tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36752796333054646842024-02-19T05:58:25.516-05:00Taking Life... One Day at a TimeHey Tomorrow...where are you going? I'll have a new day if you'll have me.Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-55931400071903274142013-02-03T17:30:00.000-05:002016-06-02T15:46:00.931-04:00Emmeline's Birth Story<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This is the story of how Emmeline came to join us on this side of the womb. Many people have asked us why we chose to have her at home rather than at the hospital, so I’ll address that as well. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When we found out we were pregnant back in March, I panicked a little because we had recently switched insurance and didn’t have any maternity coverage. I would never encourage someone to have a home birth just because its cheaper, but it was really the best option for us. I had been interested in doing a home birth for quite a while, and I had done my research on it. I particularly love the documentary “The Business of Being Born,” which can be streamed on Netflix right now if you’re interested in learning about the history of obstetric care in America! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So anyway, we hired a midwife who had excellent birth statistics, more than a decade of experience, and with whom we felt comfortable.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I was due December 28, and was really hoping to not go over this time (if you’ll remember, Asher came 9 days past his edd- I didn’t care to relive that experience!). For whatever reason, I really felt that this little girl was going to come early. I had gained a substantial amount of weight (about 55 lbs)- more than with either of the other 2. I had regular Braxton Hicks contractions since around 25 weeks, and I just felt “ready.” I woke around 2am on the morning of the 23</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 8px/normal "helvetica"; letter-spacing: 0px;"><sup>rd</sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> with a contraction, but I fell back asleep. This happened a few times until 4am, and then I couldn’t sleep anymore. They weren’t regular- probably 30-40 minutes apart, and ended up falling back asleep from about 6-8am. I sent Derek to church with the kids- which I felt kind of guilty about. The contractions still weren’t regular at all, but when they came they HURT! I wasn’t convinced I was in labor at all, which is why I felt guilty about not going to church with them. But I rationalized that the contractions hurt enough there was no way I wanted to try to sit through them. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had been working on sewing some cute bibs and burp cloths to keep me busy the last couple days, so I worked on those all morning. Whenever I had a contraction (still 20-30 minutes apart), I would just stand up and lean over the table through them. I still didn’t know what to make of them since they weren’t getting more regular, until my body decided to start “cleaning itself out,” if you know what I mean. I texted Derek excitedly- “Woohoo, diarrhea! I might actually be in labor!” Haha. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Once he got home and saw that I was still having contractions, he told me he wanted to set up the birthing tub. I tried to talk him out of it because I didn’t think I was actually in labor and I didn’t want it set up for days beforehand. He, however, made the executive decision and started setting it up. I think he remembered how fast Asher’s birth went and didn’t want to wait unitl it was too late! So the kids and I sat on the bed in the playroom and watched him set it up and start to fill it (you know, “just in case!” :) Silly Derek, who knows me better than I know myself!. I texted my midwife at this point- “may be baby day, I’ll let you know” (I was still so casual at this point!). She called me immediately and wanted to know details. She didn’t seem too convinced it was “real” labor until I told her I’d been having diarrhea (sorry- TMI), at which point she got excited and said she would come into town and stay nearby until things picked up. We also called my mom and told her she’d probably want to head up our way soon. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We ate lunch and I put Asher down for his nap. At one point during a contraction I was leaning over the kitchen counter and I told Derek, “Ugh! I always forget how much this sucks! And it’s only going to get worse!” He laughed at me! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I continued to sew while Annabel watched a movie downstairs and Derek watched the Colts game upstairs. One of the best parts of laboring at home? Being able to eat! I snacked on oatmeal cookies all afternoon, which seemed heavenly at the time. Before Asher woke up, I asked Annabel if she wanted to go for a walk. I was hoping to get the contractions to pick up a little. So we bundled up and went out. I started timing contractions and they were coming regularly 6 minutes apart and were about 1.5 minutes long. We walked several blocks and I just had to lean on a tree or people’s banisters during the contractions. I’m sure I looked funny if anyone was watching! I called my midwife to tell her they were picking up and she told me to call her again either when they were 4-5 minutes apart or getting more intense in nature. She also said that this likely wouldn’t happen until the kids were out of the house. This was about 2 in the afternoon. I called my mom and she said she would be at our house around 4. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Once we got home Asher was up from his nap. The kids were acting pretty obnoxious and I was getting very aggravated with them. At one point I was in the middle of a contraction and Asher got in my face and growled really loud- I almost threw him across the room! (I didn’t- but I think I pushed him out of the way and yelled at him!) Since being back in the house, my contractions slowed back down to every 10-15 minutes again. Derek suggested that he take them upstairs to watch the football game and give me some space. I thought that was an excellent idea. ;) Once they were out of my hair I started sewing again and the contractions picked up again. Then I had one contraction around 3:30 that lasted almost 10 minutes and was flippin’ <i>intense</i>. I yelled up to Derek to call our midwife to come. After that contraction I basically sat on my knees with the top half of my body draped over the couch and waited for my midwife and my mom to get there. They both pulled up at exactly 4:05 and there was a flurry of activity. The kids were excited to see their grammy and their Uncle Gareth, my midwife started setting up her stuff in the playroom, and Derek was joking and laughing with my mom and trying to help the midwife at the same time. My mom left quickly with the kids- thankfully. I was done being casual and told Derek that I had a feeling the baby would be here before 6:00. The midwife said she was betting on 8:00. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">She checked the temperature of the water- it was only 90 degrees. She told Derek it needed to be about 100 degrees to be comfortable for me, so they had to pump some of the water out. While they were doing this, my contractions really picked up in regularity and intensity. And the midwife was right- this happened within minutes of the children leaving! She helped me get comfortable on the bed and I asked Derek to find my iPod and headphones. At this point I was in so much pain and I was feeling very overwhelmed that I started crying. The midwife didn’t say anything, and I wondered how many women cry while they are in labor. :) Our hot water heater wasn’t able to keep up, and Derek was boiling water on the stove to try and get the tub heated up as quickly as possible. I was able to get in (finally!) about 4:30 or 4:45. It was SUCH a relief. It felt so amazing and comforting. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I should mention that a few days prior I put up Christmas lights around the top of the room and set up the iPod docking station. So the room now was dark except for the Christmas lights and a small lamp, and we had my labor playlist playing. It was so cozy and just the way I had envisioned it. For the next 45 minutes or so I just sat in the tub and had contractions! Our midwife was sitting off to the side knitting on a sock, and Derek was sitting on the bed just staring at me- haha! At one point I apologized to him- “gosh, I’m sorry this is so boring!” And he laughed and said it was okay. Derek says they were closer than this, but to me it felt like the contractions were still 4-5 minutes apart. They never really got super close together and were never on top of each other like they were during Asher’s birth. I think I still somewhat doubted that I was in actual *labor* and was thinking how silly I was going to feel when it turned out to not be the real thing. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The contractions took on a pattern of sorts- I would have one that was super strong and painful- I’d have to hold on to the edge of the tub and really breathe through them. Then a few minutes later I’d have a mild one that was much easier to handle. The midwife said this was really normal. I was thankful for both the milder contractions and the space between them that I could talk and joke with Derek and rest. All of a sudden I felt the urge to push! I feel like I got all wide-eyed and panicky- like, “oh my gosh! I’m really going to have this baby- right NOW! I’m not reeeeeaaaady for this!” The midwife urged me to try and breathe through as many more contractions as I could before pushing. The next few contractions really SUCKED! I feel like I had been a pretty good sport up until this point, but now it was time to express to everyone how much having a baby really sucks. Considering my "expressions" include very liberal and creative cursing, I’m sure Derek was thankful this phase of labor did NOT last long!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had about 2 contractions that I consciously tried not to push- but at the end of them my breath would catch because my body would push involuntarily. After these 2 I remember just nodding at Derek- my way of signaling to him that it was time. He nodded back to me and moved from the bed to the edge of the tub. He asked if I wanted him to try and rub my back- I think I about bit his head off! The next contraction came and pushing was not an optional. I pushed as hard as I could and I felt her move down. I felt but I couldn’t feel her head yet. My midwife urged me to get up on my knees so the baby would have room to be born. I pushed again and I could feel her head. Everything felt like it on fire and I remember thinking, “<i>I am never, EVER going to do this again!</i>” One more push and her head slipped out! I was completely astonished, though I’m not sure why. Maybe because it seemed to happen so fast, or maybe because giving birth is always incredible, no matter how many times you’ve done it. My midwife urged me to push the rest of her out and get her out of the water. So I waited a few seconds for another contraction, then she slipped easily into my hands. I pulled her up out of the water and held her against me. The feeling of relief when there is no longer a baby inside of you is so, so amazing. It is the best feeling in the world- nothing else I’ve ever experienced compares to it. All the pain and hard work you just did seems worth it and you are filled with joy and elation. I know I kept saying over and over, “She’s OUT! Thank you, God! Thank you, baby, for being out of me!” Haha! She was born at 5:34pm. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I could tell right away she was smaller than my other two- and I was right. She was 6 lbs and 14oz- a full pound small than the others. She was also only 19" long, 2 inches shorter than the other two. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Once Emmeline was out of the water, she was awake and alert. She never cried, she just kept looking around. I kept asking the midwife, “is she okay?!” and Derek asked why she wasn’t crying. She just said that often babies who are born in the water don’t cry right away. She let me hold her for a few minutes and then suggested that we try to get her to cry. I’m not sure what she did, but the baby let out a wail! I held her in the water until her cord stopped pulsing and then we got out of the tub to deliver the placenta. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Around 6:30 my mom brought the kids in to see her. They were so excited and my mom couldn’t believe she was here already! My mom stayed at a hotel with the kids that night and we had a nice little “babymoon” with our new little sweetie. Derek and the midwife emptied the pool and cleaned everything up. She commented that she couldn’t believe how clean and easy this birth was. I felt great afterwards and never was in any pain, besides the “after pains” that come with nursing. Those are never any fun. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Some people have asked questions about having a home birth, so I’ll attempt to answer a few that have been asked of me.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“What about the mess?”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-We had bought 2 shower curtains to contain the mess. One went on the floor outside the tub (where I delivered the placenta) and the second went on the bed where I first sat after the birth. We threw the one on the floor away ;) but the one on the bed was just fine and now I have an extra shower curtain! The tub was double lined with disposable liners, so after it was drained those got pitched, too. There were two paper grocery sacks full of birth-related trash and that was all the “mess” there was. We used about 10 towels and 3 receiving blankets to dry and clean me and the baby afterwards. Derek did all the laundry that night and by the time the midwife left about 2 hours after the birth you couldn’t tell anything had ever happened! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Didn’t you miss the ‘vacation’ of being in the hospital?”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-I think there’s something to be said about having someone wait on you for two full days after having a baby. It is nice. But between Derek and my mom, I felt well taken care of and “waited on.” What I didn’t miss was being woken up by nurses every 4 hours, being chastised for falling asleep while nursing, hard tile floors, hospital food, hospital germs, harsh lighting, an uncomfortable bed, other babies crying and an endless stream of people coming in my room. Oh, and not to mention we got to avoid being in the hospital on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Is it difficult getting a birth certificate?”<br />
-I was worried about the paperwork; we had heard some horror stories about different counties’ processes. Our county, however, was incredibly efficient and new exactly what they were doing. We had to fill out a 5-6 page questionnaire about the birth, and it took about 30 minutes for her to put everything in the computer. We got her birth certificate that day and a social security card about a week later. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“What about all the newborn tests they do in the hospital?”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-We weren’t worried about the Vitamin K or Hepatitis B shots, or the eye drops, since we had refused those even when we delivered in hospitals. Our midwife did the newborn screen (for genetic deficiencies such as cystic fibrosis, maple syrup disease and sausage fingers) that is required by the state and our pediatrician completed the hearing test. </span></div>
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"Would you do it again?"<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Well, technically NO, because I am DONE having babies! But I loved what Derek said when I asked him how he thought it went… “I wish we would have done all 3 that way!” He has said over and over again how it was our best birth experience and how peaceful and calm it was. So yes, if (knock on wood) I ever find myself needing to give birth again, I would do it at home if possible. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“Do people look at you like you have two heads and three nipples when you tell them you had your baby at home?”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Yes. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"How is natural childbirth different than having an epidural?"</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-I had an epi with my first labor. Obviously, it is nice because you don't feel the pain of the contractions and I can definitely appreciate that. Contrary to some beliefs, women who give birth naturally don't have a super-high pain tolerance or love being in pain. I'm the first one to say that it really, really sucks and I really hope to never have to do it again. But with that being said, I think giving birth naturally is *easier* because of this reason- when you can feel your contractions, especially when it is time to push, you know exactly when and how hard to push. There is no doctor staring at a monitor saying, "Okay, here's a contraction- PUSH!" And I think when there is an epidural, the woman ends up pushing harder than she actually needs to- which leads to more tearing and other unsavory things. That's just my own theory based on my own experience, but it makes sense, too. Not only that, but when there's no epidural and you can move around, gravity is able to do a lot more of the work for you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that laying flat on your back is not an optimal position for pushing out a baby, right?!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Anyway, that's our story, and I'm sticking to it. If you have any other questions, please ask me! I obviously have no problem baring all the gory details, haha! </span></div>
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</span>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-11629598889288651232012-11-28T15:00:00.000-05:002012-11-28T15:20:08.348-05:00The Lazy Mom's Guide to Being a Supermom<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Something
interesting happened at our recent Thanksgiving family get-together. Actually,
let me back up a little. A few weeks ago, my cousin Meg had a baby. My mom
called me and asked if she could pay me to make a baby gift for her. I
suggested a baby quilt- an easy design- and we agreed on it. I was planning on
making a baby quilt for my own upcoming baby, so I figured it’s not much more
work to cut out squares for 2 quilts than one, right? Haha! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So anyway, that’s what I did, and that brings
us back to Thanksgiving. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
receiving the quilt, my cousin was talking to me about it and she casually
asked, “How do you do it all? You must be one of those supermoms!” To which I’m
pretty sure I gave her one of my famous cocked-head quizzical expressions that
I inherited from my mom… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what in the
world are you talking about?!</i> I had to laugh. “Supermom” is so far from how
I think of myself- in fact, I’m sure you can relate, but I’m probably much
harder on myself than I need to be. But after thinking about it for a while, I
thought I’d share <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lazy Mom’s Guide to
Being a Supermom!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So in
case you didn’t know me, here are some things that might trick you into
believing I’m a supermom:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have two, soon-to-be-three, preschoolers. All
of them are super-cute, well-dressed and groomed, and typically well-behaved.
And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">smart!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I work part time. At least for a few more weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I coordinate our local MOPS group (though
really, not very well. But that’s a different post!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m crafty. I’m a glue-gun wielding, sewing
machine operating, knitting fanatic. We even have a spinning wheel in our
bedroom, how many people can say that? :-P<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We eat real food, made from real ingredients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what’s the secret to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doing
it all</i>?!? Keep reading, dear friend, and I’ll provide you with some
fantastic shortcuts and easy-way-outs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t clean your house. Oh, I try to keep it to
the standard of “clean enough so no one gets sick,” which generally entails no
food lying around, no rodents in the house, bathroom hardware disinfected, and
no visible mold or mildew. But the rest- nope. If you drop by our house
unannounced you will see toys on the floor, fingerprints on the windows, dishes
in the sink and probably a pile or two of laundry that needs folded (which, if
you drop by unannounced, feel free to fold some of that laundry!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have enough clothes for yourself and your kids
that you only have to do laundry every 3-4 weeks. You think I’m kidding? Take
another look at that giant pile of laundry over there- and then start folding!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Teach your kids to do things for themselves.
