Thursday, September 26, 2013

HUDSON'S FIRST FISHING TRIP {ECHO LAKE & MT. EVANS}

Last weekend we ventured up to Mt. Evans and Echo Lake. My mom and step-dad, Chad were in town visiting from California and we wanted to check out some of the amazing wilderness that Colorado has to offer, especially the turning of the aspen leaves. My mom has been to visit a couple of times, but Chad hadn't been here since the 70s. He's a fly fisherman and so we wanted to make sure that we got a little fishing in, which was no easy task with all the recent flooding. 

We drove up above the 10,400 feet where Echo Lake sits, and enjoyed some incredible views. The road has some very steep drop offs and is not for the faint of heart. If you have a fear of heights, this is not the drive for you. I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack. Thankfully we made it back down in one piece and got to feast our eyes on all this beauty for the remainder of the morning. Hudson "fished" for the first time, which mostly involved him dragging his pole around in the dirt.

We ended the afternoon with a little lunch in the adorable town of Idaho Springs before heading back home. I'm thankful that we got to see some beautiful foliage and enjoy the wonderful fall weather. 

























Thursday, September 19, 2013

TAKING STOCK





I loved reading Sydney's lovely list and was inspired to make my own. 

Making: more time for crafting, music, and creative play with hudson
Cooking: not nearly as often as i'd like, but my plans for the fall include some hot boozy drinks, various cinnamon rolls and sweet buns, root vegetables, leafy greens and some slow cooked meats
Drinking: too much coca cola! i need to stop this, but so hard when there is a soda fountain at work
Reading: Sunset and Real Simple magazines, and too many blogs
Wanting: to carve pumpkins and decorate the house for fall
Looking: ahead and planning for the rest of 2013 including the holidays (halloween being my favorite), a wedding, a trip to see my little Indy, lots of good stuff to come!
Playing: lots of new used records
Wasting: too much time in front of the TV, need to change that habit. the record player is helping
Sewing: not, but hoping to get going on some stitched christmas gifts
Wishing: the Coloradans in flooded areas a speedy and safe recovery
Enjoying: a visit from my mom and stepdad
Waiting: for my hair to grow
Liking: these wonderful little videos 
Wondering: how all these moms have time for the creativity i keep seeing all over Pinterest
Loving: all the new plants and succulents i've recently filled my house with.
Hoping: to see the aspens changing during our drive up mount evans
Marveling: at all the new things hudson is learning, like how to jump
Needing: to finish my craft area organization
Smelling: apple cinnamon tea, hello autumn!
Wearing: boots for the first time in many months
Following: too many blogs to keep up with
Noticing: that my tan is fading
Knowing: that life is moving in the direction that it is meant to
Thinking: about having a little brother or sister for hudson, hopefully sooner rather than later 
Feeling: excited for upcoming trips to san francisco and oklahoma
Bookmarking: christmas gift ideas
Opening: the blinds every morning so all my new plants can get some sunshine
Giggling: at this new fake laugh hudson has developed, which he thinks is hilarious and has me in stitches
Feeling: overwhelmed at times, but happy and loved

Monday, September 9, 2013

BIRTHDAY TRADITIONS {AND A BUILDASIGN REVIEW}







Since Hudson was born, I have been feeling a bit more sentimental and invested in cultivating family traditions. I wasn't close with my grandparents growing up and I wouldn't say that our family was rich with traditions that had been passed down through the generations. But there are a few that stand out. And waking up every year on my birthday to a dining room decked out with streamers, balloons, cards, gifts and a birthday sign is one of them. My mom did it all through my childhood and my sister and I  kept it going as adults after moving out of the house. I do it for Jeremy, although come to think of it, he doesn't do it for me, (hello husband, please make a note to self!) and I will now begin to do it for Hudson. It always felt like the perfect place in the house to focus birthday celebrations since it's where we start the day with cards and gifts and end the day with cake, candles and wishes. 

This coming January Hudson will turn two. I feel like this is the first year that he will understand (to some degree) the pleasure of celebrating the day he was born; the attention, the presents, the cake, the hats, the realization that this day is important and different than the others. And I want to start his big day off the way my mom and dad always did for me. But I'll probably add in some crafty homemade elements because I like that sort of thing. And thanks to BuildaSign I will also be incorporating a "Happy Birthday Hudson" sign that will be making a yearly appearance for as long as he is living under my roof. I am excited to add a new and personalized element to this long standing Gibbons and now Hulse family tradition. And I feel like this sign will last 18+ years. It's great quality and while we didn't opt for the grommets, we can certainly add our own at some point with an inexpensive grommet tool. For now I used furniture tacks to hang the sign (just to check it out since it isn't yet January) and I think they add a nice little blingy pop. 

What are your favorite family traditions? 

Disclaimer:BuildaSign did provide me with a 3'x6' vinyl banner, but the opinions I've expressed here are mine.
sign maker
Banner Maker

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

{WORDLESS WEDNESDAY}


WEEKEND UPDATE

I meant to post this on the 19th of August, not sure what happened. But decided since it was written (and includes adorable pictures of Hudson) I would toss it up on the blog. I'm been much too quiet on here since I jetted to San Francisco with little notice, became an aunt and had a wonderful Labor day weekend with my hubby. Hopefully I can get caught up and document all this goodness in the coming days. Plus I am way overdue for my BuildASign banner review. Stay tuned, but for now here is a recap from THREE weekends ago! 





I'm really going to miss summertime. We went to the pool four separate times this weekend. Jeremy and I were just talking yesterday about how appreciative we are of having a wonderful kid-friendly pool right across the street from our house. I think that pool alone might keep us in Stapleton for the long haul. No planning or schlepping necessary, just toss the toddler and some towels in the stroller and off we go. 

And having swim lessons at this pool makes it even better, if that is even possible. Hudson has his final lesson on Saturday morning. In the five weeks since his lessons began, he has become so much more comfortable in the water. He was going through a strange phase of bathtub terror. With a little patience and much time in the pool, it's thankfully a distant memory. He has gained so much independence and confidence, walking around the shallow end with his little floatie and sunglasses. I think he would spend all day every day at the pool if we let him. 

But we don't. So, the other 30 some odd hours were spent crafting,multi-grain blueberry pancake making, thrifting (which I'm saving for a separate post since it was that good), and packing for San Francisco since my flight is booked for Friday but nobody knows except for the baby when he'll make his appearance. I woke up today feeling thankful for such a good life.