Thomas, Char-Lane & Summer Gunderson

When I count my blessings, I count you twice...

2010-10-16T15:11:00.011-06:00

I love how busy life can be sometimes...but every now and then it's good to take some time to reflect on how much there is to be grateful for. My family is the best blessing in my life, and I can't believe how much has changed in such a short period of time. Our little girl is now 19 months old but acts like a little teenager already! She's got her mama's attitude, and her daddy's good looks! So you can just imagine how busy our little life is!

With all there is to catch up on, and again with how little time I have at the moment, I must say that these are a few of the things we have been up to in 2010. Vacations, early mornings, summer days, and family time... enjoy!

Family photos 2010

Just learning how to run

Raymond parade looking like a hillbilly!!

Fun in Arizona

Happy birthday little lady!!

Mom and Sum :)

Getting messy...

Edgson family.

Holy crow look at all those people!!

Just Us Girls

2010-01-14T10:58:00.006-07:00

So, Thomas had to leave us on January 3rd for 9 weeks to go up to Edmonton for work! Geesh...that is a long time! Anyways, I have been trying to be dilligent in taking photos and videos of our growing girl so I can keep him posted while he is away. It just so happens that she is literally growing like a weed! The day after he left, she crawled for the first time, the next day she stood up on her own, then she said "dog" and now she feeds herself! I don't know what has happened, but my baby is getting SO big!Summer has become obsessed with her new toys...there are some she WON'T let go of!
I love you daddy! Can't wait to see you soon! I hope you bring me some presents when you come see me... :) -love Summie

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T20:25:00.010-07:00

This year was Summer's first Christmas, and it was such a great time!! She just LOVED all the toys she got from her family. Her aunty Ashley came over on Christmas eve for a little pre Christmas event where we had a ham dinner and then opened presents from the Edgson side of the family. Summer got a couple really cool toys that she loves and we had a really great time watching her excitement...I can only imagine what next year is going to be like - SO FUN!
Christmas day was great too. We were out in Fort Macleod with the Gunderson side of the family and it was so nice to have a relaxing morning and watch a few of the grandkids open presents. It really is amazing to see how excited children get for Christmas, and I can totally see how it is going to become my favorite time of year as I have little kids.

Spending time with friends and family was great...we really missed everyone out in PG for the holidays, but we are excited to see you all in the new year. The bit of time we got to hang out during the Christmas break as a family was much needed and fantastic memories were made. In the end, we all got spoiled and had a wonderful Christmas...Can't wait until next year!!

Santa Claus Parade

2009-12-02T09:51:00.011-07:00

This year, as every year before, there was the Santa Claus parade in Fort Macleod. As per usual, the weather was chilly, but not as windy as I have seen in other years. It was actually a nice, sunny day and we got a great spot at the front so that we could be done sooner!!
We bundled the kids up and set up shop for the hour or so that it took. We got some GREAT hot chocolate, and settled in for the show to start.
This year it seemed to be all about dogs. Well at least that is what I thought was the coolest part. I got some great photos of them!!

And the bands were great too. Totally brave if you ask me! They must have been freezing their butts off!

The best part of all was spending time together. We are just so excited for the Christmas season to be here and for Summer to have her first Christmas. I know this is a tradition that we will definitely keep up!

Summer with Santa

2009-11-30T21:32:00.006-07:00

Oh wow! What an experience taking Summer to see Santa for the first time...She was in her stroller, happy as a clam, when all of a sudden mean mommy and daddy decided to put her on some strangers lap who was covered in hair and totally unfamiliar. Geesh, did she ever let us know how she was feeling! She SCREAMED, and cried and was SO incredibly sad to be on his lap. Poor guy! He was like, "ummm, take your little baby off my knee now!" (he didn't actually say that, but I could tell what he was thinking!) Anyway, we now know of her fear of the scary man, but I am sure once Christmas comes and she sees what she gets from the guy, she will be less and less afraid as the years go by! At least that's my hope, cuz i don't want all her Santa pictures to look like this one! Ha ha!
Well, we are definitley in the Christmas mood here in Lethbridge! It has finally snowed and things are looking more and more like a regular Canadian winter! Crazy Alberta with it's messed up weather!! Anyway, we set up the tree a couple of weeks ago, and so far Summer has stayed away from it!! That's great news as far as I am concerned! Now it gets to stay pretty all over, instead of just at the top! But yes, I have a thing for Christmas and getting in the spirit of things...I have already watched Home Alone, and the Santa Clause more than a few times, and by the end of the season, it will have been like 100! Gotta love it :)
These are our family photos of the begining of the holidays, and I'm sure there will be many more posts to come, so stay tuned!

