Tonight at dinner we were sitting there chatting with the kids about their days as we do every night. Tonight it was a bit annimated because Abby went on her first field trip with school. They went to KC to a fun kid place there. So anyway, she is excited which made Weston and Skylar excited. Because Jamy is really a big kid he also got excited. All of the sudden he lets loose with a crazy rendition of the old Hampster Dance. I cracked up! Of course, we had to go online and look it up to show the kiddos. They love it!!
I thought maybe you all needed a little Hampster in your lives as well. So here you go......
Warning....if you choose to watch, I will not be held responsible for this stupid song being stuck in your brain for the next 10 years!!
Just in case you haven't had enough, here you go....
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Abby's 5th Birthday Video!!
Finally.....Abby's video!!! Yup, Abby turned 5 a little over a month ago and I am finally getting this up. I probably will write a post about her here soon but for now I hope you enjoy. I am really proud of this one. Jamy and I had a great time going back through her pictures and remembering those early days. WHat a blessing!
I will warn you, this one is almost 9 1/2 minutes long. We had five years to catch up on so it took a bit longer. It goes fast though. So enjoy!
I will warn you, this one is almost 9 1/2 minutes long. We had five years to catch up on so it took a bit longer. It goes fast though. So enjoy!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Moo.....
Well, the round-up has been completed. Today was kindergarten round-up here in Osage City. Can you believe it is even time to start thinking about this? Where in the holy heck did the last five years go and why does the time just seem to be going faster and faster? How do I make it slow down so I can hang onto these babies just a little longer?
I know, I know, it is time to sit back and watch Abby take those first real steps away from the nest. It was funny because her new principal was talking this morning about how we are all a team in this together now and how as parents we have an important role on that team. As an educator I get exactly what he is talking about. As a parent, I kept feeling like, "team hell, this is my daughter we are talking about. Don't talk to me like you are inviting me to be a part of her life." As she begins to step out into the world I know that more and more people will be having a greater influence on her. It is our job now to step back a little and let her broaden her sphere of influence.
It is my prayer that in the last five years Jamy and I have helped her to lay a strong foundation to build her life upon. I pray she will always know that we are here for her and that she can come to us when the world is a mystery. I am so proud of her and of the person she is becoming. I am proud of the job Jamy and I have done thus far. Parenting doesn't come with a manual as we all know. It is just minute by minute, day by day doing the best you can and then trusting that you have done enough.
When I think about the adventure she is about to begin I am so excited for her. So much of who a person becomes has to do with the experiences they have and the people they meet in school. It is going to be so much fun watching her grow, develop, change and mature in the next several years. I know who she is now at the start of this journey. I wonder who she will be at the end. What challenges will she face? What triumphs will she achieve? Who will be her friends? What will be her favorite subjects? All of the answers to these questions are just waiting for her. What an amazing time.
So this August when I watch her walk away from us into that classroom I know there will be some tears, but there will also be a heart swelling with pride and love. No matter how her journey plays out her daddy and I will be here to support her, encourage her, guide her and love her throughout the way.
So look out kindergarten, the Dunbars have arrived! Just think, only two more to go!
YeeHaw, as they say at the end of the round-up!!!
I know, I know, it is time to sit back and watch Abby take those first real steps away from the nest. It was funny because her new principal was talking this morning about how we are all a team in this together now and how as parents we have an important role on that team. As an educator I get exactly what he is talking about. As a parent, I kept feeling like, "team hell, this is my daughter we are talking about. Don't talk to me like you are inviting me to be a part of her life." As she begins to step out into the world I know that more and more people will be having a greater influence on her. It is our job now to step back a little and let her broaden her sphere of influence.
It is my prayer that in the last five years Jamy and I have helped her to lay a strong foundation to build her life upon. I pray she will always know that we are here for her and that she can come to us when the world is a mystery. I am so proud of her and of the person she is becoming. I am proud of the job Jamy and I have done thus far. Parenting doesn't come with a manual as we all know. It is just minute by minute, day by day doing the best you can and then trusting that you have done enough.
When I think about the adventure she is about to begin I am so excited for her. So much of who a person becomes has to do with the experiences they have and the people they meet in school. It is going to be so much fun watching her grow, develop, change and mature in the next several years. I know who she is now at the start of this journey. I wonder who she will be at the end. What challenges will she face? What triumphs will she achieve? Who will be her friends? What will be her favorite subjects? All of the answers to these questions are just waiting for her. What an amazing time.
So this August when I watch her walk away from us into that classroom I know there will be some tears, but there will also be a heart swelling with pride and love. No matter how her journey plays out her daddy and I will be here to support her, encourage her, guide her and love her throughout the way.
So look out kindergarten, the Dunbars have arrived! Just think, only two more to go!
YeeHaw, as they say at the end of the round-up!!!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I am a very rich woman!
Every time I pick up a paper or turn on the news all I hear about is how we are headed for a recession or we are already in a recession depending on which economic analyst is being quoted at the time. When I go places I hear everyone talking about the rising cost of groceries, gas and just life in general. I've even had several conversations with several people about how our dollars don't seem to buy us as much as they did not that long ago. Let's face it folks, belts are being tightened and priorities are being reevaluated. A very good friend of mine is very concerned right now about the state of her family's finances. Probably more than one of my friends, but one in particular who talks with me quite a bit about the subject. Don't get me wrong she is doing exactly what we all should be doing when the economy is so uncertain, but I also think that we each need to take another step when thinking about how rich we are.
There is a line in a very popular John Denver song about being a poor man if you never see an eagle fly. I think that attitude is right on the money. Jamy and I will never probably be monetarily rich. We probably won't have big financial investments or a gigantic bank account. We are two of the richest people I know though. Everyday is an exciting step in this journey that we are taking together. Our lives are blessed in ways that I have never imagined.
As I have thought about the state of our economy and what it truly means to be "rich" I have decided to make a list of the 100 ways in which I am already a rich woman. Read it if you want, skip it if you would rather. This is my own way of taking stock of my investments.
As we head into uncertain times I encourage you all to not just think about your financial wealth, but think about how you are rich in the ways that really matter.
Okay, here goes.....
100. I have, in fact, seen several eagles fly.
99. I have hiked to the top of the canyons in Utah and stood in awe at the beauty below me.
98. I have went on a vacation with my best girlfriend and stood among the aspens of Colorado with my arm around her, knowing she would be there no matter what. (Thanks, Chris!)
97. I have called to a wolf in the wild and been moved to my soul by the sound of it answering me.
96. I have held a wild wolf in my arms.
95. I was born in the Midwest where life is good even when it is hard.
94. I know the value of sleeping in a tent.
93. My childhood is one of laughter, love and adventures.
92. I have seen snowflakes fall while the sun is shining. This is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. It will stop you in your tracks.
91. I have known the value of a great neighbor. (Thank you, Snyders!)
90. I have experienced illness just enough to really appreciate good health.
89. I have stood at the bottom of a canyon and looked up to see a mountain lion watching me. Our eyes connected and I felt the power of a wild animal.
88. I have walked in the jungles of Panama.
87. I know what the ocean tastes like.
86. I have stood quietly with my children and listened to the wind blow the leaves in the trees.
85. I have looked a howler monkey in the eye while swinging from a gondola over the top of his tree in the jungle.
84. I have learned the value of a good education.
83. I earned that education.
82. I have stood in a castle in Luxemburg and marveled at the history all around me.
81. I have drunk wine with a man in Germany whose family has been making wine for over 500 years.
80. I had an uncle and aunt who taught me all sorts of things my parents didn't want me to know.
79. I learned to read and now there is nothing I can't learn about and nowhere I can't go.
78. Three people call me "Mom".
77. I have nursed a sick baby back to health and thanked God for that health.
76. I lost a loved one when I was young and that taught me to appreciate everyday and all of the people in my life.
75. I have many people I can call at anytime no matter what.
74. I can change a tire, build a birdhouse, start a campfire, bake homemade brownies, find a constellation in the night sky and make a booboo all better.
