Mason Station

Family Portraits 2011

2011-11-02T15:58:00.003-08:00

A few weeks back we did another round of family pictures. They turned out great. The kids did pretty well. There were very few breakdowns this year. Here are a few of those pictures.

(There are better ones, I just don't have them on MY computer yet)

Joe, Autumn, Isaac, Jacob and Adam.

The Entire Sundberg Family!

Jessica, Jared, Alysa and Drew

Dad, Mom and Jamie Rose

Jason, Rachal, Emma and Avery

Grandma, Grandpa and all the Grandbabies!

Grandpa bought all the kids and grandkids "Thing" shirts. So much fun!

Thanks Grandpa!

Seward Camping and more

2011-09-15T14:49:00.021-08:00

The night before our kayaking trip we drove down to Seward and camped overnight with the kids. We have never taken them tent camping before, and we were a little concerned how well they would do sleeping in a tent with no movie to put them to sleep.
We ate dinner and played out by the fire for a little while before bedtime.
The kids had lots of fun and enjoyed their hot dogs and marshmallows.

When it was time for bed, we put them down, said goodnight and didn't hear a sound from them until morning. It was amazingly easy.

I guess we should spend more time in the "great outdoors" before bed.

I on the other hand, could not sleep, at all. I spent half the night trying desperately to sleep and the other half tyring to read my book by the light of my cell phone. I was very glad when 5:30 rolled around and I could get up and get ready for the day.

Jessica, Jared, Grandpa and Auntie Jamie took care of the boys for us while we went on our kayaking trip. After we finished we met them at the park.

The boys had a blast playing on this amazing playground. If you haven't had the chance to go to this park while in Seward, you are missing out. It is great!

After packing up our camp and getting some lunch we decided to hike to Exit Glacier. It was lots of fun, even though we had to carry the kids half the time. They aren't great at long walks yet.

We even crossed the little river to see the glacier close up. When you get that close, it gets windy and cold but it's worth the extra walk.

Here the kids were trying to catch drips of, thousand year old, water on their tongues. Grandpa said they looked "like puppies trying to nurse from their momma". So cute, and funny to watch!

I'm so glad we could have such an Alaska adventure filled weekend!

Six years and counting!

2011-09-12T15:23:00.007-08:00

I'm a few weeks late, but Joe and I have been married for Six Years...

and are on our way to seven!

For our Anniversary this year we drove down to Seward and spent 4 hours on a kayaking/ hiking trip. I wasn't sunny, but it was still beautiful. There was a very short "hike" (more like a quick walk) to this "bridal veil waterfall".

It was a lot of fun and very pretty.

We saw a few Eagles, and some fish jumping, jellyfish, and birds that can dive underwater.

Happy Anniversary Babe! I Love You!

Catching up for Summer 2011

2011-09-08T15:28:00.005-08:00

This summer has been so nice!

This has been one of the best summers I can remember for a long time.

Lots of sun, and warm days.

Fourth of July we took the kids to the parade and the fireworks,

and of course Auntie Jessica's birthday party barbecue.

Isaac played soccer again this summer. He loved it!

Last year he enjoyed playing, but only with Daddy. He never wanted anything to do with the coaches or any of the other kids.

This summer was a complete turn around. He ran right out there and played, and loved every minute of it. I'm so proud of my boy and how much he is growing up.

With the weather being so nice and warm

we took many trips to the park and played in the sand and sun.

Our first trip I was not prepared at all. I let the kids put just their feet in the water. But poor Jacob fell in and got soaked. I had to take his shirt off so it could dry a little. Then Isaac and Jamie both wanted to get in the water. After two hours we walked home soaking wet, fully clothed and covered from head to toe with sand. (Sorry I don't have pictures of that right now)

I quickly learned to just put them in swim clothes and water shoes before leaving the house. Plus, pack the beach toys, lunch and towels. What a wonderful summer!

Adam's 1st Year!

2011-09-02T17:45:00.004-08:00

My Little Adam turned 1 year old last Saturday.

It's amazing to me how fast this year has gone and how much our little baby has grown.

I never thought I would end up with a red-head.

When Adam was born I couldn't believe we got two!

I love your sweet smile, feisty attitude that's starting to come through. And even though it's sometimes painful, I love that you love my hair.

Happy Birthday Baby Adam! I Love You!

Summer fun!

2011-07-20T16:18:00.005-08:00

We have had an awesome summer. Plenty of sunny days to play out at the park and have fun. Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while. I hope you are all enjoying your summer like us!

Mom took us to the Trace Adkins concert in June. Lots of fun!

It gave me a chance to wear my cowboy hat!

Thanks Momma!

Joy School and Mother's Day

2011-06-02T10:05:00.003-08:00

This year Isaac did Joy School with his two cousins. A few weeks ago, despite being 6 weeks behind (due to sick kids, and lots of vacations) we completed the year and had a little graduation.

The kids sang a few songs while wearing their crowns.

Isaac's reads: "I'm Isaac. I'm Special." Then each was presented with a certificate and a cookie for their efforts. The cookie was the best part in their eyes. Joy School is a great program I would highly recommend it to any stay-at-home mom with a preschool age child.

Mothers day, I got to spend the day with my beautiful family! I dressed up and even curled my hair for church. Took a picture with my cute little boys. Joe made me lunch and took care of the kids so I could have a nap.
Then we went to dinner at my parents house. We all helped make dinner and dessert for Mom. And gave her the Florida Family Photo Album we put together after our trip.
I love you Momma! Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ask for!
Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!

"Hiking"

2011-05-28T07:11:00.005-08:00

A few weeks ago we decided to go hiking with the kids. Drove up to Flat Top ready for a hike. We knew we wouldn't be able to get too far up the mountain with the boys being so little still, but thought we would give it a try.

What we forgot was that even though there is no snow left in town, there is still a lot up on the mountain. The trail was still covered with at least a foot of snow. So we decided just to "hike" around the lookout point.

It is a beautiful sight looking out over Anchorage and the water. And looking up to the snow covered mountains. I love Alaska!

The boys had so much fun running around and climbing over the little snow hills. We spent over an hour just playing and enjoying the sunshine.

Easter

2011-05-23T13:20:00.004-08:00

This year for Easter we did an egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The kids had so much fun hunting for eggs. We did 4 or 5 hunts out in the backyard. Once they decided it was too cold, we went in and did another 4 or 5 hunts in the living room.

Next it was time to dye eggs. Amazingly, there were no big spills, and only a few dyed hands.

Easter Sunday the Kids each got a small basket of goodies.

Before church we propped our camera and took a few family photos. I think it turned out pretty nice. I'm amazed at how big my boys are getting these days. Time goes by too fast sometimes.

Disney Florida Trip 2011

2011-05-13T14:40:00.017-08:00

Our Family spent almost 2 weeks in Florida at Walt Disney World!

16 people, including 5 kids, 3 babies and 5 strollers (two doubles). It was awesome and stressful and fun! I am being lazy so this is mostly a "look at the pictures to see what happened" kind of blog. Not many words are needed to see that we had fun on this family vacation.

(Sorry if this is a weird post, I was having difficulties with the blogger this time, oh well, enjoy)

The flight was long and tedious. Isaac went to his first NHL Game! We started the week and ended the week at Magic Kingdom.

We went to Cocoa Beach and spent the day covered in sand and waves.

We went to animal Kingdom.
And Rainforest Cafe.

Blizzard Beach Water Park.

Hollywood Studios, with Toy Story Mania!

Oregon in January

2011-03-27T14:53:00.015-08:00

Joe needed to use up a week of paid vacation before his work year finished and he lost that time. So all of a sudden we looked at our mileage account and decided it was time to go visit Grandma Toni and Grandpa John in Oregon! We got to stay for a week, and that week we had a lot of fun!

Isaac played Wii Sports with John or by himself almost everyday while we were there. He got really good at playing and was soon beating just about everyone at Bowling and sometimes Tennis. Even though he is shy, my Isaac is very competitive. This is his reaction after each point he scored. It was very entertaining to watch.

One day was spent at the beach on the coast. First, Jacob rode the Ferris wheel.

