mexico update

first, i want to let everyone know that the dunn family will be adding another member in late february! i have added a ticker on the left (under our family picture) so that everyone can keep track of how far along we are in this pregnancy. we are all very excited (well, except aubrey since she doesn't really understand that she is going to be a big sister yet)! reagan keeps going back and forth not sure whether he wants another baby sister or whether he wants to try out a baby brother. i guess we'll see what God has in store for our family!

now for the main event, my mission trip to monterrey, mexico was awesome! there are no words to describe the experience i had. my life will forever be changed, and i think a little piece of my heart is still in monterrey with those children. i loved it! i have decided that nick needs to go next year in my place (since we'll have a new bebe poquito) and experience it for himself since i have such a hard time describing it. there is just something about how God is working in monterrey that is extraordinary! the kids and nick (and katie) made it through in one piece also. i missed them a lot, but wouldn't trade it for anything. i am praying about what God wants me (us) to do in response to this experience, and i'm excited to see what's next!

here are some pictures from my trip (a picture is worth a thousand words, right?)

views from the back2back campus in monterrey

iglesia (church) where we attended sunday worship at casa hogar (children's home) douglas

worship service

 one of the dorms at douglas

inside a dorm at douglas (reagan's bed is never made, i must be doing something wrong!)

rio 3 (one of the impoverished areas that back2back serves) was hit hard by hurricane alex.

the homes along the river were basically wiped out, so those who had little of nothing were left with nothing.

but through it all, God is still there!

at the church, which was being used as a refuge, in rio 3 for those who lost their homes

we were passing out clothing donations and dresses that one of the members of our group made for the children. i am holding one of the little girls wearing her new dress.

playing legos at casa hogar douglas with ornery alejandro and angel

my buddy, jose. we played 'go fish' almost the whole day!

casa hogar del norte (literally, children's home of the north. del norte is a neigborhood in the city of monterrey)

watch out! kira with a power saw! cutting 2x4's for a swinging bridge on the playground at del norte

the swinging bridge will go between those 2 playhouses

now drilling the holes for the cable

naptime at del norte (notice kids are doubled up in beds)

reading 'cat in the hat' in spanish to victor at the library at del norte

it was built with the funds from a private donor, awesome!

(notice the little guy resting back to back with me)

david (jose's brother from douglas) and i at the amusement park we visited

riding the carousel with david (what a stinker...he was so tired!)

he's passed out!

our crew getting ready to leave :(

aubrey walking and other updates

hello again! aubrey is walking now about 50% of the time. she's one stubborn little woman. i personally think she enjoys the free ride and would rather be carried. i captured a cute little video of her making the long trek across our entire living room. it's especially cute because reagan loves it and is giggling in the video. now if we could just get him to give her some space and let her practice, she would probably be walking more. he just gets so excited to "help" and torment her, she's a little timid.




in other news, reagan just had his 3-year check-up. he was 37lbs (97%) and 3ft 3.5in tall (98%)! not really sure how he weighs so much because the boy's a skinny minny! everything checked out ok (other than they said he's ornery...just kidding, i say that!)

the count-down begins for my mexico mission trip.  we leave 2 weeks from today...friday, july 9th. please pray for our safety and our hearts to be open to learn and be changed by God.  i am so excited, yet so nervous about this trip. i'm going to miss my family like crazy, but i know that i will forever be changed by this and i cannot wait to go. 

stay tuned for more updates and news! :) i'll definitely update after mexico, but possibly sooner.

reagan's 3rd birthday party!

reagan just had his 3rd birthday. he was born may 28, 2007 at 10:53am. reagan holds a special place in my heart because he made us a mommy and daddy.  we are so lucky to call him our son. he is a smart little guy who leaves nothing unnoticed. it amazes us what he picks up on. keeps us accountable and makes me want be the best mommy i can be because i know he's watching and remembering every move we make as parents. that being said, he's 3, and it's hard! we have reached the hardest stage with him so far. part of this stage is much much easier because he is more independent, and he helps out so much. but the other part of this stage is sooo much harder because he is more independent (ironic huh?!?). he seems to have forgotten his manners now that he's 3, and i'm wondering where he lost them. i want my sweet little boy back all the time. that being said, i wouldn't change him for the world. he's normal. he's 3. and i love him! he makes me laugh, smile, scream, cry (sometimes for joy and sometimes out of frustration!), smile (did i say that?), and he's just pure joy (most of the time).

now to the good stuff. we had reagan's birthday party this past saturday (a week late because of graduations and memorial day weekend). the theme was sports. he picked it out and was so excited. we had a good time celebrating him with family. here are some pictures from the party:

awesome cakes made by taylor

being shy

needed daddy's help

florida vacation!!!

here are some pictures from our vacation to florida in mid-may. we flew down to fort lauderdale and drove a little north to west palm beach for a great vacation! the myers family went too. had a fun time!

reagan and his buddy deagan

brittany and i

bucket head

our resort in the background

sleepy girl

water bug

2 more new posts below!

aubrey one-year pictures (and reagan is 3)

aubrey turned one on april 18th, and we had her pictures taken professionally by marchelle mosley at the beginning of may. marchelle did a great job as usual. visit her website at http://www.marchellemosleyphotography.com/ to check out her work.

here are some pictures from the shoot (there were too many good ones, it was hard to narrow it down):

post below is also new!

welcome 2010....just a little late!

hi again! most everyone has been keeping up with the dunn family on facebook, but for those of you who haven't, i apologize. blogger has made some changes, so it seems like posting might actually be a little easier now. maybe i'll post regularly again. who knows?

what's new with us? i am now staying home with just our kids and i'm loving it! we are keeping busy and enjoying the beautiful weather. even though it might be a little warm sometimes, we'll take it over winter anyday. nick has taken a second job working for co-alliance on his days off from EMT work, and he's enjoying that as well. we just had our first family vacation with 4 of us. we went to florida with our friends, the myers. it was a lot of fun and surprisingly very relaxing (considering we had 5 kids under 5). i think the best part was flying and not having to endure the long drive with the kids. aubrey's first birthday was a success (though so sad that our baby is one already). she is such a little ham and a joy to have around. what a blessing! she is still a princess and not walking, but i think it will happen soon. reagan just had his 3rd birthday (tear), and his party is coming up in a couple of days. he is a pretty good boy, but he is a 3-year-old, if you know what i mean. his big news is that he is officially potty-trained and was so quick. now, the big boy can go to preschool in the fall...he's so pumped! i love those kids like crazy!! being home with them is the greatest gift nick could ever give us and we're soooo grateful!

to kick things off....here are some pictures from aubrey's first birthday: