Spring Break

We found out a few weeks ago that James will be starting Officer Candidate School on March 22, so he will be heading down there just a few days before Hudson's and my birthday.  He will be the first graduating class to have 8 weeks of training rather than the typical 6 weeks.  When he left last time it was difficult since Hudson was only 6 weeks old but Hudson wasn't really aware that James was gone which made it a little easier.  This time Hudson is going to be well aware of the fact that his Papa is going away.  Thank God for Skype!  All we need now is a new laptop (we bought one for James right before his last deployment but someone stepped on it a few weeks later and broke the screen).  I can't imagine how hard it will be for James to not be able to hold Hudson in his arms for such a long period of time.

On a positive note, I'm on Spring Break and I will finish another semester of school in about a month.  At the rate I'm going now I could finish by the time I'm in my early 30's rather than my mid 40's.  :-)  Some people become specialized doctors in the time it will take me to get my degree, but I will get there.  I may give birth to all of our children in the process but I will get there.
 
As always we have been very busy the past few months.  I can't believe Spring is almost here.  Within the next month Hudson, James and I will all celebrate our birthdays.  We are a house full of Aries.  I do not pay attention to all the astrology stuff but I do think it's funny that all three of us fall into the Aries category.

I need to catch up on some photos.  It seems so long ago since we saw these beautiful, colorful leaves on the grass in front of our condo.  It has been covered in snow for far too long. 

Hudson at 7 months.

This year we celebrated Hudson's and Hayden's (Hudson's cousin) first Christmas.  It turned out to be pretty quiet but I have a feeling in the years to come it will only get louder and louder as the three boys get into more trouble, led by Hayden of course.  :-)

Yes, I put him in an elf costume.  :)

Christmas at the Cromer's.

James, Hudson, Jayce, Hayden, Autumn

Hudson, Jayce, Hayden

Hudson, Jayce, Hayden

Hudson, James, Jayce

Christmas at the Reser's.

Grandma helping Hudson open presents.

"Melissa & Doug" make the cutest toys!

Making funny faces with Grandma.

He's ready for an old time photo.

8 months

Christmas lights!

We decided to make it a tradition for James and Hudson to put the star on the tree on Christmas Eve.

Trip to the Festival of Lights with some friends who we don't see often enough.

Snuggled in his City Select.

You can tell he was having a great time.  :-)

Hudson and Hayden decked out in Bengals gear.

Wonderful fathers, Nathan and James.

Being naked is awesome!

Sweetness

Hudson practices his chords while I study for my Economics test.

9 Months!

James has completed his training for the Cincinnati Fire Department as part of Recruit Class 112.  He has been working for several weeks now and he seems to love every minute of it.  He is already coming home with crazy stories almost every day.  I'm sure this is only the beginning.  I am so proud of him and happy that he found a profession he really enjoys.

Recruit Class 112 - James is in the front row, seven from the right.

James was assigned to Engine 29.

Hudson and I at James' graduation ceremony.

This was James' fifth graduation (I have attended four)

10 Months, he's getting so big.

The Perry's Wedding Reception

The gym shoes were James' idea.

Celebrating with Whitney and Rob.

All the cool people bring their own sippy cups to weddings.  :-)

A dance with the beautiful bride, Whitney.  We wish they lived closer.

Hello 2014!

Our last month and a half has been very busy..  James is still in the middle of training for the Cincinnati Fire Department.  James was also chosen to be the new intelligence officer for the 123rd Air Control Squadron.  He will be going to AMS in a few months and will come back as a 2nd Lieutenant.  Then the Becker family will be heading to Goodfellow AFB so James can take a 7 month intelligence officer course.  I'm so proud of him and I can't wait to see what God has in store for our family.

Hudson now has two teeth.  He learned to crawl on November 21st and now he flies around our condo pretty quickly.  He also learned to stand up on his own the same day.  He spends a good portion of his days pulling up to a standing position and then letting go, to see how long he can stand with no hands.  His little hips swivel back and forth as he tries to keep his balance, but he can only make it work for about ten seconds before he tumbles down.  It makes me smile every time.  :-)

I just finished my first semester as a full time student.  I am happy to say that after four years of college, I am no longer a Freshman.  Since I am in a five year program, if I continue at this rate, I should be done by the time I am.....42 years old....right about the time Hudson will get his driver's license.  I pray to God that it doesn't take me that long and that I am able to continue going to school full time.  

While I am between semesters our goal is to get our condo staged to sell.  We would like to expand the family but our condo is getting a little tight and Achilles desperately needs a fenced in backyard.

Here are some things that happened recently.

We had a great time at a baby Halloween party.

Hudson was the only boy to attend!  He loved the female attention...

We played in the leaves...

Turned Hudson into a monkey...

Decorated the Christmas tree...

Welcomed Hayden Cromer (Hudson's cousin) into the world...

And Hudson celebrated the end of the semester by destroying my homework!

This has been a wonderful year and I look forward to seeing what 2014 has to offer.

7 Months and a Baby Shower

Hudson is now 7 months old, and I can't believe it!  He is getting so big and he is very close to being able to get around quickly.  I want him to crawl because I love to witness his milestones but part of me wants him to wait until I finish this semester.  Studying for five classes is a little tricky with a baby that is not mobile.  I'm not sure how it will work when he is getting into everything.

Hudson's first tooth came in a few weeks ago, on the bottom.  I'm half expecting a tooth to come in on the top, caddy-corner from the first so he looks like a little jack o'lantern for Halloween.  James and I bought a Halloween costume for Hudson.  James wanted Hudson to be Dracula, so that is the plan.  I just realized as I was writing this paragraph that Hudson's lack of teeth may be problematic in respect to his costume.  He does however have the pointy Dracula hairline naturally.  He is just missing the dark hair.

The last "month" photo I posted of Hudson was 3 months.  Here are months four, five, and six.  I have yet to take his seven month photo.

Below: Hudson is proud of his Daddy and his new job.

Below: Hudson and his puppy.

Below:  The men of the house, napping.

Today my mother-in-law and I threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Emily.  It was so much fun to put it all together.  A lot of the decorations were Pinterest inspired.  I have so many photos and ideas pinned but it was exciting to put so many of them to use.  We went with a baseball theme to match the theme of Hayden's nursery.

Below:  HAYDEN"S STATS-I meant to get a photo of this after it was filled in with everyone's guesses.

We tried to stick mostly with the baseball theme, even with the food.  We had hotdogs, nachos, popcorn, and other baseball goodies.  We also had chicken salad on pretzel buns and a chocolate fountain, neither of which were ready when I had the camera out.

Painting these pumpkins proved to be a bit more difficult than expected, but I think it added a nice touch of fall.

Even though the theme was "baseball", we had to represent the Reds in a few ways.

More painted pumpkins!

Hudson just fell asleep, so that is my cue to study for my Financial Accounting test.  Ta-ta for now!