The Hudsons

Christmas and Stuff

2012-02-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe it's the middle of February and I'm just now getting some of our Christmas pics posted...better late then never, right?

There isn't much new going on here in NM, hopefully this will sum it up...

Nolan

Turned 2 on January 26 (I posted a lot of photos on my other blog, will post a few here soon!)

He is on to his 4th cold since Christmas, so it seems like he has been sick for a while!

His vocabulary is still rather small, I believe I counted 10 words/sounds that he says fairly consistently. We decided to have him evaluated by a speech therapist in 2 or 3 weeks, mainly to give us some "peace of mind" and hopefully they will have some good tips for us :)

Although he's not talking much he is still the busiest 2 yr old I know, he LOVES nursery, and started learning how to pray. In fact, we have been blessing our food about 10 times at each meal. Nolan will suddenly stop eating, fold his arms, look straight at us to make sure we are doing the same, then he mumbles a few words then ends with "A!!!" (I'm assuming short for "Amen"), and he throws his arms in the air!

He started sleeping in his own toddler bed and LOVES it! (actually I should say "loved" because he's been back in our bed the last few nights since he got sick again.) We read him the classic Disney stories every night...and Abe does a great job singing all the right songs along with them.

He has no idea why my stomach is growing and that baby #2 is on it's way, so things are about to get pretty interesting for him!

Abe

Just about finished his project on the new Farmington Casino!

He has been back to commuting to Durango, CO this past week and is STILL waiting to hear what the company will have him do next.

Still working as the young men's 2nd counselor and is having a pretty fun time with that.

Starting skateboarding again!

...ok not really, but Nolan thinks its pretty rad so he has been trying to show off some of his old tricks for him in the back yard!

Huge (don't be deceived by the photos below, that was 7 weeks ago now)

35 weeks Pregnant (approximately)

Uncomfortable

Ready to start loosing some baby weight...if only the baby would just come out early :)

also...

still 2nd counselor in the RS and looking forward to planning the RS birthday party, giving a lesson, and delivering a baby all within about 2 weeks of each other!

Trying to keep up on my Strawberry-Chic blog, but wondering whats going to happen to it after baby #2 arrives.

Hope you enjoy these photos, We had a great trip in WA and are already missing our family like crazy!

Nolan's 2nd Birthday

2012-01-27T17:30:00.001-08:00

Welcome Home Sister Smith!

2012-01-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, my younger sister Laurel came home from her mission just in time for Christmas! It was so much fun spending time with her!

One things for sure...

there's never a dull moment when this one's around!....

christmas 2011 highlight video

2012-01-07T16:08:00.001-08:00

I'm still trying to figure out how to export without losing video quality so cut me some slack...

blues (soon to be) brother

2011-12-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago Nolan figured out how to play the harmonica. This video is only a small amount of the jamming that Nolan did that day. I think he literally played for hours. We loved watching his feet move to the rhythm the he played.

TJ & Katie's Wedding

2011-11-21T20:17:00.001-08:00

We had a ton of fun in Utah at TJ and Katie's wedding. Here are some more of the photos.

Our Missionary

2011-11-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we made a little weekend trip to Salt Lake for our friend TJ's wedding. We had a great time visiting with friends but one of the highlights was being able to see my sister Laurel who is serving her mission on Temple Square (ok this might be the 2nd time I've seen her since she has been out)!

I am excited to report that she is still the same Laurel...and by that I mean she still loves to pose for the camera!

Texas: Kema Boardwalk

2011-10-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

I know we are a little late but here are some of the photos from our Texas trip, at Kema Boardwalk. Nolan had so much fun going on the rides that were FREE!!!!!!! (for those under 2 and their accompanying adult).

Home

2011-09-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

While Abe took his little canoe trip back in Aug, I decided to take a trip home to WA (or maybe it was the other way around). My sister Mel was in town and poor lonely Nolan was in great need of his play-mate Paige. I was only about 9-10 weeks pregnant at the time, so everything was a little more difficult then when I normally travel alone.

I prayed like crazy that I would at least not throw up while on the flight...I had no idea what I would do...take Nolan into the teeny tiny airplane restroom with me (that is if I could even make it that far) or just use the courtesy barf bag they leave in the seat pocket!?! who knows! Luckily I was fine during all 4 of the flights (including one where Nolan screamed for 45 min. straight while kicking the lady's chair in front of us!...not sure if that was really any better).

Anyways, the trip was a blast! My favorite part was when we went to Ocean Shores for a couple of days. I didn't feel super great, but I felt much better then I had been at home in NM (probably because my Mom was there to make me meals, clean up, and help with Nolan...Thanks Mom!)

(by the way, when you tell Paige to say "cheese" for the camera she squints one eye and gives a crooked smile...her face isn't just stuck like that :)

The Mighty Colorado

2011-08-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Arizona 100 degree plus weather + 45 degree water + the mighty Colorado River + 1500 ft deep canyon + meu amigao Andrew = One of the most amazing trips of my life!

We decided last minute to make this trip to Page, AZ and float the Colorado River from the Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry. I have dreamed of doing this float trip since we visited Page in May and went to the Horseshoe Bend lookout. It wasn't until about a week ago that I learned it could easily be done. We even ended up camping at the bottom of Horseshoe Bend and surprisingly were the only ones there.

one the road...

We started the trip off the right way... with Taco Bell.

A raft shuttle took us up river from Lees Ferry to the bottom of Glen Canyon Dam.

Andrew, enjoying the tent sauna

"THE REST IS HISTORY!"

Kings of Convenience

2011-08-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

You gotta love this Norwegian music duo. First because their music and harmonies are beautiful, and second BECAUSE THEY ARE NORWEGIAN!

I especially love this song right now...

Puerto Vallarta

2011-08-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't have a blog until a while after we got married I thought it would be fun to do a flash back and share a few of my favorite photos from our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta. I can't believe it has already been more than 5 years!

Mom and Dad, thank you so much for such an amazing trip!!! You guys are the best!

Farmington Top 10

2011-07-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here are our Top 10 favorite recent photos from our life in Farmington, NM (There are more that 10 but oh well). As you can tell, it has been really hot so Nolan's favorite outfit is his diaper, some times not even that. He has a ton of fun in our back yard, playing in the pool and getting nice and muddy.

This is Nolan's favorite rock. He loves to sit on it and make car noises (he has a great imagination).

4th of July - Durango/Silverton CO

2011-07-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

We had a ton of fun on the 4th this year. We drove north and stayed a couple nights at Durango Mountain Resort (about 1.5 hours north of us). It was so beautiful up there. We got to use Abe's corporate passes for the alpine slides and other fun stuff.

Then we put Nolan in his backpack and went on a really fun/gorgeous hike to a lake named Potato Lake (Spud Lake). Nolan had fun playing in the water and throwing rocks. On the way back, Andrea cut her toe really bad but luckily we found someone that had a bandaid. Nolan fell asleep half way down the trail so we took off the backpack and carried it the rest of the way so that he could lay down.

After the hike we made our way further north to Silverton, probably the coolest town we have ever been to. We had a lot of fun walking around the town and going the in the fun shops. There were also a tone of old houses and buildings. As the sun went down the little town filled up with people and soon the firework show began. A nice lady gave Nolan a light saber like glow stick and he was on top of the world (actually like 11,000 elevation). The show was amazing and when the traffic died down we made our way pack to the hotel.

Minha Esposa Linda!

2011-07-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Andrea got this awesome rug from Grandma Backstein, and it actually belonged to Great Grandma Backstein. We decided to use it as a backdrop and got a couple cool photos.

Duaflex Photos

2011-07-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos taken with a Kodak Duaflex lens attachment that we made. Thanks to Bryce and Nadia for the Duaflex.

Part III of WA Vacation

2011-07-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

We never did get around to posting part III of our little trip to WA last month. Partly because

I just forgot and partly because my good lens broke (I might have dropped our camera on the

concrete...I don't know its all a blur now). It's a good thing Abe is pretty handy because he fixed
the lens when I got back to NM so we didn't have to buy a new one.

This post is for my sister Natalie...who apparently has been checking daily for it....sorry Nat!

These next ones are from my snap shot (can you tell the difference?)

An Update

2011-07-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

Since we are currently living in the middle of no-where, I thought I would post an update for those of you who we haven't seen us in a while and who may find our lives somewhat interesting...

by the way, yes...that is a naked Nolan... he has a terrible diaper rash so we decided to let him 'air-out' for a bit. I'm not a huge fan of exposing my son on the interactive highway, but this photo was just too cute!

First off, the baby Nolan is for sure no longer a baby I keep looking at him and going. "wait when did you start looking like a little boy?" he has 16 more days until he can officially attend nursery. He seems to be right on track as far development, although he doesn't say much more then da-da so I'm trying to help him out a little bit... (if you have any suggestions let me know!) I feel like a failed mother because I have yet to ween him off of his bottle, wish I would have done it sooner!

