The Gutzman Family est. 2005

New Year...New Possibilities

2010-01-15T13:50:00.025-05:00

Laken's 2nd Birthday party

I know it's been over 2 months since the last post...whoops! Life gets in the way sometimes. We had a great Thanksgiving. Laken turned 2!! We had a fast, furious and FUN Christmas. A fabulous New Years...can't ask for much more. Here are some pics from these last couple months! Have a great New Year!

Christmas morning with the kids Christmas Eve and the bounty Santa brought

Christmas Eve with the Gutzman's

Random pic with the new camera

Some Christmas light viewing

Random play pics Snow fun!

Lauren's 5th birthday bowling party

Plowing through a cupcake at the party

Bowling

Bath time fun

Fun fall day at the park

Being cute, even if it is in an MSU visor

What's Been Going On...

2009-10-31T20:37:00.030-04:00

It's been a while since we've updated the blog.

Not too much has been going on. Jackson and Laken have been battling bugs since Jackson started school. It's been a rough couple months in that respect, but they are doing well.

We went to North Carolina in September. It was a good time, a long, long drive but good. The kids had a blast spending the week with their cousins and Nana and Bumpa Gutzman.

Today is Halloween and I've included some pics from a party Chad and I attended last night and the kids all dressed up tonight! Enjoy!

Pics I took for Laken's 2nd Birthday

Being a girly girl with some of her jewelry onLittle Eskimo Sweetie

Our Visit to the Pumpkin Patch this year

Chad and I as Colossus the Gladiator and Aphrodite the Greek GoddessJackson and Laken as Spiderman and Cindy Lou Who (from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas)
Checking out their score Showing his Spiderman muscles
Making some stops before actual trick-or-treating Jackson and Emily at the beach in North Carolina

On the beachSunset at the sound Chad, Jackson and I at the Currituck Lighthouse On the beach The wild horses on the northern beach on our wild horse tour

Wild horses at the Northern Beaches a little more inlandMore horses, we saw a lot that day and lots of babies In the "road", they really don't have roads up there,

and no one is allowed closer than 50 yards to the horses

Laken and her first popsicle In the pool with daddyOn the beach with daddy Not so sure about the sand

At the sound at sunset

Perfect sunrise

End of Summer

2009-09-01T14:03:00.016-04:00

Jackson is now 4! His birthday party went good, it's a good thing I booked the pavillion at the park because it down-poured for some of it. He had a blast with all the kids and family and friends. He asked for a pinata, so we had a monster truck pinata. I think all the kids had a great time trying to break it open. He had his 4 year check-up and physical exam for pre-school. He weighs 39.5lbs. and is 40 inches tall. He started pre-school yesterday. He liked it, but seemed very overwhelmed. Hopefully the next few days will get better. Then he's off Friday and Monday for his first school holiday weekend.

Laken is getting smarter by the minute. Still a peanut, at about 21 months now. Still not talking much, but she grunts and humms what she's trying to say in the correct syllables. It's quite comical. We will enjoy the silence while it lasts, because she will soon be talking up a storm.

Our latest bad news is that Reice was at football practice a couple weeks ago (he starts high school this year) and broke his leg. So we are all bummed he will be missing football this year. But he's doing good. He had surgery and did well. He is home now and hobbling around on crutches. He will go back in 6 months or so to open him back up and take the plate out they had to put in his leg. He'll be on crutches for about 3 more months. But he's doing good.

Chad and I took a bus trip with friends to a Tiger's game in July. That was fun. Mom and I took Reice and Tyler to Cedar Point also in July. It was fun but Cedar point was BUSY! Chad and I are getting used to the idea of having a 4 year old who is now in pre-school. It's going to take some time to fully wrap my head around it. Can hardly believe it's almost fall. Feels like it's been fall now for about 2 months. We skipped summer and went right from spring to fall. Bummer! We are gearing up for North Carolina, we head to the Outer Banks in about 10 days. Bowling season starts in about a week. Time is flying for sure!

Here are some pics from the last month. Seems that is all the more often I can get on here and update. Will try better from now on. :-)

My friend Alison and I on the bus to Tiger's game

Chad and I at the stadium, it was windy up there

Jackson's 4 year pics I took down at the park

Jackson whacking at the pinata at his bday party

Opening some presents (his police light-up shoes he has been asking for that Nana Vickie and Bumpa Tim got him!)

Riding his new big bike Chad, Laken and I got him for his bday

Cars birthday cupcakes I made

Laken making a mess with her cupcake

Kids being kids

Jackson's FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Happenings...

2009-07-26T18:34:00.031-04:00

We have had a busy, busy summer so far. Seems its only going to get more hectic as summer comes to a close. Turning 30 (ughhhh!), we took the kids to the zoo, childrens museum and Chuck E Cheese a few weeks ago, getting Jackson ready for preschool, getting ready for Jackson's 4th birthday, and a multitude of other small occasions. Here are some pics from the last few weeks. We are getting family pics taken in the next week. We had our entire family pics taken a week ago (my parents, Jeremy, Amanda and their kids and us and our kids), will share them when we get them back as well.

Fourth of July waiting for the parade to start

At the Fourth parade

Sparkler fun!

Watching Jackson twirl sparklers

Having a snack waiting for fireworks

Hanging with Nana and Bumpa waiting for fireworks

Strutting her stuff down the runway, I mean sidewalk

No pictures please, I'm trying to relax

Being sweet, watching some cartoons

Hanging in the hotel after the museum and before Chuck E Cheese

Chuck E Cheese fun

Getting ready for the pool

That's as far as we got in the pool, it was too cold (heater was broken)

Jackson and the pygmy goats at the John Ball Zoo

Jackson and daddy by the turtle area

Jackson and I went into the stingray and nurse shark exhibit. We got to touch the stingrays as they swam by.

Jackson and daddy under the waterfall

Jackson and daddy went into feed the birds

In with the farm animals

This was Laken for most of the zoo trip, she was zonked out!

Too long...

2009-06-30T11:57:00.015-04:00

It's been too long since our last post and lots has happened.

Chad took Jackson to his first Tigers game about a month ago. Chad, Jackson and Darryl went to the Loons game for Fathers Day. We've had some warm temps here and got the whale pool out and Laken got in for the first time. We went out with friends Saturday to celebrate my oldness. My actual birthday isn't for a couple more days, but we celebrated Saturday with friends.

Here are some pics from the last month!

Tigers game

Grumpy gus

Born to be a diva!

Wheelin' down the sidewalk on his tricycle

Chilling in the shade on Fathers Day with bumpa D

Pretty girl

Playing in the pool

Pre-party pic

The girls

Race #2, house updates and new pics

2009-06-02T10:26:00.011-04:00

I did my second 5k on May 22nd. It was a fundraiser for Hospice of Central Michigan and Isabella Cancer Services. The weather could have been better, it was a little chilly and rain was expected, even though it didn't while I was running. I ran the whole way this time, which is not unusual, but the last 5k I was sick, so this time was more of what I expected of myself. I finished in 25:46. At the time it was my personal best. I was happy with the time, I knocked over 4 mins off my previous time. I have since bought a stopwatch and ran 25:16. I have another race this Saturday in Midland, the Midland Community Center Dow 5k Run/Walk. My goal this time is 25 mins or less.

On May 20th, Chad and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. We went to dinner at Lonestar and had some drinks at a couple of our favorite watering holes.

We got our bathroom floor redone and the white beadboard done. It turned out great. We finally got our landscaping finished out front. Now, we just have to wait till the plants grow and fill in a bit. Pics below.

On another note, here are some pics of the kids from the recent weeks.

Jackson passed out on daddy after a hard day of playing

The kids "trying" to pose for a picture

Jackson snuggling with mommy

Vegging out with some Diego

Landscaping before

Landscaping after

Bathroom redo with our new tile floors and wainscoting

My First 5K

2009-05-03T12:43:00.003-04:00

I ran my first 5K race on Saturday morning. It was grueling simply for the fact that I am still recovering from bronchitis and this sinus thing. I have only ran once in the last 3 weeks. So I wasn't as prepared as I had hoped to be. I did however finish in under the time I wanted to, even being sick. My time was 29:57. My healthy goal was under 30 minutes. So I hope this is just the beginning. I already have plans to participate in 5 more this summer. Chad and the kids were there cheering me on. It was a lot of fun and looking forward to being healthier for my next race.

Vegas Baby!

2009-04-29T15:07:00.020-04:00

We left for our annual Nationals bowling trip Thursday, April 23rd and got back Monday, April 27th. This year the trip took us to Las Vegas. The trip out there was smooth, no hiccups. When we got to the airport, we were waiting at baggage claim and Chad left me for a second and when I turned around, he was standing there with a limo driver. He had hired a limo to take us from the airport to the hotel and back from the hotel to the airport on Monday. It was both of our first times riding in a limo. It was quite exciting, especially in a place like Vegas.

We got there pretty late on Thursday, around 10pm. Friday morning Chad and the guys played in a poker tournament. Chad's brother actually won the tournament. Friday during the day, we toured the strip and did some sight-seeing. Friday night we went to a comedy show at Harrah's. It was really, really good.

Saturday morning the guys did a practice session with a pro. Then they bowled team event. One of the girlfriends of one of the guys and I went back to the strip and did some more sight-seeing and did the touristy stuff. We made it back to catch the last game of team event. The guys all bowled fairly well. They each had their up games and down games. But all in all, they did good. Saturday night went stayed downtown and gambled and had a great buffet at Mainstreet Station. We were at Binion's Horseshoe when we had a celebrity sighting. Chad spotted Dr. Cooper Freedman from Private Practice (he's the one living with pregnant Violet and dating Charlotte), so Jen and I got our picture taken with him. That was a lot of fun. Anyway, there is the pic below.

Sunday the guys bowled in doubles and singles. They did alright, about the same as in team. Sunday evening we went back to the strip and toured around some more.

And we left Monday morning, only to find that bad weather in Dallas delayed our flight by an hour and forty minutes. So we missed our connection in Dallas, which delayed our connection by two and a half hours. So we got in a little later than expected.

All in all we had a great trip, and made it home safely. Here are some pics from the trip!

View from atop the Stratosphere needle

Stratosphere from ground level
Chad and I at one of the fountains inside Caesars Palace
The Eiffel Tower at Paris during the day
The Eiffel Tower at Paris at night
Paris at night
The lion exhibit at MGM Grand
Jen and I in front of the sphinx/pharaoh out in front of The Luxor
New York New York
The canals and gondola ride inside The Venetian The square inside The Venetian
Jen and I with Paul Adelstein (Dr. Cooper Freedman from Private Practice)
The Bellagio at night with the fountains going in front of it

Happy Easter...sort of

2009-04-17T19:59:00.007-04:00

The Saturday before Easter we took the kids to an Easter Egg Scramble at the university. Laken was starting to not feel well and by Easter brunch on Sunday Jackson had the crud too. After a Ready Care visit on Tuesday for both kids and a trip to the pediatricians office today, Jackson has an ear infection, bronchitis and a viral infection and Laken has bronchitis and a viral infection. And I have the early stages of bronchitis and some allergies setting in. So we are all on zithromax and feeling crumby. But it started the day before Easter. So hopefully we will all get some relief after a couple days on the Z-paks. Here are some pics from the Easter Egg Scramble and Easter morning.

Jackson and daddy waiting in line for the doors to open to the scramble

Jackson and daddy waiting to dive Easter eggs

Jackson showing off his Easter goodies

Jackson and Laken opening found eggs

Pistons Game

2009-04-17T19:33:00.009-04:00

Our good friends, Mike and Alison invited us to go to a Pistons game with them last Friday, April 10th. The seats...well...Alison had obtained 4 FLOOR SEATS and 13 SUITE tickets! The floor seats are right next to the Pistons bench. So we went with them and their families. The view from the suite was awesome, the suite was awesome. The floor seats were UNBELIEVABLE! Chad and I were able to sit down on the floor for the 2nd quarter and then I was able to go down again for the 4th quarter. It was the coolest experience we have had in quite some time. Very, very cool!! Here are some pics from the April 10th game!

A drawing to show where the floor seats are in comparison to the Pistons bench, AWESOME!!

View from the suite during the intro of the Pistons
Views from the floor, you literally could reach out and touch the players. Tayshauns shorts brushed my leg as he was walking by at one point. Rips mask was sitting right next to me during the 4th quarter. You are that close to the action!

Spring Pictures

2009-04-06T09:54:00.013-04:00

My mom and I took the kids to get Spring/Easter pics taken. They turned out really well. Here are some of them. Enjoy!

We love you Rooby Roo

2009-03-25T09:02:00.006-04:00

Yesterday we took Roo to the vet's office, I sat beside her and her pain was taken away. She is now with Victor, probably running and playing and digging. Eating lots of treats, laying on couches and just being the sweet girl we love and miss so much. The decision came after a few nights and days of panting and not being able to get comfortable. She could hardly step down the two steps to get out of the house to go to the bathroom. Ever since we found out she had cancer back on February 13th, this has taken a severe emotional toll on me. Watching a loved one deteriorate and knowing there is nothing you can do about it, is one of the most painful things to go through. Then trying to decide when is enough, enough. Especially when that loved one cannot speak. The heart and mind plays a cruel joke on you. Forever wondering if you made the right decision and carrying the burden that you were the one that made the decision. It's very trying.

Roo, Rooby Roo or Dehli Roo (her track name), came to me on October 4th, 2002. I searched many greyhound rescue sites looking for a group that I liked. Many of the groups only take in the retired greyhounds and I wanted a rescue that also was firmly against racing. Then after finding REGAP (Michigan Retired Greyhounds as Pets), I found Roo. She had a broken rear leg as a result of a track injury and was then retired. The first time I saw her, she had a pink cast on her leg and was still able to get up and had good spirits. I saw that sweet face and all the scars on her body from the track and knew she was the one. My first grey, my first pet on my own. After having her for only about 8 weeks, I decided to add Victor to the mix.

I walk through the house and see her things. I still hear her. I hear her nails on the wood floor. I can hear her drinking and eating. I even thought I heard her bark, which was a rarity and usually only outside. Her sweet little squishy head and those big bat ears and big brown eyes. She was tolerant of the kids even in her old age. Jackson loved Roo and if ever I couldn't find him, he would be laying next to her on her bed. We will miss her so very much. I know the pain will fade, but it will never completely go away. I still cry if I think about losing Victor and that was almost 3 years ago.

Here is the poem Rainbow Bridge, that I read to try and comfort myself until we can cross together.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

-Author unknown

Here are some pictures of Roo's last day with us

15 Month Check-up

2009-03-15T09:03:00.002-04:00

Laken had her 15 month check-up on Wednesday. She weighed in at 20 lbs. 14.5 oz. and was 29.75 inches long. She is right along the 20-25th percentile, right where she has been all along. Dr. Msibi is happy with how she is doing. She is doing everything she should be at this point. She isn't talking a whole lot yet, but he said her understanding things is more important that talking. She understands a lot, so we're happy with that.

New age of technology

2009-03-09T11:32:00.008-04:00

Well, Chad and I finally entered the technological age and got new phones and a plan that includes text and internet. We each got Blackberry Curves. So far we like them. Takes a little getting used to and what the full capabilities of them are. I'm sure we are not using them to their fullest, but we'll get there.

Update: For those that are wondering, Roo is doing ok. She is hanging in there. We have her on a few things and have switched her to an all-natural diet to help boost her immune system and stop feeding the cancer with the grain in commercial dog food. Dogs don't need grain in their diet. The food is pricey but worth it. I actually have to make the wet food. But it's not hard. After A LOT of research, it's really scary what we are feeding our beloved pets in commerical bagged and canned food. I know if we ever get another pet after Roo leaves us, I will not feed them commercial, filler-laden food again. Do some research, you'll be disgusted.

On a happier note the kids are good. Laken is walking all over. Jackson started out by playing a computer that Jeremy and Amanda got him for Christmas. Now he is playing the computer games on Playhouse Disney all by himself. He gets on the internet by himself, gets to Playhouse Disney and clicks around to play different games. It's pretty amazing how quickly he adapts and learns. Here are some recent pics of the munchkins.

Jackson on the computer

Laken "riding" the Pooh wagon, Jackson supervising

Laken riding the zebra (she got on it all by herself)

The kids watching Backyardigans

Really bad day...

2009-02-13T21:28:00.004-05:00

We took Roo to the vet a few weeks back because she had been limping. We thought she fell on the ice and hurt her leg. The vet said it looked like a sprain in her elbow. So he gave us some pain meds for her till it was better and told us to come back if it got worse or did not improve. She had some swelling in her shoulder of the same leg over the past week, so we made another appointment for her to get it looked at today. After he looked at it, he wanted to get an x-ray. The diagnosis was my worst fears confirmed. She has a large mass infiltrating her bone and the mass is also in her lungs. It's osteosarcoma, a very aggressive cancer. There isn't anything they can do for her other than make her comfortable in her last few weeks. As we sat there and waited for the x-ray to develop, I had a flashback of Victor and started crying. We lost him almost 3 years ago to a very aggressive cancer. When we lost Victor, he was so young and it was so sudden, I was not at all prepared. I just couldn't imagine going through that again, and here we are going through it one more time. She is doing ok, much better than I am. I know she is getting older and she has lived a pretty long life. She just turned 10 on February 10th. I know Victor will be waiting for her at Rainbow Bridge, but it doesn't provide me any solice at this point. I feel like I was just told my 6 year old has 2 weeks to live, because she has been with me for over 6 years now. She is such a sweet dog, all greyhounds are, but she is special. Special to me because she was my first dog of my own, my first grey, my first baby. There isn't anything we can do now but love her, give her lots of treats and make her comfortable. Keep her in your prayers.

Happy Birthday Chad!

2009-02-11T10:55:00.002-05:00

Today marks Chad's 30th birthday. The kids and I went over to Chad's work and took him some balloons and had lunch with him. When he got home we gave him his gifts, reusable Biggby cups and a gift card and a DVR/HD unit. We had a dinner of Nathan's hotdogs and chips, not exactly filet mignon and roasted potatoes, but one of Chad's favorite things is Nathan's hotdogs. We then had some cherry pie, Chad's favorite dessert. Chad would beg to differ, but all in all it was a good day.

...and Seconds...and Thirds

2009-02-07T13:44:00.002-05:00

Laken's second tooth popped through a couple days ago, her front right bottom one and I noticed last night when I was brushing her teeth and gums that one of her left uppers had also popped through. So after going so long without any, she now has 3 teeth in a matter of about a week. She has been very good natured through it all and only came out of it with a low grade temp.

Here are some new pics of the midget and her big brother.

Jackson and Laken with her new carseat

Playing and being silly

Playing

Helping momma with laundry

Firsts...

2009-01-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

Well today Chad started his new job. He looked very sharp in his new suit and topcoat. I talked to him a couple times and he sounded really happy to be back over there. We are so excited to have him just a block away again!

Laken's first tooth has finally decided to make an appearance! It's her left bottom central incisor. Her right bottom central incisor will be next, it's very close to coming through.

Milestones and stepping stones...

2009-01-22T20:16:00.011-05:00

So this year is already bringing all kinds of change.

Firstly, Chad has accepted a new job. It's the next step in his desired career path. He is going to be the Decision Support Analyst at Central Michigan Community Hospital here in Mt. Pleasant. Although he is not technically a manager or director, he is heading up this new area. He hopes to be in this role for 3-4 years, then will move on to a Director/Manager/Controller position for 4-5 years and then on to the CFO of an organization. So he is on track where he wanted to be. We are finally seeing the fruits of his labor he put in to get his Master's degree.

Secondly, but no less importantly Laken has started walking. She still crawls, but will walk short distances. This is new territory for us because once Jackson took those first few steps on his own, he was off. He wasn't wobbly at all. She is still quite wobbly and unsure. It's funny too, because they are darn near the exact same age when they each took those first steps. She is just such a little peanut, hard to believe our little midget is walking.

Thirdly, again, but no less importantly, Jackson has been accident free during the night for almost 2 months now. He has been potty trained during the day for about 3 months now. We could not be more proud of him and in awe of how easy it was when he was the one that let us know he was ready. It was like a light switch, just one day it clicked on for him. He made up his mind and that was it.

And lastly, I have a new part-time job. I will be working for an ophthalmologist/retinal specialist starting a satellite office here in Mt.Pleasant. He will only be up here one day a week and I will be his office support. The other days of the week he will be at his main office in Lansing. Judy, my mother-in-law, is his Office Manager down in Lansing. She is the one that "hooked me up" with the job.

So, that's an update on us over the past month or so. We'll keep you posted on the happenings with us!

Daddy and Jackson building a snow family

Laken waiting patiently for her snack

Reading some books

Being silly in the tub

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T19:24:00.004-05:00

We just wanted to wish everyone a safe, prosperous, love filled 2009!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-28T19:21:00.018-05:00

We hope everyone had a great Christmas!

As a tradition Chad and I started when Jackson was born, we went through Jackson's toys and gave some that he no longer plays with and were in good condition to the women's shelter here in town. We have done this every year giving to local charities, this is the first time Jackson went through them with me. He picked out all the things to give away, he even tried giving away a few things that I thought he would miss if he did give away, so we'll hang on to them for another year. I went through our closets and gave them clothes we no longer wear. We told Jackson in order to get new stuff he had to give some of his toys to kids that have no toys. Of course he got way more stuff than he gave away, keeping in mind we packed up 2 garbage bags full of toys.

We had a great couple of days. Christmas Eve day we spent at Jeff and Renee's house with Chad's parents. Emily and Jackson played, Laken crawled all over having a good time with her new things. Jackson got lots of trucks and his very own camera. Laken got Bitty Baby accessories and lots of great toys. We had a really good snacks to munch on. It was fun. The weather cooperated with us on the way down, but on the way back around Ithaca it got nasty. Windy and snow/rain, turning into snow that froze when it hit the road. It was a big sheet of ice. We then went over to Jeremy and Amanda's house so the kids could exchange their gifts to one another. Jackson got a computer and Laken got a musical activity table.

Jackson left out cookies and milk and a note for Santa. Jackson was also tracking Santa on Norad's website. That was fun how excited he would get everytime Santa would move. He finally went to sleep around 10:15. We stuffed the stockings and put out the presents.

We set up the video camera so that it was running as Jackson came out to see what Santa had left. Christmas morning we spent at our house, the kids opened their stockings and gifts and had a blast. It was so much fun watching Jackson open his things and watching Laken get excited about her stuff.

Christmas Day afternoon we had a great Christmas dinner at my parents house with them and Uncle Ross. We all got some great things. A Racing Ramps garage for Jackson, tons of cute clothes for Laken, a beautiful white gold locket for me and a gas card for Chad, top the list. We played cards and drank some spirits, we had a good time.

Next year will be a lot of fun, Laken will have a better understanding and Jackson will be even more excited for Santa. Here are some pics from the last couple of days.

Jackson, Laken, Emily and Samantha on Christmas Eve

Chad and Samantha
Aunt Renee and Laken with her Pretty Learning Purse
Jackson and his new digital camera

Our family

Opening his new computer from Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Amanda, Tyler, Reice and Lauren

Jackson opening things from his stocking Christmas morning

Laken showing off her Cabbage Patch Snugglies

Opening his Matchbox Car Transporter from Santa

Wearing a mask from one of his new books

Nana Vickie helping Laken open one of her gifts

Waiting patiently

Checking out a new spinning alphabet, animal sounds and musical toy

Opening the Racing Ramps Garage Jackson had been asking for

Jackson passed out on Christmas night after a long couple days of excitement

Lauren's 4th Birthday

2008-12-16T10:59:00.011-05:00

Sunday we celebrated Lauren's 4th Birthday. Her actual birthday is December 6th. We had pizza and cupcakes and ice cream. My parents were there, as well as Amanda's parents, Marilyn and Leo and her sister, Alicia. Amanda's grandparents, Ann and Stan, and my grandparents, Howard and Mary Lou. We got some great pictures of the kids, Reice, Lauren, Jackson and Laken, Tyler was the only grandkid missing. Hopefully we can get some good ones at Christmas when he is here. Here are some pics from the party.

Lauren posing for the camera

Lauren and Jackson waiting patiently for their cupcakes and ice cream
Lauren opening gifts with Reice's help

Laken playing with some puzzles

Four of the five grandkids

The kids and the Great Grandparents

The kids and the Grandparents

Four generations of girls, Grandma Lou, Mom, Me and Laken

One Year Check-Up

2008-12-10T19:11:00.011-05:00

Laken had her 1 year check-up today. The pediatrician said she was growing just fine, he thinks she will be small, but he is not concerned about her progress. She weighs 19lbs. 7 oz. and is 27.5 inches long. Her weight is around the 20th percentile and her length is about the 10th percentile. But her head is growing at about the same rate as it had been and she has gained weight, so the height is just genetic he said. If her head or weight were tapering off, he would be concerned, but they are doing just fine. He also said that she has 6 teeth on the top and 4 on the bottom that are coming into place and will most likely pop through all at the same time. So he is not concerned about her teeth at all. They are in there, just taking their time showing themselves. She is eating more things all the time. We are in the process of transitioning her to milk, she is down to 3 oz. formula and 5 oz. of milk right now. So in a few days she will be off formula altogether. Now if she would just drink from a sippy cup, so we could get her off the bottle. But that will come probably within a few weeks.

Playing with the Little People Ark she received for her

birthday and wearing a birthday outfit she received

Playing with her birthday balloons
Looking sweet after a bath
Jackson helping decorate the Christmas tree
Jackson posing for the camera
Laken watching daddy and Jackson out in the 12 inches of snow

that was dumped on us Monday and Tuesday of this week

Jackson and daddy trying to play in the snow, it was a bit

too fluffy to make a snowman like Jackson wanted to do

Laken turns 1!

2008-11-30T23:09:00.011-05:00

Laken turned 1 year old today! We had a get together of family and a couple close friends. A princess inspired party for the little princess in our lives. She was so sweet, and looked adorable in her birthday dress. She sat on daddy's lap and opened presents, enjoying touching everything. She received lots of nice gifts, from savings bonds to toys to some really adorable clothes. She even got a Bitty Baby doll from American Girl. She had a good time chasing Jackson, Emily, Lauren and Ava around. Soon enough she will be walking and be able to chase right behind them. Laken had her first ice cream today, strawberry of course, because it's pink. I made her pink frosted cupcakes with Nana Vickie's famous buttercream icing. The room was filled with pink and white balloons and she even had a princess crown to wear. We thank everyone for coming to share in Laken's 1st birthday, we can't wait to celebrate Christmas with our little prince and princess. Her 1 year check-up is December 10th and I will update with her newest stats then.

Laken and her birthday dress

Laken and her crown, which she did not keep on for long

Laken and Great Grandma Lou

Laken and Nana Vickie

Laken and Nana Judy and Samantha

Laken's pink cupcake tower

Laken opening gifts with daddy

Jackson and his crown

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T21:48:00.005-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving, spending it for the fitst time with Chad's side of the family. We had great food, great company, great fun and the kids had a blast as usual. We got to see Samantha again, and Emily and Jackson played while Laken tried to keep up. We all ate too much and drank a little less, played cards and all around had a good time. Here are some pics from the day. We hope everyone had a great turkey day and gave thanks for all the people that make everyday special. We gave thanks for those we spent the day with and gave thanks for those we were apart from, you were missed!

Emily and Jackson being silly

Jackson and Emily rough housing with Chad and Jeff after dinnerJeff holding all 4 kids

New addition to the Gutzman Family

2008-11-19T11:24:00.002-05:00

Jeff, Renee and Emily (Chad's brother, sister-in-law and niece) welcomed their newest little one, Samantha Jeanne, on Monday, November 17 at 7:28am. She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 19 inches long. Everyone is doing well and I believe they are coming home today. We haven't met her yet, but will very soon and will post our own pics when we get some. Here is a pic sent to us by Chad's parents.

Busy, busy

2008-11-11T16:08:00.011-05:00

We have had lots going on the last few weeks. We had a family gathering at my Uncle Sam's house on Saturday, November 8th. Lots of family gathered to reconnect and eat good food. That was fun to see everyone. There were a few missing links, but hopefully everyone can make it next time.

Sunday, November 9th, was Emily's birthday (Jackson and Laken's cousin on Chad's side), she turned 4. So we spent the afternoon at her birthday party. Jackson and Laken had a blast, and it was fun to see Jeff and Renee (she's due with baby girl #2 any day) and Chad's parents.

So here a few pictures from the last couple weeks and Emily's party (I forgot my camera for the family gathering at my uncle's house).

Laken and momma

Laken and Uncle Jeff

Jackson and his crown Emily made for him

Em and her princess cake

Emily and Jackson eating cake and ice cream

Laken checking out the presents

Happy Halloween and more!!

2008-11-01T09:48:00.012-04:00

No one could have asked for a more beautiful day for trick-or-treating here in Mt. Pleasant. During the day it was about 65 degrees. By dark it was about 50 degrees. So much better than last years rain and 40. Jackson was dressed in Browns attire, and black paint under his eyes. He had the head rag on and shoulder pads in for all of about 2 minutes. He wasn't digging them. So we took them off. But he still looked like my little quarterback. Laken was dressed in a costume that fits her personality, an angel. I had to snip her halo off, because it kept falling to the side. So she just had wings. But we know the halo was still there. We visited a few people during the day, then at 6pm, Chad and I took turns taking the kids around the neighborhood. We bought about $35 worth of candy to hand out and it was gone by about 7:45pm. But unfortunately I think we ended up with just as much candy as we started with, thanks to Jackson's trick-or-treating efforts. Here are some pics.

We also took a trip to Papa's Pumkpin Patch last week to get our pumpkins and check out the activities. Here is a pic from that little trip.