73. I am not afraid of hard work, matter of fact I enjoy it.
72. I have a yard full of trees that make lots of leaves that I get to rake into big piles for my kiddos to jump in.
71. I have jumped in those piles myself, lain quietly and listened to the sounds of my children's voices as they played next to me.
70. I had my great-grandparents until I was in my early 20s.
69. I live in a place where I can lay on my back at night and see the stars.
68. I have lain on my back at night and watched those stars with people that I love.
67. I know the value of telling someone how much they mean to you.
66. I have hiked into the backwoods and experienced beauty in places that most people don't ever go.
65. I have a secret stash of chocolate that no one but me knows is there. (I know, kind of a silly one, but believe me there are days where this one becomes one of the more important ones on the list!)
64. I appreciate the smell of a musty basement, a spring storm, and a clean baby.
63. I have watched as my baby wrapped their little hand around my finger and saw their first real smile.
62. I have been blessed to be with each of my children as they have reached all of their first milestones.
61. I have seen the sunrise and the sunset all in the same day.
60. I was raised in a town where people matter and take care of each other. These values have become part of who I am.
59. I can get in the car and just drive with no destination in mind. The sole purpose of the trip is to just explore and discover something new.
58. My children also appreciate a nice ride with no purpose in mind.
59. I value the knowledge and stories of the elderly. Stop and listen to what they have to say, history is right there before you.
58. I have had the opportunity to really talk to all of my grandparents, except the one I never knew. I now can appreciate them as amazing people with a lifetime of awesome memories and stories.
57. I have lived in a place where deer looking through my bedroom window in the morning was a regular morning wake up call.
56. Every night, well most every night, I get to snuggle up to the boy I fell in love with when I was fourteen years old. He doesn’t even mind my cold feet!!
55. My mom is a strong women and my dad is a sensitive man. I learned to be both from them.
54. I have slept in places that are so quiet you can hear your heartbeat as you go to sleep.
53. I know the difference between the first smells of the morning and the last smells of the night. They are different, try it and see.
52. When I count my close friends on my hands, I quickly run out of fingers.
51. Some of those friends are from my childhood, some from college, and some are from adulthood. Thank you if you are one of them!
50. I have seen puppies, kittens, cows, birds and humans come into the world.
49. I have also been there when some of them have exited the world.
48. I attended one of the greatest colleges in the nation. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.
47. I got to see that school finally get a basketball national championship.
46. Right now, I am having a great cup of hot tea, while my three babies sleep safe and sound upstairs.
45. I have a gaggle of nieces and nephews that I truly love being with and watching grow.
44. I live in a country where my opinion not only counts and is allowed, but in which I am also expected to form one of my own.
43. I watched my baby fly away in a medical helicopter scared to death to let her go and felt the joy when she awoke the next morning at the hospital and said, “Mommy?”
42. I have been eaten dinner with the former president of South Africa, a Kennedy and the cast of the show Jackass. Okay, that last one I am not as proud of, but it was interesting.
41. I have saved a life.
40. Someone cared about me enough to teach me to swim, to fish, to drive a stick shift, and to grow my own vegetables.
39. I can’t sew, but I am 100% okay with that.
38. I have a list of things I want to do before I die.
37. I have prayed really hard for something and had that prayer answered.
36. I have prayed really hard for something and not had that prayer answered, but I learned something from the experience.
35. I have a husband who, even though, he goes to work all week lets me sleep in on Saturday morning.
34. My kids have amazing imaginations and they let me play along.
33. I am blessed to be able to stay home with our kids in the years when they are reaching their first milestones and forming their identities.
