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?