Well well well...

It has happened again this year...time just flew by. This year for some reason though, it went by faster than ever. All of a sudden we were finishing up our Christmas shopping a month early and the next minute we were celebrating the New Year. What happened?

Well this year, we spent another Christmas in London although this time we've had no snow this winter season. It's been incredibly mild which has been a bit of a let down for the kids. We were hoping to get in one teensy weensy snowman but alas, it is not to be. (it will probably dump on us tomorrow...you watch!). We had a great time watching the girls tear into their presents and watch the joy on their faces when they saw what was inside. Sloane really understood what was going on this year and LOVED the whole ordeal. The girls were excited to add two new members to the Dunker clan. Ballory and Little Mouse became officially Dunkers on Christmas day. They are Campbell's Russian Dwarf hamsters and they are just about the cutest things ever. Little mouse (gray) is Sloane's and comes out to get some love whenever you come near the cage. Ballory is a pretty white with a gray stripe down her back and she's a bit more timid than Little mouse but cute nonetheless. I vowed we were not going to have 4 legged creatures in our house while we're living in the city but since these little things have their own exercise wheel I'm not too bothered. It's not like I have to go out on our dreary days and walk the little rodents. We just stick them in this little plastic ball and try to make sure they don't roll down the stairs.


Hmmm...what else is new? It's been so long since my last post that I've sort of forgotten what's transpired these past few months. Let me back track from before Christmas a bit....

November was a busy month for us. We were getting all packed up to head to the states for Avery's godfather's, wedding. Avery and I were doing a reading, Matt was a groomsman and Sloane...well we had decided months prior that she was still a bit too young to handle a four day quick-turn trip to the states. So, we'd arranged her to stay in London with friends. For some reason though, neither of us could go through with it...so two nights before our departure we bought the Balogney a ticket and off we went. The wedding of Pat and Lindsay was absolutely fantastic and it was a good thing we brought Sloane with us. She managed to come down with the flu while we were gone and our friends that were going to keep her managed to wind up in the A&E at the local hospital with their daughter and a serious bout with pneumonia. As they say, everything happens for a reason!

One of the last times she'll get Foxy to all to herself!

She had to take full advantage! She had once said when she talked about getting married that
she wanted to marry Foxy. It was a sad day for Av but a very happy one too.

Also, in November we were very lucky to have Matt's sister Melinda for a quick visit. We hopped on a train, escaped the city and ventured our way to Windsor Castle. It was a gorgeous day, not a raindrop fell and it felt like we had the whole castle to ourselves...except the flag was flying which meant we were obviously not alone. The Queen was in....and I don't mean Avery or Sloane! It was a real treat for the girls to get to spend some time with their aunt and we loved having her out here. Just wish she'd send us some of the pics she took...hint hint Binday!!!




Av had her Christmas display at her gym. They had been working on this particular routine since October and it culminated in a show that spanned 4 days with a performance on each of them. Overall the gym sold over 2,000 tickets with some of the shows sold out. It was quite a production and the girls were so proud of themselves. They performed to Angelina Ballerina and all the girls were dressed as little mice. It was so fun to watch them all under the spotlight.

Avery is the one with her tongue sticking out in the middle. Flattering, don't ya think?!

What else....

Avery turned 6 just a few weeks ago. Much to her pleasure and me to my pain, I (I say I b/c Matt really was an innocent bystander) decided that she should have one last big birthday party. So we invited her school friends and gymnastics friends to a day at her gymnastics club. I figured that most would have something else to do, or wouldn't want to drive the distance to the gym but it turned out that quite a few really want to come to her party. So...35 children and multiple parent sets later we had ourselves one HUGE celebration! It was fabulous. BUT it was most definitely the last of it's kind.


Speaking of gymnastics, Avery, 1 day after her 6th birthday was asked to move up another level in her gymnastics. She's now part of an elite group called "mini's" and they usually don't take girls until they are 7. I was shocked when they asked and looked to Avery for the answer to their question of "are you up for the challenge of mini's?" Avery just bounded up and down and said "Please, please please mommy...can I?" So now our schedule has shifted a bit in terms of days at the gym and the hours have increased. She now trains almost 10 hours a week. This child has abs of steel and can do more chin ups than an incredibly athletic 16 year old boy. It's INSANE!!!

Sloane no longer wanted to be left out so she has joined a little class called "gymlets" where she is learning a great deal about hand-eye coordination and following directions. Well let's just say she's much better at the coordination bits! She has her own leotard that she is beamingly proud of and calls her class "My Nastics".


With all that driving, Matt and I are seriously considering moving from our current location to something a bit further out. Similar commute times to his work, quicker into the West End and only about 20-25 minutes to Heathrow. It's not completely because of gymnastics and might have a little something to do with the fact that we are expecting a third little Dunker in early Sept. Furthermore, 7 sets of stairs in my house is not my idea of fun a pre-natal workout despite the potential benefits of keeping a few pounds off my behind!

As if that's not enough new news....now I get to brag about my amazingly talented and hard working husband. So after we see the heartbeat of our upcoming Dunker edition on an early scan, Matt finds out that not only did he get a better bonus this year than last (it's been a rough one for many considering the overall 2007 market)....HE MADE VICE PRESIDENT ONE YEAR EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's going to be so annoyed that I'm yelling this through cyberspace but I just can't help it. He is such a stud and I am soooooooooooooooo proud of him.

Well, everyone...I'm writing this as the girls are eating dinner and watching Happy Feet and right now, it's about time I sign off. So...until next time...