tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89882356808488575522024-02-07T01:36:52.352-08:00Our Side of the MountainOur Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-8124298977681773942014-11-04T17:13:00.001-08:002014-11-08T13:32:28.240-08:00Boo!Halloween 2014 is in the books. This year our neighborhood party was on Halloween and without a trunk or treat event at our new church, we really only had one opportunity to dress up. Which was a shame because these kids are so stinkin' cute!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ijMpinMMYLLOhAK7vJ0Cvct18nQC4Tm4t6uRrIuYutKi6v54cud9Z8II156vuJ0i2QR8akA6N6plYT_5pYFE8xpg1dWmxXw-8T2tR1BLm-is0gidqbuaHbIKU7exVK_FPQbIypsZju1/s640/blogger-image-688150616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ijMpinMMYLLOhAK7vJ0Cvct18nQC4Tm4t6uRrIuYutKi6v54cud9Z8II156vuJ0i2QR8akA6N6plYT_5pYFE8xpg1dWmxXw-8T2tR1BLm-is0gidqbuaHbIKU7exVK_FPQbIypsZju1/s640/blogger-image-688150616.jpg"></a></div>We had 2 sets of grandparents here this year which was super-fun and I stayed home and handed out candy a bit so they could have fun watching the kids trick-or-treat. Almost everyone got in on the dress-up fun this year. I kind of wished I had done more after the amazing costumes of my parents:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwysUgtPBxzv8QhPgN1h6HklO4h-gHTNcjeHNwwldH8vaurzIaaGQQnF4F97Up1WZbH_LtbAE6CcGaVbzjBh0ECurkppsXoIdBL7_iOEehXPzLib8VURnlDKMuON_UqZ8p1RAUld1Gz0Ju/s640/blogger-image-1624789834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwysUgtPBxzv8QhPgN1h6HklO4h-gHTNcjeHNwwldH8vaurzIaaGQQnF4F97Up1WZbH_LtbAE6CcGaVbzjBh0ECurkppsXoIdBL7_iOEehXPzLib8VURnlDKMuON_UqZ8p1RAUld1Gz0Ju/s640/blogger-image-1624789834.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wuvgtLaWhpciEIU37Jg5S3W4j1ggIwsPwMT33N0coSUFksIZm8ERt2Au-uf2UAe9-TYgcVcJNvYE6hMzZc6YQDHR4_nvV_czzviptreRdYCXghP6mQzHHa__G3VHeesg-ALxkijEEOEc/s640/blogger-image-921436223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wuvgtLaWhpciEIU37Jg5S3W4j1ggIwsPwMT33N0coSUFksIZm8ERt2Au-uf2UAe9-TYgcVcJNvYE6hMzZc6YQDHR4_nvV_czzviptreRdYCXghP6mQzHHa__G3VHeesg-ALxkijEEOEc/s640/blogger-image-921436223.jpg"></a></div>Josh found a Superman shirt at Old Navy and since M was super girl, he dressed it up and went as Clark Kent. I had just gotten a Wicked shirt from my mom who saw it on broadway so I bought some green tights and went as a Wicked fan. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle5lygktnsF2QNM0rvQ0n5zg4-93vzpJBGzEY9xsfH6is1IpUzIAjsHhUIrAWNwmkPPL2ZdmBoWgpWSDa7Q87JvCJxp64C24Na-BoImT-4pPXQ_eqBWtgyyy_vpkjYCtzo-yJzfuh18dt/s640/blogger-image-511053507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle5lygktnsF2QNM0rvQ0n5zg4-93vzpJBGzEY9xsfH6is1IpUzIAjsHhUIrAWNwmkPPL2ZdmBoWgpWSDa7Q87JvCJxp64C24Na-BoImT-4pPXQ_eqBWtgyyy_vpkjYCtzo-yJzfuh18dt/s640/blogger-image-511053507.jpg"></a></div>The kids tired out again this year before we expected them to, and we came home and ate pizza that was delivered two hours late. It was a great Halloween and M keeps asking when we can go trick-or-treating again. ;)</div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-77201592499872140122014-10-27T16:47:00.000-07:002014-10-27T16:48:46.719-07:00Pumpkin CarvingOk, so I'm just going to skip over the fact that I've skipped over the last 2-ish months and head straight into the now (well the yesterday actually). After church while the Panthers were getting beat again, we carved pumpkins. J and I are actually pretty hands-off when it comes to carving these days. A and H design, scoop (mostly) and carve their own pumpkin creations and they always turn out so well!<br />
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Here's a glimpse of the fun (I actually got out my real camera for these, a sadly rare occurrence these days!):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspecting her "Nerd" pumpkin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Intense concentration on his vampire pumpkin. He added his cape from last year when he put it on the porch. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a little crazy. "It's so light now that all the guts are out!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuezEeZT9Ooh9HDEiegGpA6fzwzQI6I1Yl8zryhjog4o6TAckv9pzAo7UjrqjchwYbwwfJtzZAwwj6k092XixxEfXXJIfW2T84DQ9siyK813_AIaoycYmOPWxYN4NG8eVnxPCltbxmDpK/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuezEeZT9Ooh9HDEiegGpA6fzwzQI6I1Yl8zryhjog4o6TAckv9pzAo7UjrqjchwYbwwfJtzZAwwj6k092XixxEfXXJIfW2T84DQ9siyK813_AIaoycYmOPWxYN4NG8eVnxPCltbxmDpK/s1600/003.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pumpkin had just woken up from a nap so she was in quiet observation of the whole experience and had no interest in carving her own or getting involved in the goop, all of which I was very glad!</td></tr>
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<br />Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-46730232398158744272014-09-04T12:57:00.001-07:002014-09-04T12:57:33.380-07:00RenewFeeling quite the spirit of renewal here lately. Kids back in school, even Miss Priss for a few hours 3 days a week:<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3FeYpxnM38iavp0wtZUMAb0-l6-GiSU0usD3kS7eQ_MZro9Cr8lRKsnbcE_3CqWe1i8EUv0zD63oxUgzVp2aXGXIsIQ_b1-dwVrhZpJBsWFZmgWTsFoqkwR-WcuP16VUHgyPH0XUE3G6/s640/blogger-image--130753678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3FeYpxnM38iavp0wtZUMAb0-l6-GiSU0usD3kS7eQ_MZro9Cr8lRKsnbcE_3CqWe1i8EUv0zD63oxUgzVp2aXGXIsIQ_b1-dwVrhZpJBsWFZmgWTsFoqkwR-WcuP16VUHgyPH0XUE3G6/s640/blogger-image--130753678.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>A structure to our days, thank heavens! My new before-school-lets-out pick-me-up:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwvYRW3Nbmzu1Er1HEOocYiiIfZw9cxVQqYeul6StqUFU073MEvfBoLIMJqHEctS4_gnPVsrae19XzPR0TcbYj95RdeLCGNXRW03T-T41SymdQuJSQwzao1HKKOrh1MIn5e3E-9GF-vJn/s640/blogger-image--2040285248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwvYRW3Nbmzu1Er1HEOocYiiIfZw9cxVQqYeul6StqUFU073MEvfBoLIMJqHEctS4_gnPVsrae19XzPR0TcbYj95RdeLCGNXRW03T-T41SymdQuJSQwzao1HKKOrh1MIn5e3E-9GF-vJn/s640/blogger-image--2040285248.jpg"></a></div>Here's how:</div><div>Throw some leftover coffee in the vitamix, add a banana, some coconut cream, a heaping spoonful of cocoa powder, and a few cubes of ice. Blend. </div><div>The ice will disappear but you need it for liquid and coldness. Serve over ice. So yum and totally Paleo y'all! </div><div><br></div><div>Speaking of Paleo, we finished our Whole30. It was as life-changing as they say. We lost a combined grand total of 33 lbs. and more importantly our eating habits have changed for the better. I was not tempted in the least by dessert at church last night, J can handle 2 beers max, and grains are not at all interesting. It's kind of scary trying to figure out how to eat normally now. I tried to get this new iced coffee chick-fil-a has and it was loaded with sugar. I ended up throwing it away it was so gross! </div><div>Anyway, whole30 was great and we highly recommend it to everyone. </div><div>My Post Whole30 lunch (that's actually Whole30 because I don't want to eat anything else now!)</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82guKOwhNu0nX0bHfCjbZPEHTjDDZfeFGRgmmAhNHkSXAQcdp0A2ISiAkRnRh9jlXqArChQdUh1ya3KN8cTWNQHmRG7p1UZEIzhWkP3QMfo2038llgoD2-xATHsMSR8iTId9mGRCzYomj/s640/blogger-image--1415095242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82guKOwhNu0nX0bHfCjbZPEHTjDDZfeFGRgmmAhNHkSXAQcdp0A2ISiAkRnRh9jlXqArChQdUh1ya3KN8cTWNQHmRG7p1UZEIzhWkP3QMfo2038llgoD2-xATHsMSR8iTId9mGRCzYomj/s640/blogger-image--1415095242.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>So lots of change for the good, and really it's just the beginning...</div><div><br></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-54100359500989132872014-09-03T07:56:00.001-07:002014-09-03T07:56:12.736-07:00School's In!Today was the big kids first day of 2nd and 4th! Hurray! <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvgM2BQSEAEqGkyhnmQA5KOfgvqnqE7ZKm6NdzM1Bb2gUvkzPGJNRz0s-YYgZaXa11h9wf4U0Iqc8KGrugny0G_NMK4JIynzNCpFU35nXuxoocbntf8B-TuLlqM6jwmD8H9Wha33Mb1J3/s640/blogger-image--300278205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvgM2BQSEAEqGkyhnmQA5KOfgvqnqE7ZKm6NdzM1Bb2gUvkzPGJNRz0s-YYgZaXa11h9wf4U0Iqc8KGrugny0G_NMK4JIynzNCpFU35nXuxoocbntf8B-TuLlqM6jwmD8H9Wha33Mb1J3/s640/blogger-image--300278205.