dear hunter- 10 months!

check out that smirk!!!!!!!!
hooray for double-digits! (and not sitting still!)
simply irresistible......
dear hunter,

we celebrated your 10-month birthday on friday. cannot believe this even as I type! you are still so funny! you love to eat french toast. you love your walker....especially when you find your way into your self- made man cave under the kitchen table or when you pick up your feet after chasing someone down the hall for a "slide!" WOO-HOO! you can say "DA-DA" very well, and "Mommy," I'm sure, is just around the corner. :) you still crawl on your belly (very fast, might I add) ...but you started taking your first steps on your own initiative this month! who wants to crawl on knees anyways? you sure can't get under the furniture as easily up on your knees. you've been doing better when we drop you at the church nursery--even kelly matte, who was helping in your room today, said you did great. were you on your good behavior because it was the pastor's wife? you pick up on everything. :)

i am having fun celebrating all of the milestones and funny things you did this year, as i compile goodies for your birthday party. but it is bittersweet---where has my baby gone? oh well, you are too cute now to miss anything at the moment. i love you~ mommy

dear hunter- 8 months!

scrunched-nose...a household favorite
yummy starfish
turtle head
still has a huge head!

Hunter, we praise our God for you! These 8 months have been some of the best, most exciting months of our lives.

dear hunter,

One of your new tricks is when I put a small cloth over your head...I say "Where's Hunter?" ---and you pull it off. Sometimes. Sometimes, I know i can see your sweet cheeks smiling so wide even underneath the cloth...."Where's Hunter?" "Where's Hunter....?" You like to make me wait in anticipation. I'd wait any time for you! You are so fun! You like to eat...and eat and eat. I'm not sure what your favorite food is because you like it all! But you do really still like carrots...and as far as table food goes, you think guacamole from Mariachi's is really good. :) You love your "Where is Baby's Belly Button?" and "Peek-A-Boo, I Love you" books. (These are the ones where you can participate and lift the flaps). You are so happy when you find things. You also laugh really hard at the "Funny Farm Animals" book where I put my fingers in the pages and make the animals wiggle. Ha! You are getting more familiar with the swimming pool...even splashing yourself and kicking, kicking with those legs "jumping" on top of the water. You are still crawling, or "scooting" rather across the floor. Daddy and I love to get down there with you and roll the ball back and forth.

Another funny thing you started to do this month is what Daddy likes to call "chewing air."

And you still get really excited about your Bible stories at night. You praise Him with your belief that they really do come to life. We love you. ~ Mommy and Daddy

dear hunter- 7 months- June

So behind! I took this picture (believe it or not) ON his 7 month birthday, June 10th. So much has happened...I am just now posting your letter...Sorry, Mister!

Dear Hunter,

What a fun month we have had together. You giggle like no one's business. We have found many fun tickle spots. You started to crawl this month--showing us you are smart on two levels....First of all, when you didn't want to exert energy to crawl, you would just "shimmy" the toys you wanted by pulling the towel towards YOU instead of crawling to it. Your Pappy said, "Smart Boy!" Secondly, when you did want to be more mobile, you used your biggest strength to get you going...you HEAD! You get down on the ground on your stomach, then your head gets tired and hits the carpet. Then you will proceed to push off something and move forward-- with your head! It is the funniest. You get where you want to go though. :) You still enjoy Michael Buble best of all as far as "sleeping in the car" music---"Let Me Go Home." But your favorite song to hear was the "chocolate factory" song from Veggie Tales. You would laugh so hard and look me right in the eyes as I sang the opening line almost every morning, "Good Morning, George...how are you?" Oh, you LOVED it. This month you enjoyed your Nana's retirement party at The Stagecoach Inn in Salado. We had slumber parties at Kayla and John's house, Nana's house, Gigi and Pappy's house....we were on the road! You love being in the bjorn when we are out and about. You kick your legs at the same time ... up and down ...up and down..much like you do in the swimming pool...you like to kick your legs "float-free." You like to fall asleep while eating quite a bit...but you like for me to still sing to you, too. Often times, my singing wakes you up...you get wide-eyed...stop eating and want to sing back to me. You get so excited! My favorite "Hunter trick" of the month was that you started scrunching your nose real tight....with a big, wide smile, and squinted eyes, and blowing air through your mouth which produced an airy, drooly, laugh. You do this most when you are talking to someone and you are really having fun. Well, it could be a toy too.

I love you, kiddo. ~ Mommy

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