tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54259823344709035952024-02-18T23:40:10.211-05:00Our Family's BlessingsRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.comBlogger431125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-59045423783307744842020-09-27T10:05:00.001-04:002020-09-27T10:05:14.934-04:00September birthdays<p> It’s time for our September birthdays! David and Laney both have birthdays this month. Laney celebrated with her grandparents in our backyard. She got lots and lots of mermaids, unicorns, and Barbies, which was just what she wanted. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWIYNfAVKngjOE9DOgR7BoW-XGJ2BdL1xWKyHFJ9rgvRGOTz8J0U5Yhyk3CafRBH6pmMRpQnFa8xWsk7twNq2g3woXjAExlEQsdcicrw5bK0ihqJOS-7TjFpunarEH1OEx1yRgoHAiExX/s2048/FA4B405F-6DD8-4D01-96B6-1E4C0330F0FC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWIYNfAVKngjOE9DOgR7BoW-XGJ2BdL1xWKyHFJ9rgvRGOTz8J0U5Yhyk3CafRBH6pmMRpQnFa8xWsk7twNq2g3woXjAExlEQsdcicrw5bK0ihqJOS-7TjFpunarEH1OEx1yRgoHAiExX/s320/FA4B405F-6DD8-4D01-96B6-1E4C0330F0FC.jpeg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1vCtfZEew04ju0T0rqeEeeHsFei0YASJl2dPFHQ-K2cv0XScaTf2sZPoWcqNuAjjuaIifJSquMkUhcVzo3AyTG5WMYDsPE1JQcFKWxsgUT88eoXDyXrEilKaBwvVxlaXcWIuC08tN4hQ/s2048/C1A3D01F-E26A-46D6-AE47-4BA2D72C9C63.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1vCtfZEew04ju0T0rqeEeeHsFei0YASJl2dPFHQ-K2cv0XScaTf2sZPoWcqNuAjjuaIifJSquMkUhcVzo3AyTG5WMYDsPE1JQcFKWxsgUT88eoXDyXrEilKaBwvVxlaXcWIuC08tN4hQ/s320/C1A3D01F-E26A-46D6-AE47-4BA2D72C9C63.jpeg" /></a></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JfMMjY-Z0pEOFxFIc66s77xeFFNo7RL-jG9TulkHHj2I-c-K2ptuXxNOKTF6gd2xI_lNwNamkKXmdyPVn7waD8zbO6Jsn993-XqDxwVfCndqs_uVXyYhTF5bsxzXjGGf8OmdDtClpWDv/s2048/06B85526-6B9C-4DC7-B0BE-61B48A64DBBA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JfMMjY-Z0pEOFxFIc66s77xeFFNo7RL-jG9TulkHHj2I-c-K2ptuXxNOKTF6gd2xI_lNwNamkKXmdyPVn7waD8zbO6Jsn993-XqDxwVfCndqs_uVXyYhTF5bsxzXjGGf8OmdDtClpWDv/s320/06B85526-6B9C-4DC7-B0BE-61B48A64DBBA.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5mrZtWJ2YdEMxlKnFz4Hv1X6xnR2_k2qqMxHi8OqyJr2g0sfNNnZbkNTpbASAWGfn88I3VhBT2eIRDOBFnCIzbeBuDTfD0-O4hHS4nPCqRCHXQ2CZUOp1Bvg-9NLnEkfR_VFLbJfIwyl/s2048/18FEBF4A-7C52-4645-BF13-FBA862F11AF7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5mrZtWJ2YdEMxlKnFz4Hv1X6xnR2_k2qqMxHi8OqyJr2g0sfNNnZbkNTpbASAWGfn88I3VhBT2eIRDOBFnCIzbeBuDTfD0-O4hHS4nPCqRCHXQ2CZUOp1Bvg-9NLnEkfR_VFLbJfIwyl/s320/18FEBF4A-7C52-4645-BF13-FBA862F11AF7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTHU9fOsD0rBKBryvhmY2pbh3Aw-Ytbqb1dgeflvaDbqMHsADtIbEzSC1Vm3zabLsLeD_s2mwXcDpdE0zDDw70BK_5UdzO6lL5uxfnyT1a6h5G1uYD1JrFZ5G4ZQKZaqAJgzvINbCB3Kw/s2048/0750344C-14BF-4D2C-BA45-CCA6393B17B0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTHU9fOsD0rBKBryvhmY2pbh3Aw-Ytbqb1dgeflvaDbqMHsADtIbEzSC1Vm3zabLsLeD_s2mwXcDpdE0zDDw70BK_5UdzO6lL5uxfnyT1a6h5G1uYD1JrFZ5G4ZQKZaqAJgzvINbCB3Kw/s320/0750344C-14BF-4D2C-BA45-CCA6393B17B0.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpacnF_c5_wwp9U5R2IdJbZ_x_5F9Nm7LMp53mFImooJ4U6zijUFCEgeWl-ZCoa5AibDFrF-pSpyuUAhrl-J6pMNGFAd4GBHURNiIJm6XOOPxl3AQWt4bSqVJkbWZzv0FkGItbbndsBRaT/s2048/B2D93EDB-889B-4132-991B-6B5CCAE1034D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpacnF_c5_wwp9U5R2IdJbZ_x_5F9Nm7LMp53mFImooJ4U6zijUFCEgeWl-ZCoa5AibDFrF-pSpyuUAhrl-J6pMNGFAd4GBHURNiIJm6XOOPxl3AQWt4bSqVJkbWZzv0FkGItbbndsBRaT/s320/B2D93EDB-889B-4132-991B-6B5CCAE1034D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />David got to have his favorite cake - German Chocolate - and celebrate with his kiddos. He got a soccer goal for his birthday and has been playing soccer in the yard with the kids.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnfvukUHuk7fiSKKIfXAUUQFJyxSFNLCmYvLqQgnp_0vLnJgloe6rRxoQ90d6GrjUaygg6DLM0-AvrrVKYj94drSe6Y3EHW-eec1GD8nRVDhtTtUfGDjpxDcf6LFXl0SP3_hYurQDGEJ4/s2048/18E567E7-ABB5-48F9-B07A-5A43071299E0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnfvukUHuk7fiSKKIfXAUUQFJyxSFNLCmYvLqQgnp_0vLnJgloe6rRxoQ90d6GrjUaygg6DLM0-AvrrVKYj94drSe6Y3EHW-eec1GD8nRVDhtTtUfGDjpxDcf6LFXl0SP3_hYurQDGEJ4/s320/18E567E7-ABB5-48F9-B07A-5A43071299E0.jpeg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-JvrniaqsKstkECa6IBs15OGtI8Fwg3HmvzqJTRmCY81Kba64FrpZ1NXs1dsc9dNadB6P2kLlS0D6mYAefa3lcGD_8wvPTUyu-jimjsWcRSajRV_Nq86qDkEohwfS4-fPAmeiTz68cG4/s2048/68F6EB9C-1B66-4493-8600-1798E769C845.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-JvrniaqsKstkECa6IBs15OGtI8Fwg3HmvzqJTRmCY81Kba64FrpZ1NXs1dsc9dNadB6P2kLlS0D6mYAefa3lcGD_8wvPTUyu-jimjsWcRSajRV_Nq86qDkEohwfS4-fPAmeiTz68cG4/s320/68F6EB9C-1B66-4493-8600-1798E769C845.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCHu_YhfzNv0gQtj8dyODjMYgVJ_XERByFSlKH19dJX2BAHgavTkIlEhW-rot4w9l5OO1iK0prdSDwNnQzANqpiG8wnYXVMBt5_zcnGi26dzOozy7dECUxa-mKqcmUqzShORSvtPHZxPd/s2048/14E04249-9814-4BF0-9A8A-8B69332BB11A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCHu_YhfzNv0gQtj8dyODjMYgVJ_XERByFSlKH19dJX2BAHgavTkIlEhW-rot4w9l5OO1iK0prdSDwNnQzANqpiG8wnYXVMBt5_zcnGi26dzOozy7dECUxa-mKqcmUqzShORSvtPHZxPd/s320/14E04249-9814-4BF0-9A8A-8B69332BB11A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-43593913564946681882020-09-03T14:25:00.000-04:002020-09-03T14:25:07.033-04:00First Day of School<p>This year we have two big kids in school! Eliana starts her 3rd grade year and Will starts kindergarten. The 2020/2021 school year is off to a crazy start. Our school district has chosen to start with all virtual learning called "Enhanced Distanced Learning." Hopefully by the end of September, the school will go to a hybrid model of some in-person learning and some distance learning. Because of this large virtual component of school this year, we have decided to pull William from the public school, and I am home schooling him. I feel very lucky that we are in a situation where I am able to mostly stay home and teach Will myself. This is definitely not something that I ever pictured myself doing, but I am surprised to say it is going pretty well so far. I purchased a kindergarten curriculum from Seton Home Study and then am also supplementing with material from Catholic Heritage Curricula. I am excited about being able to do some teaching with all of the kids together. Will's science this year consists of studying animals and their habitats, lots of nature walks, and some experiments. All the kids have been excited to participate in that. The religion class, supplemented with Eliana's PSR program from St. Brendan's, is also something we are doing as a whole family. I can definitely see the appeal of homeschooling - this faith based and value centered learning is not something that can be taught in public school. While the pandemic has definitely made things more challenging, I am actually looking forward to making the best of our distanced learning and homeschooling adventure. <br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdj_2c8Xfj7kb5BEukaTNMHTeswGlxFEbWF3Kn53ebg-ZJp4qQfVlCu7gO5JqmJf5XO3XVoC8NsSoYgQqpo8ds42UO0g5Egsws5K5pm7X5cyQf6k15oY9Pw37f75S8HdgETYNizyMOPoUB/s2048/E81EC0D5-FCDC-41C8-BF7B-A7068B47BEDF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdj_2c8Xfj7kb5BEukaTNMHTeswGlxFEbWF3Kn53ebg-ZJp4qQfVlCu7gO5JqmJf5XO3XVoC8NsSoYgQqpo8ds42UO0g5Egsws5K5pm7X5cyQf6k15oY9Pw37f75S8HdgETYNizyMOPoUB/s320/E81EC0D5-FCDC-41C8-BF7B-A7068B47BEDF.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of school!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo__73ArDXn12vmnKZkzvvmp2CNVGPRPOuXH-ok4x31KWtw4HkaQLx-pkF06o84ymucfkB3Gfw7e4rWvVt7e6LXzujjxEe3MMffbiM4qDl7WnV8JNBp5pF6iOZaVUNSBZxJ53-i2qQZEWp/s2048/408D0715-8607-44EB-A853-11662D41BB2E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo__73ArDXn12vmnKZkzvvmp2CNVGPRPOuXH-ok4x31KWtw4HkaQLx-pkF06o84ymucfkB3Gfw7e4rWvVt7e6LXzujjxEe3MMffbiM4qDl7WnV8JNBp5pF6iOZaVUNSBZxJ53-i2qQZEWp/s320/408D0715-8607-44EB-A853-11662D41BB2E.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preschool hasn't started yet, but Laney didn't want to be left out of first day pictures. She wants to "take care of babies with Coronavirus" when she grows up.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wauYHMrg4Dq1biSJtW2_iFwjGpnMmclyiEqcS79Mo9TXzmzDB-ZA4IQL87iIkUPokQRj-vGZecGYlwAyOkgx6ROjBIu117wdB6I5tI3NI6EHRXPXTX7YjRwaUQxDDUevJ7kbSG6x1Ph_/s2048/621BABEE-C85A-4C13-83B0-E6056E753D24.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wauYHMrg4Dq1biSJtW2_iFwjGpnMmclyiEqcS79Mo9TXzmzDB-ZA4IQL87iIkUPokQRj-vGZecGYlwAyOkgx6ROjBIu117wdB6I5tI3NI6EHRXPXTX7YjRwaUQxDDUevJ7kbSG6x1Ph_/s320/621BABEE-C85A-4C13-83B0-E6056E753D24.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliana is in 3rd grade with Ms. Moore. She says her best subject is math. She would like to be a doctor or an author when she grows up.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U1MWynKNYvwybb-qy5hQFNs4RrabyrGEopXFJewkOJ2N_j-4XWYQ5vCDTJSfAAY-bAtzmtzaT2uXwwXfvETl-A91qzWYQjGgMInbNDSSzcN1mvBvoZcsR_F55P4920cTNZwDxy18TPLA/s2048/DC3AB19A-33CF-49DF-B911-6185AC93D5EC.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U1MWynKNYvwybb-qy5hQFNs4RrabyrGEopXFJewkOJ2N_j-4XWYQ5vCDTJSfAAY-bAtzmtzaT2uXwwXfvETl-A91qzWYQjGgMInbNDSSzcN1mvBvoZcsR_F55P4920cTNZwDxy18TPLA/s320/DC3AB19A-33CF-49DF-B911-6185AC93D5EC.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will is in kindergarten with Mom. We have dubbed our school St. Windermere Home School. Will is looking forward to learning how to read. He wants to be a construction worker or police officer when he grows up.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIlPuVLX-SvqY1ppY-GLiHw6RkcTl0ZShHIrofZCS9JnxOCGkhkKRA_25qmY4yfeUT5sWaXBpEe1AC1A8k3IGjUfXw74rr9CMW45Dc5PrKTzhOztfMLB8CIscnkSx1UhsyQ5c1bjssMJg/s2048/4D2D0500-0764-432E-BB03-E4EBD7B0572F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIlPuVLX-SvqY1ppY-GLiHw6RkcTl0ZShHIrofZCS9JnxOCGkhkKRA_25qmY4yfeUT5sWaXBpEe1AC1A8k3IGjUfXw74rr9CMW45Dc5PrKTzhOztfMLB8CIscnkSx1UhsyQ5c1bjssMJg/s320/4D2D0500-0764-432E-BB03-E4EBD7B0572F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our homeschool hub is located in the basement. My mom gave us a great dining room table and chairs to set up for learning. We have added an iPad stand (very essential for distance learning), chalkboard (Will's favorite place to work), and back pack hooks to the homeschool space. It looks a lot like school down there!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3unSSCcNo1FdAkqLEYPAlxo8QJJt73byjXTfTUDC5BPWwvwNLIMvrlyRB6U9BOP3ovu0icwBBR5xMnRX1uIOzW2O2NLaAEa5xt3OIADVk6AQnyYaOAHw5RFQf9l6k5qYdC-aVMDgks_e/s2048/5CF89AE6-89FB-4256-9835-DFC1504AEFDD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3unSSCcNo1FdAkqLEYPAlxo8QJJt73byjXTfTUDC5BPWwvwNLIMvrlyRB6U9BOP3ovu0icwBBR5xMnRX1uIOzW2O2NLaAEa5xt3OIADVk6AQnyYaOAHw5RFQf9l6k5qYdC-aVMDgks_e/s320/5CF89AE6-89FB-4256-9835-DFC1504AEFDD.jpeg" /></a></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-47710446222679516772020-08-28T13:50:00.000-04:002020-09-03T14:26:19.754-04:00Gabby is so cute!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSfJydX7tTcSItbAn3TvXD8-fmH1ahMY9b4YUyFf2Gh5fGzgFYtyTwQ1yBe7WQz27BN0MtfbK3-DalDzN8c48Ic47N5EMBPQCrRH4X-xoF7tZrwxpzY7p9xxISZdmLbtBSp35TsRTiVJ1/s2048/9DB29D8C-52C2-471C-9634-8F7EE1210AE9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSfJydX7tTcSItbAn3TvXD8-fmH1ahMY9b4YUyFf2Gh5fGzgFYtyTwQ1yBe7WQz27BN0MtfbK3-DalDzN8c48Ic47N5EMBPQCrRH4X-xoF7tZrwxpzY7p9xxISZdmLbtBSp35TsRTiVJ1/s320/9DB29D8C-52C2-471C-9634-8F7EE1210AE9.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time trying spaghetti and meatballs. She loved it!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWMEhGikPDvrb3h9JUPv8r-2k0DKwU703v0EsLDBFxwZ3OW3M2O57OKm7WYdURj_F06XhOJiFMl5rUbAJhDcx43165GOvUQcfGZdFwlG5ikNQf_o6ZEwlP4Go79taF3NaSnfR1D-He8Cs/s4032/94670EC7-1A71-4358-B960-44B3EAA96EAE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWMEhGikPDvrb3h9JUPv8r-2k0DKwU703v0EsLDBFxwZ3OW3M2O57OKm7WYdURj_F06XhOJiFMl5rUbAJhDcx43165GOvUQcfGZdFwlG5ikNQf_o6ZEwlP4Go79taF3NaSnfR1D-He8Cs/s320/94670EC7-1A71-4358-B960-44B3EAA96EAE.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSOLLA_Ev98xu7KoTZ5oQoNvrPY2rMcMuc71_3RUKd-Ge4L8i8BoLw__q1W4sMklL5DtkLXfN5JbkXb-TaMqBZHN0aCPx73zSzRh_8fc1D9eSbBw3lg2a-4JTSybl1yjRnd3N3UNo2CAq/s4032/AC690073-F37E-42F1-BB3C-EF78DF384B04.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSOLLA_Ev98xu7KoTZ5oQoNvrPY2rMcMuc71_3RUKd-Ge4L8i8BoLw__q1W4sMklL5DtkLXfN5JbkXb-TaMqBZHN0aCPx73zSzRh_8fc1D9eSbBw3lg2a-4JTSybl1yjRnd3N3UNo2CAq/s320/AC690073-F37E-42F1-BB3C-EF78DF384B04.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqbEcvZmGCHSALMK5uBufwccwnZ_8emQF-ulsf-DcKjgfcr_o3U2rtl0qlv34psWG9kDvJ7VHQn9FSAGxwNEEP5fRHGoLJqZRr1e1_U4etUx8SSNpOZpmSjBEIUtYtCHCB3lX0h00DQyP/s4032/C26E166E-314B-4F21-81E8-B5EDC107FD9D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqbEcvZmGCHSALMK5uBufwccwnZ_8emQF-ulsf-DcKjgfcr_o3U2rtl0qlv34psWG9kDvJ7VHQn9FSAGxwNEEP5fRHGoLJqZRr1e1_U4etUx8SSNpOZpmSjBEIUtYtCHCB3lX0h00DQyP/s320/C26E166E-314B-4F21-81E8-B5EDC107FD9D.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><br /> <p></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-15636688201285324342020-08-21T13:47:00.000-04:002020-09-03T14:37:51.089-04:00Eliana’s First Communion<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4rwENIobRpPr6XTrXBGXsp1gw9rbtsG3XBX2ed0VS4QIfxh5Q4kv10hz5dcI5f0Qjt5YEt_rLufH2CBI0qvAi1wpHUDnRTz8MHLniBFgUnD0dZ7oOFRKrJVHsMqfwaE-hHE455aJBmOV/s2048/D89F9BD0-A08B-41AD-93DC-4BB6E0A97DE5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4rwENIobRpPr6XTrXBGXsp1gw9rbtsG3XBX2ed0VS4QIfxh5Q4kv10hz5dcI5f0Qjt5YEt_rLufH2CBI0qvAi1wpHUDnRTz8MHLniBFgUnD0dZ7oOFRKrJVHsMqfwaE-hHE455aJBmOV/s320/D89F9BD0-A08B-41AD-93DC-4BB6E0A97DE5.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of Eliana's hair. She didn't want to wear a veil, but decided on a "Crown of Braids." Braided into her hair is lace from my mother's wedding veil. (She also wore the lace wrapped around her wrist as a bracelet and around her waist like a belt.) She was so excited for this night!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyEd_MDuy1SfdAAfoHEgramgxAd3gMx27jdGV8P30d88kWcIEsOcuyiTGQHnn_t0SMx7vDyCGAj2uV1NU_nfXjYV66dbIDnpZmzqFAZSBT30kvK7fcZoBtdoDcakxs46sudfbsiUDfhyphenhyphena/s2048/F61AA5B2-73BF-4BFE-BAB5-014732A181E1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyEd_MDuy1SfdAAfoHEgramgxAd3gMx27jdGV8P30d88kWcIEsOcuyiTGQHnn_t0SMx7vDyCGAj2uV1NU_nfXjYV66dbIDnpZmzqFAZSBT30kvK7fcZoBtdoDcakxs46sudfbsiUDfhyphenhyphena/s320/F61AA5B2-73BF-4BFE-BAB5-014732A181E1.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu9EZpmepjDaIVUw66AZe8rTO8iFACXKoqh5ugcaJRJmDlMpG5R2uoIurZJub8m9frAfHAZdQ4c3HzIYtN9My8DgPEHogSKWoc0e-zxnQi65hjUJO6amSFqy9yFRjlhs9BQAfAInIyKTM/s2048/64D78F7D-8DFA-49DD-8A65-20DE112928A9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu9EZpmepjDaIVUw66AZe8rTO8iFACXKoqh5ugcaJRJmDlMpG5R2uoIurZJub8m9frAfHAZdQ4c3HzIYtN9My8DgPEHogSKWoc0e-zxnQi65hjUJO6amSFqy9yFRjlhs9BQAfAInIyKTM/s320/64D78F7D-8DFA-49DD-8A65-20DE112928A9.jpeg" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteqLqUtzudKiV2xTUFnoFe08OaLcDo9eZdPW3SNFT8NneB0HzXsAPiuLJnZ1NmdAVMp0H8tEY3kqyIxzo4d504aCg-z4TjS81X5oQTsEzr2ONydtGrWHOkiw82zRyz3gMqj-ZWFO7Lr44/s2048/73EA8C98-66D1-4BD4-97AF-C3336D95BAD2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteqLqUtzudKiV2xTUFnoFe08OaLcDo9eZdPW3SNFT8NneB0HzXsAPiuLJnZ1NmdAVMp0H8tEY3kqyIxzo4d504aCg-z4TjS81X5oQTsEzr2ONydtGrWHOkiw82zRyz3gMqj-ZWFO7Lr44/s320/73EA8C98-66D1-4BD4-97AF-C3336D95BAD2.jpeg" /></a><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJXZJzSpLnZtSET1e64SaKZI2yZpmruRZzRk0yFpaemDtzl-ul_xOQxm2TrjmACdzO6RgKvxLwiS2KNwESkLM6cf5aqzkFHyi2wfAghlhzeHT7dmuKWeni6KJY5FzvOWyApMxPkZWQfjJ/s2048/1F790E52-38DE-4F8E-ACD4-67E5A7A3F332.