Blunck Family Bulletin

Nashville!!!

2012-01-14T19:57:00.001-08:00

David attended a conference in Nashville last week and the boys and I tagged along. It was a great trip! It's a 6 hour drive, the boys did great and it was so good to be able to at least see David in the mornings and evenings. The following posts are of some of our adventures in Nashville. The first thing we did was hit the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Rascal Flatts outfits...

Costume designing...
Elvis Presley's gold-plated piano
and Cadillac--40 coats of crushed diamonds and fish scales.
Chet Atkin's guitars

Attack of the killer squirrels!

2012-01-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

We spent an afternoon at a park (they have a full scale replica of the Parthenon!) and had a great time. We started to have a picnic lunch and all of the sudden we were surrounded by 5 aggressive squirrels! One of them ran on the picnic table right up to Benjamin's food and stole a chip. Inches from Benjamin! When I tried to scare them off they just braced themselves like they were going to jump at me. One of them got a box of Cheezits and opened it! We finally had to leave because these squirrels wouldn't leave us alone. It was crazy--and definitely a funny memory.

Gaylord Opryland Resort

2012-01-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

The resort/conference center that David was at during the day was just a 10 minute walk from our hotel. The boys and I walked him over and explored this enormous, extravagant, beautiful place. There were two enormous atriums, full of beautiful plants and colors. I really loved the poinsettias. One of the atriums was three levels - with waterfalls, restaurants, shops, and a river that you could take a boat ride on. Seriously amazing.

Hotel Pictures

2012-01-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

The major requirements for the hotel were a swimming pool and good breakfast. We ate a delicious breakfast and swam every day. : ) The picture by the Dukes of Hazard car was taken outside of a museum right next to our hotel.

Isn't this the most angelic picture of Benjamin? (We slept well, too.)

Nashville Zoo

2012-01-14T18:44:00.001-08:00

We had a WONDERFUL time at the Nashville Zoo (once we got there-we spent the morning at Walmart getting a tire patched). We saw more zoo employees than other people, we felt like we had the zoo to ourselves. The animals were liking the weather, they were very active. It was just great. For Papa and Grammie B, we saw Caiman, Alpaca, and an anaconda and made sure to talk about Peru! : )

Beautiful View....

2012-01-14T18:39:00.001-08:00

I love the view out of our dining room window, and these pictures show why. The brick farm home across the street was built in the 1830' or 40's. It's lovely, there was a beautiful sunrise this morning.

Scooter

2011-12-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Benjamin's loving his new scooter. We had fun at a park the day after Christmas and he rode it for quite awhile!

The Rocket

2011-12-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

Benjamin wanted a rocket for Christmas more than anything. So Dad worked his magic and came up with this... *(Make sure you watch the video clip.)

Christmas Morning

2011-12-28T07:12:00.001-08:00

I have a great little video clip but it's barely too big to upload on blogger. Too bad, but here are a few pictures of Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

These pictures didn't turn out great--I need to play around with the setting on our camera, I know Stephen and Shara. : )
The last few pictures are of our annual tradition of making veggie trays to take to people. We put dip in the middle and the veggies are pretty. WE figure people get a lot of cookies, etc. so they might like some veggies to munch on. (Don't get me wrong, we did make fun Christmas cookies, too.)

Cookie-Decorating Day at Preschool

2011-12-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from cookie-decorating day at preschool last week. Each child got to decorate a dozen cookies to take home to their families. A few other moms and I were there to help out. The kids were adorable and so proud of themselves.

Happy Birthday, 5 year old Benjamin!!!! : )

2011-12-12T10:43:00.001-08:00

Our sweet little Benjamin turned 5 years old yesterday! We can hardly believe it, and count our blessings every single day for this amazing boy. He is an absolute joy and we love to see his observant, kind, giving heart at work all of the time. Very few people get away with leaving our home without some "gift" from Benjamin. : ) We ended up having a party with a few families that are dear friends and had a bowling theme. I was in charge of the cake, and David worked out all of the details of the bowling party with Benjamin. They spent Saturday afternoon spray-painting 2 liter bottles and juice bottles white (we had several saved for water storage) and then used black Duck tape to make the stripes. David marked the spot for each pin on the garage floor and set up bowling lanes using string. He even borrowed heaters from a neigbor to warm the garage up. Each child was given three pennies. One was to pay for the bowling, one was to rent shoes (mostly David's big shoes) and one was to buy popcorn. It was SOOO fun and they all loved it. (We had waffles for dinner-Benjamin's request.)

Happy December!!!

2011-12-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

We are in the full holiday spirit here. Today we made candy countdown chains--a fun tradition started by Aunt Janeece. We got our Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving at a small tree farm where we got to choose and cut down our own tree. It's been so fun! : ) Bring on the Christmas music and everything else! One of these evenings I'll try to go outside and get a picture of our outside lights. We had a fun bonfire/hot chocolate and lighting ceremony (David plugs in all of the outside lights while we ooh and aah in front of the house) while Brian and Debbie were here. I LOVE this time of year.
Hunter just mostly ate candy--not much help with the chain yet. : )
This is the "saw" that Ben made with some cardboard and a butterknife.

Goofy boys...

Carriage Hill

2011-11-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

Having fun with cousins...

Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving week. Brian (my brother) and Debbie came with their three kids and we had a wonderful time. We also had Glen (other brother) and Bekah here for a day. I know I haven't been posting a picture daily as I wanted to, but I'm not giving up! : )

We have SOOO many blessing to be thankful for, and all of our family and friends are at the top of the list!