Then we went to the little aquarium next to the beach. We got to feed the seals and then check out all the fish and other sea life.

I was impressed both boys were brave enough to touch the starfish.

After we finished at the aquarium, we went out to the beach. The tide was out really far while we were there. The beach was huge! Jacob took this chance to RUN! He chased the seagulls.

He checked out the beautiful view. And he wanted to run! Run and run and run! He ran up and down the beach, back and forth for over and hour.

Adam spent some time hanging with Grandpa. While Isaac and Jacob explored the sand and water.

While Jacob was busy running, Isaac played in the sand. He enjoyed drawing and writing "I" (for Isaac) in the sand. Then Mommy ruined their fun and wanted a family picture. They were not happy about stopping their fun even just for a minute.

The beautiful girl in the middle of John and Toni, is Sarah. She and Sam (Joe's baby brother) are getting married this July. We are very excited! We got to spend lots of time with her while in Oregon and loved her! Can't wait to have her as part of the family! (Even if it does mean I will no longer be John's "favorite daughter-in-law")

As you can see the stroller didn't see much action while at the beach.

Once Joe talked Isaac into walking out by the water, he didn't want to do anything else. They would walk out with the tide then wait for it to come back in and run as fast as they could to avoid getting wet. There were a few close calls, but the waves never caught them.

Our boys were loving every minute on the beach, and being from Alaska it seemed warm to us. But poor Sarah was freezing. Luckily, John lent her his coat for a while.

The beach was amazing, I truly enjoyed watching my boys have so much fun. And I loved all the beautiful pictures (these were only a few of my favorites). Once back to the car, all three boys fell asleep almost instantly. I love the beach! :)

Another day was spent at the Zoo. Their zoo makes the Alaska zoo look tiny. We had a lot of fun checking out all the different animals.

The boys found some places to climb and play too.

And again, by the end of the day, everyone was very tired from all the fun.

My sweet Isaac turned Four Years Old while we were in Oregon. Grandma Toni took us to Chuck E. Cheese for his party after the zoo. Isaac, of course, requested a Hockey cake and I made this for him. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Happy Birthday "My Sweet Thing"! I love you Isaac! I can't believe you are 4 already!

We got to spend some time with lots of the Aunties, Uncles and Cousins that we never get to see. It was so nice to be able to spend Isaac's birthday with everyone.

Even Auntie Alayna, who had broken her thumb and had surgery on her hand two days earlier, came with her kids.

After all the fun was over, it was time to go home. I am always so sad to leave. Especially now that the boys are old enough to really know thier grandparents. I hate that we live so far from them. But we are blessed to be able to visit and have them visit when possible.

We love you Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy New Me!

2011-01-12T18:12:00.003-09:00

So a few weeks back I mentioned I was spending more time working out and less time eating. :) Well, after 8 weeks of hard work (very hard to resist treats during Christmas time) I have made it to my goal! I lost 20 pounds and dropped 2 pant sizes! I am down to the size I was in high school! Yeah Me! Now I am maintaining my weight and toning my tummy. Not so easy when you use a Jillian Micheal's 6 week, 6 pack ab workout. Whoo hoo!

I love that I'm done with my goal now that everyone else is just starting their new years goals. Happy New Year and Happy New Me!

Projects Complete!

2011-01-05T18:59:00.002-09:00

This year I made dresses for my 3 nieces, and upon request, here are the pictures of my finished work! I think they turned out pretty cute!

Avery's dress

Alysa's Dress

Emma's Dress

Christmas at the Mason House!

2011-01-05T18:43:00.007-09:00

I know the pictures are out of order, I'm being lazy and don't want to fix them. The decorating really did happen before the opening of presents and other stuff. :) Enjoy!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I know we did! Love you all!

Checked Off My To-Do List

2010-12-05T16:28:00.006-09:00

I know it's been over a month since I last posted.

Sorry... I have been spending a lot more time on the treadmill and doing TaeBo, less time in the kitchen and some time working on projects for Christmas gifts. Not to mention the usual upkeep with my house and taking care of my three boys and husband. So, you can see how there has not been a lot of time left over for blogging.

But finally here are some pictures of my beautiful boys for you to see.

And now I can check, "Update Blog" off my to-do list.

Enjoying cupcakes and fun at Evie and Charlotte's birthday party.

Snow... out come the boots, hats, gloves, snow pants and heavy coats.

It's a miracle he can still move in all that stuff!

My sweet baby Adam is growing up so fast.

Already 3 1/2 months.

Smiling, laughing and learning as much about everything that he can see and touch,

Isaac is no longer taking naps. But some days, he just can't seem to keep his eyes open. He fell asleep while I was reading books to him on the couch. Too cute!

Jacob was so tired and had to wait for Mommy to get off the treadmill to get a nap. Poor Baby!

Family Fun

2010-10-26T09:24:00.005-08:00

Lately we've been spending more time at home, just being a family. It may or may not have to do with the fact that having 3 kids makes it harder to get out. Or maybe because it is getting cold and dark, which makes you want to stay home and curl up on the couch. Whatever it is, here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

Sharing a glass of pineapple juice.

Rachal, Jessica and I and the kids took a trip to The Learning Farm. It was fun, the kids got to meet the animals, feed some of them, and take a pony cart ride (or ride the horse, if they wanted)

Adam hid in the car seat, trying to stay dry on our rainy farm day.

Adam is so cute when he cuddles with Daddy.

We went to the Alaska Zoo on Joe's last day off. Isaac had been asking to go for weeks. Lots of fun, but pretty cold.

Big brothers cuddling with Adam.

Story time before bed time.

Story time with Grandpa.

So tired!

It has become a regular habit to not bother putting clothes on... at least during the days we stay home. Jammies are much better anyways.

This is how Joe looks almost every Sunday night after dinner at my parents house. It's much cuter when he has a baby to join him in his Sunday evening nap.

Family Pictures

2010-10-13T14:46:00.003-08:00

Last Saturday, 9:30 in the morning our family went out and took family portraits by the lake. We went for a beautiful fall background this year. Which, October in Alaska, means 30 degree cold and frost on the ground. But how can you complain when the pictures turned out this amazing!?!

(Thanks to Jared and Photo Shop, our pictures look even nicer)
It only took bribes of toys and a trip to McDonald's Play land to get the kids to smile and cooperate. But we did it! With 16 people... including 7 "babies" (ranging from 6 weeks to 4 years old), 2 not so picture-loving husbands, and 1 very cold Grandma. We ended up with a pretty darn good "Sundberg Family Portrait"
(This one has yet to be edited)
I will have to add the other individual family pictures when I get them.

Adam's Blessing

2010-09-30T15:38:00.007-08:00

Here are a few pictures from my trip to Oregon earlier this month. This is the first time Adam got to meet Grandma Toni and Grandpa John. As well as a few of his Aunties, Uncle and Cousins.
Auntie Rachel (And "almost cousin" Jaxson)

The next Thursday, John and Toni followed me home to Anchorage.

Grandpa cuddling with little Adam. So cute!

We went out for a small hike while they were here.

Beware of the Bears

Sunday we blessed Adam at church.

This is not exactly the nice family picture I was hoping for (my kids and husband are not great with smiling at the camera), but it's better than nothing, right?

Here is the sweet baby boy in his Blessing outfit.

Hospital Stay

2010-09-19T15:21:00.003-08:00

So, Sunday night Adam had a fever of 100.2 degrees. He had kind of a rough night, but wasn't doing too bad. Monday he was very unhappy and still very warm. I decided to take him in to see if maybe he had gotten an ear infection while we were in Portland.

When we arrived in the Emergency room the nurse was very concerned with his 102 degree temperature and sent us directly to the doctor. They quickly told me that at this age (he was only 17 days old) babies do not get fevers unless there is something very wrong. Oh no!

For the next 4 hours they proceeded to give him every test possible to find out what was causing him to have such a high fever. They did everything from blood tests, urine tests and (to my horror) a spinal tap to check his spinal fluid for infection. After all the tests were finally done, and many tears, mine and Adams, we were admitted to the pediatric department. And told we would be there for at least 48 hours until they could grow cultures with all his tests and find out what is wrong.

