Right Now

I took a moment to look around, and this is what I saw . . .

Robbie shooting baskets.

Cole sitting on a potty seat trying to go poop.

Alexa doing some dance routine (she has no dance experience) with Rachel right next to her trying to keep up.

It made me smile.

Carly Grace Update

Carly is back in the hosptital. Click here as: She has another long surgery scheduled for next Friday. Maybe up to 15 hours. Please keep her in your prayers as she and her parents continue to need to be lifted up.

Dog Troubles!

I am sure some of you knew this was coming. All along you probably thought we were crazy to get a dog with everything else we have going on. I bragged and said what a good dog Birdie is, and you thought to yourself, "Just wait! The honeymoon will soon be over!" Well, you may have been right, because EVERYONE (everyone under four feet tall, that is) wants to feed the dog! There is crying at each of Birdie's meal times because -unfortunately, it seems- it does NOT take four people to feed the dog. We had a good routine going of Robbie feeding her in the morning; Alexa feeding her in the evening. Well, this weekend while Robbie was sleeping in, I let Cole feed her because she was hungry. Rachel was interested in having a turn, so Alexa gave up her turn that evening so Rachel could do it. Well since then, Cole and Rachel seem to think that they are getting denied their rightful duty at each meal time and get a little bit upset! I guess Rob and I are going to have to sit down and do some meal planning so we can get through this rough time or else enroll the two smallest feeders in an anger management course. The bigger feeders have actually been very good with letting them do it, or at least help do it, but it does seem to be an issue at every meal time.

Power of Love

Amazing what showing compassion can do for people. Love is a powerful tool........

Some days.....

I just do not enjoy my job and today is one of them. I know many people deal with this as well, but when I put in as many hours as I do, some days I get tired of being a phone call away from having to go in or back to work. Twice this week I have had after hours calls that have sent me back to work to care for someone and today is one of them. It is a beautiful day here and I should be at home playing with the kids. Instead I am at the ER waiting on diagnostics to be completed for someone. It becomes quite painful to wait on but somewhere along the way this became my profession of choice in the setting I chose. As a result I am the guy that gathers all the information and passes it on the the families, coaches, and friends as they go on with their lives. Rarely is there a thank you. Ocassionally there is and it is often way after the fact and I am so bitter at that point that it doesn't register. I write to you now in the ER missing yet another meal with the family.

Happy Birthday Krista!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Krista!!!

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Carly Grace Nelson

The best man in my wedding has a one year old girl who is absolutely amazing. She has had multiple brain surgeries and other procedures that have required anesthesia over the past five months and keeps on truckin' along. He has created a blog to keep family and friends updated and we have posted about her on here once asking for prayers. Well I continue to pray for her and Brad and Christa as they continue to manage Carly's brain tumor and I am asking for the few of you who read this to please pray them too. Brad and I grew up together and have known each other since we were five. If his daughter is anything like him, and she appears to be, she will be extremely determined and fight for everything she deserves. As a father, I can not imagine the stress that this has placed on them as parents. I think that I am tough, but know deep inside that if one of my kids had to fight as hard a Carly has, it would tear me up inside. Brad is an amazing man and I am sure he is dealing with it all as best he knows how and I pray that he continues to battle right with Carly and that this fight has a wonderful finish soon. Spread the word and pray for Carly, Brad and Christa!!!

You can read about cute Carly here: Carly Grace Nelson

Trouble at night?

Okay, so in part three of my last post where I was relaying the switch from cribs to toddler beds, I mentioned that it has taken the kiddos a bit longer to fall asleep at night but they weren't having trouble through the night. Well . . . I have actually gone in the room a few times since reporting that (like when I check on them before I go to bed at night) and have found one or the other of them on the floor! Each of them has fallen out at least two times, but it never seems to wake them up, they just keep on sleeping! I guess that is good, but I feel bad that they are falling. They do both move around a lot in their sleep, and I guess they really were used to the crib bars holding them in. I guess if the fall out doesn't wake them up, there isn't much to worry about. The beds are only a foot off the floor, and there isn't anything dangerous around them- as long as they don't fall out on one another in the small space between the beds; that probably would wake them up!

New Additions = BIG changes- The Full Scoop!

Addition #1
After reading many reviews and much deliberation and good negotiations using ebay, the Hunt family now owns a large, flat screen television. I do not recall the specifics "specs" of the tv, but I know that it is significantly larger than our old, not flat screen one. It looks nice, and we have enjoyed the HD experience as well as the DVR capabilities that allow the kids to watch their favorite/mom-approved show that they often miss because they are either still resting or we are in the van doing an afterschool pick-up.



Addition #2
Birdie has come to join the family! She arrived on Sunday and has already been such a blessing to us. I had several criteria for a dog -admittedly, I was being kind of picky- and she actually fits all of them! It is amazing. She enjoys running (she is FAST) and playing outside, but she loves being inside with us and is unbelievably calm. She makes me realize that Jersey was even more high maintenance than I ever imagined! (God rest her soul.) The big kids enjoy her; Cole is doing great with her; Rachel is adjusting well too, but doesn't liked being greeted by her first thing when she comes out of her room in the morning. There will more news to come about Birdie, but the last thing I will say here is that Gretchen (cousin of a friend) who passed her along to us is amazingly selfless and a huge blessing to our family by sharing Birdie with us. She really would have like to keep her, but didn't feel it was fair to Birdie; so we have been saying prayers of thanks for her generosity and peace for her spirit as I know she misses Birdie dearly.


Addition #3
Toddler Beds! Rachel and Cole are no longer in cribs. We made the switch on Monday, and they have done amazingly well. I think it helps that they have been sleeping on the floor using their sleeping bags for rest time and being able to climb in/out of their cribs for almost a year. The novelty of "freedom" isn't quite the same for them as for a kid that has actually been (and stayed) in a crib for two years. At bedtime, Cole has gotten out of bed to on the light a few times when they first lay down, Rachel shouts at him, and then Rob goes in and lays down the law. It has only taken them an extra ten minutes or so to fall asleep each night, and they don't have any trouble during the night.

New Additions = BIG changes

So much info to send and so little time to send it . . . hopefully I will get the updates out tomorrow, especially now that I have you wondering!