tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570776238600086662024-02-19T05:58:52.695-08:00Come see about us, eh!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-32867525974920358282008-11-22T09:18:00.000-08:002008-12-01T20:54:07.535-08:00Halloween 2008I was getting out all of my Christmas decos and realized I should probably post about Halloween before Christmas actually comes and more importantly the New Year. Is is really almost New years? YIKES! It was a typical Halloween at our house. Carson was Batman and Haley was a storybook witch. Brad and I took turns taking them trick-or treating. Carson ate about 5 bags of chips while switching to lollipops in between while we were trick-or treating(giving out chips for Halloween is really big up here), and Haley didn't like half of the candy she got. They had a great time-of course.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qQc_c8RXsWvGsCjCqdBbaBc3GDUIoLUCtpLnvKTL4bg-mYRSgvn2vf_-5xUedNYLuFkr80nurbGgcJN0IbuOIZUCMABWD4LER4r8oswnIvwyBlq8DlGOgraE1zPRgaiVjnaZ8gLi85_K/s1600-h/DSC05442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qQc_c8RXsWvGsCjCqdBbaBc3GDUIoLUCtpLnvKTL4bg-mYRSgvn2vf_-5xUedNYLuFkr80nurbGgcJN0IbuOIZUCMABWD4LER4r8oswnIvwyBlq8DlGOgraE1zPRgaiVjnaZ8gLi85_K/s320/DSC05442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271538054648396546" border="0" /></a> Painting their ghost squash<br /><img src="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Tiffany%20Rice/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Picasa%20Exports/Halloween%20for%20Blog/DSC05459.JPG" alt="" /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpwl5CP9bNFh82ktjdSRKGXyH4omJKJ4KcsZ09X2qM3ntT6kHCsEJpAhI4Jxl65qNJQ6Goe2kbDzIBEsIRSDYeR3Z3qjyl7EXmSGd5OuO0nqRh1X-5FarwkSCZdQEcS092NebyxGyx6uJ/s1600-h/DSC05459.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpwl5CP9bNFh82ktjdSRKGXyH4omJKJ4KcsZ09X2qM3ntT6kHCsEJpAhI4Jxl65qNJQ6Goe2kbDzIBEsIRSDYeR3Z3qjyl7EXmSGd5OuO0nqRh1X-5FarwkSCZdQEcS092NebyxGyx6uJ/s320/DSC05459.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275051183492956386" border="0" /></a>Haley showing off her finished ghost squash<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXczOdGV9oWoG0qKUyyhZVYvgw49PSkJ3D5-VP8m1n8t64FiCLEIeNmRyV-yuADD35twJj48XxJ9lrf-WKXKz2IQnBVsT_oC3q7ZbQ-vyKqd_0lntZikpzHscko8J77_cUuNabHavxXvBy/s1600-h/DSC05462.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXczOdGV9oWoG0qKUyyhZVYvgw49PSkJ3D5-VP8m1n8t64FiCLEIeNmRyV-yuADD35twJj48XxJ9lrf-WKXKz2IQnBVsT_oC3q7ZbQ-vyKqd_0lntZikpzHscko8J77_cUuNabHavxXvBy/s320/DSC05462.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271538045152650322" border="0" /></a> gggrrrrrr!!!!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPYnPPObE0dEH5AvMtneU4NJ81VPLzmdswZLJKugHWxMrnisL6Qxs3nWoQJ5ZpSJmz0-RhfdOhf4DBqjb97c2Zi4oG4kRz05g1AYXDej4RQ2JqrQIKRilv6cI1NYQq5fqCfH3MCxcyuSJ/s1600-h/DSC05510.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPYnPPObE0dEH5AvMtneU4NJ81VPLzmdswZLJKugHWxMrnisL6Qxs3nWoQJ5ZpSJmz0-RhfdOhf4DBqjb97c2Zi4oG4kRz05g1AYXDej4RQ2JqrQIKRilv6cI1NYQq5fqCfH3MCxcyuSJ/s320/DSC05510.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271535261593042466" border="0" /></a>Batman flexing his HUGE muscles!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd17o7mYViGMp1L5JQ7EIepXXwcKNddIemYIjxGlEj-lWjz04pWnHxRSPRx8ok7tu4ACl5fAM291mviL9a0QHL4PFu1ec428Vw-S1yWoX5dZ2zmhZUof6ONqmhey_4qXFXi3E5Z-uiZQwl/s1600-h/DSC05504.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd17o7mYViGMp1L5JQ7EIepXXwcKNddIemYIjxGlEj-lWjz04pWnHxRSPRx8ok7tu4ACl5fAM291mviL9a0QHL4PFu1ec428Vw-S1yWoX5dZ2zmhZUof6ONqmhey_4qXFXi3E5Z-uiZQwl/s320/DSC05504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271535257777136002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XURdjg9aEUc6YsfkrjuiWq57EGn1JQuDlVj352pjfOXSQbZkKmMicg2F-A7UCqmFGbbLBJok0i_IlZdNhYlkeF-8D8mxtfO8uPAl8EjorGFI0Xb152AkhcSJMDSx4L5F7EGyCUbzi8qX/s1600-h/DSC05500.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XURdjg9aEUc6YsfkrjuiWq57EGn1JQuDlVj352pjfOXSQbZkKmMicg2F-A7UCqmFGbbLBJok0i_IlZdNhYlkeF-8D8mxtfO8uPAl8EjorGFI0Xb152AkhcSJMDSx4L5F7EGyCUbzi8qX/s320/DSC05500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271535258726621714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOA9H1tg3zzL_JjvXPBSH25dl6LHwsvwHMaz_TW_Bz30ZFcsCWtvZOobxLw0ZJuxWxkVRNowP6dODEdst9PMt3E9YJhseIHlXGCg-L3JYJY3_GtN2Asn1M8-UgaUwTqw_Fh7uFSe9Kr3ix/s1600-h/DSC05497.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOA9H1tg3zzL_JjvXPBSH25dl6LHwsvwHMaz_TW_Bz30ZFcsCWtvZOobxLw0ZJuxWxkVRNowP6dODEdst9PMt3E9YJhseIHlXGCg-L3JYJY3_GtN2Asn1M8-UgaUwTqw_Fh7uFSe9Kr3ix/s320/DSC05497.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271535257119107698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnGjL8r6QxLSzfZqnitdL__QnvLKBt0Rj_Vbbpk6wGouhy4BItPPlDVd2eaMUihy6-t4P-GTffZbx2fwTGVUyhFZthiMsSeL7mksnBSNLzIhWqAFlO94v6-ze7G3fwJT5Dh6RkiwhRo5w/s1600-h/DSC05407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnGjL8r6QxLSzfZqnitdL__QnvLKBt0Rj_Vbbpk6wGouhy4BItPPlDVd2eaMUihy6-t4P-GTffZbx2fwTGVUyhFZthiMsSeL7mksnBSNLzIhWqAFlO94v6-ze7G3fwJT5Dh6RkiwhRo5w/s320/DSC05407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271534419491870498" border="0" /></a>The witch on her flying broomstick<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-74220530189124614642008-11-22T08:03:00.000-08:002008-11-22T09:16:22.992-08:00Blogged DownMy sister Melanie recently said to me on a phonecall "I am sick of looking at <a href="http://ricefamily1.blogspot.com/2008/06/fieldtrip-funnies.html">you and Haley hugging a horse</a>. Would you please update your blog?" She was joking with me(kind of), so I am actually going to honor her request(and the requests of a couple of other friends) and actually post on my blog for the first time since June. PATHETIC!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-39875388138775042902008-06-25T21:23:00.001-07:002008-06-26T17:35:48.473-07:00Fieldtrip Funnies<div align="center">Last week I chaperoned for Haley's first fieldtrip. It was to a great little place in the country called Puck's Farm.<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLKlO15hrX1Jb8HlW1I509k-m3ITGsqkU-xl0YSMJIJANqjKyqI-a3U5_DB3zkAmR2YZS3-J1fCqWNV4vlSTQ8NXUXyKr0IkJ3oVqefSatOW9S1Y83GX6-yhxMFepz7t1ScTEZEn0C0WJ/s1600-h/DSC04473.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216041782759864690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLKlO15hrX1Jb8HlW1I509k-m3ITGsqkU-xl0YSMJIJANqjKyqI-a3U5_DB3zkAmR2YZS3-J1fCqWNV4vlSTQ8NXUXyKr0IkJ3oVqefSatOW9S1Y83GX6-yhxMFepz7t1ScTEZEn0C0WJ/s320/DSC04473.JPG" border="0" /></a> All the kids got a pony ride<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216041968158305650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvh6cZpVwq90SLIzWEjZbXWvkVfMWWT4lA0CWGlSvpc1ji5HxDgxJP-9SzESNj-Yj_O474exCFhgnPCcQ3LjxaQ1TrZWBUjhXduq-b2K0vq3GaNi19_i-3KSi1zgrx7w51D4HCxtN8h9M/s320/DSC04496.JPG" border="0" />Haley petting one of the horses that pulled us on a hayride around the property<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Hskw4773O_ylcGG9eE0gr2DuZxXvrOTrArHzEux3THkGY4DwpuJnjW92zEvIqtWVL1ikulrmhq79s8bZgMrbRZAKtTm4xYNYEddPdWK71GdId_G2bCnCCDAHx-McKX33l6if5Bwa00Um/s1600-h/DSC04475.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216041786829448098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Hskw4773O_ylcGG9eE0gr2DuZxXvrOTrArHzEux3THkGY4DwpuJnjW92zEvIqtWVL1ikulrmhq79s8bZgMrbRZAKtTm4xYNYEddPdWK71GdId_G2bCnCCDAHx-McKX33l6if5Bwa00Um/s320/DSC04475.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here is the group of kids I was in charge of. As we were standing waiting with some of the other kids in the class for the next activity to start I was talking with some of my kids. I said to the little girl second from the right wearing a sweatshirt that is a size 2T:</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">me: Jhanki(yes that is her name) Did you get you hair cut?(it used to be long and now she looks like a boy)</div><div align="left">Jhanki: yea I did</div><div align="left">**enters another student named Dev**</div><div align="left">Dev: Well I am getting my penis cut.</div><div align="left">Me:(suprised) oh you are?</div><div align="left">Dev: yea I am getting my penis cut(he repeats--so now I know I heard him correctly)</div><div align="left">Me: why are you doing that?</div><div align="left">Dev: because it is too small.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Call me crazy, but I don't think cutting it is going to help if the problem is that it is too small.<br />Conversation redirection.......</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3RGqH7InL-x4ktTsMQuojLPrydiPLnTf1rWnE3GNZBiP2qHOZuaYsRSfchaUzhe4dZkl25kmSfI4VKuT-dlkryC6CFY1-hAWweEzKSlXxpOJdTjSuQMa75J-LOXu1cl0hLeY3E2j7m4c/s1600-h/DSC04494.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216041802340754626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3RGqH7InL-x4ktTsMQuojLPrydiPLnTf1rWnE3GNZBiP2qHOZuaYsRSfchaUzhe4dZkl25kmSfI4VKuT-dlkryC6CFY1-hAWweEzKSlXxpOJdTjSuQMa75J-LOXu1cl0hLeY3E2j7m4c/s320/DSC04494.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIvkD0TUiWidsJogWFb2NVJkvLvZ0XV4RpCKhKF1cRwG_Tu-NfiereLO0-PEc5dsHWNcBWuZHEN86b1i61YvTsYoywOGTXElPhm9Pc66MAAwEQjc2-W9ZyvoU1AlYL3Y0n616_P1VwZdD/s1600-h/DSC04492.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216041809105845442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIvkD0TUiWidsJogWFb2NVJkvLvZ0XV4RpCKhKF1cRwG_Tu-NfiereLO0-PEc5dsHWNcBWuZHEN86b1i61YvTsYoywOGTXElPhm9Pc66MAAwEQjc2-W9ZyvoU1AlYL3Y0n616_P1VwZdD/s320/DSC04492.JPG" border="0" /></a> Haley milking a cow with "Farmer Vivian"<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216044252998323826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xC9eln-XVp__yUw3J0AB6eHMoInGqUvM1p5hLbAWCRvMjWN0-ml7fhzCdXNBa8b1ZGyxwjOOOKPIN_l6NcyLwmALmBLMugnMZglv7phXEQFlQYousy6cQFunzcijJ87lyWOCDu35jonw/s320/DSC04481.JPG" border="0" /></div><p align="left">This is a picture of "Farmer Mark" preparing the kids for a barnyard tour. As you can see he is a dwarf. When you go to a farm you expect to have lots of teaching moments with your kids, but not one like this. So after we had seen, heard from and talked to Farmer Mark many times throughout the day, Haley was sitting on my lap watching him make butter and she says "Mom, he sure is little isn't he?" I said "yes he is". Then she says "is he a puppet?" So not only did Haley learn about milking cows and making butter at the farm she also learned a valuable lesson on dwarfism. Who knew?</p><p align="center"></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-53720464633965102352008-06-20T21:54:00.000-07:002008-06-20T22:53:28.760-07:00Beware of Barney!Today the kids and I went on an spontaneous trip to a little town north of our house to see Barney live at a small mall performance. A friend of mine, Michelle, from the gym who has 4 young girls invited us to go with her and another friend. Carson was anxious the whole time-he's not that into real life characters of any kind or groups of a lot of people-but Haley had a blast.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214198064966560626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9EAXBkEWoLFALiGGMFFe1Gs-VZbHBZexMlxH_bwkeYxup-gdbe6eB-ZJXnH8esPDAk8UDEt8-Wzv1ViIINlmaaAFEErI-dEZUcBQms2HsPXGoMmu5MEvM2jRUddr-otF49HzKxbgPi8o/s320/DSC04501.JPG" border="0" /><br />Haley and her friend Jasmine<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214198074031567234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrbMvJA-2YCB2bTGd8_SqWUXJXcQvWAL7Q-1Ip6hSUxk175f4lYYhsRNkUWDo9CmIGBBgOHWUwAmQ5mfD5lMmxhdg4zybCm7fwqgTjdTOyHF-s35QsVDZ_G-LgvwR6dM2aJ6sd_-HbRrZ/s320/DSC04502.JPG" border="0" /> Carson, Layla, Haley, Jasmine, and Alexa eating ice cream cones</p><p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214198081613315378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tIUIIKsezqGTtYa6qdr30ibSD2jYNSTh0BokFSqEf8V0sn_XiOIG9LuZqZtyr9N4rFQpcP1jEIWSZCmahb3a6d-UbPaawcL4aC8lx3E6RtajFfXfDQefsm3Vv1oFvJb1thIoie8yvgBv/s320/DSC04516.JPG" border="0" /><br />The kids playing in a play area at the mall<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214198083972914994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYzp-iqVqG18NZRVBSAhzyjhjtwm3aS2GaLkJMAZUO_1-E70HU5WtPmYxxSpnt49eb2_xKgVfOEy_eZtRrCpZnXyuWK8ku-RmrhBpDTQmMfJ0OolhHZh5ovCIEwaMeYWKwQEj48HeUs-6/s320/DSC04510.JPG" border="0" /><br /></p><br /><br />On the way out of the mall the kids wanted a slushee, so I got each of them one. After Haley took a few sips she decided she didn't want hers anymore and asked me to carry it. I explained that I had stuff in my hands and we were almost to the car. She got mad and said she didn't want to carry it. I once again explained that she asked for the slushee and she had to carry it because I couldn't and we were almost to the car. She then got louder and said well my hands are too cold. I suggested that she wrap her shirt around the cup to carry it and she once again refused and said I don't want to. And then decided she was going to show me who was boss by puposely dropping the slushee on the ground and the lid flew off and it splattered everywhere. UUUMMM..Where is the child abuse hotline when you need it?<br />Well we were in the mall, so I kept my composure and luckily it happened right in front of a hair salon, so after counting backward from 10, breathing in and out, and putting myself at a 20 foot distance from her, I just asked them for some hair towels and proceeded to make Haley clean up her mess. Which she surprisingly did without a fight. I think she already knew she was in enough trouble. She has really been testing me lately in a lot of ways.<br /><br />So later we were talking about what happened and why she made the choice to drop her slushee on the ground and this is how it went:<br /><br /><br />Me: Haley why do think you have been having such a hard time making good choices lately?<br />Haley: Mom, I just can't handle being good anymore.<br />Me: you can't handle being good?<br />Haley: yeah. I just can't handle being good. I used to be able to handle being good. I would wake up in the morning and I could handle it and then later I just lost the handle.<br />Me: You just lost the handle?<br />Haley: Yeah, it's just Barney makes me make bad choices.<br />Me: How does Barney make you make bad choices?<br />Haley: I was just up there dancing and singing, that's why I went up to the front, and Barney just makes me feel so free. That's why I make bad choices.<br /><br />I started to laugh at this point which ruined any further explanation from her on why Barney is a bad influence on her. Needless to say we made up and all is well until tomorrow when Barney's evil spell overcomes Haley once again and she makes more bad choices. And to think this whole time I thought the choices she made were voluntary.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214198060468164802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQHI5EQVoD7mx5AryrOX9Ub3Tx1HJ4sL8cagMqfVj-lTUjFI7oTMiPX0oV0IRQpnb41xiK4EpGSLuk61py93Wt6UPBIDj364bLGlDB2kUAlXr5BuHQO9AZqRWFT_Q8OWKeJ1-4Wy0bGZW/s320/DSC04499.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Don't let that face fool you!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-6615780698388778672008-06-06T21:50:00.000-07:002008-06-18T22:20:36.719-07:00Accident ForgivenessToday, June 6, 2008 marks ten years since I was in a horrible car accident. I was hit in the driver's side(where I was sitting) by a large pick up truck whose driver ran a red light. Both of my wrists were fractured, all of my ribs were cracked on the left side of my body which in turn punctured my left lung and it collapsed. I had numerous cuts and bruises all over me. I also sustained a head injury known as an <a href="http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/data/Acute_Subdural_Hematoma.asp">acute subdural hematoma.</a> I was in the hospital for 11 days and 3 of those days I spent in the ICU(intensive care unit). So, long after my bones and lung healed and my cuts turned to faint scars, I was still left with the damage that had been done to my brain as a result of the subdural hematoma. When I say a long time, I mean even to this very day I still struggle with the effects of that head injury. As most of you know, I am referring to the depression and anxiety that I have had ever since the accident.<br />In the days leading up to the ten year anniversary of the accident and in the days since, I have thought so much about the accident. Well, not necessarily the accident itself, as much as how the effects of that accident have changed, affected and influenced my life since. For a great deal of this time I have hated who and what the depression has made me. I have lost contact with friends sooner than I would have liked because I isolated myself. I lost(or felt like I lost) so much of my outgoing personality, my ability to think positive, and simply to be happy. I have made life very difficult for Brad and sometimes my children. I have many times been almost paralyzed with sadness. And though I know that there will still inevitably be many days, even weeks at a time, that I will feel those things, I have recently had a few personal "AHA moments" that have changed my somewhat persistent negative attitude. A few weekends ago I attended a women's conference called "<a href="http://deseretbook.com/time-out/">Time Out For Women</a>" which was organized by an affiliate of <a href="http://www.lds.org/">my church</a> and one of the speakers said "it is only in the darkness that we truly see the light". And it hit me..there is actually some good that came from that accident that day...some of it was immediate and some of it has come over time.<br /><br />I realized how much my friends and family loved me and would do anything for me. My sister,Amy, came immediately to the hospital (camera in tow-to capture every moment of my ordeal on film cause she knew I would want pictures of everything). She stayed with me for hours in and out of the hospital caring for me in every way. She even took over my job as a nanny while I couldn't work. My dad flew in that night to sit by my bed and my mom followed week later. She bathed me, changed my bandages, fed me, and did everything she could to make me comfortable. Brad was with me as much as he could. He would even brush my teeth for me when I couldn't because my wrists were broken. My brother, Bryan, who was serving a mission in Salt Lake at the time(where the accident occured) was able to come to hospital and see me and give me a blessing. Brad's parents drove down 9 hours from Montana to care for me. My other brother Robert drove 2 hours to visit me more than once. My roomate Jodi massaged my feet. Numerous friends vistited, sent flowers and made phonecalls. And the list goes on......