Canada Trip 2009 - Getting There

After finishing up with finals and getting everything all packed we were ready to hit the road to Canada. We wanted AJ to sleep for at least part of the Trip so we decided to leave at 5:30, it was early but we were so excited we didn't mind. AJ stayed awake for about an hour and then dozed of till 8:30. It was great to get a few hours in while he slept quietly in the back.

We couldn't have asked for a better travel day. There was cloud coverage all the way home but not a drop of rain. No sun to give you a headache, no wind to kill the gas mileage, just beautiful weather all the way home.

We got up at 4:45 and were on the road by 5:20, we wanted to make sure that we got to Grandpa's with a few hours to spare before bedtime. We meet some people who had driven down from Calgary for March madness and said the ride took them 15 hours!!!! But it only ended up taking us just under 12, YIPPIE!

AJ was a real trooper. We brought our laptop so that he could watch movies but he just wasn't into it. He slept until 8:30 and then had some yogurt and started looking around at all the cool tractors and big trucks going by. He spent the day playing cars, reading books, coloring, and singing songs with Mom and Dad. His new favorite song is "the wheels on the Bus," which is now one of my least favorites but it kept him happy and he's so cute when he dose it I can't help but smile.

We rolled into Fort Macleod just in time for dinner, perfect timing! Grandma and Grandpa were so excited to see up and AJ couldn't wait to start playing. We ate and played for a few hours but couldn't stay long because we had to get to the hospital . . . Toad and Chuck had their baby!!!!

For any of you who don't know Thomas and Char-Lane (toad and chuck) are two of our closest friends. Poy and Toad grew up together and then lived together for a few years after their missions. Chuck and I were so-workers, room mates, and great friends. We went on tonz of double dates together and spent alot of our single adult life with one another and now we are MOM's and DAD's! life is so crazy.

Char-lane has been expecting this baby to come for the past week or so, we talk everyday on the phone but still no baby. Things started happening around Thursday night, which was great news because she was starting to think that she might see me before she saw her new little man. You may notice I say little man, they never found out what they were having but Char-Land would have bet her life savings on a boy, sometimes as a mom you just know! Well Baby Gunderson could not be rushed from Thursday to Saturday Chuck was in labour, which most women know can be pretty painful!

So as soon as we got to the Poytress's house I was on the phone to hear the out come, had the baby come? What was his name? how did Chuck do? Was everyone okay?
I called up toad and heard the good news he was a Dad, finally! Things were pretty hard on Char-Lane and the Baby but they both got through it and were doing great, and shock of all shocks....IT'S A GIRL!!!!

We couldn't Wait another minute, we grabbed some dinner for the new family and finally made it to the hospital at 8:15. We could only stay for an hour but it was a great visit and were we so happy to see their Beautiful Baby Girl on her Birthday, oh and Toad and Chuck too!!! lol.

SUMMER LAREE GUNDERSON - MARCH 21ST 2009 8lbs. 6 oz

So far Away!

Aaron is done another quarter and one step closer to becoming a chiropractor. Most of you know that when it comes to school Aaron is a work horse, he always gives 110% no matter what. I know that it can't be easy trying to balance school and a family especially when you have a pregnant wife and the cutest little boy who just wants to play ALL THE TIME, but Aaron makes it work. I just wanted to congratulate him on all his hard work and achieving a 4.0 for the second quarter in a row. Aaron's pretty modest so I'm not sure if he'll appreciate this blog but I'm just to proud of him to not mention it! CONGRATULATIONS POY! We are so proud of all your hard work. LOVE YOU!

52 week Challenge

So Caylee has introduced Lyndz and I to the 52 week Challenge. The main idea is to take at least one picture with your kids a week for 52 weeks straight. A lot of times the Mom's end up behind the camera instead of in front of it with their little ones. This is no different for Lyndz and I so we have decided to take the challenge and I will be trying to remember to post them each week, so feel free to keep me accountable if I start to slack!