On Thursday, we took the kids to The Haunted Yard. A family here in Mt. Pleasant decorates their whole yard, front, back, sides. They allow people to come through for free. It's quite elaborate. That was the first time we had been there. From 6-7pm they have the small children's hour, where there are no live people scaring you, just props and ghoulish noises. Jackson liked it, but I have to admit a few of the things were pretty creepy. Here is a pic from that.

And finally, the most exciting news from the Gutzman homefront. At Jackson's 3 year appointment, I asked the pediatrician if there was anything we could do to speed along the process of potty training. Jackson knew what to do on the toilet, he had went #1 on the potty many times. But just wasn't interested in doing it unless it was prompted by one of us. He told me he has 4 kids and didn't potty train any of them. When they were ready, they told him or his wife. Until then, he said, you will wasting your efforts. So, as discouraging as that was to hear, I laid off.

On Thursday, the 23rd, Jackson told me he wanted to wear underwear. I was like, "OK!". So I told him we would start with Pull-Ups, if he kept those dry for a few days we could switch to underwear. So Thursday was good, he wet them a couple times, but he made it to the toilet to finish. Friday he went #2 for the first time in the potty. By Wednesday, he had stayed dry for a few days. He was still wearing diapers at night but on Friday morning when he got up, his diaper was completely dry. So Halloween was his first day of underwear, he did great. He stayed dry last night too. He hasn't had an accident in 5 days. We couldn't be more proud of him, he is doing great. Here is a pic of him so proud in his undies.

Goofs

2008-10-21T15:21:00.007-04:00

Some silly and random pics of the kids. Enjoy!

Not sure if you can read it, but the sticker reads, "Place sticker on forehead. Smile." Jackson forgot the smile part.

Laken, so proud of herself!

Playing with the shoes

Sweeties

2008-10-13T22:08:00.008-04:00

I had to share these pics of Jackson and Laken and Chad. Jackson put the fire truck puzzle he received for his birthday together all by himself the other day and I took his picture sitting next to it. He was so proud, it's a hard puzzle so I was impressed. I dressed Laken in an outfit I'm not sure she will get to wear before she outgrows it. It was so darn cute I had to take her pic. It's a 3-6 month outfit, so she won't be in it much longer. Finally, tonight the Browns played on Monday night football for the first time in 15 years, so Chad and Jackson got dressed in their Cleveland garb and I had to get a pic because Jackson was pouting for one reason or another. But nonetheless it was a cute pic. Enjoy!

**Update: The Browns ended up winning 35-14, against the defending Super Bowl Champs, the New York Giants.

New accomplishment

2008-10-06T10:35:00.011-04:00

Laken has managed to move forward while "crawling". She goes from sitting to crawling and back again. She even managed to pull herself up on the chair the other day. Here are some new pics of the kids.

On a sad note, a dear friend of ours, Jeff, lost his dad on Sunday. He was far too young and will be missed by all who knew him. Keep us and Jeff and his family in your thoughts throughout these next few days.

10 Months Old

2008-09-30T12:51:00.005-04:00

Laken is 10 months old today. She is almost crawling. She will scoot backwards, which for Jackson was the precursor to crawling. So she is almost there. We are in no hurry to see her crawl. Once they are mobile, everything becomes more, shall we say, challenging. So we are watching and not so anxiously waiting to see what she does next. Plus that means she is growing up, and she is too much of a little peanut to be crawling. But despite our best efforts, she is indeed growing up. Jackson is growing up too, he surprises us everyday with the things he says. Sometimes I just look at him after one of his "old man" moments and just cannot believe how big he is, in mind and body. I measured him the other day and he was 39 inches. So he has grown 2 inches in the last 2 months. His vocabulary and speech skills astonish us everyday. Here are some pics of the growing kids...

Standing....and sitting

2008-09-23T14:50:00.011-04:00

Laken is standing holding onto things pretty much on her own. We keep a hand nearby in case she falls, but she can and will hold on to something and steady herself to stand without support. She moves her feet occasionally, as if she is trying to cruise along things. She's not quite to cruising yet, but getting there. I left her alone in the living room for a couple minutes while I was starting dinner, when I left her she was in the middle of the living room, when I came back she was holding on to the stool on her knees (the last picture shows how she was when I came back into the room). Not sure how she got there, but she did. She is going to skip crawling altogether, she does not enjoy being on her belly and would much rather stand and hold onto things. Here are some new pics from the last week or so of both kids.

Jackson "hanging" out at the playground

Climbing up...
and sliding down
Laken sitting in the stroller watching big brother play
Standing by herself
Hanging out in her robe and slippers after her bath
Sitting on her knees, not sure how she got there?

9 Month Check-Up

2008-09-10T21:46:00.002-04:00

Laken had her 9 month check-up today. The pediatrician said she was growing good and was right where she should be on her milestones. She weighed in at 17 lbs. 3 oz. and was 27 inches long. Her weight was in the 20th percentile, length was around 25th and head around 25th percentile. Overall she is still small, but growing well. Still no teeth yet, but I expect at least one to pop through any day.

Go Browns...er...get going!

2008-09-08T08:07:00.008-04:00

Sunday was the Cleveland Browns season opener, for those that are unaware, Chad and his dad, are HUGE Browns fans. The game was at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have not played in Cleveland since 1991. Chad's Uncle Tom and Aunt Peg live just outside Cleveland, in Berea. And it just so happens that his Uncle Tom and Chad's brother, Jeff, are Cowboys fans. So it was a good opportunity for the four Gutzman men to visit, enjoy some male-bonding and go to the game. Unfortunately for Chad and Darryl, the Cowboys walked away with a win. But I'm sure they all still had a good time. Let's hope for a better season to follow. The kids and I sent Chad and Darryl a pic while they were at the game. Our way of cheering on the Browns. Here is the pic, along with a few others from Sunday's game time.

Having fun!

2008-09-06T21:52:00.005-04:00

Jackson and Laken playing and having fun together

Happy Labor Day

2008-09-03T08:19:00.004-04:00

We hope everyone had a safe and fun Labor Day weekend. We spent Saturday evening playing cards with our friends. Sunday was a relaxing day. Monday we went to Chad's brother's house for a cookout and then took the kids to Potter Park Zoo. Jackson was completely spent by the end of the day, as was Laken. It was a fun weekend. Laken also turned 9 months old on Saturday, she goes in for her 9 month check-up in about a week. I will update more after that.

Jackson and Laken playing

Jackson holding his little sis after bathtime

3 Year Check-up

2008-08-25T08:33:00.007-04:00

Jackson had his 3 year check-up on Friday. He is growing great and above on all of his skills. The doctor was impressed that he knows all the sounds the letters make, how many colors he knows and that he can count to 20. He weighs 36.5 lbs and is 36.5 inches tall. I've added some new pics.

Jackson with his new 4-foot firetruck puzzle he received for his birthday

Laken smiling big for the camera Jackson's 3 year pics and Laken's 8 month pics

Happy 3rd Birthday Jackson!!

2008-08-16T22:23:00.010-04:00

Today is Jackson's 3rd birthday. We had a pizza party, cake and ice cream. Jackson had a blast playing with his cousins Reice, Lauren and Emily and his friend, Evan. He enjoyed seeing everyone and he received lots of nice things. Jackson really likes Handy Manny on Playhouse Disney, so that was the theme for his party. I made him 2 cakes with Handy Manny on them. Below are a few pics from the great day. We want to thank everyone who came for making it such a great day!

New things...

2008-08-07T14:50:00.009-04:00

Jackson has figured out he can do different things with his arms and legs. He has this new thing, where he will lay on the floor with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. He's such a ham bone. Chad took a pic of him the other day doing his new pose. Also some new pics of Laken. We had their pics taken last week for Jackson's 3rd birthday, and had them take some of just Laken too and some of the two of them together. I'll get them back next week and post them then.

Laken's first time in a swing

Growing Up

2008-07-23T08:46:00.006-04:00

Jackson is just about 3 weeks away from turning 3 and Laken is a week shy of 8 months old. Laken is sitting up on her own. I have a feeling she will be like Jackson when it comes to motor skills. Jackson wouldn't try things and then all of the sudden he was just doing them. He never was a wobbly walker, he just one day did it and was good at it. So Laken started sitting by herself out of the blue.

Playing on the floor

Getting ready for a walk

Sitting pretty

Just hanging out

Some new pics...

2008-07-16T14:09:00.005-04:00

Laken taking over the remote already

Jackson riding his zebra with his bear

Laken in one of her robes...looking like Rocky in training

Jackson and daddy horsing around

Happy Fourth Weekend!

2008-07-06T16:14:00.011-04:00

We have had a busy and fun few days. Chad took Thursday off for my birthday. We took the kids out to my parents house and they watched them overnight so we could go out. We went golfing, then to dinner at Buck's Run, then out for some drinks with a few friends. We had a really good time at each place. On Friday we bought some fireworks and Jackson played with some sparklers. We went to see the fireworks here in town. It was quite an impressive 45-minute display of lights and sounds. On Saturday we went out to my parents for a cookout. Reice, Lauren and Jackson all had fun with the sparklers and we cooked out ribs and chicken and roasted some marshmallows in the firepit. We lit off a few fireworks which frightened Jackson more than the big fireworks, so the rest may have to wait till next year. All in all it was a busy, busy 4-day weekend and we had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Jackson passed out on daddy after a day at Grandma and Grandpa's

Jackson and his first sparkler A few of the fireworks I was able to capture on camera
Jeremy and Lauren riding the dirt bike Reice and Jackson pretending to ride the dirt bike

Jackson and Lauren and their sparklers

Playing ball

2008-06-26T08:38:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we went down to Chad's parents house for a euchre tournament. Jackson played with Kyle and Brie's little girl, Ava, at their house and Laken went with us. We had a good time. Then on Saturday Chad and I had our euchre get together with our friends, so Jackson and Laken stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. Jackson was tuckered out after this past weekend he fell asleep before we even got to the highway, and then proceeded to sleep for another hour and a half on the couch after we got home.

