Life...and then some!!

It has been way too long since I have updated this blog!! So much has happened sinice I last posted. Let's see if I can recap our busy and crazy life!!

We suffered some sad losses. Frankie Jo, the sweet chocolate lab we were blessed with was hit by a car after she got out of the yard. We were sad and still miss her. She was a sweet and good dog.

On March 15th, Ellen, Roscoe's mom, went home to be with the Lord. She was a tough little woman and she ran a good race and fought a hard fight. We miss her greatly, but are comforted by the knowledge that she is out of pain and is in the presence of her Lord and Savior. We would ask that you continue to remember our family as we are still working to get her estate settled.

As most of you know, I have returned to work full time. I enjoy my job, and it has been good for all of us. We are still adjusting to the "new normal. The kids are doing well. I think that we are leaqrning to appreciate the time we have together a bit more now days. Soon, our routine will take another direction as the kids get out of school for the summer and I start taking some classes. I am tqaking a mcro-computer class during the first summer session. I am a bit nervous after being out of school for so long. i just pray my mind is still capable of absorbing and learning... We'll see!!

The kids are doing great! Rachel is outgrowing everything!! She is getting taller each day and turning into quite the "big girl". She just recently celebrated her birthday, turning 5 years old!! Where has my baby girl gone?
Noah is doing well in school. He made a 100% on the TAKS reading test. He was very excited and we were very proud of him. Today was the Math portion. I am sure he did very well. He, too, is growing by leaps and bounds. It is hard to believe he is 9 years old, and will be in 4th grade next year!

We have two new additions tp our family! Thunder and Storm are two of the cutest little Malamute-Lab mix puppies!! We are enjoying them and eager to watch them grow. We took them for their first puppy check-up yesterday. At 7-8 weeks old they are already good sized dogs! Thunder weighs 11 lbs. 1oz. Storm wieghs in at 13lbs. 15oz. Here are acouple of pictures of our new babies. I hope you enjoy them!!

Life as we know it...

has definitely changed for the Dunn household! It has been a big adjustment in our home! Some of our new "craziness" is permanent, some not so much so.
My job is going well. I am catching on and should have a pretty good grasp on it, I think before our other teller takes off a couple of days following Spring Break. April will be hectic, though, as we have a new cashiering system coming on and then summer early registration starts. I am really enjoying the work so far. This week I took care of a lot of the "housekeeping" (paperwork) and the benefits package is going to help us SOOO much. I am still thanking God every single day for opening the doors for this opportunity!

Please continue to remember Roscoe's family in the days ahead. Ellen is still in the Hospice Center and continues to decline each day. I am sure that the Lord is close to calling her home. It will be sad for us, but she is ready. We talked just last month about how good it will be for her to "go home". She will not hurt anymore, and she will be with so many that she loves - her mom and dad, Ernie, Sam... As I said though, it will be sad for us and we will miss her. Pray for Roscoe. There will be a lot of responsibility placed on him to take care of settling most of Ellen's affairs.

Today will be spent taking care of quite a few chores. Rachel and I are about to go grocery shopping and much of the rest of the day will be spent doing laundry, dishes, etc.

By the way, does anyone have any advice on how to keep an 85 lb. lab inside the fence?!?! Frankie Jo has decided that she does not belong in our backyard. She climbs the fence and spends most of her time on the front porch. Last night she tried to follow me when we left to run to McDs. My biggest fear is that she is going to get in the road and get hit. That would absolutely devestate the kids. Any suggestions?

OK- gotta run and get things done! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

This picture represents my blessing for today. I am blessed enough to live in the greatest country on earth. Not only that, but I am privileged to live near a base that is home to many of the heroes who protect that country every single day!! When we first moved out here, the sounds of the planes was a major annoyance. Now, we have gotten used to it and the days they aren't flying seem overly quiet. It may be crazy but I have come to find a certain comfort and security in the noise of those planes flying overhead. I also feel fortunate to count among my friends many who either have served or are currently serving in our military forces. I would like to take a moment to express my personal thanks and gratitude for all that you sacrifice to protect my freedom. As i have often heard, "Freedom isn't free." I know that our lives would be so different if it weren't for you. You are my heroes!!


This picture is also representative of a common sight around our home. As summer begins to approach sunflowers will pop up all over the place. They are one of my favorite flowers. Somehow they always seem to remind me of God's wonderful creativity when He made this earth and all that is in it. Isn't our God good?

