Well, it’s been a while since I updated everyone on the family.  So, since no one reading this is interested in what I’m writing, I’ll go ahead and post the pics:

My Beautiful Family

Everyone is doing great at the Kennedy household.  I’m still working at Acxiom and am enjoying the teams that I’m working with.  The commute still sucks, but it beats having to drive to West Little Rock ever day.  (Although, I do miss my carpool partner.  Mark is a great guy.)

Amy is doing a great job at being a stay-at-home mom.  Simona tends to want to eat ALL…THE….TIME.  Amy has been a trooper at handling that.  Hopefully, Simona will start sleeping through the night longer (we found out today that she has started teething….yeah, just now…at 9 months).

Iliana (Sweet Pea)

Iliana just finished pre-school and is about to enter Kindergarten in the fall.  She also just finished up her 3rd year of dance (the pic above is from her dance recital) and her first semester of gymnastics.  She loves everything to do with being a girl (princesses, makeup, and dresses), but she also loves to run barefoot, play in the mud, and catch frogs, grasshoppers, and anything else that she is faster than.  She enjoys playing games on the computer (gee, I wonder where she got that), coloring, painting, scrapbooking, and watching movies.  She is also a great big sister.  She is always trying to help out with Simona and is very protective of little sister.  (Evidently, Iliana is the only one that can poke and prod Simona.)  It took a little getting used to, but Iliana is settling in just fine as big sister.

Simona (Squeaker [but her sister calls her 'Mo 'Mo])

Simona is a very happy baby.  She is happy to see everyone and loves to move around.  Not that she moves herself around, but she loves to be carried around.  So, she fits in nicely with the rest of the princesses at our house.  At 9 months old, she’s not crawling yet, but looks like she will skip that and start with walking.  Some days she’s perfectly content to sit and play by herself and some days she wants to be in the middle of everything and not miss anything that’s going on.  One of the things that encourages me is that Simona adores her big sister.  It doesn’t matter what’s going on, when she sees Iliana, her face lights up and she gets so excited.  She could’ve been woken up from a “all too short” nap…by Iliana…and still be super excited to see her.  I hope to encourage that love and relationship throughout their life.  I hope they will always be close and lift each other up when “mom and dad just don’t understand.”

The girls and Gramma

I cannot express how much happiness my family brings me.  I simply look at these pics and I am flooded with joy.  As I sit here writing this, I can’t wipe the giddy grin off of my face.  I am fortunate beyond anything I can imagine.  My wife and my children are as important to me as the air I breathe.  Anyone reading this that is either single or does not have children may not understand this feeling.  It’s not really something you can describe.  It’s something you have to experience.

My family got me this magnet for Father’s Day:

I look at it and smile because that is how it feels to be a dad.

Have you ever worked at an office where there was one person that insisted on showing you pictures of their kids?  You know the person I’m talking about.  This is the person that no matter how times you say, “Yeah…cute kids.  Now, can you please send me that requirements document?” he or she keeps showing you pictures of their kids.  It’s really frustrating.  We have such a person in my office.  Guy gets on my last nerve.  If he’s not bragging about the artwork that his wife and daughter made for him, he’s proudly flashing the wallpaper on his computer.  What is it, you ask?  What else.  It’s a picture of his kids.

Oh, and God forbid you actually ask him about his children.  If you do that, you just better get comfortable because he is going to ramble on about how great it is to be a dad.  He’ll tell you the most minute detail about what his kids are doing or saying.  I mean, just today, he was regaling us all with a story about how his oldest daughter really likes the song “Single Ladies” by Beyonce.  Evidently, she goes around singing, “If you liked it, you shoulda put a RAIN on it.”  What the heck does it mean to put a “RAIN” on it?  I swear.  This guy is driving me nuts.

If you’re reading this and you work in my office, then you probably know who I’m talking about.  You’re probably sitting there saying, “I can’t believe Dusty is going off on that guy.”  Well don’t worry.  You know why?  Because I’m about to tell the whole world (or at least the 3 people who read my blog) who this is.  This insanity has got to stop.  I’m on a mission to expose the “Proudest Papa” in the world.  You ready?  Here it is.

