tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51050495827925727432024-02-19T02:03:55.835-06:00500 BabiesAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.comBlogger399125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-41673216407775680262013-04-23T21:18:00.002-05:002013-04-23T21:18:50.478-05:00Viva Botanica!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's Fiesta time in San Antonio and this year I was on the hunt for a safe, family-friendly event we could all enjoy. The majority of Fiesta events are either too crowded, too expensive, or not explicitly family-friendly. Last year we attended Fiesta de los Ninos, but even that event left a lot to be desired (it was way too crowded and although it was free to get in, almost every activity was overpriced-especially when you have an abundance of kids to entertain). We have a current membership to the Botanical Gardens so we had nothing to lose by checking out its official Fiesta event, Viva Botanica. To our delight - ding ding ding - it was a winner!!</div>
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Our first activity was: "Making Flower Crowns"! Or should I say, "Watching the Volunteer Make the Crowns for Us". To be fair, some of the steps were a bit tricky for little hands to complete, but I had to chuckle when the volunteer blurted out "No no no!" and tried to snatch the tissue paper out of our hands when she saw Billy and me trying to help the kids make their crowns. I guess she was worried about quality control, but we were only trying to spare her from having to make 5 crowns all by herself.<br />
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The crowns turned out beautiful and even the boys enjoyed theirs. Daniel assured us that he made his using only "boy colors" and Adrian informed us that his crown was actually moose antlers. He emphasized his point by spontaneously dropping to the sidewalk and loping around like a moose from time to time.</div>
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Our next activity: Ladybug Release! Nature girl Mikea was thrilled by her tickly little friend.</div>
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Here she is attempting to coax him onto a plant:</div>
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Sadly for Mikea and Joe, however, their ladybugs were uncooperative and elected to fly away instead of crawling onto a plant like they were supposed to. Oh, the disappointment...</div>
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However, all was soon forgotten by the next event, the Children's Parade. The whole gang received ribbons and leis for participating. Next year we'll be more prepared and actually make some floats for the parade.</div>
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After the Children's Parade the kiddos played in a couple of bouncy houses and then we headed over to the Conservatory for some more activities. On the way, we passed one of several art installations placed throughout the grounds. I had been reading aloud the names of them along the way, but as soon as Daniel saw this one he decided it looked like a giant noodle ball. So, "Noodle Ball" it was. </div>
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After marveling in the delights of the Noodle Ball, we continued our journey to the Conservatory where each child potted an herb. We left with Spearmint, Cilantro, Chives, Stevia, and two varieties of Basil. I've been wanting to start an herb garden for quite a while, so now I simply have no excuse not to!</div>
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Again, my Nature Girl was in heaven. </div>
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After the herbs, the final activity was making a Papel Picado. Papel Picado is a Mexican folk craft that means "perforated paper" and are used in the festive banners you see displayed throughout our city for Fiesta. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OJTcoswEhpryJPFiEKcjl8ezBdwg5rvAnmsHpgrRNIXG84rzmkqozNIsUZSswaVI2hEgDDTgAo-fHxtAtBifpgr0ZMC8MWlX9ex8vZLX7AqzE60UGIi6QSLVWfDJR7nSbNEfNgeuG5U/s1600/April+2013+243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OJTcoswEhpryJPFiEKcjl8ezBdwg5rvAnmsHpgrRNIXG84rzmkqozNIsUZSswaVI2hEgDDTgAo-fHxtAtBifpgr0ZMC8MWlX9ex8vZLX7AqzE60UGIi6QSLVWfDJR7nSbNEfNgeuG5U/s400/April+2013+243.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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On our way out of the Botanical Gardens we stopped at the pond and instantly became engaged in the drama of a bee who buzzed itself right into the water. The kids were fascinated by its plight and we were all relieved when after a valiant struggle, the bee extracted itself from the water to join the hundreds of other bees swarming in the flowers nearby. </div>
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All in all, Viva Botanica was a smashing success. We will most certainly be back next year and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a not-too-crowded, fun, family-friendly Fiesta Event! </div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-20208272265036891372013-04-12T15:40:00.002-05:002013-04-12T15:40:57.502-05:00Holy Saturday at Mission Espada<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmcoTOp_xurEfmpqrAnfft1rAbBHSkFlT_XKImYNipVr4N9rpDTM1CbfeZuGhjDcy7eKevvjoQWQBOgwhY5WQG4kfYCJ6S2wB2kF6uYRr9w-8t_P225r3KM-b-Aoc85DgcTKF1nfuhUY/s1600/March+2013+751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmcoTOp_xurEfmpqrAnfft1rAbBHSkFlT_XKImYNipVr4N9rpDTM1CbfeZuGhjDcy7eKevvjoQWQBOgwhY5WQG4kfYCJ6S2wB2kF6uYRr9w-8t_P225r3KM-b-Aoc85DgcTKF1nfuhUY/s400/March+2013+751.jpg" usa="true" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well, this little photo shoot almost didn't happen. Billy and I had discussed taking the kids to one of the missions for Easter pictures but never made definite plans for when we would do it. Mikea had been sick during the week, we had a last-minute visit from our new caseworker Friday morning, plus all the extra preparation for a holiday had worn us down, so Saturday morning rolled around and Billy asked if I wanted to do pictures that day. My first reaction was, "Ummm....when I have the opportunity to around and enjoy the one morning a week I don't have any obligations, instead do I want to bathe 6 kids, iron 6 outfits, and do 3 sets of hair? Hmmm let me see.....that would be a big fat NEGATORY, thanks." But Billy correctly surmised we'd probably regret NOT doing it and volunteered to give the baths (which he always does, by the way) so I got myself to ironing and I am SO GLAD we went for it! </div>
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We hadn't been back to Mission Espada since 2008 when we took our tiny brood of 3 babies for Easter pictures. Five years later our family has doubled Billy has halved. See for yourself:</div>
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<strong>2008</strong></div>
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<strong>2013</strong></div>
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Without further ado, here are a few snapshots from our afternoon:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJh4LfTmdiHY5AMj0hitqgXI4u2ID-MH-aAq1QAJEUaFIU6Ou15q7MJhs3UlsqyiE09kpGSqG_0POjqWF4bKc7rhX8Lc345m5bnFA3I2RKgMBS-9h-ptnHqaS5B8b19DBg9D9XG3HGA4/s1600/March+2013+759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJh4LfTmdiHY5AMj0hitqgXI4u2ID-MH-aAq1QAJEUaFIU6Ou15q7MJhs3UlsqyiE09kpGSqG_0POjqWF4bKc7rhX8Lc345m5bnFA3I2RKgMBS-9h-ptnHqaS5B8b19DBg9D9XG3HGA4/s400/March+2013+759.jpg" usa="true" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NDZRSwCcOUyRoVrJSotSfSyW1Y3QwgUin55QbWWgUeUromMj1PWk1pFzFjI4BZ5zCqlUw8Wl_gdQDY4L-1-pv6GjU4lJCR-KsBfSriKpeCmsu_8NushpxSsIpQPzBfnoTJHKg9LnEic/s1600/March+2013+769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NDZRSwCcOUyRoVrJSotSfSyW1Y3QwgUin55QbWWgUeUromMj1PWk1pFzFjI4BZ5zCqlUw8Wl_gdQDY4L-1-pv6GjU4lJCR-KsBfSriKpeCmsu_8NushpxSsIpQPzBfnoTJHKg9LnEic/s400/March+2013+769.jpg" usa="true" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQucC4JbAuve2qcwgjNlJNshzibHZgMz2ForxQF5MZ_oNef4r0F0vzCX91O1t8CNolwxTnSrrzywVI2Q1zeyPpzbsfB4V4GqJRXTU1zltJnTS_kk9PoTDkjvA2Z6eIjflK8X8qMreHiH4/s1600/March+2013+784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQucC4JbAuve2qcwgjNlJNshzibHZgMz2ForxQF5MZ_oNef4r0F0vzCX91O1t8CNolwxTnSrrzywVI2Q1zeyPpzbsfB4V4GqJRXTU1zltJnTS_kk9PoTDkjvA2Z6eIjflK8X8qMreHiH4/s400/March+2013+784.jpg" usa="true" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLY0RIyiR85gLjizzaaT_TJUVfMvwaLOoOIingvK_hyOWS6GJEyTwoTOlM2Tdn4zNeFzjxg4SrzFcsoOyZVdUbgZIm0O7L_7ZfYSHVm9uRhqGmS4iTbcky0QzNJzLTAx2P5uYisiIhAE/s1600/March+2013+803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLY0RIyiR85gLjizzaaT_TJUVfMvwaLOoOIingvK_hyOWS6GJEyTwoTOlM2Tdn4zNeFzjxg4SrzFcsoOyZVdUbgZIm0O7L_7ZfYSHVm9uRhqGmS4iTbcky0QzNJzLTAx2P5uYisiIhAE/s400/March+2013+803.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here the boys are looking for trolls. No really, they were looking for trolls.</div>
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The kiddos did a little exploring of the mission grounds. All went well until Rebekah got her head stuck in a stone fireplace. Luckily she extracted herself without too much damage, only a minor scrape to her forehead.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAmvo729GpzeitrowlDvnEChKDk9UpIi7lsg9w4dCyoxJgYq7D3e00U1coTCAWPE3N6sZg7EW20y0y3En1HfKir9ZHZWDFJ9w-bbvSdkx_m4xlCujdON3Vozf2J9JQd-EMm48IhXrgig/s1600/March+2013+814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAmvo729GpzeitrowlDvnEChKDk9UpIi7lsg9w4dCyoxJgYq7D3e00U1coTCAWPE3N6sZg7EW20y0y3En1HfKir9ZHZWDFJ9w-bbvSdkx_m4xlCujdON3Vozf2J9JQd-EMm48IhXrgig/s400/March+2013+814.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Peek-a-boo!<br />
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One of my favorites! Although Katy isn't looking that's ok because otherwise I really couldn't share it with the world just yet. :)</div>
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Tree climbing time! Mikea was determined to climb higher than the boys and she succeeded.<br />
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Joe didn't care how high he climbed. He was just thrilled to be in a tree. When's the last time YOU climbed a tree?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBghoQP86b57XqjietngLAOseK6S98LKUA7Jd8tdQ-DhyphenhyphenG7Vk_P65OvOWgckPF5cBsqxMwP7csTcvSaywgmpeJAEVbR9s1I2B_P_pn2gYG7azQL5X7IMgLMhMVUOVLzHc8A8ySuyBh4Y/s1600/March+2013+867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBghoQP86b57XqjietngLAOseK6S98LKUA7Jd8tdQ-DhyphenhyphenG7Vk_P65OvOWgckPF5cBsqxMwP7csTcvSaywgmpeJAEVbR9s1I2B_P_pn2gYG7azQL5X7IMgLMhMVUOVLzHc8A8ySuyBh4Y/s400/March+2013+867.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I am so blessed to be mama to these beautiful little humans! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVDzIkowQ3guDPfWKW7ZXbyxDgJCHRdXbO_kxhRe-BAI9X28RD0_yRTPFbZja7yBbvURkgaUTDZu4BWgIqSlkzjOvqL0d8DKhddQTfhD983URFhi8lqkQSm29CUE8-jiYTGRmb1YEw6U/s1600/March+2013+897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVDzIkowQ3guDPfWKW7ZXbyxDgJCHRdXbO_kxhRe-BAI9X28RD0_yRTPFbZja7yBbvURkgaUTDZu4BWgIqSlkzjOvqL0d8DKhddQTfhD983URFhi8lqkQSm29CUE8-jiYTGRmb1YEw6U/s400/March+2013+897.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Show me your eggs!</div>
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Hey, who's this guy? Only my best friend, the love of my life, that's who.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzkMr8DlbEscbHFjX_EJfMC12xzuXZ2qMT5IfbPUblLxCDNT3EM3_dgkGaPDU8IQ1LLNXI-6Dij13YB50YWTDBy2WakjmtR0phyphenhyphenOPuLe-CFdPLGDmPhyphenhyphen62nKysnSwCNx15SuFJ4Du9vo/s1600/March+2013+905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzkMr8DlbEscbHFjX_EJfMC12xzuXZ2qMT5IfbPUblLxCDNT3EM3_dgkGaPDU8IQ1LLNXI-6Dij13YB50YWTDBy2WakjmtR0phyphenhyphenOPuLe-CFdPLGDmPhyphenhyphen62nKysnSwCNx15SuFJ4Du9vo/s400/March+2013+905.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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One more and then it's time to head home:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-QhY6FMuNTvpTIY2mZPBTxzcmcfNUNbW0T67xx2NwX9QkvRJoohF2cQXoS23goE4aEatJ3qdpzqA4c_sRL5j7Sk7BVShd-THXWzT5gK5bIhIolAGLV5_NgiSD1oQZzbtlyJ5GHLQSPg/s1600/March+2013+930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-QhY6FMuNTvpTIY2mZPBTxzcmcfNUNbW0T67xx2NwX9QkvRJoohF2cQXoS23goE4aEatJ3qdpzqA4c_sRL5j7Sk7BVShd-THXWzT5gK5bIhIolAGLV5_NgiSD1oQZzbtlyJ5GHLQSPg/s400/March+2013+930.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happy Easter!</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-17124806589278880972013-04-01T12:34:00.000-06:002013-04-01T12:47:22.032-06:00Spring Break in Bandera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This Spring Break Billy and I finally got smart. Instead of traveling hundreds of miles from home we chose a destination a mere 60 miles away in Bandera. Like previous years we found a cute cabin to rent with plenty of nature for the kids to explore, but without the hassle of a long road trip. Instead of feeling like we needed a vacation from our vacation, when we got home we were just regular-tired, not "what-were-we-thinking-we're-never-driving-hours-from-home-with-6-kids-again-tired." You know?</div>
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When we arrived at our cabin, we had a few minutes to entertain ourselves in the yard before it was ready. Adrian kept himself busy by piling rocks inside the Suburban and Rebekah enjoyed soaking up the sunshine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3TDtH6EPORCuCijBaOloEMYkVbPl1KLDo9JYsbilQ2VmoaiuKTasFVK9wcglvPfTOpuENTCXpbcV5eUxWwPJcx2Kz61VPbUrtwYuCQEjmvIfOaEyIWB7yh-z6W_Ld6ycCg3mlUNCSpM/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3TDtH6EPORCuCijBaOloEMYkVbPl1KLDo9JYsbilQ2VmoaiuKTasFVK9wcglvPfTOpuENTCXpbcV5eUxWwPJcx2Kz61VPbUrtwYuCQEjmvIfOaEyIWB7yh-z6W_Ld6ycCg3mlUNCSpM/s400/Spring+Break+2013+008.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here's Adrian taking a break from the rock-piling.</div>
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Joe and Mikea set up a restaurant in the front yard.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtj0TVJ8cU4w_iqVBy8L8mF5EGCv3_lpnnonWmHmYh0bwSW_FNN2Y7HP-wWMsr-D_3ps7w2SVr_j8KpXjo_VFWLBYKrevKRrl7eINMXDkg9ZufS66SGl93Q_6UyA8Dx6I9xhNXOFqaeM/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtj0TVJ8cU4w_iqVBy8L8mF5EGCv3_lpnnonWmHmYh0bwSW_FNN2Y7HP-wWMsr-D_3ps7w2SVr_j8KpXjo_VFWLBYKrevKRrl7eINMXDkg9ZufS66SGl93Q_6UyA8Dx6I9xhNXOFqaeM/s400/Spring+Break+2013+021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then we took turns rescuing Woody, Elephant, Raccoon, and Spiderman from the trees.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1jjpZFUqhbtO7Fq6q7BitWb6r1cB4P-SwMIVeCqGVLkf16oPmqw0HvBQxlQJxk22IWmuoi531-D8047QenYrWcKUYp9wSsrAo0V-K7KhZyR1BcDUa9LEV8Y_INUmF4JtQnwZOX-RofI/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+spidey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1jjpZFUqhbtO7Fq6q7BitWb6r1cB4P-SwMIVeCqGVLkf16oPmqw0HvBQxlQJxk22IWmuoi531-D8047QenYrWcKUYp9wSsrAo0V-K7KhZyR1BcDUa9LEV8Y_INUmF4JtQnwZOX-RofI/s400/Spring+Break+2013+spidey.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
The cabin itself was huge - room for 10 people to sleep! The five oldest kids all shared one room, which was problematic on the first night. There was quite a bit of silliness to contend with and one child finally had to be removed to an extra bedroom in order to allow the others to fall asleep.<br />
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Adrian was thrilled to sleep on the top bunk. Here he is clapping after I turned on a special night light next to his bed. Such joy!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaysAGS0mYqKilb0eUSBKNiYNjHThfHaq7-cxwymoip4C6LTFoyDLy9op9_04BKSbw3t9C3NSIkROUq-4Lz7wd-MRC24is1VTgwH5AIjTSqx5Dh2wkF8jxZkBkCqu3bHnuePxbO2WYJs/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaysAGS0mYqKilb0eUSBKNiYNjHThfHaq7-cxwymoip4C6LTFoyDLy9op9_04BKSbw3t9C3NSIkROUq-4Lz7wd-MRC24is1VTgwH5AIjTSqx5Dh2wkF8jxZkBkCqu3bHnuePxbO2WYJs/s400/Spring+Break+2013+054.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
The next morning we gathered for breakfast around the massive island in the kitchen and remarkably, not a single child fell off the bar stools the entire trip. (Just me. No, no, I'm only kidding. It was Billy. Ok, just kidding again, neither of us fell.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mxbO8YqtL53m_25vNJWm_Z6xmNsrm5B2STSE5yYR1amTL5k16h_BtzBL6gQZmkYTTnBM-Ggw5mNdgp6X3B6GWtqNsDrVyalZwhnrdSvB7Z05DIc8h97zJbleOzAJlMFR9klyWy67IH8/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mxbO8YqtL53m_25vNJWm_Z6xmNsrm5B2STSE5yYR1amTL5k16h_BtzBL6gQZmkYTTnBM-Ggw5mNdgp6X3B6GWtqNsDrVyalZwhnrdSvB7Z05DIc8h97zJbleOzAJlMFR9klyWy67IH8/s400/Spring+Break+2013+062.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Then while Billy and I prepared for our hike down to the Medina River the kids spent some time with blocks.</div>
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More block creations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76F9nyvNW9oQ7COLsufxoOto2u5Big96dTgDnEF65frgvAGCj-qFlrsgsV0AFApd0LNGv8SnpGwTb-iG9qTAkHHnOud3-6tYyH_586i8myFsSPZLeNJ-vWwz1DY53xO_FSHn8tLd2CZs/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76F9nyvNW9oQ7COLsufxoOto2u5Big96dTgDnEF65frgvAGCj-qFlrsgsV0AFApd0LNGv8SnpGwTb-iG9qTAkHHnOud3-6tYyH_586i8myFsSPZLeNJ-vWwz1DY53xO_FSHn8tLd2CZs/s400/Spring+Break+2013+073.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To get down to the river we had to descend a set of large, steep, rocky stairs behind the property and then hike across a short meadow. At first I was just going to let Billy go with the big kids, but I'm stubborn and wanted us all to go together so we decided to just go for it. Billy carried the equipment down first by himself and then we carefully guided the kids down. It was a lot tricky but so worth it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZuV2eCNJ5nIZOLpA1TJaSij_KjkYMYG_bE7BE68NSUevgeixiMN7cKwFW3oAUgNXA6UiAyfdRDC6wg9sdfAp5sXOz5_J_gPCND_71twvalu5UUCWROlA5tmys_VaBfGVJ5Lbz1HPSnE/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZuV2eCNJ5nIZOLpA1TJaSij_KjkYMYG_bE7BE68NSUevgeixiMN7cKwFW3oAUgNXA6UiAyfdRDC6wg9sdfAp5sXOz5_J_gPCND_71twvalu5UUCWROlA5tmys_VaBfGVJ5Lbz1HPSnE/s400/Spring+Break+2013+083.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
