The Patterson Family: Happy 12th Birthday Hunter!

On July 2nd, 1998
at 3:06 p.m.
Hunter Brian Ross Patterson
was born at American Fork Hospital
weighing in at 7lbs 6 oz.
He was the smallest baby I had, had......
After he was born I told the Doctor I didn't think he was done yet...
maybe he should be put back for awhile.....
I just didn't know what to do with such a small baby!
But he was cute, and he did not look like any of my other kids
when they were born.....

When I found out I was pregnant with Hunter we were very busy
building our house in Alpine.
Wouldn't you know he was due the same time the house was due to be done
so that it could be in the Utah County Parade of Homes!
In stead of telling people I was pregnant
we just started referring to the sitting room
off of our master bedroom as the nursery.
It didn't take people long to figure it out.
We were so busy with the house
that I hardly had time to think about
having a new baby.
It was so funny because every week James would print out a new schedule for what was happening or would be happening on the house so that all of the subs would know
exactly when it was there time on the house.
One day I was looking at the schedule, and there I was on the schedule
between carpet and furniture.
Giving birth to Hunter was on the schedule. Too funny!
Luckily Doctor Richards recognized the importance
of sticking to the schedule and induced me on that day!
We were actually so busy with the house that James just dropped
me off at the Hospital door with the instructions to call
when he was needed!
By the time you have your 6th baby it is not so important to have your
husband sitting around staring at you for hours,
so I was o.k. with being dumped at the door..............

Hunter was a sweet baby!
He didn't cry much and was o.k. with not being held all of the time,
which was a good thing because we were so busy the first few weeks of his life
I never got to really enjoy having a newborn baby.
With finishing the house and all
I also had to deal with packing up our old house and moving into the new one.
So it was a busy time!

The Story of Hunters name.........
We decided to name him Hunter after the Prophet Howard W. Hunter.
He was one of my favorites, but was not the prophet for very long.
I chose the middle name Brian, after our good friend Brian Burke.
James and he have been good friends since childhood and remain close today.
I really like Brian, so I wanted to use his name.
The Ross part of his name came about on his blessing day.
Our really, really good friend Ross came out from Australia for Hunters blessing.
James kept asking me if I wanted to change Hunters middle name to Ross,
in honor of Ross, whom we both loved...
but I wasn't exactly in love with the name Ross.
I liked the name Brian so much better.
While James was blessing him he decided to give him 2 middle names,
Hunter Brian Ross
(Royalty always give several names, so why not Hunter)
So on the Church records that is his name........

Hunter looked so much like James.
Even as a baby complete strangers would comment on
how much they looked a like.
James would always respond, "I know he is cute isn't he?"
He was a cutie that's for sure!

Always Happy and smiling!

Our bed became the community bed,
as we would awake every morning to find
pretty much the whole family sleeping in it.
Especially Daniel and Hunter!

Not sure this was the safest place to play
but it was one of his favorites!

Hunter at ONE year old!

My favorite Halloween costume of his!

He was such a toe head!
I loved his blond hair, and also that he got my skin
and always tanned up so nicely for being a blond!

He always liked to get into the massive pillows on my bed and then
poke his head out so all you could see
was this little head poking out of the pillows!

Making his hulk face above,
and then being the hulk for Halloween below......
He loved the Hulk and Daniel loved spider man.
They would always try to trick me by asking me
who I liked best?
The Spiderman or the Hulk,
But I knew what they were really asking was
"Who do you like best? Daniel or Hunter?"
I always responded I liked them the same,
in reality, I liked the Hulk.............

After being really sick and getting very dehydrated,
Hunter got to sit in the Hospital watching t.v. and eating popcicles.
He thought it was so great!

Becoming an uncle at age 7
with the birth of Dakota!!!!!

Hunter was playing baseball with James
and James threw the ball way up so Hunter could get underneath it and catch it.
He just forgot to catch it with his mit and caught it with his eye!

Hunter started Jr Jazz in the 2nd grade and has played every year since!

At Hunters Baptism we asked Brother Hofheins to play his trombone.
He played a medley of Primary Songs.
It was so great.
Who would have thought a trombone could be reverant, but it was.

Hunter and the family with Captain Jack Sparrow
when we went on the Disney Cruise in 2008.

Snorkeling in the Bahamas!

Halloween!
or future Utah Player!
Hunter loves the University of Utah Football team!
His favorite professional team is the Saints!
This past years Super Bowl Champions!

Hunter loves to read!
And will sit and do it for hours...................
He also has always been a very good student,
always getting top awards for academics at the end of each school year.
This year he told me he would rather get the awards for athletics!
Oh well.............

Hunter was in the school play and had one of the few talking parts,
playing Sam Smooth, news reporter!

At a University of Utah Game this year!
How cool is this???????
He got his picture taken with Swoop, Utah's mascot!
Swoop actually came up to Hunter in the stands!

Loved being receiver for his Football team this year.
He really liked his team and coach from this past year
and is hoping to get on the same team this coming year!