The Hunter Family

Old man.

2012-02-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

Happy 10th birthday to our Billy Clyde.

Bieber fever.

2012-02-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

I came out of the shower to find this... Cal rocking out with my ipod & yelling, "mom, it's Justin Bieber, it's Justin!" He's now added a 'music maker' (aka ipod) to his list of bday present ~~demands~~ requests. Of course this is #2 to his first ask.... an iphone.

19 months (duh).

2012-02-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

In case you saw this post earlier my My lovebug is 19 months today, not 17... I blame my awesome brain power (aka mom brain) on conversing with a 1.5 & 4 year old all day, every day.

the last couple of weeks.

2012-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Man, I feel like I'm behind on this blog... I was going through my camera and have TONS of pics. So now I'm doing a little photo dump of the last couple of weeks. I don't like to blame anything on being busy cause lets face it, we're all really busy. So here's my catch up from my 'blog laziness.'

a visit to one of our new favorite places in town, Blue Spoon. These boys loves them some frozen yogurt.

We had two ~~babysitters~~ house guests for the week & the boys were in heaven. Our living room was transformed into a basketball court every night.

concert time

then every parents worst nightmare happened (slightly kidding).... school was canceled. Freezing rain hit us so I had 4 kids housebound for the day. Game time!

boys will be boys... these 2 climb, stand on, jump off pretty much everything.

One of the boys' favorite things to do, watch their John Deere tractor movies (while "playing tractors"). You think these 2 could be any more boy?

and we finished the last week with a birthday fiesta with the fam for my mom & me.

Pajama party!

2012-01-27T22:24:00.000-08:00

Cal's class had a jammie & pillow party on Thursday & I'm pretty sure this was right behind the class Christmas party, as one of Cal's favorite days. He proudly laid out his jammies, slippers, and picked out what pillow pet to take the night before and anxiously went to bed, so he could wake up and go to school the next morning. It's such a joy sending our kiddo off to school a couple days a week knowing that he just adores his teacher (who's amazing!) and class.

picc courtesy of Mrs. Miller's FB page.

When it snows, it snows.

2012-01-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

Holy winter wonderland. Our last week has been filled with snow, snow & more snow. In fact, we got another 5 or so inches today alone. We went from a very non-white winter, to this... it's insane! Cal is in snow heaven. The first couple of days that it snowed were pure torture for him cause he was sick, so we've been making up for lost time the last couple of days.

Soccer

2012-01-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

Firemen.

2012-01-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

Have I said lately how much I love having 2 little dudes.

An early little b-day celebration.

2012-01-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

We took a quick trip over to the west side last weekend for a little shopping, hotel, whatever-mom-wants-to-do early bday celebration. And my dear husband was so great and went along with all my "fun" shopping requests. There's nothing more I love than getting out of town for a bit and spending some quality time with my 3 favorite boys. And boy, did the boys have fun. So much fun in fact, that Cal threw-up ("pottied out his mouth") from excitement on the dinner table at Z Tejas. Lovely. Someone was a little excited to get the hotel and go swimming. You'd think we don't get out much with how giddy the boys were to stay in a hotel...

Ikea!

Oh Tejas Trio, have I ever missed you!

heading home with a very full car from a successful shopping adventure

all pics courtesy of the phone since we managed to forgot a camera...

God's country.

2012-01-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

My dad, Ian & Clyde were out bird hunting a couple weekends ago and they snapped these pics on Ian's phone. Holy smokes, talk about feeling lucky to live in such an amazing place...

A man of many names

2012-01-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Bennett, B-man, B-money, B, Bennynochie, Ben-o-reno, Reno, The other one, Booshie, Brother, Ben, Benny, Benihana. Whatever you want to call him, the little dude hit the 1.5 year mark on January 1. B had his 18 month check-up earlier this week & he passed all the development milestones with flying colors.

And here are some of the tricks he has up his sleeve.... Saying way too many words to count, follows directions, runs to his crib and tries to climb in the minute he hears the words 'night-night', is communicating with words the things he wants, tells us when he has a s'tinky', thinks every animal either says 'neigh' or 'moo', thinks every dog is called Suz, LOVES stuffed animals and sleeps with a full crib of them, loves to give kisses, is really into shoes, loves 'choo choos', is not into watching cartoon at all, went from having 7 to almost all of his teeth in a matter of 2 months, could look through books for hours, is starting to hold his own against his brother, has a serious case of happy feet and dances at the slightest hint of music, turns into a bit of a pumpkin if he stays up any later than 8, is my momma's boy, has the funniest facial expressions, and has a major sweetooth.

18 month stats:
* weight: 31 lbs (95%)
* height: 34 inches (91%)

my boy & pug are stars!

2012-01-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

Cal & Suzie graced the pages of the Wenatchee World yet again, continuing their 15 minutes of fame. Here's a link to the article for your reading pleasure.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

The years just keep getting better for us Hunters. Engaged in 2005, married in 2006, pregnant in 2007, welcomed baby Cal in 2008, pregnant in 2009, moved to Wenatchee & added baby Bennett to the brood in 2010, finally a quiet, yet wonderful, year in 2011. Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!

NYE w/ my three favorite boys

do I have anything on my face?

the baby loves dancing & the dog lovessssss singing along to music

A dusting of snow.

2012-01-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

The New Year brought a wee little bit of snow to our very non-white winter and you would have thought we had three feet on the ground with how much fun Cal (and the pups) had playing in it outside.

Christmas Cheer

2012-01-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve. Mass. Family gatherings. Icing cookies for Santa. More icing going into Cal's belly than on the cookies. Treats for Santa & his reindeer. Christmas morning at home. Stockings. Presents. Loads of trucks & tractors. Bliss. Presents with the pups. Afternoon with the family. More stockings. More presents. Cousin love. Whiskey & wine. A trip over the mountains for more Christmas fun. A lack of pics cause we forgot the camera. More cousin love. Sausage making. Home. Blessed!

p.s. you know you secretly love the music...

Be Merry!

2011-12-24T23:42:00.000-08:00

The cookies & milk and celery & carrots are out, the stockings are waiting to be filled, two very excited little boys are sleeping soundly, the jingle bells are set up on Cal's door to make sure we don't have a middle of the night looky-loo, and this mama is ready to call it a night.

Merry Christmas to all (from our family to yours), and to all a good night!

Stop the clock.

2011-12-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

I can't get over how big my boys are getting. It's ridiculous. I want to shed a little tear every time I shop for Cal cause he's officially out of the 'toddler department.' No more 5T for this guy... Which is a bit of a bummer for a 3 year old cause that means no more cutesie 'my mom's a rock star' shirts. And Bennett, he's growing like a weed, talking up a storm and is getting insanely independent. He hits the big 1.5 in a week. How did that happen already?!

pics by MKC Photography

'Tis the season...

2011-12-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

for holiday get-togethers, checking out all the Christmas lights, seeing Santa & just feeling jolly.

setting off on the Tour de Lights, complete with a map, popcorn & lots of Christmas music (and an excavator)

Ian's excited!

And getting ready to see Santa. The visit went better than we expected. Cal was beyond excited to see Mr. C. Bennett made it through one pic with Santa and decided he didn't want anymore to do with him, but we had no tears. Cal told Santa the only thing he wanted was a cotton picker (Santa's response, "ah what?") and being the good brother that he is, he spoke on behalf of his little bro and told Santa Bennett really wants a 'choo choo' & a tractor.

If only I could upload some of my other pics, but blogger is deciding they should all show up sideways. Only seems to happen with pics taken on my SLR. Anyone else have this problem?

Some recent happenings.

2011-12-14T22:14:00.000-08:00

making gingerbread houses

playdates with good friends

doing some art

and a visit from Stu-doggg

Taking it all in.

2011-12-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

We've been so pleased with Cal's preschool. He begs to go every morning, loves his little friends and adores his teacher. And it's a catholic school so he's learning all about the meaning of Christmas and lots about The Big Man above. He's actually fascinated with God & Jesus. In fast, when he woke up from his nap the other day, he came out of his room like this...

and told me he was God. Then he grabbed his baby doll who was "Baby Jesus" and said he needed to lay him in the hay.

Not sure how PC it is to 'play God' but it makes me happy.

Oh Christmas Tree.

2011-12-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

On our way home from Ian's folks on Sunday we stopped by a tree farm just outside of town to pick out our beauty. And that's just what we got... an 8 ft Colorado Blue Spruce.

Bennett was less than trilled to be tree hunting again (that's 'the one' behind us)

Every year the boys get ornaments that kinda represent the year. Last year Cal picked out a skateboard and Bennett a 'baby's first Christmas'. This year, the kids got their ornaments as gifts the night night we decorated the tree.

Bennett got a "choo choo"

and Cal, a hockey player

I forgot about the joys of a 1 year old and a Christmas tree. On day 1 of the tree being set up we had 2 ornament causalities

On the road again...

2011-12-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

We spent last weekend in The Woolley and enjoyed a long weekend with Ian's folks. On the agenda, get Grammie & Pa a Christmas tree.

on a mission

look who found 'the one'..... Bennett!

these two really were on a mission

Also, on the agenda... lots of football. Re-living dad's glory Cubs football days.

Then I was off to Seattle on Saturday night, for a night with the girls. We're going on 8 years strong of our annual KD ornament exhange. Such a fun night with 16 (I think) of my nearest & dearest girlfriends.

And while momma while out & about, #1 dad sent me this pic of my little sleeping beauty

Love bugs.

2011-12-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

Giving Thanks.

2011-12-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving... family time, great food, eating way too much, making Black Friday shopping lists & a day to remind us all to be thankful. Typically we travel over the holiday however we were home this year and hosted Thanksgiving for the very first time (in 8 years) at our house. And for the last 8 years, Ian has been dying to cook a turkey so this was the year. It was an intimate little gathering and was a great day.

Ian w/ the guest of honor

17 months (tomorrow).

2011-11-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

Just getting an early jump on this post since I have some catch-up to do. 17 months and as independent as ever... Little man insisted that he put his beanie on all by himself, can you tell? We were heading to the park yesterday and he was SO tickled when he got it on.

and of course big brother wanted his pic taken

Boys will be boys.

2011-11-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Why sit when you can stand...

Reminds me of someone.

The last couple of weeks.

2011-11-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

Two of my favorite holligans stayed the night with us.

and this guy couldn't have been happier.

We snuck in a little more of this.

And then the snow came.

So the kids have been up to all kinds of crazy antics around the house.

Cal & I went on a date to see Lo in Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (it was awesome).

Oh, and can't forget that my girlfriends & I carried on the tradition of going to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn on opening night (in a theater where I'm pretty sure we were the oldest).

pic from here

And last but not least... a couple pics of my two other loves.

Love my kids.

2011-11-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hands down, Cal's the best little Coug fan I know. He sings the fight song all day & when he's not singing it, he's making Ian and I sing it to him while he's playing 'Cougar football Saturday.' He lives & breathes football. We have a WSU vs. UW checkers game (pieces are helmets) and Cal will play with it for hours. HOURS! Amazing. (I have no idea why this video is cut off, it's not when you double click and watch on YouTube)

And this little guy has a new favorite word, "tatu" (translation: tractor!). Another little dude that loooovvvvessss him some tractors.

A love for all things pumpkin.

2011-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

Last week it was pumpkin apple streusel muffins. This week, pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies. I'm such a sucker for anything pumpkin. Tis' the season!

On a side note, I get pretty much all my receipes from THIS blog. Love it. Check it out.

