tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89891109504522405942024-03-19T15:44:39.396-06:00The Nessen NarrativeJustin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-83025078074704054892013-09-21T10:00:00.000-06:002013-09-21T10:00:03.225-06:00Story Time Around the World - week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I was hesitant to go to story time this week. It started raining Thursday night and hadn't stopped by the time we needed to leave. After 3 days of staying home and Justin being out of town for the whole week, I was ready to get out and do something. I grabbed my umbrella and we headed to Longview. When we got there I was checking out some new toys in the store and Claire started tuggingon my shirt, letting me know it was starting. I was surprised that she even wanted to participate. The first two weeks she only wanted to play in the toy store. Anyways, we took our seats and learned about Europe!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WapIbvl7a4_WCoR9fk1ti080GWLaL4-nJd0QY7wogWZP7tqHwyM1TRxqw0YvUTiIAFwM3HHpBrq6HjJye_G9YQpK3iPW1N-ytJmhJylnf6Lg-xFbqgM0E936fvxx645nQ6CC4EDGbgCl/s1600/IMG_1853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_242397="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WapIbvl7a4_WCoR9fk1ti080GWLaL4-nJd0QY7wogWZP7tqHwyM1TRxqw0YvUTiIAFwM3HHpBrq6HjJye_G9YQpK3iPW1N-ytJmhJylnf6Lg-xFbqgM0E936fvxx645nQ6CC4EDGbgCl/s320/IMG_1853.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was how excited Claire was to learn where Europe is locatedon the globe!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are a couple of the books that were read. The first was a "Madeline" book. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They passed around some money from Denmark, and apparantly Legos are made (or orginated?) in Denmark</td></tr>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Another parachute activity</td></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last story read was about an old Italian womam who made pasta, so the crafty activity was stringing dyed rigatoni noodles onto yarn to make a necklace. Claire was really into this. She was concentrating pretty hard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was pretty darn proud of that necklace!</td></tr>
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Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-21434063950042965672013-09-20T18:24:00.001-06:002013-09-20T18:46:32.655-06:00Jumpin' Jack's Party Shack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last Saturday Grace was invited to a classmates birthday party at Jumpin' Jack's Party Shack in Tyler. The place is full of inflatable slides, obstacle courses, climbing walls, and bounce houses. This is the first time Grace has ever been invited to a birthday party for someone who is not a "church" friend. She was so excited, she could hardly sleep the night before. I was looking forward to spending a few hours with my first born. We don't get to do much just the two of us these days. We had an hour long drive and she talked my ear off the entire way. I adore our conversations. We arrived just in time for the party guests to get their wristbands and enter the play area. She immediately spotted the birthday girl and a few other girls from school and she was off. I spent the next hour or so watching my girl run and laugh with sweet friends she has only known a couple of weeks, but act as though they've been best friends their entire lives. She had a marvelous time and I was happy to be able to meet some of her classmates and their parents. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and the birthday girl. Are they not absolutely adorable? (the photo bomber in the background is the birthday girl's older brother)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2OQJNK6MhWtpIFbWtjERmDKKrZFSa9V2L9zanjrSLYNvmsNs9lIP9ppXX2RbgwIdbidLTu1VtWswZHiNTQZbjSC0oVZqyL5w0lTlzgP3t9vTHUBFBrjc2OSFSkgYrLWsCbqDBBjLr3eg/s1600/IMG_1851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_678501="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2OQJNK6MhWtpIFbWtjERmDKKrZFSa9V2L9zanjrSLYNvmsNs9lIP9ppXX2RbgwIdbidLTu1VtWswZHiNTQZbjSC0oVZqyL5w0lTlzgP3t9vTHUBFBrjc2OSFSkgYrLWsCbqDBBjLr3eg/s320/IMG_1851.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This had me cracking up! As soon as it was time for presents, all the little girls smothered the birthday girl. I didn't see any of the gifts that were given.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was even entertainment for the dads. It's not a very good picture, but that's the A&M/Alabama game on the screen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynAy-575M3DloSQYfyzapzeqWOBicrjdJgQUnioTCGjI_-ViCk-bnzy3JZgq2fZdM_jFzpqSNJ82ljMzhrNGl4QZ5Lzt0nRkMRMTXMKkn58qD6zi2UGmvuQ82gaYE-unSG8tVAKJvMpiE/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_532617="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynAy-575M3DloSQYfyzapzeqWOBicrjdJgQUnioTCGjI_-ViCk-bnzy3JZgq2fZdM_jFzpqSNJ82ljMzhrNGl4QZ5Lzt0nRkMRMTXMKkn58qD6zi2UGmvuQ82gaYE-unSG8tVAKJvMpiE/s320/photo.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile... Claire spent the afternoon with daddy. All 3 year old girls eat a half slab of ribs for lunch, don't they?</td></tr>
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Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-38428024318595332592013-09-18T08:00:00.000-06:002013-09-18T08:00:06.675-06:00A Baby and a Baby Blessing<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago we got to spend a Sunday with some family. Justin's cousin Tagg lives in Allen, TX which is just north of Dallas. They welcomed their new baby boy back in July and blessed him on September 8. Their ward meets at 1pm, and since some of their family had to hit the road and head home after Sacrament meeting they decided to have a nice little brunch at their house before church. The kids had a great time. They always do when we go to Tagg and Katie's. I was surprised by how much they enjoyed playing with Beckett's toys. We are a house of girls so they don't get to play with cars and train sets very often. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We had such a nice time and look forward to spending more time with Justin's aunt and uncle, Ned and Gena, now that Ned has started working in Dallas. We love having family close!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M9rH8kpOPjIXEe3bYZvsVtsjM0tbz8M1VAplUlwoLTln0x8bcOaY1ISJWDbC89tkLulJriTtOomy1lbc-b8gVG4eLxB34CTcN8bSERqD_Wu5PHcFdaYWXOZLok11I5BuxGDVrs45MX7V/s1600/IMG_1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0M9rH8kpOPjIXEe3bYZvsVtsjM0tbz8M1VAplUlwoLTln0x8bcOaY1ISJWDbC89tkLulJriTtOomy1lbc-b8gVG4eLxB34CTcN8bSERqD_Wu5PHcFdaYWXOZLok11I5BuxGDVrs45MX7V/s320/IMG_1803.JPG" vsa="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace LOVED the sit 'n spin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKm4FITmRXe433hfGwb1_eDlzC-S2KJn4Vohap_tFL7-9aqdngZ1NRImG0zO8A8OCRwBOgLhCSh1D0ibKxSoJgFfRVZnqyGgiupTdWz_BHLumzjk65vLBM_X9yZ1iOyR23PCxy7n0Od64M/s1600/IMG_1807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKm4FITmRXe433hfGwb1_eDlzC-S2KJn4Vohap_tFL7-9aqdngZ1NRImG0zO8A8OCRwBOgLhCSh1D0ibKxSoJgFfRVZnqyGgiupTdWz_BHLumzjk65vLBM_X9yZ1iOyR23PCxy7n0Od64M/s320/IMG_1807.JPG" vsa="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beckett's belly is the cutest! His dress shirt couldn't contain it. I don't know how many times someone buttoned it, just to have it pop open within minutes. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KCZP-t5QvNeo3qV4kqhQgan2ISd_N_RNg9Oqc2qMOUerlhXXVBk2TUGeOrNnmCUzSNpwy1F1wKaJgaq3WZz6R9ahB0G4_WfgGd8-DJ7-2aWJVjRPG38-TQge8bK9SMW-3o4biR3DzObI/s1600/IMG_1801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KCZP-t5QvNeo3qV4kqhQgan2ISd_N_RNg9Oqc2qMOUerlhXXVBk2TUGeOrNnmCUzSNpwy1F1wKaJgaq3WZz6R9ahB0G4_WfgGd8-DJ7-2aWJVjRPG38-TQge8bK9SMW-3o4biR3DzObI/s320/IMG_1801.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWS_SAlaFltXcPAZ0vx6k2npjd-jf4JgLXllQsHedEgN78VtdZ2fMD4NXg3rpZp7zcAaEPQAjWhzGK6P2rRcb1P0puqL6zhkCTz2-w0sdZjmM-Y2j4JMmqaS4mJpLbI6qloV7N1qF3Lkt/s1600/IMG_1810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWS_SAlaFltXcPAZ0vx6k2npjd-jf4JgLXllQsHedEgN78VtdZ2fMD4NXg3rpZp7zcAaEPQAjWhzGK6P2rRcb1P0puqL6zhkCTz2-w0sdZjmM-Y2j4JMmqaS4mJpLbI6qloV7N1qF3Lkt/s320/IMG_1810.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe my girls need a train set for Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RZpsc2kwzyhJsvoFRXRkEQAsAm9supxagvFe9AevWLb9zJRsrYsiPbnKZO8UntUYgysJ13rLGqW9G1hfvYG_1KZzcDG4CfcjfAezpu_qbXyzIC8UEB0dny6COqR3Mhc5Ef0A_HR2Mn4p/s1600/IMG_1813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RZpsc2kwzyhJsvoFRXRkEQAsAm9supxagvFe9AevWLb9zJRsrYsiPbnKZO8UntUYgysJ13rLGqW9G1hfvYG_1KZzcDG4CfcjfAezpu_qbXyzIC8UEB0dny6COqR3Mhc5Ef0A_HR2Mn4p/s320/IMG_1813.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1poMwJiSmrsMNkGAUXzStgFBBoz9C4_0itx0VbMMThhHhVmEtt0-VsRso0rara91tM6JlBPl-gQVyhd_KL0q0SJ3hNON3LcVbC6gBFtXcHdmwUERJc6aNRDabIq18flZuEy4V24EMavld/s1600/IMG_1815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1poMwJiSmrsMNkGAUXzStgFBBoz9C4_0itx0VbMMThhHhVmEtt0-VsRso0rara91tM6JlBPl-gQVyhd_KL0q0SJ3hNON3LcVbC6gBFtXcHdmwUERJc6aNRDabIq18flZuEy4V24EMavld/s320/IMG_1815.JPG" vsa="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet baby Griffin. This baby is one of the chunkiest I have ever seen. Love those cheeks!</td></tr>
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After the baby blessing we headed to Dallas where another one of Justin's cousins is living while he's going to dental school. Tyson and Sarah welcomed baby Dallas just 4 days earlier, and had just returned home that afternoon. We stopped in to visit and meet the new little guy. He is so sweet! It's so hard to remember my babies being this small... and they were even smaller! Oh, how I miss those newborn days.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmV6RZquqIsfSvGnhHv6qN5kjRCyh2Z_upw_rwNAQ2XkUcUAFd0IC906KjvjSNEagPojGHJMs6RmLer5sY_9jRmZ2QNYKhAjLAl-ik7pVSN9BkWc2G1qTKSMPMoRElGyQekg2svgI0e5R/s1600/IMG_1816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_880633="null" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmV6RZquqIsfSvGnhHv6qN5kjRCyh2Z_upw_rwNAQ2XkUcUAFd0IC906KjvjSNEagPojGHJMs6RmLer5sY_9jRmZ2QNYKhAjLAl-ik7pVSN9BkWc2G1qTKSMPMoRElGyQekg2svgI0e5R/s320/IMG_1816.JPG" vsa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Dallas</td></tr>
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We had such a good time with some of our extended family. It's hard living so far away from our parents and grandparents, but it is nice to have cousins in Dallas. We're grateful for them and their willingness to always watch our kids so we can attend the temple every now and again. </div>
Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-19363016673255011472013-09-17T13:18:00.001-06:002013-09-17T13:18:48.981-06:00Story Time Around the World - weeks 1 & 2<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Since Grace has started full-day kindergarten, I've been trying to come up with activities to get Claire and I out of the house (and to keep us from getting too bored). I heard from a friend that the Knowledge Knook in Longview sometimes does a story time, so I checked it out. I just so happened to get the info on this story time the <em>day</em> before a new 8-week session was starting. It's called "Story Time Around the World." We go every Friday at 10:30 in the morning. Each week the kids learn about a new continent and some of the countries that make up that continent. There are usually 2-3 stories read, and then a craft that relates to the week's theme. The lady running it usually brings items that are either from one of the countries or represent one of the countries. Week one was about North America. The kids learned about maps and what towns, states, countries, and continents are. She read a story about a Canadian boy and also about a Mexican artist. Claire really wasn't that interested, but I'm hoping the more we attend the more she'll get in to it. The Knowledge Knook is actually two stores in one. It's a teacher supply store and a specialty toy store. The first week Claire was much more interested in the toy store.</span> <em></em></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpnJJKYcCrarVWW6ZUHPfGaLLxl6Bgy_AFwjSx4OOV99NHT8al2cQf77JLrzZ0aThod5HGaJ0mi65utv4oxUJddshsdvDPh3MkeMj6Ucsq7zy6BhrHg0BADRWwn4q1dad8C_en8KGbdPA/s1600/IMG_1789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpnJJKYcCrarVWW6ZUHPfGaLLxl6Bgy_AFwjSx4OOV99NHT8al2cQf77JLrzZ0aThod5HGaJ0mi65utv4oxUJddshsdvDPh3MkeMj6Ucsq7zy6BhrHg0BADRWwn4q1dad8C_en8KGbdPA/s320/IMG_1789.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's excited for the first story!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7k9HC-qFgYzb0DlVhPTrk4Y9hayxansAOPQHa99ysEatdiQQxE8kh1PQe7NWPDDj-HmhaajtOjx6FuTdbGfYlD2sU-D8ua1Ntkz76yIqmcHqDuQ8F58KD4n6HvHDHHIHAhUTiL17tGAV/s1600/IMG_1790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7k9HC-qFgYzb0DlVhPTrk4Y9hayxansAOPQHa99ysEatdiQQxE8kh1PQe7NWPDDj-HmhaajtOjx6FuTdbGfYlD2sU-D8ua1Ntkz76yIqmcHqDuQ8F58KD4n6HvHDHHIHAhUTiL17tGAV/s320/IMG_1790.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The story lady brought a hockey puck from Canada for the kids to pass around</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLZaG9J4_h6-G_eU7P1i8tLC_wcx0oNxaQUzBSEUKvO3fR9Fizcp-vTDFWsZGdUwDMu4OIORfhNVEZsVnO8ADw7g7IYXol4DBG68zdSx5xi5jput6s1TSJI-27ybLvN0RiDT-IAwrxXrU/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLZaG9J4_h6-G_eU7P1i8tLC_wcx0oNxaQUzBSEUKvO3fR9Fizcp-vTDFWsZGdUwDMu4OIORfhNVEZsVnO8ADw7g7IYXol4DBG68zdSx5xi5jput6s1TSJI-27ybLvN0RiDT-IAwrxXrU/s320/IMG_1791.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was also Mexican and Canadian money. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1VOhC5luERYDzMzph42gNFSLwSV3nDr5fC6TRVZahhSs4G0ZyYeZ3aZcOoNCzkEdMHcH_t8Gy89thZVDFNwXDr9UP4Ft6F5m_RC0XNVrB6xRa3kmQtfn9LSRnSzqyFkYSpabj0NHuFkq/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1VOhC5luERYDzMzph42gNFSLwSV3nDr5fC6TRVZahhSs4G0ZyYeZ3aZcOoNCzkEdMHcH_t8Gy89thZVDFNwXDr9UP4Ft6F5m_RC0XNVrB6xRa3kmQtfn9LSRnSzqyFkYSpabj0NHuFkq/s320/IMG_1792.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">The craft this week was a cute little flip book. on the front page the kids drew their house. Next page they drew their town. Then they colored their state. Next they colored their country in their Continent. The final page was of the entire world. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They also gave each child a passport. Each week Claire gets a stamp in her passport. At the end of the 8 weeks if she has at least 6 stamps she will get to pick a toy from the store.</td></tr>
