The Gunnersons

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

WAY back when I was in high school, my mom decided to start our family Christmas tradition with a Christmas Eve dinner. She wanted to make sure that as we grew up, got married, and had children we would know that Christmas Eve was a special time with our family. And what a special time it is. We always have an amazing candle lit dinner, a program, and open a "special gift". Early on, the program was short and consisted of each of us playing a little something on the piano. As we got married we sometimes threw in our spouses. One year Rick and I even mixed things up with a recorder duet! Now that we have children we are off the hook and get to sit back and enjoy watching our children perform. This year in addition to the program we had a wonderful nativity program complete with speaking parts, vocal solos, and beautiful violin music. I'm so greatful to my mom for the traditions and memories that we have and continue to make.

All the grandkids in their new Christmas pajamas.

You may have noticed in the above picture that Noah was really doing his best posing for the camera!
The nativity cast.
Here are my little cuties!

Luke was the wisest wiseman, Noah was Joseph (and couldn't have been more pleased that Mia was Mary), Elijah was the happiest little shepherd (despite what he looks like in the picture), and Liv was a beautiful angel (just like she really is!).

I was so proud of Noah because his part included singing a solo. I was certain that he wouldn't want to do it so I made Luke practice it just in case. But, Noah practiced and practiced and performed his heart out that night. It might have been a little off pitch, but to me it was perfect. Elijah also sang a solo (which was suppose to be a duet with his partner shepherd who really just wanted to be a pirate and left the production in tears) and if you listened REALLY carefully, you could almost hear him! Oh well, it was the best a little shepherd boy could do.

The food was amazing, the program was great, the nativity was touching, but the best part of the evening was spending time with my family. The best gift ever!

Let the good times start!

2011-12-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just three days away and I'm not sure who is more excited, me or the kids! Last night Chelsea invited us all over for the first of MANY parties yet to come. She totally out did herself with cookies, candy, and gingerbread houses. I'm not sure how she does it all while tending MY baby girl! The kids had a blast frosting cookies, decorating gingerbread houses, drinking caramel apple cider, playing together, and eating gumballs by the dozen. Thanks Chelsea. You are always one for a good time.

Are you smarter than a 4th grader?

2011-12-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

I don't remember 4th grade being too hard, but in the last couple of weeks I have learned that apparently I am NOT as smart as a 4th grader. The first experiece that led me to believe this was a simple science experiment, growing a sugar crystal. When Luke brought the assignement home we woked together to follow the instructions, but after 4 days we still didn't have a crystal starting. My guess was that we didn't "saturate" the water enough, so we started over. Again after three days we still didn't have a crystal starting. I decided to look up some more detailed instructions online and was sure that we could get this darn crystal growing. Rick worked with Luke on the third attempt and once again we failed to grow a crystal. I tried once AGAIN, this time with a skewer (as opposed to yarn) rolled in sugar. This was the internet's best suggestion for getting your sugar crystal to grow. Four days later and nothing. Five days. Six days. Seven days, I poured out the whole sugary mess and called Luke's teacher to report that he would not be bringing in a sugar crystal, although we made many attempts!

Luke had strep throat the week of Thanksgiving and missed the whole week of classes leading up to the break. I stopped in one morining to get his homework and his teacher explained the math homework to me and said what a hard time the students were having catching on to the new way of doing multiplication. New way of doing multiplication? Don't we just multiply and regroup? Nope. That is WAY old school. Way 1980's. Now we use "friendly numbers", "communitive property", "half and double". There were seriously 5 different ways for the students to do their multiplication, none of which included regrouping. No wonder why the kids were having such a hard time. I couldn't even remember the many steps of each different way of doing things. I had to keep referring back to the teacher's copy that she made for me. I guess I understand that this new math isn't about knowing how do math, it is about UNDERSTANDING how to do math. Big difference. For instance, way back when kids start learning addition, they are now taught to do "double plus one", or "double minus two", or even "number families." Silly me, I still just add on my fingers! Back to the Thanksgiving math homework. I was getting annoyed to death with these new ways of doing things. At one point I thought that I had it broken down well enough

Me: Now you have it broken down and you just have to multiply 10 by 3.
Luke: I can't do that, mom.
Me. Yes you can. You know that when you multiply any number by 10 you just have to add a zero to the end of the number.
Luke: I know that, but we aren't suppose to do any double digit multiplication. I can't do 10 x 3.
Me: JUST WRITE IT DOWN!

Honestly? Luckily Luke was actually pretty good at this "new math" and figured most of it out without my help. But, even with Luke's help even I couldn't figure one question out. It was a story problem which not only did you need to figure out, but then it said "Sally got 1020 for her answer. What did she do wrong and how would you tell her to fix it." I HONESTLY couldn't figure it out.

What did Sally do wrong?

She doesn't know how to multiply and regroup.

Hilarity/Insanity

2011-11-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

In raising children there seems to be a healthy dose of both hilarity and insanity. I've found the best thing to do is try to find the hilarity so as NOT to be driven to insanity.

For some reason I have been cursed with picky eaters. Dinners at our house have been unpleasant since Luke was about 3 years old. He is slowly growing out of his pickyness, just in time for Noah to pick it up. Let's just say that as INSANE as it can make me, there have been a couple of HILARIOUS moments with our picky eaters.

When Luke was about two years old I was tying to get him to eat some chicken noodle soup for lunch one day...

Me: Luke, you need to eat one bite of that soup or I am going to give you a spanking.
Luke: (with a big sigh) Just spank me, mom.

The rule in our house is no seconds or dessert until you eat everything on your plate...

Me: (seeing Noah slyly reach for the bowl of broccoli, which he happens to love) Noah, you may not have any more broccoli until you taste your chicken. And remember that you will not get dessert unless you eat everything on your plate.
Noah: (in a most unpleasant tone) Fine, then I won't eat any ice cream if I can't have more broccoli.

Sometimes my kids get upset about the MOST RIDICULOUS things...

Me: Noah, please go get me a towel. Noah, please go get me a towel. (I repeat many times to a child who apparently is deaf) Noah, please go get me a towel.
Elijah: (running into the room with a towel) Here, mama (yes, he still calls me mama!)
Noah: (throwing himself on the floor and yelling) I WANTED TO GET THE TOWEL!!!!!!
Me: Seriously???!!!

It seems that my life consits of wiping. Noses, bums, counter tops, floors, toilets etc. You name it, I've wiped it. Jack had been with us for four days while Chelsea was working, and on day four a funny little situation played out...

Jack: Aunt Olivia, I need to go to the bathroom.
Me: Ok, go get on the potty.
(Time elaspement of 5 minutes)
Jack: (calling from the bathroom) I'm dooooooone....
Me: Can't you wipe your own bum, Jack?
Jack: Nope
Me: Well who has been wiping your bum for the last few days?
Jack: (looks at me like I'm speaking Chinese)
Me: Jack, who wiped your bum yesterday when you were at my house?
Jack: I just went pee.
Me: Okay. (I then proceeded to wipe his bum and noticed that indeed he must have only gone pee for the past three days as was evident by what he had just done!)
Jack: (after getting off the toilet and witnessing what I just saw) Aunt Olivia, does log rhyme with dog?
Me: (Trying my HARDEST not to laugh) Sure does buddy.
(Sorry about the bathroom humor, but it was SERIOUSLY hilarious!!!!)

The other night my cousin Laura got married (CONGRATS LAURA!). Chelsea and Jack rode to Salt Lake with me and the boys, and on the way home Jack and Elijah could NOT stop fighting. They were fighting over singing/hurting ears, touching each other's car seats, pulling on each others car seats, coughing/hurting ears, who's penny was who's, being cold/hot...
After 40 minutes of the constant fighting I finally pulled over and got Elijah out of the car and put him in with Rick (who was following us). I had no sooner gotten back into the car when...

Jack: (Crying his eyes out) Now I don't have anyone to talk to. I'm lonely.

Chelsea and I just looked at each other and laughed... so we wouldn't go INSANE!

Happy Fall 'Yall

2011-11-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, get ready for picture overload. I guess that is what happens when you don't blog for over a month. So much has been going on, here is a little taste of life around the Gunnerson's house this fall.

Livvy had her first taste of real food. That is if you can call rice cereal real food. She has since also had sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. She is getting way to big, and I find myself just holding and kissing her as much as I can.

Noah turned six on October 20th. The kids were all out of school for fall break so we decided to spend the day at This Is The Place State Park. It was such a nice day, and Noah was so happy to spend it with his best friend/batgirl... Mia.

Liv is such a great baby and just let me take her along all day.

All the kids working together to pull the handcart. They couldn't even budge it up this little hill!

The birthday boy!

It was a beautiful fall day.

Noah was fearless at the petting zoo. Actually I'm sure the animals were a little scared of him.

When we were at the petting zoo I just stood back and wondered why I pay to bring my kids to a petting zoo when we have two goats and a sheep of our own, and two neighbor dogs and cats who often come over for a visit. Basically we ARE a petting zoo!

Having fun in the leaves.

Aiming right for me...of course!

Oh I just love this handsome little face!

(Bruises, bumps, and scratches and all)

My mom had a wonderful fall party in her backyard for before we lost the warm afternoon sun. We ate delicious soup, visited, and enjoyed being together in the beautiful mountians.

Daddy's Girl

2011-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

I guess it's only fair. I mean, all of my other children look like me (or my brother!). I couldn't expect to have that much strength in the gene pool. Eventually one of my children was bound to look more like their dad. Now Rick has one he can finally claim...his daughter! Yep, even though we thought that Liv looked just like me when she was born, the older she gets the more she starts to look like Rick. I hear it everywhere we go. "Wow, that baby sure looks like her daddy." "Oh my, she looks just like Rick!" "Well, isn't she daddy's little girl." Last night at dinner Rick was holding Liv on his lap and letting her suck on a piece of cantaloupe. Rick loves cantaloupe. I detest it. So here is further proof that Liv is truly turning out to be Daddy's girl. We were all laughing so hard at Liv sucking the juice out of her cantaloupe. Whenever Rick would take it away, she would instantly start crying until he put it right back up to her mouth. I took a darling video of her, but of course I cannot make it load. Fortunately, this picture is cute enough to get the idea!

Back to School

2011-09-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? Didn't it just start? It's hard to believe that school is already here. I love the freedom and fun of summer, but I also love the structure and schedule of life during school. Both Luke and Noah have been very excited for school to start...and so have I!

This boy has been ready for school since his "BFF", Mia, went last year. Needless to say, he was extreemly excited to be going to Kindergarten.
I LOVE Noah's face in this picture. For all the trouble he gives me, he is very loving. He has been the MOST loving big brother Liv.
Noah gets on the bus at the babysitter's house since I am at work. Elijah, along with all of the other kids, walk him out to the bus stop. Poor Elijah was convinced that he was going to "tinderdarten", and was pretty disappointed when he wasn't going to school. Thankfully Marianne took pitty on him and started pre-school a week early so he could say he goes to school too.
Ready and waiting for the bus.
After I got Noah on the bus I drove to the school so I could see him go into class. As those kids walked by I could not believe how tiny they seemed. Noah is actually one of the bigger ones!
One week is in the books, and Noah has LOVED every minute of school. I was a little worried about Noah going to school because, let's be honest, he has um... "impulse control" issues. But, he has done SOOOOO well. My fears were unfounded. I asked him how he could be so good at school but still has a hard time making good choices at home. He told me he was good in school because he didn't want to go to the principal's office. He then proceeded to say we needed a principal at home!?!
Fouth grade. Last year in Elementary School. This boy has gotten so big. I am so lucky to have him as a help with the younger boys and especially Liv. This picture is actually a re-shoot of the first day of school. All of the pictures I took that morning didn't turn out too well with the sun and shadows.
Here's the best actual first day of school picture! He got glasses last school year once his teacher informed me that he couldn't see the blackboard. He looks so smart and grown-up in them.

Luke and I have been a little scared of 4th grade, based on all of the reports we have had from others. It didn't help when he found out that he got the most strict teacher in 4th grade! So far, Luke has really liked her and managed to stay out of trouble. You may not think that Luke is possible of getting in trouble in class, but you would be mistaken! He seems to have difficulty keeping his mouth shut! He is constantly in trouble for taking in class. A chip off the old block, I say! So far, so good for this year. He told me, "Mom, Mrs. Benoit doesn't know that I talk in class, so if I just don't do it then she will never know." Good idea. No need to let your history follow you into your new class! We'll see how the rest of the year goes.

What a fun time to see them so excited and eager to get to school and learn. I love it!

Liv's Beautiful Day

2011-08-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Before July comes to a close (shhhhh, I know it's over! My life just runs a few days behind schedule), I wanted to post pictues of Liv's beautiful blessing day. She was blessed on the 3rd of July, and we were so lucky to have our families with us. Even though Lee and Joan live across the world, they have been able to make it to Luke's baptism and Liv's blessing. I am so grateful that they did. It wouldn't be the same without them.

Isn't Liv's dress beautiful? If you can believe it, it was made by her Grandmother. When I first stated thinking about Liv's blessing I decided I would just ask Billie Jo if I could borrow the blessing dress she has. But when Evie's blessing rolled around, Billie Jo couldn't find the dress and ended up borrowing a friend's. I looked around online to see what I could find as far as blessing dresses go, and was shocked to see that they were SOOOO expensive. I almost just sucked it up and bought one, considering my beautiful baby deserved one, but then I remembered what an excellent seamstress my mother-in-law is. I asked Rick if he thought she would be willing to do it and if he would be willing to ask her! They both agreed. With nothing more than a request for a blessing dress, Joan found a pattern and got to work. The dress called for lace over almost the entire dress, and apparently lace is a rarity in the Philippines. When she wasn't able to come across any lace, Joan decided to make her own. Yes, she crocheted the entire lace part! The dress turned out unbelievably beautiful. I had tears in my eyes when they brought it out the day before the blessing. What an amazing talent. I cannot think of anything that could make a special day even more special. Thanks to those who came to share it with us, and thanks to Grandma Gunnerson for the heirloom.

Dear Blogging World,

2011-07-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

Dear Blogging World,

Hello? Are you still there? It seems like you haven't been around much lately. It wasn't too long ago that I could turn on my computer and find that 5 or 6 of my favorite people posted something new, and I could spend a good hour catching up on what they were doing. Now it can be 5 or 6 days before ANYONE updates. Some of my past posts have had as many as 20 comments, letting me know that my friends and family find me important enough to check in on, and to let me know they did. My last post had merely 5 comments. For the past four years I have enjoyed having you in my life so that I could stay in the lives of so many of my best friends whom I never get to see (miss you guys!). I even love seeing and hearing from friends and family that I am around nearly everyday. I have never seen some of the babies my dear friends have had in real life, yet thanks to you I feel like I know them. I understand that life is busy, trust me I know. I just hope that this is a "slow" time in the life of blogging, and not a death.

Hope to see you again soon,

Olivia

P.S. I couldn't possibly do a post without adding a picture of my darling little girl. Here she is all dressed up for the 4th of July. Two months old already!

Randomness

2011-06-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

I have had good intentions of updating my blog for over a month. I've thought of many cute little things I could blog about like, "signs of summer", "adventures in swim lessons", "Happy Birthday Elijah", and "my beautiful babies". But like so many things in my life I never seem to get around to it. So today I will do a mash-up (LOVE Glee) of all of those good intentions.

