Hey everyone,
Our apologies for not updating the blog much this month. Lots of changes, vacation, and fun times have filled our house this summer. Matt has the luxury of taking a 6 week leave from work this summer and unfortunately had to return to work yesterday. He was pretty tired last night after working a full day in the office. It was very nice having him around the house this summer and the kids and I will miss that.
When I came home from work yesterday evening, Matt informed me that Abe is sprouting his first teeth! YEAH! Another milestone :). His lower two front teeth are just starting to poke out from his gum. Abe also is a busy bee exploring all his surroundings. He is beginning to scoot (usually when he wants a toy or when no one is looking) and is actively rolling. Matt also noted that Abram is starting to pull himself up to the crawl position, though he doesn't last here long. Soon enough we will be chasing Abram around the house. Time to get serious about baby proofing! (So far the living room is in check).
Early in July, Matt, the kids and I took a week long vacation together as I playfully call "Family Fun Week 2009". Our vacation started out with the long drive up to Hayward, WI where we stayed with one of our dear friends, Tim Swift, for a few nights. Tim has a wonderful little "house" cabin in the woods. We love his quiet retreat. Kodi especially loves hiking with Tim's dogs and helping them hunt for chippy's and mice. Eden and I spent an afternoon together to go to my favorite jewelry shops (Firefly).
One night we also embarked on a camping trip at a National Park campsite. It was on this peninsula with the Namakogan River flowing around us. It was truly a beautiful site. Abram and I dropped Matt, Kodi, and Eden off 4 miles up the river so they could kayak and tube to our campsite. What Matt thought would be a less than an hour trip turned into a three hour tour for them...their river trip had its ups and downs but left the three of them with many smiles and memories to laugh about. While they were tubing, I took little Abe swimming and he had a blast kicking around in his little innertube in the water. Kodi and Eden both love camping and after our one night adventure, I think I can prematurely say that Abe will love camping also.
After our 5 days up in Hayward we packed the car up and headed to Minnesota 2 days with my family. Our motive for this trip was to have a surprise birthday party for Grandma Nancy on Saturday, July 11. She was surprised and really enjoyed the party. Kodi, Eden, and Abe helped me to distract Grandma with a trip to the Mall of America. In addition to the party, the kids all enjoyed swimming in Angie and Marvins pool.
Our family fun week 2009 concluded with our second annual block party back here in Tosa. All our neighbors gathered outside for a fun day filled with relays, water games, basketball, good food, and fellowship.
Abe is sitting here next to me on all fours rocking back and forth. I am so excited for him to begin crawling. I have to get him down for a nap. I'll try to write more before summer is over and I"ll upload pics later.
Take care!
B
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
Abe's play group friends :)
Daddy with Abe in his kelty backpack
Fun at the parade!
We hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekends! It was just Matt, Abe, and myself this weekend as Kodi and Eden were at their mom's house. Saturday morning we met up with the Gissibl Clan at the Wauwatosa 4th of July parade. Matt and I parked at Starbucks, picked up a couple of beverages and enjoyed a nice walk over to the parade site where we had breakfast with Matt's family (thanks Nana for the yummy treats!). Abram was very tired for the parade (as he was up most of the night, who knows why, maybe teething???). But even though he was tired he still had fun watching the firetrucks and everything else going on.
Tomorrow morning we are heading out for our family vacation. We will be starting our week off up in Hayward at Swiftys house where we are excited to enjoy the great outdoors. If the weather cooperates we will hopefully be camping for one night (which Kodi and Eden are both super excited for!). We all love the peaceful atmosphere of Hayward and are looking forward to just enjoying time together as a family.
Our week will be finished up in Minnesota where we will spend a night with Grandma and Grandpa (and of course see the kids' aunties and uncles). Then next Sunday we are having our second annual block party.
It will be a busy end to our family vacation but it will be a fun one :).
It will be a busy end to our family vacation but it will be a fun one :).
Love you!
B
B
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The four Gizzy's relaxing on the floor after a fun filled weekend! Happy father's day daddy! We love you! :)
Eden and Kodi were playing sharks in the water and shark-man Kodi caught fishy Eden.
Mommy buried Abram in the sand at the beach on Father's day, he had fun playing and asa bonus, didn't eat too much sand!
Abe loves to suck his thumb :)
Eden and Kodi playing at the park :) Say cheese! (they are cute as pie!)
Kodi the mechanic is working under the hood and Eden the mechanic is busy rotating the tires of our new blue car!
Kodi working as a mechanic at Betty Brinn Children's museum.
Kodi with his 5th grade teacher, Mr. Henscher, on the last day of school (it was crazy hair day)
Eden with her teacher, Mr. Honigman on the last day of school
Sorry it's been so long since I last updated our blog. School is now out and we are all enjoying the heat of summer (and air conditioning :D). This week is the first week of Kodi and Eden's summer school sessions. Eden has chosen to take German and Science this summer and Kodi is enjoying his science and phy ed classes. Kodi was hoping to take German also, but unfortunately there were not enough 5/6 graders interested, so his class got cancelled.
Matt has been enjoying his paternity leave so far and has been working for his brother Mike, a few days a week. He is sporting a nice tan from being outside painting/power washing all day. For father's day this past Sunday, I cooked Matt, the kids, and the 3 bike racers who were crashing with us this past week (they took off today) breakfast. Then our family went to church, where Matt almost won the contest of the father with the youngest child (he was beat out by a daddy of a 9 week old). In the afternoon, the 5 of us went to Lannon Quarry for some swimming and playing on the beach. All 3 of the kids had a blast swimming (yup, Abe went swimming for the first time and he liked being in the water - though he didn't like it when the back of his head got wet). For Matt's father's day gift, the kids painted a corn hole game for him and I made the bean bags outfitted with Abe's footprints. This evening Kodi, Matt, and I all enjoyed a few rounds of corn hole before retiring inside to relax in front of the television.
I have been trying to work a bit more this week and so work has been keeping me a bit busier than normal. But work is going well and I really do enjoy what I do, so that is an added bonus. Today I went out to Johnson's Creek outlet mall with a few friends and their babies for a bit of shopping. I scored a cute summer dress at the Gap for only $8 (sweet deal!). I also picked Abram up an outfit for fall with says Daddy's All Star on it (which Matt was excited to see).
Kodi and Eden were excited to have "their best babysitter ever" Hillary Gardner today. She spent the day with Kodi and Eden while I was shopping with my friends. They liked that she played with them and took them out to lunch.
Abram is as happy as can be. Though this week he has started sleeping on his stomach but he wakes up unhappy as he hasn't quiet learned to roll back to his back yet and so he gets "trapped" and cries for someone to "rescue" him. He still enjoys playing on his Baby Einstein play mat and also in her exersaucer. I absolutely adore cuddling with him and today we spent a lot of time enjoying each others company. Sometimes I feel like I could just cuddle him and kiss him forever. I am amazed as I look back over the past 20 weeks of my life. Everything has changed so much and my life has such a different meaning now. I feel so blessed to have my little angel (and my two big angels and husband also!).
That's all for now :). I hope you all are enjoying your summer! Stay cool and wear sunscreen :)
Love,
Beth
Matt has been enjoying his paternity leave so far and has been working for his brother Mike, a few days a week. He is sporting a nice tan from being outside painting/power washing all day. For father's day this past Sunday, I cooked Matt, the kids, and the 3 bike racers who were crashing with us this past week (they took off today) breakfast. Then our family went to church, where Matt almost won the contest of the father with the youngest child (he was beat out by a daddy of a 9 week old). In the afternoon, the 5 of us went to Lannon Quarry for some swimming and playing on the beach. All 3 of the kids had a blast swimming (yup, Abe went swimming for the first time and he liked being in the water - though he didn't like it when the back of his head got wet). For Matt's father's day gift, the kids painted a corn hole game for him and I made the bean bags outfitted with Abe's footprints. This evening Kodi, Matt, and I all enjoyed a few rounds of corn hole before retiring inside to relax in front of the television.
I have been trying to work a bit more this week and so work has been keeping me a bit busier than normal. But work is going well and I really do enjoy what I do, so that is an added bonus. Today I went out to Johnson's Creek outlet mall with a few friends and their babies for a bit of shopping. I scored a cute summer dress at the Gap for only $8 (sweet deal!). I also picked Abram up an outfit for fall with says Daddy's All Star on it (which Matt was excited to see).
Kodi and Eden were excited to have "their best babysitter ever" Hillary Gardner today. She spent the day with Kodi and Eden while I was shopping with my friends. They liked that she played with them and took them out to lunch.
Abram is as happy as can be. Though this week he has started sleeping on his stomach but he wakes up unhappy as he hasn't quiet learned to roll back to his back yet and so he gets "trapped" and cries for someone to "rescue" him. He still enjoys playing on his Baby Einstein play mat and also in her exersaucer. I absolutely adore cuddling with him and today we spent a lot of time enjoying each others company. Sometimes I feel like I could just cuddle him and kiss him forever. I am amazed as I look back over the past 20 weeks of my life. Everything has changed so much and my life has such a different meaning now. I feel so blessed to have my little angel (and my two big angels and husband also!).
That's all for now :). I hope you all are enjoying your summer! Stay cool and wear sunscreen :)
Love,
Beth
Friday, June 5, 2009
Rolling over!
Abram absolutley loves his Baby Einstein exersaucer! Just yesterday he learned to spin around in it and loves pushing the sound buttons and playing with all the toys. Soon after we set it up, he would cry when we would take him out of it. 
Chillin' out on the front lawn with our wonderful neighbors! Abe loves his shades and was looking cool today!
Peace out from Kodi Oscar! Isn't he just sweet as pie??? :)
Eden with her soccer teammates and friends Jayden and Lilly
Kodi dribbling the soccer ball during warm-ups before his game last Saturday
Guess who has found his feet! They are Abram's newest favorite toy!