Abe has been Super busy at work (which by the way happens to be constructing a new casino), and also just received a call to be the new Young Men's 1st counselor. Abe has also become a hard core runner...not really but he did agree to come with me on Saturday for a 3 mile jog...he hasn't run with me in probably about a year or so...he may be a little on the sore side! He also is the secret behind my new blog, because he helps me come up with half the ideas I use...shhhhh don't tell!

As for me, I am getting use to my new calling as relief society 2nd councelor and reminiscing about the 'good old days' when Abe and I were students and could slip in and out church undetected and as we pleased. Besides the everyday mom stuff (cleaning, laundry, cooking, & more cleaning...) I have been having lots of fun with my new blog and hope to be doing a little freelance project for a company that contacted me a few weeks ago (I'm keeping my fingers crossed!)

We had a blast last weekend in Silverton, CO (a tiny abandoned mining town which is now primarily a tourist attraction with lots of old fashioned shops, & restaurants). The town sits right in the center of a huge Mt. range...It's seriously one of the coolest places I have ever been! We stayed all day and watched the firework show that evening. We bought Nolan this cool wooden toy train (shown above) at a gift shop which he loves! Although I have to admit I was a little upset when I saw the exact same train at target for half the price...grrrr!

Don't worry, more 4th of July pictures to come!

Trip to Washington Part 2

2011-06-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Point Defiance Zoo - Seattle

Don't worry, we stayed in 1 foot deep water only and Grandma Irene walked along side us on the beach just in case.

Woodland Park Zoo

Trip to Washington part I

2011-06-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

There were too many good pictures to sort through, so once again we are doing our trip to WA in parts. Originally I was just going to go to WA for my brother Isaac's High school graduation. But, we were lucky enough to find super cheap flights so Abe decided he would take a week off of work and come too. Unfortunately, the good flight deals only went through June 8th...2 days before Isaac's graduation! Sorry brother, I'll be at the next one!

Part 1 of our trip includes time spend with Abe's family, we went to a couple of farmer's markets in down town Tacoma
+ Wright's Park & greenhouse. We had a great time...

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched the episode of modern family where the parents are fighting over who is "the fun one?" Well,Abe and I play that game all the time and since it's Father's Day I will finally admit that he is truly the fun one.

For example...the other day I bought Nolan one of those little plastic swimming pools for the summer. I was so excited to think that I could sit back by the pool and watch him play while I worked on my ~~blog~~ tan. To my dismay, he apparently needs someone to actually get into the pool and play with him, which Abe was totally willing to do!

But apparently being "the fun one" is in his blood...

Abe, thanks for being "the fun one" I don't know what Nolan or I would do without a Father like you!

Happy Birthday Abe!

2011-06-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Abe!
Thanks for being an awesome husband, dad, and best friend! I can't wait to come home!
I Love You!

Isn't he a stud?

Page AZ Part 3 - Horseshoe Bend

2011-05-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest parts of our trip was Horseshoe Bend. It is an overlook of the Colorado River at the start of the Grand Canyon. It is amazing what the power of water can do over time. In this case it has created one of the most beautiful scenes that I have ever seen.

People come from all around the world to see this site, even guys in skirts from Scotland.

I did not feel as confident with Nolan on my back so I kept my distance from the edge.

It is hard to capture the magnitude of this scene in a photo. Look at the white spot on the bottom of the photo in the river. Realizing that is a boat helps give it perspective.

You can see the same boat in this photo as well further down the river to the left.

Page AZ Part 2 - Lake Powell/Glenn Canyon Dam

2011-05-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well, here is part 2 of our Page AZ trip.

This is the view from our hotel (Lake Powell Resort)

Glenn Canyon Dam (where Lake Powell ends and the Grand Canyon begins)

Looking down (way down) at the dam from the bridge.

Grand Canyon rafting trips. Stay tuned for Part 3 or our trip!

Page AZ Part 1 - Water Holes Canyon

2011-04-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we took a little trip to Page AZ to celebrate our 5 year anniversary! I was a ton of fun and the weather was perfect. We stayed at the Lake Powell Resort which has to be in one of the most beautiful hotel settings in the country. The highlights of the trip were, Water Holes Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Canyon King Pizzeria (which is an old retired dinner cruise boat that used to be on Lake Powell but is now a restaurant on land), and the hotel pool overlooking Lake Powell. Here is the first set of photos (Water Holes Canyon). I am working on the rest and will post soon.

Nolan had so much fun playing in this giant natural sand box at the end of the canyon, he put up a big fight when it was time to leave.

