This month is birthday/anniversary month for us. Between family and close friends there are about 15 different days in July with someone to celebrate. My birthday is the 15th and Brooke's birthday is the 12th. We always love to celebrate our birthdays together with our family and this year was no different.
We went to one our favorite places the Spaghetti Factory! Then later we had a pool night at my mom's house (unfortunately I didn't take any pictures that night).
Hudson and his Pappaw (my dad)
The next day Hudson and I went to surprise Amy at a party Chris threw for her at BJ's pizza. It was fun to see her embarrassed face as we (or Josh) yelled "surprise".
(yes, Hudson did wear the same hat 2 nights in a row... but I couldn't resist)
Amy (and Logan) with me and Hudson. Only 14 more weeks until we get to meet Logan!!!
We just got back from a trip out to Ohio to visit Travis' family. We had such a great time being there and just hanging out. During our visit we were also able to spend time with some of our best friends the Mayne family and the Nunez family... and we got to meet the new additions to their families.
Hudson did great on the airplane and didn't even cry during any of the flights!
He got to meet his Aunt Amy for the first time!
He rode on a lawn mower with dad (definitely something he wouldn't experience here in San Clemente).
Dressed and ready for his first day at the pool. We met up with Hillary, Savannah, Natalie, and Annabelle! Hudson really didn't care much for the cold water.
Hudson and little Savannah in their pj's ready for bed.
We went to the zoo... below you can see Travis was trying to look as "tourist-y" as possible.
Travis and Allan have been friends since high school and they were in the "oh so famous" band RidgeRoad. We still hear about fans of RidgeRoad back in Ohio. They have been friends through so much and now they are dads together. It works out nicely that I really LOVE Hillary too! We always enjoy our time with them.
Grandma and Hudson:
The Collins Fam (minus Chad and Brandon.. oh and Gunner)
We also went to downtown Cincinnati to Findlay Market for some amazing authentic Belgian Waffles!!! They were de-li-cious!
Then to church where Hudson met several family friends.
I can't handle how cute he is in his flip flops;)
And finally a walk on the bike trail with a stop at the snow cone shop.
I love the picture below of Hudson and his Grandpa. Such a sweet moment captured on film.
And then back to California!
Thanks Todd, Debbie and Amy for such a great trip. We can't wait to see you guys again!
The 4th of July could possibly be my favorite holiday... even beating out Christmas. This year we celebrated with friends and family on the beaches of San Clemente. Some of our best friends from church live in a community that has access to a private section of the San Clemente shores. They were so gracious and allowed all of us to set up camp there in order to avoid the massive crowds everywhere else.
Below is the crew:
We enjoyed playing a few games, talking a lot, swimming a little, and looking for dogs a lot. Dogs you say? Yes, dogs. You see we are a dog loving group. Between us we have 2 golden retrievers and 2 bernese mountain dogs. The plan was to allow the dogs to have a party of their own in our back yard while we enjoyed the beach. We were then going to retrieve them during the fireworks to avoid any of them freaking out. Well, my mom was the last to arrive and was just dropping off the 4th dog at our house before she met us at the beach. Long story short... the gate was open and they were gone.
You may wonder how could such an awful thing happen on such a momentous holiday. Some may say Augie, the strong one, pulled the gate open. Others may say some "not so friendly" neighbors let them out. You can decide... as for me... I am going to keep a better eye on those dog hater neighbors of mine;)
Anyway, our dog, Gunner, probably led the way. I imagine him saying, "guys this is our chance...run this way... there is water... and birds... must. run. fast..." Well, his plan failed for him and his friend Bailey. Two different groups of people celebrating at 2 different houses down the street stopped them and held them captive. However, Augie ran the opposite direction and found himself about a mile away on the other side of a busy street enjoying the tennis courts and other amenities the boys and girls club offers. After hours of driving around and meeting several friendly neighbors, all 3 dogs where found!
We finished our day with a BBQ on the beach and we all enjoyed a beautiful fireworks show. This was Hudson's first full day on the beach and his first fireworks show. It was a lot of fun to have him with us this year and I can't wait for future 4th of July adventures we will have with him.
Below is a picture of Hudson hanging out with his grandma:
Hudson: "mom, you are squeezing my face"
The 3 of us at the end of the day pretending like we were warm as the sun was beginning to set. Hudson was focusing on the funny hat in his eyes.
And just a cute video of Hudson showing off his muscles:
