Hunter's 2nd Year video

Enjoy this video of Hunter's second year. It's a large file, so if you hit play and then pause (it will load while on pause) and hit play again a few minutes later. Then it should play beautifully!

Hunter's 2nd Year from Josh Strong on Vimeo.

dear hunter~6 months

Hunter, I cannot believe you are 6 MONTHS OLD! Just 6 short months ago, Daddy and I were anxiously awaiting you. Waiting and Waiting....we don't wait anymore! You keep our lives busy and FUN and FULL. Your laugh just sends me into orbit. When you are really excited about something, you wrinkle you nose before you let out a big squeal and subsequent belly laugh! I love it. You love Okee. You love to watch her. The other day when she got eye level with you (when she was disobeying the rules and sitting on the couch), you stared at her with your mouth wide open. The banner over you read "bliss." Your mouth kept going from a silent, wide open "o" to a big smile and then back to an excited "o" -- Oh my! You were like a Norman Rockwall painting of a boy opening a box for Christmas when a golden retreiver puppy pops out. Oh, if I could have bottled up that face...I'd have been a millionaire. At least to me.

You are looking very blonde in your 6 month pics. Although you definitely have some brown hair. I think you inherited my blonde streaked hair. You will be the only kindergartener with highlights. :) ha! You look like a little froggy in the above pic. Where did you think you were going? :)

You love your solid foods. You like them all. Peas was first. Your favorite songs right now? Well, "Time to eat lunch" is where you made your debut in our Sunday School class. I started singing it to you after class one day and you started laughing with glee. You were such a ham...you had all the moms rolling. But you also like "Skiddlemarink-y-dinky-dink" and "Oh, How I love Jesus"--especially if I pull your face towards mine every time I say "oh!" You can sit up on your own very well (see pics!) You are starting to want to crawl--at least if it means you can get closer to your toys. You haven't started yet, but you are trying. I promise to be in God's word daily so I can give to you out of His overflow instead of anything I could come up with. I love EVERY bit of you. Love, Mommy

dear hunter~5 months

dear hunter,

april marks your 5-month birthday! i really can't wrap my mind around how this year has gone by since november. we are having so much fun with you. as you can see in the pic above, one of your favorite things is looking at yourself in the mirror. i started singing "who's that baby" to the tune of "who's that lady" and now you want it every day! :) your favorite books to read right now are fifteen animals and muddy pups. i'm telling you this in case you ever are asked a question for an email password or if you get one of those forwards one day, asking you about your favorite childhood reading material. you see, i'm your mom, and i try to provide you with everything you need. or might need. sometimes i anticipate too much of what may happen in the future...i'm trying to mellow for yours and daddy's sake. :) ha ha right now you are playing in your exersaucer; you are so strong, as you bend that dragonfly over with all your might.

you love to smile. you feel so big sitting up by yourself. you like to do this thing with your hand where you look like you just want to say "cha-cha-cha." will you like to dance like we do?

i don't always know what you are up to, or thinking, but i'd like to, like in this picture above.

and this one is one of my favorites. you love to laugh, and i can't wait to teach you that song, "i love to laugh" from mary poppins. i may teach you the words, but you are teaching us how to live it out.

your daddy and i love each other more now than ever with you in the middle of our hugs.

love, mommy

dumplings downtown with daddy day!

Today was Hunter's first trip downtown to Daddy's office! Ever since Josh's co-workers saw Hunter's "first jean day" pic, they have been wanting him to come up for a Casual Friday lunch!

Hunter got to experience the infamous Doozo establishment. YUMMY! Line was long, but moved fast.

Here's Hunter in line at Doozo. Uh-oh. We realized we forgot the list of what everyone at the office wanted to order on Josh's desk! This is an uh-oh because the lady who runs the place is the dumpling nazi --straight from the Seinfeld set. You get up to the counter and you don't know your order--no dumplings for you!!! We couldn't risk that, so we got out of line...composed our list...and got back in. Whew. I saw her for the first time today. She did look kinda like she'd make you go to bed without supper.

kissable. huggable. loveable. unbelievable. i think if the dumpling nazi had seen this face, she would have had to give mercy. ;)

hunter's first easter

daddy and hunter in matching khaki shorts and white polos :)

4 generations :)

how can you resist this?????

first family picture in the brenham bluebonnets

I can't take it anymore!!!!!

The following takes place Thursday night at the Strong dinner table over a seemingly harmless pasta dish:

[Hunter being fussy]

Josh: "He's upset."

Courtney just coming to the table: "Oh, maybe it's because his leg is stuck."

Josh: "No, [laughing] he put his leg there himself."

Courtney and Josh both notice why.

GIMME, GIMME, GIMME... Pretty Please???

Satisfied

Dinnerware provided by Aunt Shirley :)

Ohhhhh- YEAH!

Now, Dad, this is what I'm TALKIN' about! Bring it on!

So, we couldn't wait any longer... today was rice cereal day! Boy, was he ready! Yummy! We found another family trait Hunter inherited---his favorite subject is lunch. :)

dare...

...to compare!

Happy Birthday, My Handsome Man!

This very minute, 4 months ago, you came into this world! :) Our world has been better for it. Love, Mommy and Daddy :)

Hunter's First Valentine's Day

Maybe someday you'll get chocolate, kiddo! ;)

My little cupid--thanks for the idea, Leslie~

Hunter trying out his bow and arrow pose for Cupid

One of my favorites! I must say, I saw this happy face just a few days before Valentine's Day, when Hunter got his first Valentine...from Jemma! I showed him Jemma's picture she sent, and he just SMILED and SMILED! :)

Hunter with his Aunt Lana --aka "Atlanta"

Hutner with Gigi and Pappy

Happy V-Day! Smiles all around!

Hunter with Nana and Daddy--so happy!

Hunter's First Valentine

Well...it happened! Hunter had his first valentine! Christy came to visit Friday, February 5th. Hunter loved his little Valentine, Brinley Culli! Can you believe how they are lined up so cute! 1 month apart! Christy and I made jokes the whole night about how we will be seeing these pictures again at their rehearsal dinner for the video slideshow. And Matt always adds that the rehearsal dinner "had better be awesome." LOL

we did it~fourth trimester~ complete!

dear hunter,

Well, cutie, we made it! They say that first 12 weeks is like another trimester...and what a learning curve for us both! I know what a culture shock that must have been for you. you had to work so hard for your food, sleep at different times, and for the first few weeks everyone was showing you a pointy tree with lights on it. I think it got kind of dizzy...everyone trying to burp you and swirling you around those dazzling lights. Between the Christmas lights everywhere and the cameras flashing--I'm sure you had enough stimulation to last for ANOTHER 3 months. Then suddenly, the trees went away. I'm sorry that is one of the only kinds of trees you have seen since you were born in the winter. We have not been able to get out too much! Like today...it's freezing and snowing in Texas!

Some of my favorite memories are of us dancing around the house together. I loved holding you as we listened to Christmas music together while it was snowing outside on December 4th. I still laugh at how tickled you got when Jingle Bells would come on the radio. And then there's the "Me and Hunter" playlist on the ipod. Our favorites include "You've Got a Friend in Me" -- (which is so cute to play when you are laying down eating with your little feet dancing at the back of the boppy pillow) and "Getting to Know you"-- because that's exactly what we are doing! The lyrics are just perfect for us right now.

You've been given lots of love and that is my main job description to date--to get the message to you how crazy we are about you. We already dream big dreams for you, kiddo. I know you are going to do great things. Love, MoMmY