The kids took turns fishing, but no one had any luck. Oh well. They still had fun, as you can clearly see!<br />
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After we gave up on fishing we hiked a little farther down the river and the kids began chunking rocks into the river. They could have done that for hours.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciCl_cSsV0N5-qwRdfY6wkWo2fDPi_AWYR7VjbtwQj7MbYpqWF-oAa7b2Wxebnx7x9N8fs73OBiDbnEJecCEUNxN6czWNSbozi6daPst_QOjx9hx-7SRGihlaC-hhdD50WTQreOVVWoE/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciCl_cSsV0N5-qwRdfY6wkWo2fDPi_AWYR7VjbtwQj7MbYpqWF-oAa7b2Wxebnx7x9N8fs73OBiDbnEJecCEUNxN6czWNSbozi6daPst_QOjx9hx-7SRGihlaC-hhdD50WTQreOVVWoE/s400/Spring+Break+2013+118.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After hiking back up the bluff we took a quick drive into Bandera for lunch and then later that evening ate supper outside. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdA_Na_tmKq1i28zuRHaFtyv1eSLX6MAhyphenhyphentixWp9O9yG40ZmgBQ2PDKrJTdoabbZiC-36rANOXnyVNFKKwaTq9Svps7s4iDYGK99B499HMosh2nWtoeyXmfD-T_2c2pfUZBQXWb-hY-g/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdA_Na_tmKq1i28zuRHaFtyv1eSLX6MAhyphenhyphentixWp9O9yG40ZmgBQ2PDKrJTdoabbZiC-36rANOXnyVNFKKwaTq9Svps7s4iDYGK99B499HMosh2nWtoeyXmfD-T_2c2pfUZBQXWb-hY-g/s400/Spring+Break+2013+173.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The plan was to take the kids fishing one more time each by themselves, but we were quickly running out of daylight. So Mikea got to go by herself with Billy and then the rest went with him in pairs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzlbAW3dYpSQUUU2WpjoZJIgT2KElf6C8NuQayPBDsqVgLCi6hikUM5gM5RDc5sEiEk7CdhaTIjiEDurZr5_-0KHfHWESIBW9nCan94UYf9Y-aZ-wXnPe7wOQMRbzTpp0fxlLT2YXX9k/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzlbAW3dYpSQUUU2WpjoZJIgT2KElf6C8NuQayPBDsqVgLCi6hikUM5gM5RDc5sEiEk7CdhaTIjiEDurZr5_-0KHfHWESIBW9nCan94UYf9Y-aZ-wXnPe7wOQMRbzTpp0fxlLT2YXX9k/s400/Spring+Break+2013+182.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
These kiddos are growing up too fast. I demand them to stop it!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pMzZ5mHlzRX-CiwTuUcB7uymAWm-8LLFduyFjQ_Cq_MF2Qp7L6dyRlD8nK7non1GLDxMwEaIvIyVk_78WYOvll5QEk9FlcU_rkRx6QCGBlD4AJx-c4vdLniMvcLFYPJbasm-Fv_c9eg/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pMzZ5mHlzRX-CiwTuUcB7uymAWm-8LLFduyFjQ_Cq_MF2Qp7L6dyRlD8nK7non1GLDxMwEaIvIyVk_78WYOvll5QEk9FlcU_rkRx6QCGBlD4AJx-c4vdLniMvcLFYPJbasm-Fv_c9eg/s400/Spring+Break+2013+184.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
The final activity for our trip was roasting marshmallows and making S'mores.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB2eMQp8U9HmFcVV3Sok9qmUErrfYDHEcJBULIz4cPXzFVbJFoHu_So-A4eHhTGMMoiVPe8nofxCIySuTRhsxeL6R7MD6oydPwy9WPu9UX__-5vMuPFtpKkoFKA-cEwDytRFxHTn0Cs4/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB2eMQp8U9HmFcVV3Sok9qmUErrfYDHEcJBULIz4cPXzFVbJFoHu_So-A4eHhTGMMoiVPe8nofxCIySuTRhsxeL6R7MD6oydPwy9WPu9UX__-5vMuPFtpKkoFKA-cEwDytRFxHTn0Cs4/s400/Spring+Break+2013+219.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As usual it was a hot, sticky mess.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxY3ma0cnhDD2aLM_ArzLExIyCqBWkYchLM6PkbneeExbaInGw6LPoP1KOxkKA5PpCIeUiWVAgPlIuj2VXC6fMhtvhAOJI856VWegiU41vrII0JJyagxYQ_x3ZcVt7gy5nU6w0g0_0Ak/s1600/Spring+Break+2013+221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxY3ma0cnhDD2aLM_ArzLExIyCqBWkYchLM6PkbneeExbaInGw6LPoP1KOxkKA5PpCIeUiWVAgPlIuj2VXC6fMhtvhAOJI856VWegiU41vrII0JJyagxYQ_x3ZcVt7gy5nU6w0g0_0Ak/s400/Spring+Break+2013+221.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Indeed. Mmm-mmm!</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-7199017509546219772013-02-28T15:18:00.000-06:002013-02-28T15:18:00.371-06:00Rodeo Recap!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It just wouldn't be right if I didn't share our trip to the rodeo this year. Even if I don't ever post anything else, you can always count on a report from our annual visit to the rodeo!</div>
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We shall begin with the traditional pre-rodeo group photo, minus little Katherine who must remain anonymous for now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8549R0ucTT3DPf8PQoLZkBBapmwwQtx0SyjaGjV3KvGvegjzztXVZhOZ_78maB_BaSriOUw-TfawsY_-SMrOH5w5Avu7B0t0kn2f2GCShZxWFRmF4ywf2qhwDlfyC8aqgkrgwUnTemVQ/s1600/February+2013+317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8549R0ucTT3DPf8PQoLZkBBapmwwQtx0SyjaGjV3KvGvegjzztXVZhOZ_78maB_BaSriOUw-TfawsY_-SMrOH5w5Avu7B0t0kn2f2GCShZxWFRmF4ywf2qhwDlfyC8aqgkrgwUnTemVQ/s400/February+2013+317.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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First, our row of cuties took a few minutes to watch the stock show. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bkLpfW2sbCd4_lg8an1MrcRHmjUM_Q9t4GzZdx0KBybsQ5AQOB_fRehQhyNCNs8xzfoVihUExToolGVEcTfUxNG-16fCpIvrVJm4SQ3aHNvt2KbSrsaLPZzwKrLEdR1byDdaGjdaksw/s1600/February+2013+329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bkLpfW2sbCd4_lg8an1MrcRHmjUM_Q9t4GzZdx0KBybsQ5AQOB_fRehQhyNCNs8xzfoVihUExToolGVEcTfUxNG-16fCpIvrVJm4SQ3aHNvt2KbSrsaLPZzwKrLEdR1byDdaGjdaksw/s400/February+2013+329.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Then we began exploring the rodeo grounds and each child took a turn being the official map holder.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQG-7hdCIcAeCpXqrI8FYGO3vyC7UUFyhA0frRGcdh8xnHKiVvmx_eFhrD_sp1mRj_4ftiFPaaD33CDeXpIutN8Vp8N7cTEWMuW-lKhyk6wlbCAG9fwkdDf7_xvN8amP2xvWdQG1RZJM/s1600/February+2013+346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQG-7hdCIcAeCpXqrI8FYGO3vyC7UUFyhA0frRGcdh8xnHKiVvmx_eFhrD_sp1mRj_4ftiFPaaD33CDeXpIutN8Vp8N7cTEWMuW-lKhyk6wlbCAG9fwkdDf7_xvN8amP2xvWdQG1RZJM/s400/February+2013+346.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Adrian's turn was cut short due to safety reasons. He just couldn't stop holding the map right up to his face.<br />
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We saw the usual goats, pigs, cows, and such. Rebekah was especially delighted with the baby chicks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1ETC9iiou-caeQ5A5VGd_dn_n6bQv-kbDXhogin7iU-iI8ayE_3PrdKPq_L_qkMMukiw31kyJIoeCtfsag-J5GBTjmp1DgcvtIfp5ey66Ke_82oclxkrJ3NroVfrZ5deE2luR1Y4hK4/s1600/February+2013+357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1ETC9iiou-caeQ5A5VGd_dn_n6bQv-kbDXhogin7iU-iI8ayE_3PrdKPq_L_qkMMukiw31kyJIoeCtfsag-J5GBTjmp1DgcvtIfp5ey66Ke_82oclxkrJ3NroVfrZ5deE2luR1Y4hK4/s400/February+2013+357.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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As was her big sister. These two became her friends.</div>
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Capes and carrots! Capes and carrots! It'll be a sad day when the children are too old to be thrilled by free capes and carrots, that's all I know.<br />
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We had snack time after watching a bunch of dogs and cats pretend to be pirates. </div>
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I didn't pack our own snacks like I usually do, so everyone shared nachos, a giant pretzel, and a drink. </div>
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On the way to the wild animal demonstration, we ran into the Pilsbury Dough Boy. The kids had no idea who he was, but loved him nevertheless.</div>
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And that's about it. There was a lot more to see and do, but the Big 3 had school the next day plus we forgot everyone's jackets in the car and when the sun went down it started to get a little chilly. For being tired, cold, and hungry the kids did a great job hiking back to the car and were soon rewarded with a warm ride home and a quick stop for hamburgers and French fries to fill their tummies! </div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-56485534761631880682013-01-05T08:56:00.001-06:002013-01-05T08:56:34.897-06:00The 500 Babies Ring in the New Year!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
(Pardon me for a moment while I blow some dust off of my blog....Ok, that's better.)<br />
<br />
Let's just pretend that it hasn't been over 7 months since I last updated, all right? That'll make this a lot easier. :) And while there are several reasons for my bloggy absence, the main one happens to be a 7-month-old little cutie we call Katherine who joined the 500 Babies last July. She's our newest foster baby, so I can't show pictures of her just yet, but Lord-willing and fingers-crossed we get to make her official in a few months.<br />
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So, on to business: The 500 Babies New Year's Eve Blowout. Forget Times Square, the place to be on New Year's Eve was our end-of-the-year bash. Billy and I decided to let the kids stay up as late as they wanted, figuring most of them would fall asleep before midnight anyway. Starting at 5:00, we planned one activity per hour and let each kid pop a balloon filled with confetti and containing a slip of paper identifying the activity. Here's the first group shot of the night:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgte0k8gGRpf2MxNcg7TQqA6797pMIQjvbuavnT3qdQAGLn7ViFl_TlgaU7fGe2YfGTNrbdUZk2JvSoIjAIZjVjrW94Dd-9QXz1muLBLw69b_EhmGlIncvG051Im1Dw_xV6xOc7PkWzrTs/s1600/December+2012+463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgte0k8gGRpf2MxNcg7TQqA6797pMIQjvbuavnT3qdQAGLn7ViFl_TlgaU7fGe2YfGTNrbdUZk2JvSoIjAIZjVjrW94Dd-9QXz1muLBLw69b_EhmGlIncvG051Im1Dw_xV6xOc7PkWzrTs/s400/December+2012+463.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Can you feel the excitement? The first activity was pretty basic: EAT! Here Rebekah poses in front of the spread:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HMtW8rW2e1D5k912C2zC_24KUkqY4xOCfISMys2pApWDY8cgf6fauWDGeOfGM484i9mAF_sP7uNE7Z_Eh9RebOxPGU1jfM5LKV2viKiOvcy9mGV4HuVcWQIR9xDcYFn5c2PSG54xHfE/s1600/December+2012+460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HMtW8rW2e1D5k912C2zC_24KUkqY4xOCfISMys2pApWDY8cgf6fauWDGeOfGM484i9mAF_sP7uNE7Z_Eh9RebOxPGU1jfM5LKV2viKiOvcy9mGV4HuVcWQIR9xDcYFn5c2PSG54xHfE/s400/December+2012+460.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The 6:00 activity was to make glitter fireworks pictures. At this time, one of the children pooped their pants. I gave Billy a choice: lead the craft or clean the child. He chose glitter and I think afterwards we both agreed he chose wrong. So remember: if given the option, choose the one poopy child over four glittery/gluey children.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-9e_soAIDjxLpV81M4qvrwhTvFS0YzjQ0jsjdyuDRcWNVmAu0KbVoOofALGwwUNIazLjyCh30ga0seEPA-plIVMbWdSk5qaoEAjW3ko3hLx6Toa2TOtF9R29z7pjgoHi6hTDHwa-5Ms/s1600/December+2012+479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-9e_soAIDjxLpV81M4qvrwhTvFS0YzjQ0jsjdyuDRcWNVmAu0KbVoOofALGwwUNIazLjyCh30ga0seEPA-plIVMbWdSk5qaoEAjW3ko3hLx6Toa2TOtF9R29z7pjgoHi6hTDHwa-5Ms/s400/December+2012+479.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
But the kids enjoyed it and here's the proof:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-H8TAzzaXhg-PdChyphenhyphenbn8vqpIy7n_0BlSCYHFja_uXw4B5eCGKgr0mpbxPfxXazB1DzM5n7qXkOTcNB8QDp9eSFcpPsb8D4jBZsRb4WvA4Pn3bYsg4NFgjJrDHN_LZssYL2TW1p7HVVo/s1600/December+2012+486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-H8TAzzaXhg-PdChyphenhyphenbn8vqpIy7n_0BlSCYHFja_uXw4B5eCGKgr0mpbxPfxXazB1DzM5n7qXkOTcNB8QDp9eSFcpPsb8D4jBZsRb4WvA4Pn3bYsg4NFgjJrDHN_LZssYL2TW1p7HVVo/s400/December+2012+486.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The next activity was sock fight! It started off girls vs. boys but then we decided kids vs. parents was more fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHtoTnhRlzoFqciYb0_kYGFHokjLEi8XdbsByLESredDFsqbs7e68LYOaZEcAzkst5sgKRjWBH71_DbHOyALZcIL_nCb7fljMaBZBid6C8i0IUb9upnFV5DiKLwT4pSYhPZNHOd08xz4/s1600/December+2012+509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHtoTnhRlzoFqciYb0_kYGFHokjLEi8XdbsByLESredDFsqbs7e68LYOaZEcAzkst5sgKRjWBH71_DbHOyALZcIL_nCb7fljMaBZBid6C8i0IUb9upnFV5DiKLwT4pSYhPZNHOd08xz4/s400/December+2012+509.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At 8:00 we drew pictures of our favorite memory of the year to put inside a time capsule. You can see a glimpse of Katy in Billy's arms.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesNNJRJ4UlqvpaF54J0sKvbxvuq0kmKxXzboOpOj859a7vALVlXCySS6xT2E-ieUq4VNgcSfdKtfJ6266g4r2Pkf5EuosT0j1JPd6aFK7VWSwuFClH0PoCKJ_NoAb-vYiJREWQvO54Pg/s1600/December+2012+536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesNNJRJ4UlqvpaF54J0sKvbxvuq0kmKxXzboOpOj859a7vALVlXCySS6xT2E-ieUq4VNgcSfdKtfJ6266g4r2Pkf5EuosT0j1JPd6aFK7VWSwuFClH0PoCKJ_NoAb-vYiJREWQvO54Pg/s400/December+2012+536.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Here's Billy digging a hole for our time capsule. The plan is to unearth it next New Year's Eve, if the dogs don't get to it first.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cpgfMrKUxnbqVuIeqdNWss2o0i3OQKDj5KmB3OAJMjG6mY0mlJf8kt2D6IjkQwyBF-Og1lxgJO9c3vQ5w3dN8FzXrVHV3p-qZk9B7tT6I4-0BKVqHC0itZPisvgC9WZpCr3bnILiJLY/s1600/December+2012+545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cpgfMrKUxnbqVuIeqdNWss2o0i3OQKDj5KmB3OAJMjG6mY0mlJf8kt2D6IjkQwyBF-Og1lxgJO9c3vQ5w3dN8FzXrVHV3p-qZk9B7tT6I4-0BKVqHC0itZPisvgC9WZpCr3bnILiJLY/s400/December+2012+545.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
By 9:00 we had the kids put on their pajamas because we figured pretty soon they'd start falling asleep. We also planned a strenuous activity to get them even more worn out: DANCE PARTY!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuQcdEbApVKaF6uWe0MoYUtNHuRwj7BdY0YqD7rn091t0QJ8HqetjG61ixAM_zDIyy1b6H-egN-ce_592amgKnil0I8H8jy9CzHhDfLAn6HZ6YO2ItteqMKpgPE4mTJ9bGpPOQbK-9Yg/s1600/December+2012+550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuQcdEbApVKaF6uWe0MoYUtNHuRwj7BdY0YqD7rn091t0QJ8HqetjG61ixAM_zDIyy1b6H-egN-ce_592amgKnil0I8H8jy9CzHhDfLAn6HZ6YO2ItteqMKpgPE4mTJ9bGpPOQbK-9Yg/s400/December+2012+550.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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We had technical difficulties with the music at first, so Billy taught the kids a few moves. This one is clean the ear, throw the Q-tip away. Clean the other ear, throw the Q-tip away.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMob5eXQonQkzMRYbTnw3ZQeZ-_X8cj-lrcziakUEbz3oNMRiICI16PsA9j7gDT5TWJfqInWE4y258pfNmcIxj48mqwW9ihNddvdJaJqozP9YwfvnKirWrZAGTF2ZrZ-bO3m_2g-GA4MU/s1600/December+2012+581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMob5eXQonQkzMRYbTnw3ZQeZ-_X8cj-lrcziakUEbz3oNMRiICI16PsA9j7gDT5TWJfqInWE4y258pfNmcIxj48mqwW9ihNddvdJaJqozP9YwfvnKirWrZAGTF2ZrZ-bO3m_2g-GA4MU/s400/December+2012+581.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I finally got the music sitchiation resolved, and we commenced the dance party with the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcaej-i3QQo" target="_blank">Official Morrison Family Theme Song</a>. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIoYh6fG6K8yV8_pJprlHwYzyLWFg1fmC3umeob2HjUfXvdOMBqGQOkHjVCsf-AfMV4yLrWG8kepmrbtwgKrpNWUQRUVegiUvcPRu3ZpvKyye2bvJ3DxrQlLKFxmsEzUpGLIJhpprE5Q/s1600/December+2012+597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIoYh6fG6K8yV8_pJprlHwYzyLWFg1fmC3umeob2HjUfXvdOMBqGQOkHjVCsf-AfMV4yLrWG8kepmrbtwgKrpNWUQRUVegiUvcPRu3ZpvKyye2bvJ3DxrQlLKFxmsEzUpGLIJhpprE5Q/s400/December+2012+597.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
We partnered up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQ33TQjii1lAgHOIEtQcgUwFDLQJuO6PeTBGZM3t_OzQKu56Ki15s2EvmDdw0MKIMQvNea2_m0YfEsE785jZXnb9XIdaOo4zIQ57Fv4T8QvHC0QOYbKr-mxy-FW1c_xw-cxxNZbz8u8c/s1600/December+2012+606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQ33TQjii1lAgHOIEtQcgUwFDLQJuO6PeTBGZM3t_OzQKu56Ki15s2EvmDdw0MKIMQvNea2_m0YfEsE785jZXnb9XIdaOo4zIQ57Fv4T8QvHC0QOYbKr-mxy-FW1c_xw-cxxNZbz8u8c/s400/December+2012+606.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And danced away.</div>
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Mikea and Joe started to get a little tired. Maybe our plan to wear them out was working?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zGqM96hrAl_3WEj5z6fXt-kiRYOptraEnE3QTbsh7cwqM9gLhWZXJqLoLVVwQpuQ2DVdizD4mRoASZJlVACqQg10KgD-LLuPVTovLXN-kqbD5Upzc80ookZE2hsXgaVOpDFwxFQxHYk/s1600/December+2012+691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zGqM96hrAl_3WEj5z6fXt-kiRYOptraEnE3QTbsh7cwqM9gLhWZXJqLoLVVwQpuQ2DVdizD4mRoASZJlVACqQg10KgD-LLuPVTovLXN-kqbD5Upzc80ookZE2hsXgaVOpDFwxFQxHYk/s400/December+2012+691.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Joe had the honor of popping the 11:00 balloon which contained the activity of...playing board games!</div>
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Technically Twister isn't a board game, but we decided to give it a try. We soon learned a little left-right hand-foot labeling was necessary.<br />
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But other obstacles, namely a two-year-old who was determined to use the Twister mat as a blanket, proved to be too great to overcome.</div>
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So we put Twister away and played Mouse Trap instead. Can I get an Amen for the awesomeness that is Mouse Trap? LOVE that game!<br />
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The second-to-last activity of the night was to revist our <a href="http://www.500babies.blogspot.com/2011/03/project-simplify.html" target="_blank">family purpose statement</a> and write New Year's Resolutions based on what we could do better as a family. By this time Billy and I thought we would be alone. Obviously we were very wrong.</div>
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And here it is, the final group photo of the night! All six kiddos (including Katy) were awake to ring in the new year. We popped the balloon and went upstairs to watch the fireworks display courtesy of our neighbors.<br />
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We are so grateful to God for the innumerable blessings of 2012 and can't wait to see what's in store for 2013!</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-39785545747866118542012-05-22T09:00:00.000-05:002012-05-22T09:00:08.015-05:00Spring Break Part DosI promise I didn't forget about the second part of our Spring Break trip. I've just been a little preoccupied with the care, feeding, and wrangling of my herd of little blessings. Without further ado, here's the second installment of our trip to New Mexico: (<a href="http://500babies.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-break-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> if you missed it and if you like pictures of cute kids! Wink wink.) <br />
