The Day Our Family Began

2009-06-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am having trouble uploading pictures right now????? I will try again later!

I did not want to leave daddy out!!!

Daddy has taken on his role as daddy so very much!!!! He is a wonderful daddy and husband!!! He keeps very busy with work as project manager and estimator. Work has slowed down a bit and he has stressed about making sure he has enough work to keep his guys busy! That says a lot about what kind of man he is! He in his position gets to go to work every day without worry. Yet he works VERY hard to make sure his guys have work!!!

He is still EQ presiednt, although he is getting very worn out with it!! He feels it is time for a change, but the Lord does not feel the same way!!! It is so hard sometimes to understand why things work the way they do, but if you just put all of your trust and faith in the Lord it will all work out!!

2009-06-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! I have come to a whole new respect for mom's!!! Four kids for me has been amazing, yet hard to adjust to. Of course it is never just my four kids! I usually ALWAYS have other peoples kids here as well, which is totally fine!!!!
I have started working out with a personal trainer with several other amazing women!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!!!! It however does not come without it's challenges! I have been dealing with knee injuries since I was actively doing martial arts 13 years ago! While doing these extremely intense workouts, I ALWAYS feel like I have lagging behind all og these wonderful ladies! Not because of cardio! I am totally fine with cardio! I have severe knee pain! As a dear friend and athletic coach put it, my outer legs are Very strong! They by far dominate my inner "mush" (aka.... very weak musles), therfore causing all of the pain, and inflamation! My response was simple! Please find me a solution! One that I can work on to fix the problem, because quiting my classes is just NOT an option!!! So please, any and all prayers are appreciated!!!!!

I love each and everyone of my kids, not to mention every kid I come in contact with! They are all so different in their own unique ways, but they all have such sweet spirits about them! My FAVORITE age group is 5-7!!!!! UMMMMMM not to mention birth through 1!!!!

Ilike to play with my kids and have fun when time allows!

I have yet to really figure out how to use this blog!!!

Anyways, that being said, I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!!!!

2009-06-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Oh How she is Growing!!!

Lexi is 10 and going into 5th grade!! She is an interesting girl! She has a memory like none other! She never forgets anything! This being said, she doesn't like to apply herself! Well, until this year! This year she had a FANTASTIC teacher!!! Lexi got to do a lot of hands on learning!!! Anything she REALLY has to work for she doesn't have any interest!!!

That being said, she has been an AMAZING help to us this year!!! She is a young "mommy in training"

She was in choir this year. It has been alot of fun, yet "oh my gosh" watching her grow into a young lady this year!!

She is almost as tall as I am and likes to remind me of that often! She gets cocky sometimes about it, then I need to remind her that I am still bigger and stronger!! :-)

2009-06-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

All about Andrew

Andrew is by far our most "loving" child! It comes so very natural to him!!!!

He and Ashley have a very special bond!!! All he has to do is look at her and she smiles! If he plays with her, he very easily gets her laughing!!!

Andrew has been our child with one issue after another, so talking about him makes me so very proud, and I choke up very easily!!!!

When he was still " cooking " in me, we were told he had a clef pelet. ( I don't know how to say that word ) Chris was way more worried about this than I was. When we went home, he gave me a blessing! When we returned for another ultra sound, the Dr.s were surprised that there were no physical signs of it anymore. Chris and I were not so surprised! This being said, I truly believe he has still dealt with one complication after another! He was a late talker. When he did start talking he was VERY hard to understand! He finally got diagnosed with severe speech issues! He was started in speech at 4 years old. He until recently had a lot of speech issues! This year has been a very successful year for Andrew!!! His teacher, whom I truly believe is Andrews personal Angel went way above and beyond for him. At first she said no Andrew doesn't have the typical signs of a child with ADD!!! Then as the year went on and she observed him more and more, she started to actually be concerned that he just might have it!! She worked with him one on one after school several times, before she suggested to us to have him evaluated! He indeed does have ADD!!! Which explains why the least amount of sugar makes him flying high for hours on end! We worked hard with his pediatrician who also is amazing, his teacher and us! He went from starting the year off barely being able to read, to ending the year ahead in reading!! His teachers, all of them were amazing this year!!! He has come so far, that as a parent who has seen her child struggle so much all of his life is just so full of joy for him! Chris and I are so proud of Andrew and his accomplishments... they have NOT come easy!!!!

2009-06-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Oh Our little turd!!!!!

