resolution

One of my new year's resolutions is to be a more dedicated, thoughtful blogger. I am so inspired and blown away by other people's creative blogs. Anyway, I figure I would rather make a silly kind of goal than make an important one that I will feel bad breaking. If only I had more time *sigh*.

Lately I've been browsing blog rolls and discovering some new blogs to read. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. When I get in bed at night I read blogs for a loong time, and my husband does not understand this. Really though, I am saving us money by reading free design blogs, rather than buying home interior magazines that are mostly ads anyway.

I have come across a few wedding blogs that are so fun to look at! These are great if you want ideas and inspiration for your own wedding planning, like photography and beautiful things, or you want to become dissatisfied with your own wedding. Really, why do I look at these? Ritzy Bee Blog and Kiss the groom. I also happen to like these random "inspiration" blogs where girls simply post other people's pictures (usually of gorgeous interiors or fashions), share recipes, or crafty-type projects. Frolic Fancy Free is perfect for satisfying these cravings. My sister-in-law told me about a blog just for the Anthropologie-obsessed called Anthroholic. It's a good place to go if you want some ideas on how to put outfits together or how to mix your Anthro pieces with non-Anthro pieces. The blogger puts up alerts daily on new markdowns and arrivals. Pretty sure this gal owns more Anthro clothing then anyone on earth. A little too much for me actually. I like mine in small doses.


enthralling eyelet cover-up, Anthropologie.


Have a wonderful weekend!

Christmas!

It's good to be home! We had a wonderful Christmas with my family in College Station this year!
Here is a recap of what we did:

Saturday the 19th we celebrated Christmas with my mother's side of the family. We enjoyed munching on non-traditional food (which I loved) and had our annual white elephant gift exchange. The desserts were wonderful and the best part was that everyone was able to be there this year! We walked away with a new set of knives (that my precious husband then gave to my grandmother, Janie) and a Starbucks card!


{Married here almost 2 1/2 years ago!}

{My sissy Meredith. So thankful for her!}

{Sleeping Hudson in the sling.}


During the week we mostly hung out at my parent's house. Jason and I watched all of the Harry Potter movies, which was fun! Jason spent lots of time at our farm helping my dad and uncle build the new bathroom in the farmhouse. They are trying to make the house wife-friendly! My uncle is putting in wood floors and a flat screen! Jason and I had a few coffee dates and a date to Eccell while we were there. It's always so special when we get to do that. On Christmas Eve we went to the Christmas service at Grace.


{We need to practice our self-picture taking skills!}

{Hudson's Christmas outfit.}

{I-phone, not your best shot.}

Hudson practiced sitting up a lot.



Christmas Eve dinner was A-mazing! We had steaks, chicken, and potatoes. Then, Jason and I exchanged our stockings. My dad, bro in law, Jason, and I played hearts. It was so fun and apparently I'm pretty good because I wooped them all - I shot the moon for a come from behind win =) After a pretty good night of sleep (Hudson insisted on a 3 am feeding because it was Christmas) we gathered to exchange our gifts. Then we had omelets and blueberry pancakes!



1. Jason opens his meat grinder! Yes, that is a red-onesie.
2. My favorite Lindt dark chocolate with orange.
3. Hudson's new stuffed turtle puppet.
4. The best Christmas gift ever.

After we had homemade spaghetti and meatballs for Christmas dinner, Hudson had his first Christmas dinner! We gave him rice cereal for the first time. His reaction was expected. He made this face like he was about to cry.





After dinner and cupcakes we put Hudson to bed, and all of the siblings headed out to the farm for a bonfire and a game of loaded questions. We always love these times with everybody.





Grandmommy and Granddaddy loved seeing all of their babies!



Happy New Year!

5 months

Hudson was 5 months on November 25! We have had so much fun with him lately as his little personality is really starting to show. He is a very quiet, laid back baby, and he smiles a lot! I would say he is just like his daddy actually! Everyone is saying that he looks like Jason right now too. In the morning right when he wakes up, he is very frisky (Hudson that is). I love it!



We got to see cousin Will and Whitney and Johnathan right before Thanksgiving. It was so fun getting to hang out with our babies together! Will likes giving kisses and wanted to give baby Hudson a kiss. Precious!



Hudson smiling around his pasi!



Lately, Hudson has been practicing his sitting up. He is getting very good at it! He is a strong little guy. He is showing more interest in little toys , but his favorite toys are still his feet! He is getting to be so much fun!

