A Little Boy's Faith

We were walking out of church yesterday, and I was balancing primary stuff and Mason and trying to direct Dylan through the piles of snow towards the truck. Dylan all of the sudden flipped out and yelled that he had lost his CTR ring. His CTR ring has the sentimental value of a diamond wedding ring to him. I took a quick glance around, but couldn't see it. We went to the truck and got Mase buckled up and bags put down. Ryan and I went back to where he thought he had lost it, but we couldn't see it. So Ry starts diggin' through the snow with his bare hands (yeah, he loves his little boy), but still couldn't find it. Then we backed the truck up to the spot where he lost the ring and started shoveling the snow into the back of the truck, hoping that his ring was somewhere in all that snow. Oh yeah, we got more than one funny look. We headed home and Dylan said that he had said a prayer that we would find it. His first thought is always to say a prayer. Well Ry and I had our doubts that we would ever see it again. I had a CTR ring back at home that I thought we could do the ol' switcheroo with. Well, Ry loaded up the snow from the back of his truck, put it in a big plastic bin, and brought it inside to melt. We left a little while later for dinner at grandma's house. Before we left we thought about getting the new CTR ring and putting it in the bin of snow, but we decided not to. We didn't want to teach Dylan that a prayer automatically fixes things. We thought that maybe he needed to learn that prayers can be answered in different ways, and not always the way that you think is best. Well, we got home from dinner (Dylan fell asleep on the way home) and Ry went to check the snow bin. The snow was melted a little bit. The bottom of the bin was pretty much water, but the top was still solid snow. He thought he saw something and turned on the light. There on the very top was the precious CTR ring. Ry thought that I had placed the new one on the top so that Dylan would find it when we got home, but I still had it in my pocket. I'm still amazed that we found it. That's the last time we will ever doubt the power of a little boy's prayer.

Spotlight on Logan!

So this is the little boy that thought he would scare his parents when he was a mere nine days old and quit breathing. Twice. Our hearts were in limbo for six days while he was in the NICU fighting an unknown battle. He pulled through, and when we were packing up, I remember the nurses being so happy because they told us based on how he was when he first got there, they were pretty sure we were gonna lose him. A few short months later, he was hospitalized for RSV. After that, he quit breathing one time again at home. Time to lay the smack down.He is grounded until he's 23. He certainly taught his parents that babies are a gift and to treasure that blessing. I still get teary-eyed thinking of how very close we were to losing him. There were so many things that could have gone differently, that I won't get in to here, but let's just say it's nothing short of a miracle that he's here today.

He makes us laugh everyday. He's so fetchin' stubborn. He has to have things "just so". He's very picky about how his socks get put on. The majority of my morning is spent fixing his socks and shoes because, according to him, they're "CrAzY" . He's very outgoing. Once we were shoe shopping and he decided to adopt this other family. He followed them around the store and kept insisting the shoes the little girl picked out were ugly. Anything pink is considered ugly. He is addicted to chocolate milk. We buy Nesquik in bulk and go through six gallons of milk a week. He's such a talker. My favorite is any story that involves the words "already" and "binoculars". Those can be hard to come by, but HILARIOUS! He says "oh-dee-ready" and "by-knock-u-layders". Oh, he's the bestest.

Growth-Spurt

This was Dylan's after school snack today:
Slice of Pizza
Peanut Butter & Jam
Banana
Orange
Cheese Slice
Handful of Grapes
I promise I fed him breakfast, and he ate lunch right before preschool ( he's only gone 2 hours). I think I'm in trouble when he's 17, Logan's 15 and Mase is 13. I'll have to go back to work just so we can afford groceries.

My Five Favorite Things Right Now

1. Waking up an hour before everyone else for some "me" time.

2. Waking Mason up in the morning. He's always happy.

3. Watching Ryan do laundry (that's hot).

4. Talking to Logan. He always has a good animated story.

5. Dylan reading a book to me.

I tag Michelle U. Anna H. Alex Y. Jenny N. Nicki B.

Rent-A-Puppy

Over Thanksgiving break we got to puppy-sit, Pepper, Liz's Shih-Tzu. She's a really good dog, so it's kinda fun for us and my boys love her. Dylan insisted that she's his responsibility, so he made sure she had food & water, took her outside to do her thing & played with her. It was a great "be good" incentive for Dylan & Logan because if they started to fight I told them Pepper would go home early. I love it because my boys get the experience of caring for a pet, but then we get to send her home after a few days.
She growls at people if they try to take away her treats, but one day I saw Mason steal one from her. She waited patiently, without growling, while he tried a taste. After some Black Friday shopping, I was taking a nap with Mason & Pepper and I woke up to find them kissing each other.

Utah Flash

Last night we took the boys to meet the Utah Flash. They got their pictures taken with some of the team, but none of them turned out very well. The Fox put Dylan up on his shoulders, but did the picture turn out? No. Logan screamed his head off whenever the Fox came by. He's my outgoing one, but he's terrified of mascots. I think the highlight of their night was playing in the bounce houses.

I...

