Fifty Two Weeks

On August 21st Hudson turned 52 weeks old! How did that happen?!! I can't believe I have done 52 of these posts. Hudson is walking quite a bit now and he says bye bye and night night. He is such a sweet boy who is very excited to be one year old!! Our hearts are so full of love for this little man and it has been a pleasure watching him grow this past year. 

Here is a look back at the past 52 weeks. 

Legoland

On August 19th we went to Legoland. Oliver was in heaven! I have never seen him more excited. When we got to Duplo Town he couldn't even pick something to play with. He was so excited he just kept running from thing to thing. It was hysterical!!

Lucky Nic got to spend his 30th birthday here. We joked in miniature town that Nic got to go to Vegas and New York for his birthday. ;) What a great husband I have though, to spend his 30th birthday with his family at Legoland. I'm sure it wasn't at the top of his list, but he still had a fun day. 

The bummer about Legoland was that they have a lot of similar rides to Disneyland, but with much stricter height requirements. That meant that Hudson could only go on a handfull of rides. He still enjoyed the rides he could go on, watching Oliver on rides and playing with all the Legos (especially the Lego cars). We had a blast watching Oliver enjoy the day. It is always fun to experience things through the eyes of a child and Oliver was having the time of his life. We also had a lot of fun at The Fireman Show. I got to bring back my fireman dance and I even tried to teach Hudson how to do it. ;)

We spent the afternoon at the water park and that was a huge hit with both boys!! To end the day, we got fried apples and my mom, Justin, Sabrina, Nic and I snuck in a ride on one of the roller coasters.

The biggest disappointment of the day was that someone stole my sunglasses off our stroller. Other than that though, we had an awesome day!!

Sea World

On August 18th we went to Sea World. We had such a fun day! We went on the Manta Roller Coaster first, then went through the ray exhibit and even touched a few. Hudson loved watching them swim around, but kept getting scared when it came time to actually touch them. 

We saw the seals then watched the dolphin show. We met up with Aunt Susannah, Will, Sam and Nayara at the Dog show. Then Sheri, Chuck and Carlie met up with us at the Shamu show. 

After the show, we went to the Arctic exhibit to see the polar bears, beluga whales, and a hilarious walrus. (Carlie has a really cute video that I'll have to try to get from her)

Then we enjoyed the penguin exhibit. We also went through the turtle exhibit and shark encounter. 

We watched the Sea lion and Sea otter show and ended the day at the dolphin area.

Hudson seemed to be mesmerized by each aquarium and loved watching the animals underwater. He definitely liked the exhibits better than the shows, and I think he really had a fun day.

San Diego Zoo

On August 17th, we went to the San Diego Zoo. Susan's rash was still bothering her so she stayed home to rest. 

We had such a fun day. Hudson and Oliver really enjoyed looking at all the animals, in fact, we all did. 

We started the day off by going on the tram. Even though the lines were much shorter than at the end of the day, it was still a long wait and we didn't really see much. I think on future visits we will definitely skip the tram ride. Next we took the sky thing while Nic and Justin pushed the strollers through the park. We saw so many wonderful animals: polar bears, an arctic fox, reindeer, a jaguar eating, a lion sleeping, zebras, elephants, giraffes, a rhino, flamingos, hippos, monkeys, gorillas, macaques, a mandrill, orangutans, a tiger, bears, koalas, camels, meerkats, hyenas and so much more. 

My dad especially loved it and didn't want to leave until we had done everything. He insisted we take Hudson on the Skyfari, to see the reptiles and to the petting zoo before we left. It was a long, hot day, but Hud was such a trooper. He napped in his stroller and was in the best mood all day. We arrived at opening and stayed until about 6pm. The only thing we missed, were the pandas. We blew it and didn't go there first and by the end of the day it was over an hour long line. Oh well, it gives us an excuse to come back. :) 

I think the ball the rhino was playing with was Hud's favorite thing of the day. He also liked the giraffes, petting the goats, the skyfari, the crocodile, the hippos and the monkeys. Most of all though, he enjoyed getting so much attention from his family. 

