2.5 Year Old Water Boy

My son loves the water. Lake water, pond water, day old baby pool water, ocean water (also a drink from Sonic he loves)…just about any place you can find water. He even loves the sink water…so mommy has taken advantage of a dish rinser. He LOVES to help mommy wash the dishes. He has even cried saying, "but I need to wash the dishes." Remember that honey….I know I will.

I've been thinking about getting him a water table for outside but I just feel like it would be a mosquito attraction. Let me know what y'all think. I'm open to suggestions. He doesn't really need one but man…if I could buy my son the world..I would.

My sweet friend Natalie posted the cutest sayings Hudson's friend Noah has been saying (aka Natalie's precious son #1) so I copied her and started jotting down the funny things Hudson says.

One day while eating a cookie Hudson saw a bird and said "come here birdie..I'm trying to give you a cookie."

Hudson loves to say too a lot. He says, "daddy, I love you so much too too too." Or if someone says "too" he says "me three." Smart cookie.

If you say you love something Hudson will turn around and say "I love it too!"

I will say, "Aye Aya Captain" when Hudson asks me to do something. He says, "Aye Aya Captain Mommy" or when I say, "Thank you sir" he says, "Thank you sir Mommy." I LOVE it :).

Back in April we found out that Hudson loves to be at the coast :) yay! We've been a few more times since daddy's birthday. This past weekend he dug in the water & sand looking for a crab. I tried to explain to him that they have pinchers but he did it anyway. If you hand a fish to him right he will take it from you. His fearlessness amazes me. I tried to teach him how to cast out his line and we're getting there. Give me half a year and he'll be casting his line like a pro (or like his mommy hehe). He's got the reeling thing down. He's especially excited to do it when there's a fish on.

Yes, that's my baby peeing outside at the coast in the middle right picture :)

My favorite thing this month:  Pausing on each page of the books we read. Before I start to read he starts talking about what that page says (we read them a lot) then after I read I pause again and his little imagination takes off. The words out of his mouth are the ones the author left off. I love to hear what he comes up with.

Hudson's best little friend? Cousin Noah. Definitely should call them 2 peas in a pod. The future Marky & Riley (inside family note). These two are inseparable when they get to see each other. Hudson even cries for him when he's not here. They are the sweetest babies.

Hurdles this month? Hudson is smart. He truly amazes me by the second. This month he repeats what I say with intention. I have to remember through all things this is a huge learning experience for both of us. While I may not be perfect I will tell you it takes effort to try to be the best you can be so that your child learns how to be. Being a parent reminds you that we should always strive to be the best of who we are. It's not easy all of the time and that's ok. It's not supposed to be. So, when I say, "I'm asking you to be quiet please" and Hudson turns around and says, "you be quiet" (thanks to nana's advice) I say, "how about we be quiet together." I will have to turn things into us doing them together. He's been my shadow for 2.5 years. It only makes sense for us to do it all together.

Potty training. How's that going? It's going however Hudson wants it to go. Haha. We tried the naked for 3 days thing. Got 2 hours into it with tears and stopped it right away. Fun method but not for us. Daddy showed him how to pee like a country boy (outside) and now it's fun. He goes in his potty and outside as much as we remind him too. This is the pace I like. Hudson pace. Less tears, stress, and pressure.

A few more sweet notes for this month:  2 times this past month my bubba let me hold him like a baby as he fell asleep for nap or bed time. Made my heart happy. Every time bubba grabs my hand it makes me feel like my heart is going to explode. I love my bubba to the moon and back. Can't believe he's seen July 3 times now. Can't believe you are growing so fast and learning so much. You amaze me.

2 Father's Day weekends 2014

After our awesome fishing trip for Karl's birthday we decided we were going to take our dad's fishing again for a Father's Day present.

We tried to surprise our dads on father's day but pawpaw found out early due to the fact that his daughter (that's me) not being able to lie - pawpaw asked me if we were fishing for fathers day as a joke and I said "noooo…."  I have a horrible poker face. I said, "dad! don't ask me those questions! I can't lie!"

