The Gunning Family: 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

The Hiatus is Over!

Okay, I've been seriously lacking in my blogging duties. Not that this is an excuse, but we had one hell of a summer followed by a sad and lonely September. Meghan had surgery in the beginning of July. Brian's mom lost her battle with cancer in the middle of July. Meghan left for school in early August. Ryan left for school at the end of August. September was just sad - the girls are gone and Patrick is a junior in high school. How did that happen so fast? I will now fill in the details on our summer happenings - all to bring you up to date on the latest news in the Gunning family.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Mississippi 2009

Brian and Meghan and Ryan left last Saturday morning with 40 others from our church, Our Lady of the Fields for another mission trip to Project Hope and Compassion in Mississippi. Years later, there is still work to be done. Hundreds of volunteers make the trip to St. Ann's and Project Hope and Compassion to assist local residents in recovering from the impact of Hurricane Katrina. If you'd like more information, here is a link: www.projecthopeandcompassion.org. And, here are some photos of the area after the storm and the volunteers that have assisted them.

Patrick and I miss Brian and the girls very much, but we are so proud of them for making this trip and helping those truly in need.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Wholesome Family Fun

We started a puzzle night with our good friends, the Pajerowski's. It took us about two months and help from about ten different people to complete this Disney Photo Mosaic puzzle. Look closely at Mickey's face and you can see that each piece is actually a picture from a disney movie! It was one of the toughest puzzles we've done.

We have a lot of fun working on these and it's a great way to spend time with the kids and their friends. Our next puzzle is also from Disney, but certainly not a photo mosaic - we just loved the picture. As you can see, we're just getting started in this one.

Isn't it supposed to be April Showers?

We have had a whole lot of rain lately. Brian and I are thankful we were able to take advantage of a break in the weather and plant some summer flowers. They should grow big beautiful with all the rain we've had.

And, the living is easy

Summer vacation has officially begun in the Gunning house! Patrick took his last exam yesterday and today - he got to do this!

But not until he had cleaned out his locker only to bring it all home and dump it on his bedroom floor! How do I convince him that some of this stuff might be worth holding on to?

So, my guess is he'll spend a lot of time this summer with these! Thoughts?

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Pomp and Circumstance 2009

We celebrated Ryan's graduation from highschool last night at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. It was a beautful night full of hope for the future!

Ryan and Alexis have been friends since they were born ... through preschool, elementary school, highschool and college, too! It wouldn't be a celebration without photos of Skippy and Peanut Butter!

We have these same pictures when Meghan graduated. It's been a joy to watch these sisters and friends grow over the years. Aren't they beautiful!

Lifelong friendships full of wonderful memories ...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A weekend with our favorite little person

We had a blast having Ezio with us this weekend while his Mommy and Daddy were both in different weddings. As you can see, he is getting bigger and much more little boy than baby! In fact, that's what Patrick calls him, "little boy."

He is still a little guy, so he had his moments - not sure if Ryan made him mad or if he was just upset at not getting his way. At any rate, the face is great! And, he's such a cutie pie.

Guess who's home ...

As you can tell by the piles, more than the lump in the bed, Meghan is home for the summer! She and Brian got home late last night and I am sure she will spend much of today doing exactly this!