this made me smile

is it just me, or does this photo make anyone else smile??

 

 

AJ, Hudson and their dear friend displayed some serious Dutch pride as they stood for the anthem during the last World Cup match between Netherlands and Chile...as each of the two goals was buried in the net, you should have heard the yelling and screaming.  it was a show within the show, let me tell you....totally priceless.

secret mail

the other day, right after school had finished and we were transitioning into summer mode, i stopped the van at the end of the driveway to get the mail.  Hudson saw me remove the envelopes and called out the van window, asking me to put the top one back.  he was pretty adamant it remain in the mailbox for the mailman to pick up.  it was a self-made envelope from lined paper, stapled at the sides.  i explained that it needed a stamp (not to mention a full name, postal code, etc..) and that he needed to run such letters by me before sending them for delivery.  he reluctantly agreed, grinned a bit, and i knew this was a special letter going to a special someone from his grade three classroom.  Hudson has had a soft spot for Miss Emily for most of the last two years, and apparently they have discussed mailing addresses as they considered the end to the school year and the end of being together at the same school :(...totally understandable, and i remember a similar crush back when i was that age.  i was smitten and carried that crush right through to grade eight!  sure felt "real-deal" at the time, right down to the moment my friend (still my dear friend today, love you Trish!!) and i cued up "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera (still know every word) on our tape player and dialed the home phone number of the mutual crush.  when he came to the phone we hit the "play" button, blasted the volume, and set the hand receiver by the speaker, but laughed so hysterically on the floor we were unable to return to the phone to properly end the call.  we never heard his thoughts on the shenanigans of that day although i'm sure he was most impressed...but, i digress.

 

 back to Hudson and his secret mail...when he wasn't looking i snapped a picture of the note inside...i know he will enjoy looking back at this ten years from now, and seeing as he doesn't actively read this blog now, i figured i was safe to publish this without causing him embarrassment.  i certainly don't want to do that, yet i really think it captures Hudson's true-blue character~ his affections, his sneakiness, his writing style~ short and to the point, his sweetness, and that is what i want to remember in a decade....in a decade when i'm beating back the girls from our doorstep.... 

 



randomly AJ

this is when work is fun.  water and sun and grandma.  nice combination....

 

while shopping across the border a few Saturdays ago, i bumped into AJ on the side of a Pampers box!  it was odd and funny and worth stopping in the middle of the aisle to share a photo! :) 

 

 when we told AJ we'd seen him at WalMart the night before when he was supposed to be at home sleeping, he grinned and looked mostly perplexed. he seemed confused by the picture too.  eventually we explained.  then he enjoyed the concept of a "look-alike"... 

freestyle

a couple of weeks ago the kids put on a "grandparent's day" assembly at the school.  it always proves to be an exciting time for them as they prepare and practice lots of songs and lines to show their dear grandparents on the day that finally comes late in May.

as usual, Hudson was in top form this particular day.  he was geared up, full throttle, ready to stand with his class and deliver a "top notch, never to disappoint, sometimes even make them (or at least me!) mildly uncomfortable in their seats" kind of performance.  and he did.....

he started out great, did the usual wave to us in the audience and flashed his beauty of a smile with his white teeth shining back at us.  it was precious....the song included lots of unscripted movement and fidgeting on Hudson's part (as he played with his belt, etc.  thankfully, it stayed on at least), but it was mostly within reason....i could hear his singing above the rest, and he was doing a beautiful job...

then they came to the latter verses of the song and Hudson started to dance.  he began to sing less and dance more.  as i've said before, he's got moves.  he is Haitian, after all.  it was all fairly entertaining, and when the class sat down after their song, i breathed a quick sigh of relief and wiped my brow...."could have been worse", i thought...

later, in the kitchen, as we talked about the events of the afternoon, Hudson all on his own declared, "hey Mom, did you notice that we didn't really know that one song really well?  yah, we didn't have enough time to practice it...well, umm, so i didn't know the verse and just decided i'd dance freestyle instead!!!"  he laughed and looked like he was so proud that he hadn't squandered an opportunity!  after all, who would stand there and be a non-participant when there is a beat and an audience????  :)

love this boy so much....