Fall Festivities!

 Fall has been a blast in the Gundersen household. We've done nothing but play and have fun! Okay, maybe we occasionally work . . . not by choice! It has been so beautiful down here in the desert that we can't help but spend most of our time outside. Here are some highlights from the last month.

Braelyn had a little baby photo shoot thanks to Jen Ryan. Amazing photographer!!!

 The girls at work had a night out for Erin's birthday. Dinner and a movie is the best idea ever, especially when you have girlfriends to share it with.

We had open house at the high school. I got to meet all the parents of our wonderful students and convince them that I really do care about their kids. I do! I promise!

Ben, Braelyn, Jana, and I all went to Autumn Fest at our park. They put up this adorable carnival and I just had to ride the ferris wheel. Ben appeased me by going even though he is afraid of heights. In fact right before this photo he was freaking out because we were supposed to be on opposite sides of the cart to make the weight even. He thought we were going to topple over when I switched sides to take the photo. Needless to say, he was not amused.

Ben tried to win a prize for Braelyn and failed . . .

. . . so Jana came to the rescue and . . .

. . . wahoo! She won a cute little stuffed pig for Braelyn. Girls rule! Sorry dad.

After the carnival we had some fun at home and tried on Braelyn's Halloween costume. She makes the cutest darn flower ever, if I may say so myself. Thank you Jana!

Braelyn got to go trick or treating for the first time at her school party. She was so excited. Every time she passed my office in the hallway, I could hear her laughing. She was clapping and pointing and bouncing around the whole time. That girl has such a personality. We love her! She got to eat cupcakes and cheese puffs at her party too! I think she's been on a sugar high for the past week now.

 Then we got to go to Jojo's first birthday party. It was a jungle theme, so we dressed Braelyn up as an owl. Yes, I know what you are thinking, "where to owls live in the jungle?" I don't know! It was the only animal outfit we had on hand, so we made do.

Of course we couldn't miss the church trunk or treat party. Plus, Drew and Braelyn were scheduled for another date together. We just can't keep the lovebirds away for too long.

Grandma and grandpa came to visit and to spend Halloween with us. Braelyn just adores her grandpa. She cries when I take her away from him. If she weren't so cute, it would probably hurt my feelings.

And what is Halloween without gnawing on some candy. Look at these two ham bones. They are just two peas in a pod!

Now we just can't wait for the other holidays to come. Bring on Thanksgiving and Christmas! I just love the holiday season and spending time with family. Having a wonderful family of our own just makes the holidays that much better. Happy holidays!

We're Alive!

Okay, this is a long time coming. In my defense, I couldn't figure out this new blogger for the life of me! I am not one that does well with change. For about a month I couldn't figure out how to upload photos. And since I know that no one cares about blogs without photos, what was the point of blogging! Yeah, all I had to do was upgrade my formatting. Haha! I'm definitely not a techie.

Well here is our life, over the last few months, in a nutshell of photos. Everyone is happy and healthy. We couldn't ask for more. 




This was Braelyn's baby blessing. Jana was so amazing to come up for it. We had a blast! Braelyn didn't last very long in her white dress, hence the pictures in her normal church clothes. What can you do?! I wouldn't want to wear a poofy dress that long either! Ben did a beautiful job on the blessing. She's a lucky girl to have such a great daddy that loves her to pieces. 



Jana and her roomie Kim. They are probably the two funniest people you will ever meet!

 

She is such a ham. I can't get enough of this smile. I get this look each time I drop her off in her little daycare in the mornings. Geez, it makes it even harder to leave her when she's this cute!
 


More haminess!



I can't get enough of kissing those cheeks. How adorable.
 



After a long day of shopping with mom and DAD. Yes, I wasn't the only one torturing her. Although Ben felt this way afterward too!



Labor Day fun at Erin's! What a blast. I think it needs to be an annual event.



Waving "hi" like she always does.



Finally big enough for a high chair. Is she really growing up that fast?!



This picture makes me laugh so hard! Where did she even come up with that expression. The owl hat is thanks to grandpa Cal. He always brings the cutest gifts. Ben's parents visited last week and we had so much fun. They took us to dinner, bought us a carseat, gave Braelyn tons of books and toys, and BABYSAT!



