Transition to CA

Last time I posted we had just found out we were going to move back to California. From that post on our lives have been crazy. School has just started for Davey and Cassia. With school starting it feels like life is finally settling down and no longer in transition. A new normal pace and routine is starting for us here that we haven't had since before packing up in Texas. There is a peace and comfort in finally feeling like this is home and we belong.
 Before I go on with our lives now I want to share what has been going on with us these past 8 months. This is a long post. If you aren't up to reading the whole thing I hope you enjoy the pictures and check out the video of the kids near the end :) January was filled with packing, living out of boxes, visiting with friends and getting as much time in before having to say goodbye. February 1st we packed up and started the move to California. Once here our lives were filled with unpacking, figuring out Dave working from home, and starting to create our lives here with church, school, and family. The transition here was a lot harder and emotional than I expected. Davey and Cassia did great starting a new school in the middle of the year, but there were struggles and sadness in making friends, learning the class routine, and finding their way around a new school.  We are going to the church Dave grew up in and where we went every time we came to visit so we aren't really new, but we are new to the church as we haven't regularly attended and lived life with this congregation. As we pushed ourselves to be active in getting our lives here going - in volunteering at school, doing a bible study as well as a small group, enjoying family dinner night and time with family, creating a regular weekly date night (which Dave and I have never been able to do) our pace of life and routine felt crazy and different. All of it was good and such a blessing to have in our lives, but took time to adjust to it. There were also changes in Dave's work situation. He now is working from home, actually in our garage. He is in a different position than he was in Texas, which requires more travel. The travel is still totally worth giving up commuting 2 hours everyday. There were adjustments to our daily routine and having him be a part of breakfast and lunch. He now gets off work and has a couple hours before dinner rather than pushing dinner later so we could eat as a family. All of these changes are answers to prayers and dreams we have had for our lives, but also required adjusting that I didn't anticipate.

Missing our Texas church family!

 Through the move and all the transitions we continue to praise God for His hand in it all. The house we decided to rent has worked out on so many levels: Dave being able to work from our garage, the bus stop for school is at our house, and the house has a great backyard for the kids and Daisy to play. Daisy hasn't even tried to escape. In church there was a small group starting up right when we were looking for one. We were praying about where to serve at church, feeling like possibly Jr. High if there was a need. The first Sunday we were asked if we might consider helping out in Jr. high. I have had many ups and downs emotionally in these past 8 months and God has been so present through it all. I was completely overwhelmed once we moved here. I was trying to make my old routine work here in our new lives. I have always struggled with feeling that I needed to do everything all the time: keep a clean house, care for a family of 7, be present and active with school, serve at church, and invest in others' lives. Then on top of all that I wanted so badly to visit our Fernley church family and see those friends we haven't seen in years. In Texas God was working on me, teaching me to let Him guide me in priorities and what our day would hold. Once we moved it became impossible to do everything I thought I needed to and wanted to do. I had many mornings of crying out to God so overwhelmed. God continues to remind me to let Him set the priorities for the day and the routine. In doing His priorities that may mean my idea of what needs to be done doesn't really need to be done and I need to let go of my expectation. Some days are busy with chores and activities, and some days my kids just need me to forget about the dishes stacking up, laundry needing to be folded or boxes that still need to be unpacked. They need me to just sit with them, read a book, play a game, or go on a hike. God reminds me that getting time to go out to visit our friends will come, but in time. Not everything is meant to happen right now. Letting go of my expectations is a hard lesson for me to get through my thick head. He was teaching me in Texas, and He continues to humble me and teach me now. I am truly thankful that God doesn't give up on me. The days that I listen and give my day and expectations to God there is so much peace, joy, and freedom. I look forward to the day that it becomes easier to do.
 Ok, enough about me and our transitions. Thank you all for your prayers and support over this year. It has been hard, but a blessing as well. God is good! We have had a very fun busy year so far. In May Dave and I celebrated our 10th anniversary and got a weekend away in Tahoe. We have been out rock crawling and motorcycle riding. We went to our annual 4th of July camping trip and got to go down to San Diego for my Gram's 80th birthday. Dave has been doing business trips down to LA frequently and the kids and I have gotten to tag along a few times and enjoy a mini vacation. Now, a quick overview of the kids.

Those crazy kids!

Taking a break on our work day at Grandpa Smith's house.

 Elah turned one July 2nd. She is not walking yet and didn't even start to crawl till after she turned 1. She now is crawling everywhere, standing up as much as possible and seems anxious to start walking. She is a sweet fun loving little girl. She loves getting the other kids to laugh at meals and is the most ticklish of all our kids. She absolutely loves Dave throwing her in the air. The higher the better! She also has a stubborn vocal side, that has to come from her daddy ;) She glares and screams at the girls if they try to unbuckle her car seat, only wants mommy to do that. She will crawl over and take food or toys right out of Boaz's hand, and he doesn't give them up easily.

Elah was dedicated on Mother's day. It was special to have her dedicated and prayed for by Pastor Scott who married us just 10 years earlier.

Look who's 1 and loving cupcakes! She cried when she didn't get a second cupcake.

Proud little girl for getting brother's gun.

Elah is a little fish that not only loves being in the water she also gets her arms and legs doing the breaststroke on her back.

Elah's first bike ride. Boaz wasn't quite as excited as Elah.

 Boaz is all boy, kindhearted and full of energy.. He loves motorcycles, 4 wheeling, monster trucks, guns, and airplanes. First thing in the morning he needs a few minutes of snuggles before he starts the day. Then he seems to be bouncing the rest of the day, literally jumping all the time. He is potty training and is so proud to be a big boy. He tells complete strangers he is wearing big boy underwear and goes on the potty. He loves seeing the school bus and can't wait till he turns 5 so he can go on the bus, and he wants to be 6 so he can ride motorcycles.

Bo's first hair cut before . . .

and after haircut. Amazing how much older he looks from just a haircut.

Boaz loved sitting on Grandpa Smith's quad.

Wheeling with the cousins!

Sweet Abigail 

My girls first thing in the morning!

Making sandcastles at the beach.

 Abigail still loves playing dress up and playing with her babies. She loves the movie Frozen and always wants her hair just like Elsa. Her hair is finally getting long enough to do a braid like Elsa! She has gotten really good at her Strider bike that doesn't have pedals and has just started going on a two wheel bike with no training wheels. She is a big help around the house with chores and is the best at folding her laundry and hanging up her dresses that she wears often.

Cassia showing me a praying mantis she found in the yard.

Cassia's first time riding a motorcycle. She's a natural!

Cassia sitting and playing with Elah. Such a great big sister.

 I am so proud of the girl Cassia is becoming. She has a kind heart and is always looking for ways to help others. She is starting 1st grade and reading beautifully. She loves doing crafts and makes bracelets for everyone she can think of. Her hair is getting long and beautiful and she wants to keep growing it until it is long enough to donate to make wigs. She is a huge help with the younger kiddos. She loves holding Elah's hands trying to teach her to walk.

Davey was excited to have a mustache like Uncle Paul's!

Davey and Dave playing motorcycle Frisbee golf. They even popped a wheelie off the starting line!

My Boys!

 Davey is growing up quickly. He starts 2nd grade this year. He loves reading chapter books and has been enjoying lots of nonfiction books. We have been working on swimming this summer and he is getting pretty good at freestyle. He loves riding his bike and his motorcycle. Over memorial day weekend he did a 46 mile ride round trip. He had a couple good crashes, but got back on and kept going. He and Cassia  have started soccer practice and are excited to be on the same team with each other as well as with some friends from church.
 The kids all have some great news to share . . .

We were excited to find out I am pregnant with baby #6! I always wonder if the kids are tired of having little brothers and sisters and want to be done, but they are so excited for another baby. Everyone we meet they love to share that mommy has a baby in her belly. Cassia said she is hoping for twin boys. I am guessing I am around 8 weeks. My first appointment with the doctor and ultrasound is next Wednesday.
 Sorry for such a long post and how long it has been since I have written. This has been something I had to let slide to figure out life here in California, but I hated not having this contact with friends and family far away. Hopefully I will be able to write more often and post pictures of our crazy family of (soon to be) 8 people!

Merry Christmas

We want to wish all our family and friends a very merry Christmas! Unfortunately in the middle of our crazy busy December I came down with a horrible sickness. The doctor never determined what it was, but I cant remember the last time I was so sick. It took me out for about a week and a half so I had to let go of doing some of our Christmas traditions this year. One of them was our Christmas cards. It is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season to be able to keep in touch with friends and family that we don't get to see regularly. So, my hope is that this can be our "Christmas card" this year. I pray that you all have had a wonderful Christmas season and are now enjoying time with family celebrating the birth of our savior. Not sure if it is from being sick, but I have been reminded and moved to tears this season by thinking of what all Mary, Joseph, and Jesus went through in the birth of Jesus. I know when hardships come my way I throw a pity party. I am extremely thankful for Mary's response to the angel "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."Luke 1:38 and that Jesus out of his great love for us would go through birth, life, and death here on earth to save us. Praise God and what a joyful reason to celebrate Christmas! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Dunham Family!!!

 This December has also been full of amazing blessings and answered prayers. At the beginning of the month Dave was offered a position in his company that will allow him to work remotely so we are able to move back to California close to family. We have been so blessed here in Texas, made wonderful friends, had 3 kids, and 2 kids started school with wonderful teachers. We will greatly miss our friends here and the relationships we have made, but we are extremely excited to be close to family, be apart of our nephews' and niece's lives, and live in the snow! Right now we are visiting family for Christmas and looking at houses. We will be moving February 1st! Since Dave will be able to work from home we will get to enjoy so much more time with him without the hour long commutes he has had to endure.
 As we were in the car just buckled to set out on our drive for California Dave got an email from the Board of Engineers letting him know he passed his CA Seismic test! He is now a professional licensed engineer! I am so excited for Dave and so extremely proud of him.
 2014 is looking to be quite an exciting year full of changes; new state to live in, new house, new position for Dave, new school for the kids, new church, and more time with family. God is so good, has answered so many prayers, has provided and continues to provide abundantly for our family. Praise God and Merry Christmas!

Past 2 Months

Lots has happened since I blogged last, almost 2 months ago! Sorry for the delay. I think the easiest way to touch on everything is to post pictures and explain. Hope you enjoy!

Boaz loves riding his car all over the house. For the longest time Davey or Cassia would push him around, but after Bo got his foot run over many times he learned to enjoy doing it on his own.

The weather has finally cooled off and we celebrated by having a picnic lunch enjoying the time outside.

Who knew cleaning the couches could be so fun. They took turns jumping off the lounge chair and crashing into the cushions. Even Bo took a turn jumping on the cushions.

Sweet girls getting ready for church.

At the end of August our church closed its doors. We had been praying for awhile what God's direction for the church was. We were thankful to know God's plan, but sad to see it end. After trying a handful of different churches we have found a new church home that we all enjoy. Even Elah has been doing good in the nursery.

Love that Elah wakes up with a big smile to see me!

Davey lost his first tooth!

Cassia has learned to ride her bike with no training wheels! Dave had her start on Davey's old bike since it is smaller than her purple bike. Even though she was a little scared, she did a great job and has moved up to riding her purple bike.

Near the end of October we made it out to the farm to go through the huge corn maze shaped like Texas. If you found all 12 town signs in the maze you got a free drink. After almost 2 hours of walking we had found 10 and called it quits. 

Family picture in the wild flowers

Love putting pink on Elah, makes her blue eyes stand out. Hoping  they stay blue!

Elah a bee, Boaz a monkey, Abigail a ladybug, Davey a cowboy, and Cassia a butterfly.

On Halloween Davey and Cassia got to dress up for school as long as they were a book character and brought the book to school. Davey was Woody from Toy Story and Cassia was the Hungry Caterpillar when he turns into a butterfly. Well, Abby wanted to get her costume on too. So she was a ladybug all day long. When we walked to pick Davey and Cassia up from school she flapped her arms and jumped to fly all the way to school. We opted to not go trick-or-treating and had a fun night at our friends' house carving/painting pumpkins and playing in the backyard. 

Davey carved his own pumpkin all by himself.

 After almost 4 years of living in Texas we finally made it out to our first Longhorns Game! We were up as high as you could go and had a great view of the game, which we won!

After refusing anything plastic (toys, pacifier, bottle) for the first 4 months of her life Elah is starting to really enjoy her Sofie the Giraffe and pacifiers. Next up to try is the bottle!

At 4 months old Elah has learned to roll over! Her first time was for my mom when I was volunteering at the school. It took all day before I got to see her do it and then it took a couple of weeks before I got pictures. She rolls back to tummy then gets so frustrated with being on her tummy. Looking forward to when she will be able to roll tummy to back.

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.