tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48467568507630402332024-03-06T00:15:16.476-05:00It's a Beautiful LifeNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.comBlogger1652125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-83404856948200003422020-11-10T09:43:00.002-05:002020-11-10T09:43:21.336-05:00Thankful November: Day 9 (only a little late)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes it's the little things that make you feel like you really got something done. As a mom, my kids ask me to do a lot of things for them, and while I say I'll do them, and have every intention of doing them, so many times those things are left incomplete ... or worse, not even started.<br /><br />But recently Mollie asked me if I could help her bring a little extra light to the cabinet she was using as a Barbie apartment, and I actually followed through on it! </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tw6z2lQ8CoRIeoWCvcK9ZGZO-d2IYTqZHKm-dxswiS3LBqrDDuPbqK1qyMGHoDpLou7hRtpDRhj6HGggF_KcMqXYjtcP1Vr2P6MD9cGrDiznYk0FEAbaNcXNyJwBpeP067FzkwdzYN7P/s2048/IMG_2367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tw6z2lQ8CoRIeoWCvcK9ZGZO-d2IYTqZHKm-dxswiS3LBqrDDuPbqK1qyMGHoDpLou7hRtpDRhj6HGggF_KcMqXYjtcP1Vr2P6MD9cGrDiznYk0FEAbaNcXNyJwBpeP067FzkwdzYN7P/w400-h300/IMG_2367.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkXYrtD1_HN2VAuTDADsTOUOjyQJ3GjMJdISs9KVm-taHp0Xt2Kum38EELMPFSVZwcKObVITAZ2SpOshEA1S1IP6L6uORVc6ugmwOPvUk-fUBtL2FHysg-iBFXF0vfy-VTOcesKthGvf0/s2048/IMG_2365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkXYrtD1_HN2VAuTDADsTOUOjyQJ3GjMJdISs9KVm-taHp0Xt2Kum38EELMPFSVZwcKObVITAZ2SpOshEA1S1IP6L6uORVc6ugmwOPvUk-fUBtL2FHysg-iBFXF0vfy-VTOcesKthGvf0/w400-h300/IMG_2365.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />It didn't take long and it wasn't difficult, but it made her day and that felt so good. Just a simple strand of fairy lights and sticky tack/poster putty did the job wonderfully. <br /><br />As much as I hate to admit it, completing projects is often elusive for me, so seeing one through to the end, no matter how small a project, is a really great feeling.<p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-44885936670042311292020-11-10T09:20:00.005-05:002020-11-10T09:20:53.278-05:00Thankful November: Day 8 (super duper late)<p>I know this is two days late, but it's important to keep up with things so I'll take you back a couple days and keep this brief.<br /><br />The 8th was a bit of a rough day. I started the morning out with a panic attack*, an experience I find particularly exhausting. It's a difficult way to start out a day, but I kept moving and breathed through it. And I came out the other side tired, but still here, still ready to move forward with the day. We worked on moving things around on the porch to make more work space for Bryson's work-from-home office, and soon I'll have things moved around so the other half of the room will be the ultimate reading space for the kids.<br /><br />Ultimately, I kept going, and for that I am thankful.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />* For more information about panic attacks and anxiety attacks, visit <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/panic-attack-vs-anxiety-attack" target="_blank">this link</a>.</p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-3574868772527514022020-11-08T23:21:00.001-05:002020-11-08T23:21:34.656-05:00Thankful November: Day 7 (super late)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I almost forgot to post today, but I remembered right as I was shutting down my computer for the night. Whew! <br /><br />Yesterday was my 39th birthday, and I got to spend the day with these three awesome people.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ5nrXQbBIOUb__FIvu0-4gShP2WB3gt7VUEj2Iy4OBQ4KmCiy3IzayxDS46cQNATGB2G6-VTRdoNa-9xxoFpEnw5v08rrmMjOHP5Kl_T2AwWp1lrUP6h3BgkEnpmJg3WSfMHbmVO3Bbz/s2048/IMG_2359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ5nrXQbBIOUb__FIvu0-4gShP2WB3gt7VUEj2Iy4OBQ4KmCiy3IzayxDS46cQNATGB2G6-VTRdoNa-9xxoFpEnw5v08rrmMjOHP5Kl_T2AwWp1lrUP6h3BgkEnpmJg3WSfMHbmVO3Bbz/w400-h300/IMG_2359.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I also got to enjoy lunch and apple pie with my parents and my sister at their house socially distanced in the garage because the weather was crazy nice for the first time in my life on my birthday. They made me feel so special, and we all had such a good time!<br /><br />But most of all, I get to be 39 years old. I am grateful for every single day on this earth. I don't feel old. I feel lucky.<p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-18547495244120527672020-11-07T18:30:00.005-05:002020-11-07T18:30:52.599-05:00Thankful November: Day 6 (a bit belated)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">On a mission to get as many leaves raked up as I could before my birthday, I set out yesterday with rake in hand and went to town on the massive amount of leaves scattered across our yard. Eventually I worked out a system using the kids' sleds to haul leaves from the front yard to the back, and I was able to get the front yard taken care of in about two hours. Then I spent about an hour raking the backyard into two piles: one giant long one that stretches from the bottom of the hill to the top and one big squatty pile at the bottom of the hill. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5g0rkqLD3yGaXnHmCu8L2Jl4TTWzPODrsd-XxtrunL8tXLHcajS0k8NjKcBgGs98iUqNevR6ieyi2EMwfZdCzaMi8brcQJGc3QozXmVQa649-FmRthr33_wFIvM4w5dX-s7eSEIGjyIC6/s2048/IMG_2344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5g0rkqLD3yGaXnHmCu8L2Jl4TTWzPODrsd-XxtrunL8tXLHcajS0k8NjKcBgGs98iUqNevR6ieyi2EMwfZdCzaMi8brcQJGc3QozXmVQa649-FmRthr33_wFIvM4w5dX-s7eSEIGjyIC6/w400-h300/IMG_2344.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> It felt so good to get all that done!<p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-10484701937272418122020-11-06T07:46:00.004-05:002020-11-06T07:46:33.652-05:00Thankful November: Day 5 (late again)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I had it in my mind to post this yesterday, even made sure to take pictures of it, but here we are ... a day late again. Oh well, it's the effort that counts, right?<br /><br />For those of you who have not had the pleasure of experience the visual feast that is our yard in the fall, here is just a sample of the crazy fallen leaf cover we get every single year. (<i>And this is just the front yard. Believe it or not, the back is twice as crazy.</i>)</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8z4tUx8taQ0nAHAyE-MvX_4ZFeke59RQ8UqJlYcE_UXHD1rPZk3_5ZDYGvJGKWyAutVVUlH7CA3nQTwL_J6y_0PghnyDRr7rPzOKCTKMq9SfcftyKHGjlu1ik8U2uuPy5LlXl2QPmKiC/s2048/IMG_2325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8z4tUx8taQ0nAHAyE-MvX_4ZFeke59RQ8UqJlYcE_UXHD1rPZk3_5ZDYGvJGKWyAutVVUlH7CA3nQTwL_J6y_0PghnyDRr7rPzOKCTKMq9SfcftyKHGjlu1ik8U2uuPy5LlXl2QPmKiC/w400-h300/IMG_2325.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Leaf removal is one of my main fall stressors. (<i>Just ask my poor sister yesterday ... she heard the rant and watch me twitch as they flew over the house and into the front yard.</i>) Since we are having unseasonably warm and, more importantly, dry weather, I thought I would take it upon myself to try sucking up the leaves with my ... we'll call it a reverse leaf blower, or RLB for short. I don't often get to use my RLB because by the time I actually get to the leaves they've been sitting on the yard for a while, getting wet with each passing day whether it be by rain or dew or even snow.* <br /><br />But yesterday afternoon the leaves were dry, my resolve was firm, and I went out into the yard and sucked up a bunch of leaves. This isn't even all of them. There was a huge pile to the right of our garage I sucked up as well as some in the landscaping. (<i>But I think I am the only one really geeked about all these pictures, so I'll just post two. You get the idea.</i>)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILmIAh9K51xZ1b_nQ0GaZc801u517041_p4Cv9jaAxcNtsnTrb9qfGG_38-3IKsQdFMfNdu7Ed_ZLW5PjnYCoqNUaYiILhsL5bmmQcIPVzjm1t0ZbiA_DQXG3tBxrwYolANreYBtS-iZO/s2048/IMG_2330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILmIAh9K51xZ1b_nQ0GaZc801u517041_p4Cv9jaAxcNtsnTrb9qfGG_38-3IKsQdFMfNdu7Ed_ZLW5PjnYCoqNUaYiILhsL5bmmQcIPVzjm1t0ZbiA_DQXG3tBxrwYolANreYBtS-iZO/w400-h300/IMG_2330.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> To make a long story short, I am grateful to have gotten at least part of the leaf mess taken care of yesterday. Did I get incredibly sore from my efforts? My body says, "Yes." Did the RLB make an incredible mess all over the driveway, my clothes, my hair, the air, etc.? Oh my goodness, yes. I was trying to blow the crushed leaf dust off the driveway when my father-in-law was coming back from his daily walk, and as he walked over the hill near our house he said the cloud I was producing made him think something was on fire. And I'm not entirely sure the leaf dust is going to come out of the jeans I was wearing ... only a good run through the washing machine will tell.<br /><br />But I got a lot of the leaves taken care of and the crushed up leaves took up a lot less room than just dumping them over the fence in the back like I usually do. Okay, maybe that picture is worth posting. Hold on ...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCADKJ35wFm3lcx8t4Fgkjns6Ju0jYimKrfon2OhmZ6goLD3-6qu2M6VQzuPbOFRxmmQ-HiYIZC_yLWMpu3W0ZUMmRHS2niTyMaKCtbt9ERLvPLEtooml1a0AI6Ev3L7dHkgjNV3GkN75f/s2048/IMG_2324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCADKJ35wFm3lcx8t4Fgkjns6Ju0jYimKrfon2OhmZ6goLD3-6qu2M6VQzuPbOFRxmmQ-HiYIZC_yLWMpu3W0ZUMmRHS2niTyMaKCtbt9ERLvPLEtooml1a0AI6Ev3L7dHkgjNV3GkN75f/s320/IMG_2324.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirirVRGs5Yw7x7dPs7ce_-a5JwQeM8FRsMxjvGZ5h81MHasMkdyJ-ZVcpaSse7llHisxYl9ARJ4q7b1EQTu_VJXPeDsyoiDVOzH0bDp2vZ-yt00zeGuVHYrCgOccyG1LsWeAGxEcuuP6R-/s2048/IMG_2329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirirVRGs5Yw7x7dPs7ce_-a5JwQeM8FRsMxjvGZ5h81MHasMkdyJ-ZVcpaSse7llHisxYl9ARJ4q7b1EQTu_VJXPeDsyoiDVOzH0bDp2vZ-yt00zeGuVHYrCgOccyG1LsWeAGxEcuuP6R-/s320/IMG_2329.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Pretty impressive, right?! All those leaves fit into that tiny little bag! But because of the giant mess my RLB made I am going to switch back to regular raking (or leaf blowing) for a while. <br /><br />This is a long post about leaves. I'm just so grateful I got a bunch of them taken care of yesterday!<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>* Fun fact: I often have to deal with the leaves after it has snowed because I have procrastinated taking care of them. The procrastination often leads to some pretty intense guilt on my part, but I recently learned that procrastination is often attributed to anxiety, which I have in spades. Knowledge is power, so I'm trying to take it easy on myself about this now, but that's not always the simplest thing to do ... particularly when you struggle with anxiety. Anyway, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/procrastination-and-panic-disorder-2584095" target="_blank">here's an article</a> about it to expand your knowledge. Enjoy!<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-68824024692442009762020-11-04T22:34:00.003-05:002020-11-04T22:34:32.577-05:00Thankful November: Day 4 (finally on time)<p>I finally did it! Day 4 is on November 4th! I digress.<br /><br />Today's bit of gratitude comes from an unexpected cleanout of one area of our basement. Baylor needed a dedicated space for his art class (long story), so I got to work and turned this ...<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCrAR9c47lyXFl_lt5XspIMYAmbh9S_vIQRFZWnlya3qMie94PI2UL0sOrFsRQw-oF6X4i_QFUJxTS8gRyKmPuPtOgz-tlU35sRPfVGT9Yl1lFZBKhzPEt142EGAYk0qRzRJsQoXi2ON0/s2048/IMG_2308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCrAR9c47lyXFl_lt5XspIMYAmbh9S_vIQRFZWnlya3qMie94PI2UL0sOrFsRQw-oF6X4i_QFUJxTS8gRyKmPuPtOgz-tlU35sRPfVGT9Yl1lFZBKhzPEt142EGAYk0qRzRJsQoXi2ON0/w400-h300/IMG_2308.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />... into this. For a few years now I have been wanting to turn this area into a craft room, and it finally happened. The areas outside this picture are far from perfect, but for now there is a really nice area to do crafts (and art class)!<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlnnyaLFJfYQXFD8SjYKN4jO8cilyYhx4rIyWmnBSm6NKYfqNG-BpaIp31qxF7xXJKSHbI7cAe5kGOlKdApg7GqUlAXO5LRKy0bXRdeOGoiQuQsZ5tT9FH6l2GRqExFyNETTmdxC0LqgM/s2048/IMG_2314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlnnyaLFJfYQXFD8SjYKN4jO8cilyYhx4rIyWmnBSm6NKYfqNG-BpaIp31qxF7xXJKSHbI7cAe5kGOlKdApg7GqUlAXO5LRKy0bXRdeOGoiQuQsZ5tT9FH6l2GRqExFyNETTmdxC0LqgM/w400-h300/IMG_2314.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-76479809806807745792020-11-04T21:50:00.001-05:002020-11-04T21:50:39.508-05:00Thankful November: Day 3 (I'll be on time one of these days)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I had every intention of posting this last night, but the kids were interested in watching the election returns and were up later as a result so it didn't happen. <br /><br />Yesterday's walk was amazing. I know I'm wearing a hat and coat in this picture, but the weather was really beautiful and unseasonably warm for November. And that sun! Couldn't beat it. <br /><br />Plus, I was out with these two. Everyone was happy. It was great.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg-CzqeWBHnUZDHjaCIEOruKg9wexoOMHU01AabIaZ0ydG_Rcu1ldO0a_KE1N9xjt1emM0yoEOKKOOxkKjFv0XKbF682IHOeEqOT6XaUAfCspPAU_oL116CC7uCUrMT9-oFSaaKZ81P-Q/s2048/IMG_2304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg-CzqeWBHnUZDHjaCIEOruKg9wexoOMHU01AabIaZ0ydG_Rcu1ldO0a_KE1N9xjt1emM0yoEOKKOOxkKjFv0XKbF682IHOeEqOT6XaUAfCspPAU_oL116CC7uCUrMT9-oFSaaKZ81P-Q/w400-h300/IMG_2304.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-82563947985459820792020-11-03T09:25:00.000-05:002020-11-03T09:25:20.859-05:00Thankful November: Day 2 (a day late again)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I feel a little better about this one being late because it was for a good reason ... our power went out yesterday afternoon for just over 3 hours. And, ironically, that led to a whole bunch of good things. I was in the grocery checkout line buying a week's worth of groceries when it went out, and my mom was awesome enough to let me put all my refrigerated and frozen foods into their outdoor fridge/freezer. My sister gave my husband and I a gift card to a restaurant we love, so we used that and got ourselves dinner. I got to see this awesome sunset while picking up said food.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT42Sh0rHf1HXcreCgvL26t5r_YOdPlxbiEmfFcmv-D-ksJ5ZwSsn8jX8TYe82mObGMk6TroUj0yxkNNpPUxaNMe4cpkBqdaZxo5DYj6EEcsYTbYYf30xI2Sn-0Ij7Uqxpdu0Uyd7CR69y/s2048/IMG_2281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT42Sh0rHf1HXcreCgvL26t5r_YOdPlxbiEmfFcmv-D-ksJ5ZwSsn8jX8TYe82mObGMk6TroUj0yxkNNpPUxaNMe4cpkBqdaZxo5DYj6EEcsYTbYYf30xI2Sn-0Ij7Uqxpdu0Uyd7CR69y/w400-h300/IMG_2281.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And I had these three lovely people to come home to. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEh52dau6kXULEQKj7YrB90zqxjwwsA7NgrFyT6GX1rc7ScZ1UV6bLwky7ymakwdpaDq0xbrYpHmg3FyqpUrZD6SlWGn8cQl3jYyTJwqNJzTADhOBLKCVkr6oQeLHPkUB33nvz-4i_zig/s2048/IMG_2282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEh52dau6kXULEQKj7YrB90zqxjwwsA7NgrFyT6GX1rc7ScZ1UV6bLwky7ymakwdpaDq0xbrYpHmg3FyqpUrZD6SlWGn8cQl3jYyTJwqNJzTADhOBLKCVkr6oQeLHPkUB33nvz-4i_zig/w400-h300/IMG_2282.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> The kids had never really experienced a nighttime power outage like this, but they made the best of it. And all of us said electricity was something we were glad for at dinner ... nothing like a good power outage to remind you of what you've got.<br /><br />Here's hoping this is the last late day!<p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-49820599776463315312020-11-02T10:58:00.000-05:002020-11-02T10:58:02.679-05:00Thankful November: Day 1 (a day late)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I think I can safely say this year has been difficult for everyone. At the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, to help my family focus on things that were positive, I asked everyone at dinner what one good thing was for that day; in no time it morphed into all the good things about that day. I'm happy to say we still do it almost every single night. Answers range from "you guys" to "my chair" to "getting all my school work done early today" and everywhere in between. And, at least from my perspective, these moments to focus on the good have helped us through the hard times.<br /><br />In keeping with that spirit, I thought it might be fun to rev up the old blog and post a month's worth of "good things". <br /><br />So here's the first one ... a day late.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14cfXnd_APh8ul7NPp1yNCdqEbzwYGCRqOmkP3vfs55g0Gw5p5HwfcyUF9qTY_r_XaMN2jsjg51DXtxwcUQ6jb2g0auDoF76bVnjgKdDPemhkwV-7aCtLiT8RTiAi3v6qyLz4hS6gyYa6/s2048/IMG_2264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14cfXnd_APh8ul7NPp1yNCdqEbzwYGCRqOmkP3vfs55g0Gw5p5HwfcyUF9qTY_r_XaMN2jsjg51DXtxwcUQ6jb2g0auDoF76bVnjgKdDPemhkwV-7aCtLiT8RTiAi3v6qyLz4hS6gyYa6/w400-h300/IMG_2264.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A week or two ago, I somehow got the kids to start taking daily walks outside with me. We haven't gone out in the rain yet, but yesterday we made our first trip out into very cold, snowy weather and it was such a good walk!<p></p>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-70021730894417939702018-08-28T11:26:00.000-04:002018-08-28T11:26:49.435-04:00End of Summer and The First Day of School 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This summer, the summer of 2018, has to have been the fastest summer I have ever experienced. It flew by so quickly, likely because we packed it full of so much fun. The last Sunday before school was no exception. We had breakfast with my mother-in-law in the morning, then after a little fun at home we headed to my parents' house for lunch and swimming. </div>
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The kids were determined to make a slide into the pool as we've done in previous years, and my dad came through with some modifications to make it stay put.<br />
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Every year on the Sunday before school starts, I take the kids to school and practice our drop off. It helps all of us mentally prepare for the first day, and this year it had an added bonus of strategically preparing us for the first day. In our school district, fifth grade is a move up to the middle school building, so for the first time the kids will be attending different schools. Baylor had the brilliant idea to have Bryson come with us so we could simulate the drive to school without Mollie, which he probably thought was more for him but really worked out to be a great preparation for both of us. Mollie wasn't sure where her line was going to be for the morning, so after we practiced dropping her off, Baylor showed her where it would probably be. They are so good to each other!<br />
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We then practiced dropping Baylor off, with Mollie and Bryson following behind in Bryson's car, and that is when things started to sink in a bit for me. Which is why there aren't any pictures of our time at his school practicing, even though we stayed there for a bit longer to let the kids try out the playground. I just needed to hold it together, so pictures fell by the wayside. Our evening went well enough, all of us feeling a little more prepared for the next day than before, and the kids went to bed without too much worry.<br />
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Then Mother Nature hit ... a couple big thunderstorms rolled through, waking up the kids, dropping sticks and leaves all over the house, and eventually knocking out the power to a few of the schools in our district. So, at 5:50 a.m. on Monday morning, we found out the first day of school had been cancelled. The kids and I were upset; we had gotten all prepared, and they had actually gotten excited about the first day! After a morning full of meltdowns and indecision, we ended up going to my parents' house for lunch and a swim; it really helped us take our minds off the huge change in plans and got out some energy. An afternoon appointment, dinner, and showers followed, and then it was time for another night before the first day of school. Oh, and to make things even more interesting, it was our 13th wedding anniversary. Needless to say I experienced a full gamut of emotions last night.<br />
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Then all of a sudden it was the morning of the first day of school. The kids got ready so quickly, and we had plenty of time for pictures! Baylor picked his favorite t-shirt to wear on the first day. (Seriously, it's his favorite. He wore it on <a href="http://notperfectbutbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2018/01/seventeen-in-17-update-its-been-long.html" target="_blank">the last day of third grade</a>, picture day in fourth grade, <a href="http://notperfectbutbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2018/07/take-me-back-tuesday-last-day-of-school.html" target="_blank">the last day of fourth grade</a>, and a million times in between.)</div>
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Mollie picked one of her current favorite dresses and had me put a small braid on one side of her hair.<br />
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We dropped off Mollie first, and all our practicing was for naught ... she had to run straight in the front door because of all the rain. Luckily, she's amazing and took it all in stride.<br />
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Then Baylor and I made our way over to the middle school. At first he commented on how he missed Mollie, but I redirected him to the book he had been reading and we talked about The Odyssey and how it compares to Percy Jackson the rest of the way. Once we got there, we figured out that we could either park or just do a drop off, and he opted for parking and me walking him to the door. The principal greeted us and gave me a reassuring nod and smile after Baylor went inside.<br />
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Then I got in my car and started crying. It's a first day of school tradition that I apparently cannot go without. I cry partly because I miss them during the day when they aren't here and partly because I worry about how their day will go, if kids will be nice to them, if they'll get along with their teachers, etc. It's hard to let go and entrust their care to someone else, but I know it is good for all of us. And now I get to look forward to hearing all about it at the end of the day!<br />
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Have a wonderful day!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-46157664858865200882018-08-15T19:07:00.000-04:002018-08-15T19:08:00.425-04:00Happy 89th Birthday, Grandma!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is my Grandma Betty's 89th birthday! Since she is one of my most loyal blog followers, and since I haven't been as diligent about writing these days, I thought a nice gift might be to write a blog post ... about her! So, Grandma, this one's for you!<br />
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You, the lady who has held my mom ...</div>
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... me ...<br />
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... and both of my kids in her arms.<br />
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Thank you for showing us that family is important. (<i>That lady on the bottom right of this picture is my grandma's mom, my great-grandma Eva Amalia ... better known as Mollie.</i>)<br />
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And thank you for sending me these pictures recently! You have always been one to keep in touch through the mail with letters, photos, and the occasional coupon or magazine article, and I love it!<br />
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You raised four amazing children, Grandma. Though two of them are no longer with us, the fond memories I have of them and how loving an aunt and uncle they were stays with me. (<i>And thank you for passing along your emotionality to me. As awkward as it can be sometimes to be tearing up randomly, as I am as I write this, I figure people will always know how I feel about them</i>.)<br />
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<br />You and Grandpa have been married for 69 years, which is quite an accomplishment! (<i>Baylor was just a baby at your 60th anniversary party ... hard to imagine, isn't it?</i>)</div>
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<br />Thank you for being such a loving presence at my own wedding! I hope Bryson and I are as fortunate as you and Grandpa have been!</div>
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<br />Thank you for always showing an interest in my kids! It's a rare gift to have great-grandparents who are so willing to listen and love. I know it's easy when they are babies ...</div>
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... all cute and cuddly ...<br />
