Gunn Family Vacation 2011

We try to go on a big family vacation with my Dad every other summer - usually to visit his sisters in St. Louis. Last year was supposed to be our summer to go, but I had just had Noah and didn't feel up to the trip. So we started planning then for this summer. Well, my brother Eli and his wife got a surprise pregnancy and couldn't make it and other family member couldn't make it for other reasons, so at the last minute we switched it to a week in Branson. Since Eli's wife was so far along she wasn't allowed to travel so we took their daughters Savannah and Eliza Nell with us. We also took my nephew Christian. So, the 7 of us headed up for 4 nights and 5 days in the Grand Country Inn hotel in Branson!

The hotel had an indoor waterpark and was perfect for the kids! We would swim, go to the room and eat, then head back to the waterpark! We went and rode go-carts, walked to the ice cream parlor, played in the arcade, went to Silver Dollar City, and went shopping. It was a nice break from reality and lots of good memories were made!

Here is a picture account of our trip:

Noah loved the water swing!

My niece Savannah sliding!

They had SO much fun!

Momma and Noah time in the lazy river!

Eliza Nell getting a lift from Christian

The big bucket in the waterpark that dumped out every 10 minutes!

Nathan working - as usual :)

Napping was quite a challenge on vacation!

Eliza Nell had no fear of the water!

Eliza Nell swimming underwater!

The Stillwells - Family Vacation 2011

Mommas not ready for the school bus yet!

My sweet girl ;)

Savannah and Eliza Nell and their Build-A-Bears

Noah working on the tv with his hammer!

We are so blessed to be able to spend this time together!

Peach Festival Time!





As a kid I loved the Peach Festival! I have to admit that either due to me growing up or the Peach Festival changing, it is not as appealing anymore. There are not near as many vendors as their used to be and a majority of what is there is just food vendors. I still love all the activities and participate in as many as I can. Now that I have Noah, we can participate in alot more.

We started off the weekend with our turtle race early Friday morning! Every year there are no turtles to be found Peach Festival week - so 5 weeks ago when I started seeing them, I got them. So, for 5 long weeks I have been feeding, watering, and training turtles for Noah and my nieces and nephew! I ended up with 4 turtles - Ray, Charles, Chip, and Dale. On race day Charles seemed to be the fastest so that is who we went with - and he didn't let us down! We won our heat and got third overall! Noah got a blue ribbon and a little rubber turtle.



All ready to head to the turtle race!

On your mark, get set, GO!



We won!

I was disappointed because I thought Noah was too old to participate in the Diaper Derby (crawling race) because it said it was just for 6-12 month olds and he was 12 months and a few weeks. I decided to call the chamber and ask Friday night to make sure. They said it was fine for him to race! I was never so glad that Noah wasn't walking yet! Of course as soon as I signed him up for the race he decided he wanted to attempt to walk all night - very poorly though! So Saturday morning we went to the Diaper Derby! There were 9 kids in the 10-12 month age group. Noah won his heat by far! He is a Mommas boy these days so Nathan took him to the start line and I got at the finish line and he came straight for me. It was SO cute! I was so proud of him!

This is the only in action race picture we got - he was too fast!

Noah's blue ribbons for wining his heat and winning overall!

This is the picture from the newspaper - Noah looks so cocky here! HA!

After the Diaper Derby we went down to meet my family at our normal spot to watch the parade. It was nice and sunny and we were ready for the parade, then as soon as the parade got to where we were sitting, it started pouring! So, just like last year, we ran over to stand under a carport. I promised Noah I would just buy him a bag of candy and we watched the brave people who didn't back out of the parade go by. I was disappointed because due to the storm there were no horses and the clown guys didn't get to do alot of their crazy driving - both things Noah would have loved!

All ready to watch the parade!

Enjoying the rest of the parade under cover!

It was pouring!

No candy was worth this!

Noah and all 3 of his blue ribbons he won at the Peach Festival!

After the parade we headed to Ft. Smith to do some shopping for my birthday and go out to eat. We went to Academy and the mall and out to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse. It was good and Noah was a good boy, so that made it nice. You just never know how it will turn out with a one year old! That night we had my family birthday party and Father's Day party. My family is so big, that we group a few months worth of birthdays together and celebrate them all together. Also, since it was so close to Father's Day we threw that in too. So, me, my niece Savannah, and my brother Jeremy all celebrated birthdays together.

