Gafner Family Blog

Tennis Lessons

2010-06-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kaylie is taking tennis lessons, which I am so excited about. I played tennis in high school and loved it. I was hoping at least one of my children would enjoy the sport like I do. Kaylie LOVES to play tennis. She has lessons 2 times a week and is doing super at them. Its fun to go with her up to the courts where I used to play and practice with her. I wish I could get out more and play. Ryan and I try to when we can. I love that she loves to play this sport just like her mommy does.

Landon- our little chunk

2010-06-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our little chunk is almost 3 months! Hard to believe! At his 2 month check up he weighed 13 lbs. 14 oz. and was 25 in. tall. He is in the 97th percentile for both. He is a big boy! He has grown so much in the last 3 months.

He is now talking back to us when we talk to him. He is NOT a fan of tummy time. Maybe that is why both my girls were such late walkers. They, too, hated to be on their tummy! We have gotten him to laugh on several occasions! He loves to be sung to by daddy, that makes him laugh. (would make me laugh too!) He is also ticklish in his neck and his belly. We get lots of giggles from that too! He loves to play pat a cake with us and when we clap his hands, he gets huge smiles and maybe a giggle or two!

He now is started to realize, hey my hands can be used to grab things. One of his favorite spots now is his playtime mat, where he lays for long periods of time smiling at himself in the mirror and attempting to grab at the toys dangling from it. It will be fun once he starts to play with toys!

He is starting to get out of his fussy phases. OH but don't get me wrong, he deftintely still has them! He is easier to calm down and we usually can figure out what he needs. Thank goodness for this!

We love the all the smiles he gives us!! He is very smiley when he is in the right mood! We are so blessed to have this little chunky monkey in our lives!!! He is so much fun!

Maddies party

2010-06-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

I feel as though we partied all week for Madelyn's birthday. She had a party at her daycare on Thursday and then we had a party with our family over on Friday. She obviously didn't mind though! She enjoyed every minute of it. Here are some pictures of her birthday party with our family:

Landon was all pooped out from all the partying!

Maddie and her Dora cake. Thank you mama and papa!

Landon wasn't having this party thing.

Cousin Samuel and Maddie- they had a blast playing together

"I love being the birthday girl"

Happy Birthday Maddie!

2010-06-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

On June 1st my baby girl turned 4! Hard to believe! She was super excited about her birthday and I think we have been counting down to that day for months. The night before she could hardly sleep. We put her to bed and she came out about 3 minutes later and asked if it was time to wake up yet because she knew when she woke up it would be her birthday.
Here are some pictures from that day:

Maddie and her cake she picked out.

She finally has a Ninetendo DS like her sister! More of a present for mom and dad so we don't have to listen to them fight over it. However, now they are fighting over games. Go figure!

Dads and Donuts

2010-06-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I enjoyed Mom's and Muffins with Kaylie for some mothers day fun! Then a couple weeks ago, it was the dads turn, as they got to go to Dads and donuts at the school. Ryan and I enjoyed the activities so much and it was fun to enjoy the morning with Kaylie.

Our little Kaylie is looking a little different these days! She's singing "all I want for summer is my 2 front teeth!"

All ready to go for Dads and donuts. It was also baseball day at the school. They had to dress up in baseball gear.

2010-05-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

We have been loving the warm weather! Here are some pictures from last weekend. We spent the day in Stillwater down by the river and went to an art festival and then ended the day at Teddy Bear Park.

Girls having fun at Teddy bear park

Enjoying the nice weather!

Maddie not to sure about the sprinkler they had there but was hot and wanted to cool down.

Kaylie cooling off

Kids meet TC the bear

2010-05-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ryan and the kids had some good bonding time and went up to Hatfield Park in New Richmond to meet TC the bear, the Twins mascot. And because the girls are such huge Twins fans, they were super excited.

Poor Landon, getting eatin by TC. TC asked to do one more picture and this is what he did.

Landon at 8 weeks

2010-05-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Our family has been keeping very busy with our new addition. It is hard to believe that our little guy is 8 weeks old. He is so much fun. He smiles all the time when you talk to him now and he is starting to coo and "talk" to you when you talk to him. The girls are really enjoying how he is starting to interact with them somewhat. They are very protective of their little brother.

Maddie and Landon enjoying the camera

Landon in his Notre Dame shirt that he got from his cousins Joe and Dan who go there. Maybe someday Landon can follow in their footsteps and go to college there.

Can you tell sports are already being pushed on this little guy?

Mother's Day

2010-05-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Kaylie, Landon, Olivia, and Madelyn hanging out.

So Im a little behind on my posts but just thought I'd share some pictures from the past couple weeks.

These pictures are from the wonderful mother's day that my children gave me. We had a great time hanging out. The one thing I asked for was just to rest! It was a very relaxful day and I loved it.

Landon's favorite spots

2010-05-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

I think we have adjusted into some sort of routine, FINALLY. I do feel that going from 2 to 3 kids was a little easier then going from 1 to 2 for whatever reason. Many people told me opposite just because you are out numbered now but I don't feel that way at all. I don't know if I'm just able to figure out things easier because I have done it 2 times before or the fact that my girls are super good helpers and are at great ages to help out! Things are going really well!

Landon keeps growing and growing and gaining weight, I think all in his cheeks! Hard to believe he is 6 weeks old! He is fussier then the girls ever were. He goes through a fussy phase every night right when we want to go to bed and we can't get him settled down. I think we have a colicky baby on our hands. Hopefully this phase will pass fast! He does have two spots that calm him down and we are very thankful for them!!! He loves his swing. He can tolerate it for only so long but he calms down when we put him in there at least for a little while. He also LOVES his bath. My girls aren't big water fans but I think he will be different.

Landon in his swing.

Bathtime

One Month Old!

