Murray Family Farms

Took the boys to pick fruit at Murray Family Farms last week. It's hard work!!

They loved picking blueberries.

Who wants to see pictures??

These are going to be a cute surprise picture for John on Father's Day. Shhh....Please don't tell him you saw these really cute pictures of his kids in uniform on my blog!!

This is Nathan and his friend Taylor playing "Go Fish" on Fun Day at School.

The Scoop on the Dunn Family!

Wow! I really wasn't aware that I hadn't updated the blog. AGH!

T-ball is going well and Nathan seems to be having a good time. We've missed the last couple of games because he's been sick. I took him to the doctor on Friday and found out he was running a 106.9 temp. The nurse did a really good job of not alarming me too much and got him some advil & cold water to bring it down. Nathan had to get some bloodwork done (there has got to be a better way to get blood form a 6 year old) and get a few x-rays. The verdict? He had a massive bacterial infection. Two antibiotic shots and lots of screaming later, he's feeling a bit better. I promised him Chuck E Cheese if he did a good job at the blood draw...he's ready to go and I am regretting the promise!

The girls are 11 months already and we are gearing up for the big birthday!!! I still can't believe they are going to be "1". I am still having trouble believing this is my life and we have twins let alone thinking they will be 1 soon.

Kate has been walking for quite awhile now and is the little pro. Tara has started standing up by herself and is trying her hand at trying to walk. She wants to do what Kate does and just doesn't seem to have the balance yet.

We had our first crib accident today. Tara used the boppy in her crib to "fall" out of the crib. Nice huh? I heard her screaming and found her on the floor in her room. Hope she's okay. Yesterday Kate got to my cup of water wirth ice while I was changign Tara and choked on a piece of ice. She stopped breathing and I put her on her tummy and started the back blows. It melted and she swalloed it but then had trouble and threw up. Geez, is it going to be like this every day? It seems I have a new challange every time I turn around. The cabinets are all locked up but we haven't had the chance to get to the top drawers in the kitchen and we found out today that they can reach their little hands up into them. More baby proofing!! UGH!

John and I are planning a trip to Universal Studios for our 1o year anniversary. John planned the whole thing (he really wants to go to Universal) and we are taking a VIP Tour of the park. We will get to go into the prop warehouses, have VIP breakfast, lunch, valet parking, and get into all the attractions like we are celebrities!! Sounds fun. The best part? No kids for two days!!
My poor mom will have to watch the kids and is not looking forward to it. It's hard work!

That's about it. I'll try and post pictures later this week if I get a chance.

Shetland Cubs - Game 1

It's so cute to watch the little kids play t-ball!! They really have no idea how the game is played. There are no outs, no score, no positions, everyone gets to bat, and they have a BLAST! Who knew sporst could be so stress-free and fun?

It's true. Nathan played right field the first inning and catcher the second inning. They pick grass, sit down, roll around on the ground, play with their hat, talk to each other, and generally just look cute. They all mob the ball when it comes near them and they all slide into the bases (even first). It's just a great no pressure situation and I am in love. Now, wait a few years and I'm sure that I will have a different opinion about it but for now it's just adorable.

We got there a bit late (cars EVERYWHERE) and had to stop and talk to the cop giving out tickets to all the parents who were unfortunate enough to park in the no parking zone. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt because it was the first day at the new park. I'm sure they really didn't care where they parked as long as they were able to see their child play. Oh well. As some lady put it, "It's just $35 and well worth it." Keep it up the city needs the money!! John needs a raise (that's a whole other blog...for later)

T-Ball

So, I got up exceptionally early (I didn't do it on purpose, a kid happened to be up at 3am) and went to the opening ceremonies at the new Aera Park. Nathan got to stand out on the field with his team and by the time it was over, he'd had quite enough. Poor thing said his knees hurt from standing out there so long (at least and hour).

Mom, Kim and I were talking (about A LOT of things) and I left them to walk the girls around. When I came back they were telling me how the guy in front of them told them, "Shut up! I've had to listen to you fot the last 15 minutes!" It's really rude to tell someone to "shut up" but you expect that sort of thing from a kid, not an adult. It could have been said better as not to offend. It turns out that it's our team mom's husband. Nice huh?

They honored Shun & Debbie with a bat (innagural year at Aera Park) and named a field after Brandon (Brandon Field). They had one at the old fields at Cal State. Debbie was told that they probably wouldn't have a "Brandon Field" at the new park. I think it was really hard for her to think about embracing the new park with out him. Baseball was one of his favorite things. It's the first thing you see as you turn into the complex. Very cool. Shun made a short speech and he was struggling not to cry...it's just breaks my heart and we all cried.

