Isn't It Funny?

Being Known

2012-01-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

I, like many of you, have made a long and valiant list of new year resolutions. Usually, I am gung-ho for about ten days and then slowly taper off until the beginning of February when I can no longer remember exactly what I resolved to do because I didn't ever actually write them down. This year, however, it is January 12th and I am still compiling my list. I know I know, but better late than never. My list reads something like this:
Lose seven pounds
Stop eating sweets, okay maybe just on the weekends, or how about just homemade sweets Exercise more
Read more, more non-fiction, excluding fashion magazines
Learn to be a better cook, maybe just a healthier cook, how about just cook MORE
Blog more
But, my number one, the one that keeps haunting me is to know my children more, or better, really know them.

I completely failed my daughter this Christmas with my choice of presents for her. Okay maybe that is a little dramatic. I waited until the last minute to shop, like Christmas Eve last minute, and I felt rushed and unprepared. My husband and I decided on a moderate amount of money to spend (in case you were about to set off on a "commercialism of Christmas" rant:)) but, I let myself get caught up in the "toy of the year award" and big plastic toys with lights because it looked "Christmasy". Toys that merited the hard work of Santa's elves and his trip down our tight chimney. Although I listened to my daughter's list for Santa, I'm not sure I paid attention to the types of play she loves or to the characters she pretends to be or how she spends her idle time. I know it is just a gift and she is only three-years-old and there will be many more Christmases but, her lack of joy or surprise or wonder was lacking this year and it made me thoughtful. It's not that I felt guilty or disappointed its that I know what it feels like to be known. To receive a gift or item that I never even realized I wanted or needed and it be a perfect compliment to who I am, who I want to be. I want to give her that. To know her.

I said something out loud in small group a while back that has resonated with me - "It's good to be known." Isn't it? I sometimes ache for my college friends even though we have grown apart and have busy lives filled with children and careers. We grew up together. We lived together. They know me. They love me. That is why it is so hard to make new friends, right? I struggle with having to wait for the day, the moment when I can make fun of a fellow mom for wearing goggles to the swim play date and she laugh because she knows me, knows I am kidding - sort of. The goggles were ridiculous. (Love you Keisha!) I want new friends and new experiences but I ache to be known.

Psalm 46:10 was in my devotional reading the other morning and I wanted to roll my eyes but I read it even though I know it by heart. I read it out loud, listening to the words. Be still and know that I am God. Know that I am God. Know. Know that I am God. Know God. Know God. I heard my words, it's good to be known.

I want to know my children. To hear them. To listen to them. To know how to love them individually. To recognize the gifts God has given them, who he is molding them into and to, by his grace, compliment those things as their mother. I want to be known by them. I want them to see what God has done for me, what he has given me. I ache to know God. To understand that I am known by him. To be able to recognize his gifts, the ones I never asked for, did not know I wanted or needed, to recognize them as the perfect compliment to who I am and the woman I long to be. It's good to be known.

I like big...

2011-11-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

What is the connection between boys and butts? I mean seriously. Grown men slap each other on the behind during professional sports, my husband is mesmerized by Beyonce when she does the butt shake thing and honestly, I can't blame him. I definitely do not think he is ready for that jelly. Old men in my yoga class pass gas audibly and offer no apology. My five-year-old son is no exception, he is obsessed with butts (except we don't say "butt" so it's booty). He loves to talk about tooting and poop and tooting and saying butt. The reality I'm facing is that he is only five and it is all uphill in this department from here. I've never met a middle school boy that wasn't obsessed with farting, have you?

Miles, my son, has recently discovered mooning. Who taught him that you ask? Oh yeah, it was me. Mom of the year has already been inscribed with my name, no worries. Of course, he thinks this practice is hilarious. In fact, a few weeks ago, he pulled down his pants in Fuzzy's Taco in Weatherford, TX to impress the coolest 10-year-old we know. Yes, pulled down his pants, underwear and all (thankfully no skid marks!) in the middle of the restaurant during the crowded lunch hour. What did I do? Oh, I was nursing my baby in the middle of the crowded restaurant and could physically do NOTHING! I narrowed my eyes into daggers, made him sit next to me with his head on the table. I wanted to laugh and kill him all at the same time.

A few days later, we were standing in line at Target and Miles asks why the lady checking our items has such a big booty. Nope, I'm not kidding. She was polite and kind and I was red-faced and choking on words as I swiped my debit card as fast as I could, refused a receipt, sprinted for the door. What is it with butts?!

On Thanksgiving day, Miles and I were in the bathroom together washing our hands and he splashed water on me. I leaned in close to his face and lowered my voice and explained why that was not a good idea. He is looking above my eyes to my forehead and he says, "Mom. Uh Mom. MOM!" I say, "What Miles, you're interrupting me?" He says, "Um..Um..that space between your eyes, um it looks like a butt crack when you talk like that. Sorry I said butt mom. It looks like a booty crack!" Then he runs out the door laughing.

I look in the mirror, trying not to laugh or cry and I realize, he is right. It looks just like a butt crack.

Mother Guilt

2011-08-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by my sister-in-law's recent post on breastfeeding. She is a new mom and the post is very well written about her experience and lack of joy in breastfeeding. She decided to give it up and be a happy mom and therefore have a happy baby. Good decision!! Do what is best for you child, right? But the post is dripping with guilt. The very thing she is trying to talk herself out of, find justification for. I am not judging, I get it. I have guilt all the time, the guilt that only mothers can have.

She writes, "I understand that breastfeeding is the absolute best nutrition you can offer your child. It is a miracle really. That my body can create life juice for another human being is just amazing and obviously something that is natural and how God intended for things to be. So I understand that breastfeeding is best. But what if you were like me....what if you hated every minute of it????"

After my first child, I was confident I would breastfeed. I took the class, watched the video, yada yada. Well, it was hard. Really really hard. And painful (don't get me started on the correct latch business). After about one week, I wanted to quit. I was tired and stressed about knowing if he was getting enough. BUT, the alternative was formula and we couldn't afford it. We were already at a two hundred dollar deficit every month and I knew if I wanted to use formula I would have to apply for WIC to get it. I just could not bring myself to fill out the paper work. I was too prideful. So, I made myself breastfeed. I worked everyday to figure it out and most days I cried. By the time Miles (my son) was three months old, I had the hang of it. Yes, it was still hard, still awkward, still binding, but I was committed. By the time Miles was five months old, I was skinny. Like twenty pounds smaller than when I found out I was pregnant. My doctor told me it was the breastfeeding, it can often do that to women. I was hooked. I loved being skinny. So, I breastfed my son until he was 11 months old. Was I sad the day he weaned? Sort of, I also felt free. Pride made me breastfeed and vanity kept me going. Is that what "God intended"? Probably not.

