Hudson - 10/31/2017

Hudson ate whole wheat bagel and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch he ate shrimp, bites of brown rice, most of stir fry vegetables, and maybe a bite or two of raspberries.  When Avi saw that Hudson didn't want his raspberries she immediately said "want Bubba's berries."  Nora picked up on what Avi had just said and she started pointing and yelling for Bubba's berries too!!  Ha! Cracked me up!  (They both got a few of them!)

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  This age group is so "monkey see, monkey do!"  One will start playing with a particular toy, they all want to play with the same toy.  I can't remember who was on the floor first, but obviously they ALL ended up on the floor!  And more or less all pointed in the same direction!  (This never lasts very long so I have to be quick with the camera!!)

Also from yesterday afternoon after Hudson was up from his nap and I hadn't even put his big boy underwear back on him yet he said (while grabbing his butt), "My butt cheeks think I have to poop!"  Ha ha!  (And he went in and pooped!)  When we went outside one of the neighbors was using a leaf blower (and then another neighbor started using his leaf blower too) and Hudson said, "When I grow up I'm gonna blow leaves."  :)  One more funny thing he said (from this morning) - Hudson and Avilene were playing on the couch and Hudson asked her; "You wanna smell my head or my face!?!"  What a goof!

Here are some pictures from this morning; waving at Daddy Ryan, pushing Nora in the swivel/rocker chair, and trying to get Atley to peek through the top hole!!  She knew it was irritating him and she was sure teasing him; and she wasn't about to move to the upper hole!  :)

Hudson - 10/30/2017

Hudson ate bran cereal and a couple of raisins for breakfast.  For lunch he ate some of the chicken salad; ate the chicken, olives, bite of peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  He ate his pita bread, and his pears.

Atley was surrounded by books this morning and she was reading/singing LOUDLY!!  (This is a common occurrence - her singing LOUD!!)  Hudson recognized the tune she was singing and he started singing the words to the song, "Baa Baa Black Sheep!"  Ha!!  It was pretty cute.

It is a big day for Atley to transition to the Nap Mat so we all went on a "field trip" to the living room where I had all their mats laid out so everyone could see where Atley is now sleeping!  :)  I've been prepping her for a few days and the other kids get excited about it as well.  "Atley sleep on Nap Mat?!?!"  I asked the kids; "Who is going to sleep on a nap mat for the first time today?"  Hudson said, "Ba-nay!"  Ha!  No, it's not Baby "La-nay-ah."  Avi said, "Ba-La-nay!?"  :)  Last week I told Hudson it's "La" like in "Lauralea."  (Telling him the Baby's name starts with the "L" sound.)  So he said; "Lauralea Ba-nay!??"  Cracked me up!!

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and the kids were exited and busy just like they always are on Toy Exchange Monday!!  :)  Here are some pictures from Hudson's morning:  This tractor has a light on it and Hudson was getting a close-up look!  In the 2nd picture I asked Hudson what he was putting on the barbecue and he said, "Some chicken and some meat."  :)   (The "meat" is a steak under the piece of chicken on the right.)  And the last picture; Hudson was building a good ladder with the legos pieces.  These originally were used as part of a corral fence, but the kids now use them like he is doing in the picture.

Hudson - 10/27/2017

Hudson had bites of malt-o-meal cereal and dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch he ate the meat from the baked beef kabobs; bites of zucchini, bites of peppers, and no mushrooms.  He ate bites of brown rice, and ate all his pineapple.  At the lunch table Hudson asked about the new Baby;
"Is Ba-nay coming RIGHT NOW Gary!?!"  No, La-nay-ah is not coming until November 13th.  :)

This first picture is just left over from yesterday afternoon when we were doing some sidewalk chalk outside!