2010-04-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Landon is one month old today! It's crazy to me how time flies! We have had a busy month just trying to get adjusted to everything. I think the lack of sleep has been the hardest for me but my girls and my pregnancy did a good job of prepping me beforehand, or so I thought. He actually is very good at night. We are up only about 2 times at night.
He has defintely gotten bigger! We were at the doctor Monday for his thrush and when they weighed him he weighs 11 lbs. 10 oz. He's starting to smile more and more each day when you talk to him. It's fun to see, I can't wait till this becomes more consistent.

He spent his night hanging out with the boys and watching the NFL draft. I don't think he was too impressed as he slept through most of it! I don't blame him! He had his draft shirt on for the occasion!

Landon at one month

2010-04-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

We had fun cheering on the Twins on Monday for their opening at Target Field. Daddy is excited to have his girls and now Landon to watch the games with. We can't wait to get to a game on the new field!

Our newest Twins fan!

Go Twins!

Our little Twins fans!

Easter

2010-04-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on the Easter pictures but here are some from our first Easter as a family of 5. On Saturday night we went out to dinner with Ryan's dad, Norma, and Jessie. It was our first time out to eat with Landon and thankfully he made it easy and slept through it all! Then on Sunday we spent the day with Ryan's mom and then went to my parents house. It was a great weekend and we enjoyed spending every moment with all our family!

Here are pictures from some of the Easter activities we did:

The girls getting ready to find eggs at the Easter egg hunt.

The girls found their good friend Carter at the hunt! It was fun to see him and his family there!

Kaylie hugging the Easter bunny.

Madelyn with the Easter bunny.

This is what Landon thought about the Easter egg hunt. He wasn't too impressed!

Hanging out in his favorite chair!! (THANK YOU BOBBI!)

Showing off some of the Easter eggs they dyed.

Olivia, Madelyn, Kaylie, and Landon on Easter

Daddy was insistent on the hat! I think he looks like a little golfer!?

Madelyn, Kaylie, and Landon on Easter

Palm Sunday

2010-03-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

We had our first outing with Landon on Sunday to church. It was interesting trying to time his feeding so that he would make it through church. The girls sang for Palm Sunday. They did so good! They were pretty proud, unfortunately Madelyn wanted to stand by her big sister so we had a hard time seeing her behind bigger kids. Nonetheless, you could definitely hear her! She has a powerful singing voice!

Kaylie and Maddie playing the bells.

Here is a video of the girls singing one of their songs.

One Week Old!

2010-03-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how time flies! Ryan and I were sitting here with our little man and happened to look at the clock at exactly 4:03 pm. I can hardly believe that a week has passed since having our little guy. Kind of sad, as this just proves how fast time goes. We are enjoying every moment with each one of our kids!

Welcome Landon Ryan!

2010-03-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

We finally welcomed our baby boy, Landon Ryan, on Monday, March 22nd at 4:03 pm. He came into this world very quickly, which I was very thankful for!! We went in on Monday morning to get induced for the 4th time and then were sent home at about 10:00. Ryan and I just hung out and went out to lunch and then went back to the hospital at 2:30 to get induced again. However, at that point, I was starting to feel some contractions, but nothing to exciting, nothing too painful. My doctor decided she was going to break my water and she did that at about 3:45. When she did that it was game on! I defintely felt the contractions and defintely asked for some medication but for the 3rd time it was too late, no medication for any of my deliveries. I really didn't need it, one push and he was born at 4:03 PM. It was amazing and sad all at the same time knowing this was the last time I was going to be pregnant and the last time I would deliver a baby.
He weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 22 inches long. He is just precious and it is so fun having a boy in our house! We are all trying to get adjusted to having a newborn in our house again. I forget how little sleep you really do get and how often they eat and poop! It has been so nice having Ryan home helping out, as he took a week and a half off! I am going to miss him when he has to go back to work on Wednesday! The girls, of course, love their little brother. Kaylie is playing mommy's little helper and getting me anything I need and Maddie just looks at her brother in awe and every minute comes and gives him kisses and tells him that she loves him.

Here are several pictures from the first week:

Landon Ryan Gafner

A tired Landon

Sleeping the day away in the hospital

The lovely 1 hour after having a baby picture, but we have to have one!

Landon getting ready to go home from the hospital.

Our little man of the house.

The girls cuddling up with Landon

Proud big sister Kaylie

Proud big sister Madelyn

No baby yet!

2010-03-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

We are trying our hardest to have this baby come meet us but he seems to enjoy the comfy home he has had inside me for the past 9 months! I went in to get induced this morning and then did it again tonight. However, I am feeling nothing really. No strong contractions to get things rolling or anything. We now just wait at home. I am very hopeful that something will happen soon! I go back tomorrow morning to the hospital and they are going to induce me again if things aren't really progressing. The girls are SO anxious to meet their baby brother. We are going on 6 days overdue, which isn't horrible but I think it's time to meet you baby boy Gafner! (no he doesn't have a name yet, which many people tell us is the reason he doesn't want to come out yet)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the beautiful weather by going to the St. Patrick's Day parade. It felt good to be outside in March and the sun actually feeling warm! Plus I wanted to get out there and try and walk this baby out of me!

Still Waiting!

2010-03-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

So we are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy! Sunday, March 14th, my due date, came and went kind of as I expected. I was overdue with both of my girls, so I really didn't think this pregnancy would be any different, maybe just hoping it would be! Kaylie woke up on March 14th and was convinced I needed to go to the docotr and have the baby that day. It's fun she understands and knows what the date is and has been counting down to March 14th since March 1st but what she doesn't understand is that most likely her mom will go WAY over that date.
I went into the doctor for my regular check up yesterday and nothing to0 exciting. I am dilated to a 2. My doctor gave me the option to go over to the hopsital yesterday to go get induced and I happily accepted the offer. However, when I got there and was on the monitor for a while, they found I was having contractions every 3-4 minutes, none of which I feel. So they couldn't induce me and we are back to the waiting game. It's just so hard not knowing when! I am done with work now until September! Now I am ready to meet this little baby boy! I go to the doctor again on Friday into the hospital and will be put on the monitor to see if I am still contracting and if not they will induce me. So we will see. Hopefully we will see this boy before then! You never know!