So long fall.

2011-11-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

I was clearing pics off the cameras the other night and found these of one of our favorite fall (get out of the house cause we're going stir crazy) activities... taking a little stroll around the block.

So long wagon riding days. You helped us keep our late afternoon sanity and we look forward to resuming again in the Spring.

It's back!

2011-11-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

We thought it was long gone... After logging thousands of miles with us, countless nights tucked into bed with Cal, several frantic searches retracing our steps around town in search of it and lots of love by a little boy, it was gone. We thought purple truck had left us for good and our hearts broke a little. But it turns out that it was just hibernating during the summer. Last weekend Cal put on his winter coat, and low-and-beyond he found beloved 'pur truck' in his pocket. To say he was overjoyed would be a BIG understatement.

"The days are long, but the years are short."

2011-11-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

The last couple months I feel like I been hearing/reading/learning of some pretty unfortunate things happening to some really good people… and they’ve been weighing heavily on me. Not only has my heart been touched by these people, but I've also found myself more worried, uptight, scaried… scared that something a little closer to home could happen. And these scared thoughts began to consume me. Then a swtich flipped, and I decided to change my way of thinking and replace my fears, worries, etc. with gratitude, appreciation & faith. Each and every day I need to be more appreciative of all that I have and grateful for my beautiful, healthy & happy boys, my amazing husband, our health, our family and friends and overall just the life we live.

Then the other night I read the most amazing chapter that couldn't have been more appropriately timed in a book I'm reading, The Happiness Project (a must read in my opinion). A couple thoughts from this chapter that have really stuck with me and reinforced my attempt at my new way of thinking.

A common theme in religion and philosophy, as well as in catastrophe memoirs, is the admonition to live fully and thankfully in the present. So often, it's only after some calamity strikes that we appreciate what we had. "There are times in the lives of most of us," observed William Edward Hartpole Lecky, "when we would have given all the world to be as we were yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed."

AND, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Reminding myself of this short and sweet sentence has done wonders for my patience on my ‘trying’ days with the kids.

pic by MKC Photography

Elk Hunting Success!!

2011-11-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

It's not every year that I get to gloat about elk hunting, but it was a great year this year. My guide (Jim Smith) was well worth the three Coors Lights that he charges for a full week of hunting.
Opening day was very exciting. We took the 81 Ford, got it stuck, put chains on, got it stuck again, unstuck it, parked it, walked two miles, and than starting hunting (two hours later than planned). At 9:15am Jim and I were sitting on log bs-ing when a group of cows came walking out of the trees at about 75 yards. Shortly after, a nice looking "true" spike walked out and gave a near-perfect presentation....kabooom!
The hanging weight was 259 lbs and the spikes are just over 21 inches.

We ended up seeing a nice herd of elk all four days I went hunting, very unusual for this spot. Hunting this year was a blast and I owe Jim and big thank you for letting me go with him. I would also like to thank Grandpa Jack for the truck, Papa Joe for the rifle, and my lovely wife for the new scope and for watching kids while I was out hunting.

trick-or-treat...

2011-11-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Poor Cal's having a hard time accepting that Halloween has come and gone for the year. He woke up this morning wanting to know what time the trick-or-treaters were coming over for candy. Then this evening when I was packing up all our Halloween decor, I put everything on the dining room table and went out to garbage to get the storage tote. I came back in to find everything neatly set back where I originally had it all throughout the house.

first up, trick-or-treating at Oma's

Candy corn, Tigger & Woody/Bullseye

an outfit change to hand our candy

And we ended the night with my sweet little Woody/Bullseye/fireman falling asleep in my arms sitting on the couch waiting for the last of the trick-or-treaters. Until next year...

A portrait of mom

2011-10-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

Preschool is doing the kiddo good. While not a spitting image of me, it sure is a darn good face for a 3 year old.

You make 34 look good.

2011-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Choo Choo

2011-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends back Ian took the boys to one of Cal's buddy's train birthday party. The train of course was a hit, the pinata at the party... that was another story. Apparently our mostly fearless 3 year old has a terrible fear of candy-filled pinatas.

Last week's house guest

2011-10-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

We babysat Stuart (aka Stu-dog, Stu-$$) last week and he was the perfect little houseguest. The kids just adore him and our guest room is a little lonely now that our friendly little rodent went home.

Friends, football, princess dresses, oh my.

2011-10-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend with our dear friends the Hintons and my only complaint was that the weekend wasn't long enough. The kiddos had a ridiculously good time together and couldn't have got along better. Cal played princess & house with Hailey, Hailey played football & cars with Cal.... it was a match made in heaven.

On Saturday, us big kids left the little ones with a sitter, thanks to a 7:30 game time, and went to watch the Cougs play some pretty crummy football. Bad game, great company so it was still a good time.

Thanks friends for the fun weekend! Already looking forward to hopefully doing it again sometime soon.

Coming soon to a Christmas card near you.

2011-10-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Fall family pics, check em' out HERE.

Friends.

2011-10-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

Bennett & his best bud Eli. I have to say Bennett is one lucky boy to have befriended Eli, he is absolutely the sweetest, most loveable little guy.

and Cal thinks he's pretty cool too.

And Cal's leading lady, Avery. These two just adore each other.

Today we took the kids for a "trolley" ride (aka a fancied up bus). Cal loves seeing the trolley around town but I could never work up the nerve to take him for a ride on it by myself so Holly & Avery and me and the boys went for a little spin (or two) around town. I think it's safe to say it exceeded the kiddos' expectations. Cheap entertainment.

