The Dunne Family

Merry Christmas/Daddy's present?

2011-12-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

Not sure if Santa intedended this to be for Daddy too! Merry Christmas everyone!

brr cold

2011-03-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a little cold and snowy here in Spokane. Mind you the picture of Emily lounging in a chair in the snow it was about seven degree's outside. We have been keeping busy and warm playing in the snow and making cookies and being crafty!

Fun times

2011-03-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

what we have been up to!

2011-03-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Samantha in Hawaii

2010-04-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

Samantha always has fun in Hawaii. She is currently asking when we can go back. This time though she didn't want to be in the water with the fish and her father finally took her out on his shoulders so she could see the fish swimming without actually having her body in the water with them. She of course enjoyed playing at the park and in the swimming pool. Unfortunatly the last day we were there she got a really high fever and was unable to really enjoy her last day. The pictures of her in the pink tank top are when she had decided that she was going to feed the fish and was throwing sand in the water. It was rather cute!

more of six months of Samantha

2010-04-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

Samantha on Christmas morning. And Samantha playing a Who in the church Sunday school program. The blond next to her is her best friend Aja who is exactly to the day a year older than her!

six months of Samantha

2010-04-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Samantha has had a busy year. Her preschool has put on a few concerts. She has gotten to go to the Broadway production of the Lion King. She also got to go see the Wizard of Oz movie accomponied by the Spokane Symphony. She is really a lucky little girl. Of course she is fighting naps but as you can tell by the above picture the nap usually wins!

Emily in Hawaii

2010-04-11T16:09:00.001-07:00

We went to Hawaii for my mother's birthday this year. Emily loved playing in the water and in the sand. She also liked the warm weather in the winter! She had fun going out into the water looking for fish with her daddy.

more of six months of Emily

2010-04-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

six months of Emily

2010-04-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Playing around

2010-04-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

The girls have been really busy but this is just a few photos of them playing around. They have really gotten to be good friends and although there is still a lot of screaming and tears to be had around here they do play really well together.

Fish sticks and Princesses

2009-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Scottie came to town for work and we were able to have Sushi with her at Heather's house on Thursday night. Samantha had just gotten a new Princess dress from Taylor and convinced me she had to wear it. (it's a bit big...but then again Taylor is a tall eleven year old!) Emily also discovered fish sticks! Normally I would be freaking out but since they were organic and didn't have anything she was allergic to and it is a good source of protein and omega's I figure what the heck! She loves them!

Samantha's first day of school.

2009-09-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Samantha had a great first day of school. She is going to preschool at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Early Learning Center. She went to school without any complaints and wants to go everyday! She has a lot to say about school at this point. It is only the beginning but I hope her love of school will last a long time.

It all happens too fast!

2009-09-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

Samantha's first day of preschool. Bitter sweet. She is starting to want to make her own breakfast in the morning and she has opinions about what she is going to wear. It is all happening way to fast! SLOW DOWN

The stormy date

2009-09-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Not often to J and I get to go out on a date. So we were very excited for the surprise date that Heather and Jared took us on. It was at a winery on the cliffs overlooking Spokane valley. There was a country western band and we had a picnic. Of course...mother nature had her own plans! As we were pulling up to the winery there was a severe weather warning including high winds and hail. We set up our picnic and were going to troop ahead with our adventure. Well the storm blew in...the band stopped...and we lucked out! We got to have our picnic inside the historic home not open to public! After the storm was over the band set up in the tasting room. It ended up being a beautiful evening. The pictures from left to right top to bottom is the order of events....storm blowing in....storm blowing through....eating in historical house....historical house and winery after storm.

Spokane Indians

2009-09-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

We lucked out and got to go to a Spokane Indians game this summer. Spokane Indians are a minor league team for the Texas Rangers that plays here in town. The girls loved the game and entertainment. We had great seats for half the game thanks to our neighbors (who are from Texas)! It was a lot of fun. What a great way to end the summer.

