cruiser

it's finally arrived! my sweet husband always does my birthday right, and this year was no exception. i've been dreaming of having my very own beach cruiser for years. i was set on pale yellow or mint green. gregory searched for the perfect bicycle with no luck. on my birthday he told me he wanted to get me a beach cruiser, but couldn't find exactly what i wanted, so i could shop online to find the right one. i found it. a gem indeed. i have a new crush...

summer evenings

my very favorite summer evenings are unplanned. those times when we get in the car and drive, just the four of us. last night we headed for the coast. we shopped for bicycles, got burgers, donuts, and ended up on a blanket at seaside soaking in the last of the day's sunshine. perfect.

tests tests and more tests.

i had to get a life organizer on my ipad. Hudson has had more appointments in his short 3.5 months of life than emmy has ever had in her nearly 3 years of life. i used to consider my memory above average. after the first little, i experienced a slight decrease in the brain functioning department and now with a second little, all i see is a 'gone fishin' sign when i try to recall thoughts and events. such is life, and thank heavens they have an app for that. our sweet Hudson boy had another hearing test last week, which went much better, but the next baby arrived before his testing was complete forcing us to return again tomorrow. he had ear molds done last week for his teeny tiny baby hearing aids which he will be fitted for in the middle of august. i'm anxious to know if this will be the answer. i'm hoping hearing aids is all it will take. i know the cochlear implant surgery is a wonderful thing...if it works. if it doesn't work, it completely strips the ear of any sound whatsoever with no way to fix it. quite a big decision to make. one that i would be terrified to make. at Hudson's last weeks' test, we were told if his hearing really is in the range they thought it was showing in the most recent test, than he wouldn't even be a candidate for cochlear implants anyway because hearing aids would be the solution.

music.
to.
my.
ears.

and soon music to his ears. he would be able to develop his speech and everything at a somewhat normal pace and catch right up to his little pals by the time he goes to school. we want nothing more than for him than to feel normal and accepted despite this slight setback. we are prepared to do whatever it takes. and i will keep you posted.

birfdayyy

guess what? i just finished cupcakes for breakfast. i know, that's not all that uncommon, but they tasted even better today because it is my birthday! yesterday we had family celebrations with a dinner at greg's parents house and today my sweet husband is gonna take me and the littles out on the town to do whatever i please. what more could a gal ask for than a special day spent with some very favorites?

not a happy camper.

I've got the itch to go beach camping. that happens every summer. most likely because my parents took me camping every summer of my childhood at Rissers Beach in Nova Scotia. some of my fondest memories were made there and i want my littles to experience it all. the only problem is that my husband isn't much of a camper. don't get me wrong, he's perfectly happy on a beach and he has no issues falling asleep in...well any circumstance really, he's just not much of a boy scout, and he will be the first to admit it. you see, gregory joined boy scouts as a wee lad. he lasted a couple of years until they really started to learn survival skills. he was shocked to learn that the best way to keep warm in an emergency situation was to remove your clothes and have skin to skin contact with your buddy. little gregory was appalled by this news and quit immediately...thus resulting in little to no boy scout skills whatsoever. I'm not saying you have to have been a boy scout in your youth to camp, but i'm pretty sure he was traumatized which explains his lack of interest. we tried camping last summer just us, his sisters and their husbands. we left if up to the boys to pick a spot and i'm pretty sure they selected the most ghetto campground in tarnation. a large portion of the folks actually lived there all year round. it was bad. it was hot, and we didn't even last 24 hours. this was the camping trip that was supposed to instill a love for camping in my sweet husband's heart. camping fail. next time we will do it right. i will take him to Rissers Beach. that'll do the trick.

there will be 3.

i've officially decided  on 3. that's right. i said it. i want one more kid. three sounds good. no more, no less. unless of course a certain someone from up above plays a sick joke on me and "blesses" us with multiples...otherwise three it will be. not anytime soon of course, as i am still a slave to the needs of a newly birthed human and i'm not by any means quite that mental. no offense to those of you who get 'er done real quick, that craziness is just not for me.  Hudson is a gem of a baby. a real jolly fellow, and thus the deciding factor for the plans of a third. speaking of the Huds...upon deciding on a name for our dear boy, i took it upon myself to see what his name actually meant, and was thrilled with what i saw.

Gender: M
Origin of Hudson: English
Meaning of Hudson: "Hugh's son"
Hudson's Popularity in 2011: #112

(found on nameberry.com)

ummm, do you even realize that my maiden name is Hughes!?!? absolutely perfect.

another 4th

our summer has been truly delightful thus far, and the 4th of july has most definitely been a highlight. we started a new tradition of donuts at the park for breakfast that i hope will continue. the littles quite enjoyed being able to run free on a sugar high and as they continue to multiply in our family, i think it will be something that all of the wee cousins will look forward to each year. we celebrated the rest of the day with a BBQ, swimming, games and we topped our day of with a firework show fully viewable from the back yard. it doesn't get much better than that. i am certain that i am the most patriotic canadian in america!