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... able to be held ...<br />
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... and full of silly smiles!<br />
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But it's a whole other thing to make such an effort to keep them captivated, ...<br />
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... and to dive in when they ask for your help building Legos ...<br />
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... or take notes for an idea they had.<br />
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<br />Know that your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and in-laws love you so much and are wishing you the happiest of birthdays! (<i>I realize this is only a fraction of the people I just listed, but it turns out I don't have certain pictures I thought I did. This will just have to do, I guess.</i>)</div>
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Happy 89th birthday, Grandma! I love you so much and hope to see you very soon!<br />
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Always,<br />
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Your eldest grandchild<br />
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Nicole</div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-66180078671682920332018-08-09T09:41:00.002-04:002018-08-09T09:42:25.841-04:00Throwback Thursday: Summer Road Trip 2017 Part Two!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our next stop on last year's road trip was Pennsylvania. We visited the <a href="http://www.crayolaexperience.com/easton" target="_blank">Crayola Experience</a> in Easton.</div>
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They had a cool screen that made it look like paint was pouring down all around you. The guys had a little fun with it.</div>
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Mollie tried using their Color Alive technology to bring a fairy to life.<br />
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We got to make little puzzles with our own designs on them using this cool machine.<br />
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And we even got to name our own color of crayon and customize the label!<br />
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We put the specialized label on our naked crayons using a special roller to get it just right.<br />
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Mollie found a special crayon friend to bring home to remember the experience.<br />
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We were in such a hurry on our way in that I didn't get take a picture of their cool crosswalk, but I made sure to get a picture of it on the way out.<br />
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We left the Crayola Experience and drove a little over an hour-and-a-half to Hershey, Pennsylvania where we visited <a href="https://www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld/en_us/home.html" target="_blank">Hershey's Chocolate World</a>! The car ride was just enough to rejuvenate the kiddos so they could enjoy all the chocolatey goodness. Well, except for the 4D experience ... as it turns out, the kids are NOT fans of 4D (<i>where they spray water at you if there is water on the screen ... stuff like that</i>). This was the only happy picture of that experience.<br />
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Then we learned how to do a proper chocolate tasting. The kids even managed to hold the chocolate in their mouths until it melted just like they were asked to! Some of it was pretty bitter, but overall they seemed to enjoy this attraction.<br />
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After the chocolate tasting we split up. The guys went on a tour of the town and the rest of the grounds, and Mollie and I went and made our own candy bars!<br />
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The hairnet and apron were the deal breakers for Baylor, but Mollie didn't mind. In fact, she used the apron to try to keep herself warm while we made our candy bars.<br />
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I will be honest, they didn't have as many ways to customize it as I would have liked. They were a little more expensive than I would have expected for what you get, but Mollie and I had a lot of fun making them and sometimes it's the experience that matters.<br />
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The next day we got up SUPER early and made our way to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm" target="_blank">Gettysburg National Military Park</a>. We had neglected to secure a tour guide ahead of time, so we had to try to get there early enough to snag one of the available ones.<br />
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It was even still a little chilly.<br />
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We made it in time to secure a tour guide who we would meet later on. In the meantime, we got tickets to go see the cyclorama painting, and we looked at all the artifacts in the lobby area.<br />
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They had all sorts of state-specific artifacts, including buttons and belt buckles.<br />
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Michigan had 87,364 Union enlistments and 0 Confederate enlistments which surprised me; it is hard to imagine so many people being unified toward a single cause, but I am certainly glad they were.<br />
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This was the sign outside the cyclorama. It was awesome!<br />
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After viewing the cyclorama, we got a rather early (<i>and expensive</i>) lunch in the cafe then met our tour guide. He drove us around in our rental car, narrating all the sights along the way. Occasionally we would get out to devote some time to the bigger monuments, but most of the time we could just sit back and enjoy the history-filled ride.<br />
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The monuments ranged from those for individuals, like this farmer who helped join the effort at Gettysburg, ...<br />
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... to whole units, like this one for the 24th from Michigan. (<i>At the start of our trip, our guide asked us where we were from and made sure to show us a lot of Michigan-specific monuments</i>.)<br />
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Sometimes we would get out not just to see a monument but to also get a better view of the battlefield for a more complete understanding of what happened.<br />
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Our guide was fantastic and made sure to engage all of us.<br />
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Occasionally monuments were for all the men for a particular state that fought at Gettysburg. This one, for the soldiers of Mississippi, was incredibly detailed and gave us a better idea of what the men went through while fighting this war. Our guide pointed out all the nuances of this sculpture, from the fallen flag to the shoes nearly worn away from use.<br />
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Our guide would also take us up hills to get better views of strategic battle sites, like this one at Devil's Den.<br />
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Our guide was fantastic and had a real passion and extensive knowledge about the battle of Gettysburg, and he was so happy to share it with us. If you are going to Gettysburg, I highly recommend getting a personal guide to take you around. It certainly was well worth the money, and it made the large park much less overwhelming.<br />
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After our tour of the battlefields, we went to the amazing museum they have set up at the visitor's center. There they have chronicled nearly every aspect of life right along side the military details of the war, from the terrible inflation in the South during the war ...<br />
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... to the holes made in the joists of a home because of cannon fire.<br />
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We honestly couldn't make it through the whole museum; they have such an incredible collection that it was difficult for us to see it all with the amount of energy we had left. By the end, the kids had to lean on each other to try to get through the many videos they wanted to watch.</div>
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We spent the night in Pittsburgh, and the next morning we got up and moving to make the drive to Canton, Ohio. While most people arriving in Canton that day were there to go to the National Football Hall of Fame inductions, we were headed to the <a href="http://www.firstladies.org/default.aspx" target="_blank">First Ladies National Historic Site</a>. The park is made up of two buildings, the first of which was the Education and Research Center, operated by the National First Ladies' Library. The Library has re-creations of most of the first ladies' inaugural gowns, all displayed in glass cases. Mollie found these enjoyable to look at, particularly since we had spent so much time the day before talking about the Civil War, something she wasn't all that interested in.<br />
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The kids worked on their Junior Ranger badges.<br />
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Then we headed over to the second building of the park: the Ida Saxton McKinley Historic Home. We took a ranger-guided tour of the home and learned all about this fascinating first lady. They had so many interesting artifacts on display, including some beautiful, specially-designed wallpaper ...<br />
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... a Native American rug of hers and President McKinley's and book cases that once lined the walls while she was in residence ...<br />
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... their presidential china and a commemorative plate ...<br />
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... and one of her actual dresses that showed just how incredibly tiny this first lady was.<br />
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After we finished at the McKinley house, we went into a little garden area to stretch our legs before getting back into the car. The archway of the garden appeared to have been sponsored by the Canton Rotary, and I loved their plaque entitled "The Four Way Test of the Things We Think, Say, or Do".<br />
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We had a lovely time at the First Ladies National Historic Site, and I was glad to be able to share a piece of women's history with my little lady, as up until then most of what we had learned on our trip was about the achievements of men.<br />
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We then decided to push our luck and take the kids to the McKinley monument just a few minutes from the First Ladies Site. I say "push our luck" because we were all pretty tired, getting hungry, and kinda warm ... and there were all these stairs!<br />
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It was a good walk up, though, and good practice on stairs for Baylor who has some hip issues and often struggles with climbs like these.<br />
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It was a lovely monument, dedicated to the lives of President and First Lady McKinley. Records of their contributions to our nation were inscribed on the walls, and it was an interesting look into a president that we don't often hear much about. It was also their final resting place.<br />
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Above their tombs was a beautiful stained glass window.<br />
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After looking at the monument and making the long walk down the stairs, we got some food in our hotel room and then made our way down to the hotel pool. The kids had never been in a hotel pool and were giddy at the opportunity. They were also the only swimmers there, so it was an extra special treat. And what dip is complete without a nice bubble in the hot tub afterwards?<br />
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When they got out to dry off, Baylor noticed just how tiny the hotel towels were.<br />
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This is his "Are you kidding me?!" face.<br />
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Mollie tried wrapping hers around herself, but it only really covered her front side.<br />
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The next morning we woke up to complete the final leg of our road trip. We slathered on the sunscreen and headed to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm" target="_blank">Cuyahoga Valley National Park</a>, one of the newest of our national parks. We quickly got to work on the Junior Ranger workbook.<br />
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Again, I cannot stress enough how much I love the Junior Ranger program. It allows you to explore a large park, like Cuyahoga Valley, with more focus and clues you in to some of the important aspects of the park that might be otherwise missed. Particularly when you are short on time, as we often are with kids, it helps you to get as much out of a park experience as you possibly can.<br />
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It really was such a beautiful park to visit, and we had a gorgeous day for it.<br />
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The end of this particular Junior Ranger program has you check out the ice cream store on the park's grounds, so the kids got to experience morning ice cream for the first time. We then went and did their least favorite part of the program: the oath.<br />
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We had a little time left before we needed to get on the road back to home, so we explored <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cuva/learn/historyculture/brandywine-falls.htm" target="_blank">Brandywine Falls</a>.<br />
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Mollie was starting to get a little tired of all the walking, but we did manage to stop for a picture.<br />
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Sweaty but satisfied with our park experience, we piled back into the car and started on our way home. By this time, the amount of stuff I had amassed in the front seat area was starting to cramp my style ... and my legs.<br />
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Nearly five hours later we made it back home safe and sound. Though we had had a lot of fun, this was certainly a welcome sight.<br />
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Our first major road trip as a family was a smashing success! We gained so many fond memories and learned so much along the way. What more could you ask for?!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-79541942418096241412018-07-13T23:42:00.000-04:002018-07-13T23:44:43.097-04:00Flashback Friday: Summer Road Trip 2017 Part One!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had hoped to write about this road trip all in one blog post, but after getting the photos from the first few stops on here I realized I am going to have to do this in segments.<br />
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We left after Mollie swam in last year's swim team finals (<i>she did two relays - one as the butterfly leg of a medley relay and one as the third leg of a freestyle relay</i>), all sweaty and sticky from having stood outside for the better part of the morning. We were happy to do it, though, and were really proud of her for having given her all for her team.<br />
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The kids got reading as soon as we got in the car.</div>
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Bryson drove for the entire trip.<br />
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We issued the edict that the kids needed to tell us AS SOON AS they had to use the restroom, and they really took that to heart; we ended up stopping about three times in the first hour because they wanted to be sure.<br />
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We rented a car for our trip - mine is a bit older and we weren't sure how it would do on the long drive - and since we got a crossover it had a lot less room than we were used to. I ended up spending a lot of our drive time with a ton of stuff by my feet, both for ease of access and because we just didn't have a lot of room to spare.<br />
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We decided to go through Canada, so the kids got their first taste of a "foreign" country.<br />
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Unfortunately, there wasn't much to look at besides windmill farms.<br />
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We finally reached Niagara Falls, our first official stop of the trip, around dinner time.<br />
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As it turns out, Niagara Falls is a bit tricky to navigate when you're hungry and just looking for a place to eat around dinner time, so we ended up taking the kids to their first Hard Rock Cafe. For Baylor, it was love at first bite; he has been wanting to go back ever since.<br />
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We took a look at the falls a little bit before we settled in for the night.<br />
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The next morning, after a good breakfast, we headed back out to take a closer look at the Canadian side of the falls.<br />
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They were quite beautiful, though rather difficult to photograph in their entirety. The sound was awesome, though, and I think it was a cool experience for the kiddos.<br />
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We hopped back in the car and started out on the next leg of our trip, which also happened to be one of the longest clocking in at just over nine hours. The kids did great, though, and were wonderfully surprised when we revealed we had purchased a DVD player so they could watch movies along the way. This made the time pass quickly for them which, in turn, helped us a bunch.<br />
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We finally got to our destination, my uncle's cottage (<i>which Mainers call "camp"</i>) in West Gardiner, Maine. It was nighttime, so we basically had to go right to sleep after visiting for a few minutes.<br />
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The next day, though, there was much fun to be had!</div>
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We did happen upon this guy who was, hands down, the biggest spider I have ever seen outside the zoo. And, since I don't want to focus on him too much because he freaks me out, let's move on.<br />
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We went out on their boat for a little fun in the sun.<br />
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<br />First, Laura showed us her water skiing skills.</div>
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<br />Then Delaney showed us what she could do.</div>
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<br />And then Uncle Andy did a little hot dogging. </div>
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Laura did a great job driving for Uncle Andy!<br />
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Mollie decided she wanted to give it a try, so Laura helped her out as best she could. Mollie gave it a couple tries and nearly got up once, but getting dragged in the water a little seemed to put the kibosh on the fun for her so we moved onto other things.<br />
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Like swimming! Baylor jumped off the boat a few times, but he wasn't a fan of how dark and deep the water seemed so he decided to hang out with the guys on the boat. Mollie, though, was all about the lake and swimming with the ladies.<br />
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It was just such a beautiful day!<br />
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We got the tubes hooked up to the boat, and the kids tried tubing for the first time! Baylor went with Laura.<br />
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And Mollie went with Delaney.<br />
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While the kids and girls had a pretty tame ride (<i>which was just fine with their mom, thank you very much</i>), Bryson and I had a much more typical tube ride.<br />
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Including some tip-overs!<br />
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The water fun continued the next day with a picnic pontoon boat ride! Mollie enjoyed the watermelon immensely!<br />
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<br />Baylor enjoyed snuggling in the sun.</div>
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The lake was very still. In fact, we pretty much had the whole of it to ourselves ... well, except for our little loon friend.<br />
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We had some fun on dry land, too! We watched an old favorite of the Curtins and a new favorite of my kiddos: The Sound of Music!<br />
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We had awesome food, including some sweet corn.<br />
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Laura went putt putt golfing with us at McT's. <br />
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When the kids asked us what the theme of this course was, we looked around and said, "Nature?"<br />
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As it turns out, we were right! Not only did we see a worm in one of the holes, we saw slugs and this guy on the last hole! The kids were not too keen on him, but I thought he was sweet!<br />
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Our time with Uncle Andy and the girls was wonderful, relaxing, and the perfect start to our trip. It was, of course, bittersweet because Aunt Cynthia was not there to enjoy it with us, but her style and spirit was evident all over the house and I felt closer to her in that space.<br />
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On the last morning, I woke up a little earlier than usual and took a moment to enjoy breakfast from Aunt Cynthia's seat. It's no wonder she loved that spot so much; the view was beautiful, from the shadows cast on the outstretched table to the sunlight shining through the leaves. To be honest, it was a little difficult to leave.<br />
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But, after a very tearful goodbye with Uncle Andy (<i>we had said goodbye to the girls the days prior</i>), we headed out on the road.<br />
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Mollie snapped a couple pictures of life in the backseat.<br />
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<br />Our next stop was Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury, Vermont. We took the free tour ...</div>
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... visited the flavor graveyard ...<br />
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... and then realized the kids were starting to get hangry and quickly got some ice cream!<br />
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With ice cream in our tummies, we headed back out onto the road and made our way to Burlington, Vermont. We took a narrated boat tour, got the kids a little more food, ...<br />
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... and saw some beautiful sights. The rock formations were probably the most fascinating part for me.<br />
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After the boat, we took a walk down one of the main shopping areas. The town really is beautiful.<br />
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Someone had written lovely messages on the sidewalks in chalk.<br />
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On the way back to the car we walked out closer to the water and saw some of the old battlements from back when this area served more military purposes.<br />
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It was such a nice walk.<br />
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And there was some unusual artwork along the way ... so it was a win-win!<br />
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We finally made our way to the hotel and gave the kids the biggest gift we could: pizza in bed while watching Shark Week! I don't think they could quite believe their luck.<br />
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The next morning we checked out of the hotel and got back on the road. A little over five hours later, we arrived in West Orange, New Jersey. When we told people all the stops on our trip, nearly everyone was perplexed why this was on our list of must-see places. We figured this was a good enough reason to visit.<br />
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Since we got there a little later in the day, we had to get going and see as much as we possibly could. If you ever visit any of the locales that are part of the National Park system with your kids, I highly recommend trying out the Junior Ranger program. It is free, they give you the workbook and usually a pencil to use, and at the end they make you official Junior Rangers, complete with a badge and an oath. It is a lot of fun and helps make these huge, sometimes overwhelming places more manageable, particularly with kids.<br />
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We started by checking out one of the first movies ever made.<br />
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Then we saw Thomas Edison's library and office.<br />
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This is the bed he would use to steal naps.<br />
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They had a cubic foot of copper that had been given to Mr. Edison.<br />
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We then toured the workshop.<br />
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It was quite amazing and so well-preserved.<br />
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While the first floor had more of the larger, rough cutting machines, the second floor housed the precision cutting machines, ...<br />
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... the lab, one of a couple of them on the property, ...<br />
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... and the drafting room.<br />
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Thomas Edison's inventions were all over the place, to the point that it was difficult to remember what each one was.<br />
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In this room, I believe, they worked on recording music for the phonograph.<br />
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This room was full of cones of every shape and size, each one serving a different purpose.<br />
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We went to a ranger-led talk about the phonograph in this barn.<br />
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We finally went to see this lab, certainly one of the most interesting places in the park. A ranger happened upon us in there and gave us a ton of fascinating information about what went on in this room. The lab has been largely untouched, with some chemicals even having been left in their jars from when Edison worked there.<br />
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In the picture above you may notice pipes running here and there around the room, each painted a particular color, and the key to the colors was posted on the wall.<br />
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The ranger showed the kids Edison's version of a record, which they then dropped on the cement floor. Luckily, the thing was nearly indestructible and didn't even have a scratch on it.<br />
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As we were leaving, the ranger did a little more narrating and pointed out that the cream-colored pot in this picture is encased in asbestos. I shuttered to think of the working conditions in this lab, from the heat, to the dangerous chemicals, to the asbestos; It was amazing, and kind of sad, to think of what those people had to endure in the name of scientific advancement.<br />
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We finished touring the property, said the Junior Ranger oath, purchased some postcards at the gift shop, and headed out, tired from our long day. One interesting thing just outside the gates was this sign asking you to carry a flag across the street with you, presumably to make you more visible to oncoming traffic.<br />
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We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Thomas Edison's lab complex!<br />
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<br />Since this was the closest we were going to get to New York City on this particular trip, Bryson asked at the gift shop where we could possibly see NYC from West Orange, New Jersey. She instructed us to head up a hill to a lookout area. </div>
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Sadly, because of the hazy weather, it was almost impossible to see much of the city.<br />
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Coincidentally, though, we were actually at a 9/11 memorial site. We showed the kids around a bit and told them a little of what happened that horrible day.<br />
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They even had a piece of the steel girders that used to hold up one of the buildings.<br />
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It was a wonderful tribute to those from New Jersey who lost their lives that day, and I am glad we could open a conversation with the kids about it.<br />
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Having started something by enjoying dinner in bed by the light of the television, we kept with the trend and ordered in pasta and watched more Shark Week.<br />
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To answer your question, yes, we did end up getting a little, tiny bit of pasta sauce on the bedding. I am sure you are not surprised by this in the least.<br />
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The kids even got to snuggle under their blankets with Bryson before bedtime.<br />
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Our first few days of vacation were wonderful, and we made so many fantastic memories and learned so many cool things along the way! Stay tuned for the rest!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-2931682073569630722018-07-12T23:51:00.000-04:002018-07-12T23:51:53.572-04:00How We Are Planning This Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This summer, with two vacations to work around, we ended up not having the kids join a swim team or do any summer camps like they have in previous summers. (<i>Mollie is doing tennis camp, but it is much less time-consuming than the other camps they have taken.</i>) With so much free time, it became increasingly obvious to me that we were going to need to actually plan out our days so we didn't just fritter them away.<br />
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Enter in the chart. (<i>I should come up with a better name for it ... it certainly deserves it</i>.) I started out making paper slips with different activities on them. (<i>I later on "laminated" them with packing tape to increase their durability.</i>)</div>
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Then I pulled out a dry erase sleeve I had purchased years before - when trying to make another check list of sorts - and a piece of dry erase poster board that I had purchased to use in a Barbie classroom for Mollie's dolls. We get together every day and work out a plan for what we are going to do either for that day if it's morning or the next day if we manage to get to it the night before. I use poster putty to stick the slips of paper to the poster board, slip the whole thing into the sleeve, and then use dry erase markers to add details like times, food we're having, and the occasional picture.<br />
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I usually don't get this fancy with the pictures, but I had a little extra time and a little extra space, something that doesn't often happen on our busier days.<br />
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This system has worked for our family so far. The kids are able to check to see when we have to leave for appointments or to go out to run errands, and, more importantly, they are able to see what to expect from the day. I am able to remember better what I have "promised" the kids we'd do, and so far I think we've only had to scrap one whole day because plans changed.<br />
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I hope that this system won't go the way of the other systems we have tried in the past. It is so easy to maintain, and I can always add new slips of activities and to-dos when the need arises. For now, though, it's working for all of us, and that's really all I could ask for.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-81109598580256867942018-07-11T10:33:00.000-04:002018-07-11T10:33:54.890-04:00Way Back Wednesday: Book Character Day with Fancy Mollie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in early March, at the very start of reading month, the kids' school had a dress up like your favorite book character day. Baylor, not a fan of costumes, decided not to participate, but Mollie, ever a fan of costumes, decided to be <a href="http://www.fancynancyworld.com/">Fancy Nancy</a>. The clothes were an easy choice - lots of color and jewelry and tulle - but the hair was another issue altogether. Fancy Nancy has super curly red hair that she does up in wild up-dos on a daily basis. Not able to get the red hair and not having time to curl Mollie's super thick hair, we did our best. (<i>Poor girl looked so tired!</i>)</div>
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First, to get some volume, I made two ponytails on the top of her head.<br />
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After that, I just started taking bobby pins and looping her hair up and over to create the illusion of curls. Fancy Nancy usually has bits sticking out here and there, so I wasn't too worried about making them look perfect. We also added lots of bejeweled bobby pins, flower clips, and butterfly barrettes to really up the fancy factor.<br />
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I bobby pinned her tiara in place so it would hopefully make it home at the end of the day.<br />
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Once we were done with her hair, we threw on the tulle skirt my mom has for dress up at her house, and she was all ready!</div>
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Well, almost all ready ... can't forget the glasses! (<i>Fancy Nancy doesn't usually wear glasses, but Fancy Mollie does ... and it really seemed to up the fanciness if you ask me.</i>)<br />
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I love dress up days at school, and I was even more excited that we pulled this whole look together without being late! (<i>Which was mind-boggling, considering we usually can't get ourselves ready on time on our normal-looking days. The power of motivation is strong, I guess.</i>)<br />
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I can't wait to see what she and I come up with next year!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-82836595488597249642018-07-10T23:26:00.001-04:002018-07-10T23:27:08.347-04:00Take-Me-Back Tuesday: 2018 Father-Daughter Dance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in March, Bryson and Mollie went to the Father-Daughter Dance put on by our school district. Mollie got a fancy dress she could use for her February concert and for the dance as well as a bubble gum necklace, complete with sparkles. Bryson bought her a corsage like he did <a href="http://notperfectbutbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2017/05/flashback-friday-this-years-father.html">last year</a>, and she seemed genuinely excited for this treat.</div>
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They made quite the pair!<br />
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She was so excited to have a night out with Bryson!<br />
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Baylor and I got Shamrock Shakes again ...<br />
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... snuggled ...<br />
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... and he played Bloxels 'til Bryson and Mollie came home.<br />
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Every now and then it's really nice to be able to focus my attention on just one kiddo, so I really relish this special time with Baylor, as I know Bryson does with Mollie.<br />
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Here's to another great dance/stay-at-home-and-have-shakes-and-games experience!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-24965863493728508472018-07-10T10:25:00.000-04:002018-07-10T10:25:39.360-04:00Take-Me-Back Tuesday: The Last Day of School 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last day of school is always one full of excitement, anticipation, and often a little sadness about the end of the school year. This year, Baylor was more than ready to be done with school and moving on to summertime, but Mollie was sad at leaving her teacher and not seeing as much of her friends.<br /><br />We had a rough last week of school, so I used my letter board to keep us hopeful for the days ahead.</div>
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<br />Earlier in the week all the second graders made tie dye t-shirts, and it is tradition for them all to wear them on the last day of school. Here is Mollie in hers, along with a rockin' hair style of her own creation.<br /><br />
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<br />Baylor wanted to wear his favorite shirt for his last day of fourth grade.<br /><br />
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<br />They are getting so big! <br /><br />
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<br />I am just so glad that they are such good friends!<br /><br />
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<br />While they were at school for the half day, I switched the letter board to something a little more celebratory. The kids like hearing Alice Cooper's "School's Out for Summer" as they are getting into the car on the very last day, so I thought it was fitting to put it on the letter board as well.<br /><br />
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<br />I'll be honest, it was a pretty rough year of school for our family, but we made it through and have learned a lot of lessons along the way. And really, that's all you can do when a not-good year comes your way.<br /><br />Happy summer!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-3065881216368679672018-07-10T10:10:00.000-04:002018-07-10T10:10:40.692-04:00Take-Me-Back Tuesday: Baylor's 2018 Talent Show Submission<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HU9vKmG1R_E" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Here is the Lego stop-motion video Baylor made for the 2018 talent show at their school. He made it it all by himself, and I am so proud of him for all his hard work!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-67019282207222919642018-07-10T07:56:00.000-04:002018-07-10T07:56:13.842-04:00Take-Me-Back Tuesday: Start-of-the-Summer Swim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You know when the weather starts to get warm, even when you're still in school, but the water is calling you? Even better if it's still hot at the end of the day and you can skip the dreaded sunscreen, right?<br />
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Well, the kids got that magical first swim in at the beginning of June, and the sun shone so perfectly that it begged to be photographed. Here are some of my favorites from that first swim of this summer.</div>
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You just have to love those start-of-the-summer swims!<br />
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(I know it's been a long while since I've written ... like a really, really long while ... but I take pictures all the time to post on here, and I'm hoping to get back to writing on here. I like the creative outlet of it and sharing pictures with loved ones far away (<i>Hi, Grandma and Grandpa!!!</i>). So, for those of you who might actually still be reading in spite of my extended absence, thank you for sticking with me! I hope to write again VERY soon!!)Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-37784619721538554222018-01-08T23:05:00.000-05:002018-01-08T23:05:14.198-05:00Seventeen in '17 Update: It's Been a (LONG) While<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whoa. It has been forever since I <a href="http://notperfectbutbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2017/03/seventeen-in-17-update-february.html">last wrote</a> about my Seventeen in '17 goals. What can I say? 2017 was a crazy, pretty crappy year, and a lot of things fell by the wayside when life took all its twists and turns. I'll get to what that cryptic, not very well-written sentence meant in a bit. But we're here for the list, right? Here is where I ended up:<br />
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1.) Finish Amalia's room redo. - Got it done in February! And Mollie has even switched out the artwork a couple times to make it legit. Check!<br />
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2.) Exercise at least five days a week. - This was a maintenance goal, and I was successful with this to varying degrees throughout the year. The big win here, though, came in late August/early September. For our anniversary, Bryson and I splurged a little and bought a <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B017HSNIEW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">rowing machine</a>! As it turns out, rowing is a perfect form of exercise for me: it works out the whole body at once, it is very active, it is low-impact (<i>while the rest of me loved running, my feet did not</i>), and it is pretty quiet so I can exercise while people are sleeping. So, while I have not exercised in a little while because the rowing machine got moved upstairs to make room for our Christmas tree, I know that I have an awesome exercise routine to get back to once the living room gets back to normal. Yay!<br />
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3.) Clean off my desk and maintain it. - Nope. So. Much. Nope. There were a couple times this year when it got all cleaned off, but at least one of those times was a false victory; there is a box full of papers in the basement just waiting to be gone through. Paper clutter is definitely my downfall, and I am hoping to finally figure out just how to tame this beast this year. Keep your fingers crossed for me!<br />
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4.) Get the unfinished side of the basement into a usable state. - I know it doesn't look like it, but I did make some headway here. </div>
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This spot used to be filled with boxes - mainly those from previous purchases - and one day I had had enough; I broke them all down and got them into the recycle bin. So now we have a walkway where there once was none, and for that I am grateful. I also got rid of some Christmas decorations I was no longer using (<i>actually getting rid of an entire Rubbermaid-tub's worth</i>), donated almost all of the bears I used to collect when I was younger (<i>and as someone who has trouble parting with things with any emotion attached to them, this was a HUGE deal</i>), and started a tub for scouting (<i>girl and cub</i>) memorabilia so we no longer have random boats, cars, and uniforms lying about. Is it a "usable state"? Not exactly. But it is a lot better, at least from where I am sitting, so I can be happy with that.</div>
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5.) Make/get the kids Traveler's Notebooks. - I did this one!! I really wanted to make them fabric covers, but in the end the time just wasn't there. So, for her birthday, Mollie got a passport-sized orange (<i>her favorite color at the time</i>) <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IT54FIK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">leather cover</a> with some credit card inserts for pictures and whatnot. She is able to carry it in her purse and actually uses it as her wallet most of the time. Later on in the year, though, the kids wanted to participate in an online challenge with me, and I ended up getting them some standard size TN covers from Michaels and making them inserts to go with them. So that's a win! Ah, woo hoo!<br />
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6.) Stop eating by 9:30 p.m. - I was doing a halfway decent job of this - or at least I was actually tracking it for part of the year - but during the summer, with the kids going to bed later than usual, this became nearly impossible. And then I kind of forgot about it. In the end, I am not sure this is exactly the goal I was going for; I think this year I am going to try to eat more healthfully if I choose to do so after 8:00 p.m. We'll see how that goes.<br />
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7.) Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. - I have struggled with this one a lot this year. There were times, usually while on vacation, where this was not a problem; I would get to sleep at a reasonable hour and then sleep in as needed. But for most of the year this was an issue; I am a night owl by nature but I like to have some alone time in the morning before the kids get up, and those two things just don't add up to getting enough sleep. It's important to me that I get more sleep, though, so I am going to keep trying new tactics to get me more shuteye.<br />
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8.) Write at least five blog posts per month. - This one is actually laughable. 2017 was tied with 2015 for the fewest blog posts written; there were so many reasons why, but it mostly boiled down to 2017 feeling like an out-of-control type of year. The state of affairs in our nation - with all the hatred and contention and unease permeating each and every day - and what appears to have been a complete loss of bearing with my ADD made for the perfect storm, and I didn't even write fifteen posts during the year. I am hoping 2018 will be a more blog-heavy year, but I don't know that I want to set any expectations for myself. We'll just see where the year takes us.<br />
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9.) Keep the counter cleaned off. - This has, much like my desk, been a false victory a few times during the year. The paper monsters in our house primarily inhabit my desk or the counter, so this has been an ongoing struggle, one that I hope to finally figure out this year.<br />
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10.) Make our quilt. - Still a check, obviously. And I believe I have managed to make our bed just about every day since the quilt made its way onto our bed. Bonus win!<br />
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11.) Find a new doctor. - I did it! It became a little more urgent that I get this figured out when a cyst was discovered, and then, when it didn't go away on its own, I had to have surgery to make sure everything was okay. (<i>Which it is, for the most part.</i>) So, yay for a new doctor I love!!<br />
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12.) Drink more water. - I did pretty well with this. Like I wrote last time, it is a lot easier to accomplish this when I am exercising, but overall I did pretty well. I started drinking Vitamin Water Zero, too, and that seems to have helped keep me hydrated. It also, for whatever reason, encourages me to drink more regular water. So I suppose that is a win.<br />
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13.) Add recipes to repertoire. - *sigh* 2017 was a rather sad cooking year; I fell into a rut of basically making the same four or five meals every single week, and I believe my family was frustrated because of it. But, when a year feels out-of-control, getting homemade, relatively healthy food on the table most days should be a win in-and-of itself, right? Hopefully this year will be better.<br />
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14.) Take more pictures. - I think I succeeded here! We took a couple vacations, which are always picture-heavy, but having this as a goal also helped remind me to get my camera out more often. Here are some (<i>with a quick narration</i>):<br /></div>
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They often snuggle in the morning, and it's just my favorite. </div>
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<br />They both got roller skates this year, but I believe they have actually already outgrown them. It was a rough go, too, but I am hoping this is not the last we'll see of the kids on skates.</div>
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<br />Another, more undocumented, goal I had for the kids this year was to learn to use table knives so they can cut their own food. We have primarily been sticking with Sunday pancakes, but it is going reasonably well.<br /></div>
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<br />Mollie, Elsa (<i>her doll</i>), and I went to a Girl Scout American Girl Sock Hop this spring, and it was a blast!</div>
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<br />My girl on her birthday.</div>
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<br />They even snuggled on our vacation to Florida.</div>
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That's where we saw this big guy!<br />
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It's also where Mollie developed a love for the guitar.<br />
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As always, the kids are huge fans of the water.<br />
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Baylor had a cool field trip to an historical village nearby.<br />
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<br />And, for once, I was able to find boy-girl t-shirts for the kids to wear together!! Thank you, Lands End!</div>
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Mollie really came into her own with her fashion sense this year. Knee-high socks were very popular with her (<i>the ones featured in this outfit look like ice cream cones</i>), and she enjoys a bit of jewelry. Also, this is an old dress of mine from when I was a kid!<br />
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<br />We went to the beach in Ferrysburg, and the water was so clear it looked like his little boat was floating in midair.</div>
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<br />We took a trip to the zoo with our Girl Scout Troop and, for once, the lynx was awake.<br /><br />
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<br />I forget what this was a picture for, but they just looked so sweet.<br /><br />
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<br />This little guy crawled into our yard this spring. He was adorable, and I may have named him Shelldon Lewis Clark.<br /><br />
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<br />Mollie's beloved Sleep Sheep was really starting to show her age this year, and the thought of her favorite stuffed animal falling apart had Mollie incredibly upset. After a crazy search, we managed to find another Sleep Sheep! It was pretty shocking to see what love and snuggling can do to a stuffed animal over the course of about seven years.<br /><br />
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<br />The kids were so ready for the last day of school!<br /><br />
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<br />Mollie has started helping out a lot in the kitchen, and over the summer she got really good at making spinach salads.<br /><br />
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<br />The kids were excited to take a couple of art classes over the summer.<br /><br />
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<br />And our walks through the neighborhood almost always included a little hand-holding. I love how they love (<i>and like</i>) each other.<br /><br />
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<br />We went fishing with Baylor's Cub Scout Pack, and he caught a fish!<br /><br />
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<br />While my parents were away, I was in charge of taking care of the house and pool. So, of course, I was the lucky one to find out that some bats had moved into an eave of their roof. In effort to figure out where they were going in and out and how many there were, the kids and I camped out by the pool late in the evening to watch for the bats. It was quite a show ... and quite a while until they came out!<br /><br />
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<br />15.) Do something each week to support a cause I believe in. - I started off strong with this one, but the onslaught of madness coming out of Washington this year was unreal, and I'll admit, it became a bit much for me to keep up with. It was all I could do to stay current with the news and not get depressed at the state of our Union. <br />
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16.) Keep a gratitude log. - This was, hands down, the goal I stuck to the best! Each night I wrote or drew something I was grateful for that day, and it was something I truly looked forward to.</div>
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<br />April's gratitude page had some wonderful highs and the saddest of lows. We started out the month vacationing in Florida, but soon after we got home we found out my beloved aunt was going to lose her battle with cancer. My mom flew out as quickly as she could, and my sister and I left a day or two later. Doing my gratitude journal each night became more of a buoy to cling to as the grief crept up around us; it took a lot more looking to find things to be grateful for, but I knew keeping with it was incredibly important. It didn't ... couldn't change the outcome and it can't even come close to mending how much I miss her, but it kept sadness from swallowing me whole and that's all you can really ask for out of a piece of paper and some markers.<br /><br />
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<br />July was the only month I truly slacked off on, but, I swear, I had a good reason! We took a family road trip out east, and, as it turns out, when you sleep in the same hotel room with your kids you don't have <strike>much</strike> any time after they go to bed to reflect on the day. I was able to document a few things, but ultimately I had to let it go for the remainder of our trip.<br /><br />
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<br />It was a great year with my gratitude log, and honestly it was a great year with my planner as a whole. I felt ever-so-slightly more in control of things, at least externally, and may have managed to get a little more done. (<i>Like the picture below ... I had surgery, as I mentioned earlier, and the weekend before it I tackled a crazy long to-do list. I didn't finish everything, but I got way more done than I would have if it hadn't been there in my planner.</i>) Here's hoping this year is even better!<br /><br />
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17.) Teach Baylor and Amalia how to catch and throw. - During the summer I worked on this with the kiddos and was pretty much ready to cross this one off. But, now not having practiced it at all for months, I am not sure the skill was retained. We'll just have to keep trying!<br /><br />And that's it! I don't think I will be doing an eighteen in '18 this year; last year showed me that that is a bit much for me to handle. But I do have some goals and a couple roll-overs from last year's list, and those combined with everyday life should keep me busy enough.<br /><br />So how was your 2017?Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-41281340625622983892018-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:002018-01-05T08:00:41.131-05:00Back to School: Breakfast Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'll admit: this is a weird post to start with since I haven't written anything <strike>all summer</strike> in forever. But as I was making my kids' breakfasts this morning I started thinking about how their swim coaches (<i>they were on a swim team again <strike>this</strike> last summer</i>) reacted when they said what they ate every morning. The coaches would go down the line and ask each swimmer questions, like "who is your favorite Star Wars character" or "what did you do this weekend". On more than one morning, they asked the kids what they had for breakfast; often times the kids would answer "cereal" or "pop tarts" or "pancakes". Then there were my kids.<br />
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Nearly every day for breakfast this summer (<i>and for a bulk of the school year last year - and all of the school year so far</i>) the kids ate the same breakfast. They are creatures of habit and like to know what to expect when it comes to food, among other things. I always try to make sure they start the day out right with a filling breakfast because I know how important it is for them ... and because I hate it when they get "hangry".<br />
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Mollie's breakfast is a homemade oatmeal concoction I started making for Baylor years ago and seem to have finally gotten down to a science. It has five main ingredients: quick oats, raisins, raw honey, ground cinnamon, and 1% milk. I start by putting about 3/4 cup oatmeal into a bowl. In a microwave-safe cup, I heat up some milk (<i>I measured it out today at about 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup</i>) for 45 seconds on high; if it isn't hot when I hold my hand over it, I will add another 10 seconds.</div>
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While the milk is heating, I sprinkle a decent amount of cinnamon over the oats. This is largely based on personal preference.<br />
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Once the milk is hot, I pour some of it into the oats, usually just enough that I start seeing it puddle around the edges. Hold on to the rest of the milk ... you're going to need that in a minute!<br />
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Then I take a soup spoon and dip it into <a href="https://www.mibeeco.com/">our favorite raw honey</a>, loading it up with as much honey as I can in one dip (<i>not a <b>scoop</b>, mind you - that would be a lot of honey</i>). I'll use the spoon she's going to eat with to get all the honey I can off the soup spoon.<br />
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Next I add a little more milk and stir it all up, and it ends up looking like this:<br />
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Finally, I add raisins to the oatmeal. This is about how much I put in Mollie's bowl; she basically won't eat a bite without a raisin in it, so I really go wild with the raisins for her.<br />
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Then, I stir them all in. My kids like it when I poke all the raisins down into the oatmeal so they are no longer visible and then pretend like we ran out of raisins. The better I sell it, the more they seem to enjoy it. I don't really get it, but whatever works, right?! I also usually add a little extra milk so it's kind of puddled; that way, when she takes forever to eat it it isn't nearly solid by the time she gets to the last of it.<br />
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Baylor's breakfast is much more simple; he eats a banana with peanut butter and a yogurt. Lately we have been enjoying Yoplait Greek 100 yogurt; it's lower in sugar than a lot of other yogurts out there, and it doesn't have any added food coloring. Plus, both kids have really enjoyed their flavor options.<br />
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Edit: Since I started writing this post back in August, Baylor has also started eating oatmeal every day. He likes his with way more cinnamon and not quite so much milk compared to his sister, but other than that they are basically the same.<br />
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And that's it! The kids seem to enjoy their respective breakfasts, and it gets them through the morning pretty well. <br />
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I hope you have a great start to the school year!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* I have received no payment for endorsing any of these products. We just really like this stuff and I think posts are more interesting with pictures. </span>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-91877142168522820642017-09-07T00:26:00.000-04:002017-09-07T00:26:48.765-04:00That's What They Said: Sweetness, New Vocabulary, and the Worst Dream EVERBaylor: (<i>looking at me lovingly</i>) Mommy, I love you.<br />
Me: Bubba, I love you, too!<br />
Baylor: And I love your beautiful wavy hair. (<i>runs his hands over the top of my head</i>)<br />
Me: Well, thank you, sweetie!<br />
Baylor: I like how it flops over one eye.<br />
Me: Thanks, bubbs.<br />
Baylor: (<i>touches my forehead</i>) You have a nice ...<br />
Me: Forehead?<br />
Baylor: Yeah, forehead. (<i>cheerfully</i>) You could get a tattoo on it!<br />
Me: (<i>laughing</i>) Okay.<br />
Baylor: (<i>lovingly</i>) You could get a heart tattoo on your forehead.<br />
Me: Well, I'm not so sure Daddy would like that. <br />
Baylor: A HEART tattoo?<br />
Me: Even a heart tattoo.<br />
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(<i>On a walk to the library, I was holding the kids hands, and - feeling a lot of love in the air - I lifted each one and gave it a kiss</i>.)<br />
Baylor: (<i>sweetly</i>) Mom, in the in-brain video game in my head, that kiss did a lot! It boosted my love points and my experience points.<br />
Me: Awww, buddy! You are so sweet!<br />
Baylor: I even leveled up!<br />
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Amalia: Mom, I was listening to you and Baylor talking.<br />
Me: Yeah.<br />
Amalia: Yeah, I was ... wait, what was I doing? Egg bursting?<br />
Me: (<i>thinking</i>) Eaves dropping?<br />
Amalia: Yeah! Eaves dropping! I'm going to call it egg bursting from now on, though.<br />
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(<i>After hearing moaning from Amalia's room and then crying, she finally called me up using the saddest voice I have heard from her in a while.</i>)<br />
Amalia: Mommy, I had the worst dream EVER. (<i>sobs</i>)<br />
Me: (<i>comforting her, remembering all the recent bad dreams she's had with bad guys breaking into our house</i>) Tell me about it, sweetie.<br />
Amalia: (<i>crying</i>) I was at the beach or somewhere like that with some people and we went to get ice cream afterwards and I DIDN'T ORDER ANYTHING!!! (<i>sobs</i>)<br />
Me: (<i>desperately trying to stifle laughter building up inside me</i>) Ohh, sweetie!<br />
Amalia: (<i>sobs and starts to roll over to go back to sleep</i>)<br />
Me: (<i>still trying to not laugh</i>) Okay, well why don't you have a dream and order some.<br />
Amalia: (<i>sobbing</i>) I CAN'T! They were already driving AWAY!!<br />
Me: Okay. Then let's have a dream where you live in an ice cream store and can have all the ice cream you want.<br />
Amalia: (<i>indignantly</i>) NO!<br />
Me: Okaaaay. How 'bout, have a dream where you are with a thousand Sleep Sheep?<br />
Amalia: (<i>indignantly</i>) NO!<br />
Me: Oooookaaaaaay. Then just, have sweet dreams. I love you, love you, love you. <br />(<i>And, being my daughter, she promptly fell back asleep.</i>)Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-6630887276148111522017-06-09T09:56:00.000-04:002017-06-09T09:58:40.170-04:00Last Day of School: First and Third Grades!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I honestly can't believe that today is the last day of school. The last day of school for the year?! As in, I will have a second grader and a FOURTH grader next school year?! Unreal.<br />
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When selecting her "last day of school" outfit, Mollie hemmed and hawed over it for a while, ever-so-slightly upset with me for not having her favorite dress clean for the day. I finally suggested that she could possibly wear the outfit she wore for the <a href="http://notperfectbutbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2016/09/first-day-of-school-first-and-third.html">first day of school</a>, and she LOVED that idea.</div>
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Baylor, on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted to wear: comfy shorts and his current favorite t-shirt.<br />
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It's amazing how much they have grown this year, both in height and in character. I am so proud of how they did this year, so thankful for the wonderful teachers and school staff that supported and fostered that growth, and so glad for the friendships they made along the way.<br />
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Mollie is slowly but surely gaining on her brother in terms of physical height, and she was excited to demonstrate that this morning with a tip-toes picture.<br />
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When asked to "pose" for a picture, this is what they think that means. These two are ready for action!<br />
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The thing is, I don't think they are ready for the school year to be over. Mollie accurately pointed out that they might cry after school lets out this year (I believe Baylor did last year as he got into the car on the last day of school, as well); they love their teachers and their school so much and are going to miss it during the summer. I am grateful for their school and all the staff within who have made it such a wonderful place that my kids would miss it on summer break and look forward to going back in the fall.<br />
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Now, I need to go load a little Alice Cooper into the CD player of my minivan. School's out for summer!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-77900836281595896482017-05-14T23:26:00.000-04:002017-05-14T23:27:43.474-04:00Mother's Day 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was Mother's Day, and we had grand plans. We were going to spend the morning at home then head to my parents' house to celebrate around 2:00. But that didn't happen. One of the kiddos had some gastrointestinal distress, so we stayed home and had a low-key day. <br />
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Mollie wrote this on the door a day or two ago, and it was so beautiful I just couldn't erase it. </div>
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Baylor's initial thought was to make a spa day for me, but since the first part of it was a bath and I had just gotten out of the shower, I had to pass on it. Both kids actually agreed to play a game with us, though, so we enjoyed <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Gamewright-317-Forbidden-Island/dp/B003D7F4YY/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1494816001&sr=1-1&keywords=forbidden+island">Forbidden Island</a> a couple times.<br />
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Bryson ran to my parents' house to help move a couch and pick up a couple things, so the kids and I snuggled in for a movie. I don't think I have the hang of selfies yet.<br />
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Finding Dory was awesome, but I got a little choked up at a couple spots and worried the kids silly. Baylor coached me to "take a deeeep breath", and they both hugged me until I was smiling again.<br />
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Bryson made us dinner, then it was time to get the kids up to bed. In keeping with the day, that took way longer than usual, but once the kids were snuggled up in their beds, the adults got to indulge in a sweet treat, courtesy of my dear sister.<br />
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The kids gave me some adorable gifts today, too. Baylor made me a card at school.</div>
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It is tough to tell from this picture, but it is actually a pop-up card!<br />
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Mollie was rather prolific this year. The first gift she gave me was a sheet about me.</div>
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It reads (<i>with a few spelling corrections for clarity</i>): "My name is <u>Mollie</u>. I am <u>7</u> years old. My mom's name is <u>Nicole</u>. She is <u>35</u> years old. For work, she <u>helps me and my brother</u>. She loves to <u>snuggle</u>, but she hates to <u>yelling</u>! She is always saying, <u>"Set the table!"</u> My favorite meal my mom cooks is <i>pizza</i>. She is best at <u>consequences</u>. She is not very good at (<i>she put some symbols here to show that I am apparently good at everything</i>). Her favorite color is <u>green</u>. My mom and I like to <u>snuggle</u>. She loves me because I <u>behave</u>, and I love her because <u>she loves me!</u>" Adorable!<br />
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She also made me a cut-out of some sort. It has fringe, which I know she just learned how to make at school, and when opened up it looks a little like a bird. </div>
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She also made me a beautiful flower in art class.<br />
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And another one in her first grade classroom.<br />
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While I mowed the lawn yesterday, she apparently set up a couple folders around her so no one could see what she was doing and drew me a picture with Sharpies. So sweet!<br />
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My sister spoiled me, too; she found a canvas zip-top bag with the Doose's Market logo on it!(<i>Gilmore Girls fans will know what I'm talking about</i>)<br />
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And my parents gave me a gift card all loaded up so I could enjoy some pretzels from my favorite pretzel shop!<br />
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But the best part of today was all the love I got from my kiddos. Neither of them was feeling particularly stellar, but they both showered me with hugs and snuggles and a few kisses on my cheeks. I am so grateful for those two; they made me a mom and are the best kiddos a mom could ask for. <br />
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To all you moms out there (<i>including my own wonderful mom</i>), I hope you had an awesome Mother's Day full of joy - and maybe a little relaxation.<br />
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And to all of you out there whose hearts are hurting today - be it from the loss of a mother, the loss of a child, childlessness in general, or any other reason - I hope you were able to find solace and a bit of hope for Mother's Days to come. <br />
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Happy Mother's Day to you and yours!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4846756850763040233.post-24496417413764555372017-05-12T23:30:00.001-04:002017-05-14T22:19:54.354-04:00Flashback Friday: Hump Day Birthday at the Zoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in October, our local zoo spent a month celebrating the "birthdays" of each group of animals at the zoo. We decided to take advantage of the unusually nice autumn weather and visit the zoo on the camels' birthday.<br />
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We started off our visit at the wallaby exhibit, and the kids actually stepped outside of their comfort zone and pet one!</div>
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The weather was beautiful and the smiles were out.<br />
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Then Baylor proved to be the best brother ever and held his sister's purse while she rode a camel.<br />
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One camel's name was Molly which of course thrilled our Mollie girl to no end.<br />
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The lions were actually down by the viewing window, napping and lounging in the warmth, and we were able to watch them for a while.<br />
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Mollie really wanted to see the flamingos, like the ones on her shirt, but they were stinky ... so she held her breath.<br />
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The lions weren't the only ones lounging in the warmth that day; the tapir got in on the action as well, getting some midday rest.<br />
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We happened upon a zookeeper who was doing a little mini introduction between any kiddo nearby and a snake. When it came time for the kids to touch it, they both did! <br />
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We moved on from the random snake to the bear enclosure. One of them was pretty lethargic.<br />
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But the other one was up and moving around. Even though the glass was smudged with hand prints on one side and what I guessed was bear slobber on the other, the kids stayed far away from the window as if the bear could somehow get them.<br />
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We then made our must-have trip to the tropical house to visit the nocturnal animals, including this caiman who wanted to say, "Hi."<br />
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It is now apparently a tradition for us to take a picture of the kids showing off their wingspans. Honestly, I couldn't have picked a better zoo tradition myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4TuvtecoyE31kDA1S2FaED3ACInNRn6GHXXa3Ola-u-JI8_Q3JJe5xvRRlyKloJ_J-DOvY6b_nJFxTP3s_sIvrWYd33HOhQ2jc4UhgsqENigTRD6018pEFGqoSnC0u4CKbFqbsjWq790/s1600/IMG_6764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4TuvtecoyE31kDA1S2FaED3ACInNRn6GHXXa3Ola-u-JI8_Q3JJe5xvRRlyKloJ_J-DOvY6b_nJFxTP3s_sIvrWYd33HOhQ2jc4UhgsqENigTRD6018pEFGqoSnC0u4CKbFqbsjWq790/s400/IMG_6764.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was such a gorgeous day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4TU4ucR1RbLBWpx6cjkXL83gLOO4kdx63xagESobjXBqaBCyHHyu3D82YKrRo0zYrvha7drR9sv6Q_E5oqB0AKeTROZFDIFsk2sa3gknE10a4_EPZpbfXxh0rx_Aiv1JBmMtPvwXCbVw/s1600/IMG_6767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4TU4ucR1RbLBWpx6cjkXL83gLOO4kdx63xagESobjXBqaBCyHHyu3D82YKrRo0zYrvha7drR9sv6Q_E5oqB0AKeTROZFDIFsk2sa3gknE10a4_EPZpbfXxh0rx_Aiv1JBmMtPvwXCbVw/s400/IMG_6767.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And I was one lucky lady to have these two to spend it with.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbh9o4xVFCdxGskocMDo0r2eKGTvY2puSTfvKnc8klvNIEZ3P9l_Mhqtnr-XU3u-c4JtZ6ImlFA6MdzZumJTZ1sE0uoUCV-UaZF7EXXBKV3sggrMkniHmky9yl-8yH4pj4dn3lp-UeJOc/s1600/IMG_6768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbh9o4xVFCdxGskocMDo0r2eKGTvY2puSTfvKnc8klvNIEZ3P9l_Mhqtnr-XU3u-c4JtZ6ImlFA6MdzZumJTZ1sE0uoUCV-UaZF7EXXBKV3sggrMkniHmky9yl-8yH4pj4dn3lp-UeJOc/s400/IMG_6768.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588334445539786665noreply@blogger.com0