Homecoming

2011-10-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

Oh Pullman, you never manage to disappoint me (although the Cougs might have left us a little bummed after the loss...). Even though visiting with the kids is not quite the same as the good ol' days, coming back to see you and enjoy all that you have to offer is still such a treat (& hopefully sometime in the near future we'll be able to pay you a visit sans the kiddos so we can enjoy you to your full potential).

cousins (Emmett + Cal)

lights out for this little man during the 4th quarter

track superstar

2011-10-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Both my boys love shoes so when I showed Cal a new pair of sneakers that I got him, he was thrilled. He wanted to know if they were running shoes like mommy's, so when I said yes we had an entire day of this (& several days to follow)....

and the next day he couldn't wait to get to school to show his teacher his new kicks.

B man's 15 month check-up.

2011-10-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

Bennett had his 15 month checkup yesterday. The kid is as healthy as a horse (such a blessing) and is another Hunter linebacker in the making.

stats:

weight: 28 lbs. 10 oz (91%)

height: 33.5 inches (96%)

(here's a look back at how Cal measured up at 15 months)

My boys.

2011-10-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

he's sexy & he knows it

2011-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

the boy LOVES to dance & watch out ladies cause the fancy footwork is his signature move.

Second child syndrome

2011-10-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

When Cal was a babe we played dress up A LOT and I was super picky about what he wore. Bennett is just lucky to have clothes on...

a hot mess

2011-10-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

This kid sweats like it's nobody's business (he's going to kill me for this in 15 years)... Whether he's playing, running, at play gym or just sleeping he always manages to work up a little shine.

Where'd the last 14 years go?!

2011-10-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

Luke (my nephew) had his first high school Homecoming dance and I kinda felt like I was sending off my own little one on this milestone. Although he put in a request that I don't par-take in the parent picture taking festivities, I wasn't going to miss it for the world. Such a handsome 14 year old, and the girls were adorable (and ridiculously stylish). Things sure have changed since my dance days...

Slumber party with our favorite 9 year old.

2011-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

this lady got in on the fun too.

game night!

The Boys.

2011-10-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love these two.

I've created a monster.

2011-10-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Someone now thinks they NEED a "coffee" anytime he sees me, brother, pretty much anyone with one... And he gets a little mad if he doesn't get it.

So long summer.

2011-09-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

You've been good to us... I'm pretty sure we just enjoyed our last weekend of 90 degree summer weather and we kinda went out with a bang (or maybe not so much a bang, but stayed really been busy and soaked up the sunshine). In fact, we've been so busy having fun that I've barely taken any pics the last couple of weeks. We've been playing at Cresent Bar, playing outside, park playdates, swimming, etc. And this last weekend we had Cal's school's annual Harvest Festival, the boys went to the races, a sleepover with my favorite 9 year old (Logan) and a trip to Winthrop to cheer on my sis who was running a marathon (26.2 miles, yowza!).

my attempt at trying to get a pic of the boys at Harvest Fest

The boys at a Wild (hockey) scrimmage

Ian off to work & Cal off to school.

garbage day!

look who got a new 'fire chief' outfit

hanging out with Wenatchee's finest at the races

this is what a day at Harvest Fest and a night at the races will do to you.Winthrop

Jenni crossing the finish line. And get this, my sis is a rock star, she finished in 3 hrs. 46 mins & placed second in her division!

Preschool

2011-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm always so curious what Cal's world is like for the 2.5 hours he's gone to preschool so I was tickled to get an email from his teacher with this picture of the class yesterday.

My one & only for 2.5 hours today.

2011-09-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day since Cal started preschool that Bennett and I didn't have any plans, so after we dropped brother off we came home, hung out, did a little grocery shopping, and it was amazing. My little one loves him some 1:1 time with momma. And boy, it's crazy how EASY things are with just 1.

enjoying brother's toys in peace.

playing tourists.

2011-09-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends back we spent the weekend playing tourists in our own town. First up, Rocky Reach Dam.

a little visit with the "maintenance landscapers"

a friendly reminder not to throw your baby overboard

making electricity

Next up, Ohme Gardens with Grammie & Pa who were in town for the night.

the boys.

2011-09-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

These two love hard and they fight hard. In this moment it was nothing but love but I tell you, it can change with the wind. I'm not sure if it's a boy thing or a 3.5 year old 'everything is mine' thing but I'm ready for it to pass and for my fantasy of these two magically getting along, sharing toys, and playing together for hours on end in the playroom without me having to be a referee to become a reality (don't burst my bubble here and tell me this isn't going to happen we can all dream, right?)

What's the B-man up to?

2011-09-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

My blog has been lacking in the "what awesome things are my kids doing now" posts cause right now about all I have the time & energy for are posting the few pics I have taken of our summer adventures. So this is all about Bennett

Where to begin.... He's 14 months, VERY active, very rarely stops moving, eats almost as much as I do, loves dogs, gives the best kisses, loves his brother dearly but also loves 1:1 time with mom & dad, is extremely stubborn, learned how to throw a tantrum, loves books, loves stuffed animals, is a bath fanatic, lights up with excitement when Ian gets home from work, has the best 'stink face,' has a smile that will light up a room, still has 7 teeth, loves to dance and starts shaking it at any hint of music, loves playing chase, is a great sleeper, says "what's this?" about 150x a days, signs milk, also says - hieeee (hi), buh-bye, Suz, oh wow, whoa, ball, mama, dada, eat, woof-woof, uh-oh, night-night, no no, and a lot of other words that I can't think of.

Officially a Preschooler!

2011-09-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Our first day of preschool didn't go quite as planned. This weekend we got a call from Cal's teacher saying the first day of school was canceled cause she had jury duty. Boo. So this morning we were taking our sweet time around the house and just sitting down for breakfast when the school called and said school was back on. I thought about just bagging it and waiting until Thursday, but I just couldn't stand Cal missing this "first day." So in a fury we raced around the house, packed a backpack, got pretty and flew out the door. He LOVED school and could care less when it was time for me leave, Cal's apparently got better things to do now.

I think I might have to stage another not-so-rushed 'first day of school' photoshoot on Thursday cause I literally shoved Cal out the door for this not-so-great pic.

