Awe, that's sweet, Daddy!

Stephen gave me a big hug before he left the house the other day. Adler saw his daddy hug his mommy and said, "Awe, Daddy, that's sweet!". It was too cute!     

Picture Update

Here's what I came home to after a wonderful morning out while Stephen kept the boys.....

We had some friends over last Friday night...all the girls fought over Adler and he of course, loved it!
Sweet brothers!



Finally! I got a picture of the matching Easter outfits! Eli has already grown out of his!
Loving that smile!
Grammi sent some goodies....

Adler's prayer

At nap and bedtime, we always say a prayer with Adler. We ask him who he would like to pray for. Here was today's list:

Rylie

Billy Jean (rylie's dog)

Mommy and Daddy

my trains - then he was very specific on which ones....Thomas, James, Percy and Gordon

and chocolate

The last prayer request reminds me he is definitely my child!

Coffee date

Here's my little "coffee" buddy. Is it bad my 2 year old already asks for coffee and will steal mine if I'm not keeping my eye on my cup of joe? It's not like this child needs any more energy! Neanie gave Adler his own coffee mug last Easter, so he is enjoying drinking "coffee" (or watered down decaf coke) with his mommy. 

Menu planning simplified

Sometimes I'll peep onto this blog. She always has interesting home making ideas...how to save money, grow a garden, make your own...., good reads, etc. I liked how she wrote out a monthly menu and thought interesting how she grouped the day by "theme".  It definitely did seem to make things simple. (I'm usually still trying to decide what to cook at 4pm) This may be a bit too rigid for me, but I thought I would share how she planned her menu:

Mondays - Main Dish Salads

1. Southwest Chicken Salad
2. Stir Fry w/Rice & Veggies (twice a month)
3. Chicken Ceasar Salad or Wraps

Tuesdays - Sandwiches & Soups

1. Grilled Veggie Sandwiches (our favorite frugal summer meal!)
2. BBQ Beef Sandwiches
3. Dijon Chicken Sandwiches & Garden Chowder
4. Fish & Chips (with homemade French Fries)

Wednesday - Italian/Ethnic

1. Pasta Presto
2. Hummus Platter
3. Penne w/Chicken and Asparagus (or in season produce)
4. Chicken Curry over Rice

Thursday - Mexican

1. Grilled Stuffed Burritos
2. Grilled Asparagus (or in season produce) Quesidillas
3. Chicken Fajitas
4. Baked Potato Bar

Friday - Special Dinner Night

Friday is family night, so we also have  our once a week dessert on this night

1. Homemade Pizza (twice a month)
2. Hamburgers, baked beans
3. BBQ Chicken

Saturday & Sunday

Leftovers, Spaghetti, Nachos, or Waffles (our favorite Sunday night treat)

Eli's bath-time

Keeping that stylish hair super clean!

Compassion

This morning, Adler displayed so much compassion for his mommy. It meant so much to me. I was walking from the kitchen to the living room, when my foot caught the end of Adler's wooden picnic table. It seemed I hit it just right, scratching the skin at the same time and crumbled into the couch groaning in pain. (ok maybe I was being dramatic, but it really did hurt) I was really surprised Adler even noticed because he was in his "Little Einsteins" trance. He came over to me with the sweetest look of concern. "You OK mommy?" "Hurt you? Boo Boo?" "I kiss it?" So sweet. I showed him my red foot. He took it into his hands so delicately, like when he approaches Eli, and kissed it so sweetly. At this point I had tears, but they weren't from pain, but at the tenderness of his heart. He then crawled up on the couch with me and said, "Come here, mommy" as to console me, and laid his head on my chest and gave me a big hug. The injured foot was long forgotten and I was reminded my sweet Adler is growing up, developing, and caring for others. This was something I couldn't teach him, but something he felt on his own. It was such a sweet moment (and I do mean moment) because the next thing I knew, he was off chasing Sadie with his pet "snake" (a towel he drags on the floor making a "ssss" sound). But at least we are making some progress!

Level6 Records

Level6 Records, originally uploaded by stephenhunton.com.