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The second week was about South America. The story lady read a book about llamas, and then a couple about rain forests.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxhXwoP2Qm5O7mzfTi2RPAW3PF_7fDdpFZ5jYEd1YqRyWZZJ_7FKhBo4isxCTWneQs7Y0BjCafJqyVk5_0NhpbGq5CHVrexP5vJb_WCzFrPzlB8iq5hjsnChZTkrOnivoMbzbmkFwjPwB/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_308069="null" height="320" isa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxhXwoP2Qm5O7mzfTi2RPAW3PF_7fDdpFZ5jYEd1YqRyWZZJ_7FKhBo4isxCTWneQs7Y0BjCafJqyVk5_0NhpbGq5CHVrexP5vJb_WCzFrPzlB8iq5hjsnChZTkrOnivoMbzbmkFwjPwB/s320/IMG_3247.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, Claire had a hard time sitting still for the story so I pulled out the camera to entertain her a bit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XN95aUXYEu10opNtA0siMLRsO9Ie-xfzbEQ0PTNETkRGPVwAkALF-6sciyRhKrxTV4ps0WKm3gRE8NG1EgbwFxdsYu9mdeJ6DpmePtIV1xSOa17yk_8bDuSiWt7xKBUyyITRO70WGS-P/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_308069="null" height="320" isa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XN95aUXYEu10opNtA0siMLRsO9Ie-xfzbEQ0PTNETkRGPVwAkALF-6sciyRhKrxTV4ps0WKm3gRE8NG1EgbwFxdsYu9mdeJ6DpmePtIV1xSOa17yk_8bDuSiWt7xKBUyyITRO70WGS-P/s320/IMG_3249.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The story lady brought this necklace from Ecuador. She didn't want to give it back.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They did a little parachute activity. I don't recall how this related to the stories or South America.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YjTxggpamLa-zVNzYn2O_sYg025Y1xrUUHgMT4217W9E-FdglMqqF7N4s4742crInef-CnXGBrw5y3w7J1I6ZoEIR4qwL2-Vitsg-i9r7Jbkak1UacrEUvhDKYCLeVPcLoMlK249BU-o/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_308069="null" height="239" isa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YjTxggpamLa-zVNzYn2O_sYg025Y1xrUUHgMT4217W9E-FdglMqqF7N4s4742crInef-CnXGBrw5y3w7J1I6ZoEIR4qwL2-Vitsg-i9r7Jbkak1UacrEUvhDKYCLeVPcLoMlK249BU-o/s320/IMG_3250.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The craft was sand art. Claire drew a picture of her choice with pencil, then I outlined it with glue. Claire sprinkled the colored sand on the glue. She was pretty proud of herself for making that heart. I have to admit that I was too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wendy's for lunch after story time. I thought it was time to teach her the proper way to eat a frosty... with a french fry instead of a spoon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmU-nPHaldi5rmBpWbGOzPEAbuSnrOvnJO1uLb5SwnBqCyhjvlRgvWVfO8F0jCGtkiQ1USGTD6FCHa_5E3SNAUp9Bp070ZuY92daOLF2ouGpiwmuxfhPG6bWtn4ojtqEcaZiI8dpUvrUx/s1600/IMG_3254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_308069="null" height="239" isa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmU-nPHaldi5rmBpWbGOzPEAbuSnrOvnJO1uLb5SwnBqCyhjvlRgvWVfO8F0jCGtkiQ1USGTD6FCHa_5E3SNAUp9Bp070ZuY92daOLF2ouGpiwmuxfhPG6bWtn4ojtqEcaZiI8dpUvrUx/s320/IMG_3254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile... it was homecoming at Harmony so Grace was having fun at her first pep rally!</td></tr>
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<img closure_lm_880633="null" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpnJJKYcCrarVWW6ZUHPfGaLLxl6Bgy_AFwjSx4OOV99NHT8al2cQf77JLrzZ0aThod5HGaJ0mi65utv4oxUJddshsdvDPh3MkeMj6Ucsq7zy6BhrHg0BADRWwn4q1dad8C_en8KGbdPA/s320/IMG_1789.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 357px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 40px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-81272944631322783582013-09-05T07:00:00.000-06:002013-09-05T07:00:02.153-06:00Nessen Dream Home 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVOc8vWvCcTrOknM7GEQiq0ksAIAPTsmAqX1h82j533y7nMMX5QgZa50AJY53U1yXyAqwd6XZYQ-vxadXS7WPjAVaYnfxdb1d7Er5xUEGJBmo2C22Dlvz43feH-ARLCjgCFqtntcqknkC/s1600/IMG_1977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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We're currently building our "dream" home. It all started about 18 months ago when a realtor friend of ours called and asked if he could show our house to some first-time home-buyers. Our house wasn't on the market, but we did own a lot in a rural subdivision where we were planning on building a house at some point in the near future. The home-buyers were renting a home in our neighborhood and really wanted to stay, but none of the homes for sale were in their price range. We ended up with a contract a couple weeks later, and less than a month after that we were at the title company signing the papers. While at our closing, the other realtor shared another listing with us. It was 2700 sf home on 11 acres with a pipe fence and a metal barn. It had a small pond in the pasture as well. The home was owned by a widow in her 80's. The house had caught on fire earlier that year and the woman's children and grandchildren moved her into an assisted living complex and convinced her to sell the place. It was love at first sight for Justin, but I was much more hesitant because of the hefty price tag. We ended up buying it with plans to demolish the house and rebuild on the existing foundation. Eleven months later (and a whole lot of work) we were framing our new house! It has been a true labor of love. Designing the new floor plan with the architect took a few months longer than we expected. Justin had to cut out sections of the slab in order to move plumbing and then fill it with new cement. The original house also had a sunken living room we had to take care of. Gravel and rebar had to be put in place so we could fill the sunken room with cement. To save money, Justin is acting as the general contractor which has proved to be very time consuming. It's nice that we are currently living about a mile from the construction site so Justin can swing by early in the morning and talk to the subs before he heads to work. Most of our evenings for the last 5 months have been spent working and cleaning up at the new house. It's coming along beautifully and we're sure excited to move in next month. Below are the MOST recent pictures of the progress (I took them this morning).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">all the windows on the front of the house will have wood shutters to match the front door</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is standing in the garage looking into my mud room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">LOVE my mud room! I designed this myself. There will be a shelf under the bench for shoes and hooks above the bench for coats and backpacks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/2 bath off the mud room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-UB8WKyGFir0wLLvVwaaBvwfp7ltDn0cnwS7vX6HHfRxZ5L_45Ebh0-IKqTXTPv8ACCQVZC4R8NpG6LXDOekdbuXFtBD6SSwSpwuisxOOfGgjJTUhO5YR9zY9zRd531ZLZe2gfYF9Qmp/s1600/IMG_1969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-UB8WKyGFir0wLLvVwaaBvwfp7ltDn0cnwS7vX6HHfRxZ5L_45Ebh0-IKqTXTPv8ACCQVZC4R8NpG6LXDOekdbuXFtBD6SSwSpwuisxOOfGgjJTUhO5YR9zY9zRd531ZLZe2gfYF9Qmp/s200/IMG_1969.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my laundry room. I'll have a sewing desk under the window and the washer and dryer will be next to it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrZhEDN-wdBj_6yh9huQ16lHh9u5ovnv1-7vI-LXd-8LioUNvs6q4t1KzyTeH2MOxRTe3oJijxnaQysJJZNsOVPvwm67Wl37PSLi-0wimrnHJNELhmYCfrm5JcJVNDVg6uVDxHkhiHsDq/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrZhEDN-wdBj_6yh9huQ16lHh9u5ovnv1-7vI-LXd-8LioUNvs6q4t1KzyTeH2MOxRTe3oJijxnaQysJJZNsOVPvwm67Wl37PSLi-0wimrnHJNELhmYCfrm5JcJVNDVg6uVDxHkhiHsDq/s200/IMG_1970.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the wall opposite the desk and washer/dryer. our upright freezer will go inthe empty space.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTuQC_4e_5UCprgTDR4s5hFEsGkcDqkywO_hAapq6nbubXr1zVxiQ-KlrQUtHvrLGp57k28_ZwbeFDQVTb6gHZwDwu3cvKP3O8TeI2DtiPs0x19iOeNgCVZZKR0XoIe-Rb6kb37ZCAukK/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTuQC_4e_5UCprgTDR4s5hFEsGkcDqkywO_hAapq6nbubXr1zVxiQ-KlrQUtHvrLGp57k28_ZwbeFDQVTb6gHZwDwu3cvKP3O8TeI2DtiPs0x19iOeNgCVZZKR0XoIe-Rb6kb37ZCAukK/s200/IMG_1971.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the same wall as the freezer. we will have a clothes rod for hanging clothes to dry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMxtuqiTIgyOJmDkwaSnPeCHWkx3CCEl9Ky4OL33AbpHmvToBwUgwUAzUO6Cgig2SCYZcVCDIyRovtcpkM-HCweXuzW-vmMMjh9Xfx356AfCwfXon6UdIkxoZ0djMHkqQ00biRqNuzyw2/s1600/IMG_1972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMxtuqiTIgyOJmDkwaSnPeCHWkx3CCEl9Ky4OL33AbpHmvToBwUgwUAzUO6Cgig2SCYZcVCDIyRovtcpkM-HCweXuzW-vmMMjh9Xfx356AfCwfXon6UdIkxoZ0djMHkqQ00biRqNuzyw2/s200/IMG_1972.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the storage closet off the laundry room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBMVJMEhpl-0zmMrtD4QRoeC9VTkZROoIpcuPIh9QCQ9IEeSFRuQ-nUzTo35ChQxehPCHXqgSpAKnBT1RhI7eZIYkZKXQGwBjmkoPFHG_Hky_oMBsmzcbvkzHMMEZHPn3JeCrjlb7k5-S/s1600/IMG_1980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBMVJMEhpl-0zmMrtD4QRoeC9VTkZROoIpcuPIh9QCQ9IEeSFRuQ-nUzTo35ChQxehPCHXqgSpAKnBT1RhI7eZIYkZKXQGwBjmkoPFHG_Hky_oMBsmzcbvkzHMMEZHPn3JeCrjlb7k5-S/s200/IMG_1980.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqRUhqI7HKg8y23XY2Zs1BMQMUs8FtOOGpHHyfnTXCEAbP2oRXGhmtCHQruMBIep3-O4aRrqYU3-dw-S_Il3DfDqMVlQ6B-EVPKU20QJxzgoVdwSHBO6xhJGzrRHWiEsWlOvQgY1hq0Ng/s1600/IMG_1942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqRUhqI7HKg8y23XY2Zs1BMQMUs8FtOOGpHHyfnTXCEAbP2oRXGhmtCHQruMBIep3-O4aRrqYU3-dw-S_Il3DfDqMVlQ6B-EVPKU20QJxzgoVdwSHBO6xhJGzrRHWiEsWlOvQgY1hq0Ng/s200/IMG_1942.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">walk-in pantry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fhs9xQsEaYuSV01Fo3Ri9VPeFRFM0FdpjqYFXGLdjR4m3P38mY4gPmawHVVseulVKJr1ZfA8sJVMb_s7HRZrTMIRJ4wmYllgM3idWbap_Zz1hL4wVljNtnKM6E-aw4FfqSpiRUyWh-jj/s1600/IMG_1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fhs9xQsEaYuSV01Fo3Ri9VPeFRFM0FdpjqYFXGLdjR4m3P38mY4gPmawHVVseulVKJr1ZfA8sJVMb_s7HRZrTMIRJ4wmYllgM3idWbap_Zz1hL4wVljNtnKM6E-aw4FfqSpiRUyWh-jj/s200/IMG_1965.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">closer shot of cabinets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVlOu3DNrJqLxild1a9PMsjDEA404qHIlOwLU5SSksuJQJqRnOzb4Dxv2Utmi5bY4pqNWyBaaVGR0j03_zogXOyhEHL6o1_TNCKdFNaCQwgWBdAu-4p-RhhUlQ4ZcfFeGTrgrEkcAkXRs/s1600/IMG_1945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVlOu3DNrJqLxild1a9PMsjDEA404qHIlOwLU5SSksuJQJqRnOzb4Dxv2Utmi5bY4pqNWyBaaVGR0j03_zogXOyhEHL6o1_TNCKdFNaCQwgWBdAu-4p-RhhUlQ4ZcfFeGTrgrEkcAkXRs/s200/IMG_1945.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i took this standing in the kitchen looking at the dining room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eOyu1xSr1K2sCPV5ZgNHK98CyIJWJxLj8WqhQMYpt5-zXbrNg_WseLpRxLdSMGIsNjOqeKv6_pi9je-K4nyudABTZM5l6hXYgfEO04yukkPrZr549K9rPdH3OIZpqH9dTY2r56gM5kAy/s1600/IMG_1946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eOyu1xSr1K2sCPV5ZgNHK98CyIJWJxLj8WqhQMYpt5-zXbrNg_WseLpRxLdSMGIsNjOqeKv6_pi9je-K4nyudABTZM5l6hXYgfEO04yukkPrZr549K9rPdH3OIZpqH9dTY2r56gM5kAy/s200/IMG_1946.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">entry way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzWvkX5YzTlKf4567Nggn1lGeInapSOF64xy6yI-Y6Yq_hhAB8EVptwLbguEN8iIT1T8BeD2XWvticlQVzoUjwa_l4pUXc0-BOv-OP0nFq_ULrPuSdo6pTGV89eeG2lIrnI6EpMOZMfDN/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzWvkX5YzTlKf4567Nggn1lGeInapSOF64xy6yI-Y6Yq_hhAB8EVptwLbguEN8iIT1T8BeD2XWvticlQVzoUjwa_l4pUXc0-BOv-OP0nFq_ULrPuSdo6pTGV89eeG2lIrnI6EpMOZMfDN/s200/IMG_1947.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">study</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrv9o_0mvujCju_7ytl2bKvtsuH-33x957LYl7kBQ7wUVm6cwIZbQwfU1ZrnbDHmBZk_MrQ3R8YbfcOXiGQDp8E3ZveDq-B8VaECi8M8mwY3wrNkh_B6N8ed1NHcQTP4xmcXDCSuXwa0K1/s1600/IMG_1948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrv9o_0mvujCju_7ytl2bKvtsuH-33x957LYl7kBQ7wUVm6cwIZbQwfU1ZrnbDHmBZk_MrQ3R8YbfcOXiGQDp8E3ZveDq-B8VaECi8M8mwY3wrNkh_B6N8ed1NHcQTP4xmcXDCSuXwa0K1/s200/IMG_1948.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">living room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZbG59vOBUAfH144vCNaZpzRwtaRLjul7X_lvofllNYQ3TE6C-RgOH_MWUF9HWhnEq6sWZGlLy2DsFyDMdY_vk3y_lot0geJaLjeMx0uZxXqa2tZVNqXkQ9o55VGx6Pr6tYJ0HkLTh1-r/s1600/IMG_1950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZbG59vOBUAfH144vCNaZpzRwtaRLjul7X_lvofllNYQ3TE6C-RgOH_MWUF9HWhnEq6sWZGlLy2DsFyDMdY_vk3y_lot0geJaLjeMx0uZxXqa2tZVNqXkQ9o55VGx6Pr6tYJ0HkLTh1-r/s200/IMG_1950.