Too cute to not post!

I've really been wanting to have a long post with pictures of the last couple of months. We've had some great things to blog about (our trip to Maine, our friends coming to visit, all of Hudson's new words, etc), but I just haven't found the time to upload pictures. But, I HAD to post about his newest phrase because it's beyond cute. I'm warning you....you might pass out from cuteness overload!

On Sunday, Ryan and I hung out around the house with Hudson all day. It was raining in the morning, so it was a great lazy Sunday (after we went to get these donuts in our pajamas). Hudson was just playing around the house and anytime he would drop something or bump something he would say "Oh Dear!". Ryan and I were hysterical! In fact, I can't stop from laughing as I type this. Neither of us use this phrase, so we can only assume that he picked it up from Joyce (our nanny).

While I'm typing, I'll just add a few more cute things he did yesterday. For about the last week, he has started to say "pee-pee" and "poop" while pointing to his diaper. Most of the time, we noticed he was saying it after he did the deed, but we were happy to see him putting words with the action. We weren't planning on potty-training until after the baby is born, but he is starting to show signs of readiness, so we bought a potty yesterday. Sometimes he says "poop" and then farts, so I think he's getting there!

Lastly, I have this obsession with Fall right now. I just love the comfort of warm sweaters in the crisp Fall air, anything and everything pumpkin, yummy flavored lattes, and, of course, Steeler football!! The rainy weather yesterday had me particularly wishful that it were Fall, so as soon as we got back from getting donuts, I put on the NFL network. All day, we watched NFL highlights from last year (including the AFC championship game twice, the NFC championship game, and Superbowl XLIII). Hudson was so into it! He just sat on my lap and watched as we schooled him in Steeler football. He explained to him who Ben was and who the "bad guys" were (i.e. The Ravens). He kept saying "Kick!", but we tried to explain that punting wasn't good while we were on offense. He loves to cheer, although we have to make sure he doesn't cheer when the other team scores. He learned to shout "Dee-fense!" and most importantly, "HEEEEAAAAATTTTHHHH!".

It's playoff time!

Hudson is truly part of Steeler Nation! Check him out watching the game intently with his Dad and clapping....

....or cheering with joy over the Steelers victory!!

Hudson's black and gold birthday

We celebrated Hudson's birthday with a huge Steelers-themed party at Pluma Restaurant in Irwin, PA on Nov. 8, 2008. The party was a huge success! My mom and Jack helped plan every little detail and we can't thank them enough. Here are a few pics from the party.......

Hudson's personalized jersey that my mom made

The cake table

The delicious Giant Eagle cake

The room all decked out in black and gold

The favor bags

Hudson's "year in review" pictures and scrapbook

The cake is smashed....the party is a success!

SCORE!

In addition to walking, Hudson's other new trick is putting his arms up as if to say "Touchdown", "Field Goal", or "the extra point is good". He now does this on cue....we say "Hudson, what do we do when Heath gets in the endzone?" He throws his arms up and we shout "SCORE!". I'm sure that other people teach their kids that this means "so big", but we drool black and gold, so "SCORE!" it is!

Here are some more SCORE! pictures:

This one is really an ode to Big Ben scoring a touchdown. Do you see the way he's pointing to the sky just like Ben? Also, not related to "score!", but equally as cute are his crossed legs. He always sits like this.

Hudson "scoring" on his 11 month birthday.

There's nothing sweeter...

...than a Steeler victory. Against Baltimore. On Monday night. For 1st place in the division.
Wow - that felt good!!!

In preparation for Monday night's game, Ryan was dressing in black and gold for work. I was afraid to put Hudson in Steeler's garb, especially given the problems we've already had with his daycare (see my previous post). As I was putting his arms into a green shirt, he gave me a look that said:
"Mom - I was born to be a Steelers fan. I don't care if we live in Baltimore. I am proud to be part of Steeler Nation. I drool black and gold. If they decide to not feed me or change my diaper today because I'm wearing black and gold, well, that's just a risk I have to take."

Who am I to deny that? So here he is rockin' his Big Ben jersey:

And here he is doing his best Big Ben impression:

The beard is GONE.

While I'm happy to see my husband's face again, I'm sad that it's due to Steelers loss. Let's hope the O Line wakes up before next Monday.

And so it grows....

Here's a picture of Ryan rubbing his "lucky beard" after the Steelers victory over the Browns. Two weeks down, 14 to go....

A word from your sponsors...

The family that bleeds (and drools) black and gold...

HERE WE GO STEELERS!!!

Hudson's first actual vacation

Let me start this post by saying that I'm somwhat of a binge blogger. I never seem to have the time to post when I want to, so I keep a mental list of all the things I want to write about and then I just go to town posting when I have a free minute (i.e. when Hudson goes to sleep without any fight).

So last Wednesday, we loaded up Lucy (my Aztek) and made the 2.5 hour drive to Ocean City, MD. My mom, Jack, Aunt El, Joey, Kelly, Randy, and Brandon were all ready there. Hudson fell asleep before we even travelled a mile from the house. Unfortunately, that wasn't an indication of the remainder of the trip. He woke up about an hour outside of OC and proceeded to cry the entire way there. Well, I'm not sure if you call it crying when it's just a bunch of screaming with no tears. Anyways, we were so excited to finally get there. We all went out for steaks to celebrate my birthday and we came back to the condo for some delicious Giant Eagle birthday cake (yes, my family really loves me - they routinely transport Giant Eagle cakes out of state).

The next day we attempted to go to the beach, but it was a little cloudy. That didn't stop Hudson from enjoying himself. Here he is showing off his new top teeth (you have to look closely):



That night, the Steelers were playing a preseason game, so what choice did we have but to deck ourselves out in black and gold and head to the local Steelers bar, The Salty Dog Saloon?!?

We were able to get in some good beach time on Friday. Here's Hudson playing with the new dumptruck that Grami bought him. The kid is obsessed with wheels.

Saturday, our last full day, was the hottest of them all. Therefore Hudson got to squeeze in some pool time.

We had a great trip!!

Football divides people.

As I was walking home from the Cupcake Company, I decided to stop at the park and push Hudson in the swing. There were about 12-15 kids in the park, ranging from ages ~6-12. It looked like they were all there together as part of a summer camp or something through the rec center which is next to the park since there were adult counselors with them. Anyways, as I'm pushing Hudson, one of the little boys behind me yells over to the group of kids in front of me and says "Who wants to beat up the Steelers fan????". Immediately, I look around, thinking "what gave me and Hudson away? I'm not wearing any Steelers gear and neither is he. Think quick in case these kids attack!". Next thing I know, the little boy shouts "John's the Steelers fan - let's get 'em!". So that's the name of the game on the playgrounds of Baltimore: Let's beat up the Steelers fan. Wow.