Grandpa Gunn

My dear dear Grandpa died this morning.  I will miss him, and do miss him, and am so grateful for his influence in my life.  

 

 

 

He really made me believe that I was the favorite grandchild of his.

And maybe I was.

But most likely I wasn't:  we ALL were.  

His love was so personal and so fierce that we all really did feel like the favorite.  And even now, though my children have only been with him for a handful of times, they each love him so so so much.  I asked them this morning what they liked about him and they said he was so fun and loved them so so so much!  And he did.  And they knew it!

 

 

 

 

  

 

My heart aches to think of Grandma without him.  They have been dear sweethearts since they met, the most eternal of companions I have ever known.

 

 

 

Cheri and I had a unique chance to go visit Grandpa and Grandma in Oct of 2010.  We realize what a miraculous blessing that was.  We had a WONDERFUL time with Grandpa just as always.  Then he got sick in November and his health and age have taken the best of him since then.  We thought he would pass that Feb '11.  We are grateful for the extra time he's had here with the family and especially with his wife, but we are grateful that he can move on to the better, more fitting place for him in heaven.

That October trip, though, are the memories that I hold on to toward the end of his life.

 

 

Grandpa was SO full of happiness, that he just wanted to share with everyone!  He always had a laugh behind his eyes, and a chuckle in his voice.  There was always something to be joyful about for Grandpa!

 

 

I love you, Grandpa Gunn!

The persistent thinking of a 3 year old

In the checkout line, Alana was wishfully eyeing all the candy.
"Mom, can I have a lollipop?"
"No, Alana, you can't have a lollipop."
Moments later:  "Can I have a lollipop?"
"Not today, Alana, we're going to go home and have lunch."
A minute later:  "Can I have a lollipop?"
"No, Alana."
"No, I'm not asking you, I'm asking her!" Alana exclaimed, pointing to the store clerk.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what was that sweetie?"  engaged the cashier, though she was fully aware of this whole dialogue.
"Can I have a lollipop?" retorted Alana in her sweetest voice.
"You'll have to ask your Mom."
"But my Mom said NO!"

We grown ups had a great laugh!

The unconventional way of life

Silly Addison!

Interviewing Carter

While reading a friend's blog, I learned she interviews her children at each birthday with these questions.  I love that idea!  My sister-in-law interviews her family as part of every New Year's Eve celebration and stick these in the family journal.  Intrigued, Carter didn't want to wait 'til either holiday to be interviewed, so here goes:

To all my friends and family and cousins.  From Carter.

