We've halved our diaper costs!

Hi all. Well, as you may have surmised from the title of this post, Hudson is now potty trained. If you don't care about a potty training story, skip to the next paragraph! Some of you know that we tried about 6 months ago and he got the "hold it" part but not the "let it go" part; he held his urine for 18 hours straight. It took us until now to be brave enough to give it another try (also delayed by the broken arm). On Saturday we had him sit on the potty chair with a diaper on to practice letting it go. By Sunday morning he started going without diapers and hasn't gone back. He had one accident in bed one night but that has been the only time in four days.

Hudson's arm is really working normally now. He was pretty stiff for a few days but is now back to normal. Landon continues to walk more and more also.

Work has been pretty busy for Rick. It's caused a few nights of not getting home by bedtime over the past couple of weeks. Things usually get more reasonable around this time of year, though so we hope that will get better.

Funny Hudson Quote:

"How you like them apples!"
Hudson to Daddy (unprompted) in the garage after he and Mommy beat Daddy home from the library.

No more cast!!

Well, the era of the cast is over. Hudson was able to get his cast off today and is doing fine. His arm (especially elbow) is pretty stiff and his muscles are fairly atrophied but all is well. The bone is healing great. He should be good as new in no time.

Also, Landon seems to be walking! He has been taking a few steps at a time today but it seems to be the real deal now.

It was a pretty big day around here. Daddy and Hudson slept in a tent in the backyard last night. Other than needing some extra clothes and blankets at 3AM (Daddy was the cold whimp, not the boy) it was a great, fun night. Rick awoke to loud birds and Hudson saying, "Those birds sound happy!" Then Mommy took the boys to the railroad park and fun was had by all. Then Hudson got his cast off - both boys cried while the cast saw was cutting it off. Finally, Mommy took the boys to the mall tonight. They got to play and have a fun dinner there.

We love you all.

Lots of Events

Hi everyone. Sorry about the long time between posts but hopefully this update will help you to understand why.

Two weeks ago, Kathryn and Rick were out of town while Papa and Grandma watched the boys. Rick had two meetings in a row. First we went to Tucson to the La Paloma Resort on Monday. Kathryn spent time by the pool while Rick was in meetings but both of us took some R&R time one morning with Rick on the golf course and Kathryn at a half-day spa package.

Wednesday night we drove home and saw the boys but Thursday morning we were off to fly to San Diego. Kathryn enjoyed the shopping and pool while Rick was in meetings and we saw a movie together and went out to dinner every night. We returned home Sunday afternoon.

The following week was a real adventure. On Tuesday, Landon got sick. He threw up most of the day but was a little better by Tuesday night and seemed to be over it by Wednesday. Wednesday, it was Hudson's turn. He threw up most of the day but seemed to settle down by bedtime. Unfortunately, by Thursday mid-day he was back to throwing up. It continued through the night and that same night Rick and Kathryn got sick. Hudson threw up all night and Rick was also throwing up while Kathryn was keeping it down by staying as still as possible. It was quite a night. By Friday morning, Hudson was really dehydrated. We took him to the pediatrician and they admitted him to the hospital for IV fluids. Rick was still sick and had to do seven operations. As soon as Hudson got some fluids into him, he stopped vomiting immediately. He spent a day at the hospital and was good as new. He really charmed the nurses. Several of them bought him cars and one spent nearly an hour reading books to him.

Finally, last week, Rick was traveling again to a meeting in Baltimore. Kathryn and the boys stayed home except Hudson went to stay with Papa and Grandma Friday and Saturday nights. Rick returned Saturday night and we got together Sunday. Papa and Grandma left for Michigan via Colorado on Monday morning. Hudson was really sad to see them go, as were the rest of us.

Funny Hudson quotes:

"Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute."
To Grandma (he picked up this phrase from her) as she moved a little too quickly past the hotwheels car display in a store.

"We had to pull over into the parking lot of the place where you and Mommy got married."
Explaining to Rick where Kathryn pulled over when Landon got sick. Kathryn had pointed out the Chapel where we got married to him more than six months prior.

More Snow Pictures

Some pictures of the snow-capped McDowell Mountains from our backyard

Snowy Arizona

Hi all. We awoke last Saturday morning to snow! We didn't have any on the ground at our house but the mountains were snow capped all around us and some areas in the mountains got as much as 4 feet of snow in 24 hours. We'll post more pictures soon.

