Happy Friday

Don't I look nice holding a baby girl???? Haha. You will appreciate this if you know me and know how badly I want a baby girl. Don't read into this at all. I'm not pregnant or anything!

I have asked Hunter if he wants a baby sister and he says, "No! I will step on her fingers and break them!!!" Lovely. What a nice young man we are raising.

It's my friend/sort of cousin, Jacquelyn's baby, Alana. She is so sweet!!! This was from a while ago, but I saw her last week and she is getting so big. She has these awesome blue eyes too. I guess if I never have a girl of my own then I will just have to buy her a lot of pink :)

Wordless Wednesday

Have a great day!

Hunter's Birthday Party!

Saturday (September 24th) we had Hunter's birthday party at Domino's Petting Farm. There were about 40 people there, so we a good time! We had a lot of Hunter's classmates there, some family friends, and some neighbors. Most of the parents stayed with their kids, so that was nice to get to meet some of the parents in Hunter's class. It started at 10:30a am, so the kids had time from 10:30am-noon to feed the animals, go on hayrides, and just play. At noon we went into the Griffith Station party room for lunch, cake, and ice cream. We didn't even have time to open presents. I felt kind of badly about that, but Hunter was SO wound up, plus we had to be out of the room at 1pm. We ended up opening presents after naps (well Jack napped, but not Hunter!). It was nice to do at home. We took pictures of him with each gift and I plan to send that with the thank you notes.

I appreciated so much the time and effort everyone took to come to Hunter's party. I'm thankful for our friends, neighbors, and the school he goes to. We even found out that a girl in his class lives in our subdivision and we didn't know it! I was worried b/c a week before the party we only had a few people RSVP and we ended up filling up the room exactly :-) It was a lot of work, but I think Hunter had fun, and when it comes down to it, that is the important part.

Hunter with Alex and his sister (they live on our street).

They took our party on two hayrides. Hunter was seriously in rare form--he was so excited and had so much energy. Here he is with two boys on our street. They are in 1st grade and in the same class. Hunter loves to play with the "older kids" on our street (there are four different boys he is asking to play with every single day)...I'm glad they are all so nice and don't mind playing with the younger kid!

Jacque and Michael. I'm so glad they were able to come...Michael is turning two in a few weeks and having his party at the Hands On Museum--can't wait!!

Our neighbors Connor and Calise. They are buddies and both the sweetest kids!

Janeel and her daughter. They live two doors a few doors down. They have one boy and two little girls...so cute! I love her pouting at me :)

A lot of the kids were in his pre-school class, a few family friends, and a lot of kids from our neighborhood!
Being silly!

Lunchtime...they had a lot of tables set up, and even a few outdoors thankfully b/c we had a lot of people there!

I called to order the cake the day before. Thankfully the bakery said they could do a cute farm theme to go along with our location! I love how it turned out!!
I can't tell what he is thinking--maybe a little shy that we are all singing? One boy leaned over and blew out two of his three candles...he looked upset, but we distracted him telling him to blow out the last one and it was all good.
Hunter and Lauren. She is really sweet and has a great smile!
Three girls in Hunter's class (I'll have to ask Hunter their names!!)

I'm glad it wasn't all boys and I love seeing how different the boys are from the girls.

We had a nice, but exhausting day. Jack has a cold, Nick has a cold, my back has been making me so miserable, and the kids are not sleeping. I have been up between 5 and 5:30am for at least 6 days straight. Ahhhhh. I have been feeling nauseous and I actually looked it up today and severe back pain can make you physically sick to your stomach. That is how I've been feeling. Not good. I have an MRI on Friday thankfully, so I hope to get some answers, but I'm not overly optimistic after all I've been through. I am at my wits end with it all. Maybe I need to do a pity party post? I am planning a "stay-cation" for the week of October 10th and then Friday-Sunday that week Nick and I are going to a bed and breakfast. I sure hope to recharge my batteries b/c I desperately need it. I would sure appreciate any prayers!!!

Three Cedars Farm

Last Sunday afternoon we went to Three Cedars Farm. It seriously is an awesome place that is only 10 minutes from our house. It goes get crowded at times, but it wasn't too bad last weekend. It was a really nice day, so we met up with Mike, Jacque, and Michael. We have had so much fun hanging out with them since they've moved back to MI :) Three Cedars Farm has cider, donuts, playscape, slides, haystacks, animals, cornbox, hayrides, tractor track, fire pits, pumpkin patch, corn maize, this fun wood train to climb on, etc....awesome huh!?!? I think we could spend four hours there with the kids and they would not get bored!

The four of us--trying to get a family picture! Hunter was being goofy and Jack wanted to get away from Nick.

I love this little guy, but he wasn't being very photogenic today!

It took a while for Jack to warm up to the cornbox. Michael dove right in and had fun. Jack can be weird about the way things feel (walking barefoot on grass or sand sometimes makes him act funny), so this was kind of the same.

