A post about nothing really...

Yes that's Bosco sitting on a stool...trying his hardest not to just jump on Hudson and steal the coveted Goldfish crackers

Having a moment with Bert

Our Twins

(The last shot makes me pee my pants every time I watch it)

Our little Stinker Skunk

Our little Skunk in action

His backside was just as cute as his frontside

The Skunk, the Witch, and the Pumpkin

Dad holding a real little Stinker (really...the Stinker had the meltdown of all meltdowns minutes before trick or treating)

Getting the pumpkins ready

He stared in amazement as his buddies came to life as I painted them...if he didn't think his mom was cool before...he does now!

It was a fun fun night! Hudson LOVED trick-or-treating...maybe a little too much, as he started eagerly grabbing handfuls of candy from people who just held out their bowls to him. Our actual street was very slow with kids...but a neighbouring street was busy with trick-or-treaters. We all had a blast, we all ate some good junk, and we all are pretty pooped from the action.

lots of room!

It's a good thing I don't have bigger boobs because there wouldn't be enough room for all of these things that Hudson repeatedly stuffs down my shirt...

P.S. I never would have imagined how many inappropriate Bert and Ernie videos exist on YouTube! Poor Hudson's innocent eyes.

Fun weekend

Nanny and Bob came for a visit.

Then we visited Halmoni and Hadaboji.

The Gang.

It was a weekend filled with Hudson's favorite people.

And we came home to this. Which to some people would be a downer. But to us (Me, Rob, Hudson, and Bosco) we were excited. Our first snow of the season.

Stupid Pet Tricks

Things kids have to do to amuse their parents...

Hudson's 1st Embarrassing Moment

I guess it was bound to happen. All parents embarrass their kids at some point, right? In my defense, I really shouldn't be blamed for this one. The last time we were at the local library, there was a poster for a Halloween Story Time. It said in colorful letters: Halloween Stories will be read. Wear your costume! Hudson loves his costume and will only get to wear it for one night on Halloween, so I figured that this Story time would give him another opportunity to wear it. So, last night...I rushed Hudson through dinner. Cleaned up quickly. Rushed like a maniac and dressed him up, drove to the library, all the while, excitedly telling him of all the other possible costumes that the other kids may be wearing. "Do you think we'll see a ghost? A witch? A pumpkin?"

We get there 5 minutes late. Walk in, all eyes turn toward us, and the storyteller stops the story...

and Hudson is the ONLY ONE wearing a costume. The only one. In a room full of kids. The only other person wearing a costume is the storyteller. And her costume couldn't be more lame. She is wearing a bathrobe and slippers. It doesn't even count as a costume.

Hudson looks shy. Even when everyone gushes about how cute he is.

I'm embarrassed for him. I take it off a few minutes later saying that he'll be too hot indoors in his furry costume. And it's true. It's also true that I want to get it off of him so he doesn't feel dumb.

I second-guess myself that I read the poster wrong. After one story we leave and I reread the poster on our way out. I wasn't wrong. It definitely says "Wear your costume!".

Hudson I know you can't read yet, but I swear that's what the poster said. I swear.

Helper Hudson

Hudson and Bosco helped us rake (and "unrake") some leaves over the weekend. The "help" probably made it take twice as long. But it was also probably twice the fun.

I really really thought I was going to win

We bought a ticket for the "Answer to Cancer" lottery in Ottawa this year. You know the lotteries that give away a fully furnished dream home, car, cash, etc. etc? The draw was yesterday. I purposefully took my shower early, put on a full face of makeup, and got dressed (no p.j.'s all day for me). It was all just in case I won and they came with a camera crew to videotape my reaction to winning the grand prize. I wanted to look pretty winning my million dollar house.

They never came. They never called.

Rob thinks it's funny that I am honest to goodness disappointed.

Pumpkin Patch

Hudson was so amazed by all the pumpkins, he wouldn't stop looking at them for a proper picture.

This one!
Dad, Hudson, and the ever-present Bert and Ernie
Sweet sweet little guy (sometimes)

I don't know if Hudson really gets what Halloween is all about...but seeing as he LOVES pointing out all the neighbourhood pumpkins, LOVES his costume (you'll have to wait and see), and LOVES chocolate and chips, I'm guessing that October 31st will prove to be a very good evening for him!

