The Grunau Family

I suck....

2008-06-20T09:19:00.002-06:00

So I really suck at posting on this blog! I am fully addicted to facebook and put a lot of pictures on there, so if you're not on there yet join up if you want to see new pictures more frequently.

But for now here's some new(er) pictures of Libby!

Here we are at the Calgary Zoo, rubbing the belly of the hindu elephant god!

Self portrait of the Grunau family... aren't we cute!

Libby did a lot of pointing at the zoo. "See! See! Look!" was all we heard.

Libby's first Pony tail!! She finally has enough hair!

Well that's all for now I'll try to get better at this, but if your sick of checking and seeing nothing become my friend on facebook! (mom and dad- I'll show you how to do it) :)

Easter Pics

2008-04-16T22:26:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures of Libby from Easter at the Grunau farmLibby sitting pretty

Libby in her new pretty Easter dress

Our little model... this is her serious pose. I like to call this one "innocence"

Life or something like it

2008-04-15T09:18:00.002-06:00

Sorry to all for not posting sooner, I'm not even sure if anyone is checking this anymore. On that note I have found a very handy little tool for checking blogs. It's called google reader and you can subscribe to different blogs and google reader will check them for you and let you know when there are new posts. It's a great tool, and has saved me a lot of time from running around the internet checking people's blogs.

But back to my blog. We have been so busy since I last wrote. I was working at YFC to help with the Cal-Break trip and towards the end I was there usually 2-3 days a week! It was pretty nuts and there were times that I brought Libby with me, but she was great. She would watch movies on the computer screen and she also visited a lot of the staff.

For the spring break Daryl went on Cal-Break for 10 days and Libby and I headed off to Alberta to see my family. I found a great seat sale, so I flew to Edmonton. Libby did really well on all the flights.... not super easy to keep an almost 2 year old seating on your lap for over an hour, but in the end we both survived. We had a great time with family and I even got to see my friend Crystal, who I haven't seen forever!

Daryl had a great time in California. He loved his bus and the kids were all awesome. There are some pretty "interesting" pictures of him on facebook if you want to check them out.

Now we are still in crazy mode. Daryl is busy editing the Cal-break video. He is overseeing the project as well as doing a few segments in it. Basically we won't see much of him until May. he really enjoys doing this stuff and it gives him a creative outlet.

Libby has decided to start waking up in the middle of the night (since Alberta actually....), so that's been awesome. I know there are a lot of moms out there who will have no sympathy for me since there 16 year olds are still waking up in the middle of the night, but I don't care.... I am still going to complain! It is my blog after all!
Since the whole waking up thing, I have been exhausted and I think Daryl is starting to get annoyed with his wife being in bed by 9:30 every night.
The newest thing to hit the homefront is that Libby is sick. Yesterday she surprised me with puking on me, her and the couch (I now understand the need for leather furniture). Since then she has had the rankest diapers and a fever. She spent most of last night in our bed which basically means that daryl and I got no sleep.
So that's our life in a nutshell.
Tonight I'm going to bed at 8.

Pictures from Manitoba

2008-03-05T11:15:00.006-06:00

Here's a few pics from our trip to Manitoba. We had to find some things to do when it was so cold outside.

On the drive there, Libby REALLY wanted to look at my magazine (like screaming, crying, wanting), so I let her. She sat there for about an hour just looking through it. I guess I need to get a Maclean's subscription! It definitely helped the car ride!
Here Daryl and Libby are playing in the fort that they built at the cabin. They had a lot of fun and the blanket made their hair very staticy. (I know that's not really a word but it just seemed to be the one that I needed to use). Notice that Libby's pigtails are already longer that the last post! That was only a couple weeks ago, but I feel like her hair is thicker now already!
This is Libby right after her bath....they had the perfect sized towels, so I thought I would have some fun! I think she looks adorable!

Oh, I also just wanted to tell you all a valuable lesson Libby learned during her week in Manitoba. She discovered that you can wave for BOTH "hi" and "bye"! It's like a whole new world has been opened up for her. Before she would only wave bye, but now she has the option to do it for both!! She has been ecstatic with this new revelation! Oh to see the world through a child's eyes and to see the joy they get from the littlest things.

PICTURES

2008-03-05T09:49:00.006-06:00

We finally got our mac here (we ordered it Wednesday night and it came on Monday already.... how fast is that!!)
This is actually only the second time that I have touched the computer. We've been
super busy, and Daryl has been doing a lot of designing, plus just getting this computer to be the same as our old one.
So here are some pictures of our last few months.

Here we are at the Queen Elizabeth Community Association Holiday Fest. It was a lot of fun, but it was super cold so we didn't do any of the outside stuff. Here Libby is decorating her gingerbread man.... she really liked eating the gum gums. This was in the beginning of December.

Here is our tree all decorated for Christmas... Libby was feeling a little left out, so we started to decorate her too! She loved it and was very proud of her ribbon.

Notice her hair length here... it's still pretty short, and this is in the middle of December.

We spent the first part of Christmas at the Grunau farm. It was so wonderful to spend time with the family. I'm not used to having siblings (I'm an only child for those of you who don't know), and I really love it! It was great to visit and catch up! The nicest part was being able to see our niece, Taylor! Libby and Taylor LOVED playing together and they were very entertaining. They were so silly all the time it was hilarious!
This picture was taken on Christmas morning, right after the girls woke up.

Here is Libby just 6 weeks after Christmas and her hair is much longer! Sorry that the pictures of her pigtails aren't that great, but it's pretty hard to get her to keep her head still long enough to get a good picture. But now that we can download pictures from our camera (we only had 8 more pictures available on there!), I'll try harder to get a good pic!

So there are some pics to make up for the lack of pictures lately... thanks for being so patient!

Pictures coming soon??

2008-02-28T13:39:00.002-06:00

Well last night, Daryl ordered our pretty new (well refurbished.. so new to us) macbook. Which means that fairly soon we will have all of our pretty little pictures available to us! So stay tuned for pictures of what all's been going on in our lives!

The week that would not end

2008-02-28T10:47:00.003-06:00

Okay, maybe I'm being over dramatic, but the Grunau family has officially learned their lesson when it comes to the land east of us. I feel that I need to make a little side comment here before I tell you about our week in Manitoba.
On a whole, Manitoba HATES us! That cute, little province, our next door neighbors bites us in the butt every time we have gone there. We are continually screwed over by that land!

And the week we went did not disappoint. We drove to Elkhorn resort on Saturday, and the weather was beautiful! It was perfect driving weather and we had a great drive. We arrived at the resort just before supper, so we had time to check out the resort, find our cabin and get settled in before we ate supper. On the first night everything was looking promising. Our cabin was really nice and had everything we needed. The resort looked nice and there was a lot of outdoor things to do. But then we woke up the next day and for the next 4 days it was FREEZING! It was constantly around -35 (with the wind chill) from Sunday until Wednesday. So obviously we couldn't go outside with Libby, so we spent ALOT of our time in the cabin, playing games, eating, sleeping and watching TV (good ol' HGTV). We also went to the indoor swimming pool a few times. Libby liked the water, and she even liked the lifejacket we bought her. We had planned to go to Brandon (an hour away), but after a snapped block heater cord we
couldn't get our car started (which just aggravated the feeling of being trapped). Thankfully my friend Alissa was able to come and see us (it was so great to see her again!!). We were even more frustrated when we saw the weather channel proclaiming that Saskatchewan and Alberta was nice and mild! Were we ever thankful that we had come to Manitoba to escape 'chilly' Saskatoon! ARGH!
The day before we were leaving it was only around -8ish so we went outside and played. Libby loved the playground. Thankfully most of it was made out of heavy plastic, I kept having visions of Lilbby's tongue stuck to the monkey bars. She especially loved the slide (which she calls 'weee'). We also went tobogganing and Libby really liked that too! Of course we had to start half way down the hill....she didn't even like it when Daryl started at the top by himself! And we also walked around giving Libby a bit of a sled ride. So it was a really nice LAST day there...stupid Manitoba.
Oh well, all in all it was still nice to get away and be unplugged from the world. We had a fun time hanging out as a family and just enjoying each other.
Next year though, I think we'll head out to Alberta.... IT doesn't seem to hate us as much!

Completely unrelated

2008-02-14T15:15:00.002-06:00

On a completely unrelated topic to the post below, Libby's hair now fits in pigtails. Actually she could have worn them a long time ago, but now they don't look dorky! She is so cute, and I think she looks a lot older now. She's not my baby anymore... she's my little toddler, complete with tantrums (it is really hard not to laugh at her... except when we're in public, then I just turn red).