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSFJX1y9MXwVZU4QwRhcF5NtMCdmPWNI6NDWgxn08b3brtDtL0j4PhwaXu0LrtEyJ8V45rlOOYGvlIe7KX9q_9JQ2I608Hdxrj197e2lHb_UUZaJVdREsP6AGBA-9SLBN4JGkepl4VIhd/s640/blogger-image--871803399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSFJX1y9MXwVZU4QwRhcF5NtMCdmPWNI6NDWgxn08b3brtDtL0j4PhwaXu0LrtEyJ8V45rlOOYGvlIe7KX9q_9JQ2I608Hdxrj197e2lHb_UUZaJVdREsP6AGBA-9SLBN4JGkepl4VIhd/s640/blogger-image--871803399.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTaCsP0ukDWKF985FPqrMx5WwWec68LRrSPCoY0sHeuQQv-s3khBNKS6hctGnnPU3iiR2AXelawcktzhgx2ReGFykmpgbVer0VIT4Ho4ajcpz8F1m6Z-DbdQz5b7MGecRrKFnkBqeex8u/s640/blogger-image-1815844632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTaCsP0ukDWKF985FPqrMx5WwWec68LRrSPCoY0sHeuQQv-s3khBNKS6hctGnnPU3iiR2AXelawcktzhgx2ReGFykmpgbVer0VIT4Ho4ajcpz8F1m6Z-DbdQz5b7MGecRrKFnkBqeex8u/s640/blogger-image-1815844632.jpg"></a></div>They were up and ready to go, waiting on the couch, 20 minutes before we actually needed to leave to walk there. That's never happened! ;) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I had quite the productive day and a very pleasant toddler which was quite a bonus after the last couple of weeks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0FR0SKtXIXPxTuhdZJZo1ts-Q7_xtDgld58ZGRrzBygLwpe9IFmJyIZqc4lOKV20ANMbbumQBCr5zbR3XmSb532RhgKx6Gx8_L3qawql2nnlS-XMk8XdUuxi9UIWOsXtMVM4pVTBt9LI/s640/blogger-image--189157231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0FR0SKtXIXPxTuhdZJZo1ts-Q7_xtDgld58ZGRrzBygLwpe9IFmJyIZqc4lOKV20ANMbbumQBCr5zbR3XmSb532RhgKx6Gx8_L3qawql2nnlS-XMk8XdUuxi9UIWOsXtMVM4pVTBt9LI/s640/blogger-image--189157231.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We ended summer on a positive note with train rides uptown and swimming at multiple pools and the finale was the baseball game last night. We have a new stadium and the kids have never been. We had fun exploring the stadium, eating Dippin' Dots, and rolling down the grassy hill. It was a cool night and we sprung for the cheap seats on the grass which was nice for the kids to be able to get their wiggles out. Although at one point we ended up in the fancy seats to check out the view and the kids decided they liked it better there; I was completely nervous we were going to get caught the whole time so I didn't really notice how great the seats were...I know, I'm a rule-follower. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSL5nLO5bVTUuN19aBC4aX81UFtvmiCVbMIvA9s4bqL8yA6dQyLIvyPh1rrSLyvuAeZ8sBAJVCkwPe7dF_S1g-huXoWiFFBuW_IuZWb-feapakLXLCcEkUHQQcVd0ffxK7zQINIvj58bj/s640/blogger-image-847041224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSL5nLO5bVTUuN19aBC4aX81UFtvmiCVbMIvA9s4bqL8yA6dQyLIvyPh1rrSLyvuAeZ8sBAJVCkwPe7dF_S1g-huXoWiFFBuW_IuZWb-feapakLXLCcEkUHQQcVd0ffxK7zQINIvj58bj/s640/blogger-image-847041224.jpg"></a></div></div>Regardless, it was a perfect way to send off the summer! </div><div><br></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-92192468778288839122014-08-21T06:29:00.000-07:002014-08-21T06:46:24.032-07:00Summer's End<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0rj4YeTGYNkT2d55xGEFBHhVTd3emAq3cWtEHtskuo4NXbB8NeMW-owkBKXRfOa-GEviWX6mEJSgrM3hqcxGylaXCI7weEUwIAKFW4F2oUy8WPA1aih8lgMoJ-vZc31ZQ1iuqtOe8-kL/s640/blogger-image-1925157389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0rj4YeTGYNkT2d55xGEFBHhVTd3emAq3cWtEHtskuo4NXbB8NeMW-owkBKXRfOa-GEviWX6mEJSgrM3hqcxGylaXCI7weEUwIAKFW4F2oUy8WPA1aih8lgMoJ-vZc31ZQ1iuqtOe8-kL/s640/blogger-image-1925157389.jpg"></a></div><br></div>The end is in sight, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are days away from the new school year; supplies have been bought (after multiple trips to multiple stores), teachers have been assigned, new shoes and clothes have been purchased, and tonight is open house. We have 2 weekdays left of summer and I am both compelled to do something amazing to end it with a bang, and completely wrung out and over it all.<br>
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Thankfully the kids seem to take turns being the trying ones this summer, for a while it was the eldest with the trying-on of tween attitude, then it was the middle with his constant need for someone to tell him what to do when his sister wanted to play alone, then (and often) it was the youngest with her almost-three demanding independence about all things. This week she has had a slight cold and at the same time has decided not to nap anymore which lead to a 4-8pm meltdown on both of our parts. Good times.<br>
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Today is also day #22 of our Whole30 plan. Whole30 is an elimination diet where you only eat meat, nuts, veggies and fruit for 30 days. There is no sugar, no grains, no dairy, and no alcohol allowed. After Michigan where we ate and drank all the things, we knew it was going to be as good a time as any to start. We prepped and read testimonies, and found recipes and shopped for good food. We planned to start on August 1st but soon realized we had this amazing fridge full of food and decided to start a day early. It has been a great experience and I'll write more about it later but so far (even though it's not a weight-loss plan and you're not supposed to weigh yourself), I've lost over 10lbs. That's a nice perk but also my skin is clearer, as is my mind. You're supposed to have this amazing, boundless energy, but so far I'm struggling at the end of the day, that could be more about being worn out from a house full of 3 kids and it being summer though.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXqqKX7WcikeWqWRl2_4Ep9kkr8lWaxYDGjrN7O_37xPpDDZdES1iyB7u2GCr-We4Bfq8Zak_D3ep9uq9TENfnJn4igsUMpOn58PcIqTcbECmmf7OjvctpSW64oL52XSOIKgH_7thSIda/s640/blogger-image--1347477981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXqqKX7WcikeWqWRl2_4Ep9kkr8lWaxYDGjrN7O_37xPpDDZdES1iyB7u2GCr-We4Bfq8Zak_D3ep9uq9TENfnJn4igsUMpOn58PcIqTcbECmmf7OjvctpSW64oL52XSOIKgH_7thSIda/s640/blogger-image--1347477981.jpg"></a></div><br>
More on all of that at another time, I need to gather the troops and figure out what to do with our 2nd to last day of summer. I think my grand idea today is to drive 25 minutes to the $2 movie. Whoohoo, we have the most fun. It's a good thing the kids don't yet know how often their friends have been to Carowinds or the beach or other more exciting venues. I'll let that be my little secret as long as I can...<div><br></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-72023552581857671352014-07-10T18:59:00.001-07:002014-07-10T18:59:01.489-07:00So Much Love<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I'm feeling quite the love lately, so much love in fact that I'm currently hiding in the bedroom reading with "mommy's hip hop mix" blasting in my earbuds while ^J^ puts M down. Summer has been and is amazing so far, but being with M during every waking hour has made her much more dependent on mommy for everything. Ironically she's also entering my least favorite kid-phase "the terrible threes". Yep, threes. The independence that comes with 3 is so persistent and so sudden, and so verbose! I try my best to let her have as much indepdence as possible so that when it's necessary for me to take control, she won't freak too much. But sometimes, like today at Barnes and Noble when she asserted her independence by attempting to "do it myself" on the moving escalator, I just have to intervene. You know, like when she decides to sit on a moving escalator with a super-long princess dress on (that she picked out of course), I feel compelled to take control in that situation! And then the poor shoppers have to endure the ensuing frustrated cries because mommy didn't want her sucked into the machinery of the escalator. </span><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">But then there was this while shopping