You Know What They Say...

Like Father,

Like Son

Reese's Room!

I'm pretty sure that Brian thought I was out of my mind on Sunday when I left the house with Reese to pick out paint for her room. Mainly because the Packers/Bears game was on, but also because he had no idea how I was going to find time to paint!

We (meaning Reese and I) picked out a pink shade and a green shade to try out. Her old room was green, but she requested we try for pink (well and purple but that wasn't happening). The pink was a no go....

I love, love, loved the green in her old room, but this shade is a little darker (I had it color matched to her sheet)...
and I love it!

It's amazing what a coat (two) of paint, some new curtains and an area rug can do to a room.

Her room is mostly green (obviously) and pink with purple and yellow accents.

Her cubbies are relatively new, but a decent way to keep some toys in her room (and out of the playroom - ha).

Most importantly, Reese loves her new room! She walked in it and said "Mom! My new room! I love it Mom!" SHE CRACKS ME UP! I also feel like I'm starting to get the house together. Since we moved in I have literally done nothing to make this place feel more like home. No pictures on walls or anything! But now I feel pretty motivated to keep on trucking - at a slower pace because this redecorating thing isn't cheap!

How To Make a Little Boy's Day

Wyatt has been amazingly good lately. He has some minor tantrums occasionally and can be a little rude sometimes, but overall, he is incredibly helpful and listens to us the majority of the time. I think that he has really enjoyed being the "big brother" since Hudson was born and likes to show us how good he can be.

This morning in the midst of getting us all out the door to get him to school on time, he came and asked me if I could please pack his lunch so he could take it to school. I told him that he couldn't take his lunch to school since he comes home before lunch, but promised that if he came home with a stamp today I would serve him his lunch in his lunch box.

Sure enough he came to the car with a stamp, but with a sad face. He'd also gotten a sticker for "dancing" and it had fallen off on his way to the car. I told him I would give him a sticker when we got home and that he'd also earned his lunch in his lunch box. His face lit up immediately.

Super excited to eat his lunch from his lunch box!
Opening it...

He wanted the plate packed in the bag. I figured I would oblige so as not to be cleaning crumbs out of the bag.

His stamp and the sticker he got at home. He was very happy when I told him that the stamp said "cool," because that it what he thinks he is. If someone tells him he's cute he corrects them and says that "Boys are cool, girls are cute."

I also figured I would share a few sweet little things he's told me over the last few days:

"Mommy, I'm always happy when you're around me."

"Mommy, I think you're pretty. Can I stay up for a few more minutes please?"

After being reminded not to run in the house: "Okay Mommy. Watch, I'll go back over here and try again."

"Mommy, I was watching TV, but I came in here because Hudson was crying. I don't like to listen to my little buddy crying."

A Little Video of Hudson

I try to take as much video of Hudson as I can - and sometimes I get it, and some (most) times I don't. I filmed this about a week ago while the big kids were eating lunch - if you listen carefully you can hear Reese telling me to "Be quiet." Other than that, this is Hudson, just about ready for his nap!

The Many Faces of Reese

Reese is one of the funniest people I know. Wyatt is funny too, but a lot of Wyatt's personality and jokes are direct results of him being like his Daddy. Reese's brand of funny is entirely her own, and actually it's pretty amazing coming from a two year old!

One of the funniest things about her is the faces that she makes. She has about a million little looks that she gives us when she's excited, happy, proud, bossy or just plain silly. Her sad faces are also incredibly dramatic and over the top. Here are a few...

The only time this week she would actually look at me and smile. I am still amazed by how blue her eyes are. It's crazy that Brian and I both have dark eyes and she's got those bright blues.
This is her mischievous look. We get this look a lot.

Please Mommy. Don't take my picture.

Sad that I am taking her picture. Which I wouldn't do if she wasn't being silly and wearing her hat in the house. (Although with the bitter cold I can't really blame her.)

And here is Wyatt. You're probably wondering what in the world he is doing. He's deejaying. Yes. Deejaying. One of his new favorite shows (shoot me in the head) is The Fresh Beat Band. It drives me crazy. I don't really dislike any of the shows they watch - except that one. And musically, I would rather listen to the Imagination Movers any day of the week, which is one of the reasons were taking the big kids to see them in May. Plus they actually play instruments. But Wyatt seems to enjoy deejaying, and I guess I won't stop him from doing it at three!