Karen, Elizabeth, and Jonathon were visiting for a warm Spring break but ended up throwing snowballs instead. Elizabeth spent the night last night. Some funny Hudson quotes from her stay:

Elizabeth: "Let's play fairy princess; and you can be a fairy prince!"
Hudson: "No, let's be cars instead!"

Elizabeth told Hudson about losing teeth.
Hudson: "I have a book about a bunny who loses a tooth and he put it under his pillow and his parents put a dime there for him."
Elizabeth: "Maybe it was the tooth fairy that left the dime."
Husdon: "No, it was his parents."

Our Big "Break"

Sorry about the delay between posts. We've had an "interesting" week or two. The big event happened last Sunday night - Hudson was swinging and telling grandma a story when he decided he needed both hands to explain it which lead to him falling off to the side. Long story short, he broke his forearm.

He's been a real trooper - he never so much as took tylenol and didn't seem to slow down at all. He was in a splint and a sling for three days and then picked out his bright green cast on Wednesday. He'll be wearing his long arm cast (shoulder to knuckles) for about three weeks and if his x-rays look OK, then a short arm cast (elbow to knuckles) for another three weeks. He acts like nothing's happened except now when he colors he makes his mom hold the coloring book for him.

He really charmed the folks in the pediatric Emergency Department from questioning whether it was his ulna or radius that was broken (his radius) to telling the story of what happened in flamboyant detail ("What happened to you, Hudson?" "Well, Grandma was sweeping up rabbit doo-doo...") to dialoging with the cast tech about what forms the vapor trails behind jets (condensation forming on the plane).

Funny Hudson quote:

He had a piece of thumbnail peeling off that he asked Kathryn to come in to help get rid of after he was in bed. Kathryn wiped it with the lights off but, as it turned out, it didn't come off. A few minutes later, he wandered out of his bedroom and said, "My thumb still has a thing on it." Kathryn said, "O.K., pal, come on over and I'll get it." As he passed by her he said:

"No, Daddy's a surgeon, he can fix it."

Our Third week of February

Hi everyone. We've had an interesting week. It started well with a visit from Uncle Ben and Aunt Gail. It was nice to have them here from California and of course they're two of Hudson's favorite people as the source of all his Pepsi cars and trucks. Kathryn has been sick with a cold that seems to be dragging on. Grandma and Papa have taken Hudson to the motorhome for the night and day to provide some relief for her. Somehow I think he may get to stay up late, read some extra books, and generally get away with anything. We love you all.

Happy Birthday Landon!

The big event this week was Landon's 1st birthday. We had a party at Eatza Pizza with our family, Aunt Kerry, Papa and Grandma, and DD and Ducky. Landon enjoyed his pizza - he has totally given up baby food and loves pizza. He also dug into the cake like crazy. We had a really good time. He got a hat, a xylophone, a swing seat, and a trash truck (guess who gave him that one!).

Everything else is well. The pool PVC pipe is fixed and the boys love their swingset. They also have a new pastime of firetruck races (induced by Grandma) as you can see in the picture here with their matching pajamas.

We love you all!

This week's posting

PHOTO: Landon with his severe bed-head

Hi everyone. All is well with the Gray's. We've had a good week. The big events of the last week:

The Swingset: We ordered a swingset for the boys from Walmart. Not just a swingset of course, we had to go whole hog and get the one with a fort, rock wall, cargo net, slide, picnic bench, and sand box. We thought we were getting a swingset but what we got was 113 pieces of lumber, 30 other parts, and more than 700 pieces of hardware! After about 15 hours of assembly, Rick was feeling pretty good about how it had gone and did the last step of staking it down to the yard. A little while later we turned on the waterfall in our pool and and we had a waterfall coming out of the lawn at one of the stakes! Oh boy...It turns out it just requires a little repair of some PVC pipe but it was still quite a letdown at a moment of triumph.

The Party: We had a Superbowl party for our Sunday school class. We ended up with about 40 people and had a great time. Papa and Grandma and DeDe and Ducky helped with the boys during it.

The boys are doing well. Landon is working on his walking but he's not quite there yet. Hudson is still in motion and smart as a whip.

