The Gustafson Family

Oak Glen in February!

2011-02-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl was coming soon and I wanted to have one more family day before we became a family of five. The weather forecast called for rain most of the weekend so at the last minute we decided to head up to Oak Glen (our favorite fall destination) for some snow fun! The boys had never been in the snow before and they had a blast!

Rain boots work nicely as snow boots if you're really unprepared for the snow!

my best friend!

building our snow man

of course I had to take a winter picture of the boys on the same log as I do in the fall!

next time, there will be 5 of us!

Neighborhood Pumpkin Carving!

2010-11-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

We live in a fabulous neighborhood. It's family oriented with tons of kids! On October 30th, a neighbor put together a pumpkin carving contest.

Joshua won the prize for silliest pumpkin.

Jacob & Joshua's pumpkins

All of the contestants!

Oak Glen: part 1

2010-10-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

For 6 years now we've enjoyed family days at Oak Glen. We usually plan our day trip for the first weekend of November since that is when our favorite apples are available for purchase. This year I had the fun idea of going a few weeks early for apple picking and then making caramel apples with the boys! Don't worry.....for those of you I've told we're going the first weekend in November, we're still going! Joshua had a lot of fun, but Jacob was tired and hungry and didn't warm up to the idea until our day was half over. I'd go apple picking again though - it was fun!

we've got our bag and are ready to go!

first on the map: granny smith

twist and pull

streeeetch

off to pick rome beauty apples

Jacob "helping"....okay, not really!

reach for it, reach for it

got it!

my handsome groom!

"Mommy, look at this apple I found!"

(we heard that a lot)

our loot

proof that I was there too

The End!

What to do on a rainy day......

2010-10-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

.....paint on empty cardboard boxes, of course!

And so it begins.....

2010-09-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

As a mother, I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase, "It goes by so fast. Enjoy this time while it lasts." I never quite understood the depth of emotion behind it until just after 10:00am on Monday, September 13, 2010; when Lawrence and I were walking back to our car from dropping Joshua off at school for the first time. All of the sudden I was back in the delivery room at Saddleback Hospital about to give birth to my precious first born.

Had 4 years, 9 months and 12 days really gone by that quickly? Did we really just leave our child with a teacher who will help him learn his ABC's, 123's and how to read? Am I really old enough and responsible enough to have a school aged child? And the answer to all those questions is yes. Yes 4 years, 9 months and 12 days have gone by in the midst of moving a gazillion times, job changes and welcoming a new brother. Yes, there are other qualified people than us (perhaps more so) to help fill in the gaps that we aren't able to fill. And yes, at 30 years young, I am old enough and responsible enough. Through God's help and strength alone.

And so my life as a Mom of a school age child begins. This new chapter of my life is going to stretch me so much. But I can do it!

Here are some snapshots of Joshua's first day of Kindergarten!

proud Mama

proud Papa

Mrs. Torris and Joshua

the gangs all here!

Goodbye, Mom and Dad!

I'm ready for this. You can let me go!

Sharing the Love

2010-08-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite rides at Disneyland is Soarin' Over California

at California Adventure.

So you can imagine my excitement when Joshua was finally tall enough to go on the ride.

We took the boys to Disneyland over the weekend and our wait was finally over!

Joshua and I held hands the entire time. One of the greatest things about the ride

this time was that at each scene change he would tighten his grip on me a little

tighter. He may be turning 5 in three months and starting Kindergarten in a

few weeks, but yah, my baby still needs me!

That made my heart soar!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

My Little Swimmer!

2010-08-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

I'm back (I think) to blogging after a 7 month break since we moved and were without internet. Lawrence and I bought our first home and have really enjoyed where we're living. We get along with our neighbors, found a body of believers to connect with at a new church and are even expecting Gustafson baby #3, to arrive at the end of February/beginning of March! It's been a busy 7 months but we're thankful for God's provision!

One thing keeping us busy is swim lessons for Joshua. We signed up with Swim Venture through the city of Lake Forest and will be heading in to our final week of lessons this week. You may remember from a previous post about the struggles we've had in getting him to play in the pool. He has come SUCH a long way! We went to Mission Viejo lake with some friends last week and he was playing around, splashing and having a great time. We went to a pool party last night and same thing....having a blast! He even was holding on to a noodle and kicking around in the deep end - something that would not even have happened a year ago! The community we bought our town home in has a pool but the weather has been unseasonably cool this summer so we haven't had a chance to practice everything he has learned from swim lessons, but when he has a chance to be in the water he loves it!

Here are some pictures from swim lessons. Enjoy!

his graduation ribbon

diving for swim rings

back floats

big, happy smiles!

A rainy day

2009-12-19T14:49:00.001-08:00

We bought new umbrella's at Target. Our neighbor gave us rain boots her kids had outgrown. Joshua is always trying to play with the umbrella inside and wants to wear his "new" rain boots whenever shoes are required. When we were on "storm watch" a few weeks ago, I decided to put the umbrella and rain boots to good use and head outside.

Enjoy...

Another birthday!

2009-12-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

December is a busy month for us. First and foremost is Christmas!

Then we have Joshua's birthday, Lawrence's birthday, and other family birthdays on the 10th, 19th and 21st. To add a beautiful cherry on top of that, our anniversary is on the 20th!

We went back to Disneyland for Lawrence's birthday on the 6th!

Winnie the Pooh ride

heading over to Tom Sawyer's Island

across the bumpy bridge

coming out of the many caves

Man, can he throw!

I love you, Lawrence! I'm so thankful that God brought you to me!

the birthday dinner

2009-12-08T15:55:00.001-08:00

After Disneyland, we headed over to my parents house to use my Dad's wonderful brain and financial expertise. They graciously offered to take us out for Joshua's birthday dinner to BJ's Restaurant. I love BJ's!!! And their pizookies are to die for! Yummy! My mouth is salivating as I type.

Joshua and Grandma

Hey! The gang's all here!

Time for birthday pizookie!

Never one to miss out on an opportunity for a free pizookie,

we told our server we were celebrating Lawrence's birthday too - 5 days early!

The Birthday Boy

2009-12-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 4 earlier this week. It's crazy to have a 4 year old. I probably said the same thing when he turned 3. Motherhood is life changing, I tell ya! We celebrated with a day at Disneyland and Joshua had the privilege of choosing every single ride....it's not much different from any other trip except this trip had the fanfare and excitement. "Okay, birthday boy Joshua! What ride next!?"

Enjoy the day through pictures with us. We had a fun day celebrating Joshua.

When we entered the park, there was a marching band and Joshua was fascinated.

He probably could have stayed there all day had I let him.

He was particularly fond of the clarinet.

Time for Dumbo!

One of Joshua's new favorite thing to do is ride the river boats in Adventureland.

Another favorite is "Small World."

It's beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Time to drive on Autopia

Picture of Joshua at the time of his birth.

1:54pm

Thank you, Lord, for my wonderful son.

He challenges me, makes me laugh

and gives me a better understanding of your love for me.

I am truly blessed by this wonderful gift.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours

We pray your hearts are filled with thanks

For all our Heavenly Father is doing to bless your life!

two little monkeys....

2009-11-25T18:32:00.001-08:00

...enjoyed a fun day at the park!

Oak Glen!

2009-11-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

Our tradition of going to Oak Glen began in 2005. Lawrence was telling a co-worker how much I love Pink Lady apples. His co-worker told him we needed to go to Oak Glen. He said "never heard of it, but okay!" and we made the hour drive while I was 36 weeks pregnant with Joshua. We've been going back ever since.

Before our first trip, being the good researcher my husband is, we looked at the different farms in the area that sold my favorite. We weren't that impressed with the quality of the first place we stopped so we kept driving until we found a happenin' place with lots of cars in the parking lot:Riley's at Los Rios Rancho. It's our favorite and we've been back ever since.

What I love about Oak Glen is that you don't feel like you're in Southern California. The air is crisp and the trees leaves are changing colors. It's beautiful.

This year, my parents came with us and got to experience the beauty of Oak Glen. I hope they come back next year!

"Mommy, it looks like an umbrella!"

We took a horse drawn wagon ride.

Boy was it dusty!

Lawrences favorite apples: Arkansas Black

Apples, apples, apples!

So many to taste!

Time for a hike

Jacob's favorite thing to do: throw rocks, dirt, bark, etc

this is Joshua's new smile

Lovely

another family shot

Jacob was freaking out about something so Lawrence turned him upside down.

Surprisingly, that shut him up!

After we bought our apples, cider and pie

we went to the grassy area to play a little Frisbee.

The End!

Jana Alayra concert

2009-11-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Jana Alayra? If you have kids you need to familiarize yourself with her and her music! She is a favorite in our house and we were finally able to see her live on Halloween! I'm on her e-mail newsletter list, so when I saw that she was giving a concert at the Chinese Baptist Church of Central Orange County in Irvine, I jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets. I e-mailed my family to see who wanted to join us for the adventure and my sister and her kids joined us! It didn't dawn on me until a few days before the concert that we might be extremely outnumbered. I guess I thought that since I found out about it from her website that more white folk would show up. When we arrived at the church my realization hit me! I think the church members were asking each other what the white people were doing at a Chinese church! It was awkward at first, but once we got inside and the lights were turned down low it was fine!

Emma is so excited!

Joshua wasn't as excited as I thought he would be.

Perhaps he was in awe that this woman who he is used to

seeing dance on his TV at home is live and in person.

Jana's concert are interactive, so she kept asking for kids to come up on stage to sing and dance with her. My sister and I strongly encouraged Emma and Joshua to go up!

"I want to go!"

For one of the songs, the kids had to put "masks" on.

Here is Zachary's "mask."

The absolute highlight on the night was when Jana called the dads up on stage. Lawrence had befriended Mr Incredible (on stage to his left), so when he was called up he made sure Lawrence got up there with him. The song the dads danced to is called "Down on my Knees." On her DVD she has 6 cute little girls dancing with her. It was quite different with 6 grown men on stage and boy did they have the audience laughing! Had I known, I would be posting the video for you below, but blurry pictures will have to suffice!

Next, it was the moms turn and Lawrence made sure I got up on stage to sing and dance the night away! My song (Rain or Pour) wasn't as funny or memorable, but it was fun being up on stage.

The kids had another opportunity to go up on stage and I was able to capture Joshua getting in to the hand motions a little bit more.

There's my sweet Emma!

Our kids posing with Jana's props

We bought another CD while we were there and waited to have Jana sign it after the concert was over. She was so personable and friendly and definitely worth the wait!

My new best friend!

Jacob even shared his beloved blankie with her.

All in all it was a great night! Lawrence had several "nice dancing" comments during Trunk-or-Treat. We have even been invited back to attend if we ever move to Irvine!

Pumpkin City Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

This year marked our 6th annual trip to Pumpkin City's Pumpkin Patch at Laguna Hills Mall! Some of the pictures might look awfully similar to last years....that's because Joshua chose to be Buzz Lightyear again. Fine by us! We didn't have to spend money on a costume!

And while we were busy taking pictures of Joshua and his cousins,

Jacob was sound asleep in the stroller!

Yay! Jacob is awake!

The Crosswalk

2009-10-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

I've seen this e-mail a few times. I have no idea where it originated, but it's a great message!

Awesome!! We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot.

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine, after the rain....
Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;
But God's always ready, to answer your call....
He knows every heartache, sees every tear,
a word from His lips, can calm every fear...
Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish, by dawn's early light...
The Savior is waiting, somewhere above,
to give you His grace, and send you His love.
May God fill your day with blessings!!

Tanaka Farms part 2

2009-10-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

As you can see, made it back for the tractor ride and I had 2 very happy boys!

I bought tickets for the petting zoo. At first Jacob liked it and was laughing at all the goats. But when they came after him to eat his clothes, sticker and lick his head, he started hiding behind me to escape!

Joshua thought the goat in the crate was the funniest thing!

Jacob posed himself for these next 2 pictures.

peek-a-boo!

Proof that I was there!

Time for the wagon rode back to our car.

Tanaka Farms part 1

2009-10-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

A friend invited me to Tanaka Farms with her Mom's group from her church. She couldn't go at the last minute due to a lingering cough so I decided to go anyway - I love Tanaka Farms!! While there, I ran into another friend who was there with her sons pre-school class! There is a maze made out of hay bales and we stayed there for 1 1/2 hours hanging out and talking while the kiddos ran around, threw hay at each other and threw mud rocks into wheel barrows. This is my life as a mother of 2 boys! Joshua was most excited about going on a wagon ride (before we knew Eli would be there), so when we left at 12:30 to eat lunch and go home for naps he was not happy. I already bought tickets for the wagon ride and petting zoo and I tried explaining that we were going back to Tanaka Farms after nap time. The tantrum he threw was a slap in the face that he didn't understand. Oh well!

So here are pictures from our trip this morning! I'll be back later to post pictures from the wagon ride, petting zoo and picking vegetables.

Eli and Jacob

I think I'll go for a walk outside now

2009-10-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

It was Saturday afternoon, the kids were antsy from being inside all morning....we needed to get out of the house! Living in Southern California, we have a wide variety of outdoor activities to choose from to get our wiggles out and a good dose of Vitamin D.

One of my favorite places to go walking is Back Bay in Newport Beach. Joshua likes it for the horse poop and airplanes and I like it for the hills. There are dirt trails for "hiking" so I thought it might be fun for the boys to explore on their own.

One of the trails we took had dirt speed bumps on it.

Lawrence took off jumping and naturally the boys followed.

My first born

And I did this........

while trying to take this picture

Brothers forever!

Children are a blessing from the Lord!!

What a difference a hair cut makes!

2009-10-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Before...

After!

.....and we're back!

2009-10-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Costco had a deal on Disneyland passes, that plus the gift card you get on your birthday if you're an annual passholder equaled an offer we couldn't refuse! And I am a happy girl who gets to go to Disneyland....again! Here are pictures of our adventures over the last month!

9.12.09

first time back!

"Finding Nemo" submarine voyage

yay! Jacob is tall enough for Autopia!

9.14.09

with Santalahti family

9.27.09

"look this way. the camera is over here!"

cheese!

with our 3D glasses for Toy Story Mania

Joshua really wanted to go on Mullholland Madness, but he wasn't tall enough.

The worker said to bring an extra pair of socks next time to stuff in his shoes.

He couldn't wait until "next time" to go on the ride, so Lawrence willingly gave

up his shoesso Joshua could enjoy the ride.

9.30.09

my boys on the ferris wheel

we love Toy Story Mania!

carousel time

10.01.09

Nichols' Family

Happy Birthday, Kai!

2009-09-27T14:21:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated our good friend, Kai's birthday. We celebrated in style with a trip in the orange balloon at The Orange County Great Park!

Mc Kenna & Joshua

waiting patiently

Kai and Joshua

Joshua & Jordan

Caleb & Jacob

Going up!

Views from above.

(our car is down there somewhere!)

looking straight down

"Mommy, look! I see a bulldozer!"

all the party-goers

just hangin' out!

Jacob played his own games while the big kids had their fun

The birthday party theme was Spiderman so naturally all the game favors were Spiderman. Even Spiderman himself showed up for the festivities!

Lawrence, getting his triceps workout.

Balloon drop!!

Happy Birthday, Kai!!

The End

A new found love for the water

2009-09-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Joshua doesn't like the water. He hates is actually. For a time, getting him to even take a bath was a pain in the rear. There was a time when he liked being in the water, however. The first summer he was alive we took swim lessons together, we went to the lagoon with friends a bunch of times and he loved it. Here he is enjoying the pool in Maui in September 2006.

Then fall and winter came and I don't know if the lack of exposure to a pool caused him to turn into a pool hater or what happened but he did not want to have anything to do with a pool. Then there was the time when he was 19 months old and he fell into a pool. Whenever we had family get togethers where a pool was involved it would take him an hour just to put his feet in the water. When we were in Maui in May of 2008, he would kick, scream and fight with me just to put on a swim diaper.

We bought him a purple painted (dead) starfish from a swap meet in Maui early in our trip and used that to coax him in to the water. He would want it so badly so we would throw it into the baby pool and force him to go get it.

After a while he would relax a bit and have a good time. The last time we went in the pool on that trip, he was crying because he didn't want to get out. Go figure.

At the beginning of August of this year, our neighbors had their inflatable pool set up in their front yard. Joshua and another neighbor were outside playing and the neighbor jumped right in and said "Joshua! Come in and get your feet wet!" He went right in and started splashing around. He had a blast and got soaking wet! He went in that pool 3 more times that week. At the end of August, we took the boys to Legoland to celebrate Joshua pooping in the potty 10 times (it took 3 1/2 months - it was a huge milestone which called for a huge celebration). They have a water area with a huge play structure and at the top are huge (are you sensing a theme) buckets that fill up with water. When they are full, the weight turns them upside down which then creates a huge waterfall resulting in everyone in its path of getting soaked. I can't even tell you how many times Joshua and I got dumped on. Joshua did great and was running all over with me. This picture doesn't do it justice, but we got drenched!

A few weeks later, we were at a friends community pool and he willingly played on the steps with Jacob. He even let me walk around the pool while holding him. He was hesitant, but willing. One week later we were at my parents community pool and he was playing around on the steps again, letting me walk around with him in the pool and letting my Dad carry him around the pool as well. Fast forward to last Saturday when we were celebrating our nephews birthday....at a community pool. He got in the pool right away and let me carry him around in the water. Then we saw a kickboard. He LOVED holding on to it and kicking around the pool. I can't even tell you how many laps we did. I even let go when we were close to the steps so he could "kick, kick, kick " all by himself.

Then came jumping. Naturally he was timid and wanted to sit on the side and lean in to me, but eventually he was jumping with no problem. He even had a smile on his face and was laughing!

big splash!

I loved playing in the water with you, Joshua!

I'm so proud of you!!!

Of course we're having so much fun in the water at the end of summer. Here's to hoping he'll pick right up where he left off!

Garden Concerts for Kids

2009-08-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Every August, The Getty Center hosts "Garden Concerts for Kids" on Saturday and Sunday. If you've never been to the Getty, they have a big grassy hill where you can sit and joy the weather, view, music, etc. It's quite nice! Trout Fishing in America was playing last weekend so we packed some dinner and snacks and were off to enjoy some silly folk music!

Lawrence made a pear and gargonzola salad

and Jacob couldn't get enough pears!

Trout Fishing in America consists of a bass and electrical guitars.

The guy on the right even played the electric banjo for a couple songs.

up front for some dancing!

somehow Joshua got caught up in a conga line.

he didn't know what to do and kept trying to get away

from the girl behind him who kept trying to hold on to

his waist. I guess that's next on the lesson plan of

parenthood: the conga line!

Jacob was mesmerized by the music and being so close to the action.

I wish we'd been able to get a picture of it!

Here's Joshua though...

After the concert we walked around some of the fountains which the kids loved! Then we attempted to look at the art. The lesson we learned here is that the kids aren't ready for a museum!

All in all, we had a fun time!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Centennial Farm

2009-08-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I was bored towards the end of last week and itching to get out of the house since I've been tired from Jacob waking up in the middle of the night from teething. I knew there was a Farmer's Market at the OC Fairgrounds, but had never been (I'm not one to do new things by myself for fear of looking like an idiot). On Thursday of last week I decided to be brave and go check it out. Alone (well, with the kids). I actually had some cash in my wallet (which is rare) so I was prepared to buy some yummy fruits and veggies. When we pulled into the parking lot, Joshua immediately noticed the big red barn. I promised him that when we left the Farmer's Market that we could go over and check it out. I also knew the Centennial Farm was at the OC Fairgrounds but, again, had never ventured to explore it on my own. And why didn't I ever think to ask friends to go? I dunno..... After I bought some nectarines, oranges, corn, broccoli, carrots and watermelon we walked across the parking lot to the big red barn. I assumed that the farm was on the other side of the fairgrounds where the horse stables were, so when we got closer I was surprised to see real, live farm animals! We found Centennial Farm!

the llamas were sticking their bottom teeth out

which Joshua imitated himself

a watusi!?

i sung about watusis at camp in

elementary/jr high school, but didn't actually know

what it was or what it looked like.

now i know that it's a breed of cattle and they live only in Africa

(now you know too!)

posing of a pile of hay

are there any animals out here?

this donkey was so friendly! he came right up to me and let me pet him.

then he slowly and casually walked along his stall so I could conveniently

scratch his back. what a nice guy!

Jacob LOVES ducks

quack, quack, quack!

sweet brothers

what's in here, mommy?

peek-a-boo sheep

momma pig and her piglets

the roosters were so funny. towards the end of our adventure,

2 or 3 started cock-a-doodle-doodling, taking turns back and forth.

the kids weren't into it as much as i thought they would, but i liked it!

The End!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Pagosa Springs, Co: day trip to Durango

2009-07-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

We drove 1 hour west to the city of Durango. We heard there was a train museum there so we took our train loving kids to go explore. The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad departs from here and we were told it was a "must do" while on our vacation, but the high cost prevented us from going.

There were retired, non-working locomotives to go inside, so now Joshua knowswhat Thomas the Train looks like on the inside!

Jacob inside the caboose

these trains are huge!

Train Conductor Joshua at the firebox

One of Jacob's favorite songs is "Absolutely Nothin'" by Jana Alayra. We have the DVD and when Jacob was sick a few weeks ago watching it was the only thing that would calm him down. The DVD has hand motions for the songs and one of the hand motions for his favorite song is waving your pointer finger back and forth which he always imitates. When ever we "no, no, no" to him, we always wave our pointer finger for extra emphasis too. He saw this sign and started waving his finger back and forth!

inside the museum was also a model railroad display which Joshua LOVED!

Check out this next sequence of pictures.

Think Joshua has to pee?

Pagosa Springs, Co: hiking Reservoir Hill

2009-07-15T16:10:00.001-07:00

Emma being such a good helper with Jakey-boy

the stragglers

Joshua and Zachary kept picking up sticks on our walk. When I put Jacob down to walk, he immediately picked up his own sticks.

rounding the corner

along one of the trails was a tree stump with 2 owls carved into it.

Here's Jacob on the tree.

A few months ago, Joshua was obsessed with The Lorax by Dr Seuss. When Joshua stepped up on this stump, I tried convincing him to give the Lorax's speech.

For the road trip, my Mom bought the boys a Bible story lift-the-flap book. One of the stories was Joshua and the battle of Jericho. While we were on our hike, Joshua found this huge stick and began blowing his "trumpet" just like in the story.

A pretty flower along the way.

My Dad and I tried convincing Joshua not to pick it,

but he was set on picking it so he "could just enjoy it."

The End!

(of the hike.....not the vacation posts)

Pagosa Springs, Co: hiking Treasure Falls

2009-07-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Once we arrived, it seemed that most activities in Pagosa Springs cost a lot of money. We were creative and did free things around the area that everyone could enjoy. One day, we hiked Treasure Falls. It was perfect for the kids; even the babies!

