Twelve Months, Five Trips, Four Goodbyes, Two Adventures, and One Hello

Without writing a novel, there is no way to capture the journey of 2015 after my Easter 2015 blog post. The title of this post fairly accurately sums up the events but by no means conveys the roller coaster of emotions I experienced throughout the year.

Twelve Months
It's been about that long since posting!

Five Trips
Since leaving the comfort zone of my parents' house in 1999, I have been lucky to be able see my family at least twice a year. Usually one trip to Albuquerque and then a visit (or two) from family to see me. Not too shabby for almost 1000 miles of separation. Last year, I set a record for five plane trips to the Land of Enchantment.

• February - had a crazy, pregnant five days home with my brother, David. I haven't seen him in years and it was wonderful to catch up. We spent some quality time with my grandparents, each other, and our parents. I think I managed to blog about that one.
• June - this was a solo trip with just Spencer. Turns out you get lots of attention in the airport when flying with a 3-week-old!
• July - all five of us got on the Southwest plane and flew south. Chadwick was able to stay for almost a week and got the opportunity to take Morgan and Mallorie to Mark's cabin in the Pecos. I stayed an extra week with all the kiddos to help my mom and Nana.
• December - a little break in the travel schedule, but the first of two trips for the month. Spencer was diagnosed with an ear infection two days prior to this plane trip and I was more than a little nervous for him to be flying. Not only do ear infections cause pain and wailing during take off and landing, the antibiotics tend to cause diarrhea, and I wasn't planning to pack his entire collection of onesies. He was a trooper and we didn't have any major explosions from the bum end. The second trip to ABQ for the month was again with the whole family for Christmas. We were lucky to see Sean, Beth, and their new baby Collin. It was crazy busy, as usual, especially since we flew down on Christmas Eve. What a year.

Four Goodbyes

The first of our goodbyes was to Grandma Dove, Chadwick's maternal grandmother. She had been sick and declining for many months and it was a blessing to see her pass from this world into the arms of her husband in the next world. She passed away on her 94th birthday. The funeral services were held the weekend that Chadwick was in Alaska vetting the Iditarod. My mom came up for a visit and to help me with the girls. Instead of playing, we attended a funeral and reception where Mom met more Fifes than she knew existed, watched Mallorie while I attended a baptism for Chadwick's niece Diana, and ate at a Hunt immediate family picnic in the park. She was such a good sport to support my little family during this time. 

Goodbye number two came as an unpleasant shock. On April 20, my sweet Bop-bop was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a grade 4 glioblastoma. The worst kind you can have. Inoperable. He didn't last long - he passed quickly about 2 months later on June 7. I vividly remember both phone calls from my mom - one to say he was sick and the other to say he passed. I was so grateful to have spent that time with him in February. And hurting because I didn't have the chance to speak with him from the time he went into the hospital to his death. I still miss him terribly.

The third was Grandma Nana, Chadwick's paternal grandmother. Feisty and petite, I knew her better than Grandma Dove. She frequently accompanied the family to dinners, the cabin, and any event we could talk her into attending. It was harder toward the end to get her to accept any invitation. Chadwick called her religiously once a week and used to have lunch with her routinely while attending BSU. We said goodbye to her in November.

My fourth goodbye, like the second, was unexpected. My Nana left to join Bop-bop the week of Thanksgiving. They had been married for over 60 years - and with her passing, they never missed an anniversary together. It took me months to delete their number off my "favorites" list on the cell phone. The rest of their contact info was deleted with difficulty yesterday.

Two Adventures
Have you ever found a bug in your child's hair? Normally, said bugs are transient, passengers hitching a ride from a bush to wherever they fall off as said child is running around. However, when the bug number is greater than two and are setting up permanent residence in the brown and golden locks of your girls, the gross factor is immediately cranked up. Two words: head lice. Morgan brought them home, compliments of attending school, I guess, and quickly spread them to Mallorie. Compliments of shared brushes, head bands, hair ties, and proximity while watching a movie on the couch. Out comes the Nix, a nasty smelling shampoo which singes the nose hairs as soon as the bottle is opened. Out comes the fine tooth comb to go through wet hair with each washing. And on comes the washing machine....it took a couple of months to finally get rid of the little pests. I've never done so much laundry in my life! Just when I thought things were under control, I'd find another one darting between the strands of hair. We called the Nix the "stinky shampoo" and Mallorie, especially, detested the use of the stuff. Your scalp feels....chemicalized....after you're done.

Adventure two actually began in September of 2014 when we rented out the duplex to a couple who turned out to be less-than-stellar tenants. Missed rent, late rent, no rent, excuses, lies, and eventual eviction was the sob story for at least 10 months of our landlord story. The morning we arrived to clean and prepare for another tenant, we entered our cute little house to find the most amazing amount of filth I have ever beheld. We walked around the small place, mouths open, for a good 15 minutes, minds attempting to comprehend the landfill before our eyes. We spent the next month tossing, cleaning, washing, cleaning, scraping, painting, replacing carpet, and cleaning. In fact, several months after we were done, Mallorie came into the kitchen one afternoon and announced that she was heading to the duplex to paint. Shows just how much time the kids and I put into the place. We paid for my dad to fly up from Albuquerque to provide painting assistance and have since found amazing tenants who care for the home as well as we would ourselves. What a mess. The whole unit is up for sale now. =)

One Hello
Between the tears, work, and chaos of life came our sweet little boy, Spencer. Arriving one week after his due date, he has filled our lives with activity, gigantic smiles and a contagious belly laugh. 

Easter and Conference

This spring, general conference weekend coincided with Easter. Although I wasn't initially convinced this was a beautiful combination - part of me still misses the Easter lillies, stained glass windows, and special musical numbers of the Methodist church I attended twice yearly growing up - it turned out to be a lovely, family filled weekend.

I am all about traditions. As my mother would attest, my brother David and I were sticklers while growing up that things be done the same way every year for specific holidays or events. I still feel that way to a degree and find comfort in the routine that tradition brings to the home. Conference is one of those weekends for which I desire to create tradition - bringing out the gigantic umbrella so we can feel like the people of King Benjamin, listening to the prophets from our tents. Something I've termed "pjs, prophets, and pancakes" one morning. For Chadwick, he grew up drinking root beer floats after the priesthood session of conference. I have yet to come up with an activity to do while he is at that session with my girls...this too shall come to fruition!

Chadwick had the weekend off work and we decided to train and do some potty training with Mallorie since we were going to be home all day and could keep a closer eye on her. Many, many pairs of pants and that number of undies later....she is still not potty trained. However, she did get good at running into the room hollering, "I need to go potty!" as her pants became soaking wet. I have not attempted undies since that time and have decided that two children in diapers simultaneously, while expensive, is not the end of the world. She will potty train in her own time, apparently. =)

Easter Sunday brought more sessions of conference, a delightful dinner at the Austin's home, and a bunny cake. We had enough food for an army and hid eggs for the littles to find. We had different egg hunts - one for the smallest kiddos and one for the bigger kids. The weather was perfect and we had  good time.

Overall, a good weekend!

April Showers

Hopefully, it will rain some more in April to allow the showers to bring forth May flowers. Our daffodils and tulips are in full bloom - I love spring in our yard! The apricot and cherry trees have lovely white blooms, the grass is green, and the smell of burning brush fills the air as people clear out ditches and yard brush in preparation for the upcoming planting season. At the Hunt house, April showers will bring forth baby clothes and goodies as we prepare to welcome our son into the family in May. My sweet friends have offered to host a baby shower in honor of this little man - I have two of them coming up, in fact!

So far, Chadwick located the baby crib and mattress, but no screws with which to hold it all together. I have located one baby monitor and the plug-in, but not the second monitor. We have a non-expired carseat I purchased from a friend as well as the pack-and-play, the nursing pillow, and several boxes of different sized boys' clothing from friends. The goal this weekend is to get the office re-arranged so that the nursery can occupy the other half of the room. I am excited to start putting things together for the arrival of this child! And anxious that it start happening sooner rather than later....I am at the end of 33 weeks as of this posting.

Morgan has been singing songs to my belly and loves to feel the movement. Mallorie just had the epiphany that she is going to be a big sister and she loves the thought. The two girls are playing together like friends (or enemies) on a regular basis and throughout the day. I love how they are learning from each other! Potty training has not truly commenced nor been complete, Morgan has learned to climb the trees out back and spends time hanging out like a monkey, Mallorie figured out how to "gallop" while walking, and we got Morgan all registered for kindergarten. She will be a Chapparral Cougar starting in August! And she's stoked that she can be a Coug like her mom and dad. =) I'm so proud.

I haven't been super diligent in taking pictures these last few months, but here are a few of my favorite moments:

Indoor campfire

The lamb donating blood

New car! 2011 Honda Pilot...we love it

Other big news included Morgan turning five and Chadwick's adventures in Alaska with the Iditarod. Those will have to be later postings....

Oh, the Things They Say

I've been trying to keep track of the interesting things that the girls say and, unfortunately, I'm not keeping up very well! Morgan's power of observation is fantastic and as Mallorie's vocabulary has continued to expand she is continually saying something funny.

Before Christmas, Morgan was asking how Santa was going to get into the house since we don't have a fireplace anymore. I said that he may go through the window. "But, what about the screen?" was her response. Uh, I didn't have an answer to that and said maybe we could just leave the front door unlocked. What four-year-old thinks about having to move the screen before one could enter the house from outside through a window??

Mallorie loves to snuggle after she wakes up in the morning. She chatters about anything and nothing, and recently she has been calling herself (and Morgan and I) by the names of different princesses - Elsa, Anna, Belle, Ariel. One morning, she was talking about being a princess in her purple pjs. It was time to get up and I mentioned needing to change her royal bottom in an attempt to stick with the theme. "I not have a royal bottom!" she exclaimed. "I have a normal bottom."

I have a tendency to call Mallorie "turbo" at random times. She used to tell me that she wasn't turbo, she was Mallorie. One afternoon, I called Morgan "turbo." Mallorie, who was sitting at the kitchen table, piped up from the background and said, "No! I turbo!" I guess she doesn't mind...

When we leave Steve and Nancy's house, Steve and the girls go back and forth with funny good-byes. Examples include "see ya later, alligator," "after a while crocodile," and "pretty soon, baboon." Morgan and Steve have gotten quite quick at throwing those back and forth. Chadwick has jumped onto the bandwagon, especially at night while walking out of the bedroom. "Good day, mana-ray," is one of his contributions to the tirade. Mallorie has recently started to join the banter, though her favorite line is "Good night, robot!" Which is then followed by a series of giggles.

I was preparing to head to New Mexico for a weekend trip alone recently. While washing dishes, Morgan came up next to me and made the observation that it would be easier if I took one of the daughters on the plane at a time. "You could take me and leave Mallorie. Or you could take Mallorie and leave me with Dad." Yes, that is a good point. She had informed me several months ago that if we ever do go back to Albuquerque, we should fly as driving takes too long. Yes, yes it does....

The heel of my dress shoes are "handles."

I'm sure the list continues. I'll post more as they come out of the mouths of babes. =)

Future Obstetrician?

There has been more talk in our household of babies as my mid-section continues to expand and I find books at the library about expectant mommies and children. Not surprisingly, the girls have been playing more mom-and-baby and I wasn't surprised when Mallorie asked me to help her place her stuffed Rainbow Dash pony under her shirt. It made a nice little baby bump under her outfit.

What did surprise me, however, was peeking around the corner of the kitchen into the living room upon hearing Morgan say, "Okay, Mallorie, lay down on the couch." Mallorie had positioned herself on her back on the couch and Morgan was lost under her pink dress, emerging moments later with a newly delivered pony in hand. I had to get back to the stove to avoid burning dinner, but I overheard them talking about placing the new baby in a blanket and whispering in hushed voices to avoid waking her.

As far as I tell, neither of the girls have witnessed the birth of a baby in a book or television. To the logical mind, it must have made sense to have Mallorie on the couch to allow Morgan the opportunity to easily remove Rainbow Dash from under the shirt....still....where do they learn these things??

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Not only did we dream of a white Christmas, we lived in a white Christmas! Chadwick was fortunate to have the entire week off. The two Saturdays prior to the actual holiday, he took the girls one at a time on a daddy-daughter date (something they both look forward to each month) for lunch and some shopping for the other sister. Sunday was full of hymns and new holiday dresses for all the little girls. Monday and Tuesday we packed, wrapped, and planned for a much anticipated trip to the cabin for Christmas. We spent Tuesday night at Steve and Nancy's house with Nana, celebrating an early Christmas with tamales, guacamole, chips, enchiladas, and dessert. We left Christmas Eve morning and made it to Garden Valley just as the snow started to fall in giant, fluffy flakes. Chadwick chopped down a tree, and we spent the afternoon watching "Frozen" and creating decorations for our tree - popcorn cranberry strings and rabies tags. =) 

For the rest of the day, the snow fell, accumulating in about 7-inches the following morning. While at the cabin, we went sledding, watched movies, played games, and enjoyed some down time. Santa followed us north to deliver his goodies overnight where Morgan spread "reindeer food" on the snow to guide the reindeer. Christmas morning, the girls slept in a bit and came bounding into our room, full of excitement. Morgan wanted to know what Santa had brought, Mallorie was riding on her sister's enthusiasm and asking to play with the big box of toys we found at the cabin. Still in our pj's, we opened presents and then had breakfast. That night, the four adults played Monopoly into the wee hours...Nancy and I called it quits around 12:30 and counted up the money. I think I won, but we were all exhausted. We returned to Boise Friday, Chadwick worked Saturday, and we prepared for the arrival of my family on Sunday afternoon. 

 

Presents? Books, a family of hedgehogs and kitchen furniture for the new doll house, movies, My Little Ponies, stick horses, clothes, a wheat grinder, a new food processor, maternity clothes, an annual pass to the local aquarium...and odds and ends.

Sunday after Christmas brought a visit from my parents from Albuquerque and Sean with his wife, Beth, from Hillsboro, OR. One couple moved into the upstairs office, the younger couple took over the toy room. And for the rest of the week, there were books, games, and "play with me!" heard from the Huntlet girls. Chadwick had to work most of the week but we were able to see him in the evenings despite the fact that work was super crazy. Of the 6 adults, only Chadwick and I were awake to ring in the New Year...what party animals we are! Ha! The house felt quite empty when they loaded up to head back to their different states. And I think the girls were bored as well as no one was around to entertain them at their beck and call!

The Christmas decor is coming down slowly. Tomorrow brings Morgan's return to preschool and an end to the holiday rush, fun, and spirit. What a season we had, one of memories and laughter. 

November Fun

Time flies when you're having fun and staying busy!

Chadwick was lucky enough to have Wed-Mon off around Thanksgiving, and we made good use of the time. Nancy and Steve hosted Thanksgiving for us and James + Family - we spent the day at the Hunts eating, playing games, kids watching movies, and enjoying one another's company. In addition to the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (Nancy put raisons in hers...we gave her a good teasing for that), sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, salads, and rolls, Steve had caught a steelhead salmon earlier in the fishing year and grilled that up as well. We didn't leave hungry! And we had more dessert than we knew what to do with to round out the feast.

Naptime inevitably followed the eating...for at least two members of the family. =) Darwin was able to come join the festivities and he spent most of the time looking out a window for chickens or keeping a watchful eye under the table for stray crumbs.

Neither Chadwick nor I are much into the Black Friday craziness, so we stayed put the following day. Instead of fighting the crowds, Brother Barrus from the ward came to the house and spent the day in the backyard with my hubs, happily making a mess of the yard in order to dig a 3-foot trench to lay pipe for water supply. At the end of the day, we had a working faucet in the back of the yard for the future chickens and sheep. Plus electric line as well...a success! Too bad the gravel and grass were torn up; it leaves my kitchen floor less than sparkling clean now until we can repair the damage next summer.

At one point in November, we had a really COLD snap, blanketing the Treasure Valley in snow and warming us with highs in the teens. In addition to playing in the backyard - Mallorie cried and fussed the whole 45 minutes we were out - Chadwick and I got tickets to a Boise State Football game vs. San Diego State. For some reason, we decided to attend. And for another reason, the couple we invited agreed to the madness. We met for a quick dinner at Wendy's and made it to our seats in time for kickoff...and then proceeded to freeze. The temperature was hovering around 10 degrees, and Amie and I spent time in the heated bathroom during breaks between quarters, attempting to restore some feeling to our frozen toes. Amie and Devin bailed around halftime, partly due to the cold and partly due to the fact that it was already 10 pm and they needed to get home to relieve the babysitter. To this point, the game had been quite boring and not really worth watching, especially since we were losing!! Chadwick and I stuck it out through halftime (me back in the bathroom with several other women), drank some hot chocolate, and stayed to the beginning of the fourth quarter. We left as the Broncos defrosted and began a comeback which would ultimately win the game. I don't think I fully warmed up until about 2 am that night....

Santa-Dog

Ortons and Hunts

Saturday following Thanksgiving, Nancy and Steve hosted their 2nd Annual Christmas Workshop for the Boise grandchildren - my girls were dropped off in the morning for a pancake breakfast and spent the day decorating a pretzel cabin (rather than gingerbread), helping set up the house for Christmas, and watching the "Polar Express." The parents were invited for dinner that evening and we read through and acted out the Nativity as found in Luke. Morgan made an adorable Mary with Chadwick accompanying her as Joseph, I was a shepherd, Nancy played piano and Steve narrated. Jordynn and James filled in when possible. It's a fun tradition started last year and one the kids are going to remember and look forward to for years to come. I love that!