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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Last Day of School

**Updated with pictures**



Today was Emma's last day of school. When I went in to get her and give her teachers a gift, she was lying beside her new Abby Cadabby doll! If you read my post the other day, you'll remember that I believe her old one was washed away with Hurricane Ike. Her precious teacher, Mrs. Allison read my blog, went around the school and shared the story about Emma's lost doll, and collected money to buy her a new one! Is that not the sweetest thing you've ever heard?! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful school for our babies! The entire staff has been wonderful to Emma (and all of our other kiddos.)

The camera batteries pooped out this evening while we were taking pictures of Luke's church choir performance. After I've charged them tomorrow, I'll post some pics of Emma and her new Abby doll and Luke singing his little heart out about his heart bubbling over since Jesus made him whole! I've gotta get the details from my dad about the sweetest conversation he had with Luke and Carleigh yesterday evening. You won't believe how precious it is.



Have a good night, and check back soon for updates.

Just a swingin'

Yesterday evening the big kids were at Grammy and Papa's. Kelvin and I had a great time around the fire chatting while we grilled some red fish. It was gooood! I thought it would be fun for Emma to swing outside a little bit. While she seemed to enjoy it for awhile, her tummy didn't like it too much. She threw up all over herself and the swing. Poor baby...what we thought was a good idea was probably nothing more than a huge wave of motion sickness for her. Mark me down for the Mother of the Year award.

Today is her last day of school for the year. I hope she's well enough to go back next year. I think she really enjoys the hustle and bustle of her energetic toddler class. Her teacher, Mrs. Allison has been a blessing. She loves on Emma the whole time she's there, and basically just holds her all day. The other teachers in her class are precious too. Our little school has a great staff. All the teachers there are incredible.

Today Cora, or #4 as Kelvin sometimes refers to her, is two months old! WOW! She is so sweet. Her little smile is contagious. She is strong too! She's been holding her head up since birth trying to look around to see what's going on, and sister has a pair of lungs on her that reminds everyone she's in the room! She's a blessing.




Monday, May 25, 2009

unofficial start of summer and a walk down memory lane

I love summer...long days, muggy nights, campfires, roasting marshmallows (of course!), swimming til you're wrinkly like a prune, playing in the sprinkler, vacation, wearing your bathing suit all day...

Today marks the unofficial beginning of summer being Memorial Day. Carleigh still has two weeks of school left, so we'll still have an early bedtime for the next couple of weeks, but it's fun to celebrate all things summer today. We've had a lazy day so far. We're planning on having a fish fry this evening. I hope to make some lemonade to go along with it as well as some homemade fries, some salad and maybe a watermelon! YUM-O!

Our niece, Priscilla, graduated this weekend! (sniff, sniff) I. can't. believe. it! I remember getting the news of her arrival that cold December day! I remember the night she stayed the night with us and she could barely talk, and it took me forever to interpret "rotchu" in the middle of the night. Only after several minutes of crying and me asking her, "do you want me to rock you?" did I realize that's what she had been asking all along! I remember watching Barney with her and seeing her off to kindergarten in her cute little uniform skirt! I remember hearing her scream and giggle with her girlfriends and thinking they couldn't be any louder or more silly. Boy was I wrong! I remember watching her grow from a young girl with braces to a young lady...seeing her at Cotillion, getting her driver's license, and later watching her at Debutante Ball. She has grown up to be so beautiful...just like her mother...how we miss her so. I can just imagine her beaming with pride as her daughter walked across the stage to get her diploma...I know I was. Congratulations Priscilla!


Thursday, May 21, 2009

My Brain Hurts

Sorry it's been so long since a post. I don't know how the time gets away from me so quickly. We've had the most amazing weather the past several days, and we've been spending our evenings outside around the fire pit doing my favorite thing...roasting marshmallows!! YUM, YUM!

Kelvin is going to the zoo with Carleigh and her class today. It's another be-you-tiful day, so they should have a great time! She is sooo excited. We put new batteries in her camera, because her teacher said she could take one. She told me she had to be responsible for it. Can't wait to see her pictures when she gets home today.

