Kirsten's Baby Dedication

Over Mother's Day weekend the family got together to attend our commitment to God to raise Kirsten in the Christian faith. Our church celebrates this special time with a slide show of pictures that is shown during church while playing a voice over that Gordon and I recorded previously.

It was a memorable time and we are happy that so many family members were able to come into town for the event.



Cut and paste this link into your browser if you would like to see the slide show and hear what we said (Kirsten is the 3rd baby to be shown): http://vimeo.com/23588137

Kirsten's Godparents are Tiffany Sparks and Chad Solberg

Hawaii Trip 2011

We just got back from visiting Gordon's grandparents at their fabulous home in Maui. It was such a relaxing and fun time for everyone. Kirsten was an angel on all of the segments of the plane flight and really enjoyed her first experience in the ocean! Kirsten wasn't too sure about the sand, but LOVED the water! After a long day at the beach, we would head over to Gordon's Aunt Karen's house. She has a beautiful place near the ocean that was the perfect retreat after spending time on the sandy beach. We enjoyed her home and got some video footage of Kirsten swimming in her pool!

Below is some footage of Kirsten getting ready ready to go out to the pool. The weight of her life jacket is almost tipping her over! It is too cute!

Gordon took me on a romantic dinner while we were on vacation. It was nice to get dressed up and have some Mommy and Daddy time!

Here are a few photos taken from the lanai (front deck) of Grammy and Papa's house. I was able to get a shot of the morning view and of the sunset, plus a zoomed in picture of the ocean:

Group shots! Smile everyone :)

To the Science Musuem we go!

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it has been hard to find time to sit down and upload photos. Below is a cute picture I got of Drake and Kirsten before we went to visit Daddy at work:

Last month the whole family went to the Science Museum. Drake and Daddy have been there before, but Kirsten and I went this time and everyone had fun. We all built a "stone" arch and took pictures underneath it-- I even got in on the action for a photo! Drake's favorite exhibit was making a paper rocket ship and launching it from the designated station. With Daddy's help, Drake's rocket went the farthest of anyone around him! He loved it and wanted to re-launch his rocket several times before we left.

The next day, we stopped by the mall to run errands. Drake and Kirsten played in the kiddy area together very nicely. Drake was careful to watch his sister the whole time so no one ran her over or accidentally pushed her down. I got a cute picture of them on the elephant--big smiles!

The kids have also been enjoying the piano lately. Drake has stopped by to "play" in the past, but the two of them were entertained for hours one day so I decided to get out the video camera. I was able to get them playing a "duet".

Kirsten is walking!

Kirsten has been taking a few steps here and there since Christmas, but nothing consistent until recently. Gordon and I bought her some new sneakers and she has been practicing ever since. Each day we see her confidence rise and she will walk even further... before we know it she will be running all over the place and chasing her big brother Drake!

Here is some video footage I took of her walking:

Family Photos

Last October we had family photos taken and they turned out so well! I have been meaning to post them on our Blog, but this was the first opportunity I had... you can see by looking at Kirsten a few months have passed, but better late than never!

Christmas 2010

This year we spent Christmas in Northern Wisconsin with Gordon's parents, Steve and Jackie. We had a wonderful time! It was so nice to be able to get away and relax, watch the kids play with their new toys, and spend time with family.

Kirsten is getting ready to walk, she will stand up and even dance, but she still doesn't have the courage to take her first steps without a helping hand. However, it should be any day now! Enjoy the video of Kirsten dancing while Drake and Gordon are singing Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer--it is adorable!

In loving memory of Kaya

It is really hard for me to type this message because of the sadness I feel, but I want to honor the memory of our beloved dog, Kaya. Last week, unexpectedly she passed away after almost 8 years. She was such a wonderful dog and was much more than our pet... she was a part of our family.

Gordon and I spent some time over the weekend sharing stories and fond memories we have of Kaya. She was my first dog and my only friend when I first moved to Des Moines. Gordon let her live with me for 6 months before he transferred here. We really bonded and she helped me cope with the loneliness. Gordon loved hunting with Kaya; she was a great bird dog and an excellent retriever, and she would literally hunt until she dropped. Being close to our family and hunting were the two things Kaya lived for.

In hindsight, I wish we would have had the opportunity to take her out to hunt more often.

Recently, Kirsten learned to say the word "Puppy"... it hurts when she says it and looks around and then points to where Kaya used to lay down.

Of course, she is too young to understand the loss, but we have many photos of them together that we can share with her when she is older. Drake is aware she is in Puppy Heaven, but we aren't sure if he fully understands either.

She was a cherished member of our family, and she wanted nothing but our love and attention.

For those of you that have had a dog like Kaya, you are fortunate enough to understand what true unconditional love feels like. She will always be in our hearts, and will be dearly missed.

We love you, Kaya!

-

Drake turns 5 years old!

We had a great time celebrating Drake's birthday. As you can see, so did Drake! I can't believe he is already 5 years old. Drake brings so much joy into so many peoples lives--we love you Drake!

Happy 1st Birthday Kirsten!

I can't believe a year has gone by since our little girl was born. She brings us so much joy and we are so thankful for the blessing God brought into our lives.

Kirsten-- we wish you many, many years of happiness and we are so proud of you!
We love you, Mommy, Daddy & Drake

Happy Halloween

Kirsten's first Halloween was a success and we found out she LOVES chocolate and lollipops!

Gordon and I were torn on which Halloween costume Kirsten should wear, so I put a poll on Facebook about two months ago to get some other opinions. The options were a Little Cow (see left), a Kitty Cat and a Little Ducky. I took pictures of her in all three costumes and the Little Cow was the winner! My first choice was the Cow and Gordon's was the Kitty... then I started to shift towards the Kitty, but ultimately we both decided the Little Cow was going to be her first Halloween costume. Although, I would love it if we could get her the Kitty costume for her second Halloween!

It was a last minute decision, but Gordon and I decided to dress up too! I went as a farm girl and Kirsten was my little cow. I borrowed one of Gordon's plaid shirts, put on some jeans, fixed my hair into pig tails... and voila! Gordon had a police uniform from a couples Halloween outfit we had from a few years ago. Our neighbors were giving him a hard time about the outfit, but I do have to say he certainly looks good in uniform!

We only went to a few houses together because Gordon had to get back to the house and answer the door for all the trick-or-treaters. In Central Iowa, it is tradition to have the kids go door to door for treats the night before Halloween -it's called Beggars Night. This year it fell on a beautiful Saturday night, so the neighborhood was hopping with kiddos all around the sub-division!

Our Little Cow