It's Been a Long Time!

It's been a long time... I know. We've been so busy, as you can imagine, but that's no excuse... or is it? Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking with it. Things have been going pretty smooth considering we doubled the size of our family 8 months ago. The kids have transitioned very smoothly into our family. Really, the only issues we've had worth speaking about have been space related. There always seems like there is someone around... no privacy. We have to think of creative ways to spend time alone. Late night car rides, banning all kids from our bedroom ( for some reason our bedroom is the family gathering place!), making all the kids go out to the back yard and locking the door (actually that is where they are now! lol!). We're not mean... if someone comes up to the window and they're bleeding we'll let them in.

There has been drama here and there though. Like last week, we had to take our new puppy to the animal hospital (we bought a 6 week old white boxer several weeks ago). It's seems as though when the kids were out in the backyard playing with water balloons, they had the pack of balloons on the ground, and the dog decided to eat all of them. That's right, all of them! About 150 to be exact. It was funny at first... seeing brightly colored piles of doggy doo doo laying around the yard. But after a day or so we weren't seeing anymore balloons, exiting, if you know what I mean, and Bella (the puppy) was getting very lethargic not wanting to play. We knew there was a problem... so off to the Vet we went. She had to stay all day and got to come home late that night. So, to say the least, we had a family meeting and I confiscated all balloons in the house.

Mary Jane is homeschooling all the kids. She is my hero. Really... she is. She is doing an amazing job. It has been tough at times and I know that she has wanted to strangle me and the kids, but she perseveres and presses on. The way she does what she does is amazing... being wife, mom, school teacher, housekeeper... it's really amazing.

We are in the process of trying to find a new home (bigger) so that we can all eat at the same table, have a room to home school the kids in, and a room that everyone can hang out in (other than my bedroom!). We'll have to see what God does. We put our home on the market several weeks ago but nothing yet. We are very content though. Even if we don't get another house, we're content. That's such a cool place to be in. To have a bigger house would be great but not mandatory. It seems as though in times past we were always striving to upgrade something or get the newest 'whatever'... but not now. We've really changed our outlook on life. We've acquired an eternal outlook rather than a temporal one. Not that we can't have nice things or that we have to dress in rags and drive vehicles that are on their last leg... because we don't. What I am saying is that acquiring things is not our main goal and focus. Actually you are probably going to think we're crazy... but listen to this... "We think that at some point we are going to adopt more children." I know it sounds crazy but we're praying about a different situations that we know of right now. We are waiting on a few things to happen then we will let everyone know. Long term, our dream is to eventually have a property large enough to put dorms on and take in multiple children and give them a home and a family. Now this is farther down the road but we believe it will happen. This will be large enough that we won't be able to do it alone. Will have to employ staff members to help with the children... kind of like a big children's home. So, just watch and see. Pray for us and agree that God will bring to pass the things he has put in our heart.

Well, that's about it right now but I will try to blog regularly again. If you are reading this and it is something that you like reading, please comment or email me at jim@dunnadoptions.org and I will keep it going. Thanks for reading.

Love ya, Jim

PS The large group picture is all of my neices, nephews, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, father-in-law, mother-in-law and our family. It's amazing to see this many people all raising their kids to be intentional followers of Christ!