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJXZJzSpLnZtSET1e64SaKZI2yZpmruRZzRk0yFpaemDtzl-ul_xOQxm2TrjmACdzO6RgKvxLwiS2KNwESkLM6cf5aqzkFHyi2wfAghlhzeHT7dmuKWeni6KJY5FzvOWyApMxPkZWQfjJ/s320/1F790E52-38DE-4F8E-ACD4-67E5A7A3F332.jpeg" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-a5MdVGdkCIUuigbvPh1SS1_hzgXNzVmXWO-t2pRv0STZc7xO7Ij_cfWJf3Uc4OdSjI6Ww_58DJZyZCyrER0Hpzck0b4N3JINE5ozUdLJ5jmmDHqVslONDx0T629q_JL2EuhUlaSd7BSg/s2048/822EE4F2-F696-48E1-AC9E-AE19B82FD849.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-a5MdVGdkCIUuigbvPh1SS1_hzgXNzVmXWO-t2pRv0STZc7xO7Ij_cfWJf3Uc4OdSjI6Ww_58DJZyZCyrER0Hpzck0b4N3JINE5ozUdLJ5jmmDHqVslONDx0T629q_JL2EuhUlaSd7BSg/s320/822EE4F2-F696-48E1-AC9E-AE19B82FD849.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhk64iIWWLd6byWXh_jYlibxeSnpIDokRJUbXBcf6iX-NaGX6Q-0ri0ypa_BjFDd-c6vEjsHiO5fJjAwXDqLQHhEqoEjQ55hshDpjA65hOuBcP7lZIR0uxFnTTlo8Zp2Y-GtlVRThiRpHO/s2048/AA5DE0C0-544D-4FBC-A44D-FC8D6276B7CD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhk64iIWWLd6byWXh_jYlibxeSnpIDokRJUbXBcf6iX-NaGX6Q-0ri0ypa_BjFDd-c6vEjsHiO5fJjAwXDqLQHhEqoEjQ55hshDpjA65hOuBcP7lZIR0uxFnTTlo8Zp2Y-GtlVRThiRpHO/s320/AA5DE0C0-544D-4FBC-A44D-FC8D6276B7CD.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E07Hu8sT17_VKviUVb57jSouZg0oSWgpby2xPz0OWP5Fx-fN68c2L9jDPzWEVM8s1sjwHkwtWzKXBKKii_g8LU-NHt3l_CdyHC-BwP3Q6BD2vXzftTf0ibkfzhebOoFwmGNOorGBQ_RH/s4032/70B10DFE-02C3-4290-9BB8-247E9350157F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E07Hu8sT17_VKviUVb57jSouZg0oSWgpby2xPz0OWP5Fx-fN68c2L9jDPzWEVM8s1sjwHkwtWzKXBKKii_g8LU-NHt3l_CdyHC-BwP3Q6BD2vXzftTf0ibkfzhebOoFwmGNOorGBQ_RH/s320/70B10DFE-02C3-4290-9BB8-247E9350157F.jpeg" /></a></div><p><br /><br /> Eliana received her First Holy Communion earlier this week. Like many things, this sacrament was delayed due to Coronavirus. Luckily, she was able to celebrate this mass the day before school started. She has eagerly been anticipating this sacrament all year (for years really) and was so reverent when she received Communion for the first time. Her joy is infectious and a wonderful reminder of the sacredness of this sacrament. </p><p>To celebrate, we had ice cream after mass. While we would have liked to have a big party, we couldn't. But we did have a "party" with her cousins via Zoom while eating cookies. <br /></p><p></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-53336434679015483682020-08-15T13:51:00.001-04:002020-09-27T09:42:08.266-04:00Gabby at 7 months <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKr7-G6C6NjPLsRRaRue7owSSFlh45QZMLxaxYjj9Eu0qNansd_MbAPnnmra2Du-RuLmX3aqImp5iJrfXPIrEULMkoIyWAF1Spg3PF9ejdo6fBapHO1nVvavWtSa4u7EqdaJ9yRNgM45gO/s2048/4DFCFB9A-45B1-4109-964E-AB77807C965B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKr7-G6C6NjPLsRRaRue7owSSFlh45QZMLxaxYjj9Eu0qNansd_MbAPnnmra2Du-RuLmX3aqImp5iJrfXPIrEULMkoIyWAF1Spg3PF9ejdo6fBapHO1nVvavWtSa4u7EqdaJ9yRNgM45gO/s320/4DFCFB9A-45B1-4109-964E-AB77807C965B.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjd08d8iNLSM6W1HwZD4AlbFMNRDUGgfzu2FIJdAc-35UeVS3cRPKsx6XgrLBeUk6j1BdSIiLDJv8sgle2_uSYVd6c6IAKMUa7tSH6L86b4WGtBaPNnBspNdIaizBauKzq0NLOHLb-T5C/s2048/6FC6DDA1-8EE7-413E-BE2C-924C6EB0E6AD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjd08d8iNLSM6W1HwZD4AlbFMNRDUGgfzu2FIJdAc-35UeVS3cRPKsx6XgrLBeUk6j1BdSIiLDJv8sgle2_uSYVd6c6IAKMUa7tSH6L86b4WGtBaPNnBspNdIaizBauKzq0NLOHLb-T5C/s320/6FC6DDA1-8EE7-413E-BE2C-924C6EB0E6AD.jpeg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-43917422560750061312020-08-12T14:41:00.001-04:002020-09-27T09:41:19.962-04:00Vacation to Lake Huron<p> At the begining of August, our family took a vacation to Lake Huron. We had a wonderful time! We rented a small cabin near East Tawas, MI that was on its own small lake and about 10 minutes away from Lake Huron. There wasn't much to the cabin but it had everything we needed for a low key, cozy vacation. The best part was having lake access to our own little lake with a dock. The kids could just run outside, jump in the water, and then get changed to dry cloths whenever they felt like it. We did some boating around the lake, built many fires, ate outside, and feasted on tons of s'mores. </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZWMVwROBwz_Ym7P-ZX6mKRyWXVJp3-T1SEI2hZXRWWwrMSAoWjLc8pRs8xm7V8BHO2j9Cz7cG1NglXPJ9Yig_KVH94XFXblbzGTq6_o63LSch4iBGgFdMpbxCLeF2GGw5gLaJwnca1wJ/s2048/EBFABFAF-0A59-4F57-8143-B19ED5B9514E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZWMVwROBwz_Ym7P-ZX6mKRyWXVJp3-T1SEI2hZXRWWwrMSAoWjLc8pRs8xm7V8BHO2j9Cz7cG1NglXPJ9Yig_KVH94XFXblbzGTq6_o63LSch4iBGgFdMpbxCLeF2GGw5gLaJwnca1wJ/s320/EBFABFAF-0A59-4F57-8143-B19ED5B9514E.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First stop was at this farm themed playground.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIFFSsvUMjmV0axpJ7M4qJkYCqAhuJGIW7cfHcXdkSRxJNwIW1Re7H3FEhtEvZqyogrjkInF-6nMOtwZUAggV54QODtJTqYPx_Ygcj9gPaJjFzlg4r7HrDfJdnKrYvghKdNM3yjsHoLm8/s2048/E96B7FA2-A392-4817-9F5A-CFD175812067.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIFFSsvUMjmV0axpJ7M4qJkYCqAhuJGIW7cfHcXdkSRxJNwIW1Re7H3FEhtEvZqyogrjkInF-6nMOtwZUAggV54QODtJTqYPx_Ygcj9gPaJjFzlg4r7HrDfJdnKrYvghKdNM3yjsHoLm8/s320/E96B7FA2-A392-4817-9F5A-CFD175812067.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">About halfway through our drive, we made a planned stop in Ann Arbor, MI at this playground. It was a chance to stretch our legs, eat lunch, and get Gabby out of her carseat. She did fairly well on the drive to the cabin. I was able to pump milk, and Eliana gave her bottles on the drive (thanks to that 8th "jump seat" in the Honda Odyssey - worth every penny!). The drive back didn't go quite as well - we made several more stops on the ride back to get Gabby out of her seat. There was a lot more crying involved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41XoKlfXN3QdDnplXKQxwIvls0FJsKLPCkUw_mxfC_FtWLzHU5Tile8r-loBRthiXRFUG0mCYK5vG5li1s728zbGjRKxhBHBB1KCJw6ESPdYSQULb8sZwi1GnVAiofDHVuqouv_VYf9S-/s2048/1A7FD65E-2D61-4885-8BF8-E8112AE6A339.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41XoKlfXN3QdDnplXKQxwIvls0FJsKLPCkUw_mxfC_FtWLzHU5Tile8r-loBRthiXRFUG0mCYK5vG5li1s728zbGjRKxhBHBB1KCJw6ESPdYSQULb8sZwi1GnVAiofDHVuqouv_VYf9S-/s320/1A7FD65E-2D61-4885-8BF8-E8112AE6A339.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A view inside the cute, cozy cabin. The older kids slept in one room in bunk beds. David and I slept in the second bedroom with Gabby. She has been in her own room for a long time now, so when we went to bed, we typically woke her up and she would want to nurse. So there wasn't as much sleep going on as you might hope for on vacation. I guess unless you are on vacation with kids. Then lack of sleep is expected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozI1ObkmknoB9dBc_XGxmO04MLsxgp79b0YBfTeciEVQEcvuyPpEPTPy2MC6TQDvInwJmStocZRWd1hbwcp9oKlxIMd-AzGUlpFsFyXg9Hgys5F-kufOW9wJj0kRKzaLsMIK8g4eTLv1k/s320/A226B254-1A5D-448A-A63D-B77ED40516B0.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GB6-VGHjHvgwE2Gsv85PPt6y1y3TuCYrUQ95zleIzaTj5JkvKPoYfBycMomWdVPnwOaHdNDi3_FsockABgXWfa1FrLphf18uZ-nkzcfNfWR3rOXqDFaewNXXTgSVWa-DbjlubiTXXHxB/s320/E406F052-559F-4F9E-9E30-75B1EEDA923D.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-ASD39_R_UFyY15P_FHL_uZZMZ5wemtXDyyWXkYbkNMM4j-VyYqsbkjLbx77LWxmLb_HDYH7bmPFfqWub5plV__V0v3qihxyvRZpN-gXbeA3Cavoon0fn3iThSWQTfscj7d4L0XT1ARd/s320/B0E84FDB-79FA-4918-8879-1B5B33A63CA7.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhpHgVXI_YZIXisFWctl72fVbNyNpVAU0F71KuPF7DEzfrWrtyoSphG4OQu3tq504z46ES_jeoo4jI2K-rckG7Hj0WiO21aC_P1fTWqOe7KsbdPJNSFH2HOUfr0rHn1EVnBgqOfVtb7zt/s320/91755492-A960-4F9C-B20C-0B1A3F01395D.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KL4BwVw42NYmyD1a1gct3SKNWmQgRqGQFNNNJe2dSRrURk2vGDbpDKlknL-BPOf4zmhKszdiTPaM51C1wkZQPdpc5a2bO039_ZVFta7Rwsz4Y66KN8u74BurZlDKuDcw_1knqPI6DKl4/s320/C5E50062-FA63-427C-9811-2EEC6823EA2B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake life can be exhausting!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-JHtbkZLUkkTxfTXDxKbFqXfXGbFBL45m0Zf-dyJJPBY-IkpEZicRAoyBJXlKSQoApJgaSneKj2HeyHdNFYSI1MlpgUmtu_m4-X933H5E3JtyaXpKHSaxn_DecddaVZtfPkLWSDJvwS-/s320/71C96DDA-DB77-4AC8-8B77-8680DBA9EDCC.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uRLrqg9SU_H6I45ptKn1G5coAUR0js2wSgsD2dokw_NhkvtA8aGFM_LoC7m_oDdi1KjOhlfpe-9LsAQNdHWOKHo561fAoHOrYuY5ALE9-Fr5O9IqGPQCbHyBu7vSMwBJZhuLgPhnvT5G/s320/C7FED3CB-FE6B-4889-8CBA-5F6201B8E888.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bs_39Y_hHIN_2S4aVUplYwFjFBaazNjzDTdmacrvCezb1IDGJbnc9spirOqSIjZrO-oLHORBG9lk3-cD126XB3yyEFYHmJ3QwFJHGJkoe4anPytXm2dyI6MOdnXvOJ2hlL2s5dKmFiRx/s320/0BC9C913-D262-4383-9793-4CB939C4F557.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSldkU5HEYxMoIvZlLTfeD-CUlw97TbwFhyphenhyphenl-60nmvIL0DObnaWceAfnUFyDCTO8Wc0LFyPZDSTMGhLCZJY2-hGqMOYnZ5W8bojphEutcdJLlCVOLyUwYovLTuOYQ89Q3NHd23xuGjl2-/s320/B456E6DF-0605-430E-A66A-E5AF9BD6317A.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gN2r00vqafGnLN8utVR4uGySdmKEUdWbWknRi7URbrJ036NDb9Osgf6nnb0MtzRVU1hz6mQhXIbFIoy_WoCuTJ0eDH31MQyDzK5Bn5OTXmLllniOg6TuBHVcGktZ47GlalPZO_dtnZfY/s2048/4916221D-23D1-4DFC-A8D7-7EA63024CDBB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gN2r00vqafGnLN8utVR4uGySdmKEUdWbWknRi7URbrJ036NDb9Osgf6nnb0MtzRVU1hz6mQhXIbFIoy_WoCuTJ0eDH31MQyDzK5Bn5OTXmLllniOg6TuBHVcGktZ47GlalPZO_dtnZfY/s320/4916221D-23D1-4DFC-A8D7-7EA63024CDBB.jpeg" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSvIIKYYS595TZZ3QPou_weT07g8jqMSXulTLlDz0-_T1rF_2laiV07Yj7-LtlV9GLqrxkKBxaAroKmAa4tILJ3CTuz92SLH7evUHbwj1K5nc2KeELje3143jogLwNyiDAnGxY95NQKct/s320/7525AC88-DB2F-4F77-8EFF-CFC3C4CF2AEE.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgvf58MCefPJ-Mnb8ILv33-XslRbbeQbkFDsZ5Xb0U-kffIX9labDxOy3LzRHoX9gxbR8zch7kfsoacvDAqX4Dy8pg4oHnViHteFk539ID6zywd5KxbH8N4cq57a60exa3o-niqiPvHBG/s2048/122ABFF1-9A99-48E3-9952-76FDB9A1FC04.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgvf58MCefPJ-Mnb8ILv33-XslRbbeQbkFDsZ5Xb0U-kffIX9labDxOy3LzRHoX9gxbR8zch7kfsoacvDAqX4Dy8pg4oHnViHteFk539ID6zywd5KxbH8N4cq57a60exa3o-niqiPvHBG/s320/122ABFF1-9A99-48E3-9952-76FDB9A1FC04.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We roasted lots of s'mores. David took the kids out in a row boat. David also tested out the stand-up paddle board. The kids swam around our dock. We also spent some time watching the sun set and gazing at the stars. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqmCgtxW-AEZDYanAZC94Slf0Aqg6aytNMVCtj8-weoeT5tAh4We3DN3Iw1HfRnzgacSwUSt-37kXQ-iVlMjg3imeZbdmvWRrCLFFIfhM0prjBIGBBytaKwFWJdBsTMqEyv3NuECOUXbX/s320/8BD89B92-E915-4331-B2A1-7607160E06C7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the small beach at Lake Huron. Even in August, it was a little chilly here. Will and Laney quickly tired of the cold water and opted to play on the playground instead. David and Eliana got up one morning really early to watch the sun rise over Lake Huron.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWNd9u9q7E8Qtvr5jsFb3WzrEGbxxVkpgcVbwXUuTq34mjl7LR_3D_HWIAJfNYVcSmZilPxv0_i8t-63u3cNgGJS0ViH7GXZbU9zdqXiSvP9ccctd3660tCAn3dipxbsK-03uflncNx2r/s320/078A2A63-A403-4D42-B0EB-09492B91C488.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were very close to Huron-Manistee National Forest and Cosair Trails. This was a truly beautiful area with trees that was don't usually see around us in Ohio. Cosair Trails are actually designed for cross country skiing which we found out makes for excellent hiking trails for kids. The slopes were gentle with no steep climbs. We played a game in which we tried to find a tree exactly the same height as each of us. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKuBEmr-HUKS36_VVSoWbVG5sj6L9lApIZNTUOhMnIhKuTYp5uKvQpXquUuTQmaVVm-nVBSiK4I_3mMEJh_sEPFE0TVq8sKD6CrYvc2R0TbFSLB-29oT00pKSGrH3xaTSO8UAsyFRpWlH/s320/FB36A14C-7B66-41E0-8F25-AAD397B6C608.jpeg" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQooppoo91aBiamx0GAGMAHBgNyLh_t9w-YpkxLZ694Qb6UFi1JK5INt0lvF0Ci8RZ8RWVrXUGevlsiy5nyA7kDiygrg_yRoaTYT_JAbwr4zMR9UOdx7bZATKlYpZKWZyyIJuo7B8DknqV/s320/25501BE1-A055-4EE3-AE3E-2497352F5EFA.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeAapRMzkQnZAmUqSHVz6N0o0RALWTf5bsuW-nk38zgR3MUOOF3FL-6Uzcloskzzk0ulF__HcblqVJ1urGKqlOYg9-8zKlmPXDQzFJFL24JN3KVlqh5sMs6JlR79UGihLptq2gadKLPlA/s320/A17646C7-A5F5-4512-9BAD-BB47336488B1.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvGUB76GTJp-5g-NflgIadL1MTa8eYYBnsWdZEJucAcvl6lXa2li90XK9ZH4M6-KIkJTITa9OqE8mm_QLEj551arrtka6NYmOeeJ8gnvON56W0z02RPcewK6MID3X10W9C8gxXvTYLm_s/s320/BE00E12B-26C0-484E-81B7-A3C15EC25E87.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcSjw8TseSbkI2zpW3i_MWvyNm0nY3JhL57IHEgh-z_S7ANVGgLn1PjsfjdOhb4ywUazAjqdML97F5VwLqaaSiRKiNuJQsuiDR0FRdYmGN5p5NyZFRbKlEiBcUHx9818-wUUh6nk5PTvk/s320/D6E558B3-2FDA-4896-889A-29F34B27CACB.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /></div><div><div class="separator"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHasEym3lRqlpvkg8-12danvfNChFgni3jBtzFXvWhluAKwc0CCcBWIm1tqZthZOMlbgDWohZmUhoCMDn2CvvlLtRMPVaewOyyWFKorAPRfCPCqWa8RtVLoQEt6tfdYgAfdesb8wSuImc/s320/432ECD1E-B060-47A4-BEF9-47AB6C1A379D.jpeg" /></div></div></div><br />We also did some hiking in an area called Lumberjacks Monument, dedicated to all the men who had worked there to provide lumber that was shipped around the country. It was wild to see pictures of the area 50 years ago with very very few trees. Now the trees are growing back, but I can imagine this place looked completely different when all the trees were hundreds of years old and thick and tall. We hiked down about 250 steps to the Au Sable River to see a replica of a floating kitchen that was used to feed the lumberjacks. The kids did surprisingly well with this and didn't complain about climbing those 250 steps back. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXieSmx0JjBsNAD6cH3SyfrHF06M2Y05b-OaAK9D-g5lFVB5jDN7-uGAKuJWErGTdd3zF3e_63gV9_bVPPwcXN4US24JtWzbV87baBXfncsDGTsYOLtYl2KMQCB2HEALhqjCGUbLH0Tc4r/s2048/C4D8C175-43AF-49EA-B44D-AD0621D6CD58.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXieSmx0JjBsNAD6cH3SyfrHF06M2Y05b-OaAK9D-g5lFVB5jDN7-uGAKuJWErGTdd3zF3e_63gV9_bVPPwcXN4US24JtWzbV87baBXfncsDGTsYOLtYl2KMQCB2HEALhqjCGUbLH0Tc4r/s320/C4D8C175-43AF-49EA-B44D-AD0621D6CD58.jpeg" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJDhSTGVSrYzkTp9IRmJvn6uz90EUD2IszOd8jzNS8bt3vZ7qGM3R9o5BrLQqOibrL0AIxDuI5rFYiDm_jwQSTdjUf4FYBz-zHDWRS06-SjRVcqmK3DHhHH9m5quXxLFSTVO8yL5_TL3c/s320/927FE036-8DA6-47D5-ABDA-23CE24F468D1.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC0LFmNob5uA9AZPWGpo7oufaaQ-j1VaUSCgivMB7EBBMIaZINpuAOPc-ERbEh1B8P5PlZ2_Ac7-IVYrGrw1axSZopo4I447pCyuNFEARJisiaQO5YII_AsYfH02PFvcSiJycNjdYVxd7/s320/BD179B38-CD50-4FEC-8639-4BDC26B08C85.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A view up high of the Au Sable River down below.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g5nPklD3sHTzB3kOMj4Qo57iZJO7j2oKVFz39_mCSi3i-VW7mQ29H0jwH8nGmLBrfeys8S70X0VYH4GZ7WmBXU2mySTwEwFcd09jbEQlweBzNeBux_RN8foCqPbqu_iD9E0d5LGNVU08/s320/32C010C0-7E2A-4D68-B737-D1DE15526BA3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out a dragon fly on the floating kitchen.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the best things we did was hike this sand dune a quarter of a mile down a trail from Lumberjack's Monument. The kids had never seen a sand dune like this before. As you can see in the picture, it was incredibly high and steep. It almost made me dizzy looking down to the Au Sable River below. I was a little worried about climbing back up the sand while wearing Gabby in my carrier, so I stayed near the top. The kids went all the way down to the water. Next time we will have to remember to wear swimsuits! <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sY27ysHT3uUNv3DL5y7GA2CLjTpxpVJun-oXIs8FBgvI33RpqkAj3kChDuo19vBkD61SWXUcD0wSnONamc04tHtkkvpoqilWA44O5YRSDE_mMA-ZJpL0xKWrokmLRadWqp28C52i9RKS/s320/3BFD19EA-CD9A-4001-82BE-7A882C132235.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GJOuq6oqtPI-GN_9diAyY37uuHV-pb-tXB-GleE3H_dXY_xjZ7xmapGnQLRAvdFEYcRCOy_iilJPPXl8GduTXdjQ7ZG92TgSozO-B0m1uLAeJgrBSZWnY3Ip_nxFVflAcH52wJOlWCrl/s320/FD268D8A-AF53-4D40-929C-C4B111DA5801.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpS7lxj7_x8Wd3zIjYi4_8_NSXGPRniF7kAU5eH5MO-FVItLweOlC6Nus0dtYiKhJ0A2ZEhW8hfwt3Fnwdll585nby_TPgCi7ZAj9HbF0LcMndjf8UzsrklWKOBurZvQs3xzN_0CJYL-9/s320/7BAA1E85-6174-4F54-8CF3-15680F37F0BB.jpeg" style="text-align: left;" /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WRswpc5Ui41UlXMkOR0cKZ4TS8opdo-OlffQbT5dYA2pFd96GER26W9gSBly3yMMNl_EuITVYUyihyu1scnf5OuBmBYhOvE0Slz7ABAp1vVflkpulH7HGe4cW_thzvbEC2oBBwioZph2/s320/6E307222-764D-4104-9C1A-1FEA35D188E6.jpeg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ8b7XvUVpfiFi12bTS1fJguMGFpmv-Qo_E8yOEtGnlJZNzMbPZTXBSaB2xKGHTMW55HhBiyqTk71ghlAD1Wy3knQPWOPgumCI7tAS5AkktrWWnOMd_CJJOczSjdpVkyIG6MHDhCpVdr3/s2048/0914ED1A-B871-4B3A-9B32-FA2C0F726863.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ8b7XvUVpfiFi12bTS1fJguMGFpmv-Qo_E8yOEtGnlJZNzMbPZTXBSaB2xKGHTMW55HhBiyqTk71ghlAD1Wy3knQPWOPgumCI7tAS5AkktrWWnOMd_CJJOczSjdpVkyIG6MHDhCpVdr3/s320/0914ED1A-B871-4B3A-9B32-FA2C0F726863.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Making a "sand angel"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had a great family vacation. It has been so fun finding these beautiful places not too far from us that are a little off of the beaten trail. <br /></div><p></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-61987910183275793292020-08-11T14:05:00.000-04:002020-09-03T14:48:11.680-04:00Will’s New Bed<p> As our family continues to grow, we are finding creative ways to fit in our little house. The three big kids have been sharing a room for a while now, and we have traded beds around as the kids grew. But with Laney ready for a big bed, we knew we would need more space. The best solution: build up! To free up some floor space for play, replaced Laney's toddler bed with a huge loft bed. Laney took Will's spot on the bottom bunk while Will moved up to the sky. <br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HDGJxwVac9bpNp2pLroShClJUqMNx6D6lFB2y-8NeL4oYLNBrOI-T3rMtqwVCa6hWNQXWImXIAiV-pqsu49g42zNkcSbiOsDdrY8kGuUtNL2Z8AaLQdugaMJip0Ygxr9T4zhhYEA8u8Z/s2048/11C7FC05-BD63-4F3A-B8C6-8751D0CB0E25.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HDGJxwVac9bpNp2pLroShClJUqMNx6D6lFB2y-8NeL4oYLNBrOI-T3rMtqwVCa6hWNQXWImXIAiV-pqsu49g42zNkcSbiOsDdrY8kGuUtNL2Z8AaLQdugaMJip0Ygxr9T4zhhYEA8u8Z/s320/11C7FC05-BD63-4F3A-B8C6-8751D0CB0E25.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to build the bed around the toddler bed. Note Laney being really helpful in this picture. She has taken one of the boards from the loft bed and balanced it on the frame to make a shelf for her toys. She was not happy with me when I had to take the board back to actually build the loft. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQHkhxmGh1-NH0Fopn2k2hMeJfw7s8cn4v2pGl3z0-9ZbGXmjx_dgR3MtazHhni4COlKvNGXY2pxoRlRlVZ7HYap52PET_XOgR_6sfebPj0jex_qIXHUqDqJV0_zd-Eo6Y4Rjs2V7DPOT/s2048/A3BB3092-785F-4FC7-AC6A-0F5A91FDF2CB.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQHkhxmGh1-NH0Fopn2k2hMeJfw7s8cn4v2pGl3z0-9ZbGXmjx_dgR3MtazHhni4COlKvNGXY2pxoRlRlVZ7HYap52PET_XOgR_6sfebPj0jex_qIXHUqDqJV0_zd-Eo6Y4Rjs2V7DPOT/s320/A3BB3092-785F-4FC7-AC6A-0F5A91FDF2CB.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laney is inspecting my work.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74Gl7USK32F7c1yqXn32fh3LwAsfS5InQsHw7yvW7rQbEalpACEX5q6ER9EkYgVos8iB6sZqCraJZjCgUvGvfXxSKri-hYK-rKfla0RxpC2Y2VwCQYDoTgUQjVq2yUZ86L03McpWr9ER4/s1704/CC151519-880E-4BB4-B9BA-1585B4E98B57.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="1278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74Gl7USK32F7c1yqXn32fh3LwAsfS5InQsHw7yvW7rQbEalpACEX5q6ER9EkYgVos8iB6sZqCraJZjCgUvGvfXxSKri-hYK-rKfla0RxpC2Y2VwCQYDoTgUQjVq2yUZ86L03McpWr9ER4/s320/CC151519-880E-4BB4-B9BA-1585B4E98B57.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, my inspector is making sure I have the screws in tight.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIJauu1uBz_1QV3S15kd5jw5D9boym7nomRFnp-ji7lMUf4RBNS8fZcCsFthGwjkUnQBBSKalvTq3UPjJcF2RRG3r3e4XnE2y6kJwWMnjn5x0TWVTbaEd14f8BC33iuw08XX9T-w9xV_C/s2048/7D8D7174-8021-4797-8DA9-47CBE4D46ADD.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIJauu1uBz_1QV3S15kd5jw5D9boym7nomRFnp-ji7lMUf4RBNS8fZcCsFthGwjkUnQBBSKalvTq3UPjJcF2RRG3r3e4XnE2y6kJwWMnjn5x0TWVTbaEd14f8BC33iuw08XX9T-w9xV_C/s320/7D8D7174-8021-4797-8DA9-47CBE4D46ADD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New arrangement! The kids love hanging a blanket from the side of the loft and making the space underneath a cave. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Hopefully this arrangement buys us a little more time in our three bedroom ranch!<br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-8841214860177309442020-07-20T11:08:00.001-04:002020-09-27T11:24:02.410-04:00Will’s Birthday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUppXLMpy7GTjWEeIk9HVMuvqYFO52MDpMV8EN4QFsHMx7E5NzyuMkkLrNKiXzzHMbTcQ3rthQCa-D0SY0g48ISAGuim7T7_qhjsFnHDTNzqYk0k61iJq6Vso8uDieQHrAhNBQUxUL4wSK/s2048/1D0AD841-AFD6-48A7-8749-243CB04ED7C3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUppXLMpy7GTjWEeIk9HVMuvqYFO52MDpMV8EN4QFsHMx7E5NzyuMkkLrNKiXzzHMbTcQ3rthQCa-D0SY0g48ISAGuim7T7_qhjsFnHDTNzqYk0k61iJq6Vso8uDieQHrAhNBQUxUL4wSK/s320/1D0AD841-AFD6-48A7-8749-243CB04ED7C3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklO7Dwucvdu-LKI9RqIQJGZL9qMMR-ZSI6xLvTA4VlxHf8v-JxzSudQFtBVmDCIJsIS2kFpvRZ5Ufyx2Q_cE-J1SZl9iIgWmaWKviu_FxwcNt0VKKRC-FSUYTUx9dMFA2wW0C6jwDy4ar/s2048/55F286EF-51FA-4D6E-92DA-09A5651B11DA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklO7Dwucvdu-LKI9RqIQJGZL9qMMR-ZSI6xLvTA4VlxHf8v-JxzSudQFtBVmDCIJsIS2kFpvRZ5Ufyx2Q_cE-J1SZl9iIgWmaWKviu_FxwcNt0VKKRC-FSUYTUx9dMFA2wW0C6jwDy4ar/s320/55F286EF-51FA-4D6E-92DA-09A5651B11DA.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1JfhWvnXOILqtOu9CrC7wBbsEwMU7a1fhUrjQwr1UqH0xrNNjjkENbyS2PYvlvzaLT6HzJpacJTBeDjl7UZUgFo1KQDpPvKTq3uC6-UmbE8orEj24di87J_vj9q0oyGBut9xtv5CCIiu/s2048/399F49DC-0E2B-4792-9B86-8689F4612B2A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1JfhWvnXOILqtOu9CrC7wBbsEwMU7a1fhUrjQwr1UqH0xrNNjjkENbyS2PYvlvzaLT6HzJpacJTBeDjl7UZUgFo1KQDpPvKTq3uC6-UmbE8orEj24di87J_vj9q0oyGBut9xtv5CCIiu/s320/399F49DC-0E2B-4792-9B86-8689F4612B2A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeibdlrDxpuocl6zyOe7mCKg58C-fNyY9g88T9mg9p4EB2SuzWox9Sh_mAQJaislYqi5mAY6Q4Dfr7Uh6rKDGAEFB_1uDV1LsVjfSKpfsXoPGUFN8CJ50RhhCSUrYfXJdkcEhzQu9stDai/s2048/4360F505-6D05-4736-A3D9-005FDBB2A2C3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeibdlrDxpuocl6zyOe7mCKg58C-fNyY9g88T9mg9p4EB2SuzWox9Sh_mAQJaislYqi5mAY6Q4Dfr7Uh6rKDGAEFB_1uDV1LsVjfSKpfsXoPGUFN8CJ50RhhCSUrYfXJdkcEhzQu9stDai/s320/4360F505-6D05-4736-A3D9-005FDBB2A2C3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YoatT3REm9Tcc-cUTy8PcaF441saBzHsmFAXfeOMRoCklLpxGNj8dmmX8LWvy4gU9e-goxByoqzqdtVW8qHKUKaeubhAtfIZB08nhKqs-6ZTXSkqm26Z757TW-HseZcB_Pt-X-QcWEr-/s4032/A7058E4D-84D3-4601-BB6C-6958B2ECD8FD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YoatT3REm9Tcc-cUTy8PcaF441saBzHsmFAXfeOMRoCklLpxGNj8dmmX8LWvy4gU9e-goxByoqzqdtVW8qHKUKaeubhAtfIZB08nhKqs-6ZTXSkqm26Z757TW-HseZcB_Pt-X-QcWEr-/s320/A7058E4D-84D3-4601-BB6C-6958B2ECD8FD.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Happy 6th Birthday to our handsome, sweet, big guy! Navigating this new state of the world, we celebrated Will’s birthday over several days so that we could see different people but not have a large gathering. Will had his good friend Paolo over along with his family for a backyard pool party. It feels so great to see people in person again and get to celebrate, even in a small way.<p></p><p>Will measured in at 46lbs and 46” at his 6 year checkup. He is growing up!! He loves Legos especially Chima Legos, and Star Wars. He has spent most of the summer jumping in and out of the little pool we have in our backyard and climbing any trees he can reach. He likes reading Elephant and Piggie books and playing the Nintendo Switch. He probably knows more than just about anyone about Zelda. He’s a sweet brother but also loves to wrestle. We love our sweet William!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-87809267676695933692020-07-09T22:06:00.000-04:002020-07-09T22:06:02.711-04:00Gabby at 6 monthsGabby is now 6 months old and cute as a button! She has two little baby teeth and the most beautiful smile. She is usually very happy (unless you try to put her down for too long). She has started sleeping 12 hrs a night and taking good naps. That’s a crazy amount of sleep for one of my babies at 6 months old!<br />
At her pediatrician appointment, she weighed in at 15lbs 4oz which is 33rd percentile - what a petite little sweetie pie!<br />
We started solid foods this week. Gabby is not so sure about the rice cereal. She tries to chew it and mostly gags on it. She has also had carrot baby food. She smiles when when the spoon goes in her mouth. Then she just holds the food on her tongue. She doesn’t swallow it - just holds it on her tongue and smiles. It’s like she doesn’t exactly want to eat it but can’t figure out how to get the purée off of her tongue. She cracks me up!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUR8bDcU957Yydf3cntJejWBIkoD2wL7tHI8I3ak55s4JijVRUckulOQCzq-rWW5sUAclSusxCoovTad-T9ntLUOHEGa1HkaZi_qumi3KCYnU9pnUCiWgDlJ7Yk93QPRMKBcgV5RBhkOq/s1600/3C2574F6-3A1A-49FD-AA30-50B9D04F37D8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUR8bDcU957Yydf3cntJejWBIkoD2wL7tHI8I3ak55s4JijVRUckulOQCzq-rWW5sUAclSusxCoovTad-T9ntLUOHEGa1HkaZi_qumi3KCYnU9pnUCiWgDlJ7Yk93QPRMKBcgV5RBhkOq/s320/3C2574F6-3A1A-49FD-AA30-50B9D04F37D8.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the kids want to help feed Gabby.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllz82ZYqSaEL11k8YK30yHmsjNk1dVAOoEhtGafZ4I1v1l4nkz6zriLQrvDo5mReGzlbkvEyum6PbnUHLT5sdUlZeIOA6kpQKc2ylhPHeTq8xkRsiztrhObAovOyanlTCyMgPIAmQJsRd/s1600/9CF1F01F-AD69-42A8-9126-2A89FBCF9B2D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllz82ZYqSaEL11k8YK30yHmsjNk1dVAOoEhtGafZ4I1v1l4nkz6zriLQrvDo5mReGzlbkvEyum6PbnUHLT5sdUlZeIOA6kpQKc2ylhPHeTq8xkRsiztrhObAovOyanlTCyMgPIAmQJsRd/s320/9CF1F01F-AD69-42A8-9126-2A89FBCF9B2D.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It’s hard to feed Gabby because you have to pull her thumb out of her mouth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWKRcT-bylvBrTobxYgncNrjeiagcogMMlR2I9wRjL2koDfZJNNTq-WJ05cuCoICOgSHlBB3_CAu9liucFfQ8bLwE7mY4eJPiDKRinwzrQLO5dXn9o-IvlwWaOEzpaJifGutqNu1veELH/s1600/68F4BD72-0D1C-4FD0-A930-D99E79E327CA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWKRcT-bylvBrTobxYgncNrjeiagcogMMlR2I9wRjL2koDfZJNNTq-WJ05cuCoICOgSHlBB3_CAu9liucFfQ8bLwE7mY4eJPiDKRinwzrQLO5dXn9o-IvlwWaOEzpaJifGutqNu1veELH/s320/68F4BD72-0D1C-4FD0-A930-D99E79E327CA.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling before she realizes what is in her mouth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDUKQJ3DwHXojHZdJ7Mbu9H_Kw6PAmK-TvmAJScyyk8jiTk6QziBd6BUymNe3oH0Tfr1jWob6fQLzlJX8J16BNEZTqxmSr7upRm7fBLBFQEYsSUCjD1jma3eML6Az3iPmAzmzD-DgDYhW/s1600/72F1D3F1-7418-4D3C-AD28-54013083D7C7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDUKQJ3DwHXojHZdJ7Mbu9H_Kw6PAmK-TvmAJScyyk8jiTk6QziBd6BUymNe3oH0Tfr1jWob6fQLzlJX8J16BNEZTqxmSr7upRm7fBLBFQEYsSUCjD1jma3eML6Az3iPmAzmzD-DgDYhW/s320/72F1D3F1-7418-4D3C-AD28-54013083D7C7.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh no- she realized the rice cereal was in her mouth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkI18zaKEN7mRX_SN5YXHptxhX9cH9c-d873DGh34RclFuy7L7WS0kleALSOezlQZAN5aCvDkdYTYBIlDamRPQ7xV-QtQWXAj_Ci-_L4vAGq07R09ytGpQpRnKcO0FkZ91vtaVeutBBj6v/s1600/7764B5C7-FAD5-448D-8651-0D13FBA9F41F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkI18zaKEN7mRX_SN5YXHptxhX9cH9c-d873DGh34RclFuy7L7WS0kleALSOezlQZAN5aCvDkdYTYBIlDamRPQ7xV-QtQWXAj_Ci-_L4vAGq07R09ytGpQpRnKcO0FkZ91vtaVeutBBj6v/s320/7764B5C7-FAD5-448D-8651-0D13FBA9F41F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47iEgDM7CmDYrH2RBQLXfE0apMCm5M7qCRFjWc9dKt3xFQnbNDmHVWD8ScqHvBSUty4U-nx8yymxKeouX2YBzKiQDrZXLDhQE3-HMl3wtWokt3_pSlu2q9LUL3AULAtdZHlQSZxDEz6xV/s1600/9735A0BB-5963-4B2A-AF15-1E118FC385FC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47iEgDM7CmDYrH2RBQLXfE0apMCm5M7qCRFjWc9dKt3xFQnbNDmHVWD8ScqHvBSUty4U-nx8yymxKeouX2YBzKiQDrZXLDhQE3-HMl3wtWokt3_pSlu2q9LUL3AULAtdZHlQSZxDEz6xV/s320/9735A0BB-5963-4B2A-AF15-1E118FC385FC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See those two teeth?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72G3fPyEd-o_tCYPOYSoT0LmpzfqjMsNhTNYjyKttskruAk6UZxGS2uPPHPEvM0dOhHY7n_cJcyWAxjZ3_Px_e9ywCKkmkoUWStNsPdAvDO2XS_So9UX-K0TTFQ0Baz4tFYfFbs-V7wyY/s1600/817181A6-ACDC-4C5F-8FF5-9B42FF6B18D6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72G3fPyEd-o_tCYPOYSoT0LmpzfqjMsNhTNYjyKttskruAk6UZxGS2uPPHPEvM0dOhHY7n_cJcyWAxjZ3_Px_e9ywCKkmkoUWStNsPdAvDO2XS_So9UX-K0TTFQ0Baz4tFYfFbs-V7wyY/s320/817181A6-ACDC-4C5F-8FF5-9B42FF6B18D6.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-26709443084891671792020-06-02T21:13:00.001-04:002020-06-02T21:13:40.447-04:00Walking baby chicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIOODa-AI7nHjI2NjkvXExyIq0rmdr8oevZT4SxBoMwNqsbjzDz8Yq2l1yw3d8F4IVYZTYYzSK2es433xledbkUn0mSO5Zm_iWrVMmOvaBHaYvwQZssNb27iqioTHOgLg6LzJP4TJVvKx/s1600/4AF59226-C56E-4F2A-B1F3-D31ED9B1A722.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIOODa-AI7nHjI2NjkvXExyIq0rmdr8oevZT4SxBoMwNqsbjzDz8Yq2l1yw3d8F4IVYZTYYzSK2es433xledbkUn0mSO5Zm_iWrVMmOvaBHaYvwQZssNb27iqioTHOgLg6LzJP4TJVvKx/s320/4AF59226-C56E-4F2A-B1F3-D31ED9B1A722.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
