Hudson made this leprechaun all by himself- we hung it up in our window for everyone to see. :)

Lincoln is a cutie pie- His daddy bought him this shirt. :)
Here's what we did Saint Patrick's day! We made leprechaun trap- and even though we didn't catch any leprechauns, Hudson found a SHINY gold $1 coin inside- they must have outwitted this year- so we'll have to redesign our trap and try again next year!

It seemed a good day to fly kites yesterday- so we took out the good old octopus kite- we bought it for Hudson when he was Lincoln's age. Both kids had a good time, but it wasn't quite windy enough to keep it aloft for long. So we went inside to make Chocolate Chip Cookies! Yum!

Story Time at the Campbell County Library.
Bubble Window at the Adventurarium Science Center-
Hudson's Starry Night
Hudson's original Acrylic on paper "thoughts of Britton"

We signed Hudson up to do SOCCER! He did really well at his kindergarten screening, but they said he could still improve on his gross motor skills (we already knew this from the LAP testing at head start last October) and they suggested Soccer which starts next month- and is only $25 and comes with a professional looking soccer jersey (not just a t-shirt) and team photos. Another nice thing about getting Hudson into soccer is that they team them up based on what school they are going to go to so he can get to know some kids before hand and he'll have friends when he starts school.

Not being in school is hard for Hudson- He LOVES school. So we've been keeping busy at home with workbooks and projects. Every week he goes to story time at the library, which always has music and stories and a craft, and he goes to the preschool art class at the AVA art center. He's pretty talented, and receives a lot of praise for his art- and he thrives on praise it seems. There is also a FREE science center here with all sorts of neat experiments and animals and mirrors and things to discover. So we have been having fun! Recently he received a package of painting from his friends at Head start in Havre and he was SO excited to see the letter!

He is very nervous about soccer- partly because he doesn't think he's tall enough to reach the hoop- (clearly we are not a sporty family- we'll have to clear that up) but he has a tendency to quit things before he's even begun- and talks himself out of taking risks. So I am being mean mommy and making him try it for at least 1 season-

Hopefully that works out well!

Lincoln is doing well- He is 30 inches long! (90th percentile) and almost 19 lbs. He is growing fast. He claps his hands, plays peek a boo, says "tickle tickle" and lifts up his shirt or does tickle fingers, and LOVES to point at everyone. And he says "daddy". He is starting to sleep in his crib better and is a sweet- but LOUD- little boy. :) I can't believe he's almost 1!!!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated!

Let me catch you up-

November- We had an unseasonably warm November in Havre, and were able to take some great photos outside. While mom and dad had to sort through job offers, Hudson and Lincoln had fun watching movies and playing Mario Kart. We braved the weather and all sorts of obstacles to make it to Great-Grandma Griffin's house in Idaho- went to Grand Junction Colorado for a few days to check out one job offer and then drove to Wyoming for another, Poor kids were SO sick of traveling.

December- Hudson finished up at HeadStart with a special Christmas concert that grandparents Moore got to attend. After the recital Hudson got to go up to Canada to help grandma decorate the tree and do all the "christmassy things" because Jason "cancled Christmas" at our house. Really it was just because we were packing up getting ready to move. We had a good Christmas in Canada and then set out on an adventure of a lifetime. Moving to Gillette, WY

The move- Hudson went with Grandpa and Uncle Michael in the Toyota and followed Jason in the Moving Truck. IN A BLIZZARD! It took them three times the normal time to get to Wyoming. The toyota hit a truck on the way, the moving truck got stuck in the ditch, there was like zero visablity. But they got there safely. Lincoln and I stayed in Havre with Grandma and cleaned like the dickens. We had heard horror stories from previous tenants that we may as well kiss our deposit goodbye, but I wanted to do my best anyway. 65 + manhours later (thanks to help from my good friends and relief society) we got $400 back right away and she said that she'd send more.

Our new home- The ward here is nice- Hudson has several kids his age in his class. He is giving a talk in Primary this Sunday. Lincoln is crawling around and trying to pull himself up on furiture. Both are happy and Healthy. And just now as I was writing this, Hudson lost his first tooth! I will insert photos soon!

a nice day to take pictures!

5 years ago today- the trees around Auburn regional hospital were a flame with crimson leaves- the sky was a clear crisp blue. I woke up early just buzzing with anticipation. I didn't know what you looked like- I had never heard your voice- I never knew how much I would love you or how fierce my instincts to protect you would be. I never knew how little sleep I could survive on or how frustrating being a mommy could be. I didn't realize I'd cry so much- both with joy and with pain. All I knew was that I had two willing arms that wanted to hold you.

And I have never regretted it for a moment.

Hudson- you are such a joy! You drive me crazy- you melt my heart- you make me laugh- you help me see the world with new eyes.

I love you! Happy Birthday my five year old! Your hands are no longer the chubby hands of a toddler, but they still fit in mine- and they always will!

Hudson had a field trip to the badlands yesterday to look for rocks and dinosaur bones. I wanted to go with him, but am still feeling under the weather and decided that Lincoln and I had better stay home. When Hudson got home he had all sorts of stories. The problem is, they weren't true.

How do you punish a child for lying? What is the best way to teach an almost 5 year old that telling stories that aren't true is a bad thing? He has such a great imagination, but it's getting a little out of control.

I gave him a few chances to admit that the story was made up, but he insisted that it was the truth. I said things like " sometimes we like to imagine that things happen- is that what this story is? Is it your imagination?"

"No! It really happened"

So- I am a little disappointed, but mostly just worried that I need to somehow teach him not to lie.

Lincoln is doing alright- he's still trying to crawl. He's got his two bottom front teeth poking out now, and it is making him sleepless which in turn is making me sleepless. When I got home from work it took me two hours to get him to sleep. and then he kept waking up. The only way I could keep him sleeping was to feed him so he ended up sleeping in our bed- again- much to Jason's chagrin.