<br />Just a few short weeks after the accident, Brad and I got engaged. He wasn't quite ready to "pop the question" before the accident, but I guess it was the boost he needed to realize that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. As Martha Stewart would say that was definately "a good thing".<br />So what good has come of this over the long term is that I have become a more compassionate person. All of the struggles have softened me and made me more in tune with other people's pain. I am more empathetic and less judgemental. Do I still have so far to go? Yes. But I want to do better....be better...and so each day I am becoming better, or at least trying. For a long time I did not see things this way. This was, and is, my trial, but I am grateful for the first time for some of the ways this has changed me. I still miss the old me, but I do not mourne for that person the way I used to. I am sad it has taken me so long to see that some good actually came from such a horrible experience.<br />Thank you to every one who has listened to me cry and complain and stood by me over the last ten years. Especially Brad who has really been so amazing through it all. Very few men could have loved me, supported me, and put up with me the way he has. I love you all.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210100768311253234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtBb5F9W7AdbbK96g3h76wDrZYl_-13o54DTZqWUbyzldRVOuhg781xTyxfNew0GWobjt7npnOwXlddNY3T0JXEY3sn7wag4YeZVdzCs_WKEzOIc4cQjdOGHvlfw8B2bXIHFGkhsO9Xxa/s320/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+004.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210100511277450354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1eV9vBqkNzVkzrvGbLKdzhgMA8FNchUqR03fOQFukR1jaMPVepXu5OItDniD_hnxsDlf7-URxochNq2zc3IvApiskROLGouZ77PH3esED3BHKRz2ZsrhgBzqI5IuA1oxmc-6S8ZXeAHM/s320/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+003cropped.jpg" border="0" /> My totaled Honda Civic . My brother, Bryan, illegally jumped the junkyard fence to take these pics of the car for me.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210100524482151698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRV6pEivMMhsSz2ZD4nCv5eat7pOFcxM-AA1vcedmdzeC4JivBaTQR8k3fuXYwnrXjw0Y3p1Pvvy2tc_3iJil0YRH9Qv5Qmq9fqxPWXmRIcHPJ_XqF1sy2byY8qSh25V10Mhfc-cpb9ML/s320/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+Amy+and+I.jpg" border="0" /> Amy visiting me in the hospital<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoF4aRG9D6Lwl3lqrUXFmUWs6FTVtvVKDGkt_b5r8SXr6KB8_p5NeLK3EllEo6cWFDLDzc20L-P8suSa7NfPbfudyrJ5TYVlEiCgReQAJ7Aw_9EndlyJ5n0tgTCtQvNfintm72TtVCNUT/s1600-h/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+001.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pkvxvlxZgFq0soj8-INB3fYUW37c_3nR8J5IAbsf4JjBNxOq2eiCGscFi8oGoSLGREdEWt5CrpuqRS6x7HBu9a7Bq3uFwJmZx5Y_Wm3hEDmA_x6I509MuQyk3wp8XGsQ0DbGJejeNfYe/s1600-h/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+cropped.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210100518961357522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pkvxvlxZgFq0soj8-INB3fYUW37c_3nR8J5IAbsf4JjBNxOq2eiCGscFi8oGoSLGREdEWt5CrpuqRS6x7HBu9a7Bq3uFwJmZx5Y_Wm3hEDmA_x6I509MuQyk3wp8XGsQ0DbGJejeNfYe/s320/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+cropped.jpg" border="0" /></a> I am holding a container to throw up in. I would usually vomit every time I would sit up. And Brad stayed by me the whole time.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210100515396964930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNYUjbFXtPwZj5CgYdlsi6UQR8Vxec5rn8yoiVPsKuN8Jdf8X1dzYg5wqur89t-r1r71zsaoVmvkebsBgXyTm4-RgiQDljkRTG6SzoNUzp9D2_utumJ8Mvk6lDY4zmb0HPXvd7T646-99/s320/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+005+cropped.jpg" border="0" /> I was in and out of consciousness for the first few days. I don't think I was just sleeping in this picture.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213455111731202082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWqEq1aWrP263oicZlCwFRpPpxDdy7K8wgOJ7PcNnpm5bAKQRJVOBc5DYp_U4tlXyvTsJFLGQB7xLZQA2WnssTAZ2Sj8lryxbaOrieLEPSvOTrju9YqEZ48JFtlZJr_mIQvZSPmsJZ-tW/s320/Car+Accident+June+6,+1998+006.jpg" border="0" />I saved the best for last. Here I am in the ever so sexy hospital issued gown and mesh underwear. This photo is showing the tube that was inserted into the side of my chest to drain the fluid(which looked like kool-aid) from my lung.<br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-330211403437805132008-04-14T21:54:00.000-07:002008-04-21T21:13:05.288-07:00Daughter's of GodI wanted to share a few thoughts and quotations from one of my favorite talks from the most recent <a href="http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-851,00.html">general conference</a> that is held by our church every six months. Although it was a few weeks ago, this talk is still on my mind. Elder M. Russell Ballard gave an extremely touching and inspirational talk on mothers, which he titled <a href="http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-851-37,00.html">Daughter's of God</a>. I, like many mothers, often wonder and worry if I am doing the best I can for my children. I am constantly comparing myself to other mothers and what they do better than me. I am always amazed at how well our Father in Heaven knows us and exactly what we need to hear. Here are a couple of excerpts from that talk that have given me a new peace and comfort about motherhood, just when I needed it most.<br /><br />Elder Ballard said:<br />"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. ....... What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."<br /><br />"First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."<br /><br />" Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).<br /><br />"I hope all of you dear sisters, married or single, never wonder if you have worth in the sight of the Lord and to the leaders of the Church. We love you. We respect you and appreciate your influence in preserving the family and assisting with the growth and the spiritual vitality of the Church. Let us remember that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“<a class="featureslink" href="http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3fac6e9ce9b1c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1" target="_blank">The Family: A Proclamation to the World</a>”). The scriptures and the teachings of the prophets and apostles help all family members to prepare together now to be together through all eternity. I pray that God will continually bless the women of the Church to find joy and happiness in their sacred roles as daughters of God."<br /><br />So this last week I have tried play a little more, listen a little more intently, hug a little more tightly and take in all of the good, and bad, that motherhood has to offer and I, and my children, are better for it. I know this gospel is true and am so grateful for living prophets and apostles who are inspired by the Lord to lead and guide us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-28234949549877676852008-04-03T22:01:00.000-07:002008-04-21T21:25:58.515-07:00Girl's night outLast month Haley and I went to see Disney on Ice: Princess classics. I asked a few of my friends and their kids if they wanted to come with us, and for one reason or another none of them were able to go, so it was just Haley and I. I was really disappointed at first, but it turned out just perfect. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185251366639252530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw49aMeFIgRj2FZl1yzNmPZh99dN4gn1SdrAGMCG0qXLIfvMMMcXskoa1lwDdIJBBcIAVsgV3YNFny_KAJPzZf__uBmzbGcZ8Z1uDBju3ksZj6Exkz9mjtch5_G5xiIGg-4FxkAXFSyHUc/s320/DSC04138.JPG" border="0" />Tickets to the show.........$50.00.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5f5KmwS8jw8oPFfpZ3_WQjs3_qwTtAUUnNUwo_6QqjYOQC9yzXH7LaE1IvYeJ9LQfgr9v9OBQb-afWhtKhxfa7BeYaeZjfnTkffZmD8PE3Zase0uBSTRTMpKX5KoyP3wPYaBv5j9SOtLq/s1600-h/DSC04125.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185251362344285218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5f5KmwS8jw8oPFfpZ3_WQjs3_qwTtAUUnNUwo_6QqjYOQC9yzXH7LaE1IvYeJ9LQfgr9v9OBQb-afWhtKhxfa7BeYaeZjfnTkffZmD8PE3Zase0uBSTRTMpKX5KoyP3wPYaBv5j9SOtLq/s320/DSC04125.JPG" border="0" /></a> Snow cone in cinderlla cup......$10.00.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfK-vDQCCIbqsCot7K1Z6Ghy4DSwnXMJnRakcKNWarBVajL5poMVQO1EnVJEdyZMtJt8G1Ko2baDyIUUA5QoxW_pYjeyyOSf6aQli_eXNmTkTwWylZbwbQ44Ktjc_b5-z0y03vx7sEiCi6/s1600-h/DSC04143.