urban babies wear black

January 2010

2010-05-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

January was a month that had its ups and downs. There was fun, romance, snow and a little naughtiness.

On an outing, Mom and Luke discovered the “best park ever”. Its toys were all space themed; perfect for our boy.

When it snowed the kids went out to play and sled. Luke decided to bust a move.

That’s my boy

Stacey and I have been really lucky with Luke. He was never a biter, doesn’t usually break stuff, and generally will not make a huge mess of things unless they are his toys.

One day, though, Stacey came into the living room to find 8 pieces of furniture looking like this:

When I was alerted of the situation by text, I knew my wife’s prized vintage sofa was intact. I knew this because my son yet lived.

December 2009

2010-05-15T19:46:00.001-07:00

December was another month of travels. Stacey and Luke had gone to DC again to help out with Granddad who had just had knee surgery. They arrived just in time to be trapped in the city due to record breaking snow storms

Luke’s foot apparel clearly demonstrates how unanticipated this weather was.

Eventually Dad made it down too; and all was right in the world.

The trip was made all the more fun with the arrival of the Larsen clan. Good news, we love cousins

Now, lets move on to what this month is all about. The presents:

Whoa!

Other People's presents

Best Toys Ever!

The Loot

Thanks to Nana, Luke got 2 Christmases. When we got back to New York, there was a box of presents that had come in the mail while the boy was away.

Novermber 2009

2010-05-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

This month was made up of visiting a lot of family and taking very few photos. In the beginning of November, Stacey and Luke hopped on a bus and went down to DC to visit my parents (who had just moved to the Capitol that summer).

One of the outings consisted of taking in the sites in the downtown area. This was the only picture taken.

Obviously the photographer (a grandparent) was more interested in Luke than in the Capitol Building.

Later in the month we went to Wendell to spend Thanksgiving with the Briggs. Please beleive me, it was a very fun and eventful trip. Unfortunately, we took no photos ourselves. Auntie Holly, however, did cruise through town at the end of our little holiday and took our family photo:

All our city friends thought this picture was awesome. They loved the rustic look, the amazing scenery, the vintage feel. Our family in Idaho thought, "Oh, you took it outside".

some oldies but goodies

2009-10-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

" wee haw"

bobble head luke

first day of (play) school!

playing at the highline park with jonah

luke's old room

in style with cousin kyle

gramma sue

fourth of july

"nummie"

dance baby dance

2009-10-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

here is a little clip from the birthday party. does this boy know how to groove or what?

TWO

2009-09-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Look who is 2

The theme of his party was: Bubbles, Balloons & Balls, Oh My!

I think he had fun.

Carioca: A native or inhabitant of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2009-06-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is Ipanema Beach (from the song: tall and tan and young and hansome...).

It is Indian for dangerous waves.

Copacabanna beach where we stayed.

Here is a sandcastle Joe made all by himself.

The trolly.

An amazing one-man ongoing exhibit by the artist Selaron with tiles from all over the world.

The famous Christ the Redeemer Statue that overlooks the city. During Carnival, they cover his eyes so he can't see what what is going on. Ha!
So many beautiful buildings.

All the sidwalks are made of stone mosaics.

A little taste of home.

Brazilian baby

2009-05-28T20:11:00.001-07:00

We found this awesome outfit on our trip to Brazil and had to have it.

urbanfamilieswearblack

2009-05-10T21:47:00.001-07:00

Aunt Holly came to visit with Nana and took some great family pictures for us. If you are in need of a talented, budding photographer, let me know and I'll pass her info along. She is in Seattle for the summer then Rexburg for the Fall. Thanks Holly!

Fireman

2009-04-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Bet you don't see this mode of transportation in NY often, do you?

Easter

2009-04-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Oregon Trip

2009-04-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last month I went to Oregon to play minivan mom to my niece and nephew while their parents were on vacation. Luke came along too, of course. He loved having constant playmates.

This cup drawer was a big hit. Playing X-box with Scotty

Bathtime.