We hope you're all doing well and we love you.

Funny Hudson Quote of the week:

While brushing his teeth one night this week:

Hudson: "Mommy, instead of me going to the dentist, I think we should have a toothbrush truck come to our house."

Is it February already?

2006 is already flying by it seems. The Grays are doing well. We're enjoying the Arizona winter. We are gearing up for our annual Superbowl party for our young marrieds Sunday School class. We are planning to have about 50 people at our house so it will be quite a madhouse!

Rick and Kathryn are doing well. We bought a swingset and have been working on the "some assembly required" aspect. So far about 8 hours of "some assembly" has been done and we're about half way there or so. Hudson is pretty excited about it, though. Landon is becoming quite a chatterbox and seems to be saying "mama" these days.

Funny Hudson quote of the week:

(Background: Hudson has been feeling like he's missing out on some action after he goes to bed and we've been finding him out of bed at his door listening to what's going on. We've been trying to break him of it, but he keeps coming up with new and better excuses and reasons to get us to come back to his room. He's ususally said he has a question he needs answered when told to go back to bed.)

Rick: Hudson, get back into your bed.
Hudson: I have a question I need answered.
Rick: No questions after bed-time, head back in.
Hudson: But I need another kiss first because when I rolled over your kiss fell off!

This week at the Gray Houshold

Hi everyone. This week was a good one. Our family had routine days and nights and we have come to appreciate the joy and blessing of the "norm." Pappa and Grandma Gray had their motorhome in the shop for a few days and they stayed with us. The boys had a ball with them and were crushed when they were ready to leave. Rick and Kathryn took advantage of the built-in baby-sitters and went out a few times including seeing the Chronicals of Narnia movie. A fine movie that we wholeheartedly recommend.

Last week, Papa and Grandma took Hudson to stay with them at the motorhome. We were a little worried that we'd be driving down there to pick him up in the middle of the night. What we really should have worried about is him being willing to come home! He had a ball and cried about coming home. I think part of the draw to the motorhome had a little bit to do with all the popcorn he talked about. He seems to have adjusted back to his tough existence with a playroom full of toys, a car bed, and doting parents.

Funny Hudson quote of the week (a tattle-tale):

At dinner, out of the blue: "When I went with Papa and Grandma back to the motorhome, Papa drove past the motorhome and missed it and we had to turn around and go back..." Can't keep any mistakes secret with him around!

A few more Barrett-Jackson Pictures

Barrett-Jackson Car Auction and Show

This past Sunday, we took the boys to the Barrett-Jackson Car Show. We had a good time and saw a lot of fun cars. Hudson was of course in hog heaven.

Sunday night, Hudson went to spend the night at Papa and Grandma's motor home. The plan was to have him spend the day Monday and then depending on how well he did, maybe also spend Monday night. Well, as it turned out, we had to pry him out of the park to get him home on Tuesday afternoon. He had a blast and of course was spoiled royally by Papa and Grandma. What great memories to build.

Lot's of new stuff

Sorry about the long break. We're planning to add a new post once per week now - on Wednesdays most likely. Sorry if you've been checking without any recent updates.

Since we're 3 weeks behind, we'll try to make up for lost time...

We dedicated Landon two Sunday's ago. Both sets of Grandparents we're able to be there and it was terrific.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. We had a terrific Christmas. Rick was on call but was able to be home all day. Kathryn's sister, Kerry was also able to join us. For Hudson, the hotwheels carwash and the garbage truck were the two gifts that caught his attention the longest. The remote control Mini Cooper was right up there also. We hope you all had a blessed day.

Christmas is coming

News of the day: Landon seems to have not gotten over his cold. He seemed over it except an occasional cough but today he is coughing much more and felt like he had a little bit of a fever.

Funny Hudson quote of the day:

After stumbling, falling out of the van onto the asphalt, and bumping his head: "Why are parking lots so hard?!"

Computer issues solved

We've been offline for a bit only able to post from work which doesn't lend to regular updates - sorry about the long gap of no posts. We're set for the forseeable future now.