Oh well, I guess we're just winding up for the world of the two year old!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

2008-02-14T14:59:00.002-06:00

Man, I cannot believe how much it has been snowing lately! I am noticing all of this for a variety of reasons....
-we now have to shovel our own sidewalks and driveway (at our townhouse it was all done for us... I now realize I never said thank-you enough!!)
-Our driveway is WAY bigger than at our townhouse (we can fit 4 cars in the back)
-Our wiper blade sucks on the Corolla, so I can't just wipe away the snow off the windshield. Even if it's just a light 'dusting' I have to pull out the brush.... pretty annoying.
- We are running out of room to put the snow... we can only have our driveway so narrow.

Oh well, it is still beautiful, and supposedly we are supposed to get to above zero for the next few days (I'll believe it when I see it). It also doesn't help that lately I have known many people who are escaping to the warm climates of Mexico, Australia and the Caribbean...man life's rough for some people.

The Grunau family is also off on a vacation soon. Yes it is a resort, yes there is a pool and a hot tub, and yes there is a golf course. Problem is you would have to shovel the 8 feet of snow to find your little white ball! In the Grunau household we escape the Saskatchewan winter blues by going to northern Manitoba! That's right, Daryl, Libby and I will be in a quaint little cabin (3 bedrooms, full kitchen, living room, fireplace, 2 baths) for a week! We'll be roughing it all right! There will be lots to do though... plenty of outdoor activities and there is an indoor pool and hot tub as well. We are really looking forward to spending some family time together away from all the busyness of life. I think it'll be a lot of fun! It reminds me of when I went to my best friends cabin all the time in Hay River. Lots of time talking, playing games and great food (hopefully my cooking won't be compared to Mrs. Forbes' though.. I wouldn't stand a chance!)

I think it will be a great time, but hopefully we won't get cabin fever and start going crazy.... Is anyone else thinking about the Simpson's episode where they're at a cabin and they have no TV or beer. "No TV and Beer makes Homer go crazy...." YIKES! I'm sure we'll be fine though... we have TV after all... and a dvd player.... and we stocked up on snacks.... we'll be fine... I think....

Let you know how it all goes.... if we survive that is!

And they're off.....

2008-01-24T14:17:00.000-06:00

So this week has been very busy, and I have a ton of stuff to do, but I would be going against my own nature if I didn't procrastinate a little!
So tomorrow morning I am off to Edmonton for the Breakforth conference. I am going with 9 other people from my church for the weekend.
So where does that leave my family... that's right, they will be staying at home for the weekend. Daryl will be playing 'mommy' and 'daddy' all weekend. I know he'll do a great job, but he's never been left with her alone for so long before.
It'll be interesting to see how it all goes, especially since Libby is now a festering, bacteria filled, snot gushing, petri dish of viruses right now. Have fun Daryl!!
Well I am going to go start packing, well at least pull out the duffel bag... maybe. Who am I kidding, I am going to go have a nap. It's tiring wiping snot all day!

Where to start.....

2008-01-18T14:17:00.000-06:00

Well since I haven't written on this thing forever, I'm not really sure where to start, but I'll give it a shot!
First off, just want to update you all on the computer situation. We still don't have a computer, but Daryl's parents are graciously sharing their laptop with us, so we can now at least update things and check e-mail and all that fun stuff. The problem is that I still can't update photos on here (Daryl does it from work....), but enough about that.
Christmas was great!! We had so much fun! We went to the farm on Christmas Eve and were there for about three days. The last time we had the whole Grunau clan together was Christmas '06, so it was nice to see everyone together again. Taylor and Libby had so much fun together and played great!
A very special time for us all was when Grandma Heppner came to the farm and we all had supper on Christmas Eve. Because of Grandma's health, she hadn't been able to come to the farm for a couple Christmases so this was the first time in a few years that she was in the house. It was wonderful to all be sitting around the table with her. She is doing great, and had us cracking up with her wit.... she had some pretty good comebacks! I know it was super special, especially for Daryl's sister who weren't able to see Grandma last year with the whole Norwalk virus going through the nursing home.
On the 28th we went to my parents for Christmas. It was a great time, and we were able to visit a lot of my family. Daryl and I even got together with my friend Kailey in Edmonton... it was so good to see her (2 times in 3 months.... a record for us!!!), we hung out all day and even hung out back in Barrhead, ringing in the new year! It was so good to see her!
On New's Years Eve we went to my Aunt and Uncles and got together with the whole clan. It was a lot of fun, except when I had an allergic reaction and had to make myself throw up! I seem to have reactions every two Christmases so I guess I was due. In the past I've had reactions when I didn't know what I was allergic to, but this time around was different. Let me give you some back story so I don't feel as stupid:
So I am allergic to cashews and pistachios... we're talking itchy, swelling throat, hard to swallow, hard to breathe, violently throwing up. I have been very diligent in avoiding these nuts, and it's always harder at Christmas time, when these nuts move up to the forefront of the "nut-nation". I can't eat mixed nuts, anything that is touching them (like some delicious chocolate covered raisins), and I couldn't eat any of the Turtles (these were the fancier ones with cashews). I was so sick of not being able eat anything that I wanted. I also just wanted some peanuts!! So at my Aunt and Uncles after we got back inside from tobogganing, I saw two nice little divided dishes that had nuts and candy and other yummy things. The one dish I noticed had cashews, but the other one didn't (although there were some mixed nuts). So I ate some nuts from that dish... within a few seconds I knew that I had made a big mistake! This time around it was just my tongue that was super itchy, but unfortunately there was no Benadryll to be found. I also felt extremely nauseous and gross. So I spent a good portion of my time trying to force myself to throw up (since I knew from past experiences that I always feel back to normal after a good binging). After many attempts, I finally succeeded (sorry if I'm grossing you out!) and then I went on to playing cards. So lesson learned... can't eat anything that may have even had contact with those evil nuts! I came back to Saskatoon and quickly got a prescription for an Epi-pen (mine had expired about a year ago). So hopefully I won't have any more reactions, but I guess I'll have to wait 2 years to find out!
That brings us to our new year, and I'll fill you in another time. Libby is having a nap, so I need to take this opportunity to have some well-deserved me time! Adios!

Momentous Occasion

2007-12-20T16:11:00.001-06:00

That's right, our little girl FINALLY has enough hair to put into a clip (with out looking completely ridiculous anyways)! And she is only 19 months old.... her hair is sure taking it's sweet time in coming. Right now I am eagerly anticipating when I can finally play 'hairdresser' with her hair, but I am also eagerly anticipating my frustration when I have to deal with bad hair days, Libby not 'co-operating', and her hair clips, ties, etc., falling out every two seconds! For right now though, I can get satisfaction from placing one clip in her hair and it actually staying in place and not looking like a blob just sitting in the middle of her little bald head! She's even done really well with not pulling it out (well most of the time anyways... there are times when she thinks that it needs a little 'readjusting' and there is no telling her otherwise!)
No hopefully people will stop thinking that she is a boy (even when I have her dressed in blatantly obvious girl clothes... even dresses!!) I am not like the lady from 'the office' TV show whose infant son's favorite color is pink.... I dress my child in pink, lavender and flowers because SHE IS A GIRL!!! Come on people!!!
Okay enough of that rant.... I have to go put the clip back in my daughters hair! :)

Sorry no new pictures....

2007-12-14T22:32:00.000-06:00

Sorry everyone who looks on this thing hoping for new pictures.... without our computer we can't upload them. We are hoping to get a new laptop in the new year, kind of hoping that Apple comes out with some great new ones... not that we'd get a new model, but that way the others should come down in price a little. If you REALLY want new pictures Daryl has a link on his blog where you can donate to the cause.....
Anyways, I just thought I would write on this thing, to keep people still looking it up anyways. This week I'm so proud of myself... I made it to the gym 3 times!! YAY! And that's only starting on Monday.. and that's with one day being completely out of the picture, cause I was watching a friend's little girl.... AND, miracle upon miracle, I am actually enjoying it A LOT! I find that it is just my time.... where I can listen to my music and think about things and sweat... how great it that! The gym that I go to has baby sitting and Libby really likes it... one time this week Libby dressed up in a unicorn costume and wore it for an hour. I wish that I had my camera... she looked super cute! On the other hand it's not like I could have posted it anyways..... so you'll just have to trust me that she looked super cute! Bye for now!

Little Helper

2007-12-11T23:00:00.000-06:00

As Libby is getting bigger adn bigger, she is starting to be my little "helper". This is a picture all the way back from Thanksgiving and Libby is helping Kailey and I make a Caramel Mochachino cheesecake (yes, it was as good as it sounded....). She was so funny, and super intent on helping. Of course it will be nice as she gets older, that her helping will start to be more helping. Like today for example... my floor really needed some sweeping, especially since I had just finished decorating the real tree... which means pine needles were everywhere. Libby decided to grab the big duster that we have, and while I was sweeping with the broom, she was cleaning the floor with the duster. She is so funny!! She is trying to do so many things on her own now, and will even get a little frustrated with you if you try to help without asking first. You have to make sure that you ask if she needs help and then if she agrees you can help her out.

It's also helpful now that she can actually answer questions with answers that she actually means now. I often will ask her if she wants a nap (usually when I start to see the eye rubs), and she will say either yes or no. Usually if she says no, I just ask 5 minutes later and then she's ready, but there are definitely no fights for going down for naps.... it's her decision after all (with some "Gentle" prodding from her mom).

MOMENTOUS OCCASION!!! I finally heard Libby say a clear "mommy" yesterday!! And she wasn't even whining or crying when she said it. Usually all I hear is "mum,mum,mum,mum" when she wants something from me, or if she needs some cuddles. But last night as I was taking her to bed she said "mommy"super sweetly and then when I asked her to say it again SHE DID!! YAY, it only took almost 19 months of late nights, poopy diapers, thrown food, snotty noses (And let's not even talk about the delivery...) and she has FINALLY said "mommy" to me (she has said it to Daryl quite a few times... it's been like rubbing salt in the wound).

Now if I could just get her to say "supercalifragilisticexpealidotious" I would for sure win "mom of the year"! :) (Please don't judge my spelling too harshly on that word.....I'm no Mary Poppins).

It's just a computer...

2007-12-10T10:48:00.000-06:00

.....at least that's what I keep telling myself. I know that I have been ridiculus about keeping up this blog, and I don't even know if anyone still reads this thing, but for the last week or so I have had a GREAT excuse.... the Grunau household has suffered a gregious loss, one that is going to take us quite a while to get over.... our computer, our beloved little macbook, has died!
Okay, I know that this sounds a little overboard, I mean it's just a computer.... but I never realized how dependant we were on that little guy. We stay connected with our friends, have our day planner, get recipes, do our banking, and a whole lot of other stuff. I never realized how much we used it. If you want to know how it died feel free to go to Daryl's blog from the link on the side.

On another note I will try to update you on all that is going on here. I am sorry that I can't post any pictures, but those were all on our computer. (Thankfully we had bought an external hard drive so we didn't lose all of our pictures... that would have been horrible!!!)

So while Daryl and I were in Vegas, Libby stayed with my parents in Barrhead.... for the WHOLE week!! She did great! My parent's had a lot of fun with her and kept her VERY busy! She went to Edmonton, went out to restaurants, went to a surprise birthday party, went bowling and did a whole bunch of other things. I don't know who was more tired at the end of the week, my parents or Libby. I only called home three times that week... I was very proud of myself!!

So the problem wasn't the week that we were gone, but the couple weeks after we got back!! Libby wouldn't let me out of her sight for a week straight! I couldn't get anything done when we got home. I literally spent the first couple of days home cuddling wiht Libby and just holding her, reading to her and playing with her... she wouldn't let me do anything! Thankfully she was good with Daryl's parents (Yay for Grandparents!!), so I could sneak away and do some grocery shopping. For the first week or so, Libby only wanted me or Daryl, and she went to Daryl's parents... other than that she didn't really want anyone else. I guess the only other person on her good list was her auntie Kendra....but Libby's always excited to see her!!

On another note, Libby is getting her I-teeth right now too! She has been pretty good about it, a little more grouchy, but over all she hasn't been that bad. So after these come in, there are only her 2 year molars left. I just hope these ones come in soon, right now all 4 are coming and I can see them all, so it shouldn't be too much longer. I just hope we don't have a repeat of last Christmas when Libby was a little teething monster. At least this year she will probably be pre-occupied with her cousin!

For the last few weeks, Libby's been sick off and on, and I have been fighting off her germs... which is really hard when she insists on rubbing her snot and slobber everywhere! Oh well, I guess this is just one of the many signs that winter is upon us.

While Libby was teething and had a cold I thought, "How can I possibly make this any worse... I know I'll poke Libby with needles a few times". Yup, that's right, Libby also got her 18 month shots! She did super well, and I think it had to do with the nurse... she was awesome! She had all the needles all ready to go. She gave her one in the arm, then I flipped her over and she did the other arm and then she asked if I wanted to try to calm her down a bit or if she should just get the other needle... and I was like "let's keep going", so she gave Libby the last one. Libby was SUPER mad, but it all happened so quickly so she didn't really have time to get all that upset. Then the nurse gave her a toothbrush and she was fine! She did such a great job, I was so proud of her!

Well I'll stop here for now. It's hard when you don't post for awhile, cause then you have to post a whole bunch!!! Take care!

What happens in Vegas.....

2007-11-15T23:00:00.001-06:00

Well you know the rest (and if you don't, you should be ashamed of yourself!!)
Sorry to anyone who still reads this for the lack of blogging for the last couple months. I would love to make some excuses, but unfortunately I don't have any.
I would love to update you all on the last 2 months of our lives, but since the only exciting stuff happened in the last couple of weeks I'll just jump to that.
My parents lent us their timeshare and flew us on airmiles, so Daryl and I spent a week in Las Vegas (from the 4th-10th), while Libby stayed with my parents in Barrhead.
Vegas was a blast and it was the first vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon (which was over 6 years ago). It was great to be able to sleep in (which, thanks to Libby, was quite difficult for the first few days) and take as long as we wanted in the restaurants. One day we sat in a restaurant for over 2 hours.... those with children know how crazy that is!
We weren't sure if we would like Vegas, it seems like people either love it or hate it, but we really liked it. Unfortunately we didn't realize how much walking you do (the strip is really long!!), and our feet are still paying the price!
We slept, ate, toured, hot tubbed, watched KA (a cirque du soleil show... AMAZING!!!) and gambled a bit. We actually gambled a bit more than I think we would have, but I won $250 the first day ($200 in poker and $50 at a table game), so we pretty much played with that. It was a lot of fun.... you wouldn't believe how much money people will play with.. it was way too big for us "small town" bumpkins (the people we met all thought that Saskatoon was really small....).
A huge blessing was that Las Vegas was experiencing record highs for that time of year. Usually it's around 17 degrees, but while we were there it was around 27ish... it was great!!
Anyways all in all it was a great time of refreshing and relaxing and Daryl and I being able to pour into each other and ourselves. All in all a great trip!!
That's it for now, stay tuned for Libby's experience of that week as well.....

Busyness of Fall

2007-09-30T13:27:00.001-06:00

Libby
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged, but it seems like the busyness of fall has caught up with us. Daryl is now in full swing with YFC and he is enjoying being back in the schools again. We are thankful that God opened up doors and allowed Daryl to be back in Queen Elizabeth school for D4. (If you want the extended version let me know and I can email you the whole thing... or just phone!)
Libby is a very busy girl! She enjoys exploring, she loves other kids and she loves it outside. Although she is quite busy, she still loves to sit on the couch and read her books.... the girl loves reading. Not that she will really let you actually read the book to her, but she just flips through all the pages... over and over again!
You would think that with her love of books that she would be talking like crazy, but NOOoooo, she is hardly saying any words at all. I'm talking like maybe 5 words and that if I really use a lot of my imagination.
It's not that she isn't vocal, she is always making sounds and has a lot of inflection in her voice, but she just isn't talking. I'm not really all that worried, but I know that when we go to the public health for her shots they do an assessment (which she will probably fail...unless she learns 20some words in the next 8 weeks). I know that she will start talking when she is ready, but I get really frustrated with the pressure that I am feeling for her to be talking already. Oh well, it'll happen when it happens.
I know that she understands, because I can tell her things and she'll do them (if she feels like it... did I mention that she is quite stubborn??). I know that she is smart and that she knows what I am saying, she just hasn't figured out how to say words yet. Who knows maybe she'll be one of those kids that just starts speaking in sentences... here's hoping!
Well that's enough for this update, hopefully I will be much better at keeping this thing updated. Did I mention that Libby and I have been sick off and on for the last couple of weeks??? (I am trying to get some extra pity points)!!

Taylor and Libby

2007-09-12T16:19:00.001-06:00

Taylor and Libby
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Here is a picture of Taylor and Libby, and a few things strike me. First off, I must say that those are two of the cutest girls ever and I can't believe how photogenic they are. And secondly, I can't believe that Taylor is only 8 months older than Libby! She looks so much older than Libby. It might be because Taylor has way more hair (notice the pigtails), or it could be that she is super tall, but either way it's funny to think that these girls are somehow related. No matter how different they look, they sure loved playing together and they enjoyed each other so much. Libby now smiles and waves at any pictures of Taylor. She loves to look at the pictures of our trip... she just stares and giggles!