too:<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2U4e6HBYLWqoIXtv4VuDn8AfkXWHLWf22lrZOnNCfupYLmQR9QlY8KSCwPHXyg3NSGi9uNMD-uyhk90YoLuh3Xygyp1IHGGQpOrUjtb9O8AsgQg4h9vpTY70YbPwCJAeT2RsZjWT172Y/s640/blogger-image--726973741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2U4e6HBYLWqoIXtv4VuDn8AfkXWHLWf22lrZOnNCfupYLmQR9QlY8KSCwPHXyg3NSGi9uNMD-uyhk90YoLuh3Xygyp1IHGGQpOrUjtb9O8AsgQg4h9vpTY70YbPwCJAeT2RsZjWT172Y/s640/blogger-image--726973741.jpg"></a></div>I turned the corner and she had this gigantic pile under her chin. "I want dis Mama." No big deal mom, just over $50 of princess Dupleo sets and a Frozen book. I seriously don't know how her little muscles could carry all this. It's a good thing she's cute! </div><div>She's also become more daring at the pool lately. At the beginning of the summer, she had little control of herself with her floaty on, and we had to be with her the whole time. Now she's quite independent in her floaty and propels herself where she wants to go with this amazing dolphin-frog kick she's invented. We can even sit on the side of the pool and watch for a bit. </div><div>But then, this week she decided it was time to start holding her breath and putting her face in for long periods of time. So far she's really in control with this and the only issue is that she's doing it constantly so I've got to watch her like a hawk. Then she started opening her eyes under the water so we got her goggles and she ended up looking like this:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEB_HsNHGXHDuB3WxVgFSZX2AcyTey1MN8x2Skksskt2piG1lrMVGVqz_km3EhsItvp6-PcNOWBofUx34PTDW4lEHVPGXf7dpTezsLuWKoWChxQBbDiUyAXqBOuGa6wqkWCBgvheFxSwk/s640/blogger-image-528142830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEB_HsNHGXHDuB3WxVgFSZX2AcyTey1MN8x2Skksskt2piG1lrMVGVqz_km3EhsItvp6-PcNOWBofUx34PTDW4lEHVPGXf7dpTezsLuWKoWChxQBbDiUyAXqBOuGa6wqkWCBgvheFxSwk/s640/blogger-image-528142830.jpg"></a></div>Oops, a little tight maybe.</div><div>So to sum up, I'm feeling the love, lots of love. And as I type this, the love has found me. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnS2hs8o38kW8QMqp3KB_jGey8N1vUwWj6D49TdNhZiD56LFLTazAXZoWAARQcCnlfL6_F-uZC5eLy33ATgCODy5pTsu7Y2HMW1iqguKlBpV_EKVrKujL7IBubnQv0N6Kxf9PPfgYx7E/s640/blogger-image-1654406499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnS2hs8o38kW8QMqp3KB_jGey8N1vUwWj6D49TdNhZiD56LFLTazAXZoWAARQcCnlfL6_F-uZC5eLy33ATgCODy5pTsu7Y2HMW1iqguKlBpV_EKVrKujL7IBubnQv0N6Kxf9PPfgYx7E/s640/blogger-image-1654406499.jpg"></a></div>Sigh. Good night! </div></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-45147044966053127452014-06-21T05:08:00.001-07:002014-06-21T05:08:28.055-07:00Full-swing<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The school year ended a little over a week ago, and as I reflect back on it, I'm so grateful for what a good school year we had. Last year was so incredibly stressful with the drama at A's school. This year we couldn't be more proud! The child who they said should repeat <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">2nd grade ended up not only passing her End of Grade test, but getting above average scores!! Her teacher awarded her the "Junior Scientist" award too. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioipADD2bx2h7LQJgGCgWqVSDLlR870KDDFQYE0dR8FRJT4H8vi88QtnMr6HxH7x4rV7HuQbhfUW6wn2nL91YVWiAbZTnyYvMQpi1a2vaRV1YE3eL3c-ge_FlC0q-M6ZThKtTT8exbldPl/s640/blogger-image-739905161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioipADD2bx2h7LQJgGCgWqVSDLlR870KDDFQYE0dR8FRJT4H8vi88QtnMr6HxH7x4rV7HuQbhfUW6wn2nL91YVWiAbZTnyYvMQpi1a2vaRV1YE3eL3c-ge_FlC0q-M6ZThKtTT8exbldPl/s640/blogger-image-739905161.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm just so grateful that we trusted our instincts and that we know our child well enough to be able to make a decision other than one that's being made for us! Also, I'm seriously trying to suppress the urge to mail a copy of her test scores to that %*#+^! teacher and principal from last year with a giant "I told you so!" note.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhsqJl4VYow1kUi4oi-sLHGIZoD3LEADJXLraxvgV1HRvgCSikuum-9f1YWlCzz7_DIKih5RJBHCtcjaE037NQ_20tOh5LsMq0SuVb6iFW0lY294zGk9DQ_hqdj7h_WZ7V0C6UL3FLieh/s640/blogger-image--1326807385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhsqJl4VYow1kUi4oi-sLHGIZoD3LEADJXLraxvgV1HRvgCSikuum-9f1YWlCzz7_DIKih5RJBHCtcjaE037NQ_20tOh5LsMq0SuVb6iFW0lY294zGk9DQ_hqdj7h_WZ7V0C6UL3FLieh/s640/blogger-image--1326807385.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So now we have a 2nd and 4th grader and we're enjoying the (kind of) lazy days of summer. I actually just set up a job chart so their days aren't as lazy as they were, but they needed it and seem to enjoy the structure. We'll, A does. H needs reminding and prodding. ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We've lived at the pool. It always surprises me that with swim team</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">practice nearly everyday and meets twice a week, they still want to go swim for fun! They are both at the bottom of their age brackets for swim team this year, so it's been a growing year for both of them. But they both continue to show improvement and they really do seem to enjoy it, so that's all that matters! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoaJNzyTvh4dNgKxDIZv_2wTBcIoqc7br_-Vo4nUYprG2tvU9ETjgf7N8rm7u-z-bUxLS_5K6gacojCVnaocJVBtdGpdezOh8sN3yX3COV0hjupfxUl7bXx_ArTlQ8-4k_i4ekHIHc-sc/s640/blogger-image--1844928709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoaJNzyTvh4dNgKxDIZv_2wTBcIoqc7br_-Vo4nUYprG2tvU9ETjgf7N8rm7u-z-bUxLS_5K6gacojCVnaocJVBtdGpdezOh8sN3yX3COV0hjupfxUl7bXx_ArTlQ8-4k_i4ekHIHc-sc/s640/blogger-image--1844928709.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2F6w8z7b50a2BPG3lAcmuId3B1agBLW2zMmU99VJWQEjRiZ2rZH3Ch2e_ljg11huVSkb4KP-HqvLe4i6E5J7cxLm7Xv6jjC7z9CT8Njau2o0gU6LIlWW2OPRu96p_BdO-QrL1iwkD2y3/s640/blogger-image-1896382852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2F6w8z7b50a2BPG3lAcmuId3B1agBLW2zMmU99VJWQEjRiZ2rZH3Ch2e_ljg11huVSkb4KP-HqvLe4i6E5J7cxLm7Xv6jjC7z9CT8Njau2o0gU6LIlWW2OPRu96p_BdO-QrL1iwkD2y3/s640/blogger-image-1896382852.jpg"></a></div><br></div>This one likes it too, dispite the smirk on her face, especially when she can swim during practices. She started doing the backstroke (on land) the other day while we were watching a meet and her technique was actually pretty good! So funny what she picks up on!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6Zsz0ZV0bvcmRYErmEsY-gtidVFdhDHqJIDAqbvUwm9PxUSw__UE04heUbOr5YvbCUFbHJdLcfyd9fMMwu0QeBOYjT6rjo_CPZ-mXpEoF9CoJCtuG_mXRwta4FFc-OXZLIwqfj7UF-6x/s640/blogger-image-1416222973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6Zsz0ZV0bvcmRYErmEsY-gtidVFdhDHqJIDAqbvUwm9PxUSw__UE04heUbOr5YvbCUFbHJdLcfyd9fMMwu0QeBOYjT6rjo_CPZ-mXpEoF9CoJCtuG_mXRwta4FFc-OXZLIwqfj7UF-6x/s640/blogger-image-1416222973.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When we can't get in and have to wait for the kiddos at practice, we sweat (a lot) and make silly faces to pass the time. And someone often steals my sunglasses...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEdPsYcjcx71JIk5ZRApkW1wLz6ilEXMvE2cuI2JC8rYD1QUevSPa3ikPxJKpXMOkMi8wrfOLFK91rIPwEdJvEuUEj0YGNzit3iSQAZK-oV3QAIspuPH6f9IPsS9S89UqSrO1Mqcw2jYK/s640/blogger-image-1001754155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEdPsYcjcx71JIk5ZRApkW1wLz6ilEXMvE2cuI2JC8rYD1QUevSPa3ikPxJKpXMOkMi8wrfOLFK91rIPwEdJvEuUEj0YGNzit3iSQAZK-oV3QAIspuPH6f9IPsS9S89UqSrO1Mqcw2jYK/s640/blogger-image-1001754155.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeu1HpDEfhsa3IxeKZoxwmeBhffE569cqcKdqNTBCC-HMzOrijaQ8CMYKhFCVRBJcP1pfIJSLkIzuqJqxaCakW_lnHXojsiBx01JPZWjOhI-XWY8Pn5NnXCzFZMgr63EwdWqVxBooGbeB/s640/blogger-image--360351064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeu1HpDEfhsa3IxeKZoxwmeBhffE569cqcKdqNTBCC-HMzOrijaQ8CMYKhFCVRBJcP1pfIJSLkIzuqJqxaCakW_lnHXojsiBx01JPZWjOhI-XWY8Pn5NnXCzFZMgr63EwdWqVxBooGbeB/s640/blogger-image--360351064.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Well there's more to share but it'll have to wait. Cartoons and coffee awaits!</div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-39886909478488124722014-05-28T06:37:00.000-07:002014-05-28T13:00:01.411-07:00In Summer!Things are looking up now that it's almost June (and no longer May). Pollen and bugs have slowed down, school programs are done (except for the end of year gifts and parties), and we've just gotten back from a fun vacation to Disney and had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. <div><div>
