Sincerely Smeda

Two and a half years later...

2016-07-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Oh hey there! I'm back. A lot has happened since I last blogged. Let me catch you up.

This is Canon Mitchell (our blog hasn't met him yet.)

He was born on April 10, 2014, weighing a solid 10lbs even. He's wild, mischievous, adorable,

and so fun to be around. He has the most tender heart and is always sharing with his brother.

He loves to scratch, bite, and play with any type of ball. He is very outgoing and will say hi

and make friends with anyone and everyone. He has been the perfect addition to our family,

we love our squish.

This is Hudson, remember him? I'm sure he looks a little different now. Last time we talked

about him he was only one and a half years old. He's four now, and the smartest

little guy you'll ever meet. He is becoming more and more independent, but still really

needs his mom and dad at times. He starts preschool in September and is very excited

to learn and make new friends. He loves having a little brother to play with,

and is really good at bossing him around.

I'm still Alyssa and he is still Chris. We don't hold hands as much, or go on as many

creative and fun dates as we used to, but we are still together and we are still in love.

Our lives really have changed big time since the last time you heard about us too.

We had a baby (Canon), bought a house in Arizona (yay), got a dog (Zona),

decided it was time for a career change (back to school...again), sold our second car (Tory),

packed up our stuff (rented out our house in AZ), gave Zona away (sad),

moved to good ol' Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV), bought Chris a motorcycle (Honda Grom),

and found out I was pregnant again (third baby = girl!) See, told you a lot has changed.

Let's talk a little more about my handsome hubby for a second (I know, I got so lucky, right?)

He graduated from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelors in Business and Finance four years ago.

You guys already know this, (I think??) but after he graduated he accepted a job offer

for Wells Fargo in Arizona. So we packed up our little apartment and little family

of three, and moved. He worked for Wells Fargo for three and a half years, before deciding

he didn't want to be stuck anymore. He wanted more for our family, and wanted to do

something in the medical field. He is attending UNLV right now, for some pre-reqs and then

will soon (hopefully) decide which direction he wants to head in.

This is me 21 weeks pregnant with our third baby, a girl this time. This is an old picture though,

I am 29 weeks along now. We are so excited for our little girl to come and can't wait to snuggle

her. The boys are ecstatic, and are constantly talking, hugging, and asking to feel her.

I am still so amazed every time I feel her kick and move in my stomach. I feel so

grateful to my Heavenly Father for letting me carry and raise three of his beautiful children.

Alright, I think you're caught up. No promises, but I am going to try and be better about this

whole blogging thing. I have missed it lately, and I want my kids to have something to look

back on when they're older.

Hudson: Sixteen to Twenty Months

2013-12-21T10:48:00.002-08:00

Time to play catch-up again. Hopefully I can remember every thing.

We've got a pretty talkative little man on our hands. He has a pretty good vocabulary. He now says:

dada, mama, baby, nana, papa, bubbles, please, thank you, more, snacks, trash, bath, dressed, hi (to EVERYONE and their mom), bye-bye, dog, cat, shoes, pee-pee, poop, ball, lights, milk, bird

He also:

-Loves breakfast. It's his favorite meal of the day.

-Recently just went pee in potty for the first time. (12/19/13)

-Is a big helper around the house. He helps load the washer, always wants to throw things in the trash, gets a diaper for his diaper change, sweeps, etc.

-Loves nursery. There's been a couple times we've had to stay in with him because he didn't get a nap in before church, but for the most part he loves it.

-Is very social. He loves people and has the funniest personality.

-Has all his teeth except for his 2 yr molars and one eye tooth.
-LOVES to dance.
-Still takes two naps during the day, and sleeps though the night.

Playing at the museum.

Keeping busy at church (before he was old enough for nursery.)

Halloween 2013. I made his entire costume (it was so much fun!)

...obviously the spoon doesn't belong, he wouldn't let it go.

Lovin' on his mama.

He LOVES using photobooth on my ipad.

And LOVES playing outside with his football.

Listening carefully to dad playing.

Snacking on some oranges.

Painting.

Apparently, its so funny to lay like this.

And so funny to take bubble baths.

Handsome boys

Climbing on things...and getting stuck.

Soooo cute!

Cheeeese

Do you Crowdtap?

