Here Come the Holidays

The time has come to deck the halls with Christmas decor. Gotta love this time of year!

Our pretty tree



My little daredevil

  We got most of our holiday gear up and out. Now just need to get some lights up outside and we should be set. (IF we ever get a nice day to get it done.) Can't wait to get all the presents wrapped and other the tree. Maybe I am turning a corner and getting more excited about this time of year. :)

Iowa Game

Yesterday Justin and I went to the IA vs. MN football game with 2 of our friends. Though it didn't turn out the way we had hoped it would, we managed to have a pretty good time.

The boys of our "crew"

Showing off our matching T-shirts. For the record, JR made me change so I would match him....
That NEVER happens!

Some of our buddies and their camps

All ready to get inside!

Gotta love those Hawk fans!



The whole crew

At least I am warm!?

The mob going to re-claim the "Floyd of Rosedale" trophy



kinda chilly but we survived. I didn't even wear snow pants, must be all the Lambeau trips that have made me hearty!

We really did have a great time "up North" even with the loss. The stadium was pretty sweet and the seats couldn't have been any better. Definitely a memory I will not forget!

ThankFULL

This year we have so much to be thankful. I love celebrating with family and enjoying the wonderful food. Maddox and I got to spend our holiday with my parents and extended family in Iowa. Hard to believe the day has already come and gone!

We ended up leaving midday Wednesday to ensure we would make it down for the holiday celebration. No one was sure what the weather was going to bring so I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Luckily we didn't hit too much ice on the way down and it had all pretty much thawed by the time my sister headed down for lunch.

Oddly enough, I didn't bring my camera to dinner so i really don't have any fun photos of the day. We did partake in some Gunderson family fun with a pool tournament. That was really fun. 

We headed back to my parent's house for the night and my mom and I worked on her "booth" for her craft show extravaganza on Saturday (her birthday!) That was lots of fun. Make sure you check out Farmhouse Designs on Facebook to see all the fun stuff her new business adventure has to offer! She makes lots of great things and is even open to requests. I would say the booth turned out pretty sweet.

Madman and I headed back home early Friday afternoon. We picked up Daddy who had been working the night before and hit up a few Black Friday deals. Didn't get too much but definitely got some things knocked off our lists! Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday!

Happy Turkey Week!

Hard to believe that in just a few short days we will all be gathering with our family and friends for one of the most delicious meals of the year! Unfortunately for us Daddy has to work so Madman and I are off on our own. I believe we are headed to my aunt's house in Iowa so I am sure some spoiling will be done (on all accounts!).

Got my Christmas cards in the mail over the weekend. I am really on the ball (ha ha, you can all laugh now as I can about guarantee no one sees them till the middle of December!) Oh well, at least I got a great deal.

Speaking of, how about Christmas shopping, anyone done any yet? I have a list, does that count?! :)

If you are traveling this week, be safe. IT sounds like MN is going to be a mess. Travel is not advised on Wednesday at all. Could make things interesting. Hope you all enjoy your turkey day!

Daycare Downfalls

Today was a bummer day. Maddox is teething right now and has been running a pretty constant fever the past few days. (and by fever I mean 99.1- 100.1) Because of this we had to go and pick him up from daycare at 9:30 this morning. Thankfully April could do it so I could finish up a few things at work. On the up side, I guess it gives me time to pack and get the house picked up before we leave for the weekend.

Now I am at home (supposed to be working) trying to get things finished up before we leave for the weekend. We are headed to Cedar Falls tomorrow for our high school state football game. Can't wait to be back "home" for a night. Should be lots of fun.

Enjoy the weekend!

Just the 2 of Us

I saw this on a fellow bloggers blog the other day and thought it was perfect for our birthday post! Happy birthday JR!

Just the 2 of us.....

1. What are your middle names?

Justin Robert, Amanda Ina

2. How long have you been together?

going on 10 years "together"

3. How long did you know each other before dating?

well, I would say 15-16 yearsish. We were born the same day and had been in school together since Kindergarten

4. Who asked who out?

Justin asked me to prom after a few hints were dropped by none other than our moms! After that we started hanging out and he finally asked me out when we were driving around in his mom's Cadillac. How romantic......

 

5. How old are each of you?

28 TODAY!

6. Did you go to the same school?

High School- Yes, College: I went to the University of Northern Iowa and he attended : St. Mary's University, University of Northern Iowa,  and Allen College. So yeah, for the most part we did.

7. Are you from the same home town?

Basically

8. Who is the smartest?

I think we are both smart, just in different ways, about different things.

9. Who majored in what?

Me: Family Services

JR: Nursing

10. Who is the most sensitive?

Depends what it is about.... I probably am more sensitive though

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

Our Honeymoon to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic

12. Who has the worst temper?

Well we are both Scorpios so we both have our moments.

13. How many children do you want?

Justin would be happy with 3, I think. However, I want 4.

14. Who does the cooking?

Pretty even. Justin grills, I "cook" if that is what you can call it!

15. Who is more social?

This is a tough one. I used to be MUCH more social than I am now. I think Justin has picked up a lot of my slack in the past few years. When we are out and about though we are both pretty even.

16. Who is the neat freak?

  

neatness- like the picked up kind of clean- Justin

cleanliness- like the actually sanitized, fresh smelling, washed, etc.-ME!!!  

17. Who is the most stubborn?

Again, I would say we are both pretty stubborn. Justin thinks he can get out of anything with a joke but I don't give in so I suppose that makes me more stubborn!?

18. Who wakes up earlier?

Depends on his sleep habits for that week. If it is his week off, I do. If he is trying to get on a normal sleep schedule it would be him. He sleeps at random times which leads to him getting up at very random times.

19. Where was your first date?

I don't honestly remember, we "hung out" a lot and went to a lot of movies so I am guessing it was something like that. I'm terrible!!

 20. Who has the bigger family?

We have the same size immediate family however, Justin has a MUCH larger extended family that likes to get together.

21. How do you spend the holidays?

Racing between our families celebrations. Cramming as much in as we can during Justin's 2 days off of "normal people" hours.

22. Who is more jealous?

Justin- without a doubt!

23. How long did it take you to get serious

Well, as I said we hung out a lot (like 4-5 months) before actually dating so I guess it was about 6-7 months before we got "serious". (and by serious I mean giving our relationship a title)

24. Who eats more?

Justin, he is a guy- duh!

25. Who does the laundry?

It goes through spurts but it is typically me. He may wash loads of laundry but he NEVER folds it.

26. What do you do for a living?

I work as the Assistant Director for LEEP. It's a non-profit that offers leisure and recreation opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Justin is a Cardiac Nurse at ISJ

27. Who is better with the computer?

Me, BY FAR! That goes along with most electronics. 

28. Who drives when your together?

Typically Justin. Unless of course he worked the night before. Then he makes me drive which I hate because he yells at me the whole time about how I drive. Just easier if he does! :)

29. What is "your song?"

"Hanging By a Moment" by Lifehouse was our 1st song, but I think we both really like "At Last" by Etta James because we danced to it at our wedding. Justin now refers to that as our song.

  

Winter is Here

This weekend we experienced our first snow of the season!

Who woulda guessed just 7 hours earlier we were out there enjoying cocktails albeit it was C-O-L-D!

We had a casualty, our giant tree in our front yard lost another limb

So, what do you do in MN when it is snowing?! Well, grill of course! :)  

Thanks guys for making sure we stayed well fed.

Running in Place

Do you ever have those days where you just feel like you are running in place? I sure do.... Lately it feels like I am just treading water and unable to get a grip to move forward. Little bitty, petty things are bringing me down and making me really second guess myself which isn't good.

For example, usually I would be really excited that the holidays are coming up but for some reason, I am not feeling it this year. I don't know if it is all the work/travel/shopping/etc. I see coming or what. I love seeing our family but everything always feel so rushed which really stinks. JR's work schedule is hard to work around, my sister can only be in Iowa for a few days, everyone has work schedules that don't work, we don't want to let anyone down but we always do.

Today I  decided I would get somethings organized. It has been driving me bananas for awhile. So, I spent part of my afternoon de-cluttering and re-organizing our basement storage room and kitchen. It is ridiculous the crap we have accumulated in the past year, let alone the last 5..... what a mess. On a happier note, I did end up with 2 garbage bags and a box for Good Will, yay me!

5 Question Friday- Friday, November 12

1. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?

Probably my c-section. Luckily I haven't had a ton of painful things happen to me!

2. How much sleep do you get at night?

Depends on the night typically 7 hours or so.

3. How long did you believe in Santa Claus? How did you find out that he does not exist?

I think till I was 10 or 11. I think I "knew" he wasn't real but my mom always said that if you believe, he will forever be real. I bought in to it and still believe he is real and

4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?

Couple's Retreat. It was Justin and my last date before Maddox was born. YIKES that was over a year ago.

5. What do you wear to bed?

 t-shirt, pants and/or shorts. Depends on the weather. :)

Patti's Reveal

Here are some photos of my mom's booth and Patti's big reveal

Madman was pretty tired at this point but was refusing to take a nap. :)

 Patti right after her big moment on stage. My mom was glowing too... fun moment for everyone!

I think she looks great, don't you!?

P.S. doesn't my mom look great?!

Whirlwind Weekend

Friday we didn't have Daycare so Mommy and Maddox made the most of the day! We headed to the Outlet Mall not far from here and did a little shopping. Maddox didn't need anything besides some onesies and jeans but he still fared pretty well. (I need to stop though, he is growing like a weed and some of the stuff I bought I already know doesn't fit him- dang it!)

We went to the Nike Outlet and the little stinker would NOT stop grabbing for this specific pair of shoes. They were really cute but I didn't really think he needed anymore shoes. So, I left the area, came back and he grabbed them again. I think he is going to be like his Mama and love shoes!

After our shopping extravaganza we headed about an hour south and helped my mom set up for a Women's Show where she was having a booth. My mom makes and sells aprons, checkbook covers, credit card holders, scarves, hats, burp rags, and more. She's been working really hard so it was fun helping her get it ready for show. We grabbed a bite to eat afterwards and headed home.

Saturday, we went and sat at the show with Nana. She had nominated a good friend of hers for a make-over and SHE WAS CHOSEN! Patti looked great (photos later, I hope) and my mom was very excited. It was a very emotional moment for everyone that was there.

Sunday was our day to just be. Maddox and I hung out 'cuz it was Daddy's weekend to work. We watched  some football, played with toys, read some books and just played. So much fun! He is so interactive now and I love it.

I guess you could say we spent our time pretty wisely this weekend! Hope you all had a good one as well.

Five Question Friday- November 5th

I decided to take a little different route with 5 Question Friday this week. Another blog I read had a little different take on things so I decided to try it out. This week's theme is the top 5 thing on your 2010 Christmas list. Hard to believe we are at that time of year already.....

 Check out her page  for some more information.

Top 5 Things on my Christmas List

1.) 1 TB External Hard drive for my computer to store all of our photos and new fun stuff.

2.)  A Hawkeye Jersey and/or Matthews Jersey

 

 

3.) Ipod Touch

4.) Nikon 50-200 telephoto lens.

5.) Dyson Handheld Vacuum 



12.5 month update

I behind, I know it. Maddox is over a year already and I didn't get an updated done. Crazy how fast the last month went!