Our weekend was great. I can't believe we're about to have another one tomorrow. Carleigh's recital was precious! Here's the video for your viewing pleasure. Sorry about the wobbling. I don't have the steadiest hand in the world.



Tomorrow is also Kelvin's birthday! Really can't believe that! We aren't getting older...at least I don't feel like it most days. There are those days I feel like my body is falling apart. My knees don't work as well as they once did, and my skin isn't as elastic as it once was, but I'm still the same spring chicken on the inside!

Emma's had a couple of good days. She was totally laid back on Monday and worked well for her OT. She loves her teacher, Mrs. Becky and her OT, Miss Jeannie, and PT the other Mrs. Becky!





Mrs. Becky brings fun songs!

There's a wiggle in my toe, Teacher don't you know
I'd love to stop the wiggle 'cause it makes me want to giggle.
I've done everything I can,
and I wanted you to know I just can't stop the wiggle in
my toe.

There's a lot to think about these days. We've been getting bids for some home improvements. I've also been doing website work for our non-profit, trying to get things organized around here, and planning a birthday room remodel surprise for a certain little girl who turns 7 next month! I can't wrap my mind around how in the world she's turning 7 already! And how did my little baby boy just graduate from preschool!?! So, my brain hurts a little bit.

Well, there will be more videos and pictures of all the precious Dunnam children to come, so check in again soon. Have a good one!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Flasback Friday (a little late) and Silly Saturday

I had in mind to do a Flashback Friday post on Thursday evening. Yesterday I don't think I ever sat down to even look at a blog, so I'm doing it today. When I was pregnant with Carleigh, we were at a check-up, and the midwife asked us if we had any questions. Without hesitation, and as serious as a heart attack, Kelvin asked her when I would get my memory back. She laughed and said I wouldn't and with every pregnancy you lose brain cells! So, that might explain the foggy headed state I've been in the past couple of weeks. Lord, help me! All that to say, I want to do Flashback Fridays so I can remember the adorable things Emma used to do before Batten Disease reared its ugly head. When we were at the beach she would eat the sand! Nothing like a big piece of sandy watermelon! She loved doing whatever her siblings were doing... She was so excited about Wee School. I really think she still likes going. Of course, she's still adorable. I love cuddling with her. She still loves to eat even though it's pureed food, and she's still pretty spunky, even if it is in holler form. Come back next Friday and learn more about our m (little M), as I like to call her.

So this morning, Kelvin was doing You Tube stunts with Luke and got me to join in the fun too...


This one is great! Luke wants to flip Daddy! Here goes...

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Waitin' for the Weekend

Boy do we ever have a busy weekend! Carleigh's dance recital is Saturday evening. Her church choir musical is Sunday. She has dress rehearsal tomorrow night and choir practice Saturday morning. We're looking forward to it. She is so talented. I can't wait to see her perform. She is such a doll. She's growing up so fast...her little baby face is quickly fading into a big girl. I look back at pictures and videos from a year or two ago and I'm sad I didn't realize how little she was. I know I can't go back now. I intend to treasure the days ahead. Here are my two girls not so long ago...



Emma was quite fussy with her OT yesterday. She was napping when her PT got here today and wasn't feeling very much like work, so she got a tummy massage instead. We are so blessed to have some great therapists. It's hard to see her like this. I wish so badly there was a way to turn back time and give her the missing enzyme she needs to thrive. She was such a little pistol...always into something. I miss seeing her running around, carrying her Abby Cadabby doll. I tore up the house looking for her doll this week with no luck. I guess it must have been at the beach house. I hate hurricanes! The weather is warm and perfect for the beach, but there is no beach house to go to now. Last weekend we took the kids down with the intention of letting them swim, and Luke ran upstairs to get his stuff ready. He always filled a pillowcase with his favorite toys of the week to take to the beach house with him. Kelvin had to explain to him that we wouldn't be staying there because the hurricane blew it away. Hurricanes stink! I think I'll get Emma a new Abby doll. She loved that thing. The doll's voice was kind of annoying, but how I wish I could be annoyed again and see Emma holding it and listening to it sing to her. Batten Disease stinks too! Emma's resting in her beanbag right now. I'm glad she's getting some rest. It's good to see her calm.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Sing and Shout!

