tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78513104335650791432023-12-13T00:48:30.193+01:00ButleramaAll the Butler News that's Fit to Print.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-11375527055969351052014-02-23T23:18:00.000+01:002014-02-23T23:18:43.666+01:00Setting the SystemBack in January when everyone was sharing inspirational new-year, new-start, new-you posts, I came across <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230333" target="_blank">this article</a> about the difference between <b>setting a goal</b> and <b>using a system</b>. It was not earth-shattering for me at the time, and I even scoffed a little, thinking that there is not a lot of difference between the two. The idea kept floating around in the back of my mind, however, and I finally decided to try it out.<br />
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My first system-setting guinea pig was <b>budgeting</b>. I have to admit that for most of last year, I did not pay a lot of attention to our family budget, even though I have a <a href="http://www.youneedabudget.com/" target="_blank">rockin' budgeting program</a>. I just knew that we had "enough" and checked the accounts occasionally to make sure everything was okay. I knew I wanted to do better this year, so the goal became: <b>Make and keep a budget</b>. There. It is written. I have overcome the "A goal not written is only a wish" problem. But the goal will not keep itself. So I added the system: <b>Update the budget every Wednesday</b>. This seemed doable. We get paid every other Wednesday (boy, do I hate that system... would much rather be on the 1st and 15th...) so the timing was right, and Wednesday is the day that I am the least pulled in a million directions.<br />
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Well guess what: <b>It worked</b>. I set up that system in the second week of January and have checked the budget every Wednesday since. <i>I even look forward to it</i> because I know that it is quick and painless, and it helps me stay on track with my goal and check something good off my ever-growing, never-ending to-do list. I know that I cannot set up a system for everything all at once. Life is too unpredictable, and I don't want to set myself up for failure. But I have added a couple of small things to my system over the last few weeks. So far, so good. Then last week, I had this nagging feeling that I should<b> try to blog again</b>. Ugh. I am not good at it. It takes too much time. I want to include too much. No one cares. Nope, there it was again - the idea that I should blog about our time here. Fine. How to do it? I added it to my system. <b>Blog once a month</b>, on the last Sunday of the month, a quick rundown of what we have been up to. No pressure. Not perfect. And look - here I am. I have been sick in bed all weekend, but I couldn't end the night without writing an entry. No apologizing about how long it has been (2 years, yikes!). No promises going forward. I'm not even adding pictures (though you know I have them!). I'm just going to try to keep with my system, adjust here and there, and see what happens.<br />
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So what have we been up to this new year? Here is a rundown:<br />
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<h3>
January</h3>
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<ul>
<li>Church starts at 9:00. Boo. I think they gave me a Sunday calling at the end of last year knowing I would need it to get me there every week.</li>
<li>I turned 40. Another boo.</li>
<li>Jonah and Noah got to spend a weekend in Switzerland with the Boy Scouts at the Klondike Derby. It was good, cold fun.</li>
<li>Vienna started attending American school. There were lots of reasons we switched from German school, but we are all happier now and it has been a smooth transition.</li>
</ul>
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<h3>
February</h3>
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<ul>
<li>Elijah competed in the Pinewood Derby. He came in 7th out of 18. Not too shabby! It was our last of 8 derbys - Jonah and Noah overlapped one year.</li>
<li>We spent President's Day weekend in Trier, the oldest city in Germany, which has Roman beginnings and ruins to match. Stopped at Ramstein PX on the way home for lunch.</li>
<li>Elijah is participating in Robotics Club. Each grade only does it for about a month each year, and he looks forward to it every time.</li>
<li>Sickness here and there. Jonah and Noah have both missed several days of school. Noah woke up one day with the most swollen neck I have ever seen, but only on one side. It was strep, and rather amusing. Should have taken a picture! I was struck with something this weekend, but my sore throat has gone away, so I am pretty sure I avoided strep.</li>
<li>Still no snow. We had a couple of flakes, but no <i>snow</i> all winter long. Very sad. Not ready for spring.</li>
</ul>
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There! That is about it! I think I can handle this, though I think I will change my system to the first Sunday of every month so I can write about the complete month before. How can you incorporate systems into your goal setting?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-27911277779992172162011-12-25T15:37:00.001+01:002011-12-25T15:42:52.310+01:00Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!Merry Christmas from Germany! <br />
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It has been many years since we have celebrated with just our little crew. In Yuma, we would typically go to Tom’s parents’ for Christmas Eve dinner and presents, enjoy Santa’s offerings Christmas morning, and then head to my parents’ for Christmas Day festivities. This year, we were smaller in number, both of people and presents, but enjoyed our Christmas just the same.<br />
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After my last post about Garmisch, I got a little discouraged because most of the photos did not show up. I am going to try something different this time, but if it doesn’t work, I may throw in the blogging towel for good. Or ask my husband to come up with a solution. Yeah, that might be better.<br />
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Here are albums for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Click to see the full album, and there should be a caption for each picture. Cross your fingers that it works!<br />
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<a href="https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=fd30cbff0df8149d&page=browse&resid=FD30CBFF0DF8149D!109&type=5" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;"><img alt="View 2011-Christmas Eve" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUiaCntWEM0/Tvc1L0zrufI/AAAAAAAABhU/CAUxfFdjecs/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=fd30cbff0df8149d&page=browse&resid=FD30CBFF0DF8149D!109&type=5">View Full Album</a></div>
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<a href="https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=fd30cbff0df8149d&page=browse&resid=FD30CBFF0DF8149D!142&type=5" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;"><img alt="View 2011-Christmas Day" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yq-kNpzOzG4/Tvc1MXCgZ3I/AAAAAAAABhc/Z-kxndZN4RA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right; width: 606px;">
<a href="https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=fd30cbff0df8149d&page=browse&resid=FD30CBFF0DF8149D!142&type=5">View Full Album</a></div>
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Frohe Weihnachten to You and Yours!<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-17182491946726658032011-10-16T15:08:00.001+02:002011-10-16T15:08:54.626+02:00Garmisch-PartenkirchenLast weekend we took our first overnight family trip since being in Germany. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is located southeast of Stuttgart in Bavaria, just this side of the Austrian border on the edge of the Alps. Yeah – <em>The</em> Alps. Cool, huh? It started as two separate towns (you can guess the names) that were forced to join together in 1935 by Adolf Hitler in preparation for the 1936 Olympic Winter Games. People usually just refer to it as “Garmisch,” which probably gets the Partenkircheners’ collective goat but is a lot easier to say. One of our kids called it “Garnish,” and that seems to have stuck with us.<br />
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Even though the kids had Friday off from school, we had to wait till Tom was done with work, so we didn’t get on the road till almost 5:00. It was a beautiful three-hour drive. Well, I take that back. It was a beautiful two-hour drive (my turn) followed by a white-knuckled, dark-narrow-windy-road, we-should-have-changed-the-windshield-wipers-before-it-started-pouring, are-we-supposed-to-be-in-Austria? one-hour drive (Tom’s turn). But all is well that ends well, and we arrived in one piece. We stayed at <a href="http://www.hostel2962-garmisch.com/english/index.php" target="_blank">Hostel 2962</a>, which we thought was a random name but turns out to refer to the elevation in meters of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, which is south of Garmisch and directly on the Austria/Germany border. Though this hostel has many individual rooms and shared bathrooms, we stayed in the Apartment, at the very tippy top of the place. We had several rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen all to ourselves. The décor was quite unique and impressed the kids. There was the master bedroom with bricks and arches…<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-u-9W4vqss9s/Tpmvhwc4yGI/AAAAAAAAAyU/SPt8IMq0FM8/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520008%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 008" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MjLV_duTN2o/TpmvihtwPtI/AAAAAAAAAyc/wewzFfMwuaU/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520008_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 008" width="379" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ynVJP58rr0c/TpmvjugR5wI/AAAAAAAAAyk/f_luw3TmZjE/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520009.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 009" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-p33ERJrBHtA/TpmvkWoLoQI/AAAAAAAAAys/1vPb9d_M_TE/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520009_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 009" width="379" /></a><br />
The sitting room with mountain peaks and birds…<br />
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ladgh__hKiE/TpmvlH4kAOI/AAAAAAAAAy0/RZ6yFmO5kgc/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520001.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 001" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--EpIzy7s_IU/Tpmvl1emaMI/AAAAAAAAAy4/Y7SGswjcxgE/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 001" width="379" /></a><br />
The kitchen with a sun light…<br />
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-azGoWdw97KU/Tpmvm3zRZcI/AAAAAAAAAzA/Kxun_agn_Eo/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520006.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 006" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dwDZ1nSzoSE/TpmvneIjbnI/AAAAAAAAAzI/Lu_mzuZLbsw/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520006_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 006" width="379" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Xfl7f6JTJ9g/TpmvoQt2t_I/AAAAAAAAAzU/9Njm8TVvakU/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520007.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 007" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-791AcixzMQw/TpmvpPtiWUI/AAAAAAAAAzc/QkcdcWuIvDA/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 007" width="379" /></a><br />
And this space…<br />
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--wszf2ATwXQ/Tpmvp2hZkMI/AAAAAAAAAzk/FS0XeF6bgUY/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520004.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 004" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ilxKxxk9g9E/Tpmvqga52DI/AAAAAAAAAzs/2DXP61ZZ_7I/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520004_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 004" width="379" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jb-6sGkU48M/TpmvrjJivlI/AAAAAAAAAz0/lNlJQJGWz0w/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520005.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 005" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Y6iPECJVyIA/Tpmvsc64TvI/AAAAAAAAAz8/_MleWLODgzw/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520005_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 005" width="379" /></a><br />
There is great debate about whether this is a snow cave or a tidal wave. Snow cave makes more sense given the surroundings, but it sure looks like a breaking wave, and they had fun surfing underneath it. Jonah took one look at it and decided to sleep in what I would describe as a mudroom with a bed.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aqjcpzyr0FQ/TpmvtQ3NYJI/AAAAAAAAA0E/1xmHqKSVmLM/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520003.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 003" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JfAplMXafJY/TpmvuLs6GyI/AAAAAAAAA0I/axwukVFiZSw/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520003_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 003" width="379" /></a><br />
It was late and pouring rain when we got there, so we stayed in. Noah actually came down with a fever, so it took a while to get him settled down to sleep. By then, Tom was exhausted and went to bed and Jonah was curled up with a book, so the younger two and I played Skip-Bo and had hot chocolate before I tucked them into their snow cave beds.<br />
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I have to mention at this point that the thing the kids were looking forward to the most on this trip was seeing snow. Even though we keep telling them that pretty soon they will have more snow than they can shake a stick at, they couldn’t wait to see the stuff. We haven’t been in snow since we left Maryland seven years ago, which means that Vienna has never seen snow, Noah only vaguely remembers it, and Elijah definitely doesn’t remember as he was just a baby then. The forecast called for precipitation, leaning more toward snow the closer we got to the day, so they were psyched. <br />
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Morning came, and there was a lot of rain, but no snow. However, Noah’s Eskimo Senses were tingling…<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAclzGSkPho/TprPN8VhEOI/AAAAAAAABLk/YwIHmxgEdKI/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0184.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 018" border="0" height="493" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_4qSFEuLmc/TprPOYHvXvI/AAAAAAAABLs/nRDP7odJ12A/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 018" width="329" /></a><br />
…and Tom and I were determined to have a fun family day, even if it meant getting a little wet or staying inside more than we hoped. As we got packed up and ready to check out, we could see from our windows that the tops of the nearby mountains were turning white, but we were below the snow line. We had no real plan for the day, other than to drive around and see what we could see. A short drive found us at the Olympic Ski Stadium. The ski jump was rebuilt in 2007, but the stadium itself is mostly unchanged from when it was built.<br />
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We walked through the stadium, but it was wet and downright cold. We hadn’t had rain at home for a while, so Vienna was at least enjoying using her new umbrella and thrift store boots to jump through all the puddles, and the boys were decked out in their winter attire.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhfzWsfreJ4/Tpi-h6gxq9I/AAAAAAAAAx8/2bMVKYHsYzY/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-024.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 024" border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GG--MxgYJ40/Tpi-iVK666I/AAAAAAAAAyA/nSMOalowefM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 024" width="323" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nro95UrRlE8/TpmpwwldatI/AAAAAAAAAyE/ns3vWF7mFyM/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-032.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 032" border="0" height="484" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gDg5_qRP59U/Tpmpx2iR64I/AAAAAAAAAyM/RARU3Ur7lRA/2011-10-07-Garmisch-032_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 032" width="323" /></a><br />
