Hudson and the Fish

We went to the aquarium on Hudson's first birthday, and I took some video:

Breakfast for dinner

I am really trying hard to cook on a daily basis. 1- it's healthier and 2- it's cheaper. I made up a batch of refrigerator dough a couple of days ago and decided I needed to start using it. I went through my fridge, freezer and my ghetto storage shelves for ideas and came up with this!

Yummmmm! The hardest thing for me was limiting myself to one piece. So I snuck back in the kitchen and had half a piece a little while later. Whoops! Guess that means I need to add a couple of miles to my walk tomorrow. I hope it was worth it.

This post baby weight thing has been tough for me, and it doesn't help that I am addicted to treats. I have been trying to walk every morning with a group of gals, which is awesome and I always feel great afterward. Then I ruin it all when I get home and have a nice chewy chocolate chip cookie or 2 (Apparently I think I deserve it or something). I figure I've blown it for the day so I'm not careful about what I eat after that. What is wrong with me? Why can't I live without sweets?

I've decided I need a plan. Haven't come up with one yet, but, I do have a goal. Lose 30 lbs by March! I am a terrible dieter. I have a hard time sticking to one. Weight Watchers is about the only thing that has ever worked for me. Guess it's time to get out the old books and get healthy.

Two Pictures and a Note from Dad

I haven't posted on the blog in a while. I don't have much to report, other than the fact that Hudson is the coolest kid on the planet, and I'm just crazy about him. I'm so glad I get to be his dad. Here are some pictures we took on Halloween day:

Hudson and I went to the park while Darlene was "gettin' crafty" with her mom and sister. We had a lot of fun.

We were dirty hippies for Halloween night. Grooooovy.

Wished I hadn't been driving...

Hudson and I were on our way home from the fabric store, before we took off I put his sunglasses on him. They stayed on for quite a while, which surprised me! But, before too long he had them off and was playing with them. Chewing on them, trying to put them back on. Well i peeked in my rear view mirror and he had them back on but they were upside down, under his nose and crooked (on top of one ear underneath the other). I didn't get a picture because I was driving. Bummer. I just had to create a mental picture for myself so I wouldn't forget.

Finally...

I'm going to be an Aunt, I'm so excited! And this adorable little boy is going to have a cousin! Dave and Julie are expecting a little one in April.

Oatmeal Time

Check out this awesome picture that Darlene took of Hudson. He loves oatmeal!

Quilt for Hudson: Done

After four long months, Hudson's quilt is finally complete. It's so cozy I want to make one for myself!

Hudson's 1st Birthday party!

I know, I'm a slacker. Hudson's Birthday was almost 2 weeks ago and I am just getting around to blogging about it. I just had to write about his party because a lot of work went into it (okay, more work went into the cakes than anything else). I've always wanted to be able to decorate cakes. Maybe someday I'll take a class. Who knows.

I talked to my awesome neighbor, Kate, Queen of Fondant and Buttercream Frosting, and asked for her help. She was kind enough to help me and teach me a ton of new things. We had a blast!

Marshmallow fondant is surprisingly easy. We made that the night before so it could sit in the fridge overnight. Not sure why we had to do that, but it turned out awesome. I even tried to make a batch the next day, on my own. Success!

The morning of the party I felt like all I did was bake. One of my cakes fell apart as I was taking it out of the pan, so I had to start over. Good thing cake mixes were on sale at Macey's that week. I did a small double layered 5" round for Hudson to eat by himself. I did a 9" X 13" and a double layer 9" round for the family.

Hudson went down for his afternoon nap and I headed to Kate's to decorate. Don't worry, my brothers were home to listen for Hudson. I didn't leave him all alone. The decorating took a lot longer than we thought (about 3 hours) and I was home just in time to clean up, feed Hudson some dinner and start hanging up the decorations.

The party was fun, but Hudson was a stinker about his cake. He didn't eat much of it. He just smeared the icing on top and he was done.

Lots of family came over and it was all very exciting. Hudson got lots of fun toys, books and clothes. Thanks everyone!

Happy Birthday Hudson!

Wow! Can't believe a year has past already. Where does the time go?

He is starting to say some words. He knows Daddy, Mom and Hi so far. He thinks he knows a lot more than just those, he chatters on like you can really understand him. He is hilarious.

He got his first official birthday card from Marla Kay today. He carried it around for quite awhile this afternoon. He loved it! Thanks Marla Kay, you are amazing!

