Papa and Grandma's house

I (Bryant) recently took Hudson to his Papa and Grandma's house for the first time ever, and we had an awesome weekend. I was a bit nervous as it was Hudson's first road trip since he was about 4 months old, but he did great. Incredibly it was also the first time I had ever been in my parent's swimming pool, even though they've had it for eight years (It's been a very long time since I've been there not for Thanksgiving or Christmas). On weekends like this I am very thankful that we decided to not move to California as it is really nice being within driving distance of both of our parents.

We went to Midway which is an amusement park near my parent's house. Both my

dad and I loved riding this exact same boat ride when we were Hudson's age.

Hudson's favorite thing in the world right now is buses...and it just so happens

that his Papa drives one! He is still talking about "Papa's yellyow bus."

 Ferry ride across Chautauqua Lake.

Hudson's new room

Saturday night was Hudson's first night in his big boy room and his new full size bed. I didn't expect such an event to seem like a big deal, but it did. It made me realize there is a great deal of wisdom in every generation saying to the next, "They grow up so fast!" and "The older you get, the faster time flies." These are important things to know because it reminds me that the first 2 years have indeed gone so quickly, which means the next 16 probably will too, and this reminds me that each day with him is a gift.

So far the transition has gone very well. He seemed a little confused at first, but ended up sleeping great. I actually think he is quite proud of himself and his new room, and hasn't even walked into his old room in the day-and-a-half since we made the transition. I'm sure it's only a matter of time now before he tries to slip past the bed rails...

Memorial Day in Michigan

We took a quick trip to Michigan for Memorial Day and my mom's birthday.  Here are a few of the highlights.

Hope College Friends:  We had the chance to catch up with Bryant's friends from Hope.  Luke and Lindsay Rumohr were great hosts, as usual.

Frederick Meijer Gardens:  Hudson and I spent time with my cousin Mandy, and her sweet girls Claire and Josie.  The kids had lots of fun playing in the water.  It was a beautiful day to spend at such a creative park.

Holland State Park - Often we visit Michigan in the winter, so it is a treat to be able to visit the beach.  We had ice cream (Chocolate Monster!) at the General Store and had a picnic at the beach.  Hudson enjoyed playing in the sand and splashing in the Lake.  The water was incredibly cold, but he didn't seem to notice.

Oma's Birthday - we celebrated Oma's birthday with a Strawberry Cream cake from Alpen Rose.

 

Singing into the trash can

Hudson recently discovered the fun of our trash can that automatically opens when you wave your hand in front of it. However, the first few times he successfully opened it happened to correspond to him walking up to it and making a noise into the sensor. He then proceeded to repeatedly back up, and walk back up and sing into the trash can, and to his excitement it opened every time! Unfortunately he has learned he can also open it by waving his hand in front of it, but it was fun while it lasted.

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Day out with Thomas

Hudson's current obsession is Thomas the Tank Engine, so naturally when Thomas came to Baltimore we decided to go. It was at the B&O Railroad Museum near downtown Baltimore which turned out to be awesome. Uncle Marcus was in town and we had a great time.

Thomas in real life.

I don't think you're supposed to do that Hudson.

Uncle Marcus (or "Marc" as Hudson currently calls him) gives Hudson a tour of the museum.

This is a cool place.

Hudson is staring down Sir Topham Hatt, who he is fascinated by and slightly scared of. I think it is very wise to be a bit cautious around mascots.

Funny toddler stories: Part 1 and 2

Hudson is now 20 months, which means he is hilarious. Like every parent in the history of mankind, I am astonished at how quickly he is growing up. I don't want to forget the priceless things he does so figured that is a great reason to start blogging again. I figure if I write my story on a Google machine it will exist until the end of the world. So here is Part 1 and Part 2 of hopefully many stories...

Part 1

The other day Becky, Hudson and I we were at the new playground near our house. There were a lot of kids there, but one in particular caught Hudson's attention. This was because this little boy was wearing a shirt with Elmo on it. This boy was a good amount older than Hudson (though about the same size), so was moving much quicker than him. Hudson's full attention was on following Elmo wherever he went, and whenever he managed to catch up to him he would poke him in the chest and say, "Elmo!"

So this is a funny enough story as is, but it got even better the next day. I did not mention that the little boy was Hispanic. One great thing about the community we live in is the diversity. Basically every possible color of child is represented most every time we go to the local playground. Regardless of the fact that Hudson has seen many Hispanic kids in the course of his short life, he was convinced that the Hispanic boy he saw at Costco the next day had to be the same one he saw on the playground...so while waiting in line with Becky he kept pointing to a child he had never seen before while yelling, "Elmo!"

Part 2

So Becky is pregnant, and Hudson is a bit on the larger size right now. When we first began to explain to him that there is a baby in Becky's belly his immediate reaction was to pull his shirt up, smack himself in the belly, and yell, "baby!"

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Space Shuttle

I was able to see the final flight of the Discovery space shuttle outside of my office as it did a fly-by of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center today. The shuttle program was a huge inspiration for me as a kid and no doubt played a significant role in directing me towards the career I ended up in. And of course I got to be a part of a simulated shuttle mission while I was at Space Camp!

Here is a good picture taken by someone at NASA that shows the view I had this morning.


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