The Hunt Family Blogfest

Hmmm

2011-03-18T20:39:00.003-06:00

Last night we decided to take all three kids to go see Rango. We had heard a little about it but it looked like a fairly good movie. We had to brave taking them to the 9:40pm showing because Travis didn't get off work until 8:00pm. Well, I would advise not taking your young ones to go see it due to the amount of bad words. I was shocked. Especially since it was only rated PG. Over all it was an ok movie but I wished I could edit out those words. The kids all did really well staying up that late. And it was especially nice when they slept in until 10:00am

Cherish Photography by Kristen

2011-03-12T10:28:00.002-07:00

I have a friend who is a photographer and she does an amazing job. She has a drawing going on to enter a free photo session. For Utah only, sorry :)

Enter here

http://cherishphotographybykristen.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway.html#comments

Check out her web site :)

http://www.cherishphotographybykristen.com/

Mikayla's Baptism

2011-02-09T14:28:00.002-07:00

I can't believe Mikayla is 8! She started the count down to her Birthday the first part of January and as it got closer she grew more excited and I could also sense some anxiety. But we didn't focus on that. Not only was it going to be her Birthday but she was also going to be baptized on her Birthday. A new dress she picked out as well as eating her favorite food...can't beat that. The morning of her Birthday she woke before the sun came up and had a hard time going back to sleep but eventually did. She still got up before it was time so I told her she could go watch a cartoon before getting ready for school. She was happy about that because she never gets to watch tv before school. Since her Birthday was on a Friday she came home early from school because every Friday is a short day. She spent the early afternoon playing with friends and then came home to get dressed and ready to go out to dinner and then head over to the church for the baptism. We ate ... sushi ... her favorite. As the night came I could still see a panic in her and realized why. She doesn't do well with water and to be baptized you have to go all the way under. She was stressing so much about it I think it may have been hard for her to enjoy her day. The time had come and after seeing all her friends come to watch her and her uncle giving a talk it was time to go in the font. Let's just say the first time she had a stubborn toe that didn't want to go under. Travis said before she was breathing really heavy and he knew the second time her was going to have to give her a lot of help...push. The second time was the charm and then she could relax and enjoy the rest of the night. What a wonderful day it was. Our wish for our beautiful daughter is to always remember that day and how special she felt. To always stand for what is right and do her best in all things. We love you Mikayla! You are so talented and sweet. Happy Birthday Princess!

Four Months today but Two Month Pictures...for now

2010-11-30T14:09:00.007-07:00

Way too long

2010-11-15T18:53:00.004-07:00

I has been crazy the last couple months and since messing up my blog background and layout I have pushed it to the back of my mind. It wasn't until I ran into an old friend that I realized I really need to update. So after almost six months of silence I have decided today it ends.

Well, I obviously had my baby and she was born three weeks early via c-section. We were really excited to have the first August birthday on both sides of the family but she decided that wasn't the month She wanted and came July 30th. My labor with her was worse than with the other two. I was having hard contractions for a couple days before I finally went into the hospital. Once I got there and the nurses realized it was the real deal I was told I had to wait another 4 hours before they could do the c-section, because I had eaten breakfast. If that was the worst news I would be ok. However, I was told I had to stay in bed and I couldn't even drink water. She was face up which made back labor intense and laying in bed extremely difficult. It was also summer and I was so overheated and thirsty. When begging the nurse for maybe just some ice she said she could give me one piece...of the pellet ice. :( After waiting for several hours they took me back for my spinal and delivery. It seemed to go by really fast. I just remember laying there and then hearing the suction and then the cries of a baby. I couldn't help but cry. After a miscarriage, almost a year of trying to get pregnant and a couple scares during the first part of my pregnancy she was finally here. We were shocked that she weighed more than both the other kids, 7 lbs. 5.5 oz.

We are proud to introduce you to our beautiful little girl

Chloe Cate Hunt

July 30, 2010 7lbs 5.5 oz

Messed up

2010-07-15T12:28:00.000-06:00

my blog :( I will fix it later...

Baby on the Move

2010-05-21T09:54:00.002-06:00

This video was taken two weeks ago when I was 25 weeks pregnant. I thought it would be fun to show her moving around. I put the remote on my stomach so the movement can be seen better. I am grateful she is active during the day :) maybe it will stay the same and I wont have to worry about sleepless nights. LOL

No name picked yet. Well, we have her middle name but not a first name. I have a long list but non of them "stand out" as Travis says. One of these days, hopefully soon, she will have a name :)

It's been a while...

2010-05-14T14:33:00.003-06:00

since I have updated my blog :)

Let's see, Travis graduated with his associates a couple weeks ago. We are greatful to have hit this milestone. Now just to get his Bachelors done.
Mikayla has only two weeks left in the second grade. We have decided to pull her out of Vista and put her back in the public school system. There are just too many pros about taking her out of Vista it makes the choice easy.
Rylan went and had allergy testing done again, just the environmental. When they did it the first time he was too young and had a delayed result leaving us all wondering what he was allergic to. Out of the 24 test he is allergic to 17. Crazy. They give you a score for each test. The first number is the size of the welt and the second is the redness. His dairy and tree nut were a 5/5 and they were concerned enough to prescribe an epi-pen. Well, most of the environmental were the same numbers some slightly higher but one. The white ash tree he had a 10/20. The welt was about the size of a quarter. His whole back broke out in a bad rash for several days even with Px cream and benadryl. So now he is on double dose Zyrtec, vira mist and singular.
I am just plugging alone hoping time passes by quickly until our new arrival. No names have been picked yet for our little girl. It is a harder task than we ever imagined. I will update some more later. I have had this saved and on my screen for the last three days. :) I will publish it now :)

2010-03-27T13:51:00.003-06:00

Boy oh Boy...