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Memorial Day really felt like the kick off to summer this year which is great except for the fact that the big kids still have 2 weeks of school. *A* finished testing yesterday so now she's really in summer-mode too since they're pretty much doing nothing at school the next two weeks. She told me today they have plans to design their own roller coasters. Um, okay. We celebrated the end of testing last night with pizza and doughnuts (*A*'s choice). </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqIA9SPmcW-m93_cjEZU85H3XM8oAiJojA4lo-YHzWXhJWExCv37jZKftoeauOL0OpQsGtlLAN5EILsBop7kI5n5GAc-BDTVPh_7gX8NP23dKR5GdtpK_sRSi1qndmvTi6FknM-ibi8Fv/s640/blogger-image--2134975154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqIA9SPmcW-m93_cjEZU85H3XM8oAiJojA4lo-YHzWXhJWExCv37jZKftoeauOL0OpQsGtlLAN5EILsBop7kI5n5GAc-BDTVPh_7gX8NP23dKR5GdtpK_sRSi1qndmvTi6FknM-ibi8Fv/s640/blogger-image--2134975154.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Tonight we have (H)'s 2nd playoff game. I haven't taken many photos of him at baseball this year, so I need to bring my camera tonight. I just love watching their skills in baseball and swimming (and even testing skills) grow and develop. One if the other moms on the team sent me these, I love them.</div>
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Miss M and I have the next 2 weeks to ourselves since preschool is finished for the year and we've been quite lazy so far. Pjs and cartoons with milk(her) and coffee(me) after the big kids go to school, followed by a little time on the patio watering the garden and maybe some laundry and coloring thrown in. I love this time with just her, and eventhough she's starting to develop quite the opinons, and I can't seem to get any housework done while she's awake; she's such an entertaining little person to be around! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSGqRVyVlp3le01Wn0wyZ1AOAoMre0dzyayWq2g1tcd52BTECjEynXyuiubUIrI7nHX1JwdJ51m4eMq7eksbllcEctMkIIBwnW_bQzAEiiJtZ_GncBHGRxleqhjiC5eSx0zyeDie1TTz2/s640/blogger-image-45645947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSGqRVyVlp3le01Wn0wyZ1AOAoMre0dzyayWq2g1tcd52BTECjEynXyuiubUIrI7nHX1JwdJ51m4eMq7eksbllcEctMkIIBwnW_bQzAEiiJtZ_GncBHGRxleqhjiC5eSx0zyeDie1TTz2/s640/blogger-image-45645947.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
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</div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-36158341042343023082014-05-13T05:50:00.000-07:002014-05-28T05:51:36.058-07:00May MadnessIt's a well-kept secret that May is the new December. It's crazy y'all. And I forget how crazy it is until it's here. So there's no pre-planning or prep, it just appears with it's programs and parties and gobs of gift buying and testing and field days.<br />
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But it's all fun right? How can all that fun stuff be stressful?<br />
I don't know how, it just is.<br />
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And it's hot, like 90 suddenly, which I'm fine with, but then you have to prepare kids for the sun with lotions and hats and sunglasses.<br />
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And there's allergies, which this year have been really bad for our eldest, so we're trying to enjoy the beautiful weather but we can't because she's coughing like an 80 year old smoker; so we're stuck inside, watching tv, because they're too tired from school and all the testing prep to do anything stimulating.<br />
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Oh yeah, and there's bugs out there now which every year they forget about and so the appearance of bugs is new, and freak-out inducing.<br />
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I think I used to like May, or maybe I liked the idea of May. You know, warm weather, flowers, end of school, (or as we know it: stinky kids, itchy eyes, and test anxiety), it's conjures good (but flase) images.<br />
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But we're off to Disney soon, and testing will be over soon, and swim team starts soon (that's a good thing, right?); so it's all good.<br />
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<br />Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-72685141734221840772014-04-23T12:27:00.001-07:002014-04-23T12:33:12.267-07:00Spring!It's Spring! It's Easter! I'm back! (hopefully)<br>
Here's to new life, warmer longer days, and hopefully a renewed interest in blogging. I've attempted re-starting things numerous times and even written a few blog-post-starts, but just haven't been "feeling it" lately. ^J^ and I were talking yesterday about how we failed on our Lenten disciplines and how doing a discipline during the 50 days of Easter seemed like a good idea instead. There's something about Spring that's inspiring and makes one feel more productive, so hopefully I can make the time and have the interest to make this place one of my areas of renewal. I'm not promising a daily post, but something has got to be better than letting months pass with no blog entries! Also trying to renew the no-wheat/primal thing and exercise.<br>
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So far this week I walked a few miles Monday, took a yoga class yesterday, and walked again today so we're off to a good start! Food-wise I'm doing ok but the Easter basket temptations are getting to me.<br>
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Kiddos are back to school after a good Spring Break last week, it wasn't long enough though and I think we're all feeling Spring Fever already. We head to Disney in less than a month though so that'll help. I am nervous about taking the kids out of school for a week so close to the end of school and testing week, but I also feel kind of justified in doing so since Spring Break was also Holy Week and we don't get a real break/vacation since ^J^ has his busiest week of the year at this time. I'll try explaining that to their teachers but I'm not real sure how it will fly.<br>
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Ok, I'm off to make some afternoon snacks, but I'll leave you with a few Easter pics of the cuties.<br>
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<br>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-37408082504738632182014-02-18T17:50:00.000-08:002014-02-18T17:50:46.157-08:00Silence is GoldenMy house is quiet. It's an amazing sound. We've had days and weeks of snow, and sickness, and a revolving door of house guests that have led to not having a full, normal week back to the routines since before Christmas. I'm hoping this is our week to all be well and in school without weather interruptions. I mean it is mid-February, shouldn't we have at least <i>one </i>week of normal this winter?!<br />
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The snow days were quite fun though, and since everything shut down and the roads were covered with 7 inches of fluffy beautiful snow, J got to be home with us too. We had snowball fights, went sledding, made lots of comfort food (and ate way too much of it), read, attempted snowmen, watched movies, played board games, made rainbow looms galore, ate snow cream, and more. We really made the most of the time together and it was quite nice actually. I hear people on Facebook complain about too much togetherness, and sometimes I am right there with them; the kids are fighting, my patience is thin, but none of that happened this time and it was so nice. I'm calling it our Snowcation. Sure we lost a few scheduled school breaks including 2 Spring Break days, but we had an unplanned vacation at home to all be together and enjoy. Spring Break for us is a non-event this year anyway because it's Holy Week and we can't go anywhere since that's kind of the busiest week of the year for a clergy family. We tend to move our Spring vacation to another week and just pull the kids out of school for a few days. This year we're moving it to May and headed to Disney! I'm a little nervous about pulling A out at this time of year with testing and all but it'll be fine. I hope.<br />