Ramblings!

Hudson has been awake a lot more lately. In the mornings anyway. He typically sleeps the afternoons away, but he's bright eyed in the mornings. It probably has something to do with the fact that he can't ever get comfortable in the mornings to sleep - especially since two days a week we're driving Wyatt to school and then running errands. It's just so much easier with just two (I imagine one would be heavenly)!

Isn't this bib adorable (and true)? My brother got it for him for Christmas!

Speaking of school, here are some of Wyatt's latest worksheets from school. This month he is learning about nursery rhymes. Yesterday he wanted to know why Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, why he was an egg and why horses were trying to put him back together.

That pesky "a" in the middle of his name is killing me. He knows how to spell his name, but this a gets him every time! I am pleased with his ability to stay in the lines when coloring though. I don't know why, but it makes me happy :).

I also got Reese all signed up for school yesterday. She actually turned the forms in herself. I really debated putting her in school 3 days next year, since I'll already be driving there to drop Wyatt off (and instead will be dropping off a different kid every day). I think the three days would get her even farther ahead. But it's a hundred dollars more a month! Instead of shelling out (almost) $500 a month we'd be looking at closer to $600! If I were still working I would do that in a heartbeat, but I'm home and that also means I'm not exactly bringing any money in! As much as I like the idea of Hudson getting three days of undivided attention next year, I know that he'll be getting that the following year. Plus next year is Wyatt's last year of not having to go to school every day and I like that I'll have one big kid a day. It will make it easier to take them to do things. Even if that means that I'm going to the zoo two days in a row! I don't think Hudson will mind that much :).

The only reason I would switch her now would be if we found out that she was in some kind of class like Wyatt's - where there is one girl and 12 boys! I wouldn't want her in that class. She gets enough of boys at home!

Hudson's Two Month Well Baby Check Up!

Hi my name is Hudson, and this is my super serious look.

Today was Hudson's two month check up with Dr. Jones. I left the two big kids at my mom's house and then picked Brian up and we went off to the doctor. We actually got to the doctor's office about 10 minutes before our appointment, and then we waited. And waited. And waited. It was Dr. Jones turn to do rounds at the hospital this morning and apparently there were about a bazillion babies born yesterday. So we got to wait for that! Fortunately Hudson was a perfect baby in the waiting room!

Hudson's stats at today's appointment were:

Weight: 12 pounds, 8 ounces (59th percentile)

Height: 22.5 inches (17th percentile - yikes!)

Head circumference: 15.75 (35th percentile)

Here are his two week stats

And here are Wyatt and Reese's two months stats

It's funny that Hudson is the same height and has the same head size as Reese at two months!

We talked to Dr. Jones about Hudson's cradle cap - which is ridiculous. Poor guy has a terribly dry, flaky scalp underneath that head of hair. Looks like he'll be getting some dandruff shampoo a couple times a week until it's gone! Hudson also had to get three shots today, and he was quite the trooper! I also have to give him Vitamin D supplements, which I've never done with the other two, but I guess these things change all the time. By the time his exam started he was screaming because he was so tired, and I finally got him quiet and asleep and then he had to get the shots! Poor little guy. He has basically slept constantly since we got home this afternoon!

He's been a little cranky (gassy) the last few days and I had a few things I desperately needed to get done around the house - so this was our solution.

Wisdom from Wyatt

This picture sums up my hatred of our camera - something really funky is going on with the flash and it's taking bad pictures. I think a new one is on the horizon.

This little boy cracks me up. Today I picked him up from school and he was suspiciously missing his hand stamp. He used to get stickers on his calender for a good day, but the teacher realized that the kids responded really well to getting stamps - so that's what he's been getting recently. Well today the stamp wasn't there.

I asked him once he was all buckled in why he didn't get a stamp today. Here are the answers that I received:

• I didn't clean up nicely
• I used the scissors correctly! Mom, I cut out tiny little mittens, just right for my hands!
• Um, Mom, I think Ms Cindy didn't give me a stamp because we have some at home. She thought it would be nice for the children to get stamps at home.
• Mom, I shared today, but Xavier didn't. So I didn't get a stamp.

