What's Going On.....

I can't say that anything too exciting is happening lately, I'm just updating for my own benefit (because I swear that one of these days I'll print my blog to make up for my less than dedicated journal writing). Truthfully, I'm not nearly as sarcastic in my journal, but that's okay.....something's better than nothing in all of the gaps, right?

Anyway, it's summertime!! So, we're having all kinds of fun around here with the great weather. As a matter of fact, my legs are generally what you would call, 'blinding,' due to the sun's reflective qualities, but I swear you could look at them now and not need corrective eye surgery. I wouldn't go as far as to say that they're tan, but hey, progress is progress. And I love being outside. It seems harder to do with three little ones and a nursing baby, but we manage enough.

We love going to the park. I'm not sure why we bother because it seems like the boys just end up digging in the dirt anyway (which they could totally do at home), but nonetheless, we go. I've decided that childrens' personalities shine through at the park. It's hilarious to watch. Tanner is fearless. He's all boy. He's on everything and does everything.....and usually head first. Hunter is cautious. He waits to see if Tanner gets injured before attempting anything. And then he does it the correct and proper way. It's so funny to watch how different they are. There's this one park we like to go to that has these digging toys with levers and what not. Kids will walk right up and take them from Hunter. He stands there confused and hesitant, looking to Mom for help. Tanner holds on for dear life. Nobody takes his toys. They're so completely opposite, but are starting to play well together.....sometimes.

A few weeks ago, I tried to get the boys to run through the sprinkler. They weren't having it. Even Tanner wasn't liking it. It was just too scary, I guess. Well, one day I was out cleaning our Durango and was putting my rubber floor mats in front of the sprinkler to hose them off. Apparently, that looked more interesting, so then they tried sticking their toys in the sprinkler (which just ended up getting them soaked). Well, that one incident quenched their fear because now, if they go outside and the water's on, they're soaked in minutes.....and in their clothes, of course. It's insane. They love it. So.....I do a lot of laundry. Anyway, Hunter's almost completely potty trained finally. We're just having one little hang up. He has perfect control. He even wakes up dry every morning. HOWEVER, he has something against going #2 in the toilet. He's horrified. If I catch him in time, we do okay, if I don't, let's just say that out come the rubber gloves and a subsequent horror of at least 20 minutes for me. Like I said, I do a lot of laundry. Anyhow, Tanner's starting to show some interest. He tells me right after he's gone though, not before, so we're working on it. He'll get it soon, I think.

The boys can get into trouble faster than anyone I've ever seen. The other day, Tanner dumped his glass of water right onto my couch (and right in front of my face) simply because he needed a puddle for his four wheeler to drive through. Are you kidding me!? He threw a book at Hunter's face last night, which barely missed his eye, and so now his cheek is all bruised. Hunter has a tendency to throw rocks.....at everything.....which should explain the bruise on the side of Tanner's head well enough. He also has developed a tendency to climb and jump off of furniture (which I'm positive will result in a broken leg to match his arm....I've tried telling him this, you know, like a scare tactic.....but the result is momentary at best).

Hunter's always been really far ahead verbally. The kid can practically speak and understand as well as a 50 year old. His grasp of the English language is shocking enough that we're occasionally stunned into laughter. Tanner was a little slower to start talking, so we figured he wouldn't be as verbal.....WRONG. He still doesn't speak as much as Hunter, but he has a huge grasp of grammar. He forms perfect sentences and even conjugates correctly. It's crazy. So, I never have to worry about how to fill the silence around here.

Haylee is still my little angel. I'm hoping that never changes. She is such a good-tempered little thing. There's not much that can perturb her. Tanner bit her finger once.....that produced quite the squeal. And Hunter actually hit her in the head with his belt.....not on purpose.....and she hollered about that too. She pretty much can't safely lay on the floor. She's also developed quite the bond with Hunter. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. He, of course, fawns over her anyway, but if she can't see him when she hears his voice, she yells. If I'm holding her and she hears him, she arches her back and flips her head upside down and moves all around trying to find that brother of hers. When she sees him, she gets the biggest grin on her face. If he laughs, she laughs. If he smiles, she smiles. She loves him and it's so cute. I'm sure she loves Tanner too, but let's face it, she's also scared to death of him. He doesn't mean to be scary. He's just a little intense and "less than soft." I can't say she's fond of laying of her tummy, but she can almost roll over, which I find impressive. If she could figure out how to get her arm out of the way, she'd be over. She also loves "standing up." She has to see everything that's going on or she's mad. (I hope this isn't a sign of a temper like mine. Maybe she's just opinionated. Ha ha). Anyway, she loves it outside. Not a fan of the sun in her face, of course, but she loves the fresh air and the wind and looking at things (especially at the park). We went for a walk the other day in Richland along the river and she was having a blast. She was "talking" away and grunted at me if I put my arm in her view or anything (she was in the carrier). Anyway, she's grown so much and is such a doll. We love having her in this family. I have her 4 month check-up next week and Tanner's 2 year, so I'll be able to update their sizes and all that.

Hunter took this picture of Haylee. He didn't wait for it to focus, but other than that, I thought he did a pretty good job!