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185251379524154434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfK-vDQCCIbqsCot7K1Z6Ghy4DSwnXMJnRakcKNWarBVajL5poMVQO1EnVJEdyZMtJt8G1Ko2baDyIUUA5QoxW_pYjeyyOSf6aQli_eXNmTkTwWylZbwbQ44Ktjc_b5-z0y03vx7sEiCi6/s320/DSC04143.JPG" border="0" /></a> Light up Cinderella spinner........$20.00<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFYgJdshRYSXg8KzPXck_8xZ_uZtbjWnMn7YGR5tTM6ac_Qh9mP9wUUxrbEXsNA8HyHuPkabLXfNUhg-NlSB6kuifBbYsRN8H5wkiKYGwKV37TuEur-_sdvPpH6oc2FLuLdZSVdXryMpO/s1600-h/DSC04144.JPG"></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185251349459383314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GspVL2LGBzO2SJI3gIotY47stXi3fJbGKA9IgMXFtSVuNH35cRzYxrqZVTR5HQ_zX0IIlpisisouke8KwjIOSJM2L-k3ZjmdvXe6KI2Kgfd9C31BM_n8D6ZxuPGjYg09kzxd4DIf0-Jd/s320/DSC04123.JPG" border="0" />NIght out with my favorite girl in the whole world....PRICELESS!<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-91016412515203900302008-03-27T21:01:00.000-07:002008-03-27T21:21:28.490-07:00Why you should get a flu shot..........<div>We did not get a flu shot this year. After a long sleepless night or two, 10 + loads of towels, sheets, pillows, blankets, and clothes, a trip to the dry cleaners, dehydrated ,starving kids, and lots of vomit and diarrhea, I am now rethinking that decision. This is how Haley spent the better part of 3 days last week in our bed. She could actually make it to the bathroom or in the bowl next to her..... <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182638050838328098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJzlJq1VxdYkrucUUCm0oQGOgmdWJZCpHSRmyNjyjgEosAi9jFzy7nrD7rNJsQqXTK89ZcOEr5vOBfG1xBCWLkhWB4KSzsWVD3XL6A1zgmdypYNQ1ejpRsnBisJYJbhlbIAyUZz4_LvKF/s320/DSC04109.JPG" border="0" />Carson on the other hand, not quite so quick or accurate.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBHGjtubhQC-de04iw6n8XR0UN_RppHLX_1JxNHIFM0YPfdFJJ7haCJm6CURA27wH7RNyQYKZtno0mETfqrxigiu9Lt8AgNfUdCjiIpOsMP2GidB7GFYcOEAhZET6AR7UWyYpXNKD3WLM/s1600-h/DSC04110.JPG"></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182638042248393490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGkHWIJQL7YC4i1eLxXVs_Hi0ABg4YO0UekgsJm3TqQ_GBS4eCZpVy_QJXszHOZGfTzht7aWh5mZxWEU4zcDyp5OMe0QZvc70Z6imHb1K0An-I6y5wx2UD1dIN97DE6y6j9DVfJxNoCsu/s320/DSC04108.JPG" border="0" />MORAL OF THE STORY: Get you flu shot and if you don't then you will need to stock up on thefollowing items..... Lysol(wipes and disinfectant spray), Tide, Febreze(air and fabric freshener) , and carpet cleaner.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-47298445743622272922008-03-25T21:42:00.000-07:002008-03-27T20:59:54.574-07:00Where's me Lucky Charms?The elusive Leprechaun has again evaded capture. After seeking the expertise and advice of my sister Amy(who has been making Leprechaun traps with her elementary students for years), Haley and I created an elaborate trap designed to catch a Leprechaun once and for all. Or so we thought. We were successful in catching one, but he somehow managed to escape.<br /><div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181915826317701794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHy3XinFNM5r98YobrCQQJXJOKQSFYcHYlL989HPDs1oP2jh-q67dTBxxHPbjoBeRtWMZMy7DoJGx3kSuujIVboS22oA6qCdvLPNrJ-7bDWXAQ_XAGTwAuqCEApFo1MznGmwd3rX9443g/s320/DSC04086.JPG" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182633545417634546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVLhUaqeR73_vmK_AAKxVbKN77whGdTejcBMG2byTVsH8LM8__Eh2Wu9jRT51HeknCFah4_RordvcL9fE5YLNmF3d7bcLCjGJGXa7voMoNS0LWWrFvmmfARG4CezwRvbSjQWG5bP3HrqJ/s320/DSC04094.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div>We lured him to the trap with what else but.........Lucky Charms! He only ate the marshmellows, though. Turns out he stole our whole box of Lucky Charms after ransacking our kitchen looking for them. Who ever said Leprechauns are only after gold? In his hurry to escape, though, he actually left behind some of his gold and some green Leprechaun candy much to Haley's delight.<br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181915839202603714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSwznI_keGTJDEkEn-pU4M08t6Ymdq6Uno0yWTTf4g0rL6xXdFxX6EC1GnzpLZh8ghfgqcXNcVeiEqIQW2RTFPLq1yUBXc_Zcd383udYqjMiFpEGmySqBz-hNZxtpYVD9mqxB8juYJmQY/s320/DSC04104.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br /><div>Before leaving a trail of footprints out our back door, he left us another present in our potty. Leprechaun pee! Nice.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182636130987946754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigfdqiJm1RVAnhDM61jNWFXXRGJH3EUUuvbIh2nVOJH6jGD-scKVWoHDZGq8cBWom3er3G_VvZk9Xgs70eM4emu5SPnGPwwWeJcZkYqY_2_HbO_RUiPPxpUMnIss2nReSnt1BgEHOmHyk/s320/DSC04097.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181915847792538322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70wzGfXMjEi43Tby77ZYlrXM_Wj72VNtltNLDk0Zn3VSHj8Pug3H-njB63LvjOPxEdAHj1EqiN1QufNTsFkF2vPf_u-9wRusxmG6EmPzqq41ui8dvWPYkdtlXZU_WftxVAI6LBylC8V7c/s320/DSC04106.JPG" border="0" /></div>Maybe next year he won't be so "lucky"!<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-52001597571805802032008-03-20T21:49:00.000-07:002008-03-21T10:27:44.904-07:00March Break MadnessLast week was March Break(A.K.A. Spring Break) here in Toronto. They don't call it Spring Break here for obvious reasons(see photos to follow). Nevertheless, the kids had a great time getting together with friends we don't get to see that often because of their work and school schedules. We had a busy, but great, week!<br /><br />The week started with more snow play and there was tons of it due to a major storm that hit over the weekend. We got about about a foot and a half of snow(or something crazy like that) on top of a mountains of snow we already had. And I do mean mountains.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055164880695794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNUHkxi4PZ0WHQyjb-Sx5xS8FcCmDXgFOkdyNsPL2Nz9ofnVUplMn43skWG0CCc1ZIEKFUOtBVxT5QzZneRE9OFEiVf6XmMEBFsTwGb71IsmQLCLH0JuJ_IOC6PGXu9Sut7KJIxDlkKbL/s320/DSC04045.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055164880695810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLT_5l5BIfxrVOw0oxs8RPhawsb9VwACoSSOmfusbnHZQlxSH8y5GkxDu9uOun4aeghTZrW_ZTk39pg4uB-zquGMyqXZU-VlDsj4VzJNEIbIUeMWfel2HJFJnqIY6KIIcqBLvzhlctmw4/s320/DSC04050.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055160585728482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr_yno3ni51NT6A7gjfzGm34lYbpmZc17icNGX8ZAlfbc1TChY5n4mmvbMna1y44UHyPWjbYGXZgzMzcim9UX5BroyhEdn3OUs1ik3bEVyEjoE91EMawIwHwEm6WEK-uFdg8ySUfYWsnj/s320/DSC04049.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />(L to R)Luke Blumell(Haley's boyfriend), Haley, Carson, and Grace Blumell. They had a playdate at our house on Tuesday which included a picnic on our living room floor as you can see by the blanket. We love them soooooo much! We also had a playdate with Haley's friends William and Lydia Closson on Wednesday. No pictures of that day though. Honestly we didn't see the kids that much, they played in the basement while their mom, Taunia, and I had our own fun catching up on each other's lives.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180056496320557682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZyU6-5b76KOmI8WNpF6wtGs6M6zYIswVNBiw1oBpTU7p4vIO2OAf69h8lw96WRpEdKKvzAsyrceHC8qrVyd54exZXdmMalb5DU8r4f025nwxtwMjAWrKRLoQNht36qTGwBpEdzeMHPu5/s320/DSC04054.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />On Thursday we went ice skating with our good friend and one of the Young Women from the ward who lived with us for a couple of months at the end of last year named Kelly Lee. What can I say? Carson started to cry as soon as he saw the rink and kept saying "I scared. I wan go home." I should have listened to him. It was a lot like when I get them ready to go play in the snow...There was lost of crying, complaining, falling, and outfit adjusting. It took forever to get us all ready to get on the ice and then after about 2 minutes Carson was done and Haley soon followed(Although, after all of that I did not let her give up that easy.) Haley said "Maybe next year mom, I will want to try that again." I don't know if I want to, though. AARRGGHH! They had more fun watching the Zamboni! We hung out in the player's box and watched Kelly skate a few laps. At least she had fun.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055757586182722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRplq6rWJJ6WsPpvrV9-Aly_JjYDkPQtblILtharP7V5j1mDaA1bZXbcGCKd_syMqC2AeKAj4VHbHSbNHr1vop_9rGKI17oPkPksar-EFwQmWQ6_w1QrYoj_-Wx7ZTO0lBo4rLiJY9QuqS/s320/DSC04071.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />The only picture I think we got of Haley actually standing up on the ice.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055761881150034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvpxzvBAXeDS_9zom6qO-0bQJfUj8ObSzOQmHJ2L-_IMqLU1KOQblx55n861YG2-v7MumeoljPzbd2MUQlEUvcSwweVohgwF9SgR-DfJyHFGKcblkgvZezjktzdwVFSXcnxSTOzv8obS-/s320/DSC04072.