First Smile?

I think Hudson may have given his first non-gas associated smile this morning. He was sleeping, then after grunting and other various baby noises that he makes while waking up, (my favorite is what we call the chewbacca) he woke up and saw me looking at him and smiled. It definitely seemed like a real smile, since it was in his eyes, too. Either way, it made my morning, I look forward to many smiles in the future.

Who Wore It Best?

One of my guilty pleasures is reading those extremely superficial magazines I find so hard to resist while checking out at the grocery store, such as US Weekly, In Touch, etc etc. Most if not all of them feature some variation on "who wore this super-overpriced dress on their super skinny with fake boobs body best." Well, after looking through all the pictures of Ella and Rory's earlier years, Jared came up with the idea to do our own version. So here it is, without the fake boobs, of course.

The Pooh Bear ensemble.

Floral in Lavendar.

Spanish Inspired Ensemble.
Favorite Western-style Shirt with Favorite Jeans.

Cutie Cousins

My cousin Brittney had her little boy, Austen, exactly 2 weeks after I had Hudson. After being pregnant together, it was so fun to have our little guys born so close. I am sure they will be the best of friends. Here they are together on Thanksgiving, Hudson at 4 weeks, Austen at 2.

Who does he look like?

Ella at around 4 weeks. She came a month early, weighing in at a tiny 5 lbs, 8 oz. (18 in). It didn't take long to plump her up, though! Rory at about 4 weeks. No hair, well, a little bit of ultra-blonde fuzz! That is why we were so surprised when Hudson was born with quite a bit of very dark hair.

Here's the little man a few weeks ago. He is my biggest at 8 lbs, 3 oz and 20.5 inches. It is amazing how fast he is growing. He is getting so chubby, we'll say solid.

Ella. She's chillin'

Little Rory Sparkles on Ella's first Birthday. 11 months apart, they are.

Rory loves Hudson, loves to touch him and hold him and kiss him and change his diapers and get him dressed and give him baths and try to put the pacifier in his mouth and bring him blankets and rattles and buckle him in his carseat (yikes). Needless to say all her attention towards Hudson needs to be monitored closely by an adult.

Ella snoozing away. My only baby that took to sleeping on her back.

Rory, not asleep. Rory doesn't like to sleep. Never has, still doesn't.

The whole crew. Who do you think looks like who? It's hard to say. They're all pretty darn cute, though.

Usery Pass

We recently went on a picnic at good 'ole Usery pass. The gals love going there, they call it going up in the mountains, but for us it's really just going to the foot of the mountain. We didn't really hike, just walked on a very family friendly path, played on the playground, and ate sandwhiches. (or tried to, because we were suddenly attacked by massive swarms of pesky fruit flies). It was a fun time, little Hudson slept through the whole thing.

First Bath

Splish splash, Hudson's first real bath was a family affair. The gals love to help any way they can with the little guy, especially when it involves water and a cuddly lion towel. Hudson sure did like it better than the sponge baths he's been getting. We've been so lucky, he's so mellow and good. Of course after the baby took his bath, Ella and Rory had to give their babies a bath, then proceed to use the empty baby tub as a ramp to drive their cars on.

Ella is wearing a size 6 months snow hat she used to wear in Kansas when she was a baby. How it still fits on her big noggin' is beyond me. Not to mention is was in the high eighties that day.

What a sweetie.

Baby Mine

I'm on a blogging rampage this week! My love of pictures, memories, and lists are what I'm blaming it on. I came across THIS list on babycenter. . . just had to post it. I guess I'm just in baby heaven right now.
When you have a baby :
1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
4. You respect your body ... finally.
5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
9. Your heart breaks much more easily.
10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
11. Every day is a surprise.
12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
14. You become a morning person.
15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

Music makes the people come together

http://whatgoesonhereinyourmind.blogspot.com/
My music-loving husband is always on top of all the newest and best music out there that you WON'T hear on the radio, he has a blog dedicated to these music finds, and I invite you all to take a peak. It's good stuff.

Sweet San Fran

I LOVE San Francisco, how I wish I were there right now. Especially with this oppressive heat that never seems to want to leave. Is it really this hot in November here? I honestly don't remember. All I know is the cool bay weather sure would feel nice, not to mention some greenery and moisture. Jared and I went to San Francisco on our honeymoon, it was so much fun. If we could afford to live there, we probably would. Some of my favorite memories of that trip to San Fran:
Staying at the Hyatt on Fisherman's Wharf and walking to breakfast every morning. I loved the little mom and pop restaurants they have. So much character. Yummy crepes, too.
Walking down the wharf and being scared by the bushman, even after being warned! He is this guy who hides behind a tree branch (it's pretty obvious) and jumps out and scares people for tips.
Running each morning all around the city, up those gigantic hills that never seem to end, wondering how people manage to drive stick shift here.
Renting bikes and riding around town. I regret not riding longer. Maybe next time.
Going to all the art museums, seeing art I'd only seen in all my art history classes. Not enough time in a day to see it all.
MUIR WOODS Beautiful, quick drive. Best seen with your sweetheart. :)
The boat ride and tour of Alcatraz, I've always been fascinated by prisons for some reason. Although I think that may have been where I lost my trusty 35 mm camera with my fancy zoom lens. A fortune for me at the time.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Since dark chocolate and I have such a close relationship, this was especially rewarding.
Eating at great restaurants all over town, spending time with Jared, definitely one of the best weeks in my life.

Little Man

For Grandma

I thought this was funny. . . the girls were playing with their little people and Ella began to tell me who each family member was. Below, according to Ella without any prompting from me, is Grandpa, Grandma, and their "lots of dogs." She was upset that there were not enough dogs to represent them all.



















Here's the whole gang, Grandma, Grandpa, Petey, Rex, Palela, Hudson, Mom, Ella, Rory, Daddy. Apparently Jared is a cowboy, and I am the same height as the girls.

Halloween 2007