tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38222064477865054902024-03-13T09:20:39.385-07:00The Common ThreadUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-61413373309735418192014-11-29T20:46:00.001-08:002014-11-30T01:05:42.316-08:00We're Baaaaaack!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, the last time I posted, Everett was so young that he was bald.<br />
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BALD.<br />
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See previous post if you need photographic proof. That's totally ridiculous, and something clearly needed to be done about it. Hence - resurrected blog! I really do enjoy writing, and not everything that I want to say can be captured in a quick Facebook update. As much as I hate to admit it, I refer to this thing frequently... especially when I have to fill out questionnaires for doctors' appointments. When did your kid start walking? Um, let me check the blog. When did he start talking in full sentences? I'm sure I have a post about that somewhere! So, bottom line, this serves multiple purposes: Posterity, sharing stories with other smug mom bloggers (kidding about the smug part!), and making me a better rememberer. Or combating the fact that I'm a terrible rememberer without some form of documentation. <br />
(<i>Is rememberer even a word???</i>)<br />
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What to pick for my re-inaugural post? I'm so glad you asked! We've been working on redoing the boys' rooms for some time now. Ethan had outgrown his jungle theme, and Everett moved into a toddler bed and needed a bit of a refresher. It's been really fun thinking up ideas with Ryan and creating new projects. I firmly stand behind the statement that crafting can be just as effective as therapy, and honestly - who couldn't use a little bit of a boost to their mind-body wellness now and then? <br />
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Everett's forest theme is still working for him, but just needed a little enhancement. The open space on the wall that the crib once filled left a huge void, which was just *begging* for something artsy to replace it. I'm not usually a big fan of kids' names on the walls, but this project kind of evolved in a way that made me change my tune. I wanted to use the skin/scales/fur/feathers of forest animals as a pattern for each different letter. The burlap background was a nod to my friend Stacie's Lil' Brother bunting that dates back to my baby shower, and Ryan came up with the idea to add moss, which inspired me to polish it off with some foliage. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times:<br />
Teamwork makes the dream work, baby.<br />
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(Click on images to enlarge)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY2fsVndn9uCIYHkjEsV2MWUb_206RB2kp4dvgZrxs2R-CBbqoXfFLXvCU7yzL17ODaakWnFQYJeHlh9lBRy28NH0vTwBQI7Vz0DVDOaApk114f3_1h9po6zIuZUDLiEefJqVkfMSe8g/s1600/Ev_Room-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY2fsVndn9uCIYHkjEsV2MWUb_206RB2kp4dvgZrxs2R-CBbqoXfFLXvCU7yzL17ODaakWnFQYJeHlh9lBRy28NH0vTwBQI7Vz0DVDOaApk114f3_1h9po6zIuZUDLiEefJqVkfMSe8g/s1600/Ev_Room-13.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We swapped rugs in the boys' rooms. Instant refresher, zero dollars!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5m-mON2zJQOTM5sLRUFozMl5wzdM35_kZ7OuO8gAuhTGY6dLtKemZ1OlXy_R9h6ketwZBIrI6tl-jqhL-6jDDmIIj4S7OmWWMpFmIl1YvmkFPwq1MANN4-GHISQzvfPtbzeQAVxnOho/s1600/Ev_Room-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5m-mON2zJQOTM5sLRUFozMl5wzdM35_kZ7OuO8gAuhTGY6dLtKemZ1OlXy_R9h6ketwZBIrI6tl-jqhL-6jDDmIIj4S7OmWWMpFmIl1YvmkFPwq1MANN4-GHISQzvfPtbzeQAVxnOho/s1600/Ev_Room-2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't this bunting just the cutest?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ce3Wh5aoScZVud3REEveJ0SF39D-zz69FNILzbM3pFlKnrhdwEXoAXdoPeW_wylcQ8mG-gFL-Ic851fTuvGiY3G2s42A-ZtMCxr0LqJQERTxye_F-NlgrrxEhUGfxFlZECG92VIcW2s/s1600/Ev_Room-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ce3Wh5aoScZVud3REEveJ0SF39D-zz69FNILzbM3pFlKnrhdwEXoAXdoPeW_wylcQ8mG-gFL-Ic851fTuvGiY3G2s42A-ZtMCxr0LqJQERTxye_F-NlgrrxEhUGfxFlZECG92VIcW2s/s1600/Ev_Room-16.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We use this bear as a chair when reading bedtime stories. So snuggly!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOHFPDBAWUj4olH6bQrhiCAm61YQfZfqJrYKbptpvvLRjQceOs48Hys6gbwcuxFoTrUT2dOrFtthyphenhyphenOqGuNn9O5Xf1x3O8vpjCjo2V9glxzFl-XIcP-6x0qD_KZ92zHbQjKUejBinWWo0/s1600/PaperDetails1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOHFPDBAWUj4olH6bQrhiCAm61YQfZfqJrYKbptpvvLRjQceOs48Hys6gbwcuxFoTrUT2dOrFtthyphenhyphenOqGuNn9O5Xf1x3O8vpjCjo2V9glxzFl-XIcP-6x0qD_KZ92zHbQjKUejBinWWo0/s1600/PaperDetails1.jpg" height="158" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Details of the cut paper project I made when I was pregnant with Ev.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQb-WC55qCeO4SJrMI5-fXwMj2kVwbSeDgGUV2OyRiWmty__FYDnZiJXc3OpjWcZtOX8PJN_pofKA1L2iF_TcBhbC-orrv79fD4-qWGrOnYav3T-h-eQYn71JbIzL-OG5tjJLmGxa_Nv4/s1600/PaperDetails2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQb-WC55qCeO4SJrMI5-fXwMj2kVwbSeDgGUV2OyRiWmty__FYDnZiJXc3OpjWcZtOX8PJN_pofKA1L2iF_TcBhbC-orrv79fD4-qWGrOnYav3T-h-eQYn71JbIzL-OG5tjJLmGxa_Nv4/s1600/PaperDetails2.jpg" height="137" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta love mismatched thrift store frames. Cheap, and shabby chic!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH-SCQ8IZkLO3qQPCb1YoSV5AU6Ah6US_xTh6VP448NEMrhSZiRnPUJp68sPrCZsl4QR_wUkyUlstEG9gL0Io6jEQ-SIWr-kZFZ1Rrkpv7XxaH9ysTErTkLuXB_vVImcPNVOKp__LJmY/s1600/Ev_Room-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH-SCQ8IZkLO3qQPCb1YoSV5AU6Ah6US_xTh6VP448NEMrhSZiRnPUJp68sPrCZsl4QR_wUkyUlstEG9gL0Io6jEQ-SIWr-kZFZ1Rrkpv7XxaH9ysTErTkLuXB_vVImcPNVOKp__LJmY/s1600/Ev_Room-36.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta da! After hours of painting, it's all done.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fcbXYzjclYW2-4OwD2nNYN736zSYmnBlZKNStwua72QgONNKsiYEvzWNJAKqzuf79AofRVo6XOZ2XEv_QHTYYOIhvOB20K5Z3bzg-J1kA0biW4_JstLkmvHGU3z_wLuNqmQqF-NCIa0/s1600/EverettDetails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fcbXYzjclYW2-4OwD2nNYN736zSYmnBlZKNStwua72QgONNKsiYEvzWNJAKqzuf79AofRVo6XOZ2XEv_QHTYYOIhvOB20K5Z3bzg-J1kA0biW4_JstLkmvHGU3z_wLuNqmQqF-NCIa0/s1600/EverettDetails.jpg" height="88" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly, raccoon, frog, blue jay, turtle, fox, and deer. If you were wondering.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLA-7-lOEp3WfeWSnXFSVhCBO5qazz64jBz8j7QFnV87LRTkZmuIGOJ2eff1PGD8se3XtmbR2VgZlVRqUyo58HDcRnn-Sm9qRozvwhtgx9U80Ur-F7DO-EHuK0ItnM5FHx2ibSqZcdAQ/s1600/Ev_Room-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLA-7-lOEp3WfeWSnXFSVhCBO5qazz64jBz8j7QFnV87LRTkZmuIGOJ2eff1PGD8se3XtmbR2VgZlVRqUyo58HDcRnn-Sm9qRozvwhtgx9U80Ur-F7DO-EHuK0ItnM5FHx2ibSqZcdAQ/s1600/Ev_Room-35.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The butterfly is my favorite.</td></tr>
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In Ethan's room, we completely changed his theme. Gone are the jungle grasses that our dear friend Vicki helped me painstakingly paint during an ENTIRE SPRING BREAK long, long ago. It was sad to see it go, but to every thing there is a season. We went with a space theme for his room this time around.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Rr7hu2wHisCZRMrTipfr5aqQhgmMtrqcsf2NA6BVXWSdlEdRDoJmFH3DCb5btnunZu2LE0e2UB_rD7AwdgVZoQUTebDJeOwfSnZuSo8jFlJ9JQ0uxJ-U6rt9JkHdq9Zpdx4KFG6o8Uw/s1600/E_Room-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Rr7hu2wHisCZRMrTipfr5aqQhgmMtrqcsf2NA6BVXWSdlEdRDoJmFH3DCb5btnunZu2LE0e2UB_rD7AwdgVZoQUTebDJeOwfSnZuSo8jFlJ9JQ0uxJ-U6rt9JkHdq9Zpdx4KFG6o8Uw/s1600/E_Room-1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 - 2 - 1 - Blast off!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ8SGH0uCBQyGIfnkncMKySx5nAiGcSuGyJ4uKgqMg29P3yRnPxX1DTpIae_LK_pAetjOXGG5zKcfaZKBlgl0ehEUskxELAu7mmlMjLFGTlfywL_i7YQvheKPjZiP2r3Yfz9n1-q_X7I/s1600/E_Room-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ8SGH0uCBQyGIfnkncMKySx5nAiGcSuGyJ4uKgqMg29P3yRnPxX1DTpIae_LK_pAetjOXGG5zKcfaZKBlgl0ehEUskxELAu7mmlMjLFGTlfywL_i7YQvheKPjZiP2r3Yfz9n1-q_X7I/s1600/E_Room-3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping under the night "sky"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rF0GrdcZsxyRosXCqZjmbZ5ZaWUWHS14efxTMtqZf4ieCJ1VWeqET6NDVN0JagblZEmFhQJEWzE6K8wiowqKmZw5Ty5bxAfVkClm538K-Ir4G0mThH9g_iO-Up41DqWnhY_NRUmVbC4/s1600/E_Room-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rF0GrdcZsxyRosXCqZjmbZ5ZaWUWHS14efxTMtqZf4ieCJ1VWeqET6NDVN0JagblZEmFhQJEWzE6K8wiowqKmZw5Ty5bxAfVkClm538K-Ir4G0mThH9g_iO-Up41DqWnhY_NRUmVbC4/s1600/E_Room-4.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A messy bookshelf is a well-used bookshelf. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBGUbUnenH450pQnW6S1LT87KlMWgv_vOlAOE3262j-qn4biQyUd3-PBupICFaaekZsZjzrfbwIIznsPyL5tYorfIKgib7YOYX5wP9UYEPA_OV2HovBMMZj9uyrHUCVZPScnR4zyLajg/s1600/E_Room-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBGUbUnenH450pQnW6S1LT87KlMWgv_vOlAOE3262j-qn4biQyUd3-PBupICFaaekZsZjzrfbwIIznsPyL5tYorfIKgib7YOYX5wP9UYEPA_OV2HovBMMZj9uyrHUCVZPScnR4zyLajg/s1600/E_Room-5.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how this room has such a different feel than Everett's. So vibrant!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5EK1jLcwrzL0MTAdHmSyL_ohVfUvFAD13BHK2IeXHPGMu-oXJQ6jAIxEUSGg-nSIaOl8qyboEw8yqROJFN6wM9wQM5VHbWdFrQ4lIulmTcYKjkVlNETxePHWQh38K6DrG89arVI2PUA/s1600/E_Room-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5EK1jLcwrzL0MTAdHmSyL_ohVfUvFAD13BHK2IeXHPGMu-oXJQ6jAIxEUSGg-nSIaOl8qyboEw8yqROJFN6wM9wQM5VHbWdFrQ4lIulmTcYKjkVlNETxePHWQh38K6DrG89arVI2PUA/s1600/E_Room-8.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That moon is actually a night light that simulates the different phases. Science!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjQTf3kHMUu2SanFj0EahbLVHD3Hck4N5hzkHftyCDgWsrkj4ofRmWsed0c8XMLUYZ9foG3XUoEsQ9Gu_VYhzpGJfROc25xXApQ3dDE5XVPH3q1KrV3NpFlRxKeGGwddc7Lra6rbFcz0/s1600/E_Room-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjQTf3kHMUu2SanFj0EahbLVHD3Hck4N5hzkHftyCDgWsrkj4ofRmWsed0c8XMLUYZ9foG3XUoEsQ9Gu_VYhzpGJfROc25xXApQ3dDE5XVPH3q1KrV3NpFlRxKeGGwddc7Lra6rbFcz0/s1600/E_Room-10.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhh, yes, the well-known North American Zebra.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuO2Zq_iJeTeci6e-TKeRV_sQ35GrtmQOP4DsaAOoZRUsL0-dMv-75x1AtX4cUpeqdknktt5oww0CWcCnhLkWUki3zD_EdtL1eTRqgdRnTRjHn7-h8dCbxHSzgHDtTlC1PocuAUw2eEzU/s1600/E_Room-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuO2Zq_iJeTeci6e-TKeRV_sQ35GrtmQOP4DsaAOoZRUsL0-dMv-75x1AtX4cUpeqdknktt5oww0CWcCnhLkWUki3zD_EdtL1eTRqgdRnTRjHn7-h8dCbxHSzgHDtTlC1PocuAUw2eEzU/s1600/E_Room-12.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friendly alien.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZggyCirZMKG9oU4uD189L6Zg2VV-hGjnmFSp-xaz5xkgB6Ch0vlehrt_tnWxK5cTXsWqad1h77iQMIl2vwYGEGQ1V9K6f5fZpUuLNYcLeGtjMmJAuEfYhCb7puglggFUIYKiOqcZuUg/s1600/E_Room-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZggyCirZMKG9oU4uD189L6Zg2VV-hGjnmFSp-xaz5xkgB6Ch0vlehrt_tnWxK5cTXsWqad1h77iQMIl2vwYGEGQ1V9K6f5fZpUuLNYcLeGtjMmJAuEfYhCb7puglggFUIYKiOqcZuUg/s1600/E_Room-19.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today: Tree house. Tomorrow: Space station!</td></tr>
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And now, I am officially out of projects. Wonder if I could convince Ryan to let me redo our room...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-68590690782645837232013-09-09T17:55:00.000-07:002013-09-10T19:14:19.761-07:00Roughing It.We took the kiddos camping to Big Basin Redwoods State Park over Memorial Day weekend. Camping with two young boys was certainly an adventure, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the thought of turning around and going home crossed my mind after only two hours in, but it ended up to be a great trip! One of the things that Ryan and I love the most about living in California is access to all kinds of adventures within an afternoon's drive. We want the boys to grow up with overflowing buckets of memories about things we did and saw during their childhood. With the mesmerizing Redwoods in our sights, we set out to add some drops to their buckets. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAEUo2ewUnEy_Y4pQXstM0OoN1eYdXDd95C8tlMWlO6u3jhCkJ54VZ8lKnBnxrIj2muCc3957tKtN-bKvB3U0RwZZfOekth6i3mgvZZ0FUyj7Z_70O6TZEeiba-tvya6ZVcy5rt6kK7I/s1600/_MG_0548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAEUo2ewUnEy_Y4pQXstM0OoN1eYdXDd95C8tlMWlO6u3jhCkJ54VZ8lKnBnxrIj2muCc3957tKtN-bKvB3U0RwZZfOekth6i3mgvZZ0FUyj7Z_70O6TZEeiba-tvya6ZVcy5rt6kK7I/s400/_MG_0548.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirt, leaves, trails, bugs... the boys were in heaven.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPyes2oSE0J5OXWMWQqNaBjLu8A9gy06MjOv4j6vcZpa575BrZYU8eN3a6Fo7gX4K9ceifXLI47vge5Ks3qXVun3UJpXk08kw049O9DaihmN7tV84gfGrEVbqQfeJEeG33-_GAD7ADJw/s1600/_MG_0561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPyes2oSE0J5OXWMWQqNaBjLu8A9gy06MjOv4j6vcZpa575BrZYU8eN3a6Fo7gX4K9ceifXLI47vge5Ks3qXVun3UJpXk08kw049O9DaihmN7tV84gfGrEVbqQfeJEeG33-_GAD7ADJw/s400/_MG_0561.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He found a cave! With no critter inhabitants, thank goodness.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyVTm2aUX9VDPPOCEGfea2_TawvxysxRzXu4YCyqoXHQQykGk_HkaTwSUPw-3D2hCDIxJktg5c0VYJNbEZXKpyzmmT4jtzH7dOMo_QXAzh74K0yMThwyeyqRBn_fYUAXIfA9pxD04ZpE/s1600/_MG_0563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyVTm2aUX9VDPPOCEGfea2_TawvxysxRzXu4YCyqoXHQQykGk_HkaTwSUPw-3D2hCDIxJktg5c0VYJNbEZXKpyzmmT4jtzH7dOMo_QXAzh74K0yMThwyeyqRBn_fYUAXIfA9pxD04ZpE/s400/_MG_0563.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the moss covered tree trunks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvfbM_GoJv1qM6cLRvCAcY2VDut07gOmN1iNYF0WDxk2W3rdxdHjJXSoT5ErnwWXpqjWblP49Z7smPG9wyKaIC1Hz-Jz2Phvov4JR5KwvKotr2TrMLrnjQhCXCqEVoQ7dZxb6Y6XcGZQ/s1600/_MG_0568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvfbM_GoJv1qM6cLRvCAcY2VDut07gOmN1iNYF0WDxk2W3rdxdHjJXSoT5ErnwWXpqjWblP49Z7smPG9wyKaIC1Hz-Jz2Phvov4JR5KwvKotr2TrMLrnjQhCXCqEVoQ7dZxb6Y6XcGZQ/s400/_MG_0568.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path of most resistance is sometimes the most fun.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsK3T8rlyy28pyQgNqWfJ6djqiB1JaLJHV3ojv1jSgY9cdoKQQAeh_A8KhSRotKCCh0ytpMtQBtjWJVbND6Wixhxqlcx8PRjMTGBN6N_-y8Lmwc_baPbPZjmjUmkR4HA98YMWbXHUL78/s1600/_MG_0572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsK3T8rlyy28pyQgNqWfJ6djqiB1JaLJHV3ojv1jSgY9cdoKQQAeh_A8KhSRotKCCh0ytpMtQBtjWJVbND6Wixhxqlcx8PRjMTGBN6N_-y8Lmwc_baPbPZjmjUmkR4HA98YMWbXHUL78/s400/_MG_0572.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This way, guys!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUmFGP5Yu_J16gpUs18aLXNJYIfRFOco1TQUx04e6QupF7Zzk60O44U209_RHjsQ8E5Bc-8u0QfJwcNhgYOj55vQJ-JNVVpJQz-jx8Rzno1_m33Yspz0x8318pO4gFc_DL60iUDZXsTY/s1600/580298_10151389735831447_338975946_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUmFGP5Yu_J16gpUs18aLXNJYIfRFOco1TQUx04e6QupF7Zzk60O44U209_RHjsQ8E5Bc-8u0QfJwcNhgYOj55vQJ-JNVVpJQz-jx8Rzno1_m33Yspz0x8318pO4gFc_DL60iUDZXsTY/s400/580298_10151389735831447_338975946_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snug as bugs in our awesome HUGE two-room tent from REI. Good call, Ryan.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkROShFXuMxyDSzgfG4T3u-G_JWS6HYHLayh2Gi0JxbTEP3ZhUojLDtgfE_0wZ2JT6brxXeJzdlTso6KstlW81VC85hrDKUJtlxGgNKdAPR81XXGx4LqKNyN_0xaRAb6Tp2abuDL13Eiw/s1600/_MG_0595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkROShFXuMxyDSzgfG4T3u-G_JWS6HYHLayh2Gi0JxbTEP3ZhUojLDtgfE_0wZ2JT6brxXeJzdlTso6KstlW81VC85hrDKUJtlxGgNKdAPR81XXGx4LqKNyN_0xaRAb6Tp2abuDL13Eiw/s400/_MG_0595.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try to keep up with me, Mom.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQtC89lubJZXrbGrHXHowML4EP0hp6mPVRtU0uIuZc-bIAwGX4L0X-ngCC00Aj8WkAvHVHEjm8XaSRSMZu4VJWQEOapG_U8Jo0zOi3DWPibx2V80snQS7TfvzGQ1D9Gib4xqZ2phKNjU/s1600/_MG_0596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQtC89lubJZXrbGrHXHowML4EP0hp6mPVRtU0uIuZc-bIAwGX4L0X-ngCC00Aj8WkAvHVHEjm8XaSRSMZu4VJWQEOapG_U8Jo0zOi3DWPibx2V80snQS7TfvzGQ1D9Gib4xqZ2phKNjU/s400/_MG_0596.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sword? Wand? Just really fun to carry a stick around?