Christmas 2012

All ready for church

Christmas Eve at Dad & Yvonne's

Bryce & London

All the kids ready to open gifts!

Tough guys: Brody & Hudson

Leaving snacks for Santa & his reindeer

All the gifts, wrapped in my very own wrapping paper!

Christmas morning

Santa brought Hudson Ninjago legos!!

Hudson & Gramma Red

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas seems to get more fun as the kids get older. For the last couple years, we've made a birthday cake for Jesus (German chocolate to represent the dirt and hay). This year, Hudson decided he wanted to do carrot instead. I found a recipe, we made our ingredient list, and the 2 of us went grocery shopping on Sunday night. (Hudson really wanted to go with me to the store.) The next day, the kids and I made the cake so it would be ready for Christmas Day. It's a fun tradition, and a good excuse to make a yummy cake!! :)

On Christmas Eve, we went to church at Saddleback, then headed over to my Dad & Yvonne's house to celebrate with the family. We had a meal together and opened gifts. I was amazed that London stayed awake all night and even on the drive home! She's usually in bed around 7, so we kept her up a few hours past her bedtime! Once we got home, Hudson made sure we got everything ready for Santa. We left him a brownie and milk, and left carrots for the reindeer.

On Christmas morning, we were all up around 6:30 (which is actually a little later than usual!) and ready to see what Santa left. Hudson had asked for a "big box of Ninjago Legos" and was thrilled that Santa delivered! London got the Elmo doll she wanted, although she wasn't a fan of it when it started talking and singing. Ha ha! Grandma Joan came over later in the morning and we spent the day with her, opening more gifts and eating a nice meal together. Brandon made a turkey, stuffing and sides. We finished with singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and enjoying a slice (or two!) of cake. Even Brandon had seconds, so I know it was good!

**For the best carrot cake recipe, click here. I added a small can of crushed pineapple.

Thankfulness Cards

The last 2 years I have taken part in something called Thankful on Paper, where you write notes to people, telling them you are thankful for them and why. Recently, Hudson was saying that he couldn't wait for Valentine's Day so he could give cards to his friends... so I came up with the idea to do a version of Thankful on Paper for kids!

Yesterday I designed these little feather cards with a space for Hudson to write his friends' names and his own, and then a middle area where I could help him write why each friend is special to him. We did half of the cards last night, and this morning he was already asking if we could PLEASE do more cards tonight. I think it's so important to teach kids to be thankful at a young age- to appreciate people and things!

I thought it would be great to share these cards so you could do these with your kids as well (or do it yourself!) so I am sharing a free printable on my river & bridge blog today. Click here to get the link!

Halloween

This year, instead of forcing my will upon Hudson, we let him choose his own costume. He decided to be a Power Ranger Samurai. I wanted London's costume to somewhat coordinate, and I stumbled upon the cutest sushi costumes on Etsy... with a $50 pricetag. I figured I could make it myself... which turned out to be easier than I even thought (thanks to a DIY tutorial on the Martha Stewart Show & iron-on adhesive). The kids both loved their costumes and I think they looked pretty darn cute too!

18 months

I have really been slacking on the blog updates lately. Life is pretty crazy lately with 2 active kids, a full-time job & my side business! I feel like I can never quite keep up with it all (Supermom, I am not!). This week London hits the 18-month mark. I can't believe how big she has gotten. She wants to do everything herself. And did I mention the girl eats constantly?? Nothing is safe. She will eat anything and everything. I'm hoping it lasts, but I am preparing for her to get picky like her brother. She is in the 85% for weight and the 90% for height. She's just about where Hudson was at 18 months.

-London now has all of her teeth except her 2-year molars (16 teeth total). And thank goodness! I'll take a little break from the teething.

-She is saying several words. Her latest words are Please, Shoes, Show, Diego and "Bubble Guppy"... not proud of the fact that many of her words have to do with TV, but the reality is that sometimes Mom needs a break from the madness!

-Wearing size 2t clothes & size 6 shoes

-Lately she is waking up at 5:30 am. Not cool. And she is not one of those kids that talks quietly in her room until the sun rises... once she is awake, she is yelling for us to get her! I am nervous for the time change next week because I foresee several 4:30 am wake-ups... :(

31

Since Brandon & I love to eat, I couldn't think of anything better to do to celebrate my 31st birthday!  We started at The Cellar in San Clemente for a glass of wine and a couple appetizers.  Their fig butter crostini is one of my favorite things, so that was on my list of must-haves for my birthday. After that, we walked up the street to Nick's for dinner. We enjoyed one of my favorite bottles of wine (Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir), had dinner & finished with butter cake! It was a delicious way to celebrate 31 years.

Teething

Man, this girl...  For the last couple weeks, she has been- for lack of a better term- a nightmare.  She has been crying and whining non-stop, and I can only assume it's because she's teething.  She has 3 of her 4 molars, and I can feel that the last one is just beneath the surface.  You know it's bad when you're home from work only 1 hour and you're already wondering, "Is it bedtime yet?"

Recently, Brandon and I have been asking each other, "Is this going to stop, or is this the new London?"  Luckily, today we got the old London back.  She was happy and kept her whining to a minimum.  I don't remember Hudson being this bad when he was teething, but man is it exhausting!

Beach Day

Last weekend, my mom was in town and stayed with us a couple nights, so on Friday we decided to head to Laguna Beach with the kids. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed slightly-cooler-but-still-very-hot weather. After our sandy lunch, we put our feet in the water and Hudson got knocked over by a little wave. In his clothes. And of course, as luck would have it, I did not pack an extra set of clothes for him! So if you were in Laguna Friday and saw a little boy walking around in his Sponge Bob undies, that was my kid. 

