Mud, Slush and Sunshine!

This was my kitchen on one of our "snow days!" Owen obviously thought he had a better idea of how everything should be arranged.
Playing dress up with grandma's gloves and shades. One of his favorite "indoor" activities.

OK-so sue me for not posting more pictures of Maggie. On second thought, don’t bother, my slim paycheck from taking 2 months off for maternity leave doesn’t leave us very much. Truth be told, Owen is just more photogenic right now. Maggie is still in the “I’m content just to lay here, smile every now and then in between poops” stage. Trust me, I’m not playing favorites, I try not to compare children and no, Owen is not bribing me to post him more often than his sister. So here are some more photos of the Magster. (Taken just today!) I guess they're up there.

Another reason why I don’t get to posting more about Maggie is that our computer stinks! It seems every time I’m in the middle of typing a good story about the kids or a quick yarn about my students at work, the darn gizmo shuts down. It’s not in the middle of updating Windows, I didn’t kick it, I haven’t sworn at it lately, the screen just goes black and starts laughing at me. You wouldn’t have known it, but as soon as I got done typing the two previous paragraphs that you can’t see (BECAUSE THEY’RE GONE!) the computer blacked out. I swear, if there were a “crappy computer” contest, ours would certainly be in the running. At least it doesn’t turn on all by itself anymore. That was creepy. So true is the saying, “You get what you pay for.” Stupid Ed (as I affectionately call it) was good when we got it. Worked well right up until the warranty expired, almost exactly 6 months.

So let’s see, what was I posting about before my computer got giddy from the fresh air and passed out? Yes-the fresh air! It’s coming back to me know…..here we go: Raising kids has gotten tons easier! I say that because Owen loves to be outside! All it took was the increase in our state’s temperature by about 30 degrees! Owen has discovered what fun splashing in puddles can be, and what it feels like to fall into a big puddle of mud! After he got used to the brief shock of cold wetness on his legs and back, he exclaimed, "Wet!" And off we went! I was able to take Owen out for more than 30 minutes at a time…and was able to take Maggie out without bundling her up like we were going on a toboggan race! Today we were out almost all afternoon! Owen had so much fun playing with the neighbor’s sticks in their yard it was ridiculous. It was a good thing they weren’t home, otherwise I might have hit them up for some money for all the work that Owen did for them! He really likes to be busy and loves to do whatever Dave and I are doing. Not sure why he likes to pick up sticks, though. (We don't make it a daily habit to pick up sticks like we do reading a good book). He’s very helpful picking up at the end of the day, and I suppose the yard does look pretty sloppy with all those twigs lying around, so he must think the yard has to be as neat as our house. I’ll let him go with that thought!

Whatever you do, do it well!

Like my previous post said, I'm just not sure where February went. I think we spent most of it indoors, since the average temp was, well-COLD! I knew going back to work fulltime would be stressful and wouldn't have a whole lot of extra time...so spending time with the family has been first and foremost...then comes grading, then we do the dishes, etc...

We had the pleasure of seeing some college friends last weekend...long story short-Dave was friends with Margaret Norwood during their years at Hastings College. Margaret wrote a screenplay. One of the characters was based on Dave. The screenplay got turned into a film, and they brought it to Omaha for the Omaha Film Festival last weekend. http://omahafilmfestival.org Yeah Margaret and Matthew Noorwood and Terry Gsell! (Sorry, Terry, for butchering your last name!) Kudos to Jason Levering (also an Aurora High Schoool and Hastings College Alum) and all the folks who worked to make it possible for Omaha to actually have a movie festival!

I am trying to include into my daily classroom rituals one of my favorite details I noticed in Margaret's movie, Independance, in one of the scenes, the bank marquee had this scrolling past: "Whatever you do, do it well." I am trying to remember that everyday as I get focused before my students arrive, hoping it will rub off on them. (Especially my 8th graders....they focus so much on trying to give off the illusion that they're "bad." Trying to get them to attempt to do well on anything and not be embarrased about having success is like trying to herd cats...)

I felt in awe through most of the movie...I remember Margaret and Terry (I was a freshman) in their last year of college completing their music degrees, always amazing on stage, and always seeming like they really had it together. It did not surprise me when Dave got an e-mail from Maraget saying her screenplay was becoming a reality. http://babylionproductions.com

Whatever you do, do it well!

Somehow we missed blogging in Feb....

Owen was fasinated by all the trucks scooping snow the last 2 months....he can see sooo much better when he climbs up onto the window sill to watch them work. Not nearly as much fun as actually going outside and using his own little snow shovel, though!

Welcome to March...

The Magster

Maggie is now about one month old. She's rolled over twice (over achiever!) Last night she slept from 8 PM - 4 AM and then 5:30-8:30. Probably won't happen again for another 2 months. Maggie hasn't exactly been on a regular sleep pattern. Except for sleeping a lot during the day, and then wanting to be up between 12-5 AM. I guess that means I should go to bed when she does! But what about that laundry that's been sitting around for the last 5 days?? And dishes? And my corner cabinet project? And catching up on e-mails? And working ahead on school projects?

Just a few more cute pictures

What a contented little sleeper!
One of Owen's favorite toys-my mixing bowl-he likes to walk around and bomp into things!
Thank goodness for Grandmas! Here's Grandma Hudson reading with Owen. Both were able to come help out for a while...very helpful since Owen is at a very busy stage in his little life.

Here's Maggie

Dave, Owen and the back of Maggie's head (and Owen's stuffed doggie).
Here she is just a day or two old. She was born Dec. 18th, 2006. 7 pounds, 9 ounces. 20 1/2 inches long. She sleeps almost all day long. She wakes up every now and then to eat and get her diaper changed!
Here she is thinking about waking up.
Owen seems to be adjusting pretty well to having a sister. He likes to give her kisses and tries to play catch with her. We keep telling him that in a few months she'll be a little bit more fun. If you're patient enough, just wait a year and she'll be chasing you all over the house!

We got our first snow of the year yesterday. Dave and I both took turns taking Owen out in the snow. He wasn't too sure what to think about the cold, white, wet stuff . It was definitely something different for him to babble about when we finally came inside.

Owen's new words are doggie, thank you, and ball. He just continues to baffle us with the things he can do (especially when he chooses to do them). He now puts on his own bib, can go find his sippie cup, waves bye-bye, hugs and kisses, and is often just a blur of color while running from room to room.

Getting ready for Maggie

Here's Owen testing out the Moses basket. He used it from birth until about 3 or 4 months old. We're hoping Maggie will be able to use it a bit longer, until Owen's ready to switch over from the crib to a "big boy bed."
Of course, Owen had to make sure that Maggie's carseat is properly put together.
One more thing to check off the "to-do" list....painting the Mustang!

A quick update

Here's Owen enjoying bath time in his "new" tub.
I guess this is a little out of order...Owen is great help packing up our books.
Again-great help mowing up the gazillion leaves that fell in our yard!

A lot has happened since our last post....I started teaching at a new school (writing and journalism), we purchased our first house, packed and moved, unpacked (mostly Dave did that work while I worked in the evenings grading and slowly getting everything ready for my maternity leave).

Thanksgiving came and went by quicker than any holiday I ever imagined. We had Thanksgiving lunch (or dinner, if you prefer) at my brother-in-law's house, Darin. And then another Thanksgiving meal for supper at my folk's house. We also got in some Christmas cheer that evening exchanging gifts.

Before we knew it, Christmas was almost here, and then it was time to go to Methodist Hospital for the arrival of our newest addition, Margaret Noel Hudson.

September News and Updates

Gosh, September has just come and gone. We had Owen's birthday party at the end of August, September flew in and went by in a flash! During the month of September, Owen experienced his first high temperature, ear infection and pink eye (in both eyes) all at the same time! Needless to say, Dave and I also got wind of his illness and took weeks to recuperate....I still have a lingering cough and scratchy voice. Here is a picture of Owen before we realized he had pink eye. Owen has also given up bouncing in his jumper. He'd much rather walk around and get himself into all kinds of trouble!

Owen has also mastered walking! He still trips over his feet on occasion, and stumbles a lot when he's tired, but he's pretty much given up crawling!



Self explanatory-Owen getting goofy with his spoon! Another evening after a hard day of day care....first time he had ever fallen asleep in the highchair.






Owen is just about as excited to move as we are! We didn't even have to ask him for his help when we started packing up our books. He just started tossing in books! What a great helper! We can hire him out for a fee! :)



Here's Owen and Addie (and Addie's mom, Joanna). The two tykes seemed to get along fabulously. Owen has always been drawn to cute, older girls, and Addie definitely fits the bill! Joanna is a friend of Dave's from High School. Joanna, her husband, Dennis, and Addie, along with another high school friend, Kjell and his wife Lisa were over for lunch today. Owen couldn't believe it when everybody left him. He had so much fun playing with everyone....he cried for quite a while.

We are certainly getting anxious to get out of our apartment. The more mobile Owen gets, the more we wish we could plunk him down in our huge back yard under the enormous oak tree and watch him run around! Certainly can't do that on the corner of our 2 super-busy streets!

Power walker!

http://media.putfile.com/Owen-walking

Above is the link to our video of Owen walking. Shortly before his 1st birthday, Owen decided to take a few steps all on his own. In a short 2 or 3 weeks he has officially graduated into being a regular walker. He still prefers to walk barefoot over wearing his sneakers. (even outside) I guess it won't be an issue until it gets cold!

Owen had just gotten over his cold after his birthday party when he decided to catch another one. This time it seems to be lingering quite a bit longer, and the cough is even cruddier. He also very graciously "gave" it to me! Luckily, Dave hasn't come down with a cough or sniffles. Last night I made my first "late night run" (3 AM) to pick up some cough syrup. Owen woke up, started hacking and just couldn't get back to sleep without his cough waking him back up. Needless to say, Dave and I are both a little short on sleep....so I should sign off and go to bed!

Birthday Boy!

Well, my pictures didn't get posted in the order I thought they would.....we celebrated Owen's 1st Birthday at our apartment, and for a while (before it started to rain) we were at Elmwood Park.
Owen's Grandpa Hudson, looking mighty spiffy in his birthday hat!

Owen seems to be enjoying stuffing his face with the Dr. Seuss Birthday cake!
Opening a few presents....
Grandmas Spiehs, Hudson, Owen and Mommy walking over to the playground area.
Owen received two big gifts from his mom and dad: 1. a pair of shoes (which he doesn't really like to wear and 2. a house of his own to live it! (we hope he likes the house better than his shoes!)

Owen is just getting over his cold, which is why you don't really see him smiling very much...

Homeowners!

As you can see I've posted pictures of a house and its yard. From the title of today's blog, I assume you've figured out that we're homeowners. Well, pretty close to being homewoners. We have the house, termite and radon inspection on Monday; our official closing date won't be until middle or late September...and then the fun of moving will begin. We'll finally have a house to call home. It will be ours, all ours...we will be able to do whatever we want and not worry about not getting our damage deposit back from a landlord!






We think it's a pretty nice house, lots of landscaping (and garden) potential. It sits on about one-third of an acre, so there's plenty of room for a garage/shop for Dave. Lots of room for the kids to run around in, and if they don't think there's enough room, they can run across the street to the park.

New pics and video

The picture on the top is of Owen's bathtime.
Video of Owen's bathtime:
http://media.putfile.com/Owens-July-Bath

Picture on the bottom is Owen's first trip to the pool. He didn't like it very much since the water was a bit ont he cold side. Went back a week or two later after 100 degree weather and he enjoyed it much more!

Long time, no posting...we're still around!

I'm enjoying a nice quiet Sunday morning while the boys are napping. Instead of picking up the living room, washing the huge stack of dishes in the sink or even fold clothes I decided to take a few minutes and put up a new post and pictures.

Here are some pictures from Early July. We celebrated our neice's 1st birthday! Hannah and Owen played pretty well together. You can see that Owen is enjoying stuffing his face with a birthday cupcake! We didn't quite get Hannah's cupcake in the picture above, but it's there. It''s so hard to believe that a year has gone by and how much has changed. Owen will turn one August 26th, our lives are soo different.

We had a rather surprising surprise in May. Turns out that Owen will be getting a little brother or sister for Christmas! I'm about 18 weeks into the pregnancy, so I had to go get the box of maternity clothes out of storage about 2 weeks ago. (Seems like not too long ago that I put them away!) The 20-week appointment when they do the ultra-sound is coming up, and we've decided that we are going to go ahead and find out what kind of bun is in the oven this time. Since we're planning on buying a house soon, we'll be able to plan ahead and get a nursery put together that doesn't have to be shared with the computer and office stuff. Hopefully each child can have their own room and not share with the computer!

I've been working at Sylvan Learning Center for about a month now. I work whenever they're open for tutoring. So when Dave comes home from his work, I hand Owen off to him, give him the details of how our day went and off I go until 8 or 9. With me working part-time, that doesn't leave a lot of free time to look for houses, but somehow we've managed to look at quite a few. We even made an offer on one down in Springfield, and went back and forth a few times with the bid, but the owners seemed unwilling to negotiate very much...so we're still looking.

Dave's 1960 Cadillac Sedan DeVille is up for bid on Ebay. We're trying to downsize our "stuff" and hopefully make a profit as well. It will be up for bid until Tuesday...Aug 1st.

I can't think of anything else that's new and exciting to report on. There's more pictures and a video that I'll try to get posted.