Our latest happenings....

Well I'll begin with our biggest happening: I'm pregnant! Hence the reason for not posting in a long time. I've been feeling exhausted throughout the day, and nauseous from the late afternoon on. But everything is wonderful...praise God for a healthy baby that I got to see via ultrasound yesterday. We are so very ecstatic about this pregnancy, and can't wait to add another baby to our family!!

Life around here has been rather uneventful (thank you Jesus!), and I have been able to rest and enjoy life with my family. Annalee has a one-track mind these days; it's all about princesses. She would eternally be wearing one of her several dress-up dresses if she had it her way. She also loves to help me do just about anything: sort laundry, cook, clean, open/close doors, etc. And Addie is into...well, what is she not into? She LOVES to be read to, work puzzles, play with her toys, push random objects around the house (laundry baskets are her favorites), and play outside in the dirt. Here are my favorite pictures from the past few weeks.

1:20 Wednesday afternoon
1:27 Wednesday afternoon

Way to go, Wally!

Last night we got to go watch the reigning national champion Midland College Chaps play-rather, blow out- Clarendon College. It was a really fun game to watch, although you felt kinda bad for the other team...MC won 80-36. Clarendon's coach even waved the white flag (literally) when the score was something like 70-15, and that is when the game slowed down a bit and the MC players were instructed to pass the ball around to wind down the shot clock. Anyway, I got a few good shots of Wally and a video of the channel 7 highlights, starring Wally.

hush puppy eating contest

We (along with Tim, Terri, Becky & her boyfriend Keith, Wally & his girlfriend Micah, and Joel & Andy-MCA tutors) attempted to go to the rodeo on Saturday night...and realized after we'd already driven to Odessa to buy the tickets that it was sold out. We were disappointed, but our entertainment was quickly replaced by Annalee & Addie's hush-puppy-eating-contest at dinner (they had no clue, but it was fun to keep tally). As all good hole-in-the-wall West Texas seafood restaurants should, Big Daddy's provides complimentary, all-you-can-eat hush puppy sticks and bowls of tartar sauce as appetizers. We've eaten there once before, and this time Addie smashed her old personal hush puppy stick record of 6. Here are some images from the feeding frenzy!

FINAL COUNT: ANNALEE-6 ADDIE-9

We've been busy flipping a house!

And now it's finally finished! We began working around Thanksgiving, and it just went on the market today. We listed with a realtor, and already have someone coming to look this afternoon!

It has been a tiring adventure that will hopefully pay off very soon. We went in with 3 other couples to buy the house, and as you can see, it was a real fixer-upper! We painted ever inch of wall & ceiling, re-did every floor, replaced all kitchen appliances, got a new roof, new counter tops, sinks, etc. Pretty much everything is brand new except the bathtubs!! Going into the project, I was unsure of how much it could change; but now I can honestly say that I would move in tomorrow if we needed a new house! Enjoy the transformation, and I'll try to answer your questions as you go along......

the kitchen before (yes, that is blue Krylon spray paint!!)the kitchen afterthe hallway before (yes, that is a beach scene...complete with SAND on the floor!!)Lindsy & Rachel trying to cover up the waves in the hallwaythe hallway afterLee hard at work...dining room before (Yes, the former owners really lived like this! I think they started to strip the wallpaper but just never finished.)dining room after (tiled floor)add-on room before (Yes, I believe that is the same wood you would find in a sauna.)add-on room afterliving room before (love the blue swirly carpet!)living room after

Nativity

First Baptist Church does a live nativity scene every year for a few nights leading up to Christmas. This is the first year for us to go as a family, and we really enjoyed it! Everyone is real except the baby Jesus. It lasts for 1 hour, and I have no idea how these people can stand so still for that long!! There was also an area off to the side where you could feed some goats (including some super-cute babies) and a donkey (Annalee's favorite...she loved petting its ears). We met some friends up there, and everyone had a great time.

Surprise, Annalee!

