Adventures in Bath Time

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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.