I only asked one time where his stamp was. And this is what he came back at me with. And then I had to point out that there is no one named Xavier in his class. Xavier is a character on Caillou. I think he thought that I didn't know who Xavier was, because after I pointed that out he just started laughing and said he didn't clean up and that was why he didn't get a hand stamp. I don't think that he is so much lying to avoid trouble (because he did tell the truth, and he knows he's not supposed to lie), I think his imagination is just so active that he tries to think of all the things he could possibly do that would result in no stamp. He is such a silly kid (who has been doing really well in school over the last two week - minus the hand stamp thing today)!

Told You I'm a Dork....

This was one of my Christmas presents from Brian. An amazing Gryffindor scarf. I saw these things all over the place last month when we were at Disney World, and I wanted one so bad! Unfortunately we weren't able to make it to Universal to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter because our schedule was jam packed, but also because it was a logistical nightmare to take the kids there.

We've heard through a few people that have visited that it's crazy packed and that it can take 2 to 3 hours just to get a pass to get in! No thanks. I'm really excited to start reading the books to Wyatt and Reese and Hudson when they're old enough, and maybe next time we go to Florida we might be able to take them. And by then the Harry Potter attractions will have been around for awhile and maybe not as popular!

Anyway, Brian knew how much I wanted a Gryffindor scarf, so he ordered this online for me. I was soooo excited when I opened it, it was like I was 11 years old and got a letter inviting me to Hogwarts (lame joke). Ha!

You're probably thinking that our kids don't stand a chance of being normal with one parent who's a Star Wars fanatic and another who's obsessed with Harry Potter. But don't worry, we hide our dorkiness pretty well most of the time, and our kids probably will too!

Our Laid Back Weekend

We had yet another weekend where we just kind of hung around the house. It is way too cold outside to take one kid out, let alone three! On Friday night Brian and I got to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I thought was pretty amazing. I am seriously a huge Harry Potter geek. I didn't jump on the band wagon until just before The Order of the Phoenix came out, but I read the last three books in the twelve hours after their release. And yes, that does include staying up all night to read them. I am now incredibly excited to see the last half, and I'm also contemplating re-reading the books. For the eight millionth time.

Saturday we Targeted and spent the afternoon at the house. I tried to watch Eclipse during naptime, but it didn't work out too well. I think I'll try it again this week while Brian's at work. It's hard to watch something like that when you know your husband is internally joking everything that happens on the screen.

Hudson practiced his rolling skills. He can go from back to side, but he hasn't made the turn to his tummy yet. In all honesty though, there's only about 20 minutes in between naps where he doesn't want to be swaddled and even gets to practice this.
Reese enjoys "helping" keep his pacifier in his mouth!

We went over my parents' house for dinner and to watch the football game. My dad got the kids a tent to play in which was a big hit. Reese kept running in to tell us that we weren't allowed in the tent!

Yesterday we stayed home all day. Here's some pictures of Hudson - Reese and Wyatt are going through a phase where they aren't into having their pictures taken (it's probably recovery from the Disney trip - ha!), and Hudson is much more compliant. And the pictures we did take of Wyatt and Reese this weekend were of them making a ridiculous mess while taking a bath - and two things I don't share in blog land are my last name and my kids in the bath!! Ha!

This picture cracks me up because it is so typical. Hudson goes in his crib and at some point whimpers a bit and falls back to sleep. Whenever he whimpers big sister Reesie runs and gets one of his musical toys - his glo worm or his seahorse or his little Scout. Sometimes she grabs all three!

And finally, yesterday I spent the day cleaning the kitchen while Brian put this up in the hallway that leads from the kitchen to the garage. My laundry room and huge storage closet are also on this hallway, and it seemed like the perfect place for it. I'm really excited that it gives me a place to see two months at a glance, a place to keep mail and other documents that we need to have out and a place to tac up pictures and things. My brother pointed out yesterday that baby Brick's due date wasn't on here - I asked him for the exact date (I couldn't decide between the 23rd or the 25th), but he didn't get back to me, so the last week of February is now just marked - Brick is coming!