Kisses!

2011-09-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing but love here...

Hitting the gym (the kids, that is).

2011-09-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

We took a summer hiatus from play gym and opted to spend our play time outside. Well I got a little tired of chasing my fearless little boy, Bennett, literally all over parks and looking like a crazy lady so I thought we'd give play gym a go (a nice safe confined area). It was the first time we've been there where Bennett has actually gotten to 'play,' and play is axactly what he (and Cal) did for a good hour.

Preschool orientation.

2011-09-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Cal had preschool orientation today to get acquainted with his teacher, classmates, etc. He's been REALLY looking forward to starting school and has packed his backpack almost daily for the last couple of months with all things he thinks he need for school (including my bra one day....). So today was a big deal that he got to finally go. I've been a little worried about his separation anxiety since he's been pretty attached to momma this summer, but we've been talking a lot about me dropping him off and he seems to be ok with it. And today, he could care less that I was there. The teacher had the kids for 1.5 hrs playing, reading, snacking, and he had a blast. Crossing my finger that next Tuesday goes as well.

Happy 'i said yes' & 'welcome to our family Suzie' Day

2011-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

6 years ago today Ian asked me to marry him and I screamed 'YES, YES, YES' from the rooftops (or from my tiny Greenlake apartment) & it also happens to be the day that a very special lady joined our family. I gained a daughter and a fiance all in one day, what a lucky girl I am!

The last bit of summer.

2011-08-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Summer seems like it's finally here with this awesome 90+ degree weather we've been having, however according the calendar and Cal starting big boy preschool in 1.5 weeks, it's almost over... Here's a little look at a few of the things that have been keeping us busy this last month.

Visiting Ian at work and checking out the fish passing through the dam.

boating in Crescent Bar with our good friends, the Henrys

Cal + Maddie

a train ride in the park.

Chelan waterslides (I have two very fearless little boys when it comes to the water/waterslides, it's a little scary)

a visit to Grammie & Pa's

Celebrating one of Cal's buddies' b-day's at Smallwoods

playing down at the river (cal has a little stick obsession)

lunching with a lightsaber

sunbathing

bath time fun

loving on our 'first born'

Look who wrote their name all by himself (and very proud of it)

Playing with Stuart (stole this pic from here)

Pack rat.

2011-08-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Cal is very rarely empty handed. In fact, his whole body is usually overflowing with cars, tools or random things he collects thoughout the day. I have to say, he sure is resourceful in hauling his goods.

Big toy, little toy.

2011-08-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

The other day we were out walking and saw this beauty...

And guess who just so happened to be carrying along their road grader. It was pure 3 year old bliss.

1 year pics

2011-08-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

We met up with Mary a couple of weeks ago for a little Bennett 1 year mini session. This is the 7th time she's shot our family and her talent & ability to perfectly capture my kids on camera never ceases to amaze me. Here are some of my faves.

Walking on sunshine.

2011-08-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Another (quick) walking video for your viewing pleasure.

Hunter Camping Extravaganza

2011-08-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we loaded up the car (literally) and off we went to the Oregon Coast for a camping adventure. After our little trial run camping trip in July, we thought why not give a 4-day'er a go. And this time we'd be meeting my folks at Fort Stevens, who have a big trailer (w/ a shower), which made the trip w/ 2 little boys ~~a lifesaver~~ doable. I'm more of a 'let's stay in a hotel' kind of girl, but Ian lives & breathes for camping, so in the name of love I'm all for it.

We couldn't have asked for better weather, and the kids did pretty good. Cal's the best little camper around and B's learning the ropes, aside from it taking a couple nights to get sleeping in a tent down (let's just say, the first night I don't think we made any friends with his 11:30, 1:30, 3:30 & 5:30 wake-ups). Looks like we have a new summer family tradition on our hands.

Little fish.

2011-08-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

The boys finished up there summer swim lessons last week. Cal had a rough first couple classes since momma wasn't in the pool with him this year, but he warmed up to his teacher and loved class by week 2. It's been pretty cool to see his swimming skills really take off over the last month and he ended up having so much fun, that we might just add one more session before the summer is over. And Bennett, I have to do some bragging about this little one. He's such a fish and I swear, has some crazy swimming skills/instincts for a 1 year old. He was such a natural in the water, blowing bubbles, back floating, going underwater, etc. He loved it.

under water he goes

Houston, we have a walker!

2011-07-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

I think it's safe to say, Bennett is officially walking. After a month of taking steps here and there he's walking about 75% of the time & crawling 25%. There's nothing I love more than watching those adorable wobbly little steps, but man, it has me on edge.

My attempt at getting a video of him walking for the last couple of weeks has been a big fail. Between Cal jumping in front of the camera, the Flip battery dying mid-video & Bennett refusing to walk whenever I get the camera out, I've only got a couple less-than great videos. More to come (hopefully)...

A little model in the making.

2011-07-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

The other day Cal told me to get the camera and take his picture. So that's just what I did. I told him to show me some poses and this is what I got (the poses were all him)...Model shoot round 2... A day later he asked me to take some pics of him in his new Coug basketball outfit. I'm thinking the finger point might just be his signature look.

I love my little cheeseball!

Big boy

2011-07-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

We're in milestone mania over here. B's doing all kinds of new tricks - walking, talking, you name it. This kiddos is keeping me on my toes. He's into everything (seriously, everything. Plants, cords, cabinets, stairs, etc.) and he's the quickest little guy with no fear, not a good combo.

He's saying a handful of words: mama, dada, Suz, night-night, duck, fish, no-no and he's repeating all kinds of sounds. And for the big kicker, for the last month B's been taking solo steps here and there but in the last week he's kicked it into high car and a couple days ago took 7 consecutive steps all by himself and yesterday, 10! The funny thing is that he's such a stubborn bugger that's it's all on his terms, we can't stand him up and have him walk to us, he just drops to him knees (so don't expect a video anytime soon ).

