Brotherly Fun

This morning I put Bryce on his Boppy pillow in the playroom so that Hudson could play with us close by. Apparently a baby brother is much more fun than any toys in the room because Hudson was constantly hovering over Bryce and giving him lots of kisses on the head. He is so sweet and gentle with Bryce.

Impossible

Although it was truly impossible to get a "good" photo of the boys together today, I love the ones that I took. I laugh at how silly they look together and smile because it is so great that they have each other.

My favorite

It looks like they are saying "get away" "no, you get away" (which I'm sure I'll be hearing soon enough)

**NO I did not dress them in matching shirts. Bryce spit up all over his at 5am and this striped one is the first one I grabbed...I didn't even think of the fact that Hudson wore stripes to bed. Just thought I'd clear my name :)

Dinner and a smile

Bryce is beginning to smile! It is so cute and usually happens soon after he is finished eating as he is drifting off to sleep. I do believe that's when he's happiest.

Hudson got his own silverware and fed himself dinner Thursday night. This is a great way to keep him entertained. I know he felt like such a big boy since he got so excited every time the spoon made it into his mouth!

I think he realized that he could get bigger bites by using his hands but he still wouldn't let go of that spoon.

I was featured!

As you all know, I LOVE a great party! Planning months in advance and thinking of every last detail brings me so much joy, just ask the hubby :) As it turns out I'm not the only lady out there that enjoys this. In fact there's an entire blog dedicated to real parties for inspiration. I've become addicted to this site and visit it daily. I've also submitted pics of Hudson's first birthday party so that hopefully others could get ideas for their own shindig and IT IS FEATURED! Yay, so all of my planning will not go unnoticed...it will actually be seen by thousands now! That's inspiration and justification to go over the top! Check out www.creativepartiesandshowers.blogspot.com for ideas of your own or click the "I was featured" button to the right to visit this awesome site!

Playtime

I put Bryce on the floor today for some playtime with his big brother. Bryce had his little arms and legs just flailing away and Hudson thought it was so funny to be getting hit in the face by Bryce's legs. Hudson was very interested in playing with the toy bar while Bryce watched.

Quack Quack

I do believe that we owe all of the credit of Hudson imitating a duck sound to Grace. It all began a couple of weeks ago when she and Hudson were playing with a stuffed duck. He belly laughed hysterically when she quacked. Now he makes a duck sound of sorts when he hears it on his See and Say.

Brian's B-Day

Hope you had a fantastic birthday! We love you so very much!
Love,
Melissa, Hudson, and Bryce

Thanks for the dinner and company, Noni, Papa, and Grace

Pittsburgh

Check out those top chompers

Brian and I thought that it would be nice to spend a family day together so we took the boys to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum and Station Square. Although there were not as many things for Hudson to do as we thought he seemed to enjoy himself. He definitely loves to interact with other children (even if they are not interested in him:)). After almost 2 hours of playing, we were off to see the fountains. Since Hudson likes to splash around in the water we thought that this would be right up his alley but he really could care less. He was beginning to get sleepy so we decided to head home after about an hour there. All in all it was a fun day. We'll have to do it again when the boys are a little older.

Don't think that I forgot about our boy Bryce...he really slept almost the entire time! He was only up long enough to eat. Guess he must be having a growth spurt :)

Baby Steps!

It's hard to say when Hudson's official first steps were because he'd take a couple here and there, but tonight he actually looked like he knew what he was doing. He took his time and even worked to balance himself so that he didn't fall. Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture his best moves but at least you'll get the idea...

Happy 30th Birthday

Mark,

We wish you a very happy birthday! I would say that I wish you were here, but instead I wish we were THERE to celebrate with you! Maybe next year.

Love,

Brian, Melissa, Hudson, and Bryce

I'm no pro

While the boys were napping this afternoon I spent way too much time browsing the internet. I found myself looking at professional newborn pictures and admiring how precious a fresh baby is...wait, I can look at a fresh one in person! I decided to try my hand at some artsy pics and soon realized I do not have the right camera nor the skills to create such a beautiful picture. I better make an appointment to get Bryce's one month pictures taken now!

