The suspense is over

The first two times that I was pregnant, we waited until the baby was born to find out if it was a boy or girl. The third time around Rick finally talked me into finding out what we were going to have at our 20 week appointment. As you know, it wasn't quite what I wanted to hear and I spent the next week crying at random moments thinking about having a third boy. At that time I SWORE I would not find out again. But I guess I am just getting impatient in my old age because I decided I could NOT wait until May to see if we were having a family of boys or if we would finally get a daughter.

On Tuesday Rick met me at the hospital after work to have the ultrasound. The woman doing the ultrasound for us is actually a friend of Chelsea's and had already been warned that I would probably cry one way or the other, and I did. I couldn't keep the tears from coming as I laid there and she told us we are having a girl! The rest of the ultrasound seemed surreal as she kept saying "her heart", "her spine", "she is opening and closing her mouth". I wasn't quite use to referring to a child of mine as "her" and "she". It's hard to tell if Rick was happy as I was. He is pretty good at keeping his emotions hidden. The boys were VERY excited. They have each been wanting a little sister since the day we told them I was having a baby.

Now the reality of having a girl is setting in. I don't have ONE pink thing in my entire baby ensemble! Not a pink outfit. Not a pink blanket. Not one little doll. The best I can do is one red and blue blanket with Noah's Ark on it. I haven't worried about it too much in the past because Billie Jo has always assured me that she could outfit any girl from birth to age 10. But now that we will be having babies just 2 1/2 months apart, the girl stuff may already be in use when I need it. While I have always looked forward to dressing a darling little girl and making sure her hair is done with coordinating accessories, I now realize that they days of getting all of my kids ready and out the door in 5 minutes is past.

Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more excited. I'm just realizing that life will never be the same. But, I'm pretty sure that's just how I want it.

Fall Piano Recital

It's that time of year again. No, not the holidays. Piano recital time. Last Saturday was Luke's fall piano recital. He did a great job practicing and memorizing his recital piece, and then performing it for the PACKED house. I am glad that he still loves to play the piano, I never really have to nag him to practice. He is constantly playing the piano and composing his own songs.

A smile after finishing. He was nervous, but happy when it was over!

Luke and Tess.

Happy October!

Yes, I know that November is already half over, but I am finally getting around to posting about October. So, Happy October! As with most things in my life, October seemed to come and go before I even blinked. We spent a few days in St. George with all of my sisters and their kids, we celebrated Noah's 5th birthday, and of course Halloween fun. Somehow Halloween has become a week-long event with parties at every destination...library, school, babysitter's, and church. Even with all of those parties I didn't even take one picture of the boys in their costumes! Oh well, maybe next year.

Noah's new lightsaber night-light.

Heavy, heavy, hangover...
My mom and dad gave Noah some money for his birthday to pick out a new toy. He jumped up and down in the isle at Walmart when he saw the box of aqua sand! Let me just warn you, there is a reason they are playing with it OUTSIDE! If you thought playdough was bad, you should try aqua sand. You've been warned.

Blowing out the candles.

(I should REALLY learn to crop myself out of pictures before I put them on the internet!

Carving pumpkins.

Poking holes is really just about all the boys get to do.

I take over when there are sharp objects involved.

The finished products.

Noah, trying his luck with the doughnut on a string.

He was Dracula, but refused to allow me to put any face paint on. I think it was because he saw Luke act like I was applying acid instead of white face paint and powder!

Luke did a good job at his doughnut, but ended up eating it off of the floor! That is what happens when you bite from the top, Luke. He was also a vampire. I even let him grow is hair long enough to slick it all back.

So, that was October. I know that with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming along so quickly, it will be January before I know it. Now that I am finally feeling better I think I can keep up a little bit more. Feeling better? Yep, if you haven't already heard baby Gunnerson #4 is coming late next spring! I have a few more weeks before my ultrasound and I am still going back and forth on finding out if it is a girl or boy. What do you think?

