Say it ain't so...Kindergarten!?!

A healthy Hudson!

Hudson Thomas Haas,

You will soon be entering a very fun, exciting, sometimes scary, amazing new journey...Kindergarten! Wow. 5 years feels like 5 minutes with you, my love. I often stare at you and you always ask me what I'm looking at...I'm looking at you in amazement. I can't help it. I look at you and still see chubby cheeks and dimply knuckles, like it was yesterday. Now, you are this incredibly smart, talented, handsome, sweet, stubborn little BOY. Boy, not baby.

You are SO ready for this, dude. Kindergarten will totally be your jam - I just know it. You are intuitive - you will thrive in school! You are outgoing - you will make so many new friends! You are sweet - you will make someone's day, everyday! The best part of all...you are so excited and that makes Dad and me excited. I think it may help me on that first day - probably not, ha! I will do my best not to embarrass you with my weeping!

I have so many thoughts flying around in my head. Will he be okay? Will he like school? Will he ever be sad? Will he like the lunches? Will he make nice friends? Will he miss me? Will he miss being around his brother? Then I remind myself - everything will be great, because he is so ready for this! But I will continue to ask myself, "how are we here already?" Because if you ask me, I was just rocking a very fussy baby, I was just cheering you on as you crawled across Grandma's floor for the first time, I was just watching you get your first haircut and grabbing some off the ground to keep, I was just dozing off to Elmo, with you on my lap, I was just, I was just, I was just. And bam - here we are. And we are here for you every step of the way. We are your biggest cheerleaders.

Kindergarten check-up, check! School supplies, check! New haircut, check!...Let's do this!

You just remember - you rock, you school-ager! Be yourself, be kind, be curious. Open your mind to this amazing world of education. We love you, sweetie.

xoxo,
Momma

New "do" - so fly!

Here you are on your last day of preschool, with Miss Courtney!

Colorado 2015

To the mountains we went!!!

And it was oh so awesome! Bryan and I took the boys to the mountains for the first time ever and my generous parents came with as well to help with Carson. We are so blessed. We went to Keystone, CO - that's where I grew up going and I really wanted to boys to see it. Best part of the trip, was watching our Hudson ski for the first time - lots of "firsts!" He did so good and guess what...I cried watching him and cheered him on! Big shocker, huh!? Gosh, he was the cutest. Bryan and I would snowboard for a couple hours at a time and come down and watch him in-between. He would watch for us and when he saw us there, he would scream "HEY MOM, HEY DAD! Watch me!!" And we did and we yelled "go baby go!" The coolest part about this, is that Bryan and I got to go down the mountain with him...well the bunny slope, but it was still the best being right by his side!

And then there was Carson...oh Carson. He got to live the life all day with Grams and Gramps! They wheeled him around everyday in this heavy duty little wagon and he was the happiest, except for when he had to get his snow gear on. Not so happy about that...meltdown each morning, but who really enjoys putting that stuff on anyway? They had breakfast and lunch dates everyday and we even met them at the top of the mountain one day for lunch with our lil man. He had his first Gondola ride up the mountain - he smiled the entire way up, while yelling "chicken nuggets!"...he had chicken for lunch.

Fun fun fun time - a vacation to remember forever. So many memories made and lots of good laughs. Thanks to Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Scott for helping so much and putting up with us four! We love ya!

Hudson is 5......FIVE!

It's time for updates - SO much has happened since Christmas! The most exciting is that we have a FIVE year old. Yep, our Hudson is 5. Our sweet, handsome, big-hearted boy. Let's be honest here, I was a mess. I know it's so exciting and its a new chapter, but I could not help but ask myself that entire week where the time went, all the while looking at old photos and balling my eyes out. I'm a crier - if you're reading this, you probably know this. I thought I would commemorate his 5 years of life, with a memory or two from each year.

Here it goes:

Year 1: you were a very fussy baby, Hudson darling. I did not sleep and at times, I thought I was losing it. You were what they call "colic," whatever that means. Basically, lots a crying out of you! By 6 months though, you were nothing but smiles and laughs. I have to say that 7 months was my favorite, b/c you and I took a lot of Fall walks and I will never forget those walks. You LOVED them. 

Year 2: Arizona. Your very first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's AZ house and I want to cry thinking about how much fun we had. You loved floating around their pool all by yourself. You did not want to be touched - you just wanted to soak up the sun and relax - ha! Like your Grandpa. 

Year 3: You gave up your binky the night you turned 3. This was so awesome, yet kind of sad! It was your most favorite thing ever - the one thing that could calm you down, besides mom :). You did surprisingly well, besides trying to rip open your build-a-bear to get out the binky. We thought taking you there and putting it in the bear yourself would work, but not so much! It took a few nights, but you were a big boy!

Also, you became a BIG BRO!! You were 2 1/2 when he was born. You are the best big brother to Carson. You didn't deal well with this transition at first, but you got the hang of it, once you realized he wasn't going anywhere, ha. Now, you two are inseparable and he truly looks up to you.

Kissing it goodbye!

Year 4: The year of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! You were all things TMNT - your bday party was TNMT, your clothing, blankets, pictures on the walls, books, movies, EVERYTHING! You really came into your own at four - became more independent, making so many friends, speaking your mind and just becoming the sweet boy you are.

Year 5: Your first BIG "boo-boo!" We were playing at the park and well...here is where you can read about it: Stitches. It's significant, because it scared the daylights out of me, yet you were so unbelievably calm and strong! You are my hero, Hudson Haas.

Secondly - you went SKIING for the first time and you so rocked at it! Proud mom and dad moment, right here!

 And now you are FIVE, sweetheart! Happy 5th birthday, love bug!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

"Merry Ciffith!" Says Carson

The holidays are so amazing, yet so stressful at times. I tried hard to just breathe and take it all in, rather than getting myself lost in the shopping and craziness. I just wanted to be in the "now" with my boys and Bryan. I absolutely loved watching Hudson and Carson enjoy all things Christmas. We watched endless movies, drank cup after cup of cocoa, found Elf every morning, prayed every night for a white Christmas, wore Christmas jammies to bed every night and listened to Christmas music every second we could. After all, it does only come once a year and it's truly magical for kids! To be honest, they make it magical for Bryan and I. Brings back all the memories from when we were little. To "believe" is awesome, right?

Our holiday highlights (photos below):
*Carson didn't cry when he sat on Santa's lap! No smile, but no tears.
*Making Christmas cookies at Grandma Debbie's house
*My annual Aphi holiday party - Hudson was my handsome date, b/c Bryan was ill with the flu
*Carson's meltdowns over not being able to open those 'Frozen' wrapped presents before Christmas!
*Hudson getting his "Bey Blades" from Santa. He talked about those for weeks...months!
*Carson getting a kitchen from Santa - my lil man loves helping in the kitchen
*Hudson and Carson's Christmas programs - they both got up there and sang and danced their hearts out!
*Our Christmas inflatables in the front yard (Santa AND his Reindeer)