September Long Weekend

2007-09-05T12:29:00.001-06:00

Stanley Park
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So for the long weekend we went to Abbotsford and saw Daryl's 2 sisters, our brother in law, and our niece, Taylor. It was such a great time, and since we hadn't seen them since Christmas it was a great time of catching up. Taylor is only 8 months older than Libby so they had a lot of fun playing together and entertaining one another.
This is a picture of us at Stanley Park. The weather got pretty rainy, so we decided to go the Vancouver Aquarium, which was a lot of fun. The only problem was that I think a lot of people had that idea!! It was pretty packed for the most part, but the girl's loved it. Taylor kept talking about those sea turtles... I think those might have been her favorite!

Well I'll probably post more about the trip later (pictures at least), but for now I have to go and try to put my house in some order!!

How Many years???

2007-08-23T22:14:00.001-06:00

Daryl and Dawn
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So on Saturday, Daryl and I celebrated our anniversary!! We had a great time out, with no worries, no expectations, and no Libby (Thanks Kendra!!). It was a great evening that we just relaxed and enjoyed.
So we have been married for 6 years now. I can't believe that it's been that long already. Time has just flown by!! There have definitely been some good times and some bad times, but thanks to hindsight I can say that we have been blessed by them all.
I love my husband very much and I am super proud of the man that he is. He challenges me daily to grow in my faith and to not be idle in it!
WHAT CAN I SAY... HE'S THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!

in case you were wondering....

2007-08-20T21:19:00.001-06:00

busy libby
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

I'm guessing that there are some of you that are wondering how in the world we managed to get any reno's done when we had Libby running around.
Well for us, while we were assembling our cabinets Libby's baby swing (that Daryl's parents got for her) was our little miracle, besides of Libby of course.
Here's a pic of Libby in her swing in the garage. It worked out really well until she would get tired of it, and then we relied on an extra screwdriver where she would 'help' assemble.
Seriously though, she was great! We were very blessed to have such a great little girl. She's our angel.... most of the time! ;)

birthday #2

2007-08-20T21:05:00.001-06:00

birthday #2
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So our lives have been crazy. Not only is there the usual summer busyness but we also have bought a house, reno'd that house and now we are trying to get it 'just right' (which I figure will take around 20 years....).
Anyways enough of the excuses... so in my hastiness I forgot to post Libby's 2nd 1st birthday party. We had originally planned an outdoor party for Libby, but being the spring it was cold and looked like it was going to rain.
So we had a party a little later for her out in the park with our friends. The weather was beautiful and it was a lot of fun. There weren't too many people that could make it that day, but it was great to see the people who came. (one of our friends was a few days short of her due date, so it was great to see her).
Anyways I know this was in May, and it's really lame that I'm posting it now... but knows I might have already posted this and completely forgot. But who cares?? Libby looks so cute in this picture I don't mind seeing it again.

yum...cake

2007-08-20T18:37:00.001-06:00

birthday #2
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby enjoying the sunshine and the cake! We had lots of wet wipes with us, and I'm sure we used all of them.

2007-08-14T09:44:00.000-06:00

libby in her pool

2007-07-14T15:23:00.001-06:00

libby in her pool.jpg
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Last week Libby and I stayed with Jen in Swift Current while Daryl and Ben (Jen's husband) met up with some old college friends in Banff. It was super hot that weekend (33+) and one of Jen's friends invited us to come over. Her son Riley was 5 months older than Libby and they had a pool set up in the back yard so it was great in the heat.
Anyways, Libby enjoyed herself so much I decided it was time to buy a little pool for her. So we set it up and once she was comfortable in there she loved it!! It was super hot yesterday so we decided to try it out.
I am envisioning many more days in the pool... maybe if I'm lucky she'll 'let' me dip my toes in now and then!

Libby of Arabia

2007-07-14T15:14:00.003-06:00

Libby of Arabia.JPG
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

The title says it all.....

Upset Libby of Arabia

2007-07-14T15:14:00.001-06:00

Libby of Arabia.JPG
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby hating the hat.... couldn't blame her, so we took it off. Don't worry Grandmas and Grandpas, she was well shaded!!

"You don't know anything" -God

2007-07-14T15:13:00.001-06:00

Surprise.JPG
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So with my posts on the garden, some of you may realize that I enjoy gardening. I even enjoy reading up on flowers and learning more about gardening. When I worked at a certain greenhouse it was one of my favorite jobs. I worked in the annual department, so most of my knowledge is with annuals (plants that only last the one season, for you plant virgins out there!!). So when I saw plants coming up sporadically in the flower bed and saw all of the bird feeders in the yard I naturally assumed that they were sunflowers. The plants at first even looked like sunflowers..... then the darn things bloomed!! It was like a proclamation at the lack of my knowledge!! I could just picture God pointing his finger at me laughing.
Oh well, the blooms are really pretty and now they also serve as a constant reminder that I am not as bright as I think I am.... which sometimes can be a good thing...sometimes! ;)

Back yard

2007-07-11T13:58:00.001-06:00

Back yard
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So I thought that I would show you the outside part of our house and the garden. I have really enjoyed having flower beds, but one of the sacrifices you make when you move and reno in the summer is that the outside tends to get neglected. Oh well, thankfully the people before us had quite a few perennials so those will tide us over for the next little while.

There's the back of our house! If you are wondering why the posts look weird it's because there was lattice on the deck to keep there cat in and we took it off. Now we have to paint the posts... just one more list of things to do.

The flower bed looks super full in this picture and it's pretty much all to do with calendula! They reseed them selves and come back every year. They fill out the garden really nicely, and best of all they didn't cost anything!! They have really pretty orange and yellow flowers. I neglected them all spring and they look great!

Any ways here are some more pictures of the back yard and our flower garden!

Back Yard

2007-07-11T13:52:00.001-06:00

Back Yard
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

This is the part that separates us from our neighbor, Kirk. He's a great guy and all, but we enjoy our privacy as well (and I am sure that he does too!) Right now that looks a bit like a jungle, but it's been fun to see what all is coming up and all the perennials that are in there. As you can see I have to do some trimming in there too, but I need to wait until they are done blooming.
Also if you can see the different color grass in the lower right corner that is where we sodded. The people before us had a little path that went diagonally 3/4 of the way on the lawn where is ended at a bird bath (which is now in the flower bed in this picture.... good luck trying to find it!) It kind of looked like an altar where you would make sacrifices to the bird bath!! Anyways since we have Libby we decided to sod that path and it has already made the back seem larger (although it is still pretty small).

Back Yard

2007-07-11T13:48:00.001-06:00

Back Yard
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

This is the garden against the garage. Believe it or not this is after I already cut back all of those bushes! They are already getting pretty high again and I only cut them back 3 weeks ago! I am going to have to show them no mercy the next time!!
(In case you're wondering we are planning on getting rid of the 'stuff' on the garage, but we aren't sure if we'll have to paint there, so we are waiting for the moment)

2007-07-11T13:45:00.001-06:00

Bachelor's Button, Cornflower
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

This is one of my favorite flowers and I almost pulled it thinking it was a weed!! My mom always taught me to wait and see what the plants do and then if you don't like it... pull it! I am really glad that I listened to her advice!! This is a perennial called a corn flower in the Bachelor's button family.

2007-07-11T13:43:00.001-06:00

Cranesbill (perennial Geranium)
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

This flower on the left is a cranesbill (perennial geranium) and then there is a pink Gazania in the back with some violas too!

2007-07-11T13:42:00.001-06:00

Flower garden
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

The one on the right is a spirea and the one on the left is a yarrow. These were taken a couple weeks ago and now the yarrow is blooming like crazy!

libby's renos

2007-07-10T14:54:00.001-06:00

libby's renos
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Here's some pictures of Libby "helping" with the reno's. She loved to crawl into the cupboards and now that the doors are all on, she's not quite sure what to do! Just so you all know, this picture was taken a few weeks ago. We now have conter tops and a kitchen sink! That's right I am no longer doing dishes in the bathroom! I never thought I would be so thankful to do dishes in the kitchen before... I'm sure that will wear off quickly.

2007-07-10T14:51:00.003-06:00

libby's renos
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

libby's renos

2007-07-10T14:51:00.001-06:00

libby's renos
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Busy Weekend...