Both of my kids can get their own snacks, use the bathroom themselves, dress
themselves, etc. Sure, it may not be perfect- but we’re not aiming for
perfection here. It also helps that my daughter seems to have a natural eye for
what matches and looks good together, and she helps her little brother get
dressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rely heavily on other’s natural abilities and
willingness to help. Like my husband, for instance… he makes dinner every
night. He’s really good at it and it gives me an extra hour or two in the
evenings to devote to supermom-dome (i.e. my sewing machine). And my MOPS
steering team- if it weren’t for all of them, our MOPS group would go to pot
pretty quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t actually bathe your kids. Oh sure, I stick
them in the bathtub almost every night. But real soap and shampoo… that’s a
once-a-week indulgence. And the amazing thing is… they never look dirty! Water
actually does a really great job of getting kids clean. Then I can devote that
extra 10 minutes a night I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">would</i> spend
washing them to another row or two on my current knitting project. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make lists for everything. Then lose the list in
the chaos of paper that’s taking over the dining room table. Try to remember
what’s on the list, then realize you weren’t going to get it all done anyway
and forget about it. Pick up your knitting project instead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take an antidepressant. It curbs that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m always going crazy!</i> feeling that
comes with being a supermom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay, obviously
I realize that this list is totally lame. I’m not a supermom in the least. I’m
late to everything, my house is a wreck, half of the time I feel like I’m
losing my mind and I half-ass all my commitments. But I do love my kids, I try
to provide a rich learning environment for them, and I make pretty things. I’m
okay with that. The true secret is making time for the things you enjoy, which
is really no secret at all. We all do it. I am creative because it makes me
happy and it breathes life into my soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wait,
did I tell you about my cousin Meg? She’s an amazing artist and a beautiful,
patient, and caring mama to two preschoolers, one of which is a newborn with
special health needs. She lives across the world from her family- in Hungary-
to minister to Hungarian people. She is raising her kids to be bilingual, and
is bilingual herself. Not something I could do… but I’m guessing she does it
because it makes her happy and it breathes life into her soul. To me, she’s a
supermom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are so many incredible women I see taking care of their homes and families- and
so much better than I- while still taking time for themselves and their
passions. It always inspires me. It was kind of amazing to think that I might
actually stir up that kind of inspiration in another person. *NOT* that I plan to think too much about it... afterall, I just have to remember how late I was to work this morning, or how I had to eat easy-mac because I haven't been to the grocery store in 3 weeks... to bring me back down to earth. ;) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I would encourage you, though- If there is a woman in your life that you see doing a good (or good enough) job at whatever it is she does... tell her. Tell her you admire her and ask her how she "does it all." It will make her day! We all need to feel like a supermom every now and then. As for me... I'm just going to pretend that this maternity shirt is a cape and wear my label proudly! </span><br />
<br />
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Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-64673891446008747322012-11-07T15:47:00.001-05:002012-11-07T15:47:36.608-05:00My Little People. ::sigh:: <br />
<br />
I know it's been forever since I've blogged. I wish I felt more motivated to keep up with it, but I just don't right now. And I know that's okay.<br />
<br />
I've had an idea of a post running through my head lately, so I'll try it now. I've been thinking about how different my kids are from each other, and I thought it would be fun to talk about it here. A nice, light-hearted post, if you will. <br />
<br />
Annabel, my dear firstborn, all of 5 years old, is so much like me in many ways. Quite possibly an INFP (Myers-Briggs Personality Type if you're unfamiliar) just like her mama, which is summarized as thus:<br />
<br />
"Idealistic, loyal to their values and to people who are important to them. Want
an external life that is congruent with their values. Curious, quick to see
possibilities, can be catalysts for implementing ideas. Seek to understand
people and to help them fulfill their potential. Adaptable, flexible, and
accepting unless a value is threatened."<br />
<br />
My Annabel, sensitive and thoughtful, flexible and easy-going, full of big ideas and plans. She LOVES to make friends, is loyal to the friends she's made- even if she hasn't seen them in a very long time. My girl loves to read, and can often memorize a book after reading it 2 or 3 times. She loves any kind of story about kids or animals, and some of her more recent favorites are Winnie the Pooh (classic stories), Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. She is full of questions about the bigger picture of life- relationships, people who are hurting, her future, her body, rules of the house, of science and of nature, and of course God, heaven and religion in general. <br />
<br />
Annabel likes to play outside with her dog, taking him on walks through the yard and trying to get him to eat vegetables out of the garden. She also loves to ride her bike up and down the sidewalk. But really, if I'm honest, she is much more of an "indoor" girl. She can sit on the couch for hours reading or watching a movie, or drawing in her journal. She LOVES to spend time with adults- she enjoys the conversation and often interrupts to ask for details of what we're talking about. :)<br />
<br />
She is truly my "easy" child. She understands what is expected of her and (generally) does it without a fight. She understands natural consequences. She appreciates (and demands!) respect, and her biggests upsets are when she feels she's been treated unfairly or has been misunderstood. She fights HARD for justice in her little world. However, she's a people-pleaser, and is often the first to back down in a fight, just to keep the peace. <br />
<br />
My dear girl connects with physical touch, and just melts into you if you let her. She loves to snuggle up and be read to, and she wants to hold hands all the time. Her need for physical affection can be too much for me at times, and I really have to remind myself that this is her primary love language right now. <br />
<br />
Now on to Asher. :) Asher is so different from me, so it's a little harder for me to describe him. I see a lot more of Derek in him... which makes me wonder what Derek was like as a little kid. I also feel like I see a little of my dad in him as well, and maybe some Gareth too. Words that come to mind when I think of Asher are wild, goofy, crazy, loud, naked, determined, stubborn, and mischevious. <br />
<br />
He is a super funny little guy. His facial expressions are priceless, whether he is rolling his eyes at something or giving his "goofy" look... he always makes me laugh. He already makes jokes about things, and loves to "trick" people. He is as extroverted and out going as a kid can be. He loves going places where there will be lots of people and noise- so large-group worship at church, preschool, and the children's museum are some of his favorite places. Both kids fight over who gets to go to the store with me or Derek, but while for Annabel it's because she just adores the one-on-one quality time, Asher thrives on just getting out of the house and seeing new places and faces. <br />
<br />
We call Asher our "big feeling" kid. None of his emotions are mildly expressed- he's either wildly excited, enthralled, heartbroken, or furious. Sometimes I feel like Annabel and I both tiptoe around him, because we're both the type that don't really enjoy big confrontations or displays of emotion, but luckily Derek seems better suited to understand and meet him at his emotional level. That's not saying that Derek handles his fits very well, ;) but he seems to understand better what it's like to feel that strongly. <br />
<br />
I hate using terms like "stubborn" or "strong-willed," because I feel like they have such a negative connotation in today's society (thank you, James Dobson!). But truly, I have never met a child with a stronger resolve or more determined personality than my son. When he sets his mind to something he wants, Lord help us if he doesn't get it. This is probably one of the areas in which he butt heads the most- and I have such a difficult time finding the balance between nurturing his independence and then just feeling like I'm "giving in." Obviously, he has to learn the tough lesson that we can't always get what we want in life, but then I also feel that there are so many opportunities life gives us to learn this without me forcing it on him. If there is anything Asher is teaching me, it is that being a (good) parent requires humbling myself and a constant reevaluation of my own heart and motives. <br />
<br />
One thing that sets Asher apart from everyone else in our family is that he is always naked. :) Lord knows I try to keep clothes on this child, but it is just futile. We compromise and I tell him he needs to wear at least underwear- and he seems okay with this (most of the time!). <br />
<br />
Asher is always active, always moving. His favorite games are rolling cars and tractors and making a huge CRASH! He also climbs and jumps from any surface he can get to- his high chair, the back of the couch, the top of the porch. His energy is boundless. He requires very little sleep and has a really hard time falling asleep. Lately, though, he's been sleeping all night (most nights), which has been a HUGE blessing to me. One thing I love about Asher is that even though he seems so "boy" in so many ways, he really loves playing with baby dolls and dress up clothes, and always wants his hair in pig tails or his fingernails painted. Anything that has to do with pretending! <br />
<br />
Unlike his sister, he's not a huge physical touch guy. A few months ago he decided he hated kisses of any kind. If I kiss him, he says "blech!" and wipes it off. If I ask him really nicely he might kiss me on the cheek, but I am not allowed to kiss him at all. The most physical touch he asks for is to hold my hand while he falls asleep at night. Unless, of course, that physical touch involves wrestling, tickling or rough-housing in any way, then he's all over it. ;-)<br />
<br />
One thing that makes Asher "easier" than his sister is that he will eat anything! He is not picky in the least, and his appetite is astonishing. He is SO SKINNY, yet he just eats and eats. The only thing he decidedly does NOT like is nuts of any kind. He also lets me dress him in anything I want, which is a nice change from his sister! Little boy clothes are just. so. cute. - Plaid button ups, sweater vests, strategically-ripped jeans... :swoon: <br />
<br />
I'm not sure what Asher's primary love language is, but he seems to connect best when we're playing some kind of game- hide and seek or crashing cars together. Would that be quality time? He also loves to be read to, as long as the books are short and silly. :)<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's all I've got for now, thanks for reading along! I'll try to update again soon! Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-44928902283155687782012-07-03T09:28:00.001-04:002012-07-03T09:28:39.808-04:00Birthdays, Swimming, and Zucchini Recipes!Happy July! We have been having such a great summer so far, with lots of swimming and playing outside! We had Asher's pirate birthday party a few weeks ago and it was so much fun, complete with a treasure hunt and walking the plank! But the best part of summer is the complete lack of anything pressing... no early mornings, no lunch boxes to pack or permission slips to sign.... just us and endless possibilities. :)<br />
<br />
Another fun thing this summer, Asher has basically potty trained himself (with a little help from sissy :)! I couldn't believe it! I thought he might be more difficult, but I should have known better. This is my child that can't stand the feel of anything wet or messy on his skin, so it shouldn't surprise me. But one morning I put his new big boy undies on him, he peed in them twice, and then decided he would go in the potty, haha! Now he both pees and poops and is so, so proud of himself. :) What a smart little sweetie!<br />
<br />
Annabel is swimming! We had "swim camp" earlier this summer (our neighbor's 5yo granddaughter was here for a week, so we went over there every day and swam for 4-5 hrs each day) and by the end of the week both girls were jumping in without any floaties and were doggy-paddling around the pool! Asher has been going off the diving board since the beginning of swim season, but Annabel just went off for the first time yesterday- boy, was she proud of herself! Now she won't stay off! And she loves to do "belly slops," lol.<br />
<br />
In addition to our big garden out at camp, we have three raised beds in our backyard. Our strawberries did really poorly this year, but the pickling cucumbers and squash and zucchini have all done really well! We also got some broccoli and peas earlier in June, but we didn't end up doing much with them. I'm not sure why we even plant broccoli, nobody really likes it! But oh, the zucchini. That humble, hard working vegetable of late June... how I love it. I love it breaded and fried, roasted, grilled, in casseroles, and in yummy breads and pies... the list goes on. Anyway, I wanted to post two of my favorite recipes for zucchini and squash this summer. The first recipe is courtesy of my friend Jennifer from church, but the second one is all mine. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we have!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Zucchini Quiche</u></b><br />
1 c. corn muffin mix<br />
3 c. sliced zucchini/yellow squash<br />
1 med. onion, chopped<br />
1/2 c. parmesan cheese<br />
1/3 c. veg. oil<br />
4 eggs, well beaten<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
1 c. cream (or half and half)<br />
1 Tbsp. dill weed<br />
<br />
Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min. or until set.<br />
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<b><u>Summer Vegetable Alfredo</u></b><br />
1 zucchini, chopped in bite-size pieces<br />
1 summer squash, chopped<br />
1 c. chopped tomatoes<br />
2 Tbsp. minced garlic (or to taste- we love garlic!)<br />
6-8 rashers bacon, cut into bite-size pieces<br />
Enough pasta to feed your family (I recommend shells, fettucini or angel hair)<br />
1/2 c.-1 c. cream<br />
1 c. freshly shaved or shredded parmesan (NOT that powdery stuff!)<br />
salt and pepper<br />
Additional seasonings of your choice- I use one called "Bombay Vegetable Blend" by Tastefully Simple that is kind of like a curry seasoning- it's amazing.<br />
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Use your biggest skillet- preferably cast iron- and saute up the bacon and vegetables, until bacon is done and veg's are tender. This will take about 15-20 min. You may need to add some of the pasta water and cover so that the veg's steam, if they aren't getting done fast enough. Meanwhile, start your water boiling in a separate pot. Add pasta and cook until done; drain. Return pasta to the hot pot. Add enough cream to generously coat the pasta. Add your parmesan and salt/pepper. Stir until cheese is melted. **(Look! You just made alfredo sauce from scratch! Wasn't that easy?!)** Add the pasta to the vegetable blend in the skillet. If the mixture looks a bit dry, add more cream. The sauce will thicken a bit upon standing. Serve and enjoy the quiet that a good pasta dish brings to your family- because everyone's mouth is too full to make any noise!Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-59040333516295952672012-05-23T09:20:00.001-04:002012-05-23T09:20:36.163-04:00Recipe for Leek, Garlic and Bacon Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u>Roasted Leek, Garlic and Bacon Soup</u></div>
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1 Tbsp olive oil</div>
