Getting Ready for Preschool...

Benjamin was pretty excited about getting his preschool supplies ready for preschool. We took this picture outside of Mrs. Hofer's house right before his preschool open house. I don't know if you notice that big smile of his or not but man does he love going to "school".

Gunnar's 6 Month Baby Well Appt...

Gunnar had his 6 month doctor appointment on August 9, 2010. He weighed 20 lbs 12 oz (90-97 %) and measured 27 inches (75 %). His head measured 17.3 inches (50 %). He is such a happy go lucky relaxed little boy. He didn't even notice when he got his vaccines! He handled it so well.

Gunnar got his first tooth (front bottom left) when he was a few days shy of being 6 months old. Teething is not going well for Gunnar. He gets very irritable and nothing really seems to help. Six months old was a busy month for Gunnar as he started to crawl and sit unassisted. We think he is just trying so hard to do whatever Benjamin and Ada are doing. Benjamin and Ada get so excited for each one of Gunnar's milestones. I don't know who gets excited more Gunnar, Benjamin, Ada, or Dave & I about each new milestone that Gunnar reaches. Gunnar got his second tooth at 6 months old (front bottom right).

Baptism...

We celebrated Gunnar's baptism on July 17, 2010. Gunnar was just like his older brother and sister when it came to the church service and ceremony. He was happy go lucky the entire time. The only sounds he made were happy ones. Gunnar's Godparents were my brother Craig and his wife Stephanie.

I made Gunnar's cake and we had marinated ham sandwiches and different salads for lunch. It was hard to believe what a great mood Gunnar was in because the temperature was over 100 degrees that day! I only wish I could say the same thing about our other two children! Having 20 plus people in our small house was sure a work out for our central air (good thing we have a heat pump that was able to keep up). We were lucky enough to have all the grandparents and most of the great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins to celebrate with us.

Cereal Time...

I would like to start off apologizing to everyone about letting my blog get so far behind. I don't have any good excuses so I am not going to even try to come up with why it is so behind. Please bear with me as I get this blog caught up by March 1. That is my goad/deadline for myself. So without further ado I will start this back tracking adventure.

When Gunnar turned 6 months old he got to try eating cereal for the first time. Benjamin and Ada were super excited to see him try his cereal. Gunnar was pretty interested in the spoon and the first three bites. After that he was game over.

Gunnar's 4 Month Baby Well Check...

Where does the time go? Gunnar had his 4 month baby well visit on May 25, 2010. He weighed 17 lbs 5 oz (97 %) and was 26 inches long (95 %). His head measured 16 1/4 inches (50 %).

He is a very relaxed, happy go lucky baby. He has officially out grown the colic (he started up with colic when he was 6 weeks old and he had it for 8 weeks). It was a very exhausting time but Gunnar is the kind of baby that makes you want more. He is just so cute, cuddly, and loving! I can't picture our family any other way.

He started rolling over from his tummy to his back on May 7, 2010 and he started rolling over from his back to his belly on June 8, 2010. He smiles all the time and is very vocal. He loves to hear himself talk! Of our three children, he is the drooler of the family! I did not know that a little boy could be so wet all the time. His bibs are drenched and the same goes for his clothes, blankets, and burp cloths. Not only is he a drooler but he loves to chew on his clothes, burp cloths, and blankets. He still spits up but nearly as much or as frequent. His biggest issue is that he has a tendency to gag himself with his fingers and hand. He is always chewing on them and tends to put them in his mouth a little too far.

A Little Bit of Everything Edition...

Sorry about the long break. We have been so busy! A quick run down of what we have been doing includes going to the circus, visiting our niece, going to a wedding, starting back to work, rolling over and getting over colic (Gunnar), getting to together at grandma's house, and just maintaining life with three children under 4!

I had a great maternity leave and I am sad to say that my time is up and I have started back to work. Work has been very busy as my co-worker retired back in September so that leaves just me to hold down the fort. I have been busy planning programs for this summer and fall and just trying to find my desk and wade through all my piled up emails! Yikes. My first week back at work was exhausting I cannot tell a lie. The kids did great going to Dani's but by the time I was home from work, got the kids, cooked supper, gave baths, got them ready for bed, said prayers, and read their night time stories I was spent. I didn't do much for house cleaning that week.

We went to the circus and we had a great time--even Gunnar enjoyed himself. He was awake for most of the circus. I will have to post some pics of the circus. The five (it's still hard to believe) of us went to my cousin Joe's wedding. The drive was about 2 and a half hours so not to bad. We had some great food and the kids loved the idea of the candy buffet although mom and dad were not too pleased with it. Ada cut a rug on the dance floor in her beautiful princess dress (a pretty dress that she likes to call her beautiful princess dress). She was having so much fun dancing that it took a little convincing to get her off the dance floor so we could go home. Gunnar handled the baby passing like a trooper. He was such a good baby while we were there. Now if we only could have pre-empted the diaper blow-out right before the wedding we would have been in better shape!

Ava (our niece) is filling out just fine. She is a sweet little girl but when she is hungry she is hungry (kind of like her mom I would say) so you better watch out. Ada loves little Ava and can't wait to hold her and says that she is her best friend. We had a nice visit but I didn't want our army to take over Matt and Carrie's house so we only stayed over one night. We brought along some food so they didn't have to feed us or feel like they had to entertain us. Gunnar did great on that 3 1/2 hour car ride. I have been busy working on stuff for Ava and Carrie's upcoming baby shower on May 22. I am planning the baby shower along with my sister-in-law Steph and Corey's long time girlfriend Danielle. I hope everything works out like we have planned.

On April 30 (just over 3 months old) Gunnar started rolling over from his tummy to his back. After he did it the first time he was so angry and mad that we put him back on his tummy that he refused to do it again until May 2. He rolls over when he wants to roll over meaning he does not want me capture it on camera. Ada is one proud big sister whenever Gunnar rolls over. Benjamin is anxious for Gunnar to sit-up and crawl. Boy he will be regretting that pretty soon! Other Gunnar news, he has gotten over his colic which is a huge relief to his mom and dad. His brother and sister never even knew he was having a problem. Gunnar is such a cutie. He has the biggest smile, blows raspberries, and coos/talks. He can be very vocal which is a must if he wants to compete with his siblings.

On Mother's Day we all got to together at Dave's folks to celebrate his cousin's graduation from med school. We had a great time visiting with all the relatives. Benjamin and Ada loved playing with their cousins. Gunnar smoothed over Great Grandpa Delmar as he would smile at him and cuddle into his shoulder. Delmar was hoping that we would have a back-up boy to carry on the family name so he was pretty relieved about that.

I might be exhausted but at the end of the day I wouldn't trade my busy, hectic life for anything!

Ada...

Ada is quite the little talker. She is very shy at first but once she gets comfortable and starts talking this girl does not stop. I have no idea where she gets that from! She is always singing whether it is her ABC's, numbers, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or some other song that she has made up. She is definitely in the defiant stage and likes to press our buttons. The other day she said "I am going to be naughty so I am going in time out (naughty spot)" and she did all by herself. She then was naughty and climbed up the kitchen cart just like she said she was going to do. She has always been a climber but when she could get hurt is where we draw the line and we have stayed firm with it. The other thing that we pray is a phase is her tackling Sammy and squishing him. We will find her laying on top of Sammy underneath the kitchen table, the living room, the hall, it doesn't really matter where Sammy is as long as she can squish him she is happy. Now this makes the rest of us very unhappy--including Sammy!

Ada loves Dora, the Princesses, and Tinkerbell. We are not quite sure where the exposure to Tinkerbell comes from but she loves her. Ada enjoys showing us her "Princess Dance" and dressing up. She also enjoys showing off her Spanish speaking skills and likes counting in Spanish but it is only when she wants to do it she will not do it if you ask her to. She also likes drawing, coloring, doing projects, reading books, and playing with her babies.

Ada has officially gotten in all her teeth. She had all her baby teeth except her two year molars by February 2009. She got her first two two year molars bottom right and top left during the month of August. She got her bottom left two year molar in October (started in September) and her top right in the beginning of November (started in October). Ada has always had a rough time teething. Every tooth was an experience for the whole family as she let everyone she was not happy! We had many sleepless nights and early mornings so hopefully now we can get back to normal!

Ada is and has always been a mommy's girl. It is always "Mommy do it", "Mommy I need you", "Mommy where are you?", and "Mommy where are you going?". She can sure be a challenge sometimes but I love this little girl more than anything and I enjoy the time we have together! She is growing up so fast! I am in disbelief that she is going to be a big sister in a few short months.

Family Photos by Sweeter Images...

