Happy Thanksgiving!

This week starts the craziness of the Holidays- we are traveling to see family this week for Thanskgiving, so we put up our Christmas stuff already! It looks beautiful if I do say so myself! I'll have to post a pic later.

The girls had been sick for a couple weeks' and then I caught it (thanks, girls)... I am not over it yet and it's been a couple weeks for me having sinusy stuff. Yuck. I have been busy taking some pics since the camera is back in commission: enjoy!

Have to go watch Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on Oprah now HAHA... I'll post more when more happens!

Birthday Girl! Me!!

My 27th birthday was amazing thanks to family and friends! I received sooo many well wishes from everyone and I am thankful! Eric sent me beautiful flowers and took me to an awesome dinner (thanks to a friend, Susan and her daughter, Alicia for keeping the girls). Holly will appreciate this- I had the most amazing steak ever. I mean EVER. I also had grilled shrimp with the steak- only making it better... mmm... I can not wait to go back! If you are ever in Belmont, or come to visit, we will go! I came home to a sweet card from the girls (Thanks bella and Tot) and one from the hubby too. Also, there was a gorgeous bedding set I had my eye on that was waiting for me at home! Woohoo! The next day, I went and had cake and ice cream with the family back home. We also took the girls and went with mom to the Christmas Show in Greensboro- craziness. We bought nothing. Ok, a drink. Other than that, nothing. Those women are insane- pushing and shoving for stuff at booths. I am not that tough haha... we had 2 VERY whiny kids, so I was in no mood to fight for anything.

The girls are growing crazily. I can't believe it!

I will write more later. Whining continues....

Fantastic!

Things are going good. Well, better than good. Fantastic. Though I have become better and better aquainted with "Phil, the air guy", who comes to our rescue repeatedly over our NEW AC unit, I am keeping positive! I am sick of something on the new unit not working, and though it is sweet of Phil not to charge to come fix the something-or-other, I am really tired of hearing how his dog is scared of the new lizard on his fence and about his sore shoulder.
The good, no great, part of life is that I made A's on my classes this past session. (Yes, go ahead and yell "YAY" for me!) I am too excited. I do, however, have a passionate, Catholic, VERY Catholic professor for my New Testament class this session. It is a HARD class. I knew it would be as I did decide to attend a private, Catholic school... but man. I just started the new class Wednesday, and walked out with 110 pages to read not counting the book of Romans! I also have to become familiar with a Catholic Study Bible...I had a zillion questions for Eric when I got home and he of course, as many of you probably know, is hardly able to sit in his seat with wanting to refute things and fill my mind with answers, questions, etc. to throw at my poor professor. LOL... at least we do not have a test in there- just 3 papers. (Which Eric will help me on!) My other class is wonderful- Children's Literature. LOVE it. Love the reading, the assignments sound fun...just like my Education in Society class. LOVED it. Miss it. The small school is awesome- we are becoming friends, all of us on this journey, and the teachers email and call you (and invite you to all their cell at anytime) to make sure you are doing great- how awesome is that???
Another great thing: Lauren is CRAWLING! She is zooming. I can't believe my bundle of cuddly cuteness is on the move! The differences in the girls are crazy- Little "Tot" is so different than Bella- she loves being cuddled, just coos all the time and is so laid-back. Bella always wanted her alone time, hated being cuddled and is so headstrong. LOL... she is a genious though. The other day I noticed something black on B's face-
I said "Bella, what is all over your face?"
Her reply: "Issa BUG"
It was not a bug in fact, but dirt...she had just learned what a BUG was the day before! (not much but come on, she's 18 months!!)
Bella also has a British accent. I love it! She says "momay" stressing the "ay" part, as well as "ello"... so cute.
Pray I get Bella into the MMO program I am trying for... she's on a waiting list and it's a good program for her. 2 days a week with other kids, playing outside and learning about Jesus at a great church here!
Eric and I are awesome. Marriage is awesome. We had date night last night which was... yep, awesome. Steak and holding hands and staring at each other.. does it get better? (Umm, no.)
Took the girls to Tweetsie last week. Sooo much fun. They had a blast from the past. Hardy har har. Thought they would freak at the train, but they LOVED it. Even Tot- she threw her little chubby hands in the air at the wind blowing her face! :) I will post pics soon!!! Very soon!!
(Promises, Promises).
Congrats to the marrying couple this weekend. We will be there with bells on!

