tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25584924573105945602024-02-21T15:58:15.782-06:00My life and what I {heart}a record of life
and things i loveOnita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-22514937117666028882014-03-31T14:29:00.000-05:002014-03-31T14:29:35.082-05:00The D.R.In January, Chad and I were privileged to go with a group from our church on a SALT (Service and Learning Team) trip to the Dominican Republic. <br />
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Rather than reinventing the wheel I am going to add a link to the blog that we wrote while we were there: <a href="http://faithsalt2014.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Click here to see that blog</a><br />
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This is the video presentation we showed in our church when we returned. I really love the song the video is set to.<br />
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In another post I will add some of my favorite pictures and some more details about the trip as well.... stay tuned :)Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-27032387036520934632014-03-25T16:10:00.000-05:002014-03-25T16:10:10.475-05:00Fast ForwardWell I wrapped up our vacation and since we are putting serious thought and planning into our next vacation for this summer I think it is high time we fast forward to the current date.<br />
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So allow me to bring this blog up to speed, fast forward style...<br />
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My oldest nephew got married in July and Emery was the flower girl:<br />
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Before school started we went to the Omaha Zoo (LOVE this zoo!):<br />
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School started (5th, 3rd and TK):<br />
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She had a birthday and turned 11 (going on 21): <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyping with Grandma D - she had a slumber party with friends the next weekend</td></tr>
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She had "Crazy Hair Day" at school:<br />
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In October my mom came to visit:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">she taught Riley to sew</td></tr>
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Halloween happened and we went to the community party put on by a local church:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pirates in 2 sizes, a busy bee, and Snow White</td></tr>
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Miss J lost her first tooth on November 15th:<br />
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Miss Shannon-bananon turned 9 (and she got more of her favorite things in the world: Lego Friends and Nintendo DS games):<br />
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She turned 4:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">note we are Skyping with Grandma D again... Emery got her quilt this year :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She also got a glitter tulle tutu from my sis... it bedazzled our entire house for weeks (thanks Ria)</td></tr>
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Christmas happened:<br />
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At the end of January, Chad and I went to the Dominican Republic on a SALT (Service and Learning Team) trip with a group from our church: (I will back up and do a post on this trip -or maybe a couple posts, but to summarize: it was an AWESOME awesome trip):<br />
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Valentines Day happened:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two girlies brought Minions (including a banana one for a couple friends that are on the GAPS diet)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">she brought bubbles</td></tr>
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We have had a loooonnngggg COLD winter without much snow but these two managed a snowman all on their own:</div>
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Riley has become quite the knitter, including starting a "Knitting Club" with her friends at school. She also taught Jordyn to knit (adorableness):<br />
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In February my Mom came to visit (she has been coming whenever Chad has to go to Michigan for seminary... SO nice!):<br />
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And lastly, we said a tearful goodbye to our dog, Norman on March 12: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was heartbreaking to say goodbye, but it was time as he was in pain and no longer himself. RIP buddy, you were such a good dog! </td></tr>
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SO that's it. For sure the longest post on this blog, (as it should be since it covered about 6 months) but we are all caught up! YAY!<br />
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-24581058713770257632014-01-12T12:00:00.000-06:002014-01-12T12:00:00.779-06:00Dillon, CO our last full day of vacationAs I said in the last post, it was dark and late when we arrived. However, we woke up to a beautiful sight:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel was across the street from a gorgeous lake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pQNSJL8n6gnre0nKDlH6QV1uauasHehfTaehHA6sBjaU6g89kyM_5GKT9qYzUI9zBbLxvK2F1tHwwtXMEoxZHN_52bh1clDLBHtlL66qky5q9C9JMyhatB0gOzya83lZ13iuzexlZ7w/s1600/DSCF8535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pQNSJL8n6gnre0nKDlH6QV1uauasHehfTaehHA6sBjaU6g89kyM_5GKT9qYzUI9zBbLxvK2F1tHwwtXMEoxZHN_52bh1clDLBHtlL66qky5q9C9JMyhatB0gOzya83lZ13iuzexlZ7w/s1600/DSCF8535.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town had a really cool park (since the water was waaaay too cold to swim in!) that kept the girls busy so Chad could do some homework in the room in peace and quiet.</td></tr>
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We spent most of the day in Dillon. We picked up some roasted chicken and potatoes and had a picnic on the beach. I think we could have spent a week here! In the mid-afternoon we left for home. <br />
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A few things about our drive home: <br />
1) Miss Baby had another emergency bathroom stop and this time was not blessed with a port-o-potty from Heaven. <br />
2) We tried out another Denny's in Nebraska for dinner and had an unfortunate experience that ended up with a free dinner for us. Kudo's to the young manager who valued customer service and took responsibilty for his inept staff. That experience put us home 2 hours later than we had hoped but we made it home in the middle of the night (3 or 4ish maybe? I seemed to have blocked that from my memory, ha ha.) <br />