32. I am close to both of my siblings. We are as different as we are alike and we love each other anyway.
31. I have heard my kids say, “Mommy, I love you!”
30. My husband has never once left for work, hung up the phone or typed me a message without saying “I love you” no matter who was around to hear or see him say it.
29. When I became a mother I found an inner strength I didn’t know I had and now each day I rely on that strength to make me a better person.
28. My life hasn’t been perfect but I was blessed with the kind of attitude that makes it difficult for me to remember the things that have made it not perfect.
27. I have seen the joy on my kids’ faces when they waited all winter long to see what their caterpillars would become.
26. I have felt the electric excitement of a fast paced city.
25. I had a colleague who helped me to realize the importance of being a highly ethical person and just what that means.
24. People have believed in me and told me so.
23. I have been humbled and risen back up to become better.
22. I stood outside Buckingham Palace.
21. I know my strengths as well as my weaknesses.
20. I have seen pictures in clouds.
19. I have had my ribs kicked by a child moving in my tummy.
18. There are people in the world who think that I am brilliant. So what if all three of them are under the age of six!
17. After 21 years, I still get butterflies everyday when Jamy is about to get home from work.
16. I have felt freshly plowed soil, sand on a beach and hot asphalt under my feet. You learn something different from each experience!
15. My parents taught me the importance of trust, honesty and sincerity.
14. Everyday God teaches me something new about myself, someone I love or the world around me. He also gave me the ability to appreciate when I am being taught a lesson.
13. I have met amazing people just by not being afraid of saying hi. Everyone has a story and my gift is getting them to tell it.
12. I have lain in my bed with my husband and a sleeping baby between us looking deep into his eyes and knowing that we created life together.
11. I have felt the enormous responsibility for that life, but known that I am not alone in caring for it.
10. As far as I know, I have no enemies.
9. I am 35 years old and can honestly say that so far I have lived a life with no regrets except one. The night I came home from college for Thanksgiving, I didn’t go upstairs and tell my grandfather goodnight. He died the next morning. I should have gone up to see him, but didn’t want to wake him. I learned something important from that though.
8. I have gone through completely natural labor three times and each time thought I would not live through it. I did though and now I am so strong for the experience.
7. The man I love was by my side the entire time all three times.
6. My kids love to make me laugh.
5. Abby.
4. Weston.
3. Skylar.
2. Jamy
1. A wonderful life in which I have so far managed to exceed all of my wildest dreams.
So there, you go. If you have stuck with me, I hope you noticed that not one of the things on my list has anything to do with the material things in my life. I am rich not because of the “things” I have, but because of the people and experiences life has brought me.
I look forward to each day because each day new people and experiences come into my life and I become wealthier and wealthier. Bill Gates and Donald Trump ain’t got nothing on me!!!!.
There is a line in a very popular John Denver song about being a poor man if you never see an eagle fly. I think that attitude is right on the money. Jamy and I will never probably be monetarily rich. We probably won't have big financial investments or a gigantic bank account. We are two of the richest people I know though. Everyday is an exciting step in this journey that we are taking together. Our lives are blessed in ways that I have never imagined.
As I have thought about the state of our economy and what it truly means to be "rich" I have decided to make a list of the 100 ways in which I am already a rich woman. Read it if you want, skip it if you would rather. This is my own way of taking stock of my investments.
As we head into uncertain times I encourage you all to not just think about your financial wealth, but think about how you are rich in the ways that really matter.
Okay, here goes.....
100. I have, in fact, seen several eagles fly.
99. I have hiked to the top of the canyons in Utah and stood in awe at the beauty below me.
98. I have went on a vacation with my best girlfriend and stood among the aspens of Colorado with my arm around her, knowing she would be there no matter what. (Thanks, Chris!)
