February 18th

I know I am posting this a day early... But a day early depends on where you are!!!

To my wonderful hubby, Anthony, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!  It has been 6 years of adventure, joy and love with my best friend.  I love you so much!  You are such a wonderful husband to me and father to our daughter(s).  I made the best decision of my life the day I said yes to you.

To my Jessica D.S.T.A. Furby living in Japan A.C.T.G.W... Who, judging by the name, is still currently living in Japan (hense the reference to time differences)... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  I hope your day is SUPER FANTASTIC FUN!  I loveses you and misses you and can't hardly wait for you guys to come back state-side and then come see me and my honey and FINALLY meet my girls!!!

PARTIES ALL AROUND!!!  *throws confetti*

Sympathies

I just wanted to post a message to my mother's cousins, Kendra and Brian and their families and to Mom's uncle Larry.  With the passing of Aunt Betty, our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time.  We love you all.

Valentines

I know this post is a couple of days late, but better late than never, right?
The last few days have been interesting, to say the least, and we're not done yet.
As most of you know, Anthony and I were married on February 18th, 2006.  This Saturday will mark our 6 year annniversary!
This has made Valentines day kind of obsolete between the 2 of us.  That might sound strange, but we would rather focus our attention (and money...) On the anniversary.  However, having children, we want to make Valentines Day all about loving them.  This said, we do want to get them something special or do something special with them on Valentines Day.  We don't want to be one of those "get the kids some candy and a generic stuffed animal" couple.  That just doesn't say "I love you" to me.  (Though I know, kids aren't really picky... It's just me.)
This year, we got Alida some candy (cause she is still only 4...), a pink shirt (her favorite color), a "Go Fish" game for kids and the game "Candy Land".   This is the kind of unexpected "special" stuff I mean.  Not your typical valentine.
I also did an activity with Alida and Michelle's little Sweetheart while her kids were here that day.  We made a chocolate cake, frosted it, put pink sprinkles all over it and then used heart cookie cutters to make chocolate heart cake stacks.  The girls each got to make their own and helped me make them for their parents.  They seemed to enjoy it!

I know with only one child right now, it may be a little easier to think of things to do.  We'll have to see what happens next year when we have 2!!!

Also, just an update, we have just 1 1/2 months until our due date!  (6 more weeks!!!)  We are so excited!  I think I am still in denial though.  We haven't gotten anything ready yet.  We are seriously slacking off.  I hope she comes early...

The bump

I figured that, since it's common knowledge that I am pregnant and I am almost 31 weeks along, that perhaps you'd like to see the bump.

On a side note, it has been brought to my attention that a couple of my cousins are also expecting.  Congrats ladies!

Photoshop fun

I've been having fun with photoshop the last couple of days turning pictures into "paintings".
It has been really interesting trying to figure it out.
I just thought I'd show you the 2 I've done. (and love!)

Progress

I just wanted to post a quick update about how things are going here.
Alida is growing smarter every day.  She and I are working on writing her letters and spelling her name.  She is catching on quickly and tells me often that she "wants to learn".
Anthony is still working for Napa auto parts and he enjoys it.  He loves getting to drive for work.  We are still planning on getting him into school this year, but it probably won't be until after the baby comes.  His work has approved him taking his first week of paid vacation starting when the baby comes.  I am glad we will have a week together when the baby comes.
I am at nearly 30 weeks and it shows.  Simple things like walking around are becoming harder and leave me in more pain than I remember having with Alida.  I also find that my energy wanes more, though that is normal, but it makes daily tasks harder to accomplish.  To anyone who's been pregnant, that will come as no surprise.
Our doctor tells us that the baby is growing perfectly.  She's exactly the size she should be.  My weight gain is on track (so far), and I'm hoping it stays that way.  I dread gaining even one pound and have to constantly remind myself that right now, it's necessary and it's ok. (It doesn't make me feel any better about it though.)
I have recently reintroduced myself to Zumba via the Wii game.  It has a setting on it to do just a single song and they have beginner routines.  Each individual song lasts between 4 and 6 minutes, depending on the song.  It makes them really easy to do just one.  I have to sit down after one song, though I can generally do 2 or 3 in a day and call it good.  (Fear not.  It has been approved by my doctor.)  The other funny thing is, though walking is especially painful, I can do a little Zumba and not be in any pain afterward.  In fact, I generally feel better.
Well, that's about it for now.  I hope to keep everyone updated as much as I can.
Love from,
The Hunters.

