~ Baby bat Halloween fun ~

My baby bat flapping his wings! He loved his costume, very fun!!

Playing dress up a few days before Halloween ♥

Halloween night at my Momma's halloween party! Derek and Hudson were cool in their bat costumes! ... Candy corn?

Such a fun night!!

A growing babe

This boy is HUMONGOUS!! I don't know how it happened. Seriously.

Every year we go to the Berry Ranch and pick out pumpkins while doing a little photo shoot. Its tradition. A la my momma :)

The fact that there were tractors there made for a perfect photo op since Hudsie has a slight obsession with them. Otherwise known as "Tactor." ;)

I'm officially a soccer mom! Ha. No but seriously. We started Hudson in toddler soccer because we thought it would be a fun Saturday morning activity for us, and would be great for Hudson's coordination and motor skills. His little team was called the "Ponies." So cute! His last "game" was this last Saturday where all of the kids were given soccer certificates and other little prizes. Hudson loved it and got much better at kicking the ball into the goal at the end of the 6 weeks!

Love this precious boy!!

Hair removal adventures ... ;)

Ok, so I originally wanted to start blogging so that I would have a family "journal" for my kids to look back on. Life has gotten away with me since April, my last post, and I feel really guilty not keeping some sort of a family record. So although I don't know where to start, I guess I'll start fresh and HOPEFULLY blog something, even small, once a week. That's my personal goal. I had a journal all through middle school and I love looking back and reading things that I never would have remembered! A lot has changed in my life! I never thought that I would work once I had kids, and I still don't have to, but an amazing opportunity fell into my lap. I was actually going to get Laser hair removal at simplicity myself, and Jackilyn, the manager there, and I clicked and we ended up talking about me being an Esthetician. I said I wouldn't mind working a part time schedule to practice esthetics again. She highered me for 2 days a week which I was ok with since I still had most of the week to be with Hudson. My mom watches Hudson for me too so I don't have to worry about a daycare or anything. Jackilyn and I worked together at Simplicity from June until now, when we decided to branch off and do our own thing!!! :) We bought a Laser, leased a space out of a Doctor's office, and are working out a lot of final details! We decided our company name is "Precision Laser Esthetics." I LOVE it! So far everything has been running on time, and smoother than I could have ever imagined. Owning a business is a gamble, and a rush at the same time! Derek has given us so much advice since he is also an entrepreneur and has supported us the whole time! We definately couldn't do this with out him. Next week we are starting the remodel in our space, and hopefully the week after getting signage up and furniture in! I am so excited to get pictures up and see how this adventure continues! I am such a blessed girl and love my friends and family who support me and encourage me to be my best! <3

Hudson isn't such a baby anymore... he's turning TWO! :)

No more pacifier!!

Bye bye binky!

Well, its official! Hudson can go to bed without a binky and without crying or fussing for it. I have been dreading weaning him from it for months now. Derek and I had actually weaned him from it during the daytime about 4 months ago. That was easy enough, but two weeks ago Hudson got a little cold. Since he was extra fussy and not feeling good, I gave in for the week he was sick and let him have his binky all day long.... that was a mistake! Hudson had been attached to it ever since that week. He wouldn't even eat without having it in his sight. Lol! So, we decided together that since we had to re-wean him from it again any way, we might as well just do it all the way this time. I told Derek I was fine with doing it this weekend because Derek was home with me, and I wouldn't have to listen to him cry alone, and deal with him being tired and cranky alone. haha. Derek agreed that it was good he could be home with me for emotional support. So, last night we put him in his bed after bath and prayer time. He was in a really good mood. So I thought we might get lucky and just have him go to bed without missing his bink. HA! He was silent for about the first five minutes of laying down. Then we heard him wrestling around looking for it. After he realized it wasn't in his crib, he lost it. Broke my heart :(. Trust me, it was very hard to let him cry in his room knowing that I could easily make it stop by giving him his binky. But Derek kept reassuring me that it was for his own good. To help him develop his speech better. So reluctantly we let him cry himself to sleep for about an hour last night. I was sooo relieved when he finally fell asleep! He slept through the rest of the night perfectly. He was a little cranky at church today without his binky, and refused to go to nursery. When we got home, he was sooo tired and we fed him some lunch and put him down for a nap. He cried again, but only for about 15 minutes this time. That was a relief! ..... So tonight was the big test. I was worried that he would cry for another hour, but to our surprise, he didn't make a sound... we waited for him to start searching again, but nothing. Now it has been 2 hours since was put him down, and he has fallen asleep all alone and with no fuss. It took ONE night to wean him from it! I am so happy, and relieved, and proud of my baby boy! I can't believe how fast he is developing and growing everyday. He says so many sweet words now, and does new things all the time. I am so proud to be his mommy, and am glad I get to continue to watch him grow and learn. <3 <3

My Birthday ~ big 25!