Hudson's Birth Announcement

I finally got around to sending Hudson's birth announcement's this week. I love how it turned out! I used Shutterfly to make it, and I seriously spent about two hours trying to decide which design I wanted to use. Since we live right by a train and Wyatt and Brian both love trains, I decided this announcement would be perfect. I love it!

A Day in My Life

This is an old post (like, I've added another child since then!), but I figured it was a good one to link up with Kelly today because this is still my life.  Every. Single. Day. :)

I know my hard working husband sometimes wonders what goes on during my day at home. I'm sure he thinks it's all roses and sunshine and that I get to bask in the lovely hour and a half of nap time that I'm afforded every day*. I know other people who think that staying home with the kids is easy work**. Yeah, instead I've chosen to document my complete day. Soak this up haters***.

*My husband actually loves that I stay home with the kids, and only on the very rare occasion does he actually ask what I do with my time during the day. Like when he needs clean socks and can't find any. Because they're below the piles and piles of other clothes on our closet floor.
**Actually I know none of these people. But those people are out there. Somewhere.
***I really don't actually think I have "haters." I just like the way it sounds.

1:00 am - Hudson's crying in his bassinet. Wake up! Wow, he's doing a really great job sleeping in there. Time to eat. Ew, he stinks. I need a diaper. Darn it Brittney, you were supposed to grab more diapers on the way to bed! Hudson cries while I get more diapers. And water. I need some water. Change the baby. Swaddle him back up. Start to feed him. Sweet. I fell asleep after catching the last 15 minutes of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and now the beginning is on. Let's see how far I can make it into the episode before I can lay him back down.

1:45 am - I think I watched about 30 minutes. Hudson and I both fell asleep while he was eating. I lay him back down, turn off the TV and go to sleep.

4:00 am - Sounds like Hudson's hungry again. Diaper change, feeding. Hey! He's not really hungry! He's done by 4:15. I'm terrified that if I put him in his bassinet he'll wake up. And then he'll realize that he's basically been asleep for 10 hours (minus the feedings) and want to wake up. Spend 15 minutes debating whether I should put him in his swing or bassinet. I slip him in his swing. I need the extra two hours this is going to buy me.

6:45 am - Hudson's awake for the day. I can hear Brian on the other side of the house reading books to Reese and Wyatt. He's probably been up for half an hour. Hudson and I sit in bed and eat until Brian comes in the room to get ready for work.

7:00 am - I make another waffle for Reese, which she probably won't eat. Get her dressed. I'm not ready to fight Wyatt to get out of his jammies yet.

8:00 am - Hudson goes down for his first nap and I turn off the TV. Coffee. Reese and I start working on her pre school workbook. After she's done Wyatt and I work on his tracing.

8:40 am - The kids and I go to the playroom to work on letters. Wyatt does a really good job tracing A's, but he's driving me crazy with his distractions. He knows for a fact that "Darth Vader" doesn't start with an A. They both name all the letters in their name and then start playing with the chalk board.

9:00 am - Wyatt plays in the play room while Reese reads a book on the potty. I take advantage of the quiet time to fold a load of laundry and attempt to start another.

9:15 am - Someone screams while I fold laundry. I break it up. Then Reese asks me to sit with her and read to her.

10:00 am - Still waiting for Reese to go to the bathroom when Hudson cries. While getting Hudson out of his swing I see Wyatt run into the bathroom and take out the seat insert and his stool. He doesn't sit to pee, so I hold off on feeding Hudson until Wyatt is done so I can clean him up.

10:00:35 am - Approximately 10 seconds after Wyatt shuts the bathroom door I hear, "Uh Mom?! We have a problem in the bathroom." I take another 10 seconds to figure out how I can find another Mom to take care of whatever this problem is. Then I put the baby in his Bumbo. He continues to cry.

10:01 am - I walk in the bathroom and find that Wyatt has peed over basically every surface imaginable. He didn't remember to push his you know what down and instead it basically fired off urine like a fire hose. He is covered, the floor is covered and the white stand with picture frames is also covered. I regret giving him that cup of Orange Juice. I grab a towel and clean the floor. Then I wipe off Wyatt's body while he continues his actual reason for coming into the bathroom. Then I assess the white stand. It can be wiped off, but not the picture frames. The urine has soaked through to the pictures. Trash those, take the frames to the kitchen for cleaning. Start the tub.

10:05 am - I change the baby while Wyatt finishes up. He runs across the house to his bathroom while I put the new diaper on.

10:07 am - "Mom there's poop in this tub!" Of course there is. You ran and jumped in before you got wiped. I pick up the Bumbo and then the baby. We go to the bathroom to clean up and restart the water. Might as well bathe Wyatt while I'm up.

10:08 am - Reese has been miraculously seated on the potty through this entire ordeal. She runs in to tell me that she actually peed.

10:15 am - I finish cleaning Wyatt and pick up the baby. I turn on the TV. I find a centralized location (the floor in the family room) where I can watch Wyatt play in the tub, and make sure Reese doesn't get into anything while I feed the baby. I get Hudson situated (poor guy has been crying now for 15 minutes) and then realize Reese has no pants on.

10:17 am - Finally start feeding Hudson.

10:40 am - Wyatt seems to be "shribled" and ready to exit the tub. Hudson's all done eating so I put him in his bouncer. Dry Wyatt off and dress him. Go back to the living room and play with Hudson while the big kids watch Diego.

10:50 am - Hudson is cooing and being really cute. I turn on the Flip so that I can get some footage of his cuteness. He starts to coo and Reese punches Wyatt. He screams and pulls her hair. Both kids wail. So much for cute footage of Hudson.

10:55 am - I'm running late on snack time. I stick half the number of Goldfish I normally would in a bowl and hope they don't notice. I want them to eat their lunch. Wyatt goes to the fridge to get more Orange Juice and notices the pizza box. He announces that he is having pizza for lunch. Reese announces that if Wyatt is having pizza for lunch, then she is having pizza for lunch. That was supposed to be MY lunch!!

11:01 am - Hudson starts to cry. Well he has been awake for an hour. Time to get swaddled and go back to sleep

11:15 am - With Hudson asleep and the kids snacking I'm finally able to actually get that load of laundry put away and the other one in the washer.

11:43 am - "Mommy I want my lunch NOW!" Our discussion about how we don't actually ask for things that way turns the above phrase into "Mommy, can I please have my pizza now?"

11:56 am - I make Reese try to pee before she eats, but she insists she doesn't have to. If she doesn't try she'll have peanut butter and jelly instead.

11:58 am - Reese pees.

12:00 pm - I put the pizza on the table and Wyatt runs off. To pee. Again.

12:45 pm - While I'm folding laundry, Reese throws her bowl on the floor. With pineapple juice in it. Wyatt calls me down the hall and then lets his sister know that she's in big trouble because that was naughty.

12:50 pm - Reese goes down for her nap. I know that it's useless because she's still not sleeping. But I can try to get her to take a nap and at least keep her contained for a bit right?

1:00 pm - Wyatt goes down for his nap. He might actually sleep.

1:16 pm - Reese is being loud so I go in to quiet her down. She also looks like she might be contemplating climbing out of the crib. I turn the short side against the wall and tell her to really try to take a nap.

1:17 pm - Wyatt comes out of his room to find out what I'm doing in Reese's room, and also wants to let me know that Emperor Zurg starts with an "E."

1:19 pm - Wyatt comes back out of his room to let me know that Wolf starts with a "W" just like his name, and robot starts with and "R" just like Reese.

1:21 pm - As I start researching options for black out curtains for Reese's room, Wyatt comes out again to let me now that "P-p-pillow starts with P!"

1:27 pm -Reese calls me to let me know she needs to pee.

1:30 pm - Wyatt walks out of his room, sees Reese's open door and asks, "Since when is she allowed to wake up?" Then he lets me know that "W-w-water starts with W" and goes back to bed.

1:33pm - Reese goes back to bed (without peeing). I start to fold laundry.

1:35 pm - Hudson wakes up and Wyatt walks out of his room and asks if I have an attitude.

1:45 pm - Hudson woke up because the neighbors are having their yard landscaped (jack hammered). I turn on his music and give him his pacifier and he seems to fall back to sleep.

