Hunter Family Reunion '07
Well, we just returned from Southern Illinois to visit with Daryl's side of the family. We had a great time. There were 18 of us total. With 10 grandchildren in the family, Nathan and Jacob have a lot of other kids to play with. We stayed in a cabin with Daryl's parents. It was a nice place and they had a lot of farm animals to look at. We got to eat, swim, play snakes, go to church, see my nephew get baptised, have a bonfire, visit, and eat some more. Jacob went swimming for the first time and we found out he is a fish! We are going to try to do this each year around the 4th of July. Here are some pictures...

Wiiiiiiiii

Our new Wii just arrived and we are enjoying it. There is bowling, pool, golf and many other games. Daryl is much better than me on the games, but it is still fun. It is fun to play with friends and actually requires you to move around unlike most video game systems. It is pretty cool so far.

Quick YMCA Update
I got my TB test done and my background check came back so I am good to go. On Monday I go in to fill out some paperwork and then I start officially next Wednesday.

Jacob Update
Today I took Jacob in for his 7 month weight check. He is doing well and gained 3 ounces since he was 6 months. That's not very much, so the doctor asked me to add a few feedings to his schedule to make sure he is getting what he needs.

Another exciting event in his life is the emergence of a tooth. It is his front bottom left tooth. That should explain the massive drools!

YMCA
I finally heard back from the Y and they offered me the position from 8-10 each day in the 4-5 year old room. I went yesterday to get the first part of my TB test and go back tomorrow for the follow-up. When that gets done and my background check comes back, I can start. I think it will be neat and low stress.

Caffeine Free!

For any of you all that know Daryl, you know that he is a Diet Coke addict. Well, you will be amazed to know that he has now been off caffeine "cold turkey" since last Friday evening! Can you believe it? He had his share of withdrawal symptoms (headaches, tiredness), but he is doing very well with it. I am pretty proud of him for this. We figured it up and he averaged about 3 liters of Diet Coke with caffeine a day before! Here is a link to an article from John Hopkins Medicine about the effects of caffeine withdrawal... pretty interesting.

Nathan to English Dictionary

bobby --> mommy
dookah --> diaper
boap --> boat
hoo hoo --> train
dy dy --> bye bye
dahdoo --> doggie
boo --> cow

Makes perfect sense, right?

To Daryl's parents...

Job for Me?
There is a possibility for me to get a part-time job at the YMCA. (Cue the Village People now.) It is a position in the childwatch area which is their daycare part. It is in the 4/5 year old room and would be 8-10 each morning. Nathan and Jacob could come with me and they would go in the childcare area for kids of parents working out. I think it might be a good chance to get out of the house, give the kids some playtime and earn a few extra bucks. I would also get a membership. I am supposed to hear back from the director at the end of this week or start of next week. I'll keep you informed.

Cincinnati Visit
This past Saturday we went to Cincinnati to visit our friend Jamie. While there we went to the Children's Museum, toured where Daryl used to live, toured Jamie's church, saw her apartment and her future rent house. We had a good time, but it was a long day. Here are some pictures...







Diplomas
Daryl got his Southwestern diploma a few days ago. We got it framed and ready to hang in his office next to his Purdue one. Here is what those look like...

Lawn Work
We (mostly Daryl, to be honest) have been doing a lot of work outside at the house. The former owner was into gardening and such, but it was all overgrown and junglesque. We have removed 3 trees, lots of shrubs, pruned back other shrubs, and lots of other work. We put in a garden that includes zucchini, cucumber, yellow squash, green peppers, 8 regular tomato plants, one cherry tomato plant, and a Roma tomato plant. We should be well stocked in tomatoes! Already here was a grapevine, a plum tree and some blackberry bushes. I already harvested the whopping 15 strawberries we got from them. Ha!

Jacob's 6 Month Check-up
We went this morning for Jacob's 6 month well child check. Things looked good, but he didn't gain as much weight as they would like. He had only gained 6 ounces in the last 2 months. So, we have to go back in in a month to get that checked out. We are going to start doing solids more regularly now since he is 6 months, so that should help a lot. They also suggested I drink more water and take Fenugreek for a couple days. That is an herb used to increase milk supply. So here are his stats...

Height - 26.5"
Weight - 16 lbs, 7 oz

Nathan went for his 6 month check-up a week late, but here were his stats then...

Height - 27"
Weight - 18 lbs, 1 oz

Sleeping Arrangements
A week ago we decided to take the plunge and have the boys sleep in the same room. Well, it has worked out great and they are roomies now. Nathan likes to make noise before he falls asleep and it doesn't seem to bother Jacob, thankfully.

Graduation
Daryl's party went well this past weekend. We surprised him really well with a new TV. It is a flat panel and is really nice. Hey, I also get the benefit of it! We also got him his tassel and hood to have as a memento. He should receive his diploma in a few weeks.


Company Picnic
Today we went up to Huber Farm in Starlight, Indiana, for my dad's company picnic. Nathan got to ride a horse, go down a really long slide, jump in a bounce house, eat, shoot some corn cobs from a canon, launch some balls from a slingshot into a lake, take a hayride, feed some goats, and a few other things. We had a good time!

Half Birthday
Today is Jacob's half birthday! We got a picture of him like we had of Nathan. Here are those two next to each other. I have also posted some new pictures in our online gallery. You can see those by clicking on the link above and to the right.

It is finished!

This week I will be an official graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, or SWBTS as they call it.

I started Seminary in August of 2002, so this has been a process consisting of:
* 67 graduate hours of studies
* 500+ pages of written term papers/homework
* Countless hours reading material which frankly, at times, is boring
* 5 school years
* 3 states - Texas (twice), Oklahoma, Kentucky
* 2 apartments
* 3 houses
* 2 children
* and 1 wife :)

I turned in my last paper on Monday. I had my last debrief conversation with my professor on Tuesday. The graduation (we will not attend) is on Friday. And they should send my diploma to me in the next couple weeks.

I completed the MACE - Master of Arts in Christian Education program which is roughly 1/3 theology and 2/3 educational fundamentals, foundation, and administration.

What next in the world of education for me? Nothing to speak of. I'm confident that I'm in a good place in life. I enjoy being a "Jesus Geek" and am serving at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. I am currently serving as a Technical Services Manager where I lead a team of 5 other IT Professionals (Desktop Support/Help Desk and Network Administrators). It's a fun place and fits my gifts and talents well. I've always heard "if at first you don't succeed, go back for another degree..." but I think I'm done.... for now! ha!

Anyway, I don't think I've ever posted on the Hunterfam blog, so I thought I'd give it ago and share some happy news from the Hunter Family.

Much Love, --DW & Family

Happy Derby Day!
It isn't the best weather today for the 133rd Derby... pretty rainy and dreary. I went last night to Kroger and saw them making the garland of roses. It is really pretty. Some interesting facts...

• it is made up of 554 roses
• the garland tradition started in 1932, before that it was a horseshoe-shaped arrangement
  
• it takes about 8 hours to complete

Here is a picture I took from last night...

Nathan Update
Nathan is getting more and more words each day. It is really neat to see and hear. A lot of the words only we can recognize at this point, but they are coming. Here is a video of a few of them...




Another exciting milestone for today is that he went poo poo in the potty! Well, I heard him grunting so I ran him over to the potty and he went in it. I'm not sure how much he understands of it all, but it is a start!

Balloon Chasing
This past Saturday was The Great Balloon Race which is part of the Derby Festival. We got up really early and drove to where we could see them pass overhead. It was really neat and Nathan liked seeing them. We left a little late and only saw a few of the balloons though.

Jacob Update
Jacob is doing well. He is very smiley and content most of the time. We got him on a pretty good routine now. He wakes up around 7ish and then goes to be around 8. Nathan and Jacob both nap at 1, so it is nice to have some quiet time! A few nights ago he rolled from his back to his belly, but he has yet to do it since then. Here are some recent pictures of him...

Boo Boo!
I'm a boy, 'nuff said!

Louisville Zoo
We went to visit the zoo this past weekend and had a good time. It was a really nice day, we all got a little pink from the sun. There is a new baby elephant there that was so cute. Here is a picture...


Jacob is 5 Months
A few days ago Jacob rolled from his belly to his back for the first time. I think it was an accident though because he hasn't done it since. For Jacob's 5 month birthday I gave him some bananas to try. He liked them a lot and he did a good job at eating. I'll probably wait a little while longer though to introduce solids for good. Here is a picture of our little monkey...


Nathan's Such a Big Boy!
We decided it was time to put Nathan in the big boy bed. He got a bed rail for his birthday and slept in it for the first time last Friday night. We set up a web camera in there so we can watch him in case he does something he shouldn't. He does really well now. Here is a picture of him tonight before bedtime...

Nathan is 2!!!
Well, it has been a while since I have written. Sorry about that! Nathan had a doctor's appointment today for his 2 year old well child check up. He weighed 35.5 pounds and was 35 inches tall. He didn't get any shots but did get a finger prick for a few tests. He did really well with that. He goes back next when he is 3 and doesn't need shots again until he is 4!

Nathan had his birthday party this past Saturday. There were so many grandmas and grandpas there he didn't know what to think! Since he is so into trains right now, that was the theme of the cake:


You can see more images here. For Nathan's birthday I took the kids to get portraits made. They turned out pretty cute. You can view the whole collection here.

Speaking of images, I have changed the way that I am putting our photos up online now. Hopefully it will be easier to navigate and for me to upload to. The full album is online at http://www.hunterfam.net/gallery.

Maryland!

This past weekend we had the chance to go to Maryland and visit our good friends that we met while Daryl was in Seminary in Texas. We had a great time! We had not had a chance to hang out with them for over a year and a half. We really miss them. So, we decided to go before our frequent flier ticket expired and Nathan turned 2 (we have to buy him a ticket then). Both boys did well on the flights. The planes were not full so we were able to have some extra seats to spread out.

Our friends have twin 10.5 year old girls and twin almost 2 year old boy and girl. They were born one day before Nathan. The little ones had a great time together except for the normal 2 year old moments, of course. Here is a collage of pictures from the weekend...

4 Months Old!

Jacob had his 4 month well child check up today. He is doing well. He weighs 16 pounds, 2 ounces and is 25.25 inches long. Nathan at the same age was 1 ounce heavier and .25 inches taller. So, looks like right now they are even. At 2 months Jacob was one pound heavier than Nathan was at the same time, so it looks like Jacob's growth is slowing down a little bit. He got 3 shots and an oral vaccine as well. Here is a picture of his poor, chubby legs...

Weather!
Well, the weather has been great for the past few days and Nathan has enjoyed being able to get outside and run around and play on his slide. Apparently something else he missed doing was eating sticks...

Today Nathan, Jacob and I all went out to run a few errands. After we were done at Target, it started to rain VERY hard. So you can picture me pushing the cart with Nathan in the front, Jacob in his carseat in the basket and all of us getting soaked. It was not very fun at all. Nathan thought it was funny though.

Here is a picture of my mom from this past week with her three grandsons...

Jacob is getting a lot stronger now. Here is a picture of him practicing sitting up.

Moved In!
Well, we are in and getting used to our new place. There are still a few boxes left to unpack, but we are mostly there. Today I ordered new window treatments for the house. JCPenney is having a good sale online if you need any. There is a free shipping code out there as well. Let me know if you need it.

Jacob is doing well. He slept last night from 7:30 to 7:30! We'll see how tonight goes. Nathan is really babbly. I think he is going to start talking any day now. I have learned his favorite show is Wheel of Fortune. He loves to hear and see the letters.

Here are a few pictures from the last few days...

Jacob's Appointment
I just got back from Jacob's urologist appointment. All went well and we got him fixed up. He is sleeping now. He didn't cry too much and only bled a little bit. I am glad we have that taken care of. If you aren't sure what I am talking about, check out this past posting.

House Painting
We are coming along on the painting. Most all of the house has at least a coat of new paint, most of the room have two. It is looking good and will be nice to have most of the painting done before we move in. Thanks to my mom and step-dad for all of their hard work!

Daryl Update
Daryl returns this evening. He has been gone since Monday to Dallas. He was visiting Fellowship Church in Grapevine. They developed a software program that Daryl uses at Southeast so he went there to get a better handle of the product.

House
Well, we closed on our house this past Friday. There was some paperwork that didn't make it in time, but we still got possession. My mom, step-dad, and Daryl spent the whole weekend painting. They painted all of the ceilings, all of the trim, and the living room, kitchen, dining room, utility room and living room. Those rooms were all a tan color. It looks really good. We have the paint for the other rooms as well and we will try and get as much of that done as we can before we move in on Saturday. Thankfully it is supposed to be warmer. Hopefully the rain will hold off for us. It will be nice to get all of our stuff back and be in our own place again.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Comparison

Here is a similar photo of Nathan and Jacob at similar ages. What do you think? Are they starting to look alike or not? They both got the cheeks, that's for sure!

Ice Fishing

Today Daryl and dad went ice fishing. Nathan tagged along for a while and ran around on the lake. Here are a few pictures of that...

Videos

The other day Jacob played cars with Nathan here is a video of that. Nathan has found his favorite hiding place here at the hotel. Here it is. I was looking at some older videos of Nathan the other day that are of him at the same age as Jacob is now. I found one that reminds me a lot of Jacob now. Check it out.

Here is another random shot of the boys the other day. Nathan decided to climb up in the chair with Jacob. It looks like Jacob is enjoying this more than Nathan.

Great News!
My dad went in this week to get an update about his cancer and to find out the results of his chemo treatment. The good news is that the treatment was successful and he is in remission! The treatment for the future will probably be for him to go in every 3 months or so and have some chemo to prolong the remission. Thank you so much for all those that have been praying for him. I appreciate it and I know he does as well.

Photography Fun
I have been playing around with my digital camera and Photoshop trying to learn some new tricks. Here is a photo I came up with this morning. It's an early attempt, but I think it still looks pretty neat. I had to use Jacob as a model since he is less squirmy than Nathan!

Friend Reunion
This past weekend we were able to hang out with some college friends. They were two bridesmaids from my wedding and their families. We all are married and have sons now. Nathan was the oldest boy and Jacob was the youngest with their two in the middle. We hadn't seen them in about 4 years. Although we didn't get a picture of all the kiddos and hubbies, here is a picture of the gals...

Jacob's Appointment
Well, I took Jacob in for his 2 month appointment today. He is doing well. He was 23 inches tall and 13 pounds, 13 ounces! That is a pound more than Nathan weighed at the same time. He is a turkey! His height is 50% and weight is 90%. I guess Daryl and I just make some big babies. We were big as babies/toddlers as well so they come by it naturally.

Here is more information than you probably want to know, but Jacob was referred to a pediatric urologist because when he was circumcised, there was a little bit of skin left on. It is a cosmetic deal, but they will probably go ahead and remove that now before he can remember.

Jacob got 3 shots today and an oral vaccine. He obviously didn't like that, but he did really well with it and now he is sleeping it off.

We have a house!
We put an offer on that house we liked and they made a counteroffer. They came back too high for us so we said we were no longer interested. The agent for the seller then came back and told us to make some sort of offer, so we did. The seller then came back with a good offer for us and we accepted. We were able to get the house for about 7% below asking price, so we were happy with that.

Here are some outside pictures of the place:

Here are some inside pictures:

The house has really pretty hardwood floors throughout, so we will have to get some rugs for sure. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths with 1210 square feet. As you can see, there is a one car detached garage with a carport, an outbuilding and even a greenhouse. I guess I will have to break out my horticulture degree now! There are raspberry bushes, thornless blackberry bushes, a plum tree and a grape vine. That should be interesting. There is also an outdoor brick BBQ at the end of the carport.

We have still been looking at houses. I have probably seen about 20 or so total! There is one that we like the most. It is a 3 bedroom/2 full bathroom ranch. There is one wall in the kitchen that we would take out half of and it would have a nice, open feel. There are some updates we would like to do over time. We will probably make an offer in the next week. I'll let you know how that goes.

We are getting used to the area and learning our way around. Today we went to the science museum and let Nathan play. He had a good time. We have gotten together a couple times with some friends we have in the area and will do so next weekend as well. We have been to the new church three times so far. It is really large, so that makes traffic after service a little crazy.

That's about all for now. Have a good week!

Things are still going well for us here in KY. I have looked at several houses so far with a few more coming in the morning. There is one we are interested in, but it is definitely a fixer-upper. We'll call it retro style.

Here are a few pictures from Christmas.



For Christmas, we got Nathan an Elmo TMX. Let's just say Elmo won round one. Here is a video of their first encounter.

Here is an older video of Jacob.