School's Started

 We have just completed our second week of school and everyone seems to be adjusting well to the school routine. I was very nervous about how we would get to school on time when day to day I didn't know if Elah would be needing to nurse when it was time to go. It has all been working out great and Elah has only screamed once coming home from school because she was ready to eat. We are definitely a sight to see walking to and from school. I carry Elah on me in my wrap, push Bo and Abby in our double stroller and then Davey and Cassia normally run ahead excitedly.

First Day of School!
 I cried seeing how big they both look and are.

 Davey is enjoying 1st grade. On the first day of school he was excited to tell me that his "desk has a cubby underneath it!" It is his first time having a real desk. The first week of school Davey was so proud that he was the "Brilliant Brave," which is their student of the week. He and a friend of his choice got to have lunch on the stage. Instead of picking one of his best friends he picked a new girl in his class because she hadn't ever gotten to eat on the stage. Davey has been waking up at 6:30 on his own the past few days. It turned out to be a good thing yesterday. I accidentally slept in after it being a hard night with Elah. When I came out of my room I found Davey in the kitchen dressed and shoes on, half way done making his lunch. He proceeded to make his whole lunch while I got breakfast ready. 

 Cassia absolutely loves being in kindergarten. We are all excited that she has the same teacher Davey had last year. Her favorite part of school right now is art class. She loves getting to paint and do crafts. The first day of school she came home telling me she has a best friend. It turns out it is a boy. The end of the first week of school I got a chance to briefly talk to Cassia's teacher, who told me she is doing great in school and that she has become great friends with this boy and that they hold hands all the time. Honestly, this kind of freaked me out a bit. I knew it was a very innocent thing, but still felt like we needed to talk about it. Last night Cassia and I went out to ice cream and I asked her why she liked to hold this boy's hand. She said she didn't know, but she knew why he likes to hold her hand, "because his hands are always cold and mine are warm". I love how innocent she still is, but can see my baby girl isn't so much of a baby anymore. Dave just thinks it is time to buy a shotgun. 

Nap Time!
 I have found Boaz sleeping perpendicular in his bed with his feet on the wall, on the floor, and even in Davey's bed wearing Davey's baseball hat.

 I have been enjoying my mornings with the 3 younger kiddos. We move a little slower and I don't push to do lots of chores. We just enjoy our time and do the chores together. Boaz loves to help wipe down the table with me and even enjoys scrubbing the toilet. Abigail has really taken to being the oldest in the mornings. She sits with Boaz eating his breakfast while I nurse Elah. Then Abby plays with Elah while I get Boaz dressed. She brings me my nursing pillow when it is time to feed Elah. She tells me she will be brave and get it from my room without the light on, since she can't reach the light switch.

Helping mommy make biscuits.

My fairy princess Abby making biscuits.

Boaz not only got flour on his nose, but all over his shorts too!

Play time with Elah!

 Elah had her 2 month well check this last Thursday. She is 11 lbs 7oz and 23 inches long, both being in the 50th-75th percentile. The bad news is the Dr. suspects she has thrush, so we both need to be on medicine to get it all cleared up. Other than that she is perfectly healthy, growing great, and so adorable!

Daddy reading a bedtime story to his girls.

Labor Day weekend we decided to sight see Austin. Here we are enjoying swimming in a natural spring pool.

Me and my little Elah at the springs. The water was too cold for her to get in.

Elah Grace Dunham

 Well, it has been a little over 6 weeks since the birth of our little girl. Elah Grace Dunham was born on July 2nd. She weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 20 inches long. Elah and Abigail are tied for our heaviest baby and Elah is also our shortest baby. The birth went smoothly resulting in my 4th successful VBAC!

I got to hold Elah right after she was born. You can kind of see she came out pretty purple.

One of my absolute favorite feelings is that of a newborn laying on my chest.

With Elah being our heaviest and shortest she was born with the cute baby rolls!

The kids getting to meet Elah for the first time. Boaz isn't pictured because he was a little more intrigued with the buttons on my bed.