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Ok, I'm off to enjoy the silence. Although I'm feeling a bit paralyzed by all the choices: do I take a walk, clean house, read, watch a show, go shopping, do yoga, or just sit and stare and listen to the silence?<br />
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Here's a look back at the fun we had last week:</div>
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My snow walk before kids came home for 3.5 snow days:</div>
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Then the snow really started falling and the fun began:</div>
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Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-1812920776449939862014-02-05T18:33:00.001-08:002014-02-05T18:33:15.523-08:00"Me Pray!"<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Life is busy and good. Happy 2014 btw...</span></div></div><div>I want to write more but I have a few precious minutes in between kid-bed and me-bed, so this will be short, but I did want to share M's prayer at dinner tonight. Yes, you read that right, our 2 year old extemporaneously prays at dinner...is she a PK or what? </div><div><br></div><div>First of all, she volunteered herself to pray:</div><div>Daddy: who wants to pray tonight?</div><div>M: me!</div><div>Daddy: ok, go ahead</div><div>M: Ank yoo God for food...famawee...A, H, mommy, daddy...(long pause where A volunteers help), yes! Gwacie! yes, (thinking...), Elmo, Daniel Tiger, yes! (We're trying to mouth amen)...Gram, papa, Amen. </div><div><br></div><div>She knew exactly what she wanted to say and us rushing her along when she paused to say amen wasn't at all necessary. She was going to say amen when she was finished and how cute is that she's thanking God for her favorite tv shows?! Of course! Thank you God for Girls, Mad Men, Scandal, Friday Night Lights! For toe-tapping music, thought-provoking movies, and escape-to-another world books; and for all the other morsels of cultural contributions that bring us a bit of entertainment and relaxation. </div><div><br></div><div>Amazing these little people.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQefugKexNEeQC9Xkmr5PdzbBmvXeOkFZKZpc8O2npllEBOx07frEQA-toQrk0jgKN0oimdtPsXa4cbZ4ZFF8dLBgMfMX9dzM_b_IMsyP13ciUQpBFOh3c0SCWXQqLRsjiU_6idg86Y8AH/s640/blogger-image-907471005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQefugKexNEeQC9Xkmr5PdzbBmvXeOkFZKZpc8O2npllEBOx07frEQA-toQrk0jgKN0oimdtPsXa4cbZ4ZFF8dLBgMfMX9dzM_b_IMsyP13ciUQpBFOh3c0SCWXQqLRsjiU_6idg86Y8AH/s640/blogger-image-907471005.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-66673114936464621882013-12-13T10:35:00.001-08:002013-12-13T10:35:33.970-08:00GlimpseHow's this for a glimpse into my life: I'm home with 2 kinda sick kiddos today. M stayed home yesterday b/c of fever and cough and now her brother is home. He's not totally sick but sick enough that I didn't feel good sending him in but now that he's home, I'm seeing this as more if a mental health day. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhthA-Z8k9LqvNm1yCaomdpEe-Cor2OqUXPDeIDWgWIfLzkKDUjxQQNpaqHTkHM759NPpwpMzrKhJJxyBk0OxK8hJSm_L8Ztj9-fjvnrd7tO1-AhRMXwxEVPwZUuN1T9_UqTm2wq2G0Ak/s640/blogger-image-1260787586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhthA-Z8k9LqvNm1yCaomdpEe-Cor2OqUXPDeIDWgWIfLzkKDUjxQQNpaqHTkHM759NPpwpMzrKhJJxyBk0OxK8hJSm_L8Ztj9-fjvnrd7tO1-AhRMXwxEVPwZUuN1T9_UqTm2wq2G0Ak/s640/blogger-image-1260787586.jpg"></a></div><br><div>I'm currently trying to get them both to take a nap before school pick-up of A in an hour and a half. M willingly went to her crib after she saw H lay down, and I'm currently <i>hiding in the bathroom</i> while she puts herself to sleep for maybe the first time in a year. We typically hold her until she falls asleep and then transfer her to her bed, but she was fighting me so much that I just put her in the bed and patted her back a few times before saying I'd be right back. She's been quiet for 10 minutes so I'm hoping the coast is clear. <div>Anywho, exciting stuff over here. Not sure how you are containing yourselves...</div><div><br></div><div>Full weekend ahead yet again but all fun and goodness at this time of year. Tonight our Advent calendar activity was to have a camp-out in the living room and watch a Christmas movie. Tomorrow we go watch a friend's daughter perform in a shortened version of the Nutcracker and then come home to bake cookies. <font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">J and I have one of several church Christmas parties in the evening and then Sunday is J's birthday! </font></div></div></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Lots of activities make me love the nights at home when we have nothing planned. Sitting in a cozy house with only the tree lights on is the best.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWe_T0jCsedddDr1FrexDYe603IF1Bp-ApqjgWKv5lS4ryOTxEW0U7qYh6ViNKg2grlOnLTwQKqMk_uaGIz-kdMZVOdhaj2km07DwbYUc-Diyh-TuBJ6M0BGfJh-8JwG7ZfIxfiIKSwME/s640/blogger-image--841281349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWe_T0jCsedddDr1FrexDYe603IF1Bp-ApqjgWKv5lS4ryOTxEW0U7qYh6ViNKg2grlOnLTwQKqMk_uaGIz-kdMZVOdhaj2km07DwbYUc-Diyh-TuBJ6M0BGfJh-8JwG7ZfIxfiIKSwME/s640/blogger-image--841281349.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And this Cindy Lou Who impersonator is awesome too. She's practicing her ballet moves by the way. Oh and she DID put herself to sleep! Yay!!!</div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxORaZiM-kucOAPMFN5mKRbBSod6YUW_LERF8ZdrCijTUxK-YnxWL0QkfD5LzymRScASOGd7K7FnnRrAAx7L_KN8TWeIaalA6C7-MooE92y19ZLMpgF6kWSZ7gPtAmViKKZfDOViv5Ozn4/s640/blogger-image--1442515887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxORaZiM-kucOAPMFN5mKRbBSod6YUW_LERF8ZdrCijTUxK-YnxWL0QkfD5LzymRScASOGd7K7FnnRrAAx7L_KN8TWeIaalA6C7-MooE92y19ZLMpgF6kWSZ7gPtAmViKKZfDOViv5Ozn4/s640/blogger-image--1442515887.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-65941087914839601132013-12-10T07:52:00.002-08:002013-12-10T07:54:24.512-08:00FestivitiesThe holiday season is picking up with events galore. This past weekend was pretty full, but I didn't really feel the Christmas spirit until A's dance recital on Sunday. It was a cold yucky day with rain that you wished would just turn to snow already, and we traveled uptown to see the recital. The city was lit up and it's always fun to walk around the fancy buildings with their decorated trees. A and other dancers did their routines to holiday songs and we watched the famous Singing Bears afterwards (which M loved this year!). Then we bundled up and came home for Ginger Peanut soup and a little tree decorating.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our girl after her hip-hop recital</td></tr>
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Yesterday we finished the tree and it is always so fun to see the kids pull out and remember their old homemade ornaments. M was good about the ornaments, she loved looking and so far hasn't acted interested in taking things off the tree. Also, so far, none broken this year! That may be a record for this family! </div>
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We finished the night with Christmas donuts from Krispy Kreme (our Advent calendar activity of the day). </div>
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Tonight J and I are headed to a fancy party of Sewanee alum, looking forward to attending a party hosted by one of the most well-known Charlotte families who also happen to own a chain of department stores...I may have to sneak some pictures :) </div>
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Ok, off to do some shopping. We're almost finished which is a big deal for us to be so close to done this early! It's been fun and stress-free this year too thanks to a parishioner who watched the kids for us Saturday so we could have a day to shop (and we were able to go see Catching Fire too!). </div>
Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-77018740238452725592013-12-05T09:10:00.000-08:002013-12-05T09:24:14.411-08:00Slow Down, shhhhh.My favorite time of year is here. Advent. I'm hoping to blog more in the quiet times I have, or will make myself have, as we enter this season of intentional quiet and slowness. It's hard though, the culture tells us to rush, and be loud, and look in all directions. Even my driving time, which is usually a time to reflect (or get my to-do list in order), has become distracting with all the fun decorations. I love it of course, and we even purposely went driving around last night to look at the lights; but all these distractions of the cultural season just mean we have to be so much more intentional about making time for quiet and waiting.<br />
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It IS so hard though. This is the first quiet I've taken since Advent started on Sunday, and it's Thursday. But it's necessary. I know it's all just a little too much when I start criticizing everything in my head, and then I start messing things up: I burn the bacon, I get mad at the toddler for taking her hairbow out 8 times (um, just stop putting it back in dummy!), I pull-out in front of people. My mind is distracted and I have this longing to stay in and not talk to or see anyone. And then I realize I need to create, write, listen to music, go for a walk, knit, etc. As an introvert, these things are refilling my energy stores that have been depleated by daily life. By the exhausting task of talking to the grocery store check-out person, by Wednesday night church dinners, and by living with and loving on 3 young kids. All things I enjoy but things that wear me down. </div>
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Trying to be better about the quiet and downtime with the kids too. Although they are quite a loud bunch. :)</div>
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These things are helping:</div>
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1.) No cable. We only use the Roku for tv watching now which means no commercials. Can I tell you how nice it is not to have commercials during this time of year? VERY.</div>
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2.) Limiting activities. We purposely didn't sign the kids up for too many activities for the Winter. H is done with golf and A is almost done with dance for the season. It allows us more time at home and together.</div>
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3.) Our advent calendar. I opted out of the "stuff" Advent Calendar this year. And went back to the envelopes with fun activities that we did a few years ago. This time though, A and H added their own ideas and they are really into it so far. Tonight's activity is to go shopping for the child we chose off the Angel Tree at church. </div>
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4.) Following the Want, Need, Wear, Read guidelines for Chirstmas Gift ideas. It cuts down on the more, more mentality at this time of year. </div>
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5.) Also, <a href="http://www.ptxofficial.com/music?page=music&album_id=10094" target="_blank">this</a> new to us album and<a href="http://music.sufjan.com/album/songs-for-christmas" target="_blank"> this</a> old favorite. Good stuff. </div>
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Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-55356406039789114822013-10-11T05:42:00.000-07:002013-10-11T05:59:48.632-07:00This post brought to you by the letter S (for Sesame Street, which is
why I have a minute to post)I love Friday mornings, not sure why, it just has a more relaxed feel to it. I used to treat myself to a coffee or breakfast out on Fridays after I dropped the kids, but now I have pumpkin spice coffee from Trader Joe's, so my coffee seems special enough. :)<br>
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Also, we are doing the Dave Ramsey program, Financial Peace University and while we budget "pocket money", it doesn't seem like something I want to spend it on right now.<br>
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Also, we're doing a low-carb thing and I really like it. It's more Primal than Paleo (we eat dairy), and I cheat a bit, but I figure I'm more aware and seeing results of this new way of eating, so again, it doesn't seem worth it to waste it on chick-fil-a.<br>
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I'm content drinking my pumpkin spice coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup and listening to Sesame Street in the background. That's the other thing about Fridays, we watch a bit more television, and when it's not on as much during the week, it makes it seem like a luxurious treat.<br>
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This week has been very positive after a few weeks of crazy. Last week was crazy, kids were out of sorts, I had strange migraines, weather was hot. It was just yucky all around. This week has been gloriously Fall-like, only 1 tiny migraine last night, and kids have been awesome. Hopefully we've gotten into a routine of sorts with morning and evening routines and homework. Those are usually where we struggle the most so I've posted their routines and put it in their hands to get it done. I find when we're having a rough week, I nag more and they respond by not listening, and so then I nag more. It's an ugly cycle. So I posted a list and made an effort not to talk/ask/nag.<br>
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We've also started a commission chore chart. They get money for completing extra tasks around the house. There are things they are required to do as part of the family, their morning and evening routines, putting their laundry away, etc. but these are extra things that they can choose to do if they want to earn some money. One thing I added on there was that they can earn money for doing the right thing in regards to school. I explained that this is their job right now; to go to school, learn, listen, and be responsible (bring all assignments home, stay on green on the behavior chart, etc.). So if this happens each day, they will automatically earn money for this task. Last week they were struggling with school things, H was on yellow one day and A kept "forgetting" her math homework. This week they've been perfect. Hopefully this will continue to make a difference.<br>
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Alright we've watched enough tv for the morning (although I really enjoy hearing Grover talking in the background), and A asked if I could please do laundry today because she has no pants, so I suppose I should honor that request. :)Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-59892433503191158832013-09-04T18:02:00.001-07:002013-09-04T18:04:17.487-07:00Random ThingsWe're getting in our school/Fall groove and things are going well: <div><br></div><div>Both kids like their teachers and are positive about school. Little Bit starts a 2 day a week toddler program and my cast is coming off tomorrow! </div><div><br><div>Here are some other things we've been enjoying lately:</div><div><br></div><div>*Our new Roku. We cancelled our cable and are finally able to catch up on some of our favorite shows. Currently we're into Orange is the New Black and Friday Night Lights. </div><div><br></div><div>*My new iPhone, finally upgraded from the 3. Loving it. </div><div><br></div><div>*Watching the oldest read to the youngest. Tonight she read 4 of our classic favorite picture books to her. The other night, this was the scene:</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5DMp_DhbXnldFjVRY8HFk4ZBpMGzv0VT2gdTOLsD_wgpW1hjR_Ljnvqwt-uKjLR__HWgQXnGYq3JVJAukq6Cl8rSBG6G9WLXc5JrDkCw-VXtiq18l0YGGxZdikbeM7Ien8eHNN5mmH7-/s640/blogger-image-787243229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5DMp_DhbXnldFjVRY8HFk4ZBpMGzv0VT2gdTOLsD_wgpW1hjR_Ljnvqwt-uKjLR__HWgQXnGYq3JVJAukq6Cl8rSBG6G9WLXc5JrDkCw-VXtiq18l0YGGxZdikbeM7Ien8eHNN5mmH7-/s640/blogger-image-787243229.jpg"></a></div>Makes my heart soar.</div><div><br></div><div>*Roasted broccoli, with lemon and Parmesan. </div><div><br></div><div>*Walking to and from school. I seriously feel bad for the people sitting in the carpool line. If we weren't walking, how would *A* have noticed this guy?