A Grand Day Out

Yesterday was one of those days that was fun enough, that I'll overlook how much I hurt and how irritated I was by the end.

The Sheets family invited Alida and I to join them at the Discovery Gateway yesterday while Brian went to see a movie.  The Sheets have a year pass for up to 6 people to get in. I am so glad.  We'd NEVER go if it weren't for that pass.  I mean, it's fun for the kids and all, but it is NOT worth the price of admission.  We can go to the zoo for the price they're asking.  But, I digress.

The kids had a blast.  They got to play with balls and in a house "supermarket" and a "farm" and in the water.  They got to play in a life flight helicopter and on a KSL 5 news set.  They got to play with science concepts like tornadoes and earthquakes. 
It was a jam packed couple of hours.  I can honestly say I have never been so grateful for elevators!

When we were done playing, it was time for Alida and I to pick up Anthony from work.  We walked back to the car, I put Alida in her seat and I loaded the stroller into the car.  When I tried to shut the tailgate, however, it wouldn't close.  I tried and tried, but it would not work.  The rubber covering over the locking mechanism had shredded and would not allow it to move like it needed to in order to close.
I got out Anthony's pliers but that only led to me pinching my fingers and cussing (oops).  Eventually, I was, however, able to remove enough of the shredded rubber to get the tailgate to close.  15 minutes later (and more than 30 minutes late) we arrived at Anthony's work to get him.
After we got home, Anthony took a look at the mechanism and naturally, he said he couldn't see anything wrong.  It was working *fine* for him.  (Grumble *expletive* grumble)
I'm glad we went, but I'm also glad the day is over and done with.  *sigh*

Happy New Year (almost)

Well, a new year is almost upon us. Tonight's festivities promise to be just as exhausting as they will be fun.
We have spent today cleaning our house as much as possible (while freezing! It's cold here.) And that leads me to finally set a new year's resolution.  I haven't set any as of yet because of the impracticality of them.  We have goals for the year, sure, but I couldn't think of any bad habits that I feel the need to resolve... Until now!
My new year's resolution is: to try to keep my house (particularly my bedroom) cleaner than I have been.
What about you?  Do you have any new year resolutions? What about goals that you'd like to accomplish in the coming year?
Well, whatever your endeavors, I wish you luck and good fortune in everything you do.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Love,
The Hunter Family

Turning tides

You know when people ask you what you want for Christmas... Possibly getting an idea of what to get for you... And you rack your brain thinking of what to tell them.  This year was one of those years for me.  I know of things I'd like to have EVENTUALLY, but nothing very practical for Christmas.  The things I could think of were either "plan and save for it" things, or "I have to wait until after the baby comes to use it" things.  There were only 2 things that were outside these 2 spheres that I actually wanted:  A food processor and a hair straightener.  Exciting, right... *rolls my eyes*... But that's what I wanted.
Thanks to my wonderful parents, I was able to get my food processor the day after Christmas (thank you mom and dad!).
Santa brought me a hair straightener *wink*.
That took care of the only 2 things I asked for.  I got other wonderful things too.  My mother in law and sisters in law got me some WONDERFUL clothes that work as both maternity and non-maternity and a coat that actually closes over my burgeoning belly.  I felt like the luckiest woman in the world!
Anthony, however, had another surprise for me.
On Christmas morning, I was presented with a gift.  A box.  It could have been anything.  I wasn't expecting anything, so I had no guesses what it was.  I tore off the paper like our 4 year old and what did I find?... He had purchased one of the things from my "after baby" list...  Zumba Fitness for the Wii.
Oh goody.  A gift that I so desperately want to use, but can't for another 4 or 5 months (allowing for time to heal). *sigh*
But I couldn't have been more excited, because, even though I couldn't use it yet, we have it now and that's one step closer.

Well, I spent the rest of that day and most of yesterday staring at that box and wishing it were March.  Today, I couldn't stand it anymore.  I opened the package and popped it in the Wii, thinking "oh, I'll just create my profile so when I CAN use it, it'll be all ready".  This led to "well, I suppose just *looking* at the different workouts won't hurt... Just to see".
Well, you can imagine.  After 2 minutes of "just looking", I found myself up and strapping on the wand belt.
5 minutes later, I was panting and laughing and the kids were loving it too.
It must have been a sight to behold, watching me shake my 6 months pregnant groove!  I haven't had so much fun working out since I moved from our Redwood Road apartment and had to stop attending actual Zumba classes.  I loved it so much, I did another one tonight! 

Sometimes, my husband is a genious! *sigh*

Merry Christmas

Another Christmas has come and gone and this year was particularly fun.  Though we didn't have much, what we did have, we made count.
Yesterday was spent visiting our families.  In the early afternoon, we visited my family for a few hours.  I love going down there, even if it's only for a few hours. 
In the late afternoon, we went to Anthony's parent's house and helped them get ready to head to Orem for dinner.  My job was kid wrangler.  It was a fun job.
When we were all ready, we headed up to join the Holmes family for Christmas Eve dinner and an ugly Christmas sweater contest.  The entries were definitely original and... Well, let's call them creative.  (Pictures to follow)
The kids put on a nativity, Alida, however, decided that the baby doll she was "taking care of" down stairs was more important and didn't join the rest.
Santa came to our house and Alida couldn't have been happier.  It took her a few minutes to "wake up" and realize what was going on.  She just stood in place for a few minutes.
Tonight we were joined by the Sheets family for dinner.  They made a spectacular turkey and a cheesecake.  I love having them come over!
We ended the night watching Christmas movies.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

That's how it goes.

Well, as much as I'd like to have gone without getting sick this year, it was apparently unavoidable.
I wish I'd had some warning that I was getting sick.  Unfortunately, it decided to hit me like a bomb in my sleep last night.  I woke up at 6 something and just felt horrible.  I couldn't sleep soundly.  I couldn't even lie down without getting dizzy.  The only comfort I found was on the couch.
Alida has been sick too. Yesterday and today started with her having a fever.  Perhaps going to see the lights at Temple Square last night wasn't the greatest plan.  I hope Alida's cousins (whom were with us last night) didn't end up sick.
As it happens, Uncle Brian is now getting sick.  I hope it doesn't last too long for him.
Anthony is fine (so far) and let's hope it stays that way.
Other than that, there is nothing much to say.  We are all really excited for Christmas this week.  Especially Alida.   We look forward to spending more time with family and seeing more friends over this week.
Love,
The Hunters

