Hudson's Happenings

This is the short and sweet version of what little H is up to!

He has figured out that there are steps in Mae Mae and Papa's pool. Apparently that makes it much more enjoyable. He took a swim the other day in his clothes when he was just supposed to be dipping his feet...

I went to camp as a counselor (that's another story for another time) and came home. Guess who the first person he wanted to see was? Ni Ni. Not his mother.... 

He helped me unpack. He is such an observer that he knows my morning routine and could probably perform it for you. I'm not sure daddy is so proud of this... 

The coolest thing I think he does right now is read his Bible. ALL. DAY. LONG. He walks around the house dragging it with him and signing bible. I love this. It's such a good daily reminder that he really does what mommy and daddy teach him. And it's a good challenge to set a Christ like example. 

I thought this was too cute not to share: I asked him if he was ready for bed. He went to his room brought out his blankets, pillow, and milk and layed down right in the middle of the living room. Apparently he wanted to have a slumber party. 

We went to my classroom today and H discovered my play vacuum. It's just his size and he thought it was so fun. He vacuumed all day. Literally. We were there four and half hours and I think that maybe one hour total that vacuum wasn't in his hand.

He loves to be a big helper. And I love watching him learn and grow!

He is becoming so independent more and more each day! I'm trying not to be sad that he is so grown up at just 18 months.

Well Check and Air Conditioning

Well, it's been a long day. We have been dealing with a fussy baby from a minor cold and shots and fighting with our home warranty to get our air conditioning fixed (after a week without it)! I'm worn out! So I'll keep this short and sweet....

Hudson had his 18 month well check today and is doing really great. She did still hear his heat murmur, but it could be from the way his heart is working to get it closed. He is doing great developmentally and talked up a storm for Dr. G. She was very impressed ;) He is a growing little boy too! His stats crack me up because I don't think this is reflective at all of how he compares to his friends (he usually seems so tiny). Ha!

Weight: 24 1/2 lbs (33%)

Height: 33 1/4 in. (77%)

Head: I didn't get the it written down but I think it's 19. I do know that she said he was in 79%.

Daddy says H is going to be smart with that big ole head!

He also got two shots today which he was UPSET about.With the combination of sore legs and a runny nose we have had a few meltdowns today. He also learned to walk backwards while we were waiting for the doctor. He has been doing it all day now and it is hilarious! He thinks it's so funny! Video to come soon...

And we are now HOME! It seems like we have been all over the place for the past week due to A/C problems, but I think we are finally up and running! I'm hoping so because I've missed our house and our routines! I felt like things were spinning out of control for a while. But I am happy to report that it is below 80 degrees in our house and we can live comfortably. A huge thank you to our realtor for dealing with so much to get it taken care of! She's done an incredible job!

Goodnight!

18 Months

Hudson William you are halfway to 2! It's your 18 month birthday!

When we go to your 18 mo. checkup I will update all of your stats! I can't wait to see how much you've grown.

You are wearing 12 mo. pants and 12 or 18 mo. shirts.

You wear a size 5 or 6 shoe (depending on brand) and size 4 diapers.

You are so active and your gym class is so great for that! You are still learning so many things and getting to run and play so much. You are active all day long. You want to be outside, going bye bye or playing at all times! It's so hard to get you to sit down!

You are still such a good eater. You are doing so good using your spoon and fork. You still make a mess, but you are trying so hard! You do not like bananas, but eat most everything put on your plate. You are really into dipping your food in ranch, ketchup, mustard, etc. That probably isn't the best habit on our part, but you just love it! You have also discovered chocolate milk and LOVE it also! You want juice as soon and I come to get you out of bed!You are also beginning to understand how to tell us what you want to drink (juice, milk, or wa wa).

You are learning so many new words and signs all the time. Some of your newest words are: juice, help, play, Jesus, bible

Phrases: I don't know and love you

You have also learned to sign shoes and book.