Lee and I surprised Annalee by taking her to the theater last night to see Cinderella, and I'm pretty sure it was the highlight of her life! Although it was the original Rodgers & Hammerstein version, and she didn't know any of the songs, she was very enthralled with the story and mesmerized by Cinderella. Every time she would go off-stage, Annalee would ask, "Is she coming back?"

During the intermission, the director announced that the cast would be in the lobby after the show, in case anyone wants to meet them. So I asked Annalee if she would like to meet Cinderella and get her picture taken with her. Her little face lit up and she nodded yes. So after the show, we wove our way through the crowd, and I pointed out Cinderella and said "There she is," and Annalee immediately RAN to her and held her arms up and was practically in her lap before I could give Cinderella a heads up. So I snapped a picture, and I'm surprised Annalee is looking at the camera because she couldn't stop looking at Cinderella. It was so sweet.

waiting in the lobby
Annalee with Cinderella

Your prayers worked REALLY WELL!!

So I don't think the wind chill made it out of the thirties on race-day Sunday! It was good running weather, but not great for the people who weren't running. (Praise God for Scottish Rite Hospital's heated hospitality tent we were allowed to congregate in!)

The weekend began when we arrived in Dallas around 11:15 on Friday night. We got up the next morning, went to the race expo (where you pick up your bib # and t-shirt), then we went to the Dallas World Aquarium with 2 other families...so cool! Kids loved it. Then we went to lunch, and then to the Scottish Rite Hospital for a tour...that was awesome! That is the most amazing place. After that, we went back to the hotel for naps, then to the pre-race party, where Katie joyfully announced this news: Their original fundraising goal was $13,914.16, based on Psalm 139:14-16; but Reagan (husband) told her that was too lofty, so they changed it to $5,139. As of Thursday, they had gotten to nearly $8,000, and then an anonymous donor called them on Saturday and told them they would match DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR what they had raised so far! So they exceeded their original goal!! GOD IS SO AMAZING! Katie was obviously so overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I couldn't help but cry. We also got to see the story that the White Rock film crew created about their family that aired during the live broadcast on race day; a real tear-jerker! After that we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Lee had gone early to put our name on the list, since we knew the wait would be long for our party of 20. So when the other 19 of us showed up, he said it would be about 15-20 more minutes. Great. So we're waiting, waiting,......an HOUR later, people start leaving because their kids were getting cranky. ANOTHER HALF HOUR goes by, and our party of 20 is down to 10. They finally seat us at 7:45, and it was great, but not great enough to wait over 2 hours.

Mary Kathryn spent the night in our hotel room that night so that Lee & I could just get up and leave on race day and not have to take the girls. About the race/weather...It ended up being about 40 and drizzling when Lee started at 8, and got progressively colder as the day went on. He said he felt great and could have kept going! (He did the first leg which was 6 miles.) Then I started at 9, and right before the gun went off, they announced that the elite marathon runners (who started at 8) were already at MILE 11!!!!!!!!!! So, the gun goes off, and I'm just standing there, packed in among 5,999 other sardines just waiting my turn to get to cross the starting line, acknowledging my first mistake: I didn't get to the starting area soon enough. I was about 200 yards back. So, I didn't actually get to cross the starting line until 2:30 or so after the gun went off. And even then, I was having to WALK (GRRRRR!) because it was still so packed!!! I was SO frustrated!!! So, I went ahead and started my watch, thinking it would start spreading out soon. Wrong! I didn't feel like I had my personal space back until after mile 4!!!!!! So, needless to say, I was forced to run well under my normal pace for the first few miles. I felt great through the first half, so I decided to pick up the pace to make up for lost time (second mistake). I began regretting that around mile 10, and from then on is just a blur. I was so tired and my legs were numb and I felt so dizzy but I had to keep going. I really wanted to stop, and I did, to stretch my left hamstring that has given me trouble for a few weeks, but I never walked....and I finished in an actual time of 2:01:03.

I'm really happy with how I did, and even though I didn't go under 2:00 like I'd hoped, I think I did great considering the weather, the fact that I have a cold & cough c/o Addie, and I got little sleep the previous 2 nights.

Despite being a whirlwind trip, I think overall it was a blast and a huge success. Thank you for all your support and prayers; it means so much!

we shopped 'til we dropped!

