Halloween 2012

We had a lot of fun this Halloween. Jayden was a "Princess Supergirl", Spence was a Zombie, and Steen and I were parents (original and creative). The evening started out with chili and snacks at the Lee house followed by trick-or-treating. After that we migrated over to the Cramer's for another round of trick-or-treating and playing with Piper and McKenna. It was a super fun evening until Jayden walked through dog poop in the Cramer's playroom. As you can imagine, it put a damper on the festivities and necessitated a major cleanup operation. I think the highlight for the kiddos and I was having Steen there due to a rare holiday off. It was a happy haunting day.

Thanksgiving 2012

We were wonderfully blessed this November 19th with a beautiful baby girl, Adeline Esther Bunn-Petterson. Grammy and Gramdad Bunn, Auntie Nana and Uncle Mark, and my new roomie, Tia Rece joined us for a fabulous Thanksgiving feast. I have to say that I feel pretty privileged. I have three wonderful children, a loving husband, and amazing extended family. I love my job but also love having my FMLA time with my girls at home. No matter what challenges I am faced with, I have come to realize that my life is filled with people that enrich every moment. Thank you all, I love you.

Adeline Esther Bunn-Petterson

Yesterday at 7:42 pm our family grew by one beautiful baby girl. Adeline was a big girl, 8 lbs 14.6 oz, 22 in long, 14 in circ. We are so excited about this wonderful change in our lives. We plan to head home tonight after we get an ok on Addie's progress. Steen and I are both tired but happy.

We started today with our Special Delivery Complimentary Breakfast, yummy. Tyson and LaVeny came to meet Addie, Steen got us Mazzah, and then it was time for relaxation before they cleared us for home. It has been a wonderful experience. Auntie Fay, the anesthesiologist, and the St. Luke's nurses are the best.

Maternity Leave

I started out my maternity leave with a bang last night. I had to miss the "Breaking Dawn Part 2" premiere after slicing open my hand on the broken glass in kitchen trash. After getting stitched up at Quick Care I was home for the evening with a wonderfully gross looking stitch job as my trophy. Hopefully this was not a preview of how things will go this week.

2012 Election

There is something wonderful and empowering about casting a vote. I have been doing this since I turned 18 and it never loses its thrill. I hope you all share this feeling with me and that, regardless of where you fall on the candidates and issues, you are as proud to be an American citizen as I am. Our differences and the ways we are able to give voice to and act on them are the reason that our nation is so great.

My student's are doing their New Nation Unit and are taking a test on "The Declaration of Independence" this week. I hope that as we work through this piece my students will feel that same sense of awe and pride as I do. We have a say in our government and our voices have power. Silence and apathy have a devastating impact so remember that it is up to the people to ensure that this nation is great. Use your voice wisely, raise it to make a difference not to whine and bemoan the status quo.

Dresser

Jayden was the lucky recipient of the my mom's childhood dresser that was then passed to me. When I found out she was going to be a girl, I painted the dresser and started collecting cute knobs to replace the old ones. The result was a cute and whimsical place for Jayden's clothes.

Skip forward a bit... We found out we were having another girl, Adeline. The hunt was on to find another cool dresser, a surprisingly difficult task when you're on a budget. Last week, just three weeks before the scheduled induction, I found one that was perfect. I didn't even have to paint it; it only required putting on the new knobs. Happy day, the girls' room is now ready and I can relax.

The green one is Adeline's the turquoise is Jayden's.