the big 1!

Our little hudson turned one yesterday & we had the perfect day together. So many laughs and smiles from all three of us. I have to post all the details because it was a day I hope I always remember. But right now, it is late, I am exhausted & this cute little guy will be up & ready to play in just a few short hours.

We love this little guy more than we could ever have imagined. He has truly made this past year the happiest one we've ever had! 

if only we could go back...

A little teaser of our St. Thomas photos. It's taken me way longer to upload and edit them than I ever thought it would. I guess visitors and a very important little guy's first birthday are a good enough excuse for that.

Right now, I just want to go back. Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful?!

winter escape: florida

Last year, we snuck away to Barbados on a babymoon right smack in the middle of January. We loved it so much we decided we needed to plan a getaway to somewhere warm every year to help us survive these bitter NYC winters. We jumped at the chance to plan a tropical getaway with our good friends the Berns & as a bonus, got to spend a few days in Miami too.

My first time ever in Florida did not disappoint! For Kyle, Florida was all work, but for Hudson & me, it was all play. We got to drive to the mall (the MALL!) while Kyle was visiting clients. I know that may not sound exciting, but the suburban lifestyle has its appeal after living in a big city without these perks! We even got to meet up with Kyle for lunch one day and then got to drive down to Fort Lauderdale and take an evening family stroll on the beach.  Even Huds took some steps (with our help, of course) and we all dipped our feet in the ocean, a must anytime you visit the beach. Huds wasn't a huge fan of the sand. I imagine that feeling the gritty & squishy sand between the toes for the first time may be a bit crazy. Don't worry. Our little guy recovered before we hit the beaches in St. Thomas. Whew!

This picture captures Florida perfectly--sunny, carefree, & all smiles!

happy valentine's day!

valentine's day 2013

Baking heart shaped sugar cookies. Blowing up red balloons & erupting into giggles chasing these balloons around the house with H. Making homemade chocolate dipped cinnamon bears. Creating Hudson's first art project for daddy- his footprints in a heart shape on a canvas. (much easier said than done.) What ensued was red paint everywhere! 2 baths for Hudson and some vigorous scrubbing later & all but one little smudge washed right away. That little stain on his high chair will forever remind me of my attempt at making my child's first sentimental holiday gift. Aww. Setting up a candlelit cabana for our dinner for two. And how can we forget the explosion. That alone will make this a valentine's we will never forget.

This year was my year to plan. I planned a scrumptious dinner of filet mignon, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, homemade heart shaped french bread, steamed green beans, fresh pineapple slices, and white grape sparkling cider with heart shaped ice cubes all to be eaten in our romantic cabana. Sounds perfect, right? Too good to be true? 

 Just seconds after Kyle put Hudson to bed & right as I was taking the tender and juicy filet mignon from the oven, it exploded! everywhere! Okay, not the steak, but the baking dish. I was stunned. There, lying on the floor among chunks and slivers of glass was my precious filet mignon- the key to winning my man's heart (okay, that is a little dramatic). Needless to say, sweet Kyle came to my rescue. We spent the next hour deep cleaning the kitchen from all the glass as the rest of our dinner grew cold amidst the flickering light of the candles. Nothing more romantic than rolling up your sleeves, vacuuming corners, scrubbing stoves, & washing every pan, dish, and piece of silverware. The good news is that along with flowers, I got a sparkling clean kitchen for V-day this year! 

Even though nothing turned out as planned, it was truly an unforgettable day. I felt so grateful for my two sweet valentine boys. My little Huds who is all smiles and giggles and reminds me to enjoy every moment of life. I don't know where this first year has gone, but a million times every day I reflect on how happy i am to be his mom. And my man, who makes me laugh and find the bright side of life, who loves me even when i manage to explode our valentine's steak and serve up chicken instead. 

I'm such a lucky girl to have these two amazing guys in my life! Happy Valentine's Day!

DC

Kyle travels frequently with his job and we were lucky enough to get to go on two back-to-back trips with him. Not only was it fun to take a trip out of the city, but we also loved getting to spend time with Kyle in the evenings instead of having him away!

I fell in love with the quaint Old Town Alexandria where we stayed. We had been there before when we came to DC for our marathon & then another time when we made a surprise visit to see my sister & her husband who were traveling in DC a few years ago, but it was just as charming as if it were the first time! Huds & I took morning runs along the banks of the Potamac, window shopped up & down the cute shops on King Street, devoured the most scrumptious brunch at Bread & Chocolate, met up with my dear friend Liz and saw her sweet new baby Caroline, and even went into downtown DC for a day to meet up with my cousin Becky. She was sweet enough to work straight through lunch so we could meet up for an afternoon stroll in the 60 degree weather to see the Mall and the US Capitol. It was just lovely. Huds & I continued our walk to see the White House & several other monuments, but decided to hit up the Lincoln Memorial as our last stop just as the sun was beginning to set. I am so glad we made it to this memorial. Hudson had been such a patient boy all day in the stroller, but I let him get out and crawl around. He even climbed up about half of the steps to the memorial! I absolutely love the pictures I took of him there.

As close as we got to meeting Mr. President.

I love the dirt smudges on his cheeks from crawling around. So cute!

This is my favorite pic from our trip! 

After our fancy dinner on King Street our last night there. 

beep beep!

        

I just started to sift through our hundreds of pictures from Christmas break and came across these gems of Hudson riding on the school bus at Kyle's parents house. He would hold on tight & squeal with delight as we would push him around the room over and over again. I never get tired of hearing those sweet little baby giggles or seeing those smiles from my happy little guy.

Tonight I had a bittersweet moment just realizing that time goes by so quickly. Before I know it, my little buddy won't be little anymore. He won't cuddle up in my arms forever or want to hang out with me all day long. 

So, for now, I am just going to soak up every minute of time with little baby H- 

The mornings when we snuggle in bed because it just seems to cold to get up and get the day started. 

The days we just sit at the table for meal time and share bites of bananas or yogurt or mashed up real people food for way longer than mealtime should ever last. 

The times I feel like a broken record repeating movements and motions and silly little games like peek-a-boo just because I want to hear that little laugh one more time. 

Picking him up and saying "hi" or "goodbye" just to see his little hand start waving up and down. 

 Even the nights when he wakes crying in the middle of the night again and again and it wakes me up and I am so tired and so exhausted that I can barely keep my eyes open. And when the only thing that will calm him is being in mama's arms for minutes or hours...until he falls asleep again. 

Yes, even those times. 

Especially those times.

ice hockey

Kyle Poll, Ice Hockey Legend. 

Well, maybe not exactly, but he did started playing in an ice hockey league. Shocked? I was too when he first pitched the idea. Guess there's a first time for everything, right? Turns out they conveniently play right across the street in Central Park & Hudson has been dying see him in action. After much begging and pleading by me, Kyle finally relented. 

So, we bundled up & went to cheer on daddy. Hudson loved getting to stay up late, see the bright lights, and hear the sound of the skaters on the ice. And our #6 was amazing. He didn't fall even once and had a couple of decent hits-on the puck, not the other players. I even managed to snap a few photos just in case no one ever believes us. We've got proof. 

But the moment that really took our breath away was just minutes before the game ended, when a puck flew right past us, narrowly missing both Hudson and myself. That was scary. Needless to say, we watched the rest of the game behind the high high fence just to be safe. 

Look at that adorable face & those eyes. So alert and intent on the every little move on the ice.