On Sunday, Rick had a meeting before church, so for the first time I had to get all four kids and myself out the door and to church before 9 am. I didn't even notice when I was getting them dressed that I coordinated them so nicely. When we got home I decided to snap a few pictures before they ran in the house to change their clothes.

On June 18th Elijah turned three! If you ask him he will tell you he is three AND a half. I guess it's because I've been calling him two and a half for so long, so he naturally thought that on his birthday he would be one year older...three and a half. He is still the happiest most easy going child that I have. He almost always has a smile on his face. Even though he is three, he is still kind of hard to understand. I understand most of what he is saying, but others have a harder time. Just the other day he was trying to tell Jack something very important, but Jack just kept saying, "huh?" He doesn't say his initial GR sound or K sound, so we all love to hear him ask for gram crackers. It always comes out dam dackers. Oh, I just love this boy.

Noah was the only one who got to have swimming lessons this year. I figured that Luke gets them at school, and Elijah can wait another year (like when I don't have to be in the pool with him!) On the first day it was evident that Noah was a little beyond the rest of the class, who was still working on putting faces in the water. When we came the next day they let him go into the next class. He has always loved to play in the water and is totally fearless, but he also loved to learn to actually swim. He did a great job and loved every minute of it.

On a sad note (a very sad note), we lost our camera a month ago while we were at Lagoon. Not sure how it happened, but when I went to get our camera to take some pictures of Liv at one month...no camera to be found. Lagoon was the last place we had it. The only saving grace was that I had forgotten to put the memory card in the camera before we went to Lagoon, so at least we still have the pictures that are on the card, just no camera. I still wanted to take some pictures of Liv, so I sneaked next door and stole my neighbor's camera to do the job. I haven't had any time to edit the picutres yet, but wanted to show everyone my beautiful baby and her handsome big brothers!

It is unbelieveable that next week is the 4th of July. This summer is FLYING by. Hopefully I will be able to post again before it is gone, but I'm not making any promises.

Pictures of Liv

2011-05-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

So far Liv has been a very good baby and aside from being a little sleep deprived, I am feeling great. The boys LOVE her so much and rarely leave my side. The day I came home from the hospital I started crying that I have to go back to work and leave her in 6 weeks. To make myself feel better I decided to sit on the couch and hold her for the next 6 weeks and give her as many kisses as she can stand. Fourth time around, and I am still struck by how much you can love your little baby so quickly! The first picture is at 4 days, the rest are two weeks. I am so happy that Liv has hair! All of the boys have had some hair, but I was really worried that my daughter would follow after me and be BALD until she was 2 years old. Thank heavens that when I finally get a girl, she has hair. It is lighter than Noah and Elijah's, but not as light as Luke was. I think she is going to be blonde like Luke. Now I just have my fingers crossed that she has curls, like her dad!

Welcome Emma Liv

2011-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Olivia will be adding more pictures later, but wanted to get a few up so they can be seen by those who are too far away to visit. Liv was 20.5 inches and now holds the McNeil weight record of 8lbs 14ozs, edging out Jack by 1 oz. Both Mom and baby are doing great. Here are some of the pictures from today.

Easter "Eggs"travaganza

2011-05-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

So many fun things to share about Easter this year. We started with the Egg Dive at the swimming pool where the kids were able to swim, collect eggs, and win prizes. They loved the morning, and the only hiccup was that the camera batteries died right after Luke's age group went, so I didn't get any pictures of Noah or Elijah!

Later that night we sat down to dye our eggs. Each boy got his own dozen, but with the FIVE dozen that Grandma cooked, Noah flew through his own and then some. They had a great time and did everything by themselves, except Elijah who got my help. And even with that help we spilled some of the dye. I was a nervous wreck everytime any of the boys would put an egg in to color. I wanted them to go slowly and make sure they were careful. They wanted to be little boys. It was hard for me to watch.

Easter morning came bright and early (all mornings do around our house!), which was a good thing since we needed to get out of the house to choir practice BEFORE 9:00am church! They boys quickly found all but one of the eggs. Once we were home from church they got back on the search and found the last egg (with a little help from mom!). They also found their baskets with TONS of candy. And a new toothbrush. Thanks Easter Bunny.

I didn't get any pictures, but we were also so lucky to enjoy two delicious Easter Dinners; one with the Gunnerson's and one with the McNeil's. We are so lucky to be able to enjoy spending holidays with our families. We love it!

Luke's 9th Birthday

2011-04-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

After months of living a hum-drum life, we finally have something exciting. Something blog worthy. Last week Luke turned 9! It is hard for me to believe that he is getting that old, and my first thought was, "Oh my, next year he is going to be double digits!" We started the celebrating early with a weekend in St. George for General Conference. Luke's picks for fun were pretty predictable...bowling and IHOP. Bowling was especially fun since for the first time ever Luke was able to beat Noah! On his actual birthday we had his favorite dinner, cake, and presents.

For the love of the game

2011-02-08T12:06:00.001-08:00

To say that Luke loves basketball would be an understatement. It would be like saying the Sahara Dessert is sandy, or Antarctica is cold. Luke LOVES basketball. He plays everyday, watches every game on T.V. (no matter who is playing), and even chooses to read books about it. He keeps his own stats based on how many shots he hits from various points around the basket, and has even started to "coach" Noah. Surprisingly, the coaching has happened without too many fights. LUKE LOVES BASKETBALL! The last two years he has done the rec. center basketball team, but this year he was finally old enough for Jr. Jazz. Rick was equally excited and volunteered to coach the team.

After the first practice it was obvious that Luke/Rick's team was not the most talented group of 8 and 9 year olds, but they both came home from practice excited for the first game. They lost the first game by 15, and the second, and the third. They only lost the 4th game by 2 points, and probably could have won if Luke wasn't out with Strep Throat. The lost last week by double digits AGAIN. While our team struggles with dribbling and passing to OUR OWN TEAM, other teams can shoot 15 foot jump shots, and have ACTUAL plays! I'm not sure how the parents of the other boys feel when I am constantly yelling "Arms up, Johnny*." "Timmy*, find your man!" "Wrong basket, Billy*." I do it out of love. Really I do. I'm trying to help.

*Names have been changed

While all of these substantial losses has diminished Luke's love of Saturday morning games, it hasn't dampened his love for the game of basketball as a whole. He can't wait until spring when the snow is gone and he can practice on our outdoor hoop. (It's NBA issue. If you know Rick you know why we couldn't go with the after Thanksgiving $99 special that I wanted to get. No, ours is full size backboard, breakaway rim, cemented into the ground, adjustable height, and has outdoor lights!)

I know that when the organizers of the Jr. Jazz teams were forming each team they had no way of knowing that they were putting together possibly the worst team in the history of Jr. Jazz, but it happened. Thankfully the season is more than halfway over, and next year brings a new team. I decided that I am going to personally deliver our team roster to the organizers and suggest that this group of boys NEVER be put together again!

Noah and Elijah aren't too keen on sitting and watching the game. They love to run around, "get lost" finding the drinking fountain, and make funny faces for me to take pictures of.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-01-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

(Mom with Elijah and Evan. You know that she does most of the picture taking when you have to go back almost 3 years to find a picture of HER!)

The first time I rememer knowing my mom's age, she was 35. I was only eight then, and I thought that she was old. I mean, she was my mom. Mom's are old. Now I have an eight year old, and I am a VERY young 33. It's hard for me to believe that my kids could think of me as old, but they probably do. As the years have gone by and I have grown up, gotten married, and had kids, it seems that my mom and I get closer in age. Today she turns 60, and I no longer think she is old. Wise, yes. But, not old. I hope that when I am 60 I continue to live life with as much experience, wisdom, and GUSTO as my mom! Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you and all of your 60 years.

Much Ado About Nothing

2011-01-27T08:58:00.001-08:00

No, I have not recently gone to see a Shakesphere play, that just pretty much sums up the Gunnerson's life right now. I feel so busy, and everyday ends before I feel like I have accomplished anything, but really nothing is going on. Rick got a promotion at work (kind of my default when his supervising attorney was let go) and has been COMPLETELY swamped for the last month. Last week when EVERYONE in the house was sick and he stayed home from work, he actually had over 100 texts from work asking about things. I laughed and told him that if I stayed home from work no one would even notice! I'm really proud of Rick and how things are going at his firm. He took the job there a year and a half ago when we were trying to secure loans on our house. We didn't really even think it would be the kind of job he likes that much, but he has really done well. He is in court almost everyday, and is now the supervising attorney over litigation. Most importatnly he never brings work or stress home, and is ready to help the minute he steps in the door.

The rest of us are also pretty busy. It seems we are always on the go. Between work, daycare, school, piano lessons, scouts, ballroom, and Jr. Jazz the boys and I are always running somewhere. I SERIOUSLY don't know how I am going to throw a newborn baby into the mix! We leave the house by 8:00 am every morning and dont' walk back through the door until almost 5:00 pm, or later depending on the evenings activities. I was just thinking the other day, what did I do with my time when I was a stay at home mom to just ONE child? Oh yeah, I watched more T.V., took naps with Luke, went for walks, went to the gym, spent WAY more time with my child, and never felt overwhelmed. What a difference 9 years, two more kids, and a job make.

Alright, now I'm sure I should be working on something.....

Belated Christmas

2011-01-06T09:36:00.001-08:00

Better late then never...right? Well, that is what I have decided about doing a post about Christmas. Better late then never. Christmas was great, but seemed to fly by. I loved staying home with the boys for a week, and Rick was even able to take quite a few days off over the holidays. I sure could get use to that kind of life! Luke crafting his gingerbread house.
Noah adding more (and more!) candy to his house.

Elijah was more interested in eating his house than building it!

Christmas eve dinner program. Luke played a couple of pieces on the piano.

(It sure is nice that the kids do our number for us so Rick and I are off the hook.)

For his part, Elijah lead us in a couple of songs. He LOVES to lead music and does it every FHE and even in church.

Christmas morning. Bright and Early! The boys originally woke up at 2:30 AM! Rick and I heard them taking and walking around, but they never came in to get us. By 4:30 am they were back asking if it was time to open the presents.

Even at 4:30, Elijah was happy to be opening presents.

The number one present on Luke's list...a Jazz Jersey.

More toys and games, just what we needed!

The suspense is over

2010-12-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-07-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

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!

Playing Hooky

2010-05-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Shh, I don't want this to get around, but today I am playing hooky.

Elijah has been sick with some sort of stomach bug this weekend, so I decided that I would be a responsible parent and NOT take him to the baby sitter's house today. Yeah, a day home from work! Even though it came at the expense of my sick baby, I get to spend the day home with my boys. I even let Luke in on the action. He has had a cough for a few days now and this morning when I said I was staying home he convinced me that he shouldn't go to school in case he coughed on someone and got them sick. Normally I would tell him to get ready for the bus, but not today. The fact that it has been SNOWING all morning has just made me feel like turning on the fireplace, staying in my sweats, and lounging around. So, that is what we have done.

Lounging on the couch reading books

Drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows.

(Yes, I know it is May 24th, but hot chocolate seems fitting for today!)

Having fun in the snow.
(Yep, snow deep enough to play in.)

Making the most of our CRAPPY Utah weather!

Bon Voyage

2010-04-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Before we ever started building our house, Rick and I made a plan to use our American Express as much as we could during constuction to rack up the points to use on a vacation as a reward for FINISHING the house. That plan finally came to fruition last week. We left out of San Diego on the 17th for a week-long cruise to the Mexican Riveria. I was SO worried about going on a cruise because if you know me, you know I get motion sickness riding in an elevator. Thankfully, the seas were pretty smooth and I didn't even get sick...until the last day. Even though I spent most of that day sleeping off my motion sickness drugs, we still loved the cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat. The food was AMAZING. The entertainment was FUN. The ship was BEAUTIFUL. The beaches were FANTASTIC. And the time that we were able to spend together relaxing was PRICELESS. We managed to take 114 pictures, but I did narrow it down to these ten. Today it is snowing in Woodland. BOO! I want to be on the beach.

In port in San Diego with our ship: the ms Oosterdam.

Our first stop: Mazatlan. Walking throuh Old Town.

I love how you can buy meat and fake sunglasses in the same market!

Rick showing me how to bodyboard.

Me not quite getting the timing of the waves.

Our second stop: Puerto Vallarta

We rented a jeep and went into the jungle. It was beautiful.

Our third stop: Cabo San Lucas

This is the marina where the rich and famous park their yachts. Seriously, there was one that was too big to park in the marina and had to be in the bay with the cruise ships. It even had a helipad and helicopter. Ah, that would be the life.

Lover's Beach at Cabo San Lucas.

The very tip of the Baja Pennisula.

Rick was one of the brave people to play in the waves. They were HUGE! Here he managed to get away, but he was not so fortunate a couple of times and was literally smashed into the sand. I kept myself busy laying out.

Formal night in the dining room.

We met up with a fun couple from Arizona and spent a lot of time with them, including the formal dinner where Rick talked us all into eating the escargo. It didn't taste to bad at the time, but was terrible later that evening when I threw it back up.

Easter, Conference, Luke's 8th Birthday...

2010-04-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Although it has been a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to post some pictures of the boys on Easter/Conference/Birthday weekend. Luke was born on conference weekend 8 years ago, and I love that every April conference we get to celebrate his birthday. The best years are those (like this year) where Easter is also on that same weekend. It makes the for the best celebrations. We had a good time decorating the eggs, with only one major spill...and it was ME who spilled the RED die on the table! I let the boys do whatever they wanted to their eggs (a difficult thing for me who wants them all to be "beautiful") and they totally loved it. If they liked to eat hard boiled eggs I would do dozens and dozens of eggs, but I am the only one who eats them and I can only eat so many in the weeks following Easter. Easter morning Rick and I woke up to the sound of cracking eggs and Elijah found the eggs the Easter Bunny left on the stairs and did his best to open them. Noah totally cracked me up with his candy. He is a VERY picky eater, and apparently that applies to candy as well. He found his basket and immediately started giving away the candy he didn't want. In the end he hardly had any. I guess the Easter Bunny needs to stick to plain M&Ms for him.

Luke had some friends over the weekend of his birthday for a pizza, How to Train Your Dragon, and sleepover party. I was aghast that the conversation in the car was about passing gas, but Rick just laughed and said, "Wait until they are Boy Scout age, they will be really obnoxious." Boys. I just don't get them. He had a great 8th birthday, and is SO excited to be baptized in a couple of weeks. I just can't believe that he is at that point in his life already!

Spring has finally stated to come to Woodland and the we have already started loving being outside more. Just one more month until summer break. We all can't wait.

Windows

2010-03-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have heard the saying, "Whenever God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." (Okay, I should not have put that in quotes because I really have no idea what the actual saying is, but you get the idea). Lets just say that this ENTIRE house building process has seemed like one door closing after another. The loan process the same. Two weeks ago Rick's car died. I have also had to downgrade my car for mortgage reasons. SLAM! But just like always there is an open window. Ours came in the form of a new job.

I just found out that I got a job that I applied for a month ago. For most of my parenting life I have always said I would love a part-time job in my field. You get the benefits of being at home with your children most of the time, you use your education doing something that you love, and a few days a week you have to get out of your sweat pants. I am so excited! Two and a half days a week I will be working as a Health Educator for Summit County. It means working a few more hours a week then I do now, but being all lumped together will make it feel less hectic (I think). It seems perfect. I just hope it turns out that way!

Ta-Da!

2010-02-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

Get Ready! Here is the big reveal.

(okay, just parts of the big reveal, but hopefully enough to keep you happy.)

Here is a view of the front.

I can't wait to take a picture in the spring when the grass is green and the trees are in bloom. (more about the wonderful tress when they are in bloom and we can really see "popcorn" out of the window.)

Welcome! Coming in the front door.

(Don't mind the blue painter's tape. We'll get to that someday.)

Master bathroom. Ahhhh, I love to have my own sink. AND my own closet there at the end.

Our own indoor hottub!
(The boys quite like it too.)

The beautiful master shower.
My dad did the tile in the showers and it looks amazing. Thanks so much dad.

The great room.
(Rick was on a ladder on the scaffolding to get to the top!)

A look into the kitchen from the eating area. I love it so much. It turned out so beautiful.

The lonley loft.

Futre home of a beautiful custom desk and window seat with flanking bookcases.

(Current home on one lone chair and a single bookcase that doesn't even fit half of our books.)

A look to the entryway from the loft.
(Is that painter's plastic still attatched to the top of the window? Yep.)

Looking out from the loft.

(The railing is two-toned for a reason. That reason being that we haven't finished stiaining it yet.)

The boys bathroom.

A closer look at my dad's wonderful tiling job.

Well there you have it. Eleven pictures of the house. I hope that everyone has had their fill for a while because I can't imagine that I will get the rest "picture ready" for quite some time. I'm much too busy LOVING my new place.

Alive and well

2010-02-12T16:58:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. I have been VERY delinquent on keeping up with my blog. I would like to cite ONE THOUSAND things that I have been doing instead, but I don't want this post to sound like a whine session. I have been feeling overwhelmed by the thought of catching up on all of the things that I have missed blogging about, so I have decided not to even try. The holidays were fabulous, and best of all we were able to spend Christmas in our new house. It was truly the best Christmas present I have ever received. We have been in the house for a little over a month and are finally settled in. Most of our stuff has found a place and it is really feeling like a home instead of just a house.

I know that everyone is anxious to get some pictures of the new house, but there are still a number of little project we need to finish, and some cleaning and decorating to be done, before I feel like having the big reveal. Maybe I can take it one room at a time. We'll just have to see. For now you will have to be satisfied with a picture of the boys on Christmas Eve. Ah, blogging world. It's nice to see you again. Let's stay in touch a little better.

Severe Weather Warining

2009-11-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather warning for Woodland, Utah. The storm is small, but powerful. It has tornado like gusts of activity that can leave your house totally destroyed in a matter of minutes. Do not sit idle thinking the storm won't hit, because it will. It always does. Do NOT try to clean in another room, do NOT try to make a phone call, and by all means do NOT hide in the bathroom (even to use it!). Hurricane Elijah is currently a category 4 storm, but gains power everyday. It is assumed that the storm will quickly become a category 5 and leave a wake of destruction in it's trail. TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS!

Ninja, Super, and Bat....oh, my!

2009-11-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

I love Halloween. For me is perfectly starts the holiday season. We had quite a few activities in the days that lead up to Halloween, which just added to the CRAZY life we are leading. Oh well, the effort is always worth it when it comes to making your kids happy. I am always quite frantic when I am trying to get things done, but end up being so thankful for the time and memories I have with the boys.

Here is the short list of our weeks activities

Preschool Halloween party

2nd grade class party

Sugar cookie decorating GALORE

Luke's breakdancing solo at the "Spooktacular"

Pumpkin carving

Trunk-or-treating

Trick-or-treating

(we wouldn't think of missing out on our Aunts, Uncles, and Grandpa)

Scary Movies

(Mostly Ghostly: 4 times!)

CANDY, CANDY, CANDY

Decorating cookies at the preschool Halloween party.
Noah got a little carried away with the black sprinkles and ended up with black teeth and lips.

Trying to carve his very own.

The frozen, defrosted, mushy pumpkin.

Elijah knows what Halloween is all about!

The cutest bat. EVER!

Dash showing off his muscles.

Nothing but speed.

Ninja Luke

I tried to get a good picture of all of the boys together, but Elijah was having none of it!

This is the best I was able to get.

Happy Birthday, Noah!

2009-10-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is only 9 days late, but here are a few pictures of Noah's fourth birthday. I usually say something like, "where does the time go?" But for some reason it really does feel like four years (or more!) have gone by since I had my beautiful black-haired baby boy. A lot has happened during these last four years, and I know that there will be even more exciting things to come in the next four.

Noah is such a case of extremes. He is the child who can TOTALLY exhaust you of all patience, but then is full of hugs and kisses. He is stubborn from head to toe, but can out of the blue surprise you with thoughtful deeds and sayings. He didn't even say "mama" until he was 18 months old, and now knows all his letters, sounds, colors, shapes, rhymes, and initial consonant sounds and letters. He LOVES being outside playing and getting dirty, but wants a bath every night. He jumps at the chance to go out and "work" with Dad, Grandpa, or any other worker who may grace our house, but whines that he "just wants to stay home" every morning we are headed out of the door.

Noah is unlike any other. And that is just how I like it.

Blowing out the candles on his transformers cake

Displaying all the birthday loot!

Noah got a kitty for his birthday from Uncle Chris. THANKS A LOT!

He LOVES the kitty and named him Tiger Shark. Tiger for short.

Elijah also loves Tiger. I'm not sure if the feelings are mutual.

House Update

2009-10-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been WAY too long since I have taken the time to update this blog and show you the progress we are making on the house. I can't even take 5 more minutes and explain WHY I am too busy, because the few minutes I am on the computer are making me feel guilty about all of the things I SHOULD be doing! Last week the cabinets were installed and it is finally starting to feel like a real house. We really had to push fast with the travertine in order to have it all laid before the cabinets came, but we made it. Rick has been AMAZING. He has had some help, but for the most part he has done all of the travertine by himself. I love the way that it looks, especially with the cabinets. We (and by we I mean Rick) just have to finish grouting the travertine and then seal it and we can move on to the next project. I'm not sure what that will be, the list is a mile long! We are heading into the final stretch, but it seems like we have more work than ever. I hope that Rick can hold out for about 6 more weeks.

a> Here is the bench in the back entry. I have aleady informed the boys that this is where they sit to put their shoes on and take them off! I love the hooks for their coats. No more shoes and coats past this point.
The back entry/laundry room.
Lots of storage for coats, hats, gloves, bookbags, etc. You know, all of the things that are strung out from the front door to every room in the house!

I have a hanging bar above the dryer. Everyone keeps telling me that I will LOVE it. It certainly will cut down on the ironing (which I HATE to do.)

(Kitchen)

Looking toward the range, microwave, and sink.

(Kitchen)

Hutch on the left down to the pantry on the right.

Yes, the cabinets reach to the 9 foot celings. I am going to have to have a step ladder to reach anything in the top!

I wanted black as an accent and I think the hutch was a perfect choice.

Here is the full kitchen (from the dining room) the lighting isn't very good, but the beadboard on the back of the bar is also black to match the hutch.

The dining room travertine.

Our bathroom.

I love the turned feet. They make the vanity really seem like a piece of furniture.

Peach, Green, Brown...the story of the paint

2009-09-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

Labor-Day weekend was suppose to be a painting party at the Gunnerson house. Max and Chelsea were even going to come and help since Max has painting experience. We planned on getting everything primed on Friday night and painted on Saturday and Monday. That is what we planned. This is what really happened.

Friday: Max and Chelsea did arrive around 7:00 on Friday night. We didn't get right to work because Billie Jo enticed us all to dinner with enchiladas and zucchini cake, but by about 8:30 we were hard at work. Max was spraying, Rick was rolling, and I was trying to finish up vacuuming all of the sheetrock dust out of the house (an endeavor I am convinced will NEVER happen). We worked for a few hours and got most of the house done before calling it a night.

Saturday: Back to work and almost finished when the sprayer quit working! Oh well, it was almost time for the BYU game anyway, and we were ready for a break. During half-time Max and Rick ran to Home Depot to trade in the broken sprayer for a new one and soon were back to work. They finished priming the house and started with the paint in our bedroom and bathroom. It was about 10:00 pm when they came in to get us (me, Chelsea, and Giselle) to show us the finished product. I stepped into the bedroom and was proclaiming what a fabulous job they did when I stopped and said, "It looks kinda peachy, don't you think?" Everyone tried to convince me that it was okay, that it would look different in the light, and that it would dry darker. I was unconvinced. Even though Rick and Max were planning an all-night painting party, I talked them into quiting and NOT painting the rest of my house peach.

Sunday: Upon further inspection, the color really did look more peach than tan. What a dissappointment! It was something that I could have LIVED with, but I knew that I would never really like it. We decided to bag the painting for the weekend and just have fun!

Monday: Instead of painting we actually got to enjoy our holiday at Francis Frontier days. The boys rode sheep, played games, and we visited with friends and family. Rick decided that he would go ahead and paint the ceilings since we were doing them white and we would have to try and do something with our "peach" paint. So, he took the evening and sprayed all of the ceilings on the first floor. After I put the boys in bed I went to see how it was going and as soon as I walked in I said, "That looks peach too!" It wasn't until that moment that I remembered my Uncle Alvin (our family painting expert) told me that if we used white paint on the ceiling it would look gray, so he told the paint store to go 1/4 strength of our wall color for the ceiling. Another night of work, and paint, wasted.

Tuesday: Rick took some of the paint back to the paint store to see if they could add some color to take out the peach and make it a little more tan. He came home and tested it out on one wall in our bedroom, which was quickly becoming the test center. It was okay, but in an effort to get the peach "out" they added in some green. It ended up looking a little too green to me and even though I liked it, I felt like I was copying Billie Jo's house. So again it was a no-go.

Friday: I drove to Salt Lake with 55 gallons of peach paint to see what could be done. I went into the paint store a little embarrased to be back. I am sure they thought that I was pretty foolish to order 55 gallons of paint that I hadn't even tested to make sure I liked it! They were also probably annoyed that I was bringing back perfectly good paint and making them remix it. Oh well, I needed paint that I could live with. I pick out a paint chip that I liked and they said that they would try to remix our paint to match. One hour later I picked it up. The paint was no longer the original "calfskin", they had magically turned it into "summer suede."

Saturday: Get out the sprayer and roller (again) it is time for round three. Rick and I painted the ceilings in the ENTIRE house! I was quite worried because against the white primer the celing paint looked quite dark, but Rick told me that we could NOT make any more changes.

Monday: By the light of two spotlights, Rick and Tim got to work on the wall color. Tim cut in the color against the ceiling while Rick sprayed and rolled the walls. The slow work of cutting in only got finished in our bedroom and bathroom, while the spraying and rolling got done on the entire first floor.

Tuesday: The big question. How did the new paint color look? Perfect. Well, not quite perfect. I would've perfered a little lighter, but Rick really liked it a little darker. Now the paint wasn't the problem, it was the paint job. Apparently painting at night with just a couple of spotlights is not the best idea. There were so many spots of uneven coverage that we ended up going back over everything that had been done! I suggested to Rick that instead of painting at night we sould just take the time to tape and mask the ceiling in the evenings and then spray on Saturday. Even though I could tell he didn't want to agree with me, he did.

Wednesday: Rick had to finish up the last couple of roofing items so that the workers could finish the siding.

Thursday: Taping and masking.

Friday: Taping and masking.

Saturday: We did it! Once I got home from teaching yoga we hit the painting full force. Rick was on the sprayer and I followed with the roller. Luke and Noah were in charge of tending themselves (lets just say I found many candy wrappers around the house and an empty bag of cheetoes by the computer) and Eli had to be exiled and spend the day away (with my mom). We still have some areas that we need to touch-up, but I can officially say that the house is painted, and the best part is that I actually like the color! I hope that the tiling doesn't have as many snags.

Rick and Max getting the house all primed.

Daredevil Rick painting the two-story entryway.

Luke had the job of washing all the paint buckets when we were finished with them. A job he didn't much like.

We did take a break from house work last Sunday and went on a fall ride. We drove to Mill Hollow to find some leaves for Luke's school project and took the trail around the lake. The boys loved it and kept asking if they could go fishing in the lake. We gave the same response everytime they asked, "Someday boys, when the house is finished, we'll have time to go fishing." With the painting done, it feels like"'someday" is getting closer and closer.

Signs your parents are building a house...

2009-09-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here are just few signs that your parents are spending all their time building a house.

1. You are covered, head to toe, with sawdust and sheetrock dust.

2. You have new interesting toys, like...

mountian of rocks

indoor motorcycle
racing track,

pile of sawdust

and slide of death.

3. You have to get your own lunch.

So refreshing!

4. You are basically dirty, hungry, and totally neglected.

Don't worry boys, we are almost finished. It will all be worth it. I promise.

Firsts

2009-08-30T17:08:00.001-07:00

This month has seen a lot of FIRSTS for our little family...

The First First,

I started work at a new job. I actually had to come home from our Bear Lake vacation for a couple of days to start teaching yoga and dance at a school in Oakley. The Oakley School is a private high school for kids who for whatever reason were no longer able to stay at their last school. I work three morning a week teaching two periods. For the most part I have enjoyed it, but lets just say that teaching high school aged boys ballet is a little intimidating. Thankfully the last day of our ballet unit is tomorrow!

The Second First,

Rick started work at a new job. Rick left the law firm in Park City in May and has been working on his own all summer. Things were really starting to fall into place with the Law Offices of Richard Gunnerson, but when he got offered a job in Salt Lake we felt like we had to accept. Literally we HAD to accept. Just try getting a mortgage while being self-employed. So his own office is on hold for a while until we finish the house and finialize our financing. He actually likes his new job quite a bit, but just today he was lamenting how terrible it is to have a real job working for someone else. It really has put a cramp on his house building time.

The Third First,

With me working in the mornings, Noah and Elijah have started going to the babysitters house a few hours a week. I feel lucky because I was hoping to find a mom who stays at home with her kids and was looking to make a little money, and that is just what I found! Her house is on the way to Oakley and the boys have had fun there so far.

The Fourth (and most exciting) First,

Luke started 2nd grade last week! He has a teacher who was teaching 2nd grade when I was in 2nd grade, and he totally loves her. I was a little worried about her being "old" but obviously teaching kids has kept her young in spirit. He already has some friends in his class, in fact we have already had our first sleepover of the year. Apparently Luke and his firend were planning it all week because on Friday afternoon the friend's mom called me and said that her son's bags were all packed to come! Luke reports that he has played basketball every recess, that school lunch makes "the best meat" for tacos, and his teacher REALLY likes to read to the class. So far no mentions of girls or kissing.

So handsome, and big! When did that happen?

Walking to the bus stop.

When the door to the bus opened I saw the meanest bus driver E.V.E.R. Apparenty he was just filling in for the real route driver. Whew.

The Fifth First,

Elijah got his first haircut yesterday. For some reason it always takes someone commenting about how long my baby's hair is to make me think that it is finally time for a trim. I keep wishing that one of my children is going to inherit Rick's family's curls so I let it grow and grow, but instead of curling it just starts looking shaggy. Rick is usually the barber in our family, but he was working on the house when I wanted the cut done. So I got out the scissors and had a go at it! Elijah was NOT the best client I have ever worked with, and what should've taken 2 minutes to trim turned into 20. It seemd that just when I would get his fine little hair inbetween my fingers to trim he would turn his head and I would loose it. I tried to divert his attention with lots of toys, but she thought it was fun to see how many times he could stand up and sit down. ARGH! I finally finished, and well it could be worse. It could be a lot better too, but it could be worse. No matter what his hair looks like I think he is such a cutie!