2010-03-19T17:38:00.005-06:00

...we are having a GIRL!!!
I thought I really wanted a boy so Rylan and the baby could play and be close to each other. Over the last week I have been convincing myself that it was a girl so I wouldn't be disappointed. When we were at the ultra sound the tech looked at Travis and I and said...congratulations, your having a little girl, I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe how happy I was that it was a girl. Now we just have to start thinking of a name. :)

Vent, sorry

2010-02-16T11:57:00.003-07:00

OK, so this is more of a vent session than anything else and I am hoping it will help me feel better.
Sometimes people say and do things and it seriously makes me feel like I am back in high school. There were only a couple times I can remember drama plaguing my friends in HS but man...I thought those days were over. I struggle knowing the right thing to do when someone tells someone else something false about me. I have been faced with this kind of thing time and time again over the years and it is starting to make me want to cut myself off from the situation. But that is a whole lot easier said than done. Part of me wants to nip it in the butt and go straight to the source but the other part of me doesn't want to feed the drama and find out that that source really wasn't the source. I want to be Christ-like but I also want this to stop. I am tired of people believing what they hear and it makes me question if they really know me at all. I love peace and am a non confrontational person. I do not do well when people say things about me that are false and I don't do well with drama. I just wish I knew how to stop rumors and drama and create peace and love instead. Maybe one of these days I will know the secret to this problem but until then maybe I am just supposed to endure and not forget who I am. Life :)

Happy February!

2010-02-01T11:35:00.002-07:00

Another month gone and I wish I could say it went by fast but unfortunately it did not. Hopefully this month will go by faster especially since there are only 28 days. This week is full of eventful "stuff". I will be reminded that I will only have one year left to enjoy my twenties, Mikayla turns seven, I hit my three month mark (yay!) and we are going to attempt to have a sleep over for Mikayla's Birthday party. Luckily I told her she could only invite four friends. It should be fun :)

Serious need to update!

2010-01-19T15:45:00.002-07:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted a good update but due to my current mood and state of being it has been hard to find the desire to do so. As most may have noticed, due to my new little ticker up top, we are expecting our third baby.
By far this one has been the hardest pregnancy. Right off the bat I have been sick and have had a really hard time tolerating smells. Although an iron stomach may be nice at times, it can also bite you in the butt. I have had many, many false alarms but once I see the toilet my body freezes up and I can't do it. I wish I wasn't so afraid, yes...afraid to throw up. Maybe if I would get over it I would feel a little better. But no, I have had to rely on a little, or long, nap to sleep it off.
I also have had zero energy. At the end of my day I look at how much I wish I could have done around the house but was not able to do. It is both frustrating and overwhelmingly stressful seeing how untidy my house is. I only have two more weeks to get through before "they say" it will get better. I am looking forward to going on a deep cleaning rampage and getting things done, finally.
This pregnancy has also been very stressful due to being pregnant back in 2008 and loosing the baby early on. I have a lot of empathy for women who go through that now, having had gone through it for myself. I never would have imagined it to be so hard to deal with. What made that worse was it was a surprise pregnancy. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it and once I finally was happy and excited I lost it. With this baby we have had a lot of scares. Early on we thought we were loosing it but after lots of blood work and an ultra sound we were put to ease for a week or so that is. Then it started again and we thought for sure we were dealing with a repeat. It was so hard to think about that because it had taken us so long to get pregnant. A trip to the doctors office and a heartbeat later we came to the conclusion that this was just how it was and the baby would be fine. I felt that and knew that all would be ok.
But enough about me :)

Travis started another semester of school. He will finally have his Associates this spring and then we can move on and get his Bachelors done. It seems as if he has been in school forever. But I guess that is what happens when you can only do part time. He is still over at St. George Ford and at this point I am thinking there must be a reason he is still there. We have been trying with all of our might to move on to something else but it seems this is where he needs to be.

Mikayla is half way done with the first grade. We are needing to decide with in the next week or two, if we are going to keep her at Vista Charter or move her back into a public school. There are pro's and con's to both. Staying would mean she is going to be given the opportunity to learn a lot of things. They are teaching typing, technology, yoga, musical theater, ballet, voice, as well as there academics and many other things. I like the idea behind the uniforms. I like the private school atmosphere. They also have some very wonderful teachers that love the kids and their job. The con's are the drive to get out there. Right now I am car pooling but there has been a lot of unnecessary drama with the car pool moms that I strongly dislike. I never take them in the morning but I am always picking them up. It uses up a lot more gas than I would like. Waiting for other kids that are not yours and dealing with their bad behavior can be a bit much as well. Once I have the baby I can't car pool anymore. My kids alone will fill up the car leaving only one spot for an older child in the front seat. The school is also very new, this is their first year. They still have a lot to figure out and there have been a lot of things promised but no follow through. Most of the kids in Mikayla's school don't live in our area. Therefore she doesn't get to know kids in our area that would be in her public school and those she knows and befriends don't play outside of school because of the distance and parents don't know each other. Also, all homework is done on-line. For the first grade it is their reading. They have to listen to a book, then read the book, then answer questions. I love reading with her but doing it on-line is a challenge because we can't involve Rylan. It is just a lot harder than if they had take home books. We have a lot to think about :)

Rylan is doing well. Before we told him we were expecting he wanted nothing to do with babies. If you put one next to him he would freak out and start saying "I don't like babies, take it away!" LOL. He is slowly warming up to the idea. He is determined for it to be a boy. He wants someone to play with especially since sister doesn't like to play with him. She is more into the barbies and princesses not trains and trucks. We had another test done in December to check his hydronephrosis and are still waiting to hear back from the specialist. Hopefully all is well. :)

Ok, that is going to have to do for now :)

All I want for Christmas...

2009-12-21T11:34:00.003-07:00

...is my top left tooth!

She is trying really hard to wiggle the other out before Christmas gets here but I don't think it will work :)

Pictures

2009-12-02T15:37:00.016-07:00

For HALLOWEEN Rylan was a PIRATE and Mikayla was a VAMPIRE PRINCESS. For the longest time Rylan wanted to be a TRANSFORMER, but a special kind...

After a while we were able to convince him that a PIRATE was better. They had GOLD! He was so funny about it. With Mikayla she had her HEART set on being a VAMPIRE PRINCESS for months. I don't know where she got it from but she would not waver. She was the one who told us she needed the BLOOD on her mouth and neck. It was funny hearing a six year old talking about VAMPIRES.

A couple months ago we went on a trip to the "JUNGLE" as my nephew says. There the kids fished for crawdads, ate lunch and went for a nature walk. They had a ton of fun! Right as we were packing up to leave dumped the crawdads back in the water and as I went to stand I had to lean a little forward to avoid pushing my nephew in the water and then I heard a SPLASH. I knew what it was without even seeing it...my camera. I JUMPED in right after it. After stressing that I destroyed it I was told to put it in a bag of rice for 24 hours. It worked.

The other day we watched Crystelle and Caralee. Rylan was more than happy to help feed her, but he wanted to do it by HIMSELF! So I let him and he enjoyed it very much.

He was also nice enough to let MOM blow dry his hair into a crazy do. He found it funny and I had fun playing around. Although, it wasn't very fun trying to get it to go back down.

Here is the newest picture of Travis and I. We went up NORTH to go see a PEARL JAM concert without the kids. While there I was given a MAC makeover. If I would have known they would be taking pictures I would have taken the time to do my hair but oh well, right? At least we have decent picture of the TWO of us.

Curious...

2009-11-12T14:44:00.002-07:00

I am curious how many people still have the time to blog. I know I could do much better writing and reading in the blog world. Don't worry...I am not giving up just curious. Sign in so I know your still around :) LOL

So tired!

2009-11-09T10:34:00.009-07:00

Kids can fall asleep anywhere and at any time. It can be kind of funny the places and ways they decide to crash.

Check it out...

2009-10-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

www.cakesbyamy.net

More Pictures

2009-09-09T12:20:00.006-06:00

Picture Update Time :)

2009-08-31T19:54:00.007-06:00

Rylan taking pictures with the camera.

Now Mikayla's turn :)

this is Tyson and Carson....Mikayla loves Carson.... lol

Playing hide-and-go seek with Uncle Jonathan. Can you find him?

This picture is kind of funny...Jonathan is tall but everyone was standing just right to make him look like a giant and Rylan look like a shrimp :)

HUGS!!!

Lots of funny faces...

I have lots more pictures to upload but this is all for now :) Enjoy!

School Time

2009-08-26T16:31:00.008-06:00

Two of the four of us are in school now. Mikayla is now officially a first grader and is loving it very much. Two days before she was to start at Bloomington Elementary we received an e-mail telling us she was accepted into the Vista Charter school. It really stressed me out mainly because I thought they were also going to be starting in two days. After talking with the school on the phone and learning that Vista would start a week later we were left to make a quick choice. Everything seemed to push our discussion towards Vista and we decided to try it out. They provided us with all of her school uniforms for free and answered all of our concerns and put them to ease. The school is not finished so they are having to meet at the Dixie Center for the first two weeks. So, hopefully the week of September 7th will be the start of a new year in a new school. It is a little concerning that they offer so many electives leaving only half of the day in their homeroom with their teacher. How it works is the first through third graders travel and try all the electives and the fourth to sixth graders pick what they want to do. I am not sure how many they pick but if you want to focus on dance...you take those classes. They offer Musical Theater Technique, Technology A, Dance A, Visual Arts, Spanish, Voice/Piano/Strings, Musical Theater Technical, Physical Education, Technology B, Social Studies, Life Fitness and Dance B. We are hoping it will be a great year! Travis also started school this last Monday. We are excited that he has only one semester left, for now :) It has been a long week full of ups and downs and change. I am not an early morning person and have had to be just that. By 10:00 pm I am so exhausted. I have also learned that I need about 10 hours of sleep to function. That seems like a lot of sleep but that is what my body needs. The kids have taken the adjustment well but by the end of the week show major signs of a lack of sleep. It will just take time to adjust.

As you can see, Rylan wasn't to happy about Mikayla going to school but I finally got a smile out of him

Riot Rylan and Meditative Mikayla -OR- Raging Rylan and Merry Mikayla? Silly kids :)

Trying to Push Through the Darkness

2009-08-03T19:00:00.003-06:00

Not much has changed in the past month but I have decided to try my best to keep this updated and force myself to express where we are at in hopes of seeing the blessings that are coming out of our trials. This last month was a bad month work wise. Normally if we received as much as we have this entire month on one paycheck we would be stressing let alone it being for the whole month. Although we don't know what we are going to do we are forcing ourselves to continue moving forward with faith that all will be well. It is a hard thing to do. We have been so blessed through this with some really good friends and my family has been very encouraging and uplifting. Guess even when you are in the dark it doesn't mean you are alone and completely helpless. Our good friends, Zollingers, have been so incredibly helpful. Taking our kids out to get them a new outfit and buying us groceries is just touching a little of what they have done for us. My friend is quick to "put me in my place" so I don't stress my sweet hubby out even more with my frustrations. She even buys me shoes to help lift my spirits (: she has a shoe fetish :) The kids are healthy and well. Mikayla can't wait to start school and although she will be gone all day the only thing I am worried about is the schools ability to challenge her. Next year we are hopeful that she will get into a Charter school. Rylan will defiantly love the alone time with Mom. Hopefully I will be able to keep him entertained. School also starts up for Travis in a couple weeks. We are hoping it will be an easy semester so he doesn't fall behind and or stress. Other than some major challenges we are happy and well. I have to remember that. Even if the worst happens we will always have each other and that is all I want. Yeah, nobody wants the worst to happen but if it does we will get through it. This will make us stronger and better people as long as we endure it well.

