6 Months Sure Does Fly By!

Ok, so just when I promised to be doing blog posts more often, I go and have my longest stint away from it! Chalk it up to having a very busy toddler and needy newborn, I suppose. All this to say, I wouldn't change one thing about the past 6 months for anything!

Here is a quick "rundown" on our most recent family "happenings:"

Annie: celebrated her 2nd birthday last month, if you can believe it, I know we can't! She is a very busy little girl these days, and this toddler phase is proving to be quite fun. She recently has shown much interest in going potty, yet nothing consistent has come of the new hype. It's exciting to now be able to converse with her in a more understandable lingo! Along those lines, she graduated to the 2's class at church a few weeks ago, and the language is developing that much faster because of it. The new songs she's learning (and attempting to teach us) has brought smiles to our faces! It's amazing how young God can start working in those little lives!! "Normal" remarks were made at her most recent doctor check-up, although we keep anxiously waiting and expecting to hear she's sprouted off the charts with height. Just hasn't happened yet.


Macey: ...now 7 months old...WOW. She is eating some solids, definitely holding herself up well in the sitting position, and wants to be in and around Annie at all times! We can predict a crawler in our home in the very near future! She's got to keep up with Annie somehow! How fun it's been to see these two sisters bond in such amazing ways! And her laughter, that seems to bellow out so much more with Annie than Brian and I can ever get, is absolutely infectious! Her most recent doctor check-up showed her development as being right on track, in about the 50th percentile.


Megan: is now working part-time for the church once again, but in a much different capacity than before. She oversees the early childhood childcare department, consisting of 3 classes (Nursery, Weebles & Toddlers). This was a complete "God thing" for this job to come about. So far, in the 1 month she has been employed, we have seen it as a blessing for our family.


Brian: is still happily employed by the Marion County Sheriff's office, as he continues the graveyard shift, even going into the new year. As hard as it's been having him gone most nights, our family has adjusted well to this schedule, and we are happy he is happy doing what God has called him to do. In regards to hobbies, Brian just got his first elk in nearly 6 years this year, on his hunting trip with his folks to Eastern Oregon. We are glad to have that meat in the freezer!


I won't hold myself to a time limit on another update...just check back in a month or so. If you would, be praying for us as we seek the Lord's guidance with potentially putting our house back on the market. We've been feeling a "tug," and are now in the checking things out phase. Thank you, friends and family!

Love,
The Dunkins

Macey Olivia Dunkin

I know, I know. It's been nearly 5 whole months since my last post. What the heck? Well, life has been a little busy. Busy in a good way, most definitely.


Meet Macey. Macey Olivia Dunkin joined our family on April 1st at 10:41 p.m. Despite being 3 weeks early, she weighed in at a healthy, heavier than Annie at full term, 7lbs, 7oz, and was 19.5 inches in length. What a surprise she was to us on that very day. Having only been insured for about 15 hours when we went to the hospital, we thought there was no way we were going to have a baby that day. It was just too close for the odds.

Brian got his job back with Marion County at the beginning of February. Since then, he has absolutely been a changed man. More happy than ever before. Due to the change in jobs, we were without insurance for the month of March. Macey's due date wasn't expected until mid-late April, so when things started "happening" on the 1st, we thanked our good Lord for getting us to that date of coverage! He knew all along when she would join our family, we are just so thankful it was after insurance kicked in.

Macey is a month old already, and life in the Dunkin household is finally beginning to feel "normal." If there is such a thing. Brian feels a bit out-numbered with us girls running the show, but he is one proud dada of all his girls.

Annie is adjusting very well to a new baby in the house. She just needs to learn how to give baby some space. Her oodles and kisses on her sister are really too cute for words, I'm just praying this love for her grows and grows, and never turns into a jealousy thing. So far so good.




As for me, I'm doing well. Tired, which is expected, but good. I was able to get a whole 2 months off with this pregnancy, so I won't be going back to work until the 1st of June. I can't believe that it's already May, but my time at home has been so wonderful. Macey is such an easy baby and I'm loving every second of it. It feels good to be a family of 4!



Stay tuned for more posts....I will make every effort to post things more often. Goodness knows, I've got enough pictures to show off!

CHRISTmas!

Christmas is probably my absolute favorite time of year. Not only are there many family get togethers to be had, but it's the celebration of our Lord and Savior's birth. Praise Him for all the beauty this holiday brings to so many!

Annie sure enjoyed the festivities. From school Christmas programs to all the buzz with presents and food galore....I'd say she did well.

And although this year was an especially bittersweet Christmas for our family, we can rejoice with the angels as my grandfather is now resting in peace with our Savior. It's never easy losing a loved one, but we know he would have enjoyed the family time we had together! Any excuse to get all the 7 grandkids together is a plus!

A Milestone Not Worth Bragging About!

I never thought I would say this, but my daughter had a "first" today that I truly cannot say I am proud of. Yes, my friends, we are talking about the very first time this little girl, this sweet angel of a girl, actually grossed me out. The reasons the pictures of the actual incident aren't posted are obvious, but the ones that are here, are of our "intermission" shall we say...as we awaited the tub to be emptied and cleaned out after Annie POOPED in it during her bath.

Oh the joys of parenthood.

A Cupcake for Annie!

Well, I can't believe it's happening, but it's true. Annie is turning 1 this weekend, and I really don't know where the year has gone. We've experienced more joy than we ever thought possible with her in our lives, and we eagerly look forward to many more incredible years ahead, celebrating her life!

So last night I decided it was time. The girl has waited an entire year for this, and I'm ready to spoil her, just a little! Ok, ok, so maybe she's had a bite or two of cake/ice cream at birthday parties and such, but this time it's her turn! Now I really wish I could say I was even slightly crafty in the kitchen, but since I'm not, I figured good 'ole Betty Crocker's recipe would suit just fine for Annie's first cupcake experience! Daddy had to work, but we made sure to capture the special moment on camera.


Here she wasn't quite sure what to DO with the cupcake.

Realizing how yummy frosting is...

Realizing how yummy the whole cupcake is...

"Happy Birthday to ME, Mom! That's good stuff!"

A New Experience

Annie had her first experience with a toothbrush tonight.....and I think we should say...the jury is still out as to whether or not she liked it. I would say it wasn't a bad experience, except for trying to get her to "open wide." As you can see, she wasn't sure what to think!

A Day to Play for all of my Parents' Grandkids!

The weather couldn't have been better for a day at the Family Fun Center in Wilsonville. It was an "end of the summer/back to school send off" for all 7 of my parents grandkids. Although at this point, only 4 are returning to school. Nonetheless, we all made the trip to play and laugh and enjoy each others' company. What a great day!


Here are the kids playing "putt, putt golf."


Here are the kids LOVING the bumper boats!


I still can't believe this one....we actually got MOM to drive the go-kart for she and Kylie! I think the adults had more fun with this one than the kids did!





Here's this sling-shot thing that the girls wanted to do.




And our little all-star, Brody...the lone boy in the fam, got his turn at the batting cages!


Dad surprised Mandy and I with tickets to the bumper boats since we "missed out" on the go-kart driving. Gee...thanks dad for letting the kids SOAK me! :) But it was worth it, and the kids LOVED getting a 2nd chance at the squirt guns!



And finally...the end of the day arcade games and prize selection. I think it's safe to say they all had a blast! Can't wait for next year!