Young Women in Excellence

2009-11-26T15:31:00.009-07:00

As a member of the church, I have been given the absolute privilege and blessing of being the 1st counselor in the Young Women's presidency. It is SO great to be able to associate with these amazing ladies, in that they are great examples and have the sweetest spirits! I only wish I was half as strong as they are...In these days there are so many hardships to overcome, and these young women truly are trying their best to stay strong to what they have been taught! I just LOVE them!!
Last night was Young Women in Excellence where the young women get up and talk about their 10 hour projects they have been working on. The theme was 'Academy Awards' and so it was all decorated (by the miamaids) and then the girls were given little statues of a young girl holding the scriptures as their 'Oscar'. It was a pretty great night, and I got some sweet shots of the girls all glamed up...

Halloween

2009-11-15T20:56:00.011-07:00

This was Summer's first Halloween, and she was a ladybug! We took her to the mall, and actually went trick or treating...We losers huh, cuz you know who ate her candy!! Anyway, I made her costume, and also her dad's as he was a leaf, and Summer was the ladybug on it! I made him carry her around the whole time too!!
While we were at the mall, we saw a bunch of people we knew, like her cousins Lena, Mikaila and Hayden and Rylan...They were all pretty dang cute!

We carved some pumpkins...and the idea was to make a pumpkin family...so we have the daddy one
The mommy one
and the baby one
Not to mention Ashley's wicked sweet one that she carved. It was really fun to get all festive, and then all madness broke out when mean old auntie Ashley made Summer sit in a pumpkin! Can't imagine that would be all that comfortable! Anyway, it was a great Halloween staying in and hanging out as a family!

Thanksgiving in Prince George

2009-10-24T14:16:00.023-06:00

It seems to be a bit of a tradition that our family goes up to Prince George for Thanksgiving. We've been up there 3 out of the 4 thanksgivings that we have had since we were married, and what a great occasion to make it up north to see my family and to also get a great turkey dinner!!

So, this year we stayed with my sister Laura and her family. They have a great big house and probably the best food I have ever eaten...I would compare staying at their place to an 8 star hotel...no jokes! They have a tanning bed, a hot tub, a jacuzzi tub, big screen T.V's in almost every room...seriously, we were living big for 9 days! Not only was there nothing to complain about, but they were so absolutely generous to our family. Thomas and I got to go out on a date, they helped tons with the baby, cooked for us day and night, and even helped us work out all the details with our broken down car! We can't thank them enough for their great hospitality!The stay was great, and the weather was wonderful. It is so nice to be in British Columbia when it is autumn. Beautiful colours and sooo many trees!! You can't ask for much more than that. So because of the great weather, we took advantage of it and got some family pictures taken. Pam took us to Fort George Park and we took about 200, and only a few worked out because our little baby Summer couldn't keep her attention focused! But that's ok, we still love her like crazy! And I think we got a few good ones!
So yes, the trip was for that great Thanksgiving feast, but we also did a lot of fun things as a family while we were on our little vacation. We took Summer to the pool with her auntie Pam and uncle Antonio and a bunch of her cousins, and she loved it! She loved it so much in fact that we went twice! Prince George's pool is totally rad...they have this lazy river and I sat at one end and Thomas sat at the other and we just Sum float to one of us...it was so fun.
Besides the pool, we also went and visited a lot of family. It was nice to have the time to go and make our stops and see everyone...except my brother Curtis...we wish we would have gotten in a visit! We also had a few T.V nights where we all got together and watched Survivor, Greys Anatomy and Modern Family...gotta love T.V! We had a poker game, and a hot tub party with Brandon and Cheyenne, had a girls golfing outing, and me and Cheyenne went on the razar too. She nearly killed me, but luckily I survived to be a mom to my kid for one more day! Ha ha...she is actually a great driver! There were so many fun things that we did this trip out... I just love my family, and I wish so badly that we lived closer to them!
Now for the big turkey dinner! Mmmm mmmm mmm! My sister Stacey is such a GREAT cook/baker. She put on a huge dinner for 40 people all by herself! The food was worth the 12 hour drive it took us to get to P.G! We had a great time and hearing everyone tell what they were thankful for that day was the best part. Our tradition in my family is to have 3 uncooked kidney beans on your plate, and before you eat your dinner you have to say 3 things that you are thankful for...if you can't come up with anything, then those 3 beans are your dinner! It was hilarious too cuz Cindy seemed to have paid off the neices and nephews into saying that they were grateful for her...I got a couple on my side though! ha ha!
Well, we were super sad to leave! It was such a great trip, and we really can't wait to go again soon! Miss you all up there, and thanks again for the great visit!! Love ya!

Soaking up what's left of the summer.

2009-09-14T15:20:00.016-06:00

Well, it's gotten cooler outside here in Southern Alberta. And with that comes some frightening thoughts of what lies ahead...a Canadian winter! This summer was great. Being off work to stay at home with my baby and enjoy the heat...what could be better?! So, with the change in the weather soon arriving, I have promised to get outside every time it is remotely nice, because the season is coming when going out will not be the funnest idea in the world.
On Saturday, our little family went to Gyro park. It is a park that we live close to and it's a nice quiet place to bring Summer in the stroller. Since it was a nice sunny day, we went to get some fresh air and to take a few pictures. Summer absolutely loved the swings. And while I thought she was too little to go on them, Thomas put her right up on it and she giggled like crazy! It's unbelievable the things she can do all by herself now...My baby is growing so fast!