Unfortunely we didn't take a picture of our Thanksgiving feast, but I'll be posting a few pictures of what we did during the week. Today's pictures are of a hike to Charleston Fall. It was a beautiful day and we had a fun time because Brian and Debbie taught us how to geo-cache. (You use GPS to search for "treasure" that people have planted for you to find. The kids loved it!)

Handsome boy!

2011-11-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

Is this a handsome kid or what? This picture was taken this summer when we were on our trip to see family in Idaho/Utah. Okay, I know I haven't been posting a picture a day--but I'm going to keep trying! So keep checking, grandparents. : )

Hunter knows...

2011-11-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

nose,
belly,ear,

foot,
Okay, he knows a lot more than that. : ) But I thought these were fun pictures. I LOVE the stage that he's in right now, wish I could freeze his adorable little cuddly self here forever. He is now trying to repeat words after us and I love that!

2011-11-11T04:52:00.000-08:00

St. Jude's Trike-athon at Preschool

2011-11-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

It was a fun day at preschool for Benjamin. They had a "trike-athon" to earn money for St. Jude's hospital. Benjamin rode over 60 laps!!! It made me dizzy just watching him. : ) He had a lot of fun and it was really cute to see the kids working hard to ride their bikes/trikes/scooters. And, of course, Hunter wanted to be a part of the action. : )

2011-11-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

We had such a great afternoon a few days ago. We went to a park where Benjamin could ride his bike around a trail, but we got derailed at the baseball diamond. I should have known it would be the fun place, since it's dirt. We played there for an hour, rolling a golf ball to see how far we could make it go and using a stick to make an X in the dirt where it landed. The last picture here is of Benjamin's dinosaur footprints. Both of the boys had a lot of fun (so did I) and it was a great reminder of life's simple pleasures.

2011-11-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

A few Halloween pictures for you to enjoy...
Here are our two amazing bats (Minus Benjamin's batman mask/cape; see the next picture for full effect.)

Notice the grip that Hunter has on his bucket. There was NO way he was letting go of that thing!!!

These are some good friends that we went trick or treating with for a little bit.

I just thought this family of bees was really cute!!!

It's that time of year...

2011-10-24T09:19:00.001-07:00

"MOM!" (Ben breathlessly running into the room with the Halloween candy that I bought this morning and he apparently just discovered.)

"What is this candy for? Is it for Halloween?"

Me: "Yes, what did you think it was for?"

Benjamin: "For days......that aren't Halloween."

Our Missionaries

2011-10-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I just read the first "missionary" emails from my mom and dad. I'm so proud of them. They reported to the MTC this past Monday and are heading to serve for 18 months in the Cebu, Philippines Temple. They are just so excited and it just made me smile so big to hear the enthusiasm in their emails.
David's parents have already been serving as mission president and mom in the Lima, Peru North mission for almost a year and a half. They will get back from their mission shortly after my parents. I'll be honest, we miss them. : ) We know how important their work is and we know how greatly they are blessing the missionaries and the people of Peru.
SOOO, as our boys have grandparents around the globe serving the Lord I only have this to say: Their example will have a much greater influence on our boys than any amount of cookies they can bake. : ) Thank you, parents, for EVERY good gift that you are giving to your families through your faithful service. We love you!!!!!!

While we were out...

2011-10-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

For the next few days I think I'll just be posting pictures of Benjamin and Hunter's adventures with Aunt Shara while we were in New Mexico. They had a wonderful time with her and we are incredibly grateful that she was able and willing to take such amazing care of them for us.
These are some pictures of their hike to Charleston Falls...

Fishing!

2011-10-21T17:49:00.001-07:00

We are back home in Ohio and were SOOOOOO excited to see our boys. We wanted to have some good time together today, so we took them fishing. Of course, there is no way any fish will bite when we're throwing things in the water, tangling lines, being loud, etc. It's not about the fish, though--right? We had a great time being together. Nothing makes us happier than to see Benjamin and Hunter being together. They spent forever collecting green things on the ground that had fallen from the trees (they're called monkey brains?) and throwing them into the water. They really had fun together and we're grateful beyond belief for these precious boys.

Because I feel like it's important to be honest when we're hurting--it gives permission to other people to be honest when they hurt--I'll tell you how I really feel about what has transpired with baby Preston. Right now I hate infertility--that my husband hurts and that my four year old ran out to our van looking for a baby that wasn't there. This is something I haven't felt before, and I can honestly say that. I know it's important to feel that right now, though, because it's giving me empathy. As far as adoption goes, I hate knowing that my becoming a mother means hurt for someone else. That I can quickly counter, though, because I know that Heavenly Father will bless a woman that makes that excruciating choice to place for adoption in infinite and eternal ways--and with peace. What else am I feeling? Intense gratitude for my two boys. There is not the tiniest bit of doubt that these precious spirits were meant to come to our home--they just needed to come through a little different route. : ) And that makes ALL of this worth it. I wouldn't change anything.
I recognize that these are focused on my little family, and the real issue at hand is that precious baby Preston. I can't say much more than this: I know that Heavenly Fathers loves him and loves Marisol. He will pour out every blessing that he can upon them. That is how our Heavenly Father is.

So Everyone Knows...