The Other Happiest Place on Earth, Islands, and a Rash

On August 15th we took the boys to Toys R Us. Hudson was in heaven! He went from toy to toy excitedly pointing. I kept thinking who needs Disneyland when I can just bring Hudson to Toys R Us for a few hours to play. (btw, I'm that mom who let her kid run around Toys R Us barefoot! Eeek! I did not anticipate us staying so long or Hudson getting so excited and demanding to run around)

After Toys R Us, we went to the mall to play for a bit, then met Nic and went to Islands for dinner. 

On August 16th, I took Susan to Urgent Care because she got bit by something that caused an allergic reaction. She had large, hot, itchy red welts all over her body. Even though Susan was really uncomfortable, she still found humor in the situation. I'm sure looking back we will all be able to laugh over it. 

Piggies and Paws Party

On August 14th, I had a bunch of friends over for a Piggies and Paws party. Hudson and I went to one of these parties back in January and I immediately knew I wanted to host a party of my own. I thought it would be perfect to do it while Oliver was visiting and also close to Hudson's 1st birthday so I could get a hand print and footprint of my one year old boy. The party was so much fun! Hudson had a blast playing with all of his friends. I had fun catching up with my friends and I love how all the artwork turned out! Hudson got the cutest ice cream cone with a candle on it for his birthday that included his footprint and hand print. We got one for Susan with her hand print, Oliver's and Hudson's all of which were made to look like "Grandma's Garden" My mom got one with Hudson as well that was a really sweet Grandma hand print. My favorite one though was a pirate ship and crocodile using Oliver's hand print and Hudson's footprint saying "We Don't Want to Grow Up" I thought it was a perfect souvenir of this trip especially since it will be both boy's first trip to Disneyland. I am always so impressed with how great the artwork turns out and of course I love anything that freezes my little boy's prints in time. :)

Fifty One Weeks

On August 14th, Hudson turned fifty one weeks old. He finally figured out his water cup and drinking from straws so he is really into that at the moment. He keeps trying to steal any cup he can get his hands on to test out his new skills. Hudson stacked three blocks and stacked bowls out of a drawer. He is really interested in walking all of a sudden. He gives hugs now and is very cuddly when he is tired, but he isn't as into kisses at the moment.  

Gymboree and Kisho

On August 13th, Susan joined Hudson and me at Hud's weekly Gymboree class. Hudson loved having his grandma at class with him. After class we met up with Oliver and Lauren and had Menchies. We also ran into Lindsay, Brooke and Gracie. 

That evening, we met my parents and Sabrina at Kisho for dinner to celebrate Oliver and Hudson's birthdays. The boys loved the restaurant! I felt bad after though, because we didn't have them sing Happy Birthday to Nic too. oops!

Helicopter Ride

On August 11th, my dad took Hudson, Susan, Lauren, Oliver and me for a ride in the helicopter. It was Oliver and Hudson's first helicopter ride. Hudson loved it, but Oliver wasn't as thrilled. He got pretty scared and cried for most of the flight. He did enjoy the part where we flew over the ocean though! It was such a beautiful day! We flew through the dessert out to the coast, went along the coastline for a bit, then flew in land over Hollywood, then over my parent's house before heading back to the airport. The coastline and Hollywood sign were the highlights for me. When we got back to the Agua Dulce airport, my dad let Susan test out her piloting skills (don't worry my dad used to be a helicopter instructor). Susan was nervous, but she did great!

After the flight, we went to my parent's house for a BBQ and swimming. It was a really fun day. 

Playground, Pool, a Wedding Reception and a Happy Birthday Too!

We spent the first few days playing at the playground with the boys and going to the pool. It was great to spend time with the boys and watch them interact with each other. 

Since everyone was so tired the first night, we sang Happy Birthday to Oliver and ate the cake on August 10th. 

That night, Nic and I went to a wedding reception for my friend Tara and her husband Dan while Susan and Lauren watched Hudson and Oliver. It was one of the first nights Nic and I have had away from Hudson and we had a great time.