Sunday best.

Piano Man.

Lover Boy

2009-02-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, we're gonna have to keep an eye on this one!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

Limited Edition

2009-02-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

So limited, in fact, that there was only one produced. And he is already taken, so don't even bother looking on ebay. :)

Up close.

"Luke, I am your father"

Proud to be an American

2009-02-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

We went to Harlem for the Inaguration... I really wanted to be someplace memorable for this historic day, not just sitting at home. It was freezing cold, but very cool to be part of the excitement. There was such a feeling of hope and progess. I love America!

Day at the Museum

2009-02-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

What to do on a nasty, cold day in the city? Go to the museum, of course!

The babes had fun looking at all the animals and of course they loved all the wide open spaces to roam.
Luke's first face-to-face encounter with an elephant.

First Haircut

2009-02-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

No, he's not scared to get his hair cut. Aunt Nat taught Luke this funny face one night in the bathtub/sink and he loved to do it and make everyone laugh.

Look how long it was...It took me a few days to work up the courage to actually cut it.

But look what a cute pho hawk he can have now!

Of course I was still sad. And yes, I saved it to put in his baby book!

Christmas

2009-02-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

Pickett family Christmas eve party, a tradition you can count on.

Didn't take Luke long to get the hang of opening gifts on Christmas morn. Baby in a box, just what I wanted!

All in all, a wonderful Idahoan Christmas.

Cousins

2009-02-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Mid-December we went to visit cousins Scott & Sus in Oregon. What wonderful signs they made for baby L! He felt very welcome. He had cuddle time with Sus...
jealously watched Scott play in the snow...

and had sad time with Santa.

We miss you, cousins!

Halloween

2009-02-02T12:59:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, there lived a happy little dwarf who lived in the land of Seattle.

He was happy because he had 3 snow whites!

What a lucky littel dwarf he was. He was so lucky that he even got a sucker!

The end.

one big birthday bash

2008-09-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

These five little cuties were all born within 3 weeks of each other.

So we decided to have one big birthday bash.

Here is Luke starting to demolish his cupcake. He never did really eat any of it.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"

Here's the end product...I think Luke won the messiest category.

Urban Babies Enjoy Pro Tennis

2008-08-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here's us at the US Open. Luke thought it was much too exciting to miss a moment by napping. So, he chose to stay awake all day... even if it meant being unhappy most of the time. What a tennis fan!

Can babies go to the US Open? Luke was the only one we saw. I guess chatty babies and polite silence during matches don't mix.

I heart DR

2008-08-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today was the Dominican Day Parade downtown. We knew it was coming because yesterday we started seeing Dominican Flags on all the cars. Usually the party continues uptown after the parade(since (90% of our nabe is Dominican), so we decided to go check out the Domincan Pride in all it's glory. We were sorely dissapointed, as a walk across Dykman Street proved to be very uneventful. Luke sported his Yankees cap and a DR flag on his stroller to show his support of our community. I've decided that if we were Dominican, Luke would be named Manny. So cute. Famous Dominicans include A-Rod, Sammy Sosa, and Oscar de la Renta. Long live the DR in WaHi!

Joe-Bob and Joe Jr.

2008-08-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

So, here is my little "My Name is Earl" family. Joe shaved his gotee into these nasty chops one day before work and couldn't resist getting a white trash photo. I had nothing to do with this, I was in the shower while he did it all. Eww. I didn't know if I should laugh or cringe. He proceded to shave it all off, thank goodness!

Coney Island

2008-07-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Just being a cool cat on the beach.
This was Luke's first time at the beach. He wasn't so sure about the cold water.
Afterwards we went to the New York Aquarium.

Such a neat mural painted on the outside, don't you think?

Thanks to our friends the Winstons for the fun day.

(All children fell asleep on the 2 hour subway ride home)

Go Yankees!

2008-07-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

A fan in the making...
This is one of our favorite summertime activities here. There's just something about the Yankees that makes me proud to be an American.