We decided to get some lunch and then come back to take a gondola ride up the mountain. It was still raining, and the kids were coming to terms with the fact that we might not be seeing snow this trip. I had read about a famous restaurant where they have dancers like you might remember from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO93OT3P30g" target="_blank">National Lampoon’s European Vacation</a>, but without the fistfight. So we found our way to Gasthof Frauendorfer and settled in for a Bavarian lunch. Four orders of chicken nuggets with fries (notice the “Garnish”)…<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rgSAT86xYTA/TpmvxOgu0GI/AAAAAAAAA0k/VrIPkS7NfYo/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520045.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 045" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-13VzMArYHRA/TpmvxnjAlPI/AAAAAAAAA0s/QKp8K5ULGIg/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520045_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 045" width="379" /></a><br />
One slaughter plate (don’t ask)…<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-f4rcCyFXgSc/TpmvyuzZ5jI/AAAAAAAAA00/pMIWwJGVnSI/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520046.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 046" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JCKEO_V8gGs/TpmvzXRrl1I/AAAAAAAAA08/FE3SUjzjIg4/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520046_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 046" width="379" /></a><br />
potato soup with bread (not pictured – it smelled so good I dove right in), and drinks all around…<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yFYc3MVljT0/Tpmv0EtRUQI/AAAAAAAAA1E/gmzhjbDZnNk/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520044.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 044" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NTWW_Cupdjg/Tpmv1AOCz2I/AAAAAAAAA1M/YEIZdN0-kD4/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520044_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 044" width="379" /></a> <br />
<br />
Alas, there were no dancers, but the atmosphere and our waitress were very nice and the food was good.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BegvRxgkbIs/Tpmv5vXRhrI/AAAAAAAAA10/kgg5MjI-D-4/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520052.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 052" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7sXmyKGKUoY/Tpmv6U4MfHI/AAAAAAAAA18/IHVxKbrv9z4/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520052_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 052" width="379" /></a></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVcfzPV3A4U/TprPWejDgqI/AAAAAAAABNE/z16Jvbtn_4o/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-043.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 043" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXvUk29rpFI/TprPXDVVpbI/AAAAAAAABNM/uiB65YVyRSY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 043" width="329" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FpA7k1aZNg/TprPX096FcI/AAAAAAAABNU/r2CSGyA-ROU/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-042.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 042" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hdzyBT6iriE/TprPYgbHznI/AAAAAAAABNc/_2Yz5IgXdzA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 042" width="329" /></a><br />
Noah came down with a fever while we were waiting for our food, so Tom walked to the nearest Apotheke to get some medicine.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0V2NDlbUmk/TprPZrGGV2I/AAAAAAAABNk/DTVem_xkGh4/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-047.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 047" border="0" height="493" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IgtoTc5vw9I/TprPae-yAEI/AAAAAAAABNs/Q1J_USX0h_A/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 047" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-823uuN0V2kI/TprPbteT6vI/AAAAAAAABN4/qdibIoommJc/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-051.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 051" border="0" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YvlkiTnk9uE/TprPcfVUmeI/AAAAAAAABOA/cSegcHrsDow/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 051" width="329" /></a><br />
Apparently the Germans make good medicine, because he was perking up by the time we finished our meal. It had been raining the whole time we were inside, and we had almost decided to start making our way home, but when we came out of the restaurant, we found a gorgeous site: The rain had gone, the air had cleared, and the mountains were full of fresh snow.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lQjY5sC0UfI/TprPdSOqMtI/AAAAAAAABOI/zbmv1iXRX74/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0531%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 053" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Re5c5sq6JnU/TprPeW3cbLI/AAAAAAAABOQ/8pWGwwaG_E8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 053" width="654" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqAMh9ORwcw/TprPfIReWYI/AAAAAAAABOY/YPCQ0ljfIFU/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-063.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 063" border="0" height="437" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOOKMBXgFNg/TprPf63y0uI/AAAAAAAABOg/h-ltZhkuekI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 063" width="654" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HujvADlivAE/TprPhNX3CeI/AAAAAAAABOo/V97elU9Q8vQ/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0581.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 058" border="0" height="437" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y75BvjBKhmY/TprPiFc6oQI/AAAAAAAABOw/9CQYA6yMRME/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 058" width="654" /></a><br />
We walked down <a href="http://www.gapa.de/download/ein_gang_durch_die_historische_ludwigstrasse_en.pdf" target="_blank">historic, ancient Ludwigstrasse</a>, with its fantastic murals, inns, shops, and parish church.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lF3nS8UaiDI/TprPjFr_C1I/AAAAAAAABO4/8aZ-ORzcOXs/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0551%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 055" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adeHXm-pLC8/TprPkLnUK6I/AAAAAAAABPA/4oZHkzNMtEw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 055" width="654" /></a><br />
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Vienna stopped to admire some miniature umbrellas in a store window – “Just like mine!”<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MhHmdptjVE0/TprPlTYL8UI/AAAAAAAABPI/NhNJl2cjn1k/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0651%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 065" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5GpTkJAGec/TprPmNFqAwI/AAAAAAAABPQ/W3DG3aIZThA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 065" width="654" /></a><br />
With Noah feeling better and the weather improving, we went back to the Stadium. Here is a before and after of a view from the parking lot…<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yp0WdrZOCU/TprPnDHVkjI/AAAAAAAABPY/9y7V3F9XGsQ/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0212.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 021" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C3eVR-gvbrU/TprPn0ByaxI/AAAAAAAABPg/_Aj5jTOfgQQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 021" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lAThd6TQgFw/TprPooFmOnI/AAAAAAAABPo/tgfcE33x590/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0791.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 079" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJDwXKmqdXY/TprPpaVmqGI/AAAAAAAABPw/mn7RhjX5aTk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 079" width="329" /></a><br />
We bought tickets for the 2-person, covered gondolas. Guess who got to be my partner!<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FICcuY5GFr0/TpoBdUQvDtI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/HletBEgAsrs/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520080%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 080" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AroB0x3CWzM/TpoBeZZ1CNI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/Ls1LisyWnC8/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520080_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 080" width="379" /></a><br />
I have only been on a ski lift once before (see<a href="http://butlerama.blogspot.com/2009/10/trip-to-pinetop.html"> this post</a>), and both times it amazed me how far they travel, both horizontally and vertically. From the base, we could only see a short rise before the gondola line went out of sight. Over the next fifteen to twenty minutes, we climbed up and up away from the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and into a new world. The green forest began to be dotted with white, and it fun to be with Vienna as she realized that this was SNOW!<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AXNV4zm05wc/TprPqZkeaII/AAAAAAAABP4/82hAFpOuKn4/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0821%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 082" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdDjQ_xf4E0/TprPrICKuHI/AAAAAAAABQA/XdlcK-QYsLo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 082" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iPs5MO71pTE/TprPsBZi-GI/AAAAAAAABQI/nMKPfKlLd64/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0881%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 088" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3T6f9J79AAo/TprPs3CffoI/AAAAAAAABQQ/AjLdcQgm5lQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 088" width="329" /></a><br />
She had no fear of being so high up above the ground, even though I gripped the sides tightly a few times, especially when we hit the bumps and began to swing a little. <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c4nvygDkB4A/TprPt_EXgWI/AAAAAAAABQY/gdiP8g-JvE0/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0901.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 090" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wj0hVig2_vM/TprPuiLsI7I/AAAAAAAABQg/FwerfUl-Kxk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 090" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_cwps4H5lE/TprPv0MY2MI/AAAAAAAABQo/CKNsBj8P9Og/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0951.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 095" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKMhtZUVD6k/TprPwS9ilKI/AAAAAAAABQw/IJmZFZdNOug/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 095" width="329" /></a><br />
As the elevation increased, the landscape became more monochrome – the sky grayed and the ground was covered in white. Beautiful!<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RG91tQQHRg4/TprPxmneLVI/AAAAAAAABQ4/YVAWGySRigQ/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0971%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 097" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mh64Es6DGs/TprPyMoqGII/AAAAAAAABRA/hS8VzBtTT4M/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 097" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n2TFI14QzhI/TprPzoLtv9I/AAAAAAAABRI/ODZGw5KsHKg/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-0991%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 099" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sWtweDInHA/TprP0HhQvUI/AAAAAAAABRQ/-rpgMgg0K28/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 099" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e7HO98i2B-8/TprP1W466nI/AAAAAAAABRY/07aV6wQopXc/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1001.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 100" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAfAttgJek8/TprP1y1uh_I/AAAAAAAABRg/XWkmmAe8C1Q/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 100" width="329" /></a><br />
The boys were waiting for us at the top, anxious to get in the snow. I had to capture the historic first snowball.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3pLYVNzI_9g/TprP2jp3K6I/AAAAAAAABRo/UJ8qAIlQweU/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-103.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 103" border="0" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lk-rR0cpOOA/TprP3WrjAPI/AAAAAAAABRw/AUL7IxJcR_E/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 103" width="204" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DEyDjOAiey4/TprP49BRrbI/AAAAAAAABR8/8Pf7omQCdIc/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-104.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 104" border="0" height="306" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sKYBXsRrVo8/TprP5nm4GZI/AAAAAAAABSE/k_WPUaeNz1Y/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 104" width="204" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMgZuWjdFyc/TprP6iv8D9I/AAAAAAAABSM/5_yX8drz7dg/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-105.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 105" border="0" height="306" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-onX4UyDVggo/TprP7IW7iiI/AAAAAAAABSU/Zcmo7Eeo8ZE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 105" width="204" /></a><br />
They threw, they fell, they laughed, they played as we made our way over the hill. It felt like we had the mountain to ourselves as hardly anyone else was outside.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDjSkWnchNc/TprP8C2_GCI/AAAAAAAABSc/J2iI9R5FrOg/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1121.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 112" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn-bGbqwDrA/TprP81YWUDI/AAAAAAAABSk/HTDWVRBfmCA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 112" width="654" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1m3JVyc1gbU/TprP9wKmFEI/AAAAAAAABSs/rnj_HXBPhRE/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1181%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 118" border="0" height="492" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aNw6dov58Tc/TprP-evmwDI/AAAAAAAABS0/-JX78gNYcgY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 118" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q16mt7Wghcs/TprP_SVR33I/AAAAAAAABS8/GiQPmWmPV1w/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1191%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 119" border="0" height="493" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fvYAobmLzT4/TprQAOCs8rI/AAAAAAAABTE/wT3kf_m_bJg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 119" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlrrXiot_Jo/TprQAwj0g_I/AAAAAAAABTM/Vb-azv3dm4w/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1471%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 147" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--efkGiJ1LDI/TprQBSL2fjI/AAAAAAAABTU/7tTDLCnJynU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 147" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7MvBFLoozA/TprQCF6_wJI/AAAAAAAABTc/B3MgradTFc8/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1151%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 115" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCr6fKA4QHw/TprQCxI_YII/AAAAAAAABTk/v9TQCZHhqks/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 115" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mL8ew1GrzAE/TprQD2-gAGI/AAAAAAAABTs/vFxjKo7yYtM/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1241%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 124" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqFOcHCJsxs/TprQE3GjoVI/AAAAAAAABT0/MrUL_8yi6d0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 124" width="654" /></a><br />
When everyone was nice and cold, we went into the restaurant for some hot chocolate. I wish I had a picture of that, because it was goo-ood. It was then that the younger two, who hadn’t donned gloves, realized how much it can hurt when cold fingers warm up. Ouch! After tracking down an MIA camera (not mine, BTW) we headed back out and were fortunate to run into a German couple who took a family picture for us. I call it, “Hey, look – proof I was there!”<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQsfJeM4N68/TprQFztfWBI/AAAAAAAABT8/2E3IzXxyU6M/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1321%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 132" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xN3v14ZSSs/TprQGyKBf5I/AAAAAAAABUE/QS5duJsaiUU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 132" width="654" /></a><br />
