Hudson - 2/28/2018

Hudson ate french toast and strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch he ate paleo stew with ground beef, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, and broccoli.  He also ate several saltines and ate his tropical fruit.

Hudson was the only one here for 10 minutes or more this morning so I asked him if he'd like to come out to the kitchen and visit while I finished a couple of things.  So he did and after he got to the kitchen he said, "I'm not being a turkey."  True.  You're not being a turkey!  Haha!  Here's the background on that; Sometimes I'll have him stay close to my side when he IS being a turkey.  :)

I was kind of disappointed that Hudson didn't reveal any more family secrets today like he did yesterday announcing "Kimmy and Grandpa John getting married."  The best thing about Hudson talking so much is  - he just talks!  I don't have to prime and pump him for information!  Haha!  It comes easy!

When I took this first picture Hudson was pointing to the baby monitor and said, "Hey!  Linnea's awake!"  Except she wasn't.  False alarm!  When Linnea arrived Hudson was visiting with Becca, Linnea's Momma.  He told her; "Baby Linnea grins a lot."  So cute and so true.  Later, he was looking at the baby and asked, "How did she get so happy?  Did she have a bottle?"  That's a great thought Hudson.  You're a sharp little critter!

Here's a picture of Hudson doing the alphabet puzzle again.  Atley had dumped it out and then eventually left it.  Lots of pieces and a bit overwhelming!!  So I asked Hudson if he wanted to put it together for me and he did.  Thanks Hudson!!

Hudson - 2/27/2018

Hudson ate two servings of waffles and ate grapes for breakfast.  For lunch he ate two servings of baked chicken, ate whole grain tortillas, two servings of corn, and ate baked cinnamon apples.  I was cutting their grapes in half and singing; "gum drops keep falling on my head."  Hudson was going with that and substituting a different word for "head" every time.  Here are a few examples of what he used; "knee,"  "mouth,"  "tummy,"  "lips,"  "shirt."  "Gum drops keep falling on my shirt."   :)  Then at the lunch table I caught a piece of news from the 2 year old rumor mill!!  "Kimmy and Grandpa John are gonna get married!"  :)

This first picture cracks me up!  Probably 30 minutes after breakfast Hudson decided it was time to clean up the toys.  Why are you picking up all the toys?  He said they needed to clean up because they had to go to soccer.  Ha!  So he and Avi worked real hard to get it all cleaned up.  I was monitoring this pretty closely because the agenda of a two year old is frequently not the same agenda of the next two year old!!  Haha!  Example; Atley is the destroyer!!  She loves to make a big mess and scatter toys around.  Ha!  And Hudson may get a little agitated if she makes a mess of his recently cleaned room!!  (We might have to go do art if this causes conflict.)  How does this all end?  Hmmm...we went and did some dot painting!  :)

I took this last picture when Hudson and Avi were playing in the chair and that was their car going to soccer.  I must bring attention to the fact that you can see Avi's foot in the picture; just in case you think Avi may not actually be in the chair!  :)

Hudson - 2/26/2018

Hudson ate kix cereal and half of his mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch he ate turkey burger, whole wheat hamburger bun, bites of salad with lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing; he also ate avocado, and no cherries.  Atley was apparently done with her lunch and started singing REAL loud at the table.  I told her she could wash and then sing out in the play room.  Hudson asked, "Well can we talk and visit?"  Haha!  Yes Hudson!  (For Hudson, That's like asking if he can breathe!)

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and I took this first picture when Hudson was working on a puzzle.  Avi had completed this puzzle and Hudson wanted to give it a shot.  This is obviously an alphabet puzzle with 26 pieces and that's a lot!  Hudson stayed on task and got it done.  Two or three times he asked for help, but I just told him he was a smart kid and I was sure he could figure it out and he did!!  Nice work!

Hudson was looking at a little plastic phone and apparently wasn't real impressed or easily fooled by that thing!  He asked, "Hey Gary!  Where's the rest of this phone!?"  Haha!  He was also looking through the books in this toy exchange and saw the book; "Cars."  He said, "I watched that movie!  With Tutu.  It's super funny!"  :)

Here are a couple pictures of Hudson with his buddy Linnea.  He always asks if her can "talk to the Baby."  Very cute.  In the first picture he'd given her a toy and then said, "Hey Linnea! I'm over here!"  But you just gave her a toy to play with!  :)  The last picture; he was watching her and said, "She's making bubbles."  Yup, they're pretty good at that!

