tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16335536879596298152024-03-05T03:45:20.356-07:00The Davis Family DigestMichahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-59632561650455149962016-09-25T12:53:00.001-06:002016-09-25T12:57:19.201-06:00Fowler<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was one of those weekends</span> that is just me & the kids. I confess that I had BIG dreams for this weekend. There were three painting projects, a construction project, and a fantastic cake slated for completion. Jim gets home in about three hours and oh, none of them have even been started. I could blame it on my mildly fractured fingers (smashed in an extension ladder), or two sick kids, but really, it's just that I had ridiculous expectations. Clearly I am not in single-parent mode any longer (thankfully!!) and grossly overestimated my productivity in a couple naptime hours each day (which I didn't actually end up with anyhow). </div>
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We spent a lot of energy working through some emotional stuff Friday, then on Saturday we all needed a break. I told the kids (ok, just the one old enough to have super-strong opinions about family time) that we were going on an adventure whether they liked it or not, I would be taking pictures, and they were going even if I had to cram them into the car with bed head and pajamas still on. The threat of bed-head pictures posted on the blog for all to see did the trick. Happily, I can report that no force was necessary and they all came along joyfully. </div>
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There is a nice little natural area we chose to check out. Honestly, I had no clue what to expect when we headed out and my gps couldn't locate it, so I was happy as can be to find clearly marked signs on the highway. </div>
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There were really neat mushrooms growing all over the place, and we saw a turtle and a crane in the lake. My plan was to hike, but there was a wide mud bog at the start of the trail that Aeryn could leap quite easily, but was too big for T to maneuver and I had visions of myself knee deep in goo if I tried to traverse it with him while wearing the baby on my back. In a split moment I chose the easy (read: dry) option and we skipped hiking for the day. </div>
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As we were walking along, one of Jim's coworkers saw us as she drove by. It caught me completely off guard to hear our names because we still know about four people in town. </div>
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Aeryn did a reasonably good job of pretending to be interested. I'm sure she knew that her mom is a sucker and if she's nice just long enough she'll get her phone back before unleashing the teenage tyranny once more. What can I say, she knows me well. This time however I gave her a photo scavenger hunt and it seemed to keep her interest for more than a few moments. I'm sure it's hard to be a teenager stuck with the preschool age crowd all the time. Once in a while I succeed at being compassionate. </div>
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Tate just loves everything. He's at that super fun inquisitive, curious, and mostly cooperative age. I don't want it to change, though when he decides he's done with diapers I will welcome a little change gladly. </div>
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I'm thrilled to have found a little place to escape from daily life and enjoy the peacefulness of nature. We all felt a little refreshed and it gave me the mental strength to make it through the rest of the weekend. Yay nature! We will be coming back here for sure, if only to look for more turtles. </div>
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Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-70104531710919408402016-09-25T11:16:00.001-06:002016-09-25T11:16:12.029-06:00Labor Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As part of our Indy adventure</span>, we looked up some places worth stopping. Our first stop was to the Canal Walk. I was really impressed with the wide sidewalks and pleasant landscaping. There are apartments along part of the way and it ended at a medical campus. Jim and I agreed that if you were in a hospital long term it's the kind of view and walk opportunity that you would cherish. </div>
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Aeryn started the day great but wasn't feeling well once we started walking. The little kids and I were on the other side of the canal and I had to snap this, although when she sees this later I will be in the doghouse for a while. She laid there for quite some time until we were ready to go. </div>
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The babies and I took a selfie stop. I am making an effort to be in more pictures with my family if only to prove that I was here and involved! I'd hate for them to look back and not know that I was present. </div>
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The walk didn't turn out like we planned, with sick/grumpy/stubborn moments, but it was a start. </div>
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Jim had found a highly recommended pizza place that we drove around for a while to find, and then when we got there it was closed. As we looked around, suddenly we noticed several places were closed. It didn't even occur to us that may be the case, so we came up with plan B on the fly. End result: Stake & Shake and a park. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4SOM0bVRPcgjNIJ52q82N_jrHw789jhr1GeajLl-sfZHxOuYuz9X0AzFHKr_DhK4fo6nmUBAycm69CFeYOQSf-RPvaxA6BWpIiPe9GT_1xqqMz-UuaPlZCrfxGMz82p_MYJxUQDZecI/s1600/Labor+Day-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4SOM0bVRPcgjNIJ52q82N_jrHw789jhr1GeajLl-sfZHxOuYuz9X0AzFHKr_DhK4fo6nmUBAycm69CFeYOQSf-RPvaxA6BWpIiPe9GT_1xqqMz-UuaPlZCrfxGMz82p_MYJxUQDZecI/s640/Labor+Day-3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The littles did really well in the car but I think they were excited for some time to roam. We found a cute little park attached to a fire station. It had a small creek with a few bridges and a fun emergency response themed playground. </div>
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Dropping sticks off bridges has probably entertained countless children over the years. Who needs toys?<br />
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There really isn't much to say here - this is 100% accurate as to how the teenager was feeling about family time.<br />
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This playground was fairly new and I think once the trees mature a bit it will be quite incredible.<br />
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Labor Day didn't quite turn out the way we envisioned, but the smallest among us had a great time. The humidity and heat haven't clobbered us yet (but check out those pink cheeks!), and it's nice to realize that we can take something that is mostly just normal and make it a fun day.<br />
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<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-81840391734253376762016-09-25T10:42:00.000-06:002016-09-25T10:42:00.665-06:00Indianapolis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">One great thing</span> about moving to the Midwest is that we are close to many cities/states/parks/places that we have never been to. This is going to give Aeryn and Jim a chance to add many new places to their state capitol visits! For Labor Day we spent the day in Indy and stopped by the capitol to add one to their list. </div>
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We got there early in the day and the sun was already crazy intense. There wasn't much free parking available - or so we thought - so we quite literally parked on the side of the road at an intersection so Jim and Aeryn could hop out and I could snap a pic. I was standing in the middle of the road while the car was idling in park, so a sense of haste trumped artful aesthetic in the photo department. Although, that's sort of my life lately.<br />
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I haven't even taken the time to straighten the pics, which bugs me to no end, and more so now that I have pointed it out.<br />
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I really, really, want to claim this guy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_P._Morton">Oliver P. Morton</a> was connected to Morton salt, but he wasn't, at least not directly.<br />
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The capitol square was rather nice, with interesting architecture and cafes. I'm sure at some point we will make it there again to explore further. </div>
<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-54291050448029280592016-08-29T06:20:00.002-06:002016-08-29T06:20:44.082-06:00Block Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
"Downtown" had a block party. It was rather obvious that we are now in a small little town. Several cover bands up and down the main street, kids could sit on fire trucks, restaurants had little bites of food for sale, and there was a kids bouncy section. </div>
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This mural is humongous and shows the entire state, if I remember right. Aeryn wasn't really sure about posing for me but I sort of made her. She's at that age where anything I want her to do deserves a protest even if it is something that she enjoys. She obliged, and I felt momentarily triumphant in this game of parenting a teen. </div>
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It was blazing hot (***correction: humid and medium hot), and I felt bad for Squishy stuck in her little chair the whole time. We covered the stroller with a light blanket at one point just to keep the sun out of her eyes. She was a trooper and I figure it was much more comfortable than either of us would have been if she'd have been in the carrier instead. </div>
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Tate hesitated and then agreed to go on this bouncy slide. It ended up being a blast and he went on it nine times! </div>
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He loved every second of it. </div>
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We had pie and then headed back to our car. Something about this old RC cola sign just felt retro-fabulous and small town to me. There's really no point to taking a picture of it other than that. </div>
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Two weekend days in a row we got out and did something! Jim and I talked about how we didn't do enough of this kind of thing in Eugene. Granted, life was stressed and crazy with his schooling and having little babies, but I think we feel like we missed out somewhat. We did the best we could, but we are trying to not let things fall by the wayside here. We are going to be active participants in our community. Besides, we hear they have a great blues festival in a couple months.<br />
<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-64094587800829230922016-08-29T06:07:00.000-06:002016-08-29T06:07:10.465-06:00ISU Outdoor CenterJim's department is in charge of running an outdoor center for the University. As part of a "Welcome to the school year" shindig, the new faculty, staff, and their families were invited to a barbecue at the center to see the facilities.<br />
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Let's just say, it's beautiful.<br />
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Like, completely beautiful.<br />
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Growing up, I swore I'd never be happy living somewhere I couldn't see mountains. My idea of mountains is pretty specific, thanks to the gorgeous Rockies that flanked my hometown, and I haven't lived around mountains like that for very much of my adult life.<br />
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You know what? It HASN'T killed me and I HAVE been perfectly happy.
