Where does the time go?

Yikes, I haven't posted in for-ev-er! Sooo sorry. I'm running out of time before Christmas arrives! I haven't finished our shopping, don't even have ideas for some very important people, have gone to school parties and other ones too, caroled around the neighborhood while looking at the pretty lights, and all kinds of other fun stuff. It's been a vapor of a month. It's been a lovely Christmas season though. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time! The kids have done and said some of the funniest things...

Carleigh: I want a DS for Christmas.
Me: I don't think we're going to do that this year.
Carleigh: I'll just ask Santa for it then.
Me: Santa knows not to get things for children their parents don't want them to have.

Luke: I want a Toy Story set.
Grammy: Where have you seen that?
Luke: Grammy, Santa can make anything.

No pressure Santa!

Luke: Carleigh, you better be good, Santa is watching.

Today Luke and Carleigh were playing in the garage and Luke had a "sword"...

Luke: I'll be the knight and you be the mean princess, Carleigh.
Carleigh: No, I want to be the nice princess.
Luke: No, you're the mean princess. You're mean to me.

We had the most wonderful surprise around our parts, and got snow last week! It's still the talk of the town! You all from up north where it snows all the time have a hard time understanding what all the hoop-la is about, I'm sure. But you see, around here, it only snows once in a blue moon (if that much!) We had enough to stick on the ground through the night, and the next morning the kids got to play in it. Below you'll find pictures and video of the grand event, but let me give you some insight on the video. For the past forever several days Luke has been asking when it will snow and if it will snow on Christmas. I have explained at least 100 times that we live in a coastal region where it just doesn't get cold enough to have snow (it's been 80 degrees the past couple of days.) I told him that every once in a while it snows but we shouldn't count on it happening. He asked where it does snow. I told him it snows in the northern states of our country and places like Colorado where our friends live. He said, "I want to move to Colorado." So, that's the background for the video. Let me also preface the video by saying we do live in a coastal climate and don't sport snow shoes or appropriate clothing to play in the snow. Keds and canvas shoes are probably not the best choice for kiddos to play in the snow...



They did have a good time though...





Kelvin's first ever snow angel!








Nothing like a cup of hot cocoa to warm things up!

Emma update...
She has had quite a rough week. She has been unusually fussy, and even crying, which is not normal for her. She tires easily and wants to be held most of the time. We've been doing a lot of snuggling in the recliner, which is fine for me and my expanding waist line! She's also not been able to walk much and has been spitting up more. She did have a good day with Dee Dee, her vision teacher yesterday though. She liked the lights and did some good reaching and touching.





Have a wonderful weekend!

Emma's Hugs

Here is a little bit about Emma's Hugs, Inc....

Emma’s Hugs is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to support families and caregivers of those in hospital settings so that they can better focus on their loved one’s recovery. It is not our goal to pay off huge medical bills, but instead simply pay their parking bill, a hug of sorts.

Emma, the inspiration for Emma’s Hugs and this blog, is our third child. She was diagnosed summer of 2008 with a neurodegenerative disease, known as Infantile Batten Disease. The disease causes a loss of motor and cognitive function, blindness, and ultimately death, usually before the child's first decade. There was a special time in Emma’s life, around 18-20 months, where she gave hugs and kisses. She even met her dad at the door a few times and said “Dada” and gave him a hug. Those times are gone, but we want to somehow memorialize that sweet time in Emma's life. Through Emma’s Hugs we will share the spirit of a simple hug from a small child; sincere, innocent, without obligation and without being asked for!

Life experiences have shown us the important role caregiver’s play in their loved one's recovery. We feel strongly about our mission to support them, and we are excited to invite you to join us in spreading these random acts of kindness.

Please check out www.emmashugs.com for more information. You can also find updates on Facebook and Twitter!

Laughs from Luke

Yesterday evening was Luke's preschool Christmas program. Picture several hundred 5 and under kiddos dressed in their Christmas best with a crowd full of parents, grandparents, and screaming babies in the audience, and that's where we were last night. :) It was great, really!

Here was our conversation while getting dressed (in the dark I might add, since the power went off as we were getting ready to go)...