Update For AMY

2009-07-10T19:38:00.011-06:00

All right...This is for you Amy (not me...my friend) She has informed me that she keeps checking the family blog for a new update and there hasn't been one. So, I will do my best to update :)
You know how when you are going through hard times it's hard to always be positive? Well, that is my reason for refraining from updating. I have plenty to be grateful for but it seems as if there is more challenges going on that distracts me from seeing the good.
As some of you may know Travis lost his job in December. He was working for his uncle doing web design and after not being paid for two months we decided it was time to move on. The first part of January he was hired at St. George Ford as a salesman. The thought of him being a "salesman" was not appealing. We have had our fair share of bad salesmen which had tainted our feelings on the job. Since their were no other options at the time he took the job. It has been a roller coaster and just when we thought things were getting better they go back to being worse. It seems as though this ride is all on the down slope which can be depressing. We have been keeping our options open though and have applied and interviewed for other jobs but nothing seems to be working out. This is the majority of our stress especially when we have been dealing with being really poor for the past eight months. We have also been dealing with issues that have been extremely difficult for me. It is hard dealing with people who seem focused on hurting you. Who create and dwell on drama. It has been even more difficult since this has been an on going problem in which I have been very forgiving. We are now at the point where we have decided to let it all go. Until genuine respect and love is shown for us then we will have to walk away. That is, until it is proven that they want to be a meaningful part of our life. It is going to be difficult because we can't explain it to our children and even harder hearing the lies that are being told to others. We have enough going on in our life and don't need to deal with this.
On a more positive note, the kids are in swimming lessons and are doing really well. We are planning a mini vacation up to our friends cabin in Kolab that will be all about getting away from it all and relaxing. We haven't had a vacation in a really long time. Mikayla starts the first grade in August and she is so excited. We are hoping that things will get better as the year goes on and that there will be many more things to be grateful for.

Seven Years Ago Today...

2009-05-24T09:55:00.008-06:00

I was on my way, if not close, to the Las Vegas Temple. There I would be meeting my soon to be husband to be married to one another for all time and eternity....

(:Here is one of our engagement pictures because we don't have any wedding pictures in the computer :)

Seven years have passed and many things have changed! We started this journey as two and now we are a family of four. We still have many years ahead of us that will have good times and bad, but together untied we will stand! I love this man more than words can say. I love him more every day!

I LOVE YOU TRAVIS!!!!

Picture Update

2009-05-22T12:23:00.005-06:00

I am sure most of you are wondering if we will ever blog again. It has been a crazy year for us and life is always throwing surprises our way. So, here are pictures from the last several months. Enjoy!

Sickness

2009-02-24T15:45:00.002-07:00

Well, I know I said I would post an update and have yet to follow through. Sorry.
With this darn flu going around in our house you will have to wait just a little longer. We have had "the sickness" since Friday night and everyone is anxious to be better. So until that happens, I am going to be a slacker a little longer. :)

Hehee

2009-01-16T12:44:00.001-07:00

This is my big sister! I have looked on her blog, facebook and then myspace and this is really one of the only pictures she has up of herself. So, I will share it with the world! Your welcome Amber! Love you!

Slacker...

2009-01-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

...is what I have been. I really need to update! I have to cover Christmas, Rylan's 3rd Birthday, and Travis' new job. Plus any other small random events. It will come soon...promise!

2008-12-22T15:23:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Snow in St. George

2008-12-18T14:40:00.005-07:00

It finally happened

2008-12-15T18:35:00.005-07:00

A couple months ago Mikayla was eating a rice crispy at her friends house. When she bit into the rice crispy, which was hard, it knocked her two bottom teeth loose. We didn't think it would take long for them to come out but she insisted on letting them fall out on there own. Only in the last couple weeks has she taken an interest in wiggling one of them. Well, last night before dinner she came in and showed me how loose it was. The back side was no longer attached. I sent her to the bathroom and Dad was soon to follow. She was a little nervous about the whole thing so I told her I would give her a candy from my candy necklace if she could be brave. A minute later I hear her say "it's bleeding!" and start to cry. She was so upset about the blood that when I went to take her picture we had to take a lot in order to get one that looked like she was excited. Well, the tooth fairy came and she was really happy about that. Now she is working on the other one because after all, "it wasn't that bad" . :)

New Pictures for 2008

2008-11-21T14:13:00.001-07:00

Mikayla for Halloween ...

2008-11-05T13:48:00.003-07:00

... was a doctor. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she will tell you a doctor. We asked her if she wanted to be a mom when she grows up and she shrugged her shoulders and said "can I still be a doctor". She has this plan to become a doctor and when she has kids let someone else watch them and if she can only pick one thing she would give up being a mom to go into the medical field. I am more sure than any thing that this will all change when she gets older but it is kind of fun to see how much she wants to do this.

Rylan for Halloween ...

2008-11-05T12:56:00.003-07:00

... was a convict. When Cody, brother-in-law, lived with us before his mission we buzzed Rylan's hair and Cody told us he looked like a convict. So with that as our inspiration we decided to make it his costume. The part Rylan liked the most was the tattoos and the part he hated was getting his hair cut off. But over all his costume was a hit.

Fourth folder Fourth Picture!

2008-11-04T22:29:00.002-07:00

Tag, your it! Two of my friends this week have posted this so I decided maybe I would do it too. So, go to the fourth folder and post the fourth picture. Have fun!

Thumb Sucking

2008-11-03T14:03:00.004-07:00

Rylan is our thumb sucker and we decided to help him kick the habit. I used some medical tape and taped both thumbs since he will switch if the sore on one thumb hurts to much. Well, I put him to bed and when I went to check on him this is what I found.

