Busy days and four teeth!

It has been a busy couple of weeks at the Hunter household! While Brian and I have been busy putting our condo on the market, celebrating Lydia's and my birthdays, and participating in Lenten services, Miles has been cutting teeth and rolling over. I don't have a lot of time today to tell all the stories, but here are some photos and descriptions for your amusement. Enjoy!

Here we are at Lydia's and my birthday party!
Thanks for all your hard work, Carina, to make both of us feel special
(Uncle Mikey too)!

In The Orthodox Church, the first Sunday of Great Lent is known as "The Sunday of Orthodoxy." On this day, we celebrate the triumph of The Orthodox Church in the 9th century, when it was determined that icons should be restored to the Church. Therefore, the children bring an icon to church on this day for a procession.
Miles brought his icon of Maximus the Confessor:


Miles is really getting the hang of sitting on his own:

He also LOVES his new cup! Although he doesn't necessarily drink out of it, he gets more excited about his cup than just about anything else. It's his special treat at the end of meals.

The other day I went in to get Miles up from his nap and found him like this! He is a belly sleeper, so you can imagine my surprise when I found him on his back. He was having a great time! He is such a happy baby!

Back home in Chicago

Since we've been home, Miles has been busy. He has been playing in the snow:

He has also been helping with the laundry:


In this video, pay close attention to how Brian's VOICE almost knocks Miles over! Mind you, Brian had been playing this game with Miles for a minute or so before we started video-taping him; even so, he seems shocked. Ha!

Oklahoma Trip (Phase Two: Ponca City)

The second and longest phase of our trip was spent in Ponca City, Oklahoma, where Brian was born and raised. Most of his father's family also lives in Ponca City, so our trips to Ponca are always filled with visits with Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and friends. Miles proved to be rather popular. He loved all the adventures and love he received throughout the week!

Reading with Grandpa Hunter

Laughing with Nana

Playing with Uncle George and Aunt Vickie

Fun with Uncle Bill and Aunt Cathy
Showing off his "Miles" hat with Aunt Carolyn

Meeting Cousin Catie
Visiting the new Standing Bear museum and park in Ponca City:
"I am a man. The same God made us both."
- Chief Standing Bear
http://www.poncacity.com/history/bits/ponca_chief.htm


A visit with friends, Lynn and Carolyn Hopkins

Cousin Damon tried to get Miles to be an OSU fan,
but Miles would have nothing of it . . .
Instead, Miles got Damon to come around to his side:

A photo of the Hunter Men (minus Uncle Dennis):


What a wonderful week!
We can't wait to see everyone again in June!

Images from the Road

"Are you sure we're going the right way, guys?"

Yes, we drove to Oklahoma and back with our 7 month old and lived to tell about it. We would have been lost without him! Miles is a terrific traveler, as you'll see in these photos (fear not: we are law-abiding citizens, so these pictures were all taken with our vehicle in PARK).

Silly Miles! The Atlas isn't for eating!

Oklahoma Trip (Phase One: "Down on the Farm")

Our latest adventure included a 10-day trip to Oklahoma to introduce Miles to his Oklahoma relatives. The first phase of our trip included a visit with Uncle Glen and Aunt Kaye Bounds at their farm in Adair, Oklahoma. This is a special place for Brian and his family because the land belonged to Brian's maternal great-grandfather, then his grandfather, and now his Aunt and Uncle. Their family purchased the 160 acre piece of land from the original owner, who had claimed the two 80 acre plots in the land run. Uncle Glen and Aunt Kate recently moved to Adair from Dallas, TX in order to spend their retirement in the brand new house they built on the farm. They are wonderful hosts and are living the good life "down on the farm."

The night before we left, we celebrated Brian's 33rd birthday at home. Before Miles went to bed, he had story time with Daddy.

Once Miles went down for the night, I went and got burgers and fries from our new favorite burger joint, "Mickey's." If you're interested, it's on Harlem Ave. just south of Chicago Ave. It's worth the trip for a Big Mickey! Here is a photo of Brian enjoying his birthday meal (including one of our favorite beverages, "Sprecher" Cream Soda). He's really made the big time, folks!

Here are some photos from the farm, where Miles proved to be a natural country boy, despite his Chicago-living.

All this fresh air really tuckered Miles out . . .

Thanks for a memorable visit, Uncle Glen and Aunt Kaye!
We can't wait to see you again in June!