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After we visited White Sands we drove up to Cloudcroft and our cabin, <a href="http://www.thymelessbath.com/cedarlodge.html" target="_blank">Cedar Lodge</a>. When we stepped onto the porch and peered through the front window we could see all the way through to the backyard. And to our astonishment, the welcome wagon (otherwise known as a group of deer) was staring right back at us! Very cool. Yes we have deer in Texas but these were different. You know, like <em>mountain deer</em> or something...<br />
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As soon as we set foot inside the cabin we fell in love with it. (Well, I was already pretty in love with the place from the pictures and description on the website). It was simply perfect: cute, cozy, and clean!<br />
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Now you should know the entire time while I was planning this trip I was hoping the kids would get to see some snow. Well sure enough, up on the mountain there were still a few patches left on the ground - which is all we South Texans need to have a good time! <a href="http://500babies.blogspot.com/2011/02/post-about-snow.html" target="_blank">Shoot, .4 is all we need.</a><br />
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So the first thing we did upon our arrival at Cedar Lodge was don our puffy jackets for the second time in two days and head out to have some fun in the snow!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWsKjOfHzMq5gX76anw0Mwo-L-eRDKoS7RCbQF-q5H2oMktwPF8VSeLIg0Waq2TAyDzkwhbjU_xoCssGfRW9bhbl0RrmrnOyWmaQ69nyqsLaGwUBlmTxUtKPTrJd8geHUkisnfm_hQmE/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWsKjOfHzMq5gX76anw0Mwo-L-eRDKoS7RCbQF-q5H2oMktwPF8VSeLIg0Waq2TAyDzkwhbjU_xoCssGfRW9bhbl0RrmrnOyWmaQ69nyqsLaGwUBlmTxUtKPTrJd8geHUkisnfm_hQmE/s400/New+Mexico+2012+145.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>
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After a good time frolicking in the snow, it was time to head in for some hot chocolate! We never would have thought to bring hot chocolate with us, but that's one of the many little extras already taken care of at Cedar Lodge. The owners also provide homemade scented candles, soaps, and lotions thoughout the cabin - another fun little touch. And music to create whatever mood your heart desires! I chose the perfect artist for our first musical selection - George Strait! :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUljn6i5drzIQ5NS4sCUpg4LqOox7f1xn89jGLK0Z1TvIkViaEKJd7gnr280YBWZ0MD9yyEaPge55HHGsu7m5R4fkPHRRHRC8sViUlJIWIsEXUrXfvoL-U90jvoqpXipYnDX3w7WJWrlQ/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUljn6i5drzIQ5NS4sCUpg4LqOox7f1xn89jGLK0Z1TvIkViaEKJd7gnr280YBWZ0MD9yyEaPge55HHGsu7m5R4fkPHRRHRC8sViUlJIWIsEXUrXfvoL-U90jvoqpXipYnDX3w7WJWrlQ/s400/New+Mexico+2012+233.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After dinner it was time to pajama up the kiddos and herd them off to bed. At home we had been reading <em>Little House in the Big Woods</em> each night so I brought it along on the trip because I just had to continue reading it while we were staying in our own version of a little house in the big woods. There were also a ton of children's books upstairs for the kids to read. I didn't take any pictures of the bedrooms, but EACH child had their own cozy bed, if you can believe it! There was even a crib for little Rebekah. <br />
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After the kids were good and zonked out, Billy and I relaxed with a friendly game of Scrabble. I usually lose to him (and am, in fact, a very sore loser) but for the record I would like to point out that I won this time. But like I said I usually lose and we have to wait months in between playing games because I get so irritated about losing. Seriously. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_dfyuNM0oEePI42rwQl7IAoQger-boGoGWJHeK3p4irtx5veL7dWChNF42gdZh7tx2KftbiokEtqeBxvCZIBxNMqC_JN772RW37MFvqbwfflKVvadp9wHZpt4jyt4-wsAf9k6AFswFI/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_dfyuNM0oEePI42rwQl7IAoQger-boGoGWJHeK3p4irtx5veL7dWChNF42gdZh7tx2KftbiokEtqeBxvCZIBxNMqC_JN772RW37MFvqbwfflKVvadp9wHZpt4jyt4-wsAf9k6AFswFI/s400/New+Mexico+2012+246.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Anyway, later that night (a few minutes after Billy and I went to bed) we were startled by a large thump from upstairs. Billy went to investigate and discovered Joe coming to get us because he had thrown up in bed. We cleaned him up and settled him closer to us on the floor downstairs and hoped for an uneventful rest of the night. (It was.)<br />
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I had a basic itinerary outlined for our trip but the next morning Billy and I had to figure out how to adjust our plans to accommodate a feverish and sick Joe (and find a laundromat). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpOISzcdMvc8JToAEJacxb94EtHwVUmwj05TrOUU1HIKsEdKlWJV5yFTGIjQaobNIi0xELGtkJ3lZqhDwBdWzGzt6OjnRXSGo6esETSKvj5IrEckGgEt6VA9mCCNxNbOXEe1wWa3ic3k/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpOISzcdMvc8JToAEJacxb94EtHwVUmwj05TrOUU1HIKsEdKlWJV5yFTGIjQaobNIi0xELGtkJ3lZqhDwBdWzGzt6OjnRXSGo6esETSKvj5IrEckGgEt6VA9mCCNxNbOXEe1wWa3ic3k/s400/New+Mexico+2012+263.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In the meantime Daniel and Mikea enjoyed games with each other... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMrmAm1Zf0Q7rZk20PEtWkN9SEfY1SprdpIZwQhUSqSziITz26ADejtkm9DnBOcmBLNHmexG7W0Fga52hkNBHK6IpHh9CRwMmIVI9e-HftoS8b2v0fzJCxRpaaYKkP-pAM25VMjmpDE4/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMrmAm1Zf0Q7rZk20PEtWkN9SEfY1SprdpIZwQhUSqSziITz26ADejtkm9DnBOcmBLNHmexG7W0Fga52hkNBHK6IpHh9CRwMmIVI9e-HftoS8b2v0fzJCxRpaaYKkP-pAM25VMjmpDE4/s400/New+Mexico+2012+258.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And then Dad joined them for a game of Monopoly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7btH5FjBA3ZCfk1EnbR0eoof1p6t3wGEZTfrRmQ_6dBlTJ5974z63X8zJsUh8zj1ikDWzE2tFf3bqgXjCn1725P1rplfqyO4vnILHxJ5wbhwsoRMiTyiOuN_bFbAX_lpWXMMy1EOj2sk/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7btH5FjBA3ZCfk1EnbR0eoof1p6t3wGEZTfrRmQ_6dBlTJ5974z63X8zJsUh8zj1ikDWzE2tFf3bqgXjCn1725P1rplfqyO4vnILHxJ5wbhwsoRMiTyiOuN_bFbAX_lpWXMMy1EOj2sk/s400/New+Mexico+2012+262.jpg" width="390" /></a></div>
Around this time Rebekah began showing signs of getting sick, too. (We didn't know until we got her home and to the doctor that she had an ear infection - poor baby!) Don't forget that Billy was sick as well, so that made 3 out of 7 of the family who were feeling pretty miserable. This meant that over the next couple of days we spent way too much time making multiple trips to the Wal-Mart in Alamogordo to buy medicine, detergent, and bleach and then more time doing laundry at the laundromat in Cloudcroft.<br />
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But this was still Spring Break for goodness sake so we did our best to have good attitudes and make the best of it! More game-playing:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPZLBbIN-Ln5EnxuVPJDBVH5UNJhBmelYXSmqxy4sd5yqFZis8z_Atzoq43ErjsxTREkpNTPGFCcdsoGHpEX_HgaalqWm3bOp05tWpETN57kNZo-F_qwSH3haSWuXlGO9VnlfQsI6S9s/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPZLBbIN-Ln5EnxuVPJDBVH5UNJhBmelYXSmqxy4sd5yqFZis8z_Atzoq43ErjsxTREkpNTPGFCcdsoGHpEX_HgaalqWm3bOp05tWpETN57kNZo-F_qwSH3haSWuXlGO9VnlfQsI6S9s/s400/New+Mexico+2012+300.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Playground-ing:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AWlXnb3C750CVDFXjKhedwLRChHx6QJVCnegzQCxofLU90QVx88C9rClRWQQ-h5jMgjVhFxgDNzSTt2bf4fAOCJNcPQUuWIGDAOcewBsxBbShmmGZzuLxPxq9VKDhyphenhyphenoP9GOS_CVWnoc/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AWlXnb3C750CVDFXjKhedwLRChHx6QJVCnegzQCxofLU90QVx88C9rClRWQQ-h5jMgjVhFxgDNzSTt2bf4fAOCJNcPQUuWIGDAOcewBsxBbShmmGZzuLxPxq9VKDhyphenhyphenoP9GOS_CVWnoc/s400/New+Mexico+2012+320.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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And jumping: (Alamogordo has a cute little zoo, where we all competed to see who was the best jumper.)</div>
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Look at Dan fly!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-GSAygv_98L5fXnqrgpPb3A01Pk-Il3TeK4MT2U1Sypcwy3v7GUUkzQ2_OFyIwdDh6jbMzYnVUCAhhKDg3_LmLUZAjuuwzMB7K96xQgsZuvvL0H859E1da0bntsbPDHY5GBorPCZ6s/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-GSAygv_98L5fXnqrgpPb3A01Pk-Il3TeK4MT2U1Sypcwy3v7GUUkzQ2_OFyIwdDh6jbMzYnVUCAhhKDg3_LmLUZAjuuwzMB7K96xQgsZuvvL0H859E1da0bntsbPDHY5GBorPCZ6s/s400/New+Mexico+2012+338.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Go Mikea go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ms4x2W0_DkCwR_zU2zIdzKlSNK9gI-zv01n-Gvwba1A8Kexi1qfDbOJyutqHi2AY6UWlQOVORx0PmVooVNuKIIPASrETYokU0Xeqap0usYe-nCisBjghB5A5mSG0FtCbo2pSJGuQnFA/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ms4x2W0_DkCwR_zU2zIdzKlSNK9gI-zv01n-Gvwba1A8Kexi1qfDbOJyutqHi2AY6UWlQOVORx0PmVooVNuKIIPASrETYokU0Xeqap0usYe-nCisBjghB5A5mSG0FtCbo2pSJGuQnFA/s400/New+Mexico+2012+341.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even I tried it. Actually I think I was the first one. Hmmm...these pictures are out of order. Anyway, I like how Mikea is studying my technique. </div>
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There was also planking on turtles, of course.</div>
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Ah, my cute little family. :)</div>
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All right, everyone get ready for your close-up:<br />
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Rebekah's close-up was a little <em>too</em> close for her runny nose so I won't show you that.</div>
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On the evening before our departure the kids took turns putting corn out for the deer one last time. We didn't get to see any more deer after the first day, but every day lots of gorgeous blue jays entertained us from the window. </div>
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Mikea just loved hauling that bucket of corn! (Poor baby tripped and fell right after I took the picture.)</div>
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The last night of our stay Billy and I worked hard to clean up and put the cabin back in order. But earlier in the day we discovered we had no more hot water, so I spent the evening boiling water on the stove to wash the dishes. It was a pain, but I just tried to pretend I was a pioneer. Turns out we had accidentally flipped the switch that controls the hot water heater. Oops. Now we know.</div>
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What we didn't know was that the hardest part of the trip was yet to come: the ride home, complete with a miserably sick Rebekah and BLUE VOMIT. Oh yeah. But I'll save that story for another day. :)</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-84260901230201989892012-04-25T15:53:00.000-05:002012-04-25T15:53:36.305-05:00Spring Break Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's now time to share our Spring Break adventure (from over a month ago) because new adventures are already on the horizon and I don't want to forget this one (well actually I do want to forget some parts). The trip was quite a doozy I tell ya, and looking back it was really the first time I questioned whether a family trip of ours was worth the hassle. But despite how difficult parts of it were, we made more good memories than bad ones...so YES, it was worth it!</div>
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Our destination was Cloudcroft, New Mexico via El Paso. The day of our departure was cold and rainy as "winter" tried to get in one last hurrah. So at our first major stop, <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/balmorhea/" target="_blank">Balmorhea State Park</a>, we broke out the puffy jackets. Kids just love wearing puffy jackets, especially since it only happens like two days out of the year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTg5yjdbTeHV0r-qBwPkkgJ97YY3-rsjTvPsPzLN38dejFsuKdyl6h7h6z-D-zgvzfMaaY1fjP8ESVOlY2WsuSdGoN7ygdhbsdk7bKFbg2gbeEwn5bFjQjNuPGU9qoXdHafwk6yn3EYCQ/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTg5yjdbTeHV0r-qBwPkkgJ97YY3-rsjTvPsPzLN38dejFsuKdyl6h7h6z-D-zgvzfMaaY1fjP8ESVOlY2WsuSdGoN7ygdhbsdk7bKFbg2gbeEwn5bFjQjNuPGU9qoXdHafwk6yn3EYCQ/s400/New+Mexico+2012+011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After over 5 hours of riding, the kids were more than ready to burn off some energy.</div>
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The main attraction at Balmorhea State Park is a pool created by natural springs. The water temperature is always in the mid-70's and we let kids take turns dipping their hands in it. (Fun little fact: Ten days after we visited the park the pool was closed with the following notice: "Some swimmers have experienced bites causing skin itching from an unknown source in the pool."<strong> </strong> Oooh how mysterious! And creepy!)</div>
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Joe had a little trouble on the slippery rocks. For a moment I thought he was going to slide straight into the water and I was already trying to figure out how we were going to dry him off. A little mud, a little mess, oh well.</div>
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The park also contains a marshy area called a cienega with a cool underwater viewing area. Except the water was kinda murky and we couldn't see really see anything.<br />
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Aw, look who still had hair back then!</div>
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We couldn't stay long at the state park because we still had several hours of driving to reach to El Paso, our stop for the night. The El Paso stop was actually the beginning of the hard stuff, starting with having to wait for what seemed like forever for a table in a crowded restaurant with 5 tired, hungry, and squirmy kids who should have been in bed. Then that night I only got about 2 decent hours of sleep because Rebekah was completely off her routine and refused to settle down for the night. (And I forgot to mention that Billy was sick the entire trip.)<br />
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The next morning we drove on to White Sands, New Mexico. The kids were pretty grumpy for some reason, which in turn made me grumpy (plus remember I was tired and Billy was sick). The blinding sun didn't help, either.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUq32qsGHOfg6KuWO5JmlCCAdBYi2Vjd59SwczCZri9Lr8sdLO6UnlopFvEGvyuhE8_J8aTcmKBEAGcKq7IyW5VbU2r7E1rCLf2-4VXvOUWSEf8moeW6GuFRIR7y_JYZ9pKVTqMNfFVg/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUq32qsGHOfg6KuWO5JmlCCAdBYi2Vjd59SwczCZri9Lr8sdLO6UnlopFvEGvyuhE8_J8aTcmKBEAGcKq7IyW5VbU2r7E1rCLf2-4VXvOUWSEf8moeW6GuFRIR7y_JYZ9pKVTqMNfFVg/s400/New+Mexico+2012+088.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Adrian was upset because he had to stay in the stroller.<br />
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But then Dad worked his magic and started cheering everyone up.</div>
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Eventually even Adrian!<br />
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Here's Mamacita!<br />
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Handsome Joe!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JpLEslh7_R2Y5D_KKf9ecEoKRL41iIiRRTfclL4V3qgCQuB53AxMXgzVvciJpwwXnWqZ-1GGIXhTFl4jCCYE4KGwLsdliIzn2hPiY0DIdyNRX7_gUH5LAYMh0Q-FQfvhqaE70R_sDFM/s1600/New+Mexico+2012+105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JpLEslh7_R2Y5D_KKf9ecEoKRL41iIiRRTfclL4V3qgCQuB53AxMXgzVvciJpwwXnWqZ-1GGIXhTFl4jCCYE4KGwLsdliIzn2hPiY0DIdyNRX7_gUH5LAYMh0Q-FQfvhqaE70R_sDFM/s400/New+Mexico+2012+105.jpg" width="363" /></a></div>
Pretty Mikea!<br />
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And the Danimal!<br />
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Oh yeah, and don't forget the handsome Daddy who prevented this little excursion from being a complete grumpfest!<br />
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My hero. :)</div>
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After White Sands we drove up into the mountains to Cloudcroft and the CUTEST CABIN EVER: <a href="http://www.thymelessbath.com/cedarlodge.html" target="_blank">Cedar Lodge</a>. I can't wait to share more pictures and share the fun and not-so-fun events of the next few days of our trip. But that's for next time. Hopefully tomorrow. </div>
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</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-18327000967223737652012-04-12T16:22:00.000-05:002012-04-12T16:22:40.029-05:00A Blessed Easter<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lbs1SRY72dEhgJXbzlKiMDdNvPi_T1-R5VZC7nag2D2MWyiWLyDuYEUQDoZa0JMfYPzSVKiKZQDfsT7oef5bffFlNkXfaTQkL62B2fjWFTtTBbqTxrA6JqgKdWOhfFulwwqoXX9fjko/s1600/Easter+2012+118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lbs1SRY72dEhgJXbzlKiMDdNvPi_T1-R5VZC7nag2D2MWyiWLyDuYEUQDoZa0JMfYPzSVKiKZQDfsT7oef5bffFlNkXfaTQkL62B2fjWFTtTBbqTxrA6JqgKdWOhfFulwwqoXX9fjko/s400/Easter+2012+118.jpg" width="400" /></a>I sure wish I could say that Easter weekend went off without a hitch, but it didn't. It was a good thing for me that a few days before Easter I read an article discussing how the devil doesn't want us to celebrate the Resurrection, so he'll use every opportunity he can to steal our joy by making us think we've failed if we don't acheive the "perfect" celebration. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So when I had car trouble on a 600-mile road trip on Good Friday, when two of my outfits for the weekend ended up with major wardrobe malfunctions, and I was missing an ingredient for a recipe for a family gathering, I did my best to just brush it off and not get too worked up about it. It's only cilantro after all. My only meltdown was on Saturday when I realized that despite all of my planning, I wasn't going to get away with not washing Mikea's hair. Washing, combing, and styling her hair from beginning to end takes a <em>minimum</em> of 4 hours, with no interruptions. And you would be correct to surmise that I've never been able to style her hair without interruptions, so whenever I "do hair" I have to set aside an entire day to get it done. I didn't have that kind of time and for a few minutes I thought Easter was ruined because Mikea wasn't going to have an elaborate hair style. This is where my super hero of a husband came to the rescue again (the first was on my road trip the day before when he loaded up the kids, drove to where I was stranded, and changed my tire - fortunately I was only 30 miles from home!) He washed Mikea's hair, put 3 of the kids down for naps, and took Rebekah to the store so I could have Mikea all to myself. After combing out her hair, I only had time for a ponytail - but that's ok, she was as still pretty as a picture. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>All that aside, the best part of Easter was that the oldest three kids finally seemed to understand why we celebrate. I overheard them at the lunch table prompting each other with, "Jesus is risen!" "He is risen indeed! Alleluia!" What a happy sound! We decorated eggs, enjoyed family gatherings with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and participated in no less than 3 egg hunts! (Four for Joe counting the one at school.)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmu7r6KuAyANaWjEiQ7h0MquNSUmLQCUNNgBG0K7krQ8sVCS1uv_Xle8SK6UlF_6e6veKJ21lnT3BCFdVuEoNytjLRQ2cvqeSQHQGbGdSHJ2RwMDBxnGH5Z1Y-a3GcWukGoj9KaxAEAA/s1600/Easter+2012+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmu7r6KuAyANaWjEiQ7h0MquNSUmLQCUNNgBG0K7krQ8sVCS1uv_Xle8SK6UlF_6e6veKJ21lnT3BCFdVuEoNytjLRQ2cvqeSQHQGbGdSHJ2RwMDBxnGH5Z1Y-a3GcWukGoj9KaxAEAA/s400/Easter+2012+062.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHsFtznAn7aRZLM-I2cqzDqN18Erbg3jnUp9m6eGQDzeFSY2dIcfS9qILtilRhSsvvZh9VtOQfBaJvlnryhpIdo3rGaYV6PTA_ktRmK13pp2uirXiE4S-IiluCWcw7rAj_TOPDjo3aIE/s1600/Easter+2012+084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHsFtznAn7aRZLM-I2cqzDqN18Erbg3jnUp9m6eGQDzeFSY2dIcfS9qILtilRhSsvvZh9VtOQfBaJvlnryhpIdo3rGaYV6PTA_ktRmK13pp2uirXiE4S-IiluCWcw7rAj_TOPDjo3aIE/s400/Easter+2012+084.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCivU72aWAPIo_r7GIoQLy2eZhvCY_S-cp4Yh5aS_-jCserAVUlZVVjTuw3nkZxr9RJHh5L9OSw6xtsM56PGI3LN9Vplw8HRYDZOmLFYlEHdtm49_2TjlhcLGDNq6I9iHEe7WmYrls4E/s1600/Easter+2012+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCivU72aWAPIo_r7GIoQLy2eZhvCY_S-cp4Yh5aS_-jCserAVUlZVVjTuw3nkZxr9RJHh5L9OSw6xtsM56PGI3LN9Vplw8HRYDZOmLFYlEHdtm49_2TjlhcLGDNq6I9iHEe7WmYrls4E/s400/Easter+2012+100.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9msKCeh_DdCixlcZ9qziXDG0z9VyPUc8J1OS1NAcYvzpV7HItDqcc5gmi3agveAYv6Nj4CSd3lLEER_hx0_-NfVEL91bJfGdiT7pb_8Q-5hpa-7BletjiPbihcLHQ7-pXcdRYuM_qr5w/s1600/Easter+2012+098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9msKCeh_DdCixlcZ9qziXDG0z9VyPUc8J1OS1NAcYvzpV7HItDqcc5gmi3agveAYv6Nj4CSd3lLEER_hx0_-NfVEL91bJfGdiT7pb_8Q-5hpa-7BletjiPbihcLHQ7-pXcdRYuM_qr5w/s400/Easter+2012+098.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrqCwx9YcZpsA8nzLAeSfhS0kHBoteFyKK0avNxyVly2szYH_0r-qRuAhmWi37Bz_bliEBurJzn6ycRVG0xh7oWkB32FyIYTxh_sZKEHqoLNHbM-bZjGhChTIAz7kqrika3TuOJzcXGs/s1600/Easter+2012+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrqCwx9YcZpsA8nzLAeSfhS0kHBoteFyKK0avNxyVly2szYH_0r-qRuAhmWi37Bz_bliEBurJzn6ycRVG0xh7oWkB32FyIYTxh_sZKEHqoLNHbM-bZjGhChTIAz7kqrika3TuOJzcXGs/s400/Easter+2012+111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSbh7zGEVwpe0x_EMZuhZnqV9cbhqSjk8XzsAClgAxBFCFYw3r188JsVc1ew2DJy3L7aY655EkMfcfdvqnfFqx4c0UzrnjFN-bbt0YAMYcm9rpzHKPMDuSHJu1X5jn4L6bazJkHnNoXw/s1600/Easter+2012+154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSbh7zGEVwpe0x_EMZuhZnqV9cbhqSjk8XzsAClgAxBFCFYw3r188JsVc1ew2DJy3L7aY655EkMfcfdvqnfFqx4c0UzrnjFN-bbt0YAMYcm9rpzHKPMDuSHJu1X5jn4L6bazJkHnNoXw/s400/Easter+2012+154.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJt9Dyb0QmmNrZwRAGXqmkKIBVxZ9pgW_xlAmCGgdP-BCVrPzAm6H2ES3GiYjeMnXHeaBtz6HhPNxo0DAUVLYQxOI_xBKvwxYNdYrOQizNNUqCVMBkAJHoDLDfZAkemXB60sYicZoz40/s1600/Easter+2012+156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJt9Dyb0QmmNrZwRAGXqmkKIBVxZ9pgW_xlAmCGgdP-BCVrPzAm6H2ES3GiYjeMnXHeaBtz6HhPNxo0DAUVLYQxOI_xBKvwxYNdYrOQizNNUqCVMBkAJHoDLDfZAkemXB60sYicZoz40/s400/Easter+2012+156.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Looking back, it was a blessed Easter indeed!Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-30256565372600795252012-03-27T07:45:00.000-06:002012-03-27T07:45:56.170-06:00Bluebonnets and Bikes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past weekend we ventured out for our annual bluebonnet pictures. Well, I shouldn't really say 'annual' because we've only done it once before, two years ago. Nevertheless it <em>should </em>be an annual event because my children (and the flowers) are just so gorgeous! The bluebonnet field we chose wasn't quite as prolifically flowerful as before, but we still got some great shots, as you will see. My favorite is the one of Adrian with his hands on his hips. It's as if he's saying, "First you shave me bald and then you want pictures?" (FYI if you don't know the story, Daniel cut off a big chunk of Adrian's hair last week and the only way we could fix it was to buzz it all off.) Anyway, on to the pictures:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtYdSJQSTLOKDb_kFbKc8FcTPQHeygv-DHvWuQHIiE0JNvJ2UWhDpXNnaNBbxWxGy1HAKKu_WwZEYX1YL2SzJPpkSSKyaFnjKLltGKn-GNR_zyIgU0shLHnxVTcPryFWNgt1EWSajUs4/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtYdSJQSTLOKDb_kFbKc8FcTPQHeygv-DHvWuQHIiE0JNvJ2UWhDpXNnaNBbxWxGy1HAKKu_WwZEYX1YL2SzJPpkSSKyaFnjKLltGKn-GNR_zyIgU0shLHnxVTcPryFWNgt1EWSajUs4/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf5Fk0EOeqlmdUJnOMCAFUv4Ox6B0jQrzV45QpfboRlt8skB4vuGHAcu1QSWrjweKyYth3F8BJzErV6VJ3zQGgAUtnB4xNkK4JaZLsQ4-RF4qzWS9Rqmd2aIB-E9hSBrukBEUJGAZFiI/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf5Fk0EOeqlmdUJnOMCAFUv4Ox6B0jQrzV45QpfboRlt8skB4vuGHAcu1QSWrjweKyYth3F8BJzErV6VJ3zQGgAUtnB4xNkK4JaZLsQ4-RF4qzWS9Rqmd2aIB-E9hSBrukBEUJGAZFiI/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+014.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJad7AjJLeE9OBL3yKgxKc1K0z3zXx9tPRxDy0O6tDJpKb0AHGRL43d553uHL5pZOM6P5pdnELIGtJ4lAmb5Il-Q8qSOJO0ZvBY6YfaTCDW32SihyNhqO_X7NB3gAobArHvl-ViS_LCI/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJad7AjJLeE9OBL3yKgxKc1K0z3zXx9tPRxDy0O6tDJpKb0AHGRL43d553uHL5pZOM6P5pdnELIGtJ4lAmb5Il-Q8qSOJO0ZvBY6YfaTCDW32SihyNhqO_X7NB3gAobArHvl-ViS_LCI/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+027.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPY6BUglRiU2rtSm7hfHuakqh5MjI_NgoPOZIKmo0Axhpr9lHGpYCt3-2kozdFGQG0bc3BxS_YslyNtRBirAtUIqc6q8_2mlYZEQLWnzz0Mg2F-7x_EPRfmZKTas3xBKeV3wI8L5jMfk0/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPY6BUglRiU2rtSm7hfHuakqh5MjI_NgoPOZIKmo0Axhpr9lHGpYCt3-2kozdFGQG0bc3BxS_YslyNtRBirAtUIqc6q8_2mlYZEQLWnzz0Mg2F-7x_EPRfmZKTas3xBKeV3wI8L5jMfk0/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+034.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyyWjhU3PH-MZxXrAi8yeO7aIdYshd4Rf-leQmQZKCI9Kf3K5nDR9EMHSFqcWo3scL9Ow-4RsTEXIADNQ4Jpbelq8WfFRVI_xzALkl-qqv7vXqQvWndfPiH0LfykZk2mz6_Ll-z-FRtY/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyyWjhU3PH-MZxXrAi8yeO7aIdYshd4Rf-leQmQZKCI9Kf3K5nDR9EMHSFqcWo3scL9Ow-4RsTEXIADNQ4Jpbelq8WfFRVI_xzALkl-qqv7vXqQvWndfPiH0LfykZk2mz6_Ll-z-FRtY/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+096.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtZlgCtGs-5KmZzGzTg5yAIexqSzQisSBAX3jA3-FSFCedh8GoLMVcAqAfKEJ5qz_02i2cW6KxPj4tzgdUWMb5A8YS0fHpNrH6OqLPqje6Tq6PGagA4aW8tLE5yVhT-_1RuoAFD2vpKc/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtZlgCtGs-5KmZzGzTg5yAIexqSzQisSBAX3jA3-FSFCedh8GoLMVcAqAfKEJ5qz_02i2cW6KxPj4tzgdUWMb5A8YS0fHpNrH6OqLPqje6Tq6PGagA4aW8tLE5yVhT-_1RuoAFD2vpKc/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+120.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lTfK-8pIIW9v7MqFLLy2CHSxfud7CPWNZVRBDLjrD-_VODYa2Pm9aIIGhAklRBXyJDKVC-EATBdR2KEdj7lQMCDPdWRlz_za4xRb0R2iCbfng6IimpvIOhDSgK0Bya_pKldlIPPYTpI/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lTfK-8pIIW9v7MqFLLy2CHSxfud7CPWNZVRBDLjrD-_VODYa2Pm9aIIGhAklRBXyJDKVC-EATBdR2KEdj7lQMCDPdWRlz_za4xRb0R2iCbfng6IimpvIOhDSgK0Bya_pKldlIPPYTpI/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+131.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the pictures, it was time for bike riding! (Used as a bribe to get them to cooperate during pictures.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTT42RkPkWfYEMbMpx42v623IuGOxyL8b_aFYlqKmp_IxN6cjfoyTUgca-RJFeBLjKjBQAAyxcAgpa-lEha4hvs7RRT_ZkMKFWvUujrEcQTR-39991mpYzi33-pWzp1M9WM4vnHyLgDLo/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTT42RkPkWfYEMbMpx42v623IuGOxyL8b_aFYlqKmp_IxN6cjfoyTUgca-RJFeBLjKjBQAAyxcAgpa-lEha4hvs7RRT_ZkMKFWvUujrEcQTR-39991mpYzi33-pWzp1M9WM4vnHyLgDLo/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+050.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfwkLFYHeaj-rohvx1hMOcrrK0FRiDRjmN7jj8M9dXU2KFRNlN24jEIDLhBklvbB9MerSHuW1RRYjByz3n_AgUC0AO83EE7xwbuKh5XYB1uEOOMqCH7O1c34KP7adyjDqtPrU71icPOM/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfwkLFYHeaj-rohvx1hMOcrrK0FRiDRjmN7jj8M9dXU2KFRNlN24jEIDLhBklvbB9MerSHuW1RRYjByz3n_AgUC0AO83EE7xwbuKh5XYB1uEOOMqCH7O1c34KP7adyjDqtPrU71icPOM/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+048.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DaY1-tlDu7miU0CTFho0dPlQO6RZ7-2tb22AYgEDzKadar1EaulYxAa1cci61d7D3T0bqGc6V8l9k1_kivbDR0ttcJUzVZLP6Srn7Ffyj4mknJJHbUVx4D28sbxYKh5nTRjhf-W2xS4/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DaY1-tlDu7miU0CTFho0dPlQO6RZ7-2tb22AYgEDzKadar1EaulYxAa1cci61d7D3T0bqGc6V8l9k1_kivbDR0ttcJUzVZLP6Srn7Ffyj4mknJJHbUVx4D28sbxYKh5nTRjhf-W2xS4/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyzX1whSkmuWld9e8JTW1A7vMbJmgrpaTecXSln0I2-Nwd-0oFaRxcKVYJfV8gI3ma49QIp2Jyixe_TgdYemtT-VNjcJhyBJMTSePylr0IzHB5ElQeS3_JnLLaMFYtrJe8Uc5H_Ul8rk/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyzX1whSkmuWld9e8JTW1A7vMbJmgrpaTecXSln0I2-Nwd-0oFaRxcKVYJfV8gI3ma49QIp2Jyixe_TgdYemtT-VNjcJhyBJMTSePylr0IzHB5ElQeS3_JnLLaMFYtrJe8Uc5H_Ul8rk/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+067.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgNaqT3su9RhWGLWXQrZdV1_j_2tRnwukXEfK2LiP9zI1i78Mt7Di88OLrcokcdhun9JOg6HLgYb3mTlJOQe4ZXM7ctolko1pI4ytR7Dygv66Fj3cHga9oktNZnRXA-YdB8AxeOCoDcI/s1600/Bluebonnets+2012+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgNaqT3su9RhWGLWXQrZdV1_j_2tRnwukXEfK2LiP9zI1i78Mt7Di88OLrcokcdhun9JOg6HLgYb3mTlJOQe4ZXM7ctolko1pI4ytR7Dygv66Fj3cHga9oktNZnRXA-YdB8AxeOCoDcI/s400/Bluebonnets+2012+055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-40550632349013707822012-03-19T12:49:00.000-06:002012-03-19T12:49:57.569-06:00St. Patrick's Day Shenanigans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How do the 500 Babies celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Well, for starters we made a leprechaun trap complete with instructions for the naughty little guy to disobey (Do NOT climb the ladder!) and money for him to grab and then presumably fall through the tissue-paper top right into the trap.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYWQLCTO7vrmW8sMrzDFSMduCbA_k5OXQL6dF2R6UHoYo1PODetw57qnKLCQyhFZ2bmpHHdegx-NUt7Idwhee1NbKw9WBaiProAcmv6w1fOGuItW34y4ye41-QvOtcdX52ilmQSfHnik/s1600/March+2012+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYWQLCTO7vrmW8sMrzDFSMduCbA_k5OXQL6dF2R6UHoYo1PODetw57qnKLCQyhFZ2bmpHHdegx-NUt7Idwhee1NbKw9WBaiProAcmv6w1fOGuItW34y4ye41-QvOtcdX52ilmQSfHnik/s400/March+2012+007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Presumably. In the morning we discovered that not only did the leprechaun escape (he pulled the ladder inside the trap and built stairs out of green legos) but we found evidence of much mischief, including a puddle of green glue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ae1qSSJk8BKoV0zuH2FtpXbE0GuI7e5IyL1mB4nlLXjYH5P54RgjiPVjPpHNE8AiLHEkBclvx5eiSHdOQ0BvYadg32OkUsUs9qoJ_in_LqWTsdzkAryUDzoIWJU_ObaXJYwl402cE-A/s1600/March+2012+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ae1qSSJk8BKoV0zuH2FtpXbE0GuI7e5IyL1mB4nlLXjYH5P54RgjiPVjPpHNE8AiLHEkBclvx5eiSHdOQ0BvYadg32OkUsUs9qoJ_in_LqWTsdzkAryUDzoIWJU_ObaXJYwl402cE-A/s400/March+2012+030.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The little leprechaun also turned the dogs' water green and left little green footprints all over the kitchen floor. At least he was considerate enough to wipe his feet before he walked on the carpet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHbGnSyM_Kr08VtH4lwBxLxQTh87UaiX3qLwuXzUIpC8s63U808uw71Ysp2JBk3xOXN_SkOVYrgool69S6NJNRY7HfhAXORnk0hF4OXgq5ar_XcJLlFyD034RFE6X4ma_TNb7UhAX15o/s1600/March+2012+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHbGnSyM_Kr08VtH4lwBxLxQTh87UaiX3qLwuXzUIpC8s63U808uw71Ysp2JBk3xOXN_SkOVYrgool69S6NJNRY7HfhAXORnk0hF4OXgq5ar_XcJLlFyD034RFE6X4ma_TNb7UhAX15o/s400/March+2012+028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The creepiest thing our visitor did was trim his beard in the bathroom. Mikea was especially disturbed by the bits of beard left behind. She told me she wanted the pieces of hair "OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjuY5SQSugXAeRsB0NRq970JxhtZwHmHzo0-OFOZUNKfsN2c5yYd6h7QfaVdBzjyK-3ziQ2bEcdsasCH3FieK0lOF4nAf48WsUcR9Ib4MbwkhKaoRpR7vNoqFQ-Unik0YpVzeqNu6CJs/s1600/March+2012+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjuY5SQSugXAeRsB0NRq970JxhtZwHmHzo0-OFOZUNKfsN2c5yYd6h7QfaVdBzjyK-3ziQ2bEcdsasCH3FieK0lOF4nAf48WsUcR9Ib4MbwkhKaoRpR7vNoqFQ-Unik0YpVzeqNu6CJs/s400/March+2012+020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That evening we dined on a fruit rainbow...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Lb_W_QA5GKV7LuZjzapfWm5d40TkPYai4kt5NxN9Kp0i3SgC1FcrBEmKAxGPpD3aul-Hvq1YrN1oGPpsQOfRvpsrw4GVp_QSEoL_rIsLNa9qI1P0cn8O8emd7jV4lmTiZiNVsXLgZ1E/s1600/March+2012+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Lb_W_QA5GKV7LuZjzapfWm5d40TkPYai4kt5NxN9Kp0i3SgC1FcrBEmKAxGPpD3aul-Hvq1YrN1oGPpsQOfRvpsrw4GVp_QSEoL_rIsLNa9qI1P0cn8O8emd7jV4lmTiZiNVsXLgZ1E/s400/March+2012+039.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...Pot of Gold soup, all-green salad, and "blackened" sausage. (Oops.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4egWWE-RVYx6kWh9gRM-qjKMSO24jQpOiCLLFoj3MuOx7jH4CJ-9uMvmdZJFtSgbbyfQUxzLZjbGrqulfVk1I8k3XfxY4dvwN33Cktn2hHo2V-7tyZGPAAVgJipOFMJZrhhZoECQFDY/s1600/March+2012+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4egWWE-RVYx6kWh9gRM-qjKMSO24jQpOiCLLFoj3MuOx7jH4CJ-9uMvmdZJFtSgbbyfQUxzLZjbGrqulfVk1I8k3XfxY4dvwN33Cktn2hHo2V-7tyZGPAAVgJipOFMJZrhhZoECQFDY/s400/March+2012+043.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Oh yeah - check out Joe's forehead. I forgot to mention that that crafty leprechaun painted the kids' heads while they were sleeping!<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iy74lcU98TK9_OJpy27JJGI70yVDrjCeq8cdxG4JRKFCM_jxfTQwosHUVJ8c4tzdkn1P9dc1rh9VaXi1dbgT940NyWfRzc4UQ3XmqwTtX193mZ0ip89aND_NIthaG3BoMQHpeZJN_yY/s1600/March+2012+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iy74lcU98TK9_OJpy27JJGI70yVDrjCeq8cdxG4JRKFCM_jxfTQwosHUVJ8c4tzdkn1P9dc1rh9VaXi1dbgT940NyWfRzc4UQ3XmqwTtX193mZ0ip89aND_NIthaG3BoMQHpeZJN_yY/s400/March+2012+046.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">As a footnote to the St. Patrick's Day mischieviosity, this morning I discovered a new pile of hair in the bathroom. Oh dear. Oh dear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrmLA2jIHWyAmXr3PPJLipWQjsiFzltVCbfgLc1MdW2b-6W4y7GgWiOa14czy0IfGMOLlGOGKHK6FMU4uj-wnrVc1XRhwBytJPXDDGfN8GKWJ7sg-8e1f-Bp12-l6ulthXN8CPMJiNKo/s1600/March+2012+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrmLA2jIHWyAmXr3PPJLipWQjsiFzltVCbfgLc1MdW2b-6W4y7GgWiOa14czy0IfGMOLlGOGKHK6FMU4uj-wnrVc1XRhwBytJPXDDGfN8GKWJ7sg-8e1f-Bp12-l6ulthXN8CPMJiNKo/s400/March+2012+055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Then, this:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSC4gii9JqV7JvdrAq3zHsObK445Zjsx5NYRxPQsMef5IR8pa5Hw-FG1OMBjYu6uNNN26b7EKTi9IiPP7-hgXMkKR3xF4zifxq09bbXelcaiUftvjInqIzBQHNHRhU6Iqzl-T7C4JxR8/s1600/March+2012+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSC4gii9JqV7JvdrAq3zHsObK445Zjsx5NYRxPQsMef5IR8pa5Hw-FG1OMBjYu6uNNN26b7EKTi9IiPP7-hgXMkKR3xF4zifxq09bbXelcaiUftvjInqIzBQHNHRhU6Iqzl-T7C4JxR8/s400/March+2012+067.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">At first I thought Adrian took the clippers to his own head, but upon cross-examination of all children who are of speaking abilities in the household, it appears that Daniel was the perpetrator while Mikea watched. Both are guilty in my book. (But so are the adults for leaving the clippers out - duh!) </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's just hope that's the end of the mischief, at least for today!</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-34358294799651280432012-02-28T15:04:00.000-06:002012-02-28T15:04:20.371-06:00500 Babies Return (to the Rodeo)Hi. (<em>Clearing cobwebs and blowing dust off of blog</em>).<br />
<br />
So........... there are quite a few reasons I haven't blogged in a few months: some complicated and others really quite simple, like a 17-month-old munchkin who has an affinity for shutting down the computer whenever I'm in the middle of working on it. <br />
<br />
However, I think I'm back. I want to be back. I hope I'm back! Yet, I make no promises... <br />
<br />
Anyway, it was four years ago that Billy and I brought the kiddos to the rodeo for the first time. They were 4 months-, 6 months-, and 18 months-old at the time and here's a fun fact for you: it was actually the first time I recall uttering the phrase "500 babies", as in, "We're NEVER going to make it to the rodeo on time because we have 500 babies to get ready." It literally took us HOURS to gather and pack all the gear and get the babies ready. And as I recall once we finally got to the rodeo Mikea had an epic meltdown in the parking lot and Billy and I looked at each other and questioned whether we were just plain foolish for thinking it was possible to take that many babies out somewhere. But after all the time and effort we'd already invested up to that point, we decided to just plow forward and hope for the best. And you know what? I'm glad we did and we haven't looked back since. <br />
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All right, off we go to Rodeo 2012!<br />
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The traditional pre-rodeo group shot: <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUu9OFRA-DDlz81hkWwO6Rh2egOf6Y2MoWm4d-7SpLg0Dr74gg25U7E1CYisKBD0iskolgUtp3T0LVpgdIthTGkIZ7X7caxN3JviU7G6nAVvX9WFBOuqheZoGjRaYfn8JbIsHhpHe3pk/s1600/February+2012+135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUu9OFRA-DDlz81hkWwO6Rh2egOf6Y2MoWm4d-7SpLg0Dr74gg25U7E1CYisKBD0iskolgUtp3T0LVpgdIthTGkIZ7X7caxN3JviU7G6nAVvX9WFBOuqheZoGjRaYfn8JbIsHhpHe3pk/s400/February+2012+135.jpg" width="297" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our trio enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the "radio", according to them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghk5P_5niKXJym8ik2hcHiKyfyKiKMlnwMlwbJam9K0qj4EBDIGhCC-eQy7HS0HHKdYMndwb8nJnOL-gpiFmAwEUyXWZ_rWhk_pZUNYHzZ9A3N-3k8svVbJ5NDLHVWCmrNf5wQMFX1sfw/s1600/February+2012+148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghk5P_5niKXJym8ik2hcHiKyfyKiKMlnwMlwbJam9K0qj4EBDIGhCC-eQy7HS0HHKdYMndwb8nJnOL-gpiFmAwEUyXWZ_rWhk_pZUNYHzZ9A3N-3k8svVbJ5NDLHVWCmrNf5wQMFX1sfw/s400/February+2012+148.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And our little dynamic duo doing the same.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6ikBtc0SCweKgM97QtRnkciN2fr3a_MIjxvncf5TjbA4v9Rpaz6fDeBanWKDNih-Lf_HZXMMH0G2g91em4mxyFfItXKE36lvjjelRTd-PcbXUkWBxljGhclr8jwQCl5gxBy9SlDo9jo/s1600/February+2012+149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6ikBtc0SCweKgM97QtRnkciN2fr3a_MIjxvncf5TjbA4v9Rpaz6fDeBanWKDNih-Lf_HZXMMH0G2g91em4mxyFfItXKE36lvjjelRTd-PcbXUkWBxljGhclr8jwQCl5gxBy9SlDo9jo/s400/February+2012+149.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Posse up!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJeoM52BVaVs0Yyyf7V-L5K8BIm-HHjrp3phOELwrbp9IOaSUnGHK4TOyN8vN3m5nWOmvnfG2L9ZZU1xuqAL-Jeo1N2qxLvSwyhX9j3wbPIgir2zwws7PfwI01qj2ZSJ2Z5xcrOt6J2w/s1600/February+2012+156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJeoM52BVaVs0Yyyf7V-L5K8BIm-HHjrp3phOELwrbp9IOaSUnGHK4TOyN8vN3m5nWOmvnfG2L9ZZU1xuqAL-Jeo1N2qxLvSwyhX9j3wbPIgir2zwws7PfwI01qj2ZSJ2Z5xcrOt6J2w/s400/February+2012+156.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Waiting for a picnic lunch with deep stares...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7iAWho8KgDvFQpjd0-Tbiuao9khNP4JvQoR-APiftjKqclPSECCiStC1q_FxrOtTNYO6HkYyfYk9LXUHAIFkwBVstV5QflKBpFMlv6T_CgJOybnK6pczJnyrzK49Kw9UCzBA6q7niKk/s1600/February+2012+165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7iAWho8KgDvFQpjd0-Tbiuao9khNP4JvQoR-APiftjKqclPSECCiStC1q_FxrOtTNYO6HkYyfYk9LXUHAIFkwBVstV5QflKBpFMlv6T_CgJOybnK6pczJnyrzK49Kw9UCzBA6q7niKk/s400/February+2012+165.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">charming smiles....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pvaD63goVYxGl6nP0OYd4sGCpcEtPoDFsmxdIRbeps6591OgwKlcHec2FXwMRDOEHqRRNuMONq0nZPuWk0Da0QUK4das5zeaUj9VWSjxf-0lF0Mh3nx82lwVnAwDKqyLDRKpNncUIuQ/s1600/February+2012+166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pvaD63goVYxGl6nP0OYd4sGCpcEtPoDFsmxdIRbeps6591OgwKlcHec2FXwMRDOEHqRRNuMONq0nZPuWk0Da0QUK4das5zeaUj9VWSjxf-0lF0Mh3nx82lwVnAwDKqyLDRKpNncUIuQ/s400/February+2012+166.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>and brotherly love.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNCwwG3O8qZUGiDeFSuj58_97uCbzXF2-DuQCR5j8buiaFSQIkN1AmGIkvGRuFDiXr1yH1fJ11H-kxo47eJTC84ImweF_t0MuSADg2m5J2bIeqCaf5H8rxB_76Bthyphenhyphen854MhVytlP7Z2Q/s1600/February+2012+173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNCwwG3O8qZUGiDeFSuj58_97uCbzXF2-DuQCR5j8buiaFSQIkN1AmGIkvGRuFDiXr1yH1fJ11H-kxo47eJTC84ImweF_t0MuSADg2m5J2bIeqCaf5H8rxB_76Bthyphenhyphen854MhVytlP7Z2Q/s400/February+2012+173.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year the kids learned how to get honey off of a bee rack. (I don't remember what it's called, but "bee rack" sounds pretty good to me so I'm going to go with that.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_bBIwUMBXfQbgN_9F2ZIxylYo_ZxCYM3y3mWQASFkEXUnOGvBYkPg1YmcrMEaEbHm8DyweM_zobDFf7zVZQlB8e2T-gaW2Hr8z4Axt8G9Ihgi11cN3MNOZWC8Yajiq0lzP42J5FKxOM/s1600/February+2012+189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_bBIwUMBXfQbgN_9F2ZIxylYo_ZxCYM3y3mWQASFkEXUnOGvBYkPg1YmcrMEaEbHm8DyweM_zobDFf7zVZQlB8e2T-gaW2Hr8z4Axt8G9Ihgi11cN3MNOZWC8Yajiq0lzP42J5FKxOM/s400/February+2012+189.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The highlight of our day at the rodeo was when the kids received scarves (capes to them) and fun blinking lights. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpu-cZeVFbwQZCxHfeRGaURlVDpYMbJT2YlcVMccyyVnLpFJdrDfTHxn7emg8xdh7IAFOI3W_OXorWvwHmicXC-N464dPch2j5yd8oQhQ7RDF9KDkXNNMfFznBZ368MXZ-RLXMvfQd0o/s1600/February+2012+194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpu-cZeVFbwQZCxHfeRGaURlVDpYMbJT2YlcVMccyyVnLpFJdrDfTHxn7emg8xdh7IAFOI3W_OXorWvwHmicXC-N464dPch2j5yd8oQhQ7RDF9KDkXNNMfFznBZ368MXZ-RLXMvfQd0o/s400/February+2012+194.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Suddenly, everyone was in super hero mode. Or was it silly mode??</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEuSreYEi3_OXc3aWIW_Cc1P2hzenlpOUMrsAK9oGSOa0cGTpapJ61AqTLV7yBP2yqe4TPMV0iZLdvANJYHoIHxviwP_e4-cK2wsov2PwBAvX18cVoSzG8qJMVjm0CDy8CcAuFb50o3I/s1600/February+2012+196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEuSreYEi3_OXc3aWIW_Cc1P2hzenlpOUMrsAK9oGSOa0cGTpapJ61AqTLV7yBP2yqe4TPMV0iZLdvANJYHoIHxviwP_e4-cK2wsov2PwBAvX18cVoSzG8qJMVjm0CDy8CcAuFb50o3I/s400/February+2012+196.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let the posing begin!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGrs4-Vjxr_v69Laps6KDDuceRlnkqQNkbUigr6wD_FRo8qwN7Dty4XC9wE7kaZ0aNzwmFwRODpdIjg5fRi4zuLlHE6ixefpR1JLb92_01TZcggwWQ9eOSRBaDPh1FRbzuEw2jo5kpx8/s1600/February+2012+199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGrs4-Vjxr_v69Laps6KDDuceRlnkqQNkbUigr6wD_FRo8qwN7Dty4XC9wE7kaZ0aNzwmFwRODpdIjg5fRi4zuLlHE6ixefpR1JLb92_01TZcggwWQ9eOSRBaDPh1FRbzuEw2jo5kpx8/s400/February+2012+199.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKgBe4w3-ZpV4Hpj06fJ8FpbbhovPiePiIevMiZocXbxYK1-GGoAQq-RItAV6RLpOhyphenhyphenm_Z9yqoIzkeUw4fv9I7lA7o607z_fbIJI_7pjJpiVXKEGGjqQYM3kgcaNUOo7MehL6KCgpulE/s1600/February+2012+202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKgBe4w3-ZpV4Hpj06fJ8FpbbhovPiePiIevMiZocXbxYK1-GGoAQq-RItAV6RLpOhyphenhyphenm_Z9yqoIzkeUw4fv9I7lA7o607z_fbIJI_7pjJpiVXKEGGjqQYM3kgcaNUOo7MehL6KCgpulE/s400/February+2012+202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQxKI1jFjTkHQNdcyYdn9RXFsTcRbge0HjOc7YZYgbkecQK2J9EKB44M3aUNFjWLX8IucEt4zfol22sUy6s8YtjVt520r4V4NLFqD18rETHA4Up-LkmzWR-zjyfOeCsZaNdZAWv4w0to/s1600/February+2012+200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQxKI1jFjTkHQNdcyYdn9RXFsTcRbge0HjOc7YZYgbkecQK2J9EKB44M3aUNFjWLX8IucEt4zfol22sUy6s8YtjVt520r4V4NLFqD18rETHA4Up-LkmzWR-zjyfOeCsZaNdZAWv4w0to/s400/February+2012+200.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And one more for good measure...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPd_aLzUk9P1GxNJuyWNm3WfS5IASzWVS3PHF6znQ2h9w_kLm0JuIMUMhd1pzUYSAR5ttEq2L7B9ZJ4lvdwkVIKu32XcWCGE9Z3aIJQdHYDS0NdZKfYUM8OX_L1eA9uhKNOkAfgeSENOY/s1600/February+2012+209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPd_aLzUk9P1GxNJuyWNm3WfS5IASzWVS3PHF6znQ2h9w_kLm0JuIMUMhd1pzUYSAR5ttEq2L7B9ZJ4lvdwkVIKu32XcWCGE9Z3aIJQdHYDS0NdZKfYUM8OX_L1eA9uhKNOkAfgeSENOY/s400/February+2012+209.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pure awesomeness!<br />
<br />
See you next year! (I mean the rodeo, NOT the blog. I hope.)</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-61641441818781701792011-11-30T07:59:00.000-06:002011-11-30T07:59:23.630-06:00Happy Campers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Earlier this month Billy and the big kids spent a weekend at a Father-Child Retreat hosted by <a href="http://www.lomt.com/">Camp Lone Star</a>. Last year he just took Joe, but this year we decided the Wonder Twins were ready to go as well. (All seven of us actually spent a weekend there this summer for Family Camp - quite an adventure, let me tell you and one I really should share sometime!)<br />
<br />
Anyway, the weekend was all about dads and kids spending time together enjoying God's creation and learning how God is "Mighty to Save".<br />
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After a two-hour drive, the happy campers were ready to stretch their legs and seek out their lodgings.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqVkt2lRXuMOPZ1ZBLAfs6KDwzhk2NZgFwnwh03oRqn-oh5y___0I94PpRXvo-dQaB0ayInyUo_tSZfYVCUNVcbV0xC2EsD6WsYN8N0WQs37yc9yazlqFDPWxLBuMpCLfTbNuduxcfbQ/s1600/November+2011+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqVkt2lRXuMOPZ1ZBLAfs6KDwzhk2NZgFwnwh03oRqn-oh5y___0I94PpRXvo-dQaB0ayInyUo_tSZfYVCUNVcbV0xC2EsD6WsYN8N0WQs37yc9yazlqFDPWxLBuMpCLfTbNuduxcfbQ/s400/November+2011+008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Once everyone was settled in, it was time for games and snacks with the other dads and kids.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukH5h8hmyRddzuhYkENY4vtzCmX0DTZOsSYVFYc7hzK4FAa5QRMq7TaoS3bCeWUwpNO417hRzZT2Ey6DMJ320xA-uscYQzu-EtB1fkDeuhRO38HVWzVH9jKDwyEDIrgAZAEhpclKZNeY/s1600/November+2011+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukH5h8hmyRddzuhYkENY4vtzCmX0DTZOsSYVFYc7hzK4FAa5QRMq7TaoS3bCeWUwpNO417hRzZT2Ey6DMJ320xA-uscYQzu-EtB1fkDeuhRO38HVWzVH9jKDwyEDIrgAZAEhpclKZNeY/s400/November+2011+018.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The next day was filled with tons of activities, including the one you see below. But I don't know what it is because I wasn't there. Ok, so I just asked Daniel and Mikea what it was and they told me they were catching people in the net. Hmmm....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXhYOYHhj73c3YH5B_sHzKszLzvfDWF8c5xBNzoavf72ownkMY5Thm-MU6-4EBRB14_Nv4LUcsln7ry2YOOatvzqWKSSur48DaJWS8Kzw8bDjJtXkrjfMJrMyAde02qd59KMkYeIbg3o/s1600/November+2011+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXhYOYHhj73c3YH5B_sHzKszLzvfDWF8c5xBNzoavf72ownkMY5Thm-MU6-4EBRB14_Nv4LUcsln7ry2YOOatvzqWKSSur48DaJWS8Kzw8bDjJtXkrjfMJrMyAde02qd59KMkYeIbg3o/s400/November+2011+022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>During one of the Bible study sessions, the kids acted out the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors. Who better to play Joseph than Joseph, complete with a coat that is about as non-multi-colored as you can get! Oh well, we get the point.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX252rdfkkI6tMdI9ESYSaljQmoeTtw93af5QzGDh9Xi5KzHf0qzCrN53v91PyIf47n3q70OtCiGiiLIp0-mPP0adyCTFVCsIh3D8mU5rY1fSdKKV6eV8J2-B84IBT74G_xt1Jkqw4hWY/s1600/November+2011+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX252rdfkkI6tMdI9ESYSaljQmoeTtw93af5QzGDh9Xi5KzHf0qzCrN53v91PyIf47n3q70OtCiGiiLIp0-mPP0adyCTFVCsIh3D8mU5rY1fSdKKV6eV8J2-B84IBT74G_xt1Jkqw4hWY/s400/November+2011+025.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>Time to color!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEfk7MqGi5EbI99w3YBQcbmlp9vsC1HW_3v56CZfP43u_CsjUNsxoCcgyG_Eo9PJR0ZunSisxdmChsXov7rDEtUhEib8cU9pJIwdEBoFcwEpVU6gh09jwPwWyMKljwN-Xui5bDuTsJbk/s1600/November+2011+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEfk7MqGi5EbI99w3YBQcbmlp9vsC1HW_3v56CZfP43u_CsjUNsxoCcgyG_Eo9PJR0ZunSisxdmChsXov7rDEtUhEib8cU9pJIwdEBoFcwEpVU6gh09jwPwWyMKljwN-Xui5bDuTsJbk/s400/November+2011+029.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I don't know what frightens me more: the fact that my daughter is wielding a hatchet or the expression on her face!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sb74YAnDLHtDebhAgEvradCCLAIsSche_7y9QcuVmzM07B_3NQ6we4yYK7Ne0Pak4f4ZqTS425FqtCElFoHy6SoBlexzuShxYx7-DpAWPa7VmG_hSXW2-vvm1jKa7HD1lCYY9zMB9xQ/s1600/November+2011+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sb74YAnDLHtDebhAgEvradCCLAIsSche_7y9QcuVmzM07B_3NQ6we4yYK7Ne0Pak4f4ZqTS425FqtCElFoHy6SoBlexzuShxYx7-DpAWPa7VmG_hSXW2-vvm1jKa7HD1lCYY9zMB9xQ/s400/November+2011+037.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>Whew, that's better. I much prefer a ping-pong paddle in her hands and a smile on her face!<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGDG0TYNr5KUozVJ630fuaQ9kZwv9L5LJIA7EUhcHes7ZiPMiun0A2krza8H-AMvAK92F5Y0Y4NYFDN3_CeSPAmyOJtEdnsp9VtWcQ6jZ_KWv47ohXnQXJJM2nrhVV1YaPSF5oFclRsk/s1600/November+2011+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGDG0TYNr5KUozVJ630fuaQ9kZwv9L5LJIA7EUhcHes7ZiPMiun0A2krza8H-AMvAK92F5Y0Y4NYFDN3_CeSPAmyOJtEdnsp9VtWcQ6jZ_KWv47ohXnQXJJM2nrhVV1YaPSF5oFclRsk/s400/November+2011+050.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of smiles...here is Dan the Man reveling in apple cobbler and ice cream bliss. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdb3hEdeUmOY8Ec4LKlhdn-7e9Z_7Vm3LEo-9I8rPwINsNTrzxnz61jDU4hyphenhyphensR1sH6oyWz4bBhMkbf8OPdZL9UigqsbhjYYaBbLA_SfdlqjxKgvPgIvowDF9qxR9_dnCunk3hLEwtoJo/s1600/November+2011+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdb3hEdeUmOY8Ec4LKlhdn-7e9Z_7Vm3LEo-9I8rPwINsNTrzxnz61jDU4hyphenhyphensR1sH6oyWz4bBhMkbf8OPdZL9UigqsbhjYYaBbLA_SfdlqjxKgvPgIvowDF9qxR9_dnCunk3hLEwtoJo/s400/November+2011+045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">A highlight for Joe was posing with the camp's fire truck. It was purchased due to this year's wildfire danger. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27ZnUYa3o8EiH7zoxGiTLOEwygdCRfluaKLh-zAE3wdP3pbgCcKGAmftrlX3APLJhhv6B-W4q9vCv747ehuR0Bgp1tlRphJjNO7Oka-cZJviHdF3cd0y1O0baOOduOKanw9ea9Am2GcU/s1600/November+2011+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27ZnUYa3o8EiH7zoxGiTLOEwygdCRfluaKLh-zAE3wdP3pbgCcKGAmftrlX3APLJhhv6B-W4q9vCv747ehuR0Bgp1tlRphJjNO7Oka-cZJviHdF3cd0y1O0baOOduOKanw9ea9Am2GcU/s400/November+2011+060.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weekend also included hiking, S'mores, and a worship service on Sunday morning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJO68BQepisDqQw-GRvs90hg4EUdrkNQpKyaMkEDcEewor7xFeXB0DHMtprc89HHhFesfEkQgTp7HA90zI4PhzuxvlZzYDtUxgfn3An62A5nxxLYAMilzQdvwOCzPqto8YTMCHIDOLP34/s1600/November+2011+058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJO68BQepisDqQw-GRvs90hg4EUdrkNQpKyaMkEDcEewor7xFeXB0DHMtprc89HHhFesfEkQgTp7HA90zI4PhzuxvlZzYDtUxgfn3An62A5nxxLYAMilzQdvwOCzPqto8YTMCHIDOLP34/s400/November+2011+058.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And this is what the weekend was all about: quality time with Dad! (And a break for Mom, too!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-8544979470600043872011-10-31T08:34:00.000-06:002011-10-31T08:34:27.867-06:00500 Babies Go To The Pumpkin Patch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdppfRTzph8xIIkZ2I8YYkMOMzlHF4taSza8Fmj6hChS3TgOcCgzmS7O2ypX7LSlYmz-qJ-Kdwq3eteoqWHg0NzjCeyyyJ0bgUvb4S3m9gk9gmi7hpbRwj_qpbu4hcDEY7deCJgZ3PYE/s1600/October+2011+280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdppfRTzph8xIIkZ2I8YYkMOMzlHF4taSza8Fmj6hChS3TgOcCgzmS7O2ypX7LSlYmz-qJ-Kdwq3eteoqWHg0NzjCeyyyJ0bgUvb4S3m9gk9gmi7hpbRwj_qpbu4hcDEY7deCJgZ3PYE/s640/October+2011+280.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLjeT_vHT8F5nemFblCkt6xHWrPbi685RV6MR3zwPtZ00WkdOhwdowCooLXKJDFo6gnDAfz7mgXzErNEDT8i40IBbhcK1xHROhBcrpxrfYm2KML0vvjy6cWYdv_92Z6XP-EXe3wvhL1Y/s1600/October+2011+293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLjeT_vHT8F5nemFblCkt6xHWrPbi685RV6MR3zwPtZ00WkdOhwdowCooLXKJDFo6gnDAfz7mgXzErNEDT8i40IBbhcK1xHROhBcrpxrfYm2KML0vvjy6cWYdv_92Z6XP-EXe3wvhL1Y/s640/October+2011+293.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHrHDMXtFbmaNLdGqrJ3qptu7tP4c047_f2JNsm1F2_h1Jd-nIJwG_FTL5TixMxhBMVyuuhKOHNMQh-lebn2jjavULkmk3tGisMVQ65jfjMv5tDIBuBwmg9snOFZG-rag29umQIGhHd8/s1600/October+2011+303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHrHDMXtFbmaNLdGqrJ3qptu7tP4c047_f2JNsm1F2_h1Jd-nIJwG_FTL5TixMxhBMVyuuhKOHNMQh-lebn2jjavULkmk3tGisMVQ65jfjMv5tDIBuBwmg9snOFZG-rag29umQIGhHd8/s640/October+2011+303.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMAZLQDeuO6ytoK0dgYIJJxg0e6K_GFLcE2L5jqAsns_8acs6I8i-0H8QyOyn_-I-0s5sXqkVXtnfdedxq9pbp3fK1qD9onW_JWWxeXQEZG3o6arGZgWO6aldhRILinttVk6vEKC2l0o/s640/October+2011+304.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyqgbOE0Wy8T1xva1Ec4ArzNFQi4BGf6_265x_IEoGlAmD75JHjJkre-N8adVr1yAouFldFvOayQxmhOIgQoeIIWgzzATJkJxkyMPtyvnbzojrNq1h9dEDr5BkUEnaLvM25x-fQx88FM/s1600/October+2011+316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyqgbOE0Wy8T1xva1Ec4ArzNFQi4BGf6_265x_IEoGlAmD75JHjJkre-N8adVr1yAouFldFvOayQxmhOIgQoeIIWgzzATJkJxkyMPtyvnbzojrNq1h9dEDr5BkUEnaLvM25x-fQx88FM/s640/October+2011+316.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6hsBpDwIjADz-HJ1TMMenJJ1u4TfwizQDMaLgWwyh90oLv5dEJP8p9ddTk8gaTlJ5-296qVCZwnajvhTx7rey4JhibhWywxHKk5tS-p1G-sF49lthaDKeNUwuTGbJffaW4wp47D9Bo/s1600/October+2011+328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6hsBpDwIjADz-HJ1TMMenJJ1u4TfwizQDMaLgWwyh90oLv5dEJP8p9ddTk8gaTlJ5-296qVCZwnajvhTx7rey4JhibhWywxHKk5tS-p1G-sF49lthaDKeNUwuTGbJffaW4wp47D9Bo/s640/October+2011+328.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLn06TO8X1TWagDqhot-V32uq7_VSMarl5AaudR8SBY2J5-dTyPxHD5I6xqXpu1n90ijS3X8JGcdXpabqJSr-oOl0-ynL-9RoBpnzUhbKiPMpFdhWSQK62gbovjVtG7WnyG2KJo4srXY/s1600/October+2011+338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLn06TO8X1TWagDqhot-V32uq7_VSMarl5AaudR8SBY2J5-dTyPxHD5I6xqXpu1n90ijS3X8JGcdXpabqJSr-oOl0-ynL-9RoBpnzUhbKiPMpFdhWSQK62gbovjVtG7WnyG2KJo4srXY/s640/October+2011+338.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQGj-tx9Koj7TuIVap49H5gQ7_HCd9yMwxoU_cf7RIQgmezgOmfFbZuvf-8rafe7X_Ag2i8iOzLO5a-21na1HgdhXz2yZBgT8ilcU9HT50uiAYJVQE8kQ3KkyGLLuvqzbSZd59ydcgHU/s1600/October+2011+346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQGj-tx9Koj7TuIVap49H5gQ7_HCd9yMwxoU_cf7RIQgmezgOmfFbZuvf-8rafe7X_Ag2i8iOzLO5a-21na1HgdhXz2yZBgT8ilcU9HT50uiAYJVQE8kQ3KkyGLLuvqzbSZd59ydcgHU/s640/October+2011+346.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwbmgphubI89vOVpSb555Cf3ipP2sjsKwZdTdRY8xz0ztYZg20iebfUM4j9G20pFUqdCdz1X4H39YVS29-YcgCJr7fug3SiyI17Qw8yBlYDcknF2HBDNfhxxJr2m88UxCJNieH6bCjwc/s1600/October+2011+345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwbmgphubI89vOVpSb555Cf3ipP2sjsKwZdTdRY8xz0ztYZg20iebfUM4j9G20pFUqdCdz1X4H39YVS29-YcgCJr7fug3SiyI17Qw8yBlYDcknF2HBDNfhxxJr2m88UxCJNieH6bCjwc/s640/October+2011+345.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdIsjzdBfB-kmEJbdQrP9DrURCzJ9fjTqPquWTlmRv4KJ5ncsw99pMjeQjouOXpnhfPTJ5jkfgp-0OPdyX0XuQs2SO9jzw7EuD0STP9iQk-SCYO11-mR-jIa_M3xr5wSsihfE63Zi_gY/s1600/October+2011+351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdIsjzdBfB-kmEJbdQrP9DrURCzJ9fjTqPquWTlmRv4KJ5ncsw99pMjeQjouOXpnhfPTJ5jkfgp-0OPdyX0XuQs2SO9jzw7EuD0STP9iQk-SCYO11-mR-jIa_M3xr5wSsihfE63Zi_gY/s640/October+2011+351.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m-Zu6ei4ZzbvjbatThkTNrvX9__HnXAuwb-CR77yowqmVINpae6Tos9WRAeB6hGpPJ4XBj3n0RJXHTyM3moC8ANuwh_Ptoyx7GGeslrP7JDuWpaO8Fn2ID1D5B2sFqLC518CMS_kaog/s1600/October+2011+353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m-Zu6ei4ZzbvjbatThkTNrvX9__HnXAuwb-CR77yowqmVINpae6Tos9WRAeB6hGpPJ4XBj3n0RJXHTyM3moC8ANuwh_Ptoyx7GGeslrP7JDuWpaO8Fn2ID1D5B2sFqLC518CMS_kaog/s640/October+2011+353.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG45F9g5foH0fg7_GZzzVAGC_pPYR9_Ov6JficuYt9rJ8ZtdSF3uCIlNrkpV_m7NqXQoPLIvMrGbAqeOMS1V4vuHHkdLnmUrDdm3shwbk7xyH10O1icaJoQzMv9hnO59WyvYDnRT4puA/s1600/October+2011+356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG45F9g5foH0fg7_GZzzVAGC_pPYR9_Ov6JficuYt9rJ8ZtdSF3uCIlNrkpV_m7NqXQoPLIvMrGbAqeOMS1V4vuHHkdLnmUrDdm3shwbk7xyH10O1icaJoQzMv9hnO59WyvYDnRT4puA/s640/October+2011+356.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjIoCU9QkWw2SzxLYCH2OBfYLlIdaPuZRwscnPOn38F3A6MTEIUOcxocM_ikfWP6OjmXJyCEOXt2K1Qy6v6G7mXdoM11bq_zX5gtD_fFOSxTcTYCqX4og3BkcOdfhy3d2fR8FKu4ZsoM/s1600/October+2011+357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjIoCU9QkWw2SzxLYCH2OBfYLlIdaPuZRwscnPOn38F3A6MTEIUOcxocM_ikfWP6OjmXJyCEOXt2K1Qy6v6G7mXdoM11bq_zX5gtD_fFOSxTcTYCqX4og3BkcOdfhy3d2fR8FKu4ZsoM/s640/October+2011+357.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-41419434884878872382011-09-20T06:00:00.001-05:002011-09-20T06:00:03.129-05:00365 Days<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>9/20/2010</strong></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">~Approximately 1-pound premature baby girl presents to EMS in towel with gasping respirations. Fire crew suctioned, dried, and cut the cord. Patient is cyanotic and limp, without palpable pulse. Patient transferred immediately to unit and ventilated. Chest compressions also started. Patient began grunting during ventilation and color improved from cyanotic to red. Upon arrival at ER patient has weak cry, is opening eyes, and moves all extremities.</span></em><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>9/20/2011</em></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHea8WW89L2gEYdKtawJFHIUOoEEj0yiMzcElOugSlM-bXrvOhrYsi1kOVIxF67lXrpjEse_ZXE7Jq7rkvrSlH7HHqj52DSVJ-S2Kp4xyFvawWZFw-lwDMOoPChD5ZUzJHZK4K5A3qaBk/s1600/September+2011+210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHea8WW89L2gEYdKtawJFHIUOoEEj0yiMzcElOugSlM-bXrvOhrYsi1kOVIxF67lXrpjEse_ZXE7Jq7rkvrSlH7HHqj52DSVJ-S2Kp4xyFvawWZFw-lwDMOoPChD5ZUzJHZK4K5A3qaBk/s640/September+2011+210.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>Happy 1st birthday sweet, precious Rebekah! You are living proof of God's amazing power, protection, and love!Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-21328666440983327462011-09-18T20:24:00.000-05:002011-09-18T20:24:36.549-05:00Let's Go On A Bug Hunt!There isn't much incentive to go outside when it's miserably hot and dry, but we thought yesterday's rain(hooray!) might entice a few bugs to venture out, making the perfect opportunity to try out our brand-new bug-huts.<br />
<br />
First, assemble your bug-hunting team. (Coordinating outfits optional.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsNx-_hsnxxNACO8FwyOkm-rUbtTEZ3-Xs1bCJwCmTjWCYWX9l_Ak8eQmnUG2cZyFCbSzcllUL-__Uza9R5ECckm50T1OR3Px7ToH7Xsq1wCrKVtiL9rdfEq1UOI0gGjA__Xj5LtXaHk/s1600/September+2011+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsNx-_hsnxxNACO8FwyOkm-rUbtTEZ3-Xs1bCJwCmTjWCYWX9l_Ak8eQmnUG2cZyFCbSzcllUL-__Uza9R5ECckm50T1OR3Px7ToH7Xsq1wCrKVtiL9rdfEq1UOI0gGjA__Xj5LtXaHk/s400/September+2011+111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Next, go over the rules: No ants or spiders. Avoid all poisonous insects. The kids made a few rules of their own, such as "No stinkbugs" (Joe) and "No eating grass or ants. And don't touch dog poop" (Mikea). Awesome! Let the hunting commence...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nfVV69Wqg7VPPi4oAw3wCXQQCjZ3z5ZG6kU_tJysQacNVzZUaehPVtc956y8Egxl5-LaDCZsqy2H_mJojOX924uBLjQmRlr7FsvFHYfjxCfRUNjNA-o0Q-v8kA717VhJcPkRHdLPA34/s1600/September+2011+120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nfVV69Wqg7VPPi4oAw3wCXQQCjZ3z5ZG6kU_tJysQacNVzZUaehPVtc956y8Egxl5-LaDCZsqy2H_mJojOX924uBLjQmRlr7FsvFHYfjxCfRUNjNA-o0Q-v8kA717VhJcPkRHdLPA34/s400/September+2011+120.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6apQXmKGnuAl5A0_YBeutXEaDB4Wir4c-wrO2KQNWr8NHOnCnw_KAqCkYD0XHONSmhZBw512Q_4cuaLq-yRWQgmJNJS8hcND8TU2AkSkypa6Tks4ccmVSaJp0YwFwifuB6DGq_0j_64Q/s1600/September+2011+131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6apQXmKGnuAl5A0_YBeutXEaDB4Wir4c-wrO2KQNWr8NHOnCnw_KAqCkYD0XHONSmhZBw512Q_4cuaLq-yRWQgmJNJS8hcND8TU2AkSkypa6Tks4ccmVSaJp0YwFwifuB6DGq_0j_64Q/s400/September+2011+131.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Well, the hunters quickly found out that the only insects to be found were ants, ants, and more ants. Disappointment hung thickly in the hot, sticky air.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6J1wvxaTqDex-rO_czXNS8ta257vO77U0pdvybJhzgGkp8YdOf-w1vizZGojnYUbhUZYqzA1zD6sFuIoz4I8LKktdKSJzVFFl5mCCwAKRTV21SzT5TC6-01NLqxcEhOXz_t5w2QE8TT0/s1600/September+2011+132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6J1wvxaTqDex-rO_czXNS8ta257vO77U0pdvybJhzgGkp8YdOf-w1vizZGojnYUbhUZYqzA1zD6sFuIoz4I8LKktdKSJzVFFl5mCCwAKRTV21SzT5TC6-01NLqxcEhOXz_t5w2QE8TT0/s400/September+2011+132.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Daniel took it the hardest.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVoQaojMasLfBCkCcqULYXKnK9JGEsGQ5c9a6p5SFUVgItVESAv86Sbz3BYtZKwBhKY0t4xuzHNKfibTk-Ve9qwGS4f_0QouK4bIhyzDNI5MuP1ku-GZDA5cR96UD4BpH0jY6lmTB6UA/s1600/September+2011+117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVoQaojMasLfBCkCcqULYXKnK9JGEsGQ5c9a6p5SFUVgItVESAv86Sbz3BYtZKwBhKY0t4xuzHNKfibTk-Ve9qwGS4f_0QouK4bIhyzDNI5MuP1ku-GZDA5cR96UD4BpH0jY6lmTB6UA/s400/September+2011+117.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">But the children persisted and soon discovered a purple of couple tiny moths. Oops, I mean a couple of tiny purple mouths. Um, moths. </div><br />
I handed out the nets and after a few failed attempts, Mikea caught a moth!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtYgxueH9PT-kiat8qZDyXwihU084sLupSH1Y6gB44LBfNvcZZ5CF5yJdKTnqEjEnoOCYoDnsD39SpsaRcAGE4x2-93Fd1TXv7roLOZpm0vlKa_MXGCDmYd8CFTDahytLCybn6ByKF1o/s1600/September+2011+123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtYgxueH9PT-kiat8qZDyXwihU084sLupSH1Y6gB44LBfNvcZZ5CF5yJdKTnqEjEnoOCYoDnsD39SpsaRcAGE4x2-93Fd1TXv7roLOZpm0vlKa_MXGCDmYd8CFTDahytLCybn6ByKF1o/s400/September+2011+123.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After a couple of minutes and under Daniel's watchful eye, Mikea decided to release her captive. Good girl! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWalmqDPkn4W-SrF8cbbI8rXK0I8o5Van91Sp92z9rwc8ANIxGnV_cc60aN9CxJ2ErWu5Jpm4A0_czC5tatEspy9sBSJJccmssmmtHG8OnJpo7330U2ybUzz79DyvnEXkIjPR4Uno9is/s1600/September+2011+125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWalmqDPkn4W-SrF8cbbI8rXK0I8o5Van91Sp92z9rwc8ANIxGnV_cc60aN9CxJ2ErWu5Jpm4A0_czC5tatEspy9sBSJJccmssmmtHG8OnJpo7330U2ybUzz79DyvnEXkIjPR4Uno9is/s400/September+2011+125.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Adrian was perfectly happy just finding rocks. Oh, to be 2 again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeW4pgtxGmpZZ_jJWAzYL8TXr_ejN9alG9vGmUCUh_epHUKvzR4tTvqq_84RUZMOT6oR46QdO19J-oG486XmZHZwPMYxuVeyu39dqzLzPdaAbMD1TuLr0muFNkCFbvLEI6-zyoNsmyzY/s1600/September+2011+126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeW4pgtxGmpZZ_jJWAzYL8TXr_ejN9alG9vGmUCUh_epHUKvzR4tTvqq_84RUZMOT6oR46QdO19J-oG486XmZHZwPMYxuVeyu39dqzLzPdaAbMD1TuLr0muFNkCFbvLEI6-zyoNsmyzY/s400/September+2011+126.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Overall, the bug hunt was kind of a failure, but it can only get better the next time we try, right?Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-80414935085050476462011-08-23T07:54:00.000-05:002011-08-23T07:54:39.127-05:00Kindergarten, Here We Come!Great googly-moogly, where did the summer go? It flew by in a flash of fun for sure, and it makes me realize that's how quickly my kids are growing up. Yesterday Joe started Kindergarten and I'm having anxiety that the school years are now just going to zip by and tomorrow my babies will be moving out of the nest. Not that I won't be a bit relieved to go back to doing laundry for 2 instead of 7 (it's a killer, I tell you), but man, I love these children and can't imagine my house not being filled to overflowing with them. <br />
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So how did our guy do on his first day? Great, of course. Joe has a huge advantage in that he went to Pre-K at the same school last year, so he's already familiar with the school, teachers, and "school culture" which is basically what a lot of these first days of Kindergarten are about. One funny thing that happened was in the morning after Billy dropped Joe off in the cafeteria with his class, Joe apparently opened up his lunch box and started eating his lunch! I'm sure he saw other kids eating breakfast and figured since he was in the cafeteria that's what he was supposed to do.<br />
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Here's Joe and Billy before heading off to school together. Billy began his 10th year of teaching yesterday, by the way, and this will be his second year teaching 3rd grade.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoBFV5CSPTXE1jOkGXVhxfNF73_GkjGO4ms7gW3ouSscOoMtQt7dd_-i_EOJze-58U_ZnD3f2PyEgh1waTH80BeeakKS7et1W84yroTDY4hIgJHCOsQcqkVdVJNTKCxjucsv83EfSRdM/s1600/August+2011+358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoBFV5CSPTXE1jOkGXVhxfNF73_GkjGO4ms7gW3ouSscOoMtQt7dd_-i_EOJze-58U_ZnD3f2PyEgh1waTH80BeeakKS7et1W84yroTDY4hIgJHCOsQcqkVdVJNTKCxjucsv83EfSRdM/s400/August+2011+358.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> Here's Joe and his new teacher. She's wonderful and I can already tell Joe's going to thrive in her class!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0le7dQz-oS4R2FbbwseSw4ZhhqMeoFwtpQpeTnLqQwDl8wGUaNoI4s9TbrzAGm-PNzcz7ct8ImLbtnjPaQc8n8kXZw71mi_Hb-lsdYv_sV64Zv0-Zk58egusJJxsSK2xmAoGmF0G1Bc/s1600/August+2011+360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0le7dQz-oS4R2FbbwseSw4ZhhqMeoFwtpQpeTnLqQwDl8wGUaNoI4s9TbrzAGm-PNzcz7ct8ImLbtnjPaQc8n8kXZw71mi_Hb-lsdYv_sV64Zv0-Zk58egusJJxsSK2xmAoGmF0G1Bc/s400/August+2011+360.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In the afternoon I pretended to be June Cleaver and baked fresh chocolate chip cookies for Joe. Aw, how special. Hee hee. (I can tell you it's been a long while since homemade cookies were made in this house.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkAJ1mlyglduXxY0eMTT7h-t5QxmB_X3KTlnzjG6xRXyXmNOKWGFFvHX30yNpy5RbBPCeDzLda38uWgFmiYzRcPaIvetPg-K_uN_RfSnqSpFbq4626lL2_d0BqxqxAqe-Ttc80XUlwRY/s1600/August+2011+362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkAJ1mlyglduXxY0eMTT7h-t5QxmB_X3KTlnzjG6xRXyXmNOKWGFFvHX30yNpy5RbBPCeDzLda38uWgFmiYzRcPaIvetPg-K_uN_RfSnqSpFbq4626lL2_d0BqxqxAqe-Ttc80XUlwRY/s400/August+2011+362.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>So there you have it. Joe's first day of Kindergarten. It left me a little sad, a little happy, and a lot proud!Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-6167192485919379162011-07-09T17:55:00.001-05:002011-07-09T18:07:41.106-05:00500 CalvesWhat has 7 heads, 7 tails, 14 ears, and 64 spots? Anyone? <br />
The Moo-rrison Family Herd, that's what.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkUTRoCTn_H1ykUnDwbFBSBP5PaG8GgcqcMc2rEbcU-BANFSJ_iQikv9UscEng8emZWy0bTmM5yBBBjFiYTlgozu9-lJxbGxoCC-wsLZrB3ut5PDYcX3WE8RRm_ZZD540P-o6yL-loB4/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="373" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkUTRoCTn_H1ykUnDwbFBSBP5PaG8GgcqcMc2rEbcU-BANFSJ_iQikv9UscEng8emZWy0bTmM5yBBBjFiYTlgozu9-lJxbGxoCC-wsLZrB3ut5PDYcX3WE8RRm_ZZD540P-o6yL-loB4/s400/Cow+Day+2011+057.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>That's right. We all dressed up like cows yesterday to get free meals at Chik-Fil-A. It took a day and a half to make the costumes, but I'm telling you it was worth every minute! Especially to see this little cutie all dressed up:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil16pKU06J1l1PIDe32kxC8kzn3YFYZeRgL98TMAtttESXJnuddSZBifsvqY3_xmlBE4EWtkPv_-kphaqbXPQxIM0i-wWrdf4f1blpFKb4Ko7WKhSB8PW1siU7eMWDYmw1cwJx9F-j3EQ/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil16pKU06J1l1PIDe32kxC8kzn3YFYZeRgL98TMAtttESXJnuddSZBifsvqY3_xmlBE4EWtkPv_-kphaqbXPQxIM0i-wWrdf4f1blpFKb4Ko7WKhSB8PW1siU7eMWDYmw1cwJx9F-j3EQ/s400/Cow+Day+2011+001.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Here's Daddy Cow and the Calves:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzqhPdp6VZbViX64pzNgJpj-qctZXvGtmfVlbyOilu1qZ12ZRiHCEyNbNqpkoC4t-wCfTuSM30goqIyLTG2focQNlNKw8yKdUhOZdGLt45mkGt9B2PL_EySW0j7L5xWXajc4eT-pxbm4/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzqhPdp6VZbViX64pzNgJpj-qctZXvGtmfVlbyOilu1qZ12ZRiHCEyNbNqpkoC4t-wCfTuSM30goqIyLTG2focQNlNKw8yKdUhOZdGLt45mkGt9B2PL_EySW0j7L5xWXajc4eT-pxbm4/s400/Cow+Day+2011+029.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And Mama Cow and the Calves:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjtWd9tDD1IE7segJwpNmt4WuiVzgTHMofYVi1PhB68tGdeNToWOImofUYGCLLt6tszNAHajK5WJCtV1KIXNUlijFmfX7FmAJr3iPLYJYs8pC3CzdVj74FIP-iVyLi9OwuR5x1JWGUUU/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjtWd9tDD1IE7segJwpNmt4WuiVzgTHMofYVi1PhB68tGdeNToWOImofUYGCLLt6tszNAHajK5WJCtV1KIXNUlijFmfX7FmAJr3iPLYJYs8pC3CzdVj74FIP-iVyLi9OwuR5x1JWGUUU/s400/Cow+Day+2011+031.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before we left, the older cows decided to do a little grazing outside:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1DrNifM_25Frh2Valr6O6zSz7ex4jTUZBzREIlX3llO7VExL6yJ_V_TmVa5ACmv8BhkyL1y4Yv7_aq0l0a8Cp_Epcg7rO2r2TVDCIoR851IBXLgwY209fYcPQ-2JEMZbrJ-LQMBY3Js/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1DrNifM_25Frh2Valr6O6zSz7ex4jTUZBzREIlX3llO7VExL6yJ_V_TmVa5ACmv8BhkyL1y4Yv7_aq0l0a8Cp_Epcg7rO2r2TVDCIoR851IBXLgwY209fYcPQ-2JEMZbrJ-LQMBY3Js/s400/Cow+Day+2011+010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLJILhzh28wzmDOnhq-Cx8cYq7N0mtJXo_sCsEpwdx9tyMbz6DX-y2THFxJJmG5H48Pjnk4CZChwEYVRPapx7RcBZ-omLIcfRg40RManBS_sEWcnZj0BdSgvJ13t_qmbqhwT5Y9X1eUM/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLJILhzh28wzmDOnhq-Cx8cYq7N0mtJXo_sCsEpwdx9tyMbz6DX-y2THFxJJmG5H48Pjnk4CZChwEYVRPapx7RcBZ-omLIcfRg40RManBS_sEWcnZj0BdSgvJ13t_qmbqhwT5Y9X1eUM/s400/Cow+Day+2011+021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then they said, "Mooooooooo!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPpM3Ph4JeWJwS6xj4IW35I9SracKQYfyWADpSgsZVahDLS6fLGujAVRGhEZMN_zMYMSCsG12Sf1_tW0ezXP2h5lg7y1MAWZuIMyDVsZLh3B-pVGwToH_aBqbngBd79xwOj7s1sMb9C8/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPpM3Ph4JeWJwS6xj4IW35I9SracKQYfyWADpSgsZVahDLS6fLGujAVRGhEZMN_zMYMSCsG12Sf1_tW0ezXP2h5lg7y1MAWZuIMyDVsZLh3B-pVGwToH_aBqbngBd79xwOj7s1sMb9C8/s400/Cow+Day+2011+025.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHT1t2oUReUhXc2UJsrlbDwamfDcwBlkJnOh41uKYBs1hHr065Oidc5Mvbwx6eN5FgAkExd3eznK6mL3dDv3oALEaDpBL-C54FRg4Uj5O_Bmlq20VogpzgMB7qXDrqqmZPShbvovZgPw/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHT1t2oUReUhXc2UJsrlbDwamfDcwBlkJnOh41uKYBs1hHr065Oidc5Mvbwx6eN5FgAkExd3eznK6mL3dDv3oALEaDpBL-C54FRg4Uj5O_Bmlq20VogpzgMB7qXDrqqmZPShbvovZgPw/s400/Cow+Day+2011+034.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now as cute as sweet Rebekah is from this view, wait until you see....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4Jlka5jILe32h30FNP119gJGG5siGjn8bUR2qvPfBtpHhcr_qsa2RiMTLZaqwZZ0TwV_XdbW8MQr-O2-Ot7Gu9b0pp8gOMSEnvO0GpwJPd110DUrYOVkkP6YMq80MQq46XoNsoR7Bpo/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4Jlka5jILe32h30FNP119gJGG5siGjn8bUR2qvPfBtpHhcr_qsa2RiMTLZaqwZZ0TwV_XdbW8MQr-O2-Ot7Gu9b0pp8gOMSEnvO0GpwJPd110DUrYOVkkP6YMq80MQq46XoNsoR7Bpo/s400/Cow+Day+2011+053.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">her little tail!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlocRtoZT4WziPZez-9-zyphbG5JWLLvL6aaPeNO6MRmbTMDkk4FTD3sxnORB-lW_JXVt25Y2MzSw9fFI9QTPpjeYVLH0CpuWm8Pyf-rS9fPSxNW1__XUbBUpm7PksVOH6C8psA67JmD8/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlocRtoZT4WziPZez-9-zyphbG5JWLLvL6aaPeNO6MRmbTMDkk4FTD3sxnORB-lW_JXVt25Y2MzSw9fFI9QTPpjeYVLH0CpuWm8Pyf-rS9fPSxNW1__XUbBUpm7PksVOH6C8psA67JmD8/s400/Cow+Day+2011+056.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the meal the calves romped around in the play area for a bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkRc-nS2rUjOiDcA5sLyhspWc00dKMdvxoAJ6wFLCkXXzMG-oP8JuU8d9zhPMdPQiZiJwPnQQWUZoEVJnuwr9A_N514R88Mn1KP7oF3mumI8XLg-ojvAxnXjHoz4wYzgHv9w3mJBg5Po/s1600/Cow+Day+2011+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkRc-nS2rUjOiDcA5sLyhspWc00dKMdvxoAJ6wFLCkXXzMG-oP8JuU8d9zhPMdPQiZiJwPnQQWUZoEVJnuwr9A_N514R88Mn1KP7oF3mumI8XLg-ojvAxnXjHoz4wYzgHv9w3mJBg5Po/s400/Cow+Day+2011+060.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then took loooong naps when we got home. That's what I'm talking about! </div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-81913772145518447582011-07-06T06:00:00.001-05:002011-07-06T06:00:19.311-05:00Beach Babies 2011 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvHHQBalsYLB_2USEZn3sOHp-lxHnGABwEbXc0HMQ3IzXVgY-UEsmbiKCto0p73JcrU9DlMgYbMxPKtnk90DCdbw7Ve-t5yt5vYZr9cXyA9RU9EqNBf8DJ0QtQCZ2JkPhWnTOmPxGbiE/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvHHQBalsYLB_2USEZn3sOHp-lxHnGABwEbXc0HMQ3IzXVgY-UEsmbiKCto0p73JcrU9DlMgYbMxPKtnk90DCdbw7Ve-t5yt5vYZr9cXyA9RU9EqNBf8DJ0QtQCZ2JkPhWnTOmPxGbiE/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+021.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfn4DwpiSRoDHiI41gUWZDDGFQ_O6QvJcLMRloYu8PNE5iHq9RdAfyVNMqbWxmVQSf0ZB62dQAmR0x1SG51TxzKHXb9jaPm9-lvwqunVsyk044DF-hIpWBh-MsFtFrFXTdc1HbHfw12I8/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfn4DwpiSRoDHiI41gUWZDDGFQ_O6QvJcLMRloYu8PNE5iHq9RdAfyVNMqbWxmVQSf0ZB62dQAmR0x1SG51TxzKHXb9jaPm9-lvwqunVsyk044DF-hIpWBh-MsFtFrFXTdc1HbHfw12I8/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+154.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm0qv6EHRaKXp7fK-kySPA-Av6HZUY4vBHNO9VrQBp7airvacxvI82BzZTUrh3bzKpfl98mQjpcXYwmfjP2Fp-mbyj_TgK8M6iNd-FHUhpXb9FVb0BnfBsx2ZgsxOw1lUKF4M4IGJJJw/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm0qv6EHRaKXp7fK-kySPA-Av6HZUY4vBHNO9VrQBp7airvacxvI82BzZTUrh3bzKpfl98mQjpcXYwmfjP2Fp-mbyj_TgK8M6iNd-FHUhpXb9FVb0BnfBsx2ZgsxOw1lUKF4M4IGJJJw/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+156.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRjJFV9AGPmwjvFDZiaLuP_wAZNTVW2SSGF4Kt5tKw5jKSmceXsasevJ-6XUmsC9EVuO0o8ychNlDyirl6ccsqtZ7mhI1W3GgqQ7jdjyC7srxibMIooUwmSnajShRof0sxC8dW9JKGP8/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRjJFV9AGPmwjvFDZiaLuP_wAZNTVW2SSGF4Kt5tKw5jKSmceXsasevJ-6XUmsC9EVuO0o8ychNlDyirl6ccsqtZ7mhI1W3GgqQ7jdjyC7srxibMIooUwmSnajShRof0sxC8dW9JKGP8/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+171.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFfQ0pbGFWg5htiUgKvxVHmnPiEEIS_8vBIku_dqnasXQSSvQBEumqrQ-2Ckwf9BjBC49oEOioaBCEmaP4A9wY_XXh7Wy2zlRKm7ljx-M05GpeH_V74V119v6zdFR05vUGmPmKztMkNQ/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFfQ0pbGFWg5htiUgKvxVHmnPiEEIS_8vBIku_dqnasXQSSvQBEumqrQ-2Ckwf9BjBC49oEOioaBCEmaP4A9wY_XXh7Wy2zlRKm7ljx-M05GpeH_V74V119v6zdFR05vUGmPmKztMkNQ/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+185.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsgc0vL_6VAupl5CgZFWGtkV7QtCPmwsm02pAnbIZegcxC4R6pK6_-hwzt8capeksiL94wCnyJvh1JHbwYMPThOHuY4KHEWx5vJLPUa6oLdJOXIsbD1RPLP_cdIpsTvHZJfdiMr0yJqI/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsgc0vL_6VAupl5CgZFWGtkV7QtCPmwsm02pAnbIZegcxC4R6pK6_-hwzt8capeksiL94wCnyJvh1JHbwYMPThOHuY4KHEWx5vJLPUa6oLdJOXIsbD1RPLP_cdIpsTvHZJfdiMr0yJqI/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+194.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqoTeyh8B2-n_nbGPU99pIrEsVvD09iGs2ZTwcJ3SQDd5-P1RHLY_aZsRjb6nITuKIHt5jvQT6lJ13GonMp-Q3L7k787ZcLYMP1fXELEWe5yWqTFoKnnq8b3nur1OIluSrWOIHtrdWyY/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqoTeyh8B2-n_nbGPU99pIrEsVvD09iGs2ZTwcJ3SQDd5-P1RHLY_aZsRjb6nITuKIHt5jvQT6lJ13GonMp-Q3L7k787ZcLYMP1fXELEWe5yWqTFoKnnq8b3nur1OIluSrWOIHtrdWyY/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+198.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurCbQUNtVkK88rUPifDIu9pRCZvwhHq1MEJVWxAzmp4PiYlsiVD3ZJ4JmqI-aJgDasCfwzZCPkvWYURsm04efR9kD3ZnxwbyNKRDl2mftuN8YvH4EXoGeJXuM4WZIOEnzyVcuLnsvEuo/s1600/Beach+Trip+2011+203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurCbQUNtVkK88rUPifDIu9pRCZvwhHq1MEJVWxAzmp4PiYlsiVD3ZJ4JmqI-aJgDasCfwzZCPkvWYURsm04efR9kD3ZnxwbyNKRDl2mftuN8YvH4EXoGeJXuM4WZIOEnzyVcuLnsvEuo/s400/Beach+Trip+2011+203.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-34638935391842459252011-07-05T09:01:00.000-05:002011-07-05T09:01:39.957-05:00Celebrating the 4th!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been a BUSY summer for the 500 Babies! We just returned from a weekend at camp (more about that later!), and even though we were all still pretty tired we managed to pull together a 4th of July celebration. I started the day by trying to teach the kids some patriotic songs, but they weren't really into it. I guess I should have fed them breakfast first. Hmmm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next order of business was to make flags. It was a little maddening getting everyone to have the proper quantities of glue and correct placement of stripes, but in the end it all worked out ok!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-DLib3FO2mTas8Wx0Gy3kVDkUMLWk3gSXPGu1JBPnkqD9Vf8_cgS3D2H4cPn-Q5lF-P206rkOoaGgbhbr1KG5bOUnH7qy_u1Kl2GPOrlLgvywAXtQxWAMuTC32BC96w1gfIoeGGREIk/s1600/July+2011+183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-DLib3FO2mTas8Wx0Gy3kVDkUMLWk3gSXPGu1JBPnkqD9Vf8_cgS3D2H4cPn-Q5lF-P206rkOoaGgbhbr1KG5bOUnH7qy_u1Kl2GPOrlLgvywAXtQxWAMuTC32BC96w1gfIoeGGREIk/s400/July+2011+183.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We contemplated making cool firework pictures with glitter, but I'm still getting over the <a href="http://500babies.blogspot.com/2010/01/glitter.html">last glitter incident</a> and decided one art project would be enough.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Later on in the day we cooked up a 4th of July feast: grilled corn, pineapple/chicken skewers, red/white/blue nachos, rocket dogs, and fruit pizza. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pPzBdqjID8FY1jApHvFDHGuj7fRsyejPOYKx7QCE8NOyY8sPxj08wMWb9Ku4aJ0h7PuC_Nem4u1IdAPVnvb50gGnrZqZzkhouhwno0s_v90cApAX9iKwEgTZh00huuAu-bNT65c-oSo/s1600/July+2011+206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pPzBdqjID8FY1jApHvFDHGuj7fRsyejPOYKx7QCE8NOyY8sPxj08wMWb9Ku4aJ0h7PuC_Nem4u1IdAPVnvb50gGnrZqZzkhouhwno0s_v90cApAX9iKwEgTZh00huuAu-bNT65c-oSo/s400/July+2011+206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the whole gang ready to dig in! If you look closely you can see Brad in his regular spot under the table, ready to catch any food that falls his way. I really owe a lot to Brad and Darcy for keeping my floors clean!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fJ7aVyq2efj348ZdnOkebM3VKQlTWkjwI94xk7OcbnBtek-K6x5W8pnlw-M2dLJ156yXul1iv5yVDwvWS465aO31dqDwfzAt2Y5vILPaXrVODeG6MTssgKvQVHlLvTsB3ymvJ3QNwCs/s1600/July+2011+210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fJ7aVyq2efj348ZdnOkebM3VKQlTWkjwI94xk7OcbnBtek-K6x5W8pnlw-M2dLJ156yXul1iv5yVDwvWS465aO31dqDwfzAt2Y5vILPaXrVODeG6MTssgKvQVHlLvTsB3ymvJ3QNwCs/s400/July+2011+210.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After the meal we headed out to the backyard to pop a few snappers. Then Dad showed the kids how to draw fireworks on the fence since the real ones were banned. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0WfHkbrEfoTCgtYBNoTXenJo4yw6Hq353MJj3d_BBCbDmHq2qr4uKWoydVR8VE6YbmqdmCk8NlJ7h4icslI_FuzgXy6lipD-gHLoZWj2uqdX8i_mBJIuhmJXJNNwAeRELEn-_SKVFrE/s1600/July+2011+230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0WfHkbrEfoTCgtYBNoTXenJo4yw6Hq353MJj3d_BBCbDmHq2qr4uKWoydVR8VE6YbmqdmCk8NlJ7h4icslI_FuzgXy6lipD-gHLoZWj2uqdX8i_mBJIuhmJXJNNwAeRELEn-_SKVFrE/s400/July+2011+230.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">My beauties!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtnN_WubYEWcnWjQhIxV43RrsbUtT7U8V6KdblDbFbvWZPrY1f2jnI7TQJjN9Hfi7LmtXZ1r-Y6DBHh5Aq5EMlu4ZObkajRI_8kXYP-tV0EvBwMFPX9eM1D5nqUcnabGECSHYY9jxPMo/s1600/July+2011+237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtnN_WubYEWcnWjQhIxV43RrsbUtT7U8V6KdblDbFbvWZPrY1f2jnI7TQJjN9Hfi7LmtXZ1r-Y6DBHh5Aq5EMlu4ZObkajRI_8kXYP-tV0EvBwMFPX9eM1D5nqUcnabGECSHYY9jxPMo/s400/July+2011+237.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all it was another great day with the 500 Babies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLHzVU7OYMgWNgBZqg99Hpfa81FZqKMHrWR6FIKZtsECL546mCBUEIciFA4PrqdBw0xoQwlYOnJw1hiDFsf0K9ToIOAaieZbxnAZGfl6cONU-8Mjv46ZYg5mRSIYXlvUev6EXD1RH7yM/s1600/July+2011+188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLHzVU7OYMgWNgBZqg99Hpfa81FZqKMHrWR6FIKZtsECL546mCBUEIciFA4PrqdBw0xoQwlYOnJw1hiDFsf0K9ToIOAaieZbxnAZGfl6cONU-8Mjv46ZYg5mRSIYXlvUev6EXD1RH7yM/s400/July+2011+188.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">God Bless America!</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-54309344517958743722011-06-30T08:57:00.002-05:002011-06-30T10:36:53.766-05:00Joyful Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nine months ago God placed this tiny wisp of a child into our arms and our hearts...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCjjNy0h76dwPrEk445n9gR7sR5BSOhiGKDRoZGJZnhYtRlNYvqrqeHYM91YFrQyvDvmkNwktfQlR1ci83lRVelp_7li3Kl3NMoY2csIFlBmhxrvyZyd07s__FN6hagXJ9RI1RNn_9qU/s1600/Adrianna+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCjjNy0h76dwPrEk445n9gR7sR5BSOhiGKDRoZGJZnhYtRlNYvqrqeHYM91YFrQyvDvmkNwktfQlR1ci83lRVelp_7li3Kl3NMoY2csIFlBmhxrvyZyd07s__FN6hagXJ9RI1RNn_9qU/s400/Adrianna+011.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>and last Friday we were blessed to officially welcome Rebekah Vivien into our family!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt0rHSzJ2wPHQbMTI_hUiSY-J4lM6GN6cdN2j9pJzGBfEzxLK08NWfnuwb83IWIKSYld-1XdweZtQLZ85TFVERCFdffD73UvsiNbj_tgw8Cz-Sw78s7w-J4m8WsdVoVu44HCT0recGKI/s1600/June+2011+218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt0rHSzJ2wPHQbMTI_hUiSY-J4lM6GN6cdN2j9pJzGBfEzxLK08NWfnuwb83IWIKSYld-1XdweZtQLZ85TFVERCFdffD73UvsiNbj_tgw8Cz-Sw78s7w-J4m8WsdVoVu44HCT0recGKI/s400/June+2011+218.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Energy levels were high as the big kids excitedly waited for the adoption ceremony to begin.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl8hXakNHQlYvzdcvK3sNvU4wy1gcEb6Y6LO90GoQv2MIG7kmynUUjlou4jEJewZrAP0BWUJeranRn_pUFt6ZARubKWzClP5-Z8iWGgZUj3aSmQJnjISzpPhISH_gHyrkq7LSMBxX7sU/s1600/June+2011+202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl8hXakNHQlYvzdcvK3sNvU4wy1gcEb6Y6LO90GoQv2MIG7kmynUUjlou4jEJewZrAP0BWUJeranRn_pUFt6ZARubKWzClP5-Z8iWGgZUj3aSmQJnjISzpPhISH_gHyrkq7LSMBxX7sU/s400/June+2011+202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zLkg3_zIkHWrBU7Bl6uWnr75fkrTF1SrNf7Tf0PEJxoTGPqiBivaxrHOXBw4EVAP5kf_HcbMqQZ0t234bPFkQCTbKcHz0Uh40f9EkpEXruLEJNwPQBs1tc8heZrwKV5w8lwMxQ_L6kc/s1600/June+2011+205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zLkg3_zIkHWrBU7Bl6uWnr75fkrTF1SrNf7Tf0PEJxoTGPqiBivaxrHOXBw4EVAP5kf_HcbMqQZ0t234bPFkQCTbKcHz0Uh40f9EkpEXruLEJNwPQBs1tc8heZrwKV5w8lwMxQ_L6kc/s400/June+2011+205.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Jnw6DhqLEExyz7Ft-E48S4S7anUoi4aVP44fKsBgqvTl1-S8FEzNQvrOZ-xiZ8qEu8fSdyT-N6kj6hLwjCJ27DRKc4kRnwpj8REUyZgvp9o_WNKt0gKnob2caxZ9CFC0FKAotQE7jrQ/s1600/June+2011+207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Jnw6DhqLEExyz7Ft-E48S4S7anUoi4aVP44fKsBgqvTl1-S8FEzNQvrOZ-xiZ8qEu8fSdyT-N6kj6hLwjCJ27DRKc4kRnwpj8REUyZgvp9o_WNKt0gKnob2caxZ9CFC0FKAotQE7jrQ/s400/June+2011+207.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVInsgX4-3Z6lp7eBMmAEYvibwhkCJ8gIxWJ32osapT3AS5endkP0137HGvbYV9UKS2uSSJdUgp_9k_13idQC-FVkXmjvX58b9dkZkijW1EbJK40RpEzW1OeD8Nb1yHRmTnOx3dDNsBII/s1600/June+2011+209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVInsgX4-3Z6lp7eBMmAEYvibwhkCJ8gIxWJ32osapT3AS5endkP0137HGvbYV9UKS2uSSJdUgp_9k_13idQC-FVkXmjvX58b9dkZkijW1EbJK40RpEzW1OeD8Nb1yHRmTnOx3dDNsBII/s400/June+2011+209.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We came prepared with stickers and snacks and managed to keep the kiddos relatively quiet during the ceremony. In a matter of moments, our family was made complete!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sl8ppseUFhdn1KfyYMLhOHe8gR1T6NJM63q893oRGmsbpjLQ1WV9CLNhPD8X0wjAHJY1oVsJyqreBYLGRq-eJwpVkywWa0CItoCh3xbIZ_RYVkKfy2gWrkOg7Vw4WpaDlOti6XNutMU/s1600/June+2011+215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sl8ppseUFhdn1KfyYMLhOHe8gR1T6NJM63q893oRGmsbpjLQ1WV9CLNhPD8X0wjAHJY1oVsJyqreBYLGRq-eJwpVkywWa0CItoCh3xbIZ_RYVkKfy2gWrkOg7Vw4WpaDlOti6XNutMU/s400/June+2011+215.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the ceremony Adrian took advantage of a brief moment of freedom to take off running through the crowd of people gathering to pose for pictures with the judge. When I finally cornered him at the back of the room, I saw where he was headed: the table of cupcakes and candy! I really can't blame him, now can I?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgP0mhlhJryk7GujNIuhIM3SwX_ytiiy2wdd8AnXa9UXXCpg4onfQk5B6OYpqEV6Y5XtpgzsbNM024ToNV3FTe1VacVUDFE6_i0xrGKQGdsjFhr5FcMPfgCC-1UO496HF3Agdj5lxNjPc/s1600/June+2011+235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgP0mhlhJryk7GujNIuhIM3SwX_ytiiy2wdd8AnXa9UXXCpg4onfQk5B6OYpqEV6Y5XtpgzsbNM024ToNV3FTe1VacVUDFE6_i0xrGKQGdsjFhr5FcMPfgCC-1UO496HF3Agdj5lxNjPc/s400/June+2011+235.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Speaking of the cupcakes...oh dear, let's just move on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnOfUcN9EaX0Xez8eoEcstqyeV8abaTuI27DTXclMLjNHoVSqSeOIL3WSjepT1IcWfwTgpmv5I6OMKY8uPTT_XrTAhvtO3PZCy44S3ONp49O6UtT2PbOJbu8dVTBhCsTv1phyphenhyphenjKRIgB0/s1600/June+2011+231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnOfUcN9EaX0Xez8eoEcstqyeV8abaTuI27DTXclMLjNHoVSqSeOIL3WSjepT1IcWfwTgpmv5I6OMKY8uPTT_XrTAhvtO3PZCy44S3ONp49O6UtT2PbOJbu8dVTBhCsTv1phyphenhyphenjKRIgB0/s400/June+2011+231.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the ceremony we were joined by a small group of friends and family for a celebration lunch. Adrian had a power nap between the ceremony and lunch, so he was fully recharged and ready for action. Thank goodness Aunt Deb was there to take control of the little guy for us!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8S9_ItrdLH5ZsOQ5NBQEvms4KW3E7q0Hw1_yfytEst16SzPqmGv6Z4treov9ChxtaFSTJ2kNi2UAT1H5j8K9JC_2dcJJ4eayczVK792HbBZW5kQG1JF8nx9DjyMC-OgqcxdlOlwLVt0/s1600/June+2011+241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8S9_ItrdLH5ZsOQ5NBQEvms4KW3E7q0Hw1_yfytEst16SzPqmGv6Z4treov9ChxtaFSTJ2kNi2UAT1H5j8K9JC_2dcJJ4eayczVK792HbBZW5kQG1JF8nx9DjyMC-OgqcxdlOlwLVt0/s400/June+2011+241.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While waiting for our meal, Joe was introduced to the world of Angry Birds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrg6d-AXzw5-7tjKLgF0LKbnIBseE2SGmKKU4JDjtuKStXms2AGJN42BdErv5xm6zfWVgKtokcp0YyUIoq9_KjU1evIyF6ajcSREDpVqFzk_NO9aKHf8yDy53-dZb1taGok29VAasPC4/s1600/June+2011+237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrg6d-AXzw5-7tjKLgF0LKbnIBseE2SGmKKU4JDjtuKStXms2AGJN42BdErv5xm6zfWVgKtokcp0YyUIoq9_KjU1evIyF6ajcSREDpVqFzk_NO9aKHf8yDy53-dZb1taGok29VAasPC4/s400/June+2011+237.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuUbCOObHAGQ0TSD8SylkZqG-vtgNA5ZsHAvYftJjs_arB3RfEpEjGUq8l_K68tEvo5O04k5oMfG0O3lsE-zMxIfJOz4o6YwIZ9VC9-d9EdOyCmAdtbHpwQMwtqmIZkfY9DmOOSvvHBs/s1600/June+2011+244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuUbCOObHAGQ0TSD8SylkZqG-vtgNA5ZsHAvYftJjs_arB3RfEpEjGUq8l_K68tEvo5O04k5oMfG0O3lsE-zMxIfJOz4o6YwIZ9VC9-d9EdOyCmAdtbHpwQMwtqmIZkfY9DmOOSvvHBs/s400/June+2011+244.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>And here we have the star of the show, all pooped out from the excitement of her big day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B62zdOJXLAEmb3tjlQLdIBOUJIz0bQNpfADucwAU46EJHyN1epGom-bHETI7ltiB0mWSjmPwVHn6X-4TdxCdkJOJho9IdkMgO6OiFCYNwgQzcCQESjr4nW74ED-cD7jJN3LC3XCSjxw/s1600/June+2011+242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B62zdOJXLAEmb3tjlQLdIBOUJIz0bQNpfADucwAU46EJHyN1epGom-bHETI7ltiB0mWSjmPwVHn6X-4TdxCdkJOJho9IdkMgO6OiFCYNwgQzcCQESjr4nW74ED-cD7jJN3LC3XCSjxw/s400/June+2011+242.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Relief, joy, gratitude. That pretty much sums up our emotions for the day! Thank you, God, for bringing sweet Rebekah into our lives and allowing us to become her Forever Family!Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-56491561303620217492011-06-11T15:44:00.000-05:002011-06-11T15:44:09.253-05:00Scavenger Hunt Hike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our first hike of the summer! And this wasn't just any hike, it was a Scavenger Hunt Hike. I made a list of items for the kids to find (3 different kind of tree leaves, 2 insects, a tree root, pink flower, etc.) to give a little more purpose and direction to the hike.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1BSminO6JBoutYEaZ05mvP3v3uWAAFgb6SUdWeGnKWtzdwSI0vsZOInj4vc6ANJOll3jM2JJQGn3vE_zNxk_EnXaynqC9dEi03kNJT3wuL2Sd7AsvbPhCSP48UZopnYufE2HlWg_nSo/s1600/File+docs+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1BSminO6JBoutYEaZ05mvP3v3uWAAFgb6SUdWeGnKWtzdwSI0vsZOInj4vc6ANJOll3jM2JJQGn3vE_zNxk_EnXaynqC9dEi03kNJT3wuL2Sd7AsvbPhCSP48UZopnYufE2HlWg_nSo/s400/File+docs+001.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div>The kids were quite observant, stopping frequently to ask questions and give commentary on what they found. For example, when Dan came across this plant with drooping leaves he announced, "This plant is sad."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcfJ7OkPctvRdmUCGL6cbJ-8djComaYLYqDH3JIJNpkfPQo0I9hgnqcdVt0xhPmhjv97pWWQikSxzGjbjzEek1NdV6ZLZJcYBS9dgdvRQgrJhQSdPd8OoeIkdGc3mlFZMBttM9mU1bAY/s1600/File+docs+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcfJ7OkPctvRdmUCGL6cbJ-8djComaYLYqDH3JIJNpkfPQo0I9hgnqcdVt0xhPmhjv97pWWQikSxzGjbjzEek1NdV6ZLZJcYBS9dgdvRQgrJhQSdPd8OoeIkdGc3mlFZMBttM9mU1bAY/s400/File+docs+010.jpg" t8="true" width="300" /></a></div>Mikea noticed the holes in the leaves of another plant and when I asked what she thought made the holes, she explained, "A cata-pitter."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLUYTnACRXAcO9lTMA19HP3oDSd_wH4IYxEerWz3IDtfnIPm2INKuhUV78lDU-waP4Z07nH1O1BjKEQVBv6kc4EyxS-8Zt0QQCTmbTARDYjh1tnRwJLF7G7Zsp9cMtqXo3Zthq_WsF20/s1600/File+docs+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLUYTnACRXAcO9lTMA19HP3oDSd_wH4IYxEerWz3IDtfnIPm2INKuhUV78lDU-waP4Z07nH1O1BjKEQVBv6kc4EyxS-8Zt0QQCTmbTARDYjh1tnRwJLF7G7Zsp9cMtqXo3Zthq_WsF20/s400/File+docs+012.jpg" t8="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Joe discovered sinewy tree roots criss-crossing our path. Very cool!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21hEnv4x4NcJCil1-7zF4S3HBuiBgGjUmUoWEj414Eo3wxye4EZOwzUczDAvpWLHZZCYZMH0xPF8FRluwbw2kVzvA_nwgNag29JzMsRcZVes3g2glqpTNuz_9cMc73DfZFB6eXhK37KY/s1600/File+docs+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21hEnv4x4NcJCil1-7zF4S3HBuiBgGjUmUoWEj414Eo3wxye4EZOwzUczDAvpWLHZZCYZMH0xPF8FRluwbw2kVzvA_nwgNag29JzMsRcZVes3g2glqpTNuz_9cMc73DfZFB6eXhK37KY/s400/File+docs+014.jpg" t8="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And Adrian got to pose with the amazing heart rock we found!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82QmC_PIlWsBAJ_OLZyY-hREATOLWZ2Bd9hGALuiUit7dmd7noUmU2ybnOncg9NBaiA6WtWL1XDqRbRVvLJsKw9iLrrFXOH6-eTDSNiRko_Mz2Pk8Imbtb4gwcSIQu29FZdAAYbG_hKE/s1600/File+docs+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82QmC_PIlWsBAJ_OLZyY-hREATOLWZ2Bd9hGALuiUit7dmd7noUmU2ybnOncg9NBaiA6WtWL1XDqRbRVvLJsKw9iLrrFXOH6-eTDSNiRko_Mz2Pk8Imbtb4gwcSIQu29FZdAAYbG_hKE/s400/File+docs+015.jpg" t8="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All of the kids had lots of great questions about this fallen tree.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG7GX-lXyVmpwJcX1mYPHDRHu5ix8iFN5fVZQheTsPreUDA5tTx1ab6x_ozvWIjs91FKFVxAVPJxmBommyzk_xJ_LUqzKLkaJhrzHnnwHUyOgqJVdd85qDZubeuy-Cddf90KF0LLmUyA/s1600/File+docs+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG7GX-lXyVmpwJcX1mYPHDRHu5ix8iFN5fVZQheTsPreUDA5tTx1ab6x_ozvWIjs91FKFVxAVPJxmBommyzk_xJ_LUqzKLkaJhrzHnnwHUyOgqJVdd85qDZubeuy-Cddf90KF0LLmUyA/s400/File+docs+016.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then Dad showed them how to coax antlions out of their dens. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0s7i1s1fa8bTUDu3d2XvR6A_7qtBFkkf6o9p6PbMM8NxOZN90ODkygcGc3lmRnvjGu3qR_Byt65c8GwNXzXUrO_YX0XTYm0LeCs9Xuo0IpYXXjMbVu9hggPwDWZhrOdm_d9_5RNOxUw/s1600/File+docs+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0s7i1s1fa8bTUDu3d2XvR6A_7qtBFkkf6o9p6PbMM8NxOZN90ODkygcGc3lmRnvjGu3qR_Byt65c8GwNXzXUrO_YX0XTYm0LeCs9Xuo0IpYXXjMbVu9hggPwDWZhrOdm_d9_5RNOxUw/s400/File+docs+018.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of dens, Daniel and Mikea discovered a small hole in this tree trunk, and began feverishly filing it with dry leaves because they were convinced a bear lived inside and they didn't want it to get out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY8KenZdMvqphg7Hq1ubeZMeCRagdhJivU2T0-5wsn1IBlngtvXGfWmtXmmex3U0B9wlV7U_G3u7JJHzXWtQ6vHlmkx4yNO94DYhvndd01MzihjiSGTlDzCi27dacXzuA_TBWx7Ck5YU/s1600/File+docs+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY8KenZdMvqphg7Hq1ubeZMeCRagdhJivU2T0-5wsn1IBlngtvXGfWmtXmmex3U0B9wlV7U_G3u7JJHzXWtQ6vHlmkx4yNO94DYhvndd01MzihjiSGTlDzCi27dacXzuA_TBWx7Ck5YU/s400/File+docs+021.jpg" t8="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="goog_158291912">We didn't find everything on our list, but the fun was in the hunting. Our biggest surprise was an armadillo who scurried across the road as we were leaving! I'll have to add that to the list for next time.</span></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-41797599179050503932011-06-07T13:28:00.000-05:002011-06-07T13:28:32.893-05:00Summer Kick-OffThe "Fummer of Sun" has begun! Oh, I mean "Summer of Fun". Yikes. Listen, I had to get up 6 times between midnight and 6 this morning, so my brain's a little foggy. Three times were for Joe (he needed a tissue, then he lost his tissue in bed, then he was scared to go to the bathroom), two times were to feed Rebekah, and the sixth time was a false alarm when I thought I heard a little voice calling out, "Mom".<br />