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055753291215410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 335px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 284px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="228" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NZjU4TwgpPQP6gPWhbnOY5c44xPPjfgnkYVWLqFm3zQUTmd0PXfZcAp1Qy0dKHDQDokOza9MYubhFmu6jaV7D8rJgStuGtZrPevSxMefm3s-G1OK5WrQm2Pp7-4aM9IJbOgD_7U7JG20/s320/DSC04070.JPG" width="320" border="0" /><br />The only picture we got of her smiling.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055169175663122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJJURD-LAG268ZtidntXqAiVvNF0mCcSO7KuYdUv9qmQdNkJP9MYgjFrHQnTeBYKmVYoHzaVwKQXWsvPtQjMh3emYH8zKEPNqjJ0ob85S-vfMuE7P2Thw6Y1hsnxSwQEUK1QFDMt5vmi-/s320/DSC04061.JPG" border="0" /><br />Kelly imitating Carson's signature pout.<br /><br /><br />On Friday one of my good friends from church,Karen Laidlaw, came over with her daughter, Emily, so she and I could practice dcorating sugar cookies with Royal icing. As it turns out we definately needed the practice and one night was not enough. We laughed a lot at our own expense(and each other's) and were too tired to do much decorating by the time we actually got all of the cookies made.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180055766176117346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTVvE5qLrFTv97lmsFVdstOrNyj9LSguFR7YjswsFHX1DdHOiUDtVNCyxaU-fPVzNo_4AQDOqtnZ4FFpfxGjsWJ-FpkINF-0q4AOHi8KsotRPExZ2JTZEj-MfWXEG7Dd09VSO6qRRSn1q/s320/DSC04080.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBhT4WZSs-Eo0ur0dhxuLBfw1mnVPUwLTc-pNjZc_p3BWQifR087rAmWCA4d8XH4wlg7TIR4GBafGpV7H81EE2GVMvMu6rwT_ZiMvjo5qrn9qq9SvDdKgJIx24YsJ1Op6qmDIePmhA8UF/s1600-h/DSC04082.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180056500615524994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBhT4WZSs-Eo0ur0dhxuLBfw1mnVPUwLTc-pNjZc_p3BWQifR087rAmWCA4d8XH4wlg7TIR4GBafGpV7H81EE2GVMvMu6rwT_ZiMvjo5qrn9qq9SvDdKgJIx24YsJ1Op6qmDIePmhA8UF/s320/DSC04082.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB117UWFGXDHIzwhG7ZokVdoB-xO3vEooT7CWiyDa25AcfivTEa7mIiNl2JU_XYUgYPtplS7Jrv6H_nzP4Z3583Pd15qlhuIXwhCwrbAmxMD0VBY0qFioSQMt9svZt_lSVqvkGjRQkO3wC/s1600-h/DSC04085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180056504910492306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB117UWFGXDHIzwhG7ZokVdoB-xO3vEooT7CWiyDa25AcfivTEa7mIiNl2JU_XYUgYPtplS7Jrv6H_nzP4Z3583Pd15qlhuIXwhCwrbAmxMD0VBY0qFioSQMt9svZt_lSVqvkGjRQkO3wC/s320/DSC04085.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpkFZZLRW5VchZQIDMAtIikKzj61X6KFVWGUiJHiV98y00J7tOHFz7ORdEdtd-hwqsRjISNkWBNiU9tWq7W7Mxofju0E0HTYS39Y3ZIuA51liVN_4rjBiseAWimtb_cNcO5OMagINCD24/s1600-h/DSC04054.JPG"></a>There is a cookie under there somewhere.<br /><br /><div><div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-67369867503442835142008-03-04T21:52:00.000-08:002008-03-04T22:17:14.775-08:00Birthday GirlLast Tuesday I went to Haley's school to take treats for her class and spend a few minutes with her at her school. I don't get to go to her school that much, so it is always nice to see what she does while she is there. She really is loving it now and was thrilled to show me around and I was thrilled to oblige. No cute pics of any treats, they are very strict about anything homemade coming into the school. She has two kids in her class that have food allergies. So we just did prepackaged snack mix, cookies, and juice.<br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174134906083583362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGe24kYGmhm8QeEbgh_MYp5pwVRnILqgk2E4rF1KE5XcgZzWw9KqEh5YT0nRa2FHMk85bRvJRkAG0FVW23FPA_8e1Go6pJ7EE32KSb6LP845EoM4PbNm0Kw8cpDxzoOMA6nK_w1jPIO_N/s320/DSC03877.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div> Her teacher Mrs. Walker is so great with the kids in so many ways! Instead of making everyone sit at the tahle with their snacks they got to have a picnic for the party. After we got to talking one day half way through the year, I figured out that she was LDS too. She is in a different stake, though. Small world! It's so nice to have that connection.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174134901788616050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eyW3yyvjz8s3HCkZo-vljhCmyJ_F9QZYeWhEdqsU24IxfVdepwX83MhiToriH1HM_xd2E3iVef23NtyujsillPTDjq-vZoOW360PaK4JbiwpvPRpGoxQF-6TwRLhfMxJVrJkNJjU8Jo1/s320/DSC03875.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174133428614833506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMHnutYxfqVrXOHsMuBM7gpN30q7nVo3JvTCPoqx_hWMq2lchK9W8IpBqL5ytj3ujbsA7GozH17Y0ProuBFuGD8DgmtENcpDxXNvLNmdv-ktmsU6BlTDLkUegE_ja0n-vhOovAGxVnYzP/s320/DSC03883.JPG" border="0" /></div> Although me coming to her class was a big deal, the highlight of her day was finally getting stand in front of the class for morning exercises to hold "Bertha" the Birthday bear while it sings "Happy Birthday to You" . </div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174136658430240146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgD5WLPhkYy-f-gIKumPExDIGdkLywkqDbeeLJDaS3PI2Q_PEmOhbIdLOs3uQpZC_LQxpSmUXKZde2YAJeU6OtP8pxgKmS34Qp9ziQmQKrjKsbETqkWR5nkxPB9_o4k7Kwr1oD1IfEF8O/s320/DSC03992.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div> After school when while we were getting ready to go to the party, Brad had tulips delivered to Haley for her birthday. I love this little tradition he has started with her. She was ecstatic and it of course made her feel so special on her special day!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-85032039101062002352008-03-04T14:48:00.001-08:002008-03-04T21:49:50.485-08:00If I had one wish then it would be.......<div><div><div> A Happy, Happy birthday to Haley!<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgok8rxDDpb5M5CETxp8im18mM8idc_DidPx5oTPjx5v62yX-yuQiOQegqOkB7wSInzxSJ8oAUu23NKu8UTFdtVG3V107VZ4pbGmiPNytLBc1s28Va3TRkT80jBieAdic2j8EMUL4cEAjQ4/s1600-h/DSC03925.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174026458159359106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgok8rxDDpb5M5CETxp8im18mM8idc_DidPx5oTPjx5v62yX-yuQiOQegqOkB7wSInzxSJ8oAUu23NKu8UTFdtVG3V107VZ4pbGmiPNytLBc1s28Va3TRkT80jBieAdic2j8EMUL4cEAjQ4/s320/DSC03925.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Last week, on February 26, we celebrated the amazing day five years ago when Haley was born into our family! I held it at an indoor playground and invited her friends from church and our neighbors(neigh<em>bours</em>-for my Canadian friends). An indoor playground, for those of you who don't live in subarctic temperatures, is just what it sounds like; it is a glorified McDonalds playlandso of course the kids loved it. I did this to make this party stress free for me, but I decided if you are like me nothing is stress free. I also came to the conclusion that throwing a party is a lot like renovating; everything takes way longer and costs way more than you think it will, but totally worth it in the end(i.e. the butterfly cupcakes shown later in the post). We missed our good friends (and Haley's boyfriend), Luke, Grace and their mom, Melissa who was sick and couldn't make it. 9 of Haley's other friends did come though, and the party turned out really great! Here is some of the fun captured in pictures.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174118348984657090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVEv4D9s9E5AVyHYFd77fAKKeM7qaL47rMxTrmbSq4Ukgr5bd0Gdug5G3Gl7QvZjOjojWBvKdCANDiQwuMUEs54NjQdJ5spOmyCc_xIkRJTs5elxfEqTTMMaMhbdNUTPjXv392FMTU4sz/s320/DSC03977.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174118353279624402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4wrViu-RE2J57TKB0wSWXfHPSJ3STURO3EGgUVnimBx6G53VLpiarcshDZJ2CxiHqmWojoCYG5hhrLIB8s64xqqwkk-YTK0DyuLb5y_UGLqbzNkpGM6CnKelwGSV243V3H2qi-xYrFje/s320/DSC03906.JPG" border="0" />Carson as he landed at the bottome of one of the slides from the picture above<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174126371983566098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kHdTWy3LybsXqFWKYkn4SZeQURxQb9VAjGBRU9zfk_QWA72PSDwX8axijzLHWNsciD3wxHCRA9Sot4a1FA3RiQ_tgJjcF4Zr9XWcEJ45gpD8mwS17IScZWu5JFA3ovbYxgxBL2awQc2T/s320/DSC03970.JPG" border="0" />they had a moonwalk and my neighbor, Linda, and I were playing on it after most of the kids had left. So much fun! This is Haley and I waiting to slide down with her!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174128047020811554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQQ-shwB9T3PEbE5DH-njBm_ZxUJXUW73bGThJFGv2JJkFj3l8LpObGChZnhKtg2BAFG1aYoE3OTsh51dGW2XhVAK6bsjfObMgD1go6Q79OaTrlUtbV8z6DMl5k_8f4JwsGek7hfIhHiN/s320/DSC03889.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174118340394722482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_daLQeZIYQwKbc1M7mQ4HFU8BWeNYTGv2ls-Z6g3-vK5gVGFQAN2iKFyDFwmbdp5Y-ABRWCwXN8dSyL49_INlRU9NDNrCYoyVxujoSwdVDQMPVvWprXmoko9xAWsMakbpW-PjFMh8Pol/s320/DSC03923.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174026440979489890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawcTB1Zip4cbqoMCEDbwMY6xyxnMhN_upXWNfVnhH06Y6d8SldnJp7iMCkXy7A7NRLK8UwA75T3XOel6jtcdSs0dHwGRO7yv7qFpweJynSmVDsffMJCTHRY60tieg5ykvnvvRV3QnkVFu/s320/DSC03891.JPG" border="0" /> Melissa, the dessert decorator and some butterfly sprinkles saved the day when I started running out of time, patience, and whole pretzels while making the butterfly cupcakes. I love it so much. Thank you!