Things as of Late

Things have been a bit crazy lately... although that is nothing new to the Dugdales. I have learned to take things one day at a time... as the Bible says, there is no sense worrying about tomorrow, it has enough worries of its own. After our trip to Atlanta, the family had a few days at home and then hit the road again. This time, we headed out to visit some of Brian's family. He spent some time with Uncle Greg and then we met him to spend the night at Grandpa Doug's house. The kids have been troupers on the long car trips. After Grandpa's house, we went to Saint Simons to spend a couple of nights with my parents. Then, back home again for a couple weeks of rest, school and potty training before we hit the road again.

However, it was not the restful time we were expecting. We were rearended last week on our way home from church and are currently in between cars... being in limbo and not knowing what comes next seems to be a reoccurring theme for us. God is always faithful to guide us though!

Elijah riding his big boy bike all the way to the neighborhood park!

Making breakfast with Grandpa Doug!

Abigail the rock climber.

We cut up and cooked the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and had a day of baking. The kids helped make pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars and pumpkin pie.

So... that's what's new with us. We have another couple of weeks at home before we head out again for our annual Thanksgiving trip. The kids are looking forward to the holidays (so am I!). We hope all is well with your family.

Trip to Atlanta

The kids and Katie headed to Atlanta for some much needed rest after Selah's hospital adventure. We stayed with the grandparents and had a great time visiting with friends and family. It was nice to go home to such welcoming faces. The kids got to play with their friends at church while Katie went to mom to mom for some encouragement! While in Atlanta, we visited the zoo and the pumpkin patch! It was a great trip and other than an hour and a half stop in traffic on the way back down, we had a peaceful car trip as well. Praise the Lord!

Brian stayed in back in Florida to catch up on sleep and school. He was very missed on our trip. We were all glad to see each other when we returned. Brian welcomed us back with balloons and cupcakes!

Selah... feeling much better!

Abigail the Lion... ROAR!!!

Selah at the pumpkin patch

Elijah... chilling with the pumpkins.

All five cousins... Selah, Rebecca, Daniel, Abigail and Elijah. Trying to get all five to look at the camera (and be awake) will have to wait a few years.

Selah and Things

Well, we have had quite an eventful month. By eventful, I mean everyone has been sick... each with something different. Abigail and Elijah both had stomach bugs then Abigail had a cold and ear infection. However, the one who bore the worst of it was 4 1/2 week old Selah. On her one month birthday, we went into the ER because she was having difficulty breathing. She tested positive for RSV (a respitory virus) and was admitted to the hospital for four days. While there, she received breathing treatments and constant supervision. We were sent home, but she went downhill over the weekend. When we returned to the doctor, we were given a breathing machine and instructions on how to treat her at home. She is improving each day. It was hard to see her hooked up to machines. I was very concerned. We were blessed, however, by our church friends here in Orlando. Our friends pulled together to take care of the kids and bring us meals.

Selah with her triceratops mask on while receiving a breathing treatment.

Daddy's Girl

WHOA! Enough Pictures already!!!

This s what Elijah and Abigail do while I am checking the internet. My little monkeys!!!

Selah Michelle

Selah Michelle was born on August 29th at 2:15 pm. The labor and delivery went swiftly and 24 hours later, we were home and life was back to normal... sort of. Elijah and Abigail are in love with their new sister. They are very demonstrative with their love. We are little worried that Abigail will love her to death. The two will be sharing a room soon. We will see how that goes. The above picture is when Selah was about 1 week old. I took several pictures of her with the intention of posting them and then left the camera at home. So... sorry if these are repeats for some of you.
Selah and Katie were released from the hospital about 24 hours after Selah's birth. It is still hard to believe they actually let people walk about with these tiny people!
I am trying to enjoy every minute of Selah's time as a baby. When Abigail was born, we were going through a lot of transitions and I feel that I did not really get to enjoy her. Although we are in a great time of transition now, I have learned that time really does fly and I need to soak it all in while I can. Selah is easy to enjoy. She sleeps, eats and fills up diapers. She sleeps most of the night and is awake a lot during the day. We have already realized that she loves to be around people and does not like to be left alone.

Having a third child definitely adds a new dynamic to the family. This is uncharted territory for us, but somehow I think we will make it.

August

With limited internet access, I have let the blog fall by the wayside this month. My sincerest apologies! We continue to acclimate to life in Florida. The kids' skin is getting darker and their hair is getting lighter. We spend a lot of time outside! Recently, we discovered a park near a lake. Brian and the kids were spitting into the water to get the fish to come up. Apparently the fish really liked Abigail's spit. She was so proud! In the community, there were several painted alligator statues. The kids really enjoyed walking around and looking at all the different paintings.


Sandhill cranes on a painted alligator. We get to see the real thing in our neighborhood often. They are quite noisy!!

Surf's up!!!

Brian and the kids made cookies which we enjoyed while they were still warm. The plates had chocolate on them that could not be wasted. Abigail and Katie made sure to savor the cookies to the very last crumb. Like mother, like daughter!

Cantaloupe Smiles!

We are still eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new baby girl. We were able to see an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. They are still confident that she is a girl. Elijah and Abigail have been very interested in baby stuff. They both have been caring for Abigail's baby dolls- feeding, diapering, pushing in strollers. I am not sure if they are really aware of what is about to happen in our house. I am not sure if I am either. We have been a two kid family for two and a half years now... it is hard to imagine anything different. Life will be different for sure... but hey... that's nothing new for us lately.

Brian is starting his fall classes this week. He has much reading to be done and is still trying to transition into student mode. It's tough after being out of school for a while. He is also starting as a manager at Chick Fil A this week. He is still very much enjoying the counseling program. It is going to be an intense two years for him... but he'll do great... I'm sure!

Thanks for checking in with us. Don't forget to check out the prayer requests in the upper right hand corner. We hope all is well with you and your's!

Duck Duck Goose

For many of you, this information is a repeat of what was in the newsletter I sent out. I will try to include some more interesting Dugdale facts so that you will not lose interest ;). Brian has just completed his second class at RTS. He has one more week long session before beginning his fall classes at the end of the month. It should be interesting to see how this works out with the baby being due around the same time as classes starting. Last week, we were able to go to a meet and greet with the counseling program at one of the professor's houses. It was very nice to be able to meet some of Brian's classmates as well as have some adult conversation! Don't get me wrong, I love my children... but... well... every once in a while, it is nice to get out. Actually, we got out twice last weekend. Brian took me out to a movie for my birthday.. we saw the Proposal (very funny). I was so proud of him for taking me to a chick flick :)

Some of our backyard wildlife

Elijah and Abigail are trying to figure out exactly what Brian does at school. They have met some of the guys in the program who come over for lunch. Elijah told me the other day that Daddy and his friends play Duck Duck Goose at school. His mind is always working... always trying to figure things out!

We had a great trip around the south a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was a slacker and did not take any pictures. We were belssed to stay with our friends George and Michelle before heading to Clinton for Stewart and Kelly's wedding. Right after the wedding, we headed to Atlanta for a birthday dinner. Brian flew back on Monday so that he could get back to work at Chick Fil A. He is working hard for the family! The kids and I stuck around Atlanta for a few more days to spend time with family and friends.







I did, however, take pictures of a cupcake decorating night. Those will have to suffice for all you picture hungry people. We had a great time adding icing and sprinkles to the cupcakes. Hear for yourself in the video Brian took asking the kids how to make cupcakes.



We continue to ask for your prayers as life begins to settle into a routine here in Florida. It has been tougher in some ways to transition than I realized, but at the same time, some parts have been easier. I anticipate that we will get the hang of things soon. Right now, we are looking eagerly forward to the arrival of our newest addition as well as trying to figure out how to balance Brian's school, work and home schedule. I intend to start homeschooling Elijah this fall as well. Busy days are ahead. Pray for our sanity!!!!

Water and Cows

We discovered a water park very close to our house and have been spending a lot of time there. The kids love it. The pool starts and zero feet deep and only goes to 3 1/2 feet. Both Elijah and Abigail are gaining confidence in the water. Elijah is so close to learning how to swim! Abigail loves experiencing life... she experiences the pool like everything else... without holding back!

Elijah and Mommy heading down the slide... I guess that's safe at 7 months pregnant. Oh well... it is fun!

Say "moo" for your food. If you know the Dugdales, you know we love chick fil a... and more than that... we love free chick fil a! We took full advantage of Cow Appreciation Day (dress like a Chick Fil A cow and get a free meal). The whole family donned our cow apparel and headed out for some yummy lunch.

And then, we did it again for some free dinner!

Things are plugging along at the Dugdale house. We are settling into seminary life. Brian's first class started today. He is excited! The kids are testing limits and learning their boundaries now that we are in a new place. They love having a backyard to run around in and a pool near by to play in. Katie is trying to remember that she is pregant and will be having this baby in just a few short weeks. Basically, we are taking things one day at a time. The Bible says "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Why borrow trouble from tomorrow? Just take things as they come... and in the mean time... enjoy some free Chick Fil A!!!!