We worked our way back to the lift station – is that what it is called? – and had a little more play time. The kids really enjoyed themselves. Noah even said he thinks snow is his “natural element.”<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T53ywWsrCts/TprQH6ZMYtI/AAAAAAAABUM/frXJ9hHVgzo/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1501.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 150" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xg18z5s0gNQ/TprQIqWluWI/AAAAAAAABUU/n02urWeomHI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 150" width="654" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tUxYzqgs7BQ/TpoB-EQg2SI/AAAAAAAABAc/rZ9GbkTUY2M/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520141.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 141" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-U54avYjAdV8/TpoB-4eLBKI/AAAAAAAABAk/jndKXus1Azc/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520141_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 141" width="379" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzjSn_VPanQ/Tpi_OnI4-gI/AAAAAAAAAqw/SjIntbFvI0g/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520143%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 143" border="0" height="244" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ06kS8xIoA/Tpi_PMYwNII/AAAAAAAAAq4/cJ3RvIPg-g0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 143" width="163" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g52ilMQsRzE/Tpi_PtTIm4I/AAAAAAAAArA/rLvOoNOQxDU/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520145%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 145" border="0" height="163" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_JVNbY7PGI/Tpi_P5EuTwI/AAAAAAAAArI/PfSCyrzy1aI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 145" width="244" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dPH3JUkTnQA/TpoB_mS9N5I/AAAAAAAABAs/EANSKvizDuQ/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520151.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 151" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nUy7VHB630M/TpoCAT2p9EI/AAAAAAAABA0/ckuzG1RyoMk/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520151_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 151" width="379" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_BXgYHcEl2g/TpoCBMnHOZI/AAAAAAAABA8/c_AAKSOUaPI/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520149.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 149" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WvN-xlAj71I/TpoCCJ1ek6I/AAAAAAAABBE/Dlyzpi-Q__c/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520149_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 149" width="379" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EsFKRwOyHEE/TpoCCwGM4BI/AAAAAAAABBM/IlCsEafgdwg/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520148.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 148" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9pdzvinqs60/TpoCDU9AuqI/AAAAAAAABBU/j6fs4d0j9-w/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520148_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 148" width="163" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nE3WDDBMa8Q/TprQJugRQZI/AAAAAAAABUc/_KBatj_AwEE/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1391%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 139" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zo9FNcABHtE/TprQKmTYmHI/AAAAAAAABUk/UQq14fBZav8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 139" width="654" /></a><br />
I often forget that my camera (a Nikon D90 DSLR) can take video, but luckily I remembered to capture a few minutes before we left. You don’t want to miss Elijah catching a snowball in the face!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To make matters worse for him, he suffered a slight wardrobe malfunction.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-R5BM_GRPe-c/TpoCGbJz-sI/AAAAAAAABBs/XlO19yxvh3c/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520154.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 154" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vn16iy_-1sc/TpoCHOMtaNI/AAAAAAAABB0/EgDSzkhg3lo/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520154_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 154" width="379" /></a><br />
We got the pants hitched up and got back into our gondolas. Some more pretty views of the ride down, and my lift partner…<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GedAav7OJxo/TprQLmXwL8I/AAAAAAAABUs/0XkVEScXByc/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1591.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 159" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-thopnuWJpi8/TprQMG3lj-I/AAAAAAAABU0/xhnTKX9MRi8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 159" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VkKd2fT_0FE/TprQNTWxFhI/AAAAAAAABU8/b4DGv78znVM/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1871.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 187" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jHSQcNB4aqw/TprQN4VMPuI/AAAAAAAABVE/ULugOdo0eOU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 187" width="329" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Go4MgxAsz-E/TpoCNOmYcWI/AAAAAAAABCg/l3pPz4cX9Gs/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520168.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 168" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8CVllSRXE4k/TpoCN3DAPeI/AAAAAAAABCo/4l12ek0Y2Yg/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520168_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 168" width="379" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taS6O30bWSM/TprQO4JGbXI/AAAAAAAABVM/oNrV6k-p56w/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1771.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 177" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ToXjpR17pA/TprQPf670eI/AAAAAAAABVU/UQ_Qa179_2s/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 177" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwYJZcEHmL8/TprQQqfLIkI/AAAAAAAABVc/ZiUmzlWRYjs/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1621%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 162" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bYQQPisfNac/TprQREtrMVI/AAAAAAAABVk/wmfHLWFWp_k/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 162" width="329" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5t7kOlAxsA8/TpoCS2A8zVI/AAAAAAAABDU/zyyV6VB4bs4/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520193.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 193" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-opCz-CLktEE/TpoCT3Zjh_I/AAAAAAAABDc/OdEk8UxCCao/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520193_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 193" width="379" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9Z0GwMgMQPE/TpoCVufA56I/AAAAAAAABDk/cxbtQcYCV8Q/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520198.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 198" border="0" height="253" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-khMMElkgP5M/TpoCWONP9DI/AAAAAAAABDs/6MKzcqjXwfQ/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520198_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 198" width="379" /></a><br />
Here is a shot of the map showing where we went. (I know you probably don’t care, but I thought it was interesting.)<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O7x1-oBt5Ws/TprQSbde0eI/AAAAAAAABVs/BI0XQKCCtFc/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-1991%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 199" border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ymo4ywE07r4/TprQTbiriNI/AAAAAAAABV0/ecZGMbc0x-Q/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 199" width="654" /></a><br />
After that, we headed home! The dip into Austria was not so bad this time – daylight and no rain.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRTGypy149E/TprQUnu2gfI/AAAAAAAABV8/yQFXGHcZSU8/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-2021%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 202" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LIpTjGhcXWQ/TprQVXFw0PI/AAAAAAAABWE/w6xhF4XGDJg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 202" width="329" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv5CsR2bStU/TprQWhN0CjI/AAAAAAAABWM/wvyuyT5yuns/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-2081.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 208" border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZInvq5hMV_Y/TprQXIHYTBI/AAAAAAAABWU/aycfDmgI0qU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 208" width="329" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-luCzUHRDjfk/TpoCdxpWYuI/AAAAAAAABEk/4wDCXzL9yNQ/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520221.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 221" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QD3YtT4tYVs/TpoCeuAMyMI/AAAAAAAABEs/rbpFWmaMyxQ/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520221_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 221" width="379" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_kROB2jK9Y/TprQYEkpS2I/AAAAAAAABWc/GnPVkH7-kDU/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-2121.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 212" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbylbDU8Px8/TprQZJXnkQI/AAAAAAAABWk/HdmB4AFesxs/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 212" width="654" /></a><br />
I believe that this picture I took from the road is of the Zugspite, but I won’t be offended if someone corrects me.<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-la_w0MMRKrw/TpoChudMaAI/AAAAAAAABFI/1DXDvhWl-gY/s1600-h/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520203.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 203" border="0" height="569" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gp4r4zSEl9Y/TpoCiU61qvI/AAAAAAAABFQ/owhUvNlLQsE/2011-10-07%252520Garmisch%252520203_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 203" width="379" /></a><br />
We did make one minor pit-stop on the way home. You see, just inside the German border is a castle that I have dreamt of seeing for as long as I can remember. Though we didn’t have time on this trip to stop and take a full tour, my adorable husband wanted to make sure that I at least got to lay my eyes on <a href="http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/index.htm" target="_blank">Mad King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein</a>. He may have regretted that decision for a moment, because as we were following the signs to the parking lot below it, I got a glimpse of My Castle through the trees, and my, um, <em>overwhelming</em> reaction almost caused him to crash.<br />
<br />
So here it is, as close as I could get to it. For now.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDfmf2TIvs8/TprQaEI_icI/AAAAAAAABWs/USYNa7V896U/s1600-h/2011-10-07-Garmisch-2271%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-10-07 Garmisch 227" border="0" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl6l4Wt0Nvk/TprQbO1oh2I/AAAAAAAABW4/3-mxtOemVqI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2011-10-07 Garmisch 227" width="654" /></a><br />
<img height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxpRm_qP9hc/TprPVbjU8CI/AAAAAAAABM8/dd55snmZqAM/?imgmax=800" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 421px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 4854px; visibility: hidden;" width="63" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-35259703022627361992011-07-16T23:47:00.000+02:002011-07-16T23:47:08.341+02:00Livecam SchlossplatzWhen we found out we were moving to Stuttgart, I started reading about the history and layout of the area. I came across <a href="http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/ENG/stuttgart_info/webcam_schlossplatz.htm">this webcam of downtown Stuttgart</a>, which covers an area called the Schlossplatz. (Go ahead and watch it pan for a minute. I'll wait.) "Schloss” means “palace,” the large building on the left. I set the webcam to be a part of my desktop background, so for months I watched a few minutes of Stuttgart every time I logged on to my computer. I watched it change from windy to rainy to foggy to snowy to more snowy to sunny; saw festivals and protests and the gigantic Christmas tree they put in front of the building on the right; and watched people lounge on the grass when it was warm and walk as fast as they could when it was cold. I even imagined Tom there, knowing he often walked downtown on his days off.<br />
<br />
<div align="left">Fast forward to today. Tom and I left for our Saturday shopping trip, but since we are finally settling in a little bit and only needed to hit one store instead of three, he suggested driving into Stuttgart and walking around a bit. Sure! I hadn’t been into Stuttgart proper yet. Our house is a good 30 km/20 miles away, and all of our destinations are in outlying areas. We followed the GPS route, parked in an underground garage, and came out to get our bearings. Pretty soon we came around a corner, through a throng of people, and out from under some trees, and I stopped and said, “I know this place!” We were coming from behind the circle of red flags on the right, and I was finally seeing in person a scene I knew so well. I almost teared up! I am just so thankful to finally be in this place. First thing I did was locate the webcam – it is situated in a little white ball on the roof of the building. We walked around the perimeter of the plaza, then near the tall monument, and let Vienna sit and put her feet in the fountain. The water was cold! We then spent a couple more hours just walking around the markets and in and out of stores, stopping for a pastry here and an ice cream cone there. Because the trip was unplanned, and because my batteries died during our walk in the woods yesterday, I had no camera with me and therefore no pictures to share. I thought about finding pictures from the web to post, but since I know we will be going back, I want to wait and share my own. Hope you don’t mind!</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">If you are not on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jenniferkbutler13" target="_blank">Facebook</a> (as you should be!), here are the pictures from yesterday. Tom and I and our little lady went out to dinner in the next town over, stopped for ice cream (they make it so <em>easy</em> here), and drove around until we ended up on a narrow road heading into the country. We got to a place where the road split into three, none of which allowed cars, so we stopped and went for a walk! It reminded me of a movie, because there was a sunny, open, well-lit path on the right,</div><div align="left"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NuVRYOr0zs0/TiH3HULa_rI/AAAAAAAAAcE/BJSEmh8IIwk/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520001%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="303" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_vQR4jwF_0/TiH3HrNXAvI/AAAAAAAAAcI/QSGpJuMxiQQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="The Light Side?" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left">and a dark, spooky, overgrown path on the left.</div><div align="left"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-maGn4RBzOCk/TiH3IQuzX4I/AAAAAAAAAcM/AVevuqFROlk/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520003%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TOO6187a6UQ/TiH3JMxLdII/AAAAAAAAAcQ/VpivVUNCJAw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Or the Dark Side?" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We, of course, went left.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LeDrCw1Sja8/TiH3Jv-9LQI/AAAAAAAAAcU/qxPl0u2aIjY/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520005%25255B4%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USjbfitliHU/TiH3KHa5gVI/AAAAAAAAAcY/36fLGKVm2fI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Walk in woods near Gartringen" width="480" /></a></div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cM9z2L_r4BU/TiH3KvOMNmI/AAAAAAAAAcc/qI_rNghxeC0/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520008%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFNNPi7nHJY/TiH3LCsNWZI/AAAAAAAAAcg/jTWy2yoE4Tc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Walk in woods near Gartringen" width="480" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mGiwm7mOAv8/TiH3MMtWIXI/AAAAAAAAAck/OkLhyw9AJHM/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520011%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SnysqjiSKUM/TiH3MvkrnbI/AAAAAAAAAco/OTmFYF5ai9w/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Walk in woods near Gartringen" width="400" /></a><br />
This was relatively a pretty small patch of forest, surrounded by farmland. But gorgeous! It was actually very dark in there. My dinky little point-and-shoot was trying its best to lighten things up. I plan to go back with my better camera, a little earlier in the day, with someone who wants their picture taken, and see what we can capture. And can you imagine it in the fall?!?<br />
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Tom picked up a walking stick along the way, so naturally Vienna needed one, too. Tom broke one off to be the right height for her, and it is actually pretty cool looking – it has a handle shape on the top, so it looks like a cane. I kept trying to take a picture of it, but she would move it at the last minute so it cut off the cool part. Plus, she thought it was better to turn it over and make it a foot-stick. Whatever. We held on to it for future outings.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBB1CKD2NAE/TiH3NXqYEVI/AAAAAAAAAcs/E1kTexyTnzI/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520012%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yro3O1mB58M/TiH3NwC27fI/AAAAAAAAAcw/AuplNlf5Sq8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="The walking stick - part of it." width="480" /></a><br />
<strong>Random Observations:</strong><br />
<ul><li>Dogs are allowed in many stores and restaurants.</li>
<li>Smoking is very prevalent here.</li>
<li>Many drinks (water, soda, juice) are sold in 1.5 liter bottles – as tall as a 2L soda bottle, but skinnier.</li>
<li>Commas replace periods in decimal points, so the volume on the bottles above is listed as 1,5L.</li>
<li>Periods replace commas as digit separators, so if you have a million of something it would be 1.000.000.</li>
<li>A dash is used in money to indicate “zero cents.” So something that costs 5 euros exactly is written as €5,—.</li>
</ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aUGL6rThP64/TiH3Oc1Tq-I/AAAAAAAAAc0/crXVql6EoNU/s1600-h/2011-07-15%252520015%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Walk in woods near Gartringen" border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uruEoOk-pOY/TiH3OuRJYtI/AAAAAAAAAc8/RhiEDE4cegk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Walk in woods near Gartringen" width="364" /></a><br />
<div align="center">Tschüss!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-77427852177036912182011-07-15T15:00:00.000+02:002011-07-15T15:00:25.461+02:00Wir sind in Deutschland!We moved to Germany.<br />
<br />
One month ago today, five months after Tom left, the four kids and I landed at the Stuttgart airport. <br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzfJ8CSGgBs/Th4g63VNl-I/AAAAAAAAAZg/puE896s-eAA/s1600-h/2011-06-15%252520040%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-06-15 040" border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8-NnV8YV8o/Th4g7fgCtyI/AAAAAAAAAZk/rJCT-UWiniI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Together again!" width="402" /></a><br />
For the first few days, I had high hopes of journaling about our new and exciting adventures every day and turning that into blog posts. After about a week and a half, I remembered that I am me, and no such ambitious or meaningful project would be forthcoming. So then, how do I summarize the last month?<br />
<br />
<strong>We love it here.</strong><br />
<br />
First, let me say that for the most part, the kids and I have been housebound. It was another two weeks before our van arrived, so our only transportation was Tom’s small car, and he of course is at work most of the time. I also haven’t been able to take the class and test to get my license, so even with the van here we are limited. But is hasn’t been too bad. I am a homebody by nature anyway, and there has been a lot of cleaning and settling in to do. We will be here for a while so there is no rush to see and do everything right away. Our house is large inside and out, and though it is in an unusual “neighborhood” (a story for another time), we have plenty of options for taking walks, including a couple of stores where we can get bread and treats.<br />
<br />
Speaking of which, I<em> love</em> our house! It felt like home right away (to me) and I already know it will be hard to leave it when the time comes. It has so much character. Lots of natural light. No carpet. A big kitchen by German standards. A pond. A sauna. Lots of nooks and crannies (and spiders). I plan to do more in-depth posting about it with lots of pictures, but here is one to tide you over…<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUMUuFi5uHw/Th4g8CN44hI/AAAAAAAAAZo/ks-pDdvIydc/s1600-h/2011-07-01%252520018%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Back of the House" border="0" height="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDW43s0wiIM/TiAypLFO8mI/AAAAAAAAAZw/Mo1CC283bS8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Back of the House" width="409" /></a><br />
The weather here has been uh-maz-ing. The high is normally in the 60s-70s F. There were only two days at the end of June that I would consider hot – approaching 90. I know you Arizonans have no sympathy for me, but keep in mind that we have no air conditioning and had no fans at the time, there was no breeze, and we have a skylight that lets in lots of direct sunlight, so the house got hot and stuffy. Other than that, it has been beautiful. We get some precipitation almost every day, ranging from light sprinkles to heavy downpours, often times with lightning.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_7a2oSm0uw/TiAyp1V8M7I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/dNNUyd5xEqk/s1600-h/2011-06-18-0014.jpg"><img alt="2011-06-18 001" border="0" height="315" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5S8gBWHpdlM/TiAyqTyRUOI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/hOnoswPG-TM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="The finishing touch to our first German meal." width="410" /></a><br />
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<strong>Some things that have happened since we’ve been here:</strong><br />
<br />
*Tom surprised all the kids by getting them themed bedding: Dora for Vienna, Mario Kart Wii for Elijah, and Star Wars for the boys.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2XSVZCAm3A/TiAyq5wcHLI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/miaXPWa9S5Q/s1600-h/2011-06-15%252520044%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Dora" border="0" height="139" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rCKvpPirtrg/TiAyrSsBMPI/AAAAAAAAAaA/UCIARGEykCc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Dora" width="196" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lf6Le4UFjHk/TiAyr-XusgI/AAAAAAAAAaE/lgz3_ZQc6tU/s1600-h/2011-06-15%252520045%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Mario Kart" border="0" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHSqDwc0Zmg/TiAysBdKgGI/AAAAAAAAAaI/BkW9eHROYMM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Mario Kart" width="195" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9yslR3UhR9I/TiAysxLkHyI/AAAAAAAAAaM/VhGhNw2bz_k/s1600-h/2011-06-15%252520050%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Star Wars" border="0" height="135" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5tczeLDTBqM/TiAytPHg_-I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/E0HdexSPxAA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Star Wars" width="195" /></a><br />
All I got was red and blue. We’ll just say it is a <a href="http://www.arizona.edu/" target="_blank">U of A</a> theme.<br />
These beds are loaners that we will give back when our household shipment arrives, which should be in a week. We also have schranks, or wardrobes, that we will keep since there are no closets. Other than that, our house is devoid of furniture.<br />
<br />
*The second day here, Elijah found a piece of white-painted popcorn wall that had fallen off and asked if it was a tooth. It was a valid question – we have been losing a lot of teeth lately. We explained to him that it was not. That night as I was tucking him in, I saw the “tooth” under his pillow. The next day, he didn’t say anything about it. I looked under the pillow – no fake tooth. Finally, at bedtime, he was acting a little strange and didn’t want me to lift up his blanket. I heard a rustling sound and demanded to see what it was. Looking very guilty, he pulled out a small note that said, “This is <u>not</u> a real tooth! NICE TRY! –The Tooth Fairy.” He was very worried about getting in trouble with us for trying to trick the Tooth Fairy. I just hope she doesn’t skip over our house when he has a<em> real</em> tooth up for grabs!<br />
<br />
*At the airport, Tom presented Vienna with two <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Zhu-Pets-Hamster-Prince-Dashington/dp/B004DR3KNU" target="_blank">Zhu Zhu pets</a>, a prince and princess. (She had a camo one back home.) You can see her holding one in the airport picture above. They roll around and make noise and keep her entertained. She has loved them – almost to death. The pink one is paralyzed now, and you know how they have a big sticker on the bottom that says to keep away from hair? It’s for a reason. She got a good chunk of her hair wrapped around the prince’s wheel, and as I was trying to free her from it, the chunk pulled away from her head, painlessly. Instead of being a lesson, she thought it was pretty funny. Do I count that as her first haircut?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t7OIraJko8w/TiAyt0zDcOI/AAAAAAAAAaU/cdDyYr40d5c/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520009%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img align="right" alt="Our new Fernseher" border="0" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6xDg1RMF88M/TiAyuQgoc9I/AAAAAAAAAaY/PyfPzhK_N_k/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Our new Fernseher" width="216" /></a>*We joined the modern age and bought a 50” plasma TV. We weren’t able to bring our TVs with us, so we had to get <em>something</em>. We also needed something to play DVDs and watch Netflix, so we ordered an <a href="http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Kinect" target="_blank">Xbox 360 with Kinect</a>, which we did not tell the boys. More about that in a second….<br />
<br />
*My baby boy became a teenager. How did that happen? Jonah’s birthday was on a Thursday, but we waited till Saturday to celebrate by going to see Cars 2 (not exactly his choice, but that is what was on) and then coming home for cake and presents. We bought a chocolate bundt cake, which Vienna had to decorate. Oh, yeah, and we didn’t have candles.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc6MxBJCclY/TiAyu0rTjHI/AAAAAAAAAac/oGX58FT6zMQ/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520010%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="We need more sprinkles!" border="0" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ymdrrc48T4/TiAyvR6wKGI/AAAAAAAAAag/1S9y1jrMDAo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="We need more sprinkles!" width="410" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RINLNLb3MnI/TiAyvmjMkQI/AAAAAAAAAak/0vhS7y1GV38/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520011%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="And maybe some candles." border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tGt8VOOHi_E/TiAywGrcfwI/AAAAAAAAAao/UrVsw0Bu4Dk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="And maybe some candles." width="323" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G_IpUMVTrlc/TiAywvqYIvI/AAAAAAAAAas/JLx5skmgyMk/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520013%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="13 Matchsticks" border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MEiVfJJnv_4/TiAyxP_NK8I/AAAAAAAAAaw/yCkpDxPMa9w/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="13 Matchsticks" width="323" /></a><br />
For presents, a Kindle gift card from the Petersons and an *awesome* shirt from me (because I am *awesome*).<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dmOQxwDD-a0/TiAyxt_XbMI/AAAAAAAAAa0/vlfSeAqTj7M/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520003%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-07-02 003" border="0" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8pS0YrCVXWE/TiAyyFoMguI/AAAAAAAAAa4/u6GTu3FzNWA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Reading Money!" width="190" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sNBt0qpC1ZA/TiAyym8RQwI/AAAAAAAAAa8/1xyOy-B71c0/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520004%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2011-07-02 004" border="0" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NFIi7ALMCqI/TiAyzOrLIFI/AAAAAAAAAbA/ce0jwcK7tnE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Star Wars stick family" width="187" /></a><br />
Now for the fun part: Jonah had asked for a video game for his birthday. Real original. What he<em> meant</em> was a game for the Nintendo DS. What he <em>got</em> was this:<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHhjpjRu5no/TiAyzpo18NI/AAAAAAAAAbE/HCbOup8OzDc/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520006%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Huh?" border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-11v5NqerJ1w/TiAy0AgHuwI/AAAAAAAAAbI/nx7NYEamIZo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Huh?" width="394" /></a><br />
What’s this? It an Xbox 360 game. “But we don’t have an Xbox 360!” “Oh, Dad and I thought it said you could play it on the DS, too. We could have sworn we saw that on there somewhere.”<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wopxGfWZHJE/TiAy0ghcH7I/AAAAAAAAAbM/XNsfTZaGsAc/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520005%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Clearly NOT for DS." border="0" height="274" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6tfghFunOwk/TiAy1BETy0I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/C13CMTQyLpo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Clearly NOT for DS." width="394" /></a><br />
“But you can clearly see that it is for Xbox. This is the wrong kind of game. Do you people not understand?!?” (I’m paraphrasing, but you can see it on his face.) “Oh, in that case, we can take it back. Or give it to someone. Or… we could order a 360 and have it mailed to us, like we DID!”<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xD4SyRHEbFk/TiAy1kWa00I/AAAAAAAAAbU/NQxGxfLq15g/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520007%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Gotcha!" border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFIP3eOODuc/TiAy11wxLYI/AAAAAAAAAbY/E1koKt7KsAs/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Gotcha!" width="323" /></a><br />
Gotcha! Now he’s happy.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvxsU75aGjE/TiAy2ULLN1I/AAAAAAAAAbc/UbTgzEiSBzI/s1600-h/2011-07-02%252520008%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="My parents aren't so dumb after all." border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQ6gr1O3g4c/TiAy22E4gyI/AAAAAAAAAbg/A-LkEaSJa9c/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="My parents aren't so dumb after all." width="323" /></a><br />
<br />
I have decided to end each blog post with some random observations. Some of these might seem obvious or common sense to you, but I thought they were interesting to note. Some things I remember learning in German class from high school and it is just interesting to <em>me</em> that they are actually true. And some are just to educate those uncultured swine out there who don’t know much about the world. (Haha, I am SO just kidding!) I welcome further questions or corrections if necessary since my experience is still limited…<br />
<br />
<strong>Random Observations:</strong><br />
<ul><li>The Autobahn has speed limits (on parts). </li>
<li>Germans drive on the right side of the road. </li>
<li>Clocks run on 24-hour time, so 6:30pm is 18:30. </li>
