Rock Star for a day

Thursday was rock star day at school.  Hunter had a lot of fun finding an outfit that was just right (we only tried on about three different options), trying different things out with the hair (debating if he should wear a hat or not and if so, what hat, spiky, a Mohawk or a slicked over look) and finally Thursday morning, dressing the part.

I must be honest, I totally loved this look on him!  He had a blast and found out that his favorite rock star of all time is Elvis.  Smart kid.  And also, he wants to grow up to be famous.

Rock on little buddy and as Aerosmith sings, "DREAM ON!".

Adventures with Nellie

Some of you may remember Ned.  He was Hunter's preschool's class bear that went home on the weekends with the students to get a glimpse into their life at home.  Well this year, Hunter is in the morning preschool class and they have Nellie, Ned's sister.  This past weekend, it was Hunter's weekend to bring Nellie home.  And let me tell you, we had quite the adventures!  Take a look at what we did!

After school, Hunter, Nellie and I went to Mi Mexico for lunch.  Hunter enjoyed a quesadilla, fries and my rice.  He tried to feed Nellie, but she must not have been too hungry.  After this we went over to Caribou to visit Auntie Melissa who was working.

That night, we baked cut-out Halloween cookies.  We had bats, cats, haunted houses, ghosts, pumpkins and witches!  They were quite the helpers!

 Saturday morning, we hit the road at 8:00 AM and headed south to Iowa.  (See, Nellie picked a good weekend to spend with us).    We drove, and drove, stopped for some lunch and continued to drive arriving to Craig's project site around 3:45 in the afternoon.  We found out that Nellie is a great traveler!  And so were the boys.  We only stopped 3 times. 

At the site, they were just starting to put up the nacelle of the turbine.  So we drove over there and watched the crane bring it to the top of the tower.  They were going to hang the rotor (blades and hub) but the wind picked up and they were unable to.  Either way, it was fun watching the crane and seeing a little dot poke up from the top of the tower now and then directing the crane.  The little dot was a person.  Not sure I would like that job and I made my husband tell me he is not doing that. 

We got a tour of the site, checked out some turbines, went to Craig's office, checked out their wind turbine pumpkins and then went to the dirty hotel Craig's apartment.  Don't worry, he keeps his place pretty clean, but the first time we were there, the halls were dirty and Hunter called it the dirty hotel.  So that's it's name.  We went to Pizza Hut for supper and then hung out at the dirty hotel.  Brody had a rough night and didn't want to sleep.  We finally got him down around 10:30 which is late for a little by who is usually in bed at 7:00-7:30.

Sunday morning, we decided to skip church since they were up and at em at 6:00!  Short night!  We got on the road around 10:00 to head to Omaha, NE.  We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory-yum!, and then went downtown to the Children's Museum.  The boys had a blast.  So did Nellie (Ok, so she just stayed in the car...it's hard enough keeping tabs on 2 boys).  But we did take a picture of her and Hunter outside of the museum before leaving.

Monday morning, we woke before the crack of dawn at 5:30, packed up and were on the road at 6:30 AM.  We drove and drove again and finally arrived home at 2:00.  We changed into costumes, took pictures to send to Target, then began our trick or treating adventure.  And all 3 of my "children" for the weekend were in costume: Mario, Luigi and a cheerleader.

Nellie came trick or treating with us around town to see our loved ones.  She  helped me hand out candy while my brother, Andrew took Hunter around our neighborhood and Brody stayed home and ate supper and went to bed. 

 It was a fun weekend and very busy.  Hunter was very excited after school because he was able to share what he did with Nellie.  Mrs. Roste told him that Nellie had never been to Iowa or Nebraska.  Lucky bear!  He told me the kids liked the pictures too and told me they said things like, "Whoa!  That is so cool!"  "Neat!" "That looks fun!"  He is proud of his daddy and was happy to share some of the things with his classmates and to actually be able to see the project.  Even though this isn't a typical weekend for us, we still had fun and it gave Nellie a glimpse of how wild, crazy, and adventurous our life can be.

Last Day of Preschool

 It's hard to believe that the school year is over and Hunter has completed a year of preschool.  Today, his class had one last program to show us more songs that they had learned.  As always, they sounded great and the songs are always fun to listen too.

 During the program, we had intermission.  Hunter was in charge of selling popcorn.  Other students were in charge of selling us tickets, putting stamps on our hands and handing out programs.  The last group of students were in charge of handing out straws, spoons and napkins for root beer floats.