2007-06-25T21:34:00.001-06:00

So we’ve had a really busy weekend!! Daryl, Libby and I met with our friend Kendra at the Saskatoon Jazz free stage on Friday night. It was a lot of fun and Libby really liked to dance to the music.
Then on Saturday we spent pretty much the whole day outside watching some of Daryl’s youth boys at their soccer tournament. It was a great day to be outside, and Libby was so good… she loves it outside so much!! She even had a little bit of a nap in her stroller too!
On Sunday we went to church and then she slept FOREVER (about 3 and a half hours!!). Then Daryl’s parents came and we went out for supper. Libby was a little grumpy there, but I think it was because there were some kids running around and she wanted to as well, but she was stuck in the high chair. Then Libby got to hang out with Grandma while Daryl’s dad, Daryl and I went to the Joshua Redman concert. He plays saxaphone and was in a trio. He was really good and it was a lot of fun. Last year when we tried to go to a Jazz concert the guy only played for 45 minutes (that was including an encore, and that was only because the 2 other guys felt bad…). Then when we showed up for the concert last night the power was off on the whole street of Broadway. We were starting to think that we weren’t meant to listen to jazz together. But the show ended up only starting about half and hour later, so that wasn’t too bad. The whole show was great and we all really enjoyed it… the best part was that is was about 3 hours long, so we actually felt like we got our money’s worth!!
Libby slept a whole lot today… I guess she is all played out from her busy weekend!!
Well she’d better catch up cause tomorrow her and I are off to Swift Current to catch up with some of my girl friends.. a late night is ahead, I can feel it!!

Libby loves outside

2007-06-16T17:22:00.001-06:00

Libby with flowers
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby's first birthday

2007-06-04T12:05:00.001-06:00

Loves the new toy
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So Libby's birthday was on May 20th, but since we have been moving.renovating I have been a bit tardy in the whole blogging area..sorry bout that!!
Libby had a great day on her birthday!! The weather was pretty bleak so instead of having our picnic party as planned, we had all the grandparents over. AS A SIDE NOTE: My dad completely surprised me and came back after his sale in Alberta and made it back to Saskatoon in the morning of Libby's birthday. I apparently was the only one who didn't know that dad was coning back. I was so happy that he could make if for Libby's birthday!!
So we opened presents first (after discovering it would be at least 45 minutes before we could get into the restaurant), then we went to the new BP's in saskatoon (it was really good!) and then we came back home and had some cake!
Libby loved her cake and went full force with both hands! She got it everywhere!! If you really want to see a picture of her, let us know and we'll email it to you. She's just in her diaper so we didn't really want to post it online.
You would not believe how many presents one little girl can get!! She was super spoiled, but she loved every minute of it. This is the Little People circus that Libby got from her Auntie Andrea. She absolutely loves it, especially the monkey that came with it.
Anyways here's some more pictures of Libby's birthday.

Birthday Cake

2007-06-04T12:00:00.005-06:00

Birthday Cake
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Grandpa and Grandma Klause

2007-06-04T12:00:00.003-06:00

Klause Grandparents
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Grandpa and Grandma Grunau

2007-06-04T12:00:00.001-06:00

More faces
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

What are these?

2007-06-04T11:58:00.001-06:00

What are these?
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby and ALL her presents (She's super spoiled....)

1 week to go

2007-05-08T14:56:00.000-06:00

Well in exactly one week we will have possession of our new house!! We are super excited and we can't wait to get in there and rip it apart!!! (insert evil laugh here...)
It's been a little frustrating because we know that we have a lot to do, but there isn't really anything we can do until we can get in there! It has also been very difficult to focus on packing right now, instead of thinking about peeling, painting, and destroying things.
We'll make sure we take some before and after pictures to post up!
As a side note we are super thankful to our parents who are going to be helping us out too. My parents are coming on Sunday and I am super excited to see them.... I thnk Libby will have a lot of fun with them!!
Talk to you soon!!

Six Flags

2007-05-05T23:24:00.001-06:00

Six Flags
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

The reason I wanted to put this picture up is because I can clearly remember about a year ago when we received this t-shirt from our friend Kendra after she returned from California Breakaway. I remember thinking... wow 12 months .... this shirt is so big, I wonder if the baby will ever fit it.
Well she does!!! I have finally put away the 3-6 month clothing (some of which Libby still fit, but due to my pride I packed them up anyways) and now she is wearing 12 months and even some 12-18 month sizes.
We are super excited for this summer and we can't wait to get out and enjoy all the warm weather!!
Also for our house update... we take possesion in 10 days!! That is super crazy. In just over 3 weeks we won't own this place any more. It actually feels really weird!
My parents are coming out on Mother's Day and are staying to help us with the reno's so we are happy about that!!
Hope you all are enjoying the weather!! (We went to some greenhouses today... I can't wait to dig in the dirt at our new place!!)

Libby pics

2007-04-26T12:38:00.000-06:00

I thought that I would post a few pic's of Libby. I know that it's been somewhat of a blog desert, but I am going to try to post more pic's of her, since we know that's why you all check this blog anyways.

Libby FINALLY playing with the grass... she then tried to eat a leaf! Oh the joys... everything in the mouth. It must be this age. I still remember Taylor petting the farm kittens and then putting her hands in her mouth... YUM!!

Libby took a while to actually sit on the grass. She just squatted for a while. She wasn't too sure about this whole grass/nature thing. Hopefully she'll get used to it fairly soon!!

Baby Blue's.... Libby has always had the bluest eyes. I really hope she keeps them. Her eyes are like my grandpa's and I love looking at them and thinking about him! He was a wonderful man and I pray that Libby will be like him in his gentle and loving spirit.

MMMM.....Ketchup

2007-04-24T07:46:00.000-06:00

WARNING: This Blog will in all likelihood be very long!!

So yeterday we discovered that Libby loves Ketchup! We tried to put some on her hotdog to help her eat it, and she was just scooping up mounds of ketchup! At one point she even tried to lean forward and like the tray off.... needless to say she went directly into the tub after that. If you can imagine, this picture was taken after we had cleaned her off a bit.

So the Libby update: She is walking like a wild woman!! She is even starting to run a little. As you can imagine the bruise factor has increased greatly! She loves to look out our front window and see the kids running by. It's pretty funny when we go outside though.... Libby is not too sure of grass right now. I think she feels it is still a little too prickly for her taste. We'll just have to wait for some nice lush grass, hopefully she'll change her opinion then. And an update on her hair... it's growing!! her hair is actually getting longer, and even gets a little curly when it's wet! It's still pretty light and thin, but apparently Daryl and I both had hair like that and now we're hairy beasts so hopefully Libby's hair will be nice and thick too! Either way she looks super cute!!!

In other news.... we sold our townhouse last Wednesday. We ended up getting what we wanted for it, For those of you who have seen our place you all know it's pretty small. It's only a two bedroom place adn we sold it for over 190,000! The market is CRAZY right now!! We put it on the market on Monday and then decided to look at all the offers on Wednesday night. We had our home open from 1-8 everyday (except everyday people wanted to look at it at 11am), so we had to find things to preoccupy our time. Libby did super well, even thoguh most of the time she only got an hour nap or so all day. It was pretty funny putting her down into ed at night... we would start to pray with her and she would start fussing and pushing away from us until we put her down in her crib!

So now we are planning some reno's , so I was able to run around and look around when we had to be out of our house. We are upgrading our electrical, putting in some new flooring in 2 bedrooms and in our kitchen.... and we are redoing our kitchen!! I am so excited to get that done before we move in.... we went recently to look at our house to do some measuring and I was just overwhelmed with how much God has blessed us. In the Saskatoon market there is no reasonable explanation as to why we got this house for such a good price. Sure the inside isn't too pretty, but it's all cosmetics... throw some paint on her and she'll be the belle of the ball! God has been so good to us and we are so thankful to all of you who have been praying for us.

Well I think that is all I will write about for now. Sorry for the lack of blogging, but things have been a little crazy and it's bene kind of difficult to upload pictures lately. And since we know that is really why you all check this blog out, I thought there would be no point to just writing something. Anyways until next time!!

SOLD!!

2007-04-15T17:18:00.001-06:00

Front Yard
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

It is official. We have bought a new house. After looking for a new house since last September we have finally found a place to call ours. It is located in the area near to the school where alot of the students I work with live. We are extremely excited. While this house does need some work, it is perfect for our family. As an added bonus, the house has a heated, insulated, two car garage. We are planning to turn this garage into the rec room. We will move the pool table into the garage and will be able to have many students over. Can't wait for the summer, roll open the garage door, play some pool, shoot some hoops on the large cement pad. God is so good. This is an answer to our prayers for over a year.

On flickr there is more pictures of the inside as the current home owners had it.

Please pray

2007-03-27T22:38:00.000-06:00

I am so sorry that I haven’t blogged for so long!! I must admit that I have a really good reason though.
Right now I am working pretty much full time at YFC. To make a long story short I was supposed to put in 10-15 hours a week at YFC as the California Breakaway assistant, helping out with all the administration stuff. But the main person had to go on medical leave so then I was the ‘it’ girl.
So now our lives have consisted of California Breakaway!
I have been putting anywhere from 35-40+ hours a week and I still feel like I have a lot to do!
Prime example of our craziness: Yesterday was my birthday (26th) and I went from work from 9:00-3:30 and then I had some errands to do, so by the time I got home it was close to 5ish. Then I sat for 20 minutes, playing with Libby for a bit and then I had to make supper (Daryl and I gave up eating out for Lent), and then our good friend Kendra came over to take care of Libby while Daryl and I went back to the office for 3 hours and didn’t get home until after 10!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!
One bonus is that Libby is able to come to the office with us, and she does really well! We are so blessed by her and she amazes us everyday. Since Sunday, she has started to take some steps on her own, but still prefers to be safe and crawl. She also has started ‘swaying’ to the music and she is constantly ‘talking’ although we can’t decearn anything.

