october photos!

I can't believe October is already over. It's been an eventful month, including Andy and I's first trip without the kids! Three full days in Florida (plus travel time), and it was great. Can't say we'll be doing that again any time soon - a little too far away for me - but it was nice to have time to reconnect with Andy and his friends for PJ's wedding! 

I love being back in Southern California because it's so much easier to connect with some of my great friends! I was able to join Sandra for her birthday party in downtown LA this year (with Mel from SB), and it's so awesome to have Shino and her kids so close by! Hudson and Travis became fast friends, so it makes our get togethers even better when there's another little boy around for him to play rocks, etc. with!

Though most days there is competition, fighting, crying, and learning how to share, there are those moments when peace is among us, and the two are content and happy together. They love being together, and yet sometimes it's the hardest part of their days as well. 

Hudson has wanted to be spiderman for months now. And the costume has been on most days since we bought it a couple weeks ago! Not to be left behind, Stella often gets out the firefighter jacket to play along with dress up!

 We visited the pumpkin patch at Cal Poly Pomona, and it was amazing! There were so many pumpkins it was crazy, and they had some other fun things for the kids as well. You can see they really liked these cut out boards!

 For the first time since i've worked here, we were in town for APU's homecoming! It was cool to walk around campus and see what has changed over the years, and fun to run in to old coworkers and friends!

 Stella is a happy little girl, always copying what big brother does of course. But she loves to carry things, and it's so funny when she wants to carry something that is too heavy for her! Above she's carrying Hudsons snack bag from the club, and I think it was less than a minute later that she gave it back because it was too heavy. The clothes are off in this picture because it was just after bath, and for some reason they both were interested in drawing - i'm not stopping those creative juices because they need underwear! :)

 One of the cool parts about our trip to St. Pete Beach, FL was the number of shells on the beach! They were everywhere!! I took a picture just as we were walking along the water - it was awesome! The sand was also very fine and soft, and pretty white. Since it was the gulf side and fairly protected where we were, there weren't many waves either. That made it fun to dive down for shells out on the sand bars!

 Things were kind of far away from the hotel we stayed at (where the wedding party and reception were), so when we had to go to the wedding we hitched a ride with Andy's friends…only there wasn't really room for all of us. You can imagine what it would be like to be in the back of a car with Andy and two of his friends…not a lot of room! But it was fun - he has some good friends! It was really nice to just have time to hang out with them in such a beautiful setting!

 The crew: Sarah and Dan, Mike and Val (and baby John), Tim and Mary Beth and us!

 These kids…growing up so fast. I'm doing my best to relish each day, do things we enjoy doing together, and appreciate the little things. Yesterday we went to the library and walked over to the local ice cream shop. Hudson ate his, AND stella's ice cream (1/2 of a junior scoop, but still!). He's getting so big. My baby boy!!

Finally found the right costume to go with Hudson for Halloween this year! Last year they were bugs - a spider and a ladybug - this year they're superheroes! 

 Writing, coloring, sticking, connect the dots, shapes, letters and more. These two are so good at using their pens and crayons already! Hudson is making large strides in his writing, and aside from being a normal 4 year old boy who can't sit still or listen for too long, he is amazing. Full of energy, life, love and laughter. And i just realized while i'm writing this that Stella is 21 months today. Wow. We have two toddlers for sure!

The spirit of the seasons is upon us

 Fall has officially arrived, and with it, the activities and traditions we enjoy only this time of year. Though he doesn't fully understand the meaning of it, Halloween seems to be Hudson's favorite holiday. He talks about ghosts, pumpkins, and what he wants to "be" for halloween months before the day arrives. Now that we're here, he is in heaven. We bought his Spiderman costume this week, and it's safe to say he's excited about it. But ask him if he's ever seen a cartoon or if he knows anything about this character…nope. Regardless, he loves the idea of it, and will be a very cute spiderman (underneath the mask).

 Our Stella bean seems to be growing up by the day right now - saying new words, expressing herself more and more clearly, and just doing more "toddler" things all the time. She now loves bubbles in her baths, requests her doggie and blanket whenever we are going anywhere (sometimes even going to the other room), and always makes sure she has her "pop pops" (flip flops) on before leaving the house. She's sometimes so serious in her responses to things you can't help but smile or laugh, which causes her to do the same. She is empathetic, and will cry along with anyone. She's also quick to give a squeeze - complete with grunting noises - if you request a hug. She often plays with my hair, and silently observes all situations before joining in. But she doesn't seem to have the abandonment reactions Hudson has had, which i think shows again that she is more like Andy. :) This little girl loves her brother fiercely though. The older she gets, the more they get to play together, and that is a wonderful thing - until they start fighting. 

 There have been a few days lately where Hudson has been put in time out at school or the club for not listening. Wanting to be sure we pay attention to him and his needs as a four year old always having to share and think about his little sister, Andy took him to breakfast on saturday for some "Hudson time". From what i heard they had a great time together, and I hope this will be something they continue to do together for years to come. 

 There are several pumpkin patches in our area, and we checked one out on Sunday, only to find there were very few pumpkins, and a lot of inflatables. BUT there was this really cool tractor for Hudson to ride!! He did SO well, for having never driven anything with a gas pedal before! He quickly found the reverse lever as well, and was driving that thing like a champ!

 Dress up has continued to grow in popularity around here. stella's favorite is still the firefighter jacket/hat!

The second half of september

 Hudson's class made a project about dinosaurs. 

 These two have discovered the fun they can have together in the "garden" - aka dirt, with a few veggies. Man they get so dirty so quick, but they definitely enjoy it!

 My mom and dad got to visit with old friends they've known for a very long time. Our house was perfect for hosting them too, so it worked out well!

 These days Lego is always up in the mix, and is always having her space invaded. I don't think she minds...

 The last weekend in September we went to Abbie's place in San Diego to visit her and Mark and see their new house. We also got to go paddle boarding for the first time! It was so fun! And of course the kids were happy because we were with family AND on the beach. Even though I had a cold, it was still a good time!

 There are lots of cool parks in our area, and now that Stella is a little older they seem to enjoy their time together more at these kinds of places. Stella is certainly more of a dare devil that Hudson, so she keeps up with him pretty darn well!

 After most trips to the park, like time out in the "garden", the kids are a mess. So what do we do? Strip down, and turn on the hose of course. Or throw them in the bath - both of which they love!

 My good friend Chiraphone was visiting from Cambodia so it's been a blast to see her and catch up again! 

 Hudson had photo day at school, and i nabbed a few shots at home beforehand. I LOVE this one of stella photo bombing!! So hilarious. Of course i love all these pictures, which is why i put them on my blog. :)

 Stella is totally a left handed kid! 

We have great neighbors who have given us permission to use their pool anytime…and we do!! it's so nice on these warm days to have this option to cool down and be outside!