Scrapbooking 101

"Scrapbooking 101" is something I NEVER EVER would have thought I would have googled. This is just more proof that having a kid really does change you. Anyway, it occurred to me a couple of days ago that I don't have ONE photo album of Hudson. I barely have any real pictures of him at all. They are ALL digital. ALL stored on the computer. Sometimes when I'm bored of the internet, I'll flip through some old picture folders. I always LOVE seeing how much Hudson has grown and changed. It made me realize that seeing pictures on the computer screen isn't as nice as flipping through an actual album. That's when it hit me. I am going to add one more SAHM thing to my list of cooking and cleaning...and SCRAPBOOK!!! (Especially since someone bought me a "ready-made" one when I was pregnant!)

I've overwhelmed. There are hundreds and hundreds of pictures of Hudson scattered all over our computer that I have to browse. There are soooo many different scrapbook page layouts to choose from. I've been inspired by looking at online scrapbook galleries. But how do i start??? I know I want it looking less "babyish" and more "contemporary" (although the ready-made scrapbook I received is VERY "babyish"). If I research this too long, I know that it will never get done. I'll lose my steam before I even get started. I guess i should stop blogging about it, and start scrapbooking.

P.S. Or can I screw the whole scrapbook thing and just give Hudson the link to by blog when he's old enough to read???

Being a mother makes me sound like an angry B_TCH

Is it the Terrible two's? That he's a true Stinker (aka naughty)? Or that I just have no patience? Which is it?!?


"Hudson, wait for mom" (who is walking up the stairs by himself, and KNOWS he isn't allowed to do this on his own)

He ignores me and continues up the stairs.

"Hudson, wait for mom...if you fall down you'll get a really big boo-boo" I say with more authority in my voice.

Still not listening.

"HUDSON WAIT FOR MOMMMM!!!" voice of "devil-psycho-mom-from-hell" is yelling.



This happens often throughout the day lately.



"Hudson be careful"

"Hudson be careful, your head is close to banging the table"

"HUDSON BE CAREFUL, GODDAMMIT!" (Okay I don't say that last word, but it's implied in my voice).



"Hudson hold my hand in the parking lot"

"Hudson hold my hand in the parking lot there are cars coming"

"HUDSON HOLD MY HANDDDD!" I say and grab his wrist and hold on tight even though his body is writhing and anyone within view probably thinks I've just kidnapped this kid who is trying desperately to run away from me.

I swear to God, both Hudson and Bosco don't listen to me unless I sound really really mad. Really really mad.

Not a big hit

A dozen of my homemade banana muffins, strawberry-apple muffins, blueberry muffins, and even carrot muffins don't last more than 12 hours in our house.

The zucchini ones I baked yesterday morning? They're still sitting on the counter.

I just made a cream cheese icing to make them more palatable. I gave one to Hudson...who just licked the icing off and gave the rest to the dog.

At least HE ate it.

I like it here...

We took a long walk around the Ottawa River Parkway today. It was the perfect way to spend an Autumn Sunday afternoon.

Rob and I both agree that our favorite season is Fall. It's not too hot, it's not too cold, and everything glows.

5 Friday Random's

1. Bosco LOVES Hudson's Backyardigans blanket. He lies on it EVERY chance he gets.

2. I honestly think he's the cutest dog I've ever laid eyes on. Short legs and all.

3. Hudson and Bosco FIGHT over the Backyardigans blanket EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Hudson will decide he doesn't want Bosco on his blanket, and start pulling it out from under him with all his might (FYI Bosco is triple Hudson's weight). Eventually Bosco will reluctuntanly get up, and Hudson wins the battle.

4. My parents surprised us with a visit. They treated us to a nice dinner out, and Hudson stuffed his face like he was starving. It probably just reinforced my mother's paranoia that I don't feed my son enough.

5. Hudson cried when they left this morning. I love that he loves them.

you're not the boss of me!

I was barely awake more than 12 minutes this morning when...

- Rob asks me to make him coffee since he was running late for work (again). If he knew he wouldn't get in trouble he'd have added "NOW! NOW WOMAN!"

- Hudson bellows at me to get him "uhhhhsssss" (aka juice), "uhhhhssss" "uhhhhhsssssss!!!" If he knew how to say it, he would be saying "NOW! NOW WOMAN!"

- Bosco starts barking at me to feed him breakfast...quietly at first, then when he sees I'm ignoring him, choosing to continue drinking my coffee, his barks get progressively louder. If I understood DOG, I know he would be saying "NOW! NOW WOMAN!"

