Mama's Little Peanut

When one of my doctors saw Emmi recently he said, "Well, what a cute little peanut!" And I think the name has stuck! It does fit her very well; she is in the 22% for weight and only the 8% for height! She has little stumpy legs like her mama, that's for sure. One of my cousins, Duncan can't seem to get enough of Emmi and is constantly trying to steal her from my arms. It looks to me that she likes him too!
Emmi has been crawling and standing like crazy. She can stand by herself and balance for a few minutes before she falls on her little behind. She is getting pretty daring walking around things, but has yet to take a step. Not only that, but she is still working on producing her first tooth! (My boys got their first teeth in around 6 months of age, and Emmi is 10 months right now.) My guess is that it will pop through any day now, but we'll see. I think her sore gums must be why she is constantly sticking her little tongue out. It is usually accompanied with the noise "la la la." Stay tuned for pictures of first teeth and first steps!!

My Dear Great Grandma Hess...

Back in November, many of you read that my Grandpa passed away. Unfortunately again, I am posting as a tribute to someone we have lost. My Great Grandmother, Mary Estella Hess died peacefully on Friday night. She was about to turn 101 in a couple weeks, so her passing was one of joy as she was finally released from this life. My Grandma was the last one of her siblings, and friends and has been without her sweetheart for 26 years. Sadly, Great Grandpa died when I was about 6 months old, so I never got to meet him.

Great Grandma was a true lady, but she had a lot of spunk and a great sense of humor. One of my favorite memories of her happened just a few years ago. My mom would go over to the nursing home and paint grandma's nails. Well, those of you who know my mom know she always has painted nails and they are usually a shade of red. So, on this visit my mom was trying to get Grandma to have her toenails painted red. Grandma wouldn't hear of it. Then my mom teased her saying that she would paint her toenails red for her funeral and a look of horror passed over grandma's face. "No you will certainly not!" she kept saying, telling us over and over how vain it is to have red nails. Understandably, Grandma was born in 1907 and I'm sure then, red nails were considered vain! As long as I can remember, Grandma has wanted to join her family on the other side of the veil. It was hard to see her casket and realize she is no longer here with us, but I know she is happy and is finally where she wanted to be. Grandma has always had a very strong testimony of the gospel. While I was finding pictures for this post, I came across her autobiography. At the end of it, she wrote her testimony:

"I wanted to be a mother so badly and the Lord has blessed me. As of now (1990) I have 3 children, 15 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. They are all good children. I love them all so very much and am interested in the welfare of every one of them. I want all of them to know that I have a firm testimony of the Gospel. I have had it all my life. I can't remember back far enough when I wasn't proud to be a Latter Day Saint. Could I not be so complacent in my beliefs if it wasn't true? I know he hears and answers prayers, I have lived by it. I know."

I count myself fortunate to have been able to get to know my Great Grandma, I know not many people have met their great grandparents. Mine was truly a choice lady and someone that I have always looked up to as a mother. She told me once that she never raised her voice to her children and as a mother I remember her example and try to do the same. I love my Great Grandma and can't wait to see her again!

It has been a treat to have "5 generational" pictures taken with both of my boys, just after they were born. These pictures above were taken when Sam was just a few months old back in 2005. They are special because they also have my Grandpa in them, who has also passed on a few months ago. He had just started chemo for his cancer and had lost his hair. Because of Grandpa's and Great Grandma's health, I did not get a 5 generation picture with Emmi and so these are the last ones that I have.

Happy Birthday Keaton!

A couple days ago we celebrated Keaton's 5th birthday. It is crazy for me to think that I have a 5 year old, boy, has time flown by! Keaton has been such a great kid and Chad and I are so grateful to have him in our home. In honor of him, I wanted to share some little facts about this boy we love so much.