The Week Before Christmas

Well, one more week until the big day and I am just about ready to be done with it.  I love the season, but I wish I could just sit back and watch it all happen without rushing around or worrying about anything.  I don't want to set foot inside another store until after the new year, if it can be helped.  I don't want to see another print ad for holiday gift ideas and I don't want to cut out one more cookie.
Don't get me wrong.  I'm not in a "Bah Humbug" mood.  Let's chalk all this up to me being tired and cranky.  I've spent the last 3 days doing so much, that I haven't given the dust time to settle.  This has left me sore and my energy seriously depleted.  (Of course, it is greatly exacerbated by my being 6 months pregnant...)
I have to admit though, I love this time of year!  I love seeing Alida's face light up when we turn on the Christmas lights.  I have loved making the cookies with her and I love how she so innocently tells everyone that what she wants for Christmas is a "princess puzzle that I saw at Walmart".  That is the ONLY thing she has asked for all month.  It melts my heart to hear her little princess voice proclaim this excitedly.  She can also get away with being adorable in the store.
We went to the mall a few days ago and while there, I found the little magnetic picture of Jesus that her primary teacher had given her this past Sunday, so I gave it to her.  While she and Anthony were walking around a store, a sales lady came up to "serve them" and Alida excitedly held up the picture and said "This is Jesus! He's the Son of God!" And all the lady could say was "yes, it is". 
One other fun aspect this year is we have had a mystery family "12 Days of Christmas-ing" us.  Each night there is a knock at our door and when we go out to see, on our porch is an envelope and a treat for our family.  Inside each envelope is instructions, a scripture reference and a story.  On the first day, we were given a CD with the envelope that has 13 Christmas songs on it.  Each night before bed, we listen to that night's song and read the scripture and the story.  It has been really fun and it has opened up discussions with Alida about what Christmas is really about.  We look forward to it each night.
Like I said, I really do enjoy Christmas.  I just think the last 3 days have left me a little drained.
We hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas season.  We love you!
Love,
The Hunters

Christmas Fun

Energy, oh how I miss you.
I decided about a week ago that, with my "cravings" for exercise, instead of wishing for things I don't have or can't do (thank you weather...), it was pointed out that I have a Wii fit, and though I can't do every activity on it, there are still quite a few that I can easily do and get a fairly decent workout.  Alida gets a kick out of it too.  (I guess it's funny watching mommy and her big belly pretend to hula hoop or fly like a chicken.)  The baby seems to like it when I move too.  She is more active when I am active (and understandably so). 
Now, however, I am facing a new obstacle.  This week has brought with it feelings of an oncoming cold, massive indigestion and several head aches.  It has made it hard to WANT to get up and get the Wii fit out.  I spent most of yesterday on the couch.  Today hasn't gotten much better.
I sure hope this clears up soon.

Christmas is coming up fast for our family.  Between trying to do ANY Christmas shopping and trying to keep anything we DO get hidden, it has become a HUGE hassle. 
Alida actually sat on Santa's lap this year!  We've tried to get her to do that for the past couple of years!  Finally, SUCCESS!  Anthony even got a picture of her with Santa AND she had a smile on her pretty little face!  (I'll post it when he gets it to me.)

We hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas season so far.
Love,
The Hunters

What's in a name?

Now that the news is out that we're expecting a girl, the most commonly asked question we get is "what are you naming her?".  Short answer: we don't know.
To avoid telling people we don't know anymore, we've decided that, until she is born and has an official name, we will be calling her "Lamasu" (pronounced "Llama-Sue").  (For the reference, please refer to Star Wars: Episode 2).
We know this won't please those that really want to know what names we're considering, but, oh well.
Rest assured, we ARE thinking about names.  We just choose not to share them right now.
Love,
The Hunters

Cravings

It's nothing new to most people that pregnant women have cravings.  Sometimes these cravings are stranger than others and they're not always necessarily good for you, but when a craving strikes, it becomes really hard to think about anything else.
You've all heard about pregnant women having cravings for ice cream, pickles, pizza, chocolate, watermelon and other yummy things, but what happens when the craving isn't for something edible?
This is the situation I've found myself in recently and I'm not quite sure exactly what to do about it.  Now, I know what you're thinking and no, I am not craving things like dirt or chalk or anything like that.  When I say it's not edible, I mean it is NOT edible. 
I have been craving exercise.  I WANT exercise and I am finding it hard to think about much else a lot of the time.  I even find I'm getting depressed without it.
The easy answer is "well then, get up and exercise!", but I wish it were that easy.  I find I'm having a lot of normal pregnancy complaints: indigestion, sore back, low energy, and frequent trips to the bathroom.
If I had my way, I would have a treadmill in the livingroom.  I want to walk more than anything (without freezing my tail off or getting Alida sick).  I have done enough thinking and research on the subject and while it is completely safe for me to exercise right now, it's also apparent that I need to make sure I don't overdo it.  This is why walking seems to be one of the best answers.  For a little bit, before the weather turned cold, Anthony, Alida and I started going on evening or weekend walks and though it wasn't easy, I always felt better and happier after we'd done it.  Now I am on a quest to figure out how to satisfy this "craving" and hopefully get rid of the accompanying depression.  Any advice would be GREAT! (Oh, and if anyone has a treadmill I could have, either free or SUPER cheap... Like, less than $50 cheap, I would SUPER love it!  I'm just saying.)
Did any of you ladies ever find yourself "craving" something strange like that?
If I figure out a solution, I'll let you know and I'd love to hear what you all think or any advice you might have.

