tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57552910766288579172024-03-13T12:39:07.881-06:00I Am A BurdenDaniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-75768168886841398982013-10-11T23:19:00.001-06:002013-10-11T23:19:56.392-06:00Hawaii Days 2 and 3June 3 & 4, 2013<br />
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We spent the day of the 3rd at the beach and it was incredible! The sand was so soft and pretty and the water was so blue. It truly looked like a postcard. This day I had a little "wardrobe malfunction" due to some big waves and distraction on my part. A rashguard was promptly bought that afternoon and sported the rest of the trip! We were also very lucky to see many turtles this week. This beach had a rock grouping that was a nice resting place for the turtles so the boys headed out to get some pictures and video. I was so excited, never having seen turtles like these outside of a zoo or aquarium.<br />
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That night we went to a nearby mall to watch a hula performance put on by a local cultural group. They were very talented and we had fun talking to them and their parents after the show.<br />
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The next day we took a drive a little bit further south down the island to see the Captain Cook Monument. In order to get to the monument we would have had to take a tour boat. Instead we drove to the other side of the inlet to see it from afar and to marvel at the massive waves. Michelle and Andy got up close and personal with some of the waves. We had a lot of fun first watching our group be surprised, and subsequently soaked, by some rogue waves and then seeing others get "cooled off."<br />
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Another very cool stop that day was called the Place of Refuge. This park has a very cool <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu%CA%BBuhonua_o_H%C5%8Dnaunau_National_Historical_Park" target="_blank">history</a> and was really a great stop.<br />
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Our final big stop of that day was to check out the Waipio Valley. It was gorgeous! The lookout is about 2000 feet above sea level and the steep road going down into the valley is not appropriate (duh!) for rental vehicles, so we enjoyed from above. Looking at pictures of the valley online, you can see the beauty that is preserved and protected by the steep walls. <br />
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<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-80799423532361139222013-10-10T22:55:00.001-06:002013-10-10T22:55:17.039-06:00E-ismsOh my Miss E keeps me on my toes. She is hilarious!<br />
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Yesterday she told me she loved me so much she wanted to marry me. I told her I couldn't marry her, I am her mom and I am already married to her dad. She looked at me and asked, "Where were you when daddy chose you?" I didn't understand so I said, "what?!" She asked the question again so I said, "do you mean where was I when daddy asked me to marry him?" She said, "yes." I told her that I lived in Provo, UT and I was going to BYU. She smiled and said, "I bet he looked at you and said, that's a pretty girl and I want to marry her!"<br />
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This afternoon E was in the bathroom for a long time (typical for her). I heard her grunt and then quietly say, "yes!" Then she started cheering, "I did it! I knew I could do it and I did! Yay! Yes! I did it!" And so on. When she came out of the bathroom she told me that she "hugged and kissed that potty!" I told her that I was proud of her, but to please, never do that again. Bleh!<br />
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Lately any time someone leaves the home without E she always yells, "Wait! I have something to give you in the laundry room!" Then she runs in to give us a sloppy kiss and hug before we go.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-8850300539998395772013-10-04T23:57:00.001-06:002013-10-04T23:57:17.468-06:00Hawaii Day 1June 2, 2013<br />
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My mom and dad provided us with a fabulous vacation to Hawaii to kick off a big year of celebration. My mom was celebration a big birthday (we believe she doesn't look a day over 30!), mom and dad are celebrating 30 years of marriage this year, and my cute brother was preparing to leave on a church mission to Japan later in the summer. My kids stayed with my awesome cousin Lessley for the first part of the trip and my aunt Jayme for the end. Let's just say that they were less than enthused about going home to boring mom and dad!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the day they headed down to Lessley's. These two are a crack up!</td></tr>
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We stayed at the Outrigger Fairway Villas. The rooms were 2 room condos and they were perfect! We had a lot of fun swimming and playing on the property there. The barbeque area near the pool was right near our rooms, which was very convenient for dinners. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, Steve, this was the only picture I had of our condo. He was trying on Andy's pants...not a good fit!</td></tr>
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The first full day that we were in Hawaii happened to be a Sunday. We got up fairly early, thanks to the crazy time change, and enjoyed the morning before heading to church in Waimea. The ward we visited happened to be Steve's "Aloha O'e ward," the last ward he was in before he left his mission. The day we were there they had two missionaries to sing the Aloha O'e, one leaving to go home, and one leaving for his own mission. It was so touching to stand and sing that song, knowing Steve was there only about 9 years earlier. (I totally cried.) We also got to check out the mission pad (apartment), right across the parking lot from the church. It was pretty basic and kind of dirty...just the way he remembered it! Steve was in heaven in Waimea, so much so that he is still convincing me that this is the place our family should end up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signing "the desk" in the missionary pad</td></tr>
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After church we went for a drive to see the King Kamehameha statue and then on to the Polalu Valley. The hike down to the Polalu Valley was stunning and a bit steep. The reward at the end was breathtaking! I got to see my first black sand beach. It was so beautiful. We loved seeing the tiny, insect-like frogs hopping all around in the brush. The hike back up was a bit more strenuous and I was made only more self-conscious by the family that had competed in the half Iron Man race the day before, basically jogging up holding their children. Steve carried me up at the end, haha.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy and Michelle-These cuties celebrated their first anniversary in Hawaii, luckies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my dad!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole group: Dad, Mom, Steve, Me, Andy, Michelle, Matt, Kelsi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a horrible picture, but I had to document the time Andy just about gave us girls a heart attack. He jumped out of these trees like a monkey and I am sure the screaming was heard from miles around.</td></tr>
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Rather than going straight home we decided to hit one more of our hikes. *Side note: My sister, Kelsi, made it very clear that she had no desire to hike while on this trip. The first day we jumped right in by doing two hikes, one very steep and the other loooong and flat.* We wanted to see a sacrificial heiau (hey-ow) that Steve had visited during his time on that island. It was a nice, flat, long, <strike>breezy</strike> windy hike. It was actually a fun walk with beautiful views. (Sadly I don't really have any pictures of this!)<br />
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That night we ate dinner at the mall near our condo. When we got home I think we went to the hot tub, afterward falling into bed exhausted! Kartchners do not mess around on vacation!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-12152897206163666242013-10-04T23:57:00.000-06:002013-10-04T23:57:08.610-06:00New OpportunitiesFor the last few years our family has considered what should come next. Steve had considered going back to school or looking for a new job. The thought had crossed our minds to look for work closer to Plain City, but in the year and a half that we searched, not much came up. After ruling school out, the job hunt was on. Steve interviewed in Boise; Newport, OR; and Kennewick, WA. Offers were given for each of the jobs: Boise (our desired location) was not a good fit or good offer, Newport was a great offer and a great work fit, but not the best location for our family; and Kennewick, a good offer, a good job, and a good fit for the family. The offer came on either the 23rd or 24th of May and we accepted on the 28th. Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-58182549310669961742013-10-04T22:53:00.002-06:002013-10-04T22:53:35.719-06:00Preschool GraduationMay 20, 2013<br />
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May was a big month for our Miss E. In addition to her piano recital, she "graduated" from her first year of preschool. This was a bit sad for our family, knowing that we would more than likely be moving before the next school year. We all loved E's teachers, Mrs. Ellis and Ms. Dixie. We knew Ms. Dixie from church and she and E had a very special relationship that Miss E truly misses! At her graduation, the teachers introduced each student and their desired profession. In true E fashion, it was announced that she would be a princess when she grew up. We had a fun time celebrating E that day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8/27/12 Her first day of school</td></tr>
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We loved E's first year of school so much and feel so grateful for the foundation that was set and the nurturing E felt.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-7079002047094318762013-09-20T14:07:00.001-06:002013-09-20T14:07:41.911-06:00Miss E's Recital PerformanceMay 16, 2013<br />
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"The Belltower"<br />
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I knew she was super nervous because she was swinging her feet like crazy. Afterward she gave me such a huge grin. I sure love this girl!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-50408304646685984682013-09-19T22:50:00.002-06:002013-09-19T22:50:32.658-06:00Spring RecitalMay 16, 2013<br />
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I held my final recital with my Utah piano students on May 16. This was an especially significant recital because Miss E performed for the first time (first time in a recital-she had already played in her school talent show). She played a song called, "The Bell Tower" and did a fabulous job! I will try to find the video of that to post as well. She was so nervous to introduce herself, but she played beautifully. I was so proud! She was just excited that she was allowed to eat the treats afterward.<br />
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This was an emotional recital for me, knowing that I would be leaving my students this summer. I thanked them for allowing me to teach them and did my best to not cry like a little girl. It was so hard! My kids all were fabulous, as usual, and left me with the best memories.<br />
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I have yet to decide if I am going to start teaching here. It really is time consuming and I will have to figure out what to do with my kiddos while I am teaching. I had a pretty sweet deal with a family in Plain City, piano lessons in exchange for babysitting. For now I am still trying to find my piano beneath the boxes!<br />
<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-92000722464667353752013-09-13T23:01:00.001-06:002013-09-13T23:01:11.732-06:00Wholly SummerThis summer was nuts. Truly. Starting with a fabulous dream trip to Hawaii and ending with us living in a new state. Whew!<br />
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June brought a family (adults only) trip to THE Big Island. It was wonderful! It was a huge hoorah to celebrate Mom's birthday, Mom and Dad's anniversary, and Matt's last family trip before he left for his mission. We had lots of fun, ate lots, got lots of sun...basically it was lots of everything! We had a wonderful time being together as a family. I couldn't ask for greater siblings and parents. I love them so much!<br />
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The end of June meant preparations to move to Washington. This was a very bittersweet time for our family. Steve had to start his new job on July 2 and I wasn't moving with the girls until the 20th of July. That meant lots of late nights and early mornings. I saw the sun rise on many mornings. Without the help of family and friends this move would not have worked as smoothly as it did. I am forever indebted to countless people!!!<br />
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Here is one last "beauty shot" of our home. We love this home. It will always be our first purchased home that we poured heart and soul into. Our second baby was brought home here. Many tears, both happy and sad, were shed in this home. </div>
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The best of the best people live in our old neighborhood/ward. They were truly there to lift me and my girls up and I know that Steve and I both felt comfort because I was so taken care of. My incredible sister and brother in law also went above and beyond the call of duty that week!!! </div>
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The day we loaded the truck, July 19, the house was immaculately clean and all of our toys were packed up. I did not want the girls in the house so we got in the car and they promptly fell asleep. I headed to my favorite lunch spot, Kneaders, and got a yummy lunch from the drive through. We then headed to Beus Pond Park to explore. The girls got even more tired and more dirty. We were lucky enough to be invited to our favorite friends house for dinner and baths before bed.</div>
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Once we got all of our stuff to Kennewick and unloaded from the truck, we promptly turned around and went on vacation!!! The girls and I met our besties, the Knights, in Boise and then went to my mom and dad's cabin in Donnelly, ID. It was a wonderful few days of food, fun, and friends. We loved our beach days! </div>
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August brought more tears with the departure of our favorite brother to the Missionary Training Center to learn how to be a missionary to the Japanese people. Whew, that was a hard but great day!</div>
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Then it was off the the Kartchner family reunion at Bear Lake to celebrate these two and their fabulous legacy.</div>
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Finally, in the middle of August, we were "home," whatever that meant at the time. Our new home in Kennewick is on a huge lot and we have met many kind people. We are still moving boxes around. It still feels new and a bit uncomfortable, but in time I know it will begin to feel like <i>home</i>.</div>
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And last but not least, our last celebrations of the summer include our anniversary and to love on this little girl! Tiny turned 2 on the 20th and we loved every minute of that day. She is such a light in all of our lives.</div>
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This summer was overwhelming at its worst and incredible at its best. I have cried tears of pain, sadness, even sorrow, and lots of tears of joy. We know that we are loved and I have never felt it so clearly and purely as I did this summer. I have been blessed!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-69297688940811700042013-03-10T22:45:00.002-06:002013-03-10T22:45:34.960-06:00Simple Pleasures1/25/13 <br />
My girls are huge suckers for water. Unfortunately, I don't often feel like a fun enough mom to deal with the aftermath of water play. After looking at these pictures I have come to the realization that the little bit of watery mess is more than worth the joy that warm, bubbly water brings!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know this is a terrible picture but it is one of my favorites because it shows how excited she gets about bubbles!</td></tr>
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<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-89041024323705818332013-03-10T22:16:00.000-06:002013-03-10T22:16:41.884-06:00Morning Time<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She LOVES bananas! (1/25/13)</td></tr>
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I want to record some of our daily routines for my girls when to look back on when they are older.<br />
Our mornings are (generally) very low key. The girls wake up around 8:00 most days. I know that we are super lucky here, as lots of families start their days much earlier than us! Miss E will then do one of a few things. Some days she wakes up and Little Sister is still sleeping, so E will play in her room for a bit or come down and ask for breakfast. Sometimes Sis is awake so the two play happily, E giving Sis toys or telling her stories. Other days are less serene. E occasionally wakes up in a foul mood, screaming from her bed for breakfast (heaven help her and me those days!!!) She is not supposed to yell from her bed, for obvious reasons, so I will either let her yell it out (if the baby is awake already) or I will go up and she is reprimanded for making us all crazy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is not happy when meal time ends. (1/25/13)</td></tr>
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The next step in our day is breakfast. Our girls don't branch out a whole lot with breakfast. Tiny eats a bowl of oatmeal with yogurt mixed in basically every day, along with (since we are always trying to fatten her up) whole milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed in. E has a slightly bigger variety. She often asks for bread with jam, cereal, or oatmeal. She also drinks the chocolate milk, although hers is not usually whole milk! The girls also love any kind of fruit they can get with breakfast. Sometimes I get a fun mom whim and make a good breakfast of waffles, eggs, etc, but those days are few and far between.<br />
As soon as they are done eating I try to get the dishes unloaded from the dishwasher and the breakfast dishes done. I also have to sweep at this time. All of that is basically impossible once Tiny is out of her high chair. She is a "helper." <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching TV so mom can get some work done (11/1/12)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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From there the girls get dressed, play, and get their hair done. Since Steve works every other week and works nights, we have to keep somewhat quiet in the mornings. This is a challenge on some days more than others...these are the days the TV is a good entertainer while I get ready as fast as I can. Please don't judge if you come over before noon and I am still in my pjs with crazy hair!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day after Halloween-a good look at how we feel about mornings around here. A little coo coo! (11/1/12)</td></tr>
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This is the basic outline of our morning as it stands right now. We are really looking forward to warmer weather so we can head outside before noon!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-72524002640064870102013-02-26T10:24:00.003-07:002013-02-26T10:24:50.616-07:00Visiting the YJanuary 21, 2013<br />
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After dropping Steve's parents off at the MTC Steve and I wanted to take the girls to BYU. We knew Miss E would love the bookstore and we really wanted to show them around campus. Unfortunately we forgot that it was Martin Luther King day so the bookstore was closed. It also happened to be well below freezing so it was much too uncomfortable to take a leisurely stroll outside. Instead, we decided to do what we do best...EAT. Luckily the Creamery was open so we got some yummy burgers, fries, and ice cream.<br />
On our way home we stopped at the outlets at Traverse Mountain in Lehi. Again, it was way too cold to be outside, so we quickly ran in to a few stores that had things we needed and then ran back to the car, faces freezing! It was a fun day but it left us wanting to go back on a day when it is a bit warmer.<br />
<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-77981658134605973822013-02-24T22:59:00.002-07:002013-02-24T22:59:40.764-07:00Missionary GrandparentsJanuary 21, 2013<br />
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Steve's parents have been talking about going on a mission for the LDS church for the last year or so. Last summer they let us know that they were making official plans to go. In the fall they received their call to Baumholder Germany. While we are sad to say goodbye to them for the next 18 months, we are so excited to hear of their adventures!<br />
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On January 21 we had the opportunity to take them to the Missionary Training Center in Provo. I had only ever quickly been into the main entrance of the MTC so it was fun to spend a few minutes in there and then to drop them off at their building.<br />
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Grandpa and Grandma (Jean and Gerald) checking in</div>
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The girls had a great time being very wiggly and running around the entry</div>
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Classic missionary picture by the map, they are headed to Germany!</div>
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Grandpa listening to the instructions while grandma was probably kissing the baby</div>
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Good bye hugs</div>
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Our last look. You can't see it here, but Grandma was a little bit misty eyed (as was I!). Luckily we were able to spend one more weekend with them before they flew out.</div>
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We are so proud of them!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-8446509091809095062013-02-24T22:46:00.002-07:002013-02-24T22:46:47.154-07:00Yucky Sickies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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January 2, 2013</div>
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Our new year started out a bit rough. After traveling to Boise to visit family, Tiny started to feel a bit under the weather. Our second day home, she was coughing terribly and lethargic with a bit of a fever. All day long I waited and watched her all day debating if I should take her in to the doctor. Finally we decided to take her in to the after hours clinic around 5 pm. Sure enough, she was diagnosed with RSV and was sounding worse and worse with every cough. Steve and I took her up to the hospital's RSV clinic to have her nose sucked clean and her breathing treated. (Cue fabulous neighbors that watched E while we were gone this whole evening!) This illness lasted about a week, and the day after she started feeling better, she came down with a stomach bug that lasted another week. It was miserable! To add to the fun, literally the day after Tiny began to recover from her stomach bug, Miss E came down with the same bug, which thankfully only lasted a couple of days.<br />
It was a rough couple of weeks that left us wanting for warmer weather!!! We are doing great now and are feeling so grateful for the few days of clear sunny skies we have seen recently.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-49947038748937999892013-02-24T22:34:00.002-07:002013-02-24T22:34:25.241-07:00Back From Blogging Sabbatical???So, blogging has totally fallen by the wayside in my life, but I really love looking back on our lives in pictures so we shall see...Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-66803051968237536342012-09-23T23:31:00.002-06:002012-09-23T23:31:49.278-06:00E-ismAt Target wanting me to get her a treat, "Please, gorgeous girl!" I am in trouble!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-51570574721480111032012-09-23T23:28:00.001-06:002012-09-23T23:28:33.776-06:00PreschoolerAugust 27, 2012<br />
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The day has finally come! My big girl is a preschooler. She couldn't wait for this day to come (not gonna lie, I couldn't wait either!). Miss E is loving her class and especially her teachers. For such a spitfire, she certainly gets nervous in new situations, but her teachers are quick to swoop her up, give her a love, and move on...perfect for her. She is in class twice a week for two hours. The first day she was so nervous, but as soon as she got in the car after class she didn't even take a breath when telling me what she did: " We played with toys, we colored a picture, we sang a song like this "Alice the camel has 5 humps," we had a snack..." and on and on!<br />
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She looks so grown up!</div>
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I think she was more excited to finally wear her school clothes than anything else.</div>
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She could hardly contain herself to take serious pictures, finally mom relented so Miss E could be her silly self.</div>
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It was so sunny! 1st day pictures with Mrs. Ellis and Miss Dixie, we love them already!</div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-41164207748396039902012-09-03T22:28:00.003-06:002012-09-03T22:28:59.754-06:00Our Little Lady Had A BirthdayOn Sunday, September 2 we celebrated Sweet Pea's first birthday. Since she is our little lady we made it a ladybug party. It was a pretty family dinner party, but we loved it! We were so lucky to have Grandma K, Auntie Shell and Uncle Andy, Auntie Kels, Aunt Cindy, Grandma Ro, and Grandpa and Grandma Great. Sadly we were missing Grandpa K and Uncle Matt!<br />
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Here was our little birthday photo shoot her her full ladybug getup: </div>
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We had "Ladybug Haystacks" for dinner with a "Garden of Toppings"</div>
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"Ladybug Greens" and Raspberry Pretzel Jello</div>
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I love these pictures of Grandpa Great reading to Miss E. I love that this little girl shares a love of reading with Grandpa!</div>
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From left to right: Andy, Cindy, Evie, Grandma Great, Grandma Ro, Grandma K</div>
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And here are Auntie Shell and Auntie Kels with Tiny </div>
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Steve was there, too. This awesome pic is courtesy of Miss E, the budding photographer. </div>
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Oh how I love this sweet little girl!</div>
<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-34054556468501850012012-09-03T22:13:00.001-06:002012-09-03T22:32:30.695-06:00Sweet Pea is One!This girl is such a doll! We have had a blast watching her learn and grow over the last year.<br />
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She literally woke up smiling on her birthday. This is a face that we see very often.<br />
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Here are some tidbits about Sweet Pea on her first birthday:<br />
*She pulls herself to a stand on anything and everything<br />
*She can cruise along couches and tables, she even uses our kitchen chairs and bar stools as walkers<br />
*She is a champion stair climber but still thinks it's a good idea to go down the stairs face first<br />
*She just figured out how to climb up on to our couch <br />
*She can say mama, dada, hi, and "mo" for more food<br />
*She loves to sing Patty Cake and Popcorn Popping<br />
*She has some sweet dance moves<br />
*She eats pretty much everything we put in front of her and loves it, in fact she cries every time she finishes her meal regardless of how much we have given her to eat<br />
*Her favorite foods are: oatmeal with yogurt, all fruit, spaghetti, <br />
*She is a mama's girl through and through but will take daddy pretty happily too<br />
*She sleeps through the night, although getting to sleep is a bit of a struggle most nights<br />
*She loves to look through books by herself, but gets really wiggly when I try to read to her<br />
*She still has such a sweet disposition, however she has recently discovered her scream. Oh boy, is it loud and shrill!<br />
*At her one year appointment she was weighed and measured and found out that she is extra tiny (aside from her noggin) and has gone down on the growth charts. We have to keep an eye on her weight this month and reweigh her in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we can fatten her up a bit! <br />
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Just like Miss E we celebrated her first birthday with spaghetti for dinner and donuts for dessert. She was in heaven!<br />
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Miss E was very happy with the birthday spread.<br />
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Sweet Pea loved the donut so much she tried to shove the whole thing into her mouth at one time. Luckily mom and dad were there to swipe out the mass of dough!<br />
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I just love this little girl to bits and feel so blessed to be her mama!<br />
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One Year Stats:</div>
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Weight: 18.10 lbs 29th %ile</div>
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Height: 29.5 inches 58th %ile</div>
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Head Circumference: 47 cm 93 %ile </div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-12568807266372212832012-08-21T22:14:00.000-06:002012-08-21T22:14:00.205-06:00Miss E-ims<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This girl cracks me up daily. Unfortunately I am not the best at recording all of the hilarious things she says. Here are a couple of her latest funnies:<br />
*Said out of the blue: "I love pigs because they are much pinker and roll in mud."<br />
*While snuggling with me on the couch: "Mom, I like your face because it is cute and awesome."<br />
*She is obsessed with the idea of getting married to her little friend that lives in our neighborhood. She is always talking about when she gets married and how she will get flowers and wear a white dress and veil and her groom-to-be will wear a suit and tie. She knows that she will need some flowers and then they can kiss on the lips. The crazy thing is that I do not ever talk about it, I don't bring it up or ask her questions about it. She initiates this discussion almost daily and has it all worked out. She has even got him talking about it and he has a tiger ring picked out for her from his play room. Yikes!!!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-44626627269166325132012-08-19T20:06:00.001-06:002012-08-19T20:06:21.898-06:007 Years Later...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And I love this guy more than ever! This last year has been a hard one between learning how to be parents to two crazies and lots and lots of school and work. I am so glad that Steve is the person I get to work and grow with. He is beyond patient with my crazy craziness and works so hard to provide a wonderful life for our family.<br />
We were able to celebrate our anniversary on Friday by going out together without the kids! Hooray! We went to dinner at Maddox then out to see the romantic film, The Dark Knight Rises. It was perfect and so fun to have a chance to talk and actually hold hands when we were walking.<br />
Here's to many many more anniversaries!<br />
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<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-88900497621842792712012-08-19T19:43:00.001-06:002012-08-19T19:43:30.538-06:00Beautiful GirliesReally this was supposed to be a cute post full of after church photo shoot photos. Instead it is a cute post full of photo shoot fails, since that was all I got today! The girls are still very cute, so I am not too sad.<br />
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These outfits were from Grandma K and Miss E loves to wear them because then she can be "matcher matchers" with Sweet Pea.<br />
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Sweet Pea will be one tomorrow and I can't even believe it! This last year has flown by and I love these girls more than I can even say.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-67134090062325622022012-02-16T17:31:00.001-07:002012-02-16T17:31:20.681-07:00Afternoon Walk<div><p>Today, although cold, was beautiful and sunny. The girls and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather while Steve was inside working on the girls new room. It was a nice break from our cabin fever!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TF8EPdjI4lI/Tz2fzBFPjdI/AAAAAAAAB04/HrQIZdVNJpE/IMAG0498.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-X47AuzLtfag/Tz2fztCoqWI/AAAAAAAAB1A/1_a8gPQg7Sk/IMAG0499.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fwrZaWduCrA/Tz2f0wIycyI/AAAAAAAAB1I/pbs6tolGagg/IMAG0500.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ftt0-r5A2ZE/Tz2f1drPpdI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/Qw-uXBcy9_Y/IMAG0501.png' /></div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-12451533909516652122012-01-29T23:35:00.001-07:002012-01-29T23:35:36.280-07:00TodayToday was kind of rough. We have those days around here occasionally. And unfortunately, occasionally comes more often than I would like to admit. The last couple of months have had lots of these occasional rough days. (Thankfully, Christmas vacation was a nice reprieve and we are back on the wagon of making the awesome days outnumber the hard ones.) So anyway, I have been working on looking for the good, funny, cute things that come out of each day. With the children I have been blessed with, these moments are plentiful!<br />
<br /> Big sister was having a serious melt down at some point in the day (well, one of her many meltdowns today) and got sent to time out. Bless her heart, the poor thing can NOT for the life of her stay in time out for more than a second, and I heard her heading upstairs. As I was on the phone with my mom at the moment (and I really didn't care what she was doing so long as it wasn't hitting me or the baby or hurting herself) I let her go. A few minutes later Sis came running down the stairs to tell me, "I cleaned my room and maked my bed, ALL by myself. Come see, Mommy! Come upstairs with me!" Sure enough she had picked up all of her toys and pulled the covers up on her bed the best her 2 (almost 3) year old self could. Looking back on it now, I am in happy and proud tears because that girl knew exactly what I needed. She knows her messy room makes me ca-RAY-zy and she knew that a clean space helps me to be a happier, nicer mom.<br />
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Another little funny that Miss E has started lately is saying, "teeny bit, not too much," about lots of things. When I ask her if she is nice to her friends she will respond, "I am a teeny bit mean, not too much." When asked what she wants on her waffle, she will say, "a teeny bit of syrup, not too much." I can ask her if she was sad at the babysitters and she says, "um, a teeny bit, not too much." It totally cracks me up!<br />
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Final thought about E, this girl is so stinking smart. I feel like the stereotypical mommy blogger by saying that, but I am so proud of her! She has started drawing people that actually look like people! This is so huge to me. She is also on her way to figuring out shapes and numbers and counting and all of that fun stuff. I feel like I can physically see her brain working and growing every day. It is so cool! Plus, I just love the way she says circles: "suh-cles." <br />
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Tonight after I put E to bed I kept the little one up for a few extra minutes of snuggles and laughs. (Can I just tell you what an angel she is! Several times a week I have to tell her to stop smiling so much so she can eat...seriously, she smiles that much.) I love those special moments with my kids when all is quiet and I can whisper and tell them how much I love them and how lucky I am to be their momma. <br />
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In hindsight it is so easy for me to see the blessings I have spilling throughout all the aspects of my life. I have been blessed with a wonderful, loving, supportive (and extra handsome) husband and two absolutely beautiful inside and out girlies. I have a family and in-laws who care for me and my family despite our craziness. I have faith in my Savior who knows exactly how I feel on days that are hard and sends innumerable <a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/04/the-tender-mercies-of-the-lord?lang=eng&query=elder+%28name%3a%22David+A.+Bednar%22%29" target="_blank">tender mercies</a> my way. I am such a lucky lady! I know that life is good.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-81399601264834699382011-12-17T22:08:00.000-07:002011-12-17T22:08:14.945-07:00Beautiful Girl<div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">December 6, 2011</div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eipsXpAxSu4/Tu11PZwFBCI/AAAAAAAABuQ/04-lD6btYr8/s1600/PC060005.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eipsXpAxSu4/Tu11PZwFBCI/AAAAAAAABuQ/04-lD6btYr8/s400/PC060005.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div>This little girl is such a beauty! I love those dark eyes (just like her beautiful big sister's) and her sweet round cheeks. This was the face she gave me after a long evening of running errands. Sweet thing!<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241321970268363553noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5755291076628857917.post-9010765102124796032011-12-17T21:59:00.000-07:002011-12-17T22:01:00.408-07:00Oh Christmas Tree<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
December 8, 2011<br />
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This year Miss E was so excited to set up our Christmas tree! She could hardly contain herself as we put up the lights and pulled out the ornaments. Steve and I spread the ornaments around pretty well, but the tree has since been redecorated with like ornaments (all of the sparkly snowflakes) grouped together by color at a 2 year old's eye level. I have to say, my girls are pretty darn cute!<br />
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