My point is that every mom has mother guilt, of some kind. Just this morning, my children were standing up in the cart at Wal-Mart, eating a nasty donut, I think Lucy had taken her shoes off, Miles had a snotty nose that he was wiping on the cart, one of them started crying, and I started yelling and threatening to spank with the kitchen spoon. Does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend any of these things? No, but I have to get groceries!

Last week, I found Lucy (my middle child) asleep on the kitchen floor next to her glass of milk. I had not had time to put her down for a nap yet. Looking at the milk reminded me that she probably had not had enough for the day and oh, fruits and vegetables, how can I fit it all in? If I let it, the guilt will eat me up. I will be paralyzed by standards that are told to me by "experts." Is breastfeeding best, sure. Is it natural or easy? No. Is giving your kids 9 fruits and vegetables a day best? Yes. Is there any way I can realistically make that happen?(Juice Plus people, I've tried it!) No. I do my best, continually strive to do better, beg for grace.

These are small issues, but let's not kid ourselves, it is the big ones that keep us up at night blogging. These are the seeds that sprout the life sucking mother guilt that we may never escape. Questions such as, do my children know I love them? Will they remember the time I left them in their bed crying because I couldn't handle it? Will they know that God loves them and choose to love him back? Will they learn to love people or only learn how to yell at them while driving? Am I teaching them to love their neighbor? Are they learning to make good decisions on their own or are they just afraid of my kitchen spoon? Do my fits of yelling or my spankings create deep seeded anxiety that will one day shape or alter their personality? Will they evolve into fine men and women someday? I could go on...

I know a mom who just buried her 30-year-old son. He died of a drug over dose, alone in his Ft. Worth apartment. He had money, a loving family, two sisters. He was given a good education, the best rehab experiences in the country, but couldn't kick his habit. He was thirty, a man, responsible for his own life decisions, but I can not imagine the guilt that haunts his mother.

Being a mother is anything but easy. It is often lonely (a person only has one mother after all) and I would wager it is the most challenging thing a woman ever does. But the rewards, both earthly and heavenly are intense. Tough, scary football linemen cry on national television when saying hi to their mom (not typically their dad). As mothers we have the opportunity to instill values, create traditions, pray fervently, offer encouragement, and introduce our children to the one true creator. This is big stuff and naturally creates big doubt about ourselves and the job we are doing with our little people.

So don't judge yourself. You are a good mom for caring so much and striving for the "best" to offer your child. You are unique and beautiful and exactly what your child needs because God knit him or her in YOUR womb. Yes, I am talking to myself.

Remember that people when you see me in Target with my hair tangled, eyes crazy, and my kitchen spoon hanging out of my purse so my crazy kids can fear it.

2010-07-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

*Warning: this is an OLD summer post and mostly for my benefit to have recorded.*

Okay, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

May = a CRAZY month for the Hunt household! Lucy turned 2 on May 5th, Miles's Spring program at "school" was on the 6th, I turned 31 on the 7th, John graduated on the 8th and Mother's Day was on the 9th. Whew. I forgot how busy that week was! John won the Hemphill Award (the top graduate in the whole damn school award):) I am so proud! He has taken the long road for his Master's BUT, in his defense, during those 7 years he has had a more than a full-time job, two children, a crazy wife :), presented a paper at a bible association conference (I don't really know but its a good thing) and maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. Wow, I am impressed more and more with him.

Lucy turned 2 and I didn't think she could get much sassier, but I was wrong. In her words, "I twooooooo". She is the funniest child I have come in contact with yet. She hides food in her pockets (so gross and often surprising), she is potty training herself, she loves her babies with passion, she is addicted to her paci and I even caught her climbing into her crib to get one last lick off the thing before breakfast. She kills me. Don't worry, we moved her to a big girl bed and she "wuv's her big girl bed!" She also has started saying, "Sank you so much mommy." Funny girl. She has a natural sense of humor that is really challenging to me when it is time to get in trouble. She will put her napkin over her face and reach out her arms and growl and say, "you scared mommy?" Her favorite outfit: a diaper, Fancy Nancy heels, head lamp around her neck on the "flashing" setting and her purple sunglasses - wow, it's a sight! :)

Miles is 3 (I often can't believe I have a 2 year old and a 3 year old!) and is becoming more and more mature. The horrible 3's are fading and I love how much he has grown up this summer. He is obsessed with numbers lately and uses them as adjectives and nouns and it is cracking me up.
A typical conversation for us:
"Mom, I think this truck is like 38."
"Like 38 dollars?"
"No mom, it's like got 42 and stuff around the side, you know?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah, that's what it is, like 38 with 42 around side."
"Oh, well that sounds neat."

Yeah, I'm usually confused too.:)

In June my dear, sweet, slightly crazy mother hosted "Nana's Camp" for ten of her grandchildren. My sister's and I got to help out and it was FUN! Miles got to participate this year and even spend the night with his cousins. It was part of his reward for potty training completely. That's right, he just completely potty trained in May - a year in the making!!! He simply decided one day that the potty was cool and that was that. He doesn't sleep in a pull-up and he has only had one accident since the day he decided. Why oh why did I spend all that energy and prayer over it? Live and learn. :) Anyways, during Nana's Camp, my mom took all of the kids to see Karate Kid and Miles has been karate chopping everything ever since. That movie was definitely not age appropriate for him, but a little cousin peer pressure and I was sunk.:) He will bow, then pull out his blade hands and then you are toast! :) Ha! I caught him bowing to a poor, innocent, slightly weaker child in the Chick-fil-A play area and went running because I knew that kid had no idea what was about to come his way! Luckily, I caught Miles's karate chop mid-air and no harm was done. We now only play Karate Kid at home and only if the other person is willing to defend themselves. :)

The rest of the summer had been busy and full of play dates and flimsy back yard pools and hours running through the octopus sprinkler and popsicles and dollar movies at the theatre and story time at the library and birthday parties and weddings and too many sonic drinks to count. This has been one of my favorite summers because the kids are a little older and at a really fun age. I love all the stages, but it has just been a little easier this summer than last summer.

We only have about a month left and then school begins and life gets really busy. But, new things are on the horizon for us and that is always exciting. More details to come.

2009-11-08T18:40:00.001-08:00

At our house, we are learning (always learning!) about things we can say and things we can not say. This has been interesting and funny to say the least.

Miles came up to me after I got off the phone with my dear sister Sara and said,
"Do we say shut-up?"
"No, we don't say that. Where did you hear that?"
"Oh, when you were talking on the phone to Sara."

I thought to myself, did I say shut-up? Who knows, maybe I did. Sara and I talk about a lot of things and you just never know. :)

"Miles I'm sorry I said that on the phone to aunt Sara and I will try to be more careful."
"Okay, try not to do it." (Love that kid!)

Hours later, we were sitting at a stop light and I was also texting while the light was red (go ahead and judge me, I should not do it). Apparently, in the mean time the light turned green and people were waiting on me. The man behind me honked and I looked up and started to go. I guess I was not going fast enough and the light was turning yellow and the man behind me starts honking without ceasing.
So I yell, "Shut-up, I'm going!"
"Um, mommy. Do we say shut-up?"
"Yes Miles, we do! I mean, no! I mean, sometimes mommy does! But, no she shouldn't. I'm sorry Miles."
"Mommy. Do you need to go to time-out this time?"
"No Miles, I will try not to do it again."
"Mommy. You need a time-out to 'member not to do it."

Maybe he is right.

So, I pulled over in the parking lot of a gas station and sat for three minutes. Miles was totally laughing and telling me what a good job I was doing and Lucy immediately started bawling. Okay. Time-out over, point made. No more shut-ups for anybody.

Four hours later, I went to the Kids Zone at the health club to drop off my crazy kids while I taught my class. One of the sweet workers, Ashlee, told me she is having her baby Thursday. I didn't realize it was so soon and I say,
"This Thursday! Shut-up! That is awesome! How exciting!"

I knew it.

I closed my eyes and waited...

"Mommy. Do we say shut-up?"
"Well Miles, I didn't mean it in a bad or unkind way. I was excited for Ashlee because she is having her baby soon."
"Mommy. We don't say shut-up. You need a time-out."
"Miles, I did not mean it in a bad way."
"Can I say shut-up?"
"Well, no..."

So, what else could a mom do but take her place on the naughty mat in the middle of the Kids Zone at her place of employment for saying shut-up three times in one day?

Wow.

2009-09-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

For the past year, I have been trying to keep hours at the health club as a Pilates trainer and teach group exercise classes and, somehow, not put my children in any type of formal daycare. As the days and weeks wore on, I caved. I could not live up to the goals of the health club and my expectations at home, not to mention scrambling for free child care when my allowed hours at the kids zone at the club were expired. Thus brought the crossroad - put the kids in daycare and work a little more full-time so the money exchange was worth it - or - quit Pilates and enjoy every single minute with my crazy kids until they go to school. Pilates claimed time, sweat, tears of frustration and precious moments away from my family beginning when my daughter was only 5 weeks old. For what? To quit when the going got tough? I have invested over a year of training, practicing, studying, and being away from home to find this outlet in my life that might help our family financially and serve as a way to challenge my mind.

Truth is, I love to work. I love to make money. I always have. I enjoy the challenge and the camaraderie of the workplace and I love to see the money get deposited into my account. I can't help it.

Then, there are my clients. My sweet ladies who trust me with their insecurities. Who show up and I know they are worried that they don't have on the right garment or that they are too heavy or too out of shape to merit hiring a Pilates trainer, of all things. I took that seriously and personally. I was once like them, vulnerable, yet determined to change the status quo of my body and health. I love seeing the struggle and sheer surprise when something is hard, yet they are able to succeed. When my 54-year-old client can pull her overweight torso in to a teaser on the Cadillac, I clap, I can't help myself. I remember the first day I ran for twenty minutes on the treadmill without stopping. I thought I was an athlete. Somebody give me a uniform and put me in the game - I was so confident! With in a year, my fitness trainer talked me into running a full marathon. 5 hours and 26.2 miles later, I laid down and wept at what my body could do, what strength God had revealed to me. My trainer was right, one more squat never killed me, it made me stronger. Not my body, one more squat did little for my legs, but for my mind. Pushing through made me confident. It made me unstoppable and unafraid to push myself beyond my perceived limits.

I have, however, decided to put Pilates on hold until my children are older. I do not want to regret missing this time and experience in their lives that will be gone before I can blink. I want to try my hand at this crazy and impossible job because it has always been a life dream. So here I am, in the throws of "stay-at-home" mom world and I am overwhelmed at the task at hand. My kids are spirited and dynamic and high maintenance and I love every single cell of their bodies, BUT - this is HARD. I am tired. And (like all moms) I need a break. I often look longingly at the list of daycare facilities that lies next to my computer so, I am pretending that I am in training again. Although it is hard, frustrating, seemingly impossible with few results thus far, I must push on. I must break free from my perceived limits and find my unstoppable attitude. One more squat...one more diaper change, one more disastrous trip to Target, one more load of laundry, one more time-out, one more Lego tower, one more pillow fort... I have to trust the pay off will be greater than I can imagine. I am praying for the day when I can lay down and weep at what I was able to do.

Kick me while I'm down, why don't ya!

2009-07-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my yearly check-up with the ob/gyn. It was at 10:15 in the morning and don't think that I didn't seriously consider slipping some vodka into my orange juice before I went. I get really nervous at the doctor's office, I don't know why either. I have passed out twice before an annual pap smear. TWICE. I know, I'm ridiculous, but take it or leave it. :) In fact, the second time I passed out, the women's nurse practitioner put me on zoloft. She said, "You got some anxiety issues girl." It's funny though, if you know me, I appear laid back and I even feel laid back in most instances. Ah, well - whatever. So, today I prepared before hand. I spent quality time shaving my legs and painting my toenails and what not and I even wrote down my questions on a piece of paper so I wouldn't forget to ask them. This is good, right? I am five minutes early and did not even sweat during the paper work. I am an adult, I am in control. I am a woman, a mom, a professional, I am in control. He delivered my children, for crying out loud, I am in control. My name is called and I am led back to the blood pressure/weigh in section of the office. BP is good and weight, no too bad (I starved all morning anticipating the weigh in). Then I get back to the room and wait, and wait, and wait. Why do they do that? Could I at least stay in the waiting room where there is a better selection of magazines and everything is not so... white? My doctor comes in to the room and shakes my hand - yeah, I totally start sweating. He had just gotten in from a c-section and was a little frazzled as well. He kept asking me about my birth control plans and yet kept referring to my thyroid medicine. I asked, "Can my thyroid medicine prevent me from getting pregnant?" He laughed, what? Yeah, was he confused or was I already losing it? AHH!! Needless to say, I never got to ask my questions that I spent time printing legibly on paper. Oh, well, maybe after the exam. :) So, he leaves, I strip and put on that ridiculously over-sized gown and wait. And wait a little longer. Do they even have the air conditioning on in this place?!!!!! He comes in with the nurse and the tray, and explains to me how to properly perform a breast exam on my self and then has me lay down and shows me. All is normal. HOWEVER, as he is doing this, he explains that I actually may have some cysts, or maybe it was just that there is very little tissue there so he can feel more. WHAT!!!!! ARE KIDDING ME? Did you just medically say that my boobs are small? Everything is getting dark...and narrow...

