Family Vacation

Last week, we took a family vacation. When I say, "family vacation," I mean the WHOLE family! Our family, Andrew's parents, and my parents loaded up two cars and drove to Flagstaff, AZ for Memorial Day weekend. It was a blessing to all be together, in such a beautiful place! I'm so glad that our parents get along so well because trips like these mean a lot to Andrew and me. To be able to share these memories with both sides of our family is something that I know is rare, and truly a generous gift from the Lord. Thanks to Gigi and Grandpa for making the trip from San Jose to join us for the week!

Before we left for Flag, we went on an outing to the Albuquerque Zoo:

Look Papi, those zebras look like you at the Balloon Fiesta!

Makayla's first ("exciting") zoo experience 

I love it when Gigi and Grandpa come and visit!

And then we traveled to good 'ol Flag...

My best friend Mary came down from Phoenix with her family to spend the weekend with us. Her daughter, Mariah, is a week-and-a-half younger than Makayla. This was their very first meeting.

Joshua is in a phase where he likes to wear his bib. It also serves as a super-hero cape.

This is our make-shift high chair.

The women and kids walked around the NAU campus while the guys were golfing. It was fun for Mary and me to re-visit our old stomping grounds. It's amazing how much has changed in only six years. Wow, six years post college...that makes me feel old. Who knew that six years after graduating, we'd both have Bachelors of Science degrees that weren't being used. That's okay, pushing strollers and changing diapers is the best gig in the world!

This is Mary and me six years ago at our graduation (so classy, and so tan!)

What a difference six years makes. This is what we call: "Post-Grad Studies."

We visited the Lumberyard brewery. I LOVE this picture of us, and not just because there is good beer in the picture! We don't have many pictures of just the two of us, so I do my happy dance when we succeed in getting a good one.

Check out the height of this high chair. Who knew they made bar-height high chairs?!

The resort we stayed at had a miniature golf course. Joshua had lots of fun putting the ball in the hole.

Then, it was time for Gigi and Grandpa to go back to Cali...

The faces these kids make crack me up. We may not get many with them smiling at the camera, but there sure is a lot of comic relief!

All in all, it was a GREAT time spent with family and friends! And now that I've had my one day to recover, I'm ready for the next vacation!

So sweet

I rarely can capture a moment of affection between these two, so I love how this turned out.

Coffee for Two

I was treated to some company while drinking my coffee this morning. Joshua was searching around in his toy bin for awhile, and I was starting to wonder what he was looking for. He finally moved away from the toy box, and he had Makayla's tea cup in his hand. He walked over to me and started "drinking" from it. I taught him how to clank the cups together and he would laugh after each time we did it. It's so fun to watch him grow up!

Fans From Birth

Daddy and his little Giants

Tongue Action

Makayla's latest thing is to constantly stick her tongue out...

Makayla's Well-Visit

Makayla had her four-month well-visit today. She was smiley throughout the appointment (until the shots came), and showed off by cooing nonstop, and reaching for everything the doctor had in her hands. She weighed 13.8 lbs (52nd percentile), and measured 25.5 inches (89th percentile). Dr. Macdonald said she is doing great!

Kiddo Updates

Makayla turned 4 months old today, so I figured we were due for an update on the kiddos:

Makayla is such a joy to be around. She is a pretty easy baby, and definitely the easier of the two right now. She is well-adjusted to her schedule, which makes her routine-loving-mommy a happy camper. She tends to sleep until 4-5am, so if we can consistently get her to last one more hour, I won't have to wake up for any feedings before the alarm goes off at 6am...that will be a wonderful time! She is also a great napper, which is a plus for everyone. We have her 4-month well-visit next Monday, so we'll see what the doctor has to say then.

Our little girl gives the best smiles, just like her brother. Every time you talk to her, she flashes that toothless grin. She's a heart-breaker in the making! She's also a big-time chatterbox, and a loud one I must say. I think Andrew and I have come to the conclusion that our house is going to be very loud in the near future as it seems like her and Joshua battle it out as to who can be the loudest. She is very inquisitive, and loves to play with the hanging toys on her play mat. As you've seen in past blog posts, she can roll over from front to back. She also rolls onto her side (from her back) and moves herself around in a circle, in order to reach the different toys, and even to catch a sneak peek of the tv (another trait inherited from her brother!). Another talent that she has is stuffing her entire fist down her throat and making herself gag. I'm hoping she finds the thumb soon. Oh, and last, but not least, she's already got daddy wrapped around her little finger ; )

And then there's Joshua... 

