Cousins, ahoy

at the Bronx Zoo, Fall 2010

in Portland for Thanksgiving

in Hawk's Caye in January

And it's 5!!!

Unbelievable, the boy is 5 and, last I saw him (in January), every inch a mature and upstanding five-year old.

I've been WAY remiss as both blogger and aunt (a small distracting 21-month old to blame), but know that Hudson's being well celebrated in Dallas today. Dad + Sarah arrive this eve, there's a party planned, I'm guessing cake and with all the Hudson fans everywhere, he's bound to have a full dance card.

All of us up here, wishing the fine cousin-of-Wyeth a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY and we send much much love.

C + R +W

Soccer boy (star)

Dad went for a visit to Dallas last week. Just in time to catch a major upset - and Hudson's near-hat-trick.

Dad reported:
Here is Lamplighter Fire star.
They won 8-3 and Hudson scored two goals. Very fun to see - Dad

Wow. New school, new team and Hudson's cleaning up.
And he wears that jersey like a star. Groupies grouping as I type?

Love to all
from c
(mother of an also new-to-school guy, cousin Wyeth, pics of these early days here.)

Schoolboy Hudson!

First day at Lamplighter!

And Chad reports:

See picture for Hudson's first day at the new school. He was so cute
-- the lady knew his name when he arrived and he was asking, "how did
you know my name?" -- answer - nametag on his shirt.

He was really happy to be there and ran in with his green dinosaur
backback -- that I think Aunt Courtney gave him.

Could we be collectively any prouder?

Yay school boy Hudson!

love
c (and Wyeth + Ruslan too)

belatedly...his world awaits

HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Hudson, happy birthday day to you.

We have a 4 year old of uncommon cuteness and stature in our midst who is ready for his biggest, rocking-est year ever...

With much love from all your fans, and your flaky aunt,

c

Happy 37th Linds

Little Linds, May Day at Shady Hill, c. 1984

You'd be 37 today. Chad + Hudson baked a birthday cake for you.
Hudson was accepted at the "Shady Hill" of Dallas a few weeks back so thought this photo of you in all your homemade-t-shirt May Day splendor was appropriate.

We miss you so much dear Linds. There are a lot of new little folks we would like you to meet. (I can think of one in particular but, really, there are many). Anyway, hopefully you know about them all and are looking after their wobbly passages.

And our bad news is a little bit of sunshine for you. We lost Grandpop but you, and Grandma, and mom and baby Steven, got him in your quarter. Look after him, look after us.

People we miss

Hugs from us all and happy birthday happy birthday happy birthday.
much love,

your sister (now a mom!) c

He's In! Onwards-ho...

Long since I've posted and for that I can offer as excuse only another little boy who's taken front-burner status in my life these past months.

But wanted to report the remarkable news that Hudson Stephenson Brown was accepted (as we suspected he would be) at the wonderful-looking Lamplighter School in Dallas.

Chad + Hudson have trained their sites on Lamplighter because it reminded Chad of Shady Hill School (in Cambridge) where Linds and I went and thrived. Lindsey thrived everywhere of course, would have thrived in a one room school house, but Shady Hill brought out her naturally-occurring sociability and roaming curiosity and worldly being.

Hudson will thrive too - sure thing.

Love to the school-bound boy.

c (+ Wyeth + Ruslan)

Hudson rocks Maine

I'm utterly discombobulated by my own new-ish small man (Wyeth, arr. 6/23/09) but have much Hudson news and photos to post.

Let's start with Lynn + Bill's record of the Maine week - PHOTOS here - 

- 

when cousins were introduced, blueberries picked, beaches trawled and stones skipped.

BTW - Hudson is a chatty charmer. Funny, playful, giddy, curious, crazy cute...

Love from a sleepy aunt

Mountain Man H

While we've been at our desks, grocery shopping and puttering in pocket gardens, Hudson's been fording small streams, communing with flora/fauna and chopping wood.



Very adorable in lumberjack coat and looking every inch a man raised to fell large trees, and then taken in 9 holes (renaissance that way).


Brand new ones from Hudson's recent trip to Colorado here.

Love to all + bleated happy memorial day/launch of summer and all good things.

xo
c

Sports man

Ever busy, ever out-there, ever supporting the home-town teams (Celtics could use his support) - here's Hudson at a recent Rangers game - deep in stickers and program, fan/mascot (?) in-the-making.



Love from northern aunt

c

Pinata Man of the Ladies

With adorable girlfriends Cecilia and Sisely, Hudson celebrated his 3rd in well-attended style. As far as I can make out, Hudson is the BMAP (big man at party) - showing pinata prowess, excellent capacity for mingling (dad + mom genes) and all-round good nature and handsomeness.

Jealous of his pinata, the remarkable birthday cakes (Texans do it up in icing - see Birthday #1 and cakes c/o Pam and Bruce here) and of everyone who got to usher in the new age with him.

Sending love from his aunt in the city (working hard on Hudson's cousin-to-be due June 26th : ))

c.

Photos of the day here.

Happy Birthday Hudson

Three years ago today, the miracle boy entered our lives.

Hudson continues to be a thriving, all-you-could-hope-for, dyed-in-the-wool boy of a being and I'm (juice) toasting him and his remarkable dad and hoping their birthday cake is sweet and the year(s) ahead all blue sky.

Much love + birthday hug,

(aunt) C

this charming man (and wife)

Can write you to tears.
And he's my cousin.

