I really LOVE my feet!

One year later...

It's been one year since our move from Maryland to Iowa. I was going through old posts last night and remembering what that time was like. It's like flipping through a journal. Except when I go back through old acutal hand written journal entries they usually make me remember moments that I had forgotten about or laugh. These did the opposite. They recalled all the hard things we went through as a family and the individual struggles I had during that time.

This past year has been the absolute hardest one of my life. Making the move was incredibly difficult as I've said before. I had to leave behind my church family and friends in Maryland. You see I've never been a member of a church before and to have to say goodbye...well it was just too much on some days. There are days or moments when this still rings true to my heart and makes me very sad. So many things here are different than from what we left. However not all of those changes are bad! Here we have sidewalks, parks within walking distance, and little friends to play with right around the corner (literally).

The kids are a year older and we've added another child! Sara brings SO much joy to me it's hard to believe she was the source of so much uncertainty one year ago. She is the living reminder that God speaks to me personally and knows what's best for me even better than I do.

Making this transition to Iowa has brought fun things too! For example, we are now raising our kids on a college campus. They are at the Homecoming football game with daddy which is being played in the brand new stadium. It's big news around here and we're excited to be a part of it. It's fun to take them to campus and let the RUN crazy and then visit daddy in his office. It's fun to have the students come over every Sunday night for dinner so that Jim can have a bible study with them after. It's fun to see that we can make friends here too, that Kindergarten exists other places than just So. MD. :) Its' fun to be a part of MOPS and to be a table leader and care for women who need a shoulder to cry on like I needed last year. It's fun to have woods in the backyard so that daddy can take the kids exploring.

So it is with gladness that I remember this time. That it's over, that I don't have to pack everyone up and move, that we have carved out a spot for ourselves, that we have survived as a family. With a sigh of relief I say "whew we made it through the first year."

Good job Team Gunn.

Oweeeee......

Ella Jane took a tumble today on the way home from school. It happened so fast I didn't even see her fall. But I did see the tail end of her rolling. Down the concrete sidewalk. And then came the tears. Oh the tears. And oh the scrapes! These were taken at dinner a few hours later. She's trying to avoid getting her picture taken and I thought it seemed like a good sequence to post. I love that she's smiling in them.

The Northwoods...

We took off for a long weekend last Thursday since Matthew didn't have school the following day. Friends of ours invited us up to their lake house in upper Wisconsin. What a wonderful time we had! This family has three boys, one of which is in Matthew's Kindergarten class and Matthew had a ball doing boy stuff all weekend. He even chose to sleep with them in the loft! Ella Jane loved her time too and both were sad to leave. We are back home now and into our routine again. Tomorrow we have open house at Matthew's school. Makes me feel like such a parent...attending an open house.

The highlights...

Dinner at Bricktown

Cheers to 10yrs.!

Signing "I'm cold"

Really excited about signing "I'm cold"

In 10yrs. of marriage we have...

Moved 6 times

Had 3 jobs

Had 3 kids

Said goodbye to the trusty white pick-up

Purchased a mini-van

and

Purchased 2 houses



I wonder what the next 10 will bring?

I do...10yrs. later

Today is that big day 10yrs. ago when Jim and I said "I do." Married for 10yrs.! Wow, what an accomplishment. We will go out to dinner as a family to celebrate and explain to the kids why it's such an important day. I can't say it's been an easy road to walk but it does make each year that much sweeter. Today we say "whew! we made it!"

Mama She-She and Betty...

Ella Jane has a funny nickname for Sara these days. Well it's only funny for the Suyetsugu's I suppose. But she gets this funny voice and says mama she-she over and over to Sara. Ella Jane and Matthew have very distinct ways of interacting with her. Matthew almost always dances or spins, while Ella Jane almost always uses the mama she-she voice.

She's also coined the name Betty onto one of her Little People toys. She talks to Betty and asks her how she's doing and so on. It's so funny to hear her in the next room talking to Betty.

Lil' camper...