Hudson Swims!

Alden started swim lessons last week. She is doing great, learning to swim without the noodle or the float. Hudson and I have been tagging along, and Tuesday, we bee-bopped around in the baby pool while Alden did her lesson. Now, Hudson will put his face in while he is in the tub, doesn't mind water in his face, blows bubbles, and splashes like a crazy man, but he mostly just walks around the pool...usually clutching as many toys as he can. Especially, the yellow dump truck that lives at the Y. He is easily a head and a half above the water, which is a big change...last summer, he was about right at mouth level. So, Tuesday, he was walking around, and every now and then, he would topple over, and I would pull him up again. The lifeguard was about to have an anxiety attack, and was hopping out of his chair every few minutes, ready to jump in and save Hudson at a moment's notice. I think he thought I was being a little negligent letting him go under.

But, here's what I think about that...if you let your kids go under and cheer and are excited when you pull them back up, they will think it is cool to go under. If you are uptight and freak out, like the lifeguard, you will make them scared. That's just my opinion...and I was a lifeguard for a few years, for what its worth.

So back to Hudson...

Anyways, Wednesday, there was a huge thunderstorm that occurred in the exact window of time as Alden's lesson. Huge disappointment. We went back Thursday, and the kids and I stayed a while since Matt was working. Towards the end of our time, Hudson just decides to put his whole head in. Then, he goes under, holds his breath, and just stays there a second or two before I pull him up. Friday, he started doing it some more, and since Matt was with us, he spent a ton of time going back and forth between us. He figured out how to kick a little bit, but it is more like a frog kick than a flutter kick. Literally, for 15 minutes straight, he would throw himself down, face first and try to make as much forward progress as he could before we would assume he had held his breath long enough and pull him up.

Sunday, we went back and even before I got down the steps behind him, he is face first, crazy man in the pool. He also started jumping in, which he has not wanted to do. He watched Alden a couple times, and tentatively, put his toes on the edge. He had to hold someone's hands at first, but before long, he was tossing his rubber ducks in - the "Mommy" and the "Daddy" - and jumping in after them. He also figured out how to get his feet back underneath him and stand up after his little "swims".

And to think that last week at this time, we weren't sure if he was going to like the water. Whoa.

And because I feel like I just talked about Hudson too much, last week was Alden's last gymnastics for the month. We are taking June off since we will be at the beach, she had swimming, etc. Last Monday, we showed up, and apparently, even though it was May 31st, it actually counted as the first Monday in June. The wonderful gymnastics people, said, no prob, let her stay! It ended up being a really fun time; there were only 3 kids in her class since it was Memorial Day, and they got to do a lot of fun stuff. Hudson even entertained himself better than he ever had before.

We had dinner that night with Bebe and Pop pop, and cooked out burgers for Memorial Day. Matt had to leave early for work, so the kids and I ran some errands afterwards.

There is also a new post dated April 13th from Matt's birthday weekend extravaganza. I am on a roll.

There is also a new post date April 13th that summarizes our Easter celebrations. Hey, at least I started it on time :) It only took two months to complete.

There is a new post date May 20th of Alden's Purple Bear Picnic. Check it out.

The Zoo!

Last Friday we made a trip to the NC Zoo in Asheboro for Alden's 4th birthday. We had thrown around the idea of having a birthday party, and came to the conclusion that Alden would probably end up in time-out for most the her party. She just cannot handle a lot of kids (more than 1) to play with.

As if there was any question about the kids liking it or not, before we were even in the zoo, Alden saw a picture of a puffin and starts jumping up and down and pointing, "Mommy, Mommy, that's a puffin like in my book, Along the Rocky Shore!"

We started in the North America side...saw the otters The sleepy polar bearThe bald eagleAmber and Hudson explored the polar bear caveThere was a kids' area where the kids tried on tails. Hudson really liked his. Alden was being a veterinarian to the stuffed zebra and giraffe.They have a really fun playground area that we stopped at briefly, but it was pretty busy with elementary school field trip groups. Alden rode the wild praying mantis.Hudson did the leaf slide.Alden saw a giant cargo-net-spider-web that she was dying to go on, and reminded us of that about every 2 minutes after we left the play area. We saw the bison, alligators, and the mountain lions, one of which was sleeping right by the glass. There are only a couple things that I am really scared of, and in the top three are lightning and mountain lions. This one did look really cute and cuddly, and not much bigger than Lily...I guess until it was sneaking up behind you and pouncing you.
I don't really know what to say about this turtle except that at first we thought he was fake. I didn't even know turtles could DO that with their legs. He must do yoga.I don't know what to say about this one either. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and suppose that they are doing a snake impression?Hudson's best friend is now Mr. Reg. Reg even trumped Bebe a couple times during the day, which is completely unheard of. After North America, we had a picnic under the trees in the parking area, let the kids refuel and run around some more, and headed back to the Africa side. It was definitely HOT by that point, and I wasn't sure how the kids would do, but they persevered. Maybe it was the giant bags of cotton candy that they ate...10 minutes after Alden was "so full" and could not possibly eat the rest of her sandwich.Don't get the wrong idea. He's not offering to share it with you. Just try to take some of the cotton candy out of his bag.We saw the giraffes...And the elephants.They weren't really that big...as Matt so kindly demonstrates.And we were starting to melt down a little bit here...but, you can't pass up a photo op on the little bronze elephant baby.Bebe and Pop pop check out the ostriches.And, I have to include this picture of some old helicopter. This was one of Matt's favorite parts, and darn those elementary school kids who were climbing all over it and not letting him have a turn in the cockpit.Sitting in the ostrich egg.We must have watched the baboons for 10 minutes. There is a lot of drama going on with them."Hello, little girl...this is what it looks like to have nursed lots of baby baboons."Finally, we made it to the final destination. The carousel. I think they each rode three times. It is a really cool carousel, with all kinds of animals."Hi, Bebe and Pop pop!"And we took in the Dora and Diego 4D adventure a couple times. I wasn't sure what Hudson would think but he just kicked back with his glasses on and loved it.After that, we stood in line for the bus/tram to take us back to the entrance. Alden HAD to ride the tram (she thought it was a train), so Bebe and I waited an extra few minutes with her, while everyone else piled on the shuttle bus. It was her birthday, after all.