Meanwhile, they started him on antibiotics and Tylenol to bring down his fever. I stayed with Adam in the hospital while my wonderful family all helped with taking care of my kids and cleaning my house. Thank you so much! I don't know what I would do without all your help!

By Wednesday they found that he had a Bladder infection, but still didn't have results for his blood tests. Thursday, still no more results, and they thought we would have to stay until Monday, because there were no nurses available to give him home care.

Friday morning they said his blood tests were clean as well as his spinal fluid. And to my great relief an opening came up with the home care nurses and they told us by that afternoon we would be able to GO HOME!

After 5 days of living at hospital, having my sweet baby poked and prodded and connected to machines, and not seeing Isaac and Jacob for more than a few minutes each day (and watching them cry each time I had to say goodbye)... I was ecstatic to be going home. Not to mention Joe's parents were now in town for the weekend so we could do Adam's baby blessing at church.

This was probably the most emotionally exhausting week of my entire life. I am so grateful this week is behind me and my baby is happy and healthy again.

Wedding Bells in Portland

2010-09-19T15:07:00.003-08:00

When Adam was only 13 days old, He and I waved goodbye to Daddy, and big brothers... then jumped on an airplane to Portland Oregon. One of my best friends, Angelina, was getting married, and (despite having a brand new baby and having to leave my other two boys at home) I wasn't gonna miss it!
The Cute Couple

Winding up for a kiss

The wedding favors

The cake, yummy!

The toast, with the giant root beer mugs, awesome!

Removing the garter

The First Dance

The Friends

Lindsey, Amanda, Angelina, Emily, Autumn, Erinn

I'm so glad I made this trip! Congrats Angelina and Wayne! I'm so happy for you!

Alaska State Fair

2010-09-19T15:00:00.003-08:00

We made a short trip out to the Fair this year. First we checked out the animals. Isaac was brave and tried petting a few with Daddy. Jacob didn't want anything to do with the animals.
Then we found some food... You can't go to the fair without getting an elephant ear and a big block of french fries. After we ate, Isaac tried out the Hockey booth.

Then before heading home, we watched the horse trick show. Then it was back home for a nap. Short and sweet, yummy food... that's how a trip to the fair should be.

Adam's First Photo Shoot...

2010-09-03T21:18:00.006-08:00

This week Adam had his first real photo shoot. My best Friend Amanda wanted to try a newborn shoot. And lucky for us Adam go to be the newborn. As you can see she takes amazing pictures! Thank you Manda! Adam, you are adorable, I love you my sweet baby!

He's finally here!

2010-08-29T18:24:00.007-08:00

Adam Matthew Mason finally decided to join the family 7 days "late". I woke up around 5 am and started timing my contractions. They were about 10 min apart and not very intense. At 6am I got up and showered and woke Joe. After getting a few things ready we gathered up Isaac and Jacob and headed for Grandma and Grandpa's house. We dropped the boys off to Grandma by 7am and went straight to the hospital. I got checked in around 7:20 or 7:30. Lots of pain and 67 minutes later... at 8:37am our sweet baby Adam arrived in the world!

When the nurse said "He's a boy!" All I could do was laugh! Three boys! Wow! Joe said, "Just two more and we will have a basketball team". Then they told us how big he was... Ten pounds, twelve ounces... 23 inches long, 14 1/4 head. He has big feet and big hands! Very long fingers and toes! And lots of light brown/reddish hair.

We are so happy to have another baby boy!

Big brothers Isaac and Jacob came later in the afternoon to meet their little brother. They are happy to have him here!

Although Isaac asked me earlier today: "Mommy, when are we going to have a sister?"

Me: "Not for a few years at least"

Isaac: "Why?"

Me: "Because we have a new baby brother this time!"
Isaac: "OK" :)

Friday Evening we had a whirlwind of visitors. The whole family showed up at the same time. Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Jamie, Great Grandma Afton, Great Uncle David, Great Auntie Darla, Uncle Jared, Auntie Jessica, Cousins Alysa, Drew, Emma, Avery, Uncle Jason, and Auntie Rachal. Everyone came to see little Adam and give us their love. It was a little overwhelming, but still nice to see everyone. Thank you!

Later Joe went home with Isaac and Jacob and Adam and I had to spend the night in the hospital.

The next day we stayed at the hospital most of the day while Joe and the kids stayed at home. By the time we were released I was more than ready to go home.

We had time for dinner (thank you Sister Todd) and lots of cuddling on the couch.

The boys took turns holding baby brother.

Sunday we stayed at home all day to rest.

Adam was awake long enough to get some pictures with his beautiful eyes open.

After nap we all went out to enjoy the sunshine!

Joe had fun taking pictures of his new baby boy! He's such a wonderful Daddy!

Still waiting...

2010-08-23T15:59:00.002-08:00

Just so you know... Yes I am still pregnant. Baby has decided he/she is not ready to come yet.

As of Thursday ( 4 days ago) I was already dilated 4cm! But I have not had any consistent contractions or anything. And despite my exercising every day, and a few other tricks... Baby doesn't want to come out yet.

So, I am trying to keep myself busy until the big day finally arrives. I just hope that day comes soon!

Five Years!

2010-08-18T14:14:00.002-08:00

Happy Anniversary Babe!

I can't believe it's been 5 years already. I don't know what I would ever do without you! You are an amazing husband and wonderful friend.

I LOVE YOU!

Waiting...

2010-08-18T14:08:00.003-08:00

Two days to go, until my due date.

Waiting is so lame! I'm tired of being pregnant, uncomfortable, and crabby all the time! My poor kids have gotten the worst of me lately just because I'm so grumpy from being tired and hurting.

Baby it's time to come join the family, Mommy is tired of waiting!

"Camping"

2010-08-03T22:29:00.005-08:00

We went "camping" with our family. Really we drove out to the Bird Creek campgrounds and played for a few hours before driving home.

My boys had lots of fun running around and playing in "the forest".

We had quiet a scare with little Jacob. While I was busy helping Isaac find a snack, Jacob decided to go exploring all by himself. I realized he was missing and went looking for him. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. He was probably only gone for about 60 seconds, but it felt like forever to me!

Luckily, he came toddling out of the bushes somewhere and found me. He of course thought it was funny, while I am crying my eyes out. Sigh! I'm just thankful he didn't get too far away.

On a happier note... I went into the boys' room Sunday morning to wake them before church and found this. Fast asleep and cuddling. So cute!

I love my boys!

Story Time

2010-07-29T15:08:00.002-08:00

Jacob decided to catch up on some reading.

So cute! I love my little red head boy!

Grandma Toni comes to visit!

2010-07-27T14:07:00.006-08:00

Grandma Toni (Joe's Mom) came to visit a few weeks ago. She got to stay with us for a whole week! The boys were very excited, and it was nice to have time for them to get to know their Grandma. We usually only have 2 or 3 days with "Grandma Toni" and "Grandpa John" when they come to visit.
While she was here we had lots of fun. Nothing out of the ordinary, but Grandam made everything seem more exciting! Music in the park, shopping, volleyball in the basement, playing out in the backyard, shopping, "the fishy game" she brought with her, and a trip to Flat top.

We weren't brave enough to try the mountain hike. (Not with me being 35 weeks pregnant and two little boys) We did however, go to the lookout over anchorage. They boys had fun climbing up and jumping off the big rocks along the trail.

By the end of the week we were sad to see Grandma go, but are excited she will be back "after baby comes". And then Grandpa John will come visit too. Thanks for an awesome week Grandma Toni! We Love You!

Family Fun!

2010-07-09T09:50:00.006-08:00

Isaac loves to play with all his cars and trucks. He has at least 100 of them around the house big and small. It just depends on the day which ones he wants to be his "favorite".
Jacob tries to play with Isaac but big brother isn't very good about sharing.
So Jacob finds his own way to have fun.

Fun in the backyard and at the park.

Isaac is still learning how to use his fishing pole. Daddy is so proud!

It's nice living only a short walk away from a lake.

While Isaac and Daddy fish, Jacob kept busy pushing his stroller all over the park.

The boys have a new bed. This is right after Joe and I finished putting it together. Even if it was 11 at night, they were very excited to play before bed.

We love that Costco always has such good stuff for great prices.

Happy Fourth of July! The Eagle river fireworks are always fun. This year was even better because all of the kids liked the show... no crying! Happy Birthday Jessica!

Joe had July 5th off, so we went on another day trip. Out to Thunderbird Falls.

Joe has always wanted to go but I was always against it because of bear problems in that area.

We had a lot of fun. The hike was beautiful and the falls very cool.

Check out that Baby Belly! Only 6 weeks to go!

After Thunderbird Falls we drove out to Eklutna lake, but it was way too windy to be out very long. We ate lunch out of the back of the car.

Then Jacob and I hung out in the car while Isaac and Joe tried to "go fishing."

They came back without being able to fish...covered in mud and big smiles on their faces.

What a great day!

Summer 2010... So Far....

2010-06-23T09:39:00.012-08:00

We're off to our fishing/picnic trip. This is the inside of my new car. Check out all the room in the back when the third row is down! :)

Throwing rocks in the water.

Learning to Fish with Daddy.

Cleaning up after lunch.

Having fun in the backyard! Let's play ball!

Never wants to go to bed, even when he's exhausted!

Playing at the Park

Jacob loves to be a "big boy" sharing snack with brother at the table. So cute!

Soccer in the rain! Isaac doesn't want anything to do with the coaches or other players. But he has a blast playing with Daddy. Jacob tries to play too, I think he will be more than ready to play in a few years.

Singing and dancing at Music in the park for little ones.

We took the kids out to the Musk Ox farm in Palmer. It was fun to see the animals and their babies. Then we played and had lunch on the nice green grass.

The kids got to feed the Musk ox grass and dandelions. A little scary, but fun!

And last, Jacob has decided it's great fun to rub his food in his hair. Oatmeal baths are the best!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T17:58:00.004-08:00

You are an awesome Dad, Your boys love you so much! Happy Dad's Day!

We Love You!

We're still here...

2010-06-11T14:32:00.004-08:00

Well, I know it's been almost 2 month since I've put anything new up. We're still here... we've just been very busy. Here are a few things we've been up to:

~ I bought a new Car! I now have room for the new baby (when he or she gets here)

~ I'm trying to sell my old red car (let me know if anyone is interested)

~ Jessica, Jared, Alysa and Drew moved back to Alaska.

~ Spending lot of time with family now that it's summer. Rachal and Emma are not in work/school, same with Grandma and Auntie Jamie, and the Riedel Family is in town.

~ Wedding season is upon us! Congrats Victoria, Angelina, and Kate!

~ Lots of Garage Sales!

~ Isaac started soccer.

~ I made matching dresses for Jamie, Emma, Alysa, and Avery. (I'll add pictures when we have our annual photo shoot with the kids) I'm still trying to find a way to get the boys to match, if you have suggestions, let me know.

~ I have a nice sun tan. Thanks to a great Alaskan summer so far.

~ Fishing/Picnic trip with my Hubby and my boys.

~ Spring cleaning.

~ Fun trips to the park.

~ Helping Isaac learn to ride his bike.

~Feeling more pregnant and tired.

Well, I'll try to get pictures of the boys and of my new Expedition soon. It's hard when we are up and going all day long! Hope everyone is having as great of a summer as we are enjoying!

Out of contact

2010-04-22T16:21:00.002-08:00

So, does anyone else feel like they are completely out of the loop?

I had the chance to visit with my good friend Sierra last night. (She just got back from her mission in Sweden) While talking to her, I realized... I am really out of the loop when it comes to people I know and their lives.

I'm not good at keeping up with old friends.

I don't know how to work almost anything on my face book page.

And I am awful at calling people "just to chat".

So basically... If you aren't married with 2 kids and have a blog... I just don't know what's going on with your life.

Sorry I'm lame, but I guess that's what happens after you become a mom, right?

I hope I'm not the only one.

Utah Fun

2010-04-12T14:32:00.008-08:00

Isaac, Jacob and I went to Utah to spend some time with family and meet Baby Drew (Jessica and Jared's newborn boy).

The kids had lots of fun playing together even though we had to be inside most of the 10 days that we were there. I thought we would have beautiful sunny weather, but no, it decided to snow and hail and blow cold wind instead. Lame!

We got to celebrate Easter Sunday with Alysa this year, something that has never happened before. Here are the kids, almost awake, and waiting for their baskets. Isaac was the only one who closed his eyes.

Jacob loved the chocolate bear cookies. As you can see, he managed to get them all over his face!

After eating a few snacks from the basket, the kids hunted eggs around the living room. So much fun!

After the Easter fun, the boys and I went to Easter dinner at Megan's house (Joe's Sister). Isaac ans Jacob got to play and visit with Auntie Megan, Auntie Michelle, and Uncle Sam plus their cousins... Ashley, Jenna, Caleb, Eli and Alisha. They had fun playing with the cousins they barely know, and I had fun catching up with my siblings (in-laws if you want to be technical). Of course the two days we spent with them... I managed to only get one picture. Sad, I know!

Jacob loved his new cousin Drew. He loved to hold his hand in the car and talk to him. Isaac ans Alysa had fun singing and playing in the back seat.

We went to a place called "Jump it up!" Lots of trampolines and toys... Lots of FUN!

We also got to visit our good friends Stacia, Nate, Tayvin and Tahnyon. It was great to see them and meet their beautiful boy. No pictures, again.

Here's Jacob keeping Drew company. So cute! I hope he loves his new baby brother or sister just as much. I guess we'll have to see in August.

Alysa holding her baby brother Drew.

Finally, our last day in Utah, the sun decided to come out. So we spent lots of time at the park. The boys had so much fun running and playing on the grass.

Jacob found a new favorite... the slides!

Then after 10 days of family, friends, shopping and lots and lots of fun... It was time to say goodbye. We were sad to go, but very ready to be home.

Isaac and Jacob were very excited to see Daddy! And he was just as happy to have us back!

Mystery Solved

2010-03-14T21:04:00.003-08:00

The mystery of the missing binki was solved later today when I was replacing the empty toilet paper roll.
That's right, Jacob was playing under the sink in the bathroom and stuck his bink inside the toilet paper. Well, at least now I know where it was hiding.

24 Hour Flu

2010-03-14T11:29:00.005-08:00

So, today we are done with a weekend of being sick. Friday night Isaac went to a Hockey game with Grandma. Joe, Jacob and I were sitting around at home. Next thing we know, we are on our way to pick up Isaac because he threw up all over himself, Grandma and the people sitting in front of them. YUCK!

The rest of the night was spent cleaning up "spit-up". Both Isaac and Jacob took turns throwing up until about 4:00 in the morning. I don't think I have ever had to do laundry at 2am before. We went through all of our sheets, all our pillows, and about 95% of our blankets. By the time we went to sleep around 4am, all we had left were Jacob's baby blankets.

Now this wouldn't have been all that bad, accept both Joe and I were not doing so hot ourselves. I felt like I would be sick for most of the night, and same with Joe. I spent an hour up by myself after the boys had finally gone to sleep... freezing, and trying to eat something to help my tummy, and give the baby something to survive on. I was in bed by 6am and then the boys were up again by 8am. Man!

Saturday was better, no throwing up, but still feeling sick and very, very tired. I spent the day doing load after load of laundry. Plus I had to take both bed spreads to the Laundromat. Grandma went and bought us new pillows and delivered them. Thanks Momma! Then when we thought it was finally over, the house was clean and put back together, both kids in jammies and ready for bed.... We can't find Jacob's last binki. I'm guessing he must have thrown it away when we weren't looking, because we searched for it for over an hour and couldn't find it.

Of course we buy his binki's at the Natural Pantry, which was closed already. Lucky for us, I know everyone who works at the store. I called Jared and he got the binki's for us before he locked up the store for the night. Then he even brought them to our house. You are awesome Jared, Thank You!