Bennett had his 1-year check-up Tuesday, here's how he's measuring up:

weight: 26 lbs. 5 oz (88%)

height: 31 7/8 (93%)

Cal's 1-year stats:

weight: 27 lbs. 12 oz (96%)

height: 33 inches (99%)

my baby @ 5 days old (his first post-birth check-up)

and my babes at B's 1-year check-up

Obviously, teething just a bit (#8 should be popping through anyday)

sweetest little voice.

A nice little (wet) Saturday hike.

2011-07-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

We live in such a great place w/ so many great places to play outside & usually the weather cooperates this time of year. Not so much this last weekend.... We planned to hike Silver Falls on Saturday and ~~a boat load~~ a little rain wasn't about to stop us. We knew rain was in the forecast but we enjoyed blue skies the whole drive up. Then we got there and this happened...The kids were troopers. Cal hiked the whole thing all by himself. It was a really cool, fairly kid-friendly hike and we're looking forward doing it again, rain-free.

After hiking, Lo came over and slumber partied at our house. The kids just adore her and she's such a great helper.

Camping Adventure

2011-07-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

We braved our first camping trip with the boys a couple of weekends ago for Ians' family's annual campout. This year we were at Mineral Springs up on Blewett pass. I was a little worried about the kids sleeping, Bennett getting crazy dirty since he isn't completely walking yet, naps, etc. but it went much better than I expected. Cal's def. his dad's son, he LOVES this kind of stuff.

hiking!

Cal was such a trooper and hiked all by himself uphill, keeping up w/ us, until he ate it.... big time. So I played Sherpa.

And we can't forget, this was the trip that I discovered my new talent in life.

a little bit of everything from the last couple of weeks

2011-07-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

we've been beating the heat with some of this (thank goodness for a fenced backyard)...

fixing holes that our not-supposed-to-play-in-the-house hockey stick makes

an after music camp playdate with Cal's bestie, Avery, and her sis and Logan

lots of cousin time (and stuart time, the rat)

and perfecting our parenting skills.

4th of July

2011-07-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome 4th of July in La Conner at the Hinton's. Nothing better than one of our favorite holidays, great friends and hosts, a beautiful scene & fireworks!

the kids on a crab hunt

Cal & Hailey

this picture pretty much sums up how Cal feels about sparklers

Fire truck ride.

2011-07-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last fall at the fire station open house Cal won a fire truck ride in a raffle. We've been holding onto it for a bit until Cal was a little older and would really enjoy it (and not get overwhelmed) and that time had come, so Cal invited his cousins Gracie & Emmett to join in on the fun when they were in town for Bennett's bday. Firetrucks are one of Cal's greatest loves in life, so being able to ride one was as good as it gets. Of course, he dressed the part and off we went.I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Douglas County fire dept. These guys were so great with the kids and really made this a day to remember.

The route that they took the kids on happened to go through my folks' neighborhood and they even stopped so Cal could show off his ride.

This was a couple of weeks ago and Cal still talks about it like it was yesterday. We were driving by the fire station a couple of days ago and he told me that he's "going back Sunday to ride the brush rig this time." I have to say, as a mom this was a day to remember. There's nothing better than seeing something bring your kid so much joy & happiness.

You can take the girls out of Pullman...

2011-07-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

...but you can't take the Pullman out of the girls. Julie and my sis Amy took on five teams of beer dart players and walked away with a 4-1 record. Not too shabby considering the game involves shot-gunning foamy warm beer. It's amazing what a hit your self esteem takes when you get beat at a drinking game by two mothers.

Suzie is 6!

2011-07-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

So much to blog about, but that will all have to wait cause today is this lady's special day & she deserves a little blog time. Same traditions, just another year: cheeseburger, presents, bday walk & lots of love.

clyde helped w/ the presents

Speaking of Suzie, I don't know what it is (maybe the funny face) but the kids just adore her. When Cal was a baby he couldn't get enough of her and 'suz' was one of his first words, and now B is the same way. He just lights up when she comes around, and following in his brother's foot steps he says 'suz' clear as a bell.

My baby boy is 1!

2011-07-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Bennett turned 1 on July 1 & I can't believe my baby is a year old! The last year has gone wayyy too fast and looking back seems a bit like a blur, a blur of happiness, fulfillment, contentment, fun, laughs, adjustment and learning patience & balance. This & this seemed like just a couple months ago. Hands down, this last year with my 2 boys has been the best of my life. Everything just feels right and Bennett has brought more joy to our lives than we could have ever imagined.

Thanks so much Gina & Jenni for grabbing my camera and taking pics. Without you I'd probably have 3 pics of the party to show forth.

Coming up for air.

2011-07-11T16:01:00.001-07:00

Holy smokes, this summer has been crazy and my poor blog has taken a backseat. Normally the later months of summer seem to be the crazy ones for us but this year June & July have been a whirlwind. Between a week of VBS, Cal's music camp, birthdays (including celebrating the BIG 1), swim lessons, playdates, visitors, a fire truck ride, camping, 4th of July, awesome weather, etc. I have a lot of blog updates coming. So, stay tuned.

And blogger isn't cooperating with our laptop ever since our computer updated with a some Microsoft update (UGH). Anyone else have this problem and know a fix??

What's happening.

2011-06-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

So much to blog about, so little time. Let's see, here's some of our highlights from the week/weekend.