 He is proud that he completed his first year of preschool.  We have decided to wait to send him to kindergarten so he will be going again next year which he is thrilled about because he loves his teachers.

 Speaking of teachers, the preschool staff was amazing.  Here is Hunter with his aide, Mrs. Sievert.  She is amazing and I feel as if her work goes unrecognized.  She is constantly helping and during programs is getting the next thing prepared to keep things running smoothly.  She told me that Hunter gives great hugs and gets them often from him.  It is so nice to know that he is loved and not just another student.

 Hunter's teacher was Mrs. Roste.  She is so good at what she does.  I am a little sad that this picture is a little fuzzy, but that's what happens when you have a little boy who is almost two wiggling in your arms.  Mrs. Roste makes learning fun.  I don't know where she gets her energy to keep up with two sections of 18 preschoolers.  I am sure she sleeps well at night.  She has always been so patient and kind to Hunter and I am so impressed with how much she has taught him this past year.  I am thrilled to be able to have Hunter go to Zion for one more year especially when they have such a great preschool staff and know that he is in great hands while learning and having fun.

 Hunter met some great friends while at school.  Here is a picture of he and his friend Dylan after the program/intermission/parade/awards/root beer floats.  They had fun playing in the gym.

This is Hunter's other friend Gabe.  We are sad that both Gabe and Dylan will both be moving on to kindergarten next year, but know that we have made great friendships and that there will be many play dates this summer and hopefully in the years to come. 

It is a bittersweet day for me.  It is a reminder that my little boy is growing up and there is nothing I can do to change it.  But so exciting to see what is to come in the future.  I have no idea what we will be doing Tuesdays and Thursdays now, but excited to have that extra time with the boys because as Mrs. Roste said today, "Enjoy this age because they won't stay little for long."  So true and I realized that every day.  I'm excited though that our Tuesdays and Thursdays will be open so we can go to the cities if we want, or head to Iowa to check out some wind turbines, or go on vacation.  I am sad because we said good-bye to a lot of friends today.  But happy because there are friendships that will last and new ones to be made.  I wish Hunter and Brody could stay little forever.  I love them and not sure how I will ever be able to let them go when the day comes.  But yet, I'm excited to see who they will become and what dreams they will chase.

Adventures with Ned

This weekend we had a very special visitor at our house. Ned, the bear from pre-school, came home with Hunter. Ned came with a luggage back packed with clothing, his birth certificate and a journal for us to keep track of all of our adventures. Hunter loved being able to finally bring Ned home.

As soon as we got home, Hunter took Ned out of his suitcase. He noticed he was wearing a Twins t-shirt. Hunter practically sprinted to his room to find his new Joe Mauer shirt. He put it on so they could match. How cute is that? Then, Hunter proceeded to give Ned a tour of our house, including his two favorite rooms, the toy room and his bedroom.

That night, Ned met Grandma Julie. She came over to spend time with the boys so I could have a night out! Hunter fell asleep with Ned on the couch, but as soon as I opened the door he popped up!

So, we got Hunter and Ned ready for bed. Jammies on, followed by a good-night snack, then we went and brushed our teeth. Ned even came with his own toothbrush. How fun!

After getting the pearly whites clean, we headed to Hunter's room for a good-night story and Bible story. Well, lucky for us, Hunter also brought home a book buddy from school. It was Franklin (pictured above). He came with two stories where he was the main star. So, we read a Franklin book. Pictured above are Franklin, Willy, Hunter, Lamby, Ned, and BumbleBumble. Talk about a full bed! But, they snuggled in tight and slept all night long.

The next day, Grandpa Al came over to play while I had a chiro appointment and did a little shopping. We didn't do much that day, just the usual-cleaning, playing, etc. We headed to bed early in hopes of going to the cities in the morning for a birthday party.

Unfortunately, I didn't want to risk going to the cities based on the road conditions. But, I quickly planned a fun day. Something to get us out of the house.