<li>Germans put the day first when writing dates, so today is 15.07.2011. </li>
<li>Though it is much better than it used to be, shopping hours are very limited. No 24/7 shopping here. We are glad to be near a small grocery store that stays open until 8:00pm (I mean 20:00). And just hope you never need anything on a Sunday! </li>
<li>Cashiers sit down while they are checking you out. (Not “checking you out” but checking you out - you know what I mean.)</li>
<li>To use a shopping cart, you insert a Euro coin into a lock that connects your cart to the one behind it in line. When you return the cart, push the lock back in and your Euro pops out. Result: No stray shopping carts in the parking lot! </li>
<li>Shoppers bring their own bags or baskets to the markets, or buy one there for a small fee. I have also seen people take a cartful of items to their trunk and just load it up, without bags at all. The mall stores bag items, but I still saw a lot of people with their own baskets.</li>
</ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2WwhJVIqch0/TiAy3QaZs_I/AAAAAAAAAbk/IGLQHRfpzZw/s1600-h/2011-06-25%252520001%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="She's got her eye on you. And your doughnut." border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBHTlqCijM8/TiAy4I2mwBI/AAAAAAAAAbo/9dG6-TU3HMQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="She's got her eye on you. And your doughnut." width="364" /></a><br />
<div align="center">Auf Wiedersehen!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-17586355765512618292009-11-08T04:33:00.000+01:002009-11-08T04:33:24.924+01:00Halloween and BirthdaysHalloween and birthdays - these seem to go together in our family. One nephew's birthday falls right on Halloween and both T's and V's birthdays are three days later. Next week birthday season continues as E has his on the 12th and any day now we will be adding a brand new niece into the mix.<br />
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This year we had a clone trooper, a boxer, a vampire, and a Dora. I didn't get a great picture of them in full costume, but they had a good time wearing them to school, the Fall Festival, a friend's party, and the Trunk-or-Treat at church.<br />
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</div><div align="center">Spooooooooooooooooooooooky!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYY1n1jTzI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/tpFQDfKE0EA/s1600-h/2009-10-31-Halloween+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYY1n1jTzI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/tpFQDfKE0EA/s400/2009-10-31-Halloween+016.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYarjemizI/AAAAAAAAAUY/JBf1nfVrnKU/s1600-h/2009-10-31-Halloween+112a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYarjemizI/AAAAAAAAAUY/JBf1nfVrnKU/s320/2009-10-31-Halloween+112a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYa6pYquEI/AAAAAAAAAUg/VeuvE1BppfI/s1600-h/2009-10-31-Halloween+138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYa6pYquEI/AAAAAAAAAUg/VeuvE1BppfI/s320/2009-10-31-Halloween+138.jpg" /></a><br />
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V was tired and grumpy when it came time for the Trunk-or-Treat, but when she saw that people were tossing treats into the bucket that I made her carry, she changed her tune. She kept trying to stop and take a treat out instead of moving on to the next car. When we finally sat down, she had to have an open treat in one hand and one in the other hand as backup. She would not wear the unruly wig that came with her costume but T held it on her long enough for a picture (and then <i>he</i> wore it).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYU75XHK9I/AAAAAAAAATw/KezaedwWDzs/s1600-h/2009-10-31-Halloween+002a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYVUgVcX7I/AAAAAAAAAUA/C5hqLYm27iA/s1600-h/2009-10-31-Halloween+011a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYU75XHK9I/AAAAAAAAATw/KezaedwWDzs/s1600/2009-10-31-Halloween+002a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYU75XHK9I/AAAAAAAAATw/KezaedwWDzs/s400/2009-10-31-Halloween+002a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYVA9_pjNI/AAAAAAAAAT4/TEDHckWKVU8/s1600-h/2009-10-31-Halloween+009a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYVA9_pjNI/AAAAAAAAAT4/TEDHckWKVU8/s400/2009-10-31-Halloween+009a.jpg" /></a><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYVUgVcX7I/AAAAAAAAAUA/C5hqLYm27iA/s400/2009-10-31-Halloween+011a.jpg" /><br />
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On Sunday we had a combination Halloween/Birthday celebration at T's parents' house. His mom made these monster hamburgers and gave the kids Cheetos that turned their mouths blue. Spoooooooooooky!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYwjb49jHI/AAAAAAAAAUo/hwEjlbQoDqA/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYwjb49jHI/AAAAAAAAAUo/hwEjlbQoDqA/s400/2009-11-03-Bdays+002.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYwoIyC0fI/AAAAAAAAAUw/5eqLw5139c0/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+004a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYwoIyC0fI/AAAAAAAAAUw/5eqLw5139c0/s400/2009-11-03-Bdays+004a.jpg" /></a><br />
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We then moved on to the birthdays. V turned two and T turned a number much bigger than two. I was really surprised when she blew out her candles right on cue after the song - I guess watching the Blue's Clues birthday episode a million times has finally paid off. She fell asleep eating cake and almost missed present time, but we jostled her till she woke up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYx5lBjWXI/AAAAAAAAAU4/8rRN4Nb9FSw/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+006a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYx5lBjWXI/AAAAAAAAAU4/8rRN4Nb9FSw/s400/2009-11-03-Bdays+006a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYyZQZh1pI/AAAAAAAAAVA/t8BJlPb13_w/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+008a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYyZQZh1pI/AAAAAAAAAVA/t8BJlPb13_w/s400/2009-11-03-Bdays+008a.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYzvAfM7ZI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/6YjxU9ohT7k/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+018a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYzvAfM7ZI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/6YjxU9ohT7k/s200/2009-11-03-Bdays+018a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYzr14OQoI/AAAAAAAAAVI/fiw9IlW2rMI/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+016a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYzr14OQoI/AAAAAAAAAVI/fiw9IlW2rMI/s200/2009-11-03-Bdays+016a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYzy7B18dI/AAAAAAAAAVY/5eCKBT6HvCQ/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+017a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvYzy7B18dI/AAAAAAAAAVY/5eCKBT6HvCQ/s200/2009-11-03-Bdays+017a.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>T got a party Spongebob for his birthday, among other things. There is a reason for this, and you will have to ask him the story next time you see him. (By the way, T is the one on the left.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY0cG_khUI/AAAAAAAAAVg/TKKOI7PcR_I/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+019a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY0cG_khUI/AAAAAAAAAVg/TKKOI7PcR_I/s400/2009-11-03-Bdays+019a.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Tuesday was T and V's actual birthday, so we celebrated <i>again</i>! (No, I am not complaining. I am just warning you that there are more pictures to come...) My parents came over for dinner and our dear friend Sabra stopped by as well. What is the best part of opening presents? Turning yourself into one!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3dAqd15I/AAAAAAAAAVw/HbqxMovn94Q/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+027a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3dAqd15I/AAAAAAAAAVw/HbqxMovn94Q/s200/2009-11-03-Bdays+027a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3hux2SgI/AAAAAAAAAV4/lJbrZzFy-VM/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+028a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3hux2SgI/AAAAAAAAAV4/lJbrZzFy-VM/s200/2009-11-03-Bdays+028a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3j8HBcfI/AAAAAAAAAWA/9_EnEWZaZBg/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+030a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3j8HBcfI/AAAAAAAAAWA/9_EnEWZaZBg/s200/2009-11-03-Bdays+030a.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div> E gave his dad a homemade card and one dollar! We are so glad he decided to tape the bill to the paper instead of gluing it. My mom gave him some sauces from her recent trip to Japan. I am looking forward to eating whatever he ends up making with them. Yum.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3ZHLp0DI/AAAAAAAAAVo/5u-fUiJdBE0/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+025a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3ZHLp0DI/AAAAAAAAAVo/5u-fUiJdBE0/s320/2009-11-03-Bdays+025a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3mxJHVDI/AAAAAAAAAWI/sTS5OmDoN8E/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+033a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY3mxJHVDI/AAAAAAAAAWI/sTS5OmDoN8E/s320/2009-11-03-Bdays+033a.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div>Sabra gave V a cute doll that moves and coos and sounds remarkably like V! It came with a toy bottle and V alternated "feeding" the baby and taking a swig herself. I since found that I have to be careful where I put the doll - it has a motion sensor in its forehead and will start moving and making noises when I am not expecting it. Spooooooooooooky!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY52k0xyzI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/aWBMFA_KB20/s1600-h/2009-11-03-Bdays+031a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SvY52k0xyzI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/aWBMFA_KB20/s400/2009-11-03-Bdays+031a.jpg" /></a><br />
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Finally, here is one last picture just for the fun of it and to make you say, "What?!?" Come on, say it with me: Spoooooooooooooooooky!!!<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-82058500081165915692009-10-07T09:18:00.001+02:002009-10-07T09:28:44.508+02:00Trip to PinetopEvery summer my parents escape the Yuma heat and head to their trailer in Pinetop, AZ. We have not visited them there before, so the kids and I snuck a long weekend getaway into the last few days before school. We drove to Phoenix and stopped for a rest and a visit with our good friends the Farars before heading into the higher elevations. We watched anxiously as the car's thermometer showed the outside temperature getting lower and lower, finally dipping below 100. I was nervous about making the trek by myself with the kids, but they all did really well. Thank goodness for portable DVD players, Uncrustables, juice boxes, and chocolate milk! Jonah had his camera along on the trip and took many, <i>many</i> pictures similar to this:<br />
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</div> After a good night's rest (Well, kinda - V decided against sleeping in the pack-n-play I brought for her and ended up in the bed with E and me. Why do little kids always have to sleep sideways?) we started our mountain adventure. The first stop was the <a href="http://www.sunriseskipark.com/">Sunrise Park Resort</a>, where the boys and I took our first trip on a ski lift! It was so beautiful and relaxing - once we got on the bench without falling and were safely tucked under the bar. It was such a long way from the bottom to the top. The kids enjoyed waving to the people who passed us on their way down.<br />
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</div>Once at the top (and after disembarking safely on two feet) we enjoyed the amazing view and even cooler air for a while. There really wasn't anywhere to walk to unless you wanted to hike the paths down to the base, and I didn't bring any money to buy us a snack at the little shop, so we just looked around and I imagined what the place would look like covered in snow and busy with skiers. I was surprised at how many mountain bikers there were. They would ride up on the lift with their bikes, race back down, and then start all over again. Pretty soon we descended again to where Mom and Dad were entertaining V at the base - and that is no easy job!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrSDRi6l2I/AAAAAAAAAP4/m_eql_NtzOY/s1600-h/2009-08-04-Pinetop+216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrSDRi6l2I/AAAAAAAAAP4/m_eql_NtzOY/s400/2009-08-04-Pinetop+216.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXgumx0FI/AAAAAAAAAQY/sUabpSlYoQM/s1600-h/2009-08-04-Pinetop+218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXgumx0FI/AAAAAAAAAQY/sUabpSlYoQM/s400/2009-08-04-Pinetop+218.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXY5RS3TI/AAAAAAAAAQI/kaJ_DLX_1Dw/s1600-h/2009-08-04-Pinetop+238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXY5RS3TI/AAAAAAAAAQI/kaJ_DLX_1Dw/s400/2009-08-04-Pinetop+238.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXawuCkII/AAAAAAAAAQQ/A20x3mLPiXY/s1600-h/2009-08-04-Pinetop+239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXawuCkII/AAAAAAAAAQQ/A20x3mLPiXY/s400/2009-08-04-Pinetop+239.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXWSYOKYI/AAAAAAAAAQA/57Nsc4GX490/s1600-h/2009-08-04-Pinetop+236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsrXWSYOKYI/AAAAAAAAAQA/57Nsc4GX490/s400/2009-08-04-Pinetop+236.jpg" /></a><br />
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That afternoon we went to the family fun park which had go-karts and mini-golf. We had a fun time, but we weren't prepared for the heat (it's the mountains!) so we pushed through the golf course as fast as we could. I got a nasty sunburn on my neck that day. This is the last hole of the course, and it took so long that I finally told the boys to just drop their golf balls into the hole.<br />
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The next day was Sunday so we went to church with Mom. Their chapel is a beautiful building surrounded by pine trees.<br />
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After church and the obligatory Sunday rest, we went to Mom and Dad's trailer for dinner. They have a nice set up there in the RV park. In their yard is a fountain, and we had a hard time keeping V away from it. She loved to put her fingers in and splash around. That was fine, but when she started putting her fingers in her mouth, we had to put a stop to it. Well, we <i>wanted</i> to put a stop to it.<br />
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Monday was an exciting day. The two older boys and I got to go horseback riding! This was a first for them and the first time for me as a grown-up. I think I have been on a horse twice before in my youth. We had a wonderful guide (named Willow - how cool is that?) who even held the camera and took pictures so I could concentrate on staying on the horse. Most of the time we walked at an easy pace, but a few times we let the horses trot while we bounced up and down and held on for dear life. I wonder what it would be like sitting on a horse going full speed, or having to ride a horse day after day as my main means of travel like in the olden days.<br />
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While we were on our adventure, Mom and Dad once again had the privilege of watching little V, who eventually fell asleep, as well as E, who got to take a couple of pony rides around the stables. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip, and we had sore bums to remind us of it the rest of the day.<br />