Cal went to vacation bible school last week at St. Paul's & had a blast (& so did I since I had 3 hours of peace with my lil' one every morning). He came home every day and would sing his little head off about Jesus and even told us one night while getting ready for bed that he was going to "snuggle Jesus tonight." We're working on curing some serious mommy-attachment issues before he goes off to big-boy preschool in the fall and while I don't think he's fixed, it was good practice.

last day of VBS

(sorry about the sideways video, I took it on my camera & have no idea how to flip it)

On Saturday, Ian, the kids & I ran in the Mid-C Challenge (a race for employees/families of the 3 local PUDs) and we all came home with trophies. Cal got 1st in his division (stroller division, thanks to Ian) & Bennett got 2nd (thanks to me).

pre-racepost-race obviously, all that running was tiring.Bennett turns 1 in less than a week & we're in full blown celebratory mode. And little mister has been taking a step here and there on his own and I've managed to miss all three occasions. But I guess it's only fair that he does it for his daddy since I get to see all his other tricks all day long. And this trick never gets old, the second he gets upside-down he automatically goes spread eagle. We took in an acting performance by Logan and #1 fan Cal was definitely impressed.

And we finished the weekend with a trip to Lincoln Rock to hang with Lars & the kids.

The last week.

2011-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks things have been so crazy and all my days seem to blend into one (speaking of which I've been making Ian play Mancala w/ me so I can exercise my brain cause I really feel like this stay-at-home-mom thing is taking it's toll on my 'smarts') so here's a mish-mash of the week.

Cal's gymnastics class wrapped up for the summer & his class had their "big show" for friends & family. He was pretty tickled to show off his "tricks" for his fan club.

My sis, Logan & road tripped over to the westside for the Issaquah Highlands garage sale. More on that HERE. I was SOOOO excited to finally go since I missed out last year cause I was about to pop, and it definitely didn't disappoint. I'm already looking forward to next year. This was one of my scores, best $2 I've ever spent... And while us girls were off having fun, Ian got in lots of man time with the boys. Including a trip to the PUD's Lineman Rodeo.Cal wants to be just like daddy so of course he insisted that his apple juice was beer and walked through the park saying how good his beer was.

Cal's been dying for a hockey stick cause his toy hammer just wasn't cutting it, so after laying his eyes on one at a sporting good store and confessing his love for the "red hockey stick' to Ian & I over and over and over to point where we couldn't take it anymore (and telling me "I can't sleep cause I can't stop thinking about it"), we let him count his money, take $17 worth of quarters to the store & buy it. I don't think he's ever loved something as much as he loves this thing. He sleeps with it every night.

We celebrated this awesome dad on Sunday.

And had a BBQ with the fam to celebrate another awesome dad

And this week, Cal's been going to vacation bible school and is loving it (aside from some initial major seperation issues from momma). He's been singing about Jesus non-stop (& talking about how much he love Jesus & God). Love it!

Guess who got a nose job!?

2011-06-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

This little lady (not me)...We chose to have a surgery done that will hopefully "improve her quality of life" and make breathing a little easier (& quieter). Nothing but the best for our little princess. I don't entirely understand the surgery but the purpose was to fix her soft palate so they went in with a laser and removed excess tissue in her nose and in Suz's case, her throat. Now time to tend to my lady and make her recovery as comfortable as possible.

Take aways from today.

2011-06-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

* I'm so grateful for my 2 boys after seeing what's going on now-a-days with 8th grade girls. Yikes. Showing more skin and wearing more makeup than I ever have...

* When you're pregnant, there's nothing more annoying than strangers giving your belly a rub. When you have a baby, there's nothing more annoying than complete strangers kissing your kids & sticking your baby's hand in their mouth (ya, weird).

* I have zero willpower. Cal's kids meal from DQ came with a Dilly bar and I ate it when he was napping (and this isn't the first time this has happened).

* I loved coming home today to find a big Crate & Barrel box on my doorstep. Took my back to my wedding/registry days.

* I am going to be a hot mess if either of my kids ever needs surgery... Leaving Suzie at the vet broke my heart. But, as I was a mess Cal pointed out some flowers in a planting strip and said, "mom, be happy. I got you those flowers (pointing to the flowers on the side of the road).

and to follow my random thoughts from the day, here's a random pic of the boys helping me getting ready (go figure, my hair dryer is now a gun) Look who graducated 8th grade/middle school today!

T Minus 2 weeks...

2011-06-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Countdown is on until Bennett turns 1, and I’m kinda having a hard time with it. I don’t know what it is about the 1 year milestone, but it makes me an emotional mess (same with Cal). It's the reality that my baby will soon be a toddler not a baby, that I don’t get to say his age in months anymore or that everyday they need mama a little less. Also, it probably has a little something to do with this being the fastest year of my life, hands down.

It seems like just yesterday I was hugely prego, dilated to a 4 for weeks thinking little man was going to come any minute, that I was being induced and had the world’s fastest labor since B was beyond ready to make his debut, that I was a little freaked out when it came time to deliver cause there was no dr. around since baby came so fast and it was in the hands of the nurses (fortunately my dr. ran – literally - into the room, work clothes and all and was there to welcome Bennett into the world), that the first words out of my mouth when I saw B were “look at all that hair,” B crying and crying and crying when he was put on my chest and me thinking "crap, what do I do," and then he stopped when it was time for the first bath and didn't make another peep while at the hospital, the immensely grateful feeling that consumed me after B was born for his good health after a bit of a scare when I was prego, our first night together (just me & B) in the hospital since Ian couldn't stay cause I was in a shared room (that’s a whole other story), and bringing baby home and it just feeling right having the two boys under our roof.

Here’s to the last 2 weeks of calling my boy my 11 month old!

dance party in the bath tub!

Giddy up.

2011-06-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

Looky, looky at our fearless 3 year old. As soon as we got to the petting zoo (hosted @ the hardware store this past weekend) Cal had his eye on the prize and was set on riding this big guy. He proudly put his $1 in the jar and didn't look back at us as he hopped aboard and off he went for a ride.

and what a difference turning 3 makes, Cal couldn't get enough of getting his hands on all the animals (he's always loved animals, just used to be a little freaked out to get too close)

such a fun little afternoon, we finished it with a wagon ride led by draft horses & cowboyBennett was feeling a little left out so he couldn't wait to get home and play with a horse on his scale

Like father, like son.