Noah taking a shopping break to ride the helicopter!

Savannah and her Justin Beiber cake!

My awesome Banana Split cake from Sweet Treats!

The beautiful wreath my sister made me for my birthday!

Sunday was my birthday and Father's Day. I started off the day and had breakfast with Noah. I had leftover birthday cake and he had yogurt. He was in such a good mood - it made for a great start to my birthday! My Dad, brother Eli, his wife Kesha, and their kids Savannah and Eliza Nell came over for a cookout that night. We had a great time!

Me and Noah on my birthday.

My pretty barnwood tray and box and some Bath & Body Works stuff from Nathan's parents!

Enjoying some porch time at the cookout.

Aunt Kesha giving Noah a lift!

My brother Eli, Noah, and niece Savannah - what a cute Totem Pole!

This was such a busy 3 days and next week is our family vacation! No time to slow down yet!

Let's Catch Up...

I've been a bad blogger - it has been a month and a half since I've done it. I feel guilty because it feels like I am slacking off on a commitment and I hate that. I would think of things here and there I wanted to blog about, then convinced myself no one would care to hear about it - which is unlike me to care if anyone wants to hear it or not, I'm usually going to tell it anyway! So, I think I am going to try a different route. I read several blogs and they are more of daily account blogs - things they do daily, pictures from their day, etc. I like reading them and even though I can't imagine someone wanting to read about my boring daily routines, I'm going to give it a try.

So, lets catch up!

Nathan and I went to Branson for our 5th wedding anniversary. We wanted to go ziplining and had seen a new zipline course when we were there in December. It was awesome! Nathan kept saying I was going to chicken out, but I knew better! I wasn't scared at all! I wished we would have done the taller and longer ones once we got done, but it was out first time so we were not sure what to expect. The only time I was scared was on the ride to the top of the course. It was in this little gator-like vehicle on a narrow road and our driver was a little crazy. As we were driving Nathan said to me "are you not freaking out?" and I said "oh yeah, but I am playing it cool so I don't embarrass you". He knows me too well! We were grouped with 5 other people that were there for Memorial Day. It was a fun way to celebrate 5 years of marriage!

After we got done zip-lining, we went out to eat, went to the IMax and saw The Hangover 2 and did some shopping. It was a good little mini-vacation!

Other than that we haven't had much excitement. Nathan and I went to a softball tournament in Little Rock last weekend. I learned awhile back that once Noah got older, he was more difficult to take to the games and actually get to watch Nathan play. So, we left him home for this one. Nathan's team didn't do so well in the tournament - they were just all having a bad day. So, we were done with the tournament by 5:00!

We headed out to find a hotel downtown so we could walk where we wanted to go that night. One of our friends Cory rode down there with us too, and some other friends decided to stay the night so we all decided to go out together. We walked to the Travelers game to meet up with our friends Brandon, Caleb, Mandy, and Josh. They had tickets and went on in. We were waiting in line and is started thundering and lightning bad, so we decided not to buy tickets because we figured it would rain soon. So, we caught a cab and went out to eat instead. Then we all met up at Willy D's Piano Bar. I love that place! It is so fun to watch the dueling pianos and listen to the songs they perform also. Once they closed, Brandon (who lives in Little Rock) said he knew of another place we could go to get some drinks and eat. He said is was "a few" blocks away. Well, over 15 blocks later, we got there. There were people running away from the building which is never a good sign to go towards what people are running from. Then a mouse ran out of the place we were going to! They were patting people down at the place next door before letting them in, so Nathan, Cory, and I decided to just call it a night. So, we walked the 15 blocks back to our hotel and all fell asleep right away! That was the latest I had been up and not feeding a baby in a long time! 

The next day we headed home after lunch at Corky's - our favorite BBQ place! We were so happy to see Noah and he seemed happy to see us too! We met up with friends that night at a local park for a kickball game! It was alot of fun! I hadn't played kickball in years! We all try to meet up on Sundays and play softball or kickball or something! It is a fun way to end our weekends. I didn't take any pictures in Little Rock or of kickball but since I have decided to blog more often, I will do better!

