On Top Of Spaghetti

Or should I say, underneath all the spaghetti...2 little boys really enjoyed their dinner! 

Matt was out of town one night a couple of weeks ago and the boys and I had a fun, but messy dinner together. We were thrilled when Ethan took a liking to "red butter," aka marinara sauce!  It added another dinner (or lunch) to his small repertoire!  And Mr. H will eat just about anything you put in front of him and as you can tell from his face, he enjoyed every ounce of his meal.  I think the boys loved getting a little messy too!

Thankful

Since I am so far behind on posting, I figure I might as well start with the most recent happening...Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Knoxville at Matt's parents beautiful new home.  They were kind enough to invite my mom and dad down to the festivities, which made it all the more fun!   Instead of making the 11 hour trip in 2 separate cars, we decided to rent a mini van and head down as a group.  Having 2 extra sets of hands and drivers made the trip a cinch.  The boys were so good, we actually shaved an hour and a half off the trip from 4th of July.  I am sure it also helped that the boys were a bit older, but constant entertainment from Nanny and Papa and a lot more space made the trip fairly enjoyable!  We ended up leaving around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, forcing the boys to sleep for the first couple hours.  By the time we stopped for lunch, we only had about 3 hours to go, getting us to Vonore mid afternoon!

Here are the passengers all ready to get back on the road after quick pit stop....

My co-pilot...asleep before we even got back on the highway!

Kelly, Jim, and Addy were already there by the time we arrived and the kids couldn't have been more excited to see each other.  They all played great together, which was a bit of a change from visits past.  We didn't have too many sharing issues and Ethan, Addy, and Henry took advantage of being surrounded by 2 sets of grandparents...junk food, late nights, jumping on the bed, and tons of attention! 

The infamous bath pictures...bath time came with many more questions than normal; so much curiosity at age 3. 

Before we left, I found a local Turkey Trot taking place in Knoxville, on University of Tennessee's campus.  There was an 8K run and a 100 yard Little Gobbler Dash.  I thought it would be fun for Ethan and Addy to participate in the Little Gobbler and both were so excited about the race until we stepped out of the car into the freezing cold.  It took a little persuading, but both participated in the race, albeit a bit cold and over whelmed by all the kids. 

Ethan - running as fast as his little legs would let him!  His exhaust pipes were still warming up!

Ethan - post race and Me - pre race!

Mr. Turkey decided it was a beautiful day for the run...he also ran each "heat" of the Little Gobbler!

Running the nice little uphill to the finish line.  I ran the fastest I have in a long time, finishing the 8k in 41:38, which is about an 8:20 mile!

After the race, my mom, dad and I drove around UT for a bit so they could relive some old memories.  For those of you that don't know, my dad was the Director of Residence Halls at UT right after my parents were married and I was born at the hospital on campus.  My parent's first apartment was in Carrick Hall so they really enjoyed seeing campus and how much it has changed in the past 33 years.  I was overly impressed with their ability to get around campus with ease 33 years later.  Oh, and that my mom's favorite sub shop is still open! 

Where it all began...

My parents were thrilled that the residence hall was open.  Perfect for a photo op!

The sign right outside their apartment, which we think has now been converted to offices!

After our little tour, we headed back to the Hunt's house to get ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.  Carol really outdid herself this year...the turkey was delicious (the turkey sandwiches the next day even better) and she had every traditional side you could think of!  Along with every type of pie to satisfy all cravings.  A truly wonderful meal!  

 The kids table!

Since the weather was so gorgeous the entire time we were there, the kids had a great time playing outside and enjoying the hot tub in the evenings.  That might have been a highlight of the trip for all 3 of them and JB, too!

Henry - trying to find trouble!

Ethan and Addy - burning off some Thanksgiving calories running up the many hills around Hunt's house!

JB and Ethan showing off their muscles...and getting ready to take a swim in the hot tub!

Friday we took the kids to see Santa, but before we left they had to peruse the toy magazines so they could let the big guy know what was on their list.  I think they have all been nice this year so I have a feeling Santa will be very good to them at Christmas. 

We were so fortunate to be able to spend Thanksgiving with both our parents and some of the Hunt family.  We missed everyone that wasn't there, but felt so blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving surrounded by our parents.  The day was beyond perfect and such a great start to the holiday season.  We hope everyone had an equally wonderful Turkey Day!

A few more pictures after we arrived home...

Ethan sporting his slightly large Little Gobbler t-shirt!

Henry just being his cute self!

Ethan show off his mad art skills...with the help of Elyse!

Spidey

One of the best parts of my day, on the days Ethan goes to school, is walking into the house and seeing what cute project he made that day.  Yesterday's creation could have topped my all time favorite list!  It was this adorable spider hat; perfect for the days leading up to Halloween.  From the kinky legs to the googly eyes, I couldn't get enough!  And what goes better with your spider hat than your spider man jammies.  We were both so excited with his cuteness! 

