Life Book Entry #2

Some time ago, I copied into this blog the very first entry I typed into our Life Book. For those of you that are not familar a Life Book is a book that chronicles the story of our adopted daughter's journey to and in our family. Much like a baby book with a different spin for adopted children.

Below is the lastest entry that I typed, printed and put into her Life Book, scrapbook. It just shares our heart with our little girl and with you. Maybe when she is 15 and full of attitude thinking no one loves her, she can look through this pages and see way back in May 2012, we wanted her.

Dear Sweet Girl,

Each month we get an email telling us about how Ethiopian adoptions are going: the pace of the process and what number we are on the waiting list.

It seems to us that the list is not getting short enough fast enough, because we want to meet you, hold you and add you to our family pictures right now.

We also know that you may not be born yet, and so the list cannot move too fast because we are meant to be matched with YOU. In short, we know God has already matched us. So, really the timing is perfect.

Connor drew a picture in his kindergarten class of our family from shortest to tallest, and he included you (of course you were the shortest). Kellen continues to want to buy you an outfit every time we are in the store, and Grady “practices” holding any baby he can so he “will be good with you.”

Every night when the six of us say prayers together, we pray for you and your birth family. We know they are special people who wanted the absolute best for their little girl. What a selfless thing they will do! We will not take that act for granted and will be forever grateful that you are a Dunlea.

Love Mom, Dad and the boys.

Working Cows

We just had a wonderful weekend working cows: branding the babies and giving the mom's their vitamin shots and such, before they head out to get fat on grass for the summer. It is nice to be at a stage (for a while) where there is no baby crawling in the dirt, and for the most part the boys know where they can go and where they can't. Makes the time much more enjoyable for mom. It was a time to enjoy working with friends and be thankful for the calf crop that we have.

Grady was actually very helpful this year. For the first time, we turned the 7 year old out to ride his horse with the big boys. He helped sort and move the cows and calves in and out of the work area. His horse JD is the best horse in the world for a young guy: smart, and responsive to Grady and the ultimate in chill.

Love the hat! Of course, he would not go look for the one that was not beat up and destroyed. Oh Well!

We even let them run the hot shot and move the cows up the shoot. It was nice that they did a great job and had fun working.

Part of this year's calf crop.

Our Brand. Dennis got this a few years before we were married. He had a hard time finding a brand that was approved by the Ag department. Finally, was able to get this for, Dennis Jeremiah Dunlea. I say it was God's divine intervention, because now it stands for Dennis and Jana Dunlea:)