Although it's a pretty bleak day here in Portland we new that time was running out so we decided to try for a little photo shot. We also wanted to get some shots of Beckam since he is now officially 3 months old. I know that Lyndz in planning on posting some pictures of her little man but I wanted to put up my favorite shot from the day.

Here's Lyndz and Beck's, week one of the 52 week challenge. Next week we are going for one with both of them looking at the camera & smiling.

Here's two of Age and I. We were playing a game that gives him the giggles and there for gives me the giggles! Please note that AJ has started choosing his own clothing.

Two peas in a pod.

Ever since AJ was born all I ever hear is, "he's like a mini Aaron!" The resemblance between them is and has been very strong since day one. Over the past two years I have seen that AJ is like his dad in more than just appearance, and I couldn't love it more.

When Aaron and I were dating I meet his two nieces, Aby and Sidney. They are the cutest girls and seeing Aaron with them made me see that one day he would make a great Dad, but he has more than exceeded my expectation. Although Aaron is a very busy dad he always makes and finds time for his number one little buddy. I do my best during the day but there are just some things that are better with Dad.

Mom gets sick on the swing but AJ knows that Dad will always take him for a ride or go down the tunnel slides that scare mom.
Dad also loves to show AJ all the cool things you can find outside in the summer and winter. Even after a long day at work Aaron was always excited to take Age out to explore.


Please keep in mind that AJ is only 15 months old here. Aaron insists that golf is something AJ NEEDS to learn from an early age. I am not sure if that is because he has visions of them golfing together one day or because he wants to retire early on his cut of AJ's PGA winnings, lol.

We also wanted to make sure AJ knows where his vehicular loyalties should lie. Aaron and I have both loved Corvettes for a long time, which we would like to pass on to Age. Here we are at Street Wheelers weekend, AJ really liked all the bikes but Aaron got him cheering for the Corvettes as well. Grandpa Poytress is also helping us out by letting AJ feel what it's like to be behind the wheel, amazing!


And he just wouldn't be Aaron's son without a love for music. AJ has loved listening to and watching Aaron play guitar since he was brand new. As of late watching and listening to Dad just hasn't been enough! Although all Aaron's guitars are too nice for Age to play with, Dad let's him rock it out on the bass. We may be a ways from having his demo ready but he is getting a early start from a great teacher.



When all said and done, there is nothing that Dad and AJ like to do better than catch up on a few Z's. Some of the best times together are spent doing nothing!



Thanks for being such a great Dad Poy! I know it's not much coming from me but I know that one day you'll hear it form your kids and it will melt your heart. We love ya lots!

PJ Party and the new pool.

Saturday was very busy! We had our traditional pancake breakfast and then AJ and I were of the the Primary PJ party (they always invite the nursery kids) while Dad stayed home to study. It was a pretty typical outing for AJ, all the other kids sat and played together but I think you will notice someone is missing....Oh wait, there he is running around at the back of the gym by himself! lol, he just needs a little time to warm up.Eventually he came around and started interacting with the other kids. After a week wowing Megan with his hilarious antics he was a regular comedian at the party. He was jumping around and yelling crazy things like, "Bunny" just to mae the older kids laugh. I don't know what you think but to me that sounds just like something AARON would do, I am sure that is where he gets it from! lol. After the party we rushed home to get ready for the swim portion of our day. Although we have been swimming many times before it a bigger deal down here since the pools are far away and pretty costly ($5.00 each!) Also it was going to be beckems first time at the pool which we just couldn't miss! We double checked but it seems he's not quite tall enough to go in the pool alone so Dust and Lyndz both decided to come in too! Our family went for the "in the water" picture as my beach body is not the most photogenic thing right now, lol. Aj loves to cruse around the pool on me or Aaron's backs, he has never let go and I think it's so funny to see him riding around like a little monkey. AJ was pretty excited to have Beckem there, sometimes he forgets that he needs to be gentle! Beckem never seems to mind though, I think he has come to terms with AJ and his "love taps" Here's our little man in action, he loves to jump of the edge but we have never seen a ledge quite this high before. I wasn't sure he would jump but as soon as I put him up there he was all for it. Not even a little hesitation, so brave!

