HUNTER BRINGS THE FAMILY

Out of all ten grandchildren that Debra and I share between us, we have waited the longest period of time since last seeing Hunter. We saw him at Christmas in 2006 when he was only a year-and-a-half old. Hunter is now four. We haven’t seen him for over two-and-a-half years! This weekend Hunter brought his mother, brother and sister for a weekend visit.

I was curious to know how Hunter would respond to me when I first met them at the hotel yesterday morning. Would he even remember me? I pulled into the hotel parking lot as Tracy, Cody, Emily and Hunter were descending the stairs from their upstairs room. I parked my truck and opened the door to greet them.

As soon as my feet touched pavement, Hunter bolted across the parking lot toward me, arms extended, shouting “Papa! Papa! Papa!” I was surprised and pleased and, quite frankly, it felt good when he leaped into my arms and squeezed my neck with all his four-year-old might.

Thanks largely to the Internet, I have been able to stay fairly well connected to Hunter and to his mom. It may have helped, too, that I recently wrote and printed a 50-page book, complete with over 100 photos, entitled “Hunter Turns Four”. I sent that book to Hunter only about two weeks ago as a birthday present.

The book was written as a children’s story showing photos of my parents, my siblings, Hunter’s paternal grandmother, Ben and his sisters, Hunter as a baby, Hunter with his parents and with his siblings over the past four years, a bunch of aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, and a concluding photo of Papa and Nana holding a ToysRUs gift card which we gave to Hunter. The book basically chronicled Hunter’s roots in an easy-to-read, well-illustrated format and it was written with the purpose of helping him understand his connection to at least one branch of his family tree.

So, Hunter knew me when he saw me.

Anyway, when Hunter raced across the parking lot and jumped into my arms, the connection was strong, the chemistry was good, the excitement level was high, and the entire weekend was incredibly fun.

The five of us got into Tracy’s car and drove to The Old Farmhouse Restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast, we headed for the Family Fun Center for a game of miniature golf. After golfing only five holes of the eighteen-hole course, the outside thermometer had already reached into the nineties and the sweaty faces indicated that the final thirteen holes would not be all that fun. So, we went indoors into air-conditioned comfort, climbed around Cactus Jack’s Playhouse and placed a bunch of tokens into a bunch of rides and video games.

Then we stopped at Subway for lunch before heading to Papa and Nana’s house for an afternoon in the pool. After a few hours of swimming and soaking up the hot Hybiscus Street sun, we grilled burgers and hot dogs, then headed off to the movie theater where we each put on a pair of special 3-D glasses and watched the new 3-D release, “G-Force”, an animated suspense thriller about a specially trained squad of guinea pigs who are dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world.

Then, after a jam-packed twelve hours together, it was time to sleep.

Finally, we hooked up again at church this morning and, following church, Hunter and his crew drove off to Beaverton to spend some time with the Weathersbys.

Hunter said that his favorite breakfast was pancakes. So, at the Old Farmhouse Restaurant, that's what he ordered.

Between breakfast and the miniature golf course, we made a quick stop by the hotel. Hunter and Cody waited in the back seat while Tracy and Emily got some stuff from the hotel room.

Golfers: Hunter, Tracy, Me, Emily & Cody.

Hunter putts while Cody, Emily & Tracy await their turns.

Leaving the outdoor heat behind, we all retreat indoors where Hunter discovers the slide at Cactus Jack's Playhouse.

Trucker Hunter.

Guitar Hero rocking out.

Shooting stuff.

Hunter takes the steering wheel of this vehicle while his brother, Cody, races the car beside him in the background. Note that Hunter has a cast on his right arm and Cody has a cast on his left arm.

Caveman riding a dinosaur.

Cody, Hunter & Emily ascend Cactus Jack's Playhouse.

Cody, Hunter & Emily descend Cactus Jack's Playhouse via the slide.

Emily, Tracy, Hunter, Cody and a dragon find a cool spot in the summer sun. That blue thing on Hunter's arm was purchased at a pharmacy to keep his cast dry while in water.

"Hi, Nana!"

Hunter demonstrates how brave he is by putting his face under water, opening his goggled eyes, and blowing bubbles into the water.

Papa & Hunter.

Emily & Cody.

Cody's turn to use that blue thing on his cast.

Once it became Hunter's nap time, he was given a choice: Rest on a bed in the house or rest on a lounge by the pool. Hunter made his choice.

"Hi, Nana!"