Hunter Boy

Dear Hunter,
You're four. I can't believe it. The last few weeks have been filled with so much fun and excitement I don't even know where to start!
We'll start with you running into the door a few weeks back. We still don't know exactly how it happened, but one night I asked you to go to the bathtub for a bath. You went running around the corner and fell into the side of the door. This is where it gets confusing because we don't know how you managed to cut your head open, but you did. You were convinced that Connor pushed you but Connor was in front of you so there was no way! You were screaming and crying out of pain. Kaylee was standing naked in the bathtub screaming for us to come turn on the water because she was cold, and Connor saw all the blood from your head rolling into your eyes and was convinced that you had lost an eye and could no longer see so he was screaming and crying. Daddy and I for a slight second were overwhelmed. We had no idea who to quiet down first. We ended up going to the emergency room where you got 5 staples in your head. You were a very brave boy. You were hilarious in the emergency room because the doctor would walk in and you would instantly clam up. Then when he left the room you would start talking again. You kept telling us you were afraid he was going to cut you open. We kept trying to explain that you were already cut open and he was going to close it up. It was a battle we just couldn't win, you were not to be convinced. 
It didn't seem to hurt you to badly unless you were laying down, and you did not want to lay down. The first few nights were really long nights because we couldn't get you to fall asleep. However, halfway through the week Daddy had an idea. He gave you his work hat and told you it was a special hat. This special hat would keep your head from hurting. You put it on your head, laid down, and went right to sleep. The rest of the week you took your special hat to sleep with you every night. You also wore your special hat to school to cover up the bandage so nobody would make fun of you. You were incredibly worried about people making fun of you. Your friends Abby and Grace made you a get well card and got you a cool Toy Story plate as a get better soon present. Abby drew a picture of the two of you getting married and she giggled like a school girl when she showed you. It was rather adorable and I saved the card she made in your box just in case I ever need to pull it out and embarrass you two as teenagers!

You played indoor soccer this season. You are always the fastest runner on the team, and you love to be told that you "run so fast." You don't like to kick the ball though, so you spend the entire game running next to the person kicking the ball. It's adorable. You are so proud of yourself. You could easily steal the ball from anyone who had it, but you are just content as a clam to run next to it.

Grammy Darrlyn took you to buy a plant at Walmart. It was a really hard decision but you went with the cactus. I am thrilled about that because we don't have to water them as much! You love having your own plant and check on it all the time. It's hard for you that we don't get to water it much, but you still love your pick.

We made some house rules again. Largely for Kaylee, but you two boys sure loved to help make the rules and decorate the poster. I would say we're still struggling to follow the rules on the poster, but it's nice to once again have a few rules that we use all day every day. I also love looking at your poster.

Star Wars and Spiderman is the talk of the town right now. However, you got really neat light sabers for your birthday and you have "fight outs" all the time. You love to use the force and gang up on Daddy. Daddy even had to go get his own light saber so he could keep up with you and Connor. Kaylee even uses the force, which everyone thinks is hysterical! You are a good big brother and you have "fight outs" with Kaylee too although I think you prefer playing with Daddy.

Your birthday was so fun this year! You were very excited for it and we had a countdown going for over a month! You wanted a spiderman party. For your birthday we did all things spiderman. You loved your cake, although it was really hard for Mommy to make. The walls weren't working and so I wasn't going to put them on. I told you about it and you stared at the cake long and hard before saying, " I really think it would look better with walls." So, we found a way to make the walls work. You were thrilled! You loved the cake topper candle the most.



At preschool you got your own birthday snack day. That was really exciting for you and you decided you wanted to take Captain America cookies. We had to make them twice because the first ones looked more like Nacho Libre than Captain America, but in the end they were adorable and it was a big hit at preschool. You got a birthday hat and got to be the line leader which are very important and fun things. I love how excited you got this year!

