Sweet boys

For being a mom who admittedly wanted girls more than boys, I really lucked out.  My boys can be rough and loud, but they have tender hearts and can be quite sweet.  For example, last night Chad called to tell me he was on his way home, but I could tell in his voice that he was sick.  He had come down with a cold and was feeling pretty icky.  As I got off the phone, I told the kids that Papa was sick and so we needed to be extra nice to him when he gets home.  Right away they all jumped up and decided to make him notes.  This one is from Keek, that he did all by himself.  What a sweetheart. 

Little Leprachaun

Would you believe it, we actually had a leprechaun visit us yesterday for St.Patrick's Day!  It was a very fun surprise. Just before breakfast, Sam alerted me that there was some "little green paws" on the kitchen table. (lol!)  

After more searching, we found more "paws" heading to the fridge...

And inside we found he turned our mild green! No way!!  By this time, the kids were all the hunt to find more "clues."  Next we heard Sam say "Oh, no!" from inside the bathroom. 

That sneaky little leprechaun tinkled in our potty! We can't wait to see what he comes up with next year.

Sam's Big Day

Isn't this baby the cutest?  My little Sam was such a cute baby.  On Friday, Sam turned 7!  Wow!  We had a big day planned for him this year.
 

Sam lucked out and didn't have school on his birthday, so after breakfast, I let him open his presents even though Papa was at work.  He got what he asked for, with a few surprises.

Without a doubt, the biggest hit was the remote control cars. I have to admit, they are pretty sweet.

I felt that it was a good year to throw Sam a friend birthday party, since he has never had one.  We did a pirate theme, and had pizza, went on a treasure hunt, had a pinata and opened presents.  I think all the little pirates had fun.

Later that afternoon, we meet Grandma and Grandpa B at Build-A-Bear, which was the main gift that Sam asked for. He made a cute puppy named Rover.

 

Grandma B even tried to put Emmi in the sack so she could take her home with her.:)

Last but not least, we all headed to the Brick Oven, for Sam's birthday dinner. There we were also joined by Grandma and Grandpa Hunsaker, and Grandma and Grandpa Thornock. 

 

To Sam's surprise, me, my mom and dad, and Uncle J all got him Star Wars guns, so he could play with his siblings or with friends.  It didn't take him long to try them all out.  As soon as we got back from dinner, Chad, Sam and Keaton had an epic gun fight.  There was a lot of running around the room looking for extra darts, hiding behind furniture, lots of "Ow's", but also lots of laughter.  

I tried my best to get pictures of all the action.  And in case you are wondering, I think it is safe to say that Chad won.  Chalk it up to his stealth and advanced age.  Happy Birthday Sam! We love you buddy!

Babies, babies!

On March 14th, we welcomed another addition to the Hunsaker family.  This time, it was Russ and Misty who were the proud parents of their first born son, whom they named Bryce Russ Hunsaker.  Being excited as I was to meet the little guy, I drove in to the hospital while Misty was still in labor, and waited with the rest of the family for news of his arrival.  It was not only fun to meet little Bryce, and to finally find out his name, but also to see Russ and Misty holding him, and see them as parents.  I am excited for them and this big step in their family, and I know they will be terrific parents.  He is such a cute little guy!

 

On a related note, the day Bryce was born was also the birthday of someone very special, my little sister Erin.  And on the morning of the 14th, while Misty was going to the hospital, Erin was also at a hospital, but she was having her ultrasound, finding out that her and Rob will finally be welcoming a baby boy in August!

All of you I am sure remember Erin's story, and how she lost her sweet Henry after only 5 days of life.  That has been just over 2 years now, and we have been anxiously waiting for happy news like this.  When it finally did come, it brought tears to my eyes, a perm-a-grin, and I was on cloud nine for days.  I had been sworn to secrecy about Erin's pregnancy for over a month now, and it has been killing me not to tell anybody! I knew that other people who loved and cared about Erin would be as well. 

I can't tell you how excited I am to go and see her in hospital with her baby boy like I just got to with Misty and little Bryce. As always, Erin did a beautiful job announcing her pregnancy on her blog.  You can find that here.  Hooray!

Jack's First Haircut!

Jack is now a big 22 months, and finally ready for his first haircut!   Unfortunately, he was like his mom, bald at birth and had to start from nothing.  We were lucky to have Aunt Lydia do the honors.  (She also did the first hair cuts of my other boys).  

To say that I was shocked at how quietly he sat is understated.  For my other kids' first hair cuts, we had to give them a sucker and let them sit in the sink to be able to get any cutting done.  As soon as we put Jack up on the chair, he didn't move or squirm until we were finished... no sucker needed.  What a good boy!  

She did such a great job too! Here is my little man now.

On another note, today before church I tried to take a picture of all the kids, since Keaton and Sam got haircuts too.  This was the best one I got before Jack went rogue...

Then I tried to take a good one of my oldest 3, until I realized that Sam cleverly put lint on his eye.... What a kid!

So You Think You Can Dance!

Lucky for me, my mother-in-law is as big of fan of the show So You Think You Can Dance, as I am. Kim was able to get free tickets to watch the auditions up in Salt Lake for this next season. Nicole and Kristin, who are also fans of the show were also able to come, as well as my sis Erin. 

It was bitter cold and windy as we waited to get into the theater, but after being seated down on the floor, we were able to see Nigel, Mary, and Adam, the judges, and to cheer the dancers on. It was unreal to be in the same room, and see all the TV cameras. 

I kept thinking what a bummer that Cat Deely was nowhere in sight. However, me and Erin were on the way back from a potty break, when I opened the door to get back into the theater. As I pushed to go in, there Cat was, coming out. I was stunned and probably had the biggest goofy smile on my face. Somehow I eeked out a "hi." She smiled and said "hi" back to us.  So cool!

We weren't able to stay the whole taping, but the five of us went for some lunch at Hires, and dropped Erin off at home for a quick tour of her cute house before we headed home. It was a fun day. Thanks again Kim for the tickets!

 

Future Firefighters

Admittedly, I have not been the best about going with my kids on their field trips.  With my anxiety, I try to stay away from buses and things like that, but for preschool, I get to drive the kids in my own van, so I really have no excuse.  This being Emmi's last year of preschool, I decided to go with her class to the fire station, and take advantage of the situation. 

Of course, this meant that I had my little Jack-Jack in tow, and he tried to act like he was one of the kids. At one point he even got mad at me when I wouldn't let him get in the group shot above, so I had to take another with him in it.

The firemen were wonderful and very accommodating.  They let the kids sit up in the fire trucks,

showed the kids how they get dressed in their gear,

walk through the ambulance, (I will admit that this did freak me out a bit)

take a little spin in the firetruck around the parking lot with the lights and sirens on,

and Emmi was even able to try the Captain's helmet on for size....such a fun field trip!

Emmi and Paris, one of her best friends, who unfortunately just moved this weekend.  We will miss them.  Me especially, since there went my carpool.:)