Hunter's 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday my boy! I was going to title this "Hunter's Beach Birthday" but seeing as I was a lame parent and forgot to take pictures while we played on the beach...

So here is how the day went for my dear Hunter. Seeing as we live on a beach, Ryan and I thought it was only appropriate to get him a boogie board- just his size. We didn't wrap it. We sort of hid it in the curtains and then pulled it out for him. Lame? Well he liked it!

We also gave Hunter a new snorkel set. He's been using some old fins of mine that work when he puts on his water shoes first and then slips his feet into my fins, but they are so long that he often trips over them. And then Gabriella tried using his snorkel (she couldn't quite get it) and bit off the little rubber sides of the piece that sits in your mouth. That may not seem like a big deal, but it allows you to hold the mouth piece in and keep the water out! Anyhow, he was pretty jazzed about his new set too. He LOVES to snorkel with Ryan or I out in our little bay to look for turtles, octopus, puffer fish, eel, and hundreds of other colorful, tropical fish.
Here is Kolea eating a Portuguese treat that our neighbor and friend, Brandee made before coming over to the party. It's deep fried sweet dough. And oh my goodness it's a tasty treat!!
We set up the BBQ portion of the day under the house in the shade. Hunter and Gabriella were snacking on chips, a little impatient for our friends to arrive. You can see Ryan in the background at the grill. He grilled up two different kinds of hot dogs and some burgers. And of course the day before he'd made his famous fresh salsa, which was a BIG hit. It was all really yummy!
This is our group of friends that came to enjoy the day with us! Thanks everyone, it was fun! Our neighbor (not LDS) commented (and was quite surprised) at all the babies that were there!! Every family that came- had a baby. Hahaha- welcome to the married student BYU ward!
Here is my little baby (now 15 months) being just as cute as ever. I didn't catch her soon enough for the pic. Previously she was leaning her head back against the seat- totally chillin' Hawaiian style!
So at this point we all went to beach and played in the water or sand... We had kayaks to use (thank you Brandee) and we paddle boarded and Hunter played on his new boogie board, and we swam and just had a great time! Finally everyone was beginning to get tired so we walked back up to the house and rinsed our feet and legs and other sandy body parts in our outdoor shower to have some birthday cake and ice cream.

You see this awesome cake!?! Our friends make these awesome cakes as a hobby! Thank you Michelle and Jeremiah- you are truly a talented duo. =) Hunter told them that he wanted a 3 headed, scary, slimy, creepy monster. So I told them to let their creative juices flow and have fun! The lighting is really crappy in these pics, but hopefully you can get the gist of it.
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Hunter, happy birthday to you! Make a wish....
It was really cool. The "monster" was made out of rice crispy treats. You can see the three different layers. The bottom cake was a funfetti and the top two were both red velvet. Yummy!
All in all, it was a fun afternoon. Our friends soon went home; and our family of five? We headed back to the beach of course! It was time for Hunter to try out is new snorkel gear. =)

This picture is taken with me standing at the edge of our concrete slab underneath the house. Those stairs lead up to the house. The board? Ryan's new paddle board (Happy be-lated birthday, Merry early Christmas to him.) The house on the right? Brandee's. The view (including our cute hammock)... 100% ours! And we love it.
And so the day comes to a close with Hunter reminding us at every turn that it's his birthday. Like when Gabriella is sitting where he wants to sit, "but it's my birthday" he protests. Or when he wanted to go back to Kaden's house (Brandee's son) "it's my birthday mom!" And my favorite, when he should be going to bed. He suckered daddy into letting him stay up almost an hour later-- and when I protested, what did Ryan say???? "BUT IT'S HIS BIRTHDAY!"

Hunter, my first born, my son. I love you. You are a kind, sweet boy. Often you are shy, but make friends easily. Everyone is your friend. Everyone likes you, and you like everyone! We love that about you. You are an adoring big brother to Kolea, and a beloved playmate to Gabriella. Even though one can't tell you - and the other won't, you are very loved by your sisters. They look up to you and adore you.

We are very blessed to have you in our family. I will never forget the moment when the Spirit witnessed to me that I was pregnant and I was to have a little boy. I was so overcome by this unexpected, yet wonderful surprise that I knelt and prayed to Heavenly Father and thanked him for blessing me (us) with this new life. This new life, your life that brought LIFE into your parents' lives. =)

Your name is an important part of your character, Steven Hunter. You carry the names of two wonderful people. The first being your paternal grandfather, Steven Allred Hitz. As the tradition goes, you received the first name of your father, Steven Ryan and his father- the above mentioned. They love the gospel and are true to their testimonies. Just as you love the gospel and are a good example to others. The second is Captain Jefferson Hunt of the Mormon Battalion. He is your 5th great grandfather. It may be hard to believe that you have something in common with someone who lived so long ago, but you do! He was a quiet man, a soldier. He always did the right thing and led others and taught them to do the same. You have that same ability to forge ahead and lead others amidst the darkness as long as you rely on your Father in Heaven. We are so thankful that you are a part of our family. You are so young and have already taught your father and I so much. Happy Birthday, love.