Music Man

On Sunday, I was making some yummy treats to take over to the Glynn's and my little helper decided he wanted to empty all the cabinets surrounding me, making it very difficult to maneuver around the kitchen.  In midst of the mess, Henry picked up two pot lids and began clanging (is that even a word?) them together like he was playing the cymbals.  He thought it was absolutely hilarious and just couldn't get enough.  He would have carried on for hours, but I quickly removed them from his hands, not wanting to wake his brother (Ethan's sleep is precious and much appreciated these days).  I think Henry might take after his dad and be a member of the high school band or even the Marching Hundred.

**Oh and I am completely aware that his outfit is completely random and does not match whatsoever.  He had just finished lunch and made a complete mess of his jeans.  Normally I would not allow him to be photographed looking like this, but he was ready for a nap and jammie pants are the most comfy when you sleep.  Plus, he looked too cute not to snap a photo!

Morton Arboretum

Monday was absolutely a perfect fall day and what better place to spend the morning than at the Morton Arboretum.  I have only been a couple of times (once for a wedding and once for a race), but have always wanted to take the kids there.  Ben had the day off for Columbus Day so we packed up the kids, grabbed some Mickey D's, and headed to the Arboretum.  Well, everyone in the Western Suburbs had the same idea we did because the place was packed.  Probably not the best time to try and explore a new locale with 3 kids when masses of people are everywhere. 

We thought we would start with the children's garden and have some lunch.  We found our spot under a beautiful old tree and enjoyed a somewhat peaceful lunch!  The kids lasted long enough to fuel themselves, but then were ready to go, go, go!

After lunch, we tried out the playground, but it was a little too crowded and maybe a tad advanced for Ellie and Henry.  Ethan was having a ball, but I just kept imagining him getting lost among all the people and I started to freak a little bit.  So we moved onto the wading rock river.  All three kiddos were really enjoying themselves in the water and having a blast climbing on the rocks. 

After the wading, Ben and I needed a little break and some open space so we found a big grassy field and let the kids run free.  Ellie definitely didn't like the idea of staying on the grass; she was more interested in seeing the pond below! 

The boys were more interested in a snack!

We couldn't leave without checking out the "scarecrow" exhibit.  Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head were definitely our favorite!

Despite the crowds, the cousins had a great time and were definitely tired by the time we all got loaded back into the car.  I am hoping we can make it to the Arboretum one or two more times before the season is over.  Such a lovely place to spend the day...and oh so close to our house!

Swing Batta Batta Swing

The hiatus that Blog O' Hunt has taken the past couple of months is finally over.  The month of September and beginning of October flew by with lots of activity around our house.  We felt like we were on the move every weekend, which meant the weekdays were filled with errands, pre-made dinners, and late nights.  I am hoping we are starting to slow down at bit...the leaves are starting to change and fall is in the air.  Despite it being October, Mother Nature has blessed us with the most gorgeous and absolutely perfect weather.  We have taken advantage of the great weather, spending lots of time outside when we can.

On Monday night, after a busy day, Ethan, Henry and I headed over to Ackerman Park to catch Uncle Ben's final softball game of the season.  The parking lots butts up to a great playground so we spent most of the game there, but I did happen to get a few pictures of the kids watching the game.   They were enthralled with the "dads" playing and we had a hard time keeping them off the field!

Ethan was more than pleased when he found an extra softball laying around.  After a couple bad throws right into the ground, he finally got the hang of pitching.  He did pretty well, actually...check out that form.

Congrats to Uncle Ben and his teammates on a great season.  We are so glad we finally made it to a game and can't wait until next year's season; I have a feeling we will be attending many more games!

Carni's

A few weeks ago, Ben and Matt were out of town so my sister and I loaded the kids in the car and headed west to Kane County. It happened to be one of the hottest Fridays of the summer and what better way to spend a balmy summer evening than surrounded by carnis at the Kane County Fair. It took us a bit longer than expected to pack and load the 3 kiddos into the car, but soon enough we pulled into the gravel parking lot, not knowing what to expect.

We hit up the "stinky" rest rooms first and then made our way to some of the animals. First up...piggies! The visit to the pig pen only lasted about 5 minutes because Ethan was petrified of the noises and the up close and personal surrounds. The piggies were a little to close for comfort. We headed over to the cows, but decided it was best to view them from outside the barn only. Then we spotted the giant ice cream cone...a glimpse into our future...and a perfect photo op!

As we were walking toward the rides, we noticed a trailer with a small race course along the outside. Curiosity got the best of us so we moved closer to take a look. Low and behold we had showed up just in time for some piglet races. Yee haw! We hung around for a couple of races, which were quite amusing. Oh and the piglets were pretty cute, too!

Round the circle you must go!!

Then it was time for rides...the usual carnival rides that cost way too much money, but provide hours (if time and money allowed) of entertainment for a certain 3 year old.
Ellie and Henry had a good time watching Ethan, but quickly got bored and were ready to move on! Something to eat, perhaps!
Ahh, the best part of the night...ice cream! Even though it was getting late, we made one quick stop at the ice cream stand before we left. Thank goodness we did because the kids were in heaven...Kristi and I, too! All three were hot sticky messes by the time the ice cream was finished, but they thoroughly enjoyed every lick!

To me, this was the epitome of a summer night...hot humid air, fried food, loud music, sticky faces and late bedtimes! Is there anything better? Take a look at those faces...I think not!!!