tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207839502024-03-07T02:55:40.594-05:00More GravyRainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-8358310990082310122013-09-29T04:12:00.002-04:002013-09-29T04:15:37.293-04:00Spy Birthday PartyToday we had a little birthday party for Olivia. I learned from my mistakes last year and only invited 3 of her friends plus a friend for Alex. We had a "spy" theme and it was a lot of fun. <br />
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The first thing we did when the kids arrived was make up secret identities. I'd asked for photos of the kids ahead of time and printed some ID's for them, then we wrote a few last minute details on them and laminated them while the kids had treats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Awy7WGpl2Wn4zSpoZ7g7ssircKp-9ygQ5CtHXPFuoaCe8a35tFfxJkygJ6Zstirye3c-LSgQRwL3tiZJBpMv-ilxmz2aFVNvWfyPn9VnsIoob5cequpjShbbIv4vupBrZptFUA/s1600/Lasers+-+Alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Awy7WGpl2Wn4zSpoZ7g7ssircKp-9ygQ5CtHXPFuoaCe8a35tFfxJkygJ6Zstirye3c-LSgQRwL3tiZJBpMv-ilxmz2aFVNvWfyPn9VnsIoob5cequpjShbbIv4vupBrZptFUA/s1600/Lasers+-+Alex.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Since the party was from 3:30-5, I decided we'd better have refreshments first so we wouldn't ruin any dinner appetites. I had a package of cookie dough in the fridge, so I baked those and served a warm cookie and scoop of ice cream. We didn't have cake because it seems kids just have a few bites of frosting and waste the rest. The cookies were just right.<br />
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After treats it was time for Spy Training! I showed everyone a little treasure chest with treats and said we would get them when we passed our spy training. The first activity was probably everyone's favorite part of the whole party - Laser Beams! I put red streamers in the hallway and placed a wagon full of "jewels" (my sparkliest jewelry) at the other end. Then told the kids bad guys had stolen the crown jewels and it was our mission to recover them. Everyone wanted to take multiple turns, and then they wanted to do it some more after the party. The hardest part was that it blocked off our main hallway for a couple of hours, even though it was the last thing we put up and the first thing we put away. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1q1S784GU0tpHXicmZITd4GA9LbtxL4WpGOmTKkwH5F89R0OptD29-AprJKFFFPUXlPAtMtZxosCCHLJGff4svCX_C2AMMLWOXqhExvuUC0iYxHz3ZfLBro4M1PbOPY_TPsTzNQ/s1600/Paper+plates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1q1S784GU0tpHXicmZITd4GA9LbtxL4WpGOmTKkwH5F89R0OptD29-AprJKFFFPUXlPAtMtZxosCCHLJGff4svCX_C2AMMLWOXqhExvuUC0iYxHz3ZfLBro4M1PbOPY_TPsTzNQ/s1600/Paper+plates.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>The second part of spy training turned out to be the most dangerous. The idea was to have them hop from paper plate to paper plate, avoiding the booby-trapped ones. In retrospect, I shouldn't have set them up on our tile kitchen floor - too slippery! I ended up holding a few hands to make sure everyone could get across safely.<br />
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Part three was balancing on a 2x4 "balance beam" and pretending we were crossing from one rooftop to another.<br />
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Then finally, we had target practice with nerf guns and a target drawn on a white board. This was a big hit too, and while they were shooting I went inside to prep the next part of the activities. I hid the treasure chest in a pre-designated location and kicked off a treasure hunt. <br />
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When the kids came in to get their treasure and spy ID's, they found a room full of black balloons and a note that said they had to disarm the bombs to find the first clue that would lead them to our treasure. There were also various code-cracking tools available.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNoknUDm6H_jK0Wuhb6301C5J-y3VwnvwzXmdwsjfjWPw4dj2PlPmKh5caGI5voN6sWyuc8vF6Izb1D7H_uUyqRBg1sT-9X58V-mx606ez8jG6m9KfzFWOvpOOlXShw_qlLOlrg/s1600/Solving+clues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNoknUDm6H_jK0Wuhb6301C5J-y3VwnvwzXmdwsjfjWPw4dj2PlPmKh5caGI5voN6sWyuc8vF6Izb1D7H_uUyqRBg1sT-9X58V-mx606ez8jG6m9KfzFWOvpOOlXShw_qlLOlrg/s1600/Solving+clues.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>The first clue was a punch code. The clue was hidden in a balloon and they had to use the punch card laid over the clue to reveal the location of the next clue. Making the punch card was the hardest part of the whole party because we don't have a box cutter or straight edge razor.<br />
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The second clue was out under the windshield of the car, and the clue was printed in a very tiny, size 2 font. They had to use a magnifying glass to read it.<br />
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The next clue was hidden in Liv's dollhouse and used a mason cipher. I had prepped Liv on solving it ahead of time because I didn't think they'd be able to get it on their own. The key was with the other code-cracking tools.<br />
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That clue led to a reverse handwriting clue which they brought back to decode at a mirror.<br />
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The last clue was the hardest. It was written on a long thin strip of paper that I'd encoded by wrapping around a stick and then writing on. They didn't figure out how to use the stick, and then Olivia was able to unscramble the letters in her head to figure it out without the stick, so that was it for that clue.<br />
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After they found the treasure I divvy'd up the treats into their goodie bags, and then had the kids do an art project. I found a template online for spy disguises, and gave them paper plates to turn into masks. I also had glue, scissors, markers and googly eyes for them to use. While they worked on their projects, Olivia opened her presents, and then they went to do the laser course for the last couple of minutes before parents came for pick up. The timing worked out just right. It was the perfect amount of time for the size of the group and the number of activities.<br />
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Since we didn't have very many guests I was able to have a little extra fun with the goodie bags. The kids got flashlights, glasses/moustaches, mini magnifying glasses, spy notebooks and pencils, their spy ID cards and some treats, including pop rocks. As a kid I would have loved that goodie bag!<br />
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The whole thing took me about 8 hours of prep, 2 hours of shopping, 2 hours of party-time.... and I don't know how much for clean-up, since I was too tired to do that yet. ;) The goodie bags were under $30, and the only other expenses were some black balloons, red streamers and a thing of ice cream. I'm sure the whole party came to less than $50.<br />
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Almost none of the ideas for this party were my own. Thanks to all the great people on Pinterest for sharing so many fun spy party ideas and resources. Here are links to the ones I used:<br />
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<a href="http://chickenbabies.blogspot.com/2010/11/super-spy-training-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">Original spy party ideas on Chicken Babies</a><br />
<a href="http://chickenbabies.blogspot.com/2011/05/super-spy-identification-cards.html" target="_blank">Template for spy ID cards on Chicken Babies</a><br />
<a href="http://www.stitchcraftcreations.com/2012/09/11/spy-party/" target="_blank">Majority of the code ideas for the treasure hunt on Stitch/craft</a><br />
<a href="http://lisabrown.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/05/birthday-girl-part-2-super-secret-super-spy.html" target="_blank">The whole training course and a few code ideas at Lisa Brown</a><br />
<a href="http://whatarewedoingtodaymom.blogspot.com/2010/02/spy-birthday-party-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Loved these decorations at What are we doing today, Mom? (even though I didn't decorate)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/5ehs2p0lo1l9cld/Secret+Agent+B-day.pdf" target="_blank">Here's where I downloaded a free printable for the invitation and some labels. Mediafire - May have pop-ups.</a><br />
<a href="http://www.designhousedigital.com/content/blog/happy-april-fools-day/" target="_blank">Free download for disguise printable</a><br />
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<br />RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-80567308964538625262013-08-06T03:42:00.000-04:002013-08-06T03:42:04.116-04:00GoldenI spent tonight looking over my old posts here, when the kids were so little and I was so worried about not missing out on their childhoods. I wish I could go back and comfort New Mom Me and assure myself that it's going to be okay. There would be sad things, lost jobs and unfulfilled dreams of more kids. But so many great things were in store for us.<br />
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The kids are 9 and 5 now, and I haven't ruined them yet. In fact, this season of our lives is golden and bright. DD is such a joy. No longer the self-absorbed tantrum expert, she's turning into a lovely young lady that I love to be around. And DS is still sweet - a budding reader and busy thinker.<br />
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I finally have my dream of staying home with them and homeschooling. I don't know how long it will last, but I am trying to make the most of it. Six months ago I was overwhelmed by such a big change, and truth be told, I still am a little bit. We're going to be okay though, and I'm thinking about dusting off my little corner of the interwebs to chronicle our failures and successes. That way in 5 years when I wonder what life was like before teenagers, I can come back here and reminisce about our golden days.</div>
