lauramaynot

Doing Our Part

2010-01-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

This year Disneyland is doing a promotion called "Give A Day, Get a Disney Day." In return for a day of service, you recieve a free one day one park admission ticket to one of the Disney parks. I was so excited to get my kids involved and we signed up for 2 activities. The first one was planting trees and creek restoration. We had planned on taking all of the kids and getting our hands dirty, but we had a rainy weekend so we decided to cancel. The second one we signed up for was making blankets for Project Linus. We made five no sew fleece blankets. It was alot of work but a ton of fun. Everyone did their part and the kids learned alot about how to cut straight lines and tieing knots. What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon with our family!

Laura removing the tape that we used to get a nice straight cutting line.

(L-R) Samuel, Sarah, Laura and Adam tieing fringe.

Samuel cutting fringe on the Bug blanket.

Adam helps Zwieba to tape off the blanket edges.

All the completed blankets in a pretty little stack.

WERE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!

Through Eliza's Eyes

2009-12-31T19:40:00.001-08:00

Eliza loves gadgets. She knows how to use my iphone better than I do, she love's playing with the camera, the video camera, and the kids gameboys. Every so often, I find that my little one has been photographing her world and it is always interesting to see her pictures;

Eliza looks up: To the right:

To the left:
To the front:
and of course a self portrait:

Sometimes I feel like I forget how amazing life is. I often get caught up, worried about this or that. Burying my brain and busying my hands. So busy waiting for the next great big thing, that my here and now is often filled with wasting time and making excuses.

Then there is a moment, like this one where I am sorting through photos; clearing my memory card; that I come across pictures that my 3 year old daughter took when I was busy doing something else. Pictures of things that I take for granted - things that are worthy of her lens.

That's why we call him "Bruiser"

2009-09-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

Aww! Look at our sleeping boy. Sweet Eh?

Well look a little closer. What is that? 1. 2. bruises on his forehead?

Oh wait! one more in the corner of his eye...for a total of 3 - yes three big goose eggs in the matter of 2 days!

How does that happen to such a sweet little boy????

Well, he likes to climb on the spinning computer chair...
And then jump off when mom walks by...that is close enough for her to catch me right?

Then he finds a laundry basket of clean diapers. Yumm! clean diapers! but wait the basket is round...anyone wanna guess how this ends?

Oh and if you can't reach all the junk mom has up on the counter, you gotta find a way to get up there...hmmm - looks the the vaccume is a great step up. And yep you guessed it...that falls over too!!!

End of the Summer

2009-09-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over. What a crazy summer it has been! We had two vacations. The first one right after school got out, when we went to San Diego to visit with our good friends the Sages and visit Disneyland. The second was a trip last month to Utah to our first Sluder Family Reunion/Farewell to John as he was preparing to leave for his mission. So we have been very busy! Now that school is in full swing, there is a crispness in the air and fall is right around the corner. Here are a few pics of our family enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

Sarah, Eliza, Zwieba, Ben, Sam and Adam at Bodga Bay.

Eliza plays in the sand

Sam throws a stick into the ocean to see if it will wash back in the tide

Eliza on her 3rd Birthday, showing me that she is "3"

Eliza putting on a "minnie mouse" bow

Adam, Zwieba, Eliza, Ben, Sarah and Sam on a hike up to Salamander Canyon here on base.

View from the top of Salamander Canyon Road. It is a beautiful view but the climb is a killer!

I am bad at this blog thing!

2009-09-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted since January and we are now in September. I will try to get some new pictures up soon, but in the meantime I thought I would update with what we are up to.

School started again and we have been trying to get back into the swing of things. Sam is now in 8th grade at Petaluma Jr High. Sarah is in 6th grade and Adam is in 4th grade at Two Rock Union Elem. We have two birthdays coming up this month. Eliza turns 3 on the 9th and Sam turns 13 on the 17th. It is amazing to me that we have an actual TEENAGER!

August marked the end of our 2nd year here in Petaluma and the begining of our third. We are anxiously awaiting the first cut on the advancement list and are hoping that Zwieba will be making chief next year and looking forward to the changes that will bring to our family (another move next year) and Zwieba's career (Hopefully an Officer In Charge position at a LORAN station).

I continue to try to keep up with all that raising five kids entails - a house that is never completely clean, laundry and dishes that are created on an hourly basis, changing diapers, kissing boo-boos, signing homework logs and dodging the rolling eyeballs that remind me that I must be doing something right as a mother to be evoking such a response LOL!

As the kids grow older, so do I and for each thing that I think I have mastered, 10 more things come along that I need to learn! But through it all I know how blessed I am. I constantly try to remind myself that each moment is one that is fleeting, and I try to remember each stage and enjoy it knowing that all too soon it will end. It is bittersweet to watch your kids grow up and as school starts each year I am reminded how fast it is happening. I am excited for them - to see what and who they will become, but I am sad for me. For that day that I wake up without a baby in my bed kissing my cheeks, a blaring Ipod in the next room, muffled arguing about who's turn it is to play video games, it will surely be a lonely day. I guess I will just have to get Zwieba to take me to breakfast and for a walk on the beach...