Things have been super busy for me over the last few weeks. Photography is becoming more and more time consuming, which is awesome and I've had the opportunity to shoot some unique stuff recently. You can see more at my photo blog:
http://stevohunton.blogspo.com

Happy Mother's Day!

a friend emailed this to me....

Before I was a Mom, 
I never tripped over toys 
or forgot words to a lullaby. 
I didn't worry whether or not 
my plants were poisonous. 
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, 
I had never been puked on. 
Pooped on. 
Chewed on. 
Peed on. 
I had complete control of my mind 
and my thoughts. 
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, 
I never held down a screaming child 
so doctors could do tests. 
Or give shots. 
I never looked into teary eyes and cried. 
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. 
I never sat up late hours at night 
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, 
I never held a sleeping baby just because 
I didn't want to put her down. 
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces 
when I couldn't stop the hurt. 
I never knew that something so small 
could affect my life so much. 
I never knew that I could love someone so much. 
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, 
I didn't know the feeling of 
having my heart outside my body.. 
I didn't know how special it could feel 
to feed a hungry baby. 
I didn't know that bond 
between a mother and her child. 
I didn't know that something so small 
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, 
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night 
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. 
I had never known the warmth, 
the joy, 
the love, 
the heartache, 
the wonderment 
or the satisfaction of being a Mom. 
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, 
before I was a Mom ..

open sky

open sky, originally uploaded by stephenhunton.com.

There's a lot going on at Casa Del Hunton right now, but something about flying above a sea of clouds helps me to realize how small I really am, and just how in control God really is.

Growing up!

Sweet little Elijah Beckett just keeps getting bigger! Already in the Bumbo! He is just a little cutie!

And here's my Mother's Day present! Thanks boys! I'm looking forward keeping up with Adler on the playground while having Eli right with me. This carrier is so much more comfortable and easier on my back than the Bjorn! Eli may need a few more weeks before he's ready for it, but he seemed pretty happy!

And just for fun....here I am...the date on my computer says it was the end of October, so I was 6 months pregnant, but man, do I look big! I have to admit, I do love being pregnant! 

And I have to add...the thing I am loving about Adler these days he how much he is starting to communicate with me. He's able to tell me about things that happen to him at school. For instance, this week, the class bully bit Adler on the arm. This is the second time Adler has been bitten in his class - the first time, the teacher was unable to determine who did the biting. Adler said it was one little boy, but looking back, I think he was just repeating names I was saying to try and get an answer. The teachers took this incident very serious this time, which I appreciated. However, I was amazed by the difference from this incident to the last (only about a month ago). Adler talked about what happened to him at school the entire day. "Will bit you" (he gets "me" and "you" mixed up) and "Ian kissed it and made it better" (Ian is he best friend) "Put ice on it and make it better" (I was sent home with a form that indicated ice was applied) "Ian hugged Adler and made it all better" (he was very impressed by Ian) The first thing he said to me to today when I picked him up from school was that he had a cupcake! (he was very excited....it was a little girl's birthday they had celebrated). Not only is it fun to be able to talk to him more and have more conversations, I love being able to hear from him about his day, what things excited him or made him sad. He's been such a great helper with Eli and such a good big brother! We need Stephen to do some pics of us! Maybe this weekend!

photo booth pics

tum time

Mobile Pics

Sweet Baby Eli is 3 months!

New outfit sent from Neanie and Papa
Hanging out
An outfit I sewed for Adler. That's a crab out of felt on the front. It's too small, it will have to wait for Eli. Adler doesn't care much for the outfit either. He says "I don't want to" and "I don't like it" when trying to get it on him. I admit that it took a bribe for candy to get this picture, but I at least wanted to see what it looked on him once after all that work!
Eli playing on his activity mat. Adler is always jealous and wants to lay down with him
Eli and I enjoying the beautiful weather at the Inman Park Festival. It was a great day and the festival was much easier as a second time mom! I saw some vintage baby boy fabric I regret I didn't buy. It would have made a cute Jon Jon!
Adler likes to take his cars and drive them on Sadie's back. It actually feels pretty good. Sadie doesn't seem to mind much either!
I know this pic is blurry, but it's the best I could do. This is a camera pic of Adler's school pic. Of course, we ordered one because it was so cute!
Caleb and Adler playing Wii.