Noah Digs Being One

May 21, 2011 our baby boy turned one!

Good Morning Birthday Boy!

Birthday Boy eating his yogurt and playing peek-a-boo!

After breakfast we headed to town to see Noah's birthday on the sign at a local hotel!

Noah's 1st Birthday party was supposed to be at Cline Park, but mother nature took care of that and flooded the area his party was supposed to take place. So, we had to move to our back-up plan - Clarksville Golf & Games!

The party turned out perfect! The theme was Noah Digs Being One and we decorated in excavation equipment and dump trucks!

Noah got alot of gifts! We may have to add on to the house for all the new toys! I was glad he got new stuff though. We try not to buy Noah too much ourselves, so he was getting pretty bored with the same stuff he had been playing with since Christmas.

Noah loved his Dance Star Mickey!

80 friends and family showed up! I am so glad Noah has so many people that love him and wanted to come celebrate his birthday with him!

It was a packed house!

Noah's cake was amazing! Courtney Nowotny made his cake and she does an awesome job! I highly recommend her to anyone!

This was Noah's first time to eat cake, so Courtney made him a special cake. He loved it! He didn't know what to think at first, but he had fun eating it!

No birthday party is complete without a pinata - and this was a tough pinata! Everyone that wanted one got to take a swing at it!

Also - a big thank you to my cousin Eric Wyles for taking pictures at the party for me!

We are so thankful to everyone who came out to help us make memories!

Better Late Than Never - Noah is 1!

I was without power for awhile due to the tornado, then got busy, life happens I guess. Here is Noah's 1 year old update!

He is getting too squirmy for pictures!

*  Noah is 29.5 pounds and about 33 inches tall.

*  He is wearing 18-24 month clothes and size 5-6 shoes and size 5 diapers.

*  He is still getting monthly haircuts, and they are still pretty crazy. He did alot better for this last one. It is just too much to expect a one year old to stay completely still and happy for a haircut.

*  Noah still sleeps 10-11 hours a night, straight through. He goes to sleep between 9-9:30 and doesn't get up until 7-8:00! He is a very good sleeper like his Daddy!

* He is now eating table foods. He eats breakfast about 9:00, lunch about 2:00, and dinner about 7:00. He is eating gerber toddler meals, and anything else soft enough he can chew. I had enough frozen breastmilk to mix with whole milk to wean him for an extra month. As of today, he is on all cow's milk! He seems to like it! We are working on sippy cups. He is in no way addicted to his bottle - still only holds it himself half the time, but sippys seem to choke him some too. We will get used to it I'm sure.

* Noah is still crawling everywhere and stands up unassisted! He is still not walking, but he can take 4-5 steps before falling.  He knows he can get there quicker by crawling so he just sits down and takes off! The lazy thing!

* Noah isn't much on Momma leaving him at daycare now. If I put him down and leave before he engages in a game or toy, or the sitter is talking to him, he isn't very happy. His sitter said he only cries about 1-2 minutes before he is on to something else. Just long enough to break mommas heart!

*  Noah still only has 8 teeth, but he still shows signs of more coming through any day now.

*  My favorite thing Noah does now is playing where's Noah, throwing his hands up after he finishes eating (as if he is saying "all gone"), he takes anything and puts it to his ear and say "hewhoah" (hello), and he will run (crawl fast) when I chase him.

* Noah is good at wrestling with Daddy now! When Nathan counts "1, 2, 3" to end the match, Noah will slap the ground to count him out! It is so cute! Watching him catch on to stuff like that amazes me!

I've had the most amazing 1st year of being Noah's momma and can't wait to watch him grow!

Noah is 11 Months Old!

Another month has flown by and this is the last time I can say that Noah is older without saying he is a year and so many months! It is amazing how fast time flies and how fast he grows!

Now for some Noah highlights:

*  Noah is 28 pounds and about 33 inches tall.

*  He is wearing 18-24 month clothes and size 5-6 shoes and size 5 diapers.