A little more than 24 hours after it all started, we were in bed and done with it all! We woke up after 9 wonderful hours of sleep, feeling much better. Thank you Heavenly Father for only letting it last for 24 hours!

Handsome Mason Boys

2010-03-01T21:14:00.005-09:00

They are just too cute for words! Even if I say so myself.

Thank You Great Grandma Afton for the awesome church clothes! These boys have never looked so good!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2010-02-25T21:03:00.003-09:00

My Sweet Baby Boy is One Year old today! It's hard to believe one year ago today I was in the hospital marveling at how Beautiful he is... and wondering "How on earth did Joe and I produced a red head?!" Hahaha
I made his cake for his party on Saturday.

But we couldn't let the day pass without some little celebration. I made a few cupcakes so our little family could sing and enjoy the evening together.

Isaac got to help blow out the candle,

but not before Jacob tried to put it out with his fingers. Yikes!

I think he liked his first cupcake!

And here he is showing off his new walking skills!

I can't believe my little angel is one already! I am so blessed to have him as my own!

Happy Birthday Baby! I Love you more than you will ever know!

When I get bigger...

2010-02-23T13:19:00.002-09:00

We have been watching the Olympics pretty often since they started. Isaac enjoys seeing all the cool things the athletes can do. He likes the skiing, and even the couples figure skating, but he wasn't so impressed with the men's figure skating....
Isaac: Where's the girl?
Mom: There isn't a girl, it's just the boy skating.
Isaac: Why?
Mom: Because sometimes the boys skate with girls and sometimes the boys skate all by themselves.
Isaac thinks about this for a minute... then says, "I don't like it! I like it when the Mommy skates with the Daddy."
Too cute!

Also, whenever Isaac sees something he likes this is his usual response....
"Maybe when I get a little bit bigger I can do that!"
Dad: "You want to try skiing fast like those guys, when you get bigger?"
Isaac: "Yeah, I will do that when I get bigger, and Jacob too!"

I love my sweet boy! I'm glad he has things to look forward too...
When he gets a "little bit bigger"

Monday... I'll start on Monday!

2010-02-09T21:24:00.003-09:00

Have you ever said that to yourself? Weather it was a diet, or working out, or reading or cleaning or whatever it may be that you have set in your mind to start? I've said that many times in my life and usually Monday comes and goes and it never gets done.

Well, this week Monday was a very big day at the Mason house. Isaac started his first day of potty training. No more diapers, just underwear all day and pull-ups for naps and bedtime. All in all, it went really well. Only one accident. And day 2, no accidents! Pretty darn good, if you ask me. (oh, by the way, I welcome any and all tips on trainning, I have no idea what I'm doing)

Also, Jacob must have said to himself "Monday... hmm... a good day to start walking". He, all of a sudden, started taking 3 and 4 steps all on his own. He only does it when he wants too, but still, very exciting!

So, the next time you say to yourself "Monday... that's when I'll start... (whatever)". Just think, sometimes Monday is a good day to try something new.

Isaac's 3rd Birthday!

2010-01-28T16:56:00.005-09:00

My sweet baby boy turned three years old yesterday. I can't believe how fast these 3 years have gone by. I remember my Mom always telling me that time goes by way too fast when you are a mom, but I never really understood until now.

I look at my Isaac and my Jacob and can't believe how amazingly blessed I am to be their mom.

I get to be the one to take care of them and help them learn and grow every day. At times I feel so incapable of caring for 2 kids. But then Isaac will give me a sweet smile and hug and everything is better in that second.

I love you my "sweet thing"!

Oh, if I haven't mentioned it before.... Isaac is crazy about Hockey! He loves to play, talk about, watch, read and sing any and all things hockey.

Merry Christmas and ... Happy New year?

2010-01-01T11:07:00.007-09:00

Christmas Eve we had Christmas with Grandma Afton and the rest of "Grandpa's side of the family". All the kids got in their jammies and took pictures in front of the Christmas tree.

Christmas morning stared around 7:45 at our house. The boys had fun opening their stockings and gifts in their new Christmas PJ's. Jacob wasn't real impressed with his own gifts so he had to check out Big brother's loot.

Then we tried to get a picture of them in their matching jammies... Jacob wasn't very happy about it though. He was ready for a little nap.
After showers, breakfast (which my sweet husband made for us), and Jacob had a quick nap, we got a few family pictures in front of the Christmas Tree. Then it was off to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas time with the rest of the family.

The day after Christmas all the kids and the Mom's went to the Anchorage Museum. First we got a few pictures in front of the giant Christmas tree they have in the main Hall. (these kids are very well trained for pictures now)

Then we spent over an hour exploring the kids floor. It was lots of fun! Toys, building a house, tops, fishing, sailing boats, toy chandeliers, magnet shapes, tinker toys and more!

After the Museum the Dad's and Autumn went to see Avatar in XD 3D. You should see this movie!

New years eve was spent and our house again this year. We ordered pizza, Grandma brought a bag full of food, chips, drinks, bread, artichoke dip... Jason and Dad spent most of the night working on a project across town but joined us later. Mom went to the Aces game, and came later too. Jared and Joe spent most of the night playing video games. The kids ran and screamed and ate and played all over the house while Rachal, Jessica and I chatted.

Latter we tried to see how many kids we could cram into one bathtub. They had fun even though they could barely move. Alysa put a bucket on her head, it was quite cute.

Jacob was very tired and thought he needed to have every piece of food he could see. After everyone got to our house around 10:30 we started a game of "Scum" (a card game). Little Jacob fought till the very end but he finally gave in to his tired eyes. And fell asleep in Daddy's arms. So cute!

At about 11:15 most everyone in the house looked very tired, well except for the kids. Someone said maybe we should pull out the sparkling cider and celebrate early so we can all go home and get some sleep. Well, that's just what we did.... At 11:23pm the Sundberg, Reidel and Mason families rang in the "New Year". We know it's lame, but we did it anyway. Then everyone packed up and went home. Ten minutes after everyone was out the door. Joe Isaac and I sat on the couch and watched the ball drop in New York City. Happy New Year Everyone!

Who would have thought?!

2009-12-27T20:00:00.005-09:00

Well you might think I'm crazy, but we're ready and very excited! Check out the yellow signs!If you can't see the signs they say:

Baby Sundberg Due January 8th, 2010.

Baby Boy Riedel Due March 14th 2010.

And Baby Mason Due August 13th 2010.This will only happen once in a lifetime! All three Sundberg women are pregnant at the same time.

Rachal has 2 weeks to go, Jessica a is about 7 months and I'm about 7 weeks! As you can see the older siblings are excited too! Yeah for babies!

Christmas Time!

2009-12-09T20:43:00.004-09:00

Sledding down Grandma and Grandpa's back driveway! So much fun!

And a good workout for Grandpa.
Isaac loves Playing in the snow and making a snowman and snow angels. Poor little Jacob is not so impressed with the cold wet snow. It doesn't help that he can barely move in all his snow gear. He looks like a blue Marshmallow.

Jacob's First Christmas! Hanging his stocking!

Decorating the tree with my two baby boys.

Isaac hung the rest of our stockings for us.

Baby boy has decided he only likes to sleep with Mommy now. He used to be such a good little sleeper. Now it's like pulling teeth trying to get him to sleep in his crib at night.

This year I joined Joe in his hunt for a Christmas Tree. We drove out toward Hope and tromped around in the knee-deep snow to find our Tall, Tall tree. We ended up cutting about 4 feet off after we got it home, because it was too tall for our house. But I still really like it! It looks even better with all the lights and ornaments. (pictures to come)

Soon Auntie Jessica, Uncle Jared and Alysa will be home and we will have more and more fun! We love Christmas time!

Wisdom teeth and nursing...

2009-11-17T12:53:00.004-09:00

So, this Thursday I am having all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled. Yikes! I'm a little nervous about that but what I'm really worried about is how things are going to go after they are out. Of course I'm a little concerned about the pain and discomfort. But because of the drug they are going to give me, I will not be able to nurse little Jacob for at least 24 hours.