We hung out at the beach for about an hour or two, and then headed down PCH a couple miles to the Sweet & Saucy Shop. If I am within a few mile radius of that place, I've gotta stop. Their desserts are so good! My personal favorites are the candy bar cupcake and the passion fruit panna cotta!

OC Fair

One of our favorite things to do during the summer is visit the Orange County Fair.  We like to go early, before it gets too hot or crowded (and it doesn't hurt that admission is only $2 between 10 & 11am on the weekends). We don't do rides (since Hudson is terrified), so we just walk around and enjoy the eats! Our first stop is for the Texas-sized smoked turkey leg. Even London loved it! You can't go to the fair without having something deep-fried, so this time we went for the deep-fried oreos, which weren't bad. Next time I may need to try the deep-fried Klondike bar! Hudson lucked out and got Dippin' Dots twice, and one of our last snacks was the bacon-wrapped, stuffed jalapeños... yum!

London was obsessed with all the giant stuffed animals, and every time she spotted some, she practically crawled out of the stroller, pointed up and yelled. One nice lady gave London a small stuffed Nemo, and London kept pointing up at the giant ones! So funny.

This was also the first weekend we got to enjoy a real weekend together as a family. For the last 2+ years, we've only had Sundays together since Brandon & I stagger our work schedules. But Brandon just got a promotion, and with that comes a regular M-F work week!

First Broken Bone

A couple weeks ago, I got a call from Hudson's school that he had smashed his finger in the door.  The teacher said he had been upset about it for a while and that it was really swollen. Hudson is a pretty tough kid, so when he gets hurt, he might cry... but he typically gets over it within a few minutes. I knew it must be pretty bad if he was crying about it hours later. I rushed to his school (which means I sat in traffic for an hour) and took him straight to urgent care. Daddy and London met us there with a milkshake, which naturally makes everything better. :)

After reviewing the x-rays, the doctor said it didn't appear to be broken, but he gave Hudson a splint to wear for a week or two... until it felt better. A few days later, I got a call from radiology that it was, in fact, broken! He had a tiny fracture at the tip of his finger. By this time Hudson was already on the mend, so we just let him wear the splint for a few more days until it felt better.

First broken bone... check!

15 months

It seems like a lot changed between 14 and 15 months!  London is walking running now. And climbing. She loves climbing on and out of things, so we have to really watch her. Baby gates? Eh, no problem... London will just climb up them! She definitely keeps us on our toes, but she is such a joy. It's so fun to see her personality develop. And she's starting to say words now: dadda, mama, uh oh, all done, baba & tick tock.

Hudson has a prayer he says at dinner time: "Tick tock, tick tock, now it's time to pray. Thank you for our food today. Amen." Well, apparently his sister has been paying close attention! A couple weeks ago, she folded her hands, moved them back and forth, and said "tick tock!" over and over. It was the cutest thing.

She is also starting to follow directions pretty well! If I ask her to get something and bring it to me, she does. And if I tell her we need to put her shoes on, she walks over, turns around and sits on my lap.

She is still a great eater, and will eat almost anything we give her! She loves fruit, just like her brother. And even if she's just finished a meal... if you have something, you better be prepared to share with her. Girl can eat!

London & Hudson are both earlybirds, so they are typically up around 6:00am... but considering they both nap and have early(ish) bedtimes, we can't complain too much.

I think London is weighing in around 24 pounds these days, and now that she's walking/running/climbing, she is losing some of the chubbiness, but she is definitely still rocking the thigh rolls for now.

Anniversary Date (according to Instagram)

follow me on instagram: @heatherlmyers

6th Anniversary

channeling my inner fashion blogger, ha!

Today Brandon & I celebrate 6 years of marriage. It's hard to believe 6 years has already gone by, yet a lot has happened in that time! Last night we went out to celebrate. We started at Cucina Enoteca for a glass of wine and appetizers, then headed out to the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach. 2 years go we went to the Pageant of the Masters, which is great to experience once... but we actually prefer just looking at all the art on display. We had a late dinner at 370 Common, and then called it a night! I think we were home by 10, but that's the life of a married couple with kids! I wouldn't change a thing. :)

Hudson's 4th Birthday

We originally planned to go camping for Hudson's birthday and have a small party there, but as time drew closer, we started realizing how much work was involved in that... especially with our new walker, London, who we didn't really want exploring the wilderness.  A few weeks ago, Hudson mentioned that he'd rather go to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday, so we changed our plans and went with that. I'm sure we can be quoted in the past saying, "I will never have a party at Chuck E. Cheese!" and yet, here we are. I will say that having a party there was  extremely easy, especially since my sister took over my one task of making cupcakes. We kept it small and simple, with just immediate family and Hudson's best buddy Tyson and his family. The kids had a great time, we weren't completely exhausted afterward, and I didn't have to clean my house!

the (second) invitation i designed

birthday donuts at krispy kreme

pacman cupcakes by auntie danielle

Kid Update

I've been slacking a little on the blog posts, so I'm trying to get back up to date! Hudson is a week away from turning 4, and London is 14 months. London has finally decided to start walking... and she hasn't stopped! She is so stubborn. We knew she was capable of walking, but she kept holding out on us. 2 weeks ago, she started taking steps (5 at a time!) and within a few days was walking all over the house. Now she is also climbing on the couch and standing... such a little daredevil. Needless to say, there is not much sitting going on at our house, as far as Brandon & I are concerned!