hudson converses with himself

Hudson is a talking machine these days, however, most of what he says is baby gibberish.

Fallbrook friends

A couple of weeks ago when we were on our way from the vineyards in Temecula, we stopped by to visit with a really good family friend.  They have lots of animals and Hudson was definitely enamored by it all.  Rick and Debbie were so hospitible and opened their home up even though we just called last minute. Fun fact about Rick... he wrote the song "Lord I lift your name on high". 

 

Family Gatherings...

With Brittany and Taylor's trip to Rwanda we didn't get a chance to celebrate their birthdays.  So, we had some of our favorite Rwandans over and the fam for some fun in the pool and a barbeque.  The boys even helped to teach some of the Rwandan guys how to swim!

I guess Hud and Trav were tired :)

Hudson had Gunner's leash and was ready to take him on a walk... although I imagine Gunner would have taken Hudson for a walk 

Georgia Sugar

About a week ago, we had some family in town from Georgia who we haven't seen since my 5th birthday party!  Crazy I know!  It was the most wonderful visit and we all really enjoyed our cousins Mary and Lindsey.  We spent time at the vineyards in Temecula, lunch on the pier in San Clemente, a day at the Oak Glen Ivy spa (which was fabulous!) and had a barbeque with the entire family.  

I just loved hearing all the stories about different family members and about their lives in Georgia.  It is amazing how much we are alike even though we haven't spent much of our life together.  One of the things we learned while they were here was that my great grandpa and great grandma were married at the Mission Inn.  Mary brought the original wedding invitation and she had a hand written copy of a letter my great grandpa wrote to my great grandma of his vows to her.  It was really sentimental to me because the Mission Inn is where Travis and I had one of our first dates and where he proposed to me. 

Here are a few pictures Mary brought us from her last from her last trip to California.  My 5th birthday party... haha:

You can't tell, but my mom was just a few days away from giving birth to my baby sister Brookie. 

Our love for animals began at a very young age:

A few of us outside the vineyard after lunch:

boys and their sticks:

Our last day together after lunch at the Orange circle:

Mary and Lindsey we miss you guys already!  Can't wait until your next visit!

Afternoon at the beach

On Friday, we decided to walk down to the beach to enjoy a little swimming and playing in the sand with Hudson. 

The boys were going to fill up the wagon with water and to our surprise the sand crabs are out right now, so we went back to the water's edge to collect more sand crabs.  Travis was holding Hudson's hand while we were digging when all of a sudden a really big wave came and wiped Hudson off of his feet.  Good thing Travis never let go.  It totally scared me, but Hudson just looked a little shocked and didn't even cry.  He was wet from head to toe and completely covered in sand. 

Hudson totally starring at people playing on the beach:

On our walk back to the house, we ran into some fruit.  Haha...and then we realized they were from the high school ministry team from our church.  They were recording a video for camp that is coming up. 

So, I thought I would take a picture with my favorite fruit of that bunch... green grapes... yum :)

Papa's Birthday

In light of Father's Day, I thought I would post a few pictures of my dad or "papa" as we call him.  Last week also happened to be his birthday, so we went to the classic car show here in downtown San Clemente.  Our day started out with breakfast by the pier.  

It was definitely crowded... you can see the street is filled with people all the way to the top of the hill. 

Apparently, each of these cars are worth over $100,000. I can't fathom ever wanting to spend that much money on a car.  

My dad owned one of these right out of high school. He was definitely way cooler than me because I never purchased such cool cars on my own :)  There were about 20 or 30 cars at the show that my dad had owned in his early years.  It was fun to imagine him as a young guy driving around in the cars he was pointing out. 

Hudson loves his Papa and he loves some chocolate :)

Papa we love you!  You are an amazing father and grandpa.  

Thanks for always sacrificing for us and loving us.  

Sometimes...

...it is easier to turn our heads, but often times that isn't the choice we should make as followers of Christ.

Rage Against the Minivan

Some Collins' boys goodness...

I really love this picture, because it is just a glimpse into the kind of relationship Travis and Hudson have with one another.  Travis truly delights in his son and it is clear Hudson feels safe in his father's arms.  Hudson has learned that his father will never turn him away.  It is a good reminder of our Father in heaven.  It is so humbling to think that our Creator, our Lord takes delight in us.  Wow!  

Thank you Travis for being a reflection of God's love for us.  You are an amazing father and I love being on this adventure with you!  Happy Father's Day Love!

Looks like Hudson is pointing up at Travis and sayin' "you're the man"!

Gotta love the fake cry face:

He has learned to shake his fists in the air as we chant "go go go".  It might be one of the cutest things I have ever seen:

How cute are these little feet in these tiny flip flops?!?!

Saturday morning goodness.  Elmo and a juicy nectarine :)

We start 'em young here in the Collins' home.

I never want to forget how this sweet baby looks as he is fast asleep and I never want to forget how my heart feels as I watch him breathe in and out.  Some blessings never get old.

memorial day fun

On Memorial Day, we celebrated with some our best friends, the Davis family.  We started off by taking a few pictures of their family to document London turning 2!  Then we went to a petting zoo to let the kiddos explore.  It really turned out to be so much fun.  London even took a ride on the horse all by herself.  Hudson just wanted to touch the horse.  He was not interested in riding on it. 

The Davis Family

Hudson checking out the horse:

London looking so grown up.  I am sure her grandparents in Oklahoma would be so proud of her:

Hud bud checkin out the goats with mom near by:

The goats were a little aggressive about eating the food we brought in, so BD took care of it:

Took a train ride which lasted for-ev-er!

Ha... this just makes me laugh.  Natalie looks like she is having a grand time on the train:

Then we headed to the pool and beach for some fun in the sun.  The boys and the babes:

Then down to the beach for a barbeque:

I love the interaction between the two of them:

London doing a good job of feeding herself :)

London's first time on the big girl swing:

And the Hartanov's joined us for some dinner too:

Don't judge London's boy outfit.  Good thing we have clothes from newborn to 2T because we just pulled out some of Hudson's clothes for London.  It was a little chilly as the sun was going down and London didn't have a change of clothes.

By this point, we looked nice and grubby, but it was such a fun day.

Then we enjoyed the sunset and back to the spa to warm up and wash off the sand.  These are my favorite kinds of days.

My step dad served 42 years in the military and we are very thankful for not only his service, but all of our service men and women.  We were definitely mindful of all the sacrifices that are made in order for us to live in a free country.