Moms....need I say more?

Happy Mother's Day to a wonderful mom, who has done so much for us and continues to devote her life, love, and friendship to her children.  Mom, you have given us such a great example of what a mother can and should be.  You are truly one of a kind and have been there for all of us, through the good and the bad, the thick and the thin, and yet, you can still run circles around us all.  I couldn't include all the pictures throughout the years, but here are just a few of some of the things I am thankful for.....

Your wedding and marrying dad...thanks dad for finding her!

 

Thanksgivings at home and on the beach.....showing us love and that it's ok to kiss in the kitchen....

 

Being there for our weddings...(Sarah's wedding)

  

trips to Utah....Thanksgiving point....and the value of family reunions and families....

Girls Weekends...and how to be silly and have fun!  Las Vegas

  

Haircut, haircuts, and more haircuts! (Lizzie's first cut)

 Many, many trips to the beach and loving the sun...and playing with our children at the beach...especially boogie boarding.  Wish I had a picture of that one!

 So many trips to Disneyland, we've lost count.  And yes, I think this year they are going to give you a personal parking spot right next to the motorhomes and a fast pass to see the princesses...

 

 Instilling our love for Lake Powell, water skiing, and how to make it look easy to take a vacation....wish I had better pictures, this one doesn't do justice!

 And all the weeks and months and years of help with all your grandchildren.  Births of the new babies, birthdays, baptisms, ordinations...you name it, you have been there and driven and flown many miles to be there for us.  You have been there for us all and I am especially grateful for the example you have shown us and the many sleepless nights you have sacrificed holding babies, worrying about us, and loving us through illnesses.....

 

 

     

I know that I can't say it enough or include all the times you have been there for us.  These are just a few things I am grateful for this mother's day.  However,  most importantly, I am grateful for your example of pure love for all those around you.  You have shown us what true charity is, and that it truly suffereth all things, and endureth long, and it is the true love of Christ.  Happy Mother's Day to a very special mom.  

Oh, here we are together, together, together

Here's the newest addition to the Dunyon Family...Max Cooper Parker.  Born January 28, 2012 at 6:31 a.m. at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 inches of pure joy.  He is such a sweet baby and has been well loved by his family every since he came.  His first venture wasn't to Disneyland, like usual, instead it was 2 airplane rides across the U.S. to Arizona for 3 baptisms and his blessing.  It was fun to see the whole family...yes, all 8 siblings got together under one roof - thanks to Kim and Dave - and we enjoyed a weekend packed with baptisms Saturday morning, park that afternoon, and dinner at Dave and Joy's.  Then up early the next morning for Max's blessing at 8:00 church and an afternoon of food and relaxation at Kim and Jeff's.  It was a short 48 hours to see everyone together, but filled with fun, food, and not much sleep.  But hey....what's a family get together for anyway????  We were sad to miss 2 sister-in-laws and 8 cousins and I am still trying to figure out how we can photo shop them in to make the family picture complete.  Thanks to a great family who is so supportive and fun!  I love you and miss you all!  You're all the bomb-diggity!

The best Grandmother in the world with cute baby Max

The Best Grandpa in the world, who is such a rock, with our baby Max

The Best Family in the world

Little Boy Blue

I'm tired of seeing my Preschool Ad on the family blog so I thought I would post a picture of my favorite little boy...

Why did I cry when I found out we were having a boy?? He melts my heart. And so do these crazy girls...

I am so grateful for my children!

~Brooke

Little Joy Preschool

Enrollment for Mrs. Brooke’s Little Joy Preschool is open! SMALL CLASS SIZE: 5 students max! Our goal is to provide an exceptional learning experience for children while making it affordable for your family.

We will have our State Child Care Certification this month, and have a Business License with the City of American Fork to work out of our home.

I am an Early Childhood Education Graduate from BYU, class of 2004. I have taught at various schools including Hunter High School, Kindercare, and have been a Nanny for families for 13 years. Having my own Preschool & Learning Center now is a dream come true.