2013-12-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

You're probably sitting there thinking..."what is Crowdtap?" Well, sit tight, cause I'm about to tell you!

A few months ago my friend Katie (you can see her cute blog here,) got some really sweet PUMA workout clothes...for FREE. I obviously was curious as to how she did this, so I asked her. She told me she was a part of this group called Crowdtap, basically it was a website that asked for your opinion on products. Hmm... sounded interesting to me. So I checked it out & joined.

It took me a little bit to figure out how the website worked, but once I got the hang of things I started to select brands I was interested in (which wasn't hard because they have a million different brands that participate on their site) and answered simple questions with my honest opinion. Before I knew it, I got an email that said I was selected to host a Hidden Valley Ranchers Party.

Me? A host a party? A ranch party?

(I love parties, I love ranch...this was perfect)

I was in.

Crowdtap & Hidden Valley sent me a kit that was filled with all sorts of goodies!

A t-shirt, full size bottle of ranch, some dressing mixes, samples for all my guests, and a flyer with recipes and coupons! Who doesn't love coupons??

I hosted the party last night (12/17/13) and in my opinion, it was a huge success! I had a few of my friends over for some food, fun and girl talk. I asked everyone to bring copies of their favorite ranch inspired recipe, so everyone left with a few new recipes to try out for their families. I also invited them to make the recipe if they wanted to be entered into a drawing for a prize.

Carrie (she blogs over here) was the winner of the prize which included:

A bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch, Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix, Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix, Hidden Valley Salad Crispins, and a Hidden Valley recipe/spoon holder.

Thank you to Crowdtap and Hidden Valley for giving me this opportunity!

It was such a fun excuse to get together with my friends and have a girls night!!

Vertuccio Farms Fall Festival

2013-10-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Oh hey there!

This past weekend we decided to get out and head to a local farm's fall festival. We had so much fun!

Hudson's at such a fun age, he is really curious and he loves to be active!

Be on the lookout for an update post!

Hudson: Eleven to Fifteen Months

2013-07-12T16:37:00.002-07:00

Wow, 5 months in one post...look at me go.

We tried out a new restaurant and they had all sorts of props.

So far this is the list of "news" that I came up with. I will add more as I think of them.

-Hudson started walking just after his first birthday and has been on the go ever since.

-He runs now...every where.

-Everything is a game. He loves to be chased around the apartment and loves to play hide and seek.

-He says "mama," "dada," "buh-bye," and "hi."

-He knows how to blow kisses, wave hi/bye, and sign 'all done.'

-He grabs his shoes when we ask if he wants to go "buh-bye."

-He goes straight to where we keep the food when we ask him if he wants a snack.

-Still LOVES being outside and loves to be in the water.

-Doesn't let us sit through an hour of church....ever.

-He loves to eat, even though it doesn't show, sometimes he'll eat more than Chris or myself.

-Recently tried ketchup with his chicken nuggets and is in love with it.

-He trashes our apartment. We moved his toy box and toys in his bedroom so he could dirty up only one room....ya, it didn't work.

-Has already gotten two haircuts.

-Hudson has 10 teeth (currently working on #11 and #12)

When he first started walking

Relaxing at the pool

This kid LOVES the vacuum

And he loves his pasta

Hudson and Abbie muching on hot dogs

Hudson got to meet his cousin Lyla for the first time.

Sweet boy.

He LOVES my iPad as well.

Trouble makers. Abbie was playing with a new pack of baby wipes,

she handed it to Hudson...and he took every single one out of the package.

He loves giving kisses

This is what he does when you ask him where his nose is.

Pushing the cart like a big boy

He loved the frozen chocolate covered banana bites

Such a silly boy

He loves his new golf toy. Look at that smile.

Driving :)

Fourth of July and a new haircut for Hudson

Hudson's First Haircut

2013-07-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

On May 3rd we made a decision that changed our lives forever....OK, I'm only joking. Deciding to cut Hudson's beautiful curls off was a big deal though! With the Arizona heat, we had no choice.

We just happened to be in Las Vegas, so most of my side of the family got to be a part of it. It was a family event.

Before... (doesn't he look soooo excited?)

Getting his cape on

Our little family

Mmm...lollipops

After...

Such a big boy :)

Hudson's First Birthday

2013-07-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

We decided on a "Puppy" theme for Hudson's party.