1.   What is your favorite color? 
       Black & White
2.   What is your favorite toy? 
       Wii, DS, and Computer.  (I know we don't have those, but at least I like them)
3.   What is your favorite fruit?
       Grapefruit...and a horned melon. (Carter asked us to pick up this fruit at the store when he saw it.  It had a sweet/sour flavor, but sure had a slimy texture!  We even had to look up how to cut and eat it on YouTube.)
4.   What is your favorite tv show or movie? 
       Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and I like to watch Super Mario Brothers videos on the computer
5.   What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?
       Corn Dogs
6.   What is your favorite game?
       Super Mario Brothers 
7.   What is your favorite snack?
       Cold Cereal 
8.   What is your favorite animal? 
       A Cheetah
9.   What is your favorite song? 
       I'm a Child of God
10.  What is your favorite book? 
       Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Magic Treehouse series, and Boxcar Children
11.  Who is your best friend? 
       Xavier
12.  What is your favorite cereal? 
       Reese's Puffs  (because they're named after my friend Reese, and they are also very good!)  (these are such a treat in our house that they are gone once the coveted box is opened!  I've learned even putting a few in his school lunch once in a while is an adequate dessert!)
13.  What is your favorite thing to do outside? 
       Go on Bike Rides, and fly my Ringflyer (a type of frisbee)
14.  What is your favorite drink? 
       Chocolate Milk and also Hot Chocolate
15.  What is your favorite holiday? 
       Halloween
16.  What do you like to take to bed with you at night? 
       All of my stuffed animals piled on top of me: Little Dinosaur, Max, Mater, Snuggly, Little Bear, Mario & Yoshi, Ricebag, Steve & Freddy, Star Bear, Owl, 
17.  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? 
       Waffles and Pancakes with homemade syrup
18.  What do you want for dinner on your birthday? 
       Waffles or Pancakes or Shell Macaroni & Cheese :)
19.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
       A Race Car Driver and a Truck Driver and a Video Game Maker.  Nothing Else
20.  Imagine that you can become invisible whenever you wanted to. What are some of the things you would do? 
       If there was a bad guy I'd turn invisible so he couldn't get me, like Violet in The Incredibles.
21.  I am very proud because… 
       I take really good pictures with my very own camera
22.  If I were President I would… 
       Be kind to people
23.  I am afraid to ...
       go up on high heights, but at least I went on that Balloon Ride at Santa's Village and the advanced water slide!
24.  Name one thing you do really well? 
       Ride my Bike, Run, and play soccer.
25.  Describe what it means to be a good friend. 
       Sharing and treating me nicely.
26.  What is your favorite time of day?
       Recess!!!!
27.  Describe your best day ever, real or imaginary. 
       When we went to Key Lime Cove and when we went to Santa's Village and when we went to Wisconsin Dells.  Key Lime Cove has a giant arcade and I like to play all the games; and Key Lime Cove and Wisconsin Dells have awesome slides and waterparks!  Santa's Village has lots of rides that you can go on without paying any extra money or tokens or tickets!
28.  Describe your favorite hobby. 
       Play with my friends, play the computer, and build GeoTrax
29.  Climbing trees is… 
       Fun! 
30.  I wish there were a law that said…..
       You can do anything when you want, and you can go as FAST as you want in your car.
31.  What makes you feel sad? 
       When I get hurt.
32.  What makes you feel happy? 
       When we go on vacation.
33.  Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go? 
       I would go to Key Lime Cove, Santa's Village, and Wisconsin Dells.  I'd bring Liam, Jonathan, Nathan, and Joseph, Xavier, Abby, Andrea, Grandma & Grandpa Hicken, Grandma & Grandpa Mosolino, Grandpa Madura, Grandma & Grandpa Gunn, and my whole family.
34.  If I could choose a different name, I would choose…
       Sonic
36.  What is your favorite thing to do with Mom or Dad?
       Go on dates together to a glow-in-the-dark mini golf place
36.  What is something you learned to do this year?
       Subtract
37.  How many kids do you want to have when you are a Daddy?
       Infinity
38.  What is your favorite dessert or candy?
       Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Mint Chocolate chip ice cream and Grasshopper ice cream  (but they're not real grasshoppers!).  

Fall means Pumpkin Patches!

And we've taken advantage of some warm weekends lately to soak in Fall with all its apple cider and spiced donuts glory!

 Wow...how far our family has grown since we went to this farm last, in Oct 2006:

 And another pumpkin patch closer to our house boasted the hay maze,

 the grain tables (here's Addison with the oats)

 the tractors and play area

 and of course, the 12-acre corn maze!

Isn't fall the best!

My Manly Man of a husband

A few weeks ago, Steve participated in a Summer of Seals competition.

It's brutal:

a 500 meter timed swim
followed by:
Max sit-ups in 2 minutes and
Max push-ups in 2 minutes, going straight to
Max pull-ups you can do.

And if your body isn't worn out from that,
finish it off with a 1.5 mile run.

 Steve totally rocked it!  His cheering section sure loved it, too, and didn't mind getting in on the action :)

And if that weren't manly enough, he painted Alana's fingernails and toenails while I took a Sunday afternoon nap.  Now what is manly-er than that?

Alana's Funnies!