3) This was a FANTASTIC road trip and as we were nearing home we were already planning our next one for summer of 2014. Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-71728173159122907092014-01-10T10:00:00.000-06:002014-01-10T10:00:02.528-06:00Arches (not of the golden fast food variety that we usually see)After bidding the Grand Canyon farewell. (with many backward glances) We drove on to Arches National Park. <br />
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Since it was summer, the season of road construction, the road we drove through Utah was mostly two lane with no shoulders. <br />
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In a particularly unpopulated stretch Miss Baby announced she needed to use the bathroom. NOW. Or more like 5 miles ago. As moms we can gauge how desperate the situation is and I assure you this mom's radar was reading "beyond desperate, must stop immediately or clean up procedures will need to be activated."<br />
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Telling Chad we had to pull over "right now." He asked me to look around and give him a suggestion as to where that could happen. Hmmm, I see his point. No shoulder on either side with construction markers keeping us in our one lane. So he drove on and at the first intersecting gravel road he turned onto it and pulled over. <br />
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A light shone down from Heaven and angels sang...<br />
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Yes, seriously. A port-a-potty all fresh and clean (really, it was). We proclaimed Miss Baby to lead a charmed life (at least in that moment). Back on the road without any lessons in the art of "squatting." Phew.<br />
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The Arches were very cool and well worth the stop. Things to note: We got there in the heat of the day (104 degrees) and after one short hike to see an arch from a distance and the kids were pretty much done. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihh78Dz9WIJBBtkmut1aET1ATx4sGRcHkA6SQg-7yRfDMlsN8odv2DLyoyEA-a9v1JseI5sxXOTwPNw7Y_PvJ8c3HidPh0KIKb4FPYdij96ADUMUS7RKeTGsjKPT760T36-gB9OcsrP_E/s1600/DSCF8490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihh78Dz9WIJBBtkmut1aET1ATx4sGRcHkA6SQg-7yRfDMlsN8odv2DLyoyEA-a9v1JseI5sxXOTwPNw7Y_PvJ8c3HidPh0KIKb4FPYdij96ADUMUS7RKeTGsjKPT760T36-gB9OcsrP_E/s1600/DSCF8490.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look girls, waaay in the distance, see the arch? Yep that's what you just hiked up here in the blazing sun to see"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-mRThjJLdk3IyGs1C_LJIMctIfvM_BuWyFdkanYgfwuSKuQ0EriK-tk-HxIKcxEaGM59xfRpE-qW69FEF_3DKpBdIkBApYGNatsZ8Kadh1pcuc35YGsTChv9u4lyOQCo9dBGw6zjYGQ/s1600/DSCF8489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-mRThjJLdk3IyGs1C_LJIMctIfvM_BuWyFdkanYgfwuSKuQ0EriK-tk-HxIKcxEaGM59xfRpE-qW69FEF_3DKpBdIkBApYGNatsZ8Kadh1pcuc35YGsTChv9u4lyOQCo9dBGw6zjYGQ/s1600/DSCF8489.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of the arch we were looking at, called the Delicate Arch and is the most famous of all the arches in the park. Another side note: my camera could not capture the true "redness" of the rocks surrounding us, bummer! It was so pretty against the blue sky.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1qBO35taPcVSH5I515FDFh4BSLhPySQEB93lYVsO0N-1n1ktiKgvQAQ9pn1OVlr_fWigTu702vlnBy5Zj-LH-n9jvnIrPbaQtz7jbKzx31jxrlsEw8tfgfgWMRPY0PxJOrsdkUo7CPA/s1600/DSCF8493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1qBO35taPcVSH5I515FDFh4BSLhPySQEB93lYVsO0N-1n1ktiKgvQAQ9pn1OVlr_fWigTu702vlnBy5Zj-LH-n9jvnIrPbaQtz7jbKzx31jxrlsEw8tfgfgWMRPY0PxJOrsdkUo7CPA/s1600/DSCF8493.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a little breather. A little red-faced!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiLRYcAKNl9oXA8fw5SRpUA0AiXHxd-FzwfjQfSKlz7ruqtmaoHRv94hMoZinFHEiIPmWR5iXX5KHjLs8JdY-0Psu8wxhA-JUmwJa2WIRNjLFyrF6mpMfW1rQC2ZxsKzed_HwdUCsP0E/s1600/DSCF8508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiLRYcAKNl9oXA8fw5SRpUA0AiXHxd-FzwfjQfSKlz7ruqtmaoHRv94hMoZinFHEiIPmWR5iXX5KHjLs8JdY-0Psu8wxhA-JUmwJa2WIRNjLFyrF6mpMfW1rQC2ZxsKzed_HwdUCsP0E/s1600/DSCF8508.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very nice man took our family picture, despite just getting done with the same hike we did and he was equally red-faced and sweaty! Thanks man!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRis5stbSYpRGnu32JXlBVa-B2f0FsCNGJkRkBXNdiZThBS32Pz7lMmvSybLCDNXgRg60eNctPDPACnnDCfGR7B0OPUeFm0UR_LkXWudEpezGzTNyvgDHtL3QOuHRZlcivS1M3bdkTNok/s1600/DSCF8513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRis5stbSYpRGnu32JXlBVa-B2f0FsCNGJkRkBXNdiZThBS32Pz7lMmvSybLCDNXgRg60eNctPDPACnnDCfGR7B0OPUeFm0UR_LkXWudEpezGzTNyvgDHtL3QOuHRZlcivS1M3bdkTNok/s1600/DSCF8513.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two took one more hike with their mom while Chad waited back in the AC of the van with the two other girls who were overheated from the first hike. (side note: he would have LOVED to have taken the hike but allowed me to go instead, what a guy!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of the world! :)</td></tr>
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After spending a couple hours here (and only seeing about a quarter of the park) we had to keep moving if we were going to make it to our hotel reservation for the night in Dillon, CO.<br />
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Onward and upward! But what a beautiful drive into the Rockies. We were wishing we had daylight the whole way but by the time we got to Vail, CO it was dark. A little further east was our destination and we crashed once we got to our hotel. <br />
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Next up: a day in the Rockies and our last day of vacation. sigh.... Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-39026556614796453592014-01-08T12:45:00.003-06:002014-01-08T12:45:54.937-06:00Life is GRAND at the Grand CanyonThe trip home from Phoenix included some more sight seeing. Shocking, I know.<br />
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With a brand new AC unit in our van we left after lunch and headed to the Grand Canyon. <br />
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OH. MY.<br />
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Upon first sight it literally took my breath away. Truly awesome and no picture or words can ever capture it. It is an image that has etched itself in my mind (and I hope my kids' too!) that I pray I never forget. <br />
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We took A LOT of pictures and not a single one comes close to portraying this amazing sight. SO I will share a couple of my faves of the family and kids and call it a day ;)<br />
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Yes, we put a "leash" on Miss Baby (don't judge). No guard rails in most areas made us a little nervous that our rambunctious 3 year old might slip over the edge. She thought the monkey "backpack" was pretty cool and wore it willingly and gave us a little peace of mind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the shuttle between stops on the trail around the rim. Amazing how many different languages we heard people speaking around us.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking back to our room, everyone was pretty tired, miss baby even fell asleep on the last stretch of the shuttle ride so Chad got the lucky job of carrying her back. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room in one of the lodges. Pretty basic but it was clean and it was nice to stay right in the park. </td></tr>
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We went to back into the nearest town for dinner and saw an elk on the way out of the park. Then it was early to bed. A long day of travel was the plan for the next day and we wanted to get an early start. The room didn't have AC and we figured it would cool down quickly once the sun went down. We were wrong. It was hot and stuffy with our family of 6 packed into a little space. Not much sleep, but it motivated us to get going right away in the morning. <br />
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We stopped along the rim on the way out again before heading back through the Navajo Reservation to Utah. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I LOVE this shot of the eldest taking a selfie, ha ha.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parting shots of the Canyon. What a beautiful morning! <br />
Praise God whose magnificent creation causes us to stop in wonder and awe at His almighty power. </td></tr>
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-71473215108832069242013-12-24T21:50:00.002-06:002013-12-24T21:50:19.735-06:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">For <strong>to</strong> <strong>us</strong> a child is born, <strong>to us</strong> a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE. </span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"> ~Isaiah 9:6</span><br />
Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-12661518101365775272013-12-17T14:58:00.001-06:002013-12-17T14:58:48.178-06:00Southwest Vacation - It's warm in Phoenix in July Our time in Phoenix, despite the bummer of the AC going out in our van, was super fun. <br />
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We stayed at a resort type hotel called Gainey Suites Resort in Scottsdale. Chad's family was all there and a few of his older sisters in-laws were also staying. They had an amazing breakfast buffet every morning and also a managers reception each evening that included the standard chips and popcorn as well as some type of light meal, like pizza, sliders, tacos, etc... Our rooms had full kitchens so the first night we went to the grocery store and stocked up on some lunch foods and pretty much had all our meals covered rather than going out to eat all the time. <br />
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Each night after the younger kids were put to bed we had a "family meeting" (in the courtyard where all our rooms had patios to) to decide plans for the next day. Not always productive but entertaining to say the least, this time together was so very precious and relaxing.<br />
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So the low-down on our days in AZ...<br />
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1) pool time... felt like a warm bath, but still refreshing compared to the hot temps.<br />
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2) 4th of July: We went to see fireworks set over some water. We sat on a little strip of lawn and the automatic sprinklers went off while we were waiting so we moved back off the curb, ha ha.<br />
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3) Graduation: Chad's sis and family! Congrats to them :) We had a big party that evening at a beautiful home of a friend of theirs, sadly I took zero pictures that night. (boo on me)<br />
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4) Where Chad spent most of his time and his consolation prize ;)<br />
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5) The fastest family picture taking session EVER... (maybe we should always plan family pics when it is 110 out and half the family is needing to leave for a baseball game)<br />
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We had such a fantastic time there and look forward to visiting again sometime!<br />
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-51827764929106043832013-12-14T07:00:00.000-06:002013-12-14T07:00:00.314-06:00Road Trip 2013 - a rather warmish dayDay three of our road trip brought us to our destination. First we made one more "touristy" stop at the Four Corners Monument. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out in the middle of the dessert, nothing else around it for miles and miles. It was a quick stop, most of the vendors were not even there yet and we weren't there to shop anyway. Just a quick photo op and we were on the road again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">strike a pose!</td></tr>
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Later in the day the real excitement began. Our AC in the van wasn't keeping up and we figured it was just too hot out. Part way through the Navajo Reservation we heard a "pop" pulled over and saw a tube hanging down under the van. (yikes) Other than the AC not working inside the van everything else seemed fine and since we were no where near any towns we just decided to keep going. 111 degrees and we have our windows wide open trying to keep somewhat cool. We had some relief when we went up into the mountains around Flagstaff and the temps dropped into the 80's. By the time we arrived in Phoenix though the temps were back up to the 110's and the girls were all pretty lethargic and red faced. They were troopers though and never once complained. Driving through Phoenix with our windows wide open I am sure people thought we were quite silly or maybe just dumb tourists from Iowa? ha ha. Oh well. We arrived at our hotel and basked in the AC of our room... ahhh. <br />
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Next up: the hotel, 4th of July, Graduation, and the quickest family picture taking session ever :)Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-70909889894232325402013-12-12T12:46:00.000-06:002013-12-12T12:46:17.995-06:00Southwest Vacation - Road Trip Day 2We left the KOA after a good night of sleep pretty early in the morning. Set the GPS on Chad's phone for Mesa Verde National Park, and off we went. The GPS was not liking the route we had chosen and for hours it kept telling us to turn around. SO annoying, ha ha. We drove the southern part of the Rockies which was a beautiful drive! GPS doesn't know what it is missing ;)<br />
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In the mid-afternoon we arrived at Mesa Verde. The cliff dwelling ruins were awesome and the girls did great with hiking. We witnessed a thunderstorm roll through and a lightening strike started a fire. So we watched as helicopters and emergency crews responded to put it out. Exciting!<br />
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PICS from day 2:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love this picture of her!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the ruin that we hiked down to</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside one of the circular rooms that is thought to be used for religious purposes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the thunderstorm coming through</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the fire</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing Go Fish at the hotel in Cortez, CO. After eating at a awesome Denny's that looked like an airstream trailer :)</td></tr>
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-37673298427126517262013-11-14T17:00:00.003-06:002013-11-14T17:00:54.033-06:00Southwest Road Trip - 2013Okey dokey, here we go. <br />
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This summer we went on a fantastic road trip to Phoenix, AZ to visit Chad's sister and family. She graduated from med school and is officially a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. SO awesome! So VERY proud of her.<br />
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We left at night again since that worked so fantastically last summer and also scheduled our first stop at a KOA with deluxe cabins. Again I sing the praises of KOA's deluxe cabins. We stayed in Pueblo South, Colorado. We over anticipated possible stops and hiccups so we ended up near our destination by early morning already. This led us to stop for breakfast at the Garden of the Gods (rather than a parking lot of a truck stop... WAY better choice!!!) It was so peaceful and gorgeous there. Lots of birds singing their praises for a new day. We loved spending some time there exploring.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our eldest is taking notes?? or something. and dd #2 is into photo bombing these days.</td></tr>
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After we got our fill we went to KOA and true to our experience with KOA's have fantastic customer service they let us in our cabin waaaayyy before check-in time. We had the whole day for Chad to sleep (since he was the rock star driver and drove the entire night) and for the girls and I to enjoy the playground and pool. We even tried a game of mini-golf. God smiled down on us and made it start raining so what would have been the longest game known to man was cut short. (side note: 3 and 5 year olds do not exactly possess mini-golfing skills. They cheat. A lot.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the cheater putting the ball in the hole with her hands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mom showing how it's done ;)</td></tr>
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A great start to our trip. Stay tuned for Day 2 (and NO I promise I will not have a post for each and every day...)Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-33277745191856778622013-11-07T12:21:00.000-06:002013-11-07T12:21:04.310-06:00Summer StuffBlogging about summer after our first snowfall warms me up a bit! <br />
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Here's a few things from the summer starting with the "beginning" which would be the last day of school!<br />
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Yep. They are excited! <br />
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The first bit of summer was kinda cold and rainy but by mid-June we had our pool pass and were using it as much as possible. Sadly I took zero pictures at the pool this summer. I thoroughly enjoy these precious years where the kids enjoy the local pool. <br />
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I also hauled the slip-n-slide out to teach the younger half of the family the joy of sliding down a strip of wet plastic.<br />
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Miss J loved it. Miss Baby was more content to sit in a towel by mom in the shade. <br />
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We also discovered that a stray cat had kittens and were living in the neighbors backyard storage shed. We enjoyed watching them play and grow bigger and braver each week. <br />
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AND at the end of June: A road trip to Phoenix, AZ.<br />
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So that will be next up on the blog. The Arizona Road Trip Travel Log. I know you are all so excited! Ha Ha. <br />
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Until next time....Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-43230205017669734462013-10-16T13:00:00.000-05:002013-10-16T13:00:49.852-05:00Dandelions<br />
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Supposedly a weed, my girls continually show me the beauty of these flowers each spring as they present me with large bouquets of golden yellow with joy in their little faces.<br />
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I love them, my girls, the dandelion bouquets they bring me, as well as the subtle reminder to look for beauty in <strong>everything</strong>, the ordinary, and things that I might consider "weeds" in my life. <br />
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<em>Dandelions</em></h2>
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<em> Welcome children of the Spring, <br />In your garbs of green and gold, <br />Lifting up your sun-crowned heads <br />On the verdant plain and wold. <br /><br />As a bright and joyous troop <br />From the breast of earth ye came <br />Fair and lovely are your cheeks, <br />With sun-kisses all aflame. <br /><br />In the dusty streets and lanes, <br />Where the lowly children play, <br />There as gentle friends ye smile, <br />Making brighter life's highway <br /><br />Dewdrops and the morning sun, <br />Weave your garments fair and bright, <br />And we welcome you to-day <br />As the children of the light. <br /><br />Children of the earth and sun. <br />We are slow to understand <br />All the richness of the gifts <br />Flowing from our Father's hand. <br /><br />Were our vision clearer far, <br />In this sin-dimmed world of ours, <br />Would we not more thankful be <br />For the love that sends us flowers? <br /><br />Welcome, early visitants, <br />With your sun-crowned golden hair, <br />With your message to our hearts <br />Of our Father's loving care. </em></div>
<em> <!-- .KonaBody --></em><div class="poet" itemprop="author">
<em>Frances Ellen Watkins Harper</em></div>
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-61471399776099719352013-08-27T19:48:00.003-05:002013-08-27T19:48:57.936-05:00Back to Blogging: GraduationsBesides the long awaited birthday for Miss J, the month of May included a few other exciting things.<br />
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My nearby sister's oldest son graduated from high school... most of my family was around to celebrate his awesomeness (cause he is truly awesome, he won the citizenship award and made us all teary when he did cause he is such an awesome guy. awe. some.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Awesome, himself</td></tr>
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We also got to meet my oldest nephew's fiance' for the first time. She's a keeper. My girls LOVED her and she did crafts with them, so she's IN.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">newest addition to the fam would be the dark haired beauty on the end. (the light haired beauty on the other end is also my niece, equally loved and adored by my girls) also pictured: Mr. American Eagle is my oldest nephew and my proud as a peacock mother :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my mom and sisters (missing 1... Hi Renee!)</td></tr>
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Another big graduation: MISS J! She had a darling little graduation program where they sang and then after took turns getting their diploma and a special book.<br />
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<span id="goog_1417885521">Happy Day!</span></div>
Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-69749501191528478752013-08-22T11:48:00.000-05:002013-08-22T11:48:41.791-05:00Back to school = Back to bloggingOh hey there blog! Sorry I have neglected you. The sun came out and Spring and Summer happened and I fully enjoyed them leaving you in the dust. So I will update you today, now that the kiddos are back in school (all except the baby!)<br />
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Lets begin with Miss J's b-day in the first week of May. <br />
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OH. MY. <br />
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The anticipation of this day nearly made this mama crazy. Miss J had been planning her special day since the middle of February (right after my birthday). I am not exaggerating in the least little bit when I say that she talked DAILY about her birthday from February 15 on. She had a million plans and ideas. Countless friends and family (near and far) were going to be invited to her "party." She had numerous "theme" ideas and wanted all sorts of things for decoration. She also began saving her own art for decoration. (read: big stack of paper and crafts piled up) It all started out really cute, however by mid April I was as excited for her big day as she was just so that we could be done planning it. Her expectations for the day were sky high and it left me so stressed out that I was going to permanently scar her with disappointment when they were not even remotely met. <br />
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So the big day came:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I decorated the night before when she went to bed, however she wanted to add MORE of course. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's excited! (Note the grand breakfast of bread and butter. Yep. I win the "Best Mom Award" on that one. Not.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her decorations. I strung up all her piled up artwork with some balloons. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Preschool she had a friend over (and little sisters too) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later we had family over for dinner and presents. She picked Dutch meatball soup for her birthday dinner.</td></tr>
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Phew... that day is done and she seemed to enjoy it. I did!<br />
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My pesky sister made sure to point out to her that night that her "Golden Birthday" will be next year. She has mentioned that several times already pointing out that it will have to be "extra" special. Heeeeere we go again. Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-29819406570992030072013-06-22T14:45:00.002-05:002013-06-22T14:45:58.757-05:00A HIP HAP HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAMAJust wanted to give a Happy Birthday shout out to the most influential person in my life. Her unconditional love for me, sacrifice, and being an example of Christ to me has shaped me to who I am today. (I think I turned out okay, right?) <br />
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Love you more than words could ever say Mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!<br />
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-266457364941460592013-04-02T16:25:00.000-05:002013-04-02T16:25:15.206-05:00Happy winter! oh, oops I mean Easter. We took our traditional after the Easter church service family pictures. Last year we had an Easter miracle and took two great pictures. This year? We took 4. NONE of them are "perfect." (Maybe cause Chad isn't wearing a tie this year.) <br />
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We also experienced Easter snow this year. The day started off as sunny and a little cool, but not freezing at least... on the way to church we heard the radio station say something about snow. We said, "nah, no way it will get cold enough today to snow" hmmm, wrong-o. On the way home from our lunch at Grandpa and Grandmas it started to snow. Crazy. God's early April fools joke maybe? I just comfort myself with the fact that winter cannot stay forever. In a few months time we will be playing at the pool in the sunshine. And months go by fast these days. I thought 2013 just started and it is already April.<br />
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Anyway, Happy Easter to anyone who reads my little blog. (hi mom!) <br />
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Praise Jesus, what a Savior!Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-7002132118038038922013-03-21T12:18:00.000-05:002013-03-21T12:18:42.848-05:00The March PostI think my new method of blogging is one post a month. That is the pattern for 2013 thus far, anyway. <br />
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So here is a little re-cap of life lately:<br />
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In February I turned 29 again. The night before my birthday my girlies planned an elaborate "surprise party" (to which I received an invitation and was told to wear black and white). They had decorated the dining room with my old penguin collection and planned out "penguin" type games. We danced like penguins, pinned the bow and the watch on the penguin, and had yummy food. So very sweet! Seriously, I was so impressed with their creativity and cuteness!<br />
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My mom came to visit. She surprised my sister who lives near me for her birthday and also stayed with me while Chad was in Michigan again for seminary. I was terrible about taking pictures, but got a few from her camera. We love her visits and miss her so very much when she leaves. So grateful for Skype and phones to keep in touch!<br />
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We have been taking advantage of the local library a little more often this winter. It has such a great area for the kids! Miss Baby didn't quite understand the concept of being able to check out books, but she LOVED taking them out and stacking and lining them up and looking through them. (sorry librarians who had to put them all away again!)<br />
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Don't let these pictures above fool you. The pictures below is our reality:<br />
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Winter just does not seem to want to let go. Must remember to send it the memo that Spring is officially here and to go away already.<br />
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In fact I think the poor birds are so confused by the cold weather that they are flying into anything to try to warm up. Yesterday when I returned from Coffee Break Bible Study there was bird in my kitchen. I screamed and then for a few minutes panicked as it flew around banging into one window after another. I called Chad at work but I had the van so he couldn't just zip home to rescue me. Plus miss baby kept saying "ooh, birdie!" and heading toward it as it lay stunned on the ground after yet another run in with my windows. I finally got my head on straight and opened a few windows and popped the screens out cause I REALLY did not want to actually have to touch it. It flew out eventually and I hope it found a nice tree to hide in and recover from it's injuries. I'm just glad that I wasn't home when it first flew out of my fireplace (that is the only thing we can think of as to how it got into the house). I am pretty sure I would have peed my pants and my screams would have permanently scarred miss baby for life. Exciting times here :)<br />
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Happy Spring!Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-89724892219885949242013-02-15T21:32:00.001-06:002013-02-15T21:32:36.701-06:00It's in the genesA conversation at my house tonight...<br />
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Scene: My kitchen, me chopping up carrots and potatoes for the soup I'm making for dinner, my two littlests on stools next to me watching.<br />
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Miss J: Mama, what's healthier, water or milk? <br />
Me: Water, but milk is pretty good too.<br />
Miss J: Mama, what's healthier, milk or juice?<br />
Me: Milk, it has less sugar.<br />
Miss J: Mama, what's healthier, juice or pop?<br />
Me: Juice, pop is really really bad for you.<br />
Miss Baby: OH! So that means it tastes good!<br />
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Ahhhh yes. My little Miss Baby is a sweet tooth just like her mama!<br />
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Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-47929585403917461102013-01-16T10:23:00.000-06:002013-01-16T10:23:29.805-06:00New A new year has begun.<br />
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Fifteen days later. This is pretty par for the course for me. I am often fifteen minutes late. (or at least a good five) Promptness is not one of my strengths.<br />
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I don't plan to put that on the resolution list either. That is, to be more prompt. Not that I don't think I should work on improving.<br />
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The real reason would be that I did not make a list this year. (last years list failed rather miserably... at least to put those things up on the blog. many things on the list did get done eventually, just not well documented) So I learn from past mistakes and rather than making a specific list that I cannot keep up with I will take life as it comes. As it is given to me, for the blessing of each day and seek what God is asking me to do, teaching me and molding me to be. He is making all things new. <br />
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A little recap of December:<br />
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<span id="goog_1627664711"></span><span id="goog_1627664712">A birthday girl. She turned 8. She had her favorite, strawberries, on her birthday cupcakes and a sleepover with three besties. </span><br />
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It is hard to come up with words to express how you love each child isn't it? They are all so unique from each other, but my love for them is the same... unconditional. This girl is sensitive, cheers for the underdog, has a stubborn streak, detail oriented (she is my girl that when emptying the dishwasher puts the plastic kid cups in rainbow order, love that.) She is full of joy and can go from sulky and mad to giggling and smiling in 2.3 seconds. (and the reverse as well, ha ha) <br />
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Happy birthday dear one. Eight will be great.<br />
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Another birthday girl. Miss baby turned 3. Her birthday was pretty low key (this mommy has learned to take advantage of those younger years when they don't really care if they have a big party complete with theme decorations or if a special auntie comes over to shares cupcakes and later a Skype date with Grandma D to open gifts) <br />
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This girl has a sweetness about her. Even through her toddler toughness where she tests every single possible boundary every single possible day she can turn on that little sweet smile and melt my heart. She loves to be read to. She loves tv. (uh oh) She loves to play with her sisters and be included on their "big girl stuff." She is sneaky and stealth and is often found with a candy she has stolen or in her sisters' room. She is almost done with naps (this mommy is not ready for that, sigh.) She loves to dance. She puts on these ratty black ballet flats (that stink horribly thanks to her constant wearing of them with bare feet) and prances around the house, performing the occasional jump into the air with arms raised high... I imagine she is feeling like the most beautiful ballerina floating through the air as she does this. <br />
Oh and the other big news with her.... just before Christmas we officially purchased our last pack of diapers. WOW. It has been over 10 years since we have not purchased a pack of diapers. (there was a small window between daughters 2 and 3 that we were only buying pull-ups for a few months) AND I suppose to be totally honest, we still have to buy pull-ups for night time. Yes, Miss baby is potty trained. YAY! We are happy dancing around here. <br />
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December also includes Christmas of course. It was wonderful. I love having young kids at Christmas, their excitement and anticipation. More importantly the opportunity to teach them about why we really celebrate, that the best gift is Jesus and his tremendous love for us. <br />
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On Christmas Eve day we had relaxed and celebrated with just our little family. We normally open gifts in the evening but since Chad had the whole day off we took advantage and opened gifts in the morning while everyone was still in their pj's. <br />
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Christmas Day was spent with Chads side. Lots of kids, lots of food, lots of fun. <br />
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That ends 2012. I have been rather sparse in my updates on the blog, but as I stated in the beginning of this post, I don't have a resolution list so I make no promises of more frequent posts. Then it will be a surprise if I do, right? <br />
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Happy 2013! Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-55603103105141359622012-12-07T09:47:00.000-06:002012-12-07T09:47:20.688-06:00stuffIt seems like this time of year I am keenly aware of how much STUFF we have. The prospect of adding to that pile of stuff makes me somewhat ill and so I clean through the house to get rid of some STUFF (just to make room for more?)<br />
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This is the solution Miss Baby has come up with: <br />
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To keep her stuff close to her (in case her mother comes by and decides to clean out her toy box I suppose) she stuffed her stuff in her pjs.<br />
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However, having all that stuff around can make one a bit uncomfortable. It can feel a bit stifling and makes it hard to move around. <br />
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AND you want to be able to find your phone in case you need to make a call.Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-13872004497453762802012-12-03T10:44:00.002-06:002012-12-03T10:45:20.495-06:00I {heart} fall tooThere has been some technical difficulties going on around here on my blog. My picture storage has reached it's capacity and some previous posts lost their pictures. (ugh) I have fixed most of them, but it takes for.everrrrrrrrrrr. <br />
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Now I am kinda hesitant to post something new because what old pictures are going to vanish? So this will be a bit of a trial and hopefully it will all just stay put. <br />
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Anyhoo. I have a self proclaimed deep love of summer. However, I must confess that each season has it's benefits and beauty. We had a great fall. Warm temps, only snowed once. A fantastic show of leaves (which are all picked up now... phew!) Fall also brought great photo ops. I took each girly girls pics over the past couple months. To narrow down the massive amount of pics I could post I made a collage of each. (family beware, new pics will be coming your way to grace your fridge or drawer, wherever you might keep them! ha ha)<br />
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My eldest in her double digit glory:<br />
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Then my photogenic second child, seriously this girl can take the best pictures, as long as she is in the right mood that is:<br />
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Miss J, Miss Sassy, Miss Ball of Energy in constant motion, the challenge was to catch her smile instead of chattering:<br />
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Miss Baby, my most challenging for sure in the picture taking department. She is two going on 15 much to my dismay. I would like to keep her little forever thank you very much. <br />
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Now we speed onward toward winter. Enjoying mild temps and no snow. Yay! Anticipating Christmas when the kiddos are young is so precious, no? I love it. Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-63578063978774776232012-11-11T22:48:00.001-06:002012-11-11T22:48:37.502-06:00Double DigitsSo my eldest had her first "double digit" birthday. A bit of a worrier by nature, she told me she was quite nervous to be turning 10. "Never again will I be just one number." I imagine she was mourning her childhood past? Thinking that with two digits she was a quasi-adult? There were even a few tears shed. <br />
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On her big day I asked if she felt okay with it, now that she was officially 10. She said "Huh, it really doesn't feel any different than 9." Imagine that.<br />
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She had her ears pierced on her big day and then on the weekend she hosted a slumber party with some of her besties. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking a little worried... glad they do both ears at the same time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready to open gifts</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a few handmade party details including rolo cupcakes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a couple weeks later she got to open her gifts from Grandma D</td></tr>
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happy birthday dear girl. even though you are in double digits you are still my little girl and i pray that all your double digit years are blessed beyond measure. here's to reaching those triple digits!Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-2737452056904032692012-10-31T12:20:00.001-05:002012-10-31T12:20:34.909-05:00i {heart} Skype<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My mom took this pic of Miss J talking to her on Skype. As much as I struggle with the Internet being a big time waster in my life I am so grateful for things like Skype to make it just a bit easier to living far apart from much of my family. Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-6246218644483707712012-10-29T13:31:00.001-05:002012-10-29T13:31:41.595-05:00First DayNo need for many words today. <br />
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Just a couple pics of the first day of school. <br />
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I have three in school this year! Miss J is over the moon excited to be in preschool:<br />
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The eldest is in 4th and DD#2 is in 2nd grade: <br />
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I never look forward to the first day of school, but once it rolls around and the girls have left for the day I realize that "huh, it's a bit quieter and a little easier with less of them running around and needing things." That's kind of nice too. Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558492457310594560.post-68140380877948909852012-10-25T16:25:00.000-05:002012-10-25T16:25:58.522-05:00I will say it againI {heart} summer. <br />
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It 'tis my favorite season. <br />
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So it snowed today. The first snow of the season. Sigh.<br />
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My girls were beyond excited as I hauled out the appropriate gear that had to get drug to school. Miss J started running about the house proclaiming that "we must decorate for Christmas!" Whoa, little girl. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. This mama does not decorate for Christmas until December. Sorry. So at her request I drew shapes for her. She labeled them "Christmas shapes." Did you know a hexagon is a Christmas shape? In Miss J's world it is apparently. <br />
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Well on to the point of this post. A summer recap. It does my heart good to look back on pictures of my favorite season. I can almost feel the warmth of the sand and sunshine on my face. Almost. Well okay, not really, but it sounds nice, no?<br />
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Summer highlights:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to the lakes a few times. This was the first outing there and the only one I remembered our camera for. The water was a bit chilly still as it was early June. These two are testing it out to see if they dare swim in it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss J went right for it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swim was short lived and building on the beach seemed a better option.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss J got a new sprinkler for her birthday so we tried that out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I so wish these pictures weren't blurry!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Rn_TrGeXqOVMTfshigEIWykS5QbTanXsiHuBzSGtdEHL5PinmCRM7jsb5RNyGecVHyldj-dxkuRWgqE_AK-GrkutEsdOJr70ghsNDvQwsVTdc9Yfqi79Bow7mMu8cz2TNV46YmtZsZo/s1600/DSCF6778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Rn_TrGeXqOVMTfshigEIWykS5QbTanXsiHuBzSGtdEHL5PinmCRM7jsb5RNyGecVHyldj-dxkuRWgqE_AK-GrkutEsdOJr70ghsNDvQwsVTdc9Yfqi79Bow7mMu8cz2TNV46YmtZsZo/s400/DSCF6778.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A favorite past time: jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUE9O4KKeRpPNRE61apA80V2GfF8O0ZjnCuvOUlytRhTv84uyzjwfQVQ48mfLdSsdkNoLooH2J9fzo-sNZuXwS3IDOeFSw36j9twz_UTVhJRB8ulWoUTFJvPd_OB94WiLzval-A_DF_A/s1600/DSCF6801-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUE9O4KKeRpPNRE61apA80V2GfF8O0ZjnCuvOUlytRhTv84uyzjwfQVQ48mfLdSsdkNoLooH2J9fzo-sNZuXwS3IDOeFSw36j9twz_UTVhJRB8ulWoUTFJvPd_OB94WiLzval-A_DF_A/s400/DSCF6801-002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chad and I went to New York City on a service project with our church youth group. It was an amazing life changing trip. Our group of 48 people were hosted by NYSUM (New York School of Urban Ministry). I can't begin in a picture caption to describe it all. Maybe someday I will write a post just on our trip. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59u3YhyoJZiCwVR_AAZAIfKX0ng0Ur2lgqtkQwR4sFJRakpD7ZCXl58geGGlFzW8Z_a_tDRICzFNOotMhOi6Q2PjA8FqHf7Ut8xGQyq7Jzds7kZm-83jKenOqpuVB3PMQnVuC44btoLY/s1600/DSCF6967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59u3YhyoJZiCwVR_AAZAIfKX0ng0Ur2lgqtkQwR4sFJRakpD7ZCXl58geGGlFzW8Z_a_tDRICzFNOotMhOi6Q2PjA8FqHf7Ut8xGQyq7Jzds7kZm-83jKenOqpuVB3PMQnVuC44btoLY/s400/DSCF6967.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister and her family took a road trip this summer. They rented an RV and drove Route 66. Once they reached the end they headed over to our area and spent a few days in our neck of the woods. </td></tr>
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Then comes our <span id="goog_1170152302"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1170152303"><a href="http://mylifeandwhatiheart.blogspot.com/search/label/road%20trip%202012" target="_blank">Road Trip 2012</a> </span><br />
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Another big thing this summer was we bought a summer pool pass to our local city pool. One of the best decisions we made for sure! This summer lovin' mama was ecstatic to take her girlies to the pool as often as she wanted and the extremely hot and dry summer was the perfect weather to enjoy it to the max. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVD-Z1sksMvGqymCy8Rjxp4W8CZx4qBVMD9tEdLTCUptg55rWhxZTk3Jld50-Y5zpJIlIRAEAxlfM7P13m9vgc93yUL03xz2RnvOI5r9jYN4ZQ5XjqBUKaBJBzCkZxoyIzA8wnUEwAts/s1600/DSCF7001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVD-Z1sksMvGqymCy8Rjxp4W8CZx4qBVMD9tEdLTCUptg55rWhxZTk3Jld50-Y5zpJIlIRAEAxlfM7P13m9vgc93yUL03xz2RnvOI5r9jYN4ZQ5XjqBUKaBJBzCkZxoyIzA8wnUEwAts/s400/DSCF7001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin in the shade during break time. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJURpZznL5pluO17EAuFUOnQ1Rbp90TbhyphenhyphenJq59I9ynkPsz7TNPOOrx4VtqKuqICAy0r5Pg_vk_4ozQpr18Z8YCGpQKoXYNyM28msBebfF_PGpPxWm6vLP_S0zscnUqf5tpR4UOaEIDeUY/s1600/DSCF7006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJURpZznL5pluO17EAuFUOnQ1Rbp90TbhyphenhyphenJq59I9ynkPsz7TNPOOrx4VtqKuqICAy0r5Pg_vk_4ozQpr18Z8YCGpQKoXYNyM28msBebfF_PGpPxWm6vLP_S0zscnUqf5tpR4UOaEIDeUY/s400/DSCF7006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eldest and her bff. They spent more days together at the pool then apart this summer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUFQvMdB3836EFRRs9YTR6LEeyYO8A-0-YZbAm98ssOmHs49tlS7ewGDsMEOYYfhwoGUo9rnA4QOuna1pOQEWeIZ7HwvGfWJoRMU2191RRu-DgKFAboYjft-LrG99pfNdMZg3Dral5aw/s1600/DSCF7011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUFQvMdB3836EFRRs9YTR6LEeyYO8A-0-YZbAm98ssOmHs49tlS7ewGDsMEOYYfhwoGUo9rnA4QOuna1pOQEWeIZ7HwvGfWJoRMU2191RRu-DgKFAboYjft-LrG99pfNdMZg3Dral5aw/s400/DSCF7011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let this picture fool you. She was notorious for stealing other kids' toys. I'm pretty certain she is handing back this boy his ball after snagging it from him previously. She even would sneak off and rummage through other peoples bags looking for snacks. (now THOSE are proud parenting moments, I tell you. ugh.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BzdJuOuK19UzWJcyKWCJHb8EEX5GsTTav85jWm1vqJuw1-czEtzjc20st2j-PeylnW88SjP8vHtug2rehF28ODW6924pjYvX6SwIH9CgMqFd8sR77wnSUrCujgalKCpx49yHXuRge2I/s1600/DSCF7023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BzdJuOuK19UzWJcyKWCJHb8EEX5GsTTav85jWm1vqJuw1-czEtzjc20st2j-PeylnW88SjP8vHtug2rehF28ODW6924pjYvX6SwIH9CgMqFd8sR77wnSUrCujgalKCpx49yHXuRge2I/s400/DSCF7023.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her regular pool attire: swimsuit, life jacket, floaty, pool noodle. Only a monsoon could drown this girl. </td></tr>
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Lastly, I have to throw a couple of these in here. My nephew is a senior in high school this year. My sister and I took some pics of him before school started, hoping for some good ones he could use as part of his senior pictures. I think we got some!<br />
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My eldest, the night before school started, declared this "the best summer ever." I have to say I agree it was pretty awesome and like her, was sad to see it go. Fall has been pretty nice too though. Here's to hoping we have a wonderful winter as well. If not, that's okay, God is faithful and carries us to the next season. Summer will come again.Onita76http://www.blogger.com/profile/00119275468622574553noreply@blogger.com0