These were the invites. The other side had all the details...

The food...

BBQ chips (served in a dog food bowl), red velvet cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting,

hot dogs, and bone shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

We had a ton of fun and are so thankful for all those who were able to come and celebrate with us.

Hudson's Cake Smash

2013-07-07T20:16:00.002-07:00

Let's not talk about how horrible I am at blogging....ok? Ok...here we go:

Our sweet little boy turned ONE on April 18th (yes, I realize that was 3 months ago...) and it's still so hard for me to believe how fast he is growing. SO MUCH has happened since the last time I blogged, but we'll start with the pictures from the "Cake Smash" photo session we had. This was Hudson's first time ever eating cake.

It was a vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting. At first he didn't know what to think, but once Chris showed him what to do...he went to town (and thought it was a bit sour.)

Hudson: Ten Months

2013-02-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

I need to blog more. I only do it once a month and that's only because Hudson turns one month older. New goal = blog more. We'll see where that gets me.

Anyways...you guys, Hudson is almost a year old. He's almost a toddler!! Can you believe it?! I sure CAN'T. He is getting way too big, way too fast. We sure are enjoying the ride though.

-He's a small little guy. He's hanging around the 16lbs mark and has been there for quite some time now.
-He knows how to drink from a straw, clap his hands and give you a high five.
-He LOVES eating anything and everything off OUR plates.
-Has started walking along the furniture. & today, he started walking around the house pushing his walker.
-Finally perfected his crawl. No more army crawl...he's on all 4's now!
-Says mama, baba, and some times dah. (Sadly...he hasn't associated any of those with the right people/things.)
-Loves watching Yo Gabba Gabba.
-He thinks Ritz Crackers are their own food group.
-Goes to any drawer, shelf, cabinet he can find and pulls out everything.
-Our kitchen table is his new jungle gym. He loves climbing underneath and over things. We definitely have a climber on our hands.
-Chases the vacuum.
-He always gets so excited when Chris gets home from work.
-He's a true boy (and definitely Chris' son,) he loves any sort of ball. Basketball, football, baseball...and will throw/chase them around the apartment.
-He has SO MUCH HAIR! It has the cutest curls to it.
-Peek-a-boo is his new favorite game.

He made his own step stool to watch TV

At the pet store for the first time.

He loved the fish.

Bath time

Out for a walk.

Clapping his hands

Just being a trouble maker

Love those baby blues & those curls!

Once again...he's a trouble maker.

Peek-a-boo!

Hanging out under his first fort.

Hudson: Nine Months

2013-01-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

Well, we hit the 9 month mark. Hudson has officially been on this earth longer than he was in my stomach. It's incredible and he's grown into such a fun little boy.

-16.2lbs and 27 inches long. He's growing, slowly...but surely.
-Eats anything you give him....unless its a green vegetable.
-Celebrated his first Christmas and was spoiled like crazy.
-Has mastered the art of sitting down once he's stood up.
-Loves opening and shutting things, especially cabinets and drawers.
-He carries on conversations with himself.
-His top 2 teeth have come through....he now has 4!
-Hudson dances to music! He bobs his head back and forth and its the cutest thing!
-Met 2 of his cousins for the first time, Kyle and Shane.

First Christmas

LOVES swinging

He even falls asleep while swinging.

A new Christmas toy from Grandpa and Grandma Dewsnup

A new car toy from Grandpa and Grandma Smeda

He loves Costco

Bathtub from Ikea...he loves it!

Playing peek-a-boo with mom

He loves Target too!!

Our Christmas Card 2012

2012-12-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hudson: Eight Months

2012-12-24T10:12:00.001-08:00

Hudson turned 8 months on the 18th. It's so hard to believe he'll be a toddler in 4 months. This past month was another big month for us.

-Hudson weighs almost 16lbs.
-Loves food. Crackers, puffs, pasta, and cheerios are some of his faves.
-Celebrated his first Thanksgiving with the Dewsnup side of the family.
-Learned to pull himself up on things.
-Less than 24 hrs later, he fell out of his crib.
-Still loves bath time & has taken a couple baths in the big tub. But, because he still fits (and its more convenient we usually bathe him in his infant tub.
-Interacts and plays with the other babies at church.