The other day Alana was pushing the shopping cart around, filled to the brim with dolls and animals.  As she walked into the kitchen, Steve could hear her talking to herself in her imaginative play.   In a quiet voice, mumbling to herself, yet with a panicked tone she started saying:

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.

...

I forgot my credit card!

And off she dashed out of the room.  Moments later she returned.  This time, Steve couldn't help but interrupt the scene and ask, "Do you have your credit card?"  In a very grown-up way Alana sighed with relief,

Yes, and my museum pass!

What a riot!  Lest you think these two things happen to me often, let me clarify!   Clearly, she has to get this scenario somewhere.  Most often when I'm at the store I panic quietly to myself as I'm unloading my loaded cart wondering if I have my CC...and I always do.  But I do imagine that scenario embarrassedly having to put everything back.  I remember a few times when the store would put my Mom's grocery cart(s) in their refrigerator so she could run home for her purse!  But so far, that hasn't happened to me. 

But the kids do hear me say, "I don't have my credit card," when they are asking to go somewhere that costs money.  And when they want to go to the museum, they hear the other one as well.  So that's where the context comes from.

Here's another:

Yesterday was Carter and Addison's school open house.  

Me:  "Okay everyone, it's time to go to the open house."

Alana, in a worried voice:  "But Mom, bugs will get in our Open House!"

Adorable!

I know there's another I'm not remembering right now.  I'll update it when I can remember :) 

First Days of School

Something happens every year around Back-to-School time.  As these little folks grow into bigger folks I realize how old I'm getting...For the first time in my life, I have a kid in school all day. I'm packing school lunches.  I'm now part of that huge chaos of cars trying to pick up school kids at 3.  But with all this I don't think I could be happier about Carter's class at school!

Carter: Our First Grader

 Look at those missing two front teeth!!  

That's the perfect 1st grade picture!

• For one thing, Carter has the same teacher he had last year in kindergarten!  That is SUCH a huge blessing!  She is such a phenomenal teacher and does excels at teaching to the individual whole child.  She and I really became a great team working for Carter's education and challenging him to tap into his potential.  First day of school came and we had NO new-teacher jitters.  It was awesome!  He already knew her expectations and she already knew his...everythings (abilities, quirks, etc.)  This school year just seems like a natural flow from last year.
• Second, he's in a 1st/2nd grade combined class. This is AWESOME!  The class is taught in a way that allows kids to learn at their own level.  It's a bit "Little House on the Prairie" -esq, one-room school house style.  And according to research, this is an ideal way for children to learn.  Who knew!   
• He is so happy to go to school!  We have such a cheerful Carter since school started and we are loving it!
• He is so responsible, too.  He comes home, has a snack, and gets right to work in his "homework station" to get his homework done, and then on to practicing the piano.  I am so impressed when friends ring the doorbell to play and he lets them know he's doing these things and will have to wait.

Addison: Our Preschooler

 Boy, has ANY kid ever counted down to preschool like Addison!!  It all started last year when we took Carter to kindergarten and would see his preschool teacher directing traffic.  (Yes, the preschool is at the elementary school).  DAILY, Addison would ask her when he would be in her class.  And we just kept hoping and hoping that he would one day get her as his teacher!  

Getting into the 4-year old preschool is tough -- space is limited, and everyone in the 3-year-old program gets first dibs.  So you can understand my struggle when I chose to not enroll him last year so I could do at home preschool with him and 3 friends.  I knew doing so would forfeit our spot this year.  So when they called us and told us they reserved a spot for Addison WE WERE THRILLED!!!!!!  SO excited!!!  He got IN to preschool.  And he got Carter's old teacher.  It seems that all of Addison's wishes have come true!  

