Gunderson Adventures.... where all 6 of Us live life to the fullest!

 What a fun Christmas making new memories as a family in Menomonie WI. We enjoyed going to the Christmas Eve service where daddy read a great Christmas story to the kids. Our boys are up front enjoying the story. Caleb is sitting right next to daddy!  Family picture at Cedarbrook. Some are looking, some are not! Classic!  Baby Jacob's first Christmas! He sure loved all his family lovin' on him. He got lots of kisses and snuggles from everyone!  Our boys love playing with their cousins Kaylee and Logan. The house was noisy with all the giggles and laughter. It was so fun to watch them all play together. Of course grandma and grandpa always make us special treats when we are together. We enjoyed eating all the Christmas cookies they baked again this year! Our favorites are the pinwheels, pretzels, spritz, fudge, cut out sugar cookies and candy canes!  Kyle and I love Caleb's smile on this picture. He is such a sweetie! He did great waiting his turn to open pre...

 Micah was ready and waiting patiently for his turn with mommy to make his Christmas cookie. I knew I would need to be up for a bigger challenge than frosted pretzels with Micah because he loves to decorate and doing crafts more than my other little bakers.  Micah proudly choose Gingerbread men cookies! I love his smile as he is having a great time baking with mommy.  We spent the afternoon decorating and being together. Daddy even started a cozy fire in the fireplace for us as we took our time making each cookie special. Micah would say, "Isn't this nice mommy to just be us." and I would respond, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else Micah." Our final product! What a true success. Thank you Micah for making me feel so special. I love every moment with you! Merry Christmas!

 When I asked Andrew what he would like to bake for Christmas this year he said, "Mom I love those frosted pretzels!" Lucky for me this included no oven and very little ingredients! He picked out the pretzels and sprinkles he wanted to use and we went to town with our vanilla almond bark!             Andrew and I had a great time visiting and laughing together. Drew is really funny and we were  having fun laughing at silly 6 year old things. What a treasure our big boy Drew is!                                               Putting on the finishing touches to our amazing pretzels. A great Christmas memory for me and my first born, Andrew Marvin. Merry Christmas Buddy!

 Since we have so many little helpers in our house I decided that this year I would bake with each boy individually so that I can make it special for each of them. Caleb and I took on the Spritz baking!  He did a fabulous job putting red and yellow sprinkles on each cookie! If you look close Caleb even created his own special cookie on his own.                                        Yummy! "Here mom try one!"

                            Our little Jacob loves bath time.....                               we are loving every moment....

One of the most wonderful blessings about being at home with my boys is to be able to welcome them home from school each day. Each afternoon I prepare a fun snack for them to enjoy so they can recharge for the day and have a chance to check in with me and tell me some of their highlights at school. I love creating this time of day for the boys and I so that they learn how to reflect on their day and give thanks for something God has done or shown them that day. Micah loves telling me about the new letter of the week and we come up with lots of silly words together with the chosen letter.  This week it is the letter "E" Andrew is hooked on who his new friends are at school and lots of times we talk about what he did at recess or who he sat by at lunch. His new best friend right now is Brady. It has also been fun to have him read things to me that he brings home. He is becoming very good at reading his sight words! (the, is, at, a, out, in....) Caleb loves to help me in th...

Jacob has been well accepted around here by all the Gunderson boys! Even with all the commotion of wrestling, loud voices laughing or shouting and the excitement that one house carries with having 5 boys (including daddy), mommy is doing well and Jacob isn't disturbed one bit. Of course with Jacob being our 4th baby boy we seem to know how to do this by now and life really  isn't that overwhelming. Jacob is a great sleeper, giving mom the sleep that tides her over until her 1 hour rest in the afternoons. He is also a great eater and loves to snuggle with mommy during these times. Jacob is content just laying on the floor or being held in our arms. It has been such a joy to watch the boys protect their little bro. They love holding, kissing and asking mommy how they can be a big boy helper. We are all enjoying each and every minute of having Jacob in our home. He is growing up fast...... already 2 weeks old!

Andrew loves to hold me before he goes to school in the morning... Micah loves to give me kisses.... Caleb loves to check on me and make sure I am ok and give me big squeezes...                        I am the luckiest little brother! I can't wait until I can start playing with you all!                                                      Love you Big Brothers- Jacob

                                  Jacob Kyle Gunderson was born on October 12, 2011                                                             weight:7lbs. 6oz                                                         Height: 20 1/2 inches long!  Daddy a...

Pregnancy Flashbacks! Pregnant with Micah Robert! 3/5/07 Pregnant with Caleb James! 6/15/09 new baby....coming soon! 10/12/11

Happy Birthday Andrew!!!  We've had a great time celebrating Andrew's 6th birthday with family and friends! Our basketball theme was a hit and Andrew felt truly special!  For his friend party he invited 6 friends and they had a fun time shooting hoops and playing many outside basketball games! What a great group of boys!                Hard to believe we have a 6 year old already! What a blessing he is to our family!                    We ate lots of yummy foods at his party! We love you Andrew and are praying God continues to watch over you and helps you grow in His love for others and continues to create in you a serving heart. We are so proud of the way you love your brothers and teach them new things. It has been fun watching you learn more in school and begin reading new words!  We love that you are also memorizing God's word through Sparks! John 3:16 is already soaking in!...

As I sit and write some of my final thoughts on what it feels like to carry another little miracle inside my tummy, I am overwhelmed by God's love and gracious arms wrapped around me. As the breeze blows into the windows and touches my face I feel the many blessings God has given me as a mommy. Although I am anticipating the arrival of our next little boy, part of me never wants to forget this very moment of being pregnant. Those little kicks that seem to come spontaneously, the hiccups that make my whole tummy jump, the sound of the heartbeat at the doctors office, and the toes and fingers that move around making sitting a little uncomfortable, are all too wonderful to forget. As in all things there is time when a season of life must come to an end. This pregnancy season will soon be another chapter in life that is ending for me, but I look forward to the many more seasons God has in store for this busy mommy of 4 boys. The leaves that fall from the trees as I continue to refle...

Picking apples... a sure sign that fall is here.                                                      simple moments....                                            take our breath away....                                            just being together... Thank you to Steve and Diane Durst for letting us come and enjoy an afternoon picking apples on such a beautiful fall day!

Caleb and I are just starting to get into our "left behind" groove with the big boys in school. We are having so much fun playing play doh, doing crafts, jumping on the trampoline, snuggling in bed, going to Mcdonald's, throwing rocks in the lake, cleaning around the house and just being together! It has been such a joy for me to have this alone time for a few weeks with Caleb before baby #4 comes! We love to laugh together and he loves giving mommy lots of kisses! Caleb James is my little buddy.           Caleb loves doing crafts. It is so much fun watching him work so hard to make it look just right:)                                      Beautiful fall day playing outside together!