First Thanksgiving

In his car seat--Standing up on everything--His rug burn from falling out of his crib.

Discovering the Christmas tree

All ready for church

I wanted him to chew on something cold for his teeth...

ziploc baggie with frozen veggies inside.

First time in the big bath tub.

Bath time mohawk!

First visit with Santa.

He didn't cry, but he wasn't too sure.

Look at those two teeth!

Chris is 26!

2012-11-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Today, we're celebrating the birth of this guy. He is the funnest, sweetest and most lovable husband and father. I am so thankful for him and for all he does for Hudson and I. We are the two most luckiest people in the whole entire world.

For his birthday I made him a DVD slideshow of pictures of our little family, and got him some shorts. I also came up with this cute idea.

The Shower of Love

I cut out raindrops and made a shower head out of paper.

The sign says "Each drop carries a characteristic you possess." I wrote 26 different characteristics Chris holds on each rain drop.

He hasn't seen it yet....but I'm pretty sure he'll love it. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!! Hudson and I love you!

Hudson: Seven Months

2012-11-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

Hudson is 7 months old (and 2 days.) I can't believe it! I'm so excited for these next couple of months because he'll be experiencing a lot of his "firsts," like his first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first time unwrapping presents...etc. I think I'm more excited than he is.

-At his 6 (1/2) month check up he was 15lbs & 27in long.
-Loves Ritz crackers
-Crawls...everywhere. He does the cutest army crawl & he's really fast.
-I'll probably jinx myself by saying this...but we have a sleeper! Yes, he sleeps through the night now (most nights) usually only waking up once to eat.
-Goes after everything. He loves cords, remotes, keys and the laptop.
-We've spilled more water in the past month than we have before. We casually leave our cups by the couch on the ground forgetting he can crawl and get to them.
-We still bathe him in his infant bathtub (for the convenience) and I think its about time we change to the big tub. He splashes all over the place. We usually have a puddle of water on the ground by the time we're done.
-He's a bit of a camera hog. Once we get the camera out he starts smiling right away.
-He loves people. He is always smiling at them and flirting with the girls behind us at church.
-TWO TEETH! Yea, Hudson's bottom two teeth (the middle two) have come in. They are sharp and so so cute.

He's climbing up onto things now.

He was trying to get the cords in this one.

Just after bath time

Watching TV with mom.

He looks so big to me here.

Eating crackers---He has crazy hair!---So cool with his sunglasses on---Silly boy!

Hudson with Dad's backpack---Crossing his legs while on a walk---First Halloween---Climbing

Onesie from Grandma and Grandpa Dewsnup

We found him sleeping like this one night

Trying on hats at Target

My Wife, of Great Worth...

2012-11-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

When I said, "I do" to the beautiful woman I call my wife, Alyssa I thought I knew what I was getting; a companion and a best friend, someone to greet me when I came home from work and yes, I got all of that; plus a little more than I expected. When we vowed to each other on that most special day, our wedding day we promised love through the thick and thin, through health and sickness, through richer or poorer - in short, we promised to be there for each other no matter... what for all eternity.

Never has a day gone by where Alyssa ceases to amaze me. Just when I thought I knew everything there is to know about her, another beautiful characteristic blooms deep within her inherited nature. She is the most understanding person, the best gourmet chef, the funniest person, the much needed listener when I feel the world is falling upon me. Ever seen the dates she has planned? Talk about creativity! There are countless precious virtues hidden inside of her which only the closest person in her life can see them. I have been blessed to be that person, to recognize her every detailed talent and attribute.

The purpose of this post (behind Alyssa's back) is to shout to the world how lucky I am to be her husband. How lucky I am to be sealed to her journeying the rough days and joyful days forever. The past couple weeks I have been feeling under the weather. Never did a day go by last week when my fever hit below 100 degrees F. I constantly had a headache, always feeling nauseous, one minute i'm shivering, the next i'm sweating half my body weight off. It was a nightmare! On top of that, my cute little son, Hudson was showing signs of his first teeth coming through. He wasn't happy with that because of the pain - I too would be crying endlessly if a bone of some sort trying to work its way out my gums.