Little stinker isn't going to make this easy. Since his thumb sucking has now spread to take what you can get I decided to talk with our dentist to see if it is a problem. His teeth are already sticking out in the front and we don't want it to damage his permanent teeth. Well, our dentist said in the 30 years he has been a dentist he has only seen one case where it effected the permanent teeth and it was because the boy was 14 and still sucking his thumb. For now he is a lucky boy and will be allowed to suck his thumb but we are trying to limit it to only when he is in bed. It has been a hard challenge but we will get there, hopefully.

"Eye" See....

2008-11-01T16:33:00.002-06:00

Hunt Eyes! Who's is who's?

Like Father Like Daughter

2008-11-01T15:42:00.007-06:00

And their funny faces!

6 Random Things About Me!

2008-10-28T14:28:00.002-06:00

I was in a round about I was tagged by my friend Krissy, so this ones for you! And everyone else that reads :)

Rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the random things:

1.) I have so many things I want to do "when I grow up". :) I would love to take some art classes, go to culinary school, attend hair school, learning to digitize my art, photography, interior design, working with flowers and I would love to decorate cakes. I would also love to learn how to make my own patterns so I can sew the things that I want and how I want. No more patterns from the store. That would be cool. I can do a lot of this stuff but it would be nice to learn how to do it the right way and better my skills.
2.) I am going to be starting school this spring. I was going to do fall block classes but the High School has been having a hard time pushing the send button on the fax machine, for my transcripts.
3.) I can not use a port-a-potty! I would rather hold it than sit on one of those nasty bacteria infested poo pile cans. Just thinking about them makes me nauseated.

***This is harder than I thought it was going to be***

4.) I love to help people. Most of number one would be so I could help others when they need it. How many of us love forking out $60+ to get our hair done? Not me. Especially in these hard times, it's nice to have "connections".
5.) Like Krissy, it would be fun to have all blond hair. I don't think I would look good as an all blond but it would be fun :)
6.) I don't like being outside in the dark.

Ok, now I tag
-Amber Anderson
-Amy Berg
-Jeff and Lindsay
-Warner's
-Matt and Sarah
-And anyone else who wants to do it :)

Three in One Day ...

2008-10-14T16:23:00.003-06:00

... posts that is :)
I just wanted to let you know our no name bird has a name. We wanted to re-name him but when we said his old name and he responded we decided to keep it.
His name is Duskie :) The previous owner likes Mountain Dew. But yeah, he is still a work in progress. He becomes a bit possessive of my shoulder when he is tired. He does everything he can to get to me...because of my hair. He loves to play with Travis but has yet to welcome the kids into his territory. As I said though, he is still a work in progress.

Pictures of the Kids

2008-10-14T15:40:00.015-06:00

It was really hard getting Mikayla to hold still long enough for me to take a picture of her. She was having too much fun and could care less about mom's efforts to get some pictures. Rylan on the other hand was a casual stroller. He had fun slowly taking things in and observing every detail at the park. They had fun especially when splashing mom :)

This Ones for Chantel

2008-10-14T15:19:00.003-06:00

I made curtains for my family room a while ago and sweet Chantel keeps bugging me to let her see them. So, for her, I am going to post a picture. :)

New Blog to Come

2008-10-14T01:42:00.002-06:00

Yes, I have not been very good at keeping on top of things but just for you I am going to be putting up a new blog tomorrow October 14, 2008. :)
I bet your looking forward to it!

No Name

2008-09-19T15:11:00.006-06:00

We decided since we can't have a cat or dog we would look at birds. We went to the pet store a couple times but never bought one. We got a message that one of our friends was going to sell his bird. So we decided to go see it. We were curious to see how he would respond to the kids and if he was nice. He did really well with the kids and only jumped when he would see a ball tossed up into the air. Well, as you can see, he came home with us. I keep saying he but the gender is un-known as well as his new name. It is a red bellied conure and can be potty trained as well as taught to speak. I am not sure how to do either yet but we are going to try. Right now he is still a tad moody and we have to train him not to bite. Almost always it doesn't hurt but we want to teach him it's not ok. From what we were told we can get a squirt bottle and spray him, her, it? :) Or just reward it with treats when its being good.

It's been a while....

2008-09-04T13:08:00.015-06:00

...since we have posted anything and for that I apologize.

We decided that we were going to do a family vacation before Mikayla started school so we headed up North to Lagoon. The kids have never been there before so it seemed like the perfect place to take them. To our surprise Mikayla loved it. She was barely 46" tall so she was able to go on a lot of "big kid" rides. She absolutely loved them! She went on the white roller-coaster twice loved the Bat. Rylan on the other hand was having a hard time. We took him on almost all the little kid rides and his favorite was the train...just a normal train. He was able to go on the big boat that swings back and forth so we made it the family ride but once was more than enough for the kids. By the time we were done the kids were pretty worn out and were happy to go to sleep. When we left the next morning to go back home they were so upset that we had to leave Lagoon behind. It was a much needed and welcomed family vacation.

Mikayla also started Kindergarten! She loves school and hopefully she always will.

2008-08-15T22:58:00.002-06:00

Not the best of quality, but still pretty neat. This is the view from our front porch during a thunderstorm. Too bad it was still about 100 degrees out side during this.

2008-07-31T23:23:00.002-06:00

If you have ever wondered what it is like to be stung by a Bark Scorpion, ask Amy. From what I could gather from the screams of terror it really hurts.

2008-07-18T16:52:00.001-06:00

Ok, believe it or not this is not the edited photo. Amy was trying to be polite before.

PRETZEL TIME

2008-07-17T12:13:00.007-06:00

Ummmm, what else can be said but human pretzel?

