We Like Our Turkey With A Little MEAT On Em'!!!!

Why kids love sweet potatoes...

For Hudson's first Thanksgiving, my lovely sis, Ash and I posed Hudson "Anne Geddes style". We snapped the pictures, and Hudson had all the flare. It was not only a great combo, but a Thanksgiving belly jiggler...literally.

 BUTT-ER-BALL bonding. Need I say more??? 

Hudson had his fair share of Thanksgiving feasting- we had him try his first mouthful of yams, avacado and even a lick of turkey.... apparently the gag reflex is a very real thing (shown in the video above). 

"Alright, it's you or me buddy... and it aint gonna be me."

The Yam Man. What a good sport right?

Hopefully all of this gives you a good laugh, like it did for us:) 

6 MONTHS AND HAPPY TO BE

Oh the joys of being a mother and just laughing as you watch your child!

WHAT?! I'M HOW OLD???!

You bet yer bottom dollar I'm 6 months...

This is Hudson busy at work. We don't know exactly what he's busy doing, but all we know is he means business when he's in this basket of toys. Tom made this little play box for Hudson to explore in. HE LOVES IT. We die laughing at how involved he becomes. 

NINJA HUDSON! He is full of fast moves. He can really get around when he puts his mind to it.

Although still VERY top-heavy... I'd say he is really doing well sitting  by himself. This takes a whole lot of balance to keep upright when you consider the head-to-body ratio. What a stud. He does really well while he is trying to maintain balance, but when he gets distracted by things around him, he topples... We're still trying to master multi-tasking.

I thought this outfit was very fitting for the occasion:) It says "Big Guy" on the badge. Hudson has nearly tripled in his weight since birth! What a tank:) As I think back on all the things Hudson has learned in the first short 6 months of his life, I am utterly amazed! Tom and I are trying not to wish things by---he'll be running around all too soon. NO RUSH BUDDY!

The Word "FREE" Sure Has A Nice Ring To It

For part of Thomas' Fall break we went with our dear friends, the Tranters, to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago---which is FREE! Not to mention it is an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G zoo. We heard a lion roar and saw him tear apart a big ol' femur and watched an excited hippo rub his snout on the floor of the aquarium and then jump to resurface ----just to name a couple favorites---:) A few things we learned include: the hierarchy of apes, polar bears can survive off of lettuce leafs, leopard spots, jaguar spots, and cheetah spots are really difficult to differentiate, a conservatory is filled with plants---not birds... the biggest cows come from Holland, and piglets don't stay piglets longer than a week before they're massive. Quality lessons to life right there.

This is a nice little shot of the outline of the city and our little family, with our newest addition "BOB" the stroller. Love you Bob.

When my brother, Spencer, was in town we went to the "Signature Room" restaurant at the top of the Hancock Building just to look over the menu to see the view... this time around, the Tranters convinced us to fill our bellies and get a great view (which wasn't such a bad idea) :)

The infamous Tranters! Jennie, Devin, and their sweet little girl Emily. It's always a good time with the Tranters---Monop, Hotes, and some major property dealing are a favorite Sunday evening pastime of ours:)  Needless to say, we love them. Jennie also discovered a great way to keep Emily's mouth busy and happy during lunch---DUM DUMS:) Great thinking Jen.

"Rendezvous In Old Nauvoo..."

Thomas had a Fall break from school so we decided to head to Nauvoo for a few days. After getting lost only a few times... We finally rolled into the little town of Nauvoo after the sun had gone down. We headed down the main drag straight for the temple. What a magnificent sight in such a small town! It was a bummer that it was closed for cleaning the week we chose to go, but what a blessing it was to marvel at its beauty and spirit that radiated from its walls.

While in Nauvoo, we wanted a real cabin experience so we stayed in one of the Old Nauvoo Cabins. This particular cabin was owned by the Ferrin's. They were a pioneer family with 5 children in this tiny, yet charming cabin. Although we were fortunate enough to enjoy modern day comforts during our stay in the cabin (I have to say I don't think it would have been as charming to use a bucket as a toilet and rough it without running water and a toasty heater....) we definitely grew to respect the many pioneer families that made so many sacrifices.

What a beautiful time of year! We loved this tree and just had to snap a picture of it's brilliant color. As we walked down the "Trail of Hope" with its many markers from journals of the Saints and the bitter wind and chill blowing right through our bones, we were filled with a better understanding of how cold it must have been those first weeks of February when the Saints left Nauvoo and traveled across the frozen Mississippi... I don't think I could have done such a difficult thing!

Thomas was taking a picture of Hudson and I when we heard a voice coming from the bushes say, "Woood ya like me ta take a pictah of ya???" (imagine that in a thick English accent) ... Not every day that you hear a talking bush---let alone in a British accent... We had a good laugh together:) So our newly-made friend from England that was grooming the temple grounds and nearly startled us to death took this fine picture

We picked a bitter cold week to visit Nauvoo--great for crowd control, but rough on our frozen little bodies! Hudson pretty much lived in this cocoon to keep warm as we went from site to site down the streets of Old Nauvoo. We now understand that we are in for the coldest winter of our lives!!!

We just had to take a picture by the guns good ol' William Clayton shot in his day which were made by Jonathan Browning, who was a terrific gunsmith during the pioneer times.

This solemn room, where both Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred, had a very tender spirit present while we visited. Our hearts were very full and our testimonies were strengthened from this very touching experience. 

PRAISE TO THE MAN WHO COMMUNED WITH JEHOVAH! HONORED AND BLESSED BE HIS EVER GREAT NAME!!!!

I Found The True Meaning of Halloween!!!!

Halloween is ALL about dressing up cute little babies in costume and parading them around to give everybody a good laugh. It is completely worth making a holiday. After first fighting to pull the costume off (shown in the picture below), Hudson soon got comfortable with his new look and began to prop his arm up on this banana like a gun holster ...Watch out ya'll! This here is the Wildest Monkey in the Midwest!!!! My Dad would be proud of Hudson's Western skills.

So after just putting Hudson in this costume, he began to overheat and tried to rip it off-----He had had enough of playing dress up! But of course to get some pictures I kept him in it for a couple more minutes...He pulled a fast one on me and spit up ALL over his cute monkey suit. PREDICTABLE? You'd think I would eventually learn:)

Our chubby monkey was thoroughly enjoyed by the neighbors- we delivered cookies and tried to cheer the old people that live around us. Hudson enjoyed the attention and I think it may have even been therapeutic for our lonely old friends.

 I wanted to be the "Woman in the Yellow Hat" like Curious George's friend, the "Man in the Yellow Hat" but all I had was the yellow coat and boots. Tall, yellow hats just don't grow on trees I found. I was a monkey trainer instead...not my favorite look.

I always wanted a monkey for a pet growing up... I would cut out pictures of monkeys I found in National Geographic magazines and save them as a little nerdy kid would. I didn't know at the time I would have the most adorable monkey in the world for my very own kin! And right in my front room too:) We had a moment.

Full-length shot of this lovable fur ball:)