My Birthday. ♥







Well, I'm a half a century old! lol. And I was especially spoiled on this birthday because Derek knew I was sad to be half way through my twenties already. Sounds silly, but I really was because it feels like I literally just turned twenty! Any way, we all went to Barbacoa on my Birthday night, and a few days later again with Rachel to celebrate our Birthdays together. Derek got me my pink faced, bling Fossil watch that I had been wanting for a while now. A Victoria's secret gift card, and Express gift card. Shopping, and all my favorite stores! He really knows how to make me happy. PLUS, the new Adidas gym shoes that I wanted too. Glad he knows my taste, so sweet! So... a couple weeks later Derek and I headed up to Cascade to go snowmobiling with the Birthday gift card my parents bought me for an all day rental with the sleds up there! It was so nice having the whole mountain to ourselves that Friday. We left early in the morning, and started up the trail at about 9 a.m. We went up to this hot springs about 45 minutes up the trail. Right in the middle of the snowy forest. It was so awesome changing into our swimsuits and taking a nice hot dip to relax in the middle of our day snowmobiling. We ate lunch after sitting in the hot springs, and then headed back down the mountain after warming up by the fire for a while. It was a perfect day!

Cruisin through Mexico!

Our first trip away from Hudson! Derek and I went on the Mexican Riviera cruise. It was a much needed vacation, seven days, stopped in Cabo for two nights, and Puerto Vallarta for one night. And a couple fun days at Sea! Such a fun time, and Hudson did so well with his grandpa and Gramma Stokes at home :)

Christmas

From parties to sitting on the "mall Santa's" lap...we did lots of fun Christmas activities throughout the month of December. Here are some memories from some of our funnest events! :)





Winter gardens aglow at Botanical Gardens ♥













Sitting on Santa's lap...

Lets remember... Thanksgiving, our Anniversary, Christmas, and New years!!

Hmmm, Kinda hate those moments when you really really want to blog, but procrastinate it because its been so many weeks, and so much has happened that you don't even know where to begin in trying to describe it all in a nutshell. I guess I'll make this post, since its the first post in my catch-up session, the one focusing on Thanksgiving. Which was an amazing Holiday with my Nana and Grandpa Lew especially since they rarely get to spend holidays with us. Hudson just loves Grandpa and Nana, they are two proud GREAT Grandparents of their grandaughter's (me) son. So we spent most of the week while they were in town just catching up on good times. Hudson is always the center of entertainment for the whole family now, so when I think of what I am going to write in my posts it usually comes down to more like "what did Hudson do this Thanksgiving" ha! Its true, everyone.. and everything revolves around my precious Hudson. Which is how I want it. Hudson is my everything, and knows how to make me feel so happy with just a simple smile, and his sweet kiss. Since were focusing on Thanksgiving week on this particular post, I would like to say that Hudson is the thing that I am most grateful for this year. He has grown so much, exceeded all of my hopes and dreams for what a son could mean to a mother, and brings the most amazing and pure little spirit of love into our home, which by the way gets complimented on by our friends and family who come over and feel the warm loving tone in our home. Hudson has changed the way I look at life, and I feel that together, as a loving family can continue to have a positive outlook on the future and be able to conquer anything we put our minds together. I thank my grandparents, parents,my dear Husband, and my close loved ones for all of the support you have given me throughout the different phases of life that you have guided me through. Because today, I would certainly not be where I am now without it. So for that, I am truly thankful. Thank you "Thanksgiving" for giving us that annual reminder about all of our many, and often times forgotten blessings that are given us by our maker every day. Ultimately, thank you to my wonderful Heavenly Father, for all of our many blessings. ♥