chair lately so might begin on working on getting rid of diapers! Thank goodness for Elmo, Thomas and Cars underwear!

We did have Hudson seen by an eye doctor last week for an eye that crosses slightly. He might need a surgery to repair it in the future, but for now we have made an appt at Children's Mercy to get a second opinion before we pursue anymore. Hudson was such a trooper at his appt. He completely amazed me. We were there over 2 1/2 hours and had a pediatrician eye doctor who wasn't the most friendly at all, but he still tolerated it so well as she manipulated his head and neck. We will keep you posted on that.

the Fourth at the farm in Colorado

We spent the Fourth on the Walter family farm in Colorado. Hudson had a BLAST playing with his big cousins and with all of the animals in the back yard. There were baby pigs, chickens and many cats and kitty cats. We also got to see Nana and Uncle Evan and Aunt Lyndi who drove up from Denver to spend the afternoon of the Fourth with us.

Eating bomb pops with the big boy cousins

Round two with the big girl cousins and the beloved cat. Hudson was obsessed with the cat and we were very happy he didn't sneak a baby cat home!

At McDonald's on the road. After preferring to eat like a vegetarian, we are happy Hudson is finally warming up to chicken nuggets!

Mom was very happy that Hudson preferred this bike to the "big boys" bikes:)

Snuggling with the beloved Fozzie Bear and baby doll and his favorite "cars" sheet that Nana bought him.

24 weeks pregnant! It sure is flying by so fast!

The baby pigs! These pigs were 8 weeks old and weighed 50 lbs already. By 6 months they will be more than 200 lbs!

The boys riding the big bikes!

Aunt Lyndi and Brandon on the go kart