Reading

Finally Hudson has gotten to where he likes books! I was afraid that he would never be able to sit still long enough to listen to a story. This board book is his favorite, but he likes to pull the books off the shelves in the bonus room and "read" those, too.
Most of the time the book is upside down, but may be that's good for his imagination? We try to read a book to him at night after his bath, before bed.

Little Froggy

If he doesn't outgrow it between now and Halloween, this is going to be Hudson's costume.He's the cutest little froggy I've ever seen!
He thinks the "ribbit" noise is hilarious.

Playing with my friend

Hudson loves going over to Jackson's house to play. They have different toys there, plus Jackson is starting to interact with Hudson now that he's able to do more things. He was pushing him around on this little firetruck and giving him hugs!

Kiddie Day Parade

Earlier this week, I had the bright idea of putting the babies in the Kiddie Day Parade here in town. After a series of ideas, we settled on the theme of "Friendly Rivalry." Hudson was pulling for Ga Tech, Jackson was for Tennessee, and Kennedy and Reese were Georgia cheerleaders.
Daddy and Hudson getting ready to leave.
At first he wanted to pull his hat off, but after a while he left it alone.

Serious face. Look at that belly!

He's got his game face on!

Getting the wagons ready

We had signs that "Friendly Rivalry" and "Game day with my friends." By the time the parade actually started, they had pulled all the signs off.Hudson and Reese. It was too funny- he kept digging through her hair then looking at his fingers like her was picking for lice!

We decided the guys could be the banner holders in front of our entourage. That idea was quickly squelched.

Jackson likes to ride in style. He doesn't like wagons, so he had his own set of wheels.

Raring to go- it's almost time for the parade to start!

Yay- Kennedy's here!

We could never get them to look at the same camera.

Here we go! Hudson tries to stand up in the moving wagon- not a good idea! As we started it began sprinkling. We made it about two blocks before the bottom fell out and we all bailed. We got under some awnings on the sidewalk and sent the men for our cars. We didn't get to finish the parade, but we did get breakfast at IHOP, so it was a win- win situation.

Monkey Toes

Yes, he's actually holding his bottle with his feet!

Adventurous day

Adventure #1: The dishwasher

Hudson loves to play in the dishwasher. He wants to crawl up in it, but I don't think it would hold his weight.

Brady is his partner in crime.

Adventure #2: the baby swing

Amberly brought by the baby swing that she had at her house. Hudson was pushing the buttons to make the lights come on, so I unfolded it. He proceeded to climb in, so i positioned him and he sat and watched TV for about 5 minutes. Look at that fat little fella! The swing wouldn't actually go, but he had his own momentum.
After a while he got squirmy and decided to check things out. He never paid attention to the lights when he used this swing, but now he thinks they're really neat.
He was really proud of himself for turning all the way around and exiting through the back. He has been a little MONSTER for the past 2 days, so I'm glad we had a little levity to lighten things up.

Little "Helper"

Last night, Hudson helped me with the laundry. I'm convinced he was just moving the clothes out of his way so he could crawl in the dryer!

First Cookie

Yesterday I gave Hudson his first cookie. I realize that I'm a bit overprotective when it comes to food, and I'm trying to gradually add new things. He has never had a problem with choking, so I feel we're right on track.

I got some Nilla Wafers and let him just gnaw to his heart's content.

Can you see the mess all around his mouth? That was nothing compared to his high chair. When I took him out, there was crushed up cookie under his bottom and stuck to his clothes.

I dug out half of a cookie that he was just squirrelling away for later. He didn't choke on it, but it made me very nervous. He just looks bored with the whole thing.

Giddy up Cowboy

Today was homecoming and our church's 100th anniversary. There were many people there that I hadn't seen in years and that had never seen Hudson. Our friends, The Stinnetts, were in town and we got to spend some nice time with them. It is so pleasant being around people who love your child. Yesterday, we took Hudson with us to Dahlonaga to a wedding and made and it an all day event. His behavior was ideal! We couldn't have asked for a better baby. Now that we can feed him table food, our lives are much easier. These pictures show him in Sunday School this morning. He loves his teachers! All the toys are different form the ones we have at home, so he spends the whole time exploring. He especially loves the rocking cow, and can almost get on it by himself.