Jackson wanted to play baseball the other day so he and Chad went to Meijer and Chad bought him a ball and bat. They went outside and hit the ball around. Jackson actually made some good contact. His hand-eye coordination is pretty darn good. Laken is sitting up pretty good on her own. She's taking baths on the other end of her tub now, the side that sits her up instead of laying down. Here are some new pictures.

Jackson zonked out after a long weekend of playing

Jackson playing ball with dad

Laken just splashed herself

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-12T14:07:00.010-04:00

We hope everyone had a great Father's Day. Our day was great! Laken was baptised Sunday morning at 10am mass. Then we went to brunch with a whole group of people. My dad and mom made it back from Indiana for Father's Day and the baptism. Darryl and Judy were here as well for the baptism and Father's Day. Jeremy and Amanda are Laken's Godparents, and Reice and Lauren were there too. Jeff made it up for the service, Renee and Emily were feeling under the weather. My grandparents were there and Uncle Ross too. So it was all around a great day. The kids got Chad a Daddy and Us book made off from Shutterfly. It contained pics of Jackson, Laken and Chad. I made one for Chad last year for Father's Day of Jackson and Chad, and this year I made volume 2. I caught some great pics of Jackson "mowing" with daddy. It's so cute, when Chad is outside mowing, Jackson likes to be out there pushing his mower right along with dad. There are also some pics of the baptism.

Henderson Castle Getaway

2008-06-11T20:08:00.009-04:00

As I mentioned Chad and I spent the night on Saturday at a bed and breakfast in Kalamazoo. It's called the Henderson Castle. It is this large old house right near downtown with lots of history and charm. Our room was the Earth and Sky room. The ceiling was painted with zodiac and celestial creatures. The ceiling had fiber optic lights in it, that when the lights were dimmed, looked like you were sleeping under the stars. Our floor was green and brown marble that looked like a tree was growing in it. The castle grounds had grape vines on it, an old stone pavillion and tons of flowers. We had a nice dinner at Olde Pennisula Brewpub, then drinks and a show at the dueling piano bar, Monaco Bay. It was a dark and stormy night, which made the ambiance that much more "authentic", considering it is rumored that the castle has spirits looming about. Because of the storm that was moving in that night, we weren't able to take advantage of the rooftop hot tub, what an incredible view of downtown that would have been at night. Here are some pics from the castle.

Castle view from the drive

The castle from the backStone pavillion and flowers

Part of our painted ceiling

6 Month Check-Up

2008-06-10T12:04:00.002-04:00

Laken had her 6 month check-up today. She of course cried during her shots, which breaks my heart. She was 15 lbs. 10 oz. (30th percentile), 25.5 inches long (33rd percentile) and 16.5 inch head circumference (25th percentile). So all in all she is growing just perfect, she is on the small side, but the doctor said that because she is all around small, height, weight, head, feet and hands that is probably just the way she will be built.

Chad and I had an overnight getaway this past weekend, and I forgot my camera, so when I get the pics back from the disposable camera we bought, I'll elaborate more on that.

Weekend Sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's

2008-06-05T09:26:00.008-04:00

This past weekend Jackson and Laken spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Gutzman, in their new house in Holt. Cousin Emily slept over too and the kids had a blast playing together. Jackson got to spend his first night in a sleeping bag. By the end both kids and grandparents alike were tired. Chad and I enjoyed a night away to play cards with our friends, we had a great time. Here's some pics from the weekend.

Jackson and his new sleeping bag

Jackson and Emily watching a video

Jackson and Emily enjoying a popsicle

Newest pictures

2008-05-29T19:20:00.006-04:00

We got the picture cd back today with all the good pics of Laken's 6 month pics and the good one of Jackson and them together. They turned out so good.

Happy Memorial Day

2008-05-25T14:02:00.010-04:00

We spent our long weekend working on the landscaping. The weather was beautiful! Our new patio was poured this past week and we worked on getting the plants and flowers planted, the stones in and our patio set all put together. I have to say, it looks phenomenal. We are so happy with the way it all turned out. I forgot to take a before pic of the backyard, but for those of you who saw what it looked like before, you know what a change it is. There are some pics of the work in progress and it all finished. We are going to get some solar accent lights and some citronella candles to keep mosquitos away, but other than that it's done. We have already enjoyed a meal out there. We hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend.

The patio before we landscaped around it

Our finished patio and new patio set

Our new patio and Chad enjoying the warm weather

When we took the kids to get their pictures taken for Laken's 6 month pictures, the mall has a kids area with large things, like a bed, toothbrush, giant shoe and fruit, here's JT playing on the big toothbrush

3rd Anniversary

2008-05-20T09:05:00.005-04:00

Today marks our 3rd wedding Anniversary. Hard to believe it was 3 years ago today that we said our vows. Time sure does fly. Jackson is almost 3 years old, Laken is almost 6 months, and I will be 1 year away from 30 in just about 6 weeks. We had Laken's 6 month pics taken Sunday. We had the photographer take a couple pics of Jackson and Laken together. Jackson was doing so good, we had her take a couple of just him. They turned out so good. I posted a couple below off the website, they aren't good quality from the site, but as soon as I get the picture cd I can re-post better ones.

Floridays...

2008-05-16T10:15:00.013-04:00

Chad had a conference in Orlando Monday through Thursday this past week, so at a last minute decision Laken and I decided to meet him down there. Chad left out of MBS at 9am on Monday and I booked ours on Monday at 11:30am for a flight that left at 4:45pm on Monday afternoon. I drove to Detroit with Laken in tow. We flew, non-stop, to Orlando and arrived at the hotel around 8:30pm on Monday night. This was after waiting about 90 minutes for the shuttle. Which if you are in the Orlando area, I do not suggest you take the Mears Shuttle. It was a long day but the hotel was phenomenal. Laken and I spent our days walking around the grounds and lounging in the room and by the pool. Chad had breaks and would pop over to wherever we were to see us. Tuesday he was done by 5:15pm and Wednesday he was done by 3:45pm. So we did get to spend some time with him. My mom was nice enough to watch Jackson for 3 days so we could go. I would have taken him, but I would have had to buy a seat for him, and handling two kids by myself would have been a little more difficult. We had a good time, the weather was nice and the surroundings were beautiful. Chad checked in on Monday and asked for a king bed, they were out so they upgraded us to an Executive Suite. Oh my goodness, it was a 900 sq. ft. suite that was gorgeous. I posted pics of the resort and our room and Laken's first time in a pool.

Our entrance and part of the living room

Part of our bar, bed and dining area with the living room in the background

Part of our view

Part of the back of the hotel

Most of the front of the hotel

The gardens by the family pool

One of the four pools with the zero entry end for the kids

Laken ready for one of our walks

Laken and mommy in the pool

2008-05-06T16:30:00.008-04:00

We took Jackson bowling again on Friday, he of course had a blast. I got some good pics. Nana and Grandpa Hart babysat on Saturday so Chad and I could enjoy dinner at Coco Joe's and a movie. It was a nice date night. On Sunday, Jackson had a blast at his friend Gavin's 3rd birthday party. Gavin got a swingset for his birthday and they had fun playing on it. Below are some pics from the past few days.

Bowling with dad

Smiling and kicking away

Wearing dad's shoes

Having fun at the party

Wearing the fireman's hat and badge with his pj's

5 Months Old

2008-05-01T09:26:00.011-04:00

Laken turned 5 months old yesterday. Time sure has flown by. According to our scale Laken is about 13 lbs. She won't go back until her 6 month check-up in about a month. She tried sweet potatoes and squash recently, and loved them both. She is getting the hang of eating off a spoon and not pushing it out of her mouth. It's going to take a bit more practice, but she's getting there.

I just measured Jackson at 32 months and he was 35 lbs. and 36.75 inches tall. We have been able to get outside everyday since Sunday, it's been a little chilly a couple of the days but not bad. We finally got a double stroller, it will work for us and didn't break the bank. Here are some new pics of the kids.

Jackson eating some lunch

Laken eating some sweet potatoes

Jackson being a goof while eating some soup

Laken enjoying some jumper time

Jackson and Laken in the new ride

Welcome home...

2008-04-23T22:21:00.023-04:00

We left Thursday for New Mexico, the weather was great, food was phenomenal, and the bowling...well, we had great weather. It was nice to get away but we could not wait to get home. We got home Monday at about 6:30pm. Played with the kids a bit and then put them to bed, then off to sleep in our own bed (ahhhhhh...felt so nice). Unfortunately, Laken did not sleep well that night, so, our night was a little rough. I awoke Tueday morning to a police officer knocking on our door at 6:45am. Apparently two drunken kids (17 and 20 years old) had decided to run rampant on Mount Pleasant, and spray painted houses, cars, broke windows at several businesses and defaced a couple of churches. All in all, they hit about 35 places with paint and broken windows. So when I opened the door that morning to the police officer, I saw that they had spray painted orange and red all over our trailblazer. They painted our neighbors' newly remodeled garage doors, and siding and another neighbor had their siding and windows painted. Luckily the kids were caught, not that we expect to get the $100 for our deductible back, but they are off the streets. On a better note, Chad had roll-offs for his Thursday Trio league tonight and shot 300, and the kids and I showed up just a few minutes too late to see it. But Jackson got to bowl again and Chad's team won the league. I was able to get some pics of JT bowling, they are below.

A view of the Sandia Mountains from downtown Albuquerque

Albuquerque holds the world's largest hot air balloon festival in

October, here are a few taking off on Saturday morning

(There are 11 in the picture, but there were about 25 in the sky

that morning...you can make them out in the distance)

Chad throwing a penny into a fountain near Old Town Albuquerque

Our beautiful hood with spray paint

The drivers side of our vehicle (I touched up the photo so the word is not offensive, but you can use your imagination as to what the last two letters are).

Our tailgate (with our license plate touched out for any

strangers that may view our page)
Jackson shooting some hoops with dad

Laken out for a walk
Jackson bowling last night

Off to Albuquerque...