2011-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

We are heading back to our boys in Ohio without baby Preston. Marisol has decided to parent, and we ask everyone to be respectful of her decision. We are at peace, knowing that we have tried to follow the impressions that we've received and we have no regrets. Our hearts ache, but we recognize the tremendous blessings that we have received in our lives. We can't wait to get back to our boys!!! We thank all of our family and friends for your love and support--and also your prayers. We know they have been heard.

Preston's Arrival

2011-10-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

Handsome baby boy Preston was born on Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. He is healthy and so handsome with dark hair and Marisol's pretty almond-shaped eyes. Marisol was strong and had a good delivery--I was blessed to be able to be in the delivery room. We have grown to love and appreciate many of her family members and are grateful for their kindess. Preston weighed
7 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 20 inches long. We love you Marisol and we love you, Preston!!! Enjoy a few pictures...

Toothy boy

2011-10-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Hunter got his teeth quite early and has always had a wonderful toothy grin. : ) Good thing he has also always loved a toothbrush, and even to have his teeth brushed. He loves to carry a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste around.

We love Fall

2011-10-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful time of year! We went to Lost Creek Preserve yesterday and the boys got to pick out pumpkins and go on a hayride. There were a lot of other things for kids to do and we had a great time. : ) Some girls get showered with flowers, Aunt Shara got showered with pumpkins. : )

Aunt Shara is here!

2011-10-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Aunt Shara is here for a visit, and here is a video clip of the boys having fun with her playing with bubbles.

2011-10-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Bright Idea...

2011-10-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

So I took a picture of Benjamin and when I looked at it I laughed so hard because it looked like there was a light bulb over his head. : ) Pretty neat, right?

Sunday Morning Walk...

2011-10-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful morning as we went on a walk together as a family. I have REALLY appreciated this weekend together. We needed the time with our sweet boys, and we needed the peace that listening to general conference brings!
Our walk was at a park close to our house. There was a log with turtles trying to warm themselves in the sun, hopefully you can see them in the second picture.

General Conference Weekend!

2011-10-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of fun things we did today. We had cinnamon rolls, which is a tradition that we got from Debbie, and I made butternut squash soup. Then while we watched general conference we listened for three different words. We had a dish of candy for each word, so when somebody said that word we each got one of those candies.
We love general conference!!!

Green Beans

2011-09-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the store and they had huge bags of green beans for a great price. I was excited to freeze some beans, so I bought some. I figured it would be a great project for the boys and I. Well, let's just say that there are green beans ALL over the kitchen and some little boys whose stomaches are full of green beans. Anyway, I don't have a picture, but hooray for green beans and all projects that don't go quite the way we think they should.

Supermen!

2011-09-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Calm moment...

2011-09-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

Both boys actually got settled in with some good books for awhile. So cute!

So glad when Daddy comes home...

2011-09-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I took a few pictures--the boys sitting outside in their chairs waiting for Dad and mobbing him when he got home. I may be speaking for David, but I'm sure it's the best part of his day. : )

My new resolve...

2011-09-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

David's parents are serving a mission in Lima, Peru right now and my parents are reporting to the MTC on October 17th to serve in the Cebu Phillipines temple. Beyond that, we have some birth mothers that we love dearly and who are always happy to see pictures of our boys. Not to mention all of the aunts and uncles, cousins and friends that don't live close. SO, with all of this in mind I have a new resolve. My challenge to myself is to post a picture a day. Please visit our blog often to enjoy, and feel free to encourage me back into action if I start to slack. : ) We love all of you!

Today's picture: Last week I made it home from the store with a large package of toilet paper. In short order Benjamin had the package open and rolls scattered around the kitchen. Hunter got a HUGE kick out of this and started to build towers. They had a great time building with rolls of toilet paper. Once I got Benjamin to start cleaning it up I went into the other room and started to vacuum. He came into the room to tell me that Hunter was being his helper. Right on cue Hunter came trotting into the room behind him, flashed me his winning smile and help up a roll of toilet paper like it was a trophy. I LOVE those moments!!! : )

First Days...

2011-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

We've had some big first days. Today was Hunter's first day at nursery (at church). He loved it and had no problems (except for the need for a diaper change.) : ) He is such a delight to have around and his personality is just shining through more each day. He has a charming smile, and can also give the cheesiest grin you've ever seen. He is a big tease and has the best laugh. He can say mom, uh oh, cat, hat, hot, look and there are other words I've heard one time. We love this nursery boy!

Here is a picture of Benjamin's first day of preschool. He started a few weeks ago, so this is a bit late. This boy is an absolute joy and is FULL of life. He loves preschool and is doing so many great things. One special thing about Benjamin is that he is a seriously thoughtful little boy. He notices so many things (and has an amazing memory). He's a kind, helpful older brother who feels that it's his mission in life to make Hunter laugh--and he does that very well.

Mum Festival Parade

2011-09-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a float in the "Mum Festival" parade in Tipp City. We had so much fun and the boys did a great job staying happy through the whole thing. Hunter was smiling and waving at people like a champ. : ) November is family month, and the idea was to promote spending time together as a family. Each family from our ward that participated was to represent something they enjoy as a family. It was great. We had families riding bikes together, playing baseball together, camping together, etc. We dressed up for Sunday, hoping to promote Sunday as a family day. Yeah for families!!!!!! (AND we got the "Queen's Choice" award. That's right, the mum festival queen liked our float the best.) : )

Air Force Half-Marathon

2011-09-17T08:50:00.001-07:00

David headed to the air force base bright and early to participate in the air force half marathon. He did so well-with a time of 1:29 and 36 seconds. Amazing!!! Don't ask him today when he's going to do another one. : ) Here are some pictures---there are 13,000 participants, so it's a big one. The boys and I were there to cheer him on. There were some other people from our ward there, too--so that's who's in the group picture with us.

