The Hudson Express

We had one extra special decoration that deserves a post all to itself...The Hudson Express.  I had seen the idea online to make a big train out of boxes and was instantly intrigued.  I emailed my mom, asking if she was interested in tackling the project with me, as I knew I didn't have the time or energy to do it on my own.  Somewhat to my surprise, but not totally shocked, she accepted the proposal.  So we put our heads together and started brainstorming and planning.  My mom was really the brains and the hands behind the operation and deserves most of the credit.  She found an appropriate size box to fit one we had, got all the supplies, and made the smoke stack, cowcatcher, and wheels.  They came for a visit a few weekends before, so we painted and assembled the train then.  I did the finishing touches afterwards.  We were thrilled with the finish product, and Hudson was too.  Its amazing what you can do with cardboard, fun foam, duck tape, hot glue, and some paint.  It was the centerpiece of play and conversation for the party guests, both young and old, and provided some fond memories.  All aboard The Hudson Express, engine #4."  

The finished project...

We even made a "control panel" inside for pushing levers and monitoring controls.  This was totally Hudson's idea.  

Hudson also had the idea of making boarding passes and collecting "pennies" from friends who wanted a ride on his train, so we did.  

Hudson's best buddy, Thomas, came to the party all dressed up as a train engineer.  

He played the part quite well.  

Love this picture!  I hope that when he is older he remembers this train and how it was made especially for him, with much love.  

Choo...Choo...

Train Party - Decorations

I had so much fun, once again, preparing for Hudson's birthday party.  Its one of the highlights of my year and I love putting my creative thoughts into motion.  Leading up to it, I stayed up late at night to create, mess, cut and paste.  :)  Also, Pinterest came in handy for some extra inspiration.  For months, Hudson said he was going to have an ISU birthday party, but around Christmas time he informed us he "changed his mind" and wanted to have a train party instead.  "Not a Thomas the train party, just a train party."  I learned that once your child turns four (at least in our experience) the parents no longer get to choose the party theme, the child does.  We had great fun planning and preparing the decorations TOGETHER.  Literally, Hudson helped me with almost everything, we did it side by side.  It proved to be a wonderful way we could work together and build the anticipation.  When Greta was napping he would say, "Mommy, lets go downstairs and scrapbook for my train party."  So special!  Here is what we came up with...

The front of the party invitations...

     

We welcomed the guests with some train tracks leading to the front door and an awesome train engine poster, created by Uncle Jacy...  

Every year I do a little display on the buffet to fit the theme... 

We made these birthday hats for the little guests and a train track table cloth...

 

Some more table decorations...

We decorated with LOTS of trains (borrowed several from friends), train books (borrowed from the library), maps, suitcases, and other train station motif....

We had an Arrivals and Departures sign for guests to name their train and mark their schedule.  Swinger Station saw lots of passengers throughout the weekend.    

Hudson was excited about having a Thomas balloon bouquet...

The handsome birthday boy in front of the choo choo sign...

We had more train tracks inside on the floor made with black electrical tape.  I also made a picture train, with a picture of Hudson from each month of his 3rd year.  We still have it up.  :)  

We made candy trains, another project Hudson had fun helping me with, as a sweet take home treat for the guests... 

We had fun reading lots of train books from "The Reading Line" during the weeks prior and days following the party.  We learned a great deal about trains, Mommy included.

Some railroad signs...

We made train station signs...Baggage Claim, Fueling Station, Passenger Check-In, Restrooms, Dining Car 1 & 2, and Baggage Drop Off.  

And a party wouldn't be complete without the traditional birthday banner.  This was my favorite one I have made so far...

Birthday Boy

I have lots of fun pictures to share from Hudson's 4th birthday, so this is just the start of them.  He turned FOUR on Tuesday, February 3rd.  I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say what most moms say when another birthday comes around..."I can't believe you are ____ years old already!  Where does the time go?  Slow down already!"  Yet, this year I was ready to face another birthday (Hudson turning 3 on the other hand created many tears for this Mommy).  He grew up, changed, learned, and accomplished so much as a three year old that four seemed like the next step for the little guy.  We let him pick some of the special things he wanted to do on his birthday and this is how the day unfolded... 

We started out with Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast (he gets this love from his Daddy who likes to take him there)...

We anticipated this day so he could wear his special train birthday shirt (thank you Mimi) with pride...

We gave him four presents, it just seemed appropriate.  He opened two at breakfast and the other two after nap time...

More train pieces for hours of building and creating...

We went to Bible Class, as we normally do on Tuesday mornings, and he enjoyed playing with his friends in the "blue class."  

We also gave him a new bike helmet and a swim suit with a ticket for 4 swimming lessons.  

And dinner at the Pizza Ranch was a fun and yummy choice too...

We closed out the evening at small group, where he ran around and played with his friends.  

What a joy to celebrate Hudson's special day.  I am so grateful for the gift of sharing our days together and the privilege it is to be his Mommy.  Four years have flown by and so many wonderful things have happened, yet we have much more to look forward to.  We learn and grow together each and every day and I thank God for His abundant grace and faithfulness, through it all.  Happy 4th Birthday, Hudson John!  I love you!  

Greta @ 3 Months

On February 1st Greta turned 3 months old.  We captured several fun photos this time with some different expressions.  We are so grateful for our baby girl, Greta Alice.  During the past month she…

…had her first restaurant outing to Hickory Park in Ames

…found her hands and hasn't stopped sucking on them since

…got lots of comments from other people about her wild hair

…started sleeping through the night, 10-12 hours

…adores her big brother (smiles at him, watches him, listens to him, looks for him)

…decided that taking short cat naps was a good idea (Mommy doesn't really think so)

…went for her first walk around the block on January 26th

…prefers being held, rocked, and snuggled by Mommy

…weighed in at 12.1 pounds and measured 23 inches long at her 2 month checkup

…got really fussy and sore from her shots

…started going to bed at a decent time (no more 1:00am)

…loved playing in her floor gym and kicking 

…drools and spits up often

…eats 5-6 times a day

…likes white noise and helps get her to sleep

…started accepting her paci more

…is laughing and smiling and likes to interact with others

…settled into a more consistent routine and "schedule" 

…is wearing 3-6 month clothes

…is not a big fan of tummy time

Greta Girl

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of our little "Greta Girl" during the month of January.  She is a bundle of JOY and we are beyond grateful for God's blessing of her.  

Waking up after a morning nap, all curious about what the day might hold.  

Looking cute in her festive outfit...

Who is that beautiful girl with the super spiky hair in the mirror?  

Greta enjoys getting her diaper changed and we usually get some good smiles when she lays there.   

Happy girl!  

This month she really discovered her hands and they haven't left her mouth since.  We laugh about how they must really taste yummy, maybe like a pork chop.  :)  

All dressed up and looking fancy for church...  

Taking her afternoon reading material quite seriously...

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of her.  Bright eyed and beautiful...

Hudson in January

Below is a collection of pictures of Hudson from his last month being three.  Its amazing how grown up he is becoming.  He loves to help Mommy and Daddy with "projects," is playing more independently, loves his screen time (no surprise there), and is developing more of an imagination to play pretend.  

Making a domino train with Mommy during Greta's nap...

Learning about the letter Ee during preschool...

Typing up a recipe on Mommy's computer...

 Helping Mommy get dinner ready by dicing up the melon with his own knife...

Enjoying a snack in his fire fighter outfit...

Family night pizza night and smiles with Daddy...

Showing off his new shoes at Stride Rite...

A handsome smile from our happy little guy...

A number activity on an at home pj day...

An H pancake at preschool...