We miss him so much. He would have turned 30 this month. Doesn't seem possible that he's not here with us. Wally is missing too. Brandon played his first game without his dad today. Hard to imagine how those kids will make it through without him. He was such an incredible dad. Kim is such a rock and I am amazed at how she has coped. Pray for them to continue to recieve strength and support from friends and family.

I'll be back later to report on Nathan's t-ball agme. Should be quite funny. Everyone can throw and no one can catch.

PICTURES!!!

Easter, Gym, Eggs, and others

I know, it's always a list of current activities that the Dunn clan has going. If it seems busy now, wait til they all get older!!! UGH!

So, Easter was good. The eggs did the job and due to numerous tears at the thought of throwing them away they have a semi-permanent home in a bowl in the fridge! They will be thrown away one at a time so as not to arouse suspicion. Nathan got a skateboard, numerous candy filled eggs, a jumprope (funny to watch someone learn to do that!), money (from Nana), video games (Nana again), clothes (Papa & Grandma), and a rock growing kit (the Elliott's). Seems like Easter is better for presents than Christmas. Spoiled kid! The girls got ponies (the pink ride-on variety, not the real thing), baby snacks, Peeps (haven't tried it yet...bet they like it though), stuffed animals & clothes (Papa & Grandma), and the cutest baby tea set (the Elliott's). Again, they are spoiled. We went to see the "Dunn" family and had dinner in Santa Clarita. Six little kids is just too many for the number of adults present. It's chaos! They do seem to have loads of fun though so maybe it's worth it. John's twin brother & his wife came by to get their dog (they took a trip to the Philippines and John's mom and dad babysat the dog) had dinner and chatted for a bit. It was nice to see all of the sibblings together. It's been a long time since they were all close enough do be together for the holidays. Very Cool.

The girls went to My Gym for the first time today and had a great time! I'd forgotten how much stimulation they get from that one hour of activity. It's great for them because they get to interact with other kids. They are tired but it's worth it. Nathan was supposed to be the other "adult" helping with the kids but he's not very good at it. He just wants to play.

The girls has their first eggs the other morning and true to personality Kate ate them and liked it and Tara spit them back out at me. Tara is likes to eat but only what she likes. She hates to try new things! We tried the yogurt today and she made faces at John and Kate ate it all! She'll probably end up living on Oreos & waffles like Nathan does.

The party date is set (Kate and Tara are turning 1!) so be ready to party with the twins on their first b-day, July 4th!!! I hate that their birthday in so close to the holiday but what can I do? The party is from 1:30-3:00pm so you'll all have pleanty of time afterward to BBQ and light fireworks! WOOHOO!

Also, please save May 16th for a joint 30th b-bay party for Jill & John. More details to follow. We have to get going on that soon...Seems like time just flies by! Yeah on them turnign 30!!! I don't feel so old now that there is going to be company in the 30-something group.

Gotta go now, I have to feed some children....

Doctors, Dentists, Plants and more!!!

So, the girls had their 9 month check-up with Dr. Ho on Wednesday. He thinks that they are doing great and growing well. He told us they didn't look at all like twins!! Most people ask how we tell them apart so it was nice to hear someone tell us they look nothing alike. We think they are so different that it's obvious who is who. Weights and measurements as follows:
Tara 17 lbs. 9 oz. (25%) 28 1/2 in. (75%)
Kate 17 lbs. 3 oz. (25%) 27 3/4 in. (50%)
Nathan saw the doc too (for a cough) and he's at 47 lbs.

Can you believe that the girls are now only 6 oz. apart? Kate is definately the eater in the family! Tara is way too picky to be keeping the weight distance on Kate. I like it better that they are about even.

Nathan and I had dentist appointments on Wednesday as well and all is great with the teeth. Nathan lost is second tooth on Monday night and was so proud to have pulled it out on his own. He took a day to "decide" what to ask the toothfairy to bring him and then put the tooth under his pillow on Tuesday night. He asked for a car that drives on the wall and a picture of the toothfairy! The car was much easier to get than the picture. I called John and he and a few buddies at the department found a picture that was "perfect"! Toothfairies are hard to find.

We've spent the last few days trying to revamp the yard with flowers for the Spring. John and I had to compromise on a few things but it seems Nathan got just what he wanted. He planted a small garden near his playhouse and it's actually really cute. I'll have to post siome pictures when I get the chance. He planted flowers, ground cover, watermelons, and strawberries. He has been saving seeds from various fruit and veggies (peach, pear, pumpkin, and potato) over the last few months and will eventually get to grow them. Planting is a lot of work and I keep telling John he should let me hire someone to take care of the lawn so he can spend more time with us. Guess he needs more "alone" time because he keeps refusing to let it go! Who can blame him? I leave him home alone with the girls 5 days a week (granted, it's only for a few hours a day...but he's a guy).