May I have some Avocado please?

2009-09-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Emily decided that she was going to have a say in what was going in our salad. So she got the fruit bowl and proceded to dump both avocados on the ground. Thus making them mushy and needing to be eaten (she soon turned into a green monster!) These photos are also the last moments of that bowl which I have had for over ten years. You would think when you had a second child you would have learned from your mistakes with the first. But nope...the bowl and all the fruit were pulled right over on the floor soon after this photo was taken.

Peaches and Ponies

2009-09-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

While J has been spending his Sunday's enclosing our porch upstairs. The girls and I have been escaping to quieter places to nap (in the car!) A couple of weekends ago was the Peach Festival up in Green Bluff. Afer tasting peaches....(did you know there are at least three varieties of peaches? and they all taste different!)....Samantha and Grandma had ice cream and then the girls each took a ride on a pony. Of course Samantha wouldn't get on one but when she finally did she didn't want to get off and tears started! We made sure that the ponies would be there again during pumpkin harvest. No worries we will be back.

Emily feeding herself

2009-09-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Emily fed herself for the first time the other day! We had to have two forks going though because not a lot was getting in her mouth and she was not willing to give up her fork that often!

The weekend at the Lake

2009-09-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky enough to blessed by the generosity and gracious hearts of Heather's parents Jim and Sue Hanley. This past summer we have gotten to use their pool and when they went to the lake for a week they invited us to come stay with them for part of it. (especially nice considering I was worried about going camping with the screaming banshi!) So the following photos are of our trip to the Lake. The lake house was situated up on the cliffs above Lake Couer D'alene which meant a nice hike to the lake when we wanted to go. The weather was a bit cruddy so luckely this house was equipped for kids. The girls really loved playing with the Karoke machine and of course Smores by the fire pit. This was our big camping adventure (minus the camping part) for the summer. Hopefully next summer we will be able to get out and camp. Each time we planned a camping trip this year it would storm the day we were supposed to go and the following days!

Smores

2009-09-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

A day at the Lake

2009-09-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Karaoke At the Lake

2009-09-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Cat Talkes

2009-09-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate enough to live near a great animal refuge called Cat Tales. During J's vacation we decided we were not going to sit around but go and do fun stuff. So we took the girls to Cat tales. Samantha and Emily both loved it! Samantha and I were lucky enough to be standing right in front of two Tigers who decided to "play" with eachother including getting up on their hind legs and batting at eachother. (funny the animal people use spray bottles to get them to stop playing. All she had to do was put her hand on the spray bottle and say their names and they stopped! Hum...isn't that what you do to train a house cat?) Samantha now asks to go to the Cat place at least once a week....it's a good thing it's not expensive!

That's my Oatmeal

2009-09-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

Of course Samantha doesn't mind sharing but when her sister puts both hands in a bowl of Oatmeal....not pretty. That is Oatmeal all over Emilys face and hands and all over the ottoman! Samantha was a bit upset about this one!

From one Monkey to Another

2009-09-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Emily's favorite food is bananas. So needless to say she sees one she wants it. Samantha was nice enough to share her banana with her sister. (there was a bit of a mess left after this!) Samantha has been such a good big sister and is willing to share. But she is also careful not to share anything that Emily might be allergic to!

The girls and Great Grandma

2009-09-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

The girls are both fortunate that they get to spend time with their Great Grandma Tita. She lives not far from our house and we get to Grandma sit everyonce in a while. Samantha absolutly loves to read with her and also sit and play nursery rhymes and games.

The dog days of summer

2009-09-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

Summer got hot this year. Once Emily could crawl there was no stopping her from doing what her big sister did. Typically after playing with chalk there is more chalk on the girls then on the sidewalk.

I wanna be like my sister

2009-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Emily for twenty minutes one night tried and tried and tried to get this purse around her neck. And SHE DID! She wants to be just like her sister

The best kids in the world

2009-08-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough that the Amtrak Disney Christmas Carol Train stopped in Spokane. Silly me I thought it would be a real quick trip but it took the whole day! And both my girls were rock stars. No Whining in Line (1 hour 45 min wait) Stayed with me while we toured the train (45 min) and then waited another ten minutes to see a preview of the movie that scared Samantha and as I am writing that I now realize that was what her nightmare was about this morning! (BAD MOM!)

Lithia Park

2009-08-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

On the way home from our first trip to CA. We decided to stop in

Ashland Oregon on the way home. When I was a little girl we used to play in the park when we came to the Shakespear festival. Samantha was rather funny and did not want to walk in the middle where the moss was.

Playing With Faith

2009-08-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Summer at the beach

2009-08-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Went to the Beach with Grandma Dana, Grandpa Dunne, Grandma, Uncle Gabe and Mom

more stuff the girls did this summer

2009-08-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

played with Faith Decided to have lips like Angelina Jolie (this is after the prednazone)

Vacation Bible School Play With Uncle Gabe

What Samantha did this summer

2009-08-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

OH WAIT THERE IS MORE!

what Emily did this summer

2009-08-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

The band of misfits

2009-08-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

The Gang. When the Holdens were visiting in May. We couldn't get them all to behave at once.

Everyone loves a parade

2009-05-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

One of the nights that the Holden's were visiting we were fortunate to be able to watch the Lilac Festival armed forces torch light parade from a third story window in Downtown Spokane. The kids seemed to love it and of course the babies fell apart/fell asleep before the end and the big kids were in tears by the end because they wanted to see more. Samantha kept asking the next day if we could go see more! Emily loved the marching bands and would get really physically excited when she would hear them.....until she finally crashed out.

Three pretty girls....

2009-05-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Where's Emily?

2009-05-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Emily was with us I promise! These were the only pictures I took from our Park and wine tasting adventure because well...she was asleep for part of it and she was awake and hot and cranky and itchy and did I mention cranky? for the rest!

Parks before wine tasting

2009-05-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

here are the kiddo's playing at the park before the parents went wine tasting. In theory the plan was so that the kids would be more mellow while we were wine tasting..but good thing for Uncle J/Daddy, he watched the kids outside with Kristen and Nathen and I tasted wine!

Mobius and our friends

2009-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to have the Holden's come to visit for a week earlier in May. We had a lot of fun. We took the bus Downtown and went to Mobius which is a kids museum. I was thankful that Grandma went with us because that way the little ones could play in their area and then Bryce and Samantha were able to have a bit more one on one with their mommies!

Answer: Corona and Captin Morgan

2009-05-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

Question: What were mommy's two favorite drinks in her twenties!
Okay so I may not have had alchol when I was pregnant with these two...but does it say somewhere that kids will be predisposed to being their parents old drink of choice?

The cut

2009-04-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Samantha chose to have her hair cut short when we went and got our hair cut the other day. It is short (chin length) and it was all her own choice! She also got to have her toe nails painted as a reward for behaving and being a big girl all day while we went out and got our hair cut...shopped and went out to lunch!

A Mom is allowed to brag

2009-04-27T13:41:00.001-07:00

Isn't she beautiful? I think we are in deep Sh-t

Easter morning

2009-04-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

These are the moments that make it all worth it. Here are the two beautiful girls with their "GREAT GRANDMA" I love the fact that they will be able to always remember their great grandma! The dresses are courtesy of their Grandma who made them both. (Emily's was a pain to make...go figure!)

Easter Egg hunt

2009-04-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

Samantha got to do the Easter Egg hunt at our church this year. Fortunatly the rain held off until after her age group was done hunting! Samantha was also lucky enough to find all the eggs for her sister (who doesn't eat candy) so yes that meant we had twice as much candy in this house!

Bathing suits in March

2009-04-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

I had to post this photo of my oldest wearing a bathing suit....in March! We will ignore the fact that there are about three inches of snow on the ground outside at the time and that it was snowing! Samantha loves wearing bathing suits...it brings her closer to being Sophie from Mama Mia. I know I am going to look back on these times and laugh!

matchy matchy

2009-04-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here are my two girls on Palm Sunday wearing their first matching outfits!

Two firsts

2009-04-04T20:07:00.001-07:00

Okay no pictures sorry....but we had two firsts in the last two days.
While driving home from going to Petco yesterday I heard a lovely crunching from my back seat (it was almost dinner time) I asked Samantha what she was eating....a dog bone! and enjoying it! I couldn't believe it. And how are you supposed to handle something like that? I wasn't going to freak out because really? we have all done it. And Fuzzy logic...he eats her treats...why shouldn't Samantha eat his? So first and hopefully last dog bone was eaten yesterday.
EMILY HAS A TOOTH! She cut her first tooth I am assuming today. She has really not been fussy about it so that was a bit weird. But hey she has her first tooth. MY baby is getting so big!

Emily diving

2009-03-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yes this is what I call Emily diving. She has had this nack ever since I started to put her on her boppy on her tummy. She tends to slam her face into the ground and has once successfully pulled herself all the way over the boppy.

Kindergarden

2009-03-12T16:43:00.001-07:00

I am one of those moms who leaves her infant in another room unattended with a three year old. I trust my three year old really I do! So the other day I was making my bed and Emily and Samantha were in Emily's room. I kept hearing Samantha saying Kindergarten (Kindergarden) so finally I peaked around the cornor and this is what I saw. Samantha had placed all of Emily's toys in a perfect evenly spaced circle around her and was saying it was her Kindergarden. Hum....OCD much?

She is going to hate me later in life

2009-03-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Samantha is a big girl now....she can do crafts and use the potty at the same time

Updating

2009-03-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Okay...so the following is updates from Christmas. Life has been a bit hectic for us and I realized that all of my photos are stored on my camera and not on the computer. Check back at a later date for some more updates...gonna go upload those photos now!

Samantha's favorite Christmas present

2009-03-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Samantha for months asked for a guitar. She does a lot of imitating people from church. I think this performance is actually a mixture of Hannah Montana and Melissa (our youth director) Samantha is our future rock star!

Christmas Day 2008

2009-03-08T17:15:00.001-07:00

Emily in her Santa Suit Samantha discovered that Santa ate the cookie

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-03-08T17:13:00.001-07:00

Common Sense

2009-02-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

The following information is not backed by a medical group. All information is being passed on from what I was told.

I have always considered myself a good mom. I have prided myself on not being a perfect mom because who wants to be that? I have always used common sense with my children....always sit in a car seat in the back seat of the car. Helmets are a must if you want to ride a bike. Never leave a child who can roll or might roll unattended on a couch or bed. Don't let your kid play in the street. But I also have felt that a little dirt didn't hurt. I have always laughed at those crazy mom 's who had that bottle of purel out and ready anytime anyone came near their child....well I was slightly that person but not to an extreme. But that all changed....
After watching my five month old fight for every breath she took and spending a whole night in the ER, Watching them try to thread iv's into her tiny little veins...take xrays of her lungs....and watching her blood oxygen saturation plummet unless she had oxygen, and then being told we were going to have her admitted to the hospital for an unknown amount of time because she had RSV (respiratory syncytial virus/bronchiolotis), slight pneumonia and not one but two ear infections due to the RSV.
This much I know.....RSV is a virus that is passed through germs (big surprise there!) It is a sticky virus (the nurses call it that) and can live on a surface for up to six hours. So easily Emily got it from one of us going to the store touch a cart coming home and not washing our hands before we touched her! or something to that effect. RSV is something that effects everyone. In adults its just a really bad cold...in kids it's a really bad cold....in infants...it can be fatal! Because of an infants small lungs and passages RSV can actually cause them to suddenly stop breathing...if not because they are struggling to breath they tend to not eat and become dehydrated etc.
I am blessed that Emily and I spent only one night in the Emergency room, one night and two days in the hospital. Now that we are home I wake up every four hours to do a breathing treatment and every morning and night we have to force antibiotics into her mouth. But my heart is broken that this could have been prevented or the risk could have been minimized if we had all just washed our hands before we touched her!! I know we can not live in bubbles and not every cold or infection or virus is going to be avoided but seriously.....washing your hands should just be common sense.