Hudson said, "I wanna build a sidewalk."  Which really means; "I'll help YOU build a sidewalk Gary."  So he and Atley brought me blocks and we built our sidewalk!  (See picture below!)  Atley Loves to be involved in all the projects like that as well. Speaking of Atley she and Avi were playing on the mattress.  Atley kept raising her shirt and Avi was bopping her on the belly!  And they were having a grand time with lots of laughter!  Hudson said, "Look at those guys!  They're playing with each other!"  He made it sound like it never happens!!  :)

Hudson had ALL the dress-up clothes and ALL the doll blankets in a pile.  (I took this next picture before he piled on the blankets too!)  Nora and Atley both tried to play with some, but Hudson was on some kind of a mission and a fight broke out.  :)  So why do you want ALL the clothes and All the blankets Hudson!?  His answer; "I'm doing Laundry!"  LOL!  That totally hit my funny bone!  (The two girls did not see the humor!  Ha!)  He's the only person I know who likes to Mow the Lawn AND do Laundry!  What a goof!!  :)

Hudson and Avilene were running back-n-forth across the room yelling and saying things like; "help, help, help...help Mommy, help Daddy, help Gary, help, help."  (Hudson was doing the majority of the talking, but Avi was chiming in now and then!)  I was watching and finally had to ask; "What are you guys doing!?"  Hudson said, "We're playing Danger!"  Ha!  New one for me!  I love it that he can verbalize things like that because it's pretty fascinating sometimes to hear what they're doing and thinking!!  :)

Hudson - 10/26/2017

Hudson ate bites of breakfast: waffle and fruit salad.  For lunch he ate "shepard's pie:" hamburger, potatoes, green beans, and carrots.  He ate whole grain tortillas and One cherry.  He said, "I don't like cherries."  But he gave it a good bite and got a good taste.  He was more than willing to give the rest of his cherries to Nora.  :)  Earlier he'd examined the cherry and made an observation; "Gary!  There's a hole in the cherry!"  Yes, we took the seeds out before we froze them.  You're welcome!  :)

Hudson and Atley had already taken off their socks - Atley sits down and takes her's off every morning before she even comes into the play room!  Hudson had taken his off 30 minutes earlier and put them in his cubby.  I saw Avi's socks on the changing table and I asked, "who put their socks on the changing table?"  :)  Hudson said, "We did; because we don't want them!!"  LOL!!  As everyone knows by now I guess he's probably the spokesperson for the group!!

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon when Kenzie and Riley were having "school"  and Nora and Hudson were their chosen students.  :)  The paper in the picture was Nora's paper with her name and date at the top, numbers and equations are next, and then a note of congratulations from the teacher!  The note says "Good Job Nora!  You rock!"  Haha!  They also did one for Hudson.  Here's a cute side note: The note from the "teacher" had a "d" in the word "job" instead of a "b."  Ha!

This morning we read lots of books, sang songs, the kids played behind the wall that Kenzie and Riley built yesterday (see picture below), and we did some Art.  I said they could use their hands and fingers for painting if they'd like.  Hudson wanted a paint brush.  Ha!  In the last picture Hudson's art piece is upper left.

Hudson - 10/25/2017

Hudson ate most of his breakfast: french toast and strawberries.  For lunch he ate half of his salmon loaf, ate dinner roll, half of squash, and ate tropical fruit.  At breakfast he started chanting my name; "Gary Gary Gary..."  Hi Bubba.  "Hey Gary, can we talk to you?!?"  (Sometimes his questions crack me up!  He always asks Emily, Nora's Mom; "Can I watch you drive away?")  Yes, of course you can talk to me Bubba.  "Gary Gary Gary....uhhhh, what are you doing Gary!?!"  Just listening to you chatter Bubba!  (I included this in everyone's Blog because all the families get a kick out his talking.)

This is the first thing Hudson did when he arrived.  (You can see in the picture he still has his hood over his head.)  He built this and was pushing it around.  What are you doing Bubba?  He said, "I mowing the lawn."  :)  It'll be interesting to see if he likes mowing the lawn when he gets older!  Ha! He's slightly obsessed with it at this stage in his life!!  :)

I had a Physical Therapy appointment early this morning and I parked the car in front of the window. The kids were at the window when Lauralea was leaving and it was so cute because Nora started blowing her kisses.  Then as Lauralea was leaving she honked the horn and Hudson (again) said, "She honked the horn; that's how she says bye!!"  As Lauralea was driving off Avilene said, "She gone." Atley is just happy to wave at ANYONE out the window!!  And She really doesn't care if they are waving back at her or not!!  :)

In the last picture Hudson and Nora had fun with the draw & erase board at Art time.  All four of the kids played with them, but Hudson and Nora played with them far longer than the other two kids.