It’s me.

Two on the couch

Miss Priss

Simona up close and personal

Daddy’s Sweet Pea

Yep…she get’s it from my side of the family

I cannot put into words how much I love my girls.  Hopefully, one day, when they’re older, they can look back on this post and see that I was once awarded “Proudest Papa” in the whole world….even if I awarded it to myself.  These are MY girls.  Well, they’re my girls because God trusted me enough to take care of them.  So, with that in mind, I hereby declare that no man in this world, short of Jesus Christ himself, will ever be good enough for MY girls.

I love you Gooby and Squeakers!

We got a baby!  We got a baby!  This morning at 8:22 am, the newest addition to our family arrived.  Meet Simona Juliette Kennedy.

Weight:  6 lbs. 13 oz.

Height:  20 3/4 inches

We are super excited to welcome her into our family.

We were finally able to talk Iliana into sitting still long enough to take a picture with “Little Sister.”

Can you tell that I’m a Proud Papa?

Please continue to pray for us.  Please pray that Amy’s recovery is relatively painless and quick and that Simona stays healthy.

I would like all of my friends and family and anyone else that reads this to take a minute and say a prayer for a good friend of mine, Brandon Hall.  He is one of the most amazing and compassionate men I have ever had the honor to meet.  This week he was diagnosed with Stage 4b Lymphoma.  Good news is that the type of cancer has a 90% treatment rate.  But please click on the link below to read all about it and pray for my friend.

Oh yeah…I’m gonna apply for this job.  And I encourage everyone I know to apply as well.

FOXNews.com – Australia Offers ‘Best Job in World’ On Paradise Island – International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News.

“Sounds like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays”

Immortal words spoken by one of Matt Judge’s characters from the cult classic “Office Space.” Every Monday I am reminded of this quote. Until this morning.

My daughter got up really early this morning. As in 5 am early. She went to bed early last night because we had a big afternoon and she didn’t have a nap. Which translated into a very early wake up call. She came into our room saying, “Mommy, I got a boogie.” Meaning, she had a booger in her nose that was bothering her. All you people that don’t have kids, yes, this is the type of wake up calls we parents get. Amy got up and tried to get Iliana to go back to sleep in her bed and I decided to go ahead and get up. When I got out of the shower, they were both in our bed. And both were wide awake. I tried to be quiet and finish preparing for the day in the kitchen. Then I heard the all too familiar sound of a short 3 year old trying to open our bedroom door. (This usually involves a lot of banging on the door. Hanging on the doorknob, letting gravity pull her and, in turn, turning the knob, and then using her body weight to slam into the door to open it.) I go help her and when she comes out, she reaches up and gives me the universal “pick me up” sign. She then proceeds to give me a big hug and kiss and tells me she loves me.

That was the best beginning of a Monday that I have ever had.

It got me to thinking about other firsts on Mondays. Then I tried to imagine what Monday was like for the disciples after the resurrection. After all, Christ rose on a Sunday and appeared before the disciples, who were in hiding. Imagine what that next day was like. The Son of God had appeared to them the day before. Less than 24 hours earlier, they were just frightened men, cowering for their lives. Now, they were men with a mission. Men called by God Himself to spread the Good News that Christ had risen. Men were transformed into missionaries. Brave men that stared persecution and death in the face. Men who would not, could not back down from the truth. And it all started that day.

What a Monday.

When Monday gets you down, realize that great things were started on Mondays. Maybe we can re-define the phrase “case of the Mondays” to mean the beginning of something great.

Well, howdy!!! Thanks for everyone coming and seeing the site. I put this together in hopes that it could be a way for all of us to stay current on everything that’s going on in our lives. Hopefully, everyone will post or leave a comment so that we will know how everyone is doing. Also, take a look at the links to the right. The “Pictures” link will take you to a site that will allow you to upload pictures to an album of your choice. Anyway, I’m still building this page, so, hopefully, the content will expand. See ya.