Over the weekend, I got to fly to Dallas for some serious shopping and girl time with a bunch of my female relatives on Lee's side. We also got to see Becky (a senior @ DBU) perform in her choir's Christmas concert...so fun!
We anticipated bringing back a large loot so we all brought extra luggage to haul it back to Midland...as you can see, it wasn't enough. So we had to leave some of it behind and we'll just get it next weekend when we return to Dallas for the White Rock.

Speaking of the race, those of you in the Dallas area can watch it live on WFAA Channel 8 on Sunday the 9th from 8-10:30 a.m. Look for royal blue t-shirts that say "Where there's a WILL, there's a way!" They are doing a special piece on the family who is the whole reason we are doing this race. That starts at the 139th minute of broadcasting, symbolizing Psalm 139, the passage that Katie & Reagan have always prayed over their son, Will. How special!

We could really use some prayer regarding the weather for next Sunday. And no, strangely, I'm not asking for warmer weather...I'm asking for cooler weather! As of today, the forecast for next Sunday is a high of 78 and a low of only 64, and partly cloudy. This is ENTIRELY to hot for running a half- or full marathon! (The temperature during the Chicago marathon when it was called off a few months ago due to numerous cases of heat stroke was 80 degrees.) Please pray that it will cool off, and for there to be no rain!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I can't believe 3 weeks have past since the last blog! Time flies when you're having fun, or when your whole family gets infected with the plague (or at least that's what the stomach bug seems like as it slowly and silently accosts your spouse & children one by one). I won't go into detail, but let's just say I hope that never happens to us again.

We've been a little busy, too...Lee got to go fishing in Arkansas with a few friends, and I was able to take the girls to see my parents (Nana & Papaw). Also, a couple of weeks ago, we took the girls to the drive-in to see the Bee Movie (not so great, but the kids loved it). We met a few other fams there who also have small children, and I'm pretty sure the highlight for the kids was getting to sit in the back of the suburban and eat popcorn & candy for 2 hours.

We've also reached the last few weeks of our training for the White Rock...although getting the plague set me back a bit, I think I'll still be able to reach my goal of going sub-2:00 for the 1/2-marathon.

Addie has picked up a new skill....eating with a fork! She is amazingly coordinated for a 13-month-old.

And that catches us up to today, Thanksgiving, and it's SNOWING!! Hard to believe, since it has only gotten down into the 50s a couple of times, and that it was 80 DEGREES just a couple of days ago!! Mom & Daddy, I'm glad we decided to stay here since we wouldn't have been able to come in this weather! We had fun eating 2 Thanksgiving dinners this year. We had the first one last night @ Tim & Terri's, with the whole family minus David who is in Zambia, Africa. (We got to talk to him this morning, though, and it was great to hear all about his daily life over there...couldn't be more different than ours!) We got to have our second Thanksgiving dinner at Cameron & Christin's this afternoon, and they had several other couples over who were spending the holiday here in Midland.

So, the following are some pictures and videos from this month.

Jackson, Addie, Jayce, Lane, & Annalee @ the drive-in
Addie "reading"
Addie eating with a fork (short video)

me & Addie @ Cameron & Christin's
me, Megan, & Lindsy
happy girl
Lane & Annalee eating snow

Lane, Annalee, Carter, & Mason
Addie playing with snow for the first time!!
Annalee saying cheese

Happy Birthday, man of many hats...

...Not literally. Lee has a few material hats, but he wears so many metaphorical ones. He wears a husband hat, a daddy hat, a son hat, a friend hat, an in-law hat, a nephew hat, a brother hat, an uncle hat, a provider hat, a protector hat, a leader hat, a worker hat, a teacher hat, and many others. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have a husband who wears so many hats so well. Thank you, Lee, for everything you are and everything you do!!! We had so much fun celebrating your birthday last night...the girls especially loved making the home-made wrapping paper. (See above photo)

Annalee got to dress up as a flower for the costume party at mothers-day-out yesterday. Although we Dunns are not celebrators of Halloween, it was fun to get to see her in her costume.