Pagosa Springs, Co: mini-golf

2009-07-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

We have been actively potting training Joshua for about 7 months now (to visit our journey along the way click here , here and here ). Right now we're working on pooping in the potty. He is extremely resistant. The 2 times he has pooped in the potty I made him sit on the toilet until he gave us his "present": the first time he sat for 2 hours, the second time he sat for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Well, the second time he pooped was when we were in Colorado and he chose as his reward to go miniature golfing! Thank goodness for us, mini-golf was included at the time share!

Pagosa Springs, Co: the playground and biking

2009-07-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

On the grounds of the timeshare were 2 playgrounds. There was also a golf course which provided a great chance for Joshua to do some bike riding!

Joshua found a stick perfect for roasting multiple marshmellows.

Too bad he wasn't able to use it!

Zach & Joshua

My beautiful sister, Laurie, and Michael

Emma!

Mr. Smiley

The on-lookers:

Aunt Jeanne, Uncle Don and my Mom

making "steam"

Pagosa Springs, Co: the journey

2009-07-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

Every year, my parents invite my siblings and me on vacation to partake in the goodness of being a timeshare owner. We've been blessed to visit Sedona, Az, Maui, Hi and Colorado in years past. This years travels took us to beautiful Pagosa Springs, Colorado! We left on Saturday, July 4th, drove 7 hours and stayed in Flagstaff, Az. On Sunday, July 5th, after another 7 hours of driving we arrived at our destination!

Mmm, Carl's Jr. My favorite....not!

The dirt and rocks outside our hotel room kept Jacob occupied for quite some time while we packed and loaded the car before heading on the road again.

A stop for lunch in Kayenta, Az

Joshua and Zach in the red train

Jacob and Michael enjoying being able to stretch their legs

A fun Sunday!

2009-06-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

We took a break from the ordinary yesterday: the kids were antsy, the house was a mess so we spent a little bit of time at Fashion Island before the kids needed naps. Can I just say oh my boob job!? Wow! Okay, anyway...it had apparently been a long time since I've been there because they have a parking structure (which Joshua calls a parking tunnel and the ramps inside car slides) AND a koi pond!

We ate lunch.....

played at the koi pond.....

and the "jumping water!"(which I'm sorry, but is lame compared to the jumping water at the Irvine Spectrum; I think Joshua was disappointed!)

Joshua is showing off his palm frond pishing pole.

aw, man! the carousel is closed!

Question: If you had a child who was in a leg cast, would you bring him to the "jumping water" while he painfully watched all the other kids jumping around and having fun?

This is Lawrence and Jacob listening to the painful wailing of a 4 year old boy in the exact situation above. The family was there for a birthday party and when they begrudgingly decided to leave, the Mom seemed really annoyed with her son. Why on earth would any parent put their kid through that torture!?

Father's Day recap

2009-06-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its only been a week since Father's Day. It seems like forever ago! Our day of celebrating Lawrence was really mellow. He actually let me rest a bit longer in the morning and got up when the kids woke up. He's so nice! We went to church, then met my father-in-law and brother-in-law for lunch at Mimi's Cafe. We came back to our house for naps and then went to my parents house to watch a baseball game and get my Mom's car because I had to pick her up from the airport later that night.

practicing baseball

reminding Joshua to "step, L and throw"

unlike the nice side arm throw he has

we even ate popsicles!

how is the view from up there?

nothing like ending the day on

Daddy's lap with a good book!

Moms Together picnic

2009-06-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

My sister invited me to a picnic held by the Mom's group at her church in Escondido. There were 2 bounce houses, a mini pool and all you can eat popcorn, cotton candy and otter pops! Thankfully, the picnic was over and the cotton candy all gone by the time Joshua realized he could have some; he doesn't need help from sugar to make him hyper! It was nice to get outside, enjoy the sunny weather and spend some time with my sister, but I'm not a huge fan of these "parents not paying attention to their kids while they run wild and antagonize other kids" events. I'm glad the scratch he got his back from another kid won't leave a scar.

check out this bouncy ball!

My husband rocks!

2009-06-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

The organization Lawrence works for (THINK Together) held a fundraiser luncheon earlier this week. Lawrence volunteered his beautiful voice to sing "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban after an e-mail went out to the company seeking a professional voice to sing the song. After weeks of hearing him practice, the boys and I crashed the luncheon to hear him sing live.

Wow!! Everytime I hear him sing, it brings tears to my eyes. God has truly blessed him with a beautiful singing voice!

The childrens choir from one the schools the THINK Together program is at came to sing background vocals and one of the teachers played the violin.

bouncy, bouncy, bouncy! fall off!

2009-06-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Our day began at 5:45 am today. When I went to get our alarm clock, Jacob, out of bed he was hot and sweaty. I knew it wasn't going to be a good day. Jacob has had a fever and diahrrea all day which has caused him to be extra fussy and clingy. I think he's teething. In fact, I'm pretty sure he is since he went through 3 shirts and 2 bibs. We sat and watched a Jana Alayra DVD pretty much all morning because it was the only thing that would calm him down. He fell asleep a couple times while the DVD was playing too which was nice. I called Lawrence at work and asked him to come home for lunch so I could take a shower. I was hoping for 15 minutes of peace, but that didn't last long as Joshua wanted some time with me since Jacob had been hogging my attention all morning. When Joshua wants to shower with me, I'm pretty strict about him not jumping around or goofing off too much because I don't want him to slip and fall and get hurt. Ironically, what I've been attempting to prevent happened today and he wasn't even goofing off! Lawrence just chimed in with "I let him goof off and nothing happens. Not yet anyway." Thanks a lot. Joshua slipped and hit his mouth on the ledge in our shower which turned into 20 minutes of bleeding and excessive crying which woke Jacob up. Did I mention that Joshua only wanted me? Thank goodness Lawrence was home to help me out otherwise I don't know how I would have gotten through 2 kids screaming and demanding to be held. Wow, what a day!