Oh, and it is always sweet to see A-Rod and Jeter in person too! :)
Now Luke can say that he went to the house that Ruth built before it was torn down!

My Retro Baby

2008-07-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

my old baby blanket + 70's color clothes = one cute retro kid

Reunion

2008-07-12T13:38:00.001-07:00

My class reunion was last month. It was fun to see everyone after so many years. We had a small class and about half of them came.

The lovely ladies. It's funny how everyone just kind of seemed the same, like no time at all had passed. Same characteristics, same personalities. It felt just like the good 'ole days. How time flies!

First Tooth

2008-07-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

Luke got his first tooth a couple weeks ago and it is still his lone chomper. Can you see it in the picture? Didn't think so. You can sure feel it though!

The Potato State

2008-07-12T09:02:00.001-07:00

Finally, here is the update from our trip to the West. . . This is Luke getting his first bite of bread from grandma. At first mom said no, but grandma pleaded that just a little bit would be ok. And he loved it! Luke was also fed all manner of forbidden foods by the grandma and aunties when mom was not around, including brownies and ice cream. Naughty! Grandpa had to join in the fun and give him banana peppers. Luke did not like those as much as the ice cream...big surprise.

Luke loves his aunt Peyton! She played with him and pushed him around in the stroller and made him comfy in the bean bag chair all day long.

Here's Luke with his new buddy, Xavier. Aren't they adorable in their stripes? We had a fun lunch with Angie and the grandmas and got to see Angies' cute home. Oh, wish we lived closer so we could hang out more often!

Aunt Natalee stealing one last smootch before we go to S town.

Bard BBQ

2008-05-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had a lovely (and chilly) BBQ on the top of the Bard Hall Roof to honor our Columbia Med/Dental Student friends who will be moving shortly. We moved here the same time as most of them 4 years ago and now it's time for them to move on. We tried to corral the kiddies on the couch for a picture, but we were not very successful as they kept escaping!

There's the George Washington Bridge in the background. What a great view!

Frolicking in the Cherry Blossoms!

2008-05-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens this week with friends Malesa and Aubrey. (It's free all day on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings, if you want to go!) The Cherry Blossom Festival was held just a few days before we went, so it was prime viewing. It was a perfect day to get out and enjoy the sun.

Luke loved digging his fingers into the grass. We gotta keep him in touch we mother earth so he doesn't become one of those typical New York babies who is afraid to touch grass.
So here is Luke puttin' the moves on Aubrey! Ok, ok, I posed the picture, they aren't really holding hands. Of course everyone who walked by thought they were just so cute and had to stop and oooh and ahhh over them.

*Fun side note: We were chillin' here under the trees for a good 45 minutes. During that time we met a group of Thai people. Not just one group or two groups, but THREE different groups of Thai people walked by and I talked to all of them. So cool! I never get to speak Thai anymore, so it was really nice. Maybe I just need to go to Brooklyn more often! :)

Ode to Hans

2008-05-03T00:33:00.000-07:00

This is Hans. Hans works with Joe. Hans is the inspiration for the name of this blog. You see, Hans likes to wear black. (correction: Hans ONLY wears black. Everyday.) Hans gave us the best baby gift, a book called Urban Babies Wear Black and a black IheartNY onesie that you can see Luke sporting in a previous post. As Luke truly is an urban baby, we thought that this book title was a fitting name for our blog.

The book reads:

Urban babies wear black.
Urban babies do yoga.

Urban babies visit galleries.

Urban babies jog.

Urban babies enjoy architecture.

Urban babies appreciate fine dining.

Urban babies attend the opera.

Urban babies take taxis at the end of a busy day.

*The other day, Luke fell asleep in his stroller on the subway. Anyone who has ridden the subways here knows that they can be pretty loud. But Luke sleeps through all the noise. On the quiet elevator ride to the street, he started to rustle. I told the MTA guy who was also on the elevator with us that it was too quiet and Luke liked the noise. MTA guy said "He's a true New Yorker!"

