Memorable

Yesterday was our first official day of summer (as in no school summer- the real summer weather has yet to appear).  It was magical somehow.  The girls turned off the TV and decided to throw me a party- I have no idea why.  They made a banner with M O M on it, they put up streamers, they gave me a present, made a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and set up a treasure hunt.  We played UNO and had leftover cake from the night before.  Ada helped me make bread, they didn't fight, I wasn't mad, it was one magical day and IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.  I just know by the time Sept 5th rolls around I will be so happy to send them both off to school, but yesterday was magic.  Ada even lost her first tooth last night after Family Night.

Today we had a horseback riding lesson- I got 3 lessons for each of them through Groupon for a huge steal. The girls were over the moon about their experience and their horses and chattered the whole way home on the long drive.  Odessa looked around at all the cars on the freeway and said "wouldn't it be cool if everyone rode horses instead of cars, then we could ride horses every day".
Me:  Odessa, that's the way they used to get around, there was a time when there were no cars.
Odessa:  NU-UHH!!!  (she was so shocked, she could not even imagine a time without cars).

Tonight at dinner we had Huevos Rancheros and after a luke warm reception, I asked the girls "See, you liked this ok, we could have it again, right?" (I am trying to eat on the cheap and use our eggs in more creative ways).
Odessa:  (grudgingly) Yah, we can have it again, but not any time soon, ok?

Franklin keeps interrupting me to bring me the book "I Stink" about the garbage truck and saying "I teen . . I teen"(his version of I Stink).  So I have to stop and read it to him over and over.  I love that he is trying to say words!

Ada woke up this morning and came out of her room crying.  "THE TOOTH FAIRY DIDN'T COME!!!"  Oh my goodness, who are her AWFUL parents?  Chase them into the street and shoot them!  And now we know where the middle child complex comes from . . .
So today she wrote a note completely on her own accord- it reads:
"Dere:  Toth Fairy,
I hv lost a tooth.  This is not a a fake.  Pes (please) tak (take).  From Ada.  For Toth Fairy.
TOTH FAIRY!"

She is convinced that the tooth fairy thought the bag she put the tooth in was just garbage and that she needs to be laying flat on her back in order for the tooth fairy to take it.  Stephen and I disagree strongly about things like Tooth Fairies and Easter Bunnies and Santa Claus, but I let him have his way for now and he plays it up.  The tooth fairy had better set an alarm tonight.

Oh May, Oh My

May was busy!  After Franklin turned one, Ada turned 5 during my last week of teaching Joy School and then we took off for Denver and Ft Collins to visit family, friends and attend a conference for Stephen.  HERE is the link to the web album.  I did not take pictures at several locations, just couldn't manage 3 kids and a camera. Whew.  Traveling with a one year old.  Heh heh.  That's a demonic laugh, a crazy, sleepless laugh.  I would have to say our trip was a little like the intro to a Tale of Two Cities.  "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".  I will start with the worst of times so I can end with the best.  The worst was that Franklin really wants to crawl all the time and everywhere and that's impossible out and about.  The worst was that we got into Denver at 10:30 and didn't get settled into the "right" hotel room and to bed until 1am.  The worst was that Expedia screwed up a couple parts of our trip.  The worst was having a kitchen to cook in, but no way to sit Franklin up and feed him properly.  The worst was having everyone get colds due to the change in weather and dryness and sleep miserably.  The worst was that Franklin also cut two molars during that trip.  He must have woke up screaming 6 times at least the last night we were there.  The worst was the flight home with the crazy 3 and 6 yr olds in front of us throwing tantrums, punches, kicks and hysterics the whole way home.  And I was worried that Franklin would bother our fellow passengers.  Ha.

The best was having adventures with the kids around Denver.  The best was getting lost and finding my way back.  The best was the REAL dinosaur footprints we hiked up to at Dinosaur Ridge- 2 herds of dinosaurs traveling different directions, dozens of real footprints in the actual ground they walked in.  You could put your hand inside a footprint and know dinosaurs were actually there at one point!!  Fabulous.  We visited a downtown street fair and shops, a huge toy store castle, the butterfly pavillion and Red Rocks Ampitheatre.  The BEST was taking Stephen back to Red Rocks Friday after his conference.

The best was ignoring the $5.50 hot dog vendor and finding one 2 blocks over for $1.50.  The best was driving to Longmont and meeting Briana and Jared for dinner at the Two Dog Diner.  The best was visiting Nathan and Beth and their 5 kids in Ft Collins.  The best was the homemade meals we had with them, we stuffed ourselves.  Beth also helped me get started on some quilt blocks I have to do for the Hunt reunion coming up and I am so grateful for her sewing tools and skills that made the blocks possible. The best was cousin time that started at sun up and went to sundown. The best was the Silver Grill cinnamon roll toast while visiting with Briana again, getting to walk and drive around Ft Collins and fall in love with Colorado.
I suggested to Stephen we move to the Denver area and his reply was shocking:  "I can't imagine getting to know a new place".  My knee-jerk reaction was "WHAT? You mean we will stay in Seattle or Boise forever???"  But then I thought about it.  His job isn't the type that you can pick up and do anywhere in any office, Anytown USA.  Wherever a planner works, his whole job revolves around the city, the geography, the streets, the bus routes, the layout, the people, the attitudes, city politics, organizations, involvement.  I've seen how he's spent the last 4 years trying to understand all these things about Seattle and I can see what he means.  It is exhausting to start that all over somewhere else.
Speaking of his job, here are some anecdotes from his conference:  On Wed he called because he had forgotten his business cards, would I bring them down to him?  I knew his conf was at the Hyatt and it was on Welton.  After driving around lost in Denver's one way streets for 30 minutes, I found it.  But as I pulled off the downtown street into the covered "valet" and check in area, about 3 guys approached my car before I even entered the area.  I thought it was little excessive and pretty rude to make me feel like I didn't belong there- they acted like my Chevy with a sleeping toddler in the back was unwelcome at a Hyatt- seriously.  While I waited there for Stephen, about 5 people hovered near my car, I had to keep waving off valets.  There were cops all over the streets outside the hotel.  Stephen and I finally realized I was waiting at the wrong Hyatt.  What chain puts 2 hotels on the same street, 2 blocks away from each other?  When I told him about all the nervous people and cops, he said "that's because Obama is at THAT Hyatt!"  So funny!!
Everyone at the Conf was asked to turn in a "fresh idea" to aide in transportation planning and Stephen's idea was chosen as one of the best, so that was very cool.  He got to present it to the conf attendees and got a token gift card.
When I got back, I had to say goodbye to another long time friend, look for another post about friends soon.

Franklin turns 1!

Oh man, I have never been sad that my child had a birthday.  But I really had some emotional moments the last few days.  My baby is one.  A toddler.  He doesn't want to be swaddled or held for long, he wants to be off on his own.  He wants to explore and squirm away from my lap.  He's a big boy.
Having his birthday on Cinco de Mayo is just fun.  I could eat tacos every day.  We did- for about 4 meals in a row.  The girls have been counting on a pinata for a year now, so we invited some older kids and friends over to enjoy that.  It was a perfect afternoon with friends and food and toys.  He loved it and did not cry all afternoon.  HERE is the photo link.
Here is an update on Franklin:  His favorite foods are cheese and oranges, cherry tomatoes, blueberries and strawberries are close behind.  He loves having a small desert fork to himself to stab pieces of food and put in his mouth.
He loves anything with wheels (check out the birthday photo album).