The Explosion

When you see a title like "The Explosion" on a blog that features majority baby stuff, what comes to mind???? Great, so I don't have to elaborate too much. I got a call at work at around 1pm today that started like this:

Me: "Hey, how's it going?"
Steph: "You...will...not believe what just happened."
Me: "What?"
Steph: "I just spent the last hour cleaning up Hudson, myself, the changing table, the floor, my clothes...it just wouldn't stop coming out."
Me: "aaahahahahhaahaahhah" (it's ok that I laughed, she thought it was funny too)

Evidently, Hudson pooed so much that he wore himself out. Steph said he was recovering in his crib when she called - down for a nap.

I don't know exactly why baby poo is so funny (maybe because I wasn't there to clean it up), but I got the best laugh at work. I think it was the Lord's comedic relief to a trying day at work.

Anyway, that's all we've got for now. After work, I took Steph and Hudson out to Empire Cafe for some omelette and pizza. Hudson didn't like his pizza, so I ate it for him. It's 8:36pm as I write this and Hudson has already been down for about 30 minutes, and without too much trouble. I'm pretty excited to get in bed at 9pm. Parenthood has officially set in.

TT

Scottsdale getaway

We had a short but sweet time in AZ this past weekend! Jason surprised me and Hudson with plane tickets to Scottsdale for the weekend. He-however, is still there at his annual training for Deloitte. We flew out of Houston Friday afternoon and arrived in time for dinner at the resort. Hudson did so well on the plane ride!


{waiting patiently to board the flight.}

Scottsdale was beautiful and the weather was perfect. It's definitely a tourist town with tons of shopping areas, resorts, and golf courses. It was nice to get out of Houston!

{eating by the golf course friday night. the sunset was gorgeous and the weather crisp.}



{we obviously thought he looked pretty darn cute in his hat. you might say we are obsessed.}

{dinner at the greene house. it was amazing food and a really cool atmosphere.
i had sliders (kobe beef!) with white truffle parmesan & chive fries. jason enjoyed
a bbq pork tenderloin, mac and cheese, and roasted broccoli. we had spinach and
artichoke fondue with flat bread for an appetizer. ohh it was all sooo good-wish we
had one here!}



Saturday morning we enjoyed hotel breakfast (one my favorite things about vacation). Hudson and I napped while Jason watched football. Then we went to a big outdoor shopping area. Christmas decor was up and it was super fun! They have a killer Nordstrom too =) We explored Scottsdale a bit afterwards. Sunday was Starbucks, time by the pool, and Sprinkles cupcakes!
The trip home was another story and a post for another day. Let's just say I will never fly alone with a baby again!
Thanks sweetie for such a special treat!


{jason really liked this and insisted on taking a picture.}

4 month checkup

Little Hudson was 4 months on Sunday! I cannot believe how fast it has gone!


{playing on the table before the doctor came in.}

Everything is looking good. Here are his stats:

Height: 26 1/2 in
Weight: 18.13 lb
Head: 17 1/4

Tricks: holding his toes, holding hands together with fingers intertwined, breaking mom's necklaces while nursing, rolled over once

Favorite foods: milk (extra creamy)

Favorite book: book of baby faces


{he has figured out that he can hold his paci in.}

a jumparoo, a bumbo, and a big boy stroller

Our sweet boy is starting to find other activities that he enjoys other than nursing!



{hanging out in the jumparoo! everytime I put him in it , he looks at me and
grins. i think he feels really big and proud.}


{sitting in the bumbo seat. he enjoys watching baby einstein while sitting in the bumbo on my bed. it's pretty cute, especially because he holds on to the sides very tightly.}


{this is right after waking up from his nap. i Love this time. it's so fun going
to rescue him. i always enjoy the 2-3 hours of relaxation (or obsessive cleaning) but get real excited to see him again! i've been finding him propped up with his head up looking around the room.}


{we put him in this stroller (w/o his heavy carseat woohoo) at grandmommy's and granddaddy's this last weekend. he really liked it!}

on other hudson news, he has discovered his feet. he continues sucking on his hands and may be showing signs of rolling over!

more to come after his 4 month checkup!

Thrills (by Jason)

"It is simply no good trying to keep any thrill - that is the very worst thing to do. Let the thrill go, let it die away. Go on through that period of death into the quieter interests and happiness that follow. And you will find you're living in a world of new thrills all the time. But if you decide to make thrills your regular diet and try to prolong them artificially, they will all get weaker & weaker and fewer & fewer, and you will be a bored disillusioned old man for the rest of your life."
-CS Lewis

OK, I know up until this point the blog has pretty much been about Hudson only, but now that Jason's busy season is winding down a little - he has some non-tax, non-Hudson thoughts. Well, not completely non-Hudson.