We would like to ask that you all pray for us as we are very exhausted and feel like we are quite stretched out! Please don’t think that we aren’t interested in you all anymore…. We really do think of you all a lot and we are super bummed that we can’t spend time with you (either in person, on the phone or chatting on the computer). And please don’t abandon our blogs… I promise that we will try to post more consistently!!
We love you all and would appreciate your prayers!!

2007-03-11T23:26:00.001-06:00

fun with food
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Simple Pleasures

2007-03-11T23:25:00.001-06:00

kissing
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Sorry so long!!! Life here has been super crazy. Daryl and I feel like we are running around constantly! For almost two weeks now I have been working at YFC pretty much full-time. The main admin. person has taken a medical leave, so right now it is pretty much just me doing the admin. for the California Breakaway trip. To put it into perspective, last year it took two people at pretty much fulltime PLUS volunteers to do what I am doing right now... YIKES!!! I am really enjoying it, but I am super tired....only 4 more weeks to go! The nice thing is that we can bring Libby to work with us... she is turning into the YFC mascot! She does really well and even gets a few naps in as well!!
Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to Swift Current and see our friends Ben and Jenn. It was a lot of fun, and we even got to see Daryl's uncle and aunt! It was a great time, and then this weekend we got to see Ben and Jenn again!!! They were up here for a conference so we got to see them twice in one week.
Libby is doing great!! She is standing a lot now by her self, but she hasn't quite built up the courage to take that step without holding on to anything. She also loves the stairs!!! Last Sunday she climbed up the whole flight of stairs.... this has become the newest fun game in the Grunau household. As you can see she also loves to give herself kisses in the mirror.
Anyways time to sleep, but I thought I would send this out and ask for all of your prayers over the Grunau family.... it is going to be a crazy month or so and we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Thanks!!

9 months old!!

2007-02-28T22:52:00.001-06:00

8 months
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Thought I'd better update the blog with all the new info.
Libby had her 9 month exam last week and it looks like she could end up being one of the 'smaller' ones in the Grunau family!!
She was 17ibs 6 oz. and 27" long, which puts her in the 25 percentile for them both! That would explain why we can still keep her in the infant car seat.
Even though she is small in stature she is making up for it in other areas. She is now moving like crazy and she loves to walk along the couch. She has also been standing by herself for a while now and is getting to the point where she can bounce a bit and still stand by herself!! I think that she'll be walking pretty soon!
We have also changed her feeding..... she is also fully on formula now too. Since then it has been like a switch was turned on!! She is so happy and is doing great! Since she has changed to formula she is also sleeping (or at least staying in her crib) for around 12 hours at night!!! It's been great... last night we put her down at 8:45 and she woke up at 8:50 this morning. (I actually think that she woke up earlier but she played awhile).
She is starting to teeth again though, so now that we have this nice routine going I am sure that it will change soon.... Libby always seems to like keeping us on our toes!
I'll keep you all posted on when the walking happens.

Sleigh Ride

2007-02-18T22:29:00.001-06:00

Sleigh Ride
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

standin' up

2007-02-12T11:34:00.001-06:00

standin' up
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Well two weeks ago on Sunday Libby started crawling, and now this Sunday she pulled herself up!! It first happened at the nursery at church... I was working in there, watching some of the other children and then I looked and saw her standing by a toy. Now she loves to pull herself up on her plane, although she is still struggling with the couch.
On another note, we are finally getting around to sleeping well at night. I have it now that I don't feed her until the morning (instead of 5), so I figure it's just a matter of time and we should be sleeping through the night again!! Here's hoping!!

standin' up

2007-02-12T11:29:00.001-06:00

standin' up
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Our 'little' girl

2007-02-05T10:01:00.001-06:00

big smile
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So I know it's been forever since I have posted... all I can say is sorry! Since my last post we have been working through some sleeping issues, my parents came to visit, and Libby has learned how to crawl!!
Libby has been mobile for a month already, but she never got the whole on hands and knees crawling thing down. Then last Sunday while my parents and Daryl's parents were over, she just started crawling!! She did perfect, like it was out of a textbook (i don't know if they have a textbook on crawling, but she did it!!).
The problem is now we have a lot of work to do... it's baby-proofing time!! She has already discovered the baskets under the coffee table, so that's been fun!! And man is she fast... if you want to see her crawl, just go to Daryl's blog... there's a video of Libby in action!
I'll try to do better in the blogging world, but I'm not making any promises now that Libby is on the go!
Talk to you later!
By the way, I thought this picture was so weird... Libby looks so different. Daryl was trying to take pictures of her, but she kept crawling towards the camera and she was so fast, Daryl could only get close-ups!

Libby and Taylor with the new plane

2007-01-12T11:18:00.001-06:00

Libby's plane
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

First Christmas

2007-01-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

First Christmas
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Well we have officially survived Libby's first Christmas and we don't even have that many scars to show for it!! We had a great time in Barrhead with my family. Libby loves her grandma and grandpa Klause and it was a great time of relaxing, eating, and game playing!! We also had a great time in Waldheim with Daryl's family. We ended up staying at the farm from the 27th-30th and it was great to see Andrea, Russ and Jo and Taylor our precious little niece. It was interesting to see how far ahead Taylor was than Libby (could walk and talk somewhat) and they are only 8 months apart! I'm really excited to see what Libby is like at that age. It was really fun to watch the two girls "play" together and interact. And it was also really fun to see 'Grandma and Grandpa Grunau' having so much fun with their grand daughters... especially Daryl's mom, I think she was in her glory with the two of them!!
On a more depressing note.... Christmas also really sucked with Libby teething like crazy!! She was in a lot of pain and she didn't sleep well at all (and still isn't really). She ended up pushing out her two top front teeth this Christmas (anyone else thinking of the song "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"). So now that is a total of four teeth already and she's only just over 7 months. Hopefully this means that they will all come in quickly, or else we need a break and soon!
I will try to post some pictures of Libby and Taylor together in a few days, so you can all see how adorable these two really are!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2006-12-20T11:50:00.000-06:00

Family
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Here is the latest photo of the Grunau family. It's really fun to see that Libby is sitting up all by herself here (although we had to give her a little help). We are so excited for Christmas and we are leaving soon for my parents.... I can't wait to see all of our family!! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas remembering Jesus' birth!!

Daryl and Libby

2006-12-14T14:53:00.000-06:00

Daddy 'n' me
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Lately I have really enjoyed watching Libby and Daryl together. Libby has always loved her dad, but lately she especially loves him. Even if she is completely grumpy, when Daryl comes home Libby starts to giggle and smile! And there are definite times when she just wants her dad. Also last night when Libby woke up, Daryl could calm her down way better than me. I guess I could be jealous, but I absolutely love seeing them together and seeing Libby having so much fun with her daddy. I have often heard that babies just want there moms, and I'll admit there are times when it seems Libby just wants some snuggles from her mom, but I enjoy the fact that Daryl and Libby are already bonding so much!!
I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

What super hero are you???

2006-12-13T16:57:00.000-06:00

Your results:
You are Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman		70%
Superman		70%
Spider-Man		60%
Green Lantern		60%
Iron Man		55%
Robin		52%
Supergirl		50%
The Flash		50%
Catwoman		35%
Hulk		25%
Batman		25%

You are a beautiful princess
with great strength of character.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

2006-12-06T22:30:00.000-06:00

marshmellow
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

With this cold weather it's sometimes difficult to have a little baby and to figure out ways to keep her warm when we go outside. We have this snowsuit and we thought that we would actually try it out and as you can see it seems to keep her warm and cuddly. Believe it or not this snowsuit is size 3 months... I don't know any 3 month old that would fit this ever!!! We thought that this would work really well but then we discovered that Libby didn't fit in the car seat with that huge monster!! (look at Daryl's blog for a picture of that!!)
Oh well snow here we come..... Libby will find some way to defeat it!!!

Feeding time

2006-11-28T11:08:00.000-06:00

Feeding time
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Thought I'd post a picture of Libby's 2nd first feeding!! After a 6 week furlough Libby has resumed on the rice cereal and is still loving it! Already today she did a lot better at eating, she actually tried opening her mouth.... a problem we've had since she was born!! (How in the world is she my daughter.....)
Also her teeth are coming in so quickly, there was a big difference from last night to this morning. it looks like both of her middle bottom teeth are coming in at the same time, but she's taking it like a trooper! She is just a little more cranky and isn't sleeping as well through the night.
She has also started doing her 'scream' talking again, and I must admit I can't wait till she outgrows that!!
For the most part all is well on the Grunau home front!!

6 Months old

2006-11-27T14:57:00.000-06:00

6 Months old
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So I can't believe that Libby is already 6 months old... it seems to have gone by so fast. She is getting bigger and stronger everyday and just today I started to actually feel her teeth coming (explains the grumpiness for the last few days!!

These pictures were taken when she turned 6 months old.... it's strange she isn't my little baby anymore. She is a lot stronger willed and definitely lets us know what she wants and doesn't want. She had her shots on Thursday and she did really good... just got a little tired that's all. And we have started back on solids now and Libby is really liking it, although she isn't eating as well as she did a month ago. She really enjoys spitting it out!!!

We can't wait until Christmas when we can see a lot of our family and friends. But mostly we are excited to see our families (especially our adorable niece... I think she is the cutest little girl ever!!!) Well in her age group that is... libby is the cutest for hers though!!! ;)

6 months old

2006-11-27T14:55:00.000-06:00

6 months old
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Update....

2006-11-12T00:47:00.000-06:00

Libby's disappearing lip
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Sorry it's been awhile since we have blogged.... for some unknown reason Daryl and I haven't taken any new pictures lately.
Things have been fairly busy. Libby and I both have had colds lately (yes, this is now the third week that Libby has had a cold...), and we have also seemed really busy with life in general.
So update on Libby: She is gaining weight like crazy! We are sure not worried about her in that department any more. She is now sitting up by herself and she is starting to "talk" a lot more... that is it sounds more like she is having a conversation than just saying 'ga ga'. Also as of friday she has started nodding her head too... it's pretty funny looking. She is doing new things everyday and amazed us constantly. I can't believe how smart she is and she's not even 6 months old.
Yesterday was Daryl's birthday so now he is officially a quarter of a century! Daryl's parents came over and babysat Libby while Daryl and I went to 2nd Ave. Grill. It was SOOO good!! It was a great time of getting away and just talking to each other (and just talking adult talk!). Afterwards, we came home and had icecream cake with mom and dad. It was a great evening and I think Daryl had a great birthday!! Daryl has this week off so on Tuesday, Daryl and I are leaving for Barrhead to visit my parents and my family.... I can't wait. But tomorrow our friends Ben and Jenn are coming for a visit which will be a lot of fun!
Well I hope you all are well, and that you have forgiven me for not posting lately!!

This is our life

2006-10-28T23:23:00.000-06:00

hanging out
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Sorry I haven't written anything for awhile but things have been slightly crazy! First off, around a month ago I hurt my back really bad.... I could hardly even lift Libby. Thankfully my parents saved my butt and they arranged to come out and help me. Then Libby had a cold and started waking up all the time in the night. I recognize that this might not seem like a big deal, but she has been sleeping through the night since she was 6 weeks old, so I wasn't quite used to waking up at 12:00, 3:00 and 6:00 (or some variation of that!). THEN Libby got used to waking up like that all the time so it took me another week to get her used to sleeping through the night again (once she was over her cold and growth spurt that is). Then because she seemed hungry all the time (like an hour after I would feed her), I started her on rice cereal (WHICH SHE LOVED.... didn't spit any of it out at all!!) BUT a side effect of that was that she got super constipated and I have my first run in with a suppository (to be followed by the same experience 6 days later!!).
But the big thing lately is that I went to the doctor two weeks ago and she said that I shouldn't start her on rice cereal and that the WHO (World Health Organization) reccommends that you don't start your child on solids until they are 6 months and that you are endangering your child and pretty much killing them if you do (A vast overstatement I'm sure!!) QUICK NOTE>>>> before any moms start getting super mad at me... I didn't say that I agree with the WHO, this is just what my doctor told me.
Anyways, so then my doctor suggested weighing her to see what the result would be. She weighed 13 lbs. 13 oz. Which means that she had actually lost a couple ozs. in a month!! YIKES!! So my doctor said that she wasn't getting enough calories (mostly because she is a super lazy eater and doesn't like to work at it AT ALL!!). So now I need to take two pills/ four times a day to increase my supply and I have to try to feed her more often as well to bring up my supply! YAY ;(
I guess the good thing is that I know that she has gained weight because I went to the doctor's 6 days later (on Wednesday) and she weighed 14 lbs. 6 oz., so she gained around 8 oz. in 6 days... not too shabby I'd say! So now at least we have that area under control.
Now the only problem is that she has a cold again and keeps waking up in the night and I have to feed her and suck out her snot with the sucker thing (which she hates). So I basically feel like the cycle is starting all over again. I sure hope we get over this sickness thing super fast or else it could be an interesting winter!!! All I can say is that I sure hope Libby learns how to blow snot out of her nose at an exeptionally young age and a big HORRAY out to the person that created snot suckers!!! Hopefully my post will be a little more uplifting! ;)

Fall Family

2006-10-18T13:04:00.000-06:00

Fall Family
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

I am so thankful for my family!! Last night after Libby had been crying forever (she's teething), and after she had woken up 3 times in the night AND after I had to go get her at 7 in the morning, I held her in my arms and was surprised how a little smile from her.... a little glint in her eye and all of my frustrations melted away. I am so in love with my family!
Daryl is such a great husband and a wonderful father! He is so good with Libby... he is patient and gentle.... I love seeing them together! Oh and in case I haven't said it enough... I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

Hello!

2006-10-11T17:11:00.000-06:00

Libby
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

I know I already posted today, but I couldn't resist putting another picture of Libby on here.... we seriously got so many cute pictures of her this weekend... I just don't know what to do with them all!!! I am so incredibly in love with my family, I can't believe how blessed I am!

Wierdos.....

2006-10-11T09:42:00.000-06:00

Mommy and me laughing
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So I think I look really wierd in this picture, but Daryl said if I didn't post it he would! I thought it was better for me to post it considering that I could at least write something to try to redeem myself.....
So I can't really think of anything, but all I can say is that I have a lot of fun with Libby and I love being with her everyday!!
Also in the latest baby news, Libby has started eating solid food. She really likes it and is taking it really well, except for the lack of pooping thing everything is going great! Last night I had the wonderful experience of using a suppository for the first time.... maybe I should scrapbook that!! YIKES!

On a side note if you haven't already check out the Thanksgiving family photo down below!

Thanksgiving

2006-10-10T10:12:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Surprise!!

2006-09-25T11:27:00.000-06:00

libby and her toque
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

I don't think that Libby was quite ready for this picture! Sorry it's been a while since I have posted... this week has been kind of crazy. My mom came on Tuesday and visited. It was great to have her here. Mom is always a huge blessing when she comes! She couldn't have picked a better week to come either. Libby got her 4 month shots on Wednesday and she did pretty good, she just slept a lot the next day. On top of that Libby is teething a bit, going through a growth spurt, and now I think she is getting a bit of a cold! GREAT! Because of this she is starting to wake up in the middle of the night again. Last night she woke up at 1am and 5am. I felt like I had a newborn all over again! I know I shouldn't complain since Libby has been sleeping through the night since she was 6 weeks old, but my poor body isn't used to waking up anymore. Well Libby just woke up from her nap so I'd better go! Check out the other pictures that I just posted too!!

Family photo Sept. '06

2006-09-25T11:16:00.000-06:00

Family photo Sept. '06
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

more of Libby

2006-09-25T11:15:00.000-06:00

libby and her toque
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

libby and her toque

2006-09-25T11:06:00.000-06:00

libby and her toque
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby and her little lamb

2006-09-14T12:09:00.000-06:00

Libby and her little lamb
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby has been getting a lot more active lately and it's been a lot of fun to see her playing and interacting more. We are so blessed by Libby everyday. Right now she isn't rolling over yet, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that she is hardly ever on her back. She spends a lot of time either on her tummy or sitting up. Yesterday she was reclined on the couch and she actually pulled her self up to sit. She can somewhat sit by herself, but she's still a little unsteady! She is definitly keeping me on my toes now! This weekend we are all going to Arlington Beach for the YFC staff/board retreat. Hopefully Libby will enjoy it so that it can be somewhat of a retreat for Daryl and I too. Next week my mom is coming so Libby will have a lot of Grandma time...... she'll be spoiled I'm sure!

pretty in pink

2006-09-08T11:08:00.001-06:00

pretty in pink
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

I can't believe how much Libby has grown!! She is so much fun and is such a great little girl! I am so in love with her and it amazes me how much my love grows for her every day! Daryl and I are so incredibly blessed!

No pictures but.....

