Christmas 2012

One of my favorite nights of the year is tomorrow night. I LOVE Christmas Eve. I love the anticipation. I love Christmas so much because it's every one's birthday in one day. Everyone gets gifts. I love the magic of it all.You get to be with your family and eat way to much. What could be better than that. I know family can be so annoying and hard to handle some of the time, but there are so many people who are going to wake up in a cold studio apartment alone Christmas morning. Total Debbie Downer I know, but I think of these things and remember how lucky I am that we have food, warmth, some place to go and celebrate and get annoyed by our loved ones who I love dearly.
Wow it is a lot of work and money, but so worth it. I've thought about my mom a lot this year and how hard she must have worked all those years to provide so much for us on Christmas each year. She was alone and she has always made our Christmas's so spectacular. I appreciate her more and more each and every year.
Thank you so much mom!
This was my second year taking Piper to the Nutcracker. Such a wonderful tradition. She promised me she would always go with me, even when she is grown. I am going to hold her to this. If she lives out of state I will travel to where she is and show up on her door step with Nutcracker tickets. She might change her address and forget to tell me what it is, but so be it.
Having little kids makes Christmas so amazing. I have had the best time this year.

Santa photos 2012

 Piper is so smart. She would not sit on Santa's lap. She would rather stand next to him and put her requests in that way.

Quinn was not to happy about Santa. I love the Santa at Trolley Square. There is never a line, and he looks so real. Plus we get to go to Pottery Barn and Spaghetti Factory.

Our little family

 This bridge is where I had my bridal photos taken. Garden Park Ward 11 years ago. Now my exquisite children are standing on it having their photos taken. These photos are so important. We will look back on them years from now and cherish them. I want to savor every moment and every memory I can with my babies.

First family sled

We took the kids to Sugar House park this morning. It has snowed like crazy. We woke up and had our buttermilk pancakes and headed to the park. Great sledding. Pipes loves eating snow. She showed Quinn how it was done. Her hands froze and we had many, many tears all the way home. Sorry Quinn you had to wear your sisters pink boots from last year. Haven't gotten around to getting you your own. You are way man enough to handle it though. Great day!

 

Quinn 16 months old

My baby is losing his "baby face." He looks so grown up in this photo.

I love you Quinn! 

Momma

Halloween 2012

Ahhhh Halloween. You are my favorite. I look forward to you every year. It is a particularly special holiday for our family. My great grandma Ethel May Piper, who Piper was named after, was born on Halloween. Seth and I also went on our first date on Halloween.
Piper was a pink princess and Quinn was a spider. The weather was so beautiful. Warm and sunny. We went to Piper's preschool Halloween party/parade. We met friends at Patrick and Erin's house later that afternoon for snacks and trick-or-treating at 9th and 9th. Great neighborhood in SL. All the businesses hand out candy. Piper was totally into it this year and Quinn is starting to get the gist of it. His sweet little fingers would reach into the buckets and take a piece of candy. Cutest thing you have ever seen.

Dunlop pumpkins

Quinn and I brought Piper a bagel. All the other kids were eating their trick-or-treat candy and Pipes was eating her bagel. Silly peanut!

Piper's preschool photo

This is Piper's preschool photo. Second year of preschool at the U of U CFDC program. 

This beautiful little girl was a twinkle in my eye 4 years ago. I stare at this photo and can't believe my eyes. All parents love their children. We all think they are wonderful. 
My Piper is spectacular. When she speaks I am often speechless. 

11 year anniversary

Eleven years ago today at 3 pm I married Seth Thomas Dunlop. We met at age 16 and 17 at East High School. We dated forever, broke up a whole bunch, lived together for years, and then said "I do." 
I wouldn't change a thing. Marriage is hard. Let's just be honest. You change, your partner changes and so does the world. You have to find a way to keep all this change from disrupting your unity. 
I always wondered if my parents ever loved one another. I hate wondering this. For a child to know that their parents truly love each other is a gift that will give their entire lives.
I keep this blog so my children will know me and have a record of our family and our history. 

I love your father more than you will ever know. I love him more and more the older we get. I don't care if we embarrass you by kissing. I can't keep myself from kissing him.
We fight and we disagree. This is normal. How you solve your conflict is what matters. You can't promise yourself to someone for an entire lifetime and always be on the same page. It is unrealistic to think otherwise.  

When your father looks at me I feel so incredibly beautiful. He makes me laugh every day.

I hope more than anything that my children will find a partner as amazing as their father. 

We brought Piper and Quinn to the church where we got married today

First Unitarian Church in SLC. Married by Rev. Tom Goldsmith

Let it be known that this is the day Quinn discovered fry sauce. We love Crown Burger on Highland Dr. It is our special family lunch spot on Saturday. We love the Greek family who owns it. One of our family traditions.

We had dinner at Pago and saw Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. We went out for coffee and desserts at Gourmandise. It was a perfect anniversary.

 

Dunlop family update

The first snow fall happened 2 days ago. I had both of my kids at home. We were still in our PJs and played polly pockets all morning. I love this time in our lives. 
Piper is going to preschool three days a week at the U. I co-oped yesterday with her class and I can't even express how wonderful this preschool is. Piper cried as we were leaving because she wanted to stay. 
Piper is starting Kindergarten next fall at the U. I can't believe I am even saying this. She misses the deadline because of her October birthday. The U is the only school in the state that has a deadline after her birthday. Our options are to do a 3rd year of preschool, no school, or do Kindergarten at the U and then the next fall she will start Kindergarten at Uintah. So yes she will have 2 years of Kindergarten. When she enters the school system they will evaluate her and maybe move her into the first grade. I have talked to parents whose kids had 2 years of kindergarten and they loved it. So that is Piper's plan.
She loves dolls, princesses and things getting married. When she tells me her dolls got married she says "but don't worry mom. They went to college first." She takes swimming class every Monday with Emily Cannon. She is wonderful. I am determined to have my kids be excellent swimmers. It's a huge safety issue for me.
Quinn has a ferocious appetite. He eats 2 and 3 eggs for breakfast. He head butts things and has the biggest smile I have ever seen. He is a HUGE mommas boy, and I can't say that I mind it one bit. He goes to Kindermusik class every Friday and loves it. I love it to. 
Seth is working at Meta Design. He is a wonderful father and an amazing husband and my best friend in the whole world. He makes me laugh every day. I absolutely love kissing him. 
Life is busy and crazy. We don't get a lot of time together, but this is short lived. In the blink of an eye our kids will be gone all the time. I day dream about taking warm romantic trips with my Seth. I want to go to Italy with Seth and sit in a cafe and take all afternoon to share a bottle of wine and people watch. It will happen. Maybe not right now, but we will get there. 
I am working my 2 12 hour shifts in labor and delivery each week. I love my job but it is extremely stressful. I love that I can work so little and provide so much for my family. You take the good with the bad I suppose. I love sitting in my kids room with them and soaking up all their little trinkets, folding their little socks and hearing their sweet voices. Making their lunch and reading to them is just about the best life I can imagine. 
I ask myself all the time how did I get so lucky. 

Piper 4 years old

Quinn 15 months old

Adding her coins that she earns from working at Piper's Quilts.

Piper and Quinn love playing in this cupboard. The salad spinner might be one of Quinn's favorite toys.

Pumpkin patch

Sunday morning pancakes. Might be my favorite time of the week.

 

Piper turned 4

My beautiful little Piper girl turned 4 Oct. 27. We celebrated her birthday the day before at Sugar House Park. Seth made his famous chili. We had yummy chocolate princess cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy. It was one of the first brisk days of the season. The sun was warm and glorious. Patrick, Erin, Ronan, Bug, Yale, Harbertsons, Walkers, Langstons, Eli, Iris, Aiden, Quinn, Nana, Papa, and Grandma Jeanette were all there to celebrate with us.
We had the Boobiliboo clown come. She is the cutest girl. She does magic, balloons, and face painting. She was an actress is NYC and California. She was great. She made it so fun for the kids.
Happy birthday to my Piper girl. Don't grow up to fast. Today you asked me when you would be a woman. I feel like you are nearing that mark way to fast. I love watching you grow into the amazing woman that I know you will be. 
Thank you for letting me be your mother. I do my best every day to guide you, and show you the love that you shall always know. 

Ronan Patrick Quinn

This photo made me think of how much I love seeing photos of my mom when she was a young woman. For that reason I am going to try and include photos of myself so my kids can remember me as a younger woman.