Hudson 10 months

Heaven help me. Hudson has officially become mobile. At the beginning of the month, Nate and I were sitting in Sunday school attempting to keep Hudson entertained. After a few minutes, I placed him on the ground with a few toys and assumed he would roll around a bit while those around us debated the finer points of Gospel Doctrine. Within seconds, Hudson worked himself up onto all fours, crawled over to the nearest chair, and proceeded to tip the chair over. Nate was able to catch it before it completely hit the floor, after which he said with a smile, "Things are about to get interesting around here."

And he sure was right. Sometimes, I feel as though I am the proud owner of a new dog. I have a little chubby guy who follows me everywhere on all fours. I am on constant vigil so I do not step or trip over this little guy. Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion he eats anything that remotely resembles food since I find fewer leftovers on the floor after sweeping. He is also very good at going through bins, removing its contents, and hides them throughout the house. Seriously, who needs a dog?

  

Hudson now has five teeth and a mane of crazy hair. Bryn and I love to put water in his hair and then make it stand on all ends. He is due for a hair cut, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. Maybe next month. 

And one last little story. After my first day back at work, I walked into the house, anxious to see my babies and not quite sure what I would find. Bryn heard me come in first, and sprinted to the door and launched herself into my legs. She proceeded to hug my legs while she told me all about her day at Rebecca's house (our neighbor). Bryn had just started to tell me what she had eaten for lunch, when Nate walked into the living room carrying Hudson in his arms. Once Hudson saw me, his eyes lit up, and then he lunged for me, nearly falling out of Nate's arms. "Umm, so I think he wants to see you," Nate explained as he put Hudson in my arms. Hudson then gave me about twenty open-mouthed sloppy kisses all over my face. In that moment, with my little girl wrapped around my legs, and my little man nearly cutting off my air supply, I couldn't have been happier. My little babes had missed me, but surely not as much as I had missed them.

Hand Eye Coordination

Sometimes it takes Mom awhile to get me my milk, so I have decided to take matters into my own hands. . . literally. However, this whole "feeding yourself" bit is a lot more difficult than it looks. I tried to drink my milk for a few minutes but my aim was off, and I kept poking myself in my chin or nose.

After several unsuccessful attempts, I was so frustrated and exhausted by this point, that I just laid down. I was just about to start feeling sorry for myself, when by pure luck, I was able to get my bottle into my mouth. And let me tell you, that was the best milk I've ever had. There is something to be said about a man who can feed and provide for himself. I would pat myself on the back, but I might drop the bottle and not be able to get it back into my mouth.

However, I know that if I get into trouble, Bryn will be right there to help me. Yeesh. Sometimes I feel like I have two moms. I have learned that it is easiest to just let her help me. One of these days though, I will be bigger than her and will be able to put a stop to all this "smothering nonsense." But until then, I will just continue to drink my milk because it does the body good. At least that's what those commercials promised me.

Playing Cupid

When I got home from work Friday, the day following Valentine's Day, I knew something was up. My house was immaculate. Now, normally my house is pretty tidy, but inevitably I always have a couple of little clutter piles scattered throughout the house. Whether it is a stack of mail on the kitchen counter or a pile of puzzles Bryn and I just finished making, there always seems to be something left out. A little warning bell should have gone off, but to be honest, I was so excited to come home and see my kids. 

I had just finished my first week back at work after an 9 month maternity break and, truth be told, I was missing my kids. I love my job, and am extremely good at what I do, but I always have a hard time leaving my babies. The extra money is nice, and having adult conversations has done wonders to my sanity level. I only work 2 days a week 10 hours a day. Not only does this allow me to keep my license current, but it also allows me to just be "mom" the rest of the week. There are all sorts of arguments out there about being a working mom vs a stay at home mom that I don't really want to delve into. There are good arguments to be made on both sides. However, for me personally, I feel that I am a better mom when I have the opportunity to "miss my kids," and makes me look forward to the time I do get to spend with them. I feel pretty lucky to have the best of both worlds.

Back to my super clean house. After looking around for the kids, Nate walks in the front room and says, "My parents took the kids out to dinner, so it looks like we get to have dinner. . . alone." As all parents will admit, the thought of having dinner sans children is enough to send tingles down the spine. Nate decided he wanted to head into Salt Lake for dinner which I agreed to only after telling him that we couldn't be too long because I didn't want my in-laws to have to worry about putting my kids to bed. 

We tried to go to this new Italian place, but due to the wait, had lettuce wraps at Pei Wei instead. I was getting a little antsy by this point seeing how it was 8:30 and we still had to drive to Farmington to get the kids. Nate gets on the 1-215 beltway insisting that it would be faster and then decides to call his mom and check on the kids. While he is on the phone, he missed the exit, and I shriek, "Nate, pay attention! We are going to have to drive halfway up the canyon before. . . " I stopped mid-sentence and then looking at him suspiciously asked, "Where are we going?" A big grin stole across his face and he replied, "To Park City. Happy Valentine's Day!"

He then proceeded to tell me all the scheming and planning that he had done by making arrangements for the kids. I suddenly felt a little foolish as I started going over all the tell tale signs indicating that Nate was up to something: a spotless house, Nate's parents taking only the kids to dinner, a black duffel bag in the back seat. 

We pulled up to a nice lodge, got the keys, and walked into our room.

Call me crazy, but I was expecting something a little nicer and that didn't smell like stale Ramen Noodles and weed. So was Nate. His face fell and he grabbed his phone calling over his shoulder, "Don't touch anything. I will be right back." No problem there. I wasn't about to to sit on that couch. If I did, I would probably contract Hepatitis or some other undesirable disease.

He was gone for about 15 minutes before he came back with a triumphant look on his face and said, "We are switching rooms." As we hauled our bags to a different building, I was curious as to what he said to the desk clerk. So he told me the story. Apparently, he told the desk clerk there was a problem with the room, that the room we got put in was not the room he had booked. She asked, "Well, what type of room did you book?" To which Nate responded, and I kid you not, "Um. A nice one." Oh how he makes me laugh. I can only imagine the look on the desk clerk's face when he said that. Needless to say, she didn't see that he had ordered an upgraded room and even flipped through pictures on his phone and said, "See, here. This is the type of room I booked."

We walked into our second room which was much nicer with a gigantic hot tub, fireplace, and most importantly was completely devoid of any offensive smells. We had a great time and even got to sleep in, something that rarely happens these days.

I insisted on eating at Kneaders because I heard that they had an amazing French Toast platter. For once, there was a dish that lived up to all the hype. It was delicious. We wandered around Park City for a few hours sipping on hot chocolate before heading back to Salt Lake to finish some shopping at City Creek. When we went to pick up the kids, they acted as though they didn't even miss us and wanted to stay with the grandparents. I think I even heard Bryn ask, "How come you're back already?" However, she quickly changed her tune when I pulled out some new Princess panties we bought at H&M. With a quick wave, she said, "Bye Grandma, I have to go home and try on my new panties." 

That Mr. Burk is quite charming and is pretty darn good at playing cupid, even when his carefully plotted plans don't always play out the way he had envisioned them. I am ok with this. It keeps things interesting.

Little Ways To Say 'I Love You'

There are about a million ways to say "I love you." Most of the time, just saying those three little words is all you need to convey how you really feel. But, sometimes, those expressions of love mean a little more when they are accompanied by little acts of kindness. Over the years, I have learned those little acts of kindness are the memories that become etched upon your heart.

Last night, I stayed up late putting together our Valentine's Day mailboxes and cutting strawberries into hearts for our Valentine's Day themed breakfast. Nate is constantly teasing me about the amount of effort I put into silly little things like holidays and birthdays. But I can't help myself. Growing up, my mom always made a big deal out things like that. Whether it was Halloween, a basketball game, or suffering defeat in the 6th grade class presidency race, I could always count on a little note and a treat from my mom. She took joy in celebrating my victories and helped console me after defeats. Those little notes were more than just notes. Those notes and little acts of kindness let me know that my mom loved me, that I was important to her, and that she was always thinking about me. While there are many things I want to copy from my mom, this idea of making little occasions into important events, is something that I strive to do with my kids.

On this particular morning, Bryn decided to sleep in. Much like Nate not being able to wait for her to get up on Christmas morning to open presents, I couldn't wait any longer. I went into her room and told her that cupids had left some Valentine treats. They only thing she did was mumble and pulled her blanket over her head after shooting me a dirty look. When I told her the cupids left something resembling a princess book, she sat right up and with a big smile on her face asked, "Where is it?" I must make a mental note to always include the word "princess" whenever I want her to do something.

She was so excited with her book, that she forgot to look at the rest of her loot. After a little gentle coaxing on my part, she delved further into her Valentine's Day mailbox. When her little fingers found this heart shaped necklace my mom had sent, she gave a little shriek, and immediately asked if she could put it on. Hearts and pink stuff. Two of her most favorite things. She couldn't help modeling her swanky new necklace. And for the record, she came up with those poses herself. I honestly don't know where she comes up with this stuff.

The bling Nate and I got her was a little more gaudy yet much more delicious. I had honestly forgotten how good Ring Pops are. Bryn also insisted on wearing her new headbands after she got out of her pajamas. The way she wore her headband reminded me of a cross between a ninja and a 80's workout chic. I find it completely endearing and when we are out shopping at the grocery store, I just smile at all the gawking strangers. I am sure they secretly wish they could pull off wearing a headband the way Bryn does.

Breakfast consisted of pink heart shaped pancakes drizzled in raspberry syrup with a side of heart shaped strawberries. The kids were heaven. There is something to be said about food presentation and the willingness of kids to eat their food. I was too busy enjoying my raspberry syrup to bother with pictures. Nate got home that evening with more gifts which included a floor-size Disney Princess puzzle. I thought Bryn was going to have a coronary. 

Hudson was equally impressed with his new stuffed monkey and was quick to proclaim Nate as the "Number One Dad In The World." As of late, Hudson has grown quite fond of Bryn's Momma Monkey. Usually Bryn is willing to share her toys with Hudson, but Momma Monkey is not just any toy and she has strictly forbidden Hudson to touch her. Momma Monkey has been the catalyst in numerous fights over the last few weeks, so Nate thought that if he got Hudson his very own monkey, it would solve all the problems. It was a nice thought. . . 

But just look at Momma Monkey. She is one classy dame. Who wouldn't fight over who gets to take her to bed every night?!? It was a fun day filled with pink hearts, lots of kisses, and fun surprises. Simply put, just a few little ways how The Burks say, "I Love You." Happy Valentine's Day.