Smooth transition

So AJ is officially in a big biy bed now! The first night we layed in bed with him and read stories, sang songs, and then said our prayers before turning out the lights. He seemed a little confused and just before I closed the door he said, "Mommy, AJ go crib?" I told him that he was going to sleep in his big boy bed and then left him too it. I was a Little nervous that he might fall out or hit his head on the side but it went really well! Here's the boys getting all tucked in and having a bed time story, AJ tries to do everything just like Dad, I love watching them together. Also you'll see Radar, this was Aaron's teddy bear when he was little and now it belongs to AJ. He has kept the same name and is just as loved as ever!
He has been sleeping in it for 5 nights as well as for all his naps. The best part is, he doesn't seem to realize that he could get out of bed whenever he wants. When he wakes up he just lays there and calls for mom or dad! It is so funny! In fact I had a girls night here on Friday which woke him up but instead of coming out to see what was up he just sat in there yelling, "MOM....MOMMY!!! AJ ALL DONE!!!" It was so funny, I finally brought him out and let him party with us, he he. I was a little nervous to put him back in his bed on Wednesday because he was getting his 2 year molars and had a pretty good fever. I wasn't sure ow it would go with him being sick but he did great. His fever lasted a few days so he slept quite a bit, and even when he wasn't asleep he was pretty out of it. Here he is over at Lyndz trying to watch Finding Nemo, it was just the cutes face! As sad as it is to see your little ones sick, they are always so cute and cuddly that I can't help but enjoy it a little. Especially when you know it will pas and there are no grody side effects like puke or snotty noses, ha ha. Anyways it's been great and I couldn't have asked for a smother transition!

Mother of three!?!?

For the past 7 days I have been watching Megan and Ericka Wagner while their parents are in Maui. Megan is 4, my little AJ is 23 months, and Erika is 16 months, and together they are a HANDFUL! I knew that it would be hard for the girls to go a whole week without seeing their parents especially since this was their first time being apart so we tried to stay extra busy. Our first day together we had a big pancake breakfast and spent most of the morning outside. It was so nice to have a good day so that we could walk around our complex and check the mail. Since Aaron and I didn't want to be apart all week we had AJ sleep in the playpen in the walk in closet. The night went great and the next day was fort day! We got up, had breakfast, and got ready before heading over to my house. I know that a fort may not seem like a bug deal but when you are little, everything is exciting! They played in AJ's room while I got everything set up and then came running out to explore their new play area. We put in a movie and even had popcorn, it was great. Please pay special attention to Megan's outfits in these pictures as I let her pick out all her own close this week for a special treat!

