We're Baaack!

I know. I know. WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?? Again, I apologize, I really do. For one, writing that last entry really took a lot out of me so I figured I'd get as much mileage as I could out of it! Second, for 3 weeks post surgery, I really needed to watch Colton like a hawk to make sure he didn't put anything in his mouth that might puncture his palate. So that really didn't leave me much time to sit down and write a lengthy blog. If it makes everyone feel better, I've hardly even taken any pictures the last 3 weeks (GASP!) so there really wasn't much to post. In fact, now that I feel like our lives are "normalizing" again, I'm actually going to go back and post some of my favorite photos from the last few weeks....But for tonight, I just wanted to leave you with SOMETHING! The babies are all sick again. Sigh....Let's just say that if there were a use for boogers, and I could bottle my kids' runny snot and sell it, I'D BE RICH! But darn, they sure are cute.

Hunter's personality and her attitude are much bigger than she is. She is clearly Italian because she grunts (her version of saying important things) and her hands are moving wildly while she does it. If only I knew what she was trying to say...She still beats up on her brothers and is becoming quite possessive of what she deems "her" toys. An old computer keyboard is the new favorite toy in the playroom, but just to be sure no one else can play with it, Hunter sits on TOP of the keyboard the minute one of her brothers shows even the slightest interest in it. Aahh...sisterly love. She waves, she high-fives, and my favorite is the pointer finger wagging back and forth when we say, "Hunter, No no." She totally mimicked us doing the finger wag and now joins in when she's in trouble! The girl loves jewelry, yet won't keep a darn bow in her hair to save her life. She loves Piper, our black lab, to death and laughs hysterically at her. She eats like it's her last meal every time and more or less grabs handfuls of food and shoves it in her face. Her teeth are hilarious...She has 2 bottom teeth right in the middle but then she has a top fang! So funny! She's our own Dracula! There is nothing dainty about this girl, except her size. But god how I love her. Every bit of frustration I had with her the other night when she awoke at 2:15 in the morning, for no apparent reason, and would not go back to sleep for over 2 hours subsided when she finally fell asleep on my chest while lying on the small couch downstairs. It's in those moments that I apologize for every frustrated thought I had...I remember that I am a mom now and I have a daughter who loves me almost as much as I love her.

Ethan...oh Mr. Bear. It wasn't long ago, that Ethan sat in the stands and watched his brother and sister get into all kinds of fun, without him, because he couldn't crawl yet. But like always, he was just waiting till HE was ready. And by god, he's ready. He is a crawling rockstar now! The neat thing is how much his demeanor changed once he was able to join the fun. He still blows raspberries and does all kinds of funny things with his mouth. LOVE it!! He loves trucks and cars (and pretty much everything with wheels.) I hate to admit it, but he also loves my jewelry. I think he's just learning early so that he will know what to buy for his wife later in life! Bath time is pretty much equivalent to that part of the Shamu show where Shamu swims by and gets everyone in the audience wet! Yep. That's Ethan. Which stands to reason...he's also the one who would play outside at the water table all day if I let him! He also high fives and is the only one of the 3 who does not like blueberries or cantaloupe. He loves Avocado though! The kid is a magnet for accidents...he's recently healed from his second black eye, which he got from a run in with my mom's coffee table. (Though he'd learned to stand up finally, he still had not mastered getting back down. He more or less just let's go of whatever he's holding and sits back and hopes for the best. Well in this case, when he let go of the coffee table and sat back, he also leaned forward enough that his cheek met the corner of the coffee table with quite a bit of force. POOR BABY! So all in the same week, he had a bruised right cheek with spread up to the corner of his eye, and on the other cheek he had his sister's TEETH MARKS! Yep! Crazy Hunter is in a biting phase...and Ethan was her victim. No worries though, I've seen him biting too now. Apparently trying to get her back...And I've got to hand it to Ethan...that boy still gives the best hugs...
Colton. Oh Colton. Lately, I just get giddy when he smiles and laughs because memories of what happened just a few weeks ago still burn fresh in my memory. So nowadays smiles are just wonderful. He's still healing from his palate surgery, but is doing well! He went three weeks on a soft food diet...BORING...but is now back to normal foods. Though he is healing well, I'm still very paranoid about things in his mouth so I still watch him pretty darn carefully. He is full of tricks. Loves peekaboo still. (They all do). The Bunchkin High Five started with him and has now spread to all of them. He also winks. Or double winks I should say. And it's not just because I'm his mother, it is THE CUTEST THING EVER when he winks!! The thing too is that he is now aware of the reaction he gets which just eggs him on even further. He'll wink over and over and over...so funny! He waves bye bye and even hello! He also loves cars and balls. Loves most foods, which is great! He doesn't care for cantaloupe either but eats pretty much everything else. He's got 4 adorable teeth - 2 upper and 2 lower. He's a smart cookie that Colton! Theoretically, he could probably drink from the same bottle his brother and sister use, but he refuses it in favor of HIS bottle which he knows he gets one-on-one time with! Can't say that I blame him really. Colton is a problem solver. He will stay with a toy that has pieces to manipulate (like his stacking cups and stacking boxes) until he gets them just right. Colton crawls muy rapido and sometimes shakes his head from side to side while he's crawling which is nothing short of hysterical. I love that little boy...
So anyway, that's a recap of current baby-ness...Below are just some pictures I like...This is Colton learning to blow raspberries like Ethan does! FISH FACE!!

Lovin on my daddy!

Now, I wouldn't normally put a picture of my backside on my blog, but come one! This picture is so cute to me! I love that they are so independent and aware and curious nowadays. They stood there and watched the tub fill with water! What cuties! left to right is Hunter, Ethan, My Butt, Colton.

Hello little Quail! I like your hair! (In case you're wondering, it's potato salad that she is using as her hair gelling agent! )And yes, she has the WORST hair ever! Look at all those cowlicks! Any advice on dealing with that?

Opening and closing, opening and closing, opening and closing the cupboards!

Getting into Grammy Debi's drawer!

Oh how I love these three!