1:47 pm - If Wyatt is still awake I might as well start a load of laundry (I don't start it while he sleeps because they washer is on the other side of the wall from his bed). He runs out to tell me he heard it and I woke him up. And that he put his blanket away because he doesn't need to sleep with it. Yeah right. I put him back down again.

2:00 pm - Reesie screams "I'm pooping!" just as the jack hammer next door goes off and Hudson starts crying. I go get her because I think the pooping might be why she's not napping lately and get her situated on the potty before I go turn Hudson's music back on and give him his pacifier. Wyatt takes this opportunity to run out of his room and tell me he needs to poop too. I tell him he doesn't use poop as an excuse to get out of bed (he's already pooped today, obviously) and he needs to go back to his room. He then runs out and says, "Hey Mommy, did you know that J-j-jeep starts with J?" After I tell him that I did know that and that I still want him in bed he says, "You didn't know that, did you Mom?" And runs to his room.

2:18 pm - Not sure if Hudson started crying because I flushed the toilet or because the jack hammer is going off again. Music, pacifier, done.

2:24 pm- Wyatt walks out of his room and says "Good Morning Mommy." Yeah right kid, go back to sleep.

3:21 pm - I can Reese talking in her room. She hasn't gone to sleep, but she's at least being quiet. Wyatt fell asleep about 45 minutes ago and Hudson is still asleep. I've managed to clean up the family room and fold a load of laundry. Oh, and I took out the trash and checked the mail.

3:33 pm - Reese starts screaming in her room. She managed to get her foot stuck between the bars in her crib. Once I take it out she smiles and says "I'm ready to get up." Hudson is crying. I get Reese a snack and juice to contain her while I feed her brother.

3:41 pm - I've fed and changed Hudson when I realize that if Wyatt wakes up in the next 15 minutes he will want a snack. That would be inconvenient for me. I either put Hudson down to get Wyatt a snack or listen to Wyatt ask 8 million times for a snack. I make a snack and juice and put it on the table for him.

4:00 pm - Hudson is finished eating. Wyatt wakes up. I turn on Team Umizoomi for the kids. I hit publish because I know this is already way too long :). Oh yeah, and there's a chance I might actually get something done with the TV on.

Rockabye Baby

Hudson has been sleeping in his swing pretty much constantly since we were in Disney World. I know it's crazy, but with an almost 4 year old who thinks waking up before 6 is a great way to start the day, his cold and our desire to have some time to ourselves after the kids go to sleep - that's just the way it's worked out.

Tonight I decided to start him on his bedtime routine. He stayed awake from 4:30 to 6 and was already showing that he was pretty tired, so I bathed him, swaddled him, fed him and laid him down in his bassinet. He was out.

More iPhone pics

He woke up a couple times crying, but once I gave him his pacifier he went back to sleep. The true test is going to be what happens when he wakes up in the middle of the night. That's probably the most difficult time for me because I really want to sleep, and he's not always happy to be going in the bassinet, so we'll see. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that this works!

Random Odds & Ends

Reese and I were doing some talking this morning about her starting pre school next year (I flipped this), and this snapshot of her was too cute!

I thought that there was a chance Wyatt wouldn't have school today when I went to bed last night. The weathermen were calling for more (ugh!) snow, but fortunately we got no snow and a 2 hour delay - which basically meant that school started on time! He had a great day and started and mastered a new letter - awesome! Brian and I have been trying to work with him more so that he gets through his letters faster.

We still haven't decided how many days Reese is going next year. It would for sure be easier to do drop offs and pick ups three days a week than every day, but I really like the idea of having one big kid plus Hudson every day. I want to decide soon because I'd like to get her enrolled before open admission starts February 1st!

Reese is doing a great job potty training. When we're at home I usually let her walk around in real underwear, and reserve pull ups for excursions. She's had a few accidents, but she's also had some great days with no accidents at all! She has been fighting naps every day for the last week - she hasn't taken a nap since last Sunday. She still goes to her room and stays quiet for a little bit, but she's going to bed every night at 6! I am not ready for these naps to be over!

Hudson is getting a lot better, he still has a bit of a cough and a little congestion, but it's nothing like it was a week ago. He still sleeps a lot, but he also is definitely more awake and "talkative" during his awake times.