As you can see by the picture, I am more than ready to have the baby as I am swollen and puffy and uncomfortable!! The girls are so excited!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our little Valentine's. We had a fun day spending it together as a family. It was nice to have the whole day together.

The girls- Olivia, Kaylie, and Madelyn

Our little Valentines

Girls waiting to open up their Valentines from us.

Baby Shower

2010-02-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

We have been busy this past month getting ready for baby. We've done some shopping, have the crib up, room painted, and have started going through things we need that we already have. We also had a baby shower for our new little guy. Ryan's sister Sarah threw us a shower to help us gather some blue! It's amazing how pink and girly our house really is with two little girls. With nothing really boy around here, Sarah planned a baby shower for us. It was super nice and we all had a lot of fun! We played some fun games, ate yummy food and cake, and enjoyed each others company. The girls had a lot of fun imagining what life is going to be like with a boy around our house. Maddie has kind of changed her attitude from "gross, I wanted a girl" to asking me everyday if I'm going to the doctor to have my baby. Kaylie is super excited and I can already tell what a big helper she is going to be. We still have no name, so any suggestions out there would be great! Madelyn is pretty insistent that we name it "Timmy". Not really sure where that came from but that is what she says everytime someone asks her what the baby's name is. We are anxiously awaiting this little boys arrival in 4 weeks and hope we can agree or come up with a name soon!

Kaylie, Jessi, Sarah, Mama Norma, and Maddie

The girls waiting to dig in to the yummy cake!
It is too cute to dig in to!

Olivia trying out her baby cousins Bumbo, just making sure it works.

Kaylie getting ready to help me open presents

Madelyn digging in and getting down to business!

Madelyn's Surgery

2010-01-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

Madelyn's teeth are finally fixed!!! Maddie's teeth (or should I say her 6 cavities) have been bothering her for months now and we couldn't get in to the Children's hospital until now. We have been up many nights with her crying that her teeth hurt. She had 3 cavities so deep she needed to get 3 crowns on her baby teeth. Maddie had her surgery on the Monday right after Christmas to do all this. She did super well, except she DID NOT like having the mask put over her face to be put to sleep. She defintely remembers that part of it! The whole thing only took about 4 1/2 hours (including her recovery time). We are very thankful they are fixed and we hope that her teeth feel better. The first thing she said to me when she was wheeled into recover was, "mom, now I can have pop and
M & M's- Yeah, I don't think that will be happening being she has 6 cavities and is only 3!

Maddie at home after her surgery resting.

Christmas Pictures

2010-01-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here are Christmas pictures from Christmas with Mama Julie and Papa Tommy boy's and from Mama Norma and Papa Ronnie's

Madelyn and Olivia

Christmas morning

Christmas at mama Norma's and Papa Ronnie's

Christmas Pictures

2010-01-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already! We had a wonderful Christmas spent with many family and friends. It was so nice to get together and see everyone. I can't believe how fast Christmas break goes!!
Here are some pictures from Christmas at Great Papa's house.

Kaylie and great papa

Madelyn and great papa

The girls anxiously awaiting to open their presents.

It's a Boy!!

2009-12-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

We finally had our ultrasound last Friday and much to our surprise we are having a BOY! We are very excited! You can imagine Ryan's excitement in the room as the technician announced that it was pretty obvious that it was a boy. I think he is feeling at least a little less out numbered with this news. However, our little Maddie's reaction was a little different. As soon as the ultrasound technician said it was a boy, there was a cheer from Ryan and then you heard Maddie all of a sudden say "GROSS!" She wanted a girl, however, she is going to be so excited when she sees this little boy. With a household of girls stuff, now we have some shopping to do! :)

Bunk Beds!

2009-12-23T17:58:00.001-08:00

We are in the process of redoing the girls room to get ready for the baby. The only thing Kaylie really asked for for Christmas was bunk beds. She told me she was going to ask Santa for them so we didn't have to spend our money. We had it delivered yesterday, so it was an early Christmas present for them, if we are going to call it that. They were very surprised when they got home from daycare/school to see them set up in there room. Maddie isn't so sure about them. She wouldn't really sleep in her "new" bed last night. She just cried and said "I want my old bed back". Might take some getting used to but I think it just another one of her excuses to not go to bed. Now we move on to painting the walls and getting the crib up. Three kids in one room, WOW, is it possible???? It's going to have to be since neither one of our girls want to move to the bedroom downstairs. It will all work out!

Christmas at Mark and Anne's

2009-12-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

We had our first Christmas celebration on Sunday at Mark and Anne's house. It was fun to get together and celebrate. The girls always enjoy themselves over there. Here are a few pictures from the day:

The girls opening presents.

"The Girls"

Auntie Rah Rah, Olivia, Madelyn, and Kaylie

Church Christmas program

2009-12-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Kaylie and Madelyn had their church Christmas program on Sunday. They both did a great job and were super excited about it. It was Maddie's first "performance" in front of people. She was a little leary about going up there but once she was up there she was excited to show off the songs she had learned.

Getting ready for the program

We didn't get any good shots of them up in front. Unfortunately we were pretty far back and it was so dark in there. This is really the only picture you can somewhat see them.

Kaylie's School Christmas Program

2009-12-23T17:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Kaylie's school Christmas program. She performed "The Littlest Christmas Tree." She was an elf and did a great job! It was fun to see her say her lines after rehearsing them many times at home!

Kaylie and her good friend Abby.

Kaylie's Class

Close up of Kaylie performing.

Jingle Bell Rock

2009-12-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

Kaylie had a fun time dancing with the New Richmond Dance team when she did "Jingle Bell Rock". She and 90 other girls participated and learned a dance in 2 hours on a Saturday and then performed at a high school basketball game halftime. She did great and really enjoyed herself. It was fun to watch her dance! Here are a few pictures from it.

Kaylie practicing her dance at practice.

Kaylie and her good friend Shaye practicing right before performing.

Kaylie performing at halftime.

Christmas shopping

2009-12-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

So we attempted to start our Christmas shopping this weekend but found some other things to do instead. We headed to Mall of America because I wanted to go to the American Girl doll store to get the girls some things for their dolls. The girls decided they wanted to get their dolls hair done in the salon they have their for the dolls. So we spent most of our afternoon in just that one store. Ryan was pretty excited :) He already loves that store so much after having lunch in their cafe last year and the dolls got about as much food as he did. Oh well, it is a fun stop for the girls and they love their dolls. We still have a ton of shopping to do but we always have next weekend!

Maddie showing off her Bitty Baby after they put a bow in her hair.

Kaylie showing off her American girl doll after her hair was done.

Kaylie waiting patiently as her dolls sits in the salon chair and gets her hair done.

Maddie waiting for her Bitty babys "hair" to be done.

(they don't exactly have hair but Maddie thought her baby needed a bow like her)

Swimming Lessons

2009-12-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Kaylie's first go around at swimming lessons. Much to my surprise they are going very well. Even though Kaylie is used to swimming and loves to be in the water and spends a lot of her summer in Mama and Papas pool, she very much dislikes getting her face wet. She defintely has put on her game face for swimming lessons and does whatever the teacher asks her to do, which we are very proud of her for. We were told that this was just a slow introduction to water so we thought it would be perfect for her, however, they just jumped right into going underwater and having them do the back float and front float which she is doing great at.

Kaylie and her teacher getting into the water.

Madelyn enjoying some time in the water while Kaylie is at swimming lessons.

Getting ready for Christmas!

2009-12-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner and being the procrastinator that I am, No I haven't even started shopping yet! Oh well! It always gets done!
Here are a few pictures of us getting ready for the Christmas season. The first few are from church and making our advent wreath. Our family had fun having dinner at church and then making this project together. The girls really enjoyed it and are proud of their end results as you can see. The other pictures are from when we got our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We had fun decorating it and our house!

The girls holding the advent wreath they made.

Kaylie

Ryan and the girls working hard at putting it together.

Enjoying a candy cane while our tree was being prepped.

Kaylie enjoying some hot apple cider after picking out our tree.

Olivia has arrived!!!

2009-11-24T19:19:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to have our new baby cousin/niece here!! Olivia has finally arrived and she is soooooooo adorable (as you can see)!!! Our family had fun visiting them at the hospital last night! Sarah looked great and seemed to be doing awesome. The girls are so excited to have her here! They have been waiting and waiting and guessing at when her arrival would come. When we got home from the hospital, Kaylie went and got one of her baby dolls and swaddled it and was rocking it last night and whispering to her "Olivia". It was pretty cute!
Congratulations Sarah!!! You are going to be a great mom!!

Adorable Little Olivia

Mama and Papa with their grandkids!

Sarah and Olivia

Halloween 2009

2009-11-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

Our little Wizard of Oz girls

Glinda the good witch in my old flowergirl dress

We certainly cheated this year! We weren't up to the whole carving thing so we just bought things that they could push into the pumpkin. Here they are showing off their end results.

Our little Dorothy holding Toto in her basket.

So it's only going on a couple weeks past Halloween, but thought I would post a few pictures of the girls and their Halloween fun. They had a great day! Kaylie was busy all day with birthday parties and trick or treating. Madelyn went as Dorothy. Wizard of Oz is probably one of her favorite movies right now so she insisted she was Dorothy. Kaylie decided she wanted to be Glinda the good witch from the movie.
We had a little harder time finding Kaylie's costume until my mom remembered she had saved a flowergirl dress that I wore when I was 4 or 5 in my aunt Sue's wedding. It worked perfectly! It looked just like Glinda's dress on the Wizard of Oz! Now the only probably was Glinda's tall crown! We couldn't find one to buy anywear! Believe me I searched high and low and had to settle for making one. I am definitely not a crafty person but she was happy with it and thats all that matters!

Kaylie's Kindergarten Halloween

2009-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Kaylie and her teacher Mrs. Jacobson

Kaylie and her class

Kaylie singing "If your scary and you know it!"

Kaylie parading around the school with her class.

Madelyn and I had fun watching Kaylie in her Halloween parade around her school and at her Halloween program in her classroom where she sang some fun songs that she has learned in Kindergarten so far this year. Kaylie was Glinda the good witch from the Wizard Of Oz.

Mickey's Road Show

2009-10-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

One of my girls favorite things to do is to go to Disney shows. We went to one last Sunday at the Xcel- Mickey's Road Show. The girls loved it and had a great time, despite Kaylie not feeling well! Mama and Papa came with us and enjoyed the fun too! Next up- Disney on ice. They are especially excited for this years Disney on Ice because it is all about princesses. Here are a few pictures from the show.

Annual Trip to Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did our annual apple orchard and pumpkin patch visit. We FINALLY had a nice weekend to do it. With the cold temps. and the snow lately, I thought we wouldn't get this visit in but thankfully Saturday was beautiful! We went and took pictures at the pumpkin patch first and then went to the apple orchard. The girls had fun looking around and wanting their picture taken by everything. As we left the place, Maddie exclaimed "I had a great day!" and that makes all these little trips worth it in the end.