I have milk in the freezer for him, but he hasn't taken a bottle since he was about 6 weeks old. So, I'm really hoping that he will be OK without Mommy's milk for a little while. Wish me luck and keep me a baby Jacob in your prayers. I hope we survive Thursday night!

He's on the move!

2009-11-12T14:02:00.002-09:00

My Baby Boy is crawling! For over 6 weeks now(since he was 7 months old) he's been going and going and going. And he couldn't be happier. As you can see, he's loving life now that he doesn't have to wait for Mom to get him were he wants to go.

He has found every cabinet door in the house and explored each one thoroughly.

Next he will be walking, he already pulls himself up and scoots along the furniture pretty well.

Yeah Jacob!

New Bathroom, not so easy...

2009-10-22T13:36:00.005-08:00

So, about 6 months ago I decided our bathroom was starting to drive me crazy. Yucky dirty tile, a bath tub that would sink when filled with water, floors that were cracked and ugly (and not real tile, just the stick on stuff), plus mold all around the unsealed tub and tile, and nothing matched!

Well at the time we couldn't afford to spend a few hundred dollars to fix it. But about a month ago I decided I couldn't stand it anymore. As you can see in the pictures it was pretty bad. I felt bad bathing my kids in such a yucky tub.

So, I called up Dad and asked him how to start this project.

Day #1: Demolition Day!

I know it may sound weird but I had a lot of fun tearing out the walls of my bathroom. The hard part was getting it all cleaned up after it was all done.

Do you see the black stuff on the plastic? Yeah, that's mold! Gross! Day # 2: Fixing the plumbing for our new Faucet.

I pretty much stood and watched my dad do this, for a few hours.

Day # 3: Sheet Rock, Mud and Taping.

This of course took several days to allow drying time between each layer or mud and sanding before each layer.

Day #4: Securing the Tub and Tiling bath and silicone.

We picked just your standard square white tile, but added a little color with a strip of blue and white glass tile. (It doesn't look great in these pictures, but believe me it look awesome!)

Day #5: Removing Old Floor, Remove Toilet

I pulled up the old "tile" floor (which took a few hours) being very careful not to hurt the floor underneath so we wouldn't have to replace it.

Of course after Dad came over and removed the toilet we found that part of the floor was molded all the way through to the sub-floor. Lame! Which led us to...

Day #6: Cutting a big hole in the floor and replacing it with new, not moldy wood.

Luckily, Day #6 was a Saturday, so we (me and Dad) were able to fix the floor and get it tiled, all in one day! You wouldn't believe how long it takes to tile such a small area. Here I am putting adhesive on each of the tiles, after Dad cut them to size. Also, Dad got the walls re-textured to match the rest of the bathroom.

And Here is the floor all tiled and drying, waiting for grout.

Day #7 and #8: Painting!

Now this is something I could do all on my own. I painted the walls and ceiling a nice clean white that will resist water (good for steamy bathrooms). And I re-stained our yucky cabinets too. Now they look shiny and new... kind of. Let's just say they look better than before. And the walls don't have a blue tint to them anymore.

Day #9: Grout

Dad helped (mostly did it himself) me grout the bath and floor.

Day #10: Sealing the Grout, reinstalling toilet.

After the grout dries, you have to seal it so it resists water and stains. Yeah, no more going downstairs every time I need to use the bathroom.

Day #11: Base boards and finishing touches.

After a lot of work we finally got to put on the rubber base boards around the bathroom. Then install my new shiny towel racks and shower fixtures. Everything looks so awesome! I love my new bathroom! It all matches! We have fancy new tiles in the tub, nice tiles floors and matching accessories! I'm so happy it's done!

So, I'm sure we worked more days than I actually listed, and I'm sure there were lots of steps that I forgot we did throughout the whole process. So, my advice to anyone wanting to remodel their bathroom... Plan on a lot of hard work, get help from someone with experience, and plan on spending more money than you might think. There are always unexpected expenses. But, in the end it is all worth it!

And even though I fell like I watched my Dad more than I worked... I had a lot of fun and I learned a lot! Maybe next time I want to remodel a bathroom, I can do most of the work myself.

Thank you Daddy for all of your hard work! I never could have done it without you!

The Driving Game

2009-10-08T14:47:00.006-08:00

Better know as Mario Cart Wii... is called simply "the driving game" at the Mason house. Isaac loves to play with Daddy or Mommy. He started out with just turning the wheel and not getting anywhere. But soon learned how to make his car go and go where he wants it to go. Which some of the time is right off the course into the water, lava or just off the nearest cliff. He thinks it's funny to see his car disappear off the edge.
But after some coaching from Mom and Dad, Isaac can drive his way (with a few wrong turns now and then) through most of a race. Usually completing 2 laps before everyone else completes all three to finish the course. It is really quite amazing! And lots of fun to watch him get excited about getting "A Bullet" or "Star" that help him along in the race. For those of you who have never played this game, you just have to try it. It's a ton of fun!

Joe is convinced that Isaac's Christmas gift this year will be his own controller and wheel so we can all play together. Instead of he or myself having to watch while the other plays with our sweet Isaac.
Is it good that my 2 and 1/2 year old knows how to play a video game already? Maybe not, but it's and activity our family enjoys together. Even little Jacob likes to watch the cars and colors go flying by on the big TV screen!

Cabin Trip

2009-09-27T21:15:00.004-08:00

Labor day Weekend we decided to head out of town to our friends' cabin for a night. We hiked in with the Isaac and Jacob and half of our stuff. It took a long time but the sun was shinning and the lake was beautiful! Jacob got to ride in the baby carrier, he was kicking and talking the whole way as we tramped through the woods and climbed over fallen trees next to the water. Isaac made his Daddy carry him most of the time, but when he did walk he did pretty well getting around the obstacles.

Isaac got his first fishing lessons with Daddy. Joe would cast and Isaac would reel it back in. I think they both had fun even though the biggest fish they caught was only 3 inches long.

We only stayed one night, but it was a beautiful night. We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the prefect weather. Isaac helped collect driftwood to build our fire and threw lots and lots of rocks in the water.

Later we went for a ride in the boat, Thanks to Jared & Sarah who brought it out with them. We had a lot of fun! Thank you Chad and Jenn for being so willing to share your beautiful property with us!

Smile!.... Please?

2009-09-03T15:15:00.007-08:00

We took the kids to Sears to get pictures a few weeks ago. I think they turned out really great! Even Alysa's crying pictures is super cute! I love these kids!

End of Summer Blues

2009-08-31T21:18:00.003-08:00

You know that feeling when you know everything is going to change soon and you can't help but feel a little sad? Well for the last few weeks that's how I've felt. It's the end of summer and everything is changing.

We were so lucky to have Jessica, Jared and Alysa home all summer. And we got to play and see them almost everyday. It was great! But of course they had to leave and go back to school in Utah. So sad to see my cute little niece wave and yell good-bye to her cousins at the airport, knowing we wont see her again until Christmas time.

Then there's Jamie Rose... it's so much fun to have Auntie Jamie around to play and sing and go to the park with all summer. But now she's a big 1st grader and has to be back in school. And with Jamie back in school Grandma is at work a lot more, so no more play dates with her either.

All these things make me a little sad, but it's also nice to have just my boys home with me all day. And then have time to spend with my Hubby after he comes home from work. This week we walked to the park and played by the lake.

Isaac and Jacob had a lot of fun swinging together!

And the boys got to play in the sand (well really it's just wet dirt and rocks). Of course Jacob was trying to eat the rocks most of the time, yucky! It was a lot of fun just our little family!

Peek-a-boo

2009-08-26T22:52:00.004-08:00

The other day I left Jacob and Isaac in the living room for a few minutes. When I came back into the room I found Isaac playing peek-a-boo with Jacob. It was so cute! I couldn't help but run for the camera to get it on video. Enjoy! (I had a better video, but it was too big of a file to upload, it wouldn't work)

I Love that my Baby Boys are Best Friends!

Jacob

2009-08-26T21:56:00.003-08:00

Jacob is now 6 months old and learning many new and exciting things!

