tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18018261375663740182024-03-13T05:51:17.890-05:00The Stiles 5Greetings from Kansas! We've developed this blog to keep our friends and family updated on weekly happenings of FOUR-year-old Sophie and THREE-year-old twins Blake and Graham. This trio is growing up so fast!!The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.comBlogger315125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-11827731479545268392011-04-08T00:16:00.000-05:002011-04-08T00:16:36.320-05:00Sunflower Inn--Yoder, Kansas<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tammy gave the boys a big bag of clothes this week, and they've had so much fun picking out their 'new' clothes each day. Tonight they discovered the Batman pajamas! What a treat--even though she doesn't have twins, she somehow managed to pass along an entire bag of coordinating outfits in the same size. She has the best-dressed kid in town, and we are the LUCKY recipients of his hand-me-downs! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdndi9P9X3s/TZ6X4HU8QUI/AAAAAAAAB_E/XOn4NE61O0A/s1600/DSC03994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdndi9P9X3s/TZ6X4HU8QUI/AAAAAAAAB_E/XOn4NE61O0A/s320/DSC03994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophie attempted to wrap her own collarbone tonight, and this was the end result. Ha! Maybe we should be more clear about where her 'collarbone' is??</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-520SqYKsK2M/TZ6YFxksuqI/AAAAAAAAB_I/x-PqgT_jbGI/s1600/DSC03993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-520SqYKsK2M/TZ6YFxksuqI/AAAAAAAAB_I/x-PqgT_jbGI/s320/DSC03993.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now for some older pictures from the past few months! Brent and I had won a night's stay at a bed & breakfast in Yoder, KS a while back, and it was getting ready to expire. Since B&Bs aren't exactly his cup of tea, I decided to take Sophie for a 'girls-only overnight.' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent was working, so the boys got to go on their very first overnight at Kelly & Roger's! They each had their backpack and sleeping bag ready for the big occasion. They had a great time! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zQFkbqVgsP8/TZ6YSXnnXDI/AAAAAAAAB_M/A9Wf4cP0u7c/s1600/DSC03441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zQFkbqVgsP8/TZ6YSXnnXDI/AAAAAAAAB_M/A9Wf4cP0u7c/s320/DSC03441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophie in front of the Sunflower Inn. Yoder was having a Christmas event in their VERY quaint downtown, so Sophie wore her reindeer shirt!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uSIPhulB80/TZ6YbTsx79I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/r6wf6slSShM/s1600/DSC03445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uSIPhulB80/TZ6YbTsx79I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/r6wf6slSShM/s320/DSC03445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yoder is an Amish community (the Sunflower Inn is actually a former Amish home), and we saw a lot of horse-drawn buggies on our trip. I sat on the porch on Sunday morning waiting for Sophie to wake up, and I counted at least a dozen buggies passing by on their way to church. Such a neat sight! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y17bV-FPOJ0/TZ6YkfwjezI/AAAAAAAAB_U/8zNuh9m9z4M/s1600/DSC03449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y17bV-FPOJ0/TZ6YkfwjezI/AAAAAAAAB_U/8zNuh9m9z4M/s320/DSC03449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A delicious breakfast was waiting for us! Egg casserole, fruit, muffins, real butter, fresh honey...and homemade apple cider. Awesome. Kendra made us feel so welcome.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WX-eP7bhoGA/TZ6Yx5AVWUI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/bYggOmPxAg0/s1600/DSC03452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WX-eP7bhoGA/TZ6Yx5AVWUI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/bYggOmPxAg0/s320/DSC03452.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spotted the church where the Amish families were worshipping, and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the buggies all lined up.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_FM-u0Us4SM/TZ6Y64hrFVI/AAAAAAAAB_c/U_yHK88o1hA/s1600/DSC03461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_FM-u0Us4SM/TZ6Y64hrFVI/AAAAAAAAB_c/U_yHK88o1hA/s320/DSC03461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We'll definitely make this a tradition! </span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-48473201600011211842011-04-05T09:37:00.011-05:002011-04-05T09:43:50.835-05:00Is it APRIL already??? First blog post of 2011!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dad has been asking about the blog (and I'm HORRIBLE about e-mailing pictures to him), so the blog is back in action! I'll try to make your reading worthwhile, Dad. :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SO VERY MUCH to catch up on! Let's see...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boys are potty trained, and Blake even goes all night without a Pull-Up (now if we could get Sophie and Graham to follow suit). It is AWESOME to finally be a diaper-free house. Two nighttime Pull-Ups is nothing compared to the 20-plus diaper days of the past! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophie broke her collarbone on St. Patrick's Day...she was trying to walk on the outside of the trampoline enclosure (BIG no-no at our house) and Graham pushed her off. Here are her x-ray pics:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CneqwZRKfzg/TZsolsEPWyI/AAAAAAAAB-c/_dVRtMrukAc/s1600/Sophie+collarbone+1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CneqwZRKfzg/TZsolsEPWyI/AAAAAAAAB-c/_dVRtMrukAc/s320/Sophie+collarbone+1.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-8hoVk77Co/TZsowFLgF2I/AAAAAAAAB-g/Q4s5DIYGA20/s1600/Sophie+collarbone+2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v-8hoVk77Co/TZsowFLgF2I/AAAAAAAAB-g/Q4s5DIYGA20/s320/Sophie+collarbone+2.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You might remember that almost exactly a year ago, Blake broke HIS collarbone by falling when getting out of his seat at the kitchen table. This is HIS x-ray...almost identical to Sophie's. The ER doctor assured me that this is the most common break among the 'under 5' group, and her orthopedist told me to throw the trampoline away.</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OoN0EB_ZnDc/TZso52XxcNI/AAAAAAAAB-k/b5iE5glZX-U/s1600/Blake+collarbone+1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OoN0EB_ZnDc/TZso52XxcNI/AAAAAAAAB-k/b5iE5glZX-U/s1600/Blake+collarbone+1.bmp" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy GratiTuesday! We are thankful for:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new Via Christi St. Teresa hospital for having an AMAZING emergency room staff. They took fabulous care of Sophie, and met us at the door when we arrived. NO waiting.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aunt Kelly for taking the kids and I to see the movie "Hop" this weekend, which was such a treat!! The kids loved it, and did really well during the movie. They ate their weight in popcorn and M&Ms.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dad for coming down to help Brent tackle his 'project list', and for administering last rites to the dying refrigerator. As much as we hated to lose it, it was nice to finally put it out of its misery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caryn for chauffeuring Sophie to preschool when I'm working. SUCH a lifesaver!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent for being amazingly gifted with power tools & lawn equipment. He added on to the swingset so there's room for 4 swings (3 swings and a glider). The yard has been meticulously manicured and treated with fertilizer. He's the king of the great outdoors at our house! </span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recent kid-pics coming soon.</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-11229698630331845682010-11-30T20:16:00.000-06:002010-11-30T20:16:14.979-06:00Happy GratiTuesday!!!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're baaaaaaaack! Lots to catch up on, so we'll start with Thanksgiving and sprinkle a few older items throughout the week. So many things to be thankful for! The short list:</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hotels with swimming pools! We had a great time visiting family over Thanksgiving, and found out what a blessing indoor swimming pools are. The kids loved, loved, LOVED it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laid-back family. It was so nice to spend some time in a low-key environment to recharge our batteries. Dad and Louise were the perfect host & hostess! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good food. Louise whipped up a great dinner, Jimmy made an awesome broccoli/rice casserole, and Aunt Darci made some homemade macaroni and cheese that still finds its way into my dreams. My mouth is watering a little right now, to be honest.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black Friday shopping! Louise and I found some great buys on Friday morning, and were back before anyone missed us.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aunt Judy! She gave me 2 pairs of shoes and a mess of clothes when we were home! AWESOME. I need to start hitting the treadmill again (SOON) so I can fit into some of them. :-)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids that travel well. They did great in the car, and we didn't have any problems on the road.</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few pics:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWrqrfeZLI/AAAAAAAAB9c/Z4XzTi4HJUI/s1600/DSC03580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWrqrfeZLI/AAAAAAAAB9c/Z4XzTi4HJUI/s320/DSC03580.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shirts made with their handprints</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWr9GYWVAI/AAAAAAAAB9g/ajBzC0LNBJ4/s1600/DSC03533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWr9GYWVAI/AAAAAAAAB9g/ajBzC0LNBJ4/s320/DSC03533.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think Grandpa was singing. :-)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWsAxTpCwI/AAAAAAAAB9k/m41WVT2LmZo/s320/DSC03585.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grandpa reading to Graham</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWsAxTpCwI/AAAAAAAAB9k/m41WVT2LmZo/s1600/DSC03585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWsEF9Pk_I/AAAAAAAAB9o/3OB-CAMAguk/s320/DSC03586.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grandma and Blake perusing catalogs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWsEF9Pk_I/AAAAAAAAB9o/3OB-CAMAguk/s1600/DSC03586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jimmy & Joshua</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWsJxn3LHI/AAAAAAAAB9s/t5Rsm27cF4s/s1600/DSC03605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanksgiving dinner 'kids table'!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWrn3-rr4I/AAAAAAAAB9Y/VSalwBLalgo/s1600/DSC03530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWuQchXvZI/AAAAAAAAB9w/EpIaKh41XLA/s1600/DSC03525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWuQchXvZI/AAAAAAAAB9w/EpIaKh41XLA/s320/DSC03525.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Treats for Sophie's preschool class</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWuTHbUdxI/AAAAAAAAB90/RnolIaZWLWM/s1600/DSC03529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWuTHbUdxI/AAAAAAAAB90/RnolIaZWLWM/s320/DSC03529.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boys thought they were chickens!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWuXE5m2ZI/AAAAAAAAB94/Az0t-apyAbs/s1600/DSC03592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWuXE5m2ZI/AAAAAAAAB94/Az0t-apyAbs/s320/DSC03592.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My cousins Matt & LeAnn</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWucF46u6I/AAAAAAAAB98/RdgVuAX66TM/s1600/DSC03593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWucF46u6I/AAAAAAAAB98/RdgVuAX66TM/s320/DSC03593.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Uncle Leroy & Aunt Judy</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWufPIy5hI/AAAAAAAAB-A/DOhY7nYbsgs/s1600/DSC03606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TPWufPIy5hI/AAAAAAAAB-A/DOhY7nYbsgs/s320/DSC03606.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the T-Rex restaurant! This dinosaur came inches from Brent's head. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He acted like he was going to kiss it, but that picture didn't come out--drats! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-26037787564178166642010-10-06T11:33:00.000-05:002010-10-06T11:33:19.923-05:00Annie Banannie's Consignment Sale!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's time for my friend Annie's consignment sale for kids' clothing and equipment! Annie is one of the most detail-oriented people I know (and one of the friendliest!), which means she's PERFECT for this line of work. You can sell kids' clothes, shoes, toys, strollers, high chairs, etc, etc, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sale is next Friday/Saturday (October 15 & 16), so there's plenty of time to get your items together for the sale. For more details or to register, go to: </span><a href="http://www.anniebananniessale.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.anniebananniessale.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKyintZVPNI/AAAAAAAAB9U/ipefmaTBcq8/s1600/SALW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKyintZVPNI/AAAAAAAAB9U/ipefmaTBcq8/s320/SALW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-10367348649801855512010-10-05T22:46:00.000-05:002010-10-05T22:46:56.872-05:00GratiTuesday<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy GratiTuesday! This week we're thankful for:</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our friend Patti had knee replacement surgery last week and is doing great! We need to get over and see her soon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caryn started picking up Sophie for preschool this morning, and will be our Tuesday 'lifesaver' while I'm still working Tuesdays. Sophie loves riding with Ryan! You're the BEST, Caryn.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend Annie invited us to El Dorado Lake's fun day last weekend, and the kids loved it! (Despite Mommy's poor wardrobe choices that morning...once it warmed up a little, we had a blast!) They fished (Blake was thrilled--he kept saying "I caught a WORM! Look--I caught a worm!" We need to get them some fishing poles and take them to the park).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent's car has been making a horrible rumbling noise when taking sharp turns for a while now. We've been putting off taking it to a repair shop for fear of the unknown ($$$), and I finally Googled it hoping to get an idea. The forum I stumbled into said the rear differential fluid needed to be changed, so we got some fluid from Honda and Brent changed it himself. It worked beautifully--no more noise!! What could have been an expensive trip to the service shop ended up costing about $30. Brent's so handy. :-)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have a new sitter for the kids, and she's working out BEAUTIFULLY! This has been such a source of stress for us--I'm hoping things continue to go smoothly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend Christy came to town and the kids and I got to spend the day with her on Sunday! I just realized that I didn't take ANY pictures that day...what was I thinking?? Christy is awesome with kids, and brought fun stickers for them to make Halloween pictures. She was also very encouraging when Graham used his "S" and "L" sounds well, so it helped reinforce his hard work (Christy's a speech pathologist).