• He loves preschool!!  He loves his teacher!!  He always knew he would and waited all year to be in this class.
• He has 3 other dear friends from church in his class, and already knew 2 other neighborhood kids we've seen at the park.
• He has all morning to spend time with me and Alana, then goes to preschool just in time for Alana's quiet time.  I've really seen the two of them bond more and more (if that was even possible!)  I thought afternoon school wouldn't be so great, but turns out I couldn't have asked for anything better!
• He WANTS homework!  While Carter is doing his, he often asks if he can do homework, too!   Print a handwriting sheet, and bam -- insta-homework for a preschooler!
• He's so excited to tell us about the different toys and stations he chooses at free time, but can rarely remember who he sits with besides Logan, Ali, and Jared!

So life is pretty awesome around here.  We're back in the groove of routine.  I ride my bike or rollerblade to the school 3 times a day, about 2 miles round trip each time.  (School drop off, Preschool Drop off, then school pick up).  And as Addison mastered the riding-a-two-wheeler skill this summer, he keeps right up with Carter on these bike rides!  My lunch-menu planning is keeping steady, and my weekly volunteering in the classroom started this week.  And now with 2 in school and one in quiet time, I now have at least a little time to:

• blog
• pin
• read
• relax
• bake
• go to appointments with less kids in tow (yea!)
• and do the other equally important things like fold the laundry, put away breakfast (yes, sometimes it waits til now...gross, I know), organize closets and the garage!
• etc. etc. etc.

Do you ever wonder how you will spend your time when all the kids are in school?  Will you go back to work? Do you have hobbies to sustain you?  I often wonder this myself.  But this I know, the PTO will be happy to have me!

Our new house

Welcome new neighbors...thank you for the boxes!!!

Probably our best Cardboard Box Fort to date.  The kids have since been VERY busy decorating it.

Carter's Play on Words

When it was time for us to leave the park the other day, Carter displayed his true talent for humor as he said goodbye to the friends he had been playing with.

"It seems it's time for us to go now....

So be careful of the bees...

In fact, BEE ware!!!"

Oh can't tell you how hard I was laughing!


And then today we were practicing his spelling words and came to words like "clock, rocket, flock, shock, etc", so I said,

"Ok, now we'll practice your "-ock" words."

He looked out the corner of his sly little eyes, knowing full well the play on words he's about to ensue and says:

"No Mom, you're awkward."

Santa's Village Family Fun!

Santa's Village = Kids Amusement Park

It recently reopened, just in time for Steve to relive its entire childhood essence with kids of his own.

View Our Labor Day Movie Trailer:
to view full screen, click the square at the bottom right of the video screen

Though our kids had a BLAST, I tend to think that Steve had even MORE joy being able to share it with them!

We met Santa and Rudolph

 Visited the Petting Zoo

And Rode ALL the spinny rides imaginable

To learn that this one will try ANYTHING, and can't wait til she's big enough for EVERYTHING:

And that this one is already a roller coaster fanatic:

And that this one will work up the courage to do things out of his comfort zone, just to discover he absolutely loves it:

Be it old age or just plain weakness, I'm not as spinny-savvy as I used to be.  All the rides at Santa's Village were variations-on-a-spinning-theme, but it was these Hot Air Balloons that did me in, with the Tilt-A-Whirl being a close 2nd (confession:  it could have been the kids' insistence to ride it again and again and again that led to the dizzy spell, but hey, who am I not to say No?)

Add this onto the Friday Night Pool Party at Grandpa's pool and our Monday of Labor Day productivity and water play in the yard and we've had a GREAT 3-day weekend!

Peaceful sleepers

Last night while Steve and I were on a date, there was a thunderstorm (which I love).  When we came home, we checked in on our sleeping kids and could pretty much guess how the night played out.

 Looks like Alana looked for comfort from her brothers, but not finding room in Carter's bed, she settled for half in-half out (cute little ruffle bum).

Next, we gather Carter wanted more room, so he found a new place to sleep, and soon thereafter, Addison woke up to find his brother.

Ah ha...taking care of each other in our room.

Sure glad they have each other while we are out.

Sweet kids!