Okay, here is the cute video from graduation last night. Enjoy! (Don't forget to music the music at the bottom of the blog.)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Graduation- Updated with pics

Luke is so excited. Tonight he has preschool graduation. They have been practicing for the ceremony for several weeks. He sang us his song the other day...one to store away in the memory bank for sure! He sings all the time. I wish I had a recorder on them 24/7. He and Carleigh are so sweet when they sing while they play. I'll post the graduation video tonight or tomorrow, so come back and check it out.

Last night Cora slept straight through from 12:00 to 6:30! Emma thought it would be a great idea to wake up before the chickens at 4:00 the past two mornings. These two really need to coordinate with one another.

Today was the first day I have done any purposeful exercise in months. I was doing some ab work this morning and Luke asked what I was doing. I told him I was trying to get stomach muscles like his (the little man is sporting an awesome 6-pack!) and he said, "you don't have any muscles?" Not like his I don't! That little 20 year reunion card is giving me some incentive though....

Here are the pics from graduation tonight. Blogger didn't like the video, so I'll have to load it tomorrow. Luke was so sweet tonight. He just beamed! When we got home I thought he was going to cry when he talked about how he was going to miss his teachers. I thinked it helped when I told him he still had a couple of weeks left of school...



Luke is lovin' all those cool graduation balloons from Grammy and Papa, especially the one that sings, "Celebrate good times, come on!"

Monday, May 11, 2009

Not Me! Monday

It's Monday! What happened to the weekend? If someone knows how to slow down life , could you let me know the trick? I feel like we are going at mach speeds. I mean really, Cora is already six weeks old, and Carleigh is turning seven in less than a month!

Anyway, it's Not Me! Monday. Either click on the button on the sidebar, or here to go to the creator of Not Me! and find out how you too can join in on the fun. Just for a quick heads up in case you're new to our blog, Not Me! is a blog carnival in which you confess all the things that happened to you or that you did during the week, kind of like cheap therapy, in the form of "it wasn't me!" So, without further ado...

My husband did not give me the most be-yoo-ti-ful bouquet of roses for Mother's Day!



The kids did not make me the most adorable Mother's Day gifts at school and Grammy and Papa's house.

I did not eat crawfish for Mother's Day and enjoy every minute of it! That chocolate and coconut pie did not find itself on my plate for dessert, and the chocolate one certainly did not find itself on my plate a second time. I didn't even mess with the strawberry dessert!

The man of my dreams did not take me on a fabulous date Friday night to one of the best restaurants around, and I did not thoroughly enjoy myself. The food wasn't so delicious I could have licked the plate. And, we couldn't have been totally childless for the date we didn't go on! That would be too good to be true! :)

Emma did not sleep almost through the night every night last week! (She so did, and it was so nice! Yippee for small miracles!)

I'm not totally cracking up as I write this entry because my precious little six week old doll baby is farting like a full grown man! How could something so big come of something so adorable and small anyhow?

Well, I'm sure there is much more I could tell you about, but I have fewer brain cells these days, so I can't remember as much.

Share a comment with me telling me what you "didn't" do! Have a great Monday!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Memories

Last night we went to the choir pop show for the school at which I taught before Carleigh was born. Not only was it a pop show, it was the twentieth pop show for the head choir director with whom I worked for two years! He is such an awesome director. The new assistant thought it would be a neat idea to invite all of the past swing choir members to come and sing a tribute to Mr. Vaughn. There were about 50 people from past years on the stage at the end of the show singing "In My Life," a song from Mr. Vaughn's favorite group, the Beatles! Even though I didn't go to that high school, I was his very first assistant choir director, so I had the privilege of singing too. It was so much fun seeing all of the students I taught and seeing such a great guy honored by so many. There were some tears shed last night!