Our little man is a walking fool these days. He likes to show off and does a little backward shuffle (think Michael Jackson's moonwalk), and he just learned how fun spinning around in circles can be (yay for replacing the hard coffee table with an ottoman). He absolutely loves trucks! Anytime we are out and about, and he sees a various type of truck, he is in awe. His trusty companion, Chuck the Truck (pictured with him above), is always by his side. Chuck likes to drive on walls, Makayla, the bookshelf, and just about anything other than the floor. Besides trucks, his other obsession is the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We can proudly say that his first two words put together were, "Hot Dog," thanks to the "Hot Diggity Dog" jingle from the show. 

Don't let that cute smile fool you. He's at that age where he is testing mommy and daddy to see how much he can get away with. You know, the age where they know they're not supposed to do something, and yet they look you square in the eye, give you a sheepish grin, and do it anyway. The Lord is definitely refining me in the area of patience right now. And, yet, not two seconds after being disciplined, he will come over and give you a kiss on the cheek. It's moments like that, that make it all worth it.  

Life certainly has its crazy moments, but I wouldn't trade any of them for the sake of ease. These kids bring so much joy to our lives, and their smiles and love are gifts that we are blessed to experience daily. God is so gracious to allow us to travel this journey as a family. 

Terrible Two's...Early

I think it's safe to say that we've already entered the "Terrible Two's"...

Video Evidence

Makayla was rolling over this morning, so I grabbed the camera. As you can see, she works hard to pull off this new trick!

New Pictures

Check the right side bar for 4 new picture albums from the last couple months.

Happy Mother's Day!

Guest post by Andrew...

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  It seems like each mother's day for the past three years we have had something new to celebrate.  Two years ago we were ecstatic at the prospect of being first-time parents as Amanda was about 5 month pregnant with Joshua.  Last year was a chance to celebrate Amanda's first mother's day and have Joshua dedicated at Desert Springs Church.  This year was similar as we had the opportunity to, once again, come before our church body (this time at Redemption Church) and commit to raise Makayla up in the way of the Lord.  Our prayer for her (and Joshua) is that they would come to know the Lord at a young age and desire to follow Him faithfully for the rest of their lives.  I read a scripture during the service that I pray over both of our kids.  It is a wonderful promise that God gives to all those who desire to follow after Him, and I pray that its words would ring true for our children:

"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.  When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."  -Psalm 91:14-16

I am so thankful to have a wife who is an amazing mother to our children.  It's even more cool to see how much the Lord has transformed her now that we have two kids!  She is a great example to both Joshua and Makayla (and me) of sacrificial love - continuously laying herself down for her children and our family.  So, I want to take this chance to once again wish her a happy mother's day and tell her how much I love her.

Of course, we also want tell both of our mother's how much they mean to us.  Without them, we would not be the people we are today.  They were the first to show us this same sacrificial love, and it's their example to us first that has led to us becoming good parents.  But more importantly, it was their influence in our lives that had such an impact in leading us both to Christ, and ultimately this is the thing I most hope that our children will be able to say about us in 28 years.  We love you both so, so much.

Lastly, here are some pictures from today:

Makayla's dedication (Joshua trying to grab the mic... and the spotlight)

Our beautiful little girl

Joshua reading the funnies (where's Dennis the Menace?)

Family Photo

We've Got a Roller

Makayla rolled over for the first time today (front to back), and even cooler was the fact that Andrew got to see it! Unfortunately, once we broke out the camera, the Grundstrom stubbornness kicked in, and she didn't want to do it again. Hopefully she'll do it again soon, and I'll post some video once she does.

Dad's Favorite Shrimp

Andrew and I thought this shirt was pretty cute. It's even cuter with our little shrimp in it!

Finger Painting

I found this great idea for finger painting (on Pinterest, of course). You put the paint in a Ziplock bag, tape it down, and then there's no mess (YES!). Joshua had a blast with it, and it kept him entertained for awhile.

Growing so quickly!

Here are some updated pics of Makayla. She sure does light up a room! A few of them were too funny not to include. She wasn't quite sure of the camera, which provided some comical expressions.

We wouldn't want to forget about Joshua...