Reading with daddy.



She loves her grandpa. Braelyn couldn't get enough of Cal. She was always crawling over to him. Yes, she is CRAWLING like a madwoman. Watch out! She is everywhere and in everything!




Mid squeal. She is always yelling. This one loves to hear her own voice. I'm telling you, she's the LOUDEST baby I know . . . and I'm her proud, yet sometimes embarrassed, mamma!




Ben calls this the baby jacuzzi. It is usually the follow up to dinner thanks to our messy eater.



Braelyn and I were chosen to be part of a Littly Gym photo shoot. Braelyn even got paid! Show me the money! She was the best little model. They were supposed to use her for an hour, but the photographer loved her so much that we stayed for FOUR hours! She is going to be in a magazine that is distributed to obgyn offices next month. Hmmm, maybe I need to schedule an appointment to pick up a copy. Haha!



Such a cheeseball!

Some other updates that we don't have photos for:

1. Ben is studying to take the GMAT so he can start an MBA program next fall. He hopes to get into the evening program at ASU.

2. I am starting tutoring sessions after school for junior high  and high school students. So, if there is anyone you know that needs some help, pass on the word.

3. We are selling our house, but not moving out of Anthem. Don't worry!

4. My mom is coming to visit over Halloween! This will be fun. Some definite shopping and eating out. =)

5. My school finally opened! Wait, did I already blog about that? I can't even remember. Anyway, it's finally open and we have about 250 crazed teenagers. Help me!

So all in all, life is just a bundle of fun. It's been way busy, but hopefully things will slow down in the next few months. Yeah right! Who am I kidding?! I don't think life ever slows down once you have kids. We are loving every moment, though. It's totally worth it.

What?! School already???

I can't believe that it is actually here again. Yep, I'm talking about the dreaded end of the summer/beginning of the school year. It's so crazy how summer comes and you're totally stoked that you have two entire months off. You think, "what am I going to do for an entire 9 weeks?!" Then the universe shifts, time recreates itself so that weeks equal hours, and before you know it you're asking yourself a totally new question, "what have I done for 9 weeks?!"

So, you can see where I'm going with this post. I have already started staff meetings this week and students enter the doors on Monday . . . that is unless I can come up with some conniving plan as to how I can keep them away. Hmmm. Oh let's face it, they're coming!

Meetings actually weren't that bad. I was excited to see old faces along with some newbies. I really am excited to be transitioning from science teacher to guidance counselor. I have been doing schedules all week, and I actually love it.

Braelyn is enjoying her time at school as well. I think she's the valedictorian of her baby class of two. Haha! Just kidding. Her and Neiya are both geniuses. She really is adapting to all the fun that is going on around her. In fact, she is probably safer in the day care than she is with her own mommy! I was giving Braelyn what Ben calls a "baby jacuzzi" the other day. That's where I stick her in the sink to play/get a bath after eating. She was chilling on the right side of the sink and I was doing the dishes on the left side. I decided to be even more productive and organize the freezer. What?! I know, I'm on this productive kick right now. Anyway, I was two feet away from her and constantly looking back. I turned for 2 seconds to put the ice cream back in the freezer and I hear a squeal. I spin around to find Braelyn's little bum and legs sticking straight up in the air, and her face smooshed face down in the empty sink. Holy cow! I grabbed her right out and her face was covered with leftover bubbles from me doing the dishes. Her face was bright red and she was definitely screaming at me, but she was okay . . . thankfully. Now I know, never turn your back on a rambunctious 7 month old. I have to say, when I first saw her stuck I debated, "save the baby or save the Blue Bell ice cream?" Yeah right! Just kidding. Baby wins hands down!!! =)

In all seriousness, the last few months have been amazing. I still can't believe how lucky we are to have such a perfect little angel in our home. I am so grateful for her sweet spirit. I joke about not being able to go anywhere because people stop me and talk to me about how adorable she is, but it's true. I have a stinking cute baby! She is always babbling, laughing, screaming (in a happy way, I know . . . weird, but cute), hitting things, reaching for stuff, etc. She is one active child . . . exactly what I hoped for. And to make things better, I have the most amazing husband. Ben does so much to help us. He is such a loving father. He is always happy and excited to help with anything that needs to be done. How can life be so wonderful? All I can say is thank you Jana. You are amazing and we love you!