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</div>We also drove up to Snowflake to see the LDS temple that was recently built there and have lunch.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/Ssw9DWKLguI/AAAAAAAAATo/VAzJYDc6G1M/s1600-h/2009-08-04-Pinetop+286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/Ssw9DWKLguI/AAAAAAAAATo/VAzJYDc6G1M/s400/2009-08-04-Pinetop+286.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>We finished off the day by going swimming in the hotel's indoor pool and going out to a nice dinner. The next morning we packed up and headed out for the long drive back home, which again included a visit with friends (this time at Peter Piper), and made it back without any problems. It was such a great way to end the summer and the kids loved seeing where Grandma and Papa go when they aren't here. I am very grateful to them for their generosity that made the trip possible and created such good memories for us. Thanks, Mom and Dad!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-4392949685191242122009-10-05T07:59:00.009+02:002009-10-05T08:47:04.639+02:00Working backwards...I am going to fill in a few blanks from the last six months, starting with N's 9th birthday in August. We decided as a family that in leiu of presents and big parties for the fall birthdays, we are going to take a trip to Legoland instead. Everyone agreed to this, but N had a hard time not doing something with his friends, so we had a no-cost party with a few of his buddies. We played old-school games like Hot and Cold and Drop the Clothespin into the Jar (one of my all-time faves!). I made cupcakes and we opened presents - that's it! They had a good time and it made me wonder why we don't do all our parties like this! I am sure we will do something similar when E's day rolls around in November. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmNSBEpNLI/AAAAAAAAAOI/WHqa_zDp9oM/s1600-h/2009-08-24-NBday+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmNSBEpNLI/AAAAAAAAAOI/WHqa_zDp9oM/s400/2009-08-24-NBday+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388993769790583986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmNSypFNfI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/NJOs7d3ZdYw/s1600-h/2009-08-24-NBday+019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmNSypFNfI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/NJOs7d3ZdYw/s400/2009-08-24-NBday+019.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388993783096751602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmNTZ1sGUI/AAAAAAAAAOY/Xi2bsgSC_Vk/s1600-h/2009-08-24-NBday+032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmNTZ1sGUI/AAAAAAAAAOY/Xi2bsgSC_Vk/s400/2009-08-24-NBday+032.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388993793618614594" /></a><br />Working backwards from that... The beginning of August means the beginning of school around here. This year N is in 3rd grade and E started Kindergarten. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I absolutely love my kids, but I reach a point with each one where I can't wait to kick them out of the house for a few hours each day. I don't even have to take them anywhere - I just open the front door, say "Goodbye, I love you!" and the big orange bus takes them away. It will be even more exciting next year when E is in all-day 1st grade, but for now I am taking what I can get. They are both doing really well, or at least that is what I will think unless I am told differently at parent-teacher conference next week.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ0-zz6aI/AAAAAAAAAOg/Zc3VniSKa2E/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ0-zz6aI/AAAAAAAAAOg/Zc3VniSKa2E/s400/2009-08-10-School+005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388997669013416354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ1OSFH7I/AAAAAAAAAOo/nrhqjLSrJyg/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ1OSFH7I/AAAAAAAAAOo/nrhqjLSrJyg/s400/2009-08-10-School+006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388997673166905266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ1oAfU3I/AAAAAAAAAOw/k4ujog6OZg4/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+011a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ1oAfU3I/AAAAAAAAAOw/k4ujog6OZg4/s400/2009-08-10-School+011a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388997680072446834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ2GKk-UI/AAAAAAAAAO4/LmRBthtOGHo/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+013a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ2GKk-UI/AAAAAAAAAO4/LmRBthtOGHo/s400/2009-08-10-School+013a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388997688167823682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ2oPdHPI/AAAAAAAAAPA/dwxWh532doI/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmQ2oPdHPI/AAAAAAAAAPA/dwxWh532doI/s400/2009-08-10-School+014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388997697315085554" /></a><br />J is in 6th grade this year, and we decided to go a different direction with his schooling. After a lot of thought and research, we enrolled him in <a href="http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx">Arizona Connections Academy</a>, an online public (= free!) school. So his first day looked like this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmSKaLy2MI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/uwEG-vzBBeI/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmSKaLy2MI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/uwEG-vzBBeI/s400/2009-08-10-School+025.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388999136650647746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmSJypWzXI/AAAAAAAAAPI/TbPLzjY9ung/s1600-h/2009-08-10-School+026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsmSJypWzXI/AAAAAAAAAPI/TbPLzjY9ung/s400/2009-08-10-School+026.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388999126037220722" /></a><br />He has been in school now for almost two months and we LOVE it! He has great teachers, he can work at his own pace, we are very pleased with his curriculum and placement, and we know exactly what he is learning and what his progress is at all times. I don't think he misses his old school one bit, and he has been very helpful at home. (Obviously this is the stage where I can handle a kid being around all the time again!) It has definitely been the right choice for us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-50039769774819554492009-10-01T08:59:00.003+02:002009-10-01T09:17:28.404+02:00Us, TodayThe best place to start is what happened today. Big T received an award at work for helping with a project a while back. He says he was just doing his job, but I think it is good to know that he is appreciated for his efforts. And look, three matching medals!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTyaSUv0I/AAAAAAAAANg/nNA57EeEZMM/s1600-h/2009-09-30+001a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTyaSUv0I/AAAAAAAAANg/nNA57EeEZMM/s400/2009-09-30+001a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387523179756699458" /></a><br />J's good friend (another J) just found out that he is moving. Since our J is doing cyber school this year, they haven't seen each other much lately, so friend J came over to spend some time today. We will miss him - he is a great kid!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRT0DvIAeI/AAAAAAAAAOA/V4JYAFIihww/s1600-h/2009-09-30+015a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRT0DvIAeI/AAAAAAAAAOA/V4JYAFIihww/s400/2009-09-30+015a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387523208063222242" /></a><br />Here are snapshots of my other crazies today, doing whatever they happened to be doing when I had the camera out...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTzB_ZKbI/AAAAAAAAANw/eWfsUdSYvZY/s1600-h/2009-09-30+011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTzB_ZKbI/AAAAAAAAANw/eWfsUdSYvZY/s400/2009-09-30+011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387523190414715314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTy4xKQCI/AAAAAAAAANo/5jgNFmlbhL4/s1600-h/2009-09-30+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTy4xKQCI/AAAAAAAAANo/5jgNFmlbhL4/s400/2009-09-30+008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387523187939098658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTzh1OUdI/AAAAAAAAAN4/cN8KDpAjXEo/s1600-h/2009-09-30+014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SsRTzh1OUdI/AAAAAAAAAN4/cN8KDpAjXEo/s400/2009-09-30+014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387523198961996242" /></a><br /><p>For those of you who don't know, that tooth of E's is not a lost tooth, nor is it a permanent tooth coming in. It is his original baby tooth that got shoved back up into his gum a few years ago when his face collided with a countertop. We are patiently waiting for a new tooth to push it back down and out, hopefully with no complications. We call it his "special tooth."<br /></p><p>There, see, I have a new post on my blog. Whew. That took a lot out of me! I better take a six month break. ;)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-37452250132037746582009-10-01T08:40:00.003+02:002009-10-01T08:44:44.610+02:00Dusting off the BlogI made several promises to several people that I would update my blog, and I thought that I better follow through. I actually just noticed that it has been six months to the day from my last post. I guess that is a long enough sabbatical. So I am going to throw out this post as proof of my good intentions and then figure out where to start with the rest. Hope to see you soon! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-7363275239267119322009-03-31T06:18:00.014+02:002009-04-02T03:40:55.682+02:00Pinewood DerbyOur Cub Scout pack had its annual Pinewood Derby last week, so we were busy working on cars the week before that. And by "we" I mean T and I. The boys picked the designs they wanted and oversaw the projects, but we did most of the physical tasks like cutting and painting and putting on the wheels. Maybe that's not how it is supposed to be, but that is how it works for us. J's car was a green 1967 Pontiac GTO with "chrome" accents, and N's was a camouflaged army hummer - it was our first attempt at painting a camo pattern, but I think it turned out pretty well.<br /><br />Our nephew just joined Cub Scouts, so he entered a car as well.Here are the three of them before the race, as well as a cute future scout.<A onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGezfsWDEI/AAAAAAAAANY/ISgMX7ZtAKA/s1600-h/2009-03-24-PWDerby+015.jpg"><IMG style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGezfsWDEI/AAAAAAAAANY/ISgMX7ZtAKA/s400/2009-03-24-PWDerby+015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319207242419276866"></A><br /><A onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGezP4UJyI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Z7xQM3qML-k/s1600-h/2009-03-24-PWDerby+014.jpg"><IMG style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGezP4UJyI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Z7xQM3qML-k/s400/2009-03-24-PWDerby+014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319207238174517026"></A><br />The races were fun to watch. There were 14 cars total. N's car won first place! <br /><A onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGeyhmRvNI/AAAAAAAAANA/D0d4f_F3xgM/s1600-h/2009-03-24-PWDerby+004.jpg"><IMG style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGeyhmRvNI/AAAAAAAAANA/D0d4f_F3xgM/s400/2009-03-24-PWDerby+004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319207225750830290"></A><br />Cousin J came in 5th (after 3 cars tied for 2nd), and our J came in 7th (according to him - there were 3 cars tied for 6th). He came in first last year, though, so he couldn't complain too much. After the official races, we had the three boys race together (that's J pulling the release lever) and show off their cars. You can see it was pretty close overall.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxJJXS2i-CZtDMAHh5_-cQhORZ8o9hyS8nocYOE27JrZ9KvtwOBDNaVVFtV-xUhSVsCa3eqvRzxLRn0lS023Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><A onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGey0HHEGI/AAAAAAAAANI/VTgj3Zbdwkc/s1600-h/2009-03-24-PWDerby+005.jpg"><IMG style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SdGey0HHEGI/AAAAAAAAANI/VTgj3Zbdwkc/s400/2009-03-24-PWDerby+005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319207230720381026"></A>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-70864242255797057062009-03-18T21:14:00.012+01:002009-03-18T22:13:46.953+01:00Soccer books!This is one of the main things that has consumed my life the last few weeks. I am happy they are done and SO pleased with how they came out. I love Heritage Makers! We gave one to each coach at our end-of-season party from the whole team, and some of the parents ordered a personalized book for their kids. The coaches were completely surprised and said it was the best gift they had been given. Yay!<br /><div style='width:400px;height:400px'><br /><object classid='clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000' id='main' width='100%' height='100%' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab'><br /> <param name='movie' value='http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowse/main.swf?projectId=e9bdd6f1-31f0-4a84-bca2-5a6d5755f95c&productId=5&projectSponsor=206218&imageUrl=http://media.heritagemakers.com/studioRemoteGateway/grabImage.ashx' /><br /> <param name='quality' value='high' /><br /> <param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff' /><br /> <param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><br /> <param name='allowFullScreen' value='true' /><br /> <embed src='http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowse/main.swf?projectId=e9bdd6f1-31f0-4a84-bca2-5a6d5755f95c&productId=5&projectSponsor=206218&imageUrl=http://media.heritagemakers.com/studioRemoteGateway/grabImage.ashx' allowFullScreen='true' quality='high' bgcolor='#869ca7' width='100%' height='100%' name='main' align='left' play='true' loop='false' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer'><br /> </embed><br /></object><br /></div><br /><br /><div style='width:400px;height:400px'><br /><object classid='clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000' id='main' width='100%' height='100%' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab'><br /> <param name='movie' value='http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowse/main.swf?projectId=a19cac3b-543e-4a12-8486-847d100b3084&productId=5&projectSponsor=206218&imageUrl=http://media.heritagemakers.com/studioRemoteGateway/grabImage.ashx' /><br /> <param name='quality' value='high' /><br /> <param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff' /><br /> <param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><br /> <param name='allowFullScreen' value='true' /><br /> <embed src='http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowse/main.swf?projectId=a19cac3b-543e-4a12-8486-847d100b3084&productId=5&projectSponsor=206218&imageUrl=http://media.heritagemakers.com/studioRemoteGateway/grabImage.ashx' allowFullScreen='true' quality='high' bgcolor='#869ca7' width='100%' height='100%' name='main' align='left' play='true' loop='false' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer'><br /> </embed><br /></object><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-39071724811575146562009-02-17T14:38:00.010+01:002009-02-17T20:59:45.081+01:00Photo Momento Live!As some of you know, I recently went legit with my photography and created the business Photo Momento Photography. (Strange name, I know, but so are Google and eBay, right?) I wanted to introduce everyone to my photography website: <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.PhotoMomento.org">www.PhotoMomento.org</a></span>. It is still a work in progress, but I am happy with how it looks so far. Feel free to add a link to it on your blogs and whatnot. (And let me know if you see any typos - I hate typos!) I'm not actively looking to drum up business right now, because I have as much as I can handle through word of mouth and my "regulars," but I wanted to create the website as a step into the professional world and to show off the beautiful families I have been able to work with, most of whom will look familiar to most of you! A big Thank You to everyone who has supported me in this hobby gone wild over the last couple of years. Enjoy looking!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.photomomento.org"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 202px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZrGsNAz7BI/AAAAAAAAAM4/wTUjI1-UvNs/s400/Logo-PhotoMomento-rect.png" border="" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303769973891787794" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-56834026418850096242009-02-12T07:21:00.003+01:002009-02-12T07:29:01.690+01:00Ghosts of Christmas Past...Better late than never - once again this saying applies to me. I hadn't finished posting about Christmas before, so I wrote the posts but predated them so they would be in the right spot chrononlogically for my own record-keeping. If you are so inclined you can go back to Dec 2008 and have a look at Christmases #3 and #4. (It's only a couple of posts down from here.