I tackled the job of dying Easter Eggs today and well...they look okay but man were they a pain. We tried a new kit this year where you spin the eggs with droplets of dye. Nathan LOVED it and it just made a BIG mess. I got caught up playing a game on the Wii with Nathan and I forgot about them so they are no edible anymore (how long can you leave them out?). Oh well. They'll make good Easter Eggs for the bunny to hide. Sad to see 20 eggs head to the trash afterward though. I had to shop for three kids this year and just now realized how much more expensive all the holidays will be. UGH! Can't wait to see how the girls react to the plastic eggs. I'm thinking I'm just putting "baby" snacks into them. They 'll just LOVE that!

Here's a look at what's to come....

4/11/09 - Walking with the Dinosaurs at Rabobank
4/12/09 Easter! (We'll be traveling to the Dunn House in Valencia)
4/13/09 Girls take their first Gym Class!
4/14 & 4/16/09 Nathan's last T-ball bractice before the season starts
4/18/09 Opening Ceremonies for Bakersfield Southwest Spring Baseball League
4/18/09 Nathan's first T-ball game at the new Aera Complex (5 P.M.)
***Check in often for more t-ball game news!!!***
5/6/09 Jill turns 30!!!!!
5/7/09 Open House at Nathan's school (Stockdale Elementary)
5/22/09 John and his twin Jeff turn 30!!!!
5/29/09 Last Day of School!!! WOOHOO!!
6/26/09 My mom's Birthday!
6/27/09 Ian turns 7!!!!
7/3/09 Kate and Tara turn 1!!!! (Birthday Party will be at My Gym...more info soon!)

Guess that's all for now. Just enjoying my time off for Spring Break! (Maybe all the sleeping in will help me get over this nasty cold I've had. Ya, right!)

OOPS!

I was just looking back at some old posts and realized that I have been repeating myself. So sorry. I guess with so many kids it's taken it's toll on me mentally.

Kate can now stand up by herself and I am positive that walking is just around the corner. Tara is just a little bit behind Kate and prefers to just crawl super fast. Before you know it they are somewhere that they aren't supposed to be.

And why is it that we spend hundreds of dollars on great toys and they love to find and eat the cords? or paper? or boxes? or shoes?

John's police car has been out of commission for the last week and a half and we are getting neighbors asking us if John was involved in a shooting, laid off, has moved out...
The real story is that the transmission blew up and because it was still under warranty, Ford has to fix it. If any of you have a Ford I apologize in advance for what I am about to say. Ford has been notorious for taking it's sweet time to fix anything realating to a vehicle. Aren't they a car company? Plus, this happens to be the second time the car has had transmission trouble.. Fix Or Repair Daily...Ford is horrible! Fix the car already and save me some gas money (John is using our car to and from work now and it's costing me gas). I know it's really not that big a deal, but every little bit helps when you have two babies in diapers and formula.

Does anyone else think that it's getting way too hot way too early? I was VERY tempted to take the jet ski out to the lake yesterday. I think if the weather holds up today, we'll try and head out there. For those of you worried about us taking the babies and exposing them to the dirty water at Buena Vista....We're leaving them with a sitter.

Well, I forgot to tell you my sister is pregnant again and has already succomed to the Hyperemesis. She's about 10 weeks or so and has already had to have an IV line. I think she may end up with another PICC line even though she'd really rather not. This is exactly why I am not planning to ever be preganat again. One pregnancy with Hyperemesis was more than enough for me. We both agree that we'd have many more children if we didn't have to be pregnant. I guess we just aren't very good at it.

That's all the recent news. I'd better get back to the daily duties of a mom of Nathan and twins...Some days I think it's much harder to parent the 6 year old than it is taking care of twins. He tries my patience so much more than they do. I am sure that will change as they grow, but for now it's just easier to deal with the girls. Nathan has no patience and wants everything NOW!!! Hard to do whan you have to take care of two babies...How is the Octo mom going to do it? She's not going to do it alone, that's for sure.

That gripe is for some other day when I have time to write a million pages on why it's so wrong to do what she did. Here's my short opinion...They are here now and they need to be taken care of regardless of how they got here. Try not to judge the kids for their mom. They ddin't get the choice. Love them.

Dedication, Death, Jobs, Sleepovers, & More...

I was really unaware how long it had been since my last blog...Time Flies!!

Let's start with the dedication. We had a photo session with the WHOLE family and got some really precious pictures of everyone. Lunch was at our house and we ate, did a little karaoke, and then went to church. It was really nice and I was glad to have my family's support.

Our dear friend passed away on March 1, 2009. It has really been hard on me. He left behind a wife and two children (one of them is Nathan's age.) It really got me thinking about my life. I have tried hard not to think about John's job and the potential for it to leave me to raise my children without him. When I was interviewed by the sergant conducting John's background, one of the questions he asked was how I was going to handle John having such a dangerous job. At the time, I wasn't really aware of the seriousness of the question. I told the sergant that I would be fine and that this was John's dream job. I put it out of my mind and have not thought too much about it until now. I really don't know that I could be okay to raise my children without him. Again, hug your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you while you still can. Life is so fleeting and we must live it to the fullest.