The Jorgensons (Eden was tired of getting pics taken)
Our family with Abram's sponsors :)
The Gissibls
A special blessing for Matt and I as we set about the beautiful task of raising Abram up in Christ's love. Abe's Godparents are Sarah and Ed Magnuson and Mark Gissibl. 
Pastor Chris Manke baptizing Abram James on 5/24/09.
Kodi and his buddy Kevin at their 5th grade promotion/band concert. Kodi really enjoyed playing the drums this year. Hi All,
So I finally uploaded photos from Abe's baptism, amongst some other recent photos. A big event happened again last night! About 3 weeks ago, Abe rolled over from back to belly one time and until last night, he hadn't done it again. Then last night he rolled over 6-7 times for all of us. We were all so excited! Then tonight, Abe rolled over from back to belly and then from belly to back :) Yeah! We are on our way to being mobile!
Wow, June is already here! It is hard to believe that Abe is now 4 months old...time sure does fly!!!! Life has been sort of crazy lately, for some reason I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed lately with life...I am hoping this summer will bring some slower paced days. I have been trying to kick back and relax a bit more when I'm home with Abe, but for everyone who knows me well, this is easier said than done!
Today was Matt's last day of work until late July. We are all hoping that he will enjoy his time off (that is when he isn't painting for his brother).
One week of school and soccer left....yeah for summer!
Have a great night!
B
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Blessed but Busy Memorial Weekend!
We had another busy family weekend at the Gissibl household...
On Thursday, Kodi Oscar had his 5th grade promotion ceremony and his final band concert (he isn't interested in playing the drums in band anymore). A number of family members gathered at our house for dinner beforehand and then we headed over to watch Kodi walk across the bridge. It is so hard to believe that he will be going to junior high next year! Wow, do they ever grow so fast!!! Kodi also celebrated his 11th birthday yesterday (Tuesday), and he enjoyed having both Matt's family and my family around for the weekend to help him celebrate.
Sunday also kept us busy as we baptized Abram James at the 11am service at St. Matthew's. He had fallen asleep during the sermon just before we headed up front, thankfully he wasn't crabby at us for waking him up, he had a cute little dazed look on his face while we were upfront. Pastor Gary Erickson said a few words as an introduction...Matt and I had already known that Abe Lincoln's birthday was only 1 week after Abram's but we learned that President Garfield's full name is James Abram -- just what Grandpa Jim calls Abram :). Then Pastor Chris Manke, who married Matt and I two years ago today...baptized Abram.
Both Matt and I are amazed at how much has happened in our lives during our first two years of marriage. We feel so blessed to have each other and 3 beautiful children! We spent the weekend reminiscing about our past and how we met....taking a walk down memory lane is always fun. For those of you who want to walk down memory lane with us...Matt and I (along with K/E) met 6 years ago this coming August at Imago Dei Village Lutheran Bible camp in Shawano, WI. We enjoyed getting to know each other during the family camp weekend and I was excited when Matt wanted to stay at camp a little longer on Sunday - so I took them down to the beach for a supervised swim. I was so thankful he gave me his business card before he left :). Though we met in August, our first date wasn't until December and it wasn't long after that when we fell for each other. Wow! Time sure does fly!!!
I'll upload photos from this weekend a little later (Abe just woke up). Have a great day everyone!
B
On Thursday, Kodi Oscar had his 5th grade promotion ceremony and his final band concert (he isn't interested in playing the drums in band anymore). A number of family members gathered at our house for dinner beforehand and then we headed over to watch Kodi walk across the bridge. It is so hard to believe that he will be going to junior high next year! Wow, do they ever grow so fast!!! Kodi also celebrated his 11th birthday yesterday (Tuesday), and he enjoyed having both Matt's family and my family around for the weekend to help him celebrate.
Sunday also kept us busy as we baptized Abram James at the 11am service at St. Matthew's. He had fallen asleep during the sermon just before we headed up front, thankfully he wasn't crabby at us for waking him up, he had a cute little dazed look on his face while we were upfront. Pastor Gary Erickson said a few words as an introduction...Matt and I had already known that Abe Lincoln's birthday was only 1 week after Abram's but we learned that President Garfield's full name is James Abram -- just what Grandpa Jim calls Abram :). Then Pastor Chris Manke, who married Matt and I two years ago today...baptized Abram.
Both Matt and I are amazed at how much has happened in our lives during our first two years of marriage. We feel so blessed to have each other and 3 beautiful children! We spent the weekend reminiscing about our past and how we met....taking a walk down memory lane is always fun. For those of you who want to walk down memory lane with us...Matt and I (along with K/E) met 6 years ago this coming August at Imago Dei Village Lutheran Bible camp in Shawano, WI. We enjoyed getting to know each other during the family camp weekend and I was excited when Matt wanted to stay at camp a little longer on Sunday - so I took them down to the beach for a supervised swim. I was so thankful he gave me his business card before he left :). Though we met in August, our first date wasn't until December and it wasn't long after that when we fell for each other. Wow! Time sure does fly!!!
I'll upload photos from this weekend a little later (Abe just woke up). Have a great day everyone!
B
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