Your favorite game right now is boo! You hide behind everything and then come out and say boo. We play this game EVERYWHERE we go! If you don't have anywhere to hide you just get in our face and say it. It's hilarious and it makes you laugh so much and it's contagious!

We have gotten into a really good routine this summer since we've been home together. It looks something like this:

7-7:30-wake up

10-10:30-snack

12:00-lunch

12:30-nap

2:30-3:00-wake up

3:00-3:30-snack

5:30-6-dinner

8:00-8:30-bath

9:00-9:30-Bible and bed

The in between times are playing, swimming, running errands, visiting grandparents, etc. Whatever our day brings!

And just for fun look how much you have grown:

Daddy and I have so much fun with you! You love to laugh and that is so good for our souls! You brighten our days so much and we couldn't imagine life without you. We love you so very much! We can't wait to watch you grow and learn so much more!

Life Lately

Just a few photo memories of our week/end:

We are having a bit of a mini vacation while our air is out. We miss home and sleep has been a little crazy, but we are making the most of it. Hudson and I had a lunch date with our sweet friend Ann last week. Hudson had such a fun time playing in the play area and I'm so glad I got to chat with a friend! 

We took H to the park, but didn't last long. It is just SO hot out there! 

Pei Wei for Mae Mae's birthday! Hudson loved it and ate so so good! 

Just being my cutie! 

He still loves the word hot. So he likes to be in charge of checking the water temperature.... 

And we got some family time at Mae Mae and Papa's pool. Hudson is definitely loving it more each time! With this weather I think we will be swimming into September...

Happy Summer! Scorching hot summer!

Our Week in a Nutshell

-SO hot

-Don't have air conditioning

-Taking a mini vacay

-Missing my house.

-Not complaining

-Thankful we have somewhere cool to stay

Wa Wa aka Water

This summer swimming and water means something completely different from last summer. Last summer he was content to float around in his frog floaty seen here.

This summer he is much more independent and doesn't want to be seen in any kind of floaty or life vest. I think it has something to do with how independent and stubborn he is (more on this subject coming up). 

He really doesn't like the "big pool" (mom and dad's). He is perfectly content to do it on his own in his little pool, where he spends most of his time on the outside. He just walks around it, reaches his hands in to splash, dunks his head (silly boy!), and throws his ball around in the water. He really could care less to actually sit in it. 

Since the "big pool" really isn't that fun for him we tried something new today-the splash pad. He went last year, but when you can't walk and don't remember it, I would consider it new. It took a little getting used to and he didn't get upset about getting wet (unexpectedly at times). I think he was just checking things out.

He found a spot that he liked and hung out there most of the time and didn't venture out much, but I think we will be visiting the splash pad more often! I'm sure by the end of summer he will know his way all around the place!

I'm sorry that you all had to read our details of playing in the water. I'm sure that this compelling piece will bring me many more visitors, ha! But I'm sure next summer will be different from this one so I just want to remember how he acted!

Weekend Fun

I guess this turned out to be a somewhat eventful weekend. We had quite a few fun things going on!

It's started Friday with Cow Appreciation at Chick-Fil-A. It's one of our favorite spots in town. Besides the fact that my brother and sister have both worked there they have great community events and the BEST food! I used a t-shirt, a hat to attach ears, and some black material to turn H into a cow for our free chicken! And he now says moo! Ha! He was so mesmerized by the cow and watched him the whole time.

Saturday afternoon, we met some of my dad's side of the family that was driving through town. We ate at Ted's (another yummy place!) and got to visit for a bit. It was good to see everyone! This is my cousin Colin holding H, they both look like Loderhose kids!

Sunday I turned the big 25, woohoo (I guess)! I'm not a huge fan of my birthday, but we did have a nice day. Hudson learned to say "hap birday" a few weeks ago and it was sweet to hear my 1 year old wish me a good day even though he has no idea what it means! 

