Hard to believe it, but Hunter is officially 3. Or, “free years older,” as he says. It’s crazy to think how much our lives have changed since he was born. We were living up in the mountains of Colorado. Minding our own business. Trying to grow a Burrito Bandito empire, with me working full time from home. We’d just finished fixing up our mountain townhome, and finally got the condo back on the rental market after the big fire.
Then along comes Wellspring…located in a far off town in Oregon. Six weeks old and Hunter’s crazy parents pack up his lifelong belongings and move halfway across the country to start our lives over. Coworkers still refer to Hunter as Wellspring’s mascot, because he’s been there since the beginning. I guess that’s their connection.
For Eric and I, Hunter has been our constant source of inspiration. Who knew that being a parent could be so cool?! Frustrating at times, yes. (Especially with Hunter in his current two/three transition stage.) Often hilarious. (Mostly when he says something completely inappropriate, like yelling, “Mommy, I pee pee in the potty!” in the middle of a busy restaurant.) Yet always, always fulfilling. (Usually when we finally succeed in getting him to stay in his own bed all night….) Did I mention frustrating?
No, seriously. Hunter is such a good little guy we were a little worried about how Maddox would turn out. Surely we’re “owed” some bad parenting experiences to make up for Hunter’s relatively easy childhood. I know…gasp! I may have just jinxed us. But, we’re already mentally preparing ourselves for the teen years with these two Nelson boys. The good news is, we’ve solved that potential problem. We’re moving to the Virgin Islands with cousin Leah and her husband, Aaron, while these boys stay stateside. Heck, we figure Deb, Darrell and Joan did so well with raising Eric and I, we’re confident that they’re perfect for the job! 
Just kidding. Just KIDDING!
So, what else is new, huh? Well, as mentioned, Hunter just turned three. We had a birthday party a couple weeks ago. Eric built the coolest slip and slide on the downward slope of our yard. It was about 100 feet long, fueled by sprinklers that shoot water in both directions. The kids (and adult men) had a lot of fun. Hunter, on the other hand, tested the slide the night daddy finished it…got water up his nose…and refused to go down ever again. Poor Eric! 
I started back to work on July 5th. Boy it was a crazy transition getting two kids out the door to daycare. Both of them go on Mondays and Tuesdays. Grammy Joan graciously watches Maddox on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and then I still work from home on Fridays. Thank goodness for Fridays!
Maddox is handling the daycare interactions well, although his daily naps get interupted there with the noise and commotion. Hunter, too, is transitioning. This is the first time he’s gone to school four days in a row for an extended period of time. The first couple of weeks I could tell he was getting really worn out during the day (slept really hard at night…hooray!). And, he’d be little more than bearably excited when he learned we were “going to school AGAIN today.”
Hunter’s doing a lot better now. Getting used to the new normal. Maddox, too, is sleeping through the night now (thank goodness!), so everyone is much better rested. Although I’ll use the “mommy brain” excuse for as long as possible!
Eric and I celebrated our fifth anniversary a couple of weekends ago. Grammy Joan stayed with the boys for the night and we headed over to wine country. We hit four wineries the first afternoon. Had a nice dinner and were supposed to be at the airstrip at 5a.m. for our hot air balloon ride. Well, we showed up. But, so did the rain clouds. Heavy rain and hot air balloons don’t mix, so our flight was postponed. Bummer! Good luck finding another weekend where we can both be off work at the same time.
Oh well. Life is about being flexible, right!? So, we went out and bought a 42″ TV for our bedroom that day instead. Improvise.
Most recently, my good friend Corie from Orofino and her family met us for dinner. She was over here taking some classes at Oregon State University for a couple of weeks. It was a short visit, but so great to see them.
Hope things are interesting in your lives as well. Hugs to all!
P.S. I had to change to a new photosharing website. So, in order to see the pictures, you must click on the arrow “play” button. Enjoy.
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