Hudson - 2/23/2018

Hudson ate half of oatmeal and half of baked cinnamon apples for breakfast.  For lunch he ate most of hamburger stew with meat, green beans, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes.  He ate apricots and whole wheat dinner roll.

I was teasing Hudson this morning and he seemed slightly offended when I told him the noise level had increased exponentially this morning compared to the rest of the week when he was gone.  Haha! It wasn't JUST his incessant talking, but the others were also excited to have him back.  Avilene was the last one here and Daddy Andy heard the uproar, just wished me luck and took off!  :)  Lauralea seemed relieved to be heading out the door as well!  Haha!!

Well this picture shows one way to tell that Bubba is back; the baby is surrounded by toys!!  Haha! Hudson said, "so she can play with them!"  That's very sweet Hudson, but guess what!?  She doesn't need much help any more because she is rolling all over the room now!  She rolled against the changing table this morning and Avi yelled to me; "Linnea went over to the changing table Gary!"  Haha!!  Well, maybe she's feeling the need for a diaper change!

This is the story behind the last picture: Kenzie and Riley are frequently doing "puppet shows" for the kids and the kids will sit attentively watching the show.  They use the stuffed animals as their "puppets."  Hudson piled up all the stuffed animals this morning (see picture) and announced that he was "gonna do a puppet show for you guys!"  The show never got off the ground!  He spent all his energy trying to get his audience to SIT!!  With very minimal success!  Ha!

Hudson - 2/16/2018

Hudson ate whole grain cream of wheat cereal and one dried plum for breakfast.  For lunch he ate baked beef kabobs with meat, zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms.  He ate bites of brown rice and ate his pineapple.  While the kids were eating their cream of wheat I was encouraging them to "keep your face over your bowl" and "hold your bowl with this (left) hand."  They've heard those phrases many many times!!  Hudson chimed in with this zinger: "That's part of the deal!!"  Reminded me of a car salesman!!  Ha!

First, I just want to remind everyone that Little Treasures is closed on Monday February 19th for Presidents Day.  Lauralea and I are headed to Billings tomorrow to see our Grandkids and probably their parents!  (Jokes!  That's a Grandparent joke!)  Blogs will resume on Tuesday!

Every day since it was snowy and icy Hudson has said to Lauralea when she leaves in the morning; "Make sure you don't slip!"  This morning he added; "Come back soon."  Aww..it's so sweet and cute.

Here's something different for you; a picture of Hudson with Baby Linnea!  Ha!  He was flopping and rolling around on the floor to entertain her and she was chuckling.  He kept asking the baby; "is that funny, is that funny?"  Then he said, "She's cracking me up!"  :)  Then in the last picture Hudson had asked Avi, "You want a piggy-back ride?"  Haha!  I grabbed the camera wondering what this might look like!!  :)

Hudson - 2/15/2018

Hudson ate waffle and half of fruit salad for breakfast.  For lunch he ate a large serving of shepherd's pie (with hamburger, potatoes, green beans, carrots), ate bites of whole grain tortilla, and no cherries.

This first picture is one that Kenzie took yesterday afternoon.  All the kids were watching it snow and squealing - thanks to encouragement from Kenzie and Riley.  :)  So when they were done watching it snow we read the "Jingle Bells" book!  :)  (From left: Hudson, Atley, Avilene, Nora.)

Hmm...does this first picture look familiar!?!  :)  He loves him some baby Linnea!!  Hudson always asks me, every morning: "Can I talk to baby Linnea!?"  Yes of course!  Everyone LOVES baby Linnea!  It's no wonder why!  She is such a mellow and sweet baby, always has a smile for everyone, and loves the attention of the kids!  She is so much fun for all of us!  In the following picture Lauralea was introducing the kids to her monkey!  (She's been using it as a prop for a class she is teaching.)  Hudson and Avi thought it was pretty funny.  We also did some Dot Painting at art time.

During Story Time we were reading "Mary Had a Little Lamb."  But this is an extended version of the book by my favorite children's author (and illustrator) Iza Trapani.  The lamb had fell into the pigpen and it said, "into the pigpen fell the lamb and got completely stuck."  The illustration showed the pigs using a rope trying to pull the lamb out.  Hudson said, "Pigs are trying to get the lamb unstuck!"  I love how he can use words like that.  stuck - unstuck.  So cool.

Hudson - 2/14/2018

Hudson ate french toast (with syrup) and strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch he ate a large serving of the Whole 30 sweet potato chili (haha - actually it's awesome) with hamburger, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, sweet potatoes, and spices.  (The Whole 30 food program does not include beans.)  He also ate dinner roll and ate tropical fruit.  He started eating the "chili" and said, "This is delicious!!"  :)  I agree.

After breakfast Hudson was playing with Atley and when I walked out he said, "We're (he and Atley) discussing puzzles!"  Haha!  So cute.  I'm sure some day someone will inform Hudson that to qualify as a discussion there needs to be more than one person talking!  :)

Here are a couple pictures from this morning's activities; Hudson and Avi had a large pile of pillows stacked up on the couch and then they were "hiding" behind them from the other kids.  :)  The 2nd picture; We did some more painting this morning; except this time we put tape down for the first letter to their name and we'll pull it up when the paint dries this afternoon.

Hudson adores Baby Linnea and loves talking to her, playing with her, laying beside her and watching her.  He asked me this morning; "Does the baby like me?"  Yes, Linnea loves you Bubba. She smiles hugely whenever you talk to her.  He had one of the doll bottles and was "feeding" the baby.  I love the picture below when she grabbed a handful of his hair and had him squirming to get away!!  See!  I told you she liked you Bubba!!  :)

Hudson - 2/13/2018

Hudson ate toasted whole wheat english muffin and three servings of grapes for breakfast.  When we have grapes I always cut them in half (unless they are very small) and we call them "gumdrops."  When they want more they always ask for "more gumdrops!"  Anyhow this morning Hudson said, "Gumdrops keep falling on my head!"  Haha!  Good one Bubba!!  I Love it when he does a play on words like that!  For lunch he ate pork chop meat, whole wheat bread, bites of roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes), and two servings of applesauce.

Nora was playing on the mattress and stubbed her toe on something and was screaming at an impressive pitch and volume.  Hudson felt the need to inform me that "Nora's crying."  Oh, that's what that noise is; thanks for the heads-up Bubba!!  :)

Hudson will frequently use the last names of the other kids; especially if they're ignoring him or not answering as quick as he wants them to.  This morning it was "Atley Condra, Hey, Atley Condra!"

In this first picture Hudson and Avi were doing some cooking and brought a piece of cake (in Avi's hand) to the gate for Lauralea to try.  Hudson looks pretty cute with the apron and chef's hat!!

In this 2nd picture Hudson was trying to get Nora to join him and Avi in holding hands and jumping on the mattress together.  After they were done jumping Hudson asked, "Does anyone want to give me a hug!?"  Avi was very sweet and went and gave him a hug.  At least he had one response!  Ha! Moments later Hudson made a sweeping motion with his hand and said, "These are all my people."  Haha!  Cracked me up!

Hudson - 2/12/2018

Hudson ate bites of chex cereal and half of his peaches for breakfast.  For lunch he ate hamburger, whole wheat hamburger bun, bites of salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and ranch dressing.  He also ate avocado and his oranges.

Everyone is here today!!  Wow!  First time since February 1st!  Hopefully we can keep this going now.  There are still lots of runny noses, sneezing and coughing, but I think they're all getting better.  I spend so much time washing my hands!!  Haha!  Wipe noses, wash hands!  Change diapers, wash hands!  Get sneezed on...oh well, skip the hand washing!  10:00am and my hands already look like prunes!  (Not that I really care!  I'm just filling Blog space!  Ha!)

Everyone was so happy to see Baby Linnea!  She is such a doll and grins at everyone!  It's no wonder why we all enjoy her so much!!  Hudson couldn't get enough of her!!  The first question he asked this morning; "Is Linnea coming today!?"  So sweet.  When I took the first picture he was watching the Baby stick the heart bracelet in her mouth.  Hudson said, "She's trying to eat that!!"  After giving that a moment's thought he said, "But she doesn't have any teeth yet."  Ha!

In the next picture we were just messing around doing "selfies" and Hudson and Nora were watching themselves in the camera.  I took the last picture when Avi, Atley and Hudson were playing in the igloo together.  (On the left side of the picture you can see Nora's feet on the side of the igloo!)  I had to be pretty quick because Avi and Atley don't sit still too often!  Moments after I took the picture Atley was out of there!  :)  We also read read books and Hudson and Avilene played with the puzzles. Hudson asked me this morning; "Do you miss Sophie and Big Nora?"  Yes!  I'm sure the question was in correlation to us all being at the basketball game Saturday evening!  It was SO much fun to see everyone there!

