Snow fun

Hudson's first time in the snow!!

Ha! :)

We had a blast pulling him around in his sled. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first butended up having a blast!

Catching up .. [Christmas]

{{Inturruption - sickness}}

Had to give Hud meds through a nebulizer! It is a steam medication so he breathes it right in to his lungs. He fought and screamed the entire first treatment, but after that he caught on (and so did we) and he relaxed for us a bit. Poor guy.. 

{ok, back to Christmas!!}

Our tree :)



*Family Christmas*

Here are a few favorite pics from the get togethers .. Like Thanksgiving, I was so busy enjoying everything I forgot to get my camera out sometimes. So, not a ton of pics - but maybe some flashbacks will come later on when I get other pics from family members! :)  

***Merry Christmas!! And a Happy New Year!!***

Catching up.. [Hudson's 1st birthday]

Alright, so I don't even know how to condense this wonderful occasion in to a few photos .. but I'm going to try my best! We had an Alligator themed party with friends and family, a separate party with just mom and dad, a separate party with Grandma Kris and Grand dad Fred, and yet another party with Papa Boat and Grandma Janet! 

On Hudson's birthday, we started out the morning with his first haircut!! I gave him a sugar free sucker thinking he would sit still the entire time .. ha! :)  He kept throwing the sucker in to the cut hair, so I had to rinse it off over and over .. turns out he preferred holding on to my chapstick. Good news is we got it done! 

 And after his first haircut -- His first bubble bath!

He loved it

of course he had to taste them :)

{ok.. back to birthday}

..  12 months  ..  1 year old  ..  crawling to walking  ..  baby to toddler  ..

It's hard to describe how quickly time goes. Watching your child grow up before your eyes. It's amazing! I know my parents, adults in general, always said it to me growing up. But you just never believe it until you experience it yourself! It's such a joy - I've done my best to soak in the moments.. not to rush and just enjoy watching my child. I don't want to forget a thing! Thank goodness for digital cameras! 

Here are a few of my favorites from the parties:

one of his favorites - Goldfish! It shakes :)

Our family smash cup cake - He shoved the entire thing in his mouth! 

Smash cake at his big party .. he was surprisingly timid this time!

He made quite the haul from mom and dad!

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Catching up.. [Thanksgiving]

So, I think that's the title of my post about every other time.. obviously, this isn't exactly "my thing" but I really enjoy doing it when I get a chance. So - please bear with me, and we'll catch up on Thanksgiving, Hudson's first birthday, Christmas, and the New Year so far! :) :)

Thanksgiving was spent relaxing in Kansas with Cory's family this year. It was a nice long weekend hanging out at their home, cooking, eating, talking, and trying to keep Hudson entertained, as always! Honestly, it was so relaxing I hardly remembered to take pictures! So, enjoy the few we have :)

It was so nice that we spent a few afternoons out on the back deck letting Hudson get some fresh air and burn some energy going up and down the steps. He loved it!

As you can see, a few of the ways we entertained Hud was lots and lots of books, and of course - Tupperware :)

On our way home from Kansas Hudson had a hard time with the traveling. He normally does so well - so when we got home I checked his temp to see if he had a "teething fever" or anything - it's the highest it had ever been and turns out he was sick! He spent the month of December touching on a different sickness every week! Makes up for the whole first year with no sickness what so ever! 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, dear family and friends!

What a year! In our home, we have gone from having a precious little baby cradled in our arms to a one year old big boy walking around the house! It’s been such a joy watching Hudson this year – learning, developing new skills, and growing so quickly!

Cory is staying very busy with work. They have had another great year. They hired another attorney and their second associate! They also added another full time legal assistant. Because of these additions to the firm, they are needing to expand. They have a tentative deal to get a new commercial office building and move the firm into that building. Assuming all goes as planned, they will plan on building out the firm space starting in February and moving in sometime this spring! It’s very exciting and great progress for GRL Law.

I have been staying busy with Hudson at home - reading books, having “dance parties”, playing with all of his toys, practicing walking all over the house, going up and down the stairs, etc. Over the summer we enjoyed many walks on the walking trail near our house, going to the park and swinging, and pool time where ever we could find it! We also joined a gym that has child care so Hud and I go there every afternoon so he gets time playing with other kids and seeing other adults and I get a little time to myself! I’ve actually learned to really enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to work out! J We have gotten involved in a MOPS group as well through Valley Church (which is also our church home). It has been such a blessing to make friendships through that. I’m looking forward to more opportunities it provides in coming years.

Most recently Hudson has been transitioning in to eating solid foods! He loves it and doesn’t turn anything down! He’s not as big of a fan of his milk so far, but we’re working on it. He loves to look at books and turn the pages. Anything with buttons that make noise or play music can entertain him for quite a while too! He’s very content to hold on to someone’s finger and walk them all over the house. He also loves to be “chased” all over! On hands and knees, I’d say he’s faster than me! J He has a few favorite cupboards in the kitchen too! Tupperware, pots, and pans seem to be at the top of the list! He has a favorite blankie that he gets during nap and bed time. He’s a good sleeper which we appreciate so much!

Everything we did this year was new and exciting because it was always another 1st for Hudson to experience. He has completely changed our lives and helped us realize what an eventful life we live. There were so many trips to NW Iowa and to central Kansas visiting grandparents, and preparing at home for their weekend visits in Des Moines. We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents who are so active and involved in Hudson’s life and so willing to hang out with him for a few days here and there when Cory and I need a break.

Just a few of the fun things we did this year included a ski trip with friends in Colorado, Las Vegas with the Gourleys, lake house weekends with the Boones, March madness kick off in Lawrence with friends, weekends away for weddings all over Iowa and Kansas, a trip to Arkansas, and so many visits and get togethers from friends and family in Des Moines. Cory and I also celebrated our 1 year anniversary!

We have been so blessed this past year and thank you all for being such a special part of that blessing. But most importantly we celebrate the true giver of blessings, our Heavenly Father. It’s such a special time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and create more memories to carry in to coming years. We pray you all have a very merry Christmas and bring in the New Year with bubbles and joy!

With love,

Cory, Jaclyn, and Hudson Gourley