The above quote is taken from Mere Christianity. The second half of the quote caught my attention first as I listened to my audio tape of the book the other day. But as I copied the quote down, the first part sank in too. I can't say that I maintain a full diet of spelunking and hang-gliding - that's not my kind of thrill (although if you know someone who can teach me how to do either - I'm game). And most of us aren't action junkies with a need to risk it all to feel alive, etc. So don't think that because you have no urge to skydive that this doesn't apply to you. Its not even that most of us chase the thrill of getting plastered and pullin down ladies - maybe some of us do, but most (of the people who might read this) are already quieter than this. Rather, I think the way that this manifests in my life and the George household is through comfort and convenience and avoidance - quieter thrills. I think the idea behind the quote is that we're prone to have habits and activities where we can just get little fixes here and there to make us happy, content, not focused on what would actually satisfy or on what actually deserves our time and affection. This absolutely includes small thrills too - Starbucks, spending (usually wasting) time online, Solitaire (sting!), movies, music, getting nails or hair done, food/eating out, etc. Its all the things my mind drifts to whenever I get the idea that "this would be a good time to read my Bible or pray for my wife & son". They're the first place I go when I'm stressed/unhappy. I'll check ESPN.com - nothing good, then I'll check the Drudge - nothing I didn't see 30 minutes ago, then I'll go back to ESPN.com without even thinking because I'm in this what else can I read/do to pass time. Thank God, literally, that I only like two websites. Why does an iced latte and a game (or 30) of PDA Solitaire get my attention, time and affection? You know what's funny is that these things are my third and fourth reads - I've already gone through my first two receivers and eliminated them as options (TV and Xbox) - but still I look for others (please excuse the football analogy). Anyway, all I'm trying to say is there is something very true about our thrill-seeking nature taking us over, and it will eventually render us useless if we cling to the thrills to get us by. I think the thrills do fade in their ability to keep us occupied and satisfied - how long can you listen to one song, even one that you love, before you are tired of it and need a different song? We'll even go back to ones that we haven't heard in a while that we got sick of before. Because thrills don't last, we go from thrill to thrill to thrill and never go deep - always shallow and surface. Starbucks (the idea/experience) is not inherently evil (although the particular corporation may be), but where it becomes evil is where we continually rely on a latte to perk/cheer us up and let it or any other small thrill be our default whenever we feel bad/sad. We'll never deal with what is really going on - the fact that we're worshipping things that aren't worthy of worship. What is really going on is that we've allowed created things to usurp the Creator's throne in our lives - we're focused on temporal things instead of eternal things. We'll go on with our thrills until one day we're 65 and we can't identify any real area of impact that we've had that will last beyond the next generation.

This is the part where I say "What we need is more Jesus." While its predictable, its still true. I'm not even trying to evangelize through our blog like we have some high traffic - I bet two people read this post including Stephanie. I say it for two reasons - 1) because I realize more and more that its said so often by preachers and church folk and the like because it has merit. Chase whatever you want, its short-term satisfaction at best if its not Jesus. I need to press into Him and make every effort to know Him more because its the only thing that can slay a heart bent on worshipping xbox, shopping, food, treats, whatever. 2) I say this because solely eliminating these thrills/distractions won't do it. If you identify one or two or three that you continually lean on and eliminate them, others will spring up in their place because it has to do with your heart. I realized this recently. I sold my Xbox because it was too important to me. We decided not to get cable TV at our new apartment because I'll watch it too much if its there. While it was wise to eliminate those things because they were problems, they are only symptoms. What has happened in the weeks to follow? Did I use all that time that I previously spent on Halo and TV to study my Bible and pray with Stephanie like I wanted to do? No. Now I jack around on the internet or play Solitaire on my phone or whatever. That doesn't mean don't get rid of distractions because you'll just replace them anyway - these ultimately become idols and they should be smashed. We should continue to eliminate the things "that rob us of our affection for Jesus" (to borrow from Matt Chandler), and increase the things "that stir our affections for Jesus" (borrowed again) - and pray fervently that our hearts would be fixed on Jesus in every area. I think the Christian who finds himself in this same place of seeking thrills, even small ones, in place of Jesus could probably also point to gaping wide areas in their life where they're not engaging their community and are trying to fly solo. And if we're so often blind to our motives and affections, how dangerous is it to be blind and alone? How are problems ever identified and exposed that they might be addressed? What happens after a lifetime of taking Tylenol for symptoms and ignoring root problems? I think CS Lewis nailed it exactly - "you will be a bored disillusioned old man for the rest of your life."

