Happy Halloween

Halloween night:






Hudson's Class Parade:



Hudson at swimming:


Pumpkin Patch a couple weeks ago:

11 Months ~ Cannon

Happy 11 months, Cannon! We cannot believe your first birthday is just around the corner! We love you more than anything!

Then and Now

(Cousins then: Marina, Me, Colin, Tracy, Aaron, Justin, Ryan)


(Cousins now: Cannon, Hudson, Liliana, Rowen, Gianna)

These pictures make me feel really old! I totally remember taking the couch pictures when I was younger because I was the oldest and always got to hold the babies.... And NOW, I have two of my own babies on the couch taking pictures with their cousins! Crazy.

Worth It

On days when the sleeplessness, the whining, the crying, the fighting over every toy being Hudson's threatens to overwhelm me; on days when I cant wait for JR to get home to ease the 'witching hour' (around 4pm, the kids have tons of energy and I have none); on days when I leave Hudson alone for 1 minute to change Cannon's diaper and find that he got into something.


On days when diaper changing, feeding, and toddler activities are maddeningly repetitive; on days when I wonder why on earth we thought having kids 19 months apart was a good idea; on days when I dont have a moment to pee much less shower or get dressed; on days like this, one simple moment during the day makes me smile, often with tears in my eyes, and makes the whole thing, every bit of it, worth it. Worth all the tiredness, frustrations, and busy activities that currently consume our lives. Worth it just to be there to laugh at Hudson's funny sayings, or kiss Cannon's boo-boos myself, or watch as they laugh at each other and play together. To be the one that wakes up to them, puts them down, kisses them goodnight and good morning. To watch Cannon learn to walk all around the house; and be the first to watch Hudson ride a bike (with training wheels, of course); to be the one that teaches them the ABCs and 123s. To dress them up in the same outfit and take silly pictures that one day they will roll their eyes at.




To be the one that teaches Cannon a new trick and watch him read a book like a big kid.


To be the one that makes the healthy meals and chooses what they eat. To be the one that decides what my kids do during the day, where we go and what we see. There is a reason I CHOOSE to do what I do and moments like these serve as good reminders that it is all worth it.

Needles... again...

We keep going back to the house in Needles bcause it is so perfect for large groups and kids, not to mention reasonably priced! Another fun weekend!!

Canman found walking on the inclined sand difficult and frustrating. He had fun even though he ate more sand than food this weekend.


Sandy Face.


The fam.


Us.


Hud and the water plane.


The set up.


Feeding Cannon without a high chair.


JR playing with the kids.


The Ritter Girls.


The Yadrick Fam.


The Ritter Fam.


The Keus Fam.


Thanks everyone, for another fun weekend!!

Cannon, PLEEEASE Slow Down!

We cant stop him. He is determined to not sit or hold on to anything ever again. In fact, I cant get him to sit down or hold on to something. Like when I need to take Hudson to the bathroom, I try to put Cannon on the floor sitting or standing at the train table holding on. He wont do it. His body stiffens and he refuses to bend or hold. He wants to stand alone or walk. And he is paying for it. His poor little face is beat up right now from falling over. His nose is scratched from a bad fall on the carpet (yeah, a carpet burn on his nose that he keeps re-opening from falls since), his lip is fat and cut on the inside (from hitting the train table), he has a gash on his chin (again from hitting the train table on his way down), and a bruise above his eye (we dont know what this is from). Not to mention all the hits to his head, butt and ego. I think his ego is getting hit the hardest as I see him get really frustrated. Watching him fall and hit the table on his way down is hard on him, but VERY difficult for mommy. Bloody teeth, bloody chin, ughhh, it hurts me so much (he usually cries for less than a minute but I am worried all the time now). Please Cannon, slow down! And also, while we are at it, could you put the toys down while you walk? It means that your hands are full and cant break your fall, making your face take the hits.
Oh and he doesn't want to be held either. He squirms, screams and dives down until you put him on the ground. And crawling? Forget it, he isnt interested. So I have only one choice, right? Let him learn. Let him get better. Try to break as many falls as I can. Stand behind him as he climbs on top of everything to catch him if he falls (the couch, chairs, toys, the train table). He is doing so great, walking from one end of our house to the other. But this is very hard on mommy. Way to go Cannon... but pleeeease slow down!!

Palm Springs ~ 2009

We had our annual family vacay in Palm Springs this year. We decided to find a small hotel and take over the whole thing! What a great idea and what a great little place we chose with 7 rooms called The Coyote Inn. We had great weather, great food, and wonderful company.

The group:


The Pool:




The 5 Kids:


Gianna and Hudson:



Kids:


Chilling:



Rowen's silly face (6 months):


Liliana chillin' (9 months):


Cannon's and his scratched nose (10 months):





Cannon loved being 'scooted' around the place all weekend:


We celebrated Hudson's half-birthday on Saturday! Two and a half years old!


Here are some of "The Couch" photos. Growing up, my brothers and cousins always had pictures taken of us lined up on the couch. It is such a strong memory and hard to believe our kids are taking these pictures now!



The kids ~ Cannon, Hudson, Liliana, Rowen, Gianna:

Hudson's Summer 2009 Artwork

Instead of keeping ALL of the art projects that Hudson brings home from school and those that we do around the house, I have decided to tape them up on the door and periodically take pictures of Hudson with his art. This way, I will 'have' all of his art forever, without the storage/clutter.