Christmas Outfit

Here is a picture of Hudson's Christmas outfit... Isn't he handsome?  I think we have a future golfer on our hands, look at his form!  He has really enjoyed hitting the golf balls around the house with his golf clubs, and he pulls his golf bag around everywhere!  It is just amazing the transformations that are taking place.  His vocabulary increases daily,  he loves making animal noises, he knows and likes to show you the parts of your face  (we are still trying to teach him what the word "gentle" means) .... It is exciting to wake up in the morning knowing that he will do or say something new.  I just love my little buddy so much.  

A Favorite Spot

Here is one of Hudson's favorite things to do when I am in the kitchen...  :)  The noise level sure does increase, but I enjoy the company!

Showertime Fun

I almost didn't put this on the blog, but it was just too cute not to share :)  

Disco Fever

Colin was playing around and made this - it's pretty funny! :) It's Hudson and his friend Caroline!  Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas - we celebrated yesterday since Colin is working tonight!  Much love!

Merry Christmas

We are in the midst of trying to unpack from our week visiting family (LAST week!!) and hopefully our camera is in one of our bags, but as of now, our camera is lost. But, even without many pictures or video, I wanted to wish you a very merry Christmas. I came across this youtube forward last week, and it is just precious. It reminded me of what this season is really ALL about. It reminded me of the LOVE that God lavished down upon us by giving us His Son. Just like He revealed/spoke to this little boy, He desires to have that kind of relationship with us daily. Thank you God, for the best gift anyone could receive which is Jesus, who came so that we could have a relationship with you. May we remember YOU in all the chaos of the season, may we be Still and rest in YOU , may we celebrate YOU this Christmas.

It will melt your heart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Wrestling and Eating

Here are a few videos I took a week or two back... Hudson LOVES wrestling with his daddy - every time Colin lays on the floor, Hudson attacks him and wants to wrestle. Actually, he does that with everyone that lays on the floor!

And, he is learning how to feed himself with a spoon pretty well. I have to talk myself into letting him do it by himself because he gets so messy!

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Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Can you say "National Championship"?

Last weekend, Colin and I were able to attend a UGA home game with Corey and Kim. I have not been to a home game since I went to UGA 6 years ago!! We had a blast. And, I have to say, we're pretty proud of our Dawgs this year. It was hard to admit that of all teams to push through to the SEC championship instead of Georgia, it was UT. Boo. ( I guess being around all this orange all the time has gotten me a little bitter) Well, my sweet UT friends, congrats :)


You know, there IS a CHANCE, ever so slight, that we could make it to the National Championship....and THAT was on UT talk radio :)

Trip to Anderson

My friend Kim and I (and Hudson and Caroline)took a trip to see our friend, Katie, and her new baby Claire a couple of weeks ago.



It was a lot fun to see Katie and catch up. I know I sound old saying this, but "they grow up so fast". It seems like yesterday when he was born, and now he is almost 4 in about 3 months and is SO big - he's inquisitive and curious, and SMART!! And Claire is such a sweet, calm little girl :) Katie, I wish we could be around more to see the kids grow up and to spend time with you , but we enjoyed the time we had!

Fall/ Hiking in the Smokeys

Fall is certainly my favorite time of year. The leaves are GORGEOUS up here in the hills of Tennessee, they are full of colors that I never saw growing up in South Georgia. The deep reds, maroons, yellows, oranges... wow. The weather is pleasant - not too cold, not too hot. The smells - pumpkin, cinnamon... I just love the serenity and peace that comes over me during this time of year. It is a small gift from God - to see His beauty in nature. And, on that note...
We went hiking a couple of weeks ago near Gatlinburg. It was very pretty, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The leaves are still changing colors now, so they weren't in full color on our trip, but it was still beautiful. Hudson loves being out in the "wilderness" of the woods - and he did pretty well for most of the hike! We got a few pictures by the waterfall that we stopped and turned around at - unfortunately , we didn't get half as many pictures as we would have liked, because our camera died on us as we were getting someone to take a family picture of us :( Boo hoo! Oh well... just another excuse to get up there again soon!

