FIVE!

Dear Hudson~

F-I-V-E! as in, a handful! When I had you I didn't know if I knew what to do with a boy, so God gave me a little person that to quote your grandma is "all boy."

Hudson you have so many different sides. You are completely boy in everything you do, and are also so sweet. You are affectionate and very quick to tell us how much you love us. Two different times today I have gotten tears in my eyes because you have said in a sweet sincere little voice, "thanks for all the presents mom, this was the best day ever." The first time you said this was only at 9:30 this morning, but it had already been the best day ever. You are also really tough, willing to wrestle almost to the death and your tackle can take me down. You have almost endless energy that finally runs out at bedtime where most nights you fall asleep with a book on your head. Your curious about everything and love to try out new things, but you also have times, often when it is not even new, that you decide your going to be shy and timid.

This fall you started going to preschool and you have loved it. (except for the 7 minute drive there, more on that in a minute) You don't really tell me much about it, when I ask who you play with you say, "everyone." When I ask what you do you say, "lots of stuff." When I ask who your friends are you say, "all the boys, and almost all the girls, just not the one who cries." (note to girls in the future who want to date you: don't be too emotional.) After your sister who shares in great detail every event of her whole day, this lack of information left me with a little apprehension when it came to conference time (preschool conferences do seem funny). I couldn't have been more pleased with you after the conference though. You do a good job on all your "work" in school and have lots of friends (turns out your everyone" description was right) and aside from occasionally talking too much (genetic problem) your behavior is great.

The thing that makes you crazy, and has since this summer, is riding in the car. We must have traveled too much this summer, because you have not tolerance for car rides. Some mornings you don't even want to go to school because you can't handle the thought of being in the car for so long. Sitting still that long is evidently just cruel and unusual torture for you. We're hoping that you grow out of this soon, specifically by Saturday when we are driving to Milton-Freewater. Because then we have to drive back home on Tuesday, then to Salem on Wednesday, then back to M-F on Thursday and then back home I don't know when. I can't imagine what we have done to make you not like to travel...

I love when you pray because you start every sentence with "I just bless..." even if it is not a person. Each night at dinner you pray, "I just bless that we'll have a great day." It is so darn cute there is no way I'm correcting it.

Today has been a great day for our family. It was a snow day so although you didn't get to bring the transformer cupcakes to school that you had been planning, our whole family went to JJ Jump together and then out to lunch. It was a perfect day for you. We had a birthday party for you and Camden on Saturday night, and after talking about your birthday party for the last 11 months, I think you loved it.

We had a fish party, complete with a fish race. Planning a party for you is tricky because you have been thinking and planning your birthday party for the last 11 months. One week this summer I started a blog post, that I never finished with all the comments you made over a one week period of time about your birthday. Since I never finished the post, here is what I wrote down:
5/29-Reminds me that he is going to have his birthday party at the Helm's house (where Andrew's tennis team had their end of the year party-in an outdoor pool) and he is inviting all the boys on the Barlow tennis team.

6/1-"I'm going to have my birthday party at the church retreat and invite all the kids from there."

6/3-"Mom, I'm going to have a dinosaur birthday because dinosaurs are my favorite animal."


6/4-Spends 45 minutes circling almost everything in an Oriental Trading catalog that he wants to use for this birthday party.

6/4- Has me write a list of all the people he is inviting to his birthday, then tapes it to the tree in our front yard.

6/5- "For my next birthday after the next Pirate birthday I'm going to have my birthday at the zoo. Because the zoo is WARM THERE" (he says really excitedly). (I just said "okay," didn't want to burst his bubble by telling him it was rarely warm at the Portland Zoo, especially in the middle of December.)

6/5- (at WinCo) "I want to buy these chips for my birthday!"

6/5- "What I want for my birthday is Legos with lots of guys and a skateboard, and that's all. Plus some other stuff I'll tell you later."

6/5- "I'm going to use the baseball bat for my pinata-ia, and I'm going first because it is my birthday."

6/6- "At my party I'm going to have one pinata-ia for... how old's Ainsley? (seven) yeah, one for 7 year-olders, and one for 4 year-olders and one for Seth and one for Colin, and one for me and mine is first."

6/6- "At my birthday I'm the only one who can run, nobody else."

6/6- "We're going to hide the treasure under my bed and then at my party I'll know where it is and I'll get there first."

Hopefully your party lived up to your expectations.

5 years ago tonight when I had just had you I could have never guessed how much I would love you and how wonderful it would be to have a little boy. You have exceeded all my expectations.

Happy 5th birthday Hudson. I love you.

(you can start planning your 6th birthday party now.)