Maddie looking at the sheep. My kids are defintely not animal people, which is fine by me. They didn't want to feed or pet the animals there and they hardly wanted to go near them because of their smell. I guess I need to get them in the country more often!

Have to get a picture by the pink tractor every year!

Trip to Apple Orchard

2009-10-17T18:17:00.001-07:00

We took in the beautiful day to spend at the Apple orchard as well! The girls enjoyed picking apples, going on a hayride, and looking at all the animals. It was a fun day and the girls really enjoyed it!

The girls showing off their perfect apples.

Ryan, Kaylie, and Maddie getting ready to go on the hayride.

Madelyn picking more apples.

Kaylie finding the perfect apple.

One Last 6th Birthday Celebration!

2009-10-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Kaylie had one last celebration of her 6th birthday! It was fun to celebrate it with grandma's and grandpa's, aunts, uncles, and cousins! It was a busy day but a fun one! Thank you to everyone for making it such a special day for Kaylie!

Kaylie and her Hello Kitty cake

Excited to open presents!

Happy 6th birthday Kaylie!

Sports, Sports, and more Sports!

2009-10-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Our little Twins fans

I feel like our household has revolved around sports games lately!! Between the Twins and the Packers, Ryan has been glued to the T.V. or spending his days at the Metrodome! It's fun though and it's fun to watch the girls get into it! They were so excited when the Twins won on Tuesday. It was cute to see them jumping around and getting just as excited as daddy, well almost I guess. I don't know if any one person can be as excited as Ryan was that night!

Enjoying the Packer game with Papa Ronnie

Jeff, Papa Tommy boy, and Ryan at what was supposed to be the last game at the dome.

Guess it's even better that it wasn't.

Kaylie's first friends birthday party

2009-10-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Kaylie had her first official friend's birthday party! She had 6 little girls over and they seemed to have a great time! I forget what a bunch of little girls together is like! They were definetely busy! Kaylie really enjoyed herself and had a great time having her friends from Kindergarten over. We were super busy and the night went fast! We made trick or treat bags for their candy on Halloween, made princess crowns, had dinner, and played a few games. Here are a few pictures from the party.

Kaylie and the crew

Madelyn getting in on the fun-making her trick or treat bag.

Ryan entertaining the girls- making bracelets and necklaces out of glow and the dark sticks.

Making our trick or treat bags

Birthdays!

2009-10-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of this week celebrating birthdays. We had a fun time celebrating Kaylie's 6th birthday!

The Gafner girls- the girls helping me celebrate my birthday.

Kaylie turning the big 6! It makes me sad that she is that old already!

Kaylie and Madelyn on Kaylie's birthday

Kaylie having her birthday breakfast. She chose pancakes.

We want curls!

2009-09-28T15:17:00.001-07:00

Both the girls decided they wanted to go to school with curly hair so they asked me to put socks in their hair. It's an easy and comfortable way for them to sleep and have curls in their hair when they wake up. I wish I took an after picture- WOW does their hair get curly!

Tooth #2 Gone!

2009-09-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Kaylie has now lost 2 teeth! She lost her 2nd bottom tooth yesterday. IT's crazy how fast this tooth losing thing is going! Now we have her front two teeth that are loose. Hopefully it will be a while before she loses those, otherwise eating might be a little more difficult!

First Lost Tooth!!

2009-09-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, Kaylie lost her first tooth! She was very excited. She has been working on this tooth for awhile. She stayed home from school with Papa Ronnie last week and had a big surprise for us when we picked her up, she was missing her bottom tooth. She said she was eating a chip while it happened. Now her other bottom tooth is loose, as well as her top two teeth. I told her she is going to be singing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." She was very excited when the tooth fairy let her keep her tooth and brought her money. She woke me up at 1:00 a.m. and had to show me what she got. The tooth fairy also brought her a tooth necklace which she wore around proudly that day. It makes me a little sad that she is losing her little baby teeth. She's growing up way too fast!

putting her tooth under her pillow.

Her new toothless smile!

New Baby On The Way!!

2009-09-20T18:59:00.001-07:00

O.K., this post is way overdue, as many people have told me but yes, we are excited to say that baby number 3 is on its way, due to arrive around March 18th! We are all very excited, especially our girls. They can't wait!! They are constantly hugging, kissing, and talking to my belly. It will be fun to see them interact with a new baby. I'm feeling very big already and at my 13 week appointment was measuring around 17. It is amazing how fast your belly grows the third time around! I don't fit into my clothes and am at the awkward stage where maternity clothes are too big and my clothes are way to tight!! Thank goodness my sister let me borrow her bella band!! :)
I am now 15 weeks and counting, however, this will be my last pregnancy so I am trying to enjoy each and every moment. And yes, we will find out the sex of our baby. We already have another ultrasound scheduled for December. We will see, boy or girl!!??!! We know what our family is good at producing!

Also congratulations to our friends Bobbi and Chris who just had baby Brooks!! He is adorable and are very excited and happy for you guys!

Here is our 9 week ultrasound picture. Kind of a bad picture but really as Maddie said "mom, it looks like a jelly bean."

First Day of Sunday School

2009-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Madelyn's first day of Sunday School. She was so excited to go and couldn't wait to meet her teacher and see her classroom. In her mind she was going to 4K, where Kaylie went because it was at our church, so she was a little confused but needless to say, she had so much fun. We have not stopped hearing about her teacher, her classroom, and the girl in the flower shirt that kept crying for her mommy.
(Kaylie also had Sunday school that day but she was too cool to get her picture taken)

Maddie all ready for Sunday School

Dinner at Mancini's

2009-09-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a nice dinner at Mancini's in St. Paul with Ryan's family. His brother Todd was up from Florida and it was fun to all get together to talk and eat some good food!