Before

After

What an exciting August. Bring on September, we're ready.

Mr. Clean

2009-08-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

Noah is his grandpa's little helper. He spends as much time with him as he possibly can and is always talking about being a grandpa. For quite a while now Noah has been asking is he could have a haircut like grandpa. Of course I keep putting him off by saying things like, "wouldn't that be fun!" or "maybe when you are a grandpa". Just the other day when I was commenting to Noah about how long his hair was getting he asked again if he could get a haircut like grandpa. This time grandpa was around to hear it and said an emphatic "YES". I said no. Noah begged. I said no. Grandpa encouraged Noah. I said no. Grandpa rationalized that it would grow back in just a couple of weeks. I gave in.

As Noah and grandpa marched up the stairs I was going to mention to my dad not to really cut it quite as short as his. He could give him a buzz, but not totally shave it off. I WAS going to mention it, but I figured that my dad would think of it by himself. I thought he would use prudence in his judgement. Then I remembered that this is the grandpa who swings grandchildren around in blankets. This is the grandpa who gives grandchildren Pepsi before they can even walk or talk. This is the grandpa who lets Noah "surf" on the tire wheel of the tractor. This is the grandpa who takes the boys to the feed store for Pepsi and honeybuns for breakfast. This is the grandpa who lets Elijah ride the dogs. This is not PRUDENT grandpa! This is FUN grandpa! So I was not suprised when Noah came down the stairs and this is what I saw. Now Noah has a haircut like grandpa's...and loves it.

Summer 2009

2009-08-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

A slideshow?! I agree. I usually don't really like slideshows because I don't want to sit and look at tons of pictures without any story behind them. But, because of my lack of posting this summer I feel a slideshow will be the only way I can get it all in at once and feel like I am caught up enough to start anew. So here are some highlights of our summer. I HOPE you enjoy!

house building projects
family reunions
parades
playing in the creek
Learning to walk (Elijah)
Lagoon
Discovery museam and fountians
Bear Lake Vacation

Blah, blah, blah...blogging

2009-07-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

I realize that is has been weeks since I last posted, but that is because I am feeling really BLAH about blogging lately. I think that feeling is getting round because I have noticed that most of you have dropped off in your updates too! Don't get me wrong, I still love to see what everyone else has been up to, I'm just not that in to doing it myself. So here is an attempt to get caught up (a little) and get myself excited about blogging again!

We had a really fun weekend on the 4th. We were able to have a little Gunnerson family reunion up at the cabin. We spent one afternoon at the rec. center, went to the Oakley parade, and just enjoyed being together (something we haven't done in over 2 years!). It was really fun to have everyone together again. Thanks for making the effort to be there. Even though 25 people in the cabin was a little cramped (and SOMEONE'S baby kept us awake all night ((yeah, that was Elijah)) it was a lot of fun!

Spending the 4th at the Cabin.

The whole Gunnerson gang and the Oakley parade.

Work has slowed down a little at the house while we try to finish roofing. What a project!!!! With 4 doormers, one gable, a garage, and the main house it has been quite complex. I told Rick the other night that we sure didn't pick a house that is easy to build. He assured me it would be worth it. We have been very lucky to have a lot of help from my brother, brother-in-law, and dad, as well as Rick's brothers. Thanks SOOOOO much to everyone! This week we will hopefully pass the 4-way inspection so we can get on to insulation and drywall.

Our summer has been really fun so far, but is going way too fast. There is still have a lot of fun to be had and hopefully I will feel a little more excited about blogging about it!

The boys trying out the tub in their bathroom.

Even Evan gets to have his turn out on the roof with his dad.

Rick, my dad, and Allen working on the roof.

Aside from a couple of rain-outs Luke had a really great baseball season. This year was coach pitch instead of t-ball, and Luke did great! He got some good hits every time up to bat.

I see a future in MLB, don't you?

My Big One-Year-Old

2009-06-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

If I said this year has gone by quickly, I would be making an understatement. I can't believe that it was an entire year ago that I had my little baby, Elijah. What a year it has been. I love this little boy so much. He is such a social butterfly! He loves to go to everyone. He even had to have a cabinet contractor hold him the other day. He loves, loves, loves people. He loves all of the attention his big brothers give him. He is good natured and always lets Luke and Tess carry him around. Lately he is showing quite a bit of independence, and I feel it is just a taste of what is to come! He is almost totally eating big boy food, and drinking lots of milk. He is a total PIG! He eats and eats and eats. Last week I bought him his own half gallon of milk and only a couple of days later it was already gone. Although he is a big eater, he is still very small for his age. He hasn't gone to his one year Dr.'s check-up, but the last time I weighed him at home he was about 18 lbs. I will get his offical one-year stats in a couple of weeks.

We had a little cake and ice cream party for him a couple of days after his official birthday. He wasn't too interested in opening his presents, but thankfully cousin Evan was here to help him out. He thinks that he MUST hold the spoon whenever I feed him, and eating his cake was no different. He wanted a spork, but later decided to dig right in with his hands.

Happy Birthday, Elijah. I love your happy, smiling, little face.

My Healthy Little Eater

2009-06-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Despite my best efforts, it appears that Elijah is NOT turning out to be a very healthy eater!

The boys set up a "store" and got out a bunch of food to sell. Apparently they didn't get the Oreo's put away before Elijah found them.

If you have ever met a Gunnerson you have probably had some of their homemade root beer. Apparently Elijah is a true Gunnerson because he LOVES it. (Apparently I am not a true Gunnerson because I like it quite a bit less than Eli.)

More pics

2009-06-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Looking from the kitchen out the back.

From the great room to dining and kitchen.

With Trusses now on.

Almost finished framing.

Staining the front door.

The work continues...

2009-05-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, except for all of the work going on on the new house, we have been having a pretty boring life. I can pretty much catch everyone up with just a few short sentences.
Rick: enjoying his weeks off of work spending time with the boys and working on the house.
Olivia:mommying and teaching cardio and yoga classes.
Luke: counting down the days until school is out (1 1/2).
Noah: LOVING having his dad around and working on the house.
Elijah: getting 5 new teeth at once, and NOT being happy about it.

The house is going great! All of the walls are up, inside and out, and it is SO fun to go in and actually see everything all laid out. I get excited everyday when the workers go home and I can go over and see what new things have been done. Today they were working on the porch and even needed a crane to lift the big beams into place. I love it more and more everyday.

Noah helping get the septic tank ready to be buried.

Putting on the big cross beams.

A view from the front.

A beam coming in for the front porch.

Rick helping get the straps around one of the big beams.

Construction begins!

2009-05-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

To say that is has been a long time coming would be an understatement; but we have finally begin the construction of our new home! It has all been so fast, and I hope that the rest of the process goes as smoothly and quickly as it has so far. Surprisingly is has not even been two weeks since the first crew started work. They came on Thursday and poured the cement footings. Friday they set the forms for the foundation, and poured those on Monday. Wednesday the framers started work on the floor and by last Thursday we had our first wall. By the end of today the entire first floor will be framed and they will start tomorrow on the second story. WOW ! What a lot of work. We have found that right now is a GREAT time to be building a house, because no one else is and contractors are begging for work. We hope that this means we will be in by Thanksgiving, not Christmas. (Although secretly I am hoping for Halloween!) Rick and Noah sealing the foundation.
Noah has been so excited to go out and work everyday. He has had the opportunity to work in the trackhoe and backhoe a lot because my uncle is doing our excavation. He is the hardest working little boy. He always wants to be out working with the men .

The first wall!
This is the wall separating the garage from the house.

Luke, Grandma Gunnerson and Eli, Rick, and Grandpa Gunnerson standing in the garage looking at the first of many walls.

The first wall went up on Thursday, and here it is today.
This is a picture of the back of the house from my parents yard.

I know this picture isn't of anything important, but I just thought I would show how well we are protecting those wetlands! We've had heavy equipment drive on it, a dumpster park on it, all of the crew's trucks park on it, and lumber stacked on it. But, building a house there would be out of the question.

A Little Perspective

2009-05-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Life is all about perspective.

A couple of weeks ago we were enjoying some fabulous spring weather. When Luke got home from school I encouraged the boys to go out and enjoy the nice warm afternoon. Not long after they went out to play, they came back in to ask if they could put the sprinkler under the trampoline. I told them that it wasn't quite warm enough for that (it was probably about 65 degrees). So Noah quickly made a request that he has been making all winter long, which I have been denying until it "gets warm". He asked if they could play with their shirts off. I said yes, and off they went.

It really made me reflect on how much in our lives is all about our perspective. When we lived in Las Vegas I kept the boys in pants and long-sleeved shirts until it was 70 degrees outside. Shorts weren't an option until the 80's came along. Now we live in the frigid north and once the thermometer hits 65 I am letting them play outside without their shirts! Yep, now 65 degrees is warm.

It's amazing how differently we can see things when we look at them from a different perspective.

Spring Break St. George Style

2009-04-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

How much fun can one mom and three boys have together for one week in St. George? LOTS! We did actually get to have Rick with us for the first couple of days, and he even stuck around on Monday for Luke's birthday, but the rest of the week was just me and the boys. We spent our time riding bikes, playing in the sand, flying kites, going to the park, bowling, seeing Monsters vs. Aliens, visiting with Chelsea and Jack, skinning our knees and elbows at Jumping Jacks, watching movies, reading books, and just enjoying each other. It was really nice to have no time commitments, responsibilities, homework, or bedtimes! Ah, but all good things must come to an end. At least spring has come to Woodland, and we have started working on the house I will have Thanksgiving dinner in.

Luke celebrated his 7th birthday on the 6th of April. He choose to go to Jumping Jack's and play for a few hours and enjoy lunch at IHOP.

My happy handsome little boy enjoying a warm day at the park.

On one especially windy day we found a kite in the closet at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They think of everything! The boys loved getting it up in the sky as high as they could. Of course I ended up getting it out of the sage brush and winding up the string.

Luke has a love/hate relationship with bowling. He loves to bowl, but hates to loose to his little brother. Even though Noah can barely get the ball down the lane, he still manages to knock more pins over than Luke EVERY TIME. So, no big surprise that Luke ended up crying and pouting when the game was over and he lost to Noah and Jack/Chelsea.

Oh, I could just kiss those boys to death!
At the park they found a little stream and spent more time wading in the water than playing. Good thing we have LOTS of water on our building lot. I am sure we can dig a little stream of our own.

Picture this...here

2009-03-30T13:24:00.001-07:00

Picture this house...

Right here!

Back of the house

First floor

Second Floor

It's not official yet (Rick still has to meet with the fire department tomorrow), but last Thursday the County Board of Adjustments granted us a variance from the wetland code. By the end of the week we will have our building permit and we can FINALLY get started! The top picture is the drawing of the front of the house. It will look just a little different because we are going to finish it in more of a rustic finish with stucco, rock, and wood beams instead of siding and shutters. The second picture is of the boys riding Lynne two summers ago on our lot (yes, that is the wetlands!!!!!!). Right about behind where they are riding is where the front of the house will be, so that will be the view from our back porch. I LOVE the front and back porches because we love the beauty of the land around us and we will be able to enjoy it from our front and back porches. I love the layout of the floor plan, but am a little nervous to have our bedroom on an entirely different floor than the kids. Also, did you notice that I have my own closet. No more sharing with Rick. If you know the difference between how I keep my closet and how Rick keeps his you will understand how happy I am about that. We have expanded the utility room/laundry room out to meet the front of the garage, and I am so excited about a BIG laundry/back entry.

I know that we are a LONG way from really having this house being a reality, but it feels like the biggest hurdle is behind us. I am so thankful for Rick for all the work he has done to get everything passed with Summit County. We could never have imagined what a headache it would be. I am sure that once it is all finished, it will just be a funny story we tell, but truly it has been such a trial. We are expecting to be in by the Noah's birthday at the end of October, so everyone is invited to stay with us anytime you are up this way!

My Luke

2009-03-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

I love my Luke. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. In just a couple of weeks he is going to turn 7 and it really doesn't seem like it has been that long since I had my first little boy. He has really enjoyed this school year and all of the fun things that he gets to participate in. He entered the "creative challenge" competition at the school and won first place for his rendition of "Fur Ludwig", a child's version on Fur Elise. He played at the awards ceremony where he got is medal. The truth is that he was the only one in K-1st who entered in the instrument category, so of course he won first place. He was so excited to get his medal and "win" first place that when he got back to his chair he said, "I did it! I got first place." I didn't mention the fact that he was the only person who entered. A few minutes passed and he turned to me and said, "Mom, was there anyone even competing against me?" I told him no and he lost a lot of the excitement of "winning". I reassured him that even if there were people competing against him I was sure that he would win anyway! He just looked at me and said, "Yeah, I would've."

Luke with his medal at the piano.

All of the winners at the awards ceremony.

My little pianist.

Also this year Luke is old enough to sign up for a basketball league. He was super excited because basketball is his favorite sport. Rick signed up to be the coach, and to tell you the truth I think he has had as much fun as Luke. Luke isn't a really aggressive kid, so he doesn't go after the ball that much, and at this age that is what you have to do! He does practice his skills a lot and is pretty good and has scored at least one basket at every game. We have just one more game until the season is over...and one more month until soccer season starts.

Luke is really good on defense and gets a LOT of steals every game. (I am sure there is a fair amount of fouling too, but they don't call it that much.)

Down For The Count

2009-03-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

It feels like we have just gone 9 rounds with a heavyweight boxer, and the Gunnerson's are officially down for the count.

It all started last week when Noah woke up on Monday morning with a scratchy throat and a cough and by Tuesday morning he had a fever. I tried to just give him enough medicine to keep him from burning up and pretend that he would get better any day, but it didn't work. By Friday evening I took him to the clinic in Park City to see if I could find out what was wrong. I no sooner walked in the door and let them take his temperature and pulse-ox than they were calling an ambulance to take us to Primary Children's. They were convinced he had pneumonia. I tried to talk them into letting me drive him there myself, but with his oxygen at 79% they weren't having it. An ambulance ride, chest x-rays, snot test, and doctors evaluation later they confirmed that Noah did indeed have pneumonia. They didn't admit him to the hospital because the doctor said at his age a lot of kids do better at home than being traumatized at the hospital. (I think his kicking and screaming and refusing to be touched gave her that idea.) His oxygen had come up above 90% so we just brought him home. He actually started feeling better the very next day and now the only problem is getting him to take his medicine without 30 minutes of fighting about it!!!

Friday I also noticed that Elijah was getting a little cough too and I just prayed that it wasn't the same thing. By Saturday he also had a fever and I felt like I was having a bad case of deja vu. Again I tried to just wait out his fever and hope that he got better, but once again it was no use. Tuesday I took him to his pediatrician to find out if I had a double case of pneumonia on my hands. His oxygen was also very low, but his doctor said that his lungs didn't sound like pneumonia, it sounded more like RSV. They did an RSV test, but it came back negative. His doctor was stumped so once again we were sent to Primary Children's. At least this time they sent us with an oxygen tank and NOT in an ambulance. Now it was Elijah's turn for chest x-rays and snot tests. By the time I was back up the canyon and back to the doctor's office she informed us that Eli did not have pneumonia, but DID have RSV. Because his oxygen levels couldn't stay up Eli had to come home with the newest member of our family, the oxygen tank. Today we were back to the pediatrician to see if things had improved, but they hadn't. So we will continue to go everyday to the doctor to see if my baby can get better. Also today the doctor said that his ears are infected.

