My Smiling Heart

If it's possible for your heart to smile, then mine wore a permanent grin all day!

The day started off at 5:00am in the kitchen. I was in charge of bringing the snack/dessert for Rylan's class party today. So, at 5:ooam I was in the kitchen making 'worms in dirt' for his Halloween party...I had already made the Halloween Chex Mix cups the night before. As I was making them I couldn't help but think about the NUMEROUS times my mom did the same for me when I was younger. She never just bought store made cupcakes or cookies. She always woke up extra early the day of my class party to make something special. I remember how special I felt that my mom always did that, and I hope my boys will grow up with similar memories.

Chex Mix cups with M&M's and candy corn.

And a special Halloween straw to top it off.

Worms in dirt...a Halloween party classic!

After I finished up the party treats I went and woke Rylan up for the day. He usually eats cereal for breakfast so I made his usual and handed it to him. That is when I heard my little man politely say, "No sanks, shicken nuggets pease!" What?! Chicken nuggets for breakfast?? For a moment I thought about saying no and then I figured, what the heck, sure, let's have chicken nuggets for breakfast! So, before leaving for school he finished off 5 chicken nuggets.

Whoever said Wheaties was the breakfast of champions obviously never had chicken nuggets for breakfast!

Then, last week the kids at Rylan's school were suppose to decorate a pumpkin and bring it in for a decorating contest. It was tempting for Cody and I to take over and really decorate it like we thought it should be decorated. However, I set out three colors of paint and just let Rylan go at it. He worked and worked on it until it was totally covered in paint. Well, today when I walked into the lobby of his school to pick him up I saw it...his pumpkin with a FIRST PLACE ribbon on it! He won the contest for his age group. I cannot even explain the look on his face when I showed him his prize winning pumpkin! He is so proud of himself and he has talked about his 'punkin winner' all evening! Now, how do I convince a 2 year old that we cannot save and keep a pumpkin on his dresser forever?

The most beautiful pumpkin I've ever seen!

Cutest Dang Puppy Ever!

Monday night Rylan had his Fall Festival at his school. We went last year, and he had a blast so we were excited to take him back again this year. Stacey and Madison volunteered to take Hudson for the evening so Cody and I could spend time with just Rylan. So, we got him dressed up in his puppy costume and painted his nose black. At the festival he played all kind of games and got a bag full of candy. He even went through his first haunted house with Cody and came out laughing! Of course we love Hudson to death, but it was nice to have an evening with just Rylan.

Waiting in line for his turn at a game.

Throwing the bean bags through the pumpkin. Ms. Michelle is the lady on the right side of the picture. She was his teacher last year and he ADORES her!

Shaking the little black tail as he walks.

SKITTLES!!! You have to understand that my child will turn down anything chocolate. He can't stand M&M's, chocolate donuts, Hershey's Kisses, etc. However, he will do anything for Skittles. So, as soon as he realized he had some Skittles in his bag, he wanted to just stop were he was and rip open the package. We had to remind him that there were more games to play.

Daddy and his little buddy

Loving my puppy!

Pumpkin Patch Attempt #2

The first time we went to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago it was a cold, windy day. So, we decided we should give it one more try. My dad came into town for the weekend to visit us so we figured it would be a good time to go back to the pumpkin patch. Rylan once again, fed the goats, went on a hay ride, ran through the pumpkins, and rode the little train with his daddy. I was also able to get more pictures this time. It was a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday!!

Making his way through the maze.

Looking at the longhorn with Daddy...but not brave enough to touch the horns!

"Momma posed me for this picture."

Picking out a pumpkin

He found one just his size!

Just relaxing in the pumpkin patch

Rylan found some new friends

"Cheese!"

Loving the train ride with Daddy!

This is by no means a great picture, but it was the best one we could get of the two of them together. Hudson was hungry and not in the mood. Rylan was trying to be such a good big brother though by holding Hudson's pacifier in his mouth.

No, the little pumpkin in the middle is NOT for sale!

Pumpkin Fun

Tuesday night our kitchen table turned into pumpkin central. Rylan and Daddy cut the top off the pumpkin and cleaned it out. Then, we couldn't resist putting Hudson inside the pumpkin for some pictures. Rylan had a blast painting the pumpkin after we were done with Hudson...the pictures are proof of that!

Helping Daddy spoon out the seeds.

Our little pumpkin!

So sweet!

My TWO pumpkins!

Apparently this was pumpkin/face painting

The bath tub looked a little nasty after this one!

Hudson's Smile

On October 8th I got one of those little moments that I live for. While I had Hudson on the changing table getting him dressed for the day I was talking to him and telling him how much I love him. Right after I said "Momma loves you more than you will ever know" I got the BIGGEST smile I have ever seen!! I went to get the camera hoping he would do it again, and sure enough he had become my little smile machine that morning. Ever since he has been grinning at anyone and everyone who will talk to him.

Also, on October 16th Hudson began cooing. It's the softest, sweetest little sound ever and it absolutely melts my heart!

You precious baby...you have no idea how much joy you bring into my life!

Loving Our Conversations These Days

I don't know if it's the age or what, but Rylan has been cracking me up lately with the things he says and does! I love seeing how his little mind works and how he reasons things. Below are a few of his latest and greatest.