Today we are moving pretty slow around here. Last night was a late, long night. My mother-in-law, Ellen, has taken a decline. She is not eating or drinking right now. Hospice is doing all that they can to keep her comfortable. Roscoe was over there until very late (or rather very early this morning) trying to do what he could for both his mother and his sister. His sister has taken very good care of their mother, but is having a hard time accepting that she just is not really going to get better. If you would, please remember our family in prayer throughout the coming days/weeks.

I will spend much of the day getting ready to go back to work. I start my new job tomorrow. I am looking forward to it!! After our "trial run" in January I can be confident that the world will not come to an end because I am working again. Actually, I think it proved to be good for us in many ways. Today, however, it means there is a small mountain of laundry that must have some attention. Also, a few errands to run and some phone calls to make. I suppose that all means I must get up and get busy! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day!

HI Ho Hi Ho... It's back to work I go...

Today it is official!! I am now the new Teller II at MSU. I am so excited!! This job is truly a blessing and an answered prayer. There are so many things that are good about this. I have to thank the Lord. I mean in a time where so many are struggling to find work, this job has all but fallen in my lap. God is good.
I start on Thursday morning. If you happen to think about it, you may send up a few prayers that all goes smooth for us. My working means we have to find a routine schedule. Otherwise life becomes mass chaos!!

Introducing Frankie Jo

We would like to introduce you all to the newest member of our family.... Frankie Jo!
She is a three year old chocolate lab. She is just as sweet as you could want. We are all totally in love with her!!!

Sad news

We have some sad news today. Max, our beloved and loyal Heeler/Husky Mix, passed away last night. We are not sure exactly why or how. When we returned home from church last night we were not greeted by his familiar bark and Roscoe knew something was wrong. He went to check and found him. We are sad to lose such a sweet family companion. Max was a beautiful creature with an equally beautiful personality. We could not have asked for a better dog for the kids. He never bit or tried to hurt any of us. He never realized he "grew up" and left puppyhood. He had an abundant amount of energy and affection for everyone. Max was special to us for many many reasons. He leaves us with a heart full of memories.

We have had a fun week!! Friday night/Saturday we cooked another pig. My Grandpa thoroughly enjoyed himself!! The kids had a great time playing together and the adults all seemed to enjoy visiting with one another. At the end of the day we were all tired, but it was a good tired!!

Last night was our church's SweetHeart Dinner. The food was good, and the company was even better! I have to just say again how blessed we are to have such a wonderfully loving and supportive church family!! The kiddos had a good time as well! Noah got to spend "quality time with his best bud -J.R. Rachel had a good dose of "Blond time" with Abby, so she thought it was all good!! At the end of the evening they gave out door prizes and Roscoe and I each won a box of chocolate covered cherries....Yummmmmm!!!
Speaking of the church, now I have to finish getting Valentine's ready for our children's party on Saturday. We will be delivering valentines to one of the local nursing homes. Then we will return to the church to have a pizza lunch. Since the boys won the food drive challenge, the girls will be serving them their lunch. Needless to say, Noah and J.R. are excited about that!

Here is a picture of my sweet mother-in-law:

Doesn't she look good? She is at home with Hospice Support Care. So far, she seems to be doing pretty good. We would definitely like to say thank you to everyone for all the prayers you have all offered on her behalf. God has definitely made her more comfortable and is making the time we have left with her much better. Thank you to all of the prayer warriors we have in our camp!!!
The cell phone drama is our story for the week. I have the same phone I received when we opened our cell phone account waaaayyy back in September of '05!! Well, there isn't really anything wrong with it, but I just want a new one... So, I call and the company says you were eligible a long time ago for an upgrade. I go in and get a new phone. They didn't explain and I didn't realize that it would extend our contract for 2 more years. Since I don't pay the bill, that isn't my call to make - besides, we are thinking about going with a different company when our contract is up in a few months. So, I take the new phone back and they "un-renew" the contract. In the meantime, Princess Rachel has taken possession of the "old" phone. She decided it needed to be cleaned up a bit and drops it into a sink full of water. Fortunately, we carry the insurance on it, so we filed a claim yesterday afternoon. The replacement phone will be here today... note to self: NEVER let Princess R "take care" of things such the computer, cameras, phones, etc.. They may end up cleaner, but.....

Fortunately, I had already emailed some pictures that I did not want to lose to myself. Here are a couple of old, but treasured pics:
My sweet Sam...


Sam, Rachel, and Noah outside Chili's - October 2005