Reading Frenzy

I know that I have written about how much Hudson loves to read before, and have even shown you a video for proof, but it has become an obsession in the last week! Everywhere you turn, Hudson is wanting you to read him a book. I am just amazed at the neat toy corner of our living room as compared to the books sprawling across the other side of the room right now! Of course, the teacher in me is overjoyed at his love for books, although, he doesn't really let us finish a book - he goes from one book to the other, and if you do get through one, it is only because he is saying "dat? dat? dat?" and pointing to every object in the book that he sees :) We don't really get to the words. It's quite cute, if you ask me! :)
Hudson's favorites right now include:
I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

Corduroy Goes to the Doctor by Don Freeman and Lisa McCue

ABC Look at Me by Roberta Grobel Intrater

Good Morning, GOod Night Illustrated by Melanie Mitchell

Halloween

A few pic's from Halloween - our neighborhood has a parade with all the kids meeting at the culdesac -

Puppy Hudson and Daddy

Puppy Hudson and Elephant Olivia

Puppy Hudson and Colonel Cooper

Puppy Hudson and Giraffe Bryce taking a stroll during the parade

Sandbox

Hudson really loves his sandbox that I made for him out of a rubbermaid container and sand... I really didn't think it would be quite so big of a hit! So, when we saw a REAL sandbox sitting out by our neighbor's mailbox to be thrown out with the trash, I couldn't resist going and getting it! We also got a little house and a see saw to play with outside!!! I am always looking for things for Hudson to play with outside since he loves it so much, so we definitely hit the jackpot!!


Homemade Sandbox
(sorry the video is so long! ... and then it cut off when he started playing peekaboo! We will have to have another video with peekaboo and all his latest "tricks" soon :)


New Turtle Sandbox

Visit to Aunt Shannon

A couple of weeks ago we visited Shannon and had a blast! We went to a fall festival, watched the UGA/FL game, and walked around Downtown Rome. Ahh... I just love the feeling you get when you are with someone that you can say anything to and be completely yourself around and you will still have a friend afterwards :) I love you Shan!




Hudson loves to get in our dog's crate and play - here he is TRYING to get in Shannon's cat's crate... It was a little small for him :)

Who let the "DAWGS" out?

Two excited Gator Haters! WOW! GOOOOO Dawgs! Sic' em! Woof Woof Woof Woof!

Who Let the Dog Out?

The Clanton family experienced "Boo at the Zoo" last weekend. We trick or treated down a path at the zoo with Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, a Vols cheerleader, an incredibly precious puppy dog (if I do say so myself) , and some great friends. A good time was had by all, and Colin and I got some yummy candy as well!!

Lawn Care

Just wanted to share some exciting news - I mowed the lawn today! All by myself!! :) We are having playgroup here tomorrow morning, and the poor kids would have been walking through the prairie in my backyard if I had not mowed. It was pretty fun to do something I have never (I mean, NEVER) done before! I have a few thoughts about mowing:

- on a cool, October day - not too bad

- it's a little like vacuuming, just with a sharp blade - I always try to make the vacuum marks in the carpet to make everything look cleaner - I will have to work on my mowing marks - they are a little crooked

- it's a good outlet, seriously

- and good exercise - especially if you have a hilly backyard!

- I think I would trade it ANY day to cleaning the bathroom. (Or washing clothes, for that matter)

- I think I need to venture out a little more if mowing is this exciting to me.

- It's a good way to meet neighbors - I had to ask one for help (I had never met him before, but he was cleaning his mower, so I figured he would be willing to help). I didn't know how to crank it up!