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">playroom/4th bedroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_55oydrEPN-T-aMKJcm3SdBG5JwIgLHRunopX_D2htRRISs7YgqL2MVxJAJUf6DAwdedfxpbbYB0M28TlvhvkO1XKmIIMW49jiJHsMsimn6nPy5Jd0ZJxrPXygQhaGTqnn9lBcqjrUb_e/s1600/IMG_1952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_55oydrEPN-T-aMKJcm3SdBG5JwIgLHRunopX_D2htRRISs7YgqL2MVxJAJUf6DAwdedfxpbbYB0M28TlvhvkO1XKmIIMW49jiJHsMsimn6nPy5Jd0ZJxrPXygQhaGTqnn9lBcqjrUb_e/s200/IMG_1952.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claire's room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTM4dlwl5ebTOuE1DB6oE-1a8KCOiwdVCn6Y06qp04Yx0DFKhn5oY3prnhyDldMFwnmA8qBmNATaa6YsOd5BGyhuIGDn3VX6zvKHrdxA0VlMz1l-9sIFNRKfw7sSsVsh6HG9JcaByjcAU/s1600/IMG_1955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTM4dlwl5ebTOuE1DB6oE-1a8KCOiwdVCn6Y06qp04Yx0DFKhn5oY3prnhyDldMFwnmA8qBmNATaa6YsOd5BGyhuIGDn3VX6zvKHrdxA0VlMz1l-9sIFNRKfw7sSsVsh6HG9JcaByjcAU/s200/IMG_1955.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claire's walk-in closet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WWcRisLZukFY1frFVabzCus6fU2Hw0cGkxOinjlm7dTUbNnP87j8grNYmiiH6EsZo_YtA6siUNcA7Jw3PLUtTUEg02Y03ZX1Cg1prGJcwYdB9oFXkcEwWTf2AinuHcXMZOLkGJ23Qjgh/s1600/IMG_1953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WWcRisLZukFY1frFVabzCus6fU2Hw0cGkxOinjlm7dTUbNnP87j8grNYmiiH6EsZo_YtA6siUNcA7Jw3PLUtTUEg02Y03ZX1Cg1prGJcwYdB9oFXkcEwWTf2AinuHcXMZOLkGJ23Qjgh/s200/IMG_1953.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace's room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZM7InakwTFYSJsxU-Nkq-5jcU9hYmMYs7dA3DuKvKeDL9Qix5Ih49jeEH2OKHK0ujog2ItdAXnMNwvnfI4u4c4qp4X4cnaa1t-PyPi56ogjN09H_mqOZeEsiRNsQtvoxdutVxcY8dcrv/s1600/IMG_1954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZM7InakwTFYSJsxU-Nkq-5jcU9hYmMYs7dA3DuKvKeDL9Qix5Ih49jeEH2OKHK0ujog2ItdAXnMNwvnfI4u4c4qp4X4cnaa1t-PyPi56ogjN09H_mqOZeEsiRNsQtvoxdutVxcY8dcrv/s200/IMG_1954.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace's closet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC3nAjzNH0b3AW7iNBCfRGosgWLm1MNj3jz2Pp3fd8pJZDXLn0EjdjqPaSy89kMBf7lwzYTHF2HoToI4Jqvi73Vfs08OW6heR_AaGI1EUac8K62-Q5IUVncS8a0idcyJzJcs57NF5lrJR/s1600/IMG_1956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC3nAjzNH0b3AW7iNBCfRGosgWLm1MNj3jz2Pp3fd8pJZDXLn0EjdjqPaSy89kMBf7lwzYTHF2HoToI4Jqvi73Vfs08OW6heR_AaGI1EUac8K62-Q5IUVncS8a0idcyJzJcs57NF5lrJR/s200/IMG_1956.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hall bath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDF5e67gmktJJ5mccpjcnCx_lqb9Br8uxMkomUZAaCZ3aMoHYFwHuYlRsocQDgOdnaUe_Xh7oQTlN26ofPW12svE_hDdPJRFk-UCfZ8TF6jCy5xaSVxnrzpjlnm2l2vgBLgZgaftVnWeY/s1600/IMG_1958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDF5e67gmktJJ5mccpjcnCx_lqb9Br8uxMkomUZAaCZ3aMoHYFwHuYlRsocQDgOdnaUe_Xh7oQTlN26ofPW12svE_hDdPJRFk-UCfZ8TF6jCy5xaSVxnrzpjlnm2l2vgBLgZgaftVnWeY/s200/IMG_1958.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master bedroom from hallway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc1mn0hsoldRPR0TsR9IsxMjlAEnN9Y_pKI_HAj4b7NL6dsIxBcbhyphenhyphencAGIoLlBPe4uC6akozluSpzPielti4d7r3SU5zdBOtX8FtyAA9BCk9DPO3Nc1mOV2PI7ZWuZnojVucttpdEQyaq/s1600/IMG_1959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc1mn0hsoldRPR0TsR9IsxMjlAEnN9Y_pKI_HAj4b7NL6dsIxBcbhyphenhyphencAGIoLlBPe4uC6akozluSpzPielti4d7r3SU5zdBOtX8FtyAA9BCk9DPO3Nc1mOV2PI7ZWuZnojVucttpdEQyaq/s200/IMG_1959.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">master bath vanity. The cabinet in the middle of our bedroom will go on the vanity between the two sinks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL00YzhXurLPUrlIl1e5ptMxU5nEtlUqBVXsY01SmUSpHliPiEfFBYiCj_EMcRG7G3bxsD0LDUSZ2Rav2CXjfGtKMNn6x80F-Tsel46rFvoocttM7oeOsTDNdGRVLNYtMdoVLhBp3lnHpI/s1600/IMG_1960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL00YzhXurLPUrlIl1e5ptMxU5nEtlUqBVXsY01SmUSpHliPiEfFBYiCj_EMcRG7G3bxsD0LDUSZ2Rav2CXjfGtKMNn6x80F-Tsel46rFvoocttM7oeOsTDNdGRVLNYtMdoVLhBp3lnHpI/s200/IMG_1960.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from left to right: master closet, toilet closet, linen cabinet, walk-in shower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO3TaWbnyjDu4jTjB1COlEfp-bNZlv3Ats4CIEnDVe5ye1hEdkm0UOT0cjhZpPsR3fDhhohFoseu76jQrEWfdLsHcHehUPnIEZ5pLoynOu2RelBVUwOMDZBwtpTObWNFWGHmb8ub22mJ6/s1600/IMG_1961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO3TaWbnyjDu4jTjB1COlEfp-bNZlv3Ats4CIEnDVe5ye1hEdkm0UOT0cjhZpPsR3fDhhohFoseu76jQrEWfdLsHcHehUPnIEZ5pLoynOu2RelBVUwOMDZBwtpTObWNFWGHmb8ub22mJ6/s200/IMG_1961.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">soaking tub!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">justin's side of master closet. my side is basically the same</td></tr>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">built-in book shelves in living room</td></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">another view of the living room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVOc8vWvCcTrOknM7GEQiq0ksAIAPTsmAqX1h82j533y7nMMX5QgZa50AJY53U1yXyAqwd6XZYQ-vxadXS7WPjAVaYnfxdb1d7Er5xUEGJBmo2C22Dlvz43feH-ARLCjgCFqtntcqknkC/s1600/IMG_1977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVOc8vWvCcTrOknM7GEQiq0ksAIAPTsmAqX1h82j533y7nMMX5QgZa50AJY53U1yXyAqwd6XZYQ-vxadXS7WPjAVaYnfxdb1d7Er5xUEGJBmo2C22Dlvz43feH-ARLCjgCFqtntcqknkC/s200/IMG_1977.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we will be adding stacked stone to the hearth and inside the mantle as soon as it is delivered :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">garage. the double doors on the left side open to a storage closet which houses the electrical panels and hot water heater, as well our side by side fridge. the entire garage, including the garage door will be insulted so we can use that closet for food storage if needed.</td></tr>
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Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-79354654276569195642013-09-04T11:23:00.000-06:002013-09-04T11:23:06.228-06:00First day of kindergarten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our family has entered a new phase: the school years. Grace started kindergarten on August 26, 2013. She attends James Poole Elementary School in the Harmony ISD. She has been more than ready for this day. I truly believe she could have gone to kindergarten last year and been just fine. She's such a bright little girl and follows directions so well. She LOVES learning and has great social skills. </div>
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The Thursday before school started we went to "meet the teacher" night. Grace met her teacher, Mrs. Ward and was able to walk around the classroom, find her seat, put her school supplies in her cubby, etc. It was a great night. Grace is so tender hearted and always wants to please people and do the right thing. I think Mrs. Ward's personality suits Grace perfectly. We are into the second week and She is still loving it every day. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited to get to work!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">meet the teacher night</td></tr>
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Justin took the day off of work so he could go with me to take Grace to school and pick her up at the end of the day. I'm so grateful he did. While she was at school we kept busy with "house" stuff. We picked out and ordered all of our counter tops and the stone for the fireplace. We looked at light fixtures and tile. The distraction was nice. While Grace has been looking forward to this day for a long time, I had been dreading it. I certainly shed a few tears. It's hard for me to watch my babies grow up. I feel like I waited so long to be a mom, and my time at home with them is going by way too fast. I definitely miss her during the day and find myself checking the clock A LOT until I can pick her up. I'm proud of her and who she is becoming, and I'm excited for her to experience all the wonderful things that this year has in store! </div>
Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-37950201704485527352011-12-15T21:13:00.001-07:002011-12-15T21:13:17.871-07:00Grace's Artwork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today while Claire was napping and I was making potato salad for our ward Christmas party I pulled out the (washable) markers and paper for Grace to keep herself entertained. She did a fantastic job. She colored for about 30 minutes, relating stories as she went. My favorite is shown below. She told me she was going to draw me a picture of the zoo. That she did! I think I have a pretty talented (almost) four year old. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRaYOcYDqQVwLXtEt1YfuMu2mjdeX4zB01CJv0jNtxpPrHeLrIOudwICAOTvLB0m01Qew9YoxMQQx_UqJVOdb9Ts_LwroybT8MoqZV6vvDC3QLUNVzLUAJyGlStRqWd9J_FGmvcwjsZzU/s1600/grace%2527s+zoo+drawing+labled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRaYOcYDqQVwLXtEt1YfuMu2mjdeX4zB01CJv0jNtxpPrHeLrIOudwICAOTvLB0m01Qew9YoxMQQx_UqJVOdb9Ts_LwroybT8MoqZV6vvDC3QLUNVzLUAJyGlStRqWd9J_FGmvcwjsZzU/s320/grace%2527s+zoo+drawing+labled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(click on the picture to enlarge so you can read my labels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I doubt anyone besides me would be able to make out what she drew)</span></div>
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</div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-8045235091130113022011-11-24T19:33:00.001-07:002011-11-24T19:53:27.189-07:00A Thanksgiving Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm thankful for a lot of things. My family and I are blessed in so many ways. Tonight I am especially thankful for this little girl and the sweet prayers that she offers at bedtime when we kneel together as a family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It was pretty relaxed and low-key, which was fine with me. We slept in, had cold cereal for breakfast (per Grace's request!), then enjoyed a yummy Thanksgiving meal with the Dodd/Austin family. The girls and I came home for naps and movies while Justin drove to College Station to watch the Texas A&M game. His friend, who we went to the World Series with, was able to get tickets for the (possibly last) game against UT.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At bedtime tonight, Grace declared that it was her turn to say the prayer. Fine with me! She's been stubborn and refusing lately when it's been her turn. I just had to document the words of her prayer because it was hilarious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Grace: "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this wonderful day and the good food. Thank thee for mommy being nice. Please bless us to be good. Please bless Grandma Erlenbusch because her back hurts really bad. Please bless daddy to be safe and he's gone a long time. Please bless Kenzie because she's my friend and she can come to my house to play. Please bless Dolphin to be good and play nice with Cinderella. Please bless Kenzie's daddy to be the king of the monkeys. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Oh, and please bless me and mommy and Claire to sleep good."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">WHAT??? I have no idea where she got the 'king of the monkeys' idea or why she wants Kenzie's daddy to take the throne. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Also, she has an imaginary pet dolphin named Polkadots who goes with us everywhere. She buckles Polkadots in the car seat between she and Claire every time we get in the car. It's pretty funny to listen to her 'play' with Polkadots. I love her vast imagination and that she's not afraid/embarrassed to show it to us. Also, Cinderella is her friend and usually plays at our house, but lately she's been spending a lot of time at Kenzie's house.</span></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-70826939659685156042011-11-13T13:11:00.001-07:002011-11-13T13:35:03.439-07:00Just An Ordinary Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I blog a lot about what we do when we have a special outing, holiday, or visitor. I thought it would be a good idea to blog about the ordinary, every day things that go on around here too. Now, these pictures weren't all taken on the same day, but it's a good depiction of what happens in our home on ordinary days.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdibKHtF-FcEj1GrLhrLjEsWejXmAXo1JYkeqDnQyTgtDdoIXypT_qhyphenhyphen-_yx0NVo2IdSbkmLJnFyEMKJ8a2_a6_QXPF-gFVQfpBiHp0WjSfQ-xucB8YupqPtK1STHSgMO-eagBQs9_8Gj2/s1600/IMG_0621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdibKHtF-FcEj1GrLhrLjEsWejXmAXo1JYkeqDnQyTgtDdoIXypT_qhyphenhyphen-_yx0NVo2IdSbkmLJnFyEMKJ8a2_a6_QXPF-gFVQfpBiHp0WjSfQ-xucB8YupqPtK1STHSgMO-eagBQs9_8Gj2/s320/IMG_0621.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Justin fell asleep one afternoon while I was out and about. This is what he woke up to. Grace did an awesome job of putting my make-up on the right parts of her face. It took me two days and a full bottle of eye make-up remover to get the mascara off her eyelashes. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP5fqufzKrXoaZOLoxwce6b_O_JDDJo8Y0tfJrq1-fmZcoIBr6L2lOMw_JBzFGTQrNEg_6nggQ4M6ziiyQdRHyX9OO9hyBabqYpthrn0k-U7IYPNF4qEkxyMGKv7bQFccLTsVmOkk4iCT/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP5fqufzKrXoaZOLoxwce6b_O_JDDJo8Y0tfJrq1-fmZcoIBr6L2lOMw_JBzFGTQrNEg_6nggQ4M6ziiyQdRHyX9OO9hyBabqYpthrn0k-U7IYPNF4qEkxyMGKv7bQFccLTsVmOkk4iCT/s320/IMG_0624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I hope these two will grow up to be best friends. For now, these sweet moments where they show love for one another don't come around too often. There's a lot of screaming in our house.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRaGbMN9M8I-gehg_OCtF4O5LnwpPgf06gxBmfxHx39ntc7IakPQSGV0DK6Ur1VGUTWhkBXj7INK8vj7bHMcYjB_qZtBxl6SVrmfWMdy6UcRjIMTfmTSZ7Vu3lpp5dEzBq0Cg8JxE-I6V/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRaGbMN9M8I-gehg_OCtF4O5LnwpPgf06gxBmfxHx39ntc7IakPQSGV0DK6Ur1VGUTWhkBXj7INK8vj7bHMcYjB_qZtBxl6SVrmfWMdy6UcRjIMTfmTSZ7Vu3lpp5dEzBq0Cg8JxE-I6V/s320/IMG_0626.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Claire laid on the floor coloring for about 30 minutes one evening. I love that she's getting to the age where some things can keep her attention for decent amounts of time. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNc2ucNC4CfWIinmoqOaM-eEkHGpjSfBZAtjsMdOHGcEos8t_Q5T_vgfcJuocL8UbnEBUOdiHdV8j9Z0FGdK0aMPrv5R1LAqSzO_Si61PgWR0bhaseYB6iaTueuPLN11nIKWDDmW-Jf59/s1600/IMG_0630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNc2ucNC4CfWIinmoqOaM-eEkHGpjSfBZAtjsMdOHGcEos8t_Q5T_vgfcJuocL8UbnEBUOdiHdV8j9Z0FGdK0aMPrv5R1LAqSzO_Si61PgWR0bhaseYB6iaTueuPLN11nIKWDDmW-Jf59/s320/IMG_0630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This girl loves the bath tub. I find her like this at least once a day. She just climbs right in and yells at me, "I WANT TO TAKE A TUBBY!"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt1EHLXX2F3xbR0sHVwTINiK56aDb_AW0VuH8bRgVaBTKWvudUUFj-oC0nVIJ3DescNltb05vVK_Zeifftk8bfAw155IwRxYPhnIPL6mNO22Yq4p7IDO8FbppiLvR7V3tk7CSGeUQndXj/s1600/IMG_0642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt1EHLXX2F3xbR0sHVwTINiK56aDb_AW0VuH8bRgVaBTKWvudUUFj-oC0nVIJ3DescNltb05vVK_Zeifftk8bfAw155IwRxYPhnIPL6mNO22Yq4p7IDO8FbppiLvR7V3tk7CSGeUQndXj/s320/IMG_0642.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One day I turned on the TV in my room while I was getting ready so Claire could watch Micky Mouse Clubhouse (her ALL TIME favorite right now. This girl is crazy for Mickey!) I had a laundry basket on the floor full of clean clothes and she just climbed right in and laid down like it was a little bed just for her. When I saw her she looked at me and said, "Hi mommy, I'm laying down." She was quite proud of herself.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLPI6VHlo6rSU3uEQVdR0yzQ3NBrjWc-SkI223oZIXkZg2EgGKtJZ4ygiywzOXI2AJYo4idPBb1Vu9sl0YbiSIQnkN8VrtEGMEAkPiHGIV4fhmLMGrto6UNX90Dhspu8TVoj0hpMye2HS/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLPI6VHlo6rSU3uEQVdR0yzQ3NBrjWc-SkI223oZIXkZg2EgGKtJZ4ygiywzOXI2AJYo4idPBb1Vu9sl0YbiSIQnkN8VrtEGMEAkPiHGIV4fhmLMGrto6UNX90Dhspu8TVoj0hpMye2HS/s320/IMG_0644.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Like I said before, Claire is crazy for Mickey. All day long I hear her saying, "I wanna watch Mickey Mouse!" She sat on the step stool holding her Minnie Mouse doll and watched the entire 1 hour episode of Mickey's Space Adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So there it is. Ordinary days at home with the kids.</span></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-52178913877200041862011-11-12T10:22:00.001-07:002011-11-12T10:41:56.764-07:00Grandma and Grandpa Came to Visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My parents came for a visit at the first of the month. It had been since Claire was born that my mom came to visit, and for my dad it had been over 3 years! We were so happy to have them here. We didn't do a whole lot (really, what is there to do in Gilmer?). We spent a lot of time at home just hanging out and playing. We missed them as soon as they left. Claire really took a liking to my dad (finally) and was so happy to just sit in the chair with him and watch TV.</span></div>
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We drove up to Pittsburg one day to Efurds Orchards for some homemade peach ice cream</div>
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(that's Grace playing peek-a-boo behind the tree)</div>
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We ate some yummy bbq</div>
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Grace was LOVING those ribs!</div>
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Justin and I left the girls at home with my parents for a couple hours and when we returned they said the girls had been so good. Yeah. SO good. This is what the back of Grace's bedroom door looked like. The front wasn't quite so bad.</div>
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Luckily, it was Canton weekend while my parents were here. We spent most of the day at the flea market. Grace begged us for hours to ride the "ferris wheel." We finally gave in and she loved it.</div>
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All in all, it was a great week. It was certainly too short, but still great. We can't wait for their next visit.</div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-85689072679916102822011-11-07T09:00:00.000-07:002011-11-07T09:00:00.643-07:00Opportunities To Do Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">During the April 2011 General Confrence, Elder Eyring challenged each stake to have a day of service to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the church's welfare system. You can read the talk <a href="http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/opportunities-to-do-good?lang=eng">here</a>. Our stake chose October 29th for our day of service. Our ward did a lot of painting around the town square and the Chamber of Commerce, as well as trash clean up. The striping on the steps around the courthouse needed some repainting. Grace and Claire got in on the action too. The kids had so much fun helping dad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Claire decided to take a juice break and sat down on one of the freshly painted steps.</span></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-32525132366588731582011-11-06T08:00:00.000-07:002011-11-06T08:00:01.501-07:00Halloween 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This year, Justin was out of town the week prior to Halloween so the girls and I headed over to carve pumpkins with several other families from church. Claire was totally freaked out by all the people and the unfamiliar setting. Grace was loving cleaning out the pumpkin, until she saw a bunch of kids playing on a playground/swing set. We had a good time, but Justin is definitely the pumpkin carver in the family. I didn't even get a picture of our carved jack-o-lantern. </span></div>
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Jaici was so sweet and tried to make Claire happy</div>
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Grace diggin' in to her pumpkin</div>
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On the 29th we had a tri-ward trunk or treat at the church. Grace is really into the Pinkalicious books, so when I found this dress on clearance a few months ago I knew she had to be Pinkalicious for Halloween.</div>
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Here she is playing 'pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern'. That guy next to her is supposed to be a deviled egg. I thought it was pretty clever.</div>
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In the books Pinkalicious has an imaginary unicorn named Goldilicious, Goldie for short. I made up a unicorn costume for Claire so she could be Grace's little sidekick. Below is a picture of one of the book covers with Pinkalicious and Goldie. We couldn't get a good picture of Claire. She was the cutest unicorn EVER! I even made her a golden mane and tail with pink flowers. I might have to dress her up in it again just for a photo shoot. </div>
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</div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-25217304991976697772011-11-05T21:30:00.000-06:002011-11-05T21:30:22.317-06:00World Series 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Justin and I had the opportunity to go to game 3 of the world series this year in Dallas. Justin's friend Chris was able to get us tickets with fantastic seats. Chris was an umpire for 8 years so we had a fun time listening to baseball stories throughout the evening. Unfortunately, our Texas Rangers lost that night to the St. Louis Cardinals, but not without a lot of really </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">great hitting. We were able to witness Pujols' three home runs that night, the first one opening the game. We left after the 7th inning when the score was 14-7. We were pretty disappointed by the loss, but we had a fantastic time anyways.</span></div>
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Ronnie Dunn sang the National Anthem and during the song they rolled out the American and Texas state flags. It was an awesome sight.</div>
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This is the view from our seats (during batting practice)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxoTfG-MpDcyOIR-JRtlW7craRq2q6FulREe_A1qoqR09KLAp1iU2bcqVZZ2Ozazr1O26RXPnC3XVWnchoF5kGwLvmVVCL85aKwxDW-7_YR1e77ziTrz53Ekzta2y1nYjcWP1Lklfp5WZ/s1600/IMG_0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxoTfG-MpDcyOIR-JRtlW7craRq2q6FulREe_A1qoqR09KLAp1iU2bcqVZZ2Ozazr1O26RXPnC3XVWnchoF5kGwLvmVVCL85aKwxDW-7_YR1e77ziTrz53Ekzta2y1nYjcWP1Lklfp5WZ/s320/IMG_0504.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-62272999739537665702011-10-23T13:27:00.009-06:002011-10-23T15:38:22.465-06:00Back on the Blog Train<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I decided (a long time ago) that I need to start blogging again, but the thought of catching up on 8 months of our lives was a bit overwhelming. This blog is basically a living scrapbook of our lives and I have every intention of having it printed and bound into a book. It's my way of journaling. So, it's important that I keep it up. </span><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><div align="center"><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I thought about just starting new with today and forgetting about playing catch-up, but I want the events of the last 8 months to be recorded so here's a recap:</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">March - Justin had to make a trip to Florida (20 minutes from Orlando) for work so the girls and I tagged along. We spent a day at the Magic Kingdom and had a blast. Grace was in awe of everything. When the castle came into view from the monorail her face was priceless!! I can't wait to go back someday and spend more time visiting all the parks. We also drove along the Gulf Coast for quite a ways on the way home. We stopped in Destin, FL for the night and it is now on my list of places to visit for more than just to sleep.</span></div></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666792181121149234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwfMPeJM1L8zlkmXRSx5C3BTcctKfvKUphwdqNxJTh4Dz1KLAHYiqwK1ZONfCccAXbznFDeoIjuSyAinUXVQwiUgOU-WXxRnbmQRHgI8vi7nNoFPmjtH68YSa3XIcSPp7g2QmXrA9Ey57/s320/IMG_0805.JPG" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">April - We took Grace to see a pediatric GI specialist in Shreveport for her ongoing issues with constipation. She ended up having a procedure done to test for several different causes. She did very well and we got a lot of great video footage after they gave her some medicine to "relax" her. It was pretty entertaining. She had a large mass/blockage that the doctor removed. They took some samples of her nerves and also some samples fro her esophagus and small intestine which all came back normal. FYI- 8 months later and we're still dealing with constipation and trying to potty train. Potty training has been the most difficult thing I have had to deal with thus far as a parent. Justin's parents came for a visit at the end of April and we were able to celebrate Claire's 1st birthday and Easter with them. I also had the privilege of speaking in Sacrament meeting on Easter Sunday.</span><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666792183767163570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-TWQMfsPJyEkbaRFHc6O1sRH4g0693RzCvxmpc-0aPZzhsjrAbRdjs9vaDeu2ULYgFIilKzlCztjPldHXNWqoS_79zENMa10l1icIFhhVqy6DCFt4BjLXbkJvBPuGMhpNh-cGGMy-HuB/s320/DSCN1917.JPG" /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">May - We flew (as a whole family!) to California for the Memorial Day weekend to spend it with my family. My sister was Graduating from California State University Stanislaus with a Master's in School Administration. The kids absolutely loved being with their cousins. Grace spent every waking moment outside since the weather was so pleasant (it was in the 100's already at home).</span><br /></div></div><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666792202063058514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNcnOYK3SfSqIAPSZCTnmc3LDmdQmX9TF4YEtq-BjJKv71XeZpUUd03N6IgK1PdH-VdKTRNbPnY81s4Mq42BLU7rcUwobJQM17k_w-Rzy-xQDkWyCznh_wlpswG4ORQwRgTfyrYgkyqSY/s320/IMG_1022.JPG" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">June - Not much exciting happened in June, except that we had triple digit temperatures for the entire month. THE ENTIRE MONTH!! The youth in our stake participated in "A Texas Sized Jubilee" and we were able to make a trip to Dallas to watch the production. Our youth did an awesome job and had an amazing time.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div></div><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666802264600666482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiYnyIYxv3TizmAltms3pht1rt2DJomET6XFVvJcdilqlr3tXs0NOZ4w1qqmMt-JSulS1eaZ-xZ0JDzmPx8lEfbMV_bugmazXtUZB1gcuUHP0p7MLlAxxIT0-o3SribrmMeO8YfK2dVSN/s320/DSCN2062.JPG" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">July - The girls and I flew to Utah to spend some time with Grandparents and cousins. Justin drove up a few days later and spent a week with us before making the trek back to Texas. We played at the Discovery Gateway Museum, played in the dirt, went to the pool, attended our first Petersen Girls Night Out, went horseback riding with Aunt Bailey, got together for a quickie roomie reunion where we got to meet baby Lucas, played in the sand and water at Bear Lake, and drove the combine with daddy and Grandpa during the wheat harvest!</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666802264672230178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13_23yCyFwfVed6Ezt6UIbWwEf_CRLY0wIiK1o7ESuO-8ugOtyun8vzzkt8qFeZ3ycAY1FBh44mNTs62f5w1YWeC96bzkaLFSHWZSJ70KjkTJugajw7Uxn4KhS8GwUeRAWW-8Q353Sbkk/s320/IMG_0188.JPG" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">August - We started the month off by driving from Utah to Boise where we met my dad and drove the rest of the way to Oregon to spend a week with my parents. My nieces Sierra and Marissa were also staying for the week. All the girls had so much fun playing together. They rode scooters, went to the spray ground, swimming at the aquatic center, scavenger hunt at the library, dilly bars at DQ, and a horrible 2-day experience with Pasco, WA airport. Once we got home we had an entire month of excruciating heat and no rain! We spent a lot of time with our new friends the who moved down the street and into our ward. They have two little girls that are the same ages as Grace and Claire. At the end of the month I started going back to school two partial days a week. The girls go to an amazing babysitter and enjoy their time at Ms. Helen's.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666802270974645298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7Q8yw-M8FGNNddilsK6u4TVQEMCA2wBhhoTEWpRj_SPNWz7EOcTNaOqtx4JLDJNw-bXmF77HpdOAGurhebrDt7moTr108wulbbSk0zvI4ywJCupP-eZVQdasAXsL6kx5Ruxa0S9BHJq_/s320/IMG_0302.JPG" /></span> <br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">September - Justin spent a lot of the month on the road. Grace started gymnastics again (and is loving it way more than she did earlier this year). I spent the month trying to get back in the "school" groove and balancing my responsibilities at school, home, and church. We spent a lot of time wishing fall weather would come our way. A lot of East Texas was on fire for a few weeks. The longest draught in Texas history combined with strong winds from a tropical storm in the gulf resulted in many, many wild fires around here. The fire departments worked tirelessly to put them out and protect the residents.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666802287581815218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLohZ3diQ2tkSA3CCIXe9VuldayeCaaMybtHdseNojTkFIf-ubQxYkt94xTaFok2sK9s1sbU9wxjF1lZBaY_l24D8V7JYpoD6nl_qTfMvAc7E1rtIJhO8jGEv2RJtHEjuXyaj7_mWJOu5/s320/IMG_0337.JPG" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">October - I can't believe this month is almost over! We spent two weekends painting the exterior of our house. The Yamboree has now come and gone. Justin and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to Game 3 of the World Series (stay tuned for a separate post on that one). Claire is officially 18 months old. She weighs 29lbs (96%) and is 33 inches tall (90%). She's been attending nursery for the last two months since I teach during the third hour of church and Justin is always busy with his calling. We're looking forward to wrapping up this month with Halloween and a visit from my parents (wahoo!).</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666802287771425874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVya8Yei3-CHdthK6Qt-hDwVv_vQMrp0WIThRSiIBzEsl9mtSfzBeQ-m03fP9MIQNcZbef1jGRSVBBLjT5Bnx3nlOjdqbIueNssuVMt3oUivZeGUZsmWHOFZaDLKRi_xY5Q9-Of01dk9V/s320/IMG_0487.JPG" /></span></div></div><br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-8235437060933478892011-02-11T19:12:00.005-07:002011-02-13T17:27:46.729-07:00Brandon and Bailey Got Hitched!<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A few weeks ago we were able to go to Utah for Justin's brother's wedding. We had a great time visiting with family and celebrating with Brandon and Bailey. We're so happy for them and that they found eachother. Bailey is such a sweet girl and we're excited to have her as part of our family and get to know her better.</span></div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572625159097551730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4D2BjjvQMUfoz7zFiYBY_nKKYt55EOdM3YgdU8DxJ4DI48FxXM6ZtR_2vKktSlYIEDHSklawJmAUdIghGnoFjiVy8DVtFOXxvAoTgprEWTqb6gitccWyr7AIbzX-RFAe4RbFbwzZYKPk/s400/IMG_0528.JPG" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">They were married in the Logan, Utah temple on a very cold January day. They took their sweet time to join us all outside for pictures</span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572625148002233442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-9UIntfVTw8WT_6yyluq3Hky-hUS7aX2h5JXypcwvx8FS_Yy7qOOvtvbpsQU6snG6-_BebtpXCZiML3Cd0kJquEF6lGJ5TAmwisSNFDcvH88YEb8xTshaFkcJM_3efC3hG4MUNsa3ozM/s400/IMG_0527.JPG" /><br /><div align="center"> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572621332786509362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFEX4pj6gyuUSjbR9XwnMke6VhQHMLZYQNVwGAwjU22xQMALuECPOv0LGs0wxhX2i7PWJPAtdkTaNo20lZCFv3DlN08Odq3BLgHbh7NzGn6dZftY1Bjf92POfmTjWhP717kKd2GWikXlb/s400/IMG_0525.JPG" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Chatting with my MIL trying to keep warm!</span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM3tojsjLgXm2hgzPdxwAvnTpgzVSx9rwlLrZ5M03WDehgGgGKJwiewI-KGU_PnFw9kXu4qkBrmYbs-v3XjdweRVyFPAyhyAeqsQf1finhUCfHo6ZylyJDH1gQqBI69f49iGLFLokDOab/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572625184149739250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM3tojsjLgXm2hgzPdxwAvnTpgzVSx9rwlLrZ5M03WDehgGgGKJwiewI-KGU_PnFw9kXu4qkBrmYbs-v3XjdweRVyFPAyhyAeqsQf1finhUCfHo6ZylyJDH1gQqBI69f49iGLFLokDOab/s400/IMG_0556.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Brandon and Bailey with all the Nessen neices and nephew.</span> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8x5jU6F5h8wr6cwNV4aOtbYNFwFpfiMWrzjHu-0DfL48UO4B9J4jGoMkGID3ydQZn7q6g_sdRG1w15mus4598uPgd9Ih6u4w_eiLPZh2iE45XV__Arhpv5L0MrZnpzcAc-5WDfldCVTe/s1600/IMG_0549.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572625177572823730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8x5jU6F5h8wr6cwNV4aOtbYNFwFpfiMWrzjHu-0DfL48UO4B9J4jGoMkGID3ydQZn7q6g_sdRG1w15mus4598uPgd9Ih6u4w_eiLPZh2iE45XV__Arhpv5L0MrZnpzcAc-5WDfldCVTe/s400/IMG_0549.JPG" /></a>Brandon going for the garter.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLYSZyZc9GadpKWN7Eja8EqFEoy3A16odIzD0GlBRQOZEVPGENx-O2hHqkYT8eEfZn7ZAyLpVgmDhpQieolMPjRi52MXfglmuta-7NBAfG46dkl76aH61-V-_tXA43IFVz1XhS7sU5IvM/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572625172414181090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLYSZyZc9GadpKWN7Eja8EqFEoy3A16odIzD0GlBRQOZEVPGENx-O2hHqkYT8eEfZn7ZAyLpVgmDhpQieolMPjRi52MXfglmuta-7NBAfG46dkl76aH61-V-_tXA43IFVz1XhS7sU5IvM/s400/IMG_0536.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The girls stayed with my parents at their hotel while Justin and I went to the temple. Here they are all ready for the reception.<br /></span><div><div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVQo96cWKdf9R7ArtegvH4Ncpd0LdIYa1PLzr-pYP7nvhRzEwXMTwIgdLqXnhyQw1JdRJLkOEZ0EhwMHrhqEY4uxGI3AC0o4YUdyi6WWV8QC48UG_UsCtwIE4gdJAvA5ONNCuBHvl7_cC/s1600/IMG_0544.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572621372327872914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVQo96cWKdf9R7ArtegvH4Ncpd0LdIYa1PLzr-pYP7nvhRzEwXMTwIgdLqXnhyQw1JdRJLkOEZ0EhwMHrhqEY4uxGI3AC0o4YUdyi6WWV8QC48UG_UsCtwIE4gdJAvA5ONNCuBHvl7_cC/s400/IMG_0544.JPG" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-8866485971205536992011-02-11T13:39:00.002-07:002011-02-11T13:48:14.703-07:00Valentines<div align="center">I decided to make some Valentine cards/treats for Grace to pass out to her friends and teachers at church this year. I found the cutest idea from my favorite blog, <a href="http://www.iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/">I am momma hear me roar</a> (Cheri is seriously awesome and talented. Go check her out. She posts everyday. You won't be disappointed, especially if you have little boys). I knew that I could make them easily. I followed her directions exactly and they turned out GREAT! They didn't take much time to do either and all it cost me was a couple bags of Hershey's Kisses. I had everything else (baggies and cardstock).</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8q9M8Fw7BA8Pfnyxa6bwiNShxStc5oTmw16LT6A3Cpf7XAYubyX7cJIMOs_vWA_cU39G-Q9BTf8v01a6VOLfn89JY-qRrTR0UXFDh6qjrm7MGV3oKEEcXpPR-JrG_fFezMY_TWn5ExfB/s1600/DSCN1762.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572534790427107138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8q9M8Fw7BA8Pfnyxa6bwiNShxStc5oTmw16LT6A3Cpf7XAYubyX7cJIMOs_vWA_cU39G-Q9BTf8v01a6VOLfn89JY-qRrTR0UXFDh6qjrm7MGV3oKEEcXpPR-JrG_fFezMY_TWn5ExfB/s400/DSCN1762.JPG" /></a> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 103px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572534795245898674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ9M5bosS-P3pXAlENK3p6KlUVOSd8LNL-jdy5pqaMz8-2HDr3j8Ch_2xKmBk5WeOlWwQsYDJc3jZF7nKILyI5BcBKmy1nOoTRcQnDlt95Q-im22-JHVhLDWHAMcz1hTEfIK2TJJZcux5/s400/grace%2527s+valentine+2011.jpg" /><br />They're so cute and personal, yet simple and inexpensive. Get the tutorial <a href="http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/search/label/valentines">here.</a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Happy Love Day!<br /><br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-33564616493571239042011-02-05T12:16:00.003-07:002011-02-05T12:44:40.363-07:009 months<div align="center">Claire turned 9 months old on January 21. She had her 9 month well baby check up that day. Her stats are :</div><div align="center">23.4 lbs (97.88%)</div><div align="center">28.25 inches (75.31%)</div><div align="center">Head- 17.5 inches (65.33%)</div><div align="center">She's growing like a weed. I really should go back through Grace's stats from her first year and do a comparison. I think Claire has her beat in weight and height, but has a much smaller head circumference. </div><div align="center">We had a great appointment - no shots!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AX5NL55wABGNjNeSNUBKD39SC4bD-RBiKtpbaSskBx8IjYXPlxsgHsoSvb4SjRL1xunLpZtR7Qee2FOsVcSIDAy41wvcb535Mtp-41AOCI26ZnIEQ95m1Dwk3sC0DEOwV6ue6Q5aZsp0/s1600/IMG_0581.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570287267802170226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AX5NL55wABGNjNeSNUBKD39SC4bD-RBiKtpbaSskBx8IjYXPlxsgHsoSvb4SjRL1xunLpZtR7Qee2FOsVcSIDAy41wvcb535Mtp-41AOCI26ZnIEQ95m1Dwk3sC0DEOwV6ue6Q5aZsp0/s400/IMG_0581.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0tLVYKA2gG_CoE1gxWy_VSOWrEyt6PGNy8fpnQ7j0A61hHDpdC9cBmsfjLwEZauwXhRmz04wbiErmv6Aw0UaMtBdA1fXLj5xrCikBMLJiTwFx6gvNetRdjoL11L3TiD9UrdHzarmWlFw/s1600/IMG_0583.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570286766757888946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0tLVYKA2gG_CoE1gxWy_VSOWrEyt6PGNy8fpnQ7j0A61hHDpdC9cBmsfjLwEZauwXhRmz04wbiErmv6Aw0UaMtBdA1fXLj5xrCikBMLJiTwFx6gvNetRdjoL11L3TiD9UrdHzarmWlFw/s400/IMG_0583.JPG" /></a> Claire is such a<span style="font-size:180%;"> <span style="color:#ff99ff;">happy</span></span>, easy-going baby. We just love her to pieces. She loves to<span style="color:#ff6666;"> babble</span> and blow <span style="color:#cc0000;">raspberries</span>. She loves nap time and bedtime. Whenever I put her down she snuggles up with her blanket and has a big grin on her face. She's not crawling yet, but working on it. She's having a hard time lifting her tummy off the floor (can you blame her?!). She's trying really hard to pull herself up on all the furniture and toys. She loves to <span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;">eat</span>, especially table food. The only foods she doesn't seem to like are <span style="color:#33cc00;">peas</span> and <span style="color:#006600;">green beans</span>. </div><div align="center">Claire recently went <span style="font-size:180%;color:#3366ff;">swimming</span> for the first time. We were in Utah last weekend for Justin's brother's wedding. My parents drove down from Oregon to visit with us and they were generous enough to watch the kids while we were at the temple with Brandon and Bailey. They were staying at a hotel with an indoor pool so they took the girls swimming. Apparently, Claire had a blast and splish-splashed all around. She also cut her first <span style="font-size:180%;color:#666666;">tooth</span> the day of the wedding, which explained the fussiness which isn't like her at all. I think she's working on another tooth now. She has swollen, white gums. Luckily for us, she hasn't been too cranky over it and is still sleeping well. </div><div align="center">Claire has such a sweet demeanor about her. She's always happy with she wakes up and will give me a good squeeze when I pick her up as though she's trying to hug me. She <span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">loves</span> to give <span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">kisses</span> and we love to give her kisses. She totally leans in with her mouth <span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#330033;">wide</span> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">open. Her favorite toys are Grace's little Disney Princess dolls. They have rubbery dresses that come off and Claire loves the feeling of them in her hands. Claire also loves to </span><span style="font-size:180%;color:#33ffff;">dance<span style="color:#000000;">. <span style="font-size:100%;">She wiggles all around when she hears music, or if you just tell her to dance. It's so stinking cute!