Well, with the economy so bad, I am glad that John has a good job. He has not seen a raise in

2 1/2 years but with the ever increasing crime rate it seems that we have pretty god job security at the moment. It does trouble me that the officer involved shootings seem to be ever increasing as well. I pray that we don't have to face such a tragety. My job, on the other hand, is not nearly as stable. The cuts in education have left me facing the reality of potentially being a stay at home mom. Our district is offering it's teachers a stipend if the choose not to have an aide in their classroom. Of course it has to be negotiated and we are waiting to hear my fate. I am not too upset by the prospect of staying home, but losing any money in this tight economy is hard to do. I'll pray that everything works out as it should.

Nathan had his first sleepover out of town last weekend. He stayed with his Papa and Grandma. They took he and his cousin to the LA Zoo and sounds as if they had a great time. Nathan was sad to see the weekend end and wanted to have his cousin stay at our house a few nights...Can you just imagine us with any more kids?? ARGH! Maybe we can have him over when the girls are a bit older and we have more freedom to get around.

The girls are pulling up and walking around hanging on to the furniture. Kate has figured out how to get everything off of the coffee table and it makes Nathan mad (it's usually his stuff she gets). Tara can stand up but has yet to master the art of stealing stuff...

Took the girls down to LA to visit our fertility specialist and all the female staff had a great time with them. Tara especially liked the doctor. Here's the picture of the girls with him.

Guess that's all for now... be back soon!

HELP!!

We are asking for prayers of peace for a friend that is dying of cancer. Please keep his family (wife, son, daughter, mom, dad, in-laws and numerous close friends) in your thoughts as they gather the strength to say goodbye. It's hard to see such a wonderful person lose his battle with cancer. We love him. Hug your loved ones and be thankful for each moment that you get to spend with them in this life. Love to all.

Here's what's new...

The dedication was just wonderful and we are thankful for all who attended. The girls got a few gifts and we'd like to thank everyone for those as well. ...Jen, the crosses are beautiful...

The whole "Dunn/Brown" clan was here and we got to take some long overdue pictures of the WHOLE family. I'm looking forward to seeing them when they are ready to be picked up. We also had a great lunch and got to spend time with everyone. Nathan especially loved playing games with his Uncle Jeff, Aunt Janice and Craig. The Wii is such a hit with guests. The fam also did a bit of singing with our new game. It's a lot like karaoke and Jenny was the STAR!! She aslo happens to be a big crack up with the dancing as well. All in all it was a great day and a lot of fun.

The girls are both crawling now and have two teeth a piece. They love eating solid food and have been "porking up".

I forgot to mention on the last post that we had another first here at the Dunn household. Nathan lost his first tooth and the tooth fairy made a visit. He was so excited and called just about everyone he could get a hold of to tell them the great news. He got a Webkinz, sugarfree gum and two gold coins (they're just gold dollars but he just thinks they're gold coins like the pirates had). It's kinda funny but the girls started teething just as Nathan started to get his new tooth. Too cute.

We have a very good friend who is struggling through a life threatening disease and could use prayer. He needs strength to face what is to come. Please keep him close to your heart at this time of need.

Love to all!

A little Update on the Dunn Clan

February 2009

The patio is done and we LOVE it. It's been nice to get to go outside when it's raining. The girls are about to crawl. They can both sit up by themselves and scoot and turn where they want to go. It won't be long before they are very mobile! They both have gotten their bottom two teeth as well. They are growing up so fast.

Nathan's birthday was a HUGE success and it looked like everyone had a great time! Thanks to all of you for coming.

Here's a list of the coming events in our lives...

• Saturday, February 14th - Kate and Tara to be dedicated.


• Saturday, February 14th - Whole family is taking pictures (sounds like huge fun huh?)


• February 14th - VALENTINE'S DAY!


• Thursday, Febraury 19th - Kami turn's 32...UGH!!

Looking further ahead...

• March 10th - Nathan starts practice for t-ball.


• April 18th - Nathan's first t-ball game.

Well, that seems like it for now. Hope everyone is doing well and is having an exceptional start to 2009. Love to all!

Kate & Tara to be Dedicated to the Lord

Well, we have secured a date for the dedication!!! Roger is feeling much better (thanks to all of you who prayed) and has given us a new date. We are excited!! It will take place on Saturday, Febraury 14, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. We will be meeting in the Activity Center at Laurelglen Bible Church for the Saturday evening service.

2801 Ashe Road

Bakersfield, California 93309

We welcome everyone to attend and celebrate with us.

Here's the announcement: