Celebrating Hudson... Southern-Style

Yesterday we had Hudson's 3rd birthday party! We did a Southern Backyard BBQ. We set up 3 kiddie pools and a slip-n-slide, as well as cornhole and ladderball. Since Brandon and I are all about the food, we had fun with the menu:

Deviled Eggs

Mississippi Caviar

Watermelon

Fried Chicken

Louisiana Hot Links

Mac & Cheese

Potato Salad

Baked Beans

Corn on the Cob

Southern Banana Pudding

Strawberry Shortcake

For drinks, we offered:

RC Cola

Orange Soda

Sweet Tea

Strawberry Lemonade

Spiked Strawberry Lemonade

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Instead of party favor bags, we handed out a bottle of hot sauce to each guest. We had a great turnout and had a blast celebrating with family and friends.

Hudson is 3!

I can't believe my little boy is 3 years old already! It's amazing to see how much he's grown up in one year. Last year he was just starting to talk, and now he has a full vocabulary! His latest thing is the art of negotiation when it comes to nap and bedtime- "just 4 more books..." or suddenly he has to go potty 10 times. The process has been taking about an hour lately. Good thing we start it at 7:30!

Today Brandon had to work, so since I am home alone with both kids and my options are limited in terms of venturing out, we drove through McDonald's to get him a happy meal and a McFlurry. Then we came home and had our "picnic lunch" in the living room and went outside to play on his slip-n-slide during London's nap. Tomorrow we'll have Hudson's party to celebrate "Southern-style" with family and friends.

Summertime Fun

Since it's been so hot, Hudson and I have been playing outside in the kiddie pool during London's naps. Hudson LOVES playing in the water but will NOT go in a regular pool. Great for us, since we don't have a pool... and of course, he prefers to swim in the nude.

Happy 4th -- Happy Sleep!

happy girl (and happy mom) after sleeping through the night

Yesterday we went to my sister's to celebrate the 4th. We had fun spending the day with family. After that we stopped by our friends Doug & Monica's house for another party. Hudson was thrilled that he got to see his 2 best friends (Brody & Tyson) in one day! London was a little trooper and was well-behaved all day. I think she enjoyed being held all day by the grandmas and aunties!

We got home around 7:30 and got the kids into bed by 8:00. I gave London her dream feed at 10:00 and the girl slept until 6:45 this morning! I couldn't believe it. Almost 9 hours! The longest stretch she has gone so far is 7 hours, so she must have been tuckered out after a long day! Of course, I was up around 5:15, thinking "Is she really still sleeping?!?" and decided just to start my day and enjoy my cup of coffee in peace. I hope she keeps this up!

2 months

The Latest

spending the day on the lake

my boys

my little tank

hudson's last day of school

London is almost 8 weeks old already! It's weird how it can feel like it's gone by so quickly... yet it's hard to remember life without her. I remember that feeling with Hudson as well. She's definitely losing that newborn look and turning into her own (chubby) little person. She's 12 pounds now and wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes.

She's sleeping pretty darn well at night! I usually put her down around 7:30, give her the "dream feed" at 10:30 and then she sleeps for about 4-5 hours. Last night she didn't wake up until 4:00am, then went back to sleep after eating and slept until almost 8:00am. Hopefully she can keep that up, because it's great only waking up one time at night!

Naps, on the other hand, are a little more of a challenge. :) As great as she does in her crib at night, the girl boycotts it during the day! She has no problem falling asleep in her swing, but fights going to sleep in her bed. I'm really trying to do the 3-hour routine, like I did with Hudson, but it seems like every day she refuses to take that first morning nap. However, as I type, she is taking her mid-day nap in her crib, so I guess I won that round! I'm hoping if I stay consistent, she will eventually give in.

Hudson is full of energy, as most boys his age are! But it can make for some challenging days, especially as London gets older and is awake more. Thank goodness for naptime, so I can rest (aka clean house, do laundry, or go on Facebook- ha ha). He's been doing much better with potty-training and yesterday didn't have any accidents! We only put a diaper on him at bedtime and keep the undies on for his nap. Yesterday he surprised me and went #2 on the potty all by himself! A miracle! And I do mean a miracle, because I just had to step away from my computer to do some clean up... :(

Hudson's 3rd birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so we are getting ready for that - a Southern-style, backyard BBQ!

My Little Comedian

Hudson is at such a funny age right now! It seems like every day he is saying something that cracks me up, and my Facebook statuses have been reflecting that! Sometimes I wonder where the heck he comes up with some of these things, but I guess I can only be grateful that he has a creative imagination!

The last couple nights, after taking a bath, Hudson has come into the living room, dropped his towel and said, "Surprise!! RAAWWRR! Happy Birthday!" It's so funny.

Definitely not a dull moment around here...

And in other news, London is starting to smile at us! It's the cutest thing.

6 weeks old & Potty-Training

my chunky girl after her bath

pretty girl

the "evil" big brother

You can never start too early, right? Ha ha. The second part of this title refers to the almost-3-year-old. :) Finally, after MONTHS of trying, we are making some progress on the potty-training. Hudson can now wear undies (at home) and keep them dry. He has a problem going #2 on the toilet (says it's "too hard, I can't do it!") but at least we are making steps in the right direction. Maybe by the time he is in college he will be fully potty-trained.

London is 6 weeks old now and tipping the scales at 10.5 pounds! It's amazing how our petite little girl has chunked up over the last weeks. As my 95-year-old Grammy says, I am a "good jersey." (She and my grandpa used to have a dairy, and the jersey cows put out the good milk.) :) The 0-3 month clothes are already getting tight and she just started wearing them about 2 weeks ago! She's doing well with her 3-hour routine (eat, activity, sleep) and last night she went a 5.5-hour stretch at night, which is the longest yet (and meant that I only got up once, yay!)

1 month

I can't believe London is already a month old! The time has gone by so quickly, and my tiny little baby is getting bigger and bigger. Since last week, she has gained another pound! She's over 9 pounds now, and growing out of the newborn clothes. (Thank goodness, since I didn't have many to begin with!) She is sleeping well, waking up twice most nights. We've had a busy week. London experienced her first college graduation ceremony, two visits to the park, and two Memorial Day BBQ/pool parties. Whew! This mama is tired...

3 weeks

Today we took London for her 3-week check up, and she has grown!

8 lb 4 oz

20 inches

We also have Grandma Bev visiting from Iowa, so London has enjoyed getting to know her. Hudson has been sharing his room with Grandma Bev and thinks that's pretty cool!