2006-09-06T14:36:00.000-06:00

I needed to update the bog anyways. Libby is doing really well! A week ago she had her 3 month check up. She was 13 lbs. 13 oz. (75%) and was 24" long (75%). I felt really weird because Daryl and I both didn't have any questions. I feel like we should, but she is just such a good baby! She is still sleeping really well.... I put her down around 9 and she'll get up anywhere between 6:30-8, depending on the day before, etc. And she's been doing this for almost 2 months already!!! Crazy! Daryl and I are so blessed by her: We can't even imagine our lives without her... much less remember our lives before her! We are so in love with Miss Libby!
On another note, we would really appreciate all of your prayers for us and for the work with YFC. Daryl's computer broke and he needs a new one. Unfortunately there have been a bunch of computers needing replacements or fixing, so there isn't very much money left for that. It also doesn't help that YFC is in the process of renovating a building that they just bought either! We are praying that people will send in money for Daryl to get a computer and so that he can get a server for the office. He needs a fairly decent computer since he is the tech guy at work and does a lot of network stuff. I won't try to explain all that he does, mostly because I don't really get it. ;) Also they need a decent server because the system they have right now for data saving and the back up saving of data is really unreliable. They have already had to pay for some data recovery, and we are just really thankful that it had nothing to do with financial information and donor information.
Please pray that the finances would come into place! If you are interested in knowing more, Daryl did a post on it as well with some more information. Thanks for supporting our family and we really appreciate the prayers!
I'll keep you posted on the situation.

Libby has learnt to laugh

2006-09-01T20:14:00.000-06:00

Mommy and me in Canmore

2006-08-25T19:12:00.000-06:00

Mommy and me in Canmore
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

5th Anniversary

2006-08-18T12:15:00.000-06:00

Daryl and Dawn
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So today is our 5 year wedding anniversary. We can't believe it has been 5 years already... it seemed to fly by! It has been a great 5 years (Of course it wasn't without it's trials), and we have both matured and grown a lot. We are both very lucky to have each other, and we are so thankful that we have the Lord to guide us and direct us in our marriage. Here's to many more years to come!!!

D and D wedding picture

2006-08-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

D and D wedding picture
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Great Slave Lake

2006-08-18T12:07:00.001-06:00

Great Slave Lake
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So Last week (Tuesday til Sunday) Libby and I went to Hay River, NWT with my parents. For those who don't know, I grew up in Hay River, but I hadn't been there for over 4 years. It was strange in some ways to go back, but I loved it! The only dissappointing part is that I wasn't able to see one of my best friends, Kailey (hopefully we'll see each other soon though!!). We were staying at the golf course in my parents 5th wheel and it was really quiet and nice. My parents trailer is huge so we were very comfortable. I even got a couple rounds of golf in!!! (don't ask me what my score was.... I haven't golfed in over 2 years.... enough said!) So here are some pictures of Libby and I in the Great Slave Lake. It was very cold and Libby didn't seem to mind until a wave got her legs (see next picture!!) If anyone is interested there are a few more pictures on flickr (on the side bar). Tomorrow Libby and I are off to Canmore (well Swift Surrent and then Canmore on Sunday). We should be back by Wednesday night and then we will be staying home for a good chunk of time (YAY!!) I'll post pictures of our girl's trip to Canmore next week.

Great Slave Lake

2006-08-18T12:07:00.000-06:00

Great Slave Lake
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Great Slave Lake

2006-08-18T11:43:00.000-06:00

Great Slave Lake
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Family Reunion

2006-08-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

generation picture
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

On August long weekend Daryl, Libby and I went to Alberta for my family's reunion. It was the Stoby side (my mom's maiden name), and we were celebrating 100 years since the Stoby family moved onto the homestead. Here is a four generation picture and as a side note my Grandma Stoby is the oldest family member left and she just turned 84. Doesn't she look great!!!

Auntie Andrea

2006-08-02T11:03:00.000-06:00

Auntie Andrea
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Andrea, Daryl's sister, came on the weekend to meet Libby for the first time. It was a great time, and as you can see from the picture Libby and Andrea really hit it off. I think that Andrea was excited that Libby still liked to cuddle.

Libby's toy

2006-08-02T10:57:00.000-06:00

IMG_2171.JPG
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby has started to play with her toys (kind of). I say kind of, because first you have to put the toy in her hand and then you have to close her hand around it AND THEN she'll bring it to her mouth and play with it. She seems to be growing up so fast.... she is very strong, is a lot more steady and has already grown out of a lot of her clothes.
So tomorrow morning we are leaving for Barrhead for a family reunion and then Libby and myself are going to the NWT (where I grew up) with my parents. So Libby and I won't be back until around August 15th. (Daryl will be back this Monday already). I will try to post pictures, but I don't know if I'll be able to pry this computer away from Daryl for over a week!!!

Daryl and Libby at Ranger

2006-07-26T11:49:00.000-06:00

Daryl and Libby at Ranger
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Here's a pic of Daryl and Libby when we were at Ranger Lake Bible Camp last week. I love Libby's face in this picture.... doesn't she look impressed!!

2 months old!

2006-07-26T11:45:00.000-06:00

2 months old!
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So Libby is now over 2 months old. She is growing up so fast... I can't believe how much time flies. Libby looks so big and she doesn't look like my little newborn anymore.
Yesterday she got her 2 months shots and boy was she mad. She's doing pretty good, just I little on the tired side and a little more grumpy than usual.

Taylor and Libby

2006-07-22T13:31:00.000-06:00

Taylor and Libby
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

A week and a half ago we went to Emma Lake with Daryl's parents, Daryl's sister Jolene, her husband Russ and their 10 month old daughter Taylor. This was the first time that Jo, Russ and Taylor met Libby. At first Taylor wasn't too sure about this little bald thing that cried a bunch. But eventually she mustered up the courage to reach out and touch Libby. They didn't really notice each other all that much during the 4 days at the cabin, but I know once they get older they'll have a lot more fun with eachother.
Notice that they are both wearing the same outfit..... isn't that so cute!!

Chillin out on the deck

2006-07-15T17:59:00.000-06:00

Chillin out on the deck
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Libby

2006-07-15T17:57:00.000-06:00

Libby
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

7 weeks old!!

2006-07-11T10:47:00.000-06:00

pretty dress
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Here is a picture from Saturday when Libby was 7 weeks old. She has already changed so much..... she isn't a little newborn anymore!! (mind you at 8lbs 11oz at birth, she never really was the new born type!!)
It has been great seeing her little personality coming out. Daryl and I are definately feeling a lot more comfortable in our parent roles. I actually felt like my summer has just started last week. I feel like I can actually enjoy the summer now!
Now if I can just get a picture of Libby with her arms down!! (VERY DIFFICULT!!)

Camp Kadesh

2006-07-10T10:43:00.000-06:00

Camp Kadesh
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So last week we were at Camp Kadesh, just north of Prince Albert on Christopher Lake. It went really well, and we had a lot of fun! We ended up staying in a fifth wheel trailer... it was great. There was no water, but we had electricity which meant AIR CONDITIONING!! And since it was over 30 degrees for most of the week that was awesome. Libby had a good week. She went through a growth spurt during the week, so I was lucky if I could get her to last 2 hours between feedings!! But on the up side she slept great, so Daryl and I got quite a bit of rest. This week we are going up to Emma Lake for a few days; Daryl's parents rented a cabin there so on Wednesday Daryl, Libby and I are going up there. It'll be a lot of fun and Russ, Jo and Taylor will be there too. Maybe I can even get a bit of a tan!!

Summer "fun"

2006-06-27T14:41:00.000-06:00

Summer Outfit
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

So here is the outfit that Daryl's mom bought for Libby. She really did like the outfit, this is just before we needed to feed her that's all! She then proceeded to go to a BBQ and have a big sleep.
I love this outfit and she looked so cute in it!

Salem Shower

2006-06-27T14:37:00.000-06:00

Salem Shower
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Last Wednesday we had a baby shower thrown for us at Salem Church in Waldheim. There were quite a few people, lots of great gifts, yummy food (CHOCOLATE GALORE!!), and lots of fun! We ended up getting a play pen as the group gift. That's if you can call it a play pen, it was the cadillac version! It has a vibrating bassinet, change table and mobile toy bar, and is the Eddy Bauer edition. It's awesome and we can't wait to try it out (which will be next week at Camp Kadesh).
Thanks to all the people who came to the shower, and thanks for blessing us with all the great gifts.

Sleeping

2006-06-21T15:45:00.000-06:00

Sleeping
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

Here's Libby chill-laxing in her swing. I wonder what she's thinking about here?

Summer Stylin'

2006-06-21T15:43:00.000-06:00

Summer Stylin'
Originally uploaded by ddgrunau.

This is our little girl on Father's day at Daryl's parents farm. She was so cute and it was also her first 'showing' at Salem Church. She was very good!
As a side note she is laying on the quilt that my mom made for her... it looks like Libby really likes it!