Pizza Party

Last night we went over to Eric, Michele and Aiden's so Lucas could help Eric mount their TV on the wall and Eric made homemade pizza. The kid's love helping Eric make pizza and Lucas always ends up with heartburn......you'd think he would learn to eat less than 6 pieces at a time. I can't blame him though, It is sooooo Yummmmmmy!

Feeding the Horses and Fainting Goats

Our friends, the Watnes, went to Montana for a wedding over the weekend so we are horse and goat "sitting". Friday afternoon we drove up to beautiful Liberty and had a blast feeding the horses and goats and spending some time in the "country".

Playdate at the Kelley's

After a couple of weeks of rain, rain, rain, and a few moments of sunshine, we had a really beautiful Friday and we spent a fun morning and lunchtime at the Kelley's home playing outside. Thanks Kathy, Luke and Josh!!

Grandpa and Grandma Gunderson Visit

Last Monday evening Grandpa and Grandma Gunderson were able to stop through, have dinner with us and spend some time seeing what the kids are up too. Unfortunently, our camera batteries died and we were only able to get one shot. I was a really nice evening so we were able to spend some time outside. It was great to see them!

Ava's due date has changed-

I had a baby appointment and ultrasound today. Ava is 2 lbs 7 ounces now and growing on schedule! During our appointment, my midwife, Machel, Lucas and I discussed labor and delivery options and based on my past history (shoulder dystocia with Emma, a crazy speedy delivery with Nathan and meconium with both) she will induce me at 39 weeks if our little girl doesn't decide to come on her own before that time.

This pushes Ava's estimated time of arrival to around September 7th instead of September 14th.

In efforts to help me obtain a natural and unmedicated birth like I was able to with Emma and Nathan, Machel will start a very slow Pit drip, then shut it off when I reach 5 cm and see if I can progess naturally from there...if not she will break my water etc.

Although the "natural" mom side of me is not excited about any talk of induction, I know it is a responsible medical decision based on my past experience.

Morning sickness linked to smarter babies

My girlfriend Jenny sent me an email with a link to this article the other day.

Morning sickness linked to smarter babies
Thu, Apr 23, 2009
(HealthDay News) --
Children born to mothers who have morning sickness may be smarter than those whose moms don't have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, suggests a new study.
Researchers found that the children of mothers with morning sickness scored higher on tests designed to assess children's IQ and mental acuity, the Canadian Press reported.
But while this difference was statistically significant, it doesn't mean that children born to mothers who didn't have nausea during pregnancy are developmentally slow, said senior author Dr. Gideon Koren, director of the Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It's just that the other children scored higher on the tests.
The study appears in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Nausea has long been recognized as a sign of a healthy pregnancy, according to the CP. Pregnant women who have morning sickness are less likely to have a miscarriage and less likely to have babies with congenital cardiovascular problems.
-- HealthDay

I wrote her back saying......"Does this mean all that torture I've experienced 3 times now means they'll get scholarships and pay for their own education!!!!! I may just think it's worth it~" ...........I vomited at least 3 times a day with all 3 pregnancies for about 14 weeks each time......my kids will be geniuses! LOL!

Hello 3rd Trimester!

On Monday the 15th, I finally hit my 3rd trimester! Only 3 months to go which is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. As you know, I was a sick chic for the first 14 weeks of my pregnancy to say the least and then I was a tired mama my second trimester. But the momentum is changing.... I have had more energy over the past week and a half and that makes me feel much better because I have been able to keep up with my house better! Chaos makes me anxious! Now I feel like I'm getting caught up and will have the motivation to get the last few things in order for the baby......paint the girls' rooom, look for a new crib and infant car seat, etc. Here are some shots from over the weekend.
Mommy and Ava

Mommy and Nathan

Mommy and Emma Grace

Daddy and Emma chillin'

Our Mama Llama

Just up the road from us is a field of sheep and their watchful Mama Llama. Everytime we pass the field (everyday) we all watch for the Mama Llama to see who can spot her first and see what she is up to. She was close to the road the other day so we were able to snap a close picture of our Mama Llama.

Emma in my wedding dress.

I brought my wedding dress home from my Gramma Nola's about a month ago and Emma has been asking to see it ever since then. This morning I finally took it out of the box and told her she could actually try it on too. She was a giggling silly little girl and had so much fun. Here are a couple shots of my darling little girl...Maybe she'll want to wear it when she gets married.


Me in 2003

Garden Progess

Wow! Look at Lucas and Emma's garden. It really is growing and looks great- we can't wait to harvest it. I came home from running errands last week and Lucas had assembled a paint palette for them and they were painting the garden box. The last picture was taken this morning!

Trip to Hogle Zoo

We spent this morning at Hogle Zoo with our friends, Nanette and Mikayla. It was a nice morning to walk the zoo, not too hot or cool. The kids enjoyed the reptile building most of all.....their mom - not so much. I enjoy the outdoor exibits in the fresh air!
Nathan on a Rhino

Emma and Mikayla

Our Tour Guide

Nathan turns 3!

