Two is 2

Now that Hudson is two there are a few new developments:)

Personality:
Huddy is kind, cautious, reserved and complete split of Jared & I.  He's social and verbal, VERY VERBAL, like me and routine, processes new foods, activities at a slower rate than I do.  Things with Hudson take time, time to adjust and understand.  He is very neat and orderly; he likes to put things right back into their place.  I'd like to say this is all Jared but I've become quite orderly myself:).  He doesn't like to get dirty so painting and dirt can be quite the challenge but I keep pushing him:).  
Right now he copies almost anything you say.  Most of our conversations are about Thomas, school, and Disneyland.  He will say things like "See Gordon, Percy" and that means he wants to watch a movie.  I politely tell him "Go find them in your books" and he runs off and says "Ok!"  Last night he told me "I see Nana tomorrow" meaning he thought it was Thursday when he goes to Gigi's & Gpa's for breakfast.  His favorite thing there is "orange juice."  He loves going to school to play, learn, do arts & crafts, and eat.

Hudson has gone through some temperamental mood swings lately. We have implemented time outs and counting.  Dinner has become quite the battle at our house.  He doesn't want to eat anything but chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and mac n cheese.  He won't eat spaghetti, noodles, lasagna, or even quesadillas.  Most nights he goes to bed without much but he's turning a new leaf over this past week.  I think he grew quite a big larger b/c his pants are buttoning now and his feet look HUGE to me!!!  I know that he'll eat if he's hungry so I'm not going to cater to his pickiness but the nightly battles do get exhausting.  We he does like his food, he can put it away!  My boy is a healthy eater and loves to eat!  He mainly likes to drink water and milk with an occasional orange juice with Gigi.


Favorite Sayings:
-"Oh, no!  Mess!"
-"I'm dancing"
-"Mommy's hair" (as he runs his hands through my hair or holds it gently)
-"All done" (usually around dinner time-its his polite way of saying no more)
-"Mac, Lightening McQueen, Sally"
-"Vroom, crash"(favorite car sounds which is party of his daily play time)
-"Choo choo"
-"I stuck"
-"Walk away" (his teachers at school use this so he repeats it)
-"Shh! Be quiet!" (When I pick Hudson up, the room is dark and the kids are napping so I always say "shh" to him which he repeats all the way home:).
-"Buz Light Year car" (one of his favorite gifts this Christmas)
-"Get down"
-"Good boy" (I guess I say this more than I thought!)
-"Good job Hudson!"
-"A kiss"
-"I help you" (this means he needs help
-"Let's see" (Again, didn't realize I said this before every food decision:)
-"Ok, ok, ok"
-"That's right!" (A personal favorite especially with his tone)
-"I go home"
-"I smell"
-"The tress are coming down" (He'll say this often after visiting Nana & Papa's while a tree cutter was there)
-"I carry you" (This means carry me please:)
-"I love you"
-"Miss you" (I tell him daily as I get him from school and he reiterates to me:)
-"See you in the morning"
-"Running, running, running" (which his legs don't move faster, just his arms:)
-"Kiss it"
-"Come on Grandma!"  Followed by Daddy, Mommy, Nana, Papa, etc.
-"Chicco, Twiggy, cows"
-"Lay down, sit up" (favorite game with daddy)
-"Hung-a-ree" (hungry)
-"Owie" followed by "Kiss It"
-"I'm dancing"
-"Play with you"
-"Read, read, read"
-"Please, please, please"  (Are you noticing the threes?)
-"Show me" (At night during Bible story time, we ask him to find certain things on the page and if he can't he will say "show me".  He just loves to learn!"
-"Don't" & "No" (have come out a few times as well=(
-"That's Papa" followed by Nana, Mommy, Dadd, Gigi, Gpa and whoever else he knows or loves in the room:).
-"I need help Hudson" (Hudson need's help!)


Favorite Songs-
-Sun Beam
-Old McDonald
-Intesey Wensey Spider
-ABCs
-Thomas theme song
-Wheels on the Bus
-Baa Baa Black sheep (which I just learned he knew during dinner:)
-Jesus Loves Me
-All the traditional Mother Goose Rhymes and put to the Trucktown Trucks (For example Pop goes the Weasel is Plop Goes the Diesel)


Academics
My boy is bright.  I don't push him or overly encourage him to learn letters, count, etc. he just honestly picks it up very quickly.  He enjoys learning activities and will constantly say "again" to the ABC song or "again" when we practice counting.  I know I have teacher genes but I don't want a bright kiddo, just average!  Confessions: for Christmas Nana bought Huddy "My Baby Can Read!"  I wanted it badly.  Hudson learned all his vocabulary from the Baby Einstein videos which I truly love.  They talk about the Farm, Noah's Ark, Neighborhood Animals, World Animals, Colors, and Music.  I thought this program would help him with new vocabulary b/c he wants to know what everything is.  So we'll be doing that program, which is basically sight word memorization, once in a while =).  I honestly don't think he is gifted or overly bright, he just truly loves to learn:).

-Letters
Hudson knows the letters (in random orders) A, B, C, H, O, I, J, Q
-Counts to 10 out loud and with objects (especially toes:)
-He has memorized certain songs, books


Favorite Books
-"Smash Crash"
-"Truckery Rhymes"
-Any Thomas book
-"Busy Bees"
-"Old McDonald"
-"Corey Combine and the Great Big Mess" (this is also where he gets the phrase "Oh, no!  Mess!)
This is a John Deere book and he LOVES them!
-"The Little Engine that Could"


Favorite Activities:
~Playing Trains
He has a Thomas & James train and he will say things like "Go this wayz" talking to them and then "beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep."
~"Play Outside"
He is learning to play with our neighbors in the exciting dirt piles:).  He enjoys seeing other kids and calls them his "friends."
~Reading
Huddy went through a phase (right when he became more mobile) where he didn't read as much but now that he has Thomas Love, he reads all the time!

Funny Stories:
~At school one morning, Hudson was waiting for his breakfast and I knew he was hungry.  Another little boy was having a hard time leaving his mommy that day.  The little boy comes and sits down by Huddy and they are eating breakfast.  Meanwhile, Hudson has eaten all his pineapple and this little boy was still pretty upset, so Huddy took advantage of the situation and started eating his pineapple.  The little boy  goes "Stop!  Stop! No."  That's right folks, my kid loves his food and will beg, borrow, or steal it:).

~At least 1-4 nights a week, Hudson will say "Call Papa" or "Call Nana"  so we do.  He'll say things like "I see Nana tomorrow" and then when we call her he goes off on "Watch Gordon, Thomas, Percy now!"  He hasn't quite learned that a phone is for a conversation yet =).

~Hudson's favorite day of the week is Thursday because he gets to see Gigi & Gpa for breakfast.  His favorite part is the "org juz".  Every time we see or mention them, he says orange juice.  Did I mention he loves his food/drink?

~"Let's go play outside" he'll say after his nap.  Unfortunately most of the time its been snowing or raining lately.  Soon my little boy, we'll be outside all the time!

~Hudson was in the bath and he heard the garage door open.  He matter of factly said "Mommy's home" and I was.  I had just gotten back from Zumba =).

~Hudson's routine is wake up, go to school, see Mamma, take a nap, wake up, eat snack, read books with Mommy, play trains, go outside, see Daddy!  He loves to play with his trains for hours.  When he wakes up from his nap he says first thing "See Gordon, see Henry, see James" and this means he wants to watch a movie.  I politely tell him that, "Go find your trains or look in your books."  He runs off and says "Ok, ok, ok!"  Funny kid.

I'm so thankful for my boy.  I tell him every night he is truly the best gift God gave me, and he is!  I love every minute with him and I cherish every minute we have as a family.  Thank you Huddy for the best 2 years of our lives.  Love you baby boy!