Tonight wasn't the best of night. I was again feeling out of it - threw up and the works. Alyssa is trying to keep everyone together, washing dishes and making the house a cleaner state. Then by pure wisdom and intelligence I moved furniture which resulted in a nail striking Alyssa and puncturing her hand. I washed up and tried to comfort Hudson while he screams his lungs out. To my woeful surprise, a musty sewage smell fumed from his little diaper. In a state of emergency and for the sake of the baby's carpet, I alert my dearest wife for immediate help while I hold him up like a ticking time bomb with my head turned away. (I have a terrible gag reflex). Of course with some running water and a great attitude she saves the day - Hudson had a clean bum, I found myself on the bed trying to keep myself calm and Alyssa is the hero of the day - as she is every day.

At the end of the day not once has she complained, grumbled, or murmured under her breath. Who I married on that special day was somewhat of a goddess. Alyssa is more perfect for me that I could ever have imagined. Alyssa's the mother no money could buy, Alyssa's the wife that no price could be placed. She's my world, my life, my eternal companion... she's my wife, Alyssa :)

Car Show & Beyond

2012-11-11T15:27:00.001-08:00

We found near "the Islands" here in Arizona a family friendly gathering of historic cars. We figured we could easily get in because like those other cars on display, our car was ancient. Except the minor detail we noticed from their cars to ours was the value of their car was significantly higher and they took a great deal of care for them too. Check it out...

But these car owners weren't the only ones showing all their glamour, there were also some artists selling wonderful pieces of artwork including; paint, 3D sculptures, abstract art, homemade jewelry.

We couldn't stay long because the Arizona heat took over, but it was a fun weekend activity for our family.

A Letter To You

2012-11-07T12:24:00.001-08:00

Dear Hudson,

You are growing up too fast. It feels like just yesterday we were laying together in my hospital bed cuddling and listening to daddy sleep. It feels like just yesterday I was learning how to swaddle you just right, and bounce you in that certain way that you liked to be bounced. I'm no professional, but I do feel like I've gotten the hang of you. I love being your mommy. It's November and you turn 7 months old this month. You have developed quite the little personality. You've learned to throw fits, spit your food out, crawl around every where, scream really loud, sit up by yourself, chew on everything you can get your hands on, whine like a little puppy and make everyone around you smile. You have a million dollar smile.

I have big dreams for you Hudson. I hope that you grow up to be all that you can be. I hope you give life your all. I hope you make good friends, friends that will help you make good decisions as you grow up. I hope you learn to be a hard worker, and that you work for the things you need and want. I hope you turn out to be a gentleman, just like your daddy. I hope that your daddy and I can raise you to be all that your Heavenly Father intends for you to be, and that once you have kids of your own that you will do the same for them.

We have so much fun together, your daddy, me and you. You love laying in bed with us and climbing all over our faces. You love eating your oatmeal while your daddy hides behind me and plays peek a boo with you. You love looking at yourself in the mirror and smiling at everybody you see. You love playing with the laundry baskets and unfolding all of the laundry I fold. You love drinking from our cups and bouncing on our laps. You love watching cartoons and movies and being outside. You love going for walks in your stroller and laying on blankets on the grass. You love taking baths and splashing around in the water. You love your mommy and daddy and we love you.

I love you Hudson and am so lucky to be your mommy. Thank you for bringing so much joy into my life. I will forever be here for you, no matter what.

Love,
Mom

Gilbert Art Walk

2012-11-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

One of the many reasons why I love my dear wife is her ability to research fun family-friendly activities. Did you know the Chamber of Commerce calendars will have community events which can be fun for the whole family and for the most part FREE?? So lately on the weekends we've been attending these fun events. We don't spend a lot of time there because we have Hudson on our hands and the sun gets to him after an hour or two. Here are our findings on our Gilbert Art Walk adventure...

It's wonderful to get out of the house during the autumn season and not experience snow. Furthermore, it's nice to get outside and still sweat a little while wearing shorts and t-shirts during this time of year.

Can't wait for next weekend!

At first I felt bad...

2012-11-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

How was your Halloween night? Hopefully it was more entertaining then ours was.

So we didn't buy any Halloween candy to pass out to the little trick-or-treaters. =/ Does that make us bad people? I don't know, maybe it does. I felt bad, at first. But let me tell you something.... we didn't even have one knock on the door. NOT ONE!

