Mya's First Haircut!

Mya has spent her life thus far growing those beautiful, brunette locks and her hair was starting to get out of control and totally unmanageable! So, we decided today was the day for the "first" haircut. We were prepared for a lot of screaming and crying but she did great! Now, she's sportin' some cute, side swept bangs and about a 1/2 inch off the rest. We were thinking of giving her a Suri Cruise do but chicken'd out at last minute. The most important thing is now we can see those pretty green eyes with all that hair out of the way.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Winter Wonderland!

Daddy came home last night from work, plowed the 5 to 6 inchies that had already fell and then surprised Mya with a new sled he had picked up on the way home ( such a sweet daddy!) We bundled her up and off they went down the street. Mya had a blast but threw a fit when it was time to come in. I think daddy was getting a little cold.

Looking into a mirror

It's so funny to see my daughter dress up in my clothes ( almost ALL of my clothes... at the same time) the way I used to do with my mom's clothes at her age. One of the best things about being a mom I think; seeing yourself ( the good part of yourself) in this little person. What joy and laughter she brings to my life! I can't wait for more of the same from baby girl two.

The tale of the two bloggers!

Such a fun visit we had with fellow blogger Geri, hubby Jason( Darren's friend from Chicago) and ADORABLE little Brody this weekend! Our friends from Minnesota stopped by on the drive home from a family trip to central NE. We were thrilled to get our Aquarius babies together finally and chat about parenthood, jobs etc., but this time in person instead of cyberspace. We got such a laugh from watching Brody and Mya together. Bath time was especially memorable! ( spanking anyone? ha) Geri and Jason, it was great having you, you are great parents and such sweet people. We look forward to seeing you again. Until then, I know we will keep up with each other via the web. Thank you for the present for Mya by the way. That was very thoughtful of you! Take care of that big, blue eyed sweetheart.

T-Day 2009

What a great Thanksgiving we had! Good food and family is always a winning combo.
Here's a list of what I'm thankful for this year ( and evey year)

1. All of my family ( most of all my beautiful daughter and wonderful husband)
2. Baby girl #2
3. Good friends
4. Holidays and tradition
5. A good glass of wine ( can't wait to have one again!)
6. Magazines
7. Naps
8. The internet
9. Every birthday
10.My job

I'm also thankful that Mya didn't spill a thing on her pretty cream shirt on Thanksgiving! Miracles do happen.

GRANT Born 11/04/09

WELCOME BABY GWG! Grant William Gundlach arrived Wednesday Nov. 4th (I'm a little late with this post) and is as cute as he could be. Looks like daddy w/ mommy's hair! So, it will be hard to keep my girls from flirtin' with this guy I'm sure. We LOVE you Billy and Sarah! Congrats and welcome to the club!

32 weeks! IT"S A GIRL!

Darren and I made the tough decision to switch Dr's at 32 weeks pregnant. The reasons are many and the decision was the right one! Our new Dr. ( a women) is GREAT! Professional and personable. However, with the switch to a girl Dr. brought a revealing ultrasound of our new baby... GIRL. Our last ultrasound was at 16 weeks and our previous Dr. was SO SURE he saw a boy. Of course we had several ultrasounds since but weren't able to get a good view in between the legs. After we got over the shock of two girls, excitement set in. Mya will have a little sister less than 2 years younger then her. We hope they will grow up to be best of friends... oh and successful enough to pay for their own weddings. HA HA. Bring on the pink! (AGAIN)

I love fall... Mya does too!

Although there aren't many trees in our 5 year old neighborhood, we managed to find a corner of sidewalk down the street that was shaded by some mature trees that have managed to shake some of it's leaves. Mya was curious and excited about the crunchy, crackling sound these colorful leaves made. She eventually went running through them, smiling and laughing while I picked up piles and threw them over her head. She could've stayed at this corner of our street all night but, as typical of toddler behavior, she was whisked away screaming and crying the whole walk home. I was reminded of why I love this season so much. It's the simple things like playing in the leaves. Kids are so great at reminding us of simple pleasures aren't they!?

Short but sweet visit!

Went back to IL. for Sarah's baby shower. Had a great time catching up with girlfriends, mom and sister! Look at what a pretty 'mommy to be' she is... made me hestitant to take pictures with her that's for sure! I'm so excited for her as she begins this new adventure of mommy hood. Most exciting of all is Grant and Baby boy Austin will be 6 weeks apart. Perfect play date buddies... oh yeah and the boys will have fun too! ha ha.

Is that a basketball you are hiding under your shirt?

I'm just waiting for someone to ask me this question! I've seen women who look like they are smuggling a basketball but really just pregnant... never thought I'd be one.
Wow, am I carrying different than w/ Mya. 26 weeks tomorrow!!! That means 14 weeks to get x-mas shopping done too! YIKES

Scrapbooking!

Wanted to share the recent scrapbook I created for my sister's 18th birthday!
I spent about 4 months on it ( a lot of that time was staring at pictures and reminiscing). Like blogging, I love to scrap b/c it's a great creative outlet! The book was the " A to Z" of Taylor. I didn't include all the pictures but the ones I did are: Brother, Cheer, Dance, Grandma, Holidays, Live, Mya, Niece, Sister, Vacation, You did it!(graduation). Just click on any picture to see it closer.

The belly rub and the hug!!

Ok so... for our anniversary, my loving husband got us tickets to see two of our favs who happened to be performing together; John Legand and India Arie. So, we had a blast and not to mention the luckiest seats in the house. India went on first and came down into the audience during a song. As she walked up the aisle in which we were seated... Darren leaned over to me and said "I'm going to give her a hug!" I strongly advised against it by the look of the bodyguard behind her. But, as she approached, Darren leaned in and she without hesitation leaned in too. Bam... the HUG felt around the world. My husband had a smile from ear to ear the rest of the night. Ok, fast forward an hour and JOHNNY is about to grace us with his presence. He walks into the arena singing some song.. I can't remember now b/c all I was focused on was his big brown eyes. AHHH. Stopped right in front of Darren and I and rubbed my belly before he went on stage. Overall, it was a great night with great music and up close and personal attention from the performers! To top it all, John sang our wedding song as his last song of the night. Perfect ending to a perfect anniversary!

My kind of town Chicago is...

What a great time we had on our recent trip home. We caught up with friends and family and wished my sister "good luck" and "happy 18th birthday!" There is nothing that makes you feel better than being around people who know you, love you and accept you no matter what. We got a good dose of that and came home feeling revived and renewed. We miss you all and it was so good to see you!

Messy Mya!

Ummm don't ya just love toddlers?! The mess was worth this picture... it's priceless! Also a good example of what happens when you let an 18 month old feed herself pasta.
Ha ha ha... love it!

20 weeks!

Ok... half way point! Very exciting! Tomorrow is another ultrasound and more confirmation that it's a boy. Looking forward to seeing the little guy via technology in the morning. I feel like I'm getting bigger by the day! Look at this belly... although Ben and Jerry are a little to blame.

Mya and her Aunt Taylor!

What a great time we had over the weekend while aunt Tay visited us from Chicago.
I had weird moments of flashbacks watching the little girl I watched grow up playing with my little girl that I'm now watching grow up! What a paradox! Taylor, I'm so proud of you and hope that Mya turns into the beautiful, kind and smart person you've become! Love you!!!