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My friend, Wendy Sweeter, has started her own photography business so we decided to have her take our family photos. Since Dave and I have been married for 5 years I requested a few extra photos (sorry, we did not do anything racy - as I have included all photos taken in the slide show) and Wendy exceeded my expectations! The photos turned out great and we had a good time. Ada wasn't too into the whole photo taking session but for those of you that know us, know that Ada has never really been into the photo taking thing.

I highly recommend Wendy as a photographer. Back in her amateur days (5 years ago) she was our personal photographer for our wedding. She capture all aspects of our wedding day from the behind the scenes action shots to guests to the posed shots. They also turned out great and I cherish them very much. If you would like to get a hold of Wendy you can email her at mailto:sweeterimages@yahoo.com or by telephone at (605) 695-9819. Thanks Wendy for a great session! We are looking forward to another one!

Potty Training

Benjamin has had a renewed interest in potty training (we tried when he was 2 1/2 but not much real success). This time things are going alot better. He goes poopy in the potty all the time! He wore big boy underwear for 5 days in a row (don't worry he had a new pair on everyday) and he kept them dry. He still needs to wear nap time and night time underwear but we will take these huge steps! We are so proud of him!! He will tell us when he has to go potty and he gets so proud of himself when he does it. When he was 2 1/2 we tried a motivation chart to get him to go potty and that just didn't work. This time he wanted to go potty (like a school kid--he really wants to go to preschool in the fall) and we didn't have to use any real motivation. When he wore his big boy underwear to Dani's house (daycare) he was so happy and proud of himself. We can't get over how grown-up he is getting!!

4 Generations

We finally got to take some 4 generation photos. It was especially important to me as Ada had never had one taken (not that she was a willing participant). Now, if only we could have taken one with Benjamin (please note that he is even less cooperative). This is something I wish I had the opportunity to do with my side of the family but I guess I will have to wait 25 years before we do that! Pictured left to right are: Great Grandma Orriette, Grandma Susan, Dave, & Ada

Pictured left to right are: Great Grandpa Curt, Grandma Susan, Dave, & Ada

Pictured left to right are: Grandpa Bob, Great Grandpa Delmar, Great Grandma Velma, Dave, & Ada

Aren't they a good looking bunch? See the photo really was painless. I hope everyone will be willing to get their picture taken again!

Show me your...

Ada's favorite thing lately is showing off her body parts when you ask her to show you one. She loves showing off her belly, nose, and ears. Her favorite body part is her ears. Her face lights up when you ask her where her ears are. She gets this big smile and her giggle will melt your heart! You can't help but laugh along with her. She is almost 14 months old and the stuff she knows constantly amazes us. She is growing up way too fast! She loves copying everything that Benjamin does. She is a mover and a shaker and is constantly on the go. Ada says a few words but she is really quiet. We eagerly await the day she talks non-stop like her big brother!

More teeth

It finally happened! Ada's two bottom molars finally came through. Her bottom right one came through yesterday (10-20-08) and her bottom left one broke through today (10-21-08)! She has such a terrible time teething. Nothing seems to help her. The most relief she gets is from chewing on her toothbrush. Let's just say we started with a brand new toothbrush and she already needs a new one--just from chewing on it! I feel so bad for her because I know that it has to hurt and really bother her. I feel so helpless. Her little gums swell up really huge and just seem to take weeks for her teeth to break through. When she teethes she does not sleep well and usually gets a diaper rash which bothers her when we clean her bottom. She is also a major, major crab bucket. My poor baby! She is now up to 10 teeth. She is growing up so fast. Too fast in my opinion. Hopefully we all can get a good night's rest.

Our Birthday Memories!!

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Birthday Celebration!!!

Since my brother's wedding was immediately following Benjamin's birthday we decided to hold a joint birthday party at my in-laws for both Benjamin and Ada. It was a beautiful day all around as the weather was wonderful and we got to celebrate with all of the great grandparents, cousins, etc. Everyone had a great time; although, I am not quite sure who was more tired--the kids or the grandparents!


Dave had asked me what type of cake I was going to make and I told him that I was going to make a pink teddy bear cake for Ada.
He then preceded to ask me what type of cake I was going to make for Benjamin. Silly me, thought I could get by with Ada's cake and Benjamin's decorations but Dave said, "Benjamin needs his own cake." So I ended up making a dinosaur cake for Benjamin's birthday. We had plenty of cake to go around!


While we were finding candles (I forgot mine) some of the kids sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting to eat birthday cake! I think it was a cute shot. Pictured below (left to right) are Benjamin (3), Hannah (3), and Harper (3).