I'd heard that Andrew was blogging (in the large footsteps of his practically star blogger-wife Erin: http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/), but it wasn't till yesterday when Erin directed me to Andrew's most recent post remembering Linds...
http://thedarkhorseblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-have-no-idea-what-to-title-this.html

Go cousin Andrew, and thanks.

much love
c

Birthday Cake

It's become a tradition: on Lindsey's birthday, the boy's bake her birthday cake.

This would make Linds super happy. Never one to turn away a good cake, I'm still searching for a Linds photo on an early birthday, bib on, face-planted and fast asleep in a slice of chocolate.



So - on high, all around, wherever she may be -
here's blowing out the candles to you Linds.

love


c

Happy Birthday dear Linds

Lindsey would be 36 today.



She'd be mother of an almost 3-year old, maybe there'd have been another one in the meantime or, to join the crowd (we're all doing it), one on the way.
She'd be alive to enjoy life in the new administration, alive to witness lilacs that'll be here soon, alive to make plans with...



I miss her more than ever.
I hope they're pulling out all the stops to celebrate her up where she is.

Love you Linds.
love
c

(So many great photos of Linds so narrowed the field to Linds + a few of our/her/my favorite men : ) Biased, but my blog...)

Beach Boy

If these photos from Lynn: don't depict a happy boy in his element being generously spoiled/loved by fabulous grandparents, then I clearly don't know how to interpret vacation pics and should be taken off blog duty.

From Honduras time with Hudson, I knew he loved beaches but this involvement/entombment is a whole new level of love. Awesomely cute moments from what looks like an idyllic Florida vacation with Bill + Lynn.

Love to all + hugs to little man H
c

infinity, and beyond

Ruslan and I joined Dad + Sarah, and Chad and Hudson, for a week on the island of Roatan, Honduras this Christmas.

Huge treat and having rented a house (with pool, palms, view + grill) we had nice swathes of time to just hang without hotel complications and posted meal times. It was lovely, gorgeous, recommended...



More photos of the trip - which I'll dig into and post here and there - are here:

Love to all, and - as Hudson is very (very) fond of saying, let's contemplate the year's motto:
To infinity and beyond....

l
c

of dogs and lizards

Wow am I behind on this. So much great material not-yet up - shameful.

Aunt Annie - who visited for Chad's birthday, is super on the ball and sent link to these very cute photos of the weekend.

LOVE Elphy, the new dog in town, and seem Hudson has affinity too. What instantaneous magic is it between kids and dog?


Also love that Hudson's adopted a lizard, inspired by the Iguana Park in Roatan Honduras and clearly in control with this one,



vs a standoff with the one at the park.

Great ones in there including the amazing journey that Chad's taken Linds' ashes on, the far-flung points of Linds.

More to come, promise.
The guy is just too active + popular to keep up...

Happy new year TO ALL.

c

Hudson's New Year

Lobsters, family (Bill + Lynn) and friends - new years doesn't get much finer.

Janelle posted cute record of the eve here.

Love to all

c

Tropical Hudson

For Thanksgiving, the well-traveled Sr. H was in St. Maarten with Brown grandparents and dad. Fantastic photos from the trip, some of them posted here.

All who've hung with Hudson in the past few months have reported a charming, engaging, super bright + curious, unbelievably cute and well behaved little gentleman. You get a sense of that budding charmer in these photos showing a range of Hudsons.

And the GREAT news is that in less than 10 days time I (along with Ruslan, Dad + Sarah) will be joining Hudson and Chad in Honduras and there will be even more cute beach shots + turquoise waters w/ boy pics to come. Just not immediately - apparently Honduras not too wired.

So - stay tuned for a blogger going ringside.

And happy holidays/love to all from a proud aunt, about to be even prouder.

Autumnal Hudson

Amidst the foliage,
gathering yard debris,
wielding sort-of-safe looking scissors to tame pumpkin innards,
amassing his Mr. Potato Head army (!?) and,
finally, H at rest...



Lynn + Bill have been visiting with the little guy most recently so these photos c/o on half of the marvelous grandparent 4-some the boy's blessed with.



After way way too long, I'll finally see Hudson for Christmas this year so anticipate partial nudity and beach shots...



Much love to all,



c (hoping all readers/Hudson lovers have protected the little guy's future by casting their votes today...)

The two men

Handsome?
Tow-headed?
Bigger-than-a-breadbox and growing?

Yes to all.

Parted ways with Dad + Sarah yesterday morning in Logan - they made their way southwards so may have more photos from them, live-ish from Dallas, soon. Hudson missed blueberries and Maine this year but we made sure all's intact and as-was ready for him next year - Maine is patient, Maine's not going anywhere and there'll be time.

(I'm en route to Sea Island to install Grandpop in his new apartment - too many places + people, way too little time...)

(This is not a shabby placeholder in the meantime.)

With love to all

c

The many moods

Lynn's master Hudson-documenter and as hands-on grandmother,
there amidst Hudson's multi-disciplinary, multi-tasking, multi-location, life -



Happy Feet from training-potty vantage eating cheerios
kitchen-sink electric-toothbrushing,
pool-basketball...

Her pictures are in an album here:
(http://picasaweb.google.com/circatrade/HudsonBrown)






C - realizing as a choose (hard) only a few pictures that H's "many moods" are largely sunny, occasionally contemplative...
bless the happy boy

July 4th for the cutest boy

Hudson did it all this July 4th - full-on frolicking and I want Chad as my activities director next year.

Photos of the day are here.

But highlights (hard to choose, really all highlights) include:









Doesn't get much handsomer...

With big hugs to the men of Dallas and love to all.

ctp