Has it been that long?

I can't believe it's been so long since I wrote. Time flies when your life is insane!! School is so fun- really really fun. My professors are awesome and one has become a friend, my classmates are amazing women and so great to talk with. It's like a mini vacation to go to class! My first 8 week session is almost over and the next one starts the next week! No breaks here!

Eric and I are taking the girls to the mountains next weekend and to Tweetsie for their first time. I expect Bella to be mostly terrified at everything and Tot to not care as long as she can reach her feet to play with, but Eric and I are excited! :)

Again- kudos to Eric for the awesome job he does with the girls. He kept them again last night while I was at school and put Bella to bed. When she woke this morning to mommy instead of her daddy being there, she honestly looked disappointed! (as i tear up again)... all day she has been saying "Dadeee!" and looking out the window. Thanks a lot. haha. I will get over this.

I have tons of things I could say and I will later, for now, my ramen noodles are boiling and you know those suckers are done in no time.. lol... i never had these things while in college and now i am obsessed!! Oh and guess what... Eric has officially lost 40 lbs!! He looks amazing- not kidding. What a blessed woman I am. Now if I could just lose 15 more... agh! (Back to my carb lunch...)

Props to my husband and his stellar fathering skills...

So this week has been insane- no really- INSANE. I could type 100 pages on the epic saga called "our air conditioning", but I will keep it short- we had a whole new system put in- we got sick of the junk. Phil put it in (thanks Phil)... except he was 2 hours late, scared of our dog and was a talker. I usually will talk. But not when I have a hungry baby on my hip and I am sweating in 80 degree hotness and holding back a large boned shepherd. Oh, and watching Bella. Ok, trying to see if I can guess what Bella is pounding against the wall in her room by the sound of the object. Phil took 5 hours. That night- Tuesday night- Eric was telling me it wasn't working. I couldn't accept that as fact. I had to stop myself from crawling upstairs and taking the thing apart. Phil was called Wednesday morning. He says it should have come with freon in it- apparently it didn't. Phil orders a new system and is supposed to be here today. Have I seen Phil, you ask? Of course not. I dare say Phil is probably sitting in the AC at the nearest Smoker Friendly having what he calls his "gatorade fix".

On to more insanity. Monday night I had my first class. LOVE the school. LOVE my classmates. LOVE my teachers. Went awesome. Was assigned more work than humanly possible. I spend that night, Tuesday (in between dealing with Phil and Bella literally hanging on my leg from fear of Phil) and Wednesday till class reading 80 pages of text and doing a written assignment. By the grace of God, I went into class prepared. Last night, got out at 10:15, walked through scary lightening to my car, home at 10:30. Woohoo, kids bathed, 1 in bed, both fed and happy- and my dear husband is still standing (and smiling)!!! On to my husband being AMAZING...

So Eric has been my biggest cheerleader (sorry E for the cheer analogy) through this whole school thing. He soothed and calmed my fears, copied things, faxed things, tells me to go read or take a break while he watches the girls, and volunteered to keep the kids as much as needed- with joy and excitement even. He greets me at the door with a smile and no complaints- even when I know things have been tough, he says "it went good". I am humbled by his selflessness. When I say he's an amazing father- I wish you could see him with them. He's the only one besides Bella who can make Lauren laugh hysterically and the only one who can get Bella to laugh when tickled. He gets worried and becomes a total softy when they need something and then toughens when Bella has gotten into something. The sweetest thing is when he melts at her "i'm so sorry" look and has to hug her close. I'm so glad I have him. :)

Now that I have vented and given my props, I must patiently wait for Phil and his gatorade to show.

Updates to come (and pics- promise)...

school!!!