Wow, this is long. And no pictures. Sorry to those that read through this just to see pictures. They're not here. Ha ha, I fooled you!

Oh yeah, and our awesome friends are starting the process to adopt. Please look or pass along their blog. They are such and amazing family. Here is the link: www.alittlefamilyblessing.blogspot.com

Family Pictures!

Can I just say that Cortney Clegg (cortneyclegg.blogspot.com) is my favorite photographer?! She is amazing! We had so much fun just enjoying Braelyn while Cortney was shooting away. Utah is beautiful, much better than the 115 degree weather we're having here in Phoenix.

It was nice to have the whole family get together before my little brother Weston left on his mission to Argentina. I'm so proud of him. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family that loves and supports us. I was sad to leave after my practically month and a half stay in Utah.

Never letting her go . . . she's ours forever!

We are the luckiest parents in the world! We have been blessed with a little angel that is now ours forever. Who could be so lucky! It was the most amazing feeling to bring her into the temple in her little white dress and have her sealed to us for eternity. I am so excited for our future journey with Braelyn. We couldn't have asked for a more special, funny, happy, adorable, etc. child to have joined our family. Here are some pictures from that amazing day. It was WINDY, so don't look at my hair! Haha!

Spring Pics!

Well it's about time that I add some photos on here! So here's the deal, or my lame excuse for not having pictures. Ben and I . . . correction . . . I am too stingy to buy a computer. Therefore, we are only left with Ben's company laptop which won't allow me to download anything for security purposes. So, I am stuck downloading photos on my 1990s school computer that takes FOREVER! But hey, here they are. And yes, I am giving myself one big pat on the back for finally getting some pictures saved. Anyway, here are a few of my favorites from the last few months.

Almost holding up her own bottle! Her form almost looks like she is smoking a stogie. Haha!

Sometimes our sweet little Braelyn likes to take cat naps in the tub. Don't ask me! This is her routine; turn the water really warm (she'll scream if it is the least bit cold), lay her down, she gasps for a second to get used to the water, she smiles really big, then she pees, and if she's really relaxed she'll fall asleep. It's hilarious.

This our Easter celebration. Our friends were so nice to have invited us to invade their family's get together. This is Ben and I playing the egg toss. My partner was actually the cutie in the green striped shirt, Aiden. He was so funny. Instead of throwing the egg, he would walk up and hand it to me. I wasn't complaining. Who wants a three year old throwing a raw egg at you?! Later Ben and I played together, and luckily the egg broke on him. Although the whole time I was giving him the look like, "if this breaks on me, you're dead!" He took one for the team.

Ben's favorite picture.

Always sticking her tongue out. I mean ALWAYS!

I'm learning as a new parent that you can NEVER get a picture of everyone looking at the camera. It's impossible.

She loves the superman move. She giggles everytime you hold her up in the air. So cute!

Again with the tongue.

Oh I just love her sweet little face, and that dimple, oh that dimple!

All in all, it's been a wonderful spring! We've had so much fun. We go to the park, go on walks, spend time with friends, and just have fun at home. I can't wait to have some more free time with Braelyn in the summer. Only three more weeks of school left. I'm counting down!

Saturday Park Days!

Ben and I love going to the park on Saturdays . . . well, I love going to the park on Saturdays. I think Ben goes just to make me happy, but he goes! We met some friends last weekend at the park and had a Mexican fiesta afterwards. Yummy! There's nothing better than enchiladas, burritos and guacamole! My friend Erin just got a fancy new camera that takes awesome pictures. That's what she says, but I think it's really just her. She's a great photographer. She was nice enough to practice a few shots on our family. So cute!

Long time!

I've been putting off posting because we just got a new camera . . . well, okay, like over a month ago. We've taken pictures, but haven't figured out how to download them yet. It's a mixture of laziness, computer incompetence, and just being plain old busy. So, here's an update with NO pictures. Sorry, the next one will have some. I promise it will be soon. I can't start slacking now!