More Kindergarten Pictures

2009-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from Kaylie's first few days of Kindergarten. She absolutely loves it. She loves everything about it- her class, friends, teacher, lunch, and her favorite part of the day- rest time.

Getting off the bus with her friends

Getting off at her bus stop

State Fair

2009-09-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

We spent one of the days this weekend at the Minnesota State Fair. It was a nice day but the fair was SUPER busy, as usual! The girls had a great time. They had fun looking at the baby animals, going on rides, and eating yummy treats! I do have to say though, I think their favorite part of the fair was riding the city bus to the fair.

Madelyn relaxing in her stroller.

Kaylie and Mama on the tilt o whirl.

Papa, Madelyn, and Kaylie on the tea cups.

Kaylie and Madelyn on the bumpy trucks.

Of all the yummy fair food they could chose, they

wanted pizza most of all.

First Day of Kindergarten!

2009-09-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today was Kaylie's first day of Kindergarten at Hillside! She got up bright and early and was super excited about her day ahead. We dropped her off today being it was the first day. It was fun to be able to go and see all the excitement, although Kaylie I think is already embarassed of her parents. She hardly let me take any pictures of her at school. I did get a couple of the back of her head though. I had to sneak some! Kaylie did great at drop off. I was a little leary of how it would go because she gets really nervous in new situations but she hung up her stuff and went right in her room. It helps that she knows several of the kids in her class. I think Maddie was a little sad and doens't know what to do without Kaylie today. She has to hang out with her mom all day, how fun is that!??!!
Here are some pictures from the morning:

Kaylie walking into the school.

Hanging up her backpack in her cubby.

Sisters

First day of Kindergarten

Excited and ready to go!

Obsessed with Wizard of Oz!

2009-09-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I guess when I uploaded it, it decided to go sideways. Turn your head or your computer! :)

When Madelyn gets stuck on something, man does she get stuck on it!! We have been watching A LOT of Wizard of Oz lately! WOW! Why are my kids not scared of the flying monkeys?? I think I still am! We went through this phase with Kaylie as well. I wish I could find the video we took of Kaylie when she was 2, saying her lines and her songs from the movie to post here but I couldn't. Its funny to kind of relive the love for the movie through Madelyn. She sings the songs EVERYWHERE. If you are ever in Wal-mart, chances are you will see her skipping around singing some song from the movie. Here is a clip of Maddie singing one of the songs from the movie. See if you can guess what song it is! It's kind of hard to understand!

Can you guess what my children want to be for Halloween?? Maddie says she wants to be Dorothy (which Kaylie was last year) and Kaylie right now says she wants to be Glenda the good witch. We will see if this happens. Seems like they always change their mind!

Fire at Silly Sue and Stevie's

2009-09-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Silly Sue helping Maddie get her marshamallow just right.

Showing off their perfectly roasted marshmallows.

Kaylie not wanting to get too close to the fire!

We enjoyed one of these cool beautiful summer nights at Silly Sue and Stevie's (as Kaylie and Maddie call them) house. They had a fire and the girls were able to do one of their favorite summer things- roast marshmallows and make smores! MMMMMM! Thanks to Stevie, the girls also enjoyed some fireworks, another favorite summer thing of theirs.

The Past Couple Weeks

2009-09-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Daddy's birthday at Olive Garden.

Playing at Teddy Bear Park.

More Pictures from Teddy Bear Park

On the "bridge" at Teddy Bear Park.

We have a a fun last couple weeks of summer! I These are a few of the pictures we have taken. It has been a busy summer and I can't believe it's gone!! I have now been back to work for 2 weeks and I miss the little things that I take for granted when I'm off in the summer like sleeping in, doing whatever we want when we want, running errands whenever we want, etc.

Kaylie is off to Kindergarten tomorrow and I think I'm more stressed and sad about it then she is. After her open house last week and her individual orientation appointment with her teacher yesterday, she seems super excited about her class and Kindergarten overall. She says she can't wait to make new friends, eat lunch at school, and ride the bus. I know she will do great, I just need to convince myself that she is almost 6 and VERY ready to go to school. Where does time go??

More Summer Fun!

2009-08-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have been really bad about posting things lately. I guess I am trying to savor each and every day because summer vacation is soon coming to an end. Where does it go and why does it ALWAYS go by so quickly? Next week I will be in Turtle Lake for a class everyday and then the following week I go back to work. So this is my last week off! :( It has been so nice spending time with my girls! I am really going to miss having all this time with them!
The past couple days have been busy enjoying some time off with daddy! We spent the day yesterday at the Mall of America doing some back to school shopping and going on our fair share of rides. Later that night, we took the girls to a couple of movies at the drive-in. I was surprised how late Kaylie stayed up! The last movie we stayed for ended at midnight and she stayed up for the whole thing. Not only did we have busy day, but usually Kaylie is like me, once a movie is put in, we fall right to sleep.
We have also enjoyed swimming at Mama and Papa's this summer. We have finally gotten to use their pool a lot lately because it has been warm finally!

Here are some pictures from the last couple days:

The girls getting comfy in the back of the van watching the movie.

The girls waiting for the movies to start.

Swimming at Mama and Papa's.

Kaylie swimming

Maddie swimming

A Day at the Beach

2009-07-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, we spent the day at Lake Elmo Park with our good friends Joan, Bobbi, and Carter. The girls enjoyed the sun, sand, and water! It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we spent it just relaxing in the sun and building sand castles. The water felt wonderful too!

Kaylie enjoying the water

Madelyn digging in the sand.

Madelyn and Kaylie having fun at the beach.

Carter, Kaylie, and Maddie building and knocking down sand castles.

More Summer Pictures

2009-07-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Madelyn riding her bike

Kaylie FINALLY learned how to ride a bike without training wheels!!! YEAH KAYLIE! Here she is practicing on her little bike, not yet brave enough to take on her big bike.

