Valentine's Day

Amidst the three-and-a-half weeks of sickness our family has suffered, Hunter and I managed to make some Valentine's Day cards for our families and friends! ( Josh didn't get to help this year because he was called into the Army Reserves.) We did this last year and decided it was a good tradition.
Hunter is currently going through a phase where he does not like his hands to be messy. If there is the tiniest crumb on his finger he will hold out his hand and say, "yuck, yuck" or simply whine until someone takes a wipe and cleans off his hand. It is semi-rediculous. So with the paint, at first he wasn't too sure he wanted his hand covered in slime, but within a few minutes he decided it was really cool that he could leave marks everywhere he touched. He was still sort of hesitant, so that made it a little easier to manage.
I enjoy this tradition with Hunter, and I am happy to say that his handprints turned out slightly better this year!

20 months

(I asked Hunter to smile for me and he made this goofy face and then did a little dance. Wish I would have had the recorder on... it was really cute!)

Hunter is 20 months old today! He is busier than ever and always entertaining us with his clever personality. He loves cars and trains-- he calls them"choo choos"-- right now and those are the most common words out of his mouth. He also enjoys blocks-- he calls them "bocks," his tunnel-- he calls it his "tatoo" (yea that is so funny!), and books. Books about choo choos or cars are priorities.

He loves graham crackers, goldfish, bread, milk, peanut butter, mac n'cheese, honey, and cookies. It is hard to get him to eat anything else! We have been successful with some pasta that has cheese and he usually likes pizza. The doctor told me not to worry-- kids his age need lots of carbs. He is getting carbs, that is for sure! :)

He recovered from his ear tube surgery quite well. He still tests his ears a lot-- like when we are talking to him or he is listening to music he will cover his ears and then uncover them many times. It seems like he is testing how well he can hear. I'm sure it is like a whole new world now that the fluid is gone! As far as sickness, he has been fighting a cold the past week and a half. RSV is going around campus so it may be that. Today his lungs sound awful when he breathes. I am just praying it almost over!


Hunter loves to dance and he has learned how to turn on the CD player in our dining room. He is not supposed to do it, but often when he does he just smiles and says, "dance, dance." He loves to watch Thomas the tank engine and again, he has learned how to operate the DVD player and the TV.

We have started brushing his teeth every night and he actually loves it. He gets really excited when I tell him it is time to brush his teeth. I hope this lasts for a while! He still loves bath time. And he has been showing an interest in the potty the last week or so. One of his new favorite words is "poop." When he says it, we ask, "do you need to go to the bathroom?" Usually he says yes. Then we take him to his potty. He has never actually gone to the bathroom on his potty--yet-- but we think this is at least getting him familiar to it. He is a smart kid. I'm sure it won't be long!

Nana?

Hunter's grandparents came to visit!! Hunter seems to be calling LaVonne something like "nana." We'll see if that sticks!

They made Hunter some wooden blocks that have Thomas all over them. They are a big hit in this house.



Thanks for coming to visit us!

Icephoon 2011

This storm has been much anticipated and it is finally upon us. We are currently under a blizzard warning until noon tomorrow. So far we have seen a lot of ice and it is just starting to transition to snow. Our school closed down yesterday afternoon and everything is cancelled for today.

We slept in until 9--- yes, 9!! Hunter was the first to wake up! Now we are preparing for the worst case scenario-- to be without power. We are cooking a lot this morning, finishing laundry, and we are heating our house a few extra degrees. We don't know if we'll be without power for sure, but we want to be prepared! This afternoon we plan to get together with some friends on campus and play games while we wait out the storm.

Here are some pictures from our apartment this morning. Check out the ice on the tree limbs. It is so beautiful.

This pine tree is right outside our window. The ice hangs on it so gracefully.


We are thankful for Covenant's Snow Plow. He faithfully comes by every half hour or so.