Better Late Than Never!

Here are all of the fun details from Hunter's 10th Birthday...about 12 days late.

We started out the (early) morning with presents from us...complete with new basketball shorts and a very special quarter, wrapped in a piece of black construction paper and a lot of tape.  (Bet you can't guess who that was from...LOL!)

 

 Then Hunter had a double-header in Benton City...he lost both games but did a darn good job!

 

Picked up the cake, hurried home and cleaned house, then friends came over for pizza, cake and ice cream!  Oh, and a Nerf gun war...

Went to the hockey game!  The boys all had a blast...so did the adults!  The Americans won, Hunter got his name and birthday put on the scoreboard and there was a huge brawl at the end, which is always good!  Ha!

 

The next day was Superbowl Sunday, so we of course had to take a cake to Grandma's to celebrate AGAIN! 

All-in-all, it turned out to be the best 10th birthday we could have given our awesome boy.  :)  He told us more than once that it was "The best birthday ever"...and that is exactly what we were aiming for.

My Son is Turning 10?!

Some of you don't remember or didn't know my Hunter when he was this little...but for those of you who do remember him...aren't you glad I put these pictures on here?!  Looking through the scrapbook, Dave & I always shake our heads and ask each other how on earth we allowed our baby to go places with that head of hair.  Haha! 

Tomorrow, February 4th, our Hunter Reece will turn 10 years old.  I just put him to bed and told him it was his last night as a 9 year old.  He grinned ear to ear and said, "I'll be a decade!"  I can't even put into words how special Hunter is to us.  From the time he was born, he has brought complete joy to us each and every day.  He is funny (he must get that from me-haha), smart, good at sports, an awesome big brother and just an all-around wonderful human being.  He is probably one of my best friends, to be honest.  He and I spend a lot of time talking about things, and his maturity always surprises me.  He can beat most of our family at Jeopardy, and if the child grows up and ever happens to make it onto the show "Cash Cab", he will most definitely win a ton of money.  LOL! 

He loves his family, is a loyal friend, always tries to do the right thing, and is (most of the time) a pleasure to be around.  There is no doubt in my mind that he will grow up to do great things, and I am so excited to see what God has planned for his life.  I am so thankful to the Lord for giving us this boy, and we are honored and proud to be his parents. 

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY, HUNTER!  YOU ARE A BLESSING TO OUR FAMILY AND WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Coop's Door

Coop has decided he will decorate the outside of his bedroom door with all kinds of artwork.  I think he does this because he has a strange obsession with...yeah, you guessed it...tape.

Look at those LONG strips of tape he has used.  Dave & I had to try not to burst into laughter when he proudly called us back to his door to take a look at his masterpieces.  Truthfully, the first thing you notice is the tape.  :)

Currently, there is a quarter wrapped in a tiny piece of construction paper, just waiting to be opened by Hunter on his birthday, which is 10 days away.  If I took the tape off it, I could use it to wrap an entire gift and still have some left over!  Guess whose idea that was...he can hardly wait for his brother to unwrap his "surprise present"!  Ah, how these boys bring smiles and joy to me each and every day.  I am surely blessed.

Oh Snowy Day!

You know how sometimes you just wish it would snow?  You may not even LIKE snow, but there is this voice in your head saying, some snow would be nice right about now... Well, we finally got some and our whole family was ecstatic!

I, personally, have a love/hate relationship with the stuff.  I want it only if I can sit by the window and watch it falling silently to the ground, with a cup of coffee or cocoa in my hand.  But who are we kidding...that would never really happen!  However, I did enjoy the afternoon yesterday, after it had dumped snow all morning.  Dave picked the boys up from school a bit early and got out the little snowmobiles.  They tore up and down the street, around and around the cul-de-sac and even used the yard of the empty house right next to us.  Neighbors stuck their heads out their doors to watch the show.  I'm glad they are all pretty tolerant of noise and none of them called the police.  LOL! 

 The red one was lent to us by our cousin - it goes 8 miles an hour and is perfect for Coop!

 Okay, he is just a natural...he was riding while standing up, doing some little hops and riding with one hand.  SO GLAD it only goes 8 miles an hour!

 I insisted on standing out in the road, so they wouldn't get run-over by a car...or crash into each other!

 Dave bought this little thing on Craigslist last week.  It goes FAST, and Hunter is a little timid but he is getting more confident with each time on it.

I think they are developing their Dad's love for snowmobiling...and I think I am okay with that.  :)

Today school actually got cancelled because of the ice and freezing rain.  Currently I am blogging in my pj's, drinking my 3rd cup of coffee and thinking of dragging out a board game to play with the boys.  It's days like this that I appreciate even more the fact that I am a stay-at-home mom.  It may be tough sometimes, both socially and financially, but it is SO worth it.

My Hero

I'll tell you what...when I started to fall in love with him, all those years ago, I had no idea he would turn into such an amazing husband, father and friend.  :)  I love him more every single day.  God sure did bless me when He sat Dave next to me in the trumpet section in high school band class...LOL...what a fun adventure we have had!  And I know we are just warming up...the best is yet to come!

Giving It One More Try...

Yeah, I know...you've missed me.  And you know something?  There really is no excuse for not posting a blog since APRIL of last year!  Goodness, you'd think I had been out saving the world or something.  But sadly, no...that's not it.  I've just been kinda busy!  Busier, in fact, than I have been in a really long time.  Some reasons for my business are the same - they are called Hunter and Cooper.  But other reasons include my weekday girlies, Kora and Ava! 

Kora and Ava are the girls I take care of during the week.  They truly are so much fun (with a little work thrown in :).  It's hard to believe I've had Kora since she was 3 months old.  She will be 4 in May, so she is pretty much my daughter.  LOL!  And sweet Ava came to me the beginning of the school year this year and will turn 1 in March!  I love having these girls in my home...and the rest of my family feels the same way. 

But I do have to say that I've really missed blogging about our family adventures, so as a resolution for 2012, I've decided I have to start up again.  Another resolution...and I'm sure it comes as no surprise...is that I am back on the weight-loss wagon!  Giddy-up!  I plan to lose about 15 pounds by my birthday (which is not until May, so surely this can happen...right?!).  So I may throw in a blog or two about that journey, assuming it will go somewhere besides OFF the wagon.

So stay tuned, people!  La Familia Kleinow is BACK!