Some cute pics

Being silly!!


Wiggle Worm


Look at all my toys!!

Go Cards!!

Now I lay me down to sleep

6 Month Update

Okay so I'm a month late on the sixth month update!! Autumn is now officially 7 months old and I'm wondering where the time has gone! She is 16+ pounds and is 25 inches long. So we are good in the growth department!! Her check-ups have gone great ( with the exception of the shots ). Her development is right on target even for her corrected age. And we are doing some advanced things as well. She is sitting up on her own now, but we are practicing our balance. We have also started on solids and cereal which is always fun! She LOVES her green beans and nanners but is not a big fan of the peas (like me!!). Everyday is an adventure and she continues to make us laugh! I don't know if it's possible but I am pretty sure she already has a sense of humor!! She loves to make us laugh and her smile is beautiful......and still toothless. No teeth yet but I have a feeling I am going to wake her up one morning and that front tooth will have popped up! All in all the Lord has blessed us with a smart, healthy, and beautiful little girl!!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward (Psalm 127:3)

4th of July BBQ

This 4th of July we headed over to Aunt Missy's for a family BBQ. We had a day full of good food and good fun. Mom and Ed were in town and got to visit with the grandkids. Lots of snugglin and lots of laughs

Audi sitting on the new couch

family photo


Audi hangin out with cousin Logan

A Visit With the Giovanetti's

Last week my Dad and Joy got to come into town and visit. They hadn't seen Autumn since she was a little 5 pounder. She is 12lbs now and growing like a little flower! Grandpa Matt played his new guitar and sang songs to her. She loved it! She just smiled away and then fell asleep. I guess the lullaby made her sleepy! All in all we had a great time! It was good to see them again!

Family BBQ

Over the weekend we got to spend time with the family. We celebrated Alex's birthday and Brandon's graduation from 8th grade. Francis and Bill were in from Indiana and Audi got to meet those that haden't seen her yet. She slept most of the day but was awake enough for everyone to see her baby blues. It was such a beautiful day out. We had a great time!

Girl's Day Out

The other day Audi and I took a trip out to Freeburg to visit with my good friend Tammy who I've known since kindergarten! She hadn't seen Audi for a few months and was amazed on how much she had changed! We had a great time just hangin out and being silly! Audi even got her toenails painted! We had fun!




Mommy helping Rachel hold Audi. With 3 younger
siblings she is a natural!



Audi hangin out with the Parrish girls

Thank You!

As the alarm went off this morning at 3:30 I heard my baby girl stirring on the monitor, trying to wake up. Daddy was trying to wake up and he was stirring also. And I was just laying there listening and the Lord put a word on my heart. He said "times may be tough, but they are not impossible." And he reminded me of a scripture Phil 4:8-9 " whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things......practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." So I started thinking about what it means to be rich. It seems that some people gauge their lives on the success of others. They think that what they do doesn't matter if they aren't making as much money as other people. Or if they aren't driving fancy cars and wearing expensive clothes. I remember thinking that about my job, that it didn't matter because I'm just a waitress. But the Lord showed me through the generosity of the people that I wait on everyday that it does matter. "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to SERVE one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:9-10) And then I got to think more about things and it made me wonder why there is really only one day a year that people really give thanks-Thanksgiving. I give thanks everyday for the things that I have. It's not really about the quantity rather the quality. If you have a pair of shoes full of holes rejoice in the fact that you have shoes on your feet. If all you have left in your refridgerator is a loaf of bread and maybe some peanut butter, make a sandwhich and rejoice that you have food to eat. But believe in him for something more. He came so we could have a more abundant life and he gives us RICHLY all things to enjoy! (John 10:10, 1 Tim 6;17) So as I layed in bed I just became thankful for my little Audi, my wonderful husband, the roof over my head, and the shoes on my feet, the clothes on my back, our wonderful family, and good friends. Maybe if we started out praising the Lord in the morning and thanking him for all the good things in our lives our days will be that much better!

My Baby Girl, She's a Snuggler

Snugglin with momma


Snugglin with daddy



snugglin with grandpa Dale



snugglin with grandpa Matt



snugglin with grandma Patty

snugglin with grandma Deb

snugglin with cousin Lauren

Bathtime Fun

Bathtime is always fun at our house! Audi loves getting in her little bathtub! It's funny because she used to look so small and now she is just a little chunky monkey playing in the tub! Getting dry is another story. She doesn't really like getting her hair dried in the towel, but she doesn't fuss too much. Sometimes she thinks its funny and of course I do too. Pretty soon she'll outgrow her tub and be in the big girl tub!

We have reached a milestone!!!

We are all getting more sleep these days. Just short of 4 months old, Autumn has finally decided to sleep through the night! Of course I still wake up and check on her from time to time, but I hear that is normal. She is staying awake more for Grandma and Grandpa during the day, but still enjoys her snuggle time. That is something I hope she never outgrows!

The Gruhlke's are comimg home!!!

The latest news in our family is that Grandma and Granpa Gruhlke are leaving Minnesota and moving back to Illinois! Welcome home Mom and Ed!

Our First Blog

So I am trying my hand at blogging. I guess the best place to start would be at the beginning. Of course in most of our lives we all have several new beginnings whether it is getting married, buying a house, or just starting a family. In my case we are blessed with all of these. Some more recent than others. My story starts when I married my best friend. Now we have a beautiful baby girl and a new house. But between all of that there is a story and I guess that is what blogging is all about. And since it is all about the baby these days we'll start there. When Autumn was born she was 2 months early, born on my birthday! Her due date was originally April 1st but arrived early morning Jan 30. She was so tiny. She weighed 3lbs 8oz and 15in long. I think that she was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen! We did a lot of praying and she was just fine! Perfectly healthy just small. Everyone was surprised when she didn't need a breathing tube. Except me. I knew the Lord was watching over my baby girl and He continued to do so everyday! It was hard leaving her everyday but just knowing that we would be able to hold her the next day made it a little easier. You never realize how strong you are when the time calls for it. But that's God. The bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength and we were all very much full of joy! We got to leave the hospital on Feb 27th and it was just a day full of excitement and a little bit of anxiety. Being first time parents is always a little scary when you don't know what to expect, especially when you are used to looking at moniters to know what is going on with your baby. But after all is said and done your instincts kick in and you just know what to do. And having a baby who is always smiling doesn't hurt either! So here are some pictures of the beginning of our story, our baby girl Autumn Olivia McGuire.