Here's to another year! I'm so excited to see what it will bring. I love you buddy, more every day!
Mommy

Princess Dance

Dear Kaylee,
Every year at the Trac they have a father/daughter dance. It's very expensive and thousands of people go. I thought you were too young to go to the dance this year, especially considering the expense but I was also afraid of the crowd of people. Daddy was a little disappointed but understood. Then a few weeks later we heard about another father/daughter dance being held at the church down the road. The girl scouts were hosting the dance as a fundraiser. It was only $15. We decided that it would be fun to let you go to that dance. Grandma Karen had given you a very pretty Easter dress for your birthday that was perfect for the dance. We told you a few days before the dance and you were so excited. You kept telling us it was a "princess dance."

The day of the dance I took you to a new salon called Kid Biz. You got your hair cut and styled, complete with glitter. The salon owner is an acquaintance of mine and she totally spoiled you. You were about as excited as they come. After your hair was done I took you to payless to buy some shoes for your dress. We picked out some pink sandals that would match the dress, but that you could wear for summer too. You LOVE picking out shoes so that only added to your excitement.

When we finally got home, we put on your princess dress. You kept telling me, "nice." I told you to go show Daddy and he ooohed and aaaahhhed appropriately. Although, he didn't have to try hard because you were adorable. You even spun a few times in your dress.

You were in a hurry to leave, and kept telling the boys  "Bye! Love You Too!" The boys thought it was all pretty fun watching you get dressed up and getting ready to go on your date.
We took a few pictures outside with you and Daddy and you completely hammed it up for the camera. Daddy was having a good time already. The two of you were pretty cute!

Daddy took you to dinner at Applebees and then to the dance. He said you had a great time at both places. Kendall was at the dance and you danced with her a lot. Daddy said you two would dance and then run to the table for a drink or bite of cookie, dance,  and then run to the table. You danced with Daddy, enjoyed all the cute snacks, and thoroughly enjoyed yourself. You didn't stay for the whole dance, because that would have been a little long for you. When you got home you showed everyone the plate of snacks you brought home and shared with the boys. Then you asked me to help you strip down and you snuggled on the couch with a blanky and watched The Gruffalo. I went to snuggle with you and after a few minutes of sitting together and watching the movie you turned to me and said, "Daddy, Dance, FUN!" You've never announced having a good time like that before so it was pretty special that you chose this event to be your first announcement of a good time.

You are such a sweetie pie. A true princess. I love you, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your special dance with Daddy.

Love,
Mommy

Angry Bird Cupcakes

Dear Bubbas,
Angry Birds are everywhere. The Angry Bird marketing team has been doing an amazing job because we can't go into one store without seeing them at least fifty times. Daddy lets you play ten minutes or so a week with him on his lap. You think it's a pretty funny game. The other day we decided to make some Angry Bird cupcakes. It was a lot of fun and I absolutely love how your birds turned out. You guys liked them so much that it took you over a day to finally eat one! I love how serious you guys are when you're decorating your cupcakes. It's a very important task!
Thanks for making something as simple as making cupcakes the best part of our day! I love you!
Mommy

Hunter Boy

Dear Hunter,
I have so much to tell you that I don't even know where to start. The other night you were excited to take a bath and you went running down the hallway. Daddy and I still are unsure of exactly what happened but we heard you fall and then scream wildly. I went around the corner and saw you laying on the ground covered in blood. It turns out you had somehow hit your head on the door and cut a huge gash into your head. Uncle Wade came right over to watch Kaylee and Connor and we took you to the emergency room. While we were getting you ready to go and waiting for Uncle Wade we had to stop Connor from freaking out because he was convinced with all the blood that was running into your eye initially that you had poked your eye out and were blind. He could hardly stand the though. Then we had to calm Kaylee down because she was livid that she was standing naked in the bathroom waiting for us to turn on the water and she was cold. It was a very interesting five minutes in the Allen household.
You were so brave at the hospital. Daddy was making us laugh so hard by being silly while we waited. However, whenever the doctor walked into the room your face went stone cold. You told us you were worried he was going to cut you open. We tried our hardest to explain that you already had a giant cut on your head and that he was going to fix it, but you thought for sure that meant he was going to cut open your head. Where you get these ideas I have no idea. You ended up with five staples in your head. You only screamed on the last one which I think may have been because the numbing cream didn't get that little area all the way. On the way home you told Daddy you were hungry so he swung through the Mcdonald's drive through and bought you chicken nuggets. Then Daddy took me home to relieve uncle Wade and you two went to Walmart to pick out breakfast for the morning and a toy for being so brave.
Daddy said you had a good time making a pick and you chose the coolest Superman lego set. Connor was incredibly jealous when he woke up and saw it, but after talking to him and showing him your staples he decided it wasn't that big of a deal.
You have to keep gauze over the staples because they aren't in very well, so you have a giant ace bandage wrapped around your head. You are incredibly concerned about any of your clothing touching the bandage. You are also always asking me if your bandage is coming off. Your head hurts pretty bad so you don't even want to lay it down on your pillow. That has made our nights pretty long lately because you aren't sleeping. The other night you only got three hours of sleep. Last night you didn't fall asleep until almost eleven, however you are still sleeping now at 8 am so I'm hoping that is a sign you feel better. We'll go get the staples out later this week, which I'm sure will freak you out pretty good, but we'll see.
You and Connor have been the best of friends lately. Like all friendships you two drive each other crazy at times. Connor tells you what to do a lot. He's very concerned about following the rules and so he'll tell you to pick up the library books or to put your shoes in the closet. The other day you just flipped out on him and yelled, "Connor treats me like a baby! I know what to do, STOP TELLING ME!" We had a long talk with Connor about how his constant reminders make you feel and it's gotten much better.
Your singing drives Connor insane. You like to sing the Spiderman song. Except you sing it wrong. You sing, "Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider do."
Connor yelled the other day, "It's whatever a spider CAN!"
Even though we tell you that we don't like it when you yell at each other and we coach you on how to handle situations with grace and patience I think it's absolutely hilarious when you have these freak out moments on each other. It makes me laugh at the things that you guys just "can't handle."
You went on a date with Grandma Karen and Papa Jerry last weekend. You had such a great time. They took you to the store to pick a toy, to the park to see the birds, and you got to go to the mall for My Fro Yo. Grandma Karen said towards the end of the date you were just sitting down to enjoy your frozen yogurt when you saw a Cat in the Hat mascot and completely wigged out! You were adamant that they take you home immediately. You have a very sincere fear of all mascots and unfortunately there have been a lot out and about lately! At the Trac
On your date with Grandma and Grandpa Allen you picked a toy(s). They're called Squinkies. They are the world's smallest rubber action figures. Seriously smaller than your thumb nail. You love them! You played with them and only them for three days straight. They're so small you would misplace one and beg me to find it. I finally made a rule that if I happened to see one of your superheros I would put them in a bin for you but that I wasn't going to go looking for them. Now it's almost a game for  me. I find myself walking around the house, eyes peeled to the floor looking for a superhero. I have to admit, they are cute toys.
I love you buddy! So very much do I love you! I'm sorry you had to get staples in your head. Thanks for being such a sweetie pie through it all.
Love Mommy

Firetruck Pajamas

Dear Connor,
You found a new pair of pajamas that you love! They are a pair of firetruck pajamas that you saw at Costco. You saw them and immediately wanted them. It was a Tuesday night and Mommy didn't have money to get them for you, but I promised you I would take you back to Costco the next morning when Daddy got paid to get them. You were very understanding and very excited! The next morning you reminded me that we were going to go back to Costco. I told you that we would go as soon as preschool was over. You ran to get dressed for preschool. As we were standing by the door getting ready to leave I realized I couldn't find the car keys. It turns out that Daddy took the keys to work with him. I explained what happened to you and I could see the disappointment on your face. You asked me for hours when we would get to go to Costco. I kept telling you we'd go when Daddy got home. Finally, you could take it now more and I suggested you call Grammy and see what she was doing. You called her and she didn't answer so you left a message. Then you called again. And again. And again. You were very upset that she wasn't answering and beginning to get panicked about getting these pajamas. Finally, it was nap time and you went to sleep, reluctantly.
Grammy called while you were sleeping and came right over. When you woke up she said, "Did you call me?"
You jumped out of bed and said,"Yes! I called and called and called, but you wouldn't answer!"
She took you to Costco right away and you got your pajamas. You were so thrilled and gave Grammy all the credit for saving the day and for the pajamas. It was cute to see you so excited about this!
You only want to wear your firetruck pajamas now, so we stick to our preschool and church rule. You can wear them whenever, wherever you want but not to preschool or church. So, when you go to preschool that is my opportunity to throw them in the washer and get them clean! I try my hardest to make sure that they are dry before you get home, because as you are walking in the door you are stripping down to change into them.
You're very excited for your birthday. You can't decide what you want to do. I think you really want a Batman party, but you are trying to decide between the Batman party or a Star Wars party. I think you'll end up with the Batman party.
This morning you woke me up and asked me to get you a bar and juice. I asked you if Daddy had gone to work and you said yes. Then a few minutes later you came back in and woke me up to ask why I wasn't getting up and where was your bar and juice. I stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen to realize it was 3 am. Daddy was asleep in Hunter's bed. You were pretty disappointed that you had to go back to bed but I let you take a pop tart with you to ease the pain.
I love you kiddo! I love how you have your favorite things and stick to them. You make my heart happy.
Love Mommy

