Just Pictures

Sammy loves to flip around in his chair to watch tv.

We have "Wrestle Mania" at our house:)

My cute boys at the doctor's office.  They are growing really well and are getting so big!!! 

Just because he's so darn cute!

Drew fell asleep eating the side of the play mat.

Sadly this is our first family picture.  Better than nothing I guess!

We always laugh when Drew does this pose.  It's almost like he is saying "fine then, I don't want to play if we can't do it my way."

Mother

Being a wife and mom is a lot of work. That's also the reason it is such an honor and such a fulfilling role to have.  Spending the days at home with my boys and being the wife of such an amazing man is such a joy.  And although I am usually completely exhausted by the end of the day, I wouldn't want to have any other job.  It's the best and that's all there is to it!  I have done a lot of reflecting the past couple of weeks.  Thinking back to the time we spent at the NICU and wondering if we were ever going to be a real family...you know, a family that actually lives in the same house.  It crossed my mind several times that it was never going to happen.  I spent days and nights wondering if my babies were going to survive and if they did, would they live normal lives?  So many 'what ifs' racing through my mind.  It was even more difficult knowing that there was not a single person who could guarantee what the outcome would be.  It was a horrible feeling knowing that my sweet husband and the father of our boys was 1,000 miles away.  For SO many reasons.  And now, comparing what our lives were like then and now, words cannot describe how wonderful things are!  Do we have hard days when the boys don't nap and cry all day? Yup.  Do I have days when I feel like I'm a horrible mom and don't do enough for/with my boys? Yup.  But I think part of that comes with being a parent.  I'll probably feel like that for the rest of my life.  Wonder if I'm doing enough or being a good example for them.  But it is also an incentive to be a better wife, mother, daughter, friend and sister.

I want to be the kind of mom that my mom was to me.  A "Sandra Hunter 2.0", if you will:)  My mom ALWAYS took time for us. ALWAYS.  If something was important to us, it was important to her.  She was SUCH a good teacher.  And I'm not just referring to her job as a school teacher (although she was the best school teacher ever too), but at home.  She took the time to show us HOW to do something.  She didn't just do it for us which would have been much easier for her.  She taught us how to sew, cook, plant a garden and take care of it.  She taught us how to take care of a home, how to be a good spouse and friend.  I could go on and on.  Most importantly, she taught us what it means to be a true follower of Christ.  I am positive that there wasn't ever one one ounce of mean-ness (probably not a word, but just go with it) in her.  She was the most pure and Christ like person I have ever met.  I would say that even if she wasn't my mother.

I wish I could be more like her.  I hope to be more like her.  What an honor it is to be her daughter.  A special 'Thanks' goes out to my cute Grammie for raising such a wonderful woman to be my mother, my dad's wife, my children's grandmother (i.e. Grams) and mother in law to my husband.  I wish so badly she could be here with us.  My sister and I talk about that all the time.  We always had so much fun together!  And there is so much I want to ask her about raising kids and about a million other topics.  Thanks mom for being the best!

I can hardly believe it is almost June!!! WOW! That means my boys will be one in just a couple of months...YIKES!  I'm so not ready for them to be one! However, I am already planning a cake and a fun little party for them because secretly I am so excited to have my own kids to throw a party for:) We are so excited for the summer to be here and for Jacob to have some time off of school.  We have a list that is 10 miles long of things we want to do.  Sadly, one of those things we MUST do is move.  UGH.  I hate moving.  However, this time it is just down the street and is much cheaper..YAY!  So really, its a good thing.  I just don't want to pack up the house again.  Oh well....YAY for cheaper rent! (I'm trying to sound upbeat about it)

The boys are doing so well.  Sammy has learned how to roll over and can now reach for toys and put them in his mouth.  He slobbers like CRAZY on everything and has even slipped through Jacob's hands!  Sam didn't have anything on besides his diaper and had been slobbering all over his stomach. When Jacob went to pick him up, he just slid right through!  Sammy is our happy, bright blue eyed, photogenic goof ball.  We love him so much and love all of the goofy things he does.  He makes us laugh!  He is also starting to be able to sit up on his own for about 30 seconds!  Go Sammy!

Drew has also turned into a little bit of a goof.  But I guess that is because he has some good examples around here:)  He smiles SO much more than he used to.  He loves to sing songs (hum really loudly) all the time, slobbers like his older and much bigger brother, and is still learning how to reach for things.   They are both so much fun to play with and I truly feel so blessed to be able to spend all day with them.

Thanks for being our boys Sammy and Drew!  We love you so much!

                                               

8 Months

 I know I say this every month, but I can hardly believe my babies are 8 months old.  All I am going to say is that I feel so very blessed to be their mother and they are such a joy to have in our home.  Thank you Drew and Sammy for being our little handsomes!!!!

Growing Growing Growing.....

I can hardly believe my boys have gone from this

 To this.....

  (Sammy)

 (Drew)

To this....

 (Sammy-Sunday April 15, 2012 approx. 17 pounds)

(Drew-Sunday April 15, 2012 approx. 14 pounds)

I love my miracle baby boys!