Boaz getting to hold Elah. Can you  just see he is bursting excitement? 

All the kids (and Nana and Grandpa) admiring their baby sister.

 I am so thankful for the help we got from both our parents and I know the kids had so much fun with their grandparents. My biggest fear in the hospital after having Elah was that I wouldn't get to snuggle and enjoy her as much as I did with the other kids because I would need to care for the other kids as well. But thanks to all the help from our moms I had almost a whole month to recover, rest, and snuggle with Elah! Unfortunately our visitors had to go back home to California, but we are now enjoying getting into a routine of 5 kiddos and I am loving it. Some days and nights are better than others, and even though I am a little sleep deprived I truly enjoy getting to spend all day with all my kids. They bring me so much joy!

This is what Elah and I did for the first month of her life!

 Elah is the easiest baby. She has been a great eater/nurser since she was born, and she is a wonderful sleeper. I remember with Boaz I prayed for him to be a good nurser after all the struggles we had with Abigail, but he was a horrible sleeper. He wouldn't go to bed till very late at night and would be up many times to nurse. I remember someone telling me maybe I should have prayed for him to be a good nurser and a good sleeper. So this time around I did pray for Elah to eat and sleep well, and praise God she does!

Taking a nap in the playroom while the rest of us play.

Elah at 6 weeks old is just starting to give real smiles. Dave is better at getting her to smile than I am.

 Our next challenge is going to be getting to school on time. Davey and Cassia have been counting down the days till school starts, only 10 more days. Cassia is super excited to go to kindergarten, and Davey is just as excited to start 1st grade. Last weekend we did our school shopping, next week we find out who their teachers are and get to go to their classrooms, then the following Monday is the first day of school.

Boaz helping Daddy fix the Jimmy.

Not sure if you can see, Bo has a wrench he is "using" on the lug nuts.

Boaz loved getting to see under the Jimmy.

Today I had all the kids helping me with different recipes  Davey did a great job cutting up the veggies to go with the dip he made.

May Fun

 May was a fun month with lots going on and things ending. Davey's T-ball season ended. Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. Getting the kids out the door on time was hard enough and I never remembered to bring the camera. Thanks to our good friends we got a couple pictures. Davey had a great season and it was neat to see he him improve so much. By the end of the season he was able to hit the ball into the outfield and got a handful of outs playing first base and pitcher. Many hits go straight to the pitcher position to then throw to first for an out. 

Davey and Hunter having fun in the dugout.

Cassia and Judah (Hunter's brother) watching the game. One of the few times she actually sat and watched  instead of running around playing.

Davey getting his trophy at closing ceremonies.

 For Mother's Day we went to a local state park and enjoyed hiking some trails. It was beautiful as we walked to some waterfalls and through some beautiful wildflowers. A wonderful day enjoying time as a family. I definitely felt so blessed and special to be a mother to 4 sweet kiddos and a little girl on the way.

 Speaking of that little girl on the way, we finally decided on a name. She will be named Elah Grace Dunham. Elah is pronounced just like Ella. It is from the Bible and is the valley where the story of David and Goliath takes place. The Brook of Elah is where David finds the 5 stones to fight. The Valley of Elah is where David trusts God to give him the ability to defeat the giant Goliath. 

A family picture from our hike. Here is a full belly shot to see little Elah is growing big.

Me and my sweet kiddos hiking for Mother's Day.

Another fun family picture!