Uncle Stephen's Visit

2011-09-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

David's younger brother, Stephen, has been here for the past week and we have had a fantastic time. He has helped out with some projects in the yard, made salsa for us (and canned it), and we've taken him to some of our favorite places in Dayton. Here are a few pictures...

Carriage Hill is an old working farm/park that is close to our house. The boys helped Stephen build a great block tower. I love the picture of Hunter trying to climb the tree after him. Yes, he's got two nephews here who want to do everything he does. : )

These next pictures were taken at the Columbus Z00. It's a great zoo and we went on a perfect day. My favorite were the baby gorillas that we saw. Unfortunately, no picture of that.

Benjamin wanted his picture taken with every statue--this hammerhead shark picture is for Karl. : )
This morning we went to the National Air Force Museum. Hunter loved being an astronaut!

I LOVE these boys!!!!!!! We can't wait for Preston to join us. : ) (Yes, they look a little rough. Benjamin had a minor eye surgery to fix a blocked oil duct. Then there was a jogging stroller incident which left them a bit scraped up.)

A Minivan Family!!!!!!!

2011-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that we have a new (to us) Toyota Sienna. YEAH!!!!! We are much MORE thrilled to announce what it means--we needed a vehicle with more room!!! Yes, that's right, there is a third Blunck boy on the way.

Preston will be his name, and our birth mom

Marisol is due on October 9th.

(We love you Marisol!!!)

Man's Outing

2011-09-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

So several months ago I got the idea of taking the boys camping every fall in an effort to create a tradition they (and I) look forward to every year. Friday afternoon Stephen (my brother who is in town), myself, and the "boys" drove off to explore Ohio. Here are the highlights from our awesome trip.

1) Sticks are great
We started hiking and had gone no more than 20 feet and Benjamin found the best stick in the whole forest. Twenty feet further and he found the second best stick in the forest. Fortunately for us we only had a mile to hike before dark .... Ben quickly realized that he was not going to be able to carry all of sticks so he tried to recruit me. The thought of me carrying Hunter, a pack with gear, and an armful of sticks was not appealing. So Ben went to plan B, as shown in the picture. I have to admit I was proud. For any concerned females reading this post the patch over Benjamin's eye was to keep dirt out of it. He has a blocked oil duct which a doctor drained.

2) Uncles are awesome
It was lots of fun having Stephen camp with us. He was a great sport to pack in with us, help set up camping, and play with the boys. Benjamin loved the "swords" which he carved out of wood and Hunter would toddle around following him. Stephen was even good enough to eat our scrambled pancakes with melted Hershey bars ... oh the joys of camping.

3) Boys love the outdoors

Saturday morning we went for a hike in the area around the camp. We climbed up the revene which surrounded out campsite and found another trail. We had lots of fun exploring fallen trees, finding a frog, walking along game trails, finding more awesome sticks, and learning about the world around us. At the top of the revene we found this rotten tree stump :). Think My Side of the Mountain ..... just smaller.

<

4) A Trip to Remember
Nothing says that the boys had a great time better than the look of their faces on the drive home.....

We had a wonderful experience! I am so grateful that Sheri was so supportive, my brother was able to come, and most importantly for my two wonderful boys. I am already looking forward to next year.

David

"My mom says..."

2011-05-22T16:28:00.001-07:00

I am learning that Benjamin's babysitters need to be warned...he feels that he can get away with anything by prefacing it with "My mom says..."

Quite a while ago he told the babysitter as she was tucking him in "My mom says that I can leave the light on for seven minutes." Not true, but sounds reasonable.

Last night David and I had a fun date. (We actually got to go the the "modest prom" being sponsored by the two Dayton stakes--it was a great time.) A family in the ward watched them and here are a few of Benjamin's lines:

"My mom doesn't want me to lay down."

"My mom wants me to watch two movies."

And my personal favorite...(When asked if he wanted to read a scripture) "My mom doesn't want me to learn how to read."
Of course I don't. Reading is highly overrated. : )

Funny, but wrong. : ) We are having some good discussions about honesty. : )

Spring Break!!!!

2011-04-25T11:33:00.001-07:00

Although Benjamin's not in school yet, we had a FABULOUS Spring Break week with Aunt Debbie and cousins Haley, Nicole and Owen. It was Hailey's spring break, so we all had a party. They drove from New Jersey and we loved every minute that we were able to have them in Ohio! We had a lot of fun going to the Air Force Museum and visiting some historical aviation sites in Dayton (the Wright Brothers lived here). After seeing six of the sights the kids got some bears. Yeah!!! We also went to a very neat park (Carriage Hill) close to our house where we saw a lot of farm animals and learned about life on the farm in the early 1900's.

Our biggest excursion was a visit to the Cincinatti Zoo. We had so much fun, and the kids even got to feed a giraffe. Check out the LONG tongue!

These last two pictures are just some fun cousins pictures. I love the first one because they're all snuggling with the blankets Grandma Sanders made them.