The only picture of your firetruck pajamas I have right now, I better take care of that today.

Princess Party

Dear Kaylee,
Last week you got an invitation in the mail that only confirmed what you've known all along. You're a princess! You were invited to a princess party. You were so excited!  As soon as you opened the invitation and I told you what it was, you ran to Daddy and showed him, "see, Daddy, see? Princess Arty!"

Daddy hung the invitation up in your room, but it didn't stay there long because everywhere we went that week you took it with you in your Miche bag. You were so cute carrying around your purse and pulling out your invitation to show anyone who even slightly looked your way.

The day of the big party came and we made a whole afternoon out of it. You chose the perfect outfit, complete with tutu. I took you to get a hair cut, we did a little shopping at Target, got dinner at Panda Express, and finally the party.

You loved everything about the party, especially the big pink princess tent and the food. You liked playing with the balloons a lot too. You kept letting go of it and letting it float to the ceiling and then you'd want me to get it for you. I tired of that game quickly so I tied your princess wand (party favor) to it so that it would have more length. You had it stuck in your head that you couldn't reach even though you absolutely could. You kept pushing a toy ride on train over to the balloon and standing up on the train to "reach" the balloon. It was rather humorous.

It was really fun that you got invited to a princess party. The boys kept telling everyone that it was only for "GIRLS." They put an emphasis on that word to make it known that they were not upset because that would be crazy for them to hang out with a bunch of "GIRLS."

When we got home the boys had gone out with Daddy for some "guy" time so we put in a movie and snuggled together in the chair until you told me you were tired and wanted to go to "seep."

It was such a great afternoon with you. I'm so lucky to have such a fun little girl to hang out with. I love you my princess.
Mommy

End of the night, I love how she carries her purse everywhere just like Mommy!"

 

Look at her feet. =0)

Best night ever! Party and Chinese food!

They'll think he's cute

Dear Hunter,
Lately you boys have not wanted anything to do with washing your hair. You won't even let me wet it down to make it look nice. This morning I had just washed my hands and they were still a little wet so I walked over to you and smoothed down your bed head. You immediately began to sob.  You did not want wet hair. I reassured you that your hair wasn't wet and I combed it out with a hairbrush. I then told you how handsome  you were and how cute your hair was. This only made you sob harder.

I continued getting ready for the morning. The crying lasted about ten minutes. Finally, you calmed down enough to have this conversation between sobs:

Mommy, "Hunter, what is wrong? Your hair isn't wet."
Hunter, "All the kids are going to say I'm cute?"
Mommy," Who's going to say you're cute?"
Hunter," All the boys and girls."
Mommy," Why? Because I combed your hair?"
Hunter," Yes."
Mommy, "do they say you're cute a lot?"
Hunter," YES!"
Mommy," You don't want them to say you're cute?"
Hunter,"NO!"
Mommy," Do you want me to mess your hair up?"
Hunter,"YES!"
I ruffled your hair up,"There, you have bed head again."
Hunter," sniffle...sniffle, good."

Oh buddy, I hate to break it to you, but you are cute. You're going to hear that from a lot of people over the course of your life. One day though, you'll see it as a blessing and not a burden. I love you sweetie. I'm sorry I fixed your hair. From now on, bed head it is.
Mommy