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20g butter (I have no idea how much this is...)</div>
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2 rashers bacon, chopped</div>
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3 leeks, chopped and washed</div>
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2 cloves garlic, chopped</div>
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1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped</div>
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2 zucchini, coarsely chopped</div>
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2 bay leaves</div>
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6 cups chicken stock (I used turkey broth)</div>
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1/3 cup cream</div>
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1/4 c. finely chopped parsley</div>
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2 rashers bacon, to serve (optional)</div>
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1. Preheat the oven to 315*. Heat the oil and butter in a large roasting pan. Add the bacon and stir over medium heat for 1-2 min. Add the leek, garlic, celery, zucchini, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, without allowing to brown. </div>
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2. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast the vegetables and bacon for 40 min., turning a couple of times. Cover with foil is starting to brown. Transfer to a large pan, pour on the stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 min. Cool slightly, strain and return the liquid to the pan. Remove the bay leaves.</div>
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3. Put the vegetables and bacon in a food processor with a ladleful of the liquid and process until smooth, adding more liquid if necessary. Return the puree to the pan with the liquid and add some pepper, the cream and parsley. Reheat gently. </div>
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4. To make the bacon garnish, trim of excess fat and fry until crispy. Drain off grease, then crumble and serve on top of soup.</div>
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Serves 4-6. Prep time: 30 min. Total cooking time: 1 hour 30 min. </div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-11350531951409564512012-05-22T13:30:00.000-04:002012-05-22T13:30:05.606-04:00A thought on.... SUMMER!Yay, summer is upon us! I worked my last day last Wednesday, and the kids' last days of preschool is tomorrow. For awhile I had contemplated finding some kind of job to keep me busy this summer.... but naaaaah. Who wants to work when there are bike rides to take, beaches to visit, pools to jump in, and cookouts to be had?! :-D<br />
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For the duration of the summer (so until Labor Day) this blog will take a much lighter feel. I do most (all) of my writing in my down time at work, where its nice and quiet, and I have both my book and online journal library at my fingertips. Writing at home feels almost impossible! (Not to mention not very enjoyable.) But I do want to keep up with my blog so I've been thinking about what to write about that is both interesting and easy. I know... food!<br />
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I am so very blessed with an amazing, talented husband that cooks for us (almost) every night. This man gets up at 5:30 every morning to go to his first job of the day, continues to work 8-5, then comes home and whips up something amazing for his family. THEN he helps with cleanup and baths, and almost every night falls asleep while reading to Annabel. ♥ And I'll be completely honest... he doesn't even complain about it. I actually have tears in my eyes while I'm writing this because I know just how lucky I am. It is humbling to be loved so very much.<br />
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So anyway, the point of that is, while I'm home this summer I want to make HIM the lucky one. I want to have dinner at least started when he gets home, so he can just relax, or work in his garage, or play with the kids, or WHATEVER. It will be challenging me for me. I'm tired, a LOT (did I forget to mention I'm currently incubating baby #3??). I'm not confident in the kitchen and I get overwhelmed easily. Even just the thought of cooking dinner kind of makes me want to curl up in a ball under the table, lol! But darn it, with the help of Regina Spektor, the Pioneer Woman, and an awesome apron, I'm going to do it! I've gotten pretty good at making a meal plan the past several months, so this time I tailored it to fit my cooking abilities. Mostly the means soups, because soup is one of the things I enjoy making and feel like I'm halfway decent at. It will also mean a lot of vegetarian meals, because I don't cook meat (except bacon, lol). So, by writing about it on this blog, hopefully I will stay accountable and stay with it!<br />
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Tonight the plan is for a leek, garlic and bacon soup. It looks really yummy, so I'm excited to see how it turns out! If it is good, I'll take some pics and post the recipe! Stay tuned!Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-7704076517451912942012-04-23T12:59:00.001-04:002012-04-24T09:12:57.497-04:00A Thought on Sensory Play<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sensory play is something that’s been on my mind lately. Probably due to the long Indiana winters and most recently this chilly spring. I know I should complain about 50 degrees, but really, people… BRRR! I’ll be honest and say that you probably won’t catch me outside recreationally until it hits at LEAST 65… and then it’s a gamble. ;) Annabel is good about bundling up and going out by herself, but Ash just isn’t there yet. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, while we’re stuck inside (“stuck” being used loosely, of course!), I am always trying to come up with things to stimulate and entertain the kids. TV is such an easy fallback, but I try to stay away from that option as much as possible. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So why is sensory play important? Because kids- especially preschoolers- learn primary through their senses. Anyone with a toddler or preschooler knows that you can tell them something a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>million times, and it may or may not stick. They just aren’t developmentally at the point of being able to learn (effectively) by being told something. That’s why modeling good behavior is so important- but that’s a different post. ;) However, if you take the time to teach through the senses- allowing them to touch, smell, see, etc… -and involving as many of the senses as possible- they are much more likely to remember the lesson! This is one of the reasons I love the Montessori method of teaching so much- it is very hands-on and sensory-focused. Think flashcards with the numbers and letters in sandpaper so the kids can feel the letter- rather than just seeing it (just one example). Sensory play is very calming and therapeutic for kids as well- many physical, occupational and mental health therapists use sensory play when working with autistic, learning disabled kids, or other special needs kids, or kids who have been through a trauma. But neurotypical children enjoy sensory play just as much, I guarantee! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Side note- we also try to involve the senses in our discipline of the children as much as possible. For example, if I tell Asher he needs to touch the kitty gently, I take his hand and show him what a gentle touch actually is. Several times. When I tell him he may not touch something, I reinforce this by physically taking his hand and walking him away from the object. But again, another post! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This brings me back to my original post- indoor sensory play. Recently I made a “bean box” for the kids. I took a small clear tub and filled it with black beans and Great Northern beans (so black and white). Then I put in other fun sensory objects- purple feathers, a spiky ball that flashes, a sand timer, little animals, pipe cleaners, shells, etc. And of course things to scoop and pour- measuring cups, funnels and bowls. The only rule about the box is- ‘beans stay in the box or the box goes bye-bye.’ Even Asher understands the rule and is awesome at picking up what he spills. And I don’t mind spills- I mind dumping and throwing! Its fun to see how they play differently with the box. While Asher generally just digs and pours, and loves to find the little treasures, Annabel is more likely to put all the beans in one long line across the floor (which I allow b/c she picks them up!) or sorts them by black or white. Our bean box is kept up high and only comes out at certain occasions- like when I’m trying to make supper or I have one kid by themself. (another tip- they play much better in the bean box when they’re alone- otherwise it generally ends in a bean fight **sigh**). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing I’ve made recently – and this is an outdoor activity for us!- is a water table. I used a long flat tub and our wagon- VERY simple and mobile! The water table has sponges, nesting cups, mini water guns, floating dolphins that make different tunes when you bop them on the head, and water flutes. Oh- and of course a funnel! We fill it from the hose, but sometimes I boil water in the kettle and pour it slowly in so they can feel the water go from cold to warm. And sometimes I make ice cubes out of colored water for them to play with in it. Kids love water play so much, and this is a great way to keep it contained and use limited water (as opposed to filling up the kiddy pool). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week I gave them each a pie tin filled with a shallow layer of baking soda. I gave each of them a dropper and a small cup of vinegar. They were enthralled! Annabel kept telling people she “did a science experiment!” Along the same lines, I had a bunch of those little “bath bombs,” so we’ve been using them in the bath occasionally- Asher was freaked out at first, but they eventually both loved holding the fizzing bar and feeling it tickle their fingers! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The bath is a GREAT place for sensory play. Some of our long winter afternoons were spent in the bathtub- with no water! The tub is a great place for finger painting and shaving cream painting- it rinses right away! Both kids love to paint their entire naked bodies like little tribal warriors. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Other ideas for indoor sensory play- homemade “gak”- which is made from a mixture of Elmer’s glue and borax (or corn starch) and food coloring if you want. I haven’t done this yet, b/c it will definitely be an outdoor project at our house! Also, edible playdough (google recipes), finger painting with pudding, cotton balls soaked with essential oils and put in cheapo salt shakers (they can find the matches!), anything with glow sticks (think in the bath with the lights out!), indoor hammocks, a large tub filled with Easter grass (most places have it on clearance right now!), and so many others. If you are wary of the mess some of these things cause, buy each of your kids a mini broom and dustpan combo, and write their names on them. If you make it a routine, they will enjoy the cleanup (almost) as much as the play itself. I only have one mini broom/dust pan, and I swear to you that they fight over it every time. IKEA has really cute, affordable ones. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course, being outside is the ultimate sensory play. We only have 1/10 of an acre, but even our backyard satisfies so many of the senses. I’m thinking… soft green grass to feel on bare feet. Spiky, fragrant pine needles. Trees to climb in and hang from. Loose dirt in the garden to dig through (and the occasional earth worm to dig up!) and flowers in the garden to feel and smell (and eat…). Vegetables in the garden to feel and smell (and eat…). The sand box with its endless possibilities. The spigot and dog’s water bowls to get wet in. The rough concrete to draw on and feel on your skin. The lovely, fragrant dog poop, lol!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are so many ideas on Pinterest or if you google “sensory play.” Your children will love it and you will get 30-40 minutes to do the dishes in peace (or whatever floats your boat!). Leave in the comments what you have done sensory-wise with your kids and what they liked or disliked… I’m always looking for new ideas! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pssst…. I will add some pictures to this post once I’m home tonight….</span></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-8650470711659533972012-04-13T20:13:00.000-04:002012-04-13T20:13:55.642-04:00A Thought on Positive Intent<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Since this was an idea I mentioned in my initial post, I thought I’d take a moment to elaborate on it a bit. The idea of assigning positive intent was one that I stumbled on about 3 years ago… and there has been little in my life that has caused such a paradigm shift- especially as it pertains to parenting- as this idea. It has changed the way I relate to my adult friends and acquaintances, it has changed my attitude about life in general, and it has most definitely changed the way I think about raising and discipling my children. Since this wasn’t (and still isn’t!) something that comes naturally to me, I have to assume that it doesn’t come naturally to many. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Put simply, assigning positive intent means to assume a person’s intentions in a situation are positive rather than negative. It gives people the benefit of the doubt that their intentions are loving or kind, rather than malicious, hurtful or manipulative. For example, if I’m in group supervision at work, and my boss makes the comment in front of everyone, “Well I think we <i>all</i> know what Lynsey would do in that situation…” I can choose to take this several different ways. I can choose to believe he doesn’t respect my judgement and ability to handle situations, and that he is deliberately shaming me in front of my coworkers, or I can choose to believe that he finds my quirky way of handling situations to be creative and inspired, and that if he really had a problem with it he would tell me in private. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’m not talking about making excuses for toxic people. Nope. We all have them in our lives, and they are what they are. I’m talking about those people that have done nothing to force your judgment- including (but not limited to) your children. And even when someone’s intentions <i>are</i> negative, it keeps me (or you) on the positive side of things, which will always be a healthier choice. When I choose to assign positive intent, I am treating someone with the grace that I would hope to be treated with. I am taking the time to be conscious of my thoughts and how they affect me. And I am acting in a way that I feel Jesus expects me to act.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I want to add the caveat that assigning positive intent does <i>not</i> mean that I intentionally deceive myself and live in a la-la-land of rainbows and unicorns. It means rather that I try to overcome my natural inclination to jump to a negative conclusion of motive based on my initial perception. It’s looking at all the possible explanations of a situation and choosing the best from my limited information. Sometimes I will be wrong and that’s okay. At least my conscious will be clear that I did the best with what I had to work with at the time. And I will not have judged someone unfairly or harshly if and when their motives are good. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So how does this relate to children and parenting? Okay, bear with me. It means that every day I choose to believe that my children are behaving a certain way for a reason. I assume that Asher is crying because he is trying to communicate with me, rather than manipulate me or make things more difficult for me. I assume that Annabel is acting out-of-control because she is hungry and overstimulated, rather than out of defiance. (These are simple examples, and don’t cover the broad spectrum of reasons I believe children cry or act out of control). I research what is normal and expected for each age/stage that my children are in, and choose to assume that this stage will pass. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Does this mean that I excuse bad behavior?- absolutely not! There is a high standard of behavior in our home, and I expect- and actively help- my children to meet these standards. But because my assumptions are positive rather than negative, my feelings toward them remain loving and positive rather than turmoiled and angry. I respond to them out of a desire to teach, rather than to punish. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I also truly feel that assigning positive intent to our kids gives them the motivation to actually behave better in future interactions. I’ll tell you what I mean by that- if Annabel hits her brother, and I respond to the situation with the belief that she is a kind person, but is acting out of a desire to protect her belongings, while understanding that at this age she lacks the impulse control to stop herself 100% of the time, my response will encourage her to be kind in the future. Because if instead, I act from the belief that she is being selfish and hurtful, she will internalize those labels. Even if I don’t say them to her, my tone and attitude will convey that to her, and eventually she will start to believe those things about herself. People who believe they are kind, or good, or helpful, will act in those ways, as will people who believe they are bad, selfish, or hateful. If I believe good things about my children, and take the time to convey those beliefs to them, they will be more likely to internalize positive labels about themselves. Positive thoughts lead to positive actions. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In practicality this might look like me saying, “Annabel, I understand that you are mad that your brother took your toy. You are afraid you might not get it back so you hit him. Hitting hurts, and you may not hit your brother. Instead of hitting, you can say, ‘this is my toy, you can play with this ball.’” In this interaction I have assigned positive intent (she’s not hitting because she wants to hurt her brother), I have empathized with the emotion I saw (she’s mad. I know what that feels like) and validated that it’s okay to feel angry. I have restated our boundary (it’s not appropriate to hit to get what you want), and used the situation to teach (telling her what to do instead). I am teaching them both a life skill -conflict resolution- that they will rely on for the rest of their lives. In her book </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, Becky Bailey states, “When you attribute positive motives to your child’s behavior, you position yourself to teach, and your child to learn. You model the value of cooperation” (p. 152). (She has an entire chapter of this book devoted to using positive intent to turn resistance into cooperation. It is excellent.)</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finally, I assign positive intent because this is the example I see in the Bible, over and over. Scripture says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matt 5:9), and “Do not judge, or you too will be judged… and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matt 7:1-2). And of course, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39). I can’t think of an example in which jumping to a negative conclusion was a helpful in Scripture. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; letter-spacing: 0px;"> I’ll leave you with the words of my friend Allison, who puts it beautifully, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>"Satan is a thief, but </i><b><i>he can not take what we don't give him</i></b><i>. Assignation of </i><b><i>Positive</i></b><i> </i><b><i>Intent</i></b><i> with our families, friends and community is a skill worth spending the time in prayer to develop, because it makes our time together so much more worthwhile."</i></span></span></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-68174197530104516892012-03-26T21:58:00.001-04:002012-03-26T22:00:42.909-04:00Want to see what I've been up to?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So last week my mom called and demanded- ahem- I mean <i>offered</i> to take the kiddos for the weekend. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I had to agree. :) I don't usually look for opportunities to be away from the children- I actually kind of enjoy them- but it's also nice to get some stuff done around here without 10,000 interruptions and distractions! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>The first thing I wanted to do stock the freezer with goodies for Annabel's lunchbox. Her school requires her to take a lunch each day, which is great in theory until I'm already 5 minutes late for work and still have a pb&j to make. So I made- and froze- homemade lunchables, a stack of homemade "uncrustables" (pb&j's without the crust), and 2 quiche (Annabel's favorite!). Oh yes, and homemade fruit roll-ups.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoWWfo5qF6quH5dkxBOj_DLJtglKWDOEb3dDfZCEPd2xmQWInsQeavhmqyCofv6IPJbWbt3jE20CiGmRw0p2ILmoPkcgMirHDm7Ndcqz-LOfqJ2CiAkma9msxVCD4TBmDdTT6nDyuWlNt/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoWWfo5qF6quH5dkxBOj_DLJtglKWDOEb3dDfZCEPd2xmQWInsQeavhmqyCofv6IPJbWbt3jE20CiGmRw0p2ILmoPkcgMirHDm7Ndcqz-LOfqJ2CiAkma9msxVCD4TBmDdTT6nDyuWlNt/s320/IMG_1596.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodzRnGqu1odT5M3xoEGj67cOOd9_m5Yenn1x2LWcif0EeT2GDfHwtzh63xRxsMZrCfdTKw6yxU5OtKNSdQfvXN7RpaKg8eczWkFG90bOx72Jnu_7aE2ToUhAzdgyvi8wR-MEkLoT0i1TK/s1600/IMG_1598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodzRnGqu1odT5M3xoEGj67cOOd9_m5Yenn1x2LWcif0EeT2GDfHwtzh63xRxsMZrCfdTKw6yxU5OtKNSdQfvXN7RpaKg8eczWkFG90bOx72Jnu_7aE2ToUhAzdgyvi8wR-MEkLoT0i1TK/s320/IMG_1598.JPG" width="213" /></a></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/AVvXsEhKQccNC7hiprBVz8swfer3_RBibcLVcHvGpFhX-X97Pk_OOzd2LtdbAhHWP_L2ZHAfwSfSvPDyAMr15-cKw8TUGSkmZ2-er3lKdo1gxqfMSk2SVajd09ucdqCdOY43DMmoJJq7yOoHEmn8/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQccNC7hiprBVz8swfer3_RBibcLVcHvGpFhX-X97Pk_OOzd2LtdbAhHWP_L2ZHAfwSfSvPDyAMr15-cKw8TUGSkmZ2-er3lKdo1gxqfMSk2SVajd09ucdqCdOY43DMmoJJq7yOoHEmn8/s320/IMG_1604.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncrustables!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From this:</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/AVvXsEhPNxfK3AaOYFKUcipztsZJrfOnz4JMV_SOf1AwiRuWUAWSFKVwkltaFMeruPBhPsWA5XKrt1Dwn4NSI5bfOHGeA_TnakeYUF3Uuv1LCfc3i0wSix79rwwg0ljXI7X9mWTC3U_fReLu1fMC/s1600/IMG_1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNxfK3AaOYFKUcipztsZJrfOnz4JMV_SOf1AwiRuWUAWSFKVwkltaFMeruPBhPsWA5XKrt1Dwn4NSI5bfOHGeA_TnakeYUF3Uuv1LCfc3i0wSix79rwwg0ljXI7X9mWTC3U_fReLu1fMC/s320/IMG_1602.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy vegetable goodness for the quiche- sometimes the only way to get them to eat it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to this:</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5iVXv7F9LW7CXhvgKiJkF2-dNvzNIT_SUfagw0HFjwut15yYGGMe6tBM8wIRCp4s4uGrvfCHgVxolfTVt52V7LlXMiO4i7bkEmhCzR8eZws1u2vbPqsa4DaiJVUD2cB3b3-m63t1NEOh/s1600/IMG_1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5iVXv7F9LW7CXhvgKiJkF2-dNvzNIT_SUfagw0HFjwut15yYGGMe6tBM8wIRCp4s4uGrvfCHgVxolfTVt52V7LlXMiO4i7bkEmhCzR8eZws1u2vbPqsa4DaiJVUD2cB3b3-m63t1NEOh/s320/IMG_1605.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to this! Individually wrapped and ready for the freezer!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnASSQmq7heTGD0H3QQ05dtBuyoBobJOzlxPoEMzOsAEsfZ_IBeXZjtTIGJUX9T0-LPlVyl851qhZE9xNDtEggBWEXoupdth8m1iWd8MsO4J7L_1OiwpveKJ3LzUGMVhIFxDf1Cy2mmhET/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnASSQmq7heTGD0H3QQ05dtBuyoBobJOzlxPoEMzOsAEsfZ_IBeXZjtTIGJUX9T0-LPlVyl851qhZE9xNDtEggBWEXoupdth8m1iWd8MsO4J7L_1OiwpveKJ3LzUGMVhIFxDf1Cy2mmhET/s320/IMG_1608.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><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/AVvXsEjhn5Yg6TSFk7eBiCXx5AY-ZSvR76OKevfwXi7B5351-CQFHV08pesi3JCWTAcfXJmNstKwt2W3mr-Pm8XolX5RWaM3PAvw8Ysr0-eYUA-zbZza_KsndGQDI_IYEBReMJHbY37CZuYuFO15/s1600/IMG_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn5Yg6TSFk7eBiCXx5AY-ZSvR76OKevfwXi7B5351-CQFHV08pesi3JCWTAcfXJmNstKwt2W3mr-Pm8XolX5RWaM3PAvw8Ysr0-eYUA-zbZza_KsndGQDI_IYEBReMJHbY37CZuYuFO15/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the fruit roll-ups were a little disappointing. They look like bacon roll-ups if you ask me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> The next day of (blissful) solitude was spent making a month's meal plan and grocery list. Then grocery shopping. Then starting/prepping and freezing several of the meals. Ok- now I realize why I never do this when the kids are here- because it takes all day!! And it's exhausting!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnvObwbpMf0hWqc9f6fO4X5Lr-8bVnOU6V6ch29N_RW0sOXARs8UyYvpVaCWbGDrPSkJn1hh68oUv-6FEqZarIjHjRc7aN9rcKwc81VVZxbIeAnM4TlvRxpsVwcKfUqErKoS1yJESZ2lj/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnvObwbpMf0hWqc9f6fO4X5Lr-8bVnOU6V6ch29N_RW0sOXARs8UyYvpVaCWbGDrPSkJn1hh68oUv-6FEqZarIjHjRc7aN9rcKwc81VVZxbIeAnM4TlvRxpsVwcKfUqErKoS1yJESZ2lj/s320/IMG_1613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I know I'll be thrilled to come home from work in the next few weeks and know exactly what's for dinner and be able to pull out the already-cooked meat and already-prepped veggies! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The third day was a little more "fun" as I worked on stocking up my etsy shop. Here are some sneak previews of upcoming listings...</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd45zlVVKlQ3-7VM93hhJMBlelgoOQ6HedkCBkF3O8YFcavQl7oDq1qlBjT4moplDS5vFtDkFfdIf7xryLwzGO_fpFflBae8pECvhynO3hmItNuN0a7hJ2h_v7Ku1pC4L-WemYKDSutWZB/s1600/IMG_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd45zlVVKlQ3-7VM93hhJMBlelgoOQ6HedkCBkF3O8YFcavQl7oDq1qlBjT4moplDS5vFtDkFfdIf7xryLwzGO_fpFflBae8pECvhynO3hmItNuN0a7hJ2h_v7Ku1pC4L-WemYKDSutWZB/s320/IMG_1619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp-yEr5fwSvN2MGl_DGxHpyn74Sv4a-CfLGz82vg2pZ4oqe_sYb0yQxL_ETO6TPWEfV4eqf3q4VaSsDTB7nO7kcK1sHzg36TePYOgq0QuVgd9jJKlN5VWGDmc909iMNaljE4-boPOrmsu/s1600/IMG_1623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp-yEr5fwSvN2MGl_DGxHpyn74Sv4a-CfLGz82vg2pZ4oqe_sYb0yQxL_ETO6TPWEfV4eqf3q4VaSsDTB7nO7kcK1sHzg36TePYOgq0QuVgd9jJKlN5VWGDmc909iMNaljE4-boPOrmsu/s320/IMG_1623.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks wonky but it's just the way I have it on the hanger!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJQNJ4nZb4mXJVbrzTdq8v3VcYxI7z9G_v-pUHEdWij7TnFYd8WTt7I5f0gWHe71KRDn3OIyq80rl2X3WdsyKbUxfmYMNPAUGYXc-zImeHNGs7Md6BdS5WGXLKL_1s6NibWMPRg0jweHE/s1600/IMG_1621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJQNJ4nZb4mXJVbrzTdq8v3VcYxI7z9G_v-pUHEdWij7TnFYd8WTt7I5f0gWHe71KRDn3OIyq80rl2X3WdsyKbUxfmYMNPAUGYXc-zImeHNGs7Md6BdS5WGXLKL_1s6NibWMPRg0jweHE/s320/IMG_1621.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiePJoulllBCc925JUrzb1OFtRSqTIBbkmgTHtOW5X8RMhT_-Li01Ay9DsicT62A8sEph05Z5yJQnvkZVtlK6gnXJVARKbMAx7DPr0IDec15mpz8GiPISaYXfcUqoxadbgVoGvhESb6aPR/s1600/IMG_1624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiePJoulllBCc925JUrzb1OFtRSqTIBbkmgTHtOW5X8RMhT_-Li01Ay9DsicT62A8sEph05Z5yJQnvkZVtlK6gnXJVARKbMAx7DPr0IDec15mpz8GiPISaYXfcUqoxadbgVoGvhESb6aPR/s320/IMG_1624.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this one is actually for Annabel, but will also be offered as a custom. She picked out all the fabric herself! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to all this, Derek and I managed to get sushi with some friends, see Hunger Games in the theater, and do pizza and a movie in. It was nice. They are home now, but as Annabel said at dinner tonight, **big sigh** "I know this is my favorite supper, but I wish I was eating it with Grammy." I think they had a good time, too. ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-88871547561983210092012-03-21T16:13:00.000-04:002012-03-21T16:13:45.355-04:00Dipping my toes back in??I've been contemplating the idea of blogging again. I love to write, and there is so much to write about. So it makes sense, huh? But there's a dark side of blogging... which is a certain vulnerability that comes with putting yourself out there on the interwebs. A vulnerability that means you can see me but I can't see you. You know what I'm thinking- but I don't know how you take it, if your eyes narrow or if your mouth curls up, or if you shout to your husband/wife in the other room... "Hey, listen to this!" And I don't like feeling vulnerable (<i>I mean, who does,</i> <i>right?!</i>). I like the solitude and peacefulness of my quiet little corner of the world, with no prying eyes or judging hearts. Yet I'm too <a href="http://www.personalitypage.com/INFP.html">INFP</a> to leave well enough alone and write only about the fluffy goings-on of life.<br />
<br />
<i>So why am I here?</i> Well, as I stated above, I do love to write. I feel like I'm decent at it. Several people in the last few months have told me they miss my posts. And call me a narcissist, but I like that. I like thinking that maybe I've caused someone to think about a particular topic in a new way (<i>a better way? Ha!)</i> and even if you don't agree that you've enjoyed my ramblings-on enough to tell me so.<br />
<br />
So here's what I'm asking in return from you, reader. Share your thoughts (but please do so respectfully!). If you like my post, I would love to know. <3 And when you read, try your hardest to assign positive intent to my words. I promise that I rarely address a topic with a judgmental or bitter spirit, or without careful consideration of the words I am using. My intention in writing is not to make any reader feel guilty or attacked, but rather to make you <i>think</i>. That's never a bad thing, right?<br />
<br />
So anyway, stay tuned. I'm in the process of updating and renewing this space and will attempt to post at least weekly. I doubt I'll post as much about the children and our every day lives as I used to, or post many pictures, since that's really what facebook is for (not that I've spent much time over there recently, either!). I hope that you will enjoy this blog, and that I will see you back here soon!Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-90838595890075494702011-03-21T21:30:00.004-04:002011-03-21T22:44:20.892-04:00Gymnastics!We have had so much fun this past month because.... Annabel's doing gymnastics! We have been going to the Y every Saturday morning for handstands, somersaults, balance beams, bars and spring boards! She is pretty much the youngest and least experienced in her class, but that's okay, right? You have to start somewhere! I try not to get discouraged when all the other kids are following directions and Annabel is sitting there staring off into space or picking her nose. (haha, j/k... kinda) She is very tempted by the spring board at all times and has a hard time being disciplined enough to not run to it every five minutes! We do a lot of hands-on parenting and redirecting at gymnastics, haha! <div><br /></div><div>But it's fun, and I know she's getting something out of it when we come home and she asks me to help her practice a hand stand or a certain kick/spin thingy they learned that week. ♥ I really do love it- she is just so darn cute walking on the beam or hanging from the bar. *sigh....* Plus it's just fun to get out of the house and DO something, you know? </div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to post some pictures, but I just realized that I have only taken video, no pics! I'll try to get some in the following weeks to put on here. :) Asher likes going, too, he enjoys crawling on the mats! He is quite the little climber these days! </div><div><br /></div><div>One day last week Annabel and I made brownies, yum! (don't judge my messy kitchen :) She had so much fun. Her favorite things to do in the kitchen are stir and add a pinch of salt.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3B4NRl6vc2UdcdoTlNuvKjSdwY1TLZ2JFHWBPegYTe3nBggyLuRF573QkweuvH6Eg2lt-Aax8sPCmSKSmHQuzBOMcV9pSaxN9QDqTm3FQDVIHsxHHmwqTzgSd4Mz0olWWICdRfd4hffk/s1600/DSC06940.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3B4NRl6vc2UdcdoTlNuvKjSdwY1TLZ2JFHWBPegYTe3nBggyLuRF573QkweuvH6Eg2lt-Aax8sPCmSKSmHQuzBOMcV9pSaxN9QDqTm3FQDVIHsxHHmwqTzgSd4Mz0olWWICdRfd4hffk/s400/DSC06940.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586725028810553186" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One day, she decided she was a baby. So this is her, sitting in the high chair, eating bite size food and drinking milk out of a bottle.