Hunter was the maniac on the tractors while the little ones were in the cornbox! He was racing around the track, which goes around the cornbox...I was waiting to hear someone scream that their kid got ran over. Or the parents not paying attention standing right in the middle and Hunter about to clip someone. He looked crazy, but I guess he is a good driver b/c no disaster this time. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and corn maize...we didn't feel like getting pumpkins just yet, but I'm sure we'll be back!
Jack and I on the hayride.

Michael with his daddy...he's so cute! He is about a month older than Jack, but to me, he looks older. Jack just looks so young to me, even compared to Hunter at the same age.

Another attempt at a family picture. Hunter sure has this devilish grin on his face.

The huge John Deere tractor is always a must-see (Or must-climb on)All three boys wanted their turn driving
They have these cute little areas where they have three pigs and then it reads the story of the three little pigs...they also have several others (I'm drawing a blank--rabbit story, goats, etc).

The corn box is super cool. You can see Michael in green in the back having fun with the corn.

Jack with daddy sitting on the wheel of the big tractor

Hope you have a great weekend. We are going to be busy, but it will be fun :)

Jennifer

Hunter's Birthday--more pictures

As we were getting ready for bed last night Nick and I were talking about how fortunate our kids are that we really try to make their birthdays a celebration and FUN. We said when we moved into this house that we want to entertain more. However, when it comes down to it, it's a lot of work! I love my kids so much and want to make their birthdays special and have a party for them, but my goodness, it is tough when I'm working and have a bad back. I sure hope since I print this blog each year that Hunter will appreciate it when he's older--probably not till he has kids of his own, so I better be alive when that happens :) I know he won't even remember this in fifteen years, so I will be sure to pull out the blog book and say to him, "I know you are a teenager and think your mom and dad are not cool, but look what we used to do for you! Now be nice to us!" haha. Now that last night is over with, I can focus on his next party which is Saturday. I am nuts. I know it.

My mom picked up this banana cake from Marv's Bakery. They make the best cakes EVER. Nick said they are his favorite b/c they are always so moist and yummy. I think the piece I cut for Nick was at least 2,000 calories.

My Aunt Rhonda made this giant cupcake for Hunter. I heard through the grapevine that she made it on Sunday and her son got into it and then she had to make another one...Thanks Rhonda!! That was fun for Hunter and he really enjoyed it.

I got mint chocolate chip ice cream per Hunter's request.

The gummy worms were a hit...

His "big" gift from us. Yes, we are nuts. It's a John Deere ride-on thingy. I want to cry (and smack Nick) b/c we had it all planned out to video Hunter going outside and my husband somehow didn't get it on video. He has this dumb video talking about it before Hunter came out, but he didn't get the actual moment. I'm NOT happy. Can you see me chasing him in the background? There was mass chaos last night. The kid can't drive it yet, someone took the governor off to allow it to go fast, he was driving on the neighbors yard, dumping beer cans all over the yard out of the back of it, was close to smashing into cars, and almost killed Jack by running him over. If I didn't have enough stress already, now I have more. I have no one to blame but myself b/c it was all my idea too. I thought if I took the key out this morning he could not drive it, but no, it still works! He tried to take off on it as we were leaving for school this morning. Now I just wish this had seat belts. Aunt Emily got Hunter a new leather chair to sit in....Jack was testing it out.
My mom was being silly with Jack and teasing him with grapes. He was laughing hysterically. I love nothing more than a toddler's laugh.

I cropped this one b/c my mom was making a ridiculous expression at Jack and I don't want to put unflattering pictures of anyone on here. Mom, don't say I'm never nice to you! He was having a lot of fun...thankfully, b/c he was a little fussy. I love his natural highlights that he has right now. They are so stinkin' cute.

Jack fell asleep around 8:45pm and Hunter didn't fall asleep until about 10pm (thanks to Aunt Rhonda buying those wind up chattering teeth--he kept doing it and honestly, he did it so much, they finally broke. I am secretly happy). I thought for sure I'd have them sleeping in for me this morning. Nope. Hunter up at 5:45am and Jack up at 6:05am. No rest for the weary. Jack even had medication for teething last night and Hunter had cough syrup. Just plain cruelty for kids to be up that early!

Happy 4th Birthday Hunter

Happy Birthday Hunter!

I can't believe you are four years old today. You were born at 1:30 pm in the afternoon and it's crazy to think that four years ago I was in labor with no clue what to expect and what type of child you would come to be.

You are such a handful, but we love you no matter what. This past year has been quite challenging, to put it nicely. I hope that God will use your strong will in positive ways as you grow up. For now, I think God is trying to teach me and your daddy a lesson in patience, among other things. I hope if Nick and I can get through these years with you and Jack, it'll be smooth sailing for a while (at least until you are a teenager).