This is Austin after he decided to play with ink pads. This is very typical for him. If he is not suppose to do something, he will find a way to sneak off and get into trouble!!!

This is Austin on a good moment! He was actually beaing cute and good..... Please more moments like this!

Here he is after eating the chocolate cake batter! Always smiling, even when he is being a stinker!!!

Austin is 3 1/2! He wanted to go on the Father son camp out with daddy and "Dandrew". Daddy told him the rule was you could only go if you were potty trained. Guess what , three weeks later when it was time for the campout he was TOTALLY potty trained! So dadyy changed the rules to "potty trained and 4" So next year he's going!!! Austin will start preschool in the fall..... good luck on this one!!He can be a lot of fun! He tries us often still, but hopefully school will help out!!!

Princess Ashley

2009-06-13T06:09:00.001-07:00

Ashley Here she is 8 months old at the Drs. with a very red throat with white bumps on her throat. She seems very happy, so why did I take her to the Drs? Every time she tried to go to sleep she would SCREAM!! She simply does not do that! What do you know she really was sick:-(

Being a Big Girl

In the picture above Ashley was 7 months old. She loves to sit in carts and smile at all the people that go by! In the picture below this is Ashley the day I took her to the Dr. She would not sleep and one time I went in to check on her and this is what she was doing.
Ashley is 8 months old! She has two teeth and 5 or 6 pushing in right now. You can see the teeth, they just have to break the surface. Little note on Ashley..... The only other times she has been moody is when her other two teeth pushed in, and it only lasted a couple of days. The teeth were in and wala, welcome back our happy girl. Now she is trying to push several in at once..... HOLY CRABBY!!!!!!!! Come on TEETH!!!!! She is a very Happy and VERY CURIOUs little girl!!!!

Our Family

2009-01-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

This is me holding Lili about 3 weeks after Ashley was born

This is how I spent most of 2008
Daddy was a hero time and time again!
My favorite lips in the whole wide world!!

As parents we don't get a whole lot of a lone time. We sure do try to make the best of the time we do get alone. We love to spend time with our Children! We have been so very blessed with 4 wonderful children. Each one brings something unique to the family! Our love for one another has grown so very deeply. I honor this to keeping the Savior the center of our home! We are not perfect by any means, but we try to be our best. We keep the Savior close to us at all times! We are so grateful for the gospel and the blessings it brings to our family! We hope and pray that you all can feel the Saviors love for you as well!!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice Christmas this year! It was very relaxed and fun. We had great friends over on Christmas eve who have always in their words had lousy Christmas'. We embraced them in our family, because they are like our family. We had fun with them and introduced them to the Christian part of Christmas, the true meaning of Christmas! We did not overwhelm thembut made sure we kept the focus around the Savior. They not only had a good time. They said it is the first Christmas they can remember really enjoying!

All about Alexis

2009-01-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

Alexis is in 4th grade... Holy Cow! She has come into her inner DRAMA!!!!!!! We so can't wait until that passes! She is having a FABULOUS year! She has a teacher who believes in her. Better yet she has learned to believe in herself! YEAH!!!!! She is our big helper around the house. She at times does not like that, but....... We love her very much and are Blessed to have her as our oldest child. She has always been our angel, and is a Special Child of God!

All about Andrew

2009-01-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

Andrew is in 1st grade now! His speech has come a long way! He has a FANTASTIC teacher who believes in him and helps him to be the best that he can be. She truly loves her students and wants the very best for and of them. Getting Andrew to be serious is challenging! He is a constant goof... EXCEPT when it comes to eating his vegis... NO MOM PLEASE!!!!!! ( whine whine whine) We are so proud of him and his talents and developments! He is a special Child of God!

All about Austin

2009-01-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

Austin is a very smart, active little boy! He is constantly challenging our parenting skills! I think he is just trying to keep us on our toes! That he does very well! He started sunbeams 2 weeks ago, and his teacher says he is very good! Hard to believe he is the same child we have at home! He loves to play rough! He also loves to talk on the phone to Kylie! It is very cute! He loves his brother and sisters. We love him very much also! He too is a special child of God!

All about Ashley

2009-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

Ashley's entrance into this world was dramatic.. to say the least! he has been a blessing to all who know her from day 1! She is truly a very happy baby girl! She is 3 months old now and I so can not believe it! I love watching EVERYONE with her! She is a precious child of God!