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Here's a new Mosaic of photos I like (interesting, I didn't realize I was drawn so much to the ones with water), and a link to my old one with i<a href="http://moregravycinderella.blogspot.com/2008/09/sneak-peek-at-my-soul.html" target="_blank">nstructions</a> for making your own:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">1. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacofoto/6450766945/">Ellisa</a>, 2. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85934826@N00/6292316012/">Cherry Huckleberry Pie</a>, 3. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottykyzer/5132455559/">Shelley Pretending To Be Not Bad</a>, 4. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnacorless/4575208158/">Teal Water Reflections</a>, 5. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36245568@N03/5983067541/">Chris Hemsworth 0840</a>, 6. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/papah_zymon/2460385019/">play II</a>, 7. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemelimelodeval/506384916/">Tenerife "Canary island" "Los Gigantes"</a>, 8. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakesandsundry/4380884218/">Peanut Butter Pie</a>, 9. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/venkatasaikrishna/9442639113/">Mother, Father and Sweet Child</a>, 10. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37470369@N07/4684420615/">Kids</a>, 11. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/actionatadistance/2872514527/">reading</a>, 12. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenjamesphotography/5312956331/">Rainy Day</a></span>
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RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-55398125413913341592012-02-08T03:54:00.000-05:002012-11-30T00:03:18.400-05:00More Christmas ElfI know the holidays are long past, but if I don't post these now I may never do it. Here are some more photos of the shenanigans Roger the Elf was involved in...<br />
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Roger's birthday (12/12) I found the idea for the cake on the same site as the tiny donuts: <a href="http://unconfidentialcook.com/2009/04/08/emmas-tiny-treats/" target="_blank">http://unconfidentialcook.com/2009/04/08/emmas-tiny-treats/</a></div>
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Roger teaching the toys about Christmas</div>
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Even elves must heed the call of nature. (This didn't work as well as I wanted. The green was gone by morning.)</div>
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This was fun - Roger brought the whole family tickets to a hockey game. He is wearing one of Ken's shirts, along with a hockey pin.</div>
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Feeling a little homesick, Roger spent the night in the freezer. His scarf is just a piece of napkin with stripes drawn on with a marker.</div>
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Feeling a little under the weather.</div>
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Roger got to play in real snow at Grandma's house. See his footprints and snow angel? It was below freezing that night, brrr!</div>
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There were quite a few times towards the end of December that the kids woke up to treats or little toys, especially once we went to Grandma's and there were a bunch of cousins to join the fun.<br />
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Roger got in a toy sled on Christmas Eve and caught a ride back to the North Pole with Santa. Just this morning though, Alex said, "Mom, what did you do with Roger?" I said he went to the North Pole and Alex said, "But Mom, he's not real! Where is he really?" :)<br />
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Click <a href="http://moregravycinderella.blogspot.com/2011/12/roger-elf.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see pictures of Roger's first couple of weeks at our house. RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-72047209939777275412011-12-08T04:55:00.004-05:002012-11-30T00:01:29.446-05:00Roger the ElfRoger is a Christmas elf that lives at our house and watches the kids during the day, then gets into mischief while everyone is asleep. He also reports back to Santa and makes naughty/nice recommendations to the big man.<br />
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I picked up a little DIY foam elf kit and the kids helped me put it together. We've been having fun with Roger the Elf ever since. Here are some of his adventures:<br />
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Made lunches for the kids of ridiculous foods<br />
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Played a board game with Barbie and Superman</center>
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Fell in love<br />
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Went on a few dates and left photos for the kids to find<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1x6_P-_rXLgHHBmFqhfaMZ0nNPIUmtiH8HWDnRKZRWxQjXjP2mQtay7dOBCysm35LRNAtV8k6dOYWrpR25m32ImbXmSKoqCK2yBn_UaLmnmkcNTW5hmMubg04maVTkiEzfv8_A/s1600/roger_IMG_4016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1x6_P-_rXLgHHBmFqhfaMZ0nNPIUmtiH8HWDnRKZRWxQjXjP2mQtay7dOBCysm35LRNAtV8k6dOYWrpR25m32ImbXmSKoqCK2yBn_UaLmnmkcNTW5hmMubg04maVTkiEzfv8_A/s320/roger_IMG_4016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sprinkled flour around his house (it's a Santa's Workshop box of Kleenix) and made snow angels<br />
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Toilet papered the kids' rooms<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N1aonazmksRPH_1U_x6xSflZl1ERVRYZoyPmWsqn1pxv9vv7FXps26T0w5IEKnPS2iRWcgVKdNnfwhcOW4WtYiHQIvxnfiNQ5gYAvhPQ6z-5qBYxJ_tcG4xSiPoZ2SHKtNEF9w/s1600/roger_IMG_4085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N1aonazmksRPH_1U_x6xSflZl1ERVRYZoyPmWsqn1pxv9vv7FXps26T0w5IEKnPS2iRWcgVKdNnfwhcOW4WtYiHQIvxnfiNQ5gYAvhPQ6z-5qBYxJ_tcG4xSiPoZ2SHKtNEF9w/s320/roger_IMG_4085.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Decorated our Christmas town with their underwear<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvlfutHpWDTYw_AH8HySEpaRVZy-U-IVhC4fR4j8gHgboVNQxcu-P04iU2ZX1L1Ea0L_JRHKCt3rye3UbuxM9X02tC_Zd7QH-EujNC8fbDtMuKspDIh7-g04YlnqARgaOk__oGQ/s1600/roger_IMG_4083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvlfutHpWDTYw_AH8HySEpaRVZy-U-IVhC4fR4j8gHgboVNQxcu-P04iU2ZX1L1Ea0L_JRHKCt3rye3UbuxM9X02tC_Zd7QH-EujNC8fbDtMuKspDIh7-g04YlnqARgaOk__oGQ/s320/roger_IMG_4083.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Invited the kids to a tea party<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclfW1o4Zdf23aWc7yc-7c1ViYxYQACsMCQdezqqN3kjcxTmIPsSpuRdsqmzyNeFX0rrVNbWDNaPhWNAiDvFh4XM8msZ8-r3-aMgBA1QH68YhG5NXxq19cRWYUaVMo8y4XATPWTg/s1600/roger_IMG_4093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclfW1o4Zdf23aWc7yc-7c1ViYxYQACsMCQdezqqN3kjcxTmIPsSpuRdsqmzyNeFX0rrVNbWDNaPhWNAiDvFh4XM8msZ8-r3-aMgBA1QH68YhG5NXxq19cRWYUaVMo8y4XATPWTg/s320/roger_IMG_4093.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The donut tea party is my favorite so far, those donuts were so tiny and cute! I made them out of Fruity Cheerios dipped in chocolate syrup/sprinkles, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Idea here: <a href="http://unconfidentialcook.com/2009/04/08/emmas-tiny-treats/" target="_blank">Emma's Tiny Treats</a>.<br />
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Most of these ideas only took me a minute, and when I'm really feeling lazy I just leave 2 Hershey kisses at Roger's feet. They like those mornings as much as they like his escapades. <br />
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Click <a href="http://moregravycinderella.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-christmas-elf.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> for my second post on Roger's adventures.RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-1433210036509077172011-12-08T04:17:00.000-05:002011-12-08T04:17:17.448-05:00Vegetarian Turkey<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmffywZRvb5DjCzUGwBOmkZtxTLFlRA2X8cnpqPM_eYqyL8b8wquPLKkiGFYA3CR13gISkc1HAUanIn252ge92uHpt2_AFyz3CjAUh_K-W_GfXpGz9VYSWOFgCv8Wlk6lv05a57A/s1600/IMG_4003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmffywZRvb5DjCzUGwBOmkZtxTLFlRA2X8cnpqPM_eYqyL8b8wquPLKkiGFYA3CR13gISkc1HAUanIn252ge92uHpt2_AFyz3CjAUh_K-W_GfXpGz9VYSWOFgCv8Wlk6lv05a57A/s320/IMG_4003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Made this to take to someone's house for Thanksgiving appetizers. It was easy and turned out so cute!</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-16958977541845063262011-08-25T05:35:00.003-04:002011-08-25T05:39:44.172-04:00Be Super!<br />
<center>Tomorrow Olivia starts second grade and Alex starts preschool, so it's a big day for both of them. I know they're a little apprehensive and I wanted to do something fun and memorable to help them get ready.<br />
