Hudson's Major League Birthday Party!

(Yes, I am WAY behind but better late than never!)

I can't believe my baby is 4!  How did that happen?  We celebrated Hudson's 4th birthday party with a Major League baseball party.  Hudson LOVES baseball.  It seems to have surpassed basketball as his favorite over the last few months....of course, that's probably only cause it's baseball season....come winter, we'll be back to basketball, I'm sure!  But anyway, he had told me long ago that he wanted a baseball birthday party this year....so baseball it was!

The invites:

                                (Front)                                                                          (Back)

Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd....buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks....and sunflower seeds, cotton candy, pickles, pretzels and popcorn too!   For the food I went with all traditional baseball style food.....and the main dish was hot dogs, of course.   I decorated in red and blue, and even made cute little pennant flags with baseball quotes on them to put in each dish. But it was pretty windy so those didn't cooperate....along with the CONCESSIONS sign I made.  It was blown up on top of the pavilion and stayed up there the rest of the party.  Oh well.

The main entertainment for the party was a baseball game, of course!

 And then a water balloon fight...and a little kite flying by the princess.

Then Hudson opened all his presents....

And then it was time for cake...balls.  Baseball cake balls this year.  They didn't turn out as I had envisioned, and then the heat got to them as well...but they were still delicious.  And I served the kids' cake and ice cream in the cute little baseball helmets.

Then it was time to break the pinata....We have done a pinata at all his parties (except his first birthday) and he demanded another one this year.  So I made this one.  I might have put a few too many layers of paper on - it took a lot of hitting to break it open!

And enjoy all the goodies inside!  I bought baseball cards, baseball tattoos, pencils, and fun dip, blow pops and sour gum balls (all the good stuff I always bought at the concession stand at a ball game when I was little!)

Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate Hudson's birthday!  He had a great time and is very much enjoying being a BIG 4 year old now.

Blastball!

Hudson LOVED playing Blastball this year.  It was actually for 4-5 year olds, so I had to fudge on his birthdate (just a little) to get him on the team.  He turned 4 on the day of the last game.  He missed the first practice because he was sick, so we weren't real sure how he'd do at his first game.  But the hitting was not a problem.  Got right up and slugged it past everyone on his first hit.  Of course, with the fielding skills that wasn't real hard to do!  

So Blastball is intended to teach the kids the basics of the game and get used to playing a team sport.  There is only a first base (and when you step on it it squeaks!) and every kid bats every inning (getting as many tries as they need to actually hit the ball) and then they run to first base.  After they jump on the base and make it squeak, they go back to the bench.  So there's no actual base running.  Then for fielding, all the kids have a base to stand on along the infield baseline and it's a free for all as to whoever gets the ball.  Some use mitts, some don't.  Whoever ends up with the ball holds it up in the air and yells "blastball" and then throws it back to the coach.  So they don't even try to get an "out".  They play 3 innings or the 45 minute time limit and that's it.  So it goes pretty quick (except for those few who REALLY struggle to hit the ball!)

Here he is after getting to first base after his first hit.  He was pretty proud of himself! 

The fielding part he was not so sure of.  He's always preferred to bat over fielding the ball (although that has changed since playing blastball) so when he got out there he just stood there and waited for the ball to come to him.  Typical ball game that would have been fine - but with 4-5 year olds, everyone just swarms to the ball, wherever it is on the field.

So the first game he stood out there with his arms crossed, huffing about not catching any balls.

But after a couple games, he figured it out and got right in there.  He had several really great stops, using his mitt even!  Notice the tongue.  He did like to complain though that Kylin (the little girl) was too fast and always beat him to the ball.  Which was true. She was a fast runner.

So you'll recall all they are supposed to do is hit the ball and run to first base, then go back to the bench.  Hudson did that fine the first game, but the second game he didn't see the point in only running to first.  Not when the balls were rolling all the way to the outfield!

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He hit "homeruns" every time up to bat that game, but never did it again at any of the other games.  Although after every game he always asked how many homeruns he had and who won.

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Team Huddle

Good Game

You made me a mom

Although this day is supposed to be all about me, today, I find myself reflecting more on you…

You made me a mom.

Every day you discover new things and explore the world…but it is really me who has learned so much and had my eyes opened to the real beauty of life.

You made me a mom.

I take care of you when you’re sick, snuggle with you when you’re scared, hold you when you have an “ouchie” but it is really you who has taught me so much about love and selflessness.

You made me a mom.

You are the one hitting the home runs, learning new words, absorbing life and climbing to new heights – literally – every day.  But I am the one filled with pride and joy at what you have become and will become.

                                                                     You made me a mom.

Although it is you who thinks I am so smart and I have so much to teach you,

it is you who have taught me:

unconditional love

forgiveness

kindness

innocence

honesty.

                                                              I love you.

Love, 

Mommy

No caption needed :)

Tate Update (17 months)

This boy is a handful.

  Loves getting dirty.

 And eating out of the trash can.

And his personal favorite - playing in the toilet!  He makes a beeline for the bathrooms when he sees a door left open.  And I find it hilarious that when he finds one of his diapers (clean, of course, just haven't been put away yet)- he "helps" Mommy out by taking it in and dunking it in the toilet.  I don't find it too hilarious the ten other times a day I am pulling him out of the toilet and washing his hands though.  (Big brother has a hard time remembering to shut the bathroom doors sometimes...half the time I think he opens them on purpose!)

He has also recently discovered that he loves roly polys.  A fine delicatessen to a curious little boy!

But all in all, he is a healthy little man (despite having a lot of colds this winter and currently just recovering from a little bout of "bronchitisish" stuff.)  But he is developing right on target for his adjusted age, and at this point, really has caught up with his peers on everything.  

He is quite the talker too.  His latest words are hot, bye and hi (and waving or blowing big kisses).  He waves goodbye to anyone who walks out the front door (even if we are just going out to play) and at all the cars that pass in the street.     

He loves bicycles and scooters and anything that he can ride on.  A few days ago I was chasing him down the driveway as he was riding one of Hudson's scooters - backwards - as a car just turned on our cul-de-sac.  And he was laughing the entire time.  I just bought him his own little scooter/bike - no pedals, he just  sits on it and pushes with his feet, but it's still a little too big for him.  So he prefers to ride Hudson's even bigger scooter.  

The only health concern he has (besides all the chest colds stuff- which the doctor said could be from his prematurity and his lungs not being fully developed or could be asthma related (since Jamie is an asthmatic), we'll just have to wait and see how he does next winter.  Right now he's on 2 different steriods to get his lungs back to healthy and then hopefully he'll be good at least through the summer and fall till the bugs start up again.)  is his hearing.  We went back in to the audiologist in March and he still didn't pass the hearing tests they did. In fact, he did worse this time than he did the time before.  But, he was just two weeks out from recovering from RSV then, and the audiologist said all that fluid can take several months to clear out.  We did go ahead and take him in to an ENT - had an AWFUL experience there, never going back, waste of time - and he just said to bring him back in 2 months, his ears were too small to really see if there was fluid causing the problem or not.  So although we have no intention of going back to that ENT, our plan at this point is to go back to the audiologist for one more screening in June and if he still fails the tests then, to go in to another ENT to look at putting tubes in.  The audiologist is convinved the problem is being caused by fluid behind his eardrums.  I'm not so convinced.  The audiologist - and both of the ENT's - have commented on how small his ear canals are and how hard it is to run the test.  So I still think that could be the reason he isn't passing, but I'm no audiologist....But she told me if it was her son she wouldn't hesitate to put tubes in after this next test. 

It is a good sign though that he babbles and talks so much already.  Just the other day when we were outside playing he heard the birds chirping and stopped and pointed to his ears!  That was the first time he has done that.  We know if he does have a hearing loss it is a mild one.  But the audiologist said even though it's mild, it should still be treated with a hearing aid.  That would mainly be for his speech development to make sure he is hearing words correctly and thus pronouncing them correctly.

So we'll continue to pray for better results at the next hearing test, and then wisdom for any decisions that have to be made from there.

  

 

Tate's 1st haircut

 Well, I finally agreed to it.  Jamie had been bothering me for weeks about it...and I just couldn't bring myself to chop off these beautiful curls:

But I finally agreed to it.  Tate didn't really want them cut off either....he wouldn't hold still.

But Gigi finally got it all cut.  She still left it a little long for Mommy though.  And, of course, Jamie didn't even notice when he got home.  

March for Babies

March for Dimes is an important organization for our family because of Tate's premature birth.  You can read about his birth and 56 days in the NICU here. Although we never met with a representative from the March of Dimes or received any assistance directly from them, the money they have spent in researching premature birth and neonatology has saved many baby's lives, including Tate.  I know he wouldn't be here today without God's grace and the medical technology that is available today.  The steroid shots I was given before he was even born that allowed him to breathe on his own from the first minute he was born, the incubators, the UV lights, the blood tests, the tube feeding, the bottle feeding and techniques, the neonatolgists and nurses who knew so much about pre-term babies and their needs - all of that came from research funded by the March of Dimes.

THE reason we March for Babies.

Despite a bit of a cold start and Tate waking up at 4 am with a fever - we Marched for Babies last Saturday.  The weather was actually a little nicer this year than last, and all the storms held off until later that evening, so although it was overcast, it was actually pretty nice for the walk.  Not sure Tate had that great of a time though....he woke up at 4 am with a fever and although he seemed to be feeling better by March time, I don't think he felt that great.  And by Monday he was pretty sick with a cold and hand, foot and mouth (Thanks a lot for sharing Cousin Ashley!).

So far we raised $950 to support March for Babies!  (I say so far cause a few of you have mentioned you will be donating, but have yet to do so, ahem, ahem....)  :)  

Here's some pics of the March:

The March is actually 2 miles long.  Last year we did the full 2 miles, but this year, with Tate not feeling well and Jamie saying "I don't have anything to prove"  we might have taken a little shortcut and cut a mile or so off!  The walk starts at Exploration Place and then walks down the river, over a bridge, down the other side, then back over another bridge and back to Exploration Place.  It's a pretty walk...well, as pretty as the Arkansas River can be, I guess...and we did see lots of ducks and a few fish.

Hudson was all into MARCHING for babies!

The whole group (minus my mom who is taking the picture.) I designed the tshirts that we all wore.  The front says "Sometimes the smallest things in life take up the most room in our hearts." Then it has Tate's name and birth weight and even his little handprints and footprints.

This year Papa and Binga were able to come march with us.  

Of course, in addition to not feeling great, it was nap time as well!  So Tate took a little rest.

Just hanging out!

And we got to meet Wu!  (This, I admit, was part of the motivation for cutting the walk short.  We saw Wu waiting for us across the river and couldn't risk that he might not be there by the time we made it all the way around. So we took a shortcut.  Hudson wasn't going to NOT let us at that point, he was so excited to see Wu!)

They make posters with a baby pic and a current pic of each baby and hang them up along the front.  Last year Tate's was wrong because it said "Christian" instead of Tate.  So I sent in more pics this year so this year he had 2 of them!  One for Christian and one for Tate!

Thank you to everyone who supported us in Marching for Babies!  Every penny counts!

Preparing for Easter

Hudson LOVES Easter eggs.  I'm not sure what it is about them but he has been begging since right after Christmas to get the Easter eggs out to play with.  About a month ago we brought home eggs from church to fill with candy for the church Easter egg hunt.  We had them for a week and Hudson was in egg heaven.  We played Easter egg hunt all week long and he was very sad when we had to take them back to church.  Although he did enjoy filling them with candy.

So I knew I had to play it up for him this week getting ready for Easter....but I wanted to make sure he understood the TRUE story of Easter, rather than just the candy and Easter egg part.  So I made him a set of Resurrection Eggs.  He loved them.  He already knew the story, but this gave him lots more details to add to it.  

• a small leaf to represent a palm branch at Jesus’ triumphal entry
• 3 quarters to represent the 30 pieces of silver that Judas Iscariot received
• a piece of bread to represent the bread broken at the Last Supper
• a tiny piece of paper rolled into a scroll to represent Jesus’ prayer in the garden
• a piece of leather or thick fabric to represent the soldier’s whipping Jesus
• a branch from a thorn bush to represent the crown of thorns
• 2 nails to represent the nails and the cross
• a die to represent the soldier’s casting lots for Jesus’ clothes
• a small twig with one end broken off to represent the spear piercing Jesus’ side
• a piece of thin fabric to represent Joseph wrapping Jesus in clean linen cloth
• a rock to represent the stone rolled in front of the tomb
• And then, of course, the last egg was EMPTY!  Just like the tomb.  

His favorite egg was probably the one with the money in it.  (He loves to play with money.)  But he did tell me yesterday that he had been eating the bread out of the egg (which is now a good week old).  My favorite part was when he was showing his eggs to Binga and telling her the story.  He pulled out the "whip" and said "Know what this is?  Turn around I'll show you!"  Ha! (It was only a little twig with a piece of string tied to it. He probably did try it on Tate when I wasn't looking.)

Another day last week, while the boys were napping, I filled Easter eggs with snacks and hid them out in the front yard.  Then Hudson found them all and the boys had their snack.  And then we played Easter egg hunt for another hour or two...

We also dyed eggs over at my mom's last week, but I didn't get any pictures on my camera.  Hudson really enjoyed doing that too.

Tate's Marching for Babies!

Help us support March of Dimes!

Ow, Ow, Ow!

Last week we had a beautiful 70 degree day so we took the boys to Chisholm Trail.  It was the first time we had taken them there and Hudson LOVED it.  He loved going through all the side trails and exploring.  Here's a few pics of the adventure:

 Hudson wanted to play "bears" and build a campfire.  So he gathered up all the wood.  Then we distracted him with doing something else since we weren't actually going to light the fire!

Throwing rocks in the water-his favorite part.  I'm trying to grow his hair out longer to see if it will curl up more.  What do you think?  Just looks like a mop?  :)  Jamie's threatening to buzz it all off. But I think it's cute.  He's just starting to get the little "wings" like baseball players get under their caps.

It was all fun and excitement until right after this picture.  Then he slipped on the rocks and went down.  He pulled himself together pretty quickly and it was about dinner time anyway so we headed back to the car.  Then he fell again on the sidewalk - within sight of the car.  That was the end of the fun. (Although it was still really funny!)

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Gigi got him all fixed up.  He wore all the bandaids - even the one on his face - all evening.  And, of course, refused to take a bath cause that would make them sting.  Thankfully the next day he only needed one new bandaid on his knee...