Ashley's Blessing

2009-01-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

Ashley was blessed the 2nd Sunday of December. The 1st Sunday was conference. I was immediately drawn to tears. She is such a special spirit. To watch so many priesthood holders lay their hands on her head, lead by her daddy guided by the Holy Ghost... It was an amazing experience! She is a Blessing to our family, and to everyone she encounters! She is a child of God! A pure innocent Angel!

Hair Bows

2008-11-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am an official fan of the homemade hair bows!! A very sweet friend made Ashley a couple of hair bows, and to be honest I did not think they would get much use!!! Haha!!! I love them!!!!!!!!! They bring out the princess in little miss petite princess Ashley herself! Thanks a bunch Janice!!! You have converted me!!! I seriously need to pay you to make her a few more. These are going to wear out quickly! She wears them almost every day!!!!

I have a lot more pictures, just gotta find them on computer!!

2008-10-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Time for an Update!!!!

2008-10-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

The month of October has been very busy for our family!!!! First off Little miss Ashley Lorraine was born on Saturday October 4th 2008. She was born at 6:57 pm via emergency c section! Being this was our 4th time around we thought for sure we were safe from this!!! Not so much!!!! Being as I had Austin so very quickly they decided to up my epidural intake.... Well, too much epidural for me. This made my blood pressure drop very low and Ashleys heart rate drop very low! Chris said they quickly pushed a red button, and it was quick calm moving from there. I have never seen Chris so nervous ever!! He tried to hide it, and thanks to the overdose of epidural I did not panic!!! Chris had givin me to very interesting blessings. About a month before Ashley was born while he was giving me a blessing he said " When it is time for her to come, she will do so quickly"!! That never left my mind, but I thought more along the lines of get ready to catch her Chris!!!! Then right before they gave me the epidural I asked for another blessing, in this he said both Ashley and myself would be fine! What a blessing to know that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder!!!! I must admit when she was delivered and I did not hear a peep for what seemed like an eternity ( the drs said it was about 2 minutes) I was nervous, but not panicing, again thank you drugs!!!!!! Lets not forget to thank Heavenly Fathers helping hand in this! Being as I had an emergency c esection I new there was no way they were going to let me go home in less than 24 hrs...grrrrr!!!!!!!!! I hate hospitals!!! I was able to go home on Tuesday, which made my stay 3 days... Holy aunts in my pants!!!!!!!! As we were leaving the nurses were telling me to take it easy, then they looked to Chris and said, " good luck keeping this one down!" Oh well, 3 weeks later, I and Ashley are doing great, as are the rest of the family. I'm not going to lie we do have a few jelousy issues going on but its nothing we cant fix with a little extra love. Now if we can get pretty Ashl;ey to figure out her nights and days, oh what a blessing that will be. She is the only one of 4 that has been confused, so I can't really complain!!!! Then we had Halloween activities going on , my birthday, Austin turned 3, and we have dear friends birthdays as well! Not to mention school and such not busy busy, but definately not boring!! By the way thank the Good Lord I can move again!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Home Sissy Feather!!!!!

2008-08-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

I am sure that everyone knows this, but just in case, we will lay it all out there! We were so very happy for Heather to have such a wounderful experience in Switzerland with the Cook's! They are a FABULOUS family!!!!!! My kids and I were definatley sad to see her gone for the whole summer. To say we have a slight attachment to her is an understatement! Other than no blood relation, she is so very much part of our family!!!!!!!! It was the hardest on Lexi!!!!! She loves to share, but this was a tough one for her!!!! She had many sad moments this summer where she would just express how much she wanted to be with "sissy"! Of course I never told Heather that while she was gone, just expressed our love for her! Lexi is going through a very HUGE growth time in her life, and wanted her so much!! Ever since she was due home (oh my Gosh the delay was torcher on Lexi)< Lexi has slowly but surely made sure she has re- attached herself to "HER SISSY" ! That is what she calls her, for several years now! I had to keep reminding her that sissy was with the Cook's who are fantastic for her. She new that, but didn't quite understand!
The kids have all grown so much over the summer, and changed as well! I certainly hope that Heather knows ( I am sure that she does) how much we all love her! She has grown into a Beautiful young lady! I love listening to the tone in her voice when she talks about her friends and the Cook's in Switzerland! Especially Yan!!! Oh My! Chris has taken to picking on her, but it is all in love! He feels it is his duty! She needed that trip so much and we hope she can come to feel as much love here! Long winded as this is, we just want to say that we are happy you are back! We wish we could have you here with us, and have all your special friends, and the cook's here too!

