Sammy Cake...

For Dave's birthday the kids and I made him a Sammy cake. Benjamin was so proud of our "Sammy cake" and Dave thought it was a hoot that Sammy actually made it into the photo with Benjamin and the "Sammy cake".

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!

We have a new niece!

My sister Carrie and her husband Matt had a baby girl, Ava Ann, on Friday, April 9, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. Ava weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and is 21 inches long. We are excited that she is here and that everything is going well for the new parents. Benjamin thinks cousin Ava looks like Gunnar. For some reason it's hard for me to imagine my little sister as a mommy--I feel really old now! Congratulations again you two! She's a sweetie and we will keep her!

What Dave learned...

Potatoes really do explode when they are not poked before baking!

Dave learned an important lesson a few weeks ago, when you bake potatoes you need to have them poked so they don't explode. He has been making potatoes for years (I never knew he wasn't poking them) so when I asked him to put in some potatoes I did not think anything of it. I was burping Gunnar when I heard a loud bang. At first I thought it was something else but then I decided I should go take a closer look at the oven because I had a bad feeling that something was going on in there. While I was putting Gunnar down I heard another loud bang and went to check the oven. While opening the oven door another potato exploded all over me. I quickly shut the oven off and poked the other potatoes with shaking hands as they were ticking time bombs. I just wanted to share with everyone that poking potatoes is a must; otherwise, you will have potatoes crisps and bits and pieces everywhere! Thank goodness for my hidden oven coils (it sure made clean-up easier) now if only there was a way to have recessed broiler coils! I am still cleaning potato out of that area. I am not joking when I say that potato went everywhere! Potato mess cleaned up and lesson learned; priceless (but not without a lot of laughter first).

Gunnar's 2 Month Well Check...

Gunnar had his 2 month baby well check on March 26, 2010. He is growing like a weed! He is 24 inches long (97 %) and weighs 14 pounds 6 ounces (upper 97 %). His measured 39 1/2 cm (75 %). If you couldn't tell by those figures he is doing exceptionally well. Now, if only we could kick this colic in the butt we would be in great shape! Our little boy is growing up so fast. Where did the time go? I can't believe he is over 2 months old already! He has been really socially smiling this past week. He smiled beforehand but now he is definitely smiling when he is happy or in response to what you say. He is such a handsome little guy (no bias here)! We hope he continues to grow and thrive and remains happy and healthy.

Checking out raptors...

Benjamin, Ada, Gunnar, and I attended Bald Eagle Awareness Day at the Outdoor Campus. It was a great afternoon. There were many different activities for the kids to do such as making finger puppets, making necklaces, search for the different raptors, puzzles, coloring activities, and a station where they could make a Bald Eagle treat. Benjamin was in heaven with all the different activities to do. There was also a raptor show where we got to see a bunch of raptors. Benjamin thought the little screech owl was adorable. Ada liked looking at all the different birds. Gunnar slept through the whole afternoon. Benjamin and Ada enjoy going to the Outdoor Campus for animal class. It's been great educational entertainment.

Colic = no sleep!

Sorry for the lack of posts but the last 2 1/2 weeks have been spent dealing with Gunnar's colic. He will be up and screaming any where from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. which leaves for one exhausted mommy and one tired daddy. I try to sleep as much as possible during the day to bank up for the long evening. We are new to colic as Benjamin and Ada never really had it. We are eagerly awaiting for the colic to be gone so we can go back to just normal sleep deprivation. I will keep you posted when we are colic free--hopefully soon!