The day started off with Shipley's and bacon for daddy and then we got the dads together to eat BBQ and surprised pops. As soon as we surprised him I could see the planning wheels turning. He was ready to go! We all were :). 

We had the family over and it was so much fun :). Hudson had a blast with cousin Noah splashing in the baby pool and then of course went to the pool and enjoyed the sun :). 

To get our fishing trip started pawpaw, Hudson and I packed up the truck and headed down a day early. We stayed at the camper. With an interesting arrival at midnight Hudson wanted his bed but was ready to go the next day. He was in the camper and having a blast. A new place to explore. AKA pawpaw's trick to show mommy & daddy that Hudson can stay in the camper just fine and that means more fishing trips! YAY! :) 

 We took Hudson to the beach and he loved it. I thought he wouldn't want to get in the water. Sure enough it only took seeing mommy step in and he quickly and fearlessly followed. Sinking his feet in the sand screaming "where did my feet go" to picking up shells with hermit crabs. He loved it. We then fished a little before we headed to the house we rented. 

We picked up the keys and headed to the house. Unloaded our stuff and headed back to the dock to fish and watch the boats load. Daddy, nana and pops showed up and we met everyone back at the house for some yummy burgers and good conversation :). 

Saturday Hudson slept until 9:30! His naps were all different and he was exhausted from all the fun. He slept good. So did mommy. We fished with nana, shee and Thomas for awhile, took a boat ride, and then hit up the beach. Hudson built sandcastles. It was wonderful. I've never brought him to the beach before. So happy to know now I can :). He was a trooper. Love peaking his curiosity and watching him enjoy himself. That Saturday night we surprised everyone with gumbo for dinner. Karl made it on Wednesday and froze it for the trip. It was soooooo good. :)

Sunday we got up and hit the beach one more time before saying good bye. Hudson was ready to go home but I know he had a wonderful time. I just love making my bubba happy. It makes me the happiest mommy ever. All in all it was a wonderful weekend had by all. Can't wait to do it again :). 

29 month old independence

Not sure if Hudson did research on July 4th but boy has he been exercising his independence. You won't go a whole day without Hudson saying "all by myself" at least once. Mr. Independent wants to do things all by himself. He even wants to go outside by himself which mommy absolutely will not let him do. Luckily enough I can reason with him.

How's talking this month? How's not talking? He never stops and it's absolutely amazing. I love hearing his little voice and all of the fun things he says. He so literal. I wake him up and ask him how he slept last night and he tells me "in my bed." Call him my sweet baby boy he says "I'm not a baby, I'm Hudson." (Whew glad he doesn't say "big boy" yet. Still want my baby). 

Favorite things to do right now? Fish, swim, play in the back yard, water mommy's plants, eat candy, and so much more. Last month we couldn't get him in the water. This month he tells me "mommy, I have to go to the pool." Last time we were in the water he swam "all by himself." 

Hudson's BFF? Cousin Noah. He cries for him. Misses him. Can never wait to see him. They play so sweetly together while being boys. They are the best of friends. 

I love our little family and our home we've created. He never wants to leave. He loves being in his backyard playing on his swing set, splashing in his baby pool or cooking in his little house that our sweet neighbors gave us. Looooooove hand-me-downs. Our neighbors have 2 boys that are 6 and 4. They are so sweet to give us still their boys have grown out of. We have been unbelievably lucky. 

We've been taking Saturday morning trips to Shipleys. Hudson and daddy have their usual. Hudson loooooves his sprinkles. His eyes get wide and he takes his bite. Daddy has the best Saturday morning ideas. 

He loves to count (below he's counting his shells with napa), ride on his rocking rider pony that we'll have to mount to the ground soon (they should call it bunking rider pony), and I LOVE when he lets me hold him like a baby every once in a while.

His pretend play has increased so much. He loves flying anything that looks like a plane. Grabbing Dino's to have them have a fight and then says "let's be friends" and makes them kiss. He cooks us pancakes and sausage. He's never seen superman or Spider-Man but he wants to be both. 

This is the month of the best kisses ever. He grabs your head and kisses you so hard his little head is shaking. Seriously. Best. Kiss. Ever. My angel is wild but still so sweet. Touching his forhead to mine as he falls asleep at night. Always grabbing our hands as we go on walks. We are forever the luckiest parents in the world. What a privilege it is to be HGF's parents. 