Of course, I'm also thinking about Mother's Day today. I can't believe I'm the mother of four children! Holy moly! That's unbelievable!! It's a hard job, probably the hardest one I'll ever do, but it's worth it. We have such sweet kids. They are funny too. Last night I received a text from our sitter during the pop show about how Carleigh was cracking her up. She said, "Carleigh is a like a 20 year old in a 6 year old body!" She had the sitter in stitches the whole night.

Before we left last night I pumped a bottle for Cora. Luke saw the pump and the following ensued...

Luke: is that how you get milk out of your boob?
Me: yes, it is.
Luke: how does it work?
Me: well, you hook these up to the machine, and it has a pump that gets the milk out.
Luke: I want to see!
Me: no.

I hope all you mothers out there have a great day. I realize there are those of you for who Mother's Day is not so happy, or maybe a little bittersweet. I'm thinking of you too and saying a little prayer for you today.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Show Us Where You Live Friday




Okay, it's "Show Us Where You Live Friday" again. Today we're showcasing the living rooms, or den, as I like to call it. My living room has been transformed into a play room, but it's worth it! Here are some pics of our living space. The paint color is really much prettier than it appears in these pictures. I'm sure there's something I could do to my camera to take better pictures, but I don't have time to learn.

This is the view from the front entry way.

I love the bookcase. It's a perfect place to display pictures of our little angles. The recliner is Kelvin's favorite spot. In case you haven't noticed, I love lamps!


Here is our piano. The kids love jamming out on it.


Here is the view of our den from the other side of the room.

This is the TV cabinet. You'll see Luke posing.

This is my favorite love seat and I love our antique mirrors. The kids pose and watch themselves talk in the bottom one.

I like all the stuff on our mantle. The print is a Monet and reminds me of the beach. It's so calming. The figure is a mother and daughter. Kelvin gave it to me when Emma was born. It makes me happy to think of her that way.

My Willow Tree figures are all special. Notice the cool Beethoven lamp. My sister gave it to me years ago...loooove it!



Here are a couple of my favorite things. I love this candelabra. It's fun to change out the candles and dress it up for the holidays. The piece of ironwork on the wall is just what I needed above my couch.

Thankful Thursday

I thought I would take some time today to be thankful...

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. Without him my whole world would crater. He is such a rock. He has the most generous spirit. And he loves me like no other. I have the best man around. He is kind and gentle but strong and courageous too. He has the best sense of humor and pulls the funniest pranks. He is great with our kids. He loves God and is a strong spiritual leader for our family.

I'm thankful for our beautiful children. They are a gift from God.

I'm thankful for my precious friends. Without whom I would be in sooo much trouble. I love all the different relationships we have, and God has placed each one in our lives for a purpose.

I'm thankful for my sweet church family. They love us so genuinely and take up the slack where we cannot right now.

I'm thankful for our family. They are our backbone.

I'm thankful for our house. May laughter always abound and love conquer all. May all who enter as guests leave as friends.

I'm thankful for our cars, even though they are getting smaller by the day. :)

I'm thankful for the wonderful food God has supplied the past several months.

I'm thankful for furniture and comfy beds.

I'm thankful for beautiful flowers and cool mornings and evenings.

I'm thankful for rest and relaxation and pray we see more of it in the coming days.

I'm thankful for pretty things.

I'm thankful for music. Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach.


What are you thankful for? Leave me a comment and let me know. Have a great day.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Numb

I'm just kind of numb lately. I'm not sure if it's because I'm tired or because I'm tired, did I say I'm tired already? Anyway, I feel like I'm in a fog. I can't really think straight. I get kind of weepy over the weirdest things. If you've been here before, you might remember Not Me Monday. So, I'll just put in a little not me right here to explain what I mean by "weepy over the weirdest things."
I did not get teary-eyed when I watched High School Musical 3 with my big kids the other morning before school. Not me! That would be totally ridiculous. I didn't repeat the behavior when we finished the movie after Carleigh returned home from school. How insane is that? And who lets their kids watch a movie before school anyway? Not me!