He was perfectly professional and didn't move one facial muscle as he is explaining all of this to me in a perfectly medical way. But - HE JUST SAID I HAD SMALL BOOBS! I know alright! You try having A cups to begin with, then have two kids back-to-back and breastfeed for like 7 years (only two, but still) and see how your boobs look. The sweat is pouring and I still have the exam part to go. I closed my eyes and tried to talk about summer vacation plans and the latest lunge track in Body Pump and he says, "Are you okay?" I nervously laugh, "I think I have dust in my eyes, its better to close them." He politely laughs.

Ahh, it was finally over and he left so I could get dressed. Okay, I never passed out and it was over, whew! I got dressed as fast as I could and waited for him to return. Thankfully, he got called to a delivery and I was left with the nurse. I grabbed my purse and ran to the check out. "Did I want to make my appointment in advance for next year?" NOOOOOO!!!!!!!

If you can't cry, you laugh.

2009-06-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

We are potty training at my house. I mean, sort of. I know people say you should do it in one day and what not, but I think we prefer the marathon style. You know, drag it out for as long as possible, a few tears, some fits of rage, maybe some blood shed, a few stops to stretch, and LOTS of mental strength. In training, we are learning the difference between "tooting" and "pooping" and "teeteeing". Fun times. I have tried to incorporate the number system, Number 1 and Number 2 - but it's just so confusing to Miles. Poor guy, it's a lot of information. The guy just learned to count to 10 on his fingers and now this.

Anyways, we were in the check out line at Target not too long ago, and the lady in front of us passed gas. First of all, yuck. She couldn't hold it? Second of all, Miles was totally impressed.

He said, rather loudly, "Oh, you pooped. Mommy she pooped. Do we need to change it? Maybe she teeteed."

I said, "Shhhh," making my eyes bug out. Then, I tried not to laugh. "Miles, check out this cool gum. Oh look, M&Ms! Do you want to eat some, put them in your mouth?"

"Mommy, she need change it. She pooped."

I whispered forcefully, "Miles, shhhh, she simply tooted. Do you remember how we talked about that?"

"OHHHH, excuse me! Excuse me, I tooted!!" He was laughing hysterically. "I tooted!!"

Now, I am laughing - quietly. I couldn't help it. The lady never turned around and I did buy Miles a sucker and stuck it in his mouth.

Adventures in Bath Time

2009-05-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

Bath time at my house is like the ice cream truck driving down the street. Miles starts running around like crazy and collecting all of the toys he would like to bring into the tub with him and Lucy tries to dive head first anytime she sees or hears the water running. It is a total party for them. I have started bathing them together now that she is older and they love the company. Lucy splashes like a champ and it makes Miles laugh so hard. Plus, it saves me a little time. So, the other night, when I was getting them ready to get into the bath tub, I took all of Miles's clothes off and his diaper off. Then I took Lucy's clothes and diaper off and set her in the tub. I tried to get Miles in the tub and I noticed that he was peeing on the bath mat. Ugh! So I say, "No, no, let's tee tee in the potty!" He ran over to it but did not stop peeing so there was a nice trail to the potty where he got about three drops in the bowl. Then, he was dancing around yelling, "I tee tee in the potty! Wahoo!! Look mama, I tee tee in the potty!" So, I joined in and danced around being careful not to step in the tee tee trail before I could clean it up. The whole time I was keeping my eye on Lucy who was splashing away in the tub, then I noticed that she stopped. I looked up and she was pooping in the tub! Ugh!!! This is her favorite thing to do and I am so frustrated about it! At first it was cute, now - not so much. As I stepped over the tee tee trail to get Lucy out of the poop filled water I thought (all at once) of how I was going to have to fish out the poop and put it in the toilet, then clean the tub AGAIN and mop the floor and wash the bath mat and clean Miles's potty and give them another bath - No one tells you about this! :)

Hunt family fun-cation!

2009-04-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a little trip to Grapevine for "A Day Out with Thomas" (the train). Miles is crazy about Thomas, excuse me, Tommy. They're good friends. We decided to make a little family "fun-cation" out of it since we didn't do much for Spring Break. Of course we signed up late so the only train ride left was the one leaving at 9:00 am on Saturday morning. We took a deep breath and decided, okay, we can do it. So, we signed up, paid the money, etc. Low and behold, Saturday morning it was 30 degrees, windchill of 26. Wow. No refunds, no exchanges or rain checks. What can you but laugh and pull out your snow gear? But, I have to say, the four of us had a really great time. Don't get me wrong, the train ride was a total rip off considering that we stood in line for an hour and then went up the track for about 12-15 minutes passing the lovely waste plant and what I am pretty sure looked like a homeless people compound and then headed back the other way to the station. John and I were laughing at how ridiculous the scenery was and at how Miles was loving every minute of it. They had a silly conductor come out and punch our tickets and do a little dance to the music that came over the loud speaker and he gave high fives. Then at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad station there were all kinds of activities for the kids and tons of train tables set up where they could play and food stands and an outdoor stage where there was live entertainment (we totally skipped that in the 30 degree weather). It was fun. We had no real agenda except to get on the Tommy train at 9:00. We decided to eat at the Rainforest Cafe the night before and do a little shopping at Grapevine Mills. Then, after the Thomas festival we headed to the Galleria to meet my younger brother and his family and do a little more shopping. Then, we all headed to Arlington to my sister Sara's house for a little pizza party. It was so fun to see my siblings and their family on our way through. So, here are some pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

Here we are at the Rainforest Cafe the night before Thomas Day.

Morning of Thomas Day, 8:00 am.

Miles made some friends on the train ride.

The "really BIG Tommy train" as Miles would say.

My boys!

I WIN!

2009-03-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

My sister, Sara, and I often call each other and say, "I win." This means that that person's day has been the hardest and we get to feel sorry for each other and this gives that person the right to vent or cry or laugh or whatever. Today, I win.

Yesterday evening I started to feel a little sick to my stomach. Nothing big, just figured I should sip a sprite and then maybe try to eat something. I often loose track of when I have last eaten, I know that is sad. So, I take a few bites of my black bean burrito (why in the heck did I think that was a good idea?) and decided I better not. I put the kids to bed and clean the kitchen and sit down at the computer. Let me note that John is on spring break mission trip and that my mom had back surgery and is in a brace and can not lift more than five pounds, so I am alone with the kids. Then, my stomach really starts to hurt and I am feeling nauseous and I think, "NO! I just had the stomach bug last week! God, I am sorry for whatever I did." Sure enough, two minutes later the mayhem begins. I spend the rest of the night hovered over the toilet. I did have to stop and be thankful that neither child was up and that I could be alone during all of this. Once when Miles was little and I was pregnant and John was gone, I got the stomach bug and Miles clapped every time I threw up - It was awful. Anyways, I text John at 5:30 in the morning when the throwing up had subsided and told him to come home. Thankfully, the BSM trip is Mission Abilene this year, so he was willing to help out. He comes home and gets the kids dressed and takes them with him to breakfast with all the mission trippers. I try to rest and then take a shower. I thought I was feeling better, but oh no, now the d-word begins. Are you kidding me? Surely there is nothing left. John drops the kids back off and I am trying to pull myself together. Lucy takes a morning nap and Miles is running around hyper b/c he had doughnuts for breakfast. He wakes Lucy up. :) I am cranky because I am so nauseous and the cramping is getting really bad. I change two dirty diapers and run to the bath room to barf in between. I say, "oh shit." Miles says, "oh shit." Ugh! I have got to pull myself together! Then it is time to make lunch. Don't worry, I have been washing hands like crazy! Miles does not want the grilled cheese sandwich I have made for him, of course, but I am not making anything else because I am too sick and I am sort of waiting for his throwing up to begin at any moment. Lucy, on the other hand, eats a whole banana, cheese, whole wheat toast, green beans, whatever she can get her hands on! I run to the bathroom at least twice during lunch and actually throw up during the clean up. UGH! After lunch its nap time but I know that it is going to be brutal. I was right. Neither child will go to sleep and I am on the verge of breaking down so I put them both in Miles's room to play trains and I lay down on his bed. Surely my stomach will calm down soon. Miles is getting rough and Lucy keeps crying and I think, "I'll just drive them around until they fall asleep or until I can get a hold of my self and not hurt them." :) I do and it works, sort of. I get really car sick and way too sleepy and the minute we get home Miles wakes up. Lucy, thankfully, stays asleep. So, I call my sister crying and she says to put on a movie and let Miles chill and for me to lay down. So I do and it helps. Then Lucy is up and needs a bottle and Miles needs a snack and I totally have to throw up again. John shows up and takes Miles to dinner with him and I kept Lucy. Great plan. More cooking of food and more d-word for me. I can't stop the nausea. Lucy eats well and plays well and takes a great bath. Then, I see her stop splashing and start grunting. Are you kidding me?!! Not today! Yep, she totally POOPS IN THE TUB! I run to the toilet and dry heave and cry. :) Okay, I can do this. I of course clean up Lucy and the tub, etc. Then Miles is home and needs a bath (I made it really quick) and I finally get them both to bed. I am still feeling a little nauseous but feel like the worst is over. No signs of sickness from the kids so I am thankful. Seriously, how does this stuff happen when I am alone!

2009-02-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

I realize that I usually just rant and rave about the ills of daily life with a 2yr. old and a 9 month old, but last night I was so overwhelmed by what a blessing they are to me. I don't really even know why I was having these thoughts, its not like either one of them ate their dinner or that they didn't make a HUGE mess of the living room, or that Lucy didn't eat something mysterious off the kitchen floor, or have exorcist-like diarrhea (probably from the mysterious thing she ate), or that I didn't give Miles at least 3 time outs in like five minutes and did I mention that they both have runny noses and (I'm pretty sure) ear infections? :) In the midst of daily routine I have been overwhelmed by these two people in my life.

Miles can make me laugh like no other human being on earth. From the minute he wakes up, he is in a good mood. It is a trait that sometimes drives me crazy, but that mostly I enjoy and look forward to. His hair is usually a wreck and, often times, is standing on end. He loves to make things "crash!!" Cars, trains, spoons, books, pillows, towers of blocks, all can crash and one must yell, "crash!" as it is happening. He loves to give cheers - cheers with juice cups, with ears of corn, with toothbrushes, it doesn't really matter. :) If Miles knocks something down accidentally or does something he genuinely didn't mean to do, he almost always says, "Sorwy." (Sorry) It's really cute. Lately he has been saying, "I'm so sorry about that." Ugh, that kid is so great. He always wants me to "come ON" when he wants to play trains and he waves his hand at me. Oh, and speaking of trains, he calls Thomas the Train - Tommy. Like they were old friends or something. It cracks me up. He can say the full name, but has somehow decided to call him Tommy - I love it! Miles calls John's car, a Volkswagen Jetta, the race car. He usually explains to me in the mornings that daddy had to go to work in the race car. So cute! We have an old car seat in John's car and when it is just the two of them, Miles gets to ride in the "race car." This is usually very exciting to him. Everyday, nearly, Miles asks to go to the park. Let me correct that, he says he needs to go to the park. Just about everyday. :) He loves silliness and to tickle and wrestle and everything "boy" that there is - he loves. He loves to make friends and is usually the life of the party. Miles is not afraid to jump into a crowd of older kids at the park and start playing. I think he thinks he is way older than he really is. :) He can walk up to a group of HSU football players and say, "Hey guys!" without one fear in the world. (that happened!) Miles is also really sweet and kind. He is so gentle with Lucy when he is not feeding her rocks! And when we are alone, he hugs me and whispers in bed, "I wud you mama." I always cry. I love that boy more than I know what to do with sometimes.

And, of course, I have my princess Lucy. She sort of likes things the ways she likes them. She likes her bottle on the warm side and will NOT drink it if it is anything less. She makes me laugh! She loves her bed, she loves to stretch out and scratch at the flowers on her sheets, she feels very safe in there. She gives the best hugs when I get her up from her naps. I live for those hugs some days. She is really, really ticklish and John gets her all the time. She loves it! Not to mention she has the cutest belly laugh of all time. Lucy is attached to my hip most of the time, but when she is not, she is sort of a daredevil. She loves to sit on John's shoulders and let him bounce her around. She loves the wind blowing through her hair, she loves to put her arms up when riding in the front of the grocery cart and she LOVES the swings at the park! She also loves to take baths. I think it is her favorite time of the day. She will splash and splash and clap and she always cries really hard when I get her out, it is sort of sad. She has started scrunching her nose when she laughs and it is seriously the cutest thing you have ever seen. She LOVES Miles. She watches everything he does and claps for him and laughs at him. Lucy will cry and sort of yell if you take something away from her that she was playing with or wanted. She also cries if other kids crawl up next to her while she is playing on the floor, like at church or other play groups - it is funny! She will nuzzle her head under your chin and it is so sweet. That girl cries almost every time I leave her sight and while sometimes it is very wearing on me, on the other hand it is good to feel needed. I know this time will come to an end quicker than I can believe so I am trying to enjoy every single second of it!

Here are some pictures of Miles's latest creative idea: pushing Lucy around in the laundry basket. Lucy actually loves it and it makes me laugh pretty hard too.

Miles has started wearing John's shoes around the house all the time.