</span></span></span></span></div><div align="center">I just can't get enough of this little girl. She has brought so much joy to our lives, and I can't imagine our family without her. I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by. They grow up way too fast and it literally hurts inside to know that they will only be my littles for such a short amount of time.<span style="color:#000000;"><br /><br /><br /></div></span><div align="center"></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-80762246401359160862011-02-04T10:31:00.002-07:002011-02-04T10:41:01.570-07:00Snow Day<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last night we got a few inches of snow here in East Texas, so Grace and I ventured out to play this morning while Claire was napping. We didn't last long since we didn't have appropriate clothes to keep our feet, hands and legs warm and dry. We tried to build a snowman, but it was too fluffy and dry. It wouldn't stick together to make big enough snowballs for the body.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN7MROnC-2NJE820cruiUYlTXJ4sD-R5Oz-RKh-2_vrnKcLaLRnFJLvd4-oXrB7NojpzDF2yOyngSMYkg-bs8G-il_mZkQXjMjSz5V8h4wiumQkXlcaRVg2dPJFqyNwkLLr9PsfNuoa6c/s1600/snow+day+collage.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 398px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569888600582100210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN7MROnC-2NJE820cruiUYlTXJ4sD-R5Oz-RKh-2_vrnKcLaLRnFJLvd4-oXrB7NojpzDF2yOyngSMYkg-bs8G-il_mZkQXjMjSz5V8h4wiumQkXlcaRVg2dPJFqyNwkLLr9PsfNuoa6c/s400/snow+day+collage.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Snow in these parts isn't unheard of. We've experienced it every winter since we moved here. It usually doesn't last long, just 24 hours or so. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be above 50 degrees. It's a good thing we went out and played in it today, because I'm pretty sure it won't survive tomorrow's sunny high temp.<br /></span><br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-43539955724453676092011-01-19T17:54:00.003-07:002011-01-20T11:46:10.660-07:00Scripture & Prayer<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVXYSFs_gs29gpuvYE5u079JmbYPGfV9IMuNC8IghHCLS1bQUvxfSkp9GaPA09rlqioHqSOXZAOOrp9sPgZB_pSaQM53ScVWnT3mTUcCGE-fmHQ5EucLzoCrG0CXA0q2DLbu2Y5gu9FZs/s1600/IMG00018-20110109-1721.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564065476804928930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVXYSFs_gs29gpuvYE5u079JmbYPGfV9IMuNC8IghHCLS1bQUvxfSkp9GaPA09rlqioHqSOXZAOOrp9sPgZB_pSaQM53ScVWnT3mTUcCGE-fmHQ5EucLzoCrG0CXA0q2DLbu2Y5gu9FZs/s320/IMG00018-20110109-1721.jpg" /></a> Grace was assigned to give the scripture and prayer in primary last Sunday. We picked a scripture and practiced all week long. Justin would whisper the words into her ear and she would repeat it loud, pretending to speak into the microphone. She tried so hard to memorize it so she could do it all by herself. She had about half of it memorized by Sunday. When it was her turn she walked right up to the podium and started saying the prayer all by herself before Justin could get the microphone on. No one knew she was praying until she said "Amen." Justin had her do it again once the microphone was on. She insisted on saying it herself and when she stalled for a moment Justin tried to to help her. She pushed his face away and said, "I do it myself!" She did a great job reciting the scripture too. I was so proud of her. We were a little afraid that once she got up there she would be too nervous or scared, but she was such a big, brave girl.<br />I wanted to get a picture of her after primary wearing her special sticker she got for saying the scripture and prayer, but Grace loves stickers so much they don't last long.<br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-15412450118917038422011-01-14T08:44:00.005-07:002011-01-14T09:02:16.781-07:00A Girl and Her Shoes<div align="center"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQraFHY3amkeXQly9Aj21TqgXVHKm_V_IxfYbL8DpB6UEkEeMVgOWarhuWdQcrHJk_4XReQ4IWjvdd7Iw7i4EHjL-gwt_iEMqihGSGj5b8pA2WhEPCMtOFF3fudaw8WP9FIEdsutedU-RN/s1600/DSCN1634.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562068476790321042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQraFHY3amkeXQly9Aj21TqgXVHKm_V_IxfYbL8DpB6UEkEeMVgOWarhuWdQcrHJk_4XReQ4IWjvdd7Iw7i4EHjL-gwt_iEMqihGSGj5b8pA2WhEPCMtOFF3fudaw8WP9FIEdsutedU-RN/s320/DSCN1634.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEY4u_Np9bquhJvvWn6vLwWnLT1H-nJWAyqFQRVaqtqUCLTCu2R-o0HuDBn9XrP752crxvEHi-_UBqhNB8JDXKJ7wS2X4Wp2280y9mArFdYCXk1TY4ybQjqsa6bRrpqh0M3mJQvnf3r34/s1600/DSCN1635.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562068466191019570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEY4u_Np9bquhJvvWn6vLwWnLT1H-nJWAyqFQRVaqtqUCLTCu2R-o0HuDBn9XrP752crxvEHi-_UBqhNB8JDXKJ7wS2X4Wp2280y9mArFdYCXk1TY4ybQjqsa6bRrpqh0M3mJQvnf3r34/s320/DSCN1635.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNDY5-ZMfr-Y5p-wNQRL5GAzpspvwzUYTAaFkuRgtulTSdaf-6l2eXzDKqq1JwxIqDh73zmiY4b-xyJjH7-nesKLe0z4Ri_cZsrFoVhu_boKquurk684iuzZ1TfPhDFd8CMuPRexOoTeL/s1600/DSCN1639.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562068459491758738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNDY5-ZMfr-Y5p-wNQRL5GAzpspvwzUYTAaFkuRgtulTSdaf-6l2eXzDKqq1JwxIqDh73zmiY4b-xyJjH7-nesKLe0z4Ri_cZsrFoVhu_boKquurk684iuzZ1TfPhDFd8CMuPRexOoTeL/s320/DSCN1639.JPG" /></a><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 231px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 279px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562069038786872066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL7w9KoazNAhY38Q2JGRx0LI0ZDvYNZvgfMN0zCpMuUyjcPSODkcOFxgyZbl3krr0LGqOaF1ws_kotufM2Fk0URifkXQ6YKoakrYLXPKFrS_rLxtIskDd-W2n6SXDQ86AnPo46Ln_RpOR/s320/DSCN1643.JPG" /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">(I don't know why blogger keeps flipping this picture when I add it to the post)</span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Are they cute, or what? They were a gift from our friend and surrogate grandma, <a href="http://www.veronicaaustin.blogspot.com/">VA</a>. Thanks V for teaching my children that it's important to accessorize!<a href="http://www.veronicaaustin.blogspot.com/"><br /></a><div align="center"></div></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-28752145215555118402011-01-07T10:10:00.003-07:002011-01-07T10:55:49.159-07:00Sunbeams<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Grace attended Primary for the first time last Sunday as an official Sunbeam. She had such a wonderful time. She just adores singing time. She's been teaching Claire the "Hello, Hello" song all week. It's so cute to watch her sing and do the actions along with the words. Her Sunbeam teacher is my friend Jaime, who is AWESOME with those little 3 year <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">olds</span>. All day Sunday Grace was telling me that Sister <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pilcher</span> is her friend. There's only two other kids in her her class, Oakley and Tony. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I just love the Primary organization in our church and the way it teaches and instills the most basic gospel principles in our little ones. Grace is developing such a sweet and simple testimony of Jesus Christ that will continue to grow and develop as she gets older and moves on through Primary and Young <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Women's</span>.</span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559492916928439890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDEWNBXZhsK1zaxp2IZqQgSdNGYXBDSCi6tDlweyqUdsBvOtqu5ygJtwM4V9c0Am6BwZhiBfld5NT5WwcOlnf1K3ruJfrhe0sjcUFBQmfvn4D2tjnXZhEQmd4Al6t0Vq2QDTbYAUBP6mt/s320/1191.JPG" /></div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Grace has always been pretty independent, but it seems as though it's becoming more obvious as she gets older. She insists on saying prayers all by herself now. She said the blessing on the food last Sunday evening and would not let us help her. She did such a great job, even blessing the food without any prompting from Justin or myself. She has led us in family prayer a couple of nights this week and when we try to help her or remind her what to say she gets very upset and says, "I can do it <em>myself!"</em> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gotta love her strong-willed, stubborn personality! </span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I also took Grace to her 3 year check-up this week. She weighs 38 pounds (94%) and is 39 1/4 inches tall (91%). She enjoyed showing the doctor all the neat things she's capable of doing, but she <em>really, really </em><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">could have</span> done without the shot. She had to get one in her thigh this time and it was very traumatic. Good thing they had a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">purple</span> lollipop to make it all better!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Here are a few tidbits about Grace at 3 years old:</span></p><ul><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">favorite color is purple</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">she talks ALL. THE. TIME. and in really good sentences now</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">you have to repeat back to her what she has just said or else she will say it over, and over, and over, and over again</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">She loves princesses</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">likes to build towers with blocks and boxes</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">likes to play with friends</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">favorite food is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">quesadillas</span></span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">has a new chocolate lab puppy named Jenny</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">loves to help mommy bake cookies and cupcakes</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">can count to 15 and recognize numbers up to 10</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">knows her entire alphabet, can recognize all letters and knows their sounds</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">knows all her colors</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">she's potty trained!!!</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">still takes a nap every afternoon (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">yay</span>!)</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">loves to sing and dance</span></div></li><li><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">remembers EVERYTHING!</span></div></li></ul>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-80121075484730754712011-01-04T08:04:00.011-07:002011-01-04T10:14:48.655-07:00End of the Year Wrap Up<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I decided that since there was quite a bit of catching up to do (the last 2 months!) I would do it all in one long post. It's a much less daunting task than taking on several individual posts. We'll start with my trip to Oregon the first part of November. I flew to Portland with the girls where I met up with my parents, my sister from California, and my sister-in-law from Seattle. My dad took the girls back to their house for the weekend so I could attend </span><a href="http://deseretbook.com/time-out"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Time Out For Women </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(TOFW) with my mom and sisters. We had such a fun time, I only wish it had been a longer trip. On Friday night we were fortunate to hear from one of my favorite women, Sister Ardeth Kapp. I just love her to pieces. I try to read anything by her and listen to her speak whenever I get the chance. She has dedicated her life to serving the Lord. I felt so lucky knowing that that night was to be Sister Kapps final TOFW event. The theme for the tour this year was "Infinite Hope." I thought I would highlight some things from the event. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div align="left"><a href="http://deseretbook.com/auth/41/Ardeth_G_Kapp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sister Kapp</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: </span></div><ul><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hope is reflected in ones attitude about life</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hope comes from knowing that God is with us</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When we understand the source of hope, there is always reason for it</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><a href="http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/31.20?lang=eng#19"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 Nephi 31:20</span></a></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Suffering ceases to be suffering when we find a reason for it</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Do your prayers reflect your most earnest hopes?</span></div></li></ul><p align="left"><a href="http://deseretbook.com/auth/78/Emily_Watts"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sister Emily Watts </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(she spoke about our hopes as mothers):</span></p><ul><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The hope that your children can improve;</span><a href="http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/rom/8.24-25?lang=eng#23"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Romans 8:24-25</span></a></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The hope that the work we do as mothers is worth it</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The hope that because of the importance of our work Heavenly Father will help me with it. Heavenly father will give us what we need <em>this</em> day. Tomorrow we must <em>ask</em> again.