Here are the girls at the Fun Fest parade. They love to go to parades!! However, we were a little disappointed this year when there were only 3 bands in the parade. That is our favorite part!

My girls are defintely amusement park riders! They love to go on any ride and would if I would let them. We stuck to the little kid rides this year! Here they are on the train.

Kaylie and Madelyn on the Dizzy Dragons! Kaylie really can get that thing spinning.

They also went on the Tilt-a-whirl with my mom and dad. I couldn't believe how fast they were spinning around! Madelyn wasn't too sure about that ride!
We are enjoying our summer but it is going way too fast!!!

Madden's Trip

2009-07-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Every year for the past 20+ years, my family and my Dad's whole side has gone up to Brainerd, MN and stayed at Madden's golf resort. It is so fun and a great week to spend catching up with family. I have so many memories from here from when I was little, it is now fun to bring my own children up there to create those memories for our family. Kaylie still finds it hard to believe that I came here when I was a little girl.
This year, Ryan and I and the girls didn't stay at Madden's. We thought it would be fun to stay at a hotel that had a waterpark for the girls. The girls had blast there! We still hung out at Madden's everyday with my mom and dad and all of our other relatives. It was a very fun and relaxing trip. Here are a few pictures from our vacation.

Madelyn and Kaylie at Bar Harbor.

Kaylie coming down the waterslide.

Maddie and Daddy coming down the waterslide.

Ryan getting dumped on by a huge bucket of water.

Madelyn getting her face painted.

The girls in "the chair" at Madden's.

Family picture up at Madden's.

Gafner family picture at Maddens.

At the beach looking for shells and rocks to throw in the lake.

Fourth of July!

2009-07-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging out and having fun on the fourth!

Waiting patiently for the fireworks to start.

Watching the great fireworks show!

We had a great July 4th! We spent the day at my aunt and uncle's house in Woodbury. My relatives were all there to celebrate with as well! It was a great day! The girls had lots of fun swimming and playing with cousins. We ended the night by watching the fireworks in Woodbury! My girls LOVE to watch fireworks and Woodbury puts on an awesome show!

Strawberries!

2009-07-02T20:03:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, Madelyn and I, along with our good friends Bobbi and Carter went to pick strawberries! We did this last year and my girls LOVED it! Too bad I forgot about the strawberries in the back of my car for two days and when I went to get them tonight, they were all moldy! :(
Oh well, we had lots of fun picking them! It was all about the experience!

Maddie and her bucket of strawberries.

Looking for the yummy strawberries!

Carter and Madelyn showing off their hard work!

Milwaukee Trip

2009-06-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a short trip to Milwaukee to go to a Twins/Brewers game. We all had a great time, despite the Twins losing to the game we went to! The girls had fun swimming, going to the game, and hanging out with Auntie Rah Rah! The game was SUPER hot but the girls did awesome and had so much fun cheering on the Twins. Madelyn was obsessed with her Joe Mauer and was constantly asking where he was or when he was going to be up to bat. It was pretty cute. She calls Joe Mauer "her best buddy".

Hanging out at the hotel with Rah Rah

Maddie having fun at the game!

Go Twins!

Kaylie having fun at the game!

Daddy and Madelyn hanging out at the game.

Watching the Twins warm up before the game

Group picture at Miller Park

Having fun in the pool.

Getting ready to go down the slide.

Happy Father's Day Ryan!

2009-06-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day today celebrating Father's Day!! The girls and I made Ryan breakfast in bed this morning. Then Ryan enjoyed the day by going to a Twin's game with his father and father-in-law.
Thank you Ryan for being such a great father to our two little girls!! They are VERY lucky to have such an awesome dad! We all love you very much!

Summer Fun

2009-06-18T17:24:00.001-07:00

Elmo sprinkler from Target= $10
Hose and water= $25
Watching your children get hours and hours of entertainment from running through the sprinkler= priceless

It amazed me today how much fun it was for my children to run through the sprinkler for hours. It was fun to watch them and hear their screams and giggles as they ran through the water.
Our summer is already going by too fast. I can't believe two weeks have gone by!

Kaylie has almost completed her first week of summer stretch. She is getting a little taste of Kindergarten. She really enjoys school and can't wait for Kindergarten! Although, lately, I do think she is preparing to enter Middle School, with that teenage attitude she has been sporting lately.
She did say something the other day that kind of made up for her sassyness and behaviors she has been displaying.
We were at my aunts house and we were all just sitting around talking. Kaylie was having fun just running up and down the driveway. She came over to us for a rest and did this little pose for us, which made her little (or should I say BIG) belly stick out. Ryan said to her "Whoa, Kaylie! Where did you get that big belly?!!? Kaylie simply and very innocently replied "God."

Go Twins!

2009-06-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Wearing their Twins Gear. Kaylie is wearing
Daddy's old jersey from when he was a little boy.

Now that Uncle Jeffy is working for the Twins, the girls have a new found love for the Minnesota Twins. (Not to mention that Daddy is a HUGE Twins fan and that most of our summer nights are spent watching games.) Madelyn cheers for Mauer and gets excited when she sees him on TV. Kaylie cheers for whoever Daddy tells her to cheer for. We will be going to Milwaukee next week to watch a Brewers vs. Twins game. We are looking forward to it! It will be the girls first outdoor baseball game!

Madelyn's Tooth

2009-06-12T17:52:00.001-07:00

Close up of Madelyn's chipped front tooth
I know its hard to tell but believe me, it is there!