Students must be potty trained! Two sessions will be offered:

Pre-Kindergarten
Mondays & Wednesdays 9:30-12:00
4-5 year old students (WILL be attending Kindergarten 2012-2013)

Preschool
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-12:00
3-4 year old students

Open House will be near the end of August.
1st day of Preschool is September 6th.
1st day of Pre-Kindergarten is September 7th.

We have an exciting curriculum this year! Some of the highlights include:

Alphabet/Numbers/Shapes/Colors
Handwriting (Write First Name)
Dr. Seuss Week!
Letter Sounds
Sight Words
Explore multiple painting styles (marble, finger, blowing through a straw, etc)
Counting
Interactive Play
Music
Days of the Week/Month
Show-n-Share!
Opposites
Arts & Crafts
Character Building Skills
and much much more!

I will be compiling a Preschool Portfolio for each child that they will receive at Graduation!

Pictures of our classroom will be posted soon!

We are looking forward to a great school year! Our classroom is clean, organized, and full of learning adventures! Contact Brooke to enroll: abbadunyon@hotmail.com

Lake Powell Extras

I thought I would add a few more pictures from Lake Powell that maybe shouldn't be or didn't get added to my personal blog. These are a few of the "behind the scene" pictures that truly make Lake Powell.  Love you all...when do we go again?

 Look Brooke...Aaron really did bathe while we were there!

 Ahh, community bath time. I miss those.

Let's go already!

Baby Carter

I’m only doing this for journaling purposes, so if you are not interested in the details, feel free to just look at pictures.

Since my doctor was not available on my actual due date (April 8th) we decided to schedule an induction for April 6th. My mom flew in from CA to tend the children during my delivery and recovery. It was a relief to know that the girls would be in good hands. The morning that I was scheduled for an induction the Labor and Delivery department was full, and I had to wait for a room to open up before I could go in. After waiting 9+ months, another couple of hours shouldn't have been a big deal, but I'm blaming hormones. Aaron and my mom did their best to keep my mind occupied with other things but nothing was working. Finally Aaron talked me into running to Target with him, and the hospital called us just as we were pulling out of the driveway, [of course, right?], and asked us to come in. We drove the 2 miles to the hospital, and were excited to get this big day started.

When I arrived, I was dilated to 3 cm, 75% effaced and -2 station. They started pitocin and strep B antibiotic at 10am and then we began the wait. We weren’t sure how fast it would go, since this was my fourth delivery, so they kept the pitocin low. The antibiotic needed to be in for a few hours to ensure the baby didn’t get an infection during delivery so once 3pm hit we upped the pitocin and were off and running. At that point my water had already been broken, and I was dilated to 6 cm. The epidural had been in for a couple of hours by then, so life was good. The last two centimeters went quickly but the baby’s station wasn’t changing like we wanted (which we later found out was because the cord was wrapped around him). With some turns and the oxygen mask we were complete and ready to push at 4:50pm. Nine minutes later we met the sweetest little baby boy. He had the quietest cry, it made me wonder if he was okay. Of course everything checked out fine though and he was wrapped up and back in our arms within minutes.

“Baby Boy Dunyon” Weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz, measuring 20 in long. We had struggled coming up with the right name during the whole pregnancy, so after some discussion that night we finally decided on Carter James Dunyon. He just looked like a “Carter” and I had always liked that name. “James” is my dad’s first given name; I was happy to have that name carried on. One of my favorite moments was seeing the eager big sisters arrive at the hospital shortly after delivery. It was so fun to have the whole family together.

Seven weeks have passed now and it seems like Carter has always been here. A lot of it has been a blur, however Aaron and I feel very blessed. Carter has four mothers (1 mom + 3 well intending sisters) caring for him [sound familiar Nathan?] and he brings so much joy to our home. Carter smiles at us, does not spit up (Hallelujah!), and is very good-natured. He's a dream baby.

1 week old:

2 weeks old:

3 weeks old:

4 weeks old:

7 weeks old:

Carter's Blessing:

Our Cute Children

We love our sweet little boy!

-Brooke & Aaron