 On May 22nd Dave and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. To celebrate we decided to take a mini family vacation at the beach over Memorial Day weekend. We stayed just between Port Aransas and Corpus Christi. We enjoyed one day in Port Aransas at the beach. Davey and Cassia enjoyed getting about waist deep, splashing and jumping in the waves. Abigail loved jumping through the water as it flowed up onto the beach and running from it. She would squeak and squeal with delight. Poor Boaz was not a fan. Dave and I both carried him as we enjoyed the water, but the minute his toes touched the water he would whimper and cry. However, he did really enjoy digging in the sand and playing with the sand toys.
 We enjoyed the next day in Corpus Christi at the USS Lexington. It is an aircraft carrier from World War II that has been turned into a museum. It was very interesting with planes on top and lots to see on the different decks. We were only able to see maybe half of the ship as it was a lot of walking and steep stairs for little Bo and Abby, and this pregnant mom too. That night Abby was complaining her legs hurt. Poor little girl, my body was so sore from all the walking I can only imagine how sore her's was as she walked the whole way as well. Made me realize what great kiddos we have. Not one of them complained of being tired or hot and little Boaz was starting to get crabby from being hungry, but still demanded to climb the stairs all by himself.

The family in front of the USS Lexington.

The kids enjoyed climbing all over the artillery.

Davey was able to move the gun up and down.

Cassia couldn't move it on her own, but still loved sitting up there.

On the top deck were lots of planes to enjoy.

Sitting in the plane and pushing buttons. Look at all that hair!

The last day of May was also Davey's last day of kindergarten. I still can't believe that his whole first year of school has already gone by. It has been a great year and Davey has learned so much. He is excited to start summer. I told him we would be doing some school work during summer and doing the summer reading program at the library. When we got home from school he was anxious to start doing some school work right away. 

Davey with his friends, Ryan and Jaydon.

Davey with his teacher Ms. Hewitt. We had such a great year and were so blessed with her as his teacher.

Finally A New Update

 I am so sorry it has been way too long since my last post! We have figured things out with posting pictures so my goal now is to post, at the very least, once a month. Since I haven't been blogging I also have been slacking on taking pictures of the kids. So here are a few pictures from our recent birthdays, and I will be striving to take more pictures to share with you.

Abby's cake that we made together. Cassia has to cover her mouth to keep from helping Abby blow out the candles.

On the train after a fun day at the zoo. Abby chose to have their friend Hudson come celebrate  her day with us.

Cassia on her first horse ride! All she wanted to do for her birthday was ride a pony. So we went to the kiddie amusement park that had pony rides too. Can you see the excitement!

Davey and Cassia got to ride together, but Abby was too scared to ride.

At the kiddie amusement park they all enjoyed the rides. Boaz might have enjoyed them the most!

The boys enjoying the first ride.

Abby wasn't a big fan of the planes, but really enjoyed the cars. 

For Dave's birthday we celebrated with a camping trip at a wheeling adventure park.  We had a great weekend with riding motorcycles and wheeling in the Jimmy. Here are Abby and Davey ready for their ride.

Davey and Abby before their ride.

Davey and Cassia before their ride. The helmet Cassia is wearing was her birthday present and her first time getting to use it. She was kind enough to let Abby use it too. We even tried it on Boaz and his head is so big it fits great, but needs to build up some strength in his neck to support it.

Davey and Cassia with Dave ready to go on their ride.

Boaz on our camping trip for Dave's birthday. The smile is much cuter without the pacifier, but it was nice to have the pacifier for camping to keep him from eating the rocks and sticks.

 The kids are doing well and growing way too fast. Last month we signed Cassia up for kindergarten and it is hard to believe that Davey is almost done with kindergarten and moving on to first grade. Cassia told me that she is most excited to go to kindergarten because that will mean that Abigail will have to do the cleaning while she is at school. I have been so impressed with how much Davey has learned this year. He is a full reader now and my absolute favorite time with him is in the morning. Before he goes to school and before the other kids have woken up we sit on the couch and read a little out of his Bible. When we started I was reading the Bible to him. Then he would read the words he knew and I would read the rest. Now he reads pretty much every word. It is so precious to hear his sweet voice reading God's Word.
 I love seeing Abby and Boaz's personalities blossoming. Abby is definitely my girly girl. She loves having her nails painted and wants to wear a skirt everyday, with her necklace of course. Boaz is a little ham that loves to do everything his big brother and sisters are doing. He runs everywhere and is so expressive in his words and squeals.
 I think most of you know that I am pregnant with #5 and it is a girl! We are still working on a name and Cassia loves to come up with new and interesting names for the baby. I am about 28 weeks and starting my 3rd trimester. I just had an ultrasound earlier this week and the baby is doing great. A couple more months and I will get to hold this beautiful new girl and hopefully have a name for her before then. Her due date is July 15th.
 Dave is doing well and working hard. Last Monday he had his retake for the seismic exam to get his California Professional Engineering Licence  He has had a long past few months studying and preparing and we pray that he is able to pass. We are anxious to find out, but unfortunately wont get the results till early July. We are also trying to get one last wheeling/motorcycle/camping trip in before it gets too unbearably hot here.
 God has blessed us in so many ways, but we do hate having to be so far away from friends and family. We hope you all are doing well and I hope to be better about this blog so there is at least some contact to bridge the distance.