After about 2.5 hours of hiking, Nolan was spent. Who cares about his dad that carried him the entire way. Stay tuned for the rest of the trip.

Farmington Museum

2011-04-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

A little while back we went to the Farmington Museum (one of the few attractions here in town). It is mainly dedicated to the oil and gas industry.

This was part of the children's health exhibit. Nolan was terrified of this giant smiling doll, who's stomach unzipped and organs spilled out.

Mr. Nolan

2011-03-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts! We have been fairly busy and yet haven't been doing much worth posting a the same time. Here is an update...Abe has been called to be ward mission leader and me relief society teacher, yikes! Of course we have been doing lots of blogging for my new blog (Abe helps me out with all my projects, and Nolan helpfully hinders them :).

Nolan has suddenly turned into a man! He looks like a little boy but in my book will still be a baby until he learns how to walk. By the way...anyone have any tips to get him motivated? I swear he doesn't even want to walk, and the more I try to get him to the less he likes it!

The weather has been getting very nice and we have been venturing to the park and playing in the back yard, and by playing I mean Nolan crawls around and eats dirt and rocks. Here are some pics that I have been accumulating over the past couple of weeks, I really love how the black and white ones turned out. Nolan is turning into such a handsome young man!

Presenting...

2011-03-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

I have started a new blog called "Strawberry-Chic" Its a blog dedicated to art, design, cooking, and more!

Come check it out, and let me know what you think!

a BIG thanks to Disney

2011-03-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

Nolan had the flew all last week (yes this is the 3rd flu he has had since the move). Just when he started getting a little better, he starting teething again, or at least I think thats what going on...when your baby screams bloody murder, has tears streaming down his face, and sticks his hands in his mouth it means he's teething right?

Well any-hoo the ONLY thing that brings INSTANT calmness is the combination of a watered-down apple juice bottle and "The Princess & The Frog." Nolan is IN LOVE with that movie. No joke we have been watching it 2-4 times a day everyday for the last 9 days. His favorite part is the music. If he is laying down drinking his bottle he will pop up when a song comes on, do a little shake, and clap his hands, its really rather adorable. I have tried to get him to like other movies (more manly ones maybe) be he wont have it. He just cries until I put the "Frog" movie on.

So now, I don't fight it and Abe and I have just about every word memorized. So, thanks Disney! My life would be a mess without you.

Dad's Diner!

2011-02-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

One nice thing about not being in Rexburg is, we can try new restaurants. Last weekend we tried out Dad's Diner and it was awesome. Giant burgers and a big brick of greasy fair fries. It's hard to beat that.

Be My Valentine

2011-02-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

This picture may not look like much, but as far as we know its the first recorded picture taken of Abe and I. We are having the time of our lives just hanging out in the back of the Dyer's boat at Banks lake. The funny thing about this picture is we obviously could care less about each other and have no idea that we will someday become eternal companions! If only we could have seen it coming.

Please note: Abe: pooka shells and an old Seattle Mariners painters hat, which he wore just about everyday. Me: Super sweet curly bun, also worn everyday, I think I should bring it back, don't you?

Happy Valentines Day ABE! I love you!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY NOLAN!

2011-01-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

Nolan celebrated his 1st Birthday on Wednesday! I can't believe he is already 1! I took Nolan to the little Children's Museum in town during the day and then made some of his favorite food for dinner... homemade macaroni, jello with strawberries, and green beans. He had a pretty low-key birthday considering all our family is either in WA or ID but thanks to Sype, we were able to 3-way video chat with both Grandparents so they could sing happy birthday wish us and watch him dig into his cake! (technology is awesome!)

When Nolan was born It seems like he did a WHOLE LOT of this...

And even MORE of this...

Although we love our Nolan like crazy, he was a pretty tough baby! His first 5-6 months consisted of a lot of screaming, spit up, and aimlessly walking around our apartment parking lot to get the man to fall asleep.

I was always bumbed because I had so many cute outfits to put on him and then I would have to put a giant stained bib over the top because he would spit up ALL DAY LONG!

We went through a good 5-8 bibs a day!

But now he is pretty much cured of the spit up and does WAY MORE of this....

Here are the highlights of his Big Day!

Nolan's gift from mom & dad

He wouldn't keep his awesome hat on We had some technical difficulties with Skype

so this is one of the best pictures I got! and Nolan was getting anxious waiting!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

We had a most excellent trip home for the holidays this year!

Nolan was loving all of the people and excitement!!!

But now were back at home and he gets to hang with boring mom & dad!

Also, for those of you familiar with our Nolan, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that the trip home just about cured him from his major spit-up problem! Since the trip home, I haven't even had to put a bib on him (except for meal time of course). This is a major milestone for us!

We miss everyone and hope you will all come visit us SOON!

The best outfit I have ever purchased for Nolan...whats better then a Christmas 1-piece in plaid!?!

Me and my sister Natalie made these for new years...thanks to Crystal for the Hello Cupcake books!

I made this also, not as good looking as the cupcakes but I must admit it was super yummy!

Thanks to Nadia and the awesome Whale Tub gift, Nolan has developed a fear of bathing in large tubs, so the majority of the trip we just filled up the kitchen sink (although he is getting a little large for it).

Our Place

2011-01-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

Finally, I have taken some pictures for your enjoyment! I got a little paranoid to post an outside view of our house, so sorry no exterior view for now...(just trying to be a safe blogger!)

Please note: The decor is still a work in progress. Yes, I did graduate in interior design, and no our home is not designed to its full potential. For now I am just thankful that most of the boxes have been put away and I was able to paint a couple of rooms. Also, although we are glad to not have the worry of trying to sell our home in about a year, its a little unmotivating to spend money sprucing up a rental.

I thought I had more before and after shots, unfortunately I seem to have lost most of the before's.

Before (this was taken with the previous renters).

Bad quality I know, I think it was taken from the real estate agents cell phone.

After

We just bought this sofa before Christmas, we really like it!

This is Abe's corner, he put together all of the decor, and just finished the top piece of art yesterday, we might need to trade professions.

Our Kitchen, a little too small but nice appliances and our 1st dishwasher that actually cleans!

Nolan's room, which I just painted on Friday... I wish I had the before picture because it looks 10x better!

I would like to hang some fun things on the wall but this will do for now!

The AWESOME curtains my mom helped me make over the holidays.

Well, actually she sewed them, I just picked out the fabric.

The 2nd bathroom, we have one in the master too, similar to this only smaller.

The master bedroom. its nice and spacious! Yes, that is a classy fold out table at the foot of our bed, until we can afford a larger screen our lap-top will have to suffice!

We have a spare bedroom too. But we have no garage and little storage space so I will just let you imagine what it currently looks like!

Bizik

2011-01-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

While home for the Holidays I was able to take some senior pictures for my brother Isaac (aka Bizik).

For those of you who aren't aware, the nick name Bizik originated back when he was in grade school. Although back then I mostly thought of him as my annoying little brother, my friends Abe and Andrew D. thought he was great! Isaac had joined a band with our cousin Bryce and apparently felt inclined to make up his own raps. One of his greatest hits began with the words..."My name is Isaac and I have a Bizik..." I'm still not sure exactly what a "Bizik" is suppose to be... a bike perhaps or a big zit? Well Abe and Andrew thought this line was brilliant and Isaac was forever known as Bizik.

Our family spent a couple days in Seattle while I was home so we took his pictures there. Of course it was cold and rainy & unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera battery so we were a little rushed, but I thought they turned out pretty good!

Something to Celebrate

2010-12-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

I know I promised pictures of our new place, but honestly every time I remember to take pictures the sun is already going down and I just don't know how to take good night time shots.

As hard as this move has been for us, we do have reason to celebrate!

Since the move (approx. 3 weeks ago) Nolan has grown so much! These are some of the exciting advancements he has made...

a. he learned how to go from a standing to sitting position, which is great because for a while he would stand holding his crib handlebars screaming at the top of his lungs because he didn't know how to sit down and go to sleep.

b. He learned how to crawl on his hands and knees (he was doing an army crawl on his tummy for quite a while).

c. He had both of his bottom teeth come in at the same time (while having the flu). That was no fun, but they have now completely broken through so no more tears...for now that is.

d. We have had no living room furniture until a few days ago, but as soon as we got our sofas he started walking along the furniture.

e. His hair has grown so long its starting to curl behind his ears...love it!

f. He will hand things to me and actually let go

g. Along with saying Dada he started saying Mama, but only when he is crying in his crib.

h. He is entertaining himself better. He gets into all the kitchen drawers, and pulls out all of our DVD's but I could care less, as long as he gives me a bit of free time. (How sad is it that Im looking forward to the day when he will watch TV).

Sorry for the proud mom post, but I just can't believe how far we have come since he was 1st born (the hardest days of my entire life!). and in about a month he will be 1yr! Im already planning his party although we have yet to make any friends to invite! So, if your feeling up to it, come visit us Jan 26th...PLEASE!

We Moved!

2010-12-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

I know you are all wondering why we are taking so long to make another one of our exciting posts!
Things have been a little crazy for us because we recently moved to Farmington, NM!

A few weeks ago Abe received an offer from his company to transfer to their office in Durango, CO to work on a Casino project in Farmington, NM (about 1hr from Durango). We had 3 days to make our decision and less than 2 weeks to pack up and get down here!

On top of not having nearly enough time to pack and get ready Abe hit a deer on our way down (possibly totaling our Camry, (we are still waiting to hear from the insurance company) his cell phone broke, he lost our lap-top charger, we have all had or have the flu, and all of my jogging stroller tires popped the 1st time I took it out (apparently there are some weird prickly thorns all over the ground here!) . So, thus far this journey has been full of fun surprises!

There is one good thing about Farmington though...we live just 5-10 min. from a Target & TJMax!

We are renting a pretty cool house right now (just renting because we are not sure what the future holds after this year long project.... hopefully we will make our way closer to home when we are finished here!)

Sorry I don't have any pictures right now, I have seemed to misplace our camera in the sea of boxes that currently resides in our living area. But I will post some soon!

Trick-or-Treat!

2010-11-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Yet another great cousin Halloween party and some great costumes too. Here are some of them.

This is what we wore to Abe's work party. If you can't tell Nolan is a 80's cell phone. He did not last very long in it.

Pumpkins

2010-10-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!! We had a great time carving pumpkins with Mel & Jake this year.

Word of advise...the worty pumpkins might look cool but they have weird thick shells and are almost impossible to carve (Mel & Jake unfortunately got some this year!) Look forward to seeing our (hopefully) AWESOME Halloween outfits!

The Backsteins 2010

2010-10-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

We had a ton of fun with the Backsteins taking pictures at the sand dunes. Here are a few of them. There are a lot more at http://aahudsonphoto.blogspot.com/, our new photography website.

EpicObsession.com

2010-10-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

Make sure you check out our new website, http://www.epicobsession.com/. It is a site dedicated to the outdoors.

We are raffling off a Camelbak water bottle right now and plan on doing a lot of other give aways in the near future. Here is what you need to do to enter:

http://www.epicobsession.com/search/label/current

Thanks for your support!

Flower hair accessories

2010-10-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Nolan has finally decided to give me a bit of free time!

So, I started designing some sort of vintage inspired flower hair clips & headbands and have them posted on Etsy.
You can find them by clicking here and visiting my shop (Orange5).

Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions!

Sand Dunes

2010-09-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we ventured out to the Sand Dunes to take some family photos with are awesome cousins Nate and Joelle! We had a blast and the pictures turned out great! Unfortunately, we discovered Nolan's love for sand so we spend half the time cleaning up his face after he would shove a handful into his mouth! (Thanks for the great idea Joelle!)

Blogger Tree

2010-09-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

We started a website (http://www.bloggertree.com/) to keep track of and share all of the blogs that we discover. The blogs are grouped into different categories (branches) so that you can find the ones that you are interested in. We are adding new blogs to the tree every day and hope that you can help the tree grow as well. If you have a blog that you would like to add or know of some awesome blogs, please send us an email at bloggertree@gmail.com.

Thanks for your help!

Goodbye My Love

2010-09-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, we hate to admit it but its true...we sold the van or more commonly known, The Pickle. It was like a family member to us since it had been in the Hudson Family since 1986. A wise man named Joe Temus once said it is not the van that matters but the memories that we have of being in the van. Even though the van is gone we can still keep the memories. The Andreas, Nolan and I took the van out one last time for a photo shoot and some DQ blizzards. Here are some of the photos.

Smith Family Reunion

2010-09-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delayed post, but here are some pics taken at the Smith Family Reunion in Bend, Oregon this in August! We spent the week boating, rock climbing, hiking, caving, shopping, swimming, relaxing,

and playing Farkle.

Bryce & Nadia

2010-08-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Abe had tons of fun taking Bryce & Nadia's Wedding shots a few weeks ago! Here's some of our favorites...there are quite a few so enjoy!

Paige Turns One!

2010-07-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Paige's 1st Birthday! We can't believe she is already ONE... time flies!

My sister Mel was courteous enough to let me make the cakes... and if your confused about why we chose Turk from Tarzan for the cake top, you should compare the hair to Paige's and you will notice some similarities!

Cliff Lake, MT Camping Trip (July 16th & 17th, 2010)

2010-07-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went camping at Cliff Lake/Wade Lake in Montana. It was Nolan's first camping trip so we were a little nervous but he ended up doing great.

We bundled him in a warm bear suit to keep him warm at night and he slept just as well as he does at home, maybe even better. He looked and felt just like a little bear cub. He was even making little bear grunting noises.

Nolan testing out my new kayak.

Andrea Marie Hudson and our friends Bobby and Sam came with us.

The water looked as blue as Hawaii but was a little colder.

We bagged and taped Andrea's broken foot so that she could play in the water too.

Congratulations Bobby!

2010-07-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Bobby is graduating from BYU-I this semester, and we got take some grad photos with him. Here are some of them. We know that he will go on to do amazing things.

Sheep on the way home...

2010-07-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

I little while back I read a post on Kjrsten Madson's blog about a vintage ARGUS camera that she picked up at a thrift store. Just so happens I found the same one at the local DI! I was so excited to try it out. Here are some of the results. The range finder does not seem to work right so it was a little hard to get the focus right. We were so excited to get to develop film once again.

Ririe Lake

2010-06-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we (Bryce, Nadia, Sam, Zeik, Meagan, Mel, Jake, Paige, the Andreas, Nolan and myself) went and enjoyed the sun at Ririe Lake. We went rockclimbing, jumped some cliffs, played boche ball, BBQd and had an awesome time. Here are some of the pictures. Mostly Nolan as usual.

May Trip to Utah

2010-06-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

We are a little late in posting these photos. In mid May we got to go down and visit Grandpa and Grandma Flatebo and our wonderful cousins, the Garzas. It had been way too long since we had seen them and we can't wait to go back and have some more fun with them. The weather was perfect and we had a lot of fun.

Nolan loved the swing and his new whale sun hat.

Jared (recovering very well from his surgery)

Jacob on the trampoline

Josh and Joanna

Laila restling with the little rascals

Grandma in the sun with Grandpa working hard in the background as usual

A trip within a trip

2010-06-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I took a much needed trip home to hang with my family. While there the girls (& Nolan) got to spend a couple days in the splendid town of Victoria, Canada. We road the ferry, toured the city, ate gelati, and visited the Buchart Gardens... we had a blast!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

2010-06-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers day! To my Father, Father in law, and the Father of my baby!

I think we all can agree that I have a pretty spectacular Dad! My Dad has always worked so hard to provide for our family (even if it meant a commute from Tacoma to Seattle for one to many years!) Although he worked long hard hours he made sure to take time out of his busy schedule to have fun with us kids.

One of my fondest memories with my Dad was spending Saturdays out on American lake when it was our boat week! He helped us all learn how to wake board on the Big Kahunna!

Although we no longer have a boat, my Dad is always up for renting one on family vacations, doesn't he look great behind the wheel!?!

WE DID IT!!!

2010-06-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday June 12th my sister and I ran the Teton Dam Half Marathon!

(My 1st and Mel's 2nd)

As many of you already know, I was registered to run the race last year but due to unexpected morning sickness I was forced to resign. Luckily, the race director was kind enough to transfer my registration for the following year. I was looking forward to training for the race after Nolan was born to help me loose my "baby weight" and although that part didn't quite work out I am still thrilled that I successfully finished!

I know your all wondering where is the SWEET shot where I am sprinting across the finish line! Well, Nolan decided to get a little cranky so someone accidentally missed the shot. Oh well, I guess I will just have to run another one!

Bryce and Nadia Engagement

2010-06-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun time taking some engagement shots for our great friends Bryce and Nadia. Here is some of what we got. We are soooooooooooo excited for them. They are an awesome couple.

On the road of life.

I swear my Mothers favorite phrase growing up was “Because I said so.”

2010-05-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

In lieu of Mother's day I came across a memory that reminds me why Mothers are so special...

As a child (and teenager +) I would often find myself in a reoccurring predicament. I would ever so kindly ask my Mother if it was alright if I could do something, for example… hang out at Abe’s for an extra hour, and more often than not I would get the response NO! Then of course I would kindly ask “but why” and then came the phrase that will ever haunt me in my dreams… “Because I said so!”

This phrase was something I could never quite grasp. It doesn’t make any sense. She never had any reason to back herself up. My mother would often pair this response with another frequent statement, “You will understand when you’re a mother.” Although I hated it with all my heart, she was right. I unfortunately found this out at the end of my 6th grade year, but was too proud to ever let her know.

At the age of 12 I realized my mother had a power beyond anything my young mind was able to comprehend. A power greater than any, even in the wizarding world… the Motherly Instinct.