Hudson got to ride in his big boy car seat for the first time today. (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Russell) He loved looking forward and being able to see where he was going instead of where he had been. We took him to The Living Planet Aquarium to celebrate. I think James had more fun than Hudson did. (So many picture opportunities.) Occasionally I took Hudson out of the stroller so he could get a better look. All he wanted to do though was try to touch the animals behind the glass. We had an excellent time. We took Hudson through the gift shop and I would hand him the different stuffed animals to examine, then quickly grab them back before he had the chance to put them in his mouth. He tried to put one of the sharks in the stroller next to him. So cute! I wanted to get it for him but it is such a rip off to buy those things.

Well, one year down, many many many more to go. I better get off the computer and finish up Hudson's present. He won't care if it is a couple of days late. Right?

Nothing much to say right now, just thought I'd post another picture of Hudson. Took this one while I was pushing him round in the stroller out by the dog park. Got a bunch of nasty thorns in the stroller's tires, made 'em go flat. Darlene was none too pleased.

He's walking!

Wow! My baby is all grown up and walking! Okay so he's not going extreme distances at this point but he is pretty good at crossing the room. It's hard to believe that he will be a year old in less than two weeks.
Some things I love about Hudson at this stage:
-He LOVES to laugh. Nobody can get him laughing harder than his Uncle Charles. I don't know how he does it but he gets him laughing so hard sometimes I worry that he isn't getting enough oxygen. It is hilarious.
-He's always talking. When he talks to you he likes to get right in your face and look you straight in the eye.
-He's a very good eater. He is a master at finger foods. He's working on his skills with the spoon. When he does manage to get his spoon from me he makes quite a mess.
-He loves the camera (and the camera loves him). If he sees the camera come out he usually gets a really big grin on his face.
-When he's tired enough he will still snuggle with me.

I don't know how I got so lucky. But he is mine and I am grateful for that!

My Big Helper

Weeding the flower gardens is a treat. Especially if you have a cute helper like mine. (see above) However it seems to take twice as long. Several times I had to get up and chase him across the lawn and stop him from going up the stairs to the front door. But all in all we had a good time. It was fun to watch him play in the dirt and try to eat rocks. He is a funny boy, he has no problem wandering around in the dirt on his knees but when it comes to being on the grass he does the elephant crawl so his knees aren't touching. My favorite part of the night was surveying the damage. He had big dirt boogies coming out of his nose and the rest of him seemed to be covered in dirt too. Good thing it was bath night!

Blast From the Past

Hudson Uncut.

Got a bigger vid in the works for all our summer exploits. For now, enjoy this brief snippet with a different approach: just two reels of uncut footage (sans audio) sandwiched between two title cards, and a nice soundtrack (natch).

Hudson Summer Reel

For your viewing pleasure.

First purse project: Complete

After many long hours of sewing and trying to figure out the directions, my first purse is finished. I'm so excited to fill it up with all the junk that I know I shouldn't be carrying around but do because I'm a "just in case" sorta girl. Hopefully it can double as a diaper bag so I don't have to carry that around too! (It's definitely big enough)

9 MONTHS OLD!

Wow! It is hard to believe that Hudson is 9 months old today! Where does the time go? Hudson is growing up so fast. He is crawling all over the place. He loves his new found freedom. He likes to pull himself up on anything that is stable enough to let him and sometimes on things that aren't very stable. He went swimming for the first time today and LOVED it. He wasn't very happy with me when I pulled him out of the pool. I love to listen to him laugh, it is so contagious. His smile lights up my life. I love him!

Lazy Sunday

It's Sunday evening and I'm feeling lazy. Here's a picture I took of my two favorite people in the universe.

Another Sleeping Picture

Another picture of Hudson asleep. This time he's sideways in his crib; apparently he inherited his father's sleeping habits. Darlene is thrilled.

Happy Birthday to James! (Yesterday)

The most handsome man I know had a birthday yesterday. We celebrated by taking Hudson to the Zoo. It was a blast. Although, I have got to make a list of things I need to take for Hudson for any future outdoor outings. I forgot his hat and sunscreen so he got the most expensive souvenirs. A $9.00 hat, and a teeny tiny bottle of sunscreen for $3.00. Sheesh! James and I both decided to get a tattoo of our favorite animals ($.50 each) now that is a bargain. We wandered the zoo and saw as many animals as we could before lunch time. James of course used his camera quite a bit while we were there and has made a little video. I will try to get him to post it. We celebrated that evening with a bbq at my parents house. It was a wonderful day to be outside. James got all kinds of fun things. Thanks to our awesome families, it was a wonderful day!

Hey Darlene, Look What I Found

So I was driving home and I decided to take a different route (the 'back way'). I saw a piano sitting out in front of a house, buried in junk. I knocked on the door of the house and asked them if I could take the piano. They were more than happy to oblige.