Hudson - 10/24/2017

Hudson ate half of toasted whole wheat english muffin and ate two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch he ate pork chop, whole wheat toast, sweet potatoes, most of beets, and ate applesauce.

First, here's a correction from yesterday's Blog for everyone.  I'm sure most of you assumed this, but I confirmed with Linnea's (our new Baby coming in November) Mom that that the "n" sound is NOT an "m" sound!  Ha!  So it's pronounced; "La-nay-ah."  :)  It was obviously a typo!

Nora's Daddy Ryan went flying by the window while the kids were waiting to wave.  HOWEVER, he came back!!  Ha!  Hudson was thrilled!  "He came back!  He came back!!"  Nice job of coming back Daddy Ryan!!

Here are a couple pictures from this morning.  Hudson was building with the legos; "Hey Gary, look what I build!"  I LOVE how much you like building Hudson.  The second picture; "Hey Gary! I'm hiding!"  :)  We also read lots of stories, sang songs, did some sign language, and waved at the mail carrier.  Hudson knows all of the signs we do and he can tell you all of the color signs.  He may not point to the correct color, BUT he knows the signs!  Haha!!

I love this next picture of Hudson talking on the phone!!  He was in the middle of a serious conversation with Tutu.  He said, "Hi Tutu.  I'm just playing at Gary's house.  And you can pick me up if you want."  Isn't that the sweetest?  Awww.  In the last picture Avi was giving Hudson rides in the swivel/rocker chair.  That chair has provided them with lots of entertainment.

Hudson - 10/23/2017

Hudson ate whole grain cereal and peaches for breakfast.  For lunch he ate half of hamburger meat, ate hamburger bun, no tomatoes, no mushrooms, no lettuce, ate two servings of avocados, and no oranges.  At breakfast time I asked Hudson if his Daddy cheered for the Denver Broncos.  He said, "No, he goes golfing."  Ha!  So cute.

At 8:30 this morning I was putting some pictures in the computer and Hudson asked me, "Are you doing our Blogs?!"  "No, not yet.  :)  He said, "What are you waiting for?"  Oh man that hit my funny bone and I laughed so hard!!!!!!!  I told him I was waiting for him to do something so I'd have something to write in his Blog!!  :)

Several of you have asked about the new Baby and when she starts so here's an update!!  Her Name is  spelled Linnea and is pronounced "la-may-ah."  Full name is Linnea Ann Goe-Midtlyng.  (Mommy's last name plus Daddy's last name.)  So far Hudson has called her "Ba-na-ah."  And then "La-ba-na-ah!"  Haha.   For pronunciation # 3 he asked, "Am I gonna hang out with La-ba-na?"  She was born in July and will start November 13th which happens to be the day Avilene Nelson turns 2!  (Which opens up an Infant spot.)  I'm super excited for this addition to our Little Treasures Family and the kids and I will have lots of fun getting acquainted with "La-may-ah!!"  :)

Atley was banging on the window before Hudson's Dad came into sight and as usual Hudson was yelling, "He's not here yet!  He's not here yet!!'  The daily occurrence!!  And the exact same for Nora's Dad, and Avi's Mom!  :)

Here are some pictures from this morning's activities;  Hudson, Atley and I (mostly I - ha!) had fun building this sidewalk - however in fairness to my helpers  - Hudson and Atley did bring me several blocks!!  Also Hudson was the one who requested the sidewalk.  Then in the last picture Hudson started doing what Avi was doing; walking around with a doll blanket over her head.  And this is where Hudson ended up when he did it!  Haha!!

Hudson - 10/20/2017

Hudson ate oatmeal and dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch he ate everything as well; tilapia, whole wheat elbow noodles, green beans, and two servings of applesauce.

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Hudson was pulling Avi and Nora in the wagon and Avi was working real hard to keep her feet out of Nora's space.  Thank you Avi, that is very sweet.  And it keeps Nora from yelling at you!  Ha!!  Thank you Hudson for working hard to pull them around.  You can see he's really leaning into it!

