Mother's Day 2009

I know this post is a little late but we just got the photos today. My parents had Jim Breen come to their house on Mother's Day this year to take some photos of all their grandkids. Of course, the kids were not really cooperating but Jim got quite a few cute photos nonetheless.




I love this one - none of the kids are looking at the camera.


Cannon was quite photogenic.







The Boys... Rowen, Cannon and Hudson.

Uh Oh...

Last week, I went into Cannon's room and saw him up on all fours in his crib. I thought it was a fluke. But no, this is where are. Right when I said that things were starting to get easier, Cannon reminded me that he will be mobile before we know it. Oh and not only that... he is also rocking while on all fours too. Our littlest is growing up. Sigh.

1/2 Birthday

Cannon is 6 months old today! I am not sure if it flew by or went slowly but it seems like we have had Cannon with us forever. I dont even remember what it was like to have just one child. I must say that things are getting a little easier as both boys get older. They bathe together every night, they play together, and they entertain each other more and more. Yesterday morning Hudson was 'reading' to Cannon on my bed while I got dressed. He stopped reading and started laughing and Cannon responded with laughing. It was so cute. They were face to face and Hudson said "Such a cute baby. So cute. I love you Cannon. Silly Cannon." It melted my heart and I just stood there and smiled as they continued to laugh at each other.

This is what I see after Cannon wakes up... Him straining his neck to see if I am coming in the door.


And Hudson insists on getting Cannon with me:


...and then climbing into the crib with Cannon.

Bubbles

While Cannon was napping today, Hudson and I went outside with a new bubble toy that mysteriously appeared at our house. Such a small and random toy had Hudson screaming and laughing and running around for 20 minutes (a VERY long time to hold Hudson's attention). We chased each other down the street with the bubble gun (way better than blowing the bubbles yourself) and a great time.

"By Myself"

Cannon is sitting on the ground by himself so well these days. Of course he still tips over occasionally, but he has gotten so much stronger these past couple weeks that I was shocked when he was sitting so much longer by himself yesterday. I will get more pictures of him doing it soon ~ all by himself. Here are some randoms from the week:





Cannon has also been laughing out loud for awhile now but it seems that whenever I start the recorder he stops. I finally got him on film laughing. I love this sound!


And Hudson has also been doing things "all by myself" these days. He says "I do it myself, like a big boy." This refers to everything... putting the straw in his juice, putting his shoes on, eating cereal, making a dog with the play doh. All this "by myself" business means that everything is a little messier than if I had done it or helped but it is so cute to hear him say it and then watch him try to do it himself.
Preschool has also been going great (fingers are still crossed that this continues). He was excited to go back today and gave his teachers hugs when he got there. When my mom and I got there to pick him up, we spied on him for a bit and he was having so much fun looking at some bugs that the class has. When he saw my mom and I, he could hardly talk he was so excited to show us everything. And NO, he did not nap again today. Did you all actually think my child would sleep well?!? For a minute there, I did... we'll see...

Hudson's First Day of Preschool

Today was a big day for us... Hudson started Preschool! I cannot believe it. It was definitely harder on me than him today. If JR werent with us today I probably would have stayed longer (until they kicked me out) and I also probably would have cried. But Hudson being so excited made it so much easier for me to leave him there. And JR being in the car ride home made it feel like it was all ok. And it is ok. But it is also a little sad that our little man is growing up and going to school now.

Hudson was so excited when he woke up this morning, talking about going to school, playing, eating his lunch with the other kids and feeding the fish (which he did right when he got there). We will see how the rest of today goes...

Leaving the house with lunch in hand:


Dropped the lunch and running on the playground:


Straight to Thomas and Percy:


He is breaking the gate down to try to get into the room:


Excited and ready to the feed the fish:


Kiss from mommy (you can tell he is already over me and wants to play):


UPDATE: I talked to the director and his teacher a couple times today and they said he was doing GREAT. He was talking a lot, using good manners, ate his lunch and even took a NAP (with just a little bit of crying before naptime because he didnt want to lay down)!! I am happily surprised!

Both Boys Smiling!

I caught it on film.... BOTH kids smiling in the same photo!! I love it, I love it!

I Can't Handle Two...?

Just when I think I can't handle my two kids, I stumble across a person's blog and get reminded of just how easy I have it. Dont get me wrong, I know that getting up at all hours of the night (night after night after night) is not fun or easy and can also make a person crazy, but I know some people who would happily do it instead of going through what they are dealing with. And it is good for me to be humbled every now and then with a real story.

On another note, Cannon had an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist yesterday for his eczema and we found out that eczema (basically very dry skin) can be "excruciatingly" itchy and that many babies with eczema dont sleep well. [While this may contribute to his poor sleeping,I am not getting my hopes up because I need to remember that Cannon is following in Hudson's exact sleeping path and Hudson didnt have eczema]. I asked for an allergy test (often related to eczema) and we had to have blood drawn (scratch tests dont work so well on already irritated or easily irritated skin). Anyways, while I was holding my surprisingly strong baby down, so that blood could be drawn from his arm, and listening to his blood curdling screams and looking at his bright red angry face, I remembered some other babies who have been through much worse than a single blood draw. So, while motherhood is often frustrating enough to have me thinking about getting a 'real' job, I have to remind myself that I have it easy. I have to realize that Cannon's sleepless nights and our long attempts at putting Hudson down will be over before we know it (one can hope). And I need to take a deep breath, relax and take more pictures of when the kids are being the well behaved kids I always thought I'd have.

Disneyland for Daddy's Birthday

We all went to Disneyland for JR's birthday yesterday. JR hasnt been to Disneyland in YEARS and it was fun to see it with Hudson and Cannon.






Hudson's face staring at everything on It's a Small World.


Cannon had the same face as he stared at everything on the same ride.

Needles 2009 ~ Group Trip

Another fun trip to Needles!
The Reynolds Family


The next generation of boaters.


The boys.


The boats.


The beach.


The group.


JR and Hudson


Hudson sleeping. Amazing.


Cannon not sleeping. Standard. (Actually, when the boat was moving, Cannon fell asleep too).