Hooray!

Thank you so much!

I promise to take very good care of him!

He will get extra special treatment here!

Aren't we just the cutest?

Pretty Please

We visited Pete's parents last week. While there, the kids met Oliver, one of Aunt Beth's sweet little puppies. We always love to see Aunt Beth's puppies. The kids have been asking for one of her puppies since last year.

Isn't he darling?

Please, oh, please, can we take him home????

I really need him, and he LOVES me so much!!

Dad, we really need him. It will be so much fun!!!

Play by Play

Hunter's first friend of the day

Hunter's second encounter with a classmate - this one didn't go so well. They spoke, exchanged names, and the tide turned. This little guy insisted that Hunter's name was not Hunter. He knows Hunter, and he is not the same Hunter from his church. The dilemma was finally resolved as Ellie, first friend from above picture, asked the teacher whether or not Hunter's name was really Hunter. After the teacher assured her and the other child that Hunter's name really was Hunter, everyone tried to go back to their seatwork.

However, Hunter struggled to recover from that episode. He was very frustrated with this little guy next to him - check out his eyes in this pic - he's mad! After school, Hunter told me he had several new friends, but the boy in the red shirt who said his name wasn't Hunter was not his friend. Looks like it could be a long year for those two:)

Hunter had a fabulous day. He loved every minute. He even told his teacher that he thought he would come back tomorrow. I'm hoping the weeks ahead are filled with as much excitement as we had today.

First Day of School

So, the morning began with lots of excitement. As I have prepared for this day, Nemo's dad and his "time for school..." keeps playing through my head; however, in our house, there was no need to wake anyone! Hunter woke up at 6:15, dressed himself, came downstairs, and said, "Come on, Mom! I'm ready for school." Choking back tears, I hugged him and asked what he wanted for breakfast, telling him that we still had about an hour before we had to leave. He assured me that he wasn't hungry at all, but I did get him to eat before we left. Hannah came down as Hunter was eating, just as excited about his first day as he was. His excitement lasted all day; hers was very short-lived.

After several telephone calls from family (Pete is traveling this week), we piled in the van and drove to school. We barely had time to park as Hunter was jumping out of the van and heading to his class. I was trying to take pictures of his every move, which frustrated him. He finally said, "MOM, no more pictures!" I still took more, but I don't think he knew that I was taking them.

He found the hook for his backpack, then found his name on the table, sat down and had a new friend within the first 2 minutes of his day. Hannah and I stood at the edge of the room and watched as he immersed himself in all around him. He was perfectly content. He didn't even know we were still there.

Preparing....

for Hunter to officially begin school. It seems like only yesterday he was learning to crawl and chasing the cats around our house. Today, Hunter starts Kindergarten. He is thrilled; excited beyond words; ready to enter "real" school. As for me, I'm excited but somewhat sad. I love having him around the house. I love how well he and Hannah play together. I know he is more than ready for this, but my heart wants to hold on for just a little while longer. Pete tells me that I would hold on forever if Hunter would let me; that's probably a little bit true.



Yesterday, we delivered his school supplies to his classroom. As we were leaving, Hunter said, "Mom, you don't have to take me to my class tomorrow. I know where to go. You can just drop me off." How did he get so big? I thanked him for his offer and told him that Hannah and I wanted to take him to his class tomorrow. After all, we have to take pictures to show Daddy when he gets back from his trip. Hunter agreed to let us walk him in tomorrow, but I don't think that will be a privilege that I have for very long. He likes being big! I love his independence, but I'm not ready to let go just yet!

Praying for a year filled with blessings for Hunter, his classmates, and his teachers.

A Night at the Zoo

CMOM

Swim Lessons

Fireworks

4th of July Water Fun

T-Ball

They are actually trading silly bands!!

More of NOLA

Hard Work Pays Off

Pete worked hard during his tour in NOLA. One of his favorite projects was laying the groundwork for several new nite labs. He opened one while still there, but the second one was not ready before we left. When we returned for our visit, he was able to see how all of his hard work paid off. Quite a proud moment for all of us - the kids loved seeing what Daddy does at work.