We went on a walk around our apartment complex, because the complex was hosting a "patio decorating contest" and we thought they would be fun to look at. NO ONE DECORATED. Seriously guys, no one. (We didn't even see any trick-or-treater's while we were out.) I guess Arizona doesn't celebrate Halloween? Ha, just kidding. I'm sure they do...we just didn't see any of it.

Anyways on a brighter note, it's November!

One of my babies turns 7 months old this month, the other baby turns 26. It's going to be a good month!! I don't know if any of you care, but I am doing a November Photo-a-Day challenge on Instagram. (I do have my account set to private, so if you're planning on adding me just leave a comment with your insta-name so I know to accept you!)

Alyssa: @alyssasmeda

& just incase you want to follow the hubs: @smedac

I hope you all have a great month!!

Traditions

2012-10-29T11:12:00.001-07:00

There's something that has been on my mind lately...traditions. Particularly Christmas traditions. With Christmas just around the corner (seriously though, it's almost November!) and my new little family of three, I thought now would be a good time to start thinking of the traditions I want to start this year. I know Hudson wont remember this Christmas, or even next Christmas, but I want him to be able to look back, see the pictures, and know that we have been doing these traditions for all of his life.

Growing up my family had a couple traditions that have stuck with me. Some that I'd like to carry on and do with my own family. Every Christmas Eve we would open one present from my parents, and that one present was always new pajamas. I don't know if it was the comfort of knowing what I would get, or the fact that I always had new, warm pajamas to sleep in the night before Santa came, but I have always loved this tradition. The second one is waffles on Christmas morning. For as long as I can remember we've had waffles every Christmas morning. I don't even know if this is something my parents meant to become a "tradition" but it's something that as I kid, and even now as an adult, I look(ed) forward to.

Here's the bad part about being an adult. There are these little things we have (or our spouses have), called jobs, that can prevent families from being together on the holidays. I have spent 22 Christmas' with my family. That's a lot of Christmas'. This Christmas will be different. As many of you know, Chris started a new job back in August.

New employee = low end of the totem-pole, grunt work, last-to-get-days-off-for-the-holidays.

Now, I am so so so thankful that he has a job, because in this economy not many people do, I just wish that every single person could have a "Holiday PAYED Vacation Week" off for Christmas. Is that too much to ask?

Anyways, my point is, I think that starting new traditions (& carrying on past traditions) will bring a little piece of "home" to our Christmas this year. Even though it will be just us three, I am going to make it just as fun.

What are your favorite family traditions??

Sponsor US!

2012-10-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick post to let you know about something exciting that happening here on our blog. We are offering FREE ad swaps!!

Just click on the "sponsor us" tab on the left hand side bar

& follow the instructions!

We can't wait to swap ads with you!!

We said...

2012-10-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

I was recently blog stalking (yes..I am guilty) and came across this post where this girl and her husband filled out a marriage/relationship type survey and put it on their blog. I thought it was a cute idea, so last night Chris and I took on the challenge. We filled it out separately, then compared answers....here it is.

1. How long have you been dating and/or married?

She said: "We dated only a couple weeks before getting engaged, and we've been married for 1 year, 6 months and 11 days :)"

He said: "I say eternity, the calendar shows 18 months."

2. What did you think of each other when you first met? Was it love at first sight?

She said: "I thought he was smokin' hot. He was wearing a black Adidas hoodie, basketball shorts, and a smile to die for. I think it was love at first sight for me...but not for him."

He said: "Just a friend, I wasn’t looking for love and no, it was not love at first sight… am I allowed to say that? But in all honesty, every day I fall more in love with her and she never ceases to amaze me of her qualities!"

3. What have you learned from your relationship?

She said: "Patience. Marriage is something that needs to be worked on daily and not something that comes easy to everyone."

He said: "What’s mine is hers and what’s hers is hers. If the wife isn’t happy, then no one is happy. Sacrifice!"

4. Who makes the decisions in your relationship?

She said: " I'd like to say both of us, but we all know it's me. Just kidding...it depends on what we are deciding."

He said: "I choose what kind of cereal I eat in the morning… that’s about it. Even my clothing must be approved before I can walk out the door. Guys, am I alone in this?"

5. When did you know you had found “the one”?

She said: "I'd say the 2nd time hanging out. He was (and still is) very easy to talk to and makes me laugh like no other. Both were important qualities to me."