Playing Catch Up: October 2008

2009-01-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

Wearing Ben:

Climbing Trees:

Halloween Spooks:

Playing Catch Up: SEPTEMBER 08

2009-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

September was especially busy This year. Sam turned 12 on the 17th. Zwieba's Grandma Sarah and Aunt Tessie came to visit us and see our baby, Ben. We had an eventful couple of days and really enjoyed their visit.

Here Sam is in his Wrestling gear. He wrestled for Petaluma Jr. High in the 74lb weight class. He did pretty well for his first season of participating in a sport. We were very proud of him!

Sam also advanced to 2nd class in scouts. His Great Grandpa Ben sent this special neckerchief to Sam to wear at his advancements. This neckerchief commerates a reenactment of the Death March that Ben participated in.

Grandma Sarah met her 5th great grand child while she was here. Here she is holding our sweet Benjamin...

On Sunday, September 21'st, we blessed Ben and Sam recieved the Aronic Priesthood. Here is Zwieba and the boys after church in our front yard.

Ben was an angel in his little white outfit...

All of us together for a picture.

Eliza's 2nd Birthday

2008-09-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that she is two already! The time really does fly. We had a very busy day but we spent a few minutes celebrating with a "party".

Eliza was very afraid of the candles. Here she is wondering what is that thing on her cake...

I made Eliza a few birthday gifts this year. This is a dress I made her for church. I made it a bit big so she has some room to grow. It still needs snaps and ties. I also made her some felt food for her to play kitchen with. She is trying to figure out if she could eat it...LOL!

Here is a video of her refusing to blow out her candles, Enjoy!

Watering the front lawn... err, Daddy!

2008-09-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Ben

2008-09-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Eat, Drink, and be Merry!!

Ooooh, Shiney thing!

Say what!!

S.O.S.

Why couldn't I have been an only child!?!

Airshow at Travis AFB

2008-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the airshow at Travis AFB and got to watch a bunch of stunt planes and the Thunderbirds and walk through a bunch of giant planes. The weather was really hot and windy, but that wasn't the worst part. We watched the entire Nightmare Before Christmas movie while waiting to get out of the parking lot!! Any who, we had an awsome day at the airshow.

Sarah, Sam, and Adam in front of one of the show planes.

Adam learning about the ejection seat from the pilot.

Sam feels the need, the need for speed!! Highway to the danger zone!!

Sam takes crappy pictures! Laura, Zwieba, Eliza, and Ben (covered from the sun).

The Thunderbirds famous Delta Formation.

Ben's first smiles

2008-08-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to catch some sweet baby smiles on camera.

Geocasheing at Crane Creek

2008-08-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a week to get these up...because Sam started school this week and we have been very busy, but two weekends ago we went geocasheing at a place called Crane Creek. We got five finds while we were there and got to hike...it was pretty hot and Ben was done about 300 feet from the car but we had a good time and got some great pics of the kids.

Zwieba and the kids after making a find.

Adam and Sam take a break on the trail.

Cute girls smile for a picture.

Ben peeks out of his carrier and wonders what in the world we are doing.

4 weeks old!

2008-08-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, he's 4 weeks old today...his official month-old birthday is in 3 days but he is growing really fast and his attitude is starting to catch up with his chunky cheeks. Here he is contently sleeping and dreaming if ultimate family distruction - when he becomes mobile!

My Two Babies

2008-08-06T15:37:00.001-07:00

Yep I have two babies...again! It has been challenging during the last few weeks. I asked Zwieba why it didn't seem that hard when we did this 10 years ago...he said it was because we were young and too dumb to know it was hard. LOL!

Of course then there are those sweet times that I remember that all the hard work is worth it...

Eliza and Ben during nap time...ok Eliza is napping Ben is in more of a yummy milk-drunk state.

Eliza gives Ben a sweet kiss, just before trying to poke his eyes out.

Narsasictic Fun!

2008-07-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

This is from my sister Mary's blog...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Sweet surprise!

2008-07-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

A treat arrived from our friends , the Hilton's today! It was a box full of cookies and cupcakes - YUMMM! Thanks Mel!

Ben sleeps in a pile of goodies.

Rubio's Visit: part 3

2008-07-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the beach. Once again, it was freezing! But, the kids still wanted to play in the water. Everyone waits for a wave to come in.

Jen and Laura.

We really enjoyed having the Rubio's here. It was a wonderful visit and we always have so much fun with them!

Rubio's Visit: part 2

2008-07-26T11:48:00.001-07:00

We took a walk to the park by the pond. It was really cold and overcast and the kids were not really dressed for this kind of weather!

Wendy on the swings, Sam pushing Eliza in the background

Emily and Sarah pose for a picture.