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J5vdL4LBTbk9uXRl_6n9f0MNg7PfDJb01tuu3HH72Seuqmauawbs5HFnxlbSUlA_sAl5H8E2dz5JXxsVhU7Yx_P32Pk-ce3FqLd2KRfUJjzBHd5aeOnAs4JuiKkSlYN6VGFvw0lzuLU/s1600/_MG_0600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J5vdL4LBTbk9uXRl_6n9f0MNg7PfDJb01tuu3HH72Seuqmauawbs5HFnxlbSUlA_sAl5H8E2dz5JXxsVhU7Yx_P32Pk-ce3FqLd2KRfUJjzBHd5aeOnAs4JuiKkSlYN6VGFvw0lzuLU/s400/_MG_0600.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puddle jumping.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-oCfw8a4WNTyg7ATODKs4pEjgZcDHvEHE1xuE8L-tKcTXDP6f9cmpby_wX_erzIhc0Hf5ae5p9lnHbBWB10WuJiZp-8KYuD3Eu6pS8FEsAo70asO_dwLHYlE033yXLmyUztmZBzHAGA/s1600/_MG_0607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-oCfw8a4WNTyg7ATODKs4pEjgZcDHvEHE1xuE8L-tKcTXDP6f9cmpby_wX_erzIhc0Hf5ae5p9lnHbBWB10WuJiZp-8KYuD3Eu6pS8FEsAo70asO_dwLHYlE033yXLmyUztmZBzHAGA/s400/_MG_0607.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The park rangers put on daily nature club shows for the little ones.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyC6GySJCb4cF7cITG5r0eIXOPyqw1uYvVrhEITuu2bAcJL8oDP33ebt4uIvseV4vEgXAkmwFdmu2wMfDb4o7mrpCGp1FcGqPWHVcY3_M5YtizrA1BNLg0QYRcOdXvWG-SvyJPCqxIbI/s1600/_MG_0632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyC6GySJCb4cF7cITG5r0eIXOPyqw1uYvVrhEITuu2bAcJL8oDP33ebt4uIvseV4vEgXAkmwFdmu2wMfDb4o7mrpCGp1FcGqPWHVcY3_M5YtizrA1BNLg0QYRcOdXvWG-SvyJPCqxIbI/s400/_MG_0632.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tigger acting as Ethan's marshmallow wingman.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjXMlPsj7hOkANILekmBq4ekif-_nLQP6DQN4THUBvuR1vZc7p_kyQ24ewnB7NkXFLRq6UrtOFR2wKLCvN0U-wO8IKFMckFEh8L5rBEqcFuKMmJ81-CWJNL5P5pp5Thle9XSKKI-mhQo/s1600/_MG_0634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjXMlPsj7hOkANILekmBq4ekif-_nLQP6DQN4THUBvuR1vZc7p_kyQ24ewnB7NkXFLRq6UrtOFR2wKLCvN0U-wO8IKFMckFEh8L5rBEqcFuKMmJ81-CWJNL5P5pp5Thle9XSKKI-mhQo/s400/_MG_0634.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He waited all DAY for this!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGggERQxvBs99h1o4DhvFoyngDIZIcFOttCHtZxGVEGrAKGAIhiyVgXxG6q0dkf_XHw0mdUnEBkp2GBLFSkDoQVS4y3r5xXB_Y3T66vA5gvIbCPJ98kU6B2W-hiKYia_B4NT1M7qkCmw/s1600/_MG_0654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGggERQxvBs99h1o4DhvFoyngDIZIcFOttCHtZxGVEGrAKGAIhiyVgXxG6q0dkf_XHw0mdUnEBkp2GBLFSkDoQVS4y3r5xXB_Y3T66vA5gvIbCPJ98kU6B2W-hiKYia_B4NT1M7qkCmw/s400/_MG_0654.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to the suuuuuper long skewers from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Troy, he could roast his own!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdxi9KL0NZipdl1vHTngVCW2D0F4SdJeDT6T4Bh9IDr7YB-rsAxigi5Hutm0N8hoG8Bgq9I0PTXWxa4RPr9zfWmpJUf1tfCDq5o9u5r7gDziwyYgGfqIWLV1LrZNAktrUkE8LCrkaA5c/s1600/_MG_0659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdxi9KL0NZipdl1vHTngVCW2D0F4SdJeDT6T4Bh9IDr7YB-rsAxigi5Hutm0N8hoG8Bgq9I0PTXWxa4RPr9zfWmpJUf1tfCDq5o9u5r7gDziwyYgGfqIWLV1LrZNAktrUkE8LCrkaA5c/s400/_MG_0659.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshmallows!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievWMAJTnxXk_u09JdHZT71gAqrnD9oI2mklDO40R_k63ZzpQV89oUOp5gsb5sBru2dV-XP18QVaiOiHAi7jH0oT6n89FowJkeyCxYAuTl7NalU8JZUyFWVYs4iMOdbbjVwmNtU16b9q8/s1600/_MG_0665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievWMAJTnxXk_u09JdHZT71gAqrnD9oI2mklDO40R_k63ZzpQV89oUOp5gsb5sBru2dV-XP18QVaiOiHAi7jH0oT6n89FowJkeyCxYAuTl7NalU8JZUyFWVYs4iMOdbbjVwmNtU16b9q8/s400/_MG_0665.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshmallows!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9TS6iS0WSfX07GnhP66mSGaiPXR6skLpeL0N8tjV6uf5Xq4vlmda9RtfxFQc6Zn-RY-bjAiPcqazBfRw6ZGJ1oubHkgxVMAN1AEH1yVIhFuVFd0nMycsaZTY1AJrN21X9y8X7BQyTNs/s1600/_MG_0675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9TS6iS0WSfX07GnhP66mSGaiPXR6skLpeL0N8tjV6uf5Xq4vlmda9RtfxFQc6Zn-RY-bjAiPcqazBfRw6ZGJ1oubHkgxVMAN1AEH1yVIhFuVFd0nMycsaZTY1AJrN21X9y8X7BQyTNs/s400/_MG_0675.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MARSHMALLOWS!!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV9dQdr74P1aOY5rtY5U1YWlMuS3nOoi8XbznSDBOHZmOgYk9zBNWLlm4lYQ7l8cPKA_AW6OL3BLihDmddX-VgosX5JTZFysqE0WAWZ4atTT1-fNcXqaQ8pLunVoU-9D9IWsfc4_Pk7o/s1600/_MG_0694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV9dQdr74P1aOY5rtY5U1YWlMuS3nOoi8XbznSDBOHZmOgYk9zBNWLlm4lYQ7l8cPKA_AW6OL3BLihDmddX-VgosX5JTZFysqE0WAWZ4atTT1-fNcXqaQ8pLunVoU-9D9IWsfc4_Pk7o/s400/_MG_0694.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep. They're *that* good.</td></tr>
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<br />
<div>
It wasn't always easy, or comfortable. There were moments that taught us that we have to live flexibly - such as when I accidentally dumped an entire pot of macaroni noodles onto the ground when I tried to drain the water, or when we woke up to find that our firewood was soaked with the rain that was not supposed to visit us overnight. It's nice to get little reminders that nothing is supposed to be perfect, no trip will be 100% smooth, and that most things are worth working for. And if through these experiences we can teach our boys to roll with the punches, they'll have a lifetime of silver linings and hidden gems.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-51704948364471495532013-09-02T14:41:00.000-07:002013-09-02T14:43:33.626-07:00Spring Break!So, let's just open with the obvious: I've been MIA for a few months. We've been really busy making memories around here, and Mama has done a poor job of capturing them in bloggy form. This is our baby book - often the only way that I can remember when milestones happened is by searching the blog archives - so I've gotta get back on the horse and ride this thing out. At least until the boys hit puberty and are mortified to have their life on display for all to see. <br />
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I'm gonna take this way, way back to April. My dad came to visit us during Spring Break, and we made the most of our week together! One outing that we'd been saving was a trip to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. You have to go on a weekday, since they aren't in production over the weekend. We timed it perfectly, and got there a half hour after they opened.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9uTA1cHh2_zeIz6fM9okUIbIYXvYNFKXs5FlvivEkeN9PaAVCz7XAvZOyIHAUcgFNdMYzlsU_jzfCukfHvSJ1tQmp__Sv9lzClvN8Hh1NhOI0MoVFRKHAQVcmbU-iHKnBLEACCERnhc/s1600/Homies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9uTA1cHh2_zeIz6fM9okUIbIYXvYNFKXs5FlvivEkeN9PaAVCz7XAvZOyIHAUcgFNdMYzlsU_jzfCukfHvSJ1tQmp__Sv9lzClvN8Hh1NhOI0MoVFRKHAQVcmbU-iHKnBLEACCERnhc/s400/Homies.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand in hand with his PaPa, headed towards some Jelly Belly fun!</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, EVERYBODY ELSE in the Bay Area had the same idea, and the line was already backed out the door. It was going to take us almost two hours to get to the tour. And the kicker? Production was shut down for the day. So the two hour wait would get you a tour through... a dark factory. <br />
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Pass. <br />
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We decided to get our faces painted, indulged in some free jelly bean samples, and then headed out to Scandia afterwards for some bumper boating and mini golfing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQe_4HxY98899PD6FowmX2J_bebt6YoP4XdbLx64iyFqRe7vFeHLgz-NAlwLXEgv352RN59Y79k5IitO0EFVGPmWT8iL-Teus9zFpi3RoFLOhOw5FXWJkJxEzkZEwxeV4c4OUTHJuOD94/s1600/JellyBellyMomAndE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQe_4HxY98899PD6FowmX2J_bebt6YoP4XdbLx64iyFqRe7vFeHLgz-NAlwLXEgv352RN59Y79k5IitO0EFVGPmWT8iL-Teus9zFpi3RoFLOhOw5FXWJkJxEzkZEwxeV4c4OUTHJuOD94/s400/JellyBellyMomAndE.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For all Ethan knew, that was all there was to the Jelly Belly factory.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g4PL6Is79iQIipi7W00H-AZOhkOB10R2NMZuBrh_fOzv3kLrYkGfxwDsaLEsX_ssAAsG4EbpFyARvIKfTVd8dasMfg7bwo6LKt0MlvaCvvJb_Pw1W4h9ZTzO1VBM8thkKxmlzGesqZY/s1600/EthanBumperBoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g4PL6Is79iQIipi7W00H-AZOhkOB10R2NMZuBrh_fOzv3kLrYkGfxwDsaLEsX_ssAAsG4EbpFyARvIKfTVd8dasMfg7bwo6LKt0MlvaCvvJb_Pw1W4h9ZTzO1VBM8thkKxmlzGesqZY/s400/EthanBumperBoat.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spider-Man at the helm of the water cannon. Game on!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3GRCyQMJkK4c3D2RFKHRrLYc_Fjd4Hsz9VOiwyOPJM9dO1Y3IvOVoIyKc8L4U05y74ASNP_QriaVVRotFIHoseo5TP0UL8vqXYDJfwkGs2sI2iWMFXEjr5XpRCIczn4m87zd_XobHhE/s1600/Windmill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3GRCyQMJkK4c3D2RFKHRrLYc_Fjd4Hsz9VOiwyOPJM9dO1Y3IvOVoIyKc8L4U05y74ASNP_QriaVVRotFIHoseo5TP0UL8vqXYDJfwkGs2sI2iWMFXEjr5XpRCIczn4m87zd_XobHhE/s400/Windmill.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For his first golfing experience, the kid did a pretty good job!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-sKKjRwiqsJ6dGczukpme-a2KlKeElZfPsrO4XWUBtWT9X40m4LSlh-WC7MPOJ4V3FApG15YI0A2Y3TRpTMqOzY-M8UvrXd00cTm45V3JIktHBFx9QVRclkDfBTXx2CMgDtvkyo5wjg/s1600/MaryDadGolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-sKKjRwiqsJ6dGczukpme-a2KlKeElZfPsrO4XWUBtWT9X40m4LSlh-WC7MPOJ4V3FApG15YI0A2Y3TRpTMqOzY-M8UvrXd00cTm45V3JIktHBFx9QVRclkDfBTXx2CMgDtvkyo5wjg/s400/MaryDadGolf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aunt Mary joined us for the fun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdYYDezMhcY2TqAWSEkVsuE4cN_RQY4bsof09DkwTAMepNx9DcsCYAFXf_HmBPsLZMY4PnuM8O9DH8Qq6dk5gptgM_W0LB1gFzgGgDFNlRgImCji1Dp2vXLotcvkBYNJSzxjEfpJT1yA/s1600/WornOut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdYYDezMhcY2TqAWSEkVsuE4cN_RQY4bsof09DkwTAMepNx9DcsCYAFXf_HmBPsLZMY4PnuM8O9DH8Qq6dk5gptgM_W0LB1gFzgGgDFNlRgImCji1Dp2vXLotcvkBYNJSzxjEfpJT1yA/s400/WornOut.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon naps are a must for the over 60 and under 5 crowd.</td></tr>
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PaPa was also with us for Easter! Everett had an Easter egg hunt at his daycare, which was a blast to watch. He and his classmates were too little to understand the true purpose of the hunt, and would mostly just find an egg:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AB5B0g0mADkZVbcRCE4563K07q3GieYmLXYAoVUdSPgJj2vu1_clo6wWXOogZSkbPOa7m_uywsaLR6kpc-PlwSbzFV8vM6PkKfyCX4LFOtzlLN0O4v-M2-tX-6UIA4KghuEmuwm0tmY/s1600/BunnyEverett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AB5B0g0mADkZVbcRCE4563K07q3GieYmLXYAoVUdSPgJj2vu1_clo6wWXOogZSkbPOa7m_uywsaLR6kpc-PlwSbzFV8vM6PkKfyCX4LFOtzlLN0O4v-M2-tX-6UIA4KghuEmuwm0tmY/s400/BunnyEverett.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit A</td></tr>
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And then sit down for extended periods of time to do the put-the-egg-in-the-basket-then-immediately-take-it-out-of-the-basket dance. Lather, rinse, repeat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSqy6CRxHuOiy0ZMntwsXysviE2YBTS6_b-0sFOEZ-mS5Mdyzh1X9cnXBVTgbySbo3pevJ3cNvMLPN9UY12a-4jB6w-LnE0kms2LPGT7r6O-gVWnPxgrohr5I8Tk6HNFT_0DjSR5kOHM/s1600/EggBasket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSqy6CRxHuOiy0ZMntwsXysviE2YBTS6_b-0sFOEZ-mS5Mdyzh1X9cnXBVTgbySbo3pevJ3cNvMLPN9UY12a-4jB6w-LnE0kms2LPGT7r6O-gVWnPxgrohr5I8Tk6HNFT_0DjSR5kOHM/s400/EggBasket.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit B</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKSd8cYVvVALrJRxethO90l_Osj4V5V2Nxa40u3VcClOfvuZr8JGsbpVosTPuunyMQwyLDkZhIUJuhaDDg-8GIFV_48cBKvD0X89s3e6RoZMhZgrR-DXSD5Uqj9WRp_koh0Il03X20CI/s1600/BunnyWithMama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKSd8cYVvVALrJRxethO90l_Osj4V5V2Nxa40u3VcClOfvuZr8JGsbpVosTPuunyMQwyLDkZhIUJuhaDDg-8GIFV_48cBKvD0X89s3e6RoZMhZgrR-DXSD5Uqj9WRp_koh0Il03X20CI/s400/BunnyWithMama.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy and bunny.</td></tr>
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Ethan and PaPa tackled Easter decorations, making little paper mache pet pals. Or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">Papier Mâché if you're all fancy pants. </em></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAhwrlti4ljZrnJW2p-coiURJxmRtvVqwl5hyphenhyphenZ1NTWw6_3o3HkNJ7EoeF4NpS9_vhtnEk0V2m0UFq3SPDcSKcUTuwWzOh7qVr_gXZMt1bnGMox9Fnuue6UG25FFpdItqolKp2yg-Ez9I/s1600/PaPaEggPals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAhwrlti4ljZrnJW2p-coiURJxmRtvVqwl5hyphenhyphenZ1NTWw6_3o3HkNJ7EoeF4NpS9_vhtnEk0V2m0UFq3SPDcSKcUTuwWzOh7qVr_gXZMt1bnGMox9Fnuue6UG25FFpdItqolKp2yg-Ez9I/s400/PaPaEggPals.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg-cellent job, guys! </td></tr>
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And speaking of fancy pants, check out the golden egg dying kit sent by Mima and Poppa!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNIznrTzL5kCi8mLIpPfUwShagIrZgimesOjgGCPN-Qghrgh53ASLbFHQA3top0X6JiGl0zutFR7n35tWFmNFkRO_R4m9GXf-3rgnV-7nw-Tz-h2W8pWwx0ldbpW2T4g67xQwkTSenRQ/s1600/IMG_8553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNIznrTzL5kCi8mLIpPfUwShagIrZgimesOjgGCPN-Qghrgh53ASLbFHQA3top0X6JiGl0zutFR7n35tWFmNFkRO_R4m9GXf-3rgnV-7nw-Tz-h2W8pWwx0ldbpW2T4g67xQwkTSenRQ/s400/IMG_8553.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, I wrapped my kid in trash bags.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iEJx_-gC3-kRUcxPvmTBAdoTUqbchxgIw5SQRo82ZkH1AAcSDjOC9b2DFvGqWerE74Kcgk2okXWhM5s0INwVG2KbIsW3u5Sll1cBrs5WaLESrxzOmg-GbfLJZz9DcVM2K2v0dKlZFL0/s1600/IMG_8554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iEJx_-gC3-kRUcxPvmTBAdoTUqbchxgIw5SQRo82ZkH1AAcSDjOC9b2DFvGqWerE74Kcgk2okXWhM5s0INwVG2KbIsW3u5Sll1cBrs5WaLESrxzOmg-GbfLJZz9DcVM2K2v0dKlZFL0/s400/IMG_8554.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Easter Bunny spread!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uBsbknK1GjocJ9RFzZa0djO-NfhQnJh271E5UGHyA37E4dSePM9j8gDYlCuRuaMmCMtiGRk5uD2ldeCFIkiTpAFH57leW3Jy4VuRg2elMtSpQLXCYKIsXBoVhf1vrDhTema4dB1W054/s1600/IMG_8555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uBsbknK1GjocJ9RFzZa0djO-NfhQnJh271E5UGHyA37E4dSePM9j8gDYlCuRuaMmCMtiGRk5uD2ldeCFIkiTpAFH57leW3Jy4VuRg2elMtSpQLXCYKIsXBoVhf1vrDhTema4dB1W054/s400/IMG_8555.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys enjoying the goodies on Easter morning!</td></tr>
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It's always so nice to get to share holidays and events with our far-far-away family members, and the boys really loved having their PaPa around for a whole week!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPb3zzGDDRQhSPMaVvn_mMxZ804S4FKLD1OswYRFs1Nl2w4DvvG6az0pBGEhHmjntYdPjuSDsmSzMoB8gKC1H83CRF8ml9heRj7prpUFuuWloIkXq7Rf_KsnI-PL4iwpXsHg_2ErkG7TY/s1600/Roccos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPb3zzGDDRQhSPMaVvn_mMxZ804S4FKLD1OswYRFs1Nl2w4DvvG6az0pBGEhHmjntYdPjuSDsmSzMoB8gKC1H83CRF8ml9heRj7prpUFuuWloIkXq7Rf_KsnI-PL4iwpXsHg_2ErkG7TY/s400/Roccos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best buds.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ7582zcwcO1LCZaPLYyC9_DZAzF8bWwdnRagEvj_6ni2V7JJBLkMuLiyLiMjD42iyMbTfUOO794kA9MDmKbWxYeapJtxN-phrc51WLtzlpjFvQ3Uhcvm5B8rAXWZ8-2bcg0tF4-chsA/s1600/PaPaAndEv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ7582zcwcO1LCZaPLYyC9_DZAzF8bWwdnRagEvj_6ni2V7JJBLkMuLiyLiMjD42iyMbTfUOO794kA9MDmKbWxYeapJtxN-phrc51WLtzlpjFvQ3Uhcvm5B8rAXWZ8-2bcg0tF4-chsA/s400/PaPaAndEv.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love, love, love.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-58012779050358259332013-03-18T19:29:00.000-07:002013-03-18T19:57:51.937-07:00DifferentWe were listening to the radio in the car this weekend, and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" provided what we in the education business like to call a teachable moment. Ethan is now at an age where he catches and comments on *everysingleword* of song lyrics. "Mom, why do they say that you can't get what you want?" he asked. "Well, baby - that's life. Sometimes you don't get the things that you want." He pondered for a minute or two in silence, and then said, "Oh, like when I ask for a second string cheese at dinner, and then you say no. 'Cause I can't always get what I want." <br />
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Inspired by the quirky way that my kid could equate one of the best songs by the Rolling Stones to a lesson about balancing moderation and his love of dairy, I picked up the iPhone and interviewed my oldest boy. I got some pretty predictable answers, but a few that blew me away.<br />