2008-04-16T15:47:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow Chad and I leave for Albuquerque, NM for the USBC Open (aka Nationals). It will be hard to leave Laken in the care of our sitter, but I know she's in good hands. Jackson will be spending 4 days with Nana Vickie. I know Jackson will have a blast and mom will be pooped by Monday. Wish us luck for good weather, safe travel, no hiccups and a good time. I'll post all about the trip when we get back. In the mean time here are some new pics of the kids.

Jackson thinking he's sly hiding behind his curtain (check out the outline and the feet)

Here I am!

Giving kisses to baby sister

I just tickled his feet

Michigan Master's...maybe next year

2008-04-14T09:15:00.007-04:00

Chad bowled on Saturday morning in the qualifying round of the Michigan Master's tournament. He bowled consistent, except for a breakout game of 299 for his 4th game. Keeping in mind this is a sport bowling oil pattern on the lanes, which translates to extremely difficult. If you bowl 225 (Chad's average on his league), you're doing really, really well. This pattern is much harder than Nationals. We leave for Nationals in Albuquerque on Thursday. After Saturday's qualifying round Chad finished in 16th place, out of 181. So he made the cut to bowl Sunday, they cut to the top 32, and those got the chance to bowl on Sunday. As a side note, Chad's 299 was the highest game bowled on Saturday's matches and of those we saw on Sunday too. Sunday's matches were double elimination, meaning, you bowl two games against the same person, whoever walks away with the higher series of the two games wins. The winner moves on to bowl the winner of one of the other matches, the loser moves on to bowl the loser of another match. If you lose two matches, you're done. Chad lost his first match by only 17 pins, then went on to win his second match by about 5 pins. Then ultimately lost his third match by like 20 pins. He bowled well, but if he missed his mark by even a little he paid for it with a split. Seems like the people he was bowling against got a lot more breaks than he did. We are very proud of him, and he will just have to win it next year!

Here are some new pics of the kids...

New pics

2008-04-10T14:06:00.005-04:00

Jackson and Laken telling jokes

Pondering life long questions...
Having fun in the bath
Testing out her robe after a bath

Eventful past couple days

2008-04-07T19:57:00.009-04:00

Friday evening, Chad and I took the kids to Meijer, to get a few things while we were going to be gone for the weekend. We decided to stop in to the bowling alley to finalize some plans for the weekend. Jackson was carrying around a 6lb bowling bowl with such pride, Chad decided to have Jackson bowl for the first time. He had a blast, he absolutely loved it. He bowled two games with the bumpers, and the ball ramp. He scored a 48 and a 55. So he is well on his way to beating his dad someday. Because it was an unplanned stop, I did not have the camera, but next time I will post pics.

Saturday and Sunday, Chad and I were up in Traverse City for the Northerns tournament. Chad bowled well, and will probably place in All-Events. No awards scores, but just consistently good. He wound up bowling a 2150 for his singles, doubles and team series combined. On Saturday evening we received a call from our sitter, that Roo had gotten out. We were instantly on the phone recruiting people to comb the neighborhood for her. Within minutes (not kidding) we had 9 people and the cops searching for her. Luckily, she didn't go far and we had someone with an eye on her almost all the time. She finally was caught, and back home safe and sound. We want to thank Mom, Jeremy, Amanda, Grandma and Grandpa Jones, Kim, Doug, Cassie and Shannon for their efforts to get her. When a greyhound is loose, fast response is so very important. So we could not be more thankful to all those that helped.

Today was Laken's 4 month check-up. She is doing really well. Our new pediatrician is great. I really like him. She is 13lbs. 5 oz.(35th percentile), 23.75 inches (35th percentile), and her head was 16 inches (50th percentile). He seems to think she will be small when she gets older. Her feet and hands are tiny. She doesn't even fill out 0-6 week shoes. I bought some for her and they fall off. But he thinks she is growing perfectly. He also said we could start her on rice cereal, so today Laken "tried" it. She was not a big fan of it, what she actually got in her mouth.

Trying rice cereal from a spoon for the first time, not a fan

Smiling away in her glider

Just after rolling over

Jackson enjoying his favorite lunch, soup and cottage cheese

Hallelujah!

2008-03-31T12:14:00.003-04:00

For two reasons...
...one...Laken and Jackson both slept from 10pm last night till 8:30am this morning. I was a little startled when I woke up and it was 8am, Chad was gone to work and both kids were still sleeping. We know it may not happen every night but we know she is capable of it.

...and two...Chad's mom and dad, Darryl and Judy, sold their condo in Richland and are moving back to the Mason area. Closer to us and Jeff and Renee and closer to Darryl's job in Jackson. We could not be more excited!

Time flies...

2008-03-30T23:13:00.011-04:00

Laken turned 4 months old today. We cannot believe how time has flown so far. Jackson is on his way to 3 years old, seems like just yesterday we were bringing our little munchkin home from Sparrow. He looked so tiny in his car seat, all 5lbs. 5oz. of him (when we left the hospital). Now he's 36.5 inches tall and about 37lbs. Laken goes in for her 4 month check-up on April 7th, so we will see how big she is then.

2008-03-28T11:12:00.003-04:00

Happy Laken

All tucked in with his bears
Jackson and his bear backpack

Jackson playing peek-a-boo with Laken

2008-03-27T21:15:00.006-04:00

Jackson watching for the garbage truck

Jackson and Laken

Laken super close-up

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T22:03:00.004-04:00

We hope everyone had a nice Easter.

Jackson and Laken awoke this morning to fun items in their Easter baskets. Baskets that Nana Vickie made 22 years ago. Jackson's contained a couple Matchbox cars, a car hauler and a few treats. He searched for hidden eggs filled with teddy grahams and mini cookies. Laken's had a pink floppy bunny in it.

We spent Easter having brunch with my parents, grandparents, brother, Reice, Lauren and my Uncle Darcy. The food was delicious and the company was excellent. Jackson had fun playing with Lauren and Reice and seeing Nana Vickie and Grandpa Tim, and seeing Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Jones. Nana and Grandpa gave Jackson a giant sticker book filled with trucks, motorcycles, and animals of all kinds.

Then we went down to Chad's brothers' and sister-in-laws' in Laingsburg. Jackson spent the afternoon playing with cousin Emily and seeing Grandma and Grandpa Gutzman. Jackson got some more Matchbox cars, a book, 101 Dalmations dvd and some treats. Jackson played in Emily's bounce house with her, he was apprehensive to go in it until today. Jeff and Renee also gave us all some news, they are expecting a new baby in November. So all in all, it was a very eventful day filled with fun and good company. We are all pooped, so till next time...

Jackson and Laken's baskets

Jackson and Emily in the bounce house

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T13:39:00.006-04:00

This past weekend Chad bowled in the Marty's Bar tournament. It's a singles tournament with an actual and a handicap division. Chad was in 5th in the actual division after Saturday's round of 6 games, about 100 pins or so out of 1st. Then on Sunday he bowled well, and after another 5 games and jumped one spot to finish 4th going into the roll-offs (only 4 places get to bowl in the roll-offs, four bowlers in the actual division and 4 in the handicap division). Fourth place bowls 3rd place, the winner of that game bowls 2nd place, and the winner of that bowls the person who was in 1st place after the 11 games. Well, Chad, being right-handed, was among a sea of left-handed bowlers. Lefties typically have an advantage because not as may people are left-handed, and typically their shot stays fairly consistent with less people throwing on the left side of the lane. In the actual division, 7 of the top 9 bowlers were left-handed. So that shows you the shot was a bit more consistent for the lefties. Chad had about 1.5 boards to hit to get it in the pocket, whereas a lefty had maybe 4 boards to hit the pocket. All things considered Chad bowled the best out of them, keeping up with them and making it into the roll-offs. Chad bowled a lefty in the first round of roll-offs, and won by about 10 pins. He then advanced to bowl another lefty in the 2nd round, and won by about 19 pins. Then he advanced again and bowled the 1st place person, and won that by 3 pins. So he won the Marty's tournament for the 3rd time. He has bowled this tournament 3 times in the last 10 years and won it all 3 times he has bowled in it. We are so very proud of him.

The next stop is Northern's bowling tournament in Traverse City, April 5 & 6, then the Michigan Master's in Lansing, April 12 & 13, and then Nationals in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 17-21. I know he's capable of great things as a bowler, and he will do well whenever he bowls. He has bowled 2- 300 games this bowling season, 1- 814 series, bowled with the 1st and 2nd place teams for Mt. Pleasant's City tournament, came in 2nd in Singles and All-Events and won Doubles. Chad and I bowled in a No-Tap tournament a couple weeks ago and came in 2nd. So there is still lots of bowling left this year and Chad has had a great season.

Here's a new pic of Jackson and Laken together

2008-03-14T11:25:00.003-04:00

As a side note, Jackson has been without a pacifier for a week now. With him being sick since Monday, I wasn't sure how he would be without it, but he did fine. He has only asked for it once since last Thursday, we just distracted him and he let it go. It does take him a bit longer to fall asleep without it, but with anything he'll need an adjustment period. He's working on potty training, but just doesn't quite get the concept yet. We're not willing to push him until he's ready, which will hopefully be soon, but we are not that concerned about it.

With the mild temperatures out today, my mom came in to town and we took the kids for a walk. Jackson holding nana's hand most of the way and Laken strapped to me in the Snugli. My back is killing me today from the position you tend to stand in when you have extra weight in the front. But it was worth it to get outside for about a half hour or so. Laken seemed to enjoy the warmth from me and her snowsuit, and the movement and Jackson definitely liked being outside again. I am researching different double strollers to find one that will fit our needs for a few years, and as soon as it gets warm out Laken will get to enjoy the morning walks Jackson and I used to take everyday. I only hope she enjoys riding in the stroller as much as Jackson used to. It felt so good to breathe fresh Spring-like air today.

2008-03-13T11:09:00.007-04:00

This has been a long week for us. Jackson started getting sick Monday morning, then of course with being too run down to keep my immune system up I got sick and Laken has a bit of a stuffy nose. Luckily (knock on wood) Chad has yet to get sick, he's been pounding the orange juice and Vitamin C. So when you walk in the house you hear vaporizers running in each room, and the smell of Vicks and chicken noodle soup (thanks to my mom who came in and made a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup yesterday). But here are some pics from the last week or so of the kids.