</span></div></li></ul><a href="http://deseretbook.com/auth/12807/Merrilee_Browne_Boyack"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sister Merrilee Boyack</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (breast cancer survivor!)</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When you have no control over anything else, you have control over your attitude.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Strengthening Opportunities" - another name for trials</span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7 choices we need to make <em>daily - </em>1. Choose to be of good cheer </span><a href="http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/68.6?lang=eng#5"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">D&C 68:6</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">; 2. Choose to be strong; 3. Choose to be hopeful in our God - He will answer our prayers in the <em>perfect</em> time. Choose to fully submit to the Lord's will. Either we must trust God or we don't - there's no part way; 4. Choose to be faithful; 5. choose to accept suffering - Going through trials is the Lord's way of making us who He wants us to be. Suffering is a way for us to experience a minuscule amount of the suffering the Savior experienced. Suffering should be welcomed; 6. Choose to be grateful; 7. Choose to let God bear the burdens.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had such an uplifting weekend. I was inspired to be a better wife, mother, daughter of God, and disciple of Christ. I hope I will have the opportunity to attend a TOFW event this year as well.</span></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHPMwEMflUgAr6lQBtWfxwtdgesuf38f7i9_HMCo9jRmY3VCySp1jpB6c7-FNGMv60ARcAxAvInam-7u7P_3nrUfkFSbaLuS0CuIGWggaF7GcxsWCSgQAhSqFlfy-8e5wE1NlumlELR9T/s1600/1038.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558353597799864450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHPMwEMflUgAr6lQBtWfxwtdgesuf38f7i9_HMCo9jRmY3VCySp1jpB6c7-FNGMv60ARcAxAvInam-7u7P_3nrUfkFSbaLuS0CuIGWggaF7GcxsWCSgQAhSqFlfy-8e5wE1NlumlELR9T/s320/1038.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> from left to right: Sarah, Mom, me, Stacie</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After we said goodbye to Stacie and dropped Sarah off at the airport my mom and I headed back to her house to relieve my dad. He did such a marvelous job taking care of my kiddos all weekend, but he sure was wore out! The girls and I were able to spend the entire week at their house. We didn't do a lot (it was pretty cold) but we had fun spending time together. My parents watched Claire one afternoon so I could take Grace to the children's museum. She had a good time exploring all the different play areas.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLK2iflAEq1vyqF9PVccnI84dZZ8VzsK95K5lVz0aKBTjAZ1VdY-C1fzzX2vCdmBmrJ2Oaqs02TZ51-saSGS6tUtFEO5EqBuUuD8tPRdy6SXnNEr8tk6r434p7dHInZunWLUVzJkuqeBB/s1600/1064.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558353562401331042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLK2iflAEq1vyqF9PVccnI84dZZ8VzsK95K5lVz0aKBTjAZ1VdY-C1fzzX2vCdmBmrJ2Oaqs02TZ51-saSGS6tUtFEO5EqBuUuD8tPRdy6SXnNEr8tk6r434p7dHInZunWLUVzJkuqeBB/s320/1064.JPG" /> <p align="center"></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> putting groceries away in the kitchen<br /><br /></p></span><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05XfTLMTxNRsnoZMD0GjJ6jHQXjlMaSfiyw0YYD1Eb1DJu2QrtQnQuQKq9iYRyzt15AINJV8FA-kzAelmmpBhtCJEzemU-8sliO8OQ9F1bMFuyY64TNgp82gRlm5y9VlolIT8UjincvUm/s1600/1054.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558353556298416786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05XfTLMTxNRsnoZMD0GjJ6jHQXjlMaSfiyw0YYD1Eb1DJu2QrtQnQuQKq9iYRyzt15AINJV8FA-kzAelmmpBhtCJEzemU-8sliO8OQ9F1bMFuyY64TNgp82gRlm5y9VlolIT8UjincvUm/s320/1054.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">counting money at the bank<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvne26S03OrS402G9jaShG0xkzunMYCCVMnw594Pr-vFzUK_koWOAbW7Dl8calBtF5QLEz6b3xukPyRQn4IEBhGX54CFPJixXHYBOWJb01ZNwZcs8m6yytcPX01bcwp9Se5X9IZmmaGPMS/s1600/1055.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558353554255063714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvne26S03OrS402G9jaShG0xkzunMYCCVMnw594Pr-vFzUK_koWOAbW7Dl8calBtF5QLEz6b3xukPyRQn4IEBhGX54CFPJixXHYBOWJb01ZNwZcs8m6yytcPX01bcwp9Se5X9IZmmaGPMS/s320/1055.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> building at the workshop<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgq35vqK5Aiw0MPJ3DR4rk-o-UWdSplJUXEMCDBusOUkByI1IVWcR2KwbkL6hDVOoK0yKKy7rUmkDzeSg2RafZbscbLeHNb56HSXY0Zz712ofqOP4Ds_s1JTTkK2CVtVuYIS84N2VVZTN/s1600/1069.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558350791506368354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgq35vqK5Aiw0MPJ3DR4rk-o-UWdSplJUXEMCDBusOUkByI1IVWcR2KwbkL6hDVOoK0yKKy7rUmkDzeSg2RafZbscbLeHNb56HSXY0Zz712ofqOP4Ds_s1JTTkK2CVtVuYIS84N2VVZTN/s320/1069.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Queen Gracie<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16VFMlNG-1f43IzaxKIiVDxF8vFsIW7E6MDcAxhtpZ6RVu5XtQy705ubyUJ8zdUrJ7yFTrmlFBZj-Tc_Lxskh1YmFbI0wVcRVqNeD3nEOEYX74B8Qb6-TUaMmMsU68Vv7BguUFgKaKn5Q/s1600/1072.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558350785443051986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16VFMlNG-1f43IzaxKIiVDxF8vFsIW7E6MDcAxhtpZ6RVu5XtQy705ubyUJ8zdUrJ7yFTrmlFBZj-Tc_Lxskh1YmFbI0wVcRVqNeD3nEOEYX74B8Qb6-TUaMmMsU68Vv7BguUFgKaKn5Q/s320/1072.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Claire experienced Cheerios and puffed rice snacks while at my parents. She loves to eat!<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now, on to Thanksgiving. Shoot, I just realized that we have a bunch more Thanksgiving pictures on Justin's camera. Check back another time for an update because we spent the weekend in San Antonio!</span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We stayed in Texas for Thanksgiving this year. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with the Dodd family. Thanks </span><a href="http://www.veronicaaustin.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">V</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for inviting us! We're so grateful to have wonderful friends here who have opened their homes to us and made us feel like family.</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl2xO70BiRWbRUZqMyOXU7mAi19BoctluSev7grfhu84oKEWlhxeksDDoyXFsTOISk1zqL10QQ99rAfLNL5HoYuFnopnY9fw0JeJL7ZBSeha68TuzATePGfona99WjdXzGFxfYw0-mO3s/s1600/1083.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558350780143316306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl2xO70BiRWbRUZqMyOXU7mAi19BoctluSev7grfhu84oKEWlhxeksDDoyXFsTOISk1zqL10QQ99rAfLNL5HoYuFnopnY9fw0JeJL7ZBSeha68TuzATePGfona99WjdXzGFxfYw0-mO3s/s320/1083.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I saw these cute turkey shirts on a blog and decided to make them for the girls. They turned out GREAT and were so stinking cute (again, pictures of them wearing the shirts are on Justin's camera). I can't remember the blog where I got the idea, but I'm sure you can google it if you're interested in making one for next year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After dinner we packed up and headed to San Antonio for the weekend. We had a great time visiting the Alamo and walking along the river checking out all the restaurants. We've decided that we have to go back sometime without the kids so we can really enjoy it! We left San Antonio and drove up to Marble Falls and enjoyed a little of the Texas hill country. It really was gorgeous. We have plans of going back there too! Check back soon for a picture update of that part of our weekend.<br /><br /><br />We started December and all the Christmas festivities with the Primary Breakfast with Santa activity. Grace loves the idea of Santa Claus, but not so much the real thing. We had a yummy pancake breakfast, listened to some great Christmas stories, and then pictures with Santa.<br /></span></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHjaCUXgXPABEieZ7LuoRmgm_i_G4XcpN4ipALzV8l50FgxBq0aT7DheWChPT0mA_2hs9xm55djR8FMX44SF56T_S-kKA7kIGH6macCJjk9xH2lVkGqB62s93-gXR4TCi-dbshQiOId1z/s1600/1097.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558350774242066674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHjaCUXgXPABEieZ7LuoRmgm_i_G4XcpN4ipALzV8l50FgxBq0aT7DheWChPT0mA_2hs9xm55djR8FMX44SF56T_S-kKA7kIGH6macCJjk9xH2lVkGqB62s93-gXR4TCi-dbshQiOId1z/s320/1097.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Grace was not happy<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KbGMRJWhQsZl8xY1llBtChDNsQZH_K-TbIhCLfAk2zN4QQoNAChnK9zr_MLOnC-Nx01erwIpIBGgLloldwWV_wI-aPztY3vzgVorQbKY3R_yRyiRSDNvjtVtjXkafLxm-1CKeGF2qv5L/s1600/1099.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558350768444588450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KbGMRJWhQsZl8xY1llBtChDNsQZH_K-TbIhCLfAk2zN4QQoNAChnK9zr_MLOnC-Nx01erwIpIBGgLloldwWV_wI-aPztY3vzgVorQbKY3R_yRyiRSDNvjtVtjXkafLxm-1CKeGF2qv5L/s320/1099.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Claire was just happy to be held!<br /><br /><br />Later in the month we got to celebrate Justin's great accomplishment of finishing his Master's program at UT Tyler. Rex and Cindy made the trip to be there for his commencement ceremony. It was a really fabulous day. We're so proud of Justin for his hard work, commitment and sacrifice.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3Xg44iRq6jV6doXRTeBrohNAH594IcWl10MsnfWtPcEfp4hyIs6Y_mwkG4bS6Q_PQa6oQsicDAUJhKxpqpOTE9iNrQkvwjCgDHB9OYkiiAEp8cRt7WskRUFakZ889dMXLZ6_Mj5UpLU_/s1600/1122.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558349582244429730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3Xg44iRq6jV6doXRTeBrohNAH594IcWl10MsnfWtPcEfp4hyIs6Y_mwkG4bS6Q_PQa6oQsicDAUJhKxpqpOTE9iNrQkvwjCgDHB9OYkiiAEp8cRt7WskRUFakZ889dMXLZ6_Mj5UpLU_/s320/1122.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />We celebrated Grace's 3rd birthday on December 20th. We didn't do a big birthday party because things were so busy with Justin's graduation and Christmas so we got a cake, balloons, and of course PRESENTS!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAST4D7GqFDoHUmRFPdp9p1ouXTUx4dg38L66shi66B2LmghUlPPV0cBxW4xrLJupDfrn10ea-iomFL9vOVpZyyt_GZgi4nMyRTyZsdJvECNTvCPI4G_UxH2CkS3REBmmswVDRgO8U5yW6/s1600/1129.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558349575710903586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAST4D7GqFDoHUmRFPdp9p1ouXTUx4dg38L66shi66B2LmghUlPPV0cBxW4xrLJupDfrn10ea-iomFL9vOVpZyyt_GZgi4nMyRTyZsdJvECNTvCPI4G_UxH2CkS3REBmmswVDRgO8U5yW6/s320/1129.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All she wanted to do was dig in to that cake. I wish we would've gotten a picture or video of us singing happy birthday to her. It was the sweetest thing. She was so happy and grinning from ear to ear while we were singing. We love this girl!<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y4kIhpiuVfkYLppPB28iuWsri5QURmOZTxG0na9lAMitBq7EqFiv37JnrwYWLd_1XglYBELVLB6F-vD5NKlcda6b6ZMMfGbJw8wLGu8-XYiMZj7qvS3wFwpl3vgXOAi3vWzzZK_-bl_Y/s1600/1130.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558349563712658162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y4kIhpiuVfkYLppPB28iuWsri5QURmOZTxG0na9lAMitBq7EqFiv37JnrwYWLd_1XglYBELVLB6F-vD5NKlcda6b6ZMMfGbJw8wLGu8-XYiMZj7qvS3wFwpl3vgXOAi3vWzzZK_-bl_Y/s320/1130.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> For months Grace was asking for purple presents and a purple cake for her birthday. We did our best.<br /><br /><br />While Grandma Nessen was here she and Grace made sugar cookies. I think it was by far Grace's favorite activity.<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_5vGIej_R-p0-AT4OrePWApGvD77W9SoXzoqAhibp1TN0KUmPJk_mC9vGz-78Zb7cy7AK4_1tfArW1K2bB2ILTRZRJbeXrL6UvfQxAlpiqmqxMpn5MMd9iVa8jL8jJw61MUJ0bTKeuQS/s1600/1132.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558349558216184706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_5vGIej_R-p0-AT4OrePWApGvD77W9SoXzoqAhibp1TN0KUmPJk_mC9vGz-78Zb7cy7AK4_1tfArW1K2bB2ILTRZRJbeXrL6UvfQxAlpiqmqxMpn5MMd9iVa8jL8jJw61MUJ0bTKeuQS/s320/1132.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Justin's parents went home to Utah on the 23rd, so we celebrated Christmas with just our little family this year. This was our 4th Christmas in Texas and the first one spent at home. Our first Christmas was in the hospital after Grace was born, and the last two have been in Utah and Oregon visiting family. It was a pretty relaxing holiday this year.<br /><br /></span></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qQUyJtP4B0h9hyDqgtSD3on2hsiTJH5v9gTTca5N_av7SdoiLhL3lJJ7ajWHB9mS_b9cdoztiHcLNONrnCNiKWQRQq_2lW5XaGpCwgEG4VJRNWzJlY1ZV3GkuqIog5LC4Z8DuMm3HLb-/s1600/1152.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558349552880745746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qQUyJtP4B0h9hyDqgtSD3on2hsiTJH5v9gTTca5N_av7SdoiLhL3lJJ7ajWHB9mS_b9cdoztiHcLNONrnCNiKWQRQq_2lW5XaGpCwgEG4VJRNWzJlY1ZV3GkuqIog5LC4Z8DuMm3HLb-/s320/1152.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> The girls opened their Christmas pj's on Christmas Eve<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV-Y_upraFqDDou5WZHYHQb23OS7uKlDlwmjhgLvJvbSFFegSs-aoFYNcW-yGVFR7QZow4q-KVoHR2xKwJH57zToD-pJsvFwx4Yc_fjz51p0-CkIHtjK0jiY5wmglgEkyHSH1TERzQu_z/s1600/1167.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558347902235370962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV-Y_upraFqDDou5WZHYHQb23OS7uKlDlwmjhgLvJvbSFFegSs-aoFYNcW-yGVFR7QZow4q-KVoHR2xKwJH57zToD-pJsvFwx4Yc_fjz51p0-CkIHtjK0jiY5wmglgEkyHSH1TERzQu_z/s320/1167.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Christmas morning! Santa brought Grace a dollhouse and a Cinderella doll. Not to mention the infamous purple jump rope he left in her stocking. It was a great day!<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1VtXu7_aEDN4cUEj4k-3TS-2wZYQW1dp58eERzXn5eXRapBuavft1ALNghVcq9F4ZgFHGgHG_PFAGOIGrsewnEdw4Bd3e9AbsUsYxXOM3utBiY3K4yTkudEH621foJwEOyJS_KxLviFw/s1600/1184.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558347891661545330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1VtXu7_aEDN4cUEj4k-3TS-2wZYQW1dp58eERzXn5eXRapBuavft1ALNghVcq9F4ZgFHGgHG_PFAGOIGrsewnEdw4Bd3e9AbsUsYxXOM3utBiY3K4yTkudEH621foJwEOyJS_KxLviFw/s320/1184.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gwRLHHaeyqqsYO2O_EgeoZU86PhY5v05EsexHcPx7QlSQ-Nflq-J9PY2fem2N5cgeXVlKiLx_Agwvr0fVc_KiHwYldLMOm0Ug2H7y-YQiN-KnXqPAnuD_9CNhcBu-is-KxxUnWpgKqVm/s1600/1188.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558347890468136850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gwRLHHaeyqqsYO2O_EgeoZU86PhY5v05EsexHcPx7QlSQ-Nflq-J9PY2fem2N5cgeXVlKiLx_Agwvr0fVc_KiHwYldLMOm0Ug2H7y-YQiN-KnXqPAnuD_9CNhcBu-is-KxxUnWpgKqVm/s320/1188.JPG" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Grandma and Grandpa Erlenbusch sent Grace a sleeping beauty dress for Christmas. She LOVES that thing!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2010 turned out to be a great year for our family and we hope it was for yours as well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Happy New Year!<br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-25282829958376460522010-12-24T16:39:00.002-07:002010-12-24T16:59:12.424-07:00Payback and a Purple Jump Rope<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 98px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/m/mDYXInEFmu5KaWUIQACz3lQ/140.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I spent most of today, Christmas Eve, running around to several stores looking for a particular item that Grace decided she wanted from Santa. A few days ago she started declaring that Santa was going to bring her a purple jump rope whenever anyone asked. She's only 3 and I swear she has a photographic memory, so we didn't want to disappoint her and ruin Christmas and the magic of Santa Claus. It's not easy to find a jump rope this time of year, even in the sports/fitness sections of Wal-mart and Target. I finally decided to try the dollar store and wouldn't ya know, I found one. A purple one even. Well, actually it's purple and bright green, but the plastic handles are purple. Better yet, it was only a buck! Anything less than an over-the-top, uber dramatic, jumping up and down while screaming reaction when she opens it is going to be <em>very</em> disappointing considering the mobs of people I had to maneuver around all day today.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">As I was running in and out of stores all morning not able to find that darn jump rope I was really worried about how she would feel tomorrow morning if she didn't get it. I was also wondering how many Christmas Eve's my parents spent running around trying to find the presents I had been telling everyone Santa was going to bring me (that weren't the original ones I had asked for). I'm pretty sure there were a lot of them, and I'm pretty sure my parents did everything in their power to find those presents for me. I don't remember a Christmas when I didn't get just what I wanted or asked for. My parents are pretty great like that. I'm sure when I was a kid they were praying that someday I would have children who would do the same thing to me as I did to them... and they're prayers are being answered!</span></div><br /><br /><div></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-9622042664148402242010-11-19T10:19:00.003-07:002010-12-08T08:05:30.169-07:00Halloween 2010<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year we celebrated on Saturday. We started the day off by running errands, shopping, and having lunch together in Longview. All that shopping really wore Grace out (or maybe it bored her to sleep).</span></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia68NfIdeL7HjciKQeWPwRP9ukXJquVQKRPKRpWAfZfRABkEgObnHVue4TFyQq4_taXdyv6HyKgBHbLI0cY0ju65oPKi2sUFHvfaDv9Hyj7XEz1zZ2kIXTh1hj8WsjlqavL7L2TqjnKdV9/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541313055622880786" 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/AVvXsEia68NfIdeL7HjciKQeWPwRP9ukXJquVQKRPKRpWAfZfRABkEgObnHVue4TFyQq4_taXdyv6HyKgBHbLI0cY0ju65oPKi2sUFHvfaDv9Hyj7XEz1zZ2kIXTh1hj8WsjlqavL7L2TqjnKdV9/s320/IMG_0007.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />That evening we headed to the church for the tri-ward Trunk-or-Treat. Grace had a great time playing games and winning candy. She really nailed the "trick or treat" phrase this year, and continues to refer to her Halloween candy as "trick or treats." There was a really great turnout at the church this year, and some really creative "trunks." (I feel like I'm using "quotations" way too much in this post.) My favorites were Sister Muse's and the Missionaries. Sister Muse had hers set up like Lehi's dream and the kids had to hold to the iron rod and avoid obstacles to get to their treats. One of the missionaries was dressed as Samuel the Lamanite and stood in the bed of a pick-up preaching to the people. The kids got to throw marshmallows at him. I had to coax Grace into throwing the marshmallow... she was only interested in eating it. Our hands were full with the kids, so we didn't get too many pictures this year. Here are some of our favorites:</span><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuSVfjVXS5KDN-Rqde5ikrJE1BGkMB_Hh_cAJCs1cYAIqoKEKd3sLWNKCjhrirHtzlEMgZekN9J-h6216NDfVIxjYCCrWW3enens5V3k4MdLzAkhLJINXq9ZW7bkBNxjm3uJp9gdAqr5O/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541313043602868210" 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/AVvXsEhxuSVfjVXS5KDN-Rqde5ikrJE1BGkMB_Hh_cAJCs1cYAIqoKEKd3sLWNKCjhrirHtzlEMgZekN9J-h6216NDfVIxjYCCrWW3enens5V3k4MdLzAkhLJINXq9ZW7bkBNxjm3uJp9gdAqr5O/s320/IMG_0029.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Grace the cupcake and Claire the duck. Claire's costume is the one Grace wore for her first Halloween. I made Grace's costume... thanks to my friend Bonnie for finding the instructions. I had told Bonnie I wanted Grace to be a cupcake for Halloween and she found this one on a website. I LOVED how it turned out!<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwULcEqd_udDQjWqHMhNgKtDmzHQqsAb4IjRZeCHYggl3E3GMUAW5lDqSDc-I1goOF0rO4NPhcK4rJvC0kcIU66OcWDKMv1TvpIQw3FPRHFlmr2ngDdT9neLDIcU-s9W0zHFDZqr0aPlP/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541313036238148466" 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/AVvXsEiVwULcEqd_udDQjWqHMhNgKtDmzHQqsAb4IjRZeCHYggl3E3GMUAW5lDqSDc-I1goOF0rO4NPhcK4rJvC0kcIU66OcWDKMv1TvpIQw3FPRHFlmr2ngDdT9neLDIcU-s9W0zHFDZqr0aPlP/s320/IMG_0041.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Claire was pretty worn out by the time the night was over. Poor girl lost one of her little webbed feet and couldn't keep her duck bill on straight!</span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbP7LEZgI113zWhyTU8rcW6XODyj3a40anpnvp3KJLYeZA_nN9mjTBq0cVV9kUZa6L_cTT3_-aH_hNrcgbf1NAubjLc_hBT1VWo7fTWFz-DbX8eJciYH50T0jUuaPjtnmWHPErKiEoufyB/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541313027049023026" 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/AVvXsEhbP7LEZgI113zWhyTU8rcW6XODyj3a40anpnvp3KJLYeZA_nN9mjTBq0cVV9kUZa6L_cTT3_-aH_hNrcgbf1NAubjLc_hBT1VWo7fTWFz-DbX8eJciYH50T0jUuaPjtnmWHPErKiEoufyB/s320/IMG_0039.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The whole family. Justin and I really aren't into dressing up, but maybe next year we'll come up with a theme for our family... any ideas?!</span><br /><div></div></div><br /></div>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989110950452240594.post-53029025873878729012010-11-16T16:49:00.008-07:002010-11-19T15:49:06.761-07:00East Texas Yamboree 2010<div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><br /></p><div align="center">Last month (I know, I'm way behind!) was the annual East Texas Yamboree. It's a big deal around these parts. I'm still not quite sure why. I don't get it, but then again, I'm not from these parts. We enjoy one night of good deep fried carni food and rides. Every year is a little more fun than the previous because Grace gets into it more and more. The Yamboree runs Wednesday through Saturday. We decided to head up to the Square on Thursday night to get some dinner and let Grace have some fun on the rides. When we got there we ran into our Stake President and his wife <a href="http://www.veronicaaustin.blogspot.com/">VA</a>. VA is our surrogate grandma. She's so good to our kids (someday I'll have to dedicate a post just to her!). Grace absolutely <em>adores</em> her. She took a few pictures of the kids while our hubby's were chatting.<br /><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540305337626077266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9dB6wzsZZquoW7XMAuSAVwXGupA0BFLdj6IucGCxpLZSGkLj8PxWH9Wq2oXXm6qk0gmH6ezw8Bhy0IhOiR-pUzmNzgKer2LlvEU_JU_1UdgB0Ovh-pVK938g6Vr7o3hH98phOAVRkUnB/s320/IMG_0695.JPG" /> <p align="center">This was the best shot she could get of Grace. She's staring down the carousel, begging us with her eyes to take her on it.<br /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540305326352219938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOme8Ppw7DMQRhPz4YMb2GGUD4RVx64c4521iaYT-nTGh7Flq2ntVTr5YTL3fSlqBsJb2lpN7_n0RN7-is4t00mqlATHbE9BJd3P8GwpYukewLd7lJn_KHzlk6vBwCdvSblgDHnw4eCnF/s320/IMG_0692.JPG" /> <p align="center">Claire was pretty content to just hang out in the stroller and people watch.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540299602646394770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6snFuWJJbz2_8P2bJF0uLPfW52OBAO8JWJiXvRrLwYbJz7xsZOJZwDOSKhbZfnDcMppScfpOjkJlav-9HAo1_yNsN_HkLI5mUureZs1IWwskAu_V5HFbQ7qFPwDsXm5jBI3htaJTlJVm/s320/DSC00077.JPG" /></p><div align="center"><br /></div><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540299616023121938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5G5iNfKcQw1BbaMnBworC_p3M7mR-WF4U58X15rP8jlcbM9_EcrLUy6LVXfbHW6qwOht7g7pHIpVxnXJmhGqSnc1DMAf_wgW-6kS-LkEsONq0P3jkvIrTWOxJ_drvVCHY4RScYGv5Ql3_/s320/DSC00084.JPG" /></p><p align="center">Grace on the spaceship ride. I only brought my camcorder, so the still photos aren't of the best quality. As always, Grace loved the carnival rides. I was disappointed that they didn't have the little car ride like last year. She rode the carousel (twice), a school bus, the motorcycles, and the spaceship. She really wanted to go on the ferris wheel, but her cheap parents didn't want to fork over the money for all of us to go on it... maybe next year ;). </p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540299611646183170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4MCjCmAuUXJhuc7son3yW9W1pthc_TAD-h9AmlpjiYKmbyVJn9XEJjnfoOfvxxUR2kVUAMaHIDYTIcq9_pi45cw1IuRkfAJpUWk_wnRwOEE3rCXoi_kGZUeFVRVJIv8bR1_rCv4WRqBS/s320/DSC00079.JPG" /></p><p align="center">This is basically how Claire spent the evening. She even took a nap in the stroller!</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">On Saturday morning we parked ourselves downtown to watch the Queen's Parade. We had to rename it the "Princess Parade" for Grace since the only queen she knows of is the one from Snow White (and she's a scary queen!). Grace wasn't into the parade much this year because we didn't have front row seats on the street. She really couldn't see anything so she kept herself occupied by picking the grass and playing in the dirt. </p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkFHJY5snozW1eV7FrH-CjuLuG7R7i0UlbS74-HQYJJMU80W2uOkhmxD4EtgHhyphenhyphentHmBMyRIK5_JcSOyhk2ExxWyFRaZx4VOqWWQxBGfBFrdRsjtIuw5PYWil3bbYYR5FpCOjHagUykOMd/s1600/DSC00089.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540299629836333794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkFHJY5snozW1eV7FrH-CjuLuG7R7i0UlbS74-HQYJJMU80W2uOkhmxD4EtgHhyphenhyphentHmBMyRIK5_JcSOyhk2ExxWyFRaZx4VOqWWQxBGfBFrdRsjtIuw5PYWil3bbYYR5FpCOjHagUykOMd/s320/DSC00089.JPG" /></a>Miss Claire enjoying the nice weather and all the attention<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34Oxnf8413VOIU2gu5lxdB2M9eZBqOO5ikkcNGAT9-0xwYT2_VyR-CWGgbR3ZOWglHpIaxzMkUQ0RT4vMJnpdOn9XXk11kFwbgETdWRTWWHALLrlmtUuI8MhJ74gNgrrUN4H5TCdsI4SQ/s1600/DSC00085.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540299618927088546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34Oxnf8413VOIU2gu5lxdB2M9eZBqOO5ikkcNGAT9-0xwYT2_VyR-CWGgbR3ZOWglHpIaxzMkUQ0RT4vMJnpdOn9XXk11kFwbgETdWRTWWHALLrlmtUuI8MhJ74gNgrrUN4H5TCdsI4SQ/s320/DSC00085.JPG" /></a> Justin was helping the boy scouts raise money by parking cars, so he got to the parade in time to watch the last two floats.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">We had fun at the Yamboree again this year. I was so exhausted the morning of the parade because Claire was up a lot the night before and Justin wasn't there to help with the girls so we didn't head over to see the livestock like we usually do. We decided to grab some lunch and go home for naps!<br /></p><p align="center">We look forward to next year's Yamboree. Really, all I care about is the food!<br /></p>Justin, Amy, and Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09400296750095110533noreply@blogger.com1