Angels

I have always felt that the day each of my children are blessed they look like angels.  Completely innocent and perfect, dressed in all white.  Eyes wide eyed and bright to the world before them.  Waiting to learn so many things but already perfectly knowing how to feel love.  Their knowledge of heaven still so fresh, that feeling of awe that they have recently been in the presence of our Father in Heaven.  Also in the presence of others that we love.  For me  of course Ethan and Dylan.  As   I looked at him I saw an angel and wondered what had it been like for him and his two older brothers as he prepared to leave them and come to the earth.  Just holding him makes  me feel so close to them since he has seen them so recently.  Oh how I miss them.  I just couldn't stop looking at Hudson and thinking how angelic he looked.  He has such a strong spirit about him, I can feel it.  I know that may sound silly because he is a baby, but I can.   Hudson is our first baby born in a cool season.  It has been fun for so many reasons.  We had the neat opportunity to bless Hudson the day before Christmas Eve.  We found him this cute knit blessing outfit that was perfect for the weather and looked so sweet on him.We combined his blessing with a cousin's baptism and it was just our family.  More private and simple, really special.  Deke gave him a beautiful blessing and cried the whole time.  I love that Deke is so tender about his family.  He loves his kids so much.  He asked to get a picture of him and the boys.  Again I couldn't stop thinking about the two little freckled faces missing from this picture.

 It was really wonderful and so nice to finally give our little Hudson Crew his name and blessing.  With each baby I have always felt a certain feeling about their personality.  With Hunter the word vibrant was always the first I would think of when I thought of him.  Avery was spunky and determined, Emma was peace, healing and sweetness. When I look at him and think about him the word that comes to my mind is strong.  Physically but yet something deeper.  From the time he was born he was wide eyed taking in his world.  Trying to lift his head and look around.  At two months he can already roll over and tries to dig his little toes into the carpet and scoot himself.  He is a physically strong little guy.  I told Deke a long time ago I think he is going to love sports more than any of our other kids and being active.  When he cries, his cry is deep and strong as well.  In the moments that I hold him and just stare at him and try to take it all in  I feel it in another way.  As I interact with him I get the impression that he will be strong in many ways that will be wonderful in his life.  That he will be dependable, solid in his beliefs, supportive of those he loves.  Strong in standing up for what is right and protecting those around him.  He is such a special part of our family, we are all so grateful to have him.  Hudson we love you so much!!!

Candyland and a Treehouse

You'd better believe that we've all been looking forward to it.  Our favorite competition of the winter season.  Gingerbread houses!!!  This year Hunter was teamed up with mom and Avery was partnered up with dad.  Right off the bat I had an idea to do a treehouse and with Hunter as my partner it seemed like a great choice.  We made our secret team plans and headed to the grocery store to each pick out a few specific needed decorating items.  Deke looked at us like we were crazy as we headed to the produce section and grabbed up a sweet potato and some parsley.  I had these great visions of the sweet potato acting as the tree trunk and holding up our structure.  It looked great but the support just wasn't there so we had to add some celery supports to it.  The parsley was chosen for our greenery and was harder to work with than we realized.  Trying to get parsley to stick onto things with only frosting was not so easy.  Even though it didn't turn out as cool as I planned it was still fun and original and I liked the way it turned out.  We added a railing and some writing on the fort walls.  Of course every good treehouse has to have a tire swing.  Hunter made a fire pit and we added some bushes on the ground.  We tried to make a licorice rope ladder but it wasn't sticking together so we bagged it.

It was really fun to think outside the box and use some different food items besides the typical candies.  Hunter and I had so much fun being on a team together.  It was great because Deke actually kept telling us what a good idea it was.  If I had had him on my team on this one the structure could have been so much better.  With him as the engineer and me with the creative touches we would be awesome on a team together which we have never done.  We decided next year to work together on a team and see what we could do.  I love our treehouse dude, I think it rocks!!

Deke and Avery were at first going to do a castle but then decided to make their version of Candyland instead.  So away they went decking it out with every possible candy available.

They had a licorice topped castle, Reddenbocker mountain, a candy corn forest, a rolo peak with caramel waterfall and the game spaces were sugar wafers.  Also horses pulling a carriage.  Super bright and colorful, truly a delicious land of confection.

We made Em a simple house, gave her a dallop of frosting and a pile of candy and told her to decorate away.  She loved it and did a great job of only eating a few while working.

Cute little fingers delicately placing her candy.

Before we started as always taking our team photos.  Deke and Avery obviously were not focused to begin with :) :)

Hunter and I went for more of a cut throat approach....

Projects in process of being created....

Emma's finished project.....

More smiling coming from team dad and ave, more intensity and nose to the grind stone working from mom and hunter :)

Awesome job guys! Another fun year of creation!

2 months old

 Already two months!!! It is true that each baby goes faster I can't believe how fast Hudson's first two months have gone.  He is so laid back and to his mommy's delight an amazing sleeper already giving me six and seven hour stretches!!

 He is continuing to grow his bulldog cheeks :)  He has been my best nurser.  Right after he was born they were trying to get him cleaned up in the nursery and I guess he kept rooting around. I was still supposed to be in recovery for an hour but they brought him in after about ten minutes saying they thought he wanted to nurse.  Sure enough he latched right on correctly the first time and nursed as if he had always known how.  It was so awesome and he has loved to nurse ever since.

In the last two weeks he has started smiling in response to a familiar face or being talked to and he has gotten very verbal.  Those little toothless grins are about the sweetest thing I have ever seen and just melt you when he flashes one at ya.

Not a huge fan of the bath, but really does not like being naked at all.  He is getting so good at keeping eye contact and really interacting it is so sweet.  Like this moment with aunt Kimbre.  Every morning when he first wakes up I sit on the bed with him for about ten minutes and we stare at each and talk together.  He coos and grins at me and I am a puddle.  It may be the best way you could start a day EVER.

Love, love, love his little smiles.  Love having a new baby in the house again.  Love being this little guy's momma!