Ice skating Lessons Conclude

Today, Elle participated in her last ice skating lesson, and although she was not wearing purple sunglasses or wearing Minnie Mouse ears, she still had a wonderful time finishing out her first instructional class. She has immensely improved from her first lesson (she couldn’t even stand up, let alone skate on her first lesson) and seems to advance each time she steps out on the ice. Johnny and I are so proud of her and all she has learned and accomplished. And when she received her medal—in honor of the Olympics—she couldn’t have been more excited about what she has been able to achieve.

Skating Fun

Johnny took a break in between studying today, to take Elle ice skating. The two of them share a common love of skating, and so today was a success. We must have gone at an odd hour, because we had the skating rink to ourselves. We couldn’t have gotten better if we had reserved it. Elle had fun showing her dad all of her newly acquired skills, and Johnny had fun watching and seeing her progress first hand. But an ice skating session cannot be complete unless I skate, too—at least that is what Elle now concludes. But since I had not planned on skating, I had nothing to wear. But don’t think that deterred me. I just wore Johnny’s socks—I had flip flops—and his skates, which were on the rather large side. But nevertheless, I skated, and Elle loved every minute of it.

The Beast

Yes, Elle did wear this cape to the park. She was pretending to be the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Most little girls pretend to be Belle, but not my daughter; she dresses up as the Beast. Luckily, we were the only ones at the park. Not really. I actually love her imagination, and I encourage it whenever I can. In truth, I found it simply hilarious that she wanted to dress up as the Beast, and wear the costume to the park.

Five-Month-Old

Hudson is a five-month-old today, and no one has more mixed feelings than me. I love watching my children grow, but I also hate it. At times they cannot grow up fast enough—like when I am up all night with them—but for the most part, they grow up too fast. I am so happy with all of the things Hudson is learning and accomplishing, but I am also sad to see him growing up so quickly.

Some of Hudson’s latest accomplishments include:

•Hudson is now sitting on his own. Not for long, but on his own.
•He can army crawl. I love watching him scoot across the floor. He is very determined.
•He rolls over each way, and over anything. Nothing obstructs his path. I have tried many tactics to get him to lay on his back—boppy, pillows, toys—but nothing stops him. He rolls over anything in his way.
•He eats rice cereal very well. Mostly he wants to do it himself, but he needs a little more practice.
•He loves, loves, LOVES his stroller. He could sit in there forever. And he even falls asleep in there—something his sister never did.
•Hudson is a grabber. He can grab things in no time. He grabs things that he should and things that he shouldn’t. I am always shocked when I walk by things and find he has caught a hold of something he shouldn’t. And he’s strong. Ask Elle how much it hurts when he grabs her hair and pulls.
•He loves to give kisses. Open mouthed, slobbery kisses. Elle is not too fond of them. I, however, love them—slobber and all.


We all love our little Hudson so much, and cannot fathom life without him. He has brought such joy and love into our home. He is such a sweet, smiley, happy boy. He truly is a joy.

I Want to Get Validated!

Elle and I were driving in the car with my sister, Bridget, the other day, and Bridget was telling me about this parking garage that if you park in and watch a movie, then you can get free parking by having the ticket validated. Elle heard us from the back seat and said, “I want to park in the garage and get validated!” Bridget and I tried to explain to her that it was nothing exciting, just free parking; but I don’t think she believed us. She really wanted to get validated.

Minnie and Me

Last week, Elle refused to take off her purple sunglasses for the duration of her ice skating lesson, and this week, she refused to take off her Minnie Mouse ears. She always causes quite a stir in her class. Today, a little girl saw Elle and said, “It’s Minnie Mouse!” Elle, of course, is oblivious to all looks and comments. She is in her own world of make believe and pretend. But aside from her ice skating attire, she had a wonderful time at her lesson. Johnny was again in McCall for a Young Men sleep over, so I endeavored to skate with Elle for a second time. Together, we had a great time skating, twirling, marching, wiggling, dipping and jumping. It really was fun skating with Minnie Mouse.

Birthday Fun with Minnie Mouse

Minnie Mouse and I did a lot of work to celebrate Bridget’s birthday today. Although it is not her official birthday—she has a tradeshow in Austen this week—we made it seem official with presents, cake, dinner, and a balloon. Elle loved helping me bake, frost and decorate the cake. Cake, by far, is Elle’s favorite part of birthdays—it even takes priority over the presents. Elle also enjoyed helping me cook dinner, and helping me pick out a birthday balloon, and helping me make Bridget a bookmark (we had her official present, but Elle wanted to make her something special). The only hard part of the day—according to Elle—was waiting for Bridget to arrive at our party. And when Bridget finally did, Elle excitedly told her exactly what was in her present (not really a shocker considering she’s three). All in all, the party was a success, and it was especially fun to plan and work on the party with Elle.