The kids in their true forms!!!

2008-08-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the kids in their true forms! Lexi being as girlie as a girl with 2 brothers can be! Andrew, always being silly, looking for a reaction! Austin, Loving to be with his sissy... I am sure soon he will change to wanting to be with his brother! Also being a goofy, mischevious toddler!!

A Little Breather for the girls!! :-)

2008-08-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

The boys decided to give the girls a little break! Even though the girls are tough, they still are more gentle than the boys!!!

The Boys and Lexi showing their Love for Sissy Feather!!

2008-08-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

They adore Sissy Feather!!!! Sorry they are so rough! That is the way boys, ( and Lexi) are!!!

Lexis favorite self defense move on Sissy Feather

2008-08-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

A huge difference from the gentle play of little girls! They Love her so much and are glad to have her home!!!

Summer past time for Andrew

2008-08-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

Andrew got to play his first year of coach's pitch! His attention span is getting better, yet needs a lot of help still! He had so much fun playing with so many of his church buddies!!!! He also had fun in the rain and watching rainbows in the sky!

My little Hoodlems

2008-08-07T20:46:00.001-07:00

As he often does, Andrew decided he wanted to get a reaction out of daddy! He got Lexi and Austin involved. They cracked us up!

History in the making

2008-08-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Anyone who know Lexi know she is not a doll playing with girl! Until.... today! I found a precious moments black belt doll that I though was adorable at the Merry go Round. Lexi fell instantly in love with it and the puppet show play land! Both very unusual for her. She had a blast!!!!

Summertime fun!

2008-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been taking a lot of summertime pictures! Now I have decided to take the time and post them. The kids have been having a lot of fun swimming, and playing with their friends! It amazes me how fast the summer is going by! I say that yet, I am getting more and more anxious for the arrival of Baby Ashley! The wait seems forever!!!!!!!!!!! Getting around is getting more and more difficult. I am feeling rather "Large, and not so in charge!" I know the wait will be well worth it, but the anxiousness is getting to me! Chris is busy as ever at work! He is funny, one week he will say things are kinda slow then the next he says his head is spinning! I know he is anxious to have is wife back to normal as well! Although he would never say that to me! Hope all is well!

2008-07-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

fun Misc. pictures

2008-07-15T06:02:00.001-07:00

Keeping Busy

2008-07-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

This summer has been anything but boring! We took the kids to the O'Fallon 4th of July parade and fair. They had a lot of fun! Will post parade pictures soon! I had the opportunity to teach Andrew what it feels like to have his hand squeezed during a contraction! Or several! I have had some problems, but they have been lessoned by following the rules and drinking more water! Ashley is developing great! I have gained 11 pounds in 6 weeks....EEEEK!!!!!! Chris is working very hard and enjoying our growing family as well! He has a new hobbie of playing with electronic gadgets. (not really new interest, just intensified) Austin has been confirmed to have allergies to dogs, cats and mold. Yes tons of fun! The kids have spent a lot of time in pools! I know this is all over the place. Just a quick update! Much Love

2008-07-01T10:02:00.001-07:00

Ashley Still cooking

2008-07-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

So much fun! The third picture shows she has 2 legs and a cheeseburger, not a hotdog!

boy's room

2008-07-01T09:47:00.001-07:00

The boys room. What fun they have rooming together

Lexi's room

2008-07-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ashley's room

2008-07-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Busy week and then some!

2008-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Oh what fun we had last week! My good friend Julie came over and helped me redo the kids bedrooms last week! We started off moving Austins stuff into the living room and making his room into baby Ashley's room. We primed (yuk) and painted her room. We also added border and stick ons, and added her name. The process not so fun, the outcome a blast!! We then moved onto Andrew's room! Pulling everything out of his room, not so bad! Cleaning it not so bad! Pulling everything out of Lexi's room, TORTURE!!!!!!!!! We put Lexi in Andrew's old room. Gave her much less space. Now she has no choice but to keep her stuff organized! We put the boys together in Lexi's old room! They love it! All of them do! We got rid of a lot of piled up trash! I could not have done this without so much help! I had a dr.s appointment last week and a last minute ultra sound. My cervix is low and Ashley is low, but everything is fine! I am suppose to take it easy. HAHA, I already thought I was! My family and a couple of very special friends have made this very doable. I feel bad, yet am so very greatful for all of there love and support. Austin is having some health issues. We hope they are not bad, but all the extra prayers would be greatly appreciated! I hope to hear from many! Much love,
The Hunters

Summertime

2008-06-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well summertime is well underway! The kids are having a lot of fun. They play outside a lot! Lexi has a couple of dog walking jobs lined up! One simply by being a good example. We have these neighbors that live behind us, and they called yesterday asking if she could take care of there dog for a week while they were at Carlile Lake on a family vacation. I have talked with the mom a few times at school waiting for the kids. We even had them over once to play in the sprinklers. She even said while I was setting this up with her, after she asked Lexi if she would be interested, I don't know what religion you are but I know you are Christians! I said yes we are, we are Latter Day Saints. She proceeded to ask about working on Sunday. I told her that we try not to work on Sundays the best we can. So I agreed that Lexi could walk the dog on Sunday, but it would be Service. Lexi is so excited. The other one is a dear friend whom I think just wants to help Lexi, but none the less we appreciate all the love. Andrew is loving baseball. He had his first game, and was so nervous. He did a great job! He has a lot of fun with Luke! We have some neighbor boys 2 doors down that he loves to play with! Austin is having fun as well. Unfortunately we have run into a slight problem.....Alergies! YUK!!!! We took him today to get blood drawn. We should have results within a week! Chris is very busy at work, and sidework, and his calling. Not to mention helping me! I have been doing rather well. I have however been very tired again as of late. Hope all is well!Much Love
The Hunters

Update! Please Help!

2008-06-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love to read every ones post! I would love any and all advice on how to work this! Just send me messages that I can follow when my kids are otherwise occupied! I love to share pictures, so let me know how!

School is officially over! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The year that never wanted to end! I am so looking forward to a new fresh year with the kids! I am so excited about bringing a new little princess into the world! Her name will be Ashley Lorraine! Ashley is because Alexis said the name and I liked it, and then she told daddy, and he was okay with it. When that happens you just go with it! Lorraine has much more meaning to it! When Chris was growing up he had a set of good friends whose mom treated him as her own! Never turned him or anyone away! She had MS for a long time, and passed away right around the time we found out we were pregnant! I asked Chris if it was a girl if he wanted to use her name for the middle name! She is an Angel, and I know that Sharing her name with our new princess will be a huge blessing!
As soon as I figure out what is wrong with our scanner I will try to put up new pictures! Austin has a huge vocabulary that just skyrocketed this week! He is very cute especially with all the bonding time we get to have now! I really enjoy it! He at times says things that i am sure a 2 year old would not know to say and throws me off! I know I should discipline him, and I try, as I am laughing in shock! All I can say is he is definitely his daddy's son! Hope all is well! Much love,
The Hunters

Expecting

2008-05-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Keeping it short and sweet! We are expecting a baby girl! Very excited!

The New Era

2008-05-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

I am trying to figure out how to blog so that I can communicate with loved ones close to home and far away! We have a lot going on in our lives right now! Chris is doing fantastic as Project manager/Estimator. He has been promoted in a sense. He has been givin much more responsability! He is hoping not to start balding from all of the hard thinking and hair pushing. Alexis is almost done with 3rd grade! HIP HIP HORRAY!!!!!!! The worst year for her yet! She is attending Huntington Learning Center. She is struggling is school, yet doing a FANTASTIC job at Huntington! I choose not to go on about that, because I choose not to be in a bad mood! Andrew is finishing Kindergarten. He is coming along just fine. He still struggles with speech, but has improved a ton! He will be doing a 3 week reading program this summer. More excitingly, he will be playing baseball (coaches pitch) with Luke Fitch. (thanks a bunch Janice) I have never seen him so excited! Austin is FUN!!!!! Take that anyway you want! He throws the biggest fits in the house, yet he has the best manners of any 2 1/2 year old I know! I can only thank God that all of our persistance with him is paying off! We are expecting our 4th bundle of joy in October. We find out on the 21st of May what the sex is. (Hopefully) I am busy being a pregnant mom and wife. Doing the best I can and being very grateful for a loving, caring, understanding, and helpful family! I am sad to know that part of family (sort of) will being leaving to Switzerland for the Summer. ( Not to mention, a bit jealous) We are thrilled that she will be sticking around here and setting a great example during her college years! We love you all, and hope to hear from you soon! Any suggestions on how to work this would be greatly appreciated!