Mom's Photos

Here's some not-so-seen photos of Mom. We all know Mom is fearless but to ride a wild buffalo & bucking bronc. Wow! You were a good little actress Mom :)
Unlike Dad, there are tons of pictures of Mom when she was little or a teenager. I picked this cheer photo of Mom as my favorite. Guess we are a long line of cheerleaders! Mom was the "Y" in the school name Bayard. Very cute!

Wonderwoman!! Look at those biceps. You can tell Mom was a farm wife who actually farmed with biceps like those. She's holding little baby Brentie. I guess the upcoming birth of baby Zella has me inspired to put a baby Brentie picture on this post.

Okay...as promised, pictures of Mom & Dad together up next. But, I refuse to put pictures from the '80s (or after) on any of these posts since that was not that long ago & I am not old enough for those to be nostaglic - not yet!

Dad's turn - photos from the past

I'm including pictures of Dad we all haven't seen often or at all. Mom gave us Dad's Army portrait & we've all seen his graduation picture too. So here's some not-so-seen photos:

Here's my favorite picture of Dad as a kid. He's 12 in this picture (1951). This is the same age as Drew & Ryan. I like this shirt too cause I've seen it on a couple of his brothers in family pictures. There weren't many childhood pictures of Dad. I guess that's what happens when you're #9 in a family of 12.

This is Dad's state tournament basketball team. Dad is the handsome young man holding the ball & Uncle Jim is beside him to the right (the one without glasses).
I think this photo is cute and not because I'm in it (I've got that newborn glazed look). Look at the cute expressions on Deb & Art's faces. So cute! And Dad is looking handsome, young, & tan in his cowboy farmin' hat. This one is from 1966.

This was a special request photo of Brent's when they were visiting but I couldn't find it. I found it Brent! Brent used to enjoy joining Dad when he was "sittin' for awhile." I don't know how I got in this picture since I did not enjoy this pasttime as much as Brent. You know you're a good dad when you let your toddlers do this! This one is from 1970.

I just realized I didn't get a picture of Dad & Mom in this group. I'll take care of that in a future post so stayed tuned.

Mom...your turn is next.

Grandma Zella Photos

I'm starting photos from the past with Grandma Zella. I had these out when Brent & Amy were here so they could see them. They are planning to name their baby girl Zella. It will be so awsome to have another Zella Van Gundy in the family.

Here's Grandma Zella riding our minibike in her housedress :)

Dad & Grandma Zella at Pioneer Village. I can't remember Dad's hair being so dark. The gray must have come later as the kids got older! Grandma loved all the antiques. Sound like someone we know who collects antique tractors and has almost 20?

Grandma & Debbie at the hotel at Pioneer Village. Grandma, Debbie, & I shared a hotel room & the boys stayed with Mom & Dad. Grandma had Debbie & I laughing all night long since she was a little gassy from dinner & would tell Deb & me "There's a kiss for you!" Fun memories :)

For Bruce's aunts, this is the house Grandma moved to in Jamaica, Iowa. This is the only house I remember her living in. It had a great basement for hide & seek and Grandma had a real lemon tree growing in a pot in her bedroom. Guess who the previous owner was? Edward Donnelly! Isn't that a wild? My grandma bought her house from Bruce's dad.
Next up...pictures of Dad!!

Newborn baby photo idea

Okay...as promised, I found this photo idea in the Sunday paper. I thought I'd pass it along to those of you who will be having babies in the near future & not so near future. Isn't this an adorable photo idea? I thought of Brent & Amy's pregnant pictures when I saw this. Maybe this is a pose idea after baby Zella is born.

I wish Bruce & I would have had a more "artsy" photo like this with both of our babies!

Stay posted -- I've had the scanner humming since I needed to scan this ad. So, there will be family pictures of the past posted daily for the next month or so. I'm going oldest to youngest so the grandkids are safe (for now). And Mom probably wondered if I'd been working with those family photos. I have - it's a mountain but I'm making my way through them :)

Good Grades = Donuts

Here's Ryan proudly displaying his prize for good grades - Krispy Kreme Donuts! He found out from a friend you can get a free donut for each A. So here's Ryan with his grade card, 1/2 dozen donuts, & Krispy Kreme hat. He couldn't eat all those donuts so Bruce & I helped him out.
We laughed when the lady gave him the hat. He used to love these hats when he was 7 or 8. Now he's 12. Bruce made him put it on so I couldn't resist a picture. Plus, it's a slow weekend for us - no basketball tournaments or cheer competitions. That makes a trip to the donut shop exciting!!!

Happy Boys - Happy New Year!

Ryan, Bruce, & Brent were all happy boys when their beloved Hawkeyes started the new year with a big victory in the Outback Bowl. It was a 10am game so a win was important to start Jan. 1st out right. This picture is after the game finished. Brent & Ryan were very happy but are playing it cool after the win. Surprisingly, Ryan did not wear any of his Hawkeye clothes during the game. He has plenty of it! Brent had on his lucky gold t-shirt.

I have no idea where Bruce went & my pictures from during the game didn't turn out well. Sorry!

New Year Fun

We were blessed to spend so much time with family over the holidays. Thanks for swinging through town Brent & Amy. We cherish any time we get to spend with you since it's not frequent but always fun!

Here's some fun pictures I stole from Amy M's blog (Thanks Amy M!) since she's the only family member who's good about getting out the camera. This is a repeat for my family but Bruce's aunts can enjoy these. Hi Carol & Eloise :)

Taking in the plaza lights with Brent & Amy & all KC residing family members except Lauren. We missed you Lauren!:

Ryan got Guitar Hero World Tour with the guitars, drums, & microphone. He loves it cause more people can join in. Here he is jamming with cousins Drew, Trey, & Derek.

Since it's about an annual occurence to get together, we took a picture of all the "parents" when Dale & Deb came to KC. I appreciate how willing Dale & Deb are to travel to visit. Brent & Amy qualify as parents since baby Zella is due in about a month - Yea! We can't wait to meet her in March.