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174122283174700274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylaaDugeqFGAGpOIwMfctUBY2_vJcGud1-ayMxhJ3TP1-yMiV86RZ3IxgaPA3iVub5HqXCjwoU03MkEkcnUE5DV9nVbOkx5WNCx7znCaslLey4w_fQUFPqp4qQD-D4HV0cDRiUUtIJM5M/s320/DSC03894.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><div></div>Here they are.........the butterfly cupcakes. I emailed some of my family and friends a few days before the party for any ideas they had for cute butterfly cupcakes. Almost all of them responded immediately, and this is one of the links my amazing friend Faith sent me. Thanks girls for all of the great ideas, it was hard to choose with so many cute ones. This came from a website that I am now in love with called <a href="http://www.brightideas.com/">http://www.brightideas.com/</a>. The actual link to this particular cupcake is <a href="http://www.brightideas.com/birthdays/themes/butterfly/cakestreats/">http://www.brightideas.com/birthdays/themes/butterfly/cakestreats/</a> . Mine didn't turn out like the picture, but close enough and still got rave reviews!<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174026479634195618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0USFl6gLZIcm0qAUtiQYw_AjErYt2ibLit3FkVm8jX1E38trWyku8YnLfP7EqchvgRQdjrkPhoyd03eZxAfZgWccDptgdIpHV99MKyhQ4gRtF8N-6wsLNRxlL0h7oyhGQmfD9VNTw4buw/s320/DSC03940.JPG" border="0" /></div><p></p> Make a wish!<br /><br /><br /><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174118361869559010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_0uzZ3AL0L8ebd5U19ZY0cR5D7EuFEDcWUVNxIWCVL34jyyVEUPK2il1TsHCl1O42kq0_hfLplzMIQA65rgld6HxiCpSoYFYzH8qgONRMdywMc0vtCRqP3hwKQ4uLAauRY3XSI5kPDvv/s320/DSC03934.JPG" border="0" /> Here is Carson sucking all of the icing off of who knows what number cupcakefor the night<br /></div><div></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174128777165251906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5es-s2gmWx6v6SDiGqIH8Oz5KynbX-oVvo6jHB29nBLnk_ydTDO4jy17uR71H2UzaTrY_gPdf_ZONSySxMrYI9hKrWbJP8gLs_nqa6zocOvxOdj79oJlPD4zJuxCkOKmGimNMrcKOUs5/s320/DSC03937.JPG" border="0" /> <div>And this is him feeling sick a little bit later. Could it be all the junk he'd eaten?? Notice all of the frosting still around his mouth. Hey that's what parties are for!</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-67883836908357330232008-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:002008-02-19T15:28:01.794-08:00"when you come crash ....into me, yeah"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0mtp1I0zi2wVA0jDhJGhhXkhywUAGtb-2aqV8tkcVbIgHvEjLOeKFEAVTUkTXlPNbTW0O_KjCeCNF-Ky5LDd7YIoDZCoPCLbvtJP8-1XKoDu90RGAwKh4LLczy2g1GxXK-FCAOkxJ_v5/s1600-h/crash6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168825382910041826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0mtp1I0zi2wVA0jDhJGhhXkhywUAGtb-2aqV8tkcVbIgHvEjLOeKFEAVTUkTXlPNbTW0O_KjCeCNF-Ky5LDd7YIoDZCoPCLbvtJP8-1XKoDu90RGAwKh4LLczy2g1GxXK-FCAOkxJ_v5/s320/crash6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Sorry everyone(well at least the 5 of you who actually still look at my empty blog). I got a few comments and emails wanting to know what in the world I was talking about when I posted the title to this. Well, the answer is I started to do a post(I know -it's a miracle) and was interrupted as soon as I started( I'm not saying by who, but you can guess). I somehow posted it without meaning to. So, yes, I did get into an accident. It has been many a moon since those words have come out of my mouth. And yes, it was my fault. Although, this is not an actual picture of the accident, it is a rather accurate substitute photo of what the other person's car looked like after I rear-ended her. I didn't think it would have gone over too well if I had said "hey do you mind if I take a couple of pictures of your car for my blog?" Now while many of you who know my past, (and I mean a long time ago), driving record, this is probably really funny. Well, I wasn't laughing that night, I was hysterical! Long story short, everything worked out. I had signed up for accident protection a little while ago and had forgotten about it. So when I called the insurance and they told me that my first accident was covered because I had put the protection thing on my policy and that my rates would not go up, I screamed into the phone and told the agent that I loved her. And then when I told Brad he said he loved me. So that is a great ending to what could have been a really bad situation. By the way, the lady I hit was 5 months pregnant and luckily she, the baby, and I (my kids weren't with me) are all okay. I hope that clears everything up and now stay tuned for more posts. </p><p>p.s. Unfortunately I wasn't talking about the same kind of crashing that Dave Matthew's is talking about! </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-71675418467411763002007-11-03T20:13:00.001-07:002007-11-04T21:48:25.219-08:00Halloween tricks and treats<div><div>I have recently learned that both of my children suffer from a rare disorder called "Brad Rice Syndrome", or otherwise known as "I can't stand for my hands to get dirty syndrome". Don't be alarmed if you, or your children, have been in close contact with mine, it is NOT contageous and studies have shown it is a genetically inherited disease. Haley's case is very mild and selective; for example she is okay with covering not just her hands, but her entire body in paint( See photo at end of post). However, putting her hands into pumpkin guts is out of the question. Carson's case is far more severe. He cannot stand to have any medium(i.e. food, paint, glue,etc.,) on his hands, especially not pumpkin guts. So I tried to "trick" them into cleaning out their pumpkins with their hands, but to no avail. Haley ended up with a spoon, and Carson disappeared completely from the whole process. I think toy trains were much more interesting, and cleaner, than pumpkin carving.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEsxu7iG1c_N2Qotz2bNOikyRXDAf3V9SlqiEqWmQQuOeqDTXCRYXC9tAJu0EwpZEhjb5HBapFJ55mjtc6TApVn3s0WF3UvKhjtguc-lXskoHXuImwhVQUl1Mg2kQSMYFJTf_nIIO7MA_/s1600-h/DSC03047.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128820208594601906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEsxu7iG1c_N2Qotz2bNOikyRXDAf3V9SlqiEqWmQQuOeqDTXCRYXC9tAJu0EwpZEhjb5HBapFJ55mjtc6TApVn3s0WF3UvKhjtguc-lXskoHXuImwhVQUl1Mg2kQSMYFJTf_nIIO7MA_/s320/DSC03047.JPG" border="0" /></a> You want me to put my hands in there?<br /></div><br /><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRgMDxs86nIPMZB4SUcMDWPJfyr5ovsRUZOwYZ0xDCDogByoJTtnJBl8x9cfnLr25Rm2rPhEFF47cGWLWOTXkeuNnGJvJi0ikWTmsttSiKmWH7ZmArcgXfqtsnL0jpAIeHYbBk_7Sx8tY/s1600-h/DSC03046.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128818610866767650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRgMDxs86nIPMZB4SUcMDWPJfyr5ovsRUZOwYZ0xDCDogByoJTtnJBl8x9cfnLr25Rm2rPhEFF47cGWLWOTXkeuNnGJvJi0ikWTmsttSiKmWH7ZmArcgXfqtsnL0jpAIeHYbBk_7Sx8tY/s320/DSC03046.JPG" border="0" /></a> Haley only appears to have her hand in the pumpkin. Trust me she isn't touching anything in that pumpkin. It is all part of the illusion of Halloween. </div><br /><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8KmjO-M5RYhlvVjWr7Wh9F6bj6nnB9RsdGyim2et6AQmd9x_6ATEk9hKECkrBq7cnEAxoQ43mLfOrJKNxC-6jQLeCbqoQSf6dDv829pBhruyj80m6CuRo7SEWc4Rs8QUi2Q_YONyMDRe/s1600-h/DSC03054.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128818615161734962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8KmjO-M5RYhlvVjWr7Wh9F6bj6nnB9RsdGyim2et6AQmd9x_6ATEk9hKECkrBq7cnEAxoQ43mLfOrJKNxC-6jQLeCbqoQSf6dDv829pBhruyj80m6CuRo7SEWc4Rs8QUi2Q_YONyMDRe/s320/DSC03054.JPG" border="0" /></a> Next on the agenda was painting squash ghosts. This they both really liked, at least until Carson got some paint on his hands and decided maybe this project wasn't for him either.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoh99GOuLrCzLmawcQa2W95YNHzdKCMCqefbOSvB__2uHMwZfFL59IrR-dxZfdLHxjEN6wORGiTTeJGlcbMlDBfYIAkTlaVD2T_Czwvy0chkT93TXjiT94oZ7rMn5EaY0nFNnUX2RG6Bc/s1600-h/DSC03037.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128818619456702274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoh99GOuLrCzLmawcQa2W95YNHzdKCMCqefbOSvB__2uHMwZfFL59IrR-dxZfdLHxjEN6wORGiTTeJGlcbMlDBfYIAkTlaVD2T_Czwvy0chkT93TXjiT94oZ7rMn5EaY0nFNnUX2RG6Bc/s320/DSC03037.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHjRLtGxe9iV_9XkHnQuNAcQBoNLm9GevQ5slpXrWXi9C-csq-gMWvmodRszOgvbPyFwQcPpYmBIUWzI2TPJglC-4l3PmwJ8Si-AdD4as3ffbfK7-wk51-vKW21a3cChJ2J3GpSfRRClC/s1600-h/DSC03039.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128818623751669586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHjRLtGxe9iV_9XkHnQuNAcQBoNLm9GevQ5slpXrWXi9C-csq-gMWvmodRszOgvbPyFwQcPpYmBIUWzI2TPJglC-4l3PmwJ8Si-AdD4as3ffbfK7-wk51-vKW21a3cChJ2J3GpSfRRClC/s320/DSC03039.JPG" border="0" /></a> So now for the "treats". We made sugar cookies and Carson stuck around for a while for this(although he asked me for "a wipe" about 50 times.)