A visit by "Major Pain"

2008-07-16T15:05:00.008-06:00

So, Rylan had his surgery Tuesday (just over a week ago). He did surprisingly well with recovery and pain. They gave us loritab but said we may only need to use it the first day or so but to try and use Tylenol. So that is what we did and by Thursday he was off all pain killers. Well, Saturday he started acting like he wasn't feeling well. We thought maybe he was getting his two year molars because he was drooling like crazy and wouldn't eat. By Sunday morning things were out of control and we decided to call the on-call doctor who went on to tell us that it was due to intolerable pain. Wait, I thought we were past that part?! So, we had to put him back on the med's and it helped. Now we are having to deal with moodiness due to withdrawal of the pain killers. Other than that he is doing well.

Surgery Day

2008-07-10T23:06:00.005-06:00

So, as you may have read Rylan had his adenoids removed Tuesday morning. The night before was a restless night and I think I slept a little (it didn't help that we went to bed at midnight). We had to be up at 5:15am to get to the hospital at 6am. To our surprise Rylan woke up on his own as we were getting ready at 5:30 and seemed to be very happy. If only he knew why were were up that early maybe his mood would be a little different.
Arriving to the hospital on time we started the paperwork. Rylan was becoming a little more restless at this point and didn't want to be there any longer. I think he could sense something was going on. They came to take him up stairs and gave him a "conscious" sedation which came in a liquid form. He wanted nothing to do with the nurse and turned down the offer to go on a ride (on the bed) and settled for mommy caring him. The nurse was telling us he would start to act drunk and quit funny by the time we got up stairs but to every ones surprise he was normal. The anesthesiologist said he would give him a couple more minutes and had to use the "let's go find a balloon" trick to be able to move him to the surgical room. Travis and myself waited in the designated waiting room and all I keep thinking was I hope they aren't doing this for nothing. I hope his adenoids really need to be removed. I was thinking this because at his doctors apt. they said they couldn't really see anything and that things were to tight. I would feel awful if we put him through all this and his adenoids were fine. Travis kindly reminded me that the surgery wasn't to diagnose the problem, that had already been done.
About 30-45 minutes after letting him go the doctor came out to let us know that things went really well. He said that most kids fight the sedation but Rylan went right to sleep. He went on to tell us that his adenoids were quit large and that the tissue (I cant remember the name of it sorry) was large as well.
After talking with him for a couple minutes we went down stairs to wait again until they brought him down. Those 30 minutes seemed longer than when he was in surgery. A nurse exited the doors asking for Mr. and Mrs. Hunt. We stood and the only thing she said was "he wants mommy". He was crying and seemed very upset. I would say that this was the worst part of the whole thing. We were assured that the moodiness, aggravation and emotion was a side effect that would soon wear off. I cant tell you how hard it is to hold your little one to comfort them and it doesn't work.
All in all we were there until about 10am and from there we went to get his meds and pick up Mikayla who had spent the night at Nana and Papa's. The rest of the day just got better. You would have never guessed him to have gone through what he did. The doctor told us that he would get worse before he got better meaning the stuffiness. With surgery the nose would be irritated and therefore things would be swollen for a couple weeks. We are all just so glad it is over and look forward to seeing his constant improvement.

There Out!

2008-07-08T10:13:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to let you know his adenoids are out! Things went well and we are all happy to be home. Now we just need to take a long nap to make up for only 5 hours of sleep.

Just a Short Update

2008-07-05T12:56:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know I haven't been doing a very good job keeping everyone updated and for that I apologize. Things have been busy around here. Fathers Day weekend I miscarried as most of you already know. The very next week I had girls camp. A lot of planning and stress revolved around that. And now this upcoming Tuesday Rylan is having surgery to remove his adenoids and cauterize the tissue in his nose. We are all well though. I guess that is what matters the most. Life may get crazy and challenges difficult but as long as we persevere and press forward we will get through it. I will try to set aside some time in the next day or two and blog about girls camp and of course after Rylans surgery. Until then we hope you have had and will continue to have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

Falling 2 feet out a window

2008-06-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

Today Rylan experienced falling out the bedroom window. Now, I know this sounds really bad but it wasn't as far of a drop as you may be thinking. Rylan decided to try and sit in the window seal just like big sister had done. The window in about two feet from the floor and although Mikayla could reach without help Rylan needed a boost from Mikayla's bed. Since we were not in the room when it happened we relied on Mikayla to tell the story. Well, from what we gathered he used his left foot to push himself onto the window ledge and pushed himself right out the window onto the concrete out side. About two hours at the hospital revealed he broke his collar bone. Luckily that was all his injuries. His splint is kind of big and bothers him so I decided to put a bandage around it to keep it as still as possible. Poor thing!

Ballet Defile

2008-05-17T11:28:00.000-06:00

As you all ready know Mikayla is in ballet and loves it very much. When her class was practicing a week ago for the Defile her teacher was telling me that she was afraid that Mikayla was nervous about performing. She wasn't getting all the moves down and had a serious face the entire time. So we decided to video tape her last class which was four days from the big night so she could practice at home. The morning of the dress rehearsal it was apparent that her practice paid off. That night (Friday May 16, 2008) she was wonderful! We are so proud of her!

Mikayla is right in the middle wearing red.

Here is Mikayla practicing at home and Rylan thought he would try out it too. He is a little to good at it so we need to find a way to toughen him up.

Updating with pictures

2008-05-14T19:39:00.000-06:00

Easter Morning...

Rylan gave Mikayla a slight black eye...

Jumping is so much fun...

Why we cant have a puppy right now...

Rylan, what happend to your hair?

Eatting lunch...

It's been a while

2008-04-30T18:37:00.000-06:00

Hello again! I know... it has been a while since I have posted. With the move and Travis' new job it has been hard finding time to sit down and write.
We are all well. Travis just finished his last final for the semester and he couldn't be happier. Me too. Rylan is going in to see the allergist next week to have 80+ (cant remember the exact number) test done. I don't know how they plan on doing it but it will be good to get it done and over with. He is still doing occupational therapy and a form of speech therapy. It's slow moving but we are starting to see improvements in his eating and a little in speech. Mikayla's semester of dance is also coming to an end. She has her performance in a week and two days. It should be fun!
Well, there is a little update and when I get a chance I will write again.