The second picture is also from yesterday afternoon.  Hudson and Avi got out this teeter-totter and immediately started playing a game they haven't done for at least three months.  They were taking turns diving off the side onto the ground and laughing like crazy!  Silly kids!

In this next picture Nora was the one who initiated a hug from Hudson.  I told him that Nora wanted a hug and he's usually more than willing to hug a friend.  Thank you Bubba.  Atley saw this and then she got a hug too!  In the last picture we'd just finished building a "sidewalk" and the kids were having fun playing on it.

Hudson - 10/19/2017

Hudson ate bites of whole wheat bagel and two servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch he ate hamburger and sausage pizza, whole wheat crust, with tomato sauce, olives, peppers, and mushrooms, and two large servings of pineapple.

Hudson was making me laugh this morning!  I asked, Where did your Mom and Dad go last night? He said, "Go to the concert."  So I asked him who stayed with him; "Was it a Man or a Woman?"  He said, "A Man."  Oh, what was his name?  Hudson said, "Peter Pumpkin eater."  Haha!  Then he added; "He put me to bed."  Isn't that funny?  So I tried to get him to re-tell that tale to Avi's Daddy, Andy, but he'd changed his story by that time!  :)

Hudson was building with the big blocks again!  It's safe to say that this is one of his favorite activities!  Right before I took the next picture of Bubba "petting" Nora he had asked, "Gary, can I play with Nora?" Sure, as long as she likes it!  So do you think she likes you petting her?  "Yes."  Oh, well her yelling is telling me something different!  :)

We did some "golf ball art" and Hudson was loving it!  What's golf ball art someone may ask?  :)  (I know most of you know this, but just in case...)  I put about 9 different colors of paint on the paper, put 4 golf balls in there, put on the lid, and hand it to the kids.  They make the balls roll all over and it's actually quite pretty with all the golf ball tracks!  :) We've tried it without the lid and that was crazy!  :)  And we used to do it with just one ball, but that took too long with everyone sitting around waiting for their turn!  Look at Hudson's mouth; you can see he's working hard and really concentrating on his project!

Hudson - 10/18/2017

Hudson ate half of whole wheat toast and ate two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch he ate pork roast, half of whole grain tortillas, ate sweet potatoes, bite of carrots, and half of fruit salad.  At breakfast, Hudson was trying to tell Avilene something - I couldn't understand what he was saying - but when he's trying to make a point and no one understands he frequently uses the other kid's last name!  He said, "Avi Nelson, did you hear my words!?!"  haha!  (I understood that part!!)

Hudson was done with breakfast first and already playing when Avi was done and when she entered the play room Hudson said, "Gary, we're gonna be nice friends!"  (They've been hearing me frequently encouraging them to be gentle and sweet to each other!!)  Ohhh, thank you Bubba, that was very sweet!!  Well that lasted for at least 1.75 minutes!!  They were fighting over 2 of the large legos blocks.  Ok people, maybe you haven't noticed, but I have lots of blocks just for occasions such as this!!

I've been working with Hudson when I'm helping him get his shorts and pants back on to "watch your feet" so he knows where to insert them into his shorts and pants.  Otherwise he's just staring off in some other direction.  I want him to be involved in the process and not just doing it for him!!  I like how verbal he is because he lets me know that he's "getting" what I'm trying to show him.  Yesterday as we were preparing to go outside he said, "Gary, I'm watching my feet."  (While I was helping him put on his socks and shoes.)  Thank you Hudson!

Here's a picture of just one of our many "special" books.  I'm sure I've explained this before, but the special books are ones that are stored in a high book rack that I frequently read at Story Time - along with books from the toy sets.  I love "testing" Hudson's recall (and the other children as well) to see what he remembers.  We probably haven't read the story below for 3 weeks and today I asked; "What is this book about?"  Hudson said, "No matter what."  Whoa!  :)  There are over 90 special books and I basically read them in order!!