A Month of Sickness

2009-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

This has been such a long month of sickness for us at the Hunt house. If you have kids, I am sure your story is a much the same. I took both kids to the doctor in January and they both had an ear infection. Miles in the right ear, Lucy in the left. How cute of them. :) Two weeks later, I took Lucy back in and she still had an infection in the left ear and the other was also infected now. Ugh! Then, 10 days later I take her back in and she still has a double ear infection and also developed bronchitis. Are you kidding me? They gave her the last anti-biotic she can have because she is so little and after that, shots. Yuck. Then, 7 days after I took Lucy in, I took Miles back in and he had a double ear infection. UGH!!! I asked the pediatrician's office if they just wanted my bank account information so they could directly draft all of our money. I figured it would be faster that way. :) So, anyways, we are just now antibiotic free and HOPEFULLY ear infection free at my house. The doctor and nurses suggested that we keep them out of any day care, play place, nursery, church pre-school type settings so they could get well quicker. They do not go to much of that anyway, but it has made it a long month at home. It has also been fun to try and be really creative and come up with different activities to do at home. Miles has become quite the cook and has really enjoyed helping me make things. I love watching him get so proud of himself. We have also been drawing and coloring and painting and making play-dough and building forts until even that is getting sort of boring. Miles wakes up everyday and says, "I need to go to park." He even told Dr. Wiley that. Dr. Wiley said, "I know buddy, I know."

So, here are a few pictures of the kids for Valentine's Day. I intended to take their picture and send out V-day cards since I never made it happen at Christmas, but you can see below how well that worked out. :)

it's been awhile

2009-01-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I know it has been a few months since I posted last and I would like to say that I forgot or haven't had time or something common like that, but the truth is I have three drafts that I just can't put out there, you know? I have experienced and seen a few things that I can't quite process and in the mean time, little life things have not seemed that funny. Little things have seemed really big and hard. Good news is, I think I am finally snapping out of it and turning a corner. So here is the latest at the Hunt house...

Miles fed Lucy rocks. That's right, there is an "s" at the end of rock. Here is how it went down. We get out of the car and walk up the drive way to our house. I prop the glass door open with my back and fumble around in my purse for my keys while Lucy is safely buckled in to her carrier and Miles is ... well, doing something right behind me. I was keeping only one eye on him and the other on my purse. I get the door unlocked and set Lucy on the floor, still in her carrier, and Miles helps me shut the door behind me. I run into the bathroom (I just couldn't hold it anymore!), do my business, then wash my hands as I sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" in my head. I heard that is how long one should actually wash their hand for it kill germs so now I HAVE to do that. I walked into the living room and Miles is sitting in front of Lucy and he looks at me and says, "She eating rocks." I laugh and say, "Oh, really?" Thinking he is pretending, I wasn't in any hurry to address the situation. I take his coat off and Lucy's shoes off and then I hear her choke a little and I look over and SHE IS EATING ROCKS!!

I pulled two out of her mouth and grabbed two out of Miles's hands and then started bawling. I pulled Lucy out of the carrier and beat on her back a little (gently) and sent Miles to time-out so I could think. She wasn't crying or choking and his hands are little - two in Lucy's mouth, two in his hand - how many more could there have been, right? I am thinking how I can NOT call the pediatrician's office one more time because the day before, Monday, the kids had to go in for ear infections. Tuesday morning, I spilled the entire bottle of Miles's antibiotics and needed more, then Tuesday afternoon - the rocks. My sister convinces me that she probably could not have swallowed a rock, she hardly eats more than baby food and puffs and not to worry. Wednesday morning, I find a rock BIGGER THAN MY THUMBNAIL in Lucy's diaper. And it was rough and a little sharp. Are you kidding me?!!! Poor girl!!! Anyways, I call the nurse and she said as long as it came out without any blood, all is well. That is what I thought, but I had to make sure. Thursday afternoon, Lucy develops a cough. It gets worse and keeps her up all night Friday night. On Saturday, I take her back in to get her ears rechecked and have them check on her cough. The doctor says, her ears are still bad, but I don't why she developed a cough. I start crying, "please tell me there are no more rocks!" She laughed - really hard. No, there were no more rocks. Just phlegm.

Here are some pictures of the crazy kids!

Miles and his beloved Uncle Dave at Dave's graduation.

They love each other so much!

Miles woke up with that hair one day. I couldn't stop laughing!

Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart

2008-12-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

So, Wednesday night at 12:30, I guess technically that is morning - the night before Thanksgiving, the day after my crazy Tuesday - and I go to Wal-Mart because my daughter is screaming. I'm not really sure why she was screaming, but she did not want to eat and she did not want to rock, so in my brain fog I thought I should go to Wal-Mart to get SOMETHING to make her stop. Mylicon, Tylenol, Benedryl, Vodka.... SOMETHING!!! Just kidding about the last two. I went in my pajamas, but they are black and I put on a sweatshirt, so you really couldn't tell they were pajamas, just so you know. My hair was crazy, half in a ponytail, half not. My eyes were red and barely open and the lights in Wal-Mart were so bright and offensive. There were boxes everywhere and lots and lots of people. What was everyone doing?!!! You could be asleep! So, on my way to the baby section I got caught behind these two girls that could not have been more than 16 or 17 years old. They saw the baby stuff and one of them says, "Aw, I want a baby. I need to have a baby." The other one replies, "Yeah, it woulda been cool if I'da been pregnant cause me and Salesha's baby woulda been born just one day apart." The other one says, "Awww!!" I stopped, I tried to open my bloodshot eyes a little further and I said, "Seriously. You want a baby." They turned around sort of slowly and I thought to myself, "Did I just say that out loud? Or are they turning around out of coincidence?" They were staring so I guessed that I had said it all out loud and in a moment, I decided to keep going. "You know you get really big when you're pregnant right? And then you actually have to physically push that baby out of your body and then you have to, you know, feed it and change its diaper and its clothes and it can't talk and it just cries and cries and cries right? I mean, I haven't slept in days and I haven't eaten in what seems like longer and I'm at freakin' Wal-Mart on Thanksgiving Eve to get WHATEVER it takes to help my baby girl out. Plus, I have a husband and I get to be a full-time mom, not a high school student. Look at me! Go home, go to bed!"

Wow. They were looking alright. They didn't laugh. I think they thought I was drunk and I am pretty sure the smaller one was looking around for a Wal-Mart worker or security or something. They quickly walked toward electronics and glanced back only once in my direction. I looked around and gathered a few things like diapers and pacifiers and socks, mylicon, tylenol, some organic baby food, I don't know, whatever, throw it in the basket.

I headed towards the checkout lines and tried to keep an eye out for those girls because I was embarrassed and didn't want to get stuck next to them or behind them in line. I chose one of the three lines that were open. Yep, just three. There were seriously hundreds of people shopping and only three open lines? How long had I been in this god forsaken place? Anyways, the lady in line in front of me had two baskets full of stuff, of course. She had a turkey and a pan to cook the turkey in and dressing that comes in a bag and lots and lots of rolls and a ham and a blow up snowman thing to put in the front yard and a couple of pie plates and lots of canned pumpkin and she just kept unloading her baskets on to the conveyor belt. I kept thinking, "Sheesh lady! You are barely going to get home in time to put all of this stuff in the oven before Thanksgiving is over!" The people in front of her finally got finished checking out and the crazy lady caught a glimpse of me out of the corner of her eye and she stopped. She walked over to me and grabbed my arm, she said sort of softly, "You go ahead hun. You look a little tired and this might take a while." I said, "No, that's ... really? Thanks! I'm sort of in a hurry." She winked and grabbed a coke out of the cooler by the checkout. I just laughed. I must have looked really bad and I obviously could not hide my amazement and disgust at the likes of Wal-Mart on the eve of a major holiday. The crazies think I'm crazy! But then again, I was at Wal-Mart at 1:00 in the morning and I looked scary and I just yelled at some poor high school girls and I was getting a little panicky in the checkout line. I had to take a look around on my way out, these were my people now.

Merry Freakin' Christmas Cards

2008-11-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

I never sent out a birth announcement when Lucy was born mainly because time slipped away. So, I had a great idea to get our family pictures taken and order Christmas cards and all that good stuff. So, a few weeks ago we attempted a photo shoot with a very talented and fun photographer, Hannah Vickers, hannahvickersphotography.com. The kids got new clothes and we all dressed alike, sort of. She took us to this place at ACU that has these cool rocks with scripture etched into them and a little fountain, very cool. Anyways, it was a diaster! Miles was running a way from us and crying and trying to climb into the fountain and Lucy was very scared of Hannah's big camera and NOT happy about me not holding her. In our family's defense, the pictures were at 5:00 pm on a Thursday night and the kids were hungry and John had had a long day at work, yada, yada. So, Hannah emailed me the proofs and offered at least five times to take the pictures again. Yeah, they were that bad. So, I took her up on the offer and rescheduled. I mean c'mon, she has got a business to run and I'm sure she didn't want to put her name on those pictures. We went Saturday at 3:45 - we had nothing else to do that day, both kids napped, it was after nap time...
It was a disaster. It was the coldest day Abilene has had in a while and my kids were both a little sick (now a lot sicker - or is it more sick?). The wind was blowing, Miles was throwing one fit after another, Lucy didn't cry that much but she WOULD NOT smile either. She was very concerned about her surroundings. So, about 15 minutes into the shoot, John and I just started laughing. We decided to let her take a few pictures of us smiling holding two crying kids because that was more what life was like right now. Although they turned out cute and really funny, you can't very well send that out with Merry Christmas at the bottom! What a downer! :) John says, we ought to write "Merry Freakin' Christmas." I do think that is funny, but I'm not sure that is the message we want to send out this year. :) Oh well.

Here are some recent pictures I took of the kids!

Can you see what the future holds? Lucy is laughing now but in a few years...

Lucy and her boyfriend Simon are dressed up for Halloween. He is only 3 months old and he is as big as she is! Aren't they cute?

Lucy as a ladybug with her daddy

We carved a pumpkin and dug out all the seeds and roasted them. Miles had a great time and the roasted seeds were very tasty!

Miles in his Spiderman costume

My Tuesday

2008-11-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays are my crazy days and I don't think I could get through them unless I laugh at how ridiculous they are. It is the day I teach a class early morning and the day my husband works late. Isn't that how it always works out? So, here is a run down:

The alarm goes off at 4:40 a.m. I push snooze until 4:50 and then make myself sit up in bed. First it's in to the kitchen to pump (I'm breastfeeding, sorry if this image is offensive). Get dressed in the dark, brush my teeth, grab my yoga mat and my mascara (it's never too early). Arrive at the health club at 5:30. Get the room set up for Body Flow class. Teach my class, there is good crowd, all goes well. Chit chat with a few members after class then head home. Walk in the door at 7:05 and both kids are up. Feed Lucy. Then fix Miles his favorite breakfast for the moment (he goes through phases) - yogurt, banana, and half a bagel. Lucy gets oatmeal cereal and pears and I get honey nut oatmeal. Clean up breakfast and its 7:44 which means I have six minutes to take a shower before my husband needs to leave for work or try to face the task alone with two kids. 6 minute shower it is! It actually took 8, but my husband was gracious. I let Miles watch a little PBS while I put Lucy down for a morning nap. I change her diaper, rock her and sing a little song, lay her in her bed to fall asleep. Finally have my first sip of COFFEE!! Get myself ready, with Miles's help. Iron clothes for myself and Miles and Lucy. Get dressed, get Miles dressed. Pack the diaper bag for both kids with diapers, wipes, toy for Lucy, book and trains for Miles, sippy cup of water and granola bar for Miles. Lucy wakes up. Get Lucy dressed, feed Lucy, burp her and get all three of us into the car. 9:49 and our doctor's appointment is at 10:00 - not bad. Wait an hour in the doctor's office waiting room. In the room, Miles falls backwards off of the doctor's stool that I told him not to climb up on. He is crying loudly. Lucy is crying loudly because she is naked and so offended. Lots of shots, two crying kids, and two hours later... why did I schedule their check-ups at the same time?? My husband, who works across the street from the doctor's office, came over to help me. He was my knight in shining armor today!
Grab lunch for Miles on the way home and let him eat in the car seat. Whatever!! Get home, distribute Tylenol to both kids, feed Lucy, and let Miles color. 1:00 is nap time so I put Lucy in the exer-saucer to play while I put Miles down. We change our diaper, read two books and sing one song. Hug and kiss Miles, hug and kiss puppy. 1:25 Lucy goes down for her nap. We read one book, sing one song, change diaper, lay in bed. 1:45 Miles is still not asleep, in fact, he is knocking on his door. I change his diaper (again!) and lay him back in bed. 2:15 Miles is not asleep but playing with his trains. He is not crying so I leave him alone. I fold and put away laundry, clean the toilet and the bathroom counter and sink, empty and reload the dishwasher all while listening to the ipod to prepare for my RPM class at 4:30p.m.
3:00 and Miles is still not asleep and now it is time for nap to be over. I get him completely dressed and reload the diaper bag for him and give two time outs. Shots + no nap = CRANKY. I change clothes for spin class and get my stuff together. Lucy gets up at 3:30. I feed her, burp her, get her dressed and diaper bag packed and get all three of us loaded into the car. I get to the gym at 4:18 and class starts at 4:30 - not good. Check both kids into the Kidz Zone, run to class, set up the room, get my water, start class - 4:33. Not bad. Great class, heart rate monitor says I burned 565 calories. I missed the ending on song 7, the big finale. O'Well, next time! Grab my stuff, fill out my time card, and run to the Kidz Zone to change Miles's dirty diaper (they don't change diapers, very annoying). Get both kids out of gym and loaded into car. Get home, hold Lucy because she is very fragile from having to go to the Kidz Zone. Cook Miles's dinner. Sit and feed Lucy oatmeal and sweet potatoes while Miles eats dinner. Clean up dinner and kids. Bathe Lucy. Then its diaper, lotion and pajamas. Lucy sits in bouncy while I bathe Miles and his trucks, he brings like 5 trucks in there with him. I know, I need to draw the line! :) Diaper, lotion, and pajamas for Miles. Then we sing the "clean up song" and pick up all the of the toys all over the house and put them back where they belong. I get milk for Miles and let him watch a little bit of "Cars" while I feed Lucy. I burp her, find her pacifier, read one book, say one prayer, sing one song and lay her in her bed. Miles and I say bye-bye to Cars, the light, the trees, the bathroom, the trucks, Lucy, the door, mommy and daddy's room, everything...
We read two books, say one prayer, sing two songs, hugs and kisses for Miles, hugs and kisses for puppy.
7:50 p.m. my husband walks in the door and I finally get to shower after my spin class! I load the dinner dishes into the dishwasher and start it, then I switch clothes from washer to dryer and start a new load in the washer. Then I eat dinner (a bagel with cream cheese, sadly) on the couch, check email, check facebook. Fall in bed to get some sleep.

Fall

2008-10-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Don't you love fall? I have already made pumpkin bread, an apple pie, candy corn snack mix, and indulged in a few pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Plus, it has gotten down in to the 50s at night for almost a week here in Abilene and today the temp never climbed above 75. What more could a West Texas girl ask of October?

Life is marching on here at the Hunt house and I am barely able to keep rhythm lately. Miles is transitioning from baby to KID. He is so funny and impressionable and always up for having a good time. I love his personality and have been praying, make that begging God, that I would not hinder it in any way. Lucy is getting big quick. She started rice cereal and is not quite sure if she likes it. For the most part, she is very offended by the spoon but, she is no quitter either. She opens her mouth every time and then cries when the cereal gets in her mouth. She makes me laugh.

John is busy with BSM and school (he is in class now and taking 9 hours of grad work this semester). We feel like we barely see each other lately, but he only has one more trip until January - praise God! He and the BSMers are going to Houston for a little Hurricane Ike relief. He leaves next Thursday, Oct. 16 and will be back Sunday the 19th. So pray for him and the students. :)

I am busy with Pilates training. I have another 3 day training coming up this weekend. This will be my 6th training so far and I am feeling the burden of it all (not to mention the achy muscles). But, I'm in the home stretch and am thankful that I have enjoyed it thus far!

Overall, we are doing great and having fun being a family of four. John and I are enjoying watching our kids begin to interact with each other. Miles LOVES to make Lucy laugh! He gets so proud of himself and Lucy thinks every thing he does is so funny. We love it.

Here are some recent pics. Enjoy!

Here is Lucy before her rice cereal debut! Doesn't she look great in red?!

Lucy is very uneasy about that spoon getting any closer to her mouth.

Licking her fingers! She's gettin' the hang of it!

Miles was a great helper!

Miles, the creative genius. He built this all by himself out of items from our pantry. Who needs toys?

Miles is dancing in front of his creation. He is always up for a little booty shakin'!

Lucy loves doing Hebrew homework with Daddy!

John and Miles on the new truck!

change

2008-09-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to change this blog up a bit. I would like to keep writing funny stories from our lives, but where is the time!!! :)

Two kids is a total blast and train wreck all of the time. I love it(most days...).

This is a big month for the Hunt family. Miles turns 2 on September 13th and Lucy will be 4 months on the 5th. Miles is talking all the time and saying some of the funniest sentences. He loves to say, "Ow, that hurt!" Excuse me - make that yelling, "Ow, that hurt!" Especially in the grocery store check out line while the nice lady behind me is reaching for her phone to call CPS. :)

Lucy is rolling over and smiling and cooing and all that good baby stuff. She can even sit up on her own for about 5 seconds at a time. Such the athlete! :) I remember with Miles that 4 months is the golden age for babies. They can interact well, they are sleeping through the night, but are not mobile. I love this stage. She is sleeping a good 10 hours at night and sometimes longer. God love her!! She is sort of shy and a little scared of people. She is a sensitive soul and Miles gets one inch from her face and yells "Luce!!!" all day long. He already drives her crazy. :)

Here are some recent pictures. Enjoy!

Miles was sad about changing out of his pajamas so he tried to put them back on. He also stole Lucy's pacifier and he knows he is about to get in trouble.

Her new flower hat! I know it's ridiculous, but I couldn't resist.

Miles is playing in Lucy's room and looking very mischievous.

This kid makes Jello Pudding look good!

Lucy sitting up in her chair - such a big girl!

Pregnancy the 2nd time

2008-05-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

I am only 3 days from delivering my second child so I thought I would take time to reflect on the last nine months.

First Trimester
Early signs of miscarriage that unfortunately led to several vaginal sonograms. Yeah, they're bad. And awkward.

Nauseous all the time. Threw up before my exercise classes, during them, and after them. Drank a lot of ginger ale which now, of course, the very smell of makes me sick to my stomach.

Second Trimester
Lady in my RPM class yells out in front of the whole group, "Jou got a baby in there or just been eatin' alot? Your stomach's gettin' big but your arms are skinny, skinny!" At the gym, neither of those features are good.

Got a super bad cold and a stomach virus all at the same time. :) As I was hugging the toilet, my then 16 month old son blew raspberries on my arm and clapped every time I threw up. My husband was working late.

Found out it is a girl and immediately starting looking for the perfect pink paint! :)

Went to Body Attack, like I normally do, but this time did not realize my baby was bigger and my bladder was weaker. Yep, peed right in my pants after the first two songs, too much jumping. I promptly got my water bottle and "spilled" it on my pants. Then excused myself.

Third Trimester
At an appointment my doctor made a corny joke. I laughed courteously and said, "Ah, you're cute." My face immediately turned red, as did his, and I asked, "Did I just say that out loud?" AWKWARD!!!! We are still a little awkward with each other.

Thought I was having regular contractions at 29 weeks, went to see the dr. Turns out, it was just gas pains. Or braxton hicks - which aren't supposed to hurt. Totally embarrassing. But, like Rachel from Friends said, "no uterus, no opinion!"

Got a bad sinus infection and decided to get a steamer that you put your face down in to relieve some of the pressure. Totally burned my nose and had a big red mark on one nostril. Nice.

Had a freak out, crying moment in the dr. office because I had still been doing ab exercises, even though he told me not to, and I was freaking out that something was wrong with the baby. He sent me for a sonogram, everything was totally fine.

Doctor said I could be induced on Monday, May 5th. Cinco de Mayo!!! Nine days early from my original due date. Ole!!

just talking to myself

2008-03-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to answer my own question, no you can't really start over. You always have baggage. More like luggage really. Your life experiences are often folded, ironed and tucked neatly away in your matching Eddie Bauer roller and carry on.

starting over

2008-01-23T11:36:00.001-08:00

I am going to try to start over. Can anyone really ever start over though?