Daddy's helper

With our construction almost finished, we decided to set up Hudson's new room so that we can get organized and back to normal. In order to get the crib to fit through the doorway, we had to take the front piece off. Of course Hudson had to sit right in the middle of the floor where the crib was sitting and soon realized he was in "jail" as Brian started putting the front piece back on. What's a boy to do? He soon realized he'd just crawl underneath in order to get out. Tonight will be his first night in his new room!

Fun in the Sun

Hudson loves his bathtime but, to our surprise, has been acting scared of swimming pools. Since it was sooo hot today we thought we'd give the pool that he received as a birthday gift a whirl. It was a hit! Bryce slept the entire time Hudson played outside (smart boy missed the heat)!

So big or so small?

I'm not sure if Hudson is so big or if Bryce is so small, but it's amazing how much a baby grows in just one year.

Noni gave Hudson some bath paint, but I think Daddy had all of the fun coloring Hudson! I noticed that when Brian was taking Hudson's picture he is starting to pose. He held his smile until the camera was no longer on him. Hudson has also taken a couple of steps from the couch to the coffee table. As of now he is testing the waters so I'm sure he'll be taking off soon.

#1 13 months old/ #2 3 weeks old

Today Hudson is 13 months old. He probably could walk IF he'd just give it a try; however, he is perfectly content cruising and crawling around for now. He says "baby" a few dozen times a day and gives his brother kisses just as many times. In order to get him to go to sleep he must have at least 2 binkies and he is a pro at switching them around. I hope to create a better sleep routine before I go back to work. Hudson loves to try things himself and he is such a quick learner. He studies what you are doing and mimics very well. Examples: brushing hair, brushing teeth (sometimes w/ the hair brush :)), feeding himself... Hudson is such a pleasant joy!

Today Bryce is 3 weeks old. He is such the perfect addition to our family that it feels like he's been here much longer. He is very relaxed and we are still learning his likes and dislikes. So far we've discovered that Bryce is a snuggler. Whenever he's fussy he loves to lay on your shoulder scrunched up as tight as possible. I've even discovered that he calms down when you hold his hand. How sweet! He is starting to eat every 3 hours which is an improvement from even days ago. It's still too early to have a sleep pattern so you never know what you're gonna get each night. I cannot wait until Bryce and his big brother are able to interact together. My heart melts just thinking about how much fun these boys are going to make our lives!

Bryce has such beautiful blue eyes! Hopefully they stay that way.

Tonight Daddy and Mr. Independent tried their hand at coloring. Hudson was easily distracted by the bright colors and apparently they looked delicious. The crayons kept going into his mouth although he did not bite them. I think he was "testing" us to see what he could get away with. He's been doing that a lot lately.

A "pick-me-up" for Brian

Dear Hubby,
I know that Mondays are always the most difficult day of the week. You have to get up early to leave your beautiful family and the weekend seems so far away, so while you were at work today the boys and I picked up something extra special for you! Hope your day just got a little brighter! (Thanks for thinking of us, Brenda! These seats are awesome!)

Little Gary's turning 5

Gary is turning 5 this Thursday so we celebrated with a pirate party today at his house. It was a nice celebration that got even better once they broke out the ice cream cake :)

B-Man's first party. He is nearly 3 weeks old and his appearance is still changing everyday- of course Mommy thinks he's getting more and more handsome!

Next for Mr Hudson- his own eating utensils! He's turning into such a big boy and likes to try everything himself. I'm so proud!

Boy Bonding

Since I'm not yet brave enough to venture out with TWO boys, our weekdays are very monotonous (so we greatly appreciate our visits from Noni, Aunt Deb, and Kelly). Our typical day begins with breakfast for the boys followed by diaper changes followed by more diaper changes- someone is usually dirtying their diaper immediately after it has been changed. Once we get through these tasks Bryce usually gets some swing time so that I can play with Hudson before naptime, if I'm lucky. Anytime Hudson hears a peep from Bryce he rushes over to the swing to check on him. He can never leave Bryce without patting him on the head.

Jill paid the boys a visit this morning, bringing goodies, of course! Now I see why she didn't stick around to see him eat his treat...

So Yummy!