Thanks for the idea April!
I know... I am a daughter of God.
I believe... in miracles.
I fought.... with my older brother all the time when I was younger.
I am angered... by random pen marks on my walls.
I love... to see the temple (sing it with me, people).
I need... some chocolate. Now.
I take... very hot showers.
I hear... my tummy growling.
I drink... juice. I love it! Mmm Yummy
I hate... telemarketers. You'd think the Do Not Call List would help...
I use... cartoons as an incentive for my kids.
I want... more kids ONE DAY!
I like... being home with my kids. Someone may need to remind me of that now and then.
I feel... overwhelmed sometimes.
I wear... jeans and a t-shirt whenever I can get away with it.
I left... some clothes in the washer overnight. Dang it!
I do... laundry way too much. See above.
I hope... my children have strong testimonies of the Gospel.
I dream... dreams so vivid, that I'm often mad at Ryan until I realize it was just a dream.
I drive... a lifted Chevy Silverado.
I listen... to my heart. It's always right.
I type... way slower than my husband. I think his fingers actually smoke when he types.
I think... I'm too hard on myself.
I wish... I could always protect my kids.
I am... a Cubs fan.
I regret... not finishing college.
I care... what others think of me, even though I try to pretend I don't.
I said... things I never thought I would. For example: Were you born in a barn?
I wonder... what I should make for dinner tonight.
I cry... when I laugh too hard. Quite confusing for the boys.
I lose... sleep when my boys don't feel good.
I leave... my socks on sometimes when I sleep. Drives Ryan crazy. Not in a good way.
I should... go see why Mason's crying.

Grocery Store Nightmare

So I went grocery shopping today with all the boys. Wait, it gets better. I always write out my list in order of the store to help speed things up. Our first stop is usually the bakery. They give out free cookie samples and that keeps the boys occupied for at least 2 aisles. Well, Logan is my big helper, my Mr. I -Can-Do-It-Myself. While I was picking out some good green peppers, he decided he was going to go ahead and push the cart. Good idea, except he can't see where he's going! He crashed into a display of Herbal Tea and Cajun Chicken Marinade. Yeah, weird combo, right? The herbal tea wasn't a huge deal, but the marinade... Luckily, the bottles were plastic, but being bottles, they were of a curved nature. About thirty bottles of marinade rolled in thirty different directions.
So, I was wondering, do you have a grocery store nightmare? Something your kids have done, or heaven forbid, something you did when you were little...

Spotlight on Dylan!

I think Dylan needs a post all of his own, so here are his stats...
He's 5 years old & currently attending his 2nd year of preschool. He's already reading books, which I'm pretty sure I didn't do until at least 1st grade. He insisted on his training wheels being taken off his bike when he was 3. He's such a good big brother, and is especially helpful with Mason. He loves sports of all kinds and playing outside. He's got his own left-handed golf clubs and can't wait until he's old enough to go hunting with his dad. He loves veggies, but I cannot get the kid to eat mac & cheese. He's very creative and smart. He's a lot like his dad, in fact, I'm told Dylan should be named Ryan Jr. The most awesomest thing he said today: "There's nothing better than Mom's dinners".

A Walk to the Park

Today was such a nice, sunny day we decided to go for a walk to the park. By the time we got there the older two decided they were too hot for coats.

Anna, don't you miss this?

There was a winter wonder land outside this morning when the boys woke up. Time to dig out the snowpants. What fun. It takes them 20 minutes to get ready. " That doesn't fit! That's Dylan's, I want my own. I don't need gloves!" Luckily, once they're dressed they stay outside for a while, and leave me with a muddy wet mess when they come back inside.

4-Wheelin'

Logan loves to take Mason for rides on the 4 wheeler!
The other day I was trying to hurry and finish making dinner with kids climbing all over me. Logan was playing with Mason and every 30 seconds Mason would start crying. It was the "he's bugging me, mom" cry. I kept asking Logan if he was being nice. Well, after about 3 times of me asking this, Logan says in a mocking tone, "Are you being nice? Are you being nice? Are you being nice? Shut your pie hole mom! " Its still up for debate whether he got that from his uncle or his dad.

Getting outta this place...

The other day I took all the fellas (including my almost 6 mo old nephew, Jackson) over to their Aunt Liz's house because I needed to get some things from her. Actually, she always has treats and an awesome toy room so that's why we really go over there. Anyway, it was finally time to load up and head out. This is how it all went down:
I told the boys it was time to leave, and that in itself always gets a grumble or two from them. After cleaning up the toy room, I come upstairs to find that Mason has dumped Pepper's dog food all over. Pepper is growling at him and trying to eat it as fast as she can before Mason does. Thank goodness I remembered to put her water dish up high where Mason couldn't reach it. I got that all cleaned up & then Jackson starts screaming as if he's on fire. Poopy bum. Blowout, to be exact. I would cry like I was on fire too. So, I get him all cleaned up. In the meantime, Logan gets a Capri-Sun out of the fridge. Somedays he's good at putting the straw in, somedays... not so much. Guess which kinda day this was? So I wipe up the mess on the kitchen floor. Then I see that Dylan and Logan got into Austin and Lexie's Nintendo DS's and there are games everywhere. Dylan so wonderfully puts those away for me while I load Jackson up in the truck. I come back inside to find Logan has found the treat jar & there's Laffy Taffy wrappers everywhere. I clean that up and go outside to help Logan get in the truck. While I was out Mason found Liz's Halloween decorations and, well... redecorated. I put everything back and then got Mason loaded up in the truck. I come back inside & Dylan's found some spy gear belt contraption of Austin's & the world will absolutely end if he can't wear it just for " two seconds, I swear, mom". Five minutes later, we were finally ready to go. Fifteen minutes to get what I need.... 30 minutes to leave.

I'm a little concerned...

Isn't this the best face? The photographer kept pretending she was getting poked in the eye every time she looked in the camera. I think Logan was thinking "Umm, Lady? My suggestion is maybe you shouldn't look in there anymore".

The Hunter Boys

This picture was taken about a year ago. It seems like Dylan and Logan have both grown 2ft since then. Little Mason is not so little anymore.