* Hudson has started smiling at us so I had Rylan on my lap with Hudson trying to make him smile. When Hudson finally smiled at Rylan, he yelled out, "Oh no! His teef (teeth) all fall out!"

* After picking him up from daycare one day we were talking in the car. He would tell me things and I would respond by saying, "You're right buddy. You're so smart." When we drove into the neighborhood he saw a boat and said, "Look momma, a boat. Boat goes in water." I simply responded with a "Yes it does." After a short pause Rylan asked, "Momma, am me smart?"

* He calls pumpkins orange apples.

* When we are ready for him to go to bed we set the timer and tell him he has ____ more minutes to play or watch his movies. The other day he was in the bath and I told him it was time to get out. He held two fingers up on his hand and said, "No momma, me have 2 minutes."

* At daycare he walked up to a group of little girls playing in a circle and said, "Who wants to mooch me?" Oh Lord help me!!

* This is a bit embarrassing, but we were checking out at Target a week or so ago and Rylan was sitting in the cart. The cashier was talking to him when he looked right at her, picked his nose, stuck his finger (booger included) in his mouth and said, "Mmmm, good!" We'll have to work on that one!

* Admittedly I haven't shaved my legs in SEVERAL days...give me a break I'm sleep deprived and have a new baby. A few nights ago I was sitting on the couch and Rylan came up to me and put his hand on my leg. He immediately jerked it away and said, "Your yeg (leg) stuck me momma!"

* I was holding Hudson and Rylan said, "Hudson in your tummy." I said, "Yes, Hudson was in my tummy wasn't he?" Rylan paused and then poked me in the stomach and said, "Put him back." Ha! Sorry buddy, your 10 pound brother is NOT going back in my tummy!

Buddy, what would I do without your funny comments and actions? I look forward to waking you up each morning because I know I'm going to spend a good part of my day laughing at you and with you! I love our conversations! You bring so much joy into our lives!

Big Orange {COLD} Pumpkin Farm

This past Saturday we headed out to the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm with the family. Cody's parents, his grandmother, his brother's family and my mom all came in for the weekend. It wasn't the nice sunny day we were hoping for, but we all bundled up and made the most of it. Rylan and his cousin Anicia had a great time. Rylan fed goats, went on a train ride with daddy, enjoyed a hay ride and ran through the big pumpkin patch. It was so much fun and I got some good pictures. However, I do plan on going back with the boys on a warmer weekend to get better pictures of them in their overalls minus the winter coats and hats.

Loving the train ride with daddy. Notice his hand on the horn...he squeezed it nonstop during the ride!

Rylan LOVED LOVED LOVED feeding the goats!! He would get so excited when they took the food from his hands. He would yell, "they likes it!"

Can you tell he's just a little excited?

Running in the pumpkin patch.

Rylan and Anicia

Daddy got a kick out of Rylan running down the rows of pumpkins

Oh how I I love MY little pumpkin!!

Having a blast!

Hudson slept through the whole thing. I had him in the Moby wrap and he just snuggled down and went to sleep. Thanks for keeping momma warm buddy!

29 Is Starting Off Pretty Good!

When I woke up this morning for my 29th birthday I had no idea that my 2 year old would be so excited for this day. I can't count the number of times he has said "Happy Burpbay Momma" today. He also enjoyed singing happy birthday several times, and each time he did it with such enthusiasm.

I love that my little boy can be so excited for other people. It doesn't have to be about him, but he gets so much joy just being part of any celebration. I hope he always remembers that one of the greatest things in life is SHARING in other people's joy!

Trying some icing from the giant cookie at 6:30am!

The birthday cake that Rylan picked out. He specifically picked out the pink icing for the writing.

Putting the candles in my cake...just the way he wanted to.

The best candle arrangement I've ever seen

His second dose of icing for the day!

Ready for a bath

Scrub-A-Dub, Hudson's In The Tub!

These pictures are actually from a couple of weeks ago. Hudson hasn't quite decided if he likes baths or not. Usually he's pretty good until we start washing his head. He has pooped a time or two in the tub and big brother Rylan is VERY quick to tell him that we don't go 'oh shoo' in the bath. You'll see in the last picture that Rylan is quite the helper at bath time...usually helping wash Hudson's toes, which he thinks is a BIG responsibility!

1 Month Old

Today Hudson is officially 1 month old! When I think back on this last month, sometimes I feel like it's flown by and other times (mostly in the middle of the night when we're up) I feel like it has taken forever to get here. Either way we are totally, completely, madly in love with this little boy! Here are a few things that we have experienced this month with Hudson...

* We dealt with his jaundice until he was about 2 weeks old. During that time all Hudson wanted to do was sleep which made it hard to wake him up to feed him. It eventually cleared up on it's own without any intervention though.

* Hudson can hold his head up on his own for about 5-10 seconds. Sometimes he looks like a bobble head doll, but other times he can hold it pretty steady.

* His eyes are still blue and his hair is much lighter than Rylan's.

* Hudson loves to be wrapped in thick, furry blankets. He doesn't really want to be swaddled, but just surrounded by a big blanket.

* He still isn't sleeping too good at night. We're hoping this gets better before we lose our sanity!

* We get different opinions on who he looks like. I think he DEFINITELY has his daddy's shape eyes! I also think he has his nose, but the mouth looks more like mine.

Momma, Daddy and Rylan love you so much Hudson!