He's had his first taste of real food. And has decided there are too many other things to see and do... nursing is no longer important.

Jacob had his first haircut too. Well, kind of... all I did was clean up around his ears and neck a little. The rest is not long enough to bother cutting.

Jacob can put his toes in his mouth. A triumph that his big Brother never achieved (mostly because he was too chunky to fold in half).

He's been sitting up by himself for a few weeks and loves it! Now if only he could crawl! That would make life great for my Baby Boy.

And of course, he makes Mommy smile everyday!

Four Wonderful Years

2009-08-18T19:35:00.004-08:00

Today is our four year anniversary. Four years ago today we were in Laie Hawaii being sealed together for Time and All Eternity.

We have had an amazing 4 years. We have a home we can call our own and two adorable boys to love.

I love you babe! Thank you for being such an amazing husband and wonderful daddy to our boys! I couldn't ask for anything more!

Whittier Picnic

2009-08-06T14:46:00.012-08:00

Monday Morning Mom, Jessica, Autumn, Jamie, Emma, Isaac, Alysa and Jacob piled into two cars and headed out on a day trip to Whittier.

We stopped in Portage for a few minutes to see the water and kill some time before the tunnel opened. It was very windy and cold. My poor boys were in shorts and T-shirts since it was such a nice day. My Isaac didn't want to move, he was too cold. (You can see he

looks quite uncomfortable in this picture) So we got back in the car and let the kids climb around while we waited.

Once we got through the tunnel (which didn't seem so scary when I was driving) we found the waterfall that my mom wanted to come to. We walked up the short trail and found a spot to sit and have our picnic. Then the kids played around in the grass and trees and threw rocks in the water.

After we finished at the falls we went down and walked along the boardwalk and looked at the boats. Then we piled back in the cars and headed home. All the kids passed out on the ride back to Anchorage.

Later that night Jessica picked up some ice cream and we met at Kincaid park for a treat. The kids made a big mess. It was cute! Ice cream is always a good way to end a fun day.

Another Baby on the way!

2009-07-28T10:06:00.003-08:00

Jessica is pregnant! Yeah, I'm so excited my sis is going to have another little one. She's due around March 15th, 2010.

Everyone is pregnant, I'm starting to feel left out. :) Silly I know, especially since I just had a baby 5 months ago. But really... Jessica, Rachal, Manda, Stacia are all prego. I'm sure a few more of my friends will be announcing a baby sometime soon too.

Congrats everyone! I love babies!

Baby on the way!

2009-07-06T15:20:00.003-08:00

No, I'm not expecting a baby. I need at least a year before I start that all over again. :)
Rachal (my sister-in-law) is pregnant!
Last night after family dinner we were all sitting around, chatting, in the living room. Like every Sunday night. Jason kept asking Emma to go get her diaper bag and bring it to him. After a few minutes she finally went and found it. Jason pulled out an envelope and asked Emma to give it to Jessica. It was a birthday card that Rachal had made for her. Jessica opened it and started reading the message inside. Jason kept telling her to read it out loud. Inside it said something like this...
"We weren't sure what to get you for your birthday, so we decided to let you be the first to know Rachal is pregnant! Love, Jason, Rachal, Emma and Baby Sundberg" Included was an ultrasound picture.
Baby is due around January 15th 2010. Yeah! We are all so excited for you Jase and Rach! Congrats! We love you!

We Love Summer!

2009-07-05T16:16:00.005-08:00

This summer has been busy and fun for our family. I love that we are finally getting a good summer in Alaska. It has been sunny and above 60 degrees for most of the summer. Yeah! We have spent a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather, Bike rides a couple times a week (some with just me and my two baby boys), Camping, music in the park twice a week, Barbeque's, lunch dates with friends and drives along the inlet and of course garage sales.

MUSIC IN THE PARK!
This summer we discovered Music in the Park. Down town on 4th and E st, Mondays and Wednesdays, 12-1pm there are bands and groups of musicians that play mini concerts. We pack picnic lunches, usually just PB&J and fruit of some kind, sit in the grass and listen to the fun music. The kids sometimes run around and play and climb the trees nearby. It's great fun for everyone.

LUNCH WITH OLD FRIENDS!
A few weeks ago Kate, one of my best friends from high school contacted me through Facebook. I hadn't talked to her in over 4 years! (Sad, I know) She said she was coming back to Anchorage to visit soon and wanted to get together for lunch. Jessica, another of my best friends I haven't talked to in years, Kate, Alie (Kate's sister) Me, Isaac, Jacob and Rob? (Kate's Boyfriend) all met at Moose's Tooth for lunch. It was fun to catch up and talk about what life used to be like. It's amazing how fast life has changed each of us. But despite 4 years of being apart and each having different lives.... we still are good friends, and I hope it will always stay that way. Good luck in Germany Jessica and Congrats on the Teaching Job Kate! I love you Girls!

CAMPING!
A few weekends ago the whole family (Mom, Dad, Jamie, Jason, Rachal, Emma, Jessica, Jared, Alysa, Joe, Me, Isaac and Jacob) went camping. Or RV-ing, I'm not sure most people would consider this camping. :) We rented an RV and borrowed another and drove down to Kenai for the weekend. We stayed Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning. We cooked over the campfire, had smores, went canoeing on the lake and slept in our nice warm campers. The boys went fishing and the rest of us went swimming at a nearby pool. It was a lot of fun! We got rained on a little bit but overall we had pretty good weather. Of course, with all the clothes and toys I brought I forgot a coat for little Jacob (pretty bad on my part). So he got to wear my sweater all weekend. He looked like a little monk with that big hood on. Goodness he's cute!

GARAGE SALES!

The last few Saturdays, I have gotten up early and snuck out of the house before all the boys wake up. Thanks to my Hubby, who is so willing to let me get out by myself for a few hours, while he watches our boys. I spend the morning with my Mom (and Jessica came one week) hunting all over town for good deals. Most of the time I don't find much (which is good, so I can't spend a lot of money) but it is so nice to have some time to spend with just my Mom and Sis.

One week I came home to this both the boys "burritoed" on the floor. Isaac thought it was really funny to be all wrapped up like Jacob. Cute!

BELUGA POINT!
A few weeks ago I was headed over to visit "Grandma's House". Mom said they were about to drive out to Beluga Point to play on the rocks. We decided to tag along. The drive was beautiful and sunny! When we got there it was very windy! So Jacob and I spent most of the time in the car, while everyone climbed down the the water and played. (Jacob still doesn't like the wind in his face. He gasps and looks like he can barely breath, poor baby!) I did get a few pictures of the family up on the rocks. I love our beautiful state!

This is Mickayla, Isaac's newest Best Friend. Every night when we say prayers with Isaac, we have to remember to say "thank you for Mickayla" otherwise there is lots of crying and screaming. Now that's love! :)

FOURTH OF JULY!

Happy birthday America! and Happy Birthday Jessica!

Friday night we drove out to Eagle River to see the fireworks. I love going out and visiting with friends we haven't seen in a while and watching the fireworks. We bring camping chairs and blankets and watch the fireworks on the church lawn. This year Isaac did not enjoy the noisy show. There was lots of crying and (this is so sad) he was asking to "go home and take a nap". Isaac hates naps! So you know he really doesn't like something if he is willing to take a nap just to get away. My poor boy!

Jacob, on the other hand, sat with me and watched with wide eyes. And about half way through the show, turned toward me and went to sleep. So sweet. Jamie cried through half the show too until Alysa distracted her. My niece, Alysa, the little dare devil, was running around yelling "whooo hooo!", she wasn't bothered at all by the giant bursts of color and chest rattling booms. Nope, she was having a blast! She is so stinking cute! Once Jamie noticed Alysa, Jamie said "why isn't SHE scared?" then stopped crying and enjoyed the rest of the fireworks.

Saturday morning we got up and loaded the kids into my bike trailer. Joe and I (and the boys) rode from our house to the park strip where we met the rest of the family to watch the parade. The parade was fun, nothing terribly exciting, like every year, but still fun to watch. Then we rode home for lunch.