97. I have called to a wolf in the wild and been moved to my soul by the sound of it answering me.
96. I have held a wild wolf in my arms.
95. I was born in the Midwest where life is good even when it is hard.
94. I know the value of sleeping in a tent.
93. My childhood is one of laughter, love and adventures.
92. I have seen snowflakes fall while the sun is shining. This is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. It will stop you in your tracks.
91. I have known the value of a great neighbor. (Thank you, Snyders!)
90. I have experienced illness just enough to really appreciate good health.
89. I have stood at the bottom of a canyon and looked up to see a mountain lion watching me. Our eyes connected and I felt the power of a wild animal.
88. I have walked in the jungles of Panama.
87. I know what the ocean tastes like.
86. I have stood quietly with my children and listened to the wind blow the leaves in the trees.
85. I have looked a howler monkey in the eye while swinging from a gondola over the top of his tree in the jungle.
84. I have learned the value of a good education.
83. I earned that education.
82. I have stood in a castle in Luxemburg and marveled at the history all around me.
81. I have drunk wine with a man in Germany whose family has been making wine for over 500 years.
80. I had an uncle and aunt who taught me all sorts of things my parents didn't want me to know.
79. I learned to read and now there is nothing I can't learn about and nowhere I can't go.
78. Three people call me "Mom".
77. I have nursed a sick baby back to health and thanked God for that health.
76. I lost a loved one when I was young and that taught me to appreciate everyday and all of the people in my life.
75. I have many people I can call at anytime no matter what.
74. I can change a tire, build a birdhouse, start a campfire, bake homemade brownies, find a constellation in the night sky and make a booboo all better.
73. I am not afraid of hard work, matter of fact I enjoy it.
72. I have a yard full of trees that make lots of leaves that I get to rake into big piles for my kiddos to jump in.
71. I have jumped in those piles myself, lain quietly and listened to the sounds of my children's voices as they played next to me.
70. I had my great-grandparents until I was in my early 20s.
69. I live in a place where I can lay on my back at night and see the stars.
68. I have lain on my back at night and watched those stars with people that I love.
67. I know the value of telling someone how much they mean to you.
66. I have hiked into the backwoods and experienced beauty in places that most people don't ever go.
65. I have a secret stash of chocolate that no one but me knows is there. (I know, kind of a silly one, but believe me there are days where this one becomes one of the more important ones on the list!)
64. I appreciate the smell of a musty basement, a spring storm, and a clean baby.
63. I have watched as my baby wrapped their little hand around my finger and saw their first real smile.
62. I have been blessed to be with each of my children as they have reached all of their first milestones.
61. I have seen the sunrise and the sunset all in the same day.
60. I was raised in a town where people matter and take care of each other. These values have become part of who I am.
59. I can get in the car and just drive with no destination in mind. The sole purpose of the trip is to just explore and discover something new.
58. My children also appreciate a nice ride with no purpose in mind.
59. I value the knowledge and stories of the elderly. Stop and listen to what they have to say, history is right there before you.
58. I have had the opportunity to really talk to all of my grandparents, except the one I never knew. I now can appreciate them as amazing people with a lifetime of awesome memories and stories.
57. I have lived in a place where deer looking through my bedroom window in the morning was a regular morning wake up call.
56. Every night, well most every night, I get to snuggle up to the boy I fell in love with when I was fourteen years old. He doesn’t even mind my cold feet!!
55. My mom is a strong women and my dad is a sensitive man. I learned to be both from them.
54. I have slept in places that are so quiet you can hear your heartbeat as you go to sleep.
53. I know the difference between the first smells of the morning and the last smells of the night. They are different, try it and see.
52. When I count my close friends on my hands, I quickly run out of fingers.
51. Some of those friends are from my childhood, some from college, and some are from adulthood. Thank you if you are one of them!
50. I have seen puppies, kittens, cows, birds and humans come into the world.
49. I have also been there when some of them have exited the world.
48. I attended one of the greatest colleges in the nation. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.
47. I got to see that school finally get a basketball national championship.
46. Right now, I am having a great cup of hot tea, while my three babies sleep safe and sound upstairs.
45. I have a gaggle of nieces and nephews that I truly love being with and watching grow.
44. I live in a country where my opinion not only counts and is allowed, but in which I am also expected to form one of my own.
