i call this one...

i call this picture "italian vacation"
because it looks like the h's are in a tiny sports car, zooming around rome, eating pasta & basking in the sun.

like in old movies.

i've never been into old movies.  like "roman holiday".  have you seen it?

maybe i've been missing out???

i think the last old movie i saw was in 5th grade when meredith mason williams came over to spend the night & convinced me to rent "pillow talk" with doris day.

seriously.

if you know meredith, you won't @ all be surprised that she watched movies like pillow talk @ age 12.

haha!

do you have a favorite old movie?

ps:  clint & i caught a few scenes of "overboard" the other day!!!  i'm not sure that's quite an old movie yet, but OHMYGOSH!  we laughed so hard & couldn't believe we ever sat through the whole movie (500x).

dress up day

on monday we got a shipment of clothes from our favorite store - seba handmedowns!  our sweet friends, the sebas (hi ruth!) have a son & a daughter, each about 1 yr older than hudson & holland.  for several years now we've bought all of their handmedowns & sometimes i think it might be the best idea i ever had. 
ruth & i agreed on a price that was a great bargain for me* & also meant ruth didn't have to deal with resale shops (so frustrating to iron & hang everything, then get it all in the shop & only get to sell whatever they'll take, oh & also only seasonal stuff!).  i don't care if the clothes are ironed & even if a few have small stains, i know my kids will add to that stain collection :)  & i love mixing & matching the clothes with other stuff we have - it's a challenge to the creative brain!
usually i wait until the littles are sleeping to delve into organizing all of the clothes, but this time they were curious to see what was in the boxes, so i just went for it - setting the boxes on the floor & organizing while they went through pulling out what appealed to their creative eye & having an impromptu dress-up session.  @ some point in the chaos & mess, i set up a mirror for them, which doubled the fun - especially for miss holland.  the whole thing was crazy, but so fun.  my favorite times with hudson & holland are when we make whatever everyday task we're doing into a fun adventure.  it's a challenge, especially when the adult in me just wants to avoid mess :)

*thanks to the sebas for making our dress up morning possible!  ha!  & also for just giving us this last shipment of clothes - so sweet of you guys :)

crazy amount of popsicle pictures

hudson loves popsicles.
i {clearly} love taking pictures of him eating popsicles.
we also love making our own popsicles.
it's really easy.
i'll give you a recipe tomorrow.

happy monday.
over&out.

lollipop love

but don't worry...

this way you can share!

when you're 4...

big trucks are rreallllly awesome.












& rreallly loud.
hudson (capital H)HATES loud noises. the vacuum cleaner, blender, coffee grinder, bathtub spigot. he's kind of a loud noise primadonna. if we dare touch that vacuum or run the bath water, hands slam over his ears & he glares. oh that glare!


this makes his love for trucks & lawn equipment problematic. you can see the anguish in his eyes when encountering heavy machinery in action -
oh! It's a big truck(happy, happy)! oh! it's SO LOUD (NOT happy, happy).


i remember being 4 & being pretty fascinated with our big, red tractor (yes, i had a brief stint as a quasi-farm girl, did i ever tell you?). also i was so totally terrified.

it was so big & awesome (wow)!
BUT
it was so big & awesome (gasp).


i was proud of him for watching the big truck so closely today, despite the noise (& okay, there was that fence keeping the scary thing @ bay, but still!). he's getting a little better about the vacuum cleaner.

it's an experience to see the little guy conquering a fear.
even if it's in baby steps, i'm proud :)
& really inspired.


(here, i must also mention holland, who runs after the vacuum cleaner, begging to "help". no fear? what is fear? lord, help me.)

4th birthday party

i love to plan birthday parties.  picking a theme, matching everything, getting cutie party favors...  so fun. 
but then i get stressed.  how can i make it all come together?  how much is it going to cost?  what should we eat?  do i have enough time to get the invitations out?  on & on...
stress city.

this year i felt a nudge to throw it all out the window & just wing it.  this kind of scared me, but i've been trying to listen to that "little voice" a little more these days, & well, we were pinched for time anyway with our NYC trip & you know, clint quitting his job & all (heh heh!), so the party costing less $ & stress was looking pretty good to me.