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A <a href="http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/2009/08/feast-fit-for-2-queens.html">blogger I've long admired</a> writes every year about her family's back-to-school traditions. I followed her example and planned a family dinner with fun decorations, home-made crowns, fresh flowers, and a family motto for 2011.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH67ojOGwXnyBNV2WCXHVxY0PLQeKLYXeSyTYVUvslMFUzSbhC1W7n5aw4sRYQI6S8bUa8OXfGL9EfCPvnWg-TzyXOr26sm_5nBMvG_kcGmlHhuByvVW_XTKTPH_wx8LLNu1Pb7Q/s1600/superkids2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH67ojOGwXnyBNV2WCXHVxY0PLQeKLYXeSyTYVUvslMFUzSbhC1W7n5aw4sRYQI6S8bUa8OXfGL9EfCPvnWg-TzyXOr26sm_5nBMvG_kcGmlHhuByvVW_XTKTPH_wx8LLNu1Pb7Q/s320/superkids2.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5mvGyoW-QyRbimJweFUujRdotE8idZNIT1mhCVgz2F446RznHDzZu4b5VIXM0Q5eGbe0ilRR7l9UNSjY-ihfXpZLC25WS5RTnOrP2ewI6p_auRiRk_VQpr7lRGPbUrQw6VgVZg/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd_FFOo8z62BErJ53WiDVFXl6BtJ6EAHYxGGmBhS6TJHzt4tiZwtpoFA09uyAHcCgaLpC4a3iG94YPbVpDElzV_2yeon3wWg071HXidalDd71BirCYZ_r7h4eshnSNl1AyKBTBA/s1600/supercake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coming up with a motto was easier than I thought it would be: Alex loves superheroes and makes us all "play Batman" with him, and Mike and I work at a game company that makes a superhero game. I knew I wanted to encourage the kids to do their best, and eventually ended up with our family motto for this school year: Be Super!</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd_FFOo8z62BErJ53WiDVFXl6BtJ6EAHYxGGmBhS6TJHzt4tiZwtpoFA09uyAHcCgaLpC4a3iG94YPbVpDElzV_2yeon3wWg071HXidalDd71BirCYZ_r7h4eshnSNl1AyKBTBA/s1600/supercake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd_FFOo8z62BErJ53WiDVFXl6BtJ6EAHYxGGmBhS6TJHzt4tiZwtpoFA09uyAHcCgaLpC4a3iG94YPbVpDElzV_2yeon3wWg071HXidalDd71BirCYZ_r7h4eshnSNl1AyKBTBA/s320/supercake.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Dinner was simple, just pesto over tortellini (it's their favorite), and we talked about ways they can, "Be Super," this year at school.<br />
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The sides of the crowns didn't stay glued down, but the kids were both thrilled to get to wear a crown during dinner, and I wouldn't be surprised if Alex wants to wear his to school.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9vEpkVZSTedGxe3gklBZgCR6wUwufrQ1_ZCf4reGI-EkSFtv8aFft9-ieYB6tgGvXhU_G2ZHpkRJFDMIGx50BXkBRAkmCUmjYeG_laliSlbWTCgFjDIsPu-vZfH5l_fboh_1AA/s1600/superkidsmile.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9vEpkVZSTedGxe3gklBZgCR6wUwufrQ1_ZCf4reGI-EkSFtv8aFft9-ieYB6tgGvXhU_G2ZHpkRJFDMIGx50BXkBRAkmCUmjYeG_laliSlbWTCgFjDIsPu-vZfH5l_fboh_1AA/s320/superkidsmile.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Tomorrow when the kids walk out the door they'll see this little reminder on the wall:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS7xVrUNOlgLC8khQalNxv_DzxSx57JAzenHOnt6ogj_j-3tqVjKHP2PqM0DNn8m2mE6WfNxrWpby37BO3va93K7HK1Ob7sfzQzw38wqGUq_3kcUrdfc8jbOo3_8w2OvnUGA6Lw/s1600/superkids5x7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS7xVrUNOlgLC8khQalNxv_DzxSx57JAzenHOnt6ogj_j-3tqVjKHP2PqM0DNn8m2mE6WfNxrWpby37BO3va93K7HK1Ob7sfzQzw38wqGUq_3kcUrdfc8jbOo3_8w2OvnUGA6Lw/s320/superkids5x7.jpg" width="228" /></a><br />
And when they get to school they'll find this caped crusader in their lunch:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5mvGyoW-QyRbimJweFUujRdotE8idZNIT1mhCVgz2F446RznHDzZu4b5VIXM0Q5eGbe0ilRR7l9UNSjY-ihfXpZLC25WS5RTnOrP2ewI6p_auRiRk_VQpr7lRGPbUrQw6VgVZg/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5mvGyoW-QyRbimJweFUujRdotE8idZNIT1mhCVgz2F446RznHDzZu4b5VIXM0Q5eGbe0ilRR7l9UNSjY-ihfXpZLC25WS5RTnOrP2ewI6p_auRiRk_VQpr7lRGPbUrQw6VgVZg/s320/IMG_3796.JPG" width="240" /></a></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-34539872785034347802011-08-01T01:41:00.000-04:002011-08-01T01:41:46.875-04:004th of July - 2011<center>I just wanted to post a couple of pics from our trip to Idaho for the 4th of July:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3FO-erLs_Al28el4za_8fx93pU9X8ssfbaN4-F_1wgTDdeIi8iIGuT69DVSTi5e3-AKmNdIo1fOy0zteGSiaoFRP9rXcwdGufgrLA06Opu4BTKCi-onmji-fMLtMR-YAdhD5Aw/s1600/IMG_3420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3FO-erLs_Al28el4za_8fx93pU9X8ssfbaN4-F_1wgTDdeIi8iIGuT69DVSTi5e3-AKmNdIo1fOy0zteGSiaoFRP9rXcwdGufgrLA06Opu4BTKCi-onmji-fMLtMR-YAdhD5Aw/s320/IMG_3420.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> We spent the day with my Grandpa Rudd at his house on the lake. It was a beautiful day and we got there in time for lunch and then sent most of the kids and the dads out on a boat ride around the lake.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FpozHU6tQy_-Topjg1A0qp8jNEncB8PNTNMEfOfEpWy7FaP05grjJ9FURpqmy6RwTnUi8gdpWfF5P7wzU0UJu_PbaQAYBe2-NF8QduEYCcXiNE-IUhbMR9hcV23t5F4k_wb7Vg/s1600/IMG_3440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FpozHU6tQy_-Topjg1A0qp8jNEncB8PNTNMEfOfEpWy7FaP05grjJ9FURpqmy6RwTnUi8gdpWfF5P7wzU0UJu_PbaQAYBe2-NF8QduEYCcXiNE-IUhbMR9hcV23t5F4k_wb7Vg/s320/IMG_3440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The weather changed so fast though, and it started to rain... then Hail! It was a scary few moments for the moms back at the house as we saw the huge hail coming down all around and worried about our kids and husbands out on the boat.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1XYXN-XZeLF4McrR8ZZBp69nwDhx5TYZFU8XGHTvkq1D_0BV3-mTfuwaimZGeTK7HYNXc5FXYfPJo0YHPW4KNJmWYBY2yiI14m8SXv9yD10KgSgPoHOy-7grOvN5BznoepqwdA/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1XYXN-XZeLF4McrR8ZZBp69nwDhx5TYZFU8XGHTvkq1D_0BV3-mTfuwaimZGeTK7HYNXc5FXYfPJo0YHPW4KNJmWYBY2yiI14m8SXv9yD10KgSgPoHOy-7grOvN5BznoepqwdA/s320/IMG_3445.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> Everyone got back safely though, they said it didn't even hail where they were. The weather was nice for the rest of the evening.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRfNeqYCKCmA1uJrZIDSim4fbs_2pgWsO4gJb0mAC8eZ8t0kuJM23ULmaSuzpbSsmcMUPylQ-YvJvfcFc7yKbyXFacTPxPnTCMlLlPb8hDlL-L_UIFHm8VDN_TPatdx8yX6XfFw/s1600/IMG_3514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRfNeqYCKCmA1uJrZIDSim4fbs_2pgWsO4gJb0mAC8eZ8t0kuJM23ULmaSuzpbSsmcMUPylQ-YvJvfcFc7yKbyXFacTPxPnTCMlLlPb8hDlL-L_UIFHm8VDN_TPatdx8yX6XfFw/s320/IMG_3514.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Looking at bugs on this tree trunk.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjn9A_7Mi5HuruV-5fCB4lKAvCweYSsGv1bLDXdszXSiskcdL7yQR7-7w6HLI8Z2J61BFQrUVqtOXZVrCzE4d82cw5AnGGvHnBMQ0ai-HqlgXPkYQqH2OsZDbvGNALv_HPj3spQ/s1600/IMG_3517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjn9A_7Mi5HuruV-5fCB4lKAvCweYSsGv1bLDXdszXSiskcdL7yQR7-7w6HLI8Z2J61BFQrUVqtOXZVrCzE4d82cw5AnGGvHnBMQ0ai-HqlgXPkYQqH2OsZDbvGNALv_HPj3spQ/s320/IMG_3517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Alex and Mike exploring the lake.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qfa7VGy-9bUr36AW4NTMFBoAg2q6swYKRxLMqlDnumhBn-XjE4Q_B2V3AVtA7_mMO2plNjqtjg6sWLY1bksSNlEYEAuuhIzQDlQ6__qr_qiVMaRQSe0mGMnmTX9lxe2k2UxKRw/s1600/IMG_3524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qfa7VGy-9bUr36AW4NTMFBoAg2q6swYKRxLMqlDnumhBn-XjE4Q_B2V3AVtA7_mMO2plNjqtjg6sWLY1bksSNlEYEAuuhIzQDlQ6__qr_qiVMaRQSe0mGMnmTX9lxe2k2UxKRw/s320/IMG_3524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Here are my brothers and sister-in-law enjoying a fire (we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows) while we waited for it to get dark enough for fireworks. Grandpa's house is one of my favorite places to be. I have so many happy memories there.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtNMRcVs5PKTXBu2wvVAkwoPu0Wu9eY7jp8lP3j9LMs2uQ3SFoREELkiBe6cMOkyseGtNz0Hpl48r2-ndpxBfobi2PERe76-QQwU675llG1QQB2lPPutOdlMO2lAxTP_-gxjw4w/s1600/IMG_3538.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtNMRcVs5PKTXBu2wvVAkwoPu0Wu9eY7jp8lP3j9LMs2uQ3SFoREELkiBe6cMOkyseGtNz0Hpl48r2-ndpxBfobi2PERe76-QQwU675llG1QQB2lPPutOdlMO2lAxTP_-gxjw4w/s320/IMG_3538.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
There was a beautiful sunset that night. Of course my brother took this. He's so much better with my camera than I am!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9hmXxH36xSyMU67W3R-pNyf6F4UP2_8Wt55xGDb7bsN76416POFW9Mkjabwz1d_ARxHYEQAZujEiJ_iUNfhpi73kC1Z0JM2Em0CE7LLDFbBItbm-ItO_EIHbblfneltgz4OWlg/s1600/IMG_3551.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9hmXxH36xSyMU67W3R-pNyf6F4UP2_8Wt55xGDb7bsN76416POFW9Mkjabwz1d_ARxHYEQAZujEiJ_iUNfhpi73kC1Z0JM2Em0CE7LLDFbBItbm-ItO_EIHbblfneltgz4OWlg/s320/IMG_3551.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBy5nYtQ2wBgX6RXwLIZPrdR-UcH9p2rlIKj7vBPPJu3cPzcFMn5lwYx2Emm6lFl4Hr2e39iTwHmqwE1o4tUD0PMCVd45T8Y0d2MWOGrKHWRYoJGZi7IR2BcM-8MP8wmZm8ybPw/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>We stayed the night and went home the next day, back to the house in Shelley where I grew up. We had more fireworks - Alex loved them.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9FheRJzUh8eiSrWYCgnViNqE7A5ld0KlNr3NMT4eVkXsdc5N5gFxlg75wIaTas0kX-RNSWzQk48hq_zmrSUQ2ljw3ySleuIICyvsv_exCqOaj0RaZOqEzNArEDPvAJTl6f7jFQ/s1600/IMG_3598.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9FheRJzUh8eiSrWYCgnViNqE7A5ld0KlNr3NMT4eVkXsdc5N5gFxlg75wIaTas0kX-RNSWzQk48hq_zmrSUQ2ljw3ySleuIICyvsv_exCqOaj0RaZOqEzNArEDPvAJTl6f7jFQ/s320/IMG_3598.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtNMRcVs5PKTXBu2wvVAkwoPu0Wu9eY7jp8lP3j9LMs2uQ3SFoREELkiBe6cMOkyseGtNz0Hpl48r2-ndpxBfobi2PERe76-QQwU675llG1QQB2lPPutOdlMO2lAxTP_-gxjw4w/s1600/IMG_3538.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I wanted to show the kids the (semi) wild places where I used to play as a little girl and tell them stories about the canal where we weren't allowed to play (but we did anyway!), and about the time I hid in the fields to avoid a doctor visit.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBy5nYtQ2wBgX6RXwLIZPrdR-UcH9p2rlIKj7vBPPJu3cPzcFMn5lwYx2Emm6lFl4Hr2e39iTwHmqwE1o4tUD0PMCVd45T8Y0d2MWOGrKHWRYoJGZi7IR2BcM-8MP8wmZm8ybPw/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBy5nYtQ2wBgX6RXwLIZPrdR-UcH9p2rlIKj7vBPPJu3cPzcFMn5lwYx2Emm6lFl4Hr2e39iTwHmqwE1o4tUD0PMCVd45T8Y0d2MWOGrKHWRYoJGZi7IR2BcM-8MP8wmZm8ybPw/s320/IMG_3622.JPG" width="240" /></a> <br />
Even though I love where we live in California, it's all very developed where we are and it's just not the same. </center><center> <br />
I'm so glad when we can escape for a while.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9FheRJzUh8eiSrWYCgnViNqE7A5ld0KlNr3NMT4eVkXsdc5N5gFxlg75wIaTas0kX-RNSWzQk48hq_zmrSUQ2ljw3ySleuIICyvsv_exCqOaj0RaZOqEzNArEDPvAJTl6f7jFQ/s1600/IMG_3598.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXJNDL6fKDNsNDp2dJ_lXI9TeARZewTEkMH0AsMbQAEVU59US0eBqRpUG_2TdeQgGydX6ECpOIe0pYiGFQsh4xS-5F-zGDF0BLqj5czNx0uFNQdawFiqN9NR1g7KYY9QsHjxc4A/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXJNDL6fKDNsNDp2dJ_lXI9TeARZewTEkMH0AsMbQAEVU59US0eBqRpUG_2TdeQgGydX6ECpOIe0pYiGFQsh4xS-5F-zGDF0BLqj5czNx0uFNQdawFiqN9NR1g7KYY9QsHjxc4A/s320/IMG_3617.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
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</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-79304391187662585892011-06-15T03:47:00.000-04:002011-06-15T03:47:44.176-04:00Two Poemsby Olivia<br />
<br />
<u>ho Skrap</u><br />
I love you!<br />
Your tikle wiskrs<br />
Your vary fun<br />
You look so cute!<br />
<br />
<u>ho Brokle</u><br />
I hate you!<br />
You tast so gros<br />
I have to eat<br />
you or I can not<br />
have dezrt!RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-37377557945339884912011-05-30T22:30:00.000-04:002011-05-30T22:30:36.671-04:00Happy Memorial DayToday we went to a park for a church picnic. The kids had SO much fun. Olivia got to play with her friends, explore a creek, get pushed on a rope swing and eat treats. Alex tried to keep up (except on the rope swing)!<br />
<br />
We were there for about 5 hours, so by the time we got home it was time for dinner. I made some corn on the cob and had to take this picture of Olivia trying to eat her corn without her front teeth. It's been over a year that she hasn't had front teeth and I have to admire how she has adapted to the inconvenience without a single complaint.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbk0Cb-OqNGju_kTH_fwh2cq2qRtHFf8aqR9CQ2sCNtZ0rF8zxVck0GxF5PF1f3EVoZwc-gCQP4QN_nMF6A-ks5J4M-KHq_4SQbwlBCjd_nyPASas_Mq0djXkoryCUVYTO9CjDOw/s1600/IMG_3294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbk0Cb-OqNGju_kTH_fwh2cq2qRtHFf8aqR9CQ2sCNtZ0rF8zxVck0GxF5PF1f3EVoZwc-gCQP4QN_nMF6A-ks5J4M-KHq_4SQbwlBCjd_nyPASas_Mq0djXkoryCUVYTO9CjDOw/s320/IMG_3294.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Alex was supposed to go in the bathroom and get ready for a bath. Usually he celebrates liberation from clothing by running all over the house, but tonight it was strangely quiet. This is what I saw when I went to check on him. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6bglhn4lnFoW0kgAxUqwoDzQM8w7ry_zqEWJ0NFhfK0xIJnZ_yr-TVyFAbd94f4OxHT9T0EYhoQ3WJAuaRTP-ZRhJAQEZHioUHfZ-ExR3td8llAEeeZuVoc6bjMDFCzLQZNaWw/s1600/IMG_3286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6bglhn4lnFoW0kgAxUqwoDzQM8w7ry_zqEWJ0NFhfK0xIJnZ_yr-TVyFAbd94f4OxHT9T0EYhoQ3WJAuaRTP-ZRhJAQEZHioUHfZ-ExR3td8llAEeeZuVoc6bjMDFCzLQZNaWw/s320/IMG_3286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Looks like he got one shoe off before he had to take a little nap on the side of the tub.<br />
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Sure do love these guys!RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-79460089211607952142010-11-06T03:42:00.005-04:002010-11-06T04:11:20.635-04:00Halloween 2010The kids got to go trick-or-treating a couple of times this year. On Friday night they went with a good friend to our church Halloween carnival. Olivia was a bride and Alex was Buzz Lightyear. Olivia loved getting to wear make-up!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj4rsIVRjFNAvvZoLWRHOcHYrxP6WFYeATAL5F6ZGNMKLQm6Jk8cENA9cBzY8rL2R0tHoqIb3TmSpBEjdOFrY4_Hbo1-FH2cpoDk6UedNlKuLg26yCa2md-qRnVLLQvIBSVhdOQ/s1600/IMG_1900.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj4rsIVRjFNAvvZoLWRHOcHYrxP6WFYeATAL5F6ZGNMKLQm6Jk8cENA9cBzY8rL2R0tHoqIb3TmSpBEjdOFrY4_Hbo1-FH2cpoDk6UedNlKuLg26yCa2md-qRnVLLQvIBSVhdOQ/s320/IMG_1900.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536340502151469794" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4mBIj8_DWDbM171N3Vnp_74EeJgWm8ETI7tBplFD_qxbihozVQbOlsbM-e-1FuYnRoQuwcN2uoh8xDlw_Uq3c3tkDrB1WciZ3y2gUVyD25sKBmotR86wKvm4ZqTvRZJx4JUq3Q/s1600/IMG_1892.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4mBIj8_DWDbM171N3Vnp_74EeJgWm8ETI7tBplFD_qxbihozVQbOlsbM-e-1FuYnRoQuwcN2uoh8xDlw_Uq3c3tkDrB1WciZ3y2gUVyD25sKBmotR86wKvm4ZqTvRZJx4JUq3Q/s320/IMG_1892.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536342075526667826" /></a><br />On Sunday we took the kids to a few houses in the neighborhood. Liv was Batgirl and Alex was Spiderman.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurv_4fKPDLESjOvoHgtrY8Zgw9dgqGU9GpYc3xZUC5K00cKgcYAkYtSRBoy_ZPHyTHu9VNfkZtZd6rx4ZsyCoh04LEdtSwPfaeD946HBz6B9chWlFEh1rkJfDmCSiQLQFz0Bq5g/s1600/IMG_1911.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurv_4fKPDLESjOvoHgtrY8Zgw9dgqGU9GpYc3xZUC5K00cKgcYAkYtSRBoy_ZPHyTHu9VNfkZtZd6rx4ZsyCoh04LEdtSwPfaeD946HBz6B9chWlFEh1rkJfDmCSiQLQFz0Bq5g/s320/IMG_1911.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536345472298303458" /></a><br />One cute thing was that Alex got his first bag of candy and moved on to the next spot. When he got there they held out their candy bowl for him to pick one, and Alex tried to put the candy he'd just gotten into their bowl. =)RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-22664203305471889652010-08-26T04:05:00.008-04:002010-08-26T04:33:49.174-04:00Santa Cruz<center>Mike and I took the kids to Santa Cruz a couple of weeks ago. Olivia loved it. She played in the water, dug in the sand, chased birds and had an overall great time. She was an absolute joy to have at the beach.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2yZ_LAO6fYK2o2MSYw7GWj6_Ml4J6lTzUtXtAer1hihQArlevppQfC5w1IsuKpPZEPjl5ppZU7bkhIvCxfRqHiSU5t46AL7c4vqcrFcNn0V709tvSkhhijKqLOCNahe_PMxD7A/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2yZ_LAO6fYK2o2MSYw7GWj6_Ml4J6lTzUtXtAer1hihQArlevppQfC5w1IsuKpPZEPjl5ppZU7bkhIvCxfRqHiSU5t46AL7c4vqcrFcNn0V709tvSkhhijKqLOCNahe_PMxD7A/s320/IMG_1449.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509628466439878066" /></a><br />To say Alex isn't a huge fan of large quantities of sand or water would be an understatement. However, he can't get enough baseball so we distracted him from how much he hates beaches and oceans until he forgot himself and started having fun.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLxgMW9jYwd4UwZYBDoNA-kSQkmDoc39Zb4DjNxQJynzegQQyE44vO4ej1fAW71Uy3BGijeFpJzW7T_O3wXyJqh6fOcS2UJp5n_WqdWUUpCRFuNjxhPwHkRBNWa0wCQY8B1Du8g/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLxgMW9jYwd4UwZYBDoNA-kSQkmDoc39Zb4DjNxQJynzegQQyE44vO4ej1fAW71Uy3BGijeFpJzW7T_O3wXyJqh6fOcS2UJp5n_WqdWUUpCRFuNjxhPwHkRBNWa0wCQY8B1Du8g/s320/IMG_1392.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509629033748038354" /></a><br />The boardwalk was garish and crowded and overpriced, but still fun to see.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL0ckBAIZ6XECqCXI4zTsMbaJYHl1abZ6VwVbg5vq3NqZ1btKBtchCYzeL-oc9UDgOjjsC4KNNn2WWhHvhzFtD53iJXAFi8C0lK0rixdT0tjz1tvzQv8eL7cPXf7z9GbO99M1nA/s1600/IMG_1493.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL0ckBAIZ6XECqCXI4zTsMbaJYHl1abZ6VwVbg5vq3NqZ1btKBtchCYzeL-oc9UDgOjjsC4KNNn2WWhHvhzFtD53iJXAFi8C0lK0rixdT0tjz1tvzQv8eL7cPXf7z9GbO99M1nA/s320/IMG_1493.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509630068198113170" /></a><br />Afterwards we went to a yummy restaurant with an amazing view (we sat outside in the perfect weather, but I liked this image). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9fBTDIiOQMcE3On477U6BQgTDK7_3dIaBEi_lbOzdmZz3AfsZtqotEcZKajAFzVp3cAUVqQnPD7HPqQEJ2uQaXqBMgGx-7pHSeJAo1sNdW4MVULDqG1fSiZdSC3mkkc_F_A-Og/s1600/restaurantview.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9fBTDIiOQMcE3On477U6BQgTDK7_3dIaBEi_lbOzdmZz3AfsZtqotEcZKajAFzVp3cAUVqQnPD7HPqQEJ2uQaXqBMgGx-7pHSeJAo1sNdW4MVULDqG1fSiZdSC3mkkc_F_A-Og/s320/restaurantview.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509631728973213906" /></a><br />Liv got an upset tummy and Alex threw pancakes at the seagulls, attracting an aggressive bird mob, yet it still managed to be a satisfying close to a lovely day spent celebrating our 6th anniversary.</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-36450755111670460132010-08-19T06:10:00.003-04:002010-08-19T06:26:46.442-04:00Smelly Lunchboxes<center>Last spring while I was learning how to pack school lunches, Olivia was practicing how to spill food into the lunchbox. Her lunchbox was a soft bag that looked something like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjpzE97oXouhxy9gJA2d0KGednqNqQqA4jTbpOAcuixxma-YpmW8UcA8OOuIZNzRb5NMYPJLdVs4_1FxtMf-QuMB8fYxPz7sx24E3gb3FX3JcDdh3LEOKql_P4004WLXE3zyxLw/s1600/lunchbox+Lands_End_Backpacks_3_300.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjpzE97oXouhxy9gJA2d0KGednqNqQqA4jTbpOAcuixxma-YpmW8UcA8OOuIZNzRb5NMYPJLdVs4_1FxtMf-QuMB8fYxPz7sx24E3gb3FX3JcDdh3LEOKql_P4004WLXE3zyxLw/s320/lunchbox+Lands_End_Backpacks_3_300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507063159390088578" /></a><br />After just a week or so of using it, I noticed it was smelly.<br /><br />I'd been wiping or shaking it out every night, but I hadn't realized how smelly and gunked up the crevice that goes around the interior seams can be. I won't even tell you how gross it can get.<br /><br />Despite my best efforts to keep the bag clean, there was no way I could keep up with the child that insisted on bringing home a half-eaten yogurt with no lid, loose in her lunch box.<br /><br />Luckily, Liv was only in school for 5 weeks, and the smelly lunchbox went into the trash soon after.<br /><br />This year I'm looking for something insulated, easy to clean, and preferably with a shoulder strap. Anyone have any suggestions?<br /></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-20360112225202649372010-06-21T03:36:00.005-04:002010-06-21T03:51:44.542-04:00Baseball Game<center>Our church offered tickets to a family baseball night last week for a Giants v. Orioles game in San Francisco. The stadium was really nice and we had a great time. The kids especially loved getting a big bag of cotton candy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3VIStNTTGWAIaW5qq4ENl1kCffVEcJupJvcX3IauDS8zjxlCjh6_SlxltgIS3ItXrKudM8fFhkn8Axss5i3N1dhcNlM5soSOoX1F949qXAlfX2ngi-_NVQKHcA8pIHPdTWSArw/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3VIStNTTGWAIaW5qq4ENl1kCffVEcJupJvcX3IauDS8zjxlCjh6_SlxltgIS3ItXrKudM8fFhkn8Axss5i3N1dhcNlM5soSOoX1F949qXAlfX2ngi-_NVQKHcA8pIHPdTWSArw/s320/IMG_1240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485129651207607090" border="0" /></a>The tickets gave us free admission and 5 free rides at the county(?) fair next door to the stadium so we spent a little time there before the game.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldhPfKz1ebq30-eFJJrm-lJTEsvKn20VDTiygBQ-4vfqHpewdXGXpjg1ZfAMmV8aavnNCOYEHmmBKwoMdmG99LixN_wcvS2nmUhlXIbbNhOWVLmOAX8VTiAB1YHGDuNlVi7jrjg/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldhPfKz1ebq30-eFJJrm-lJTEsvKn20VDTiygBQ-4vfqHpewdXGXpjg1ZfAMmV8aavnNCOYEHmmBKwoMdmG99LixN_wcvS2nmUhlXIbbNhOWVLmOAX8VTiAB1YHGDuNlVi7jrjg/s320/IMG_1222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485129096838256610" border="0" /></a>Mike had told me it might be cold, but I stubbornly refused to believe him. I knew we were in for trouble when I saw people going into the stadium, staggering under the weight of their sweatshirts, wool blankets, and space heaters. Ah well, lesson learned. The kids were too excited to worry about the temperature anyway. Or maybe all that cotton candy kept them warm. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh1S0zH5J5SyCCzAKBRyX99USRUAVs3jL-zTauPpWw1qiXpqoMfRJBlNIUdFqjcaJzid4MxU4DJTW0L3PhqL_7PQA0bdplbMXvmKZCS1o5rFKG14nlZ4X7vtMTSWyEmLdAl2aeQ/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh1S0zH5J5SyCCzAKBRyX99USRUAVs3jL-zTauPpWw1qiXpqoMfRJBlNIUdFqjcaJzid4MxU4DJTW0L3PhqL_7PQA0bdplbMXvmKZCS1o5rFKG14nlZ4X7vtMTSWyEmLdAl2aeQ/s320/IMG_1229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485130580600082578" border="0" /></a><br /></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-81834619870300664272010-06-09T04:30:00.008-04:002010-06-09T05:09:00.261-04:00A Stroll in the Park<center>Last weekend we took the kids and met up with friends in Golden Gate Park. This photo is Olivia trying to fly the smallest kite in the world. My favorite part is that in the background there's a yoga class in session. There was a little bit of everything at that park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VWakkRm75a85dyIGpg2czg0V1-wHDz3kJPMJD-bUG2oqtlDHat-HLsuIPHaOW0sdmEwnAdtk7xmUfHSWLWipxq9MW-5BrMDbJQ4GCpKr4yi5Ech33jqyXe0Lwv-Bo20KA6VY0Q/s1600/IMG_1166.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VWakkRm75a85dyIGpg2czg0V1-wHDz3kJPMJD-bUG2oqtlDHat-HLsuIPHaOW0sdmEwnAdtk7xmUfHSWLWipxq9MW-5BrMDbJQ4GCpKr4yi5Ech33jqyXe0Lwv-Bo20KA6VY0Q/s320/IMG_1166.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480691590442911266" /></a><br />It was our first time seeing the ocean since we got here which was fun (though this photo is technically the Bay). <br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELhNzvQQwrud1ygCCQjMqCAYPDPzvGovMEZppv7WjHhxCa9aykoMoKI-z43G0pwdaSp_9qxFrR9XIlb5Zzh6eXElQleNCMXbBUUXFvOIRZUX7fRJuRjHLoUziFc7AWDI3f2Ra6A/s1600/IMG_1176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELhNzvQQwrud1ygCCQjMqCAYPDPzvGovMEZppv7WjHhxCa9aykoMoKI-z43G0pwdaSp_9qxFrR9XIlb5Zzh6eXElQleNCMXbBUUXFvOIRZUX7fRJuRjHLoUziFc7AWDI3f2Ra6A/s320/IMG_1176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480691025493728466" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't get many photos that day: no one would hold still! We had a lot of fun at the park and then driving around the city afterwards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPnDoIyVHSQ0zVpcOJBRyiJsDqqMJswTpXGncQBtnFSf4ZmNMEIf0N6cseNbAKmPV4yVQGvmfsCZwtbx3BQ5l3f9aAlMMnWLnvEFvPZ94gfLj2VBU6cWrUHmKsCYg6kggBy3lPw/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPnDoIyVHSQ0zVpcOJBRyiJsDqqMJswTpXGncQBtnFSf4ZmNMEIf0N6cseNbAKmPV4yVQGvmfsCZwtbx3BQ5l3f9aAlMMnWLnvEFvPZ94gfLj2VBU6cWrUHmKsCYg6kggBy3lPw/s320/IMG_1154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480690762919480370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My sister and I decided to start a new blog for fun. It's called <a href="http://twoseparatedsisters.blogspot.com/">City Mouse, Country Mouse </a> and it's about the differences between our lives right now.<br /></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-47053428858462044172010-03-04T13:16:00.003-05:002010-03-04T13:26:00.618-05:00Courage<center>Some days<br />there aren't any<br />trumpets,<br />Just a lot of Dragons.<br /><br />Courage doesn't always roar.<br /><br />Sometimes Courage is the quiet voice<br />at the end of the day saying,<br />"I will try again tomorrow."<br /><br />Simply persisting is sometimes<br />the most Courageous<br />act of all.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVW6dUxO6ABEmVtyt3LEXTj5xhjQ6pOqOAA6GrEYp9vq5DWEqMXiArgZxz-vuejsrbUfJgoQuK3MC85oW5yZquWV9xcwMbdRu0iyTo73ZqbpGk49AN-X7nIioqyT2HTApx4iWJA/s1600-h/Courage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVW6dUxO6ABEmVtyt3LEXTj5xhjQ6pOqOAA6GrEYp9vq5DWEqMXiArgZxz-vuejsrbUfJgoQuK3MC85oW5yZquWV9xcwMbdRu0iyTo73ZqbpGk49AN-X7nIioqyT2HTApx4iWJA/s400/Courage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444846274179387426" border="0" /></a><br /></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-81243444965107002362010-02-13T12:44:00.007-05:002010-02-13T13:04:30.812-05:00Big Cinderella<center>When Olivia was three she was in love with all things Cinderella, so when some friends offered us this child-sized doll we took them up on it. "Big Cinderella" joined our family on Christmas morning, about three weeks before Alexander came along.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAazjW1iDaN0rgxcmmJk8OpQfS6WuamFdf0xkNy6g0ImToNcQNVwCzUjpxmGxxPQVglxvdh0uy_YkEHSJB-gKMq8o_bm7W3rwX-a-iLdYNcc3by2ntjQuwweRoPYAhr-5IHbbrw/s1600-h/bigcinderella1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAazjW1iDaN0rgxcmmJk8OpQfS6WuamFdf0xkNy6g0ImToNcQNVwCzUjpxmGxxPQVglxvdh0uy_YkEHSJB-gKMq8o_bm7W3rwX-a-iLdYNcc3by2ntjQuwweRoPYAhr-5IHbbrw/s320/bigcinderella1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437786431979891490" border="0" /></a><br />She's been a pretty fun toy, especially because her clothes are made to fit children, so Liv could swap outfits with her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxN4LCm-UpfLb5ZywLXZYNr8hbhcRvd5yCAk1FHREcaEgHguNIHY2qTBqRZeb8NpCxLoNKa6Kp_zlnXVPkJ76-9RjFD1bs-686Ct_AawXpQpdI7458OM_omEajY0AR-qczLY1Ow/s1600-h/bigcinderella2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxN4LCm-UpfLb5ZywLXZYNr8hbhcRvd5yCAk1FHREcaEgHguNIHY2qTBqRZeb8NpCxLoNKa6Kp_zlnXVPkJ76-9RjFD1bs-686Ct_AawXpQpdI7458OM_omEajY0AR-qczLY1Ow/s320/bigcinderella2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437787264466077090" border="0" /></a><br />Sometimes though, she's a little creepy. I’ll feel like someone’s watching me and see her out of the corner of my eye, not realizing for a second it’s just Big Cinderella. Or I’ll walk into an empty room after the kids are in bed and she’ll catch me off guard. Like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4flyC52UkXB2cAejse223vHFbpRcRbIL3TZlQtkE4iHnq_vVMo61QV8trURxrd9L5SzHaFmtmNRlTEo261bjHY0fmhIzXvQXE_cfd_lEt1FBo6cZ0MI8NC3RrVRu7mb1PPqZdCg/s1600-h/bigcinderella4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4flyC52UkXB2cAejse223vHFbpRcRbIL3TZlQtkE4iHnq_vVMo61QV8trURxrd9L5SzHaFmtmNRlTEo261bjHY0fmhIzXvQXE_cfd_lEt1FBo6cZ0MI8NC3RrVRu7mb1PPqZdCg/s320/bigcinderella4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437789542703544338" border="0" /></a><br />A few days ago the kids were playing Cinderella Ball, and I told Xander to dance with her so I could take their picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswP_kGbLfIpZV_o2A7h2X2AGU6RNzA43YsvFXSobdsCZf3LM5jz89GVvx4r_1If1nQimVCQdtf4DtzK9Fbmm2IFB4mVHI5lsRVDUc_5BzOsvPMFR6KZtx-Pxq4AnK7n_jDWNePA/s1600-h/bigcinderella5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswP_kGbLfIpZV_o2A7h2X2AGU6RNzA43YsvFXSobdsCZf3LM5jz89GVvx4r_1If1nQimVCQdtf4DtzK9Fbmm2IFB4mVHI5lsRVDUc_5BzOsvPMFR6KZtx-Pxq4AnK7n_jDWNePA/s320/bigcinderella5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437789773904469874" border="0" /></a>He is so not going to Prom. Ever.</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-48133448454807323762010-02-07T10:53:00.015-05:002010-02-07T11:38:34.422-05:00Snowpocalypse 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVT5IpoIHBpuXJmhZ5Fu1CZlCLBRr0UVvTwlOukSp-FyL6lR9ubMSQXVlNJ5AetGbZO2EGi9XuNQwLTNviYFbSQrstFXrGjlcZGgfDOj5kAyBLS9kAmu6XxKskn-GcwMARHFxThw/s1600-h/snowtree4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVT5IpoIHBpuXJmhZ5Fu1CZlCLBRr0UVvTwlOukSp-FyL6lR9ubMSQXVlNJ5AetGbZO2EGi9XuNQwLTNviYFbSQrstFXrGjlcZGgfDOj5kAyBLS9kAmu6XxKskn-GcwMARHFxThw/s400/snowtree4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435533831341132498" border="0" /></a><br /><center>Here are some pictures taken during and after the huge snowstorm we had this weekend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRBmvfkpZR9WHtbT7_bmQ-VNMDqnlvH2VMdZugIiQMpJXb6qNoNFwkvjuxMqiKXWI6GnKTGAb2n1do-zTXDpeHV0OrsyShyARSbbzMMxcyAMjglDk5LgjRC9ilgFxW4NFBqBuSQ/s1600-h/snowpocalypse1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRBmvfkpZR9WHtbT7_bmQ-VNMDqnlvH2VMdZugIiQMpJXb6qNoNFwkvjuxMqiKXWI6GnKTGAb2n1do-zTXDpeHV0OrsyShyARSbbzMMxcyAMjglDk5LgjRC9ilgFxW4NFBqBuSQ/s320/snowpocalypse1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435534807629215762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOM74Wl-Nbh0iNQr4Ywjv-wxeaAL83TwgabNdSMMnl2gBBj_aR1AGrB0A61PQ_dqQDMyRcPq0LY5saUl9KYaWsAc9JJUHi1jUYPUyxDJ4ijdhdtmacfckxewTF-gbqDTqTSzkgQ/s1600-h/snowpocalypse8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOM74Wl-Nbh0iNQr4Ywjv-wxeaAL83TwgabNdSMMnl2gBBj_aR1AGrB0A61PQ_dqQDMyRcPq0LY5saUl9KYaWsAc9JJUHi1jUYPUyxDJ4ijdhdtmacfckxewTF-gbqDTqTSzkgQ/s400/snowpocalypse8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435537268372928210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYZITJ_xYRGCeHhmwRTHyqxTEfwWt7zzbdQLRagJDjlBktYJVMaOeV2J6Fpefio-tgAR85R2uToBZfXwMCVq8YSdhBuvu8s15PnMHe_Yy0bJA2LenuOxdE77JDcTvTfOhv-BZjA/s1600-h/snowpocalypse3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYZITJ_xYRGCeHhmwRTHyqxTEfwWt7zzbdQLRagJDjlBktYJVMaOeV2J6Fpefio-tgAR85R2uToBZfXwMCVq8YSdhBuvu8s15PnMHe_Yy0bJA2LenuOxdE77JDcTvTfOhv-BZjA/s320/snowpocalypse3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435534423648562802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ugyCQnq8zxvEjALzJExxqbF1bX8rcBooEPSiJ6V1GsRv8gs7OYIX51aGxYj6zWxf6tw2SlfAXkOeEkXXotb-b25rKNKffoyijYbkLNz4O-leTxPls_UGG2gzHHWOOjzUw0afPA/s1600-h/snowpocalypse4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ugyCQnq8zxvEjALzJExxqbF1bX8rcBooEPSiJ6V1GsRv8gs7OYIX51aGxYj6zWxf6tw2SlfAXkOeEkXXotb-b25rKNKffoyijYbkLNz4O-leTxPls_UGG2gzHHWOOjzUw0afPA/s320/snowpocalypse4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435539074668649554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq7LKaYhkf0xMK0dMPM0UFqefRSNGlilMVALI8bfh9bz8FjvpUEDTDhvAJrAzLuzxwQyST9oMi4CSNnCgcCpDsm9a0LG33bDcc8kWVSTEtBsK3eAHyv9yxLh_qQS32xNW8rID_w/s1600-h/snowpocalypse2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq7LKaYhkf0xMK0dMPM0UFqefRSNGlilMVALI8bfh9bz8FjvpUEDTDhvAJrAzLuzxwQyST9oMi4CSNnCgcCpDsm9a0LG33bDcc8kWVSTEtBsK3eAHyv9yxLh_qQS32xNW8rID_w/s320/snowpocalypse2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435534601381260738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzaX1Kw1_yMJv5lCJ8CiIneJoKwT9kIH-wGFPdriYbdRRUAB-66xDDebxg0a0e8LKb3q7ImyanOwK8eH6TGTBx0_7xlhSsqk6wB7sKQiNtcp2qdz7N-ZFeiallXquM7fWzck3VQ/s1600-h/snowpocalypse5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzaX1Kw1_yMJv5lCJ8CiIneJoKwT9kIH-wGFPdriYbdRRUAB-66xDDebxg0a0e8LKb3q7ImyanOwK8eH6TGTBx0_7xlhSsqk6wB7sKQiNtcp2qdz7N-ZFeiallXquM7fWzck3VQ/s320/snowpocalypse5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435535115647772082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3SrCKtbA9NE-vDSeMinsDDcfs7ljfE6mkutx8x8HQ50VhO9K1tokp0-U-I7xvGXkvSf6DZ_gKN0K17UhbH64ip4KhoYgm0XU5GwNA0PI5g0QMSexBinwZmUZK2QHDEVbOS_K0A/s1600-h/snowpocalypse9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3SrCKtbA9NE-vDSeMinsDDcfs7ljfE6mkutx8x8HQ50VhO9K1tokp0-U-I7xvGXkvSf6DZ_gKN0K17UhbH64ip4KhoYgm0XU5GwNA0PI5g0QMSexBinwZmUZK2QHDEVbOS_K0A/s400/snowpocalypse9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435540639436287714" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-63912569911879495922010-02-06T16:33:00.013-05:002010-02-06T17:28:42.284-05:00Sugar on SnowA couple of excerpts from "Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder:<br /><br />"Grandma stood by the brass kettle and with the big wooden spoon she poured hot syrup on each plate of snow. It cooled into soft candy, and as fast as it cooled, they ate it. They could eat all they wanted, for maple sugar never hurt anybody."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTAf4qBpE5wuxj5GXB0t3mbuwO1TD2CbauaxANeUfYROjgd52LzKY5RqwlpNG-DyRFNHIpcM73yOFVNRo-o6OEfHa3fPJdJ1gPb1Am02Pg0nxqz2vDDMis3UexW-7-GImvVUGAg/s1600-h/sugarsnow1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTAf4qBpE5wuxj5GXB0t3mbuwO1TD2CbauaxANeUfYROjgd52LzKY5RqwlpNG-DyRFNHIpcM73yOFVNRo-o6OEfHa3fPJdJ1gPb1Am02Pg0nxqz2vDDMis3UexW-7-GImvVUGAg/s320/sugarsnow1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435252909569613330" border="0" /></a><br />"One morning [Ma] boiled molasses and sugar together until they made a thick syrup, and Pa brought in two pans of clean, white snow from outdoors. Laura and Mary each had a pan, and Pa and Ma showed them how to pour the dark syrup in little streams onto the snow. They made circles, and curlicues, and squiggledy things, and these hardened at once and were candy."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cy06x8uSn5lblUiZwzqLMwrtfXkM9xMQY6nCDCb7CQsV-5-eL6K-FjjeUufqrgQjzp1GjMyIsVKBxYJgt9VSUokLX61Qdi9toxUB7ZPNjEr2iNKrmF8PV8YRskuDoab-cSmpoA/s1600-h/sugarsnow3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cy06x8uSn5lblUiZwzqLMwrtfXkM9xMQY6nCDCb7CQsV-5-eL6K-FjjeUufqrgQjzp1GjMyIsVKBxYJgt9VSUokLX61Qdi9toxUB7ZPNjEr2iNKrmF8PV8YRskuDoab-cSmpoA/s320/sugarsnow3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435253183226703090" border="0" /></a><br />I've always wanted to make maple sugar candy, and today while Alexander was napping Olivia and I gave it a try. It was pretty tasty, and especially fun thinking about pioneer children who might not have had any treats other than this.<br /><br />We boiled 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup and 1/2 T of butter in a pan with a candy thermometer until it was about 240F. Then I poured it on a pan of clean snow. Once on the snow it cooled immediately and we were able to try it. It was a lot of fun to eat, even though it made our teeth stick together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAucvA6m-XoD1X_kwt6LoNXJCTGsQEjEDygSJprL8qmIhUkx7uyJhuv-DmXDCeUszMW7Yg6sKUPbQBds-y9lTYuW4z94hfhDIGAOUPzojquRbPP2EwjyuICXo9Ty39RJTqw9dWXQ/s1600-h/sugarsnow4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAucvA6m-XoD1X_kwt6LoNXJCTGsQEjEDygSJprL8qmIhUkx7uyJhuv-DmXDCeUszMW7Yg6sKUPbQBds-y9lTYuW4z94hfhDIGAOUPzojquRbPP2EwjyuICXo9Ty39RJTqw9dWXQ/s320/sugarsnow4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435259077131404082" border="0" /></a><center>It's a fun way to spend an afternoon with your kids when you're snowed in by 2' of snow!</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-3274699262670325422010-02-05T20:12:00.014-05:002010-02-05T21:42:21.731-05:00Silly GirlI've been writing down some of the funny things Olivia has said over the past couple of years, and decided to post them here. I'm also including a few of the more interesting outfits she's come up with. I'm not sure which is more amusing!<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh7_nTgZR0CQ431HN3kkeKrEVuVnM1lN_wpEr83fGnOdJ7Sj9mUCvC3nKb2S3rHJ9phMsPjmaGWgy6y4FuRB_A1L0TTxW3ixkV5ladvNPQ2DM_w8OB5Qq1lJsU4KTPqi1Iik32A/s1600-h/outfit5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh7_nTgZR0CQ431HN3kkeKrEVuVnM1lN_wpEr83fGnOdJ7Sj9mUCvC3nKb2S3rHJ9phMsPjmaGWgy6y4FuRB_A1L0TTxW3ixkV5ladvNPQ2DM_w8OB5Qq1lJsU4KTPqi1Iik32A/s320/outfit5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434941272448178066" border="0" /></a>We asked Olivia what it takes to be a big sister and she told us, "Strong muscles."<br /><br />Tonight I made spaghetti with sausage for dinner. I asked Liv what her favorite part was and she said, "The sau-shits."<br /><br />After telling Olivia the reason we have Easter she asked, "Why do we find eggs for Jesus?"<br /><br /><br />Liv: "I'm putting my tongue-lick in the baby's hair."<br /><br />When I asked her why she was pulling out her hair:<br />Liv: "I'm picking flowers for you Mama."<br />Me: "Um, that is really gross, Please. Stop."<br />Liv: "Here, smell my hair flowers."<br /><br />She wanted to know where crocodiles live so I told her in Florida. She looked at me and said, "like Florida, Fauna and Merriweather?"<br /><br />After she watched a gang drive by on their Harleys, Liv said, "When I get bigger I want to be a motorcycle girl."<br /><br />Liv (in tears): "If I go to college, who will be my mama?"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDySa7LxVnMeHTKVdfFTDejLqkLnkoV6jC8o97EkV825_fR8uVTC4wMQZpx72G_S8HAz9ibqnQVGGNIg1qH-rKkebuA5IeKw1Lx6VOzmoWQ7vu6PjKDyQSuiKYn1JAB2_fzDbjDA/s1600-h/outfit9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDySa7LxVnMeHTKVdfFTDejLqkLnkoV6jC8o97EkV825_fR8uVTC4wMQZpx72G_S8HAz9ibqnQVGGNIg1qH-rKkebuA5IeKw1Lx6VOzmoWQ7vu6PjKDyQSuiKYn1JAB2_fzDbjDA/s320/outfit9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434948378796015890" border="0" /></a>Our lesson at church this Sunday was about temples and I asked the kids what they think about when they see the temple. Liv said, "I think about the temple with flowers and a unicorn flying in the sky."<br /><br />Liv: Do I look like a ballerina sheep?<br /><br />Liv: When I get bigger I'm going to swing on vines in the jungle.<br /><br />The other day I took the kids to Target and was trying to explain to my daughter what an air freshener was, since we haven't really had one before. She cut me off and said, "You mean like Air Wick?"<br />Who says kids don't learn anything from television?<br /><br />Today I had the kids out shopping with me and had this conversation:<br />Liv: Mama?<br />Me: Yes?<br />Liv: I think someone is at our house right now stealing our jam.<br />Fortunately when we got home, our jam was safe and sound. You know what kind of shenanigans those jam thieves can get up to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBwayz-fMoIGPmxmI47pWWLQoYaiBWLKI1A07_zQn0AWoAoRGUmTGO9IGLFqtcfvq5vMMVMkumcs5AMY2FwGZjFraXeSl1YlkhIFhsHB_KhWb7ezGww2y-Amz79J1LawfZrP0NQ/s1600-h/outfit8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBwayz-fMoIGPmxmI47pWWLQoYaiBWLKI1A07_zQn0AWoAoRGUmTGO9IGLFqtcfvq5vMMVMkumcs5AMY2FwGZjFraXeSl1YlkhIFhsHB_KhWb7ezGww2y-Amz79J1LawfZrP0NQ/s320/outfit8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434948965611987218" border="0" /></a>Liv: Why did God make Barbies?<br /><br />My daughter has been fretting lately about death (and college). Primarily because she is worried about not living here with me any more. So a few days ago she said: “Mama, when I die I want you to drive me to heaven.”<br />I told her I would.<br /><br />The other day Liv made a birthday card for her dad and when she finished I asked her to tell me about it. She told me it was a llama belly and a stripper. (And no, she doesn't know what a stripper is, she made up a word for a bunch of stripes.)<br /><br />Liv: Mama, who will I marry?<br />Me: I don’t know sweetie. A nice boy.<br />Liv: Like Dad is a nice boy?<br />Me: Yes.<br />Liv: I need someone to be like a twin to Dad so I can marry him.<br /><br />Olivia has a strawberry shortcake friend doll called Ginger Snap.<br />I just noticed that she calls her "Ginger Snatch."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0R5eIXB7fMIr1mGI-dJG66eoln-2C2FM4PNthnIQXyEMsQZ-EBxvvivToT9RQw6iXGyktLn_hJAfKqpE8Cz0GweS08qIX9VboxlLlxkDUS2vboneM9zc33jgEGZSk-oawDboUw/s1600-h/outfit7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0R5eIXB7fMIr1mGI-dJG66eoln-2C2FM4PNthnIQXyEMsQZ-EBxvvivToT9RQw6iXGyktLn_hJAfKqpE8Cz0GweS08qIX9VboxlLlxkDUS2vboneM9zc33jgEGZSk-oawDboUw/s320/outfit7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434950000462387042" border="0" /></a>When asked what we could do to think about Jesus more this Christmas Olivia said:<br />"Daddy could wear white and dress up like him."<br /><br />Liv: The only way I can rest my eyes is by watching a show when I’m laying down.<br /><br />Liv: We shouldn't cut things off our body, right?<br /><br />Liv: "When I drink water it goes into my brain, but chocolate milk goes into my tummy."<br />(trying to convince me to give her chocolate milk instead of water)<br /><br />I’ve been trying to explain to Olivia that I work so I can earn money.<br />The other day she came over to where I was doing some work on my laptop and said, “Can you show me where the money comes out?”<br /><br />Liv: "When I eat the last bite that means it’s all gone."<br /><br />I overheard Olivia tell her little brother, "Parents are kind of like servants. They bring you stuff and sometimes do a show for you."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8PVVhgjdYUztHJUUNOc7GqR8fxhLC1KamRN2qjJMc1TuRsZadhgxCdRy84sZ8dGf2rOUHynR9MEfAbVKDeC2TOjGlitzGjR95qaRolTe5IAr1oDuSwjk9NZC6WY75lVw_xaoVw/s1600-h/outfit6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8PVVhgjdYUztHJUUNOc7GqR8fxhLC1KamRN2qjJMc1TuRsZadhgxCdRy84sZ8dGf2rOUHynR9MEfAbVKDeC2TOjGlitzGjR95qaRolTe5IAr1oDuSwjk9NZC6WY75lVw_xaoVw/s320/outfit6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434950359834783474" border="0" /></a>Liv (during breakfast) – What if we were hand eaters?<br />Me: You mean what if we ate with our hands?<br />Liv: No, what if we were haaaaaand eaters?<br />Me: I am not sure what you are talking about.<br />Liv (sounding exasperated): What if we ATE HANDS?<br />Me: Well, I think that would hurt.<br />Liv: Not OUR hands.<br />Me: Whose hands would we eat?<br />Liv: Bad guys’ hands. Then they couldn’t hold their guns.<br /></center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-90698200670629739792009-08-30T01:17:00.014-04:002009-08-30T03:46:39.306-04:00Collective Soul<center>"I hope when I'm that age I'm still going to concerts!"<br />- Me, 15 years ago.</center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSOUeSQDQW4gWBoEYztfAyHJ7TJirx_6JY3hxaaDCDMZomrMgEwXqk1MGytumaP2rtIduJ0vylrlbNoJ9qTadlYBgPlboa4or0UVoeMZARTLHxlEg6aSww4TlY6s3PTfQGzgmPg/s1600-h/cs1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375647397372940914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSOUeSQDQW4gWBoEYztfAyHJ7TJirx_6JY3hxaaDCDMZomrMgEwXqk1MGytumaP2rtIduJ0vylrlbNoJ9qTadlYBgPlboa4or0UVoeMZARTLHxlEg6aSww4TlY6s3PTfQGzgmPg/s320/cs1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />On Thursday my husband and I drove into downtown DC for a concert at the 9:30 Club. I was feeling a little out of my element. The last time I saw a show there was over 10 years ago. Were we going to be the oldest ones there? Was I dressed right? Were we going to get <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc00;"><em>looks</em></span> all night? etc...<br /><br />Only <a href="http://www.collectivesoul.com/">Collective Soul </a>could have lured me into a club in the city for a show. I've been seeing them play live since I was in college (over a decage ago!), and every time I see them I fall in love all over again. The band brings so much energy! And they have a way of making you feel like not only are you part of the best audience they've ever played for, they're playing for you personally.<br /><br />I love it when a band smiles a lot at the crowd!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO0cnu4Goiv4RPFLdkemhY4nV5Z62OjQlh-cIIL2FHq2FGn6f7rUZ0nzIZv8iOechzZQDxVTOB920lCt4cDP42VY5TnwUO_vCLGc7iFCzF5cBfZBSWj1eJyt8Ul7FPFvX0pfxLw/s1600-h/cs2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375647025577133090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 223px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO0cnu4Goiv4RPFLdkemhY4nV5Z62OjQlh-cIIL2FHq2FGn6f7rUZ0nzIZv8iOechzZQDxVTOB920lCt4cDP42VY5TnwUO_vCLGc7iFCzF5cBfZBSWj1eJyt8Ul7FPFvX0pfxLw/s320/cs2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Collective Soul isn't cocky or vain, they don't act like we're lucky to see them play or they're tired of playing the same songs. It's more like a big sing-along with a bunch of friends. I am pretty sure they treat each show and each crowd like it's the best night of the whole tour for them.<br /><br />Nothing else measures up to a Collective Soul concert. If you get a chance to see them, do it!<br /><br />If you don't know who they are, check out these songs. Sound familiar? I know you know them. :)<br /><br />Shine - Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid<br />The World I Know - Self titled<br />December - Self titled<br />Listen - Disciplined Breakdown<br />Heavy - Dosage<br /><br />If you like those, try a few of these too:<br /><br />Gel - Self titled<br />Skin - Blender<br />Better Now - Youth<br />Disciplined Breakdown - Disciplined Breakdown<br />Tremble for my Beloved - Dosage (also in the Twilight soundtrack)<br />Energy - 7year Itch (greatest hits)<br />All That I Know - Afterwords<br /><br />Although I went to the concert feeling a little old, I left feeling young again. I am "that age and still going to concerts."<br /><br /><center><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">And I'm so glad.</span></strong></center><br />First photo found via google images is <a href="http://eyefulimages.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html">HERE</a><br />Collective Soul tour dates <a href="http://www.collectivesoul.com/tourdates">HERE</a>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-61840875864455399352009-08-17T01:03:00.004-04:002009-08-17T01:21:38.569-04:00Summer FunWell, the bad news is my camera is broken. This explains why I haven't been blogging lately. I didn't realize it, but it turns out the photos are a big part of what drives the writing for me.<br /><br />We've been having a great summer though. We had a fun trip to visit my sister and her family in St. Louis for the 4th of July. They are great hosts and it was wonderful to see them and let the cousins play together.<br /><br />I quit/was laid off from work at the end of July, so I've had a few weeks home with the kids and am slowly adjusting. I started teaching piano lessons and doing other things to try to make some money on the side and I think we're going to be fine, so no worries about us.<br /><br />I also decided to homeschool Olivia instead of sending her to kindergarten this year, so making plans for that has been a lot of fun and she is very excited too. For our curriculum I'm trying to have a Charlotte Mason philosophy, but using Sonlight and Math-U-See as back-up. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to add on these subjects as the year goes on.<br /><br />Alexander is talking up a storm now, though I suspect most of his words are only understandable by people that know him pretty well. We've had a lot of opportunities to do fun activities with friends, like playing in the Shenandoah River. <br /><br /><center>Xander's favorite part was throwing rocks. </center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_S_o8oOIv77Xqc5tzuOlLXh-2hyphenhyphen6ASQQfzTCluvvY9BPRdYenCQsO_Wqz8OUMWKLxcVRVuCGeCLx-gL09zRWuYJuiqML3KFkBV1NfyMcW5vN5NnUyrV5dP0bu77OI4msAo6J_A/s1600-h/alexriver.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_S_o8oOIv77Xqc5tzuOlLXh-2hyphenhyphen6ASQQfzTCluvvY9BPRdYenCQsO_Wqz8OUMWKLxcVRVuCGeCLx-gL09zRWuYJuiqML3KFkBV1NfyMcW5vN5NnUyrV5dP0bu77OI4msAo6J_A/s320/alexriver.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370796633089808274" /></a><br />If anyone has any camera suggestions I'd love to hear them. Our primary needs are something that takes good video, and does above average in low-light. Someday I think an SLR camera would be fun, but for now I've got enough hobbies and projects, so a straightforward camera is what I'm looking for.<br /><br />Check back soon to read about what happens when I cut sugar out of the kids' diets. :)RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-12261800010515419302009-06-20T03:22:00.010-04:002009-06-20T03:59:57.128-04:00Strawberry Time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Uh0J5ZNEEGlvqynq0aOVxXduwbLSnOwHCd2cJnUXNQQLSsnvdXzAa1fV4VzkcNvUAu_DODmz1ZbJshmaS1Ut7q4N0waPhzzwIriTgRhZTVklWqtMbJLdzrXlt8RaV_WDxzTBIw/s1600-h/CIMG7000.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349308440313065538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Uh0J5ZNEEGlvqynq0aOVxXduwbLSnOwHCd2cJnUXNQQLSsnvdXzAa1fV4VzkcNvUAu_DODmz1ZbJshmaS1Ut7q4N0waPhzzwIriTgRhZTVklWqtMbJLdzrXlt8RaV_WDxzTBIw/s200/CIMG7000.JPG" border="0" /></a>I decided to take the kids out to a pick-your-own strawberry field this morning with a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.<br /><br />It was a little hot and sticky, and we had sticky chins and fingers from the warm strawberry juice.<br /><br />There were lot of small, sweet, ripe berries and the kids had fun finding and picking them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTLyCcMEl2bzwIAiFiKolPugyZreig4HyRf2DF_N66GChimTKtT_KtG1y4jdj2q2uQqJnJeTECpPdhx1KntSbrwiU5f8KrtjygXBAeD_HtQhPi_ZONI5fLCNpY6piZnjc-CS0fQ/s1600-h/CIMG6992.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349307954943442786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTLyCcMEl2bzwIAiFiKolPugyZreig4HyRf2DF_N66GChimTKtT_KtG1y4jdj2q2uQqJnJeTECpPdhx1KntSbrwiU5f8KrtjygXBAeD_HtQhPi_ZONI5fLCNpY6piZnjc-CS0fQ/s320/CIMG6992.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Afterwards we sat on an old, rusty truckbed near a crumbly stone wall and ate strawberries and peanut butter sandwiches.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_w84G-JLEop69dMGnLJ_Ff0bu0H9i-mpgeeq4UmJm6LQKRIZhV4i_7nCKmyariKXoc5TBiDxoKwFR1JwO4Osh-jcOWMuR8L5CzrbWjQlMoITWnGZlMp7jsB5WAjM_gUK_v_T52A/s1600-h/CIMG7008.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349308986156018450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_w84G-JLEop69dMGnLJ_Ff0bu0H9i-mpgeeq4UmJm6LQKRIZhV4i_7nCKmyariKXoc5TBiDxoKwFR1JwO4Osh-jcOWMuR8L5CzrbWjQlMoITWnGZlMp7jsB5WAjM_gUK_v_T52A/s320/CIMG7008.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><center>It was a good day.</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-37813409730840724602009-05-06T01:37:00.006-04:002009-05-06T02:09:33.306-04:00Frugal SouvenirsWe just came back from a trip to Belgium, Germany, France and England, and I had a great idea for frugal souvenirs while I was there - reusable shopping bags! You can pick up reusable shopping bags in just about any grocery store these days and they make a really fun memento, not to mention how useful they are.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjoSYaeLx3wsZTawatoCbdrVp2a3XDWrPp44emAvmN1j9fXG_h_qVNCrcdQrcPF2RmnRAKPfA3GLlZpVUn-zMDRPJy-fxnLwa79uoGsghCOh-R3x_vPevnWBQAls4oM9_ZPuIsQ/s1600-h/CIMG6486.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjoSYaeLx3wsZTawatoCbdrVp2a3XDWrPp44emAvmN1j9fXG_h_qVNCrcdQrcPF2RmnRAKPfA3GLlZpVUn-zMDRPJy-fxnLwa79uoGsghCOh-R3x_vPevnWBQAls4oM9_ZPuIsQ/s320/CIMG6486.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332585198977341026" /></a><br />I think they were the perfect souvenir for me, because they were already something that I wanted and use, and they're unique here and remind me of my trip. I've been using some of them as tote bags too, not just for groceries.<br /><br />It was fun to take the time to go into the foreign grocery stores and convenience stores to compare them with what I'm used to here. It was especially interesting to see what each country considers a convenience sandwich. For example - here we've got 7-11's with hot dogs and slurpees.<br /><ul><li>France - ham, brie and tomato sandwich. So good!<br /><li>Germany - weiner schnitzel sandwich and bratwurst on a bun<br /><li>England - nothing really exciting, ham and cheese seen frequently<br /><li>Belgium - sandwich made of raw hamburger. Seriously. Don't be fooled by the name Filet Americain. You definitely want to steer clear of this one.</ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHMwXHnnoyoFG4esSX26ctcXH5MWyPOGLPIzFud3wudkjUVt3V8vJX_4dYReVfM-m88J_GqHHW3v8A9Mr4REwcCtygfM8jmlyGrPKuhMeAUg5OoOEa9UWsYI6VPMobqqvT7y13g/s1600-h/MC-FiletAmericain.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHMwXHnnoyoFG4esSX26ctcXH5MWyPOGLPIzFud3wudkjUVt3V8vJX_4dYReVfM-m88J_GqHHW3v8A9Mr4REwcCtygfM8jmlyGrPKuhMeAUg5OoOEa9UWsYI6VPMobqqvT7y13g/s320/MC-FiletAmericain.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332584970439826706" /></a><br />If you'd like to read more about our trip traveling through 5 countries with 2 small children click <a href="http://moregravycinderella.blogspot.com/2009/04/belgium.html">HERE</a>.<br /><br />For more Frugal tips click <a href="http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2009/05/wfmw-frugal-edition.html">HERE </a>to head on over to Works For Me Wednesday, Frugal edition.RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-82349607232280477662009-04-25T13:51:00.020-04:002009-04-25T14:48:46.008-04:00London pt. 2Our second day in London was such a big one! It started out with Deirdre and I going to Portobello Road Market. I loved it. It's an outdoor antique market that starts at one end of a really long road and goes on and on. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf-LYOV7tAhntUsGdUSoZbChBQtwr4ntfSKgdGZ0VjbUmAf4gC1rSy6_BUCRc5FxKKzDw5Nlst4O1j9Z-LaZBhfA3IsQTDcvswDZKx0jNmUv6CvxeIF62-YwKFk1aOJ3PmWUS7A/s1600-h/CIMG6324.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf-LYOV7tAhntUsGdUSoZbChBQtwr4ntfSKgdGZ0VjbUmAf4gC1rSy6_BUCRc5FxKKzDw5Nlst4O1j9Z-LaZBhfA3IsQTDcvswDZKx0jNmUv6CvxeIF62-YwKFk1aOJ3PmWUS7A/s320/CIMG6324.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328689723786231634" /></a><center>I'd hate to be living on this road on Saturday mornings!</center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX99telFVru-eBgZ-kilVwRFXbQYrrI8lOWjw-L_HYobV9Au8aTxRhL8P57J9TL8rIPLlzqNwL75X4IacCCZn0qIUlKAERUzlRxtfuX7ElR3QaG8vzk0kVDI84eFrSnJMvA3Rtw/s1600-h/CIMG6337.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX99telFVru-eBgZ-kilVwRFXbQYrrI8lOWjw-L_HYobV9Au8aTxRhL8P57J9TL8rIPLlzqNwL75X4IacCCZn0qIUlKAERUzlRxtfuX7ElR3QaG8vzk0kVDI84eFrSnJMvA3Rtw/s320/CIMG6337.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328690807547441250" /></a>Next we headed out to meet our husbands and kids and ride the London Eye with them. There was a park nearby where we let the kids play for a while first.<br /><br />The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel type thing, but instead of chairs it has pods with clear sides. You go inside the pods and get a really fantastic view of London.<br /><br />One thing that really surprised me (okay, and kind of scared me) is that the pod doesn't stop for people to get on or off. You just have to step onto it as it is going past. It wasn't dangerous or anything, but still!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKp9lojCqqEVo1bLe3A28VuK_OcBFdFJrU0ZpBa0q63uKzHdHGR0iYZikUGZ8PKiRY_s5nUTVPw4oaXFjlZZwuEjz-IDZ_MF8sYv8YieOE4IwhaUAnm1XV0hwQJ3YWKVwzxom0g/s1600-h/CIMG6341.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKp9lojCqqEVo1bLe3A28VuK_OcBFdFJrU0ZpBa0q63uKzHdHGR0iYZikUGZ8PKiRY_s5nUTVPw4oaXFjlZZwuEjz-IDZ_MF8sYv8YieOE4IwhaUAnm1XV0hwQJ3YWKVwzxom0g/s320/CIMG6341.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328691881020246962" /></a><br /><center>Look kids, Big Ben! Parliament!</center><br />After the ride, Deirdre and her husband took their kids AND our kids home with them, so Mike and I were free to look around whine-free for the afternoon. :)<br /><br />We went over to Trafalgar Square, and escaped into the National Museum of Art for a while to get out of the rain.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIqIoF3gXkdWgvHCfTotkxmDjO9FvEXRyWjqLc0hQE6u66RUqr_UAmCzjJ-NV647nwsJ26HFnOl8iEYwnz2SZdT3ly0JZyUBwWmu5DcntCjuszwCVPw6EgRbiPGoFI7cLij0aBw/s1600-h/CIMG6361.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIqIoF3gXkdWgvHCfTotkxmDjO9FvEXRyWjqLc0hQE6u66RUqr_UAmCzjJ-NV647nwsJ26HFnOl8iEYwnz2SZdT3ly0JZyUBwWmu5DcntCjuszwCVPw6EgRbiPGoFI7cLij0aBw/s320/CIMG6361.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328693922820704946" /></a><br />Next we walked through Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, then took the Tube up to Harrod's. It was huge! My favorite part was stroller heaven (picture coming).<br /><br />Our Tube station was closed when we came out so we had quite a hike to the next one. When we got back we got take-out fish and chips which were really good, but not quite as crispy as our first ones.<br /><br />The next day was our last full day in Europe. After two busy days in London we decided to take it easy and drive around the Richmond area. We saw Richmond palace and some of the surrounding area which was really beautiful. Olivia had a fun day playing with her cousins and we had a delicious home-cooked dinner that night.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhlRCEDbTmRvYb9yP-SGXBi5d-XJ4yAvFzLYLKXqV0iV0RNi1hpYr5Zvqt4QZByPzJdbe27GZ9vrC0Q5h4KNdvjkagXDfSmuG-Dg-f4tc6_v_lhDDO2i7D1kHKG5QizXwGP_Vdw/s1600-h/CIMG6406.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhlRCEDbTmRvYb9yP-SGXBi5d-XJ4yAvFzLYLKXqV0iV0RNi1hpYr5Zvqt4QZByPzJdbe27GZ9vrC0Q5h4KNdvjkagXDfSmuG-Dg-f4tc6_v_lhDDO2i7D1kHKG5QizXwGP_Vdw/s320/CIMG6406.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328697901192255730" /></a><br />Thanks again to Deirdre, Brian and family for their warm welcome and hospitality. We had a great time!RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20783950.post-81407512247139505132009-04-13T23:40:00.007-04:002009-04-14T00:36:13.065-04:00LondonWe took the fast train back to London to stay with Mike's (second?) cousin Deirdre and her family. They were very fun and gracious hosts and we enjoyed our 4 days with them very much.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-V8u9L3MvOi51rdHoKYEIFPgVCvMP1MTJXgrSiD5nrWFhLYg2ClHlVrJMj7CzbqG5z-FJh7XpH2gKtpDrWFaiOFCIKvW8fi9lItg01EGSoWQwROnkwj0z2p-fnMF81Axk-DEhw/s1600-h/crownjewels.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-V8u9L3MvOi51rdHoKYEIFPgVCvMP1MTJXgrSiD5nrWFhLYg2ClHlVrJMj7CzbqG5z-FJh7XpH2gKtpDrWFaiOFCIKvW8fi9lItg01EGSoWQwROnkwj0z2p-fnMF81Axk-DEhw/s320/crownjewels.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324391586997994370" /></a>Friday morning we got up and took the kids into London to see the Tower of London, which ended up being one of my favorite things to see there. The tour guides (Beefeaters) are the actual guards of the tower. It's worth it to listen to the tour, very interesting. My favorite parts were hearing about the resident ravens and seeing the carvings in the stone of the prison walls. Olivia's favorite part was the jewels.<br /><br />After that we walked across the Tower Bridge to an outdoor market called Borough Market. It is a specialty food market with food from around the world, and it supposedly is the oldest market in London. It was pretty neat to walk around and see the amazing variety of food. I liked what <a href="http://greensboring.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8017">this person</a> wrote about it. This was also where we had our first fish and chips. One serving was big enough for our whole family!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlyFK0EA61EsZfIeV2KZuO-isSzI_1Idou8zubwGeUc-u7OcWRGVRwlzf7AA9UmEfEy1PZx9DHPk-FwaOqGr_eOx7RO69oy9TK9JONMeGpb38bbwp86C7CkY9mAeTxFdhTkq2jw/s1600-h/CIMG6292.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlyFK0EA61EsZfIeV2KZuO-isSzI_1Idou8zubwGeUc-u7OcWRGVRwlzf7AA9UmEfEy1PZx9DHPk-FwaOqGr_eOx7RO69oy9TK9JONMeGpb38bbwp86C7CkY9mAeTxFdhTkq2jw/s320/CIMG6292.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324397892173382338" /></a><br />Not only did we get to see two really unique and amazing places and have some delicious food, we also took our first ride on the Tube, saw the oldest cathedral in London and walked over London Bridge. It was a great way to start our visit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_K1m_dga7XgWaDlbVg4K1fszKk5R4va3riFL0J9EXkp4q80Qw-TYm5nn6uIlOM_tUCuV5Y55vP9kHU7zWHLNrUwLyShrLZhamOTueBOLibLtHQHzG8UNv4yTjII6jEmkBhbp0A/s1600-h/CIMG6300.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_K1m_dga7XgWaDlbVg4K1fszKk5R4va3riFL0J9EXkp4q80Qw-TYm5nn6uIlOM_tUCuV5Y55vP9kHU7zWHLNrUwLyShrLZhamOTueBOLibLtHQHzG8UNv4yTjII6jEmkBhbp0A/s320/CIMG6300.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324399658485609490" /></a><center>View of the Tower Bridge</center>RainyPMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06236256948179373338noreply@blogger.com0