School starts Monday- shocking! Eric and I went to get my books and handle some last minute things at BAC (Belmont Abbey College) yesterday. It was so hot I thought we would die, but we took time to see some of the buildings and the Basilica and it is truly beautiful and peaceful. Since it is a Catholic school, there are many northerners there ;) which I am happy to meet and befriend... I am also excited to learn more about the Catholic faith. Not that I will convert lol.. I do however think we could learn much from them. Eric and I were talking about how reverent they are- every building has a statue, a cross, is silent and gothic looking. There is an air of formality and holiness. I can't wait to spend time praying and thinking in their gardens and chapel. I however was not used to spending so much on books! Agh! It costs so much to learn something, doesn't it?

I am excited that we finally decoded what Bella has been saying constantly- she was babbling something the last few weeks that sounded like "bareberrrrr"....

It's "Thank You"!!! We found out by trying to say things she would repeat after us and finally we said could it be thank you?! and sure enough, after we said it, she said "bareberrrr" over and over. At least it's something good =)

Little Tot is rolling over and over now and giggling at sister exclusively. lol... a nice way of saying when Bella is around, mommy and daddy don't matter much. I am happy about that though- we will try to raise them to love each other and be best friends... none of this jealousy fighting stuff!

I am serious about some friends going with us when we renew our vows in Mexico... 2 years from now- summertime, date forthcoming... for our 5th anniversary, we'd like to have friends come with us to the resort we stayed in for our honeymoon. It's also a great friends spot, no kids allowed... all inclusive, $3000 for 7 nights, 8 days... (may change over time tho).... flight included... you must join us friends... email me if interested.

Mucho love!!!

wedding, visit and it's almost fall!!!

So, it was awesome last week to see old college friends and to see Richard and Rachel *finally* tie the knot! I was so excited for them!! There couldn't be 2 better people in this world. Bella enjoyed watching all the kids near the cake and Lauren liked being held and cooed at. =)

In other fantastic news, we had an awesome weekend this past weekend with Angela... she came Friday night and (thank you beyond words) gave me all her old elementary ed school stuff to study by and use! What an awesome thing to have someone who can lend a hand and ear and whatever else you need! We talked endlessly and Eric had to endure old memories and 4 women in the house. Glenn had to go to Mississippi to play with his band, so Eric was guyless. It was also a happy surprise to see Ang's mom, stepdad and brother on Sunday for lunch. They drove down from Raleigh. It was so empty here after they left!!

I am happy to tell you the AC is doing much better... since it's back in the 90's, we are at a cool 77 here in the house. Eric and I are talking about a getaway to the mountains soon...

I start school next Monday! Can you believe it? I have so much to do.. and this week you will find me with the elementary schoolers in the school supply aisle. =)

Keep cool! I saw leaves falling yesterday and got excited- only a month more of this intense heat!

Is this a joke???

I am not joking when I tell you the worst case scenario has happened in our house- get ready....

OUR AIR CONDITIONING IS NOT WORKING. On Friday, I was up in the morning getting everything together to wash, cleaning, taking care of kids' stuff so we could go away for the weekend when I glanced at the thermostat- it seemed warm... yup, 79 degrees and I just KNEW. It was broken- we have had 3 different issues with the thing. I am told by the repairmen that the devil incarnates that built these "cookie cutter homes" put in the cheapest of the cheap plumbing, HVAC, etc.... whatever will barely meet code... and when I say barely- I mean, our house is 4 years old and you aren't allowed to use our HVAC unit any longer because it no longer meets code. Soooo... be careful when buying or building! Get an inspector! Ask what will need to be replaced!!! For a new unit that is efficient and up to standard, we will be spending at least $2000! My parents just changed their unit after- wait for my tears to subside- 30 years. And I never remember it breaking or having problems- ok, it caught on fire once, but it even worked after that. Sorry for my venting....

Now, I know you are wondering if we are melting into Gunter goo... let me assure you- I thought when we got back last night we might. It was 85 in the house and we were scrambling getting the kids ready to pick up some window units till we get it fixed... they were screaming, hot, I was tired, Eric was stressed- and it was 85 at NIGHT! Today the high is 101. Thank you Lord that WalMart is open all night and 10 minutes away... the units work heavenly and a man is coming tonight to see what the issue is now. (We are doing minor repairs on it till we put in a new one)....