I've already managed to read a whole book this week! I'm resolved to read more often this year, and I really think that it will be good for me. I used to read all the time. When I was in elementary school I would take a book and stick it in my textbook and read it while the teacher taught. I used to breeze through books in a day at the beach. I don't have that kind of time anymore, but I want to get more reading time in. Especially in front of the kids. I think it's great for them to see that I enjoy reading books (they already love them, but I want to keep the message strong). I started this year with the book Water for Elephants, and I'm going to be moving on to a biography that Brian got me a few years ago about Dick Winters (from Band of Brothers). There are tons of books out that I want to read, but there are also a few that we've "collected" that I want to read first. I'm trying to think of a fun way to track what I read and share my thoughts, and I think I've come up with something, I just want to think about it more first. In the meantime, I would LOVE suggestions of books to read. I want to see how many I can get through this year!

Pretty Quiet Weekend

Our weekend was pretty low key. Brian had to work all day Friday (and it looks like his 4 day work weeks are over a little earlier than usual), so the kids and I hung out at home all day. I feel like I got nothing accomplished last week with the kids, but that's mostly because I spent a lot of time holding Hudson. A lot. And it was awesome. I'm working hard to catch up on laundry and everything this week, but I'm also planning to enjoy more snuggle time with my little Tig.

Brian and I caught up on some DVR'd shows on Friday night (so excited to see Cristina when the ambulance doors opened on Grey's on Thursday, so not excited with anything on SVU this year), and apparently he was craving something sweet. I told him that all he was missing was the ice cream - which happens to be the most enjoyable part in my humble opinion.

(all of these photos are from my iPhone. I freaking hate our regular camera right now.)

On Friday night our baby swing died. For real. It would swing fine if there was no baby in it - but that's not really the point of a baby swing is it? Fortunately we racked up $32 in R Us rewards over Christmas and had a $20 off coupon for swings - so we saved $52 on this puppy. But honestly, we're probably spending $15 a month (at least) on batteries for this thing, so we were more than happy to get one that plugs in so we can save a few bucks on batteries!

And Hudson loves it! It's basically the same swing as our older one, just more updated. With fancy buttons. And bunny ears above Hudson's head. Ooooooh, aaaaaah. This one is kind of blurry, but I love his little smile!
And he fell asleep! And sleep is another reason we got this. Yes - Hudson sleeps in it - a lot - but the old one had also gotten really loud and creaky - and it actually kept Brian awake on Friday night! He's usually not one to go out and buy something immediately (he would usually say we should wait a bit to see if the other swing would just magically start working again one day), but after it kept him up he was on board for buying a new one!
On Saturday we also got a lot of Christmas cleaned up. It took forever, but most of the stuff is gone. Baby Jesus also went missing from the Little People Advent calender, so we spent a bit of time searching for him. It turns out that, according to Reese, Baby Jesus likes to feel snuggled in the couch cushions. Anyway, I just have to finish taking down the real tree (which my mom started for me yesterday) and get a few odds and ends packed up, as well as the outside stuff. And then Christmas is over!


My mom watched the kids for us yesterday so that we could go to a movie and an early dinner. I still haven't seen Harry Potter (which is like, unheard of for me), but it wasn't showing early enough at any local theaters. I've really wanted to see The Fighter since I saw Mark Wahlberg on Sixty Minutes a few weeks ago, so we decided to see that instead.

It was really, really good. Christian Bale deserves an Oscar for his performance in this movie as Mark Wahlberg's crack addict older brother. I actually even enjoyed the boxing scenes, and I'm not one to watch boxing with Brian on HBO or anything. I just could not believe that Christian Bale was the same guy who was in one of my all time favorite movies - Newsies. Seriously. I know every word to that movie by heart - dialogue and songs. Love it!

After the movie we went to Just George's to watch the first half of the Eagles/Packers game. I'm pretty sure that Wyatt has turned his back on his Dad's favorite team (and I'm pretty sure that after last week Brian is also about to lose interest in the Dolphins) and has decided that the "Green Bean Packers" are his favorite team. This is probably acceptable for football (since he didn't switch to the Jets), but there is no question about his favorite baseball team!

