tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28782875273592974882024-03-12T19:52:27.931-07:00keep calm and carry onkeep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.comBlogger654125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-21222142292127353362016-02-23T17:48:00.002-08:002016-03-04T09:44:37.415-08:00welters' hawaiian adventure {part uno}<br />
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after opening tickets to hawaii Christmas morning, the kids were counting down the days for our big departure. bags were packed, snorkels were stuffed, and plans were made. luckily i have lots of friends who have been to oahu before and that helped a ton.<br />
the early morning finally came and we were off.<br />
i underestimated how long the flight was. i guess i assumed they would have movies on the plane. apparently they don't do that anymore. we managed. paul brought lots of ipads etc to keep the kids busy.<br />
this before and after pic cracks me up. i guess baby J felt comfortable with his new friend by the end of the flight.<br />
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the kids discovered pog juice & had fun taking advantage of the complimentary drinks :)</div>
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after 7.5 hours and 5 gallons of pog.... we landed!</div>
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we settled into our minivan (which we scored a great deal of $300 for the week on priceline) and found our way to waikiki!! yeah baby!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the view</span> (from my cousin's lanai.. where we stayed for the week)...</div>
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we dropped our bags & headed right out. we were starving & everyone was jonesin' to get their feet in the water. the water was so warm & clear!!</div>
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we stopped at a japanese market for some sushi. it was pretty good but not amazing. some were more excited than others about figuring out what the heck to eat. (me not being excited, S was loving it)</div>
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we went back for our suits and headed out for the evening. we walked all along ala moana beach park, magic island and waikiki beach.</div>
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we stopped at the barefoot bar for our first shave ice & other beverages. </div>
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we decided to watch the sun set there and learned pretty quickly that deciding where to be at sunset is a major priority of the day. each day the sunset was BREATHTAKING. we never were able to catch a photo that represented the beauty. but i will forever remember it in my mind :)</div>
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the next day, we were directed by my sweet cousin's friend, Leah, to an amazing hike.<br />
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/lulumahu-falls-honolulu" target="_blank">lulumahu falls</a>.</div>
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we had never hiked through that kind of terrain. other than, luckily for Leah we had a legit hiking baby backpack, the baby... it was awesome. we were literally walking through water, climbing rocks, swinging around trees, baby J really grasped the concept of "over" and "under" (from the comfort of his backpack of course). the other kids flew through that trail like it was nothin'.</div>
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we just had to stop at this opening in the trail. it was so beautiful.<br />
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the mist and the green rolling hills.... swoon. oh and baby J's curls...</div>
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we crossed over a mossy stream and mini cliff...<br />
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we continued on to see some french braided trees... </div>
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crossing over more rocky streams... man that backpack was heavy... i learned that later on another trail... i couldn't believe paul completed this trail carrying the big baby J the whole time.<br />
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until finally... we reached the waterfall!! it was SO exciting!!!<br />
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we rested here for awhile and soaked in the sights.</div>
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we eventually hiked out and 5 out of 6 kids immediately fell asleep in the car after our big jungle adventure. </div>
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since the kids were asleep, we decided to head up to north shore to observe the 50ft. waves.</div>
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we stopped at <a href="http://www.kalapawaimarket.com/#_=_" target="_blank">kalapawai cafe</a> and got the most amazing chocolate chip cookies. i swear, the best i've ever had. i'm really banking on my friend <a href="http://lovemindyc.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">mindy</span></a> to recreate them for me. i know i'm in good hands. she can bake ANYTHING!</div>
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anywho... the waves were once in a lifetime high. we lined up, along with hundreds of other people, to witness the surfers, against the lifeguards commands, looking for the perfect wave. it was unbelievable. you could hear a pin drop when one of the surfers would catch a wave. it was beautiful seeing them come in, but the problem was that they could have easily been thrown into huge rock cliffs. we saw one surfer disappear out of our sight and then we saw him later walking up the beach. the crowd cheered.</div>
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here is duke's famous beach, bonsai pipeline... closed due to strong currents.</div>
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to be continued...</div>
keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-69289413983654808712016-02-13T08:26:00.001-08:002016-02-13T08:26:31.235-08:00december & new year's eve 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
our 2015 christmas card... although i'm sure anyone reading prolly got one :)
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i became completely and wholly addicted to these cookies, unfortunately i didn't come to terms with my addiction until they were sold out at all of the phoenix valley trader joe's. which left me with a deprived empty feeling.</div>
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some holiday events... little did i know... enjoying my last cookie (top left corner) ugly sweater youth group party (top right corner) (and bottom left) girls trip to the nutcracker (bottom right)<br />
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the cousins seemed to be going out of their minds with excitement this year...<br />
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this little elf was unbelievably helpful this year. she loved wrapping and making things pretty and i was happy to delegate. and it was fun having late night wrapping parties while watching christmas movies.<br />
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mother and i got up early christmas eve and hiked camelback. i was starting to lose steam and then someone said santa was up there. guess what! he was!!<br />
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an attempt at a family pic...<br />
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christmas eve...<br />
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their big present this year was a trip to hawaii!! they were pumped... well most of them.<br />
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cousins on Christmas morning...<br />
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the official 2015 cousin picture for the grandparents.<br />
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new years eve was spent with dear friends, an amazing dinner, and sparklers. </div>
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-10678073714465620702016-02-11T15:04:00.002-08:002016-02-12T11:11:34.374-08:00fall 2015 this catching up thing is kinda fun. i'm going thru all kinds of old pictures. which reminds me of why i do this blog thing anyway. i'm recording a portion of our day to day that so quickly gets forgotten.<br />
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so anyway... there was a blood moon.<br />
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baby j is kinda crazy about playing with noni. prolly cuz she lets him do things like this...<br />
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here's a pic of the new floor and removed wall... different couch now though. oh and ruuubbbyyy. <br />
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selfies with the pope... everyone was doing it :)<br />
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um.... handsome.<br />
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we joined daddy on a business trip to flagstaff. this cracks me up because the pictures look amazing. beautiful sights, smiling kids, fun activities.... family time. well i guess in theory it was fun, but we ended up leaving a day early because the kids were fighting so much. we were going nuts. i remember being so upset during that trip... you'd never know it from the pics! such is life i guess.<br />
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we really did have fun exploring lava cave tho. it was so cool!! </div>
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paully helped make a video for the <a href="http://blessedisshe.net/" target="_blank">blessed is she</a> retreat...<br />
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third retainer shenanigans....<br />
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this little 8th grader finished up her volleyball season...<br />
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we are loving having cousin cohen join us on wednesdays after school. the boys eat lunch and make big adventure plans before heading over to atrium. <br />
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my high school friends and i attended not 1 but two (ahem) 20 year high school reunions!!!<br />
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pdubs took me on a theater date, book of mormon & bloody marys.<br />
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i was inspired by this insta post... painting chairs.<br />
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so i picked up these beauties from craigslist for $50.<br />
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and slapped some white paint on them. not styled as great as in the insta pic but they work. no one ever knows they are painted... until they sit on them :) </div>
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let's see... halloween happened.<br />
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these cuties before their halloween preschool parade...<br />
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we had a goth princess, belle from beauty & the beast, a piece of paper, an evil queen, a dead moth & a dragon. scary stuff.<br />
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L was super excited about our decision to combine the little boy rooms and give the big girls their own room. we had a mini makeover, mostly with stuff we already had around the house. but she's pumped about her new space.<br />
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on november 9th, little S celebrated her GOLDEN birthday! all you can eat ice cream bar, donut eating contest, water balloon toss... fun fun fun.<br />
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we made this fun little video on her birthday and then went out for dinner. she was loving it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/145545249" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/145545249">SHINE</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/whoanellie">whoanellie</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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apparently this was the only pic i took on thanksgiving.<br />
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no this isn't a scene from dexter... but it is what our house looked like. luckily my mom was out of town and we stayed at her house while our house was ripped apart.<br />
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my new models... they loved me.<br />
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-41328215846876266042016-02-11T12:16:00.000-08:002016-02-11T12:16:03.528-08:00and the rest of the summer...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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we finished up the rest of the summer with a panicked "sign the kids up for whatever camp is still open" motive. we ended up finding some really great karate, soccer, and vbs camps.<br />
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we night swam when anyone would have us...<br />
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we enjoyed a father's day/ double baptism extravaganza...<br />
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a few cousin museum days...<br />
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july is also our birthday extravaganza month...<br />
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these two shared/celebrated their birthdays,<br />
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this one turned 15!?!!<br />
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and these beauties got their braces off! very exciting.<br />
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my friends and i put on an epic vbs for our parish...<br />
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and finally the first day of school rolled around...<br />
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my "sisters" and i enjoyed our traditional first day of school breakfast. started when our eldest were in kindergarten and now they are sophomores in high school!! crazy how times flies!<br />
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we also started what ended up being a pretty big house remodel. knocking down a wall turned into new floors, paint, moving bedrooms around, etc.<br />