- The best part was seeing my freshly mowed back yard lookin' so nice :)

- The worst part is shoveling the dog poop beforehand. Could definitely do without that.

thanks for sharing in my excitement :)

Q & A

I found this on someone's blog site, and I thought it was a cool one of these.. I think they are called meme's but I am not sure. They are just the answers, not the questions... however, I am sure you can figure out what the questions are :) I never do these, but I thought I would give it a try tonight! Enjoy!

Hi, my name is Stephanie. When you get to know me, you will inevitably call me Steph. I have gotten two tickets - one speeding and one making a wrong turn... and that doesn't count the one I should have gotten coming back in to Athens from home one weekend (he let me off the hook, nice man, because he didn't have a pen - or at least, that is what he said!). When I am nervous I sweat and get quiet. The last song I listened to was programmed on itunes - it plays a random mix - I can't remember. If I were to get married right now, it would be on top of a mountain with the autumn leaves falling that was filled with my friends and family. My hair is cut just above my shoulders. When I was four, I loved to play dolls and house. Last Christmas my family came to celebrate with us, since my husband had to work. I should be in bed. When I look down I see that it is time getting serious about my ab workouts. The happiest recent event was pushing Hudson on his train around the house, hearing him cackle. If I were a character in Friends, I’d be Rachel - I can be a little spacy at times, and I love hanging out with my friends, and I have a practical side as well. By this time next year, I will have been married six years, have a two year old, and maybe another on the way! My current distress is how much of our wardrobe is OFF of the hangers instead of ON the hangers - dirty or in the "clean pile". I have a hard time understanding people who don't love animals. If I won an award, the first person I would tell is Colin. I want to buy a loveseat for our porch and a cd/mp3 player/radio for the living room and kitchen area. I plan on visiting Marco Island with Colin in March, and possibly Hawaii in February (woohoo!). If I could spend the night at any house, it would be the White House. The world could do without negligent parents. The most recent thing I bought myself is makeup, stamps, and a zoo membership.The most recent thing that someone else bought for me was breakfast from Chick Fil A. My middle name is Anne. In the morning, I drink coffee with creamer and splenda - or orange juice, depending on the mood. Tomorrow I will be going to a moms bible study! Tonight I am going to put drops in my dog's ear and go to sleep.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch, took a hayride, and ate cookies :) The place where we went was pretty neat - The Corryton Corn Maze. It was a good ways away from our house... I got a little ache in my heart for country roads as we rode through the country to get to the pumpkin patch. I often don't realize how much I love and miss the peaceful serenity of the "country". Anyways, there was face painting, pony rides, a corn maze, a hayride, and pumpkins, of course. We really enjoyed going out there! The only problem was.... it was hot and dry! We dressed for pumpkin patch weather, but it was pretty steamy. And when we went on the hayride, I felt as though we were in the dustbowl! It was fun to hang out with friends, though, and I think Hudson enjoyed it too..

Hudson 2006 (2 months old):



Hudson 2007 (14 months old):

Birthday :)

I know, I have been a terrible blogger lately!! I'm sorry! I do have some great pictures to show you from Hudson's birthday party, though. We had a great time. It was a train "theme" - he loves to hear the train coming, so I thought it would be appropriate :) The cake was amazing - one of my friends from the school I taught at made it for us. Everyone raved about it. We also had a mini waterpark outside (I don't have those pictures yet) and the kids had fun splashing around out there with all the water toys. :)
We had a great time with our friends and family. It is a blessing to have events like this because you are lucky enough to have a lot of the dearest people in your life in one place. We missed those of you who couldn't make it!


My "It's Fun to be One" shirt!

Our awesome train cake!

The Family - Hudson wasn't too much for taking pictures!

Bill, Reamo, Boobah, and Hudson

Hudson and Caroline playing with a great new toy

Reading the book that Aunt Shannon made for Hudson

Our small group friends! :)

Eating his own cake

Yum, Yum!

Dut, Bones, Henley, Berklie, and Hudson

Ange and Pops and his awesome new wagon!

Cousins (I think Hudson was a little worried about Franklin!)