<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128819027478595426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4atlUTaAzCNqVF0Q4ky4x5_5oSpC5lTsDRxpIznjQfQ4IszrQBJLj8t3aj5kXxhDMCbJIvM7AlZT2RaKp4Om6eRdM_cyw2GT2ZcqVvx7QTJmCs46l4XQc1Psl6egCM5x-EZVFRIoowpWY/s320/DSC03060.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128819031773562738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1Y9lVGoiwNBAnX1FUGUzq0LL6cmm9xW11R-6HKJ54kYOsAGzTzVUUNmDAI314d2v9IfQOh3mqtYJ_tOczkNWYeKJ4Z3V4z1b1Br8D85hav33UduO18hKqduSA96rHxAle-3QXbWvvSdT/s320/DSC03056.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129221775151876034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Lww9LlSsJMQJ6G2vL6lLKUQRepEKzzBHzCFdST8REf5YNOS2eu_Mbyp6rgr3L3XhUKeGmL1OnMZhoxXTfd1LTrtefwuPIghEJOnH2TSbkBuN_bFQDWctpb2fwkpeC13LcKk9CqMEw75o/s320/DSC03073.JPG" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128819044658464658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMk2ZRIVc9Mk2_ULsB1UFjnqz6ZRz8ASCDwjfXrhf6ZvW2iAbzlcdyuMvJklgOHowXXTHL8mLL-ln-MrY1UYWpztnMu0aZYQ36iz6fcO6_ZTdwwnh466Q8LGt_ukcz3son7hZ-YOuAXmgu/s320/DSC03077.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div><br /><p> </p><p>P.S. Right now there is no known cure for "BRS (Brad Rice Syndrome) but as you can see with serious and persistant intervention progress can be made. </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129226027169499090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mdfVhPhD7D5U6Uea6JBxmGOQXLhpqud7iSE_TbDDioz1_CSPdg4T4JoG-hOlHrqTWObTCsMvL0GqQq74-UdVqeL7yFr7N00UAJ6h_wqwsKujlp91BgYOQi8HFIjeuGT_LYElhg8riwNc/s320/DSC02124.JPG" border="0" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-55184981360937435982007-11-03T19:37:00.000-07:002007-11-03T20:11:33.757-07:00Presenting their Royal Highnesses<div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Here they are......the King and Queen of 99 Royal Appian Crescent patiently waiting to go trick-or-treating. Haley of course knew what that meant and when I explained to Carson that people would put candy in his spider bag he said "wooow, cool"! Boy it only took him one house to see what I was talking about and he was off and running(literally). They had great fun first going out with Brad and then I wanted to take them out too. Few things are better than Halloween!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128809995162371794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk0Sg414QHDz74meQZIotRnznTUP5duWePh7aV3gDrGqPNyWPvGeqh3N7-Ds9hlLZwvTH1INJpvsk61EMpdzpoq6Tkqk-Kchxl49IW7Mc30yq10AdPUAmJQmjuFFHfJsI704lWAQNNpYW/s320/DSC03104.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWTzPnUJIdr_eTdhxERA-mtcbN8OuGH3h-8FkJOnXf1nDdXc0L7eYE5SLUJyd6jub3yaoZ7MAenZK4lLAfC2mUK7PnSkOE6rSgRpqWBad5ibBzeX-WbRsXLIVNpdsLTh-IiZGdG3EO0dC/s1600-h/DSC03085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128809982277469874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWTzPnUJIdr_eTdhxERA-mtcbN8OuGH3h-8FkJOnXf1nDdXc0L7eYE5SLUJyd6jub3yaoZ7MAenZK4lLAfC2mUK7PnSkOE6rSgRpqWBad5ibBzeX-WbRsXLIVNpdsLTh-IiZGdG3EO0dC/s320/DSC03085.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEXGfGl2pI9FWa8WmSms5ObdddIHQ9z5rth3Dy2PEC_9AZ-OXAi-mzqrO2EstVK82If03qIVzuSabB_rmorbFLw2MxTfEDSq3Q-HbHPRnx7nENASIbvDH5sdphGxN_NuuF0HF9N-fpSu6/s1600-h/DSC03102.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128809990867404482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEXGfGl2pI9FWa8WmSms5ObdddIHQ9z5rth3Dy2PEC_9AZ-OXAi-mzqrO2EstVK82If03qIVzuSabB_rmorbFLw2MxTfEDSq3Q-HbHPRnx7nENASIbvDH5sdphGxN_NuuF0HF9N-fpSu6/s320/DSC03102.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128810029522110194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_w2gWqSWyEBxPR-jxGvlpFbAn2mXwKiwzzZ4ek43jwKA-ckvE5ZEH45S_U-okuMvSJd1-8beuhtGyqgAZdWaIbWbWlCgP7Q7OmzrWmuCdIxYDvibx4B46j8FPDswmgcxyUHsz1QZmlO9/s320/DSC03127.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3npraLi_jhamSU3YPqI_BCdO6_slNC-WwMcZNFcK8OFbxvOHxdhVkerePN3hEr27GJkqSXnQGHB69_fYMMMobrAjOmSMbLqpeQKeB_rgtLGDHHY-FtXMNOx5Wv15HwxIQ5Ge4xY83n3sU/s1600-h/DSC03108.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128810016637208290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3npraLi_jhamSU3YPqI_BCdO6_slNC-WwMcZNFcK8OFbxvOHxdhVkerePN3hEr27GJkqSXnQGHB69_fYMMMobrAjOmSMbLqpeQKeB_rgtLGDHHY-FtXMNOx5Wv15HwxIQ5Ge4xY83n3sU/s320/DSC03108.JPG" border="0" /></a> The emporer needs new clothes! Once trick-or-treating was over, not only did Carson's costume come right off, so did everything else(except Haley's crown). <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128816703901288210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YFCfv9WbF8T8-waJgkopV1mYEB5ohurPZtHpjyFGyw0fkq9OHdE3gcuzbk_QwozOUPfu7i-n4uB_LXHHxRjpxKm1_ooi9UMFN4HNQPUEMpXKILzR21guNbiAqDAY7_vSiTFlHye-dWL-/s320/DSC03146.JPG" border="0" /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-10770737641481692282007-10-25T14:55:00.000-07:002007-10-30T01:21:49.942-07:00Chudleigh's Apple Farm<div> </div><div><div>A week ago, Monday, the kids and I went to Chudleigh's Apple Farm. I was introduced to Chudleigh's when I went a couple of years ago with my good friend, Faith, when she lived here in Toronto. Another good friend, Melissa, and her kids, Grace and Luke came with us this year. We were a little late in the season for picking apples; It was more like apple hunting than picking, but we had a great time anyway. There is a couple of big slides in a hay playground. You can also go through a hay maze, see the farm animals, go on hayride out to the orchard, play on big tractors or in the huge sand area, and pick pumpkins(there weren't many left, we kind of missed out on that too.) Here are a few pics of our little farm adventure!<br /><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126163590933398946" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0FV694HgNyAWQHr-Fx2kx8GJ2wBAZ2lmvZp2jZ23mv_29Q6-HTIWSQWYKOVDNdU91sCrM3xSGRRAHAH4Z7J0HCTOfsrt74tGdwPkl7ZJuYsFKKxjj7Ln-YP1Ei4D6mpoPMxLh-Q0aPqS/s320/DSC02967.JPG" border="0" />Melissa with the kids(L to R) Carson, Grace, Luke, and Haley. Ready for the hayride to start! </div></div><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126163651062941106" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgt1i94tC_dspT5WWICqaq0jF3Ornfn5PktnDOK_x45aKujdRxENONN_GmibOSMxyiwA23GIkfrRLwksTwh6s-achdSUYyfiIz9WmWDlq27uTlT1NEIdswrf593E-5y2WhxkNBvhqfZpD-/s320/DSC02975.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Carson had way more fun picking the apples off the ground and throwing them than he did picking them from the trees Good thing, because there weren't really any apples in the trees anyway.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126163655357908418" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCalvVJjwES2OAOmW_EaOuvZMa-KloOPxf3hgmSCI-dQvw-E0AxpIpu1reeM6IxC6ZcpD0wXVr-DArniP-j62Cn_VRALcs9ampnM94d5lKvLWEqXFGISq_q_oWGuLV011gjRwxyEceyga/s320/DSC02992.JPG" border="0" />Haley found this big perfect apple and was so happy. Too bad she'd rather die than eat an apple, or any fruit for that matter.<br /></div><div></div><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126998674309662290" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidlgk99QasBitzywf14ITfCTy68PPTnUZhEuAEY8K1jHsAwtQ_zAIdxVBS-woFb47UYWD22L3r94QfVlKr2KcnBH7wNfDuK8xBLsKQbavYi4Y5ArHzhLlWb3slE74gU5AYm9Y-fV3Y4J1/s320/DSC02965.JPG" border="0" /></p><p> What a bunch of ANIMALS!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126998682899596898" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBSe8Y6KDL7FZcz8xgeqmcZwDmMgnK-U_gnt1uZd_u1026u6TwcvNYp7GSzQ4Snxi-v2hyphenhyphenQgu9R7wjhs4dxAkDzGDqss3DF3lbJQ3dDkMCZhO-zdZkVpxFTZb9SHUqMx7AbuJScRrIB5S/s320/DSC02997.JPG" border="0" /> Notice all the apples in the trees? Ummmmmmm, no.<br /><br /></p><div></div><div></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126998691489531506" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzoETLYzWCzC2fyPfhULgV-OYmYVLNpA3125ElGYrFS_Vs538d6_QAWvWH60i4-cC2VL_iKTBosqfw_O7y-rBRDLVTiee4iNEEj1qVKnJhyhhLK4gqKdGSn9b9Wk672OV7E6XAmjO6fWp/s320/DSC03010.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>I love these slides as much as the kids do. WEEEEEEEE!<br /><br /></p><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127000482490893954" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmsKv3nTItNA3oIVnQx0BMCAlQKljgifx4WjpRUhLHneVA5E3nO058_nOqjOZFUwqB_qDm0b-fSSOvnQcpHg1_2g-ccd5rvy-4sOzzshV-ym4v_pWDDdJRJHzpBZMI8Pzjixd_dX5AqcR/s320/DSC03023.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>I was sitting down watching while all the kids were having a hay fight, but it turns out that throwing hay all over me is much more fun.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127001255585007266" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhounsggfxaiVxca8qExkZBdb-EoESNBhqjGJfD5rdiX4nACNesKb5eCpCARtQNxIHwzkIAR6KkLLR8FFYLldKYI5WRbM1CUryotsO4_TsxkKjhZK2lYMQmybb8Kz-lcmHaEg8IrU178UPD/s320/DSC03029.JPG" border="0" />This is me : "Carson. Grace. Look here. Smile. Haley look up here. Hey Luke, look buddy. Come on guys. No, Carson sit down. No, up here guys. Say 'I love pumpkins'." And as you can see they did everything I asked them to do. Right! This is what you get when you try to force 4 kids ages 5 and under to take a "cute" picture with the pumpkins at the end of a long day of playing. Not interested!