William Jay Loomis - 07.28.2012

It is of course impossible to put words to such an experience as the birth of a new child. Our hearts our so filled with joy and gratitude to God for the gift of such a beautiful and healthy baby boy. Pictures I think do a much better job of capturing the indescribable beauty of this new life, so here are a few of the first ones.

For any who might be reading this and don't know, the first name, as with Hudson, is simply a name that we really like (we will be doing our best to stick with the full name). We think the old English names of Hudson and William sound quite studly together, and go nicely with the old English last name we all share. Hudson Philip's middle name honors the names of two great men - my grandfather and dad (first names), and William Jay's middle name honors another great man - Becky's dad (middle name). We are aware that the blessing that Hudson and William have in being raised in a loving, Christ-centered home is in large part due to the faith of the previous generations. We believe that passing these names along is a great way to honor those who have loved and sacrificed so much for us...and who happen to love their grandson's quite a bit as well.

We have gotten so many wonderful and heart-felt messages from our friends and family in response to the announcement of our new arrival. One of them in particular I found to be both hilarious, and poetic and figured it was worth sharing here. This came from a friend of mine who also is a dad to two boys who are a couple of years older than ours. He wrote:

"Congrats, having two boys is a total blast, a total bulldozing blitz on the house, yard, car, furniture, pets, etc...but a total blast none the less"

Sounds awesome!

Monkeys

Way back before Becky and I started dating, she spent a summer as a counselor for middle school girls at Spring Hill camp in Michigan. Upon returning to college in the fall she was very excited to share her enthusiasm for her time at camp with all of us. One of the highlights apparently had been singing the Monkey Song with the campers. This song is very silly like most camp songs, but I became a bit frightened when she got to the chorus...."I want to be a monkey, a MONKEY MONKEY MONKEY!" (caps means you sing in the deepest scariest voice you possibly can). Despite how scarring this interaction was for me, we started dating, got married, and have a son who likes silly songs. So naturally we have been singing him the Monkey Song, with the scary voice and everything. It apparently has made quite the impression. This video was taken a few weeks ago during our usual bedtime routine...

Happy.....Birthday

I love the fact that Becky's birthday (yesterday) was the first family birthday where we got Hudson to wish someone a "happy birthday!" He was quite proud of himself as you'll see in the video...this is very difficult to compete with.

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.

_