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-76578165747789668942016-02-10T09:43:00.002-08:002016-02-12T11:13:13.181-08:00mama dada trip... british style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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after returning from our historical whirlwind cross country family-style trip, we took another pretty big trip... adult-style.</div>
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with these guys.... </div>
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we were pretty pumped about our new taste of freedom, we pretty much looked like this the whole time...</div>
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the trip started with this amazing couple as we joined them in teddington for a wedding of one of their long time friends. we arrived and joined the wedding party on a thames river boat tour of london. right off the bat got to see some pretty major landmarks while drinking pimm's, eating scottish eggs and watching the sunset.<br />
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we had so much fun meeting the locals and friends of the wedding party from all over the world. the wedding was sweet and amazing and happened on the 4th of july! there were some pretty clever themes incorporated, including stars and stripes underwear to hot dogs served at the reception. the toasts were so heartfelt and euro. the father's toast to the groom was the sweetest father/son toast i've ever heard. and the bride's toast from her bridesmaids was out of the ballpark good.<br />
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we were dancing fools for the rest of the night, including shutting down a few pubs afterwards... it's a little fuzzy after that.<br />
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after the wedding weekend, we headed into london and met up with these crazy cats... </div>
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we ate lots of puddings and sausages and fish & chips and drank lots of ciders and pints... but mostly walked and walked and walked.<br />
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we rented a car with the hacketts & headed to the cotswolds and then to cambridge. the cotswolds were amazing and i really didn't want to leave our adorable hotel. it was the cutest most comfortable cottage i've ever stayed in. the views of the blooming english countryside from my little window was like a storybook. we hung with locals and explored the old town.<br />
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a pretty epic game of british jenga transpired one night... <br />
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the next day we drove to cambridge. this was kind of a bust as our timing was off & we got there as things were closing. our hotel that night looked WAY better online than in real person. we stayed in the stables. that was kind of a bummer. but fun nonetheless. </div>
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we headed back to london and met back up with the rest of the crew. we stopped by princess kate's house, but she wasn't home. we toured the tower of london, tower bridge, rented bikes through hyde park, westminster abbey, and even met a beef eater :)<br />
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we found out that elephant man was playing nearby (and realized we were in the same vicinity as BRADLEY COOPER) and made it our mission to get tickets to the WAY sold out show. we made a plan of action in chinatown...<br />
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we spent majority of the day hanging in pubs near the theater and checking in every 30 min to see if anyone had returned their tickets. things were looking very grim. at one point the boys disappeared (with a full pint on the table so i knew something was up) and flopped 4 TICKETS on the table upon their return!!! the show was to start in 20 minutes!! we ran to the pub bathroom to freshen up and headed over to the theater. we were pretty grimey and others were VERY dressed up. kate beckensale sat 4 seats down from us. it was all very exciting. alanna and i sat in the center stage seats and the boys sat in these hilarious seats off to the side. they were like the muppet theater characters. you just had to see it. the show was so good and we waited in the back of the theater after to meet him. after the rest of the cast and even a very strange appearance from kanye, bradley finally came out. he was very tired but was so nice to everyone. he took pics with anyone and signed everything when asked. we were too chicken to ask for anything but i was able to mutter out that i couldn't believe he was friends with kanye.</div>
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he ignored me.</div>
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i blew it, my one chance to talk to bradley and i insulted his friend. ugh.</div>
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oh well, we got some pretty awesome pics ;)</div>
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our hotel that night was so cute too. i loved these union jack pillows... i wanted to stuff them in my suitcase but that would be stealing. so i didn't do it.<br />
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the next day, the boys & girls split up. the boys headed over to stamford bridge stadium to pay homage to the chelsea mecca of the world.</div>
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meanwhile, the girls headed over to the royal horsegurads hotel (previous mi6 headquarters) for a lovely high tea. i hadn't been to a british high tea before and didn't realize there were champagne options. we went with that option. it was brilliant.<br />
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this royal horse really loved maryruth....<br />
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that night we attended another play in the theater district (39 steps) and had our last dinner and night out before heading back across the pond. </div>
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we think the combination of all circumstances really lent itself to a great trip. we were very conscious of what a treat and break it was from our "regular" lives. we were able to see/attend whatever we wanted to do (within reason) as opposed to going as "poor college students" and the freedom... oh the sweet freedom... of being able to do WHATEVER WHENEVER we wanted. we really soaked that one up.<br />
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but eventually the time came to head back to our collaborative 12 children waiting anxiously for our return. and we were anxious to see them too. <br />
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-47984502691176428952016-02-03T11:51:00.002-08:002016-02-17T10:37:53.807-08:00a little catch up & a drive across the countrywell hello there. hi gram. you know this blog's for you. it's been so long you may not even check it anymore!! don't worry, i'll send you a facebook message :)<br />
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so after may, OF LAST YEAR, we finished up the school year, collected our children from their various school trips, including DC, and turned right back around and drove to.... WASHINGTON DC. yep that's right, without thinking about it too much, we packed the kids into the old burb and drove to the white house. well with a few stops along the way.<br />
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for some reason i decided to chronicle our drive hour by hour (driving time only) from arizona to our friend's driveway in indiana.<br />
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we took route 66 all the way from flagstaff to st. louis. i got this cool book to help us along the way. it had all kinds of fun facts for the kids, things to look for out the window, and interesting things to do right off the side of the road. i never got to see the ice caves in new mexico... i'm still pretty bummed about that.<br />
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our first stop.... root beer floats, serious talkings to, threats and time to run around. then time to hit the road again...<br />
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we were pumped to spot cadillac ranch, just outside of amarillo, tx... america's first installation of road art. we got pretty muddy with red clay and it was really hard to wipe off. we also ate at a weird bbq spot somewhere around here... i really hate to think of what kind of meat we might have eaten.<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDcRM71VQKJ9X0FgDfrKFy23IGy2MXboPfQivl9q8ahEFx6oMPJwKRODUGVdPXRkzSLBoMDP8OA6bN81LZM3zjnWDw_dIp3fomOvuEGdXcDAj8uHrU9RwLwjlcGRUW5Z9oRzlw1HQihL0/s640/IMG_1934.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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oklahoma and missouri were pretty stressful to drive through. we encountered heavy rain and tornado warnings. while i did find friendly's ice cream to be delightful, and the road kill was so very interesting (really big) we got some pretty serious prayer time in. the kids were so quiet. we were googling what the heck to do when driving thru a tornado. growing up in az niether of us had a clue what to do. if we were near a fast food restaurant, we were supposed to go in and take shelter in their deep freeze. and if we were in the middle of nowhere (which we were) we were supposed to get everyone as far away from the car and lay in a ditch on top of the kids. there were tornadoes touching down in towns all around us but we luckily avoided them in our direct path... we "weathered" thru it if you will. <span style="font-size: x-small;">hahahahaha</span></div>
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we finally made it to st. louis!! we checked out the arch and old cathedral. lucked out with parking there...<br />
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after, i can't remember now, so many hours we finally pulled up to our friend's house in indiana. we spent around a week there visiting friends and family. the kids couldn't wait to get to my grandma's house to see her and pick flowers. it was pretty much heaven with it being peony season and all.<br />
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memorial day on the front porch with gram & gramp <br />
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we were really thankful for our dear friends, the timkos. they opened their house to us and probably thought we would never leave. i kind of didn't want to.<br />
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we got to be there for my auntie's birthday. we enjoyed lovely walks in the park with her and she even had the little girls over for a sleepover with their cousin avery.<br />
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another highlight of the trip, my cousin sam the fireman gave us a tour of his station. he let the kids do everything!! they tried on his clothes, sprayed the hose, honked the horn, pushed all the buttons... they were in heaven. then as we were saying goodbye, they got a call. we watched them rush into their gear and swoop off to save someone. my eyes filled with tears, they were all so sweet and heros!! goll i love firefighters.<br />
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after a sad goodbye but wonderful visit to grandparents, family and friends we left indiana and headed towards philly. we stopped in ohio to visit with some of paul's family. we were spoiled with an amazing cookout and salads galore. we chatted and the kids played piano and we even got some backyard haircuts :)<br />
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we also made a stop at Paul's family farm in tiffin. it is also the place where our engagement took place, so of course we reenacted...<br />
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we had to grab a dog & suds too...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WTgVqkYE_BIu89sdf8IgqgtnWN4xxObIUoppmN6A5O3yYzoJmWBFmeEX0KM2p3b8r9kHxjv1bW3w0y2oWrMawLnhN3B8IrwuUGskLZ4SHlopXd2H4mQs9XcDxBy1ianMsJJ1z0FFdweA/s1600/IMG_2201.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp4Z2_PiEZVs_t6nE1_ReMbmstXrO0vzeWDk4b2133d3ClFbozUbhezvD59ivuldnzbeAeeFxoXtCXHPr5-eCtSUtbZbw6w7awxXNaOp_FRBHo8-Gc4tIN-coriXy5EYjPai-z8AgkvK4/s1600/IMG_2153.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp4Z2_PiEZVs_t6nE1_ReMbmstXrO0vzeWDk4b2133d3ClFbozUbhezvD59ivuldnzbeAeeFxoXtCXHPr5-eCtSUtbZbw6w7awxXNaOp_FRBHo8-Gc4tIN-coriXy5EYjPai-z8AgkvK4/s640/IMG_2153.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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in the morning we drove through pennsylvania which has got to be one of the most beautiful states. the rolling green velvet hills were fabulous. we had to make a primanti bros. stop in pittsburgh. so delish.<br />
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we made it to my uncle & aunt's house and had the most fabulous time filling their house to the brim with our brooklyn cousins & their dog, miss honey too! we toured philly & checked out the liberty bell and had water ice... which was not as good as our philly cheese-steaks. we stayed up way too late laughing and solving the world's problems. the kids adore their cousin lucia & had a blast staying up all night watching movies in the basement.<br />
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after philly, we packed up the car again and headed to DC! we met up with more fun family at the hamilton restaurant. we loved exploring the city life and the kids loved seeing everyone's apartments. this one in particular had a bed that folded away every morning. the kids got a kick out of that.<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3CJP92zlwlMjvQzNxz6kh46Ck9hakNBTdWcTVPMU-HYaQx5jiFY_RRkzZT93HB1cJufyUcQEeam6KkZ3CtvalC-cPwVT__22RhXgHx4DM36oV83MAdKM4ihhcaHdt8iYn33DY1CKEJj6/s640/IMG_2367.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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the white house!!! we made it!! although we were not picked for a tour, again, ugghh.<br />
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the washington monument!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6mnEVGCDX5hZHIuLJwvsRTXHvB34jgtZXIbTgfCRawiZ7gjPcLRT3848-_P5XylcYt_DH87Audf0ED8n56Ph3gh49y2RodbCA08T2Fw-ZoaaRF6rymI7el9fOnMEZ_8jndY7rN_mhpqI/s1600/IMG_2325.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6mnEVGCDX5hZHIuLJwvsRTXHvB34jgtZXIbTgfCRawiZ7gjPcLRT3848-_P5XylcYt_DH87Audf0ED8n56Ph3gh49y2RodbCA08T2Fw-ZoaaRF6rymI7el9fOnMEZ_8jndY7rN_mhpqI/s640/IMG_2325.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
