We have a toy nativity set and Hudson especially loves the camel or what he calls "mamel". He took a nap with his mamel and it just made me smile seeing him like this.
Also, he is all boy. He loves all things mechanical and right now keys are some of his favorite things to play with. We took the lock off a box we didn't need and gave him the lock and keys. He was entertained for hours.
Every time I look at this ornament I can hardly keep from laughing. This was the ornament he made in his class during my Bible study. He does not look happy in the picture that was taken while he was strapped into the "buggy" aka the 6 person stroller. I am sure this epic ornament will bring laughter in our home for years and years to come.
Our favorite time to go to Disneyland is the fall and Christmas seasons. Hudson and I have been a few more times than Travis since we have gone a few times while Trav was at work.
I love how God reminds us of Himself often through the simple things in life. The last few times we have gone, Hudson has gone running for Minnie and Mickey. He hasn't even seen their cartoons and yet, he was still so excited to see them. I set him down and he went running straight in their direction. He didn't notice their was a line of children waiting to see them. He didn't care who was watching him. He had one goal in mind... to get as close as he could to them. I couldn't help, but to think that must have been how it was when Jesus said, " Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these". I hope we run into the arms of God with that same unashamed adoration.
After waiting our turn, Hudson finally had a turn to see Minnie... and what did he do? He gave her a kiss...haha (definitely not the most sanitary thing):
Waiting to watch the Pixar parade:
Heading into Disneyland for a girls day + Hudson day:
Waiting on main street with my mom and sisters to watch the Christmas parade:
We also went one night with just Britt and Taylor:
Since Hudson was a newborn, my sisters have always loved carrying him in my baby carriers :)
My dad has a really big cabin up in Wrightwood and we always love to go up for a couple of days during the holidays. This year we even had snow at Thanksgiving!!! Normally, we have snow by Christmas, but to have snow this early in the year was a big treat. We decided to go sledding, although all of us were ill prepared, so what did we do? Well, first we raided my dad's closet that has snow clothes dating back to the 80s (seriously, he has a few classic gems in that closet) and secondly, we went sledding like city folk do (in clothes that were seriously not meant for sledding). The good thing is the house was only 10 minutes away from the sledding spot we chose, so once we were beyond freezing we headed home for hot apple cider!
Sisters and our boys in "age order" (we used this phrase a lot growing up...ie... let's sit in "age order", let's take a picture in "age order" etc.)
Summer and Bryan:
Travis and I (me sporting a dad beanie):
Taylor and Brittany (with their classic dad hats):
Brooke and Trever (Brooke wearing the ridiculously large dad gloves):
Sisters and Hudson (Hudson layered in pjs and a snow outfit and at this point refusing to wear his beanie):
This next series of pictures is fun. Travis taking Hudson sledding for the first time:
And here is the video. We were all laughing because at this point no one had gone as far down the hill as Travis and Hudson did. They just kept going all the way to the end:
After sledding for the first time, I finally convinced him to leave the beanie on :) After Travis and Hudson went down the hill, Hudson and I went... and we ate it. I guess I don't have quite the same balancing skills as Travis. Hudson didn't seem to mind, although he was not interested in putting his hands in the snow.
Gotta love the hot pink mittens from the dad closet (well really they were probably mine or my sisters back in the 80s... can't imagine my dad wearing these):
Brittany and Taylor hiked up a much steeper hill to sled down... and then they ate it on their way down :)
Covered in snow...haha :)
This is the view out of my dad's front window. This was a few days after it first snowed and it still looked gorgeous!
I love this picture... Hudson sleeping on my dad's chest just like my sisters and I did when we were little:
Breakfast the last morning we were there. Hudson was enamored by the giant moose head hanging on the wall that had a sensor and moved when people would walk by. It made for a great distraction during breakfast:
Sadly, I didn't take many pictures of us just hanging out at home, thus I don't have any pictures of my step mom Kathy who had stayed behind while we went sledding.
We had a wonderful time together. We had delicious food, shared what we were thankful for, had great conversation and just enjoyed sitting by the fire. We can't wait to go back for Christmas!
A couple of weeks ago, Travis and I went back to CBU for the annual Fortuna Bowl. For you non-CBU folks, that is our super bowl for our intramural football games. It was always a fun event to go to as a student and it is now fun to go back to as an alumni. There are always a group of alumni who come back for the game, so it is always a night we look forward to. However, I must say the Fortuna Bowl is on a whole other level thanks to Chris Hof and my brother-in-law Taylor.
College guys always seem to do the funniest things. These guys dressed up as Fortuna. Again for those non-CBU folks... Fortuna is a statue in the center of a fountain on our campus. And she basically looks like these guys below. Ally (one of my favorite college girlfriends) and I with the Fortuna look-a-likes:
It was such a treat to spend time with one of my favorite girls, Miss Gaby:
This picture is for those Vermeer fans... does this remind you of anything?
Because we were going to a football game, Hudson just had to wear his football jersey :)
Travis and I went on a date a couple of weeks ago in Riverside. Being in Riverside made for a really fun date because we were able to go to one of our favorite restaurant that we have been going to since we were dating. We went to this fantastic little hole in the wall Thai restaurant called Table for Two. The atmosphere is great, the food is amazing and we haven't been in years... so it was fun to reminisce about the beginning of our relationship.
Dropping off Hudson with my mom before we headed out:
The soup is just delicious and refreshing:
Then we headed over to CBU to watch Travis' brother perform in the play Man of La Mancha. He is amazing actor and we always love getting to see him perform. Plus, going to the theater to watch a play is sentimental to Trav and I. When we first met in college, Travis played the lead role in The Music Man. I still remember how giddy I would get watching him come out on the stage. So, it is fun for us to get to watch Chad perform on the same stage.
Chad, Christen, Trav and I:
Chad thanks for making us laugh. You always amaze us with your hard work and your talent!
Our annual Oak Glen trip was refreshing and a great time to get away from the busyness of life. As usual, our time consisted of eating a picnic lunch, eating carmel apples, playing flag football or some kind of game, eating pie, relaxing in the sun, picking apples or just buying a bag of them, talking, walking around downtown and just enjoying each other. This year was no different. The weather was perfect. The sun was out, but it was crisp enough that we wore jackets and scarves.
Hudson enjoyed getting to climb trees with his auntie:
He loved getting to run free and climbing the haystacks:
And of course, the petting zoo was a hit:
Hudson fell while running down a hill and was left with a war wound (and you gotta love the residue of a picnic treat... oreos don't keep secrets):
Enjoying a picnic lunch:
Hudson had better things in mind than taking a picture... he wanted to run:
