July Tidbits

Leah took this one; not sure what it is? It's Hunter attacking me. He has a tendency to crawl on my back (or anyone's for that matter) whenever I'm on the floor on all fours.

My little bookworms. Love that!

Turtle in his shell. Not sure how this game originated, but it involves pulling down the cushion from the Poang chair and curling up underneath it. Both kids enjoy the game, though Hunter plays it more often than Leah.

Turtle #2 in her shell.

Leah the worm. I couldn't help giggling at the site of her shuffling out into the kitchen in the tunnel. (And hearing me giggle made Leah the Worm wiggle all that much more.)

 Free Slurpees at 7-11, and the perfect day to enjoy them outside.

Notice the wet hair. Hunter decided to "paint" himself (his hair). And in between strokes, he'd chew on the paintbrush.

Leah fell on the hardwood and split her chin open the week prior. She sported surgi-strips for about a week to help the cut heal; now, almost two weeks later, it's looking better, but it's still not 100%. Thankfully, the scar that will most likely remain won't be very visible.

Working on her masterpiece.

Guess who got more water on himself than on his paper? Just guess.

Happy Fourth!

For once, Fourth of July wasn't a sweltering, miserable day. Per tradition, the kids and I (accompanied by their daddy for the first time!) made our way over to the annual Fourth of July Parade. Unlike past years where we had melted in the sun minutes after arriving and before the parade had started, this year we relaxed in the (relative for this area in July) cool, overcast day, waiting patiently for the first "float" to pass down the road.

The kids associate parades with candy; not floats, not horses, not motorcycles-- candy. And this one was no disappointment. We had chosen our location well; to the left, there was a family with two small kids (one younger than Hunter, and one just little older than Hunter, both confined to strollers), and to the right, a mom with one son, probably upper elementary age. What did this mean? Why, more candy for Leah and Hunter, of course! The kids on the left were too young (and too confined) to collect the free sugar being hurled their way, and the one on the right only collected what he liked. (Unlike our kids who grabbed all the candy they could get.) During the course of our stay (just over an hour, but before the parade had ended), they managed to fill a bag with candy; they had more candy than they get at Halloween!

We left the parade with two tired, sugared up, and happy kids (no surprise since candy makes kids happy).

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That evening, we headed over to friends' annual Fourth of July cook-out. Again, the weather was perfect, so after dinner, everyone headed outside. The kids ran around with friends, wore devoured snowcones, played corn hole (or watched the older kids play it), drew pictures with chalk, and chased each other with riding toys, while the adults had a chance to visit and relax. We were having such a good time that we really didn't want to head home, even though we had two exhausted and smelly kids who needed to be bathed before bed. 

So, reluctantly, we headed out. We managed to get the kids into bed just as someone started shooting off fireworks (we could hear them). Although we ourselves never saw any fireworks, it had been a happy and relaxing Fourth.

Before the parade

Hunter appeared a bit overwhelmed by the parade; he basically sat on the curb the entire time, an anomaly for our busy boy who is constantly on the move. Notice the Frisbee and Tootsie Roll. Guess the Frisbee was a sort of security blanket, since he never put it down. As for the Tootsie roll, well, he just took his time nursing it.

Going in for MORE candy. One minute, he had a Tootsie Roll. The next minute, it was gone, and he had an unwrapped lollipop in his hand!

Mommy and her snuggle-bug

Daddy and his princess

After awhile, Leah asked to take pictures. I think she had seen enough of the parade at this point. Above you'll see what really mattered about the parade (well, that and the horses).

Not too bad, Leah!

I don't think the hubs checked the photos; otherwise, I don't think this would have survived.

Flag bouquet

 

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Hunter turned two June 24. Two! My busy, charming, busy, cuddly, busy, happy, busy, curious, did I mention BUSY boy certainly keeps us on our toes (read: It's too quiet. Where's Hunter? What's he into doing now?). Parenting a boy (after having a girl) certainly presents a whole new set of challenges, but life with this little man is much more enriching and entertaining.

For those who don't have the pleasure of interacting with him on a regular basis, here's a top ten of Hunter miscellany (in no particular order):

10. Ever the cuddle-bug, if he's having a bad day or a two-year-old moment of frustration, he'll come running to Mommy for a snuggle. (I know this won't last, so I let him run to me all he wants.)
9. He loves to wrestle with his daddy.
8. Thanks to big sis, he's adept at playing pretend, particularly if it involves being a cat or dog. (He'll bark or mew at my feet until I pick up the "animal" for a snuggle.)
7. He understands what a friend is and will great his with a hug. Yes, my boy is a hugger. (Are you really surprised? After all, he's a snuggle-bug.)
6. Give him a car or truck or ball and he is golden. 
5. He's verbal. Very. Guess that's what happens being home with me and Leah all day.
4. Another skill he's picked up from Leah: love of reading. Forget about the board books. This boy loves Dr. Seuss!
3. Time out is a game for him. I do not like that game. 
2. There are only four food groups: candy, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and fruit. Of those, take a wild guess which he'd eat at every meal if he had his way?
1. He's our little Linus, but if you refer to his blanket as his special lovey, he'll tell you, "No, it's not my lovey. It's my blankey." (Don't all snuggle-bugs need something to snuggle with?)

Hunter's birthday fell on a Monday, which happened to be the first day of VBS. To celebrate, I sent Rice Krispie treats in for him to share with his class. That night after dinner (hot dogs and french fries-- his favorites!), the four of us went to Coldstone to celebrate. (His party with the grandparents wasn't until the following Saturday.) He picked out his ice cream-- chocolate with M & M's. A boy after his mom's own heart!

Playing with the sign after finishing his birthday ice cream.

The pool was Leah's gift to Hunter. When she gave it to him, he climbed in to play. He and Leah then filled the pool with some of their toys before Hunter tried filling it with water from his upturned water bottle.

Thank you Pinterest for the motorcycle image! Scott helped with the cake; there was extra gray icing, so he added the border. Couldn't let perfectly good icing go to waste!

He had no problems blowing out the candles. You'll notice there aren't any cake pictures. None.  I guess I was enjoying my cake and ice cream (and the company) too much to worry about taking a messy cake photo. What kind of mother/family historian am I?

Hunter loved all his gifts; he was equally enthused about everything. The hard part was choosing which toy to play with first.

 

This isn't the clearest photo, but it's the only one of Hunter receiving his gift from Grandpa and Nama. After opening two little gifts (dog treats and biscuits), Grandpa excused himself to get something from their truck. He returned a few minutes later with a kennel and "Deuce" the dog in tow. Both kids screamed in excitement (since they thought it was a real dog), and Hunter jumped for joy. Their reactions were priceless!

Hunter with "Deuce" or should I say, "Cupcake". Hunter named his dog before settling down for his nap. And yes, he came up with Cupcake all on his own. The dog kennel is now in Hunter's room so that he can "train" Cupcake, but he won't let her sleep in it. Instead, she snuggles in bed with him. At least he knows to feed her; just this morning he told me, "Cupcake wants to eat some food," so we set her up with a toy bowl and food for her breakfast.

Well, at least someone's getting some use out of the kennel!

Finally enjoying Hunter's gift.

The kids with their grandmas: Grandma Teddy, Grandma Mel, and Nama.

And one with all the grandparents: Grandma Mel, Grandma Teddy, Papa, Grandpa, and Nama. Hunter thoroughly enjoyed all the love and attention from the grandparents.

June Photo Re-cap

In lieu of school this summer, we've been doing "Around the World in 60 Days" courtesy of Thriving Family magazine. Each day, the kids and I pile into our airplane (or helicopter or boat or hot air balloon)-- the laundry room-- and fly to a new country based on our itinerary. (The magazine provided a map, itinerary, and passports with stamps. Perfect!) On this particular day, we were reading about Australia. Since it's winter there, our itinerary suggested we don our winter gear, sip hot chocolate, and read a book about winter. Excellent!

Leah took this pic of Hunter in his gear.

Have I mentioned my kids' love of forts? Anything will do. Even a Cozy Coupe on its side. Granted, this usually leads to trouble/ squabbling... inevitably Hunter will want to get out but Leah won't let him. (Often the scenario is he's the dog, and she's the owner who tries telling the dog what to do. For some reason, Hunter doesn't always like playing along with this game.)

Remember the forts I just mentioned? Well, there ya go. This is a Leah and Hunter original. Looks more like a pile of cushions to me, but to them, it's a fort (or a hot air balloon, as I think it became later that morning).

Hunter has inherited his daddy's love of motorcycles. It's only a mater of time before he starts asking for his own helmet and bike. I can't even count the number of times I've caught him CLIMBING on Daddy's bike. Not a good idea!

With my baby big boy at VBS. The first day of VBS fell on his second birthday. He's so big!