Be thankful you are cool. I got a dose of reality when we were that hot and am now more terrified of hell than ever before. - just for those at the wedding that said I always put what I learned at the end of my blogs.... ;) If it's as hot there as it is outside here, I would do whatever necessary to stay outta there. (Not that I need to worry) =)

I am envious of Karen in her gorgeous California weather all the time ;) although I am still waiting for everyone to move back to NC- you know who you are- Carey, Bub, Karen, Angela... so we can raise our kids together and laugh like old times! Oh well- who's first?

Old and New Things...

A pic of my wonderful friends... at Bobbi's going away party (sniff, sniff)... I miss you Bobbi!!! I thought everyone looked especially fabulous in this, so I had to post it.





Wanna hear about my day? That'll be fun- I woke at 7 to Bella talking (she went to bed at 8:30 last night- SHOCKER!) fed, changed, played, cleaned the floors, did laundry, kid stuff again... you get the picture. Now that I think of it, you probably don't care about that at all. lol...





It's been a wild ride this summer- with new baby and Eric's job and adjustments... and just as we seem to be getting the hang of things... I will be starting school. Ha! Life is hilarious. And fun. I am toooo excited to be alongside the little kids in the school supply aisle fighting over cute folders and notebooks. (This weekend since it's tax free btw). I may look ridiculous, but nothing can steal this joy I have at the thought of my awesomely crafted future. And the absolute best part: Eric is almost MORE excited than me. He loves all things learned and thus adores the idea of soaking up info off my schooling- even if it is about little kids. =) I was also excited to learn we got another extra $1000 toward school... woohoo... we have more than enough now for the whole shebang. Praise God for His blessings! We have been praying about this now for a few years and the time is right. Perfect, I see now, because I wouldn't have wanted to trade my time with the girls before they start school.





Update: Bella's vocab is growing as is her strong will and Lauren is rolling over and trying to crawl! I plead with her to "stay little"!!!























Despite my triple chin, I put this photo here... It reminds me of our awesome time in Southport with no kids. ... maybe again someday... =)

no time! posh and becks!

Tooo much to do and NO time to do it!!! Does anyone else feel this way? Oh my gosh, I have to get this house clean before my in-laws come this weekend... didn't I say that on the last blog too? =)

I wish I could say that would be an easy task, and forgive me for venting, but it will not be as we have made the guest room mostly storage without really meaning to. Not to mention (and yet I am) the rest of the house is in shambles. Ok, not that bad really. Just toys everywhere in the living room and clothes to put away in our room... that sounds simple and yet I get overwhelmed when going into our room. I know someone who actually has a schedule she goes by and does things on that same day each month and even scrubs her baseboards regularly.. I feel like a schlup. LOL... Bella is running around with a mismatched outfit on, cookie all over her face from this morning, and Tot is in SERIOUS need of a bath... and yet I sit and write a blog. It's true what I saw someone said earlier... sometimes that laundry just needs to SIT.

I saw on Oprah that your bedroom needs to be a sanctuary- no one can make love in a pigsty (forgive me for this openness but seriously- we DO have 2 babies...) it is so true- you can't feel sexy in a mess. I bought a GORGEOUS vase to put in our bedroom as motivation. So far, it just makes me sad to see it in the midst of papers, diapers and books on our dresser. I need that clean sweep show to come to our house and help me organize! I drool when looking at storage containers! (Who would have ever thought that would happen!!)