 He loves books, really loves them although being a 3rd child, he doesn't get read to as much as the girls did.  Poor thing. His favorite of course were the touch and feel, especially Usborne "That's Not My . . . ." series.  He also loves Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton.  The girls are really good to read to him.  His favorite song is "Give Said the Little Stream" and when we are all in the car and he gets crankie, we all start singing it to him.  Franklin does love to be rocked to sleep and still doesn't go to sleep well on his own, but that is also due to sharing a room with his sisters.  He started sleeping on his tummy as soon as he could roll over, which is unlike my girls.    He can say "Hi" and "Daddy" and "baaaa" for all animals.  He can wave bye and hi and sign "more" when he's really motivated.  He gets really excited when he hasn't seen you for a while.  When I come home from something in the evening, he crawls super fast down the hall shouting "Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!" with each step.  He LOVES his daddy, would almost prefer him to me often when Stephen is home.  I love that, a lot.  He also says "uh" part of "uh-oh" when I say it.  So cute.  He's loud when he wants to be and doesn't say much most of the time.  On the night of his birthday, the girls took a bath and he always gets SUPER excited and splashes in their water while leaning over the tub, so I thought "what the heck" and put him too.  This one will be great to crack out when the boyfriends and girlfriends come over.

Phrases you never want to hear

Monday was my birthday and Ada was still not better, so I took her in to the Dr.  I suspected what she actually had might be a UTI.  Turns out it is probably a kidney infection.  Not sure how they determine one vs the other, but since she had been sick for 6 days and the nature of her symptoms, her Dr thought it had advanced up to her kidney.  So she told me she wanted to give her IV fluids and antibiotics to get a real jump on it.
"Plan on being here for at least 2 hours" she said.  Ack.  Odessa had to be picked up from school, I had Franklin with me who is in the most tiresome stage of wanting to be moving everywhere, but only being able to crawl- so he can't crawl out in public places like the floors of the medical clinic!
2 hours later, they had tried to get IVs in both arms and failed.  I had been kept waiting forever at the pharmacy for her oral antibiotics, Franklin was DONE and I had steam blowing out both ears and my eyeballs too probably.  Ada looked so sick and sad and forlorn sitting in all those waiting room chairs.  The momma bear in me was raging.  It wasn't that we had to wait so much as a show of incompetence by some of the staff.  I have worked enough in the medical field- you can peg them right away.

So we went home and tried to make something of a fun evening of my birthday, but Ada threw up her dinner and we were worried she should go in to the Urgent Care at the hospital instead of messing around at a clinic.  She took her antibiotic after throwing up though and went to sleep.
Tuesday she did not eat all day but took her antibiotic in the A.M.after a lot of convincing and some gagging. Come evening, she couldn't take them- threw them right up and gagged every time I tried to have her take them.
So, in to the Urgent Care we went last night at 8pm.  She got the IV antibiotics and home with a different oral kind and anti-nausea medicine.  She seems a bit better this morning and after trying unsuccessfully to get her to eat anything, she wandered into the kitchen later and said some of the sweetest words:
"Mom, do you think I could have some Cheerios?"

As for other phrases you never want to hear?
I went out Saturday afternoon to return something and got absorbed in a clearance rack.  Stephen was home with the kids and doing some yard work.  When I walked in the door, Stephen said:
"Well, pretty much your worst nightmare came true today".  How awesome is it to come home to that??  It killed my clearance rack buzz pretty quick.
Turns out Stephen had let Franklin crawl around in the lawn and once when he looked over at him, Franklin was munching away on something.  Franklin puts everything in his mouth.  This is so different than our girls, we still aren't as vigilant as we should be.  Well, you may have guessed.  Or you may never imagine something so horrific.  Yes.  He was munching on some old chicken poop.  I nearly lost my lunch.  Stephen nearly drowned Franklin with the hose apparently while frantically cleaning out his mouth.  I have to say I have been pretty consumed with Ada and forgot to worry about any lasting effects from the incident.  Franklin never got sick, so I guess we can count our blessings for that.  The kid seems to be a fortress.

Sicko

The flu season has not been kind to the Hunt family.  Ada has been perpetually sick.  She is still recovering from her last bout- last week she did not change from her PJs, go anywhere or eat for 4 days.  Fever and throw up this time.  I have had my share of worries about her- she seems to be our child of "delicate health".  I am chalking it up to her being exposed to Odessa's kindergarten germs and all the combined germs from the 2 other families involved in Joy School- their older siblings are in 1st and 2nd grade and I think a whole slew of new germs have been introduced to her this year.
Here are some conversations we have had lately:
I had explained to the girls what the word "contagious" meant- that something was easy to get.
Out of the blue one day Odessa says:  "The Dollar Store is really contagious"
Me:  Why do you say that?
Odessa:  Because it's full of things that are easy to get!