The kids crashed in the car before we were out of the parking lot and slept almost all the way home. Matt had to work that night, and boy, was he lucky he did. I think at one point, both kids were crying for about 30 minutes straight. AHHHH! But, I know they were exhausted. We paid for it on Saturday, too, with a lot more whining and crying. Still, it was worth it. It did make me think that we need a few more years under our belt if we are going to try Disney. One day at the zoo was plenty.

Another Big Step

Not only was today a big day for Alden, with the whole turning 4 and all, but Hudson is now sleeping in a big boy bed! We had taken down my old pencil post bed that was in his room this past weekend, since it would have been too high for him to sleep in, and put the mattresses on a lower frame. I have been a little hesitant about moving him...not knowing if he would sleep, not knowing if I would sleep because of that, and also just because he is our last baby. It is a little bit sad to be packing the crib away...and the crib bedding because I like it so much.

Matt knew about all my reservations and stall tactics, so while I was gone this morning, he snuck and dismantled the crib so at naptime today, we didn't have a choice. ( I think he also knew that he wouldn't be here for nap or bedtime to have to deal with the consequences...very sneaky) Anyways, Hudson hopped up in bed like a pro, and was out at naptime in under 10 minutes.

Bedtime tonight was a little bit more complicated. I had to bring him some water, and then I decided he should have a night light, but after taking care of those little things, he crashed. Yay! I think for both the kids, having passys has helped with the crib-to-bed transition. They would follow their passys off a cliff.

I know, I know, I could have kept him in the crib for another year even...he wasn't climbing out or anything...but, we are going to the beach in a week and a half, and it was either big bed or pack-and-play, and I just can't torture him and make him sleep in the pack-and-play...I mean, I wouldn't want to sleep on one of those mattresses. And, when we go to Ohio later this summer, he was going to be in a big bed then. Listen to me trying to justify this. I am still a little bit sad that my baby girl is 4 and that my baby boy is out of his crib.(This picture is from February...and yes, he is standing on Alden)

Four Years Old!

I can't believe that Alden is 4 years old today. Four seems so grown-up. So much more than three. She is definitely not a toddler anymore. She is so tall and talkative and bright and snarky and fun and wild. I never could have imagined how she would turn out when I was holding this little 6 pound baby.We have seen a lot of changes for our family in the past four years, and her presence was very much a catalyst for all of it to take place. I am so thankful for her and can't believe that God has entrusted us to parent her. Isn't she just precious?Overall our day was pretty chill. Last Friday, we had gone to the zoo, which was the big deal for her birthday. There is a blog post coming on that...Matt had the kids this morning while I had a riding lesson, and then after naps, he and Alden went to her swim lesson, and Hudson and I ran errands and picked up her birthday cake.

From what Matt said, Alden was very enthusiastic about swim lessons, and was telling everyone that she was 4 today. They even moved her up to a different class.

We had a quick dinner with Bebe, Pop pop, and Amber since Amber and Matt had to be at work at seven. Alden ate maybe a chicken nugget and maybe a strawberry. They liked the blowers.

We did birthday cake, and opened presents. Alden made out like a bandit, and was very excited about her "Belle dress- a big one", as she would say, and some other princess-y things. I even broke down and bought her a couple of princess bathing suits...this is a big step for me. I don't believe in cartoon characters on clothes kids were in public. They are fine for pjs...and I guess now for bathing suits. She was thrilled, and I guess that makes it worth it.

By far, the best entertainment of the evening was provided by the cardboard box full of packing peanuts that came with the gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. Hudson sat in them and shoveled them for a while, and then the kids were making it "snow"...crumbling up the peanuts all over themselves and all over Bebe and Pop pop's floor.
We painted toenails and fingernails with Alden's new nail polish.


Miscellaneous pics... Bebe and HudsonEven on her birthday, Alden does not want her picture taken.Pop pop helped Alden put together the Play-Doh ice cream shop. (I think he was as interested in it as she was)