We went to the Dr. last Friday and here is what his stats were:

31.5 inches tall- 80%
21ish lbs- 20% almost a full pound lighter than his 9 month check up! WHOOPS!
Head-70%

He has been SO busy of late. He doesn't sit still EVER! I miss my cuddly little man but he is learning and changing so much these days it is fun to see. The Dr. wasn't overly worried about Maddox's weight loss but I think that is because she saw how active he really is. It was a battle for her to check him out because he wanted to pull on her stethoscope, run around the exam table, bang on the trash can, climb the chairs, spin in circles, and so on. I suppose if I moved as much as he did I would lose lots of weight too!!

Now we are really to be pushing fatty foods to hopefully get him gaining a little weight. The hard part is that he isn't really content sitting to eat either. Hopefully with our new plan of attack (eating more often) he will pack on some weight. Don't worry, we are being mindful and making good food choices for him. He actually loves green beans!

Here are some milestones:

• still in size 3 diapers
• eating all table food!
• size 12 month pants/ 18 month tops/ 18 month sleepers
• size 5 shoes
• learned to climb on furniture- scary thought! Good thing is that he can get down rather well too so we aren't so worried anymore.
• RUNS everywhere, walking just isn't fast enough.
• has learned to clap and say yay!!!
• is becoming quite the ham. Loves it when people giggle with, and even at, him.
• waves bye-bye MUCH more consistently and is working on blowing kisses
• still says Ma-ma and Da-da clearly and is saying "yeah"
• is beginning to say other words but sometimes we think it is a fluke. He said "up" very clearly last night and used it in the right context. Surprised both of us.
• has taken up dancing and love, Love, LOVES to dance to the Iowa Fight Song. -TOO funny!
• very independent- which has led to some hitting that we are redirecting! I personally don't like that part of this stage!
• Loves playing with older kids. He just watches them when we are around them. He thinks he is older than he actually is and gets frustrated when we have to go. He has a cute little "girlfriend" at daycare that calls him a baby but he looks her in the eye and she is 2. They are super cute together and I am waiting to get a picture from Tracy of him, with her with their Halloween costumes on. SO adorable!
• started throwing mini tantrums. Its more of a I-don't-like-this-idea-right-now-so-I-will-just-lay-on-the-floor-and-yell-a-few-times kinda thing. Doesn't last long and typically he realizes he isn't getting anywhere with us so he gets up and goes about his business. I am thinking we may be in for it in the future.
• He and Bear play together now. They chase one another and Bear actually really likes him now.
• Maddox is going to be an outdoorsman like his daddy. He wants to be outside all the time and will stand and the door just staring, longing to be outside. He throws a fit when he knows we are going inside. We really gotta figure out a fence or something for next summer. He is too fast!

Overall Maddox is a very fun-loving little boy. He loves to play. He is content just hanging out with his toys but loves to be read to as well. He will bring books to us in order to be read to. Every change he has gone through has been fun and a learning experience for us as well. Maddox comes up with things daily that change or that he learns. I can't wait to see what the next month brings about in changes!

Happy Halloween!

Maddox enjoyed his first "real" experience trick-or-treating last night. 

The weather was beautiful so it was even more fun not having to walk around all bundled up. Our little dragon won over the hearts of all of our neighbors and really raked in some yummy candy!

Our first stop, Bruce and Mary Beth thought Maddox looked adorable. He even waved bye-bye and tried to blow kisses - which is a work in progress! 

(thanks Uncle B. for taking these pictures!)

check out the tail!

Halloween 2010 Family Picture

Pumpkin Carving

This year was a weird one, I didn't get super gung- ho about pumpkin carving. Usually both JR and I are very on top of it, but not this year. Not sure really why, probably because we had Maddox's birthday party last weekend and we typically carve them the week before. We actually went back to the good old days, the days before the super sweet designs and I drew the faces, and cut them out with a real knife!

Anywho....... Maddox and I decided we had better get busy since yesterday was the big day.

I think he had a good time but his favorite part by far was eating the seeds we were keeping in a bucket. Little Stinker!

I help, Mommy!

So much fun!

The finished product