One last thing in closing. Our wise hapa always looks at our son and says "he's full of piss and vinegar...and isn't it wonderful?" I couldn't agree more. From going one million miles a minute, to crazy jumping that makes you cringe for his safety, to screaming, digging, mud slinging, smart conversation carrier to my big time sweet snuggler and kisser. This is why I'm the luckiest mom in the world. 

Mommies & Turtles

Mini poem for my baby

Mommies & Turtles

As you rest yourself on the mommy recliner 

Legs on my legs

Back on belly

Head on chest

I lean back and your head fits perfectly under my chin

I look up to the sky as we fit like a puzzle 

Like a turtle pointing it's head up to the sun 

I am the turtle and you are the warm sun filling my heart with gold

I love you baby 

28 Month Old Sweetheart

I kid you not, there's not a day that goes by that I don't feel like the luckiest mom in the world. In fact, Karl and I sit around at night talking about how lucky we are. Or even asking..how did we get so lucky. Hudson is the biggest sweetheart ever. 

What is he up to these days? He can tell you his shapes, colors, and some of the funniest things. The other day he told me that the rain was hiding in the clouds. He picks up a lot of stuff from his shows these days. Playing his imaginary violin, trombone, trumpet and drums. 

When his guests leave he tells them, "thank you for coming over to see me," and "see you later." Every time you leave him he will give you 2 strong hugs and the best strong kiss ever. 

Hudson loves to dance and sing. He's so musical. I absolutely love it. Our evenings are spent playing on his play set, digging holes and playing with his t-ball set. My outdoor boy and I are so happy to have long sunny and warm days. 

Hudson is also a huge help and he will tell you he is too. He helps me load the laundry, clean up, throw trash away, take out the trash, water mommy's flowers, wash dishes and more. He's going to be such an awesome big brother when the time comes. I can't wait. 

How's he eating these days? Still a picky boy. He knows what he likes. His favorites are grilled chicken  with ranch dressing, pizza and mac-n-cheese. He tried spinach at his nana's house and he likes it so he will eat a few leaves for me here and there. 

Uncle Chris has visited us a few times and Hudson put on his little cow watch. He told me he looks like Chris with his watch on. So Chris took an older watch he had, took the links out to make it smaller, and gave it to Hudson. He thought he was so cool when Chris gave it to him. He said he looks like Chris and Daddy. So cute :)

Hudson is a fan of FaceTime. When he's missing pops, daddy or pawpaw he requests to talk to them. He gets his fix and is one happy boy. Technology. My son's generation. A 2 year old knows how to do FaceTime? Craziness but a lifesaver when pops, daddy or pawpaw aren't right around the corner.

Every morning Hudson wants to sit next to mommy and cuddle and we end every night the same way. This boy makes me feel like my heart is going to explode every time he grabs my hand and ever second I get to spend with him. He's my whole heart. Sweetest angel ever! 

Busy Weekend + Mother's Day 2014

I'm so very proud to announce that my baby cousin Cameron Scott Guidry is a Texas State Alumni. He graduated on Thursday May 8th. It was so awesome to see him cross the stage and yell for him of course. And of course Hudson and I were sporting our Texas State gear. Eat 'Em Up Cats! Woo HOO!

Side note:  Hudson was so cute! The band was playing in the beginning and Hudson started to conduct.  After the song was over he clapped and bowed! He is so awesome and so dang cute! Just love to see his cute personality come out. It's wonderful!

Friday we threw a surprise crawfish boil for Cameron and all of his hard work. Karl and I lied to him and asked if we could take him to dinner. He showed up at my parent's house to get ready to go to dinner. Saw the crawfish and it clicked. It was spicy and so much fun. We used to do that a lot when I was a kid. It's been awhile. So glad we got to celebrate Cameron and all of his hard work! Now onto grad school. Have fun Cameron!