Jen takes Juan down the slide.

The kids all pose for a picture on the climbing rock. It was too cold to take Ben out of the carrier so there are nine here instead of ten.

Rubio's Visit: part 1

2008-07-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

The Rubios came to visit us from July 19th through the 21st. They came to visit the baby and see our house in petaluma for the first time. The kids had tons of fun playing and visiting together. We tried to keep busy but still keep things on the calm side since Ben is only 2 weeks old. Here the kids were playing Mario Kart on the Wii...this game was a complete hit and was on about 75% of the time!

ten days old

2008-07-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Ben yesterday at 10 days old. He is such a calm and sweet baby. He is nursing well now and sleeps two long 4 hour stretches at night waking in between to eat. He growing well though he is still too small for most of his clothes.

Ben communicates with us in sign language.

My new Babyhawk has come in handy already.

A close up of our sleeping boy comfy in his carrier.

Here he is in a sweet little sleeper that Grandma Gay bought for him. We wanted to bring him home from the hospital in it but it was too big. Now it finally fits!

Our family has grown by 1!

2008-07-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Elias Bunnell ~ July 9, 2008 ~ 3:18 pm ~ 7 lbs. 6 oz. ~ 18 in.

Everyone meeting our new little boy!

Eliza is thrilled, Ben - not so much!

Ready to go home.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

We spent a quiet Fourth of July at home this year. With only 4 days left until my due date and induction, I just wasn't up to going too far from home. We had a nice family BBQ, went swimming at the base pool and did some poppers. Go America!

Eliza impatiently waits for our yummy BBQ.

Zwieba and Eliza in the kiddie pool.

Taking a break by the kiddie pool.

Zwieba and the kids pose with their gun party poppers.

Sarah takes it right in the noggin.

Eliza loves to pop the poppers.

Old Faithful and The Petrified Forest

2008-06-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we had a scheduled power outage in housing. It was super hot and so we had to get out. We decided to visit Old Faithful and the Petrified Forest in Calistoga, about an hour from Petaluma. It was sooo hot and I was pretty swollen by the end of the day but it was definately better than sitting around the house and twiddling our thumbs.

Zwieba and the Kids in front of the entrance to Old Faithful.

The kids cool off in the blowing mist of the Geyser.

The kids sit on a petrified tree in the Petrified Forest.

Walking around the woods at 37 weeks pregnant, I felt like I should be wearing this sign.

Adam's Rocket

2008-06-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Adam's cubscout activity for June was a Rocket Launch. He and Zwieba built his rocket and he was able to launch it 4 times! It was a beautiful sunny day and we all were a bit sunburned by the time we were done.

Adam holds his rocket after he recovered it.

Sam's 6th Grade Promotion

2008-06-17T11:58:00.001-07:00

The first week of June was very busy for us. It was the kids last week of school and Sam's last week of Elementary School. He will be attending Jr. High School next year. It is hard to believe that he is old enough for that!

Sarah, Eliza and Adam congratulate Sam after the ceremony.

Yep, he's in there!

2008-06-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Poor little guy! So many kids always bumping, poking and in Eliza's case, kicking at him! This was at 33 weeks and the hands are clockwise L-R Adam, Sarah, Sam, and Eliza. We are really starting to get anxious and can't wait to meet him!

Bodega Bay

2008-06-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

5/31/08 We live 20 minutes from the beach...and we love it but we never seem to find a sunny day. Here it was the last day of May and we are wearing jackets!

Eliza tries to keep up with the kids as they run along the beach

This is my favorite picture all day - Zwieba holding Eliza's hand as they look for beach junk

Cold sand feels super good on my swollen pregnant feet!

The kids dig for sand crabs...

Adam screamed like a girl when he found this one.

Fairyland

2008-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

The day before Mother's Day we went to Fairyland in Oakland. I have wanted to visit since we moved up here. It was built just a few years before Disneyland and was one of the places that inspired Walt Disney to build Disneyland. He often visited during the construction of Disneyland and donated a Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs statue set. The park consists mainly of storybook sets with little boxes that you activate with a key to play stories and songs. Wandering around it is easy to see how Walt looked at this place and thought to himself..."I can do this and I can do it better!" This was right up Eliza's alley and even though the bigger kids pretended not to have fun, they climbed on everything climbable and touched everything touchable. The kids and I in front of the entrance and the old woman who lived in a shoe is on the right behind Sarah.

The kids sitting in flower chairs

Adam peeks out the window of one of the tiny houses

Fairyland's version of Toad Hall.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs...A bit of Walt Disney in Nor. Cal!

2008-05-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

A CRADLE SONG

William Butler Yeats

The angels are stooping
Above your bed;
They weary of trooping
With the whimpering dead.
God's laughing in Heaven
To see you so good;
The Sailing Seven
Are gay with His mood.
I sigh that kiss you,
For I must own
That I shall miss you
When you have grown.