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii593VTFoPjDpUCduS72WNbdgmFMJZrgy7IWeQpVGbpDT2eHGShtUIXI6Nus4IMHQ-_QHP9qqSlfSsjYkj9pR8Qr2fdpr84Y7tkIaFyM0XN1o3StOXslZ-KfS1nbRn4kV8mZ3Zd3t7Krd1/s1600/DSC06959.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii593VTFoPjDpUCduS72WNbdgmFMJZrgy7IWeQpVGbpDT2eHGShtUIXI6Nus4IMHQ-_QHP9qqSlfSsjYkj9pR8Qr2fdpr84Y7tkIaFyM0XN1o3StOXslZ-KfS1nbRn4kV8mZ3Zd3t7Krd1/s400/DSC06959.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586725036732163938" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div>When she found out that babies have to take TWO naps a day, she was cured ;)</div><div><br /></div><div>The real baby of the house:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFyHMSRPWIwpKxNMs-ZRs3QWmDT84vEPrzgLkTJMU8QK8FnddBhc35hXS7XTHJMJ9HlFg6DnUNd3tbcEUXS64sPsM7lkQrUzrsiwpcBtw1gOyQ7crN6xaQ_tgVqc2pXlmkfH4ZRVwx709/s1600/DSC06976.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFyHMSRPWIwpKxNMs-ZRs3QWmDT84vEPrzgLkTJMU8QK8FnddBhc35hXS7XTHJMJ9HlFg6DnUNd3tbcEUXS64sPsM7lkQrUzrsiwpcBtw1gOyQ7crN6xaQ_tgVqc2pXlmkfH4ZRVwx709/s400/DSC06976.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586725040105403586" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div>Those are bananas rolled in crushed cereal. He loves it ♥ Asher just started on real solid food a few weeks ago, but he's doing really well. He only has two bottom teeth and the very beginnings of a top one, but he can chew quite a bit with those! He likes puffs, crackers, bread, cheese, fruit, eggs, beans... I don't think he's tried anything yet that he doesn't like ;) </div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxntijxRaBheJQ4fhQsrl28pKwR288u6LInm8ePZs_EcjEyTgJfThI1KRMjCJWWUY0oFMwEmiZ2UzdtPV-CSw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-91039764233966029542011-02-25T20:25:00.007-05:002011-02-25T21:22:08.479-05:00Some Much Promised Pictures!<div>These are kinda old, but this was taken the night we put up the Christmas tree:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW-9gCsvADEaqJ0R3y4YQ-sx7_jbLYPySgw9T3BIfa9r5uqzxhp0hWuHrL8RqZXb-T1_aY19uWMgspIJeL9lICV_8ptNxtXpaEoXXAcRiUcNhMmqLf30Zigjy4bJWxmf680dXrtjgUDzK/s1600/DSC06645.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW-9gCsvADEaqJ0R3y4YQ-sx7_jbLYPySgw9T3BIfa9r5uqzxhp0hWuHrL8RqZXb-T1_aY19uWMgspIJeL9lICV_8ptNxtXpaEoXXAcRiUcNhMmqLf30Zigjy4bJWxmf680dXrtjgUDzK/s400/DSC06645.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577806793456096194" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And this was on Christmas morning... Annabel was so excited about her new "marble toy!"</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz70mro17iphIGb9oD4RxMLPpdRQrdD6hrqhXREMCYBfdS2INNrgfrP2najZ7Tx2Pl67zB3YoDEnz7qTZY3xSYN_aSbzEC30EO0T6xRXEGyBtRHVoOb0FGLOMycK90Suqoa9Uk_ljt6nN0/s1600/DSC06666.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz70mro17iphIGb9oD4RxMLPpdRQrdD6hrqhXREMCYBfdS2INNrgfrP2najZ7Tx2Pl67zB3YoDEnz7qTZY3xSYN_aSbzEC30EO0T6xRXEGyBtRHVoOb0FGLOMycK90Suqoa9Uk_ljt6nN0/s400/DSC06666.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577804064818438034" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This was right after that big snow at Christmas:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja83lFUiBTNyWCKQ-dp3daDNTLJG50EAADUwY9A1XmOQT_0_blAsXYg0TcKNBfi5Hfsy39SmUANgDlMevFWyButImrZ8s8-K_owKnMyhbE7Kbgg6UgNo7dDyUZBd1u1L_FTsch1Lv04TtS/s1600/DSC06680.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja83lFUiBTNyWCKQ-dp3daDNTLJG50EAADUwY9A1XmOQT_0_blAsXYg0TcKNBfi5Hfsy39SmUANgDlMevFWyButImrZ8s8-K_owKnMyhbE7Kbgg6UgNo7dDyUZBd1u1L_FTsch1Lv04TtS/s400/DSC06680.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577804802599130770" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Later in January, we had Christmas in Iowa:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCNXjJYYqyGOaqigZr_eBvaFfH51Rn94dmA1z4f_bUPfT58XueEd8AgyFnSjvqUwRO6h7oUGTgDMaSZSwZNoVoQ6Q2XOC1nfxCrjZ-a3ebNrMuxkLf70END_hx8qOJonBsxaYNMPvkCgw/s1600/DSC_0718.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCNXjJYYqyGOaqigZr_eBvaFfH51Rn94dmA1z4f_bUPfT58XueEd8AgyFnSjvqUwRO6h7oUGTgDMaSZSwZNoVoQ6Q2XOC1nfxCrjZ-a3ebNrMuxkLf70END_hx8qOJonBsxaYNMPvkCgw/s400/DSC_0718.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577816215965470546" style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And the girls:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFx66JDoyTibDo3IPg-MPMh43LumRag4GiyatjC-1FyWliQ3twMyRvPndwQIQmVhyphenhyphen30IR_2SsnNPobJ2XWo25tr5OGRXqR8dE_Lf6SWjQDyPmwLVMmVedNU1x6tsy7c_dKWYUJIh6UPM3/s1600/DSC_0531.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFx66JDoyTibDo3IPg-MPMh43LumRag4GiyatjC-1FyWliQ3twMyRvPndwQIQmVhyphenhyphen30IR_2SsnNPobJ2XWo25tr5OGRXqR8dE_Lf6SWjQDyPmwLVMmVedNU1x6tsy7c_dKWYUJIh6UPM3/s400/DSC_0531.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577816203457860834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye9fMhcDzb87tnrg1sV1HDGUuK3AIjyVfo_nHZY_0m7AFCj8NOf6HV2Dg3gVBC8q_y_oVOvQLOupKYHRClmT9zRdTvQej4ST6aGn7upljCyC1mlQ4ykUxYiWYPO0qtXWrR2GbNA0IiF8S/s1600/DSC_0660.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye9fMhcDzb87tnrg1sV1HDGUuK3AIjyVfo_nHZY_0m7AFCj8NOf6HV2Dg3gVBC8q_y_oVOvQLOupKYHRClmT9zRdTvQej4ST6aGn7upljCyC1mlQ4ykUxYiWYPO0qtXWrR2GbNA0IiF8S/s400/DSC_0660.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577816212843514578" style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjME0U4-6-P7TYml3j_qWN9CuY8aHyoajB0hUW_bjzb9FSNAk-Yj2EZ_NSJTSfCRNXeb33OLdyK8-gTkXQ7QHmeDoLrUu7E3Csj_ZrvcMxKKmaCQhaXtWb6KuZ8dE5PXGg-Tedpm4dWkasJ/s1600/DSC_0642.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjME0U4-6-P7TYml3j_qWN9CuY8aHyoajB0hUW_bjzb9FSNAk-Yj2EZ_NSJTSfCRNXeb33OLdyK8-gTkXQ7QHmeDoLrUu7E3Csj_ZrvcMxKKmaCQhaXtWb6KuZ8dE5PXGg-Tedpm4dWkasJ/s400/DSC_0642.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577816205878993618" style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>They're so cute!</div><div><br /></div><div>Derek and I made it to a Colts' game in January!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtK_6Vigyp_y2vYOa4IRAHg8X6IIlD42XLp-3hmXkWcFXxUx3q55zG3VSLnM0IDcEPeAfq67JowX0xsNEbC5U9OMXMgci76xBbQ8NwLYScGe51qg-23S_67DyD2Ekt4ZXUeYFduWnMHxt/s1600/IMG_0683.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtK_6Vigyp_y2vYOa4IRAHg8X6IIlD42XLp-3hmXkWcFXxUx3q55zG3VSLnM0IDcEPeAfq67JowX0xsNEbC5U9OMXMgci76xBbQ8NwLYScGe51qg-23S_67DyD2Ekt4ZXUeYFduWnMHxt/s400/IMG_0683.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577808274884988818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqC0VDIC5Lk2x4nQlkWZtMWMKhyphenhyphenEWq0Q-JznzUYTknO7WfQMri-L3QMUH6QkSWEhKPZDruyuzYoM1-enSraRxblvNf9uVL2q5Nx_Tdc4ZohJiFa_ZbEmWVho1JtUxBrydK0QGjZKt90XQ/s1600/IMG_0684.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqC0VDIC5Lk2x4nQlkWZtMWMKhyphenhyphenEWq0Q-JznzUYTknO7WfQMri-L3QMUH6QkSWEhKPZDruyuzYoM1-enSraRxblvNf9uVL2q5Nx_Tdc4ZohJiFa_ZbEmWVho1JtUxBrydK0QGjZKt90XQ/s400/IMG_0684.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577808279936925282" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One day recently we took the kids sledding out at camp- fun!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_WCP8qpXPuQWua2bfia4Uwb52w211662QanJqePIm6vgWM4QDcUf2KiburzxeFsQwHh6jDhijwU2L9lGchBOe-CU6v0WiqIna4Kjvu5UXvTCl3EmBBPKsaC8vIITIiBG6TE7U7H7pvWo/s1600/DSC06838.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_WCP8qpXPuQWua2bfia4Uwb52w211662QanJqePIm6vgWM4QDcUf2KiburzxeFsQwHh6jDhijwU2L9lGchBOe-CU6v0WiqIna4Kjvu5UXvTCl3EmBBPKsaC8vIITIiBG6TE7U7H7pvWo/s400/DSC06838.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577808285819525874" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Fun in the bath:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt_9jaCpJNJYRmSDRSbuNhgJfEErt-kQ-6UOstdExpVgWRgxoOV4Lkeh15Fc3x2dtKEMdWAuQ5rEjP-3CSA9CceL7C4J179dWH4ffpV0PxnM7pFM_WBiC8Qr0J6eOR2N_q8RQtMtOXfuA/s1600/DSC06848.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt_9jaCpJNJYRmSDRSbuNhgJfEErt-kQ-6UOstdExpVgWRgxoOV4Lkeh15Fc3x2dtKEMdWAuQ5rEjP-3CSA9CceL7C4J179dWH4ffpV0PxnM7pFM_WBiC8Qr0J6eOR2N_q8RQtMtOXfuA/s400/DSC06848.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577808297044797122" /></a><br /><br /><br />Asher's eating "real" food! Annabel loves to "help," haha!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BCYlyamC0RyRFZLlh_AttLjYs7gAdEWouRBVpZafz4kJUdxQAeWhRb1Ss1sEL00nbASscpUQwiZWvGwFshkv3vrmP_9FqQTZTo_-KKxvu1gpUnCnxC8BAAz-jqBtiH0MBBdI9RZ1WD5O/s1600/DSC06800.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BCYlyamC0RyRFZLlh_AttLjYs7gAdEWouRBVpZafz4kJUdxQAeWhRb1Ss1sEL00nbASscpUQwiZWvGwFshkv3vrmP_9FqQTZTo_-KKxvu1gpUnCnxC8BAAz-jqBtiH0MBBdI9RZ1WD5O/s400/DSC06800.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577806804734583762" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c6RBZJXfMYAnhoAn-xEutKIILW0blA5hdO_E1IBM0MIu-w4F2M73H1zg6juf0M8QmJ6bqMvVb8hTBLXYtAeYviy81Hief5HUfHqK5fuosoLZGYugnDNERHHRu25i2d3F3s8a-UmUFCFX/s1600/DSC06624.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c6RBZJXfMYAnhoAn-xEutKIILW0blA5hdO_E1IBM0MIu-w4F2M73H1zg6juf0M8QmJ6bqMvVb8hTBLXYtAeYviy81Hief5HUfHqK5fuosoLZGYugnDNERHHRu25i2d3F3s8a-UmUFCFX/s400/DSC06624.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577806798340652210" /></a><br /><br /><div><br />And here's my sweet girl, vegging out in front of the tv with a bowl of popcorn!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT5GYgAfvv-6qp2mBqz3Nsh8fDfXqb6h1iCMRB3D_ojJsrB4KBJ7VLz9HT1yIK2PbNpZztFbJgvaRJG_56ZFwJTCa4PlSakPqkX-LF44mjUSzxDu16lK1yMaM3Jmg46LIXKUaQArVvsT8/s1600/DSC06776.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT5GYgAfvv-6qp2mBqz3Nsh8fDfXqb6h1iCMRB3D_ojJsrB4KBJ7VLz9HT1yIK2PbNpZztFbJgvaRJG_56ZFwJTCa4PlSakPqkX-LF44mjUSzxDu16lK1yMaM3Jmg46LIXKUaQArVvsT8/s400/DSC06776.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577806805315690834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT5GYgAfvv-6qp2mBqz3Nsh8fDfXqb6h1iCMRB3D_ojJsrB4KBJ7VLz9HT1yIK2PbNpZztFbJgvaRJG_56ZFwJTCa4PlSakPqkX-LF44mjUSzxDu16lK1yMaM3Jmg46LIXKUaQArVvsT8/s1600/DSC06776.JPG"></a>I especially love the way this picture highlights Annabel's self-inflicted haircut ;)<br /><br /></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-5334013614265685152011-02-22T11:59:00.002-05:002011-02-22T12:22:25.195-05:00<div>Well, I thought I'd tentatively jump back into blogging... I feel like I've lost my motivation for writing about the mundane, boring aspects of our life. At some point I'd really like to reformat my blog into a more "subject-oriented" one, instead of just random ramblings... though what subject to pick, I don't know. But for now... random ramblings it is ;)<br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div>The past few months have been good. I'm back at work 3 days a week, with Asher transitioning into daycare really well. He learned how to sleep in a crib, haha! Yes, it's true- I "spoil" my baby boy and let him nap whereever he falls asleep, be it my arms, in the back carrier, or in our bed. Eventually I move him to the crib to finish his nap, but he surely has no experience with putting himself to sleep. (And, no, I don't need advice, because I don't feel guilty about it! Our system works for us! :)</div><br /><br /><div>Asher is crawling for "real," now! He's just all over the place. His favorite place to be is the playroom... he just crawls from one thing to the next, checking everything out! He has his own little bin of toys and it's so cute to watch him pick stuff out of it. </div><br /><br /><div>Annabel is terrifically three an a half. *sigh* There are aspects that I LOVE about this age- truly. She is sooo independent and will play by herself for 30-45 minutes at a time. She will watch whole movies, and she definitely has her favorites (ahem, Dora). She is soooo into her baby doll, whose name is Baby Alex. Pretty much every day is Alex's birthday and we have to sing happy birthday to her. Most of the time she's turning 4 ;) She loves to take care of Alex, to feed and rock her, put her down for naps, change her diaper, buckle her into a carseat, stroller or high chair. She'll tell me, "can you hold Alex for a minute? I'm just going to go xyz." Or, "Please be more gentle with Alex, don't just throw her down." Sometimes Alex feels sick or doesn't want to go to church/daycare, and it's a good opportunity to talk about those things. Alex is a little more understanding than Annabel! ;) </div><br /><br /><div>We do deal a bit with whining and the meltdowns- oh, the meltdowns- but really, it's okay. I don't feel overwhelmed with it. I know it's normal and this, too shall pass. </div><br /><br /><div>As for me, I'm so excited to have "inherited" a spinning wheel from my grandma! </div><br /><div><a href="http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr95/lynseydesaree/th_DSC06934.jpg"></a><a href="http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr95/lynseydesaree/th_DSC06934.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr95/lynseydesaree/th_DSC06934.jpg" border="0" /></a> I guess you can just call me an old spinster! Spinning is something I've wanted to learn for quite a while, so I'm way excited for the opportunity. I have three bags of different kinds of wool coming in the mail this week, so stay tuned! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Anyway, I'll try to remember to post some pictures when I get home and have access to them! I know there have been some cute ones lately. I'll leave you with this adorable one of Asher, eating avocado in the living room:</div><br /><div><a href="http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr95/lynseydesaree/th_DSC06753.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px" alt="" src="http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr95/lynseydesaree/th_DSC06753.jpg" border="0" /></a> (these should be clickable thumbnails)</div></div></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-90266876924799987202011-01-01T17:37:00.002-05:002011-01-01T17:37:47.272-05:00A BreakI'm taking a break from blogging right now. Obviously. Check back in a month or two! :)Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-70992924313095084782010-11-23T18:34:00.003-05:002010-11-26T14:22:18.357-05:005 Months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcctTo5Z2K6yiwoUm5P3h3iXSSEKif9Usy0M1b9-4RXVwI7jYjBScv-w7-06QHQZtiPG_N7Fx66plauHXUBQw9LUortFXw_NEsHmz1-3mw9JEx7bIboJhje0ldv8cbaWE0Gqu64oPmnk8m/s1600/grant.mini-5621.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcctTo5Z2K6yiwoUm5P3h3iXSSEKif9Usy0M1b9-4RXVwI7jYjBScv-w7-06QHQZtiPG_N7Fx66plauHXUBQw9LUortFXw_NEsHmz1-3mw9JEx7bIboJhje0ldv8cbaWE0Gqu64oPmnk8m/s400/grant.mini-5621.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543940533645504690" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcctTo5Z2K6yiwoUm5P3h3iXSSEKif9Usy0M1b9-4RXVwI7jYjBScv-w7-06QHQZtiPG_N7Fx66plauHXUBQw9LUortFXw_NEsHmz1-3mw9JEx7bIboJhje0ldv8cbaWE0Gqu64oPmnk8m/s1600/grant.mini-5621.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrBpqrOpn6uKnsPJ37r25GuvJsl6Sjo1ixbbgkwEq07DLM4fuaN3e9lTbEnsIkncjUmGPKnBS27qoq-_6dFJc9BzwwvTV_wblDtUxSxNHJNJMjPAxtnXauhwFhYbE_liTWO6XKSgzVP6K/s1600/IMGP1282_2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrBpqrOpn6uKnsPJ37r25GuvJsl6Sjo1ixbbgkwEq07DLM4fuaN3e9lTbEnsIkncjUmGPKnBS27qoq-_6dFJc9BzwwvTV_wblDtUxSxNHJNJMjPAxtnXauhwFhYbE_liTWO6XKSgzVP6K/s400/IMGP1282_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543940522008642162" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrBpqrOpn6uKnsPJ37r25GuvJsl6Sjo1ixbbgkwEq07DLM4fuaN3e9lTbEnsIkncjUmGPKnBS27qoq-_6dFJc9BzwwvTV_wblDtUxSxNHJNJMjPAxtnXauhwFhYbE_liTWO6XKSgzVP6K/s1600/IMGP1282_2.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebShR-Zq8JO3FLsi-9StRxBOW1oOxlM_wC51o0Te-cjqjUyLAPuPya7WQ_2IRgxSte5gDJP_z55Dt6VAXr9q8iBLpdoByMn-_6Vfwuacy3r8Q7x4pp4F072lWFBxJuLLwJt65PLxbJATp/s1600/grant.mini-5641.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebShR-Zq8JO3FLsi-9StRxBOW1oOxlM_wC51o0Te-cjqjUyLAPuPya7WQ_2IRgxSte5gDJP_z55Dt6VAXr9q8iBLpdoByMn-_6Vfwuacy3r8Q7x4pp4F072lWFBxJuLLwJt65PLxbJATp/s400/grant.mini-5641.