9 month check-up

Friday, Hudson went to the pediatrician

for his 9- month well visit. He is now 29 inches long and 22 1/2 lbs. This puts him in the 75th percentile, so I guess he's evening out now that he's mobile. Hid head is still the smallest thing- at 45cm, he's in the 25-50th percentile. When the doctor came in and saw him, he asked "Is he really only 9 months old?" He looks a lot bigger than he is due to that barrel chest he's had since birth. We got a questionnaire to fill out and send in so that they can screen him for autism and any other developmental anomalies, but I think he's right on track for his age. The doctor said that he's doing everything a 9 month old should. He got a flu shot, but it didn't seem to phase him. We'll take him back in 1 month for the second half of the shot and for a H1N1 immunization. You can see from this picture that the shot didn't slow him down any. He was raiding the fridge while I was putting up groceries.

9/11

Today as we reflect on 9/11, I wanted to post a tribute to all the men and women who lost their lives and had their families ripped apart 8 years ago. Has it really been that long? I still struggle with the things that happened on that day and the way they shaped our nation. I want to watch the documentaries that are on TV, but it's still too fresh for me. I HATE that my son has to grow up in a world like this. He will never have the carefree childhood that I had. He will always live in a world where we have daily terror alerts. We will have to explain to him why people hate us as Americans and don't believe in our God, and, as a result, want to harm or kill us. How do you explain something that you don't understand yourself? My heart goes out to all the people affected by the events 8 years ago, and to all the military and missionary families still struggling through the aftermath. God Bless America!

Pajama Time

Bedtime? Say What?

You just think I'm going to bed!
OK, maybe I'm a little tired.

Nope, just teasing! I'm back up and ready for action!

Tractor Pictures

Yesterday we went to the annual Labor Day fish fry at Jimmy's Uncle Michael and Aunt Venita's house. I couldn't resist geting a few pictures of Hudson on their tractor. He really wasn't that into it, but I thought it was cute!

Look how small he is!

Driving- notice daddy's arm holding him- it was a long way down!

OK, I'm outa here!

Fun at the Rome Braves Game

Last Night we went to the Rome Braves Game with some friends. First we went to eat at Olive Garden where Hudson has several new eating experiences: peas, carrots, bread and cheerios. He and Kennedy also ate their weight in puffs. Taking a long time to eat at a restaurant is for people with no kids! Jackson is the age to really enjoy the game, so he brought balls and bats for all the kids. He made friends with everyone sitting around us. He is really learning to share lately!

Some of the "big kids" shouldn't be allowed to play with bats!

Kennedy clapping for the team. Between the 4 kids and 8 adults, we had stuff spread out all over! By the end of the night the toys were making me a nervous wreck! They were everywhere! I kept trying to pick them up, (I don't know why) but the babies would drag them right back out. We were so afraid one of them was going to throw or hit a ball over the little fence onto the field and get us kicked out of the game.

Our friends Megan and Brandon have two of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. They have the biggest blue eyes. Kennedy and Hudson are about 7 weeks apart, and we're hoping for an arranged marriage one day! She is soooo advanced! I hope Hudson will learn from watching her. They play very well together.

Jackson does NOT like to have his picture taken. That would require standing still!

Like father like son. Jackson walked up to his dad and looked up, then posed exactly like him.

Brooklyn's beautiful smile. Towards the end of the game, some more people we knew came over and she finally had someone to play with.

Hudson telling his life story to Brandon. Sitting on Homerun hill was a blast, but it is a HILL. The babies were rolling around like little weeble wobbles! We all took turns making sure they didn't topple all the way down. In all the chaos, Hudson managed to get hold of a Little Debbie walnut brownie and start eating it.... through the plastic. I guess we learned a lot of food that he's not allergic to last night! After the game there were fireworks, and I loved getting to enjoy Hudson watching them. He was in awe! He was asleep before we even got to the car.