Sealife at MOA

Starting in January I will no longer be working on Fridays (yay!).  Giving me more time for baby boy.  Until then, I try to take off a day here and there so we can go explore something new.  Friday the 14th we decided to check out Sealife at the Mall Of America.

Watching the stingrays

Just touched a starfish, was not too sure about it :)

Watching the eels that would disappear in the bottom (gross)

Waiting for the tide to come in

Cheese :)

Had to tak a picture of this giant turtle!

Watching the waterfall

Now to decide where to go for our next Mommy & Hudson date :)

Mama's little helper

Hudson loves to help out around the house, whether it be swiffering the floors or helping to dust, he loves to be of assistance.  Easiest thing to do is fill the sink with water & soap & let him "wash" his dishes :)

Such a good helper :)

First snowfall of the season!

Now that Hudson is a little older, I have been anticipating the first snowfall here in MN and looking forward to taking Hudson sledding.  For awhile, it did not seem like we were going to be getting a lot of snow this winter as the temperatures were in the 30-40's!  Finally a couple weeks ago we were hit with a snowstorm and in Cannon Falls we got about 6-8".  I convinced Hudson to put on his winter coat, snowpants, boots, hat, & mittens (with a few tears.....) and outside we went.  Let's just say it did not go as I was hoping......

Not too sure about this....

Taking a ride around the house

(sorry it's blurry, trying to walk, pull him, & take a picture...)

Not a big fan of the snow

\Yep, time to go inside.

Made it once around the house and Hudson was over it.....  Hoping as winter progresses we can convince him to stay outside a little bit longer, fingers crossed....

Santa Claus

Last year our trip to Santa Claus was not very successful, I ended up being in the picture, holding an unsure baby boy as far away from Santa as possible.....

This year we decided to do something a little different.  Since we are members at the MN Zoo, they offered a members only event where you could come in for morning snacks, music, and crafts and you could visit with Santa.  We decided to sit where we would be close to last to visit with Santa so Hudson could warm up to the idea.  Santa did stop by our table once the event started for a quick hello, and Hudson gave him an unsure look.  Justin & I talked to him about how he could sit on Santa's lap and that Santa probably had a present for him, his response "no Santa".

For just over a half hour we hung out at our table, eating some snacks and doing some coloring.  We also made a Santa ornament for our tree.

Finally Santa made his way over to our table and both of us were very impressed at how he handled the situation.  First a lady asked us Hudson's name and then whispered it to Santa, so he was able to talk to Hudson directly.  He then had a black bear to give him which Hudson accepted but from an arm's length.  Santa then pointed out he tag on the bear and suggested Hudson come up on his lap so they could cut it off and up he went with no tears! 

Not too sure about this mom...... 

We will definitely be doing this again next year as Santa took time for each child and we did not feel rushed like we have at the mall.  Plus we then walked around the Zoo for a bit after to see some animals :)

Holidazzle Parade

Growing up, one of my families traditions was heading downtown to walk the Macy's (Dayton's/Marshall Fields) 8th floor display and then head outside to watch the Holidazzle Parade.  Last year our family met up with the Sherman's & Wenzel's for both.  Unfortunately, since Macy's took over, they no longer change the 8th floor display so this year we decided to pass as the kids were not too interested last year but of course we went to the Holidazzle parade.  Luckily we were able to get one of the last spots in the skyway and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the floats with all of the lights.  Hudson sat next to me the entire time, waiting to see "more lights"! 

Ethan, Hudson, & Karlee waiting patiently for the parade to start.....

Little distraction with the iPad :)

My little man & I

Watching the parade, loving the lights!

Not sure how comfortable this is.....

Such a fun night, hoping this is something we will continue to do yearly!

Busy boys

Wow!  I am really behind on my blogging.....  Time for a little catch up before the holidays are upon us :)

About a month ago, the Sherman family came down for a little playdate and a lasagna dinner.  Andy had come over earlier to watch the Vikings game with Justin and to help hang blinds in our basement (Yay!).  Lorrie & Ethan arrived after naptime, which allowed the boys to play a bit before dinnertime.  It is always fun watching Ethan and Hudson and how they interact together.  This time there was a little more playing but mostly a lot of running up and down the hallway and in and out of Hudson's bedroom.  They are definitely two loud little boys :)  But they got along really well and there were only a few little arguments the whole night.

Looking forward to what the next year will bring for these two and to watch their friendship grow!

Weekend walks

With the weather starting to get colder in MN (thankfully not as cold as it is supposed to be), Hudson and I have been heading over to the Mall Of America on the weekends before it opens to get a little exercise in.  We have been joined by Tonia, Jill & baby Madelyn or Katie a few times, which it is always fun to catch up with them over some coffee :)  Plus Hudson goes with Nana on Monday's when she watches him.

We usually start with a trip to Caribou for some coffee and lemon poppyseed bread.  From there we head over to the fountain by Nordstrom's to throw in some pennies and make some wishes :)
My goal is to usually walk around the mall 4 to 5 times before Hudson decides he wants to get out of his stroller.  As long as I keep moving and am walking at a decent pace, he is content.  Plus he knows that after our walk is complete, we get to go on a few rides at Nick Universe :)

So far he has been on the Carousel (which makes me a little dizzy.....)

We have also tried Blue's Clues, he enjoyed the going up and down part.

His two favorite rides are definitely the trucks, specifically the "big blue truck" and the choo-choo.  Which both of these rides I can handle without getting motion sickness :)

I am sure we will continue to do this through the winter months, just to get out of the house and get a little exercise in.

Busy weekend

This weekend was full of activities for myself and baby boy.  Saturday we made the trek down to Mankato to hang out with Uncle Troy for family weekend at MNSU.  We started out with the carnival, Hudson was so excited he went running over to the activites on his little toes. 

Ring toss game....

This way is easier :)

Again he found the easier way to do it :)

Enjoying his sucker

Watching the cheerleaders with Uncle Troy.

After the carnival we grabbed some lunch and then headed back to the hotel where I attempted to put Hudson down for his nap, fail.  So we decided to head over to the student center for bowling.

At first Hudson was really excited about it......

Waiting for our turn.....

But then tired boy turned into a crabby boy so we decided to head home where he fell asleep within 5 minutes of being in the car.

Sunday morning we headed to the Mall of America to meet Katie for a walk and some caribou.  We also decided to check out Nick Universe and take Hudson on some rides.

Riding the trucks, he really does it enjoy though his facial expression may say otherwise.

We then stopped at legoland for a bit.  Hudson getting the legos himself :)

After a nice little nap at home, we decided to do some painting.

Hudson's masterpiece

Playing with legos again

Eating dinner ;)

What a busy but fun weekend!