Jackson playing innocent in the kitchen

Laken having fun in the tub

Eating some lunch

Caught off guard by the camera

2008-03-05T15:06:00.006-05:00

Laken discovered her hands a couple weeks ago, she will sit and stare at them, and move them in amazement. It's quite funny to watch. I weighed her and there was a 13lb. difference between myself and her and I together. Again, the accuracy of home scales is debatable. She was 22.5 inches long. Her hair is lightening up everyday, she has blonde roots under her dark hair and a big bald spot on the right side of her head. Jackson is such a good big brother, he helps get things for Laken, kisses her head and talks to her. She smiles when she sees him. Here are some new pics of Laken and Jackson.

2008-03-03T14:27:00.006-05:00

Laken's 3 month pictures went pretty well. She tolerated over 30 pictures being taken of her. She wasn't as smiley for the camera lady as she is for me, so we weren't able to get the big grins I normally do, but they still turned out good. Here are a couple I copied from the website, the actual pics won't be in till March 11th. Of course the pics below don't have any touches or fixes, like soft focus, cropping or black and white. The actual pics I got had a lot of little touches that really made the pics pop. Can't wait to get them. Her next set of pics will be her 6 month pictures the end of May. It's going to very, very hard at her next picture appointment, I have soooo many cute outfits I want pictures in. It's going to be hard to decide what to put her in. She had 3 outfit changes this time. Jackson's 3 year pictures will be the middle of August. So I plan to take Laken to Jackson's 3 year pics and hope to get some good ones of the two of them together.

2008-02-27T13:41:00.006-05:00

Laken had a developmental milestone this afternoon...she rolled from her belly to her back while doing some tummy time on the floor. She seemed a little surprised when it happened. But she definitely is getting to enjoy being on her tummy a little more. She'll spend several minutes on her tummy happily looking around, as opposed to 30 seconds as in the past. She's also getting more range with her neck and head, as those neck muscles get stronger and stronger. I take her in for her 3 month pictures tomorrow, all by myself, so we'll see how that goes. I hope they get some good ones. They grow so fast, I cannot believe she is 3 months old in a couple days.

Enjoying some tummy time right before she rolled from her belly to her back

She was happy to be on her tummy today

Looking like the little butterball she is in a cute outfit given to her by

Great Aunt Peggy and Uncle Tom Gutzman

2008-02-19T14:25:00.007-05:00

Here are some more pics of the kids. I just can't get over how gentle Jackson is with Laken. He always touches her head so softly, and rubs her belly very gently. When he sits with her, he always puts his arm around her to keep her next to him. Today when he was sitting with her, he even had his fingers interlocked with hers. So sweet. He's just so good with her for being such a rough and tumble little boy, he treats his little sister with care and love. Warms my heart to know he loves her and will someday protect her.

Some new pics of the growing princess...

2008-02-15T10:14:00.004-05:00

We hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day, however you spent it. Chad sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers from him and the kids and Roo, and took me to dinner at Buck's Run, and for a drink at a new place here in Mt. Pleasant called Coco Joe's. We had a very nice time and it was nice to spend some alone time out and about with my hubby. Here are some pics of the kids from over the past week.

Smiling big for the camera with his wild hair

Being sweet and innocent

Smiling...
and smiling!

2008-02-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we celebrated Chad's birthday (although his actual birthday is today) with his mom and dad. We went out to dinner just the four of us, the kids were at home with our sitter, Cassie. It was really nice and relaxing to spend an adult quiet dinner. Darryl and Judy got to spend some alone time with the kids while Chad and I went out for a drink and some NTN trivia. Tonight I'm making Chad his favorite dinner, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, and we are going to have some Cherry Chip birthday cake and open his gifts. I'll post more pics from tonight later in the week. Here are some pics from the last week.

Jackson and Laken...happy kids

Staring off into space

Having fun in the jumperoo

Trying to figure out the toys on the jumperoo

2008-02-07T17:26:00.000-05:00

Laken had her 2 month check up this afternoon. It was rescheduled from this morning to the afternoon due to the horrible winter weather we had yesterday and last night. According to the news we had about 12-15 inches of snow dumped on us. Not fun. It makes Chad's argument for a move to warmer weather a lot more appealing. Anyway, Laken was 22 1/8 inches long, 11lbs. 14 oz. and her head was 15 3/8 inches. She was in the 75th percentile for her weight, and the 50th percentile for both length and head. So she is growing perfectly, and the doctor could not be happier. The doctor said her head control is great, her arms and torso are very strong, as are her legs. She almost rolled over belly to back right on the exam table. So Dr. Fox was very impressed. She also said that her birth mark on her elbow will most likely fade to the way it was at birth. It's already started to fade, and she said that is a good sign it will get lighter and lighter.

2008-02-06T14:20:00.001-05:00

Some new pics of the happy girl... Her 2 month check-up is tomorrow (although she will be almost 10 weeks)...so I will update the blog with her newest stats after we get back. We're anxious to see how big she has gotten.

Smiling at daddy

Kicking and smiling

Pouty Laken

2008-02-02T20:02:00.001-05:00

Jackson and Laken...best buddies

2008-01-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some new pics of Laken, growing so fast. I was anxious to get to the stage where she was happy and now that she's there, I don't want her to grow anymore. I just packed away most of her newborn clothes, and it makes you so sad to think you will never have another baby that small. It's fun to watch your children grow and as they grow you are able to spend more time doing what you want, but what you find you want is more time with your little ones. The true definition of irony. Oh well, life does indeed go on.

Laken slept last night from 10:30pm until almost 6am this morning. We couldn't hardly believe it. Isn't it funny the things you take for granted, or the things that you get excited about when you are the parents of a newborn. Chad and I were so in shock when we realized the time this morning. We are impressed with her sleeping skills for a 8 week old, she sleeps in her crib and falls asleep completely on her own. Knock on wood, this doesn't change.

They are so darn adorable, I just can't hardly stand it when Laken smiles at me, or when Jackson comes up and hugs me for no reason or tells me he loves me out of the blue. Time truly does fly when you're having fun. I've been sick the past few days, and am still recooperating from the flu, but life doesn't stop and neither do the pics. So enjoy!

Resting between sets of push-ups

Trying the jumperoo out for size, she's still a little small to truly enjoy the benefits of it

Laken smiling, like she does so often these days

2008-01-24T16:46:00.000-05:00

I saw these pics of Jackson and it reminded me of the ones I just took of Laken, yet another similarity between them.

Jackson at 5 months

Laken at almost 2 months

Jackson at 4 months

Laken at almost 2 months

2008-01-24T15:58:00.000-05:00

Laken getting ready for her car ride

Swaddled and snoozing on the couch

Jackson this morning, tuckered out after his 4-day visit with Grandma and Grandpa Gutzman

Laken in an outift one of Chad's co-workers got for her

Jackson and Laken together again

2008-01-21T12:13:00.001-05:00

Laken is growing by leaps and bounds. I measured her a few days ago and she has grown from 19 inches to 21 inches in length, her head has grown from 13.5 inches to 15 inches, and on our scale she was roughly 12 lbs. I don't know how accurate it is, but there was a 12 lb difference between myself and me and her. Babies should gain roughly 6oz. a week, and since she is almost 8 weeks, she should be around 10lbs. 14oz. So considering home scales aren't that accurate and she was fully dressed, she's probably right on track. Her 2 month check-up is still two weeks away, so we won't have an accurate measurement of her weight until she's about 9.5 weeks old. But I'll update everyone then, when we have a more accurate number. I have added some more smiling pics of Laken and some of Jackson.

Almost laughing...

One of her favorite spots...the changing table

Just hanging out on the couch

Happy girl

Jackson offering to share his snack

I was putting away my Christmas decorations and Jackson found the reindeer antlers

2008-01-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of Laken smiling finally. I was able to do baby talk to her to get her to smile for the camera. There are also some pics of Jackson's handy work. He got into my pantry and started lining up some of the items he found. He will play with the oddest things, moreso odd items than even toys. I also added a pic of Jackson smiling when he was a baby for comparison to how similar the two kids look at this age.

Laken at 6.5 weeks

Jackson at 8 weeks

Laken smiling for the camera

Jackson inherited his mom's organizational skills

2008-01-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from Laken's finished room. We finally got her rug and bookcase, and some accessories. I still have a few finishing touches but it's mostly done. We had her first pics today, they turned out alright. We also had a family pic taken, where the parents look like zombies but the kids look cute.

We stopped to see our friends Mike and Alison, and Jackson played with their little boy, Evan. They had so much fun. Then we went to my parents house where he played with all his cousins, we were celebrating my mom's birthday which was yesterday. He is spending the night with my parents and Chad and I are going to try to get some much needed sleep in the morning. So when Laken goes back to sleep in the morning, so can we. So it has been a very full day from 6:45 this morning till now and we are pooped.

And one of Jackson on our way back from pictures

2008-01-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

Laken is finally sleeping one good stretch a night. Thank heaven for Johnson's Bedtime Bath. Not sure if it's a coincidence or it's actually working, but over the last week she has had a bath with the Bedtime Bath 5 times and has slept good each night. Last night she slept from 11:30pm till 4am, which feels like 10 hours to me. The Johnson's Bedtime Bath says it's clinically proven to help babies sleep better. It didn't work with Jackson but I saw it in the store and thought we'll give it one more shot. It smells fantastic, like lavender and herbs, and knock on wood, seems to be working. She also sleeps during the day propped up on the sofa as seen below, she'll wake up and soothe herself back to sleep but will not do that in her crib. At night she's been sleeping in her swing, so hopefully a few more weeks and we can transition her to the bed. We think she has a little bit of acid reflux, and the upright positions help. I have a rolled up towel under her mattress but it's just not upright enough to sleep soundly in her crib. We know it's not the best thing for her to sleep every night in the swing, but at this point whatever works to get her and us some sleep is fine.