We went to visit the chickens at our friends’ house. Cocoa is growing well and is starting to get feathers. The kids were all excited to hold the little chicks again. Then Hannah said she like to take the chickens out for walks in the baby stroller. I was cracking up! She loaded two up for Laney and they took a little stroll down the sidewalk and back. It reminded me of Fern pushing Wilber in a stroller from Charlotte’s Web. We had to enjoy the chicks today because they go back to the farm tomorrow.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-36195431646952792322020-05-31T22:09:00.001-04:002020-05-31T22:09:50.091-04:00May Crowning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQv-wtkiFyAcSeIktcHWfNc2tq6mZPayFUsF9ttJIcReimo2bJ5BgEuOCdsqzcucDmg2ulGFpPBxS_omsqxqp3ul8-AsRW9O-YK7zDFrtlLQ_8u1TCmehqxGhTcf4rslQu72o1fDVB_dC/s1600/8DCDE35D-B53D-4409-A5F8-40374B3440FA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQv-wtkiFyAcSeIktcHWfNc2tq6mZPayFUsF9ttJIcReimo2bJ5BgEuOCdsqzcucDmg2ulGFpPBxS_omsqxqp3ul8-AsRW9O-YK7zDFrtlLQ_8u1TCmehqxGhTcf4rslQu72o1fDVB_dC/s320/8DCDE35D-B53D-4409-A5F8-40374B3440FA.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
To celebrate May, the month of Mary, we had a small May Crowning in our backyard Mary Garden. I told Eliana about how growing up, the 2nd graders got to help with the May crowning and were allowed to wear their First Communion dresses. I offered to let her wear her dress for our ceremony, and she was happy to have a chance to put it on. We made a crown out of clovers, while Will and Laney both gathered bouquets of flowers from the yard. After singing "Immaculate Mary" (or listening to it on my phone), Eliana crowned Mary with our flowers. Then we said a prayer and a Hail Mary. We declared Mary the queen of our home. It was a beautiful little prayer time and something that I hope we can do again in the years to come. It took all month, but I finally made time for the May crowning the last day in May!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX5hqGFBaLNadm10ITn4H0EdblVdkGJ2z3de8O7cPI70NmlOTwQdOt8hwlJ6D7HnES-lKCdxVemeXGc68zgxmzYO7HK6wZJSGByckNfo6YNNfpNyI4Bezdgg_m1a0UkbUcqQ2P7os4XtA/s1600/4C1221BC-F589-4553-8AE6-C3A2E1EB0FE5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX5hqGFBaLNadm10ITn4H0EdblVdkGJ2z3de8O7cPI70NmlOTwQdOt8hwlJ6D7HnES-lKCdxVemeXGc68zgxmzYO7HK6wZJSGByckNfo6YNNfpNyI4Bezdgg_m1a0UkbUcqQ2P7os4XtA/s320/4C1221BC-F589-4553-8AE6-C3A2E1EB0FE5.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjy9GrY6pc0uqMyZDrifRd9MRkvnF7c235itC5N_ZHwDn5jao7D4dHHYFhMcWYdjDSInfjGXTuhNrnOZd_CJMVPFB2KiU2eHgtYyfOrHfef6JAsmXF4odvNlp1M68JFfALWESnmVlDMgSL/s1600/8ED30216-D7ED-4CCD-A3EA-B62A3E173F11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjy9GrY6pc0uqMyZDrifRd9MRkvnF7c235itC5N_ZHwDn5jao7D4dHHYFhMcWYdjDSInfjGXTuhNrnOZd_CJMVPFB2KiU2eHgtYyfOrHfef6JAsmXF4odvNlp1M68JFfALWESnmVlDMgSL/s320/8ED30216-D7ED-4CCD-A3EA-B62A3E173F11.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigms5sRov0oBYqIWcnXSxOEcCI-558Fu41ortx5XQp2ovyCn4-wOJEXsxOVLJr6maj6adOnHjhNlY6UBiUYmz_EzAMY0DsPSaoodJ0IDGPORwwE-zf_nzAaldBXgTGPP3wDOp0bmlk3qJq/s1600/990AE142-7FC0-4CCB-AAA2-4BCC1E61F070.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigms5sRov0oBYqIWcnXSxOEcCI-558Fu41ortx5XQp2ovyCn4-wOJEXsxOVLJr6maj6adOnHjhNlY6UBiUYmz_EzAMY0DsPSaoodJ0IDGPORwwE-zf_nzAaldBXgTGPP3wDOp0bmlk3qJq/s320/990AE142-7FC0-4CCB-AAA2-4BCC1E61F070.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TJJ4hpSMPDUnIoEkVtdc5n1ZR6iq4WccFTmfeXsJnsMUBr037XnjRnHu1gJDfDRpbhuzl40plTj21b4u1nw_lv1WfRE2MclaNi_xeyGAFZEFNQgp0LbZO4NON8bej4S5qpfTzR5cOCY0/s1600/BC144A3E-DA26-4F1E-A202-68A1883A9409.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TJJ4hpSMPDUnIoEkVtdc5n1ZR6iq4WccFTmfeXsJnsMUBr037XnjRnHu1gJDfDRpbhuzl40plTj21b4u1nw_lv1WfRE2MclaNi_xeyGAFZEFNQgp0LbZO4NON8bej4S5qpfTzR5cOCY0/s320/BC144A3E-DA26-4F1E-A202-68A1883A9409.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-54732726385888460812020-05-30T21:52:00.000-04:002020-05-31T22:26:03.179-04:00Hatching chicksOur friends the Monniers had gotten some chicken eggs to watch hatch. Holly is such a fun mom and found a program that is usually for school classrooms but had converted to home activities since the schools are shut down. But this program gives you fertilized eggs, and incubator, brooder, and egg viewer, plus lesson plans to go along with the chickens. You watch the chickens grow inside the eggs for a couple of weeks, then get to keep the chicks for a week after they hatch. Then the chicks head back to the farm. How cool is that?!<br />
<br />
Due to a planned power outage to replace an electric pole, the Monniers needed someone with electricity to babysit their eggs so the incubator could be plugged in. Of course, my kids were super happy to have them come to our house. The girls showed us the four chicks that had already hatched, then we babysat the two eggs in the incubator. We only had the eggs for four hours, but amazingly during that time, one egg hatched! It was so neat to watch. The kids were really excited. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHAMQo5Xx9W5E1cbPyveyN1c4tRrR1wcsaDORGQYkDxRtxlKMpbfbIf3L2WM5mDwvMfrlG-669VHF5epjB0B8l5wHYcwpLThHjPhqiJ5GJdieBbMtDCAAu-05e7D0hx63ST-KdteaTxNb/s1600/06A1C42A-8ADB-49A9-984A-CAE9A64E6A32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHAMQo5Xx9W5E1cbPyveyN1c4tRrR1wcsaDORGQYkDxRtxlKMpbfbIf3L2WM5mDwvMfrlG-669VHF5epjB0B8l5wHYcwpLThHjPhqiJ5GJdieBbMtDCAAu-05e7D0hx63ST-KdteaTxNb/s320/06A1C42A-8ADB-49A9-984A-CAE9A64E6A32.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjRLctrtZKo9HWH0trtG3Csjyl-ngIw431bLq647YTC5A_eTfR4mP68ZpY0w-NATXthpdrStkgPkLdHJqt2nKnjqFtUyz-hPfnvkplbC-Mm-vMYQNggicytq-Zx7JY7wS2FKLPSjXbeca/s1600/6B8FC753-1F5F-46C9-B9AE-3A7D9C54B6B5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjRLctrtZKo9HWH0trtG3Csjyl-ngIw431bLq647YTC5A_eTfR4mP68ZpY0w-NATXthpdrStkgPkLdHJqt2nKnjqFtUyz-hPfnvkplbC-Mm-vMYQNggicytq-Zx7JY7wS2FKLPSjXbeca/s320/6B8FC753-1F5F-46C9-B9AE-3A7D9C54B6B5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The four chicks that already hatched. They are named (not in any particular order) Rosie, Nugget, Chipmunk, and something else...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXVLNhDQSJDl4ahdTFnaQ4kA4RRNLUTtGhx4y_fpSIxBSOdzkCTTW42BqGp3wM9uuTGhcajycVJToWq3WdQH4YA_iNdPFdAJvJgwsxNof9e8rhzk2UuN2TFoKeFcjFSr0zCF4tmzecs2R/s1600/129909D5-610D-4477-9D9C-99F49FE72609.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXVLNhDQSJDl4ahdTFnaQ4kA4RRNLUTtGhx4y_fpSIxBSOdzkCTTW42BqGp3wM9uuTGhcajycVJToWq3WdQH4YA_iNdPFdAJvJgwsxNof9e8rhzk2UuN2TFoKeFcjFSr0zCF4tmzecs2R/s320/129909D5-610D-4477-9D9C-99F49FE72609.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NlmHCE5vkeB5qidwFdznPB6H2Mu61N_itBNpmtgA9UUNlCmgFEcdeF-v3a9OJZs6UVyGWfAmEpgwSTQyXtprN4QzdS9cV2TdsQQgK7Bw_UGWiClOeMOiN4RGIewduzoN790g8aOnIfPl/s1600/B9CAC778-DD76-4536-A79E-A796080F83E0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NlmHCE5vkeB5qidwFdznPB6H2Mu61N_itBNpmtgA9UUNlCmgFEcdeF-v3a9OJZs6UVyGWfAmEpgwSTQyXtprN4QzdS9cV2TdsQQgK7Bw_UGWiClOeMOiN4RGIewduzoN790g8aOnIfPl/s320/B9CAC778-DD76-4536-A79E-A796080F83E0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAB0k5hoDpmWpMN4FeShPpLTHmRIYv7H9VFLOKfPpsrFXh-H9Hx-nAcDYJHpCl8-RnZpBAArRQy-hPZ5l0OD4BmvXI9meWCOszCTZLEQPPbs0YfkaeMWmzIAivS995fW_wXmMAiOZUHGyV/s1600/B37D87BD-92A2-4868-AB5E-70E6ED92F97C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAB0k5hoDpmWpMN4FeShPpLTHmRIYv7H9VFLOKfPpsrFXh-H9Hx-nAcDYJHpCl8-RnZpBAArRQy-hPZ5l0OD4BmvXI9meWCOszCTZLEQPPbs0YfkaeMWmzIAivS995fW_wXmMAiOZUHGyV/s320/B37D87BD-92A2-4868-AB5E-70E6ED92F97C.jpeg" width="320" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakre0JeFSCjzUyhIw_wOREJA1qD76s9TeooqUMwwKa5C-Tx9eYF1_ouU8HNM0soOj_xMc0u50ISUrk5650RVbLKB0U7_lW4eeMxAxdyO7sO1QiTSVNs_6v6JznIj_DwFN0Aebhipo2x3X/s1600/1F091738-E2E4-49F2-AD8D-87B95FDC8392.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakre0JeFSCjzUyhIw_wOREJA1qD76s9TeooqUMwwKa5C-Tx9eYF1_ouU8HNM0soOj_xMc0u50ISUrk5650RVbLKB0U7_lW4eeMxAxdyO7sO1QiTSVNs_6v6JznIj_DwFN0Aebhipo2x3X/s320/1F091738-E2E4-49F2-AD8D-87B95FDC8392.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kids decided to name this chicken Cocoa. The Monniers were very nice and let the chicken keep the name. According to Rick, he was planning on naming it General Tso. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGJh5AMBtiZ9M_aG3tBu7svGlPOaPy_FKCMBCzr6j5LDEf-Mjysq0nBv5lIPZ5oTUlU4gzSPHtyEZ_L3QeyTURWAE5UOmucZarp6eKZ_Xk8ArJ6QBvhD97vXG6KPWgx5yI6jX3z3o46g5/s1600/IMG_0078.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGJh5AMBtiZ9M_aG3tBu7svGlPOaPy_FKCMBCzr6j5LDEf-Mjysq0nBv5lIPZ5oTUlU4gzSPHtyEZ_L3QeyTURWAE5UOmucZarp6eKZ_Xk8ArJ6QBvhD97vXG6KPWgx5yI6jX3z3o46g5/s320/IMG_0078.MOV" width="180" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtkFKERvsOlhUKCpx1_wwVu_GNvigR1RwJuL5_STFJ6rmx8ITylfTz_zp-uiVQriQT8BPPn8M94VWGTu4FEtaTnUb-2J3H5uaCuu6mA1aPV6q3WvEtCmr85j0sK_q0eQn8Hb3Kjk0Xv4-/s1600/AFE8D35D-DC54-4866-934D-74AFCA4B0508.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtkFKERvsOlhUKCpx1_wwVu_GNvigR1RwJuL5_STFJ6rmx8ITylfTz_zp-uiVQriQT8BPPn8M94VWGTu4FEtaTnUb-2J3H5uaCuu6mA1aPV6q3WvEtCmr85j0sK_q0eQn8Hb3Kjk0Xv4-/s320/AFE8D35D-DC54-4866-934D-74AFCA4B0508.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is not about the chicks, but on the same day, we got our first delivery from our CSA. Included were delicious farm fresh strawberries. Laney said, "This one is as big as my hand!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-24150939304406756732020-05-30T21:51:00.000-04:002020-05-31T22:10:02.446-04:00Hiking at Battelle Darby Creek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJxaUar6nnFSheUcRI4anRL-SncdBK0UmCww7JJdNldmdgvkjg1lWrh-Y0ByYmnNncHUZCwXLpNM4r9kULTeR9WBuE_QJjgh_wzJIa8DxkIiPnbDSd_Aak1IHHbRW3m2hm_2M5F1NA8BU/s1600/3F09DD59-EE7F-44FE-AEEA-3D2B358CBD6E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1202" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJxaUar6nnFSheUcRI4anRL-SncdBK0UmCww7JJdNldmdgvkjg1lWrh-Y0ByYmnNncHUZCwXLpNM4r9kULTeR9WBuE_QJjgh_wzJIa8DxkIiPnbDSd_Aak1IHHbRW3m2hm_2M5F1NA8BU/s320/3F09DD59-EE7F-44FE-AEEA-3D2B358CBD6E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
On a beautiful weekend day last week, the kids and I went for a hike at Battelle Darby Creek metro park while David worked. We were on the hunt for our state amphibian - the spotted salamander. It is endangered, but this metro park is one place you can still find it. Eliana was supposed to have a field trip here with school, so she asked in particular to go for a hike here. We had a really nice time (despite some complaints of tired legs), and it was wonderful to get out of the house for a while. I think a family hike is the second best thing to a school field trip.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAETcv4Yqq3F9ezqB9OAw1-pFWaFoMkPLtxTMu0Kmbkea-kNkt85fc3NVc4azrMZyaBIi8larjL4tuH5Fc5Rx8BxxAb02w72pc4K2kxJOyDH4PvF6WbI6gtwW-tLxycE5YQkoqZzM-HmVY/s1600/5ADEE462-47BF-4B33-A788-A922BB8BB9FF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAETcv4Yqq3F9ezqB9OAw1-pFWaFoMkPLtxTMu0Kmbkea-kNkt85fc3NVc4azrMZyaBIi8larjL4tuH5Fc5Rx8BxxAb02w72pc4K2kxJOyDH4PvF6WbI6gtwW-tLxycE5YQkoqZzM-HmVY/s320/5ADEE462-47BF-4B33-A788-A922BB8BB9FF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hiking crew. This picture was taken at the very start of the hike (literally less than 5 minutes in). We had to take a break here for snacks because Will and Laney were "starving!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHmuwq5h-duuExdWLeGcUul081dmA29d6CV2t7QxFUE5Fouda07xJWIYkagiwDk1bQWXb6naiYWg2HcVdEJMD842Mn1tS8Zl1orXRecBAX4L27oIr5wFTwHxpw543nhAJ9xajBGjwoqjN/s1600/E1B64ECD-1073-49EF-94B9-1C0432761327.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHmuwq5h-duuExdWLeGcUul081dmA29d6CV2t7QxFUE5Fouda07xJWIYkagiwDk1bQWXb6naiYWg2HcVdEJMD842Mn1tS8Zl1orXRecBAX4L27oIr5wFTwHxpw543nhAJ9xajBGjwoqjN/s320/E1B64ECD-1073-49EF-94B9-1C0432761327.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gabby caught a ride in the Ergo and slept the whole hike until lunch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgrtB5y0UAGZEW5O0aL8OQ3rOEq1QTT08lVxgjnF4zO58I396E3JttN4JGiwexsn6tinmYQnlvoH42eUqH67VOlBTDsdTCfEoMWWYDVyCKmRvEohLJA9YW-Nvltki_2t1msOAAJ-i_cof/s1600/EC3A4323-B5F6-4C69-8073-348EAF47BBE6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgrtB5y0UAGZEW5O0aL8OQ3rOEq1QTT08lVxgjnF4zO58I396E3JttN4JGiwexsn6tinmYQnlvoH42eUqH67VOlBTDsdTCfEoMWWYDVyCKmRvEohLJA9YW-Nvltki_2t1msOAAJ-i_cof/s320/EC3A4323-B5F6-4C69-8073-348EAF47BBE6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out Big Darby Creek. Note Laney holding up her baby doll to show here the river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYk7985lVBGkzoaVpKi9Y1DelMkzrWbzyh05Y5MPnO2a0a5hIaN9nejQPW8njpJ7wse4_-uQXfxUgqxKy0GWv4Xl4npd_gTvIigbQiITBLL_6NsoAcKKOo8h6lnIqsdwFQCL7tIOxF7tE/s1600/9C07726A-89DA-4876-BD75-757CE88FC5E0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYk7985lVBGkzoaVpKi9Y1DelMkzrWbzyh05Y5MPnO2a0a5hIaN9nejQPW8njpJ7wse4_-uQXfxUgqxKy0GWv4Xl4npd_gTvIigbQiITBLL_6NsoAcKKOo8h6lnIqsdwFQCL7tIOxF7tE/s320/9C07726A-89DA-4876-BD75-757CE88FC5E0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The water was rushing because of all the rain we had had. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Checking out the new portrait mode on my new phone.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwX-5i8sMdPd5scutEfOPoB9OHG0f8wepdJIr9_gwNdYxecb90QXohE0e9-CvfTPWEtzk_5RoccSPeGbinGiwe6WuJbgD1cAfNwhnznpFhSODhOykJTLNNhMwnJ0bahg333e_nkn4rqB6O/s1600/36EE4C83-4C13-466F-A3D7-C1C12D5E95CC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwX-5i8sMdPd5scutEfOPoB9OHG0f8wepdJIr9_gwNdYxecb90QXohE0e9-CvfTPWEtzk_5RoccSPeGbinGiwe6WuJbgD1cAfNwhnznpFhSODhOykJTLNNhMwnJ0bahg333e_nkn4rqB6O/s320/36EE4C83-4C13-466F-A3D7-C1C12D5E95CC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8Re8laBDZnhnXoE881UOCIINMzUBmBp0ZuiNNEysNZF84UfqtwJ_qJlZHz6ZMMmMslQtOTPSAiBtqjQYE__zyjbHGwTrkJaJ6RzANEJvhpu8Ojl-o43KeDtgscMoij4Mv-4syj3zo3Ny/s1600/44923FBB-0F3D-4ED9-955B-7157F5893DA5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8Re8laBDZnhnXoE881UOCIINMzUBmBp0ZuiNNEysNZF84UfqtwJ_qJlZHz6ZMMmMslQtOTPSAiBtqjQYE__zyjbHGwTrkJaJ6RzANEJvhpu8Ojl-o43KeDtgscMoij4Mv-4syj3zo3Ny/s320/44923FBB-0F3D-4ED9-955B-7157F5893DA5.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UJ38lb1vbqaEwmRufxYadsQ7gf3pTASsBKY01itlSs17w7queBuyGM7ZTk_-MzS-tXI2kx7qLc9wU9eytRRcVMCjXQxwnv_bffLaCASFVyhvucCdYxV7T2eJ92TpPl8svAQICK8ND6q2/s1600/130E4459-0BBC-4257-A90A-EC2F54BAA221.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UJ38lb1vbqaEwmRufxYadsQ7gf3pTASsBKY01itlSs17w7queBuyGM7ZTk_-MzS-tXI2kx7qLc9wU9eytRRcVMCjXQxwnv_bffLaCASFVyhvucCdYxV7T2eJ92TpPl8svAQICK8ND6q2/s320/130E4459-0BBC-4257-A90A-EC2F54BAA221.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8aJLdx5LwRj4H9PsY5ugJhWsW8G8caQiwSQ30Ge8mAxf6YAUd18SeVnmjufC2O3_NEmt1jZkCWThZ8S48k1FkFznQZfiRnhl457soIrNUUN3oagvZQy3bYYTUqm9RmxxuFbrC9fdEvbq/s1600/2426F367-C043-4421-82D2-9AD007437795.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8aJLdx5LwRj4H9PsY5ugJhWsW8G8caQiwSQ30Ge8mAxf6YAUd18SeVnmjufC2O3_NEmt1jZkCWThZ8S48k1FkFznQZfiRnhl457soIrNUUN3oagvZQy3bYYTUqm9RmxxuFbrC9fdEvbq/s320/2426F367-C043-4421-82D2-9AD007437795.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaxwAZwpbKY-XhWNuTMgDoZW9w-JxMVxQlyPh1Vf7YoBG7k9HpVe8y9LFp3BPFe-X-tBtVgWzeaVLiwpsvYI7AnFSgA3k88i-4AX_RNrOoD5NGK1pIFkUXlNoSGX_89UT-RZT3GbhhZUa/s1600/CA31C0D4-D6D4-4538-89AE-33B2C73FE8E2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaxwAZwpbKY-XhWNuTMgDoZW9w-JxMVxQlyPh1Vf7YoBG7k9HpVe8y9LFp3BPFe-X-tBtVgWzeaVLiwpsvYI7AnFSgA3k88i-4AX_RNrOoD5NGK1pIFkUXlNoSGX_89UT-RZT3GbhhZUa/s320/CA31C0D4-D6D4-4538-89AE-33B2C73FE8E2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-1723000276915337852020-05-24T21:21:00.000-04:002020-06-02T21:23:09.572-04:00Daddy’s princess<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9j_dWi13u9T8uYpD2Y4s9xtGOZZBo39Wp9mEZ_XLM0t7RIm1Y7KvJP33FEPNVIIbY3bGNItqUe5wE3bCC72FO8vE5qqvxIWEG0MhtAbAC6tqiOq0HIy_u_s_aikl0ZdiAwaglXVM9rc6/s1600/4B26046C-730C-4DFC-9263-C155AF04E521.