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-23181591609660463852009-02-10T22:21:00.014+01:002009-02-10T23:24:24.856+01:00Kudos for KiddosThe kids have had some accomplishments lately that I wanted to highlight. J received his Webelos badge in Scouts. Here he is getting the award from Brother B.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHynC9uizI/AAAAAAAAAKI/2Kpl96VLR4k/s1600-h/2009-01-27-Scouts+003a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHynC9uizI/AAAAAAAAAKI/2Kpl96VLR4k/s400/2009-01-27-Scouts+003a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301284989016378162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHynAQiWKI/AAAAAAAAAKA/cGDFTVoqlNU/s1600-h/2009-01-27-Scouts+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHynAQiWKI/AAAAAAAAAKA/cGDFTVoqlNU/s400/2009-01-27-Scouts+010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301284988289964194" /></a><br />One of the things he had to do was create a collage that told something about himself. I helped him create this one on the computer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHy45N4dOI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/6U_-4ow39IM/s1600-h/2009-01-Collage-a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHy45N4dOI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/6U_-4ow39IM/s400/2009-01-Collage-a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301285295637427426" /></a><br />He was also in the school spelling bee. He made it to the fourth round before missing the word “opportunity.” He was quite disappointed, but we used it as a life lesson that if you want to do well, you have to prepare and work hard – you can’t always get by on natural ability and luck. I thought about having him watch the movie <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.akeelahandthebee.com/">Akeelah and the Bee</a></span> again to motivate him for next year. :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHzU925pDI/AAAAAAAAAKY/90cAydnUv4o/s1600-h/2009-01-28-SpellingBee+008a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZHzU925pDI/AAAAAAAAAKY/90cAydnUv4o/s400/2009-01-28-SpellingBee+008a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301285777919550514" /></a><br />N and E are playing soccer right now. The best thing about soccer season is that I get to break out my BIG lens and get some great shots of the action on the field. Normally I love the bright colors of the uniforms, but guess what – both N and E have GRAY jerseys this year. Blah! The only good thing about that is that when we lose a sock we have extras in the same color. (Can you tell this has already happened?)<br />This is a typical moment from E's games. Notice him on the left, as far removed as possible (mentally and physically) from the action of the game. It is painful for me to watch. Every once in a while he runs and gets a foot on the ball, but mostly he is in his own world and couldn't care less about the game. His coach is very patient with him, and other moms have told me their kids were like that the first year and then made a turnaround the next. Let's hope that's what happens!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZH2AmoV2gI/AAAAAAAAAKg/HG1UHY2wpFs/s1600-h/2009-01-31-Soccer+106.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZH2AmoV2gI/AAAAAAAAAKg/HG1UHY2wpFs/s400/2009-01-31-Soccer+106.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301288726621968898" /></a><br />Here is a fun moment from one of N's games. His team was down by a few goals (not that anyone is counting, right?). Towards the end of the second half, N's teammate did a corner kick over everyone's heads. It came right to N, who lifted his knee to stop it but ended up knocking it into the goal. It was great! I missed the actual moment on camera, but caught this great shot of celebration with another teammate. After that, anytime someone congratulated him, he would say, "Don't thank me, thank the knee!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZH2Ald-LgI/AAAAAAAAAKo/8nhgcsQ5ZNY/s1600-h/2009-01-31-Soccer+034a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZH2Ald-LgI/AAAAAAAAAKo/8nhgcsQ5ZNY/s400/2009-01-31-Soccer+034a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301288726310039042" /></a><br />I guess I can't leave out V. The other day T and I sat down to watch a movie. V had wandered into the living room - no big deal. Every once in a while we would hear her play a couple of notes on the piano. Then she gave out one of those nervous-laughing-crying noises. We called her to us, and she didn't come, but we heard her at the piano again so figured she must be okay. This happened a couple more times until she sounded more urgent and I finally figured she must be stuck somewhere, maybe under the piano bench. So like a good parent (hah!) I went to help her and found her sitting ON the piano, next to the part that holds the books, with her feet on the keys. The only thing we can figure (since she keeps on trying to do it again) is that she got up on the couch next to the piano and crawled all the way across to the other end where she was sitting. We are SO grateful she didn't try to climb down because the only thing between her and the floor was the hard corner of the piano bench. So that is her latest accomplishment - climbing. Darn.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-66122279695382527032009-01-17T04:47:00.002+01:002009-01-17T04:58:28.020+01:00Excuses, excuses!Reasons for not being more active online lately:<br /><br />- Preparing for and teaching preschool: E and his three buddies now come here for school. I am determined to get them reading before they start kindergarten.<br /><br />- Soccer season x 2: E and N have multiple practices and/or games per week. N scored his first goal ever on Monday! Yay! I wasn't there to see it, but per our deal it earned him a trip to McD's. (And then he got grounded for something else, so we can't go till Monday.) E is another story - we are happy when he at least stays on the field during the game.<br /><br />- Migrating to a new computer and all the headaches that come with it: I am so glad to have a larger, faster computer and a hubby to set it up for me, but moving files and getting the settings and details right is the kind of process that takes much longer than you think it will.<br /><br />- Setting up my new business: More on that to come!<br /><br />I hope to catch up with you all soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-61000659230249789232009-01-01T05:40:00.000+01:002009-02-12T07:27:16.976+01:00Christmas #4 - The End Is NearChristmas dinner is celebrated at my parents’ house. Here are the kids decked out in their new jammies.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOo5TpY-eI/AAAAAAAAALY/dBJvOtdsbK8/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+078.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOo5TpY-eI/AAAAAAAAALY/dBJvOtdsbK8/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+078.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301766888825092578" /></a><br />My mom got me this plaque that says “My greatest blessings call me Mom” and The LDS Family Hymnbook – well, kind of. It turned out that she and I both bought this beautiful book for my niece in Idaho, and since I had already written a message to her in mine, Mom decided to give this copy to us. Lucky me!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOo5n5-loI/AAAAAAAAALg/Z6P4PeoOIi4/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+094a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOo5n5-loI/AAAAAAAAALg/Z6P4PeoOIi4/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+094a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301766894263375490" /></a><br />T kept V entertained by tossing her up in the air over and over again. Why does the grown-up always get tired of this game before the kid does?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOp8yh9aII/AAAAAAAAALw/dPL88fucHow/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+097.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOp8yh9aII/AAAAAAAAALw/dPL88fucHow/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+097.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301768048166660226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOp8zU5beI/AAAAAAAAALo/YkQ_9RMwqmA/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+098.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOp8zU5beI/AAAAAAAAALo/YkQ_9RMwqmA/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+098.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301768048380308962" /></a><br />Here are the kids proving the old cliche that no matter how great the present you buy, they would always rather play with the box. (Actually, they do play with the present that came inside, so I'm glad I didn't just buy the box.)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOqc9x7G5I/AAAAAAAAAL4/ZtpMKuIKBUk/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+102.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZOqc9x7G5I/AAAAAAAAAL4/ZtpMKuIKBUk/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+102.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301768600942222226" /></a><br />So those were our Christmases, but I do want to mention two other presents that we just love. The first one is a stool that my sister brought for V from Thailand. It is super hot pink on the bottom and has a beautiful shiny dragonfly on the top. I hope to use it for some portraits in the spring. The other is this gorgeous quilt that T's mom made for V. It is a rag quilt with darling little ballerinas embroidered on some of the squares. You know, I'm still not really into girly stuff, but I will admit that their presents are a lot more fun to look at than boys'.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-uoQdC2I/AAAAAAAAAMY/LL14JENp7KE/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+112.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-uoQdC2I/AAAAAAAAAMY/LL14JENp7KE/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+112.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301790894634896226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-uuDOmUI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/bkU8REEIW1A/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+109a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-uuDOmUI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/bkU8REEIW1A/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+109a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301790896190036290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-uqICGbI/AAAAAAAAAMI/kndnKFzgCF4/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+110.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-uqICGbI/AAAAAAAAAMI/kndnKFzgCF4/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+110.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301790895136446898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-ubOQ8AI/AAAAAAAAAMA/_I4XdVH5nqQ/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+111a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZO-ubOQ8AI/AAAAAAAAAMA/_I4XdVH5nqQ/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+111a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301790891136053250" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-45131968856753530962008-12-31T23:41:00.000+01:002009-02-12T07:26:59.371+01:00Christmas #3 - Messy ReindeerChristmas morning was filled with new jammies, books, toys, and treats. I think this was our latest start ever, though. We have so much fun on Christmas Eve that we are all exhausted the next day. We told the kids they had to stay in their room until we got them, and I checked on them at 8:30 thinking they would be beating down the door. Nope. They were passed out. According to my camera, the first picture I took was at 10:25am. V slept through the whole thing - I'm not even sure she saw her spread before we left for dinner. My favorite gift was a <span style="font-style:italic;">Momma Mia</span> DVD. Santa always seems to know what I want.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDJJw-gAI/AAAAAAAAALA/4JrW7YkFV4Y/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+059.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDJJw-gAI/AAAAAAAAALA/4JrW7YkFV4Y/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+059.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301303167143542786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDI6cya-I/AAAAAAAAAK4/8Js1Btu7b3A/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+060.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDI6cya-I/AAAAAAAAAK4/8Js1Btu7b3A/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+060.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301303163032333282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDIwEcHdI/AAAAAAAAAKw/2_SCOZb1PVU/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+061.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDIwEcHdI/AAAAAAAAAKw/2_SCOZb1PVU/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+061.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301303160245853650" /></a><br />Wii pants for my Wii boy with a Wii pocket for his Wii remote:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDkkEuXVI/AAAAAAAAALI/-Pvd2atEAFc/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+071.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIDkkEuXVI/AAAAAAAAALI/-Pvd2atEAFc/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+071.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301303638062161234" /></a><br />On Christmas Eve the boys had decided that instead of leaving cookies (since we didn't have any in the house anyway) that they would cater to the reindeer - they left a bowl of carrots and a bowl of water with a note for Santa. The next morning there was a note of thanks from the big guy but no bowls. We later discovered them on the front sidewalk, bits of carrots strewn around and hoof marks in the grass. We're glad the reindeer enjoyed their treat. :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIFOhf8_HI/AAAAAAAAALQ/znKZALgmt5c/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+066a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SZIFOhf8_HI/AAAAAAAAALQ/znKZALgmt5c/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+066a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301305458437192818" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-54034723812768298832008-12-30T21:10:00.001+01:002008-12-30T21:11:10.937+01:00Christmas #2 - When Pigs FlyEvery year we have Christmas Eve at T’s parents’ house. Here is the collection of grandkids that gets bigger every year as well as our own crew:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2svZJ-iI/AAAAAAAAAI4/fKF3dbhXcas/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2svZJ-iI/AAAAAAAAAI4/fKF3dbhXcas/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285456517448464930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2sG1mqTI/AAAAAAAAAIw/uSF_3iYVMJ0/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+021.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2sG1mqTI/AAAAAAAAAIw/uSF_3iYVMJ0/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+021.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285456506561931570" /></a><br />We had a dee-licious ham and mashed potato dinner (we are still talking about how good that food was) with Julian pies for dessert. Mmm-mmm good. We had all chipped in to get T’s mom new Christmas dishes, and T’s sister had the bright idea for me to bring them over pretending they were mine and set the table. She then wrapped the empty boxes for her mom to open during present time. She was very surprised and happy to discover that the set was actually hers!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm46O_8ZUI/AAAAAAAAAJA/NuGIQLUgmQY/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+002a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm46O_8ZUI/AAAAAAAAAJA/NuGIQLUgmQY/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+002a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285458948294206786" /></a><br />After dinner we sang Christmas songs and tried to convince the kids that we should just wait until the next day to open presents. There were no takers. The biggest hit for my kids this year was that they each got a Wii game from Grandma and Papa Butler. E was the most excited by this and told us that “Grandma turned my frown upside down!” We had rented his game, Boom Blox, before (fun game!), and it meant a lot to him that we can keep this one and not have to give it back. All night and the next day he sang Grandma’s praises.