I'm really trying not to feel sorry for myself. We are very lucky that both boys were well enough to be at home and not in the hospital. Noah has recovered very quickly, and I am hoping that with his oxygen and his medicine Elijah will get better soon. Now all I need is a good night's sleep and a little oxygen of my own!!!!

On our way to the doctor AGAIN.
Despite the half-smile, Elijah HATES the tubes up his nose.

Indescribable

2009-02-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

I am totally at a loss for words to describe our experience with Summit County.

Unreasonable was doing a heat-loss evaluation to make sure that our house would be efficient enough not to waste natural resources.

Ludicrous was adding another window to the bonus room to ensure we had enough daylight in the room.

Preposterous was having our engineers redraw our site plan to include contour lines and elevation of the garage entry...on our FLAT lot.

Outrageous was finding out we had to have a wetlands consultant come and map the wetlands that exist ONLY on our one acre (and paying her $2,500).

Obscene was paying a $100 application fee and waiting one month to have our petition heard before the board of adjustments.

Shocking was getting a bill from the county for advertising in the newspaper and sending out postcards to make a public notice of the hearing.

The only word I have left that seems to fit the situation is unconscionable, and even that does not seem strong enough.

Last night was our meeting with the board of adjustments to see if they would pass our application to build closer than 40 feet to the wetlands on our lot. No, we did not get approved. They tabled the application for another month to see if we can come up with another plan they like a little better. I can't get into the details of what we have done in the last month (since the application was made and before the board met to make a decision) to try to meet the demands of the county while still being able to build our house, but needless to say we thought that we had a great case to make when we explained to them that we cannot move our house in farther away from the wetlands and still have the sewer/septic system where it needs to be. I am not even joking when I say that they would like us to see if we could move the house even 5 feet. FIVE FEET! You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!!! Oh, I assure you they are not kidding.

I actually did not go to the meeting because I was teaching my aerobics and yoga classes (and because I was not sure I could go and NOT physically or verbally attack someone) but Rick had an interesting story to tell me when he got home. The application presented right before ours was finally passed...after ONE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess that these people applied for a building permit to build a cabin up Weber canyon one year ago and have been going through much of the same garbage with the county as we have. They have gone so far as to buy the lot of land right next to theirs to try to meet all of the county's requirements. The problem? The front corner of the DECK on the cabin was 27 feet from the road on the front and 29 feet from the road on the corner (they have a corner lot). The county setback is 30 feet. When they finally passed their application last night, the woman broke down and started crying! Yes, I'm totally serious.

I wished that I had video documented this entire experience so that I could present it to anyone who thinks that Summit County is not completely and totally over-the-top out of control.

Wish us luck next month. Obviously we will need it.

A Store-Bought Mom

2009-02-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

As I stood in the grocery store today, looking at the variety of Valentine's goodies, I came to an unpleasant realization; I am a store-bought mom.

This is what I would like to make for Luke to take to his class party to give to all of his friends. Beautiful homemade cookie pops with specialty messages for each student, teacher, and aid.

Instead, this is what I finally decided on after a few minutes of shopping. Little Debbie. At least they are cream filled.
I also thought of making something crafty, delicious, homemade, and totally wonderful for the women I visiting teach, but instead they are getting cellophane baggies filled with store-bought candy. Tied with a ribbon.

How did I come to this? What in my life has brought me to this point...the point of buying Little Debbie? Kids. Time. A part-time evening job. LIFE! I really do have good intentions of grandeur, but eventually I settle. Here is just an example. Noah was going to a little Valentine's party at the library today where he would be trading valentines with all of the other little kids at story hour. I've know about it for a week, and thought that I was on top of things when I got out the valentine cards the other day for Noah to sign. I even bought some little candies that he could help me staple onto the cards. I thought it would be a great "preschool" activity. Five minutes into it, I gave up. Noah was finding more enjoyment in erasing his writing than actually doing any writing. It was also time for Elijah to go down for a nap so we ditched the valentine activity and I turned on a movie for Noah while I put Eli to sleep. This morning as I hurriedly grabbed our library bag I realized that we never finished our cards. So I stuffed the box of cards into the bag and headed out of the door. Once we made it to the library (on time for the first time in months) I quickly wrote Noah's name on all of the cards while the kids listened to the books.

Someday I may get my act together. Someday I may live the dream I have always had. Someday I will be the mom who sends the best, most impressive treats to school you have ever seen. Until then I will have to settle for Disney cards with out any candy, glitz, or glam, just Noah's name...written by his store-bought mother.

I've created a monster!

2009-02-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes as a mother I feel like Dr. Frankenstein when he shouts, "it's alive!". It seems that despite my best intentions I often create my very own monsters. Like when Luke was little and refused to feed himself. From the time he started eating solid food I always feed him, and I kept doing it because it was faster and cleaner if mom did the job instead of letting the little one. Then one day when he was 3 years old I wanted him to feed himself and he wouldn't. Yep, a monster. I've created another with Noah who at 3 1/2 he won't go to the bathroom by himself. Again it has been cleaner and faster for me to help him and make sure that things get done the right way (my way) then to let him do it himself. Now no matter what, he won't go into the bathroom and go by himself because he wants me to help. Yep, another monster.

The latest monster I have created is Elijah, the swaddle monster, and Momma's boy. I started swaddling Eli the very day we brought him home from the hospital, and now he cannot sleep at night unless he is tightly wrapped up. A couple of weeks ago I tried to just lay him in bed and let him sleep with blankets on him. Lets just say that we spent two nights with a screaming baby. Finally Rick just said, "please just swaddle him and lets get some sleep." I guess as long as Elijah has nice mission companions who will take the time each night to swaddle him, he will be fine.

I have also completely spoiled this boy so much and spent so much time holding, playing, and kissing him that he now refuses to be put down. He doesn't really even like anyone else to hold him. He pretty much doesn't even like his dad. This is Elijah the other day when I made him sit and play while I ate lunch and did the dishes. Here he is at 35 minutes and counting of pure screaming. I don't mean crying or whining. I mean SCREAMING! I get so frustrated with him crying if I am not holding him, and my mom just reminds me that he is what I have made him!!!!

Here's hoping I can tame my little monsters!!!!!

My name is Olivia, and I am a bloglifter...

2009-01-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have bloglifted all of the following photos from my sister and mom. I don't know why I never take my camera anywhere, or if I do remember to take it I don't get it out to actually take pictures. Wait, I do know why. Just getting out of the house with my three children (and hopefully a diaper and wipes for Eli) is usually all I can do. If, by some miracle, I do take my camera I don't often get a break from wrangling my kids to take it out and snap any photos. So, that is why I have to have a post with nothing but cute pictures of my kids that other people have taken!

Eli and I at the bottom of the sledding hill.
The sun was shining, the temperature was pretty mild, and the kids were having a blast. Eli and I just sat at the bottom of the hill watching.

Noah and Mia making it down the sledding hill WITHOUT a sled.
You may (or may not) be surprised to know that Noah was the first to just throw himself down the hill without a sled. It worked quite well and soon all of the kids were doing it.

Me and my sisters.
As the years pass by it seems that the times we are all together happen
less and less often, so we really do cherish the time we spend together.

Elijah's first New Year's Eve.
Elijah woke up a little bit before midnight and was able to enjoy the festivities. This is quite possibly the cutest picture I have ever seen of my little baby boy!

Elijah with Grandpa McNeil.
A testament to the fact that he loves to laugh and smile.

Eli and Evan. (and me and Patrice!)
These two boys are less than one month apart in age and I am so excited that they can grow up friends and cousins. Rick and I both had cousins our exact age and we were and are best friends with them. I feel so lucky that my kids have such fun cousins to grow up with.

Grandpa, Luke, and Noah working with Lucy.
We got a horse earlier last spring, and this fall Grandpa got the boys out to start working with her. They brushed her, got a saddle on, and even rode on her a little bit! Quite amazing for her first time. I grew up riding horses a lot and am exited that my boys can do the same.

Christmas and more

2009-01-06T10:04:00.001-08:00

In addition to Christmas, there have been a few other fun things going on around here I thought your might like to see.

Noah is always busy! He loves to be a "worker boy", especially helping his dad and grandpa outside. Yesterday he put on his boots, gloves, and hat and went into the garage to get some wood to start a fire. I thought that he was so darn cute all dressed as a "worker boy".

First of all, please ignore the fact that I look like I am 70 years old. I blame the low lighting and the fact that this picture was taken after midnight, but the truth is...I am just old! Anyway, this is what happens when you stand on a chair in your slippers, holding a baby, with children below you while trying to decorate a Christmas tree. I was attempting to get off the chair when I lost my balance and crashed head-first into the entertainment center. Since I was holding Eli in my arms I couldn't break my fall with my hands. And since Noah was below me, I couldn't just step off the chair onto my feet. Instead I went head-first into the edge of the entertainment center and landed on Noah in the process. Needless to say I had a HUGE headache and an enormous goose egg (with a canyon down the middle). I had just gotten my hair cut that day, and I was excited to show it off, but for the next week everyone that saw me was only interested in the gash on my forehead! I am hoping that it won't leave too much of a scar, but Rick has assured me that even if it does he will still love me. He will call me scarface, but he will still love me.

The week before Christmas, Elijah turned 6 months old. I can't believe he is halfway to one year old. He continues to be such a happy baby, but has gotten so spoiled that he SCREAMS like he is going to die if I am not holding him. He doesn't even like his dad to hold him if I am around. He can sit up pretty well, although he often takes a tumble when he starts looking around. At the doctor's visit I found out that he is too skinny! It was quite a surprise to me, and anyone who has seen the rolls on his legs. He was only in the 25% for weight, the 50% for height, but his head was still at 70%! I sure hope his body catches up to his head someday.

I posted a Christmas slide show below, so take a minute and check-out our Christmas pics!

Christmas Photos

2009-01-06T09:59:00.001-08:00

If you are like me you have already seen a dozen Christmas Morning slide shows, but it really is the best way to share lots of fun photos! We had a great Christmas, and I am already looking forward to next year. It seems to come and go faster and faster every year. I love to have so much time to spend with families, and especially to have Rick home to have special time with us. I hope all of you had a great Christmas too!

Guess where we found Santa

2008-12-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

That's right, we found Santa at the pool!

A couple of weeks ago the boys had a chance to meet Santa at the pool. I did have to do a little explaining to Luke about why Santa was at the pool in a swimming suit, and why he was skinny. I think they had fun anyway.

We also took the chance to visit Temple Square before it snowed and the weather got too cold. Even though the temperatures were above normal for December, it was still pretty cold! Of course the lights were beautiful, and Noah was especially excited to see the temple. When we first saw it he said, "Oh can I get baptized in there?"

It was a fun night with our favorite girls. Noah didn't want in the stroller (of course), but Luke was happy to take his place. After the temple we went to eat at Sizzler. Luke had never been there before but really loved it. He was amazed that he could eat pizza, nachos, watermelon, grapes, and ice cream all for one meal. He said it was the best dinner ever.

I can't believe that Christmas is just one week away. I am so excited, and I think that the snow has really helped me get in the Christmas Spirit. As an early Christmas present, the Army Corps of Engineers had mapped out the wetlands on our lot, and it looks like we CAN build there. This is a true present because on Thursday of last week the wetlands consultant informed us that it was pretty unlikely that we would be able to build there, but on Friday Rick had an onsite meeting with the consultant and the engineer and they gave us the okay to build... in the back corner! I am not really happy about it, but compared to the news the day before I was thrilled. It means that we will have our house right in the back corner of a one acre lot, with a HUGE front yard. That was on Friday. On Saturday morning we woke up to 6 inches of snow and it hasn't stopped snowing yet. What a blessing. If there was snow on the ground on Thursday or Friday we would not have been able to get the wetland mapping done and would've been out of luck until spring. So even though things are not perfect, I do feel blessed that all is not lost.

Thankful and NOT

2008-12-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

Almost the whole Gunnerson Gang (minus Geoff and Jadi's family) together on Thanksgiving!

I don't just want to pass over Thanksgiving without mentioning that my life is totally wonderful, and I am truly blessed. BUT I am so upset with the complete stupidity that has been going on in our process of building our house, that I simply must share!

I must start by saying that the random laws and red tape that exist in our county government are absurd. Let me just go through the process that we have had to go through in an effort to obtain a building permit to build in wonderful Summit County....
1. Buy land
2. Buy house plans
3. Have land surveyed
4. Have house plans engineered to meet Summit County code
5. Have engineers draw up a site plan of your lot and house
6. have ground tested for wetness
7. Finally think you have done all you need to do to apply for the permit; make appointment to submit application, and of course pay just to submit the application.
8. Get list of things the County thinks is missing from your application. Ours included contour lines on the site map and elevation of the garage entry. (Apparently even though you own a FLAT piece of land they need these VERY IMPORTANT things. I mean, how can the fire trucks get up your driveway if it is to steep. To steep? Did I mention the land is FLAT?!)
9. Have engineers REDO the site plan to include the VERY IMPORTANT things.
10. Repeat number 7.
11. Get new list of things that the county needs. This time it is a "Heat loss study" done by a heating and air conditioning contractor to determine if your house is not going to waste natural resources, additional windows put into your bonus room to meet the "daylight" requirement, and a certificate from the Army Corps of Engineers that your land is not "wetlands".
12. Have engineers REDO house plans with additional window in bonus room.
13. Call Army Corps of Engineers (ACoE). Call again. Call again until they finally come to look at the land.
14. Hear from the ACoE that the land is pretty wet and you need to hire a wetlands consultant to test the soil, water table, and plant life for a final determination on the "wetlands" condition. (Yes, we need to protect the many endangered species that live ONLY on our little one acre in the special wetlands flora and fauna that ONLY grows on our little one acre. Seriously, there are houses on BOTH sides of our lot. Somehow that is not wetlands, but our little acre is?)
15. Have the wetlands consultant tell you that she wants to wait until spring to come test your land because she can't possible do it with snow on the ground. (Yes, that SKIFF of snow we received last night would be IMPOSSIBLE to dig through to get to the ground).
16. If the consultant determines that the land is wetlands, spend even more TIME and MONEY submitting petitions and applications to even be able to build on the land you have previously purchased to BUILD your HOME on!
17. Scream and cry that 9 months after moving to Utah you are still living in two bedrooms of your parent's home with everything you own in storage, wasting money paying on a mortgage for land that YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BUILD ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If this seems like complete madness to you, you are right. I understand the need for government and laws and enforcement of said laws; but obviously there are times when the government it taking away your rights! Like my right to build a house on property I own! For heaven's sake, I am not trying to build a nuclear waste facility in the middle of a neighborhood next to a school!!!!!!! To date we are 5 months and about $10,000 into trying to obtain the ever elusive PERMIT to BUILD in Summit County.

Kicked out...

2008-11-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

Out, booted, so-long, expelled, banished, shunned, disfellowshipped, suspended, or terminated. Any way you say it that's what Noah got from his nursery class. I guess that is what you get for "getting a baby with with my claws". The good news is that he can return to class when he is ready to obey the rules. Ah, so never? Only one more month until Sunbeams. How long do you think he will last?

Yum Yum!

2008-11-21T18:08:00.001-08:00

Five months old and ready for rice cereal, what a big boy. Just like most things in life, I approached this milestone with excitement and a little sadness. I love how big and full of personality Elijah is becoming with each passing day; but slowly he is leaving his baby days behind and becoming a little boy. I see friends who's children are all in school and they finally have some time to themselves and I think "Oh, I can't wait!" Then there are the days I can't even count the number of kisses I have given my chubby little guy and want those days to last forever. I guess that change is inevitable, so I am truly trying to enjoy each moment as it comes.