i didn't even do invitations. 
gulp.
that was a hard one for me.  i have L O V E D making invitations for his parties every year.  i even had one all ready to go {& super cute!}, but then our computer broke (remember that time i slipped?) & i didn't have the paper & i felt all stressed.  that's when that little, small voice stepped in to say "hey.  you know you don't really have to have invitations."  & you know what?  it's true!  we just told our friends what day & time & they showed up!
(though i must admit, an email would have been nice.)
ONE MAJOR EXPENSE:  months ago (read: when we still had regular income), we mentioned having a bounce house @ hudson's birthday party & he hadn't forgotten.  we considered it a birthday present to him.  it's $100 & yeah, it was super fun, but truly, the kids would have had just as much fun running around our backyard & if you think that sounds lame, i seriously mean it. 

we had my most favorite birthday party ever :)  & it was with almost no stress! 

how to throw a cheap(er) birthday party...
1.  first you have to decide not to make a big deal.  know that above everything else, a birthday party is just about making your child feel special.  period.  they don't care about money & matching things (we do!).
2.  don't send invitations.  just tell everyone what time & where (an email would be nice).
3.  look around your house for decorations.  you'll be surprised!  we used table cloths i made for hudson's first birthday & 80 cent streamers.  then the night before i found some scrapbook paper & whipped up some little signs - aka - "take one" for party favors & "apple juice"/"pancakes" to label the food.  super fun, but not even necessary.
4.  make cupcakes.  it's easy to make them look cute & they're just cents each to make.
5.  make something cheap (like pancakes) to eat.  kids loved them.
6.  when you get all stressed, thinking it might not come together, see #1 again.

who knows.  maybe next year i'll be all about doing a super themed party.  i have NOTHING against them for sure.  just realizing that sometimes simplier works just as well.

rock it out

been feeling david gray lately. mostly babylon II & you're the world to me. a good sprinkling of the one i love & please forgive me is always nice. okay, nevermind. i really just love the whole greatest hits album.
love it when you can find an album that just works with your life @ the moment, you know?


hud & i like to put dg on the big speakers & rock it out. sometimes he plays his guitar, but if the moment hits him & the guitar's not around, a shovel (or broom, stick...) will certainly do.

today he shared the tennis racquet with me...












rock on, baby.

pool babies 2011

pool babies 2010

pool babies 2011

{the above pic makes me giggle}

this weekend our neighborhood pool opened, which is to say hudson's greatest wish came true. he adores the water & even more so after discovering the magic of goggles halfway through last summer. it's not even that they keep water out of his eyes (they constantly fall off), he just loves them for their plastic, eyewear selves.

the child can't get enough of jumping off the side & swimming to the nearest adult (hopefully mommy/daddy).

not to be outdone, guess who tried to do the same thing?

That's right. little sister will not be upstaged, thankyouverymuch.

the girl tried her darndest to keep up with hudson. & if it weren't for the annoying issue of not being to breathe underwater, she probably could have.

that whole breathing thing was really cramping her style.

funny little gal.

the perfect fourth birthday...

balloons. presents. homemade birthday banners. family. streamers.

& your very own playmate to spend the whole day with...

mimi came for hudson's birthday & what a treat it was.  we all celebrated @ breakfast (presents & balloons!), & lunch (cake!), & played with all of his toys outside that afternoon, but in between he had the gift of having mimi all to himself all day.  they colored, drew pictures, played music, had tic tac toe tournaments (X vs O, M vs H, K vs C, & on & on...), & read books for hours.  it was a little guy's dream.

{if you're wondering how many more posts i'm going to devote to hudson's birthday, i agree - it's been alot!  ha!  but still haven't posted pics of his party, yet...  interestingly enough i've had quite a few lessons that have come in his birthday season, like the one from this post - that all kiddos REALLY want, & this above candy, stuff, presents, tv, whatever... is time.  time with those who love them.  this because the time IS the love.
& thanks for the lesson, mom :) }

i had forgotten...

{when you are little}

one of the best things about birthdays

is getting to go to school

& wear the birthday crown.

birthday week

we're spending this week celebrating a certain little guy's bday...

my most favorite 4 yr old in the whole world.

it's hot.

dear mom,
buy


more


popsicles.


love,
hudson (& co.)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

right now

good morning, monday

helping

when jaclyn dropped off dean yesterday, i thought i was really helping.

st. kelly, coming to the rescue.

super mom - willing to leap tall buildings & watch more children!

but the truth is, dean helped me.

he babysat hudson.

thank you, dean.  i owe you one.

too much fun :)