On June 2nd, our little boy, Nathanial Lucas Gunderson, turned 3 years old! He had his B-day party with friends a few weeks ago so we spent yesterday doing what he likes to do best......playing outside.

Goodbye Storch Family

On Saturday evening May 30th, our cul de sac crew had a goodbye cookout for our friends and neighbors, the Storch Family. Steve, Michelle, Dane, Jude, Katharina and Cole will be missed dearly. We have enjoyed getting to know their family over the past 2 years and wish them well in Fort Brag, NC.

Splash Pad and Smores

It has been in the 80's the last few days. Yesterday afternoon we met the Edward's family at the South Ogden Splash Pad to cool off and run off some energy and then came home and had burgers and the fixin's and made smores on the campfire.

Smores!

Girls night out at the Taylor Swift Concert!

Last night Emma and I had a mother/daughter rockin' night at the Taylor Swift concert!

Emma stood on her chair the whole time and danced, sang, screamed and would occasionally lean over and give me a huge hug. We had a super time - it was like I was looking at myself 25 years ago! I am so thankful that God entrusted me with a lovely little girl that shares all of my interests, especially music! We also had a great time getting "boofed" together (dressing up and doing our hair.) The only downside is that my pregnant back is aching and my feet are hurting this morning.

Here is what Emma wanted to say about the concert on the blog:
Taylor Swift was a very fun concert. She had very fun songs and she is my favorite rock star and I love her because she is a country songwriter and she has my favorite country songs. And I screamed and danced and I put my hands in the air and waved and I missed my brother and my dad and I wish my daddy could come too but Nathan couldn't listen. And we had a fun time and I have a Taylor Swift shirt and I stood on the chair the whole time and Taylor Swift was very beautiful and I love her so much I had tears in my eyes a little bit.

24 weeks prego!

Here is a stock photo of a baby at 24 weeks.

I am 24 weeks pregnant today! I had an appointment on Thursday the 21st and baby Ava was 1 lb 5 oz. and breach at that time, but she's still so small her position changes often. Her movement is getting stronger and this kid seems to like OREOs.....I can't seem to get enough of them. I also crave BBQ chips and cottage cheese.....ummmmm such a yummy combo lately. I am still really tired and my lower back aches. Overall though I feel good, just reallllly big and I can't figure out how I can get any bigger even though I have another 16 weeks to go!
Ava's 24 week sonogram

Our Buddie Aiden Boy turned 1!

Happy Birthday to our "Aiden Boy"! We spent a fun Saturday afternoon in Aiden's backyard wonderland party to celebrate his FIRST birthday. Elmo even made an appearance and we ate yummy BBQ and cake together. You have grown so much Aiden......We love you!

Emma's Preschool Graduation 2009

On Thursday May 21, 2008, Emma Grace Gunderson officially graduated from preschool and after a fun and busy summer she will head to Kindergarten this Fall!Emma wore a corsage I made her and a darling graduation cap Mrs. Hering handmade for all the kids complete with a tassel and cross. I have included the program of the ceremony and her diploma after the slide show. After the ceremony, we enjoyed food and cake with all the graduates and their families and then came home and celebrated with a campfire in the backyard and we all camped out in the living room for the night.
What a terrific year she had at Trinity Lutheran Preschool.
We love you, Mrs. Hering!

Program

Emma's Diploma

Emma's Preschool Conference

Emma's Preschool Conference with Mrs. Hering confirmed our little girl is growing, learning and the attentive little student we had hoped she was! Mrs. Hering encourages the children to be present for their conference and this way she is able to have them perform skills for us and she is able to tell us all the wonderful things about the children so the children can hear too! Emma performed her Kindergarten readiness evaluation with us in the room and I was so moved by her knowledge and the assurance she had within herself while she worked and answered questions. The skills she performed included, writing, visual discrimination, auditory discrimination, rhyming, letter recognition and letter sequence, phonics, story sequencing, math skills, number recognition,counting objects, number sequencing, numbers in Spanish and pattern recognition, shapes, colors in English and Spanish, and gross motor coordination. Whewww, not bad huh?!

I thought I'd include the additional remarks Mrs. Hering wrote on Emma's evaluation sheet......

Emma is such a bright, sweet, sensitive girl. Even though so much of our work comes very easy to her, she is still eager to learn more and strives to do her best. I love her genuine concern for others. She will do very well in Kindergarten. I will miss her, but look forward to having her brother in my class. ~Donna Hering

Here is a picture of Emma and Mrs. Hering on her first day of preschool in August 2008.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Mrs. Hering and the preschool she provides. Emma has had a wonderful year at Trinity Lutheran Preschool! Emma loves going to school and she has flourished academically and socially this past year. There have been 5 children in Emma's class throughout the school year and this provides each child ample attention. Due to the small class sizes, Donna is able to work with each child's current level and personality and really help them individually with their needs. We love the warm, nurturing, christian environment Donna provides!We were so pleasantly surprised when we found Trinity Lutheran Preschool! Donna has exceeded all of our expectations! Emma is growing and learning in a wonderful environment and Donna has provided a great mix of fun, structured play, education and socialization.