43. I watched my baby fly away in a medical helicopter scared to death to let her go and felt the joy when she awoke the next morning at the hospital and said, “Mommy?”
42. I have been eaten dinner with the former president of South Africa, a Kennedy and the cast of the show Jackass. Okay, that last one I am not as proud of, but it was interesting.
41. I have saved a life.
40. Someone cared about me enough to teach me to swim, to fish, to drive a stick shift, and to grow my own vegetables.
39. I can’t sew, but I am 100% okay with that.
38. I have a list of things I want to do before I die.
37. I have prayed really hard for something and had that prayer answered.
36. I have prayed really hard for something and not had that prayer answered, but I learned something from the experience.
35. I have a husband who, even though, he goes to work all week lets me sleep in on Saturday morning.
34. My kids have amazing imaginations and they let me play along.
33. I am blessed to be able to stay home with our kids in the years when they are reaching their first milestones and forming their identities.
32. I am close to both of my siblings. We are as different as we are alike and we love each other anyway.
31. I have heard my kids say, “Mommy, I love you!”
30. My husband has never once left for work, hung up the phone or typed me a message without saying “I love you” no matter who was around to hear or see him say it.
29. When I became a mother I found an inner strength I didn’t know I had and now each day I rely on that strength to make me a better person.
28. My life hasn’t been perfect but I was blessed with the kind of attitude that makes it difficult for me to remember the things that have made it not perfect.
27. I have seen the joy on my kids’ faces when they waited all winter long to see what their caterpillars would become.
26. I have felt the electric excitement of a fast paced city.
25. I had a colleague who helped me to realize the importance of being a highly ethical person and just what that means.
24. People have believed in me and told me so.
23. I have been humbled and risen back up to become better.
22. I stood outside Buckingham Palace.
21. I know my strengths as well as my weaknesses.
20. I have seen pictures in clouds.
19. I have had my ribs kicked by a child moving in my tummy.
18. There are people in the world who think that I am brilliant. So what if all three of them are under the age of six!
17. After 21 years, I still get butterflies everyday when Jamy is about to get home from work.
16. I have felt freshly plowed soil, sand on a beach and hot asphalt under my feet. You learn something different from each experience!
15. My parents taught me the importance of trust, honesty and sincerity.
14. Everyday God teaches me something new about myself, someone I love or the world around me. He also gave me the ability to appreciate when I am being taught a lesson.
13. I have met amazing people just by not being afraid of saying hi. Everyone has a story and my gift is getting them to tell it.
12. I have lain in my bed with my husband and a sleeping baby between us looking deep into his eyes and knowing that we created life together.
11. I have felt the enormous responsibility for that life, but known that I am not alone in caring for it.
10. As far as I know, I have no enemies.
9. I am 35 years old and can honestly say that so far I have lived a life with no regrets except one. The night I came home from college for Thanksgiving, I didn’t go upstairs and tell my grandfather goodnight. He died the next morning. I should have gone up to see him, but didn’t want to wake him. I learned something important from that though.
8. I have gone through completely natural labor three times and each time thought I would not live through it. I did though and now I am so strong for the experience.
7. The man I love was by my side the entire time all three times.
6. My kids love to make me laugh.
5. Abby.
4. Weston.
3. Skylar.
2. Jamy
1. A wonderful life in which I have so far managed to exceed all of my wildest dreams.
So there, you go. If you have stuck with me, I hope you noticed that not one of the things on my list has anything to do with the material things in my life. I am rich not because of the “things” I have, but because of the people and experiences life has brought me.
I look forward to each day because each day new people and experiences come into my life and I become wealthier and wealthier. Bill Gates and Donald Trump ain’t got nothing on me!!!!.