If I had to describe your personality, you are very independent, opinionated, and strong willed. You are also very witty with a good sense of humor. I know I am your mommy and am biased, but I think you are so smart. So does your Nana and your teachers. You can count really high, write your name (although not perfect, it's legible), count to ten in Spanish, and much much more. We work to teach you things and are amazed by what you learn at school. I ask 4 and 5 year olds when their birthday is and they don't know, but you've known September 20th for at least a year. Tuesday is your favorite day of the week. I have no idea why, but you are super excited that your birthday is on a Tuesday this year! You have an excellent memory. You remember things from over a year ago, such as where you got a toy, who gave it to you, or just some other random fact someone told you. I am constantly lecturing Nick about always telling you the truth and not making stuff up, b/c you remember it all.

Although you know how to push our buttons and seem to act the worst for your mommy and daddy, the good times outweigh the bad (I think). I am happy that you behave for your teachers, our nanny, and others (when we are not around). When you say, "mommy, you are gorgeous", it makes me so happy and you know it! Or when you say you never want to get married and want to marry me and live at home forever, that makes me laugh and is so cute. We keep telling you that you'll want to move out when you go to college, you will cry if we don't drop the subject b/c you want to live at home forever.

You are certainly our inquisitive child. You ask "why?" at least 100 times per day right now, but I don't mind. Most of the time I have to think carefully about my answer. You ask questions about body parts, body functions, God, heaven, the weather, and other stuff I don't even think about. I am glad the wheels are turning in your head all the time. I found that I say "b/c God wanted it that way or made us that way" a lot! It's an easy answer and is the truth.

I sometimes think, "I wish you were more calm or would just do what you are told" and then I stop myself. I try to remember that God made you the way you are for a reason. I know it will serve you good as you grow up. I know you will not be a follower and will not be bullied into doing things. We just need to teach you to be nice to everyone to make sure you are also not the bully! You are so outgoing and I love that about you. We are not quiet or shy, so we are not surprised. I don't know what I'd do with a shy kid! I wish sometimes you didn't say everything that was on your mind b/c you end up embarrassing me by asking people crazy questions in public, but we're working on that.

I hope this coming year gets a little easier from our perspective, but we'll roll with it no matter what. We are so blessed that you are healthy, happy, learning, and growing like crazy. That is really all that matters when it comes down to it. I've heard that parents have "Parental Dementia" meaning they forget all the bad things as their kids grow up. I am documenting this so I remember what this year has been like, but fortunately, we love you unconditionally and you really can be sweet and loving, when you feel like it.

Your mommy and daddy love you so much and can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you.

We took this picture last night...the last picture of him as a 3 year old!

Nick and I went to Hunter's school today for his celebration. I was so proud of him. He is a totally different kid than last year and I wanted to cry b/c I was so happy. He was a perfect angel and followed Miss Claire's instructions just right! Above he is smiling as we all sang Happy Birthday to him.

He walked to get the mat (with his "slow feet"--going to try that at home asap). Then they lay the sun down and light a candle. He walks around the mat 4 times for each year that he's been on this Earth. At each time around he stops and I read three events from that year of his life...we made a poster with pictures of him from each year and three events from each year. The kids LOVED seeing Hunter with Buzz Lightyear from our Disneyworld vacation! Yay for mommy for picking that one :) After the "ceremony" (most Montessori's do this I think), he got to choose a friend to help and they walked around with hand sanitizer and napkins. It was so cute...Hunter would give each kid some sanitizer and then Lauren would say, "Would you like a snack?" The kid had to say, "Yes please" and then they got a napkin. Once that was done, they say a prayer and get to have snack.
But wait...Hunter decided he had to go potty after everyone had their food, but before prayer. So the class had to wait for him to come back to say prayer before they could eat. They sang a few songs, so it worked out. Miss Claire is awesome. These kids have food in front of them (we brought pineapple and grapes for snack)--no treats allowed. haha. She would say "fold your hands in front of you if you think you might touch your food or be tempted to"...too funny.

I don't know what is up with this smile! I asked one of the teacher's to take our picture and he was doing his "fake smile". Oh well.

I am so thankful that even though we both work outside the home, we both don't want to miss things like this. It's a lot of work to go to his school for 20 minutes, but it was worth it. I'm glad Nick wants to be there too...I'm wondering how many kids have both parents at these types of things. I know I felt special that my parents were at all my functions as a child.

On the poster we brought to school, here are the pictures we picked for each year....

Birth to one...I love this picture of him!!! One of my favorites. He's about 8 months old--first time on the swings.
Here he is at about 14 months old...and after his first real haircut! Such a handsome little guy.
Here is the two to three year old picture with daddy. I love the smile :)
Here is three to age four...Disneyworld in March. The kids in class thought it was so cool that we met Buzz Lightyear. Hunter thought so too!

Hunter, we love you. You are so fortunate to have so many family members and friends that do too! Just wait till you see what you are getting from mommy and daddy tonight--check back tomorrow to find out. I know I will be regretting this gift (and Nick will blame me for it), but Hunter will love it. And no, it's not drums--my parents took care of that for Christmas 2009.

Have a great day!