Ada- while lying on the couch one day said "I am pretty sure I know why I keep getting sick but I don't want to tell you and have you get mad"  (this disclaimer often precedes a confession in our house).
Me:  You can tell me, why do you think you keep getting sick?  (I was actually hoping for a specific incidence here that I could blame for the illness- she'd been sucking on the cart handle when I wasn't looking?  Hmmm, impossible.)
Ada:  I lick the lip gloss off my lips.
Me:  Don't worry Ada, that's not it.

And here's a random one that may only be funny in our family.
Fridays is popcorn and movie day after school.  We had a whole bowl of leftover popcorn because "sickie" didn't eat any.
Two days later:
Me:  I bet I know who would like this stale old popcorn.
Odessa:  Franklin?
Me:  No
Odessa:  Dad?
Me:  No
Ada:  You?
Me:  No
long pause . . . .
Odessa:  Sister Bingham?
(she's a sweet older lady that sits near us and helps with the kids)
Me:  (laughing) No!  The chickens!  (and they did)

A whole lotta something going on

Sigh.
Big sigh.
Spring Break is over.  So is Easter.  We had the Hunts, Nana and Austins visit us for Easter and turned around a traveled to Park City via Boise for the Hambelton "reunion" of sorts.  Two of my 3 sisters and their families met in Park City for a week of togetherness.  I have so many pictures of these 2 events, I finally made a Picasa Web Album.  You should be able to view it HERE.  If not, try the link on the side of my blog.  I played around with some of the features on Picasa there at the end.  That was fun.  Below is just a sampling.

It was a great couple of weeks filled with flowers, family and road trips.  We found our new favorite road trip CD- Road Trip by Hullabaloo.  We stopped at all-American eateries Maddox and Triple XXX Rootbeer.  I shopped a steady 8 hours at the outlet mall with my sisters.  That was pure bliss.  Now it's back to the grind, but the good weather seems to have followed us- at least for a couple days and there are birthday celebrations to anticipate.  Mine, then Frankie's (yes, he is ONE on May 5th) and then Ada's.

Life Changing

Last Friday night I attended a fundraiser and jewelry party for the non-profit African Promise Foundation.  A local mother of 5 got interested in the plight of the children in Northern Uganda who were displaced and orphaned as a result of the LRA Army (Kony's Army) and the move to camps by the government to "protect them".  The stories she shared with us and the pictures of the people in camps and orphanages that she is trying to help was of course heart wrenching.  The following video shows just a few pictures taken by her organization on trips to Uganda.  I wish you could hear the stories behind some of the pictures about the kids or people and what they have been through and how they currently suffer.  This is a great video.

African Promise Foundation does a few things- they buy jewelry that is made from beads that the women make from recycled paper and resell them here in the States.  Here are some I bought that night.

These silver beads are made by one woman who collects the silver linings from cigarette boxes.
The women get a fair price for their jewelry and the proceeds from sells are put in a fund to send some of the orphaned children to school.  Because this is such a small organization, 100% of the proceeds and all donations go to fund the kid's schooling.  100%!!  The woman who heads this organization and the board of directors do not get any reimbursement for their time and energy, they put it all towards the cause.  We have donated to a fair share of organizations in the past, and 100% of proceeds going to help a specific cause is just awesome and very rare.

I was so inspired by this tiny foundation.  Our "year of austerity" seems ridiculous.  We can afford to help these kids.  You can send one to school for anywhere from $300-600 a year.  Sounds like a lot of money until I think of that big trip to Costco when I spent $250 a few months ago.  A whole year of school- good school too, with room and board.  

It's hard to see pics of the little boys with distended bellies and think of my baby and his all-around great health and fatness.  But it helps to think of giving up something so that one of these kids can benefit.  If you want to help, go to http://africanpromisefoundation.org/.  If you do one thing only, please read the story of how the African Promise Foundation came to be under the "about" link.  http://africanpromisefoundation.org/about/

It might change your life, it sure did mine!