*  He has to get his hair cut monthly to keep it out of his eyes and from growing over his ears and down his neck! I always say his hair is a blessing and a curse - a blessing because it is so pretty, but a curse because cutting his hair is quite the ordeal! He does ok, but he is very squirmy and doesn't like being constricted - which is necessary when sharp tools are out!

*  Noah now sleeps 10-11 hours a night, straight through. He goes to sleep between 9-9:30 and doesn't get up until 7-8:00! It is awesome!

* He is eating 3 breastmilk bottles a day - two 6 oz bottles at daycare and one 9 oz cereal bottle before bed. He eats yogurt for breakfast and a vegetable or fruit for lunch. Then for dinner he eats a meat, vegetable, and I mix him some fruit, cereal, and juice together for dessert. He loves it! He is a very good eater!

* Noah is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything! He stands alone alot so I figure walking is coming soon. We moved a bookshelf and coffee table out of the living room to protect him - he isn't the most graceful yet.

* Noah isn't much on Momma leaving the room at home now. This started about 2 weeks ago. If I go to the kitchen or bathroom - he screams and cries until I come back. He doesn't want me to hold him or anything, I just need to be in the room. I am working hard on breaking this habit - but it is just a phase.

*  Noah has 8 teeth and I'm pretty sure he is giving me signs of more breaking through! I love his cute little teeth!

*  My favorite thing Noah does now is crawl to me and want me to pick him up and when I do he lays his head down on my shoulder. It melts me. He also gives me kisses too - open mouth kisses  - such a sweet boy!

* Noah laughs at peek-a-boo and when either me or him cough or sneeze. He is also big enough for him and Daddy to wrestle now! They crawl all over eachother and try to "pin" eachother down for 3 seconds. I love to watch them play.

Now the countdown begins for the big first birthday! I have most of the planning done already!

Happy 11 Month Birthday Sweet Boy - Momma Loves you!

I Love Today

Nathan has a men's softball team and they play about 2 times a month in tournaments in the area. This last weekend they played in Russellville. There was a 2 hour break in between games and it was Noah's nap time so I decided to load him up in the car for an air conditioned nap while I went through a drive-thru for some lunch and went on a drive. I drove around for awhile, then went to Long John Silvers (one of my favorite places to eat - really wish Clarksville had one) and decided to drive through my old college, Arkansas Tech University, to park and eat.

There was a Tech baseball game going on so I pulled into a lot beside the field and ate and watched the game while Noah napped in the backseat. It felt really weird being back on campus after 8 years. I remember walking to all my classes and how pretty that campus always was. I remember sitting in those same parking lots eating in between class, or studying, or listening to the radio. This was before internet on cell phones was common and before social network sites and since I only lived on campus or in Russellville for half of my first semester - I didn't really have much to do when I wasn't in class.

That all seems like it was ages ago - a different life altogether. I don't feel like that same person at all. I don't look much different, but I feel very different. I remember being SO unsure of my life back then. What was I going to do? Where was I going to work? Who was I going to end up with? Things seemed so unstable back then and everything I wanted in life seemed so far away.

Little did I know that I would end up marrying the same guy I was dating then, get offered a great position at the place I was already working, and be so happy and settled. I looked back in the mirror at Noah sleeping and I do not remember ever being able to envision that something that amazing was in my future. I just was overwhelmed by all the uncertainties back then that I didn't see all the possibilities of what could be.

I drove around the rest of the campus to see what all was new and it had made a lot of changes too. I hardly recognized some areas because they had changed so much. I drove by my old dorm room and that building looked exactly the same. It was one of the nicer dorms when I was there, so it doesn't surprise me that it will be one of the later ones to be updated. That got me thinking how Tech and I had alot more in common than I realized. We both had some major changes take place for the better over the last 8 years, but there were certain areas that were the same and that is good too. There are some things that there is no need to change. It is amazing to me how bright my future looks to me now that I am 28, and how unsure it looked at age 20. I am so happy that everything has turned out how it has and wish that I could have seen the potential back then.

Life can be so unpredictable. I cannot believe how unsure I thought my future was back then. It is crazy how just a little drive helped me be so much more appreciative for what I have and where I have been. There are several parts of my life that seem so totally foreign that I can't believe that was even me - but they got me to today, and I love today.