Huh. Who'd have thought?
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I'm now super in love with green. </div>
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Blame Oregon. {My heart still lingers in Oregon, FYI}</div>
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I really didn't know what to expect when we moved here. We flew out to look at houses and I noticed corn fields, a lot of corn fields. I also noticed that there are some large trees (win). Mostly, I noticed that my hubby felt at peace with his job and so it made everything else feel like a win, even if it is a small little town without a Target. </div>
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Long story short, I'm really liking it. The people are so kind and there is definitely a different pace of life, but it's really charming in it's own little way. We've seen deer, and jackrabbits, and of course the beloved fireflies. </div>
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The outdoor center is a great resource for faculty and is open to the community, plus employees can use it free on Sundays. There are some great little trails and pocket lakes so we may take advantage of this little escape now and again. One day we'll have to go back when it is fully staffed and we can use the zip line and ropes course. </div>
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This seems like it will be a sweet place to raise a family.</div>
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<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-21972018559944784192016-08-15T06:48:00.002-06:002016-08-15T06:58:24.891-06:00New House!!!There are no words. We are out of student housing and in an actual house! Seriously, it is amazing. I have so many plans it is ridiculous. The home is quirky in many ways, for example, I have never seen so much coaxial cable in by life. Seriously, do people even use it anymore? It is coming out of the walls all over the place. Three places in the family room, in the closets of at least two bedrooms, and literally every single room has at least one.<br />
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Without further ado - the poorly documented "before" as my real camera had been packed into the middle of the moving truck and I had only a few moments to snap phone pics before the unloading commenced.<br />
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Our front door is red, as is our garage, and they will both be changing. Of course, pretty much every color everywhere in this house will be changing at some point. We did not buy a house that matches our (ahem, <i><u>my</u></i>) taste very well.<br />
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We have a garage! Literally folks, this is luxury right here. No longer will we have to unload our groceries outside in the rain! Not that I really minded, I love the rain, it's just the principle of te thing.<br />
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Ellie is perhaps more excited than anyone to have her own room. She wants it pink and gold with a daybed, princess curtains, and a reading nook with a canopy in the corner. It is my goal to have her room done before she comes back at Thanksgiving.<br />
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This family room is four steps down from the main level. At first I expected it to be a secondary area we didn't use much but it is turning out to be the main room for us. The fireplace already looks different. I love a good whitewash, but this is neither whitewash nor good... so it is no longer. Stay tuned for updates :) Can we talk about that wall color? Oy. It looks exactly like creamy peanut butter. So, yes, I've already bought the paint to cover that.<br />
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This is the other side of the family room where it meets the kitchen. That door goes out to our deck (We have a deck!!!!).<br />
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Standing in the dining area looking toward the front door.<br />
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The main floor living room, which I had expected to make the TV room so I could close the doors, but instead is not turning out to be as conducive to hanging out as I anticipated.<br />
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One side of the kitchen... the other side was loaded up with bags and things that were immediately brought in from the cars. That fridge is being replaced today because it leaks, we can't find where, and it is ruining our floor. Ah, home ownership.<br />
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The backyard is the reason we almost didn't buy this house, and now it's one of our favorite things. There is no fenced area for kids to play, and this slopes downward into what we call our "ravine" with a little creek at the bottom. Seriously, we have a creek! It may actually just be a drainage thing but don't tell me... I'm going with creek. Looking out the front, it feels like we are in a neighborhood, Looking out the back, we are isolated and surrounded by trees. Seriously, I don't think it gets better than this.<br />
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T & C are sharing a room, for a few years at least, and theirs is the one I like best in it's current state. It will not be staying this way though it is pleasing enough that I don't feel as much urgency to change this one.<br />
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This isn't a complete overview, of course, as we do have bathrooms and a couple other bedrooms, but it's a glimpse. The carpet isn't as pink as it looks in the pictures and the paint is in many places worse than it appears. The home is older than I am so clearly there are some updates needed and that is <span style="background-color: yellow;">OK</span>. After all, we plan on being here a while.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-57378488122528462052016-08-15T05:57:00.002-06:002016-08-15T06:18:39.409-06:00We MOVED!So, it happened. We packed up our student apartment, loaded a truck, and spent five days driving across the country to our new home. That was quite an experience. My pictures are quite lacking, as Aeryn was in Texas and Ellie was in the car with Jim most of the time, so only a few of us appear to have gone through this. Here is the cliff-notes version of that week, in no particular order and only maybe will the pictures relate.<br />
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Here it goes.<br />
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<ul>
<li>With the help of friends we somehow packed and cleaned our apartment.</li>
<li>My parents came out to ride with us so I wouldn't have to be alone with the kids in the car. </li>
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<li>My kids were superstars in the car. </li>
<li>We stayed in too many hotels and shared beds to all fit into a room.</li>
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<li>Aeryn was lucky and didn't have to sit in the car for days on end. </li>
<li>Ellie rode in the moving truck most of the way with her dad. </li>
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<li>Tate was mostly content watching out the window and holding his blanket. </li>
<li>Charlie slept almost the whole time.</li>
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<li>We only watched 3 movies the whole trip.</li>
<li>Play-places are life savers. </li>
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<li>Spontaneous stop in Denver let my kiddos sit on the porch swing at my Grandparents house. </li>
<li>I-70 East isn't quite as straight and boring as I recalled. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>I have a slight obsession with wind farms. </li>
<li>Tate got to ride in the truck the last day and thought it was the greatest. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Ellie ate at McDonald's multiple days in a row without complaining (this screams for documentation!)</li>
<li>Closing was delayed a day (ugh) so we looked for ways to kill time in a new town. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The humidity was stifling.</li>
<li>We found an amazing park. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The asphalt at the amazing park was crumbling and our van got stuck over the edge. </li>
<li>Thank heavens for AAA. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>We got ice cream. </li>
<li>The end - for now. </li>
</ul>
Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-85769087867418807892016-08-15T05:57:00.000-06:002016-08-15T05:57:00.052-06:00Sometime in July...Every summer our ward (or rather, our last ward now...) holds a picnic/bbq for the 24th of July. It is always at the same park in Springfield, which happens to be right next door to the school I taught at for the last two years (It's beautiful, and was designed by our former Bishop).<br />
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The Primary always does a sort of goofy Olympics as part of the festivities. Youth are selected to organize teams to compete against one another. This year Aeryn was able to be a team captain, which meant that naturally Ellie and Ellie's bff were part of her team. I'd advised her to make sure to include kids of a wide range of ages, but her team ended up fairly young.<br />
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The challenges include potato sack races, three-legged races, crab walks, and a few other things. Ellie took a quick moment to ham it up for me between playing with her friend.<br />
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This year was bittersweet, as it was our last chance to hang out with many of our Oregon friends before we moved. Many people were out of town too, so in a way it made it easier to move. Being face to face with a hundred people you've come to love dearly makes farewell's more emotional and overwhelming.<br />
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Charlie-bug and I hung out on a blanket and watched the kids be crazy, which was just about perfect.<br />
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Jim was in charge of sand volleyball, but this year that just meant securing a ball to use since he's nursing a torn meniscus and shouldn't play. Of course he did anyway, though much more conservatively than he may have otherwise.<br />
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It was a really nice night and a great farewell to Oregon, though even typing that makes me a little teary. In a way Eugene will always be home.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-83091896694907767172016-08-15T05:42:00.000-06:002016-08-15T05:42:28.566-06:00TrekThis summer, Aeryn had the chance to go on trek with the youth in our stake. Her dad was good to let us plan her visit to see him after the trek was done so she could participate. Since trek wasn't a thing when I was a teenager, I really didn't know what to expect for her or how to help her prepare. We followed the checklist from the stake making sure she had her metal pie plate to eat out of, two outfits for the four days, and a smattering of other things that would all fit inside of a 5 gallon bucket.<br />
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When she first stepped off the bus, she ran over to me and gave me a big, smelly hug. She immediately started crying because all the feelings she had bottled up for the four days came pouring out at once. She was physically and emotionally spent, in every way.<br />
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She and her Oregon BFF were both exhausted and felt they couldn't walk another step. I suppose going 30 miles over hilly terrain while pushing/pulling 700lb. handcarts is tiring...<br />
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I'm so happy that Aeryn was able to have this lovely lady as her "Ma." We have gotten to know their family very well over the years and she has the sweetest, most kind personality ever. It was a good personality mix for Aeryn as they (she and her husband) both have a way of being encouraging and supportive while being gentle. She told me how Aeryn was happy the entire time and never quit working. That sure makes a parent proud!<br />
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When we chatted about the experience, "Ma" said that "This was hard! I run marathons and I know hard, this was HARD." Then they got off trek and found that their car had been burned to the ground and all she had to say was that after those days on trek, she was just glad she didn't have to sacrifice anything bigger and was all smiles. See? Exactly the kind of example you hope your kids are around.<br />
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The stake had root beer floats waiting for the kids when they returned to the church, and had plenty for families. Tate thought that was pretty awesome. Ellie was there too, and had her share of root beer floats, but she tends to not stay in one place long enough to land herself in many of my pictures.<br />
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He also loved her bonnet! He loved it so much the beloved orange NIKE hood was removed so he could wear it. That is saying something.<br />
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There was so much work to do to clean up and get things put away. I'm sure everyone there was anxious for a warm shower and clean set of clothes, but people pitched in and got the work done. Tents were cleaned, handcarts washed, trucks unpacked, and eventually we were able to head home. <br />
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I will never really understand what that was like for her, but I am so thankful for the chance she had to be with good people and prove to herself that she can do hard things. Now that the pain has subsided, she is left with good memories and talks about it happily.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUDCk8ekqIT4eRBhqgeTnq4__3NiBWByqpGSnta28ft5J3e1wYCY9GL9-cJ0DPt-cbwOdaBbOa2fo2MqqUegxae396Xm0jBphLW-LYVmtFnVBrXQR3awnx_k0BcGxK2gg0HqOP5yRxjs/s1600/IMG_8313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUDCk8ekqIT4eRBhqgeTnq4__3NiBWByqpGSnta28ft5J3e1wYCY9GL9-cJ0DPt-cbwOdaBbOa2fo2MqqUegxae396Xm0jBphLW-LYVmtFnVBrXQR3awnx_k0BcGxK2gg0HqOP5yRxjs/s640/IMG_8313.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little Pioneer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-89421271673016161852016-06-21T15:45:00.000-06:002016-06-21T15:46:26.207-06:00So, This Thing Happened...<span style="font-size: large;">The hubs and I had made a deal</span> to not celebrate or talk about it, at least not until "it" was actually done. As it turns out, parents don't seem to prescribe to those sort of agreements, lest of all when they aren't told about them. Long story short, the cat is out of the bag, and we all know it's hard to get cats back in bags...<br />
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<br />
This dude graduated.<br />
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Technically, he walked at graduation but the degree has yet to post as he's still working on the dissertation. He is writing like a mad fool and should be set to defend it in a few weeks. TAT is when we will call the deed done and celebrate like a bunch of crazy people.<br />
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It's been a whirlwind five years working toward this goal, and it is hard to believe that it is almost done. I've learned more than I ever thought I would about a little tiny hole in the heart and I know absolutely nothing compared to this smarty-pants. Seriously, he's kind of amazing.<br />
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The next leg of our journey is still being decided. While many people get one or two interviews, Jim is at 100% for fly-outs (or job offers) following phone interviews, of which he has been lucky to have more than a few. I'm sure it helps that he has had research published in reputable journals, is researching something fascinating with medical implications, and is just a really charming and personable man {I'm not biased at all...}. We don't know where we will land next but that is part of the fun of this journey. Oregon has been so very good to us and such a grand adventure, that it is easy to expect good things from our next landing spot. In the meantime, we are virtually home shopping in every city we may land in. It's fun, filled with excitement, and brimming with possibilities.<br />
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Life is good.<br />
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I know it's early, but congratulations stud. I've loved being on this journey with you. Here's to whatever comes next.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-78321301991849545892016-04-03T22:51:00.001-06:002016-04-03T22:51:47.685-06:00"The fourth really changes things."<span style="font-size: large;">Um, yeah it does. </span><br />
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The other day I posted a status on Facebook referring to my children by numbers associated with their birth order and my SIL made the above mentioned remark. I've been thinking a lot about it since then and wondering how life and parenting has changed with each additional child. Since Charlie is currently 3 months, that seemed like a perfect age to use for a comparison among my kids. There are some significant differences.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Work: </span><br />
At 3 months, I was a stay-at-home mom. I had declared that there was no other option and that I would be staying home no matter the financial implications. I gladly and anxiously left my well-paying job as an inventory manager for a wholesale diamond broker even though I earned somewhere around 65% of our total household income.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sleep:</span><br />
Having read sleep training books throughout pregnancy, my baby had been sleeping through the night for a full month already which, you know, I got all the credit for because well, I gave our life structure so it was clearly a direct result of my awesome parenting. Baby was in a crib from day one at home.<br />
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I slept very lightly. If the baby so much as snored I was up and at her side watching her breathe until I knew all was well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fashion: </span><br />
Having recently left a work world that was fashionable and a little bit trendy and being in my early twenties, I had a closet full of stylish clothes in a very small size. I didn't wear any of them though as they didn't fit again yet so I lived each day in my husbands old jeans and tee shirts. Not stylish, but there was NO WAY I was ever going to buy clothes in the size I would have needed at that time. Denial. I was in it big time.<br />
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The baby however had a million cute outfits. I had scoured the clearance sales at Nordstrom for the previous six months and grandparents went a little berserk. At three months baby girl had about three pair of shoes that fit her.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Housekeeping: </span><br />
We had a dog and I successfully vacuumed every day (sometimes twice so there would be no dog hair on top of the carpet), walked the dog, kept the house spotless, cooked dinner, and had time to spare. My bathrooms were never dirty, my bed always made, and fresh cookies were common. That was the life! Our furniture matched, we had art on the walls, and our home was pretty. Yes, it was pretty.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brain Function: </span><br />
Since I had so much free time during her 2-3 two hour naps each day, I read a lot. Like, a lot. At three months old I was taking a weekly trip to the library and reading 900 page books in 2-3 days. Much of this reading I did out loud because I wanted my baby to be exposed to language and college level vocabulary.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pictures: </span><br />
We had been given a digital camera (the kind that used floppy disks!) and I loved it, but the file sizes were large (for the time) and so I took a conservative number of photos. Baby had professional pictures taken.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#2 </span><br />
I call this one my "freebie" since I didn't have to be pregnant to get her into my life. As I wasn't around when she was three months I really can't count her in my comparison.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Work: </span><br />
I was unemployed for three years and so I was going to be a stay-at-home mom with baby boy when he was three months regardless of choice, though it would have been my choice anyway.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sleep:</span><br />
This one slept through the night two weeks earlier than the previous one, which I was torn between taking all the credit for and just feeling lucky. By this time I'd made enough friends who also had kids that I was starting to see the foolishness in taking credit for anything the kid did. I wasn't completely convinced however, and still thought it was a sign that I was awesome. Baby started sleeping in te crib at about one month.<br />
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I slept well. If baby slept at night, so did I.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fashion: </span><br />
Looking back at how I handled baby #1, I was DETERMINED to not "let myself go," and made sure to do my hair and wear accessories. When in doubt I'd throw on a cute scarf or fun earrings. I could do laundry daily and always had something clean to wear, even if babyhood happened and I had to change often. He also had multiple pair of shoes, because, well, baby shoes are adorable.<br />
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Baby was spoiled mercilessly and given tons of cute things from grandma. First boy grandchild in almost a decade (and only the second boy at that). Plus, I was really excited and used my Gap card rewards buying baby clothes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Housekeeping: </span><br />
Meh. We were living in a small apartment with no storage so things had to be just so to not look chaotic. It was cluttered but for the most part things were picked up and manageable. We gave away and sold many, many things before the baby came to make room for him so the contrast made it feel better. Things weren't as clean as I like and I blamed it on the tiny space and having it full of baby items. The hubs typically cooked dinner and it was delicious so I didn't mind. I pretty much spent all my time loving on the baby. Since there was a large age difference, #1 was at school and I felt much like a first time mom again with plenty of time to spend one on one with the baby. The house was still presentable for the most part.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brain Function: </span><br />
I read only a couple books, mostly recommendations on loan from friends. There was more laundry and more housework than with baby #1 so I didn't really read often or consistently. I baked a lot and often sent treats to hubby's lab for him to share. Things were going ok.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pictures: </span><br />
I used the DSLR to take weekly photos chronicling baby's life. Outfits were planned, drool wiped away, tripod utilized. Baby didn't have professional photos but I liked having the control and still got some great shots (along with an education). I also sent grandparents a daily photo via text so my pone storage was filled to the brim with baby pictures.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#4</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Work: </span><br />
I am back at work full time, and have been for a month. I both love and hate it. I like feeling that I am myself again, but don't like being away. Some people don't do babies, but I do babies very well so work is constantly a source of mental anguish. I wish I were a stay-at-home mom, but it's not in the cards right now.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sleep:</span><br />
She sleeps through the night also, though with less predictable timing than the others. Baby sleeps in a pack-n-play and likely will until around 9 months old. I didn't pick out any bedding and she is using hand-me-down sheets. Right now she's actually sleeping in the bouncer chair because I don't want to wake up #3 taking her into the room that they share. The room that is decorated with sports and airplanes, and name art for #3, with her pack-n-play literally underneath the clothes rod - and yes, there are clothes hanging on it.<br />
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I seldom sleep through the night unless I crash early on the couch from exhaustion and am dead to the world. I wake when I hear #3 turning over in the crib, when #4 makes any sounds at all, or when #1 needs the bathroom. I alternate between crashing hard and sleeping like the dead or having complete insomnia. My weeknight average is 5 hours of sleep.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fashion: </span><br />
Seriously, I am still wearing maternity clothes. Most days I am lucky if I shower at all. Today I had the good fortune to be able to shave both (yes, BOTH!) legs before I got out and even that was only done because I chose to ignore that the 2 year old was spraying cleaner all over the floor and the baby was crying. It's the little things. That four minutes won't hurt them. and I feel almost like a normal person. I go to work with my wet hair in a ponytail more often than not. My clothes are stained and stretched out and as much as I want to get new ones, I am not willing to buy ones with the number on them that I need right now (that clearly hasn't changed).<br />
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Baby still has loads of clothes (mostly from grandma) but is lacking some of the Gap card rewards splurges since I keep dreaming of using them to get myself some non-maternity pants. It hasn't happened yet because that requires that I leave the house to find out what size I wear. leaving the house is not going to be happening. Baby only has one pair of shoes, and that's just because they belonged to baby #1 and I kept them (and used them on baby #3 also).<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Housekeeping: </span><br />
Hahahahahahahaha! Don't look in my bathroom. I'm serious. Don't. Also, if you are going to come over please give me at least an hour notice so I can cram all our junk onto my bed to hide it (until it's bedtime and all that stuff gets dumped on the floor in a drowsy stupor). I don't remember when I vacuumed last, and now that I'm in the postpartum shedding phase there is still hair on the floor though we don't have a dog. It's dismal, and I'm getting depressed thinking about it. I have to believe this is a temporary or it may just destroy the core of who I am as a person.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brain Function: </span><br />
I have none. I can't count the number of times I lose my phone in a day, or how often I forget entire conversations the hubs and I have had. The other babies went on adventures with me to get out of the house and move around, but now it just isn't worth the work. I can't handle outings so we stay home in our tiny apartment and just dream of easier days.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pictures: </span><br />
I dropped the DSLR and damaged our most versatile lens during my pregnancy. Since I work, I miss the only times of the day where we have enough light to get decent pictures in our apartment so I take very few. Most are mediocre phone snapshots in poor light that are either blurry or out of focus. That couple seconds just seems impossible when the toddler is climbing on your back at the same time. Grandparents get weekly photos, maybe, on a good week.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long story short, </span>yes, the fourth changes things. It has made me more tired, less coordinated, more messy, less put-together, and more unsure of my mental stability. At the same time, it has filled me with so much love and appreciation for my life and my family that I can roll with the punches on the other stuff a little more easily. As much as one side of me is desperate to regularly sleep through the night again, have a more attractive home, and feel good in my own skin once again, I am equally sad when I think of these crazy baby months being over. For every difficult moment there is an equally great one with children showing love and kindness toward each other, or getting to snuggle with a sweetly sleeping child. Four is more crazy than I expected but it's also more wonderful. I never saw myself with four kids, and now I can't see myself without them. Insanity is a small price to pay for this level of awesomeness.<br />
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<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-50841660995805359992016-03-24T09:29:00.002-06:002016-03-24T09:29:39.060-06:00The Daffodil Festival that Wasn't<span style="font-size: large;">This past weekend</span> Junction City had a daffodil festival. I was super excited because they are my favorite flowers, but it just wasn't in the cards. Today the kids and I went for a drive to see if there were any flowers still visible. It was then I realized that I misread all the Facebook promotions. In my mind I pictured fields of even rows laden with yellow blossoms. Then I read the description again and found that it was just a celebration of all the daffodils that sprout in random locations around the roadways. The festival was to celebrate the little bursts of happiness blooming around town.<br />
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This was the first time I've left the house by myself with all four kids. It was no joke, I tell you what. Honestly, I am so grateful that the older girls can be so helpful. Now we are just working on having the same definition of the word "help."<br />
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I had toyed with telling them all to dress in some coordinated way and then decided to pick my battles and not worry about it. I didn't realize until I saved the pics to the computer that the oldest three are all wearing UO gear. Winning!<br />
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Tate has yet to understand what it means when I want him to look at the camera... and I think it's just the cutest thing ever. Real life is awesome.<br />
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Don't look too closely or you'll see that "real life" includes icing from the chocolate donut daddy bought the little guy for breakfast hours earlier. <br />
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A part of me was disappointed that there weren't any large fields of flowers like I'd imagined, but it turned out to be a great morning. The kids were funny running around and since they are not formally groomed flower beds or private property it was less critical when the flowers would get picked. The poor things were browning and bruised before we got home but we have a vase of sunshine on our table and I successfully convinced them that daffodils are the best flower ever. Brainwashing complete.<br />
<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-54882416020406449252016-03-21T14:42:00.003-06:002016-03-21T14:42:55.121-06:00Baby Girl's Blessing Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Having a fourth child</span> is really changing my level of dreaming. When T was blessed, I had grand ambitions and they didn't quite get met the way I hoped. This time I was much more realistic and planned, well, nothing. As in we didn't even tell our families that it was happening. Not by choice or premeditation, but more because we were busy and stressed and only remembered very last minute that it was this particular day or not at all. We were waiting until E was here, and before we knew it she was here. So..... yeah. I texted one person after we had it figured out. One. </div>
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Not like us. </div>
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Initially I wanted her to wear the dress my mom made for me as a baby. I was set on it, and then realized that is was not going to fit. We were about the same size at birth, but I was blessed at one month and she was blessed at three so the dress would have cut off her circulation. Clearly, that was not an option. I like her too much to do that.<br />
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Several months ago I kept a skirt one of our neighbors passed on to A that I thought was lovely and she wasn't interested in. I decided it would make a lovely blessing dress and made a plan. A simple three seam peasant dress would be fast and let the pattern of the lace shine. Then I decided it would be a good idea to do french seams so there wouldn't be anything rough on baby's skin. Great, but it did take it from a 30 minute project to somewhere a bit longer than that. Of course, other people's 30 minute sewing projects usually take me two hours. It's just not something I do often.<br />
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As it was moving along and coming together, my mom's sewing machine stopped working. I suppose it isn't surprising as it's about 50 years old, but since it is solid metal and crazy heavy I just assumed it would last forever. I had also lost the elastic purchased for the neckline and was trying to come up with a game plan for that one. A late night Facebook post begging for a machine to borrow landed me a loaner machine with a little time to spare. Ironically, it belonged to the same person who gave us the skirt. Basically, if it hadn't been for this neighbor our baby girl may have been reduced to wearing a stained onesie and a pair of jeggings.<br />
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Jim was baking cookies - which I have chosen to believe was to reduce his wife's stress level. Between consuming those and some caffeine I managed to stay up until it was all finished far too late that night (or was it early morning?). In the end, the dress was lovely, the day was joyous, and we have another little girl who felt thrilled that we waited to do the blessing when she was here visiting. It was a great, simple day. We love our little bug. </div>
Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-90566270313524821532016-01-04T21:25:00.000-07:002016-01-04T21:25:17.477-07:00Resolution<span style="font-size: large;">It's a new year,</span> and one that is already filled with possibility and uncertainty. I typically don't do new Year's resolutions, opting instead to select "one little word" that represents the growth I am striving for. This year my word is "document." Many things have made this concept significant to me.<br />
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By nature, I am introspective and I often journal to clear my thoughts when my mind is cloudy. This past year however, I found that I most typically journaled when I was upset or stressed, leaving my preserved memories as those written in moments of frustration. I don't want to remember my life from that perspective. <br />
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If you know me in real life, you know I just had another baby. Having this baby was terrifying to me as I was not sure I could handle four children (I'm still not sure I can), but now that she is here I am completely in love. I can't even begin to imagine our life without her and she's only been here for a couple weeks. Since I will be going back to work in a month or two (sad!) I am very aware of all the moments that I will be missing. I want to document everything I can so that I remember the joy of watching her grow this year instead of getting overwhelmed by how much I feel I am missing.<br />
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This is also the year that the hubs should be finishing his Ph.D. Which means job searching, moving, and a plethora of other changes that accompany his accomplishment. I'm afraid that we will be very busy and I don't want to forget the good times that are inevitable amidst the chaos. I also tend to deal with stress by dreaming about the future. My Pinterest boards will be seeing a bunch of activity over the next six months I expect...<br />
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Life gets crazy for everyone, but this year looks to be especially busy for our little family. As a single parent putting myself through school and a bunch of other responsibilities, I turned to blogging to connect with the outside world and give myself a reason to do something worthy of being photographed and shared. Even in the middle of it, I felt it was silly and often only got outside and had adventures for the purpose of having something to blog, but now as I look back on those years I see the many good times that Squirt and I had because of my determination to document out life. It may be silly, and I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone, but using the past as an indicator I am making documentation my goal for 2016.<br />
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To accomplish this goal I will:<br />
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<li>Take more photographs (selfies included!)</li>
<li>Blog weekly </li>
<li>Compile family yearbooks beginning with our first year</li>
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Feel free to email me gentle reminders if you notice I am falling behind. At this point I could have a fairly dismal showing and still show growth in these areas.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-2047721390418257082015-10-31T22:26:00.000-06:002015-10-31T22:30:23.728-06:00Halloween<span style="font-size: large;">This year has been the weirdest Halloween </span>we've experienced in Oregon. Usually, our apartment complex is hopping - kids and families all over the place. During Aeryn's last year in elementary school I was volunteering at the library and heard the other parents talking about how our complex was "THE" place to go. There were kids all over. The office used to sponsor cider and treats with coloring pages and a trick or treating stop for the kids. We'd see most of our friends as we walked around, and it was a blast. Seriously, a blast. <br />
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Today however, it seems mostly vacant outside. We have opened the door a total of 8 times to hand out candy, the parking lot is empty, and there are so few people. With a family, it's just one more thing that makes me anxious for the day we can finally move into a real neighborhood. Soon. At least that's what I'm telling myself: Soon.<br />
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Aeryn chose to be Black Widow, and Tate, well, he didn't get to choose anything. (And yes, it causes me stress that her blacks don't match, but well, she was happy and I'll just deal with it.)<br />
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Can I tell you how thankful I was for this costume choice? All it took was one trip to Goodwill and one 6 minute block of time to create the belt symbol. She totally made my day and I didn't have to talk her out of something elaborate first. That's the reason she actually has the costume she wanted. It was easy. At 34 weeks pregnant easy is my mojo.<br />
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Tate was slated to be a minion. Didn't he turn out cute????<br />
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Yes, I know, that doesn't look like a minion... That's because as I mentioned previously I am tired. With a capital T. On our goodwill visit I even scored the perfect overalls and was completely stoked. I was going to make the hat and goggles, dye a shirt or find something yellow for him to wear, then call it done, but even that was far too much effort for me. I have spent the last three days feeling like a slacker mom but in truth I'm going to blame it on baby girl sucking all my energy away. I can't be this unmotivated by myself, surely. </div>
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This afternoon I was desperately trying to think of something we could put together at home and then it hit me that we had taken away a blue plastic bat this morning because Mr. T was waving it all around the place on the verge of damaging everything we own. Couple that with the jerseys he is about to grow into and the idea was born that we could make this look deliberate instead of last minute and spontaneous. Winning. </div>
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Of course I had to try to document this whole weird holiday so I can forever look back at how cute/little/silly the kids once were. Toddlers do not care if you have a camera. They do not care if you want them to smile or be still for only one second. They do not care about much of anything except that they are outside and can run amok. Squirt tried to keep tabs on him, but the darling Pinterest-worthy photo ideas that linger in the back of an internet obsessed mother were not going to be happening. I can only imagine how effective it will be once there is yet another one to coerce into cuteness. Pinterest has ruined me. If it weren't for all the great ideas I've stolen from there I'd wish it would disappear so my self-esteem wouldn't suffer. (Please, please, for the love, don't go away Pinterest.)</div>
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Squirt handed out candy to the few kids who came by and we took Tate to the doors of a few families we know. He didn't get the whole thing and tried to walk away once a person talked to him. He doesn't understand candy and it didn't make a whole lot of sense, but he LOVED knocking. We had success at only two homes which was just fine with us. I can say that we did it, and the kids still had a normalish non-sugared up bedtime. </div>
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Evidently Ellie was sick and didn't get to go out tonight, but she was able to attend a party at church a few days ago and get to have a Halloween experience for the year. If only we'd be able to have them all together for this holiday one year...</div>
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And now, it's over. I didn't decorate, we bought our candy at 4:00 p.m. after we already saw kids outside, and as you know I was a bit of a slacker in the costume department. Next on the list is Thanksgiving, and I'm determined to actually experience that Holiday. I've already got plans for simple decorations and food. Bets on if any of that will happen? I'm thinking the odds are not looking good, but I'm going to keep dreaming anyway. </div>
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Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-68617172303746438662015-10-23T22:53:00.000-06:002015-10-23T22:53:26.823-06:00It seems like only yesterday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were crazy kids. </span></div>
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When we spent most of our money at Express and went dancing every weekend,</div>
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And took our first road trip back to Colorado. You were so homesick you almost couldn't stand it. </div>
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We would get a dozen donuts from Dunkin' Donuts before work on a Saturday morning and have them all gone before lunch time. Or grab lunch at Kenny Roger's Roasters twice in one day.</div>
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When we had that party at your parents house while they were in Wendover,</div>
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and pretended to be taking a medical terminology class on Saturday nights so we would have a weekend night off together.</div>
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How we would pick and choose whose singles ward had the best activities that week, or the cutest boys, and go there together.</div>
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The vinyl pants we would always wear dancing despite the fact we would sweat mercilessly in them, and how you convinced me to put my fears aside and dance on the lighted pedestals.</div>
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Or go to Pebbles in My Pocket and pretend we were going to actually use the scrapbook supplies we bought. I think I made five pages, and this is one of them.</div>
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As we would take my camera and have random "photo shoots" around town, and you would always look stylish and amazing, while I looked insecure and awkward,</div>
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Because I was...</div>
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The day that I had a little confidence breakdown about being "fat and ugly," as most girls do at some point, and you emphasized your own vanity and sarcasm to make me feel better by saying "do you think I would hang out with you if you were ugly?" You still would have btw, but when you said that you made me feel better; even if it was a somewhat odd way go about it. </div>
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The time that one jerk boyfriend of yours called you "battleship" after you'd lost a stupid amount of weight to anorexia and our awesome gay boss defended you and told you that "women everywhere look at you and curse your name." He was right, and it made you laugh, even if you didn't believe him. </div>
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The day you met my mom and I was so nervous because of all the people who didn't know how to respond to her challenges with tact or kindness. You were so patient, and loving, and instead of her limitations you saw her heart. You told me "I want to be just like her" because you could feel of her love for people and tendency to put herself last. In that moment I came to know your heart so much better than I realized I would. </div>
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I was planning on posting to your Facebook wall about how I'm still wearing those black stretch pants, you know -the ones we used to go dancing in- and how they are getting me through my third pregnancy and still going strong almost 20 years later. </div>
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We went through so much together. So many boyfriends (mostly yours), so much drama, so much junk food. Trying to find ourselves, heartbreak, lots of chocolate, weddings, and first babies. We traded clothes when we found they looked better on each other, and when you gave me my first highlights. I was there when you did the "superstar" pose walking to the Joseph Smith memorial building and split your dress up the back on the way to your wedding luncheon, and I admired how even when people were roasting you over that lunch about your many, many driving mishaps, you were able to laugh it off and find it hilarious. I always take those things so personally and get embarrassed, but not you.</div>
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I was jealous of how stylish even your baby looked, and ecstatic when Squirt got some of your oldest's hand-me-downs. I was always much more frugal than you, which meant you always had better stuff than I did. </div>
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The day we decided that our perfect spouses would be just like the other one of us, because no one else "got" us like that.</div>
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There are so many memories. Good, bad, ugly, hilarious, and tender. </div>
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I've missed your sarcasm, wit, and hilarity. Social media makes the world feel so small even when distance prevails. I can't believe you are gone. Your parents are amazing and I know your kids will be taken care of, but even though it has been a long time I feel a hole in my heart where only your crazy personality fits.</div>
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Til we meet again my friend,</div>
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In those few college years you made me a better version of me.</div>
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RIP Smelly Poo</div>
Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-29838879122357606922015-10-09T23:31:00.000-06:002015-10-09T23:31:06.093-06:00"Things" with cousins<span style="font-size: large;">The girls each have their "thing"</span> with Jim. This summer they each got to hit one more on their way out to Grandma's house. This time though they had cousins to share the experience with them.<br />
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At the Boise state capital....<br />
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And the Payson UT temple.<br />
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Check.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-81230887857967953342015-10-09T23:26:00.000-06:002015-10-09T23:26:18.324-06:00Seventh!<span style="font-size: large;">It's better late than never.</span> This girl started seventh grade. Seventh? Really? Oy.<br />
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I had to work so first day pictures had to wait until afternoon. She tried to cooperate, but really she just wanted to go off and and hang out with friends. Most of her looks scream "whatever."<br />
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This girl loves boots. And skirts. Or rather, she thinks she loves skirts but still wears jeans most days.<br />
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This year is going so well. Last year was a daily battle with homework and structures and responsible choices, but there has been a great improvement in all those areas so far this year. Well, with the homework and structure areas at least. Responsibility is a slow going process :)<br />
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When I think about her being my baby girl I get all choked up. Is this really the same child that I held and rocked and snuggled for years? It's crazy how quickly the time goes. Everyone used to tell me how quickly the first year passes, but man alive, each year after that just goes faster and faster. Crazy.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-82754246637631089382015-10-09T23:16:00.001-06:002015-10-09T23:16:36.851-06:00Beach House Weekend<span style="font-size: large;">At the end of summer</span> we were able to spend a weekend at the beach in Lincoln City with Jim's parents and his brother's family. It was dreamy. Like, seriously dreamy. We were literally only feet from the beach and the kids got to frolic and play in the sand to their hearts content. As true Northwest children (most of them anyway) they were completely unaffected by the cool air, no matter how soaked they were.<br />
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We took a couple different hikes, and these photos are most definitely not in order, but the two were completely different yet completely great.<br />
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One day we went to a "secret beach" that BIL/SIL + kids used to frequent. The beach is only accessible during low tide and we made it in farther than they had seen before. There were numerous sea stars, plenty of photographic opportunity for my FIL, and many little puddles for T to splash in.<br />
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T hiked a little way with Grandma before dad snatched him, took off at a crazy pace and left us all behind. I confess I was quite disappointed. Since I was lugging all the baby stuff and the camera, the least I could have had was the chance to see the baby being all cute. I didn't end up with to many pictures as a result. Next time though I suppose we will both get to hold a baby.<br />
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The view from where we turned around was beautiful. I sure do love the west coast.<br />
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I think he was pointing at my camera, but I really don't remember. Jim's smile is so great that I don't need to remember the details. It just makes me happy.<br />
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Tate found the different textures to be pretty interesting. He was more interested in just looking at them, but splashing in all the puddles was his favorite thing ever.<br />
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The little girls climbed through rock tunnels...<br />
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And Uncle Ben became a beacon on top of a rock. The coast is so refreshing. I'm thankful we've had the chance to live so close and get to experience these type of things each year.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-36883858020663577522015-10-09T23:00:00.000-06:002015-10-09T23:00:04.320-06:00Redwoods '15<span style="font-size: large;">We took our normal summer adventure once again.</span> It's a weird feeling having no idea where we will be next year and not knowing if we will be able to continue this tradition.<br />
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We stayed in our normal campground, but instead of a campsite filled with redwoods we had gorgeous mossy maples instead.<br />
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There was a little creek bed behind our site that the kids loved to explore. To climb down they had to go over a semi-burned log which made for some really clean adventures. I can't believe how much this kid is growing up.<br />
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Ellie was crushed to not see any banana slugs in our campsite. Ironically, within one minute of her complaint Aeryn started to find them all over the little creek bed. The girls ran around and found at least a half dozen in less than a minute. Usually, we find solid yellow slugs, but this time we were lucky and found several spotted "overripe banana" slugs.<br />
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Jim attempted to share the banana slug joy with Tate. He was not impressed. You can see his trepidation in the first picture, and if you look closely at his hand in the second picture you'll see he's still stiff from trying to swat the thing out of Jim's hand. I've never seen him so uncertain about something. He really did not like them.</div>
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He did like the camp chairs and s'mores fixings though. I seldom got to sit in my own chair because it seems all the kids like adult chairs better.<br />
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I can't believe how big these girls are getting. This overlook looks out toward the Pacific ocean but it took a great deal of concentration to identify where the clouds ended and the water began.<br />
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I love these people. They carry my heart with them everywhere they go. As a kid I dreamed that family life could be this great, but I didn't really believe it. It's not all sunshine and roses of course, but I think that is part of what makes it so great; It's completely real.<br />
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T was fairly sleepy as we finished our walk through Stout Grove. I'm not sure he was very impressed with the trees, but he endured it well even with it being the middle of nap time.<br />
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My boys are so cute. I have a feeling these guys will have an extra special bond. Since they will be surrounded by so much estrogen they will have to band together to stay sane.<br />
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How much longer will we be able to fit in our tree? The family pictures here have sure changed a lot over the years. It's strange to think that in a year we'd have to fit another human into this shot.<br />
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Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-39830753844630487042015-08-28T15:47:00.000-06:002015-08-28T15:47:09.867-06:00Catch!Holy moly. This was sitting in my post list all typed up and waiting for me to hit the "publish" button. I don't even remember when it was, but I'm guessing sometime in July. If I get really curious I will check the camera data... but that takes effort and right now I'm tired.<br />
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It was time for throwing lessons again...<br />
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Ellie had a blast even though Jim kept making her do it again and again in the search for better form and precision. This kid just has to be active pretty much all the time so that was not a challenge she minded very much.<br />
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Tate took his audience duties rather seriously. He figured out (or observed, rather) that you can reach through the locked gate around the community room patio and open the door from the inside. Evidently he wanted a chair to sit on rather than the ground. First he drug this one, and like an attentive little dude went back to close the gate.<br />
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Then he went back again and grabbed another.<br />
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When he had two chairs perfectly placed in the grass he climbed up into his prime seat and watched the show. I am claiming the second chair as mine though I really am not sure what is going on in his active crazy little brain half of the time.<br />
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Having a family is pretty much the best.Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-67652396507067611212015-07-30T16:44:00.000-06:002015-07-30T16:44:01.643-06:00Tate and Me at the Park<span style="font-size: large;">It's been so nice </span>to have some one on one time with my Taters after getting home. Ellie and Aeryn are both occupied with other things and I get to play stay-at-home mom for a while. It's nice when they are all home of course, but this is much more calm and a good gentle step back into the crazy reality of our life. <br />
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This kiddo is so funny. At 18 months he has some definite personality emerging.<br />
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His favorite word is "Bah." As in ball, or blanket, or belly button (bah bah), or anything else that begins with a "B" sound. Most commonly though it means ball.<br />
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In this case the "bah" was an apple; An apple that was thrown all over the place as though it were an actual "bah."<br />
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It's pretty stinking cute.<br />
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He also loves to explore and tinker with things. A few of the construction crew walked by as he was putting sticks into this pipe and they all mentioned he should be a plumber.<br />
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Some little details about the dude:<br />
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<ul>
<li>He doesn't like to eat much of anything but bread. We think it's mostly a texture thing, and he eats enough other stuff periodically that it isn't worrisome at this point, I just wish he were more adventurous. </li>
<li>He has a favorite blanket and will cuddle up to it and suck his thumb at both nap and bedtime. </li>
<li>Big kids are his favorite. I figure it's because the girls are nuts and he tries to keep up with them, but he will play with big kids at Co-op much better than the other toddlers. </li>
<li>He loves kitchen gadgets and wants a spatula and a wooden spoon very first thing when he wakes up every morning. </li>
<li>He's finally able to hold up his balance bike, but still walks around rather slowly with it. It's coming though!</li>
<li>He is starting to have a pretty good sense of humor; he plays games and laughs at animal puppets on baby Einstein videos. </li>
<li>He barks like a dog when he sees almost any non-dog animal. </li>
<li>He's quite possibly my greatest link to sanity when the girls' are going berserk. </li>
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<br />Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-65671205470958372142015-07-09T23:00:00.000-06:002015-07-10T00:06:27.076-06:004 years...Today marks 4 years since Micha and I were married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It's hard to believe how fast this time has gone, and how much has happened in that time. Next to our television is a picture of us and the two girls from that day. They look so little, and it is crazy to think that Ellie is now the same age that Aeryn was in that picture. So it is safe to say the kids have grown up... a lot, and now we have Tate wandering around everywhere.<br />
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If you actually read this blog, you know that Michelle is in Bozeman where she has become a Master. :) Consequently, this anniversary hasn't been our best anniversary, especially when you consider we haven't had a chance to talk to each other. However, I probably got the better end of the deal, as Ellie, Tate and I had a chicken curry dinner with the Rigbys, while she probably ate some pizza for dinner. Thankfully we will go out next week, which will be nice.<br />
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Anyway, Michelle has been on my mind a lot today. I still can't believe she was crazy enough to say yes. I remember a conversation we had a couple of weeks after we met, where I was going to break up with her, because I couldn't ask her to drop everything and come with me to Alabama or Oregon. However, she never let me have the chance as she basically said she was willing to do just that and look where we are today.<br />
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Michelle must be the most patient woman on the planet. She puts up with me and all my stubborness, she basically took care of the family right after Tate was first born when I was prepping/taking comps, she is supportive of my schooling, my running obsession, my love of all things BYU, my addiction to sports, etc. To this day, I have no idea how I ended up with her, but everyday I thank my lucky stars.<br />
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So while we aren't in the same state today, Happy Anniversary Babe, I love you more than ever.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07247521114604893178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-8295869678265082262015-07-08T20:30:00.000-06:002015-07-10T00:51:17.202-06:00Best day everTo use Ellie's words... "Today was one of the best days ever." For me it was one of the best days ever, because I truly believe it was one of the best days ever for her, and here is why it was one of her best days.<br />
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<u>Swimming Lessons</u><br />
Ellie has been in Level 4 of swimming lessons for the past 18 months (I think). She passed Level 3 at the end of the Summer 2013, and she was unable to pass Level 4 last year in her 3 attempts. It was very frustrating for her, and since many things come easily to her, she wasn't sure how to handle this. So part of me was glad she was going through this trial, but part of me felt for her. At the beginning of the summer, Ellie set a goal to just pass Level 4, even if that mean passing it during her last session of the summer. I think she was a little concerned coming into her first set of lessons for the year, because, unlike last year, she hadn't done any swimming lessons in California during the year. However, it became apparent to me during her first lesson last Monday, that she looked a lot stronger this year. Ellie wasn't convinced, but she did an excellent job of listening to her teacher. In fact she was so determined to pass that she asked if we could go to family swim so she could do some laps. So we did that on Saturday and Monday. Then came today... her teacher was 5 minutes late to class, because I think he didn't realize that today was the day he had to hand down final grades. He gave Ellie her little card, she looked it and because she couldn't figure out what it said, so she asked me, and I responded by telling her she had passed! The smile on her face was priceless, and so began the best day ever.<br />
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<u>Long Jump</u><br />
As we have mentioned previously, in July the Oregon Track Club hosts the All-Comers Meet at Hayward Field. This was the second meet of the year. Last week, Ellie participated in the Long Jump (3rd place, but we didn't get the distance), 400 m (1:36) and 800 m (4:12). This week Ellie signed up for the long jump, 400 m and 1500 m. A huge difference between this week and last week is that there were about a million more kids. It is amazing how many more people come out when it is not 102 F outside. Anyway, last week Ellie came in 3rd out of 8 people. However, this week there were 26 jumpers. However, Ellie was money, jumped 8'2" and finished 3rd again. I think the 2 girls that beat her this week, were the ones that beat her last week. Either way she was super excited, and ready to move onto to the remaining 2 events.<br />
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<u>400 m</u><br />
We set a goal of a sub 1:34 for the 400 m. Our reasoning behind it... we had none. Although I know deep down, Ellie wants to run something faster than Aeryn (I told Ellie that Aeryn's PR was a 1:31, but I just saw that is a 1:28.4). Anyway, prior to the race, she asked me to show her how fast to go out, because last time she went out super slow. So we went to the backstretch and ran a 100, going at what I thought was a good pace. Ellie was assigned Lane 1, and the gun went off. Ellie went out much quicker than last week, but it was very relaxed. I had Tate with me, so I couldn't run with her like I would have wanted. Most of the girls went out really fast, and I told Ellie not to worry, that she would catch them on the final turn. After about 200 m, she started to pick things up, and halfway through the final turn, she turned the jets on, and flew past 3 or 4 girls. Ultimately she ran a 1:34.9, which was just off of her goal, but it was a PR. I think she could have gone out a little faster, but she was pretty happy, especially after I reminded her that despite not hitting her goal, she ran a 400 faster than she had before. I think she has a 1:30 in her, and we have 3 weeks to see if that is possible.<br />
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<u>1500 m</u><br />
Similar to the 400 m, she wanted me to show her fast to go out, because she went out at a walk for the 800 m last week. So we ran a a 36 sec 100 to simulate a 9:00 1500. We set her goal at 9:30, but I was hoping to have her run a sub 9:00. During this run, one of our friends and her two girls was around and they watched Tate, which allowed me to run/talk to Ellie on the straightaways. For the 1500 m, they run all the kids at once, regardless of age, and so when the gun went off, Ellie was in last place, but again I reminded her not to worry, just focus on what she was doing, and everything would be okay. I don't have her exact splits, but she was below 9:00 minute pace from the beginning. With about 500 m to go, Ellie was starting to hurt a little bit (partly due to her running hard, and partly due to the fact she was wearing a crappy pair of shoes, instead of her athletic ones). She told me was worried she wasn't going to be close to reaching her goal, because she was positive they told her it took over 3:00 to run the first 300 m. I assured her that wasn't the case and she was going to break 9:00 as long as she kept running, although in reality I thought she had an outside chance to break 8:00. With about 200 m to go, I could tell she was starting to hurt even more, and she was going to start walking. I asked her what she was doing, since all she had left was half a lap. I think that clicked, and all of the sudden, she turned on the afterburners on. She ran a 46 second final 200 m and passed several older kids. When she crossed the line, I caught up and showed her my phone. Her time was 8:10. The smile on her face was even bigger and better than the one after swimming lessons.<br />
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I could go on and on, but I will keep it short. On the way back to the car, we discussed a couple of things to learn from today. 1. Ellie can do hard things. 2. Hard work helps you accomplish hard things. 3. Ellie can do more than she realized. And with that we decided to get some ice cream in celebration of her great day (This was postponed due to the lateness of the evening and the long line at the ice cream shop. Rain check for tomorrow)Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07247521114604893178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1633553687959629815.post-36232612214258714852015-07-08T18:59:00.001-06:002015-07-08T19:04:03.556-06:00Bozeman<div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Who says only undergrads live in dorms?</span> For thirteen days, this little beauty was my home. I've never done the dorm thing before and I've got to say that as a 39 year old pregnant lady it was not the most convenient or comfortable living space. I'm sure that as an 18 year old kid it would have been amazing. </div>
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Luckily, I didn't have to share the room. I didn't sleep a wink until someone suggested stacking both mattresses to make the unforgiving platform bearable that I was able to rest. That was an awesome suggestion. Other people I met seriously went out and bought bed toppers for the time they were here. If I weren't so frugal, or walking everywhere, I may have done the same thing. I was lucky enough to get a mini-fridge and off to the left I had my own sink! Seriously, undergraduate heaven. </div>
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The first day of my northern rocky mountain geology class we headed out to hike the "M." I confess it took me a while to figure out why there was an M on the mountain, and then I felt silly. There are evidently three trails, and naturally we took the steepest one (in the interest of time, of course). The week was blazing hot so we were out there in the direct sun and it was pretty brutal. One person turned around before we were even halfway, drove straight back to campus, and dropped the class. </div>
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Once we got to the "M" we kept going. The trail continues up along the ridge and then comes down the other side. I couldn't quite keep the pace and the professor was not about to slow down, so I trucked along at my own pace until I just couldn't truck anymore. Then I turned around and waited for them in the shade where all the trails converged. I almost did the whole thing, but I'm glad I didn't. A few other students told me I made the right choice and I am choosing to believe them. The view off the back of the ridge was lovely though. </div>
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Day 2 found us going to Palisade Falls and Hyalite canyon. Beautiful country, that is for sure. There were some stunning places and it was lovely. We saw several waterfalls and really, I came to find Montana remarkable. </div>
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That night I had this brilliant idea that if I bought a humongous pizza (it was on special), I could stash it in my mini-fridge and certainly eat the whole thing over the course of my time here. I leave in a couple days and I am so. sick. of. this. pizza. It may not have been the best choice after all. </div>
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Day three was gentle and kind. We did smaller trails and many of them had little to no elevation gain, a welcome break with sore legs from Monday's steep trail. We did however see many, many waterfalls (big and small). It was great. At one point we stopped for lunch and the professor said something about wading. In hindsight I don't think he expected anyone to take him seriously but I had my shoes off almost instantly. I was soooo hot and the water was cool and inviting. We didn't have a long stop for lunch, and giving advance notice to pack up and get ready to head out was not his strongest area, so halfway through my lunch and with muddy feet and no shoes, the class was headed on their way while I was sitting on a bench staring at the water. It was definitely an exercise in hurrying. </div>
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Day 4 we spent at Big Sky resort and I didn't take any pictures. As much as I loved this class, I was exhausted and over it by then. It's so nice to talk geology again, but man, I'd trade it in a second to be home with my family.</div>
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Friday was the big hike day, at least that is what we were prepared for. We hiked to the top of Sacajawea peak which is only 2.2 miles each way, but with a 2000 ft. elevation gain. About 1 mile up there was a charming alpine meadow filled with dry streambeds that I imagined being filled with water during snowmelt. Due to steep elevations climbing out of the cirque, loose gravel, and balance issues that showed up out of nowhere, I chose to stay there while the rest of the class went to the summit. I ended up waiting there for about three hours, getting devoured by horse flies and finding a random doterra essential oil bottle in the middle of the wilderness. Anyone know what to do with "clarity?" </div>
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Only moments after I remarked to the other class member who stayed behind "I'd love to see all these channels filled with water," we heard running water and were able to see the beginning of the channels filling up. I followed the water both up and down stream for a bit, then just sat and reveled in the charm of it. </div>
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See? It was really lovely.</div>
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Fourth of July weekend was rather lonely. I wanted to be with my family, campus was basically vacant, and other students I'd met all headed out on adventures or had family coming to town to visit. The bus was shut down, the campus library was closed for three days, and half the food establishments were closed also. Good thing I had that pizza! Saturday someone was firing off illegal fireworks visible from my dorm so I laid in bed and watched until almost 1:00 am when I think the police shut them down. Sunday I was rewarded with a gorgeous sunset. I'm not sure <i>what </i>I was rewarded for, but it was lovely nonetheless and I'm choosing to think it was for me. </div>
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Monday began presentations. Isn't campus cute and old school? Yeah, I thought so too until I sat in those awful chairs for three hours. I kid you not, if my students this fall complain about having no space or their desk being uncomfortable I will show them this picture and have no pity. </div>
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Today was my day. I was lucky enough to get to present right smack in the middle of the week - noon on Wednesday. It doesn't get more in the middle than that! I liked that I was able to observe other presentations first but that it didn't allow me to completely procrastinate either, as I have been known to do. Afterward I had to meet with my advisor and my committee, which really was only one other person since my official advisor is on a leave of absence. They sent me out of the room to deliberate my candidacy for graduation and then called me back in. The program director said "Let me be the first to congratulate you on completing your Master's" and I almost started bawling. She then gave me a decal and a carabiner, which I admit seemed a little weird. </div>
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I still have some paper revisions to make and some other responsibilities for the remainder of the week, but it's safe to say I have made it. I started this journey quite a while ago and I honestly have a hard time believing I've made it. I wanted to quit so many times, but just kept nibbling away and finally this time has come. It is entirely possible that I am completely done with school, and that is awesome.<br />
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Now, can I please go home? I miss my people. </div>
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Michahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16352224769158367920noreply@blogger.com0