Us

Us.  What has been happening with us, you ask?  Well, Drew has learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back.  The problem is that he can't get from his back to his stomach and that frustrates him:)  We are working on it.  Sammy can ALMOST roll from his stomach to his back but not quite.  We are also working with them to sit up.  They both do pretty well-Drew seems to have just a bit more strength than Sammy.  But I think a lot of that is because Drew spends more time on his stomach.  Sam HATES tummy time, but I make him do it anyway:)  They are both growing like crazy!  Sam wears 9-12 month clothes and Drew 6-9 month.  Sam is one CHUNKY boy!  He is a total Hunter baby, which basically means he is big, round and has big bright blue eyes.  He looks like my brother Jason's kids.  It's crazy! We aren't sure who Drew looks like at this point. Although it looks like he has my mom's eyes.  One thing is for sure....they don't look anything alike! They are both SUCH chatter boxes.  I LOVE listening to them with their sweet little voices.  Sam is especially talkative and has recently found his tongue and LOVES to spit and blow bubbles.

Things are going well for us.  Jacob is doing well in school and we have been enjoying a little more family time since he has been able to come home earlier the past couple of weeks! I LOVE having him home earlier.  He is so helpful with the boys and honestly is the best dad.  I am one VERY lucky girl to have him!

Easter was nice.  The Easter Bunny came and brought us each some goodies and a nice gift.  I made a yummy Easter meal and it was a gorgeous day outside.  I am making an effort to make each holiday special.  I have really been wanting to establish our own traditions as a family.  I am excited to have our own Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions!  I have a few things in mind and am excited to do them this year.  It was nice for Easter to have a special meal and focus the day on our Savior, Jesus Christ. Not much news to report, so I'll let you enjoy some recent photos.

Lately

Lately, we have been up to.....

Hanging out on the couch on a Sunday afternoon

Lots of smiles at breakfast

Looking incredibly handsome (this is Drew's "Magnum" pose.  Anyone who has seen Zoolander knows what I'm talking about)

Finding out that Sammy no longer fits in 3 month clothes the hard way.....

So we got him a couple of new outfits

And new pajamas

Celebrating 28th and 30th birthdays with mom and dad

Taking beautiful afternoon drives to catch some gorgeous views of the City

 
Learning to sit up in the Bumbo

And LOTS of snuggle time with mama:)

Good times:)

(sorry about the spacing. I cant seem to fix it!)

Almost Seven.....

Months, that is.  I can't believe it has been almost seven months since I delivered the boys.  Time, in the beginning, was going so slowly. We knew we were in for a lengthy stay in the NICU, and now that we are through that, time can't seem to slow down.  Jacob made an interesting comment a few days ago.  We were talking about time and he said "I hate it when people tell me to 'make time' for something. Time is the one thing we actually can't make."  I pondered that statement and couldn't agree more.  We all wish we had more time.  More time to do this or that, or wish that time would speed up or slow down.  All I know is that I want to hold these boys, love them, kiss on them and squeeze their chubbiness as much as possible while I can.  All though they are small for their age, they won't be small for long.  I don't ever want to feel like I 'should have' held them more, or 'should have' spent more time with them.  These sweet boys are absolutely perfect little boys.  So sweet, so pure and so close to Heaven.  Several times throughout the day I will catch Sammy looking off into the corner at what appears to be nothing, and he just smiles.....I like to think that he is smiling at my mom as she gives him sweet angel kisses:)

There have been so many changes with these two since my last post!  First of all, I am the proud mother of one 15 pound baby boy and one 12 pound baby boy.  I'll let you be the judge of which one is 15 and which one is 12 when you see the pictures below.  Also, they are eating solids!  My favorite new thing is to make them yummy organic baby food.  It feels so good to know that they are getting fresh fruits and veggies!  Besides, have you seen the price of organic baby food?!  It's about $50 per jar!  Okay, not $50 per jar, but you catch my drift.  Right?  All I am saying, is that if you want me to pay that kind of money for a jar of baby food that my 15 pound child is going to inhale in one bite, it better have gold in it. Seriously, who can afford that?! Now that I am done venting, I'll get back to my babes:)

They are SUCH good eaters! They have loved everything I've fed them.  So far they have had sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, butternut squash, pears, pears and bananas, bananas and strawberries and apples. It's so entertaining to watch them eat and to be the one feeding them.  As I am taking the spoon out of their mouth, they start to scream and yell at me because they want more.  We have a couple of bottomless pits!  Bad for the wallet, good for their bodies:)  

Both boys smile like crazy, and are constantly talking to me.  And I LOVE it.  What is it about the sweet little voices and coos of babies that just melts your heart? Maybe because it is so pure and innocent....

Sammy cracks me up.  All I have to do is look at him and he breaks out in a giant smile.  It makes my day! He will do it over and over and over.  This week,  Jacob has been on spring break.  We have been able lie in bed in the mornings and listen to both of them chat back and forth.  Then we go into their room and put them both in Sammy's crib and turn the mobile on.  They are both completely consumed with that thing when it is on!  And by the look on Drew's face, Im pretty sure he has taken that thing apart a thousand times in his mind and figured out how it works. No joke, that kid studies things.  In fact, he looks so deep into things, that when he stares at Jacob while he is holding him, Jacob always says something like "dude, are you peering into my soul?  Do you need a flashlight?"  I think it's funny, maybe you don't. 

Although we don't take the boys into any stores yet, we have been going on a few outings and have several planned over the next couple of months.  So far we have been into the city (downtown SF) to meet Jacob's friends.  It was a BLAST!  We loved showing our boys off!  They were quite a hit with everyone.  Today we went on a picnic down by the ocean and had a great time.  It was so nice for me to get out of the house! I am really looking forward to being able to take the boys to stores.  Target and Costco have been missing my frequent visits, and can't wait to meet my two cute boys:)

I have a lot more to post, but it will have to wait for another time.  So just enjoy a few pictures instead.  Until next time, my friends!