Hiccups

I think we are going to have to name the baby Hiccup.  It is almost 2pm on a sunday, and the baby has already had the hiccups 4 times (that I've been able to feel).  I can usually feel her get them 7 or 8 times a day.  It's a little ridiculous how often I feel it.  It makes me giggle.  Most of the time, her hiccups push her against my bladder.  Not so much fun, but it still makes me giggle.

*drum roll*

IT'S A GIRL!!!

It's a....

BABY!!!  Well, Anthony and I officially know what we're having.  Stay tuned for our announcement to be made on Thanksgiving.

Apologies

So, it has been brought to my attention that I haven't been doing a very good job keeping you all updated on our family.  It's sad but true.  There are a few very good reasons behind it, the biggest of all being we had to get rid of the internet to save money.  It makes posting things harder to do and more irritating.  Posting is now just like one big text message... Well, you can imagine.
Regardless, I still try.  I have done it a couple of times with my phone now.
A little update for you all:
Everyone is doing fine.  I am over my Facebook withdrawals.  The shaking and cold sweats have abated and I am doing fine without it.  It's actually been interesting realizing what I miss and what I don't miss.  There is SO MUCH on Facebook now and so many things that are only found there.  It makes it kind of irritating, but I'm still ok without it.
On a more personal note:  we are all healthy and well.  The baby is growing fine and kicking like crazy now.  We can even feel it on the outside already and I have noticed little episodes of the hiccups already.  I am 20 1/2 weeks now.  We will be finding out what the gender is this Friday!  (Though I may make everybody wait to find out what it is until Thanksgiving.  MWAHAHA!).
Alida told me yesterday "Mom, I want it to be a girl!" With a big smile on her face, so I asked "Well, what if it's a boy?" And she immediately put on a frown and said "but I want a girl like me."
Well, no pressure then!
We are really excited!  We have started making room for all the baby stuff we'll need, but our place is tiny.  The best I can think of is we need shelving...  Big time!  The crib will BARELY fit in Alida's room.  For now, we're just trying to keep everything stored and out of the way.
If anyone has any ideas of how to work with almost no space, I'd love to hear it!
Life is a little mundane lately, so that's about it for now.
I hope you all haven't missed me too much.  I sure miss you all.
Love,
The Hunter Family

Happy Halloween

Goodbye October

I can't believe October is already done and gone.  It doesn't seem possible.  The Halloween season brings lots of fun things to do.  Our Halloween weekend this year consisted of the ward trunk or treat, our Halloween party and trick or treating in North Salt Lake.
The trunk or treat was on Friday evening.  We were joined by the Sheets family.  The chili dinner was ok (not a fan of MOST chili's) but what surprised me the most was it was a 2 ward party and hardly anyone showed up.  It was a little disappointing, but the kids still had fun dressing up and trunk or treating.
The party on Friday was at our house, and though everyone showed up late, (the first guests arrived 20 minutes late), we had a great turn out.  Not including us, we had 11 adults and 9 children at our house for the evening.  Dinner was fabulous.  A special thank you to everyone who brought something to share! We didn't get to play any of the games I had planned, but by the time everyone was done eating, too many kids were getting tired and restless, so I think it was ok.
It was fun to take the kids trick or treating on Halloween night.  We joined the Sheets family for it and they treated everyone to pizza after we were done.  (Thank you Michelle and Brian!). Alida hasn't had a lot of experience actually trick or treating door to door, and it seems that she had a lot of fun doing it.  By the end, I think everyone was sore and ready to sit down and enjoy some dinner, though.
Now it is November 1st and the weather has decided to turn.  It is cloudy and cold and raining this morning.  At least it waited until trick or treating was done!  Now it is time to take down the Halloween decorations and start planning for Thanksgiving.  I can't believe it's already nearly Thanksgiving.

On the side of just other interesting things, we are all doing well.  Anthony is nearly over his cold, Alida is as happy and active as ever, and I am doing well, though I don't know yet if I have started gaining weight at all.  I can tell you that I am most certainly growing and every day, the kicks get more frequent and stronger.  I can actually feel them with my hand on the outside now, so the little one is definitely getting stronger.

This year is going by really fast.  I don't know that I'm ready for it to be over, but I can say I am definitely excited for the holidays.  This is my favorite time of year.

Love,
The Hunters

More Aviary

A day with the kids

Yesterday was one of those days that doesn't come around very often.
Michelle got off work at lunch time and came to pick up me and all the kids to go to Tracy Aviary. Before hitting the aviary, we stopped at McDonald's for some cheeseburgers and hamburgers, since no one had eaten lunch yet.
For those who don't know, Tracy Aviary is in Sugar House at Liberty Park. I wasn't aware of this. I have often passed by Liberty park, but I never realized I was also passing the Aviary. For those who have never been to Liberty park, it is a massive park, spanning the equivalent of about 4 city blocks. In this large space is a nice big pond, the Aviary (obviously), LOTS of open grassy space and several different playgrounds. It's a very pretty place in the middle of Salt Lake City.
The Aviary was a lot of fun. It's hard to say exactly how much fun it was. I doubt if the girls learned much, but I know they loved it. They got to run around the "Owl Forest" tree house, play in the sand, feed the ducks, get their pictures taken in a lot of fun ways and generally just got to run around and look at all the pretty birds. When we were done at the Aviary, we went over to one of the playgrounds at the park and let the girls run around and play for about an hour.
All of this doesn't seem like much, but throw in someone who's 16 1/2 weeks pregnant and it becomes slightly more difficult, but slightly funnier to watch!
Bouncing with the kids, twisting and twirling with them on the tire swing and then there was the walk back to the car (which was the equivalent of about a block and a half from the park. Let's just say that by the time we got home, I was sore and tired and so was Alida.
We had a lot of fun yesterday! Days like that don't come around very often. I was so glad that we got to go out and do all that we did. And a HUGE thank you to Michelle for lunch and for treating us to the trip to the Aviary!!!

A link to the past

In today's hectic world, sometimes we forget what things were like when we were kids.
When we hear in society that it's not ok to do things the way people used to do them because "things just aren't the same as they used to be", it makes me sad. Why can't things be like they used to be? Obviously not everything can stay the same. It's called progress. But sometimes, without realizing it, we stop progressing and start regressing. Sometimes I have these realizations. I start thinking about my childhood and the way things were. I have visions of my mom in the kitchen cooking some fantastic dinner and then everyone sat up to the dining room table and ate together. I think about mom doing canning in the fall, making pickles and salsa and doing tomatoes. I miss the smells of it all. Things SHOULD be like they used to be. Just because technology has changed doesn't mean everything else has. We haven't progressed beyond needing the relationships we used to have.
Then nights like tonight come along. I have the most random cravings a lot of the time. Last night I had a craving for lasagna brought on by watching Anthony eat cottage cheese. So tonight, I made lasagna, biscuits and green salad, then we all sat down at the dining table and ate together. Alida ate all of her dinner. We had some very pleasant conversation. It really made me nostalgic for the good old days.
Why can't things be like that more often. A lot of people don't take the time or care enough to make the time. It's sad, really. The way that it brings families together should be worth our time. It should be worth our time because it says "I love you" without having to say it.
Let's try, people! Let's have dinner as a family! Make the time. It's worth it.

The cutest tantrum ever

We went to the library today. Alida had a book to return. It was a Superman book.
It was kind of one of those "you had to be there" moments, but I will try to give you an idea of how this trip went.
From the car to the library doors, Alida hugged the book close. She wouldn't hold my hand to cross the street or anything. I ended up having to hold her shoulder. The whole way into the building, she kept saying "this is my favorite Superman book, mom."
When we got to the book drop off, I offered to let her turn it in. She didn't want to. She wanted to keep the book. We tried enticing her with offers of other books and even finding her another Superman book. She refused.
Finally, with my hand guiding hers, we put the book into the drop off. Immediately, her bottom lip started to tremble and before I knew it, she was wailing and there were tears streaming down her cheeks. "Mommy, I want my book back! Please! I want my Superman book!"
The tears continued as I picked her up (maybe not the best idea...) and tried to console her again with offers of other books. She wouldn't have any of it. We went into the children's section and began searching for other books, but she continued to cry. That Superman book was her very favorite book and she wanted it.
A young lady standing in line to check out some books stopped me and with a polite smile said "I'm a teacher. I wish some of my kids would cry when you had them return a book." and she laughed politely. I smiled.
Anthony, being the caring dad that he is, ventured back to the book return and rescued the Superman book from the depths of the bin and heroically re-checked it out for Alida. As soon as the book was in her hands, the tantrum stopped. The world was right again. She even checked out a few Halloween books.
Normally I don't like it when she throws tantrums, but even I have to admit that it was, perhaps, one of the cutest tantrums I have EVER witnessed... and all over a book.

Eating and other difficulties

15 weeks and 4 days. Things are getting more difficult. I find that I have very little energy at all, and eating is still difficult, since I have no appetite. The past few days, I have felt weaker than usual, and I suppose it's due in part to me not eating enough to supply the demands of pregnancy. Yesterday was our most recent doctor's appointment. I found out a lot of things. Most importantly, I have lost another 2 pounds, making a total of 10 pounds since I got pregnant. This is not necessarily a good thing. It is all due to not eating enough. The Doctor was very clear that this needs to stop. I only wish it was as easy as it sounded. It all seems to be a vicious cycle. I don't have any energy, so I don't want to make anything, so I don't eat, so I never get any energy. And it continues like that.

One exciting development; we made the appointment to have the gender ultrasound. November 18th we will find out what we're having.

I have to admit, it still feels weird to say that I am pregnant at all. Every now and again I feel little flutters, but nothing more as far as movement, and though I'm showing a little, it doesn't feel real. I'd like to say that it seems like I'm just gaining weight, but I'm not even doing that. I'm losing weight and I'm growing. *sigh* If only I could have lost weight like this before I got pregnant.

Well, enough of my complaints. A friend of mine once said that she was sick of hearing pregnant women complain about how they feel because there are women out there who have trouble getting pregnant and they should be glad that they're expecting. I have to respond now that, though I am extremely glad and excited to be expecting, that doesn't mean it's all fun and games. Some women, though able to get pregnant and happy that they are, have a difficult time with it. It happens. We just try to deal with it as best as we can. That's all we can do. So if you have a pregnant friend, give her a hug. She might need it.

Love from,
The Hunter Family

BOO!!!

It's time again to start decorating for Halloween. I have put up a few decorations in the past week, but just small things (my potion bottles and pumpkins, for example). So the girls and I got creative today. I made us a bowl of "blood" and we went to work.