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9j_dWi13u9T8uYpD2Y4s9xtGOZZBo39Wp9mEZ_XLM0t7RIm1Y7KvJP33FEPNVIIbY3bGNItqUe5wE3bCC72FO8vE5qqvxIWEG0MhtAbAC6tqiOq0HIy_u_s_aikl0ZdiAwaglXVM9rc6/s320/4B26046C-730C-4DFC-9263-C155AF04E521.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0w9j5_MPU0OQWQNv5r5xB385GxmOQ4Y_-CdJyTstmnsFPiwdkoGHMMeRSDgJcMXDvR7xmQJiZBKU8ph1bo4FPREG4BUom0nm-dug0mieNK5HpB5vNODmTPetWlp-ph5GdLRG_E2np4eDH/s1600/9C81322E-6482-4421-9BE9-DBC033CBBD48.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0w9j5_MPU0OQWQNv5r5xB385GxmOQ4Y_-CdJyTstmnsFPiwdkoGHMMeRSDgJcMXDvR7xmQJiZBKU8ph1bo4FPREG4BUom0nm-dug0mieNK5HpB5vNODmTPetWlp-ph5GdLRG_E2np4eDH/s320/9C81322E-6482-4421-9BE9-DBC033CBBD48.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d05wXcc0Nmv8mh-lcoCKPvyHsGjNQpJgB_2nZiLUPo4gJjiMiGWB0GX-cDsf0NhOOKb4-6hrnbwtQ_85O4kNvMGiRBxHzZhVDJOz5WPdtlDHQ1J3LUaDTWgMkL467CW9kl5jFQhLygHF/s1600/2E5652A7-1B06-4FDA-A007-A97CF10A1A5D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d05wXcc0Nmv8mh-lcoCKPvyHsGjNQpJgB_2nZiLUPo4gJjiMiGWB0GX-cDsf0NhOOKb4-6hrnbwtQ_85O4kNvMGiRBxHzZhVDJOz5WPdtlDHQ1J3LUaDTWgMkL467CW9kl5jFQhLygHF/s320/2E5652A7-1B06-4FDA-A007-A97CF10A1A5D.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kgUF-afqUhuMYg-U4-8qO8z9S8hspKEvvApFE0dzyUqbSKew4epzQNiSGjzI3hFJfEieu6tOM8pHtV2VEPjvU8GtZ6dleXiqI6L4_Af-1GVqRKlE9Q27VIFZnSJ5vS8AKAV_m55hd-_Z/s1600/839C83ED-FFFF-439B-B732-8792845A1CDB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kgUF-afqUhuMYg-U4-8qO8z9S8hspKEvvApFE0dzyUqbSKew4epzQNiSGjzI3hFJfEieu6tOM8pHtV2VEPjvU8GtZ6dleXiqI6L4_Af-1GVqRKlE9Q27VIFZnSJ5vS8AKAV_m55hd-_Z/s320/839C83ED-FFFF-439B-B732-8792845A1CDB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-46211408944803514832019-07-06T14:33:00.001-04:002019-07-06T15:48:10.634-04:00Franklin Park ConservatoryLast summer, Franklin Park Conservatory opened a new Children's Garden. We typically would visit the Conservatory yearly to see the butterflies but this new garden finally prompted me to purchase a membership. We have been putting that membership to good use because the butterflies and garden are so much fun! The outdoor garden has tons of stuff for kids to do, including a "sandstone creek" for the kids to splash in and explore. On this particular trip, I didn't think to bring swimsuits. However, I always pack extra clothes so I told the kids that they could just get wet anyway. We can always dry off and change later!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_SYeMErMs7H4hYVFWIaZcJfgHX_mDP89DK-s0VXilMna1bhaQHyEuNv-T0DVps9GvN-PWqPDf4JKO2OQKcGc0wtJlKNAl1iHFltswntxKmBX-jCKKhKey-AyBR2k0VtiuZrS1Lch4vn6/s1600/IMG_6618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_SYeMErMs7H4hYVFWIaZcJfgHX_mDP89DK-s0VXilMna1bhaQHyEuNv-T0DVps9GvN-PWqPDf4JKO2OQKcGc0wtJlKNAl1iHFltswntxKmBX-jCKKhKey-AyBR2k0VtiuZrS1Lch4vn6/s320/IMG_6618.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ65BPO3XANGhNwhGkFKlaY5jM3U8LC6MtXRG4nzO7_xJjkw6oQxwGqoiOM4FVtmAY0oiJoJFq4T0CM6AzmSwSB1NMTw1pqasRJsVmo3LWc_04MmF0MQ3MknxQAYmfeKviXjKbElbEA9m/s1600/IMG_6620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ65BPO3XANGhNwhGkFKlaY5jM3U8LC6MtXRG4nzO7_xJjkw6oQxwGqoiOM4FVtmAY0oiJoJFq4T0CM6AzmSwSB1NMTw1pqasRJsVmo3LWc_04MmF0MQ3MknxQAYmfeKviXjKbElbEA9m/s320/IMG_6620.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tbHowAzUeJy8F-A2ueHPz5NUJY0p2j4jc5bgua3Egy1LQdxEZHed6rQASJ0kfLqThKVmvVHAS8viflMHcdMCHLq2Dp40Hl_FRj-pxE1SL3flit23x4un4MVB6VgdhYn-jIwrOXJEfgXF/s1600/IMG_6622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tbHowAzUeJy8F-A2ueHPz5NUJY0p2j4jc5bgua3Egy1LQdxEZHed6rQASJ0kfLqThKVmvVHAS8viflMHcdMCHLq2Dp40Hl_FRj-pxE1SL3flit23x4un4MVB6VgdhYn-jIwrOXJEfgXF/s320/IMG_6622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
They loved this water area! It is a great way to cool off on a hot summer day. We explored the garden a little more that day. Laney ate the rest of the chocolate donut we had had for breakfast. Our last stop was the fairy garden, where you can help build fairy houses. They kids really delighted in this area especially with the gems. Will kept asking if fairies were real, but Eliana told him the only real fairy is the Tooth Fairy. We sure get the kids to believe some wild stuff...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfieEmBPFnDoL-_o4XY2-5neCyeqWudW1sfL4EESjW19IddApwuw0X62jR3CvhxhfkBTUSK9-iRJw9wPTvmez687NEk0JAaJAn8Ldd0DWbhY53HVjFGWXmKCUcun2WZNGjCOHLU1cz9FCE/s1600/IMG_6623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfieEmBPFnDoL-_o4XY2-5neCyeqWudW1sfL4EESjW19IddApwuw0X62jR3CvhxhfkBTUSK9-iRJw9wPTvmez687NEk0JAaJAn8Ldd0DWbhY53HVjFGWXmKCUcun2WZNGjCOHLU1cz9FCE/s320/IMG_6623.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPaKCGkf_x9NzHCJ2cUmntiFBtmguFZTAfTf5MgPFllpihPkoc7Tx2m87QLWZJGzuPT24JAJ0sM21CkDZzMWPTMMYSP6YBjCEXF59peulkuA9pQnIG-1sz2EWhLW-ARWZZv_pQ5c2no3w/s1600/IMG_6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPaKCGkf_x9NzHCJ2cUmntiFBtmguFZTAfTf5MgPFllpihPkoc7Tx2m87QLWZJGzuPT24JAJ0sM21CkDZzMWPTMMYSP6YBjCEXF59peulkuA9pQnIG-1sz2EWhLW-ARWZZv_pQ5c2no3w/s320/IMG_6624.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUc4Vo1FerzstDfu5EkpfG0NEUIyx-P_7OIwBhUVOz3NYyJ2K1MPS8RDaDvjoVmsVM6IeJNuO80kmm9p65hAaDXFG4r7w-I9tCo2cPakaUWIj-plF0Yza8lYM1XErp6s66ofEUOM8ilJO/s1600/IMG_6625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUc4Vo1FerzstDfu5EkpfG0NEUIyx-P_7OIwBhUVOz3NYyJ2K1MPS8RDaDvjoVmsVM6IeJNuO80kmm9p65hAaDXFG4r7w-I9tCo2cPakaUWIj-plF0Yza8lYM1XErp6s66ofEUOM8ilJO/s320/IMG_6625.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
These pictures are from our most recent visit with Uncle Roger and Aunt Hannah. The Conservatory has always featured glass artwork by Dale Chihuly (Indianapolis residents may be familiar with his glass sculpture in the Children's Museum). But recently they have incorporated even more of his art in a feature display. It was so beautiful! I'm not sure the kids appreciated it as much as the grown ups did. But we all had a good time.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2w4p2-qyxO5PH9ArPQSSYqXEHNozor90ZcZmh09FHhrm3FKUs7wXD55GAX5nqWZ113qnzq2QPDg_Wl_7Vk0i-Bekx4KjBV6r5jFCUFEClGJX3nR8mnWxFU3orA1FpF1L_eEETub9rbZN/s1600/IMG_6853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2w4p2-qyxO5PH9ArPQSSYqXEHNozor90ZcZmh09FHhrm3FKUs7wXD55GAX5nqWZ113qnzq2QPDg_Wl_7Vk0i-Bekx4KjBV6r5jFCUFEClGJX3nR8mnWxFU3orA1FpF1L_eEETub9rbZN/s320/IMG_6853.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliana (wearing a butterfly dress in honor of the butterflies in the conservatory) holding a butterfly!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtN9iKQcdkVux-HoTqn4UXsI0u2PSM1NDU8A-ZK1Y2T2SGEyavjAVB6NYszNe3vWbQqmsN7ERuQYEn9ISDziqk8W3bR3m-l3fSy1QGsXdJzGg7u5WR96N55H3CrZ9xYH9o3IkzcAEV5F4/s1600/IMG_6855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtN9iKQcdkVux-HoTqn4UXsI0u2PSM1NDU8A-ZK1Y2T2SGEyavjAVB6NYszNe3vWbQqmsN7ERuQYEn9ISDziqk8W3bR3m-l3fSy1QGsXdJzGg7u5WR96N55H3CrZ9xYH9o3IkzcAEV5F4/s320/IMG_6855.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids with Aunt Hannah and Uncle Roger. Will refused to turn around for the picture and started waving his rear end at me... Note Laney is wearing a butterfly dress too! Also note the beautiful Chihuly glass in the background!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We spent a long time playing outside in the water. I even remembered the swimsuits this time. After, the kids explored the float/sink pond, the birds nest, this shelter building area, and the raised balance beams. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sX2_2CNwqwPlyDeJ7WzXjDfPgdPTKjkpBUpgABqP0llzWCHnXZmHgZhBa1obg0zUqqGIRcy1Ho-jFg57nJHBWD0dlkMcs8YdddOjdh0kQ9QBejug740ixvCi2lX4llHiSo6f7nehTS_U/s1600/IMG_6856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sX2_2CNwqwPlyDeJ7WzXjDfPgdPTKjkpBUpgABqP0llzWCHnXZmHgZhBa1obg0zUqqGIRcy1Ho-jFg57nJHBWD0dlkMcs8YdddOjdh0kQ9QBejug740ixvCi2lX4llHiSo6f7nehTS_U/s320/IMG_6856.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1g2lEB5XEpxNwhIwwDnFPUkKASd1SxfRTz8nrACC0PtAIGvSNIt7PLt9qJ0Jc6ZUZBOFKfwsBELL7gbMoHtspU4VTY8KpSHcBbuINqCBTYEe93Ohn8fPZUC1ICMt6DUYN7HtNvSPRO0i/s1600/IMG_6858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1g2lEB5XEpxNwhIwwDnFPUkKASd1SxfRTz8nrACC0PtAIGvSNIt7PLt9qJ0Jc6ZUZBOFKfwsBELL7gbMoHtspU4VTY8KpSHcBbuINqCBTYEe93Ohn8fPZUC1ICMt6DUYN7HtNvSPRO0i/s320/IMG_6858.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was a really hot and humid day. I can tell you, after several hours outside, I was ready for a break inside! We were really happy to spend the day with Roger and Hannah and enjoy this chance to be outside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-31583537085296929002019-06-24T15:44:00.000-04:002019-07-06T15:48:41.958-04:00Trip to SwitzerlandDavid's next conference was in Lugano, Switzerland. In total, David was gone for almost two weeks. That was just a little too long for me to be apart from the kids. Plus the second conference was much more important and much busier. David didn't really have time to be sightseeing. So after Amsterdam, we traveled to Milan, Italy, where I hopped on a flight back to Indiana and David took a train to Lugano. On our way to Italy, we spent a night in Zurich, Switzerland, and a day visiting the Alps in Lucerne.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULKsYTWUuR7AhwqxYXIxDETIZ9Of_jiezr-h6gETPolrsBcMvPEeWf4veWtFygsOgqr8foays3TcbVj-GQnnDgN_IjmIEVGt7Nsooi4A6rVSOE-_Hn5dz3UFQUCnZq-Z4HQ9pHATYN9Gj/s1600/IMG_6709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULKsYTWUuR7AhwqxYXIxDETIZ9Of_jiezr-h6gETPolrsBcMvPEeWf4veWtFygsOgqr8foays3TcbVj-GQnnDgN_IjmIEVGt7Nsooi4A6rVSOE-_Hn5dz3UFQUCnZq-Z4HQ9pHATYN9Gj/s320/IMG_6709.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view from our hotel room in Zurich</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From Zurich, we rented a BMW for the day to drive to Lucerne. David was excited to try out the German car, but unfortunately we never made it to the Autobahn to really put it to the test. Maybe our next European vacation...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iIGyM8MQ5GYpZsAgr-zbxMNusiTOnR-ejNOKkxFUOR2tXeENc3HVCRSKYkfOAoS4uSvZ9ffvZ3i3LV96zIdoHuiHAR6SIfgtHIgjxKf5PiCx5ZfOKoaxdaeaLTJyBhnH9mX1EHBBFttN/s1600/IMG_6711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iIGyM8MQ5GYpZsAgr-zbxMNusiTOnR-ejNOKkxFUOR2tXeENc3HVCRSKYkfOAoS4uSvZ9ffvZ3i3LV96zIdoHuiHAR6SIfgtHIgjxKf5PiCx5ZfOKoaxdaeaLTJyBhnH9mX1EHBBFttN/s320/IMG_6711.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right side of this map shows the trip we took to the top of Pilatus Kulm (7000 ft). We took a gondola up two parts of the way. Then we took a cable car the last leg.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrJCuoOYLTiEuu0z66hexHx0J3E07Vr-xHdsPpNVajFI_kYfANalDf-GL8TjeVpxp9y1H2OIMjYll1NTGZRsq-mU7huEDHZhtjSdQ8OBKD_RFhORdznb6fsS34A_4Yf-ll8LHKjfidnW8/s1600/IMG_6712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrJCuoOYLTiEuu0z66hexHx0J3E07Vr-xHdsPpNVajFI_kYfANalDf-GL8TjeVpxp9y1H2OIMjYll1NTGZRsq-mU7huEDHZhtjSdQ8OBKD_RFhORdznb6fsS34A_4Yf-ll8LHKjfidnW8/s320/IMG_6712.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David, who is not a fan of dangling from high heights, was a little nervous to get in the gondola.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu5-LvKKgNBAidufrQ2qBQa_Ja5oToIUyojjS77JlKaFZOdKm9zr4KTM9vJcJ9My8U7CpnNtedPwHKrPqAduQM-2Tdu7DpNRl2PGt_XFQY0ltnVNqHn4d0WHLDrFhvNDE0x8SmvRJkZ9_/s1600/IMG_6715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu5-LvKKgNBAidufrQ2qBQa_Ja5oToIUyojjS77JlKaFZOdKm9zr4KTM9vJcJ9My8U7CpnNtedPwHKrPqAduQM-2Tdu7DpNRl2PGt_XFQY0ltnVNqHn4d0WHLDrFhvNDE0x8SmvRJkZ9_/s320/IMG_6715.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucerne below me in the gondola.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MOHGAYKBY6xYXhPNJE-0cWo5fsVta0IlMnXo30Vzw-cenG1rLGnFdMNcV6zVqLY1qddpPtdvCYBb_Bs6rvKJNwdyYnCnrlUOnJgKcpgEh1e0v15KM9ej7qmoPhTGott3kipdGpXf4r4V/s1600/IMG_6716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MOHGAYKBY6xYXhPNJE-0cWo5fsVta0IlMnXo30Vzw-cenG1rLGnFdMNcV6zVqLY1qddpPtdvCYBb_Bs6rvKJNwdyYnCnrlUOnJgKcpgEh1e0v15KM9ej7qmoPhTGott3kipdGpXf4r4V/s320/IMG_6716.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view of the city as we traveled higher.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWIUi_t2YR3UJO1HOp4-zzBuAy6lPwIYOnglM0t7N4BJNgIcZVnWfZNAfrjrT9zID6uU0fF2JATQEyH6SMJpYZd-V6QYWHI3H4Zhp7tzb-1mTcF-E-S7xjlGPvIG8NY9Mwabnx06RW4tg/s1600/IMG_6720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWIUi_t2YR3UJO1HOp4-zzBuAy6lPwIYOnglM0t7N4BJNgIcZVnWfZNAfrjrT9zID6uU0fF2JATQEyH6SMJpYZd-V6QYWHI3H4Zhp7tzb-1mTcF-E-S7xjlGPvIG8NY9Mwabnx06RW4tg/s320/IMG_6720.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see Lake Lucerne in the background. Beautiful views of the lake the whole way up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyhb13fvH3stSlrYrXMW68dInEpIM7m4Xj-EcQE8oI9F3XkqzIi6TC4PMuRsW0-j2drnz48zpEuISeYUESS_Ftf4Qtl2qbQuF9bY2XNiAgH68KP9AhEDS7DVb48nozWA5Kiq4PJ_HU2f_/s1600/IMG_6725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyhb13fvH3stSlrYrXMW68dInEpIM7m4Xj-EcQE8oI9F3XkqzIi6TC4PMuRsW0-j2drnz48zpEuISeYUESS_Ftf4Qtl2qbQuF9bY2XNiAgH68KP9AhEDS7DVb48nozWA5Kiq4PJ_HU2f_/s320/IMG_6725.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the second station, we got off the gondola, and enjoyed to view along with some food and drinks.Next we will be heading up that mountain behind David.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9alqgxApxCNiqvxeSoBZAeW-w_8j0Jwlg8b4OLUBxvkvKKEBe4XgE4iJ73b_HoDdAR-ZZTRfet__cAyBQ7HSek5cSF1aUg9_pRjgcZyHa-51JvRQyevuukvYKBKJUt7lsW35QNx2P0CP7/s1600/IMG_6726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9alqgxApxCNiqvxeSoBZAeW-w_8j0Jwlg8b4OLUBxvkvKKEBe4XgE4iJ73b_HoDdAR-ZZTRfet__cAyBQ7HSek5cSF1aUg9_pRjgcZyHa-51JvRQyevuukvYKBKJUt7lsW35QNx2P0CP7/s320/IMG_6726.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyThWC6iJspFeeY_p_K5lkXVQJZzSwShEWF0eFhmSMHlKWJ4y5n4am6m-BxR_OZa7ag-D6rMnsjRRfsXAnYiJRuKGWDqOY02bXsbPGHspoX84zQloAf46SWmHWUopzwCqJd8OXzrw7QWjk/s1600/IMG_6727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyThWC6iJspFeeY_p_K5lkXVQJZzSwShEWF0eFhmSMHlKWJ4y5n4am6m-BxR_OZa7ag-D6rMnsjRRfsXAnYiJRuKGWDqOY02bXsbPGHspoX84zQloAf46SWmHWUopzwCqJd8OXzrw7QWjk/s320/IMG_6727.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the cable car on the way up?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJee4BWevRpmwUksele6EkPNP6ll8AUrISra8uo6Dq_ZDbjerqnWjpkzcIG8Q2Xn4HcMdoN-kpX3pDI2akXltBD8XweEKWmIUFGFQ2mFujCwqVoMpyAKH-tnwCRvvprO_ge0Tje5q2IbSL/s1600/IMG_6728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJee4BWevRpmwUksele6EkPNP6ll8AUrISra8uo6Dq_ZDbjerqnWjpkzcIG8Q2Xn4HcMdoN-kpX3pDI2akXltBD8XweEKWmIUFGFQ2mFujCwqVoMpyAKH-tnwCRvvprO_ge0Tje5q2IbSL/s320/IMG_6728.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trip up the mountain was so peaceful - you could hear birds singing, the bells on the cows grazing on the mountain side ringing, and the occasional Alpine horn playing a song.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdOF6uqkP_n3u-tNC2WCRsw_jaNRDjt2yKVrBAcsaXoqsc9Nac0kEcpAkl1PnneBnbZ_e-6-Dza0yEg9wbfDxp5nQvi5_P__4eczX9qjyEJv0jXwp5JU_5Ok88I4yqhS-zZLLw0UVxJWA/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdOF6uqkP_n3u-tNC2WCRsw_jaNRDjt2yKVrBAcsaXoqsc9Nac0kEcpAkl1PnneBnbZ_e-6-Dza0yEg9wbfDxp5nQvi5_P__4eczX9qjyEJv0jXwp5JU_5Ok88I4yqhS-zZLLw0UVxJWA/s320/IMG_6732.