Painting

 We took the kids last weekend to paint pottery.  They have done it once before and love it.   Hunter decided to paint a deep cereal bowl this time, Ave did a more shallow bowl and Emma wanted to do a plate.  After picking their items and paint colors they were off and going...

Emma wanted to use a princess crown stamp on her plate and then add puffy paint flowers so together her and I attempted it.  I think Hudson was on sensory overload because his eyes were bugging out of his head the entire time we were there with all the colors everywhere.

I love my almost ten year old.  He is in that stage of thinking he is already "too big" for certain things and yet still loving younger things with his siblings.  He was really excited about painting but decided to do his bowl half grey and half black...that's it.  We tried to talk him into doing some cool design because 1) he is really artistic and 2) he is super creative.  However he told us he just wanted it plain like that and that he thought it looked "sweet" like that.  Okay dude, your right it does look good.

Ave decided that she wanted her bowl to have an Easter theme.  She said that she wanted it to look like an egg hiding in the grass.  She started by painting the grass and then she made and egg in the center of the bowl and dad helped her outline it with puffy paint.  I thought it was such a cute idea and she did a great job with it.

It is so nice to be able to go and do something different with the kids on a Saturday night.  Plus the things they make there are always their favorite dishes to eat from.  

Hates tummy time.

He is not a fan.  In fact he hates it.  He is really strong with lifting his head and loves to look around but he wants to be sitting up.  It is so hard sometimes to let him have tummy time because he just cries and cries the whole time.  I have to remember that he needs it to keep strengthening his muscles.  He arches his back and lifts up his head then starts to complain.  It doesn't take long for him to start a full on cry.  Then he puts his face down in frustration and just cries until tummy time is over.  Sorry little guy but it really is good for you.  I promise.

"I hold him."

 Lately this big sister thinks she's pretty big stuff.  If he starts crying she is quickly over attending to him and tells me "It's okay mom, I hold him" then bends down to try to pick him up.  She is always ready to question me when I tell her she is not big enough yet to carry him.  Sometimes then there is tears.  You see she pretty much thinks he belongs to her and loves him to pieces.  She has a special high pitch voice she uses to talk only to him, it makes us smile.  So I tell her to sit down and hold out her arms and then I put Hudson on her lap as she giggles. I direct her to hold on to him, but not squeeze him as I laugh at the unenthusiastic look on his face.

 He is less than thrilled and she is delighted.  Talking to him about getting in his stroller because it is time to go to playgroup at the park.  He starts to squirm and wiggle until he manages to slide down a little out of her grip.  Suddenly he thinks there may be a way out and continues wiggling.  She starts giggling again saying, "Hudson, where are you going magoobie?" (more on that nickname later)

 I adjust him again back into her arms and the look is back.  He is begging me to save him with his eyes.  Emma is belly laughing, "Mom he loves me" she says.  "Hudson, do you love me, do you love Emma magoobie" she says to him.

 Within thirty seconds he is once again trying his best escape moves and I finally decide he has probably had enough.  Sorry little man, there happens to be a pecking order and you are currently on the bottom of the totem pole :) :)

3 Months

 This month has been so fun because Hudson has started becoming a major smiley bug.  He also belly laughed for the first time and has only done it a few times since but it is pretty much the most heart melting sound ever.  He continues to sleep through the entire night which is AMAZING!!! Mom is so thankful and is loving the extra rest so that she can be more awake during the day to play.  He is a lot like Emma in the way that he is a super cuddly baby and loves me to snuggle with him.  Sometimes he will start to fuss and if I grab his blanket and binky and hold him in my arms close to me, within thirty seconds his eyes are closing and he nuzzles into me and goes to sleep.  It is the sweetest thing.

 When he sleeps in the afternoon he likes to take his arm and wrap it around his blanket.  He oftentimes likes to have part of his face snuggled into the blanket or touching his cheek.  He is such an easy going, sweet little guy.  He is getting much more interactive and I am enjoying him so much.  I find myself delaying housework and phone calls just to sit and talk with him, play with him, or watch him sleep in my arms.  It feels so good to hold him.  I think I could probably just sit all day and hold him close and watch him sleep.  He is always so bright eyed.  Giant blue eyeballs all the time, and when we play and he smiles that little toothless grin, I melt.  I love you Mr. Magoo.

First basket ride.

It is usually about this time that I let my babies take rides in the laundry basket around the house to play.  By the time they are six or seven months they know what it is and get excited when I put them in.  The other day  Hudson had his first laundry basket ride around the living room.  I put him in and he looked around pretty unsure....

 Then I pulled the basket slowly around the living room in big circles and his eyes got wide and his little head bobbled.  He was not sure if he was a fan or not.

 Emma found this highly entertaining and wanted me to do it again and again but my tired back and the lack of interest on his face told me we should throw in the towel and try again another day.  So to laundry basket rides, oh my Hudson I promise you someday soon you will really enjoy them.

Snow in Mesa?!?!

Craziest thing happened the other night here in mesa.  We got snow!!! It had been raining off and on all day long and then Deke called on the way home from work and said that as he was walking out to the parking lot there was snow on the tops of people's cars.  Hunter came in from scouts and said "Mom it was snowing fifteen minutes from the church, Sister Fryer's sister sent her a picture on her cellphone!!"  I went to look out back and it was hailing a ton.  We sat and watched the hail pound down until I realized that something was changing.  It was wasn't hail, this was starting to stick and accumulate into little piles.  It was actually snowing.  It started covering the playhouse roof, the wagon, the porch and making a small pile in the corner of the sliding glass door.  The kids were flipping out they were so excited!!!  We got out the video camera and videotaped it.   It has never snowed in the valley where it actually stuck in my lifetime.  My kids ran into their rooms and came out wearing their snow gear.  Laughing I let them go out back and they both managed to make snowballs to throw at each other.  They tried to make a teeny snowman but it just wouldn't stick together enough.

They were so excited.  Emma of course stood inside next to me and Hudson smiling and yelling at the sliding glass door "Guys, are you having fun in the no??"  Then turning to me and adding, "I not like the no, it's cold. I not want to play in it."  Deke got home and we went for a little drive around the neighborhood, it was surreal to see snow covering the sides of the road and on top of the street.  We drove around about ten minutes watching and taking it all in.  In that short time we saw three accidents and decided to get home and off of the road.  People are just not used to this kind of weather here.  It was such a fun surprise and Deke and I were so glad that the kids got the opportunity to see snow in mesa :) :)

Off in her room.

I have always loved the writing process.  How scribbles turn to shape letters and then letters to phonetic spelling of beginning words, to words making sentences and then on to creative writing and stories.  It is always so interesting to me.  Avery has just started to enter the stage of wanting to write and make up stories just for fun.  Lately one of her favorite pastimes is to sit on her bed with her notebook and write stories and illustrate them.  The other day I walked in to put some laundry away and saw her sitting on her bed with her blinds pulled up and her legs crossed like so, deep in thought.  It was really cute.  

Here are a couple examples of some of her first mini stories.....

SO FUN.