Family Vacation

We recently got back from our first real family vacation to Long Beach, WA. We had a FANTASTIC time. It was so great to have fun in a new environment and just enjoy each other.

Highlighights:

-Our great hotel on the beach. Totally loved it - Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort.

-Watching Ethan and Eric fly their kites.

-Watching Ethan and Bailey run from the waves and tide.

-Going to the arcade...three times. Life with boys.

-Running in to my cousin Steve and his new wife. Small world.

-Going out to eat -twice! Okay, we NEVER go out to eat, so this was a big deal for us.

-Going to the North Head Lighthouse. It was beautiful.

-Going on the Tilt-A-Whirl with Ethan (or, the jellyfish thing (???) as Ethan calls it...totally worth the $6 it cost). And the Carousel too.

-Making smores on the beach and watching the kids play around. That was my very favorite part.

-Going to the community bonfire

-Driving on the beach

-Walking through all the little shops

-Go-karts

And some lowlights (because there is no such thing as the perfect family vacation, right?)

-Hudson REFUSING to sleep in a non-familiar place. I had to take him on a drive at 2:30 in the morning!!! And then of course, he wakes up right when we get back to the hotel. I got virtually NO sleep the entire trip.

-Attack of the diarrhea

-Trying to enjoy the Cranberry Museum but Ethan was running around like a wild hog. We left after like 10 minutes due to the unsavory expressions of..everyone..else in the museum.

-My I-Pod is wrecked. Unsalvageably wrecked.

-We didn't get to go in the pool due to Ethan's arm bandage. And I didn't get to go in the hot tub because of the 9 million other people in it.

-We missed the big Sandsations event the last day because....well....we were just all ready to go home at that point.

-All four of us were in the grumpiest moods ever on our way home. Long car rides in a cramped little Corolla with a dog is just no one's idea of fun.

All in all, it was so great. I love traveling - even if it's only 5 hours from home. But, I also love coming home too.

Hudson Turns One

Our little guy, about a year ago...
Just starting to smile...
Naptime with brother...Learning to drink coffee...(just kidding, I forgot a bottle on our train adventure)

Happy first Christmas baby...
Sitting up...

Fun at Golden Gardens in March...Future athlete?

Playing, playing, playing...Mother's Day at the beach...

At the Strawberry Festival last month...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUDSON!!! My sweet huddlebug turned ONE on June 29. What a precious, precious boy he is. There is so much to love about this guy. First of all, he is just the cutest thing there ever was. He has huge, big blue eyes, the chubbiest of cheeks, and a whole mess of thick, wavy hair. It started out jet black, and now it is light brown, almost blonde. His smile just melts your heart. He also is a sweet guy. He's happy and curious, content, and cuddly. His first 5 months or so were really, really challenging, but he has more than made up for it with his sweet disposition. He is fully walking now, with the funniest bow legs, like a little penguin. He is completely fascinated with his big brother and loves our animals. He's pointing at things a lot these days and talking the funniest nonsense. I love his babbles. I love our early mornings together, just him and I. What a beautiful blessing he is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING.

A boy and his trains

Anyone who knows Ethan knows that he loves trains. He can tell you the difference between a diesel engine and a steam engine and between a flat car and tank car (and everything in between). A few days ago we went to "A Day Out with Thomas" at the Snoqualmie Railway Museum and had a great time. We got to ride on a Thomas train, get Thomas tattoos, play in a bouncy house, play with Thomas trains, eat ice cream, etc. Since I haven't posted in a long time, here are some other Ethan train pics over the past 9 months.

At Halloween, we made him a Thomas the Train costume. It was wearable and made out of cardboard. He just loved it, although it was a bit difficult to walk in. Now it is hanging up in his room, looking down over his train table.
Trick or treat! Ethan wearing his costume.Around Christmas time, we took the boys on a Santa Train ride up in Acme. They had an old steam engine (see below) that we toured and we went on a train ride to a beautiful waterfall. Santa was on the train and we all sang Christmas carols.Eric, Ethan, and Hudson on the Thomas train. Have you noticed the conductor cap that Ethan wears so often?The cutest picture ever of the boys in front of Thomas. It will be interesting to see whether Hudson follows in his brothers footsteps.Oh boy, what a day. Ethan fell asleep in the car readily.....with his new Thomas blanket on of course!