Of course it's no peach, but it's in a lot better shape than I thought it would be. Only one key really offends, but it is in dire need of a tuning. I cleaned it up and now it's sitting in our living room. Yay for free stuff!

My turn

Well as you can see James has been into making videos so I haven't bothered to write much. Plus I really haven't had the time. Hudson is everywhere! Now that he can crawl he likes to be down as much as possible and he likes to find things to play with that he is not supposed to find or play with. It is exhausting. It is definitely time to purchase a gate so he doesn't accidentally find the stairs. But despite all that, life is good. It has been exciting to watch him discover his new abilities. Today he discovered that he is not just confined to the room we are in. He found the hallway and then the bathroom and he discovered that when Uncle Charles left the room he could crawl after him. So exciting! The little stinker likes to see how far he can get before mom finds him and brings him back.

Looks like my time to write is up. Hudson is waking up from his nap. Time for more adventure!

Hudson Crawls Forward

Never before caught on film! See it now, the
EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE:

New Video

Just some video of Hudson that I made:

HP1 from James Russell on Vimeo.

(click on the HD button to see it in full resolution at vimeo.com)

Random Picture Edition

No news, nothing to say. Just another picture of my awesome son. How'd I get so lucky?

Happy Birthday to the awsomest foods teacher in America!

Today is Cindy's Birthday! I remember when people used to think that her and I were twins. Where does the time go? Now she is a brilliant foods teacher and getting to be a very good photographer (especially if you are playing some kind of sport, she takes incredible action shots).
I have always looked up to Cindy, (partly because she is my older sister, but mostly because she is awesome) she has always been a good example to me. I hope she has an incredible birthday! I am still trying to get her birthday package in the mail, I'm such a slacker! Someday she will forgive me. We love you Cindy!

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please!

Hudson has a tooth! You can't see it as much as you can feel it but it is definitely there. I'm so excited! My baby is growing up so fast. It's hard to believe he is seven months old! He isn't crawling forward yet, but he is good at crawling backwards. He can sit and play with toys (well mostly the little container I keep his toys in) for hours. To make his Grandpa Russell proud he does lots of push ups! He's quite the little charmer. He studies everything and everybody before he will give his approval. It's fun to get him laughing, and he always seems to have a story he wants to tell you. He is a blast to have around. I am so lucky!

Russell Family Spa Night

It was a long day. I went to work and Darlene did chores around the house (and weeded the garden for two hours, yuck). So after we put Hudson to sleep, the missus and I decided to give each other pedicures. It was a blast! A calm, relaxing blast.

Go Nick!

Friday night was an adventure for Hudson. We took him to a soccer game. Our "Stupid Relatives" (the Weavers) were up from Saint George because Nick had a couple of soccer games.When we got there the weather was great. Not too cold and just a little bit of a breeze. We parked on the wrong side of the school and had to walk quite a ways. I felt bad for James, he was carrying the car seat because Hudson was asleep and he is definitely not as light as he used to be. When we finally got close to where our friends were we saw that there was a parking lot directly behind them. Whoops! So we sent Mom and Cindy back with keys to move our cars for us. They are so nice! We got ourselves settled and started cheering for Nick and the wind picked up and it started getting colder. Hudson wasn't sure what was going on. We had blankets on him and around him and were even trying to keep the wind out of his face by putting one over him like a tent. It was quite entertaining to watch him try to get to the grass and everything around him despite the strange conditions. That worked for a little while but he started to get cranky so we took him home. But we did get to see about 20 minutes of the second half and found out later that they won the game! Woo Hoo! Go Nick! It was a fun experience and I can't wait to spend more time with him outside as it gets warmer!

Trying to keep him warm.


Here he is with his makeshift tent behind him.

Hudson eating carrots or something.

EDIT: Darlene says I have to write more than one sentence. So here you go. That makes four sentences. I'm on a roll here.

But seriously folks, Hudson is really fun to watch when he's eating. And he loves to eat. On a more scientific note, his poop is becoming more solid and more... present in the room (it's stinkier). He still makes loud gas noises in the middle of church when everyone is being quiet or praying. That's my boy!

Hudson's First Spring

Darlene took Hudson outside while she weeded the front flower bed. I didn't want to weed so I took pictures of Hudson instead! :)

Hudson, Why Are You Laughing?

Karl is making a loud noise at the table, and Hudson is laughing inexplicably, maniacally at it. Darlene says he skipped his last nap and is probably delirious from lack of sleep.

Apparently in babies delirious=HILARIOUS.

Hudson's First Haircut

Well I finally caved and cut his hair. James and I went to lunch on Valentine's Day and we took Hudson with us. Everyone at the restaurant commented on how beautiful "she" was even though he was in a very boyish outfit. That was the final straw. We've got to get him looking more like a boy (although I never thought he looked like a girl)! So while James ran an errand I set everything up and started cutting. It was a lot more difficult than I had expected and should have waited for James to be around to help me. But, well... you know me so I just kept going. It looks pretty good. It is no longer three inches all over which isn't good for his comb-up in the back to cover his bald spot but it makes him look more like a handsome little boy so I love it! Sorry to all who said I shouldn't cut it until he was 2. I couldn't handle it anymore! Sorry the before picture is so fuzzy he wouldn't hold still for me. He's such a little pill and I love him!

Bath Time!

Hudson is always super mellow in the bathtub...he may even enjoy it! He smells so good after a bath, it's one of my favorite things in the world.

Another Sleeping Picture

Apparently I'm obsessed with pictures of Hudson sleeping.

Hi Folks, I'm the Dad

Pleased to meet you, it's been awhile.

Darlene says it's my turn to write something. It's funny because this whole blog thing was probably my idea and yet I'm the least inclined to write in it, and I have no idea why.

I think it's because now that I have a son, I realize what an awesome and terrifying and wonderful thing that is, and I'm afraid that I couldn't ever write anything to do it justice.

Also, I'm absent-minded.

But Hudson is SUPER FUN nearly all the time. He giggles, he grunts; he stares into his world, nonplussed and occasionally glazed over (especially after a meal). He is easily distracted by shiny things. He really likes it when I make ridiculous noises that sound like I'm gargling a mouthful of tadpoles.

He likes to suck on his arm. I've been told that this is normal behavior. I need to be told this, because it seems weird to me. I thought babies were supposed to suck their thumbs (see above picture). Hudson rarely gets to his thumb. I'm not sure if he really knows it's there...he just goes straight for the whole arm.

I asked Darlene if it's early enough to tell if our son is, well, you know...dumb. Like maybe he just lacks the brainpower to discern between thumb and forearm. This is why I need to be told things. I make wild assumptions, and my imagination makes me ask awkward questions about four-month-old babies, such as: "can you tell if a baby is dumb?" What kind of parent asks questions like that?

This kind of parent. Sorry.

It's a wonder anyone puts up with me and my far-fetched theories. Of course Hudson isn't dumb. It is, however, probably quite true that his hypothalamus or his hippocampus or his whatchamathingy or some other high-tech brain part isn't developed enough to allow him tighter control of the 'ole limbs, hence the arm-sucking. He's probably aiming for the thumb and his brain quits in mid-flight and his hand veers off to the side, planting the whole thing square in his maw. He doesn't seem to mind.

He also likes fabric. When it comes to putting things in his mouth, Hudson likes skin, or fabric. We got him some toys that have soft rubber/plastic surfaces, but he doesn't care for them. Nah, he just goes straight for the closest fleshy thing he can find (even noses!), and failing that, he'll suck on a burp rag or a pull cord on his Dad's hoodie.

It occurred to me that that there's a material which is both like fabric and like skin, and could give Hudson the best of both worlds: leather. I suggested to Darlene that we wrap all of his toys in leather, but she didn't go for it. There might have been some cost issues involved with that plan. Instead she got him some toys that have fabric parts. I'm sure he'll love them.

His farts toots are often loud and wet, and he appears to save the best most epic blasts for the middle of church when the deacons are passing the Sacrament and everyone is trying to be reverent and thoughtful. You know, everyone has their heads bowed and we've just finished singing a beautiful hymn and RIIIIP there goes Hudson! At least they know we're feeding him regularly.

And now you, Dear Reader, know all the inconsequential minutiae that run through a father's head and end up on the page when his wife tells him its his turn to write on the blog.

See you in three months!

4 Happy Months!

WOW! Hudson is 4 months old today. He is getting so big! We went to the doctor yesterday and he was given a clean bill of health then he got his shots! Now he is miserable, poor kid. Can't say as I blame him. I don't care much for getting shots either.

On the bright side he met a new friend yesterday. We went to visit Emma and it was fun to watch them interact with one another. Hudson was very curious, Emma is almost 11 months old and is a lot closer to his size than anyone else he has met. When Emma would come close to the little exerciser he was in he would stop what he was doing and stare at her while she was trying to figure out what to do with someone so little. It was really cute!

My favorite thing is his adorable little giggle. His dad can get him laughing like crazy! I love it! I do love being a mom!