Hudson - 2/9/2018

Hudson ate several bites of oatmeal and dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch he ate a large serving of everything: tilapia, whole wheat elbow noodles, green beans, and applesauce.

These first pictures are from yesterday afternoon!  The kids had so much fun outside and it was great! The temperature was about 50 degrees, but we still bundled up good because that breeze was very cool.  A little different from today!!  Snow and 15 degrees when I got up this morning!!  Hudson was pulling Avi in the wagon up and down the sidewalk.  In the 2nd picture they were on the teeter-totter, but it just wasn't working too well!  ha!  I pointed where to sit and to face toward Avi, but he wanted to sit where he was.  Fine with me; good luck.  :)

We had fun reading books this morning, painting at Art Time, and generally just experimenting with how life works at this age!  :)  Hudson was at the window yelling, "Hey Gary!  Big Willy getting his mail!"  So Avi, Hudson, and Nora all ran and stood at the window banging on it and waving to our neighbor!  Willy LOVES it when the kids wave at him.  So cute.

Every day this week Hudson and Avilene have been "going to Jackson's house."  This morning Avi was saying, "I'm hungry at Jackson's house."  So they had food toys packed in their bags.  I took the next picture when they were all loaded in their car and ready to leave for Jackson's house.  :)

Hudson - 2/8/2018

Hudson ate bites of whole wheat bagel serving and most of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch he ate ham and sausage pizza with whole wheat pizza crust, tomato sauce, olives, peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple.  He ate two servings of pineapple on the side as well.  A note about yesterday at Snack Time:  Hudson started coughing hard at the table and you should have seen Riley scamper!!  Wow! She moved fast!  She obviously remembered Hudson puking at the Snack table the day before when he was coughing hard!  :)  Good thinking Riley!

Notice - Hudson needs pull-ups for Nap Time.  (Just in case you didn't notice the reminder I put on his cubby yesterday!)

Linnea and Atley are still out today so it's just Nora, Avi, and Hudson here until the after-school kids arrive.  Hudson was making an announcement this morning, but Nora didn't care or even realize that she was included.  :)  "It's past your bedtime guys!"  Avi yells; "NO!!"  Hudson said, "You have one more minute!"  Avi yells; "NO!"  Haha!  Now what are you gonna do Hudson!?  :)

Hudson and Avi were going to "Jackson's house" again.  I asked Hudson if he'd ever been to Jackson's house and he said, "yes."  I asked Avi when Hudson was there and she said, "Last summer." How cute is that?  :)  In the picture below Hudson was packing their bag full of goodies for the trip to Jackson's house while Avi was getting her shoes on.  :)

Hudson had built an impressive tower (see picture below) with the big blocks and said, "Its' the baby's home!"  So of course I asked, "What baby?"  He answered, "Svea."  Oh man, Avi was vigorously shaking her head "no" and responded immediately by yelling; "NO!"  And of course it escalated from there because Hudson repeated that it was for "Svea!"  Wow! I won't ask that question again!  haha!  Avi is a bit protective and possessive of her baby sister!  Ha!

Hudson - 2/7/2018

Hudson ate bites of breakfast: whole wheat toast and grapes.  He had bites of lunch as well:  pork roast, whole grain tortillas, vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots), and fruit salad.

This first picture is kind of silly, but Nora was SO excited when she spotted all the birds!  She was pointing and squealing and I had to hustle over to see what she was all worked up about!!  :)  The kids can see the top of this tree by standing in the middle of the room, looking out the smaller window and over the top of the neighbor's house. Hudson and Avi came to see what we were looking at too of course!  I counted about 20 crows!

Hudson was doing some baking and asked Nora, "Do you want me to make you some cookies?!?"  She immediately said, "NO!!"  I'm sure she realized that sweet question involved confiscation of the two cookies she had in her hand!  Haha!  Hudson, you're gonna have to get up early to out-fox Nora!  Ha!  But she soon joined him in baking some cookies when I took the next picture.  Hudson asked, "How do you make cookies?"  So we talked about that and he asked, "What are these?"  Measuring cups.  He held up another item and asked, "Is this a measuring spoon?"  Yup.  (Smart little critter!)

Atley and Linnea are both gone today - not feeling well.  Avi and Hudson were doing fine, but quick to argue and I blame some of that on still feeling kind of crummy!  Their arguing basically peaked when Avi said, "I'm poopy!"  And Hudson said, "I'll change Avi!"  She started howling, "No No, No!"  I'm changing you Avi.  Just like we always do!  Bubba is being goofy!  :)

In the last picture we'd just opened a new box of bigger coffee filters from amazon.com so we had to do some coloring on them and spraying water on them.  The kids were already done and I told them I wanted to get a picture so I asked them to sit down and point at their favorite spot to color.  So that's what they're doing in the picture.  :)  Thanks for cooperating!!