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543940538025450930" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebShR-Zq8JO3FLsi-9StRxBOW1oOxlM_wC51o0Te-cjqjUyLAPuPya7WQ_2IRgxSte5gDJP_z55Dt6VAXr9q8iBLpdoByMn-_6Vfwuacy3r8Q7x4pp4F072lWFBxJuLLwJt65PLxbJATp/s1600/grant.mini-5641.jpg"></a><br />Our little Ashi-poo is 5 months old today! Part of me can't believe the last 5 months have gone by so quickly; it seems like he should still be a tiny newborn, instead of a good-sized baby! Some 5 month milestones include rolling over both ways, pushing up to his knees and rocking back and forth, creeping by pushing off on his toes, blowing raspberries, grinning and laughing, and just being darn cute! He is SUCH a good-natured baby, smiles at everyone he sees and rarely fusses. He loves to be held and snuggled, when you pick him up he just lays his head on your shoulder and snuggles in. <div><br /></div><div>Asher and Annabel are crazy about each other! I always have to get on her for trying to pick him up or laying on top of him (riding him), but secretly I think he likes it. He loves ANY attention from his big sister, and she's often the one to be able to get him laughing! It's nice, too, because when he's awake, I don't have to worry about entertaining her :) What a sweet addition he's been to our family ♥</div></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-17271242302640380182010-11-15T20:57:00.007-05:002010-11-15T21:34:14.514-05:00Halloween 2010Ugh, I've been so uninspired to blog lately. And the longer I go, the more overwhelming it gets, b/c I don't even know where to start. So tonight I"m going to start small, and show our fun Halloween pics. I had planned on Annabel going as a "princess," b/c her cousin Abby gave her a princess dress. Unfortunately... we didn't try it on until that day and it was waaaay too big- d'oh!<br /><div><br /></div><div>Soooo, we improvised and went as Fancy Nancy, haha. Pretty easy, when you consider all fancy Nancy wears is dress-up clothes! So we raided the dress-up basket, and did her hair very "fancy," with lots of curls and bows! Unfortunately... a coat doesn't look very "fancy," so we didn't last too long at the outdoor festivities, haha. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oIUl4Q91jtDTUJi5z3uwv1ynb-3V61aZhYFrY5PttFDBKw3af2R8pvfXiJaHP1e6VjxCEvH2gIliBzN0FM_y-aQfC4me4VIHKJsiVfU0Jg8X_nF-YnM_vCa1-7vQx9y8LAKJ-MUxgSzW/s1600/DSC06485.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oIUl4Q91jtDTUJi5z3uwv1ynb-3V61aZhYFrY5PttFDBKw3af2R8pvfXiJaHP1e6VjxCEvH2gIliBzN0FM_y-aQfC4me4VIHKJsiVfU0Jg8X_nF-YnM_vCa1-7vQx9y8LAKJ-MUxgSzW/s400/DSC06485.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539963144149381522" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnI_8GiRgfeNVmSCLUhGWC1QL43yQfv1GthlLdvCuLGmvjQQuJZ2im2u8Uzg8EUB2-HHyXJ3s83Yml5xWOATVP9sfS9EBCeZWDZUA3snN1qeYp-MsavbD9IPSsrBbutBBBpfKTIcQukx5/s1600/DSC06489.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnI_8GiRgfeNVmSCLUhGWC1QL43yQfv1GthlLdvCuLGmvjQQuJZ2im2u8Uzg8EUB2-HHyXJ3s83Yml5xWOATVP9sfS9EBCeZWDZUA3snN1qeYp-MsavbD9IPSsrBbutBBBpfKTIcQukx5/s400/DSC06489.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539963154473902962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk0TcyiwI0-_aKySdiK83dn1bpenGDRA8sPYegzb8AkcBMpiB7D09AoQc7rMb_BzPT5FD8MyczQjN4amvjzIZvmkQNUzqte85bTuyoWTqABoT5t9U2_5xIpwl6xzeb50bVmOyvMWgXSdE/s1600/DSC06490.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk0TcyiwI0-_aKySdiK83dn1bpenGDRA8sPYegzb8AkcBMpiB7D09AoQc7rMb_BzPT5FD8MyczQjN4amvjzIZvmkQNUzqte85bTuyoWTqABoT5t9U2_5xIpwl6xzeb50bVmOyvMWgXSdE/s400/DSC06490.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539963159391994194" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iJT3dFb-7Vu6kFsiUcMMXJgr8aoTQATT2yzZL4cuqzzFoLE8pjqY8dTev6b93XsUcciw1RfmsVKvtABYzljIKBOBG5zvD84YDZvtbfM6DPIkP5QUpycusAED4mw8dmr264E9gg_q9_nR/s1600/DSC06491.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iJT3dFb-7Vu6kFsiUcMMXJgr8aoTQATT2yzZL4cuqzzFoLE8pjqY8dTev6b93XsUcciw1RfmsVKvtABYzljIKBOBG5zvD84YDZvtbfM6DPIkP5QUpycusAED4mw8dmr264E9gg_q9_nR/s400/DSC06491.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539963176935538162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5vM-2TFcHgbyxIlw905n56c6pmNOHS9p4V1nG1NnWQOVcgW9JOIUo4DsRoFOHkWzLa2c9r-m2of6IaT9_B8uESvnQuolwScApWf0UYAqmQjTWysOXy5klGcdOtQx7xCB1mHlrYS65ptO/s1600/DSC06492.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5vM-2TFcHgbyxIlw905n56c6pmNOHS9p4V1nG1NnWQOVcgW9JOIUo4DsRoFOHkWzLa2c9r-m2of6IaT9_B8uESvnQuolwScApWf0UYAqmQjTWysOXy5klGcdOtQx7xCB1mHlrYS65ptO/s400/DSC06492.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539963186150067890" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>And Asher was a frog, because, well- that's what I had in the closet ;)</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to a carnival at our church which was fun. Annabel loved the games and cotton candy!!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXouEJksu3wgvjNkM63HksphoiVYiQevCFxnpV7AkQ_FTat3pD3x-izfyKeM76V4T4g1EH2vPdhLl-1RzTVnLGp7WAmcFRzMQzKg4JBRg6xOXo9XblrIeci14ED-RBCtt_Ck-drPGkDKe0/s1600/DSC06499.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXouEJksu3wgvjNkM63HksphoiVYiQevCFxnpV7AkQ_FTat3pD3x-izfyKeM76V4T4g1EH2vPdhLl-1RzTVnLGp7WAmcFRzMQzKg4JBRg6xOXo9XblrIeci14ED-RBCtt_Ck-drPGkDKe0/s400/DSC06499.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539968622804715170" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYurvaGzVlXYDNI9cY5smvl9GBwMPm2wm9qw32ML4UBWvX_jsz0X_sTmix5Q2zxXnPf_wbBLqOlqSYLxlJVjzdejXXzIVVLSj2GefDK3mO6Ue4wXEdzHUEoqT_aBe4Hexhc_K9cXayiFbA/s1600/DSC06497.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYurvaGzVlXYDNI9cY5smvl9GBwMPm2wm9qw32ML4UBWvX_jsz0X_sTmix5Q2zxXnPf_wbBLqOlqSYLxlJVjzdejXXzIVVLSj2GefDK3mO6Ue4wXEdzHUEoqT_aBe4Hexhc_K9cXayiFbA/s400/DSC06497.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539968641677508962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I know some people think Halloween is an abomination straight from the devil, but we enjoy it here ;)</div><div> </div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-4338729208316467102010-10-16T13:38:00.006-04:002010-10-16T14:10:23.204-04:00First Haircut and MoreAnnabel got her first haircut! I wasn't sure how we would know when she needed her first haircut, but it definitely got to the point where the ends were so straggled and weak it was hard to brush. She did pretty well. There was some drama at first, but after a disastrous trip to the dentist the week before mommy was prepared with some bribery ;) <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVnTZNcjF9kKSA-C2wQCa2XL95dM2BaXH96PR4ozSLs1YMm3M0HoIlBwnBJ79yMq2WifEsmTRAHGA3hdeFVgc3ZmreFGQzi6I_XYTJ0U_6luuYlKgNBl_hkotxe-lWRa5JxICFzOntrYR/s1600/DSC06419.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVnTZNcjF9kKSA-C2wQCa2XL95dM2BaXH96PR4ozSLs1YMm3M0HoIlBwnBJ79yMq2WifEsmTRAHGA3hdeFVgc3ZmreFGQzi6I_XYTJ0U_6luuYlKgNBl_hkotxe-lWRa5JxICFzOntrYR/s400/DSC06419.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528700899133755378" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2NBIFPyZ-m1x59Qy_CLDgrEpBt0IEaEgVL_K8YB_PTcd_dJy6u_ZkEuAsDcDSPYYkSWKb4FnkjA-hnVQ_MdxVgJGu3L9wTWcYAeorf8jClOc0hXo2DtCsiTpOE-Jrga0yKDZkWhSNdfh/s1600/DSC06420.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2NBIFPyZ-m1x59Qy_CLDgrEpBt0IEaEgVL_K8YB_PTcd_dJy6u_ZkEuAsDcDSPYYkSWKb4FnkjA-hnVQ_MdxVgJGu3L9wTWcYAeorf8jClOc0hXo2DtCsiTpOE-Jrga0yKDZkWhSNdfh/s400/DSC06420.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528700907060591074" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I imagine I'll be able to cut her hair myself for the most part, but I wanted her to have the special experience of going to see Miss Megan at the beauty salon! She kept telling me, "I'm like Fancy Nancy, at the Oh La La Beauty Day!" Haha. Her hair is much nicer to comb through, now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Asher is a big boy! Yesterday he weighed in at 16+ lbs! I guess that means it's time to bring out the medium diapers, sigh. I thought I would get at least 5 months out of his smalls. He rolls over regularly, and loves his tummy time. He just props himself up on his elbow and looks around for 15-20 minutes at a time! He loves his big sister, and the feeling is mutual. She is forever laying by him, bringing him toys, "helping" him kick his feet... luckily he has a good sense of humor and tolerates her pretty well :) </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg2tDivz4sUkc-9k1hzmmi6x2F9U9sL1RfU4dot80qEGth5p3fUgRw8144zqg03PPWicDNrfQ79EdaH6z6gOmFEabZl0nLha9tXWfPzjpJK0-rA4XjUYCx3VyJuvyflY9fTKJVIAiWmNi/s1600/DSC06422.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg2tDivz4sUkc-9k1hzmmi6x2F9U9sL1RfU4dot80qEGth5p3fUgRw8144zqg03PPWicDNrfQ79EdaH6z6gOmFEabZl0nLha9tXWfPzjpJK0-rA4XjUYCx3VyJuvyflY9fTKJVIAiWmNi/s400/DSC06422.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528705196029808546" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_0-DLBRoTeS1swV5COPm6NGHvty3dsPNs6ZgUGhLwFAbC8n1ZIqGKxfiVlZo97SYcENn8YXV5IuU0Q4iR6RiUgMtaqLGLydf7eUGTBLGrcuiffAg2jgZm1Iu0zT0UfcfAQnBnSZwttVK/s1600/DSC06388.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_0-DLBRoTeS1swV5COPm6NGHvty3dsPNs6ZgUGhLwFAbC8n1ZIqGKxfiVlZo97SYcENn8YXV5IuU0Q4iR6RiUgMtaqLGLydf7eUGTBLGrcuiffAg2jgZm1Iu0zT0UfcfAQnBnSZwttVK/s400/DSC06388.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528703882022245346" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQM5rBohxnsnclV2w6NuswtHI2TWuHxNwl4qWBJ4LbcQ1AFHOzgQWXbMyp7ZaE5W2ulAXzPySal0lR3RRuhY6XEu5UzPp3jSHeKRS4tsjVLcW25OZZg6zvujRzX_3z4BTKNcdJGBYz9_An/s1600/DSC06417.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQM5rBohxnsnclV2w6NuswtHI2TWuHxNwl4qWBJ4LbcQ1AFHOzgQWXbMyp7ZaE5W2ulAXzPySal0lR3RRuhY6XEu5UzPp3jSHeKRS4tsjVLcW25OZZg6zvujRzX_3z4BTKNcdJGBYz9_An/s400/DSC06417.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528705190127278770" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X5ykXZWJot-QhJZVaq08rD4i5_Wu4EDVJHWUJNkraI88oRMQqY1ejNUTLs2tywEperSwQPKayMB-13tUglBYD0J7mJlR1zLhSwOBaqpCyb1GMNhDEKTnBr-A2AKXUEum7Oi7UIihQ8OO/s1600/DSC06397.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X5ykXZWJot-QhJZVaq08rD4i5_Wu4EDVJHWUJNkraI88oRMQqY1ejNUTLs2tywEperSwQPKayMB-13tUglBYD0J7mJlR1zLhSwOBaqpCyb1GMNhDEKTnBr-A2AKXUEum7Oi7UIihQ8OO/s400/DSC06397.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528703885672013890" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea5iJmypBS2WbxMv-n0ht2P7rac938fqzwYGtwWG5tF8bZHNQc11M9-jKF6FfMSAPTGI8szoxtTqZyxhbW9Rruynoc3-Os8E3s9HTQKEzQc-ADF6uWd-oEtlUrjqlgI3YZJ0rH_7nnfKb/s1600/DSC06418.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea5iJmypBS2WbxMv-n0ht2P7rac938fqzwYGtwWG5tF8bZHNQc11M9-jKF6FfMSAPTGI8szoxtTqZyxhbW9Rruynoc3-Os8E3s9HTQKEzQc-ADF6uWd-oEtlUrjqlgI3YZJ0rH_7nnfKb/s400/DSC06418.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528700910162276930" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I made the kids their hats for winter this year. Annabel got some fingerless gloves, too. Hopefully I'll get around to a scarf, too, but I have a lot of things in my queue before I can start on that! I love knitting so much :) </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcxRL1BLklY9qwlvcOD8z-dYlULWjU0453nb-Qfn_kDLlsFuguQ-Xvtma8P1yoTfW31VqoaeMHPxR5kJ1BW8XehK6xcHyzfXx7LWDSKmUs7OytLxKz3rKa_ld2duSOJqC7MPc7VN8NAkT/s1600/DSC06412.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcxRL1BLklY9qwlvcOD8z-dYlULWjU0453nb-Qfn_kDLlsFuguQ-Xvtma8P1yoTfW31VqoaeMHPxR5kJ1BW8XehK6xcHyzfXx7LWDSKmUs7OytLxKz3rKa_ld2duSOJqC7MPc7VN8NAkT/s400/DSC06412.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528703899933524706" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bVITES66IkPeNcCCcnCrZ5qBSRTdQB4kJaJsfz_eeESTYdKg-E-4TIcAlqblap1jr8cAYIdJxhf6ZK5nGhumxUDRjLQ56uDWyzRjiRNidr7AEwzG9yfMGrCT8X7Kvssbr_F2Fnzypnf4/s1600/DSC06408.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bVITES66IkPeNcCCcnCrZ5qBSRTdQB4kJaJsfz_eeESTYdKg-E-4TIcAlqblap1jr8cAYIdJxhf6ZK5nGhumxUDRjLQ56uDWyzRjiRNidr7AEwzG9yfMGrCT8X7Kvssbr_F2Fnzypnf4/s400/DSC06408.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528706422513742386" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6H4l9CwxZyEDQWOKZk9vNiwyftoQdl0592ZfGBjXWyVyvgy_R4EvVI9a3oh2iujMQtDS6RoxzDnJ4efsz9p5ntN8fRdq7nEpDgwzxLIzJDAzN0U4MDk6TIPyheVBhhrBBONP_a2ZuvOH7/s1600/DSC06409.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6H4l9CwxZyEDQWOKZk9vNiwyftoQdl0592ZfGBjXWyVyvgy_R4EvVI9a3oh2iujMQtDS6RoxzDnJ4efsz9p5ntN8fRdq7nEpDgwzxLIzJDAzN0U4MDk6TIPyheVBhhrBBONP_a2ZuvOH7/s400/DSC06409.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528705183143983602" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3X_ezwpDVCWZwOL9aV1ivH_FvicJZ90YPUQhWXN0J2vN-JP-X6w03Vb3RoLNyYtEx7UyaA4DLVuZDqcNd8UpJ_nhOi3hG_H-h-b33xRbqDDZeVH5AqDLr2jHG166kr7U9ETbqTOjSA8N/s1600/DSC06370.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3X_ezwpDVCWZwOL9aV1ivH_FvicJZ90YPUQhWXN0J2vN-JP-X6w03Vb3RoLNyYtEx7UyaA4DLVuZDqcNd8UpJ_nhOi3hG_H-h-b33xRbqDDZeVH5AqDLr2jHG166kr7U9ETbqTOjSA8N/s400/DSC06370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528706417016099554" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfCOkf1VNGi3wo1-6ewkJT9ogJBF2P3RABsy27j4B3gxz2e09nXJCI2UH36tHXApez-DTsfpbMKb0cmS3rCToau7Fpw0MFPbGIVvaNINao_jeAWz6nmYzJR6SaAB5ZlkcCfjBzxEHcRkH/s1600/DSC06399.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfCOkf1VNGi3wo1-6ewkJT9ogJBF2P3RABsy27j4B3gxz2e09nXJCI2UH36tHXApez-DTsfpbMKb0cmS3rCToau7Fpw0MFPbGIVvaNINao_jeAWz6nmYzJR6SaAB5ZlkcCfjBzxEHcRkH/s400/DSC06399.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528703897274401058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>This was an outfit that Derek's grandma sent us that belonged to one of her boys. Though it was a bit too small already, I had to humor her by getting a picture of him in it! Pretty cute, for being 50 years old! </div><div><br /></div><div>We've had to get really disciplined to get Annabel on a routine schedule. Derek and I are definitely not routine OR schedule people, so it's not easy for us. But it's important for our little 3-year-old! Bedtime routine has been the hardest, but the most rewarding. She now willingly puts herself to sleep every night, rather than me having to rock, sing and lay with her. This is how we find her most nights- </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG6uozGxxWGH1z7E1Zc5UxViBhLdKNU9XjcklMQ-yuKxTsvxocm4dk5kDf5IB9egJN-MY5kJB7Vixn8Ipi6IjpuHH6XgvecJfuWGD9Ar0il8b2LpD2-m-m6520cm78CQU_Yaq7KmRJ8MH/s1600/DSC06371.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG6uozGxxWGH1z7E1Zc5UxViBhLdKNU9XjcklMQ-yuKxTsvxocm4dk5kDf5IB9egJN-MY5kJB7Vixn8Ipi6IjpuHH6XgvecJfuWGD9Ar0il8b2LpD2-m-m6520cm78CQU_Yaq7KmRJ8MH/s400/DSC06371.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528703873611003042" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>Haha! And yes, that's Asher's pacie... I swear she hides it until we go downstairs- she's nothing if not clever!</div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-22242836027795572672010-10-02T11:47:00.005-04:002010-10-02T11:59:56.271-04:00Gymbucks GiveawayFor those of you who aren't friends with my on facebook, I'm currently doing a giveaway for $50 in Gymbucks. These are a coupon for $50 a minimum purchase of $100 at Gymboree. I think you can also use them as $25 off a min $50 purchase. They expire on Oct 10. Leave a comment on this blog post by midnight tonight (Saturday 10/2) and I'll put you're name in to win! I can mail them out to you on Monday or email you the UPC code to use online. Good luck!<div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYPUgB-X_6d9M-GO4cau7sNDW_D6VJyYWuKfA9imrDZYgtnty4XfDw5oJus0GE-Rkw-Cv2psynS5sld2el_KPa8EUinXdalwPn7xF0T_2Cbuo_sUl5w2wJkWWjR3hKjaXPOknVAV45G6t/s400/gymbucs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523478904461833298" /></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-56234317986558757142010-09-22T14:45:00.008-04:002010-09-22T15:36:27.410-04:00A County Fair Birthday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtN_9MK5dhzovxHYbgFNB89mjtZ9htvTefHEuthkqBayc9tv8ityj1s25SMfiBmGr08aXRucjCTXouo_qZVZGVg3faGJl2EhaIGZtvkSBa7v4G-7090-NJFUUY6p2qGa_utoaIMW63sLh/s1600/invite.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519814566519569138" style="WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtN_9MK5dhzovxHYbgFNB89mjtZ9htvTefHEuthkqBayc9tv8ityj1s25SMfiBmGr08aXRucjCTXouo_qZVZGVg3faGJl2EhaIGZtvkSBa7v4G-7090-NJFUUY6p2qGa_utoaIMW63sLh/s400/invite.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sunday was an awesome day for a birthday party! When we got up, the sky was pretty gray and I was worried it might rain... but alas the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon! We really couldn't have asked for better weather. The theme for the party was "county fair," so I served fried chicken, corn on the cob, watermelon, caramel apples, popcorn, lemon shake-ups and whoopie pies filled with ice cream for dessert. I try to challenge myself to throw a great party on a budget, so I designed the above invitations myself on Adobe Illustrator. As complicated as that program was to learn, I was really proud of myself for how they turned out! They looked even better printed out on card stock, which I basically did for free at the school I work at! There are definite benefits to working somewhere with a technology lab and a print shop. :)<br /><br />Before the party started, there was all the food to prepare. Annabel wanted to help assemble the whoopie pies :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJIpf4XOziVIfKPOCZ7bHvOWY3sxTrbWPlCxR9Q_xUiexLIBf0DRLdzvfaWmlCacSXp8niYe7Wj0PnUiPyTLe8hlTCYHMNhg7YDuqftYEyk4rxRf6XR_FmXUx-RWbEUaX37a8OeMsUA7G/s1600/ice+cream.