We went to church, Panera for lunch, and had family over to celebrate for dinner. My sweet husband planned it all and we had Alfredo and spaghetti! Can you tell that we love to eat?!

My sister made this delicious cake! It's layered with German chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and more crumbly cake! It might look like a mess, but I don't mind because it tasted like heaven! Thanks Abby!

And the best part of the day was probably this! Aunt Abby watched H man so Ryan and I could go to a movie. We splurged on a large popcorn (95% of it ended up in the trash) and were the only people in the theater. We saw Larry Crowne. I wouldn't suggest that everyone run out and see it. It's a cute movie, but it's really pointless. Oh well, it was just nice to be out of the house with my best friend and not have to worry about our sweet boy. 

I guess turning 25 was pretty painless!

P.S. Any Big Brother fans out there? It's the best show of the summer! There is just something interesting about putting 10-12 people in a house together and seeing how they act/react!

4th of July Festivities

We had a great time celebrating America's birthday! We had family and friends over to our house for burgers and hot dogs and hanging out.

We had a small, still light outside fireworks show that included Hudson throwing poppers and Ryan lighting smoke balls and sparklers. It wasn't super exciting and huge but it was hot outside and Ryan had to go to work so we didn't have much time for a big production.

These two pictures are Hudson's "I'm watching fireworks" face! So serious!

I was worried about whether or not Hudson would like the fireworks. He tends to be quite scared of anything that makes a loud noise. Thankfully he thought it was all fun. He really loved throwing poppers and saying "hot" anytime his daddy lit something. And the best part was that he has slept though all of the fireworks going on throughout town over the last week! 

We are very thankful for freedom and the things we enjoy in this country that people all over the world do not get to experience. It's hard not to take some of those things for granted when we use them everyday. I cannot image what it would be like to have to worship Jesus in hiding or be more restricted by our government. Sometimes we forget how privileged we are. Happy Birthday America!

Couponing, Coloring and Cowboy Boots

 This post may be random and choppy....

One of my goals this summer was to figure out ways to save money. Mostly through coupons. I think I am doing pretty well, but I'm still learning.

Target is one of my favorite places to grocery shop because they have coupons on their website that you can pair with a manufacturer coupon so you get a better deal! I got all of this in the picture above for $9.89. If I would have not used any coupons the price would have been $20.05! That's a good start!

We went to Best Buy this weekend and who knew they had these cute little coloring tables! We don't shop there very often so I had not seen these. Hudson just loved going back and forth between the different tables and chairs trying out all of the coloring fun. This gives me a little glimpse of what it's going to look like in a few years when I drop him off in Pre-K!

Abby and I hit the antique shops in Jenks in search of Cowboy boots. I am happy to say that I am the new proud owner of a cute pair! We will hopefuly be visiting the shops more often too, they have lots of great finds! If you notice, H is not wearing his boots. Those were NOT the shoes he picked out to wear to church and he was sure to let me know that. We managed to get them on in the church parking lot, but he took them off as soon as we left him in LifeKids. Such is life with a 1 1/2 year old....

Friday Five

The five things that I am thankful for today:

1. A sleeping baby-he only napped on our 20 minute car ride home from antique shopping, spent an hour in his bed talking, and then had a rough afternoon. Thankfully he went to bed easily and I was able to get something done after that. I love him so much, but he isn't very sweet and happy when he hasn't napped.

2. That my husband works so hard-he works nights and I know it's rough on him. But he never complains, he just does what he has to.

3. Our new house-not many people in the world get to have a house full of things and people they love. I am grateful for everything I have been blessed with in this home.

4. Coupons-I'm still learning, but I am thankful that I can help us save some moolah with coupons! It's kinda fun too!

5. Hudson's Baby Bible-I am so thankful that I can read him a story each night when he goes to bed and then we can pray about that topic. Tonight it was obedience-we read about Jonah and prayed that our family would have the faith to obey God's will. Sometimes I think these devotionals turn out the be better than the one I do on my own.

What are you thankful for?