Ben got his passport and is all set to go. As of now, he will be going to Peru without me because my passport hasn't come! I'm sure it will get here this week. I'm so excited. So, here is something really lame. I saw Ben's passport and he has this nice picture of himself smiling. I asked him, "What the heck? They let you smile?!" He looked at me like an idiot and said, "Of course, why not?" Here's why! The guy who took my picture was counting to three, I smiled, he stopped and said I couldn't smile, I laughed thinking that he was joking, he said, "no really I mean it. Don't smile", so I didn't smile, he took the picture, and I looked like an idiot who just took a mug shot!!! Now I have a lame-o passport picture that I have to keep for the next 10 years because some photo guy made up his own passport rules. Oh well!

My littlest brother Weston got his mission call. Wahoo! I'm so excited for him. He is leaving on July 14th for Cordoba, Argentina. He's excited to speak Spanish with my other two brothers and Ben.

Our little family had a wonderful Easter together. I was contemplating playing the Easter bunny for Ben and Braelyn, but that didn't happen. Ben LOVES junk food: sweets, fast food, soda, you name it. I was going to buy a bunch of Easter candy for him, but then I thought, "what are just the two of us going to do with all that candy?!" Plus Ben still had leftover candy from his mom. She sent a bunch of trial candies from the movie convention they went to in Vegas. It's like adult trick or treating. You go to all these vendors and they give you sample movie popcorn, drinks, nachos, etc. So I nixed the Easter bunny.

We hung out with some great friends of ours. They not only let us crash their Easter shin dig, but we also crashed their family Christmas right before Braelyn was born. Braelyn's little Easter outfit was so cute! Pictures to follow. It was a little white and blue summer jumpsuit. Loved it! She has this smile that just melts your heart. She is such a happy little girl now. I just want to squeeze her all the time. She still sticks out her tongue constantly, blows spit bubbles, and babbles cute little nothings.

I am so loving being a mom. It is so fulfilling and I adore every minute of it between 7 am and 10 pm. =) Thank goodness Ben switches off with night duty. We've gotten into a nice routine with Braelyn. She really is a great sleeper.

Anyway, this is a long update, but I don't want to forget what has been going on with our family. I really want Braelyn to be able to read this someday and know how much we love her, and all the exciting things that have been happening in our lives since we found her. What a blessing. Our little angel girl!

We love our little family . . .

Can I just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE our little Braelyn?! She has gotten to be so much fun. I love the little adorable things she does. We have tons of nicknames for her:

1. Lizard because she constantly sticks out her tongue.
2. LB for "Little Braelyn"
3. Stinks . . . well you know why. She just stinks sometimes.
4. Lil Brae because Ben needs to be a little ghetto every once in a while.
5. Brae Brae which I swore I would never call her (Ben made it up), but somehow it's stuck.
6. Little Missy just because she's a little princess and it fits.

I'm sure that there will be many other names that come up throughout the years!

What a look of shock! She's just camera shy I guess.

Miss Braelyn is ALWAYS yawning. It's so dang cute.


It's so fun to be a family. We love it. Both Ben and I tease that we just want to squeeze her so tight until her tiny little head pops off!!! Of course we wouldn't do that, but seriously, we just want to hug her so tight. My favorite is kissing her cheeks. Love it!

She's laughing! I think it's by accident, but hey, we'll take what we can get. So cute!

We just can't get enough of looking at her sweet face.

I love the "vintage" look in this picture. Cortney is so artistic! What an amazing photographer!

All in all, things have been wonderful for our family. We couldn't have asked for more. Braelyn has turned into quite the happy little baby. She sleeps well at night which makes for a happy mom and dad.

I started back at work last week and that was definitely an adjustment. It's hard not to be with her during the day, but I know she is well taken care of and just down the hall from me. The lady that watches our three babies (my principal's and my other co worker's) is amazing. She is so sweet and attentive with Braelyn. The other two babies like to sleep, but not my child! She is wide awake during the day and definitely gives Sylvia a run for her money.

Ben and I are finally going to go on an exotic vacation! We've been talking for years about going outside the country and really treating ourselves to something special. The time has come! We are planning on going to Peru with the rest of my family to pick up my younger brother from his two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I'm so proud of Landon for his hard work and we can't wait to see him. We'll hopefully book the trip this week. Yay!

Life is good!