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812301783204658" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJIpf4XOziVIfKPOCZ7bHvOWY3sxTrbWPlCxR9Q_xUiexLIBf0DRLdzvfaWmlCacSXp8niYe7Wj0PnUiPyTLe8hlTCYHMNhg7YDuqftYEyk4rxRf6XR_FmXUx-RWbEUaX37a8OeMsUA7G/s400/ice+cream.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Annabel had been talking about her bounce house for MONTHS. She was so stinkin' excited about it. I underestimated how difficult it was to transport and set up, though, and for a few minutes I thought it might not actually happen. I was going to let daddy explain that one ;) However, they got it set up and the kids had an amazing time bouncing the afternoon away!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaw51_wesqbfXotx1NCC5Q2SJ11hqgytKxn4Oa48QmJG-3IfpjnIoOcj1fHOAlYTrxeus0b8wskPpbNbn58dKQj9jQSDjjtc7wiq1LN0ljTZ2xnX43926-MQIHyknaSl2RYZ4ymcqVE0a/s1600/deflated.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811874907103778" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaw51_wesqbfXotx1NCC5Q2SJ11hqgytKxn4Oa48QmJG-3IfpjnIoOcj1fHOAlYTrxeus0b8wskPpbNbn58dKQj9jQSDjjtc7wiq1LN0ljTZ2xnX43926-MQIHyknaSl2RYZ4ymcqVE0a/s400/deflated.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0HbpcK5Wmej8getnuMZHDO5p9dU-UlKyE8mrbF6qIOWpaA7so5S7rb69FW6f8N1tjhtjXu4lhU-tOuJQzs4uLmkPIkPXN-5fmQjeRUwNnhEGGZbYEGEZ5GUu8M60E1KvAePtdMF0QMZh/s1600/kids.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812312077902818" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0HbpcK5Wmej8getnuMZHDO5p9dU-UlKyE8mrbF6qIOWpaA7so5S7rb69FW6f8N1tjhtjXu4lhU-tOuJQzs4uLmkPIkPXN-5fmQjeRUwNnhEGGZbYEGEZ5GUu8M60E1KvAePtdMF0QMZh/s400/kids.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI6Ll_iFaP3PdcB3_EgOnZ9sf5cDCPPrxR2u5bMAL2GKntkJBi6EmcT6wvCUYX_RZam6609LW0qAx3Ds7OLyZz3UySXDjynFylHwKfwrIfcckoKn5XSlXnQJxEweQ3hwa7lxbsSVoTPmK/s1600/63558_1571702820214_1464827829_31552739_1026654_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811228711124882" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI6Ll_iFaP3PdcB3_EgOnZ9sf5cDCPPrxR2u5bMAL2GKntkJBi6EmcT6wvCUYX_RZam6609LW0qAx3Ds7OLyZz3UySXDjynFylHwKfwrIfcckoKn5XSlXnQJxEweQ3hwa7lxbsSVoTPmK/s400/63558_1571702820214_1464827829_31552739_1026654_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO8TzCK9zVb_R8WRL8XHfQFYAlXChr3b1pH3DyrzxHnmk8LjY9mQq1OVjOakECvKBb1isB85IlaC-ZfW5ZOPrQVlmYVZT2uzwXSsfrGw2k_zeNV4dxqu3Agl2TaEuy0q46QGwhhkb6lAB/s1600/bounce!.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811852252090610" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO8TzCK9zVb_R8WRL8XHfQFYAlXChr3b1pH3DyrzxHnmk8LjY9mQq1OVjOakECvKBb1isB85IlaC-ZfW5ZOPrQVlmYVZT2uzwXSsfrGw2k_zeNV4dxqu3Agl2TaEuy0q46QGwhhkb6lAB/s400/bounce!.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0KCDhG5BDB_6a3Rl1sk_wSPqom-CRZjOez61ozUaT_XM-LjlF-dl784_9fAmgPlaZVto9UGc203muWEHzceqoAWbC88prxQhNj7lb65HzvapB33EvlCDq4iFsXz1O4vXwZBKIC-6NZvB/s1600/bounce+house.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811519803376642" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0KCDhG5BDB_6a3Rl1sk_wSPqom-CRZjOez61ozUaT_XM-LjlF-dl784_9fAmgPlaZVto9UGc203muWEHzceqoAWbC88prxQhNj7lb65HzvapB33EvlCDq4iFsXz1O4vXwZBKIC-6NZvB/s400/bounce+house.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SVZ3jq5b05AG_yGagacF-UaX_5WsGW0OHJw53XD49LQgCkzNpmahWt9lNhL03d36FY8jLluAITrMUJx4pFq8Z06ZOD2LPgUDxwmb9YioiOh5ZHt66I5jpGf2A_NdlXzXPCiuAZuSKnBS/s1600/bh+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811497685017458" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SVZ3jq5b05AG_yGagacF-UaX_5WsGW0OHJw53XD49LQgCkzNpmahWt9lNhL03d36FY8jLluAITrMUJx4pFq8Z06ZOD2LPgUDxwmb9YioiOh5ZHt66I5jpGf2A_NdlXzXPCiuAZuSKnBS/s400/bh+3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Asher had fun at the party, too!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6dxwFLkTNsMg-g0fVODpskdKidu0947higVpe-b9AiuQSvYY2M7kTKgaAOnkU6Juo5PJEQjyaKvcfFFPlCsK84a3vpx9Pui1t0OdhyphenhyphenZRN_oAICXg_dHdh3mMM0v8qrvqAgxJbYghqfvH/s1600/happy+bday!.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812279030229810" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6dxwFLkTNsMg-g0fVODpskdKidu0947higVpe-b9AiuQSvYY2M7kTKgaAOnkU6Juo5PJEQjyaKvcfFFPlCsK84a3vpx9Pui1t0OdhyphenhyphenZRN_oAICXg_dHdh3mMM0v8qrvqAgxJbYghqfvH/s400/happy+bday!.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This picture is the epitome of Asher's personality. He is always smiling, cooing, or flirting!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaTBfunQ5VAudcPeAmtm_h8YIsQs_xXSmONDA13544LkTAuLq9xHCOqu7YFZQRDI0v2cK5u5rm_bEh7oZCGgElMA8pflDYfZvvIismRrNnuxzSBJJs75J8JBNAooeFNAuZFWm06viYBHx/s1600/baloons.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811476813592178" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaTBfunQ5VAudcPeAmtm_h8YIsQs_xXSmONDA13544LkTAuLq9xHCOqu7YFZQRDI0v2cK5u5rm_bEh7oZCGgElMA8pflDYfZvvIismRrNnuxzSBJJs75J8JBNAooeFNAuZFWm06viYBHx/s400/baloons.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Poor kid got stuck in his car seat while we were setting up, but he was quite amused by these balloons!! He kept laughing as they would blow close to his face!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSmJQUnYjcHj3d5pnp4_6Sjn3K3ydkM40TXlchl8fRQiNuugoDMmZYpsGv8RYTHnuMPKjGvwKskjqzh9Q3womlORLRl3XCVY3x5kC-8vkucbJ9MmVBjM_Uh8Bg83UIkbDEV2CE4-krr6m/s1600/mom+asher.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812548834883666" style="WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSmJQUnYjcHj3d5pnp4_6Sjn3K3ydkM40TXlchl8fRQiNuugoDMmZYpsGv8RYTHnuMPKjGvwKskjqzh9Q3womlORLRl3XCVY3x5kC-8vkucbJ9MmVBjM_Uh8Bg83UIkbDEV2CE4-krr6m/s400/mom+asher.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Spending some quality time with grammy<br /><br /><br />After eating, it was time for games and face painting. The kids waffled between pirates, butterflies and toy story paints :) This is my sweet cousin Abby, who while quite a bit older than the rest of the kids, kept them entertained and seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftqUZhOwpqCjF0Phmn9Eq8LNHs0ehxxACoV6E5FiNAjLyy-krxcTIz_3yCVw_NpR5LAHJj3MDz29XPnR3NE4T9PsceqjULVmAW-utM2LlgWGAVJku_ML4rWw8YjpUOMEC7clID6zhOxY5/s1600/face+paint.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811891263434642" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftqUZhOwpqCjF0Phmn9Eq8LNHs0ehxxACoV6E5FiNAjLyy-krxcTIz_3yCVw_NpR5LAHJj3MDz29XPnR3NE4T9PsceqjULVmAW-utM2LlgWGAVJku_ML4rWw8YjpUOMEC7clID6zhOxY5/s400/face+paint.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjs6U3Yr93T6tnGLb_tH05MDLyTZxAzZquJdZvwST4gt0jqmBV5EXIGikf1cIkk4YbDJd4qO9d1E4RRfFkMHlPfpS_VtpAJMhhE6PpU0G2ZmhMbfv1lxeICT4ovcR7nLl9DNNtUPESDSW/s1600/dirty+girl.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811880719948450" style="WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjs6U3Yr93T6tnGLb_tH05MDLyTZxAzZquJdZvwST4gt0jqmBV5EXIGikf1cIkk4YbDJd4qO9d1E4RRfFkMHlPfpS_VtpAJMhhE6PpU0G2ZmhMbfv1lxeICT4ovcR7nLl9DNNtUPESDSW/s400/dirty+girl.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />After Annabel's face paint wore off, she just looked dirty ;) Actually, I think it's probably fair to say that she WAS pretty dirty by this point!<br /><br />Then, FINALLY, time to open presents!! Oh, the joy!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGB162n08sPi27A3RoJGgHzQZvQG9KSNgI4a9ndROac5p4xtg535Lpk2FyY2qONFGMflxyPpGDEmvpT48WAw_qP64LYbqFcfBG2GwtGpJpsp0huyYcufB6OPF9_2Q34hyphenhyphenIOF373jdg09XY/s1600/umbrella.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812610687578850" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGB162n08sPi27A3RoJGgHzQZvQG9KSNgI4a9ndROac5p4xtg535Lpk2FyY2qONFGMflxyPpGDEmvpT48WAw_qP64LYbqFcfBG2GwtGpJpsp0huyYcufB6OPF9_2Q34hyphenhyphenIOF373jdg09XY/s400/umbrella.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A new umbrella! How fun!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnzte0yjTqVZ_krIRSsh84YYTnwlMZA1GE1StYbT2Hvcr2PjTj0NkqwaehgJm4gCFCl87iuI2qE4SO5eH1uY5AYpVY2RAK2q-H_N66sbgt5IX1NafgoZHG5ucDS4k28OqQGABadYyVcu3/s1600/presents.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812586959242274" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnzte0yjTqVZ_krIRSsh84YYTnwlMZA1GE1StYbT2Hvcr2PjTj0NkqwaehgJm4gCFCl87iuI2qE4SO5eH1uY5AYpVY2RAK2q-H_N66sbgt5IX1NafgoZHG5ucDS4k28OqQGABadYyVcu3/s400/presents.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A Bambi purse and some books<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2K0jLZ2lhK-aI5MEhqAZ0OuapVt_Cuhzd6iSjJ_iP74rManbd4B_c0Y67PBPtMgv4Dd3ngzPOM1l5FfdEiJy05v2UrA40INdq5W31wpt2O21OTZHchGAufFbw2U5jepiI_jIhrweLXn6/s1600/hat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812283519883938" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2K0jLZ2lhK-aI5MEhqAZ0OuapVt_Cuhzd6iSjJ_iP74rManbd4B_c0Y67PBPtMgv4Dd3ngzPOM1l5FfdEiJy05v2UrA40INdq5W31wpt2O21OTZHchGAufFbw2U5jepiI_jIhrweLXn6/s400/hat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The hat mommy made her<br /><br />She got so many lovely and fun presents! She got lots of books, including 3 new Fancy Nancy books, which she loves, lots of new craft stuff and a play-do factory! She also got a really cool princess dress, which I think she's going to wear for Halloween this year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLspatA7CsJqWXpSnUqSl1kTI9kKyXJWUys6rLMUZDLPlidBsL9H_IwvkqP5YwdQPoxMnt7BwDNkM4_hm1lgma9OKxopPdenyq2FnUx57w_vEZCo8-Bd85aBXKRlsMJ0RMXQLcAD2BCfL/s1600/shelter.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812596812772466" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLspatA7CsJqWXpSnUqSl1kTI9kKyXJWUys6rLMUZDLPlidBsL9H_IwvkqP5YwdQPoxMnt7BwDNkM4_hm1lgma9OKxopPdenyq2FnUx57w_vEZCo8-Bd85aBXKRlsMJ0RMXQLcAD2BCfL/s400/shelter.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUJ-Su7LP3qa2UAoO-wlecL39j84Wx7LKm4EpEg87ftgSfgk-1ZnmQYa8Pj-eI1TlMZD3XxpT1sqee6ePWQZyXIhCAo1JQLq-PLkAZvCPeJjDlUJdIe3zz1Onjsz42WmEGEvQmwU5sZl6/s1600/popcorm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812571202278066" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUJ-Su7LP3qa2UAoO-wlecL39j84Wx7LKm4EpEg87ftgSfgk-1ZnmQYa8Pj-eI1TlMZD3XxpT1sqee6ePWQZyXIhCAo1JQLq-PLkAZvCPeJjDlUJdIe3zz1Onjsz42WmEGEvQmwU5sZl6/s400/popcorm.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sneaking some popcorn .... oh well, it's only your birthday once a year!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3w6hvshdb4aBHvHblUcJB0JVHmsAjW-7xyGoBebfj80q1UjR1S06-UTZizk9bpbH9GsQIjdkwxIlWRZFtRpdQPTHJocemfk_HCRwPmQGJ-CMZaLI_3uwcp1y8xRWhJlRU5j4uqz1GkLR/s1600/me.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519812323410584530" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3w6hvshdb4aBHvHblUcJB0JVHmsAjW-7xyGoBebfj80q1UjR1S06-UTZizk9bpbH9GsQIjdkwxIlWRZFtRpdQPTHJocemfk_HCRwPmQGJ-CMZaLI_3uwcp1y8xRWhJlRU5j4uqz1GkLR/s400/me.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Milling about...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJD2oR4cjxVYYF8u7PuZmFX8ZQuuPsdrnP9sOoCGdsmS3wEdp4oSULl-Z8zCEfrmvNpz4VbXcfnyBZSshaVk3-GjJySKUnyLkE4-pQii-yMoYvB1O9Ruqa-9myngbCS0KKXWZ06eu0qgDi/s1600/banner.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811482574093794" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJD2oR4cjxVYYF8u7PuZmFX8ZQuuPsdrnP9sOoCGdsmS3wEdp4oSULl-Z8zCEfrmvNpz4VbXcfnyBZSshaVk3-GjJySKUnyLkE4-pQii-yMoYvB1O9Ruqa-9myngbCS0KKXWZ06eu0qgDi/s400/banner.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhw3oQbVpO9vdLXsFbQIi6Pekhyphenhyphen6Ec65pwh1ZdCv4bvZ3pyBwCuHlDxXagA3DzcQb4sxbr6VXoJIm2r-toVKl9aE1t7wdRvER9fcDqy4oXN124ZuMPy9BtQE-1sQATEhVoArNInrgkxAI/s1600/men.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811204175484530" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhw3oQbVpO9vdLXsFbQIi6Pekhyphenhyphen6Ec65pwh1ZdCv4bvZ3pyBwCuHlDxXagA3DzcQb4sxbr6VXoJIm2r-toVKl9aE1t7wdRvER9fcDqy4oXN124ZuMPy9BtQE-1sQATEhVoArNInrgkxAI/s400/men.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This gives you a closer look at the pennant banner I made for the party. I love the colors and the way it turned out!<br /><br /><div><br /><div>After presents we amused ourselves by reading Fancy Nancy aloud. :) It's pretty amusing stuff.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPbpUoG7XoAp-rlQFlN8nF7wAk58QZGYhK9XYOhgp1NxDhXp1sp9Q5_e-68_xs7U1IERaMqMcSZHf3QtdNlsZnKaC5Kh1bQ84FhAefzJx_DAEJNgq68GboWmPVs23yoY5nZc-YLuBDeYp/s1600/fancy+nancy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811900568840386" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPbpUoG7XoAp-rlQFlN8nF7wAk58QZGYhK9XYOhgp1NxDhXp1sp9Q5_e-68_xs7U1IERaMqMcSZHf3QtdNlsZnKaC5Kh1bQ84FhAefzJx_DAEJNgq68GboWmPVs23yoY5nZc-YLuBDeYp/s400/fancy+nancy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYv4QsownaxpfQ_r0z9O20ini7v3_Xi7yXESf0V8Xi-QOiEMBYDKI4i8tNgegvNt1ehPzhyrPUv5BnYVkPD0eHY40yyO6IqYxuEIFwCJN32hNdFmCQrsfavc_Sbza8WgnULUGhaYgyGw8h/s1600/ashi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811252217422162" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYv4QsownaxpfQ_r0z9O20ini7v3_Xi7yXESf0V8Xi-QOiEMBYDKI4i8tNgegvNt1ehPzhyrPUv5BnYVkPD0eHY40yyO6IqYxuEIFwCJN32hNdFmCQrsfavc_Sbza8WgnULUGhaYgyGw8h/s400/ashi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ashi thinks Fancy Nancy is pretty silly. </div><div></div><div>And after the party:<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtw_Rwg3hQcYTKu1eCosZGQyQgZgqnWGVuTCSeh4KtPNP4zO-_F4VnD7sDodz3L0ip7KtvfUyIVkyRGhhT6GcEMsqprlgo2JWoXBg3B8bH0JYvhN14i6j7mLuwqdhk7AEcNGoZhTh8vCq/s1600/sleeping.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811216732099762" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtw_Rwg3hQcYTKu1eCosZGQyQgZgqnWGVuTCSeh4KtPNP4zO-_F4VnD7sDodz3L0ip7KtvfUyIVkyRGhhT6GcEMsqprlgo2JWoXBg3B8bH0JYvhN14i6j7mLuwqdhk7AEcNGoZhTh8vCq/s400/sleeping.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxo489bCqskGaF0obOVr3RnrEf1iB7jLbKHFL9CbHpnMRpubWIBdLW0nuNZ9X8B_B1PHFy7eTq-_zLr8GLtljJatxRpy3zIU_ph7zY_KPbF1HcWcWK9u2Lm9KCht27g3gMR6E8MFtf87V/s1600/ash+sleeping.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519811196422483490" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxo489bCqskGaF0obOVr3RnrEf1iB7jLbKHFL9CbHpnMRpubWIBdLW0nuNZ9X8B_B1PHFy7eTq-_zLr8GLtljJatxRpy3zIU_ph7zY_KPbF1HcWcWK9u2Lm9KCht27g3gMR6E8MFtf87V/s400/ash+sleeping.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />Both kiddos, completely zonked out!</div><div></div><div><span style="font-size:180%;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LITTLE FANCY ANNABELLA!</span><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-70642064441510681042010-09-02T21:05:00.004-04:002010-09-04T09:52:24.226-04:00Is it September already?!This week has been my first week back to work after being off all summer. I won't lie, it's been a hard adjustment. I'm only working 3 days a week, but it just seems like we're so <i>busy</i> now. The night's are hectic because Annabel naps at daycare so getting her down for bed is a bear. And there's milk to prepare, bottles and pump parts to wash, lunch to pack, supper to make and baths to take, all while trying to sneak in some snuggles and fun. I find myself really missing the uncomplicated days of summer when we relaxed at home all day and got the little girl to sleep by 7 *sigh.* And to make it worse, it's been really hard sending Asher to daycare when he's still so young. I'm not super-comfortable with our daycare right now (just little things - or maybe not so little since I can't get them off my mind...) so I'm not really sure what to do about that. I <i>need</i> to work- obviously for financial reasons but also for licensing purposes, and we don't have a lot of options child-care-wise. So I guess I'm just praying and trusting that God will answer and provide. <div><br /></div><div>On another note, I've started volunteering in the church nursery. I work every 4th Sunday as a "team leader." That basically just means I'm in charge of changing all diapers and doing the snack/story for the different classes :) Annabel likes to stay with me on those days instead of going to her class- she is my little helper!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DO_WbDoFcDtLb7nuYeJOBS5uZeRM-IWnW-qQ0J7ZLIlGFAzc0L_2fSz2c0fl_W4MzC666VYJHxt57zHGjxym_POTLQsJUh1fS3XSl1TyzGJGQuBi75YhUwzJOnev3zIwkoZ_itmnK9FI/s1600/DSC06156.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DO_WbDoFcDtLb7nuYeJOBS5uZeRM-IWnW-qQ0J7ZLIlGFAzc0L_2fSz2c0fl_W4MzC666VYJHxt57zHGjxym_POTLQsJUh1fS3XSl1TyzGJGQuBi75YhUwzJOnev3zIwkoZ_itmnK9FI/s400/DSC06156.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512489990078584226" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ashi's getting so big and fun. He is SUCH a happy, easy baby. I don't know how many people have commented on just how "good" he is (I have contention with that- I know, I know, ME? contention? Never!) but anyway he is just the sweetest little thing. And soooo cute- I could just sit and stare at him for hours!