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abe, little s & mom selfie...<br />
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after hand delivering a paper for S's congressional award program, we were directed to our congress woman's office and told to say we were constituents from the district and would like a tour of the capitol building. so we did. and it was awesome. we had done this tour in the past, but this was better because we got to go through the underground tunnels that lead out of the capitol building. it was so cool. <br />
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clearly enjoying themselves... </div>
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since D had just returned from a trip to DC with her class a few weeks before our trip, she really enjoyed showing us around. she directed us to the natural history museum, a few times, the library of congress and to the place where her class had stayed.<br />
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the weather was exciting and a little different every day. it went from extremely hot & muggy, to pouring down rain... to freezing! we had to make a stop to gap clearance to pick up some warm sweaters!<br />
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one day my sweet aunt took the big girls to the spy museum while we took the littles to the library of congress. they were so excited to check out all the cool spy gear and my aunt even treated them to an operation spy adventure. they were given a mission and chose to accept it. they loved it. and the littles loved just chillin in the library. they colored and played with the puppet show for what seemed like hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYMV5SmpfeEh5AlJf8zZMmj6qL7ogCIiQBE1QuyFM-k4eOfEMKPXuhSGWpZMjWoCuwwuTKzmi6_o78IY9WGkyrTXEfCAPceck4xLy3nTWvyej5KMxvlLAwuEMC65f77_I6O52x6UkbhJ6/s1600/IMG_2281.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYMV5SmpfeEh5AlJf8zZMmj6qL7ogCIiQBE1QuyFM-k4eOfEMKPXuhSGWpZMjWoCuwwuTKzmi6_o78IY9WGkyrTXEfCAPceck4xLy3nTWvyej5KMxvlLAwuEMC65f77_I6O52x6UkbhJ6/s640/IMG_2281.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWNTA5CEXW0SFBDntTjB8AKdNXsnZw1_ShSi3ARN4zzsPCvMDod0NzFOO2tytanHsiGLbkyG_Ov1qB6G-Yjs2yzmUd-5X2tKompgAzEokQuKx3W_4APm1sMz4LzdNB7LLsYgn1cTxdnoN/s1600/IMG_2278.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHE4xs5lfRwV3qup238m9sf8rliWkGUftatnlogtRzO-chsW6qsUvv5l-kBOLLyJXWApSfxHpjZCZwhFjlSPzl_RlLThXw7M3duliPC_DorN8rjxh2OYrJeHrvCi_RLDwa1til-dOkGJq/s1600/IMG_2306.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHE4xs5lfRwV3qup238m9sf8rliWkGUftatnlogtRzO-chsW6qsUvv5l-kBOLLyJXWApSfxHpjZCZwhFjlSPzl_RlLThXw7M3duliPC_DorN8rjxh2OYrJeHrvCi_RLDwa1til-dOkGJq/s640/IMG_2306.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
one of my favorite nights... dinner at 2 amy's. the food was AMAZING. it might have been that it was SO far & it was quite an adventure getting there. oh and they had my favorite beverage on tap :)<br />
after this dinner we took a taxi to the lincoln memorial and walked all the way back to the apartment from there. the kids were troopers!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHE4xs5lfRwV3qup238m9sf8rliWkGUftatnlogtRzO-chsW6qsUvv5l-kBOLLyJXWApSfxHpjZCZwhFjlSPzl_RlLThXw7M3duliPC_DorN8rjxh2OYrJeHrvCi_RLDwa1til-dOkGJq/s1600/IMG_2306.jpg" imageanchor="1"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM5_f8dmkpJmlQZAtYHWs9ssvPPmgDzb_OQa1EZo_iFLTMx0sdSrRA2lZ4T0uGorIOki9ylJdMMHFLEYSNWVVncHOLM42haJwrjY16Dbus0wH642Vx3zlUdRHXlUoDGsAYMSlKYzm-BO2/s1600/IMG_2294.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM5_f8dmkpJmlQZAtYHWs9ssvPPmgDzb_OQa1EZo_iFLTMx0sdSrRA2lZ4T0uGorIOki9ylJdMMHFLEYSNWVVncHOLM42haJwrjY16Dbus0wH642Vx3zlUdRHXlUoDGsAYMSlKYzm-BO2/s640/IMG_2294.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN6siquHAre92VarWgMPj1aDIpGo21F1kUua-VM4OOagUGTRz9QE6oZw3fKbWWHWDxzwWHsgaJk4-TV8dLpIg-JyWnjHQ3z0-XGhyphenhyphen7P9b3jkNJriLJgZn043zpAtkMW91YdaL0h2DS-Dd/s1600/IMG_2263.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN6siquHAre92VarWgMPj1aDIpGo21F1kUua-VM4OOagUGTRz9QE6oZw3fKbWWHWDxzwWHsgaJk4-TV8dLpIg-JyWnjHQ3z0-XGhyphenhyphen7P9b3jkNJriLJgZn043zpAtkMW91YdaL0h2DS-Dd/s640/IMG_2263.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
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another family hit was spending the day at mount vernon. we learned so much and the grounds were beautiful. they have a great museum at the end all about george washington (obvi) we could have spent the whole day just in there! it was also fun seeing some of the spots where the national treasure movies were filmed. we watched those movies every night. the kids got a kick out of the apartment being right next to the national archives!!<br />
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just like any other night... right Uncle John??? :)<br />
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sadly, at some point we needed to head back home. we said goodbye to our oh so generous aunt and uncle who shared their one bedroom apartment with us and our family of 8. it was a little tight but we managed (and loved it). we mapped a little different route home and stopped to see friends in nashville. <br />
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somewhere in arkansas.... </div>
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kids spent lots of time pondering why it's pronounced ar-can-saw when it's spelled just like kansas but with an "ar" in the front. unanswered questions...</div>
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we had to stop at graceland!!!! unfortunately i was the only one who wanted to go in. so we didn't experience elvis's gloriousness. wahhh.<br />
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we spent our last evening in albuquerque before driving thru the night to home. we had a yummy mexican dinner & walked around a bit. it was bittersweet. we were ready to be home, but we had grown accostomed to being so close to one another. we were free, no plans, no stress, just us, the kids & the open road. i loved it. we thought it would be a disaster with fighting and being in such close quarters, but we were pleasantly surprised.<br />
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after 17 states and 1 district, we dreaded heading back to the heat but the new mexico skies put on quite a show for us on our last night and we were so thankful.<br />
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i would definitely recommend DC to any family looking for a vacation destination. we all loved the history, the activities, there are lots of free things to do (especially handy for big families) & good food... i can't wait to go back!!<br />
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-84268904251495939092015-09-14T14:22:00.002-07:002015-09-14T14:22:52.844-07:00hellllooooo???is anybody out there? i guess i've been a little busy and haven't taken the time to record my doings. let's see.... i'll have to do a major catch up... but here's the gist...<br />
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school let out.<br />
we drove thru 15 states and 1 district to see the white house, which we did not get a tour. AGAIN.<br />
we chilled. (or burned, az summers)<br />
p & i somehow miraculously arranged childcare for all 6 and went to london with friends for 11 days.<br />
we chilled.<br />
kids went back to school.<br />
we started some house projects.<br />
they turned into major projects and we moved to my moms for 2 weeks. (she was outta town)<br />
we moved some kids around & redecorated their rooms.<br />
i gotta go now to pick up kids.<br />
and R needs a towel right now.<br />
mom... mom.... MOM.... MOOOOOOMMMMMMMM <br />
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-65182751302641025632015-06-09T11:09:00.000-07:002015-06-09T11:09:33.806-07:00jet setters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our little family packed quite a few trips into the last couple of weeks.</div>
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D & s had their annual school trips, which also meant that p & I had our annual trip with our friends. And I decided to cash in my chips for a few overdue girls trips in the mean time.</div>
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D and her 4-6th grade class hopped on a plane and visited our nation's Capitol, Washington, D.C.</div>
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S packed her bags and headed off to tontozona camp for 3 days with her 1-3rd grade class.</div>
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I managed to squeeze in 3 trips. A bit ambitious but like I said, overdue.<br />
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My first trip was, my very first friends girls trip, to a catholic women's blogging conference. Despite the name, it was an awesome time filled with laughter, bonding & faith filled discussions. </div>
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It was hosted at a beautiful home & I loved the fresh flowers on each of the tables.<br />
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I'm always a sucker for cookies... Especially with my name on it :)</div>
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We flew on a Friday, phx to Burbank & back Sunday night.</div>
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The next morning we took a 6am flight right back to Burbank. It felt surreal. And I might mention the turbulence was terrible!! So smooth the previous 2 times, but oh man I was scared.</div>
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As soon as we arrived we drove straight to a local bakery & filled out car with pastries galore to get us to our lovely Santa Barbara rental.</div>
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We arrived just in time for sunset.<br />
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This was our cute vrbo spot... The funk house.</div>
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Mr. B had crepes on his mind and whipped up crepe Suzette for breakfast.<br />
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We spent most of our time doing n.o.t.h.i.n.g.</div>
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We just relaxed. And enjoyed the quiet.<br />
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Oh and when we did decide to walk around, we didn't get far. We kept getting really thirsty.</div>
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This pic doesn't do this giant fig tree justice... It was huge!!</div>
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So thirsty...</div>
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Ok we did do one real thing, we toured the Santa Barbara mission. It was so beautiful. I loved the gardens in the back. </div>
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We saw some sea lions frolicking in the water just a few feet out from the shore.</div>
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This isn't a pic of them, I'm just recalling it. It was in this spot. Okaaayyyyy</div>
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We spent quite some time at this little Boardwalk winery. It was so comfy & peaceful. They had fleece blankets available to snuggle up in. </div>
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We headed home from our very chill and peaceful trip on Wednesday night to my dad who was hanging in there with the kids despite being sick. Thanks dad!!</div>
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Friday morning I jumped on a GIANT plane with my sister and headed to Indianapolis.</div>
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My cute grandparents... I love them so much.</div>
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We stayed at my aunties house. She had our room done up so cute. We died. Not literally. She even had our pics put into picture frames...<br />
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She whipped up this amazing breakfast for us before taking us out antiquing and thrift shopping. We died. Again. Not literally.<br />
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We stopped into the Irish mutt... Because we were thirsty.</div>
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I just love this beautiful calendar my aunt got from etsy.<br />
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Fresh flowers from the yard... At my aunties again.<br />
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She took us to the cake bake shop. Ok this time we almost literally died from happiness & sugar overdose.</div>
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We ordered a glass of pink champagne, 2 lattes, southern Carmel cake, a chocolate chip cookie & fresh berry cheesecake.</div>
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S.o.s.o.g.o.o.d.<br />
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This is my gramp in his front yard picking dandelions. He is very proud of his dandelion free yard. It's quite a process he has to remove them. He's very serious about it.<br />
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We went to the lilac fields at butler university. Such an amazingly beautiful campus.<br />
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My uncle kept begging us to go down to the brewery down the street from my grandmas. How could we say no? Goll he must have been thirsty ;) ;) ;)<br />
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Preparing for family dinner.<br />
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The creek at the end of my gram's street.</div>
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My mom used to play in it for hours when she was little, looking for treasure and other wierd things.<br />
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By this time I was actually starting to miss my little family back home. I headed home Monday and arrived. To a clean house, happy children, clogged toilets and 1 more week of school.</div>
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And to top it all off with a bang, my mom spent the next weekend at our house so that we could celebrate our</div>
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17th wedding anniversary! </div>
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That just seems crazy. But the dates don't lie. Holy moly that seems like a long time.<br />
