Hood Canal

Thanks to Morgan and Anna's planning, we were all able to be together at the Hood Canal (in Washington) for a few days at the end of September. It was nice to be able to just relax...and to spend some extended time with Macy and her parents. I don't know why I don't have any pictures of Anna or my dad, but they were both there.

I didn't pack a swimsuit for Judson, because I didn't think it would be that warm. The first day we were there, however, was gorgeous. The water wasn't too warm, but Judson didn't seem to mind! And one other day we put some warm water in a little boat for him to play in...

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures to give some highlights.

Nate wasn't there on the warmest day. He went swimming on quite a chilly day, actually.

Birthday Boy

We had a very special day celebrating Judson's first birthday. Paul and Becky (Judson's adopted grandparents) graciously offered to host the party at their house in Scio. None of my family was able to come, so Jeremy and Jess Nelson were the sole representatives on my side. They definitely count as family.

The three kiddos: Logan, Max, and the birthday boy. They put up with quite a long photo shoot. We couldn't believe they all left their hats on.

We chose a farm theme for the cake. My sister-in-law, Bridgett, made it. I knew she made nice cakes, but holy smokes! This cake was incredible and far exceeded anything I could've hoped for. See for yourself. Can you even believe it?! How am I ever going to be able to make a birthday cake now that this precedence has been set?!



Judson got very nice gifts...quite a few new clothes, some great books, and some very fun toys. His Auntie M and Uncle Justin got him a John Deere tractor. He's really too young for it now, but it won't be long. He sat on it for quite awhile and was very happy. He's going to LOVE it! My favorite part is that it's a pedal toy, not motorized. (Mandy found it on craigslist. Someone had one inside and one outside and had decided to sell the inside one.)



In case you don't already know this, I will admit that food messes are not my thing. I sort of dreaded the whole cake scene, but it really wasn't too bad. A certain uncle of Judson's thought I should give him the whole cake top, but I found that to be completely unnecessary. He'd never had anything very sweet, and he wasn't sure what to think. He ate quite a bit, though, and devoured the homemade ice cream Becky made.

Before...


After. See? Not really so bad. And I promise I just let him go with it. I guess I've already trained him well. Ha, ha.

New Pictures

Our friend, Joani, took these pictures of Judson today. She's going to do some editing, I think, but I can't resist sharing these. He's looking so grown up all of a sudden!

He's been scrunching up his nose a lot lately...

A Year Ago Today...

...I was one day overdue and feeling terrific. I taught school and was planning to be done teaching the following Tuesday. Just in case, though, I stayed until 7 pm and got EVERYTHING ready for Monday. It turned out to be a smart move.

I opened a package from the Arnolds when I got home...cloth diapers and a diaper pail liner bag. Very exciting! The diaper pail bag was the perfect color for our nursery (and Amy hadn't even see the nursery!), so I quickly ordered another one.

Nate and I spent the rest of the evening hanging out. We played some games and twice I felt the slightest cramp. We went to bed and I slept well. I felt a few more "cramps" when I woke up to go to the bathroom. But then it was back to sleep for me. Little did I know that we'd be meeting our baby - and finding out its gender! - in mere hours.

What a year it's been! Judson is an incredible blessing..such a fun, happy baby! I'll do a "One Year" post soon. We have lots of new "tricks" to report. For now, I have a birthday party for which to prepare. :)