Elijah did his best to spit out everything I put in his mouth; but I think I did manage to get at least a spoon full or two to go down. He has gotten better over the course of the week, and I think by Thanksgiving he may be ready for some sweet potatoes. What more could you be thankful for?

Lost and Found

2008-11-09T18:31:00.001-08:00

Happy boy bouncing in his exersaucer.

You have to blow this picture up and take a look at what happened when Elijah sneezed.
(This abundance of snot has been part of his grumpiness.)

Yeah, Elijah is back! What a lucky, lucky mom I am. He's happy, he's smiley, he's content, he's a good sleeper, he's my little sweetheart! Today in church he had everyone behind him smiling and talking to him. Oh, I love this boy! Now has anyone seen my wonderful 6-year old? He has been replaced with a bad attitude sassy pants.

Mummy's boys

2008-11-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

How is it that we can turn every holiday into a week long event? FHE crafts and treats, story time costume party, class parties, pumpkin carving, and of course trick-or-treating. I really don't mind because it is fun to see kids get so excited, but boy it can be exhausting to have so much fun! The boys decided they would go along with my request and be mummies this year, although it took some explaining to Noah that he was going to be a scary mummy not a grown-up (I think he got it confused with mommy and mummy). I thought it would be such a simple costume, but just try finding white sweat pants anywhere! I ended up sewing pajama pants out of white flannel (which is a post in and of it self) and buying a white sheet to rip into strips. They boys enjoyed the face paint the most, and I think they turned out so dang cute...I mean scary.

Two frighteningly cute boys.

"I want my mummy!"

Too cute to be scary.

Noah's cat, Luke's "scary jack", my ghost, and Rick's Frank.
Not too bad for regular old kitchen knives!

Luke hard at work.

Noah was VERY anxious to help with the knife!

Issue an Amber Alert...

2008-10-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

My baby is missing! Yes, my happy, smiley, well behaved baby has been missing for about two weeks. My baby who contently lays in his bed when he wakes up and waits until I have Luke on the bus to finally get some attention. My baby who sits in his bouncy seat all day, if I let him, without so much as a whimper. My baby who loves to swing in the swing and falls asleep in about two minutes after the swinging begins. My baby who lays under the lights and sound toy and babbles and coos while I get ready for they day. My baby who sleeps in his own little bed and only wakes to eat at 6:00 or 7:00 am. My baby who takes long naps alone in his crib. My baby who makes me think I could have 10 more little babies! My baby is missing!

Please let me know if you know of his whereabouts. He is approximately 24 inches tall, weighs about 16 pounds, has a little bit of light brown hair, blue eyes, and answers (with a smile and laugh) to the name Eil.

Tagged

2008-10-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

I was tagged a couple of days ago, and I have been racking my brain for 6 things that are actually interesting about me! This is what I came up with.

1. I love to read (that isn't very interesting is it). I like to read just about any kind of book, but especially if it includes a love story. Some of my favorites include The Work and the Glory, anything by Jane Austen, Harry Potter, and Sweet Valley High (well at least they were my favorites in middle school).

2. I have control issues (according to Rick, but accepted and acknowledged by me). I think that they way I do things is the best way, and I want everyone to do it the same way. I have definite ideas of what I like, and I don't really want it any other way. For example, I have a right way of doing the dishes and a wrong way, and when other people mess up my process I don't like it one little bit!!!!!!

3. I hate cleaning bathrooms (but who doesn't?). I have an agreement with Rick that I will clean the rest of the entire house as long as he does the bathrooms.

4. I totally have middle child syndrome (poor poor pitty me).

5. I don't have a very good memory (I think). I never knew this was a problem until I get together with my siblings and they start talking about things that happened when we were kids and I find myself saying, "Was I even there?"

6. I am a very emotional person. I am known for crying at three legged dogs and T.V. commercials. Just last week I was telling my dad (with tears rolling down my cheeks) that I could almost talk myself into being a vegetarian because when the boys took the calves to the sale, the mom cows mooed and mooed in distress at their babies being taken away. It was so sad! (I am actually crying right now as I remember it! Seriously I am !!!!!)

Happy Birthday, Noah!

2008-10-22T12:16:00.001-07:00

Wow, where does time go? My little black haired baby just turned 3 years old. Instead of having a big birthday party for him, we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese's on Friday night. So for his actual birthday on Monday we just had a little get together with our favorite "girls", and even Grandpa Bisel, to open presents and eat cake. Noah got more truck, diggers and tools then a little boy could ever need, and he was in 7th heaven! Thanks to everyone for celebrating with us.

Noah was so gracious when opening presents and kept saying, "Oh, my favorite!"

All decked out in his light-up Halloween shirt and shop safety goggles (Norm Abram would be so proud.)

I made a little pumpkin cake for my fall birthday boy. The recipe was a knock-off of the Nothing Bundt Cake chocolate chocolate chip cake, and it was DELICIOUS!

Warning!
Do NOT keep reading if you are squeamish or think bodily fluids are not appropriate to blog about.

I made Noah's favorite dinner special for his birthday; meatballs, rice, and green beans. Even though he is a picky eater, he would eat a can of green beans if you let him. At dinner he insisted on having Rick's big plate and loaded it up with meatballs and green beans. He just went to town on his food and was really "hoarking it down". We were just letting him eat as much as he wanted, because some night we can't even get him to take one bite of food! After consuming large amounts of his special dinner he looked at me and said, "Mom, my tummy hurts." I suggested he stop eating and Rick had him take a drink of milk. One swallow into the milk he started to gag... I quickly grabbed the lid to a pan and slipped it under his face just as he lost his "special" birthday dinner. It just goes to show that sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing.

"Mom, my tummy hurts."

The result of eating 3 huge meatballs, rice, and forkful after forkful of green beans.

Adventures in dogsitting...

2008-10-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Have you met me? If you have, you probably know that I am not what you would call a dog person. In fact I'm not really much of an animal person at all. I know what you are thinking, How can you not like dogs, or cats, or ANIMALS in general? What kind of person are you? I don't know! I know it wasn't always this way. I have seen a cute picture of me and my little brother when I was about 3 years old, and I was holding a dog on my lap hugging it! I can remember getting kittens when I was around 7 years old and taking care of them like they were our babies. I grew up around all kinds of animals on a farm... I had my own calf that I would feed from a bottle for heaven sake. But as the years have passed I have grown increasingly less fond of animals and now I really quite dislike them. It might be the hair, the smell, or the fact that dogs are always either jumping up on you or sticking their nose in you bottom! Whatever the reason, I don't like dogs. So when my mom and dad left on vacation and needed someone to get their dog (actually their granddog) from the vet I was the most unlikely candidate, but the lot fell to me anyway because I was pretty much the only one available.

Once I had reluctantly agreed to get Bella from the vet I immediately started wondering HOW I was going to get her. My dad suggested that she could just ride in the back of my Tahoe. MY Tahoe? I don't think so. My thoughts went to all the other vehicles around here... I could take my dad's little truck, but with the baling twine and pepsi cans I didn't think there would be enough room in the cab for me and my three boys. I could take my Explorer; sure it had been in a crash last winter and you could no longer open the doors on the driver's side, the windows are broken out, and it is highly illegal to drive a car in it's shape, but it was an option. I could take my dad's car, but I thought the people at the vet's office would not think it wasn't too humane to put the dog in the trunk for a 25 minute ride home. I was stuck, I HAD to take the Tahoe. I figured that as long as I put her in the pet porter at least she wouldn't get hair all over. So I loaded up the boys and the pet porter and headed to Heber.

When I walked into the vet's office I noticed all the "Please keep your dog on a lease." signs. Oh great, I didn't bring a leash. Does that mean I have to hold her by the collar? That would mean that I actually had to touch her! Thankfully when the assistant brought her out they had one of their leashes on her. Okay, I can do this. I can act like I am not the worst dog hater in the world. The assistant handed me the leash and said, "She might be a little groggy from the medicine." YOU THINK? She was leaning against the wall and wouldn't even walk. I lightly pulled on the leash and in my sweetest voice said, "Come on Bella, come on girl." Then I clicked my tongue. What an idiot! You click your tongue to make a horse go, not a dog! I was sure the assistant wondered what on earth I doing. Needless to say, the sweet voice and tongue clicking did not make Bella move. I continued to tug on her leash (with increasing force) and begged her to come. She didn't move. To get her to the door I had to pull while the assistant pushed her. Thank heaven that the floor was tile so she could slide on her bottom! Once we got her to the door the fresh air put a little life in her and I actually got her to walk to the car.

I knew it would be difficult for Bella to get up into her porter in the back in the Tahoe because on a good day Bella is what would could call lazy, she is a lab after all. So I just decided to take one for team McNeil and lift her front paws up onto the bumper and let her jump the rest of the way. Good plan, but Bella was not having anything to do with it. I was able to get her front paws on the bumper, but she was too out of it to realize she had to help with the rest. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get her into the porter because she weighs about 70 pounds, and I didn't even know where I could hold her without hurting her incisions. I reconciled myself to the fact that I was going to have to walk back into the vet's office and ask for help. How humiliating. Just as I was turning toward the office I saw that the assistant was coming out to help. Had she been watching me the whole time? Great. Again she must think I am a total idiot. With two grown women to do the work, we were able to get Bella into the porter in the back of my Tahoe. She was seriously out of it. She didn't even bend her legs or lower her head to actually fit through the opening! I had to do it for her. The ride home was very uneventful, Bella wasn't really even moving.

I knew that once I got her home there was no way I was going to be able to get her OUT of the pet porter. I also knew that I wasn't strong enough to lift the porter out of the car with her in it, so I opened the back hatch and let her stay! Rick could deal with this when he got home. To tell you the truth, I don't hate Bella. I actually felt sorry for her in her drugged induced state leaning against the wall, unable to even move. I'm just not sure I like her enough give her the love she deserved after her little operation. I have to reconcile myself to the fact that I am sure I will own a dog someday. With three boys and a husband who like dogs, I am sure it will happen. For now, I will just be happy when I am finished dogsitting!

Bella in the pet porter in the back of the Tahoe, unable to get out on her own!

Meet Mr. Snowman and his dog

2008-10-13T19:16:00.001-07:00

We got a winter preview this weekend, and the boys were in 7th heaven! Saturday morning, big heavy snowflakes covered the ground and the boys hurried right outside to play in it. With Rick's help they made this great snowman and his dog. They had to use all of the snow in the entire yard to finish their creations. They had a great time, but I am thankful that it was just a preview and that winter is not here to stay. I think we have a few more weeks before the snow will fall and stick around for good.

Summer work project on our future home site

2008-10-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I finally convinced Rick to head up to the dry farm and work on our future home site. Last summer's project was to plant three apple trees, and this summer I wanted to cut out all of the dead oak trees to allow the ones that are alive go grow bigger and more full. Rick was less than excited for my little project, but I keep telling him that in 10 years when we finally build a house there, we will be so happy that we put the work in now to make our yard beautiful! The first thing we saw when we got up there were three dead apple trees! I AM SO MAD AT MYSELF! We didn't water our trees all summer, mostly because we didn't think about it, but also because I just thought they were established enough that I didn't need to keep watering them. Boy was I wrong. One tree was totally dead, the other two were very, VERY near death. We watered them anyway in hopes that we could revive them.

Rick got going right away with the chainsaw and worked for an hour straight cutting down dead trees and cutting dead branches out of living trees. It was a lot of work because about half of the trees there are dead! The boys and I were in charge of piling up all of the dead wood to be cut for firewood. Luke worked really hard finding all of branches he could and making a huge pile. Noah was pretty scared of the loud chainsaw so he tried to stay away from it. He also took a spill and cut his hand on a stick, so he wasn't too much help on our family work project. I felt like we did a lot of cutting and piling, but there is still a lot to do. We aren't finished with all that needs to be done, but I guess we have a few more years to work on it!

Of course I forgot to take my camera so these pictures were taken with Rick's phone, thus the less than stellar quality.My attempt to revive the apple trees by hauling buckets of water from the creek.

Noah helping water the dead apple trees.

Luke working on his big pile of branches.

Rick showing off his chainsaw skills.

6 Quirks

2008-09-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

In response to the tag received from Noah, the following are six (6) quirks about me. Its taken me a couple of weeks to respond to this tag due to the fact that I don't have very many quirks, although Olivia thinks differently:

When wearing my glasses, and a particular movie/game becomes intense I always tilt my glasses forward;
On Saturday's I brush my teeth with Dr. Pepper;
When eating I must have a drink with every bite of food, and if I don't calculate right and run out of liquid prior to finishing my meal, I will not eat my food;
Again, another eating quirk, I store food in my cheeks while eating;
As Olivia informs me, I wear socks with flip-flops when I come home from work;
And finally, Tim tells me I'm a sucker for anything free, including a free camper, a free boat, or free hats.

And I retag, Max, Allen, and Tim.

Milestones and Memories

2008-09-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today my little baby is 3 months old. What a 3 months it has been. I know that I say it on almost every post, but he is just the sweetest most content little guy. I am so blessed to have him as my child. I don't know how I would handle three kids if he wasn't so easy. I love that at 3 months he is more awake and alert. He LOVES to talk to anyone who will pay attention to him. He loves me to bounce him on the bed and tickle his tummy and toes. He laughs so much that he always gets the hic-ups! I totally love this sweet boy.

Also today we are missing our Grandma Mortensen. She passed away on Tuesday after a long and wonderful life. I have known Grandma for the last 11 years since I started dating Rick, and there hasn't been a time that she was not totally pleasant and happy. She was one of the sweetest little ladies I have ever met. Always upbeat, always positive, and always thinking the best of everyone. Her husband died when she was just a young mother of 3 daughters, and she has never remarried. I can only image the sweet reunion she had with the husband of her youth. Thanks for the wonderful memories, Grandma. We love you always.

My growing boys

2008-09-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to take some pictures of the boys for quite some time, and I finally got around to doing it! I read a little bit about how to use my camera and headed up to a neighboring house to see what I could do. I love this place to take pictures because it has old barns, swings, trees, a bridge, fence, and lots of green grass. I think that I got some great pictures of Luke and Noah, but Eli was totally uncooperative. I had to take some of him a few days later. I just can't believe how big they are getting. Eli is almost 3 months old now, and I just pulled out the 3T clothes for Noah. It was so strange to put the 3T clothes on Noah because I feel like I just had them on Luke. I have mixed feelings on the boys getting big. I am so excited for the things they are doing and the many fun things we look forward to, but these days of babies and toddlers will be over soon and I know that I will miss it when it is gone.

Ride 'Em Cowboys

2008-09-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

On a cold, rainy Labor Day the boys got their first experience as real cowboys. They both got the chance to ride a sheep at the Francis Frontier Days celebration. Rick took them over to the rodeo arena and got them signed up while I kept calling him every 5 minutes to see if they were really going to do it. From the safety of the food shack (while warming up with some hot chocolate) he assured me they were totally up for it. I quickly dressed Eli and myself in our warmest clothes and got to the arena just in time to snap some pictures of the cowboys. Luke rode great, but still ended up in the dirt! Noah had a little help from his Dad, in the form of a finger through the belt loop, and only ended up riding as long as Rick could keep up with the sheep (which was about 1 second). They both loved it! I was proud of them for getting out in the cold and mud to "cowboy up". They both got little trophies and thought that was so special. The pictures aren't great because they were so far away, but hopefully you can see them. Next year maybe we will go for the steers!

