THE ANTS GO MARCHING IN....

DID I MENTION THAT THEY ARE MARCHING IN MY HOUSE????? ugh..I have launched war against this stupid little insects. They are in my pantry, my bathroom, my kitchen, my downstairs bathroom, my garage.....get it...IT'S MY HOUSE AND THEY AREN'T WELCOMED! We have unpacked from our trip and this ant fisaco has sent me in a "Spring..I mean end of summer" cleaning..Yup..my house is amlmost spotless! Everything is finding is place, floors are being mopped, junk is being thrown out..you name it..it is getting done. I am down to one last day of cleaning a few tiny hotspots and then we are good to go. Oh and I did I mention..THE OFFICE IS CLEANED! Gosh I think I haven't seen the floor in there for over 2 years. Papers have been shredded, photos filed..simply things put away! I am excited as I am trying to make our household more efficient and tidy. Greg will be under a lot more stress financially as he has taken a pay cut (I know teacher make pennies and they cut it down to half pennies) so I want to take some household burdens off of him as well as be available in case I need to work. Hopefully I can keep it up!

I know I have been slacking with no Alison updates and vacation pictures so I am going to do it piece by piece (if I did it all at once NO one would read as it would be boring!!)

Alison first....
Our baby girl is quickly approaching her 1st birthday. Mommy is so sad to see her growning and changing daily while Dad is having a blast with each new milestone. If you have seen her lately you would notice that she is developing quite a sense of humor. Alison has this frown that is so unbelievably hysterical. Mommy always is giving her the look to try to keep in her in check and I am guessing that is where she picked it up from. So don't be offended if you get "the look"...because EVERYONE GETS IT! I am trying to catch it on camera although I have come close. She eats like a piggie...EVERYTHING IN SIGHT IS FAIR GAME. There literally doesn't seam to be anything that she doesn't like....Fruit, veggies (including tomatoes..dad!), sandwiches, chicken, hamburgers, steak (yup you read that right), potatoes, pasta, ice cream, cake, candy...ANYTHING. and with every bite comes a big UUUMMMMM!!!

She is a busy little bee. Her crawling is so fast and quick but she puts her butt in the air and uses her feet to get around. Again it is hysterical looking! She stands up on things and cruises but is not interested at all in standing or walking alone. Her new favorite animal has been Orca whales. I am not kidding!! She can spot them out anywhere, and when she does you get a big OOOOOOO. She is constantly saying mamu-mamu-mamu (Shamu). She loves books, her stuff animals (Shamu, her monkey from the zoo, and an Alaskan sled dog), balls, and being held by mommy or daddy.

She continues to sleep very well. Two two-hour naps and then bedtime at 8 is absolutely wonderful! She is very attached her blankie and paci. I'm still ok with her having those two comfort items. We may lose the paci soon, but Mommy will let her keep her blankie. Mommy still has hers..so I guess Mother like Daughter!

Mommy has slowing weaned her from nursing. I have enough milk in the freezer to give her some breast milk for a few more weeks. She is showing some signs of being done. I am having a little bit of a hard time on one hand but the other I know I did well giving her 100% of breastmilk for 10 1/2 months.

Alison is very quickly picking up sign language. I started it awhile ago but she is starting to use it on her own now. Jenn (my sister) is fluent in sign language so she is a great resource for me to use. Many people teach babies the basic, but it is my goal to have her fluent. I have always wanted to learn so I figure Jenn could guide both of us. I have Baby Einstein video that teaches us the basic. As of now she can sign thank you, drink, more, eat, milk, and all done. It is so cute to watch her use her signs. I am going to try to video so I could share it with you all.

The questions have started rolling in on when we are going to have another baby..Truth is..we would love more and more children, but is that going to happen...only God knows. Although we had her naturally our infertility issues still remain. Who knows what my future (or anyone's future for that matter) hold but I am going to put my trust and faith in Christ and see where he takes us. Until then I am soaking up every moment, every milestone, and every memory that we have with our sweet baby girl. We love her dearly!

Ok my next post will be of our vacation.....

We're Back!

We are back from our wonderful vacation! It was an absolutely amazing trip and we all had a great time. It was the first time we had been on a cruise, and boy did we love it! Being home away from home is fun but coming home the laundry monster isn't fun. I have been busy unpacking and trying to straighten up my oh so messy house. I have lots of pictures to share and lots of Ali Lu updates! Hopefully tomorrow I will have more time...until then....I am off to bed (oh did I mention how much I missed sleeping in my own bed!!)

Bon Voyage!!!

Hoorahh!! Today is the day...we set sail for Alaska!! We are all so very excited as this will be our family's first cruies ever! I got my camera fixed in the nick of time (oh that is a whole different story in itself!) so I will attempt to take lots of pictures so that I could share them with you all. On our trip we will be celebrating my 28th birthday (which is today) and Dad's 1 year anniversary (8/20) of his burn accident. We couldn't be more blessed to have him still with us! Well I better get a packing so the boat doesn't leave without me!!! I may or may not have cell/internet service while I am gone so this might be it for awhile!! BON VOYAGE CAPTAIN!

Swimming or Basketball????

Ever since we found out Alison was a girl, Greg has said, " She WILL be a left handed shooter no questions asked!" Hummmm..mom being a swimmer thinks otherwise!! You tell me what sport is in the lead as of now...Swimming or Basketball??????

More Santa Barbara fun....

Besides going to the fiesta, we also did lots of swimming and took Alison to her first trip to the beach. We ate more yummy food (I think that was a trend..eating yummy food!)right on the sand...Here are more pictures...
First time at the beach







Swimming Fun

Viva La Fiesta

This past weekend Greg and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary visiting his Aunt Linda and Uncle Will. We had an absolutely blast!! Hanging out with them is always fun. On Saturday morning we went to eat breakfast at this yummy restuarant on State Street. Well it just so happens be Viva La Fiesta weekend (a Hispanic culture celebration) in Santa Barbara. We fit (Alison and I) right in! While we were finishing breakfast the children's parade had just begun right outside..perfect what a way to join right in the celebration. We saw lots of fun and entertaining floats. Alison (nosy as she is) couldn't soak up enough of the entertainment. We crushed eggs with confetti on her head and did some singing (not too loud of course)..Here are some pictures from the celebration...
Aunt Linda & Alison watching the parade



What kind of fiesta would we have without some candy....

Daddy & his girl

The Gustafsons

What's this on my head??

What kind of fiesta would it be without a fiesta dress!! Thanks Uncle Will!!


VIVA LA FIESTA!

Happy Anniversary!

I can't belive it was 6 years ago today that I married my best friend. As I sit here and reflect back on our lives as husband and wife, I could not ask for a better man nor would I change a single thing that we have experienced. I honestly don't know how Greg puts up with me sometimes. I would have gotten rid of me a long time ago! ha!I am living a dream life and feel so blessed! I truly strive each and everyday to be the best wife and with my short comings I am still loved. I love you babe & Happy Anniversary!