I decided to do something crazy if the weather was nice for the birthday party and it was so we had a pinata. This pinata took a lot of beating before big cousin Ethan (9) finally broke it and got the goodies out. Note to self: never put kit kat candy bars in a pinata--they come out very broken! A hard lesson learned!




The kids really seemed to enjoy the pinata and the day turned out GREAT!! Happy Birthday Benjamin (October 9) and Ada!! We love you very much!!

Happy Birthday Ada!!

Happy Birthday Ada!! It's hard to believe that your one. Actually, it's not that hard to believe because you have accomplished so much in your first year of life that daddy and I think you are a lot older than one. You are a such a sweet, beautiful little girl. We love how you give us "the look" with those big, beautiful blue eyes of yours--you usually win daddy over when you do that. We also love that smile and cute giggle of yours. You are such a wonderful little person with a mind of her own! What a wonderful day for you birthday.

Mommy found this poem that she would like to share with you:

Teddy bears and seas of blue
Smiling in honor of you
An infant, not long ago
Now, one candle is aglow
You are growing up so fast
How quickly a year has passed
You are special, sweet, and wise
A present before our eyes.


For a year, I’ve watched you shine
An angel I can call mine
Sent from Heaven, just for me
Filled with hope and dignity
A blessing, now and always
You brighten all of my days
Precious child, I love you so
More than anyone could know.


Baby’s breath and sun-filled skies
Ladybugs and lullabies
Starry nights and bright moonbeams
Tender hearts and lasting dreams
Each, a gift within your view
During this time, made for you
May only good things come your way
On this, your very first birthday.

© 2007 – Jill Eisnaugle’s Poetry Collection

We love you very much Ada Mae!! You are truly a special blessing from God.

Ada's First Year...

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We love you so much Honey!!

She Walks!!

Ada has been creeping along furniture since she was 8 months old. She took her first solo steps when she was 9 months old (almost 10 months) and now she official walks. Okay, she really totters along but she is getting more stable and faster on her feet every day! She is a little stinker though as I keep trying to make a movie of her walking and she will immediately stop and drop to her knees. I know the move is short but I finally caught her walking for a few seconds on film. She thinks she is big stuff when she walks.

Ada's pearly whites

Ada has a really beautiful smile and it is filling up quickly with teeth! She already has 6 of them and is working on two more. My baby girl doesn't look like a baby anymore. She is definitely growing up too fast!

Ada got her first tooth on March 12, 2008. She was 5 months old when she got her first tooth (front lower left). She was 6 months old when she got her second tooth (front lower right). Her second tooth broke through on Easter Sunday (March 23, 2008). She has tolerated teething pretty good so far. You can tell when her teeth are bothering her as she will really bite down on things. Note: this is not what a breastfeeding mommy wants!

Ada got her third tooth (front upper left) on May 23, 2008. Her fourth tooth (front upper right)broke through on June 1, 2008. Tooth number five broke through on July 5, 2008 (lower right) and number six broke through on July 9, 2008 (lower left). Ada gets very clingy and doesn't like to sleep or eat when she is teething. Number 3 and 4 were very, very hard on her and all involved! Number 7 and 8 don't look that far off.

Ada's First Sippy Cup

This picture was Ada's first time using a sippy cup. (Doesn't she look like a big girl?) She did really well with using her cup. Since all things go straight to her mouth she figured out how to use the cup pretty easily. Since Ada is only 6 months old the Easter Bunny decided to bring her some Winnie the Pooh sippy cups as they are "both usable and practical". If anyone has seen Benjamin's old sippy cups you know it was time to throw them out! He had Diego cups that the design had worn off of but he still insisted that he had to use them and he continued to all these cups his "Diego cups" even though you could not see any signs of these cups ever having had a design.

She finally did it!

Last night Ada finally rolled over on her own without any pushing, guidance, or arm tucking. She was having tummy time and was in such a good mood--smiling and giggling. All of a sudden she looked up at me and gave me this look "you better watch me because I am about to do something new". Then ever so slowly she rolled over! It was so cute! Oh course when I go get the camera she is no longer interested in rolling over. I told Dave that our life as we knew just changed. We now have a semi-mobile little girl! Benjamin has not seen her roll over yet but when he does I know he will be so excited. He is always concerned about his little sister and he gets so excited over the little things she does. He is such good big brother.