Me: Luke, let's get dressed for your Christmas program. (I'm holding his clothes up on the hanger.)

Luke: I wanted to wear my Easter jacket. (light colored linen jacket)

Me: Oh, but Mommy bought these especially for you to wear tonight. (Thanks goodness he was easily convinced. Sometimes it's a 30 minute battle, which he wins on occasion.)

Luke: (after we have his clothes on) Mommy, I think I will be the most handsome boy there tonight.

Me: I agree. You look very nice in your fancy clothes.

A little bit later in the car on the way...

Luke: Mommy, I think I look like a president.

Me: Yes, you do look very nice in your new clothes.

Luke: I don't mean my clothes. I mean my hair!

You gotta love him!



He really was happy to be there. The boy has a very serious streak.


Notice how helpful Luke is being to Emma by holding her head up for the picture. Sweet little Dunnam babies!

Over the weekend Carleigh's little dance class performed at a Christmas festival. Here are some pictures of our little dancing queen for your viewing pleasure...



Isn't she adorable? The very best dancer, of course!

The Christmas Pageant

This could so be our family! Merry Christmas!

THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

My husband and I had been happily married (most of the time) for five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby. I decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he would give us a child, I would be a perfect mother, love it with all my heart and raise it with His word as my guide.

God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son. The next year God blessed us with another son. The following year, He blessed us with yet another son. The year after that we were blessed with a daughter. My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty. We now had four children, and the oldest was only four years old. I learned never to ask God for anything unless I meant it. As a minister once told me, "If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella."

I began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children each day as they lay in their cribs. I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and I didn't want to disappoint Him.

I tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby chicks. I tried to be understanding when they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs. When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I tried to see the humor rather than the mess.

In spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time, I still thank God daily for my children.

While I couldn't keep my promise to be a perfect mother - I didn't even come close -I did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God.

I knew I was missing the mark just a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too. Something was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife."

My proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant. My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine. My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes." But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes." My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes." A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing. I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama."

Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived. My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."

The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation. "I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one," laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes "For the rest of my life, I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur."

"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.

Aren't you glad God has such a sense of humor?!

No Not Me! today

He y'all! So glad you could stop by and catch up on what's going on around our little neck of the woods. Today should be Not Me! Monday, but my pregnant brain just can't get all of my thoughts together to amuse you today. Not that my crew and I haven't had some belly laughs this week, I just can't remember well enough to relay them to you.

We've enjoyed getting in the Christmas groove around here. It's such a special time of year. The kids went to our church's children's advent service and made an advent chain. We enjoy taking a link off and reading what it suggests to do each day. I look forward to reading the Bible stories related to Christmas, singing Christmas songs, and doing all things Christmas to help us remember the sacrifice and realize how Jesus humbled himself to come to this world as fully human and fully God to provide a way for us to spend eternity with Him! It's all so amazing and overwhelming to think about! I hope you will spend some time this season reflecting on how very much He loves you and what a beautiful time of year this is. Not only beautiful because of the sights, scents and sounds of the season, but because Jesus provided a purpose for your life. He wants us to live, not just a ho-hum, drab existence, but an abundant life. By abundant life He doesn't mean for us to cram as much as we can into our schedules. He means He wants to be the center of our lives, to help us through each moment, to be the connected to everything we are, think, feel and do.

So, will you join me in an effort to not let this season slip by with busyness and forget the whole reason we celebrate? Take a moment each day to reflect on our beautiful Savior who came to this earth as a helpless child at Christmas time. Let this season be a time where we drink in His love, take His yoke upon us (learn from Him), and breath.

Merry Christmas!

Ups and Downs

Well, it's been up and down for Emma lately. She has good days where her muscles seem strong and she's able to walk with more ease, and then there are days like the last few where she is extremely fussy and frustrated! She was pretty tired and irritated at therapy on Tuesday. Could be attributed to the fact that she was getting up between 2 and 3 a.m. and not going back to sleep for several hours afterward! We'll have to call the doc and ask about her meds being changed again.

Can you believe Santa was at preschool yesterday for pictures? Guess who was sporting a shiner on her right eye? You guessed it...Emma! What is it with pictures, black eyes and Emma? Poor little thing. I just hope this time she was a little happier for the picture taking than she was for the last school picture.

For an update on last week's happenings around the Dunnam Den...we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Hope your food and fellowship was as great as ours. The best part for me though, if I'm going to be totally honest, is that our parents helped out with our kiddos, and Kelvin and I got to spend the night away from home and hoodlums precious angels! We had such a great time! How could spending time with my knight in shining armor not be great?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our place...slowly but surely!


It's my very favorite time of year. The local Christian radio station here begins playing Christmas music on Thanksgiving day and doesn't stop until the day after Christmas. I never seem to get tired of it. It's wonderful! Have a very merry day!

Check out this great opportunity

OK, friends, this is a good one! The lady who brought us Not Me! Monday is providing a fabulous opportunity to buy your chance at winning a Canon Rebel XSI Camera package! It's a great deal, and all of the proceeds will be donated to three beautiful organizations. The information and details follow below, so take a few minutes to read, and then hop on over to MckMama's blog and enter to win! You can click on the highlighted words here, or on the camera icon in my sidebar. Happy playing!

Many chances to win here, peeps. Just choose the ways you'd like to be involved:

1. Buy Raffle-Way tickets for the suggested donation of $10/ticket to be entered to win the MckRebel Prize Package.

2. Add the Rebel Without For A Cause button to your own blog and link over here to be entered to win a name charm necklace.

3. Win big by blessing other families through three great organizations!!

The driving force behind this Raffle-Way is that many worthy families will be helped in the process through String of Pearls, Elison Project, and No Hands but Ours. This Raffle-Way will reach out and touch so many families who need help and support. And before you know it, one of you will be taking kick-bottom photographs with your majorly pimped out new camera!! Can you say win-win? Again?

The Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way starts now and ends at 11:59 pm, Central Standard Time on December 14, 2008. The MckRebel Prize Package will be in the winner's hands by Christmas.

As I mentioned, the suggested donation is $10 per Raffle-Way ticket, but you can donate any amount you choose. Enter as many times as you wish. Each $10 donation buys you one ticket. (You can donate more than once and get one ticket each time, or in one lump. If you donate, say, $30, we will know you want three tickets.) The more tickets you buy, the more times we'll enter your name in the drawing and the more chances you'll have to win the MckRebel Prize Package!!!

Donating is secure and will be accepted through the ChipIn icon at the top of my (her) blog. When you donate via ChipIn, you are automatically entered in the Raffle-Way to win the MckRebel Prize Package. Soon after you donate, we will send a reply email to the address on your PayPal account, letting you know what your Raffle-Way ticket number(s) are. Then you wait until the Raffle-Way is over on December 14 and see if you won!

All proceeds of this Raffle-Way will be donated. Proceeds will go to String of Pearls, a beautiful ministry that offers a nurturing and safe place for families as they navigate the path following a fatal prenatal diagnosis that will result in the death of their baby prior to, or shortly after birth. String of Pearls provides guidance, compassion and practical suggestions as plans to honor the life of pre-born babies are crafted.

Proceeds will also go to benefit No Hands But Ours. No Hands But Ours is a China adoption resource site, specific to special needs adoption. It was created to provide information, encouragement and support for families of the children who wait and for those who wait no more. It is their hope that God would use this organization to encourage and equip ordinary people to do an extraordinary thing in the life of a special needs orphan, to give the gift every child needs and deserves...a family.

The Elison Project helps to provide grants to families adopting special needs children from China, and collaborates with No Hands But Ours. Proceeds of this Raffle-Way will allow families to make an incredible difference in the life of a child. Your donation will help to bring His children home.

If you'd like to be a part of our Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way, jump on in. The winners will be randomly drawn (Wait for it...we're even thinking of videotaping the process to prove it was fair and random.) and will be announced within a day or two after the Raffle-Way ends on December 14, 2008. Go win yourself a Rebel! And a whole heckofalotta other goodies! For a cause!