The biggest event was on Monday night. While we were praying, Hudson asked (as he had several times before) how one gets to heaven. I explained it again to him and asked if he wanted to pray to God to accept his offer of forgiveness through Jesus who paid the punishment for his mistakes. Unlike previous times, he said yes. I suggested the words for him to pray and he repeated them. He then ran to Mommy to tell her about it. Certainly we don't know the level of understanding of a three year old but we've learned to not underestimate Hudson's grasp of difficult concepts. We know for sure that our prayers are being answered in that the Holy Spirit has worked on his heart. We are celebrating that work.

Our Christmas party for the Plunge went well. We had a white elephant gift exchange that was a hit and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Yesterday our neighbor, Suzanne Swain hosted a Christmas party for about 35 children - with Hudson being the youngest. It was complete with inflatable 'bouncers' and a Santa with an elf. Hudson was a little hesitant around the Santa but wasn't afraid. He gave gifts to all the children selected by their parents. Hudson got a Thomas the tank engine, and had an absolute blast. When the Santa asked Hudson what he wanted for Christmas, he said, "A trash truck." He was happy with the train, though.

Funny Hudson quotes of the day:

1. At the child-care center at Kathryn's gym, they used to 'paint' cars on his hand but haven't for a while. He asked them to today and they said yes.

Day care worker: "What kind of car would you like?"
Hudson: "A Cadillac DeVille!"
Day care worker (after completing a nice car): "There, how's that?"
Hudson: "Is that the best that you can do? Where's the other door?"

2. While getting ready for bed:

Hudson: "If a fire truck catched on fire, how do they put out the fire?"
Mommy: "Another fire truck comes to put it out."
Hudson: "What if all the fire trucks are on fire?"

Happy Thursday

Some of you know that a few weeks back Hudson tripped and konked his head on the slider base of our sliding glass door. He got a pretty good goose-egg out of it as you see in the picture above-right (click for a bigger image).

We've had a good week. Everyone seems to be over the sniffles. Mommy made a special effort to get the boys going early on Tuesday to take them to the Railroad park. It's a local park that has a full-sized train engine with two former presidential train cars, a small train for kids and adults to ride around the park ($1 per ride), and big play areas and playgrounds. They had a blast but were totally exhausted by nap time.

On the way, Kathryn stopped by her old work at the Paradise Valley town attorney's office and saw her old co-workers and let them meet Landon and see Hudson again.

Hudson has taken to giving Landon "horseback" rides on his back while on all fours. It's a pretty funny scene.

We're Back

Sorry no posts for several days - some computer issues. Our household had some sniffles but everyone is on the mend. We've also started the weekly (or more) Christmas party stretch. There was a Mayo party last Saturday and we have 2 parties next weekend (one hosted by us).

FUNNY HUDSON QUOTE OF THE DAY (actually a few days old)

The setting: Hudson (never having been an adventurous eater) sits in his chair at the dinner table. We are having meatloaf for the first time in his lifetime. His plate is currently empty while Kathryn puts a big portion on my plate and I put it down at my placesetting.

Hudson: What's THAT?!!
Rick: That's meatloaf, pal, and it's good.
Hudson: I don't want it.
Rick: Well, you don't have to eat it, you are welcome to leave it sitting on your plate.
Hudson: I want to leave it sitting on YOUR plate!!

SMART HUDSON QUOTE OF THE DAY

Kathryn (to Hudson): Your brother thinks you hung the moon
Hudson: What's that mean?
Kathryn: It's an expression...
Hudson: Oh, a figure of speech.

Who was right, Mommy or Hudson?

Thanks for your comments, everyone! Several of you have asked who was correct about the car - Mommy with the Honda Civic, or Hudson with the Honda Accord (old body style). For future reference, when it comes to cars, always assume Hudson is right and Mommy is wrong!! It's just that one of them is much more interested in them than the other. Hudson was correct. He was wrong, however, with the "honey" reference - that hasn't returned!

Well, it's official: Landon is crawling. Ironic as it is, he decided to crawl (on all fours) for the first time not during the 13 hours a day his mother spends with him, but during the two hours per weeknight his father is home. To make matters worse, she had run to the store. Daddy did get it on video (not usually his first thought), though.

We are in official Christmas spirit. We had friends over last Saturday, this Saturday we go the the Mayo Clinic department of surgery Christmas party, and the following Saturday we are having our Sunday School class (the Plunge) of about 50 newly marrieds over for a Christmas party. Merry Christmas to you all.