2011-06-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Dudes Camping

2011-06-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

2011 Smith/Hakensen/Hunter Camping Trip had a new member this year...Callahan!

We did everything including eating, drinking, sleeping, and pooping. And that's about all we did now that I think of it.

Roastin mallowsCampJim and his rattlesnake-deterrent hat.

Cal with his big-boy beer and a stick.

Taking care of some business

Powder sugar doughnuts are critical camp supplies.

Summatime (kind of)!

2011-06-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

We embraced this week's summer days with big old open arms & soaked up every last bit of vitamin D our pale bodies could take.

summer = time to fill up Suzie's pool for the first swim of the year

the girl just couldn't wait then poor Suz got the boot We've also had lots of fun park playdates this week after one of our park days Cal had a dentist appt and when I made his appt with this new dentist I mentioned how much he loved the 'smile bugg' so he ate it up when they took his picture w/ it and he even got to sit in it.park + dentist = one VERY tired kiddo and a park day wouldn't be complete without a milkshake from "jocks in the back" (aka jack-in-the-box)

A sign of what's to come.

2011-06-09T21:55:00.001-07:00

1) I'm going to have to start bumping up our grocery budget with these 2 hungry boys... Between Bennett who eats as much as I do & Cal who was on his second breakfast in this pic, they are going to cost me a fortune to feed.2) When I went up to check on Cal tonight (he was supposed to be in bed & asleep), he was instead in bed "texting" (he plays with my old Blackberry). I tell ya, this kid is 3 going on 13...

The only child for the weekend.

2011-06-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

I had a much needed 1:1 weekend with my littlest man (the big boys had their annual man weekend camping) & it was awesome! It's rarely ever just the 2 of us, so it was pretty special to give him 2 days of uninterrupted attention and I'm pretty sure B relished in having his momma all to himself and getting to play with all Cal's toys without the big bully taking them away. And it's crazy how easy taking care of 1 kiddo is vs. 2. Seriously. And since little man sleeps like it's nobody's business I got some nice quiet time to myself. B also got some fun 1:1 time with Lo And then brother came homeand was obviously excited to get his hands on brother More to come on the camping adventure, that's Ian's post. But I will say, the boys had a blast & I'm pretty sure the highlight of fatherhood for Ian thus was to be able to take his boy on 'man weekend,' he's been looking forward to this day since the day we found out we were having a little boy. But here's a little sneak peek of Cal getting ready practicing in his sleeping bag (for some reason blog felt the need to flip it upside down).

My convo w/ Cal today.

2011-06-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Cal's REALLY into birthdays and he loves talking about who's bday is coming up next. Here's a little conversation we had in the car today:

Cal to me: "Benny's bday is next Mom."

Me: "Yep, you're right."

Cal to me: "Benny doesn't get any presents, he's too little. I get presents cause I'm a big boy."

Me: "Bennett does get presents for his bday, he's not too little, but if you ask him nicely he might let you help him open them."

Cal to B: "Hey Benny, can I help you open your birthday presents?"

Bennett: says nothing....

Cal to B: "Come on Benny, say 'yes' Benny."

Bennett: still silent...

Cal to me: "Benny said yes mom, and he says I get all his presents."

11 months.

2011-06-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

Say it ain't so, Bennett is 11 months which means ONE YEAR is just around the corner. I can't believe he's going to be 1 in a short 30 days. Someone please stop the clock. He's my baby & I want him to stay that way for a little longer cause this has been the fastest.year.ever. He also loves, loves, loves his mama (borderline obsessed) & I hope that never changes either.

look at those chompers!

don't mind the messy face (he's the messiest eater, that's another story) & this is the only pic I've been able to get of all his teeth.

A perfect little afternoon.

2011-05-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning it looked like the weather was going to put a damper on our afternoon plans, however the skies cleared and the sun came out, so game on. We picked up Logan from school, met up with Luke at the park, played & then finished our playdate with blizzards.

Happy Thursday

2011-05-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

All day I thought Wednesday was Thursday which means today should have been Friday... but it wasn't. The weeks that Ian works 5 days seem to last forever, however today was a little brighter since we got to spend the afternoon with these two. In 3 hours we did pretty much everything our house has to offer - a walk/skateboard/scooter ride, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, catch, hide & seek, tag, cars, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, games (candyland, cooties, elefun), bike riding, plasma car & more skateboarding. Needless to say, I had 2 very tired kiddos when the cousins left.(yes, I know this bike is way too small... we just haven't graduated to the big boy bike)

The last week or so.

2011-05-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our 5th year of marital bliss!Train ride at a friend's bday party (Cal was in heaven, surprise surprise).Bennett even got to ride the train once (just didn't get a pic of it)

as always, running lots of errands w/ my shopping buddies

someone discovered a new hobby of sneaking off & getting into a plant (& eating the dirt)

we visited our favorite barista after Cal's LAST day of preschool (a Tuesday tradition)spending some quality time with Luke after his track meet and the little bugger getting into even more trouble.

but he's so cute, so I forgive him.having a little brother jam session. and brother bath and of course, garbage day.

Boy's best friend.

2011-05-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the love that Cal has for Clyde & Suzie (& vice versa)... I looked outside the other day and saw this - Suzie is such a good sport.After Cal was done playing with Suz (like 20 minutes later) I looked outside and found her like this. Just chilling.

Looking for a good book?

2011-05-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and my oh my, it's a goody. Talk about inspirational. I don't think I would have picked a "war story" on my own to read, but that's the beauty of a book club, it gets you reading books outside your comfort zone. So, if you're looking for a good book, this TRUE story is a must read. pic from here