priceless gifts...

sweet hudson,

our first born

the one because of whom we were first given the names, daddy and mommy

the one who changed our lives forever

who taught us how to love more deeply

and because of whom, we have a greater understanding of the Father's love for us...

you are truly a gift from the Lord.

you are loved.

you are cherished. 

being the first born

there are different burdens you will bear

but we know God has equipped you for what He has called you to. 

your world is about to change

and you are about to receive one of the greatest gifts... 

a sibling

this sibling will be a tool the Lord can use to teach you the world is not about you

to help you learn the importance of sharing

to love through anything

how to forgive

 how to put others before yourself. 

this is just the beginning of all that you can learn...

but, oh the joy you will find in having a best friend who understands you in ways 

others never will

a bond only you two will understand. 

i knew i would love being a mother,

but i never knew how deep my love would be for you.

a son, 

one who brings so much joy into my life. 

you are more than i ever dreamed of. 

hudson, you are your father's son in so many ways.

you have a heritage.

it seems as though you already have a gift for music,

a passion which many cannot understand. 

the bond between you and your father is one of the sweetest things i have ever seen. 

i can only imagine it is a glimpse of our Father's love for His Son. 

and to think this Son was given, so that we might have life. 

we are so undeserving. 

hudson, you truly are loved. 

Lord, thank you for a gift that we are so undeserving of.

he is yours

and we know we are only stewards of him. 

and now our lives are about to change again.

there is so much excitement surrounding the expected arrival of this sweet little one

something sacred about a baby being born

the gift of life

from the only One who gives life

only God knows if this baby is a boy or a girl

only He knows what name shall be given

He has knit you together in my womb,

and with anticipation we wait

 to see you

to hold you

 to know you 

and to continue to love you. 

you have been dreamed of

hoped for

prayed for 

and loved before you have ever even been known. 

The 3 of us...

As the time draws near for our little baby to join our family, I have been extremely emotional and sentimental about this being the last of the 3 of us.  I know the change is going to be for the better and I will look back at this time with a sweet fondness of when we first became parents.  And I know I won't be able to imagine life without this little one that we are waiting on, but still, there is a part of me that is soaking in and cherishing every last sweet moment together. 

As the due date is around the corner and our schedules have been full, I started praying that God would allow us to have one last day together.  Although, we could still have a few more before the baby arrives, at least we had one day where we didn't work and we just enjoyed our family time.  

We spent the morning relaxing at home then Hudson and I napped... which was great!  After naps, we headed out to the pumpkin patch and later to dinner with a gift card at PF Chang's.  It ended up just being one of those days with so many sweet moments together.  Travis and I kept looking at each other talking about how thankful we were for the day and how we were going to remember this day.  

Hudson waiting in line to ride the train:

I have been known to give this look a time or two... and now my son has inherited the ability.  

He was the only kid on the train holding his hands up :)

My sweet boy... 

Here comes another cheesy camera smile... 

He has always loved riding ponies and seeing the joy he had while riding them... was just so sweet to watch:

And the boat ride... Every time he passed the guy working the ride he would smile and wave.  It was really cute:

We were dying laughing watching Hudson "drive" the tractor.  He really didn't do much driving.  He basically held the gas pedal down and let the tractor run into whatever was in it's path.  It was quite entertaining for us, but we felt bad for the guys working the ride:

Travis and Hudson climbing up the slide:

And Hudson coming down the slide by himself.  It was actually really steep and I wasn't sure he would want to do it by himself, but he loved it!  Uncle Brandon stopped by at the end of our time at the pumpkin patch... just in time to see Hudson go down one last time.  Hudson was yelling from the top "Uncle B".  He was so proud of what he was doing. 

Uncle Brandon and Hudson pretending with the ghosts... 

The 3 of us at dinner.  This was the part of the night where I kept stepping back and trying to take it all in.  I kept thinking I want to remember this night.  I want to remember how sweet this time with Hudson is.  Life is about to change, but for now, I am just cherishing how life has been. 

The beginning of October...

For years now, it has been a family tradition for my entire family to get together with some of our closest  friends and spend a day up in Oak Glenn.  Normally, we have a picnic, play flag football or some other sport, eat carmel apples, pick apples, walk around downtown...etc.  However, with the craziness of life we weren't able to all go on the same day.  So, this year we went with just the Hofschroer family.  It was a really fun day and our boys really seemed to have fun together.  

I have to say it is crazy how much it has changed in Oak Glenn.  We went when I was a kid, but in my college years when we would go it was never nearly as crowded as it is now.  But, of course, as more people here about it, the more crowded it has gotten.  Luckily, we went early in the day so we missed a lot of the crowds. 

Chris and Trav:

My bestie and our boys:

the hofs:

Logan and Hudson:

picking apples:

This face Hudson is making kills us... we have no idea where he got the idea to do this cheesy face, but this is what we have been getting from him lately when we take pictures:

Hudson loved the apples!

After we picked apples, we went to grab some lunch with the Hofscroer's and afterwards our boys loved cooling off by playing in the fountain outside:

After returning from Oak Glenn, Travis and I were able to head out for a date night together.  We have been trying to cherish some alone time and some time of reflection on all that God is doing in our lives and the changes that are about to happen as our family goes from 3 to 4.  It was a really sweet night together.  (Also, at this point, I was a day shy of being 38 weeks pregnant):

A few days later, my sister, Summer and her boyfriend, Bryan took Hudson to Sea World for the first time.  Although, we would have loved to join them, I was thankful for the time to get caught up on a little photography work while they had him for the day.  Hudson absolutely loved Sea World and is constantly telling me stories about his day there:

Mr. Cool... 

Watching for the walruses: 

Getting soaked at the shamu show:

Playing with Uncle Bryan:

Feeding fish to the seals: