Anna’s First Snow!

We got some fun snow here on Monday . . . and while it was technically Anna’s second snow, the first one was super-light and overnight, so we are not counting that!  We bundled up our little pink lady and headed out in the winter weather!  The snow on the ground and trees truly really helps set the scene for Christmas!

We got the boys ready to head off to school too . . . they were a little tired, can you tell? 

Hatch said that William talked a mile a minute on the way to school, but Hudson just stared quietly out the window . . . until he figured out how to roll down the window . . . then he panicked!

Little Miss and I slept in (!!), ran some errands, and popped by Sugie’s so we could visit Mr. P and feed Little Miss before picking up the cows from school.

I love that even though he is 1, Charlie knows that Anna is a baby!  He talks to her in a sweet, high voice, and he just LOVES being with her.  It is adorable!

Anna turned 8 weeks old on Monday . . . it is FLYING by!  I love this picture of her wearing a sweet outfit that her Nana (my Nana) gave her.  Precious!  

Our sweet friend and neighbor made us an Advent Wreath since I wasn’t able to go to the Christmas coffee and make one myself!  The boys scream “Happy Birthday, JESUS!” when we light it, and they are obsessed with trying to blow out the candles.  {Please ignore the fact that the wrong two candles are lit—that was my husbands doing . . . not mine!}

Sweet William with his smocked nativity . . . I love it!

 

Turning two really helped the boys get the hang of blowing out candles!  We are trying to work on sharing and taking turns . . . Hudson gets to blow out one, and William gets to blow out one candle.  Somehow, upon turning two, they have both started screaming “MINES!” (ie: mine!) and they’ve become quite intense about doing things themselves . . . oh, two . . . oh my!

Little Miss gets in the spirit of Christmas!  I adore this sweet girl!  She is cooing and smiling a lot right now, but it is quite a challenge to capture it on film . . . mainly because I just enjoy her grins and cannot simultaneously run and grab my camera!  She likes to be awake when her brothers go to bed, so we have a nice little time to visit together!  

She did take a catnap with her Daddy last night, and it was quite sweet! Oh, my LOVE!

Sweet Dreams!  (And stay warm in this snow!)

Seen and Overheard

Seen:  First, the adventures of two boys and a big box!

Hudson’s work station

And, showing off to Daddy!

 

Overheard:

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Hatch:  William, it’s time for bed.  Let me tuck you in.

William:  Please, Daddy.  Tuck an-mals.

Hatch:  Okay, here we go . . . ni night zebra, octopus, hammer, squirrel, elephant (aka:  “lovie”) and tiny penguin.  Ni Night.

************

Sugie:  What is Daddy’s name?

William:  Hatch.  Daddy Hatch.

Sugie:  What is Mommy’s name?

William:  Ma’am!

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William:  Look, Mommy!  Snow!  I see snow!

Mommy:  Where, William?  I don’t see snow.

William:  Up ‘dere.  In da sky.  Snow!

Mommy:  Oh, William, those are clouds!

William:  Clouds dancin’, Mommy!

Mommy: Yes, the wind is blowing the clouds . . . the clouds are moving . . .

***************

Birthday Party Reinactment:

Mommy:  Hudson, tell me about your birthday.

Hudson:  Happy birt-day to YOUUUUUUUUU!

Mommy:  And, what else?

Hudson:  whooo {making a noise to “blow” out the pretend candles}

Mommy:  And then what?

Hudson:  YAY!!   YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!  {and clapping!)

***************

Hudson:  WEEE-YUM!  WEEEEEEEEEEE-YUM!  WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YUM!!!

Let it be noted that Hudson calls William by his given name (aka:  not “hudsey”) when William is a) doing something he knows he should not be doing or b) doing something that is making Hudson mad!

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Mommy:  William, can you spell your name?

William:  L L L M O P 7 8 9

 

Have a great night!  Love to you from the crazies!

TWO! TWO!! TWO!!!