Please Don't Go!

2008-08-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Summer,

Why are you leaving so quickly? Please don't go. Oh, how I have enjoyed you being here; and I will sorely miss you when you are gone for good. These last couple of weeks I have felt the chill in the air each morning when I send Luke out of the door, and I just know you are going to be gone very soon. Here are just a few of the things I love about you...

I love celebrating the birth of our country and our state with parades, rodeos, fireworks, and BBQs. I love the long, warm, sunny days and the cool breezy evenings, when it is just cool enough to need a jacket. I love the wardrobe change from pants and sweaters to shorts and t-shirts (and those cute muscle shirts for the boys). I love flip-flops! I love the smell of fresh cut grass and newly blooming flowers. I love cooking hot dogs and roasting marshmallows on a sick over an open flame. I love the way the fields look with the evening sun shining through the spray of water from the big irrigating sprinklers. I love the the tall, fat rows of hay laying in the fields after it has been cut. I love vacations to the lake, family reunions, and all the time I get to spend with my family. I love my boys spending time at the cabin and fishing with Grandpa in the mountains. I love sending Noah out to farm and having him come back smelling like a farmer (grease, hay, and dogs). I love my boys learning how to help with the big cow round-up. I love sleeping with my window open. I love growing tomatoes, peas, corn, zucchini, and strawberries in my garden. I love EATING all the delicious things I grow in my garden. There is nothing like the taste of butter dripping off of fresh corn, salt and pepper on a summer tomato, peas right out of the pod, strawberries on EVERYTHING, and of course chocolate zucchini cake! I love the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves of the aspen trees outside my window. I love to see my boys enjoying some of the same things I did when I was a kid (sleeping on the tramp, running through the sprinklers, playing in the irrigation water, and climbing trees).

I know that fall must come, and then the snows of winter. But please don't stay away too long, June is far to late for you to come again.

A fond farewell,
Olivia

First week of first grade follies

2008-08-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

Back to school time! Luke and I have both been excited for school to start, and this week the wait was finally over. The week was so "eventful" that I thought it was worth a recap for all of our friends and family.

Monday: We started our first week with Back to School Night on Monday evening. We got to the school just in time to hear the principal give her "welcome" and school rules presentation. After that presentation the time had finally arrived go to the first grade area, find Luke's locker and classroom, and meet his new teacher. With great anticipation we found Luke's seat and met the students that sat at his table. Luke was very excited to see that one of his classmates from Kindergarten was sitting right next to him. I was less excited than Luke because it happened to be a girl that Luke said he thought was cute. I hoped this would not prove to be too much of a problem. Let's face it, Luke can be easily distracted by a cute face and a little conversation! There was a stack of papers on Luke desk that I was busily filling out while the teacher spoke to us all about the class responsibilities and rules. Luke was even given a "star student" train poster to complete as homework for the first week. Homework before school even started? Oh well, nothing like jumping right in with both feet.

Tuesday: The big day! Luke was up bright and early and we got dressed, ate breakfast, packed his lunch bag, and got out of the door early enough to take some pictures before the bus came. Luke jumped right on the bus and was gone. I could hardly wait until he got home so I could hear all about his day. He loves to talk and I just knew that he would have quite a story to tell upon arrival. I couldn't have been more wrong. When he got home I asked him to tell me all about his first day. He looked at me and said, "I really don't remember much." I tried to extract the details by asking if they read any books, did and worksheets, who he sat by on the bus and at lunch, what he did at recess, etc., etc. Luke simply grumbled something about not having a good remembering brain. What? I reminded him that he can talk to me for and HOUR about all that happened in this week's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle episode, so I knew that he tell me something about his day! Again more grumbling and claims of not remembering. I sent him to his bed to think about things and told him that I was going to ask him everyday about school, so he better try to remember things!

Once he came out of his room he did provide a few scant details about what he had done at school. During our conversation about lunch I realized we had a problem. If you know Luke, you know that he is possibly the SLOWEST eater around. He told me that after he finished his lunch he asked a girl (later details emerged that it was the principal) what he should. She told him to put his lunch bag in his locker and go out to recess. With lunch bag put away, he headed outside only to find that he was the only first-grader out there. A few minutes later his teacher came out to find him because he was suppose to be in class! He had taken so much time to eat that recess was over and class had already begun. Great, now the teacher must think he is a total space cadet. I did my best to nicely encourage Luke to eat lunch a little faster and pay attention to the kids around him to see when all the other kids in his class were finished eating. Okay, not the best first day, but I was sure that Luke would be able to make up for his first day error and prove to be the model student I know his is.

Wednesday: Surprisingly I miss Luke while he is at school. Even though I still have two at home I was really looking forward to Luke coming home so I could talk to him about his day. He came busting through the door and this time was able to have a conversation about school without being sent to time out to think. Class, lunch, bus rides, recess, and even P.E. All seems to have gone without a hitch. A little while later I got a phone call to inform me that during recess Luke has been spotted holding hands and kissing a girl! Actually the girl was said to have kissed Luke, but one way or the other supposedly kissing had occurred. Although I didn't really think this escapade sounded like something Luke would do, I called him in for questioning. He denied all of the allegations, but confessed to chasing the said girl around during recess (his favorite activity). I decided to take his word for it because I really don't think that Luke would be holding hand and kissing girls. He is pretty shy (as he always tells me).

I decided to get his old yearbook out and look up the girl who was involved in the recess incident and found her to be pretty cute (a little red-head), so if it is true at least he has good taste. Luke then started looking through his yearbook to see the pictures of the kids who are in his class. I looked over at him and found that he was kissing someone's picture! I asked him who he was kissing and he told me...Mrs. Schumann, his teacher. Again, good taste. She is a cute, skinny, mid-twenties, little thing.

Thursday: After another busy morning of getting ready for school while taking care of all the kids I sent Luke out the door just in time to catch the bus, or so I thought. I watched out of the window for the bus to pass, and never saw it go by. I walked out of the driveway and found Luke still standing there waiting for the bus that we obviously missed. I quickly threw clothes on myself and Noah (sorry Eli you got to go in pajamas) and jumped in the car to get Luke to school in time. Note to self; the bus comes earlier than the "schedule" they sent home said it would.

I was lounging on the bed with Noah and Eli around the time that Luke should have been getting home, when I looked at the clock and made a mental note that he was 8 minutes later than he was the day before. It was time to feed Eli so I sat down and fed him and waited for Luke to come home. When I was finished feeding the baby and Luke still wasn't home I started to get concerned. I called Billie Jo to ask her if she thought I should be worried and she said I should call the district office and have them radio the bus to see if he was on it. I decided that before I made the phone call I could walk over to the neighbor's house to see if he went there to play instead of coming home. No one was even home at the neighbor's house and I started to get more and more worried about where Luke could be. As I was walking down their driveway I saw a bus finally come pulling up. Luke got off, but I noticed that there weren't any other kids on the bus. I hurried to the bus and found out that Luke had gotten on the wrong bus at the school and so he had to stay on the bus until the route was finished and the driver could bring him home. I figure that Luke would be pretty upset by this, so when I talked to him about what happened I tried to be as nice as possible as I explained the importance of paying attention to what bus he was getting on. Luke swears that he was standing in the right line by some of his friend that ride his bus, but somehow he ended up on the wrong bus. In his defense, the bus driver of the WRONG bus was his driver last year so he probably didn't think anything of it when he got on and saw her in the driver's seat. By the end of our conversation Luke was crying and informed me that he needed some time alone. Didn't he just have quite a long bus ride alone? Oh well. I let him lay on my bed and watch some cartoons, which seemed to make everything better.

Friday: Our last chance to have a day without any problems. As I was reading through Luke's planner I saw that for homework his "star student" train poster was due. Oops. Someone's parents forgot to even bring it home on Back to School Night. I quickly wrote a note to Luke's teacher explaining why Luke didn't have his FIRST assignment completed! So much for being the model student. It was just a small glitch, and considering the week we had just had I figured it could've been much worse. What an eventful week of first grade. I hope the next 9 months are a little less "eventful".

My happy little guy

2008-08-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Elijah is 2 months old today. It has gone really fast and I have enjoyed every minute of him. He is such a happy little baby, he is always smiling and making cute little noises to "talk" when you pay attention to him. He is so easy and happy, it makes me think I can do this a dozen more times (not really, but you get the idea). I seriously love this little guy and can't believe how big he is getting already. I just hope that his easy-going personality continues into his toddlerhood and more!

4 weeks

6 weeks

Am I really the mom?

2008-08-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while it hits me that I am a 31 year old mother of three. I know, I know, this shouldn't really be a shock to me, but every once in a while it is. I don't know if anyone else has ever had this strange sensation/realization like I have but here is how it goes... The other night Luke woke up sick and crying because of an infected lymph node. It was 3:30 am and I had been in bed for about one hour since feeding Elijah and getting back to sleep. After giving Luke some medicine (actually Rick got up to give him the medicine) I stayed on the couch consoling Luke and tickling his back until he could go back to sleep. While I was sitting there at 4:00 am comforting my sick little boy, the sensation/realization came on... I am the mom, this is my 6-year-old, when he cries he cries for me, I have brought three children into this world, I am no longer a responsibility free youngster! When did this happen? Each day passes, some exciting some not, and time slowly creeps up on me. I just know that one day I am going to be sitting in Sacrament meeting watching one of my sons pass the sacrament and I will get the same feeling. Or, maybe it will be when I hug a son goodbye as he leaves on a mission. It could be in the temple when I see my child get sealed and I become a mother-in-law. I can see it happening the first time I hold a grandchild in my arms and enjoy a newborn baby without doing the work of getting it here. At all of these times I won't know how time has gotten me where I am, but I will be happy that it has.

Bear Lake Vacation

2008-08-04T09:41:00.001-07:00

Playing in the sand, sunbathing, tubing and wake boarding behind the boat, jet skiing, golfing, scrapbooking, eating, pedicures, hiking in Minnetonka Cave, and having guitar hero, karaoke, and dance dance revolution competitions...what a great vacation! We spent the last week with my family staying at Bear Lake and enjoying every minute of our little escape. It was great to have most of my family (even Grandpa Bisel stayed with us Sunday evening) together at different times during the week. I wish everyone could've been there the whole time. Here is a little taste of our wonderful week.

The kids has so much fun at the beach. The water on the north side is really shallow for a long distance so the water stays nice and warm. They played for HOURS everyday and would've stayed longer if we let them.

The first day on the boat the kids got dumped off the tube twice and therefore thought that it was a terrible experience. A couple of days later I forced my boys back out there so they wouldn't end things on a bad note. Noah still wasn't too much of a tubing fan, but Luke really enjoyed it.

Although Luke hates when I make him stop playing and pose for my pictures, he was a good sport. I thought that I did a great job of keeping sunscreen on the boys so they wouldn't get burned, but I found out I missed a spot...their bums. Right above their swimming suits got a little burned from them bending over and digging in the sand and exposing a little more skin than I realized.

Noah absolutely loved our time at the beach. He spent hours everyday digging in the sand and playing in the water. I would take him to the beach everyday if we lived near one! I was amazed at how long he would play and be good because nothing else holds his attention that long.

Elijah got his turn dipping his toes in the water. He was such a good beach bum, he just stayed under the canopy and slept and ate! I didn't know that a baby would be so good for 4-6 hours a day at the beach. He is such a delight.

I realize that because I take most of the pictures we almost never get any of us, so I dragged Rick into the water to get a picture. Good thing it was taken so far away because I wouldn't suggest having your picture taken in a bathing suit 6 weeks after having a baby.

I just HAD to put this picture in (sorry Chels) because it shows how the adults spent their time every evening. I am playing guitar hero, Max is singing karaoke, and Chelsea is doing dance dance revolution. Okay, Chelsea and I are just posing for the picture while Max (and Rick) sing, but I wanted to get all three together. I can't believe how much fun we had. Just for the record, Chelsea dominated DDR, Rick was the best at guitar hero, and the girls KILLED the boys at karaoke.

Thanks so much to mom and dad for getting the rooms for us and allowing us to have such a great family vacation. We loved it so much we are already planning next year. Thanks to my sisters for being my best friends. Thanks to our husbands for allowing us to spend every waking minute together! Family is the best. If we can survive a week on vacation together, we can survive anything.

My boys...my life

2008-07-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Elijah the day he was born.

The "big" boys LOVE Eli, and always want to hold and kiss him.

My best effort at getting all three boys to look at the camera!

Sweet baby just gazing into space.

Hiking on the 4th of July just above Woodland.

My boys are my life. As anyone with kids can attest, your life revolves around taking care of them. This is especially true of a newborn! So now that I have three little boys I feel that my life has become days filled with feeding kids, cleaning up after kids, stopping fights, wiping bums, wiping noses, reading books, singing songs, watching cartoons, disciplining, etc., etc. The amazing thing is that I am totally content with doing this! Elijah has brought a new found love for motherhood for me. I have more work now, but I find more joy in it. I think I was just stuck in a mothering rut before he was born. It helps that he is a good little baby who likes to be held, eat, and sleep. He even sleep really well at night, and in his own little cradle. My other two boys would never sleep in their cradles when they were newborns. This facilitated me sleeping with them on the couch as I held them. Elijah will sleep for 3 hours at a time by himself, thus allowing me a couple of hours of sleep in my own bed! He is on a good little schedule of eating, being awake, and napping...repeating every three hours. I can't believe that it has been almost a month since he was born. It has gone by in a whirlwind. I am still trying to get the three child thing down to a science. My daily goal is to have the three boys and myself fed (breakfast), dressed, teeth brushed, and beds made by noon! Some days we make it, some days we don't. If we have to go anywhere I plan for 2 hours of preparation to get us all ready and feed the baby at least once before we step out of the door. At least I have boys and I don't have to do the hair thing! I feel like I am working so hard just to keep my head above the water, doing the things that HAVE to be done. Minor details like showering (down to every other day), cleaning (done the bathroom only once in the last month!), and clipping my toenails (not since Elijah's birth) go by the wayside. Oh well! I don't know if it is that I already have older children in different stages of their childhood, but I have been savoring Elijah's baby days more than I did the other two. I'm not finding myself longing for him to get older and be able to talk (because then they just sass), walk (because then they just get into everything), eat table food ( ah, the diapers), or anything else that you are eager for your children to do. I am just enjoying my hours of sitting on the couch feeding him, rocking him to sleep, and letting him hold my finger in his tiny little hand. I love my boys, and I love my life.

What a weekend!

2008-07-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh, I love July. I love to celebrate the birthday of our nation, and the arrival of the pioneers to Utah. We had such a great 4th weekend and were able to spend time with our families. We started the 4th with the annual Oakley parade. Last year we had to drive all the way to Boulder City to find a parade, so we are so excited to be home where everything happens so close.

Our family watching the parade.

Elijah, Noah (behind the balloon!), Jack, Luke, and Evan...the McNeil boy cousins.

