How 'bout...

a Daddy pic?














There's not much cuter than a sleeping baby!

Vision Forum Contest!

Love the Vision Forum catalog? Wish you could buy everything in it? Here's a fabulous contest hosted by Kim at Life in a Shoe where you can win 700 bucks worth of merchandise from VF! Oh, boy, I hope I win!

The infamous playscape...

Colin works harder than just about anyone I know. Here is the playscape that he sacrificed time, energy, and a healthy knee for. The kids love it and I love him for working so hard on something for the family.

What started out as just a pile of lumber...

Started taking shape...














And soon became taller than our house :)















With lots of sweat in 100 degree August, and a lot of suncreen.















The kids can now enjoy the fruit of Daddy's hard work.

Mercy pictures

I have been very blessed this last week to have my sister visiting and practically doing all the cleaning and taking care of the kids. It's also helped to have her wonderful company through this sometimes difficult time of being house bound. The only bad thing is that I've been distracted so that I've neglected posting any pictures of our newest beautiful daughter. Here she is in her pink glory and also with first time big sister Molly who has been great in this adjustment.
P.S. Please don't forget to pray for Karen. The discovery of her tumor has helped me to be all the more grateful for the blessing of my daughter Mercy and is a reminder to us all not to take these moments for granted.

My friend Karen

When I first moved out to California with Colin back in 2000, I was seven months pregnant with my first child, very lonely, and petrified of starting a new life so far away from friends and family. We got to our new church that first Sunday and a friendly lady about my age come up to me and greeted me with one of the warmest smiles I'd ever seen in my life. I immediately felt like we were good friends and like I was at home in this new church. In the five years that we lived there, those feelings were only confirmed and she has proven to be a lifelong friend who has never let me down once as a friend. Last Thursday, her six year old son found her unconscious and she was immediately rushed to a hospital. A tumor was discovered and after surgery on Saturday, it was found to be malignant. She will begin treatment soon as the surgeons were not able to remove the whole of the tumor. I ask for everyone's prayer for Karen, her husband, and their three young children who are the same ages as Grace, Noah, and Molly. They are headed for a struggle, so we ask God for much grace, mercy, healing, and strength to be added to them at this time. Karen is, by God's grace, one of the strongest women I know. God has taught me much about patience, graciousness, friendship, and being a good wife and mom through Karen and I pray that He will heal her so that many others can be blessed through her as I have been.

Visit www.welovekaren.blogspot.com to get more up to date and accurate information or go to www.homeschoolblogger.com/preschoolersandpeace where her friend Kendra has posted some great college pics of Karen.

Introducing.... Mercy Lael Gunn

It's a done deal!

Both mother and child doing well! A girl - 9lbs 3oz. - name still being debated! Thanks for all your prayers!

Col

Update

Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful notes, phone calls, and prayers. Colin is feeling much better and was able to walk on crutches after the first two days. He went in to the doctor's this morning and the preliminary check looks good. He'll go see a radiologist and orthopedist later just to make sure there are no ligament tears or misplaced bones :( But we think everything is alright now. He'll have to wear a splint for awhile and has limited mobility because of it, but at least it's nothing more serious. The hardest part for me has been the taking care of all things by myself, but this goes to Colin's credit that I was so used to his constant help with the kids and the house that it is so hard to do without him :) As for baby, no signs of an appearance yet. I did have a doctor appointment today but I ended up waiting to be seen for an hour and eventually had to leave without being seen at all so that I could get back home to watch the kids before Colin's meeting started. I'll try and get back over there in the next couple of days, but really I'm hoping to go into labor on my own so that's not a problem. My mom's hoping for the baby to come on Thursday which is her birthday, and the thought appeals to me too if for no other reason than one less date to remember :)

Once again, thank you for your love and support everyone! I hope my next communique is baby news.

Today is my due date. This morning Colin fell off the playscape he is building for the kids and dislocated his knee. He's in a lot of pain and laid up on the couch. Now that Colin's out of commission I'm not sure how I can handle taking care of all the kids, a wounded hubby, the house, and baby preparations.Please pray for us as things are a bit stressed right now.