Batts go to the park

Today we hung around the house in the morning, and then packed up a picnic lunch and headed out to the Dennis the Menace park near downtown Monterey.

As for this evening -

Let's Go Hawks!!!

Big day in the Batt household!

I'm not quite sure who this was a bigger day for - Justin & I, or Hunter. When doctors tell you that they aren't sure if your baby will ever walk unassisted, you start to think about those kid milestones you look forward to as a new parent, and wonder if you'll ever experience them. We were overwhelmed when Hunter took his first steps at 19months old. Soon we realized that despite medical issues, walking was not going to be a problem! Last summer, we watched Hunter score his first soccer goal, and it felt like we were witnessing him conquer the world...

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In January, we decided that a quadriceps lengthening surgery was the next step for Hunter. It was a long, difficult recovery, but here we are four months out and he's walking and running without any kind of brace. Due to the amazing amount of flexion that was achieved as a result of the surgery, we realized that Hunter might now be able to ride a real bike. This is something that might seem silly to some, but to us, is something we thought Hunter might not ever be able to do. We had Hunter try out a friend's bike to confirm our suspicion that he had enough range of motion to pedal, and sure enough, he did it! It was amazing.

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So Justin and I decided that today would be Hunter's very special day :o)

First stop, Denny's for breakfast - because going out to breakfast is fun!

After Hunter finished breakfast, he still didn't know what the mission of the day was. We got in the car and went to Toys R Us - we parked, and he didn't really know what to think about an unexpected trip to the toy store! So Justin and I explained that how proud we are of him, and all of his hard work post-surgery, and that we were here to buy a bike. I wish I would have had the camera ready for the look on his face - you can just imagine it :o)

So we went inside, headed straight for the bike section, and set to work measuring and testing out the appropriate sized bikes...

The bike in the picture above is the bike we decided on - after the purchase was made, we headed over to the mall for a bit, where Hunter and Justin took a ride on the merry-go-round.

When we got home, it was nap time for Hunter, and assembly time for Justin -

As soon as Hunter was awake, we took him outside for an afternoon I will never, ever forget.

Mother's Day 2010

Since we are too far away to bring Mother's Day flowers in person, Hunter and I worked on a little project to send instead that I think represents the next best thing -

Last Sunday, we went out to the store and I had Hunter pick out some bright pink flowers (as usual, he took the task very seriously!). Dressed in his beachy best, we went down to Lover's Point Park in Pacific Grove and took some pictures. He did a great job, and afterwards we sat on the bench and played a nice long game of 'I Spy'...

Here are the results of his 'photo shoot':

Men at Work

What's the best way to avoid going into labor, but keep your house up to par at the same time?

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Make your four year old do it!

Swimming Lessons!

This week, Hunter started swim lessons at the Monterey Sports Center. While we have done mommy & me type lessons before, these lessons are sans parents - a whole new territory!

While it was insanely nerve wracking to watch someone else handle Hunter in the water (along with 3 other 4 year olds!) I think it is awesome for Hunter to have an athletic activity that doesn't have much to do with his leg. Hunter loved each and every second, and can't wait to go back for more! Swim time is my new favorite time of the week, as it is so much fun to sit up in the bleachers and just observe the joy in Hunter's face as he experiences new adventures!

Sorry for the poor picture quality, the indoor pool doesn't photograph well! Hunter is all the way on the left, in the red trunks:

I was nervous for Hunter as they were taken around on the floaty, but then the floaty turned and I saw his face :o)

Preschool-powered floaty:

Feeling like superman after his first big-kid swim lesson!

Shamrock Shakes

After a busy couple of days spent checking more things off of the pre-baby to-do list, we capped off the weekend by testing out a recipe I found for homemade shamrock shakes! We felt pretty jipped in the shamrock shake department this year, as only ONE McDonald's in our area carried them, and only for two weeks... While browsing blogs one day, I found a recipe for a homemade version, and Justin and I both agreed that it is unlikely we will ever pay for a McDonald's shamrock shake again - these were amazing!

The Recipe is as follows:

1 Cup Vanilla Ice Cream

1/2 Cup Milk

1/4 tsp mint extract

4 drops green food coloring

- mix all ingredients in a blender, enjoy! (recipe makes one shake)

Hunter's favorite part - the button!!

Cheers!

A Satisfied Customer :o)

The Nesting Instinct

The nesting instinct is described as

an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world.

I am experiencing this primal instinct big time. Add my label maker and you've got yourself a party! Today Hunter and I tackled the play room. We dumped out every single bin and went through each and every matchbox car, army guy, and happy meal toy, deciding which to keep, and which to give away to other kids. He did a great job, and was a huge help with putting toys back in appropriate categories. After we found a home for everything, we brought out the big guns:

Hunter and I had a great system going, where I would print out a label, and he would read it and place it in the correct spot (hey, organizing and reading lesson all in one!)

Onto a vocabulary lesson - the 'Armory' bin contains his nerf pistols, bullets, and some other nerf ammo:

Every once in awhile Hunter will do something that screams either 'Little Justin' or 'Little Nickie' - I think this picture speaks for itself :o)

Now before you go calling DCFS on me for torturing my poor child, Hunter really did have a good time! Sometimes when he gets very particular and it is clear he has picked up on some of my OCD tendencies, it is very frustrating, and I even feel guilty about it. Other times, I am really grateful that this adorable little buddy of mine likes to organize as much as I do :o)

And please, pray for Justin - as we are moving on to the garage tomorrow...