We start this weekend

2008-02-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

We start our move Friday to the new house. No, unfortunately we still are not buying. The home we live in right now is nice but the owner wants to sell it and we don't want the hassle of showing it. So we are moving into a four bedroom house this weekend. Funny story....Travis help build the house. Two and a half years ago we were having a house built. My brother-in-law and his wife had the lot right next door to ours. It was at the tail end of the big boom and the guy financing promised he would keep the price low for us. My father-in-law is a general contractor so we would have to pay for the lot and the cost of supplies. We would help put in time in building them to keep the cost down. Well the guy became greedy and knew how much he could get from them if he sold them to someone else so he raised the price to where neither of us could buy. Well, the house we are moving into is the one my brother-in-law was going to buy. We are excited. It has a fireplace, a big laundry room and lots of storage. We start moving tomorrow and will be done by Tuesday. Then my job will be to clean the house we are moving out of. Carpets and everything. So, don't expect to see any updates for a while. Wish us luck.

Oh Nuts!

2008-02-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Since church starts at one for us we always have lots of time to get ready for church. Today was no exception. Kids were dressed and ready and mom and dad were finishing up. Rylan was wanting a snack because he saw daddy eating something. So with a lot of persuading on his part Rylan got a little piece of pistachio, a little smaller than a pea. I was in the back room and heard him whining and assumed he and Mikayla had been fighting over something. When he got to me he started spitting stuff into my hand. At first we thought maybe he didn't like it but no more than 30 seconds latter he started having a reaction. We stopped everything and put some hydrocortisone cream on his face and gave him benadryl. After realizing it was still spreading on his face we undressed him and put him in the tub. This seemed to help. Now that he is sleepy and in bed and we missed church we have decided No Nuts for Rylan!

Travis

2008-02-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Now that the kids starter post are completed I can do one on Travis. However, I have to hurry before he comes in the room, otherwise he may not allow me to post it. So here is a little about such an amazing man, husband and father.
As you may have read in a previous post Travis has just recently switched jobs. The opportunity came at a very stressful and busy time. In fact, he received the call right as we were about to take Rylan into the ER. It was a big decision but we felt it was the right one. It seemed everything was pulling us towards this this opportunity so we jumped on and are very grateful we did. Travis did a good job at his last job and showed he could be a wonderful leader. With this new job he is amazing! He is learning things so quickly and executes a job perfectly. His uncle wishes he had would have brought him aboard sooner and is excited to move forward with Travis.
Aside from work Travis is going to school. Before this semester started he received a letter from the college letting him know he was being excepted into the honors program because of his grades. They say little kids are sponges, the same goes for Travis. His ability to learn and absorb is amazing. Although he is missed at home while he is in school, it will be but a short time in the big picture.
Travis has so many talents. It seems that what he is good at I am not. When it comes to computer stuff he could go on and on like Tyler and his medical mumble. :) Sometimes I can understand the first couple minutes but then I loose everything after that.
I could go on and on about Travis but I will end it here. I love Travis very much! I love seeing him play with the kids and seeing how much the kids love playing with him. I love how much he loves us. I love his dedication and sense of direction. I love our life together and look forward to the many more years we have with each other. Words will never be able to touch how much I love this man!

All about Rylan

2008-02-20T18:50:00.001-07:00

Rylan is a very busy two year old who can work his way into any ones heart. He has such a love for life and a passion for all the boy things. At times he can be so independent but still needs lots of hugs from mommy. Terrible two's.....nah, enjoyable two's.

Rylan has such a interest in things that have wheels. Motorcycles, trucks, cars, bikes, and new found joy... trains. Specifically Thomas the Train. He loves when Daddy takes him for a ride around the block on his motorcycle. From the time he gets on the bike to the moment he gets off all you see is his big smile. Of course a ride around the block is never enough but Mommy doesn't like him to go to far. He has also discovered how much fun it is to drive in the car with Daddy on the way home from church. Now don't worry, it's just at the bottom of our street. Another thing Rylan likes to do is beep. Ok, let me explain. We were driving to Mikayla's dance class and got stuck behind a van that was going really slow. It was quiet in the car and all of a sudden....BEEP BEEP! It seems that any time he can see the back of a vehicle he gets the urge to beep at it. He has a was of making everyone laugh.

Aside from the trucks and bikes, Rylan has a soft side. He is the snugly one out of the family and loves to be the first one to give loves before we go to bed. He also has a weakness for things that are soft and especially things that are silky. As soon as he feels it the thumb pops in the mouth and the comfort item in the other hand rubbing it up against his face. Now this soft side has it's limits. Mikayla got a new baby doll for Christmas. It's one of those baby alive dolls that gets sick and crys and you have to play doctor to make it feel better. Well, she wanted to play with Rylan and made the doll cry. She told Rylan he had to hold the baby and started towards him and he took off. So, we tried again without the crying and he threw it and said "NO!" and ran off again.

Rylan absolutely loves his big sister and when he isn't following mom around he is following Mikayla around. She has lots of cool toys he doesn't get to play with very often. Like barbies, polly pocket, ponies and dress up. They can play very well together and can also bug one another just as well. I think they get together and share different ideas on how to let mom and dad know they are mad or want something. They seem to copy each other and they do a good job at it.

We love Rylan very much and look forward to his constant personality developments. He is such a sweet child and has such a love for his family. He is a constant reminder of how innocent and precious life is. We are truly blessed to have him in our family and are wishes for him are the same as for his sister. We hope he will always be able to be so kind and gentle to those he meets and those he knows. He is a strong little man and we love him very much. A brother, a son, he is are lovable little Rylan.

All about Mikayla!