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophie had school pictures today, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how they turned out! She has a genuine smile in them. </span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Arial;">The only thing that would make this week better is if we could get rid of the allergies that are plaguing us right now...but I guess that leads me to our final thing to be grateful for this week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">8</span>. Allergy medicine!!</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-85112288001539322952010-09-28T22:21:00.000-05:002010-09-28T22:21:39.665-05:00GratiTuesday<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy GratiTuesday! This has been a bittersweet week so far, since one of our newest sitters' last day was today (due to an out-of-state move) and we're reconsidering the babysitter decision I posted about yesterday (we're already having issues with scheduling and inconsistency). So...babysitting remains our family's biggest stressor right now. It's been a long summer in that department...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that being said, there's still so MUCH to be thankful for!</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are officially over 65 people in the Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey) class now! It's exciting to see his program 'speaking' to people and helping families.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dad and Louise's visit was so nice, but too short. It's nice to have them here, because it's obvious how crazy they are about the kids by the way they interact with them. It sounds strange to say, but it lightens the pressure I feel when they're here.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent is getting a few overtime days this month--perfectly timed since our vehicle tags/taxes are due this month!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent has an incredible ability to fix our possessed icemaker. It constantly freezes up and he fixes it. I'd have been using ice cube trays by now--but he doesn't give up on it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent is grateful for the new Crocs I ordered for him!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kelly went shopping with me and the kids this weekend, and I found some clothes! Woo hoo! Taking the kids to any clothing store alone is practically out of the question, so I'm super grateful that she came along. Plus, it was nice to be in REAL clothing stores (I can't tell you the last time I shopped for clothes anywhere other than Target or WalMart...seriously YEARS). I forgot how great the 'new clothes smell' is...Ahhhhh, I can't wait to go again!! (Anyone want to come??)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BEAUTIFUL FALL WEATHER! The chill in the air is so nice, and the kids are loving being outside.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trampoline makes the list again--the kids are crazy about it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend Laurel came by my office to bring me a Pepsi the other day, which was wonderful and unexpected. I had a good visit with her, and it reminded me that small gestures sometimes make the biggest impacts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend Jen invited us to her in-laws' farm to see chickens, ducks, goats and donkeys!! It was SUPER cool!! The kids got to collect eggs (there was a chicken sitting on them, and she made the funniest noises as the eggs were being collected from underneath her) and play with the goats. The goats act like dogs! I'm not sure who had more fun, me or the kids. We all loved it! I'll post pictures soon. (I checked to see if I could have chickens in our neighborhood...and am sad to say that we can't. Bummer.)</span></li>
</ol>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-67980337625614157822010-09-27T08:49:00.000-05:002010-09-27T08:49:45.284-05:00Pumpkin Patch<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was <span style="font-size: xx-small;">***this***</span> close to being successful at my blog-post-every-day challenge!! We got a bit off track this weekend with the babysitter search and an early visit from Dad & Louise.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news?? We have a new sitter starting on Friday! We were really torn about whether or not to continue to keep the kids at home with a sitter or to start taking them to a daycare. Hopefully we're making the right choice.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a fun visit with Dad & Louise this weekend! They were on their way back from a week-long trip to the Grand Canyon. We celebrated the boys' birthdays with cupcakes and a trip to the pumpkin patch. Dad joked (joked??) that they spent three days in Sedona for the cost of what 2 hours at the pumpkin patch cost, but the kids had a great time. :-)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCe2FUfVNI/AAAAAAAAB9E/xSlo4FayV-k/s1600/1+shirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCe2FUfVNI/AAAAAAAAB9E/xSlo4FayV-k/s320/1+shirts.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New shirts--cute!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCfGEEoFVI/AAAAAAAAB9M/TCFdlOzx0EU/s1600/1+birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCfGEEoFVI/AAAAAAAAB9M/TCFdlOzx0EU/s320/1+birthday.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of MANY turns blowing out candles</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCfbW0tSbI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/ywwTpGdpj3g/s1600/2+birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCfbW0tSbI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/ywwTpGdpj3g/s320/2+birthday.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grandma & Grandpa gave them a racetrack!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCe1GthC7I/AAAAAAAAB9A/oBY7n8-iziI/s1600/1+pumpkin+patch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCe1GthC7I/AAAAAAAAB9A/oBY7n8-iziI/s320/1+pumpkin+patch.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was it windy?? What's up with my hair??</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCe22n6ggI/AAAAAAAAB9I/KhT6HDuRG4I/s1600/2+pumpkin+patch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TKCe22n6ggI/AAAAAAAAB9I/KhT6HDuRG4I/s320/2+pumpkin+patch.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barrel train--BIG HIT with the kids!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-75689394423255747952010-09-23T23:29:00.000-05:002010-09-23T23:29:28.406-05:00Tires<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJwngIpxajI/AAAAAAAAB84/WcreGWXjeck/s1600/michelin-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJwngIpxajI/AAAAAAAAB84/WcreGWXjeck/s200/michelin-man.jpg" width="123" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The highlight of today was getting new tires for the van! (If you classify spending money on boring necessities a 'highlight.' I can think of a LOT more fun ways to spend that kind of money.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're in the middle of the never-ending-sitter-search. Our summer sitter is moving back to Michigan next week, so we're in the middle of an intense search for the right person. Keep your fingers crossed for us--it's a little stressful around here right now!!!</span></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-69755863900841369642010-09-22T22:41:00.000-05:002010-09-22T22:41:29.965-05:00Doughnuts and elephants and salsa...oh my!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The big day started with doughnuts for breakfast (with candles, of course!), then Brent and the boys came to see me at the office for a bit while Sophie was at preschool. Afterwards, Brent took the kids to the zoo for a Happy Meal picnic lunch! Apparently the animals were all pretty active--especially the penguins--and the kids loved it. Sophie kept asking to see the elephants and the giraffes. They love the zoo so much! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e took the boys out to dinner for their favorite--chips & salsa! Kelly, Roger, Becky & Aaron joined us, too! (Which I'm pretty sure they regret, because...) See the salsa bowl in front of Sophie? Shortly after this picture was taken, Graham took a tumble off of his chair. Before his aerial-back-handspring-with-a-stuck-landing took place, he somehow hit the edge of Sophie's salsa bowl and sent it FLYING. Half of it went down her face and into her lap, and the other half went ALL over the walls (with some splatters on Becky's white shirt--sorry Becky!). MUCH CRYING ENSUED. Sophie was completely appalled because "Brother did this to me!" and Graham was just shocked and startled. (Blake, however? Glanced at them and kept eating. I wish I had a replay of the event! That might have been the funniest part!) We joked afterwards that we would never have guessed that the amount of salsa in that small bowl could cover so much ground! Apparently you CAN paint an entire room with just a quart.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJrEjEyPW8I/AAAAAAAAB8w/DIn3sbjPl8k/s1600/DSC03247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJrEjEyPW8I/AAAAAAAAB8w/DIn3sbjPl8k/s320/DSC03247.JPG" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Graham was SO embarrassed (but not hurt, thank goodness!), so we had to get pretty silly to bring him back around. Sophie was playing in her sour cream, and thought she was grossing us out with it. We were actually laughing at the finger she was using (she didn't know that, of course...and yes, we really ARE that immature), which made her try even harder to get us messy...</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJrDpyi8HuI/AAAAAAAAB8g/JN9nu-Hve3M/s1600/DSC03249EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJrDpyi8HuI/AAAAAAAAB8g/JN9nu-Hve3M/s320/DSC03249EDIT.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This look is too much (and how did she get sour cream on her forehead?!)!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJrDr1GDEDI/AAAAAAAAB8o/gdWcmINuMR8/s1600/DSC03251EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJrDr1GDEDI/AAAAAAAAB8o/gdWcmINuMR8/s320/DSC03251EDIT.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, they had a good birthday! </span></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-90688278731552691782010-09-21T08:59:00.000-05:002010-09-21T08:59:25.616-05:00Happy 3rd birthday, Blake & Graham!!!<div><span style="font-family: arial;">Can this be possible?! Our boys are THREE today! It's flown by! I was (semi)joking the other day that I feel like the past three years have been such a blur, and we're just now to the point where we can peek our heads out of the cave and look around. What a three years it has been!</span><br />
<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">H</span><span style="color: #3366ff;">A</span><span style="color: #ff6600;">P</span><span style="color: #33cc00;">P</span><span style="color: #993399;">Y</span> <span style="color: #ff6600;">B</span><span style="color: #009900;">I</span><span style="color: #993399;">R</span><span style="color: red;">T</span><span style="color: #00cccc;">H</span><span style="color: #993399;">D</span><span style="color: red;">A</span><span style="color: #3333ff;">Y</span> <span style="color: red;">B</span><span style="color: #33cc00;">L</span><span style="color: #ff6600;">A</span><span style="color: #3333ff;">K</span><span style="color: #33cc00;">E</span>!!!</span></div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #33cc00;">H</span><span style="color: #ff6600;">A</span><span style="color: #3366ff;">P</span><span style="color: #993399;">P</span><span style="color: red;">Y</span> <span style="color: #33cc00;">B</span><span style="color: red;">I</span><span style="color: #3333ff;">R</span><span style="color: #ff6600;">T</span><span style="color: #33cc00;">H</span><span style="color: red;">D</span><span style="color: #3333ff;">A</span><span style="color: #ff6600;">Y</span> <span style="color: #3366ff;">G</span><span style="color: red;">R</span><span style="color: #33cc00;">A</span><span style="color: #993399;">H</span><span style="color: red;">A</span><span style="color: #3333ff;">M</span>!!!</span></div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: arial;">The night before you were born (whoa belly!):</span></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnjEtUdTI/AAAAAAAAB7I/pIXwIG0vwMk/s1600/July+06,+2007+025.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519204826855273778" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnjEtUdTI/AAAAAAAAB7I/pIXwIG0vwMk/s400/July+06,+2007+025.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">You loved to sleep right next to each other from the very beginning:</span><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: arial;">Proud big sister!</span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnjgkLnjI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/M-ZQhFADDGM/s1600/July+06,+2007+050.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519204834333138482" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnjgkLnjI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/M-ZQhFADDGM/s400/July+06,+2007+050.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: arial;">You've always played right next to each other, too:</span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgp8UyYHUI/AAAAAAAAB7w/d9iZjUYs6es/s1600/TRANSFER+NOV+3+246.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519207459691437378" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgp8UyYHUI/AAAAAAAAB7w/d9iZjUYs6es/s400/TRANSFER+NOV+3+246.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Best friends:</span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgp9hMNLQI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ovaI67bU8eM/s1600/TRANSFER+NOV+3+296.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519207480200867074" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgp9hMNLQI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ovaI67bU8eM/s400/TRANSFER+NOV+3+296.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Giggling boys:</span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnj5jg6CI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/HPUpvjBF5XA/s1600/DSC02899.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519204841041225762" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnj5jg6CI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/HPUpvjBF5XA/s400/DSC02899.JPG" style="cursor: hand; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Into mischief!</span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnkknF3eI/AAAAAAAAB7o/sETat9_mWco/s1600/DSC03481.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519204852598955490" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgnkknF3eI/AAAAAAAAB7o/sETat9_mWco/s400/DSC03481.JPG" style="cursor: hand; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: arial;">And here you are at THREE!</span></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgtIl5FvMI/AAAAAAAAB8I/gH2Nd_lKX5I/s1600/Picnik+collage+3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519210968976309442" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgtIl5FvMI/AAAAAAAAB8I/gH2Nd_lKX5I/s400/Picnik+collage+3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 400px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgtJM_98QI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/VlsdvvYW9UM/s1600/Picnik+collage+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519210979474141442" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgtJM_98QI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/VlsdvvYW9UM/s400/Picnik+collage+2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 400px; width: 400px;" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Gentlemen, you have blessed us beyond words. Both of you have such sweet hearts and outgoing personalities. You are crazy about each other and are your sister's biggest fans. </span><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Blake, your favorite food is pasta, you love your koala bear, and are so laid back and snuggly. Lately you like to go outside at night and look at the stars. You are such a gentleman, wanting to help carry even the heaviest items.</span></div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Graham, your favorite foods are fruits and vegetables, you love your Pooh bear, and have more energy than we could have imagined! You are so social, and from a distance start shouting 'Hi friends!' to anyone within earshot.</span></div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: arial;">We love you, we love you, we love you!!!</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">XOXOXO</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-83273653855835966802010-09-20T20:23:00.003-05:002010-09-20T20:37:45.154-05:00Pampered Chef Deep Dish Covered Baker<div><div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">I got a fun new toy for the kitchen--the Pampered Chef Deep Dish Covered Baker. It's glazed on the outside and stoneware on the inside. I was hesitant about it, because stoneware seems like it would dry the food out and would be a nightmare to clean, but I was wrong. The best part about it is that it cooks in the oven OR the microwave! Tonight we had a pork loin cooked in the microwave, and the pan was a cinch to clean up! (I have to admit that the loin I bought was WAY too lean, and I should have marinated it. The other half that I cooked in the crockpot was dry as a bone, and it was more moist in this baker. I can't wait to try the smaller Hormel seasoned pork loins next time, I bet they'll be awesome.) You can bake cakes, cobblers, etc. in the microwave--I can't wait to get it figured out!</span></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgLbbAeQQI/AAAAAAAAB6o/XhbHye9_0DM/s1600/DSC03236.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519173909076656386" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgLbbAeQQI/AAAAAAAAB6o/XhbHye9_0DM/s400/DSC03236.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">After it cooked in the microwave for about 30 minutes. I had used a dry rub (and no water), and worried that it would scorch--lots of juice in there, though!</span></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgLb1U_pPI/AAAAAAAAB6w/FmLcbZpGtHs/s1600/DSC03238.JPG"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519173916142052594" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgLb1U_pPI/AAAAAAAAB6w/FmLcbZpGtHs/s400/DSC03238.JPG" border="0" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">You don't use soap on it--just hot water, so this is AFTER the roast was removed and I cleaned it up! It was a CINCH.</span></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgLcAyVoDI/AAAAAAAAB64/2O1UGx-K-eo/s1600/DSC03239.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519173919217918002" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJgLcAyVoDI/AAAAAAAAB64/2O1UGx-K-eo/s400/DSC03239.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-63323431368685316012010-09-19T21:19:00.005-05:002010-09-19T21:34:33.197-05:00Spangles finale #1<span style="font-family:arial;">I can't believe it's been a year already since Brent did his first overnight at Spangles to win a free weekly Spangles meal for a year! Today he used his last meal...see how sad he is?! He still has a while left on the second book, though. It will be a very sad day for him when that book runs out, though!</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJbHz0swiAI/AAAAAAAAB6g/pWWGR_SvTHc/s1600/DSC03235.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518818086522750978" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJbHz0swiAI/AAAAAAAAB6g/pWWGR_SvTHc/s400/DSC03235.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">(Please pardon his shirt...some guys from work got him that because they know we have cats, and he wears it all the time! He loves cats--don't call PETA.)</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">The kids and I were painting earlier today, and Sophie asked me to paint her some different shapes. She has the sweetest heart, and after each shape she said "Good job!" After we were done, I started cleaning up and noticed that my page was gone. Worrying about it laying face down on the carpet somewhere, I went looking for it...and found it on the fridge. That sweet girl put MY picture on the fridge. (Warm fuzzy, warm fuzzy!!!)<br /></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJbGsaUgVhI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/5tP4Hekl00U/s1600/DSC03233.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518816859670992402" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJbGsaUgVhI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/5tP4Hekl00U/s400/DSC03233.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-1373907129079880422010-09-18T22:49:00.002-05:002010-09-18T23:02:52.819-05:00Visit with Leslie's family<span style="font-family:arial;">My friend Leslie was here with her husband and 3 kids today, and it was so great to spend some time with them. They brought us this adorable ghost! Check it out--it's kid-sized boots and jeans (the boots are filled with concrete), then the rest of the body is made of PVC material and styrofoam. Too cute! She said I should put it on the porch, but I think it might go next to the fireplace. (Blake is NOT a fan of it, and gives a wide berth as he goes by. If he doesn't warm up to it soon, it might have to go on the porch for fear of traumatizing the poor boy!)</span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJWIpNAxn6I/AAAAAAAAB6I/HxWIVEUg-WQ/s1600/DSC03231.JPG"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518467159861338018" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJWIpNAxn6I/AAAAAAAAB6I/HxWIVEUg-WQ/s400/DSC03231.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Our three kids spent most of the day on the trampoline with Leslie's three kids. They all wore themselves out! I have to admit that I was skeptical about getting the trampoline in the beginning, but it was such a hit today that I have to give Brent credit for the idea!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Sophie spent the first half of the day in a princess costume getting ready for the 'princess tea' birthday party she was invited to, but the party was cancelled! :-( The mom got sick, so hopefully it will be rescheduled soon--I think it will be adorable to see all of the little girls dressed up! Luckily Leslie's crew came when they did, and Sophie forgot all about being sad about the party.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">(p.s., I got the laundry caught up today--SUCCESS!)</span></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-40815137530048967262010-09-17T21:38:00.005-05:002010-09-17T22:00:51.326-05:00TGIF<div><span style="font-family:arial;">Woo hoo for weekends! I'm hoping to get caught up on laundry/cleaning/meal planning, etc. this weekend. Sophie has a 'princess tea birthday party' to attend tomorrow, and we have good friends coming up from Oklahoma City for the day. We're really looking forward to their visit!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Hmmmmm...I thought this 'blog-post-a-day' thing was a good idea, but it makes me realize how boring things can be around here on a daily basis...(crickets chirping)...Ummm, we went to Sam's tonight...(chirp)...and bought a cake for our friends' visit tomorrow...(chirp)...and Sophie is sneaking down the stairs as I type this because she officially thinks she belongs in bed with me when Brent is working...my own fault, I know...(chirp)...</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Wait--here's something cute! I often call the kids "Sugar" when addressing them, and tonight at Sam's Sophie asked for something. Blake said "No, Sugar" but when he says it, it sounds like "No, Chigger." Cute!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Soooo...that's about it...(chirp)...I'm off to research new mops on Amazon because mine broke tonight...(chirp)...does that count as exciting??</span></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJQrHEpf-CI/AAAAAAAAB6A/93HvqTkbsxs/s1600/cricket.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518082843942582306" style="WIDTH: 124px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TJQrHEpf-CI/AAAAAAAAB6A/93HvqTkbsxs/s400/cricket.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-86944962482446883322010-09-16T21:44:00.004-05:002010-09-16T22:05:09.667-05:00Shots for Sophie<span style="font-family:arial;">It was time for Sophie's 4-year vaccinations, so we went before school this morning to get them. Bless her heart, it was traumatic for her! She loves going to the doctor, but I'm guessing she'll be a little gun-shy after today. She got 3 injections, one in her right thigh and two in her left. She yelped so loud, then started crying so hard that no sound came out. It was heartbreaking! I always thought the baby stage was the hardest with shots, but now I think it's this age--she's old enough to realize the pain was inflicted intentionally, but young enough to not understand the reason. She did NOT want to go to school after that, she kept whimpering "I need to go home and go to bed...I need to go home and see brothers..." I ended up keeping her home from preschool (since we'd missed a good portion of it, anyway), and she went to Graham's speech therapy appointment with the boys and I instead. She took a good nap afterwards and seemed fine. She went to church tonight and was fine except for the tenderness in her legs, then when we got home and I changed her into her PJs, she started shivering. I took her temperature and it's 102.5. Eek! The doctor said it's ok and to give her some ibuprofen through the night to keep the temperature down. Bless her heart! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Tonight was the kickoff for the new FPU/Dave Ramsey class! We have almost 60 people signed up for it--I'm so excited! His message is so good, and he delivers it with such humor. I'm excited to get to know everyone and start celebrating their successes!</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-48436444237078062702010-09-15T21:28:00.003-05:002010-09-15T21:38:50.464-05:00Happy birthday, brother!<div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;">Today is my brother John's birthday!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">H</span><span style="color:#3333ff;">A</span><span style="color:#ff6600;">P</span><span style="color:#33cc00;">P</span><span style="color:#993399;">Y</span> <span style="color:#3366ff;">B</span><span style="color:#ff6600;">I</span><span style="color:#33cc00;">R</span><span style="color:#ff0000;">T</span><span style="color:#3366ff;">H</span><span style="color:#33cc00;">D</span><span style="color:#993399;">A</span><span style="color:#ff6600;">Y</span> <span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">J</span>O<span style="color:#ffcc00;">H</span><span style="color:#993399;">N</span><span style="color:#33cc00;">N</span>Y</span>!</span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">******************************************************************</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span> </div><span style="font-family:Arial;">We had some pretty wicked weather here tonight, lots of hail and tornado warnings. Our neighborhood got golfball-sized hail, but a lot of the city saw baseball-sized hail. Lots of window knocked out of cars and homes around the city. It left as quickly as it came, though! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I had dinner tonight with Pati, Caryn and Luci while all of the weather commotion took place, and about halfway through dinner Brent called to say he was taking the boys on a bike ride (Sophie was at Awanas). The storm had just started as I walked into the restaurant, so that shows how short-lived the storm was! The boys loved the bike ride, and Sophie loved Awanas. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Not much else to report! (Unless you want to hear about the spider Brent found in the basement tonight, and the frantic search for a new exterminator we're now on...those cats better watch their backs, because they're definitely falling down on the job...)</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-42417539579019318582010-09-14T21:47:00.002-05:002010-09-14T21:56:55.898-05:00GratiTuesday<span style="font-family:arial;">Happy GratiTuesday! This week we're thankful for:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Perfect weather for the kids' birthday party!</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Friends and family who celebrated the kids' birthdays with us or called with well-wishes for the event. You all made it an extra-special weekend, and the kids had a blast!!</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Companies who rent cotton candy machines, and for Kelly who wasn't afraid to give cotton candy-making a whirl with me. We are AWESOME cotton candy makers!</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Richard and Pati for insisting that we GET the cotton candy machine, and picking up the tab for the machine rental--they have a soft spot for Sophie's sweet tooth. :-)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">The kids and I are grateful for Brent spending an entire day getting the trampoline assembled and everything ready outside for the birthday.</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The week seems to have been overshadowed by the kids' birthday party, doesn't it?! :-)</span></p>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-49961599075116947852010-09-13T21:23:00.004-05:002010-09-13T21:47:07.610-05:00Watermelon (& furry friends)<span style="font-family:arial;">TV is our (my??) nemesis around here. The kids choose TV over almost anything, and it's making me crazy. Tonight I was bound and determined to get them out of the house for a while, and remembered this sign near our house:</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TI7dCW5Gg7I/AAAAAAAAB54/dTZi4-APlVM/s1600/DSC03229.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516589626149995442" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TI7dCW5Gg7I/AAAAAAAAB54/dTZi4-APlVM/s400/DSC03229.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Dirt! Plants! Perfect for kids! When we pulled in the drive, we were met by a sweet older couple who talked with the kids and helped us pick a good watermelon from the flatbed in their driveway. The kids wandered around and played in the dirt for a while, but it was close to supper time and we didn't want to overstay our welcome. We hopped back in the car and went for a drive in the country. The kids love to look at animals, and we found plenty of cows and horses to keep their interest (Sophie SWEARS she saw an elephant.) I'd love to find someone who sells farm fresh eggs, and show the kids the chicken coops. I wish we had some land--we'd definitely have chickens!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Then we came home, played on the trampoline for quite a while (their little heads were so hot and sweaty, and they were giggling like crazy--THAT'S what I want to see from active kids!), then they took baths. I finally took the final tape off of Blake's incision, and it looks good. We see the doctor for a follow up soon, and I think she'll be pleased. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">[On a very somber note, my friends Melissa, Sue & Kelly are on my heart tonight--it's been a hard month for furry loved ones. Melissa had to put her cat, Jezzie, to sleep a few weeks ago, and then her mom Sue's cat, Missy, to sleep Friday. Today Kelly had to put her dachshund, Abby, to sleep. All of them were GREAT pets and will be sadly missed. My friends are all great pet mommies, and my heart breaks for them. Heaven is a greater place with Jezzie, Missy & Abby in it. I'm so sorry for your losses, girls.]</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-71872453731888776152010-09-12T21:52:00.004-05:002010-09-12T22:06:27.169-05:00Nighttime<div><span style="font-family:arial;">We're having some issues with nighttime still. I mentioned that Sophie has been waking up around 2:30am to pray, but then she started to just come into our room in the middle of the night. Last night she came in around 11:00pm, so she's getting earlier and earlier! I hear her upstairs now tiptoeing around...she's probably waiting until we get settled in before she strikes again. I have to admit--I love having her there (she calls it a 'slumber party with mama'), but Brent doesn't sleep well when she's in our bed, so he usually goes downstairs and sleeps in the guest room. I feel bad about that, but to be honest, it's cold downstairs and he gets to turn the fan on full-blast...he really does love it down there. I'm doing my best not to make this a habit, though. Sophie's bed is a 'universal bed' that transitions from crib-to-toddler bed-to-full sized bed. Next in the budget is to get her a full sized mattress, box springs & rails, so maybe she'll like it better when it's more of a 'big girl bed'?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">We got a good laugh out of Graham sleeping a few nights ago--note that Graham is NOT sleeping on the pillow, but his bear IS. Talk about a sacrifice! He's a great best friend already!</span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TI2UUlwylBI/AAAAAAAAB5w/F4Qi1qiQCXg/s1600/DSC03200.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516228200053773330" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TI2UUlwylBI/AAAAAAAAB5w/F4Qi1qiQCXg/s400/DSC03200.JPG" border="0" /></a>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-318585284619254652010-09-11T21:08:00.005-05:002010-09-11T21:37:07.057-05:00Birthday party!<span style="font-family:arial;">Today was the big day! We celebrated the kids' birthdays in our backyard and were blessed with GREAT friends and BEAUTIFUL weather. We hired a friend to take photos during the festivities, so I should have some snapshots to share by next weekend. (Seriously--this was such a gift to ourselves today. We normally are running around trying to juggle the cake/kids/gifts/guests AND trying to get a decent picture of anyone or anything. Today we were able to enjoy our friends while Jancy did all of the hard photography work! Awesome! I highly recommend it. Hopefully she was able to get some good shots!) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We gave the kids a trampoline for their birthdays! Brent worked hard on it yesterday, and since we wanted it to be a surprise it took a lot of planning and forethought to orchestrate. His solution? Tarps. He tarped off the patio doors and living room windows, and we didn't let the kids into Sophie's room until after dark last night. Great plan! (One of the neighbors wondered if we were having termite treatment done--ha!!)</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIw32Dy5zZI/AAAAAAAAB5o/oCSygqJFbVM/s1600/DSC03205.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515845045493288338" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIw32Dy5zZI/AAAAAAAAB5o/oCSygqJFbVM/s400/DSC03205.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This morning was a little tricky since they all woke up super early (they knew today was the party and were too excited to sleep!), and Brent and I had to be in the backyard finishing up the final details on the trampoline. We pulled it off, though--we put them in our room to watch a movie while we finished, then tag-teamed with the kids until our fabulous friends/sitters Becky & Kelsey came to take them on a walk until the guests arrived. Once everyone was here, we blindfolded the kids and took them around back to see the trampoline. It was a hit with the kids AND their party guests! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We had cake, ice cream, pinata candy, chips/dips (Kelly's specialties!) and the fabulous cotton candy--which held up beautifully through the night! I think we sent all of the kids home on sugar highs. The guests' goodie bags bags held pinata candy, coupons for free Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas, cotton candy and a helium balloon. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Whew--we're tuckered out around here--what a FUN day!!</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-48457977452164731662010-09-10T23:50:00.000-05:002010-09-11T00:17:50.538-05:00Cotton Candy, part 2<div><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm too tired to keep my eyes open for much longer, but wanted to stay true to my 'daily blog post' challenge to myselft. Kelly and I were busy tonight, don't you think?! Cotton candy making is FUN! We made over 50--don't even ask how many we ATE. It was so yummy & fluffy! I can't wait to see Sophie's reaction.</span></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIsPXGhr2WI/AAAAAAAAB5g/7njRbBGXbaE/s1600/DSC03214.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515519058208610658" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIsPXGhr2WI/AAAAAAAAB5g/7njRbBGXbaE/s400/DSC03214.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">The guy at the rental place said that cotton candy is very temperamental, and if it even gets a hint of moisture in the bag it will melt down to the size of a marble by morning. I'll be up in the night checking on it! It's kind of like hanging wallpaper and praying that it's still hanging the next morning...I've lost sleep over that, too. Fingers crossed for the cotton candy!</span></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-81853352703515776372010-09-09T22:15:00.003-05:002010-09-09T22:44:15.115-05:00Cotton candy<span style="font-family:arial;">Cotton candy is a big topic of conversation at our house this week, because we've gone back and forth about renting a cotton candy machine for the kids' birthday party. My friend Laura discovered that you can BUY a small machine from Bed, Bath & Beyond for the same price as the rental of one of the larger machines, so we were ON it. The kids and I went to BB&B today, and--lo and behold--there it was! $39.95! When I picked it up, I wish I could have captured Sophie's reaction for you--"Is that for MEEEE?!?! I love it, I LOVE IT!!" Best reaction EVER. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It looks exactly like the machine pictured below, and there are a few things I can tell you for certain:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">The hand pictured here is apparently a Barbie doll hand. This machine is not NEARLY this big.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">To get the big, fluffy amount of cotton candy pictured here, they have had this machine running since the FIRST George Bush was in office. I ran it for an hour and was able to get a sparse web on the paper cone...reminiscent of the 'before' comb-over picture from a Hair Club for Men advertisement. Just enough to whet the kids' appetites...then they finally got bored and wandered off to the swingset.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">After using this machine, I feel like I stood in a sandstorm. I have more pink sugar granules stuck to me than you would believe! </span></li></ol><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TImjTdEoteI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/vfC99EgaItk/s1600/cotton-candy-center-9-27-2006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515118773308798434" style="WIDTH: 303px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 319px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TImjTdEoteI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/vfC99EgaItk/s400/cotton-candy-center-9-27-2006.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's a cute little machine, but more trouble than it's worth. Sooooooo, we'll be renting one of the industrial machines tomorrow and see if we can spin it like the carnies do. :-) Pictures to follow!</span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-79324458885986634542010-09-08T22:17:00.002-05:002010-09-08T23:01:26.946-05:00Awanas<span style="font-family:arial;">Sophie started Awanas tonight at church! It's like a Bible class for kids, with lots of fun games and lessons to help the kids learn. This is from the Awana website:</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><p align="left"> </p><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;"><p align="left">The Awana club for preschoolers is built on two premises: </p><p align="left"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Young children can and should receive spiritual training.<br />Home is the primary place for spiritual training. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">Our preschool program meets these needs through …<br />Fun – and lots of it! Awana is fun with a purpose – to reach and train kids for Jesus Christ. Games, puppets, crafts, awards and other activities transform our preschool program into a lively weekly experience where fun and learning go hand in hand. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p></blockquote><p align="left"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">It seems like a great program. She'll learn Bible verses and earn badges for different things. Sophie doesn't know any of the kids in her class, which feels unusual since this is the church that she's been involved in. I suppose this is a chance to meet lots of new little friends! She seemed to enjoy it. I worry that it might be too much for her as we get farther into the Fall. Between preschool, Awanas, church, Sunday school, and nursery when the new Dave Ramsey class starts (next week already!), it might be too much. We might have to re-introduce a short afternoon nap for her to recharge her batteries.</span><br /></p><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-4565043647980222782010-09-07T22:47:00.003-05:002010-09-07T23:09:32.768-05:00Treats & GratiTuesday<span style="font-family:arial;">Sophie took birthday treats to preschool today! She was so happy to be able to celebrate with her little friends! We made Rice Krispie treats and added Fruity Pebbles, then drizzled them in white chocolate and sprinkled with pink sugar. She loved them!</span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIcH68CoGPI/AAAAAAAAB5A/yezGMe0pghM/s1600/DSC03198.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514384977869412594" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIcH68CoGPI/AAAAAAAAB5A/yezGMe0pghM/s400/DSC03198.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Happy GratiTuesday! This week we're thankful for:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Caryn has offered to be a TREMENDOUS help to us by taking Sophie to preschool on Tuesdays that Brent is working. That is such a load off of my mind!!</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Our sitter Becky is so reliable, and always willing to help in a pinch if her schedule allows. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Again and again, we're thankful for my boss who keeps me around despite MY scheduling conflicts (between our other sitter calling in sick and Blake's surgery, I've been away from the office a lot during the past three weeks). </span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Our friend Tammy watched the trio while Brent and I went to dinner last night! </span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">I won a prize at our church's open house for two free meals at Gobi Grille--that's why we went out for dinner. Can't beat it! It was delicious.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Brent had three things to add to the list: for Becky being so reliable, for the Dave Ramsey podcasts he listens to in the car, and for his favorite TV show "Cops." (Yes...that was his honest input.)</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Off to bed! Sophie's been waking up at 3am for the past few nights saying "Prayers, Mommy! Prayers!" Somehow she thinks we forgot to pray before bed, so we repeat them in the middle of the night. We'll see if it happens tonight! Zzzzzzzz......</span></p>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801826137566374018.post-81198910482356576472010-09-06T22:22:00.004-05:002010-09-06T22:54:52.855-05:00Pictures of Sophie's birthday<span style="font-family:Arial;">Grandma & Grandpa came down for the day to celebrate Sophie's birthday, and we must have been too busy having fun to take many pictures! Here one Dad took of the birthday girl!</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIW0GtgM1sI/AAAAAAAAB44/FGExQx0VHIw/s1600/100_1487.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514011346171909826" style="WIDTH: 185px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 278px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIW0GtgM1sI/AAAAAAAAB44/FGExQx0VHIw/s400/100_1487.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">He was really hoping to get a good picture of the three of them behaving on the couch...this is the best he could do. It does give a true reflection of how they really are, though!:</span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIWxQ6tUViI/AAAAAAAAB4w/8BIsYsKsCyk/s1600/100_1494.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514008222980396578" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIWxQ6tUViI/AAAAAAAAB4w/8BIsYsKsCyk/s400/100_1494.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As I mentioned, I borrowed a pan from a friend to make a big cupcake as Sophie's birthday cake. The pan is a Wilton brand, and really high quality. I wondered if their pans were worth the price, and now I'm a believer that they are. The cake is baked in two pieces--the bottom portion is one piece and the top is another. I attached them together with a little frosting, then frosted the top. The whole time I was frosting it, I kept remembering the cake decorating class Melissa and I had planned to take by now...but HAVEN'T yet. I'm needing some lessons! But, Sophie was ecstatic, so I felt like a professional. :-)</span><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIWwv367h3I/AAAAAAAAB4g/Jk455xWpMb8/s1600/DSC03186.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514007655296501618" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIWwv367h3I/AAAAAAAAB4g/Jk455xWpMb8/s400/DSC03186.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIWwxx6kzMI/AAAAAAAAB4o/bbsh4HVTxHU/s1600/DSC03189.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514007688044137666" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-m_L-lcaNGs/TIWwxx6kzMI/AAAAAAAAB4o/bbsh4HVTxHU/s400/DSC03189.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Brent put Dad to work, of course--those two always seem to have a project! This weekend Dad welded some pieces of the fence that had come loose, and I think I overheard plans being made to fix some of the damaged siding on the house when the weather cools off. I wish we all lived closer together! Sophie's first question this morning was "Are Grandma & Grandpa coming over??" Awww!! She had a great birthday!! </span></div>The five of us: Brent, Jennifer, Sophie, Blake & Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04843592611221414554noreply@blogger.com1