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2r8LMP-I/AAAAAAAAAIg/wz7bTyos-3c/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+037.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2r8LMP-I/AAAAAAAAAIg/wz7bTyos-3c/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285456503699685346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2ryoZwzI/AAAAAAAAAIo/sFBS8TOAVUc/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+045.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm2ryoZwzI/AAAAAAAAAIo/sFBS8TOAVUc/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+045.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285456501137851186" /></a><br />I have to mention my nephew E. He is the coolest kid to have around at present opening time because he gets really excited about EVERYTHING! Even at our E’s birthday party he was whooping and hollering at each present like his team had just won the Super Bowl. We do a name exchange for the cousins and he was one of ours this year. We got him some blocks, but I also threw in this pj set even though I felt a little guilty because pj’s just aren’t very fun. But we all knew when he opened it because he started yelling, “Pajamas! Whoo hoo! Yeah!!!” I was so happy to see that I had caught the moment on camera.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm46QPADRI/AAAAAAAAAJI/wKzLIqIW8MM/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+035a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm46QPADRI/AAAAAAAAAJI/wKzLIqIW8MM/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+035a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285458948625796370" /></a><br />A while back I saw these great toys at our friends’ house and knew that I wanted to have some, so I ordered one for each of the cousins to open last on Christmas Eve. They are <a href="http://www.baronbob.com/flyingslingshotmonkey.htm">Flingshots</a> – animal slingshots that make noises when you fling them. Pretty soon we had barnyard animals flying all over the living room. Here is V holding a duck and a cow, and I love that you can see the pig in midair as it oinked its way from one end of the room to the other.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm46fXirLI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/nxCzH_UEsdM/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+054a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVm46fXirLI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/nxCzH_UEsdM/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+054a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285458952688151730" /></a><br />Finally, here is a montage of some of the other Christmas Eve photos. Feel free to skip it if you like, but hey, it's only 21 seconds of your time...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Blog%20photos/2008-12-24-CmasEve.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Blog%20photos/2008-12-24-CmasEve.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-37071717761883507872008-12-27T01:01:00.000+01:002008-12-27T01:02:00.838+01:00Christmas #1 - Apple BottomsMy favorite thing last week was that my sister B and her husband and son were here visiting all the way from Okinawa, Japan. They stayed in town for about a week before leaving for Idaho to see their first grandbaby! My niece had a baby boy last month (Congrats!) so now I am a Great-Aunt. I mean, I was always a great aunt, but now I am a GREAT Aunt! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Anyway, before they left, we exchanged presents with them at my parents' house. Among other things, they got each boy a cool Hawaiian shirt (from Hawaii) and a pink Hawaiian dress for V, who was asleep by the time we got to this point in the festivities.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVSXNS4VVtI/AAAAAAAAAIA/oNRRAAUZzlw/s1600-h/2008-12-19-Cmas+007.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVSXNS4VVtI/AAAAAAAAAIA/oNRRAAUZzlw/s400/2008-12-19-Cmas+007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284014517474645714" /></a><br />I got this homemade snowman light-up glass block and (drum roll, please) a carpet cleaner!!! I love it! It was a total surprise to me and dwarfed the presents we got for them. She said she decided to get it after reading my blog a couple of posts back. So apparently I have a wishing blog. I think next year I will write about how V ripped up my million dollar bill and that I will have to borrow one from someone else. What would you write about?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVSXNxBKTMI/AAAAAAAAAII/djkw-feqXgU/s1600-h/2008-12-19-Cmas+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVSXNxBKTMI/AAAAAAAAAII/djkw-feqXgU/s400/2008-12-19-Cmas+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284014525564734658" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVVqC6V17bI/AAAAAAAAAIY/P7hXCJLh608/s1600-h/2008-12-25-Cmas+107.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVVqC6V17bI/AAAAAAAAAIY/P7hXCJLh608/s400/2008-12-25-Cmas+107.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284246336042298802" /></a><br />Now to explain the title of this post: The boys were taking turns helping Auntie B pass out presents. When it was E's turn, he started talking to her about which one to hand out, then stopped mid-sentence to say, "Look, apple bottoms," then went back to what he was saying. It took us a second to figure out that he was referring to this box of mango cakes on the entertainment center that features a picture of two mangoes which together do, in fact, resemble an apple bottom, if there were such a thing. The funniest part was that he said it as though it were the most normal thing in the world. It's always interesting to get a glimpse into the mind of a five-year-old.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVSXOLklBBI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/p1O_pjeeiGc/s1600-h/2008-12-19-Cmas+009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SVSXOLklBBI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/p1O_pjeeiGc/s400/2008-12-19-Cmas+009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284014532692608018" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-72602462735365208232008-12-20T06:32:00.005+01:002008-12-21T00:41:17.330+01:00Cel-looo!J and I started learning cello this semester through AWC and the <a href="http://www.yumaorchestra.com/about.html">Yuma Orchestra Association</a>. J had wanted to be in band at school, but it just wasn't going to work out. Someone told me about this class, and when I saw that it was for all ages, I signed up, too! I always thought the cello was a gorgeous instrument with a sound to match but never thought I would have the opportunity to try it out. We recently had our final concert where we played some of the great masterpieces such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and "Jingle Bells." I'm still quite squeaky and a bit out of tune sometimes, but it is still fun to play. Thanks to EB for lending me his beautifully refurbished cello.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SUyD6L1ivAI/AAAAAAAAAH4/9VNlnVe-3gs/s1600-h/2008-12-06-CmasParty+080a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SUyD6L1ivAI/AAAAAAAAAH4/9VNlnVe-3gs/s400/2008-12-06-CmasParty+080a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281741498631764994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SUyD6OXceqI/AAAAAAAAAHw/B6hTTSWgXc0/s1600-h/2008-12-06-CmasParty+081a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SUyD6OXceqI/AAAAAAAAAHw/B6hTTSWgXc0/s400/2008-12-06-CmasParty+081a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281741499310832290" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-45176081022977036672008-12-11T07:13:00.004+01:002008-12-11T07:51:20.886+01:00Don't Cry Over Spilt...Last night I went to the grocery store to take advantage of some 10 for $10 deals, such as cream cheese, butter, ice cream, cake mix, etc. When I got home, the boys helped me bring in the bags and V "helped" T put away the food by pulling it out of the bags and carting it around the house. Every time he thought he had all the cold stuff put away, she would show up with another item. (I found what I'm pretty sure was the last can of breadstick dough near her room this morning .)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.globalpackagegallery.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=44520&g2_serialNumber=2"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 190px;" src="http://www.globalpackagegallery.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=44520&g2_serialNumber=2" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /> At one point she had a single-serving size container of Blue Bunny ice cream in her hands - I think she liked feeling how cold it was - but I wasn't too worried because I like melted ice cream so I figured I would let her play with it and then share it with her later when it was nice and soupy. So the boys went to bed and T and I went back to work on our computers while V played. Several minutes later I heard T shout something and turned around to see V sitting in a pool of ice cream on our carpet! We had no idea she could open the container, but boy was she happy with herself! She was eating up as much of that stuff as she could and did not appreciate being pulled away from the sweet gooey mess. My first instinct was to take a picture, of course, but neither camera was close by and we had to get her out of there before she started walking through it. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SUC3ecI7GyI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ntZzP8Oxce4/s1600-h/2008-12-05+005.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SUC3ecI7GyI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ntZzP8Oxce4/s320/2008-12-05+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278420496855800610" /></a>She had Bunny Tracks all over her hands, face, hair, toes, and her second clean jammies of the night. I took her right to the bath and T cleaned it up as best he could. We had to put our rocking chair over the spot so she wouldn't go back and smush it more into the carpet. Luckily T's mom has a carpet cleaner - you can guess how I will be spending my morning tomorrow!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-39961419712987093172008-11-24T04:37:00.007+01:002008-12-01T00:29:39.319+01:00Party at the Treehouse!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSohygwvmUI/AAAAAAAAAHI/svKW3yqSmHA/s1600-h/CONVAR96.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSohygwvmUI/AAAAAAAAAHI/svKW3yqSmHA/s400/CONVAR96.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272063465462143298" /></a>For E’s actual birthday on Wednesday, he got an Indiana Jones whip (it makes a whip-crack sound and plays the theme song) and movie in preparation for the big event on Friday-<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSojicFMwWI/AAAAAAAAAHY/D-e85rnABM4/s1600-h/IndyInviteBlur.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSojicFMwWI/AAAAAAAAAHY/D-e85rnABM4/s400/IndyInviteBlur.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272065388351111522" /></a><br />We had a great party at the <a href="http://treehouseyuma.com/">Treehouse Kids Club</a> with cousins and friends. They dug for dinosaurs in the sand, went on a treasure hunt, had cake, and played whatever they wanted. It was a blast! The bakery had a picture of an Indy cake but didn't have the figures to go on top in stock, so I had them do the base and we added a Lego Indy set to the top.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-14-Treehouse.gif "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-14-Treehouse.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Thanks to Renelle, Edna, and staff for the great party.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-86263737223044794362008-11-24T00:29:00.006+01:002008-11-24T00:54:09.561+01:00T, V, and E's Birthdays!First of all I need to say what a good time I had at the Twilight premiere party Thursday night. Many thanks to Lemmon & Lines and crew who put that all together. They rented out a theater for the midnight showing and did a pre-party with food, trivia, and prizes. It was great! Totally worth getting home at 2:30am and being useless most of the day on Friday.<br /><br />Back to our birthday celebrations…<br />Since T and V’s birthdays were on the 3rd and E’s on the 12th, we celebrated all three of them at T’s parents’ house on the Sunday in between. I have a thing about taking a picture of birthday cakes no matter how plain or whatever, so here is the creation I came up with for them. One big cake with glaze for the grownups and individual cakes for the cousins using the rest of the Halloween frosting – and sprinkles! I know the picture of the three of them is out of focus (and I call myself a photographer!), but it is still a cute reminder of the moment.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-09-Bday.gif "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-09-Bday.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851310433565079143.post-4954982282641310522008-11-17T14:59:00.008+01:002008-11-17T16:33:47.154+01:00T and V's BirthdayT’s birthday gift last year was a baby girl, born at 10:03pm. This year he got an ice cream maker. Almost as good, right? I actually gave it to him a month in advance, mostly because I found it on clearance and wanted to make sure he liked it, and also because I had a hankering for homemade ice cream. Notice that he is most excited about the fact that is makes frozen cocktails. Party at the Butlers'!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSF51bd9UpI/AAAAAAAAAHA/232M79L-dfs/s1600-h/2008-10-03-V+002a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSF51bd9UpI/AAAAAAAAAHA/232M79L-dfs/s400/2008-10-03-V+002a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269626997813629586" /></a><br />Their actual birthday was November 3rd. Since I have my backdrop up, I tried to get some pictures of the birthday girl. Most of them were out of focus because she was toddling all over, but this one captured her pretty well. Her current stats: She is around 20 lbs and 2 ft tall, which are both rough guesses. (She wears 12-18 month clothes so she must be pretty average.) She has 8 teeth. She walks pretty well but still stumbles a lot and likes to point at everything and babble. For the first few months of her life she had a single long hair on her crown (her “antenna”) but now she has a few tufts at the crown and the back – just enough to look messed up after she’s been taking a nap. She has been both my worst and my best sleeper. For the first two months she cried nonstop from dusk till dawn every single night. Was it colic? I’m still not sure. She slowly grew out of that and into a night owl, going to sleep between midnight and 2am but then sleeping for a good 12 hours. None of the boys would sleep that long at that age without waking up to eat at least once. Now she typically goes to sleep between 10 and 12 for up to 12 hours and takes a good nap in the afternoon. I love that if I catch her at the right time, I can even put her down awake and she drifts off to sleep without a fight. She is a happy, fun girl, and we love her a bunch!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSF51PoWKoI/AAAAAAAAAG4/h6tXx2oWmsU/s1600-h/CONVAR19.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BzRI8q5Ab4c/SSF51PoWKoI/AAAAAAAAAG4/h6tXx2oWmsU/s400/CONVAR19.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269626994635975298" /></a><br />That evening, all four grandparents came to our house for cake and presents. T made V her own little pink cake (notice the V in the frosting) which she enjoyed thoroughly. She got a singing purse and a Baby Alive doll, both of which she has been playing with a lot. Of course, she had to test out the baby's bottle first thing. We have already noticed that she seems to favor baby dolls more than the boys did even though they had dolls to play with and she has all of their old toys at her disposal. We don’t feel like we have especially encouraged it, but maybe we have without realizing it. It’s the old debate of nature vs. nurture, I guess.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-03-VCake.gif "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-03-VCake.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-03-VPresents.gif "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq311/mathlady13/Birthdays/2008-11-03-VPresents.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Oh, yeah - it was T's birthday, too. Happy birthday, honey!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4