-Keaton's middle name is Chad, after his Daddy. However, at home we call him "Keek" (rhymes with "peak"), or "keekers".
- We got the name 'Keaton' from a friend that had a little nephew with the name and liked that it was uncommon.
- He was born a star! While I was pregnant with him, I was finishing my student teaching in a first-grade classroom. The day after he was born, my first-graders made big posters and put them up all over the elementary to announce his arrival, complete with his weight, length and all that. They also compiled the posters into a book for him to keep!
- Keaton is all about digging in the dirt, and all the big machinery that goes with it. To his father's delight, he is destined to work in the construction industry!
- He has had a language all his own since he has started to talk. And still, it continues. Computer is "ba-puter," Tomato is "ba-mato," milk is "milt," and my favorite, skivvies (you know, underoos) are "skiddies."
-Keek cannot, or will not go to sleep without his blankie and snoopy dog stuffed animal, or as he calls him, "stoopy dog." Many times I have been woken up in the wee hours of the morning to a hysterical boy who cannot find one of them because they have fallen off his bed.
- He loves his baby sister so much and NO ONE, not even her mama can make her laugh like Keek can.
-Currently, he is addicted to the animated movie, "The Iron Giant" and wants to watch it multiple times a day. He also knows the giants' every move during the movie and will do exactly what he does through the whole thing. It is very entertaining!
-Much to my dismay, this little guy likes to chew with his mouth open. He seems to get noiser day by day, no matter how hard I try to teach him.
-Keaton is very smart, soft-spoken, happy, and a real helper around the house.
We are so lucky to have him. Happy Birthday Keek, we love you!

Under the sea... Under the sea...

We just got the film developed from our underwater cameras that we took while on our trip to Hawaii. The quality isn't the greatest... not only were these pictures taken with a disposable camera, but I had to scan them onto my computer as well. However, I am very glad that we had these cameras with us while we were snorkeling. On the big island, we encountered lots and lots of pretty fish. These angel fish were my favorite. Chad and I also took pictures underwater while we were snorkeling with the dolphins. Looking at the pictures, I can't believe how close we were!! I wish we could've touched them, but our guide was very adamant (did I spell that right?) that it is not respectful to touch them and our oils in our hands could harm these wild dolphins. Instead, our tour followed these dolphin pods in the boat until they rested. Then our guide, "China Mike" would yell for us to quickly get on our snorkel masks and fins and get in the water. As soon as we got in and ducked under, we could usually hear the dolphin's calls and see them swimming by us. They would eventually swim out of sight and China would whistle for us to get back in the boat, were we would find another pod and do it all over again. The swim lasted 4 hours and we had four different opportunities to get in the water. It was well worth the money, beacause as you can see, we saw alot of dolphin! This is Chad swimming right above the dolphins. Hee hee, just kidding! It is our guide, "China Mike". He was so knowledgeable about dolphins, and really knew what he was doing. A few other people on the tour kept asking him about the possibility of seeing sharks on our swim, and he shook it off saying that he swims with them all the time too, like it wasn't a big deal!! Thankfully, we had a very peaceful dive and no shark sightings. I had expected to see a lot of coral and fish on our dolphin swim. But, for the most part the bottom was very bare and I didn't see a single animal other than the dolphin and the turtle above! Weird, huh!

We Are Jumpin' Fools!

My boys' favorite new place to play... Jumpin' Jacks. It is a big building filled with blow up toys and slides for the little ones to run around on. Or in other words, the perfect place to take your kids on those cold winter days to get all those wiggles out. We have been a couple times and I expect to go quite a few more before spring is here. Lucky for us, my friend Sidni and her kids Tanner, Eden and Maddix have gone with us and added in the fun.
Not quite old enough, Maddix and Emmi spent most of the time sitting together in a stroller, sharing toys and romantic glances, hee hee! There is one particular slide that reaches all the way up to the ceiling and boasts a BIG drop off halway down. Below, you can see that each of my boys went down it, though Keaton is probably the only one that will go again! Sam was just a little freaked out, (as you can tell), and tried to hold on for dear life.
Despite my warnings, Keaton and Tanner kept going down the slides together. Above is the two turkeys in mid-slide, their faces say it all! It is a miracle that no one was hurt.

Have a good digital camera?

Now as I have really gotten addicted to blogging, I am thinking of upgrading my digital camera. My little camera hasn't done too bad, but I can tell a difference in the quality, and it is very annoying to have to correct the majority of my pictures! I have had my tiny pentax optio for 3 or 4 years, so I think it is time for a change. I have spent a few hours online reading reviews and trying to decide what I want, but it all sounds the same to me. I was hoping that you, my readers could tell me if you have a camera that you really like and would like to reccommend (or ones to avoid). That should steer me in the right direction and pick out a goody! Thanks for your help!!

TAG- I'm It!

(Thanks Sidni for tagging me). I've read a few of these now and thought it looked like a good one, so here we go...

My Hubby
What is his name? Chad Kirk Hunsaker, but I usually call him Chaddy or Sweetie
How long have you been together? 7 years and about 4 months
How long did you date? We dated 4 months until we got engaged, then it was another 4 till we tied the knot.
Who eats more? I think it is pretty safe to say that Chad does!
Who said I love you first? Sadly, neither one of us remembers! Sorry!
Who is taller? Chad and I like it that way!
Who has more speeding tickets? Chad- I've never had one before (not that I don't deserve it hee hee hee)
Who is smarter? Chad thinks I am, but I beg to differ. I think we're pretty much on the same level.
Who is more sensitive? Me of course, although Chad cries at ALOT more movies than I do, and I tease him about it as often as I can!!
When there is a fight who usually wins? Thankfully Chad and I rarely have an argument, but when we do, I think I usually win.
Who does the laundry? Unfortunately me, but he will help if I ask him.
Who does the dishes? Me, but again he will help me if I ask.
Who sleeps on the right? Me. Closest to the door, so therefore, closest to the kids. Hmm.. I think I need to switch that!
Who pays the bills? Chad, he is keeper of the gate!
Who mows the lawn? Chad. (A funny story about this, my mother in law told me never to mow the lawn or he will make me always do it. It works for her and it is working for me!!!)
Who cooks dinner? Me, although when we first got married Chad had more cooking "skills" than I did and he basically taught me how.
Who drives when you are together? Chad
Who is more stubborn? Chad and he agrees with me!!
Who kissed who first? Chad.
Who asked who out first? Chad. However, I initiated by showing up on his doorstep with Orange Julius first and then he asked me out for the following day.
Who proposed? Chad, isn't that the way it is supposed to be!
Who has more siblings? Chad. He has 4 siblings and I have 3.
Who wears the pants? Chad- although he tries to deny it!

I tag Erin, Rachel, Candace, Michelle, Tori, Holly and Daisie!!

Aloha!

Chad and I just returned from our trip to Hawaii! Most of you out there know that Chad's boss takes his employees and their spouses to Hawaii every January (as long as it was a good year for the company). We have had to bow out the last 2 times because I was pregnant with my boys at the time, but this year we hit it just right!! (I don't know, I was so anxious about the trip that I almost wanted to get pregnant so I could stay home! ha ha). Well, Chad and I had such a great time and were not too anxious to return home to all the snow. A HUGE thankyou to my parents and big brother who watched my kids all week and consequently, did not get a whole lot of sleep!! One of the best parts of the trip was that we got to go with Chad's parents, because his father, Kirk, works for the same company. The picture above is the four of us on our hike up to Diamond Head on Oahu.
This one is the view of Honolulu and Waikiki once we got to the top. The hike up was quite the trip but the view was well worth the climb! I know, not another temple picture! Chad and I have visited 4 different temples the last 2 months, which is quite the record for us. While we were in Hawaii, we got to visit 2 of the islands, the big island and Oahu and lucky for us each island has a temple. This temple the Kona Hawaii which is on the big island Chad gave in and let me shell out the money to go swim with the dolphins. I was a little bummed that we didn't get to actually touch them, but the boat took us out in the ocean where we got off and snorkeled in the middle of some wild dolphin pods. These pics are ones that I actually took while we were on the boat. I can't wait to see the ones I took with our underwater camera, I got pretty close to them!

More Hawaii..

We couldn't visit Hawaii, and not visit Pearl Harbor (or USS Arizona) Memorial, it wouldn't be patriotic! It was a very touching experience, and I think every American should see it. This is oil that is still coming up from the Arizona after all these years.

Very eerie, I think. Kirk and Kim took us up to the North Shore of Oahu, to see the beautiful views of Turtle Bay. I guess the company has stayed there in the past, unfortuately not this year, we stayed on busy Waikiki Beach. On Oahu we also took a day to see the Laie Temple, BYU Hawaii campus and the Polynesian Culture Center. At the PCC we got to take a canoe ride through the lush villages and had a yummy luau that night. Even after all we saw through the week, we ran out of things by the last day and needed to kill like 8 hours before we made the red-eye home. Chad and I hopped in the Jeep with the top off and drove and drove. We ended up at the Dole Pineapple Plantation, which we weren't dying to see, but again, were bored. It was actually really cool. We walked around the gardens and saw the pineapple plants, like the one above. Maybe it's just me, but I thought that pineapples grew in trees! But they don't, they sprout at top of these spikey plants. This little pineapple was still tiny, about the palm of my hand! Huh, who knew!!