A Reminder this Christmas

Whoa...........did this email I received from a friend tell me exactly what I needed to hear! Thought it might be a helpful reminder to us all.



His bright blue eyes were very round and sparkling. Christmas was coming! But with it's coming, everything seemed to change. The orderly, peaceful daily living in the home ceased; afternoon naps became irregular as the household buzzed with cookie making, housecleaning, shopping trips, and parcel wrapping. Mother had little time for her blue eyed boy and was often impatient with him. There was practicing on this song and drilling on that "piece". There were parties, entertainments, a Santa Claus who dispensed gifts to "good little children", and late hours to bed. When Christmas night arrived, there was an overstimulated, weary, confused little boy, whose blue eyed sparkle had disappeared. Is this Christmas? Is this what we covet for our children at Christmas Time?
Too often the picture described above is true to our observances in our homes, schools, and churches. The little child's Christmas experience should be of entirely different character. It should be simple and unhurried. He should have an opportunity to share something that is really his own to give and to think of the happiness of others, as well as his own desires. Times of quiet when his father or mother read to him the Christmas stories, chances to listen to beautiful Christmas music and to sing about Christmas and the Christ Child, will all nurture the child's spirit and make Christmas a holy time for him.

God makes my way perfect

Hi all.............had a bit of a challenging day today and I had to share a verse that I coincidentally ran across. Isn't it amazing how the Lord knows exactly what you need in so many ways? Even when it comes to reading his Word. Thought some of you might need a reminder that he will always be the one to get you through this journey.

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalms 18:28-32

A Time for Thanksgiving

I just wanted to share with you all how thankful I am feeling right now to be blessed with my beautiful family and friends. I've been reviewing a friends blog, who recently lost their baby girl, and I feel such a sorrow for them. It sometimes just doesn't seem right that it takes us getting on our knees, usually through trials, to see the Lord the most. Though it is so true and that being the case.....I am so thankful for my healthy little boy and girl and for the joy I get from them everyday. I am thankful that Tyler stops whatever he is doing at least 10 times a day to say, "I love you Mama" and I am thankful that Shelby only wants ME! :)

Jason came home from work last night and shared with me his experience at the fire the night before. I always just thought the Lord would protect him and bring him home to us every morning. I found peace by consistently reminded myself of my favorite verse, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" Phil 4:6. However, this time he shared that there were times when it was like a blanket of flames was over him and how when the engine went to leave, the gate had shut on them. The smoke was just like fog and the embers felt like hail (all words from his mouth). As they waited for the rookie to jump out of the engine to open the gate, the guys in the fire engine behind them were blaring their horns not knowing what was happening. I have to say that I am often guilty of saying he has such a great job.....good meals, paddle tennis, exercise time, etc., but this does help me appreciate why he does what he does. So, I am thankful for my husband and most importantly, that I have a Savior that has blessed me with all of them.

In addition, during this time of Thanksgiving, I am thanking Jesus for each and every one of you that is just the perfect addition to our lives. May you also feel blessed by this journey that he has planned for you.

Our Fall Adventures

Hi All! Yes..........we are back from our 2 week trip, but more about that later! I feel like I need to fill you in on our Fall Happenings. We had so much fun going to the pumpkin patch with the Brown Family. We all rode the Fillmore train to the patch where we got to jump in the bounce houses, ride the carousel, and of course, pick out a pumpkin. Don't you all just love the Fall Season? There's just something about the smells and chill in the air. We finally have received some chillier weather so we can get in the fall groove.

Now on to our trip.....we left on 10/21 for New York City. I love that place! There is just something about the pace, stylishness, and attitude that is so much fun! We spent 2 days walking the streets and we were faster walkers than most of those business people and we had two strollers! We were awesome. Ty loved riding the subways everywhere. He was in awe of it all. We decided to do all the fun kid stuff we could. So, we started by visiting the M&M & Hershey factory. I'd say that was fun stuff! We then headed to FAO Schwartz for some play time in the biggest Toy Store in the country. Wow! So fun! We had prebooked a reservation to have the famous "Frozen Hot Chocolate" at Serendipity that night. Definitely a place with a New York attitude, but that was half the fun! It was so yummy! We were then off that day to ride the carousel in Central Park.

The next day began visiting the biggest Toys R Us in the World. We actually rode a full size Ferris Wheel inside the store! Ty wanted to sit in the yellow construction truck, but instead they gave us Buzz Lightyear. I'd say he had fun anyway. We were then off to the Zoo inside Central Park. By the way, I'm not saying much about Shelby because she pretty much just took it all in and enjoyed watching us have fun. What a giver she is. :)

That evening we were off to begin our 9 day cruise from New York to Barbados. Of course the first thing Ty wanted to do was go swimming, so we did. He pretty much did just that all week long! He did visit the Kids Center a couple of times and learned how to play the Wii Entertainment System. New to all of us! It was hilarious watching him play! We had visited some great islands and pretty much just did beach stuff. A lot of sand and swimming. The kids could not have been better and everyone on the ship oogled over them. Especially the workers. They were very spoiled. Shelby has decided she loves sleeping on lounge chairs and eating sand!

On Halloween, the kids center painted Tyler's face to look like Spider man and they walked around the ship gathering candy from the stores. It took us 5 days to get all that red paint off! So cute, though.

After disembarking in Barbados we stayed at a hotel for 3 nights. Shelby ended up getting sick, but we visited the Dr and he gave her some antibiotics and she was on the road to recovery the next day. Tyler met a cute little boy named Damion to play with. They had so much fun swimming and playing on the beach.

Make sure and check out the slide show of our adventures on the blog. :)

We missed you all and are glad to be back in the swing of our life. Vacation is great, but not communicating with all of you is lonely. Can't wait to see a lot of you during this season! Love to all! The Bunn's

Update on the Bunn's

Hi All, it's been a while since our last update.......the fun (chaos) has begun. :) We asked Tyler what he enjoyed the most, cubbies, preschool, or MOPS. He immediately said Preschool. We are so thankful that he loves his teacher, Miss Toni, and being with his buddy Nate. He learns a new letter every week. He brought home an Elephant craft for the letter "E" this week. So cute!

Shelby is full of it. Almost ready to crawl and loves to eat! We went to IHOP the other night and she, seriously, ate half of my dinner! Has anyone had to buy a full meal for a 9 month old??!! She cracks us up.

I'm off to the MOPS conference this week and will be leaving Jason and his parents in charge of the two kiddos. I'm sure I will have some interesting posting to do after that!! :)

Jason and I have started the Dave Ramsey FPU program. It is extremely challenging on your personal growth! It will be a blessing, but it definitely makes you reevaluate your priorities.

Hope you are all well. Oh.......these adorable pics are of Grammie and the kids bath in the sink. Only a Grandma would attempt to do a double bath in the kitchen sink. That's why they love her so. :) Love to all!

Family Fun