Fall harvest

So, I have this list. It's a mental list. A list of all the things I need to do in my life to be the best wife/mother/homemaker/woman that I can be. It's a lengthy list. I am pretty sure that I fail at most of the things on the list. I'm working on it. (Not necessarily doing the things on the list, but feeling like I am okay when I don't do everything on the "list") You know what I mean, you are are all wives/mothers/homemakers/women.

One of the things on the list is canning my own food. I grew up seeing my mother do it every fall. I have been the beneficiary of my mother-in-law's canning work. It just seems like something every good homemaker does. I've never done it. I have actually given away dozens and dozens of bottles over the years as we have moved across the country thinking I would never do it.

This was the year that I finally crossed one thing off the list. I BOTTLED MY OWN FOOD!

It all started with apples. We were able to pick a bunch of apples from a neighbor, and after making apple pie, apple crisp, and freezing apple pie filling, I still had a lot left over. So I made applesauce. I was so proud of my first canning experience.

I was so inspired by the applesauce that I did 1/2 a bushel of peaches, and enough salsa to fill 4 quart jars! Not too shabby for my first time canning. It took a lot of time and made a huge mess in my kitchen, but helped me become more of the person I feel I should be. I guess it was worth it!

Best Friends

Throughout my 33 years, I have been blessed with many great friends. Grade School friends to play with, learn with, and have sleep overs with. Middle School friends to talk about boys with, grow up with, and help learn the meaning of real friends with. High School friends to keep talking about boys with, be involved with, and cry and laugh with. College friends to KEEP TALKING ABOUT BOYS WITH, run with, date with, and go to wedding receptions with (and for!). Adult friends to raise my children with, bounce thoughts off, have long talks with, and keep up with. Some grade school friends I still have to this day. Some of my best friends I will have until I die. But, from the day I was born there were built in friends that can never be replaced...my family. I am so blessed to have three sisters and a mother who truly are my best friends. We count on each other for help, we trust each other with our lives (and those of our children!), and turn to each other in good times and bad. Along with three sisters, I also have cousins. Lots of cousins. I even have cousins my age who I was lucky enough to grow up with and go to school with. Rick and I both have cousins with whom we are very close. One of our main reasons in wanting to live in Utah is to be able to raise our children with their grandparents and cousins, just like we were. I love being best friends with my sisters, mom, and cousins. And I love that my kids are best friends with their cousins too.

McNeil grandkids on the Bisel farm.

(My Great Grandma and Grandpa's place)

The red sand of Sand Hollow

Loving the water.



Here is Luke with 5 of his 2nd cousins. Their moms and dad were some of my best playmates growing up. They only see each other once a year, but they can't get enough of it!

All 5 boys are within one year of each other.

Gunnerson grandkids

Luke's best friend, and cousin, Brody.

First Day of 3rd Grade

Wow! Labor Day Weekend already. That means that the first two weeks of 3rd grade are in the books. I'm happy to report that things could not have gone better. It's hard to believe that Luke is already in 3rd grade. He seems more grown up everyday. He loves his teacher (and so do I), loves to be with his friends, and loves learning. Now if he can keep his talking in class to a minimum things will be perfect!

Waiting for the bus.

Serioulsy, when did he get so big?

It seems like yesterday that he took Nick and Brendan's hands as they walked into the first day of Kindergarten.

Beautiful Bear Lake

This was our fourth wonderful year vacationing at Bear Lake. I guess it is now a tradition. A tradition I hope we never stop. It is so much fun to spend a few days at the beach, boating, playing games, EATING, and enjoying the relaxed time with family. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. The boys are already asking me when we can go back to Bear Lake. I try to smile when I say, "Next summer." Even Elijah can't forget the fun we had. "Beach" is now his favorite word. And if you know how many times a day I hear "backhoe" and "Mia", you would really be impressed. Here are a few pictures to share in the fun!