{Note:  Take a seat.  This one is LONG.}

Somehow, our little babies, Hudson and William, have turned TWO!  Hatch and I reminisced about where we were two years ago (I only cried about them turning 2 once . . . until I wrote this!) . . . waiting to hear if the doctor was going to send me down to Labor and Delivery (he did!); hearing our boys’ first, hearty cries; and, being able to hold them close after praying for them and anticipating their sweet arrival for so long! 

Watching our babies grow into little boys over the last year has been such a fun, joyful time for us as parents.  We’ve seen them learn to walk . . . and run; start to really talk . . . and talk, and talk, and talk; learn to share, learn to say they are sorry; learn to sing songs . . . sometimes to each other, sometimes to Jesus, sometimes to themselves; learn to eat . . . and refuse food, and throw food, and clean up food; learn to do things on their own . . . like climb in their chairs, getting out their coats, throw things in the trash, help mommy bake and help daddy build;  we’ve seen them get excited about what they love . . . animals, trucks, digging, helpin’ daddy, and snow; and, we have seen them do a great job a loving each other, becoming Big Brothers, and celebrating the people who love them.  Hudson and William are truly wonderful little men, and we are so thankful to call them our sweet boys (and sons)!  It cannot go without mentioning that we have seen Jesus heal William’s eye as well . . . we are so thankful!

Celebrating their second birthday was a blast!  We loved seeing the boys as they grasped the idea that it was, in fact, their birthday!  We wanted them to feel special and well loved, and I think we succeeded!  We are still working on teaching them that they are two.  When you ask them, they normally say “one” . . . and then, “three,” and then they laugh hysterically!  

We began the celebrating at breakfast with Birthday Blueberry Muffins!  Candles, Party Hats, and All!

Some elves came and did some little decorating!

Our sweet, caring, big boy, Hudson!

Our sweet, talkative, hilarious William!

Sugie was my helper on their big day, so she tried to encourage William to get into the Bday spirit!

Little Miss was happy to snooze through the breakfast fiesta!

That night, we had a pizza dinner for the boys!  Uncle Bretty showed up with stickers, a TON of balloons, and dinosaurs!  It was SO FUN!

Cousin Char-dee and Auntie Katie were there too!

The boys are not huge fans of cake, but they LOVE cookies!  So, we made them these cookie “cakes”!  

Unkie Cris-fer-fer and La La joined us via video chat!

Hudson was thrilled to see them on the computer!

Cookie time!

 

Enjoying their sweets . . . 

And, enjoying their treats!  What cute firemen!  ha ha!

These boys really got the hang of opening presents!  They were spoiled rotten!  :)

Hudsey got one last snuggle with Auntie Katie before bed!

 

We had a little “cousin’s party” for the boys, too!  It was so sweet watching them as everyone sang to them . . . I don’t think they realized it was their birthday until we sang their names!  Precious!

  

Miss Anna Kate got all dressed up for the occasion, of course!

And, we served the boys’ favorite foods . . . hot dogs, chips, and cake! (Uncle Bretty was the grill master!)

Cousins Shawn Thomas and Jack were deep in discussion about birthdays . . . 

Sweet Birthday boy!   

The Birthday Boy enjoying his cake . . . and, of course, his Daddy’s lap!

Cheeser!  (He will say cheese and smile, but still not look at the camera!)

Mommy and Anna served the cake . . . 

The big cousins had a blast too . . .  

Mr. P loved to celebrate his big cousins!

Aunt Katie snagged a few more snuggles . . .

And, Mommy and Anna cheered on the boys as they unwrapped their gifts!

We are so grateful for everyone’s generosity to our little men!

Nana got some snuggles from Miss Anna . . . 

Before heading home for naps, we tried to get a few group shots . . . it was wild!

Please look at Hudson’s face in these next few . . . so dear!

We even tried a few with Uncle J . . .  

The boys headed home for naps with Daddy, so Mommy and Anna had some sweet time together! 

I love this one!

Baby Charlie came to Anna’s rescue before we headed home . . .

All in all, it was a very special time of celebrating for two sweet, sweet boys!