Christmas in Michigan

When spending Christmas in Michigan it seemed reasonable to expect that we would have a white Christmas. While I was disappointed that that didn't happen, we at least got enough snow the day before for Hudson to experience his first sleigh ride! Grandpa Bernie makes quite an excellent reindeer.



The whole fam dressed up for church on Christmas day.


This year Hudson was actually more interested in the toys as opposed to last year where the wrapping paper was much more interesting.


Hudson has a blast with Uncle Marcus.


As at home, one of his favorite things is to listen and dance to music. Once he realized where the music comes from at Grandma and Grandpa's house he spent much of his time there.



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Happy Holloween!

Please don't mention this costume choice to Hudson until he thins out a bit.

Keeping the hat on was quite a challenge.
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Zoe still gets to have fun once in awhile

Zoe the dog's life has changed significantly since our child-free days in Colorado. Her life used to consist of two outdoor exercise sessions a day, often with a spectacular view of the beautiful Flatirons in Boulder (I like to think that dogs appreciate good scenery). Winter weekends were spent chasing other dogs around in several feet of snow at a ski resort parking lot while summer weekends were spent hiking and swimming in the mountains. She has adjusted well to her new role as big sister but Becky and I often feel badly about the fact that she gets much less attention and exercise than she used to.

This morning, Zoe and I had the chance to go for a hike at Catoctin Mountain Park about an hour from our house. I think we both appreciate days like today more than ever.




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Larrilland Farms - 2011

It's a fun realization that we are starting annual family traditions. This is our 2nd year taking Hudson to Larrilland Farms to enjoy fresh apple fritters and hot cider. One of these years we'll actually make it out into the orchard to pick the apples, but this time we just stayed near the barn. Hudson had a blast walking along the fences and watching the goats. It was a bit muddy, but he didn't seem to mind. We are thankful for the beautiful fall weather and tasty treats!

Swim Lessons

Hudson loves swim lessons. Of course with a 10-month old he's not really learning to swim, but just getting used to being in the water. It really is just a fun play time for all of us that results in very long naps afterwards!

The "instructors" have all been great with the kids. One of them told us about a class he participated in years ago where newborns were exposed to the pool very close to birth, and around 8-weeks old they were intentionally dropped into the pool, at which point every one of them would naturally right themselves and float to the top on their backs. Though we were fascinated by this story we have not attempted this experiment with Hudson...he does have some great natural flotation (i.e. chubbiness).

Here's a few pictures and videos of our kid being cute.

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9 Month Picture

Hudson currently loves to clap. He claps when we walk into the room. He claps during swimming lessons (pics to come). He claps during worship at church. He claps to help his little friend stop crying. And finally, he claps when Usher sings "Oh Happy Day" on the Oprah show. Apparently it is a skill that comes in handy in lots of circumstances!

Monthly Pictures

Here are Hudson's pictures from the past six months. Crazy how much he has grown!!

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

Zoe seems to be tolerating Hudson well - doesn't she look thrilled?