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I love his outlook on colors. I never want him to grow up thinking that he can't <i>like</i> or <i>be</i> or <i>do</i> things. Live without limits, baby. Be who you want to be. Make your bleeding heart liberal mama proud.</center>
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We have a lot of good car conversations, as it turns out. On the way home today, Ethan started talking to me about being different. It was so great that I pulled my phone out (at a stoplight, guys - no putting my kiddos' lives in danger!) and turned on the voice memo feature. This is what I got:</center>
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"Everything doesn't have to be the same. Because, everything is different, and that is a good thing. Then we can be just like ourselves. I want to be myself, so I am myself. And other people are other people. We can all just worry about being ourselves. I think some trees grow big, and some trees grow small. And it's okay if they all grow a little different." </center>
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That's my boy.</center>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-68386694729370830032013-02-01T16:50:00.001-08:002014-11-16T23:18:42.063-08:00Christmas in February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like Christmas was just yesterday. I'm pretty sure this is because January was a total whirlwind. Ryan was shooting events out of town for most of the month, which is the. fastest. way. to ensure the longevity of your marriage. I've had a taste of single parenthood, and it is <i><u>not</u></i> for me! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(I did like stretching out across the whole bed at night, though. And indulging in TV shows that elicit a hearty eyeroll from Ryan. But that's about it.)</span> So, in the tradition of being eternally behind in all of my blog posts, I present to you: Christmas in February.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHoBlb5zQLJwMITNO8A9Q0dhKek5UmYYMxEu7xi5INTlQcsKZ7fEbJr8yd-xl8q6uEZOGpTO8pmM3dnxepaIOv39UIjjFs_jjRNRsIT84qWtz0JzPXPpuCKBRAcZR8LE3Ty8BuqdCd_0/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHoBlb5zQLJwMITNO8A9Q0dhKek5UmYYMxEu7xi5INTlQcsKZ7fEbJr8yd-xl8q6uEZOGpTO8pmM3dnxepaIOv39UIjjFs_jjRNRsIT84qWtz0JzPXPpuCKBRAcZR8LE3Ty8BuqdCd_0/s400/tree.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went for a little peacock feather flair this year.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUAreq7HfZicOc7cFiN7wffLft5ZOBFL8Dkb9nVbU0Psv5mVAwN2pCpj-Zon9ttkNY73q9mavn1WCaKEfjB0JFoBdn0OGk4BskKpxCGwANsuKnqw7ZfQXJIWVoPFYtKz6uwo3I1EXFwo/s1600/Gingerbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUAreq7HfZicOc7cFiN7wffLft5ZOBFL8Dkb9nVbU0Psv5mVAwN2pCpj-Zon9ttkNY73q9mavn1WCaKEfjB0JFoBdn0OGk4BskKpxCGwANsuKnqw7ZfQXJIWVoPFYtKz6uwo3I1EXFwo/s400/Gingerbread.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethan and his friend made a lovely gingerbread house!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnjOMk46Vtkx-4NhGeWm_JqCFUUC0yqdQPWx-48Lr4eh0XgDXKi3MsivK3UsF22Y7EYlvk339nTcMdH9plA16YBNbhP0fnuoo4TGz4s3vHu1wIdB9cq4GPubLfeUTQsGlF7hgf8rvaH4/s1600/CookieMaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnjOMk46Vtkx-4NhGeWm_JqCFUUC0yqdQPWx-48Lr4eh0XgDXKi3MsivK3UsF22Y7EYlvk339nTcMdH9plA16YBNbhP0fnuoo4TGz4s3vHu1wIdB9cq4GPubLfeUTQsGlF7hgf8rvaH4/s400/CookieMaking.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas cookie party with Auntie Ingrid and the girls!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzgIB2H-Asfu9f1tcf1bukZHi-fQ-DkVhP_2fvO2VKvcE7h9q3Yn_bmHKZohRwHwLMAJeDh8sdEN_vWPNfrhyphenhyphenVojdM5wJXvuGxqjySjbX2X5iKwwcpZEQB0cUVS_0dFMPbA44jxYy-1k/s1600/CookieEating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzgIB2H-Asfu9f1tcf1bukZHi-fQ-DkVhP_2fvO2VKvcE7h9q3Yn_bmHKZohRwHwLMAJeDh8sdEN_vWPNfrhyphenhyphenVojdM5wJXvuGxqjySjbX2X5iKwwcpZEQB0cUVS_0dFMPbA44jxYy-1k/s400/CookieEating.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too young to make cookies... but not too young to eat them!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn6N1oQR6HnjsszqCNEUVePMRcoV5O8JeORheOpRlh_aGCe9qMTVfLH4Vkt_yl2n8LwNjlGgehr1xx9D-_6palmtcs4pe-7yub9jED7IfAn4AUqLqIanBc13HF852M9spV77TzbcyLYw/s1600/AuntMary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn6N1oQR6HnjsszqCNEUVePMRcoV5O8JeORheOpRlh_aGCe9qMTVfLH4Vkt_yl2n8LwNjlGgehr1xx9D-_6palmtcs4pe-7yub9jED7IfAn4AUqLqIanBc13HF852M9spV77TzbcyLYw/s400/AuntMary.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aunt Mary and her boys.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUKTSLraheQS5lxK71NsIdkGBRFMxdDUpkuPdKSJOjC8zhgNOXWsk53bFdoXEejdwrKtQdHu9_oP_Qt8JtMBV2s_gyuLgPBJNU2rytpJ8FtwQ8OrQAUm7i99UlxhCgyfAvYb4pwZ5IG8/s1600/PresentTunnels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUKTSLraheQS5lxK71NsIdkGBRFMxdDUpkuPdKSJOjC8zhgNOXWsk53bFdoXEejdwrKtQdHu9_oP_Qt8JtMBV2s_gyuLgPBJNU2rytpJ8FtwQ8OrQAUm7i99UlxhCgyfAvYb4pwZ5IG8/s400/PresentTunnels.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Present tunnels.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mEL7H28ZpxYXdtU8v8W3eH6sZp6c7_NeG7sj9Wxk8UEb81r-3t7xyVnRObaPStFeRBs5pzEQMxkXdcWWD4BOrtOKX0fA3vjmXcbqxHBqJyEJrnmPFSaY36lHtlyhHQbiyjyxRuxPcUw/s1600/Elf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mEL7H28ZpxYXdtU8v8W3eH6sZp6c7_NeG7sj9Wxk8UEb81r-3t7xyVnRObaPStFeRBs5pzEQMxkXdcWWD4BOrtOKX0fA3vjmXcbqxHBqJyEJrnmPFSaY36lHtlyhHQbiyjyxRuxPcUw/s400/Elf.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All elves make balloon snowmen. It's a fact.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R0QpWM8Lt1LSJ2efUZvPGRTJmyd4QXIyRbynWL8Aq1YjZkHp5G6gurqYMGVl4uZPyI0CSTAjc2MhVV5_HIuE5XhJCVFzGyi3Ro0tcbkmNOJiMRMvom2FYwMgK6VyF02qnhyphenhyphenBKAKUZvA/s1600/Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R0QpWM8Lt1LSJ2efUZvPGRTJmyd4QXIyRbynWL8Aq1YjZkHp5G6gurqYMGVl4uZPyI0CSTAjc2MhVV5_HIuE5XhJCVFzGyi3Ro0tcbkmNOJiMRMvom2FYwMgK6VyF02qnhyphenhyphenBKAKUZvA/s400/Santa.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethan's first time seeing Santa! He LOVED him!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DSIbeZOeiQAR72Vop6dHNPZ3bxgaAC33R56w_EFiGg0ursJmK7JYLBjWdNQRY5zIgwjXtRW-XxeZOwJJzl_B7nzZ4-fkjt1U-mJ_oRAcxqewgrOFoz8uthO8oQWZyq1iVYFRfOO1_9E/s1600/BoysAndSanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DSIbeZOeiQAR72Vop6dHNPZ3bxgaAC33R56w_EFiGg0ursJmK7JYLBjWdNQRY5zIgwjXtRW-XxeZOwJJzl_B7nzZ4-fkjt1U-mJ_oRAcxqewgrOFoz8uthO8oQWZyq1iVYFRfOO1_9E/s400/BoysAndSanta.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everett... not so much.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheO9iFJoJ4civS_eCq3oG8iBk3UlBEZs8lOiXAt6PGch1fxewsmTQfILD6HYRC6b1HwQfNRLX3emmENoD3OnzUX38rVQAcvslJusseWekoCCa9efhJiQRvpUhLVSODWtvSWR_fVL3AVMY/s1600/SantasGuardDog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheO9iFJoJ4civS_eCq3oG8iBk3UlBEZs8lOiXAt6PGch1fxewsmTQfILD6HYRC6b1HwQfNRLX3emmENoD3OnzUX38rVQAcvslJusseWekoCCa9efhJiQRvpUhLVSODWtvSWR_fVL3AVMY/s400/SantasGuardDog.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa's guard dog. Do not open until December 25th... or else.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQz_JnpiWM2TfzeA3qrTbHvfXOgxsVgfB8OtUFswbRmuF1iqYD1M_LJvcjAC98nGsqJkArP9NcPKD8syY4ICLg-C9LlrU7sNW8mDqsK2_dAKaeB3fELXrysGXbXZeaVrlrGjFXhWYCnM/s1600/CookiesforSanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQz_JnpiWM2TfzeA3qrTbHvfXOgxsVgfB8OtUFswbRmuF1iqYD1M_LJvcjAC98nGsqJkArP9NcPKD8syY4ICLg-C9LlrU7sNW8mDqsK2_dAKaeB3fELXrysGXbXZeaVrlrGjFXhWYCnM/s400/CookiesforSanta.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookies for Santa, made by Ethan and Aunt Mary!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7S2Bs7JNRMi95DSYXlejWTU-k65hbsyN0WpjD2KVMKD7AiV4hvsbq8mXCAOMjfcobi5jX5tXG_5mjOAk3mGrU4lGolCAQkd0JwGHt6ZaaBmdIIT6_xLiq2uE3lWc_GSF4ps7f0e-NWyM/s1600/LetterToSanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7S2Bs7JNRMi95DSYXlejWTU-k65hbsyN0WpjD2KVMKD7AiV4hvsbq8mXCAOMjfcobi5jX5tXG_5mjOAk3mGrU4lGolCAQkd0JwGHt6ZaaBmdIIT6_xLiq2uE3lWc_GSF4ps7f0e-NWyM/s400/LetterToSanta.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I like how you give me presents." Cut right to the chase, kid. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBCXZywjbU904lDFiKwTPCTWkZqkIOuZLDBdwa2oRmekvpQNncMuY1_5DJHb70gIY2ge7QLVS9Tww4djD-iDRKposyUhrbsHbPeLYnaFfyOuAXNy-Mj1py2gO_WdV_2PZJZ-2CyQNN5Y/s1600/SomeAssemblyRequired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBCXZywjbU904lDFiKwTPCTWkZqkIOuZLDBdwa2oRmekvpQNncMuY1_5DJHb70gIY2ge7QLVS9Tww4djD-iDRKposyUhrbsHbPeLYnaFfyOuAXNy-Mj1py2gO_WdV_2PZJZ-2CyQNN5Y/s400/SomeAssemblyRequired.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some assembly required.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOjLIa4SUiN7OfgAcxrdLKlhTxM7cc6kAIDgG_uaMtT0BF3zI92ggsNfKJjNyjTZHLrCUNVv9n14uVAo73mOu-f2HIEZppD3CmkqU-6yCbfS9nkdtH71JwRlmuCL4cpXnHoDvBU4Np6M/s1600/Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOjLIa4SUiN7OfgAcxrdLKlhTxM7cc6kAIDgG_uaMtT0BF3zI92ggsNfKJjNyjTZHLrCUNVv9n14uVAo73mOu-f2HIEZppD3CmkqU-6yCbfS9nkdtH71JwRlmuCL4cpXnHoDvBU4Np6M/s400/Castle.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethan's incredible castle from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Troy!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5tMUGbxe7D__FbNuWJcTGPJqRNlDxrjA3qzAbMOGc17WvWCXcLhIhC4fVsPW17DWjl1m6k-2OMaUdcQMLjmq5bVvQ_xEK10LSnIQz_xn87x6cow1qw0VGpV8zhOWLgsadUyWl86jRsk/s1600/AllInOne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5tMUGbxe7D__FbNuWJcTGPJqRNlDxrjA3qzAbMOGc17WvWCXcLhIhC4fVsPW17DWjl1m6k-2OMaUdcQMLjmq5bVvQ_xEK10LSnIQz_xn87x6cow1qw0VGpV8zhOWLgsadUyWl86jRsk/s400/AllInOne.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pretty much sums up his morning.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kegKHEThYybArSnonN92XG3goQwOSFRJl1mRSEi6A3fTrHx5AeT2h11wLCjZuFoqTpXVF4JY2qe-ZoadCM4MwsitKF6S7bwbP_IjjkWnXypqIdj3K4lzdz3Jo5uSrVjpgSPqukT8qY8/s1600/EvPresents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kegKHEThYybArSnonN92XG3goQwOSFRJl1mRSEi6A3fTrHx5AeT2h11wLCjZuFoqTpXVF4JY2qe-ZoadCM4MwsitKF6S7bwbP_IjjkWnXypqIdj3K4lzdz3Jo5uSrVjpgSPqukT8qY8/s400/EvPresents.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unwrapping his gifts.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL4Bx6mMhdj1klXHHCgcWpC75barLPxaecBwrK2xBNyiv701Io_CngyIxgZBEj0b9nyJSua7vPxakEU6h_x-B23AOIJk0m6Pr8Nz_ttwpodA52WZZxS-53ZZu-ALWDuj7QSnkecUgfd4/s1600/CozyRoadster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL4Bx6mMhdj1klXHHCgcWpC75barLPxaecBwrK2xBNyiv701Io_CngyIxgZBEj0b9nyJSua7vPxakEU6h_x-B23AOIJk0m6Pr8Nz_ttwpodA52WZZxS-53ZZu-ALWDuj7QSnkecUgfd4/s400/CozyRoadster.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ev's new ride!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pDkRAeIzsze_jDVqimX9lnLEkPEDIVFG9-FlrR1sz5D3S60yLUujGO7zI0-r2HfQzauNmAtpQYY-1-Jn2gCaxmAt5J01ImMUT1P5gRtwO7sKwu32lDuyNvGNnY06k2wJwedK9zQA5kY/s1600/ChutesAndLaddres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pDkRAeIzsze_jDVqimX9lnLEkPEDIVFG9-FlrR1sz5D3S60yLUujGO7zI0-r2HfQzauNmAtpQYY-1-Jn2gCaxmAt5J01ImMUT1P5gRtwO7sKwu32lDuyNvGNnY06k2wJwedK9zQA5kY/s400/ChutesAndLaddres.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family game night with Aunt Mary and Grandma.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
<div>
I'm pretty sure Ryan took *actual* photos with an *actual* camera, but all of his trips leave zero time for photo editing. I'm going to chalk his shots up to archival relics. Thank goodness for the iPhone!</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-58480018755056547082013-01-12T22:30:00.000-08:002013-01-13T00:12:59.314-08:00Hard at PlayEvery time someone asks me about Ethan's milestones, I search the blog. It's only been four years, but memory completely fails me when I'm on the spot to report on when he started sitting up or crawling. Luckily, I don't have to have that information on hand. Whenever he did anything new, I wrote about it. My posts were my digital baby book. <br />
<br />
Poor little Everett will not have the same type of bloggy documentation. There are so many reasons, not just that he is the second child. We're equally amazed when he does new things, and delight in all of his developmental milestones. I'm just doing a really terrible job of keeping up with my digital baby book. It's much easier to throw a pic up on Facebook than it is to find the time to write a whole post.<br />
<br />
For example, here are some amazing pictures from when he was about six months old. He looks pretty much the same now, just a little older. *Almost* wanted to pass these off as recent, but that would defeat the whole purpose of the blog being an accurate documentary. Also, friends who have access to my aforementioned Facebook account would call me out, since they all saw these pictures pretty much as soon as Ryan shot them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDcFxCOmE5BquKvgVf9nvvnzxUkjy_g1Zg0pgiNU4dSiBzL7DnDWmmiQQVXv7zrObtaLcij4fMg2sLW_Usvg_yLrVyPhev6p62Vzt5TtkRLVn3pAIPqVcTfFqeAnnyKyDIKIplnOAScw/s1600/EvComp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDcFxCOmE5BquKvgVf9nvvnzxUkjy_g1Zg0pgiNU4dSiBzL7DnDWmmiQQVXv7zrObtaLcij4fMg2sLW_Usvg_yLrVyPhev6p62Vzt5TtkRLVn3pAIPqVcTfFqeAnnyKyDIKIplnOAScw/s400/EvComp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of the many faces of Everett</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It's high time to play catch up. You know - just in case I ever need to know the dates of all of his firsts. Or prove that I love him just as much as Ethan. So, without further ado or excuses, I give you my "All About Everett" blog entry:<br />
<br />
<b>Weight</b>: 24 lbs. at 12 months<br />
<br />
<b>Height</b>: 30.5 in. at 12 months<br />
<br />
<b>Food</b>: Weaned himself at 11 months, completely switched to table food at 12 months. Kissed his bottles goodbye, switched to sippy cups, and never looked back.<br />
<br />
<b>Sleep</b>: Phenomenal sleeper. He doesn't really sleep much at daycare, but he's great on the weekends and at night. On weekends, he'll wake up at around 7:30, eat breakfast, play for a little bit, and then take a two hour nap at around 9am. He may or may not take a short afternoon nap as well. He is usually in bed between 6:00 - 7:00, falls asleep without even a smidgen of protest, and is out cold all through the night.<br />
<br />
<b>Motor</b>: Rolled over at 4.5 months, sat up at 8 months, and crawled at 8.5 months - on my dad's birthday! To keep the trend going, Everett started walking on his first birthday! Not as his main mode of transportation, but took multiple steps in a row, several times throughout the day. I'm gonna go ahead and call that walking. He'll push anything that will move around the house for as long as you'll let him. This applies to *actual* push toys, his musical table, dining room chairs... if it can be pushed, he's on it. <br />
<br />
<b>Social</b>: Loves his brother, his daycare teachers, his aunties (official and otherwise), his parents, the stranger in the grocery store that smiles at him... he's a lovey boy. He bee's-knees-adores Ethan, though. Everything that Ethan does elicits a hearty belly laugh from Everett. This has resulted in my boys discovering and perfecting pratfall slapstick comedy. It's not nurture, it's nature. I'm convinced.<br />
<br />
<b>Speech</b>: I thought his first word was Mama ("I'm sure you do!" says Ryan from the peanut gallery), but now that I'm typing this I'm remembering that it was "bye." He can say mama, dada, uh oh, this, bye, and so many other things that we just can't interpret yet. He has a habit of saying, "Mamamamama!!!" when he wants something. <br />
<br />
<b>Other</b>: Cut his first tooth a few days before his six month birthiversary. Has a mouth full of 'em now. At last count, there were at least twelve visible teeth, with a few more coming through. It's possible there are more, but I'm not willing to stick my fingers in his mouth to investigate. They call them chompers for a reason!<br />
<br />
<b>Play</b>: Is officially playing with toys, rather than just putting them in his mouth. Videographic proof of Everett hard at play is found below:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="239" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/57299272?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
In a nutshell, this kid is awesome. We totally lucked out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-76018172356684952022012-11-25T21:29:00.000-08:002012-11-25T21:31:47.121-08:00When I Grow Up: Ethan's Career OptionsWhen I grow up, I want to be a fireman!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrIUjJ09WX3ornjrYnI1gfFC8oTLm3B3ppXXkKxlzeK-dGNycGsqkZjEbhdpJtWuy2YpnFaM7qNtdBzNljpL6u489Ms17wlX-PFTecI4Vo7tKYMsPyblqbZdLeLKc4U3Z8B6oUMDLW4I/s1600/Fireman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrIUjJ09WX3ornjrYnI1gfFC8oTLm3B3ppXXkKxlzeK-dGNycGsqkZjEbhdpJtWuy2YpnFaM7qNtdBzNljpL6u489Ms17wlX-PFTecI4Vo7tKYMsPyblqbZdLeLKc4U3Z8B6oUMDLW4I/s400/Fireman.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother apparently wants to be a dog. And my parents... don't get me started.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or a doctor.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCii5_8VDMK6NjpnxUjSDtdIFoK0kZw7iLUPN2SOO8SbwJSBs5vxiPrjUd3bSTvr4qNeOnuFa1unhCqmmx6q_Rin2BwbmWtdHAy24-rFMh2JXD1CYsyvpHgzzc-vm-kXRVLscOvuAxOjo/s1600/Doctor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCii5_8VDMK6NjpnxUjSDtdIFoK0kZw7iLUPN2SOO8SbwJSBs5vxiPrjUd3bSTvr4qNeOnuFa1unhCqmmx6q_Rin2BwbmWtdHAy24-rFMh2JXD1CYsyvpHgzzc-vm-kXRVLscOvuAxOjo/s400/Doctor.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have you ever seen someone so happy about healthcare?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A ballroom dancer...</div>
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/54201430?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe></center>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">All that's missing is the rose between my teeth.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
... or a Broadway dancer.</div>
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="400" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/54262136?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="227"></iframe></center>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I've got the moves like Fosse.</span></div>
<br />
<div>
I could take over for Santa.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8UISjwnAXEXep8P6RqgGrQwjA_ob9flOeiX8HEXXOk_OpExoKG2K4AZFdzvXCBapwnoQtmMsIkJ3XfluKxbXKJKP7VEbEgjOyveuB5egGG_tJNg5p8U-fN16YX5B7pZIXx9I7tMsu-A/s1600/Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8UISjwnAXEXep8P6RqgGrQwjA_ob9flOeiX8HEXXOk_OpExoKG2K4AZFdzvXCBapwnoQtmMsIkJ3XfluKxbXKJKP7VEbEgjOyveuB5egGG_tJNg5p8U-fN16YX5B7pZIXx9I7tMsu-A/s400/Santa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd make Everett bribe me for "Nice List" status.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
Be the world's nicest T-Rex.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCVlaMpunK-F3rfGiDv1ThYl1k9f-j7fR8v3i0tz8cWOhUhuMmMwVI67hFRVx0qoh7vEoHJLDL_nh4MTTppA0NYcxXDBpIXGlzipfdKC15GTTUKGIoGN2RfenbeqGhuq9lMUwolerbAc/s1600/Dino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCVlaMpunK-F3rfGiDv1ThYl1k9f-j7fR8v3i0tz8cWOhUhuMmMwVI67hFRVx0qoh7vEoHJLDL_nh4MTTppA0NYcxXDBpIXGlzipfdKC15GTTUKGIoGN2RfenbeqGhuq9lMUwolerbAc/s400/Dino.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm an herbivore, I promise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Or become a famous baseball player!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkLoTE1uniT4uy73gEDOv_3S0ANae891BSoSMul_dqgQ83TxlF0dn5Yaus8n09_d-EKayyfaLMWFJzbJv9D1TXrOATYDCD2LVApZ_sqryhDo_nhxYGTuvQpTs-hJIa7bLqUx-zY0OPgU/s1600/Baseball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkLoTE1uniT4uy73gEDOv_3S0ANae891BSoSMul_dqgQ83TxlF0dn5Yaus8n09_d-EKayyfaLMWFJzbJv9D1TXrOATYDCD2LVApZ_sqryhDo_nhxYGTuvQpTs-hJIa7bLqUx-zY0OPgU/s400/Baseball.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've already perfected my game face.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
I hear they're looking for a new Indiana Jones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-Gwb5ZLy3h9L8UgaV9M_pmJssMSmHMGmobbP6bdwRpuOL_fvjk2BdWm6qRa2-ho68DDQoo7L5SjjW0E4P3heI0I3BuF6N12-gpkpFDLsuI-dYpwAny8RLxXLlKrVOzGqWYbcXCevLGQ/s1600/IndianaJones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-Gwb5ZLy3h9L8UgaV9M_pmJssMSmHMGmobbP6bdwRpuOL_fvjk2BdWm6qRa2-ho68DDQoo7L5SjjW0E4P3heI0I3BuF6N12-gpkpFDLsuI-dYpwAny8RLxXLlKrVOzGqWYbcXCevLGQ/s400/IndianaJones.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethiana Jones and the Tunnel of Hay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've also considered competitive eater...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPcFKh8hDBF5_JHk5vaGSKqmtmo-CA-VKntgsj4EWLxN7nnJFiPHgHAoXtgdzW1vEpecR8oyrEjiirL0cDSN4bezH7Y19UkbT_qLWMDXASmC16_LU23QUtbYeYUC0_K966r21jyykNsU/s1600/Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPcFKh8hDBF5_JHk5vaGSKqmtmo-CA-VKntgsj4EWLxN7nnJFiPHgHAoXtgdzW1vEpecR8oyrEjiirL0cDSN4bezH7Y19UkbT_qLWMDXASmC16_LU23QUtbYeYUC0_K966r21jyykNsU/s400/Pizza.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've taken down a whole pizza by myself. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
... race car driver</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgYQa7E69nKxvvrZpJ1Bt7gR3jhZYCjo3QENt-8O6G7v3gFD8_Y2p_f-VHFEOSs3plsWzdBa-M3CpUF8NbxD2g2lyldZBscxwBxzfu7YPnh0PgtU8MrpD2LyGPsC4yQQMNC9nBJtCSzI/s1600/RacecarDriver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgYQa7E69nKxvvrZpJ1Bt7gR3jhZYCjo3QENt-8O6G7v3gFD8_Y2p_f-VHFEOSs3plsWzdBa-M3CpUF8NbxD2g2lyldZBscxwBxzfu7YPnh0PgtU8MrpD2LyGPsC4yQQMNC9nBJtCSzI/s400/RacecarDriver.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caught red-handed behind the wheel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
... bull rider</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBplxorcOWjx_Ny05Wdj4Dh-puqwszKNQqnY-6oCvtWyWKw0kGH4ka_kP8-2ajk4zFD7-Uv6uttUHCAF76TuvPXJ7ATc5TXJJrF_W8sXeQK9Kgvhb-Izc4sHOFm56boTuG4NtvQEXleHI/s1600/BullRider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBplxorcOWjx_Ny05Wdj4Dh-puqwszKNQqnY-6oCvtWyWKw0kGH4ka_kP8-2ajk4zFD7-Uv6uttUHCAF76TuvPXJ7ATc5TXJJrF_W8sXeQK9Kgvhb-Izc4sHOFm56boTuG4NtvQEXleHI/s400/BullRider.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll get comfortable on the back of a statue, then upgrade to the ones that move.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
... and being a model for a cough syrup box.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4a8-ivg9mVaqOehZIYBw3zUAF0JHTrhgxD6v5k_CukarC4gKcwjkb8TC8Ykg0LHKs6bosrAwQa0wrDeOpLt3_Jx8XLAr2wo0ZeNzv4Oyt5jOWMNkCcNFyrN7vRHFjqSKPmX-_l5y8OM/s1600/CoughSyrupModel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4a8-ivg9mVaqOehZIYBw3zUAF0JHTrhgxD6v5k_CukarC4gKcwjkb8TC8Ykg0LHKs6bosrAwQa0wrDeOpLt3_Jx8XLAr2wo0ZeNzv4Oyt5jOWMNkCcNFyrN7vRHFjqSKPmX-_l5y8OM/s400/CoughSyrupModel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pathetic? Yep. Cute? You betcha. The Robitussin will sell like hotcakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
There's always a red-carpet-walking A-list actor.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP5uh8f7UjFV3zi7WJgwZ7RCn8kX8Sn2-F-hM7TyLiQrg6gdhHGNXEVgOabHmL_iaQQ5hMW48-Pt_q_DFW6gwcXUrWagveyhA9x9sRrkckQWULKGhQ6P6r8G_uCZeWAEwC8KJUEWpZVg/s1600/Stud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP5uh8f7UjFV3zi7WJgwZ7RCn8kX8Sn2-F-hM7TyLiQrg6gdhHGNXEVgOabHmL_iaQQ5hMW48-Pt_q_DFW6gwcXUrWagveyhA9x9sRrkckQWULKGhQ6P6r8G_uCZeWAEwC8KJUEWpZVg/s400/Stud.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've already got adoring fans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Or perhaps a Lumberjack.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtilGNc3lWnLE2iXBwYHobKGOMJbs1KmaP6dK0nwbmrsxZm5ayYnlUcY9AS9Yrt3dcOnU2yg0rABGQnH_lTmXsD82CWv3VdwktuGtvlQFwilit6kSYcSm3w5BWkSUhM2Ahv_iCEwtyK8/s1600/Lumberjack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtilGNc3lWnLE2iXBwYHobKGOMJbs1KmaP6dK0nwbmrsxZm5ayYnlUcY9AS9Yrt3dcOnU2yg0rABGQnH_lTmXsD82CWv3VdwktuGtvlQFwilit6kSYcSm3w5BWkSUhM2Ahv_iCEwtyK8/s400/Lumberjack.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Psssst... I'm down here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxafZVrilQfyDtnlI7FAy8rIgFC79b_rhKkosSLU2zFbJwdzabOF67OLDcHHZTDvJguFcSgK2i1P5joQ09XbgEuO5jdbhyphenhyphenVALOYNcePdArpR1oF86ceF9er6UoBsv-Vid4dg0oCdVXHlM/s1600/Lumberjack2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxafZVrilQfyDtnlI7FAy8rIgFC79b_rhKkosSLU2zFbJwdzabOF67OLDcHHZTDvJguFcSgK2i1P5joQ09XbgEuO5jdbhyphenhyphenVALOYNcePdArpR1oF86ceF9er6UoBsv-Vid4dg0oCdVXHlM/s400/Lumberjack2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There I am.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I'm not really sure what the future holds for me. But you'd better believe that whatever it is, it's gonna be 60-100* awesome.<br />
<br />
*Note from Sarah: Ethan's go-to superlative is 100. If something is a lot, it's 100. If it's a <i>whole</i> lot, it's 60-100. The other day he told me, "Mama, I love you 60-100 always." I adore that kid. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-20926896906620163322012-09-19T11:00:00.000-07:002012-09-19T11:53:13.189-07:00How to Party, Dino StyleI started planning Ethan's 4th birthday party a few months ahead of time. In previous years, we kept things simple. A couple of family members or friends, no other kids, and a minimal amount of sugar. This year was a bit different. Ethan is finally at the age where he plays <i>with</i>, and not just next to, his friends. I allow at least five extra minutes for preschool pickup, knowing that Ethan will run around to each of his classmates and give hugs and/or blow kisses. He's also old enough to really understand what birthdays are all about. And when he asked me for a dinosaur birthday party, well, that settled it. We were going to go big(ish) this year.<br />
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Step one: Design the invitations.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7hLZDoQCc_6xnmygrhyphenhyphenCag4aYfSk-UmSFWKNNdj8Dw7gO_SlmQiA_pSItfATqtudmsFWQycthAGAYVWl4XCB_eYZgjtHZleTuvFJnSPQyC0AWysPYB5PM6WbPd2FI9M9SMrqQK_wLJI/s1600/invitation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7hLZDoQCc_6xnmygrhyphenhyphenCag4aYfSk-UmSFWKNNdj8Dw7gO_SlmQiA_pSItfATqtudmsFWQycthAGAYVWl4XCB_eYZgjtHZleTuvFJnSPQyC0AWysPYB5PM6WbPd2FI9M9SMrqQK_wLJI/s320/invitation.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(I gotta give Pinterest credit where credit's due... I totally stole the whole "ROAR means Happy Birthday" thing!)</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Step two: Goody bags.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbXP1-YBVuM8EH87Gwyq9sOmw1-H6MY162lE-6tf4XDC5a5dUfHKU21uYKgKZ_t8r-ApFY08NaSX7SKJe1KLCmir__DgEIP64Vo3OkNsKc3jrX_1r8oTCOZCUO5g9nE4GxjHnvLYA9e4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbXP1-YBVuM8EH87Gwyq9sOmw1-H6MY162lE-6tf4XDC5a5dUfHKU21uYKgKZ_t8r-ApFY08NaSX7SKJe1KLCmir__DgEIP64Vo3OkNsKc3jrX_1r8oTCOZCUO5g9nE4GxjHnvLYA9e4/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those dinosaur eggs are actually jelly beans. Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqCgXthtkgiLRxx3rYbepBW3rYEZFmLtvc8TQ7LY_A047Gu2Ode8Z9VtoFOuzmlNpefe2l_UGi4GoTRdDILi6kqUX_PKOAwOjbgYv32nJ6xW2qsA2_H8ZZiPeJVHnrQcJBq0RgMNeztE/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqCgXthtkgiLRxx3rYbepBW3rYEZFmLtvc8TQ7LY_A047Gu2Ode8Z9VtoFOuzmlNpefe2l_UGi4GoTRdDILi6kqUX_PKOAwOjbgYv32nJ6xW2qsA2_H8ZZiPeJVHnrQcJBq0RgMNeztE/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino egg close-up.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Step three: Food.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYhveDDjLG4w_WOIEvOjSDat6sikLYNaoR-L1queXc1xhGnXv86bkXpgYWfpfzWvXi0FwaG8WOd4psYwJkytuxL_htWTQnf-qlk9b0GDIYQLiEQHCDDTYXc6Zzx7pO4WHDdq5ADb62Bo/s1600/food+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYhveDDjLG4w_WOIEvOjSDat6sikLYNaoR-L1queXc1xhGnXv86bkXpgYWfpfzWvXi0FwaG8WOd4psYwJkytuxL_htWTQnf-qlk9b0GDIYQLiEQHCDDTYXc6Zzx7pO4WHDdq5ADb62Bo/s320/food+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did a carnivore, herbivore, sweetivore, snackivore theme. Turned out a little heavy on the sweetivore/snackivore side, but hey... it's a party.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I had Bugles as dinosaur claws, pretzels as dinosaur bones, grapes as (healthy, non-jelly bean) dinosaur eggs, and PB&J cut into Brontosauruses (Brontosauri?). I also had dinosaur chicken nuggets, fossil cookies, and Jurassic cupcakes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c01j8IsDvzZqesa85NNcDKRoZBL_sxP2xZVZtOA75cEbHvF1554Rws61qiOS3c7t4zdTTHPKtKpJUAYLykH5nTEcvbHuKmqQlu1M0gu_e4dUckzyx6RYgh8oBlJtrVNRvKu-C5vbi8g/s1600/food+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c01j8IsDvzZqesa85NNcDKRoZBL_sxP2xZVZtOA75cEbHvF1554Rws61qiOS3c7t4zdTTHPKtKpJUAYLykH5nTEcvbHuKmqQlu1M0gu_e4dUckzyx6RYgh8oBlJtrVNRvKu-C5vbi8g/s320/food+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made the fossil cookies, but bought the cupcakes. Best. Decision. Ever.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Step four: Activities.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Knowing that four-year-olds have a very short attention span, I tapped into my teaching roots and set up stations around the backyard. We had a table to make "D is for Dinosaur" crafts.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DU1b2mgbACEU9kwoU6tk5VuGdDfeTRVFh-yW5q85wzyDLejUvubxPNPAN2iN66sjIZ0YCxqcePwVEjvsNSvUvHL3Gx5oeWetEI_OlDz9Rdnhd324zFBvQFuRjxHfTlmKWr9xCyxzggQ/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DU1b2mgbACEU9kwoU6tk5VuGdDfeTRVFh-yW5q85wzyDLejUvubxPNPAN2iN66sjIZ0YCxqcePwVEjvsNSvUvHL3Gx5oeWetEI_OlDz9Rdnhd324zFBvQFuRjxHfTlmKWr9xCyxzggQ/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's an example of how a stuffy adult makes a D dinosaur...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7nPKZvFQx-czK32RiuYOLucuIvTdXjxM3BvJTcerbusy2SDES8oVNLAALXLrEe8Fv7QjvRm6L9BamzRasKLAYSy5lY7zLt50q_MgOsFwDVzDf5oiX5K2Y9IlRGKqO-S2SrNezWkbmAE/s1600/EBDay4-4619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7nPKZvFQx-czK32RiuYOLucuIvTdXjxM3BvJTcerbusy2SDES8oVNLAALXLrEe8Fv7QjvRm6L9BamzRasKLAYSy5lY7zLt50q_MgOsFwDVzDf5oiX5K2Y9IlRGKqO-S2SrNezWkbmAE/s320/EBDay4-4619.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids took this very seriously.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupvz4HoQmdnpjelAEElHIQq9YikyBKkGfuydH9P2hX-h6RmExBhaYhJxmxVCo0aJcwN_7xnxKjCyl3dKlV-IPG9Ed8i18ylCt8fMQBOBR8nUrrgILJRRq6QswpwpOcHKojV769pd7_og/s1600/EBDay4-4611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupvz4HoQmdnpjelAEElHIQq9YikyBKkGfuydH9P2hX-h6RmExBhaYhJxmxVCo0aJcwN_7xnxKjCyl3dKlV-IPG9Ed8i18ylCt8fMQBOBR8nUrrgILJRRq6QswpwpOcHKojV769pd7_og/s320/EBDay4-4611.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like, need-a-mid-crafting-juice-break seriously.<br />
Must've been tiring adding that fifth leg to his dinosaur.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
There was also a dino dig where the kiddos could channel their inner archeologist and unearth dinosaur skeletons.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQXaVOaRA2mVpCkmBQucug56GslYQU1KQC4_pgOM6Nn4jXZL_mSwYgwrjoE7XneDVy3IS1UaZaLpnevGjyAOeB-VG63ZFjZDcPqib6C-tlPGKz1PiqU9Ofyd_CqescPquST7MI50-beI/s1600/EBDay4-4620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQXaVOaRA2mVpCkmBQucug56GslYQU1KQC4_pgOM6Nn4jXZL_mSwYgwrjoE7XneDVy3IS1UaZaLpnevGjyAOeB-VG63ZFjZDcPqib6C-tlPGKz1PiqU9Ofyd_CqescPquST7MI50-beI/s320/EBDay4-4620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I underestimated how popular this station would be. <br />
I may have even seen a few adults get in on the dino dig action.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH_4rT6pSv2352T5i9z_k_d9r1xMALCtSDbS2xzHcnTVPFzO5wxEeUaS1OI9fk70vX5c7PvNseJRR76OsiymG4RvpVjQUc4iBI_7xTsZtLN6pdcGl0c_bicZXfjMJhH4xJi2DeSQvQow/s1600/EBDay4-4627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH_4rT6pSv2352T5i9z_k_d9r1xMALCtSDbS2xzHcnTVPFzO5wxEeUaS1OI9fk70vX5c7PvNseJRR76OsiymG4RvpVjQUc4iBI_7xTsZtLN6pdcGl0c_bicZXfjMJhH4xJi2DeSQvQow/s320/EBDay4-4627.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hands down, the most stylish archeologist I've ever seen.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The final station was a dinosaur relay race, using a claw grabber to transport a plastic T-Rex back and forth across the yard. I don't have a picture of this, so I'll paint one for you. Close your eyes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Go ahead, I'll wait. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Okay, imagine a gaggle of preschoolers who 1) don't have a lot of experience with relay races, 2) are still developing hand-eye coordination, and 3) are all hopped up on sugar. Pepper in a few encouraging shouts such as "No, no, run over *that* way!" and "Okay, sweetie, your turn is over now." </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Yeah, it went a little something like that. Moving on. </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Step five: Goofiness with good people.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Start with some of these:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8wchNYITd08ghodDe3MFKny4w7Jlz1wwyKrVv-x0NLVhnicHqQ0YvODXzhoynE2-c2OGTOO1uBdg1A87iMk0t8_YWwUQd_v8xYpRX2-H2CVZaTJQ0blZxS75hBijllBx0nTJSakiTpI/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8wchNYITd08ghodDe3MFKny4w7Jlz1wwyKrVv-x0NLVhnicHqQ0YvODXzhoynE2-c2OGTOO1uBdg1A87iMk0t8_YWwUQd_v8xYpRX2-H2CVZaTJQ0blZxS75hBijllBx0nTJSakiTpI/s320/photo+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pack of 12 for under ten bucks? Thanks, Oriental Trading!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Add the world's best godfather and a few new Hot Wheels:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfYCCLQ6AWY3AwBqiE_wStGNDBN7lEUl1gdXSFrmo3676ky7aygwo-PWGw7MYOyWmtxHowjRFvH-trNd1kl0qDB-pv80q4WAboPETt-wQN21iRu9NEcHxOVbpuqRDO3FtU_mXGFAe3L0/s1600/EBDay4-4646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfYCCLQ6AWY3AwBqiE_wStGNDBN7lEUl1gdXSFrmo3676ky7aygwo-PWGw7MYOyWmtxHowjRFvH-trNd1kl0qDB-pv80q4WAboPETt-wQN21iRu9NEcHxOVbpuqRDO3FtU_mXGFAe3L0/s320/EBDay4-4646.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally incognito.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
And you've got yourself a recipe for awesomeness, my friend.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
When the time came for cupcakes, Ethan was stoked.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesi3TAuynL-QBxGejgrbX7iJq2lh9lIo_oEwcxYml6plrMs9dMXvEIOoqvdnU4eB6XUNTEbPbfTvr8AgqcS6dtT3xxv8pfb4_Vp6AUP8X0r_igtlMhSCde2Uo92iV5Wvb33hJ3E5P3vs/s1600/EBDay4-4628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesi3TAuynL-QBxGejgrbX7iJq2lh9lIo_oEwcxYml6plrMs9dMXvEIOoqvdnU4eB6XUNTEbPbfTvr8AgqcS6dtT3xxv8pfb4_Vp6AUP8X0r_igtlMhSCde2Uo92iV5Wvb33hJ3E5P3vs/s320/EBDay4-4628.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woo hoo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPlE4xv7_-qA9hyZv2_qgJcCUwx164B7aBgqRvDE43eM97XOCpaM-l8l_0Z9XMbXSAogcJpnefbmpj8KavUTfwT8ridXBBY3kgcZ7BFiUQ31qg22LlI2SDBID6RnyDrLr_jyFKmI1HEE/s1600/EBDay4-4636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPlE4xv7_-qA9hyZv2_qgJcCUwx164B7aBgqRvDE43eM97XOCpaM-l8l_0Z9XMbXSAogcJpnefbmpj8KavUTfwT8ridXBBY3kgcZ7BFiUQ31qg22LlI2SDBID6RnyDrLr_jyFKmI1HEE/s320/EBDay4-4636.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those "washable" dinosaur stampers? Yeah.<br />
Took three days and two baths to get rid of. ;) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
All in all, I'd call it a success. Ethan keeps asking if it's almost time for his next birthday, and has started putting in requests for themes. Every so often, he'll bring up his dinosaur party from a "long, long time ago" and thank us for making it so much fun. <br />
Melts my heart every time.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-22365541445331127282012-09-13T21:42:00.000-07:002013-01-13T00:42:28.502-08:00Songs My Kid Probably Shouldn't KnowHe met someone new...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="282" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/48213106?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
... but it didn't work out.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="282" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/49363342?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
Preschool relationships are so complicated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-86218747307153163062012-08-02T10:34:00.000-07:002012-08-02T10:34:00.919-07:00Adventures at the California State FairHere's what I knew about state fairs before visiting ours in Sacramento:<br />
<br />
- Baby cows are born live for all the world to see.<br />
- Funnel cake and other deep fried goodies abound.<br />
- Carnival rides will test the strength of your stomach after indulging in the aforementioned deep fried goodies.<br />
- They will end up costing you an arm and a leg to attend.<br />
<br />
Here's what I learned about state fairs after visiting ours in Sacramento:<br />
<br />
- I was right about all of the above, EXCEPT for the last one (going on Free Kids Day where rides only cost a dollar saved us upwards of fifty bucks, at least!).<br />
- They are huge. Like <i>walk-for-a-thousand-miles-from-one-end-to-the-other-causing-your-son-to-whine-about-tired-feet</i> huge.<br />
- If you park at the west gate, the little kids rides will inevitably be on the far east side.<br />
- Being armed with snacks and juice boxes is nothing less than a stroke of brilliance.<br />
- When two moms are wrangling four children under the age of 4, including two babies, $9.00 is a small price to pay for the ability to sit in the shade for ten minutes sipping a nice cold beer.<br />
- Getting to the fair at nap time in 80+ degree heat means that your children will repeatedly bounce back and forth between feeling like this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkxC7N8qiIGEJxCMrYxkbDuALqKwutfuJ_MglvW1SifV078GCJCPDfgKnnaxWEFxOJ-joQx4-42t8CFJzKrKShkpyd_wLMALwJZ3haw82FQDfIPJi_M1n6-fhv-U64ephJ4cD-svRG4s/s1600/GoodTimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkxC7N8qiIGEJxCMrYxkbDuALqKwutfuJ_MglvW1SifV078GCJCPDfgKnnaxWEFxOJ-joQx4-42t8CFJzKrKShkpyd_wLMALwJZ3haw82FQDfIPJi_M1n6-fhv-U64ephJ4cD-svRG4s/s320/GoodTimes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
... and this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTYhAv3fGYAPS9ntkfoPyAE8xo-8a6xYeRt4jLi5RNmF4vctI7slZBKHqssrCQN2jnU-PLSjayaLhr_G-Sq_44k26pZkaxAU5u-mfgmfD0Mw3fuMh4JcJA25HrpUCVnxP2vWOxGjuCpA/s1600/Froggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTYhAv3fGYAPS9ntkfoPyAE8xo-8a6xYeRt4jLi5RNmF4vctI7slZBKHqssrCQN2jnU-PLSjayaLhr_G-Sq_44k26pZkaxAU5u-mfgmfD0Mw3fuMh4JcJA25HrpUCVnxP2vWOxGjuCpA/s320/Froggy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
... All. Day. Long.<br />
<br />
- The only thing funnier than eating ice cream next to dairy cows is nursing a baby next to them. Even I had to chuckle at myself when I realized the comedy of the situation.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKn8uiFajM1eDmj4K5QN1YjCamf62u5FfiiTczX7wWa14JiKcByTwnHVJfXTXSvI21YEWrEDoiVkAzz0xPZSnfg29qE2Jh3K7l0suWSUvdc9paA20NpCfbV4c2Kl1BXm0w9Sb_8Yh1-s/s1600/IceCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKn8uiFajM1eDmj4K5QN1YjCamf62u5FfiiTczX7wWa14JiKcByTwnHVJfXTXSvI21YEWrEDoiVkAzz0xPZSnfg29qE2Jh3K7l0suWSUvdc9paA20NpCfbV4c2Kl1BXm0w9Sb_8Yh1-s/s320/IceCream.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadly, we were photo bombed. The cows are behind red shirt guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Carousel operators are always ridiculously cranky, but that doesn't spoil our fun.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuE6cUsmSEFNI4GfIyzZibPPhGcofUBSqjAt4uj0T819RRFFlo7g8moPZ7tN175t8nme-n3op-4-a3xHbpw39RTjP9rl3A70iScE3AdKXAWzoZ5sa6f48amfC1dqQZqo-ncUciVky0YWA/s1600/ECarousel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuE6cUsmSEFNI4GfIyzZibPPhGcofUBSqjAt4uj0T819RRFFlo7g8moPZ7tN175t8nme-n3op-4-a3xHbpw39RTjP9rl3A70iScE3AdKXAWzoZ5sa6f48amfC1dqQZqo-ncUciVky0YWA/s320/ECarousel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's been on more carousel rides in four years than I have in my entire life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- For just three tickets, you too can ride in the pouch of a kangaroo...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7brzF2TJjmqVpzek61WJJjDl4AYtjpt8jj-AO1kbibFp2M_oyOQsoeE-0LK4DL3G-imyF6QA1GDDpSoXFC8E2enEKzHDNjHUzQwewA-m0VV32hDBiAZ4GBc7v2MFpyLdL4tXvljMRtE/s1600/Kangaroo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7brzF2TJjmqVpzek61WJJjDl4AYtjpt8jj-AO1kbibFp2M_oyOQsoeE-0LK4DL3G-imyF6QA1GDDpSoXFC8E2enEKzHDNjHUzQwewA-m0VV32hDBiAZ4GBc7v2MFpyLdL4tXvljMRtE/s320/Kangaroo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
... that used to be owned by Michael Jackson.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtATgEb9THL-dQOxhpJomjA36XtUd65XhpEQvrTFJDghinwxUoMdgyaXWxEP4cd3kDkH3JQebZOkThtQavKOuQEVl-N0Gme0aoRMsyFHKttdi0iDgsnt2eDYoq6Y5etqUkmKqCIMnxLXk/s1600/Neverland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtATgEb9THL-dQOxhpJomjA36XtUd65XhpEQvrTFJDghinwxUoMdgyaXWxEP4cd3kDkH3JQebZOkThtQavKOuQEVl-N0Gme0aoRMsyFHKttdi0iDgsnt2eDYoq6Y5etqUkmKqCIMnxLXk/s320/Neverland.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Is that a selling point?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- After a long, hot day, $9.00 is not too much to pay for a cold beer (I know, I've already mentioned it, but this point cannot be stressed enough).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Wearing a fire engine shirt while holding a fire hose makes the picture more authentic.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnXYrU2AsxifpiRC14vjehCa8tSvXzChHi1XkYkT6Sb6ZfITH9_91wT_-xY3rUbmij3PZyUMkRBN0dW7ZsrMXYE-LFW8T8BH_Huritt59feG4oJp5ZyWTYEYpfgcPUDekWU7JB9VSQxg/s1600/Fireman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnXYrU2AsxifpiRC14vjehCa8tSvXzChHi1XkYkT6Sb6ZfITH9_91wT_-xY3rUbmij3PZyUMkRBN0dW7ZsrMXYE-LFW8T8BH_Huritt59feG4oJp5ZyWTYEYpfgcPUDekWU7JB9VSQxg/s320/Fireman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All he needs now is the helmet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
- Some of the slides are ridiculously knee-shakingly tall.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywCfwbwn6ZzwxcFo1wwuJx-LpIY2UBBw9vLK4ddTe_yj-ATf8jVvT9q6odMvFnDHh_32yEp-N6Qxh4fGx6Ug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
- You will repeatedly question why in the world you decided to take the kids on such a crazy overstimulating adventure while your husband was stuck at work. However, having an incredible friend to spend the day with makes it an adventure worth repeating over and over again. (I heart Candace.)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-63741767954059858842012-07-25T23:52:00.000-07:002012-07-26T01:11:14.659-07:00How to Play ALL DAY LONG9:00am - Head to Sacramento to visit Candace, Emberly, and Sam<br />
<br />
11:00am - Visit the California State Railroad Museum with your best gal and <del>refuse to pose for pictures until your mom bribes you with ice cream</del> look really cute happily posing for pictures.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV13CL8EtHnHGjQlb_JnT-3ACjfmiEu4LaHmf8hIikxjzYzb6tjAu7tRy1wtRM4fh0n6-tWVcxfy9HlxfkCkY83QPGPOIYMey6Hi09q9Jzl-O6DPET-OFpa4WlgbXN9p8taY0DIihrwI/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV13CL8EtHnHGjQlb_JnT-3ACjfmiEu4LaHmf8hIikxjzYzb6tjAu7tRy1wtRM4fh0n6-tWVcxfy9HlxfkCkY83QPGPOIYMey6Hi09q9Jzl-O6DPET-OFpa4WlgbXN9p8taY0DIihrwI/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fourteen shots and not one of them looking at the camera at the same time...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
11:30am - Try to figure out what the spiral plastic thingy on the end of the weird looking iPhone is.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTerrOJc620CY5LOj44XUpkB3dGawt-DlP83MLZA_6VOfBWPgCwqrTMyihch0D7HGbqftDQ-ouMhge-lPrNg-w4iIjqGyyepdoj7gXMk6iLpwWhnYdqNHuSumHnPfch17S2LfO7QfgzU/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTerrOJc620CY5LOj44XUpkB3dGawt-DlP83MLZA_6VOfBWPgCwqrTMyihch0D7HGbqftDQ-ouMhge-lPrNg-w4iIjqGyyepdoj7gXMk6iLpwWhnYdqNHuSumHnPfch17S2LfO7QfgzU/s320/photo3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why doesn't this thing have a touchscreen?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
11:45am - Check out some super cool model railroad setups.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvX54bgdxe4o_gIsJhyzSD4u_MUPUNY5MXwkwwJ5UyVo93ve-T8VbCjiSejjpq7dXyZ5kPf3LLvrzKJf4Q92HUzOa4xmWsb2668b07Z2taERbbJBWsm8HblN-d7h3VqbiI3rNuKbwCgU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvX54bgdxe4o_gIsJhyzSD4u_MUPUNY5MXwkwwJ5UyVo93ve-T8VbCjiSejjpq7dXyZ5kPf3LLvrzKJf4Q92HUzOa4xmWsb2668b07Z2taERbbJBWsm8HblN-d7h3VqbiI3rNuKbwCgU/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one reminds me of the town in the Hidden Valley Ranch commercials. <br />
I want to go to there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
12:30pm - Eat pizza and ice cream, and then go back to Emberly's house to do this:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="282" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/46412412?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<small>We owe Candace and Ryan some grass seed.</small><br />
<small>PS - Ten points if you realized the song is by Puddle of Mudd.</small><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2:15pm - Change out of muddy clothes, relax on couch and watc<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">h <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">WALL•E</span> w</span>hile baby brother hangs out in a roll-away-proof pod on the floor.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1f75EwNHUd5MLNGczjyw1uIFdyto-ElYfAblhxYH9b0E5ArJK6oacGaOGD-owi_JGqJ7wZhdBqPYluxz0-zdY0fcKOAMK-8LKg5-mCCCKvq_pkoWfRIy-wDku4akeQF1VNTr_ijBLjM/s1600/EvPod.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1f75EwNHUd5MLNGczjyw1uIFdyto-ElYfAblhxYH9b0E5ArJK6oacGaOGD-owi_JGqJ7wZhdBqPYluxz0-zdY0fcKOAMK-8LKg5-mCCCKvq_pkoWfRIy-wDku4akeQF1VNTr_ijBLjM/s320/EvPod.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Escape attempts = thwarted!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
5:15pm - Go to Fairytale Land for the Chalk it Up event, have a delicious picnic dinner, and watch Emberly cover herself in loads and loads and loads of blue chalk.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeMX0m5ypYjorhaqTWqPn6bIe4x6qFjD5Cf8XZDMt_9a1virSw5Gf1GDjxDZ-LTPFupH_GWMTmw_PuhVuBj9c8bncOhOtcddttt4CKg9XCRqJENAmXi8qF66okuB52G7jqJV1BFyj4Qo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeMX0m5ypYjorhaqTWqPn6bIe4x6qFjD5Cf8XZDMt_9a1virSw5Gf1GDjxDZ-LTPFupH_GWMTmw_PuhVuBj9c8bncOhOtcddttt4CKg9XCRqJENAmXi8qF66okuB52G7jqJV1BFyj4Qo/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you go home neat and tidy, you didn't have enough fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
6:30pm - Systematically (and repeatedly!) try out each and every amazing slide that Fairytale Town has to offer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="282" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/46412411?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<small>Sharks and crocodiles... ha! Where does he come up with this stuff?</small></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
10:05pm - Stay up way past your bedtime and fall asleep in the car on the way home, dreaming of next week's fun play date event - going to the Oakland Zoo!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Summer. Is. Awesome.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-4451307507032086972012-07-08T19:06:00.000-07:002012-07-08T19:06:44.421-07:00Wait... I have a blog?You wouldn't know it with the way that I've been spacing out my posts lately. I have SO MUCH to catch up on. I'll work on that this week. Given that I'm on vacation, I have absolutely no excuses for neglecting the blog.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, enjoy this behind the scenes video of the semi-annual Notch boys portrait photo shoot. Super awesome images (as well as a few blog posts making up for all that I've missed over the past two months) to follow soon!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/45414530" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-87387951473015728222012-05-10T20:44:00.000-07:002012-05-11T08:06:12.646-07:00Ethanisms<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Why are there commercials?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I wanna ride on a train.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- There's dog hair on the couch.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- My baby isn't looking at me. I want him to look at me and laugh.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Mama, can I come with you to the potty? Do you want privacy? Maybe you don't. Um, what happens when you lock the door?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Can I watch Phineas and some Ferb?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Why do birds lay eggs?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Hey, Mom, look at me! I'm a silly turkey!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What happens if you push this button?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Do you like my hat?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Why? Why?? Why???</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Max, get back inside! When <i>I </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">was a doggie, I stayed in the house.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- When I get big like you, then I'll take care of Everett.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- That's a pattern!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Let's make a Daddy sandwich! I am the bread, and Daddy's the peanut butter, and Mommy's the other bread... and Everett's the pickle! </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Are you letting me stay up late?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Is this a one time book, or a two time book?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- No thank you, but thanks for sharing!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Mmmmm... this cereal is tasty! Can I have it for dinner?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Can I play games on your phone?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- If the sun melts the ice cream, what happens when you take the ice cream into the dark sky? The moon's not hot, right?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What's a wishing well? What's a wish?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I like buildings and cities.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Why is there traffic? Let's take a shortcut.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Can you take me to school today?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Why do I have to wear socks? <i>You</i> don't wear socks.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What makes steam?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What's an itch?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I'm not a lot awesome, but I'm a <i>little</i> awesome. And a little shy.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Is this a freeway?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- If you don't use a crosswalk, the police officers will come get you</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What happens if a bird bonks into a tree?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Animals can't talk, but they <i>can</i> laugh. They laugh in a different language. And the cows say "I love you" like this: "Moooooooo!"</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What does danger mean?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- What's a business trip?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Mom! I think there's chocolate in these M&Ms!!!</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz71NmAp_JDAeaW9r92DkB07IJDNnzWthCdYLhVcvo8RplSXtheNiyu5sb2Tq-cFixLf-Vvy0Xs76Y1gDiE1hR-n-dNBq0uVL8tSZ3YpUTtAqMOliKUlPA2gJkp4WHlrGU7Dj04p70sg4/s1600/_MG_4128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz71NmAp_JDAeaW9r92DkB07IJDNnzWthCdYLhVcvo8RplSXtheNiyu5sb2Tq-cFixLf-Vvy0Xs76Y1gDiE1hR-n-dNBq0uVL8tSZ3YpUTtAqMOliKUlPA2gJkp4WHlrGU7Dj04p70sg4/s400/_MG_4128.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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*I have to credit the lovely and talented Emily for this post. She wrote all about <a href="http://quattrochis.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-lyla-wants-to-know.html" target="_blank">What Lyla Wants to Know</a> over on her blog, and I totally stole her idea.* </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-45595269513086459182012-04-22T20:15:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:19:25.271-07:00A Bit of Peter Pan Magic<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Did you know that Neverland is actually located in Berkeley, California? It's true. With a pinch of my husband's daring spirit, mixed with a dash of internet research, he found the park that the Lost Boys built.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Apparently, a lot of other people have <i>also</i> discovered this park, as it was packed full of kids and parents who refuse to grow up. This incredible place, named one of the Top Ten Playgrounds by National Geographic Magazine, is almost indescribable. But I'm gonna try...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Opened over thirty years ago, Adventure Playground is still a work in progress. How is that possible, you ask? Well, it's simple. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WYJKt-JfPiCGh7yR2KGzlIIrftdglmbiU_SvtfFBTn8p7K-HBiVfZZGAZQ-MWX6z7FQGuZAEyMUu8gH3YpPvOAhO_LfMc9pgVBUQFKQPpCc-hL7veG5ifpY5cXrSVQ3tkwB-JD32358/s1600/IMG_2338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WYJKt-JfPiCGh7yR2KGzlIIrftdglmbiU_SvtfFBTn8p7K-HBiVfZZGAZQ-MWX6z7FQGuZAEyMUu8gH3YpPvOAhO_LfMc9pgVBUQFKQPpCc-hL7veG5ifpY5cXrSVQ3tkwB-JD32358/s400/IMG_2338.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Normally a list of things to *avoid* on a playground... which is what makes it so brilliant. There were hardly any construction hazards to be found. </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kids have access to giant piles of scrap wood, and can check out hammers, nails, saws, and paint to build pretty much whatever they want to.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KCl2kfqcZSeXIexOC8gUW3s3445fYMTelikzR1iOHr9Zhgotp5G-zqPHGEJbY5jtx7-GXu6vlo9pj51-AWFzCU-Y0zSo_tjeBJke1Rmh4UMlIevHgHWj-EnCPYsoc1vh7IJw1wXMglg/s400/IMG_2332.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reduce, reuse, recycle!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">As a result,
the play structures all look, well, like the forts I used to build in the woods
with my friends growing up. But much, much cooler. They're a
little bit wonky, a little bit messy, and a whole lotta fun.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy28_bVBvnH59M6jZod5772NHAwZv7_4eAGwuctstQ839KAxX88ZbvLGnQIbkiWDXc8Sh5TaoHP9c-IroMn' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sure, that makes for a few hazards here and there, but parent supervision is required, and there are warnings all over the place. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Understatement.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">If you would
have asked me yesterday if I'd take my not-quite-four-year-old to a park where
they not only provide, but *encourage* the use of potentially dangerous tools,
I probably would have said absolutely not. But once you're there,
witnessing the playground's perfect combination of creativity and childlike
joy, it seems like the best idea ever. </span><span style="color: #262626;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #262626;">For starters,
the park is right on the water, with views of San Francisco. That alone
is hard to beat. But it gets better. There's giant climbing nets, tons
of slides and swings, tunnels for days, and a <i>zipline</i>, for crying out
loud.</span><span style="color: #262626;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Old instruments have been turned into works of art...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDxQOOImuaEPMCH3oXtpLa_AinOPt3ik6ZtjVsnv8Yw5ks07Ftbhr_XPIn837rwI2VVXjxKGhdigLRqaE0M0ntfjqT3NvTQZodEs5MSC7ZQuTdnwbXDh2YFcuOhj0XycyWSHCEMNZQ48/s400/IMG_2341.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kind of want one of these for our living room.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: small;">Everywhere you
turn, there's a new nook or cranny just <i>begging</i> to be explored.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: small;">It's everything
a Bay Area mama could ask for. It's amazingly artsy. It's
granola-crunching hippie. It's something completely different. It
encourages the kiddos to play outside and use their imagination. But the
best part of all? It brings families together. Since you have to
keep a really careful eye on your little one, it creates a totally different
level of engagement. Parents are given permission to turn into kids
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Forget about finding the Lost Boys. We ARE the Lost Boys. And this is our Neverland.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-43862850910911438002012-03-02T15:10:00.011-08:002012-03-02T15:45:56.265-08:00(Almost) On a RollThings I learned while filming this video:<br /><br />1) Everett is a determined little guy, just like his big brother. (This can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on what the boys are determined to <span style="font-style:italic;">do</span>. In this case, the determination to figure out how to roll over is adorable and endearing. Put a tally in that blessing category.)<br /><br />2) Gone are the baby blob days when all he did was eat and sleep. Everett is growing up quickly, and developing quite a personality. I suppose he was born with free will <small>(debate this amongst yourselves)</small>, but he's just now getting to the point where he's old enough to execute it. I love watching him <span style="font-weight:bold;">choose</span> to do something.<br /><br />3) There's a reason why the play mat comes with structured plastic inserts to hold up the sides... and I should probably spend the weekend searching the garage for them.<br /><br /><center><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/37831087?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></center><center><small>His technique is a bit unorthodox, but I guarantee it'll yield results!</small></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-12870727705750721562012-02-21T23:58:00.001-08:002012-02-22T00:02:58.833-08:00In the Blink of an EyeThere are a handful of nostalgic movies that I will always watch if they are on TV. One of my favorites is <span style="font-style:italic;">Big</span> - a Tom Hanks classic. It's one of those films that sucks me in and absorbs 100% of my attention. I am physically unable to change the channel. It makes me *that* happy.<br /><br />Some Broadway producers tried to capture that magic by making it into a musical. Sadly, it compeltely tanked, and was only on the Great White Way for a little under six months. However, that was long enough for my high school drama director to see it and decide that we would perform <span style="font-style:italic;">Big: The Musical</span> in the Spring of my Junior year. I was cast as Mrs. Baskin, aka Tom Hanks' mother. For lots of different reasons too numerous to go into, we didn't end up doing the musical. I instead played Sarah Brown in <span style="font-style:italic;">Guys and Dolls</span> that year, another one of my favorites. But every now and then, I think about the show that never was and how much fun it would have been to perform. Of the songs that Mrs. Baskin sings, "Stop Time," has always stuck with me. It was moving when I was 16, but now that I'm thirtysomething and have two kids of my own, it means oh-so-much more. <br /><br />I go back to work in a little over two weeks, which marks the end of my days at home with tiny boy. My maternity leave has flown by, and I know it's just the beginning of time slipping away from me. As I hold Everett and stare at his itty bitty baby features, I think about how quickly Ethan has grown, and Mrs. Baskin's song plays on a loop in my head:<br /><br /><center><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/37227865?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></center><br /><center>Two months old, he looks up at you.<br />How his smile melts your heart!<br />You want to say, "Stop, time."<br />"Don't move on."<br />Even as you watch, that look is gone.<br /><br />Then he's two, such a little man.<br />So alive and so smart!<br />Again you say, "Stop, time."<br />"Stay just this way."<br />But the future comes, and he can't stay.<br /><br />Nobody warns you of this parent's paradox -<br />You want your kid to change and grow,<br />But when he does, another child you've just begun to know,<br />Leaves forever.<br /><br />Birthdays fly - 7, 8, 9, 10.<br />Every kid he becomes you clutch and say "Stop, time."<br />"Hold this one fast!"<br />But it's not supposed to last.<br />And that time has come and passed.<br />For he's growing,<br />And he has to go.</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-54978834142406767762012-02-13T10:55:00.000-08:002012-02-13T11:00:29.782-08:00Be My ValentineWe drove up to Sacramento this weekend so Ethan could have a date with his sweet little Emberly. Of course, I had to chaperone, camera phone in hand to capture each and every moment. Here's a little photo essay on how the evening went:<br /><br />It started off with a gourmet dinner of dinosaur chicken nuggets and juice popsicles. Ethan let his best gal have the pink princess plate - not because he's opposed to pink, but because he wants to give her every happiness. He's chivalrous that way. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLa5_ldHXcnMb4tap7JX3c6-FWCoGA0Yy3AyW-O48t0j8pkMW5VdPYxe_XsnKSWMqn1Y82foxzU7Oigyhk-RQIw_vv2scjT00LQJjt4a1eXoL8aI8YDyNlKvtMeK5V-CVJr37GSIL2NPw/s1600/Cheers.jpg"target="_blank"><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/AVvXsEhLa5_ldHXcnMb4tap7JX3c6-FWCoGA0Yy3AyW-O48t0j8pkMW5VdPYxe_XsnKSWMqn1Y82foxzU7Oigyhk-RQIw_vv2scjT00LQJjt4a1eXoL8aI8YDyNlKvtMeK5V-CVJr37GSIL2NPw/s400/Cheers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708492578734996002" /></a><center><small>Cheers!</small></center><br />We need to work on manners. Ethan made a drippy popsicle mess all over the table. Upon discovering it, Emberly hopped up, ran into the kitchen, asked her mom for a wipe, and cleaned up after him. She's nurturing that way. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbPMAfxjbCHUB6_QeiadCxBZfC7IWp6soCynkKWOGJw0ta-dUGg9BVEIJ726KOdaXz1jWT8omGQyszl-f8QrFFfgaEKjJqr1WOEyjIZlHyc9d_gonDqoo3gmJjG6g0TgjgxI3go9WOnM/s1600/CleanUp.jpg"target="_blank"><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/AVvXsEijbPMAfxjbCHUB6_QeiadCxBZfC7IWp6soCynkKWOGJw0ta-dUGg9BVEIJ726KOdaXz1jWT8omGQyszl-f8QrFFfgaEKjJqr1WOEyjIZlHyc9d_gonDqoo3gmJjG6g0TgjgxI3go9WOnM/s400/CleanUp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708493620205351106" /></a><center><small>But seriously, little dude, let's try to get more <span style="font-style:italic;">in</span> than <span style="font-style:italic;">on</span> your belly next time.</small></center><br />After dinner, Ethan took Emberly for a spin on a shiny red tricycle. Chicks dig it when you've got a cool ride.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNHDIZ1n-8OHhBDuVmWAHGANxwelL-ej0GUTfxNg948U0lrLbmeUK0rBKOlODrIz5BNoy2urYErLGPaYaG_YbC7u4c57piKGWd-MXfzBGHgoLXvVvI81PY4zpDrnddm2OYOAR2ueITpc/s1600/TakeASpin.jpg"target="_blank"><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/AVvXsEjGNHDIZ1n-8OHhBDuVmWAHGANxwelL-ej0GUTfxNg948U0lrLbmeUK0rBKOlODrIz5BNoy2urYErLGPaYaG_YbC7u4c57piKGWd-MXfzBGHgoLXvVvI81PY4zpDrnddm2OYOAR2ueITpc/s400/TakeASpin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708495176995989890" /></a><center><small>Notice how he's powering it Fred Flintstone style. Smooth.</small></center><br />Emberly wanted to show him how to put the foot to the pedal and the pedal to the metal. Or something like that. So they swapped places and Emberly hopped behind the wheel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieo-IqYX3iDojEqXF2vwFc8QeSSOKxrmw0QrWC26Mc_1W2bi1fZmybLaaEv1m9Uuh457gBvtBgtiyGcWMwcaHC_KfFzLXqImtcAjBjVPjBSg9Uoxo278WER0G0pV2O5whT-hrf0_aIXE/s1600/HitchARide.jpg"target="_blank"><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/AVvXsEgieo-IqYX3iDojEqXF2vwFc8QeSSOKxrmw0QrWC26Mc_1W2bi1fZmybLaaEv1m9Uuh457gBvtBgtiyGcWMwcaHC_KfFzLXqImtcAjBjVPjBSg9Uoxo278WER0G0pV2O5whT-hrf0_aIXE/s400/HitchARide.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708496183447184066" /></a><center><small>She's a much better driver. Sorry, Ethan, but them's the facts.</small></center><br />After the long drive from the kitchen, they arrived in the living room and watched "Finding Nemo" for a bit. When their attention span was tapped out, they retired to a comfy chair for a little light reading.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJiqEJsb1Nh6gAKYdElmqRFvqz89Dwu4yeAGgWGTE1Awghsaw-Cb91s1bhneva3Ky9QY8dQ-xwbfSJ-5x-8qzjJ2Ob9M-YBgh15noMmidlNvaEK6w8yiqbcCNLMdJu-khmGfX8hpKFJ4/s1600/Reading.jpg"target="_blank"><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/AVvXsEjjJiqEJsb1Nh6gAKYdElmqRFvqz89Dwu4yeAGgWGTE1Awghsaw-Cb91s1bhneva3Ky9QY8dQ-xwbfSJ-5x-8qzjJ2Ob9M-YBgh15noMmidlNvaEK6w8yiqbcCNLMdJu-khmGfX8hpKFJ4/s400/Reading.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708498593185903010" /></a><center><small>Building literacy skills with the added bonus of cuddling up with his lady. Win-win.</small></center><br />Those two little sweeties played together for hours, filling the house with the sounds of squeals and laughter. Thanks for such a lovely evening, Hoke family!<br /><br /><center><small>(A special shout out to the babies, Sam and Everett, for sleeping through the whole thing! Boys - you were missed, but it sure was nice to be able to eat a delicious meal and play some Spades without interruption!)</small></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-46238673875801893452012-02-06T22:52:00.000-08:002012-02-07T09:52:44.912-08:00Everett's Birth Story (Finally!)Here's how the story *should* have gone:<br /><br />"Knowing that we were going to have a repeat c-section, we scheduled everything in advance. We booked the surgery for 9:00am on December 8th, 2011. I got a full eight hours of blissful sleep the night before, and woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the morning of our big day. I had time to shower, curl my hair, and put on makeup. We took a leisurely drive to the hospital, and everything went as planned. Friends were anxiously huddled in the waiting room, ready to toast Everett's arrival with bottles of sparkling cider and red Solo cups in hand. Everett was born at 9:30am, and Mommy and baby were happy and healthy." Short. Sweet. Predictable. Of course, we all know that babies sometimes have a mind of their own...<br /><br />Here's how the story *actually* goes:<br /><br />On Friday, December 2nd, I was working from home. I had just finished my last work task for the day when my best friend, Ingrid, called me. She said she had a funny feeling that I was going to have the baby early, and wanted to work out the logistics for taking care of Ethan in case I went into labor. "Don't you worry about that," I told her. "I feel fine, and the c-section is only a week away. There's no way I'm going into labor before then."<br /><br />What happened next? I went into labor, of course. Not an hour after telling Ingrid that I wouldn't. Cause that's what happens when you make such a bold statement. The universe knocks you down a few pegs and shows you who's boss.<br /><br />I wasn't quite ready to accept that my contractions were the real thing. I'd been having some pretty intense Braxton Hicks action off and on throughout the last few months of the pregnancy, and I was in total denial that these contractions were different. You see, I'm a planner. And I had a really good plan cooked up for welcoming this baby into the world. Unexpected labor and a trip to the hospital did not fit into those plans. I sheepishly called Ingrid, and began a slightly panicked conversation by saying, "Soooooo, remember how, like forty five minutes ago, I swore up and down that I wouldn't be going into labor?" She offered to come over right away, but still being in denial, I told her I'd call her in a hour after I'd had a chance to lie down. I made another few panicked phone calls, including one to Ryan, who happened to be enjoying himself at a "Last Hurrah Happy Hour" thrown by his work buddies. In the city. Ninety minutes away with rush hour traffic. <br /><br />Resting didn't help. A shower didn't help. Crying certainly didn't help. And so, finally, I relented and faced reality: this baby was not going to wait. He was ready, and didn't care that <span style="font-style:italic;">I wasn't</span>. I called Ingrid and told her to come on over. Thankfully, she had decided to ignore me when I told her to wait for my call, and was already on her way. Ryan had begun making his way home as well. <br /><br />By the time we were headed to the hospital, things had already started to get real. I'd heard that labor can progress more quickly with your second baby, but I didn't expect it to progress <span style="font-style:italic;">this</span> quickly. Four hours into my labor with Ethan, I wasn't totally sure that I was actually in labor. Four hours in this time around, I was in tears. Thankfully, since we had already decided to take the doc's advice to have a repeat c-section, I knew I wouldn't have long to wait. Eight hours into labor, I was being wheeled into the operating room. <br /><br />Unlike the emergency c-section with Ethan where I had to be put under general anesthesia, I was able to get a spinal instead. I was so excited to witness the birth of my child, but was also very nervous about the whole process. There's a bit of blissful ignorance when you're unconscious for a major surgery. I was prepared for the recovery, but had no idea what to expect out of the actual being-cut-open-and-having-a-baby-yanked-out-of-you thing. Luckily, the c-section went really well, and Everett was born at 2:46am on December 3rd, 2011. <br /><br />Everett was healthy, but not breathing well enough on his own. He had some fluid in his lungs and wasn't getting enough oxygen, so he had to stay in the NICU for four days. I wasn't able to nurse him for the first two days due to his breathing apparatus. We did get a lot of skin to skin bonding time, and (the one perk to having a baby in the NICU instead of in your room with you) I was able to get some rest between pumping and snuggling time. <br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtkmQZD1cMCVJzQq2U2qCq9jxXyyQ1avhg_A_xnLTKRDXKop5eGnWSYSkP72z6Sy7wEDqpQyEU2Cb1QjOGSBKFlGVcAkD06Vhj7MM7flzBeK3M9ZCYSWNaTDzWPGQz2sFqy4HwzIcEr8/s1600/_MG_3244.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtkmQZD1cMCVJzQq2U2qCq9jxXyyQ1avhg_A_xnLTKRDXKop5eGnWSYSkP72z6Sy7wEDqpQyEU2Cb1QjOGSBKFlGVcAkD06Vhj7MM7flzBeK3M9ZCYSWNaTDzWPGQz2sFqy4HwzIcEr8/s400/_MG_3244.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706427078871148882" /></a><center><small>Under those blankets, our kiddo was a big bundle of tubes and wires.</small></center><br />Slowly but surely, Everett's condition improved, and they moved him from the CPAP to the nasal cannula, took out the tube going down his throat into his stomach, and weaned him off of the IV fluids. When I was able to begin nursing he took to it like a champ, and hasn't looked back since. I was initially a little worried about the loss of bonding time, but he quickly reassured me that we were thick as thieves, even if we couldn't be hospital roomies. He'd instantly calm down when in my arms, falling asleep to the sound of me softly singing what would become his favorite songs. I can't really put it into words, but when I held him, it was like we'd known each other forever. It was hard to walk back to my room and leave him in the NICU, but deep down I felt like he knew that I'd be back. He usually just slept in between my visits - the nurses would call me when he woke up so that I could be with him. That made me feel a lot better during the long, slow walk back to my room. I left him with enough love and comfort to make his dreams sweet, and was by his side almost as soon as he woke from his peaceful slumber.<br /><br />Ethan and Ryan spent a lot of time in the hospital with me, and I relished those little moments when we were together as a family of four. Ethan wore his big brother scrubs from Mima and Poppa when he came to the hospital to meet his future best buddy, which resulted in a lot of ooooohing and aaaaahing from the doctors and nurses.<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmrERDBQ2EkoCgSNskrz3-YnU2loAXYhsoMjUYGDj7xuKcdjGr2GZEPTMZ-D8E1NS1Hi4oWJCGwhQePQu19rPkCbzCPH7Ou_RFmmAcKPOcEvuzLFo1_n94rE42-A8r0U6lMU14QgmWyk/s1600/_MG_3257.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmrERDBQ2EkoCgSNskrz3-YnU2loAXYhsoMjUYGDj7xuKcdjGr2GZEPTMZ-D8E1NS1Hi4oWJCGwhQePQu19rPkCbzCPH7Ou_RFmmAcKPOcEvuzLFo1_n94rE42-A8r0U6lMU14QgmWyk/s400/_MG_3257.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706284134914374978" /></a><center><small>A pack of crackers AND a baby brother? Best. Day. Ever.</small></center> <br />He stared with wonder into Everett's eyes, gently touching his baby brother's fingers and toes through the "portholes" in Everett's isolette. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe8f4d1cs4jmjRNOwgKoRNlsGVZb6wez9HLJYkVRFQY-qBK_zcS0C0ioDkV7bGkt6_CMFJQMefjMv22TORK-E35NvdTP_yn_pZmXNezTUdyLOUlM5zXbyUxkJhXluUqp6yPu6-q1fKOg/s1600/_MG_3247.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe8f4d1cs4jmjRNOwgKoRNlsGVZb6wez9HLJYkVRFQY-qBK_zcS0C0ioDkV7bGkt6_CMFJQMefjMv22TORK-E35NvdTP_yn_pZmXNezTUdyLOUlM5zXbyUxkJhXluUqp6yPu6-q1fKOg/s400/_MG_3247.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706427342906524482" /></a><center><small>You were that small once upon a time, big brother.</small></center> <br />Unbeknownst to me, my dad had been scheming with Ryan since August, and had a secret visit planned that turned out to be perfectly timed. He arrived on the evening of December 6th, and surprised me in the hospital. I was floored, and turned into a heap of tears. See for yourself:<br /><br /><center><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/36327253?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></center><center><small>It's a bit of an embarrassing video, but the reaction was too good not to post.</small></center><br />We were released on December 7th, the day before I was supposed to be entering the hospital all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and curly-haired and pretty-faced. It worked out nicely, though, our impatient boy's unanticipated arrival. Ryan's parents flew in the next day, and were able to get more QBST (<span style="font-style:italic;">quality baby snuggling time</span>) at home than they would have if Everett was still in the hospital. <br /><br />It just goes to show - you can plan and plan, and be certain that you know the "right" way for everything to work out, and still end up being so totally wrong. Babies arrive at the perfect time, whether you want them to or not. Looking back, it was silly of me to want to wait for his scheduled arrival. On <span style="font-style:italic;">Everett's</span> schedule, I ended up with five bonus days with my tiny boy.<br /><br />Perfect timing, little man. Thank you for that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-46152774276932354122012-01-30T21:42:00.001-08:002012-01-30T22:37:34.004-08:00Cue the Second-Time-Around Guilt!Wow. On December 22nd, (which was almost <span style="font-style:italic;">three weeks </span>after Everett was born, by the by), I wrote the following phrase on our birth announcement post: <br /><br />"Birth story to follow soon!"<br /><br />It's now January 30th. Over a month later. Doesn't exactly fall within that whole "soon" window, does it? Everett is almost two months old now. I've yet to tell the tale of his arrival, give you stats on height and weight and developmental milestones, brag about what a good big brother Ethan is, and plaster pictures of my baby boy for all the world to see. <br /><br />I posted a photo and announced Ethan's birth on THE DAY he was born. That's right, I blogged from the hospital, peeps. Four days later, I wrote his birth story, complete with more pictures. I blogged about all of his "firsts" a week after he was born - his first car ride, first visitors, first bath... you get the idea. By the time Ethan was two months old, I had written eleven blog entries and Ryan had conducted multiple professional photo shoots.<br /><br />And here I find myself, three years and some change later, two months into holding a tiny snorting newborn in my arms again. And all I've done is posted one picture and made an empty promise. <br /><br />Mother. Of. The. Year.<br /><br />I've totally let Everett fall prey to the stereotype of a second child. You could wallpaper the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with the number of pictures of baby Ethan we have. I have a few great photos of Everett, but they're mostly from my iPhone, as we've not had time to do any "real" photo shoots with him yet. <br /><br />Ryan tells me to rest assured, that since "all newborns look the same" we can just show Everett's first girlfriend embarrassing pictures of a random newborn we found on a Google image search, and nobody would be the wiser. <br /><br />Here's where I ask myself the tough questions: Do I love Everett any less than I love Ethan? Absolutely not. Do I enjoy being a mommy to a newborn any less than I did with Ethan? No way - I may even enjoy it <span style="font-style:italic;">more</span>, now that I'm not a trembling, terrified blob of irrational fears. Does the fact that I've neglected my blog mean that I'm neglecting my child(ren)? Not in a million years.<br /><br />I have a baby, a three-year-old, and a husband who works full-time (as opposed to his full-time grad student status when Ethan was a baby, which meant that he was home a whole lot more). Our household is so busy right now that sometimes it's all I can do to remember to eat lunch. If I had to give myself a grade for my daily accomplishments, I'd have to say that I'm rocking a solid C+ average. Calculated as follows:<br /><br />1) Baby loving: A+<br />2) Big brother doting: A+ <br />3) Daily shower opportunities: B-<br />4) Cooking: C+<br />5) Cleaning: C<br />6) Newborn photo ops: D+<br />7) Blogging: F<br /><br />If I have to fail in any areas (and those who know me well will know that I consider anything less than an A a failing grade...), I'd rather fail in items 3 - 7. My boys mean the world to me, and if all I have to give right now is zapped after making sure that they're happy and healthy, then so be it. <br /><br />So, Everett, if you're reading this twenty years from now, please know that you are so very loved. I can't prove it by showing you post after post about your first few glorious months on this planet, but that's only because I was too busy enjoying every minute.<br /><br />(PS, dear readers - Birth story to follow soon!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-57455790474686371312011-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:002011-12-22T12:29:54.899-08:00Someone Wants to Say Hello...<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzN5zU_Xf4JUthoqV5XVOVzNjcTLCp-bVjRX6Lf279MfLQzm5WVBJUzKOLlPtqumnoW1kJT9wzVdj0OfZowimLCwAqWxzCwdtzMdiANltX3WCH9FWKWp6on_1vWpE8WPlfgfrlzidWPI/s1600/BirthAnnouncement.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzN5zU_Xf4JUthoqV5XVOVzNjcTLCp-bVjRX6Lf279MfLQzm5WVBJUzKOLlPtqumnoW1kJT9wzVdj0OfZowimLCwAqWxzCwdtzMdiANltX3WCH9FWKWp6on_1vWpE8WPlfgfrlzidWPI/s400/BirthAnnouncement.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686071781344069266" /></a></center> <center>Birth story to follow soon!</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-70443945514370612522011-11-30T16:54:00.001-08:002011-11-30T20:26:32.444-08:00The Kindness of OthersI have an incredible family. I love them all dearly, but from afar... I am on one edge of the country, and they are about 3,000 miles away on the other side. Google maps will tell you that you can make the trek from my town to theirs in one day and twenty-two hours, but I'm pretty sure that's only accurate if you're carpooling with a robot that doesn't need to take breaks to eat or sleep. Point is, they're super duper far away. While modern conveniences like Facebook and texting and cell phone calls help keep us all in touch, it's not the same as having them here, in my neighborhood, available to pop over at any time. Especially not when you're about to birth a baby.<br /><br />I also have incredible friends. Friends that are so kind and supportive that you'd think they were family. Friends that do so much to show that they care, it makes you wonder what you did to deserve them. Friends that are local, that have become an adoptive family of sorts. <br /><br />I am in awe of these friends, especially recently. So many people have rallied around us to show their support of our expanding brood through countless selfless acts. Throwing incredible baby showers. Coordinating meal drop offs and childcare pickups. Volunteering to spend time with me and the little one to help me heal from my c-section once Ryan has to go back to work. Offering to take Ethan - not to get him out of our hair, but to do something fun with him so that he'll know just how special and loved he is. Taking time off from work to be at the hospital when baby brother is born. They give, and give, and give, with open and sincere hearts. These amazing people are like family to me, and I appreciate them more than words could say. Asking for help is not one of my strong suits, and right now I am surrounded by people that just "do" without waiting to be asked. <br /><br />Let's face it - when you get to this final stage of pregnancy, and definitely once you have a fresh little newborn at home, you may not <span style="font-style:italic;">want</span> to ask for help, but you most certainly need it! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QTf0_PzXPNYTYpiiPNPMiF3psolBTqQdz_qxfv3uKu785hEBfaJprsIJn4_NNBcmV2neqVCTWx_C0dzKu-i7Js-CMWa3PsIMCKNY-rRKqBpTjp8cofwz2AND7PhgxYLbbjL5HlRHIMM/s1600/_MG_3179-Edit-2.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QTf0_PzXPNYTYpiiPNPMiF3psolBTqQdz_qxfv3uKu785hEBfaJprsIJn4_NNBcmV2neqVCTWx_C0dzKu-i7Js-CMWa3PsIMCKNY-rRKqBpTjp8cofwz2AND7PhgxYLbbjL5HlRHIMM/s400/_MG_3179-Edit-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681001715416928450" /></a><center>(And this shot is a month old, so imagine what I look like now!)</center><br />Perhaps it's the lingering scent of Thanksgiving turkey, or the holiday tunes that play in the background of sappy commercials, or the fact that my little family is about to change in such an amazing and dramatic way, but I can't stop thinking about how important it is to have a strong, supportive, loving family. Be it through birth, marriage, or friendship, the individuals that I have in my life right now have been blowing me away, and I can only hope that I am as good to them as they are to me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-23777671912985587212011-11-24T20:17:00.000-08:002011-11-24T21:39:36.089-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!We had such a lovely holiday! It started with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which, as it turns out, no one in my house is interested in besides me (I know, it's absolutely un-American, but those boys of mine are total party poopers). Ethan was mildly interested when the Buzz Lightyear balloon floated by, but outside of that he was much more into playing with his wooden train tracks. And, while we're on the subject of the Macy's Parade, can we digress for a moment and talk about the fact that Newsies is now on Broadway?!?! What?!?! I was ridiculously obsessed with that movie back in the day. The performance of "King of New York" alone was enough to make watching the parade worth it. My boys don't know what they're missing.<br /><br />Given that we're exactly two weeks away from meeting baby brother, I kind of cheated my way out of cooking this year. I cooked a turkey, but most of the side dishes were purchased from our local boutique supermarket already prepared. Call me crazy, but spending hours in the kitchen peeling/boiling/mashing potatoes and making complicated recipes from scratch does not jive with the big baby belly and end-of-pregnancy pains and fatigue. <br /><br />We did most of the <del>cooking</del> preparing while Ethan was napping, but once he woke we pulled a stool up to the counter and let him "bake the bread" (roll up all of the crescent rolls and put them on the baking sheet). We set the table with "fancy" plates and real silverware, dimmed the lights, and lit candles. Music played in the background as we talked about holidays and family, and I almost burst into happy tears several times. I was too busy enjoying the moment to take any photos, which is a testament to how absolutely wonderful the evening was. <br /><br />However, a Notch blog post would not be a Notch blog post without *some* pictures. As per usual, I'm horribly behind in posting (It's been over a month! Yikes!), so I have a few catching up photos cued up and ready to go.<br /><br />Here's Ethan as a scary green dinosaur (don't let that goofy grin fool you - he's a vicious beast).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-pHZwfu1G1hefcgm8myIWqG5FfrBk6L97YnyipB-1hRBsBdS-Uvi6MECWGJ8O3DHaA9dYWgSoy45EECp5YeOlEg739R9cwwLR1c01z7uNrXoOabp2RMM8R8qH9w6E2WWQiiTErCv4is/s1600/_MG_3200-Edit.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-pHZwfu1G1hefcgm8myIWqG5FfrBk6L97YnyipB-1hRBsBdS-Uvi6MECWGJ8O3DHaA9dYWgSoy45EECp5YeOlEg739R9cwwLR1c01z7uNrXoOabp2RMM8R8qH9w6E2WWQiiTErCv4is/s400/_MG_3200-Edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678795400988083378" /></a><br />He began asking for a dinosaur costume back in August, I broke down and bought it for him in September, and he intermittently wore it around the house all through October. We got some serious mileage out of that zip up dinosaur suit.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineeLo9lCdSnwO12EdRzESYZdCSxZc83O6ha4tWb7mlTMJgJKfM2ZOfyWcnKFWr1sEo7MKR0T0gzQ1hETRDQYJlwxh2dCaNJig02h7t-HCHli7VuBQDB1InAhuPrX99SMA2C8Wzl1XX8Q/s1600/_MG_3215-Edit.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineeLo9lCdSnwO12EdRzESYZdCSxZc83O6ha4tWb7mlTMJgJKfM2ZOfyWcnKFWr1sEo7MKR0T0gzQ1hETRDQYJlwxh2dCaNJig02h7t-HCHli7VuBQDB1InAhuPrX99SMA2C8Wzl1XX8Q/s400/_MG_3215-Edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678795630058410482" /></a><br />While this was taken with an iPhone camera in my office, and not with one of Ryan's fancy cameras in just-the-right setting, I figured I should post it anyway. This year for Halloween I dressed up as Mother Nature (ba dum ching!). My amazing friend Stacie spent <span style="font-style:italic;">hours</span> with me coming up with the concept and making the skirt and headpiece. I also wore it to Ryan's office Halloween party and when we took Ethan trick-or-treating, so I suppose I got some good mileage out of this costume as well!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTQ4iwrtRq2K088Spzj8cUzSICDEeKsNtfORkFqHwuLF89Mjw4BjgV8Cx_kbeaDLddWilzxfl2OyFefTi-Yq037dNiaf2zKaLYttexC1fmpv_O_VGxErMGkhN9CJk3SSkWONEoHJCNS4/s1600/MotherNature.jpg"target="_blank"><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/AVvXsEgRTQ4iwrtRq2K088Spzj8cUzSICDEeKsNtfORkFqHwuLF89Mjw4BjgV8Cx_kbeaDLddWilzxfl2OyFefTi-Yq037dNiaf2zKaLYttexC1fmpv_O_VGxErMGkhN9CJk3SSkWONEoHJCNS4/s400/MotherNature.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678792808053168898" /></a>I will do my best to post once more before baby brother arrives - I have some recent(ish) belly shots to show you, and should do so while they're still relevant!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-59087272669032413002011-10-11T18:34:00.000-07:002011-10-11T20:24:22.718-07:00Hey, kid - I like you.I had a pretty fantastic afternoon. I went to pick Ethan up from preschool, and his face lit up when he saw me. He did a little happy dance when I walked into his classroom. He then ran around to all of the kids in the room and gave them an enthusiastic "Bye bye, (insert kid's name here)!!!" He handed out hugs to his friends like they were candy. <br /><br />He told me clever things as we walked to the car, got in all on his own, and tried to buckle himself in, stating, "I need to help Mommy." He tried to tell a funny joke. He sang me "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as we drove out of the parking lot. He danced with gusto to every song on the radio, shouting with glee, "This is my FAVORITE song!" with each new tune. He giggled at me whenever he caught me glancing at him through the rearview mirror.<br /><br />He asked if he could help me close the garage door when we got home, and asked his stuffed dragon to help me as well. He thanked dragon for being so kind. He requested pizza for dinner and gave me a huge hug when I said yes. He helped me put away the baby clothes that I washed today, and stumbled over the word "onesie" in his cute little voice as he handed me each tiny infant item. <br /><br />I looked at the boy who has been my only baby for so long, and realized something. I obviously love him. But I also really <span style="font-style:italic;">like</span> him. I enjoy hanging out with him. I think he's funny. I adore his gentle heart and the way he turns a phrase in his adorable, awkward three-year-old dialect. I dig each of the faces he pulls that are so undeniably <span style="font-style:italic;">Ethan</span>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoauHW8HgKHF74_BCncD8O__AL-IFpOnaRsKTbz0b0nyOFekjEC6JISQXRdEfmiPbA8kspvPUODLCS9VH0l4NaEm3MPfZ6WoObMhPvQM2K3NFZdf9rvineOpvOgLFPpvbw_iD2Ok6kF0/s1600/EthanFaces.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoauHW8HgKHF74_BCncD8O__AL-IFpOnaRsKTbz0b0nyOFekjEC6JISQXRdEfmiPbA8kspvPUODLCS9VH0l4NaEm3MPfZ6WoObMhPvQM2K3NFZdf9rvineOpvOgLFPpvbw_iD2Ok6kF0/s400/EthanFaces.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662440333016872562" /></a>I love his spunk, his spirit, the way he throws himself head first into discovering everything this world has to offer. He's a pretty amazing kid, and I'm super lucky to be his mom. And when lucky little baby brother gets here, he's going to have a pretty incredible role model.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-36418595612905622492011-09-22T15:34:00.000-07:002011-09-22T17:50:33.722-07:00Newsflash: I'm not Superwoman."I was always hearing talk about golden mystical baby things and precious time,” she recalls. “And I was like, ‘Who are you talking to?!?’ If you could see me naked, you would weep. Children are like crazy, drunken small people in your house.” ~ <span style="font-style:italic;">Julie Bowen, star of Modern Family, on her pregnancy.</span><br /><br />I bet I'm not the only mom that can totally relate to this quote! Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is an amazing thing, and definitely worth it, but honey, it ain't no picnic! And while children are beautiful, wonderful, incredible little miracles, they do wreak havoc on your life, your house, your sleep, your schedule, your <span style="font-style:italic;">everything</span>! It's really refreshing to hear people tell it like it is. <br /><br />I try to take it with a grain of salt, but when I read an article about how Jessica Alba got her pre-baby body back in two weeks, or hear Giselle Bundchen talk about how childbirth “wasn’t painful, not even a little bit,” I can't help but have two simultaneous reactions: mostly smug eye-rolling, with a dash of motherly guilt. I start with the thought of, "of course it's easy to get your baby body back when you have a nanny, personal trainer, and a chef to prepare all of your meals" (though, to be fair, I have no idea about the status of Jessica Alba's household help). But there's a little voice that sneaks into the back of my mind that says, "You could try harder. You could exercise, eat better, keep the house cleaner, be more mellow."<br /><br />We had a bit of a scare with preterm labor this week. I started having contractions that were 2-3 minutes apart, and ended up in the hospital on Monday night. Thankfully, with the help of doctor-ordered temporary bed rest, all seems to be well now. I won't lie and say that it's been a horrible experience, lounging on the couch and taking mid-day naps. But is has been hard being home all day, faced with everything that I want to do. The floors need to be swept and mopped. The bathrooms need to be cleaned. There are areas of clutter that are awaiting organization. I make the mental list of chores while sitting in front of the TV eating a bowl of ice cream, and the voice in the back of my mind comes back. <span style="font-style:italic;"> "You could try harder. You could exercise, eat better, keep the house cleaner, be more mellow."</span><br /><br />I think I'm going to listen to that voice... but only the last part. I could be more mellow. I could come to terms with the realization that I can't move at the same pace that I once did. I will spend more time at my desk when I return to work, and less time running around the halls. I will ask for favors. I will not try to tackle everything myself. I will take my amazing husband up on his countless offers to do whatever it is that I need. I will mellow out for my sake, the baby's sake, and the sake of my family. I will listen to my body and slow down. I will take care of myself. I won't feel guilty about it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIicmJ5cAT5cSDXRs3I0zyLsQwqzmTRxVIsyKtJeuXDdf8Ef5Gx1pi6c70Qf24H1Fi7RmeNjLqJ2EwNq-nGVsB6pNUHYL7B1_WzhtCYd-QKMoQj_FuQ3-2k0GYcHPJeuQgh0HC7-BNLBQ/s1600/_MG_2909-Edit.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIicmJ5cAT5cSDXRs3I0zyLsQwqzmTRxVIsyKtJeuXDdf8Ef5Gx1pi6c70Qf24H1Fi7RmeNjLqJ2EwNq-nGVsB6pNUHYL7B1_WzhtCYd-QKMoQj_FuQ3-2k0GYcHPJeuQgh0HC7-BNLBQ/s400/_MG_2909-Edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655322264271369458" /></a>(And, because every blog post needs a picture, here's a recent belly shot. Sorry baby brother, we're not going all out on the maternity photos this time like we did with Ethan. I won't feel guilty about that, either.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3822206447786505490.post-27046413938744355122011-09-12T18:49:00.000-07:002011-09-12T21:12:49.145-07:00Nursery Rhymes Creep Me OutEthan sang me a new song this afternoon. It's a common tune that he <span style="font-style:italic;">thinks</span> goes a little something like this:<br /><br /><center>Flea flying mice<br />Flea flying mice<br />See how day one<br />See how day one<br />(incoherent mumbling)<br />(more incoherent mumbling)<br />(continued incoherent mumbling)<br />Flea flying mice</center><br /><center>I think we all know that the real story goes more like this:</center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzE6t8D9R6PMFVTQ02cL1Ti8IG6JAL17x6KRHEebSA3523i3xBLl_IDR2c6re3AG9ffj5KRqgYdFbe_OdohDSPzXTCemLx03SEZK-DHyCgyXkOdNpsdij-flAQUELbg_XmFa1LTlHB6M/s1600/ThreeBlindMice.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzE6t8D9R6PMFVTQ02cL1Ti8IG6JAL17x6KRHEebSA3523i3xBLl_IDR2c6re3AG9ffj5KRqgYdFbe_OdohDSPzXTCemLx03SEZK-DHyCgyXkOdNpsdij-flAQUELbg_XmFa1LTlHB6M/s400/ThreeBlindMice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651660546768375890" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPSH9mp0EFkbt__dmtYq3bjdy-5V4txoacno_gJ8q9CWcilbxz7TtuhusH-4e7Vl3LRP78iOV2O_-e17bZ7qDsW2DqopG3WE1kpg5nrpyN7FcRlG35LXpq_Wmg9FxF7MNE0-db9s-nPI/s1600/CutOffTails.jpg"target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 326px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPSH9mp0EFkbt__dmtYq3bjdy-5V4txoacno_gJ8q9CWcilbxz7TtuhusH-4e7Vl3LRP78iOV2O_-e17bZ7qDsW2DqopG3WE1kpg5nrpyN7FcRlG35LXpq_Wmg9FxF7MNE0-db9s-nPI/s400/CutOffTails.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651660785866183778" /></a><br />I'm kind of okay with him not knowing that those poor visually impaired rodents met with a violent end. I don't fancy myself super sensitive, so I'm sure that some of you reading this are with me on the creep-out factor of most nursery rhymes. Humpty Dumpty? Dies. Jack who went tumbling down a hill? Probably dies. And Jill may have too, for that matter. <br /><br />Some of my least favorite classics:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Goosey Goosey Gander<br /></span>Is an old man refusing to say his prayers one night justification for throwing him down the stairs? Seems harsh.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rock A Bye Baby<br /></span>Call me crazy, but a cradle crashing to the ground after a gust of wind is not the most comforting image to fall asleep to.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe<br /></span>Overwhelmed by the parenting responsibilities of many, many, <span style="font-style:italic;">many</span> small children, the woman starves and beats them. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ladybug Ladybug Fly Away Home<br /></span>Your house is on fire and your children are gone?!? *shudders*<br /><br />I realize the purpose that nursery rhymes once served. I get the necessity for oral tradition and coded messages due to political persecution back in the days of yore. But these are the days of free speech, and the internet, and social media. We'll slap ratings on our TV shows and movies and censor video games, but tell the most awful, depressing tales to our young impressionable children. I'm totally guilty of reading nursery rhymes before bed, or singing lullabyes to Ethan that are less than wholesome. Chalk it up to nostalgia, but even though some of the poems give me pause, I can't really picture childhood without thinking of Mother Goose.<br /><br />But today, in the car on the way home from preschool, I took a quiet stand. As much as it drives me crazy when people sing the wrong lyrics to songs, I let Ethan belt out what he probably thinks is a song about a flea circus. In all honesty, I'll go right back to reciting poems about locking people up inside of London Bridge or imprisoning wives in pumpkin shells if Ethan requests a nursery rhyme book before bed. <br /><br />But today, for a brief moment during our car ride home, I preserved a little bit of his innocence.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1