Time for an update

Baby boy eating his paints

What an artist!

Too much fun at the aquarium

What a cutie patootie!

Little man face

Lovin the trains at the Botanical Gardens

His stink face

What? You talkin to me?!

Adoring the bulbs

Posing for Mama

Painting for FHE

Primary Easter Egg Hunt

Not quite sure about this whole egg hunting thing

I'm supposed to put this thing in my basket?

What's the big deal?

Nerd haircut + badonk-a-donk pants = too cute

Love this boy

Loves for daddy who's working hard!

Hudson adores his Papa

Hudson hugging his favorite blanket

Sweet boy playing in his room

Hi blog! We've been chugging through life as usual these days. Nothing too exciting's going on, but we are living life and loving it. Or at least liking it! Seb's been busy with work, and I've been filling Hudson's days with visits to the park, the library, Grandma's house, and errand runs. Here are some highlights from the past couple of months ...

Working from Home

I've been working to establish Jess Marie Graphic Design, my little at-home graphic design business. Work has been flowing in quite steadily! I'm getting to a point now, though, where I need to decide how much work I want to take on. My main priority is to be a good mother to Hudson and wife to Sebastian. I want to make sure Hudson knows he is my number one priority, and I want to be able to keep our home clean and tidy and have nice hot meals ready when Seb comes home! Ideally, I only want to work while Hudson is napping or when Seb's working late and Hudson's down for the night. My main problem is I love the creative work so much (I get a little OCD!), that it tends to consume my thoughts! And Hudson and Seb can both tell when I'm preoccupied. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to find the right balance?

I'm currently designing a children's flash card app for a company called Laughing Fairy. I'm so excited for it to be released. If you are interested in helping test the app, go here.

Fun with Family and Friends

My (sort of) cousin Trista and her family came to visit the beginning of April. I hadn't seen Trista since 8th grade, and it was absolutely delightful getting to know her again. She and her family live in northern Idaho in a Mennonite community. I love and admire them so much! We were able to enjoy some yummy meals at my parent's home and spend a fun day at the zoo. I was also able to meet her sister-in-law, Jennifer, whom I came to love too! She is serving a mission for her church here (in the South Valley), working as a teacher in a private school. She's leaving for the summer, but will be back again next school year. I'm looking forward to her return - we plan on doing some window shopping together!

Jennifer and Trista bought my Mom and I the Pioneer Women cookbook (it's fabulous!). I ended up going to Ree Drummond's book signing, and ran into Jennifer there. We decided it would be fun to do a Pioneer Woman potluck. Everyone had to cook something from Ree's book or website. It was a lot of fun. We got to see where she and the other teachers live and enjoy a fun evening together playing "Telephone Draw." Our feast included the bacon wrapped chicken, sesame noodles, citrus butter cookies, cherry limeade, and the onion straws. my mom also brought her awesome rolls, cheesecake, and enchiladas!

Another wonderful friend of mine, Angela McCullough, came through town, and we were able to spend an evening with her and her family. She and I were VT companions in the Haines ward. I love her so much! Hudson and I followed them to their hotel and we all went swimming together. Hudson fell head over heels for their four year old daughter, Emma. He was saying her name the rest of the weekend!

Our bishop had a few young couples in the ward over for a lovely dinner. We felt like we were at a resort or a five star hotel. Their backyard was breathtaking, the meal was to die for, and everything was just so beautiful! Thank you, Glenns!

My mom threw an awesome Pampered Chef party this past week. She really goes all out whenever she's in charge of something. It was so much fun! Hudson played in the backyard and totally forgot I even existed. It was awesome! We watched a fun food demonstration and then pigged out on all the yummy food!

Last night, Seb and I went out on a super fun date - we went to a friend's graduation party without Huddy man! The invite said no kids invited, so we asked my folks to babysit. Boy was it nice having an evening with all adults. I felt like a kid again! Seb pushed me on a swing, we played party games, and just kicked back and relaxed! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for babysitting!

Oh, and speaking of dates. I surprised Seb with a date to the Avengers this past week. We went out for pizza beforehand and then enjoyed the movie. Eh - it was okay. Not my fave, but at least my date was sexy.

Seb's been playing flag football every Saturday. He's in a league with Andrea's husband Tim and brother-in-law TJ. He absolutely loved it. Their team is called the Rainbros. I've really enjoyed it, too, because Andrea and Mandy and I get to cheer together on the sidelines. It's so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshiny weather.

New Calling

Guess what! I am no longer the primary secretary! Instead, I am a nursery worker and a member of the Enrichment Committee. I am pumped! I'm usually in nursery anyways (Hudson's in a pretty clingy phase), so it totally made sense to put me in there. And to make things even better, the nursery co-leader is my friend Jackie Hales! She is so much fun! Our first Sunday went okay - let's just say that the popcorn maker saved the day. Along with my new calling came a new VT route and companion. I am so excited to get to know all of the lovely women better.

Hudson Update

My sweet baby boy is getting so big! He'll be TWO in less than three months! He completely has my heart. Hudson loves the outdoors. He enjoys taking walks, throwing rocks into the ditch, visiting the chickens next door, looking at "bees" (really ants), and digging in the sand. He isn't the biggest fan of slides yet, or most playground equipment for that matter.

Hudson's vocabulary gets bigger every day! This week, he learned how to say "thank you." He knows that I like it when he says it. The other night, he really wanted a cookie. It was midnight, so I said no. He exploded into tears saying "thank you, thank you, thank you." I think he thought it would get him the cookie. Ha ha. Funny boy.

Hudson has made many friends. He especially loves a girl named Emily, who is about 6 months older. He lights up as soon as he sees her and even knows her name. Recently, he's been spending time with a boy at church named Rocky, and they seen to have hit it off. We spent a day with them at the aquarium, and Rocky guided Hudson around, holding his hand (Rocky is 1 year Hudson's senior). Hudson has another good friend in nursery, Hayden. He enjoys going to Hayden's house and looking at the frogs in his backyard. And of course, Huddy man LOVES his cousin Mario. Every time Mario comes to town, we try to make sure the cousins get a chance to play. Their latest adventure included wading in a pool in grandma's yard licking popsicles.