After lunch it was time to get ready for the big Sundberg BBQ/birthday party for Jessica. Of course there was a ton of food. This year the party was kind of quiet. A few friends showed up, but not a huge group like normal. It was kinda nice, a little less crazy and easier to visit with the people who did come. After the guests left we took a few pictures of "the girls" (except little Emma, who spent the week with her Grandma in Kenai). It was a good day! And we even got the boys to bed at a decent time, it was great!

Happy birthday Sis! I love you!

When Grandma & Grandpa Come

2009-06-02T17:06:00.011-08:00

This weekend John and Toni (Joe's Parents) came to stay. Yeah! Sadly, they only got to stay for 2 days. Isaac loved having them here. I think he remembered John from being here last summer. They were best friends right away and as soon as Toni gave Isaac a toy car, they were great friends too. Jacob was his usual smiley self. He loved Grandma and Grandpa's visit too.

Sunday the entire family and a few friends came to church with us to give Jacob his Name and Blessing. Joe gave the blessing, John, Dad (Bob) Bishop Kimpton, Josh, and Ben were in the circle. Thank you everyone for coming to share Jacob's special day with us!

Later that night we had a steak dinner at Mom and Dad's, thank you Mom! Then visited until almost 11pm.

Monday, Joe took the day off so we could spend all day with "Grandma and Grandpa". After sleeping in and playing in the backyard with Isaac's new soccer ball (thank you Grandpa John!). We finally decided to go to Whittier for lunch and to explore. I exchanged cars with Dad (thank you Daddy!) It was much more fun that we could all ride in one car together.

When we got to the Whittier tunnel, we had a 40 minute wait. So, we got out and played along the road in the rocks and watched the train go by. Isaac really liked seeing the train. He also liked the tunnel, I wasn't so excited about it. That tunnel is long and a little scary.

When we got through the tunnel we stopped at John's favorite "fish and chips" place in Alaska. It's called "Varley's Swiftwater Seafood". Toni bought us lunch, it was very good! Thanks Toni! Then we looked in a few of the little shops around town.

Isaac really wanted to "go see water over there". So, after a short drive we found another of John's favorite stops. A picnic area on the river that overlooks the entrance to the ocean. It was beautiful! The boys climbed down to the rock bed and skipped rocks for about and hour while Toni, Jacob and I watched from up the hill. It was a perfect day. Sunny, warm, no wind and no bugs!

We spent the rest of the night relaxing at home, ordered pizza, played a game, watched some TV. Then with hugs and a few tears (of course I was the one who was crying) we said goodbye. Joe dropped John and Toni at the airport around midnight. We are so happy you could come and visit, we wish we could see you more often! Hopefully Christmas will come soon! We love you!

Sanity but no Salery

2009-05-27T15:56:00.004-08:00

OK, so a little over 3 months ago, I decided to stop doing childcare. It just wasn't worth the stress for the little bit of money I was making. And now that I have two boys to take care of, I'm very grateful to not have other kids to care for too (it would just be to much). But with that decision, I gave up the extra couple hundred dollars a month that I was making. At the time, I was more than willing to give that up, but now... our savings is not quite what it used to be. I have visited the Employment Resource Center at the church, but they haven't been able to find anything that I can do at home that isn't childcare.

They did give me a website http://ratracerebellion.com/ that is dedicated to "work from home" jobs. The site is great, but I am not qualified for most of the jobs. I did however try doing Paid Surveys, but they just didn't work out for me. So, here I am loving my life without a "job", but wishing I could find a way to contribute to our family bank account. Does anyone have any advice? Job ideas? Let me know, because I could really use the help.

First Ride

2009-05-23T18:58:00.003-08:00

Jacob is almost 3 months old already. It's hard to believe how fast time goes sometimes. Of course it depends on your perspective. Three months of being pregnant can seem like an eternity! Right Stacia? :) But after having your baby it seems like days go by pretty fast.

Jacob has had quite a few mile stones in his little life already. He's been to Hawaii for the first time (I'll put pictures up of that soon), Stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's while Mom and Dad went on a date (we didn't leave Isaac until he was almost a year old), and just this week he went on his first bike ride! Yeah! We ordered a double trailer for the kids but it is still on back order. So for the last few weeks we've been impatiently waiting to go for the first ride of the year. Then I decided to borrow a trailer from a friend, Thanks Jen and Chad! We have used it a few times already, and we're leaving for another ride in a few minutes. :)

Joe and I were very proud of ourselves last night. We rode our bikes all the way up to Kincaid park. That might not sound like much, but for those of you who have pulled a 20 pound trailer with a 35 pound kid inside going up a 3mile hill, all with the wind in your face... it's not an easy thing to do. (This year I am pulling Isaac, I got the heavy kid, Joe got the easy one ;) And this was only our 2nd ride of the year. That is quite an accomplishment, even if I say so myself!

Presenting the Class of 2021!

2009-05-21T22:13:00.009-08:00

Today my baby sister Jamie graduated from Kindergarten. There was a ceremony where the class walked (very slowly) into the classroom to Pomp and Circumstance. It was very cute to see them walk, "right, together. left together" hehe :)

Then they sang 2 songs that they had learned throughout the year. After their performance each child stood up and told their 3 favorite memories from their kindergarten year. That is what is decorated on their little yellow headbands.

After each student received their certificate of graduation, the parents read their kid's advice for the incoming kindergartners. Some of them were very funny. Others very classic, but overall advice we all could follow.

"Good luck standing in line and being quiet"

"Don't talk during Journal time"

"Listen"
"Be Respectful"

Then Ms. Tami (I'll get to her in a minute) presented the future class of 2021! Amazing to think what life will be like 12 years from now. Congratulations Jamie Rose! I love you! It's hard to believe you will be in 1st grade next year.

PS: There were lost of tears today. Mostly for joy, seeing their cute 6 year old's achieving so much and finishing their first year of school. But some tears of sadness to see Ms. Tami's wonderful teaching career coming to a close.

Now about Ms. Tami.... Tami Phelps is Jamie's Kindergarten teacher. She has been teaching at Denali Montessori school for the past 21 years. Both Jessica and I were in her 1st, 2nd,3rd grade class way back when she first started teaching. And now after teaching Jamie, twenty years later, she is retiring.

Ms. Tami is an amazing person! She was my absolute favorite teacher. After my 3rd grade year she moved to teaching kindergarten. I would hurry and finish my work for the week so I could go back and help in her class. I did that all through 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Then when I was a senior in High School I had "early release" so I would then go back and help in her class at least once a week. Over the years I became very close friends with Ms. Tami. She is, like I said, and amazing person. I have learned so much from her over the years. I am very sad to see her leave Denali. But I am very happy she is taking the opportunity to pursue her career in art. I wish you all the best Ms. Tami. You will be missed very much! Congratulations on your retirement! We love you!

Our Newest Family Member

2009-05-12T14:22:00.006-08:00

Almost eleven weeks ago our newest baby boy was born. Jacob David Mason was born on February 25th at 6am. Even though both Joe and I have dark hair, eyes and skin (well at least I have dark skin) our little Jacob has Red Hair, Blue eyes and very white skin. He is the sweetest little baby ever! His big brother Isaac, just loves him to pieces.

Isaac always wants to hold him...

"My hold him!" (he doesn't say I yet)

And he always asks about his baby brother every morning when he wakes up...

"Mommy, where's Jacob?"

"He's sleeping in his crib"

"Oh, My go see him!"

We are so excited to have our new baby boy!

I want to play too!

2009-05-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,
So for the past few months I have really enjoyed visiting my friend's and family's blogs. It's fun to read about what's going on in their lives and seeing all the fun pictures of their kids. A while back someone told me I should start my own blog, but I didn't think it was anything I would want to do. But now that I am not watching kids (except my own) all day, I thought I might have time to keep up a blog page. It looks like a lot of fun showing off my two adorable boys and getting to design my own pages. Plus it's a good way to keep in touch with people who are living sooo far away (Sis, Stacia, you guys really need to come back to Alaska) So anyways, I decided... I want to play too! I hope everyone enjoys it! Maybe I'll do better with this than my facebook page.