Christmas Vacation

Here are a few pics from our Christmas vacation in TX.

Christmas Cheer

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Virginia spent with dear friends and our little family. Byron and I were talking today about how the last time we were in the States for Thanksgiving was 6 years ago. It sure is nice to be home! We enjoyed all the usual Thanksgiving favorites and even watched the Cowboys beat the pants off the Seahawks. Most importantly, we spent the day being thankful for a great many things, most of all Hudson. So here are a few pics of our little man.

The little man in his snow suit. It hasn't snowed yet, but it's been pretty cold. We bundle him up when we're headed out to run errands.


Taking a nap.


Sitting in his Bumbo seat. It's new. He likes it in short spurts. He at least gets a better view of the world around him.


Check out that hair! What's that? You think he may have more than Pops now?!


Watching football with Daddy on Thanksgiving. Go Cowboys!


A Thanksgiving cuddle with Mommy.

More Pictures, As Promised

Enjoy!

Here we are on Halloween. Isn't Hudson the cutest?!


Hudson loving on his lovey from Aunt Lauren.


Our House - complete with our very own cherry tree in front!




View in the back

It's been a while....

A quick update from the Denneys...we've been busy since our last post. We found a townhouse in Reston, VA and have moved in. Byron and I both started back to work, and Hudson started school (aka daycare). It's crazy getting into our new routine. Hudson really seems to like his teachers and new baby friends, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the daycare he goes to. Work is going well for both Byron and me, so everyone's doing great! We'll post some pics of the house and from Halloween (our sweet pea was adorable!) in the next few days. Until then, enjoy this terrific picture of our little man during bath time - he LOVES bath time!

What Hudson's been up to

Hudson has been getting more active during his waking hours. He seems to be learning how to entertain himself and to explore the world around him. We've been giving him lots of tummy time and time to just sit up on his own. A while back, all he would do is get upset when we laid him on his tummy time mat, and he would just stare into space when we set him up on a pillow. But in the past week, he's really looking around and studying his environment. Today, Karen played with him on his tummy time mat for a long time, and then sat him up in the glider and took some pictures while he studied his hands and feet for about twenty minutes.

A day in the country

Our good friends Dave and Becky Waldrup invited us to go with them and two shepherd groups from church to Marker-Miller Orchards in Winchester, Virginia, where we walked through the many varieties of apple trees and sampled and picked lots of apples. We loved the fall colors we saw along the drive out there, and we enjoyed talking with the good shepherd group people with whom we quickly became friends. Hudson slept almost the entire time as Byron carried him in the Baby Bjorn, but he enjoyed the little time he spent awake. Byron sampled 5 different varieties of apples as we wandered through the orchard, but there were many more that we picked and will try in the coming days. There were crispin, york, empire, Rome, golden delicious, red delicious, red stayman, Fuji, Nittany, and more. Below is a photo Dave took of the group, and some pictures of us hanging out in the orchard. What a fun day!

A Denney Update

Greetings from Virginia! The Denneys have finally arrived! We've been busy since our last post, so here's an update.

Hudson was dedicated at First Baptist Church, Garland, on 21 September. It was a very special day. Loads of family from all over the Great State came to support us.


We visited the Pumpkin Festival at the Dallas Arboretum. Hudson slept through the entire experience!












Our dear friends Ryan and Ashley visited from San Antonio. Ashley and Karen studied in Spain together in college. Ryan and Ashley have just relocated to TX from Pennsylvania. Yee-haw!


Hudson, Karen, and GiGi (Hudson's grandmother) flew up to VA on 1 Oct. Byron and Grandma (Hudson's other grandmother) had driven up the week before. Hudson was a trooper on the plane. He didn't cry once, and slept most of the way. What a blessing!


The grandmothers stayed with us in VA for several days helping us get settled and house hunt. Grandma and Byron got our cars registered and started the house hunt, and Gigi helped unpack our bags and boxes that shipped from TX. It has been quite a production moving back from Turkey. We are one step closer to getting settled now that we're in VA.

Hudson and Gigi cuddling in VA.


A sweet smile.


A preview of Hudson's Halloween costume. So cute!

Ernestine

For many who may not have heard, we had to say good-bye our sweet, cuddley, snorting pup on Monday, 29 September. She became sick very suddenly, and despite all our best efforts and those of our fabulous vet, there was nothing we could do to improve her health and quality of life. We miss her like crazy! She was the best dog ever. For the many who had the pleasure of knowing Ernestine, there's no doubt you were touched by her wonderful quirkiness. She certainly brought tons of joy to our lives over the past 5 years. She will always have a special place in the hearts of many.

Fun Times with Friends

Hurricane Ike has brought a lot of destruction to the great state of TX. Fortunately, all of our friends and family are safe, and a few have even traveled to the Big D while they wait for power and water to be restored to their homes. So, while they're waiting, we're making the most of our time together. Here are a few pics.

A little box goes a long way. Our friend, Evan, visiting from Conroe, TX. Evan is Julia's (Hudson's future bride) big brother.


Hudson's new favorite place to sleep - the sling. He seriously LOVES the sling.




Hudson and Mommy cuddling


Hudson was invited on his first play date today with Evan, Julia, Claire, and Natalie at the park. He had a great time!








A family picture.


Daddy cuddles