YUM

I LOVE baking. I especially love baking treats. Something about the smell of freshly baked goods filling my home...whoa... it just makes me happy. So I made these amazing cinnamon rolls yesterday. They're easy (no rising involved!) and so delicious!! I got the recipe from my dear friend Jill's cooking blog... (Thanks Jill!)

Darn it. I've been trying to lose this baby weight, but at this rate it might be a while! If only I had the self-control to stay out of the leftovers! Oh well... :))-double chin

Ballet Beauty!

Celeste took ballet lessons this summer with her best friend. They had a blast! She looked forward to the lessons every week. The instructor invited the parents to the final class of the summer so we could see all they learned...

Celeste with her best friend N. Two beautiful ballerinas in training!

Such a Daddy's girl!

Baby Blessings

Baby Jarom had his blessing in church on July 4th. I can't believe this is the 5th time we've done this! Time is going by so fast, but so slowly at the same time... (that doesn't make any sense, does it! Haha!) But in some ways it feels like it was just yesterday that the other babies were blessed. In our church we believe babies have no need of bapism. They are pure and clean, and won't be held accountable for their sins until they reach the age of accountability (8 years old.) But babies are given a name and a blessing by their fathers. It's a very sacred and sweet experience. Anyway, so here are the babies on their special day, in order of appearance...

Jarom Thomas Hudson

July 4, 2010

Father's Day

I've gotten really behind on blogging lately. Hmm... wonder why??

I'm not sure if it was a blessing or not to have baby Jarom the week that school got out. I don't have to get anyone ready for school in the mornings, or get them out the door on time... which is a blessing. But on the other hand, they're home all day! So it's been a challenge... but the kids have been so helpful, and I've really loved the unstructured time we've had together this summer. We've definitely been busy with all sorts of fun activities. I'm going through some of our pictures and playing catch-up today...

On father's day, I dressed the kids up in their new t-shirts, and they made breakfast in bed for daddy to celebrate his special day. Then after church they played this ridiculously goofy game Jon came up with. (His creativity amazes me!) He stands at the top of the stairs and wraps a blanket around his head. Then the kids yell, "Rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair!" And they kids take turns holding on to the blanket and trying to climb it and swing around until they drop onto the cushions on the floor. The kids LOVE this game! I know, we're so weird. Haha!

Daddy with his newest little guy...

I just love my husband so much. I'm grateful that he's such a devoted, loving family man and that he works so hard for us. What a man!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!
We love and appreciate you!

And of course, I can't forget my own wonderful father, who has the most kind and compassionate heart. I love you Dad!

Special Visitors

Nana and Papa came for a special trip recently to meet baby Jarom for the first time. It was wonderful to be together, and they helped us SO much! Their visit was jam-packed... we had a birthday party for Charity, a 2-day family garage sale, Jarom's baby blessing, fireworks for 4th of July, we did TONS of work around the house (painting, yardwork, etc...), and they watched the kids for us all day so we could go to the temple in Chicago. Whew! My parents recognize that this is a stressful time for us and they really reached out to help however they could. My poor Dad even had an injured foot, and he was hobbling around in the yard carrying wood, mowing the lawn, and climbing up and down a ladder to paint our walls. And my mom (who absolutely hates mosquitos), spent most of the day outside (and got eaten alive) to help with the garage sale. I sure feel loved... and grateful.

Here are a few pictures of them meeting their newest grandchild. This little guy has no clue how blessed he is to have such loving and doting grandparents! But he will know soon enough!

Portraits

(Celeste almost 7, by Nana)

(Nana almost 59, by Celeste) Haha!

Sisterly Love

Dear Charity,
You are a great little sister. You are the bestest sister in the whole world. You are a good girl. You are super nice. I love you a ton. You are my friend. You are a rock star!
From,
Celeste

Baby Jarom!

After 24 LONG hours of labor, Jarom Thomas Hudson finally decided to make his appearance! He was born on June 11th at 8:11am. It certainly wasn't an ideal birth experience. I really hate inductions, because I feel the baby should just come when he's ready. But under our circumsances, we felt it was the best option. I'm just so grateful I didn't have a c-section. There was a scare at one point, where my blood pressure dropped dramatically and the baby showed signs of distress. They were extremely close to giving me a c-section, but we had some amazing nurses who did an excellent job of taking care of it, and they were able to help me and the baby recover. So thankfully everything worked out. He weighed in at 8lbs. 7oz. and he was 19 3/4in. long.

Here I am after my epidural. :)))))))))))))))

YAY! Welcome to the world Jarom Thomas Hudson!

The kids came later that afternoon to meet their baby brother. They were SO excited!

Nana Jodie (Jon's mom) was able to travel all the way here from Washington to spend time with us, help with the kids, and meet her newest grandchild. Thank you, thank you, thank you Nana Jodie!

We love you!!

Celeste absolutely cannot get enough of this little guy. All she wants to do is look at him and hold him. She'll even skip out on other privileges (movies, games, etc) just to be with him instead. She'll be such a wonderful mother someday.

Jarom will want to be just like his big brother Benny!

Sweet Charity is very gentle with him. She'll be a great helper too!

But unlike his doting older siblings, Jakey didn't know what to think at first.

He wasn't too thrilled about not being the baby anymore. :(

But I think now he understands that everything will be ok. :) We've tried to be sensitive to his needs lately, and give him some extra loving. And ever since we got home, he seems to be adjusting well. He keeps saying, "Baby Jarom is so tute." So I think that's a good sign.

I know... what a HUNK! There's nothing hotter than a studly manly-man holding a brand new baby. I love this man. He's such a wonderful husband and father. Yep, sorry girls, he's taken... WAY taken. :)

Love my little guy!!! I feel like I've known him forever.

When we got home from the hospital, the kids had each chosen a stuffed animal to give him. They piled them on top of him right when we walked in the door. He's probably used to all the noise and chaos from when he was in my belly, so he slept right through it all.

Welcome home Sweet boy!

Hudson Hugs

We have a special family tradition every night. We put the couches together and have "snuggle scriptures". We try to teach the kids principles of the gospel, and spend some time together as a family. Then after we're done, we say a prayer, and have what we call "Hudson Hugs". This is when we all put our arms around each other and say "1...2...3... I love you family!!" Then we hug each other individually. It's the BEST way to end the day. If When there was contention during the day, this little ritual helps us move past any negative feelings, and end the day on a good note.


Lately after the kids hug everyone else, they hug my belly and say, "I love you Baby Jarom!" So tonight after Jakey hugged my belly, he hugged Daddy's belly too, and said, "I love you Baby Jarom!" We all had a good laugh! :)

Comparing bellies...

Hope you're ready to join this CrAzy family Jarom! We can't wait to meet you... tomorrow!!