Anyway, if you're interested in learning more about Not Me Monday, click here to go to McMama's site and laugh your booty off!


So back to the numb thing. I really don't know how to explain what I'm feeling. I'm just sad. I am grieving the loss of my third child before she is physically gone, because this evil, mind-stealing disease has taken over my child. She is still precious, and I still treasure each moment with her, even though she is not the same. And, I still love the way her head nuzzles in the crook of my neck when I hold her against me. I still love the way she snuggles in bed with us and calms when she's been crying. I still love the way my beautiful brown-eyed girl looks like she is looking right at me even though I know she can't see me. The more Emma's disease progresses, the harder it is for me to be happy, because she seems so sad. Maybe that's the reason for my numbness or fog or whatever it is I'm feeling...


Man, did we ever have a busy weekend! I finally got some yummy crawfish thanks to Uncle Gene! That was some good stuff. And who knew Emma would love Cajun music? But really, what's not to love? And why should I be surprised? She loves every other kind of music she's ever heard? That's my girl! So, I'll be downloading some Cajun tunes onto my ipod for her listening pleasure!


I went to the last MOPS meeting of the year for our group today. I can't believe it's already May! We got some great ideas for summer fun for the kiddos, and we don't even have to leave our little metropolis for a lot of them. We're gonna be havin' us tons 'o summer fun around this joint! From swimming lessons to VBS, my kids are hardly going to have a chance to even mutter the words, "I'm bored."


Well, all the little creatures around our place are sawing logs, so I better get smart and join them.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Likes the Bottle and other fun stuff...

Cora likes the bottle! Yippee! This is very good news, because Luke and Emma would have nothing to do with it. Makes it a little difficult to go somewhere without the baby for more than a couple of hours. I am otherwise known as Elsie, the milk cow, so I have several (like 20 or so) bags of milk stored in the freezer for her! I'm so excited!! Cora will probably be like her big sister, Carleigh. Carleigh didn't care where her food source came from, she just wanted to eat...all of the time! She was a chunky monkey. I have a feeling Cora is going to follow the same pattern.

If you've never hopped over to Angie's site, Bring the Rain, you should take the time to read some of her latest posts about her trip to India through Compassion International...very inspiring. Our family began sponsoring a little boy named Carlos during a campaign at our church at Christmas time. Carleigh was sitting by me and picked up the brochure and said, "we need to sponsor him, Mommy." How do you say no to that? So, we didn't say no. I'm glad we didn't. The other day Carleigh was so excited to receive a letter and colored picture from our little guy. She immediately sat down and wrote him a letter and colored him a picture. It was so sweet.

Looking forward to a good weekend. I'm totally psyched about a crawfish boil Kelvin just informed me we were invited to tomorrow evening. YUM-O! Carleigh has a swimming birthday party invitation for tomorrow as well. Can you believe we're already swimming? CUH-RAZY!! Sunday the big kids will receive AWANA awards. I'm so proud of their hard work and their teachers' dedication to helping them succeed. AWANA is a program that teaches them scripture memory. I'm so thankful there are people helping me instill Godly principles in our children.

One of my favorite blogs is Kelly's Korner. She's doing a new thing on her blog where she is encouraging everyone to show each other what our houses look like. Today is the kitchen...



So here are some pictures of mine. Keep in mind, it's a work in progress. In fact we just got a bid for granite countertops. Hee Hee! I can't wait. I have big (well, not that big...more like little plans that make a big difference) plans for our kitchen. I'll be sure to post more updated pictures in the future. But until then, here is our kitchen...





Where the kids always eat...


One of my favorite things (even though they don't have herbs in them, I think they're so cute!)

It's your turn! Please share some pictures of where you live and let me know so I can hop over to your site and check them out. I don't know how to do the Mr. Linky thingy yet, but when I learn, it'll be fun! Have a great weekend!

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