These Days

Annabel is doing the same thing that Griffin did at her age...losing all her dark hair while the blonde is starting to come in. She looks slightly bald in the front because of it :) The other pictures are of our lovely kitchen that we actually cook in these days. The floors are done, the cabinets are ready, the granite is ordered, the appliances are waiting in boxes- we just have some electrical and drywall work to do first. Oh, and we still need to take out the ceiling!

Translation Please...

Griffin is talking up a storm these days, however most of what he says needs a translation (should I be concerned?) for others who don't hear him every day. He goes to bed talking to himself and wakes up singing to himself. Here are some words/phrases that need translating usually:

bi tu- "big truck"
ak up- "wake up"
nute nack- "fruit snack"
nak nak- "napkin"
eat eat eat-"I'm hungry"
peepa- "pizza"
moo- sound a cow makes or "more"
"siren noise"- slow down mom I see a police car
Happy- sing happy birthday to me
Abells- Annabel
Momoo- grandma Gunderson
Mammy- grandma Lyons

and our favorite...
boo juice- "bulldozer"

Griffin's Room (Before and After)

New carpet, new shades, fresh coats of paint and decor.

Master Bedroom (Before and After)

First two are before and second three are after. Refinished hardwood floors, new windows and shades, fresh coats of paint and decor.

Annabel's Room (Before and After)

The first 3 are "after" and the second 2 are "before". New windows, new shades, new paint, refinished floors and new decor...this is one of the rooms that is finished in our house :)

Now...Looking Back

Same exact age!

Annabel-5 weeks old

Old Friends

We got a visit from Ruth and her mom, Brittany yesterday which we were sooooo excited about since we hadn't seen them in almost a year! They moved to New Jersey about 10 months ago and we have missed them so much. It was really sweet to see Griffin and Ruth talk to each other because last time they were together they weren't talking much at all. And yes, they are holding hands in the first picture.

Those Faces!

The Curls Are Back!

We missed them over the long dry winter!

Dressing a Girl is Fun!

Getting Closer

This is a big step for Griffin because he used to even refuse to sit on the potty. Later, he even took off his shorts and diaper and sat down. Nothing happened but its still a move in the right direction!

I Did It!!!!

Thats how I felt after taking the kiddos to the zoo all by myself today :) We went to to the zoo together for a couple hours this morning, mainly because I feel I have been cheating Griffin out of any fun activities since we have a new house we have been renovating and a newborn who demands most of our time. He wanted to see the "eww, eww, ahh, ahh"s-monkeys and for the most part we had a good time. We spent a good amount of time watching the bulldozers, as you can see the middle picture. Figures :)

Annabel meets her great grandma and grandpa Gunderson

Big Loving Brother

My new favorite thing to hear Griffin say is, "Where'd baby go, Mommy?" whenever he doesn't know exactly where she is. He is always keeping tabs on her :)

Easter 2010

We are all moved in to our new house, far from unpacked, but at least moved in. It is bittersweet living here as we LOVE our new house but miss grandma and grandpa (and all the help provided) like crazy. We are finding this house is a boatload of work and we may never be done but not having a kitchen is the hardest part so far. We cannot wait to get our new appliances and new cabinets in a couple weeks. I don't like living "like I'm camping" as my dad said. These are pics from Easter with the Lyons family this year which was the first time Annabel met a lot of her relatives.
On a side note, thanks from the bottom of our hearts to my parents for everything they have done for us these past 5 months. We LITERALLY could not have survived without you, your house and your help. From playing with our son, to helping us move, to giving us a place to live, to cooking us meals...we appreciate it more than they may ever understand.

Happy Easter!

Griffin had his first experience dying Easter eggs yesterday and he even ate one when we were finished. Annabel took this Easter shot when aunt Shell was in town. We are battling strep here at the Gunderson house. Grandma got it first, now Griffin has it and the rest of us are compulsively washing our hands to avoid it. Hopefully we are all better by Easter.