</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTA7htsUSY2XDGeyeY2urdj_VY4sLVB88uHhutkfJRjHVgusJFmLjEJsnUPaCOIKkQAqpzqKqKHgjJMvdYUMxTOrUnLP854QIJHJ5nHBrTg_2l9Egi-jYUGV27yG7wpfHZGPvpbn72qLjS/s640/blogger-image-969703357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTA7htsUSY2XDGeyeY2urdj_VY4sLVB88uHhutkfJRjHVgusJFmLjEJsnUPaCOIKkQAqpzqKqKHgjJMvdYUMxTOrUnLP854QIJHJ5nHBrTg_2l9Egi-jYUGV27yG7wpfHZGPvpbn72qLjS/s640/blogger-image-969703357.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>*Less carbs. I'm not going whole hog on this Paleo thing but I am carefully considering when I eat carbs/wheat. My new routine is a smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch, and normal dinner. But at some point in the day, I break this open for a little sweet fix. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_FHi2hZBNwQ_lNDg-OXT3O2MliQypuzjRJbY5ZMSxmBp8wXnytQlrz6c51GvM_0CLv_q7ZkQbZphKUUy7ZQoKpEauBD1HhmqgfaLeeyca4Rzkvdrsgpfigr6JS4dtpKbHYLcv_8eoHDn/s640/blogger-image--411277354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_FHi2hZBNwQ_lNDg-OXT3O2MliQypuzjRJbY5ZMSxmBp8wXnytQlrz6c51GvM_0CLv_q7ZkQbZphKUUy7ZQoKpEauBD1HhmqgfaLeeyca4Rzkvdrsgpfigr6JS4dtpKbHYLcv_8eoHDn/s640/blogger-image--411277354.jpg"></a></div> Time for one of those now I think while I pack lunches. 3 kid's lunches is kind of a lot, I may need a glass of wine too. ;)</div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-46122240313529692412013-08-30T13:33:00.002-07:002013-08-30T13:33:16.866-07:00"Sum"merBecause I'm still not fully able to type well, but my husband "suggested" I update my blog and informed me my title was showing up in Comic Sans (yuck!), I will sum up where we've been and what we've been doing:<br />
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Wedding in North GA: forced family fun that was actually fun!<br />
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Northern Michigan Vacay: AMAZING. 2 full weeks. Relaxing to the max. Oh, yeah and I broke my first bone, my wrist, dominant hand, hence the no blog update.<br />
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Broken Wrist Adventures: biking alone is so fun, until your wrist breaks. Multiple trips to "town", had to have 1st anesthesia. Ended up in a cast for 6 weeks, I get it off in 6 days, but who's counting?<br />
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Wild Goose Festival: More amazing. 1st family camping trip (minus the toddler), More later.<br />
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Summer Ends: We were sad but we were ready.<br />
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School Starts: Big kids at the same school for the first time ever. Still loving being able to walk to and from school. Can't believe we have a 3rd and 1st grader! Still getting attitude from the supposed "Monterssori" school. Kids and mama so happy to be back in the routine. Miss M misses her siblings.<br />
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And now it's Friday and we've finished our first week of school. The kids are positive and seem to love their teachers which I love. Hoping things stay this positive, it's going to be a great year, I can feel it!<br />
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More later, my wrist is throbbing and it's time to go enjoy the pool (or poolside as the case may be) before it closes this weekend. :(Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-1897310482043713022013-07-02T18:06:00.002-07:002013-07-02T18:06:33.540-07:00We Like WaterAll the pictures I've taken lately involve water in some way. It's been a mostly wet summer and we've been either getting rained on or swimming, so there's really not much else to take pictures of but water.<br />
Today the kids played in the rain because there was really no other way to play outside.<br />
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Last week to cool off, they wanted to make body outlines on the wall using the sprayer on the hose. </div>
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Here are the results, pretty cool huh?</div>
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And then of course, there's swim team. It was quite a season, full of rain delays and cancelled and rescheduled swim meets because of rain. We were assured this wasn't the norm, but it made an already exhausting swim season even crazier and we are quite happy to have it over with this week. </div>
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The kids really thrived on swim team this year though. H went from *just* being able to swim 25 meters to winning his heat 3 times! A, who was on swim team in Sewanee, became quite proficient in butterfly, a new stroke for her this year. She swam freestyle, backstroke and butterfly at each meet and was consistently on a relay team; either for backstroke in the medley, or as part of the freestyle relay. She is a beautiful swimmer and it was a great thing to watch her thrive in this sport. </div>
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<br />Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-42281671797168744482013-06-17T18:55:00.001-07:002013-06-17T18:55:18.532-07:00Pretty Perfect MondayKids slept in, and thus so did I. Let Mr. Man sleep in even more because he has been working all weekend. Which is kind of half normal for a priest but being up at 5 both Saturday and Sunday, travelling to a bishop's consecration and back on Saturday, having a very full morning of church Sunday (preaching and celebrating all 3 services), plus an afternoon of minor league baseball game, and a Sunday evening of Superman makes for a very tired Daddy on the day after Father's Day. <div>
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VBS is this week, so I dropped the big kids off and we went to brunch with Baby Girl. Ran a few errands, left Daddy and baby to a failed nap, went to Target, watched the Blind Side (which our kids LOVE), and decided I needed to make the perfect summer dinner. </div>
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So, for dinner we had Tomato, Cucumber, Basil, and Feta Salad with Pesto Chicken Pasta. Our basil is growing like crazy and this batch of pesto plus about a cup chopped for the salad barely made a dent. The cucumbers were from my parent's garden, we've never had success with cucumbers but theirs are going crazy! My mom gave me 5 more today; more cucumber salad, yay! We had gotten a big bag of local peaches at the farmer's market Saturday, so for dessert we had whipped cream and sauteed peaches in butter and brown sugar with a little cinnamon (and a dash of scotch thrown in for the adults). So yum.</div>
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After dinner Daddy and the big kids played games while I kept M busy with a basketful of rocks. We love these big smooth rocks from Michigan and keep them on her level to put in a out of the basket to her heart's content. We probably did it for 15 minutes and she kept putting them to her cheek and saying "cold".</div>
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Big kids have been sleeping together at night since they don't have to get up early for school and they are currently talking and laughing in bed. So sweet. Baby Girl went down easy after her non-nap and now it's time to read and watch a little HBO on the iPad. </div>
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See, pretty perfect Monday. </div>
Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-65689488343745214492013-06-17T13:16:00.003-07:002013-06-17T13:17:36.601-07:00Summer!!!Summer's in full swing around here. With the first week (and annoying transition/adjustment time of siblings being together constantly) under our belts, I think we're ready to dive in to summer. This week is a bit of the crazy with 3 swim meets (2 rescheduled from storms already), a baseball team party, and VBS, but we're taking it one hour at a time and trying to relax where possible.<br />
Here are the end of Kinder and 2nd grade pics, the differences from the first day of school being mainly longer legs and shorter hair. Ok, we're off to the pool because we just can't seem to stay away!<br />