Hudson - 2/6/2018

Hudson arrived around 9:30.  For lunch he ate a few bites of everything; baked chicken, brown rice, stir fry vegetables, and oranges.

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange over the weekend so it was all new for Hudson this morning.  He and Avi were playing in the chair and he was the driver.  He said they "were going to Jackson's house."  They loaded the pockets on the chair with food toys and later moved the food toys to the couch.  (See 1st picture.)  Everything was going smoothly until Avi decided to "feed the baby."  Hudson said the baby was sleeping and couldn't be fed until she woke up!  You can see that Avi is feeding the baby in the 2nd picture.  I think their poor baby woke up from the parents yelling at each other!!  :)

Hudson saw the different puzzles out so he asked if he could do puzzles.  He was smoking all the puzzles today!  And doing them quickly!  Good work Bubba!!  Nora is learning how to start doing the puzzles and Hudson has been watching me give her "lessons."  She has been watching Hudson and Avi do them and she just kind of tossed the piece in the general direction and then grabbed another puzzle piece.  So we're doing them one piece at a time!  :)

Hudson - 2/2/2018

Hudson ate most of his brown rice and a bite or two of raisins for breakfast.  For lunch he ate two servings of baked salmon, ate dinner roll, two servings of corn, and ate mangoes.  I posted the following note in the other blogs today;  The phrase I use all the time - as they begin to eat, plus lots of reminders during the meal; "Hold your head over your plate/bowl as you eat!"  They frequently hear it when we eat things like oatmeal, rice, applesauce, etc.  Even in her highchair Nora responds to this instruction well and watches everyone else.  So eventually when she transitions to the table she will already be a pro at it too!!  :)  It's amazing how well they do.  I also have them hold their plate/bowl with the hand that is not holding their spoon.  Hudson has been at the table for a pretty long time now and he is a great example to the other kids.  I frequently say, "Watch how Bubba is holding his plate."  Nice job Hudson!!

I asked Hudson (many times this morning - haha!) if he knows what today's date is!!  Nope!  Although one time he said it was "Sunday!!"  Good guess Bubba, but no.  "It's 2/2/2018!" It's 2/2!!  or as we call her "Tutu!!"  He kept saying, "nooooo!"  Like "Silly Gary!"  Sorry, but I couldn't help myself Bubba!  I thought it was hilarious!!  :)  Happy 2/2 Day!!

As you can see from the pictures below the morning activities were pretty normal.  In the first picture Hudson was giving Atley and Nora rides in the chair.  (Avi is not here today.  She is feeling a bit crummy!)  In the 2nd picture Hudson had asked; "Can I do puzzles?"  Of course!  Then he wanted to read books and asked; "Hey Gary, can we read the new Dr. Seuss books!?"  Of course!  He likes them almost as much as I do!  :)  Then Hudson was watching our neighbor clean his sidewalk.  He said, "Big Willy is shoveling snow!  So people can walk on the sidewalk!"  I love how Hudson can expound on just about any statement he makes!

Hudson - 2/1/2018

Hudson ate two servings of toasted whole wheat english muffin and ate half of oranges for breakfast. For lunch he ate ground beef, whole wheat elbow noodles, peas, and two servings of applesauce.

Hudson told me that he is "gonna take a trip to Missoula."  Ok, well safe travels!  He said, "Tutu and Pappy are moving into Missoula.  To my house!"  Oh, well I certainly hope this wasn't meant to be kept as a secret from your Dad and Mom!!  Because now the news is out!  :)

I liked watching Hudson read the stories to Avi.  It's fun to see how much of the stories they can recall!  (Usually the parts that they like!!)  He kept saying, "Do you want me to read to you Avi!?!"  We also read lots of stories at Story time, sang songs, and did some dot painting at art time.

Here's a picture of Hudson and Avi working together on a puzzle.  These puzzles without pictures on the board are not Hudson's favorite!!  He said, "Can I do a puzzle that has a picture!?"  He asked Avi to help him and she moved right over to help!  She is kind of a puzzle wizard!!  These really are hard for this age group and if you look close at the picture you can see the shapes (they are cars) are all quite similar so that makes it even more difficult!