Joys In Everyday Life

This past week I have been really missing family. Since we live so far away we had to miss out on Cousin Elliott's first birthday as well as a Dunham family vacation in Fort Bragg. It breaks my heart to be missing out on my nephews' lives and that my kids don't get as much time with grandparents as they would like. With all these emotions God continues to remind me of the many blessings we have here in Texas and how He is using each of us here to serve Him. I pray one day God will use us a little closer to family :) As I look over the pictures from these past few weeks I am so thankful for all God has given us and continues to bless us with.

Walking to school rain or shine.

The girls love holding their own umbrellas or as Abby says "Burlelala"

Davey walking the girls to the door with the umbrella.

 Over Labor Day weekend our good friends the Herrons come out to Waco and we enjoyed a fun filled day visiting with them. For Texas it was a beautiful day, not over 100 and a nice breeze. We spent the day at the zoo, which is a favorite place in our family, swam in the hotel pool, and ended the day with a wonderful dinner. Last year for labor day we drove out to visit them, and it was fun to share with each other what has happened in the last year and see how much their kids had grown. It seems like it is becoming a tradition for Labor Day. Next year I guess it is our turn to make the drive:)

Cassia and Colin at the zoo.

Abby and Emma playing with the gongs.

Enjoying the splash pad at the zoo. 

 A couple weeks ago we had parent night at Davey's school. Unfortunately Dave had a last minute trip to New York for work and wasn't able to go. So, we took lots of pictures to show him Davey's class, favorite things, and projects he has been working on.

Davey's class pet, a lizard named Sandy.

Davey with his painting. His is the one with the red headband just to his left.

The marble jar! The class has already filled it up twice and had two parties.

The family sitting at Davey's table.

 We have been getting into a good routine with school, and Cassia has really stepped up into the "oldest" role at home. She is a big help with chores as well as helping with Bo and Abby. We have also been making it a priority to work on school with her. She is doing a great job and loving the extra time spent together. As we go through her letters she knows them all, but still mixes up W,M,and U.

Cassia during her school. Of course we need to be dressed as a princess while we learn.

 Davey's T-Ball game was canceled this last weekend due to rain, but here are some pictures from our first game. I was so nervous when he hit the ball it went straight to the pitcher that then threw it to first. Luckily, the first baseman didn't catch the ball and Davey was safe. Then as he ran home he slid over home plate. He was so excited and I am so proud of my boy.

Just waiting to start the first game.

Davey sliding home!

So proud of making it home.

My baseball player!

 Boaz has hit some big milestones these past few weeks. Not only is he crawling everywhere, he is now pulling himself up to standing! He gets so proud of himself that flaps his arms and sometimes falls back down. Bo had a weight check due to dropping growth percentiles at his 9 month appointment. At the check he weighed in at 19lbs 2oz, back on his original growth curve. I was not surprised as he seems to be eating everything in sight and not cutting back any nursing. Thanks Mom for the baby food maker. It has been getting a lot of use and I love how easy it is to use!

Boaz helping Dave install his new stereo in the blazer. 

Got to standing all by himself! Look how proud he is.