<br />
Anyway, now that school's out for the summer I have two whole months to enjoy with my husband at home. Obviously I'm relieved to have the extra help with the kiddos, but I also just love having my best friend with me all day long. We've got tons of fun activities and outings planned for the family this summer and we kicked things off Saturday night with a birthday celebration for Nana! Nana is the children's great-grandmother and she is one amazing lady. We were honored to celebrate her special day with her!<br />
<img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95Il-krhUP-u9joHzM7IZMgQmEJOIgFrJRxd6EJGyQxzdCqcmUmntxq2Cq_7XoX6AuA0T57vqvKMpl-7zHRdMW3xT6BoCuNa00p33aB3XBEl6TmrAirjPMLaHSLY_4WiSdmT8RTKrcYU/s400/June+2011+012.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlcfwIFZ04xP-SuBqBQAm3rkdCuYzRn36Lt_8c9_TNlRtt0YWmROeC_EokeD84ilPVUKjy3lc3z32Kw-q7LxvR6jUGpx3msz3GLTp5xJeXLJLcelTz0dvRbhcuAVmLb9aG5ZEeTqf0-A/s1600/June+2011+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlcfwIFZ04xP-SuBqBQAm3rkdCuYzRn36Lt_8c9_TNlRtt0YWmROeC_EokeD84ilPVUKjy3lc3z32Kw-q7LxvR6jUGpx3msz3GLTp5xJeXLJLcelTz0dvRbhcuAVmLb9aG5ZEeTqf0-A/s400/June+2011+009.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwg5NhVqFIk4VL7P4tzY_Z_g33-bAyCllKKlor68kT_OBtmVcoMXxKN9Iyi58hOKenuO_grZztRKymlJDQet2V6UECmho_hS_NU33Wa54IOJ6_oTviEkR1J_N3F_4mUoSYcq0nrw5FWc/s1600/June+2011+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwg5NhVqFIk4VL7P4tzY_Z_g33-bAyCllKKlor68kT_OBtmVcoMXxKN9Iyi58hOKenuO_grZztRKymlJDQet2V6UECmho_hS_NU33Wa54IOJ6_oTviEkR1J_N3F_4mUoSYcq0nrw5FWc/s400/June+2011+007.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Then on Monday we celebrated Uncle Nate's birthday and the children met many of their cousins for the first time. For some reason my camera refused to work so there are no shots of the glorious occasion. But after consuming inordinate quantities of ice cream, candy, cake, and Slim Jims (ok, Mikea was the only one who ate the Slim Jims), the kids were moving so fast the camera probably wouldn't even have captured them. You think I'm kidding, but just ask anyone who was there.</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">These two birthday celebrations were a great reminder of how blessed we are by our families. Our children were surrounded with loving, warm, and fun individuals who are true gifts to us. We love you, Extended Family Members!!!</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-55452264153649147392011-06-04T08:49:00.000-05:002011-06-04T08:49:31.904-05:00A Little DisappointmentMonday was supposed to be Rebekah's adoption day. The i's were dotted and t's crossed, or so we thought, until about 2:00 yesterday afternoon when we learned we can't complete the adoption until Billy and I get updated fingerprints for a background check. We submitted fingerprints 4 years ago when we were in the process of becoming verified for foster care, but our attorney said the judge will probably want a more recent submission. (I'd like to ask them how, with all these kids, they think I've had time to commit any crimes??) We'd never heard of this any of the other 3 times we've adopted and really don't understand why we didn't find out about it until the last day before the adoption was scheduled. We've spent some time trying to figure out who was to blame, but sooner or later you realize it doesn't really matter and it's pointless to dwell on being angry. We're disappointed, but the bottom line is we're still going to adopt Rebekah, we just have to wait a few more weeks . <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMbOsp0GB439d8IrWPeriN3PV-gbvQiuNrLssLY4rUpWhN8GOjG_TZeC8hEswCCOydakcy96ZUse7HkEtxsDWSRSjlU43TOLut3yrO6e77jU9ybMhnBlbO3lB2-tds9ak9w_PfTtXl7s/s1600/May+2011+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMbOsp0GB439d8IrWPeriN3PV-gbvQiuNrLssLY4rUpWhN8GOjG_TZeC8hEswCCOydakcy96ZUse7HkEtxsDWSRSjlU43TOLut3yrO6e77jU9ybMhnBlbO3lB2-tds9ak9w_PfTtXl7s/s400/May+2011+037.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our little girl has been doing great! She's 8 months old now and received an excellent report from the developmental specialists who saw her earlier this week. We've got a few exercises to do with her for some stiffness in her neck and to encourage rolling over. We were also instructed to reduce the calorie mix of her formula - apparently she's getting a little too chunky! Rebekah's adored by her siblings and her favorite person in the house is Daddy, of course. She showers him with smiles and wiggles in delight whenever he's around. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaV4rvQsaEDDHlqyKritSzSLXXgTifxmq9DDVQ7dpH9ODP9YkYCCb3UacM7cQAcIxjUJugamS3MqUbl7bpDAOhvwgeumYIW2UIBgriPkGpZzo_wmPKHKKa7jUwS5cDAS_8H3VSqdb-yE/s1600/May+2011+319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaV4rvQsaEDDHlqyKritSzSLXXgTifxmq9DDVQ7dpH9ODP9YkYCCb3UacM7cQAcIxjUJugamS3MqUbl7bpDAOhvwgeumYIW2UIBgriPkGpZzo_wmPKHKKa7jUwS5cDAS_8H3VSqdb-yE/s400/May+2011+319.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div>So as you can see, we have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for and will continue on in faith and trust that God's timing, not ours, is what is best for us.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-51810091167687246322011-05-19T08:46:00.000-05:002011-05-19T08:46:47.758-05:00Oh, Adrian!The other day I discovered Adrian carefully lining up cans of Mt. Dew on a diaper box and I had a quick internal dialogue as to what would be the proper course of parental action. The voice of reason spoke first and said, "Make him stop because soda cans aren't toys, he's going to drop them on his toes and get hurt, and the cans will explode and you'll have a sticky mess to clean up." Ok, that sounds reasonable. But then other voice chimed in and said, "Oh, how cute! Let's see what he does next." My curiosity got the better of me so I let him continue, eager to see where his curiosity would lead. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHyt3pHLRy5XFF0XDKM17PimSM1CVVA5ZtYVyNbPyLzHADIVKnRW4452_8rtmhsexhKcXL75z2WTnDAlQ1J9cadkX3cizw6acE7RoQwRi1NcQF66X3Y01kLuo1PTzy-7r_hKh7xv9ByM/s1600/May+2011+078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHyt3pHLRy5XFF0XDKM17PimSM1CVVA5ZtYVyNbPyLzHADIVKnRW4452_8rtmhsexhKcXL75z2WTnDAlQ1J9cadkX3cizw6acE7RoQwRi1NcQF66X3Y01kLuo1PTzy-7r_hKh7xv9ByM/s400/May+2011+078.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, Adrian must have remembered seeing Mommy drinking a LOT of these pretty green cans lately, becase he decided to try to take a sip. No harm, I thought. There's no WAY he can open one by himself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioQwmBUHPL0rKCTzcuS0W1-804eKwmXbYIvdUOvfbwtjnPEdQdF97WT1hW8BVpEAcyE8p72fzSAlSaiz8tASY_zaDa7HKIGgq61SGgNBb8qiXlglpsZ8COlTC9YQwYee8Aty-FeIbPwU/s1600/May+2011+084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioQwmBUHPL0rKCTzcuS0W1-804eKwmXbYIvdUOvfbwtjnPEdQdF97WT1hW8BVpEAcyE8p72fzSAlSaiz8tASY_zaDa7HKIGgq61SGgNBb8qiXlglpsZ8COlTC9YQwYee8Aty-FeIbPwU/s400/May+2011+084.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Or can he? Doesn't his shirt look a bit wet?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfP50E5LClcPokQSBiBFSgUoBxxWdrD5S1USE8ptsZ1NZ1SrAB0zyZfQ5Ja4qj-kTEsQOJ6Mzxecdv-ZNdnREguTzNC6afHPn5GBI2KT66cdBhwyerEKLbLvp6YRnBf6MLMoN3SRNBF8/s1600/May+2011+087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfP50E5LClcPokQSBiBFSgUoBxxWdrD5S1USE8ptsZ1NZ1SrAB0zyZfQ5Ja4qj-kTEsQOJ6Mzxecdv-ZNdnREguTzNC6afHPn5GBI2KT66cdBhwyerEKLbLvp6YRnBf6MLMoN3SRNBF8/s400/May+2011+087.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> And Adrian appears to be concentrating VERY hard on what he's doing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6j8uBvu3v4mu_6XNLk6fdxvO4CRdEdrBA_s1wExUkcXfQsK-uMWrTsKFkvb6-KVXA5yafPFzFo4M0Mz_WP_LF3S7yeEy0CzA19PLecnmsrkuu2q8VfETmt9s6fN_oBqVdRJiO7ZZLFpY/s1600/May+2011+089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6j8uBvu3v4mu_6XNLk6fdxvO4CRdEdrBA_s1wExUkcXfQsK-uMWrTsKFkvb6-KVXA5yafPFzFo4M0Mz_WP_LF3S7yeEy0CzA19PLecnmsrkuu2q8VfETmt9s6fN_oBqVdRJiO7ZZLFpY/s400/May+2011+089.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> Uh oh...I know that look...it's the intoxicating blend of sugar and caffeine. But how did he open the can?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCsQCAF6ytuRQCufjdtm-CypQgM2E1zp7_p7GsH-lave-kNhn9sNBtTGizs5T2NRxjAhPLt7XnenIdL7K3RHaHfkMv0a2MGjoB-Ef6LN70uN73Ew2M4TF11VYPUVVk6mLfDOQrQ59EY4/s1600/May+2011+092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCsQCAF6ytuRQCufjdtm-CypQgM2E1zp7_p7GsH-lave-kNhn9sNBtTGizs5T2NRxjAhPLt7XnenIdL7K3RHaHfkMv0a2MGjoB-Ef6LN70uN73Ew2M4TF11VYPUVVk6mLfDOQrQ59EY4/s400/May+2011+092.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
Oh. With his teeth. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIWp2pAf4lZOHv01Dznob-sQ35BBWp1Vnai-g0shTPaYPoprGpyCdwTMOhXiE8RWm9b9RZOW5ZK3j9_wJd1aojKlS7LRzEDnNoE80DgvG5KAQrRfBCpc3KKOr1qlvjyODi0adtQG_r3o/s1600/May+2011+094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIWp2pAf4lZOHv01Dznob-sQ35BBWp1Vnai-g0shTPaYPoprGpyCdwTMOhXiE8RWm9b9RZOW5ZK3j9_wJd1aojKlS7LRzEDnNoE80DgvG5KAQrRfBCpc3KKOr1qlvjyODi0adtQG_r3o/s400/May+2011+094.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>At this point the voice of reason took over and I quickly removed all cans from Adrian's reach lest he break a tooth or something. And although this picture isn't from the Mt. Dew incident, I'm sure this is exactly how he felt towards me:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPneVhUkTZ4Dnv-TO3toB8LevgOgVztfmaDu2BuTBDdPTOrQA5HuriLSSN3MnvGw3A5lBbOBGiCtOahFqwCdTVYjrd_H6Cd-m8mv2OzvNERFd4ULdyiZo24lTFhyaxRl8vnHtJ1Uomjn8/s1600/May+2011+147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPneVhUkTZ4Dnv-TO3toB8LevgOgVztfmaDu2BuTBDdPTOrQA5HuriLSSN3MnvGw3A5lBbOBGiCtOahFqwCdTVYjrd_H6Cd-m8mv2OzvNERFd4ULdyiZo24lTFhyaxRl8vnHtJ1Uomjn8/s400/May+2011+147.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tee hee. I love that little guy. But I really am a nice mama because I let him do other things like destroy the house with loads of shredded newspaper, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUWKmlIdFqYXz2fguF2D-C7pJ-ei_F7baOxWiVW8D8JNCFNI88HRjZkcFtLQw1LQQcl1vbV08IT1Xx_R3DjUfzN3f54uvQtoqlWykbon3mX1XZaUbmnPlCpTkK7Rlm5d2Ucaswh-6qnc/s1600/May+2011+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUWKmlIdFqYXz2fguF2D-C7pJ-ei_F7baOxWiVW8D8JNCFNI88HRjZkcFtLQw1LQQcl1vbV08IT1Xx_R3DjUfzN3f54uvQtoqlWykbon3mX1XZaUbmnPlCpTkK7Rlm5d2Ucaswh-6qnc/s400/May+2011+012.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Right!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFznLOYk9S_R69i5cuIaaBpHmO8eSRok1ELMqMhA6hgFsTrI1BPrK3G8JsMyxVnZBHa7RtmYNbbju31IC8CyEL6sMViRSUyg0HUQniBcy5YqiuwDKMDGUFYv_KjY-wT94iUpDgJ2iafA/s1600/May+2011+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFznLOYk9S_R69i5cuIaaBpHmO8eSRok1ELMqMhA6hgFsTrI1BPrK3G8JsMyxVnZBHa7RtmYNbbju31IC8CyEL6sMViRSUyg0HUQniBcy5YqiuwDKMDGUFYv_KjY-wT94iUpDgJ2iafA/s400/May+2011+010.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Love you, Mr. Adrian!</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105049582792572743.post-6279060593216624362011-05-02T11:38:00.000-05:002011-05-02T11:38:21.666-05:00Snapshots of Spring<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Even though it feels like all we've done the past 6 weeks is suffer from allergies, asthma, and other sicknesses, we did in fact find plenty of ways to celebrate spring with a little gardening, a little art, and a couple of egg hunts. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5scXP7U3KM1GA00jIiWGLx1Y7GqFT496cyYgpNEaQR5CKPuTeuZoNXwtvY9ZoEr8PlM-aJ5K5bRzF2vOt_cARYaUSehsIfVgoKKQ1akBCazH3l8OOxVECC_2HkyeT5Rbriad_GFPW4s/s1600/April+2011+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5scXP7U3KM1GA00jIiWGLx1Y7GqFT496cyYgpNEaQR5CKPuTeuZoNXwtvY9ZoEr8PlM-aJ5K5bRzF2vOt_cARYaUSehsIfVgoKKQ1akBCazH3l8OOxVECC_2HkyeT5Rbriad_GFPW4s/s400/April+2011+033.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNk2kPVPBvYXZm0NPuVBwJJCycHCheE8PYn_Ns3gJNxsRWIU0itoN291Btndog4-z__Gadm4gdwvEllGxkaZIk9i50Ti3JP-_oyNhQISf37qey7ZMF3BC1TG63Dt_ZtNn5qM5IuXErTw/s1600/April+2011+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNk2kPVPBvYXZm0NPuVBwJJCycHCheE8PYn_Ns3gJNxsRWIU0itoN291Btndog4-z__Gadm4gdwvEllGxkaZIk9i50Ti3JP-_oyNhQISf37qey7ZMF3BC1TG63Dt_ZtNn5qM5IuXErTw/s400/April+2011+042.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW9h7_F9axjea6PDkh03Lu815Z5vdEd3FZH5U_LDZl2okIpodnQFcwp_kcG-1OCESzqZkmYv78p8Ro2FXdYm5VdNSwqBMiWTGoV5pILwZU2lqvmsflacoXsBM80RU9rNNUc-aiu3hW3E/s1600/April+2011+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW9h7_F9axjea6PDkh03Lu815Z5vdEd3FZH5U_LDZl2okIpodnQFcwp_kcG-1OCESzqZkmYv78p8Ro2FXdYm5VdNSwqBMiWTGoV5pILwZU2lqvmsflacoXsBM80RU9rNNUc-aiu3hW3E/s400/April+2011+046.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81kEJEdTa7IntAGeSezqkZNtyinDmkg5ri2gJAAhiUCVfOOtfsxezRR4IUWdMwg01KEfyCG1ZY5Uq1h1uOVUAtZyZSv0XN7FfOFQ29h8fo3N-23SpEyT2peIU4FdVCMJbS12jGvkvfcI/s1600/April+2011+072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81kEJEdTa7IntAGeSezqkZNtyinDmkg5ri2gJAAhiUCVfOOtfsxezRR4IUWdMwg01KEfyCG1ZY5Uq1h1uOVUAtZyZSv0XN7FfOFQ29h8fo3N-23SpEyT2peIU4FdVCMJbS12jGvkvfcI/s400/April+2011+072.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YxH6c_8JQ8cUD9vD86NYUAabSpDpmCQ0Q4Tx34vO4h3GlfFrlF1hJv1zr9h0LmjtNpFBgeKc4iSjkYSEyN8Vq8ogBCso954_kQ7Voeo6hdMinDO91-mqN0p5HNJeXDfuaLx6s2LR99Y/s1600/April+2011+073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YxH6c_8JQ8cUD9vD86NYUAabSpDpmCQ0Q4Tx34vO4h3GlfFrlF1hJv1zr9h0LmjtNpFBgeKc4iSjkYSEyN8Vq8ogBCso954_kQ7Voeo6hdMinDO91-mqN0p5HNJeXDfuaLx6s2LR99Y/s400/April+2011+073.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99h_tdd9sbf7z4-lsglfl3w7gXJ-c56wmMWeMUiIfMZH1ympYEGQzPWTeIB2trmkMAfoBgVpw5mgs_XE0YgT47MfvyWa0FWqT-tcMhmDGtuUGb6Uwo_a6Db_ZCA9KQ0VjWMA6B-0C3q4/s1600/April+2011+125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99h_tdd9sbf7z4-lsglfl3w7gXJ-c56wmMWeMUiIfMZH1ympYEGQzPWTeIB2trmkMAfoBgVpw5mgs_XE0YgT47MfvyWa0FWqT-tcMhmDGtuUGb6Uwo_a6Db_ZCA9KQ0VjWMA6B-0C3q4/s400/April+2011+125.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1k7zrFsNUpZzSUgeuEdC-ZBkZ7cgoqiaWCAKqKcwN6TgAk1nSlT_XeSp1YGbU3guaPWrWfL_Trtn6FriaEGBTXkTaCzTJPQughyphenhyphenvFppFT1joGKfFtB8LeK0_EoOcywqR333fDTpuHRk/s1600/April+2011+143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1k7zrFsNUpZzSUgeuEdC-ZBkZ7cgoqiaWCAKqKcwN6TgAk1nSlT_XeSp1YGbU3guaPWrWfL_Trtn6FriaEGBTXkTaCzTJPQughyphenhyphenvFppFT1joGKfFtB8LeK0_EoOcywqR333fDTpuHRk/s400/April+2011+143.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYYq5jsP1c06cwAjcFG-nTtBXPpBs8T_tZoZelK-hxLx1oNQGXKT5e2-WMxs_EEE2SfvFH5nFfsWVP7BoQprdukuYUvAyJcktISw3U8wAcF8kbB83kQcwSWBb_DC71HlktuOYQ1k1p_U/s1600/April+2011+183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYYq5jsP1c06cwAjcFG-nTtBXPpBs8T_tZoZelK-hxLx1oNQGXKT5e2-WMxs_EEE2SfvFH5nFfsWVP7BoQprdukuYUvAyJcktISw3U8wAcF8kbB83kQcwSWBb_DC71HlktuOYQ1k1p_U/s400/April+2011+183.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DcSTWG_WwA1-vP5McBMrZyISiyX5R4O_35T3msfPhu95Ix5RWUzF1unV52sernNy-ACJgNvIn5ioLtBoKHoon2XPANCAH1Dc9qCYTz17AlMulkxcHBlyPlN8fWCsaW-R9OL2sgoJ_mY/s1600/April+2011+233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DcSTWG_WwA1-vP5McBMrZyISiyX5R4O_35T3msfPhu95Ix5RWUzF1unV52sernNy-ACJgNvIn5ioLtBoKHoon2XPANCAH1Dc9qCYTz17AlMulkxcHBlyPlN8fWCsaW-R9OL2sgoJ_mY/s400/April+2011+233.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM8fhjjkvQOK6nxD_Ot8iXHkKJjieZFHqNq0wDYUaDptHY_iRo7JBzj0vW_8t5kGgMTRh1PF3I708ifGT-dAukPIoZ58Zl-ScsrSK1GEUHNugmZXaIL_nyrkBx6nZkhBqPjYImH59l4c/s1600/April+2011+243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM8fhjjkvQOK6nxD_Ot8iXHkKJjieZFHqNq0wDYUaDptHY_iRo7JBzj0vW_8t5kGgMTRh1PF3I708ifGT-dAukPIoZ58Zl-ScsrSK1GEUHNugmZXaIL_nyrkBx6nZkhBqPjYImH59l4c/s400/April+2011+243.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJSkjmAx-4BV5VHl-GMlacunaqADS9H1ovcvKEclAgTacxibrnz-OB8y0rzbb29TQiq8aq_lZ6UO-q7dz09vMnJZ1Nzrku2IKEAHW9d834zdN5hFGIGHc6z5pBjitQMt5pzyGI7SEUZo/s1600/April+2011+215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJSkjmAx-4BV5VHl-GMlacunaqADS9H1ovcvKEclAgTacxibrnz-OB8y0rzbb29TQiq8aq_lZ6UO-q7dz09vMnJZ1Nzrku2IKEAHW9d834zdN5hFGIGHc6z5pBjitQMt5pzyGI7SEUZo/s400/April+2011+215.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">And now, summer's just around the corner! </div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13678201639118082660noreply@blogger.com1