Happy Birth Day Hunter
Hunter Stanley Harrington
4-26-01

It is hard to believe that he is now 7 years old! I can still remember him as a baby needing so much and now he seems to need so little! I am lucky these days to get hugs and kisses are virtually unheard of. Each hug and kiss I do receive usually for no reason are to be treasured.
He is so independent now and since he is only 7 I am aware that it has only begun!
He has become quite the Transformer fanatic and decided all he wanted for his birthday was Transformers!
We started the day early wanting to catch all the sunshine we could so we went to check out Optimus and his new cage. He seemed to "dig" his new cage and dirt for he had already burrowed into it and made a home for himself. I am just amazed that both kids enjoy holding him and both are showing how they can hold him with out squeezing the poop out of him. I most amazed by Heather because I thought she would not hold him but she seems more amazed by him than Hunter even, which should be no surprise considering her love of animals!

This is Hunter with his turn at holding the little guy

Heath holding Optimus

Yes, she is kissing the snake!
Heather holding Optimus

Maybe he could be a snake charmer?
After picking up the Transformer's cake and matching decorations we headed to Chuckie's for cake, pizza and games. Hunter had decided that was were he wanted his birthday party to be and we thought because Lincoln was bigger that their Chuckies would be larger with more games. In fact it was way smaller with fewer games with half of them broken. The kids really didn't care so that was all that really mattered. We ordered pizza and played the games that did work.

This is Hunter and Great Grandma Fransico. To the right is the evil Transformer's cake. (You will see why in a few pictures)Hunter right after cake.....
Hunter after the cake kicked in.

Heather after the cake kicked in...

Dillan after the cake.

The cake turned anything it touched blue. It stained clothing, faces, hands and tables. No one left this party without being covered in blue dye. A call will be placed to the store in regards to the amount of die they are using because now hands and faces are not the only things blue...
Oh well the kids love it even if it was a parents nightmare!

Grandma Fransico and Dillan's grandma Linda

Hunter: "Pizza, GET IN MY TUMMY!"
MMMmmmm.........

Yes, he is licking his present, it had frosting on it.
She is just gaurding the cake to make sure no one steals taste of the frosting
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HUNTER,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Dillan describing what he wrote on his card to Hunter and Hunter just wanting to open his present!
This is very serious business
Deep Desert Brawl
Oh yes a Barbie was given, he was not very happy about either because we built it up like it was a very special present. I wrapped it in several layers and when he finally did open it he threw it and yelled "GROSS". We had been teasing him that all he was getting for his birthday was Barbies so we had to give him one!

Tickets won!
Dillan being a HAMRiding the jet ski game
Putting the Transformers together...

This is Heath trying to transform the Deep Desert Brawl. He tried for ten then it was given to me to figure out. This thing came with detailed instructions and while I felt cool being the one who figured it out now I am kicking myself in the butt. Every time Hunter wants it put back in tank form guess who he asks?Pretty Heather posing for the camera! Wow she is smiling. She had a hard weekend due to it being Hunter's birthday and the attention he has gotten. Plus she has been getting moody now when she does not get her way. We have nicknamed her Moopy when she is moody because she walks like Eyore and sounds like him to!

Took them to the park to play ball but all they wanted to do was play TRANSFORMERS! Oh well at least they are not fighting!

Well that was the day. We headed home with Hunter scoring over 6 new Transformers and Transformer shirt and Pants and one new Barbie. My friends from work even brought him a bag full of candy!

Happy 7th Birthday

HUNTER!!

We are headed to the Birthday party here shortly I will take lots of pictures of the BIG boy!
I asked him if he was ready to get his driver's license and get a car and he told me he was not old enough. I was shocked, thought he would be all over that!
Heather is having a hard time keeping all the secrets, she has already let slip the cake and one present. I guess I should have not taken her shopping with me. Oh well he does not care!
Now I just need to figure how to get fingernail polish off my laptop without melting it?! Why is it that when she finally chooses to be girlie it is with bright red polish and on my laptop? Ah well it still works just fine it is just glittery!
As an update on the snake he is doing fine. Hunter has gotten a new cage for him along with food and special dirt. Optimus is now really happy in his cage.
Well off to the store to pick up a cake!

While the day dawned gray, it was looking to be a better day and as I peered out my window and looked at the heavy clouds it was warm and I felt better. The fever broke sometime last night and while I am still plagued with a rumbly stomach, I am thankful for how much better I do feel. I feel human again! Today was big hair/hat day at work so I started early this morning with a foot and a half bouffant. I went all out, using enough super hold hairspray to add a couple of miles to the hole in the Ozone layer! I also did the classic sixties make up, and while the look won me best hair style I am home now and trying to remove the almost solid mass from my head. DAMN it is near impossible! I do not know how the women of the sixties did this day after day. I know some used the hair piece but some did not. I know for the most part most girl's arsenal was hair spray but learned from several older ladies at work today that they, due to afford ability, used boiled sugar water the night before. One lady said once she used egg whites until her mother found out!
Anyways, enough about me!
Here is the picture of the kid's school I have been promising for the last couple of months! I am still very impressed with its beauty! I know the picture is not the best for detail, but I wanted to get the massiveness of the building and I did not get all the side wings! Imagine a school this size and NO parking lot!

This must have been taken by Heath as I do not remember taking it! It kind of caught me off guard! This is one of the little black squirrels that roam the neighborhood! It is a butt picture but still kind of neat! I would also like to mention at this point that we have also adopted another local species, or I should say the kids and Heath have adopted. We are now the proud owners of a snake. He is a Gardner snake and he has been named Optimus Prime (guess who). He is pretty mellow and hasn't bitten the kids yet and crawls over them. We will get some pictures of him maybe tomorrow! I am trying still to convince them to let him go!

Flash back: On our drive the other day we stopped at my old home town to take pictures. This is my old church!

This is my old school

the town's water tower, although I remember it being different when I was growing up.

Hunter being silly in the car!

Heather posing for the camera

Koda heading for another jump in the lake!

I am not sure if anyone can see WHAT my son is holding or the devilish look in his eyes, but I could tell he was up to no good! The canister was empty but in his boys mind it was a treasure that mom made him throw away!

Heather on the banks of the lake which we forgot the name to. Notice the wind blowing her shirt? It was windy but the wind was hot!

The house I grew up in

The corner lot where my Grandma Barrett's house once stood. When I was a kid my mom gave her ONE female cat. She bred a couple hundred cats and that is no lie! They were all wild and one of our games as kids was to catch one and then hold it by the tail as long as you could! Our arms were bloody by the time we were done. The house was burnt down after being purchased by the current land owner. Funny, it was the oldest house in Table Rock!

A tired Hunter and Koda

Koda fetching the stick

Hunter being really weird!

This was kind of cool. We go the Kansas and Nebraska signs together in one shot. Another neat fact, as soon as you cross the border to Kansas the roads get nicer! Seriously!

The original Station #1 of the Pony Express!

This was taken in Mary's Ville Kansas. The buildings here were so old and beautiful! I would love to go back with more time to take more pictures! We wanted to get a tour of the Pony Express Station but we missed it by 4 minutes! Bummer! We loaded back into the car and started our way back home with our windows rolled down which gave us a false feeling of being cooled off!