Hudson - 10/17/2017

Hudson ate half of his breakfast: toasted whole wheat english muffin and dried plums.  For lunch he ate chicken, half of brown rice, ate stir fry vegetables, and most of his oranges.  Hudson made an observation at lunch;  "Hey Gary! Nora is eating by herself!!"  Yes, isn't that cool!? And she has been for a few months now!  :)  I've mentioned this before, but this is SO typical of this age group!  They can see it everyday, but all of a sudden one day they REALLY see it!  I've especially seen this when one of them start walking; "Hey Gary!  Nora is walking!"  Yes, isn't that cool!?  And she has been for a few months now!  :)

Hudson was working with the little legos and said, "Hey Gary, I'm building over here."  Yes you are Hudson and you do an awesome job with your building.  In the second picture he'd moved on the large lego building blocks.  He was working hard and then told me; "You can't see me in here!"  Well I can see just the top of your head, EXCEPT with the help of the mirror I see lots more!!  :)

In this next picture Atley was giving Avi and Hudson a ride in the swivel/rocker chair!  Hudson was exhorting her to increase the speed!  "Go fast Atley, go fast!!"  "Go Atley go!!"  She just kept going the same slow speed and kept grinning at him!  Haha!  I guess he thought maybe using her last name would help!  "Go Atley Condra, go!!"  Avi just sat and looked at him.  :)

We had fun singing songs and doing some sign language.  Hudson totally impressed me how well he remembers the majority of the signs we do.  Well done Bubba!  We also did our "Hickity Pickity" song and then I asked Avi what her favorite song is so we could sing it.  She started expounding about something and I had no idea what she was saying.  So I asked Hudson; "Did you understand what she said?"  Bubba said, "No, I did not."  Haha!

Hudson - 10/16/2017

Hudson ate bites of breakfast;  cheerios and banana.  For lunch he ate most of taco salad; ground beef, olives, bite of tomatoes, and bite of lettuce.  He ate pita bread, half of his avocado, and no watermelon.

Nora had crumpled to the floor and was pouting about something.  (I can't remember what it was all about!  Ha!)  Hudson got on the floor beside her and was trying his best to console her.  :)  I was trying to ignore her and Bubba is trying to console her!  Ha!

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and everyone stayed busy and engaged all morning.  I took a picture of Hudson wearing a headband and trying to get on a second one!  Then he and Avi were bickering over them.

I like how Hudson uses props to accomplish his projects.  In this particular case he's standing on some blocks to reach a new height!  In the last picture he's very focused on reading his book.  By the way, every time I asked him, "What did you do when Tutu was here?"  His answer every time; "Nothing."  Haha!  I'm so sorry Bubba!  :)

Hudson - 10/10/2017

Hudson ate waffles and grapes for breakfast.  For lunch he ate baked chicken, whole grain tortillas, a taste of cabbage, and ate two servings of baked apples with cinnamon.

NO BLOGS TOMORROW!!  (Well Hudson is not here tomorrow anyhow, but I'll include this entire paragraph!)  Just wanna make sure everyone sees that so I'll put it in bold capital letters!!  Ha!  Lauralea will be covering for me when I go in for an EMG test at 1:00.  (Right after lunch and during nap when I'm usually in the middle of working on Blogs.)  I may as well take time now to also mention some upcoming dates when Lauralea will be covering for me as well.  (You'll get another reminder later.)  I'm going to Louisiana to see my Daughter and her Husband during Thanksgiving week and I'm so excited and thankful for this opportunity again this year.  I'll be leaving Friday morning about 10:00 November 17th and returning the following Friday November 24th.  Lauralea will cover for me on the 17th, 20th, and 21st.  (Reminder: Little Treasures is closed Wed - Friday for Thanksgiving.)

Avi and Hudson were doing lots of jumping and Lauralea walked out in the middle of it and saw Avi jump.  She said, 'That was amazing Avi!"  Not to be outdone, Hudson got into position and asked, "You wanna see amazing, Lauralea!?!"

In the first picture Hudson, Atley, and I built a block house and they were having fun playing with it before anyone else arrived.  In the 2nd picture Hudson was playing with the little house and all the furniture and accessories.  He had the majority of accessories (between 35 - 40) stacked up there before he even started playing with them.

