Father's Day weekend...part 1

So he only waited 4+years to be a dad...what does he choose to do on his Father's Day weekend?? Pull weeds! I guess you have to be a guy to fully understand that! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for pulling weeds, when it's cool out and after it's rained so the ground is soft...not when it's 100 degrees out! But-being the good little supporters that we are, I brought the babies and the dog out to "supervise". Here we are watching Dad work hard!

Ethan and Hunter

Dad working hard!

Mom and Colton...the heat made him droopy!

Mom, Colton, Piper, Ethan, Hunter

How cute is this kid? He's sleeping in his Coleman Chair! He's ready to go camping!

So we got a little warm in our clothes...so we took them off! (Well, the babies did!)

The Babies!

Brian picked up his chair and brought him in the house....still asleep!

Father's Day morning, we went to our usual hangout...Starbucks!

Grampa and Hunter

Mom and Colton

Hunter hanging out in "Heavenly Haven"

Houston, we have a surgery date!

Well, after some run-around, we have a surgery date once again! Tuesday, June 30th is the big day! Unfortunately, Brian will be out of town, which leaves mom to be the primary snuggler! (No problem there!) Fortunately the rest of my family are in town and will be sharing various duties...mom will watch the other two Bunchkins while we're at the hospital, Mary will come along with Colton and me to the hospital and my dad will do whichever he prefers! Maybe both... Brian will be back later that night to see his little man. :) So this is it! Thank you all for the prayers last week. Now if you could just remember him next Tuesday as well... :)

It's our 5 year anniversary!

My goodness...a lot can change in 5 years...we got married, moved to Queen Creek, got a dog and a cat, moved back to Tucson, lost a cat, gained two more cats, got new jobs, new cars, tried to have a baby, tried again to have a baby, gave up trying to have a baby. HAD 3 BABIES! And every moment was worth it-good and bad because they all got us to where we are today...

For our 1 year anniversary....we went to DISNEYLAND and had bottles of wine at California Adventure!

For our 5 year anniversary....we went to Target and had a Starbucks....with 3 babies. :)

Since having 3 babies, and losing an income, we have to be a little wiser about what we spend money on. So....typically, Brian and I would each buy the other person 4 cards to open for our anniversary (costing approximately $30-40). So this year, we created a NEW tradition! We decided that we would go to Target together and still pick out cards for each other. But instead of actually buying them, we would just give them to each other right there and then put them back on the shelf! :) How cheap can we be?? And yet, that's totally Brian's and my humor. So here we are, on our 5th anniversary enjoying the cards we didn't buy each other!

These are the two cards Brian picked out for me!

And these are the two that I picked out for him!

But the best part of my anniversary was having chai tea with my husband, daughter and 2 sons!! IT'S STILL SO WEIRD TO SAY THAT!

The best little gift I ever got...

You didn't think I'd leave these two little gifts out, did you?

Ethan hit the bottle pretty hard for our anniversary so he should be out cold for the rest of the night....

Yup. He is.

The Bunchkins and their Bumbos!

We Bunches are busy little babies you know. We've mastered tummy time. We've mastered the bouncy seats, the swings, the Boppy Pillows, Etc., Etc. To the point in fact where each one of those things has become a regular part of every day! Well, as any teacher will tell you, routine is good for kids. They like to know what to expect. But today, we busted out with somethine new and exciting! (More exciting for the adults watching than the babies, I'm sure, but that's ok.) We pulled out the Bumbo seats! Plop, plop, plop! In they each go....and what did we get? The Bunchkin Bobble-head babies! :)

Oh my gosh, they were SO stinking cute! I'll be honest, I threw away the boxes months ago, so I really didn't even know if they were developmentally appropriate for 12 week old babies or not, but we didn't see the harm in it! If anything, it was another opportunity for them to practice holding their heads upright and strengthening those little necks! (I have since looked up when to begin using the Bumbos and they state that babies as young as 8 weeks can benefit from them.) So anyway, Ethan LOVED it and actually fit quite nicely. Little Hunter is probably still a little too small, as her posture didn't seem quite right and her head seemed the heaviest for her. Colton was a tad slouchy at first, but quickly got the hang of it. Anyway, we thought the pictures were too funny not to share so here they are! Have a good laugh. On us! :)

Whoa...what kind of strange contraptions are these?

Colton is so ready for kindergarten...look at that hand raised again as if to say,

"Umm, aunt Mary, something doesn't feel quite right here...could I get a little help?"

Ethan: "YES! I did it!"

Hunter: "Would you please stop screaming in my ear?"

Colton: "Hey this isn't so bad.."

Hey! Where'd my friends go? We were just starting to have fun! Guys? Anyone?

ETHAN

"Ok, so this is different.."

"Hmm...I think maybe I'm doing it right."

"Oh goody! The adults are smiling at me...I must be doing something right.."

"Hee hee...I'm so proud of me!"

HUNTER

"Whoa, what in the world is this weird space seat?"

"I think I'm stuck..."

"Maybe I'll just peek at Colton to see how he's doing in his weird space seat..."

"Well, I don't know, he looks pretty good...maybe I am doing it right..."

"Ok! I finally got my head up a little! Not bad!"

COLTON

"Hey now...my head's too heavy for this I think..."

"Huh...maybe it's not..."

"Well I'll be! I think I'm doing it!"

"That's right...I'm the baby man!"

Who's upset their surgery got postponed?

Sorry folks. Change of plans. Gotta love insurance companies and their red tape. Colton's surgery did not get authorized in time for tomorrow's big event. Right now I do not have a new date, though I'm not anticipating that it will be too long from now...(next week hopefully?) So thank you all for the well wishes and prayers! We will keep you posted! And like Brian said...this just means we get to enjoy this adorable little smile just a bit longer. :)

Raise your hand if you're having lip surgery this Thursday...

Yes, yes, big day coming up in the Bunch household...mostly Colton's! This Thursday, June 18th (barring any unforseen circumstances, of course), Colton will have the first of a few surgeries to repair his cleft lip and palate. This first surgery will be to repair his lip, the palate repair will be done when Colton is closer to a year old!

The surgery will be done at UMC, a place with which Colton is very familiar! His surgery will likely be the first one in the morning, though we don't find out the exact time until the day before. Dr. Hurst will perform the surgery and we hear he's OUTSTANDING! It's expected to take about 2 hours (if my memory serves...which, it doesn't always!) He will have to stay in the hospital for one night for sure. Any longer would only be if he doesn't respond well. But we optimistic Bunches just know that everything is going to go perfectly! Dad already had a chat with Colton over his bottle this morning and told him everything he should expect, so that he won't be nervous. :) And of course, this very protective mommy will be there every minute! So enjoy these pictures of the smile we will all miss more than we ever thought possible. And please keep Colton in your prayers!