Anyway, who wants to hear about my junk? ;) More interestingly and more wonderfully, I have found out recently that my schooling at Belmont Abbey is paid in full and then some!!! Praise Jesus! Seriously, I thank Him and give all credit to Him. I have been praying about this, and was shocked to find that through grants and scholarship, and only 1 miniscule loan, I will be debt free through this adventure. I was really concerned about it as it is a private school. ($$$) So, woohoo! I am on my way! I can't tell you how excited I am- Thankfully, Ang has done this before me - after her fashion degree, so I will be getting her help =)

I am about to confess something that you might would think I would be embarrassed about- but I am not. I am obsessed with David and Victoria Beckham. Yes, I sat glued to the TV watching her coming to america special and I look at all available new pics of the couple. I am just transfixed- not just at their stardom, but she is actually a great mom, and he- a great soccer player. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at Victoria's class and grace on her tv debut... she seems genuine and over the top at the same time. The way she says "fantastic" and "major" made me laugh and gave me the desire to start up a british accent and say things like knickers and bloke.

wedding revisited

To commemorate me finding the cd with our wedding pics, I thought some of you may not have seen these... how romantic! I wish I could relive the day!

Happy times! I will post an album on Facebook and maybe myspace soon... it's getting harder to keep up with all these sites... =)

I also have random pics of people at the wedding I will send to them- there are some good ones of couples we know!

trees and kisses

Yay for our new crepe myrtle tree Eric planted in the front yard this weekend. I love the little tree already and what I know it will become! I have found I love being out digging in dirt, spreading mulch and creating a great little world on the outside of the house. With these babies of course I cannot do this as much as I would like, but as Eric says... only a FEW more years before they're out. LOL... We did not get a whole lot done this weekend- I have said for weeks we need to clean the entire house and that never gets done. We sleep as late as possible Saturday and then do our pancake breakfast (Bella gets baby ones =), and after feeding and playing we are worn out and want a nap. We did go to nurseries looking for plants and shrubs. After digging a ginormous hole for the crepe myrtle, Eric was spent. Though I did not get everything clean for the in-laws coming to stay in a couple weeks, there is still time for a vacuuming and quick shove-it-in-the-closet. Too bad they are bringing the boat and I can't yet enjoy it since the girls are too little to ride.

I see now that I should applaud those with babies and how they maintain cleanliness and schedules, bathtub and brushing teeth. Bella is LOVING the bath- so much so that I cannot on my own at times remove her from it. Tot HATES a bath, so she screams until it is over.

Bella is trying to learn to blow kisses... she puts her hand to her mouth but then she whoops like a little indian. She also does peek-a-boo by putting her hands over her ears. Oh well. We'll work on it =) I think it's cute that when Tot (Lauren), is in her crib playing with her feet (her fave activity now), and you walk up and talk to her, she gives this huge grin and gets so excited you think she'll catapult herself out onto the floor.

Must give snack and bottle!

New Blog! And a shout out!

So a new blog from us Gunters, hopefully some from moi and some from my more genious better half. (When I can lure him to the computer to type something)... I know we had a blog before, but seeing as how that one was completely dedicated to our first little one without the knowledge we would have an even NEWER little one, we feel it is time to pay homage to BOTH our new little ones (ok, and us too).

So, little Isabella Kate is now 15 months and acting every bit of 2 or 3 years old. She is genious (no really) =) and has run of the house. She is babbling lots, saying many actual words such as Mom-EE (emphasis on EE!), Dad-EE (the ee part being squealed as high as she can go), Nana (for food and derived from banana), bah (for ball), bubby (for baby sister)... I will list more later. She is looking forward to accepting her oscar one day and practices making exaggerated expressions, throwing her head back when laughing (at nothing in particular) and dancing. She is loving: Jake- HER dog, sister, anytime someone gets excited at her achievements (she claps and laughs), books, target commercials, m&m commercials and the theme to Young and the Restless.

Little Lauren Sarah will be 5 months and is giggling, babbling and wiggling. She is very strong and looks as though she will walk soon. =) She is every bit the drama queen already, batting her eyelashes and raising her eyebrows. Where do these kids get this from? She is a bit of a little chub, but Mommy and Daddy think this makes her cute and cuddly. She enjoys holding bright objects and being tickled, watching sister and eating.

Thanks for reading and wanting to keep up with us! More to follow- right now I have both down for a nap and they have to eat... never ends, right? If anyone is bored, come visit and hold a baby! =)

I wanted to give a shout to Richard and Rachel, whose wedding is coming up. We can't wait to see you and share this blessed day with you. We are praying for a wonderful and happy lifetime of love!!! We love you both!

Mucho love and blessings!