We met Grandma Connie, Grandpa Neal and Auntie Melissa at Pizza Ranch for lunch. Hunter was concerned that Ned would get cold outside and that we should find a jacket for him. That was not packed in his suitcase. Quick! Think fast! I went to Brody's closet and came across an old Halloween costume. Perfect! It was a little big, but it kept Ned warm (at this point I was beginning to feel like I had a third child). We enjoyed pizza and cheese sticks then headed out to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

Brody fell asleep on the way out to their house. When we got there I went inside to put him down. Then, we brought in our winter clothes and let them warm up for a few minutes. Then, we hit the hill to take Ned sledding. Talk about fun! But, it was very cold. Ned only lasted one run. He and Hunter went down, but Ned got white-washed so we figured he should go inside. Melissa, Hunter and I continued to sled until we couldn't take the cold anymore.

Check out Ned and Hunter at the bottom of the hill. I had to go and rescue them. Talk about deep snow! I felt like I was going to get stuck. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's and played Wii and Legos. We didn't do much after getting home, but Hunter made sure that Ned got ready for bed and slept close to him once again.

On Sunday, we got up to go to Sunday School and church. Check out my three boys in the backseat! Yes, Hunter made sure that we got Ned buckled. Safety first! Hunter and Ned had a great time at S.S. Hunter's teacher even told me that Ned sat still and when they were coloring asked the teacher if Ned could have a crayon to color with too.

After church, Grandma Connie and Grandpa Neal came over for lunch. Then they raked the snow off our roof. Ned stayed inside with me. We thought he might get too cold. While they were outside, Ned and I enjoyed a cat nap on the couch. :)

That night, Hunter wanted to make banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfast the next day. So, he and Ned helped me measure things out. They were both great helpers.

Happy to help! Hopefully this attitude stays around for a long time.

The next morning we enjoyed the muffins they made for breakfast. They were delicious. We didn't do much that day. Grandpa Al came over to play for awhile and we watched a Thomas movie. Pretty laid back.

Today, Ned had to go back to school and get ready for his next visit to someone else's home. Hunter was pretty sad about it and hugged Ned for quite awhile before packing him back in his suitcase. Hunter told me that at school today, his teacher read our journal entries and showed the pictures to his classmates. Hunter told me that he told his teacher that he didn't want Ned to leave and asked if he could bring him home again. She reminded Hunter that he needed to share Ned with everyone. He still wasn't thrilled with this response, but I think has come to accept it.

Now this gives you a glimpse into a busy weekend in our home. It was kind of fun having Ned around because it helped us keep track of our day to day activities. Something we don't usually take the time to do. Thanks for the fun and adventures Ned! You are more than welcome in our home anytime you want.

Conferences

Tonight I had Hunter's first preschool conference. Wow, that doesn't even seem possible! It seems like just the other day he was running around in diapers toddling around. I am realizing that time is going by way too fast and my little boy is growing up.
Ok, so I already knew that, but tonight really put it into perspective. Going into the conference I was a little nervous. What would she have to say? Was he well-behaved? Does he pay attention? Will she tell me that I really need to be doing more of something to get him more on track? Does he listen? Does he respect her and his classmates? Normal things that run through a parents mind...I think. I figured that we would be ok on most accounts, but yes, believe it or not, Hunter can be a bit of a stinker and likes to cause some trouble. He's not always the best listener. After cleaning his room up he informs me that it is too clean and we should mess it up again. He is a boy after all. After opening the conference with a prayer, Hunter's teacher asked me if I had any questions or concerns. My response was, "Well, I don't really know. Should I? I feel like he's doing ok, but you're the one who sees him here."
She assured me that Hunter is doing very well in school. She also told me that he is a joy to have in class and is always willing to help out, share, pick up, interact etc. She didn't really have any concerns for him except for continuing to build the muscles in his hand for fine motor skills. The teacher was showing me all of the progress he has made since the beginning of the school year. He only goes twice a week and has gone a total of 19 days, but in that short amount of time, he has gained so much knowledge. His writing has improved immensely. He has gone from writing H-U-scribble-scribble-scribble-T-scribble to writing H-U-N-T-E-R. He drew a picture of himself at the beginning of the year. To be honest, when she showed it to me, I had no idea what I was looking at. I saw a circle and some lines. That's about it. Then she showed me another picture that he drew of himself last week. This time, he had eyes, hair, a mouth, nose, fingers, feet...you name it! Amazing!
Sometimes it makes me sad to think how fast he is growing up. Don't get me wrong, I am excited for him and can't wait for what lies ahead in the future for him. It is just that I know I will never get these days back and cherish every moment with him and Brody. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with them and watch them each day of their lives.
I know that this is the first of many conferences to come. I hope that in the years to come they continue to be this positive. Keep up the good work, Hunter!