The girls had a blast and now I'm looking at the house and wondering what else I can paint with our blood.
The blood is perfect too. It is a dish soap based blood, making it easily washable. It washed off every surface, including the girls hands, with only water. It didn't stain anything. Perfect.
If you're interested, I used 1 Cup of corn syrup, 1/2 cup chocolate syrup (Hershey's), 1/2 cup liquid dish soap and some red and some blue food coloring. (the blue and the chocolate deepen the color nicely. I also found that adding a few tablespoons of corn starch helped thicken it up, but it runs a lot, so be aware of that.
It's also irresistible to munchkins with curious tendencies... hahaha

Burr.

I told Alida "Visions of sugar plums are dancing in my head." to which, she grabbed the top of my head and said "Don't worry mom. I'll get them!"
With the series of storms that have passed over our house over the past day and night, the temperature has dropped to a frigid 59 degrees (compared to 90 just a few days ago) and it is expected to drop even further to nearly 30 degrees by this weekend, with snow in the higher elevations. SNOW!!!
This morning, I had a chat with Alida about her clothes. She slept in, and was happily playing this morning in, a tank top and shorts. This led to the "we're putting away your summer clothes" conversation. She didn't get why her summer clothes weren't good enough.
I asked her "are you cold?". She replied "Yes. It's really chilly, mom."
So I took her in her room and explained the difference between pants and shorts and tank tops vs sweaters. We picked out her outfit for the day, (warm pants and a sweater she chose), and I then asked her if we should put away her summer clothes. She replied "Mom, my legs fit in these pants, so I think it will be ok to put them in storage."
We also got out our space heater, and we're talking about lighting the furnace this week. (It needs to be done sooner or later...)

All of this cold weather and talk of heaters and "winter wardrobes" has made me really excited for the holiday season to begin, starting with Halloween. I always get excited for holidays when it gets cold. I LOVE decorating. I love sitting in front of a big window with hot cider, watching the snow fall. I love the idea that this year, we have a yard. I will be able (AND willing!) to take Alida outside to play in the snow! I can't even begin to describe my excitement for this! After spending so much time indoors last year, it has been such a relief to me to be able to take her outside and know that we're safe in our own yard. It makes me excited to start wearing my coat and sweaters... though I admit that I will probably have to buy me some new winter clothes, since I'll be spending this winter pregnant, and nothing fits me! (hahaha) I know it might sound strange, but heaters have a smell to them... and when you spend so much time during the winter with the heater on, you get used to that smell and all of a sudden, you associate cold weather and the smell of a heater with holidays. (It also helps that I'm sitting here eating cranberry sauce while I type this!)

Are there things that make you excited for the holidays? What do you do to get ready? When do you put away the summer clothes? I would LOVE to know!

Cranberries

You know that feeling when you've waited SO LONG for something, and then one day, it's finally here and you get it? I had one of those days yesterday. We had to go to Wal-Mart to find a few things, and in our wanderings, I decided to go look at the produce section. As I entered near the packages of fresh berries, something seemed different. There were bags of something by the raspberries. My heart almost skipped a beat. I had to investigate. As I got closer, I could see tiny round redness inside the bags, and I knew that the bags were something I have been waiting for since last winter... Fresh cranberries!!! One of the best things in the world is cranberries boiled in Jello. YUM!
I bought 3 bags of them, though I shouldn't have. I couldn't wait. It is something I start craving every year when the weather begins to cool down in the fall. It gives me wonderful feelings of fall and winter and holidays. It is so yummy and it just so happens that, being pregnant at the start of this Fall, I have been craving it a lot.
This morning, I was able to satiate that craving! (for now.)
I love it when surprises like that happen. Don't you?

The Young Family

This is a really good friend of mine and her family. Josie and I have been best friends since the 8th grade. Over the weekend at Wheeler Farm, I got to take some really cute pictures of them. The one of her husband and son was actually taken by Josie after I couldn't get her son to cooperate for me for that picture. I loved taking photos of them and I'm so glad they joined us for the afternoon.