The aftermath

2009-01-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

our sidewalk after the Big snow A Mack truck that didn't move for about a month

The big snow of 2008

2009-01-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from December 18th. The day that I swear that darn storm cell hung over Spokane for 24hrs just dumping snow. We got 22" in that time. In the picture of Rocky he is actually standing up if you can believe that. This was the most snow in one time that Spokane has ever seen.

This is what She would have looked like

2009-01-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

This is what Samantha would have looked like if she had actually participated in the Sunday school program at our church. She rehearsed with all of the kids and could sing all the songs but darn if she wouldn't actually be up there during the Sunday school program....she sat on the floor with me and with her Auntie Lisa

Samantha's birthday party!

2009-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

The sunday after Samantha's birthday we had a small birthday party for her. It was a lot of fun. And she and her friends did crafts. We had cupcakes instead and everyone got to take a cupcake home as a favor!

Samantha's 3rd Birthday!

2009-01-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Samantha's third birthday was a beautiful sunny morning (if not cold) She got a two wheel bike with training wheels and really enjoyed riding it. The snow picture is also from her birthday. She woke up from her nap to ride her bike and look!!!! it had snowed!

Uncle Gabe

2009-01-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

Samantha loves her Uncle Gabe. So much that she attempts to bite his nose off! One of the advantages to coming to California is that Samantha gets to spend time with her Uncle Gabe! They have so much fun together and he just loves her so much. I wish it was enough for him to move up here so that they could have more time to spend together!

The Baptism of Emily Rose

2009-01-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

It has been done. November 15th 2008. Emily Rose Dunne was baptized along with Faith Denise Holden in Santa Rosa Ca. It was a beautiful double baptism. I am so happy that we have Kristin and Nathen Holden as our kids god parents and as our best friends!

The Buddy System

2009-01-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

Bryce and Samantha

always play well together. This is from when we visited in November. Bryce and Samantha had figured out a system for sharing animal crackers. They would each grab one (Samantha would grab two) and after Bryce would eat his he would put his hand down into the car and Samantha would give him the second one! Great sharing!

Moments like these

2009-01-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

While waiting to fly to California back in November for Emily's baptism. Samantha cuddled up to her Great Grandma in the airport. My Grandma told her rhymes and sang to her. It's moment's like these that I am so thankful to live close enough to my parents and grandmother that my daughter gets to have a relationship with her great grandmother! May Emily have the same!

would love to update

2008-12-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone...would love to update this website but....having trouble uploading. Please be patient and come back frequently to see if I have had success

history

2008-11-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

It doesn't matter how young or old you are, who you voted for, or whether you voted or not. History was made last night and in my daughter's lifetime I hope that more history will be made when it comes to who runs our country. This morning I tried to explain what is so important about what happened last night to my three year old because you are never to young to learn about your country (well Emily is a little to young). We were watching the news this morning (presidential address and all...I usually change the channel during that boring crap) and Samantha asked if she could watch cartoons. I said no and when she asked again I launched into how history was made last night and why it was so big that a black man was in the white house and how the African Americans didn't always have freedom in our country and how someday a woman would be in a presidential role and how it doesn't matter what color our skin is we are all created equal and it doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl you can do anything you set your mind to. Feeling pretty good about myself and the "liberal" education I am giving my almost three year old....almost finished with my speech and she interrupts me and says..."Can I watch cartoons?" Ya not sure if she heard anything I said or if she was thinking "whatever mom that doesn't answer my question. I don't care what you are talking about. Elmo should run our country!"

Trick or treating!

2008-11-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat was fun this year. We had rain earlier in the day so it was actually warm and muggy (with a cool breeze) when we were trick or treating. Last year we were all bundled up in jackets and gloves...this year...I was warm in long sleeves! What a difference! We had planned on going to more houses this year but I am thankful that we stuck with just two extras because Samantha really started to poop out on the last leg and wanted to be carried! I thought after a year she would have more energy. I think I was wrong. Needless to say we had fun and now have way to much candy in our house! (Since we were out trick or treating we didn't hand out much candy at our house!)

Halloween

2008-11-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

These were the girls costumes

a baby and a butterfly!

Early in the morning

2008-11-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I don't get the first shower....the kids wake up and I don't get to sleep in!

nap time and a rude awakening

2008-11-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

okay so I am a bit lazy and at times a nap is more important than the location of said nap. So the other day Samantha crashed out on the couch which she absolutely loves to do! I slept in the guest room down stairs and Emily slept in her car seat (ah I got the rare nap out of this situation!) Needless to say the picture on the right is what Samantha looked like when I woke up....and the picture on the left is Samantha being woken up by her dad when he got home from work!

Carving Pumpkins

2008-11-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ah the gang is all here and we carved pumpkins. Pretty uneventful. Emily slept through her first carving experience! Big surprise! But fortunate because to carve pumpkins you need all hands. Of course J has a system worked out that I don't mind one bit. He carves I clean. Miss Princess Samantha did not really want to get her hands dirty though which just kills me because I thought that my children would love gewy squishy stuff. But then again....my hands were tinged a bit of an orange for a couple of hours after this whole thing so can we blame her for not wanting to get her hands dirty?

Perspective

2008-11-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

My big girl is getting older. There is no getting around that. So sad she isn't a baby anymore. But really do I want two sets of diapers to contend with?

Miss Emily Rose

2008-10-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Emily is six weeks old now and alert and up for part of the day. Contrary to my earlier beliefs I don't think she looks at all like her sister (well maybe a tiny bit). She is a crazy monkey who looks surprised a lot of the time. She loves to track where her sister is in the room and really is active physically when she hears her sister.

Pumpkin patch

2008-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sadly this year we had to get our pumpkins from the store. We went to Green Bluff to get pumpkins but due to the weather this year all of them were an orange green. But....we had fun anyways. Samantha got to feed the goats, play in the pea box (dried peas in a giant sand box) eat kettle corn and still wander through the pumpkin patches. The picture of a pumpkin is Emily's hat and all that anyone really got to see of her at the pumpkin patch!

I love my sister

2008-10-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Need I say more.

They get so big so fast

2008-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the beautiful big sister. I can not believe how

fast they grow. It makes me a bit sad. But I have two beautiful girls and I now get to sit back and enjoy watching them grow up!

"it looks like a dead animal!"

2008-10-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

In the fog that is my life and mental state I set Emily in the stroller the other day while we were playing outside and somehow didn't get her legs in! Spent time playing with Samantha and turned around and all I saw were these two pink legs and a hand (picture number two!) I can not believe that I did that...oh wait yes I can! Emily is wearing this cute bear outfit that keeps her nice and warm but J says that it looks like I have a dead animal in my arms. Ya a pink one!

uh oh two girls

2008-10-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

I think I have

two daddy's girl's on my hands! Yes since I can not carry Samantha right now (healing thing) and Emily was all ready in J's arm's this is how it goes up the stairs! Is this a prediction for the future? God I hope so!

Wasup!

2008-10-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

need I say more?

Looks a lot better

2008-10-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yes I am being concited but really. I look a heck of a lot better after having this one than I did last time! I will say it's because I had such a restful stay at the hospital!

Heather with a baby

2008-10-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Holy shit. It's Heather with a baby. My sweet Heather came to visit me almost every night I was in the hospital. And for anyone who knows Heather.....babies were not her really her stuff until Samantha and Emily came into her life. I had to post these pictures for two reasons...one they are precious and two....somehow in Heather's white sweater and all...she managed to not get pooped on although Emily all naked pooped while in Heather's arms. Yes I know TMI...but really! How did she pull that off? I am still trying to avoid all that stuff and I have been a mom for three years now!

another day at the hospital

2008-10-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

I have to post these pictures because they only begin to describe the tender way in which Samantha cares for her sister. granted she can not keep her hands off of her sister and that can be a bit much but....I am so happy that she actually likes (or at least acts like it) her sister!

Welcome Emily Rose

2008-10-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome Emily Rose. Samantha's little sister was born at 3:43 a.m. on Monday September 15th. She was 21 inches long and weighed eight pounds four oz. Princess Samantha came and met her as soon as Samantha ate breakfast and could get Gramps to drive her down to the hospital. It was love at first sight and still is!

Flash Back a month ago!

2008-10-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Baby shower! Heather threw Samantha and I a lovely baby shower for the future baby Dunne about a week before Emily showed up. We got Samantha her very own special baby and a layette for her baby to help take care of any possible jealousy that she might have. Of course she doesn't seem jealous at all and sometimes her frog is her baby not this very expensive doll that I bought her! So is the way of toddlers though. The shower was lovely and we really lucked out and had one final beautiful day of weather for it. Thank you Heather! And thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and our family and showering us with love.

New arrival

2008-10-02T08:33:00.001-07:00

Yes I said it. We have a new member in our household. Miss Emily Rose Dunne. Hence why this blog is not updated. Pictures will be posted as soon as my head is screwed on correctly. Samantha is an incredible big sister and there has been no (knock on wood) acting out! Samantha has been a big help and is just an all out wonderful little girl. Emily is doing well and adjusting to life outside the womb. Unfortunately she caught a cold from her sister one day shy of two weeks old (another reason why haven't gotten the blog updated) But she is doing well! Daddy and Mommy? Well we are readjusting to this whole routine. Must say thank God for church and fellowship because last night was the first time I had to cook since I have been home (I have been home two weeks) members of our congregation and friends of ours have been bringing us dinner every night. Thanks to all! What I must say though is that anyone who is expecting a second child.....they don't both always take naps at the same time and let me tell you...sleep deprivation is harder on the brain the second time around! More later!

Catching grasshoppers

2008-08-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. Samantha spent at least an hour with our neighbor Landry catching grasshoppers. Fortunately all creepy crawlies went to his house!

Who can resist this cutie?

2008-08-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

More pics from camping trip number two. Samantha is such a great camper and had so much fun playing in the dirt etc. Of course I must embarrass her and say that she also learned to pee in the bushes and became a pro at it. What a shame that this campground was not as secluded as the last camping trip!

Pics from left to right top to bottom: Waiting for pancakes in her footie PJ's. A cuddle from Moma (grandma) after drinking her coco. Samantha and the neighboring campsites' boys.

queen of the camp

2008-08-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

Second camping trip of the year and I don't know how she does it but Samantha managed to befriend two boys in the campsite across from us (she is ONLY TWO PEOPLE!) I just can not believe at two she all ready is winning boys hearts. And yes it seemed she did. This was the only way to sit so that both of the boys were completely happy. Needless to say I think her dad and I should be looking into buying a shot gun!