Thanks, Hans, for without you, this blog would be nameless.

Upstate NY

2008-05-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is 4 posts in a row. A blogging binge you might say. This blog is feast or famine, folks. Here's our trip to upstate NY! Our first stop was in Palmyra, a town rich in church history. This is the Joseph Smith log cabin.
This beautiful vintage high chair caused me to immediatly covet. I really wanted to steal it. Too bad stealing is against our religion! Oh, so is coveting. The Smith Family home. I think this is the first picture on this blog without Luke. A momentus occasion!
Here is the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith prayed and saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It was so special to see where Joseph lived and walk where he walked. He went through so many trials to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Next, we stopped at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, the birthplace of buffalo wings. Joe has been dreaming of this place since he was last here, 15 years ago. Luke especially liked the wings. No, we did not really let him eat buffalo wings. What kind of parents do you think we are, anyways? It's just a posed picture, sheesh!

This is outside the Anchor Bar...One proud papa. Our final destination was...Niagra Falls. Thanks to our friend, Miggy, for the tip to bring our passports to go to Canada. Good thing we did bring them, because our hotel was in Canada and we didn't even realize it until we got there.

This is the view from our hotel room. Sweet, huh? Can you belive they let you get so close to the Falls? Feels like you are about to fall in, doesn't it? So amazing and beautiful.

Luke was all smiles!

Beach Baby

2008-05-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to North Carolina last month. (yes, I am kind of late posting, I know!) Holly auntie was on spring break and went to visit, so we decided to go too. This is Luke with Grandad. Luke certainly has a round Hallmark head, doesn't he?
Luke's first trip to the beach. A little windy. Luke must have liked the salty air, because he had his tounge sticking out for most of the time.
We went to the aquarium and Luke looked at the fishies.
Luke being a little crabby.
We also went to Fort Macon, one of the best preserved forts in the US. Pretty cool. We found out that Luke's head is as big as a cannon ball.

Just some random photos...

2008-05-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here is Luke in his crib with the bedding grandma made for him. We are in a one bedroom, so his crib is literally two feet away from our bed. It was thus important that his bedding match our bedroom decor. After my search for crib bedding produced nothing that I liked under $300, I decided to make my own. My mom was kind enough to sew it!
My boys after a long day at church. They both wore their pinstripe suits.
Luke and dad being twinsies again. Not planned, btw. :)
And here is our 6-month childbirth prep class reunion. All these babes were born within a few weeks of each other. Can you find Luke?

laughing luke

2008-05-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

So here is Luke when he thinks something is funny. Gotta love that belly laugh of his!

Sleepy Swing

2008-04-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

Addi is Luke's friend. I watched Addi last Wednesday while her mom got her hair cut. Addi is four months older than Luke, but weighs about the same. Luke and Addi had so much fun at Lunch Bunch on the swing together. Then, they BOTH started to get a little drowsy. I took them home and each had a good nap. I actually had some alone time with 2 kids. Wow!

happy half birthday, sweetie!

2008-03-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

celebrating six months of luke cuteness! in honor of his half birthday, i gave him a half a cupcake. he wasn't sure what to do with it. "what's this, mom?"

then he grabbed it! don't worry, i didn't let any of it get to this mouth. he has to learn to eat his cereal before he can get cake. :)

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Easter Wishes from Luke! I spent a good part of the day trying to get Luke to fit in this basket and smile for me. First we tried outside the church at lunch bunch as I thought the flowers and grass would make a nice backdrop. But Luke did not want to smile and the weather was not so great. Next we tried a couple different poses and backdrops inside. I think Luke got a little perplexed as to why his moma kept trying to stuff him in a basket. Getting him to balance was another story. Understandably, he got a little frustrated as evidenced by the following picture...
..."Somebody get me outta here!" Funny how he is still cute even when he is crying. I love my sweet boy so much. Today at church he started belly laughing out of nowhere and made everyone around him laugh too. I don't think there is anything sweeter than a babe's giggle. Pure joy!