In the last two pictures we did some coloring with markers on coffee filters.  Then we spray them with water and watch the colors run.  They dry up and are really quite pretty!!  Hudson's art is in the picture and on the top right-hand side.

Hudson - 10/9/2017

Hudson ate kix cereal and mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch he ate most of turkey burger, ate hamburger bun, no lettuce or tomato, ate avocado, and one cherry.

I asked Hudson if Tutu was coming to see him this week.  He said, "They are coming in Pappy's (I think that's what he called him) little blue truck!  I will hang out with them at their house."

Speaking of "hanging out" Cooper is hanging out with us today and the kids are thrilled.  It's so much fun to have a visitor!!  I took this picture when Hudson was sitting on Cooper's legs on the mattress. (And playing with a monkey that brought and shared with the kids.)  Cooper said, "I'm letting Bubba sit on me.  If I sat on him that would smash him."  Thank you Cooper!  Hudson was having so much fun having Cooper here!!

Here's a picture of Avi and Hudson standing on the blocks looking at .......... nothing!  Ha!  Really! No one is out there.  Nora had been doing this previously, Avi saw her and did it, then Hudson, saw Avi do it and came over to join in the sightseeing!!  Of nothing!  :)

I took this last picture because I primarily liked how Hudson was listening to what Cooper had to say!  There is something about older kids that capture the attention of the younger ones like Hudson!

Hudson 10/6/2017

Hudson ate some of his oatmeal and ate baked apples with cinnamon for breakfast.  For lunch he ate everything; hamburger stew with ground beef, green beans, carrots, and potatoes.  He ate dinner roll and apricots.  Hudson was talking to Avi at lunch and I asked; "What did you say?"  He replied; "I didn't say something to you."  Haha! Ok, fair enough.  I can accept that.

Hudson is looking at his clothes in this first picture and telling me what is on his pants;  "Hey Gary, look at these bones."  I guess he's getting ready for halloween!  :)

Atley and Hudson were the first ones here this morning and she was watching Hudson building a wall with the blocks.  I had them stacked about "5 blocks high" in the block shelf and he was carefully using them rather than just tearing them apart.  He must have seen Atley move or something because he said, "No Atley Condra!!" Ha!  He was pretty worried she would wreck his wall!  I assured him; "She's just watching you Bubba!"  We eventually built something different because His awesome wall was acting more like a barricade across the room and causing some issues.  :)

Here's a picture of Hudson and Atley at the window after waving at someone and they had started "bonking" their foreheads on the glass!  And they thought it was pretty funny!  (Believe me, as you can imagine, these are not the first kids to do forehead bonking on the glass!!  Ha!)

Hudson - 10/5/2017

Hudson ate french toast and a bite of dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch he ate everything: pulled pork, whole wheat bread, peas, and two servings of cantaloupe.

Several of you have asked about the results of the MRI from last week.  Thank you all for your love and concern.  Lauralea covered for me today while I talked over the results with the Doctor.  Thankfully there was nothing terrible that showed up that would require surgery or something drastic so we're going to continue to treat it with physical therapy for now.  He's scheduling me for an EMG to try to pinpoint whether it's nerve pain or muscle pain.  He has changed his mind and is now thinking it may be more nerve pain.  Anyhow, I'm grateful the pain has substantially decreased and I will continue doing what I'm doing.

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon when Riley was giving Nora and Avi rides in the wagon. Kenzie was flying around with Hudson!  They were having SO MUCH FUN!!  Laughing and squealing!!  Hudson kept saying, "faster, faster, faster!!"

The kids were waving at Hudson's Dad and of course Atley, Nora, and Avi were smacking on the window before Colin even came into sight around the corner.  Hudson kept saying, "He's not here yet guys, he's not here yet!!"  Atley just looks at him (like "who cares!?!") and keeps on smacking the window!  haha!  Poor Bubba!  Sometimes they just won't listen will they!?!  So he was on the phone talking to Daddy.  I took the picture primarily so you could see that he likes the bracelets!  Ha!  I took a picture of Hudson in the mirror because I liked how relaxed he was - just laying back reading a book!  That's life at it's best in my opinion!!