Seth, Shannon, Piper and Quinn Dunlop
The story of our little family and our modern day journal

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Our baby boy has a name

I came home to the best surprise tonight. We were eating dinner and Seth asked Piper what her baby brother's name is and she told us Quinn.
Woo hoo!
My favorite.
I have loved this name forever. Quinn is my maiden name. It is strong and unique, just like our son will be.
Both my mom's side and my dad's side of the family are brilliant people. They are hard workers and very accomplished. I am lucky to have come from such amazing people.
I love that Piper's name came from my mom's side and Quinn's name from my dad's side.
We are still working on a middle name.


Friday, January 21, 2011

Simplifying Life

We recently made the decision to disconnect our cable and I can't tell you how liberating it is.

I have never been a big television watcher. Even as a child I thought it was boring. People will ask me if I remember a certain show, and the answer is often no. Seth loves the occasional Jazz game and cooking show, but he isn't really a TV guy either. I hate paying certain bills, and cable was at the top of my list. We had basic cable and it was $70 a month. That is $840 a year. That is a lot of money.
I have never wanted my children to be couch potatoes. Childhood obesity and diabetes are a worldwide epidemic. So for $11 a month we have Netflix and watch pretty much whatever we want when we want. Piper has her videos that she loves to watch over and over.
I wouldn't say that I am cheap, but rather frugal and a minimizer of waste.
So this whole cable business has got me thinking about what else I can save on. I am obsessed about leaving lights on and letting water run. We canceled our home phone and use our cell phones instead. I took a look at our garbage bill and you can get the smaller green can which is less expensive than the bigger green can. This also forces you to recycle more. The blue can is free. You would think it was the great depression. I think I spent a bit of time with my grandma growing up, and her mentality rubbed off on me.
I just want to focus funds on more important things like vacations, trips to the salon and college funds.
I'm not sure if it is humans as a whole or just Americans, but I think it is very easy to get into the rat race of believing we need all this unnecessary crap. Stop and think about what it really costs, do you really need it, how much do you have to work to afford it, and the biggest issue of all, how much time do you have to spend away from your children to pay for it.
Is it really worth it??

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Our Baby Boy







It's official. Seth and I have a son.
WOW. I am so excited. You always wonder how many children you will have. Will it be a boy or girl. I can truthfully say that I have never cared. Seth confessed that if he could design it any way he would have a girl first, and then a boy. We haven't chosen a name yet. I am thinking Piper is going to love having a little brother. I imagine my son loving me and being protective of me the way that Southern boys are with their mothers. I will teach him to be a gentleman. To love and respect all life. Seth and Piper and I will introduce him to hiking and bugs and the stars. I pray he will always love his older sister and take care of her. I am hoping he and his cousin Ronan, who will probably be more like his brothers, will not raise to much hell.
Most of all I hope he is born healthy and happy.
Until then my love we will wait anxiously for your arrival.
July 14, 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

Just Us Girls

For the last two plus years it has just been Piper and I plus daddy. We spend a lot of time together. We sleep in, eat breakfast together, go to lunch. We are just a momma and baby in love. Pretty soon we are going to have another little love in our circle, so I am taking every opportunity I can to spend every second I can alone with my daughter. I can't wait to meet my new child, but this time we have together right now is so precious to me. We will never get it back.





Friday, January 7, 2011

Moving On

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=475&ad=13914097&cat=279

I'm crossing my fingers that our house will sell. We found a house we love, and Seth and I actually agreed on it. Hold cow. Whatever happens it will be ok. At least we have a warm home to go to. This is a lot more than most people have. I have to remember that thru this process. We have each other, our health, good jobs and lots of love. I would love to add a 1950s rambler on a fantastic street to that list, but only time will tell.