Be Like Mike

Mike Tyson, that is!

CAUTION:  This posts contains some graphic, not so pretty pictures.  You have been warned!

Our little wild man had quite the accident this weekend, freaking his mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin, nanny, grandma, papas, and second cousins out.  However, no one was more concerned than his sweet older brother. 

Poor Henry took quite the tumble on his way to the park Saturday.  He was riding his beloved "Cappy" and accidentally ran into Ellie when she stopped.  Well, instead of letting go of "Cappy," he held on for dear life and ended up falling over the top of the riding toy, hitting the concrete fairly hard. 

Can you see what is missing?

 The next day!

 

All the men were with the kids so Matt had my dad call the ladies back at the house and let us know Matt was on his way home and that we needed to have the car ready to take Henry to the hospital.  I frantically got everything together (ie: my purse and cell phone) and hopped in my sister and Ben's car and headed straight to the ER with Matt and Henry.  

 En route to the ER.

 

Thankfully CDH has a pediatric ER so our wait time was not bad.  It only took us about 5 minutes to get into a room and about 10 to see a nurse.  By the time we checked in, Henry has calmed down quite a bit.  The nurse was able to clean him up and give him some Motrin so by the time the Dr. came in, he was acting fairly normal.  He didn't do much damage to his face other than a few scrapes and bruises, and some swelling, but his teeth were pretty messed up.  The Dr. could not tell if they had been pushed up or were broken off.  She suggested we call the dentist to make an appointment for Monday.  



Thankfully our dentist is amazing and wanted to see Henry right away to evaluate the damage.  After getting released from the ER, we made a quick stop at home to grab some essentials (blankie, giraffe, water, etc.) and check in, then headed to the dentist's office.  Dr. Garcia took some x-rays of Henry's mouth and checked all this teeth to ensure none were lose.  Thankfully, the teeth were pushed up into his gums and are not doing any damage to his permanent teeth.  We are scheduled to go back in 2 weeks for a follow up, but the plan is to wait for them to drop again (yes, that will happen), hopefully within the next 6 months, then evaluate whether they will have to be pulled.  We were sent home with a "balloon" glove and instructions to eat soft foods and Motrin ever 6 hours. 

4 days later!  Still a bit swollen.

So far, Henry doesn't seem to be affected by the fall.  He has not slowed down one bit and is eating normal foods, just cut up into very small pieces.  He knows larger pieces have to be placed toward the back of his mouth, but doesn't have a problem chewing.  I know that these are only his baby teeth, but I think we were all traumatized by his poor sweet face being as banged up as it was.  As a mom, I can't help but think of his appearance and the pain he must have gone through.  Thankfully it was nothing too serious and there was lots of help around that house when it happened so I didn't have to worry about a thing.  Now we just wait and warn Henry that he only has one more set of teeth so be careful.  We might just have to wrap that child in bubble wrap. 

Papa's New Knee

A couple of weeks ago, my dad had his knee replaced.  After years of pain, it was time for that bad boy to come out and a brand spankin' new one to take it's place.  Lucky for us, his surgery took place at Central DuPage Hospital, only a few miles from our house.  To say that the kids were fascinated by "Papa's new knee" would be an understatement.  They couldn't wait to visit him in the hospital and see the knee in action.

 

Before we left, we had to make some pictures and a card. 

 

Since the hospital is so close and on the same train line as Glen Ellyn, we decided to ride the rails to visit.  The short, 11 minute, train ride was just long enough for us to make our way upstairs, sit down, and look out the window for about 2 minutes.  Giving us just enough time to get everyone back down the stairs.  I am sure we were a site to be seen. 

The Patagonia Brigade

Charlotte, along for the ride.

 



Ready to exit...

 



We have arrived!

 

When we walked into the hospital, Ethan, Ellie, and Henry were so confused as to why Papa was not in his bed, as he had been the night before when we visited.  They just kept staring at his bed until they realized he was hanging out in the chair, waiting to be released. 

"Papa, are you wearing a bracelet?"

 



My future's so bright!

The kids were enthralled with everything in the hospital room, especially the crutches.  And Papa's bandages.

A little too short still.

 



Trying out Auntie Kristi's rain boots.

 



Sandwich hug

(not sure where this came from, but they do it everytime they see each other)

 The 2 babies!

 

The kids had the best time visiting Papa in the hospital and the train ride made it all the more sweeter.  I hope we don't have to visit him in the hospital again for a very long time, but it was kind of fun.  My dad is doing great after his surgery and is hardly in pain.  He is walking around almost perfectly and feeling great.  Thanks Papa for letting us come visit you; we are so happy you are almost back to chasing us around the yard!

Bean and Fish Tacos

I started a new eating plan in August (which I will talk about in a different post) focused on whole unprocessed foods.  With that I decided to try my hand at a more vegetarian/vegan diet.  This is not to say I haven't had any meat, cheese, eggs, etc., but I have drastically cut down on the amount I consume.  I have barely had any meat since I started and try to only eat a small quantities of cheese during the week.  I am constantly looking for new recipes and when I can across these tacos, I knew they were a must try.

I pretty much followed the recipe verbatim, with the exception of the limes and the lettuce.  I ended up juicing both limes for the onions, not serving one as an accoutrement.  I also was tired of chopping and it was getting late so I decided not to shred lettuce to serve with the tacos.  We didn't seem to miss it.  I did soak and cook my own black beans (again, trying to eat less processed foods, which include things in a can), but you could easily use canned black beans, just make sure they don't have any additives in them!  One cup of black beans would suffice for 2-4 people as we had a TON leftover. 

Here is a picture of Matt's plate after he put his tacos together...they tasted as good as they look!

If you are looking for a great vegetarian recipe that is fairly easy to whip up on a weeknight, I highly recommend these tacos.  I think you could even use the rub on chicken and it would be delish...maybe just marinate for a couple hours and grill. 

Happy Birthday, Matt!

We also celebrated another very important birthday in September...someone who makes Ethan, Henry, and I who we are.  Someone who is our rock, our provider, our constant.  Someone who we adore, look up to, laugh with, and most importantly love unconditionally...and that someone is our "man", Matt/Daddy/the hubs!

 

When I asked the boys what kind of cake we should make for daddy, they responded with a "Gunners" cake.  Well, actually Ethan was first to speak up, but Henry shortly copied and after a few days of repeatedly asking about making daddy a Gunners cake, I knew one was in my future. 

 

For those of you who don't know who the Gunners are, a brief synopsis:

Gunners is a nickname for an English Premier Football League team, the Arsenal Football Club.  They are based in Holloway London and are one of the most successful clubs in London.  Ethan and Matt would spend early Saturday mornings watching soccer and Ethan just took a liking to the Gunners.  Not sure if it is because it allowed him to use the work "Gunner" without getting in trouble or just the fact that they were good and actually won games.  I am hoping for the latter.  Regardless, Ethan had no doubt what kind of cake he wanted to make for his daddy. 

Since I didn't want to make a cake in the shape of a gun (I am trying to avoid gun talk/toys at all costs even though it is inevitable), the next best idea I had was a soccer ball.  So, off to Hobby Lobby I went to find a mold and this was the end result...





Ta-dah...pretty darn good if you ask me!

 

We didn't do much to celebrate except have a nice family dinner at home, sing Happy Birthday, and open a few gifts!

Having a serious discussion about the cake!

 



So excited!

Make a wish!

 

A very happy birthday to a very special man in our lives!  We love you so much and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays!  

Happy Birthday, HRH!

After a long hiatus, I am finally back on the blogging train.  I was fresh out of time and things to say, but I am going to give this whole blog another chance.  What better way to get the ball rolling than with a post about sweet Henry turning 2!

Our baby turned 2 on September 18th and we celebrated a week later when Papa Larry was in town with a small family party!  Henry loves Elmo so I thought a little Elmo themed party was order (Cookie Monster came, too). 

 

Yum...cupcakes

 



The cupcakes weren't enough for Henry though.  For the months leading up to his birthday, whenever we asked him what kind of cake he wanted, he said "a faffle cake" so I put my creative baking skills to the test and gave this little guy exactly what he wanted....a faffle cake!

 A waffle iron, come pancake mix, chocolate icing, whipped cream and a cherry make a delicious cake.  Turned out pretty well, if you ask me.  And Henry could not have been more excited!

 

 

Happy Birthday to you!

 



"Want some of my faffle cake, Charlie?"

Group photo

(Ethan, Jack, Lily, Henry, Charlotte, and Ellie and nanny in the background)

 

The weather was beautiful and we spent most of the evening outside.  Just a cute picture I snapped of the "big" boys playing dress up...fire rescue, a favorite in our house!

 

I will do another post on Henry with his stats and "accomplishments" as he turned two, but for now I thought some pictures of this birthday were enough.  It was the perfect way to celebrate our baby boy, small and colorful, surrounded by friends and family.  HRH, I can't believe you are 2!  



About Time

Well, since "summer" is rapidly coming to an end, I thought I should get my bootie in gear and update this blog.  About time, huh?  To say we have had a great summer would be an understatement.  We have been busy, yes, but the days have been filled with fun, laughter, family, friends, and adventure.  The weather has been hot, real hot, and there has been some serious humidity, but that just means days at the pool are a little longer and naps are a little shorter.  And, if we can't make it to the pool, air conditioning makes a nice comfortable environment for monster trucks, rescue vehicles, puzzles, books, and lots of crazy art projects.

Case in point...

The shaving cream was Nora, our nanny's, idea.  She is way more brave (and creative) than I, but from what I can tell, the boys were in heaven.  So, while we have been busy, there hasn't been a lack of fun in the Hunt household.  We have lots more to share and will try and update on a more regular basis, but for now, we are enjoying the dog days of summer, in hopes they don't go too fast!

Mohawks

The boys and I were having a little fun in the bath tub tonight and I am so glad I had my camera to capture their beloved mohawks.  Always a huge hit before its time to wash up!

3,2,1 Blast Off

We discovered a new place to play in Glen Ellyn recently, Village Green Park. Appropriately dubbed "Rocket Ship" Park. The playground houses this huge rocket structure with some of the fastest "tube" slides and plenty of places to climb. There is also a small "splash" park (if you can even call it that)with 3 water features. 

We took the boys to Rocket Ship park one Friday night after a rough week and they had the best time; running around, climbing up the rock walls, speeding down the slides; just being boys. 

Way up high!

Hi up there!

Chasing his big brother

First trip down the fastest slide

Having the best time

Just taking a rest



We are thrilled to have discovered this amazing park  and have been back several times since our initial visit.  The boys can't seem to get enough of the rocket ship and the water helps cool everyone down after all the running during these hot summer days.  It is the perfect place to pack a lunch and spend the morning.