Luke

What can I say about Luke that I haven't already said? He is a great kid. I am one lucky parent to have him. With all the busyness of life, it seems that I have neglected to post so many things that he has been doing. So here are some things that my oldest son has been up to...

Luke got a guitar for his birthday, and has been taking a few lessons from "Bishop Rod". He loves to go up the road to "Bishop Rod's" house for an hour of guitar, singing, and talking. They have such a good relationship and I'll bet Luke is one of the only kids around who has a 70 year-old man for a best friend. One day when I picked him up from guitar lessons, he asked if he could have a sleep-over at "Bishop Rod's". Um, maybe not a sleep-over, but you can go visit anytime you want!

What a special day! Luke got to be baptized by his dad in May. He was so excited for weeks before the big day. We were so lucky to have our families there to support us, even Grandma and Grandpa Gunnerson came all the way from Manilla! He is such a good boy and very thoughtful and honest that when the Bishop asked him if he could "endure to the end" (always try to be good) he answered..."maybe." It was so cute to know that he was actually thinking about it and not just giving an automatic answer.

Now that he is 8, Luke is SO happy to be a Cub Scout. He went to his first pack meeting with Grandpa McNeil while Rick and I were on our cruise. By the very next pack meeting he earned his Bobcat. This is us all decked out in our face paint after the meeting. He loves to do his scout stuff and is always bringing me his book to sign off on something!

At one pack meeting he even got to lead the scouts in the flag ceremony! What an honor.

Luke was a telegram delivery man in the 2nd grade play. He came home all excited about having such a long speaking part. He hurried and memorized it and did a great job during the play. Here he is (as usually) with best friend Brody. They had the BEST school year being in the same class. We will see how they do next year without each other.

The last day of school was an awards assembly (which is painfully long, hot, and boring). Here he is with all this spelling awards. He got second in his class, second in his grade, and fourth in the whole school! He obviously does NOT take after me when it comes to spelling.

Just four more weeks until school starts again. It seems crazy that Luke is going to be in third grade! He is growing up too fast, but it is fun to see him get more mature and interested in more things. He is OBSESSED with sports and seriously thinks he is going to play in the NBA when he grows up. I go along with it, because I remember an 8 year-old girl who prayed to grow up to be Miss Universe!

Too Much of a good thing?

Can you really ever have too much of a good thing?

Yep. Especially if you are talking about marshmallows. At the Fourth of July potato planting party (seriously, we did it), we decided to roast some marshmallows and have smores as a reward for all of our hard work. Both my mom and Billie Jo must've been drawn to the "giant roasters" Food Town had on promotion, because that is what we had. It seemed like a great idea, but the reality of it was not.

Stay away from these if you see them in the store.

Even Grandpa couldn't stay clean!

Just TRY to eat this without getting marshmallow EVERYWHERE!

Shockingly, Noah was the messiest.

The marshmallow was bigger than Elijah's hand.

One of these is definately enough.

My 2 year old baby

I find myself often referring to "my baby". I say it at work when I am talking to co-workers, I say it to Luke and Noah when I am talking about their little brother, I say it almost every time I am talking about Elijah. Well I may just need to come up with a new phrase because "my baby" just turned two and I don't know if that still classifies him as a baby! In any case, he IS my baby, and since he refuses to talk, he can't tell me to stop. Here are a few pictures of "my baby's" birthday.

"Cheese!" How cute is Eli's smile for the camera?!

Elijah loves all things farm related, so his farm cake was a huge hit!

Of course instead of wanting to blow out candles or eat the cake, he just wanted to drive the tractor through the frosting. What a mess.
Hauling the "hay" out of the field.
A farm boy through and through.

Racing Evan on the tractors.

The best present of all! A ride on the four wheeler with cousins and brothers.

Elijah got "Woody" for his birthday from my mom, and the next morning, he decided to take him for a horse ride. It was all his doing and TOTALLY cute!