I was a fairly dorky 6th grader but I had been invited to one of the popular girls birthday parties. I was soooo excited! On the last day of school we were going to be picked up in a limo to take a drive around town, then have a sleepover and party all night in a tent in the birthday girl’s backyard.

My Mother was not so thrilled when I asked if I could go to the party. Yet, after a little disputing and probably quite a few tears she agreed to let me go, but there was a catch. I could go to the party but my mom was going to pick me up later that evening so I wouldn’t be able to stay the night.

You would think that this was a good compromise but my heart was still broken. I replied with the natural response “But Why!” Then came the ever so familiar phrase “Because I said so!” My Mom repeated this phrase over and over again and after much more deliberation I finally got her to admit that she didn’t have a good feeling about letting me stay the night.

It seems like I argued with her for days, all the way up to the day of the party. But, being the stubborn Mother that she is (I didn’t inherit this quality at all) she wouldn’t back down. Although disappointed, I went to the party and had a great time, until the evening came around.

For some reason the birthday girl’s parents were nowhere in sight for almost the whole party. A couple of the girls decided to sneak into the mother’s boyfriend’s truck and found a pack of cigarettes. Then they came into the tent where everyone was going to sleep and asked who wanted to smoke them. Now, being the angelic child that I was I decided not to join. Plus, my mom was on her way to come pick me up.

Suddenly, I found myself alone in the tent. Alone to ponder what had happened. My first thought was this… “Oh my goodness, my Mother was right.” I couldn’t believe it.

Now, you would think that after this experience I would listen to my Mother's every word. Or even tell her that she was right and I was sorry. But I can’t say I ever did any of those things (ok so maybe I did inherit the stubborn quality). In fact she never knew she was right and she is hearing this story for the first time.

The older I get the more I hear people say “You are just like your Mother!” I use to think people were crazy and didn’t know what they were talking about. But, I have to admit if I stop and think about it that statement becomes more and more true every day, and frankly… I don’t mind. As this story illustrated, my mother is a special person with many great qualities that I wouldn’t mind inheriting.

MEET MY MOM!

Some of the things she can’t seem to get enough of…

CHOCOLATE

Mexican food

Dishes

Coolers (an obsession I recently discovered while on a trip to Sam’s club)

Trend West

The Cocoa Bean

Suzie Orman (or other financial gurus)

Country Music

Everybody Loves Raymond

Classic Movies (like “Singing in the Rain”)

A woman of many talents that include…
Crafting

Cooking

Making sure no one’s feelings are ever hurt

Table decorating

Home decorating

CUPCAKES

Planning family vacations

Not backing down on her beliefs (religious or personal)

Making my life worry free when she comes to visit

Running/exercising

Coming up with creative ideas

Going above and beyond with any church calling she receives (good or bad)

Laughing

Spelling

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!!!

Nolan's Blessing

2010-05-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

It took us way to long to post these, but here are the photos from Nolan's blessing on April 11th, 2010. We were so excited that so many people could come, thank you all so much!!!

4 Generations of Hudsons

Nolan, Andrea, the grandmas and the great grandmas.

Worn out after a long day.

1st's

2010-04-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Smith's 1st time seeing Nolan

Nolan must have really liked him because I sware he stared at him just like this for a good 10 min.

It was also Aunt Andrea's 1st time seeing Nolan.

We are so exited to have her back in the Burg!

Easters

2010-04-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

This year we spent Easter at my Aunt Julie & Uncle Todd's place in Twin Falls.

We had a blast enjoying family fun, Conference, and delicious food!

We dressed Paige and Nolan is matching Easter outfits and attempted to do a photo shoot, although Paige seems to think Nolan is a life size toy so they didn’t quite work out as expected!

In between Conference sessions we ran over to see Shoshone Falls & it was gorgeous!

Our Furiously Fun Friend

2010-03-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from the last couple weeks. We think furious is Nolan's favorite attitude.

Thrifty Nifty

2010-03-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

I've been bugging Abe to let me buy this cool elephant mobile for Nolan's room.

I never realized mobiles were so expensive! This one just hangs from the ceiling, has no actual motor and doesn't play music.

Total Cost: $30

Here is the mobile we ended up making. We cut colored foam sheets into the elephant shapes, and hung them from bamboo sticks.

Total Cost: $3.00

The cool thing is, its a tad lopsided, so its spins on its own, no motor needed!

CHEEEEESE!!!

2010-03-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

Nolan has been smiling now for a couple of weeks

but I hadn't been able to catch it on camera untill yesterday!