Not wanting to jinx things

2008-07-23T09:19:00.001-07:00

Yes I don't want to jinx things but I guess a little update wouldn't hurt. (and tomorrow I will be cursing this blog!) Miss Samantha has managed to stay dry and clean for at least a week now. With the impending birth of her sibling we have been doing a few moves to big kid stuff. The biggest one was potty training because I am not about to be buying pull ups and diapers at the same time! Wipes are one thing because they don't cost twenty five bucks a box but diapers and pull ups would have gotten expensive (Yes I made my child grow up because I am a miser! So needless to say with a few incentives she is doing really well....we went to the water park last week and she has all ready won a trip to the movies and a bottle of Disney princess perfume. The next incentive is a trip to the toy shop. It sucks that I get as much pleasure out of these incentives as her doesn't it? Any who our next big move is to a big girl room. We painted her new room and are just waiting for the furniture to arrive. I am starting to get nervous about that one and at the same time like I said with the impending birth of her sibling I am so worried that we won't get it all done in time. OH well like I said by writing this post I am sure I have just jinxed everything!

Happy Camping....and no I am not fat!

2008-07-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

First camping trip of the year! We crammed all of our camping into July because of the fact that last year there was a fire ban in August and camping is just not camping without a campfire. Anyway we had our first camping trip and it was a lot of fun. It is so nice to be able to get everything together and loaded up without having to rush home after work to do it. And surprisingly with me being as huge as I feel (yes I feel huge at this point) It really was a relaxing camping trip. Can't wait to do it again. The campground was really beautiful and only twenty minutes from Canada. The water was cool but great for boating. There were not a lot of people boating and Samantha got to drive for the first time. I think we are raising a crazy child!

Brave Parents (4th of July 2008)

2008-07-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Okay so the question stands are we smart parents or stupid parents? We saw the most wonderful fireworks on fourth of July this year from the top of Heather's building in Downtown Spokane! They were absolutely beautiful. Now of course the question to be asked is were we smart or stupid? Take a two year old to the top of a building that does not have a rail just a little curb (?) and think that it is safe. Well amazingly enough all adults involved (all 30yrs old I might add) were on top of Samantha like you wouldn't believe. Thanks to the non parents that were with us. Next year will be better because there will be a porch and I too will be able to drink champagne and watch the spectacular fireworks show!

That's my kid!!!!

2008-07-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yup you read that right....that is me the proud mommy saying "That's my kid" After a grueling yet rewarding (?) week of Vacation Bible school I got to be the proud mommy discreetly photographing my child (the youngest there) performing for all of the parents at the closing ceremonies! I am still in shock and awe that for as little time that Samantha actually spent in class she did absorb the songs and now performs them to her "Jesus CD" whenever I let her!

What's that.... snow?

2008-07-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

You read that right! We got back from Sunny California in time for one final snow of the season! (June 10th) Now of course things have turned around and man it is hot! Who complained about it being too cold around here? And by the way yes, that is my attempt at a garden....it is now flourishing beautifully with flowers that were given to me for my birthday. Did you know that at greenhouses up here they post signs that say that they are not responsible for plants that you purchase that die from drought, neglect or....snow!!

What would have happend if we stayed in CA (just kidding)

2008-06-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yes what would have happened if we stayed in CA? During our quick trip to CA we discovered that my daughter is an extremely affectionate child (lip lock with Jackson proved that)

In clockwise order from left to right top to bottom this is what could have happened if we stayed.

1st picture Jackson, Samantha and Bryce teamed up and threw rocks over the gate at Kona the dog....is this the three amigos getting into trouble?

2nd picture Samantha and Bryce still play together fairly well...she was pretending to take pictures with his cell phone

3rd picture After church Samantha jumped out of the car and ran to Bryce and wouldn't stop hugging him. I think he is her favorite guy...except for the lip lock with Jackson she is not that huggy with any other boy

My first carnival ride

2008-06-27T15:29:00.001-07:00

Samantha went on her first carnival ride on June 7th. It was at the Forestville BBQ. She loved it and after riding that...and the airplanes and the super slide she was a bit miffed when it was time to go. Look out Spokane County Fair!

My buddy and me

2008-06-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Samantha and Bryce June 7, 2008

A river runs through it

2008-06-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Just before we left for a small quick trip to dehydrated California we went and checked out our own swollen flooded river. How bizarre to live in an area that floods in the spring not in the winter.....yet go visit an area that is having a drought. very weird!