It is crazy that our little baby is already 3 years-old! His birthday was already a couple weeks ago and I still can’t believe I have a 3 year-old. There is something about this year’s birthday that got me feeling really emotional. At two, Hudson still felt like he was our baby, but now at three, he has fully transformed into a little boy. He is fully potty trained, he talks in complete sentences, and he plays baseball like he’s been doing it his whole life. Nothing about him feels like a baby anymore. And I mostly am so, so happy to see him growing up, but it also is hard on my mama heart to feel like the years are already going way too quickly.
For Hudson’s first birthday, we celebrated with baseballs (which is very fitting because now he is literally OBSESSED with all things baseball). For his second, it was still in the middle of the pandemic, so we had a small gathering with family and it was trash truck-themed. And for his third, we had a newborn baby, so we had a very simple but fun shark-themed celebration with mostly family and a few of his close friends.
The shark theme was chosen because yes, Hudson thinks they are cool and scary, but mostly because we saw cute shark decorations in the Target aisle a few weeks before my due date and I knew this would help make my life easier. As a mom, I constantly am struggling with this pressure I put on myself to make special memories for Hudson, while at the same time trying to give myself grace in an especially busy season of having a newborn. For me, this shark party was my attempt at holding onto both these things. I know Hudson had a blast and for the most part it was really not that stressful for me to put together. I rented a bouncer a few weeks before baby so I did not need to think about it. I got those decorations from Target. I called the pizza place, asked my mom and mother in-law to bring fruit and pasta salad, and Lance and I tag teamed cleaning the house. Also, I didn’t even bother with attempting to bake a cake. I ordered shark cookies from our amazingly talented friend and bought a mini little cake from the grocery store for H to blow out candles from. Usually, I make my life more complicated, but this time, I actually chose simplicity and it made for a really fun and mostly relaxing day.
Hudson was very busy either bouncing in the bouncer, splashing in the water table with friends, swimming in the pool, randomly opening his presents, and spending all day hanging and playing with his friends + cousins. It was a good day and it made me so happy to see him having so much fun.
Hudson, we love you so much! Watching you grow up this past year has been one of our greatest joys. You learned to ride a bike without training wheels, you became a big brother, and you really stepped into your bold personality. We can’t wait to see what this 4th year holds for you! xoxo, mom + dad
This Mama Needs Grace 