tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86619946474414038572024-02-07T11:03:59.885-06:00The Adam Family ZooCandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-10262684305064808862013-07-19T21:33:00.000-05:002013-07-19T22:34:31.914-05:00The Last Frontier: Day 3<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mission for the day: FIND SOME ANIMALS!!! Jason and I joke that the "amazing wildlife" that Alaska boasts about is just a ploy to lure tourists. We can't believe we haven't seen a single creature (besides the insane amount of mosquitos....who knew??) But, certainly, today will be the day. We start off by taking an ATV through the upper portion of Denali Park. We actually drive around the part of the park where Christopher McCandless spent most of his time and eventually died (for those of you who haven't read and/or seen <i>Into the Wild</i>, Christopher McCandless was a college grad who sold all of his possessions and decided to "live off the land" of Alaska. He survived only a few months and was eventually poisoned and paralyzed by a plant he ate. It's an interesting story and definitely a good read...I never saw the movie, so I can't really speak for that.) Anyway, back to the ATV.... we drive around for about 10 minutes and then pull over to take pictures and, more importantly, get out the binoculars to find us some animals!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <i>Cool hats, I know</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jason's looking through the binoculars and he swears he sees a moose. Now, he's been trained nearly his whole life to spot wildlife from far away so I don't doubt that he saw one. He passes me the binoculars and casually tells me to look "over there..past the tree"...like there aren't a thousand trees?? How in the world am I supposed to know which one he's talking about?!? Anyway, after about 5 minutes of back and forth between us ('oh, you mean over there?' 'No, over there!') I finally convince myself I've found the moose. Looking back, I'm pretty sure I was just staring at a tree stump. Needless to say, I don't really count this as an animal sighting. And unfortunately, that was as close to an animal as we got on the ATV. Jason did decide to climb a big mountain of natural sand and gravel, so that was fun :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fortunately, Jason and I have the rest of the day to hike in Denali and really get into the wilderness. The interesting thing about the park is that there are buses that run up and down a 15 mile road (the only road in the entire park) and at any point you can ask the bus to stop and just get off to camp or hike. It seems a little odd for as large of a park as Denali is (more than 6 million acres) to just drop someone off and leave them. Apparently, quite a few people do it but Jason and I decide to go the safe route and actually stay on a trail. We hike up Mount Heely for about 30 minutes and finally get to a clearing with a beautiful view. We sit down for a bit and rest because at this point, we're pretty tired. It is so quiet and peaceful...we haven't seen a single person the whole time we've been hiking and it's nice to enjoy a quiet that I rarely get to experience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">As we're taking in the scenery, Jason and I are trying to figure out whether this is the end of the trail. It's certainly not the top of the mountain, but there's no signage anywhere to indicate whether the trail goes further or not. We're leaning towards just going back down the mountain and to the hotel when we hear a rustling in the woods. Could this be it? Our long-awaited animal sighting? We stand still and wait as the noise gets closer. Finally, we come face to face with....an elderly couple. Something that we had already seen plenty of on this trip. We say our 'hellos' and come to find out they are on their way down from the very top of the mountain. They carry on about the beautiful view of Mt. McKinley and how it's only another 30 minutes to the top. Not to be outdone by an elderly couple, Jason has already slung on his backpack and headed up the mountain. And I'm so glad he did...the views from the top were even more beautiful then what we had already seen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <i>A view of Mt. McKinley, about 120 miles away</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOsa-2nBwIgOzkcM44XeJZosTc5YxZvtKc6ttz6uBu2iYA5KoZqKph9hZlKXfCG3yzhgrc07_Xt0_RoAWWHCbmjyIlplN0R_HrTE5ENRGSOy0QDTPi3YrcPk3ZaX2kitP3Lo8wRSGpxlH/s1600/Alaska+Trip+281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOsa-2nBwIgOzkcM44XeJZosTc5YxZvtKc6ttz6uBu2iYA5KoZqKph9hZlKXfCG3yzhgrc07_Xt0_RoAWWHCbmjyIlplN0R_HrTE5ENRGSOy0QDTPi3YrcPk3ZaX2kitP3Lo8wRSGpxlH/s320/Alaska+Trip+281.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /> And you know what? We finally spotted an animal! This guy:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Alright, so not exactly what I had in mind but <i>whatever</i>. I'll take what I can get. On our way down the trail, we take this video of Jason walking on the ground. It's the craziest thing I've seen and it's due to the permafrost being partially melted underneath the ground. Kind of freaked me out a bit walking on it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back at the hotel, Jason and I eat dinner at a seafood joint across the street. And would you believe I actually ordered halibut for dinner? Those that know me well know that this is a <i>big </i>deal. <b><i>And I liked it.</i></b> Major breakthrough here, folks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">On the agenda tomorrow: 8 hour train ride from Denali to Anchorage</span><br />
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Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-76949477130280845012013-06-21T09:31:00.000-05:002013-06-21T09:33:43.462-05:00The Last Frontier: Day 2<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jason and I have to wake up super early this morning to catch the shuttle over to the Alaska Railroad Depot. We'll be boarding a train at 8:00 am and riding it for 4 hours over to Denali National Park. The first couple of hours or so on the train are pretty uneventful...not a whole lot to see but a bunch of trees on either side. There was supposedly a moose next to the train at one point, but by the time I was looking in the right direction it had already taken off into the woods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About 30 minutes away from Denali the landscaping changes drastically. All of a sudden we are in the mountains and near the Nunana River.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once our train arrives in Denali, Jason and I quickly realize we are in the minority in a couple of ways. 1) We didn't travel to Alaska via a cruise and 2) We are not members of the AARP. I kid, but seriously, up to this point in our trip we have not seen another couple even remotely near our age. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We catch a shuttle over to our hotel, check in, unload our bags and get ready to get on a helicopter to Yanert Glacier. After yesterday's little "incident" aboard the paper airplane, I'm a little apprehensive about how my stomach will handle the helicopter. Thanks to a miracle patch given to me by a fellow nausea-prone tourist, I don't feel a thing on that helicopter and I'm able to enjoy the amazing landscaping around me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We get out of the helicopter on top of the glacier and walk around a bit. It was so beautiful and overwhelming...and then we come upon a couple of pools of water with the bluest hue you could imagine. I've never seen water so blue. Amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I could stay up on the glacier forever. It's so beautiful and <i>by far</i> my favorite spot on the trip up to this point. Soon the pilot tells us it's time to go and Jason and I reluctantly board the helicopter. He takes a different route back to Denali, weaving in and out of the mountains, up and down the peaks, and all the while I'm saying a prayer of thankfulness for the friendly tourist and her miracle patch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So far, the wildlife in Alaska has proven to be sparse. Aside from the disappearing moose on the train ride, the only animals Jason and I see are some dall sheep from the helicopter. I don't really count them...they look like cookie crumbs from where we are. But we are not going to panic <i>yet</i>. We still have an ATV tour tomorrow morning and in the afternoon we are planning to go hiking in the middle of Denali National Park. We're bound to see something there, right??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**A funny side note: We arrive back at our hotel after the helicopter tour around 6 pm. Jason and I are exhausted so we decide to set the alarm for 8 pm and take a little snooze before dinner. We must have been more tired then we thought because that alarm went off and had nothing on us. I don't know who turned it off but what I do know is that I wake up and the clock says 10:30 pm. Jason and I are still completely clothed, down to our shoes, ready to go to dinner. I wish that I had the next 10 or 15 minutes on video because it was a flurry of disorganized conversation and actions. I nudge Jason, tell him it's 10:30, and he says <i>should we go to dinner?</i> I inform him that I doubt any restaurants are open and we should just go to bed. At that point, I realize I have my shoes on and make the decision to change clothes. My brain is seriously confused (I suppose because it's 10:30 and bright outside) and I think it's already the next day. So, naturally, I start putting on my clothes that I have planned to wear for the following day's activities. About half way through I realize I should, in fact, be putting on my jammies instead. I manage to do this, quickly get back in bed, and don't wake up until 8 am the next morning. We must have been tired :-)</span>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-46798333105989239772013-06-14T13:29:00.000-05:002013-06-14T13:32:49.878-05:00The Last Frontier: Day 1<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I roll over in bed and see that the bright daylight is peeking through the curtains. I'm wide awake and feel like I have slept for a good 10 hours. Ahhhh. 10 hours of uninterupted sleep and waking up when my body is ready to....not when other little munchkin bodies are ready for me to :-) I take a look at the clock thinking I should get up soon so that I can catch breakfast downstairs before it's over. That's when I realize.....it's 5 am. 5 am?!? Breakfast hasn't even <em>started</em> yet. I've only gotten 6 hours of sleep and as much as I try to convince my body that it's too early to wake up, it's just not happening. Adjusting to the time change here is hard....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jason and I had just finished eating our breakfast when we called the taxi to hitch a ride. What, you ask, was our first destination on this most exciting trip in a land so beautiful? This place:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See what I mean about unexpected? Visiting the Fairbanks Wally World was definitely not on the "to-do" list, but we needed to get some essentials for Jason that got lost along with his luggage on the way here. We could have let this whole situation really get us down, upset, frustrated, whatever. But when those thoughts and feelings would trickle into our hearts, we remembered that we had so much to be grateful for and that God is in control of <em>every</em> situation (even something as seemingly silly as lost luggage!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We arrive back at the hotel, grab a quick lunch, and head over to the Fairbanks airport to catch a flight to the Arctic Circle. We get assigned to an 8 passenger plane that I'm pretty sure is no sturdier than a paper airplane on a windy day.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mean, the thing is tiny. But in we climb and, fortunately, the pilot had asked that Jason and I sit in the first row directly behind him. I convince myself that it will benefit me to be able to see directly out the front of the airplane windshield. Before I know it, our headsets are on, we've taken off and we're up in the air. The views were <em>absolutely</em> breathtaking. I cannot do it justice. I look around and we are surrounded by hills and mountains as far as the eye can go. All of it completely uninhabitated except for the wildlife that calls it home. You just cannot believe how much land it is until you see it in the air.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were also able to see the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline, the Yukon River Valley, The Brooks Mountain Range and a whole lot more (more pics to come later). The most anticipated part of the flight, though, was entering into the Arctic Circle. The pilot tells us that we're about 10 minutes away from entering the Arctic Circle, which is at 66 degrees, 33 minutes latitude. He even suggests we take a picture of his GPS at the exact moment we enter to show the latitude measurement, which I thought was a cool idea. Or at least I <em>would have</em> thought it was a cool idea....had my head not been buried in the "air-sickness bag". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did okay for the first 30 minutes or so of the flight, then I felt it coming on. I did everything I could to keep from getting sick; I fanned myself for air, I took off my scarf, I found a focal point outside the plane. Nothing worked. And wouldn't you know? The pilot is showing everyone his GPS, we're inches away from the Arctic Circle line, he says "And we're now in the..." and I didn't hear the rest. The timing was impeccable. As soon as the words "Arctic Circle" came out of the pilot's mouth was the exact moment that I gave in to the air-sickness. And wouldn't you know? At that exact moment, everyone else on the plane had their cameras aimed at the front of the plane (where I'm sitting) to take a picture of the plane's GPS. I'm fairly certain some of those poor people inadvertently captured me in a very vulnerable moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 20 minutes later we land in Coldfoot, Alaska. After apologizing profusely to the other passengers, I stumble off the plane with so much thankfullness in my heart for good, solid ground to stand on. Our pilot was so gracious and understanding and assures me the flight back will be smoother. <em>Oh yeah...hadn't really given much thought to the fact that I have to do that all over again. </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Coldfoot, Jason and I are quickly greeted by Nicolae who will be taking us to a tiny community that is literally in the middle of the wilderness. Nicolae is from Russia but has been living in Alaska for many years now, so he has this kind of funny Russian-Canadian accent. I liked listening to him talk and boy, did he talk. He gave Jason and I so much information that I think I'm still digesting it all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He drove us up to Wiseman, Alaska...population 13. And quite honestly, this was my favorite part of the day. We met a man named Jack who lives in Wiseman year round. In fact, all 13 people in Wiseman stay there year round, which is remarkable considering it can get to -50 degrees in the winter. He showed us a moose he shot last year that would be his family's meat for the remainder of the year. He told us how he has to cut down firewood all year because that's the only way to heat his home in the winter. No gas. No electricity. No plumbing. This may sound really naive, but I just did not realize that people still lived like that.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walk around the community for another hour or so before we start heading back to the van. We seem to be wrapping up, saying goodbyes, etc. when out comes this man from one of the cabins nearby. His name is Clutch and he is a real-life, genuine gold miner. He's lived in Wiseman for many years and he had some stories to tell. We say <em>hello, nice to meet you </em>and then he shows Nicolae and Jack a large load of dirt he purchased in hopes of finding some gold. I mean, this guy is for real. All he does is pan for gold. All day long. Then he looks at Jason and I and asks if we know how to pan for gold. We politely explain <em>No</em>, <em>we're from Texas and that's just not something we do everyday</em> :-) He smiles, then asks, <em>you want to learn</em>? Clearly, this was not part of the tour but since Jason and I were the only ones, Nicolae gives us a nod and says we have time.</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBm9PEw3V_WASaiEWIoZK23bmR4eQXR2g98yiQm2btlwJUHFdp-Lp2cMhy5tPTBk3CTpKCmIoQRx736qNSRjcLl7S1-Mrov1k7B1sujhPaVXZIxrsQD03NcW-QNj-KwLwxIN7LC3aAA6j3/s1600/Alaska+2013+097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBm9PEw3V_WASaiEWIoZK23bmR4eQXR2g98yiQm2btlwJUHFdp-Lp2cMhy5tPTBk3CTpKCmIoQRx736qNSRjcLl7S1-Mrov1k7B1sujhPaVXZIxrsQD03NcW-QNj-KwLwxIN7LC3aAA6j3/s320/Alaska+2013+097.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is Clutch :-)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sadly, no gold was found. But it was fun and interesting to learn from a real prospector. Afterwards, we drove back to Coldfoot to catch our plane ride to Fairbanks. The flight was definitely a lot smoother and I at least got to see us leave the Arctic Circle this time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>On the agenda tomorrow: Train ride to Denali; helicopter ride to Yanert Glacier</strong></span></div>
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Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-76272145823191224232013-03-20T14:31:00.001-05:002013-03-20T14:36:25.114-05:00Spring has sprung<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here at the Adam house we've adopted a fun tradition that, at least in our minds, indicates the beginning of the spring season. It's an activity that I have affectionately dubbed "Kids in a 'Barrow." You see, we have a ginormous tree-covered yard that come mid-March requires at least an entire day (maybe two) of post-winter cleanup....i.e. raking and bagging 40 trash bags worth of leaves. During our marathon yard day last spring the kids started getting antsy and tired of mommy and daddy working. We knew we needed to come up with something fast...these kids don't mess around when it comes to planning a mutiny. What could we do to make them think yard days are fun? We looked around....and saw a wheelbarrow. We looked back at the kids...then back at the wheelbarrow. It made perfect sense in our heads at the time. Now I think we're just weird. Regardless, the kids fell in love and so began our "Kids in a 'Barrow" tradition. Observe....</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now if we could only make this a tradition...then we'd really be in business :-)</span></span><br />
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<br />Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-47988635012736594972013-02-13T13:30:00.001-06:002013-02-13T13:31:35.838-06:00Writing with P<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I. love. homeschooling. Is it hard work? Yes. Is it tiring? Of course. Does it make me want to pull all my hair out and senselessly beat my head against the schoolroom wall? Well yeah, sometimes (I'm <strike>half </strike>kidding here, of course.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In all seriousness, it does take a lot of work but I love to watch my kids learn. And I feel like I get an inside peek into their minds that I may not experience if someone else were teaching them. Take for example a recent journal entry by our sweet P. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The assignment was for her to pick her favorite color and write several sentences relating to things of that color which she likes. Now, in my head I'm thinking the typical response from a little girl would be "<i>pink" </i>or <i>"purple</i>" because <i>"they're pretty". </i>But not our P. It's no secret around here that P's favorite color is brown. And why, you ask, is P's favorite color brown? Because it's the color of most horses, of course. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, I knew at least two of the sentences she was going to write, but I was very interested to see what other 'brown' things she came up with that she liked. What she wrote was definitely unexpected.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I love the coler brown.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I love horses.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I have a brown sister.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I also like chocolate. </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You love the color brown...mmhmm...definitely knew that. You love horses...yep....expected that. You like chocolate...okay, good...so do I. You have a brown sist...wait, what?!? You have a what?!? My sweet P being the sensitive type I held back my laughter and calmly said "Oh, you have a brown sister. Can you tell me more about that?" She went on to explain that she and Bubs were "white-skinned" (truth) while Squid was "brown-skinned" (let me clarify, here.....while Squid definitely carries a more golden undertone than her siblings she is by no means "brown-skinned". I assure you all three kids came from the same gene pool!). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I loved this on so many levels. I loved that P ranked her sister right up there with horses and chocolate. I loved her tender honesty. Most of all, I loved the fact that it started a very important conversation about how not everyone may look like us (yes, even our own siblings) but we are all still fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. We are to love others not based on how we <i>feel</i>, but based on the truth that they are God's creation and precious in His sight. :-)</span></span><br />
<br />Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-57007943046371131172013-02-06T21:19:00.000-06:002013-02-13T13:31:16.883-06:00What? She blogs?!?<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, yes, I know. It's been nearly three years since I last blogged. I could run off a whole long list of why I haven't had time or taken time to blog faithfully. But let's be honest...it's not really important and it's probably nothing you haven't heard already :-)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today is our sweet Squid's fifth birthday. I started the day on somewhat of an emotional roller coaster because I just couldn't really figure out where the last 5 years with this precious girl went. It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming her into the world...and yet it feels like ages ago. She adds a special dimension to our home and I can't imagine a family dinner without one of Squid's random quotes of the day (stay tuned to future posts about these...there are just too many to list here!)She is funny, outgoing, adventurous and we love her to pieces. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We had a couple of things on the agenda to help celebrate the big birthday, but as the day wore on it just became one of THOSE days. I don't really know how to explain it, but I do know that anyone who has been a mom to young children knows what I'm talking about. I just felt beat up and emotionally drained by the end of the day. I was at my most vulnerable point, sitting on the bedroom floor, crying and praying for wisdom and comfort when in walks my sweet little boy. This sweet little boy who, might I add, had been a large source of my frustration for the day<span style="font-size: large;">. </span>He walks in and immediately says "Mommy. Why you crying? I love you." And then he grabs his beloved blankie and ever so gently wipes my cheek with it to catch the tears. Ahhhh....this is what it's about. The love between a mom and her child supercedes every tear, every fit, every sleepless night. Yes, it can be frustrating. But in the end, isn't it all worth it?</span></span>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-84930602945813661532010-09-10T11:33:00.005-05:002013-02-13T13:33:26.425-06:00Spoons<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well, life with three little munchkins has proven challenging and time consuming (as evidenced by my lack of blogging!) Wyatt is 2 1/2 months old and makes my heart melt every time he smiles. The girls have definitely had to adjust quite a bit and although we've had some bumps in the road, I would say all in all they are handling it quite well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the biggest things the girls have had to learn the past couple of months is to entertain themselves. They've always been pretty good about playing on their own for a while, but with all the feedings and diaper changes that go along with a newborn I just don't have as much time with them as usual. The interesting part comes when I am finished taking care of Wyatt and I go look for the girls to see what they've been doing for the last unsupervised half hour. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, the other day I was feeding Wyatt on the family room couch while the girls went their own ways. Sydney went upstairs and P was making some kind of racket in the kitchen and "barn". I couldn't wait to see what P was up to, so as soon as Wyatt was fed I went in to see what was going on. This is what I found:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IE8PDWvgFo7rjZ7ZXKUqUyc6L-vCSgXmLSBMf77tT-1ql4iMV-Fnmvlb6PMuGN14BVqo_9h4x54rUK1ESFJkE7OPL34MEVfOdkt6VI1mzz4vWfxJ80cliUD7Ylfkpfe2FV3cJVaCWsMe/s1600/8.6.2010+046.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515326896164548834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IE8PDWvgFo7rjZ7ZXKUqUyc6L-vCSgXmLSBMf77tT-1ql4iMV-Fnmvlb6PMuGN14BVqo_9h4x54rUK1ESFJkE7OPL34MEVfOdkt6VI1mzz4vWfxJ80cliUD7Ylfkpfe2FV3cJVaCWsMe/s400/8.6.2010+046.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">At first I laughed, and then I said, "That's cool, P. What are those? People standing in a line?" Now, those of you that know P well, know that she has an extremely vivid imagination. So it's not entirely ridiculous for me to think that she has concocted some story about these spoons being something completely different.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After I asked her the question, she looked at me in a somewhat confused way. And then she said, "No mom. They're spoons in a piano." The funny thing is that she said it with a tone and a look on her face that indicated she thought I was some kind of weirdo for thinking they were anything but spoons in a piano. Sure, she pretends the arms of our couches are horses but thinking spoons are people? C'mon...</span></span>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-35960665075458272832010-07-02T14:43:00.005-05:002010-07-02T14:58:11.820-05:00Jack WyattTwo days ago we welcomed little Jack Wyatt into the world. As some of you know, the last month has been a rocky one full of emotions of fear, relief, anticipation. But through it all, God has proven His sovereignty once again and made it very clear to me that He has everything in His hands. There is nothing like the miracle of a tiny baby and I feel honored that the Lord has entrusted Wyatt into Jason and my hands.<br /><br />The most asked question I think I've gotten is.....Who does Wyatt look like? I really think he's a good blend of the two girls. But of course, at this stage in their life, it's hard to tell what they'll really end up looking like. So, I dug up baby pictures of the two girls and decided to put them side by side with a baby picture of Wyatt. What do you think?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Presleigh<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlriUCikgqyeH2GZGUVPch4RdE41AmLm0pHOAL5k2Thh2-lBesOogqcZji5uDEI7CWfOm14YhAXXr4sY4ImHn7zdnO0H_vXOsQLknNKSt8l9qBmsODnz_7t0uxzlwqvQMClUq12fPxWwz-/s1600/P.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlriUCikgqyeH2GZGUVPch4RdE41AmLm0pHOAL5k2Thh2-lBesOogqcZji5uDEI7CWfOm14YhAXXr4sY4ImHn7zdnO0H_vXOsQLknNKSt8l9qBmsODnz_7t0uxzlwqvQMClUq12fPxWwz-/s400/P.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489398819090464690" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sydney<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgOgLd-CPl9QCpfd8iAXaiXVCQjQYvDo71Ica66DnYEqwuCo2J73gy93878odVFpqD0lAJxxUAdg-OZhr16NgJI77SL_NcNE2QG7EaiSF3ifuYHs-D5OjE0Fm80GqERf1JvZzn315KMBK/s1600/Squid.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgOgLd-CPl9QCpfd8iAXaiXVCQjQYvDo71Ica66DnYEqwuCo2J73gy93878odVFpqD0lAJxxUAdg-OZhr16NgJI77SL_NcNE2QG7EaiSF3ifuYHs-D5OjE0Fm80GqERf1JvZzn315KMBK/s400/Squid.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489399067561935842" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Wyatt<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfDO9tRMHTaa1jqmxXxyuONkgvc5FzyHUEDj9NaSirylbGJidxIr1zIIiGLY7xCCFCrnl5ZmeGfL9zcCf5HIClNdvsfE5ihTPAAoynenjYK0VJHAtVfZmGUHSN97hvNv1I2jQMxYptMRE/s1600/Wyatt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfDO9tRMHTaa1jqmxXxyuONkgvc5FzyHUEDj9NaSirylbGJidxIr1zIIiGLY7xCCFCrnl5ZmeGfL9zcCf5HIClNdvsfE5ihTPAAoynenjYK0VJHAtVfZmGUHSN97hvNv1I2jQMxYptMRE/s400/Wyatt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489399759454608402" /></a>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-83288147202834046522010-05-25T20:36:00.006-05:002010-05-25T21:56:00.749-05:00Stylin'I love naptime. Not my own (although if it existed I would indeed love it!). I really relish the time the girls are sleeping. It comes just about every day around 1:00 pm when I get S&P all squared away in their beds for a couple of hours. And as any stay at home mom would tell you, those couple of hours are vital for our sanity. Praise God for making sleep a major requirement for little children....otherwise I'd be in the loony bin by now.<br /><br />But lately I've looked forward to the end of naptime only to see what sort of outfit P is sporting as she walks down the stairs. See, with the arrival of baby Wyatt coming upon us, Jason and I have been really encouraging P to get dressed on her own. She has picked up on it quickly and enjoys showing off her new skill. Perhaps a little too much....<br /><br />I went to check on her the other day during naptime and this is what I found. Wouldn't her hands be hot?<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHNPMa-fOuqdyGMCYWVTU6O8cbVJSl7n5DvxcTtO0mjCbZpKzPaPcVt5Ht44uHLLnAQESIzBTmGuit69O5aiyVP_coyQqdzRU7Q6LExPz8VS7Fo3bNTvaL-zwGCUVSWcxsttOB62xBAo_/s1600/5-25-2010+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHNPMa-fOuqdyGMCYWVTU6O8cbVJSl7n5DvxcTtO0mjCbZpKzPaPcVt5Ht44uHLLnAQESIzBTmGuit69O5aiyVP_coyQqdzRU7Q6LExPz8VS7Fo3bNTvaL-zwGCUVSWcxsttOB62xBAo_/s400/5-25-2010+001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475399810408539362" /></a><br /><br />And this afternoon she walked down the stairs looking like this. That's right...tights OVER her shorts. Fantastic.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHMOOa_0HT0HOY5TpEyyv67t7RCwJN1u9wOnMm1XBqdJmPvEyVNgFrYkRajWiddbznazZmGHwMjJ-r-8vdv9BFdj3zUc7edPzD2khUoMP2bH4Biy0TRciuXvDW4pGwpq3ILAe_LvuKCq_/s1600/5-25-2010+026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHMOOa_0HT0HOY5TpEyyv67t7RCwJN1u9wOnMm1XBqdJmPvEyVNgFrYkRajWiddbznazZmGHwMjJ-r-8vdv9BFdj3zUc7edPzD2khUoMP2bH4Biy0TRciuXvDW4pGwpq3ILAe_LvuKCq_/s400/5-25-2010+026.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475400018784440370" /></a><br /><br />While P likes to tell me she's "stylin'", I think I'll be picking out her outfits for a while...Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-36210215242211178432010-05-13T13:59:00.011-05:002010-05-13T15:21:09.218-05:00One in a billionRemember how I said the last six months involved about a billion things that mainly involved two little mischievous girls? Well, this would be one of those things...<br /><br />I was downstairs cleaning up after lunch and the girls had gone upstairs to play before their naps. They were playing very well together so I (of course) took advantage and decided to take the time to get some other things done downstairs while they occupied themselves. About 15 minutes had gone by when my mom instincts kicked in and said "Hey dummy....it's too quiet up there. You should check it out." <br /><br />So I sneak upstairs only to overhear in the playroom Sydney say, "Give one to mommy." Then I hear P say "No, Sydney. Don't give one to mommy. She will be angry." I immediately reveal myself to them, curious to know what exactly it was that I would be angry about. I look in the room and my eye instantly goes to their "craft" table on which I find this<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9YMGQBTSCiM1y5tF4FDjn8dR0YdBINWxpSMNdJnKTbmvfFdPCXW_x9T-aCzZpNv2YL-aLdWjztc83K6FUR9l7Ukff79DYcMIO6eag5AwgqxNnt78YM-wBH8ZcDoukXqRsQZ-gA33duzb/s1600/April+2010+704.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9YMGQBTSCiM1y5tF4FDjn8dR0YdBINWxpSMNdJnKTbmvfFdPCXW_x9T-aCzZpNv2YL-aLdWjztc83K6FUR9l7Ukff79DYcMIO6eag5AwgqxNnt78YM-wBH8ZcDoukXqRsQZ-gA33duzb/s400/April+2010+704.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470852166740433474" /></a><br /><br />That's right. Thirteen unwrapped and already licked lollipops neatly lined up in a row (courtesy of P, no doubt). It appears they had found my "secret" hiding place for their bucket o'lollipops and were deciding which color they liked the best. P had 2 in each hand, also unwrapped and already licked, and Sydney had one in each hand...one of which she was so kindly going to give to me so I could join in on their little slice of heaven. <br /><br />Surprisingly enough, their only punishment was to help clean up the wrappers strewn about the floor and bid farewell to their lollipops in the trashcan. And yes, the bucket o'lollipops is now hidden once again, this time way up high where they won't be able to reach them for a long time. Or so I think...Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-72854030539993633382010-05-10T20:50:00.007-05:002010-05-11T22:40:46.334-05:006 months....Sooooo.....a lot has happened since I last posted. Life just got really hectic and I really didn't think anyone read this blog anymore anyway, so I set it aside. However, after some heckling this weekend by my sister-in-law and mother-in-law (love you guys!) I decided that perhaps I should dust off the ole laptop and get back to blogging. Here's a recap of what all has happened over the last 6 months:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Our little munchkin celebrated her 3rd birthday<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuq-qaZQFNU27S1tF20U0exPGh9r33YEVEmMNfmYdkgN3csRPumCJNBtic_6C5FbfD1M0k77BVkfvnptSyRVMU6BK2BbEAgpqPmTxQEIG_e9KCK53owy9njN1PLNJu-L3vE9s4j3s-qT0/s1600/April+2010+407.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuq-qaZQFNU27S1tF20U0exPGh9r33YEVEmMNfmYdkgN3csRPumCJNBtic_6C5FbfD1M0k77BVkfvnptSyRVMU6BK2BbEAgpqPmTxQEIG_e9KCK53owy9njN1PLNJu-L3vE9s4j3s-qT0/s320/April+2010+407.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469827311888100146" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><br />We found out we will be welcoming baby #3 in mid-July. After much anticipation and perspiration (on Jason's part) we found out it would be a boy. S&P cannot wait to meet Baby Wyatt. :) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_G1B0Soscq8fgAVbQKaTato8NbU2pwe9CDzZJ-lzgFhAao997naa1puExe_R558YgE9n304IOkDpi9dZzjqPrpXyYcHnSlP7heDogvfJVZFXxrhYuPv4LH2t7BC6kcBgvlsXhs_Fhj2k/s1600/2010-05-11+20.14.04(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_G1B0Soscq8fgAVbQKaTato8NbU2pwe9CDzZJ-lzgFhAao997naa1puExe_R558YgE9n304IOkDpi9dZzjqPrpXyYcHnSlP7heDogvfJVZFXxrhYuPv4LH2t7BC6kcBgvlsXhs_Fhj2k/s320/2010-05-11+20.14.04(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470223114646345010" /></a><br /><br /><br />We took a family vacation to New York to visit relatives and enjoy some snow<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkClpnDxF5CKHb0n8ZERpdhfwv0ZLkw7l_UIlLOZgDOGHWO7uYF2RbXqoCErH9stGbWb3UE_4a2oVdxJDEotlWz4L5yEvCB-t3Q5pBQv5aNVhM-LskUWk2q21aLTqKgLhAqaj9Cxmi5p0/s1600/April+2010+475.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkClpnDxF5CKHb0n8ZERpdhfwv0ZLkw7l_UIlLOZgDOGHWO7uYF2RbXqoCErH9stGbWb3UE_4a2oVdxJDEotlWz4L5yEvCB-t3Q5pBQv5aNVhM-LskUWk2q21aLTqKgLhAqaj9Cxmi5p0/s320/April+2010+475.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469827896025381778" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Our little squidster celebrated her 2nd birthday<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhjHjCkc0SbRAveApNoRELOOCO9QkMIzdwU0VBOUDFjhrc-UGqOs97-KNiAZLJ6NwCdWABhsN3sAZ1tCJo93m5vq2oQu_LCjqy2y4luWWtNNtf0D_MFtLjEBKkxi96rJCQhn85Og-92gJ/s1600/April+2010+617.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhjHjCkc0SbRAveApNoRELOOCO9QkMIzdwU0VBOUDFjhrc-UGqOs97-KNiAZLJ6NwCdWABhsN3sAZ1tCJo93m5vq2oQu_LCjqy2y4luWWtNNtf0D_MFtLjEBKkxi96rJCQhn85Og-92gJ/s320/April+2010+617.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469830282460985458" /></a><br /><br />And of course there are about a thousand other things that went on around here most of which include 2 little munchkins and their mischievous personalities. Perhaps I will be able to catch everyone up over time....Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-90161968236917887112009-11-01T20:38:00.004-06:002009-11-01T21:30:15.504-06:00Cowgirl & IndianI've never really been one to get into Halloween...most of it is just a little creepy for me and to be honest, I just never got what the big deal was. Once I had kids, though, it took on a whole new meaning. I have LOVED getting to dress my girls up every year in costumes. Something about putting a little girl in a big sunflower costume or dressing her up as a princess makes me smile. This was the first year, though, that we ventured out into the trick-or-treating world, and I really did not know what to expect. I assumed we would go to 3 or 4 houses and be done because the kids seemed too young to really get and enjoy the whole concept. Boy was I wrong. <br /><br />We went to T&R's at about 5:30 for pictures with Ike and Nate then started out on our trick-or-treating journey when it started to get a little dark. Ike was the most hesitant, with P right behind him. Squid, however, was a whole different story. The kid had no fear. She would just be-bop (yes that's a technical term) up the driveway with her little pumpkin bucket, grab a good handful of candy, put it in her bucket and be-bop along to the next house. Totally unexpected from our little girl who is usually timid and cautious of people. Ike and P soon followed after and we ended up being out for about an hour, maybe longer. It was a lot of fun.<br /><br />Anyway, I managed to get some pictures of the cowgirl and indian before all the major festivities began. This was my favorite.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxqfHWNM6XtiFnIoPPjRwFwfQEoMQAJCarSEoyCcWAughfu6WTaY5xaHumqLYs2c43OKGO8VAS8vxJ7cgiYGiXs_lH3OojenkOjfdCYGWm-j5iMaCBVXwHwgi6RY497uQjDmKlY2pkH8T/s1600-h/S&P2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxqfHWNM6XtiFnIoPPjRwFwfQEoMQAJCarSEoyCcWAughfu6WTaY5xaHumqLYs2c43OKGO8VAS8vxJ7cgiYGiXs_lH3OojenkOjfdCYGWm-j5iMaCBVXwHwgi6RY497uQjDmKlY2pkH8T/s400/S&P2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399343402939433202" /></a>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-29318459904272653752009-09-10T08:14:00.003-05:002009-09-10T08:29:23.640-05:00Bueller? Bueller?Alright, alright....I know. It's been forever and a day since I last posted and a lot of you probably thought I disappeared off the face of the earth about a month ago. Not so, my friend!! Yes, it's been almost 3 months since I last blogged (embarrassing to admit!) and since then our house has sold, we've moved into a new house, and the aforementioned haircut of Squid's has grown out to mop-head proportions. Life has been busy but fun indeed! We are loving our new home and the girls have adjusted quite nicely. The large playroom upstairs and the playground in the backyard has helped with the transition, I think :) I hope to post some "Before" and "After" pictures soon, as we have put quite a bit of work into this house already. Fortunately, it had good bones to it....it just needed a little TLC here and there. For now, I will leave you with a "Conversations with P" tidbit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Presleigh</span>: (as she comes bounding into the room) "I'm watching Super Why, mommy!" <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">***For those of you who don't know, Super Why is an educational PBS program that is on weekday mornings. It's about a group of "super readers" that teach about letters, their sounds, reading, etc. Okay...back to the story.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me</span>: You're watching Super Why? That's cool! What are you learning about?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Presleigh</span>: JESUS!!<br /><br />Hmmm....somehow I don't think Jesus was involved in the Super Why episode, but this definitely made me smile.Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-67288576034739031892009-06-18T13:14:00.005-05:002009-06-18T13:54:01.554-05:00Sydney's New DoFunny story....The girls and I were playing last night right before bedtime, when I noticed a couple of hairs that were getting in Sydney's eyes and were WAY longer than the rest of her hair. So I think to myself, "I should trim those hairs so they don't get in her eyes. I'll go get the scissors." Somewhere in between that thought and going to get the scissors, I have another thought. "I should just trim all of her hair. It can't be that hard, right? At least the bangs need to be evened out some." And something crazy told me that this was a good idea and I should follow through with it. So I did.<br /><br />I had Sydney sitting all still, I have my scissors in hand about to make the cut, when she makes a sudden dash for her 'B'. I tried to pull the scissors away but wasn't fast enough and they ended up cutting whatever hair fell in the blades. I slowly open my eyes to survey the damage thanking the dear Lord in heaven that a blade didn't go in her eye. The bangs were not so fortunate. They were, how you say, VERY short and VERY uneven. I tried to even them out, but Sydney wasn't a big fan of sitting still so I surrendered. I did get to trim the back so the mullet affect is gone. Here are some pics.<br /><br />The Before<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPa7NgZcdB7ptjOGYzY4FP9AAU8tCkTogHiUWILTEVHSbrI02MjPdLtae9GXMN1waQKVWk-ikKQuyoa2vRa2UvaF_zrdnbqDSeppcjgqgExdSeejKfQ04smzKOK_NwKIge8JUoUTLkMInh/s1600-h/DSC02475.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPa7NgZcdB7ptjOGYzY4FP9AAU8tCkTogHiUWILTEVHSbrI02MjPdLtae9GXMN1waQKVWk-ikKQuyoa2vRa2UvaF_zrdnbqDSeppcjgqgExdSeejKfQ04smzKOK_NwKIge8JUoUTLkMInh/s400/DSC02475.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348734650901438530" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The After<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1BXUQYnQYIGgGEqKQkloMEuXxommtFp9uxcqycxPVfjB9EPRCGZewRJ9i9-u33Eaf-u9jOSbaG1VdHUHCjTk1XtWD_9fGzT9MNZ-ER3nHoVP59YcZZKp2T5nljQduOFMUGmIJcpKrIlC/s1600-h/DSC02497.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1BXUQYnQYIGgGEqKQkloMEuXxommtFp9uxcqycxPVfjB9EPRCGZewRJ9i9-u33Eaf-u9jOSbaG1VdHUHCjTk1XtWD_9fGzT9MNZ-ER3nHoVP59YcZZKp2T5nljQduOFMUGmIJcpKrIlC/s400/DSC02497.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348734880106963234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_q5_0J3ZviSJ9CbG7HsOZ3Iic16Z8xjoH_2Q_7b78p_oDHLQnsQAtCrlYEWRvfJRJ1UOtnP5RFYTad_nl_U0Hss1xx53hVOLfRSlvSPZmk4LmUOxDsVUk0bDeHk8jNx67O0TNvpCNAsZ/s1600-h/DSC02495.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_q5_0J3ZviSJ9CbG7HsOZ3Iic16Z8xjoH_2Q_7b78p_oDHLQnsQAtCrlYEWRvfJRJ1UOtnP5RFYTad_nl_U0Hss1xx53hVOLfRSlvSPZmk4LmUOxDsVUk0bDeHk8jNx67O0TNvpCNAsZ/s400/DSC02495.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348742215304596210" border="0" /></a><br />Anyway, after Sydney's hair was all cut P of course wanted her hair cut also. Fine. What the heck? I'll just trim it in the back. I go to get the trash can out of the bathroom so the hair falls into it and not on the floor. I walk back into the media room to find P holding the scissors to her hair. AAAGGGHHH!!!! Fortunately, I was quick enough to get them out of her hand before she too had, how you say, VERY short and VERY uneven bangs. Talk about a disaster. I realized at that point that none of this was a good idea and I must get rid of the scissors ASAP. I do a quick trim in the back of P's hair (successfully!!) and called it a night. What on earth was I thinking?Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-39594011623866919922009-06-16T14:47:00.003-05:002009-06-16T14:59:49.626-05:00Round 2I was gently reminded yesterday that I hadn't blogged in a while (thanks, mom) so I thought I would update everyone on our house situation and the goings on around here. As most of ya'll know, we put our house on the market last year; 7 months and 75 showings later we had no contract and so we decided to take it off the market and give ourselves a break.<br /><br />After much prayer and thought, we felt that the timing was right and put our house BACK on the market last week. We had our first showing yesterday, and praise the Lord, they are so interested in the house that they are coming back on Saturday. The only hang up is the master closet (surprise, surprise) so Jason is actually going to be at the showing on Saturday to discuss with the potential buyers some options for adding a closet or enlarging the current one.<br /><br />If anyone reads this, PLEASE, please pray that the showing on Saturday would go well and that we would get a contract soon. It has been a long road for us and it would be such a blessing to not have to have it on the market for such a long time again. God is so good, and His timing is perfect. I pray that we never forget that!!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJ9e6vQhiOtpHaMxfG8iITwWe3TM8WKM-8xXS0q_BsaS1Gx9bnmxipWfrpEqW05fQhJJ0mtl9vfAWzr-6M7Cq_hoYL0yL1XOQ5rzxSCD8hU1h7n0Vk3V-JQMVaVZQgdmdDoWrzyWl8ZGw/s1600-h/house.htm"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJ9e6vQhiOtpHaMxfG8iITwWe3TM8WKM-8xXS0q_BsaS1Gx9bnmxipWfrpEqW05fQhJJ0mtl9vfAWzr-6M7Cq_hoYL0yL1XOQ5rzxSCD8hU1h7n0Vk3V-JQMVaVZQgdmdDoWrzyWl8ZGw/s400/house.htm" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348016904980509122" border="0" /></a> A pic of our home at 6 Rugby :-)Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-90987439331785796442009-05-05T14:59:00.009-05:002009-05-05T16:45:39.283-05:00It's ContagiousI ran across this video today while cleaning out our video camera. I think S was around 4 or 5 months old (so it was almost a year ago...that's crazy!!) Anyway, I decided I had to share because it put such a huge smile on my face. Hope it does the same for you...<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyd9MP-0Cjd8K7xa8Z8ZmvGqG-ucRczcibKtGSSYOqYDtATqnnjeQMymj0J76jXeVP-rrTUEjIaGxI5-lEj8w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-13577343450627234132009-04-02T21:29:00.002-05:002009-04-02T21:46:59.482-05:00Best. Hair. Ever.WOW.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW24HeCW5fzcFswOxh45Y_quBbRfqdAWv3z_jyZrXOgA0E9YZiG8ZiKJEptu8gsAbp2DLi-etntwmvnKTDfgYvTnSAPNxdPOInPeoO7Pgtw6QGMoBwqXENSHu4zgiNzkVtno_R199z8WK/s1600-h/DSC02113.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW24HeCW5fzcFswOxh45Y_quBbRfqdAWv3z_jyZrXOgA0E9YZiG8ZiKJEptu8gsAbp2DLi-etntwmvnKTDfgYvTnSAPNxdPOInPeoO7Pgtw6QGMoBwqXENSHu4zgiNzkVtno_R199z8WK/s400/DSC02113.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320290740230410562" /></a>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-58050565002692381542009-03-23T20:19:00.003-05:002009-03-23T20:32:08.371-05:00More Conversation with P....At the entrance to our part of the neighborhood there is a wooded area right next to a somewhat open field, where a LOT of deer like to roam about from time to time. P has become quite fascinated with these little guys and looks for them every time we drive by. This morning, we were on our way home from running errands and just as we turn the corner the conversation goes as such:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">P:</span> Deer, where are you?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> I don't see the deer. I guess they're in the woods right now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">P:</span> They're sleeping.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Me:</span> Oh, I see. They're sleeping.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">P:</span> Yeah, they're getting their boppies (pacifiers)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Me:</span> Oh.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />P:</span> And their lions.<br /><br />Deer with their boppies and stuffed lions. Now that's a picture...Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-55076365399381823092009-02-20T19:29:00.005-06:002009-02-20T19:57:38.189-06:00Wal-Mart FunTaking the girls out to run errands is always an adventure...sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing. This afternoon we went to Wal-Mart for a small grocery run...bread, veggies, you know, the essentials. So, I get P in the big part of the cart, S in the front seat and off we go to the produce section. First item on the list: serrano peppers. I grab the produce bag, put the peppers in, and go to my list to proudly check off item #1....when I see Sydney literally standing in the cart. She has wiggled her way out of the strap and decided that standing ON the seat is way better than standing IN the seat. I scold her appropriately and get her situated back in her seat. Off we go...<br /><br />We are about halfway through the trip when P decides she would like to announce to all our fellow grocers that she "Has to go poo poo." After saying "I gotta go poo poo!" about 5 times loudly in a row, I decided to distract her with one of her favorite dittys "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands". The way we sing is that P gets to decide what exactly "He" has in his hands. Typically she wants baby sister, mommy and daddy, etc but today she decided that she wanted me to sing "He's got Presleigh's poo poo in His hands." Really? Does he really have poo poo in his hands? Gross.<br /><br />And so the song goes. After we sing about Sydney's poo poo and even Larry Boy's poo poo I finally get her distracted enough to finish the trip in silence (not without avoiding the disturbed looks from passers by).<br /><br />Oh S & P, life would be so boring without you guys :)Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-12349285797114248182009-02-11T11:57:00.005-06:002009-02-11T12:16:00.159-06:00Conversations with PI find myself amazed on an almost daily basis at what P has learned and what she can communicate in conversation. For example, yesterday the girls and I were playing in the family room where my Bible sat on the ottoman. P has a fascination with the Bible (I pray it continues!) probably just because it's a book and it has funny feeling pages. Anyway, the conversation went as follows:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">P:</span> Bible!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Yeah, that's the Bible. What's in the Bible? (asking this, not really expecting her to know, but thinking of it as an opportunity to tell her)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">P:</span> Arky, Arky! (as in Noah's Ark)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> That's right! What else?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">P:</span> Lion! Den! (as in Daniel in the Lion's Den)<br /><br />Now I know this isn't earth shattering, but I just thought it cool that she's already learning that the Bible is a special book that has lots of different stories. And that the Bible is not one specific book that always looks the same physically...she can just as easily point out daddy's Bible which looks entirely different from mine.<br /><br />Anyway, she's not a kid genius or anything, but she's smart to me! And just know that 2 year olds are a lot more intuitive than we probably give them credit for. More conversations with P to come...Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-67351183610154497692009-02-06T17:27:00.006-06:002009-02-06T17:46:35.823-06:00Happy Birthday, Squid!Today is my baby's 1st birthday! Hard to believe. It has been a hard, but extremely fun, year and I can't explain how much joy this little one brings to me. I am truly blessed!<br /><br />Anyway, I put together a little montage of the past year and how much S has changed. I hope everyone enjoys!<br /><br /><div><embed src="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=802ae049efc60d1961cf15" quality="high" scale="noscale" width="408" height="382" wmode="transparent" name="FLVPlayer" salign="LT" flashvars="&p=802ae049efc60d1961cf15&skin_id=701&host=http://www.onetruemedia.com" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div style="margin:0px;font:12px/13px verdana,arial,sans-serif;line-height:20px;padding-bottom:15px;width:408px;text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_player_link?p=802ae049efc60d1961cf15&skin_id=701&source=emplay" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_player_link_image/802ae049efc60d1961cf15/701.gif" style="border:0px;" width="408" /></a><br/><a href="http://www.onetruemedia.com/landing?&utm_source=emplay&utm_medium=txt1" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none;">Make an on-line slide show at <span style="text-decoration:underline;">www.OneTrueMedia.com</span></a></div></div>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-74385787169560430322009-01-31T12:59:00.005-06:002009-01-31T13:09:12.558-06:00A day at the parkToday was such a beautiful day that J and I decided to take the girls to a park nearby. P of course had a blast on the "big slide" and got a lot of energy out climbing everything in sight. Squid got quite adventurous herself and decided to crawl all around the playground like her big sister. Here are some pics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SXS3a7AnDAFZQ2OAUBK8DlK7ETKAlQVtNe7l469JFSLdNxBxigndEAUuvMw2xifqFIzIZuFo02p-6A__bZF8kwHWDfXXRWx43rAGFs-iLJcgSayIDomS1z7s58p9dDWnTD69UOX2UcsS/s1600-h/DSC01867(1).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SXS3a7AnDAFZQ2OAUBK8DlK7ETKAlQVtNe7l469JFSLdNxBxigndEAUuvMw2xifqFIzIZuFo02p-6A__bZF8kwHWDfXXRWx43rAGFs-iLJcgSayIDomS1z7s58p9dDWnTD69UOX2UcsS/s400/DSC01867(1).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297536146316380754" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpa0fASA23EoEPDVnVvKfhXMZrp4nmZ4uYvBG8onOPaWvayI4YQwwg0_PDkprFqzY1I-WOz5cWbP1Bt3WXtGyqnjBuOW0h2bEGGbmKFx1_MnMIxsy6v0yvwnw5gm0nvSJpTeVQBEJZdsj/s1600-h/DSC01866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpa0fASA23EoEPDVnVvKfhXMZrp4nmZ4uYvBG8onOPaWvayI4YQwwg0_PDkprFqzY1I-WOz5cWbP1Bt3WXtGyqnjBuOW0h2bEGGbmKFx1_MnMIxsy6v0yvwnw5gm0nvSJpTeVQBEJZdsj/s400/DSC01866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297536954322451394" /></a>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-30326321846727840162009-01-22T20:47:00.006-06:002009-01-23T11:04:25.956-06:00Happy Birthday!!So, yesterday was my sister-in-law's birthday and so to her I say...hope you had a happy 28th!!! (and your present is on its way :-) Since the girls and I couldn't see her on her birthday, I thought this video was the next best thing. I recorded it yesterday and tried my darndest to post this blog yesterday, but it took me for-e-ver to figure out how to get the video on to my computer. Then for whatever reason, adding the video to the blog took so long I thought I was going to have to wish her a happy 29th instead!! <br /><br />Anyway, here's a little birthday wish from the P Munch. Enjoy!<br /><br />Sidenote: I just noticed the blog says I posted on the 22nd...but I just added it this morning (the 23rd). Or maybe I actually posted the text yesterday and edited with the video this morning. Either way, I DO know when her birthday is!!! :-) <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dybgRrX1d6O2pXPDKVuD5_D1tc9jQD6UKWHP19y9jT6_xR3VXCwsugAwGfcMib1UTrP9nF4dl7VY1MnXZwvuw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-78378301378799288642009-01-12T21:47:00.005-06:002009-01-12T22:07:00.788-06:00Sweet ReunionA couple of weeks ago, in the midst of the holiday hoopla, P's precious Lion went missing. It was so hard to keep track of him at all the different places we went...Nana's, Grandma's, Papa's and so on. I blame myself. What greater responsibility does a mother have than to keep track of her sweet P's best buddy? But I digress. After making all the emergency calls to see if anyone had seen our missing friend with no success, I gave up. I kind of blew it off, because after all, P didn't seem too distraught about it. And then over the last couple of days, dear old Lion came back into my mind. I can't really explain P's reaction to him being gone. It's not like she asked for him constantly, but still I could tell she was wondering where he had run off to. So today as I was hanging clothes in S's closet, my eye drifted down to this ginormous basket of stuffed animals. I had never looked there. But no, certainly lion didn't get tossed into a basket with a bunch of other toys?!? It was worth a shot. I dug and dug and then at last I saw the familiar tail sticking out. I grabbed him and ran to P and announced "Look what I found! LION!!!" Words cannot express her face. Her eyes lit up, a smile broadened across her face, (maybe even a tear of joy...ok not really) and all the words she could muster up to say were "Thanks!". Well, P and Lion are back together because I don't think he has left her side yet today. Sleep well, P Munch. Mystery solved.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxxHRALqf8Vc5gOhVYgSJu_HNtnfWiaOgLoHfk0UzIPXnJb_oJlnYVZwKzbRmp-0xRpSSQs8eDX9WQH_Yy2dcQAtaZEjW5XOE9I6HO9XizUN4yo6xTHpEtpfZR_PDdNdQCoppg0cPfu5S/s1600-h/Lion.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxxHRALqf8Vc5gOhVYgSJu_HNtnfWiaOgLoHfk0UzIPXnJb_oJlnYVZwKzbRmp-0xRpSSQs8eDX9WQH_Yy2dcQAtaZEjW5XOE9I6HO9XizUN4yo6xTHpEtpfZR_PDdNdQCoppg0cPfu5S/s400/Lion.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290624918093609490" /></a>Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661994647441403857.post-16112514972110387732009-01-07T14:19:00.002-06:002009-01-07T14:24:12.134-06:00Snot, and more SnotSo, for the last several days I've been up to my ears in snot. Not my snot. The snot of my two precious angels, S&P. P got it first at the very beginning of the new year and S soon followed suit. And let me just say, it is tiring having two little sick ones. Not only do they wake up several times during the night because they can't breathe, but then during the day all they want to do is lay on me. Although, I've enjoyed having an excuse to just lay and snuggle with my little ones :) Anyway, they've gotten past the nasty fevers of 102/103 degrees and I think we're on the home stretch. Now I just have to pray J and I don't get it! Pumping OJ and vitamins in my system as we speak....Candicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05237756938586783295noreply@blogger.com0