Before

After

Madelyn is definetly my little go getter. She had previously fallen and chipped her front tooth. Well she recently was eating a ring pop and popped her filling out they had put in to fix her chipped tooth. So the first day of my summer break was spent calling every dentist in the phone book to fix her poor little tooth. Everyone who saw it said it wasn't that bad but all I could see when she smiled was this huge hole in her front tooth! Her pediatric dentist couldn't get her in until July and I wasn't about to wait that long. So I made an appointment for a regular dentist to which I have never been before. Well when we got there, we were there maybe fore 2 minutes and he said that we didn't need to fix it and that he would refer us to the pedatric dentist if I did want it fixed. Been there, done that. Plus I wasn't going to let my child go around with a hole in her tooth till she lost it. I finally found a dentist who was willing to do it while I held her down and just let her scream. He got it done and it looks ten times better. I always tell her that all that pop, juice, and candy will make her teeth rot out of her head! I really didn't think it would happen at this young of an age! :)

More Graduation Pictures

2009-06-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun taking graduation pictures with all of our family that came!

Mama Norma and Papa Ronnie

Papa Tommy and Mama Julie

Auntie Rah Rah and Madelyn

Mama Emy

Uncle Jeffy

4K Graduation Day!

2009-06-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Posing with family

Kaylie getting her diploma with
her teachers Ms. Diana and Ms. Kelly

Our little graduate

At home before graduation

It is hard for me to believe but my little girl graduated from 4K today! It seems just like yesterday that Kaylie was just learning to crawl and walk. It is very cliche but time does go way to fast! Kaylie had a little graduation ceremony tonight, with cap and gown, and all. As they walked down the aisle to "Pomp and Circumstance", I just felt the tears well up in my eyes. I did many checks around the room to make sure I wasn't the only one tearing up. Thankfully it was a room full of parents (mostly moms) with tears in their eyes. They sang some adorable songs about being ready for Kindergarten and each got their own diplomas. Who knew a 4K graduation ceremony would be so emotional for me!? I can't even imagine what I will be like when she graduates high school!

Her Ears are Pierced!

2009-06-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Kaylie right after getting her ears pierced!

So Kaylie decided it was time to get her ears pierced today. We have been contemplating the idea for some time now. About a year ago she really wanted to do it but after she heard it would pinch a little, she was a little less excited about doing it! However, today, out of the blue as we were roaming the aisles at Walmart (yes, I was a little skeptical about getting ears pierced at Walmart but they did great), she asked "Mom can I pleeaase get my ears pierced today?" So she got up the courage and did it! No tears and not even a little flinch (that came from mom as I watched her do it). She did great and she is so excited about it! That was her little 4K graduation present from mom and dad.

End of the Year Field Trip

2009-06-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Madelyn eating their picnic lunch.

Kaylie and her classmates looking at the sea lions.

I had the opportunity to chaperone Kaylie's end of they year field trip to Como Zoo couple of weeks ago. It was a perfect day! The weather was gorgeous! It was nice to be able to go along on a field trip with a different class other than my own. It made it that much more special that I got to go along with Kaylie's class. Madelyn got to go along too and clung to me the whole time! That made it quite interesting but nevertheless, it was so fun to see Kaylie on a field trip with all of her friends. Kaylie is such a different little girl since starting 4K! She has blossomed and opened up so much! It is hard to believe my little girl will be starting Kindergarten in the fall!

Kaylie's first T-ball game

2009-06-01T20:23:00.001-07:00

Getting some tips from daddy

The coach, the ball player, and the birthday girl

Waiting patiently to bat

Some more coaching tips from Coach Ryan a.k.a Daddy

Not only was it Maddie's birthday today but it was also Kaylie's first T-ball game. She is on the Royal blue team. Our little girly girl is a ball player now, however, you can't take the girl out of this ball player! When we were discussing that it was going to be her first game tonight and that she would play a different team, she was a little confused, but excited. She asked who they were playing and I told her that she would be playing the White team. Well, the little fashionista responded by saying "Oh that's good mom, blue and white go together nicely!" It was also Daddy's first game coaching! You can tell he really enjoys it and good daddy/daughter bonding time.

Birthday Party!

2009-06-01T19:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at Madelyn's birthday party on Saturday! It was fun to get together with our family! She enjoyed every minute of her party! Thank you to everyone for making it such a special day for her!

We had a blast playing with cousins!

Enjoying some snuggle time with Papa Ronnie

Having fun with Mama Julie

Happy 3rd Birthday Madelyn!

2009-06-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turned 3 today! It is hard to believe and it makes Ryan and I a little sad that she is growing up way to fast! It has been a joy to watch her grow into her own person, into a little lady. Madelyn is defintely our little spitfire and little sassafrass but she makes our life so much more fun and entertaining! She is such a fun and loving little girl who gives the best hugs and kisses!
Happy 3rd Birthday Madelyn! We love you so much!

Our family

Getting ready to open presents!

Maddie with her Strawberry shortcake and Cinderelly cakes.

Last Day of Clogging

2009-05-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Kaylie learning some new moves

Madelyn doing her "Mr. Golden Sun" dance

Kaylie at her clogging recital earlier this year

Tuesday night marked Kaylie's last day of clogging. She has been doing this form of dance for about 2 years. She really enjoys it and is so good at it, however, she says she doesn't want to continue with it (which makes me a little sad!). Madelyn also started clogging this year. She loves it as well and it is so fun to watch her. It amazes me how much she can do! It's funny to watch her try to get her little feet moving as fast as the instructor. We will see if this was truely the last night of clogging. I think both girls will miss it!

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Being that Ryan had to work today, the girls and I took some time to enjoy the beautiful weather outdoors. They helped me plant my flowers around the house. They had fun taking turns doing their own planters.

Creation of Gafner Family Blog

2009-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

So I decided it was time to do something with all the pictures that our family seems to take. I have been wanting to post them on a blog for some time but barely have time to check e-mail, so I thought there would be no way I would want to do this. I took on the task, however. After seeing many blogs and how fun they are to read and an easy way to catch up on information with friends and family, I decided it was time to create the Gafner Family Blog.