It's frustrating days like these (which thankfully happen few and far between) that make me want to go back to the corporate world and let someone else deal with the crankiness. And to be guaranteed adult conversation with someone other than my husband every day. I rarely voice frustration about this because I feel that since I made the choice to be a stay at home mom, now I need to suck it up and deal with it. But even as frustrating and annoying as it is sometimes, there is no one else I would want to cuddle, kiss and nurture my children through these times. The thought that all Jacob needs is to see my face and his face lights up does it for me and (usually) melts away my frustration. I'm so thankful to be able to stay home and raise my children. I'm so thankful that my husband has a job and goes to work every day for his family. Most importantly, I'm so thankful for God's provision for our family and for entrusting and believing that I'm the best Mommy for Joshua and Jacob.

After one of Jacob's many mini-naps today, I decided we needed to spend some time outside and enjoy the beautiful June day that God made. Joshua was playing some game he made up called "Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy! Fall off!" Jacob was actually laughing. Oh how I love his laugh! Jacob even entered his comfort zone and walked around for a few minutes without whining.

Enjoy!

Fun with Friends

2009-06-08T16:27:00.001-07:00

Iris and Jonas Woodall came over to play on Friday, June 5th!

Beach fun with Caleb & Emma Monge and Jaden Gabuya on June 6th!

(for the record, it was cool and overcast when I left my house at 9:45)

The ice cream shop!

2009-06-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

We had a very special trip to the ice cream shop tonight to celebrate Joshua's first time peeing in the big potty!!! We started officially potty training in January and were borrowing a little potty from a friend that we needed to give it back. I bought a replacement potty but thought it would be good to force Joshua out of his comfort zone and make him go on the big potty if he thought the "normal" potty was gone (I have it hidden in our clset so he can't see it). I didn't think it would be so difficult and all I have to say is today was a long day! After dozens of "dry tests" all day, finally around 7:00pm he peed!

Jacob was in the bath, Joshua was on toilet and I decided we would enjoy our outing with the kids in pajama's. The kids got a few "aww"s - it was great!

all buckled in and ready to go!

Joshua chose rocky road!

sharing with brother = good!!

I don't think he liked rocky road too much so he decided that my cookies n' cream was for him

"can i have more?"

When Joshua finished my cup, he said he was ready for all the other flavors! Nice try, buddy! He should be lucky he got ice cream 30 minutes before bedtime!

We love strawberries!

2009-05-22T15:01:00.001-07:00

The boys and and I went stawberry picking at Tanaka Farms today! I love strawberries and it's so fun to enjoy them fresh off the vine! Tanaka Farms is an organic farm and since they don't use pesticides on their crops we could eat them before washing them. YUM!!

Before you get to pick the strawberries, you're taken on a wagon ride around the farm. The wagon stops at various locations where you get to try some fruits and veggies. Today we had maui onions, green beans, romaine lettuce, carrots (which is always a favorite) sugar snap peas and some other leafy veggie that I didn't catch the name of.

Now for the strawberries!!

Jacob dropped one of the strawberries he was eating, picked it up and started eating it without me knowing. When I first saw his hands, it looked like he was eating a chocolate covered strawberry! My first thought was "Where did he get the chocolate?" (honestly!)

Joshua and his best buddy, Eli

And now they're gone...

2009-05-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night, we released 3 of our butterflies. It was awesome and fun! Our neighbors were with us and and it was so much fun to watch the excitement of Joshua and the other boy when the butterflies flew out of their house. We caught just about the whole thing on video so if/when we ever buy software to upload our movies onto the computer (any suggestions??) then I'll post the video.

Two of the butterflies weren't ready to come out on Thursday, so Joshua and I released them on Friday. One of them stayed on the grass and a bush near our house so we could enjoy him for a bit longer. And take these cool pictures!

What I love about this picture is that you can see the tongue trying to eat from the flower!

Click on the picture and you might be able to see.

They're here!

2009-05-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Three out of 5 butterflies emerged from their cocoons yesterday and the other 2 came out this morning! I am bummed that I wasn't able to witness any of the butterflies coming out, but they sure are pretty! Joshua and I were watching them fly around their house and I told them they were called Painted Lady butterflies. He then proceeded to tell me that he painted the "callerpitters" and then they went into their cocoon and came out a butterfly. Clever guy!

Let's go, Angels!

2009-05-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

We went to our first Angels game of the season on May 7th. We splurged for more expensive tickets and justified it because it was close to Mother's Day. Hey, I'll take the extra attention! We learned from this experience that next time we buy expensive tickets, we'll find someone to watch the kids; Joshua was less than thrilled to be so close to the field and we had to keep constant watch for fly balls so we didn't get hit in the head. It was fun though!

Lawrence with Mr. Whiney. I mean Joshua

Thank you, Lord, for my sweet boys!

In order to calm Joshua down, Lawrence took him for a walk and they brought back cookies. Joshua kept wanting to leave our seats so we told him that he couldn't leave until he finished

his cookie. Here he is sharing with me....smart kid!

thankfully he got over most of his whininess and we caught him smiling at times!

everytime spectators would clap, Jacob would join in!

Change is a comin'!

2009-05-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Our caterpillars are in their cocoons! I was able to watch one caterpillar in the middle of the transformation and I must say that God is AMAZING! It reminds me of my relationship with the Lord. Before I became a Christian I was an ugly, spiny caterpillar. After undergoing a transformation of the heart, I became a beautiful butterfly!

They will be in cocoons for 7 - 10 days and then emerge as Painted Lady Butterflies! Here are pictures of our "pets" in their cocoons.

Once the caterpillars formed their cocoons,

the lid had to be pinned to the butterfly habitat

I bought at the store.

My How They've Grown!

2009-05-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

We've had our "callerpitters" for a week now and I am so amazed at how much they have grown! Joshua is enjoying checking on the progress of growth and even Jacob gets excited when I bring him close to look. The "callerpitters" have been spending a lot of time at the top of the cup so I'm sure any day now they will begin their transformation into cocoons. It will take 1 - 2 days for them to make the cocoons.