Robyn and Brad's wedding

2009-09-14T14:58:00.006-06:00

So, on September 6, 2009, my friend from college Robyn, got married to her sweetheart! We were lucky enough to be invited to this beautiful occasion! The ceremony was held at a nice park in Calgary and the reception was at the zoo...how cool is that!? And even though we got lost for a couple of hours...it was well worth the trip.
Well, the day was great. Robyn looked absolutely stunning. So much so, that I actually teared up a bit when she came walking down the aisle. You should have seen how cute they were together during the ceremony, and who am I kidding...for the whole day! You could just tell that they were in love and so happy to finally be married.
It's always fun to go to weddings and be reminded of the promises you made when you were married. For Thomas and I, this month marks our 3 year anniversary. What can I say...it feels like 3 minutes.........under water! Ha ha, just kidding. It truly has been the best 3 years of my life. Being able to wake up to my best friend every morning, has made my life so great. Now that we have a baby too, it's even better! Especially because she looks like him, and let's face it...the looks Summer inherited are pretty darn good looking! I am one blessed individual, and I am so thankful for what I have been given.

2009-09-05T16:17:00.007-06:00

So I did 2 more of the tutu's cuz I just can't seem to get off the excitement of making them! I made one for Sariah (for her birthday) and then one for Eva too. They are just the most perfect models so they ran around outside while I took pictures of them. Anyway, I hope this plan really takes off because it is a lot of fun making them, and they are just so darn cute! Ha ha!

Tutus, Ties and Towels...

2009-09-04T10:03:00.004-06:00

So, my sister and I have decided to make an attempt to make and sell some crafts...If you know me at all, you will understand that I have no talent for creative designs, but I have managed to find something that I can do that just might turn out ok.

It all started when I got to thinking about Halloween...As this is Summer's first Halloween, I was as enthusiastic about making her costume as I'm sure most new mothers are. I wanted her to be a lady bug originally, but knew that would be too much work, so I decided that I would make her a tutu and she could be a fairy, or a butterfly or something. So I looked on line to find a pattern, and realized that it was way easier then I had even thought...So I stayed up really late last night making my first attempt, and here is how it turned out!

Summer tried her best to be a good model for me, but I had no one here to hold her up, so these were the best I could get! Now I am starting another one that I am going to give to my niece Sariah for her birthday...She loves to dress up in pretty dresses and stuff, so I am hoping she will love her new tutu. That is where I am hoping this buisness adventure will take me...selling tutu's to moms that have girls who love to dress up, or for Haloween costumes, weddings, for pictures and basically special occasions! I will post pictures of more when I am done!

2009-09-01T15:53:00.006-06:00

Today Thomas and I went to the temple, while Grandma Sheron babysat Summer outside. It was so nice to go again seeing as it had been a while because of the baby being born. Still eventhough she is 5 months old...I worried a lot about how she was behaving. Turns out she was great, minus a big mess in her pants that ended up on her pretty little dress! Ha ha.

Anyway, being at the temple really brought the importance of family to my mind, and I thought about how great it would be to really keep up on this blog in order to turn it in to a family journal. We had one growing up that was this ugly, old brown book that had a lot of scribbles in it, but also some great memories too. Now with the wonderful conveinience of technology...we can have something a long those lines, but with some added colour and fun pictures.
So if you want to follow along with what the little Gunderson family are up to, keep in mind that we are making this a journal in order to keep precious memories. We hope you enjoy reading about our life together!

2009-08-29T21:25:00.005-06:00

Well, this is our beautiful 5 month old girl, Summer LaRee. She is just the best thing ever to happen to our little family. Right now she has conquered the milestone of rolling over both ways...(constantly!), eating solids...(which she absolutely loves), and sleeping a good 12 hours a night! Needless to say, we were blessed with a pretty great baby!

We have had a total blast this summer...well at least the girls in the family have. Mostly hanging out at the outdoor pools, shopping, napping, and going for lots of walks. My life is so rough! ha ha!
Anyway, I am just learning this whole blogging thing, so we will see how it turns out and then decide if I want to spend more time keeping it up! Ha ha!

Our Growing Baby

2009-01-02T15:56:00.003-07:00

About Us...

2008-08-26T16:30:00.004-06:00

We were married September 22, 2006 in the Cardston, Alberta Temple. Almost 2 years ago and are loving every minute of it! There aren't any children yet...but we are excited to welcome our first one into the world on the 16th of March, 2009. We are thrilled about adding this new addition to our family and can't wait to see what/who they will look like, well hopefully just who :)
Char-Lane is working as a personal trainer for Goodlife Fitness in Lethbridge, as she has finished her schooling in Exercise Science in April 2008. Thomas is working as a Correctional Officer at the Lethbridge prison as he finishes his last year of school at the college. With both of us working in our field of choice, life is pretty good! This is our awesome story...