This week I have some more organizing/purging to get done, as well as a bunch of chores! I'm also starting a more structured preschool time with the kids every day, so that's going to take a bit of time and effort. I just have a goal for Reese to breeze through preschool at a faster clip than Wyatt next year! We'll see how this goes....

Hudson is 2 Months Old!

Hudson is 2 months old today! I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by with this little guy. He is just so sweet and patient and precious. Sometimes I feel bad that as the third child he doesn't get as much one on one time with me as his big brother and sister did (and I felt that way with Reese too!). But every second I have with him is so sweet!

Poor little guy got sick (again) on Saturday and has since been diagnosed with RSV. He was sounding so bad when he was breathing, and was barely eating, so I took him to see Dr. Jones on Monday morning. I had heard of RSV, but never had to deal with it with the older two because they were always home. Hudson is always home too, but now that Wyatt is at school he comes into contact with more germs, and brings them home to share! Wyatt went to the doctor right before Christmas with a cough as well, and Dr. Jones says that's probably where Hudson got it. Hudson's little lungs just take the illness a lot harder than Wyatt's.

He was kind of over having his picture taken! This is him mid-lip quiver!

Here is what Hudson is up to this month:

• Weighed 12 pounds at the doctor on Monday
• Wears a size 1 diaper (but he's moving up a size when we're done with this box).
• Wears mostly newborn clothes, but has moved up a size in outfits. He cries and cries if I put him in 3 month sleepers because his little feet don't go all the way to the bottom.
• Is still exclusively breast fed. He occasionally gets a bottle of expressed milk (like when we go out), but usually I feed him if I'm home.
• He loves to be swaddled! If Hudson cries, it's probably because he misses his Swaddle Me. As soon as he's swaddled he clams up and usually falls right to sleep!
• Sleeps all the time! Especially now that he's sick. He's been waking up around 1 and then again at 5:30 to eat and then going right back to sleep. I think the 5:30 feeding is becoming obsolete because he doesn't eat much and then wakes up around 7 to eat again!
• He loves his swing - so much that he sleeps in it! With the congestion and everything, it's just better to let him sleep propped up - and his swing definitely props him up. We're going to be working on that once he's better.
• Wyatt and Reese LOVE him - how do you think he got sick? Wyatt especially loves to kiss him "on his hair" and comes in to say hi and give him a kiss every morning. They both always walk up to him and say "Hey Hu-ud!"
• He loves riding in the car!
• He smiles at all of us, and coos when we talk to him. I love to have little conversations with him, and his smile is just so sweet.
• He has an on again, off again relationship with his Baby Bumbo. He's been holding his head up on his own since the day he was born, so I tried this out a few weeks ago. Today he liked it so much he decided to fall asleep! Too cute!

Hudson at Six Weeks/One Month

Yes, This is About Christmas (Still)

But Happy New Year! We didn't do much to ring in 2011. Brian and I went out to dinner with Pete and Shannon (we usually do) and then went to Dave's sister's house (usually it's at his mom's house). We left at 11 and were home by 11:30. We had fun, but we definitely didn't do anything crazy :). But we've always been low key for New Year's!

Wyatt had school today for the first time in three weeks! His last day of school was cancelled because of snow, so we missed his Christmas program and he missed his party. Today he came home with a ton of his December crafts. and his presents that he made for us! Looking at all this stuff you wouldn't believe that he was only in school 4 days in all of December, but he was! He missed the second week while we were in Disney and then only had one day before the snow day! Don't get me started on the fact that I basically paid $50 a day for school. Yeah. Fortunately all the days school is closed interrupt the 3 day kids!

His first craft - a beautifully painted Christmas tree!

The countdown stops at 7. She probably didn't want to overload him with gluing all the days he missed when he got back and then there was no school :(
His precious little foot and hands became Rudolph!

He also made this ornament the first day of the month. Looks super cute between Mommy and Daddy's handmade ornaments - mine was made by me (in 1992) and Brian's was made by his grandfather.

So cute!

This might weigh down the tree a bit, so we put it on the entertainment center :)

His sweet little hand print.

I can only imagine what we would have if he hadn't missed three days! We are getting ready to sign him up for school next year - and Reese as well! I can't believe we're already signing them up. But I remember all too well that it seemed like it would be ages before Wyatt would start school and now we're already halfway through the year!