Snow Baby

I decided to bundle Hudson up and take him outside to play in the snow. First the snowpants, then his hat, we pushed and shoved his little feet into his boots, put his coat and mittens on and we were ready for action. He enjoyed the sled ride, but once I stopped he decided playing in the snow was more fun. It's so fun to watch him try to move around when he's so bundled. He must have stayed warm because he was in no hurry to come inside.

Latest Project

I decided to make some aprons for my nieces. They worked up pretty fast and since my sewing machine is working better, I even embroidered their names on them. I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

My Buddy

If anyone would have told me a year ago that Hudson would keep getting funner, I would have said, "yeah right" because he was already really fun. But looking back, I'd have to say that he has gotten funner . . . and bigger. He has decided that the whole talking thing can be okay, so now he's our little parrot. His facial expressions are absolutely hilarious. He can give us five, play catch and tag, run around excitedly when you chase him . . . help clear the table after dinner, dust, get his own diaper, help rinse the dishes . . . he's just a little helper.
I'm excited for Christmas with him. Hudson has been a constant reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Several times a day he points to our nativities or pictures of Christ and says "Jesus!" He loves to ooh and aah when I plug in the lights on the tree. He says "WOW!" when he sees pretty lights while we're driving. I think he will be so excited for a few of his gifts and spend the rest of the day playing with them. And maybe, he'll give me some more spontaneous kisses . . . out of the blue, for no reason other than I can tell he feels loves.

Count Down Continues

We're getting close to being ready for Christmas. Hudson still needs to get his dad a present and then our shopping should be complete. **Disclaimer: Brent's shopping has not been figured into the equation. ** The last of our Christmas cards should be reaching their destinations. Now only if Bentley's present would hurry up and appear on my front porch. Since making candy with the sisters on Friday, Brent shouldn't need any more sweets. We need to deliver gifts to our neighbors and return our library books and then we'll be ready. Ready to go to Burley, spend time with the family, watch Hudson enjoy the magic of Santa, and have a good ol' time. Perhaps I should have left a little more shopping or something to do. It might become a chore to pass the time without much to keep us busy. The anticipation nearly kills me every year.

I don't want to wait until I grow. . .

I'll teach and preach and work as missionaries do. I have this "future missionary" pin for Hudson. Since the missionaries were speaking in our ward, I decided to have him wear it. I tried getting him to stand so I could get a picture of it, no luck. So here is our future missionary-- studying the scriptures with farming in the back of his mind. Crazy thing is, the Ensign has been getting more attention lately than the FastLine.

Presents on the Brain

Up until today, we have never had a problem with Hudson getting into the wrapped gifts underneath the Christmas tree. For some reason it's a new day, something has triggered him, and he will not leave them alone. He likes to take them down, lift up a corner of wrapping paper to begin tearing, and look at me with a "you're not going to let me get away with this, right?" look. Should any of you recieve a gift that has some missing wrapping paper, you'll know it passed Hudson's quality control check and that I was out of the room for a minute.

Withdrawals

I don't know who is having a harder time- Hudson or me. Hudson doesn't have his in-home playmate anymore now that Bentley has returned to his home. Neither of them really understand the concept of sharing, so they both screamed as much as they played but now Hudson has nobody to play with--well, unless you count Mom. Lucky for me.

Simple Reminders

I decided to share my favorite part of our Christmas decorations--our nativity sets. The black one is made of clay. Brent and I bought it when we were in Chile. It's nothing short of a miracle that we were able to purchase it, since the sculptor only makes two a year and you must order them. For one reason or another it was available for us to purchase. The minute Brent and I saw it, we fell in love with it and knew it would be a wonderful souvenir. We got our Willow Tree nativity as a wedding gift. We are still working on getting all of the pieces. The nativity in the back is one that Brent's mom gave us. And the poinsettia is an early anniversary gift from Brent. A nice reminder that we've endured 4 years together.

Last night for Family Home Evening, we told the nativity story and let Hudson hold one of the baby Jesus. You could tell he could feel the importance, even if he's only 20 months. He could tell that it was special and he treated it carefully. Afterward he pointed out a picture of Christ we have in our home and thumbed through the Ensign pointing out all the pictures of Christ. He loves Jesus and can recognize him. Teaching Hudson about Christmas has helped me remember why it is such a special time of year. We hang lights to remind us of the Star that guided the Shephards to the Babe, we give gifts as the Wisemen of old did, we sing Christmas songs in the same spirit the Angels heralded Christ's birth. These symbols are simple reminders. They are not like the chaotic commercialism of Christmas, but instill peace as we remember that Christ was born and He lives again.

Once again my mind has been turned toward those in need. Not just in need of warm clothes and food, but in need of the gospel. Maybe my gift to some of those I associate with will be an invitation to come back.

Project

I had this brilliantly crazy idea awhile back to recreate our neighborhood as a playmat for Hudson. I took half of a canvas drop cloth, started a rough sketch and painted a road. That's how it sat for a few weeks until I took it to Burley this past weekend. Mom encouraged me and helped a bunch. It's not quite what I had dreamed up in my head, but Hudson enjoys it. I figure it can be a work in progress because I'm sure it's bound to get additional marker and crayon marks down the road.