Pucker up, baby

2008-02-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

Does this posting need words? I think not.

Gobble, Gobble

2007-11-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

Luke’s 1st Thanksgiving was spent in North Carolina at Granddad and Gramma Sue’s house. It was a wonderful trip filled with good food, great company and a healthy dose of Dominoes (the ‘dose’ comment was not a clever pun due to my parents being doctors).For anyone wondering, it’s about a 9 hour drive down to the grandparents. With a newborn in the car that has not yet developed the ability to be distracted by anything other than nursing; the drive became perilous on the way home. Going there was great. I slept after work and then drove us down through the night. Stacey and Luke slept like babies (okay, that one was intentional). For some reason, though, I decided to drive home in the day time. NOTE TO READERS: Babies do not sleep as well in the car during daylight hours. If the experience of Luke screaming for what seemed like endless amounts of time didn’t test our marriage, I don’t know what will. At one point Luke was crying, Stacey was crying, and I was yelling… It was a mess. Fortunately, a rest stop, some breast milk, and a lot of “I love you”s made it all okay.

Here is a close-up of that cute Thanksgiving suit. It makes you wonder… Years from now, is Luke going to give Stacey and I that look (rolling eyes, head shake, furrowed brow), and ask, “What were you guys thinking dressing me up in THAT!?”

Thanksgiving Day Tradition

Dr. Robert Hallmark, is there something in turkey that makes people sleepy after eating?

Why yes, as a matter of fact there is. The natural sedative in turkey is an amino acid called tryptophan. (ATTENTION: NO BABIES WERE FED TURKEY FOR THE TAKING OF THESE PICTURES)

It is catch up time!

2007-11-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

Luke came into this world small, a little orange, and with a strong tendency to keep his arm next to his head

Further proof

Right from the get go Luke was the King of Cute faces. Usually in the form of a scowl though

In the first few weeks of life, Luke was visited by Grandparents near and far.

All wanted to steal him.

Bath time was a sore subject in the beginning. As Luke spent the entire time screaming, we have no photographic evidence of his first dip into the water. We could only take this after we dried and soothed him

Later we were to discover the issue was not the water, but modesty. It turns out if we covered him with a washcloth he was all for the bath.

Shortly after doing this, bath time was renamed to Luke’s Roman Bath

Boo Baby!

Here is our little monkey dressed in his first Halloween outfit. He's posing with some of his friends.

Luke was a little jaundice when he was born; it wasn’t at a level for us to be worried though. However, his extra coloring turned out to be great for his costume on the big day!

(Despite what it says below; this was posted by Joe. All hail him)

My urban baby

2007-11-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Gangsta Luke says: "Get out of my face, fool!"

"Are you down wit me, yo?"

Don't worry, I dress him up like this every day and I'm not trying to make a gansgta out him. He is pretty cute though, huh? :) He totally did the poses on his own. He did hang out in Harlem all the time in utero, so what do you expect?

on being a mom

2007-11-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been tiring and wonderful! When people ask me what it is like to be a mother, I am always left speechless for a moment as I search for adequate words. Even now, I struggle to express my deep joy. The first few weeks are harder than I'd imagined, but also more wonderful than I'd imagined. Between sleepless nights, a healing body, crazy hormones, a few breakdowns and worrying over every little thing, motherhood can be difficult. But atlas, it is oh so worth it for I have this little person to get to know. I have spent countless hours just gazing at my baby's face and I am completely head over heels in love with this kid!

introducing luke hudson

2007-10-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

he is here! luke arrived on 9.28.07. i stopped working three weeks before he was due and said that he could come a week early, but no sooner, as I had a lot to get ready. well, i guess he was anxious to come, because he came exactly a week early! at least he is obedient :). labor was painful as expected, but an amazing experience. i was able to give birth naturally as i had hoped. luke is such a sweetie and we are enjoying getting to know him. how humbling it is to realize that i am entrusted with this precious spirit. i am in awe with the miracle that is birth.