2008-02-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

Mikayla is a very sweet and thoughtful young girl who has many passions in life. Now that she is five she has school to look forward to this summer and is becoming very anxious. So here is a blog about our sweet and strong willed young lady.
Mikayla has such a warm heart especially when it comes to her brother Rylan. Don't get me wrong, they still fight with each other like all siblings do. If she see's Rylan upset or hurt she will run to his side to make sure things are all right. She often times gives up something she has to make him feel better. Now, it's a different story when it comes to shots. The other day they had a doctor's appointment. Mikayla was getting her kindergarten checkup and shots and Rylan needed to get his second flu shot. When the time came the doctor asked who was first and without hesitation Mikayla volunteered her unaware brother. Then as she heard his cries she ran as fast as she could and hid under a chair. Yes, we had to pry her out from under the chair to give her the shots.
Ballet is one of Mikayla's favorite things to do right now. She is in her second year of attendance with no desire to stop. Once a semester they invite the parents to sit in one of the classes to watch there daughters. Although there tasks seem easy, to a small child they take a lot of coordination. Mikayla's need for feeling she is doing it perfectly keeps her ahead of the game. She would love the teacher to show them how to do the more advanced moves and conveyed this desire in her last parents sit in class. She still doesn't understand why the parents started to chuckle when she showed the teacher how she wanted the girls to do the next task. This last summer Mikayla was able to attend a summer theater class. Her ballet classes are once a week and a half hour long but the summer classes were four days a week for an hour and a half. I thought it would wear her out but she surprised us all with the amount of energy she had. They were going to be the pre-show as well as a small part in the actual play the older kids were putting on. For the pre-show they performed two songs from Annie. Mikayla loved it!

Like almost every little girl Mikayla loves to dress up. And if she can get others to dress up with her, that's even better. When her uncle Jonathan came to her house right before reporting to the MTC, she somehow talked him into playing dress up with her. Rylan is a fun one to play dress up with too. He seems to enjoy it just as much as she does. She has tried talking Dad into dressing up with her and to this day still hasn't convinced him to do so.

Mikayla has a will stronger than steel and at times what can be a good thing can also be bad. If she thinks something is unfair she won't hesitate to tell you so. With the rolling of the eyes and a flip of her hand she can get her point across very well. I think this is where her motherly side comes into play as well. When Rylan is playing with something he shouldn't she quick let him know just as a mother would. We are always reminding her that she is five and five year olds are not moms. With observing how Rylan does things she has picked up the talent of the pout. The bottom lip comes out and with an over dramatic quiver she try's to get some tears to flow but with no prevail. She tends to give up on that and turns with a huff and stomps off.

Mikayla is a blessing in her family's lives. She is a constant reminder of what's important and can also be a good reality check. She is a ray of sunshine with enough energy to share with every one around her. She is a beautiful, smart, kind, and determined child. We love her very much and are positive the future holds many wonderful blessing for her. We hope she will always stay true to who she is and never give up when things are hard. A princess, a daughter, a sister, Mikayla.

More Stuff... Where To Start?

2008-02-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, there is plenty to be posted on here, but I haven't had the time or desire to do so. Here are some reasons why:

1. I am taking my last english class this semester. That makes me write enough as it is.

2. Work is taking most of my time. (homework is work as well)

3. The family gets the rest of it.

4. I am kinda lazy sometimes.

5. I know Tyler wants us to post more and it is kinda fun making him wait. :)

With my excuses provided above, I can now appologize for being a slacker. Sorry.

School Stuff:
I am still going to school. I did however change my idea again when it comes to a degree. I worked with enough engineers to realize i don't like them! So, I have reverted back to my original plan. Computer Information Technology. It's going slow, but it's going. If anyone has a 12 page persuasive paper they want to give me, I promise not to tell. :)

Work Stuff:
Soon after I realized I don't like engineers, I got the opportunity to switch jobs! I am now working from home doing web design stuff. My uncle, who lives in Phoenix, was kind enough to give me this opportunity. The pay is better, the atmosphere is better (unless the kids are whiney... lol), so all in all I am very happy I made the transition.

Home and Family Stuff:
Since I have done me already, lets just go down the list. Amy is next. I won't not going to say much about Amy in hopes she'll do it later. She had her birthday on super bowl sunday again. This was the second time this has happened since we have been together. The first was while we were dating. As I remember, we spent the day at Rogers house to watch the game. Amy had the hickups all day. :) I just colored her hair for her. I guess that makes me a good husband? I hope so, I do what I can. :) Next, Mikayla. She also had her birthday. 5 YEARS OLD! Crazy how fast time just ticks away. She is getting really good at letter recognition and what sounds they make. Not quite ready to start putting them together to make words. But we are getting close. She is going to give us problems concerning the boys as she gets older. She is already the one being chased by the boys (and bit on the lip... but that's a story Amy can tell). Rylan. He had his B-day Dec. 28. Finally hit the terrible two's. Yes, they are getting terrible. Mainy becuase he cant really talk yet. He says words, but doesn't put more than two together. The last couple weeks have been a pretty good improvement though. And, just because he doesn't talk doesn't me he isn't vocal. If he wants something or wants YOU to know something, he'll let you know. He still loves motorcycles, cars, and is now really big on trains. Barbie has crept her way in somehow... She will die by my hand if it gets worse.

Anyway, that is that. Amy is going to be so proud of me!

Rylan's Update

2008-01-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

As most of you are aware, Rylan was born with Hydronephrosis. We had more testing done last month and met with his specialist Dr. Snow today. The results of the test were excellent! Dr. Snow is not very concerned anymore because the problem is fixing itself. So, with that being the case, Rylan is no longer on antibiotics everyday and we won't be getting more tests done for 2 more years! Great news for us and especially Rylan!

Here we go!

2008-01-26T16:26:00.001-07:00

All right! Here is our first post! More to come when we get it all figured out!