<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-55962746171590948592007-10-17T21:55:00.000-07:002007-10-17T22:15:02.341-07:00Party for JesusA couple of weeks ago, Haley got her first invitation to a birthday party that will be held on Sunday. So we had the talk about what we do on Sunday and going to birthday parties is not something we do. So, tonight we were riding in the car and we had this conversation.<br /><br />Haley: Mom, I saw Nikki's mom at school yesterday and I told her I can't come to her party.<br />Me: You did? What did you tell her?<br />Haley: I told her I couldn't come because I have to go to church on Sunday and learn about Jesus.<br />Me: Well, I am really proud of you. I know that was hard for you.<br />Haley: But, mom, I really want to go to that party.<br />Me: I know you do. But we don't go to birthday parties on sundays. We go to church, learn about Jesus, and do quiet activities at home with our family.<br />silence for a minute<br />Haley: Mom. I know! We could have a party for Jesus on sunday. That would be good wouldn't it.<br />Me: yeah maybe we could do that. But that is what Christmas is; It is celebrating Jesus' birthday.<br />Haley: Oh, well can we decorate with streamers? Do you have any Barbie streamers? And we can use them to decorate the Christmas tree for Jesus' party.<br /><br />So I hope you all learned something here. It is okay to have a party on Sunday as long as it is for Jesus. Thanks, HaleyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-14999241173636739872007-10-09T21:09:00.000-07:002007-10-09T21:45:23.153-07:00Happy Thanksiversary!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGHgmYngqca6Gqne36Tub_xovfvAnlOGcXsQkw1GFnBCx-U-LshGVjJRCpNQg_2XkuSMfMmS9lhH2Y-8H8rv8VZ34YVhiOCoV9R2QSry2QlHdJWTzpgVRHD9ABS-N4IST4ukkDu1i2Wei/s1600-h/DSC02804.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119563073279142098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGHgmYngqca6Gqne36Tub_xovfvAnlOGcXsQkw1GFnBCx-U-LshGVjJRCpNQg_2XkuSMfMmS9lhH2Y-8H8rv8VZ34YVhiOCoV9R2QSry2QlHdJWTzpgVRHD9ABS-N4IST4ukkDu1i2Wei/s320/DSC02804.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving and also mine and Brad's 9th wedding anniversary. (Shout out to Brad's brother and his wife, Katrina, it was also their anniversary-2 years!) Having both occasions on the same day was good and bad. Good because Brad took the whole day off of work and we spent time as a family, but bad because there was nothing open, so we couldn't really do anything fun. But somehow being together was enough for me. Cliche'. So, Brad being the thoughtful guy he is, had these beautiful flowers delivered the Friday before, and I really was surprised. I want to brag on him a little and tell everyone how much I love my guy! Not just because he sends me flowers on our anniversary, but because he has sent them many times over the years for no reason at all. Because he has more patience for me than anyone I have ever known. Because he is smart, funny, hard-working(a little too hard-working), loyal, generous, forgiving, understanding and dedicated. He does the dishes, vacuums, folds laundry, and makes dinner every Sunday. He makes me feel loved even when I don't love myself. He holds me as long as I need him to when I cry(and you all know that is a lot) and listens no matter how stupid and looong my stories are. For these reasons and so many more, I could not be happier to be his wife. </div></div><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119563777653778658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry7uxbu1YCa6mFeTNFdGF7JFqiXOz6L4RrZgisny9GHw8XIaj1c6wNYMnF3fFEfZxChTfe5OyFBV_aIjagd8dQ6WyyfsQOyEPrg6DrjVw9qAAtDE1l4ySq-GGj5N1urfJdQei8zpwQfGk/s320/DSC02800.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p></p><br /><p>He also had a flower delivered to Haley to tell her he was proud of her for not crying on the bus(but that's a whole other story)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-20047616679183235252007-10-09T11:50:00.001-07:002007-10-09T19:08:57.446-07:00Our SummerWe had a pretty great summer! We had a season pass to a huge themepark that is about ten minutes from our house called Canada's Wonderland. We played in the back yard, in our baby pool, on the slip-n-slide, and spent a lot of time gardening and working in the yard. In July we went on our annual beach vacation. The kids and I went to Florida for two weeks before the beach(Brad came for the beach) and during that time went to Sea World twice and had so much fun with all of the cousins. We also made a couple of trips to the Toronto Zooand Haley went to a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game with Brad. In August Brad's parents came for a week, and we went to the Canadian National Expo(huge fair)and the kids got spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma Rice brought one 50 lb. suitcase full of just toys for the kids! So here are a few pics to recap the fun!<embed style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px" name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-3f.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=432345564245740607&site=widget-3f.slide.com"></embed> <div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&ad=0&id=432345564245740607&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-3f.slide.com/p1/432345564245740607/bb_t016_v000_a000_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&ad=0&id=432345564245740607&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-3f.slide.com/p2/432345564245740607/bb_t016_v000_a000_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-54595137411248172002007-10-07T21:04:00.000-07:002007-10-07T21:29:10.240-07:00I'm trying to be like Jesus (kind of)Tonight when we were putting Haley to bed I said "okay, are you ready to say your prayer?" She responded "yes, but I am just going to say it in my brain like mommy and Daddy do." And thus the habit of falling asleep while saying your prayers begins for Haley at the early age of 4.<br /><br /> Also, as many of you know, Haley struggles 'just a little' in the music category, both in remembering the tune and the lyrics to songs. So I was suprised to hear her this afternoon start to sing "I'm trying to be like Jesus" to her baby doll "Petito" while putting him down for a nap. It went something like this:<br /><br />Haley: "I'm trying to be like Jesus." ( I, in the other room, am so proud. Then comes the next line.)<br /> "but nothing happens"(in some made up tune, as is the rest of the "lullabye" that went something like : <br /> "As the still small voice whispers, you're my baby, you're my baby"<br /> "I'm trying to be like Jesus, you're my baby and you're going to sleep"<br />Ummm, yeah, can you tell we sing primary songs at home all the time. I am still so proud. At least she got some of it right.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-41577780391809601912007-10-06T10:57:00.000-07:002007-10-06T11:01:22.226-07:00Hair Don'ts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VVmOhWGROeQO-eUyVBP0W1UyBxwTTANpS_07bzawqaG_22CkdXxTdpCWkKe6_HkpBmyKlLXfeFeMmILPm9LFLD7a2WbRR8_UYdSVyW5xyxa6VDTpq2jz-lE3QaC2AKNy5xqr56sI2g9Q/s1600-h/DSC02722.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118285256084072626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VVmOhWGROeQO-eUyVBP0W1UyBxwTTANpS_07bzawqaG_22CkdXxTdpCWkKe6_HkpBmyKlLXfeFeMmILPm9LFLD7a2WbRR8_UYdSVyW5xyxa6VDTpq2jz-lE3QaC2AKNy5xqr56sI2g9Q/s320/DSC02722.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>And the award for using the most barettes in one hair style goes to Haley Rice! Haley has been really into doing her own hair lately. First it started innocently enough with just brushing ("styling" ) her own hair after she got out of the bath. Then she moved on to blowing it dry and attempting to use a round brush. Tonight, however, it escalated to this. She also, if you look closely at the bottom of the picture has "styled" her bunny, Hatty's, ears with barrettes, too. Luckily Carson likes putting barrettes in his hair too, because I am sure she'll move onto styling his hair next. How do you spell barettes anyway?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3257077623860008666.post-54450202434553769392007-10-06T10:39:00.000-07:002007-10-06T10:45:04.894-07:00The Blog TrainA few months ago after receiving a few invitaions to some friends' blogs, I commented that "I guess I need to get on board the blog train". Well, as any good procrastinator would, I waited, and waited, then got some more invitations to more people's blogs. Then, I waited some more. In the meantime Spring turned to Summer, and Summer has turned to fall, and I am now fianlly taking the plunge. I'll try to blog more than every few seasons. Thanks Faith and Melissa for the encouragement...You know I would have never done it without you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1