Random April Pictures

2011-04-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

At the National Air Force Museum you can get your picture taken in a spacesuit. We have several pictures of Ben in the spacesuit, because he's been there several times. : )

Hunter and dad. Hunter is so much fun right now, learning to wave and do so many things. We love this sweet boy!

Benjamin had the experience of a lifetime when some friends came over to play one day. They brought dress-up clothes, and to his great delight they had a Buzz Lightyear costume!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUNTER!!!

2011-03-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st birthday to our sweet baby Hunter! We had a fun, low-key day and spent some good time outside. We had breakfast for dinner-he loves pancakes. When I said, "Okay, let's all say what we love about Hunter," he looked at me and got a HUGE grin on his face and started laughing. He kept looking back and forth between David and me. We LOVE this boy. A highlight of my day was receiving an email from his birth-mom April. It was a beautiful email, and she wrote, "I cant belive it has been a year today..It has been on my mind all day long. and i never regret it and would do it all over again.." I know that she means it, because I've felt the peace that has been with her in the whole process. It has been an amazing experience to feel this peace (an answer to prayers), like a bubble protecting her. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy...

Great catch!

2011-02-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today Benjamin and I were having a great time doing laundry, I was tossing him clothes from the washing machine and he was putting them in the dryer. He was very proud of himself after several successful catches and said, "I'm a great catcher." Of course he missed the next catch and humbly said, "Well, I'm a little bit of a great catcher..." : )

Benjamin's New Talent--Taking pictures of Hunter

2011-02-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Apparently one of Benjamin's jobs as a big brother is to have photo shoots with Hunter. I downloaded photos today and over half of the pictures had been taken by Benjamin, mostly of Hunter. Here are a few of his shots, he even got himself once. I took the last picture of Benjamin, which I love because it's so him.

White Christmas

2010-12-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Uncle Brian and Aunt Debbie fulfilled Benjamin's wish for a rocket by getting him a Stomp Rocket set. It is SOOO cool. Styrofoam rockets that you can launch by stomping on a launch pad. They go high and fast and Benjamin LOVES it, so David took him outside. He was out there for over an hour launching rockets and going down the slide, because he discovered how fast you can go when you're wearing snowpants. SOOO, here are a few pictures of the fun, and the CUTE hats are from Granpa and Grandma Blunck who are serving a mission in Peru. : )

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Pajamas

2010-12-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hunter's World

2010-12-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hunter is just changing every day!!! His toothy grin that melts your heart now shows off 4 teeth on top and 4 on bottom. He is on the move, crawling for a few weeks now (he never army-crawled, just went straight for the real thing) and puts anything and everything in the mouth. He now eats a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and I have enjoyed pureeing and freezing his vegetables myself. I freeze them in ice cube trays and it works great. He LOVES his big brother and always has an adoring smile for him. He's got such a sweet disposition and puts up with a lot of "love" from Benjamin. His newest trick is standing up in his crib, but he gets a bit stuck there because he's not quite to the point where he gets himself back down. : ) He's a blessing to us all!

YMCA Basketball

2010-12-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

Benjamin has had a great time over the past few months playing basketball at the YMCA every Saturday morning. David was the team coach and had a blast. : ) The boys were three/four years old, so they bring out small hoops and just let them have a lot of fun. : )

Benjamin's "Out of This World" Birthday

2010-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Benjamin's birthday on December 11th with:
1-Basketball game from 9-10:00
2-Primary activity from 10-11:30
3-Airforce museum with two other families 1-5
4-Waffle and Kiwi dinner : )
We all had a great day. Benjamin is a joy and blessing EVERY day in our lives. He is incredibly thoughtful and has a very sweet and cheerful disposition. He loves being a helper in the kitchen, a big brother, dad's sidekick, a ball player and a paper airplane maker. : )

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Fall Day

2010-10-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

These are just a few pictures at a park close to our home, Carriage Hill. It is huge and they have an old working farm to explore. Very fun.

Beautiful Baby

2010-10-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of our darling baby Hunter. Check out the nice teeth on bottom. : ) He is such a joy in our family. It's the best thing to see him watching Benjamin and laughing at everything he does. He has the BEST chuckle and is rolling around everywhere now to explore.

Charleston Falls Preserve

2010-10-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

We had a fun Columbus Day adventure exploring a beautiful area close to our home. The last few pictures are of Benjamin calling out to David, who was exploring a cave, "Dad, don't be afraid. Are you scared dad?" Eventually David got Benjamin to join him. : )

Welcome, baby Rita!!!

2010-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Price family welcomed baby Rita on September 28th. After many boys she is a sweet addition to the Blunck family and Hunter and I were very happy to make a trip out to Oregon to meet her. : ) David's parents are on a mission to Peru, so Janeece was definitely in need of some extra hands and some love and support as she's recovering from a c-section. We had a wonderful time. Janeece has seriously been blessed on many levels, I know the Lord keeps his promises! (Mom and Dad Blunck were promised that their family would be watched out for.) Here are some pictures:

This was a visit to Great Grandma and Grandpa Blunck: (Grandpa started out with "the big boy" Hunter and the we convinced him to take a chance with the delicate baby girl.)

These are pictures of Karl, Phillip and Hunter on an outing to a park. The weather was beautiful while we were in Oregon!

What do I do?

2010-09-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, you know all of those nice children's books about community helpers? Where the firemen are helping somebody get a cat out of the tree? Not true. As we speak our little kitty, that was here when we moved in, is stuck up HIGH in a tree (I'm not good as estimating how high, but higher than our house). I tried to climb up to it, but failed. SO, I resorted to calling the fire department. They probably wanted to laugh at me but kindly informed me that that can't do things like that for liability purposes. Hmmm. SOOO, the poor baby is stuck. The real reason this is especially sad is that the poor thing was hit by a car last night. It survived that with a minor wound, but seems to be okay other than that. So this morning the neigbor's dogs came into our yard and it flew up the tree. So I will wait, like they told me to. I don't know what else to do but blog. It's too early in Idaho to call my sister.

UPDATE: The cat finally fell out of the tree. Second traumatic experience within 24 hours. The poor thing!

Welcome to Ohio!!!

2010-09-08T11:04:00.001-07:00

Now we are settled into our new home in Ohio. Here are a few pictures. : )

Back of the house...5 acre field behind the house...

Graduation from Purdue University!

2010-09-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to David!!! He graduated from Purdue on August 6th. Here are a few pictures of the great day.

My parents were there with us on graduation day, and we're so grateful they made it! David's parents, who are serving a mission in Lima, Peru, were with us in spirit. : )
David receiving his diploma from France Cordoba, University president.

Picture of David the day before with his advisor, Jay Gore.
Benjamin and Hunter trying out the cap...
Just a really cute picture of sweet Hunter...

Finalization day!!!

2010-07-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a BIG day for us, we were able to go to court and have our adoption of Hunter finalized. : ) It was neat because we had the same judge that we had when Benjamin's adoption was finalized. : ) We owe April, Hunter's birthmom, a BIG thanks, because she was very instrumental in the last few days in helping us make this happen. (We had to get a signature that she helped us get!) We love her and are SOOO thankful for her courageous decision that has forever blessed our family. We are so thankful for all of our family and friends and the great support that we have. Hunter is one LOVED, beautiful baby boy.

This is a picture of Benjamin's finalization with Judge Daniels on June 4, 2007.
.

Congratulations, David!!!

2010-07-23T12:01:00.001-07:00

David defended his dissertation last Thursday and is approved to graduate on August 7th. YEAH!!! Here's a picture of David and boys on the big day.

Brothers...

2010-07-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough pictures of these sweet brothers together, we LOVE them!!!

Swimming Lessons and other water fun...

2010-07-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

We have had so much fun in the water this summer. Benjamin took swimming lessons and did great, we also have a slip-in-slide that we played with outside. Here are some pictures...

These are pictures of Benjamin with his friend Miranda running through the sprinkler at her house.

Pictures of Hunter...

2010-07-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here are a few sweet pictures of our baby Hunter. He is an absolute joy and has a smile and giggle that melts your heart. He rolled over for the first time on Thursday, from tummy to back, but has yet to perform that trick again. He's already has a haircut, so here are some pictures with his "new look".

Summer Fun

2010-07-09T11:43:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm behind, so here are a few summer fun pictures...
It was time for Benjamin to upgrade from this:

to THIS...

We've gone on many rides to Columbian Park, which is close to where we're living for the summer. It has a train that goes around the park, a water park, a FREE zoo, and lots of fun playground area. Oh, plus ponds where you can feed the ducks. It's just a great place. Here are a few pictures from walks over there and at the zoo...

Trip to Idaho after the wedding

2010-06-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Benjamin, Hunter and I went to Idaho for a visit with my family after the wedding in Utah. It was wonderful, and Hunter got to meet a lot of my family.

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa Blunck

Benjamin with cousins Kade and Brock

Hunter with Grandma Sanders

Hunter with cousin Paige

The boys and I with my grandparents, Glen and Nina Myers. LOVE THEM!

Benjamin with cousins Cali, Brock, Paige

Benjamin helping Grandpa Sanders mow.

Benjamin and Hunter with Grandma and Grandpa Sanders

My sister Laura and I

Congratulations, Stephen and Shara!!!

2010-06-01T06:20:00.001-07:00

We made a trip to Utah for David's brother's wedding. Stephen and Shara were married on April 30th in the Draper temple. They are a gorgeous couple and wonderful people. Congratulations!!! David with his dad...

BROTHERS!!! : )

2010-06-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

This was NOT staged, here Benjamin is "teaching" Hunter about baseball the day after he came home. : ) LOVE it.

Easter Picture

2010-06-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

Easter this year was pretty low-key with the new baby, but I did get this picture of Hunter. Does he have the sweetest face or what? We love this boy!

Congratulations, David!

2010-06-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to David, who has been awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student award at Purdue University, as well as the Oustanding PhD student in the mechanical engineering department. What a man! He has worked so hard and earned the respect of all who work with him by his integrity, discipline, and consistancy.

Time for Change!

2010-06-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

These are some of my dearest friends, and definitely some of my greatest examples as mothers! They are Pam Mills, then Janeece Price (my sister-in-law who has moved back to Oregon), then Brandaige Hafen (who is headed to Washington). So, we're all headed different directions. I can only hope that we can find such great friends in Ohio! : ) These are Benjamin's great friends, Karl Price, Miranda Mills, Jonas Hafen. (Children of the ladies pictured above.)

Sweet Baby Hunter

2010-04-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Happy big brother!!!

New Church Building

2010-04-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that they are building a chapel on the south side of Lafayette. Too bad we'll be in Dayton, Ohio, before it's finished. : ) Last Friday I took Benjamin to the ground-breaking ceremony. Neat thing to be a part of! (Benjamin was most excited about the playground at the nearby elementary school.

Ice-Skating Outing

2010-04-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

The mechanical engineering department at Purdue sponsored a skating night at the local skating rink. We though it would be so much fun for Benjamin. Well, as you can tell by the pictures, we had more fun than Benjamin did. : ) I think we made it around the rink three times. (He did enjoy that pizza, though. )

Random Pictures

2010-04-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

As I've downloaded pictures of little Hunter I realize I am quite behind on sharing some pictures. Here are a few fun ones of Benjamin. I can't stop laughing at this next picture...

Benjamin with cousin Karl....

Welcome, Hunter Lawrence!!!

2010-03-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

We are so excited and grateful for the birth of Hunter Lawrence Blunck! He was born Sunday, March 28th at 12:34. He weighs 7 pounds 2 1/2 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long. He is a healthy, beautiful baby boy and a very welcome addition to our family. We appreciate all the prayers for our birth mother, April. I have literally felt a protective bubble of peace surrounding her and I definitely feel it has been an answer to prayers. She is doing VERY well. I was able to be in the delivery room and that was a beautiful experience. She was in labor for about 3 hours and delivered with no pain medication at all. She was very tough! Again, thanks for all the support and prayers. : )

My Favorite Adoption Song

2010-02-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

Delivery(Cherie Call)
She was only seventeen and she knew she couldn't keep him

But at that very moment she wished that she could try

He was sleeping in her arms with his hand around her finger

When a woman came and told her it was time to say goodbye

So she wrapped him in a blanket as her tears fell on his head

And she sent him with a letter, and this is what it said;

"I delivered you from Heaven, from God's gentle loving care

And I've entrusted you to mortals who have wished and prayed you there

They will be your earthly parents

Listen well to what they say

So they can deliver you back to Heaven

And I'll meet you there someday"

One day a few weeks later someone gave her a letter

And as she read the words she had to wipe the tears away

It said, "We don't know how to thank you

There are things that words can't say

He's the sunshine and the happiness that brightens all our days

And we couldn't live without him, and we love him as our own

He has filled the empty spaces in our family and our home

You delivered him from Heaven, something only you could do

And you have trusted us to love him and to teach him what is true

You have been our earthly angel

And I hope you know we pray

That we can deliver him back to Heaven

And that we'll meet you there someday

And even though you may not get to hold him for a while

A piece of you will be with him

Every time he smiles

And when he looks at his reflection, he'll see traces of the face

Of the one who made the sacrifice to send him to this place

Last night we read a story of a man who had a son

Who was from a different father, but he loved him as his own

And as he laid Him in a manger there were angels that were singing

And he knew that as a father he would never be alone

There are times we feel like Joseph

We need help from up above

And when you gave your son, you showed that father's kind of love

When you delivered him from Heaven

From God's gentle loving care

And you entrusted him to mortals who had wished and prayed him there

And when this life's laid out before us

I hope we all can say

That we delivered this child together

When we meet again someday

We'll deliver him back to heaven

And we'll meet you there someday

Birthday Party

2009-12-14T06:55:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning we had some of Benjamin's friends over for a birthday party. They had a great time playing and eating basketball cupcakes, and we had a great time visiting with our friends.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Benjamin!

2009-12-14T06:31:00.000-08:00

The big birthday finally arrived. Benjamin's been requesting a basketball cake for months. SO, we had dinner with the Prices, ate basketball cake, and went to a highschool basketball game. Fun times. We love you, Benjamin!!!

This was Benjamin's face while watching the basketball game--mesmerized!

Merry Christmas to all!

2009-12-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

Deck the Halls

2009-12-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

Over the river...and through the woods (New Jersey)

2009-12-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous time in New Jersey for Thanksgiving with Brian, Debbie, Hailey, and Nicole. Yes, it was a long drive-but Benjamin was fantastic. Anyway, the big surprise was how wooded the area was, they even had deer going through their backyard. Anyway, thanks Brian and Debbie for letting us visit at a pretty crazy time for you! (They just moved there!)

Sorry, Brian, I am posting this picture even though you did a crazy weird eye thing. Serves you right for ruining this cute picture. : )

We LOVE adoption!!!

2009-12-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I have done an abismal job of being an adoption advocate on my blog, especially in the month of November. (It's National Adoption Awareness Month.) It's hard to even try to express in words how I feel about the blessing of bringing Benjamin into our family. I remember our Bishop reminding us around the time that he was born that we stand on "very sacred ground." That really sums up how I feel! We have so much love and respect for his birth mother. I have decided that placing your child (not "giving up"--a careful, deliberate plan is made) when circumstances are such that you cannot give him/her everything that you want for him/her (a mother and father, time and attention, financial and emotional stability, etc.) is a very "mother" decision to make. We have been been surprised to learn how many birth mothers actually have children already and when they find themselves with changing circumstances and an unexpected pregnancy they make the choice to make an adoption plan. Here are some pictures of an adoption walk that my friend organized here in Lafayette and we participated in. Awesome!

WE LOVE ADOPTION!

It's about love!

*If you would like one of my crocheted heart magnets for your fridge, like the picture at the top of this post, just comment and let me know. I will GLADLY send you one, two, or more! I want to spread them near and far--it's my effort at being an adoption advocate. : ) They are meant as a reminder that adoption is about love.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Halloween seemed to sneak up on us this year! David and I left early in the morning to go to the temple with a couple in our ward who just got baptized (I'll include a picture). It is incredible to experience the temple with somebody who is there for the first time!!!