Laken catching some flies

A little bit of a smile, she smiles a lot but I'm not quick

enough to capture it on camera

Jackson being goofy after a bath

Jackson and Roo

Laken and mommy

Jackson, Laken and mommy

2008-01-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics I captured while Laken was "enjoying" some tummy time, and by enjoying I mean she tolerates it for a very short period of time, then she's had enough.

And one of Jackson trying out Laken's infant play mat

2008-01-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

I had to share these pics I took this morning, they are so cute.

Jackson and Laken already sharing secrets

We know we're cute, could you take the pic already...

2007-12-31T22:11:00.000-05:00

As an added note, today I took Laken to the hospital across the street to speak with the lactation consultant, just for some tips and advice. She gave me some great ideas and found out that Laken is gaining weight great and just has some gas issues that most babies have. Jackson was colicky and had gas issues till he was almost 3 months old, so we expected it with her too, although we think it's a little worse with her. They weighed her, because I was curious what she was at, and she doesn't have another doctors appointment until her 2 month check-up in 3 weeks. Laken weighed 10lbs, of course she was fully clothed and had a diaper on, I had just changed her diaper but I'm guessing she still weighed in the neighborhood of 9lbs. 8oz. So breastfeeding is going well and she is healthy, and we're working on the happy part with my diet and figuring out what agrees with her and what doesn't. Anyone who says breastfeeding is easy and comes naturally has never done it. It takes lots of work, energy and patience, but we're getting there and it is getting slightly easier as time goes.

2007-12-31T13:54:00.001-05:00

Jackson in some new pj's he received for Christmas. I've included a pic of Laken in the swing, her favorite spot to sleep lately, along with a pic of Jackson when he was a baby. Everyone keeps asking if she looks like Jackson when he was a baby, you be the judge. And a pic of JT and Laken hanging out on the floor. Laken's eyes are lightening up and becoming more blue and less dark slate blue, her hair is also doing exactly what Jackson's hair did, it's lightening and getting a reddish cast, then his fell out and grew back blonde, by the time he was 2 months old it was thinning out. He was fairly bald by 3 months old, and it didn't start filling back in until he was about 18 months.

Jackson and his new puppy pj's

Jackson when he was 2 weeks old

Laken at 4 weeks old

Laken and Jackson "playing" on the floor

2007-12-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was good, a little sleep deprived but good. Jackson and Laken got to see both sets of grandparents, Chad's parents and Aunt Renee and Emily on Christmas Eve, and my parents, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Amanda, Reice, Lauren, Great Grandpa Howard, Great Grandma Lou, Great Great Grandma Jones, Great Uncle Darcy and Great Uncle Ross on Christmas Day. The kids even got to see Tyler on Sunday, so that was a treat. We enjoyed seeing and spending time with everyone on both days. The kids got lots of great stuff and Jackson had a blast playing with all his cousins. Below are some pics from the days.

Jackson drawing with some new markers

Jackson and Lauren "playing" the Nintendo Wii

Jackson learning the ropes of his new Elmo phone that says his name

Jackson and Lauren Reice, Lauren and Jackson

2007-12-17T10:43:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official....Chad is a Master's graduate from Central Michigan University. There were 3 very proud people in the stands (myself, Darryl and Judy) at Rose Arena on Saturday, along with thousands of parents, families and friends, as the graduates were awarded their degrees. I asked him how it felt to know you'll never be in school again, his response was "awesome". I also mentioned, "that is of course unless you go for your doctorate", his response, "no way". So he's done, and we couldn't be more proud of him. We celebrated with family and friends at dinner and Chad's favorite establishment Buffalo Wild Wings. We want to thank everyone who was there to celebrate with us and those who wanted to be there but could not make it. The weather was horrible Saturday night, snowing about 6-8 inches overnight. So thank you to those who came out and had to brave the weather to get home. I've included some pics from the event and a pic of JT in Chad's graduation cap, there are also some new pics of Laken.

2007-12-12T09:12:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to add that Chad turned in his research project last night. He is officially done with school! The graduation ceremony is Saturday, and we are so looking forward to watching him walk across that stage, diploma in hand and a huge smile on his face. We are so proud of him for making such sacrifices for his family. All the long days at work, then coming home and going to class, spending weekends and nights at the library or weekend classes. Being away from us was hard on everyone, but we are so grateful he did and is now done. Congratulations Chad!! We love you!

2007-12-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

Here's some pics of Laken and Jackson together. He enjoys holding her and doesn't want to let her go, which is sweet. He thinks it's just the funniest thing if he's holding her and she has the hiccups.

2007-12-07T15:09:00.000-05:00

Laken had her 1 week check-up today. The doctor said everything looks good, she is healthy, and she is eating well. She has lost a little weight, which is normal. She is down to 6lbs. 10 oz. but he said that breastfed babies often will lose a little more than bottle fed babies and have a tendency to regain their birthweight slower, because they eat less. But he said nothing to worry about at this point in time. So all is well.

Chad is done with his classes and is working on turning in the final copy of his project. A few last touches before he turns it in next week.

Sleep is a rare commodity at this point. Although after figuring out Laken does not like certain things I have eaten, I have been able to make her comfortable by avoiding certain foods. Which in turn means I sleep better as well. Chad is a trooper, driving 40 minutes to work and back after not sleeping much. We'll get through it as all people do and it will get better. We got a few 2 hour blocks of sleep last night and I feel refreshed compared to the last few nights. It just takes some adjusting to each other. Hope for better nights to come.

2007-12-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

Some more pics of the newest Gutzman...

2007-12-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

She is here...

I had my brother send out a mass email because I knew I wouldn't have the time or energy to do it till a few days after the fact. But in case you missed it, here are the stats on our new girl.

Laken Taylor Gutzman

November 30, 2007, at 8:43pm

7lbs. 14 oz. 19 inches long

I had my drs. appointment on Friday morning, I was dilated to 4 cm, and my blood pressure was elevated, it was actually very high for me. I normally have low blood pressure, and my hands and ankles were swollen. So they were concerned about the blood pressure and it developing into something more serious. So they sent us over to labor and delivery to be monitored and we were told we weren't going home without a baby. So after not progressing much at 5pm they gave me pitocin to get things rolling. So from 5pm to a little after 8pm I went from 4.5 cm to 10cm and started pushing. She was born 35 minutes later.

We got home at about 2pm on Sunday. Jackson is doing well, except for when I have her, then he wants up on me. But all in all I think he's doing well. The first night home was rough, she is a cuddler, and does not like to sleep without someone touching or holding her. It will be tough when Chad goes back to work on Wednesday, but we'll make do.

Chad's last class is Wednesday, his final exam and then he's done. He has one last draft of his research paper to turn in and then that is done and he will be officially finished. We are all looking forward to it.

I have attached a couple pics of our new addition, and we will keep updating periodically. Enjoy!!

2007-11-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

I had my 38 week check-up this afternoon and there has been no significant change yet. I posted a 38 week belly pic below. I also posted a pic of Jackson attempting to clean and engrossed in an episode of Sesame Street. Hope everyone travels safely this weekend for the holiday, and I'm praying for no snow. I'm just not ready to see it yet. Happy Thanksgiving and if you're brave enough to venture out, happy shopping on black Friday!!

2007-11-16T18:34:00.001-05:00

I had my doctor's appointment this morning and according to the doctor there has been no change since last week. So it's anybody's guess as to when this baby will decide it's time to make an appearance, could be days or weeks yet. We will try and keep everyone updated as things happen or don't happen. Stay tuned...

2007-11-15T16:58:00.000-05:00

The glider and armoire came in and we plan to go pick them up tomorrow after my doctor's appointment. I cannot wait to get them here and in their places. I have included a 37 week pic, and a couple pics of Jackson in the tub. I'll update the blog tomorrow after my appointment. Till then...

2007-11-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

At my doctor's appointment this morning, she told me things look good. Heartbeat was good, I'm measuring exactly 36 weeks. In the last post I said I'd been having some bad back pain, and cramps, and apparently it wasn't all for nothing. It's actually doing something, I am 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. So these pains I'm having are not just in my head, I'm making progress. Just wanted to update everyone, I go back in one week for my 37 week check-up. We will keep everyone posted as things happen!

2007-11-08T15:49:00.001-05:00

I am 36 weeks today...and ready to see this baby. My body feels like it has been taken over by aliens. From horrible back pain to unimaginable heartburn to cramps that would put a sailor down to the ground. So hopefully at the doctor's appointment I have tomorrow, she will tell me it won't be much longer. I know it's still early yet, but I feel overdue because Jackson was born at 34 weeks and 6 days. I posted a 36 week belly pic. My mom and I went shopping and finally found a glider and ottoman that was comfortable and was the right color, and I ordered a computer armoire for our living room. They will be in next week, and I can't wait to get the computer in the armoire and get the chair set up in the baby's room. Still searching for that perfect floor lamp and rug for the baby's room, and debating about the bookcase for her room.

Chad is officially done with his weekend class, he turned in his reflective paper the other day, which couldn't be done till the class was over. He only has 3 more classes left on Wednesday night and his project is well on it's way. We are very excited for him to be done. On another exciting note, he shot 300 for the first time this season tonight at bowling!

Jackson is growing by leaps and bounds. He has been sleeping a lot lately, so we think he's going through a growth spurt. Talking up a storm, repeating every single thing you say. Learning what letters make what sounds, and just smart as a whip. I added a goofy pic of him and one of him watching some WordWorld.

2007-10-31T20:07:00.000-04:00

Jackson had a blast trick-or-treating. We weren't sure how he would be, but once he got the hang of saying trick-or-treat and thank you once he got candy, he was off. He wanted to keep going to houses. He also had his first piece of candy tonight, an orange Kit Kat. Of course, he loved it. The weather started off kind of crappy, it was misting out when we started. Then it stopped and was just cold and windy, which is how Halloween should be. He went as a monkey, in case some were thinking he was a bear. He does the ooh ooh ee ee sound too. So it fits him well. Here are some pics from Jackson's first "official" time out as a trick-or-treater. Enjoy!