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<br />Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-78894055178180749552013-06-03T12:05:00.004-07:002013-06-05T06:51:57.482-07:00Good StuffWe've had some fabulously fun weekends around here lately. Full of family fun and early summer adventure. Last weekend I was fed up seeing everyone else's beach photos on facebook and feeling the NEED for the salt in my hair and sand in my toes, so we took a surprise day trip to the closest beach. We settled on Folly Beach which is hip and old-school all at the same time. I can't wait to go back. The kids were so excited to go on this little adventure and were so good in the car that they didn't even mind the extra 1.5 hours it took to get there due to Memorial Day traffic. They made videos the whole way there and slept the whole way home. They were in the water 93% of the time we were there (which was much warmer than I was expecting) and ate every single snack we brought. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1RfG4oarsgtSmeXNiZwETmOGPHwhoigrr90VQtVaTsfB55tmnvbCuqYBZHqijpDPenCsHvkgAXpyEXnVLwSIHTVpTHj8KtD95JBxeirpZmTVX4S4l7oNxhz9pAG_o9qxxAo_9cO9PAH0/s640/blogger-image-1608374736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1RfG4oarsgtSmeXNiZwETmOGPHwhoigrr90VQtVaTsfB55tmnvbCuqYBZHqijpDPenCsHvkgAXpyEXnVLwSIHTVpTHj8KtD95JBxeirpZmTVX4S4l7oNxhz9pAG_o9qxxAo_9cO9PAH0/s640/blogger-image-1608374736.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJTw7dQtRIOzcf2agqw5iwJurYiDNslrpnnH4e3LFa9fZRlPxyGHv9ZTsl8JppUq0D8neHN2l6hs6ldyMN0Kow3O6UzN52rA6f3VkTHuHtN-98Yw0bWT21BB59F_kl7OM5ZBFo2Prdq3c/s640/blogger-image-1919741073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJTw7dQtRIOzcf2agqw5iwJurYiDNslrpnnH4e3LFa9fZRlPxyGHv9ZTsl8JppUq0D8neHN2l6hs6ldyMN0Kow3O6UzN52rA6f3VkTHuHtN-98Yw0bWT21BB59F_kl7OM5ZBFo2Prdq3c/s640/blogger-image-1919741073.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9jjRyGHj4UlxUg8tJoi6ooZyZM3IwRW3vnr2OJjgfBPVmg0J2jnpWhW0nHsqz7ucfo6y74pqIeiWtCA0CsKFjGyiQgvPdaa0RuSG9H8B_6_zgNwkeoROw38G4PJe-OhBFxbVEvz08cUd/s640/blogger-image--913592462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9jjRyGHj4UlxUg8tJoi6ooZyZM3IwRW3vnr2OJjgfBPVmg0J2jnpWhW0nHsqz7ucfo6y74pqIeiWtCA0CsKFjGyiQgvPdaa0RuSG9H8B_6_zgNwkeoROw38G4PJe-OhBFxbVEvz08cUd/s640/blogger-image--913592462.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCobBSubQP8L1weaTLBRVh-n-BTpL8g5-ln8va1xoteGio50kY_Lg3TLek2K5kc2z6NwJaYSebzg-4eDEQ2Kg-xmA6HxuV6au4kAyC97PeoBOQ_0OIXZ49AQaHQmuXyh08nanbPKzHDBT/s640/blogger-image--983397692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCobBSubQP8L1weaTLBRVh-n-BTpL8g5-ln8va1xoteGio50kY_Lg3TLek2K5kc2z6NwJaYSebzg-4eDEQ2Kg-xmA6HxuV6au4kAyC97PeoBOQ_0OIXZ49AQaHQmuXyh08nanbPKzHDBT/s640/blogger-image--983397692.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>For dinner we went to a place called Surf Bar that I read good reviews of. Kind of an open-air dive but in a good way with surfboards lining the ceiling and dogs roaming the porch for scraps. They had great burgers and perhaps the best and most unusual cocktail I've ever had called The Painkiller. I have no idea what was in it or how to make it but it was creamy and slightly sweet but also savory and it had nutmeg on top! Yum.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3KcdnACvaEYQPJKi1QKXGgtn64YpDMbwHIENNkr3qBNPMVdQT-kHG99TCuZyuFNv1aMY1lm8Y8OoSF3lE6zL07k3rhcU1Mth0YYJTlrKxdNp9QOvrBWb_MJFGtaG5Mu5I2ZSjFxttxUC/s640/blogger-image--1348082358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3KcdnACvaEYQPJKi1QKXGgtn64YpDMbwHIENNkr3qBNPMVdQT-kHG99TCuZyuFNv1aMY1lm8Y8OoSF3lE6zL07k3rhcU1Mth0YYJTlrKxdNp9QOvrBWb_MJFGtaG5Mu5I2ZSjFxttxUC/s640/blogger-image--1348082358.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div>Having the pool open on the weekend just automatically makes the weekends more fun. Usually Sunday afternoons means family rest time but while Daddy and M slept, I took the big kids to the pool. Now that they can both swim independently and well, this means I actually got to relax at the pool! </div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAM6yrv7OpR2KVZOY9JLnNQeZTW-_jAMUyj9ZtNaufikm_QTfzzvz0BO0Ud1dE3gCam06kNrEC6OX2KdDP3U1PS2OOCNSHLK1-cmW2csFjcHcx6qFY0MHNNWA1cXNcrOCWeRjs9o8civ5/s640/blogger-image-442242330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAM6yrv7OpR2KVZOY9JLnNQeZTW-_jAMUyj9ZtNaufikm_QTfzzvz0BO0Ud1dE3gCam06kNrEC6OX2KdDP3U1PS2OOCNSHLK1-cmW2csFjcHcx6qFY0MHNNWA1cXNcrOCWeRjs9o8civ5/s640/blogger-image-442242330.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I think it's a new Sunday afternoon ritual! </div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-66271693449444574492013-05-30T09:44:00.002-07:002013-05-30T09:44:34.546-07:00Alone TimeMy parents offered to take Ms. Cutie-pie today so I could have some free-time before summer break hits. I have so far been enjoying gardening, catching up on e-mails and making coffee. I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something though. I'm off to shoe shop (not for me though, boo!), get lunch, and maybe a pedicure or a nap. :) Time is running out quickly though so I'm off.Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-11553344539717623702013-05-29T10:30:00.000-07:002013-05-29T10:30:02.689-07:00Photography of lateI've been trying to advance my skills as a photographer, learning about light and aperture and white balance and shutter speed and focal point. It's fun and just when I think I've figured something out, I realize I still have so much to learn.<br />
Here are some favorites from the last few weeks in a variety of lighting, actions, and settings.<br />
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<br />Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988235680848857552.post-7745604539660967212013-05-22T11:35:00.001-07:002013-05-26T10:32:44.770-07:00RecoveringAfter the eye injury, other parts of my body decided to stop functioning as well and I ended up with mastitis. So not fun. Antibiotics are helping an I'm finally feeling like a productive person again. Thank goodness for my amazing husband who cared for the kidlets, cooked, cleaned, etc. all while trying to maintain his job, write and preach a sermon, etc. Oh, and he did it all joyously. He rocks. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pk5wDKpxhbOwiUyEu5Y_FikSitABQmJq-dnfslxk-PjC1YjiCN-tKSnRt_MahQKjuK3yNMeByjHYoOBO9evoIqlvEL8yywiy35OcPHm4fFhgPF_f-5eOp2k3sVxebEbqFhrecN7_Z5Ql/s640/blogger-image--1118388118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pk5wDKpxhbOwiUyEu5Y_FikSitABQmJq-dnfslxk-PjC1YjiCN-tKSnRt_MahQKjuK3yNMeByjHYoOBO9evoIqlvEL8yywiy35OcPHm4fFhgPF_f-5eOp2k3sVxebEbqFhrecN7_Z5Ql/s640/blogger-image--1118388118.jpg"></a></div>I'm pretty much fully functional today but its been a week. So I couldn't resist joining M for part if her nap today. Who needs clean underwear? Oh wait, we all do. Seriously, it's amazing the way things pile up when one us is down and the other is in maintenance mode. The mail, school papers, cups, laundry, trash. Ugh. I'm happy to do it though after feeling so rough the past week. </div><div>We've entered swim season around here </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kkoP476FkPzwTk-a1w8Bc22uW4LoOxWeA3m4ykPYmG9PiwClYB-2ymgit2JPSzsTtaiE63WxUMfAeCzRT-15cd7b82rYj_j2oujRDx0dB2xK9jFg_R-08UCHLn8Z-wg_IYtejA4BaYhB/s640/blogger-image-758802865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kkoP476FkPzwTk-a1w8Bc22uW4LoOxWeA3m4ykPYmG9PiwClYB-2ymgit2JPSzsTtaiE63WxUMfAeCzRT-15cd7b82rYj_j2oujRDx0dB2xK9jFg_R-08UCHLn8Z-wg_IYtejA4BaYhB/s640/blogger-image-758802865.jpg"></a></div>That's our girl at the bottom of the lane, their coach noticed her (she's new to this team) yesterday and said "I've got to get my hands on that girl, she's strong, she's a strong swimmer." And she really is, she's beautiful to watch in the water. But we took a year off and her body has changed and she needs her skills sharpened. Swim team is going to be so good for her. H is loving it too and he looks so cute in his speedo shorts.</div>Our Side of the Mountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865862179253732814noreply@blogger.com0