I said earlier that this wasn't completely non-Hudson - I think about this stuff a lot more now that he's around. I'm fine with whatever the Lord wants to use in my life to bring about knowing Him more. But these things have been coming from so many directions lately - a men's retreat last weekend, time with Hudson, coming across this quote the other day randomly, some discussions with Stephanie - that I had to get these thoughts down in writing.

If you checked the blog because you saw there was a new post and were hoping that there was a new picture of Hudson, I'd hate to disappoint!

Hilarious (at least we think so)

We are very vocal these days






In case you were wondering, he didn't go to the bathroom.

My baby is 3 months old!

I cannot believe that three months have already gone by! Hudson is such a precious little guy, and it's a joy to get to be his mommy! He smiles all the time and loves to coo. He is starting to giggle a little bit too. He is still loving his milk, but has decided that being strapped in his car seat is not his favorite. He enjoys watching his mobile while kicking his legs and is starting to realize that he can hold things in his hands. Oh, and he recently discovered his tongue, so he always has it sticking out. I love watching him grow!

happy birthday

Happy 25th Birthday to my precious husband!

dear deloitte,

when can i have my husband back? i love him a lot you know.

steph

poop

                     

the only daily routine we have totally established so far.

habits

My friend Kristen wrote a recent blog post about her quirks, and I thought it was quite entertaining. It's fun to see if you do any of the same odd-ball things that other people do. These kinds of things are what make us all unique! Here are a few of mine:

-when I enter a room, I almost always have to comment on what it smells like.

-i often take bites of things from the fridge/counter and put them back that way.

-i like to sleep in my eye makeup, so that i get that smudgy look the next day-and this way when i am in a hurry i don't have to do my eyes.

-i literally get down on all fours and pick hairs off the floor because i Hate hair.

-i cannot have anything that doesn't belong in the car stay in there (i.e. random sweater, empty cup, coupon).

-i prefer vegetarian even though i am not one.

-ever since junior high (my mom would drop me off like 5 min. before the tardy bell rang to avoid this), i cannot show up to events early because i am scared to death of small talk.

- i had my very first steak a couple months ago (this is embarrassing).

-i can't go to bed at night if there's a dish in the sink or shirt that needs to be hung-those kinds of things.

-i love scratches of all kinds (i always ask jason to scratch my back, thigh, calf, arms...i would rather have an hour long body scratch than a massage.

-potato chips (have to be kettle) on peanut butter fold-over sandwiches mmmm

what are your quirks?

Jason would like to add that Stephanie asked him what her quirks were, but oddly none of them appeared above. Hmmm.

all boys

We had a fun weekend filled with friends, good food, & time for just the two of us! Friday night we had our friends over to hang out. This is a first for us since having Hudson. It worked out great! He had a little trouble going to sleep but Jason and I took turns going in to rock him! Jason is so good at helping with the baby when he is home! The boys went and picked up wine and such and also brought us back our favorite new frozen yogurt from a place called Fresco! It's amazing! 

          

{alex, andy, jim, jason} {our hubs are so cute together - Disclosure: Jason is not picking his nose, despite what it looks like}

Saturday we woke up early and went and got Hudson out of his crib to put him in bed with us! He is so cute in the morning! He always smiles and coos a lot-until he realizes he is hungry! Jason watched him and let me go jogging at memorial! It was beautiful outside with a tiny hint of coolness! When I came home...

         

Jason worked during the day on Saturday so I met Liz at a precious baby boutique called Mint Baby in Uptown Park. We thought it was very necessary to get Lily, her baby girl due Sept. 26, some mary jane trumpette socks! I got Hudson some new footie pjs that are adorable. We had our iced coffees and chitchatted then I headed home. I haven't hung out with a girlfriend during the day in forever! Later that night when Jason got home from work...

        

{Hudson's new p j s called kicky pants!}

{they have giant feet that even 15 lb. babies' feet can't fit into.}

{daddy & son.}

Sunday we made it to church! Although I spent most of it dancing around with Hudson in my arms, it was great to just be there and to see our friends! Afterward, the three of us went to our most often visited lunch spot: cafe express.  We enjoyed time together during the afternoon while Hudson napped. I miss my husband and cannot wait for his busy season to be over.