After the parade we went to the Butikofer's for a HUGE BBQ. Of course Billie Jo out did herself and we were spoiled by the spread she put on for us. We didn't even eat the rest of the day! Feeling a little guilty for the vast amounts of food we consumed, we decided to go for a hike at Knobletts. It was so beautiful and the kids were loving to hike, pick wildflowers, and throw rocks into the pond, but we didn't think about bug spray and were swarmed by mosquitoes. We turned around about half way through the hike because of the bugs. Mosquito bite tally: Luke, Noah, and Eli - 0, Rick - 2, me - 12. I guess mosquitoes are attracted to the sweet smell of breast milk! Oh well, the bites were worth the beautiful scenery.

After getting the kids bathed and in their pajamas we lit firework and did sparklers, while playing patriotic music in the background. Noah was having a great time and kept yelling, "happy birthday" to everyone. We tried to get him to yell, "happy birthday, America!", but he just kept wishing happy birthday to everyone present. The kids loved our little firework party because they were right in the action. I guess you don't have to go to a big firework show to enjoy the spirit of it.

Our saturday was pretty low key, so Elijah decided to spice things up. About 11:00 pm I tried to feed him right before I went to bed, but he was being pretty fussy and wasn't eating very well. I finally gave up and tried to put him to bed, but he was fussing and making gasping sounds so I got him out of bed and decided to hold him until he was feeling better. I sat with him on the couch for a few minutes before I got really worried about him. He was gasping for every breath and couldn't seem to catch his breath. Rick and my mom and dad were also very worried about his labored breathing and convinced me to take him to Heber to the ER. After Rick and my dad gave him a blessing we loaded into the car and dove to the hospital. They hooked him up to a monitor to check is pulse and oxygen saturation level and found that he couldn't keep his oxygen above 90%, so the doctor checked him out, took chest x-rays, and did blood work to see what could be wrong. Everything came back perfectly normal! The doctor was bewildered because nothing seemed to be wrong, but his oxygen levels couldn't stay up. He called to Primary Children's Hospital for an opinion and the doctor there told him to send us down to them. So, after three hours in the ER in Heber we had to head to Salt Lake. Eli and I even got to ride in the ambulance because they had to keep him monitored and keep him on oxygen. After three more hours of observation at Primary Children's the doctors decided that he was fine and we could go home because Elijah's oxygen levels had stayed above 90% for quite a while. We finally got back home about 7:00 am, and were completely exhausted!

Sunday was a very special day because both Eli and Evan (Allen and Patrice's baby) were blessed. We had a big dinner after with all of our families and the day couldn't have been better. Rick and I were surprised that we did as well as we did considering we had no sleep the night before.

Can you believe that we only took ONE picture the whole day, and my eyes were closed! Hello, don't we live in the digital age? How is THIS the only picture we got?

What a weekend. We absolutely love being with our families, celebrating and sharing special times together. Thanks so much to everyone for sharing this time with us.

Worth every minute!

2008-06-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Nine months of pregnancy, five hours of labor, and eight minutes of dilevery... Elijah is worth every minute. The truth of bringing a baby into this world is that much of the experience isn't exactly enjoyable. There's the morning sickness, heartburn, excessive trips to the bathroom, huge belly, hormones, kicking, inability to sleep, doctor's visits, labor, delivery, and the weeks of recovery; but once you have your sweet little baby in your arms for the first time, you know the reward was worth every minute. Growing a baby inside your body is truly a thing of wonder. It is totally amazing that all the cells know just what their purpose is and day by day they slowly become what they are destined to be. Birth is a miracle. Even though I have never actually seen a baby be born, from what Rick says it is amazing how the whole thing happens. From the tiny little crown of their head appearing to their beautiful face, shoulders, and body. Although it has only been two and a half years since I did this last, there are some things that have come flooding back to my memory about just how beautiful it is to have a newborn baby in your life. Here are some of the things that I love about my little boy:

*Nothing smells better than a baby. I could eternally sit and smell and kiss my freshly bathed and lotioned baby.

*I love the profile view that only a mother gets as she nurses her baby. Eyes closed, hands in fists, and the rhythmic sucking and swallowing of eating.

*Babies make the cutest noises when they sleep.

*After nursing Elijah, I have his little ear imprint on my arm from holding him as he eats.

*I love that such a little thing can make such loud noises when they poop and burp.

*It is fascinating to watch babies move as they figure out that they have room to stretch out their arms and legs. Their movement can be so slow and deliberate, or they get startled by their new found freedom.

*Elijah looks so darling as he furrows his brow in a look of concentration as he works on adjusting his eyes together to look at something.

*I love the fine layer of hair that is on Elijah's back and shoulders.

*Although it is just a reflex for now, I love to see Elijah smile as he sleeps.

*Elijah's skin is so soft! Being covered in wax and soaking in warm water for 9 months gives your skin a softness that nothing can compare to.

*It amazes me how those tiny little fingers can hold so tightly when wrapped around your own.

I love my baby. I love my other babies who are great big brothers and always want to hold and kiss Eli. I love Rick for what a wonderful father he is and for all the help he gives me with the kids. I feel so blessed to have my little family. Life is a beautiful miracle, and worth every minute.

Fishing Trip

2008-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Since Dad has now officially looked at the blog twice (once for the birth of the baby, and now wondering where the fishing pictures are) he is demanding more posts. Typical blog convert. Dad (Grandpa Gunnerson) came and picked up Luke on Friday night to take him to the cabin with him and to go fishing early Saturday morning. Noah and I joined the two Saturday morning, just not so early. When we arrived at trial lake they already had three fish. The lake was still covered with a lot of ice and there were only a couple of spots for fishing, fortunately Dad and Luke found the best, as we then pulled in four more fish once Noah and I arrived. It made for a great morning, and a great evening for those who ate the fish that night. Here are the picutres.

Announcing: Elijah Alexander Gunnerson

2008-06-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Eli has finally arrived. We waited this morning for a call from the hospital to inform us we could come down, but by 8 a.m. no call had been recieved. Olivia called, and the hospital informed us that no beds were available (thats what you get in the baby capital of the world - provo) so we would have to wait until they called again. Around 10 a.m. they finally called and told us to come down. Olivia was started on drugs around 11 a.m. and miraculously progressed! Eli arrived, as can be seen below at 4 p.m. and weighed 7lbs. 13oz.

Congratulations to Lauren Cox for guessing almost exactly correct...I guess it helps to be a labor and delivery nurse. And the worst guess was Cassondra...a girl...really.

Caught Olivia sleeping while waiting. Epidurals do wonders.

Actual weigh in.

Three boys!

Beautiful Olivia and a beautiful baby!

Elijah Alexander Gunnerson - 2 hours old

Place your bets

2008-06-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Don't get too excited, these are just pictures of Luke and Noah at birth. We are still awaiting the arrival of number three! I thought it would fun to get everyone's best guesses about when the baby will be born and how big he will be. It is strange because this is the first time we don't have to guess if it is going to be a boy or a girl! I thought that to be fair I would share all the helpful information that I have to help you make an informed guess. The person who has the best guess will win... well you will win nothing, but you can take pride in your guessing abilities.

This week at my doctor's appointment I was actually dilated to almost 2cm. In fact, the doctor wrote it as 2cm in my chart! We talked a little about how things were going and decided that at my next appointment (Monday) we would set a date to be induced, so I think it should be a day next week, woo hoo.

Luke was born at 40 weeks and 5 days. He was 8 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. He was born at 5:30 pm. He didn't have too much hair, but the hair he did have was totally blonde! It was so unusual because even kids who turn out to be tow-heads usually have little brown peach fuzz when they are born. Not Luke, he was a blondie from the beginning.

Noah was born at 39 weeks and 2 days. He weighed 8 lbs. and 2 oz. and was also 20 1/2 inches long. He was born at 8:32 pm. Noah surprised us with a ton of black hair. When he was born Rick and I looked at each other and I said, "If I didn't just give birth to him I wouldn't believe he could be our baby."

For your guess please include date and time of birth, size (weight and length), and for a tie breaker we will go with blonde or black hair. Get your guesses in early because who knows, he may actually be born before we know it!

No passing out!

2008-06-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

I just want to make sure that no one is going to pass out from holding their breath, waiting for me to have this baby. Breathe! So far all three of my pregnancies have been pretty much exactly the same; there have been minor differences (amounts of throwing up, levels of heartburn, pounds gained, etc.), but for the most part they are the most normal pregnancies you could ever imagine. So, I wasn't surprised on Monday when my doctor informed my that I would probably be pregnant past my actual due date. He looked at my chart and said, "from your track record it looks like you could be pregnant for a few more weeks." Yea, yea, I know. He then checked my cervix and said, "Yea, not much going on yet." He did say that if by my 39 week appointment I was dilated to 3 cm and 80% effaced they would start me early. Sounds good right? Well the odds of that happening are VERY slim to none. Considering that with both of my last two children I went to the hospital to have them only dilated to 1 cm and only about 50% effaced, I am not too optimistic about the odds of being started early. I tried to bring up the fact that if I go over my due date I will surely have a baby over 9 pounds, but the doctor just told me to be optimistic and think 7 pounds. Sure, that will help.

I have had lots of advice on what I can do to get things going on my own, but so far I haven't tried anything. I have to admit that none of them sound very appealing! I think that I will start testing out different theories here soon and hope that by Monday, my 39 week appointment, my cervix will be "favorable" to having a baby so they will take mercy on me and not make me go overdue and have a 10 pound baby! But for now I would suggest not holding your breath waiting because you will probably pass out before I actually have this next little guy.

(Just an endnote: thanks to everyone who said I looked good in my last post because the truth is I made Rick take like 10 pictures trying to get a "good" one and finally gave up feeling that taking a "good" picture that far along was impossible! I really do feel huge and am upset because I have gone 4 pound over my self-imposed weight limit, but your comments helped my feel a little better.)

Random Sampler

2008-05-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Excuse this post, it is quite a concoction of random things that have happened over the past few weeks. For some reason I have never gotten around to blogging them, so I decided to throw them all together on one post just to give everyone a glimpse into what we have been doing lately.
Luke played the role of the big bad wolf in the Kindergarten production of The Three Piggy Opera. He practiced his parts so much at home and was very excited to have so many solo's. He did absolutely great! I have a darling video of his singing/acting that I will post when Rick can help me (I hate being so bad on the computer!). Here he is in his wolf costume after the show. I think he really relished his role as the big bad wolf because he would even play the part at recess as he chased some of the girls. One day after school I asked him what he did at recess and he said that he was being the wolf and chasing the girls all around. I wanted him to play more with some of the boys in his class so I suggested that he asked some of the boys to help him chase the girls. He looked at me and said, "but I like being the only boy chasing all of the girls." Of course you do!

Of course Noah had to get in on the action, too!

Even though I have more baby blankets than you could ever need, I decided that each new addition deserves one blanket made just for them. I knew I wanted to use that soft, fuzzy, bumpy fabric that is all the rage right now for this little guy. I went to the fabric store to get it and almost died when I found out it cost $13 a yard, but I figured that I was only making one blanket so it was okay. I did the back in some stripped flannel and ended up with enough extra to make a little comfort blanket with ribbons, too. Like all craft project I take on I ended up HATING the finished product! No matter how many times I measured and cut, I could not keep the green fabric the same as the flannel. The problem is that the "darling" green fabric is stretchy, and the flannel is not. So by the time I had the edges bound it looked terrible. But, after trying so hard I just finished it and know that I will never show it to a real seamstress! I hope the baby doesn't notice the bad sewing.
Just for all of my friends who I don't get to see anymore, I thought I would throw in a recent picture of me. Here I am in all my pregnant glory. Sorry for the choice of clothes, but I had just gotten home from teaching my last yoga class (yahoo!) last night when I had Rick take this picture. I usually don't try to dress in the tightest clothes that I can to show my round tummy! Even though I haven't forgotten how uncomfortable it is during your last couple of weeks, it is always surprising how those little feet can irritate your ribs so badly. I can't believe that I am down to two weeks. In some ways it seems that time will never pass, and on many ways I am dreading the day to come (a topic for a different post about the perils of having a third baby when your two year-old is a terror!). Oh well, ready or not this little guy is about to come.

Ah, spring soccer. I don't know why they even try to have soccer in the spring here because the weather is usually so crappy that it isn't even enjoyable. Luke's little soccer league only had 8 games, and three of them were canceled because of rain or snow. They did make one up, but not the other two. The games that did actually get played were pretty cold!
Luke had a great time playing on his soccer team this season, which is good because they were the worst team BY FAR! I was so glad that he didn't seem to notice that they lost big almost every game (they did tie one). I have never seen such a terrible group of soccer players as was put together on Luke's team. Now don't get me wrong, Luke is no David Beckham, but at least he knew which goal to try for. There were literally kids on his team out on the field with their shirts over their heads doing somersaults! Other kids would come in and out of the game at will whenever they wanted to play, and there were two kids who thought that the point of the game was to jump on the ball whenever it came close! Needless to say, they were terrible. Luke enjoyed himself though and wants to do it again next year. I guess you can call that success!
A few weeks ago as Rick was bathing the boys and my dad and I were watching the Jazz game, there was a very loud bang on the window of my parents house. Right away we knew it was just a bird flying into the window. Perhaps a suicide attempt. No, it actually happens quite often because my parents have so many window in their house that the birds can see all the way through and they don't realize there are windows in their way! My dad went to check it out and came in saying it had been a hawk that flew into the window and was taking it's last breath. I went and told the boys that after their bath they could go outside with grandpa and see a dead hawk. Well, much to our surprise when we took the boys out to see the "dead" hawk it was really alive. It was so stunned by it's recent blow to the head that it let my dad hold it and the boys pet it. Of course my dad had his Birds of North America book right out to show the boys just what kind of hawk it was and give them some interesting facts about it. Always the scientist. The boys just thought it was cool to pet a real live hawk.

On May 20th Rick and I celebrated out 10 year anniversary! I can't believe that 10 years has come so soon. I have always imagined our 10 year anniversary to be celebrated somewhere on an exotic beach or a fabulous trip to Europe, but bad pregnancy planning spoiled that! We did leave the boys with my mom and sister (thanks mom and Giselle) and went to Salt Lake on a little date. We actually had a really fun time because we went to the same places we went the first time we met. It was fun to eat at the same place and play mini golf at the same place we did 11 years ago this summer. Back then I wouldn't have imagined that in 10 years I would be about to have our 3rd little boy, but even that night I did know that there was something special about Rick (and it wasn't just his rear view, although that was one of my first real memories of him). I was going to do a wonderful post with pictures of our wedding and a picture of us now, but for some reason I couldn't even find a picture of our wedding in my parents house! Oh well, maybe next year. (That is what I am saying about the big vacation, too!)

Finally, one last item to note, we just got our house plans delivered yesterday! Okay, it is just the first tiny step of a huge building process, but at least we have started moving. I am so excited!

"Snow" kidding, it's May 22nd

2008-05-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

No, I am not kidding. I just took these pictures this afternoon of the boys out playing in the wet spring snow. Yesterday when we woke up it was raining, but by about 10:30 am it had turned to snow. It snowed all day yesterday and is still lightly snowing this morning. I cannot believe it!
I know that living in Woodland has some drawbacks, but seriously it is almost June! I've tried not to be to grouchy about the crappy weather that we have been having this spring, but I can no longer hold it back... I NEED SUMMER. Rick tried to comfort me last night and tell me that it would be hot soon enough so I should just enjoy the cold for now. I appreciate his efforts to make me feel better, but we both know that it will be snowing again in October, so in May I need warmth.
The boys were actually pretty excited to play in the snow, and it is nice wet snow so they could build a snowman and make snowballs and snow mountains. I guess I should follow their example and just think, "When life gives you snow, make a snowman."