It's been very hard to get a quality picture the last few days. I think the webbing and frass (poop) is getting in the way because I'm getting a lot of blurry pictures! But enjoy these ones...they were the best I was able to get!

Meanwhile, we went to the park with Cheri and her boys yesterday and found a butterfly! Joshua and Kai were chasing it around whenever it came near. After Cheri left the park, we wandered over to another area and the found the butterfly resting on a ladder. Joshua tried convincing me that it was one of our butterlies.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T17:02:00.001-07:00

Our first "pet"

2009-04-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

One day last spring, as Joshua and I were leaving my parents house, there were 2 butterflies "dancing" while fluttering around the driveway. It was so cool to see them fly in sync with each other. I don't know if they were mating or fighting, but it was beautiful! Witnessing this exchange got Joshua hooked on butterflies and I made a mental note to purchase a butterfly habitat and send away for larvae in the near future. One year later, we are the proud owners of 5 larvae! They arrived on Saturday in their clear plastic cup with all the food they need. The caterpillars (or callerpitters as Joshua calls them) have already grown so much! They will remain in their larvae stage for 7 - 10 days and then transform into cocoons.

Stay tuned for more posts!

sleepin' in the car

2009-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

We drove to San Marcos to celebrate my Mom's birthday on Saturday and the boys fell asleep in the car. I snapped these pictures because I thought they looked cute!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2009-04-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mom, I am so thankful Gad gave me you as my mother. You are so loving, caring, generous and compassionate. Thank you for loving me and my family, for Joshua's "lots of kisses" and Jacob's head butt's.

October 2008 - Tanaka Farms

December 2008

July 2008 - Knott's Berry Farm

November 2008

June 2008 - Boeing Open house

April 2008 - Jacob's birth day

Jacob: one year later

2009-04-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Jacob Alexander Gustafson

April 9, 2009

1:16pm

taken at exactly one year of age

Happy Birthday, Jacob!!

Jacob's 1st Birthday Party: the cake

2009-04-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

The cake!! Jacob actually ate his cake, unlike Joshua at his first birthday. Instead of blowing out the candle, Jacob put it out with his finger, twice (you know, because we had to capture him putting out the fire on film)! Thankfully he didn't cry.

Mmm, this is pretty good stuff

we thought Jacob would be more likely to go after the cake

if the example was set for him, so we let Joshua go after it with him.....

..and then eventually all the cousins joined in!

the kids pretty much devoured the

cake & were eating it by the fistful

our precious 1 year old, Jacob Alexander

Jacob's 1st Birthday Party: the guests

2009-04-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jacob's 1st birthday on April 5th. I can't believe he's one year old already! We had a low-key party with family at my parents house - aka the party house!

Grandpa & Grandpa Le Pere

Aunt Roz

Aunt Connie

Uncle Jeff, Renee & Rachel

Aunt Laurie, Emma, Zachary & Michael

all the cousins, except Michael:

Emma, Luke, Zachary, Rachel and Renee

Grandpa Gustafson

Uncle Dave was there too, but he of course was

behind the camera taking all these pictures!

It's my party, I can (insert verb here) if I want to!

2009-03-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

In 2 days, I will enter the last year of my twenties. God has taken me on a wonderful journey so far. He's blessed me with an amazing, loving husband. Two beautiful boys and a wonderful family. I'm looking forward with much anticipation to what He has in store for my life in the next 29 years and beyond!

We had a low-key, mellow party at my parents with my family today with a surprise visit from my brother-in-law.

Rachel loves her baby cousin

you can always expect trouble

when these two are around!

Does your wish still come true if you

have help blowing the candles out?

waiting patiently for dessert

Yum!!

My Real Estate vent

2009-03-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

I wish that I could put California in a time freeze bubble. Everyone who was looking into purchasing a house would freeze and we would get a glimpse at every single property that was currently in the banks possession whether on the MLS are not. Our realtor would drive us around to all the houses we are interested in. We would find the perfect house and be the best and only offer so the bank would have to accept it. Escrow would close in 30 days and we would finally be homeowners! Then California can wake up and go back to business as usual.

I can dream, can't I?

One year has passed....

2009-03-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law suffered from a brain hemmorhage one year ago tonight. She was in a coma for 3 months and finally went home to be with Jesus in June of 2008. We will never understand this side of heaven why Jesus took her home so early, but we have to trust his will is the best!

I wish she could be here and see Joshua in gymnastics. Hear him sing "The Star Banner Song." See his beautiful paintings. Watch him learn to write the alphabet. And give him ice cream. I wish that she was able to meet Jacob and hear his contagious laugh and see his adorable smile. And see his cute 'lil bum when he crawls around naked.

We miss you, Anne, and we'll see you in Heaven!!

Enjoying my Fast

2009-03-08T22:39:00.001-07:00

I was briefly reading on-line about Lent, and one thing that I remember was that you can break your fast on Sundays in recognition and celebration of Christ's resurrection. So here I am!

Christ is risen indeed!!

I have been thoroughly enjoying my break from the internet. It's nice to be disconnected from something I allowed to be a distraction in my life. I'm okay with it and I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. I'm enjoying my beautiful boys more. I've been journaling more and listening to God and what He wants to tell me! He has revealed some insights to me about my motherhood, wifehood, womanhood. I'm sitting still and able to listen! I feel refreshed and renewed....God is good!

Enjoy the pictures of the boys!

Unplugging the internet

2009-02-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

This last week has been a rough one. Joshua has been disobedient and talking back. Jacob has a cold and is clingy. I have been irritable with mood swings! I was thinking about how today is Ash Wednesday and that this is the time of year when people give up something the 40 days before Easter. This year, I am going to participate in lent for the first time and I'm going to give up the internet. I have allowed the distraction of the internet to go on for far too long. I have neglected my relationship with my Heavenly Father and it's time to go off-line.

No e-mail.

No Facebook.

No blogging.

It is my hope and prayer that I can be more intentional about spending time with my Lord and Savior and go back to journaling, reading my Bible and praying. I long to be reconnected with Jesus.