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U1eeE43BB-X0NJcS8tMsYqwyi_3gT6EyD-RKxy4AlPO-ZbAwe1WYOhn2lS2zoXVYxyou3U9-PqTCBHUlZBhGRr4nc5QC1-_eHYThz4wrP-My9Ime8IsvTqZ8nXM8ynMHoBHt8j6RjKmr/s1600/DSC06132.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U1eeE43BB-X0NJcS8tMsYqwyi_3gT6EyD-RKxy4AlPO-ZbAwe1WYOhn2lS2zoXVYxyou3U9-PqTCBHUlZBhGRr4nc5QC1-_eHYThz4wrP-My9Ime8IsvTqZ8nXM8ynMHoBHt8j6RjKmr/s400/DSC06132.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512489999483067554" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Annabel still loves to help with him :)</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_JT8NtF_pr5Zkqt0Bk8kl3bjMYDUtPuRoNAx3Ps-vKLK-EbH2Rl9HmvStWC3OZXfGLFn0WMc9E10k0U6D0wcFro-SmJ2alpGzvBkvg8mIWyi8AN6rFRiZYqohsjFyh4tvpzqH56xeu6F/s1600/DSC06167.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_JT8NtF_pr5Zkqt0Bk8kl3bjMYDUtPuRoNAx3Ps-vKLK-EbH2Rl9HmvStWC3OZXfGLFn0WMc9E10k0U6D0wcFro-SmJ2alpGzvBkvg8mIWyi8AN6rFRiZYqohsjFyh4tvpzqH56xeu6F/s400/DSC06167.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512490021426048594" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQruUBzwC3gNlLZJwgI4LGAiHhlIkhlpvKpW54er3Q5wM7Wa_PCcKH6WPuu8nNl41vHg033sAB0VbnHRhvdBpD7m6iL7hBo80KPLg8XEMgFN71Dy24iVaj6ogbBjCsOZ8AqP_lA_rh4djc/s1600/DSC06162.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQruUBzwC3gNlLZJwgI4LGAiHhlIkhlpvKpW54er3Q5wM7Wa_PCcKH6WPuu8nNl41vHg033sAB0VbnHRhvdBpD7m6iL7hBo80KPLg8XEMgFN71Dy24iVaj6ogbBjCsOZ8AqP_lA_rh4djc/s400/DSC06162.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512490011556450114" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZKAlVRUG4tfo0BjuTikKf-f8kgXYedqtaDAWOIP6BUsRwmFDORQDPh9otDOim6nucFadhoaJzl7JIAbuTAReOHsD9kMLEX5ugU4wYhCGnLEZDWiMGirl8zHWEkKTdvl8RNeKr58YUV6b/s1600/DSC06221.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZKAlVRUG4tfo0BjuTikKf-f8kgXYedqtaDAWOIP6BUsRwmFDORQDPh9otDOim6nucFadhoaJzl7JIAbuTAReOHsD9kMLEX5ugU4wYhCGnLEZDWiMGirl8zHWEkKTdvl8RNeKr58YUV6b/s400/DSC06221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513054452753563266" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iVVxh-tfACJ6QuRSYle3j-jHIsYDXCh9yCx_5z7HfuCgX6OyLaJhET7fRyXIUdIFcnhO8x99EPe5kYipnZ-HHRQ18wIgQTlhBPQEcoTkfu6jRHMGM7IK7KU59X2-UnshS0PNYl4Y4m9e/s1600/DSC06230.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iVVxh-tfACJ6QuRSYle3j-jHIsYDXCh9yCx_5z7HfuCgX6OyLaJhET7fRyXIUdIFcnhO8x99EPe5kYipnZ-HHRQ18wIgQTlhBPQEcoTkfu6jRHMGM7IK7KU59X2-UnshS0PNYl4Y4m9e/s400/DSC06230.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513054458396903346" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Look at how big he is! He is well over 13 lbs now- at 10 weeks! He's already grown out of most of his 3 mo clothes and is well into 6 mo stuff. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've been knitting up a storm this summer. I have made several sets of hats/booties or just hats for all my friends having babies. I've made at least 5 hats and 2 sets of booties! And I finally finished these pants for Asher that I've been working on for a while now. Cute!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRWKJMukNtVrHYDsatpx8SuZqJC191B6Ed6-ilxj_d0-Hv33OerNu2rXGmbQDH_reOp13uuVnfgu4xSDjTCIMmB4D_3GsZosTXfDPYr1PxFmZ98bDCZMYGPIl7C7eRwj56nsJWq2NObDK/s1600/DSC06174.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRWKJMukNtVrHYDsatpx8SuZqJC191B6Ed6-ilxj_d0-Hv33OerNu2rXGmbQDH_reOp13uuVnfgu4xSDjTCIMmB4D_3GsZosTXfDPYr1PxFmZ98bDCZMYGPIl7C7eRwj56nsJWq2NObDK/s400/DSC06174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512490036663177234" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7zNt-YwDUdg3eFkh9J-qgG8Dsr_E6Hyokf22WXMe_dSt4ie3s3HDcG_zNHCUfSznxaKjbsqsq5tvR2cOcBJ_LTtDhyphenhyphengUDG-sjxwRWKkuwAJhCXQ-W_d1EvlGGf5B-OyCaQAWZ0KHWy6d/s1600/DSC_1890.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7zNt-YwDUdg3eFkh9J-qgG8Dsr_E6Hyokf22WXMe_dSt4ie3s3HDcG_zNHCUfSznxaKjbsqsq5tvR2cOcBJ_LTtDhyphenhyphengUDG-sjxwRWKkuwAJhCXQ-W_d1EvlGGf5B-OyCaQAWZ0KHWy6d/s400/DSC_1890.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513051870276655682" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Last weekend we helped our high school youth group with their "Amazing Race." Well, Derek helped with it while Annabel and I swam ;) Haha. Anyway, we had a really fun day and it was nice to get to know some people from the church better.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jAVoqSxjph5BQjk7oXil8y3zI5TSDAA4eLQKi-0sz7dngGDHyWmEhH9-Y7J3NiP-u720EQgxjvZeKpECPStsVQwqFJCsZBPD_rDlQfwgaAQuVA0EK4kI-QD8Hh_DsRw7cP9RBe5stcld/s1600/DSC06200.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jAVoqSxjph5BQjk7oXil8y3zI5TSDAA4eLQKi-0sz7dngGDHyWmEhH9-Y7J3NiP-u720EQgxjvZeKpECPStsVQwqFJCsZBPD_rDlQfwgaAQuVA0EK4kI-QD8Hh_DsRw7cP9RBe5stcld/s400/DSC06200.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513051879952861570" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRctELfZ2dF8k-SPv99MBYrzaV-KG9K1IjPZXZdQBNkg7jHbY96FO9wDfclEJbsHpJDdka3JqIWLHe3o5z47ny8yRxmEwBZPtQyPYwYDpVdWBVC_nheSjVn2DO3WcrY0DmnsoXtAv1Iqd-/s1600/DSC06214.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRctELfZ2dF8k-SPv99MBYrzaV-KG9K1IjPZXZdQBNkg7jHbY96FO9wDfclEJbsHpJDdka3JqIWLHe3o5z47ny8yRxmEwBZPtQyPYwYDpVdWBVC_nheSjVn2DO3WcrY0DmnsoXtAv1Iqd-/s400/DSC06214.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513051892092713394" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJbmYVIY130Oks5hg0Q4ROyc2jOnJk0iCAU8P0Ri8eHqYcTcLq0-qj3rsR9ruDapBMOUf00FlTEiZJidYZflA7XwqS6mIuck1cDcx0l70b3BSIgl_2tJhPWHkUQPkMB7xnMQlU3F5HMG8/s1600/DSC06216.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJbmYVIY130Oks5hg0Q4ROyc2jOnJk0iCAU8P0Ri8eHqYcTcLq0-qj3rsR9ruDapBMOUf00FlTEiZJidYZflA7XwqS6mIuck1cDcx0l70b3BSIgl_2tJhPWHkUQPkMB7xnMQlU3F5HMG8/s400/DSC06216.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513051899792707138" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Derek and I both have 4 days off this weekend (well, I always have 4 day weekends, but he usually doesn't!) Yesterday we went to a community yard sale to walk around and have some fun. I gave Annabel a dollar to buy what ever she wanted (hoping, praying she wouldn't want a stuffed animal or a toy with batteries!) She picked these mix-n-match donuts, which have actually turned out to be pretty fun! These were $0.50, and with her other $0.50 she bought a pair of tennis shoes ;) They are two sizes too big, but it became quickly clear that we weren't leaving without those tennis shoes! At least they are decent, clean Nikes rather than something nasty and stinky, haha. She's been wearing them ever since, even though they are clearly too big! </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4p_rPjzdWa0ZVa1mtNlZ5D5MWrqN7e5VGp8dfawrJlhjvjaCXdpsmsQf1LR9CvWVqdVEw_PMNpSR1aqpO4pl9FS-F9bq3-GfmUE6iedxdInqcVFCY48J9kBSCFndnDV3SkFMSj1xnB32/s1600/DSC06218.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4p_rPjzdWa0ZVa1mtNlZ5D5MWrqN7e5VGp8dfawrJlhjvjaCXdpsmsQf1LR9CvWVqdVEw_PMNpSR1aqpO4pl9FS-F9bq3-GfmUE6iedxdInqcVFCY48J9kBSCFndnDV3SkFMSj1xnB32/s400/DSC06218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513051907548831490" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-78912325778402623442010-09-02T09:38:00.003-04:002010-09-02T09:45:17.935-04:00A Duck's ButtWhen I was a little girl, my great-grandpa (pawpaw) used to tease me about my belly button and say that a little ducky swam by and left his butt in there. Sure enough, if you look at the folds of my belly button, it looks just like a little butt! I actually believed him for quite a few years, until I got old enough to realize, that, well, 1) ducks don't have butts and 2) how was it going to get said butt into my belly button anyway??<br /><br />This is one of the few memories I have of my pawpaw, and it's a special thing that I remember about my childhood. I was telling Annabel this story the other day and asked her if she thought a duck had left his butt in her belly button, too? She looked pretty hard at her belly button and finally said, "He DID leave his butt in there... and he left his penis, too!!"<br /><br />Oh. My. Goodness. What am I going to do with this child?!?Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-23456891143754443102010-08-31T12:20:00.002-04:002010-08-31T12:26:27.115-04:00Simple KidsI just found this website, <a href="http://www.simplekids.net/">Simple Kids</a>, and I love it! Just thought I would share...<br /><br />I love the post on Simple Chores for kids. Annabel loves to "help" around the house :) Here are some of her "chores:"<br /><br />*put the cloth napkins in the basket on the table after they are washed and folded<br />*"folding" her little washcloths<br />*picking up her toys when she's done playing with them<br />*putting her shoes away in the hanging organizer<br />*Putting dirty clothes in her hamper<br />*carrying her dirty plate to the sink after a meal<br />*feeding Bailey<br /><br />Some of these things require more assistance than others, such as feeding the dog. But she loves the responsibility, and asks throughout the day, "is it time to feed Bailey??" Other chores, such as picking up her toys, she does not look forward to as much ;)Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-45740731672564885822010-08-26T09:55:00.004-04:002010-08-26T10:02:46.258-04:00Best Yard Sale FIndsI've definitely hit up the community rummages this summer. I did find some cute clothes for the kids<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">, especially boy stuff for Asher! I've kind of found that once kids get a little older, they tend to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; ">be harder on their clothes, so I didn't find as much for Annabel. I guess that makes sense, since Annabel </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">is super-hard on her clothes!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">Anyway, what I <i>did</i> find, which I was super excited about, was BOOKS! I found several teachers that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; ">were clearing out their book stashes! We got tons of Scholastic and Usborne books, Berenstain Bears, Dr. Seuss,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">Little Critter, etc. All for $0.25 apiece! *sigh* I love books. </span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyd-BZvBdEmmXHR69Qm_A1IXqwnxRLpMgC0utCtD4i70_NMJU04ZVn9FXB1qBtOjvJt0FS7baD3lHDghYnMNpQ0plzkibuBgoGtxOu5GsFQu4EdLVWhbCzQjnKAe7sKZ6qCxEwdmChCIC/s1600/DSC06189.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyd-BZvBdEmmXHR69Qm_A1IXqwnxRLpMgC0utCtD4i70_NMJU04ZVn9FXB1qBtOjvJt0FS7baD3lHDghYnMNpQ0plzkibuBgoGtxOu5GsFQu4EdLVWhbCzQjnKAe7sKZ6qCxEwdmChCIC/s400/DSC06189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509717408380885698" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></span></div></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-92207780997448989982010-08-12T16:24:00.003-04:002010-08-12T17:18:02.701-04:00She Still Loves Me<blockquote></blockquote>If there is one thing about parenthood that never ceases to amaze me it is the love that my children have for me. <div><br /></div><div>Everyday with Annabel is challenging for me. She is not a difficult child, but she is in a difficult stage, and I don't often feel that I have the tools necessary for dealing with the job. She is an ordinary 2-year-old... I don't think she's any different than most 2-year-olds. But being patient, gentle, kind and nurturing don't seem to come naturally to me. I struggle a lot with meeting the high expectations I have for myself as a mother. I certainly <i>know</i> what kind of mother I want to be, but it doesn't always play out that way. And I'm not easy on myself when it comes to my many shortcomings (and I guess I don't really feel like I should be, either). </div><div><br /></div><div>By the end of the day, I find myself looking over the events of the day and weighing whether I feel like it was a success or not, kind of like weighing the good interactions with the bad. As long as there are more good, I sleep easy that night... but when the bad outweigh, well, that's when I'm the most critical of myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>"Took Annabel to the park this morning and played tag with her. Check. Giggled about something nonsensical, check. Snuggled up and read lots of books while nursing the baby instead of making her play on her own. Check. Sat her in front of the tv so I could catch up on internet time. Fail. Didn't let her help with making supper because she was getting on my nerves. Fail. Said hurtful things in a harsh voice. Fail. Wasn't as gentle as I could (should) have been when making her stay away from her brother. Fail. Took her to the pool and continued teaching her to swim. Check. Punished her for something that didn't deserve punishment. Fail. Made her feel bad about trying to "help"- fail, fail, FAIL." </div><div><br /></div><div>And yet at the end of the day, when we're all exhausted and at our most raw, it's me she's begging for. "I want <i>mommy</i> to put me to bed. I WANT MOMMMMMYYYYY!" For some reason unknown to me, I still satisfy a place in her and meet a need that no one else can, regardless of the way I've treated her that day. It is a very humbling knowledge. I don't deserve to be loved so unconditionally, and yet there it is. In her little 2-year-old eyes, I am her whole world. She sees herself through the lens of mommy and how mommy treats her. Eventually she will view God by the way she is treated by her parents. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can not take this for granted. I know there will come a time when she will stop loving me unconditionally, and her love will be based on our relationship and how I make her feel about herself. And truly, that's the way it should be- it's not the job of the child to love the parent unconditionally. But it scares me to think that if I don't get myself together and do better at this, that one day we may not have the relationship I want. </div><div><br /></div><div>One verse keeps coming back to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(2 Cor 12:9). And grace is for us mama's, too. But it is so hard. </span></div>Lynsey Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17158325405553824120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675279633305464684.post-40325686400864579992010-07-26T19:58:00.007-04:002010-07-26T20:44:54.107-04:00PicsA photographer I am not... but I do love to take pictures of my kids! I had planned to get some professional newborn pictures of Asher, but it ended up falling through. So I borrowed a nice camera from my friend Angie and went to town. It was fun, but I have a new respect for natural light photographers! So anyway, here's a bit of what I came up with.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw4tTe3yNJLwPCgqQmqZcjRXAs4IaZB9jZAWkfEZfzaAExJI9n-nY8p3xgzgOpJOH35U-3gfY23DmapHWvJ3Q36vVFNHTrtkAsvdcmWJ9PMxjCGvhPdWLJuwbVKThOIUVbMoHKljKZiZ8/s1600/IMG_3503.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw4tTe3yNJLwPCgqQmqZcjRXAs4IaZB9jZAWkfEZfzaAExJI9n-nY8p3xgzgOpJOH35U-3gfY23DmapHWvJ3Q36vVFNHTrtkAsvdcmWJ9PMxjCGvhPdWLJuwbVKThOIUVbMoHKljKZiZ8/s400/IMG_3503.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498378782331592418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQA9jF8v6Bu9KzkJl9acV0aZd2O1VtIBj4YbdDPasqqHUl3RJnV-tpyISqt6J1OVIYpNGJ5paYLt-5GQuUzaZWlJwmnsRs9bZOryxEv1RdNT3fyXAihyeVSX-YfQ3Urdfn1mmmhLDLpoL/s1600/IMG_3496.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; 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cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdtJc7UpaN5CZ1LBk3ZbcCCm8G1AOqBpCVDyekcx8NszBET-vftVjamhJfy-b1MZ5zDeJ60-MfZHCLgwEGuQX6cGOKoPsx-vzO12hKDk64uds_mZzZW9EewomIvhkU9_rSpXOpsnnhrqk/s400/IMG_3492.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498376167801467234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaF9S79vmjZFjL6vygjIw8OJyuagT3DyZrSTDKxtwxBK4JAKBlH5ybuDzY8nvs9srySOI2dIv8fVldQJtutSKP_Zngyjvc3lSzFmAc94qTQq445Hq_nvqysDDSCKQXpr7jXo_sv7NKNA2/s1600/IMG_3486.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaF9S79vmjZFjL6vygjIw8OJyuagT3DyZrSTDKxtwxBK4JAKBlH5ybuDzY8nvs9srySOI2dIv8fVldQJtutSKP_Zngyjvc3lSzFmAc94qTQq445Hq_nvqysDDSCKQXpr7jXo_sv7NKNA2/s400/IMG_3486.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498376164022370706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPEDHFeUJo6vwB7pEKjyhU44BvHRvT66J7VmynXyq0ORzt66qTd2BXEtwQ5mJ9F9Uq5YyyYGehPXjpqkHXgNExTgQh-jDiFV7NhygRqYocU0-8SJug9MwaY_z9Cvtw3T8wkBpy_cq719x/s1600/IMG_3473.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; 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