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of the cable station from the side of the mountain. See the cable car almost at the top?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOQSQ3VK5jcDFdaK55dSJvPE5J7KMDvjVMBkgrOK0nZ3jcT3xm8u2ljAsxdf3nilC8aUXSKQ2oiGJ5mXQWI55CXN5-36LIwom1lsscqqjdzgm7C0ygUzX7HEF1HZT-NNIVMcr82Snq32R/s1600/IMG_6740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOQSQ3VK5jcDFdaK55dSJvPE5J7KMDvjVMBkgrOK0nZ3jcT3xm8u2ljAsxdf3nilC8aUXSKQ2oiGJ5mXQWI55CXN5-36LIwom1lsscqqjdzgm7C0ygUzX7HEF1HZT-NNIVMcr82Snq32R/s320/IMG_6740.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hiked around the top for a couple of hours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelioxypem9Q5jLEBtv76x6rlgGtwj6C7u3fcp688Le8UlrohjWfcQ3npQE3Y2S1Yi2zUTmhO07ax8HXe5Pk14FxT8HiUh_ZVpIUo9ykl4Vg2OdbG8j0LShH1h5h2_m3GCaEkGczOOfc37/s1600/IMG_6744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelioxypem9Q5jLEBtv76x6rlgGtwj6C7u3fcp688Le8UlrohjWfcQ3npQE3Y2S1Yi2zUTmhO07ax8HXe5Pk14FxT8HiUh_ZVpIUo9ykl4Vg2OdbG8j0LShH1h5h2_m3GCaEkGczOOfc37/s320/IMG_6744.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many of the Alpine peaks around us were much higher than this mountain top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Frl3ar_jKZg9KsAMrcxe0cemB36X8cDSzMGQZ-dbL3eWbpP0ohOXPutBk7n7Xz2wD8IfBMb1UZlHCC7R5pfmvmoYSFz51uWZv2BAhN_K1Ygzsqrdlj3hcC7M89Bqq67k2AXUUdFmOtT1/s1600/IMG_6750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Frl3ar_jKZg9KsAMrcxe0cemB36X8cDSzMGQZ-dbL3eWbpP0ohOXPutBk7n7Xz2wD8IfBMb1UZlHCC7R5pfmvmoYSFz51uWZv2BAhN_K1Ygzsqrdlj3hcC7M89Bqq67k2AXUUdFmOtT1/s320/IMG_6750.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved the Alpine horn!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9nX4qztaHjlkGsC7zn_I6Zr4wff2qboGCYnDJD27FPCPsPFX5qbNJItytTKYm7ClhJSYwVri_uiIDUh7MVzg2mcC8pzumzjn7jR2XP_Aasf2krAr4cJz2PJHq76O7D-aLSJXUv-HVAkI/s1600/IMG_6746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9nX4qztaHjlkGsC7zn_I6Zr4wff2qboGCYnDJD27FPCPsPFX5qbNJItytTKYm7ClhJSYwVri_uiIDUh7MVzg2mcC8pzumzjn7jR2XP_Aasf2krAr4cJz2PJHq76O7D-aLSJXUv-HVAkI/s320/IMG_6746.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Lucerne down in the valley.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After Lucerne, we took a train the rest of the way to Milan. We spent one night in Milan before heading different directions. We did get to enjoy some Napolese pizza in Milan our one night there. David had a little time to explore the city but I did not. My flight left early in the morning for the long journey back home. I was so excited to see the kids! It seemed like they had a great time visiting their grandparents. They went swimming, went to the zoo and Children's Museum, ate ice cream, and splashed in the splash pad. So it was a good vacation for everyone! The night we got back to Columbus everyone slept in until after 8am, so I think we all were ready to be home in our own beds!!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-66470813549591082752019-06-23T15:07:00.000-04:002019-07-06T15:14:28.067-04:00Trip to Amsterdam, NetherlandsThrough work, David had two hematology conferences to attend this June that were both in Europe. The conferences were just three days apart, and David had all his expenses paid for by the university. So we decided to make a vacation of his work trips and enjoy some time just the two of us! We are so lucky that his parents and my parents were able to watch the kids for us while we were in Europe. What an unbelievable vacation! The beginning of June was also our 9 year anniversary, so I thought of this as a little anniversary trip. It will be hard to top this for next year, our 10 year anniversary!<br />
<br />
I started off the trip by driving 3 hours to Indianapolis to drop the kids off with his parents. Shortly after we arrived in Indy, I was dropped off at the airport to begin my 17 hour journey to Amsterdam, where David's first conference was. David flew out of Columbus, and we were lucky to be able to meet up in Detroit to take our overnight flight to Amsterdam together. We arrived on a Wednesday morning, jet-lagged and ready for a nap. But we managed to do a little sight seeing that day and enjoy some local flavors. David had a research presentation for the conference, but other than that, he just attended a few sessions that interested him the most. That meant lots of time to explore the city together.<br />
<br />
Amsterdam is a beautiful city full of canals, bikes, and old houses. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous, and was impressed by how clean the city was and how nice the locals were. We visited several museums including the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House. The artwork and history were amazing, but my favorite by far was the Van Gogh Museum. If you have any interest in impressionist art, this is the museum for you! We also went on a "Lovers' Cruise" on the canal (pretty cheesy but fun), ate at two different pancake houses, explored the "Bloemenmarkt" (flower market) for some shopping, relaxed in the Vondelpark, and visited several Catholic Churches. We took all different modes of transportation (except the one Amsterdam is know for - bikes! Seemed a little to crazy for me!) including plane, train, bus, metro, tram, boat, and walking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA_cSxupqmorQwvmtDEwrHktfSBaEmoDciR-w2pc0ckrywAC_wr1TtmcHwKxupnY4s0ZhkUuI823D4tgBACavWwuTwXDNrDi2ZF3K9RHuAgnwVqsjHQHnd8krwbz9dfXjiFsZtkzRLOOv/s1600/IMG_6675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA_cSxupqmorQwvmtDEwrHktfSBaEmoDciR-w2pc0ckrywAC_wr1TtmcHwKxupnY4s0ZhkUuI823D4tgBACavWwuTwXDNrDi2ZF3K9RHuAgnwVqsjHQHnd8krwbz9dfXjiFsZtkzRLOOv/s320/IMG_6675.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look who tried to be a stowaway in my suitcase!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUhGUJJX6UI-7ylvClhJ3Lmxb3f6KvgzaHtW7Oj43x0wkrdYNyFVpkSmjspUElGccMR8JOrDIlJDeqs_EWLYhgWOvLcDEC2ZOcZnBrjpGr-9UQyIxP6KZ0IRz91iBtC9aYVGmRO-T9tt6/s1600/IMG_6676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUhGUJJX6UI-7ylvClhJ3Lmxb3f6KvgzaHtW7Oj43x0wkrdYNyFVpkSmjspUElGccMR8JOrDIlJDeqs_EWLYhgWOvLcDEC2ZOcZnBrjpGr-9UQyIxP6KZ0IRz91iBtC9aYVGmRO-T9tt6/s320/IMG_6676.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Houseboats on the canal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawt6ovBi_fmj5cXccGS7MAd4vfaFh6ZRGW1Xk0o9100OKqG0UM1wBswEOz6WvWgcOeR_X0WCMOUG1zTQj6kEa8VzDcbtIIwlEilAQA0LSAwRsOlGVppADfXW9F3PIWYnZjz6HcOAzTeLB/s1600/IMG_6677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawt6ovBi_fmj5cXccGS7MAd4vfaFh6ZRGW1Xk0o9100OKqG0UM1wBswEOz6WvWgcOeR_X0WCMOUG1zTQj6kEa8VzDcbtIIwlEilAQA0LSAwRsOlGVppADfXW9F3PIWYnZjz6HcOAzTeLB/s320/IMG_6677.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Savory pancakes at our first pancake house. David thought I was weird for taking pictures of our food, so I had to stop after this first one. We ate some pretty crazy things in Amsterdam including a pink paste called "American Beef" that we later found out was raw beef blended with spices and spread on a piece of bread with an egg on top!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRU3B-FCtJh1OcVj52YLxAs65_8lU76DWFobzoPfMYx75ojI3YQ9EPxpKvSli86s7WNPYFCtMGOmbiSdEthykRrNOfuNJoYGDcubBQfrc1I_r7Yj6OEy3YfM3krK0dZsL_EsPwEvwVxNp7/s1600/IMG_6678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRU3B-FCtJh1OcVj52YLxAs65_8lU76DWFobzoPfMYx75ojI3YQ9EPxpKvSli86s7WNPYFCtMGOmbiSdEthykRrNOfuNJoYGDcubBQfrc1I_r7Yj6OEy3YfM3krK0dZsL_EsPwEvwVxNp7/s320/IMG_6678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVy1Enp73dCFAo5cSu_tBn3rUMrRSrhXTqGnel2retAdCJgiabxFJGDzPoFn0Avxhln4I60MamrPZZZPkeB9mcuw2vx9QbmttKMAOrjCnKzh1Zfshw2FolNWRMpIDyjey1gPcvczinSFbd/s1600/IMG_6679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVy1Enp73dCFAo5cSu_tBn3rUMrRSrhXTqGnel2retAdCJgiabxFJGDzPoFn0Avxhln4I60MamrPZZZPkeB9mcuw2vx9QbmttKMAOrjCnKzh1Zfshw2FolNWRMpIDyjey1gPcvczinSFbd/s320/IMG_6679.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruCqruINCUN1QiLnFsl3c-VpoqBRWOfTs6l6JFR4KSh5QUxsXlDoBzyHA0WiltoP3Rp5KR2lLsQgeMFaTX5lZFSmwHMW1ACzS05narw34hI4sZWDLUu1Kzp3juSB4YAT0BXSiKxfuG5z0/s1600/IMG_6680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruCqruINCUN1QiLnFsl3c-VpoqBRWOfTs6l6JFR4KSh5QUxsXlDoBzyHA0WiltoP3Rp5KR2lLsQgeMFaTX5lZFSmwHMW1ACzS05narw34hI4sZWDLUu1Kzp3juSB4YAT0BXSiKxfuG5z0/s320/IMG_6680.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovers' Cruise. This was a great way to see the city from a different vantage point, especially while it was raining.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5wp_nJzwQfqGdTonALPgjyBlkIPL_-pwiIBT38NkaQEFaSgWnpVNOUTZsvK5gDg9NBv5HQyeTNVUWXG0VSq6S_nVSrcDbMALtO6Z31DgFjAISgU8WgSQSdEIGuVaCQvQS2tiStQdFT0t/s1600/IMG_6681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5wp_nJzwQfqGdTonALPgjyBlkIPL_-pwiIBT38NkaQEFaSgWnpVNOUTZsvK5gDg9NBv5HQyeTNVUWXG0VSq6S_nVSrcDbMALtO6Z31DgFjAISgU8WgSQSdEIGuVaCQvQS2tiStQdFT0t/s320/IMG_6681.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our cruise window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiR46iSp6xZg1-JQ9OTXU_w9tuWWNlpakU-OmxxatKHEOY6TtKHx7cdKmq6WLfepDSWooj83C9ZQ-Fc2u9K7zgmiz82xvb7yOltSz_6fDOkSN5W3Djl8NCAn_tJ4QXgnV0RXBynP3L-jE/s1600/IMG_6686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiR46iSp6xZg1-JQ9OTXU_w9tuWWNlpakU-OmxxatKHEOY6TtKHx7cdKmq6WLfepDSWooj83C9ZQ-Fc2u9K7zgmiz82xvb7yOltSz_6fDOkSN5W3Djl8NCAn_tJ4QXgnV0RXBynP3L-jE/s320/IMG_6686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Nicholas Basilica - we went to mass here in Dutch on Sunday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HGHzJ052alw4Ly7rplEjY1u4FQwz4gjhOlY_PtKcRDEhrHosmuxklJsrlqgTwIcAf1vB5PY8cn1ie72ncGgkw6SgO02qvSdPMuqAjWA8l6ah5KOqnuCeMstzeP7kuhi78HQEuy3ZL1Ra/s1600/IMG_6689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HGHzJ052alw4Ly7rplEjY1u4FQwz4gjhOlY_PtKcRDEhrHosmuxklJsrlqgTwIcAf1vB5PY8cn1ie72ncGgkw6SgO02qvSdPMuqAjWA8l6ah5KOqnuCeMstzeP7kuhi78HQEuy3ZL1Ra/s320/IMG_6689.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church was beautifully decorated with layer upon layer of biblical illustrations on the walls and the ceiling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxscoYD7East6zV2-sopUd830uZxXWoMWTWH9bfWu_xNX7LYBzSwNwZWz0W7FgTT1gfqnXNeQqy8bGy07aoB2eMf9PvfniJ2j6Ge3HvOcKDu7LLYYSpzdLjbgmWgyLvbjXAE8KWxlsKHS/s1600/IMG_6698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxscoYD7East6zV2-sopUd830uZxXWoMWTWH9bfWu_xNX7LYBzSwNwZWz0W7FgTT1gfqnXNeQqy8bGy07aoB2eMf9PvfniJ2j6Ge3HvOcKDu7LLYYSpzdLjbgmWgyLvbjXAE8KWxlsKHS/s320/IMG_6698.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Vondelpark. I think all of Amsterdam was at the park that evening! Lots of people laying around enjoying a smoke and a picnic. Smoking was one part of Amsterdam that we did not take part in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRs3r8If_VnZpZmW0DDAbACioXtygiBwtcvM2ChquCRyhz7LgOhvGAfKcGfi91ZbAYH9m7-qYXX3zgd6y5GEAPkI-MnGw-J-d1m0SuKpTN4TK3-ZzqIux7M9ciiKcJB-GzNn0rEg9HAG5/s1600/IMG_6700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRs3r8If_VnZpZmW0DDAbACioXtygiBwtcvM2ChquCRyhz7LgOhvGAfKcGfi91ZbAYH9m7-qYXX3zgd6y5GEAPkI-MnGw-J-d1m0SuKpTN4TK3-ZzqIux7M9ciiKcJB-GzNn0rEg9HAG5/s320/IMG_6700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_jdH7hQ7PjkBU2qZ1HN1rMEHnlw5UfKFV8svs4mxsVBlUnU1KCpUPhS1iXHIbob_pht1lFpjqV2UcsXh5bWGWqHqq4a_iCjUOWK3bQ7C1gz8Qqr_N8DN-EqQOnYUOK0ix2g6c6GHznu_/s1600/IMG_6701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_jdH7hQ7PjkBU2qZ1HN1rMEHnlw5UfKFV8svs4mxsVBlUnU1KCpUPhS1iXHIbob_pht1lFpjqV2UcsXh5bWGWqHqq4a_iCjUOWK3bQ7C1gz8Qqr_N8DN-EqQOnYUOK0ix2g6c6GHznu_/s320/IMG_6701.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuR4_UlfD15dsa_x3B35ZHDZRbrXYKz7TZBVNMEAMiveY1Mtx75E_3NdnPnRC-qb5YvuITyBdj6TySPdgPSeGGpNawNg3yiD49IigoreleZ5XFgwobkQHSju4V5RulVcuP2vssDI6qMbys/s1600/IMG_6702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuR4_UlfD15dsa_x3B35ZHDZRbrXYKz7TZBVNMEAMiveY1Mtx75E_3NdnPnRC-qb5YvuITyBdj6TySPdgPSeGGpNawNg3yiD49IigoreleZ5XFgwobkQHSju4V5RulVcuP2vssDI6qMbys/s320/IMG_6702.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloemenmarkt - the flower market. We had arrived just after tulip season, which was probably a good thing because it can be quite crazy in Holland during the spring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nY6DZS0wiiKcPshmFErOyIVf4l2b8eRHdOmK1Md0TC60YkAVGUe9JvOWzgLV3iRTy1Vlb29kKFTSc03ziUnnZKyt51oaeJqGo9hnMM48DU2imz-LIHZrf_30lvXU-zSByMiaxuXyEAe9/s1600/IMG_6707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nY6DZS0wiiKcPshmFErOyIVf4l2b8eRHdOmK1Md0TC60YkAVGUe9JvOWzgLV3iRTy1Vlb29kKFTSc03ziUnnZKyt51oaeJqGo9hnMM48DU2imz-LIHZrf_30lvXU-zSByMiaxuXyEAe9/s320/IMG_6707.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sidenote - we were in Amsterdam for Father's Day which meant that the kids were not with David on Father's Day. So Eliana had given me a book she had made for him to hold on to. I gave it to David that Sunday and he was quite surprised. It was a cute "All about my Dad" book written by "your happy child Eliana." She actually knew David quite well. One of my favorite parts was the questions "What has your Dad taught you?" and Eliana's answer was "wrestle monster" which is a silly game David plays with the kids. It's a special type of horsing around for just David and the kids (which I am quite glad I am not allowed to play!). What a neat memory for Eliana (and all the kids) to have with her father. Also what a neat idea for Eliana to give the book to me so that they could celebrate Father's Day even an ocean apart!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-13665536259802547122019-05-28T10:21:00.000-04:002019-05-28T10:21:12.889-04:00Opening day at the pool!The Saturday before Memorial Day, our neighborhood pools opened for the season. We were there at 10:30am, suits on and ready to swim! Everyone is done with school, so we will likely be at the pool practically every day for the rest of the summer!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA0Y3ay_Nwk4gR7jZdIH9TlyxrbVhmrwCEFYpAiztLZsQrSmdJrtelPwxZU_LDx9xkIBCxaNP1Rb9WzGHTVlxEyFTlQ6w33GDW3hRCV9h4502xlMUbFKLknZM1MLyiV85AgjYzZWbZ8Gm/s1600/IMG_6602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA0Y3ay_Nwk4gR7jZdIH9TlyxrbVhmrwCEFYpAiztLZsQrSmdJrtelPwxZU_LDx9xkIBCxaNP1Rb9WzGHTVlxEyFTlQ6w33GDW3hRCV9h4502xlMUbFKLknZM1MLyiV85AgjYzZWbZ8Gm/s400/IMG_6602.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-67975576141487818522019-05-18T10:02:00.000-04:002019-05-28T10:02:43.971-04:00Last day of school!Will finished up his last day of Teddy Bears preschool in mid May. He had an amazing spring concert! In the past, Will has not sung the songs that they have worked on at school at home. This spring, however, he would often be signing his songs and wanting me to watch him do the hand motions. I could tell he was really excited. The concert was the beginning of May, and he did great! He sang most of the songs and knew the hand motions as well! I remember last year he would often do the hand motions but couldn't sing at the same time. So I was really proud of him. Will will have one more year of preschool next year. He is technically eligible for kindergarten, but he has a summer birthday and will really benefit from another year of preschool. He is really excited to be in the Polar Bear class next year. They are the big kids at school, and have a special classroom located downstairs! If you ask him about school, he will always tell you that he will be going DOWNSTAIRS next year! Several of his classmates this year will be going to Polar Bears as well, so I think he is really going to have a lot of fun. I'm really glad he will have another year of half day school before he has to go all day long (I'll miss my little buddy!).<br />
<br />
Laney will also be starting preschool next year. She will go to the Pandas class just like her older siblings did. I will have two kiddos at BEARS Preschool and no one at home two days a week! What will I do with myself? Laney is really excited and can't wait to start school like her big siblings. She has already told me that she will be taking her fox lunch box and Paw Patrol backpack to school. She's ready to be a big girl!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtJR52b1ro0-FeO9H_5tq6PBKc3PedxPF2PUSRU0gedLnMwF3FpqAkaAlsH581jQnovkP9FeLJ9ZCVz5r8dmy1CKrDLNLtRHzOnlQKBUQ-VyHJJCST65SN33PI4MSAhFppEjn4NWyWHHO/s1600/IMG_6525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtJR52b1ro0-FeO9H_5tq6PBKc3PedxPF2PUSRU0gedLnMwF3FpqAkaAlsH581jQnovkP9FeLJ9ZCVz5r8dmy1CKrDLNLtRHzOnlQKBUQ-VyHJJCST65SN33PI4MSAhFppEjn4NWyWHHO/s320/IMG_6525.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The preschool has a picnic to celebrate the end of the year, and this year included snow cones! Will had a blast running around with all of his guy friends (which I don't usually get to see). He has really blossomed this year and made a lot of friends. I'm excited for him coming back and doing one more year as a Polar Bear!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-67211284686990847462019-05-15T21:43:00.000-04:002019-05-28T09:44:29.906-04:00Gymnastics for AllThis winter and spring, all three kids participated in gymnastics. The younger two basically took a tumbling class t ogetherwith the gymnastics equipment, but it was absolutely perfect for them. Will and Laney loved it so much.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG67Rz66wfm8xB4CtU38ElZ4xuzyp3Ldkja-Gjm6H5C0i_5q33g-JQ1wZFOn1pWEdqu4sZNQKRqtncRvDTp2PRTWwehAz8x_p4aQoPLFfJzUwn-3RkKgHsHP98dbTuim3PTKZy5yL_eQK/s1600/IMG_5895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG67Rz66wfm8xB4CtU38ElZ4xuzyp3Ldkja-Gjm6H5C0i_5q33g-JQ1wZFOn1pWEdqu4sZNQKRqtncRvDTp2PRTWwehAz8x_p4aQoPLFfJzUwn-3RkKgHsHP98dbTuim3PTKZy5yL_eQK/s320/IMG_5895.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNY4XI89x_vr7C8HAaGhuuSNphsK8ZYXGJS42kCGpR9OIp5ZQ7F5CqSh9jpn3LD64XsvCWqG3xJFm_38gpII1yBO7hRLfQ-rnWlR44SNDOQtBm72vfzmTjohbWqmIVxtlov458Zx5svk0/s1600/IMG_5981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNY4XI89x_vr7C8HAaGhuuSNphsK8ZYXGJS42kCGpR9OIp5ZQ7F5CqSh9jpn3LD64XsvCWqG3xJFm_38gpII1yBO7hRLfQ-rnWlR44SNDOQtBm72vfzmTjohbWqmIVxtlov458Zx5svk0/s320/IMG_5981.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laney really liked wearing her leotard for class</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rJyWAFH09XF2yMhcknQqlJTB8Lzb6N_Qg3w0OKkpHymXlCttCw8v2XUJC6DkzV9R5E3Okp-krISoENYYIcvzkm20nryzM5EMWBTJqx3I-SSsAQjyVzCyqC4of0NsTrmes6RA5jDvOIA6/s1600/IMG_5983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rJyWAFH09XF2yMhcknQqlJTB8Lzb6N_Qg3w0OKkpHymXlCttCw8v2XUJC6DkzV9R5E3Okp-krISoENYYIcvzkm20nryzM5EMWBTJqx3I-SSsAQjyVzCyqC4of0NsTrmes6RA5jDvOIA6/s320/IMG_5983.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While it was fun to have a class they could take together, this was a constant problem - Will wanting to wrestle Laney.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLlp-qC3v-ywvnrh5NukhwCJ8XWDj-blj2w6r85bg0Xfs2dyr-WmxxgivjrwYS_EFERKs5WWDPpbJoj7h8eECRKvF-pwmyYB0LejHN-S3CQXM76U-NmfNCyxpFoowJNsofag0LkaeNz3l/s1600/IMG_5984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLlp-qC3v-ywvnrh5NukhwCJ8XWDj-blj2w6r85bg0Xfs2dyr-WmxxgivjrwYS_EFERKs5WWDPpbJoj7h8eECRKvF-pwmyYB0LejHN-S3CQXM76U-NmfNCyxpFoowJNsofag0LkaeNz3l/s320/IMG_5984.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSLzH3l8gi1Yh3kozy-WAdMxFnj2ne5N-OmwAXlqty6D8m4H78T-ZV82tydVaSl7kGnAMrZDSjxEbYaBT9UnjbR1G5gM9arMJP0yLb-1BFC0kgN1YkQM0s5wywR87MgMZ1N0kWU7rSDC-/s1600/IMG_6377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSLzH3l8gi1Yh3kozy-WAdMxFnj2ne5N-OmwAXlqty6D8m4H78T-ZV82tydVaSl7kGnAMrZDSjxEbYaBT9UnjbR1G5gM9arMJP0yLb-1BFC0kgN1YkQM0s5wywR87MgMZ1N0kWU7rSDC-/s320/IMG_6377.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assisted handstand! Laney was fearless and loved doing things that involved going upside down (this handstand mat and hanging upside down from the bars).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UekmLCtvCMtvK2Q-yg2-Y4k79hqvxqcTVwIuGkU8_sch0ia4L9l92QB3BhIA7u9AcUzp4lfIlcZsH8-hLR68xfom_ltGRz3aapDHXPrKp_y30yjpmfnoAMtjU67S9ilrcjmRjbUHIFxS/s1600/IMG_6379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UekmLCtvCMtvK2Q-yg2-Y4k79hqvxqcTVwIuGkU8_sch0ia4L9l92QB3BhIA7u9AcUzp4lfIlcZsH8-hLR68xfom_ltGRz3aapDHXPrKp_y30yjpmfnoAMtjU67S9ilrcjmRjbUHIFxS/s320/IMG_6379.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWbGuPcEdhGAwVT3FLpOL5Db3-uNDiCOoEBK6KbzKBW20h5h9abNi1CFjgfz-hDsEdgjwNoHRBUB2A6c8cxr3s8xByE6wUtCf0DU7hbeInH-XFnnoGW0A0Twol2TBD58CrE8KhiTgV0zu/s1600/IMG_6406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWbGuPcEdhGAwVT3FLpOL5Db3-uNDiCOoEBK6KbzKBW20h5h9abNi1CFjgfz-hDsEdgjwNoHRBUB2A6c8cxr3s8xByE6wUtCf0DU7hbeInH-XFnnoGW0A0Twol2TBD58CrE8KhiTgV0zu/s320/IMG_6406.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About halfway through the class, Will decided gymnastics were actually a ninja training class. He loved jumping from different equipment and doing ninja kicks and chops. He wanted me to capture him in action in this picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheb67g5v3Vahr4_m2lVFDzxKQSNZ6miBOL05natX-KtbcQz3p-Q69zFoFe6KufrwUyqOLxwzoDshH-IDPImW0bkO5na52bALxbAY1dMbPPnDXazux-HBIlRd6Hs7jzdd5NU2C3nU2uoB8A/s1600/IMG_6407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheb67g5v3Vahr4_m2lVFDzxKQSNZ6miBOL05natX-KtbcQz3p-Q69zFoFe6KufrwUyqOLxwzoDshH-IDPImW0bkO5na52bALxbAY1dMbPPnDXazux-HBIlRd6Hs7jzdd5NU2C3nU2uoB8A/s320/IMG_6407.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ninja chop!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eliana's class was much more structured and geared toward learning actual skills, not just running around. Eliana also enjoyed her class, but she is definitely not as fearless as Laney. A gymnast needs a certain amount of confidence and lack of fear in able to commit to some moves (like a cartwheel - you can't do that slowly - you have to basically throw your body into the move or you can't get enough momentum to carry your legs around). She definitely improved as the year went on, but I'm not sure she is exactly Olympic gymnast material! She does have great balance though and always excelled at the balance beam.<br />
<br />
I'll definitely continue gymnastics with Laney next fall. She will have a lot more choices of classes besides just a tumbling class since she will be three. Eliana said she might be interested in trying soccer again (because her friend Adele is playing now!) or possibly tennis. We will see what Will wants to do.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-82019047683198816912019-04-30T16:19:00.000-04:002019-05-28T09:24:51.932-04:00Easter 2019Per Eliana's request, we started off the Easter Triduum by dying Easter eggs. This year went much better than years past. Everyone was mostly old enough to dye eggs successfully without cracking too many. And Eliana was happy to dye the cracked ones too. Laney had the most fun with just taking the same egg and putting it in every color. Eliana was also happy to "help" her with the rest of her eggs while she focused on just the one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9Zr6i8P5b4F1IDetiJmtOtw7JCo0LcR0kA1YSAa51JM1C0gn99ckH37Eve3diAfKBwzwUuX8v_Gl8F9L23q2mkUx5bsjW43C5psy0prI4jaeavMOpbBpopnbOUcSfXc3By_ev4gNtRXu/s1600/IMG_6311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9Zr6i8P5b4F1IDetiJmtOtw7JCo0LcR0kA1YSAa51JM1C0gn99ckH37Eve3diAfKBwzwUuX8v_Gl8F9L23q2mkUx5bsjW43C5psy0prI4jaeavMOpbBpopnbOUcSfXc3By_ev4gNtRXu/s320/IMG_6311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF77gpU0otutFuYyPy8oJKBNVq4w_T6g6ncyFD8-JQ8kf6mRQlgH3OMs9hyphenhyphen70DCio7vOuh4RAc9WGp3MAEj_NaWwGiUZfNpVw4wIZ8ALSTXI6jPT869Tis5OUCGSCTFzC1U6GUnqzHp2f/s1600/IMG_6313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF77gpU0otutFuYyPy8oJKBNVq4w_T6g6ncyFD8-JQ8kf6mRQlgH3OMs9hyphenhyphen70DCio7vOuh4RAc9WGp3MAEj_NaWwGiUZfNpVw4wIZ8ALSTXI6jPT869Tis5OUCGSCTFzC1U6GUnqzHp2f/s320/IMG_6313.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQ8WCA3kzuNW2O5SP5UBVQ-kZwvB5bumHArJSz9U_IlAlKAYgMPPL71lKxMjFLl_t3YUCkHONh_LOHFXtPkWYJAXM340mNmpudQQZmYNliBrTrVLjRKs7ZONF8kSgyyjPhZcy_lzWlJL1/s1600/IMG_6315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQ8WCA3kzuNW2O5SP5UBVQ-kZwvB5bumHArJSz9U_IlAlKAYgMPPL71lKxMjFLl_t3YUCkHONh_LOHFXtPkWYJAXM340mNmpudQQZmYNliBrTrVLjRKs7ZONF8kSgyyjPhZcy_lzWlJL1/s320/IMG_6315.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJOqCIHKwzMUmdLbM_WtDTUIwhAuSe3A1OVfQzf3v0pcx6tqNNk11X6WmeBs-t5xa9elmDxv81u7CSWbNwd0Xw1xxFgSZ_0xfBQ5chGceujSxziiZlTdvxCgKilsPMdwFKg-osqCVLOJo/s1600/IMG_6316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJOqCIHKwzMUmdLbM_WtDTUIwhAuSe3A1OVfQzf3v0pcx6tqNNk11X6WmeBs-t5xa9elmDxv81u7CSWbNwd0Xw1xxFgSZ_0xfBQ5chGceujSxziiZlTdvxCgKilsPMdwFKg-osqCVLOJo/s320/IMG_6316.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was supposed to work Easter this year, but due to some last minute changes, I managed to have the weekend off. We went to Indianapolis for Easter and saw lots and lots of family. All of my siblings and their spouses were at my parents' house as well as their kids. Then all of David's siblings and significant others were at his parents' house. It was like a double family reunion!<br />
<br />
We spent Friday night with my family and managed to get all of the cousins in one picture with just a few tears.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThXB3sykiuO3V5exH9QaAiKr0_WDwzqcoTM5gm9JoyybFFUA7oipRKAZFdeCEqEeHXOBoiHVs1aEEZNC0ykpFdmMbKZZ18B2AkYUupSuy7oZCEpEO-W6T3E1f6DiYhA76KfXaoaTY-E9h/s1600/IMG_6320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThXB3sykiuO3V5exH9QaAiKr0_WDwzqcoTM5gm9JoyybFFUA7oipRKAZFdeCEqEeHXOBoiHVs1aEEZNC0ykpFdmMbKZZ18B2AkYUupSuy7oZCEpEO-W6T3E1f6DiYhA76KfXaoaTY-E9h/s320/IMG_6320.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Saturday we went to David's parents house. His siblings had planned a little Easter egg hunt for the kids with the amazing surprise of little containers slime in the eggs instead of candy! What a great idea! The kids played for a long time after the hunt with the slime, which worked out much better than gorging on candy while waiting for dinner. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxMXjFBzSwUPDe2C5qRvB1kOEpGp-h4MCS5R66KlVJMpIh8tnRTjqMA4ad2BsArENzj7M2AFMlHU-8auqIE9F3zmHVWBhKAxJ9KYwHBD9M1jfnprkgIdXH38O1mrVcyMl5IQdVaQb2Xj_/s1600/IMG_6331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxMXjFBzSwUPDe2C5qRvB1kOEpGp-h4MCS5R66KlVJMpIh8tnRTjqMA4ad2BsArENzj7M2AFMlHU-8auqIE9F3zmHVWBhKAxJ9KYwHBD9M1jfnprkgIdXH38O1mrVcyMl5IQdVaQb2Xj_/s320/IMG_6331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Easter Bunny left baskets for the kids in the morning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRpgrJylbsvExhrOCMOPI6fbr6hgr-44ekmmPgi7Of3ouy-FKcMsrGqlEm4aZQW03SlXKFEkJefyKiMqqtxSNG3ou57YiMU0Kt2aqt43xOxzqliQSYuNLqI9Sk4OyUA4tk9djgyQ7wkaM/s1600/IMG_6325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRpgrJylbsvExhrOCMOPI6fbr6hgr-44ekmmPgi7Of3ouy-FKcMsrGqlEm4aZQW03SlXKFEkJefyKiMqqtxSNG3ou57YiMU0Kt2aqt43xOxzqliQSYuNLqI9Sk4OyUA4tk9djgyQ7wkaM/s320/IMG_6325.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Xyfe6TY-VEwYUsgvk3_qN6BfDlVfFUSRSa02rygTXjA8fa6ro-Oktvo_V4HzbUH7jCeQeu9-fvqIzuvEyoeLIXNh5dxQ96EeXWY3_p7kld7klIf0V1UCO1N9qSdg1xYoMfe5Y5_pk0Af/s1600/IMG_6326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Xyfe6TY-VEwYUsgvk3_qN6BfDlVfFUSRSa02rygTXjA8fa6ro-Oktvo_V4HzbUH7jCeQeu9-fvqIzuvEyoeLIXNh5dxQ96EeXWY3_p7kld7klIf0V1UCO1N9qSdg1xYoMfe5Y5_pk0Af/s320/IMG_6326.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5IBbu-8mEGqAn0cQbA3mv5Q2EzoybMqgIDaBR9oFQP8tNkm2GdDt6mWRxdN1WjoaOm8kh4XC2_yIxFusSz3RGhAfmFFHkbrOU7eGnPpAXxu8ufQfV7e-6HQ8io2iEIOSTmGt7jlQ-RbR/s1600/IMG_6337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5IBbu-8mEGqAn0cQbA3mv5Q2EzoybMqgIDaBR9oFQP8tNkm2GdDt6mWRxdN1WjoaOm8kh4XC2_yIxFusSz3RGhAfmFFHkbrOU7eGnPpAXxu8ufQfV7e-6HQ8io2iEIOSTmGt7jlQ-RbR/s320/IMG_6337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We got dressed up so nicely for church, but when I asked the kids to stand for a picture, this is what I got. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoKeLj0RCjVwU8lXT700VGK91rd7WZoiOzPL_f7JAjqpwMuU6ug2aD2p4aR6if8vHSyke8iQjggp9QUcZ3fg8MkcL_jd6TzfI3sKW_wMj2h443WB5cHMg5JX6q-ruf198K06dm-jPX2-2/s1600/IMG_6346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoKeLj0RCjVwU8lXT700VGK91rd7WZoiOzPL_f7JAjqpwMuU6ug2aD2p4aR6if8vHSyke8iQjggp9QUcZ3fg8MkcL_jd6TzfI3sKW_wMj2h443WB5cHMg5JX6q-ruf198K06dm-jPX2-2/s320/IMG_6346.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eliana felt bad after for sticking her tongue out and asked for a redo. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We ended the trip by heading over to my Aunt Karen's house for a large family gathering, meal, and Easter Egg hunt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-GrijhxfvKltxKXzuz2IJA3aLVcru4s5pqc8249OfgvQk-nfxM1u1O0-de4-b8VCAoBTIWZ5qkEoQasW4K1bxquFAW2j5R1O5ncSCn8Frvolc8RMQJWGEsQkzr1j6kDzzrs9k7leDJOy/s1600/IMG_6347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-GrijhxfvKltxKXzuz2IJA3aLVcru4s5pqc8249OfgvQk-nfxM1u1O0-de4-b8VCAoBTIWZ5qkEoQasW4K1bxquFAW2j5R1O5ncSCn8Frvolc8RMQJWGEsQkzr1j6kDzzrs9k7leDJOy/s320/IMG_6347.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5FmBrBzBsJ9R3gnIC6Av-vvr6_dobswa78jKnDUOYvPxJrvn72XiavpsySOiTirysNMpIhXL7ZhhYDWNmLPvSNq7Kp0WSJslZslC7c79fx_PKNlyie1dn69vFrbaCBJQGryrIpnaZMXO/s1600/IMG_6349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5FmBrBzBsJ9R3gnIC6Av-vvr6_dobswa78jKnDUOYvPxJrvn72XiavpsySOiTirysNMpIhXL7ZhhYDWNmLPvSNq7Kp0WSJslZslC7c79fx_PKNlyie1dn69vFrbaCBJQGryrIpnaZMXO/s320/IMG_6349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZlCLLfHc3W3pmYld54KsD6i7HZ3pAbc1KJ0KT-uVbDV1OpDU0C7OGLx2KDCKoftXcyZ895PHT5olnXT8D-S8wUgKDNxPGWKLfoPiJJvN5mi0RqnpEhCjtiYo6EDAETXkGaDJuPN0rW_A/s1600/IMG_6352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZlCLLfHc3W3pmYld54KsD6i7HZ3pAbc1KJ0KT-uVbDV1OpDU0C7OGLx2KDCKoftXcyZ895PHT5olnXT8D-S8wUgKDNxPGWKLfoPiJJvN5mi0RqnpEhCjtiYo6EDAETXkGaDJuPN0rW_A/s320/IMG_6352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnonUK9XhvLNZqcqOE7qLNsIWPZo_BVERKrL0SaKDYS3oSGuf_en5-dH-pjooe4IzvTXSWA1noJYlVx0dU5XVoP2GRM-LmgdC31qMhqyIBOGL4FU3KFT7RPpXSfv-liU04ClwqrXaX8L-X/s1600/IMG_6355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnonUK9XhvLNZqcqOE7qLNsIWPZo_BVERKrL0SaKDYS3oSGuf_en5-dH-pjooe4IzvTXSWA1noJYlVx0dU5XVoP2GRM-LmgdC31qMhqyIBOGL4FU3KFT7RPpXSfv-liU04ClwqrXaX8L-X/s320/IMG_6355.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins Hannah and Naomi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizML0mWPqs0_jtZYMiOzwTC0RSn5ly_DGo-jSbUp4zUWvCziOQ5o1Nio21mBPYMVH3YJqZgcjCsAbuO4-TEDJj_TTU3AvX-iX1SdH5j5_YgQ6oHbYWAb65hjy_1teI_nmI4OabAdYf2uGw/s1600/IMG_6359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizML0mWPqs0_jtZYMiOzwTC0RSn5ly_DGo-jSbUp4zUWvCziOQ5o1Nio21mBPYMVH3YJqZgcjCsAbuO4-TEDJj_TTU3AvX-iX1SdH5j5_YgQ6oHbYWAb65hjy_1teI_nmI4OabAdYf2uGw/s320/IMG_6359.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-64906454215256683012019-04-17T14:05:00.000-04:002019-04-17T14:05:08.141-04:00Laney Lu and the Hair that doesn't GrowLaney is 2.5 years old now, and she has the same hairstyle practically as when she was born. It dumbfounds me how her hair just does not grow. Especially in the front. I recently trimmed the very back of her hair, just to even it up a bit. But I have never touched the front. And still, the hair just barely flutters on her forehead. Definitely no concern of her bangs getting into her eyes. At least her hair seems to be getting thicker, which is helping it lay down better. She used to be like a little chick, with her hair sticking straight up like downy feathers. For the most part, Laney will not let me put anything in her hair. I think it looks cute with a headband or even in little piggy tails that stick out from her head. But that look only lasts a couple of minutes before she pulls them out. Laney is still regularly called "he" or "your son." Oh well, at least it is better than long hair that is always in tangles!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGJdjyA7nDZklWrLFYxqN2RDbVEl-nePoQDct7I6Pe3knui7aastu5jteQkdNIHDHJtmnO0doykOynWUmAl0sewSK0YlcVaNP7Gj3QVz-hSIk3c_uTUukBuJRWr-5m875qRS3q1Uh4Yva/s1600/IMG_5887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGJdjyA7nDZklWrLFYxqN2RDbVEl-nePoQDct7I6Pe3knui7aastu5jteQkdNIHDHJtmnO0doykOynWUmAl0sewSK0YlcVaNP7Gj3QVz-hSIk3c_uTUukBuJRWr-5m875qRS3q1Uh4Yva/s320/IMG_5887.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her hair still gets pretty fluffy in the wind!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInVLQh87tYoHlHY61tQWz3qXFcJ7O6w1zIWMvRrQSEJnYWwrWoVWdK50u4W4noYyxIMWOpv8NPzCdfGR-65blV793VK3vQD90XX_sZZU7rFDF50NrfKCvXM1agaLzjX5z56DKFMIuIw0V/s1600/IMG_5973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInVLQh87tYoHlHY61tQWz3qXFcJ7O6w1zIWMvRrQSEJnYWwrWoVWdK50u4W4noYyxIMWOpv8NPzCdfGR-65blV793VK3vQD90XX_sZZU7rFDF50NrfKCvXM1agaLzjX5z56DKFMIuIw0V/s320/IMG_5973.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Before picture - after I wet it down though</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp0dyTGoQG_PZNA9EYi4OlAHPJkNt7Fd9QTqJCW3oAQzIv-ZqztB6tbGrV9-ZwvvLEEPMrwYdMJQ8JnaNy1rTuy0C1QxfXn_IUIIYMpHP0-vi-q8f1SjC6E9uZAg_5hVrCliXyI9nDmaK/s1600/IMG_5974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp0dyTGoQG_PZNA9EYi4OlAHPJkNt7Fd9QTqJCW3oAQzIv-ZqztB6tbGrV9-ZwvvLEEPMrwYdMJQ8JnaNy1rTuy0C1QxfXn_IUIIYMpHP0-vi-q8f1SjC6E9uZAg_5hVrCliXyI9nDmaK/s320/IMG_5974.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The After picture - much straighter!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DpoEDsAAT4m3Cjs4fG-ZgsFJ4LKA9pJDsInqxxfowJrk2r69EVi5UHaEQyvzhloTDmxPwSCyngzrTg-x4LNqo_iqzVD6F0SnqfD8LvfuV8JGGUIwB4Gr70DRDHVmbWfYCSPcU5ejqrPE/s1600/IMG_6032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DpoEDsAAT4m3Cjs4fG-ZgsFJ4LKA9pJDsInqxxfowJrk2r69EVi5UHaEQyvzhloTDmxPwSCyngzrTg-x4LNqo_iqzVD6F0SnqfD8LvfuV8JGGUIwB4Gr70DRDHVmbWfYCSPcU5ejqrPE/s320/IMG_6032.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't grow in the front though! This picture with Laney's round little face reminded me so much of <a href="https://babybondblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/" target="_blank">Eliana</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNX3r02jEORvlaiowbi_4LXaw4SpzKHe9ULTIR92dUFC2Nssn4gsCm0LPn5LsWPVXAbwPYK3aAbLaDq7qyr3ZQ-J3XOk3VnSK1xnRuq_xsQkEDniD8ipyWJb0yWIcGZ8HodyUYDaC2cKaZ/s1600/IMG_6219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNX3r02jEORvlaiowbi_4LXaw4SpzKHe9ULTIR92dUFC2Nssn4gsCm0LPn5LsWPVXAbwPYK3aAbLaDq7qyr3ZQ-J3XOk3VnSK1xnRuq_xsQkEDniD8ipyWJb0yWIcGZ8HodyUYDaC2cKaZ/s320/IMG_6219.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pigtails!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzxf22s8HUfv3nw2NA8MvQn-jph8W35yHvXGHRGqZwUwIgIlPZ1mk2yH98zN6EDyBhDTSHccyi8H_aYD1uf7sLJtnDR7gbfRjHusITnTXmKZ73WNvFfWfFYyepIid5QUZPdl2MfQK-XA4/s1600/IMG_6220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzxf22s8HUfv3nw2NA8MvQn-jph8W35yHvXGHRGqZwUwIgIlPZ1mk2yH98zN6EDyBhDTSHccyi8H_aYD1uf7sLJtnDR7gbfRjHusITnTXmKZ73WNvFfWfFYyepIid5QUZPdl2MfQK-XA4/s320/IMG_6220.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three, per her request. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In other Laney news...<br />
<br />
My little sneak loves coffee. I went to gather the laundry and came back to find her in Will's room with my latte! She loves the "hot milk" and always asks for a sip.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmfIlnwQ35zJ9GfLjrO5YHOKQd0rBE05srJEVMjX4SiNidInW107ukZJFRNR8LoJJEEZjbN5D12AaPzMNItIw6dOc-fejPr-wBdxMFiAHklq2ZwBn7jRSaZYUAQ5qhN734VcgqJpCrfP4/s1600/IMG_6240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmfIlnwQ35zJ9GfLjrO5YHOKQd0rBE05srJEVMjX4SiNidInW107ukZJFRNR8LoJJEEZjbN5D12AaPzMNItIw6dOc-fejPr-wBdxMFiAHklq2ZwBn7jRSaZYUAQ5qhN734VcgqJpCrfP4/s320/IMG_6240.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Last week at the park Laney fell at the playground and busted open her eyelid. Being a face wound, it bled like crazy and looked awful! The cut was pretty shallow, and the bleeding stopped quickly after I applied pressure, but the side were gaping. I debated on taking her to urgent care to see if it would need a couple of stitches. Mostly I was concerned because Laney is such a picker and won't leave scabs alone. I was afraid she would keep opening the wound back up. However, we decided urgent care would be more trauma than it was worth, so we just took care of it at home. Laney must have been really traumatized by the fall and blood, because she hasn't messed with it at all. She actually left the bandaids alone for three days, and would barely let anyone come near her eye, much less pick at it herself. It is healing quite nicely and I imagine will only leave a small scar. When we went back to the same playground a couple of days ago, Laney refused to play on the equipment and only sat in my lap. She said it was scary and she would "get blood again." I was a little surprised because Laney has always been our rough and tumble, crazy daring girl. I've expected her to be the first one of the kids to need stitches. But this definitely slowed her down for a few days!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYGYjuAmRSWtpWiRUHgZpyU-3FRe8eJGxh3_U1S2FdihtUtToZE5bXPY5tlb0DPjSaWg52Wdz_l8fGMl02WW9t4E5ulx9v9uO-jt7AfGKeZk4Y3IAiOaivdA0OKFZcIZBcHfIqRZisKhJ/s1600/IMG_6242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYGYjuAmRSWtpWiRUHgZpyU-3FRe8eJGxh3_U1S2FdihtUtToZE5bXPY5tlb0DPjSaWg52Wdz_l8fGMl02WW9t4E5ulx9v9uO-jt7AfGKeZk4Y3IAiOaivdA0OKFZcIZBcHfIqRZisKhJ/s320/IMG_6242.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AQu16Eq3-9T3N8JOoxROwIgreDZ8VKPsrStU9ghPWAJ5heLIGWgNB1kHupMENSWrtUcunBZJ2v5PuhWWEpwgJLFxfzeP6UcU6h9SPfXt9b_Gxl6BVBEd6nO-kCNHHMAm4saLRD3juQKU/s1600/IMG_6243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AQu16Eq3-9T3N8JOoxROwIgreDZ8VKPsrStU9ghPWAJ5heLIGWgNB1kHupMENSWrtUcunBZJ2v5PuhWWEpwgJLFxfzeP6UcU6h9SPfXt9b_Gxl6BVBEd6nO-kCNHHMAm4saLRD3juQKU/s320/IMG_6243.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-32217895777419175602019-04-16T15:22:00.000-04:002019-04-16T15:22:03.919-04:00Will the paleontologistWill used his Christmas money to buy a little dinosaur bone excavation kit. He loved it! He says he would like to be a paleontologist when he grows up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8YZ6YEj5PvFOfE_Sapqi7v2PUdQZatmi7t-1e-LZ5IrHtUzMEDc3HnKq0tlUI_agZV6aJts5d-R5Pjh_5HQq15-2dLbE_v8jpO664bZE1Llj9P3SrPbFdLgEbi1etlOJfFB5X0yaoePd/s1600/IMG_5976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8YZ6YEj5PvFOfE_Sapqi7v2PUdQZatmi7t-1e-LZ5IrHtUzMEDc3HnKq0tlUI_agZV6aJts5d-R5Pjh_5HQq15-2dLbE_v8jpO664bZE1Llj9P3SrPbFdLgEbi1etlOJfFB5X0yaoePd/s320/IMG_5976.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIf948RW3N5sIa8FpqnhrwbamF7OEDcze8iPlfDM6iI_9-A3rVeVY2JAlaPq2kNcBIm08ORXBS-nwKLGEuZSj0dK2bXS1HU8kaG9n1eIZVC0TClhTpXs1eeBMbmxJZtz8w16X4TBa2Fmv/s1600/IMG_5977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIf948RW3N5sIa8FpqnhrwbamF7OEDcze8iPlfDM6iI_9-A3rVeVY2JAlaPq2kNcBIm08ORXBS-nwKLGEuZSj0dK2bXS1HU8kaG9n1eIZVC0TClhTpXs1eeBMbmxJZtz8w16X4TBa2Fmv/s320/IMG_5977.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i95-cQc2Jm66dwfWlTw3jSp4GlWIRVcinWjK_t23IwPpvuNCaXzWRo0i5yZ4t7iAsgnnA2PcJerVCclUZDU1vDfZGA6RGnsqZne_yWdWggjZ-bPXyxn1i1le09Y8cnqEEfsEnNI-k6zp/s1600/IMG_5980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i95-cQc2Jm66dwfWlTw3jSp4GlWIRVcinWjK_t23IwPpvuNCaXzWRo0i5yZ4t7iAsgnnA2PcJerVCclUZDU1vDfZGA6RGnsqZne_yWdWggjZ-bPXyxn1i1le09Y8cnqEEfsEnNI-k6zp/s320/IMG_5980.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-68696753912239697442019-04-13T15:25:00.001-04:002019-04-13T15:25:19.818-04:00Spring gardenOur Mary Garden had beautiful crocuses bloom this spring. It's one of my favorite parts of the garden. And brings hope of warm weather to come!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTWkSogvHvEwiP6QxCNc68bDvRqQmW8TjriVMRNkAYVO5K-iY9gp2qcdypvpaeaHI0Zic-pvgxL8CB4TkWOzoHqzPCHIlNiba5rf0AVuVe_mBp7h3AveSsMeqVgHyPsqhlcQeqhstXt72/s1600/IMG_6207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTWkSogvHvEwiP6QxCNc68bDvRqQmW8TjriVMRNkAYVO5K-iY9gp2qcdypvpaeaHI0Zic-pvgxL8CB4TkWOzoHqzPCHIlNiba5rf0AVuVe_mBp7h3AveSsMeqVgHyPsqhlcQeqhstXt72/s320/IMG_6207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the face Laney made with I told all the kids to smile!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHnn3-70sVsa9OGbhwA_-Wrk8-uoyp1tskCfvHtUpglUqkFbpxZVVrTTsW4WxmPjFEvwxjG99KpM6kv2GiLXI_Fb8pSArn7JkxKYNLpH3c2mV8Nmz2gZruts20mIsegR0XLVzFbmFjIbP/s1600/IMG_6209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHnn3-70sVsa9OGbhwA_-Wrk8-uoyp1tskCfvHtUpglUqkFbpxZVVrTTsW4WxmPjFEvwxjG99KpM6kv2GiLXI_Fb8pSArn7JkxKYNLpH3c2mV8Nmz2gZruts20mIsegR0XLVzFbmFjIbP/s320/IMG_6209.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHh8bY_EeaYSOabZQDy-smnG2qdfRybxgLYiKAxIxnkXtbbfVCsbur87A7iPuxjU7Gl0CN2YOVVOnO5bUraUh1DZ9QPTNf_ljIMmqGVid78MJVjbyCIN40rPTnNCgL3wjdY5ZzC0OwEl9/s1600/IMG_6211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHh8bY_EeaYSOabZQDy-smnG2qdfRybxgLYiKAxIxnkXtbbfVCsbur87A7iPuxjU7Gl0CN2YOVVOnO5bUraUh1DZ9QPTNf_ljIMmqGVid78MJVjbyCIN40rPTnNCgL3wjdY5ZzC0OwEl9/s320/IMG_6211.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425982334470903595.post-53622570326749968052019-04-13T13:14:00.000-04:002019-04-13T15:27:19.102-04:00It's been a whileI have been on a blogging hiatus for a while, and I think it is finally time I come back. We have had a very busy year with a lot going on. Some things just had to be let go for the moment. I hope in the coming year, I will have time to go back and post some pictures from the months I took off. Birthdays, holidays, time spent with family and friends. And most importantly writing about our son Samuel David whom we lost to miscarriage this past January. It's been a very difficult time, and not something I felt up for writing about. Maybe in the future.<br />
<br />
But for now, I am starting fresh with exciting news. David has officially signed a contract with Ohio State University to start as an attending and associate professor in July! That means we will be staying here in Columbus for at least the next several years. David will be finishing up his fellowship in hematology/oncology in June. It's been a long journey, and I know he is excited to finally finish and be able to practice medicine on his own. Staying at OSU was a difficult decision. David interviewed at some really great hospitals and universities. Every place David interviewed, he was offered an excellent job. I know this is a good problem to have, but it did make the decision process more difficult. He had lots of options and possibilities to consider. What is best for David's career? Which place offered him the best clinical opportunities? Which place would offer the most support for his research? In what part of the country would we like to live? Which place would be the best for raising our children? We very seriously considered a job located in west LA, near Pasadena. The weather and beauty of the area were really enticing. David was also excited about the different clinical aspects of the job there. However, we ultimately decided OSU would be the best for supporting David's research. He has several projects that he is working on in fellowship and would be able to continue with once he became an attending. Also, our family is well established here with many friends and with family not too far away. The kids would be able to stay in the same schools, and I could continue to work part time (even more part time - I have cut back my hours to one day a week) at my current job. We are really happy to finally have settled on this decision. It reduces the stress in our house significantly! OSU recruited David with all they could offer him. Everyone that David works with is excited to have him stay, and is looking forward to continue working with him. I am so proud of all of David's hard work. He has really dedicated himself to providing excellent clinical care to his patients while also focusing on research to improve clinical outcomes for his patients in the future. You can tell how highly his coworkers think of him by how enthusiastic they were to have him stay. David is a very passionate doctor and researcher, and I knew no matter where we ended up, he will be doing great things in the future.<br />
Now if I can only just prepare myself for sharing him with OSU... David has already warned me that the start of his new career will be a very busy time for him. He will have a lot more responsibilities and will need to jump right into applying for grants. He needs to show to OSU that their investment in him as faculty will be worth it. As his requirements have lessened a bit with the end of fellowship, I have gotten spoiled with this extra time he has been able to spend with the family. But I must remember that his job truly is a calling, and part of my vocation is to support him in that. We are going to party it up in June, and then it's back to the grind in July. Praise God for David and his new job in July!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvliVoy2EJ7CVpWd98ywrSpGcpQpLqGIXYxUN63OqfMPC8RG5vhDkVE5k5ZQnutiYjS5YIyOSi67AD_AA8g1FgIKCqPfLRAe-Q_wV5B58p4G1_tVfTQsczCGotMNi1D4nJX2jndwPnKqH/s1600/IMG_6224+%2528Edited%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvliVoy2EJ7CVpWd98ywrSpGcpQpLqGIXYxUN63OqfMPC8RG5vhDkVE5k5ZQnutiYjS5YIyOSi67AD_AA8g1FgIKCqPfLRAe-Q_wV5B58p4G1_tVfTQsczCGotMNi1D4nJX2jndwPnKqH/s320/IMG_6224+%2528Edited%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most recent picture I have of all the kids. We will get to spend many more days ahead going on walks to this rock.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14089899038597954754noreply@blogger.com0