When I come back, I will be a year older and Jacob will be one! I'm sure to have lots of pictures to share with you. And stories of how my season of lent drew me closer to Jesus and my family.

2 minutes

2009-02-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

I'm in the middle of potty training Joshua. For about a month and a half, he's done very well with going on the potty just about every time I ask him...well, forced is more like it! Over the weekend we decided it was time for Joshua to not wear diapers anymore. Aside from 2 accidents - one in Target with poop - he's done a good job.

This morning I told Joshua it was 2 minutes until potty time. When 2 minutes had passed, I said "Okay, Joshua! 2 minutes are up so it's time to sit on the potty!" He quickly responded and said "No, the 2 minutes are not up. They are still sleeping."

25 Random Things

2009-02-20T15:51:00.001-08:00

If you're reading this post and thinking to yourself "Hey, I already read Aimee's random list on Facebook" and are about to close your browser, think again! This list has all new random things about me. For my first list, I had to actually write everything down otherwise I'd forget. Even though I had 25, I just kept on writing and thought I'd share more random facts with you. Enjoy!

1. I hand-made my wedding invitations.

2. I remember exactly what I was wearing the night I met Lawrence.

3. My favorite breakfast food is french toast and bacon.

4. I can devour a whole container of dark covered caramels from Trader Joe's in about 15 minutes. Maybe 10 if I don't stop and savor the flavor

5. My favorite wine is from Marlborough, New Zealand.

6. When I laugh hard, I snort.

7. I've never had braces.

8. One of my favorite flowers is hydrangea's.

9. I don't like cheese except on pizza, but not too much.

10. When we were living in our first apartment, we had a VERY noisy upstairs neighbor. It sounded like elephants were tromping around. I used to hit our ceiling with a broom to get her to stop. It probably made things worse though.

11. My brother gave me my nickname, Aimus Pie. We were sitting in the airport in St Louis when I was 10 or 11 and the song "American Pie" came on. He started singing "Bye, bye Miss Aimus Pie" and it stuck.

12. When Lawrence and I were on our honeymoon, we played a lot of ping pong. We had so much fun that we bought a table when we got home. I can't wait to have more room in a backyard so we can start playing again (and take it off my parents hands!)

13. We don't have cable. We have good 'ole fashioned rabbit ears!

14. When Lawrence and I were dating, we used to have chocolate chip cookie contests.

15. I volunteered at Ground Zero after 9/11

16. Lawrence had lasik eye surgery in 2003. I watched the first eye on a huge TV and fainted.

17. I don't eat salad with dressing, but use fresh squeezed lemon juice instead.

18. One of my favorite things to watch is when birds fly in unison.

19. I make a list everytime I go grocery shopping. If I go down an aisle and see something we need and it's not on my list, I add it and then cross it off.

20. A lot of people I went to high school with LOVED Have'A Chips. I thought they were gross and didn't understand the obsession. I do now!

21. I thought I could see the Eiffel Tower from the top of St Paul's Cathedral in London. I even made my Mom climb the stairs so I could show it to her. Turns out I was wrong. I won't say how old I was when this happened... :/

22. It really bugs me when people don't proof-read or use punctuation when they write.

23. I make my own baby wipes.

24. I delivered my first child without pain medicine. I almost made it through the entire labor without pain medicine for my second child, but had been sick and hardly slept the night before and needed a break.

25. I will gladly sit and watch the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy with Lawrence. I have even suggested that we watch them!

Peek-a-boo!

2009-02-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

When we were at lunch after church on Sunday, Jacob started playing peek-a-boo with us all on his own! I was able to catch him in action this morning.

My favorite 'lil guys

2009-02-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

February 14, 2009

I love the 2 boys God has blessed me with.

They are so fun, sweet and might I add....CUTE!

They fill my life with joy and I am amazed at how much the teach me and help me grow.

Jacob's baptism

2009-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

We had Jacob baptized at our church, Christ Presbyterian Church, on Sunday Febrauary 8, 2009.

When we were prepping Joshua for going up on stage with us,

we told him he could have a donut after we were done.

As soon as we got up on stage, he said

"I want my donut!"

Claiming Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior

and promising to raise Jacob as a child of God

Joshua doesn't know it yet, but he just

promised to be a good big brother to Jacob!

Blessings in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Thanks, Pastor Bill!

Organized sports

2009-02-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

Joshua is in a soccer class, if you remember reading from a previous post. He seems to enjoy it and have fun, but he doesn't pay attention to the coaches and their directions all the time. It could be that he is normally napping when soccer is taking place....who knows! When they break off into teams to play a game of soccer, he runs around and doesn't really try to go after the ball. The competitor in me is screaming "Go get the ball, Joshua!" and I'm embarassed that he isn't being more aggressive. As I stopped to think about the situation, it hit me! Lawrence and I try very hard to teach Joshua to be nice and not take toys away from his friends. Perhaps we didn't do as good of job telling him sports is a completely different scenario! At least he us paying attention to us and it's not just going in one ear and out the other!

Putt-Putt

2009-01-30T14:12:00.001-08:00

Lawrence took the day off work today because he worked so hard the last 2 weeks on a grant so we decided to enjoy a family day at Boomer's and teach Joshua how to play mini-golf. He did pretty well, but was mostly interested in the holes that had an upper hole where the ball goes down to a lower hole. He loved watching the balls come out of those tunnels. We had a fun time, but it was very hot!

brothers forever!

water break! it was really hot today

looking for the ball that got away.

thankfully they found it!

Joshua loves tunnels and was very happy to see one at Boomers.

spending as much time in the shade as possible - it was HOT!

on the move

thank you, Lord, for my wonderful family!

Just to be fair....

2009-01-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

So that Jacob doesn't feel like he's a second child and doesn't have as many posts as Joshua, here are some awfully cute pictures of Jacob for you to enjoy!!

I love you, Jacob!! You make me smile!!