For Mother's Day I wanted to take bubba to the Liz Carpenter Fountain. Man I love that fountain. Every time we go it reminds us of Chicago. How beautiful it is. How all these people are around with their coolers for picnics, towels and swimsuits watching the little ones run around the fountain. If you live in Austin and like to have some laid-back free fun it's a must! We went Saturday night for a picnic dinner. We had such a wonderful night. We ran through the water. Fed the turtles and ate our dinner. Best date ever.

Next morning on Mother's Day we headed to maw maw's house to make her breakfast. We had a vegan breakfast. My sissy made vegan french toast. Karl made a yummy fruit salad and I made vegan breakfast tacos. YUM! We ate on the back porch. It was a beautiful morning.

Afterwards we headed to Fudruckers with nana, pops, Shelly and Liam. We had lunch and headed back home for bubba's nap. Karl took his mommy (nana) to Natural Gardener and got her some fun plants. Afterwards we went to the pool. It was such a relaxing yet fun day. All in all it was a wonderful Mother's Day for all.

Another Side Note:  A few of my thoughts on the best parts of being a mommy. My angel makes my heart feel so full of love. I feel like I'm on top of the world. I feel like I could literally climb the highest mountain and tell the world about it. He sings "You are my Sunshine" with me. First time was a week or two ago. I was rocking him for a nap and started to sing to him. He started singing along with me and it was the most precious thing ever. His sweet precious voice jerked (not just tugged) on my heart strings. It felt like my heart was going to explode. It was one of the sweetest moments. 

Another time I was rocking him to sleep he leans back to look up at me and tells me "I'm so happy to see you mommy." Where does he learn this from?!? He is hands down the sweetest baby I've ever met. I'm so very lucky to have this sweet angel of a son. 

Louisiana and the Houston Zoo

I'm so behind as always. Playing catch up :)

We took Hudson to Louisiana at the end of April to see maw maw Leatha & Sonny, Uncle Bubba & Aunt Peewee, Cousin Michelle, Bella, Brody & Orin, and Cousin Chris, Nikki, Kendall and Tyler.

Drove over Thursday night and got there about 12:30 AM and went straight to sleep. Got up the next morning to be greater by my ever so sweet aunt peewee and uncle bubba. They are so wonderful! We always love getting to stay with them. After a huge breakfast we went to maw maw's for a big lunch. There's nothing better than the food my maw maw cooks. We all try our best to recreate it but we try. My mommy learned how to make gumbo from her and her mommy and I learned how to make it from my mommy. Passing that recipe on down the family line as long as we can. Need to write that down for Hudson. Yummy!

We got to hang out at cousin Michelle's house and swim with Bella and her friend. Hudson is in love with Bella. He was at 3 months old and still at 28 months old. She's so sweet to him and he LOVES her. He even laid on the floor next to her during Indiana Jones and stole kisses periodically. He's a charmer!

Next day we got to hang out at cousin Chris' house and watch the kids swim in the pool. Kendall is on the swim team! Tyler is awesome at Soccer and even though we didn't get to see her Peyton is SO TALL and BEAUTIFUL! They all are.

Saturday night we drove and met maw maw in Houston to go to the zoo the next day. Our hotel was awesome! Karl and I always use our Hilton Honors points to stay places and we never know what we are going to get but this time we got a room with a living room. It was so cool. Yes, we were excited about that LOL. Hudson and I could go to sleep while whoever wanted to stay up could watch tv. The little things….or the big things..however you want to look at it.

Got up the next morning to go to the zoo. I was so excited because this time Hudson would see an Elephant. The Austin Zoo is great but I remember going to the Houston Zoo when I was a kid. So many good memories. Can't wait to take Hudson there more. It's so lush with all the beautiful plants. So many animals. It's really a 2 day kind of trip. We didn't see everything but we most definitely saw the elephant and Hudson wanted to go back and see them over and over. He kept asking to go see the Elephant. Mission accomplished.

We had such a wonderful long weekend. Visiting family and seeing the zoo was awesome. Can't wait to do it again :). Funniest thing to me was when we got back home Hudson laid on my bathroom floor with my phone and covered himself up with the floor mat. I asked him if he wanted to go in the kitchen with me and he said no. He laid on the bathroom floor for about 30 minutes. I think he was happy to be home :).