When the hell did everyone become the boss of me?!?

Can I Brag?

An example of why I think my kid is a genius...

He lined up all his Sesame Street Characters on the window sill at the front of the house (and yes Susan, he still LOVES these guys...goes to bed with at least two of them every night...1 is always Bert...the other changes).

I jokingly said to Hudson "Oh are they waiting for Dad to come home?"

He thinks about it for a second...then TURNS each one around to FACE OUT THE WINDOW!!! So they can see out the window, and properly wait for dad!!! I'm using exclamation points because I think Hudson's such a smartie pants!

Wood

That is the traditional gift we should be giving each other today...to celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary! I know...I can't believe I was 19 years old when I got married either ;)

"Watch out! Watch out for the pile of poo!" I repeatedly say examining the ground before I take each step.

Rob doesn't seem as surprised as I am that there is poo all over the place. I guess it makes sense considering there are a zillion cows and horses at this "country fair".

My feet feel very naked all of a sudden, in my flip flops. My toes feel uncomfortably close to the poopy piles all over the place.

Rob can't believe I wore flip flops today. I tell him I was seriously going to wear my high heeled platform sandals. For real, they are in the car. I learned my lesson of the day...wear covered, ugly shoes when going to a farm.

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This week has been stressful. It started off in the emergency room and brought an end to something we didn't plan, but something we wanted nevertheless (details I'm not sure I want to share with the Internet). And Sophia had her heart surgery. I feel so bad for my sister for having to deal with that. This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. I'm reminded how much of a miracle having a child is. I am so so lucky to have Hudson. I have hugged him too much and too hard this week. He's enough of a Stinker to pull away from me, showing his annoyance, when I go overboard.

Best Buds

I heard some noise coming from the baby monitor. Was Hudson awake? He didn't call for me, as he normally does when he wakes up from his nap. But I kept hearing a rustling sound. I crept upstairs...and found Hudson cuddling Bosco in bed! I couldn't decide what was cuter...that Bosco had joined Hudson in bed for a nap...or that Hudson awoke and discovered his dog on the bed, and didn't need his mama.

Through a child's eyes...

Dust is pretty.

Hudson was looking up, pointing his finger toward the ceiling, repeating the words "wow! wow!". I was clueless as to what he was mesmerized by, and was going to ignore it, chalking it up to a toddler's imagination...when I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I got down to his level, and looked up as he was doing. Then I saw it too. The afternoon sun was shining in from the window just right, and the dust floating in the air was sparkling like diamonds. It was wow. Kids are kinda cool once in a while.

a place for everything, and everything in it's place

Things I've mysteriously found around the house:

• alphabet fridge magnets in the dishwasher soap dispenser



• our oven mitts in the garbage



• a diaper floating in the toilet



• 5 full toilet paper rolls under the dining room table



• Bosco's knawed bone in the trunk of Hudson's ride-on "car"

life with kids = never a spotless house

Hot Air Balloon Festival in Gatineau

Admission Cost: $16/Adult = $32.00
Parking: $6.00
Hamburger + Poutine: $9.00
Chocolate Fondue and Fresh Fruit: $6.00
Cinnamon and Sugar Beaver Tail: $3.85 (supposed to be $4.00, but I was short $0.15...they let it go)
Games (until a prize was won): $6.00
Hudson more interested in playing with the rock he found or playing with our plastic orange wristbands, than watching the balloons: Priceless

It was not a cheap night. Especially since I told Rob it was going to be FREE!!! Seriously, I researched the festival online and was POSITIVE it didn't have an admission fee. I was so sure that, when we were walking into the fairgrounds, and the staff were calling out to us "Get your bracelets here!", waving bright orange wristbands...I politely shock my head and answered "No thanks"! Ha ha ha! It was Rob who finally clued in that they weren't asking, but rather, telling us. I thought the wristbands were for the amusement park part of the fair. So needlesstosay, after driving fourty minutes to get there, and already paying for parking...we were commited to entering. Thank God Rob had cash on him, as there wasn't any other option of paying. Sooooo...it was an expensive night (sorry Rob!)...but we all had fun. It was a great way to end Labour Day Weekend.



The Launch

We didn't see these ones fly...but they were cool!

Playing games
Dad winning a prize
Looking at the rides

End of the night