Benjamin spent the day with Prices and went to Indianapolis with them to drop Grandpa off at the airport. We picked him up and got him dressed up in his costume, a BYU basketball player, and trick-or-treated around our neighborhood. After each house he said, "One more house, daddy?" He loved it. Also, notice the basketball pumpkin he carved with grandpa!

Let there be light!

2009-11-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Our home was built in 1997, when it was apparently not necessary to put overhead light in bedrooms. We got used to lamplight in all three bedrooms and in our living room, but always wanted to install some light fixtures. David's dad being here was the push we needed, okay--David needed, to tackle the project. David, Dusty (brother-in-law) and dad isntalled a ceiling fan in the living room and light fixtures in our bedroom and Benjamin's bedroom. Yeah!!!

Grandpa Blunck's visit

2009-11-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

Last week we had David's dad here for a visit. He loves to be with "his boys" (three grandsons) and experience life at their pace. We spent an entire afternoon at a park playing in leaves, building a rock house, and -of course- playing on the equipment. Benjamin is incredibly fearless and will climb anything. There is also a picture from our outing to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. (Benjamin operating the digger.)

Grandpa and Grandma Sanders

2009-11-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with my parents and made a trip to Brown County State Park to see the beautiful fall colors.

Lake Michigan with Grandma Blunck

2009-11-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

David's mom was the next to visit, and we had fun playing, making jewelery, and swimming. We also spent one very chilly day at the beach (Lake Michigan). I think Benjamin's favorite part of the visit was the one-on-one lessons from her on dribbling. (She brought him a basketball that is just his size.) Every night in his prayers he says "thanks for going outside, for basketball..."

Let the family visitors begin!!!

2009-11-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

We began a long stint of having family company the last week of September when my sister Katie and her family visited from Texas. We had a great time and were even able to celebrate her birthday with her while she was here. She has three darling children, who we got to have for a few extra days while she went to her brother-in-laws wedding. Here are a few pictures:

Benjamin at the park with cousins from both sides of the family!
Alana has a spunky personality and incredible natural curls.
Me and my sister.Another cousins picture.
Tanner and Benjamin had so much fun playing. Yes, Tanner has an awful black eye after an encounter with our piano bench.
I went to check on Tanner and Alana and they were asleep holding hands. SOOO sweet!

Lake Michigan Vacation, Benjamin's perspective

2009-08-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

We went on a great vacation to Warren Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan. The best part was that Uncle Dusty, Aunt Janeece, cousins Karl and Phillip were there. This is a picture of me with my best buddy Karl on a bug hunt.We had a lot of space to play tag, soccer, and baseball. The important thing was we got to do a lot of running.

My dirty face tells you just how much fun I had.So, there is a really steep and high sand dune called Mt. Randall. Karl and I both climbed to the top of it all by ourselves. Then we kept hiking all the way out to the beach. We tackled it!

Riding on a log is fun and everything, but....
I'm out of here, dad!
We all took turns being buried in the sand and I loved it! I laughed and laughed. Dad got really buried, but he was very strong when he broke out of the sand.

Karl wanted a "red treat" for climbing to the top of the dune and I wanted a "blue treat." Dad found a fruit stand and got red plums for Karl and blueberries for me. Yummy!
We went on a little drive to the city of St. Joseph and had a great time exploring. Here are some pictures of me at a fun park that we found on the beach.

We went to a great ice cream parlor in St. Joseph and I got some "Superman" ice cream. It was very colorful, so of course I picked it. (Mom didn't think it tasted very good.)
I was ready to drive mom and dad home, but I guess I'll have to wait a few years before I can do that. : )

Time in Idaho Falls

2009-07-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

The last part of our trip, and the majority of it, was spent at my parents house in Idaho Falls.

This is our new niece Kenzie, my sister Katie's 3rd sweet baby.
Benjamin and the cousins had a great time on a slip-n-slide at Grandma's house.
Sisters (Laura and I), Sisters (Hailey and Nicole-nieces)

Benjamin giving Nicole a love, I'm not sure if she was excited about it.

Benjamin and I with my wonderful grandparents.

Benjamin with his Grandma and Grandpa Sanders.

Saying goodbye to cousins Hailey and Nicole.

4th of July in Soda Springs and Grace

2009-07-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Soda Springs, Idaho, and my sister lives just 15 minutes away from there. After Glen's wedding we drove to Grace and we got to spend the 4th of July in Soda Springs. The morning started with a fabulous parade, a Soda Springs tradition, which basically consists of a lot of people throwing candy to the kids. Benjamin learned early on that, if you just smile and wave, your charms will get you an extra large heap of candy tossed in your direction. It was SOOO fun to watch him. Then we went to the park, where festivities are going on for a lot of the day. We got to see some great friends and I absolutely LOVE that hometown feeling. Soda Springs was THE best place to grow up and visiting there does wonders for my spirit. We had a fun barbecue at the Johnson's house (my sister's family) and enjoyed a great fireworks show.

Benjamin and cousins are ready for the parade!

Congratulations, Glen and Bekah!!!

2009-07-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Glen and Rebekah Jones were married on July 3rd in the Twin Falls, Idaho, temple. It was a most beautiful day, and incredibly special because my parents were in the temple with their five children and their spouses. What a blessing!