Holiday Photos 2009

We had some Holiday photos taken of the family a few weeks back. Our friend Lisa is a professional photographer and took them of us~ We think she did a great job, especially working with a newborn and a 4 year old. (http://www.lisacowartphotography.com/)

Thanksgiving in Minocqua, WI

Nana and Papa got to see their newest grand baby over the Thanksgiving holiday. We all drove from Des Moines to Gordon's hometown of Minocqua, WI with success! We weren't sure how the little one would do, but she slept the entire way with one stop for lunch. Kirsten met her big brother Drake and we celebrated his 4th birthday, too. Drake is so good to his little sister and such a big help to me. He always wants to hold her, or her hand, touch her hair, and give her kisses. He is very proud to be Kirsten's big brother! We took some pictures with Santa while we were there, too. Kirsten is only 3 weeks old, but Santa was very comfortable holding her and Drake for the photo!

More photos of our little angel!

Kirsten is 2 weeks old today and we are in heaven :) She is such a good little girl with a sweet disposition. She is a healthy eater and has taken to nursing very well. Kirsten had her days and nights confused and would sleep longer during the day and be up every hour at nighttime, but these past few nights it appears she has gotten better!
We are heading up north to Gordon's hometown of Minocqua, WI for Thanksgiving. Kirsten will be able to meet Nana, Papa and her big brother Drake. We will also be celebrating Drake's 4th birthday! Drake will be coming back with us to Iowa to stay for the week; we are getting Holiday photos of Drake and Kirsten on 12/1/09. We are so excited! I will post more photos and stories after the Thanksgiving holiday!!

Welcome ~ Kirsten Bella Guthrie

Kirsten Bella Guthrie
11/9/09
12:50 am
7 lbs 3 ozs
19.75 inches long

I took some photos of Kirsten while we were at the hospital yesterday. They aren't professional, but Gordon and I think her first photos turned out well. More stories and pictures to come once we get settled :)

Halloween 2009 -- Drake

We celebrated Halloween last Saturday with Drake by taking him to "Night Eyes" at the Zoo here in Des Moines. It is an event that allows children to walk through the Zoo while collecting candy in costume. We had a blast and Drake thoroughly enjoyed himself as Spiderman. It is so much fun to watch him grow up through the last few years and see his personality blossom… he says some of the cutest things! For example, he was completely in character this Halloween as Spiderman. Gordon and I were to address him as "Spiderman" and if we did otherwise, we were corrected. As we were getting ready to leave, I said "Drake, let's get our shoes on" he immediately corrected me and said "I'm not Drake, I'm Spiderman." When we were in the car, I asked "Spiderman" a question about his muscles, he proceeded to tell me that "Drake" has small muscles, but "Spiderman" has big ones...listening to him refer to himself in the third person was adorable!

Below are some pictures of the night, the best was when Drake...I mean "Spiderman", was able to meet the "real" Batman and Spiderman--he thought that was amazing! He even said "How cool was that?" afterwards :)

Spiderman with Daddy and myself in front of the Pumpkin patch:

Drake/Spiderman with the "real" Spiderman and Batman. As well as, Spiderman with the "bunny" ...we told him it was a Kangaroo, but he was convinced otherwise!

Daddy and Drake throwing spiderwebs, although Daddy has fists...Drake should give Daddy lessons on how Spiderman does it! Also pictured is Drake's Halloween basket from Gordon and I!
Spiderman and Scooby-Doo!

Preparing for Baby!

We are still preparing for our baby and I wanted to showcase some of the handmade items that our little girl will be able to enjoy. Below is a cradle that Gordon's Dad made for him to sleep in when he was a newborn. Since then, this heirloom has been utilized by his sister Megan as well as all the grandchildren (Drake, Taylor, and Hailey). I love knowing that Kirsten will be able to sleep in it as well. Draped over the edge of the cradle is a beautiful hand-knit Christening blanket made by Gordon's Mom. The yarn is so soft and the attention to detail is exquisite! These pictures don't do it justice~

Below are 2 blankets that were handmade by a co-worker, the one in pink reflects that we are having a little girl, and the other matches the colors/patterns in Kirsten's room!

This is Kirsten's first hand-knit sweater by Gordon's Mom--she is so talented and continues to amaze me with all of her work. Check out the sweater dress she knit for me last February, I wrote about it in the blog "A Jackie Original".

The Nursery

With only a few weeks left until the arrival of our little girl, we have almost completed her nursery. A BIG thank you to my Mom, she generously purchased all of Kirsten's nursery furniture--Gordon and I are very grateful and I know her first granddaughter will love it too! What is wonderful is that all the furniture can grow with her, the crib converts into a double size bed and the changing table "top" is removable so that it can become a standard dresser. The Rocker is a special chair that means a lot to me...my Dad purchased it for my Mom to rock me in as a baby. Now I can do the same with my little girl! My Dad also purchased the crib bedding--thank you so much!!! The last thing we are waiting for to complete the room are wooden letters of her name to be hung above her crib~ here are some photos (click on the collage to enlarge it).

More Baby Bump photos!

It's been 35 weeks! Only 5 more to go +/- :)

Gordon and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary this weekend; this has been one of the best years of my life!! I love my husband SO MUCH, and in a few weeks we will be parents to a precious baby girl--life is wonderful!!

Des Moines Baby Shower 9/19/09

Last Saturday, the baby and I were fortunate enough to have a wonderful party thrown in our honor. We celebrated with co-workers and neighbors, it was a beautiful Saturday so we were able to enjoy ourselves outside. I had such a wonderful time, as you can tell by all the photos!!

(click on each collage to see a larger view)

Baby Shower in Las Vegas

My mom hosted a baby shower for me in Las Vegas--it was so much fun! I feel very grateful for my friends and family that shared in this special moment; one friend even traveled all the way from New York City to attend (love you Lexi). Here are some pictures of the shower:

Wedding weekend in Madison, WI

Here are just a few of the many pictures I took over the weekend. We had a great time spending time with family and friends, the wedding was beautiful and the weather was perfect for John and Jacqui's ceremony.

One of the highlights of the wedding reception was watching Drake dance--he is so charming and has great rhythm! His dance moves consist of a mix of leg kicks, a form of break dancing (think hands on the floor while turning over in a circle), and some arm pops--all while keeping a very serious dance face. He was listening to the music intensely for variation because he had to make sure he applied the right "move" to the beats. During slow songs, Drake was a gentlemen and he would politely ask his cousin Taylor (also 3 years old) to dance with him, they were so cute! At the end of the night he was so tired, but who can blame him--he went after it for 2 hours!! I asked him where he picked up these dance moves... he thought about it, but instead of answering my question he proceeded to describe each move and what he does while dancing; perhaps I should have rephrased the question! No matter what, Gordon and I are very proud of him and thought he was adorable!

The Dancing Machine--Drake Guthrie with partner Taylor Ball!

** You can click on each photo to enlarge it **

Drake and Taylor dancing! How cute!!


Below, from left to right: Drake's signature move, hands on the floor proceeded with a few leg kicks--Taylor rooting him on! The serious dance face. Busting a move by the DJ table!!

Below, from left to right: Drake's got rhythm! Going down for the break dancing move. Whew, I'm tired...