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18 years ago we attempted to climb camelback. I had a little hussy fit and quit while the rest of our group finished. I have always regretted that & swore I would try again.</div>
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Well I let a few years pass by & decided we would conquer this mountain together in honor of our anniversary.</div>
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So we did.</div>
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The hard trail I might add. Echo canyon.</div>
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We had a backpack, water, hiking gloves... The whole kit & caboodle. We were pretty much professionals.</div>
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Anywho, WE DID IT!!</div>
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it was hard, but I was so proud of us!</div>
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We headed over to the camelback inn for a celebratory beer afterwards.<br />
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We spent the night at the buttes and took advantage of their many jacuzzis.</div>
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We were a little sore from our ambitious hike.</div>
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We had a lovely anniversary dinner at the top of the rock.</div>
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We ordered breakfast in bed & headed out to the jacuzzis again before checking out.</div>
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We stopped by defalco's Italian deli to pick up lunch and headed home.</div>
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We were so thankful to my mom for watching the kids so we could have a night away. They were all so happy & in good moods when we returned. Thank you mom!!</div>
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All that time away made me thankful, reflective & RELAXED! I had a great time and of course missed my scmoopies, but I SO appreciated the freedom. And I knew they were in good hands. And I didn't feel too guilty since we were gearing up for a cross county family road trip as soon as school let out. I'm sure there will be a plethora of together time then.<br />
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keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-49482059370714924592015-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:002015-05-20T07:18:32.743-07:00april-may moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
i'm just gonna chronicle our last two months so they don't fade away. lots of everyday stuff... but those are the things i wanna remember. the goofy faces, the crazy things that happen around here on a daily basis. the activities the kids were doing... all of it. </div>
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can't remember if i already used this pic but i love it. we were waiting for the sisters to get out of choir, playing in the church field. they were having a great time running wild & were resting for a moment. J wrapped his little hands around his big bro & i snapped right away. these brothers sure love each other.</div>
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we have a hate/hate relationship with our mailbox. we just can't seem to keep it together. i walked out this afternoon and saw neighbors taking pictures of our mailbox. we did get a note from the mailman this day telling us to fix it. i apologized later. he said in 30 years he's never seen anything like that.<br>
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we had a bunch of trips coming for various people in our family so i tortured myself shopping several times with the little guys. R is not so bad but J..... oh my. he's a terror right now. shopping anyway.<br>
i also learned my lesson about giving R my phone when i'm trying on clothes. that was an uncomfortable sight when some unflattering pictures popped up on our streaming iCloud pics.<br>
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my amazing friend dropped off these pretzel croissants. they were seriously one of the best things i have ever eaten.<br>
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S & L were in the school play carousel. they were adorbs.<br>
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school pics always crack me up. the kids get so excited about them even tho i never buy them. i did snap a pic of them tho before we turned them in. i love these two girls so much. they are so sweet and i just want to freeze them how they are now.<br>
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more fun shopping times...<br>
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this guy was in hog heaven at a western bday party he attended. complete with real ponies!<br>
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i chaperoned L's 7th grade class on a field trip to the zoo. my group was surprisingly sweet and aware. they made sure they stayed with me and were very respectful. the boys even cleared everyone's plates after lunch without being asked. such gentlemen! they did take any chance they got to run through the sprinklers tho.<br>
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my bad baby wasting kleenex on earth day.<br>
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R was pretty excited about this warrior get up he put together. he said he would be able to protect the whole house if he slept in this. i said his rocket might be uncomfortable. he said oh you mean my blaster?? no, it's fine.<br>
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J playing legos in the relaxing light from R's window.</div>
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this guy cracks me up with his little habit he has of laying flat on his back wherever he goes. he just has to get the view and then he's done. he also says "why" after EVERY statement said to him and uh-uh, even when he means yes, after EVERY question.<br>
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one early morning in my family bed.<br>
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that's one way to clean up a spill.<br>
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mother's day 2015: i posted this pic for my mom. i was really confused-entranced by my morning hair.<br>
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we went to church, lunch, dropped kids off at home, rode bikes to get "apples" at whole foods, ignored threatening texts from the children, enjoyed our "apples", rode back home and Paul & my bro grilled up a feast for the mothers in our family.<br>
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R's last day of 4's preschool :)<br>
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this was the season for lots of 1st communions and confirmations. 2 of my sweet godsons received sacraments!</div>
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i really like this little babe of mine...<br>
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my dear friend Liz was in town with her boys (more sacraments... baby was baptized!!) and we went outside to snap some pics. love this one!<br>
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<br>keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-55723160963100805122015-05-19T08:51:00.003-07:002015-05-20T07:25:44.345-07:00birthday catch up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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we had quite a few birthdays in april & may.</div>
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paully wally celebrated his big day with a morning song and waffle cake. we had a sitter come over in the evening and we had a relaxing birthday dinner sans kids.</div>
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next up were some cousin b-days.<br>
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little w turned 3! she had a fairy party and looked like a little angel floating around. the boys wanted in on the fairy action too. the were running around shooting each other and jumping off big things with their fairy wings in tact.<br>
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this big guy turned 5 with a high 5 themed party!</div>
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the mustaches were a big hit.</div>
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next up my big guy turned 5!! he had all the boys from his preschool class join us for lunch at the new chuck e cheese's by our house. all the boys had fun with the super hero theme. they were in token-ticket-video game heaven.<br>
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and later that night we had our family over to celebrate the newly 5 year old and yours truly. With our birthdays being only one day apart, it's a busy month around here...<br>
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my sis made us a delicious chocolate cake and we blew out the candles together.</div>
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R was super pumped about the "quad" his father bought him. it was a big lego, transformer & of course his all time favorite... darth vader gift-themed year.<br>
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the next day was my actual birthday and my mister really spoiled me with his company and my favorite activities all day. we woke up and drove out to gilbert for my free liberty market birthday breakfast. it was the last day of preschool for R, so we had a little party at the park. then we had a sitter come over at 4 and hit the town. paul took me to last chance and even came in with me!! this is a big deal because he hates that place and usually waits in the car. we found lots of goodies and then headed over to a cool downtown pizza place with our friends. it was a perfect evening. i'm now a fitbit owner... let's compete :)<br>
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we continued the celebration with a friends party. these little cuties surprised me with a yummo dinner, chocolate cake, banners & anthro presents. i guess they know the way straight to my heart :)<br>
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<br><div>and was spoiled once again by my "sisters" with a birthday dinner complete with gifts of ball jars, homemade rose sugar scrub, candles & the most amazing red velvet chocolate chip cookies. </div><div>despite the rising number, I really look forward to my birthday each year ;)</div>keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-81538972351824611722015-05-15T12:59:00.000-07:002015-05-15T12:59:08.126-07:00bathing suits and cookies i'm super pumped about my recent last chance finds. it gives me probably an unhealthy amount of joy to come home and look up my savings.<br />
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i stumbled upon these beauties...<br />
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$114 badgley mischka shirred maillot... i found for $9.97</div>
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$120 laundry one piece... i found for $9.97</div>
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and since i totally have the same body type as these models i said heck ya! let's do this.</div>
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and then i found my fave free people beach cocoon $68 for..... $7.97</div>
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i mean really, my heart may have skipped a beat.</div>
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and speaking of swimsuit bodies....</div>
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can someone please make <span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lilluna.com/the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/" target="_blank">these</a> </span>cookies for me??? who knew there was such thing as chocolate chip cookie day and of course it's close to my birthday.</div>
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it's cosmic.</div>
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i mean what more could i want for my birthday other than these cookies and to stock up on some candy crush lives and kingdom keys????</div>
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<span id="goog_194151743"></span><span id="goog_194151744"></span><br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-31555142508411125482015-04-11T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-11T05:00:01.091-07:00lent to easter recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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this really spoke to me this year.</div>
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i always give up sweets, biting my nails, beer and add things like: slow to anger, donate... yada yada yada.</div>
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i'm not sure why, but i started off lent this year not feeling very motivated.</div>
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i did give up beer and biting my nails and did do 40 bags in 40 days,</div>
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but i found myself eating lots of sweets and drinking lots of margaritas.</div>
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not quite what i was going for.</div>
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so i kicked it up a notch.</div>
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no sugar, breads, alcohol (well maybe a little wine, but no more margaritas)</div>
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i felt better.</div>
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more of a struggle.</div>
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i think it's good to strive to be better and it should be hard.</div>
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the kids did really well on their lenten promises as well.</div>
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R gave up burping and little S gave up brussels sprouts. <i>hmmm....</i></div>
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big S gave up sweets and L gave up instagram.</div>
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D gave up biting her nails and something else i can't remember.</div>
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Paul's motto was slow to anger.</div>
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which R gave us daily reminders.</div>
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we really enjoyed Mass holy thursday.</div>
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we attended a stations of the cross for kids friday morning on good friday.</div>
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i somehow thought P had the day off and i had planned to get out of dodge for the day</div>
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(paully wally had been out of town all week)</div>
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but that was not the case. he did have to work and i mentally checked out.</div>
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i was about to loose my marbles. but my lovely womens' group, through texting, inspired me</div>
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to turn myself and negative thinking around.</div>
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i pulled myself together and put together some craft stations for the kids.</div>
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we were gonna have a prayerful time if they liked it or not.</div>
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they actually loved it.</div>
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we prayed the sorrowful mysteries from this book.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQlw9uMKZAnbsQiB2q69MR8Gcpmj5IQl8SPtrYHQw1c4SW54sPtdII7fMSuaEFN_WywjI3hyphenhyphenlKU5y2N876SRLZuU52bnc1R9Uj9zUaRzkLOCm7RT1aPvIKzS6UWxdWDVjNVNHUe-ghSuq/s1600/IMG_0721_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQlw9uMKZAnbsQiB2q69MR8Gcpmj5IQl8SPtrYHQw1c4SW54sPtdII7fMSuaEFN_WywjI3hyphenhyphenlKU5y2N876SRLZuU52bnc1R9Uj9zUaRzkLOCm7RT1aPvIKzS6UWxdWDVjNVNHUe-ghSuq/s1600/IMG_0721_2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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it's a local artist from our parish and the paintings are so beautiful.</div>
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then we had 4 crafting stations.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p1bQVayhQOH7mhLYKpvsK78VUZ-Lmeq77J6FamI7053HwuKyxK_LHiASWQNpz_p6JG9V1jFPV1K-9kACsNN4IL6Sr6-Egf9Wi4KdrnB7ql8EqlP4D3Hy0M94ak94JcM_MOCQE5khEYrn/s1600/IMG_0710_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p1bQVayhQOH7mhLYKpvsK78VUZ-Lmeq77J6FamI7053HwuKyxK_LHiASWQNpz_p6JG9V1jFPV1K-9kACsNN4IL6Sr6-Egf9Wi4KdrnB7ql8EqlP4D3Hy0M94ak94JcM_MOCQE5khEYrn/s1600/IMG_0710_2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj-srn7af6Il3QJmZNi-hLOwXomWJiNFIP1t_Ji96fCLdsPKHeR7YnWG9VF9qWqVcnO5SFK7zvveQgeZY5td4-HcQdTWvHIO0tCkvgaF4iOBklQ0RiwyfrA-k5Pen6QSkeXo6-5QXD1En/s1600/IMG_0714_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj-srn7af6Il3QJmZNi-hLOwXomWJiNFIP1t_Ji96fCLdsPKHeR7YnWG9VF9qWqVcnO5SFK7zvveQgeZY5td4-HcQdTWvHIO0tCkvgaF4iOBklQ0RiwyfrA-k5Pen6QSkeXo6-5QXD1En/s1600/IMG_0714_2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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1. the coloring and collage station</div>
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2. the embossing a metal cross station </div>
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(found on pinterest)</div>
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3. a religious book reading station</div>
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4. we also had a letter writing station. </div>
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each person in our family had an envelope and each person was to write one letter for each envelope.</div>
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we read the messages aloud on easter.</div>
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the kids loved doing this.</div>
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they loved reading the letters they received and even more so enjoyed hearing the letters they had written.</div>
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5. even the baby had a station.</div>
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(stickers and crayons)</div>
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R got a little carried away with the crown of thorns snack.</div>
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baby was not supposed to have one of these.</div>
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we hung our finished art on the wall.</div>
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the kids seemed calmed.</div>
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as soon as Paul got home my mama came and picked me up.</div>
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then i was calm.</div>
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and we finally made it to EASTER!!!</div>
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my mom came over early in the morning for a quick brunch</div>
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(mimosa)</div>
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and we headed to church.</div>
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3 of the girls sang in the children's choir and sounded beautiful.</div>
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the traditional after church easter pictures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTPTVPe0W7yx8RAFRCAUz9FP9DIR6KRQVMHXNY7FyiS4MtF747musoqXJuGNq303oNX_-yJcrkaR6RHXKCEEv2FDP8NDLCI6r42JlJ-4xMTx5cEUCjcw7U4Rwb6l5vVAuuZjCdBOeOSU_/s1600/fameaster2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTPTVPe0W7yx8RAFRCAUz9FP9DIR6KRQVMHXNY7FyiS4MtF747musoqXJuGNq303oNX_-yJcrkaR6RHXKCEEv2FDP8NDLCI6r42JlJ-4xMTx5cEUCjcw7U4Rwb6l5vVAuuZjCdBOeOSU_/s1600/fameaster2015.jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></div>
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my kids with their noni.</div>
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baby J would only participate if he could stand where he wanted. little stinker.</div>
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the whole family.</div>
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after church we headed over to brunch with my dad and step mom and sister.</div>
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it was delicious.</div>
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after brunch we headed back to our house for easter dinner and family egg hunt.</div>
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L and i had done a ton of food prepping saturday.</div>
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i made my grandma's homemade macaroni and cheese.</div>
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L made the traditional bunny cake and she also made an oreo icebox cake.</div>
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i made two batches of this chocolate sauce and it really is easy and amazing.</div>
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it's from lilluna.com</div>
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i love everything on that site.</div>
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a friend snapped these pics of my kids at the neighborhood egg hunt.</div>
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it's so fun seeing someone else's view.</div>
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anticipation from the egg toss...</div>
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-53802533314001199842015-04-09T07:00:00.000-07:002015-04-09T07:00:01.953-07:00sb 15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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not sure how we already passed spring break and are already almost to summer...</div>
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but alas it's true.</div>
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time truly flies by.</div>
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we decided to explore some local activities this spring break.</div>
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i packed the kids and a cousin into the old burb</div>
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and drove down to the biosphere II</div>
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biosphere I is the earth... in case you didn't know that.</div>
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i did. </div>
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jk, i had no idea and felt a little embarrassed after i asked.</div>
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anywho, it was pretty cool. the kids all enjoyed it.</div>
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and the drive there was pretty too.</div>
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not much along the way though... postponing lunch until we got closer wasn't the best idea i've ever had.</div>
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we cleaned that car of every last chip, bar & nut we could find.</div>
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our next adventure was tonto natural bridge near pine, az</div>
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it was the perfect length of hike for the family.</div>
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and so so beautiful.</div>
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we even found a little waterfall... not the kind of thing one usually stumbles upon in arizona.</div>
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i highly recommend this trip for families with all ages.</div>
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next up was pi day.</div>
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3.14.15</div>
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i took a couple girls and a cousin to a show at the herberger theater.</div>
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a friend was in a contest. they had singing, dancing and acting portions of the contest. our friend was a singer.</div>
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it was very exciting.</div>
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and of course we had to find a cute little pie place afterwards.</div>
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they had a special.</div>
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all slices of pie were </div>
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$3.14</div>
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we ordered one of each.</div>
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our fav was the blueberry crumble.</div>
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they had a mounted police training unit graduation in our neighborhood.</div>
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i cried a little when the horses processed out with the flag to the national anthem and</div>
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my cute boy had his little hand over his heart.</div>
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it was so sweet.</div>
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here they got to participate as an unruly crowd. they demonstrated how they would control and back up the crowds.</div>
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this little hot tamale is the owner of the gym where my mom and i sweat our booties off.</div>
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well that's the goal anyway.</div>
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usually we just die laughing.</div>
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anywho... she participated in a </div>
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BODY BUILDING CONTEST!</div>
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it was amazing. we witnessed her transformation and saw the determination and commitment it took.</div>
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we were so proud.</div>
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i cried a little when she came out in her little bikini.</div>
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amazing.</div>
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not to mention she is a mother of </div>
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FIVE!!!!!</div>
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and nursing a baby.</div>
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my baby bro had a promotion ceremony.</div>
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i cried.</div>
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we had vehicle day at preschool.</div>
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i didn't cry that day.</div>
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the boys love it so much.</div>
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we visited the science museum... R's favorite part was sliding through the digestive tract. complete with surround sound gurgling and fart noises.</div>
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he was in heaven.</div>
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he came barrelling through in hysterics every time.</div>
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i tried to sleep in a few times.</div>
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but that didn't happen.</div>
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another spring break crossed off the calendar. it was nice to stay close to home and have a week of cleared schedules. we also loved having picnics at the parks with friends. and also one of my FAVORITE parts was seeing cinderella in the theaters with the family. it was SUCH a good movie. i am so happy with the way the movie was portrayed. it was beautiful and good. i can't wait to see it again!</div>
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now to plan out that summer....</div>
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keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-247689153506765742015-04-08T21:53:00.001-07:002015-04-08T23:17:56.810-07:00D turns 10!?!?!?!<div style="text-align: center;">
back up a little... to the beginning of March...</div>
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and this beautiful child turned</div>
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10!</div>
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her birthday is 1 day after my mom & bro's bday.</div>
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so we had a family party sunday night.</div>
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cute cake made by auntie sarah.</div>
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then monday was her actual bday so we had to have a cake that night as well.</div>
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however, she had her big school play scheduled on her birthday so we couldn't celebrate with friends until friday of that week. it was truly a week of celebrations. i guess we should have had 10.</div>
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she invited 3 of her besties out for dinner and a play. we ate at humble pie and saw beauty and the beast at a local theater.</div>
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it was a round theater so there wasn't a bad seat in the house. we all really enjoyed it.</div>
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happy birthday D!!!!</div>
keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-84169545579093277232015-04-02T10:53:00.002-07:002015-04-02T10:53:40.480-07:00happeninsit's been a busy fix-it kinda month.<br />
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other than the washing machine breaking for a week (oh boy does the laundry get backed up fast around here), oh to record the faces of the big girls when they realized they had to do laundry in the bathtub, the garbage disposal breaking & currently has a disgusting smell protruding form under the cabinets, deciding to put myself together a little bit before facing the public which means putting earrings on to go with my workout outfit for the day... but at the end of the day realizing i had only put one on. and to take that further, i had bumped into a friend while sitting in the car, so we were talking rather closely through the car window and when we hugged my earring fell off and into her hand. i put it back in and she must have wondered where the other earring was. let's see what else... paully wally out of town for a few days which is always chaos... teen phones taken away a few times, finally getting the septic tank drained and the thrill of finding it after having no idea where it was, and almost getting pushed over the edge finding a chopstick sticking out of the wall when on a pick-up tirade.....<br />
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this happened.<br />
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the door to the refrigerator fell off.</div>
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i couldn't believe it. luckily it fell on me and not one of the kids. it could have seriously injured (or worse) the kids. it was so heavy, i was able to jump out of the way but it ripped a few holes in our floor. thank you to our guardian angels for working overtime that day!!</div>
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viking acted right away and shipped and installed a brand new fridge within a few days. and they are fixing the floor.</div>
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oh and our stovetop and dishwasher were broken as well and our home warranty replaced them! i can't believe it, but we have all new appliances in our kitchen!</div>
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now on to new "challenges" and to tend to that smell coming from the cabinets...</div>
keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-32003742925857113892015-03-31T08:12:00.001-07:002015-03-31T08:12:48.465-07:00ch ch ch chiaare you looking for a healthy, gluten free, dairy free, clean treat? well this chia seed pudding is one of my go tos when doing various cleanses. my friend gave me the recipe and i wasn't a big fan right away. but the second time i made it i liked it much better. don't get me wrong, it's not amazingly delicious, it's kind of an acquired taste. but when you are cutting out sugar and you just want something that feels decadent... this is the treat for you. i'd rather have a pint of ben & jerry's chocolate therapy.... <i>mmmmmmmm</i>... but nonetheless it is good. and good for you!<br />
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1. gather ingredients: mason jars, spoon, chia seeds, cashew or almond milk, vanilla, almond butter, flaxseed meal & honey (optional)(obviously makes it better)<br />
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2. add around 3T of chia seeds per 1C of liquid.<br />
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3. add a dollop of almond butter<br />
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4. add around 1T of flaxseed meal</div>
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5. add your liquid choice & a little honey<br />
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6. give it a good stir. i didn't stir mine enough the first time.<br />
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7. put on the lids and give them a good shake.</div>
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8. put in fridge and enjoy at your leisure :)</div>
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-53191483340819474012015-03-18T16:32:00.003-07:002015-03-18T16:32:44.273-07:00typical<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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a few weeks ago, while waiting for my prescriptions to be filled at sam's club, i couldn't help but notice the big trampoline screaming my name.</div>
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so i got one.</div>
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the kids were so excited...</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">about the boxes.</span></div>
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they played in those things for 2 weeks straight.</div>
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keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-64230852038674371492015-02-23T20:35:00.000-08:002015-02-23T21:14:24.422-08:00valentine's day recap<div style="text-align: center;">
leading up to v-day was a whirlwind this year. not unlike any other day in our household, but with a few extenuating circumstances that usually lend themselves to a recipe for disaster.</div>
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1. paul was out of town. only for 2 days, but i am big fat baby and need him here to help me take care of all <strike>his</strike> our kids.</div>
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2. we got sick. </div>
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but to start on a high note, i made these cute valentines for R. he is really into star wars so we went with a star wars theme. i found this cute idea on pinterest and inserted our own photos. i put them together in photoshop, printed them out & left the name space blank so that he could fill it in himself. he was so proud he didn't even notice or care that there wasn't a piece of candy, eraser or even a tattoo that came with it. <span style="font-size: x-small;">oh and i also cut out brown card stock, glued the picture to the card & antique stain edged all the sides, what would the pre-schoolers of thought if i hadn't done that?</span></div>
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i could tell in these pics that his eyes didn't look quite right, but i'll get to that later...</div>
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i found these cute print outs while perusing pinterest. they kept R busy while i was cutting and staining :) he loves tracing and pointing out letters.<br />
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he had actually missed school wed. because he had a little cough & an earache. i was pretty sure he had an ear infection so i called and added him to the existing appointments i already had thurs. morning. an 18 month well-check for baby J & an appointment to check out poor S's skin. her rash/eczema was getting worse instead of better so we needed to have it looked at.<br />
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by the end of the day, poor R looked like this. i'm thinking something was wrong with his eye?<br />
it actually swelled up more than this & white stuff started coming out. yikes.<br />
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we finally all filed into the ped. office thurs. morn. & she took a deep breath. she started with the oldest & worked her way down.<br />
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big S had not told me that she was't feeling well, all i could see was her rash... and her general grumpiness. it's so hard with teenagers, you never know if they are grumpy just because of hormones, or mood swings, or something at school, or not eating enough that day, or not drinking enough water or... the list goes on and on. anyway, she had a double ear infection & a sinus infection. the doc put her on topical & oral steroids for her inflamed skin and an antibiotic. poor thing. she felt so much better after just one day of meds. the doc told her that she has to tell me when she doesn't feel good and not let things go this far. her mood improved too when she started feeling better. makes sense. i'm just so glad she's better. and her skin is all cleared up! yay!<br />
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R, sure enough, had a double ear infection and a sinus infection. he was so congested that the fluids in his sinuses couldn't drain, so they found their way into his eye tissue and started filling up the space all around his eye! and that is what was coming out of his eye. so gross! he felt much better after antibiotics and eye drops. he had to stay upright to drain and take lots of steam showers. here he was feeling much better by the end of the day.<br />
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and baby J checked out just fine. he got 2 shots and was super sad. but other than that was perfect.</div>
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and super cute if i don't say so myself.</div>
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after the doc. appointments and prescriptions i had to fill, i was a little stressed. we have a high deductible plan and pay out of pocket for meds, appointments etc. </div>
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so i called paul and told him this was going to be pricey and i felt bad. i didn't want to stress him out but i knew we needed to get the medicines. my doc told me to go to sam's club and that they have the best prices by far. so that's what i did. and if you get a membership, you get up to 40% off of generic brands. my total went from $441.07 to $138.25!</div>
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by the end of school pickups, i was feeling pretty terrible. i had the worst headache, body aches and my ear felt like it was going to explode. it was not a pretty sight. i ended up putting my 12 yr. old in charge while i drove myself to urgent care. </div>
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i had a sinus & ear infection just like the kids. AND they had an antibiotic there for $5. i really don't understand the varying prices of medications. it's so frustrating sometimes. when i got home i really thought i might die. i was using labor breathing to try to help with the body aches. i don't remember the last time i felt that bad. meanwhile the children were unattended and running wild. R had some energy back and had found L's recorder. he was running around the house blowing it as loud as he could. the baby was wandering around. D stepped up and tried her best to take care of R & J. i threw together a dinner for everyone, put in a kid movie in my room and tried to make it thru until P got home late that night.</div>
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not surprisingly, things started to turn around when Paul finally got home. he took over and i got to rest. <i>kind of.</i></div>
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the next day was valentine's day! the big girls had big plans for v-day. L was invited to a party, which we helped chaperone and S had a school dance. the little kids left love notes on everyones' beds and i made them heart shaped sugar cookies. P got me some nice perfume and i made him a valentine.</div>
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here is L and some of her cute friends at her first jr. high party. they even had a dj, she was pumped.</div>
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and here is beautiful S & her cute friends at dinner before a high school, wait what?, dance. wearing one of my old bridesmaid dresses.</div>
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<br />keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-27800264531717061352015-02-08T14:49:00.002-08:002015-02-09T08:59:08.962-08:00lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
well golly. not much new has been going on around here. i spent a heck of a lot of time designing a new layout for my blog. not that you could tell, nothing that fancy, but i had to find & learn how to apply all kinds of new code & such. made me feel kinda smart for a minute. AND i saved at least $30 by making my own versus buying one :)</div>
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the children have all been busy. S & L are practicing hard for the school play in april. P has been pretty busy traveling and working and such. traveling for work that is. and playing soccer. i have still (which is huge for me) been working out. i actually miss it if i don't get to go. in fact if you would like to help me build my work-out clothing addiction, i encourage you to check out fabletics. if you use my code, i get a $10 credit. i'll be rich!!! i could wear work out clothes all day! oh wait, i already do that. anywho, try it out...</div>
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<a href="http://www.fabletics.com/invite/whoanellie/">http://www.fabletics.com/invite/whoanellie/</a></div>
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this little scmoopie participated in her first jiu jitsu tournament. she got a medal & second place for her age division! there were only two participants, but that's ok. we were proud of her for getting out there and doing it! she's so much braver than i ever was at her age.</div>
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this one is really into taking selfies lately, whenever she's not at play practice or doing homework that is. don't leave your phone around or you might find of of these gems on your photo roll.</div>
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the 3rd little flower has been working her little tail off at soccer. she almost always gets goals. and always super dramatic, boosting team morale, saving the day type of goals too. i'm usually hoarse & sore from jumping out of my chair when this happens.</div>
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#4 landed the female lead role in her school play. she worked super hard memorizing all her lines and was a natural in front of the audience. all her cousins and even her bff neighbor friend came to see her. she was on cloud nine.</div>
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R is jumping extra high and running extra fast these days. he learned to scale the backyard wall and is now experiencing all kinds of new freedom. he likes to go down the horse trails and collect citrus for me, always taking his light saber & bow and arrow for protection. he can also whip up one of these lego kits all by himself in around 15 min. he's a boy wonder.</div>
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and last but not least, this little lion man has been trying to talk, not really saying much except <span style="font-size: large;"><i>ruby</i></span>, our dog's name... in a very deep voice, and <span style="font-size: large;"><i>go away</i></span>. he says it with a big smile and everyone laughs, so i don't think he really means it. he also makes really goofy faces and raises his eyebrows and continues to smile for the camera, my only one who did this as a wee bae. <i>(that's cool for babe... at least my tween thinks so)</i></div>
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keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-44247041254432880682015-02-07T08:02:00.001-08:002015-02-07T08:02:15.559-08:00salivating saturday<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">i had these yesterday & i really want more right now. real bad.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2vTXN4TRKrOGwk10axEVeXQNRnkyip6BHWL19gjCmZzgchkAPpa9njF4Qj-D7d_IDhPMVbsBiemcybjbjhZdHh4KDh_ACGCmQwSCvP75E7IX1ACO_da8Wz2-iYJTd_8zDDVtCy2EHkF_/s640/blogger-image-1548356955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2vTXN4TRKrOGwk10axEVeXQNRnkyip6BHWL19gjCmZzgchkAPpa9njF4Qj-D7d_IDhPMVbsBiemcybjbjhZdHh4KDh_ACGCmQwSCvP75E7IX1ACO_da8Wz2-iYJTd_8zDDVtCy2EHkF_/s640/blogger-image-1548356955.jpg"></a></div>keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-88342273525848142382015-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:002015-01-27T20:54:03.390-08:00Mass-capadeshave you played this game? hopefully you cannot relate at all. sometimes i am convinced that i am on some sort of catholic punked hidden camera show. i look around thinking <i>come on. this has got to be a joke</i>. but ashton never appears & i have to believe that this is my temporary reality... for now anyway.<br />
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this past saturday we visited another church due to Mass times. we had been at the soccer fields all day & paul was going to be in california all day sunday. the kids had a choir concert sunday night & i just could't bear the thought of sitting through an extra long chaldean rite Mass and then a 2 hour concert with all 6 kids by myself. so we went to a 5pm, mostly elderly, saturday night service at a different church. and then i took the kids sunday night to the choir concert. here are some of the precious moments that i endured...<br />
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1. coming in late & having to occupy a pew up front. overhearing people counting heads and then finally overhearing them in a quiet/not so quiet astonished voice proclaim <i>six! six kids!</i><br />
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2. music from a late 70's sitcom along with the head boppers... too much distraction for my poor peripheral eyeballs<br />
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3. handing the baby anything to keep him quiet including my brand new 3 hr. old $15 sunglasses. big smile while ripping off the sides. why didn't i just give him 15 dollar bills to rip to shreds?<br />
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4. baby fascinated with the texture of the sweater worn by the grumpy old lady in front of us.<br />
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5. after previously explaining the specific and very detailed planned out seating arrangements, having your spouse completely taken aback and looking at you like he has no idea why you are giving him a death glare as you are getting bumped for the 10th time sitting next to the one that was to be sitting next to him this week. i'm talking <b>absolutely. no. idea. </b><br />
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6. wrestling a squirmy baby & watching him demonstrate his developing balancing skills on the wobbly kneeler & raising his little chin just above the wooden pew. BAM! very time. chin comes down. crying occurs.<br />
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7. the non-catholic refusing to kneel in front of me. i get it, but you are causing a whole wave of awkwardness behind you. i don't want to put my face right in the nape of your neck, so i half kneel for some space. however the person behind me doesn't mind spooning with me... ugh. claustrophobia. when in rome...just kneel when everyone else kneels.<br />
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8. the 4 and under crowd love to sprawl out & lay down in the pew when everyone else is standing. the 4 & up crowd love to sit back down on them. crying occurs.<br />
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9. that thrill the baby gets when escaping 14 hands & darts towards the altar. mommy's crying occurs.<br />
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10. the our father- hand war. who can grab the other's hand the hardest? who can release their shoulders for the most dramatic fall to the floor? who can yank the other and cause the next few people in line to lose their balance? and an all time favorite of raising your arms as high as they can go at the end, maybe hoping to rip off an entire arm. crying occurs. good times.<br />
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11. the scent of hand sanitizer coming from the surrounding rows in the air after shaking hands with my kids following the sign of peace.<br />
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12. the amazing origami figurines made out of their tithing bills that are tossed into the basket each week are a favorite as well.<br />
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13. the delicate dance of "pass the baby" during the Communion line.<br />
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14. half of the kids REALLY want the kneeler up & half of the kids REALLY want the kneeler down. good luck. they'll find a resolution to israeli & palestinian conflict before this crisis gets solved.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>the honorable woman. anyone? anyone?</i></span><br />
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15. sometimes having to explain the island accent of the priest to the children after words like "focus."<br />
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16. watching the 12 yr. old sulk in humiliation at having to wear the horrible <i>(in her opinion)</i> children's choir robes and at the same time watching the 8 & 9 year old twirl and beam with pride at wearing such important garments.<br />
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17. during a devotion, being instructed to not only open our eyes, but our inner eyes as well. and then having the 14yr old. lean over in a very sarcastic voice <span style="font-size: large;">"<i>uuuuhhhhhh.... okaaaaay</i>.</span> what does that even mean?"<br />
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18. having said 14 year old repeatedly elbow and raise eyebrows at me when the words of the song are "will you take the risk if your life attracts or causes hostile stare?"<br />
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19. the freedom the children feel when sitting together as a choir with no adult dictating their every move. i saw one of my children get up to go to the bathroom at least 5 times. in a 15 minute period.<br />
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20. being amazed at the drastic roller coaster ride my emotions can take in 1 hour, from steam coming out of my ears type of severe irritation to intense euphoria, weeping with gratefulness for the blessing of my six beautiful children.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-4929853983386247582015-01-09T10:57:00.002-08:002015-02-05T14:02:08.692-08:00my guys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i was talking to R about behaving and being a gentleman at the fine eating establishment at where we (he) were (was) eating (Taco Bell).<br />
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he asked: what's a gentleman?<br />
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i answered: a boy that's kind, uses good manners, handsome, strong, protective, generous, calm in restaurants ;), polite and funny.<br />
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he thought about it.<br />
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and then said: like daddy?keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-53681744502925274202015-01-08T06:28:00.001-08:002015-02-06T12:37:34.883-08:00New Year's Eve 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Well darn, I loaded these photos backwards. I'll have to work my way thru the end of the night up to the beginning of our magical family New Year's Eve celebration.</div>
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I was talking with my friend about how fun our thanksgivings were & all the delicious food & recipes and we decided it was a shame we didn't experience it all together. So we decided to have a New Year's Eve family-friends feast. </div>
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We arrived in the afternoon with our ingredients & chopped & sipped & sliced & sipped & sautéed & sipped & finally around 8 pm sat everyone down & sipped & served the amazing meal. </div>
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Fast forward to the end: a fantastic firework show, sparklers for all.</div>
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Everyone was thrilled with the festive decorations. It was supposed to be casual, but my crafty friend couldn't help herself. Confetti, balloons, champagne glasses for the kids... Filled with sparkling cider of course. It was beautiful.</div>
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We of course had a big kids table & a little kids table....</div>
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The prime rib....</div>
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The juiciest turkey I've ever had...</div>
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Kids chillaxin while the moms slaved away.</div>
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Ok, I guess we might have enjoyed our time while slaving away...</div>
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Me & my newborn (who just turned 18 months) by the ginormous tree.</div>
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We had such a great time with our friends I almost forgot that Paul was at a football game with friends all day. He arrived just as we were about to serve dinner. It makes such a difference when the kids are entertained by other kids & I am cooking with other people. Community life is the way to go! Who wants to go in on a compound???</div>
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keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-71748007527237662762015-01-06T13:46:00.001-08:002015-02-06T12:37:57.309-08:00A few (10 actually) of my favorite things:<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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1. A good old fashioned GNO. </div>
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A friend from highschool was in town so we made a few calls & planned a little dinner. What is more fun than giggling & transforming back into your 16 yr old self for an evening? Not many things imo. The stories, oh the stories these little liars told... I would never...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizTU59P2yOUFDus0_ERFBAGFs9CqtjSieOcIJGynS0E0Sq59EmcxkufztaMOg49eHyCLy4j4dp7dzs3Cn4K3qKm-sECo_mOVYwG6T-q70pP3h1JZyBqn-iDWk9xCovTMSr8mgwGRrHHPg/s640/blogger-image--1970669388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRsF-GJKppdvU_rCDr3OuyJ32uO7T1gaiOZkSZZscIHWZdlOTGALy0X7SO1iKtdET_nY3uuBp7M5oIXs8f89Qgnrze_MfhLPaUzIW9QvpAvWHSrYnkGIIjE3jYCnKzO7zl5dd9-pC39lG/s640/blogger-image-96684529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRsF-GJKppdvU_rCDr3OuyJ32uO7T1gaiOZkSZZscIHWZdlOTGALy0X7SO1iKtdET_nY3uuBp7M5oIXs8f89Qgnrze_MfhLPaUzIW9QvpAvWHSrYnkGIIjE3jYCnKzO7zl5dd9-pC39lG/s640/blogger-image-96684529.jpg" /></a></div>
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2. A guy with 4 older sisters. </div>
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All he wanted was to help eat the cookies. But his sisters pulled a whole "little red hen" theme and had him all wrapped up in an apron & mixing & singing along to Broadway musical songs. He looks like a wet cat to me. But he did enjoy the cookie after enduring the torture. He's gonna make a great understanding, well-rounded hubby someday, I'm sure of it.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizTU59P2yOUFDus0_ERFBAGFs9CqtjSieOcIJGynS0E0Sq59EmcxkufztaMOg49eHyCLy4j4dp7dzs3Cn4K3qKm-sECo_mOVYwG6T-q70pP3h1JZyBqn-iDWk9xCovTMSr8mgwGRrHHPg/s640/blogger-image--1970669388.jpg" /></div>
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3. Cabbage patch kids. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> I mean, I still get a thrill when I see that logo. I can't help but smile. One of the main sources of joy from my childhood. I'm sure there were other sources, but this one is way up there. Anywho, baby J got a boy colored baby doll stroller from Santa so I thought he needed a boy baby doll to go with it. He did too. I wasn't that into it, but he was thrilled. No, he doesn't violently shake the baby out of the stroller when I gently buckle him (Dario Robert) in. That's silly.</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxWvYLAMTQ1WTCpEOyAMBvjY9zl6QJTHHQEZPmKcrzO95Vy-3rcSlpOO6UfwgLJ11YHFVW18Q7kJrxQ4LGBqTc_82NqBtWUlKO9KBfIerag7KRp0AJZygU8xhtowJliAZ48QDqqsQMDYS/s640/blogger-image-1659678418.jpg" /></div>
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4. Organization. </div>
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Well I like the idea anyway, <i>the follow through, </i>that's a different story. I got this idea from my friend with 7 kids and completely copied it. In order to cut down on 150 water glasses in the sink at the end of the day, we instituted the "water bottle" method. Each kid has their own specific color, which they picked, and drinks from that all day. They are to stay at home & on this particular countertop. They can be moved to the table or bedrooms, but they have to try to keep them in their spot. So far so good. And don't the colors look pretty?</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9pC2xgquSq_DFXedeULXgSEgavkXL6Em5ABRA56DryJ5rGg5lEQZkuo_Bp7PsDmcVFUyE4wbs24_uuYRd6sjOG9ahXjGFqb2638xW4HcJlnSJKm2g3EdcwZYwoSZDteLQt0uRzCF3Fya/s640/blogger-image--14736772.jpg" /></div>
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5. Essential oils. </div>
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I got this vitamin E oil, recommended from a friend who swears by it, to get poor S's eczema under control. It's so flared up right now all over her arms. I can't wait to see if it helps. I got it on </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">amazon prime.</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEawrKIMBxM6NVVJpxd5wzkQ0cFV24TZtLrI5OHzb1dVMTVJTNcyEv-wZn5O9IYytxjaSPtj5dDGeigU-KwoaOd7KoVF_Ppxe2kObGZ8rKGGaoKV98scCcPLjKmnvUnTr7gANzck6xmCUI/s640/blogger-image-1468751957.jpg" /></div>
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6. Hors d'oeuvres.</div>
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I'm afraid I'm turning into the mom on the movie Mermaids. I think I need to watch that again, it's been awhile but she may have had some other weird issues going on... Ok well like her only in the respect of liking to make hors d'oeuvres for her famy in lieu of meals. During this winter break, I found myself setting out trays of finger foods throughout the day... dips, pita chips, sliced peppers, apples, cheese plates, mini cheese crisps... If my kids are eating fruits and veggies throughout the day I'm happy :)</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwH3wwmZPzP5Znh8mEaQJCX9dtJdQZ_-iAQMagFzx0fvhMTy-Hi9grSpwwGtDTja8QrUVvn92tltWUpSgwYghLaem9JOHfj7J6gZRCcF208wBJLhWlvhhDYodXppWoQzf5a681vMaxAlo/s640/blogger-image-2096045187.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">7. New sheets. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> I am crazy about these new jersey sheets I got at target. They are these exact sheets however, when I bought them a few days ago, they rang up at $13! For a king set! I like the color & they are so cozy & I'm a big sucker for a deal.</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CR41EVRqXJnCbMtDsYWHPTwxCf0IJZ805RpJJBFTS3PxRPeD4-z6ZQNZdPOASZkJ540F5stlFqzrlAGg3vEhUCTY8uFtnMIxf5PgM-A6tO-Om76v5F7ld4Nw1VLCNwWsG363pUqP51MG/s640/blogger-image-979691170.jpg" /></div>
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8. Candy cane Chapstick. </div>
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It's seasonal, so I went a little crazy. I've gone thru 6 sticks. I even bought some for my advent angel recipient because I love them so. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxddbk0nzCT_O85ljQhFb2x6ix6MwhD9h2yEN9lswJvJdt322fVH-u5v4fjpBsbOG7oG79nzYzK4Wlo3ycO07vbg8m5KQnHJY759im0aXtzVMhCxwlPdSoSn0ONgnY0SMzazqyFaKb_TvG/s640/blogger-image--252280898.jpg" /></div>
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9. Telestrations.</div>
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A fun family game everyone can play that can read & draw. We played New Year's Eve at our friends house & went right out and got it at target with Christmas money the next day. It's on sale for $14.99 right now :) I just wish we would have got the party pack with 12 books, 6 just isn't enough for us, especially if playing with friends.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtjqZwDbj5XWRMu82djVoKoXEDikSvaVV9XPNOVpFkVYkSQ-e5PsWx_4CMPO2pSSOIGyZEHVrE8gj-FnZrkGff-9aTl4Yao5uV8X2nhIy6HAJ7oRv3C3qKn048Evr6K5UD6Babio-MMAQ/s640/blogger-image-1366218010.jpg" /></div>
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10. After party hair product.</div>
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I love this stuff. My friend Liz told me about it. I just love the way it softens & accentuates curls. I put it in after curling with a curling iron. I think it helps preserve style for at least 3 days :)</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhde01qWHCqXd9o2bLRtAvwOs9iNSC-rVBwzZaCUUSoDz7H-fthnast8SyfYJvDBkgFu7Cqrvc9hFqmf0oDKkume-YYL7Ya0wPmEXSpfBXHKbIbYWyc9J09R5VKFvxm14RdHZcpb2Wqy5Yh/s640/blogger-image-2142921879.jpg" /></div>
keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878287527359297488.post-76955297249210287212015-01-03T19:49:00.001-08:002015-01-03T21:07:13.224-08:00Christmas 2014In no particular order, here are <i>mostly</i> warm & fuzzy moments from our Christmas break. Other than the fighting that occurs when the children are home nonstop on break, I'd say this was a pretty perfect Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my dads house with our cousins, had a beautiful Mass that night, S did a fabulous job on the first reading & the other 3 girls sang in the choir. Even with the repeated threats of vomit and several bathroom trips, it was still special enough to choke back tears of thankfulness. Especially when my mom & sis & her kids showed up. We all sat together with friends in the very front of the church. I loved it. <div>We had lots of family time, a fancy prime rib dinner at my mom's, a quick trip up north for a few days and then a fabulous evening at a friends house to ring in the new year.<div>I'm going easy on myself this year and my only New Years resolution is to hike more this year. That shouldn't be hard since I only hiked twice last year.<br><div>So good luck with all of your resolutions and Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of you! <i>That's to you mom & Sarah :)</i><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPvAMSH1sE2dVEfYe9NRpcC7BR10LBVP9I2AU5nK7kxrRF2Q02VzSxnhiLMuXynB5BlK7o8nkBz9Phh3XOwlcehAqMQ0PccIVyLwBP0cZo6V9jo4hCtbVWFLbWkpxsZhasSr3UhIRe1LY/s640/blogger-image-606390372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPvAMSH1sE2dVEfYe9NRpcC7BR10LBVP9I2AU5nK7kxrRF2Q02VzSxnhiLMuXynB5BlK7o8nkBz9Phh3XOwlcehAqMQ0PccIVyLwBP0cZo6V9jo4hCtbVWFLbWkpxsZhasSr3UhIRe1LY/s640/blogger-image-606390372.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtikugcHJB2PhNyWDJ6hBzorE4u00C44OudzW9hSh9ximyjagQRXnFS_AbkbVXSAjr16kZlfa7M0abWOOyV8wonLd_4tWcr8FngjOMklrRWP00N4O-aWrpB25DJuz01R3aeoyFgHH0vG30/s640/blogger-image--659796629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtikugcHJB2PhNyWDJ6hBzorE4u00C44OudzW9hSh9ximyjagQRXnFS_AbkbVXSAjr16kZlfa7M0abWOOyV8wonLd_4tWcr8FngjOMklrRWP00N4O-aWrpB25DJuz01R3aeoyFgHH0vG30/s640/blogger-image--659796629.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>I never did catch the stinker that originally did this. Once they knew that I thought it was funny, they all claimed to be the clever one. Except for little S, she stayed appalled at the idea.</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4X8ngtyT8RiUwceJXYDtBcCAr1ib_zzOyDtsBFFNF2ovW3HKrv-O4P8Z9VkmHOfRCQvzmf_GQH0LVJY_VYXbaAH-yELDt6f9FWGtRg6qaVAn9I_LVfSNWmES4y4G8s0JFEncGf2FWj5x/s640/blogger-image--476134219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4X8ngtyT8RiUwceJXYDtBcCAr1ib_zzOyDtsBFFNF2ovW3HKrv-O4P8Z9VkmHOfRCQvzmf_GQH0LVJY_VYXbaAH-yELDt6f9FWGtRg6qaVAn9I_LVfSNWmES4y4G8s0JFEncGf2FWj5x/s640/blogger-image--476134219.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>We started a Yule log, or buche de Noel if you will, tradition on the 3rd Sunday in advent. We were all pretty pumped to dive into that thing.</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2laa1Tc36Nm-AgN9Kj982vup7YMMQl5Ju7YAAy5H9YsK8uz-EA7vcBAiq_ouiuxDCvYpf4_gfr1JXh5bZgwMb-QuZXqj_eifASnZf36NhuK5Z9-WL-GFry1vO3ZtDHrCmaGuzKpK4mtdg/s640/blogger-image--1934316329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2laa1Tc36Nm-AgN9Kj982vup7YMMQl5Ju7YAAy5H9YsK8uz-EA7vcBAiq_ouiuxDCvYpf4_gfr1JXh5bZgwMb-QuZXqj_eifASnZf36NhuK5Z9-WL-GFry1vO3ZtDHrCmaGuzKpK4mtdg/s640/blogger-image--1934316329.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPSENLzAoRQzTyYuYsXi1xggyMLY_0QmF20X2j5hlj8n50OnvOMH-8ZEYXtdErB7GAVSeCFD-qvlSYeklVnA8Ctly2or4PSan6dlKRTE-BEI7KGA-pSaij4UuJFbg7EptFmEPvDDFifF9/s640/blogger-image-373455235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPSENLzAoRQzTyYuYsXi1xggyMLY_0QmF20X2j5hlj8n50OnvOMH-8ZEYXtdErB7GAVSeCFD-qvlSYeklVnA8Ctly2or4PSan6dlKRTE-BEI7KGA-pSaij4UuJFbg7EptFmEPvDDFifF9/s640/blogger-image-373455235.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This guy couldn't be happier with his gifts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEGLYOtjvUgh2JHFNLZZpPmRfbntB9d2IFnrasUS9FROXiI9Rjia_tXCGX5JeVrp_EgORtFUfJz04eFYkkw2jZZS9C2Joccz-iQ9L9fr5eEBYL6ocHlQ0XWlSMT3wxRDcONfgsSuhJjF0/s640/blogger-image--446674570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEGLYOtjvUgh2JHFNLZZpPmRfbntB9d2IFnrasUS9FROXiI9Rjia_tXCGX5JeVrp_EgORtFUfJz04eFYkkw2jZZS9C2Joccz-iQ9L9fr5eEBYL6ocHlQ0XWlSMT3wxRDcONfgsSuhJjF0/s640/blogger-image--446674570.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxom9BYqM4ol1D41AIbgBIBw-OhdImtiij_XG_x8opKP5kYnyjk5F9P8YIHotBMt5M510MjYImydVi-Y2NovU4cAAV5Dq6DyAvxY5goivxHIHKdqm8487IIUC1RqNYABd4TlEf47IkLzU5/s640/blogger-image--1680308691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxom9BYqM4ol1D41AIbgBIBw-OhdImtiij_XG_x8opKP5kYnyjk5F9P8YIHotBMt5M510MjYImydVi-Y2NovU4cAAV5Dq6DyAvxY5goivxHIHKdqm8487IIUC1RqNYABd4TlEf47IkLzU5/s640/blogger-image--1680308691.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTnV3kTRlxnXfh4Ks6vPiqRHFAa6tGkd5a-P4u_pjuWDSkGqdbepX2jQvEcUODtEQi_6Jdd7p6bsumW5Xr1n0ZQvm3jBYV_zSjGYkvc55s397EsHtb-YW5HO3qz-PGwebBat8aEv6CC7g/s640/blogger-image--2081213897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTnV3kTRlxnXfh4Ks6vPiqRHFAa6tGkd5a-P4u_pjuWDSkGqdbepX2jQvEcUODtEQi_6Jdd7p6bsumW5Xr1n0ZQvm3jBYV_zSjGYkvc55s397EsHtb-YW5HO3qz-PGwebBat8aEv6CC7g/s640/blogger-image--2081213897.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnExsyt33KMN6gNJBrJyKijyZONdlF6eGPq4XuBlOzmZzq-lN8qvUQmSlxbNurMz95dxULVaCEZCZ7RgyS6FIN8epqE6hC2YgmKphUp5LjyZ1apOblicB7mKu0i60pY9o5sLXsg1LjqVLc/s640/blogger-image-926630883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnExsyt33KMN6gNJBrJyKijyZONdlF6eGPq4XuBlOzmZzq-lN8qvUQmSlxbNurMz95dxULVaCEZCZ7RgyS6FIN8epqE6hC2YgmKphUp5LjyZ1apOblicB7mKu0i60pY9o5sLXsg1LjqVLc/s640/blogger-image-926630883.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQFIzhY3NdaIjnOx6_imQtQBkeBNCgFJbTPwpBvWemB7jtrUIyr-QQt_Kjd_1smDv05VQlb8w6S6CwP5RwrGKQo9msdFygMjyr4FcR_KREi6dlmmXPImbflIar1wPdPKHB-Ahmn4a6NF8/s640/blogger-image-475848391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQFIzhY3NdaIjnOx6_imQtQBkeBNCgFJbTPwpBvWemB7jtrUIyr-QQt_Kjd_1smDv05VQlb8w6S6CwP5RwrGKQo9msdFygMjyr4FcR_KREi6dlmmXPImbflIar1wPdPKHB-Ahmn4a6NF8/s640/blogger-image-475848391.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>Enjoying the glow & warmth from a fire.</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzlU_w_tE5NOYBkDTAwolpWkh-7kEJOf1vbeCYes2hbcHoTTIhHaPd24W1croG2rUEBAAh8xR2QHP46fIK0pA96dVSSPxHOXDG_JDN7rw2FVxbcPtKAkjEeVBPIYjE-su5bHj1npOPQ2A/s640/blogger-image--1679715634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzlU_w_tE5NOYBkDTAwolpWkh-7kEJOf1vbeCYes2hbcHoTTIhHaPd24W1croG2rUEBAAh8xR2QHP46fIK0pA96dVSSPxHOXDG_JDN7rw2FVxbcPtKAkjEeVBPIYjE-su5bHj1npOPQ2A/s640/blogger-image--1679715634.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5u4E9zZKZHiJPfu0pEAUMcUYRwtO3Nqq6oa7ShTUAULBVR-Es9oqb4Xzuz6pBXTxBTd6GK6dzb9_x-eEkRveNqZbp31UgHnWaeGkjl41TAhyphenhyphen68lfet7w1d9txWWSczRMecRCjhZNys3u/s640/blogger-image--1462795177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5u4E9zZKZHiJPfu0pEAUMcUYRwtO3Nqq6oa7ShTUAULBVR-Es9oqb4Xzuz6pBXTxBTd6GK6dzb9_x-eEkRveNqZbp31UgHnWaeGkjl41TAhyphenhyphen68lfet7w1d9txWWSczRMecRCjhZNys3u/s640/blogger-image--1462795177.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUR5UgHUD5Yv8JGLMgVEG7vsCHzxpr4jtVjLFt9801cTS9axv8fW0B9N5Te0h_MKmcnF0mcgA5smvTZY8qAqm5vrgGlD2N_vTiWUzCPwPkjWYiJuWkaqzxLqE4bcaFQZUUpz1LqGzQPZp/s640/blogger-image--369445126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUR5UgHUD5Yv8JGLMgVEG7vsCHzxpr4jtVjLFt9801cTS9axv8fW0B9N5Te0h_MKmcnF0mcgA5smvTZY8qAqm5vrgGlD2N_vTiWUzCPwPkjWYiJuWkaqzxLqE4bcaFQZUUpz1LqGzQPZp/s640/blogger-image--369445126.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS03zQmDUULAfqNE1RSkKiMboT2JTasOGXhjJ7Z0tY-jwS6pAbcWbhOBjokGwtMwTbPiYQG6kFux677i49_XTFGzbJC7GlxhGVty00TPB9wTgyAXXIa5tjwBziwydIo8JtN7tnn1tpu41/s640/blogger-image-283779597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS03zQmDUULAfqNE1RSkKiMboT2JTasOGXhjJ7Z0tY-jwS6pAbcWbhOBjokGwtMwTbPiYQG6kFux677i49_XTFGzbJC7GlxhGVty00TPB9wTgyAXXIa5tjwBziwydIo8JtN7tnn1tpu41/s640/blogger-image-283779597.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzy6TZhyphenhyphenEcULWYVKS31VvVRqavaoUXJTrCffnhNcEqgQS_5UAHMaJfHWqzjkpeqTh74xxUtwVgerQPb-SL-WtAdxtItGwBtEmKJFEi0MO3vuxJV40n_COEYduNULkjDyP4OKoCp2fsSw0/s640/blogger-image-669311585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzy6TZhyphenhyphenEcULWYVKS31VvVRqavaoUXJTrCffnhNcEqgQS_5UAHMaJfHWqzjkpeqTh74xxUtwVgerQPb-SL-WtAdxtItGwBtEmKJFEi0MO3vuxJV40n_COEYduNULkjDyP4OKoCp2fsSw0/s640/blogger-image-669311585.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>My schmoopies all dressed up.</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIoHdUMV-WL8AdtHmuKOOv1ydI7wHYn9Pe_QYTx-CNfXa3tbDPXs05bHWvJ0987NYTQPhzEt0u0phh_CQ-dsZl2OL3c9KNeRGMAhUAr6JYgP2LE9KCvKonS3RQAujeHoA82DDm-AmYEVH/s640/blogger-image--1393175160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIoHdUMV-WL8AdtHmuKOOv1ydI7wHYn9Pe_QYTx-CNfXa3tbDPXs05bHWvJ0987NYTQPhzEt0u0phh_CQ-dsZl2OL3c9KNeRGMAhUAr6JYgP2LE9KCvKonS3RQAujeHoA82DDm-AmYEVH/s640/blogger-image--1393175160.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hW4b__cZVNi5tFJDtpAn6VqUDlHR4C8P0Xg9YD398yPGRltB8Uut0AsBIOGhQcfB0C7c8sMewF11HCT5SuNhFJjbEp-0ZE_YiomLhfTv80ZhqmyAI2v0FaLXehiAKegi0Eht7_qT8kGX/s640/blogger-image-502377785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hW4b__cZVNi5tFJDtpAn6VqUDlHR4C8P0Xg9YD398yPGRltB8Uut0AsBIOGhQcfB0C7c8sMewF11HCT5SuNhFJjbEp-0ZE_YiomLhfTv80ZhqmyAI2v0FaLXehiAKegi0Eht7_qT8kGX/s640/blogger-image-502377785.jpg"></a></div></div></div></div>keep calm and carry onhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394493397775985099noreply@blogger.com4