He said: "When she told me! At that point, I really had no choice. It was even a miracle that someone would even consider me."

6. What is the best advice you have to offer a new couple?

She said: "Compromise is KEY! Seriously. If you don't know how to compromise you better learn if you want to keep your relationship."

He said: "This marks the end of your miserable life. Soon you’ll find out which end I’m talking about."

7. What was your first date?

She said: "Olive Garden. I taught him how to twirl pasta with a spoon. Meant-to-be-people!"

He said: "Olive Garden – this is where it started, she demanded I eat the pasta her way."

8. What are five words that describe Alyssa?

She said: "Creative, funny, nurturer, planner, betty-crocker"

He said: "Caring, beautiful, smart, hilarious, friend"

9. What are five words that describe Chris?

She said: "Hardworking, cuddly, handsome, smart, STUD"

He said: "Annoying, clumsy, hardworking, dedicated, happy"

10. What is one thing that your partner does that makes you feel most loved?

She said: "He courts me. Buys me flowers, takes me on dates, opens doors for me, tells me I'm beautiful and treats me like a lady."

He said: "When she holds my arm while we walk."

Now go grab your significant other and fill it out yourself, it's fun!

Hudson: Six Months

2012-10-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

Six months? Woah...seriously? My baby has been here for half of a year already!? Where has the time gone? This past month has been big for us, Hudson has been progressing so much!

-Not sure on his weight stats...we have an appointment on Tuesday...so once I get the info I will update!

-First plane trip; September 25, 2012 [Phoenix to Las Vegas] He did a lot better than I thought he would! Slept most of the way and was the center of attention at the airport.

-First try of baby food; September 22, 2012 [Green Beans] We recorded the whole thing...video below. We're seriously thinking of sending it into America's Funniest Home Videos.

-His favorite foods are oatmeal, sweet potatoes and carrots.

-Loves to look at himself in the mirror.

-He loves bath time and usually splashes all the water out of his little bathtub.

-He's a tiny guy. Most of his clothes are still the 3 months size.

-Makes sounds like a dinosaur. Or a fishing reel...I can't decide.
-Loves playing outside and has discovered the grass.
-Its just a matter of days before he starts crawling. He gets up on his hands and knees, rocks back and forth and lunges forward.
-Is slowly and surely getting better at sleeping in his own room, his in big boy crib.
-Loves Playhouse Disney.

Going for a walk---Love his little toes---In Las Vegas---Meeting dad for lunch

Helping mom with laundry---Carrot face---Shopping at Target---New Bumbo

All dressed up for church :)

Just hanging out

First boarding pass

His crawling stance

Playing outside

2012-10-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

I give it a couple weeks, he'll be crawling in no time.

He found the grass. He wasn't so sure at first, but he loved it.

A Man's Best Friend...

2012-10-16T14:17:00.002-07:00

I have a secret for you. Did you know that (usually) your city/town has a website where all the events/happenings in the area are all organized on a neat calendar? It's called the city council website. Click here to find out what I'm talking about. I love to take advantage of those calenders to find fun things for my little family to do on the weekends. Usually the events are free...but sometimes they cost a small fee or ask for a donation of some sort.

Last week I decided to sit down and compile a list of events for us to go to. We now have something planned for almost every weekend for the next couple months. I love it. It's something for us to look forward to (and you too...because there will more than likely be blog posts to document our adventures!)

This past Saturday (October 13, 2012) we went to the local farmers market and then to the 13th Annual BARKtoberfest (you now know the reason behind my post title...) The BARKtoberfest is a festival in honor of dogs. Plain and simple. We went, even though we don't have a pooch of our own, because we knew it would be fun for Hudson. He loves being outside and loves looking and exploring. Whats better than getting your toes licked by something that's around the same size as you? Nothing. Hudson loved that part.

Now, I love dogs....but I don't love dogs as much as some of these people do. Their priorities probably went something like this: DOG, food, DOG, water, DOG, self, DOG, then kids. We saw a variety of different booths, some that were out of control. Pet photography, custom made dog beds...my list could go on.

I do think that every animal deserves to have a loving home. Somewhere where their owners will take good care of them, love them and treat them with respect. I loved that the BARKtoberfest was promoting dog adoptions.

Overall, it was a fun day. Keep on the lookout for our fun weekend activities to come!