Thursday we went down to Clackamus with Lyndz, Julie, and Sabby. There were 4 mother and 8 kids! It was crazy. We ended p being there for about two hours and got home just in time for 12:30 naps. Megan had a great time playing with Jacob, they are the same age and love to run and play together.Jacob got a little excited and knocked over two littler kids which really got another mother going. She turned to us demanding to know "WHO'S CHILD IS THAT!" Julie asked him to go apologize to the younger kids, which he did and then the kids continued to play. Well so was MAD, she spent the rest of the time watching Jacob like a hawk and vigorously bouncing her foot. She finally snapped when her daughter tried to join in a game of ring-around-the-Rosie with Jacob, Megan, and Lucy. She ran over scooped her daughter up, glared at Jake & Us, and off they went! It was hilarious! You could just tell she was one of those super fun mom's. Anyways no pictures but it was great! Also the girls have been great up to this point, no tears, or heartbreak over mom and dad, it was going really well! Erika was even doing great with her naps. It is defiantly a lot of work with three but it helps when they all seem to like you and when you have Lyndz to help out, lol I think we stopped in more than she anticipated this week, ha ha. Thursday also ended our family sleep overs at the Wagner's. Usually AJ dose okay with the playpen when we are far from home but he just didn't understand why he was sleeping in a closet if his bed was 5 apartments over. When we went to put him to bed he said, "Mama no no, AJ's crib." I asked if he wanted to go sleep at home and he said yes, so I took him home and laid him down, before I could even say anything he looked up and said, "Mommy, AJ's bed better! Night night!" It was really cute. So I have been sleeping at the Wagner's with the girls while the boys spend the nights at home. It was really hard to be apart especially since by 8:00 each night the kids were all in bed and we were left sitting alone half a block apart, bummer! Friday was another crazy busy day. Friday was another crazy busy day, I made a home made Chocolate cheese cake and together Aaron and I made two apple pies. It was lots of work but we wanted to support the Western club. You may be asking yourself why would the poytress's want to support the Western club!?! You would think if we were going to turn country we would have done it back home on the prairies, but no. Our good friend Jared Mangum is a hardcore cowboy, kind of (he loves the boots, buckles, and hats but has yet to mount a horse. ha ha) and he started a wester club at school.
Before hitting the party I went to the hospital to meet Stewart, the Parker's beautiful baby boy. He is so cute and Kami was doing great. I could have stayed and visited for ever. It made me so excite to have my new little one, which is great since I have been a little nervous after this exhausting week, lol. Dance the night away and Lyndz and I both got second place in our categories. (her cookies and my cheese cake.) We won tee-shirts from the book store, yippie! Also after MONTHS of AJ walking around in Megan's pink crocks I finally got him his own pair. They are not my favorite but he loves them and they are quick and easy to get on so whatever. Saturday and Sunday were pretty chill, Aaron was a big help, especially since Nicole's girls LOVE him! We did our Saturday morning chores and tidy up and then hung out at our place. After the little ones had their nap Aaron brought in AJ's new bed and of cores the rest of history. I don't think they came out of his room again till bed time. I hope he likes to sleep in it as much as he likes plaing in it. Monday was our final day together, we have been planning on a welcome home party all week and it was finally time to put our plan into action. Megan wanted to make the cookies right away, I think her exact words were, "If we make them before breakfast then we could eat them instead of cereal!" I chose to have cereal and make them a little later, much to her dismay, lol. The kids where really into the cookie making this time, they wanted to roll, cut, and move their own cookies. They may not look like hearts but they were made with love. I'm not going to say it was easy or that the week flew by but it was better than I expected. I am tired and happy to be at home with my little boy tomorrow, JUST US, but in the end it was a great experience and if I had the opportunity I would do it again. We love those little girls and they really are great kids.

Growing Up To Fast!

I can't belive that I am 5 1/2 months pregnant and AJ is just 1 month away from his 2nd birthday! I still remember bringing him home from the hospital and giving him his first bath, it feels like yesterday. After spending a week watching the Wagner's girls I am feeling a little nervous about bringing home a new baby, not because it was overwhelmingly difficult for me, ut it was a lot for AJ! He had a hard time learning to share mom with two other kids full time, especially when Erika is younger and needs to be carried, feed, etc. So in order to help prepare him for his new little sibling I want to help him gain a little more Independence now before he thinks it's all the babies fault.

I guess this is my long way of saying that this week we got AJ his first ever Big Boy bed! We were just going to get him a little ikea bed but we found this on Craigs list with the mattress so we decided to get it. It was a great deal and so far AJ loves it..... As a toy! Since I am still staying at the Wagner's we have decided to wait and start him sleeping in it next week. For now he is just getting s to the idea of having it in his room. We keep telling him that it's a Big Boy bed and soon he can sleep in it, I will keep you posted on how the actual transition goes. Anyways the kids LOVED playing with it! AJ kept making everyone get in so he could take them all to WAL-MART (his favorite store for some reason!?!) but they never made it because every time he got in the car he would jump back out and pretend to put more gas in. It was hilarious!